Slow Wednesday troll: what's for dinner?

[Jenise]

Homemade BLT pizza here with a fresh gardineria of carrots, cauliflower and pickled peppers.

I'm on my own tonight, so it'll be leftover Red Wine Cabbage (see yesterday's recipe) and a not-terribly-great turkey sausage, with homemade lychees in syrup (the fresh lychees were getting a little old, but they flavour the syrup wonderfully).

I was in charge of "Chow" for last night's monthly Marine Corps League meeting. I made vegetarian vegetable soup and put out a spread of cold cuts, cheese, bread, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. So I think I'll be eating these leftovers for a few days.

Fettuccine pasta with red/green bell peppers, mushrooms, white wine, little cream, Roma tomatoes, parsley, red onion, Cajun spice on the chicken breast chunks with a romaine salad. I took out some sort of whole grain baguette to butter, sprinkle with herbs and Parmesan and stick under the broiler for a few minutes.

Homemade BLT pizza here with a fresh gardineria of carrots, cauliflower and pickled peppers.

Jenise, do you make your own or use the Mezzetta brand? I really like their product and have it here all the time.

A large BBQ chicken from Coventry pizza 5 minutes drive away. Too tired to cook.

Fish curry, rice, salad with sorrel vinaigrette.

[Jenise]

Homemade BLT pizza here with a fresh gardineria of carrots, cauliflower and pickled peppers.

Jenise, do you make your own or use the Mezzetta brand? I really like their product and have it here all the time.

Made my own, which is what I meant by 'fresh'--I want all the nutrition of the raw vegetables (only the peppers, chilenos from Bruno's, were commercial), though make no mistake I can eat my way through a jar of Mezetta any time.

[Jenise]

Fish curry, rice, salad with sorrel vinaigrette.

Mmm! Tell us more about your sorrel vinaigrette. It's a green I rarely use--heck, rarely see--but I like it, it reminds me of a wild weed that used to grown in my childhood area that we called lemon grass and I used to love to suck on the flower shoots. Perhaps the only repeat use I've found for it is as a vichysoisse.

Fish curry, rice, salad with sorrel vinaigrette.

Mmm! Tell us more about your sorrel vinaigrette. It's a green I rarely use--heck, rarely see--but I like it, it reminds me of a wild weed that used to grown in my childhood area that we called lemon grass and I used to love to suck on the flower shoots. Perhaps the only repeat use I've found for it is as a vichysoisse.

Actually, the sorrel that I refer to is a Caribbean drink made with hibiscus flowers and spices, it is not the herb. I should have been more clear.

[Jenise]

Ah! Totally unfamiliar with that. But I love the Mexican punch made out of hibiscus flowers (a j-word, similar to jicama or jamaica but neither, that I can't think of at the moment) and recently brought home a sackful from that wonderful store you have in Seattle, PFI.

Ah! Totally unfamiliar with that. But I love the Mexican punch made out of hibiscus flowers (a j-word, similar to jicama or jamaica but neither, that I can't think of at the moment) and recently brought home a sackful from that wonderful store you have in Seattle, PFI.

Correct! That same flower in Mexico is called jamaica. In the Caribbean they pronounce it So-Relle. I make it thus:

all ingredients are approximate
1/2 gal water
1/4 C jamaica flowers (dried)
about 1.5" ginger, sliced
5-7 whole cloves
2-3 strips of orange rind
2-3 strips of lemon rind
4-5 allspice berries
Steep over night. Strain into pitcher. Add sugar (optional)

To make a salad dressing
1/4 C sorrel
juice of 1/2 lemon (or lime)
~ 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
~ 1/4 tsp cloves
~ 1/4 tsp allspice
1-2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C olive oil

[Jenise]

Ah! Totally unfamiliar with that. But I love the Mexican punch made out of hibiscus flowers (a j-word, similar to jicama or jamaica but neither, that I can't think of at the moment) and recently brought home a sackful from that wonderful store you have in Seattle, PFI.

Correct! That same flower in Mexico is called jamaica. In the Caribbean they pronounce it So-Relle. I make it thus:

all ingredients are approximate
1/2 gal water
1/4 C jamaica flowers (dried)
about 1.5" ginger, sliced
5-7 whole cloves
2-3 strips of orange rind
2-3 strips of lemon rind
4-5 allspice berries
Steep over night. Strain into pitcher. Add sugar (optional)

To make a salad dressing
1/4 C sorrel
juice of 1/2 lemon (or lime)
~ 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
~ 1/4 tsp cloves
~ 1/4 tsp allspice
1-2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C olive oil

Oooh, thanks! I'll have to whip up a batch for this weekend. For the mexican version, I've never added the spices, but I like the sound of yours--a lot!

Jenise, that fresh gardineria sounds amazing. Would you mind posting a recipe?

Last night we had roasted chicken and roasted vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, Brussells sprouts, carrots, and onions).

Tonight we are having Farfalle with smoked salmon and aspargus in a cream sauce.

Last night was a pbj sandwich.
Tonight is a casserole:
leftover brown rice & english peas, some just-cooked basmati (wasn't enough leftover brown), sauteed shallots, garlic and minced celery leaves, diced red, yellow and orange bell pepper out of the freezer, a pound + of extra lean ground beef, browned, a little reconstituted dried porcini 'shrooms and a poblano chile, minced. All mixed with a can each of cream of celery and cream of chicken soups, placed in the casserole, and topped with a local goat cheese pepperjack. It's about ready to come out of the oven, and smells good!

Something with vermicelli. Not sure what yet, but I've got a craving..

"doctored" acorn squash soup

Oooh, thanks! I'll have to whip up a batch for this weekend. For the mexican version, I've never added the spices, but I like the sound of yours--a lot!

As you might imagine, I've played around with this recipe a great deal (though what I have written is an authentic Sorrel version). I like to add sugar and seltzer, sometimes with a shot of vodka or rum. It's great with tonic water and a squeeze of lime -- extremely refreshing. In the Caribbean, they add a few grains of rice to the steeping liquids which will naturally ferment a bit for a bit more of a heady drink. I've seen this in recipes but I haven't tried it myself. If you venture off, let me know how it turns out.