Dinner - The Polyphonic Food Blog

[Pat]

I don't like to post dinners ahead of time because things might change, but it's fairly certain that tonight is London broil (about to go into the oven), fried fingering potatoes (pre-boiled and ready to go into the saute pan), and dips (leftover Cava hummus, baba ganoush made earlier today) and dipping foods (whole wheat pita and carrots).

[Pat]

Last night we had leftover baked ziti and roasted carrot soup, plus toasted slices of Pugilese bread. I roasted the carrots in bacon fat left after baking a tray of bacon, drizzling some honey on partway through the process. Near the end, I mixed in leftover roasted and fried fingerling potatoes and roasted "baby" carrots. I pureed it all in the blender in batches with some homemade chicken broth and a couple tablespoons of miso. The potatoes gave a nice thickness and creaminess to the puree. I heated the puree up on the stove with additional chicken broth to make  a soup consistency. I had intended to add some ginger but liked the flavor the way it was, with just some salt and pepper added to adjust the s + p that went on the vegetables at the outset.

[ktmoomau]

Tonight was Brussels sprout and lettuce salad with homemade ranch dressing (mmm, I am going to make this more often), with bacon, chicken, carrots, tomatoes and some homemade croutons I had made previously.  I should have taken a picture it was cute!  I have been lacking in my pictures lately, of even very pretty dishes.

[Pat]

More carrot soup and toast last night, plus baked chicken breasts, and whole wheat couscous with wilted baby spinach.

[dcandohio]

I had friends over tonight, so I did a mixed grill.  My condo acquired brand new propane grills that I was eager to try.  I marinated pork tenderloins Chinese style (hoisin, soy sauce,  ginger, garlic, sesame oil, maple syrup , chili garlic paste, 5 spice powder)  and chicken breasts barbecue style (Grilling spices,  commercial barbecue sauce, red wine, hot sauce, olive oil).  I also included hot Italian turkey sausages.

I sliced up all the grilled meat and put it on a platter, and served it with a big plate of roasted zucchini, bright red peppers, and onions.   I also made a slaw with a shallot, lemon and olive oil vinaigrette with a touch of anchovy paste.

There  were bakery chocolate chip cookies for dessert. 

[TrelayneNYC]

Cuban-style roast pork
Black beans with pancetta, mojo and herbs
Steamed rice

Oranges for dessert

 

[Pat]

Trelayne, your mise en place always looks so impressive! Even the times I fully measure and lay out everything before I start, it would never photograph so well, what with my random odds and ends of measuring/prep vessels. Your prep  just visually foreshadows a successful result.

I did not feel like cooking last night. At all. I pushed myself to make a salad from what I could scrounge up (iceberg lettuce, hard boiled eggs, chickpeas, feta, carrots, avocado) and topped with crushed tortilla chips and bottled ranch dressing. I quickly reheated flank steak from Friday and couscous and spinach from Sunday, and opened and heated an expired can of baked beans, doctored with with some bottled bbq sauce to punch up the flavor. The baked beans weren't really necessary, but they weren't going to get any less expired...

[ktmoomau]

Last night was the last of the Aldi Gyro Kit.  I added roast peppers, onion and slow roasted tomatoes and chopped some leaf lettuce for crunch.

[dcandohio]

Omelette with leftover hot turkey Italian sausage, red peppers and onions. 

[TrelayneNYC]

Thanks Pat. 

So it seems that the recipe I used called for boneless pork shoulder and the texture was off. Was good but it could be better...which means there will be roast pork part the second sometime soon.

Last week we had

bucatini con le sarde

1/2 kg fennel, diced
salt, to taste
1 medium onion, diced
70 g raisins
35 g pine nuts
6 oil-packed anchovies, finely chopped
extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 threads saffron
1/2 kg fresh sardines, filleted 
cooked bucatini
35 g breadcrumbs toasted in olive oil (optional)
8 g sugar (optional)

[ktmoomau]

Last night I made a riff on Russian Stroganoff.  I had part of a beef culotte that I had broken down and put in the instant pot, as it wasn't a cut suited for steak or stir fry.  I used the "broth" and shredded the meat and then put them in my big le crueset with a big can of crushed tomatoes, a little more beef stock, onion, celery and carrot.  Added some dry mustard and paprika, salt and pepper to the mix.  I then let it cook down a good bit.  I didn't add the butter and sour cream at the end though, as I didn't have it, and... lactose.  So it was not quite the same, but still very good.  We ate it with some carolina gold rice I also did in the instant pot.  Not quite as good as the longer Sean Brock method, but still I think carolina gold is just very good rice.  I used a 1:1.5 ratio on the water and added about 2T of butter and that seemed to work well.

I agree Pat, TrelayneNYC has some good looking prep.  My chopping and dicing is generally done very last minute and getting tossed straight from the cutting board into the pot.  TrelayneNYC, you are a prep bowl influencer, your photos alone definitely make me want them!

[Pat]

Last night was the rest of the previous night's salad; spicy cilantro chicken sausages (from Whole Foods) cooked with caramelized onion, red and green bell pepper, garlic, and some homemade chicken stock; plus roasted russet potato chunks with ramp butter from the freezer. It was good for a thrown together meal, but, wow, those sausages were hot.

[Sundae in the Park]

Dumplings and jap chae. I finally figured out how to get unsticky oodles!!!  The previous night we made a bunch of pizzas (red sauce cheese, red sauce pepperoni, and white sauce mushroom) using Trader Joe's dough and ate them with a bunch of roasted cauliflower and sauteed zucchini.

[TrelayneNYC]

11 hours ago, ktmoomau said:

 

I agree Pat, TrelayneNYC has some good looking prep.  My chopping and dicing is generally done very last minute and getting tossed straight from the cutting board into the pot.  TrelayneNYC, you are a prep bowl influencer, your photos alone definitely make me want them!

Thanks

The prep bowls are like $1-$2 a piece from 

I don't remember where it's located. Some place in Outer Richmond.

You can get them at Bed, Bath & Beyond for much more, I imagine.

[DaveO]

On 1/22/2019 at 9:05 AM, Pat said:

Trelayne, your mise en place always looks so impressive! Even the times I fully measure and lay out everything before I start, it would never photograph so well, what with my random odds and ends of measuring/prep vessels. Your prep  just visually foreshadows a successful result.

17 hours ago, ktmoomau said:

 

I agree Pat, TrelayneNYC has some good looking prep.  My chopping and dicing is generally done very last minute and getting tossed straight from the cutting board into the pot.  TrelayneNYC, you are a prep bowl influencer, your photos alone definitely make me want them!

 

I absolutely third the above

[Pat]

Last night was pork tacos and rice pilaf. I used pine nuts with the rice instead of noodles. Tacos: corn tortillas, ground pork, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika. chopped tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream mixed with lime juice for an improvised crema. I forgot the cheddar cheese I intended, but we didn't miss it.

[Pat]

Tonight was more pork tacos plus acorn squash halves with eggs baked in the center, from a Frank Ruta recipe that's been discussed here before.

[Pat]

Pork laab aalad (made with leftover taco meat)
Baked cod with homemade buttered breadcrumbs and lemon
Homefries
Sauteed baby spinach

[Pat]

Last night we had a friend over on somewhat short notice. While I put together dinner, we had bagged cheddar popcorn and a small cheese board with jarlsberg, manchego, Carr's rosemary crackers, and sliced pepperoni. Dinner was lasagna and pain de campagne with butter.

[Pat]

More pain de campagne last night (toasted) and this recipe for lamb meatballs in yogurt sauce. Meatballs were served over the last of the leftover rice pilaf with pine nuts. I was also going to make steamed cauliflower but flaked out.

[Pat]

Slow cooker Indian butter chicken with peas and basmati rice
Whole wheat naan

[dcandohio]

I was taking care of my parents last week, and my mother wanted large lima beans.  She instructed me to buy dried beans and what is known in New Orleans as “pickle meat.”  It was a very, very salty piece of pork with a little bone in it.  I browned the meat and then added onions and garlic and bell pepper, and then added the beans and water.  As they started to get soft, I added some thyme and coriander. The end result was very salty, but extremely delicious.  Both parents ate a hearty portion, which did my heart good.

[ktmoomau]

Last night was the last of my imitation stroganoff, served over buttered noodles.  With some baguette slices.

[dcandohio]

Tonight I roasted chicken thighs that I had tossed in jerk seasoning on top of quartered tiny Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced red peppers and sliced onions. 

[Pat]

Tuesday night was a salad (red leaf lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, and avocado); baguette slices and fromage fort; and beef stew with potatoes, carrots, and peas. I used jarlsberg and manchego to make the cheese spread.

Last night was more of the salad, plus homemade croutons; chicken and waffles; and pepper jack mac and cheese.  The waffles were the last of the cornmeal ones from a while back, which I had put in the freezer, and I used an extra skinless boneless chicken breast I had after making the Indian butter chicken, marinated in buttermilk and breaded with panko, to top one of the waffles. (I had an egg on mine instead). Served with sriracha and maple syrup. My husband went for the former, and I for the latter.

[ktmoomau]

Last night was boneless pork roast with a Toragashi pepper spice rub.  Miso roasted carrots, celery and squash, and pan sauce made with the juices of both.

[Pat]

Leftover takeout chili cheese nachos can be turned in to soup!  I added the remains of a box of beef stock (probably about 3/4 cup), a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes, and an expired can of creamed corn.* I stirred it all together over low heat until the chips melted and the cheese went from stringy/gooey to smooth. I heated up half a baguette spread with fromage fort and served slices of that alongside. There was a small salad of red leaf lettuce, cucumber, tomato, radishes, and ranch.

 

*I have no idea why I had this. It was probably for a recipe  I never made. Ironically enough, I think the corn was probably what pulled the whole thing together. Maybe I should buy another can

[TrelayneNYC]

meant to post this earlier this week

this is a Sicilian recipe and the flavors are better the next day

Polpette di pollo e ricotta e limone

300 g ground chicken
200 g ricotta
grated zest from 1 Meyer lemon
60 g breadcrumbs
50 g Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
a pinch of dried oregano
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt
freshly ground pepper
6 tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
300 ml pinot grigio
1 tbsp. chopped Italian parsley

Warm olive oil in a pan, then add the crushed garlic clove. Fry garlic on medium-low heat until fragrant. Lift out and discard garlic. Add meatballs, a batch at a time.

The meatballs were fried in olive oil until browned on all sides.

Then they were braised in pinot grigio until cooked through. Parsley to finish.

Enough for 4.

You can cook them in broth or in tomato sauce, but I happen to like pinot grigio because it really accentuates the lemon.

[TrelayneNYC]

Scarola affogata on the side. Better known as braised escarole.

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
1/2 kg escarole, washed, trimmed and coarsely chopped
a generous pinch of salt
a generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Warm olive oil in a pot or Dutch oven, add garlic and fry garlic over medium heat until browned.

The escarole is added raw to the pot, seasoned with salt and red pepper flakes, then covered and braised for 10-15 minutes or until tender.

 

[Pat]

Leftover nacho soup
Baked chicken thighs
Cauliflower - pepperoni saute
Leftover mac and cheese

[DonRocks]

10 hours ago, Pat said:

Cauliflower - pepperoni saute

Small bits of pepperoni for flavor?

[Pat]

10 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Small bits of pepperoni for flavor?

I used small thin slices I had in an open package and heated them first to render any fat and then added leftover cauliflower florets into the pan to brown a bit.. Cutting the slices into smaller pieces might have been an improvement. This was okay but  not my most successful experiment. I considered melting some cheese in the pan too, but there was so much other cheese in the meal, I opted not to do that.

Last night was a Post recipe for penne with tomato cream sauce (using sour cream). I blanched some broccoli and added that to give some color and green vegetable content. We had buttered toasted baguette with it. I was too lazy to make salad. The pasta was quick and very good.

 

[dracisk]

We had a Super Bowl party last night. My husband smoked two massive briskets (packer cuts) and also made beer can chicken. For these items he used the pellet grill he received for Christmas from my parents and me. We served the brisket with sliced white bread and bread and butter pickles. I also made coleslaw. My husband also made chili, which we served with shredded cheddar, sour cream, and Fritos. For kids we had hot dogs. For appetizers I made a buffalo chicken dip in my slow cooker. I also put out several kinds of cheese and crackers and one of those fruit bowls from Costco. Our guests supplied some other appetizers, loads of desserts, beer, and wine. We have a lot of leftovers, but luckily my husband is happy to eat smoked meats for days on end. The brisket came out really well. I didn't bother with the chicken. :-)

[ktmoomau]

Last week I made black rice topped with Italian Sausage sauteed with ginger, garlic, lemongrass, olive oil, to which I added broccoli, dark soy, light soy, white wine, more ginger and lemongrass, and some rice wine vinegar.  It turned out very, very good.  We have been doing  a lot of leftovers, sandwiches and take out as we have just been super busy with work.  

[DonRocks]

56 minutes ago, ktmoomau said:

It turned out very, very good.  

Then you're a good cook, because these ingredients - while complementary - require one hell of a balancing act.

(You should check out the sausages at Organic Butcher - I know the ones at Whole Foods are good, but the ones at Organic Butcher are great!)

[ktmoomau]

Just now, DonRocks said:

Then you're a good cook, because these ingredients - while complementary - require one hell of a balancing act.

I find italian sausage can stand in for ground pork and chilis in an odd way.  I made a version of tan tan (similar Japanese dish we had, but not dan dan) noodles with spicy italian sausage and miso.  I have been reading a lot of chinese recipes lately, and some hacked recipes (from Lucky Peach and etc) very interesting reading.  

[Sundae in the Park]

We were going to have a Super Bowl party last night but the guest bugged out because of various sickness and rain-related concerns, so throughout the day we ended up making some party stuff and other random dishes we wanted to have on hand for the week:

• chicken and corn egg drop soup, to warm us up and satisfy a takeout craving
• lots of guacamole and salsa and chips and crackers
• Latin/South American cheesy breads ( I use a hybrid recipe from Colombian and Brazilian friends)
• red curry (chicken, eggplant, red peppers, mushrooms, and cauliflower) with brown rice
• fresh-squeezed lemonade from a friend's Meyers
• wings from the store, but we made a sour cream/gochujang (like the Marie Rose from Eamonn's, but Asian!) dip for them
• a bunch of cut-up fruit (mangoes, pears, apples, bananas) served separately instead of in a salad

I have a big block of cheese that I was going to make into nacho sauce, but we didn't need it so I think I might make a stovetop mac and cheese for the kids later this week. 

[Pat]

Making lots of pasta lately. Tonight was spaghetti with a creamy cheesy mushroom sauce, chopped chicken (from leftover thighs), and sauteed chopped red and green bell peppers. I topped this with toasted homemade bread crumbs to serve.

[DonRocks]

2 hours ago, Pat said:

Making lots of pasta lately. Tonight was spaghetti with a creamy cheesy mushroom sauce, chopped chicken (from leftover thighs), and sauteed chopped red and green bell peppers. I topped this with toasted homemade bread crumbs to serve.

Sounds like a variant on Chicken a la King.

[naxos]

Made shakshuka from NYT last night. It may be more of a brunch dish, but we shared our meal with some vegetarian friends and added hummus and babaganoush, olives and a salad along with warm pita.

 

[Pat]

9 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Sounds like a variant on Chicken a la King.

I guess so. I'd been looking at a Pioneer Woman recipe for Chicken Spaghetti, except I barely did anything the recipe called for. It is the reason I put the bell peppers in, though . I kept the spaghetti in long strands, made mushroom sauce instead of using canned soup, used leftover thighs I'd baked days before, omitted the chicken broth, put leftover fromage fort plus shredded Parmesan directly into the sauce instead of grated cheddar on top, and was running really late so did not bake it as a casserole at all. I did give it a little crunch by adding breadcrumbs on top I'd previously toasted and buttered.

So, other than providing a general inspiration--and chopped peppers--her recipe had nothing to do with this. But she may have been thinking of chicken a la king when she came up with her recipe.

[Pat]

Last night was a stir-fry (pork, tofu, broccoli, onion, cremini mushrooms) with rice. I wilted some baby spinach in oil separately and mixed that into the hot rice in the pot prior to serving.

[Tweaked]

Rice Noodles (the ones labeled for pad thai, I think that is medium) with shiitakes, baby bok choy, scallion, and egg.

[ktmoomau]

Last night was take out leftovers scarfed during trial prep.  Night before I made carolina gold rice that I just didn't do right in the instant pot, I can't remember what I did before, but it turned out much better with frozen peas and corn.  Heated up frozen crab cakes and sauteed zucchini and added a little parm. It was a what can I made while tired and uninspired nights.  Once my trial is over, I have committed to trying harder.

[Pat]

Miso-glazed Chilean sea bass
Blueberry-Pistachio Tabbouleh
Steamed asparagus with lemon, butter, s + p

This was a good meal! I made the fish with a glaze I improvised for rockfish (not even trying to figure out if they are the same) years ago. The original fish had Dogfish Head Fort Raspberry Ale, red miso, and some other things in the glaze. That ale may not be produced any more (couldn't find it), so I used Troeg's Blackberry Tizzy Pennsylvania Sour Ale. I figured that would go with the blueberries in the tabbouleh from Joy the Baker (in her brunch cookbook Over Easy).

I've posted somewhere here about how I haven't been able to find the regular old bulgur I used to make for tabbouleh and that Bob's Red Mill bulgur never works right, regardless if I'm using a separate recipe or the directions on the package. The bulgur I bought from the bulk bins at Whole Foods (which they often don't have) worked absolutely perfectly according to Joy's directions. I still have no idea what the issue is with Bob's, but I feel some redemption in the bulk stuff being absolutely perfect--in a recipe I have never made before!

I didn't use that much of the ale in the mixture for the fish, and I also drank some. I like it better than the raspberry ale from years ago. It's 7.8%ABV, and between the recipe and maybe 4-5 oz. in a glass, I have a decent amount left to try to preserve. The fish is a once in a blue moon thing. The asparagus I make a fair amount during the spring, and I'm going to be making this tabbouleh a lot...if I can find the right bulgur.

[ktmoomau]

Last night was poblano peppers stuffed with rice, onions, pine nuts, an array of leftover roast veggies in the fridge- chopped, a little beef cooked in tomato sauce and topped with pepperjack.  Served with spinach on the side.

[Pat]

Fish tacos made with the leftover sea bass
Toppings: guacamole, chopped tomato, napa cabbage, homemade ranch/crema
Leftover rice plus black beans
Leftover asparagus

 

[Sundae in the Park]

Happy Belated Chinese New Year y'all! We've been slowly cooking up and eating down our New Year's goodies. Ordinarily we'd let the holiday go without much fanfare but this year my folks are living with us so we've made a little more effort, though really they are leading the way.  So in the past few days we've had (yeah basically we went from the Super Bowl food list to New Years list):

• Pan-fried salmon steaks for surplus / good fortune
• Stir-fried noodles for deliciously long lives
• Potstickers (from Costco) for wealth
• Fried and fresh (go ahead, guess which version was better) spring rolls (stuffed with sprouts, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and chicken) for more wealth and a fresh start
• Roasted duck (from San Woo BBQ in Van Nuys) for fidelity
• Cuties and regular oranges for prosperity and good luck
• Pan-fried sweet glutinous rice cake for rise in stature and even more prosperity
• Grilled gochujang chicken thighs (because we like these better than whole chickens) for togetherness and hey wait, prosperity!
• Mung bean cakes for sweets (box from Ranch 99)
• Brown and white rice, steamed
• Fried rice with chicken and eggs
• Roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, because we needed more veggies

 

[Pat]

Last night was lamb kofte baked over potatoes and served with tahini sauce and pine nuts, plus the leftover blueberry-pistachio tabbouleh. Friday night was cheese toasts and leftover creamy tomato penne.

[Pat]

Trader Joe's chicken soup dumplings
Red leaf lettuce, cucumber, and tomato salad with ranch dressing
Pan-roasted pork chops with prunes and pine nuts

I deglazed the pan for the pork chops with a little white wine and some apple cider I'd soaked the prunes in for a while. The soup was absent from the dumplings. i may have erred somehow in my steaming and caused it to evaporate. Not sure. I'd never bought these before but they intrigued me. The dumplings themselves were fine for what they were.