I have made this dish in the past on the stove top, this was the first time in the oven. Next time I am also going to brine the pork which should help with the moistness and the flavor, but it was a spur of the moment way to cook a pork loin.

The pot was easy to clean this morning, but that is because it was soaking overnight, and is a small Le Cruset (sp?) - the enameling really helps, but on one of my stainless pots, I am sure that I would still be scrubbing it.

What's the consensus here about brining pork that is going into a braising pot? This is a new concept to me--I've only done brining for pork or poultry that was going to be roasted or grilled. For beef braising cuts I have done cooked wine marinades, or for lamb, have done several-day yogurt marinades that do not have any salt in them.

The meat in the middle of the loin definately needed salt, that is why I want to brine it before I try it again. Hell if it sucks, I am not out much money (I am cooking for two so the loin is small), and I can always eat the sides.

I have a new cookbook--_SPICE, Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean_ by Ana Sortun, and finally got around to trying some recipes from it.
I had brined a chicken and then dried it in the fridge for two days, so I roasted it with EVO and a Spanish paprika rub, and made accompaniments from _Spice_:

Fennel salad with lemon, EVO, blood orange sections and olives
Smoky eggplant puree with pine nuts, garlic and urfa pepper (I substituted marash pepper, a Turkish dried red pepper I bought at Surfas)
Chickpea crepes with cumin and Reggiano--used to scoop up the eggplant puree
Carrot puree (I substituted winter squash) with lemon, harissa, cumin and ginger
Dukkah--an Egyptian ground spice mix with toasted almonds, coconut, sesame seeds, cumin, coriander, and salt
(the recommended method for eating was to take a chunk of warm baguette, dip it into olive oil, then into the dukkah and then spread on some carrot (squash) puree. This was amazingly delicious.

Now that I have dipped into this cookbook, I really want to delve further. The flavors are so intriguing. There are a plethora of delectable-sounding recipes-- lots of interesting vegetarian dishes. This book is a winner! I have lots of cookbooks I look at. This one I am going to cook from.

Tonight continues my recent obsession with swine. I had three friends for dinner this evening and served:
Pork loin braised in chardonnay
Roasted leeks and fennel
Lemon rice flavored with mint, colored with tumeric
Pepperwood chardonnay 2005

andouille sausage, red beans, and rice with flour tortillas and shredded cheddar
salad with butter lettuce, parsley, fresh mozzarella, cucumber, tomato, and bacon with a creamy ranch dressing

I’m liking that Pepin fellow. However, I’m titling my book Burnt Food My Way.

Today’s show featured shrimp and scallop mousse potstickers. JP makes things look so easy. Instead of shrimp and scallops, I used ground turkey that was nearing its expiration date. I also had on hand: cilantro, water chestnuts, ginger, jalapeño, and scallions. Chopped that and mixed with turkey and used as filling for the potstickers.

I didn’t have round wontons like Jack but I did have squares. Again, following Jackie’s lead, I rolled out half the wontons so they would be a bit bigger than the rest. Placed filling on wonton and used larger wonton to seal. Crimped – Ha! That was a joke – the edges.

Q: How does one get consistent looking potstickers, ravioli, spring rolls, etc.?
A: The same way you get to Carnegie Hall. Or.

Using Juan's method, added oil and water to heated pan. Cooked, covered, one side until water evaporated – this is where they burned – then flipped and continued cooking (without additional oil or water) till browned. Those suckers were huge. I used one wonton (rather than two) for the second batch. Much more manageable. Browned in oil, flipped and then steamed.

Evaluation: Pretty good. Could have mixed more of the cilantro/water chestnut/jalapeno stuff with the turkey. (Note to self: ground turkey needs to be over seasoned.) Had enough leftover filler. Mixed it with some Mae Ploy to “kick it up a notch.” And, since I was going with an Asian flair, could have used a bit of sesame oil/seeds. Overall: four (4) forks.

Julia Child's Onion Soup
Boeuf a la Bourguignonne
Rosemary Potatoes (would have made rice pilaf but for the diabetic who will be joining us)
JParrott's amazing bread
Broccoli
Sorbets (store-bought) with blackberries (so I can pretend this is a diet dinner)

Oh, do tell.

Roasted monkfish with dill and garlic
Roasted orange cauliflower
Stewed green lentils

Somewhere on these boards I saw someone mention having a goat cheese-garlic flan with beets, and it sounded so good, I decided I wanted to make one. (I can't get the search feature to find the original mention, so I don't know who it was, but thanks for the idea )

I searched around online and looked at a few recipes and put together a golden beet-goat cheese-roasted garlic flan. It came out really well. The texture seemed just about perfect, and it was delicious. I didn't make the accompanying sauce from the primary recipe I was drawing on, though, and it could have used something.

I served the flan with braised beet greens, swiss chard, pine nuts, garlic, and chopped golden beets. I cooked the greens just a bit too long and probably should have reserved some of the beets as a garnish for the flan.

It was a successful experiment overall, though. I'll definitely be making the flan again.

My wife's dream meal:

-Chicken Parmesan with my special herb-Dijon-lemon emulsion batter under panko
-Truffle Parmesan mashed potatoes
-Dark chocolate souffle with extra dark chocolate truffles in the middle

Truffle added before or after baking?

Pork tenderloin stuffed with gorgonzola/dried cherry mixture and topped with onion/port/quince paste sauce
Couscous with dried cherries, walnuts and golden raisins
Roasted cauliflower

The inspiration for the stuffed pork loin came from a recipe I saw on Epicurious, I substituted the dried cherries for figs as that's what I had on hand. Initially, I was just going to heat the quince paste on its own to make a glaze, but got the idea for the onions and port from an episode of America's Test Kitchen I happened to catch over the weekend. And am I glad I saw that episode - loved the sauce!

Before. Actually I added two... she likes things... gooey...

Lentil and kale soup with harissa and ras al hanout
Merguez meatballs (lamb) with minted yogurt sauce
Spiced squash puree with dukkah (ground seed, nut and spice blend)
Chickpea crepes

2005 Pillar Box Red

Last night:

Roasted pork tenderloin with roasted red potatoes
Steamed broccoli tossed with lemon, butter, and white pepper
Shirley Corriher's Touch of Grace Biscuits...or cake...or biscuit cake. My dough was definitely too wet, and the biscuits lost their definition in the pan.
York Castle eggnog ice cream.

Tonight: eggplant parmigiana and a 4:1 Bombay Sapphire martini.

Bacon and onion tart with mixed green salad

Cod with a leek-tomato-wine sauce (the sauce a J. Pepin classic)

Almond cakes with sour cherry and amaretto compote (from the Bouchon cookbook-- these were really, really good. If you have this book, make these)

2005 Domaine des Chezelles Sauvignon Blanc
Forgot pictures.

Black bean soup, tortillas, and a Negra Modelo.

Lentil soup is on the menu this week, and I like the sound of this variation. Was the soup from a recipe, or did you experiment?

I had been reading Mediterranean/Middle Eastern cookbooks (by Ana Sortun and Paula Wolfert), and had a yen for those flavors. I wanted to make something savory/spicy with beans and cooked greens. I was going to make chickpea soup, but didn't have canned chickpeas (???!!!) and didn't have enough time to cook dried ones. So I used French lentils instead. The chickpea and harissa soup recipe in Wolfert's book _Mediterranean Cooking_ had lamb in it, and my daughter is a non-meat eater, so I left that out. I used chicken broth, which she doesn't object to. (A basic aromatic veg. brunoise as the base) And since it seemed like it would be a bit one dimensional without the lamb, and I wanted to ramp up the Middle-Eastern flavor, I added some commercial ras al hanout I got at Surfas (it's a Moroccan garam masala), some Spanish paprika and a little bit of saffron. And Jonathan and I ate lamb meatballs on the side, though we could have put them in our soup instead.

Ana Sortun's recipe for ras al hanout, from _Spice, Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean_:
(makes one cup)

1/4 cup cumin seeds
3/4 tsp. saffron
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 T. turmeric
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 T. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup paprika

1. In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast the cumin seeds until fragrant. When cooled, finely grind with saffron.
2. combine with remaining spices.

N.B. This makes a LOT--it would be a lifetime supply for me. I used around a teaspoon for a medium sized pot of soup, adding extra paprika and saffron, since my ras al hanout didn't seem to have much if any of those spices in it...

Mushroom barley risotto (made with portobello stems), broiled portobello caps, caramelized carrots. Followed by homemade spiced-chai ice cream with crumbled biscotti on top.

Matzoh ball soup
Salmon filet with maple glaze
Pearl barley

Charcoal-grilled lamb loin chops
Grilled spiced portobello stuffed with mozzarella di bufala for Veggie-teen
Polenta
Haricots verts with roasted garlic and Meyer lemon olive oil
Blueberry-pear crostata with vanilla ice cream

2003 Mas De Fournel Pic-St.-Loup

toasted baguette and soy spread
leftover vegetable bean soup with leftover barley added
broiled lamb loin chops with tzatziki for my husband and mint jelly for me

Last night I asked Dame Edna what he wanted for dinner tonight. He pointed out that the Saints were playing for a place in the Super Bowl, so I made Shrimp Etouffe. We ate it after the game was over and it tasted like ashes. Can't New Orleans catch any kind of break?

It was a good day for soup. Lentil & kielbasa, loaded with vegetables and some toasted apple walnut bread from Bonaparte.

Tomorrow will be Emma's day to cook, so we're having chicken with dumplings from Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes, salad, and homemade oatmeal orange almond cookies.

Dinner tonight was homemade chorizo style sausage with lentils and some crusty bread.

Hmm, I sense a theme. We had Italian sausage with lentils, sage focaccia, and a green salad.

Last night: delicious hybrid stroganoff-paprikash mess made from leftover pot roast and braising liquid with onions and red peppers, seasoned with smoked paprika, tarragon, caraway seeds and a tiny bit of nutmeg. Sour cream on top, served over egg noodles.

Comfort Food Night: Mozzerrella sticks and the last container of homemade tomato soup with pieces of rebeloux (sp?) melted in.

Last night:
Mixed green salad with champagne-pear-gorgonzola vinaigrette (trader joe's - highly recommended)
Red snapper en papillote with wine, lemon and herbes de provence
Roast onion, stuffed with chevre and sundried tomato
Glass of red wine
Mug of diet hot cocoa

shredded pork tenderloin (slow-cooked in the crockpot with chipotle citrus bbq sauce and other seasonings)
whole grain rice blend
baked beans

Lavender-brined roasted chicken
Black-eyed peas
Roasted garlic mashed potatoes
Braised kale with red wine vinegar
Jalapeno corn bread with Leatherwood Honey

2002 Edmunds St. John "The Shadow" Syrah

A "cleaning out the refrigerator" meal:

Soup (shredded pork, onions, garlic, pickled jalapeno slices, pinto beans, and hot sauce in chicken broth)
Baked Macaroni and Cheese (remnants of 4 different types of cheese--including a couple of kinds of goat cheese) in a bechamel sauce with nutmeg

Braised lamb shanks*
Pan-crisped polenta cakes
Steamed broccoli

TJ's Goat brie**
Cashel blue

2001 Domaine La Soumade Rasteau "Cuvee Confiance"

Rustic apple tart/ rustic pear tart***
B&J's vanilla ice cream

*I have made braised lamb shanks many times. These were by far the best I've ever made--the meat was meltingly tender, yet didn't fall off the bone. I braised them in the oven for about 4 hours at 220 degrees F. They were marinated in a cooked wine marinade for four days prior to cooking, and the marinade made up the majority of the braising liquid, along with balsamic vinegar, soy sauce (one of Michel Richard's recommended ingredients), a slug of brandy, tomato paste, a heaping teaspoon of Better Than Bouilon Beef Base, mirepoix, roasted red pepper, aromatic herbs and a piece of orange rind. After the braising liquid was strained, degreased and then reduced, it made an incredibly thick rich sauce, even without any buerre manie or butter. The Rasteau was so-o-o perfect with the lamb.

**I read not long ago that the Trader Joe's brand of chevre, marked "Sonoma Goat Cheese" is made by Laura Chenel--the only other label other than her own that she produces (she has recently sold her operation to a French firm, but this hasn't changed her relationship with Trader Joe's, as far as I know.) I am guessing that this goat brie was also made by Laura Chenel. It was excellent.

***I made two small tarts. I have had apples in my refrigerator from the Dupont Market, but I can't eat them due to an allergy. My family is apple pie-deprived as a result. I made some pie crust dough today and divvied it in half--made an apple tart for them and a bartlett and comice pear tart with ginger for me. Sweet.

I'm going to note this for next time I prepare lamb shanks. It sounds wonderful, especially the thick sauce. I used to keep a couple of jars of Better than Bouillon around, but I think I stopped using it when I was being fanatical about staying on a low sodium diet.

I made braised lamb shanks last night too, but I did them in the crockpot (red wine, tomato sauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices, with chickpeas) and served them over couscous. The meat was tender and did fall off the bone. It's hard to finesse that (tender but not falling apart) with a crockpot. The sauce could have been thicker, but the overall result was quite nice for such a small expenditure of effort .

Baguette with Nevat cheese
Green salad
Spiced braised lamb shanks
Couscous

Went to Global Foods in Woodbridge to buy shrimp for dinner tonight. The watercress looked wonderful, so I decided to make this soup tonight along with Shrimp and Butternut Squash Risotto. It's one of my favorites:


Polynesian Watercress Soup:

3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp curry powder
3 c. milk
1/2 c. boiling water
1 1/2 c. shredded carrot
3/4 c. watercress

Condiments:
shredded coconut
papaya, cut in cubes
macadamia nuts

Melt butter in sauce pan; blend in flour, salt and curry powder. Gradually stir in milk and cook, stirring constantly, till smooth and thickened. Set aside. Put carrots in boiling water in a small sauce pan; cook covered about 3 minutes or until just tender. Chop washed watercress using green part of stems as well as the leaves. Add to carrots and cook about 30 seconds longer. Stir carrots and watercress into hot milk mixture; bring just to simmering point. Serve immediately with suggested condiments.

This is a far cry from the scrambled eggs you made me back in college. Well done.

Quadruple B (Balsamic-Barolo-Braised-Beef) Short Ribs with parsley-Gorgonzola gremolata
Wild mushroom risotto with Parmesan shavings and white truffle oil

I used a lot of the extra braising liquid from the beef in the risotto - added an amazing extra layer of flavor.

The white truffle oil was $2 off at Harris Teeter ($11). Likely imitation, but still delicious. If you're not a total snob, it's an excellent, inexpensive way to experience a rare and earthy flavor.

steamed broccoli
mashed potato and turnip gratin
baked chicken breasts

The mashed potato-turnip gratin was fabulous. That recipe is a keeper.

Crawfish and grits, using a shrimp and grits recipe (bacon, mushrooms, green onions as the base for the crawfish, chicken broth and cream as the liquid for the grits, incorporating parmesan cheese into the grits at the end).

Just a wild hair, but I will stick to shrimp and grits in the future. Crawfish overwhelmed by bacon and parmesan.

I thought because crawfish have a stronger flavor than shrimp it would go the other way. Could be a size thing, crawfish being smaller than shrimp, the sauce to meat ratio is higher.

Using sriracha instead of Tabasco didn't help, although I think it would be good for traditional shrimp recipe.

Where did you find crawfish? I've been looking for frozen tails.

Sunday night: Butternut squash soup, greens with olive oil vinaigrette, sage focaccia, apple crisp w/vanilla ice cream
Last night: Spaghetti and tomato sauce made with Snider's sausage.

First full day off in a quite awhile, celebrated with popeyes chicken and strawberry soda. Happy in the kitchen... more like happy on my couch in a food coma.

Pan-seared, Japanese seven-spice-rubbed pork chops topped with a shiitake, garlic, mirin, and soy sauce
Steamed rice
Steamed broccoli tossed with sesame oil and white pepper

Breast of veal roulade, stuffed with spinach, leeks and porcini
Lemon veloute

Lentils de pouy*

Steamed broccoli with lemon and roasted garlic

Basmati rice

2002 Blason de Bourgogne Chablis 1er Cru

*These were from the produce refrigerator at Trader Joe's--precooked and shrinkwrapped, from France. I "fixed them up" with roasted garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil, and they were delicious. Couldn't have been better than if I had cooked them myself. Will definitely get again.

Recipe, please.

We picked up our six-year-old son, Julian, from school yesterday and on the way home he declared, "I don't want to eat meat anymore." Reflexively, I had visions of granola-and-yogurt-eating dowagers at his school making pronouncements on the virtues of vegetarianism. "Did someone at school talk about this today?" I asked. But no, he had thought up this silly idea all on his own. I was at once proud and ashamed.

My wife had just bought two pounds of veal scallopine from Union Meat at Eastern Market. The meat was lying in the car between my legs, and I could smell its warming juices as I imagined how I would cook and sauce it. Just then my son made his revolutionary statement. I brought out the usual half-assed defenses of meat-eating: these animals wouldn't be alive in the first place if we weren't prepared to eat them, etcetera. He held his ground: "Animals are sweet. We should be nice to them and not kill them." My wife and I then launched into a lecture on the nutritional vicissitudes of vegetarianism. We conjured horrific visions of Lima beans and tofu. Like all ideologues, Julian was immune to incontrovertible evidence.

At home I started cooking the scallopine. Julian said he would just have an egg. He also said that, in future, fish would be OK. I probed this chink in his armor: "Fish is more endangered than beef, pork, or lamb. If you really object to eating animals, you shouldn't eat fish, either." (I didn't pursue the egg question.)

While my six-year-old pondered his new life choice, I sautéed the scallopine lightly in oil and butter, deglazing with veal stock and white wine, finishing with cream, lemon juice, and tarragon. "Are you sure you wouldn't like a little piece of this, Julian?" I asked. "Well...OK".

I gave him a full portion. He ate it up with relish. And, despite our coaxing, he didn't finish his vegetables.

Breast of Veal Roulade with spinach, leeks and porcini with lemon veloute

Poaching stock
1 quart chicken stock (I used canned, since I didn't have a lot in the freezer)
1 1/2 cups white wine
onion, carrot, parsnip, celery, leek greens
fresh thyme branches, parsley stalks, bay leaf
1 tsp.Better Than Bouillon Beef Base
1 cup water

Approx. 2 lb. boneless veal breast in a single piece
1 large bunch spinach or use bagged spinach
1 leek
1T. butter
Fresh thyme leaves, removed from branch
2 T. dried porcini, soaked and finely chopped
grated zest of 1/2 lemon

Simmer stock ingredients together for a couple of hours, then strain--add some water if it has reduced considerably.

Trim veal of visible fat and silverskin. Chop leek and saute in butter until translucent. Add rinsed spinach leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook briefly until spinach wilts. Drain cooked vegetables in a strainer, pressing out some of the moisture. Puree in food processor with thyme leaves and lemon zest.

Lay out veal, which will be a vaguely rectangular sheet. Season meat with salt and pepper. Spread chopped porcini over the meat, then spread the spinach puree, leaving a 1 inch border. Roll the meat up snugly so that the finished roll is the length of the short side of the rectangle. Tie roll with butcher's twine. Wrap roll in moistened cheesecloth.

Use a pot that will allow the veal roll to be fully or almost fully sumerged in the stock. (I used a medium sized oval Le Creuset dutch oven). Bring stock up to a boil, turn down the heat, cover the pot and poach or lightly simmer for two hours. If the meat isn't fully submerged, turn it several times during the cooking period.

Remove veal roll from poaching liquid and allow meat to rest for few minutes while making the sauce. Unwrap and discard cheesecloth and cut the strings. Slice roll in 1/2" to 3/4" thick slices and admire the pretty green pinwheel pattern. Serve with sauce under the meat, so the pattern isn't obscured.

Lemon Veloute

2 T. butter
2 T. flour
2 cups poaching liquid
3 T. creme fraiche
1 T. lemon juice
grated zest from 1/2 lemon
salt, if needed (canned stock was salted, so mine didn't need any extra)
white pepper

I'm sure you know how to make a basic white sauce. So I won't take the time to describe the method.

butternut squash soup with apple, chestnut, and pumpkin seed
salad of wilted spinach with sherry-plumped raisins and duck confit
farmhouse cheddar
2005 BWC Wines Pinot Noir