What's Cooking (Take Three!)

[Jenise]

Yesterday, at a salad bar, I had a serving of cucumber-pineapple salad and it was incredibly fresh and cooling and terrific. So, I'm making some for myself. Starting out simple: one cucumber (peeled, seeds scooped out), a cup or two of fresh pineapple chunks, and half a lime (squozed). We'll see what it's like tomorrow. I have some fresh oregano leaf on hand to add -- which I expect it will need -- but not sure whether to think about a more complex dressing, e.g., a spoonful of honey, a splash of rice wine vinegar, etc.

I was very happy to have a dish of my favorite carrot sald around the house the past few days so now I'm on a kick of making side dishes.

I like the sound of that salad! I am guessing you'll crave intensifying the sweet-sour thang with the extra honey and vinegar. Either way, sounds delicious.

Your carrot salad...is that like the old fashioned one with mayo and raisins my grandmother was crazy about? I seem to remember us discussing it, but can't recall the outcome.

I'm making a carrot salad for today. Or at least, it's a side dish that is a bowl of carrots. I bought a bag of mixed colors at Trader Joe's and used only the white, orange, and yellow ones. Those I peeled and sliced, then cooked in batches for about 4 minutes each in a half and half solution of water and white wine vinegar with salt and sugar. Those have been pickling overnight with sliced garlic, dried oregano and a bit of the leftover brine.

Cooking for 12, I'm doing: 3 smoked chickens (which have been in a dry riesling/apple juice brine with lots of dill and bay leafs overnight). The side dishes will be cabbage slaw (cabbage, red onion, cilantro, roasted peanut oil, vinegar and spanish peanuts), sugar snap peas drizzled with chile crunch (exactly what it sounds like), bean salad (great northern, black and haricot verts), and grilled peach halves drizzled with fresh mint, lime and honey. Though not precisely southern food, the peaches, beans, peas and peanut elements all skew that direction and will make perfect sense with the barely sweet and smokey birds. And, most importantly (here's my chef pride showing), no one at my table will be able to say, "Oh we had that yesterday." I'm putting out 8 syrahs to go with the food, and before we sit down to dinner I'll serve several sparkling wines (including a Shiraz) with Chile Cheese Fritos and a tray of hot Idaho nachos (thick ridged potato chips sprinkled with grated blue cheese and chopped green onions). Oatmeal cookies and fresh cherries for dessert.

[Jenise]

Yes re the cashews, my brother's a fan. But I don't care for them. I prefer plain, and the adulteration adds nothing that works for me--which is typical me, I don't like most extra flavored things. Chile Cheese Fritos are pretty much the sole exception--otherwise give me plain nuts, plain potato chips, plain Triscuits etc, and the 'lightly salted' version of each if there is such a thing. Which isn't that I like plain food (what some would think of as 'bland', you can tell from the way I cook that's not true), I just appreciate purity.

Oh, adding to the list of things I can't have around the house: Spanish peanuts. You can keep the mixes, just give me a can of those little guys with the tannic red skins. Btw, I also love raw nuts, and they're so good for you! Raw cashews and brazil nuts are particular favorites.

Jeff, your post about the cucumber and pineapple salad intrigued me, never have I heard of that combo. So, up to the store I went for a fresh pineapple and came home and made it. I tossed in two of those small peppers in the bags one finds in the produce section, one gold, and one red, sliced thin, used white pepper, lemon zest and juice. Very good, simple and the colors are great.

Soooo, after my lovely salad for lunch I decided to treat myself with about three chips. Ended up like two cups!!

Been there, done that. Sometimes when I look at the nutrition label on a bag of potato chips and see "20 servings" I think to myself, "What do you mean 20 servings? This bag is one serving."

-Paul W.

Karen, I feel you!!! I am not a snacker, but there are three things we just can't have in the house because I won't leave them alone: potato chips (in particular Ruffles plain), Chile-Cheese Fritos, and roasted/salted peanuts in the shell.

There are two bags of Chile-Cheese Fritos in the pantry right now. They're for tomorrow, about which I've promised myself they're only for guests though in all likelihood I will not be able to resist.

I'm with you. Middleswarth BBQ Chips are like heroin for me. I could eat a 55-gal drum while watching a movie or at any other time.

I live near a Middle Eastern import/export shop. I get wonderful nuts. (I'm kinda not impressed by nuts with stuff thrown on them, just like I'm not a fan of vanilla or raspberry coffees.)

Your carrot salad...is that like the old fashioned one with mayo and raisins my grandmother was crazy about?

The memories! My mother used to make that all the time when I was a kid. I liked the raisins, wasn't crazy about the mayo. Didn't really know enough to realize there could be other ways. But was glad when I eventually found out! (And in her defense, my mother no longer makes that carrot salad, having become modern)

These days, the only vegetable my 12 year old son really eats with zest is carrot salad. So I end up serving it to him for at least half his meals. But, with various vinaigrette-type dressings.

Jeff, your post about the cucumber and pineapple salad intrigued me, never have I heard of that combo. So, up to the store I went for a fresh pineapple and came home and made it. I tossed in two of those small peppers in the bags one finds in the produce section, one gold, and one red, sliced thin, used white pepper, lemon zest and juice. Very good, simple and the colors are great.

Glad it turned out well! I'm still tweaking mine. First, I think I need to cut the cucumber and pineapple to the same size (the pineapple chunks are too big). Then, it definitely needs a bit of herb and I have some fresh oregano here.

Your carrot salad...is that like the old fashioned one with mayo and raisins my grandmother was crazy about? I seem to remember us discussing it, but can't recall the outcome.

It's the one in Silver Palate. Basically, yes, it is grand-mere's salad but no mayo. Instead, the dressing is the juice of one orange, one lemon, oil, black pepper, and mint; and swap the raisins for currants (though I used craisins).

I'm putting out 8 syrahs to go with the food...

Sounds like a good match. Which ones, if I may ask?

By the way, there's something wrong with the sequencing here! I responded directly to Karen's lime-chili nuts thread last night then today, suddenly, all these other posts appeared.

[Jenise]

I live near a Middle Eastern import/export shop. I get wonderful nuts. (I'm kinda not impressed by nuts with stuff thrown on them, just like I'm not a fan of vanilla or raspberry coffees...)

...Yes yes! Or Passion Fruit tea. Perfect analogy for why I tend not to like things like chili-lime cashews.

I got lazy and the afternoon devoted to ghee-making was today, not this past weekend. I found an unopened 1/2 pound of Plugra in the fridge and I tossed that in with the 5 pounds of Kate's butter. I ended up filling two large Stonyfield yogurt containers nearly to the brim with ghee and had another 1/2 cup or so left over. I also ended up with about a scant cup of skimmings from the top and solids from the bottom of the pan. Those are excellent instead of a pat of butter on top of baked or mashed potatoes, etc.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

My smoked chickens were absolute perfection. Three hours at 225, and they could not have turned out any better. They were five pounders each and my guests only ate 1 and a half. The rest Bob and I will gnosh on the rest of this week and I'm saving the bones to make a rather different stock that I imagine will make a good foundation for a pot of white bean chile.

[Jenise]

Salad lunch today. Green leaf lettuce, radishes, blue cheese and sunflower seeds with lime juice and roasted walnut oil for a dressing. Tonight I'm planning a very simple dinner of broiled splat potatoes and broccolini. Meat does not sound appealing at all today.

I'll be making Cajun red beans and rice this weekend.

-Paul W.

I have never had that Paul, heard of it however.
A pork loin has been marinating since yesterday in olive oil, balsamic and apple cider vinegars, fresh rosemary garlic and Dijon. I put a good sprinkle of Penzeys pork seasoning all over it first and let that soak in a bit, then into the marinade. I have red and yellow potatoes, which I am craving as have not been eating potatoes lately, so those are getting fresh garlic oil and Zatar bath, salt, pepper, and oregano, and will roast along with the tenderloin. Fresh broccoli sauteed with big white mushrooms, and a New Zealand white wine I love will be added. Lastly, my favorite tomato bread salad using fresh garlic sourdough croutons, fresh basil, and marjoram with a simple vinaigrette, of evoo, champagne vinegar.

Apparently it's traditional in New Orleans to serve red beans and rice on Mondays.

When I went shopping yesterday the supermarket didn't have any dried kidney beans. So I bought black beans instead. They are soaking now. Paul Prudhomme's recipe calls for ham hocks, which I don't have. I found a recipe online that uses andouille sausage. That recipe calls for powdered "Cajun seasoning"--I will use the seasonings from Prudhomme's recipe for that. So we'll see how the "black beans and rice" turns out.

-Paul W.

Have you tried Rancho Gordo's dried beans? I've been using them for years now, always fresh, and delicious. Love all the ones I have cooked with.

Made a frittata for breakfast this morning, with eggs I got from a local, added low fat buttermilk, pickled jalapeño peppers, green onion, and a sprinkle of Asiago cheese on top. Threw on chopped chives after taking out of the oven. Served with Rainer Cherries, and fresh pineapple chunks.

[Jenise]

Yesterday I made a delicious broth out of the bones of last weekend's smoked chickens. Had been planning a bean soup for that but had to make an unexpected trip to Seattle yesterday and didn't get home until around 8:00, so the broth became a chicken noodle and vegetable soup.

Chicken Cordon Bleu tonight. Breasts are split, pounded, and sitting in a ziploc with EVOO, white wine, bay leaves, and rosemary. In just a little while they will come out to face the music: black forest ham, havarti, chopped reconstituted dried chanterelles, then rolled/tied, egg-and-crumbed, browned and baked.

The "black beans and rice" was successful, albeit a lot darker in color than red beans and rice would have been. Thanks for the suggestion of Rancho Gordo. I will look into getting my dried beans from them, as the selection at my usual grocery is very poor.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

The "black beans and rice" was successful, albeit a lot darker in color than red beans and rice would have been. Thanks for the suggestion of Rancho Gordo. I will look into getting my dried beans from them, as the selection at my usual grocery is very poor.

-Paul W.

Had lunch yesterday with Canadian friends. Rancho Gordo beans have been a game changer; on a recent trip to SF, they bought every bag of beans they could find. I mentioned that some are being distributed in Bellingham now at specialty shops--shipping selectively direct from RG is fairly expensive.

I mentioned that some are being distributed in Bellingham now at specialty shops--shipping selectively direct from RG is fairly expensive.

Really? I guess if you just want one or two bags of beans that's true. But it's free shipping over $50 and if you're stocking up for a few months, it's not hard to get an order of $50. And even though prices are rising, I still find their extra premium well worth it compared to the quality of other long-distribution-chain supermarket options. And it's still a well-priced portion of protein for my household. I remain a big fan! (Also of the banana vinegar, the chiles, hot sauces, etc)

That said, I have noticed various Whole Foods across Nyc carrying the beans, other shops carrying their sauces. I guess that's good for RG. I still order from the website, because the selection is greater and I assume the distribution length is shorter/fresher. Hope the company retains good quality with their increased success.