OK, leftovers warming.

Ooh, pretty.

Made steak sandwiches for dinner last night with half a leftover steak from Buck's. Served on onion rolls with caramelized red onion, wasabi mayonnaise, and silly supermarket cheese that was supposed to be horseradish cheddar, but tasted more like a blend of American and Havarti, but creamy worked better than sharp with the flavors already there, so it all worked out fine.

I love that recipe.

Tonight was seared bacon wrapped halibut filet served on a bed of orange and bay scented Burmese forbidden rice with an orange butter sauce. The orange sauce was a made by deglazing the sauté pan, with freshly squeezed orange juice, and chicken broth, while reducing fresh orange peel was tossed into the liquid which was then blend butter into the reduced liquid. The orange in the sauce and the rice had a much different level of flavor. The orange in the rice was more subtle, while the sauce was fresher and slightly sweet.

An early dinner of butternut squash soup, with grateful thanks to zoramargolis.

I cut the peeled squash into largish chunks and roasted it until tender and lightly browned. Meanwhile slowly cooked thinly sliced leeks in butter until beginning to caramelize. All into the blender with homemade chicken stock. Back to the pot with salt, pepper, a pinch of thyme, and the teensiest bit of cinnamon and ginger. Let it barely simmer awhile, added half-and-half, finely chopped apple, finely chopped chestnut, and a touch of dry sherry. Served it with a spoonful of Fage sheep/goat milk yogurt and a sprinkling of chives. Also toasted baguette with Gruyere.

Yes, it had a good depth of flavor.

Aw, shucks, you're welcome! Sounds like you've gotten the concept of building depth of flavor and taken off with it in an original direction.

My cooking schedule was a bit off this week, due to a very bad reaction to a dental procedure. So the Polyface chicken spent two days in the lavender-spiced brine and the Sunnyside short ribs were three days in the cooked wine marinade.

We at the chicken last night--simply roasted on a bed of aromatic veg. It was kind of salty, but I have to admit I like it that way.

The short ribs were my dinner project today. I browned the ribs and nestled them in a bed of brunoised aromatics--onion, leek, carrot, parsnip, celery and garlic--which had been sweated in olive oil. I deglaised with balsamic vinegar and some of the cooked wine marinade, and added homemade stock, brandy, soy sauce (one of Michel Richard's secret ingredients), and tomato concentrate. Threw in a couple of bay leaves and some fresh thyme, parsley and rosemary on top. The covered pot went into the oven at 275 and stayed there for almost three hours. I removed the ribs, strained the cooking liquid, degreased it, reduced it and thickened with a little tapioca starch. Served with braised kale and Parmesan-cheddar grits. The meat was succulent, and the sauce was rich and slightly sweet-and-sour from the Balsamico. A lot of pots to wash, but it was a great meal. Accompanied by 2003 Capcanes Mas Donis, which was a bit of a disappointment to me after all the excitement about it here and 92 points from Parker. I was expecting it to be more mouth-filling and full-bodied than it was. It was good, mind you. But I'm not running out to buy a case of it.

One of my favorite quick Mario pasta recipes -- sausage and kale.

Last night I had some bean soup and grilled shrimp. After I had some Torte Mascarpone con Fichi by Peck. If Don thinks La Tur is decadent (I recall something about "tasting like a virgins thighs", this cheese puts the La Tur to shame. Think former Virgin who hgas grown up and gained some experience.

Since we were already at the corner of 15th & U Streets, eating really not worth it cupcakes, Craig and I wandered down to Whole Paycheck to see what was available. I found some really fresh boned trout (which I always insist on smelling) AND found that they had Alamos Malbec on sale for $7.99--it's usually $2 more. They also always have our favorite Sauvignon Blanc ($6.99).

Then, we walked up 17th St. to the Safeway which had crabmeat on sale ($9.99 lb.). So, dinner tonight was boned trout stuffed with crabmeat, a bag of sugar snap peas and a salad of romaine, apples, gorgonzola and spiced pecans. All washed down by the white wine.

It all made up for the icky baked goods.

i was just thinking about making pasta with crushed tomato, spicy sausage and broccoli rabe.

Late night at Whole Foods. I did pan-seared sea scallops and fresh large shrimp over creamy polenta with steamed broccolini draped in browned butter with pine nuts. Oh, I deglazed the shellfish pan with white wine and then added WF garlic herb butter--OK, I went shopping at 8:30 pm, and we were tired!

Zora, if you are willing to post or PM either recipe (short ribs or squash soup), I'd be very grateful. As a novice, I do better with a roadmap. Thanks for sharing, either way!

yesterday's onion panade, panfried, with sincere & extended thanks to judy rogers, with a salad of greens, pancetta, and poached egg.
if I'd had time to cook the squash, it would have been the perfect fall dinner.

Chicken pot pie Round 2. Much better. Reduced the sauce enough this time and some cremini mushrooms gave it that added bit of savoryness that really helped.

Salad of roasted beet, goat cheese, candied walnuts and navel oranges with a citrus vinaigrette. A butternut squash soup with roasted garlic, garnished with garlic croutons, parmesan cheese and flleur de sel.

To any cooking novices who would like to build their skills, I recommend _The New Making of a Cook_ by Madeleine Kamman, subtitled "The Art, Techniques and Science of Good Cooking." Madame Kamman has run a culinary academy in Boston for many years, and this book is her magnum opus. Here you'll find complete, clear, precise and easily understandable explanations for cooking just about anything. Not simply recipes to follow, but how and why it should be done that way. I learned so much from an earlier book of hers: _The Making of a Cook_ when I was an eager novice, back in the Pleistocene era.

30 pieces of sushi at Kotobuki. With one rockin' green tea mochi as a dessert. I wonder how many visits will it take before they stop looking at me strangely as I order enough sushi for a football team!

After numerous kitchen failures, this came out pretty well. It's a mushroom napoleon, from Patrick O'Connell's (Inn at Little Washington) "Refined American Cuisine" (borrowed it from the library-- it has some good ideas in it). Bad picture, though.



and txaggie made us some tasty gratineed fennel soup....



and some madeleines...

Inspired by ya'll, I made short ribs braised in red wine and cheese grits. I'm really pleased with the outcome, definitely one of my [rare!] successes in the kitchen.

A big bowl of irish-cut oatmeal with Trader Joe's mango sauce. I'm been feeling really lazy.

Grilled bacon and cheddar sandwiches. Bacon!!!!!!

As if I'm not turkeyed out already, a big bowl of my dad's homemade turkey soup with dill, carrots, celery, onions and egg noodles. I brought 3 quarts back with me and am already done with 1.

Feeling a little retro this morning.

Thanksgiving with my mother-in-law cannot be simple, and since I am the designated cook, it is up to me to top the previous year’s feast. This year I ordered a wild shot Scottish pheasant from D’artanian. When I opened the package, the smell of wild game filled the kitchen and drove the dogs nuts. The bird looked rather small, and I feared that there was not going to be enough for the three of us, I could not have been more wrong.
Because of the nature of Pheasant I decided to make two dishes out of this one bird. I braised the legs and thighs in a broth of Calvados and apple cider, seasoned with onions, juniper, and thyme. With about 15 minutes left, I tossed in some sliced Nitney apples. When it came out of the oven I shredded the meat to remove all of the tiny bones that are inherent in a pheasant. I served this with a side of roasted whole spiced endive (whole coriander, cumin, cardamom, fenugreek, and fennel seeds, this is similar to what is found in one of the Craft cookbooks). I also strained and reduced the cooking liquid, fortified it with butter, and dressed the plate with it along with the shredded pheasant. This was matched with a 1982 Beychevelle, an elegantly beautiful wine and a perfect match for this dish.
The second dish I made out the meat was a bacon wrapped breast. I sliced the very meaty breasts into thirds, rolled them, and wrapped them in bacon. I then pan seared them, and finished them in the oven. These were served with a pheasant stock reduction (made from the carcass), grilled broccoli rabe, and truffled pecorino risotto. This was matched with a stunning Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve.
To finish the meal, we had a ricotta cheese cake. This not so sweet desert was accompanied by a honey like 1998 Inniskillin Oak-aged ice wine.

After my Thanksgiving of rich pheasant, I followed it by an equally rich meal of a trio of duck. For this I made duck confit ravioli (black pepper pasta stuffed with shredded duck confit, with caramelized shallots, and goat cheese) topped with a tangerine butter sauce, seared foie gras with a yuzu (I found them at Balducci’s and could resist using them) cranberry sauce, and a pan roasted duck breast (from Cheestique) with cocoa scented lentils and wilted arugula dressed with a vinaigrette of duck fat and sherry vinegar. With this dish I served a 1998 Monbousquet, and followed it with a bottle of 1990 Cuvee William Duetz Champagne.
Everyone loved the meal but me. I found faults in each item, that no one else realized. But I guess we are all our own worst critic.

Good food should remind you of things. As I sit here, having just returned home from CT, eating some half-decent pasta I made (Bacon, onions, jarred sauce), I am reminded about the time when I left my new pasta maker in CT.

Oh wait, that was today. Crap.

antipasto plate with green bean and walnut salad, house made olives, bresaola and capacola.

short ribs with onions braised with chimay.
braised giant beans in tomato, pancetta and rosemary.

Today was my birthday, so we had steamed live Dungeness crabs (from The Great Wall), with a lemon risotto (lemon from my friend's tree), and stir-fried baby bok choi

It was what I wanted, and it was good!

Happy Belated Birthday!

Some caesar salad, then

Pork tenderloin with apple-ricotta dumplings, pancetta and cider reduction



The dumplings weren't so hot-- it's really tough to get apple taste into a pasta like that. The recipe is from here. I definitely recommend the Apple Balzano Cake out of there.

And an asian pear and bourbon crisp...

Thanks! It was fun.

Tonight was Orange Peel Chicken, War Shu Opp, and Eggplant with Garlic Sauce delivered by Chinatown in Burke. It was all very good.

Chinatown is a tiny, carry out/delivery place in the Burke Village shopping center. I believe it's been there as long as we have lived here, which will be 25 years in February.

The prices are great (cash only) and I've never gotten anything awful there. Their Sam Su Bow is a mighty tasty dish. I love their egg foo yung and their chicken wings with black bean sauce (a lunch special).

Tempura! shrimp, catfish, peppers, assorted mushrooms, and broccoli. dipping sauce spiked with chilis. yum.

On a snowy night in front of a fire with my wife and 2-year old daughter:

Crusty bread, olives, pomegranate, Humbolt Fog, aged goat cheese, Shropshire blue, misc. aged cheddar, mission figs-d'anjou pears-proscuitto di parma, homemade borscht with creme fraiche, random bottle of '01 Cotes du Rhone. Chicken nuggets. Milk.

Ray's McDLT

Demi-baguette split in two. One the cold side: sun-dried tomato and mayo spread; spinach leaves. On the hot side: Ray's New York Strip (sliced); medium cheddar cheese; just a bit of butter.

Felt the winter chill when I was riding the bus home yesterday, so I cooked up a big pot of Texas-style chili -- cubed beef, no beans -- and served it up with extra-sharp cheddar, raw red onion, and thick corn tortillas. Winter chill? Zapped.

At Hunan Manor in Burtonsville last night:

Cold appetizer plate of 5 spiced beef, deboned duck legs, pig's intenstine and beef tendon in spicy (holy crap, was it spicy) chile oil sauce

Chowed egg noodles with scallions, bean sprouts and fried sardines

2 lobsters stir fried w/ scallions and ginger

Steamed whole chicken with scallion and ginger sauce

Steamed whole fish in soy and scallion sauce

Stir fried sea cucumber and shiitake mushrooms

Snow pea sprouts w/ garlic

Two types of pork intestines stir fried w/ mixed veggies in a garlic sauce

It was a family outing with family friends and I was with some of their kids (all preteens) and they were complaining about eating the sea cucumber and intestines. (Mind you, they were not complaining about eating duck feet!) You know you've reached a certain age when you can make a child eat something they dislike just by saying:

"Eat it. It's good for you, it'll make you smart and 'sides, you're Chinese, you're SUPPOSED to like funny stuff!"

I can't believe it. My tgiving turkey came out so good, I'm home roasting another one. Supermarket "minimally processed," brined 15 hours, roasted upside down with herbs and truffle butter under the breast meat. And red wine gravy.

Choucroute & mashed potatoes tonight.

Last night was roasted boneless leg of lamb, pasta in a creamy parmesan sauce, and asparagus sauteed with pecans.

Sweet potato, celery root and ginger soup, inspired by "Chocolate and Zucchini" - somewhat odd sounding combination but it turned out to be very good. With a salad of sliced clementines, shaved fennel, walnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette.

Dessert was crepes suzette!

Do you know the feeling, when you taste something and you say to yourself: "Damn. It just could not be any better than this"? That was the braised lambshanks I made tonight. American lamb from Union Meats at Eastern Market. Big and meaty. I marinated them for four days in a cooked wine marinade. Browned and set them on a brunoise of aromatic veg and garlic, deglazed the pan and added it and the marinade, homemade stock, balsamic vinegar, a teaspoon of beef base, some soy sauce, a slug each of dry marsala and brandy, and three tablespoons of leftover homemade marinara sauce, bay leaves, Italian parsley and fresh thyme. Braised in a Le Creuset pot in a 275 degree oven for 2 1/2 hours. Removed shanks, strained and degreased the braising liquid and reduced it by more than 50%. Served with cheese grits made with Comte, aged Gouda and roasted garlic, Siberian kale with garlic and red pepper flakes, and roasted cippolini onions with rosemary. 2001 Louis Martini Napa Valley Cab. The meat was melt-in-the mouth succulent, full of flavor and the sauce was a rich deep brown color and was so damn delicious that even after I put the leftovers away, I could hardly bear to wash the pot. I kept scraping the sides with a spatula and licking it so that no smidgin of flavor was lost. The best news is that I made four shanks, and we only ate two of them. Leftovers to die for!

You can marinate meat for four days and it doesn't turn to mush? Really? Or is it b/c it's the shank cut? Just curious.

1) Lots of connective tissue--I wouldn't marinate a steak for four days.
2) No vinegar or salt in the marinade--cooked red wine is not that acidic--goal is deep flavor not tenderizing. The long, slow oven braise takes care of tenderizing.

lamb shanks with preserved lemon and olives served atop a mash of yellow split peas and apricots.

Pork chops -- seared off then simmered in white wine with onions, peppers, olives, capers.
Sauteed escarole with garlic dressed with lemon juice.
Breadline baguette.
A decent bottle of Brouilly.

Mashed Potatoes: Observations

1. Five pounds of Yukon Golds do not mash up to as much finished product as you might expect.

2. Three roasted heads of garlic, pureed, do not flavor ~1.5# of mashed potato as intensely as you might expect.

3. Two roasted, pureed poblano peppers similarly do not flavor a different batch of ~1.5# of mashed potatoes.

3a. Two good drops of Dave's Insanity Sauce, stirred into the aforementioned quote-unquote 'roasted pepper mashed potatoes' still tingle your tongue quite well, and suitably punch-up said deficiently heated potatoes.

4. Tasting three batches of mashed potato, no matter how delicious they turn out, gets tedious once you have tried enough to constitute your entire Dinner entry for the evening. If I don't wake up tomorrow (There are like, seven kinds of dairy products in these potatoes), somebody please bring the mashed potatoes to the Faculty Confrence Center around 1.

So in the simple stuff thread I mused about boneless, skinless chicken thighs. So I took the plunge, and made a gumbo-ish stew thusly:

Render some salt pork, reserving the pork (of course). All further cooking in the salt-pork fat.
Season and brown the thighs, quartered (about 3.25 pounds). Deglaze with some riesling and reserve.
Brown and slice 12oz of supermarket (Aidell's?) andouille.
Rough cube and brown some sweet potato.
Sweat and brown onion, scallion white and carrot, add garlic, ginger, shrooms, then scallion greens and pork. Deglaze again and reserve.
Make a bit of brown roux with the rest of the salt pork fat. Add the rest of the wine and whisk, then add all the stuff. Add chicken broth to cover, season with paprika and chili powder.
Bring to boil and braise in the oven (250F) for about 2.5 hours.

I gotta admit, for a total kludge, it's really really good.

Spaghetti aglio e olio as a vehicle for some leftover steamed broccoli from last week's disasterous dinner. Used some tomato spaghetti I'm particularly fond of. Not pictured: grated cheese, as I never seem to remember to add it until I'm about half way through the pasta.

From Batali's latest book
Meatballs in a broken white sauce.
Some steamed broccoli on the side.

Thin crust pizza.

Boy, do my pizza shaping skills suck. This was supposed to be a circle, but things, er... got out of hand.

Last night's dinner was another polenta variation, and turned out quite nicely. While the polenta boiled, I sauteed red pepper matchsticks and hit 'em with balsamic, then fried up cubes of dry salami in a little butter. Got the salami out of the buttery pan and got the polenta into it (watch out: this spits!) and stirred while cooking the rest of the water out of the polenta. Hit the polenta with garlic powder, S&P, and a couple ounces of Bruderbasil cheese. Dumped the polenta over the pepper strips and fried salami, mixed it up, washed it down with hefeweissen.

Ahhhhh.

Nice-looking pizza, Chris!