What's cooking?

Mike, Lidia Bastianich has an almost identical recipe in one of the cookbooks I own. I should give it a try, ridiculously simple and probably really delicious. Thanks for reminding me of it!

I heard about this from my parents, who learned the recipe at a cooking school they went to in Italy some years ago. It sounded like a great way to get a quick and fresh tomato sauce any time of the year.

Sambar and iddlis for dinner tonight.

-Paul W.

Just put in the oven 2 calzones, made with The Pizza Princess dough and stuffed with sauteed Swiss Chard, green onions (both fresh from my garden), turkey pepperoni, mozzarella, provolone and parmesan cheeses, and fresh basil and rosemary (also from my garden). My kitchen smells wonderful!

[Robin Garr]

A gratin of farmers' market new potatoes, zucchini and summer squash with Capriole Indiana goat cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano. 

[Jenise]

For them, I'll be serving a cold peanut soup (I'm going to post the recipe shortly), green salad with peas and fried chevre, and a roasted whole filet of copper river salmon with sauce bearnaise, broccolini and herb rice.

Jenise, do you use shelled peas, raw? I like to pick them when young, and use those sweet babies raw in salads, or just to eat for a snack. Nice dinner!

If I have fresh (which is very very rare), I blanch them first. If using frozen, I just pour hot water over them to thaw them out. Btw, you and I have shared before our frustration with Trader Joe's produce. Not long ago I saw fresh shelled peas there, GREAT!, I thought. Three days later when I opened the package? Slime. I took them back, of course, but nothing compensates for a planned-meal gone wrong.

[Jenise]

Tonight, FLDG forumite Ted Richards and his wife are coming to dinner. They're visiting the Pacific Northwest from Toronto. For dinner tonight, they're providing--be jealous! be very very jealous!!--'83 and '85 Chave Hermitage.

Hoping to do those great bottles justice, for the main course I'm doing a boneless roast leg of lamb that has been marinating overnight in a puree of mint, chives, honey and soy sauce with creamed peas, potatoes and mint. That will be preceded by a marinated mushroom, arugula and capicolla salad, and an amouse bouche type portion of pureed celery root soup with white truffle croutons.

We went over to some friends' house last night to celebrate the graduation of our daughter and theirs from 8th grade. The theme was "Their Favorite Foods". Our contributions were a smoked trout dip with crackers and a pretty sinful mac and cheese. The mac and cheese was dead simple, with only the pasta, cream, milk, gruyere, prosciutto, and parmigiano. Very rich and satisfying stuff. Our friends did a "true" Ceasar Salad (as per Julia Child's research), pork ribs, splats, and corn on the cob.

We all ate too much.

Mojo Pork Tenderloins, grilled along side thick onion slices. A potato salad with baby Yukon Gold Potatoes, steamed, then tossed with finely chopped red torpedo onions, garlic, and drizzled with seasoned rice vinegar. I let the potatoes absorb the vinegar. Then tossed with a mix of sour cream, mustard, 2 Tbs. of mayo, yellow mustard seeds, and fresh cilantro.

Fresh asparagus, and tomatoes,layered over burgundy lettuce and dressed with a lemon, thyme vinaigrette.

Thai mahogany fire noodles.

-Paul W.

I really wanted some scones for breakfast this weekend. My family has a decided view of what constitutes breakfast and a piece of bread with a cup of tea ain't it! So, I decided to make scones just for myself. But, rather than make a full batch of scones that I would have eaten over the period of 2 days, I decided to tak a foray into a book I have by Debby Maugans Nakos titled Small-Batch Baking. The recipe I chose was chocolate chip cream scones (I used dried cranberries instead). It was perfect! The recipe made 3 good-sized scones (next time I'll make 4 rather than 3). But, I was really surprised at how good the scones were. That perfect buttery, crumbly texture with the right balance of sweetness and added specialty ingredients. YUM!

Good Scone.jpg

Good Scones.jpg

[Robin Garr]

So, I decided to make scones just for myself.

They look great, Jo Ann!

[Robin Garr]

Cremini mushrooms high-heat roasted with garlic and oregano, over Abruzzese chestnut tagliatelle. It went nicely with leftover Blason de Bourgogne 2010 Bourgogne Pinot Noir from Trader Joe's, which held up well since Friday in the opened bottle. 

[Jenise]

Saturday night's dinner for Ted Richards was a complete bust. I woke up in a full-blown asthma attack and struggled unsuccessfully all day to get it under control. Meaning that I started out the day with no energy and it was only downhill from there. The food I served was downright embarrassing.

Yesterday's barbecue for a group of ten neighbors went far better. Everything was, in fact, just about perfect, though I messed up a bit on the baked beans by overcooking the beans on the stove top before they went into the oven, and not reserving any of the naturally thick pot-likker to moisten the final oven stage. Result was they weren't as sticky as they should have been, but tasted good. Served smoked chicken, macaroni and asparagus salad, maple baked beans, fried okra, cabbage and peanut slaw, home-made bread and butter pickles, home-made bread, collard greens, and pecan rolls.

A brisket is cooking away in the crockpot full of sweet onions and home made bbq sauce. The house smells wonderful. I made a Yukon Gold Potato and Swiss Chard Gratin to go with. Will make a simple green salad with a lettuce mix I got from the Farmer's Market and tomatoes. Salad will be dressed with a hazelnut vinaigrette.

[Robin Garr]

Garlicky roasted asparagus over creamy polenta made with Capriole Indiana goat cheese.

Country Club Chicken over spaghetti. A retro dish, from a long time ago. I love, love Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup and when I saw this on line I had to try it. It is loaded with fresh mushrooms, onion, garlic, and white wine poured over browned, bone-in chicken breasts and baked to perfection. The recipe calls for cheddar cheese, but I left it out. A mix of cauliflower and Romanesco sautéed in butter and garlic, will round out this meal.

We had Smoked Salmon and Linguine tonight in a sauce made of butter, flour, a pinch of salt, freshly ground white pepper, veggie stock and goat milk, flaked smoked wild salmon, and minced fresh basil and sage; serve over linguine. We also had fresh tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado in vinaigrette. Very nice Friday night.

[Robin Garr]

Very nice Friday night.

Sounds like! I cooked Indian tonight, clearing out freezer space for the coming garden bounty. Bhindi Bharti Masala, Indian okra, onions, tomatoes and spice, using up the last batch of okra frozen from last summer's garden. More is coming soon!

[Robin Garr]

Spicy asparagus and tofu stir-fry with Guilin chili sauce. 

I have a mix of red bell peppers, torpedo onions, three kinds of summer squash marinating in oil, balsamic, Balti seasoning, and pepper. They will go into a flip type grill basket and cook along side burgers for tonights dinner. This will be our first grilled hamburgers of the season. I've been waiting for those large tomatoes to cover my burger!

I made b'steeya, from a friend's recipe. Very tasty. Adjustments for next time: (a) I made my own ras el hanout but it would be interesting to find something professionally made. (b) The eggs should have solidified but the thick paste worked. (c) Reduce the amount of lemon rind just a bit; we'll see about the balance of spices after that.

Last night, it was pizza with pesto, squash blossoms, and mozz. That was followed by grilled New York steaks with a brandy-mushroom sauce and mixed grilled veggies.

Tonight, it will be sliced leftover steak in leftover sauce served over rice.

[Jenise]

I made b'steeya, from a friend's recipe. Very tasty. Adjustments for next time: (a) I made my own ras el hanout but it would be interesting to find something professionally made. (b) The eggs should have solidified but the thick paste worked. (c) Reduce the amount of lemon rind just a bit; we'll see about the balance of spices after that.

Not familiar, unless it's the Morroccan dish I've seen spelled bastilla--seasoned egg/meats baked in a very thin crust of some kind?

I made b'steeya, from a friend's recipe. Very tasty. Adjustments for next time: (a) I made my own ras el hanout but it would be interesting to find something professionally made. (b) The eggs should have solidified but the thick paste worked. (c) Reduce the amount of lemon rind just a bit; we'll see about the balance of spices after that.

Not familiar, unless it's the Morroccan dish I've seen spelled bastilla--seasoned egg/meats baked in a very thin crust of some kind?

That's the one!