Oven-braised buffalo shoulder
Roasted veg: scarlet turnips, fingerling potatoes, carrots, celery root, cippolini onions, crimini mushrooms

2005 Acacia Carneros Pinot Noir

Dinner a few wednesdays ago was potato and brie quesadillas. The sauce for the quesadillas was a combination of tomato sauce, chipotle peppers and honey. The recipe was in a recent issue of Bon Appetit (November?).



Last night's dinner was manicotti from the December's Cook's Illustrated. It was delicious but did not photograph well.

So I decided to bite the bullet and stop at the deli quick on the way home, which allowed me to put together a plate of two kinds of olives, gherkins, pita chips, and semi-homemade (Sandra Lee, you've ruined that word for me) sun-dried tomato dip. Then a bowl of ice cream.

And I saw that it was good.

Usually I reheat leftovers, or incorporate them into something else that requires minimal cooking, the more comfort food-y the better. If there are no decent leftovers, I generally go with pasta and cheese and some kind of sauce. I didn't have an especially bad day yesterday, but a long one, which involved driving about 4 hours in the rain. I was also inexplicably tired all day, like I was getting sick.

For dinner, I reheated some oyster stew with root vegetables that was in the refrigerator and made a fairly quick skillet dinner of egg noodles topped with sauteed shallots, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and cubes of leftover poached chicken, in a creamy cognac sauce. (The cognac was the dregs of a bottle in pantry, and I used it rather than try to figure out if I had a decent cooking wine somewhere to open. The result smelled and tasted heavenly.)

Tonight we had salad and pretty kickass meatball sandwiches, with ingredients that were mostly from Costco. I used this recipe from Bill Granger for the meatballs. I had bought veal stew meat at Costco and ground an equal amount of that to go with ground pork I had bought at Eastern Market. (My grinder is very old and seems to work best for grinding beef. Pork turns into a mess.) It was more than the 350 g each called for in the recipe by about 50 g for each type of meat.

Since they were baked, each had a nice flat side that worked well to go in a sandwich without pulling hunks of bread out. As they were about done, I heated up some Classico tomato-basil sauce (from Costco ). If I don't have fresh sauce on hand, that's my standby. I put the meatballs I was using into the sauce briefly, and then ladled meatballs and a little sauce into the rolls. The rolls were mini baguettes from Costco that I toasted in the oven briefly. I topped the meatballs and sauce with slices of buffalo mozzarella from Costco.

I guess it sounds goofy, but I mention the sourcing mostly because, for some reason, it amused me as I was eating to realize that most of the main ingredients for the sandwiches had come from Costco.

Last night:

Pan-crisped polenta cakes
with ragu Bolognese made from leftover buffalo pot roast

Romaine and cucumber salad

2001 Fidelis Aglianico

With the wife just starting to feel better after 3 days of fever and chills, it was time to put out old school comfort food: garlic studded roast bottom round beef with pan gravy, served with egg noodles and steamed green beans. Maybe you can go home again.

Marcella Hazan's pork chops braised in tomatoes and sage
Polenta
Kale sauteed with garlic, finished with sea salt and ground white pepper
Sage focaccia

Last night:

Mushroom*-barley-white bean soup based on stock made with bones from last week's smoked turkey.

*Chopped portobello-sliced crimini-shiitake-dried porcini-porcini powder

Seared scallops over a parmesan-tomato white sauce
Sauteed green beans w/ almonds
Zinfadel (leftover from the pot roast braising in the oven)
Fig Newtons

Saturday Birthday dinner for my mom:

sea scallops wrapped in prosciutto, arugula, tapenade vinaigrette
strip steaks with balsamic reduction
roasted potatoes
asparagus
chocolate cake with chocolate ganache frosting

Last night: Blanquette de veal served over black bean and goat cheese ravioli (a surprisingly good combination; I've been doing refrig/freezer cleanout and found some packages of ravioli from Whole Foods)

Tonight: Apple gouda chicken sausages simmered with cranberries and toasted pine nuts, with blanched kale thrown in at the end. Very red/green and Christmas-y; rice pilaf; prune bread (left over from the spring picnic--just pulled from the freezer during yesterday's cleaning).

This sounds like a fabulous birthday meal. Could you give any details on how you did the scallops?

Dinner for my brother and sister-in-law (picky eaters, especially the sister-in-law):

Caesar salad with frico


Crab cakes with remoulade and asparagus (happened to be on sale at Safeway)


Both with 2002 Albert Boxler Riesling (another outstanding Joe Riley pick)

Recycled Citronelle Kit-Kat bars (day 5 leftovers -- I thought the corn flakes in them were slightly stale at this point, but nobody seemed to notice)

Short ribs in Barolo
Roasted rosemary potatoes
sauteed spinach aglio olio
1997 Barolo Gabutti
Lemon sorbet
10 mg. Lipitor

I took a Food Network recipe that she found and changed it up a little. I made a tapenade with olives, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, and garlic, whizzed in a food processor (leave it a little chunky). A little got smeared on the scallops, then they were wrapped in prosciutto and baked in a hot oven on a sheet pan. Put scallops on a bed of arugula dressed with a little olive oil and salt, and drizzle with a little tapenade.

cauliflower gratin with feta

water (we're going through a dry period and the only ones having a good time around here are the narcissi; they are getting vodka from my wife, who read some cockamamie article in the newspaper that the sprouted bulbs like to root in alcoholic water that stunts their growth but makes the flowers happy.)

from deborah madison, as almost always, steamed cauliflower, sprinkled with feta and lemon, is broiled sitting on a sauce of tomatoes, onion, garlic and dashes of oregano (dried called for, but i used fresh), honey and cinammon and some rinsed capers. our freezer is well-stocked with tomato compote, and i used one of those for the sauce. added sparingly, the honey (from toigo, kind of funky and just right for the recipe) and cinammon lend intriguing notes to the flavor, but they stay in the background. i could taste them, fairly distinctly, because i knew they were there. if you didn't, you would at least have known that you were picking up on something a bit unusual.

Thanks. I'll have to try this.

Tonight's dinner was soft chicken tacos with pinto beans, grated onions, green chilies, and cheddar (plus hot sauce).

I spent most of the afternoon making veal stock, so dinner had to be fast & easy:

Pasta with bay scallops, red and gold cherry tomatoes, garlic, lemon, parsley, butter, & olive oil. Green salad.

Tortilla Soup
more soft chicken tacos

gorgeous, bone-in pork chops, seared, then popped in a hot oven
pan sauce of wild mushrooms, thyme, brandy, & cream
baked sweet potatoes
steamed asparagus
vanilla ice cream with a little salted caramel sauce drizzled on top

That wild mushroom sauce has me salivating just from the description.

I was planning to make a mushroom tart/pie tonight but am out of steam. Maybe tomorow. The pot roast finishing in the oven smells heavenly, though. We'll have that with more leftover prune bread and a small green salad.

Thanks! It was prompted by my 4-year-old wanting to buy every mushroom variety at Whole Foods yesterday. I had to find something to do with them.

Sounds delicious. I do a similar sauce but use bourbon instead of brandy, and also add a nice spoonful of dijon or whole grain mustard.

Frittata with spinach, shiitakes, poblano chile, shallots and roasted garlic, cheddar, Comte and Reggiano
Fennel salad (cucumber salad for the man who hates fennel)

2005 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

Dessert was my version of a "sponge with cranberries" that I saw Nigella Lawson make last night on the Food Channel. I was half-asleep and I didn't write anything down. She was weighing out and giving metric amounts, but I sort of guessed by the visuals, how much flour, sugar and butter she was using. I knew that the cooked cranberries weren't going to be a hit with my family, but I had some Seckel pears in the fridge. I peeled and chunked them and caramelized them in a pan with butter, sugar, a little fresh ginger juice and lemon zest. The sponge was a simple cake batter (AP flour, sugar, salt and baking powder mixed with melted butter and eggs). Nigella used self-rising flour, which I didn't have, and she added extra baking powder, so I just used what I thought would be enough for that amount of flour. I flavored the cake batter with vanilla and cardamom. Half of the batter went in the pan, with the cooked fruit layered on top of that and the remainder of the cake batter spread on top of the fruit. It was in a 350 oven for about 35 minutes and looked done. I am an improvisational savory cook, but I have always followed recipes slavishly when I bake. I was expecting disaster or at best mediocrity, but it turned out to be really delicious. The "sponge" was light and fluffy under a slightly crunchy crust and the pears were tender and intensely flavored. Served warm with some vanilla ice cream. And it took very little time to put together--didn't even have to haul the Kitchen Aid out of its cupboard. Gotta remember what I did and write it down, cause it's a keeper.

Saturday night:

Mixed greens with shallot viniagrette
Rosemary focaccia
Spinach lasagna

Yesterday, we hosted our annual tree decorating and homeland food party. Menu was:

Margaritas
Red chile posole
Flour tortillas
Biscochitos

Spaghetti alla Carbonara, from Molto Italiano. We drained the bacon, contrary to Molto's instructions, and could still feel our arteries hardening. Still considering whether to buy the cookbook.

I bought the cookbook after renewing it a few times at the library. Love the ricotta gnocchi with sausage and fennel and much more. Currently I am in awe of Lynne Rossetto Kasper's The Splendid Table; Jamie Oliver's new book on Italian food looks quite good, too.

Batali's take on carbonara seems luxurious. While I'd rarely pass up an opportunity to consume anything with cream, I recommend the Roman way as described by David Downie: sauté chopped pancetta, guanciale or bacon in olive oil, though not in cast iron or any thick pan that retains heat for very long. Wait three minutes (or longer, depending on the pan). Then, pour in your mixture of beaten egg, 1 extra egg yolk and grated cheese(s). Ideally, the combined oil, fat and egg will all remain liquid with little to no coagulation, if a little warm. Meanwhile, your pasta (penne is traditional) should be almost done. After draining, toss noodles into the pan with the egg mixture, mix with spoon, then put a lid on it and leave for a minute so that the custardy goo penetrates the farinaceous flesh and two become one.

Pancetta questions here: when buying pancetta how thickly/thinly do you have it sliced? My first experiment with pancetta produced a lot less oil than I had anticipated and very few edible bits. In recipes that call for pancetta, are they (impicitly) suggesting using the largest slices possible? Can you buy pancetta is a roll/log that you can then cut yourself?

Tanqueray Negronis
Spaghetti with Snider's sausage and tomato sauce
Leftover rosemary focaccia

legant -- I usually buy pancetta in slices around 1/4 - 1/2 inch and chop up the amount that I need at home. Most of the recipes I've used it in have called for it either sliced into strips or diced.

legant: I do the 1/4-inch slice bit, too, freezing slices, wrapped individually. They're easier to dice or cut when partially frozen, anyway. Did you realize all pancetta in this country is domestic?

It's also good sliced thin, depending upon your intentions. It won't cook like bacon, but fried up, it's good to roll in something you plan to cook further, then eat...or to drape raw over meatloaf before putting both in the oven.

Speaking of meatloaf, Heather, you've got to try Mario's in Molto Italiano.

* * *
CJS: Frico? Is that a parmesan crisp or do you have a source for Montasio? None of the DC WF's carry it anymore.

Just parmesan.

Batali's recipe has no cream. Half pound of bacon, 3T olive oil, four eggs, and 1 1/4 cups of parm for a pound of pasta. It's just too rich, and unbalanced - no top note.

Oops. I was thinking of his original recipe in Simple Italian Food where only 4 oz. of guanciale/pancetta accompany onion, cream, 4 eggs and only 1/2 c of pecorino. That's way too much bacon and too much oil for all that bacon.

Still, Downie's version isn't all that less rich: 3 eggs plus one yolk mixed with 2 T pecorino; 2 T oil, 4 oz bacon (or...) for a pound of spaghetti with a peppermill and bowl of grated cheese (half Pec, half Parm) placed on the table.

I have a Boston butt and two brined chickens on my new smoker, about ready to come off, and some (lightly sweetened) vinegar/chile sauce ready to dress the pork (not the chicken; pulled chicken is for wankers). Yum.

I love my new smoker. Maybe I'll do a mess of smoked chicken thighs for the next picnic.

Friday night I cooked myself up some pasta with Chioggia beets, romanesco cauliflower, and goat cheese. I learned that I absolutely adore romanesco but do not care for Chioggia beets, which don't taste like beets to me. Too sweet and missing that key earthiness.

Chucked some mussels into a pot with some beef stock, most of a bottle of Smuttynose Winter Ale, a chopped onion, 2 bay leaves, and a scant handful of sundried tomato slices. I could have omitted the last ingredient, methinks. Sopped up the juices with good bread.

Wow, I'm exhausted from this past weekend of cooking. I owed my girlfriend dinner as part of a scrabble bet in which I lost (she challenged me on one of my last moves and I ended up giving up a triple word score for those who are into the game). Sunday night I always host a gathering at my place for friends. I tried to think like a chef and make things that could be served again.

Saturday night menu:

Appetizers:
Steamed artichoke with homemade champagne vinegar mayonaise and clarified butter for dipping
Smoked salmon with Ossetra caviar and avocado

Middle course: Blue cheese potato gratin

Main: Asian style flank steak along with steamed baby carrots

Dessert: neither of us are huge sweet fans, so a cheese plate with robiola, stilton, hudson camembert, and chevre with ash

Sunday night:

Appetizers:
Chips with guacamole & chile con queso & spinach crab dip (ok I cheated here and bought that one prepared)
Smoked salmon with ossetra caviar and avocado (had more salmon and caviar left)
Pita with hummus

Mains:
2.5 lb planked salmon with rosemary, lemon, salt & pepper
Asian style flank steak

Dessert: Charcuterie plate with the same cheeses plus genoa salami and a domestic proscuito.

I'm tired and need to figure out a menu for next Saturday and Sunday That said, I love this game.

Saturday night I had the traditional valley family Hanukah meal: latkes, pig in a blankets, and hoagies. Four generations gather together to scarf down as many latkes as we can and then brag that we ate more than the other cousins/siblings/in-laws/parents. This year 7 adults and a two year old ate 82 latkes.

Appetizers this year were a little different. Instead of the usual cheese and crackers we had a special accompaniment. When I arrived my aunt pulled me over and said, "Hill, I don't know how good it is but my boss gave me a caviar sampler he received as a gift from a random client. He hates caviar so it is all ours." What my aunt didn't realize is that along with a jar of French caviar and a jar of American caviar, there were three jars from Iran: two sevruga and one osetra. Needless to say, three of the jars were a gift from somewhere over the rainbow. "It also came with some special kind of cheese." Crème freshe is a special cheese indeed.

There were only five of us enjoying the caviar; it was "one of those things I don't eat," according to my cousin. (Her family only gets a home cooked meal when someone else comes over to cook it. The hoagie delivery guy lets himself in.) We enjoyed the caviar on random, bland crackers we found in my cousin's cabinet. Grandma, who celebrates her 90th birthday in two weeks, went first. For the next half hour, four generations sat and enjoyed this random treat. (I made my seven year old cousin taste it and then grossed him out when I told him what he just ate ) It was an unexpected and luxurious way to start celebrating my grandmother's 90th. I thank you, random client, for giving generous gifts that bosses don't like.

*Grandma and I used our fingers to lick each of the jars clean

You know, I don't particularly like roast turkey. It's OK straight out of the oven, but otherwise: eh. Except for the fried turkey our Chief Building Engineer makes every year for our building's annual Christmas party. I will elbow everybody out of the way for that, as I did this evening. This building has a lot of turnover and the younguns have no clue. I will be very sad when this man retires (he's exactly ONE DAY younger than Dame Edna!), but not just for his cooking skills.

ETA: I get interested in making latkes at this time of year, eventhough I have NO family tradition. Last night, I bought some lovely lamb chops and had some potatoes I thought of turning into latkes, but didn't have the energy. So I just baked them. My bad.

Last night was a basic skillet meal: Toasted Barley and Chicken Pilaf from the January 2007 Good Housekeeping. That's long been my favorite recipe source among the traditional women's magazines, but they don't seem to publish as many recipes as they used to (or maybe that's my imagination).

Instead of going to Eamonn's tonight, I made ketchup shrimp with an Asian flavor twist. Here's a very vague recipe and picture. http://synaesthesia.wordpress.com/2006/12/20/ketchup-shrimp/

Spiced beef cobbler with cornbread topping from the holiday issue of Gourmet, and a green salad. I thought it was a bit salty; Azami disagreed. Ended dinner with vanilla ice cream topped with crushed amaretti.

Last night was gussied up SOS. Thinking back on it, I don't think I've ever made this before. We ate it semi-regularly when I was a kid, and my father would eat it despite having had his fill of it in the military during WWII. I liked it okay but always found it too salty.

A while back, I saw a package of chipped beef in the Safeway and bought it on nostalgic impulse. It sat in the fridge quite a while, and its sell by date came and went. I'm trying to use stuff up before we go away for Christmas, so I dug it out last night.

I crisped up a few slices of turkey bacon in a skillet and crumbled it, then added 1-2 Tbsp. butter to the little bit of drippings in the pan and melted it. I tore up the dried beef (3 oz.) into smaller pieces and frizzled it in the butter, and adding a little flour after a few minutes and mixing through. Then I poured in a 12 oz. can of whole evaporated milk slowly, stirring as I added it so it would thicken. Once I had a nice sauce, I added the crumbled bacon back in and ground in some black pepper. I served it over onion rolls that had been split and toasted in the oven. When it comes to comfort food, there's no accounting for taste, but this was really good! Really

The funny thing is, I only used evaporated milk because we're almost out of fresh milk and I didn't want to buy more before going away, but it adds a nice creaminess to this. The dried beef I bought was low-sodium, so it didn't have the saltiness issue. And I put turkey bacon in because the package was open and I wanted to use it up. The onion rolls (in the freezer for quite a while) added another savory note. I like that over using plain toast.

For a completely unrelated appetizer, we had tortilla chips and homemade guacamole with tomatoes and grated sweet onion (avocados and tomatoes to use up).

The house is a wreck, more guests are arriving tomorrow, we got no sleep last night, and the kids are amped up to eleven. Dinner needed to be a no-brainer.

Burgers, with Borough Market cheddar, thickly sliced bacon, and a smear of Maille Dijon.
Chopped salad.
Hot cocoa with marshmallows.

Lentilles du Puy with garlic and onions
Baked herb-crusted cod
(The lentils were over-salted; the cod, under-salted. Oh well. Should've had the wine with the meal.)
Green beans almondine

One of my staple meals in recent weeks has been risotto with bacon. Recipe is fairly standard -- butter, bacon, onions, arborio, wine, stock, parmesan, heavy cream. I feel like adding something veggie-oriented that would mesh well with the bacon, but can't figure out what it should be.

Peas? Carrots? Mushrooms? Something else?

Definitely. Peas and bacon is a good combination.

A souffle w/ smoked gouda, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic and shallots.

I was slightly disappointed with this effort. The inside wasn't as set as I would like -- too moist. However, after sitting for a while, it did firm up. Wonder if it was too much cheese. Or, the ratio of yolks to whites (1:1). Or, too much filling. However, it was wonderful today for breakfast.

How about diced celeriac? I did a celeriac risotto a few weeks ago that was excellent, but it would almost certainly be even better with bacon (what wouldn't?). Or perhaps guanciale.