Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[Pat]

Spinach salad with blackberries, bacon, cremini mushrooms, feta, pomegranate seeds, avocado, and toasted walnuts; balsamic vinaigrette

Leftover bulgur, almond, mint, and olive salad

Leftover flank steak with sliced avocado and caramelized onions

Flour tortillas

[lperry]

Night before last, the first attempt at homemade pho.  Shanghai cabbage, bean sprouts, herbs, etc.  The hardest part was getting the salt content right in the broth.  Everything else goes in unsalted, so it needed to be a little saltier than I thought for everything to come together.  A nice winter meal.

[Fishinnards]

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.

Thai women I cooked with often joked about how silly it was that westerners peeled towards themselves. It was considered foolish and dangerous to pull a knife towards ones body. They were very adept at peeling with sharp knives. It takes some practice, but if you learn the peel away method you can do just as well. I use a peeler and go either direction depending on what I'm doing. When using a knife, though, I always cut away. They kind of ingrained that into me.

[lperry]

Thai women I cooked with often joked about how silly it was that westerners peeled towards themselves. It was considered foolish and dangerous to pull a knife towards ones body. They were very adept at peeling with sharp knives. It takes some practice, but if you learn the peel away method you can do just as well. I use a peeler and go either direction depending on what I'm doing. When using a knife, though, I always cut away. They kind of ingrained that into me.

Moving the sharp instrument away from oneself is something they teach in knife skill classes, and it is brought up as a safety issue.  That's why I compromise with the crossways peel.  There's usually no one standing next to me, so maiming has been at a minimum.

[zoramargolis]

Knives should always be used with the edge moving down toward a board, or parallel to a board, away from one's body. Peelers are a different story altogether.

[zoramargolis]

Last night:

ripe, gooey Chaource

Nabisco rosemary sea salt saltines (j--he loves them)

Fresh Baguette's gougeres (z)

2012 Nobilo sauvignon blanc

winter vegetable soup: roasted kabocha squash, carrots, parsnip, and onion pureed with fennel, leek and homemade chicken stock, simmered for an hour with aromatic herbs

baguette toast

[TrelayneNYC]

Endive salad, with Castelvetrano olives and Meyer lemon cream, adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques.




Lamb shanks, with apricots, cardamom and raisins
Israeli couscous

[zoramargolis]

tonight: cooking mostly in the woodstove

baba ghanoush made with wood-roasted eggplant, goatmilk labneh, tahini, garlic, meyer lemon and urfa pepper

herb-brined, spatchcocked chicken resting on whole carrots in a Lodge cast iron casserole set into the coals

foil wrapped potatoes, roasted directly on the coals

from the refrigerator: arugula salad with Dodoni feta, pomegranate molasses vinaigrette, pomegranate seeds and garbanzo beans

2010 Bruno Dufeu bourgeuil

[ktmoomau]

Over the weekend I made spaghetti and meatballs with toast from homemade bread and breakfast for dinner with fried eggs, bacon, English muffin and fruit.  Mom and I were up in Garrett County and the weather was not the type you wanted to drive more than you had to especially at night.  We did use up some of the stuff from the second house that would have otherwise gone bad.

Before I left I made Hubby and I Italian sandwiches with leftover sliced meat and cheese from the Italian Store, hot peppers from potbelly which was given to me for Christmas and some lettuce, oil and vinegar.  They turned out to be really good.  I finally got the meat, cheese, stuff, bread ratio right.

[Tweaked]

Cheddar Polenta with Tomato Fennel Sauce, Roasted Butternut Squash, Shiitake Mushrooms, Radicchio, Balsamic, Toasted Walnuts.

[zoramargolis]

last night was a decidedly meatful Monday; J was craving a ribeye. It was a last minute decision, and I couldn't take the time to completely defrost the frozen steak in cold water, it was about 80% defrosted when we talked about how to cook it. We had a brilliant bed of coals going in the woodstove, and it seemed a shame to build a charcoal fire in the barbecue, and not to use the incredibly hot fire in the house to cook the steak. For the first time, I tried the technique of bringing the steak up to 90 degrees internal temperature in the oven (I did it at 225f). We took one of the small grates from the barbecue (there are two that form the cooking surface) and put it in the stove on the coals while the steak came up to temp in the oven--I have one of those thermometers that stay in the meat and have a thin cable connected to a digital readout outside of the oven. By the time the steak was ready to cook, the grate was red hot, and we seared the steak for 90 seconds on each side, turning it 90 degrees after 45 seconds, and got amazing grill marks. It worked! Perfect medium rare inside. Served with cauliflower and leftover roasted potato puree, sauteed crimini mushrooms, and haricots with lemon and garlic. A 2011 Maipe reserve malbec washed it down nicely.

[lperry]

I've got rice in the cooker for another evening with Mr. lperry's stomach bug.      Pho for me.  Everyone stay warm and well. 

[lperry]

Rice again, this time as a red wine risotto topped with crimini mushrooms in a red wine reduction.

I'm ready for spring.

[Tweaked]

Flat Breads topped with Pesto, Caramelized Onion, Mushrooms, and Goat Cheese

Roasted Broccoli with Aleppo Pepper

Salad of Winter Greens topped with Avocado

[zoramargolis]

tuesday night:

eco-friendly beef blade roast with red chile, roasted tomato and kidney beans--further experimentation with the pressure cooker

avocado salsa/salad

warm corn tortillas

Natty Greene's red nose winter ale

last night:

slow roasted wild salmon

haricots verts with lemon and garlic

squid ink orzo cooked with sauteed onion and shrimp head/shell stock (the orzo was purchased at Kalustyan's during my last trip to NYC) Wow, was it good!

I made the stock in the pressure cooker, using shrimp heads and shells from my freezer stash.

2012 Botani muscat sec

[dcandohio]

Last night I bought a turkey breast that was skined and deboned, and it was huge. I made a braising liquid (I think what I did was a braise) out of salt-free chicken stock, onion, garlic, white wine and herbs and spices. In went the turkey, along with potatoes, carrots and broccoli. It cooked in a slow oven until the potatoes were tender. I made a gravy with a roux and the braising liquid, served on the sliced turkey. It was homey, tasty and super easy. And today we have turkey sandwiches out of the leftovers.

[ktmoomau]

Last night I bought a turkey breast that was skined and deboned, and it was huge. I made a braising liquid (I think what I did was a braise) out of salt-free chicken stock, onion, garlic, white wine and herbs and spices. In went the turkey, along with potatoes, carrots and broccoli. It cooked in a slow oven until the potatoes were tender. I made a gravy with a roux and the braising liquid, served on the sliced turkey. It was homey, tasty and super easy. And today we have turkey sandwiches out of the leftovers.

This sounds phenomenal in the cold weather! I might steal this, sounds like I could even do it in a crock pot.

Last night I had venison "ham" that I needed to use (the backstraps).  So I cut it into "steaks" marinated it with red wine, thyme and pepper and then cooked them.  I sauteed mushrooms and made a red wine mushroom reduction and we also had sauteed kale and leeks.

I made meatballs earlier this week and made an at home Cava bowl with hummus, grilled veggies, rice, meatballs and some harissa and lettuce, turned out really good.  The next night I tried to make meatball wraps that weren't as good, fine but just ok.  Mainly I have this spice blend that is supposed to make Tzaziki sauce, which doesn't and I just need to throw it away.

[The Hersch]

 I made a braising liquid (I think what I did was a braise) out of salt-free chicken stock, onion, garlic, white wine and herbs and spices. In went the turkey, along with potatoes, carrots and broccoli.

What you did was a braise in its older, more traditional sense, assuming your cooking vessel was covered. Nowadays braising generally implies browning first before doing what you did.

[Pat]

Multigrain seeded bread and butter

Cornmeal soup with Swiss chard

Whole wheat farfalle with walnut spinach pesto and roasted cherry tomatoes

I came across the soup recipe on a blog and thought it sounded interesting.  It was adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit.  When I checked the original, it was a polenta recipe.  I'm not sure what the point was in making it into a soup.  It needed to be thickened but not too thick to be served as soup, which was a little tricky to manage.  Then by the time I got around to putting leftovers away, I had a pan of solid polenta with chard anyway.  All of the large amount of liquid eventually got absorbed by the grain.  Not really a winning idea.  I'll stick with polenta next time.  We did get lots of leafy greens in this meal, though .

[hillvalley]

Last night, a special meal prepared in memory of a friend:

First course: meat and cheese plate including a local cheese whose name I can't recall, an Italian marscapone and blue, two different types of salami, and a local lardo

Second course: roasted cauliflower, risotto primavera, chicken picante

Third course: basic salad with homemade vinaigrette

Fourth course: strawberries and creme in pastry shells, hot, frothed milk with Baileys

Tonight:

Foie Gras

Steak tartar*

Different local cheese

Leftover Strawberries and creme

*The tartar was a major coup because I had to learn how to ask for ground beef in Italian from the local butcher.  Beef is ground to order and my last two attempts at purchasing ground beef in a combo of English/Italian/French were quite frustrating to me and the butcher's son.

[lperry]

Last night was a deconstructed colcannon.  Purple potatoes steamed then smashed flat, tossed in rosemary olive oil, and broiled until brown and crispy with savoy cabbage braised with Fuji apple and finished with a little  butter.  The purple potatoes were from H Mart, and they were deep, dark, purple like no others I've seen.  Nice flavor, too.  I hope they have them in stock this week.

[Pat]

Tonight

To start:

Nachos with jack and cheddar cheeses, refried beans, jalapeno, guacamole, sour cream, and serrano-ginger hot pepper sauce

Romaine salad with bacon, cherry tomatoes, and green olives; balsamic vinaigrette

Main:

Roasted Cornish games hens with sweet potatoes and turnips

Last night:

Multigrain seeded bread with butter

Romaine salad with bacon, cherry tomatoes, and green olives; balsamic vinaigrette

Braised chicken thighs with spicy tomato and ginger sauce and baby bok choy

Brown rice cooked in tomato juice

 

Friday night:

Jacques Pepin's crusty chicken thighs with mushroom sauce

Mashed potato casserole with sour cream and chives

Steamed broccoli

[ktmoomau]

Tonight I made a bacon, daiya cream cheese, fage, green onion and cabot cheddar dip, then subs with the last of the Italian Store meat and cheeses.  Hubby had a key lime cupcake his Mom made for us.

[lperry]

Roasted tomato soup (canned this past summer) with a grilled, manchego and tomato jam sandwich. 

[Pat]

For my husband:

Cheesesteak with mushrooms and onions

Sauteed spinach with garlic

Shared:

Spinach and romaine salad with cherry tomatoes, bacon, feta cheese, and mushrooms; ranch dressing

Leftover polenta with Swiss chard

[zoramargolis]

phat thai noodles

pineapple

Bell's smitten

[lperry]

Chili night.  Simmering on the stove, black bean chili with part of a six-pound can of Cento tomatoes I thought I needed when I was at Costco, seasoned with homemade ancho chile paste and toasted cumin.  Tortilla chips and various cheeses standing by as garnishes, and I think I can find a ripe avocado somewhere around here.  I like winter food significantly more than I like winter.  

[Pat]

Mushroom and cabbage potstickers with ponzu sauce for dipping

Leftover spinach and romaine salad (mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, blackberries and bacon; ranch dressing)

Leftover roasted Cornish game hen, sweet potatoes, and turnips

Leftover brown rice, crushed tomatoes and black-eyed peas

[lperry]

Thai green curry with bamboo shoots, tofu, and mustard greens.  (I know, but they looked fantastic at the store and it turned out really well.)  Jasmine rice.

I spent an afternoon a while back making the curry paste, then I packed it in ice cube trays and stashed it in the freezer in vacuum bags.  With the rice in the rice cooker, this was a ridiculously easy weeknight meal that tastes like a weekend meal.  I'm really starting to see the value of having a store of various complicated sauces on hand in the freezer.

[zoramargolis]

woodstove roasted baba ghanoush and pita chips

braised beef cheeks (a serendipitous find at Organic Butcher of McLean) with scarlet turnips

Italian corn-buckwheat polenta

sauteed chard

2011 Dufeu bourgeuil

[Pat]

Tortilla chips and bean dip (refried beans, sour cream, and serrano-ginger hot sauce)

Sous vide chicken thighs

Leftover baked macaroni and cheese [from freezer]*

Leftover steamed broccoli

Leftover mashed potato casserole**

*with Cholula and a little extra milk to counteract the effects of the freezer

**rebaked with the addition of excess mushroom/cabbage filling from Monday's potstickers

[ktmoomau]

Last night was Wylers beef soup with ground venison.  All the beef flavor kind of drowned out the venison, but we have so much venison it's really not a big deal.  Soup was good last night and it was easy, which was much needed.  Might be warming some up again tonight after charity event.

[DonRocks]

Last night was Wylers beef soup with ground venison.  All the beef flavor kind of drowned out the venison, but we have so much venison it's really not a big deal.  Soup was good last night and it was easy, which was much needed.  Might be warming some up again tonight after charity event.

Is this Wylers, as in, "Wylers soft drinks about 3 cents a glass?"

Holy shit, this is my 13,000th post.

[zoramargolis]

enchiladas suizas--I cooked boneless chicken breasts and thighs with lots of aromatics in the pressure cooker and used the broth to make the salsa verde.

frijoles refritos. I'm still feeling amazed that I can go from dried beans to ready to eat in only forty minutes using the pressure cooker.

bosc pear and chocolate with almonds

pacifico

[DonRocks]

enchiladas suizas--I cooked boneless chicken breasts and thighs with lots of aromatics in the pressure cooker and used the broth to make the salsa verde.

To you, this is obvious; to me, this is one difference between a good cook, and a great cook. (*How* you do it is just as important, but the mere fact that you knew to, screams out experience that can only come by having done it.)

[Pat]

Avocado toast

Leftover mushroom - cabbage potstickers with dipping sauce (ponzu mixed with serrano-ginger hot sauce)

Chicken thighs Provencal

Leftover brown rice with crushed tomatoes and black-eyed peas

 

The chicken recipe was from an old cookbook I have called The 9x13 Pan Cookbook.  It's great for making dishes for potlucks and buffets, or, in this case, making good use of excess Costco purchases.  Usually when I buy chicken at Costco, I freeze some of it, but there isn't much freezer space available and I've been trying to cook down the freezer contents, not add to them. 

 

I had 12 thighs (of 24!) left and the package was at its sell-by date, so I turned to my old faithful 9x13 book.  The recipe called for 18 thighs, so I made 2/3 of it.  This used up the last of the mushrooms I had overstocked as well.  We're going to be tired of chicken very soon.

[zoramargolis]

stir-fried lamb with cumin

chard with garlic, black bean and chili sauce

Tamaki Gold rice

Fat Tire

[DonRocks]

stir-fried lamb with cumin

chard with garlic, black bean and chili sauce

Tamaki Gold rice

Fat Tire

I'm betting red chard (which, vinously speaking, is an oxymoron).

[Pat]

Salad:  red and green leaf lettuce, Campari tomatoes, red bell pepper, and feta or blue cheese; ranch dressing

The last of the potstickers and dipping sauce

Lamb stew with cumin, coriander, and raisins

Couscous with toasted almonds

[zoramargolis]

I'm betting red chard (which, vinously speaking, is an oxymoron).

Actually it was "rainbow" chard-- a mixture of regular green, red, and yellow young chard leaves that I bought at the Dupont Market last Sunday. I usually do chard in olive oil, with garlic, red pepper flakes and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. J. said he much preferred this Asian style, with garlic, black bean and chili paste from a jar, and a splash of soy sauce, which I had never done before.

[hillvalley]

Some sort of Swiss French type cheese, goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, baguette during rugby

Tacos filled with ground beef, beans and/or broiled squash blossoms stuffed with mozzarella, homemade guac and grana padano (because it's difficult to find any cheddar or queso blanco here) during the Olympics.

The Brits were relieved to learn that it is impossible to eat a crunchy taco without making a mess.  They thought they had been eating them wrong all these years.

[Pat]

Bean dip with tortilla chips

Green and red leaf lettuce salad with cherry tomatoes, bacon, avocado, and gigande beans

Leftover chicken thighs Provencal

Sauteed zucchini, garlic, and tomato

[lperry]

A warm, potato and mixed-greens salad in a tarragon, mustard vinaigrette.  I poured the steamed potatoes over the dressing and the greens, a mix of kale, chard, and spinach, to wilt them.  The mix came in a giant bag from Costco labeled "POWER."  Still waiting for that to kick in. 

[zoramargolis]

chicken tostadas

blueberry almond cake with vanilla ice cream

Midas Touch

[Sundae in the Park]

Wild rice and broccoli casserole.  We've been making this a lot lately.

[Pat]

Blueberry cornmeal muffins

Red leaf lettuce, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese; balsamic vinaigrette

Leftover lamb stew and couscous

Leftover mac and cheese

[ktmoomau]

Last night was hot dogs for Hubby and wee guest, Italian sausage for me, spinach salad and clementines.  Well and some goldfish.  Wee guest seemed quite happy.

Tonight was leftover beef stew and biscuits.

[jayandstacey]

We've been making a corn chowder with leeks and quinoa.  It ROCKS, and with the salt of the broth and the sweetness of the frozen corn - it practically tastes like a winter version of kettlecorn in a bowl.

We've also been making veggie kabobs under the broiler with a peanut satay sauce that I could sit and eat straight up.

Tonight was salmon Florentine, with some linguini and red sauce on the side.  It was pretty good.

[porcupine]

Nií§oise olives

La Tur

tourte de blettes filling in crepes

blueberry ricotta blintzes

One of my favorite quick vegetable dishes is Swiss chard (or spinach) with raisins, pine nuts, Parmesan, and lots of good extra virgin olive oil (sometimes I'll toss it with pasta for a main course), so when Don posted about tourte de blettes it didn't seem such a stretch, except for the sugar, of course.  And I had already planned on making crepes for blintzes (with blueberries I picked and froze last summer), so I decided to just make the chard filling and bake it in crepes instead of dough.

Weird.

Not so weird that I won't try it again, though.  Next time I'll pick a single recipe and follow it closely.  I suspect the trick is getting just the right amount of sweetness.

[TrelayneNYC]

Garlic soup




Spiced shredded lamb, with heirloom beans and winter vegetables


BTW, the reason why you haven't heard from me since the end of January was because I was on vacation, in Austin for 2 days and in San Francisco for a little over a week.

I'll have some pix to share tomorrow.