What's cooking?

[Jenise]

Oh wow, then, I'm impressed. What did you use for the crust?

Dinner here tonight, btw: pork stir fried like chinese food but in a mole sauce to go over ancho chile rice. I'm on a Mexican kick.

Chicken thighs and legs cooked slow in a mix of soy sauce, cider vinegar, garlic, fresh ginger, little sugar, until it gets all caramelized and brown. Orzo with fresh rosemary and lemon juice and a tomato bread salad with kalamata olives.

[Robin Garr]

If you want a vegetable-based main course that's hearty, filling and flavorful, it's hard to miss with something from India. Like this treat using farmers' market veggies, Aloo Patta Ghobi, a fiery blend of fresh cabbage, tiny new potatoes, sweet onions and fiery Indian spice. 

Did you include fresh tomatoes in this Robin? I did not notice any in the photo?

[Robin Garr]

Did you include fresh tomatoes in this Robin? I did not notice any in the photo?

It's just a little too early for fresh seasonal tomatoes, Karen - any day now! So I "cheated" and put in a little tomato sauce frozen from last year's garden.

Oh wow, then, I'm impressed. What did you use for the crust?

Phyllo. I'm not up to making warka.

One of our favorite pasta dishes, with thin spaghetti, shrimp, scallops, lemon zest , lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes in oil, parsley, red pepper flakes, and clam juice.

Karen, that looks and sounds great. All my favorite flavors.

Tonight is Seafood Stew with shrimp and scallops, lots of garlic, tomatoes, plus romaine salad with blue cheese vinaigrette

Wild halibut with a brown sugar, lime zest/juice, fresh ginger marinade, then grilled. Served with pineapple spears coated in a bit of brown sugar and ginger. Steamed baby Yukon Gold and Red Bliss potatoes, and a tomato, cucumber salad.

Wild halibut with a brown sugar, lime zest/juice, fresh ginger marinade, then grilled. Served with pineapple spears coated in a bit of brown sugar and ginger. Steamed baby Yukon Gold and Red Bliss potatoes, and a tomato, cucumber salad.

Sounds absolutely delicious, but strong move serving the pineapple with the main course.

Did you serve wine with this?

Wild halibut with a brown sugar, lime zest/juice, fresh ginger marinade, then grilled. Served with pineapple spears coated in a bit of brown sugar and ginger. Steamed baby Yukon Gold and Red Bliss potatoes, and a tomato, cucumber salad.

Sounds absolutely delicious, but strong move serving the pineapple with the main course.

Did you serve wine with this?

Rahsaan,
No, I did not serve wine. Gene and I enjoyed a nice red before dinner, watching the news. Because we have a non-drinking house guest for a few months, I prepared an ice cold water, flavored very lightly with cucumber and lime. It was so refreshing on a hot and breezy evening, out by the pool. By the way, the pineapple spears become so aromatic, take on a charred sweetness, and really compliment the mild halibut.

Rahsaan,
No, I did not serve wine. Gene and I enjoyed a nice red before dinner, watching the news. Because we have a non-drinking house guest for a few months, I prepared an ice cold water, flavored very lightly with cucumber and lime. It was so refreshing on a hot and breezy evening, out by the pool. By the way, the pineapple spears become so aromatic, take on a charred sweetness, and really compliment the mild halibut.

Sounds nice. I'm sure the pineapple goes very well. And I've had similar preparations, but for dessert! So my only reaction was that it might be too sweet for the wine, unless you're drinking residual sugar stuff. But once wine is not an issue, I'm all for adding fruit to the main courses. (Can't wait for plum season to start so I can make those sweet/savory plum sauces again).

Grilled Thai drunken chicken wings (peek gai mao daeng).

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

No idea what's for dinner. Made a chiogga beet salad and a celery-sage soup for lunch plus I cooked some barley for a lunch on the road later this week, and all that seemed to strangely drain me of inspiration. It's 3:00, better get over it!

Dinner tonight is glorious left overs. I ordered a full fillet roast from a local market. They source from Creekstone Farms....it is a premium grade and the very best. I made a Bearnaise sauce for the roast yesterday, plus stuffed baked potatoes, green beans with cherry tomatoes and basil and a tomato salad with fresh herbs. I love the left overs the next day....no cooking. This is Gene's favorite meal, and he asked if we could stay home for Father's Day and if I would cook this meal for him!

[Jenise]

Sounds great, Karen. Gene's a lucky man!

[Robin Garr]

A summer mix of fresh veggies - zucchini and summer squash, new white creamer potatoes and chunks of sweet onion - tossed in olive oil with oregano, salt, black and red pepper and roasted at high heat until they're browned and sweet. Roasting makes it a surprising match with red wine (Iché 2010 Les Hérétiques).

Chicken3.jpg

Totally forgot about "meatless Monday" today and made one of our favorite weeknight stand-bys. Chicken with Oranges, Olives and Sherry. Served with homemade rice pilaf and "slightly charred" zucchini rounds (ala Karen) with criminis.

I am stag tonight so, in the great tradition of eating what Pumpkin won't, and with an eye towards clearing an old jar off the pantry shelf, I assemble a dinner from my college days: fried chicken with Sal's sauce. I improve on the traditional sides of macaroni salad and white bread by making myself a decent salad and having a multi-grain roll. Lip tingling and sentimentally good.

NB. Sal's is still in business ( http://www.salsbirdland.com/ ) but we long ago deconstructed the sauce.

[Jenise]

Carrie, that looks grand!

And Jeff, love that you went the comfort food route when left on your own.

At 5:00 I was still undecided so fished a bag of ravioli we'd made some time ago. Long enough ago that I was worried about freezer burn, and I had no idea what I'd filled them with. So I cooked one and liked the taste: no 'off' freezer flavors, and it tasted of chicken, parmesan cheese and nutmeg. But how to sauce it? I'd hardly begun the thought when Bobo ran downstairs with the breathless news that we were out of dry cat food. As two of our cats live on mostly that, this meant a run to the store for the Bobster and I volunteered to keep him company though I wasn't dressed for going in. I thought about the sauce on the way and was imagining something light and creamy with hazelnuts, peas and lemon. But just in case, when we got to the store, I asked Bob to get me "about 10 mushrooms if they're large, 12 if they're small."

Once home, he handed me the bag. It contained nine small crimini. HUH? Husbands! Anyway, once home I sliced and sauteed them, added some cherry tomatoes, garlic and Penzey's French Basil, then flour, milk, chicken broth and more parmesan with a final dollop of cream and fat pinch of red chile flakes. Intense flavor with a subtle panoply of flavors, it worked splendidly with the ravioli and a bottle of 09 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose.

Robin, what a beautiful dish. One of my favorites to eat this time of year.

Carrie, love your photo too, that looks scrumptious!

Last night's dinner was Thai barbeque pork with lemongrass, (mu yang takrai).

-Paul W.

Tonight it is clams and linguine with a side of Globe Summer Squash and Sweet Banana Peppers cooked on the grill until sweet and charred. Baguette bread to sop up the juices.

Oh, Wow, Carrie. SLURP!!