What's cooking?

Ok, so I didn't cook it, my son did, and it was awesome!

I picked up a 3 lb package of Cavanaugh spicy smoked sausage at Sam's club and a 6 pepper package of sweet peppers, 2 each of red, yellow, and orange. roasted them under the broiler and cut them in a Julienne, Sliced the sausage in disks, and browned them in just a bit of olive oil, and when that was done he used about 2.5 peppers and a whole giant sized onion, 3 roma tomatoes, and sauteed them in the oil that the sausage had cooked in. when the the onion was soft he replaced the sausage back in the cast iron skillet, and hit it with about a cup of red wine and reduced to maybe a quarter cup.. Also made a pan of double stuffed mashed potatoes which contain green onions and crumbled bacon. I decided I would just have iced tea instead of a glass of wine. this is a dish he made up off the top of his head, and I swear it deserves a place in a list of my favorite 20 meals.

Bob - sounds like what I do when I make zucchini boats. I brown the sausage (Italian), removed from the casing, with onions, tomatoes & peppers, stuff it in a big, cooked zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, then top with mozzarella and put under the broiler to melt the cheese.

Bob - sounds like what I do when I make zucchini boats. I brown the sausage (Italian), removed from the casing, with onions, tomatoes & peppers, stuff it in a big, cooked zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, then top with mozzarella and put under the broiler to melt the cheese.

I've had your Italian sausage Howie, so I know it's good. Add zuke and cheese and what's not to like. do you roast the zucchini?

I've had your Italian sausage Howie, so I know it's good. Add zuke and cheese and what's not to like. do you roast the zucchini?

Actually, I nuke the zuke. Cook it in the microwave, cut it in half and scrape out the seeds.

A pork shoulder roast braised in apple juice, apples, French Thyme, and caramelized onions. Wild rice with toasted pecans. Rainbow carrots roasted in evoo, garlic, maple syrup and rosemary. Our Farmer's Market had these beautiful carrots, picked young, and in shades of burgundy, red, yellow, orange, and white.

Last night, I did halibut that had one surface covered with parsley, was seared on the stovetop, and then finished in the oven. Served it with two sauces, one a wasabi cream and the other a vinaigrette made with sambal oelek.

[Jenise]

A Thursday visit to Vancouver's Granville Island Public Market netted the absolutely most beautiful smoked pork hock I've ever seen. It's the shank, but cut far enough up the leg to have a meaty diameter of about 8 inches across at the top. I had the butcher cut it in half for me, and I'll be roasting that tonight with sauerkraut and kale seasoned with juniper berries and apples picked off the tree nobody tends at Casa Ugly across the street.

A Thursday visit to Vancouver's Granville Island Public Market netted the absolutely most beautiful smoked pork hock I've ever seen. It's the shank, but cut far enough up the leg to have a meaty diameter of about 8 inches across at the top. I had the butcher cut it in half for me, and I'll be roasting that tonight with sauerkraut and kale seasoned with juniper berries and apples picked off the tree nobody tends at Casa Ugly across the street.

Jenise, I get big, meaty ham hocks too, although not 8 inches across (that must have been some pig) but I always braise them. Please tell me more about the roasting and the process you use with the sauerkraut, and kale.
I have a huge jar of sauerkraut from up your way that I want to finish up one of these days.

Last night's dinner was masoor dal and iddli.

-Paul W.

Great minds think alike.
Did a masoor dal with a mix of veggies, basmati rice and some Indian pickles for dinner last night. (Are there many better things than masoor dal in cool fall weather?)

[Jenise]

A Thursday visit to Vancouver's Granville Island Public Market netted the absolutely most beautiful smoked pork hock I've ever seen. It's the shank, but cut far enough up the leg to have a meaty diameter of about 8 inches across at the top. I had the butcher cut it in half for me, and I'll be roasting that tonight with sauerkraut and kale seasoned with juniper berries and apples picked off the tree nobody tends at Casa Ugly across the street.

Jenise, I get big, meaty ham hocks too, although not 8 inches across (that must have been some pig) but I always braise them. Please tell me more about the roasting and the process you use with the sauerkraut, and kale.
I have a huge jar of sauerkraut from up your way that I want to finish up one of these days.

The dish/method is German and often involves sausages too, and it's called Charcroute. I just put all the ingredients in a baking dish, sometimes including new potatoes, or sometimes a lot of green beans, and throw that in the oven covered for about two hours. This time I added kale two ways, to the sauerkraut at the start of cooking and later, as a fresh garnish, tossed with olive oil and salt. I love the color, contrast and health value provided by the second kale. Here's a picture of one of our plates. Bear in mind, that's only HALF of one hock.

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[Jenise]

Last night's dinner: hamachi and toro sashimi with bamboo/snow pea salad.

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[Robin Garr]

A hearty autumn risotto made with cabbage, limas, browned onions and garlic. 

[Jenise]

I would love that risotto, Robin!

No idea what I'm cooking today...yet.

[Robin Garr]

I would love that risotto, Robin!

No idea what I'm cooking today...yet.

We're dining out tonight with Utah Jim Cassidy!

I used the last of my garden tomatoes to ripen on my countertop to make a light dinner for myself last night. I needed to add a few store bought romas to make the tomato tart from Once Upon a Tart. The crust is to die for. I used my own mixture of Herbs de Provence with just a hint of lavender. Had a huge slice with my tea for breakfast this morning. Yum!

Tasty Tomato Tart.jpg

Tomato Tart.jpg

[Jenise]

Jo Ann, that looks straight from heaven. Share the recipe?

My wife returned tonight from a week-long trip to Boston. She's catching a cold, so she wanted meat loaf and mashed potatoes. The meat loaf was my standard one with some sambal oelek added for spice. Threw some porcini and some wasabi powder into the potatoes, which worked very nicely. Also sauteed some broccolini with a little fish sauce. She's feeling better already.

Jo Ann, that looks straight from heaven. Share the recipe?

I sure hope she does too Jenise. I am still getting tomatoes (mostly heirlooms) from "Grandpa's Garden". Of late I have made 15 quarts of basic tomato sauce, and probably that many quarts of roasted tomatoes. Even tried my hand at drying (in the oven) some sliced tomatoes, great flavor.

It is the recipe posted earlier this summer HERE by Karen.

[Jenise]

Jo Ann, thanks. Just reposted it.

[Robin Garr]

An autumn dinner of our garden's last bounty before this week’s frost: Swiss chard, tomatoes, onions and garlic with Israeli couscous.

Cold and blustery day here, so I made a Moroccan lamb stew that was flavored with cinnamon, allspice, and oranges. Served it over couscous with an onion-anchovy tart on the side (aka pissaladiere). Stew was excellent. I messed up on the tart a bit - it could have been better. Still, a very good meal.

T'Giving cookery has begun. Today I made the cranberry sauce (with Cointreau and walnuts), cinnamon ice cream (thanks, again, Mike F), and the goo for a pistachio ice cream (thanks David Lebovitz).

I will churn the goo tomorrow and, if I'm really organized, simmer the quinces for the quince and apple pie that's scheduled for Wednesday baking (along with the pumpkin pie and the smoky pumpkin soup).