What's Cooking (Take Two!)

Paella Valenciana, using wisdom recently gleaned from a paella cooking class at Sur La Table. I think it is better than before but I still need some work on technique.

Just out of curiosity, do you use a paella pan for this or some other type of skillet?

Paella Valenciana, using wisdom recently gleaned from a paella cooking class at Sur La Table. I think it is better than before but I still need some work on technique.

Just out of curiosity, do you use a paella pan for this or some other type of skillet?

It just so happens that I took a snapshot of the paella as work began:

2016-02-28 18.21.30-1 small.png

I made lemon cheese pie with a couple of Meyer lemons today, and it came out well, as it always does.
It's an old Sunset recipe, a lemon cornstarch custard with some (Ok, a bunch) cream cheese mixed in, and the egg whites folded in at the end. Takes a while to make, but it's easy. And tasty.

Paella Valenciana, using wisdom recently gleaned from a paella cooking class at Sur La Table. I think it is better than before but I still need some work on technique.

Just out of curiosity, do you use a paella pan for this or some other type of skillet?

It just so happens that I took a snapshot of the paella as work began:

2016-02-28 18.21.30-1 small.png

Dang. I was hoping you'd say you were using a cast iron skillet or some other type of pan I already have around the house.

Dang. I was hoping you'd say you were using a cast iron skillet or some other type of pan I already have around the house.

Those make tasty paella, too, it just won't have the bottom crust.

[Jenise]

John, that's a pretty pie. You made your own crust? Looks pretty expert.

Of course I make my own crust. For the lemon cheese pie, I put some lemon peel in it, and often use lemon juice for part of the liquid.

Masoor dal and iddli for dinner tonight.

-Paul W.

Pantry risotto, with onion, garlic, shallots, peas, and kielbasa.

[Jenise]

For last night's dinner, I made a vegetarian couscous. It was the simplest yet most delicious thing: a can of drained garbanzos were simmered in a modest amount of broth moistened with a single pat of butter and seasoned with some Whole Foods Berbere. Then a whole bunch of tender young collard greens (this is the best time of year for collard greens) torn off the stem and lightly cut was added and turned gently with tongs until they were just wilted. Scooped that over some couscous cooked in water with just salt and a pepper. Start to finish, the whole meal took less than 15 minutes to prepare and we couldn't have enjoyed it more. Fiber, protein, healthy greens and great flavor.

[Jenise]

I've been eating vegetarian all week, but tonight that's going to change. Dinner is going to be b/s chicken thighs that have been soaking in 1 cup of fresh lemon juice, 1/2 c olive oil, about 12 cloves of garlic run through a press and a handful of dry Mexican oregano all afternoon. Very intense flavors, will grill indoors. Can't wait!

Thai mahogany fire noodles tonight.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

I'm currently long on spinach, having bought a lot for a dinner party last Sunday that didn't come to be after all. So today I decided to search through books to come up with something I've never done before. Jacque Pepin won, with a three-layered gateau of sliced potatoes, spinach and then potatoes again. All three are lightly pre-cooked, pressed into a non-stick pan then baked until brown on top. The pan then goes on the stovetop to brown the bottom later. Slide out, voila. I'm going to add a little cheese for glue, then serve wedges with a side salad of cherry tomatoes with a light French basil vinaigrette. Since salad's going on the main course plate, our starter will be a few slices of leftover cowboy steak from last night sprinkled with chopped fresh rosemary, salt and a few drops of truffle oil.

Jenise, interesting variation on Pommes Anna! They are good "straight" but I remember making one with a layer of prune paste. Can't remember if that was Keller or Boulud. It was good but not worth repeating. I do really liked cooked spinach and I think maybe yours will be better than the prunes!

[Jenise]

Jenise, interesting variation on Pommes Anna! They are good "straight" but I remember making one with a layer of prune paste. Can't remember if that was Keller or Boulud. It was good but not worth repeating. I do really liked cooked spinach and I think maybe yours will be better than the prunes!

I'll let you know tomorrow, Frank, with pix!

Tonight, it was the Kimchi Fried Rice, from the Kimchi Waffle thread. I threw it together after getting home around 6:30 and it was done by 7:00 or so. It packs a ton of flavor into it and my wife and I both really enjoyed it. The kimchi I used was labeled "Mild Hot", and it was perfect for a chili-wimp like me. Next time, I might think about sauteing some ground pork with some of the spice elements and throwing it in. Great as is, though. Thanks for posting the recipe, Frank!

An unpleasant blustery day, no protein in the fridge and no inclination to walk up to the supermarket, hmm.
There is a goodly portion of slightly stale but yummy olive bread.
So with that in mind I remembered Jenise posting about savoury bread pudding did a bit of a goggle and bam there is dinner.
The bread, sautéed onion and garlic, a few lonely kalamata olives, half a Brie, cherry tomatoes, fresh rosemary and some grated cheddar, add the eggs and milk bung in the oven. Should be tasty,certainly looks okay. I'll serve it with a salad, bingo dinner from "nothing"

Well done, Barb!

Thanks Jeff. It was very tasty. A terrific concept for using bits and bobs.

[Jenise]

Cool, Barb, it is exactly that. All you need is bread for the body and milk and eggs for the custard--the rest is just up to your imagination and supply of bits and bobs.

Dinner last night was Thai stir-fried minced chicken with hot peppers and holy basil (pad prik gai bai krapow).

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Paul, that sounds like something I need to have for dinner real soon.

[Jenise]

Corned beef and cabbage tonight! Fortunately, at someone else's home. All I have to do is bring wine.

Mike, glad the kimchi fried rice worked out for you! There's hope!

Jenise -- I have been making a lot of Skinnytaste recipes and I made her version of corned beef and cabbage. It worked out well but one step was to remove all the fat from the brisket. That is ridiculously difficult and I cut myself and had to take breaks to rinse blood off the meat. Anyway I got about half of it off and gave up. What was neat was that she used carrots, parsnips, and frozen pearl onions (which I happened to have on hand) and it was a crockpot recipe. So I was able to get it started, then go to a meeting, and then come back and add the cabbage. It was actually surprisingly good and I peeled, cubed, and microwaved some Yukon Gold potatoes so we could eat the more traditional version of the dish. I also bought the smallest Corned Beef I could find, it doesn't take much to flavor up the rest of the dish.

FWIW I also prepped food for Friday and Saturday -- Friday we are having Pargiyot from the Zahav cookbook, so I had to clean and cut up 3 pounds of chicken thighs, and put them into 2 different marinades (yesterday). And I had to buy a bunch of Lavash bread and a shopping bag full of herbs, and 2 lb of French Feta for Sabzi Khordan. This is for Saturday. Nowruz is Monday but I will be doing a lot of teaching then, Spring Break will be over.

One more note -- in New Jersey we may get another "Snowruz" while we are driving back on Sunday. Not a sure thing but that has happened many times over the years. Last snowfall on March 20/21 is often a big one.