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What are you making for dinner tonite?

What are you making for dinner tonite?
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  • Post #3271 - January 21st, 2025, 6:51 pm
    Post #3271 - January 21st, 2025, 6:51 pm Post #3271 - January 21st, 2025, 6:51 pm
    ImagePerfect night for hot and sour soup. Dish based on recipe from 'Souped up Recipes'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D78r9jvLliA&t=141s
  • Post #3272 - January 23rd, 2025, 1:44 pm
    Post #3272 - January 23rd, 2025, 1:44 pm Post #3272 - January 23rd, 2025, 1:44 pm
    Attempting to duplicate an old Baker's Square sandwich, I think we exceeded it. The original had chicken, bacon, swiss, mushrooms (I think), avocado and sour cream on a parmesan-grilled sourdough.

    Not having sourdough, we used Oat Nut, chicken was leftover fried chicken from the Jewels, swiss, avocado, bacon, and smoked paprika aioli (kewpie mayo, smoked paprika, microplaned garlic, salt, lemon juice) left over from a previous meal, all on the griddle with a generous handful of shredded parm put down before the buttered bread goes on.

    One of the best sandwiches I've had in ages.
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #3273 - January 26th, 2025, 10:38 pm
    Post #3273 - January 26th, 2025, 10:38 pm Post #3273 - January 26th, 2025, 10:38 pm
    Tonight's menu idea started with popovers and wax beans (from Jerry's.) I decided that an oven baked beef stew would be a good accompaniment. Here's the start - browned English cut chuck cubes, red peppers, carrots, celery, mushrooms, daikon in red wine plus a shnort of soy sauce, seasoned with bay leaf, thyme, black pepper.Image
    After 5 hours in the oven: Image Could have gone with a lower temperature, but I thought we were going to eat earlier than we did. Anyhow, came out very silky in texture and even received a "have this again" from the non-meat-lover.

    Popovers were from Cook's Illustrated "No-Fail Popovers" (January & February 2021, pp 14-15.) Ingredients are just flour, salt, milk and eggs but the method is slightly different: Rather than preheating the pan, the milk is heated before mixing so the batter itself goes into the oven warmed. As promised, the popovers were very puffy Image
    with flat, odd shaped tops. Pictures in the magazine looked similarly odd. Lots of popImage
    in these popovers!
  • Post #3274 - January 30th, 2025, 11:52 pm
    Post #3274 - January 30th, 2025, 11:52 pm Post #3274 - January 30th, 2025, 11:52 pm
    Yesterday's project:
    Image
    Turkey mettwurst, southeastern Wisconsin style. Mixed from Carolina brand ground turkey, spices, cure, then stuffed and smoked. Mettwurst simply means "meat sausage". In many areas it's a soft spread, but in southeastern Wisconsin tradition it's sort of uber ring bologna, spicier and smokier.
  • Post #3275 - February 1st, 2025, 7:33 pm
    Post #3275 - February 1st, 2025, 7:33 pm Post #3275 - February 1st, 2025, 7:33 pm
    Was traveling for a while, at the end of which I caught a nasty virus that temporarily disabled my senses of taste and smell. That was an unsettling few days. As it lingered, I worried that it might not be temporary but finally, several days after I first felt ill, I was able to taste and smell again. So, happily, back to the kitchen today with this stir-fry of Shrimp In Lobster Sauce (which contains no actual lobster) . . .

    Image
    Mise En Place & Saji R-2 Gyuto, 210mm
    Chicken broth, egg, fermented black beans (douchi), minced garlic, scallions, Shoyu, cooking wine, toasted sesame oil, ground bison, 26-30 shrimp, white pepper, avocado oil, salt, granulated sugar and corn starch.

    I remember having this in Chinese restaurants when I was a kid. Had no idea then that it didn't contain lobster and still don't really know how it got its name. My guess is that it's because it has a luxurious, velvety texture. This is an amalgamation of a few recipes/methods I found and other than containing shrimp, the one thing they all have in common is that they don't contain any lobster. In any case, it was a quick and fun one to bang out . . .

    Image
    Shrimp In Lobster Sauce

    Image
    Plated Up
    With jasmine rice and spicy-sweet cucumber salad.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #3276 - February 2nd, 2025, 3:34 am
    Post #3276 - February 2nd, 2025, 3:34 am Post #3276 - February 2nd, 2025, 3:34 am
    Had no idea then that it didn't contain lobster and still don't really know how it got its name. My guess is that it's because it has a luxurious, velvety texture. the one thing they all have in common is that they don't contain any lobster.

    =R=[/quote]

    Hi Ron,
    This sauce, made with ground pork, is the classic sauce for the old standard Lobster Cantonese. So over the years the sauce became known as lobster sauce. I’ve read this theory in Chinese cook books for 50 years.
    Very difficult to find a respectable version (no frozen peas and carrots) these days.

    Evil
    If you aren't tasting, you aren't cooking.
  • Post #3277 - February 2nd, 2025, 3:36 am
    Post #3277 - February 2nd, 2025, 3:36 am Post #3277 - February 2nd, 2025, 3:36 am
    Had no idea then that it didn't contain lobster and still don't really know how it got its name. My guess is that it's because it has a luxurious, velvety texture. the one thing they all have in common is that they don't contain any lobster.

    =R=


    Hi Ron,
    This sauce, made with ground pork, is the classic sauce for the old standard Lobster Cantonese. So over the years the sauce became known as lobster sauce. I’ve read this theory in Chinese cook books for 50 years.
    Very difficult to find a respectable version (no frozen peas and carrots) these days.

    Looks like you nailed it!

    Evil
    If you aren't tasting, you aren't cooking.
  • Post #3278 - February 2nd, 2025, 11:29 am
    Post #3278 - February 2nd, 2025, 11:29 am Post #3278 - February 2nd, 2025, 11:29 am
    I'm a fan of the shrimp in lobster sauce at LTH. It's everything you'd expect from shrimp in lobster sauce at LTH!
  • Post #3279 - February 2nd, 2025, 6:43 pm
    Post #3279 - February 2nd, 2025, 6:43 pm Post #3279 - February 2nd, 2025, 6:43 pm
    Every once in a while you get SLS with no black beans... And I never go back to that place again.
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #3280 - February 2nd, 2025, 8:16 pm
    Post #3280 - February 2nd, 2025, 8:16 pm Post #3280 - February 2nd, 2025, 8:16 pm
    Haha - I guess that when it comes to SLS, we all have our preferences. I'm sure that bison isn't preferred but it's what I had on hand. Next time, ground chicken or pork, methinks. And definitely no frozen peas!

    Tonight, it was pizza time. It had been a long time since I made pizza but I really felt like diving back in. In a few weeks, its' going to be too hot again to comfortably bake like this indoors. Overnight-fermented, 65% hydration bread flour dough and a bunch of other jazz, including some nice pepperoni and hot Italian sausage from Caputo's in Mount Prospect . . .

    Image
    Mise En Place & Saji R-2 Gyuto, 210mm
    Salt, whole milk mozzarella, dough, pepperoni, black pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes, parmigiano reggiano/pecorino romano, hot Italian sausage, thinly-sliced, evoo-coated red onion, sauce (crushed tomatoes, salt, granulated sugar, oregano & evoo) and evoo.

    Used 325g of dough per pizza. Constructed pizzas directly on the peel with semolina underneath as 'ball bearings.' Very hot cook, in between baking steels, at 550F. That only took a few minutes per pizza.

    Image
    Pizza, Top View
    Pretty tasty. All in all, not a bad re-entry effort. I definitely could use some improvement on the geometry, though! :lol:

    Image
    Pizza, Bottom View
    Some charring. Not sure how much more I really would have wanted. Pretty crispy for an overloaded pie, too. In any case, I'm going to need a few more reps before I can really even try to dial this in but the results, especially with that 24+ hour ferment, were solid.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #3281 - February 2nd, 2025, 8:58 pm
    Post #3281 - February 2nd, 2025, 8:58 pm Post #3281 - February 2nd, 2025, 8:58 pm
    JoelF wrote:Every once in a while you get SLS with no black beans... And I never go back to that place again.


    Where I grew up (Tampa), Shrimp with Lobster Sauce was my absolute favorite dish—and it was a completely white, velvet sauce that highlighted the shrimp. It might’ve had pork but it was not noticeable.

    Have to say that I really hate the brownish, bean laden version that is so popular here. I never order it anymore. This thread has made me crave it so I’m off to find a recipe for my preferred style :)
    "Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." Miles Kington
  • Post #3282 - February 2nd, 2025, 9:20 pm
    Post #3282 - February 2nd, 2025, 9:20 pm Post #3282 - February 2nd, 2025, 9:20 pm
    boudreaulicious wrote:I never order it anymore. This thread has made me crave it so I’m off to find a recipe for my preferred style :)

    When you find it, can you share it?

    My Mother's Irish Father was introduced to Shrimp with Lobster sauce when I ordered it for him instead of whatever was his favored dish. His eye lit up at the first taste and it was his standard order thereafter.

    Yes, I was surprised long ago, too, to learn it was egg whites and not lobster in any shape or form. Good marketing on whomever came up with the name.

    Regards,
    Cathy2
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #3283 - February 2nd, 2025, 11:30 pm
    Post #3283 - February 2nd, 2025, 11:30 pm Post #3283 - February 2nd, 2025, 11:30 pm
    Cathy2 wrote:
    boudreaulicious wrote:I never order it anymore. This thread has made me crave it so I’m off to find a recipe for my preferred style :)

    When you find it, can you share it?

    My Mother's Irish Father was introduced to Shrimp with Lobster sauce when I ordered it for him instead of whatever was his favored dish. His eye lit up at the first taste and it was his standard order thereafter.

    Yes, I was surprised long ago, too, to learn it was egg whites and not lobster in any shape or form. Good marketing on whomever came up with the name.

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    The basics here are pretty straightforward. Broth/stock, an egg, corn starch slurry and a bit of ground meat for the 'lobster' sauce. As for what else to include, that's always up to the cook. The version I made used only a mere tablespoon of fermented black beans. I saw other versions that included peas but that just didn't sound good to me. If it had, I certainly wouldn't have hesitated to include them. I saw some versions that called for browning the shrimp first and others that didn't. Some versions said to blanch the ground meat first. Others did not. Once you have the foundation set, it's a blank canvas, really.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #3284 - February 3rd, 2025, 6:34 am
    Post #3284 - February 3rd, 2025, 6:34 am Post #3284 - February 3rd, 2025, 6:34 am
    Ronnie,

    I know you are concerned about using parchment paper with dough items. I promise you that the pizza will completely release from the parchment after 2-3 minutes at 550. I just lift the edge of the pizza and pull the parchment out. I find it easier to form the pizza on parchment than flour on the peel.
  • Post #3285 - February 3rd, 2025, 10:12 am
    Post #3285 - February 3rd, 2025, 10:12 am Post #3285 - February 3rd, 2025, 10:12 am
    lougord99 wrote:Ronnie,

    I know you are concerned about using parchment paper with dough items. I promise you that the pizza will completely release from the parchment after 2-3 minutes at 550. I just lift the edge of the pizza and pull the parchment out. I find it easier to form the pizza on parchment than flour on the peel.

    No concerns. I use parchment all the time. Just figured I'd try without this time. Managed to make it work. I know parchment would have been fine, too.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #3286 - February 3rd, 2025, 12:56 pm
    Post #3286 - February 3rd, 2025, 12:56 pm Post #3286 - February 3rd, 2025, 12:56 pm
    Love to see what folks are cooking, but just to please those posting about where to order Shrimp in Lobster Sauce, we had it last night from Friendship Chinese in Logan Square and it was nearly excellent. No pork, but wood ear mushrooms, and in addition to a number of large perfectly cooked shrimp, one order of it also contained 3 disks of egg custard of some kind - that had been par-cooked before adding to the dish. Round, brown on the outside, lusciously creamy and savory in the inside - like if a chawanmushi was a canele? Check it out! (And if you use their own ordering system rather than a third party, delivery is free.)
  • Post #3287 - February 3rd, 2025, 7:05 pm
    Post #3287 - February 3rd, 2025, 7:05 pm Post #3287 - February 3rd, 2025, 7:05 pm
    My favorite protein and my favorite vegetable. In other words, back to one again tonight . . .

    Image
    Charcoal-Grilled Chicken Thighs
    A couple of homemade rubs.

    Image
    Plated Up
    With steamed broccoli (butter, lemon, gochugaru) and buttered orzo.

    Happy Monday! :)

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #3288 - February 3rd, 2025, 8:16 pm
    Post #3288 - February 3rd, 2025, 8:16 pm Post #3288 - February 3rd, 2025, 8:16 pm
    Leftover rice from an Indian dish a couple days ago, an eggplant I need to cook before it spoils... Made two dishes from Kenji's The Wok:

    Yu Shiang Eggplant, Fried Rice (added a few shrimp).

    Both recipes are a little fussy, but work great.
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #3289 - February 3rd, 2025, 11:37 pm
    Post #3289 - February 3rd, 2025, 11:37 pm Post #3289 - February 3rd, 2025, 11:37 pm
    lougord99 wrote:I promise you that the pizza will completely release from the parchment after 2-3 minutes at 550. I just lift the edge of the pizza and pull the parchment out. I find it easier to form the pizza on parchment than flour on the peel.
    Lately I've been using parchment for thin crust pies in the pizza oven. Works well except for the ashy corners of the parchment that get a little messy. Beats my experience with trying to transfer from peel to stone without dropping toppings or messing up the edges.

    Some questions: do you roll/stretch the crust on a board, then move it to the parchment? Any flour, semolina or cornmeal on the parchment? And you're pulling the parchment out from underneath mid-cook, or your pizza is done in 2-3 minutes?

    Thanks for any answers!
  • Post #3290 - February 4th, 2025, 6:42 pm
    Post #3290 - February 4th, 2025, 6:42 pm Post #3290 - February 4th, 2025, 6:42 pm
    Today, I'm making a massive batch of soup for a big soup-cooking event/contest at work tomorrow . . .

    Image
    Mise En Place & Konosuke Fujiyama FM Blue #2 Gyuto, 210mm
    Zucchini, red & yellow onion, russet potato (soaking in water to prevent oxidation), coarsely chopped garlic, parsley, cremini mushrooms, mini tomatoes, Rancho Gordo masoor dal (red lentils), evoo, celery, red bell pepper & bay leaves, Newsom 'Preacher' ham, salt, black pepper, carrot and tomato paste. Not pictured are about 6 quarts of rich, roasted chicken stock that I instantpotted over the weekend.

    I usually work pretty fast but this one took quite some time to prep and get into the pot -- ~75 minutes in total. There was just so much stuff here and everything needed to be located, sorted, cleaned and prepped. I think/hope it'll be worth the effort. Not sure how many other people are making soups or what they're making but at least we'll have this one . . .

    Image
    Plated Up
    Ham and red lentil soup. Early, sampler bowl. With toasted/buttered Oregano Polenta bread from Loaf Lounge.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #3291 - February 4th, 2025, 8:06 pm
    Post #3291 - February 4th, 2025, 8:06 pm Post #3291 - February 4th, 2025, 8:06 pm
    tjr wrote:Lately I've been using parchment for thin crust pies in the pizza oven. Works well except for the ashy corners of the parchment that get a little messy. Beats my experience with trying to transfer from peel to stone without dropping toppings or messing up the edges.

    Some questions: do you roll/stretch the crust on a board, then move it to the parchment? Any flour, semolina or cornmeal on the parchment? And you're pulling the parchment out from underneath mid-cook, or your pizza is done in 2-3 minutes?

    Thanks for any answers!

    I roll out on the parchment. I do not use anything between the pizza and the parchment. The reason I pull the parchment out is that I usually cook a little thicker crust pizza at 550 for 7-8 minutes. If you leave parchment at 550 for that long it will burn. If I were doing a thin crust, which won't cook that long, I would leave the parchment in the whole time. Just as I leave the parchment in the oven the entire time for my bread that is started at 450 for 20 minutes and then dropped to 430 for 15-20 minutes. The parchment doesn't burn and I leave it in the whole time.
  • Post #3292 - February 4th, 2025, 8:19 pm
    Post #3292 - February 4th, 2025, 8:19 pm Post #3292 - February 4th, 2025, 8:19 pm
    deep dish quiche for coup night. parbake crust in a springform; 6 eggs, 1 cup cream, 2 caramelized onions, 1 lb frozen spinach thawed and squeezed,4 oz cheddar. quite good.
  • Post #3293 - February 5th, 2025, 7:57 pm
    Post #3293 - February 5th, 2025, 7:57 pm Post #3293 - February 5th, 2025, 7:57 pm
    Tonight, using up the remainder of the 65% hydration bread flour dough I made last weekend. A grandma-style pie . . .

    Image
    Loaded Grandma-Style Pie
    Sausage, pepperoni, onions and lightly toasted garlic oil. I was mostly happy with this but even though the dough had great flavor, the pizza was a bit gummy, and failed to brown as well I was hoping it would (top and bottom). Very tasty but slightly less than the sum of its parts. I'm looking forward to the next round of experimentation, which should be coming up soon.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #3294 - February 5th, 2025, 9:14 pm
    Post #3294 - February 5th, 2025, 9:14 pm Post #3294 - February 5th, 2025, 9:14 pm
    ronnie_suburban wrote:I was mostly happy with this but even though the dough had great flavor, the pizza was a bit gummy, and failed to brown as well I was hoping it would (top and bottom). Very tasty but slightly less than the sum of its parts. I'm looking forward to the next round of experimentation, which should be coming up soon.

    =R=


    Idea: use the King Arthur Focaccia trick of taking it out of the pan for the last couple minutes? Might help crisp things up. (IANABaker)
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #3295 - February 5th, 2025, 9:19 pm
    Post #3295 - February 5th, 2025, 9:19 pm Post #3295 - February 5th, 2025, 9:19 pm
    Nice lookin' 'za! How does Grandma Pie compare to Detroit style? From what I can find on the web, both are made in heavily olive oil coated rectangular pans with cheese immediately on the crust and light on sauce (stripes for Detroit, random dollops for Grandma.) But Grandma Pie is apparently made with aged dough similar to thin crust while Detroit style is made with a runny, focaccia-like dough that rises quickly in the pan. That info doesn't say much about how the texture or taste, though. Are they similar in the end? Or different?
    annak wrote:deep dish quiche for coup night.
    Coup night? The web suggests that might commemorate an incident of Turkish political unrest, but that would be in July. And couldn't figure how quiche ties in with that...sounds very good & rich, though. Did you need a second mortgage or a winning lottery ticket for that many eggs?
  • Post #3296 - February 6th, 2025, 4:51 pm
    Post #3296 - February 6th, 2025, 4:51 pm Post #3296 - February 6th, 2025, 4:51 pm
    tjr wrote:Nice lookin' 'za! How does Grandma Pie compare to Detroit style? From what I can find on the web, both are made in heavily olive oil coated rectangular pans with cheese immediately on the crust and light on sauce (stripes for Detroit, random dollops for Grandma.) But Grandma Pie is apparently made with aged dough similar to thin crust while Detroit style is made with a runny, focaccia-like dough that rises quickly in the pan. That info doesn't say much about how the texture or taste, though. Are they similar in the end? Or different?

    I really couldn't say for sure. From what (very) little I know, there is no material difference between the two styles, though I'm guessing there are nuances that distinguish them. And I'm sure there are some highly informed individuals who could suck every bit of joy out of it by explaining them, lol (analog to the Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons)!

    Grandma Pie is cooked in dark rectangular pan (I used a carbon steel Lloyd's pan) that's coated with a fairly generous amount of oil. Built from the bottom up, it's dough, then mozzarella cheese (preferably sliced), then dollops of sauce and a drizzling of garlic oil. With a couple minutes to go in the bake, dried oregano and a sprinkling of grated hard cheese (e.g. parm, romano, etc.) are added, and the pizza is baked for another couple of minutes. That I added meat and onions (and as much of them as I did) is probably heresy but I couldn't say for sure. Most examples I've seen do not have those additional toppings.

    Yes, my dough was aged but that wasn't for any other reason than I know it develops more flavor when aged, and that's what I set out to do. I made a big batch of dough. Baked some of it on Day 2 and the remainder on Day 5. In both cases, great flavor, decent rise and a texture that was crispy on the top and bottom but a bit gummy and dense in between. I've forgotten an awful lot about how I used to turn out pizzas but maybe some additional research and some practice will help restore things.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #3297 - February 7th, 2025, 12:31 am
    Post #3297 - February 7th, 2025, 12:31 am Post #3297 - February 7th, 2025, 12:31 am
    Oops, I forgot the most important part! Detroit = brick cheese, Grandma = mozzarella.
  • Post #3298 - February 7th, 2025, 12:44 am
    Post #3298 - February 7th, 2025, 12:44 am Post #3298 - February 7th, 2025, 12:44 am
    tjr wrote:Oops, I forgot the most important part! Detroit = brick cheese, Grandma = mozzarella.

    Yeah. That lines up with what I remember, as well.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #3299 - February 7th, 2025, 6:32 am
    Post #3299 - February 7th, 2025, 6:32 am Post #3299 - February 7th, 2025, 6:32 am
    ronnie_suburban wrote: In both cases, great flavor, decent rise and a texture that was crispy on the top and bottom but a bit gummy and dense in between.
    =R=

    Though its hard to take temps of thinner doughs, I find that high hydration doughs need to get to 200 to be cooked through.
  • Post #3300 - February 8th, 2025, 7:29 pm
    Post #3300 - February 8th, 2025, 7:29 pm Post #3300 - February 8th, 2025, 7:29 pm
    lougord99 wrote:
    ronnie_suburban wrote: In both cases, great flavor, decent rise and a texture that was crispy on the top and bottom but a bit gummy and dense in between.

    Though its hard to take temps of thinner doughs, I find that high hydration doughs need to get to 200 to be cooked through.

    That tracks with what I've read, and I'm getting there . . .

    Tonight, another amorphous pizza that looks pretty similar to some of my other recent efforts (especially because I'm still working through the same batch of toppings). But this was made with a different dough, the Roman-style dough recipe from the first edition of Peter Reinhart's American Pie.

    The main differences between this and the previous 'grandma pie' dough are that this contains no sugar nor oil. It's made mainly with AP flour (rather than bread flour) but also includes 28g (roughly 4.5% by weight) of semolina flour, along with yeast, salt and water (68% total hydration). I let it ferment for about 20 hours, then tempered a 325g section of dough at room temperature for a couple of hours, and rolled it out directly on parchment. From there, onto a steel in a 550F oven for about 9 minutes, turning it 90 degrees a couple of times during the bake (and sliding the parchment out about halfway through) . . .

    Image
    Roman-Style Thin-Crust Pizza
    Sausage, pepperoni, onion, whole milk mozzarella and a 'parmano' blend. A huge improvement over the last pizzas. In addition to being really flavorful, this crust was also crispy and light, while also possessing some sturdiness, too. I still have enough dough left for 2 or 3 more pizzas, so maybe I'll get to those in the coming days. I do have some other things I want to cook (and eat), though.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world

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