What's Cooking (Take Two!)

Well, in my five minutes I found that, in olden days (19th C and before), in the old country (England), the potato crop was divided after harvest into three piles: "ware", "seed", and "chat". You sold "ware", you kept "seed", and you fed "chat" to the pigs. Truth. That much, at least, is confirmed in the 1913 Webster's.

That is interesting Jeff, thanks. It is very probably the origin, one of those words that stayed in the Aussie lexicon but passed out of use elsewhere.

We had pan-grilled lamb backstrap with braised cabbage for dinner. Indulging ourselves with two things we like. Well, three things. We opened a bottle of sparkling shiraz as well.

Been a long time and as often the case with me, it's nostalgia that brought me here. Way back Jenise posted a simple fresh spur of the moment tomato soup recipe - you simply chop up fresh tomatoes, sweat them down a bit then simmer thirty minutes and puree - Jenise cautioned that the stick blender might not deal with the skin completely, but mine makes it all smooth as baby's...) temper in a couple cups of milk, add "a couple of handfuls " panko and a T or so of olive oil and gently simmer, ten minutes more, Puree again to incorporate panko.

I imagine Jenise's recipe is still over on the archived old board.

I do it all the time and have now forever. It's just so simple and so comforting...

And the glut is on.

Cheers, TimH

[Robin Garr]

Been a long time and as often the case with me, it's nostalgia that brought me here.

Welcome back, Tim! Always a pleasure to see you, and don't be a stranger! Yum, summer tomato soup ...

[Jenise]

Oh, Tim, thanks! That's definitely a great soup for tomatoholics like you and me.

Last night I didn't feel like meat, and in fact I was jonesing for a combination from childhood, when I would go with a friend to a local hotel restaurant (we were like only 9 or 10) for lunch, and order a green salad with a plate of french fries. So that's what we had, though I don't deep fry: the potatoes were wedges cut from two large yukon golds, simmered/pre-cooked for about five minutes, drained, tossed in oil and then oven roasted at 450. I finish them with Lawry's Seasoned Salt, another flavor of childhood I've never entirely gotten over.

We're going out to dinner tonight so only cooking lunch at home. Am planning lobster tacos: lobster tail, chopped and sauteed in butter with fresh hot green chiles, wrapped in soft corn tortillas and topped with chopped onion and cilantro seasoned with lime juice. This should duplicate the flavors of a lobster burrito I once had, and loved, in Ensenada (Baja).

So emptying the fridge pre holiday.
Tonight is mushroom omelettes with truffle, bubble'n'squeak with addition of pickled fennel and blanched samphire, tomato and basil salad.
For anyone vaguely interested we are going to 'do' one of the great train trips, flying up to Darwin for a few days and then catching The Ghan down to Adelaide, a four day trip down the middle of Oz followed by five days in Adelaide before flying home. So looking forward to it as my love has been undergoing intensive chemotherapy for the last twelve months and his current regime now gives us the opportunity to get away for up to two weeks.

Sorry to hear about the chemo, Barb, but the time away from that stuff will make this trip that much sweeter.

[Jenise]

Barbara, that's so rough! So sorry to hear about this but, like Mike, glad you're finally making the getaway. Love that you're going by train--I adore trains but have yet to make one of those long journeys like you're about to do. Envy!

Barb,

Sorry to hear about the treatments for your pumpkin.

Sounds like a great train trip. Wave "hi" to the big rock for me.


Jeff

A Costco find from St. George Spirits, more herbal than Campari, it makes an outstanding Negroni even with a neutral vermouth. And grilled rack of lamb with sauteed zucchini.

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Last night's dinner was Sichuan dry-fried beef. Tomorrow night will be Ethiopian doro wat.

-Paul W.

A Costco find from St. George Spirits, more herbal than Campari, it makes an outstanding Negroni even with a neutral vermouth. And grilled rack of lamb with sauteed zucchini.

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Haven't seen that Bruto stuff before. I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

[Jenise]

Our Costco never has anything like that. Jealous!

However, just because we're in the kind of place that never has anything like that, some values land in our laps. In July, my neighbor who drinks pretty much American cabernet exclusively and from the higher end of the market at that, was raving about a Kirkland brand cabernet blend he'd found at the much-classier Costco in Woodinville where his primary residence is. That Costco even has a wine steward, who'd whispered in a few ears that the 2014 Kirkland Signature Series Columbia Valley Red Wine was surplus juice sold to them by Long Shadows winery, an A-list Washington winery whose various reds all sell for $55-80. It sold out in two days. People were, literally, backing up the trucks. But here it was in little ole Bellingham, or at least the last few cases, because no one whispers.

There were four cases and three bottles left when I got there. However the spectacle of Bob and I loading our cart caused a bit of commotion among other shoppers, so we had to give some away but we did get home with most of it.

Dinner tonight: it's my neighborhood wine group's Crabtacular!

The diversity of Costco offerings is definitely part of their "treasure hunt" plan. I bet we didn't get any of that Kirkland red, for instance. That's why I am looking forward to visiting a Costco in the Yucatan!

I've not had any local crab this season except for the one time we went to Stinson Beach. It's always such a pain since my family hates it. Enjoy!

There were four cases and three bottles left when I got there. However the spectacle of Bob and I loading our cart caused a bit of commotion among other shoppers, so we had to give some away but we did get home with most of it.

Dinner tonight: it's my neighborhood wine group's Crabtacular!

Oh, dear. Crab and red?

And grilled rack of lamb with sauteed zucchini

Very pretty lamb chops! (I'm a fan for rare meat.)

[Jenise]

Oh, dear. Crab and red?

No, though I realize why it wasn't clear: the Kirkland red purchase was entirely separate from the Crabtacular dinner. That was mostly white wines--TNs will be posted.

[Jenise]

So this morning I got up and decided to make a good dinner. I've been so sick lately plus busy with other things that I haven't been my usual creative self in the kitchen. So I decided I'd do something-chicken to serve with an Etienne Sauzet white burg and pulled a book off the shelf called Cuisine of the Rose--it's all about southern French/Nicoise cooking. I chose the dish I'd do and then realized that the chicken I thought I had in the freezer wasn't there after all. Pooh! But I did see a big hunk of beef I'd planned to turn into a Beef Bourgogne (my way), and decided I'd do that. After all, I have some mushrooms to use up. But before I got started I got to feeling guilty like I was going back on a promise, and so back to the book I went to search for a beef recipe to try. And what I found was a Nicoise version of Beef Bourgogne that involved tomato, orange rind and black nicoise olives, all of which I have on hand so that's going to be dinner. It will seem lighter, I think, than my usual--better for this hot sunny day anyway, and I'll learn something.

And what I found was a Nicoise version of Beef Bourgogne that involved tomato, orange rind and black nicoise olives, all of which I have on hand so that's going to be dinner.

Sounds interesting. I seem to recall some beef short-rib braises with orange rind.

[Jenise]

Jeff, it was outstanding. The recipe called, as I believe Julia's own recipe for BB does, for marinating the cubed beef overnight in red wine with herbs, carrots and celery.

Well, fie on that. I cubed the meat (two pounds of chuck, before trimming), browned it, then covered it with chicken broth and maybe a cup of a light pinot noir. I threw in two small chopped tomatoes, two bay leaves, a branch of thyme, the peel of a navel orange and two fat garlic cloves. Simmer simmer simmer. I then let it settle to room temp so I could lay a paper towel on top to soak away most of the fat and removed the herbs and orange peel. For service I brought it back to a boil, added two sliced carrots, a handful of oil-cured olives, some chopped parsley and ground black pepper, and thickened the sauce with a little corn starch slurry. I served it on papardelle noodles tossed with olive oil, crushed garlic, parsley. I've never had better.

Sounds really good. Kinda like a tagine recipe, don't you think?

Summer has been hot and sticky lately. For example, with the air-conditioning running for the past 3 hours, I have manged to get the humidity in the bedroom down to 61%.

On the other hand, Summer offers a cooling lunch:

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That's a Brandywine, a Striped German, and several Green Zebras. The Zebras have so much acid that they don't need salt to make them go zing!

The Squash Who Must Be Obeyed, inexplicably, asked for lasagna so yours truly threw together a beefy, garlicky sauce, slung a bunch of cheese (mozz., ricot., parm.), and got out of the kitchen while the stove was on:

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At least, it'll make weeknight dinners easy... put some thought into salad or vegetables, and warm up a chunk of lasagna.

[Jenise]

Sounds really good. Kinda like a tagine recipe, don't you think?

Yes, it would lend itself well that way flavorwise but I made quite a bit more sauce than a tagine would typically afford.

[Jenise]

Oh yum on that lasagna. I make one about every five years--it's about time! But I'll let it cool off first.

Tonight we had chicken schnitzels with wilted rainbow chard following a tomato and basil salad. Not exactly cohesive thematically, but it's what we had on hand and it all sounded good. So there.