What's cooking?

That is a great looking stew Robin! What gives the base the golden cast? Saffron? Paprika? Tomato?

That is a great looking stew Robin! What gives the base the golden cast? Saffron? Paprika? Tomato?

I think it may just be his camera/phone.

[Robin Garr]

I think it may just be his camera/phone.

I think it probably IS a photo white balance issue, at least in part, although there are a lot of tomatoes in it, and a lot of Maillard reaction going on.

Autumn stew, warming and hearty, with warm potato rolls and Sierra Nevada "Tumbler" autumn ale. 

So you drink Sierra Nevada beer? The brewery is 80 minutes from here in Chico, CA, a uninversity town that we visit often. Love having lunch at their brewery. The autumn ales are good for cooking too.

Tonight it's braised short ribs, in a nice braising sauce which has chipotle peppers, Hatch chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic, fresh lime juice, as the predominant flavors. Serving it with a mix of sweet poatoes and delicata squash mashed with butter. I bought some baby turnips today, that are white, pink, and red, so sweet and milder than a radish. We are having the green leaves from the turnips, steamed and tossed with garlic and a little olive oil, as our vegetable. I'm slicing the baby turnips, and tossing them in, raw before serving, and giving the dish a sprinkle of orange muscat vinegar.

It was surprising to me that the baby turnip leaves had such a tough stem. I cut the larger ones off, but left the teeny stems on the very small leaves. Cooked the greens until they turned that brilliant green. The greens were very good, the stems, woody. I love the baby turnips, mild and sweet.

[Robin Garr]

Autumn stew, warming and hearty, with warm potato rolls and Sierra Nevada "Tumbler" autumn ale. 

So you drink Sierra Nevada beer? The brewery is 80 minutes from here in Chico, CA, a uninversity town that we visit often. Love having lunch at their brewery. The autumn ales are good for cooking too.

I like to go with local microbreweries when we're going with the beer option, Karen, but Sierra Nevada earns respect because it was among the first really good American beers of the late 20th century beer renaissance. It must be a fairly big company now, since they have national distribution, but it's still a good beer in my opinion, and when I see a new seasonal model out, I like to try it.

LOL, it is a local beer Robin, our local anyway, and it is an awesome company. In their parking lot, they installed a shade structure which is also solar panels. They move as the sun moves. It used to be public parking, but last time I was there, it is for employees and service trucks. Next door are their hops fields, which are very impressive. They have a huge recycling program, and waste water treatment process, as well. They have all sorts of events, entertainment, and tours are given to groups. The restaurant is always busy no matter what day of the week we go.
We picked up the Tumbler Brown Autumn Ale recently. Wikipedia has a nice write-up on them if you would like to learn more about the brewery.

[Jenise]

Friends are coming over to taste through 12 wines from which we'll select the six to serve at our neighborhood wine club event next weekend. I'll serve the wine in four flights with the gorgonzola-hazelnut topped broiled figs I posted about a week ago, roasted tomatoes with rustic toast, chicken with porcini mushrooms on black truffle polenta, an herb and butter lettuce salad, and a free form apple tart.

A beautiful small plates menu Jenise. I'm curious about the sequence of dishes ?

NJ baked up a great looking batch of bagels using a new recipe. Unfortunately, they lacked CHEW.

NJ baked up a great looking batch of bagels using a new recipe. Unfortunately, they lacked CHEW.

Bitch, Bitch, Bitch!

I was at an Asian market yesterday and noticed that they had pork cheeks available (for all of $1.40/lb.). They looked rather like pork belly, so I bought a pack, thinking that I'd do something similar to crispy pork belly. When I checked recipes, they all recommended braising, so I changed my tack and made a ragu from the cheeks, some canned tomatoes, red wine, carrot, onion, garlic, tomato paste, and chicken broth. It cooked for a good four hours during football time yesterday and will be ready for the pappardelle tonight. It made the house smell great yesterday.

NJ baked up a great looking batch of bagels using a new recipe. Unfortunately, they lacked CHEW.

Bitch, Bitch, Bitch!

Nah, she's OK.

Grilled ground turkey burgers, with a huge slice of beefsteak tomato, caramelized onions, and my pickled sweet banana peppers. Oven fries with home made spicy ketchup.

NJ baked up a great looking batch of bagels using a new recipe. Unfortunately, they lacked CHEW.

Bitch, Bitch, Bitch!

Nah, she's OK.

That didn't refer to NJ Winger. Other than her choice in husbands, I think she is Grand Lady!

[Jenise]

I was at an Asian market yesterday and noticed that they had pork cheeks available (for all of $1.40/lb.). They looked rather like pork belly, so I bought a pack, thinking that I'd do something similar to crispy pork belly. When I checked recipes, they all recommended braising, so I changed my tack and made a ragu from the cheeks, some canned tomatoes, red wine, carrot, onion, garlic, tomato paste, and chicken broth. It cooked for a good four hours during football time yesterday and will be ready for the pappardelle tonight. It made the house smell great yesterday.

I'll bet! An Italian red sauce is one of THE great aromas, in my book. Possibly the only equals for me are roast turkey and the morning combo of frying bacon and brewing coffee.

Tonight I will be making Khao Soi (Thai Chiangmai Noodles).

-Paul W.

I have a picture of those on my cel phone!

Tonight we had our cow free pizza, and washed down with an '09 Torremoron, Ribera del Duero. Also enjoy a Cortland apple cobbler for dessert.

A bone-in whole turkey breast, stuffed with leeks, red onions, lemons, rosemary, thyme, garlic, grilled.
Asparagus, drizzled with toasted sesame oil - oven roasted, and a new crop of potatoes, cooked, then smashed, topped with a little butter, chives, and red scallions. The turkey breast will be recycled into enchiladas, an Israeli couscous cold salad, sandwiches, and a home made chicken noodle soup. The carcass goes into a pot with chicken backs, necks I have been saving for stock.

[Jenise]

We're going to a Yacht Club event tonight so I'm not cooking, but lunch was soup and salad: a chunk chicken-tomato bisque with a fresh mushroom, chervil and frisee salad.

We're going to a Yacht Club event tonight so I'm not cooking, but lunch was soup and salad: a chunk chicken-tomato bisque with a fresh mushroom, chervil and frisee salad.

Your lunch sounds so yummy Jenise and a reminder to me to get my winter chervil into the soil. I planted it last year, but Gene thought is was a weed and yanked it!

Last night was tenderloin steak in rasher grilled over charcoal and mesquite, a half broule, and salad from our garden. Washed it down with McManis Pinot Noir ('09). Finished with other half of apple cobbler.