Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[Heather]

Mr. lperry drove back from a road trip through Georgia and brought a truckload of produce with him. Now I have to figure out what to do with ten pounds of genuine Vidalia onions (from Vidalia itself).

Vidalia-Bourbon relish. It doesn't suck.

Last night's dinner:

Fried catfish sliders with tomato & lemon tartar sauce. (Is there anything better than homemade tartar sauce? So good, and so different from the crap jarred stuff.)

Cucumber salad with sesame dressing

Ice cream sandwiches

[zoramargolis]

charcoal-grilled ribeye

barley-corn salad

coconut coleslaw

2008 Kirkland Sonoma County pinot noir

[beefnchedda]

dolin blanc vermouth with blackberries, splash of tonic and some lime while cooking

a quick "smoked" pork shoulder roast - placed on the grill with wood chips for 1 hour and finished in the oven

grazed on a few farmers market cherry tomatoes

grilled tomatillo, corn, pinto bean and basil salad with roasted garlic from the grill

corn meal battered, fried okra

banana ice cream

[LauraB]

Grilled wild-caught sockeye salmon

Sliced cucumbers tossed with asian-flavored vinaigrette and chopped mint and basil

Baby romaine, arugula and fresh herbs dressed with shallot vinaigrette

[goldenticket]

grilled EcoFriendly pork rib chops - maple chipotle glaze

grilled zucchini - quick olive oil/balsamic marinade

Alempue Pro Sauvignon Blanc

homemade mint chocolate chip ice 'cream' - tried out a non-dairy, non-soy (since I couldn't find soy cream) recipe from a friend just for fun - used hemp milk and "MimicCreme" - an almond/cashew-based cream substitute. Not bad, easy to make and nice and cold on a very hot day

[lperry]

Summer squash pancakes with feta

Grilled balsamic-marinated crimini mushrooms and Borretana onions

Coleslaw

Fresh Georgia peaches and plums

Edited to say ^I can't read the phrase "hemp milk" without picturing mother and baby hemps.

[monavano]

Grilled EcoFriendly pork rib chops, dry rubbed and glazed toward the end of cooking with a blackberry gastrique.

Grilled pineapple spears seasoned with chili powder, lime and honey.

Baked yams with a little butter.

[Pat]

Last night's dinner was a big salad:

Chicken tarragon salad with avocado, tomatoes and garlic croutons on a bed of romaine

Homemade buttermilk ranch dressing

[Anna Blume]

Savory bread pudding w chard, new onions, lemon thyme and corn

Cucumber slices

Peach

***************

Dish inspired by listening to Splendid Table a couple of weeks ago when I had odds and ends of around 5 loaves of bread in the freezer; the abundance of chard in Spiral Path's CSA share made me pick up a quart of milk from Clear Springs Creamery and put this together. Mixed the chopped, blanched (well, five minutes of cooking) chard with cubes and sprinkled on feta. Corn and caramelized onion layer covered w grated Stoneyman cheese. A light tomato sauce might be a good idea for reheated (oven) leftovers.

[Heather]

grilled mini burgers

potato salad with buttermilk/lemon/dill dressing

corn on the cob (from Whole Foods, it was meh)

grape tomatoes

frozen strawberry bars & blueberries

sweet tea

I wish summer lasted all year.

[DanCole42]

Grilled Angelic Farms skirt steak with basil chimichurri from my garden, grilled Heritage Farms green beans, Vidalia onions, Heritage Farms buttermilk mashed potatoes

[qwertyy]

Smoked almonds

Salad of black beans, tomatoes, red peppers, sweet corn, asparagus, and vidalia onion with lime/vinegar/cumin/oregano/garlic dressing

Slice of fresh cranberry-banana-nut bread

Some wine

*********

Quitting smoking has given me WAY too much pent-up energy and free time in the evening. I would so happily welcome suggestions for time-intensive--but not ingredient-intensive/expensive (as I'm also buying a condo)--recipes for one. (I've also started dabbling in fruit leathers. Save me before I dehydrate again!)

[bettyjoan]

Another entree salad from Cooking Light...

Couscous salad with tomatoes, chickpeas, mint, and goat cheese

Lemon/garlic/olive oil dressing

Shredded rotisserie chicken

Nice and bright and fresh - would have been good even without the chicken, since the chickpeas make it pretty filling.

[zoramargolis]

charcoal-grilled wild sockeye salmon burgers* on TJ's challah rolls

wasabi-ginger mayonnaise

grilled vidalia onion

cucumber salad with shallots and banyuls vinegar

Atwater Bakery coconut poundcake slices with apricot-plum compote and HD vanilla ice cream

2009 Meinklang Burgenland white

*sockeye salmon filet from Costco. whenever I serve wild salmon, I get complaints (J prefers the fattiness of farmed salmon). So, I took off the skin (cooked that for the puppy), and ground the fish in the Cuisinart with ginger, scallion, cilantro, lime juice and zest, little cubes of feta cheese, grapeseed oil, egg and panko and made burger patties. No complaints! In fact, I got compliments. The puppy liked her supper with baked salmon skin, too.

[legant]

One of the downsides of farmers market shopping: using what you buy -- creatively... consistently -- before it goes bad. My dilemma is further complicated by the fact that I have so few nights at home this week.

Last night's late night dinner: eggs, scrambled with swiss chard, purple onions, topped with Cherry Glen chevre, wrapped in a warmed tortilla; cranberry-pistachio nut bread.

Tonight's dinner: sauteed zucchini ribbons tossed with edamame and topped with sauteed garlic shrimp; balsamic strawberries with mascarpone over a crushed Nonni's turtle pecan biscotti; passion fruit bellini

[DanCole42]

One of the downsides of farmers market shopping: using what you buy -- creatively... consistently -- before it goes bad.

What do you have left that you need to use?

[Pat]

It wasn't an exact replication, but I did a fairly close version of the lamb chops with cassoulet of summer beans and rosemary from The French Laundry Cookbook. I kind of impressed myself . Served with potatoes from a simple Ruhlman recipe for new potatoes with tarragon and chives. Rounded out with a reheated baguette and soy spread.

[hillvalley]

Quitting smoking has given me WAY too much pent-up energy and free time in the evening. I would so happily welcome suggestions for time-intensive--but not ingredient-intensive/expensive (as I'm also buying a condo)--recipes for one. (I've also started dabbling in fruit leathers. Save me before I dehydrate again!)

I imagine these could take a while.

[lperry]

You may have seen over in the baking thread that Porcupine and I were planning to take a puff pastry class with Ann Amernick. It was yesterday, and it was wonderful. I hope tonight's dinner post encourages other people to take a class with her too.

First up were little palmiers filled with ground, aged gouda and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. These are about the size of quarters.

Then I made balsamic-glazed crimini mushroom and chevre napoléons. As you can see from the giant fingerprint on top, my handling technique needs work. This was served with a side of quinoa salad with sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, and pesto. I also had some Pugliese bread with butter.

Because we hadn't had enough food, Georgia peach pie with pecan streusel topping. The crust was made with the fraisage technique, and it is fabulous. This one is the only one I really had my hand in - all three of us worked it. I also took her advice and made everything separately, only assembling right before serving to preserve the crisp-tender crust.

I'm not sure why everything looks so dark and burned - I was paranoid about over-baking and watched the oven like a hawk. There are also some focus issues from the macro... Now everyone knows why I don't post photos. I may need to take a photography class next.

The puff squares and palmiers were some that Ann made during class from a batch of puff she made prior to us coming for the class. She sent it all home with us. The real test will be the puff that we made that is in the fridge right now awaiting the final turns. I have to decide what to make!

[legant]

What do you have left that you need to use?

Cauliflower, chard, squash, zucchini, corn, scallion-type onions. I really didn't get greedy; except for the squash and zucchini and onions, I have only one (bunch) of each; it didn't look like that much until I started placing stuff in the crisper.

The cauliflower and onions will go into an aloo gobi; the corn will accompany ribs. It's the chard and squash that worry me.

[lperry]

The cauliflower and onions will go into an aloo gobi; the corn will accompany ribs. It's the chard and squash that worry me.

If you sauté the chard until its tender, add in a little balsamic, some feta, and toasted pine nuts, it is wonderful on crostini.

Last night we had a romaine salad with feta, chickpeas, and falafel(s?) dressed with a tahini sauce.

[Pat]

Last night featured another one of my "around the world" meals

Sweet potato--black bean--cheddar quesadilla

Japanese cucumber salad

Buccatini with tomato-pork sauce and Parmesan

[monavano]

Meatball pizza with buffalo mozzarella, red sauce and basil. I ran out of 00 flour and used AP, which worked out just fine. I thought the dough for the pizza, as well as my bread doughs, benefitted from proofing in the oven with the light on.

[Pat]

Bread and cheese board

Tabbouli

Leftover lamb chop cassoulet

The bread and cheese board had baguette slices, radish slices, English West Country Farmhouse butter with Maldon sea salt, and English Seaside Cheddar, with little salt bowls of coarse sea salt and Maldon smoked sea salt. The salts were a bit of overkill, but I wanted them for the radishes. Both the butter and cheese were wonderful. I'd bought the butter a while ago and decided I really should use it--a deep yellow and creamy rich butter.

[zoramargolis]

last night:

pan-seared scallops

new potatoes

green beans

roasted red pepper aioli

streusel-topped peach pie with HD vanilla ice cream

2009 Mittelbach zweigelt rosé

[lperry]

More fun with puff pastry.

Individual tartes à la moutarde with dijon, chevre, rosemary, grey sea salt, and a farmer's market tomato.

Puff shell filled with pastry cream and topped with a peach.

I've decided I'm not taking any more pictures when the professional photographer of the house (who could be helping) is standing behind me, fork in hand, wondering why I'm taking so long. The food tasted much better than the photos look.

[Xochitl10]

Last night featured another one of my "around the world" meals

Sweet potato--black bean--cheddar quesadilla

Japanese cucumber salad

Buccatini with tomato-pork sauce and Parmesan

What went into your Japanese cucumber salad? One of my favorites is sliced cucumber, seaweed, and young ginger in rice vinegar and soy sauce.

[Pat]

What went into your Japanese cucumber salad? One of my favorites is sliced cucumber, seaweed, and young ginger in rice vinegar and soy sauce.

It was a Jamie Oliver recipe, so I think the "Japanese" may have been in name only, or at least meaning generically Asian. The dressing had olive oil, rice vinegar, sugar, ginger, lemongrass (which I think of more as going with Thai), s+p, and a little soy sauce. The cucumber was shaved in ribbons and assembled with cilantro and mint before being dressed.

What variety of seaweed do you use? That sounds like a good addition. I also think I would use all or part sesame oil if I made this recipe again, but I liked the flavors of this dressing as it was. Sesame just seems more suitable than olive oil here.

[Xochitl10]

Yeah, the combo sounds more Vietnamese or Thai than Japanese. I don't think I saw cilantro in any form the whole time I was there.

I generally use wakame, which is a fairly dark green, ribbony seaweed. It's what most of my recipes call for, it was easy to find, and it seems to go well with lots of things. It was also harvested off the coast of my prefecture -- the bag of fresh stuff I got lasted a long time and tasted amazing. I don't really care for hijiki, the tiny, kind of teardrop-shaped seaweed.

[Pat]

Yeah, the combo sounds more Vietnamese or Thai than Japanese. I don't think I saw cilantro in any form the whole time I was there.

I generally use wakame, which is a fairly dark green, ribbony seaweed. It's what most of my recipes call for, it was easy to find, and it seems to go well with lots of things. It was also harvested off the coast of my prefecture -- the bag of fresh stuff I got lasted a long time and tasted amazing. I don't really care for hijiki, the tiny, kind of teardrop-shaped seaweed.

I keep dried wakame on hand to use in dashi for miso soup. Having it fresh must have been great.

[rkduggins]

Fourth of July dinner:

Hickory smoked Eco-friendly brisket

Fried chicken bites

Root beer baked beans

Potato salad

Bourbon peach hand pies

Spicy rosemary lemonade

[Pat]

Last night:

Spinach salad (bacon, radishes, hard-boiled egg, tomato; Dijon vinaigrette)

Turkey burgers topped with bacon, button and shiitake mushrooms in reduced red wine sauce and Taleggio cheese; on toasted rustic bread

Corn on the cob with butter

Tonight:

Lime chicken

Corn on the cob with butter

Potato salad with celery, egg, bacon and cornichons

Wax beans with butter

Trickling Springs black raspberry ice cream

[goodeats]

Fourth of July dinner, Chinese-style:

Dumplings with pork, cabbage and shrimp;

Dumplings with spinach, egg, and vermicelli; and

Egg rolls!

Love making things from scratch with the fam.

Priceless: gelittleman eating over a dozen dumplings. What a good Chinese son!

[zoramargolis]

last night:

Eco-Friendly spare ribs, oven braised then hickory-smoked*

uncooked bbq sauce

new potato salad

Sam Adams summer lager

*I had been resisting J's recent entreaties that I make ribs, because it has always meant a day-long commitment to tending the charcoal oven/smoker. But there were some ribs in the Eco-Friendly bin at the Dupont Market yesterday morning, and I took note of the way one of the contestants on last week's Top Chef had everyone raving about her ribs that she oven braised and then charcoal grilled for a short while prior to serving. I spice-rubbed, browned, then braised them in a foil- covered roasting pan with aromatics, some red wine that hadn't been finished a couple of nights ago, and water. 2 1/2 hours or so in a 250 f. oven. Then 1 1/4 hours in the Hasty-Bake with hardwood charcoal, water-soaked hickory chips and a chunk of cherry wood. They came out smoky and flavorful, moist, easily pulling off the bone but not falling apart. Verdict: "Best ribs you've ever made."

I made an uncooked bbq sauce with ketchup, molasses, dijon mustard, some of the de-fatted braising liquid, cider vinegar, cumin, Sriracha, and fresh lime juice. Really good, and so much easier than the cooked tomato-based sauce I usually make...

[Xochitl10]

Everything on the grill: burgers, chicken thighs rubbed with salt/dried mustard/paprika, corn on the cob, nectarines for the nectarine/spinach/goat cheese/toasted slivered almond salad. A friend brought daigaku imo (Japanese candied sweet potatoes) and green tea gelatin for before and after.

[Pat]

Last night:

Toasted rustic bread with butter

Salad (romaine, red bell pepper, celery, radishes, bacon; vinaigrette)

Corn on the cob with butter

Spaghetti with raw tomatoes

[lperry]

Summer food:

Grilled Silver Queen corn

Cole slaw

Summer squash pancakes with chevre

Peach sangria

[Sthitch]

Last night was potato crusted* striped bass over creamed corn (flavored like the sauce from shrimp and grits with andouille and thinly sliced scallion).

*I was a bit dubious when I first heard of the idea of using instant mashed potatoes as a crust when pan frying, but after last night I am a convert. The “Potato Buds” did not impart any flavor of their own, and formed a nicely browned crust that did not absorb much of the fat and stayed crunchy even while in contact with the very creamy corn.

[lperry]

Movie popcorn enjoyed in the arctic-cold theater along with Toy Story 3. Egad it's freekin hot.

[zoramargolis]

birthday dinner for J, by request (I was hoping he'd want to go out to a restaurant...):

flounder ceviche with tomatillo, avocado, scallions, jalapeño, sungold tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice

charcoal grilled head-on giant prawns brushed with confited garlic oil

onion and red pepper skewers

creamed corn

blueberry crisp with B&J's vanilla

2009 Chateau Montaud rosé

I got the prawns at BlackSalt--they weren't even that expensive ($20 a lb.) But they were so freakin' good. Especially sucking on the heads. The ceviche was really nice, too--MJ at BlackSalt recommended the fluke flounder for it and it was a good choice. The avocado made it creamy and cut the acidity--ceviche can sometimes be overwhelmingly acidic and this wasn't. It was refreshing to eat as a cold app on such a hot night.

[Pat]

Cold Greek cucumber soup

Cantaloupe wedges wrapped in prosciutto

Leftover buccatini with pork-tomato sauce

[KMango]

Tonight was another Farm Share¹ dinner night, aka "Iron Chef: Locally Grown". Decided to go with an international theme.

In other words, I claimed global variety to mask my lack of integration.

Japan: Radish Sprout Temaki² (gawds, hand rolls are so easy, why don't I do this more often?)

India: Goat Curry (slow-cooked all day with the last of this season's garlic scapes⁴, potatoes, onions, garam masala and other seasonings)

Italy: Spinach and Ricotta-stuffed ravioli with almond cream sauce³, yellow squash⁴ and zucchini⁴ half moons browned in olive oil with garlic slices⁴ and seasonings, garnished with basil ribbons⁴

¹I've stopped calling it CSA night because no one ever seems to know what that means. Oddly enough, since I changed names, the new moniker has resulted in over a half dozen folks subscribing to their own CSAs based on my Wednesday night proselytizing. This number was at zero before the name change.

²After sharing my sushi-making trials, tribulations, and tangles with chef owner Peter at Bonsai in Shirlington, he recently gave me a container of the seasoned rice vinegar he prepares for the rice in his resataurant. Thanks to that special ingredient, tonight's edition was about 14.99993 times better than the sushi rice I normally prepare.

³Courtesy of Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything Vegetarian, Creamy Nut Sauce recipe on page 797. Yes, that's page 797 of almost a thousand..."everything's" in there. Others have said it before and I will say it again, this book is a phenomenal resource.

⁴All of these vegetables were from this week's or last week's farm share.

[lperry]

Tonight was another Farm Share¹ dinner night, aka "Iron Chef: Locally Grown". Decided to go with an international theme.

In other words, I claimed global variety to mask my lack of integration.

I like to think of it as potluck at home.

Tonight was eggplant, mushrooms, and tofu in a Thai green curry sauce with Thai basil from the hanging basket on the deck. There's nothing like searing heat and drought conditions to bring out the flavor in herbs - I wish basil would preserve well. The curry was served over jasmine rice.

[Pat]

I've got a lot of leftovers and have been trying to keep oven and stove use to an absolute minimum.

Last night was all leftovers, except for the cheese

Cantaloupe wedges wrapped in prosciutto

Truffle cheese toasts

Cold cucumber soup

Tabbouli

Spaghetti with raw tomatoes, served at room temperature

I had the broiler on for a few minutes to make the cheese toasts, but that was it for "cooking."

[DanCole42]

Grilled Piedmont cattle hanger steak with herb oil, zuccini, roasted garlic and tomato relish

The steak was cooked sous vide in EVOO, rosemary, thyme, and garlic to around 95 degrees then quickly seared on the grill. The relish used tomatoes from our garden and grilled lemons.

[Pat]

Leftover tabbouli

Chicken-cheddar-chile quesadillas

I don't usually like chicken in quesadillas all that much, but I had leftover chicken and a lot of tortillas. I was surprised at how much I liked it.

[Choirgirl21]

So happy to be cooking again, and in the midst of my CSA farm share. Last night was fennel and patty pan squash, diced and sauteed in bacon fat from bacon I had crisped up and some crushed red pepper. Then mixed the bacon the back in along with toasted pine nuts and Bulgarian feta and served alongside a seared pork chop. SO good. The idea for the squash dish was courtesy of a friend.

Tonight I had some pasta sauce so I roasted some tomatoes, garlic and eggplant from my CSA, then crushed the tomatoes and garlic and mixed it in with the leftover sauce and crushed red pepper. Layered that with the eggplant, some penne, mozarella, and fresh basil and then grated parm reg over top and stuck back in teh oven until warm and melty. Served with a fantastic salad lightly dressed with white balsamic and olive oil - field greens, purple pepper, lemon cuke, red onion, and sungold tomato all fresh from my CSA.

I've been eating WAY too much takeout. I am so happy right now.

[zoramargolis]

chilled cucumber soup, made with yogurt and buttermilk

herb-brined and smoked Eco-Friendly poussin, served cold (made last night)

baba ghanouj made with smoked eggplant, with pita chips

watermelon, feta and mint salad

charcoal roasted, marinated red pepper

chile olives

[Anna Blume]

Goat Brautwurst

Oven-baked smashed Nicola and red-gold potatoes w roasted garlic, rosemary and spare sprinkling of grated, Stoneyman cheese

Salad of red-leaf lettuce, haricot verts, toasted walnuts and pink raspberries

Roasted apricots w Greek-style yogurt and more pink raspberries

Local farms and dairies: Many Rocks, Next-Step Produce, Sligo Creek, Charlie Koiner, Everona, Spiral Path, Spring Valley, Quaker Valley, Blue Ridge.

[zoramargolis]

Aperol Sunsets

La Quercia prosciutto with mission fig

pan-seared pork loin chops with pan reduction sauce

roasted fennel, fig and onion slaw

haricots verts with lemon

barley pilaf

apricot clafouti