What's Cooking (Take Three!)

[Jenise]

Today I'm playing with souffles. We're joining friends for a progressive dinner tomorrow night. Five couples in which couple #1 was pre-selected to be the starters as they live outside the Village (my nabe). The rest of us drew straws and I got #2, so I'm doing individual parmesan souffles with salami crisps and a garlicky green salad. Was going to serve two white wines but am now leaning toward one white and one red (a Soave and a Barbera). I let the group know, as pre-agreed, what my course will be in order to avoid repeats. Then the #3 slot said she was doing salisbury steaks with mashed potatoes, and #4 said stuffed calamari. #5 is doing wine poached pears and cheeses.

Then #3 and #4 looked at the possible wine pairings for their dishes and decided to switch places. Kind of defeats the whole drawing straws, doesn't it? Don't decide your course until you know what your position is, then decide on a dish for that position. I sure don't consider it an issue to go from red back to white, either. It's not usually done when one kitchen is the source of all food, but in a progressive dinner one doesn't have to be conventional.

Anyway, I've got to get my mis en place metered out so that everything's ready to go together as soon as guests arrive.

I believe numbness is a characteristic of Sichuan peppercorns. The dulling of the senses is appreciated when your fish, say, is swimming in chili oil.

I use them but apparently have never used so many I got a Novacain kind of numbness. Either that or the Sichuan peppercorns were so outnumbered by by the chiles (in Chongching, China), who would notice?

I was so looking forward to the balance between the heat of the chili sauce and the humbness of the pepper, but obviously I was way off! There is a restaurant in our town that serves ma po tofu, Chonquing spicy chicken/fish, and Chengdu beef done in a very spicy fashion, and it is a miracle how many of those chiles I can eat when properly numbed.

So, you're making souffle while #3 and #4 are making meat loaf (per se, and stuffed in a squid)?

[Jenise]

That's about right. Was an absolute blast!!! The stuffed squid was really delicious--the tubes were stuffed, cut into slices, then baked to cook the fish. Excellent, they also served a tomato tart, homemade olive bread that blew me away, and clams in a white wine/cream broth. Divine food.

Crab cakes were the first course and wine poached pears and cheese were the 5th. Then lots and lots of scotch. Was a terrific dinner, loads of fun.

[Jenise]

That's about right. Was an absolute blast!!! The stuffed squid was really delicious--the tubes were stuffed, cut into slices, then baked to cook the fish. Excellent, they also served a tomato tart, homemade olive bread that blew me away, and clams in a white wine/cream broth. Divine food.

Crab cakes were the first course and wine poached pears and cheese were the 5th. Then lots of single malt scotch. Was a terrific dinner, loads of fun.

Hi all -

It's been about a month since I cooked anything. I was away on a longish work-related trip which ended up being extended due to an unexpected death in the family. Then I came back and managed to contract a terrible GI bug (which may have been romaine related) that took me down for a couple more days. I finally felt better yesterday and we had some friends over for supper. I made tuna ceviche from a Rick Bayless recipe that involved tuna, avocado, red onion, pepper, lime juice, and a little jalapeno. Simple and delicious with tortilla chips. For the main stuff, we had roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus with morels (and this time, I was able to get all of the grit out of the morels!!). For dessert, my wife made a raspberry ricotta cake which was served with storebought ice cream.

Nice to be home.

[Jenise]

Bad month, Mike! It feels like forever since I cooked at home too.

But yesterday lunch: I had two kaiser rolls leftover from Sunday's hamburger fest, and decided to make sub type sandwiches. I know, wrong shape, but various charcuterie on hand with lettuce, havarti cheese and a drizzle of red wine vinegar/herbs/EVOO would all be very happy together. By the time I went to assemble them, though, I honestly didn't feel like eating meat. I had two gigantic beefsteak tomatoes that calling to me more loudly. So Bob got the sub, and I made myself something I've never had/done before: a thick slice of beefsteak pan-seared with salt and pepper went into that bun with a layer of fresh mozzarella and some of that red wine vinaigrette. WOW was that good. For me, meat can't compete. I'll be craving these for awhile, I think.

Funny, I just made ma po with Sichuan peppercorn, from this recipe:

https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/mapo-tofu-recipe/

I was super excited because I had just found some beautiful Sichuan pepper at Ranch 99. I didn't realize I also needed Doubanjiang, so I left that out and used some more soy sauce. It called for a half tablespoon of Sichuan peppercorn, toasted. I put that much in. A few bites in, my mouth started to really turn numb. The whole left side of my bottom lip felt like I was at the dentist. And the piney, resinous aroma of the peppercorn was overwhelming. One of the worst things I have ever put in my mouth. I'm going to try again, but maybe a less authentic recipe.

It sounds like you got a good batch of Sichuan peppercorns. Most of what you find in the USA is stale and of poor quality. 1/2 tablespoon seems like a lot if you have the real, fresh thing. I'd cut it down to 1 teaspoon. That recipe is probably assuming you're using the pooped-out Sichuan peppercorns commonly found in the USA.

Doubanjiang is made from fermented broad beans and chiles. Soy sauce isn't really a substitute. Try to get doubanjiang made in Pixian if you can. It's available from the Mala Market (https://themalamarket.com/ .

-Paul W.

Tonight I'll be breaking out the grill for Shanghai grilled chicken wings.

-Paul W.

Can't say that ceviche would be my first leap back into food after that, but I'm glad you are feeling that much better!

Tonight I’m adoin’ ribs. Horrible weather so Slow roasted in the oven with a rub (covered) for about 4 hours brushing with bbq sauce after about 3 hours. To compensate for indoor cooking I used ‘the gun’ to add smoke to the last bottle of my bbq sauce.
Winging it with sides, a cheeses, corny quick bread, kale with bacon and onions, and a fresh tomato salad will complete the meal.

[Jenise]

Sounds great, Barb. I've sure been hungry for ribs lately, and maybe even more the smell of something long-roasted in the oven.

Last night we had our first fresh halibut of the season with fresh asparagus and a starter salad of tomatoes and romaine. Divine.

So Saturday night, I thought I'd try out a recipe for Beef Stroganoff with the Instant Pot. What interested me was a broth used in the recipe that included fish sauce, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. (It's not like stroganoff is all that difficult to make without an Instant Pot, so the "instant" aspect of the recipe didn't really offer much.) Our go-to recipe for stroganoff is from Please to the Table, by Anya von Bremzen and John Welchman, and we consider this a pretty high bar.

I seared a good-sized chuck roast that had been rubbed with salt, pepper, and paprika, then pulled it out and sauteed a bunch of mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Deglazed with white wine, sliced the chuck steak, and then put it back in the pot. Added that broth and cooked under pressure for 25 minutes, with 25 minutes of slow de-pressurizing after that. Then added the sour cream and thickened with corn starch. The result was a tasty dish but one that was not all that "stroganoffy". All that umami stuff really didn't seem to add a lot. It was a worthwhile experiment but not one I'll repeat.

Tonight, was a farmers' market risotto, with fresh garlic, English peas, and morels. And leftover stroganoff, for those who needed meat.

Mike that risotto sounds really good!
Tonight we’re having osso bucco, smelling good right now.

Thanks, Barb!

Love osso bucco, and it's one of those things I never seem to get around to making. Great cold weather dish - are things starting to cool off down there?

Hi Mike, yes the weather is chilling out! We know that winter is on the way.
Left over osso bucco tonight. And I just found the side to go with it. Potato and chestnut purée (having prepared some chestnuts for no particular reason, other than they looked great, needed to use them)

Barb, sounds like a great winter dish!

Do you make a gremolata to sprinkle on the osso buco?

Barb, sounds like a great winter dish!

Do you make a gremolata to sprinkle on the osso buco?

Yes I did get my act together to do the gremolata, it really does add that je ne sais quoi to the dish.
That little fresh lift.

[Jenise]

Home from five days in New Mexico with a little divot to Colorado to take in Mesa Verde and Durango. And it's Wine Society night, so I have 23 pounds of boneless pork loins floating in the sous vide baths.

[Jenise]

Mike F, that sounds like a pretty long cook for the beef. Does the recipe you referred to also require a long, stew-ish cook?

I tend to think of strogonoff as a quick pan-build kind of dish, an idea absolutely cemented in place by ordering strogonoff at the famous NY celebrity haunt (not sure why they let me in!), now gone, the Russian Tea Room. Their strogonoff was made from slices of seared beef tenderloin, topped with finely chopped dill pickles, and served on rice where I've only ever had it with noodles. Still love it, maybe even prefer it with noodles, but everything else about the dish set a bar none have come close to since.

Barb, sounds like a great winter dish!

Do you make a gremolata to sprinkle on the osso buco?

Yes I did get my act together to do the gremolata, it really does add that je ne sais quoi to the dish.
That little fresh lift.

Brava. I also think it adds a lot of interest to what is otherwise funny-looking short ribs.

...now gone, the Russian Tea Room.

The Russian Tea Room closed in 2002 and reopened in 2006. The decor remains over the top but many have noted that the kitchen is not as good as it once was.

http://www.russiantearoomnyc.com/

I tend to think of strogonoff as a quick pan-build kind of dish.... Their strogonoff was made from slices of seared beef tenderloin, topped with finely chopped dill pickles, and served on rice where I've only ever had it with noodles. Still love it, maybe even prefer it with noodles, but everything else about the dish set a bar none have come close to since.

::brag on
Pumpkin and I visited St Petersburg in 2011. By chance, on the first night there, we wandered into Russian Empire, a restaurant located in the Stroganov Palace. It attempts to reproduce the way the Barons and Counts would have eaten, including vintage china and glassware, gold flatware, etc. You can get a tour of the wine cellars; the last Count was a bit secretive about his stash so there are numerous rooms with wine racks hidden in the walls and floors.

The menu can be hard to follow -- who can remember, on the spur of the moment, exactly what is in Salad a la Russe? -- but it was easy enough to find and order the Stroganoff. It was offered with beef or, as the Count preferred it, with venison. Served with potato puree.

The venison was really good.

IMG_0519 sm.jpg

::brag off

Mike F, that sounds like a pretty long cook for the beef. Does the recipe you referred to also require a long, stew-ish cook?

I tend to think of strogonoff as a quick pan-build kind of dish, an idea absolutely cemented in place by ordering strogonoff at the famous NY celebrity haunt (not sure why they let me in!), now gone, the Russian Tea Room. Their strogonoff was made from slices of seared beef tenderloin, topped with finely chopped dill pickles, and served on rice where I've only ever had it with noodles. Still love it, maybe even prefer it with noodles, but everything else about the dish set a bar none have come close to since.

It's definitely a long cook but I think that's because of the chuck. Our standard recipe calls for the tenderloin.

I've never had it with dill pickles - that sounds like a good addition!

And WOW, Jeff! That looks like an amazing meal.