What's Cooking (Take Two!)

[Jenise]

Today I am making Cuban roast pork and black beans for dinner.

Yummy. I need to come up with a Cuban dish. Bought West Side Story for a dinner+a movie night--for some reason, neither of us ever saw it. I'm not very familiar with the cuisine, though--all I know is Ropa Viejo.

JoAnn, did you use a fresh ham or pork roast shoulder?

JoAnn, did you use a fresh ham or pork roast shoulder?

Yes. Made slits in the flesh and stuffed with sofrito and garlic. Smoked/grilled with high, indirect heat in the Weber for about 6 hrs. Served it with a Cuban Mojo sauce, yellow rice (Sazon Azafran) with capers and Spanish olives, black beans and green beans sautéed with mushrooms seasoned with sliced garlic and basil. Slammin'!!

Part of my youth, we lived outside of San Diego in a very small town with lots of avocado trees and Mexican laborers. My mom learned to make flat enchiladas that I love to this day. Corn tortillas are fried, then drained on paper towels. Then dipped in a home made red sauce, topped with raw onions and sharp cheddar. Usually a layer of three and then if one wishes, a fried egg on top. I put the enchiladas in the oven while frying the egg, just to melt the cheese. We both love these to this day, so that is what is on the menu tonight. Gene has the egg, I do not. Serving with a salad with many colors of tomatoes, baby sweet red and yellow peppers, cucumbers, chives, red onion, and a cinnamon vinaigrette which also has a touch of cumin.

Tonight I am making Robin's beautiful Penne Pasta with the eggplant and fresh tomatoes, with a few twists. I had a few things on hand that I wanted to use up so in addition to making Robin's recipe as stated I added some marinated sun dried tomatoes, and about 1/2 cup of red pasta sauce. Our son has an Italian friend who lives in Sacramento, and he makes delicious pasta sauce concoctions, and bottles them to be given or sold to family and friends only. Our son gave us 12 bottles of different types of the sauces in June. We are in overload as I have my home made marinara, tomato sauce and paste in the freezer! Also, roasted whole garlic until golden and put them into the sauce. It is thick and yummy. For a side dish I am roasting broccoli with long stocks, until the bottom side caramelizes then turning, adding a sprinkle of Parmesan and roasting until the bottom side turns very golden. I have not done it this exact way before, but 128 reviews promised a great treat.

Got home about 6:30 tonight to find that the wife and kid had just arrived as well. We're out of leftovers and no one really wanted to cook. The kid was pushing for burgers from Willie's (a local fast food place) but I had a burger last night, so I vetoed that. We ended up with a favorite that we haven't had in a long time - Kraft macaroni and cheese with diced Spanish chorizo and peas.

[Jenise]

I'm going to create the snack for Saturday night I'm already calling "Cuban Crostada", though I haven't a clue what I really mean by that. Going to use Lavosh bread to hold a spread of black beans and chorizo that will be rolled, crisped on the outside, oven heated, sliced into rounds and served cut side up with a little mango salsa on top. It will be tasty, it will be pretty, and I'll probably never make them again.

Finished off the duck pate tonight which is curing in the fridge . Now experimenting with plate garnishes. Happen to have a plethora of plums on the trees so halved two Green Gage and 2 Italian plums, cooked them briefly in a little rosemary infused butter and then finished them off with a drop of pomegranate molasses. The pomegranate has just the right acidity to intensify the plum flavor and should cut the fat in the pate. An added bonus is that the purple plum juices are a stunning color that will look great on a white plate. Also tried several mustards and settled on the Maille whole grain as the most complementary with the plums. Perhaps a few pistachios or duck cracklins or more pomegranate in the form of caviar pearls....not sure about the final presentation. A lot of fun to think about and execute

Tonight, it was penne with roasted cauliflower, bacon, and sauteed bread crumbs. Simple but tasty.

[Jenise]

Finished off the duck pate tonight which is curing in the fridge . Now experimenting with plate garnishes. Happen to have a plethora of plums on the trees so halved two Green Gage and 2 Italian plums, cooked them briefly in a little rosemary infused butter and then finished them off with a drop of pomegranate molasses. The pomegranate has just the right acidity to intensify the plum flavor and should cut the fat in the pate. An added bonus is that the purple plum juices are a stunning color that will look great on a white plate. Also tried several mustards and settled on the Maille whole grain as the most complementary with the plums. Perhaps a few pistachios or duck cracklins or more pomegranate in the form of caviar pearls....not sure about the final presentation. A lot of fun to think about and execute

I can't imagine what about everything you've considered so far isn't going to lead to a stunning presentation! Can I come?

Dinner was Chinese beef stir-fried with ginger and cilantro.

-Paul W.

The Farmer's Market is on the schedule for us tomorrow, so today, is "use it up" day. Green beans cooked in an Italian pepper sauce, grilled corn on the cob along with lamb chops, and a plate of beautiful tomatoes and baby cucumbers, dressed with a little cinnamon vinaigrette. Our FM is staying open through December this year, some of the grower's have already left the market, but many continue. The fall produce is coming in, huge pomegranates, grapefruit, apples will be there soon. I saw banana squash last week. Carrots, potatoes, onion, garlic, green leafy stuff, arugula, lettuce, squashes, all sorts of Asian greens and veggies are still coming. Local wines, honey, nuts, olives, evoo, and cheeses are still there too. The chickens are laying again, so lots of eggs, plus strawberries, peaches and plums. Love it.

Made a cardamom lime bread to take to a party tonight.

Standard recipe similar to my corn bread recipe, although lighter on the corn meal (1/4 corn meal to 3/4 white flour) and a finer grained corn meal as opposed to the coarse I use in the weekly cornbread. Milk, butter, baking powder, salt, touch of sugar, separated the eggs and beat the whites, and then cardamom powder and lime zest. I was worried the cardamom would be too strong but I was in the mood to cook with it, so in it went. And it was delicious! A hit all around.

[Jenise]

Karen, must admit I don't think of Redding as paradise, but that changes a little when you describe your Farmers Market.

I'm making dinner tonight for 80. Here's the final menu:

Welcome drink: Birch Bay Slings

Appetizer: cuban chorizo and black bean crostadas with mango-salsa

Guests will be served the appetizers at their seats. It's a three-bite finger food to tide them over, as at this point they have to sit through an hour long meeting.

Then we serve the buffet dinner:
Jerk Chicken hot off the grill
Cold, peeled, deveined U-10 shrimp with two dipping sauces: a curry-coconut remoulade and a red chile marmalade
Rice and Peas (using green lentils and seasoned like a dirty rice)
Baby Pina Colada muffins
Red cabbage and pea slaw
Cantaloupe-cucumber-green onion salad

This dessert will be served at their seats:
Key-lime bars

Karen, must admit I don't think of Redding as paradise, but that changes a little when you describe your Farmers Market.

Redding is not paradise but pretty close...if the summers were not so hot, we would have a very large population. We love it for the lakes all around us, mountains, and 4 seasons. Plus a climate mild enough to grow all year long. Good medical, good schools, excellent police force, and a lot better shopping, culture, and Farmer's Markets than 50 years ago when we moved here. We are only three and a half hours from Napa Valley and the San Francisco area, when we desire a change. Mostly though, we head up the OR coast line because we love the smaller towns and what they have to offer. In our travels, when people ask us where we are from, most often than not the reply is, " oh, we passed through Redding years ago, it was so *&%$#@ hot!" So, anymore I simply say Northern CA. The people here are great, down to earth, hard working and for the most part, honest. When a disaster happens as it did last week, people kick in without asking, and help in any way they can. A huge fire in the foothills only about 20 minutes from us took over 70 homes, and many other structures and vehicles. The response from strangers was amazing. People with horse trailers went up to help move livestock.The fire fire fighters were well fed by local restaurants and civilians. It was amazing the outpouring of response. Our overloaded humane society was filled to capacity. The community gave over 60 bales of hay, tons of animal food of all kinds to help take care of the load. This weekend, schools are having all sorts of fund raisers collecting canned goods, more animal food, clothes and items such as soap, toothpaste, etc. 200 power lines were burned and because of the response from the companies, they are able to start letting folks back into the area today.

One thing we loved was being able to raise our family here. The kids never lacked for things to do. We were fortunate to have been able to have boats on the lake the whole time they were growing up, and if not on one of the lakes, they were in the mountains skiing, fishing or hiking. Pretty cool.

Last night was our weekly neighborhood get-together, so I figured it was a good time to try my hand at pimento cheese. I threw together the grated cheese, pimentos, and mayonnaise. I added a little minced white onion (as per Jenise's comment in Robin's pimento cheese thread). I added a can of Ortega chilies and took Robin's advice regarding heat - I added Tabasco, Tabasco Chipotle, black pepper, and wasabe powder very carefully. We put some in a bowl and took it to the party. When we went home, that bowl had been scraped clean - the stuff was delicious.

Mike, a bit of that mix spread on a slice of some type of bread, flashed in the oven/broiler makes a killer hot appetizer. Make whole tray and pass warm. As I always have a brick of aged cheddar in the fridge this is a quick last minute thing for unexpected guests.

Mike, a bit of that mix spread on a slice of some type of bread, flashed in the oven/broiler makes a killer hot appetizer. Make whole tray and pass warm. As I always have a brick of aged cheddar in the fridge this is a quick last minute thing for unexpected guests.

Sounds delicious!

Mike, a bit of that mix spread on a slice of some type of bread, flashed in the oven/broiler makes a killer hot appetizer. Make whole tray and pass warm. As I always have a brick of aged cheddar in the fridge this is a quick last minute thing for unexpected guests.

Pimento cheese bruschetta? Sounds great!

Too funny Mike ! Never thought of it as bruschetta but you are right. Next time I make it I'll call it PC Bruschetta

I found beautiful sea scallops at the fish market last week, all were a beautiful light rose color. Also, picked up some very nice shrimp. So this morning I am making a sort of seafood stew, onions, lots of garlic, fennel seed, Turkish oregano, white wine, clam juice, and because I am on a mission to use things up in my pantry, I am throwing in cut spaghetti (have no idea why I bought it) and from the fridge, baby rainbow swiss chard. Plus a nice crusty bread to sop up the lovely soup juices.

Friends brought us canned albacore from Island Trollers on Whidbey Island. Can't wait to try it. Making panini tonight with the albacore, Havarti cheese, with a crusty, green onion, jalapeño bread. A side will be a stuffed avocado half filled with tomato, red onion, baby cukes diced, with an aged white wine vinegar vinaigrette.

[Jenise]

Haven't had time to post about food much lately, but tonight we're having a first-of-the-season chanterelle risotto. Got the shrooms for just $7.99/lb at an oriental market!

I picked up nice looking rib eye steaks from our local Prather Ranch. They will be finished off with fresh tarragon over the top. They are rubbed down and waiting for the grill. We will share a large sweet potato with beautiful dark orange flesh and ruby skin, twice baked with black truffle butter and fresh chives and a sprinkle of cream Havarti over the top. Also, broccoli dressed with evoo, red pepper flakes, fresh tarragon, salt and pepper, roasted until nicely caramelized on both sides. I am loving this method for broccoli.