Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[Pat]

Homemade pico de gallo and guacamole with Tostitos

Pan-fried pork loin chops topped with bread stuffing; and, to finish the dish, fresh halved prune plums and sliced baby bella mushrooms that were sauteed with a splash of cognac

I made the stuffing a couple of weeks ago when I had a lot of excess sliced bread that wasn't going to keep much longer or be used in time. It was basically bread, butter, celery, onion, poultry seasoning, s+p, and chicken broth, cooked up in a saucepan. It ended up being a little too wet and glue-y, but I figured that freezing and then thawing and baking it would take care of that, which it did. Tonight I baked it at 375F in a covered casserole dish for about 30-40 minutes and then uncovered for another 10-15. Perfect. Really great with the pork, fruit, and mushrooms.

[Choirgirl21]

Roasted vegetable pasta 2 ways:

Roasted onions and various peppers and squash in olive oil and mixed with whole wheat penne. The first dish has salted tomatoes, goat cheese, fresh basil and balsamic vinaigrette, the second has a really simple homemade tomato sauce w/crushed red pepper, garlic, and a little white wine, Field Roast Italian sausage, and grated parm. Both very good, but the first dish was the star. Oh, and Black Ankle Passigiatta.

[KMango]

Roasted vegetable pasta 2 ways:

Roasted onions and various peppers and squash in olive oil and mixed with whole wheat penne. The first dish has salted tomatoes, goat cheese, fresh basil and balsamic vinaigrette, the second has a really simple homemade tomato sauce w/crushed red pepper, garlic, and a little white wine, Field Roast Italian sausage, and grated parm. Both very good, but the first dish was the star. Oh, and Black Ankle Passigiatta.

Yeah!

Kudos for that improv meal.

[DanCole42]

Recipe/instructions please?

Pickled Jalapenos

Jalapenos (I just use a box from the farmer's market)

An acid

A sweetener (1 part sweetener for every 3 parts acid by weight)

Salt to taste

Herbs and spices, aromatics

Load a sauce pan with whatever veggies you want to pickle, in whatever form you want them pickled (for the jalapenos, seeded and sliced into long strips). Add enough acid to cover by about half an inch, then remove the jalapenos. Bring the acid (in this case, cider vinegar), the sweetener (in this case, agave or honey), the salt, and the seasonings (in this case garlic, coriander, bay leaf) to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, remove from the heat and add the veggies back in. Once cool, strain and reserve the liquid. Put the veggies (jalapenos) in an airtight container (I use mason jars from Wegman's), then pour over enough liquid to cover by about half an inch to an inch. Discard the rest of the liquid. Tada! This method words great for pretty much any firm vegetable. If you have veggies that aren't green (beets, radishes, onions, garlic, etc.), red wine vinegar makes them look super pretty.

For the chimichurri, just take your favorite chimichurri recipe (or Google's favorite), and puree in as much of the jalapenos as you want.

[zoramargolis]

Well, true that there were a variety of (part-skim or reduced fat) cheeses in the gratin, but they were in small quantities (I believe, in total, there were five to six tablespoons for a whole 14-oz box of pasta). When I mixed everything up, I thought, hmmmm, this is going to be dry. So, I did thin it with half and half, and I only had it under the broiler until the top got a little brown and crusty. Ah, well. I think you're on to something in terms of forgetting "gratin" and doing it over the stove.

Well, there's the problem: 5 or 6 tablespoons of cheese for almost a pound of pasta is not nearly enough. Or make some bechamel and add the cheeses to that and maybe half the box of pasta, and it might work as a gratin.

last night's dinner:

sliced tomatoes and mozz di bufala

Spanish-style seafood stew (fresh tomato-ripe jalapeño-shallot sofrito with saffron, pimenton, garlic, Stan's Simply Sausage spicy chorizo, shrimp stock, monkfish, cod, squid, scallops, shrimp and mussels)

haricots verts

2009 Anton Bauer gruner veltliner

[Xochitl10]

Homemade pizza using mktye's super-easy everyday crust recipe, simple sauce of Three Springs San Marzano tomatoes cooked down in olive oil and garlic, Spiral Path organic basil, Blue Ridge dairy mozzarella, and prosciutto. Tanqueray and tonic. On the porch. With the dog. Damn fine way to spend an evening.

[kirite]

Homemade pizza using mktye's super-easy everyday crust recipe, simple sauce of Three Springs San Marzano tomatoes cooked down in olive oil and garlic, Spiral Path organic basil, Blue Ridge dairy mozzarella, and prosciutto. Tanqueray and tonic. On the porch. With the dog. Damn fine way to spend an evening.

Exqusite dinner last night and tonight. I went to the Black Salt Fish Market yesterday and bought two crab cakes, swordfish and two sides--green and yellow grilled zucchini and a chickpea salad with feta and olives. Last night we baked the crab cakes. They are unadulterated--no Old Bay, mustard, and very little filling. We made a jicama slaw with fresh oranges and limes, plus mango, champagne vinegar based on a recipe from the book "Raising the Salad Bar." Tonight we grilled the swordfish gently and perfectly and had a savory salad of arugula, yellow grape tomatoes, and a creamy avocado. The dressing was a simple one of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and ground pepper. We enjoyed a bottle of Estancia Zin '08.

[Pat]

Last night

More guacamole and chips

Corn pone with pinto beans

Grilled Polyface Farms hotdogs

Grilled prime ribeye steak

Grilled corn with cilantro pesto and Cotija cheese

The hot dogs dried out pretty quickly on the grill. Maybe that's not the best way to cook them. It's the first time I've bought them. The few that are leftover (already grilled) are going to be chopped up and mixed into a casserole with the leftover corn pone and a few other ingredients some night soon.

That steak was amazing. Another Costco one I pulled out of the freezer. (I know...Costco and Polyface Farms in the same meal ).

The corn recipe (or, more specifically, the pesto-Cojita recipe) came from a recent episode of Bobby Flay's new grilling show, something that was prepared by last year's Next Food Network Star runner-up, Jeffrey Saad. Very good, even though the corn itself was probably the weakest I've bought this summer.

[KMango]

...

The hot dogs dried out pretty quickly on the grill. Maybe that's not the best way to cook them. It's the first time I've bought them. The few that are leftover (already grilled) are going to be chopped up and mixed into a casserole with the leftover corn pone and a few other ingredients some night soon...

Yes! Someone said corn pone on the boards (and that grilled recipe also sounds fantastic)!

"It was 'baker's bread' -- what the quality eat; none of your low-down corn-pone..."

Back in fourth grade, the second I read that line, my life-long passion for food began.

Thanks, Huck.

And to get back on topic...I'll be having steamed crabs and beer tonight. Hopefully on the patio. Please conduct your anti-rain dances for me.

[zoramargolis]

shredded grilled hanger steak (made-over leftovers)

homemade frijoles refritos

rajas de poblanos

fresh corn off the cob stewed with unsalted butter

guacamole, chips

pico de gallo

grated cheddar

Mission corn tortillas

blueberry crisp with HD vanilla

Sierra Nevada Summerfest

[Anna Blume]

Last night: absolutely nothing except toothpaste which I spit out after tasting since you're supposed to. zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

[monavano]

Slow-cooked ribs with a dry rub and NC bbq sauce over Monterey Jack polenta and creamed corn.

[leleboo]

Pan-fried polenta cakes topped with crisp prosciutto and diced avocado

mixed greens in mustard-sherry vinaigrette

roasted shrimp with garlic and cherry tomatoes

(no pictures because the iPhone is still doing its rice-dance-of-shame)

[lperry]

Thai drunken noodles because I wanted Thai, and that's the only Thai dish I know that uses fresh tomatoes.

[Pat]

Sunday night:

Arugula with radishes and thinly sliced leftover steak; vinaigrette

Seashell pasta salad with buttermilk chive dressing

Leftover spicy pork meatball soup

Last night:

Tomato-arugula salad with red onion; vinaigrette

Leftover pork chop with plums, mushrooms, and bread stuffing

Goat cheese & herb soufflé

[DanCole42]

Maple vinegar scallops and pickled mushrooms over pea puree and kalinga jekot rice. Wine was Bluemont Vineyard's 50/50 peach and vidal blanc.

[Choirgirl21]

Maple vinegar scallops and pickled mushrooms over pea puree and kalinga jekot rice. Wine was Bluemont Vineyard's 50/50 peach and vidal blanc.

Would like a recipe for that too. Perhaps you should just automatically start sending me recipes?

Mine was flank steak with ranchero sauce and squash calabacitas:

Really love my Down Home Downtown cookbook.

Kudos for that improv meal.

Thanks. :blush

[Pat]

Yes! Someone said corn pone on the boards

The recipe I used called it that . The casserole from the leftovers came out pretty well last night. I used up some more of the Hatch chilies I've had in my freezer for almost two years. They're still plenty hot.

So this was dinner...

Homemade guacamole and chips

Corn pone casserole [crumbled corn pone, pinto beans, diced pork/beef hotdogs, chopped tomatoes, chicken broth, buttermilk, egg, cojita and jack cheeses, and Hatch chiles]

[DanCole42]

Would like a recipe for that too. Perhaps you should just automatically start sending me recipes?

You flatter me!

The recipe was liberally taken from the infamous "pea puree" Top Chef recipe, but adapted to only use ingredients I had on hand.

Thoroughly dry and salt your scallops, leaving them to air dry while you do the rest of the prep. Blanch and shock some quality peas (Wegman's organic frozen section has 'em), puree with sour cream, season to taste, set aside. Thinly slice some mushrooms and saute until golden brown and delicious, add to a mix of razor-thin sliced onion, garlic, rose wine vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper, set aside. Cook the rice with shallots, garlic, thyme, white wine, homemade chicken stock, as you would a risotto. In a screaming hot pan, set down the scallops in some grapeseed oil (or other high heat-tolerant oil) until they release from the pan on their own. When you flip them, flip them to a spot on the pan where there were no scallops before (these spots will be hotter than just flipping them in place). Remove from pan. Whisk together maple syrup and champagne vinegar, then brush on the scallops.

To plate: put down a dollop of the pea puree, a spoonful of rice, some scallops, and top with the mushroom-onion-garlic mixture.

Enjoy!

[Anna Blume]

A Zuni-method roasted chicken w sage and rosemary, prepared w bird that was walking around last Friday!**

Red "spring" onions roasted in the same pan

British method* of roasted potatoes, though skins on, halved, also w rosemary

West Virginian French fillet beans w lemon

Really ripe Satsumi plums

*Boil first till almost done.

**Groff's Content Farm, purchased Saturday.

******

More uses for leftover compound butter: Made a cilantro-lime butter for grilled corn. Used some of remains to finish blanched Romano beans, though best use was for a pretty faithful version of Suzanne Goin's corn soup since it included both cilantro and lime juice as flavoring agents.

[Pat]

British method* of roasted potatoes, though skins on, halved, also w rosemary

....

*Boil first till almost done.

I didn't realize that was British. It's the way my mother and grandmother always made them, and I do too. I generally parboil potatoes for any oven application. It tends to produce a more reliable result, in my experience.

[KMango]

Scallops baked in basil butter (mystery protein from a dinner guest, and they were dry, I could have cheered!)

Corn on the cob (barely warmed, and obscenely sweet)

Italian roasted vegetables (japanese eggplant, yellow squash, green bell pepper, lots of garlic, oregano, olive oil, splash of yuzu rice vinegar)

Everything except the seafood, butter, olive oil, and vinegar arrived with tonight's farm share (CSA).

Dessert: Plums and figs flash-sauteed with vanilla-scented sugar, plated over baked cinnamon raisin mochi, garnished with minced mint (fruit and mint from the farm share).

Quick pic of the main dish enclosed. I'd include the pic for the dessert, but it's reality-shifted, would make you question your eyewear prescription, and an embarrassment to all things focused.

Tasty meal, though.

[Pat]

Beef-vegetable soup

Cheez-it crusted chicken breasts

The soup was an amalgam of various odds and ends, including a very small amount of top round I had in the freezer. (I think something I made required a very specific amount, and I cut off the little bit of excess and froze it.) I won't go any further, except to say that the soup managed to contain beef, chicken, and pork in some form or other .

In other weird food news, it turns out that crushed Cheez-its make a great breading for chicken. In a burst of nostalgia for childhood snacks, I had bought a box of Cheez-its a few months ago. I carefully checked the label to make sure they had no partially hydrogenated vegetable oil but somehow managed not to notice I had picked up a box of "hot and spicy" crackers instead of the regular ones. They really are hot and spicy, which is normally fine by me, but it was not what I was looking for in Cheez-its. I ate a few of them, but I just didn't like them that much. I crushed up the rest and used them to bread skinless boneless chicken breasts (previously marinated in buttermilk), before baking them. I still have some pre-crushed crackers, so I'll be making this again.

[Pat]

Last night's meal was perhaps a little more conventional.

First course: Platter of arugula topped with slices of leftover goat cheese-herb souffle and topped with seared sea scallops. Dressed with lemon juice. Around the edges, half a dozen or so Black Mission figs that had been stuffed with Manchego, wrapped in prosciutto, and roasted.

Meat course: Freeform meatloaf draped in bacon.

I took a photo of the meatloaf before it went into the oven but forgot to take one when it came out . I usually stick with a loaf pan for meatloaf, but this worked very well. I had just enough slices of bacon to cover the meatloaf entirely.

[Anna Blume]

Smoky Fairytale eggplant w tomatoes over stubby brown rice

Half a mango peach

Satsumi plum

* * *

Last Saturday, I couldn't resist perfect, miniature grafitti eggplant no bigger than my thumb, i.e. very small since I wear a size S in Women's gloves.

Double-wrapped all 25 in heavy-duty alum. foil after removing sepal and piercing. Put packet on top of gas burners, turning once, till collapsed, soft and slightly charred.

Slit each in two, keeping sepal side intact: just enough to slip in wedge of mozzarella and fresh basil leaf. Little salt.

Meanwhile, caramelized thinly sliced red onion. Added garlic, then tomato-basil sauce which I thinned a bit w water. Swirled in leftover roasted-chicken pan juices for flavor. Slipped in all the itty-bitty eggplants and covered pan. Simmered for around 20 minutes. Great reheated in microwave the following day.

[zoramargolis]

applewood smoked, herb-brined Eco-Friendly chicken, homemade bbq sauce

roasted corn on the cob

pineapple coleslaw

tomatoes with evo and balsamic

TJ's mini mint ice cream sandwiches

2009 Bauer Gmork gru-ve

[stickmoon]

mussels with pancetta, shallot, garlic, white wine

toasted slices of french country wheat bread

Kim Crawford sauvignon blanc.

[zoramargolis]

wedge salad with blue cheese dressing

corn and fennel chowder

2009 Ch. Montaud rosé

[Pat]

Reheated scallops, arugula, goat cheese souffle, and prosciutto-wrapped figs, with peach chunks

Chicken thighs

Corn on the cob

Golden beets

Red potatoes

Everything but the corn was done on the grill. The beets, potatoes, and reheated appetizers were done in foil packets. The mishmash of leftover scallops, etc., actually turned out pretty well. There was just a bit of each thing, and I couldn't figure out how to reheat to serve. Warming on the grill for 15 minutes or so worked fine. The arugula cooked through with the help of the moisture in the packet and was nice with the bits of cheese that were left.

[monavano]

Truck Patch pork tenderloin, grilled and sauced with a pie cherry gastrique.

Yukon Gold potatoes and onions, both sliced thick and baked in tin foil with a mustard and rosemary vinaigrette.

Mexican corn.

Bread pudding with caramel sauce that we took to go from Dixie Bones the night before.

[Heather]

Pasta with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt & pepper.

[lperry]

Tomato paella. I finally found the best use for the yellow/orange beefsteak tomatoes I grew this year - they have amazing flavor when they are cooked. Raw, not so great.

[Pat]

Tomato, avocado, and corn salsa with tortilla chips

Roasted herbed pork loin

Sauteed beet greens with garlic and bacon

Au gratin potatoes

[zoramargolis]

charcoal-grilled Eco-Friendly lamb shoulder chops, marinated in yogurt, aromatic veg and mint

basmati rice

broccolini with olive oil, garlic, lemon and red pepper

peach and banana cream pie, 'Nilla wafer crumb crust

2009 Ch. Montaud rosé

[monavano]

Pecan Meadow's grass-fed strip steaks, done on the grill.

Zucchini Gratin with Parm and feta.

Leftover 'tatetrs.

Bread Pudding.

[bettyjoan]

Seared sea scallops

Warn corn-tomato-basil salad

Quinoa/wild rice

[Pat]

Garlic bread

Peppadew, Peach, and Feta Side Salad

Grilled Thai beef salad [main course]

[Anna Blume]

Hamburger Bison Helper from scratch

Shallots, fresh garlic, red chili pepper (don't know name), carrots, last of the ground bison, shitake, sweet paprika, short brown rice (last of the), last week's tomato sauce, fresh parsley, blanched haricots verts, just a little fresh mozzarella

Plums

[Heather]

The centerpiece of tonight's dinner was supposed to be the baby squash I bought at the farmer's market on Saturday, sauteed in olive oil with garlic and sprinkled with fresh basil. Unfortunately, these were the bitterest little gourds I have ever tasted, even more bitter than I am for paying $4 for them.

We had baby carrots with our cheeseburgers instead.

[Pat]

Mushroom soup

Potato tacos

Leftover meatloaf

[zoramargolis]

The centerpiece of tonight's dinner was supposed to be the baby squash I bought at the farmer's market on Saturday, sauteed in olive oil with garlic and sprinkled with fresh basil. Unfortunately, these were the bitterest little gourds I have ever tasted, even more bitter than I am for paying $4 for them.

I've had the same experience (usually with cucumbers), but if I can remember the incident at my next market visit, the farmer will usually give me something else to compensate for the offense. Sometimes I've been met with some incredulity that their product was bitter (New Morning Farm), but if you are a regular customer, they know you are not trying to rip them off. Eco-Friendly has been really good about replacing things I've bought that I haven't been happy with.

tonight's dinner was:

Eco-Friendly hot Italian sausage, charcoal roasted peppers, eggplant, onions and shaved fennel on Italian Store sub rolls with fresh mozzarella

2009 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc

[bettyjoan]

Fiery "fried" chicken (a fave - breasts marinated in OJ and chili-garlic sauce, then lightly rolled in breadcrumbs and baked at 450 for about 20 minutes)

Lo mein noodles with peas and a teriyaki-sesame oil-garlic-red wine vinegar dressing

[Anna Blume]

Roasted rope sausage

Long stewed orange banana peppers w red onion and garlic

Roasted okra, corn and tomato "relish"*

Plum

*Really a hefty side dish, recipe from Marissa Stubbs who cooked it at the H Street Market. Farmer supplying the sausage raved about the dish, so I had to try it. These glorious cool nights remind me that the glories of summer aren't going to be around much longer. (One of the first to bring peaches to the market said he'd probably run out in mid-September which is four weeks away!)

[KMango]

Jehovah-Jireh boneless chicken breasts pressure-cooked with chicken stock, farm share (CSA) potatoes, mushrooms, Penzey's Fox Point seasoning...

Plated over chopped baby spinach, added two kinds of farm share tomatoes mixed with salt and pepper, and a whimsical dollop of the following ingredients run through the food processor: avocado, onion, farm share bell peppers, farm share celery, lime juice, black pepper, smokey salt...

Ladled in a half cup of the chicken broth to wilt spinach and add moisture.

Tasty, hearty, colorful, but could have more fun doing something bizarre with the avocado next time.

Perhaps Green Stonehenge Chicken...

[zoramargolis]

applewood-smoked herb-brined Eco-Friendly chicken with no-cook bbq sauce

smoked corn off-the-cob

pineapple coleslaw

bbq beans

B&J's vanilla ice cream with dulce de leche

Sierra Nevada Summerfest

[DanCole42]

Clove and pepper-crusted NY strip steak with dill "bearnaise" sauce

Extra-garlicky swiss chard

Homemade sourdough baguette

[Pat]

Garlic-Tomato bruschetta (red plum and green zebra tomatoes on garlic toast)

Flank steak

Fried potatoes, onions, and peppers

Caramelized golden beets

[DanCole42]

Steve Baker's sausage. Homemade sourdough, buttered and grilled. Red onion, sage, and maple marmalade. Sauteed mushrooms. Dijon mustard. AWESOME sandwich!

[lperry]

Grilled Brandywine tomato soup

Sourdough toast with chêvre, yellow tomato, and coarse salt

Unless by some miracle they set more fruit, this meal used the last of this year's Brandywines.

[Anna Blume]

2 slices fennel & citrus salami

Peach

1/4 chocolate & orange tea cake

Handfuls of arugula straight from the bag

Spoon-size shredded wheat w blackberries and 1% milk when finally home