What's cooking?

Pot Roast. A bit of comfort food on a chilly evening in the Ohio Valley.

Strange ... it's balmy and sunny over here on this side ... we've got hula dancers with ukuleles, and the tiki torches lit.

So, did those hula dancers scrape the snow and ice off your car this morning or did you use the tiki torches to melt it?

Made Ron's Pistacio crusted rack of lamb last night for a dinner party. I must say it was the best I've ever made, so Ron, thanks for posting about how you make it.
The crust was incredible. In my food processor, I crushed about two cups of pistacio's together with about a quarter cup of toasted fresh French breadcrumbs, a TBSP of fresh rosemary, several garlic cloves, salt and pepper and a touch of olive oil, just to help it adhere. It coated four racks beautifully. This is my new favorite way to make rack of lamb.
Here's a photo taken just after I prepped them.

Lamb wit Pistacio Crust.jpg

[Robin Garr]

Spaghetti with butter and sage, and a side of fresh spinach.

[Robin Garr]

So, did those hula dancers scrape the snow and ice off your car this morning or did you use the tiki torches to melt it?

No ice, but a half-inch of puffy snow on the grass and cars and decks but not the streets. A choir of golden angels came flying down to whisk it away on silver salvers. Why do you ask?

Tonight we had an excellent storggy based on the one in Alice's Restaurant Cookbook. Because of Bev's cowmilk allergy we made it with goat yugart instead of sour cream. It wasn't bad at all.

Rancho Gordo "Good Mother Stallard Beans". Individual servings finished with a ladle of homemade chicken stock, minced garlic, pepper. olive oil and a big handfull of baby spinach all together with a quick saute and served with grilled Italian sausage.

[Jenise]

Carrie, those racks look great! Must admit I'm in love with the idea, too. Great texture, and great color for the plate.

Tonight: lobster-cherry tomato cocktails followed by a seafood Wellington wherein halibut (first fresh local halibut of the season for us) will be topped with a layer of an asparagus-creme fraiche-herb mixture and then a row of full spears and baked en croute.

Wild Caught Salmon Steaks cut thick (we will split one) dressed simply with smoked evoo, salt and pepper, and grilled. A splash of lemon is all we will need. Spring asparagus, dipped in egg white, rolled in Panko and Parmesan then roasted
along with baked potatoes which will be dressed with a little butter and a balsamic, onion mixture. Topped with a bit of sour cream.

Wild Caught Salmon Steaks cut thick (we will split one) dressed simply with smoked evoo, salt and pepper, and grilled. A splash of lemon is all we will need. Spring asparagus, dipped in egg white, rolled in Panko and Parmesan then roasted
along with baked potatoes which will be dressed with a little butter and a balsamic, onion mixture. Topped with a bit of sour cream.

Sounds good and prolly tastes even better. Jealous.

It was yummy, and easy....somthing I favor these days.

I like to visit Pioneer Woman's website now and then, and came across a pork shoulder cooked in Dr. Pepper, a little brown sugar and chipotle peppers in adobo. I've heard of cooking with Dr. Pepper, but since I don't even drink sodas, never gave it a thought, until I read the great reviews posted. Since I happened to have that cut in the freezer, I decided to cook it tonight. I thought of browning the pork first, but went with her suggestion of just putting the meat on a bed of wedged onions and pour the rest of the ingredients on top. I had a few Ortega whole chiles in the refer, so I threw those in. I'll shred the meat , mix in the onions and peppers, and serve on warm flour tortillas with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and fresh cilantro. I've made a few of her recipes and they are always tasty with bold flavors, which I like.

Tonite, it will be simple but good....

Pound of some really good Italian Prosciutto di Parma, some freshly made, slightly salted Mozzarella and a baby arugula salad with super great x-virgin olive oil and lemon, and a small loaf of Italian semolina bread.

( I used to buy fresh mozzarella every Sunday when I lived in Long Island, NY, but after moving up to the Danbury area, I havent found any... UNTIL this past year, our local
Shop-Rite has a team come in 2x week to make fresh mozzarella. When its fresh, warm and milky, with a little cracked pepper it is so good)

Beef Barley Soup.. made with extra plump barley we get at a local flour mill. Some fresh garlic sour dough to sop up some juices and we will be happy. If I get around to it, I may make a simple green salad, and probably should, greens are good for us! It has been a long time since we've had this soup, I really love it....pure comfort food.

[Robin Garr]

Beef Barley Soup.

Mary just made the same thing for our lunch! Regular old barley from the grocery store, but it was still good.

Well, not exactly cooked...yet. Up early for the scenic trek to our favorite processor of non-industrial hogs in Celestine, IN. A 22lb. whole loin cut into 1.25 in. chops. All appear to be well marbled and we've found them to have superior flavor to most cuts found in even the best local grocery butcher stores. Throw in a few pork loin roasts and some sausage should mean our hog cravings are covered for awhile.

Local, organic hamburger patty, cooked in caramelized onions. A baby spinach salad with mandarin oranges, Craisins, dried pomegranate seeds with an orange muscat champagne vinegar, and evoo vinaigrette. A flour tortilla bread (yes there is such a thing) topped with cheese and green onions, then broiled until the cheese melts, then cut into wedges.
Note: Tortilla Bread has all the handheld convenience of a tortilla, combined with the rich, buttery flavor and texture of bread. I've been having fun with it. It comes in a 6 pack, 0 trans fat.

Beef Barley Soup.

Mary just made the same thing for our lunch! Regular old barley from the grocery store, but it was still good.

Some of the old recipes are still the best. Our soup turned out wonderful and we had leftovers for lunch today. Even better.

[Robin Garr]

A simple variation on bouillabaisse made with bluefish, onions, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes and a bit of saffron. Great with a Northeastern Italian white blend, Marco Cecchini 2008 "Tové" Colli Orientali del Fruili Bianco.

The main course was a very successful homemade pizza with tomato sauce, maitake, marjoram, parmesan and taleggio. Went perfectly with the 09 Tavijn Ruche.

Which was good because the first course was much trickier wine-wise. I made a rhubarb-cardamom sauce for cod and a carrot salad (in vinaigrette). The rhubarb and the vinegar had me afraid all day but in the end they matched up pretty well with the 07 Chidaine Les Bournais. Although not quite as perfect as the pizza and the Ruche.

Thick, stuffed pork chops, home made applesauce, a coleslaw made with green and purple cabbage (I bought the most vivid purple cabbage I have ever seen. It has brilliant color) with green onions, and shredded organic carrots. Pork chops are well seasoned and will be baked.

purple cabbage (I bought the most vivid purple cabbage I have ever seen. It has brilliant color)

I didn't buy any cabbage these past two winters because my wife was pregnant and now breastfeeding and it wasn't good for either situation, but in general I always loved it for the great color and crunch. Two things that can be tough to come by when fiddling with all those winter root vegetables that need long slow cooking. Nice to have some brightness and color balance on the plate, even in winter!

An organic chicken, spatchcocked, slathered with a mixture of soy sauce, fresh lemon juice, butter, garlic, and rosemary. It will be broiled on both sides until nice and golden, then placed over a bed of Yukon gold spuds and leeks, dressed in evoo, salt, pepper and fresh rosemary from my herb garden. I will finish it off by baking for about an hour, letting the delicious juices drip all over the spuds.
A large artichoke with a long stem cooked in lemon water as a side, which we will split.

Mmmmm....sounds good, Karen.

Tonight, we had pasta with mushrooms and a whole bunch of green garlic cooked up in butter with a little cream thrown in. Came out well, with enough of the green garlic to stand up to the 'shrooms.

[Robin Garr]

Poached a whole large Barr Farm free-range chicken breast, bone on, in aromatic liquid, and will now use half for a pot pie tonight (Mary) and half for poulet l'estragon on Thursday (moi). One chicken, two meals, good deal.