I do something less austere: swiping both cut surfaces of eggplant w olive oil and baking them until soft. Batali does it, too. For some reason, I've been on an eggplant kick these days. That and yogurt w rhubarb compote and granola.

Even better than eggplant! There's a great, indulgent recipe in the first Union Square Cookbook that is fussier than all get-out that I bet you'd like. You make an infused cream (flavored w red onion, etc., strained) and then add slivers of roasted beets, toasted walnuts, Gorgonzola and Parm. Toss in some penne. Garnish w parsley. Wicked.

* * *
And a shout-out to indulgent mothers of veggie-teens and the proud parents of a seven-year-old w an adventurous palate.

Black bean burger w/ cheese (recipe from Cooking Light, very easy to put together)
Roasted sweet potato "fries"
Sabayon ice cream

Negitoro don -- chopped toro, sliced green onions, and julienned thin sweetened omelet on top of steamed rice, then mixed in with soy sauce and wasabi
Miso soup with shiitake and wakame
Renkon kinpira -- sliced lotus root quickly fried with togarashi (Japanese red chile pepper), then simmered with sake, sugar, mirin and soy sauce

Me: Beef and white bean ragout
Veggie-teen: Falafel sandwich
Dessert: Lychee panna cotta

Butter lettuce salad with campari tomatoes, alphonso olives, artichoke hearts and vinaigrette
Baked macaroni* and ham and cheese with cracker barrel cheddar and borough market stilton
Costco dinner rolls and butter


*actually cavatappi

Greek elephant beans--I got interested in these after reading about them in John Thorne's book *Mouth Wide Open* and found dried ones at the Middle Eastern Market near Rabieng in Bailey's Crossroads. They are huge, as befits their name. You eat them one at a time. They take a long time to cook, even when soaked overnight, but keep their shape while insides are creamy. Very, very tasty.

Caponata--made last night and eaten at room temp today. One of those savory-spicy agrodolce dishes that are hard to stop eating.
Homemade ricotta--made with creamline whole milk from the new dairy farmer at Arlington Farmers Market.

Mixed green salad with avocado, cuke and tomato with balsamic vinaigrette
Olives
Baguette from Le Pain Quotidien

More lychee panna cotta

2003 Chateau Coupe Roses Minervois

Dengaku tofu -- grilled miso-topped tofu
Kinpira gobou -- julienned burdock root and sliced togarashi simmered with sake, sugar, mirin, and soy sauce
Nanohana no karashi-ae -- rapini parboiled and dressed with ground sesame, sake, mustard, and salt
Takuan from my language partner
Clear soup containing sliced shiitake and naganegi (Japanese bunching onion)
Steamed rice

Campari tomatoes don't compare to a good, local summer tomato but are the only consistent ones when it's not tomato weather.

Last night:
Slow roasted salmon, from BlackSalt Market
Farro with sauteed shiitake mushrooms, fennel frond and Meyer lemon zest garnish
Steamed asparagus
Blackberry panna cotta

Last night:

Beef vegetable soup
Leftover chilaquile casserole
Baked yam with butter and maple syrup
Baguette and brie (Trader Joe's brie--big hunk--less than 3 bucks)

I'm planning an experiment for tonight. We'll see how that goes .

The experiment:

I made an enormous roasted stuffed eggplant (split in two) and topped it with meatballs, spaghetti sauce, and provolone, then put it back in the oven to heat through. The eggplant shells are filled with roasted eggplant, basmati rice, tomatoes, parsley, thai basil, and some of the cooked meat mixture from the meatballs, all topped with toasted pine nuts. The meatballs are pork/veal/beef, parsley, Thai basil, garlic, onion, egg, bread soaked in milk, salt and pepper, fried in olive oil. (There are 3 meatballs down the center of each shell, so the stuffing isn't totally covered. There's a stripe of spaghetti sauce over the meatballs, then one large slice of provolone over the top of each eggplant shell.)

OK, it's good. It's like an overstuffed eggplant meatball sub.

Last night:

Split pea soup w/ Pancetta
Grilled cheese sandwich

Chai

[Comfort food after a particularly nasty and rainy day.]

Elephant beans baked in tomato sauce
Farro salad with asparagus and scallions
Caponata (tasting even better after resting for a few days)
Baked homemade ricotta en cazuela
Mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette
Olives
Marvy Market striata

2006 Thorne-Clark Shotfire Shiraz

The baked ricotta was really simple and so good--this is the second time I've made it, inspired by a dish in Suzanne Goin's book, *Sunday Suppers at Lucques*. The fresh ricotta was mixed with some olive oil and chopped thyme and parsley in a small round ceramic baking dish, more herbs sprinkled on top, drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkling of fleur de sel, and baked in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. The top was puffed and browned, and there was a light crust underneath where the cheese had made contact with the oiled baking dish. And inside it was lucious and moist with a slightly sweet nuttiness. This dish is going to be in the regular rotation. So delicious spread on good bread. I am sure it would be tasty with a good quality commercial ricotta, as well.

Last night I grilled a steak that I'd bought at Eco-Friendly last weekend: a chuck eye steak that had been aged for fifty days. It had not been frozen previously, and was reasonably priced (compared to their other dry-aged steak) at $12.99 a pound. I don't often get to eat Eco-Friendly beef, because Jonathan does not like the taste of grass-fed beef, and we usually share one steak when we grill. I hadn't seen chuck eye offered before. I knew there was a chance that it would be tough--or at least chewier than a typical rib eye or strip loin. Wrong. Wow. Tender, juicy, and with an amazing depth of beefy flavor. The steak was slightly over a pound in weight, and I ate less than a third of it, it was so satisfying. J is coming home late tonight from his trip to Mexico, and I plan to serve him some sliced steak in a sandwich tomorrow, to see if he will reconsider his avowed distaste for grass-fed beef. I want to eat this again.

Since Veggie-teen wasn't having any steak, there was a variety of other comestibles on the table:
More elephant beans in tomato sauce with rosemary
Fennel slaw with Meyer lemon and olive oil
Green beans with balsamic vinaigrette
Feta cheese
Labne with olive oil, sumac and zataar
Cucumbers and tomatoes
Leftover farro salad
Fresh pita bread from Mediterranean Bakery in Alexandria
Baklava for dessert

Veggie-teen drank soda water with tamarind syrup
I had a glass of Thorne-Clark Shotfire Shiraz

Last night:
(Feeding two teenagers, one whose food preferences were unknown, so a safe choice)
Baked mac and cheese
Haricots verts with Meyer lemon and olive oil
Mexican chocolate bread pudding (leftover from the previous evening, when it was made and taken to a potluck committee meeting)
Strawberries and whipped cream

2006 Jo
ao Pires Vinho Blanco

Oh, and the grass-fed chuck-eye steak sandwich got a big thumbs up!

Salad of baby arugula and baby romaine, with tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, and radishes; creamy buttermilk chive dressing
Baked chicken breast (lemon juice, salt and pepper)
Green beans with caramelized shallots and Meyer lemon-shallot vinaigrette
Buttered medium egg noodles with grated Romano
Onion rye bread with butter or soy spread

Center-cut pork chops with a carmelized onion, sour cherry and balsamic sauce (a little chicken stock to thin). Scalloped potatoes and honey-mustard-ginger carrots.
Caboose cafe anise biscotti with tea for dessert.

Oven roasted salmon
Grapefruit basil relish
Spicy cucumber mint relish
Sauteed zucchini with lemon and herbs

Almond scented buttermilk lemon loaf with balsamic strawberries

grilled provolone and tomato on onion rye
cabbage soup* with onions, pancetta, proscuitto and rice; simmered with a parmigiano reggiano rind and topped with some grated parmigiano


*as per Dean's description in the Whole Foods thread, with liberties taken

Salad of roasted beets, blood oranges, feta cheese. slivered roasted almonds and pickled sweet onions on frisee with evoo and tamarind verjus
Charcoal-grilled, spice-rubbed rack of lamb
Charcoal roasted portobello stuffed with mashed elephant beans, mozzarella di bufala and pecorino romano for the Veg-ster
Farro with crimini mushrooms and porcini powder
Spinach sauteed with garlic and Meyer lemon

2005 Charles Joguet Chinon Cuvee Terroir (Kermit Lynch import)

I went to Safeway to pick up a few essentials and saw roaster chickens @ .99/lb.I bought an almost 8 pounder an roasted it. I stuffed it with lemons, rosemary, thyme and sage (all dried) and garlic powder. The skin was rubbed with evoo and butter, then generously S&P'd. Roasted @ 425 over carrots, celery and the nasty bit. I allowed the vegetables to caramelize a bit, but kept adding water to the drippings so it would not go dry.
While the chicken rested, I made gravy from the pan juices using flour, homemade chicken stock and a bit of butter.
Served it with leftover scalloped potatoes and last year's Toigo corn which was taken off the cob and vacuum sealed and frozen.

Corn silk in your teeth.....ahhhhhhhh.

Leftover pork curry rice and a green salad with ume and shiso dressing. Dessert was mochi stuffed with whipped cream and a baked custard.

Handmade orecchiette tossed with shaved serrano, peas, onion, and tomato. I followed this recipe to make the orrechiette - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/242012. Topped with grated pecorino and served with a mixed salad of lettuce and arugola (which is starting to bolt and has gotten very spicy!). Washed it all down with a cheap Argentinean malbec.

Keswick Creamery Basil and Tomato Feta and Cherry Tomato Tart.

Baked cod with chick peas, olives, tomato, garlic and red pepper
Charmoula (a spicy Moroccan salsa)
Sauteed beet greens
Cucumber slices dressed with the leftover tamarind verjus that had been used to pickle onions
Marvy Market baguette

Strawberries and fresh pineapple

2006 Epifanio
Sparkling water with tamarind syrup

The easiest coconut shrimp soup ever! And, with a few modifications, pretty darn tasty.

Lindemans South Africa Sauvignon Blanc 2007

guacamole and tortilla chips
smoked turkey drumsticks and baked beans

Shouga-yaki -- ginger-glazed pan-fried pork, plated with shredded cabbage and sliced yellow pepper
Fukinoto -- butterbur sprout stir-fried with soy sauce and mirin
Steamed rice
Giant bottle of Sapporo Black Label beer

Pork shoulder ragu
Arborio rice
Leftover mac and cheese for Veggie-teen
Haricots verts with Meyer lemon olive oil

2005 Zardini Valpolicella Vino Ripasso

summer rolls with teriyaki dipping sauce
grilled pork sirloin chop
rice noodles

It was the first time I tried making summer rolls. Once I got a good feel for how long the rice paper needed to be soaked and how to manipulate it quickly to fill, this was pretty easy to do. I like adding new dishes to my repertoire. The filling was grilled pork (marinated with soy sauce, sake, garlic and mustard), shrimp, scallions, cilantro, thai basil, radishes, carrots, rice noodles, and mushrooms.

Eco-Friendly chicken sausage with fresh herbs
Hot cabbage slaw with leek, caraway, honey and riesling vinegar--made from Tree and Leaf Farm's mini cabbages
Stewed borlotti beans
Homemade ricotta made with Clear Spring Creamery whole milk
Marvy Market Parisian baguette
Salad with avocado, tomato, cuke, roasted beets and sherry vinegar-verjus-avocado oil vinaigrette

B&J's Karamel Sutra Ice Cream

2006 Gobelsburger Gruner Veltliner

popcorn

Flank steak grilled on the cast-iron grill. Oven-roasted asparagus and cherry tomatoes with parmesan. Dill and parmesan gnocchi fried up in butter.
Neighbor's prune bread for desset.

Baguette slices with Mt. Tam cheese and rhubarb chutney
Arugula salad with shaved organic parm reg
Bushmills, rocks

O, bless you Penn Quarter market and Cowgirl Creamery; it's been too long!

Now I just have to figure out what to do with that kale and sweet Italian pork sausage...

One of my favorite dinners!

Chips & Salsa

Charcoal grilled spice-rubbed rib eye
Grilled asparagus with Meyer lemon
Grill roasted spiced new potatoes
Marinated cucumber salad
2006 El Felino Malbec

For Veggie-teen:
Spiced carrot puree with dukkah
Armenian string cheese
Sparkling water with tamarind syrup

Blackberry-marzipan tart flavored with creme de violette and Meyer lemon with B&J vanilla ice cream

Nice where'd you grab that?

Aburaage (deep-fried sheet of tofu) split open and stuffed with seasoned ground pork, sliced shiitake, rice noodles, and julienned carrot and burdock root, then simmered in dashi/sugar/soy sauce stock
Petit vert (a kale/cabbage hybrid) parboiled and dressed with ground sesame, sugar, and soy sauce
Takuan
Steamed rice

I bought the Armenian string cheese at the Mediterranean Bakery in Alexandria. But I have also seen it at Rodman's in Friendship Heights.

Steamed pork and shrimp dumplings with teriyaki dipping sauce
Apple, Parmesan, and mixed green salad with mustard vinaigrette
Baked chicken legs
Asparagus risotto

I think I steamed the dumplings too long. They fell apart (probably also due to shoddy construction ). The components all still tasted good, though.

leftover apple, etc. salad from last night
leftover asparagus risotto
red nightfall beans (Rancho Gordo) cooked in the crockpot with onions and garlic; simmered near the end with sliced turkey andouille sausage and a little maple syrup

Last night for girls' night:

Brie & crackers
Chicken Diablo (honey-mustard-curry glazed chicken)
Big spinach salad
rolls

Boxed chocolate chip cookie brownies with Haagen Daaz vanilla (from the one girl in the group that doesn't "cook")

One bottle of Guner Veltiner & 2 bottles of Linden Claret (2003 & 2004 vintages)

Packet of roasted sliced zucchini, squash and red potatoes with salt and pepper dipped into Crisp & Juicy's delicious spicy mayo

Lasagna* with homemade ricotta, mushrooms and braised kale
Salad of frisee, avocado and blood oranges

2005 Begali Valpolicella

*During my last trip to Costco, I found "fresh" (semi-dried) lasagna noodles from Italy, a product I hadn't previously seen. They worked well. No-boil.

Chicken thighs braised with ramps, morels, thyme, marjoram and white wine. Finished the sauce with cream. Last night, served over egg noodles. For breakfast, I minced the meat and served in a ramp crepe with sauce spooned over top.



Totally worth the splurge. Wow.
Moreover, Mr. MV is changing his tune about 'shrooms.

Diced fresh pineappe for dessert.

What part of the store were they in? With the dried pastas or the deli type products (or somewhere else)?

I was at Costco yesterday (Springfield) and would have bought them if I'd seen them! Actually, fresh pasta is sold at the Alexandria market and I hear the lasagna noodles are awesome (the woman from Buster's gave me that tip!)

They were in the refrigerated deli case, next to the salamis and such.

OK, now that rings a bell. Are they from Italy with like, all Italian writing?
I bought them last year and loved them. I was bummed when they stopped carrying them.
I used them for lasagna and also cut them up into fettucine noodles.

Thank you. I have not noticed them. I'll keep an eye out.