What's Cooking (Take Four)

[Jenise]

Oh, nice. Essentially it's a Potato Savoyard, without the the gruyere layer (which disappears during the bake).

Oh, nice. Essentially it's a Potato Savoyard, without the the gruyere layer (which disappears during the bake).

A potato Savoyard does not have onions, and is cooked for a lot shorter time. Calders' recipe cooks for two to three hours and has no cheese. By the way, I ordered two jars of the peppers from Amazon...they must be coming from another country because the delivery time is very long. I ordered two jars and was not allowed to order more than that. Weird

[Jenise]

Well, the potatoes need to cook until they're done. 'Done' is achieved by time x heat. The Laura Calder recipe needs 2-3 hours because it calls for a low temperature of just 300. Increase the temperature, and you can reduce the cooking time. It can be made equal, they're both gratins with broth only for moisture and no cream vs. a classic potato gratin.

[Jenise]

Karen, hopefully the two jars were the same kind--not the hot, or the sweet brine version. The original, which I sent you, has a gold lid. You can also order them direct Mama Lil's: shipping's $10 but that's less than sending one jar via the USPS!

https://mamalils.com/products/mama-lils-mildly-spicy-peppers-in-oil-original-12oz?variant=43295510364325

[Jenise]

Not cooking at home tonight. Bellingham's most-celebrity of celebrity chefs currently not cooking professionally has invited me over for dinner--woo hoo! Hopefully it's not because he wants to introduce me to his dad.

Karen, hopefully the two jars were the same kind--not the hot, or the sweet brine version. The original, which I sent you, has a gold lid. You can also order them direct Mama Lil's: shipping's $10 but that's less than sending one jar via the USPS!

https://mamalils.com/products/mama-lils-mildly-spicy-peppers-in-oil-original-12oz?variant=43295510364325

Yep, that is exactly what I ordered. Thanks for checking.

I have some leftover ham, so I'm going to make ham salad sandwiches.

And I fed my sourdough starters, which decided to leak onto my countertop. No problem. Proves they're alive and raring to go.

https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/cr ... lue-cheese

Making this today for lunch, one of my favorite salads. I am adding large shrimp.

[Jenise]

I'll bet that's delicious. Slicing the lettuce flat--interesting method. But it makes a case for wedges--less waste.

Yesterday I had a bowl of black eyed peas for lunch--I'd made a soup on Sunday. Then for dinner I made a bowl of brussels sprouts. l had purchased them in a bag at Costco which I regretted, because the taste of citric acid preservative was unavoidable even though I'd soaked them in salt water and rinsed them before cooking (microwave--five minutes ON and five minutes rest for best result, bright color but tender). I ate them anyway. But later, OMG, the combined effect of beans and tiny cabbages--well, let's just say it's good that I live alone.

That salad I posted is excellent... the dressing is awesome. I let the Point Reyes Original blue cheese come to room temperature, as I want the chunks. Used very little mayo, low-fat sour cream instead. It is fun with the pretty veggies on the lettuce flats. I used to make it a lot, as Gene loved it. I had forgotten about it until I was looking through one of Ina's books.
I made an error on the first posting of this and said Maytag Blue Cheese. I have corrected it. A great cheese comes from Point Reyes, CA Farmstead, a women-owned business, and a very fun place to visit.

Tonight I'll be making Fuchsia Dunlop's taibai ji (Tai Bai chicken) again. This time I won't be snipping the dried chiles in half as she directs. I did that the last time, the dried chile pieces were too small to remove easily from the dish, and because of that it came out really incendiary. It'll be a lot easier to remove them if they're left whole.

-Paul W.

Tonight I'll be making Fuchsia Dunlop's taibai ji (Tai Bai chicken) again. This time I won't be snipping the dried chiles in half as she directs. I did that the last time, the dried chile pieces were too small to remove easily from the dish, and because of that it came out really incendiary. It'll be a lot easier to remove them if they're left whole.-Paul W.

Sounds great. What variety of dried chiles do you use?

They are small, hot chiles I bought at the local Indian grocery. I don't know the exact variety. For gongbao ji ding (aka Kung Pao chicken), where the flavor and aroma of the chiles is more crucial, I use either er jing tiao or facing heaven chiles, both of which are native to Sichuan. Both are available from the Mala Market, which imports them directly from Sichuan. By far the most important thing is that the dried chiles be as fresh as possible.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

So the chef mentioned in a previous post invited me over last night to work with him on a dish he's doing for his monthly column in Bellingham Alive! magazine. Had a prior engagement, but invited him and his dad over tonight for roast pork because I had one of those on-the-bone racks Costco sells on hand. I ruminated out loud over which style I should go to (I always need a lane) and he requested Grandma style. Well, this is the very first time he's going to have my cooking (he's only seen pictures), and I've decided that I'm going to 1) only use ingredients already on hand, no trip to the store and 2) highlight classic Jenise methods and ingredients I have gravitated toward over the years, mostly original, nothing out of a book.

So dinner will be romaine with persimmon, red onion, Roquefort and chopped hazelnuts with a lemon and roasted peanut oil dressing, followed by roast pork (it soaked all night in leftover Chevillon blanc and garlic) with a vermouth and fresh herb gravy (likely the last time I'll be able to do that from my own garden before winter slams in for good) over shiitake-shallot rice and garnished with a nest of lightly vinegarry shaved brussel sprouts, and lastly a freeform apple tart.

That dinner plan sounds excellent. Are you afraid that the peanut dressing may overwhelm the hazelnuts?

Dinner sounds great, Jenise.
Is the leftover Chevillon blanc the Bourgogne or the NSG? I don't think I've ever had either (though I have drunk my share of Gouges Perrieres blanc and Mugnier Marechale blanc).

[Jenise]

Jeff, no. I edited my copy to insert the word 'oil'. I normally have roasted hazelnut oil on hand and would have used that, but I'm out. So roasted peanut oil it shall be. It's really great stuff--Whole Foods Market's own brand.

Dale, it's the bourgogne, a '19. Funny thing: I actually opened this bottle about 8 weeks ago. Had one unimpressive glass and put the rest in the fridge thinking a Coq au Vin was in my future. Never got around to that and then went to marinate the pork roast last night, took a swig, went yeah still okay (surprise), and used it. As the aftertaste from the swig grew on me, I went ahead and poured the remaining fourish ounces into a wine glass and sipped it before going to bed. Have to say, not only was it still VERY acceptable, it was better last night than two months ago, though definitely not in the same class as his reds.

Last night's taibai ji turned out better than my previous attempt. It was a lot easier to remove the dried chiles when they were left whole, although I still didn't get all of them. The dish was still at the hot end of the Sichuanese spectrum, but given that the main flavorings are dried chiles, pickled chiles, Sichuan peppercorns, and scallions, perhaps it's supposed to be quite hot.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Paul, I'm convinced that not one of us (even those who like heat, as do I) could eat anything you consider hot enough.

Today I am making another pot of the wonderful sausage, corn, soup. I am using a smoked chicken, garlic, Gruyere cheese sausage, and yellow eye beans I cooked yesterday, in chicken stock, garlic, and Mexican oregano. Will have a bowl for dinner tonight, and the rest will go into freezer containers.

Last night the rest of the boneless, skinless chicken thighs went into gonbao ji (Kung Pao chicken). I used those same Indian dried chiles and the dish came out uncharacteristically hot. I'm probably going to toss what's left of those chiles and I certainly won't be buying them again.

-Paul W.

Dinner tonight will be grilled lamb chops, seasoned with garlic salt, fresh Rosemary, and Thyme. I am doing a quick saute of Brussels Sprouts, carrots, and zucchini, then letting them finish cooking in a marinara sauce made in Humboldt County, where I grew up.
A lovely tasting sauce, which is made with tomatoes, fresh garlic, vegetable oil, and salt. Humboldt Mercantile claims it is an old Italian recipe. A salad made with iceberg lettuce, radish, tomatoes, cucumbers, and dressed with a blue cheese, sherry wine vinegar, and sour cream dressing.

Last night, for a treat, I roasted chestnuts over the gas hob using a perforated pan. The house was smoky for an hour but those were the best chestnuts I've made in years!

I've never had roasted chestnuts, but it sounds like fun. I recall one time we had two of our grandchildren here for a week's visit, and they were complaining that they hadn't had s'mores and all their friends had talked about them. So I got out all the ingredients and the stainless steel chopsticks, and we made them over the gas stove. They loved it!