What's Cooking (Take Three!)

It has maybe happened to me. At least, a recipe I thought was in one place turned out not to be, which is generally a big surprise because my memory is so accurate that failures are rare and when they occur--well, that's a dead end. No point looking elsewhere, once the circuit wires get crossed they don't uncross.

A good analogy I read a few years ago dealt with music and the importance of learning it correctly the first time. If you take a sheet of paper, it said, and crumple it into a ball, you can't smooth it out later. A while back I learned a piece of music and played it for several months before I discovered I was missing one note in an arpeggio throughout. It took me forever to unlearn that and play it correctly.

Tonight I start the marinating for tomorrows Thai grilled drunken chicken wings.

-Paul W.

That sounds great Paul.

We had a good week, with a few standout dishes
Buta Kakuni (pork belly simmered in bonito, ginger, garlic,mirin, sake, soy sauce) with harukei turnips

We've been making this recipe for lobster with corn and tomatoes for probably a dozen years, but this time we finally splurged on the Minus 8 vinegar ($50 for 250 ml, but what the hell since we aren't going to restaurants)
http://www.howtocookeverything.com/reci ... d-tomatoes

There was a recipe for tomato confit in NYT mag. You X and blanch tomatoes to skin, core them, fill the opening with a mixture of sugar and lime zest, drizzle outside of tomatoes with oil, then cook at 200F for 3 hours, basting every 20-30 minutes. Serve at room temp.

[Jenise]

Dale,

those tomatoes. I had some recently in a restaurant that were referred to as confit or cured tomatoes. They were sweeter than usual and exceptionally bright/intense in color, transformed by whatever process they went through. And amazing. Did your results sound anything like this?

Yes, bright, intense, a bit sweet, a lot citrusy. A total "do again" and incredibly easy.
Since it is at room temp should be a great dish for entertaining.
The oil from basting is lovely too, Betsy used it as dressing on the squash,
I don't eat dessert, but the article suggested serving with ice cream and salt as dessert.

[Jenise]

Dale, thanks for describing. I am definitely going to have to do these. They were intoxicatingly good and like nothing I'd ever had before or imagined. I couldn't quite figure out the process but when I read your description, that sounded pretty close. Will definitely be on my list to try soon.

Currently, my diet has been fairly restrictive: Saturday, chicken soup. Yesterday, chicken soup and watermelon. Today, chicken soup and watermelon. Tomorrow, more chicken soup and watermelon. Foreseeable future: chicken soup and watermelon. I'm convalescing at the moment and it will be a bit before 'real food' holds any appeal.

Tonight I start the marinating for tomorrows Thai grilled drunken chicken wings.

Helluva recipe that gets the cook drunk 24 hrs ahead of time!

fill the opening with a mixture of sugar and lime zest

Really? I must not understand what you meant by "coring" because, if it's anything like coring an apple, that is a lot of sugar.

Did you just mean to make a small conical divot in the top?

Needed a fresh fish fix so took myself off on the journey to the fishmonger 35 km away. And came home with a lovely bag of fresh mussels. They are going in a laksa sauce.

fill the opening with a mixture of sugar and lime zest

Really? I must not understand what you meant by "coring" because, if it's anything like coring an apple, that is a lot of sugar.

Did you just mean to make a small conical divot in the top?

Well, yes. That is what I've always referred to as coring a tomato (which is not built like an apple). Just getting out hard portion where stem attached. I think if you Google images that's what you'll see. Recipe called for I think 2 tablespoons of sugar, zest of 2 limes. I split between 4 tomatoes, had a little left.

Thanks, Dale.

Tonight I start the marinating for tomorrows Thai grilled drunken chicken wings.

Helluva recipe that gets the cook drunk 24 hrs ahead of time!

The chicken wings spend 24 hours marinating, not me. It was good to see lemongrass back in the supermarket, after a long absence.

-Paul W.

Cast-iron-skillet-roasted chicken quarters with roasted red potato wedges and carrots. And a fougasse I made.

[Jenise]

Yesterday I reloaded all the groceries for more chicken soup. Put it all in the fridge to deal with today. Then last night I reheated the rest of the last batch made week ago Thursday. I decided I wanted something a bit different so I sauteed celery and onions to up the veggie component, then sprinkled the soup liberally with tarragon for a different flavor.

And could not taste the tarragon. Don't know when my sense of smell/taste is coming back but it's sure not here yet and I'm tired of all my food tasting like of the only two flavors I can currently detect, salt and sugar. By the time I finished my bowl I was SO done with chicken soup. I got up, broke down the whole chicken purchased earlier in the day, removed and salted the leg/thighs a la Zuni cafe and some unknown variation of chicken dinner tonight, separated the breast whole and bone-in for a small mini-roast for four in the future, and baggied the backs etc to make some stock out of today.

(Btw, I realize I may not have mentioned publicly that all this is the result of some pretty major sinus surgery last week. Condolences not neccessary--just adding the facts for context.)

(Btw, I realize I may not have mentioned publicly that all this is the result of some pretty major sinus surgery last week.)

I don't recall that you mentioned that!

I hope it went well for its intended purpose.

I hope your sense of smell is simply having a traumatic moment and will return soon.

[Jenise]

(Btw, I realize I may not have mentioned publicly that all this is the result of some pretty major sinus surgery last week.)

I don't recall that you mentioned that!

I hope it went well for its intended purpose.

I hope your sense of smell is simply having a traumatic moment and will return soon.

All good. Long planned, only finally possible. And a 100% success as far as what can be determined right now. Permanent loss can occur but is not typical. When all the swelling goes down, should be a new normal like nothing I knew before.

[Jenise]

BREAKTHROUGH: discovered last night that ice cream tastes perfect. You don't have to smell it to taste it! The dark chocolate and cherry in a scoop of Cherry Garcia were magically precise and separate real flavors, not just the sensations of hot, sour, salty and sweet I've been nibbling at since last week.

I limited myself to two bites. Begs the question: would Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough work as well?

Glad to hear the surgery was successful, and that you should eventually recover your sense of smell. I once had my sense of smell knocked out for several weeks by a severe bout of the flu. For New Year's Eve I got Chinese take-out and opened a bottle of Champagne. The stir-fry tasted salty and the Champagne tasted sour. Nothing beyond that. The only good thing about losing my sense of smell is that I had been so ill that I hadn't cleaned the cat box for several weeks, and when I was well enough to do so I was grateful I couldn't smell anything.

-Paul W.

BREAKTHROUGH: discovered last night that ice cream tastes perfect.
...
Begs the question: would Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough work as well?

Congrats. Yes.

Saturday night's dinner will be stir-fried pork in black bean sauce.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Not entirely back to normal but starting to feel a bit closer to it. So yesterday we went shopping for seafood and produce, and dinner was petrale sole with the sweetest baby broccoli following a healthy kale and walnut salad. Closest thing to a real meal I've made in weeks. Still, no wine.

From a few days ago but too pretty not to share the last of summer heirlooms (Green Zebra, Black Prince, Speckled Roman), with an American-made Valencay cheese and American-made knekkebrod:

late summer lunch.jpg

And while I'm posting pix, this sign was up at the greenmarket:

please romaine.jpg

[Jenise]

Jeff, that's my kind of a cheese plate.

Today I'm doing a German-Mexican fusion brunch at Peace Arch Park where we're meeting up with two other couples, one of whom has a house in my neighborhood but they're Canadian and can't come back, so I've rented their house for my very very ill brother whose prostate cancer has raged out of control (life is about to become VERY complicated). While there, we might as well share a meal so bratwursts in tortilla 'buns', potato salad, pretzels and a jug of Tequila Sunrises should make a very jovial way to pass me the key.