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Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog


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Tonight, a garden and farmer's market dinner.

Smoked eggplant salad from Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking

Yellow squash, one tiny eggplant, and onions sautéed in the pan after the spices for the salad were cooked

A "French cantaloupe" from the Mt. Vernon market

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Last night

Hummus and pita

Pita sandwiches with leftover chicken, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, and paprika, with red pepper-caper sauce and yogurt

Baked eggplant

Tonight

Whole grain bread

Leftover chicken

Mashed potatoes

Broccoli

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Farm Share: Team India

Jehovah-Jireh chicken leg quarters slow-cooked all day with Garam Masala/salt/pepper rub, curry leaves, Muir Glen diced tomatoes, chicken stock.

Jasmine rice cooked in chicken stock with Indian black sesame seeds (fuzzy logic rice cooker is a boon for workday cooking).

Farm share sweet potatoes pressure-cooked with candied ginger, ground cardamom, salt, and more chicken stock.

Key theme we all know but sometimes forget: homemade chicken stock is your very best friend in the whole wide culinary world!

post-5654-088049500 1285206932_thumb.jpg

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Grilled wild Alaskan King Salmon from River Falls Seafood

Grilled heirloom tomatoes from Bending Bridge Farm

Sauteed kale with garlic from Bending Bridge Farm

Bending Bridge Farm is at the Bethesda Central Farm Market on Sunday mornings. It is probably my favorite produce vendor there. They aggregate produce from several farms and the variety and quality is really good. No fruit, just vegetables, and lots of them.

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Friday night:

Whole grain bread and butter

Chicken stew with rice, chickpeas, and potatoes

Last night:

Flap meat fajitas

Grill-roasted red and green bell peppers and onions

Flour tortillas

Green chile-tomato salsa

Guacamole

Sour cream

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Seared moulard duck breast in a sauce of cherries and tawny port

Mashed organic small Yukon golds with chives and roasted garlic

Steamed haricots verts with lemon zest

Christ.

Potato soup!

Potatoes (that I picked myself after a hayride at Great Country Farms across the street from Bluemont Vineyards)

Leeks

The last of my homemade pancetta (waaaaaaaaa)

Very old cheddar

Vino

Cream

Homemade sourdough for soppin'!

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Inspired by 101 cookbooks and the kitchen trifecta of being able to use a cookbook I have, cut herbs from the overgrown garden, and empty a few things from the larder: slow-simmered fava bean soup with mint and pasilla chile from Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen. I did substitute silk beans for favas, but I gave it a whirl with the immersion blender to get the texture right. Heidi Swanson on 101 Cookbooks wrote, "Easily one of the best, most interesting soups I've cooked in years." I agree. This recipe is a fantastic combination of wonderful flavors, and is unlike anything I've eaten before. It will not be the last time. Paired with margaritas, just because.

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Yesterday was busy, and dinner was a mix of leftovers/premade food:

Guacamole and tortilla chips

Triscuits with Red Hawk cheese

Whole grain bread

Beef Barley Vegetable Soup with Bird Egg beans

Leftover skillet chicken with rice, chickpeas, broccoli, and potatoes

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Inspired by 101 cookbooks and the kitchen trifecta of being able to use a cookbook I have, cut herbs from the overgrown garden, and empty a few things from the larder: slow-simmered fava bean soup with mint and pasilla chile from Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen.

This looks wonderful--thanks for inspiration. I am pretty sure I can find hulled, dried fava beans nearby (I shelled them once before and never will again).

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

Last night after a trip to Trader Joe's, made Israeli couscous for the first time. Avoided up to now since it resembles tapioca which I've hated ever since Girl Scout camp.

Chicken stock and lemon rind. Fresh mint folded in at end. Good--though this is one of the few non-bargains at the store; didn't notice that the $2 package contains only 8 oz. and you really do need half of it for a single serving.

Served under an eggplant plus what's around ragout (white onion, tomato seconds, chili and bell peppers, yellow pole beans, garlic, savory, opal basil...) w lots of creamy, golden feta from Keswick Dairy. Raspberries, honey and Greek-style yogurt for dessert because I am a dairy fiend.

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Guacamole and tortilla chips

Arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette, toasted walnuts and apple

Leftover squash blossom quesadilla

Leftover fajita beef and vegetables

It seemed a bit excessive to have tortillas for the fajita fillings in addition to quesadilla, so I omitted the tortillas. The salad I made on on a whim, thinking the flavors would go well together. I'd had the arugula in the refrigerator for more than two weeks but didn't have to discard much when I picked through it to see if it was salvageable for a salad.

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It's perfect weather for firing up the oven.

If these aren't the last of the crookneck squash from the garden, there will only be one or two more. The vines are succumbing to powdery mildew, and a tropical storm is coming. Summer squash tart. From the bottom up, homemade puff pastry, a thin layer of Dijon mustard, chêvre whizzed about in a food processor with some onion, herbs from the garden, and a bit of hot sauce, squash tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper. post-3913-057897300 1285808860_thumb.jpg

The tiniest French cantaloupes in history. These volunteered in the garden this year, and I wish there had been more. The drought made for really intense flavor.post-3913-083667600 1285808865_thumb.jpg

Plum crisp, made in individual ramekins and liquored up with homemade damson gin. post-3913-065776400 1285808875_thumb.jpg

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eggs in purgatory with a ton of cheese which turned into poached eggs in really cheesy tomato soup.

Overlooked--this sounds great, too!

Zora, Vitamix and knees, thou and thine are sorely missed here! In your honor, not a whole one, but still:

Eco-Friendly French-cut chicken breast, quickly braised w slivers of lemon and rosemary under the skin.

Creamy spaghetti squash gratin w shitake and purple scallions

Green salad w roasted beets

I agree w Mario Batali most of the time when he says he covets thighs and chicken breasts ought to be thrown to the dogs. However, every once in a while succulent, white meat with a pan sauce sounds good and when there is a little, tiny "leg" attached...

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Potato Leek Soup with shredded cheese- used up leeks from the FM 2 weeks ago, and Yukon Golds that were sprouting. Chicken stock, fresh thyme and a bit of chorizo.

Catch-All Cacciatore-this is what I tend to make when I need to use up a bunch of vegetables. Onions, a couple types of tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, frying pepper, hot cherry pepper, a bag of spinach, tomato sauce and cubed breast meat from a Costco roasted chicken. Served over whole grain pasta.

Ginger snaps from the $1 store and tea with lemon and honey for my head cold.

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Wednesday:

Beef barley vegetable soup

Sicilian Tart with Chard, Feta, Pine Nuts, and Currants

Thursday:

Leftover green salad

Leftover Sicilian Tart with Chard, Feta, Pine Nuts, and Currants

Last night:

Arugula salad with toasted walnuts, apple, and lemon vinaigrette

Pita bread

Sweet and sour chicken over medium grain white rice

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Tonight: A Canadian duck breast I scored for 3 bucks at Giant, salted, peppered, seared in a skillet with olive oil, shallots fried in the fat, a roux made with the fat fried shallots leading to a sauce with champagne mustard and some leftover Italian red, with brown rice and Stouffer's spinach souffle (yes, Stouffers, I was also repairing some wall art the cats had contributed.)

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Stouffer's spinach souffle (yes, Stouffers, I was also repairing some wall art the cats had contributed.)

That and Stouffer's macaroni and cheese are two frozen items I often keep on hand, though I don't think I have either currently. Sometimes I like to use the souffle to stuff mushrooms.

Last night:

Leftover beef barley vegetable soup

Leftover Sicilian Tart with Chard, Feta, Pine Nuts, and Currants

Corn on the cob

Cauliflower with cheese sauce

Maple roasted vanilla pears with vanilla ginger gelato

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An incredibly loosely-interpreted ragù napoletano: soffritto, ground turkey, canned San Marzano tomatoes and tomato paste, Chianti, a bit of chicken stock, simmer, reduce, serve with pappardelle and pass parmigiano reggiano to grate at the table.

My father-in-law would smell this* and call it Sunday gravy, and tell me all about his mother's. I think it passed muster, and boy did the house smell good.

*No, he wouldn't. He, somewhat tragically for a man with an incredible palate and love of food, lost his sense of smell, long before I ever met him. Still, he'd see it on the stove, call up the sense memory of the aroma, and go to town with the stories. He's a wonderful guy. He also likes to gift booze. I think I'll keep him.

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Palladin bread from Marvelous Market with Red Hawk cheese (Cowgirl Creamery), aged white cheddar cheese (Cabot), radishes, butter & Balinese Kechil coarse sea salt; cashews

Butter lettuce salad with tomatoes, avocado, cucumber and nicoise olives; Ranch dressing

Leftover beef barley vegetable soup

Leftover Sicilian tart (the last of!)

Baked parsnip puree with aged cheddar

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Monday night:

Palladin bread and soy spread

Beans and greens* soup with ham

Butter lettuce salad with tomatoes, avocado, cucumber and nicoise olives; vinaigrette

Last night:

Toasted Palladin bread with soy spread

Butter lettuce salad with tomatoes, avocado, cucumber and nicoise olives; vinaigrette

Pork chops** with caramelized pears

Steamed green beans

Applesauce

*Rebosero beans from Rancho Gordo and a mix of Mizuna mustard greens and Swiss chard

**Pan-seared and finished in the oven

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Counteracting stress with complicated meals.

Sweet potato cakes with a mushroom/cream ragout from the LA Times. Served with a baby arugula and butter lettuce salad dressed with a walnut oil, sherry vinaigrette. The greens are from the garden. post-3913-099285000 1286406520_thumb.jpg

Plum cake "tatin" from the Barefoot Contessa.post-3913-001267800 1286406529_thumb.jpg

Edited because I forgot the wine. Fortunately, I didn't forget it on the table tonight. Il Tarocco Chianti Classico 2006.

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Last night:

Leftover beef barley vegetable soup

Baked chicken drumsticks marinated in buttermilk

Leftover cauliflower and cheese sauce with bacon over pappardelle, topped with toasted pepitas and grated Parmesan

Tonight:

Deviled eggs

Squid and wheatberries in spicy tomato sauce

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A radish-themed light dinner after a too heavy lunch.

French breakfast radishes with butter and salt. I'd never done radishes this way, and they were shockingly good.

Crostini with radish leaf "pesto." Radish leaves, a few leaves of arugula that needed picking, olive oil, S&P and Parmesan.

Strawberries. Completely non-local, out of season, and really good. They were the only fruit at Costco today that actually smelled like fruit.

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Leftover beans and greens soup

Pineapple chunks

Pastel de Choclo

The Pastel de Choclo is a Chilean ground beef casserole with a corn batter topping. I found the recipe online while searching for something to make with a pound of ground beef and a bunch of hard-boiled eggs.* I also added currants and some (not too many) capers. This was really good, like a shepherd's pie, only made with beef and eggs and corn batter :(. The recipe yielded too much corn batter for my casserole dish, so I made a mini cornbread/cake out of the excess in a very small foil pie plate. Haven't tried that yet.

*I discovered two dozen eggs in the downstairs refrigerator that had a sell-by date that passed a month ago, so I checked to make sure none of them floated and hard-boiled all of them. Now I'm trying to find ways to use them. :).

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Brined, then grilled jumbo shrimp in a garlic and sundried tomato sauce + parsley, cilantnro, hot red pepper flakes, EVOO

Grilled asparagus: yes, they're out of season, breaking with my Locavore ethic :(

Sauteed red chard in EVOO & garlic

Meals this week are spartan. Getting read to go on vacation next week.

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