Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[dcandohio]

I marinated baby back ribs Greek style:  Lemon juice, garlic, oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper.  I pre-cooked them in a 300° oven for about 40 minutes, and then finished them on the grill.  I was going to make a salad when my neighbor called and said that she was “gifted” a crudités platter and a cheese platter left over from a party.  So we had ribs and vegetables and cheese and crackers.  Kind of a weird meal, but we enjoyed it immensely as we were sitting under a tiki hut with a beautiful view of the ocean. 

[TrelayneNYC]

Last night, we had

Fava bean salad with asparagus, jamón serrano and mint
Pesce al forno con le patate ("baked fish with potatoes")
Strawberries macerated with sugar, 25-y/o balsamic vinegar and black pepper

[Pat]

Last night was the last of the sliced Easter lamb, bacon, and coconut - lime - cilantro rice. There was some leftover salad as well (spring mix, tomato, cucumber, radish, bacon, avocado, and lemon yogurt dressing) and Pugilese bread and butter.

[Pat]

We had some nice thick pork loin chops with a beautiful (if I do say so myself) pan gravy; spring mix, avocado, tomato, and avocado green goddess dressing; leftover coconut rice plus chickpeas; and grilled bread with whipped ricotta spread.

[Sundae in the Park]

We made more grilled chicken this weekend, plus a pot of chili and a batch of chicken korma curry.

Yesterday I made West Lake soup (more or less this recipe, with the addition of chopped shitake mushrooms) for the first time, since I wanted something simple, brothy, and without a lot of alliums, per consideration of the sick folks in my house.  I had been thinking about trying my hand at it ever since we had a disappointing version at a restaurant a few weeks ago (virtually no flavor, not enough egg, meat, or cilantro, too much tofu).  I think it is interesting that the main meat choices are either lean beef or white fish, as they are not usually considered as substitutes!  But it is correct - I've had both iterations at restaurants that tasted great.  I cheated and used ground instead of minced beef and it came out pretty well and was really easy!  It's a nice change of pace to add to the soup repertoire. I also sauteed up some eggplant with black bean sauce (still not using enough basil, argh) and roasted some vegetables to serve with a pot of rice.

[Pat]

Mushroom and pepperoni pizza (basil; mozzarella, goat cheese, Parmesan)

[Pat]

On 4/2/2019 at 4:51 PM, reedm said:

I bought the tri-tip from Lothar’s in Purcellville. (First time there—excellent German butcher)

it was three pounds, and I spent a little time trimming one side of it. 

Seasoned with salt only, then cooked at 131 for nearly 7 hours. Patted it dry, applied olive oil, then a little more salt, fresh pepper, and garlic salt. Seared over very high heat on my Big Green Egg for a few minutes. 

Great results. Very tender and cooked evenly through. Highly recommended! 

This was SO GOOD. Thank you! Mine was about 2 lbs. I planned to do about 6 1/2 hours but it ended up being more like 7 1/4 hours at 131F. I seasoned it with kosher salt before it went into the bath, using much more salt than I typically would, figuring that it would penetrate the meat over the long cooking time. When it came out, I coated with evoo, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I seared in a  cast iron skillet 3 minutes on the first side and 2 on the second, which was seasoned the same way. OMG. This meat was amazing. I served it with the juices and topped with chopped scallions.

The rest of the meal was roasted cauliflower, leftover coconut rice, a Mark Bittman soba noodle and edamame salad, and more grilled bread and whipped ricotta. It was too much food, but it was delicious.

[Pat]

I made fajitas with the leftover tri-tip last night, with charred red and green bell pepper strips, onions, and roma tomatoes. A cast iron skillet with real high heat was perfect for this. I also blistered some large flour tortillas and we had sour cream and cheddar alongside.

[ktmoomau]

Burgers on Friday night that we did a mix of venison and beef, I used one of Gordon Ramsey's recipes with chili flakes, Hubby wasn't crazy about it, so I likely won't use it again, although I didn't mind a little punch of flavor, especially with the venison.  The last of the pork chops last night.  Both with sides of simple roasted veggies- broccoli and squash with butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley and chives.

[Sundae in the Park]

We made pizzas again over the weekend, this time with homemade dough, which is always noticeably less salty than the store-bought dough.  Other oven use included roasted squash and date-walnut muffins.  I made a batch of vegetable stock and used some to make a fairly light chicken corn chowder, which is both springy and warming, so perfect for our "May grey" weather.

[Pat]

Meatball soup and shakshuka with swiss chard

The meatballs and the stock for the soup were in the freezer. I added some chopped fresh rosemary and topped with grated Parmesan. The shakshuka recipe was from the Post.

[Tweaked]

Roasted Eggplant, White Beans, Tomato Sauce, Tahini, Fresh Herbs, Za'atar,

[ktmoomau]

Chicken marinated with lemon, parsley and garlic overnight then grilled.  Served with a succotash of green beans, potatoes and corn.

[Pat]

For some unknown reason I had a craving yesterday for one my childhood favorites*, French bread pizza. I bought a baguette from TJ's and made two different kinds: cremini mushroom and pepperoni with fresh basil, Monterey Jack and Parmesan; and, spinach, fresh basil, Monterey Jack, Parmesan, goat cheese, and rosemary chicken. I had cooked up three chicken breasts earlier for my husband's lunches to go with some roasted vegetables, and I had some lemon rosemary chicken left over. It was great on the pizza, especially with the spinach and goat cheese.

There was also a small salad of Bibb lettuce, cucumber, and hard-boiled egg with avocado green goddess dressing.

 

*As a kid, it would be Stouffer's frozen French bread pizza, but this was much better. (My parents didn't eat pizza. they thought it was a weird food, so I only got the awful school pizza or this, unless I was at someone else's house and they got delivery pizza. I have no idea why my parents were so averse to pizza. They each liked and disliked different things, but they were on the same page on pizza.)

 

[Tweaked]

Tuesday night pasta night

[Sundae in the Park]

Monday night I made a big batch of bourbon chicken to be eaten with rice.

Yesterday we made that limey eggplant/pepper/garlic/basil dish from America's Test Kitchen, sauteed green beans with egg, and roasted vegetables to add to the leftover chicken and rice (it's a great combination!), plus a batch of tuna mac for the kiddos.

[Pat]

Last night we had a salad platter of deviled eggs, grape tomatoes, and steamed asparagus dressed with vinaigrette. It looked pretty, but I didn't take a photo. The rest of the meal was the last small piece of the tri-tip, very thinly sliced and drizzled with a little Worcestershire, heated in the microwave along with leftover rice with corn, peas, and red onions.

The previous night was the originals of that rice and tacos made out of the fajita leftovers (which included second order tri-tip leftovers) and also tacos made with the last of the carne guisada.

[TrelayneNYC]

Photos from last week

Spicy tomato and shrimp stew
Peas with garlic and pancetta
Ricotta cheese with roasted blueberries

[Katya4me]

Dinner tonight was halloumi hummus bowls with farro. 

[ktmoomau]

Last night was chicken marinated with balsamic, honey, soy then grilled, accompanied by green beans cooked with a leftover ham hock and potato wedges on the grill.  Not sure the little boys ate any of it, but out of a big pot, there were very few beans left, and only a handful of potatoes so I think it was a successful Mother's Day dinner.

[Pat]

Salad of iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, cubed Jarlsberg cheese, hard-boiled egg; Bolthouse Farms Cilantro-Avocado Dressing
Sourdough baguette and butter
Fettuccine with Lemon Herb Yogurt Sauce

The pasta was excellent. My husband raved about it. I will definitely make this again. It looks like some version of Fettuccine Alfredo at a glance but is wonderfully tangy with yogurt, lemon, and salty feta.

I eyeballed the 3 tablespoon amounts for the herbs and had more than I needed. I'll have to find something to do with the rest, other than adding some to the leftover pasta. I didn't think straining the Greek yogurt made a whole lot of sense. It did give off a tiny amount of liquid, but I'll skip that step next time.

It's going to get embarrassing if I have to admit to making any more recipes from "The Kitchen," but all the recipes I've made so far have come out quite well. For anyone unfamiliar with the concept, it's a Food Network take on the multi-host "View"-type cooking show. If you're looking for a place on FN where they're actually showing how dishes get made, this is one of them. (And Rachael Ray is back with more 30 Minute Meals, as well. While she shows preparation start to finish, The Kitchen shows the basic steps but already has a pre-cooked version.)  They have four hosts, with them alternating in pairs taking the lead making a recipe and being the sous chef.

[ktmoomau]

3 hours ago, Pat said:

Salad of iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, cubed Jarlsberg cheese, hard-boiled egg; Bolthouse Farms Cilantro-Avocado Dressing
Sourdough baguette and butter
Fettuccine with Lemon Herb Yogurt Sauce

The pasta was excellent. My husband raved about it. I will definitely make this again. It looks like some version of Fettuccine Alfredo at a glance but is wonderfully tangy with yogurt, lemon, and salty feta.

This is interesting.  I think Hubby might like this dish, I never get to make more creamy pasta type sauces (except for like carbonara) due to the cream, so I will try this.

[Pat]

5 hours ago, ktmoomau said:

This is interesting.  I think Hubby might like this dish, I never get to make more creamy pasta type sauces (except for like carbonara) due to the cream, so I will try this.

I hope you enjoy it. The pasta is surprisingly good. I don't know why I use "surprisingly," but  think it's because it looks so much like Alfredo but is totally different.

[DaveO]

36 minutes ago, Pat said:

I hope you enjoy it. The pasta is surprisingly good. I don't know why I use "surprisingly," but  think it's because it looks so much like Alfredo but is totally different.

I'll also try it.

[Pat]

I needed to make some food in advance for a couple of meals, so we had kind of an abundance tonight. Baked chicken breasts and baked sweet potatoes, plus Spicy Ginger Pork Noodles with Bok Choy [NY Times paywall].  More than half of what I made is left, so it works out. Excellent meal.

[ktmoomau]

Last night we had leftover grilled chicken breasts on brioche buns with leaf lettuce from the garden.  I sauteed onion and squash and tossed in the last of the potato wedges and green beans from the other night.  I also roasted the last of the costco broccoli with some balsamic.  

No idea what the plan for tonight is going to be... I have a lot of little leftover tidbits, but nothing really comprehensive, and not really enough individual items that go together to combine things into a new dish per se... 

[Sundae in the Park]

Woohoo, Asian market trip week!  We made another date-walnut cake and had bacon and hash browns for Mother's Day, but otherwise this week will be dedicated to using up all the goodies we grabbed at the market over the weekend.

Monday night was pad se ew with a side of smashed, marinated cucumbers and last night we made sauteed king trumpet mushrooms, basil eggplant (finally made with enough Thai basil to taste right!!), and stir-fried green beans eaten on top of brown rice.  Yesterday morning I seared some fresh rice noodle rolls, served them with a simple brown sauce (hoisin, oyster, sriracha, pepper, and sugar), and they were GOOD, nearly as tasty (though the texture was not quite as good as truly fresh) as decent dim sum.  Tonight will be another stir-fried noodle dish with lots of baby bok choy.

[smithhemb]

Mixed greens/potato/tomato hash from Savory Way.  

Preceded by a meat/cheese/baguette board.

Trip to 99Ranch enabled me to add tatsoi to the mix (kale, chard, arugula).  Still have mustard greens, baby boy choy, and pea greens to cook, but everything’s holding up well in the downstairs fridge.  Will probably make a spicy beef and bok choy stir fry tomorrow.

 

update:  This (https://omnivorescookbook.com/sichuan-crispy-beef/) turned out to be a good starting point for beef and bok choy.

[Pat]

Salad of iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, cubed Jarlsberg cheese, avocado, hard-boiled egg; Bolthouse Farms Avocado - Green Goddess dressing
Garlic bread
Leftover fettuccine

[Pat]

Last night:

Leftover Garlic Bread
Leftover Iceberg Salad
Pecan-Crusted Halibut with Peach Salsa
Leftover Sweet Potato
Corn on the Cob

[Deborah Lee]

Began my early dinner at home with these exquisite Flat Green Beans braised with Sweet Onion and Tomato from Green Almond Pantry

[Pat]

Braised baby turnips and greens with chicken broth and honey (turnips from a stand I don't remember seeing before at Eastern Market)
Reheated pecan-crusted halibut (added at the end of the turnip cooking time)

 

[TrelayneNYC]

Lamb and pistachio meatballs adapted from "Polpo", page 154.

35 g shelled and roasted pistachios, finely chopped
30 ml olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
pinch of salt
pinch of five-spice powder
1 kg ground lamb
1 egg
100 g breadcrumbs
ground black pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
800 ml basic tomato sauce

Basic tomato sauce - the recipe in Polpo (page 149) is neither basic nor preferred so I used my own, which as you can see is rather minimalist by comparison. Polpo's version has eight ingredients not counting salt and pepper.

30 ml olive oil
2 crushed garlic cloves
800 g crushed tomatoes or 800 ml passata
120 ml water
salt
black pepper

We served this with a bowl of cauliflower stewed in wine.

[TrelayneNYC]

The onions and garlic are first sauteed in olive oil along with salt and five-spice powder, then cooled. Combine this mixture with breadcrumbs, egg, salt, black pepper and pistachios and the ground lamb. Form into meatballs, then bake for 15 minutes at 335 F/170 C. Then braise in the tomato sauce for 30 minutes.

[dcandohio]

I haven’t been cooking much due to travel and lack of motivation.  This weekend I made a sort of vegetable Tian  with zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, and tomatoes.  I kept it simple with just onions and garlic sautéed on the bottom of the pan, and a drizzle of olive oil plus a little sprinkle of salt and Parmesan on the top. Baked, covered, about 50 minutes. Then I uncovered it and  used the broiler to brown the top. I Should have added herbs. 

[Pat]

Last night was quesadillas with portobello mushrooms, avocado, and cheddar; iceberg salad with cubed chicken breast, cucumbers, avocado, and tomato with cilantro-avocado dressing; and leftover corn on the cob.

[Tweaked]

Thai Shrimp Curry, Chinatown Style.  Recipe adapted from Bangkok: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Thailand (original recipe calls for beef, I made it with shrimp, but otherwise mostly followed the recipe)

[ktmoomau]

Pat- I made your pasta.  I really liked it warm, and then cold as a pasta salad.  We had leftover bbq chicken and veggies, so it was easy to throw some fixins on top if you like.

[dcandohio]

One pan meal: salmon and chick peas.  I had some spicy olives from the salad bar, so I chopped up a few of those and mixed them with the chickpeas.  I seasoned everything with lots of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and Greek seasoning. It was a surprisingly tasty meal. The spicy olives and chick peas were delicious. That’s going to enter into the rotation, for sure. 

[ktmoomau]

Last night was kale and leaf lettuce salad, with homemade tahini dressing, cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and leftover ribs and chicken from dinner.  Oh and a few pickled okra.

[Tweaked]

Roasted onions, red & yellow peppers with whipped feta (olive oil, lemon, mint, dill)

[Pat]

Monday:
London broil
Mashed potato casserole

Tuesday:
Lamb loin chips
Rice pilaf
Roasted zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes

Tonight:
Trader Joe's phyllo ring with cheeses, topped with bacon, mushrooms, and spinach
Leftover lamb chop
Leftover roasted vegetables

[Sundae in the Park]

We've made potstickers several times in the past week, as well as another batch of basil eggplant.  One night we had fresh spring rolls with marinated chicken, herbs, spinach, cucumber, carrots, vermicelli noodles (the really thin and clear, fun se kind), and hoisin-peanut butter sauce.  Finally, I made a double batch of giant shells, one set stuffed with 4 cheese and another stuffed with ground turkey, spinach, and cheese. 

[Pat]

Thursday was the last of the phyllo ring and Smoked Salmon Macaroni Salad with Spinach, Lemon, and Goat Cheese          

Last night: whole wheat naan, pan-fried sablefish, and fava beans with leftover rice pilaf.

 

[Pat]

On 5/21/2019 at 11:58 AM, ktmoomau said:

Pat- I made your pasta.  I really liked it warm, and then cold as a pasta salad.  We had leftover bbq chicken and veggies, so it was easy to throw some fixins on top if you like.

I thought I'd replied to this. Apparently not. I love cold pasta but hadn't thought of turning this into a salad. Thanks for the idea!

[Pat]

Yesterday my husband went on a real long bike ride, so I made an antipasto/snack platter* for when he came back and then picadillo plus leftover rice pilaf and fava beans with flour tortillas for a meal.

 

*Smoked salmon; green olives stuffed with pimento or garlic; sliced salami; red grapes; Pecorino Romano, Chipotle Toscano, Jarlsberg, and Smoked Gouda cheeses; Carr's cracked pepper water crackers; and Trader Joe's rosemary Italian-style crackers

[Pat]

Romaine salad with plum tomatoes, avocado, and cucumber; cilantro-avocado dressing
Baked chicken breasts
Za' atar roasted cauliflower, wilted baby spinach, and whipped ricotta

 

[TrelayneNYC]

Vegetable stew with sausage and chickpeas

30 ml olive oil
115 g diced pancetta
1/2 kg heritage pork sausage
30 g minced oregano
30 g minced Italian parsley
1 onion, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
4 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
1/2 kg Swiss chard
800 ml crushed tomatoes or passata
175 g cooked chickpeas (canned is fine)
500 ml chickpea broth (or as needed); if you used canned chickpeas, substitute water instead
10 g basil leaves

[Mark Slater]

This time of year, I like to make elaborate antipasto plates for dinner. I finally found some things at Vace that I really like: marinated mushrooms, artichoke hearts and charred red peppers in olive oil (in a jar). I stopped by Whole Foods and got some jumbo lump crab and guacamole. Very pleasing.

[Tweaked]

Pan Con Tomate