What's cooking?

Must have been pasta night last night. Ours had mustard greens and garlic scapes that were sauteed and then immersion-blended with cream and parmigiano.

Pasta night indeed! I made fresh spaghetti with meatballs (venison, ground beef and meatloaf mix) cooked in the sauce.

Roasted chicken with the pan dressing I had frozen since Thanksgiving. My husband was so appreciative, he asked me what piece of jewelry I wanted for Mother's Day. Wish I liked jewelry!! But, after dinner -- I made pork chorizo.

Pork Chorizo.jpg

The 100000 BTU outdoor wok ring that I ordered from Importfood.com arrived on Friday, and I inaugurated it with a stir-fry of pork, snow peas, bean sprouts, and scallions. This device is designed to hold a wok without a wok ring. It is a joy to cook with--stable platform, lots of heat, and precision heat control. I can see that I'm going to be doing all of my stir-frying outdoors, when the weather permits, from now on.

-Paul W.

The 100000 BTU outdoor wok ring that I ordered from Importfoods.com arrived on Friday, and I inaugurated it with a stir-fry of pork, snow peas, bean sprouts, and scallions. This device is designed to hold a wok without a wok ring. It is a joy to cook with--stable platform, lots of heat, and precision heat control. I can see that I'm going to be doing all of my stir-frying outdoors, when the weather permits, from now on.

-Paul W.

Hmmm. I'm thinking that could be a great set-up for paella!

The 100000 BTU outdoor wok ring that I ordered from Importfoods.com

I've been eyeing that very thing. Sounds like you are happy with the purchase!

Pasta night indeed! I made fresh spaghetti with meatballs (venison, ground beef and meatloaf mix) cooked in the sauce.

Pasta at my house, too: Made a quick tomato sauce with fresh basil, a bit of sweet Italian sausage, and ladled it over whole-wheat penne.

Cynthia,

Yes, I'm delighted with the new gas ring for the wok. I have an electric range, so for indoor stir-frying I've been using a single-burner portable butane stove. It holds the wok ring well and has excellent flame control, but it just doesn't really get hot enough. I also have an outdoor 50000 BTU gas ring from Louisiana. It has lots of heat, but you need a wok ring so it's not as stable as the butane ring. It's meant for things such as blackened redfish and deep-fried turkey where you don't need precision heat control, and the heat control lever is stiff and not very conveniently placed for stir-frying. The gas ring from ImportFood.com has all three pluses going for it: lots of heat; convenient, fast, and precise heat control; and a stable platform (no need for oven mitts because the wok is sliding around on a wok ring).

-Paul W.

The gas ring from ImportFood.com has all three pluses going for it: lots of heat; convenient, fast, and precise heat control; and a stable platform

Excellent. Thanks, Paul. It's on my list.

When we lived in Montana this is where I ordered all our Thai ingredients. I really like the company.

[Robin Garr]

A very spicy thick lima bean curry with onions, garlic, ginger and tomatoes, garnished with plenty of fresh cilantro from the garden. (P.S. Yes, Cynthia, I know ... )

 (P.S. Yes, Cynthia, I know ... )

Now really Robin, what made you think my first reaction would be.... Oh, no!

Until you added the Ivory Soap, I was thinking, "I could eat that."

A very spicy thick lima bean curry with onions, garlic, ginger and tomatoes, garnished with plenty of fresh cilantro from the garden. (P.S. Yes, Cynthia, I know ... )

Robin, I would definitely eat that! Cilantro included.

[Robin Garr]

 (P.S. Yes, Cynthia, I know ... )

Now really Robin, what made you think my first reaction would be.... Oh, no!

Until you added the Ivory Soap, I was thinking, "I could eat that."

Hey! I laid it gently on the top so you could discreetly pick it off.

Fresh cilantro plucked moments before dinner from one's own garden is definitely the best, though.

Hey! I laid it gently on the top so you could discreetly pick it off.

Fresh cilantro plucked moments before dinner from one's own garden is definitely the best, though.

Some people. *heavy sigh*

Stuffed Crepes | © 2012 Cynthia Wenslow

Crepes stuffed with ricotta and spinach.

Saturday night, we did a Mexican type of thing. for Cinco de Mayo There was a dish of tequila-lime-marinated sauteed shrimp and scallops with a mango avocado salsa. This was served with a salad that consisted of romaine, corn, black beans, and a garlic/honey/lime juice dressing. The dishes were chosen to go with shots of tequila and homemade sangrita and they worked very nicely together.

Last night, it was kale and bacon risotto served with peas and daikon seeds sauteed with a little garlic.

We had Laura Calder's "Peasant French Pork Chops with Potatoes" tonight, and they were wonderful. Couldn't find our junniper berries that I just needed a few of, but the dish was great even without them.

[Robin Garr]

Whole-wheat spaghetti topped with a spring mix of slow-roasted asparagus, Parmigiano-Reggiano, garlic and onions browned in olive oil and Normandy butter. 

Got home and decided to have scrambled cackleberries w/ 2-year aged cheddar, and Jenise's biscuit recipe w/ prickly pear jelly and sourwood honey (not on the same biscuit).
Yum.

Swordfish and mixed vegetables (snow pea pods, red bell pepper, carrot, cremini mushrooms, garlic, rosemary) over the charcoal grill.

[Robin Garr]

Fresh farmers' market zucchini and summer squash in a Thai-style coconut curry with tempeh, onions, ginger and garlic. 

[Jenise]

Want to throw in a shout-out for that pic of Jo Ann's homemade chorizo. Impressive! And a question, Jo Ann where do you buy the skins? Looks like the real deal, not the plastic substitute.

Decided to clean out the refrigerator this morning. Had one of those uh-oh moments when I realized that the parsnips I bought about three months ago (or longer!) were in seriously sad shape. But I could salvage enough to combine with celery and shallots to make a pureed lunch soup, so I peeled and chopped and simmered with chicken broth, then surveyed the pantry for seasoning. A few raw cashews went into the mix to add a creamy opacity without going dairy. After blending it up and tasting what I had, I decided that the sweetness would play well with shitake mushrooms, tarragon, chives, a generous amount of black pepper and a dash of sherry. Those final additions made a sophisticated, complex-looking soup. Bobo will be happy when he gets home.

Dinner: unknown.

Need to get cracking on my dishes for this weekend, though. The Supper Club theme is Ethiopian!

[Robin Garr]

More farmers' market goodies: Fresh spring peas in Aloo Mattar, hot-and-spicy Indian potatoes and peas. 

Want to throw in a shout-out for that pic of Jo Ann's homemade chorizo. Impressive! And a question, Jo Ann where do you buy the skins? Looks like the real deal, not the plastic substitute....

I'm not Jo Ann, but I've eaten at her house, and I've also made sausage. Any butcher shop or grocery that makes their own fresh sausage on premises will have sausage casings. But, you have to ask behind the counter for them.