Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[Sundae in the Park]

Using stuff up in the fridge:

• vegetarian wontons w/ sweet chili sauce (squeezed right from the bottle onto each wonton, of course)
• mango, plums, and grapes
• leftover tri-tp with salsa

[Pat]

Salad of romaine, fresh mozzarella, late farmers' market tomato, radishes, cucumbers, fig-balsamic or blue cheese dressing
Garlic bread
Leftover pumpkin tortellini Afredo

[Pat]

Salad of romaine, radishes, and cucumber; balsamic-fig vinaigrette
Meatloaf topped with bacon
Baked sweet potatoes; butter and maple syrup

 

[DonRocks]

7 hours ago, Pat said:

Baked sweet potatoes; butter and maple syrup

Casserole dish?

[Pat]

16 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Casserole dish?

No. I baked the sweet potatoes in foil on the same sheet pan as the meatloaf and served them with butter and maple syrup at the table.

Last night was salad (romaine, cucumber, carrot, grape tomatoes and balsamic-fig vinaigrette), baked chicken breasts, braised radicchio with pancetta, and polenta.

[Pat]

Leftover chilaquile casserole
Roasted poblanos stuffed with leftover meatloaf and white rice topped with leftover polenta and sautéed mushrooms

[TrelayneNYC]

Spaghetti con aglio, bottarga e prezzemolo (spaghetti with garlic, bottarga and parsley)

Watermelon for dessert

[Pat]

Leftover penne with meat sauce
Previously-cooked polenta baked in a slab with a topping of sautéed mushrooms, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan

 

[dcandohio]

Salmon poached in coconut milk with Thai curry seasonings, served over cooked sweet potato cubes and cauliflower "rice."

[Pat]

Salad of romaine, carrot, radishes, cucumber, and grape tomatoes; fig-balsamic vinaigrette
Chicken chili topped with crushed tortilla chips, colby jack cheese, parsley,* and sour cream 

 

*I contemplated buying cilantro but had so much parsley, it seemed silly.

 

[Pat]

Wednesday night: salad and leftover topped polenta
Thursday night: salad and pepperoni - mushroom pizza with dollops of ricotta on top in addition to the tomato - basil sauce and mozzarella
Last night: Pan-roasted lamb loin chops over a mixture of brown and wild rice, broccoli, and toasted slivered almonds

[Pat]

Chicken carrot soup 
Mason-Dixie cheddar biscuits
Chicken legs
Buttered green beans

I found the frozen biscuits at the Harris Teeter at Jenkins Row. I think they were $7.99. Really good. Except we only ate 3 of the 6. They are not supposed to be thawed before cooking, so I made all of them. In the future, I guess I'll have to find a way to split some off and get the others back into the freezer real fast. I don't know how the already cooked biscuits will fare tomorrow when we reheat them.

 

[Sundae in the Park]

Gochujang noodles with ground pork and baby bok choy. It was a recipe from a Blue Apron trial that we saved and have made countless times since with different kinds of noodles. We like it best with the original recipe Korean rice cake ovalettes, but fresh wheat noodles from the market taste great as well.

[Pat]

Last night was pan-fried boneless sirloin steak, individual au gratin potato casseroles, and buttered carrots and peas.

And the Mason-Dixie biscuits kept fine in a ziploc bag overnight and were used to make chicken BLTs for lunch. 

[TrelayneNYC]

Italian for dinner on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday first:

Cozze in tegame ("mussels with onion, garlic and wine"), served with sourdough toast

Frutta di macedonia (Italian fruit salad - literally diced mixed fruit macerated in lemon juice and sugar) for dessert

[TrelayneNYC]

Sunday dinner:

In case you're wondering, that's 1 tbsp. lard and 2 tbsp. olive oil.

I prefer cooking with lard whenever possible because (1) it's an ingredient that's gone out of style, and (2) it lends so much richness to dishes that you really don't need much to add flavor. A little goes a long way.

I know you're wondering, is there a point to all of these photographs of vegetables?

Well, the point is: even though this is a pot of soup, there is a technique. You're basically adding the vegetables in a certain order - the aromatics first, followed by the hard vegetables, then the not-as-hard vegetables, all the way to the delicate greens and tomato. You're also sautéing the vegetables in the fats and seasoning in layers so that each addition builds on the progression of ingredients that came before.

Add 5 cups cold water. Bring this mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for two hours. Taste for salt if necessary.

About 1 hour into the process, I then added 2 cups cooked chickpeas and the remaining parsley. Ceci are not traditional, but I happen to like them over the usual cannellini beans.

Since this pot was made in advance, I puréed 2 ladlefuls in a blender, then added it back to the pot, then heated it until warmed through.

You don't have to purée the soup, but I find that it helps to thicken it. I prefer to purée instead of adding pasta.

Minestrone, served with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and extra-virgin olive oil

Bananas for dessert

[TrelayneNYC]

I almost forgot - we made some lasagna carnevale last week.

For the Sunday sauce:

2 pork chops
2 lbs. ribs
1 lb. sweet Italian sausages
2 tbsp. lard
1 onion, peeled, trimmed and diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup red wine
4 28 oz. cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes
Italian parsley sprigs

 

For the meatballs:

1/2 lb. each organic/free-range ground beef and ground pork
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
5 tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley
3 cloves finely minced garlic
2 slices stale bread cut into cubes and soaked in milk
1 egg
vegetable oil (for frying the meatballs)

 

For the ricotta cream:

8 ounces ricotta cheese
two eggs
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
sea salt
black pepper
2 tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley
2 balls mozzarella cheese, diced

 

We ended up braising the meatballs in the sauce.

Served the pork chops, sausages and ribs for dinner

Polpette for the lasagna

Fried some sausages in lard

Stuffed the lasagna with chunks of sausage, some of the polpette and braised spareribs along with ricotta cream and mozzarella

Topped with ricotta cream and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Sunday sauce

Finito

[TrelayneNYC]

All that work took the better part of two days, and it was scarfed by our friends in a matter of hours. 

Hah!

[porcupine]

Goat curry. There's a vendor at the Sunday Bethesda farmers market who sells large pieces of goat with a high ratio of meat to bone, so I bought some and mostly followed an Indian recipe for braised lamb shanks in fennel-cumin sauce. It came out great. Also made carrots and peas with Sambar masala, and spiced basmati rice.

[Pat]

I made a tuna hoagie/sub for myself last night and reheated leftover chicken and broccoli rice for my husband. I also gave him a romaine-based salad with red wine vinaigrette.  He was still hungry after all that and ate the second half of my hoagie, even though it had mayo on it (as well as oil and vinegar), and he doesn't like mayo. 

[ktmoomau]

I was up staying with my Mom for two weeks, we made some food for a big festival and then had lots of leftovers to work with- so Mom made kielbasa and sauerkraut which was delicious; spaghetti with leftover meatballs and marinara, pasta with ham, garlic white wine sauce and spinach, eggs benedict, pepperoni rolls.  

I got home last night to a fairly empty fridge, but made deconstructed cabbage rolls- essentially sauteed onions, garlic, cabbage, ground beef, potatoes, diced tomatoes, a little beef stock cooked down into something in between a stew and saute.  I ate it with a leftover pretzel stick.  

[Sundae in the Park]

Potstickers. We had some ground pork (the super fatty kind from the butcher) left over from our trip to the Asian market and it is SO much richer than our usual ground turkey!

[Pat]

Yesterday was a weird combination (but good): chicken tortilla soup and French bread pepperoni-olive pizza

Tonight: salad of red leaf lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and bacon with red wine vinaigrette; baked chicken breasts with gravy; roasted cauliflower and carrots with chimichurri and toasted slivered almonds

[dcandohio]

 Need some advice.  Our weather in Florida is finally cool enough to be able to serve soup at night without turning down the AC!  I am making split pea soup, to which I always add carrots.  One of my friends does not eat carrots.  What can I add that put some color and vegetable into the soup without greatly changing the flavor profile? I was thinking of maybe some chopped red chard.  I'm sure I am overlooking something obvious and one of you will steer me in the right direction. 

[Pat]

28 minutes ago, dcandohio said:

 Need some advice.  Our weather in Florida is finally cool enough to be able to serve soup at night without turning down the AC!  I am making split pea soup, to which I always add carrots.  One of my friends does not eat carrots.  What can I add that put some color and vegetable into the soup without greatly changing the flavor profile? I was thinking of maybe some chopped red chard.  I'm sure I am overlooking something obvious and one of you will steer me in the right direction. 

What about red lentils?  That's not really a vegetable, though. Finely minced red bell pepper? I'd also suggest diced sweet potato, but that might change the flavor profile more than you want.

[Pat]

Last night's dinner came out really well. 
Salad of red leaf lettuce, cucumber, mushrooms, bacon, and tomato; white wine vinaigrette
Baked chicken breasts and chicken gravy
Roasted cauliflower and carrots with chimichurri
 

[Simul Parikh]

Had been reading about Japanese cuisine for my February trip.... and got it into my head that I wanted katsudon, even though I've never tasted it. I've made pork tonkatsu before with good results, but I'm just not as good at frying as my LLSP (lifelong slam piece). And, I got stuck at work late most days this week, so I couldn't make do it myself, so she had most of it made when I got home yesterday, and was just time to cook it up. She made dashi from scratch (that's why I had asked about bonito flakes). Sauteed the onions, ginger, dashi until onions soft. Then put in the tonkatsu, covered and let it cook for a while. Then, mixed in the eggs/scallions. Let it cook for about 2-3 minutes, still soft eggs. Poured the mixture over rice.

This was bomb! Though I don't know what it's supposed to taste like, what we made hit the spot. Ate it too fast to take pictures. 

And, used NYTimes, Kenji, and this delightful video. 

[LauraB]

9 hours ago, dcandohio said:

  What can I add that put some color and vegetable into the soup without greatly changing the flavor profile?

How about some diced red bell peppers?

[Sundae in the Park]

11 hours ago, dcandohio said:

One of my friends does not eat carrots.  What can I add that put some color and vegetable into the soup without greatly changing the flavor profile?

Doesn't add much color, but for vegetable content you can add/sub in potatoes, celery, and or parsnips. And possibly turnip. For color, I'd sub in a smaller quantity of butternut squash or sweet potatoes, but not too much or the flavor might be affected.

[Pat]

Sweet potato waffles from a Joy the Baker recipe, and bacon on the side.

[Pat]

Salad of red leaf lettuce, cucumber, mushrooms, bacon, and tomato;; balsamic-fig vinaigrette
Pain de Campagne and butter
Black-eyed pea and beef soup [defrosted from the freezer]
Scallops on a bed on red onions and garlicky spinach

[Pat]

Pan-roasted chicken thighs and chicken gravy
Cauliflower with cheese sauce and bacon
Green beans with toasted almonds

[Sundae in the Park]

Pan-fried (two-side yellow) noodles, with bok choy and chicken. A childhood favorite being passed to the next generation!

[TrelayneNYC]

Tomato and coconut fish curry, from "Modern Spice" by @Monica Bhide, page 187.

This was served with lemon rice (recipe follows in the slideshow), Keralan cashew chutney (cashews whizzed in a food processor along with ginger, green chiles, lemon juice, salt, water and cilantro until smooth) and green mango pickle. 

I had toned down the spicing since my partner is sensitive to "hot" flavors. He found it wanting and thought that the rice was the best thing served tonight. So that is a work in progress.

Since moving to San Francisco two years ago, I haven't had much opportunity to eat homemade Indian food and only discovered Jai Ho recently. I expect that the present circumstances will change drastically in the near future. Some of the things we bought today were, in addition to the mango pickle, a bag of sev and fresh curry leaves. The sev will be used for bhel puri and Monica's famous Indian Rice Krispies snack. The curry leaves are a mandatory pantry item.

Clockwise from foreground: 3 tbsp. minced cilantro; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/2 tsp. turmeric; 2 tbsp. ghee; 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1 tsp. black mustard seeds; 1/3 cup chopped cashews; 1/4 cup shredded coconut.

 

Prepare basmati rice:

Bring 2 cups of water in a pot to a boil, then adding the salt, 1/2 tbsp. ghee and 1 cup basmati rice.

Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 30 minutes or until rice has absorbed the water and is tender. Uncover and fluff with a fork.

Melt ghee in a skillet, add cashews. Fry cashews until golden brown. Lift out with a slotted spoon and transfer to the pot of rice. Cover.

 

 

Fry black mustard seeds in the same pan you fried the cashews in. When the seeds "pop", uncover the pot of rice and transfer ghee and seeds to the rice. Fold in the turmeric, lemon juice and cilantro, then serve immediately.

Top each serving of rice with some shredded coconut if desired.

[Pat]

Pan-seared boneless rib eye steaks
Warm salad of roasted beets, sauteed beet greens and stems, Cypress Grove Herbs de Humboldt goat cheese, toasted walnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette
Leftover cauliflower and cheese sauce

[porcupine]

Monday seems to be turning into Indian night. Last night we had Lucknowi gosht korma (lamb marinated in yogurt, garlic, and ginger and cooked with pounded whole spices - very simple but intense); sabud moong ki dal (supposed to be green lentils, but I used yellow ones); and Kolhapuri vangi (supposed to be eggplant, but I used tiny new potatoes, in a coconut-chili-tomato sauce).

The thing I love about the book 660 Curries is the recipes for different masalas. The lentil dish uses Balti masala, which contains fennel, coriander, cumin, mustard seed, cloves, black cardamom, nigella, bay leaves, cinnamon, cayenne, and nutmeg. The potato dish uses Kolhapuri masala, which is dried chilies, dried coconut, white sesame seeds, coriander, cumin, peppercorns, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, mace, bay, cayenne, and paprika, most of which are coated in oil and fried until dark, then ground. 

[dcandohio]

I  did finally make the split pea soup over the weekend with lots of diced yellow and red peppers.   Thanks to this group for all of your suggestions. I flavored it with bacon ends I bought at Luckys, which have always been delicious as a seasoning.  

And the weather cooperated and turned quite cool.  With a shaved fennel and apple salad and garlic bread, it was a satisfying Sunday supper. 

[Pat]

Leftover steak and chimichurri
Asparagus with butter and olive oil
Roasted stuffed* delicata squash

*Boiled brown and wild rice, with baby spinach thrown in at the end of cooking to wilt, scooped into nearly done roasted squash halves, topped with toasted slivered almonds and shredded mozzarella; and, everything back in the oven to finish.

[Sundae in the Park]

Sausage, potato, and kale soup, with a ridiculous amount of Halloween candy for dessert.

[Pat]

Green leaf lettuce, avocado, hard-boiled egg, radishes, goat cheese, and chimichurri dressing
Pork shoulder roast with potatoes, carrots, onions, and rutabaga

 

[Pat]

Tacos made from leftover pork roast, leftover rice,  black beans, and avocado.

[ktmoomau]

Monday was baked potatoes stuffed with sauteed fresh pork slices, onion, broccoli, garlic and a mix of cheddar and pepperjack.

Tuesday was chicken breasts with a tuscan rub baked with brussels sprouts and leeks and biscuits.

[Pat]

Baked chicken breasts
Steamed broccoli with lemon
Noodle and cheese casserole 

[Pat]

Salad of green leaf lettuce, radishes, feta, and toasted walnuts; fig-balsamic vinaigrette
Roast chicken
Steamed asparagus with lemon juice
Mashed potatoes and sautéed button mushrooms

[Pat]

Leftover salad
Leftover pork roast
Leftover noodles and cheese
Greens with garlic and vinegar

[dcandohio]

Grilled chicken brats and onions on pretzel buns.

Bagged Asian salad, because it needed to be used. 

[Pat]

Salad of green leaf lettuce, radishes, cucumber, and feta; balsamic-fig vinaigrette
Garlic bread
Chicken Parmesan meatballs over bucatini

[Sundae in the Park]

Chicken, mushroom, and pesto-stuffed rolls, plus some roasted zucchini and squash.

[TrelayneNYC]

Pollo alla cacciatora ("braised chicken, hunter's style")
Sautéed zucchini
Watermelon and pineapple for dessert

 

The chicken

This version doesn't use tomatoes, onions and red peppers. It begins with a base of olive oil and lard in which you brown the chicken. Then, once the chicken has browned, add some minced garlic and rosemary, and a cup or two of white wine. Let the wine come to a boil, then reduce heat to low and braise for 1 hour, uncovered. The liquid in the pot will slowly reduce. Turn the chicken every so often. When the chicken is tender, transfer to a platter. Add some pitted olives and a tablespoon of red wine vinegar. Raise heat to high, reduce sauce even more, then ladle olives and sauce over chicken. Serve at once.

 

The zucchini

Begin with a few crushed garlic cloves warmed in 3-4 tbsp. olive oil in a pan. Fry garlic over low heat until soft and golden brown, then remove and discard. Add some sliced zucchini to pan. Toss until zucchini slices glisten with the garlic-flavored oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Add a few tbsp. water to the pan, then raise heat to medium. Sauté for 15-20 minutes or until water has been absorbed and the zucchini becomes "creamy".

Serve immediately.

[TrelayneNYC]

I know this is technically not dinner but there's no thread for it so this is just a convenient place for it. Although I suppose a mod could move it to a dedicated baking thread if there is one.

Earlier on Sunday, I had made some almond, pine nut and fennel seed biscotti. They're awesome, and pair well with dessert wine or a cappuccino.