Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[Pat]

The last of the Armenian cracker bread, reheated

Leftover moussaka over sauteed garlicky spinach

[zoramargolis]

The heat was tempered by consuming lots of jasmine rice (brown jasmine rice, like health conscious hippies).

Unfortunately, significant levels of arsenic are being found in most conventionally (paddy) grown rice, and the concentrations are higher in brown rice. So much for being health conscious...

[Pat]

Unfortunately, significant levels of arsenic are being found in most conventionally (paddy) grown rice, and the concentrations are higher in brown rice. So much for being health conscious...

While I've been trying to balance out which rice products are safer arsenic-wise with which are worse other-healthwise (and whether to buy Concord grape juice at all), I saw this article several weeks ago:  white wine, beer, dark meat fish (including sardines), and brussels sprouts are also on the contaminated list.  It sounds as if the studies on the latter four have found a connection between consumption and the arsenic load people carry, but studies have not determined that for rice.  So that part would be the good news?   And they also don't quite know at what point the arsenic load translates into health ill effects.

I'd already been watching tuna consumption because of mercury, but now it's implicated for arsenic too.

[Fishinnards]

Unfortunately, significant levels of arsenic are being found in most conventionally (paddy) grown rice, and the concentrations are higher in brown rice. So much for being health conscious...

The highest concentrations of (inorganic) arsenic in rice is found in rice grown in the U.S., mostly in the Southern states.

""Until this all gets sorted out, consumers shouldn't be overly concerned," Duxbury says. Nevertheless, rice fanciers might note that both Duxbury and Meharg found basmati rice imported from India and Pakistan and jasmine rice from Thailand to contain the least arsenic." This from an article published in 2007 though, so it's findings could be out of date. As a side note, brown jasmine rice grown in the U.S. is terrible. I wasn't happy with any brown rice I tried till I found some brown jasmine rice from Thailand. Red rice from Thailand is good as well.

[lperry]

^ It's become something of a joke in our house because just about everything gluten-free is made with rice of some sort.  The choice is die from arsenic, or die from complications from celiac (cancer, TTP, etc.)  I've been buying California organic and hope that our bodies cope with the residues on whatever rice is being used for the pastas, breads, noodles, etc.

[The Hersch]

Yellow split-pea soup with smoked pork hock.

[zoramargolis]

lamb tagine with fire roasted eggplant and tomato

marinated black-eyed peas (first thing I cooked in my new Fissler pressure cooker)

cucumbers in goat-milk labneh with za'atar

arugula salad with feta, pomegranate seeds, sliced shallot and pomegranate molasses vinaigrette

warm pita

Dogfish Head Midas Touch

[Pat]

Toasted wheat bread

Avocado halves stuffed with shrimp salad

Red leaf lettuce and cherry tomatoes

Dates stuffed with blue cheese, cottage cheese, or peanut butter

Broiled flounder with lemon butter

Quinoa (cooked in the shrimp broth)

[Fishinnards]

Rice and dal night. Masoor dal boiled with water and some turmeric, with a tadka of whole kalonji, fennel and cumin seeds, garlic, onions, green chillies, ginger and ghee. Also added tomato (canned from last summer), fresh spinach and salt. Also made ghobi aloo; cauliflower and potatoes, cumin seeds, ginger, dried chillies, ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder, salt, and peanut oil. Eaten with pickle, papads and Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin'.

[The Hersch]

 Eaten with pickle, papads and Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin'.

What kind of pickle?

[Fishinnards]

What kind of pickle?

Hot mango pickle

[zoramargolis]

last night:

phat Thai noodles cooked by my daughter, using the recipe from the Pok-Pok Cookbook. pre-prep involved a trip to H Mart and Duangrat Market for ingredients. I was the sous chef last night, since she had made it before and I had not. delicious, but it appears that I need a larger wok. even prepared in individual portions, there was insufficient room to stir-fry all of the ingredients in my small Calphalon wok.

Bell's Smitten golden rye ale

[Pat]

Tonight features turkey 3 ways:

Anasazi bean and kale soup with hot Italian turkey sausage and shredded smoked turkey

Roasted cauliflower and hazelnut salad from Jerusalem

Sous vide turkey drumsticks and thighs

Leftover au gratin potatoes

The beans were slow cooked in the crock pot with a turkey wing.  About half of the beans and wing meat went into the soup.  The rest is for something else tbd.

[lperry]

Last night we had one of those weird, back from a trip, can't stand the thought of eating out, but there's no food in the house, meals.  From the freezer and pantry, penne with a roasted cherry tomato and goat cheese sauce with a side of sweet potato fries. 

[dcandohio]

Too cold here for our usual Friday happy hour neighborhood cocktail and snack crawl, but sweetie wanted bar food. We made nachos with baked tortilla chips, leftover grilled pork tenderloin, seasoned black beans, fresh jalapeno and New York sharp cheddar. Avocado salad on the side. Yummy and much healthier than the greasy pile of cheap chips covered in plastic orange cheese that we might have consumed in one of our local taverns.

[Fishinnards]

I found this wonderful blog post about the Muslim cooking of Southern Thailand, including an interesting recipe for a (Asian water) buffalo curry. Unlike most Thai cooking, this cooking uses an abundance of dried spices with a much more pronounced Indian influence. It seems in East Asia, a marker for Muslim cooking is the use of cumin. Many Chinese dishes of Muslim origin use cumin as a major flavor. The (central) Thai word for cumin is yee-ra, but in the Southern Thai dialect it is call Sa (สา maybe, I'm not completely sure of the spelling). A spice mix that includes cumin (and fennel, with is called Sa Yai or big cumin) is called Krueng Sa (เครื่องสา?) and it is also sometimes used as a componant of red curry paste. It is mostly used for meat dishes (mostly buffalo and goat) as the cumin is thought to help tame the gamey smell of the meat. The best thing about this recipe, though, is that it's really easy. The Krueng Sa spice mix consists of cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, black pepper, turmeric, and Thai red chillies. I love cumin and fennel together. You find this combination used in Malaysian curries frequently. The blog recipe omits the black pepper, though she discusses it and shows it in the picture, so I used it. The woman she gets the recipe from recommended 20-30 Thai red chillies, but the author recommends 10 for obvious reasons. They like really hot food in the South of Thailand, just as hot, if not hotter, than the Isaan (Northeast) region. I used 13 and it was plenty hot. I would enjoy using more, but I have others to consider. Everything except the turmeric is toasted and then ground together.

I used lamb instead of buffalo or beef becuase I love lamb. The curry is just sliced shallots and sliced garlic fried in oil. Next the spice mix is added and it smells amazing, and then thinly sliced meat is added (only 3/4 lb.) and fried briefly and then it is braised in a little coconut milk for 8 to 10 minutes. It is seasoned with salt, fish sauce and palm sugar and then it's done. It was very good and I will make this again. I also stir fried some spinach ผัดผัà¸à¸›à¸§à¸¢à¹€à¸¥à¹‰à¸‡, made an Asian pear salad ยำสาลี่, and a Thai omlete ไข่เจียว with Siracha (Shark brand), along with vegetables and jasmine rice.

[Pat]

Last night:

Leftover bean, kale, and turkey soup

Spinach and mushroom lasagna

Roasted broccoli and cherry tomatoes

Saturday:

Chicken thighs with lemon, Israeli couscous, and peas

Chermoula eggplant with yogurt and bulgur from Jerusalem

[zoramargolis]

last night, J's niece and her husband came for dinner:

arugula salad with feta, pomegranate molasses vinaigrette and pomegranate seeds

lamb tagine with quince

fire roasted eggplant with roasted red pepper-onion-tomato, chickpeas and spices

goat milk labneh with cucumber, mint and za'atar

quick-pickled watermelon radish and fennel

warm pita

three-layer chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream

2011 Juan Gil monastrell

[The Hersch]

Hot mango pickle

Have you got a US source for this brand, which I don't think I ever heard of before?

[Fishinnards]

Have you got a US source for this brand, which I don't think I ever heard of before?

I think I got it at Dehli Bazaar on Van Dorn street in Alexandria. It may have been on sale. It was good, but I don't think it's worth a special trip to find this brand. Sanjeev Kapoor is a super famous Indian celebrity chef and has monetized his fame with many products.

[The Hersch]

I think I got it at Dehli Bazaar on Van Dorn street in Alexandria. It may have been on sale. It was good, but I don't think it's worth a special trip to find this brand. Sanjeev Kapoor is a super famous Indian celebrity chef and has monetized his fame with many products.

I love Indian pickles, which probably deserve their own thread. I've bought a bunch of different ones from Indianblend. The first order I placed with them, I ordered a "vadukappuli" white pickle of the Grandma's brand. When my order came, they had substituted the same kind of pickle of the Nirapara brand, as the Grandma's was out of stock. Well, the Nirapara vadukappuli white pickle was possibly not just the best Indian pickle I have ever tasted, but the best commercial food product in a jar I've ever had. The thing is, Indianblend doesn't offer this pickle on their website, and I can't find it anywhere else. I emailed Indianblend to ask how I could order some more, but they never responded. I have since had the Grandma's vadukappuli pickle, and it's very good, but not in the same league at all. Any ideas where I could find the Nirapara? (For those interested, by the bye, vadukappuli is the citrus fruit known in English as citron, of which only the peel is used, usually found candied in fruitcakes and such in the US.)

[Pat]

Last night:

Leftover kale, sausage, and bean soup

Fajitas made with flank steak cooked sous vide (flour tortillas, sauteed red and green bell peppers and onions, sour cream, and guacamole)

Leftover Anasazi beans

Leftover quinoa

[Fishinnards]

Yesterday I was going to roast a chicken, but decided it was nice enough out to grill it. Marinade of white pepper, garlic, cilantro roots/stems, palm sugar and soy sauce grilled over coals with hickory chips ไà¸à¹ˆà¸¢à¹ˆà¸²à¸‡

Eaten with chicken sauce น้ำจิ้มไà¸à¹ˆ, green papaya salad ส้มตำ, vegetables and rice.

Now it's cold, snowing and going down to 8 degrees F tonight. I don't think I'll see my grill again for awhile.

[zoramargolis]

last night: meatless Monday

frittata with oyster and crimini mushroom duxelles, roasted red pepper, leek, onion, garlic, kale and black-eyed peas, topped with aged cheddar and reggiano (weird combo but it worked)

[lperry]

Comfort food, and an attempt to heat the house by cranking the oven to 400 degrees:

Roasted cherry tomato risotto finished with goat cheese.  Much better if the tomatoes are put through a food mill.  A freezer bag full of those little guys must have a million skins in it.

Broccoli roasted in rosemary olive oil and finished with a few shreds of pecorino romano.

A bottle of cheap cava I found in the basement.  I'm on a mission to finish what's down there before I start buying more wine.

[Pat]

Various incarnations of leftovers:

Turkey burritos with guacamole, quinoa, beans, and onions

Leftover chermoula eggplant with yogurt and bulgur

Leftover chicken thighs with Israeli couscous

[Fishinnards]

ทอดมันปลา [tod mun pla] fish cakes (pla krai fish, dried red chillies, lemongrass, kaffir lime peel, galanga, coriander root, shallots, garlic, green beans, kaffir lime leaves, egg, fish sauce, salt, peanut oil) อาจาด [achat] cucumber pickle (vinegar, sugar, coriander root, shallots, green chilli, roasted peanuts, coriander greens)  ยำไà¸à¹ˆà¸¢à¹ˆà¸²à¸‡ [yum gai yang] grilled chicken salad (onion, tomatoes, roasted chili powder, vinegar, lime juice, palm sugar, roasted peanuts, fish sauce, salt)

[TrelayneNYC]

Winter vegetable jardinière, with black truffles




Wild littleneck clams, with fennel, chickpeas and Meyer lemon

[The Hersch]

ทอดมันปลา [tod mun pla] fish cakes (pla krai fish, dried red chillies, lemongrass, kaffir lime peel, galanga, coriander root, shallots, garlic, green beans, kaffir lime leaves, egg, fish sauce, salt, peanut oil)

Tod mun has always been among my favorite dishes at Thai restaurants. I've never had any idea how to make it at home. I've just been googling, trying to learn what "pla krai" is, but I haven't been able to figure it out. What is it? And do you have or can you point me to a full-blown recipe for this wonderful dish?

[Fishinnards]

Tod mun has always been among my favorite dishes at Thai restaurants. I've never had any idea how to make it at home. I've just been googling, trying to learn what "pla krai" is, but I haven't been able to figure it out. What is it? And do you have or can you point me to a full-blown recipe for this wonderful dish?

Pla Krai (or Pla Grai) ปลาà¸à¸£à¸²à¸¢, is clown knifefish or featherback, Chitala ornata. Thai markets sell it frozen and already ground to a paste. As to the method, Chef Ti can show you how to do it, it's in Thai though. Also, Shesimmers has a good recipe using the easier to find fish paste. I've been working on this for years. The method I learned years ago involves picking the paste up with your hands and repeatedly slapping it into a large bowl. I've tried the stand mixer method, but the traditional way seems to work best.

[zoramargolis]

posole verde, with the dried posole corn cooked in the pressure cooker, removed, then the pork shoulder, green chile, tomatillos and aromatics cooked in the pressure cooker. subsequently combined and simmered together on the stovetop. I've never made a better version--the pork was wonderfully succulent, the posole corn tender but still slightly chewy.

fat tire

[ktmoomau]

Last night was pork chops, roasted asparagus, broccoli with garlic and some leftover potato salad.  Don't know what I am making tonight... need some inspiration.  I have mostly all beef and venison in the freezer and need to use some of it. 

[zoramargolis]

Last night was pork chops, roasted asparagus, broccoli with garlic and some leftover potato salad.  Don't know what I am making tonight... need some inspiration.  I have mostly all beef and venison in the freezer and need to use some of it.

This wouldn't work for tonight, but IMO venison always benefits from a 2-4 day marination in a cooked red wine marinade. Then braise it using the marinade as the braising liquid.

[The Hersch]

Pla Krai (or Pla Grai) ปลาà¸à¸£à¸²à¸¢, is clown knifefish or featherback, Chitala ornata. Thai markets sell it frozen and already ground to a paste. As to the method, Chef Ti can show you how to do it, it's in Thai though. Also, Shesimmers has a good recipe using the easier to find fish paste. I've been working on this for years. The method I learned years ago involves picking the paste up with your hands and repeatedly slapping it into a large bowl. I've tried the stand mixer method, but the traditional way seems to work best.

Thanks. I'll pursue this.

[lperry]

Roasted asparagus with oilve oil, balsamic vinegar, and shaved pecorino romano, served over quinoa.  I peeled the asparagus.  I saw an episode of one of Jacques Pépin's shows where he said something lilke, it's always nice to peel the asparagus."  Apparently, when a French-accented chef suggests something both completely unnecessary and excruciatingly time consuming, my thought process runs along the lines of, "wow, what a great idea."   

[Pat]

Dates stuffed with blue cheese, cottage cheese, or peanut butter

Pumpernickel bread from the freezer

Leftover flank steak, peppers, and onions

Leftover roasted broccoli and tomatoes with quinoa

[zoramargolis]

Roasted asparagus with oilve oil, balsamic vinegar, and shaved pecorino romano, served over quinoa.  I peeled the asparagus.  I saw an episode of one of Jacques Pépin's shows where he said something lilke, it's always nice to peel the asparagus."  Apparently, when a French accented chef suggests something both completely unnecessary and excruciatingly time consuming, my thought process runs along the lines of, "wow, what a great idea."   

While peeling in general is a way to avoid the skin becoming stringy, peeling is more important with fat asparagus than with skinny--just the base of the fat asparagus stalk is peeled so that the cooking time is more equalized between the base and tip of the stalk. Otherwise, by the time the base is adequately cooked, the tip can get overcooked and mushy.

[Rovers2000]

Roasted asparagus with oilve oil, balsamic vinegar, and shaved pecorino romano, served over quinoa.  I peeled the asparagus.  I saw an episode of one of Jacques Pépin's shows where he said something lilke, it's always nice to peel the asparagus."  Apparently, when a French accented chef suggests something both completely unnecessary and excruciatingly time consuming, my thought process runs along the lines of, "wow, what a great idea."   

I think in the same one he talks about it being optional as when he was at the Russian Tea Room his cooks would have "assassinated me" if he'd asked them to peel all the asparagus.  As someone who watches a lot of his PBS stuff as I relax at the end of the day - he does the same thing with green peppers.

[Pat]

I think in the same one he talks about it being optional as when he was at the Russian Tea Room his cooks would have "assassinated me" if he'd asked them to peel all the asparagus.  As someone who watches a lot of his PBS stuff as I relax at the end of the day - he does the same thing with green peppers.

I never peel asparagus, but I once made a Joel Robuchon recipe that called for peeling a couple of bell peppers. That was a challenge.  I'd never before encountered a recipe that called for peeling a non-roasted pepper.

[lperry]

I never peel asparagus, but I once made a Joel Robuchon recipe that called for peeling a couple of bell peppers. That was a challenge.  I'd never before encountered a recipe that called for peeling a non-roasted pepper.  

It is not quite as bad with one of those Zyliss serrated peelers.  I have two, a straight one and a "Y" one, both of which I picked up at TJMaxx or HomeGoods for just a few dollars.  In retrospect, paying full price would have been worth it.

Edit:  Mine are not Zyliss, but Kuhn Rikon.

[ktmoomau]

This wouldn't work for tonight, but IMO venison always benefits from a 2-4 day marination in a cooked red wine marinade. Then braise it using the marinade as the braising liquid.

Good idea, I might do this next week.  I always get so much venison this time of year, this year has been especially plentiful since my brothers wife while pregnant has lost her taste for it.

[zoramargolis]

last night:

diced potatoes, onion, tomato, chickpeas, spinach, eco-friendly chorizo,  pimenton and cumin, garnished with chopped parsley

fresh baguette baguette

fresh baguette mini tarts (pear and chocolate-pecan)

2010 Rios

[ktmoomau]

Last night was steak, with a recipe called Airport potatoes by Jill Dupleix that she apparently picked up from the Rome airport, they have potatoes and tomatoes, and some sauteed kale.  Tonight we are going to have Italian subs with some of the leftover meat and cheese and garnishes from a get together we had.

[The Hersch]

Roasted asparagus with oilve oil, balsamic vinegar, and shaved pecorino romano, served over quinoa.  I peeled the asparagus.  I saw an episode of one of Jacques Pépin's shows where he said something lilke, it's always nice to peel the asparagus."  Apparently, when a French-accented chef suggests something both completely unnecessary and excruciatingly time consuming, my thought process runs along the lines of, "wow, what a great idea."   

Julia Child was insistent that asparagus be peeled. She called peeled and unpeeled asparagus "different vegetables". Of course, white asparagus is pretty well inedible if not peeled. But I agree with Julia: green asparagus is much better peeled, from just under the head all the way to the butt.

[The Hersch]

It is not quite as bad with one of those Zyliss serrated peelers.  I have two, a straight one and a "Y" one, both of which I picked up at TJMaxx or HomeGoods for just a few dollars.  In retrospect, paying full price would have been worth it.

Edit:  Mine are not Zyliss, but Kuhn Rikon.

I love my Messermeister Pro-Touch Serrated Swivel Peeler. It's great for bell peppers, but also peels things like tomatoes and pears brilliantly. What I really don't like are the y-shaped peelers or others where the handle is perpendicular to the blade. I find the feeling in the hand and the motion you have to perform when using them to be really unnatural and awkward.

[lperry]

I love my Messermeister Pro-Touch Serrated Swivel Peeler. It's great for bell peppers, but also peels things like tomatoes and pears brilliantly. What I really don't like are the y-shaped peelers or others where the handle is perpendicular to the blade. I find the feeling in the hand and the motion you have to perform when using them to be really unnatural and awkward.

I like the Y ones for things like carrots, eggplants, or cucumbers that you can hold in your hand and pull the peeler the entire length of the vegetable in one go.  I do, however, peel things crosswise in front of me (on a tangent?) rather than away from me like you are supposed to do.

Last night was a quick dish of chapchae noodles and lightly steamed carrots in a peanut, sesame sauce.

[TrelayneNYC]

Dry-fried parsnips, with lime, coconut and dates




Dal, lemon rice, apple raita, carrot and green chile pickles

The pickles were store-bought (from Kalustyan's), but everything else was made from scratch.

[Pat]

We're almost through our big stock of leftovers.  Last night:

Pumpernickel toast with soy spread

Kale, sausage, bean, and turkey soup

Chicken thighs, turkey-quinoa meatballs, and Israeli couscous in tomato sauce

The last dish was such an effective repurposing of meals gone by that my husband didn't even realize they were leftovers .  The pasta, chicken pieces, and meatballs made a pretty good one-skillet meal.

[zoramargolis]

I like the Y ones for things like carrots, eggplants, or cucumbers that you can hold in your hand and pull the peeler the entire length of the vegetable in one go.  I do, however, peel things crosswise in front of me (on a tangent?) rather than away from me like you are supposed to do.

According to Jacques Pepin, he was taught in French restaurant kitchens always to hold a vegetable and peel it towards himself. He said if one of the chefs he worked under had seen him peeling away from himself, he would have gotten in a lot of trouble.

[The Hersch]

According to Jacques Pepin, he was taught in French restaurant kitchens always to hold a vegetable and peel it towards himself. He said if one of the chefs he worked under had seen him peeling away from himself, he would have gotten in a lot of trouble.

I can't actually imagine wanting to peel away from oneself. You'd have a tiny fraction of the control you have peeling towards yourself.