I defy anyone to watch that video and not smile.

G Wiv wrote:

lougord99 wrote:Just amazing how creative you have been with the ramps.

In all deference to Mr. S this southern bell shows amazing versatility with an onion.

lougord99 wrote:I defy anyone to watch that video and not smile.

Thanks, Lou. Just applying my limited imagination and repertoire to an ingredient I don't get my hands on very often. And, agreed. What a cutie she is! Why am I suddenly craving an onion sandwich?!

Charcoal-grilled skirt steaks tonight on the Weber . . .


Oiled & Seasoned
Exquisite skirts from Zier's, non-virgin olive oil and more of that homemade Manale spice, which has become my #1 for grilling lately.


Grilled
Just a couple of moments -- directly over the coals -- flipping them a time or two.


Plated Up
Skirt steak, porky black eyed peas with ramp leaves and the weekly slaw.

=R=

Working through some freezer stock of wild Alaskan salmon . . .


Mise En Place & Takayuki Grand Chef AEB-L Hankotsu, 150mm
Couple slabs of wild king salmon, one slab of wild coho, salt, black & white sesame seeds and black pepper. I don't think I'll miss our subscription to Sitka Salmon Shares (where this fish is from), which we decided not to renew this year. We're really fortunate to have several local sources for high-quality, responsibly-caught fresh fish so, even though I'll miss the convenience of always having it on hand, not having to work through freezer stock will be nice.


Mise En Place & Enjin SRK8 Gyuto, 210mm
Ramp oil, crushed garlic, Chinese broccoli, 4x gelatinous beef stock, shiitake mushrooms, oyster sauce, fried shallot oil, black pepper and salt.


Chinese Broccoli & Shiitake Mushrooms
After a quick 'wokking,' during which I did my best to add the ingredients so that they'd all be done cooking at the same time. That pretty much worked out but I had to add the stock earlier than I'd planned to prevent the garlic from burning.


Plated Up
Sesame encrusted wild salmon over Chinese broccoli and shiitakes, drizzled with a quick, emulsified pan sauce of lemon juice, soy sauce, sake, butter and fresh parsley.

Happy Monday!

=R=

Last night we picked up food from Ming Hin and ended up with a ton of sauce packets; thus was born the marinade/glaze for tonight's roast pork tenderloin: duck sauce plus soy plus hot mustard. It worked well, and had the bonus appeal of, as Ronnie would say, "getting RID of stuff."

annak wrote:Last night we picked up food from Ming Hin and ended up with a ton of sauce packets; thus was born the marinade/glaze for tonight's roast pork tenderloin: duck sauce plus soy plus hot mustard. It worked well, and had the bonus appeal of, as Ronnie would say, "getting RID of stuff."

Love it! I can only imagine the eye-roll I would have received from my wife for saving those packets but you absolutely did the right thing!

=R=

Duck breast, polenta, assorted veg = dinner.

click to enlarge





Duck breast, count me a Fan!

G Wiv wrote:Duck breast, polenta, assorted veg = dinner.

Nice! Looks great, as usual.

=R=

No pics, but achieved restaurant-level Chinese food last night through some luck:
I had an eggplant that was starting to fade, diced 1", and a couple Chinese sausage, halved lengthwise to make small dice. 3/4 an onion from the fridge plus 1/4C scallion tops. 2 T Pixian Doban Jan, two cloves garlic minced, equivalent ginger, and sauce made from 1/2C chicken stock that was in the fridge left over from the nettle soup the other night, 1 T soy, 1 T sugar, 1.5 t sesame oil, big pinch black pepper, 1 tsp cornstarch.

Hot wok, glug of oil, onions, wok until soft.
Add the sausage and doban jan, stir for a half a minute, then the garlic and ginger, another 30 sec.
Add the eggplant and stir to coat with the oil and aromatics, then add the sauce. Bring to a boil, turn heat down low and cover. Check in 5 minutes for tenderness of the eggplant and add a bit more water.

Garnish with scallions, and chili and sichuan peppercorn oils. Serve with rice.

This is probably the first time I've achieved the classic Chinese "brown sauce" consistency to my liking: silky but not gloppy, deep in flavors.

ronnie_suburban wrote:After a quick 'wokking,' during which I did my best to add the ingredients so that they'd all be done cooking at the same time. That pretty much worked out but I had to add the stock earlier than I'd planned to prevent the garlic from burning.

=R=

I don't know if you were following a recipe or not. If I am following a recipe, I almost always add the garlic later than the recipe calls for. I guess I just tend to cook with a hotter pan than the writers intend. But the whole dish is ruined when the garlic burns, which is really easy to do.

JoelF wrote:This is probably the first time I've achieved the classic Chinese "brown sauce" consistency to my liking: silky but not gloppy, deep in flavors.

Cool. I've been hitting this sweet spot with some frequency lately. I find that there's quite a bit of difference in the finished dish even within a fairly small range of added liquid. Add to that the variability of vegetable moisture and you come to the realization that there's no alternative to just keeping a close eye on these dishes while they're cooking and learning to look for certain signs. More on this below.

lougord99 wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:After a quick 'wokking,' during which I did my best to add the ingredients so that they'd all be done cooking at the same time. That pretty much worked out but I had to add the stock earlier than I'd planned to prevent the garlic from burning.

I don't know if you were following a recipe or not. If I am following a recipe, I almost always add the garlic later than the recipe calls for. I guess I just tend to cook with a hotter pan than the writers intend. But the whole dish is ruined when the garlic burns, which is really easy to do.

No recipe. Shiitakes went in first but they had some age on them and were a bit drier than I realized. Because of that, they didn't emit quite the amount of moisture I expected. No worries, though. I was watching things closely and immediately added the beef stock once the garlic started to toast. Had I walked away for even a minute, this almost certainly would have been ruined.

=R=

Big-time 'getting RID of stuff' salads tonight. First up, the dressing . . .


Mise En Place & Takamura Migaki SG2 Gyuto, 210mm
Somewhat wacky Russian/Thousand Island hybrid, with some minced shallot and homemade dill pickles.


Plated Up
Spring mix, romaine and arugula topped with Instant Pot 5-minute eggs, sharp cheddar cheese, campari tomatoes and leftover chunks of skirt steak, pork tenderloin and some Col. Bill Newsom's preacher ham that I found, vacuum sealed, in the back of the basement refrigerator.

=R=

lougord99 wrote:I don't know if you were following a recipe or not. If I am following a recipe, I almost always add the garlic later than the recipe calls for. I guess I just tend to cook with a hotter pan than the writers intend. But the whole dish is ruined when the garlic burns, which is really easy to do.

That's one of the key lessons I learned from Fuschia Dunlop's Kung Pao recipe: the garlic and ginger go in after the protein, so they're stronger, sharper. It's definitely not your classic French treatment of aromatics.

Tonight's dinner was inspired by the market; cheap thin-cut pork chops, free French bread loaf in place of teleras, and a bunch of things already in my fridge (avocado, red onion, sour cream) and freezer (leftover refried black beans, shredded cheese), and it was torta milanesa night. Quick pickle on the onions, chop some lettuce and cilantro. Flour / egg / breadcrumbs and shallow oil, beautiful crisp.

The only hitch was the Serrano chiles I put in the cart didn't end up on the register conveyor. I'd planned on making a creamy green salsa, the only thing we had in the house was a jar of Pace. I chopped some sport peppers, but it's just not right. Still, delicious.

[quote="G Wiv"][/quote]In all deference to Mr. S this southern bell shows amazing versatility with an onion. https://fb.watch/4Yoei58V58/

Reminds me of when my mother w/ruskie peasant stock coursing through her veins would eat an onion out of hand like an apple usually accompanied by King Oscar sardines and a glop of Koop's horseradish mustard. Her's was a kiss to avoid post meal.

ronnie_suburban wrote:Big-time 'getting RID of stuff' salads tonight. First up, the dressing . . .


Mise En Place & Takamura Migaki SG2 Gyuto, 210mm
Somewhat wacky Russian/Thousand Island hybrid, with some minced shallot and homemade dill pickles.


Plated Up
Spring mix, romaine and arugula topped with Instant Pot 5-minute eggs, sharp cheddar cheese, campari tomatoes and leftover chunks of skirt steak, pork tenderloin and some Col. Bill Newsom's preacher ham that I found, vacuum sealed, in the back of the basement refrigerator.

=R=

I am so loving IP eggs—just did a small batch —3 mins pressure, 3 mins then manual release and they were perfectly jammy. So much fun playing with it.

boudreaulicious wrote:I am so loving IP eggs—just did a small batch —3 mins pressure, 3 mins then manual release and they were perfectly jammy. So much fun playing with it.

Cool. Gonna try this next time. For the most part, I've been achieving near-perfect eggs with 5 minutes at low pressure, followed by quick release, but as you can see from the pics above, they were a bit chalky this time around. I think the physical condition of eggs can vary in a lot of ways. For example, the shells on the Nichols Farm eggs I'm running now are coarse and thin. I think that may have something to do with why 5 minutes may have been a touch too long.

=R=

Thanks to Xexo, who tipped me off to a recipe for pomegranate and sumac chicken, from the Isle of Lesbos. I was initially concerned that the pomegranate molasses used in the marinade might be too sweet for me but tasting it (them?) alone was more tart than sweet, so I decided to give it a whirl . . .


Marinade Mise En Place
Tomato paste, crushed garlic, allspice, Aleppo pepper, sumac, pomegranate molasses, evoo, salt and black pepper.


Marinade
It was encouraging how tasty this was on its own.


Marinated
~24 hours, zipper bag method.

Side dishery . . .


Mise En Place & Konosuke SKD Gyuto, 210mm
Fixins' for quinoa, which we cooked in the rice cooker: Scallion tops, white carrot, scallion bottoms, quinoa, sliced creminis, salt, evoo and black pepper. Sauteed the carrot, creminis and scallion bottoms, then added that cooked mixture to the quinoa in the rice cooker. Added the scallion tops at the end, after it had finished cooking.


Vinaigrette
Two acids, one oil . . . plus dried oregano


Salad
Spring mix, romaine and arugula with campari tomatoes.


Pomegranate Sumac Chicken
Lump charcoal-grilled for about 27 minutes on the indirect side of a 2-stage fire.


Plated Up
Garnished with scallion tops. The whole family really enjoyed this take on chicken thighs and I'll definitely add it to the rotation. I could even see making a dry rub with the Aleppo, sumac and allspice (plus salt and pepper).

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Pomegranate Sumac Chicken

This just went into the rotation. Probably next Tuesday.

Where do you get pomegranate molasses. I assume you get sumac at a spice shop.

lougord99 wrote:Where do you get pomegranate molasses. I assume you get sumac at a spice shop.

Any market with a middle eastern section will have it. I’ve bought it at Harvestime and Middle Eastern Bakery & Grocery in Andersonville. The markets on Harlem will have it as well. Same for Sumac.

Pom molasses is great stuff. It really is at least as much of a sour ingredient as sweet. It's key in things like muhamarra (red pepper / walnut dip or spread), and shows up regularly in Ottolenghi recipes. A drizzle over roasted squash, slathered on roast poultry or lamb.... I don't go through it quickly, but I have gone through a couple bottles.

lougord99 wrote:Where do you get pomegranate molasses. I assume you get sumac at a spice shop.

I got the pomegranate molasses at Sunset/HP a few months ago when I was planning to make a lamb dish that called for it (never happened). And yes, the sumac is from Penzey's website but I've gotten it from other places, too. I always have it on hand.

=R=

lougord99 wrote:Where do you get pomegranate molasses. I assume you get sumac at a spice shop.

Pretty much every Middle Eastern market should have pomegranate molasses (and sumac), but the good stuff is a little harder to find. What you want is made from only pomegranate juice, without added sugar. The last time I bought a bottle (at Pete's in Bridgeview, with a decent ME selection) I had to settle for Cortas, better than many brands, but made with sugar. Does anyone have a favorite brand (and a local store that carries it)?

Rene G wrote:Does anyone have a favorite brand (and a local store that carries it)?

We go through a lot of this stuff. Cortas is fine, as you say. Sultan (made by Ziyad) is also widely available (even at Whole Foods), but has a bit of an off taste for me -- probably not noticeable if you cook it, but definitely in fattoush. Lately, my preference (unfortunately, from Amazon) is this:

cilantro wrote:

Rene G wrote:Does anyone have a favorite brand (and a local store that carries it)?

We go through a lot of this stuff. Cortas is fine, as you say. Sultan (made by Ziyad) is also widely available (even at Whole Foods), but has a bit of an off taste for me -- probably not noticeable if you cook it, but definitely in fattoush. Lately, my preference (unfortunately, from Amazon) is this:

I'm going to try some pomegranate juice concentrate next time. I think even tart cherry jc would work, too.

=R=

Picked up a fresh bottle of pomegranate molasses today at Arax. Going to make the above chicken thigh dish. Had Topo Chico, yogurt drink and pomegranate molasses on the table, mixed them together for a deliciously refreshing drink.

click to enlarge




Yogurt Drink, count me a Fan!

Arax Foods
9017 N Milwaukee Ave
Niles, IL 60714
847-966-1808

G Wiv wrote:Picked up a fresh bottle of pomegranate molasses today at Arax.

I should add Arax had, at minimum, a dozen brands of pomegranate molasses for sale. The one I bought, Alreef, has no added sugar and tasty eaten out of hand.

Quick, lunchtime take on pad ka-prao, which has become affectionately known around here as Thai Sloppy Joes. Buying the pork already coarsely ground, and using the mini cuisinart* to create the aromatic paste, I was able to go from fridge to plate in about 15 minutes . . .


Pad Ka-Prao, Lunchtime edition

*Generally speaking, I don't like this machine, which has at least a few significant design flaws. But for this application, with a batch this size (when its bowl is almost completely full) it's at its most efficient and useful. I ended up with a coarse but even paste and didn't need to go through the repeated scrape-downs that it normally requires.

=R=

It's really nice to always have a couple of homemade stocks on hand (courtesy of the instant pot). It opens up a lot of avenues for getting RID of stuff in tasty fashion. Was having trouble deciding what to make for dinner tonight but with stock on hand, I was able to use up some kale and mushrooms in darned good soup . . .


Mise En Place & Konosuke Sumiiro SLD Gyuto, 210mm
Creminis, salt, onions & scallion bottoms, garlic chives, carrot, scallion tops, crushed garlic, hot Italian sausage, evoo, 4x gelatinous pork stock, black pepper and kale.

Rendered the sausage in the evoo, then removed it until the very end. Next in were onions, scallion bottoms, garlic, carrot and mushrooms. After they'd all softened a bit, I added about 2 cups of the concentrated stock and 6 cups of water, and let it simmer. When everything had melded nicely and reduced down, I added back the par-cooked sausage and some of the garlic chives (keeping the rest for garnish).


Plated Up
Garnished with garlic chives, scallion tops and red chile flakes, along with some toast (from a loaf baked by a friend) with homemade ramp butter.

=R=

Chicken liver dusted with flour/panko and a hint of vadouvan, caramelized onions, bacon = dinner. Soaked the livers for an hour or so in k salt/milk before dredging.

click to enlarge


Chicken liver, count me a Fan!

tonight we did some halibut filets in the sous vide, served with a two-fisted sauce: a kind of salsa verde of parsley, mint, chive, garlic, lemon zest blitzed in food processor then tossed with olive oil and toasted sliced almonds, as well as a garlicky labneh. on the side was blanched broccolini and roasted fingerlings (sliced in half the long way; nice and brown), both of which were also tasty with the sauces.