What's cooking?

A mix of Peruvian Purple, red, and yellow potatoes, red and white onion, garlic, red and yellow bell peppers, with Rosemary and Summer Savory, will be roasted until nicely browned. We will share a grilled New York steak marinated in Chipotle Peppers in Adobo, lime juice, orange juice, and a salad of romaine lettuce, lemon cukes and red zebra heirloom tomatoes with a champagne vinegar vinaigrette. Oh, and Gene requested some grilled baby red onions marinated in evoo and golden balsamic vinegar, so I have two of those marinating away for him. You just gotta love summer. Such easy foods, full of sunshine.

A mix of Peruvian Purple, red, and yellow potatoes, red and white onion, garlic, red and yellow bell peppers, with Rosemary and Summer Savory...

Gorgeous!

A mix of Peruvian Purple, red, and yellow potatoes, red and white onion, garlic, red and yellow bell peppers, with Rosemary and Summer Savory...

Gorgeous!

Yes, and the sweet thing is, they are just a pretty after roasting.

[Robin Garr]

Fresh grilled tuna with lime ponzu and a side of green beans tossed with browned onions and new potatoes at my sister's house.

A taco bowl tonight. Crisped flour tortillas shaped into a fluted bowl. Layers of refried beans, mixed with onion, garlic, jalapeño pepper, and hot sauce. Then shredded iceberg lettuce, shredded chicken breast spiced up with cumin and chipotle, a little more lettuce, fresh tomatoes, avocado, a sprinkle of jack cheese and some taco sauce.

[Jenise]

A mix of Peruvian Purple, red, and yellow potatoes, red and white onion, garlic, red and yellow bell peppers, with Rosemary and Summer Savory...

Gorgeous!

Yes, and the sweet thing is, they are just a pretty after roasting.

Sounds wonderful! Funny, I've roasted peppers, and separately I've roasted potatoes, and I've done both with and without onions. But last year a friend served a combination roast of all three, and the flavors were fantastic. Peppers and potatoes really DO have a wonderful affinity for each other.

[Jenise]

Taco bowl? Karen, I'll be there around 6:00.

But if I don't make it, I'll be here doing something with the six scallops and six shrimp thawing on my kitchen counter. No idea what, just yet, but if certain issues weren't issues at all, it would involve butter, vermouth and pasta. As it is...maybe just lots of garlic.

Tonight is slow-roasted baby back pork ribs using my mom's recipe. Toasted Israeli Couscous, cooked with chicken stock, sautéed marinated red onions, adding fresh parsley and lemon juice at the finish. Purple and green beans steamed to al dente, then a quick sauté with butter, a bit of sugar, s & p, cherry tomatoes and sweet basil. Also, a small salad with heirloom tomatoes, lemon cukes, arugula and an onion vinaigrette. I never could see what other people saw in lemon cukes until this year when I decided to try the very small ones. They have less seeds and are perfect for us. I've been enjoying them with fresh tomatoes everyday.

[Robin Garr]

Gently spicy Panang-style Thai vegetarian curry made with Asian eggplants from our garden, onions, green peppers and tofu with Thai green curry paste and coconut milk.

Tonight, I'm working on a pork sirloin roast. This is a cut that I've never tried before and I understand it tends towards being rather tough. We'll see how it turns out. We're having a beet-feta-almond-asian pear salad, some sauteed heirloom beans (don't know the variety), and roasted fingerlings to go with.

Tonight, I'm working on a pork sirloin roast. This is a cut that I've never tried before and I understand it tends towards being rather tough. We'll see how it turns out. We're having a beet-feta-almond-asian pear salad, some sauteed heirloom beans (don't know the variety), and roasted fingerlings to go with.

Mike,

I hope you come back and tell us about the roast. Personally, I like the end cuts off the loin as much or more than I like the center cut. The only drawback is that as a roast they are bony and difficult to carve. The flavor of the meat though is IMO superior. Tell us how you did yours. Your meal sounds great.

We enjoyed our regular Saturday night steak dinner. Rib eye rubbed with Morton Rub, and grilled over charcoal and mesquite; corn-on-the-cob, and sliced tomatoes. Washed it down with an '04 Tobin James Black Magic Petite Sirah which, unfortunately, was about a year too early.

Mike,

I hope you come back and tell us about the roast. Personally, I like the end cuts off the loin as much or more than I like the center cut. The only drawback is that as a roast they are bony and difficult to carve. The flavor of the meat though is IMO superior. Tell us how you did yours. Your meal sounds great.

Thanks, Bob. The meal was delicious. I did the pork very simply - just gave it a good coating of S&P and threw it in the oven at 450°. I watched the internal temp pretty closely and pulled it out just as it hit 130°. It was tented for 15 minutes or so and then sliced. As you mention, the flavor of the meat was superb. Each slice was a pale white on top and dark brown on the bottom due to the different muscles running through it. The meat was a bit on the dry side, though. When I do another one of these, I'll probably pull it out of the oven at 125 or a little more and I'll probably serve it with some sort of mild sauce. Not sure what, but something that will let the flavor of the meat come through while adding a little moisture.

The beans were also very interesting. These were large white pods with purple stripes on them - they were quite striking. They were pretty good raw, with some nice mild flavor and no stringiness. I blanched them and then tossed them in garlic infused EVOO with a little lemon juice added right before serving at room temp. They didn't come out as pretty as they were raw - the purple went away in the blanching process. They were very tasty, though, and my daughter really liked them.

[Jenise]

Mike, that cut responds very well to a bit of brining. Not overnight, just a day brine, six to eight hours will make the difference you're looking for.

Mike, that cut responds very well to a bit of brining. Not overnight, just a day brine, six to eight hours will make the difference you're looking for.

Actually, I forgot to mention that I had brined it for four or five hours prior to roasting. I think the temperature was the issue, really. Although I took it out right at 130, there wasn't even a hint of pink to it. I didn't check the temp after that to see how much it went up after pulling it out of the oven, but I will definitely pull it out earlier next time.

I think tonight's supper will be pork tonnato done with some of the leftovers.

Actually, I forgot to mention that I had brined it for four or five hours prior to roasting. I think the temperature was the issue, really. Although I took it out right at 130, there wasn't even a hint of pink to it. I didn't check the temp after that to see how much it went up after pulling it out of the oven, but I will definitely pull it out earlier next time.

I think tonight's supper will be pork tonnato done with some of the leftovers.

Mike, a pan of water, beer or juice (apple) might make the difference between dry and moist. I would make the liquid rather on the bland side, or perhaps water with what ever herbs you have on the roast.

Good point, Bob. I might give that a shot if I do another one of these. (And I think I will - the price was certainly right!)

Tonight, we had leftover pork with tonnato sauce, soup made with roasted carrots, ginger, and a little harissa, and the summer's first caprese. That pork worked really well with the tonnato sauce.

[Robin Garr]

The okra is coming on strong in our garden, so it looks like I'll be making Dahi Bhindi (okra in yogurt sauce) for dinner tonight.

Shrimp salad sandwiches. Fresh shrimp, cooked in salt water and a bay leaf, mixed with celery heart and leaves, diced red onion, diced garlic, Aleppo pepper, fresh lemon juice, fresh tarragon and chives, a bit of Best Foods to hold it together on a sour dough split top roll. A side is baby summer squash, mainly the yellow Patty pan, and crookneck, sautéed with red onion, garlic, French Thyme, Turkish Oregano, and a but of left over marinara sauce I made with mushrooms.

[Robin Garr]

The okra is coming on strong in our garden, so it looks like I'll be making Dahi Bhindi (okra in yogurt sauce) for dinner tonight.

Came out great, and Mary's quick homemade peach ice cream was the perfect cooling finish.

[Robin Garr]

Shrimp salad sandwiches.

Oh, yes! I could eat that.

[Jenise]

Going to my friends Allen and Lori's for a fresh crab cookout. I'm bringing a salad of mixed lettuces with tarragon and fresh peas.

I marinated a flank steak in lemon juice, fresh garlic with a bit of cumin. It will be grilled, sliced very thin and placed on a bed of sautéed red and yellow onions. A side of roasted baby carrots drizzled with hazelnut oil, coarse sea salt and Mignonette pepper, and a cabbage salad with the dressing Jenise says she prefers...peanuts, peanut oil and white wine vinegar.

[Robin Garr]

I did another variation on my summer garden goulash: Lots of well browned Vidalia onions with thin-sliced green pepper, short-cut green beans, a little tomato and a dollop of organic sour cream with a shot of Hungarian paprika. Mighty "meaty" and filling for a meatless dish.