Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[lperry]

Grilling in the rain.

Grilled portobello mushrooms "stuffed" with minced mushrooms, shallot, thyme, and goat's milk cheese.

Grilled cauliflower. This was attempt #1 to replicate oven roasted cauliflower on the grill so I don't heat up the oven and the house in the summer. I par-cooked it in the microwave then got a nice char on the grill, but it wasn't quite where I want it. I'll keep trying.

[Pat]

Grilling in the rain.

Grilled portobello mushrooms "stuffed" with minced mushrooms, shallot, thyme, and goat's milk cheese.

Grilled cauliflower. This was attempt #1 to replicate oven roasted cauliflower on the grill so I don't heat up the oven and the house in the summer. I par-cooked it in the microwave then got a nice char on the grill, but it wasn't quite where I want it. I'll keep trying.

How are you cutting the cauliflower for this? I keep seeing recipes on line for cauliflower "steaks," and that seems like it would work pretty well on the grill, since the slices are not that thick. Haven't tried it myself yet, though.

Last night (the meal I named "a study in shades of green and white"):

Broiled cod with lemon and butter

Stir-fried tofu and snow peas with ginger-scallion sauce

Steamed broccoli in garlic hummus sauce

Leftover rice pilaf with peas

[lperry]

How are you cutting the cauliflower for this? I keep seeing recipes on line for cauliflower "steaks," and that seems like it would work pretty well on the grill, since the slices are not that thick. Haven't tried it myself yet, though.

I cut it in smallish flowerets, mostly because I don't have an enormous amount of grill surface area, and when I slice a cauliflower to roast in the oven it takes up two half-sheet pans. Maybe I need to cook it in batches.

[monavano]

Grilling in the rain.

Grilled portobello mushrooms "stuffed" with minced mushrooms, shallot, thyme, and goat's milk cheese.

Grilled cauliflower. This was attempt #1 to replicate oven roasted cauliflower on the grill so I don't heat up the oven and the house in the summer. I par-cooked it in the microwave then got a nice char on the grill, but it wasn't quite where I want it. I'll keep trying.

Picturing you in a fedora and trench coat, wielding a spatula umbrella!

"I'm grilling in the rain, just grilling in the rain..."

Last night was pure comfort food. Spaghetti rigati with chicken, peppers and onions in an arrabbiata sauce. Topped with shaved Parm.

Old school, 'yo.

[Pat]

I cut it in smallish flowerets, mostly because I don't have an enormous amount of grill surface area, and when I slice a cauliflower to roast in the oven it takes up two half-sheet pans. Maybe I need to cook it in batches.

The recipes I've seen are like this, where it calls for cutting a cauliflower in a few 3/4" slices. This has a photo of what it looks like. It shouldn't take up that much space, unless you've got huge cauliflower(s).

[lperry]

Picturing you in a fedora and trench coat, wielding a spatula umbrella!

"I'm grilling in the rain, just grilling in the rain..."

No fedora or trench, but I was singing that particular tune.

The recipes I've seen are like this, where it calls for cutting a cauliflower in a few 3/4" slices. This has a photo of what it looks like. It shouldn't take up that much space, unless you've got huge cauliflower(s).

I'll give it a try next time. There's something about the thinly-sliced roasted ones that get so caramelized. That's what I'm going for, and maybe I just need to fake it by adding a bit of sugar to the oil.

[zoramargolis]

Last night, I cobbled together a dish of Asian wheat noodles, stir-fried veg and napa cabbage, crispy eco-friendly sliced guanciale, and a peanut-sesame sauce with lemon grass, ginger root, dark and light soy sauce, fish sauce, chicken stock, lime juice and go ju jiang in it. Shlurpy, spicy and completely satisfying.

sliced white nectarine and yellow peach for dessert

[Pat]

Fish tacos with cabbage, jalapeno, tomato, cojito cheese, and avocado; buttermilk sour cream dressing

Refried pinto beans with bacon and green chilies

[bettyjoan]

Cabernet short ribs (meat from Harvey's at Union Market - really good) with gremolata

Parmesan polenta

Crusty baguette

One of the Spanish reds from the Grape Crate

Not really a summery meal, but it was tasty! Looking forward to some kind of leftover short rib sandwich for lunch in the coming days...

[zoramargolis]

last night:

charcoal-grilled yellowfin tuna belly burgers (the fish was ground with ginger root, lemongrass, scallion, jalapeño, lime zest&juice, cilantro, egg white and panko)

^served on sesame burger buns with wasabi-ginger mayo, avocado, lettuce and tomato

grilled baby bok choy

grilled bi-color corn

cantaloupe

2012 Juan Gil dry muscat

[monavano]

^

Zora, how done do you cook the tuna burgers?

[monavano]

We broke into the first of the sablefish tonight, after having a filet thaw in the fridge overnight. The pin bones had me a bit freaked out at first, what with trying first tweezers, then needle-nose pliers tearing up the beautiful flesh. I decided to just cut down along either side of the bones, then half each half, and it worked. I only found one tiny bone in my dish and I think it might have been a remnant of one I hacked up earlier.

I baked the fish as recommended; evoo, s&p in a glass dish @425 x ~ 12 min. I made a quick fume with the piece of fish I had to cut out to get the bones, and served over puree of cauliflower with balsamic sprouts and fresh peas.

[thistle]

OK, that sablefish blows my humble effort out of the water, but I sautéed zucchini, w/ a bit of olive oil, smoked paprika, & fish sauce today-probably the best zucchini I 've ever had. My daughter did her usual microwaved barramundi filet, ribbed w/ crushed ginger, sesame oil, & low sodium soy, & ate the whole thing- she's had 2 tough lax games in the last 2 days, so she needs replenishing.

[KMango]

No pinbones in tonight's sablefish fillet, just a three quarter pound of flawless white protein. I cut it into portions, and baked with a touch of unsalted butter and a pinch of thyme from the garden. I served to a dinner guest over long grain rice cooked in shrimp stock, and alongside a romaine/green leaf/arugula lettuce salad from the garden and a lime Dijon vinaigrette. Not a scrap was left on either plate.

Lessons Learned:

• The 350 oven is the perfect method to cook this fish.
• Rich, firm, flaky, yet melting in the mouth, the adoration is easy to understand.
• Sablefish is a chef's dream, a supple canvas from which to draw memorable flavors.
• Acid and seasoning are a must. I baked the fish with just butter and thyme, and got a first mouthful of muted bland. I happened to serve it with color-contrasting, home-preserved red vinegar onions with garlic, which brought the necessary acid savior to the rescue. Borrowed vinaigrette from the salad would have also met the need, so long as something counterbalanced the richness. Given that miso is a favored flavor for this fish, it was a facepalm moment when I realized the acid/salt need. Better late than never, and once the lower pH came in to play, the dish elevated to excellent.
• Sablefish is an upscale delicacy, it pampers the palate. My lifetime favorite fish, striped bass/Rockfish, is in another class entirely. It feeds the soul. I'm a Virginia Beach bum at heart.

Shrimp stock was this afternoon's whimsical concoction. A gallon bag of shrimp shells from the freezer combined with rough cut carrots, celery, onion, and spices in the pressure cooker. Half an hour at high pressure, and an immensely flavorful broth emerged, an ideal cooking liquid for the rice and a delicious accompaniment for the fish.

(pre-dusk photography insufficiency alert)

(especially after)

(monavano's's gorgeous post)

[monavano]

^

Thanks, and I agree with the acid. I thought about how I could bring acid into the dish for overall balance (the fish is rich) and I planned on doing the balsamic sprouts, but also had some acid in the fume, which was a last minute kind of thing because I wasn't going to waste a bit of the fish!

[Josh]

Strozzapreti (12 years of Catholic school) with crumbled Calabrian sausage, red kale, and ricotta. Union Market special (Red Apron for the sausage, Eastern Shore Organic for the kale).

Watercress and orange salad.

Homemade pineapple soda (on call all weekend).

A quick meal, and a nice accompaniment to the Game of Thrones finale.

[Fishinnards]

Grilled some pork skewers (Mu Ping หมูปิ้ง) (pork, white pepper, garlic, cilantro root, oyster sauce, dark soy, golden mountain sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar) basted with coconut milk, also grilled some tomatoes and chillies for grilled tomato chilli sauce (nam prik makheua som น้ำพริกมะเขือส้ม)

with green papaya salad (som tam ส้มตำ), vegetables and rice

[zoramargolis]

^

Zora, how done do you cook the tuna burgers?

Medium.

tonight:

all-afternoon, simmered a pot of alubias Judeons (a giant white bean from Spain) with a smoked pork hock, onion, and aromatics

cooked kale and napa cabbage with onion, garlic, pimenton, cumin, roasted red pepper and tomato

pan-fried eco-friendly chorizo

mixed greens, beans and sliced chorizo together into a savory Spanish stew and ate it with sliced baguette garlic toast

[monavano]

Strozzapreti (12 years of Catholic school) with crumbled Calabrian sausage, red kale, and ricotta. Union Market special (Red Apron for the sausage, Eastern Shore Organic for the kale).

Watercress and orange salad.

Homemade pineapple soda (on call all weekend).

A quick meal, and a nice accompaniment to the Game of Thrones finale.

... and far more exciting!

[Pat]

Grilled hamburgers with provolone, bacon, pickles, grilled Vidalia onion, and tomato

Grilled chicken hot dogs with pickles and grilled Vidalia onion

Homemade hot dog and hamburger buns*

Baked beans (canned)

Grilled peaches and vanilla ice cream

*I had bought whole wheat hot dog buns at Whole Foods on Thursday. I figured I could rig some way to use a couple for hamburgers too, instead of buying two kinds of buns. Yesterday morning, I retrieved the package (with a sell by date of that day) to count out the amount I would need and freeze the rest. They were all covered in mold. I didn't feel like going out to buy more, so I dug out a recipe and baked some.

[bettyjoan]

*I had bought whole wheat hot dog buns at Whole Foods on Thursday. I figured I could rig some way to use a couple for hamburgers too, instead of buying two kinds of buns. Yesterday morning, I retrieved the package (with a sell by date of that day) to count out the amount I would need and freeze the rest. They were all covered in mold. I didn't feel like going out to buy more, so I dug out a recipe and baked some.

And that is why this website is freakin' awesomesauce.

Your buns were probably a zillion times better than the Whole Foods ones anyway, even without the mold. Color me impressed.

[Tweaked]

My friends from India don't understand why we put up with the mangoes that usually appear in our stores, but it's easy to get good ones when you are living where there are hundreds of cultivars. We got stuck with the Tommy Atkins for typical U.S. crappy produce reasons - disease resistance, shippability, etc. The one good thing about the fibrous mangoes is they will go through a masticating juicer really well, and the resulting purée is lovely.

Oddly enough, the canned mangoes in Indian groceries make nice mango lassis and sorbets because they are fully ripe when processed, and they are usually good quality cultivars. The little champagne and other ataulfos are pretty good, but the hot water treatments they give Mexican mangoes sometimes make them rot from the inside. Not a nice surprise when you had something planned for dinner.

I believe they grew 500 different varieties of mango in India. On the streets, people push around large wheelbarrows loaded up with ripe mangoes for sale, and a corner store might have 6-8 different varieties for sale, ranging from what we consider to be mango in flavor to others that taste like apples. Needless to say, the mangoes in India are amazing.

I've pretty much given up on the large softball size mangoes typically found in U.S. grocery stores. But I've enjoyed this year's "champagne" mango season.

[dcandohio]

Sauteed chard over Israeli couscous

Roasted radishes

Local strawberries

Enjoying the farmer's market! The strawberries were divine.

[Sundae in the Park]

Pizza! Our first foray outside of classic New York-style cheese - garlic cream sauce, sauteed mushrooms, mozz, and basil.

[bettyjoan]

Lamb and orzo stuffed peppers with tomato sauce and goat cheese

Asparagus with balsamic tomatoes and goat cheese

The stuffed peppers are actually a Rachael Ray recipe (from her "Week in a Day" show), and they are awesome. It's actually a great make-ahead - I do everything in advance and then just heat the peppers in the oven on the day I am serving (you can do that with the sauce too and reheat it, but I generally do the sauce fresh). Jason does not usually like bell peppers, but he loves these because they come out sweet and tender.

[hillvalley]

Last night:

Duck sausages

Roasted bone marrow and persillade

Peas and mint

Braised artichokes

Lamb loin chops

Dark Chocolate covered raspberry ice cream bars

[porcupine]

What with the rain, cool weather, and an effective rabbit fence, I am swimming in greens from the garden.

Last night: salad of romaine and butterhead lettuces, escarole, frisee, radicchio, orach, mache, gorgonzola, strawberries, pecans, white wine vinaigrette

Rest of the week: dunno, but a salad on the side is almost a certainty.

[zoramargolis]

last night:

cheese enchiladas with red chile salsa

rajas de poblanos

pico de gallo with roasted corn kernels

canned refried beans (La Costeña brand)

leftover white rice from Mark's Duck House lunch

Hell and High Watermelon

[goldenticket]

Impromptu stir fry of (mostly) farmers market veggies (zucchini, Mexican zucchini, red pepper, English peas, onion, garlic scape), ginger, garlic, and fried tofu. Finished with some soy sauce and sesame oils (spicy and regular).

It was my first attempt at frying tofu and I was very pleased with the results. Once again, Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" app comes through!

ETA: Fresh, sweet strawberries from Kuhn's for dessert

[bettyjoan]

Chicken, peach, and pepper jack quesadillas with sour cream, guac, and salsa

The peaches were meh...I think I am going to have to seek out some better sources for them (these came from the Harris Teeter downstairs, and I'll give them a slight pass because they were first-of-the-season). This Georgia girl has high standards.

[lperry]

Grilled portobello mushrooms stuffed with various bits of cheeses that were lurking in the fridge, all mixed with chèvre, chopped macadamia nuts (a small jar of unknown origin with about eight remaining), and thyme from the garden.

Romaine dressed with a sherry vinaigrette. My tarragon vinegar is gone, and my tarragon plant is not ready to be pruned. I hope I can get enough off it this year for two bottles.

[zoramargolis]

last night:

chilled pea soup with fresh chervil (made with New Morning sugar snaps, Clear Creek heavy cream and homemade chicken stock)

slow roasted salmon (farmed organic from British Columbia, very expensive at BlackSalt, because my +1 thinks wild salmon isn't fatty enough. the wild salmon at BS was astronomically expensive or I would have bought a piece of each and cooked the wild salmon for myself.)

New Morning green beans with green garlic and lemon

toasted Bonaparte baguette

2012 Domaine de Paris rosé

[porcupine]

^Did you grow the chervil or was it actually for sale somewhere? Two herbs I love and can rarely find at any FM or grocery are chervil and tarragon.

[Pat]

Red and green leaf lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, and homemade croutons; white balsamic-Dijon vinaigrette

Orzo in shiitake-portobello-button mushroom cream sauce

Asparagus simmered in a skillet and topped with fried eggs

The asparagus was from the New Morning Farm market at Watkins School. Egg was also good over/mixed in with the orzo.

[zoramargolis]

^Did you grow the chervil or was it actually for sale somewhere? Two herbs I love and can rarely find at any FM or grocery are chervil and tarragon.

Got a big bunch from The Farm at Sunnyside stand at the Dupont farmers market. Just got some tarragon at H Mart.

dinner last night:

herb-brined applewood-smoked eco-friendly turkey thigh, ZQ sauce

grilled broccoli and golden zucchini

spiced new potatoes cooked on the grill in a foil pouch

fat tire

[Sundae in the Park]

A cool night out here, so used up a roast, the tomato paste, my onions, carrots, and some wine bottle ends in a beef stew.

[lperry]

Grilled portobello mushrooms stuffed with fresh goat's milk cheese, bits of an aged goat's milk cheese that I found in the fridge, toasted walnuts, and chopped radish leaves. OK, there have been a lot of grilled portobellos lately, but 1. there are five in a package and 2. Mr. lperry loves mushroom dishes.

Grits with dandelion greens (take that, weed from my cold frame), iguana hot sauce, and a bit of aged gouda, again from the cheese drawer dregs.

Palmito and avocado salad in a dijon mayonnaise.

Blenheim Petit Verdot 2010 Monticello. Note the vintage. The winemaker at Blenheim likes young wines, but if you have the patience to cellar them for a couple of years (screwcap - not longer than three, I think?) they are quite lovely. This one has lots of fruit and spice, some softness, but still a bit of a tannic edge. It worked nicely with the strong cheeses. (Full disclosure - Mr. lperry has met and photographed the winemaker and her dog, who is, apparently, quite a wonderful dog.)

[zoramargolis]

Getting J. to eat a salad is always a struggle. His idea for dinner last night was "hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill." But he did happily dig into a chicken tostada, made with leftover Costco rotisserie chicken mixed with cubes of smoked eggplant which had been cooked a few days earlier. (When I get my charcoal grill going, I try to put something on for a future meal.) I pureed what was left of the Spanish white beans from last weekend and used those as refried beans on the tortillas, under the chicken/eggplant mixture. And I heaped on lettuce lightly dressed with vinaigrette, with cukes and radishes, a cubed round of mozzarella di bufala, and a spicy pico de gallo. Unripe avocados meant no guacamole, but the small amount of mozz served well as a sub for sour cream, which he usually asks for. Win-win-win: healthy meal with lots of veg and no red meat; cleared a bunch of leftovers out of the fridge; happy hubby.

[Xochitl10]

Mixed olives

Cocktail TBD

Grilled bone-in Garden Path pork loin roast with rosemary and garlic

Orzo

Sauteed Tuscan kale

Atwater's rosemary Italian bread

Buttermilk ice cream with strawberry sauce, both homemade

[Pat]

Grilled culotte steaks*

Grilled baby bok choy**

Grilled zucchini

Corn on the cob with butter***

Potato salad

*Costco Prime beef

**Farmer's market; what was not chomped by the herbivoracious cat

***Yellow, from Georgia

[bettyjoan]

Roasted chicken

Rosemary roasted tomatoes

Saffron risotto (with enough left over to make arancini!)

[zoramargolis]

J's father's day dinner

after a lengthy phone call from his favorite/only daughter

charcoal-grilled spice-rubbed rib-eye steak (a whole one, just for him. we usually split a steak and he always wishes he had more.)

chimichurri

mashed potatoes

new morning green beans with green garlic and lemon

2005 Cerro Añon rioja reserva

[lperry]

Dining solo with a simple dish of chopped bean threads and wilted spinach in a peanut and lime sauce.

[Pat]

Chicken grinders

Potato salad

[bettyjoan]

Arancini (with leftover saffron risotto)!!!

I also planned on having some cheese and no-knead bread, but I was so engrossed in an episode of "Breaking Bad" that I forgot to adjust the oven temp and ended up with burnt blech on the outside and gummy yucky on the inside. Bummer!

[monavano]

Arancini (with leftover saffron risotto)!!!

I also planned on having some cheese and no-knead bread, but I was so engrossed in an episode of "Breaking Bad" that I forgot to adjust the oven temp and ended up with burnt blech on the outside and gummy yucky on the inside. Bummer!

I've have a bit of risotto in the fridge. Wondering if you deep or shallow fried?

(I've been binging on Damages lately, so totally get it)

[bettyjoan]

I've have a bit of risotto in the fridge. Wondering if you deep or shallow fried?

(I've been binging on Damages lately, so totally get it)

Deep fried. I have a Cool Daddy that works like a champ. It is a little bulky and has a lot of "moving pieces" to clean, but it keeps everything contained and there is absolutely zero splatter. Plus, I feel like it really allows me to keep a consistent oil temp without having to stand over the stove and obsess - which, with as easily distracted as I appear to be, is a very good thing!

[Josh]

Last night:

Grilled mahi mahil steaks with lemon caper sauce

Red rice pilaf with garlic scapes and cilantro

Mixed green salad with roasted beets and Roquefort

Tonight:

Pureed chard soup with pancetta and croutons

BLTs if I can find a tomato worth eating...ham and cheese on baguette if not.

[lperry]

When Mr. lperry is out of town, I try to cook what I already have in the house, and with a pantry challenge having been going on for a while now, pickings are getting slim. Last night I burst into flames on the pyre of the food martyr with a meal best left unrecorded. Tonight, while organizing the fifteen or so partial bags of grains and pastas, I found a jar of roasted peppers and blended them up with some aged gouda, olive oil, and cream, which made quite a nice sauce for the remains of a package of spaghetti. Onward through the cabinets!

[zoramargolis]

dinner for the vegetarian BIL:

chilled minted fresh pea soup based on vegetable broth made yesterday with corn cobs, fennel tops, onion, leek, parsnip, celery and aromatic herbs

marvy market baguette with garagiste's moroccan olive oil

grilled veg with romesco sauce: eggplant, young onions (par-cooked), golden beets and red bell pepper (both pre-roasted)

new potatoes

mozzarella di bufala

for us: grilled eco-friendly lamb rib chops marinated in olive oil, lemon, green garlic, rosemary and black pepper

roasted apricot tart with oatmeal-almond crumble and TJ's vanilla ice cream

bil doesn't drink, so he had pomegranate juice mixed with ice tea. we had a pinot noir rosé.