Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[Pat]

Not-quite-hot-and-sour beef and shiitake soup*

Spicy Miso Chicken Thighs

Red Rice

*I threw together random stuff I needed to use up, and then added hot peppers, rice vinegar, and sesame oil, making it quasi-hot and sourish.

[Pat]

Tomato bruschetta

Balsamic-glazed pork chops [recipe that legant linked upthread]

Mashed russet potatoes and sweet potatoes (made separately and arranged together)

[monavano]

Sweet and hot Italian sausage with onions and peppers in marinara over rigatoni.

Tossed salad with the season's last tomatoes.

Elvis pie taken home from The Overwood Grill last night.

[zoramargolis]

Southern fried chicken

Smashed potatoes with mushroom gravy

Coleslaw

Homemade biscuits (made with 2/3 butter, 1/3 lard, from Paula Deen's recipe that calls for yeast, baking soda, baking powder and buttermilk)

Magic Hat Fat Angel

[Pat]

Baguette and olive oil

Miso-marinated cod over

braised baby bok choy, shallots, and radicchio

Baked d'anjou pears filled with mascarpone and wrapped in proscuitto

[zoramargolis]

Caramelized onion and mushroom tart with homemade ricotta

Prosciutto

Mesclun salad with sungold tomatoes and pinenuts, Banyuls vinaigrette

Polvoron Artesano de Almendra (Spanish Almond Pastry)

Comice pear

2005 Strauss Gelber Muskateller

[edenman]

Pork Belly, Braised (Cedarbrook)

Turnips, Glazed (WF)

Sunchoke Puree (WF)

The Pork Belly and Glazed Turnips was from Molly Stevens' All About Braising, and it was delicious. The turnips ended up a bit different than expected, but still good. I felt like they needed a bit of something else to contrast the straight turnip flavor...maybe some cheese or a hit of cayenne or something.

The sunchokes were an impulse WF buy (are sunchokes generally $5/lb? It seemed a bit high but I've never bought them before) and the recipe adapted from this, except I didn't peel the sunchokes, and I used less butter (less butter?!? i'm confused!). Still very creamy, and really good.

[Anna Blume]

Turnips, Glazed (WF)

Sunchoke Puree (WF)

As part of dinner last night I made a turnip & sunchoke gratin.

Thin slices stewed first in butter on top of stove w a little thyme, then layered w cheese grated from the hardened end of something way in the back of the shelf, and baked. Combination of half and half and chicken stock.

WFM posted the price for sunchokes as $3.99, but receipt read $4.99. Call them on it. I also saw sunchokes at the farmer's market. Great in soup, too.

[Dave Pressley]

4 oz. Truffled Foie Gras Mousse from Dean & Deluca

8 oz. Duck Rillettes from D&D

1 baguette from Harris Teeter

Homemade balsamic marinated cippollini onions

Store bought cornichons

Aged Gouda (for my wife-- I dislike the taste of feet!)

...and a few bottles of wine (Robert Foley Charbono...LOVE IT).

All in all, it made for a very nice, romantic picnic-style dinner (once our 2 year old finally went to bed!)

[Dave Pressley]

I also saw sunchokes at the farmer's market. Great in soup, too.

Try frying them for sunchoke chips. Awesome...simply awesome.

[captcourt]

Last night:

larb gai (made by my +1, using the recipe from True Thai, it was better than the many times I've made the same recipe, so it appears I have something to learn) tucked into Boston lettuce leaves

pad thai, with a better - i.e., slightly more sour - sauce than the one I made last time

and imaginary cranberry bread pudding, which we were going to make but ran out of steam after making the Thai food. I think we'll make that tonight.

[Pat]

Last night was pumpkin lasagna. The mussels in saffron broth got finished a little late, so we mostly had them for lunch today as a soup.

[Anna Blume]

Last night was pumpkin lasagna.

My first high school was built by an award-winning architect, Kevin Roche, an utter failure since the dependence on broad glass surfaces, in the middle of an urban environment in turbulent times, earned it the name of Plywood High before a decade had passed.

Back then, new graduates from Yale University believed they could change the world by reaching out to inner-city youth in the classroom. So, they stayed in New Haven and sat on desks rather than behind them. They strived for relevance, or at least, attention-grabbing alternatives to Shakespeare, Thoreau and Salinger.

So, I signed up for a course in witchcraft taught by the Sterns, two professional ghost hunters who always dressed in black, assisted by a bearded Yalie who made sure the subject matter qualified for credit as an English course.

I don't remember much about the curriculum except for the exercises in telepathic communication. We closed our eyes a lot and received messages. I found myself to be particularly gifted in this area. So did the Sterns.

Here's the proof. First, Zora and I cook related dinners on the same night, both using cast iron skillets for our birds. Then the turnip-sunchoke combo.

Now, this. Only last night I adapted a recipe Russ Parsons published in the LA Times this fall: a deconstructed lasagna w broad sheets of fresh egg pasta layered w jazz-upped ricotta, herbed butter and cubes of roasted butternut squash, assembled, and placed in the oven only to reheat. I used sage instead of rosemary, and roasted a winter squash I picked up at the farmers' market that looks very much like a small pumpkin.

[Pat]

Here's the proof. First, Zora and I cook related dinners on the same night, both using cast iron skillets for our birds. Then the turnip-sunchoke combo.

Now, this. Only last night I adapted a recipe Russ Parsons published in the LA Times this fall: a deconstructed lasagna w broad sheets of fresh egg pasta layered w jazz-upped ricotta, herbed butter and cubes of roasted butternut squash, assembled, and placed in the oven only to reheat. I used sage instead of rosemary, and roasted a winter squash I picked up at the farmers' market that looks very much like a small pumpkin.

I used an LA Times recipe too, but it was from 2003! . I only followed it loosely and not for making the pumpkin part. The lasagna recipe used a bechamel sauce, which I thought worked well. Instead of taleggio, I used tartufello. I had made the pumpkin mixture from a ravioli recipe which was not to be and needed to use it for something.

for assembling the lasagna

for the pumpkin filling

[scottmcl]

Lovely pot roast. Small cuts in the beef stuffed with pieces of garlic. Seasoned with salt. Crushed all spice, black and green peppercorns, pickling spices; quickly dry roast the spices and rubbed them all over (the beef, not me). Marinated in about 1/3 to 1/2 bottle red wine and a chopped onion for 24 hours.

Rendered some pork fat in a dutch oven and browned the beef. Remove. Saute in fat a carrot, some fennel stems (why not?), a few rough cut shallots. Tossed in the fried fatty pork for good measure. Put the beef back in on top of the veges and pork pieces. Dump the marinade over the roast and pour about 1/2 bottle of red wine into the dutch oven.

Bring to a simmer on stove top and toss into the oven. Cook at around 280-300 degrees for 5 hours (just check for very slow bubble, no boil).

Removed the meat. Strained the sauce, reduced it and thickened very, very slightly with a little beure manie.

Best pot roast I ever had (ok, i didn't eat beef for 15 years, but still). Consumed with braised fennel root and crusty bread. Yummy.

[zoramargolis]

Lovely pot roast. Small cuts in the beef stuffed with pieces of garlic. Seasoned with salt. Crushed all spice, black and green peppercorns, pickling spices; quickly dry roast the spices and rubbed them all over (the beef, not me). Marinated in about 1/3 to 1/2 bottle red wine and a chopped onion for 24 hours.

Rendered some pork fat in a dutch oven and browned the beef. Remove. Saute in fat a carrot, some fennel stems (why not?), a few rough cut shallots. Tossed in the fried fatty pork for good measure. Put the beef back in on top of the veges and pork pieces. Dump the marinade over the roast and pour about 1/2 bottle of red wine into the dutch oven.

Your pot roast sounds wonderful. With all of the extra effort you put into it (and the red wine), you could get highfalutin' and call it bouef en daube. And even though you may be perfectly happy with your method, here are a couple of hints to make it even yummier next time:

1) Simmer the red wine (use the whole bottle of wine) with the spices for about 15-20 minutes, and let it cool. Then strain out the spices before marinating the meat. That way you don't have little gritty bits clinging to the meat that end up in your sauce. Cooking the wine first gives you a more mellow final product than what you get with a raw wine marinade.

2) Add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste to the dutch oven before you put your braise in the oven. You'll have a richer sauce. Also add a slug of balsamic, red wine or sherry vinegar for balance. The pickling spices you used probably contain some broken up bay leaf, but throw a couple into the pot. Ditto some fresh thyme sprigs and Italian parsley. If you leave them whole, they're easy to fish out of the pot when you take it out of the oven.

Dinner last night:

Posole

Corn tortillas

Pacifico

[DanCole42]

Cedar grilled chicken with lemon leek butter

Grilled portabellos

Mediterranean salad

Crusty bread (store bought)

999 Ruche

[monavano]

Recently:

French onion soup with fresh thyme, vermouth, sherry and white wine.

Chili mac using Hard Times Cinncinati Chili mix. I often make my own mix, but I particularly like HT.

Tonight is my favorite cuisine- cheesesteaks!

[zoramargolis]

tonight:

Starter: Roasted Black Mission figs stuffed with homemade goat ricotta, wrapped in prosciutto, dusted with fennel pollen and lavender powder and drizzled with Toigo appleblossom honey. <Whew!> Delicious!

Main: Charcoal roasted, herb-brined Eco-Friendly chicken*

Veggie-teen had eggplant-garbanzo parmesan--a casserole with roasted eggplant, garbanzos, tomato, garlic, Kalamatas, fresh basil and capers, topped with mozzarella di bufala and Reggiano and baked until browned and bubbly. She usually doesn't like eggplant, but she liked this... good thing I didn't tell her there was eggplant in it

Golden cauliflower-potato puree with cheddar cheese

Green beans

2005 Brouilly Laurent Martray

Last: Spanish almond cookies and double espressos

*I thought that Jonathan was going out of town on Thursday for a few days, but he's actually leaving tomorrow morning for a week, so of course I way over-shopped this weekend. I froze some of the meat I bought, but I didn't have enough room in the freezer so I had to cook the chicken I bought at the Dupont market before he left, and although I usually brine chickens for 24 hours and then let the skin dry for a day or two before I roast them, well obviously that was impossible, so I made an herb brine this morning and brined the chicken for about 8 hours and didn't dry the skin except with paper towels, and then I slathered the skin with olive oil and my spice rub and roasted it in the Weber Kettle for an hour. And Jonathan thought it was better than the way I usually do it. It was so moist and flavorful and the skin was spicy and crackly. We couldn't stop eating it, it was so good. There's only a little bit left for me to have in the refrigerator while he is gone, and it was a pretty big chicken. So much for conventional wisdom.

[scottmcl]

zoramargolis - thanks for the pot roast suggestions! I actually got some sprigs of fresh thyme in the mix, but next time I'll definitely try cooking the wine.

Tonight, it's pot roast leftovers, but I made a nice cauliflower gratin. Milk/onion/thyme; scald and strain. Make a roux and then whisk in the milk and some grated aged gruyere and a splash of cognac (season to taste, yada yada). Pour over steamed cauliflower in a casserole. Top with buttered bread crumbs and bake in a 400 degree oven.

This was the "maiden voyage" for my new Lodge enamel casserole pan, and she performed like a champ :-) I'd made this dish before in my 60's era opaquish glass casseroles inherited/pilfered from mom - you know, the kind that are as high as wide. The new casserole has low sleek lines and easily produces twice the amount of yummy crusty top.

[Pat]

buttermilk fried chicken

green beans

salad of baby arugula, pea vines, tomato, cucumber, and proscuitto (w/Caesar dressing)

[laniloa]

Stone crab. Caught yesterday, in my belly this evening.

Served picnic style, cold, with an assortment of flavorings -- lemon, lime, melted butter, homemade cocktail sauce, and the classic mustard sauce. Lime was my favorite with butter a close second. The classic mustard and cocktail sauce overwhelmed all crab flavor.

It has been a good season so far. No hurricanes means no lost traps and no scramble to recover or replace traps and no costs to pass on to the consumer.

[scottmcl]

Tonight was pork chops with a lovely shallot/chicken stock/mustard/cream sauce. Got some nice thick chops from Eastern Market. A little shy on the shallots, so I added a bit of minced red onion as well. Deglaze pan with the stock, then add mustard and a little cream. Tasty!

Simple salad - romaine, 1/2 seedless cucumber, one roma tomato. Ken's Caesar dressing - ok, so sue me

[zoramargolis]

Last night:

Roasted spaghetti squash with marinara sauce

FraMani spicy Italian sausage

Looseleaf lettuce salad with garbanzos, cucumber and tomato

Persimmon custard pie

2003 The Lucky Country (Two Hands) Shiraz/Cabernet

[monavano]

Eco-Friendly lamb rib chops marinated and pan seared served with pan reduction sauce.

Braised lacinato kale with raisins (New Morning Farm)

Oven roasted butternut squash (from the market a week ago)

I have to say the lamb is amazing. So tender and juicy.

[zoramargolis]

Eco-Friendly lamb rib chops marinated and pan seared served with pan reduction sauce.

Braised lacinato kale with raisins (New Morning Farm)

Oven roasted butternut squash (from the market a week ago)

I have to say the lamb in amazing. So tender and juicy.

What did you use for the marinade?

[monavano]

What did you use for the marinade?

In a plastic baggie, I put olive oil, lemon juice, fresh rosemary, dijon mustard, crushed garlic and a bit of s&p. Oh, and a splash of white wine. I only marinated for under an hour on the counter just before searing, because they seemed so delicate. Each chop yielded a silver dollar size tender morsel of lamb. Well worth the splurge which I think I'll treat us to now and again. And again

[porcupine]

Chilaquiles.

[DonRocks]

Chilaquiles.

Crushed up Doritos and Hormel?

[porcupine]

Crushed up Doritos and Hormel?

A little better than that. Nana's Cochina brand corn chips, homemade tomatillo salsa (from homegrown tomatillos), homemade chicken stock. You know, haute junk food.

[Pat]

Soft ground beef tacos with roasted hot peppers

Refried black beans

White rice with peas

Chopped tomatoes, shredded jack cheese, and chopped lettuce accompaniments for the tacos

[Xochitl10]

I've got two gift kabocha that need using, so. . .

Last night: teriyaki salmon, shungiku (chrysanthemum greens) steeped in soy and topped with a few bonito flakes, and rice steamed with kabocha.

Tonight: shouga-yaki and a clear soup with kabocha and wakame.

[Anna Blume]

Tuesday: Hotdish w peas

Wednesday: Reheated hotdish w Red Russian kale

* * *

Pork chop from Cedarbrook Farms brined w fresh bay leaves from a local back yard, guajillo chile & crushed Juniper berries. Seared in lard. Garlic, white wine, stock, porcini liquor, a dot of cream, chopped reconstituted porcini & lemon juice. Very good, though I'm not sure what the brine contributed.

Cardoon gratin w stock, cream & Parmesan—first time I purchased the stalks grown from seeds eG's Hathor brought back from Italy for Next Step Produce.

A major improvement over the plants Heinz grew before her gift. Pretty solid. Took the time to peel the strings off and cooked them in a blanc at lower simmer for around 40 minutes before baking them. After cooking, the trimmed pieces weighed a little over a pound. Delicate artichoke flavor and less of a pain to prep than globe artichokes, with a lot less waste. Reserved some to try as a soup w tiny meatballs (Abruzzo) and spaghetti (Babbo).

Here's a link to the seed donor's recommendations for preparing the stalks.

Buttermilk mashed potatoes

Concord grapes

[zoramargolis]

Tuesday: Hotdish w peas

Wednesday: Reheated hotdish w Red Russian kale

I know only about hotdish in the abstract--a home cooking staple of the Midwest--from listening to "Prairie Home Companion".

Please enlighten me as to the specifics.

[Anna Blume]

I know only about hotdish in the abstract--a home cooking staple of the Midwest--from listening to "Prairie Home Companion".

Please enlighten me as to the specifics.

I'd invite you to try googling the word. Mine was more natural than not, included two local organic bell peppers, and nothing from Campbell's, though a can shipped from Alaska was involved. The original function of microplanes made a lot of sense when it came to the chunk of anonymous cheese that also made its way into the Corningware.

[monavano]

Seared chicken breast with orange and yellow bell peppers, capers, garlic in a white wine sauce over fettucine. Grated pecorino to top.

Cheesecake for dessert.

[Pat]

Mushroom Veloute with Almonds*

Greek Zucchini Balls (Kolokythokeftedes)

Greek Potato Balls (Patatokeftedes)

leftover fried chicken

*from Pepin's Fast Food My Way. The recipe is accessible via the search inside the book feature at Amazon and is reproduced with some changes here: http://www.thecookbookcritic.com/archives/...od_my_wa_5.html

[scottmcl]

Last night was Caldo Verde, a wonderful Portuguese potato and kale soup. I had a friend over to help me eat it, which we did with gusto in huge bowls with some crusty bread and scallion butter.

I stumbled on this soup when my son's mother recently asked me how she might get our one year old son to eat kale (the allure of "super-foods"). So after some Googling, I thought a soup might be a good bet - my son doesn't have too many teeth yet

Recipes are all over the Web, but it's basically a pureed soup of onions, garlic, sausage and potatoes (6 of them) and water/stock. Then you chiffonade 1+ pounds of fresh kale, slice a few more sausages (chourico) and add that to the pot. Season with salt and pepper (I added some paprika too) and serve.

Today I hope to visit my son, re-puree the soup with the kale and see how he likes it. I love to cook, but I have to say few things are so gratifying to me as seeing my baby munch happily on his daddy's cuisine.

[zoramargolis]

I'd invite you to try googling the word. Mine was more natural than not, included two local organic bell peppers, and nothing from Campbell's, though a can shipped from Alaska was involved. The original function of microplanes made a lot of sense when it came to the chunk of anonymous cheese that also made its way into the Corningware.

An American strata perchance? Did yours have bread in it?

[Pat]

An American strata perchance? Did yours have bread in it?

Hotdish is a midwestern (ca. Minnesota/the Dakotas) name for a casserole. It typically has a starch, a protein, a sauce (often a can of cream of something soup), and sometimes a vegetable and/or a topping of some sort. I've become acquainted with them after reading years of rec.food.cooking .

[monavano]

Last night was Caldo Verde, a wonderful Portuguese potato and kale soup. I had a friend over to help me eat it, which we did with gusto in huge bowls with some crusty bread and scallion butter.

I stumbled on this soup when my son's mother recently asked me how she might get our one year old son to eat kale (the allure of "super-foods"). So after some Googling, I thought a soup might be a good bet - my son doesn't have too many teeth yet

Recipes are all over the Web, but it's basically a pureed soup of onions, garlic, sausage and potatoes (6 of them) and water/stock. Then you chiffonade 1+ pounds of fresh kale, slice a few more sausages (chourico) and add that to the pot. Season with salt and pepper (I added some paprika too) and serve.

Today I hope to visit my son, re-puree the soup with the kale and see how he likes it. I love to cook, but I have to say few things are so gratifying to me as seeing my baby munch happily on his daddy's cuisine.

This is one of my all time favorite soups. I actually make mine often with kielbasa.

Last night:

apple (Allenburg Orchard empire apples) and celery root (New Morning Farm) soup with Cibola bacon bits and chive oil

Flank steak seared on my cast iron grill

Smashed yukon gold potatoes

Salad topped with a bunch of feta

[Anna Blume]

Hotdish .

Pat, the expression is well-chosen. Zora, if I see you at the market, I'll provide further details, but really, I'd rather not commit them to writing.

FTR, after 3 days of brining, a center-cut loin pork chop from Cedarbrook Farms was fabulous. I used Judy Rodger's recommendations for a process she calls house-curing. Served it w her roasted applesauce which calls for a dot of apple cider vinegar when out of the oven.

[zoramargolis]

Impromptu dinner party for six teenaged girls: "Mom? I invited ___, ___, ___ and ___ over for dinner, okay?" And then two more get called and invited, because they would have felt left out. Which is fine, because the empty nest will be upon me very soon.

Salad of frisee endive, looseleaf lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and pine nuts

Rigatoni-type pasta with marinara, mixed wild mushrooms, homemade ricotta, and Reggiano

Garlic-cheese toast

Tiramisu

The girls drank Coke, cream soda or water

I had 2006 Epifanio

They did the dishes =:-D

[Xochitl10]

Niku-jaga: thin slices of beef, quartered potatoes, onion, shirataki (konnyaku noodles), and green beans simmered in dashi, mirin, sake, sugar, and soy sauce.

Miso soup with wakame and tofu

"Baby cheese" dipped in soy sauce mixed with wasabi

[Pat]

Salad of baby arugula and pea vines; buffalo mozzarella; vinaigrette

Short ribs braised in porter ale with maple-rosemary glaze

Greek potato balls (but shaped as large potato pancakes this time around)

The short rib recipe was from All About Braising. Porter isn't something I usually drink (or keep on hand). For the 1 1/2 cups I needed for the recipe, I picked up a bottle of Stone Smoked Porter at Marvelous Market that worked nicely with the flavors of the dish. The remainder of the (1 pt. 6 oz.) bottle proved very drinkable .

[edenman]

The short rib recipe was from All About Braising. Porter isn't something I usually drink (or keep on hand). For the 1 1/2 cups I needed for the recipe, I picked up a bottle of Stone Smoked Porter at Marvelous Market that worked nicely with the flavors of the dish. The remainder of the (1 pt. 6 oz.) bottle proved very drinkable .

That beer is delicious.

I was also braising last night ('tis the season) from All About Braising. I had about 2.5lb of pork shoulder left from the pâté I made during the day, so the menu unfolded as:

Caribbean Pork Shoulder

Creamy grits (I had a pork and grits dish at Eve a few nights ago and was inspired)

Baked Potato with Salad

Pâté of Pork Liver and Shoulder, Mustard, Parsley/Garlic paste

[scottmcl]

Yesterday was creamed chicken livers and mushrooms on toast. This is one of my father's regular recipes from my teen years, and I still love it.

Start with the holy trinity - finely chopped onions, carrots, celery. Add a few cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, some thyme sprigs and seasoning. Soften and set aside in a bowl. Brown livers and then add a few tbsp of flour and some paprika. Add about 10 large mushrooms, chopped or sliced. Add veges back to the pan, then deglaze with some white wine (I dumped in some sherry I wanted to get rid of too), which will then reduce and thicken. A few tbsp of vinegar will cut through the sweet. Finally add some basil and cream (or 1/2 and 1/2) and cook for a few minutes, reseason yada yada. Serve over toast.

[Pat]

That beer is delicious.

Yes, it is. I'm glad I discovered it. I decided I'd scan the beer selection at Marvelous Market before trying the liquor store, since I was starting out kind of late in acquiring my ingredients. When I saw that in a single bottle, I figured it sounded like a good bet for a short rib braise, and it was. I doubt I'd ever have bought it to drink if I hadn't stumbled upon it this way.

[captcourt]

Friends over last night, hadn't cooked for them before, so +1 and I decided to go all out, meaning four courses rather than three.

Roasted red pepper soup with polenta croutons from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (go-to recipe, as no one has ever disliked it)

Salad of chopped fennel with farmer's market arugula and a honey-lemon dressing

Rib roast with the English Prime Rib rub from The Spice House

Garlic mashed potatoes

Vanilla souffle with raspberry sauce

Various beverages, including ginger vodka cocktails with a little lime juice and actual grated ginger

Bottle of Saintsbury pinot noir

Friends left happy, we collapsed into food coma.

[scottmcl]

Last night was steak with chimichurri sauce; tagliatelle with asparagus, proscuitto, butter, wine and cream (fresh herbs, etc.)