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Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog


JPW

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Mixed green salad with carrots and radishes from the garden.

Fingerling potatoes cooked on the grill. I found that a tool made to hold fish on the grill is perfect for veggies. It locks tightly holding everything securely, and you just turn it over halfway through cooking.

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Red Calypso (Gourmet Valley heirloom variety) beans, soaked in filtered water, drained & rinsed, then slow-cooked on the stove in yesterday's simple chicken stock (roasted chicken carcass, purple onion, bay leaf simmered for a couple hours).

Three and a half hours into the simmer, a tasting revealed the beans were almost done. I added a liberal dose of sea salt and some lavender pepper. The beans emerged in a creamy, smoky, filling, slightly spicy and reverberating symphony of slow-simmered flavor. The main point of making them was to have them throughout the week in other preparations, so tonight's dinner included just a sampling of these beauts.

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charcoal grilled mahi filets--caught yesterday by Jonathan while on a boat off of Cape Hatteras

roasted tomatillo-poblano salsa

grilled purple asparagus

pan-crisped new potato halves with pimenton

cherries

2008 Ch. Grande Cassagne rosé

Really fresh fish ROCKS!

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A mixed green salad.

Mixed fruit sorbet. Mixed fruit sorbet is what you get when you combine all the little bits left in the packets of frozen fruit purees you bought for mixing drinks. This one turned out pretty well.

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Spicy roasted red pepper and corn bisque

Pan roasted chicken breasts with roasted red pepper and chili lime sauce

Corn on the cob with roasted red pepper and chili lime butter

I should have made ice cream along the same theme. Everything was certainly sweet enough!

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Black bean soup with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro

Salad of mixed baby greens, radishes, carrot, celery, feta cheese, and Greek olives

Sweet potato spice bread

I just winged it on the black bean soup and it came out very well. I used Rancho Gordo black valentine beans and a Wellshire fresh ham shank. I prefer whole beans to pureed in bean soup but went ahead and pureed about half the beans, and it gave the soup a pleasing creamy texture. I really should do that more often. It makes a difference, and there are still plenty of whole beans in the soup anyway.

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Garam Masala chicken (simple spice rub with a touch of oil on chicken cutlets, pan grilled)

Golden beets (pressure cooked with whole cumin seed, ground coriander, fresh ginger, fresh curry leaves, and canned tomatoes)

Penzey's, thoust offer a cupboard full of inspiration every time.

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Salmon burger* with lemon dill mayo

Corn on the cob

*Really just a salmon mousseline coated in panko

How did you cook these? Mousseline is typically poached. I am assuming that you made a proper mousseline of pureed fish with cream.

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How did you cook these? Mousseline is typically poached. I am assuming that you made a proper mousseline of pureed fish with cream.
Pan fried. Yes, the fish was pureed with cream, although less than would typically be called for, with green onions added after for flavor and texture.
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Sweet Potato biscuits

Tandoori chicken thighs

Mango-orange-avocado salsa

Causa

Last night's meal was another international hodgepodge :D. It plated beautifully, with all of the bright oranges and yellows. Didn't take any photos this time.

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I've been making pizza lately-even the dough! It was just one of those things that intimidated me a bit-not now. I've been using a recipe from Tyler Florence "Food 911": it's easy and quick. 00 flour from The Italian Store has been producing very thin, crisp crust when cooked on a pizza stone at around 650 degrees on the grill.

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Basil, mozzarella (fresh and grated), tomato sauce

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Sauteed beet greens (evoo, garlic, anchovy paste, nutmeg), sauteed mushrooms, riccotta

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Beautiful pizzas! I grilled tonight, but it wasn't quite as photogenic.

Grilled butternut squash and Vidalia onion with sage

Mixed green salad

I know it seems wintery, but the squash and onion were left over in the fridge from another recipe, and if I don't do something with the sage, it's going to take over the herb bed. Because of all the rain, the flavor is pretty mild, so I don't really want to dry it for later. All this got mixed together in my new grill pan - one with the round holes in it. I didn't know what would happen with it, and I was actually pretty skeptical about it working well, but I got the nice blackened grill flavor without all my nice veggies falling into the fire, and the sage fried into little crisps in the olive oil. I see using this pan a lot this summer.

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Semi-braised chicken thigh w garlic, white wine and slivered lemon

Fava bean succotash w yellow bell pepper and cooked cucumber

Rustic potato bread

Cherries

Lemon fruit bar

Fantastic chicken--Eco-Friendly splurge wasn't too much for a couple of legs (divided to make 3 servings).

Succotash adapted fr a recipe in a Martha Stewart cookbook. Caption says canola oil and tarragon provide the flavor :D , though I went w basil.

Used leftovers to make a bulgur salad w lemon, red spring onions, chopped, raw cucumbers and lots of intensely flavored fronds from a very expensive fennel bulb.

As for the lemon popcycle, anyone know where I can get Edy's tangerine bars? Brookville was nice enough to order them, special, and lots of other customers discovered how great they are, too. Here on the Hill, they only come in skinny variety packs, made w artificial sweetener which I won't touch.

* * *

And Zora: how do you make your fresh pea soup?

Stuck on Mrs. B's splendid shooters. Thinking of reserving at least some of the pods to make a quick stock.

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Freezer raid!

Swordfish with homemade spice rub: allspice, coriander, celery seed, fennel seed, mustard seed, paprika, cayenne, black pepper

Roasted parsnips, carrots, and leeks

Vidalia onions poached in butter until "noodle-like"

Lemon butter drizzle

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* * *

And Zora: how do you make your fresh pea soup?

I make fresh pea soup with sugar snaps. English peas are too expensive and labor intensive--they need to be appreciated in their most natural state, steamed with perhaps a bit of butter or cream and some mint.

For my fresh pea soup: string the sugar snaps. Sautee some leek and onion and (optional) shaved fennel in oil or butter. When softened, add the sugar snaps and cover with chicken stock, water and a little white wine. Cook until the peas are soft but not overcooked--10 minutes or so.

Puree in a blender and DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP: add some unthawed frozen baby peas to the blender and puree together until smooth. Then DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP: pass the puree through a sieve and discard the fiber, of which there will be a fair amount. Reheat the puree if you want to serve the soup warm, and/or add some heavy cream or creme fraiche, salt and white pepper to taste. If the peas weren't sweet enough, add a little bit of honey or agave syrup, although this is rarely needed, since the sugar snaps are usually quite sweet. Serve warm or cold with a dollop of creme fraiche, yogurt or sour cream and some chopped fresh herbs--mint, fennel frond, or tarragon.

The frozen peas give the soup a real boost of fresh pea flavor. I've made it with and without them and they make a huge difference.

Someone PMd me with a request for a recipe for coconut cole slaw, which is just regular coleslaw with carrot and scallions. When I make the dressing in the blender, I add some coconut milk, or in this case I had some powdered coconut cream that I got in an Asian market. The basic coleslaw dressing is mayo, yogurt, cider vinegar, sugar or honey, and optional celery seed. Sometimes I blend in some pineapple instead of using sugar. And I always salt my shredded cabbage for about an hour, then rinse off the salt and dry the cabbage with a towel before making the slaw. The dressing gets less watery and diluted and the slaw has better texture if the cabbage is salted in advance.

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When I make the dressing in the blender, I add some coconut milk, or in this case I had some powdered coconut cream that I got in an Asian market.

Did you happen to find that around here? I've looked at Grand Mart with no success.

Tonight was one more night without rain, so one more grilled dinner. I hope everyone got to be outside in this incredible weather.

Grilled asparagus

Quinoa salad

Cantaloupe

The asparagus was amazingly good with just a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. The quinoa salad was pretty much tabouli with quinoa instead of bulghur wheat: parsley, mint, lemon, olive oil, and carrot.

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Thanks, Zora. I recently lucked out at market closing and will be making just a tiny amount of shell-pea soup. Snaps are around longer and now that I have gone from pea-indifference (animosity, even, for fresh English) to conversion, I will definitely try your version. Meanwhile, got my hands on a copy of TFL cookbook, though I will skip the truffle oil.

* * *

Speaking of tiny amounts, I bought .05 ounces of Iberico on my way home this evening and some Red Hawk at Cowgirl Creamery.

Dinner: Large salad of mixed lettuces and chicories, fava beans, pea shoots, mint, fennel, red spring onions. Sherry vinaigrette and lemon.

Iberico (a little tossed in salad, but really too precious) which I now love

Olive bread, thick slab of Red Hawk and a spoonful of fig-lavender honey preserves

Baked rhubarb compote w dollop of Greek-style yogurt

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I got it at the market across the parking lot from Bob's 66 in downtown Rockville.

I'm not familiar with Rockville, but will give it a try next time I'm up there, assuming I can't find it at Bailey's Crossroads.

Tonight's dinner was light and simple again. Veggie burgers and a green salad.

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last night:

baba ghanouj and pita chips

Boodles and Fever Tree g&ts

charcoal-grilled lamb chops

haricots verts with roasted garlic and lemon

orzo with olives, capers, tomato and basil

melange of fresh fruit (cherries, apricots, raspberries, watermelon) with sweetened vanilla creme fraiche/Greek yogurt

2005 Baltos (Mencia Bierzo)

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Yesterday morning after a week of abstaining from Mountain Dew and eating very light dinners at home, Mr. lperry reported from the gym that he is down four pounds. :D He requested more of the same, and was home last night when I hadn't planned on him, so he had a veggie burger (100% whole wheat bun), cantaloupe, and a shaved fennel and apple salad. I had been grazing on fruit all afternoon, so I just had the salad. This may be one of the best uses of my Benriner mandoline there is.

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On a somewhat related note, I just have not been in the mood for cooking dinner lately.

Last night took Tuscan kale "ceviche"* out of the fridge. Cut into thin ribbons*, it's great to toss with other things and so I did: the last of a bulb of fennel, slivered, a radish, thin slices of radicchio, a red scallion and some chunks of oil-packed tuna since there was no charcuterie around.

Black pepper. Champagne vinegar and just a little more olive oil.

A few raspberries and a frozen lemon fruit bar.

* * *

*Easy to over-salt, so make cautiously; see KMango's link to flickr account under the Spring Picnic 2009 for recipe.

*Note for beginners: When making the ceviche, you need to remove the thick ribs from the kale either by tearing them out by hand, or folding leaves in half and just cutting them out. After slicing out the rib, stack half leaves and roll tightly into a cigar. Then slice rolls very thinly as one would whole basil leaves when preparing a chiffonade. Use fingers to separate the rather nifty, compact circles of kale into strands.

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Tacos!!!

Skirt steak marinated in: serranos, garlic, lime juice, tequila, coriander, cumin, vegetable oil, cilantro, salt, pepper

Finished on the grill.

Also grilled the tortillas. WOW. What a difference that makes.

Also grilled some vidalia onions and serranos.

Served with some fresh cilantro, sour cream, cheddar, and lime juice.

Best tacos ever.

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