What's Cooking (Take Three!)

[Jenise]

Different approach to the vegetables with your corned beef, Karen--I like it! For the first time ever, we skipped corned beef yesterday. We went out to lunch and I was *this* close to ordering a Rueben (whatever I got, we would share), but instead went with a French dip which was great, but I was stupid not to have ordered the Rueben.

For dinner last night we had Irish Stew (beef, carrots, potatoes, peas, dash of whiskey). I served it over a slice of crusty pan-toasted sourdough bread from a local baker in the tiny border town of Blaine (she doesn't have a store, I buy it at the Chevron gas station) with brussels sprouts and a chunk of seared red onion. Absolutely fantastic. As good as anything called 'stew' I've ever had.

I'll be making Sichuan dry-fried beef tonight, using half of a flank steak. The other half will become Cantonese stir-fried beef with bell peppers.

-Paul W.

Another "atmospheric river" day here in the north valley. I consoled myself at breakfast with a slice of sourdough bread with Kalamata olives, toasted. A dish of fresh cubes of watermelon, pineapple, and strawberries (first of the season) sprinkled with cinnamon and drizzled with D' Anjou Pear vinegar. So refreshing.

[Jenise]

That sounds like a perfect breakfast, Karen.

No plans yet today, though I've had my morning banana and must start thinking in that direction. Rain will start by 6:00 and it's a lot cooler, so we won't repeat yesterday's first patio action of the season. For that I made a scallop and tomato ceviche and grilled artichokes which is one of the most fantastic ways to enjoy that amazing thistle.

On a lark, I bought a can of baked beans flavored with brown sugar and Dr Pepper. Awful. Yuk! >gag< Ptui!

Need I say more?

Yesterday, I made a tomato soup, very simple with whole, fire roasted Muir canned Tomatoes, lots of onion, garlic, chicken stock...the usual ingredients. I did add fresh marjoram from my herb garden as I love the herb in my favorite tomato bread salad. Along with French Thyme, it is delicious. Made enough to freeze a quart.

[Jenise]

I love those Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes, Karen. Last night we had extra large baked potatoes as a main course, finished with butter and truffle oil, a cabbage and carrot salad on the side.

Tonight I think we'll finish the Irish Stew I made last Friday. Trying to decide whether to change it up or just go as-is.

Moroccan style lamb sausage from the local Med Market on a bed of green lentils mixed with carrots and celery chopped to the same size. Seasoning was cumin, cinnamon, smoked paprika and Urfa pepper. All topped with caramelized onions. Very tasty. Next time, I will buy the lamb and make my own sausage. I prefer a more highly seasoned mix.

Moroccan style lamb sausage from the local Med Market on a bed of green lentils mixed with carrots and celery chopped to the same size. Seasoning was cumin, cinnamon, smoked paprika and Urfa pepper. All topped with caramelized onions. Very tasty. Next time, I will buy the lamb and make my own sausage. I prefer a more highly seasoned mix.

Ye gods, that sounds good.

[Jenise]

I agree. Now I want that.

Last night I made grilled steak. Had a lovely pair of Chuck Eye steaks which were wonderful on mushroom flavored rice (shitakes and porcini) after a salad of romaine, frisee, walnuts, blue cheese and green onions with a dressing of lemon juice and roasted nut oil. A 2001 Bordeaux with that.

Today: I dunno.

I treated Edie and me to a couple of slices of pepperoni pizza for lunch at Giavanni's Pizza across town (good thing it's not closer or I'd weigh 500 lbs).

It's really good NY-style pizza, the closest thing here to being in New York. While I was ordering the slices, a man actually from New York, told the order taker that their pizza was the closest to NY-style in Albuquerque--a sentiment I've been telling friends and people here for years.

Sad thing, though, is the nice owner was shot and killed several months ago during a holdup. It really upset patrons and the city alike. I was afraid they'd close, but the shop remains open after a short hiatus.

I have 1/2 of a chicken marinating overnight in soy, brown sugar, lime juice, sesame oil, Garam Masala, garlic, fresh ginger, cayenne pepper. Cooked in oven. The brown sugar makes for a nicely browned skin, An English cucumber salad with red onion, fresh cilantro, salted peanuts, jalapeño pepper, and coarse salt. Dressed with fresh lime juice, oil, fish sauce, sugar, and fresh garlic.

A cauliflower dish will fill in for rice, but give me a comforting dish I am craving. Cauliflower dish includes, olive oil, fresh garlic, [ pepper, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, cheese (not sure which one yet) and green onion. Extra cheese added on top and baked until nice and golden.
Well, the only yogurt I had was lemon, did not want to use that. Went with avocado oil, lemon juice, garlic, sliced sun dried tomatoes in those foil containers, these are very ,moist and a killer with Swiss Cheese. Threw in green onion and Penzey's Fox Point Seasoning, and a little chicken stock.

[Jenise]

Last night we had fresh petrale sole with lemon pasta and kale tips.

It's really good NY-style pizza, the closest thing here to being in New York...

Sounds good, and google confirms. Although getting fresh green chiles as a topping is probably something that cannot be replicated in Nyc!

Sad thing, though, is the nice owner was shot and killed several months ago during a holdup. It really upset patrons and the city alike. I was afraid they'd close, but the shop remains open after a short hiatus.

How awful! Nice that they can keep the spirit going.

It's really good NY-style pizza, the closest thing here to being in New York...

Sounds good, and google confirms. Although getting fresh green chiles as a topping is probably something that cannot be replicated in Nyc!

Yeah, canned green chile is absolutely nothing compared to fresh or, at least, frozen chile.

Tonight was chicken arlesienne, asparagus, and quinoa.

[Jenise]

We've been away celebrating Bob's birthday on Vancouver Island. Tonight I'm cooking at home again. Dinner: Lobster Newberg.

Pumpkin's birthday coming up soon. Planning for duck foie pate, a pheasant dish, vegetable and goat cheese tart, and chocolate stout cake with Irish Cream whipped cream. There's going to be a pineapple-mango palate cleanser in there, and maybe a cocktail to start. So: spirits, Sauternes, cabernet, stout, Bailey's. I can probably get Cointreau into the pineapple-mango thing, don't you think?

Tonight I'll be making chicken tagine with olives and preserved lemons.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Jeff, I'd go there!
Partner's birthday week here, too. I took him to Vancouver Island to celebrate which didn't go so well. First night: sushi at a fantastic Japanese Tapas Bar. Second night and his actual birthday: although I discussed it the day before with the sommelier at our restaurant of choice, when we showed up at the restaurant turns out the fact that I'd uncorked the Lafite I brought along for dinner disqualified it from being servable in their restaurant under BC law. I went ballistic. I did everything right, and did exactly what I told him I would do in lieu of being able to bring it in two hours early for him to decant, the service I hoped for and called in advance to set up. But then: no go. So at 8:00 at night my choices are: eat dinner without wine, order something else and trash the wine which probably won't be drinkable on Day Two, or go drink it with a bag of corn chips in our hotel room. We opted for #3, but all the options were painful.

So last night I made Lobster Newberg. And tonight we're having Flannery Prime Ribeyes which shall be delivered any moment now. Duck L'orange will probably be on tomorrow's menu, unless we go out.

Paul--been too long since I've made that. One of the planet's greatest chicken dishes, isn't it?

Jeff, I'd go there!

Me, too. I have fresh pineapple chunks and a thick mango puree ready. Maybe just spike the puree, portion skimpily over the pineapple -- this is a cleanser, not a course -- and serve with a bit of crunchy lemon-cinnamon crisps. I'm tempted to dust it with more cinnamon but I'm trying to stay calm.

The tart is a spring dish so, of course, it calls for asparagus, which His Majesty won't touch. So, I've got some broccolini, a chunk of maitake, and a couple endive. I will par-cook the broccolini and split it, flash roast the maitake to get some water out, and just slice up endive. Arrange prettily on a goat cheese/cream/tarragon base.

The pheasants will be jointed and simmered with some diced root vegetables and rather a lot of cabernet sauvignon. I suppose it's Petit Coq au Vin. But I hesitate to roast because the birds are lean and His Majesty does not like rare so there it is.

The pate is from Dartagnan so my job is to lay on a good sourdough and some citrussy accompaniments to cut the (yummy) fat.

The starter will be the house cocktail with a dash of grenadine in there to make it "Sunset".

And I picked up a couple pints of ice cream to accompany the cake: mint chip for he, coffee & cream for me.

Partner's birthday week here, too. I took him to Vancouver Island to celebrate which didn't go so well. First night: sushi at a fantastic Japanese Tapas Bar. Second night and his actual birthday: although I discussed it the day before with the sommelier at our restaurant of choice, when we showed up at the restaurant turns out the fact that I'd uncorked the Lafite I brought along for dinner disqualified it from being servable in their restaurant under BC law. I went ballistic. I did everything right, and did exactly what I told him I would do in lieu of being able to bring it in two hours early for him to decant, the service I hoped for and called in advance to set up. But then: no go. So at 8:00 at night my choices are: eat dinner without wine, order something else and trash the wine which probably won't be drinkable on Day Two, or go drink it with a bag of corn chips in our hotel room. We opted for #3, but all the options were painful.

Glad to hear the sushi went well. Ouch on the restaurant - they deserve a public tongue-lashing so other wine-geeks know to avoid them. I agree that option #3 was the only way to go (certainly don't reward them with a dinner check in #1!) but I hope you found something better than corn chips.

So last night I made Lobster Newberg. And tonight we're having Flannery Prime Ribeyes which shall be delivered any moment now. Duck L'orange will probably be on tomorrow's menu, unless we go out.

I like the menu at Restaurant Jenise.

I had a small pork tenderloin and one rib eye pork chop in freezer to use up so I seasoned with salt, pepper, smoked paprika and put sliced fresh garlic cloves in slits I made all over the two pieces. They will be browned then put in slow cooker on top of sautéed onions and apple slices. A little caraway seed and a good jarred sauerkraut will be added.
Hasselback potatoes made with Red Bliss potatoes and a Savoy cabbage salad with English cukes, red bell pepper, carrots, green onions, and chopped cashews, dressed with rice vinegar, fresh ginger, soy, fresh lime juice , garlic and Dijon.

.

[Jenise]

Jeff, I'd go there!

The tart is a spring dish so, of course, it calls for asparagus, which His Majesty won't touch. So, I've got some broccolini, a chunk of maitake, and a couple endive. I will par-cook the broccolini and split it, flash roast the maitake to get some water out, and just slice up endive. Arrange prettily on a goat cheese/cream/tarragon base. Ouch on the restaurant - they deserve a public tongue-lashing so other wine-geeks know to avoid them. I agree that option #3 was the only way to go (certainly don't reward them with a dinner check in #1!) but I hope you found something better than corn chips.

I like the menu at Restaurant Jenise.

Funny that he'll eat unusual things like endive but not asparagus. He's selectively fussy. Speaking of endive, I recall reading about something apparently popular in Belgium, endives wrapped in ham and baked under a layer of bechamel. Always meant to try that. Oh, and do they really eat a lot of endive in Belgium you ask? I am in a food group on Facebook where one of the primary participants divides her time between Belgium and the south of France, and yes, she serves pan-seared endive very very frequently. Steak at least once a week, and endives almost always with it.

Funny thing about that restaurant--old, valuable wines is what they do. The dining room has empty trophy bottles stashed in every nook and cranny. However I think the truth is that--and I've run into this before--the sommelier heard a female voice on the other end of the phone and immediately discounted everything I said by 100%. Only men are supposed to know anything about fine wine. He said, "Just bring it down, we'll take care of you!" at least three times. When I claimed that I knew it needed 2-3 hours, his answer was "an hour will be fine. You just hang out and have a few cocktails. Just bring it down when you come for dinner!" Last thing I said, then, was that I would pull the cork 4 or 5 hours ahead of time, "not the same thing as decanting but it will help a little". To then get told they could not pour that wine?

Speaking of which, the Flannery steaks didn't get delivered until 6:30 last night. I thought we were going to be eating corn chips again....

[Jenise]

Hasselback potatoes made with Red Bliss potatoes and a Savoy cabbage salad with English cukes, red bell pepper, carrots, green onions, and chopped cashews, dressed with rice vinegar, fresh ginger, soy, fresh lime juice , garlic and Dijon.

.

Sounds delicious. Speaking of Hasselback, a friend in New Zealand posted a recipe she made this week she called Hassel Back Haloumi, in which she cut a block of haloumi cheese almost all the way through, many times, then baked it with olives, cherry tomatoes and wine until the cheese browned on top. Sounded pretty good. I've not seen the term Hasselback applied to anything but potatoes before.