What's Cooking (Take Four)

Coq au vin yesterday, with vintage Port and stilton afterward.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

It was rainy here. I made myself chicken and noodles and had a bowl of cherries afterward.

On the menu today is this: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/vietname ... ank-steak/
The marinade is awesome. I used a 2 lb flank steak and lemon zest in place of lemongrass because I never see it in stores here and have had no success growing it.
I am also making a Greek-style chickpea salad with EVOO, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, Dijon salt, pepper, cucumbers, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese, and parsley. I also need to use up large brown mushrooms and cabbage, which I will sauté in ghee, fresh garlic oil, and whatever else looks good. French tarragon ended up being my herb of choice, plus a bit of apple cider vinegar. Turned out great. Oh, garlic salt and onion powder too.

I've been following the lady at Cafe Sucre for years, and she has the best combination of salad dressings, marinades, and I love them all.. I think she is very talented with her taste combinations.

[Jenise]

Didn't cook at home last night. Tonight I'm going to a wine tasting party featuring sparkling wines. For that I am going to make little cups made out of wonton skins to fill with an Asian scallop tartare you might call it--scallops, green onions, sugar snap peas, cilantro, sesame oil, chili crisp.

That Vietnamese grilled flat-iron (or flank) steak looks yummy. I'll definitely be making it soon.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Just got home from a night away, and brought with me a large piece of halibut and some shrimp. Going to invite some people over to enjoy the 80 degree weather and dine with me. Those will be on the menu, don't know what else.

Just got home from a night away, and brought with me a large piece of halibut and some shrimp. Going to invite some people over to enjoy the 80 degree weather and dine with me. Those will be on the menu, don't know what else.

Do you have invited guests on the menu often?

[Jenise]

So what I made last night? I was flooded with all kinds of thoughts as I made decisions. I'd bought the halibut but figured I'd just ransack the fridge and make food out of things on hand. But I couldn't make all my ideas fit a single narrative, as I am wont to do. And then I thought about Dale Williams' descriptions of the eclectic food they order at Noreetuh and gave myself permission to ditch that whole narrative thing.

So I made roast halibut rubbed with dill, olive oil and salt; cold shrimp with garlic and cilantro; egg fried rice with green onions and coconut; salad of tomato and sliced onions; and cold asparagus spears with lemon juice and tarragon. Only took an hour to prep all that starting with cooking the rice and letting it cool while I got to everything else. Quick, easy, delish.

Tonight: leftovers.

[Jenise]

Just got home from a night away, and brought with me a large piece of halibut and some shrimp. Going to invite some people over to enjoy the 80 degree weather and dine with me. Those will be on the menu, don't know what else.

Do you have invited guests on the menu often?

[Jenise grabs gun; shoots herself.]

Remedial typing begins in the lower concourse in 20 minutes. Your seat is ready.

[Jenise]

Made a great Gazpacho, a Spanish cold soup that I love. Healthy, low-fat, and yummy. There are many ways to make it, I leave mine chunky, and make it with Clamato juice, a cup of Very Veggie Tomato juice, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, green onion, red onion, garlic, red bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, lemon pepper, red wine vinegar, coarse salt, dried oregano, and large shrimp which I cook and cut into chunks. It sits overnight in the fridge. I had it for lunch this week; it was very refreshing.

So I had seen this article on LaBelle Patrimoine chickens
https://www.seriouseats.com/best-grocer ... n-11756547

Not really a Whole Foods shopper, but discovered that LaBelle Patrimoine is carried at my local Mom's Organic market.
Got one yesterday ($3.99/lb, tiny bit more than regular Bell & Evans, considerably cheaper than D'Artagnan Green Circle or local farmer). .
Spatcocked, dry rub (paprika, fennel seed, cumin, dry mustard) , indirect grilling then finished direct). - definitely good chicken. Very "Chickeny" Unsure if national distribution or just NE.

Made a great Gazpacho, a Spanish cold soup that I love. Healthy, low-fat, and yummy. There are many ways to make it, I leave mine chunky, and make it with Clamato juice, a cup of Very Veggie Tomato juice, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, green onion, red onion, garlic, red bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, lemon pepper, red wine vinegar, coarse salt, dried oregano, and large shrimp which I cook and cut into chunks. It sits overnight in the fridge. I had it for lunch this week; it was very refreshing.

Ah, I love gazpacho and I never get it anymore... Pumpkin eats neither onions nor raw tomatoes nor jalapenos.

[Jenise]

Dale, that poultry producer is located in Pennsylvania. They're not distributed nationwide by WF.

But I know what you mean by chicken-y. More or less the word that occurred to me the first time I got a Heritage bird at Trader Joe's. They were 200% the flavor of anything I could remember having before, with yellow skin like chickens had in my childhood. Those were only available for a few months, then stopped. Sadly, haven't had anything like it since.

I have been working down the freezer. Just got a breast of wild pheasant out to thaw. No idea what I'm going to do with it yet.

Made a great Gazpacho, a Spanish cold soup that I love. Healthy, low-fat, and yummy. There are many ways to make it, I leave mine chunky, and make it with Clamato juice, a cup of Very Veggie Tomato juice, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, green onion, red onion, garlic, red bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, lemon pepper, red wine vinegar, coarse salt, dried oregano, and large shrimp which I cook and cut into chunks. It sits overnight in the fridge. I had it for lunch this week; it was very refreshing.

Ah, I love gazpacho and I never get it anymore... Pumpkin does not eat onions, raw tomatoes, or jalapenos.

You can use a good brand of whole peeled canned tomatoes, cut into chunks. Leave out the onions and jalapeños, and add bell peppers, celery, avocados, cucumbers, zucchini, or whatever else you like, such as artichoke hearts or hearts of palm.

They were 200% the flavor of anything I could remember having before, with yellow skin like chickens had in my childhood.

Frank Perdue* used to tout the yellow skin of his chickens. This was achievved by feeding them marigolds.

It's hard these days to imagine that chicken used to be a luxury meat for special occasions. The upside of modern supermarket chicken parts is the convenience and low price. The downside is that mass-produced chicken has come at the expense of flavor quality.

Whatever happened to capons? They were the roasting birds I grew up with and used to be for sale in all supermarkets. I haven't seen one for decades.

Even harder to find are stewing hens (the original "chicken in every pot"). I like to make my own chicken stock but it's hard to find suitable birds outside of Asian markets.

I have a bag of assorted hot chiles (there's a habanero or two lurking in there) that will become Sichuan stir-fried ground pork with hot chiles.

-Paul W.

* My favorite Perdue commercial was a full-page magazine ad showing Frank Perdue holding a cooked chicken leg. The caption: "Who cares where the beef is?"

We ate capons when I was young in Pennsylvania, back when birds were branching off from dinosaurs. I remember one Thanksgiving when we had a capon instead of turkey. They were delish.

[Jenise]

I made one last year for Christmas dinner. I didn't come up with that plan in time to order one locally, as I learned would otherwise have been possible, but I did find one at a Japanese market in Seattle.

Dartagnan sells capon. I have made them twice. Nowadays, they really are just big chickens, about the same in flavor and texture. (Note that they are prone to deep pectoral myopathy so be ye prepared. Not actually harmful but looks bad.) Take it or leave it.

You can use a good brand of whole peeled canned tomatoes, cut into chunks. Leave out the onions and jalapeños, and add bell peppers, celery, avocados, cucumbers, zucchini, or whatever else you like, such as artichoke hearts or hearts of palm.

Well, maybe you are inspiring me to give it a go. Bell pepper, celery, and cuke seem natural. (And, starting with a can, I can make enough for one!)

Nowadays, I have very little new or exciting to offer in the way of dinner. No munchkins around to tell me what they want, and no husband to provide suggestions, so I usually go with what I'm craving. I saw a lovely Sirloin Tip Roast a few days ago and grabbed it instead of the chuck roast I had in my basket. Less fat to deal with and just as good. I will season it well, brown and then to the slow cooker I will add beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, tomato paste, Quebec Beef Seasoning, thyme, onion, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves. My side is a cauliflower mash, which includes one Yukon Gold potato, roasted garlic, fresh thyme, butter, and if needed, a bit of chicken stock. I have Brussels sprouts, yellow crockneck squash, and red onion, and will roast these with dried herbs.
I woke up to a lovely 59° this morning, all windows are open, so it will be a nice morning in the kitchen. It was a super quiet night, it seems our neighborhood behaved itself and did not shoot off any fireworks since they are illegal in our county except for the professional events put on by the communities around us. Hope you all enjoyed a safe and sane Independence Day.

Last night I made Sichuan stir-fried minced pork with hot chiles.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Last night I made Sichuan stir-fried minced pork with hot chiles.

-Paul W.

After a grueling 5 hour and 8 minute phone call with Xfinity and three different agents, I rewarded my perseverence with rigatoni in a roasted garlic sauce left over from earlier in the week about 4:00, then later a big bowl of cherries. The fresh Washington lapins are finally in and they're the best cherries I've had yet this season. Dark, sweet, tangy, crunchy and free of blemishes--could not be better.