Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[legant]

Cod poached in a spicy coconut sauce (from Best Ever Indian) and Basmati rice

I wouldn’t say it was the “Best Ever Indian,” but anything with coconut milk gets points with me. The combination of coconut milk and tamarind resulted in a sweet-sour curry. Could have used more chiles, but had originally planned on halving the recipe. Used kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves), rather than fenugreek seeds. Didn’t particularly care for the cod; it didn’t seem “cooked” and was rather bland. Next time I'll probably try this with eggplant. Seconds were the curry sauce over the rice. Dinner was salvaged.

Two questions: Would I have gotten more “flavor” from the cod if I had browned/sautéed it prior to adding it to the curry? And, can coconut milk be frozen?

[zoramargolis]

Two questions: Would I have gotten more “flavor” from the cod if I had browned/sautéed it prior to adding it to the curry? And, can coconut milk be frozen?

Cod is a very "mild" (tasteless, actually) fish under the best of circumstances. If it was frozen and thawed it has even less flavor. Sauteeing is unlikely to have helped much. Good cod recipes usually involve other flavor elements--garlic, tomato, onions, capers, herbs, olives, etc. Or frying. Next time, use a fish with more character for your curry-- monkfish, snapper, rockfish, orange roughy or Chilean seabass (ie. Patagonian toothfish). I'm sure I'll be scolded for suggesting endangered fish, but look for something similar...

Coconut products freeze well, in general.

[Xochitl10]

Red chile beef and bean burritos with a bottle of my next-door neighbor's home brew.

[zoramargolis]

Oven-braised pork shoulder with carrots and prunes (and onion, leek, garlic, celery and white wine)

Roasted Kabocha squash puree

Fingerling potatoes

Chard stems sort of a la Marcella Hazan--cooked in chicken stock until tender and then baked with cheese. Marcella says to use butter and parmesan. I used ricotta and parm to boost the protein for veggie-teen, since it was her entree, and added some crimini mushrooms and roasted garlic to the chopped chard stems. It was delicious.

2004 St. Cosme´ Cotes du Rhone

Dessert was one square from each of three single estate Valrhona chocolate bars--my favorite was Palmira plantation from Venezuela. Amazing complexity.

[Pat]

I'm making Jeane Kirkpatrick's paella from this past week's food section, plus green salad, and eggnog-pecan-pumpkin pie.

[Heather]

Yet another, "oh sh*t it's 5 o'clock and I have no idea what's for dinner" meal tonight. Spinach sauteed with butter, shallots, nutmeg, s & p, finished with a little heavy cream and tucked into omelets with a little crumbled Stilton found hanging around in the fridge. Side of steamed broccoli to counteract all the butter, eggs and cream.

[lackadaisi]

As part of the fitness challenge, tonight we had:

arugula salad

haricot verts

red pepper and onion torta

followed by a 2004 Piocho for dessert

[Barbara]

I'm, still sorting all this out. Last night I made a cauliflower soup and a salad with clementines and goat cheese. Tonight was tuna steaks from Trader Joe's with sweet and sour onions a la Biba Caggiano, sliced sweet potatoes a la Jacques Pepin and pan fried yellow squash a la me.

[LoganCircle]

Last night's dinner for seven:

Carrot and carrot top soup

Corn nugget crab cakes

Creamed bacon potato puree

Haricot verts with blood orange juice

Rustic pumpernickel bread

Key lime tart

The soup, crab cakes, and potatoes were from Michel Richard's Happy in the Kitchen. Dessert was from Whole Foods.

My back is sore from kitchen work!

[laniloa]

Corn nugget crab cakes

Thanks for reminding me about this. I'd flagged this as a must try and promptly forgot. Maybe next weekend if I'm not back in the Keys.

[Xochitl10]

Wafuu curry from the Jan/Feb Saveur, made with pork instead of chicken, and rice

Miso soup

Kariho Choukarakuchi sake, carried back from Akita Prefecture last year.

[jpschust]

Last night for 12:

Bosc Pear Salad with a balsalmic vinagrette on a base of mixed greens

roasted butternut squash soup with creme fraiche

roasted green beans with sea salt

bleu cheese macaroni and cheese

burgers served on english muffins with white american cheese

cheese plate consisting of morbier, camembert, port salut, smoked mozarella, fresh mozarella, and a smoked cheddar

[zoramargolis]

Yet another, "oh sh*t it's 5 o'clock and I have no idea what's for dinner" meal tonight.

Same story here last night. I was cooking a pot of Falcon beans (they look like miniature black-eyed peas), that I "sourced" at Surfa's last month. They have a whole shelf of dried beans in varieties I've never heard of, so I bought a few when I was there. It was 6:30 and the beans were still very al dente. By request, I made a frittatta with yellow, orange and green peppers left over from Saturday's crudite´ plate, some shallot, garlic (roasted and raw), crimini mushrooms, ricotta, feta and Reggiano, scallions and lemon thyme. We had it with sliced baguette and a 2005 Glaetzer Gruner Veltliner. Macerated strawberries and B&J ice cream for dessert.

[Jonathan]

tonight:

chickpea soup garnished with chorizo, roasted cauliflower and parsley

fresh baked wheat sourdough bread

[Heather]

Lamb burgers (with ground lamb from the Lamb Lady) seasoned with cumin, grilled, and served in pita with crumbled feta and Total tzatziki. The pita was from Whole Foods and not bad once finished in a hot oven for a few minutes. The lamb is very lean, almost too lean IMO, but flavorful.

Salad of diced cucumber, red onion, mint and pretty good cherry tomatoes from Toigo. Dressed with olive oil & red wine vinegar.

Bonaparte apple tart.

[porcupine]

Sometimes it's fun to cook for just myself. Tonight's dinner:

smoked paprika tzatziki with fennel, celery, and cucumber for dipping

a big plate of wilted spinach topped with roasted beets, tangerine segments, and fresh goat cheese

a 2002 California syrah

[no bacon fat was used in the making of this dinner]

ETA: found a bit of Lambchopper leftover from Christmas: dessert. hooray for sheep milk cheeses.

[Anna Blume]

A work in progress. Waiting for egg and butter to reach room temperature with expectations of a very late dessert.

What's in the Fridge that Might Go Bad Semi-Puréed Soup

Lots of floppy celery, carrots, onions, half of a small butternut squash, 1/4 t pimenton, the rest of an old tin of Aleppo pepper, 1/4 sweet paprika, red pepper purée redeemed from disastrous role in horrid cabbage dish last week, 2 tea strainers full of red lentils for protein-rich thickening and plenty of chicken STOCK. Good.

Half of a thick slice of whole wheat bread, toasted and buttered.

Contemplating the idea of an escarole and fennel salad...

[laniloa]

Chicken soup with spinach, tomato, and whole wheat noodles. I love having a fresh batch of stock.

[hillvalley]

Finally a cold night! I'm keeping warm with a big ole bowl of green chilli with too much Wisconsin sharp cheddar.

[zoramargolis]

A friend and her daughter joined us for dinner:

Jicama, fennel. cucumber and red pepper with tzatziki (great minds think alike tonight!)

Stewed falcon beans

Chicken/turkey andouille

Basmati rice

Braised kale and spinach

Cheese plate: homemade lavender-fennel chevre, P'tit Basque (sheepmilk), Cashel Blue; Grayson VA. washed rind ( cowsmilk). Bonaparte fruited nut bread.

Marvelous Mkt. chocolate mousse cake with raspberries

2002 Edmunds St. John The Shadow Syrah

2005 Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz

[Heather]

Jicama, fennel. cucumber and red pepper with tzatziki (great minds think alike tonight!)

Was greece in the news yesterday or something?

Nice to get proof your raising them properly...we were discussing the doneness of the lamb burgers and Emma piped up and said: "I prefer my burgers medium rare, but often they come out well done," in a very disapproving tone. Scott and I cracked up.

[DanielK]

Nice to get proof your raising them properly...we were discussing the doneness of the lamb burgers and Emma piped up and said: "I prefer my burgers medium rare, but often they come out well done," in a very disapproving tone. Scott and I cracked up.

My 9-year-old has decided that he no longer likes McDonalds, because they won't cook a hamburger medium rare. This is a huge victory since hamburgers, in his opinion, are the greatest foodstuff on the planet. In fact, he was at one of those chain places that will only cook burgers to medium-well or better, and he changed his order rather than get a medium-well hockey puck.

[jpschust]

My 9-year-old has decided that he no longer likes McDonalds, because they won't cook a hamburger medium rare. This is a huge victory since hamburgers, in his opinion, are the greatest foodstuff on the planet. In fact, he was at one of those chain places that will only cook burgers to medium-well or better, and he changed his order rather than get a medium-well hockey puck.

This is officially a sign of truly wonderful parenting.

[Heather]

This is officially a sign of truly wonderful parenting.

Nah, it just means you're doomed to ordering full-priced mains for the expensive little buggers, because they won't touch the stuff on the "Kid's Menu."

[Erin11]

The return of cold weather made me hungry for my go-to comfort food of this season - my take on "mexican" mac & cheese. I used a mix of cheddar, monterey jack and chihuahua cheeses in the sauce and also added in crumbled chorizo sausage. Add a side of steamed broccoli to make myself feel healthy!

[Smita Nordwall]

Tonight: Posole verde with chicken and a mixed-greens salad. Keeping in mind Don's dinner invitation for the "losers" of the fitness challenge.

[txaggie]

I made a long overdue birthday dinner on Saturday...We started with caramelized onions and brie crostini (no picture) and then had butternut squash soup.

Roasted lamb with white beans

And for dessert, chocolate bread pudding from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking From My Home To Yours"

[mdt]

Roughly followed a recipe from St. Jacques Fast Food My Way and prepared a delicious and easy to make salmon fillet.

Put a little EVOO on a baking sheet and S&P both sides of a skinned fillet of salmon and place on pan.

Top with a mixture of bread crumbs and chopped almonds (about 1 cup for 2.5lb of salmon).

Bake at 200F for 30-45 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillet).

Top with freshly chopped herbs (I used some parsley and fennel fronds).

Serve with condiment of choice.

[Pat]

Last night was a crockpot stew with beef, pork, black beans, green chilies, and tomatoes (plus cumin, adobo seasoning, chili powder and so forth). I had taken the beef and pork out the freezer the other day before realizing the paella would make several meals worth of food, but the the meat had to be cooked since it was thawed (and had been in the freezer quite some time before that)

The stew was quite good and will be recycled in something tonight. Unfortunately, I think the remaining paella is no longer so good to eat

[DanielK]

Nah, it just means you're doomed to ordering full-priced mains for the expensive little buggers, because they won't touch the stuff on the "Kid's Menu."

You've forgotten how huge my 9-year-old is. We left the kids menu behind at most restaurants 2 years ago.

[zoramargolis]

I stopped in at A&H Seafood in Bethesda, and they had fresh shrimp from Maine for $4.99 a pound, and whole fresh squid for $2.99 --this was sparklingly fresh seafood, and I couldn't resist. It took me 45 minutes to shell 1 1/2 pounds of shrimps (they were tiny) and clean a pound of squid and cut it into thin little rings, but I then made shrimp stock with the shells, and made a Thai-ish seafood stew -- pureed some roasted eggplant and sauteed shallot, fresh ginger root, Thai green curry paste , coconut milk, lime juice and shrimp stock and then poached baby bok choy, mushrooms, squid and shrimps in it and served with chopped cilantro, lime wedge and basmati rice (didn't have jasmine). It was just on the verge of being too spicy, but the shrimp was really sweet and the bok choy gave a little crunch, the eggplant thickened it and added depth of flavor and it was creamy--wow. I thought it was a very successful improvisation for someone who doesn't cook much Asian food.

[Xochitl10]

Monday: Pasta puttanesca; vanilla ice cream with crumbled amaretti

Tuesday: Awesomely hot green chile stew from Mom Davis's recipe; Bueno tortillas

Tonight: Meat loaf, peas, tots (I was too lazy to make the planned polenta)

[Sthitch]

On Monday I made a white bean soup in my Crock-Pot with some country ham, mire poix (with leeks instead of onions), some garlic, bay leaves, and a little pepper. For cooking liquid I used some chicken stock and water. After stewing for about 10 hours, I put all of the contents through a food mill to make a velvety soup. Once it was pureed, I added a little more salt, hot sauce, and red wine vinegar, then put it into the refrigerator to help the flavors develop.

Tuesday - we ate the soup.

Last night, I braised a pork loin in milk with onions and sage. I served this with lentils and sautéed rabe. The pork was nice, and the sauce was very good (load the curdled nasty looking contends of the pot - sans pork - into a blender and puree, it comes together quite nicely). I would do this again, but would change the cooking time. For temperature and time I followed what Joyce Goldstein suggests in Italy Slow and Savory. I found that 350 for 2 hours were too long and it caused the pork to dry out. Next time I will cook it at a much lower temperature for a longer time.

[zoramargolis]

Last night, I braised a pork loin in milk with onions and sage. I served this with lentils and sautéed rabe. The pork was nice, and the sauce was very good (load the curdled nasty looking contends of the pot - sans pork - into a blender and puree, it comes together quite nicely). I would do this again, but would change the cooking time. For temperature and time I followed what Joyce Goldstein suggests in Italy Slow and Savory. I found that 350 for 2 hours were too long and it caused the pork to dry out. Next time I will cook it at a much lower temperature for a longer time.

I first made this dish a long time ago, based on a Madeleine Kamman recipe, which she said was Swiss. She recommended that the dish be made with a bone-in loin. In general, braised meat dishes have more flavor when cooked with a bone. I find that boneless pork loins--whether chops or roast-- are often dry. I presume that this is because of lack of marbling, the "other white meat" syndrome. But I think your impulse to cook it low and slow is right. It is delicious, even though the pot is a pain to clean afterwards. I haven't made it in years. Hmmm.

[Anna Blume]

I first made this dish a long time ago, based on a Madeleine Kamman recipe, which she said was Swiss. She recommended that the dish be made with a bone-in loin. In general, braised meat dishes have more flavor when cooked with a bone. I find that boneless pork loins--whether chops or roast-- are often dry.

True, but buying pork shouder also helps. There are numerous Italian regions such as Piemonte & Emiia-Romagna that braise pork (or chicken...) this way, with and without bones. Must be another example of the French stealing from the Italians.

[Sthitch]

I first made this dish a long time ago, based on a Madeleine Kamman recipe, which she said was Swiss. She recommended that the dish be made with a bone-in loin. In general, braised meat dishes have more flavor when cooked with a bone. I find that boneless pork loins--whether chops or roast-- are often dry. I presume that this is because of lack of marbling, the "other white meat" syndrome. But I think your impulse to cook it low and slow is right. It is delicious, even though the pot is a pain to clean afterwards. I haven't made it in years. Hmmm.

I have made this dish in the past on the stove top, this was the first time in the oven. Next time I am also going to brine the pork which should help with the moistness and the flavor, but it was a spur of the moment way to cook a pork loin.

The pot was easy to clean this morning, but that is because it was soaking overnight, and is a small Le Cruset (sp?) - the enameling really helps, but on one of my stainless pots, I am sure that I would still be scrubbing it.

[zoramargolis]

Next time I am also going to brine the pork which should help with the moistness and the flavor, but it was a spur of the moment way to cook a pork loin.

What's the consensus here about brining pork that is going into a braising pot? This is a new concept to me--I've only done brining for pork or poultry that was going to be roasted or grilled. For beef braising cuts I have done cooked wine marinades, or for lamb, have done several-day yogurt marinades that do not have any salt in them.

[Sthitch]

What's the consensus here about brining pork that is going into a braising pot? This is a new concept to me--I've only done brining for pork or poultry that was going to be roasted or grilled. For beef braising cuts I have done cooked wine marinades, or for lamb, have done several-day yogurt marinades that do not have any salt in them.

The meat in the middle of the loin definately needed salt, that is why I want to brine it before I try it again. Hell if it sucks, I am not out much money (I am cooking for two so the loin is small), and I can always eat the sides.

[zoramargolis]

I have a new cookbook--_SPICE, Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean_ by Ana Sortun, and finally got around to trying some recipes from it.

I had brined a chicken and then dried it in the fridge for two days, so I roasted it with EVO and a Spanish paprika rub, and made accompaniments from _Spice_:

Fennel salad with lemon, EVO, blood orange sections and olives

Smoky eggplant puree with pine nuts, garlic and urfa pepper (I substituted marash pepper, a Turkish dried red pepper I bought at Surfas)

Chickpea crepes with cumin and Reggiano--used to scoop up the eggplant puree

Carrot puree (I substituted winter squash) with lemon, harissa, cumin and ginger

Dukkah--an Egyptian ground spice mix with toasted almonds, coconut, sesame seeds, cumin, coriander, and salt

(the recommended method for eating was to take a chunk of warm baguette, dip it into olive oil, then into the dukkah and then spread on some carrot (squash) puree. This was amazingly delicious.

Now that I have dipped into this cookbook, I really want to delve further. The flavors are so intriguing. There are a plethora of delectable-sounding recipes-- lots of interesting vegetarian dishes. This book is a winner! I have lots of cookbooks I look at. This one I am going to cook from.

[rkduggins]

Tonight continues my recent obsession with swine. I had three friends for dinner this evening and served:

Pork loin braised in chardonnay

Roasted leeks and fennel

Lemon rice flavored with mint, colored with tumeric

Pepperwood chardonnay 2005

[Pat]

andouille sausage, red beans, and rice with flour tortillas and shredded cheddar

salad with butter lettuce, parsley, fresh mozzarella, cucumber, tomato, and bacon with a creamy ranch dressing

[legant]

I’m liking that Pepin fellow. However, I’m titling my book Burnt Food My Way.

Today’s show featured shrimp and scallop mousse potstickers. JP makes things look so easy. Instead of shrimp and scallops, I used ground turkey that was nearing its expiration date. I also had on hand: cilantro, water chestnuts, ginger, jalapeño, and scallions. Chopped that and mixed with turkey and used as filling for the potstickers.

I didn’t have round wontons like Jack but I did have squares. Again, following Jackie’s lead, I rolled out half the wontons so they would be a bit bigger than the rest. Placed filling on wonton and used larger wonton to seal. Crimped – Ha! That was a joke – the edges.

Q: How does one get consistent looking potstickers, ravioli, spring rolls, etc.?

A: The same way you get to Carnegie Hall. Or.

Using Juan's method, added oil and water to heated pan. Cooked, covered, one side until water evaporated – this is where they burned – then flipped and continued cooking (without additional oil or water) till browned. Those suckers were huge. I used one wonton (rather than two) for the second batch. Much more manageable. Browned in oil, flipped and then steamed.

Evaluation: Pretty good. Could have mixed more of the cilantro/water chestnut/jalapeno stuff with the turkey. (Note to self: ground turkey needs to be over seasoned.) Had enough leftover filler. Mixed it with some Mae Ploy to “kick it up a notch.” And, since I was going with an Asian flair, could have used a bit of sesame oil/seeds. Overall: four (4) forks.

[lackadaisi]

Julia Child's Onion Soup

Boeuf a la Bourguignonne

Rosemary Potatoes (would have made rice pilaf but for the diabetic who will be joining us)

JParrott's amazing bread

Broccoli

Sorbets (store-bought) with blackberries (so I can pretend this is a diet dinner)

[mdt]

JParrott's amazing bread

Oh, do tell.

Roasted monkfish with dill and garlic

Roasted orange cauliflower

Stewed green lentils

[Pat]

Somewhere on these boards I saw someone mention having a goat cheese-garlic flan with beets, and it sounded so good, I decided I wanted to make one. (I can't get the search feature to find the original mention, so I don't know who it was, but thanks for the idea )

I searched around online and looked at a few recipes and put together a golden beet-goat cheese-roasted garlic flan. It came out really well. The texture seemed just about perfect, and it was delicious. I didn't make the accompanying sauce from the primary recipe I was drawing on, though, and it could have used something.

I served the flan with braised beet greens, swiss chard, pine nuts, garlic, and chopped golden beets. I cooked the greens just a bit too long and probably should have reserved some of the beets as a garnish for the flan.

It was a successful experiment overall, though. I'll definitely be making the flan again.

[DanCole42]

My wife's dream meal:

-Chicken Parmesan with my special herb-Dijon-lemon emulsion batter under panko

-Truffle Parmesan mashed potatoes

-Dark chocolate souffle with extra dark chocolate truffles in the middle

[mdt]

-Dark chocolate souffle with extra dark chocolate truffles in the middle

Truffle added before or after baking?

[Erin11]

Pork tenderloin stuffed with gorgonzola/dried cherry mixture and topped with onion/port/quince paste sauce

Couscous with dried cherries, walnuts and golden raisins

Roasted cauliflower

The inspiration for the stuffed pork loin came from a recipe I saw on Epicurious, I substituted the dried cherries for figs as that's what I had on hand. Initially, I was just going to heat the quince paste on its own to make a glaze, but got the idea for the onions and port from an episode of America's Test Kitchen I happened to catch over the weekend. And am I glad I saw that episode - loved the sauce!

[DanCole42]

Truffle added before or after baking?

Before. Actually I added two... she likes things... gooey...

[zoramargolis]

Lentil and kale soup with harissa and ras al hanout

Merguez meatballs (lamb) with minted yogurt sauce

Spiced squash puree with dukkah (ground seed, nut and spice blend)

Chickpea crepes

2005 Pillar Box Red