Jump to content

Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog


JPW

Recommended Posts

Braised spare ribs finished in large pan of smothered cabbage w juniper berries, sage and garlic, served atop

steamed rutabaga mashed w lots and lots of butter, flecked w wizened shards of mahogany-hued mushrooms and plenty of black pepper.

All gold and brown, waiting for Bosc pear roasted till the summit of the fruit seizes just below the stem and wrinkles. Lacquered w nearly equal parts of red wine and sugar to consume mostly cooled w honey, the wine syrup and Parmesan stripped from a wedge w a potato peeler.

Way too much wine syrup for just two pears. What should I do w leftovers?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Roasted asparagus with pecorino romano frico-ish cheese things on top.

Mushrooms and onions browned then simmered with a red wine, balsamic reduction, served over brown basmati rice. If anyone is wondering, brown basmati rice does not taste particularly basmati-like.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Roasted asparagus with pecorino romano frico-ish cheese things on top.

Mushrooms and onions browned then simmered with a red wine, balsamic reduction, served over brown basmati rice. If anyone is wondering, brown basmati rice does not taste particularly basmati-like.

I find it less fragrant. The upshot is that I've used it in a wider array of applications because it's more flexible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find it less fragrant. The upshot is that I've used it in a wider array of applications because it's more flexible.

True. It did come out of the rice cooker much like white basmati - fluffy and dry with each grain separate. I just expected more aroma.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did a riff on a Real Simple recipe that bookluvingbabe mentioned a couple of weeks ago. Beef, butternut squash, canned tomatoes, red onion, cumin, ginger, smoked paprika, cinnamon, salt & pepper, in the crock pot all day. I added chick peas when I got home. Served over quinoa. Tasty and gluten free.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mushroom ragu (funghi in umido) with whole milk added at end for slow cooking--sort of like what's done in making a pork stew w broken milk sauce, only the mushrooms soaked up all the creaminess, instead

Tossed w pigtail-shaped dried pasta since not enough polenta at home

Carrots wilted in butter w Parm

Salad of cress and mixed lettuces w toasted walnuts, dried apples and yogurt-vinaigrette

Leftover dessert

Sources include Safeway, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Quaker Valley, Endless Summer, Our House at Sligo Creek, Toigo and Chicano del Sol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Way too much wine syrup for just two pears. What should I do w leftovers?

Red wine syrup keeps (almost) indefinitely in the fridge. I keep leftovers in a squirt bottle in my fridge and use it on top of vanilla ice cream or as a sauce with angelfood cake and cheesecake. It is great in a bowl of (not-as-sweet-as-expected) strawberries.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Way too much wine syrup for just two pears. What should I do w leftovers?

Use syrup as base for mulled wine: reheat the syrup and steep it with orange peel, cloves, cinnamon stick, star anise, fresh ginger, vanilla bean. Strain and add red wine, warm it up and savor on a chilly night,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pan-seared (but finished in the oven) chicken breasts with roasted new potatoes and sauteed savoy cabbage (in a shallot-mustard-cider vin "sauce").

Cabbage recipe/technique please?

Tonight: pistachio-garlic-panko crusted salmon filet with shiitakes and peas in thyme and balsamic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can you explain how you achieved this remarkable result?

I cannot. When any mere civilian tries his hand at a dish made by a notable kitchen such as mine, his dish will always be lacking in that little something, that intangible element that can be neither explained nor taught. Whether attempting Douglas Keane's gougeres, Thomas Keller's oysters and pearls, The Heights' blackened chicken sandwich ("the shoe leather special"), or my potato soup, an outsider will never be able to satisfactorily replicate these meals that capture our imaginations and boggle our minds.

However, if you insist, a reasonable facsimile of my dish may be achieved by mixing a cup of water, a cup of salt, a cup of kindergarten paste, and a liberal dash of tobasco.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cabbage recipe/technique please?

I had cooked some bacon in a pan previously, so added 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1 heaping tablespoon of whole grain mustard, and 1 chopped shallot to the fat remaining in the pan. Cooked (and stirred) over medium heat for about 2 minutes, then added shredded cabbage and coated it and wilted it down for about 4 minutes. The recipe came from a recent Real Simple magazine, and the cabbage was definitely the highlight of the dish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last night I found pomelos at Harris Teeter. Today I celebrated with pomelo salad (yum som oo ยำส้มโอ, I write in Thai just because I can, can't let all those lessons go to waist, still not fluent, but I remember all the food words :) ). Made the salad with roasted peanuts, toasted coconut, fried shallots, poached chicken and a dressing of coconut cream, roasted chili paste, tamarind, fish sauce, and palm sugar. I combined recipes from Chef McDang and Thai Food Master (click for recipe and video). Also made fried chicken wings (ไก่ทอด) (with deep fried holy basil for a seasonal Christmas look) and red chicken curry with kabocha pumpkin (แกงเผ็ดไก่กับฟักทอง), jasmine rice and Brasserie Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux, which was super with Thai food.

6496444349_59c3e9d8c3.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last night:

Frisee and baby arugula salad with Campari tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, and bacon; poppy seed dressing

Finger sandwiches: pumpernickel toast, cream cheese, smoked salmon, avocado, fennel fronds, and scallion oil

Broiled boneless strip steaks

Roasted fingerling potatoes and fennel

Saturday night:

Frisee and red Boston lettuce salad with cucumber and Campari tomatoes

Lamb curry (leftover boneless leg of lamb, quince, potatoes, onions, raisins, and peas)

White rice

I was going to put some apple in the curry but realized I had leftover cubed poached quince. That worked just fine, especially since it retained some of the star anise and cinnamon flavor infused from the poaching.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Salad including Calhoun's ham and Keswick feta.

Braised pot roast using the tried and true coke brisket sauce.

Braised mustard greens*

Mashed yams

Carmelitas

*Funny story. For the second time, while prepping mustard greens from Three Way Farm (Del Ray), I've found a ladybug. Each time, the greens have been sitting in the fridge for a week when I've prepped it. I have rough chopped and just before washing, I find a still alive ladybug that has survived a week in the fridge and my knife blade.

The first one I found was really slow to warm up. I had it crawl onto a paper towel and put it outside to warm in the sunshine. It started to move a bit faster and stretched its wings a couple times before it zoomed away. The second little guy was quicker to skeedaddle.

eta: The pot roast was a 3 1/2 pound chuck from WF. It was melting tender. I'll definitely buy again. Really nice quality.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

chickensplitunderbrick.jpg

EF split chicken cooked under a brick and finished in the oven with thyme rosemary and lemons.

Potato gratin with Allegheny chevre and pecorino.

Oven roasted brussel sprouts with a maple vinaigrette.

YUM - who needs to go out when you've got that!? Poussin looks wonderful and the rest sounds like perfect accompaniments!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks goldenticket. We were just trying to fit in a Costco run before the weekend, so dinner would have been a slice or a hot dog. This was a bit better :D . I love making these indulgent potatoes every once in a while because the remains always wind up in a frittata or tortilla, and then that dish lasts for several meals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Run of Ann Arbor-ish meals lately. E.g. (A2, too): Winter squash gallette combining butternut squash and sweet potato, sage, leeks, roasted garlic and Parmesan in filling. Plated on salads w cress dominating and a mustardy-Meyer lemon vinaigrette.

Made the Moosewood shepherd's pie today. Yes, tofu shredded after being transformed into a yellowish block of ice and then thawed and wrung dry, but I really like this. Tore Brussels sprouts into individual leaves to sauté w shallots, then douse w apple cider and more Meyer lemon juice at the end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^Tues night I made a similar salad with escarole, frisee, Va. country ham shavings, chevre, pears, cashew halves and maple vinaigrette. I was going to bread and fry up the chevre but just got lazy <_<,

Used the remaining vinaigrette to roast brussels last night.

Pear and chevre is a fantastic combo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Marvelous Market baguette and Morbier cheese

Salad of romaine, cucumber, leftover sliced steak, crumbled bacon, and Campari tomatoes; poppy dressing

Pierogi casserole with tomato sauce and chicken caprese sausages, topped with buffalo mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano

I keep buying packs of cheese and potato pierogies at Costco and then running out of time to cook them before the "use by" date. This time I did the same thing with a whole container of buffalo mozzarella. The sausages (also from Costco) still have some time left, but I only used 1/3 of them ;) .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pat- the pierogies freeze really well. You can defrost in the fridge, or steam them before frying (optional). The Costco pierogies are really quite good and since I'm out, they're on my list for our trip there this weekend.

They do. I still have one package in there from a previous purchase ;) . The problem is that I have no available freezer space right now. At all. I really need to do some clearing out soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't make crazy claims that often, but I'm going to make one now. I may be the first person in world history to have eaten what I had for dinner + dessert tonight: Sweet tender Duck meat (*) on top of shredded banana blossom and morning glory (from Rice Paper), and a slice of Navy Bean Pie (from It's All Good, Really). Insane combination, huh?

(*) Served with testicles

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...