Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[lperry]

Have you used Sriracha sauce as your hot sauce? I find it adds a lot of character in addition to heat.

I have, and I like it a lot, but right now I'm using Cheech Marin's habanero sauce. Oddly enough, it's very flavorful and has nice heat too. We seem to get a lot of bottles of hot sauce as gifts.

...Just before the first big blizzard, when my local WFM ran out of French lentils, I bought way too many of the other kind (normally called "brown lentils", but these were pale green) that I don't care for all that much. ..

I have a huge jar of these as well. If you like Ethiopian food, you can hit the market, buy a little bere bere and some injera, then cook the lentils with onion, garlic, tomatoes (optional - tomato paste works too), and the spice mix. It will magically taste like the lentils in Ethiopian restaurants, and the mushiness doesn't seem to matter so much in this dish. Cook some collards as well and happiness will ensue.

[zoramargolis]

salad with frisee, mache, romaine, cucumber

Eco-Friendly rose veal piccata

farro pilaf

cauliflower-yellow turnip gratin (leftover)

sliced apple

2008 Brancott sauvignon blanc

[zoramargolis]

dinner with visiting out-of-town friend:

guacamole and chips

Magic Hat Vinyl

green salad with blue cheese buttermilk dressing

no-knead bread, homemade chevre

Maine sweet shrimp chowder (shrimp from A&H Seafood)

rustic bosc pear tart with B&J's vanilla

2008 Meinklang Burgenland white

[Anna Blume]

Bison burger w garlic, mushrooms & red onion on focaccia

Sweet potato oven-fries w pimenton & cayenne

Bed of Vitamin & young mustard greens squirted w lime

[bettyjoan]

Lamb meatballs

Saffron-tomato sauce

Rigatoni

Green salad

[lperry]

Sweet potato oven-fries w pimenton & cayenne

Were these crispy? If so, would you share how you made them?

[Anna Blume]

Were these crispy? If so, would you share how you made them?

Nah. Used excess oil since I always find jacket-less sweet potatoes tend to dry out way too much. However, I just found this advice for crisping the wedges. If you try it, please report back.

(FWIW the pimenton was great as was the wilting of greens beneath the piping hot sweet potato. Lazy way to have a salad without dressing it.)

[Anna Blume]

Polpettine invernali con la verza

Buttermilk smashed potatoes

Small Fuji apple

Recipe adapted from Marcella Hazan, one never made before. Meatballs about 1 1/2 in. in diameter (bread soaked in sour cream and buttermilk) are rolled in crumbs before frying. Instead of wiping out the pan, you're instructed to add a little olive oil and garlic, then slowly cook shredded cabbage in the fat, covered, for about an hour before removing lid and turning up the heat to caramelize.

Sounded and looked terribly greasy, but after about 4 plum tomatoes added and cooked down, it was just plain good wrapped around the tiny meatballs. Lots more garlic than recipe requires recommended, but advice for tons of salt is warranted.

Over the past couple of years, I've gotten over my indifference to cabbage. Braised red cabbage w apples and wine at least once a year, but now I really like the green ones, too. As a term of endearment, "mon petit chou-chou" is starting to make a whole lot of sense.

[monavano]

Polpettine invernali con la verza

Buttermilk smashed potatoes

Small Fuji apple

Recipe adapted from Marcella Hazan, one never made before. Meatballs about 1 1/2 in. in diameter (bread soaked in sour cream and buttermilk) are rolled in crumbs before frying. Instead of wiping out the pan, you're instructed to add a little olive oil and garlic, then slowly cook shredded cabbage in the fat, covered, for about an hour before removing lid and turning up the heat to caramelize.

Sounded and looked terribly greasy, but after about 4 plum tomatoes added and cooked down, it was just plain good wrapped around the tiny meatballs. Lots more garlic than recipe requires recommended, but advice for tons of salt is warranted.

Over the past couple of years, I've gotten over my indifference to cabbage. Braised red cabbage w apples and wine at least once a year, but now I really like the green ones, too. As a term of endearment, "mon petit chou-chou" is starting to make a whole lot of sense.

I have wonderful memories of sitting at my Nana's kitchen table, eating her Golabki. I would peel away that awful cabbage to get to the meat stuffing inside. Now, that cabbage is savored!

Molly's braised Savoy cabbage with St. Marcelin cheese can convert anyone to cabbage.

Last night, I made pizzas. More in the "What are you baking" thread. Homemade red sauce, fresh and shredded Mozzarella and basil. Best pizza out of the oven yet.

[stickmoon]

Stove popped popcorn with evoo and grated parmesan.

Mesquite bbq flavor gourmet Virginia peanuts.

Ice water.

[Pat]

Thursday

Leftover Italian wedding soup

Black eyed peas and spinach*

Leftover macaroni and cheese

Yesterday

Turkey meatloaf with bbq sauce

Fried polenta squares

Leftover bacon-cream cheese stuffed mushrooms

Leftover black eyed peas and spinach*

*topped with onions, tomatoes, parsley, evoo, and Meyer lemon juice

[legant]

Braised lamb shank with garlic and vermouth

Spinach and shiitake w/ creamy polenta

Almond puff loaf w/ strawberry jam

[monavano]

Last night's dinner was pretty low-key, but notable for grilling split chicken breasts after Mr. MV shoveled a path to the gas grill. Bottled BBQ sauce, canned baked beans and frozen corn kernals actually tasted pretty darn good after Snowpocalypse.

[lperry]

Speaking of snow, this week's dinner will feature fresh fruit and homemade yogurt. The menu was designed to counteract the effects of snow-induced eating combined with snow-canceled exercise.

[Pat]

Toasted brioche

Black-eyed pea and spinach soup with tomatoes, onions, and parsley

Baked potatoes with sour cream

I incorporated the leftovers from the black-eyed pea and spinach meals into the last of the snowstorm chicken broth to make a pretty decent soup. Added some crushed red pepper flakes and caramelized onions too.

[Flavortown]

Bought a bunch of produce at AU's farmers market on Wednesday, and had to use it up...

Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts and Portabella Mushrooms (sprouts, portabellas, yellow onion, garlic, chicken stock, butter, S & P, and balsamic reduction)

[flygirl]

Not dinner so much as a late afternoon snack. It might qual for dinner if I don't get off my duff to go get food-food.

http://52mealsinoneyear.blogspot.com/2010/02/talking-to-strangers.html

[mdt]

Scallop soufflé and a mixed green salad.

2002 Dirler-Cade Riesling Spiegel, probably not the best match but it was damn good!

[Pat]

We'll be eating shortly:

Toasted brioche

Spring mix dressed with fleur de del, freshly ground black pepper, Meyer lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil

The last (!) of the black-eyed pea and spinach soup

Nachos

[bettyjoan]

Lamb and eggplant pasta with goat cheese

Homemade baguettes

[leleboo]

Pork tenderloin seared then finished with a Dijon, white wine, rosemary, sage, and parsley sauce

Mashed parsnips with leeks

Haricots verts sauteed with garlic

Yay for feeling up to cooking and eating real food!

It was a massive plate of food. Oog. But: really good.

[Pat]

Spring mix, avocado, and feta dressed with Meyer lemon juice, evoo, fleur de sel and freshly ground Tellicherry black pepper

Tuna noodle casserole with brioche crust

I hadn't made my old reliable tuna noodle casserole (Fanny Farmer Cookbook) in quite a while, and it hit the spot last night. I made a double batch, crumbling up the last of the loaf of brioche I took out of the freezer a few days ago for the bread crumb topping. No need to add butter .

[Anna Blume]

Black bean soup

Cornbread

Fuji apple

Brought beans to boil and skimmed foam. Drained. New water. (Method advocated in Union Square Cafe's first cookbook to remove bitterness.) Beans then softened w epazote, Mexican oregano, bay leaf, onion and garlic. Onions stewed in bacon fat before adding garlic, cumin, celery, carrot, etc. Ultimately, strip of orange peel, bacon, red bell pepper and diced sweet potato added. Blended less than half and swirled in ancho-guajillo purée at end. Drops of sherry vinegar & lime juice; sour cream.

[bettyjoan]

Risotto with tomatoes, mustard greens, and brie

Homemade baguette

The rice was cooked perfectly (risotto is something I can make in my sleep), but there was kind of a funky sharp flavor that wasn't entirely pleasant. I couldn't figure out whether it was the greens or the cheese (or the combination of the two), but I like both of those flavors individually, so who knows. I still cleaned my plate - never met a rice dish I didn't like.

[zoramargolis]

a "do something with it it before I leave for California" dish:

roasted eggplant and squash tagine with ground beef, roasted red peppers, garlic and onions, some tomato puree, chick peas and lots of spices

basmati rice

B&J's Karamel Sutra

Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale

[flygirl]

Tonight:

http://52mealsinoneyear.blogspot.com/2010/02/rustic-apple-tart.html

but first:

http://52mealsinoneyear.blogspot.com/2008/11/paula-deens-mashed-potatoes.html

[zoramargolis]

croquetas de bacalao

pimenton aioli

braised Tuscan kale

2009 Brancott sauvignon blanc

[mdt]

Wegman's had some great looking veal shank the other day so last night was osso bucco!

2005 Conte Ferdinando Guicciardini Chianti Colli Fiorentini Riserva Castello di Poppiano

[Anna Blume]

a "do something with it it before I leave for California" dish:

Consult David Karp in The LA Times today. Fennel at the markets! And if you could report back on Dino's avocado fries...

[monavano]

Spicy Orange Beef with Jasmine Rice-"Stir Fry" dishes are a love/hate thing with me. I love to eat them, what with all the veggies it feels so good and good for me. But, the prep! That part not so much.

The recipe called for using 1" strips of orange peel, however, I wound up using very little (and very small dice) because I couldn't seem to get peel without really bitter pith. The juice of the orange came through, but I didn't want to spoil the whole dish with bitterness.

The time I'll just zest with a microplane.

[legant]

Breakfast for dinner...

Korbel Brut

Medjool Dates stuffed w/ goat cheese/blue cheese, wrapped in bacon

Polenta with Gorgonzola

Briggs "Old South" pork sausage

Sauteed mushrooms

2007 Chapelle St. Arnoux Vacqueyras

Dutch Apple Pancake w/ HD vanilla bean ice cream

[Pat]

Spring mix with feta, radishes and cucumbers; Ranch dressing

Chilaquile casserole

[bettyjoan]

Tofu tacos (with corn, spinach, and a little bit of goat cheese) - not half bad, and VERY inexpensive.

[Pat]

Leek soup with peas and sauerkraut

Spinach feta pocket pastries

Baked chicken breasts

The soup was as odd as I thought it might be when I first saw it online . I decided to try it anyway. Oddly, it's not the sauerkraut that's the problem. The peas, even given a short simmer time, overcook very quickly, and the overcooked pea dimension tends to dominate the soup. Advantage: It used up ingredients that needed to be used. I had bought leeks for something and then forgot what I was going to use them for, so I used them in this. I had all of the other ingredients on hand and, in the case of the sauerkraut, really needed to turn over my pantry stock.

The pastries (basically empanada-style turnovers) were fantastic. That was also a recipe I discovered wandering around online, so I batted .500 for the meal on that front .

[Anna Blume]

I've decided that I really don't care for guanciale all that much, but having pancetta in the house means you can transform just about anything in the fridge or cupboards into a meal.

This weekend I picked up a thick slab of tesa (Red Apron) which seems firmer than most domestic pancette I've tried and probably has more flavoring components, including wine. Fragrant. Fat turns into a translucent gum drop as it starts to cook, just before diced cubes crisp. Thus far, dinners have included:

*Gratin of leftover braised cabbage w penne & pancetta

*Risotto inspired by this recipe from Zuni Café for an asparagus-pancetta soup w rice, roasted butternut squash on the side; leftovers of risotto will become fritters (Out of season, I know, but I don't think it makes much of a difference w store-bought asparagus.)

*Plans are to turn what's left of ground bison, refrigerated wine and a can of plum tomatoes into ragu using the pancetta since the bison is rather lean on its own

[lperry]

"Dinner" yesterday was two small meals a couple of hours apart. The first was pretentious pizza toast made with La Brea's multi-grain bread, spicy homemade marinara, and aged Irish cheddar. The second was whole wheat linguine with the remaining spicy marinara and shaved Locatelli.

[Pat]

Spring mix with feta and vinaigrette

Greek walnut currant rolls

Leftover baked chicken

Fettucine florentine (straw and hay) noodles baked with spinach and cheeses

[Xochitl10]

Resurrecting some favorites from the J-home:

Niku-dofu: simmered beef, mushrooms (white button instead of enoki), green onions, and "extra-firm" tofu

Hourenso no karashi su-miso: Parboiled spinach, chilled, seasoned with soy sauce, and dressed with mustard*/rice vinegar/miso

Steamed rice

3:1 Tanqueray martini

* Today's lesson: American dried mustard powder is a poor, poor substitute for Japanese mustard powder in this recipe. It's not nearly strong enough.

[Pat]

Pork spare ribs*

Tomato-braised cauliflower

Sauerkraut

*Using the KC style dry rub mdt posted in the thread on ribs

[DanCole42]

Braised and roasted goat shoulder brushed with goat demi glace, parsnip-habanero sauce, tzatziki, oregano salt, fresh-baked pita, grilled eggplant confit, sauteed spinach, Hermann J Wiemer cabernet franc (2005?)... and now? BED.

[leleboo]

Braised and roasted goat shoulder brushed with goat demi glace, parsnip-habanero sauce, tzatziki, oregano salt, fresh-baked pita, grilled eggplant confit, sauteed spinach, Hermann J Wiemer cabernet franc (2005?)... and now? BED.

Who made the spinach? Hmmm??

In all seriousness, this was a killer, killer meal. Thanks, kiddo.

(Cab franc was 2006.)

(And if you ever tell your wife you don't like her singing "Oh, Darling," I will marry her instead.)

[zoramargolis]

after a morning trip to the Santa Monica farmers' market:

cream of asparagus, fennel and leek soup

spring mix salad greens with shaved fennel, orange segments, shaved red onion, orange vinaigrette

miso-crusted sable fish (from Santa Monica Seafood)

jasmine rice

meyer lemon tart with vanilla whipped cream

an inexpensive California viognier--can't recall the name or vintage date

[bettyjoan]

Dinner last night was chicken (thighs and drumsticks) roasted with tomatoes, thyme, capers, and lemons. The chicken cooked kind of inconsistently, which was weird, but it was still darn tasty.

Served with:

Couscous

Caramelized onions

Steamed broccoli

Teldeschi 2001 Proprietor's Reserve Terranova

[flygirl]

Dinner tonight:

http://52mealsinoneyear.blogspot.com/2010/02/ghosts-of-rice-past.html

[deangold]

left over steak hash with Korean soy bean paste & crisped gren onions

seared frisee with lemon

radish kim chee

lots of tequila {medicinal purposes only!}

[Tweaked]

A pesto, scallop & shrimp paella derived from Penelope Casas Paella! cookbook

[zoramargolis]

last night:

roasted artichokes with capers, lemon and garlic

spinach fettucini with fresh tomato sauce, rainbow chard and beef/sausage meatballs

more meyer lemon tart

2007 Bogle old vine zinfandel

[giant shrimp]

cauliflower with penne and hot pepper in olive oil

the big takeaway in the marcella hazan recipe is dissolving anchovies in the oil, a technique that can be widely applied to vegetable dishes.

i know that hazan has some things to say about the optimal texture of vegetables and is critical of the propensity of some modernists to undercook them. but she suggests that you boil your cauliflower for as long as 25 minutes before adding it to your sauce. for that to be sound advice, they must grow awfully hard cauliflower in italy. she does warn, however, not to cook your cauliflower to mush, but that is what mine was fast becoming after less than 10 minutes of boiling. deborah madison suggests two minutes for similar recipes. i look at hazan as the bible of italian cooking, but this is an instance, and i haven't found many, of where i believe she is just wrong.

[Anna Blume]

i know that hazan has some things to say about the optimal texture of vegetables and is critical of the propensity of some modernists to undercook them. but she suggests that you boil your cauliflower for as long as 25 minutes before adding it to your sauce. for that to be sound advice, they must grow awfully hard cauliflower in italy. she does warn, however, not to cook your cauliflower to mush, but that is what mine was fast becoming after less than 10 minutes of boiling. deborah madison suggests two minutes for similar recipes. i look at hazan as the bible of italian cooking, but this is an instance, and i haven't found many, of where i believe she is just wrong.

One of the reasons I use the name "Anna Blume" here is that I can deny responsibility for what I post should that ever prove necessary.

Not everything Italians do with food is good.

I loves me some army-green, limp, raggity, long-braised fagiolini and vignarola is an annual springtime pleasure. But. Ma. And throw in a boh. Those oft-time stylish, mellifluous descendants of the noble decliners of Latin over-boil their vegetables.

[monavano]

Roast chicken with rosemary, thyme, lemon and orange

Sweet and russet potato gnocchi in brown butter

Braised leek gratin

Some leftover chicken is going into chicken soup with farina dumplings today.