What's Cooking (Take Four)

I think ground-zero for chanterelles is Poland so the closer you are to there....

Indeed. I don't spend much time in Poland, but Berlin is pretty darn close and the chanterelles are plentiful and cheap. I eat as many as possible during the summer!

[Jenise]

Yesterday I made meat loaf. The purpose was to come up with a scalable recipe from which, on Friday, I and two helpers can make 100 hot and crusty meat loaf dips based on a meat ratio of 2:1 beef to turkey. Besides S&P, the seasoning will be shallots, garlic and parmesan cheese. The sourdough buns will receive dijon mustard and a wine-y jus dunk before broiling to add beefy flavors to the sandwich. No ketchup!!!

Jenise, sounds very tasty, but so that I understand, you will be cutting the meatloaf to be put into sourdough buns and making sandwiches to dip?

[Jenise]

Not quite, Karen. The loafs will be handformed long tube shapes, 3 per sheet pan, so about 3 inches in diameter which we'll cut into inch thick slices to insert into a sourdough bun. The buns, from a local market, are sturdy authentic sourdough texture--think miniature boules--and will be cut in half, the bottom spread with Dijon and the top half dunked in a wine-y, beefy jus. The meatloaf slices will be inserted. These will be done earlier in the day and oven-ready trays will be transported to the Clubhouse ovens and baked at 450 to heat and crisp up. No extra dipping required.

Today, I have a large crockpot with almost-cooked large white lima beans. I have now added oregano, Turkish Thyme, garlic, and onion powders, Real Salt and white pepper, carrots, onion, fresh garlic cloves, zucchini, Delicata squash, 1/2 can of Bianco Dinapoli Whole Peeled Tomatoes with basil. (awesome product) which I cut up and added some of the juice, low-sodium chicken stock, and a tub of baby spinach will be added near the end. This will take care of a few lunches for the next week and probably will put some in the freezer. It tastes great already, and the house smells great. Puppy is interested... I'm thinking of adding a bit of wild rice.

Our friend Ron, who is staying with us, is making pasta with a mushroom cream sauce for supper tonight, so I'm off the hook. I am, however baking some rolls. I had a couple of sandwiches while in Berlin last November that were made with rolls that were crisp on the outside and very light and fluffy on the inside. I'm hoping to replicate them for my own sandwich purposes.

Oh, I'm jealous! I love chanterelles and very few places near me carry them, and then only occasionally.

One of my favorite cooking shows is New Scandinavian Cooking. They seem to have chantrelles quite often. Locally foraged, too.

Ramps (they call it ramson) are used quite often as well.

I'm jealous!

[Jenise]

Dan, where's that show? I've not heard of it.

As for what's cooking, got a pot of blue corn pozole on the stove right now. Trying to empty out the freezer, and this puts a 3-bone pork loin roast to use in a great way. The dried blue corn hominy was a recent purchase at a new little Mexican market near me. I'm excited!

One of my favorite cooking shows is New Scandinavian Cooking

Bork! Bork! Bork!