Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[Pat]

tomato salad

braised long eggplant stuffed with garlic

rice

erbaluce de caluso, la rustia, orsolani

deborah madison's recipe (from "local flavors") calls for eight to 12 small, thin eggplants, around 8 inches in length, fresh from the farmer's market, although any eggplant will work. i prefer this approach to broiling: cut several slits in the eggplants and insert slices of garlic. two fat cloves of garlic are called for, i used three. warm two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan (i used three), add the eggplants and some salt and saute for about five minutes until they are beginning to color. add one cup of water, cover and cook until soft, about 20 to 30 minutes, adding water if it's needed. i used high medium heat and turned it down towards the end. when the eggplant is soft, remove the lid and saute until they are golden. at this point, you have to turn them gently. add pepper, chopped parsley and a few drops of aged vinegar.

all around, this was the best-tasting eggplant we have had all summer.

I made eggplant last night too, but the garlic didn't didn't occur to me. That's a great idea. I roasted two eggplants of this size, then cut/broke each into a few pieces in a small au gratin dish and made (essentially) mini eggplant Parmesan sans Parmesan (using homemade oven-dried tomatoes, sliced buffalo mozzarella, and Dubliner cheese). I also made up 2 au gratin dishes with a roughly smashed mashed potato mixture with buttermilk and more Dubliner cheese. I baked all of the dishes long enough to get everything really hot and browned. In addition to this, my husband had leftover turkey chili .

[giant shrimp]

I made eggplant last night too

i have always been on the lookout for eggplant dishes in ethnic restaurants, but never got around to cooking them much until this summer, thinking they were more trouble than they were worth. preparing them does entail a little work, but they really are good. i always feel like skipping the first step of salting them and letting them drip, but relying on the supply from the farmer's market for the past few months, i've only encountered one batch that was bitter.

[Pat]

i have always been on the lookout for eggplant dishes in ethnic restaurants, but never got around to cooking them much until this summer, thinking they were more trouble than they were worth. preparing them does entail a little work, but they really are good. i always feel like skipping the first step of salting them and letting them drip, but relying on the supply from the farmer's market for the past few months, i've only encountered one batch that was bitter.

I've stopped salting eggplant and have not had any problems with bitterness.

Last night was

short ribs braised in pinot noir with porcini and button mushrooms

rice

green beans

Tonight was

baked chicken legs

roasted fingerling potatoes

baked apple slices (w/cinnamon, sugar, flour, golden raisins, pistachios, honey, and butter)

I'm not real fond of sweet stuff, but those baked apples were great.

[zoramargolis]

Dry-aged bone-in rib steak from WF, spice rubbed and charcoal grilled

(Grilled, spice rubbed portobello mushroom for Veggie-teen)

Broccoli with Meyer lemon olive oil and roasted garlic

Potato-celery root mash with whole grain mustard

Italian plum crisp with vanilla ice cream

2004 Rosenblum Petite Sirah, SF Bay Heritage Clones

[Heather]

Zora, eating at your house would bring my appetite back. I love reading your menus.

[Heather]

Dinner tonight was supposed to be at Comet Ping-Pong, but this is Emma's weekend to have a temp of 103 so we are cooking at home. Tonight's menu:

fried catfish with homemade tartar sauce

buttermilk mashed potatoes

collard greens with bacon and onions

sliced raw salad turnips with vinaigrette

ice cream sundaes

I grew up thinking I hated tartar sauce, but what I actually hated was the bottled stuff. There's no comparison between it and homemade.

[Xochitl10]

Braised lamb shanks with carrots, turnips, and barley

Olive-rosemary bread

Lime-cardamom tart

[porcupine]

Dinner with the family:

chicken pot pies with vermouth-spiked cream gravy (treasure from Mom's freezer)

garlic mashed potatoes

peas and corn with butter and herbs

chocolate cake with brown sugar buttercream

Happy Birthday, Mums.

[cjsadler]

Coq au vin with sunchoke puree (happened to find some sunchokes at the Adams-Morgan farmer's market)

[DanCole42]

My first home-cooked meal as a married man:

Baguette from Firehook

Lamb & wild mushroom stew with chanterelle ravioli

2004 Turley Old Vines Zinfandel

For the stew I used lamb shoulder and (just for flavor) a veal bone from our dinner at RTC two weeks ago (yes, I saved it - so sue me). I also used the rosemary that was in my wedding boutineer, which I'd dried. The broth was flavored with some good 'ol button mushrooms, then at the end after the mirepoix et al were removed, I softened some dried lobster mushrooms and served them whole in the bowl.

[zoramargolis]

My first home-cooked meal as a married man:

Been too busy doing other things to cook, eh?

[txaggie]

Dinner a couple of Wednesdays (my night to cook) ago was comfort food...Roast chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, collard greens, and mac n cheese.

Sunday's dinner was stuffed pork chops and roasted root vegetables.

Dessert was lady fingers and a fancy fruit mousse dessert that cjsadler made in pastry class.

[txaggie]

Last night's dinner was italian-style chicken with sausage, peppers, and onions and mashed potatoes. The recipe was a Cook's Illustrated recipe that we were testing.

[zoramargolis]

Marinated fresh borlotti beans (from Eli's stand at Dupont Market)

fennel slaw

roasted balsamic-glazed cippolini onions

roasted asparagus

mixed olives

roasted beef meatballs

pizza made with Rustic Crust* sourdough bread base, fresh tomato marinara, mozzarella di bufala, mushrooms, basil and fresh chiles

2002 Di Majo Norante Ramitello

*bought at WF, first time I've used this. Consensus was this was better than french bread pizza and a zillion times better than Boboli.

[Heather]

Rustic Crust - is it in the freezer section?

[DanCole42]

-Avocado & tomato salad w/ parika, lemon & garlic vinagrette

-Pan-fried chicken stuffed with mushrooms, Scarborough Fair herbs, garlic, madeira & balsamic vinegar

-More Firehook baguette

It was defintely the best cooked chicken I've ever made. After stuffing it and sealing with toothpicks, I rolled the breasts in a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and liberal amounts of paprika. I filled my cast iron skillet about a quarter inch with EVOO and pressed the chicken down with a weighted frying pan. Then I stuck the whole thing in the oven for finishing.

It came out a BEAUTIFUL golden color with a crispy outside and a moist interior. A real crowd pleaser.

I stuck some vitamin C in with the avocados... hopefully they'll stay green in time for lunch tomorrow!

[Pat]

Tonight is kale soup with country ham and cannellini beans, plus an antipasto plate of cheeses, olives, peppers, and proscuitto di parma with flatbread. The other course is cauliflower with proscuitto and toasted walnuts in a balsamic-walnut oil vinagrette.

[zoramargolis]

Rustic Crust - is it in the freezer section?

No--with the pita breads and such.

[rkduggins]

Tonight's pre-Nosferatu dinner will be:

Roasted eggplant caponata with rosemary crostini

Mixed green salad with maple pear vinaigrette and toasted walnuts

Mushroom stroganoff over cardamom scented basmati rice

Pumpkin mousse with gingerbread and maple butter cookies

Pinot Evil Pinot Noir (unknown quanitity on this one. Who can resist evil wine with scary monkeys for Halloween dinner?)

[DanCole42]

Tonight's pre-Nosferatu dinner will be:

What, no garlic-centered dishes?

It's your blood...

[demandalicious]

Tonight I will be feasting on:

Candy corn (Brachs, by the handful)

Beer (40oz, Miller High Life aka The Champagne of Beers, Milwaukee - 2006 Vintage)

Maybe a neck or two...

[Pat]

Tonight, if my energy levels stay up, will be James Beard's Coq au Riesling and a salad of arugula, radishes, avocado, and strawberry-balsamic vinagrette.

[rkduggins]

What, no garlic-centered dishes?

It's your blood...

Don't be mislead... there was about a head of garlic in last night's dinner all told!

[Xochitl10]

Last night:

Jack Roses: Laird's applejack, grenadine, and lime juice

Pot roast, gravy enhanced with reduced Old Overholt (sauces made with rye -- my new obsession)

Steamed rice

Mixed vegetables

Flaky biscuits

Tonight will be butternut squash soup, Shirley Corriher's Rice Bread, and mixed greens with pear, blue cheese, cranberries, and balsamic viniagrette.

[zoramargolis]

mixed greens with pear, blue cheese, cranberries, and balsamic viniagrette.

Can I make a suggestion to make this delicious salad even better? Toasted pecans, almonds or pine nuts. A little nutty crunch is da bomb!

[JLK]

Leftover lasagnette from Dino. Yum.

[crackers]

Lakota squash soup. Topped with hickory smoked bacon crumbles, chives, pink salt, and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.

[xcanuck]

Had the neighbours over last night to make them the targets of a few experiments:

Simple green salad with balsamic vinaigrette, toasted pine nuts, and shaved parmagiano-reggiano

Smoked double thick pork chops (smoked/grilled with apple, alder, and cherry wood)

Apple chutney

Collard greens (using Scott's recipe from the picnic!)

Mashed yukon potatoes with cheddar and Hawaiian red lava salt

Chai ice cream

Cabernet icewine (yes, a red icewine, from Henry of Pelham vineyard in S. Ont)

Everything was homemade, including chutney and ice cream. All went well until a glass went down our garbage disposal unknowst to us. The plumber is coming tomorrow

[Heather]

Everything was homemade, including chutney and ice cream. All went well until a glass went down our garbage disposal unknowst to us. The plumber is coming tomorrow

Oh man. That sucks. Your dinner sounds delicious though, especially the ice cream.

[xcanuck]

Oh man. That sucks. Your dinner sounds delicious though, especially the ice cream.

I was all proud of my chai ice cream because I came up with the idea and recipe all on my own. I thought I might actually have something unique. Then I was watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay on Sunday (it was either that or football) and he had an ice cream throwdown with some guy in St Paul. One of the flavours in their ice cream store was "Norwegian Chai". So much for my originality.

For those that might want to try it...here's what I used:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 inch cinammon stick

10 fresh cardammon pods (lightly crushed so as to open the shells but not let the seeds spill out)

1 inch fresh ginger, cut into 3 or 4 slices

1 tea bag (I used Red Rose)

After bringing the cream and milk to a boil, I let it simmer for about 20-30 mins with the tea bag, cinammon, ginger and cardammon pods in it. Then it's the usual process of mixing eggs/sugar, tempering and adding to custard, cooling, spinning, freezing, eating.

EDIT: So much for originality. Someone far more imaginative than I already posted this recipe.

[Sthitch]

Last night was pork ragu over butternut squash gnocchi topped with La Quercia Pancetta*. The ragu was made with pork sirloin braised in homemade pork stock and some other goodness, at 170 degrees for 8 hours. After resting overnight, the meat was shredded, the cooking liquid was strained. The liquid was brought to a boil and reduced a bit, the meat was added back in along with carrots, fennel, and shallots that had been sweated in the pancetta fat. The ragu was finished with a touch of cream.

The gnocchi were not feather light, but they were made with Yukon gold potatoes and a butternut squash. The flour was kept to a minimum to ensure lightness. After they were cooked I quickly pan fried them in brown butter.

Both the ragu and the gnocchi tasted fabulous, unfortunately, they didn't quite work together. I am going to make more of the gnocchi tomorrow night and serve it with a savory cheese sauce.

*This was sourced at the Old Town Whole Foods, and is worth every penny. I was not as salty as most brands, and had a delightful gamey flavor. This was a fabulous way to finish off this dish.

[TSE]

Last night was pork ragu over butternut squash gnocchi topped with La Quercia Pancetta*. *This was sourced at the Old Town Whole Foods, and is worth every penny. I was not as salty as most brands, and had a delightful gamey flavor.

Did you get this at the deli counter or was it prepackaged?

[Sthitch]

Did you get this at the deli counter or was it prepackaged?

It was at the deli section, they don't have it in the case, but just ask them for pancetta. It is fattier than most pancetta, but I find that to be a plus. Also, it is not rolled.

[Xochitl10]

Can I make a suggestion to make this delicious salad even better? Toasted pecans, almonds or pine nuts. A little nutty crunch is da bomb!

Mmm, almonds. I wish I'd read this before dinner last night -- I saw it while eating the leftovers at lunch and spent the rest of the time thinking "I bet it would be good with toasted almonds."

Tonight, I repurposed Saturday night's leftover pot roast into shredded beef, green chile, and cheese burritos, served alongside pinto beans.

[shogun]

Tonight's pre-Nosferatu dinner will be:

Tonight: Chicken Pot Pie followed by pumpkin carving.

[Pat]

Last night was

salad of arugula, radishes, avocado, and truffle cheese with strawberry-balsamic vinaigrette

pan fried pork chops

butternut squash-potato gnocchi with fried sage butter

I loved the gnocchi, though there was flour all over the kitchen when I was done . My husband thought they were too heavy, but that's probably because I made them too big. It was getting late and I wanted them done. I think they'd make great dumplings in chicken broth. I also ate some for breakfast this morning

[txaggie]

Dinner on Sunday night was beef stew with a horseradish sour cream.

[marigoldsandy]

Txaggie,

Wow, that looks amazing. Would you be willing to share your recipe or method. Yum!

[V.H.]

Blueberry pancakes, maple syrup, sausages, tater tots, and orange slices. Pure comfort.

[Seanchai]

I've got a new addition to the rotation: from the October 2006 Food & Wine, the Apple-Riesling Roast Pork. Roast pork loin (instead of tenderloin) with apple/sausage/goat cheese stuffing with apple cider riesling sauce wrapped in applewood smoked bacon (finished on the grill for crisping the bacon). Served with egg noodles and broccoli; standing O from the 5 and 3 year olds as well as wife and mother-in-law!

[Xochitl10]

Slow-roasted pork shoulder

Green chile/cheddar scalloped potatoes

Sauteed kale with toasted garlic and balsamic vinegar

Apple crumb pie

[zoramargolis]

Fricassee of veal and mushrooms (crimini, shiitake and oyster)

Pan-crisped grits cakes

Green beans with Meyer lemon olive oil

2005 Step Rd. Chardonnay

[DanielK]

Seared bacon-wrapped scallops

Green beans almondine

A truly terrible baguette from Balducci's

Rocky Road Fudge (the rest goes to the election day bake sale at the school)

[Heather]

Daniel, I never get their baguettes, only the ficelles.

[DanielK]

Daniel, I never get their baguettes, only the ficelles.

I will pass that info to my wife. However, my new office is across the street from Breadline, and despite some slips there, they still put a good product out. I'll be buying bread there most of the time, I'm sure.

[porcupine]

pot roast

butternut squash roasted with butter, herbs, and ginger

steamed broccoli

Guelbenzu 2003 Ribera del Queiles (from my new favorite wine shop )

for dessert: roasted dates filled with mascarpone (yep, like at Komi - shockingly easy to make at home)

(all in front of the first fire of the season, trying to not ruin our appetities with election coverage)

[zoramargolis]

Sauteed chicken livers with mushrooms and bacon

Garlic mashed potatoes

Oven roasted asparagus

2005 Sherwood Pinot Noir

After dinner sweet-- election results...

[Xochitl10]

Wednesday: A spin on Nigella Lawson's onion pie -- cheese scone dough topped with thinly sliced, caramelized onions and bits of Sunday's leftover slow-roasted pork shoulder.

Last night: Beef and bean burritos with lots of green chile and cheese; Pilsner Urquell.

[Heather]

Not dinner, but lunch. I put on my very best June Cleaver ruffled apron and played the adoring housewife fixing a fancy lunch for the man of the house:

Mussels, with butter, shallots, white wine, lime and cilantro.

Baguette

Epoisses and raspberries for dessert.

[Pat]

Not dinner, but lunch. I put on my very best Mrs. Cleaver apron and played the adoring housewife fixing a fancy lunch for the man of the house:

Mussels, with butter, shallots, white wine, lime and cilantro.

Baguette

Epoisses and raspberries for dessert.

Aha! We had mussels with butter, garlic, white wine, lemon, and parsley for dinner last night, along with garlic bread made from a baguette, and a frisee salad with radishes and cucumbers. (No dessert, though.)