What's cooking?

Dinner last night was Thai Crying Tiger beef: flank steak marinated with thin soy sauce for an hour and then grilled; thin sliced and served with a dipping sauce consisting of coriander seed, garlic, fresh red Thai bird chilies (15 of them!), fish sauce, and sugar. The name of the dish comes from the Thai expression "hot enough to make a tiger cry". I will turn the leftovers into larb.

-Paul W.

[Robin Garr]

Following up on the sorrel thread, I'm going to try to replicate a new local farm-to-table restaurant's great cold asparagus-sorrel soup tonight with wood sorrel from our yard. I'm pretty sure it isn't poison ...

I'm pretty sure it isn't poison ...

Let us know how it goes. Maybe about a half-hour after dinner.

I'm pretty sure it isn't poison ...

My, aren't you the adventurous one?!

Kate, don't let the folks on here scare you...

Thanks, Karen! (And Robin.)

I've been known to go all foodie snobby myself, but usually not when just cooking for myself. Unless I'm craving something in particular.

Tonight I'm making Parmesan chicken with wine sauce, wild rice, and garlic-sauteed broccoli. Nothing fancy, but satisfying.

[Jenise]

Dinner last night was Thai Crying Tiger beef: flank steak marinated with thin soy sauce for an hour and then grilled; thin sliced and served with a dipping sauce consisting of coriander seed, garlic, fresh red Thai bird chilies (15 of them!), fish sauce, and sugar. The name of the dish comes from the Thai expression "hot enough to make a tiger cry". I will turn the leftovers into larb.

-Paul W.

15, woo hoo! I take it your tolerance is extremely high.

[Jenise]

Kebabs of sun dried tomato and basil chicken sausage with vegetables here, a good patio meal.

[Robin Garr]

I'm pretty sure it isn't poison ...

Let us know how it goes. Maybe about a half-hour after dinner.

It went well. We're fine.

Recipe posted in Kate's RCP: Sorrel soup thread,
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=39515&p=326963#p326963

Turkey burgers with a balsamic onion reduction on the buns, tomatoes, lettuce. Serving with a salad of orange bell peppers, Kumato tomatoes, green onion, watermelon radish, and an orange muscat vinaigrette...hopefully eating on the patio.

[Jenise]

Karen, so you found the Kumato tomatoes at Trader Joe's I take it? Aren't they GOOD?

Tonight: first course is a sweet-hot enoki mushroom salad followed by cedar plank copper river sockeye lightly brined first in Sauvignon Blanc on pea tips tossed with garlic oil and basil.

Last night - bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mozzarella panini on focaccia with a friend's home-cured bacon. The mozz was delicious on this, and a little pesto would have made it even better. Next time......

Karen, so you found the Kumato tomatoes at Trader Joe's I take it? Aren't they GOOD?

The first batch I found at TJ's about a month ago were very good. The latest were called something different, but looked the same, from Raley's...not quite as good. The best winter tomatoes I've ever had, were the Campari brand from Costco and Safeway. Safeway no longer has them and I only get to Costco about every three months, so don't know if they've had them yet.

I've had the Campari, too. They're good, not great, but that may just be as good as a winter tomato can be.

[Robin Garr]

I'm making a batch of baba ganoush and pitas from my own recipes.

http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvis ... 0905.phtml

http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvis ... 0120.phtml

Tonight is a Greek potato salad, steamed broccoli and wild caught salmon steaks with an orange zest/spice rub, on the grill.

[Robin Garr]

Bihari Green Beans Masala from The New York Times' "Temporary Vegetarian" column (May 2010). You can make a surprisingly filling dinner from green beans, onions, a little coconut milk, some spices and rice.

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/ ... een-beans/

bihari.jpg

Asian marinated pork loin, grilled, caramelized onions, an arugula, radicchio, marinated peppers, and tomato salad with a fig balsamic vinaigrette. We have a local olive oil plant not far from Redding that is getting a lot of attention. Not only are the oils very good but his vinegars are amazing. He buys his balsamic from Modena, then infuses it with fruits from his own orchards. The fig is wonderful.

[Jenise]

Cedar plank copper river sockeye tonight. Not sure what I'll serve with it.

[Robin Garr]

I'm in the mood for another filling ethnic vegetarian main course, and this spicy Pakistani cabbage dish looks easy and good. It'll only take a few minutes, so maybe I'll also skillet-bake a couple of quick chapati roti flatbreads, http://www.angelfire.com/country/fauzia ... iroti.html

Last night, it was roast pork shoulder, mashed potatoes, and hot and sour cole slaw. The shoulder was interesting. It was a fairly small piece and the temperature got away from me. I checked it within an hour of putting it in the oven and it was already at about 160 °F - a good 15° higher than I wanted. I was afraid the thing would be dry and leathery but it really wasn't. The flavor was excellent as well, but I expect that given the source. It's from a local guy named John Bledsoe who raised extremely tasty pigs.

Also had Thai basil ice cream to finish.

I went mushrooming on Sunday to find the elusive Morel. I came home with a pretty good haul. Today I made morel ragout and polenta for breakfast. Yum!

The Bounty.jpg

First Morels.jpg

Mushroom Ragout with Polenta.jpg

I turned some of the grilled flank steak left over from the Crying Tiger Beef into Larb Nur last night. I used Muoi Khuntilanont's recipe here http://www.chetbacon.com/thai-html/lab_ka.htm, except that I used minced fresh galangal instead of the powdered version called for in the recipe. It was excellent, except on the hot side even for me. If you're not a fire-breathing hot food addict, I advise using only 4 teaspoons of powdered chile (I used cayenne), or perhaps only 2 teaspoons.

-Paul W.

First Morels.jpg

Gasp!

Steamed green beans, then a sauté in a little evoo, with garden herbs, salt and pepper, with a drizzle of fig balsamic at the finish. Quesidillas with smoked cheddar, fresh pico de gallo, and cilantro. Then some garden Sungold cherry tomatoes, and an olive mix we love, called Picar Dias from Spain that is a mix of whole stuffed olives, pimento, pieces of pepperoncini, and tiny pickles.