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Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog


JPW

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You're sweet to ask, but I cobbled together something highly unorthodox.

Thanks! You know, I don't give a fig if it's unorthodox, so long as it tastes good (though I'm willing to admit that trying an authentic version of a dish leads to greater understanding). And this sounds like it will.

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Decided to wing a potato and leek soup. Sweated a large chopped leek in a little butter and evoo, added a couple of large sliced shallots. After about 5 mins I added diced celery root, stirred that around with more evoo and s&p. Then I threw in a pound of diced yukon gold and about a quart of vegetable stock. I let this simmer for about 1/2 hour then pureed it with my stick blender-- not too much, didn't want the potato to get gummy. I dusted some shallot slices with flour and separated them into rings, fried them until nicely carmelized and used as garnish along with a swirl of good evoo.

Turned into one of the best soups I've ever made. :(

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I dusted some shallot slices with flour and separated them into rings, fried them until nicely carmelized and used as garnish along with a swirl of good evoo.
I'm stealing your garnish idea :(. I really like that.

I made a small chilaquile casserole for my husband last night (a Mollie Katzen recipe) before I went out to a party.

Since I was going to a party with a lot of food, I didn't eat before I left, but then when I was at the party, it was too late for me to be interested in eating anything substantial :(. So my dinner last night was a couple of handfuls of popcorn and some cheese slices. (There was a lot of good food at the party, which I'm sorry I missed out on. Once a certain time passes, I really don't have an appetite. Maybe this is a byproduct of my many years of dieting, in which I've trained myself not to eat late at night.)

ETA: This is the chilaquile casserole recipe. It's an old standby. I don't think I've ever halved it before, but that worked fine. I only had enough old tortillas to make a half batch.

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Decided to wing a potato and leek soup. Sweated a large chopped leek in a little butter and evoo, added a couple of large sliced shallots. After about 5 mins I added diced celery root, stirred that around with more evoo and s&p. Then I threw in a pound of diced yukon gold and about a quart of vegetable stock. I let this simmer for about 1/2 hour then pureed it with my stick blender-- not too much, didn't want the potato to get gummy. I dusted some shallot slices with flour and separated them into rings, fried them until nicely carmelized and used as garnish along with a swirl of good evoo.

Turned into one of the best soups I've ever made. :(

Love it when this kind of thing happens! I've grown so dependent on cookbooks as a way to get me out of ruts in the kitchen that consequently, I've become rusty when it comes to improvisation. However, soups are one of the most forgiving ways to restore one's sea legs and mix metaphors at the same time.

I bought a Long Island pumpkin a while back at the farmer's market even though I had heard the variety could be kind of bland. It just was so pretty and I was in the mood.

Rumor proved true. Froze some of the leftover purée and took it out to make a simple soup with half a leftover onion, some sage and a new batch of (mostly) chicken stock.

Blah. Added some cream. Better, but... So I rummaged around for the muhammara and plopped a bit into the center of the bowl. Swirled. Wonderful!!!!

* * *

Another great garnish: Batter-fried sage leaves

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Poached salmon

Mashed yukon gold potatoes with porcini mushrooms*

*I got this idea from a description of a restaurant dish on a recent eGullet blog. Instead of simmering the mushrooms in cream, I used chicken broth. The reduced chicken broth and a couple of tablespoons of mushroom soaking liquid went into the potatoes that had been smashed up with some extra virgin olive oil, plus the finely chopped mushrooms (1 oz. dry).

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Khadoo (Afghan stewed pumpkin) with garbanzos and yogurt sauce

I just got another, much better-looking hunk of mystery pumpkin from the market.* Do you mind sharing the recipe for this? How did it work out?

*A colleague and I just found a fabled produce market--gorgeous! A space larger than a city block covered in piles of the most gorgeous fruit and veg I've seen since I've been here. Mountains of tomatoes, cukes, okra, peppers, squash, mango, grapefruit--everything. Even lettuce. Lettuce! I haven't seen it here in months, and when I did see it, it wasn't pretty. I bought probably seven kilos of produce, for less than twenty bucks, and I'm just giddy about getting to eat fresh food!

Dinner tonight was a Nicoise-ish salad:

Lettuce (yay!), tomato, green pepper, cucumber, Kalamata olives, potato, hard-cooked egg, Ortiz bonito del norte packed in olive oil

Vinaigrette: oil drained from tuna, red wine vinegar, garlic, dijon, s&p

Yummm...

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I just got another, much better-looking hunk of mystery pumpkin from the market.* Do you mind sharing the recipe for this? How did it work out?

If you google Afghan pumpkin recipes, you will (as I did) come up with the same recipe on several sites. I adapted mine somewhat, because I had a container of already roasted Kabocha squash that I wanted to use and the recipes start with raw. Basically, what I did was make a sauce with canned tomato blended with onion, garlic and fresh ginger, coriander and cumin, which I then fried in olive oil, the way a lot of Indian recipes start. I cooked that for a while, added some water, sugar (less than the recipe called for because the squash was pretty sweet on its own) and a few pinches of ras al hanout, then I added the chunks of roasted squash and let it simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little water now and then so that it wouldn't stick and burn--the squash broke down into a puree, so that there weren't distinct pieces of squash in a tomato sauce. I added canned garbanzos and some more water and let it cook for another 15 or twenty minutes. I added the garbanzos so that there would be more protein in the meal for my daughter--they are not traditional in the dish. The yogurt sauce is yogurt with salt and a tiny bit of fresh garlic and mint--the recipe called for dried mint to be sprinkled on top, but I had fresh mint, and I finely chopped some and mixed it in. Anyway, the khadoo served on top of basmati rice, topped with the minted yogurt was a big hit. Very tasty.

RE eating raw veggies in the Third World: my vegetarian SIL and BIL lived in South and Central America for many years. I heard lots of stories about how they always soaked their lettuce in bleach solution, and peeled or cooked everything else before eating salad to avoid nastiness. Did you do that?

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If you google Afghan pumpkin recipes, you will (as I did) come up with the same recipe on several sites. I adapted mine somewhat, because I had a container of already roasted Kabocha squash that I wanted to use and the recipes start with raw. Basically, what I did was make a sauce with canned tomato blended with onion, garlic and fresh ginger, coriander and cumin, which I then fried in olive oil, the way a lot of Indian recipes start. I cooked that for a while, added some water, sugar (less than the recipe called for because the squash was pretty sweet on its own) and a few pinches of ras al hanout, then I added the chunks of roasted squash and let it simmer for about twenty minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little water now and then so that it wouldn't stick and burn--the squash broke down into a puree, so that there weren't distinct pieces of squash in a tomato sauce. I added canned garbanzos and some more water and let it cook for another 15 or twenty minutes. I added the garbanzos so that there would be more protein in the meal for my daughter--they are not traditional in the dish. The yogurt sauce is yogurt with salt and a tiny bit of fresh garlic and mint--the recipe called for dried mint to be sprinkled on top, but I had fresh mint, and I finely chopped some and mixed it in. Anyway, the khadoo served on top of basmati rice, topped with the minted yogurt was a big hit. Very tasty.

RE eating raw veggies in the Third World: my vegetarian SIL and BIL lived in South and Central America for many years. I heard lots of stories about how they always soaked their lettuce in bleach solution, and peeled or cooked everything else before eating salad to avoid nastiness. Did you do that?

Zora, that recipe sounds great. I may give it a try!

We're advised to wash in bleach, cook, or peel any raw veg we buy locally too, but I take it on a case-by-case basis. I've never bleached because I'd frankly rather go without than eat a bleached lettuce leaf. And I did go without for the first three or four months I was here--as is advisable in most foreign lands. But I've worked to develop a resistance to the bacteria here by brushing my teeth in tap water and not taking Cipro for every little tummy upset. Now I just generally wash vegetables in distilled water, or soak in distilled salted water with things like lettuce to get rid of any possible parasites.

Basically, nastiness happens no matter how careful you are, so I try to exercise a reasonable amount of caution and then just live life. Really, though, I've gotten sick due to food very few times here; the constant dust has done much more of a number on my immune system than the food has.

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^Interesting stuff from Post 2075 onward. Q: You might consider starting a topic with lists of available food stuffs and let us pipe up with suggestions for simple things you should be able to prepare, provided you also let us know what resources you have for cooking.

* * *

Behold My Butt: Braised pork w wild mushrooms and juniper berries

This is a long overlooked dish in Marcella Hazan's second cookbook; I'm providing full English name just in case it's also used in Essentials.

Was planning on roasting the shoulder butt I found on sale last week, but found a fuss-less recipe that sounded really good to use instead. Calls for 20 Juniper berries and 6/8 oz. dried porcini along with white wine and a little onion and that is it. I only had half the amount of porcini left, so I chopped fresh mushrooms fine and sautéed them on high heat, and fetched some vegetarian wild mushroom stock out of the freezer to supplement the soaking liquid that goes into the pot. The succulent, cut-up meat is traditionally served with polenta which I intend to do with leftovers; mashed potatoes are more than adequate for the wonderful sauce. There's a very fussy recipe for carrots with Parmesan that would not be too much of a pain to follow while stirring polenta.

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Homemade rice bran daikon pickles

Wasabi leaf* parboiled, then steeped in dashi and light soy sauce

Miso-grilled tofu with sesame seeds

The last of the kabocha, simmered in fresh ginger, mirin, and light soy sauce

* The stuff I have is described on the packaging in Japanese as "wasabi leaf." However, it does not at all resemble wasabi leaves, which are round and usually one to a stalk. This is ferny looking, and only has a mild wasabi flavor. Any ideas?

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Skate cheeks (from Black Salt). Lightly dredged in salt and pepper seasoned flour; sauteed in butter for 6-7 minutes; served with a squeeze of lemon. Wonderful little puffs of pure seafood. Texture somewhere between a scallop (much more tender and ethereal) and an oyster (a bit more substantial). Glad I tried them.

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Sick of cooking...

chili dogs with onions and hot peppers

cole slaw with buttermilk dressing

Cherry Garcia ice cream for dessert

:(

Ha! I couldn't wait to get back into the kitcen after being away for the holidays. So, I've made:

Grillades and cheddar grits

Lentil soup with kiebasa and kale

And if I can get to Bestway today to get chicken wings and necks, I'll be making chicken stock!

My kitchen looks like a bomb went off, needless to say :(

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Oooooooooooh.... explain how!

Simple--you need a good bed of hot coals, though. A couple of small, wet logs of equal diameter set about ten inches apart, perpendicular to the opening, onto the bed of coals and a small grill rack balanced on them. Then put the steak on the grill rack. Three to four minutes per side.

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Last night was 1 pot red curry pork w/eggplant and onions bachelors meal (2 pots if you include the rice).

Sautee some sliced onions; remove. Sautee seasoned (pepper/salt) sliced pork loin; remove. Sautee chopped eggplant adding more oil as required.

Deglaze pan with a little white wine. Add onions and pork back to pan. Add coconut milk, Thai red curry paste, fish sauce and sugar. Bring to low simmer. Add a fresh chopped tomato and basil and cilantro. Season to taste.

Serve over jasmine rice.

EZ and yummy.

Scott

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It's been a weird day; I've been cooking, nibbling and snacking all day:

Toll House cookies w/ walnuts

Pasta w/ a smoked salmon cream sauce

String beans w/ shallots, pancetta and red peppers

Crepe w/ smoked salmon, cream cheese and radishes

... a "roving" dinner

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Last night was a belated xms family gathering (due to my niece arriving from out of the country after the holiday) and as always, there was waay to much food prepared by all:

cheese, dips, candies, etc. for apps

brined beer can chicken cooked in the "Egg"

stuffed flank steak

roasted root vegetables

yams

rolls

green bean casserole

salad

lemon and olive oil roasted new potatoes (Jamie Oliver)

home-made spaetzle (courtesy of my niece, currently studying in Germany)

chocolate espresso pecan pie (Fine Cooking)*

home-made stollen (courtesy of niece's German boyfriend's mom)

various ice creams

*(and the first thing baked by Mr. S in a verrry long time--he hasn't lost his touch!) :(

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What was the marinade? :(
:(. I used to follow a recipe for it and pretty much now throw things together without noting what I'm doing.

This was the original marinade, from the Post's Dinner Tonight feature in 1996.

I usually use a little orange juice or honey instead of sugar. Sometimes I use hot sauce instead of all or some of the soy and mustard instead of or in addition to the ginger.

If it marinates too long, the bourbon flavor can be too strong in the final product, especially since I don't measure the bourbon all that carefully :blink:. I don't usually marinate overnight--maybe 6 hours.

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salad of red butter lettuce, radicchio, radishes, carrots, and crumbled cheddar; balsamic vinaigrette

baked chicken breasts

steamed green beans with toasted almonds

rice pilaf

Marvelous Market olive bread with kalamata olive oil for dipping

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I just brined my first chicken! I also just broiled my first chicken!

Simple Broiled Chicken Thighs (Cook's Illustrated)

Spicy Jamaican Jerk Dipping Sauce (Cook's Illustrated)

Green beans w/ red peppers and almonds

Texas Toast

Pinot Grigio

Peanuts, covered in chocolate, and fudge (Nestlé) :(

[Damn! Them were some tasty chicken thighs. I thought brining was all hype; I have never described my chicken as being "juicy." I had no idea what I was missing. As to broiling: I've always roasted my chicken. It never occurred to me to broil the thing; surely reason enough to eat the chicken skin. And, the dipping sauce??!! That was smokin'!]

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I just brined my first chicken! I also just broiled my first chicken!

Simple Broiled Chicken Thighs (Cook's Illustrated)

Spicy Jamaican Jerk Dipping Sauce (Cook's Illustrated)

Green beans w/ red peppers and almonds

Texas Toast

Pinot Grigio

Peanuts, covered in chocolate, and fudge (Nestlé) :(

[Damn! Them were some tasty chicken thighs. I thought brining was all hype; I have never described my chicken as being "juicy." I had no idea what I was missing. As to broiling: I've always roasted my chicken. It never occurred to me to broil the thing; surely reason enough to eat the chicken skin. And, the dipping sauce??!! That was smokin'!]

Interesting. I've brined turkey, but I wouldn't think of brining individual poultry parts.

Dinner tonight was an adaptation of a Julia Child recipe for French Onion Soup gratineed with cheese. I used leeks, shallots, and garlic to round out the specified yellow onions, since I had them to use. I managed to grate some ancient gruyere (mentioned elsewhere) very finely, but it was hard to get any bigger pieces. That meant that the cheese over the bread didn't give thorough coverage when it went under the broiler. No edge-to-edge cheese barrier on the soup bowl. Tasted great, though.

The rest of the meal was mostly leftovers turned into a stirfry (pork, broccoli, bell pepper, onion, garlic, wild rice).

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After two gut-busting restaurant dinners in a row, last night was my triumphant return to the kitchen. I made a really hearty vegetable stew with onions, potatoes (both white and sweet), eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper, fire roasted tomatoes, chicken stock, and some garlic and bay leaves. It was actually based on a "30 Minute Meals" show I watched the other day, and it was very tasty and filling. Score one for Rachael Ray! I served it with big slices of crusty wheat bread, rubbed with a little garlic and with some melted/browned pecorino cheese on top. It was nice to feel full without feeling like we ingested our body weight in fat (actually, the only fat in the dish was the extra-virgin olive oil that covered the bottom of the pot--well, that and the cheese on the bread).

The stew could have been thicker, but I imagine that both the texture and the taste of my leftovers today will be better than the original product--soups always get thicker and more intensely flavored as it sits. Yum!

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I don't have a fancy way of describing it, but tonight's meal was really good. It was very flavorful and had a comforting texture. The cooked cauliflower broke up like mashed potatoes, so it gave a quasi-potatoes-2 ways effect.

Potato-cheese gnocchi* and cauliflower with sage brown butter, golden raisins, and cremini mushrooms, topped with toasted almonds and pine nuts.

*bought premade

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I thought last night's dinner was fine, nothing great. But today its leftovers tasted so good as lunch! I made a recipe from Epicurious' quick and easy section, Peppered Beef Stroganoff. It was in fact very easy and very quick which was exactly what I needed when I finally got home at 8 pm last night. I subbed a flavorful rib eye for the filet based on both taste and cost (almost $17 a pound at Safeway in McLean).

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