Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[Pat]

Tuesday

Leftover broccoli and carrot salad with sesame soy ginger vinaigrette

Leftover grilled steak over strozzapreti in mustard cream sauce

Last night:

Baguette with olive oil for dipping

Broiled cod and seared scallops (both with lemon, butter, s + p) over a rice blend [brown, red, barley, rye]; topped with pea tendrils

[thistle]

One of the strangest leftover meals I've ever cooked- rib tip/ chicken broth, leftover coleslaw, rinsed (cabbage, carrot, grn onion), leftover smoked chicken, fish sauce, blk pepper, Thai basil- I think if I added bacon, it would be an almost perfect repurposed soup...

[Fishinnards]

Back from Florida visiting the MIL for a week. Kept it simple with a chicken salad, (laap gai) ลาบไก่ (Ayrshire farms chicken, roasted rice powder, roasted chilli powder, galanga, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, sawtooth coriander [aka culantro], mint, lime juice, fish sauce, shallots, palm sugar), crispy chicken skin, vegetables (cucumber, carrots, napa, red dandelion greens, green beans, horopa basil) and rice.

[Rhone1998]

Fishinnards, timely you should post this since I was going to make laap for dinner tonight. I don't usually add galangal or (raw?) garlic to mine but might try that. Just for clarification, was the crispy chicken skin included in the laap or served separately?

[lperry]

Somewhat off topic, but have either of you seen fresh kaffir limes yet? I want to make a big batch of curry paste to freeze.

[Fishinnards]

Fishinnards, timely you should post this since I was going to make laap for dinner tonight. I don't usually add galangal or (raw?) garlic to mine but might try that. Just for clarification, was the crispy chicken skin included in the laap or served separately?

Garlic and galanga are optional. I roast a small piece of galanga, about the size of a nickle, with the rice and then pound about half of it for the dressing, the other half goes into the water (2-4 tablespoons) that is use to cook the chicken and then is removed. You could also just add a pinch of dried galangal powder to the dressing. I mince a 1 clove of garlic with the chicken per David Thompson, sometimes when I remember. It's totally optional, but nice.

Chicken skin is separate. I don't like to waste it so I use the Danny Bowien method. I put the skin between two pieces of parchment between two cookie sheet and roast at 300 degrees for 45 minutes. I also get the added bonus of rendered chicken fat. I just eat the skin on the side.

I still have not seen fresh kaffir limes. The dried kaffir lime rind pieces I've been getting have been pretty good though. It's still very fragrant. You just need to soak it for a hour of two. The importfood.com website says not in season till July 2013, so maybe we will see some soon.

[Rhone1998]

Without presuming this is likely even in the same league as fishinnard's...

Charcoal grilled red snapper laap, with mint, cilantro, shallot, lime juice, fish sauce, ground roasted rice, chile powder, and a touch of authentic Domino granulated sugar

[lperry]

Black rice salad with chopped sugar snap peas and spinach, dressed with a sherry, mustard, walnut oil vinaigrette.

[monavano]

Tossed Salad

Emeril's Jambalaya with Stachowski kielbasa

Kuhn's Cherry Clafoutis with Buttermilk Vanilla & Strawberry Swirl ice cream

[Pat]

Salad of red and green leaf lettuce, radishes, tomato, avocado; sesame soy ginger vinaigrette

Leftover meatloaf sandwiches (rye toast; bbq sauce, bacon, colby jack cheese)

Leftover roasted fingerling potatoes + ketchup for me

The sandwiches came out really well. Surveying my creation, I was pleased with myself. Usually I just reheat meatloaf as is, but I still had part of a loaf of seeded rye bread to use and I wanted to do something different. The salad kept it from being too junk-foody of a meal .

[monavano]

Grilled rack of lamb, rubbed with the same Creole seasoning mix I made for jambalaya the evening before. Mr. MV grilled it perfectly to 130, and once cut, we ate them like the little lollipops they were. This rack was in my freezer for a loooooong time, dated late 2011, but it was still quite good. I was relieved, since we got it from EcoFriendly. Never waste proteins from EF!

Mashed sweet potatoes with crushed pineapple, butter and brown sugar.

Sauteed rabe.

Apricot and raspberry ruggelach, also old and pulled from the freezer

[Nervous Eater]

Last night:

Stewed fresh shelling beans (Clarendon Farmers Market) with chicken stock, dry vermouth, mirepoix, saffron, pimenton, fresh thyme from the garden.

Pan seared mahi-mahi (whole foods) served over the beans. Topped with a little creme fraiche and chopped parsley from the garden.

Fresh slices of sprouted whole wheat bread, baked yesterday afternoon.

[The Hersch]

Kuhn's Cherry Clafoutis with Buttermilk Vanilla & Strawberry Swirl ice cream

That clafoutis looks wonderful. Who or what is Kuhn? (And I'm wondering if a clafoutis would be even more awesome with sour cherries, or would they make the whole thing kind of runny?)

[monavano]

Here's Kuhn's Orchard's farmers market schedule from their website. Wonderful produce.

I plan on making another clafoutis once I find sour cherries. This recipe was from WS and probably my favorite as far as the end product's texture. It was custardy without being too "eggy". I had to bake it longer for it to set, and covered it as to not let the top get too brown. My casserole dish may have been a bit too small. Fortunately, I find clafoutis to be pretty forgiving.

[Fishinnards]

Saturday I made some vegetarian Indian food for a small gathering at my house. Subzi Biriyani (basmanti rice, cumin, black cumin, whole garam masala and ground garam masala, garlic, onions, ghee, saffron, cream, chilli powder, peas, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, kerwa water etc.) kachumber (cucumber, tomato, onion, lime, cilantro, salt, chaat masala) Chana Dal (fresh chillies, cumin, coriander, garlic, ghee, tomato, cilantro), Aloo Methi Paneer (fresh fenugreek, potatoes, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder).

Also, not pictured Bhel Puri Chaat, papads and lots of beers (Three philosophers, Maharaja, Dirty Bastard, Oberon, Citizen etc.)

[The Hersch]

Fortunately, I find clafoutis to be pretty forgiving.

I like that. Thanks for the info. I think there may be a clafoutis in my near future. I imagine frozen cherries, whether sweet or sour, would work pretty well in a dish like this, so one could serve it, say, for Thanksgiving, which would be nice.

[thistle]

That is delicious food!-my daughter, Elizabeth, has decided not to be a pescetarian, & to break her fast, she chose Church's Chicken on post-fried chicken & fries, after an afternoon at the pool...I drove 4 girls to a 1 Direction concert last night, I'm still recovering...I found a parking lot, & went w/ my copilot to Rosa Mexicana, for margaritas, beer, & guacamole, before we made our way back home....I'm happy my daughter enjoyed the concert (I try not to tell her about the concerts I went to)...

[Pat]

Leftover salad (red and green leaf lettuce, radishes, avocado, tomato; sesame soy vinaigrette)

Poblano and red bell peppers stuffed with chorizo and rice, topped with Cojito cheese

Golden beets and sauteed beet and radish greens

[zoramargolis]

tuna and cannelini bean salad with roasted poblano, fennel, avocado, hard boiled egg, tomato, green garlic, scallion

cherries jubilee (woo-hoo!)

[lperry]

I wore out a Microplane and bought a new set of three graters, so, although last night's dinner seems odd, the theme is "what can I grate?"

Portobellos stuffed with minced mushrooms, pecans, herbed goat's milk cheese, and shaved romano.

Little yellow squash pancakes on the side.

[Fishinnards]

Last night, rice, vegetables (cucumber, carrots, red dandelion greens, green beans, Thai basil, napa cabbage, lettuce), napa cabbage stir fried with garlic, pork, palm sugar, white pepper and fish sauce ผัดผักกาดจีน (pad pak kat chin), omelet with minced pork ไข่เจียวหมูสับ (kai jiew mu sap), green mango salad ยำมะม่วง (yum mamuang) mango, red onion, culantro, cilantro, peanuts, garlic, fresh chillies, palm sugar, lime juice and fish sauce.

[Josh]

Last night:

Creamy garlic scape soup (I really need to write down what I did so I don't forget it...)

Grilled brined pork loin from Red Apron at Union Market. Perfect weeknight dinner thing...nothing needed other than slap it on some heat.

Mixed greens with Banyuls vinaigrette and Camembert.

Tonight:

RED HEN! In-laws in town to wrangle the boy, so we get a nice adults' night out.

[thistle]

Dinner tonight- now that the kid has given up her pescetarian ways & went out to Wing Stop, I had her pick up larb gai from Thai Nakorn-it's wickedly hot, as long as I eat it w/ additional lettuce, I'm good, (& very happy, it's delicious)....

[hillvalley]

I've wanted to try pasta with sea urchin and realized I could make it myself, with a lot of uni, for a lot less than I would pay in a restaurant. I ended up doing sea urchin three ways: 1) uni sashimi 2) fried quail egg topped with sea urchin and 3) sea urchin sauteed in butter with garlic. I skipped the pasta because it was too hot; it was not missed.

Including the package of shiso, the whole thing cost a little over $20. This is a meal that will be repeated a few times in the next seven weeks.

[Pat]

Chicken taco salad with sour cream, plus additional homemade tortilla chips and jarred Frontera salsa

[Fishinnards]

Much less photogenic Indian food. Methi Murgh (chicken with fenugreek greens, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, green chillies, hot pepper powder, lime juice, coconut oil), Aloo Gobi (cauliflower, potatoes, green chillies, ginger, cumin seeds, coriander, turmeric, hot pepper powder, garam masala, peanut oil, ghee) cucumber raita (cucumber, yoghurt, chaat masala), rice and pickles.

[Nervous Eater]

Last night:

Pollo al Mattone with a 3 pound Pollo Buono (Italian heritage breed birds purchased from WF several months ago and frozen). I had rubbed the bird down with herbed butcher's salt from Tuscany and orange zest the previous day. Spatchcocked and seared (skin side down) under a brick in a cast iron pan on top of the oven, then finished in a 450F oven.

Roasted broccolini with bourbon barrel Worcestershire, orange zest, raisins, toasted walnuts, percorino.

Toasted homemade sprouted whole wheat bread.

After dinner, baked a blueberry cobbler with blueberries from last week's Clarendon Farmers Market. Blueberries with muscovado sugar, lemon juice and zest, cinnamon, and arrowroot starch. Cobbler crust was Caputo 00 pastry flour, salt, baking powder, butter, sugar, and south mountain creamery half and half, plus I scraped half a vanilla bean, with a little more cinnamon and grated nutmeg. Didn't take long to put together and came out really well. Topped with gelato from Dolci.

[KMango]

Jehovah Jireh chicken quarters grilled with a homemade bbq sauce; fantastic zing from a dollop of fermented hot sauce.

The first of our summer squash, with the first of the garden habaneros, grilled in foil with schmaltz, champagne vinegar, granulated garlic, and beer.

Freshly made banana-n-peanut butter ice cream, bruleed courtesy of a screaming hot cast iron pan left on the residual coals.

[lperry]

Pesto potato salad

Zucchini with feta and mint

Peaches and raspberries sprinkled with cognac

Summer!

[monavano]

Jehovah Jireh chicken quarters grilled with a homemade bbq sauce; fantastic zing from a dollop of fermented hot sauce.

The first of our summer squash, with the first of the garden habaneros, grilled in foil with schmaltz, champagne vinegar, granulated garlic, and beer.

Freshly made banana-n-peanut butter ice cream, bruleed courtesy of a screaming hot cast iron pan left on the residual coals.

I need to take a spoon and shatter that beautiful crisp brulee!

[zoramargolis]

last night:

because of threatened t-storm, I didn't use my charcoal grill, but stovetop grilled herb-brined eco-friendly pork rib chops were tender and tasty, with z-q sauce

new purple potato salad

3-bean salad (new morning green beans+kidney and garbanzo beans)

melon chunks

a 2012 rosé from provence

[Pat]

Chicken salad crostini

Leftover meatloaf

Leftover scalloped potatoes

[zoramargolis]

last night:

slow roasted salmon: chinook for me and farmed for J.

cold cha soba noodles with dashi-soy-mirin-ginger-rice vinegar dipping sauce, chives and sesame seeds

spring valley green beans with lemon and sesame seeds

[monavano]

Coulter grass fed porterhouse steaks* with red wine pan sauce

Garlic mushrooms

Smashed baby reds with rosemary

Balsamic roasted sprouts

The last of the buttermilk vanilla strawberry swirl ice cream

*I defrosted the steaks in the fridge and set them up on a rack for 3 days to dry age. Eh, not sure I'd do that again because they were a little tough, but maybe that's just the grass fed thing.

[lperry]

Thursday: Roasted cherry tomato risotto and zucchini with feta and mint.

Last night: Summer rolls to use some of the out-of-control herbs from the garden including shiso, lemon basil, mint, and chives. The remainder of the filling was mung bean noodles and julienned yellow squash and carrot that were tossed in a very hot pan to get some caramelly char. Two dipping sauces, a traditional lime/sugar/soy sauce/garlic/chili, and one with Chinkiang vinegar and chili paste.

[monavano]

Last night was kind of lame. We were supposed to go to a graduation out in South Riding, but thought better of it after the rain and storms just wouldn't let up. So, after dressing back down, we wound up having Jennie-O turkey cheeseburgers with fries.

Better stuff tonight.

[Pat]

I've been trying to clear out the refrigerator. Last night was:

Red and green lettuce with tomato, cucumber, radishes, bacon, and hard-boiled eggs; champagne caper vinaigrette

Chorizo, rice, and refried bean tacos with cojito cheese, radishes, and cucumber

[KMango]

"Food Processor Workout Night"

Vegetable Fritters, featuring yellow squash and herbs from the garden.

Vaguely followed that recipe, swapped in mixed tidbits of cheese from the fridge, used shallot instead of onion, added diced fresh oregano and a pinch of Penzey's Fox Point seasoning. Skipped the flour. Used a home-rendered fat other than the one listed in the recipe; won't say which one as it would offend vegetarian sensibilities. Served with a quickly concocted sweet curry yogurt sauce and a touch of Maldon smoked sea salt.

Wish the photo had turned out better because this was a dynamite dish.

[dcandohio]

Sliced red, yellow and orange tomatoes on baguette with basil, olive oil, salt, pepper.

Broiled eggplant slices spread with goat cheese ahd toasted walnuts, rolled to become roulades.

Fresh green beans sauteed with onions and bacon.

Red hook cheese (Cowgirl Creamery)

Warm garlic and rosemary olives

Champagne

Sangiovese Rose

And my sister, visiting from UAE.

[lperry]

Grilled sweet white corn with butter and coarse salt

Zucchini boats stuffed with shallot, chopped zucchini, aged gouda, and a bit of nutmeg, finished by cooking the stuffed halves on the grill

Socca on the grill, made with rosemary-infused olive oil

Domaine du Dragon Grande Cuvée Rosé 2012

[monavano]

Sat. night-- Jumbo lump crab cakes* with whole grain mustard and capers, tortellini pasta salad, Mexican corn.

* if you love crab, you have to treat yourself to local jumbo lump from Shells Yes. It's one of the best foodie things that comes from living in the Chesapeake Bay foodshed. I make 6 cakes from the pound of meat and I'd be paying about the same amount for 1 entree in a restaurant, whereas, I make 3.

Since Shells Yes began picking crab themselves, the meat has been bigger than ever, and very, very clean. They do a terrific job.

[bettyjoan]

Beef tagine with butternut squash

Jasmine rice

Not really a "summer" dish, but yum - after sweating profusely (this version came out really spicy), I was much cooler.

[Tweaked]

Shrimp Creole

[monavano]

"Food Processor Workout Night"

Vegetable Fritters, featuring yellow squash and herbs from the garden.

Vaguely followed that recipe, swapped in mixed tidbits of cheese from the fridge, used shallot instead of onion, added diced fresh oregano and a pinch of Penzey's Fox Point seasoning. Skipped the flour. Used a home-rendered fat other than the one listed in the recipe; won't say which one as it would offend vegetarian sensibilities. Served with a quickly concocted sweet curry yogurt sauce and a touch of Maldon smoked sea salt.

Wish the photo had turned out better because this was a dynamite dish.

Actually that looks yummy. You can see that you got a great crust without greasiness. Must file away that yogurt sauce.

[monavano]

Twice baked Pizza Margherita*. That's right, twice baked .

I made sourdough starter herbed pizza dough and it was proofing beautifully in the oven, when I turned the oven up to 350 for baking, totally forgetting that I had the dough proofing in there. I was able to salvage enough dough for one pizza and we at the baked dough dipped into tortilla soup.

*Blue Ridge mozzarella, Spring Valley basil.

[Rieux]

This carrot pie from Home Made Summer. (I have the book, but this blog has posted the recipe) With a green salad. Yum.

http://www.loveandflour.com/sides/carrot-goat-cheese-quiche

[bettyjoan]

Brown sugar glazed salmon with garlicky green beans

Jasmine rice (again)

Salmon was delicious - I have been really pleased with the 1st St Harris Teeter's seafood department.

[The Hersch]

Sat. night-- Jumbo lump crab cakes* with whole grain mustard and capers, tortellini pasta salad, Mexican corn.

* if you love crab, you have to treat yourself to local jumbo lump from Shells Yes. It's one of the best foodie things that comes from living in the Chesapeake Bay foodshed. I make 6 cakes from the pound of meat and I'd be paying about the same amount for 1 entree in a restaurant, whereas, I make 3.

Since Shells Yes began picking crab themselves, the meat has been bigger than ever, and very, very clean. They do a terrific job.

You buy their crabmeat at one of the DC-area farmer's markets? Which one? Do you have to go early to get the good stuff?

[monavano]

^

I get the crab meat from Shells yes at the Crystal City farmers market. I assume SY also sells the crab meat at the other markets they attend. Actually, Mr. MV generally goes instead of me because it's on his way home from work. He gets there around 4:30-5 and has had no problem getting the jumbo lump.

[Pat]

Twice baked Pizza Margherita*. That's right, twice baked .

I made sourdough starter herbed pizza dough and it was proofing beautifully in the oven, when I turned the oven up to 350 for baking, totally forgetting that I had the dough proofing in there. I was able to salvage enough dough for one pizza and we at the baked dough dipped into tortilla soup.

*Blue Ridge mozzarella, Spring Valley basil.

Nice save!

My mother used to store our bread (sandwich bread in a plastic bag) in the oven, on top of the broiler pan that she also kept in there. It made a real mess when she turned the oven on without remembering to take the bread out first...