Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[Pat]

broiled lamb chops with garlic and rosemary

couscous topped with stewed tomatoes

[Pat]

Broccoli slaw with dried cranberries

Braised chuck eye steak

Baked sweet potatoes

[Erin11]

Pork tenderloin w/ teriyaki-style sauce

Citrus couscous with golden raisins, dried cherries, walnuts

Roasted asparagus

Lemon square for dessert

[Pat]

Pesto penne with asparagus and shrimp

Country wheat baguette

[Heather]

Sounds good. After a month of no seafood I am craving shrimp like crazy. There's a recipe in the new Bon Appetit for linguini with shrimp and asparagus that we'll be trying this weekend.

[edenman]

Leftover Hitching Post fried chicken baked in the oven.

[Pat]

Sounds good. After a month of no seafood I am craving shrimp like crazy. There's a recipe in the new Bon Appetit for linguini with shrimp and asparagus that we'll be trying this weekend.

I'm glad the dietary restrictions are coming to an end. I haven't checked out the last couple issues of Bon Appetit. They just went straight into the magazine stack in the living room. I'll have to look for that recipe.

[Barbara]

Went to the Penn Quarter farmers' market today and bought some (very expensive) morels and some trumpet mushrooms (which the proprietor described as The Poor Man's Porcini). Bought some chard at another stand and would have bought another dozen eggs, but I was out of cash by then.

Dinner tonight was pasta with the mushrooms (cooked with some chicken stock, wine, and cream with garlic and scallions--enhanced at the table with white truffle oil and parmesan cheese) and the sauteed chard. I informed Dame Edna that this was one of the most expensive pastas we have had. Decided that the morels just weren't worth it: the preparation was kinda icky and time consuming. However, the other mushrooms might well be worth another visit.

[Xochitl10]

4:1 Tanqueray Rangpur martini

Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange chicken and steamed rice

[heatherose]

Last night I made french onion soup for the first time. very good, but need to find a way for the cheese to not get covered by soup when broiling. I suspect this happened because I submerged the croutons first.

p.s. I am new. Hi!

[Pat]

Last night I made french onion soup for the first time. very good, but need to find a way for the cheese to not get covered by soup when broiling. I suspect this happened because I submerged the croutons first.

p.s. I am new. Hi!

Hi! Welcome.

I think I usually put the bread in first before the cheese. I'm not sure that would cause the soup to bubble over the cheese. More likely, my guess would be that the cheese may not have covered the entire top of the crock/bowl. I usually do my broiling on a baking sheet so I can put lots of cheese on top and not worry about it dripping over into the oven.

Last night was pan-grilled flatiron steaks (one of them was very gristly ), baked mashed sweet potato casserole, and braised sesame baby bok choy.

[zoramargolis]

Pan-crisped polenta cakes

Shrimp in creamy "creole" sauce* with fresh corn and tarragon

Haricots verts

2005 La Pepiere Muscadet Cuvee Eden

Chocolate-covered Dove ice cream bars

*I sauteed sweet onion, roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, roasted poblano chile then added canned tomato, dry vermouth and homemade chicken stock and simmered all for 20 minutes with celery leaf, bay leaf, fresh thyme and tarragon. Then the herbs were removed and the mixture was pureed and creme fraiche added, and a dash of Sriracha hot sauce to turn up the heat a little. The corn was cut off the cob, cooked separately and sprinkled over the sauce and shrimp, along with the chopped tarragon.

[Anna Blume]

Went to the Penn Quarter farmers' market today and bought some (very expensive) morels and some trumpet mushrooms (which the proprietor described as The Poor Man's Porcini)...Decided that the morels just weren't worth it: the preparation was kinda icky and time consuming. However, the other mushrooms might well be worth another visit.

If I'm thinking of the same thing, the trumpets are also referred to as King Oyster among other names. I was given a box of glorious ones last spring and cubed the stems to sauté with a little pancetta and slices of the bulbs of ramps for risotto. One of my neighbors complained to the receptionist at the front desk of my building that the aroma was driving her crazy--in a good way, I mean. I ate some of the lightly browned mushrooms alone with S & P and a squirt of lemon. So, so good! Really worth buying and eating right away if they were just picked.

[ol_ironstomach]

Coupla WF dry-aged rib steaks, medium-rare on my too-lazy-for-charcoal gas grill. Realized today that I could use the flare-up behavior of the unconventional grill bars to even out the done-ness near the bone side, for the win.

Wedges of iceberg lettuce and crappy blue cheese dressing.

2005 Eric Texier "Ô Pâle". Before, during, and after the steak...is there a more versatile wine? Imported by Louis/Dressner. As Parrott described it, "viognier vinified like it was a riesling". It's sweet yet plenty minerally; there's all kinds of fruit in the bouquet but it's not especially fruity...the balance is simply amazing. Crazy brilliant (if you like 'em off-dry) and frankly more delicious than most of the honest rieslings I drank last year. At $16 (in NYC) it was a freakin' steal. I don't know if anybody even carries it in the DC market, but if you see it and don't buy it, at least let me know where you saw it so I can reinforce my meager stash.

[jparrott]

I'm too lazy to find the right thread in the wine forum. The O Pale is a tour de force of cheek. About 7% abv, made by partially fermenting viognier juice (some young vine Condrieu, I believe), then slamming the think with sulfur to stop fermentation and set color. It yields a wine of amazing precision and focus for its variety and residual sugar level. Alas, I believe it is sold out in the US until next vintage.

Eric Texier is also experimenting with hyperoxidation of Rhone white varieties. Oxidizing the must of Clairette, Bourbolenc, or Viognier at pressing leads to the buildup of an enzyme called polyphenoloxidase, which prevents the wine from going brown despite the oxidation. The resulting wine shows no tiredness and plenty of focus and minerality. I have a friend in SA attempting to make a bit of Viognier using this method. I'll report back after I go there this summer.

[Heather]

Asparagus

Brown rice

Salmon cooked on its skin a la Jaques Pepin, with "mixed vegetable pickle." I am addicted to this stuff.

Tomorrow, ratatouille Fracoise Rigord (our vegetable box included eggplant and zucchini): very fiddly, each veg is cooked seperately. Wonderful seasoning (bouquet garni of parsley stems, fennel seed, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns) and no garlic.

Roast chicken

bread

green salad

[laniloa]

Gnocchi - my first attempt and rather good but the shaping could use some work.

I have some in brown butter and sage and some in a basic tomato sauce.

[Xochitl10]

Broiled chicken thighs rubbed with rosemary and lemon

Lentils cooked with a bit of pancetta and shallots

Sauteed spinach

[zoramargolis]

Tomorrow, ratatouille Fracoise Rigord (our vegetable box included eggplant and zucchini): very fiddly, each veg is cooked seperately. Wonderful seasoning (bouquet garni of parsley stems, fennel seed, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns) and no garlic.

I'm trying to imagine ratatouille without garlic. My mind's palate can't wrap itself around such a radical concept. Are you going to eat it hot or cold? Please report back.

[Heather]

We usually serve it room temperature. I might ditch the roast chicken idea and serve it with omelets filled with a little goat cheese and fresh herbs.

[legant]

Let's be honest: who, other than me, thought she had actually made the ice cream bars? Raise your hands! I was ready to fall at her feet in adoration.

Chocolate-covered Dove ice cream bars

[Okay... that's what happens when your skimming posts at 6:41 on a Sunday morning; brain hasn't kicked in.]

[zoramargolis]

Let's be honest: who, other than me, thought she had actually made the ice cream bars? Raise your hands! I was ready to fall at her feet in adoration.

[Okay... that's what happens when your skimming posts at 6:41 on a Sunday morning; brain hasn't kicked in.]

Oh, puh-leeze!!!

[Heather]

I assumed you bought them, Zora, but wouldn't have been surprised if you'd made them yourself.

This gorgeous weather is just perfect for grilling so we ditched the omelet idea and we're having burgers with bacon and sharp cheddar, coleslaw, old-fashioned macaroni salad, a little chilled pink wine, and ice cream cones for dessert.

[Pat]

Baked chicken breasts

Trio of mushrooms with bok choy and sesame

Almond rice pilaf

[jparrott]

a little chilled pink wine

If your consumption of chilled pink wine after grilling was anything like mine after a bit of yardwork, I will have to report this as less than truthful.

[thegourmetpig]

strawberry gazpacho with basil cream and black pepper

penne with mozarella and a tomato coulis

[zoramargolis]

I assumed you bought them, Zora, but wouldn't have been surprised if you'd made them yourself.

If I had made chocolate-covered ice cream on a stick--which I wouldn't, cause I don't have an ice cream maker--I wouldn't use Dove chocolate. I'd use Valrhona or Vosges...

Tonight we had a locavorian meal-- almost everything was local, from the Dupont Market, except the pasta (de Cecco), pine nuts, oil and vinegar. And the wine.

Orichiette with green garlic, leeks, dandelion greens, Eco-Friendly spicy Italian sausage and ricotta

Loudon Lettuce oakleaf salad with Reid Orchard bosc pear, cucumber from the place whose name I can't recall, and pine nuts.

2005 Oxford Landing Viognier

[Barbara]

I assumed you bought them, Zora, but wouldn't have been surprised if you'd made them yourself.

I don't know how familiar Zora is with the Tupperware "Frozen Bar" thingies, but I could imagine her filling them with her homemade ice cream and then dunking them is some melted chocolate. Not that my mother did that, but she just had them on hand . . .

[zoramargolis]

I don't know how familiar Zora is with the Tupperware "Frozen Bar" thingies, but I could imagine her filling them with her homemade ice cream and then dunking them is some melted chocolate. Not that my mother did that, but she just had them on hand . . .

Now you guys are shaming me into trying to do this. I have made granita, but don't think it's possible to make good ice cream without an ice cream maker. I've seen those inexpensive Cuisinart i.c. makers, but I'm going to have to discard something from my cabinet in order to make room for one. Hmm. Maybe the 35 cup drip coffee maker that I use about once every five years could go up to the attic. I have to get rid of something up there, though. It's our house rule--to bring something new in, something old has to go-- to cope with many years worth of accumulated crap in a tiny house. Trouble is--Jonathan's keepsakes are expendable as far as I'm concerned, and my kitchen equipment is unnecessary clutter to him. What to do, what to do? All that expense (Cuisinart, Tupperware) and potential family conflict in order to make some ice cream bars that cost five bucks at the Safeway... But my reputation is at stake, here.

[hillvalley]

Let me know if you need a taste tester

Last night's dinner: A meyer lemon experiment

Every dish had myer lemon juice or meyer oliver oil in it.

Broiled red snapper with salsa verde

Couscous with goat cheese

Sauteed peas and shallots finished with lavender vinegar

Each dish had it's own flavor but it was interesting to have an underlying base throughout the meal.

[ol_ironstomach]

Asparagus tips

Some really lame cous-cous

Whole organic chicken, accidentally spatchcocked 180 degrees out-of-phase (I couldn't stop her!), then marinated with olive oil, garlic, herbs de provence (commercial) plus a fistful of whatever green was poking up in the garden (sage, thyme, rosemary), and finally grilled menacingly by yours truly, with the low-and-slow part under a cast-iron pan instead of a brick. My best grilled bird yet.

[zoramargolis]

Pan seared veal liver with caramelized onions, Niman Ranch bacon, shiitake mushrooms, balsamico, dry Marsala, veal stock and fresh thyme*

Veggi-teen's main was a roasted portobello stuffed with mushroom-garlic tofu, sun-dried tomato, roasted garlic, ricotta and parmesan

Basmati pilaf

Brocolini with Meyer lemon and roasted garlic

Rhubarb compote

2005 Ch. des Bachelards Fleurie

*As the result of severe beef liver abuse in his childhood, J. is predisposed to dislike liver, even if it is mild, tender, perfectly cooked (medium rare) veal liver. He told me he'd just as soon have the onions, mushrooms, bacon and pan sauce on mashed potatoes, and forget the liver. I thought it was incredibly delicious.

[Pat]

Nachos

[Gubeen]

Asparagus tips

Some really lame cous-cous

Whole organic chicken, accidentally spatchcocked 180 degrees out-of-phase (I couldn't stop her!), then marinated with olive oil, garlic, herbs de provence (commercial) plus a fistful of whatever green was poking up in the garden (sage, thyme, rosemary), and finally grilled menacingly by yours truly, with the low-and-slow part under a cast-iron pan instead of a brick. My best grilled bird yet.

The reason the bird was so moist was precisely because it was cut through the breast! That was no accident, that was my foolproof plan. The marinade also included the fresh juice of 2 lemons and a head of garlic was pressed into service.

[cjsadler]

Chicken biryani

Sauteed okra with tomatoes and onions

Rudi Wiest "Fusion" Rielsing/Scheurebe blend (a fine Joe Riley pick)

[Pat]

Last night was another clean out the refrigerator meal:

goat cheese and basil ravioli with creme fraiche, parmesan, herbs, and smoked salmon

blanched asparagus, red and yellow peppers with Caesar dressing for dipping

(Leftovers for breakfast this morning were quite good.)

[rkduggins]

A too busy to cook meal of leftovers was the menu for me last night:

Korean short ribs

Feta cheese, kalamata olives and fresh oregano in toasted pita

Caio Bella vanilla gelato from the carton

[Pat]

Baked Goat Cheese and Garden Lettuces (Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook)

Roasted Beet Farrotto (Babbo Cookbook)

Broiled Cod with Champagne Mango and Peach Salsa

(I'd never heard of champagne mangos before but saw them at Whole Foods and thought they'd be good for salsa. Two of them and one peach, chopped parsley, plus some lime juice, s + p, made a nice chunky salsa for the fish.)

[thegourmetpig]

Risotto with red cabbage and pancetta (from Marcella Cucina cookbook)

Artichoke crostini

[DanCole42]

Day five of my Wegman's-catered housewarming party leftover-a-thon:

Chips & dip, veggies, potato salad, macaroni salad, tortellini salad, regular salad, sandwich wraps, cookies, soda, and beer for 25 people for less than $10/person... plus lunch and dinner for me and the Mrs. throughout the week

Potato salad going bad... must... finish...

[zoramargolis]

Artichokes with lemon-miso vinaigrette

Spiced carrot-leek soup with yogurt

Marinated fool (dried favas) and chickpeas

Roasted medjool dates stuffed with homemade lavender chevre, drizzled with Israeli olive oil, fleur de sel and lemon zest (!!!**wow!!)

Hommos

Tzatziki

From Lebanese Taberna--stuffed grape leaves and marinated eggplant salad

Oven-toasted lavash with olive oil, garlic and zaatar

Blackberry-strawberry crisp

2004 Don Salvador (Alicante) Monastrell ---unbelievable bargain from Arrowine @ $4.99.

[Pat]

Veal chops cacciatore over homemade egg pasta

Braised fennel finished with Parmesan

This was a really delicious combination.

[Heather]

Happy 5th Birthday Ian! His dinner choices:

chipotle cheddar burgers on the grill

corn on the cob (not great - mostly a vehicle for butter)

fruit salad

vanilla cupcakes with blue icing and sprinkles

[hm212]

Happy 5th Birthday Ian! His dinner choices:

chipotle cheddar burgers on the grill

corn on the cob (not great - mostly a vehicle for butter)

fruit salad

vanilla cupcakes with blue icing and sprinkles

I had almost the same dinner

I had black and blue burgers

fruit salad

tater tots

[Pat]

Happy 5th Birthday Ian! His dinner choices:

chipotle cheddar burgers on the grill

corn on the cob (not great - mostly a vehicle for butter)

fruit salad

vanilla cupcakes with blue icing and sprinkles

Happy birthday to Ian! We also had corn on the cob. It was leftover from last summer. This had been frozen after being parcooked and buttered. It wasn't reheating so well so I pan grilled it on top of the stove with extra butter and parmesan, which really perked it up.

The rest of the meal was also leftovers, a sampler that came out surprisingly well: Two breaded goat cheese disks reheated and served over salad greens with vinaigrette; a braised beef short rib; and a fishcake made from cod mixed with mayo, breadcrumbs, onion powder, pepper, and hot sauce. We also had a defrosted loaf of multigrain bread and butter. I had planned only to have corn and bread, but I kept stealing bites of my husband's food. The short rib and cod cake were really good, if I do say so myself.

[hillvalley]

Roasted asparagus topped with melted asiago cheese

Roasted artichokes smothered with sauteed ramps and the butter they were sauteed in.

The first strawberries of market sliced and topped with powdered sugar.

[laniloa]

Fruit smoothie. Why? Because it is 85 degrees and my air conditioner is broken. Grrrrrr.

[DanCole42]

Burgers and fries

For the toppings:

Sauteed criminis & red onions

Roquefort

Ketchup

Mustard

For the buns:

Sesame seed

For the paddies:

Beef

Worcesterhsesherrrrshershire sauce

Salt

Pepper

Heavy Cream*

*All the was left at the grocery store was very lean ground beef. Ordinarily, I'd grate in some onion and add some EVOO for moisture and to compensate for the low fat content. This time, I had about two tablespoons of cream left over from a previous night's dessert, so I figured, "Hey, this has fat in it. Might as well." It made the beef look hot pink, which was interesting, but the finished product tasted just fine. Does anyone know what effects, for good or for ill, my addition of cream would have had on the grilled burgers?

For the fries:

Who doesn't love the refreshing crispness and flavor and homemade french fries? If you don't have a deep fryer, though, they can be very tricky. I found that by cutting up my Russets into CUBES rather than fry shapes, I was able to cook them perfectly and evenly in a shallow fry pan with just a little bit of EVOO and butter, just making sure to turn them occasionally. I also infused the oil by cooking several cloves of garlic with the skins still on.

I removed the potatoes and tossed them in kosher salt and pepper. They were AMAZING as is, but I went a bit further... I mashed up the garlic with some lemon juice and mayo for dippin'. It was a hit.

[DanCole42]

Fruit smoothie. Why? Because it is 85 degrees and my air conditioner is broken. Grrrrrr.

Time for gazpacho.

[xcanuck]

Last night was a night made for the grill. Nieghbours were milling about the deck and bottles of various types of alcohol were being passed around/exchanged.

Grilled creamy eggplant dip

Marinated lamb kebabs

Grilled pitas

The eggplant dip was made out of grilled eggplants, garlic, fresh lemon juice, greek style yoghurt, and parsley. Grilled pita points went with that.

Chunks of boneless leg of lamb were marinated for three hours in lemon juice, mint, parsley, garlic, and olice oil, then skewered and grilled. Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm!!