What's Cooking (Take Four)

[Jenise]

Karen, I love braised beef as well. Just couldn't seem to get there with this one.

Yes I'm looking forward to getting over this illness. I've had rhinitis since about January 1 and with it a constant headache which morphed into a migraine when the flu hit last week. One would normally take an a/b to get rid of the rhinitis but for reasons I won't go into if there was any way in the world to get over this without it, I had to try. I haven't taken so much as an aspirin since June of 2023. So I have been trying to soldier thru this without remedies, and it was waning, and then the flu hit. And just as the flu was clearing up I caught a cold--two different ends of the same week. Which was which, or was it the other coming back? Could not be sure. Anyway, misery. But at least the migraine's gone.

I'm so glad that somebody has heard of them! They're not terribly interesting on their own but become more interesting en masse, kinda like orzo or ditalini or stuff like that. In France, crozets typically come either in white pasta or buckwheat pasta, but I was at a fancy shop so got mushroom pasta. That, plus two dark mushrooms makes for a dark dish:

2024-03-03 19.31.12 sm.jpg

Nice contrast against the darkened orange rind of the reblochon.

Breakfast this morning was raspberries, some of the best I've seen or had(from Mexico)banana slices, and Satsuma Mandarin with a dollop of honey vanilla yogurt and Mandarin, fig, and walnut balsamic. A light sprinkle of cinnamon over the top is very yummy.

[Jenise]

Jeff, I didn't realize they came in flavors like mushroom. If I understood what I looked into recently, buckwheat is the norm, or traditional. I'm trying to remember what dish Jonathan made of them, but I think it involved chopped ham. Doesn't matter, of course. He'll be visiting this area next later this year and has promised to bring me some. I really like buckwheat.

You've convinced me that when I stop dieting my reward should be a tartiflette. I absolutely loved the one I made a year or two ago.
Will be awhile though.

And speaking of What's Cooking, yesterday I roasted a four pound prime rib to a perfect medium, which I sliced (yes, I have a meat slicer) after cooling in order to make 16 prime rib sourdough French Dip sandwiches for lunch at Bill's today. Topic: Bordeaux! Those will be accompanied by a light pickle (easy on the vinegar, IOW) of cauliflower, cucumber and radish.

Jeff, I didn't realize they came in flavors like mushroom. If I understood what I looked into recently, buckwheat is the norm, or traditional. I'm trying to remember what dish Jonathan made of them, but I think it involved chopped ham. Doesn't matter, of course. He'll be visiting this area next later this year and has promised to bring me some. I really like buckwheat.

Yes, I also like buckwheat pasta ("sarrasin", in French). I think the most traditional thing you can make with crozets amounts to macaroni and cheese with ham. Like this: https://www.lesfromagesdufermier.fr/rec ... avoie.html

I had some at the food fair outside the Marche Aux Vins. The stand heaped a couple big spoonfuls of it into a little cardboard tray and placed a diot on top. (A diot is kinda like a bratwurst or a hot dog.)

The video that you linked to, a couple posts ago, is about a specific maker of crozets, Maison Rullier. That was the product I obtained in France(!) and I see that they have a bunch of flavors: https://lepererullier.fr/crozets/

Oh, also... what's Jonathan's last name?

[Jenise]

Jonathan's last name is Williams. Looking at the pics in your link, interesting re the flavors. And again, these are opaque where Jonathan's were transluscent. What are they like in texture? Chewy?

[Jenise]

Today I'm making a broccoli mac n' cheese to take to a fried chicken pot luck.

Jonathan's last name is Williams. Looking at the pics in your link, interesting re the flavors. And again, these are opaque where Jonathan's were transluscent. What are they like in texture? Chewy?

Cooked correctly, yes, they have some chew.

Translucent? Not that I've ever seen. Here's a photo of the stuff served at the food fair outside the wine event:

marche06 sm.jpg

It is another rainy day today, but a fun morning in the kitchen for me. I have a nice tri-tip loin that has spent a few hours in brine from Sweet Banana peppers, then a good dose of Ponzu sauce, Montreal Steak Seasoning all over, and of course, I love cooking my meats on a bed of onions. This will cook in the braiser at 250 degrees for 3 1/2 hours, then uncovered for the last 30 minutes to brown. A side dish of potato salad made from fingerling potatoes, and dressing will consist of nonfat sour cream, Jalapeno Whiskey Mustard, oregano, salt, pepper, red onion, and champagne vinegar. I'm also making fresh corn, cherry tomato, avocado, salad with fresh herbs, and a lemony vinaigrette.

[Jenise]

Jeff, that photo's helpful. But yes Jonathan's (uncooked) were transluscent (before cooking) and grayish, owing to the buckwheat.

Tonight I'm doing lamb shanks. Treatment will be osso buco-ish, but haven't decided on the final details.

Last night I made chicken and tasso jambalaya.

-Paul W.

Today we did a deep-clean on the house so we went to the local French cafe for dinner: endive and apple salad to start, and a seared duck breast served on farro. And cold Beaujolais!

I've been craving raw veggies and cold soup...crazy, because it is a rainy day in the valley, AGAIN. So I threw together an amazing Gazpacho soup using low-sodium V8 juice, Persian cukes, Roma tomatoes, orange bell pepper, red onion, garlic, jalapeño, fresh parsley (was out of cilantro), fresh lime juice, sherry wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Hosa fermented hot sauce, salt, pepper, and because the marjoram in the herb garden looks so great right now, I tossed in a few chopped leaves for a hint of the flowery taste. It is tasty, healthy, has no fat, and is very low in calories. This will be lunch for a few days and today I will serve with a slice of a great Gruyere which seems to be my favorite cheese right now.

Couple of fun NY Times recipe. We always enjoy Ottolenghi, and flipping the Maqluba is a fun exercise in marital coordination.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/101 ... hini-sauce

I don't think I've ever thought about mixing leeks and miso, but how could you go wrong? Delicious (was just 2 of us, so used 1 can cannellini, think ratio was maybe better than recipe)
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/102 ... hite-beans
Will have leftovers for lunch today, no egg, I think the leeks/miso on some baby greens would be a nice base for some good sardines.

[Jenise]

I don't think I've ever thought about mixing leeks and miso, but how could you go wrong? Delicious (was just 2 of us, so used 1 can cannellini, think ratio was maybe better than recipe)
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/102 ... hite-beans
Will have leftovers for lunch today, no egg, I think the leeks/miso on some baby greens would be a nice base for some good sardines.

Love leeks and beans (an Italian soup with leeks, garbanzos and parmesan is a favorite light summer soup), but never did I consider adding miso. It sounds terrific and I can't wait to experiment with it. Thanks for the post!

[David M. Bueker]

I don't think I've ever thought about mixing leeks and miso, but how could you go wrong? Delicious (was just 2 of us, so used 1 can cannellini, think ratio was maybe better than recipe)
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/102 ... hite-beans
Will have leftovers for lunch today, no egg, I think the leeks/miso on some baby greens would be a nice base for some good sardines.

Interesting. I might just do a fried egg (sunny side up) for an even easier prep.

[Jenise]

I have not gotten into Ottolenghi, but I love the idea of that maqluba. Interesting to consider how many variations of main dish rice dishes there are around the world that feature a bottom crust. I've printed the recipe--definitely going to try that.

Night before last we had cold seafood plates. I paired a store-bought Ahi poke with a spicy shrimp and rice vermicelli salad that I made and nestled everything on mizuna. It was terrific. And last night I served a starter of marinated cherry tomatoes scooped over sliced avocado and mizuna, following by flame-grilled lamb shoulder chops and brussels sprouts with cumin seed. The lamb had been marinated in a mixture of hot Chinese mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and oregano. That's probably my favorite lamb chop preparation on the planet. No wine either night (I'm really being good!)

I'll be making Thai stir-fried chicken with bird's eye chiles and holy basil (pad prik gai bai krapow), using a slightly different recipe than usual. This one has more chiles and also a dash of sweet black soy sauce.

-Paul W.

I enjoy cooking from the two Ottolenghi books that I have. One is entirely for veggies. He does some very interesting things with food and everything I have tried is good. There is one recipe of his I have made many times, a chicken dish using all the pieces, with artichokes, olives, tomatoes, and a wonderful resulting sauce. I rarely follow a recipe as is because I use it for inspiration and what I have on hand. I do not run to the store for one thing,

Lunch today was a couple of small spinach wraps with turkey breast, jack cheese, and spinach, sprinkled with rice vinegar. Broccoli florets boiled for 5 minutes in salt water, and served with Jalepeño Whiskey mustard...a match made in heaven!

Today, cooking is baby back pork ribs, Ayocote Morado beans from Rancho Gordo, and a refreshing coleslaw with red and green cabbage, carrots, and green onions with a lime vinaigrette. I plan on tossing in a few lightly salted Pistachio nuts at serving.

[Jenise]

Picked up Indian take-out last night. Tonight, we're dining at Chez Spohn!

Surprise! I cooked corned beef and cabbage accompanied by homemade bread (unfortunately, not Irish soda bread) and Guinness.