What's cooking?

Last night we enjoyed penne in pesto, broiled Italian sausages, and bottle of Knapp Pasta Red (a blend of 50% Baco Noir and 50% DeChaunac). Yum!

Tonight is smoked salmon quiche night.

Wild Mushroom Raviolis with Italian meat sauce, a plate of sliced tomatoes of various types, with tarragon and red wine vinegar and hot crusty bread.

Today's dinner was again Red Snapper cajun style with tomato salsa, fried okra with lemon gras, fried Polenta perfumed with thyme, skin fried Red Snapper fillet with romarin and crashed Garlic cloves and coconut salsa on top . Served on a hot fruity Habanero chili sauce. I took the same print as in the last time posting. The photo today wasn't good enough to be posted.

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Today's dinner was again Red Snapper cajun style with tomato salsa, fried okra with lemon gras, fried Polenta perfumed with thyme, skin fried Red Snapper fillet with romarin and crashed Garlic cloves and coconut salsa on top . Served on a hot fruity Habanero chili sauce. I took the same print as in the last time posting. The photo today wasn't good enough to be posted.

What did you drink with this?

Spatchcocked chicken rubbed with evoo, salt, pepper, fresh garlic, rosemary, lemon juice and zest, broiled on both sides to a golden brown, then roasted until done. Sides are sautéed fresh spinach from the garden, and a Mexican rice full of tomatoes, garlic, corn, hatch chilie peppers, cumin, and chipotle spice. Garnished with cilantro and a little sharp white cheddar.

[Jenise]

Last night we had coq au vin which I served on Israeli couscous, after a salad of red mustard, watercress and walnuts. An '02 Henri Gouges burgundy went nicely with the meal.

Tonight's dinner's not decided yet, but for lunch a pot of lima beans is on the stove simmering with a ham bone, bay leaves, thyme, chopped tomatoes, paprika, black pepper, dried chiles, and white vermouth.

Made whole wheat pappardelle for soup made with ham bone, 3 different Rancho Gordo beans, Italian soffrito, a bit of tomato and hot pepper. i.e. Pasta Fagiole. When my mother made this, she put the soup through a food mill and then threw in the pasta that had been cooked in water. I like the textures of the ingredients so I kept them intact. Lots of grated parm and black pepper on top with a drizzle of excellent raw olive oil.

I've been going to Weight Watchers for a while, and I have bought a couple of their cookbooks. Finally I have one that is just really inspiring, the spicing is intriguing and there are combinations I would not have thought of. It has the worst name and the worst cover, it is called "I (heart) Leftovers." Sounds like how to use your leftovers? No. Many of the recipes are written so that you can put a second meal in the fridge -- and in some cases you cook one meal and then modify it and end up with a completely different meal with what's left.

Last night we ate with neighbors and I took an "African Pork and Vegetable Stew" -- which, the first time around, had been "Apple Marinated Pork Chops with Cabbage." The cabbage is Savoy cabbage, cut into thin wedges and basically steamed sitting in boiling chicken broth (not much) -- apple slices are added halfway through, and the cabbage is served with a honey-mustard mix dripped on top. It was almost as good as ice cream to my palate, along with some tasty pork chops. And in fact we finished the dish the first time and then couldn't find pork chops (because of Sandy!!) for the re-boot so I started from scratch.

In one large pan I repeated the Savoy cabbage recipe. It takes a large pan, the cabbage really cooks down. You begin with a chopped sweet onion in olive oil, and when that is tender add the cabbage and broth. Later apples. In the OTHER pan I put chopped shallots in olive oil, and then a whole peeled and cubed Butternut squash, with chicken broth. After everything was tender I combined the 2 and took it to my neighbors. The sweet flavor of the squash was really set off by the dish. Oh -- things I forgot. Because we had no cooked pork chops and couldn't find replacements, I cut up 4 small chorizos and put the "coins" evenly in the 2 pans during the onion/shallot cooking step. Plus the shallot mixture had cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon stirred in before the broth. This could easily work as a vegetarian recipe. I think everyone enjoyed it and it's a good example of the flavors I am getting from this cookbook.

A favorite soup -- roasted eggplant, roasted fennel bulb, roasted plum tomatoes, roasted onion -- all combined in a soup. Also from same cookbook, I bought ingredients to make it a second time.

Christina, that soup sounds wonderful! I made homemade pasta once for chicken noodle soup, so Len said he wanted me to always do that. I haven't done it again since, but it really does make a difference.

Last night I made a traditional Sunday Supper for the two of us and we really enjoyed it.

Salad of baby kale, sliced red grapes, toasted pine nuts and Parm Regg tossed with fresh lemon juice and zest (off our tree---love being back in CA!) and olive oil. Note: One thing I like about a kale salad is that you can toss it a little ahead of time. There is no significant "wilt factor."

Leg of lamb with a crust of Dijon mustard, garlic, fresh rosemary, and S & P roasted to medium rare +. (See photos below. We had forgotten how good a roast leg of lamb can be.)
Mashed yukon golds with Chardonnay pan gravy.
Steamed broccoli.

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I can almost smell that roast. Beautiful!

[Robin Garr]

Chik'n stir-fry with green peppers, onions and garlic.

Beautiful dish!! I'd never had any of the fake meat products. Does Chick'n taste anything like chicken or does it take on the flavors of what you are cooking with?

Yesterday's lunch was a fish - strudel. A Salmon trout fillet and a pike perch fillet wrapped in fish farce, spinach leaves and puff pastry. Baked in the oven and served in slices on a lemon gras creamy sauce with tomato confit. Washed down with a 2005 Manna from Franz Haas, South Tyrol. (Cuvee of Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Traminer aromatico and Riesling)

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Beautiful! The fish is so flaky. Must have been delicious.

Heinz, Was the fish cooked before being wrapped in pastry?

Does Chick'n taste anything like chicken or does it take on the flavors of what you are cooking with?

It's not like tofu which really does take on the flavors of what you're cooking, but it does taste more like chicken than I would have thought. And for those that are trying to maintain a strictly vegetarian diet, it's nice to have options. I've used the Italian herb patties from time to time when I want a quick easy lunch.

Now bakon or facon. That's a whole different story. Haven't tried it and don't think I could ever give up the real stuff.

[Robin Garr]

Does Chick'n taste anything like chicken or does it take on the flavors of what you are cooking with?

It's not like tofu which really does take on the flavors of what you're cooking, but it does taste more like chicken than I would have thought. And for those that are trying to maintain a strictly vegetarian diet, it's nice to have options. I've used the Italian herb patties from time to time when I want a quick easy lunch.

Now bakon or facon. That's a whole different story. Haven't tried it and don't think I could ever give up the real stuff.

This was the Gardein brand, and it's pretty amazing. It's best if you saute the chick'n bits until they're browned and crunchy, but if you look close at the picture above, it's surprising how much the texture resembles the real thing. They're mild in flavor, but by putting them in places where you're expecting you-know-what, it will surprise you how close it comes.

This was the Gardein brand, and it's pretty amazing. It's best if you saute the chick'n bits until they're browned and crunchy, but if you look close at the picture above, it's surprising how much the texture resembles the real thing. They're mild in flavor, but by putting them in places where you're expecting you-know-what, it will surprise you how close it comes.

I haven't tried the Gardein brand yet, but I have heard good things about them. I've been partial to Morningstar Farms since I've had a good experience with them so far.

[Jenise]

Yesterday's lunch was a fish - strudel. A Salmon trout fillet and a pike perch fillet wrapped in fish farce, spinach leaves and puff pastry. Baked in the oven and served in slices on a lemon gras creamy sauce with tomato confit. Washed down with a 2005 Manna from Franz Haas, South Tyrol. (Cuvee of Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Traminer aromatico and Riesling)

Beautiful, love the combination of the two fishes, and that you used a mousseline to encapsulate the fish and also, I'm sure, protect your bottom crust.

Tonight we will have a rack of lamb, rubbed with fresh herbs and quickly grilled. A side dish of wheat berries combined with a sauté of leeks, onions, garlic, sweet potato chunks, and mushrooms. A green salad with an assortment of greens from the garden, slices of baby turnips, celery, red scallions, with a herb vinaigrette.

Chilly, cloudy, pretty day and I have a bit of a cold, so it's Upscale Tuna Casserole for supper tonight.

Yesterday I spent part of the day making a luscious beef stock. De-fatted it this morning. Tonight, dinner is Fillet of Beef Bourguignon. It is smelling pretty good in here. I will have nice crusty bread to soak up juices. Family pup is very happy, he gets some of the trimmings tonight with his kibble.

Last night, we had some friends over for supper. Started with cheeses and gluten free gougeres. Went on to have seared scallops on arugula with roasted garlic sabayon and potato hash with corn sauce. Tarragon custard with dessert. Wines were an excellent Talbot single vineyard chard, a Handley Pinot Gris, a ZD syrah, and Peter Cargasacchi's fantastic "Invincible Sun" for dessert.