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Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog


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I think swordfish is one of those fish I'm not supposed to be eating, but I haven't eaten it in a couple of years, so I'll make excuses on that basis :-\

Aside from over-fishing, another reason to go easy on swordfish is that they are at the top of the ocean food chain, therefore they accumulate mercury.
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Dinner for one. (I love Mock Trial, really I do, but the rehearsals are more time-consuming for the mister than Gilbert and Sullivan was in college.)

Frisée with mustard-balsamic vinaigrette

Seared snapper with herb butter over pea purée

Surprisingly tasty small macarons from the Harris Teeter downstairs (a little too sweet, but that's ok by me right now)

post-6363-125617376921_thumb.jpg

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Braised lamb shoulder chop over lima purée

Roasted white & red sweet, and Nicola potatoes w garlic and rosemary

Half an apple

Braising liquids: Sherry wine vinegar, veal demi-glace and leftover canned chicken broth. EVOO, chopped carrot & onion, minced garlic.

Purée based largely on Suzanne Goin's recipe; Sand Hill Farm (Penn Quarter) had great lima beans, it turns out.

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My first time EVER making fried rice...

This fried rice used Western flavors... we were considering doing sausage with peppers and onions and, we figured, instead of a roll we'd use rice.

Steve Baker's pork sausage

Sweet peppers

Onions

Egg

Garlic

Dijon mustard

Honeycomb apples

Texmati rice

The amazing thing was, through the magic of cast iron, the rice sort of crisped up on the bottom: beautiful caramelized flavors, and the texture was like a hits-the-spot-hangover-cure-McDonald's-hash-brown. It was awesome. Nice and crispy. With flavorful pork and veggies running throughout.

I would make this again.

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Salad of chopped raddichio and Begian endive; avocado; feta; honey toasted pecan halves; vinaigrette

Mushroom tortelloni with a sauce of ground pork, onions, garlic, black pepper, sage/thyme/rosemary, chicken broth, and half and half; freshly grated Parmesan mixed into the dish and grated on top

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I just realized that last night's dinner posted twice, so I'll edit and put the meal for 10/23 here:

Breakfast for dinner

Turkey sausage patties

Sweet potato home fries

Sweet corn fritters

All served with maple syrup.

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goodeats-thanks!

Dan-I just watched Simply Ming and he did a turkey stir fried rice dish. He started by adding about 1/4 cup of canola oil to a really hot wok, then added the eggs. It made the eggs puff up beautifully. He then drained on paper towels. Did you use this method too? Your rice sounds like bibimbap!

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I'm really proud of myself this week! I'm working my way through my farmers market produce, and that doesn't always happen as planned. In a burst of cooking energy last night, I also made caldo verde using lacinato kale from Spring Valley (I also made wedding/escarole soup using their tatsoi earlier in the week).

For the chorizo, I bought Salvadoran chorizo from Bestway. After some googling, I found that it's probably longaniza and is deeply flavored with pimenton.

The *thing* with this soup, and I love kale soup, is that I have to eat it a little at a time-it's ah, got a lot of fiber :(

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I love it with feta cheese too. A drizzle of good balsamic really gives it dimension, too.

Balsamic is the usual choice, but this time I used some "homemade" vinegar that was found rather unexpectedly when we opened a bottle of red wine a few nights ago.

I'm jealous of the kale. My plants are only about eight inches tall, so it will be a while before I'm making kale soup.

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dinner for 6 visiting cousins:

apps:

roasted black mission figs wrapped in prosciutto

roasted red pepper with buffalo mozzarella

pickled cipollini onions

smoked bluefish mousse (a cousin caught/smoked the fish and I moussed it up)

salami and chile olives

mixed nuts

2008 Montes sauvignon blanc

dinner:

salad of frisee/watercress/shaved fennel/orange segments/fuyu persimmon wedges/lime vinaigrette

braised short ribs

potato and celery root puree

shaved brussels sprouts with Eco-Friendly bacon

2005 Kirkland Yountville cabernet

cheese course

Chaource; Cashel blue; Humboldt Fog; Jasper Hill Bouree washed rind; Old Amsterdam 2 year gouda

dessert

wine-poached Seckel pears filled with vanilla mascarpone, spiced wine/black raspberry syrup

Amaro Nonino

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Old-school Chicken a la King on toast points

steamed broccoli

Ginger jelly on lamb chops on celeriac-apple puree. But the jelly kept rolling of.

Should probably just eat it with a spoon.

That's what I've been doing with the mint jelly. The ginger is kick-ass on toast.
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Gennaro-great stuffed squash.

I've been pretty low key in the kitchen of late, so we've had kielbasa melt sandwiches and zesties (I know! frozen fries, oh my!!), defrosted chili with macaroni, and leftover caldo verde from the freezer with chopped up leftover kielbasa added.

Perhaps this weekend I'll put together a creative meal. Just got an issue of Saveur, so maybe I'll get some inspiration there.

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slow roasted salmon with dill-chive butter

basmati rice made with some homemade veal stock mixed with the cooking water (the pot of stock was concurrently reducing while I prepared dinner).

frozen peas served with a little bit of cream ( :( J's favorite vegetable)

2008 Toad Hollow chardonnay

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Apple on the way home

Buttermilk cornbread warmed in the microwave

Bowl of long-braised collards

P.S. Nothing wrong w frozen peas this time of year, especially if you cook them to soften and take the frost off before serving. (When I swooned over the peas served at my nursery school, the teacher explained to my mother there was nothing special about them. In general, little kids loved peas because they're a bright color, sweet and easy to eat since they're soft, small and you can pick them up with your fingers! :( )

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Peas were apparently one of my favorite foods as a very young child, as per Anna Blume's explanation. I still like them, but I wouldn't consider them my favorite vegetable. I eat frozen peas a fair amount, preferably Birds Eye, since fresh only have limited availability.

My mom used to make frozen peas by putting the contents of a box or sometimes two in a Pyrex casserole dish, along with a small amount (i.e., a couple of tablespoons) of water, a couple of pats of butter and salt and pepper. She'd put that into the oven--while the chicken or whatever was roasting--for about half and hour or so. For the life of me, I can't recall if she used the lid or not. I'm pretty sure she did or they would have overcooked pretty quickly. Stir once or twice during cooking. Anyway, they came out very well this way, and she didn't have to fuss with vegetables cooking on the stove while she was trying to finish the meal and get dinner on the table.

Speaking of fresh peas...

Last night

Toasted baguette

Roasted red pepper and fennel soup

Coriander crusted roast pork Loin

Beefy rice and peas

The pork was a 1 1/2-pound section of a larger cut that had been vac-sealed in the freezer and defrosted. It cooked up nicely. I saw a blog description somewhere calling for brining the pork first and then coating it, so I tried that. I figured, even with the tight seal, it had probably dried out in the freezer.

The rice and peas was reheated from a couple of days ago. I had prepared it because I needed to use the ingredients, even though we weren't going to eat it right away. The peas had been aging in their pods in the refrigerator for going on two weeks. (I forgot about them :(.] I had an open box of beef broth that needed to be finished up and the dregs of a package of basmati rice. Some of the peas had already sprouted, but they were mostly in pretty good shape. I toasted the rice first, pilaf style, and cooked the rice in the broth (which was just shy of the exact amount needed for the rice--made up with water). I boiled the peas separately and added near the end of the rice cooking time. My husband really liked the flavor from the beef broth in the cooking liquid.

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Pork & poblano stew, with potatoes and tomatillos. (pork shoulder, poblanos, onions, garlic, tomatillos, yukon gold potatoes, chicken stock, cumin, ground coriander, s & p) To be garnished with sliced avocado, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

green salad with vinaigrette

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Pork & poblano stew, with potatoes and tomatillos. (pork shoulder, poblanos, onions, garlic, tomatillos, yukon gold potatoes, chicken stock, cumin, ground coriander, s & p) To be garnished with sliced avocado, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

green salad with vinaigrette

I have a big hunk of beef chuck in the fridge that I was going to grind for meatloaf and meatballs, in anticipation of being out of the kitchen for most of next week. But a beef and poblano stew might work very well--pork is the better choice with green chiles, but I've got some ripe red poblanos in the refrigerator, and some little potatoes that are threatening to sprout. Thanks for the inspiration!
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I have a big hunk of beef chuck in the fridge that I was going to grind for meatloaf and meatballs, in anticipation of being out of the kitchen for most of next week. But a beef and poblano stew might work very well--pork is the better choice with green chiles, but I've got some ripe red poblanos in the refrigerator, and some little potatoes that are threatening to sprout. Thanks for the inspiration!

That made me smile, Zora. Always happy to provide inspiration.

My stew was really good. When I serve it again, I'm going to add something crunchy like chopped onions or radishes to the garnishes.

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brusselsprouts.jpg

Roasted Odds and Ends from the CSA: Brussel sprouts, potatoes, mushrooms, baby shallots, and onions, seared in a litle butter, tossed with a little olive oil, then roasted and finished with a squeeze of lemon juice.

As I read this thread each day I think more and more that we should be doing more potlucks than just two picnics a year.

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Leftover soup

Milk Duds

Candy Corn

Reese's peanut butter cup

Mr. Goodbar

Etc.

NICE.

I just got home from Cairo, and with my travel taking about 20 hours longer than it was supposed to, and having just gotten over what a friend so delicately coined as "Tut Butt," I find myself craving nothing so much as a plastic pumpkin full of fun-size chocolate, candy corn, and other condensed-sugar treats. Am settling for mixed nuts and a rusty nail (or three).

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Greek yogurt with honey, pears, apples and raisins

Toasted baguette pieces with fig spread

Roasted herbed chicken

Roasted poblano mac and cheese with bacon

Baby Brussels sprouts with bacon and balsamic vinegar

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Mr. M is stuck on a train on his way back from Connecticut, where his team did not make the second round* of mock trial.

So I thought, as a surprise welcome home, dinner will be** something that he adores and yet, for no apparent reason, I haven't made in about two years.

Baby arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette

Lasagna with spinach, mushrooms, and chicken

* so instead actually got to go out and have fun for Halloween in scenic downtown New Haven. Apparently quite the scene. There was also, I believe, a pizza tasting at the Friday night dinner.

*if only that damn train would start moving again...

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After attempting a fairly labor intensive meal yesterday while dealing with trick-or-treaters [d'oh!), tonight I'm going for the uncomplicated. Finishing prep for stir-fry: tofu, broccoli, ginger, sweet and hot peppers, button and shiitake mushrooms, and previously cooked pork and rice and peas. I think I'll throw an egg in when I fry up the rice and peas.

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As I read this thread each day I think more and more that we should be doing more potlucks than just two picnics a year.

Communal dinner? :(

I've definitely contemplated hosting dr.com potlucks chez moi. And my annual Chanukah Latkefest (provided GULC's schedule cooperates) will be open to all. :P

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Update: Train due 6:30 still not yet to Union Station.

Lasagna eyeing me sadly.

The fact that I'm personifying my lasagna may be a sign of too much preprandial wine.

Hm.

At least lasagna holds pretty well. You can either keep it covered in foil in a low oven or cut it into pieces and rewarm in the microwave. That's a meal I tend to go with when I 1) have prep time and 2) don't know exact serving time.

(Enjoy the wine :()

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At least lasagna holds pretty well. You can either keep it covered in foil in a low oven or cut it into pieces and rewarm in the microwave. That's a meal I tend to go with when I 1) have prep time and 2) don't know exact serving time.

(Enjoy the wine :()

Indeed. I knew it would hold well, and so it did. But it smelled good and I was so hungry!!!

:P So glad I am now full. :D

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tonight

mixed green salad with lime vinaigrette

golden cauliflower gratin (made with a 5-cheese* mornay sauce, essentially an oven-baked mac and cheese with golden cauliflower substituting for the macaroni)

2006 Pike's Il Pesce

*comte, cheddar, pecorino, monterey jack and reggiano

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I'm convinced the shredding blade was created just for latke-making purposes -- I love it.

This is incredibly similar to my recipe -- grandma's, of course -- although we leave the potatoes pretty much all in shreds (no puree, but maybe I should try that). Grandma's doesn't call for baking powder, and she often subbed regular AP flour for matzo meal.

What you are describing is a fairly classic German-style potato pancake. The baking powder in the puree gives it a fluffiness along with the laciness of the shreds. It's really the best latke I have ever made or tasted. And matzo meal. What can I say? A.P. flour is--dare I say it--somewhat on the goyish end of the latke continuum...
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