What's Cooking (Take Four)

[Jenise]

Karen, it's just fun to do things differently. Knives and forks while seated in a conventional chair are overrated. I've served Arab food with no utensils and all kinds of things just to take the rote out of dinner. And on the floor with your sweetheart, it can be pretty romantic!

Back to BLTs, which we had been talking about, I finally got around to one yesterday. Unfortunately the so-called bacon I bought in Canada was neither cured nor smoked, instead it had been brined with fake smoke flavor. As such it doesn't brown, let alone get crisp--it just dessicates. I diced the rest and put it in the freezer for a future pot of beans and am do for another go at this soon--with real bacon.

I like Coleman's naturally cured apple smoked bacon. browns beautifully, tastes great.

Karen, it's just fun to do things differently. Knives and forks while seated in a conventional chair are overrated.

Not really, if you have children, it keeps them up on their manners, plus it was our family's time to learn what is going on in each other's world. Our grown kids still sit down with their grown children and grandkids for family meals together at the table to talk and learn.

[Jenise]

Karen, it's just fun to do things differently. Knives and forks while seated in a conventional chair are overrated.

Not really, if you have children, it keeps them up on their manners, plus it was our family's time to learn what is going on in each other's world. Our grown kids still sit down with their grown children and grandkids for family meals together at the table to talk and learn.

I don't disagree, that's a wholesome approach but I wasn't talking about children. My topic was an adult meal and that's all I was addressing.

Jenise, of course, I knew that. I was simply wanting to say that the family sit down dinners are an important part of life. Too many people ignore that now. So many parents are not parenting these days. I need to stick up for the old-fashioned ways sometimes.

[Jenise]

On my own today, and no dinner plans. Just got a pack of chicken thighs out to thaw. No idea what yet but I'm cleaning my indoor grill and might have to get it dirty again. (It's a bitch to clean the iron grates, and that new Dawn spray product really works!)

It sure is hard getting on here, error message again. Today's menu is pretty simple: two large chicken breast halves, marinated in buttermilk and a little red wine vinegar. Then seasoned and will be roasted today, along with some multi colored carrots. A dish of cabbage, onion, oxheart sliced tomatoes, seasoned and topped with cheese will go into the oven. My favorite tomato bread salad will finish off the meal.

Recipe for the beef dish Jenise?

Have been meaning to make galettes bretonnes[i] – traditional buckwheat galettes (commonly referred to as savory crepes). The recipe from [i]Je sais cuisiner is 3:1 buckwheat to white flour, which seemed a bit steep. I eventually went with the version from Serious Eats, which is 3:2. It's interesting that both recipes call for no fat (except the egg yolk) in the batter, but generous butter on the pan. I don't have the correct pan, just a 12" cast iron (my 14" would theoretically be better but doesn't see enough use to be fully seasoned, and also doesn't do well on my electric burners), so it was a little tricky to get the corners folded up correctly. I wasn't able to get Jambon de Paris, so I substituted jamón iberico rather than use generic city ham. The result was extremely tasty. A local cidery that is making a "methode champenoise" cider as Norman cider was unavailable. Not bad with the galettes but too much volatile acidity, not enough sparkle, and certainly not worth US$30!

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Yesterday, I made a favorite, Gazpacho soup. I love this cold soup. Clamato juice, tomato juice, red wine vinegar, fresh lime juice, a sprinkle of Tabasco Sauce, heirloom small tomatoes, cucumbers, green onion, red and gold bell peppers, garlic, fresh dill, cilantro, and large cooked shrimp, cut up into small pieces. Put in the fridge for a day to let the flavors develop. This will be a great summer lunch for me this week. I was given tomatoes and a very large cuke from a neighbor. I simply peeled it, removed all the seeds, and cut up the remaining solid. Great way to use those overgrown cukes.

Last night I made Thai beef larb using a soy-sauce-marinated and grilled flank steak. Delicious, and much tastier than using hamburger.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Recipe for the beef dish Jenise?

There is no recipe. I was just creating out of things on hand that I knew would go well together. Layers: half a head of chopped cabbage, a layer of sliced onion, a layer of thinly sliced beef, a layer of tomatoes baked under foil for an hour and a half then seasoned with a bit of sriracha and a spoonful of capers, and baked for another half hour uncovered.

That sounds delicious, Jenise. I, too, have been experimenting with layers of veggies and some meat, mainly to use up the amount of tomatoes I am gifted. Very fun, and I must brag and say there has not been a dud among them. I just picked up cauliflower, cabbage, and zucchini for an upcoming dish for next week. Have not settled on all the details yet. I have tried to use capers in some recipes as they are often called for, but I do not like them. I looked up a substitute and learned that one can use green olives in place of. I have not tried that.

[Jenise]

The French dish 'miroton' that I was referencing with my decisions on that dish generally uses anchovies to season tomatoes, leftover beef and onions. When I tasted my dish at the 90 minute mark, it needed something and the brine of the capers brought it in a very subtle way. They're small and they disappear into a dish--olives wouldn't. Not that they wouldn't be good in their own right, of course. But they'd be a featured item, where capers and anchovies aren't (they just dissolve).

[Jenise]

Hottest day of the year here so far. 80F and A/C required. I know, doesn't sound like much compared to what many of you are putting up with, but I'm not acclimated to this! Still, Larry's spag sauce set off cravings that I haven't been able to dampen, and the twin discoveries of some almost-too-old ground beef in the freezer and bag of fresh local trumpet mushrooms that were seriously shrivelling away caused me to make a pot of Spag Bol (what they call it in Australia) while recovering from last night's Book Club dinner.

Btw, that dinner went SO well! One of the last minute changes I made was to nix the wine/mustard sauce on the fish (I was concerned that it woul be too raw for non-drinkers) and instead thin out a big spoonful of dijon mustard with maple syrup. That drizzled sparingly over the salmon and accompanied by fresh dilll? It was killer, really was. I will absolutely do that again. Between that condiment and the fact that it was slow roasted (a 3.5 lb filet, 35 min at 200F) resulted in an incredibly tender result and without all the ugly albumin leaks. If you're not into slow/low-roasting yet, you need to be.

FINALLY, a new loaf of bread, Naturers' Harvest, baked in CA, is a sourdough half loaf for smaller families. I toasted a slice this morning, slathered it with roasted garlic and onion jam, and put asparagus spears in a non-stick pan with a little roasted garlic-infused EVOO, then added an egg over the top . Put that on top of the toast. Ate with a friend's home-grown plum. Very yummy!

[Jenise]

Once a year, the Lummi Reservation holds a huge west coast pow wow at the State Park directly acrosss the bay from me, and trtibes come from all over--in colorful carved canoes!!!--to participate. Some usually land on our beach to rest up before proceeding across the bay. I'm inviting friends over to watch and will be serving something I haven't made in years, apple-wine-herb chicken, marinated two days, then oven roasted to crisp after dredging in a 50/50 flour/corn meal blend. The apple and wine seasons them beautiful and gets great browning, which crusts the coating. I'm making 200% more than my guests will eat because I so badly want the leftovers! With those will be several salads and chips with a homemade guajillo chile salsa.

Yesterday, I put a pork tenderloin in a marinade of Honey Crisp Apple Cider, Soy Sauce, Sherry Wine Vinegar, garlic and onion powders, and white pepper. It has been surrounded by fresh rosemary sprigs from my garden. Today I added carrots on each side. Yes, I've discovered that carrots love being roasted along a side of meat, and they soak up the juices and seasonings well. I am getting lazy in my cooking, and my plans changed from two other dishes to a sheet pan of roasted veggies. The pan has Brussels Sprouts, Zucchini, Red potato, Yukon Gold potato, several types of heirloom tomatoes, and whole multi colored mini sweet peppers. I added salt, pepper, and Sunny Paris seasoning. I will add chives at serving.
Sorry, my cooking is not as adventurous as it used to be, but at two months shy of 86 years old, I do what I feel like doing these days. Cooking is still fun for me, and it is fun to post.

[Jenise]

86, Karen! (And I don't mean Trump's version of '86', but your coming birthday.) You do remarkably well, I have to say. We all admire your determination to feed yourself elegant food with Mediterranean embellishments.

I'm not nearly as creative as I used to be either. The ideas are in my head, but without someone to cook for--what's the use. You're in the same place, of course, and you arrived there before I did. I didn't even make dinner last night. I was having a lazy day doing a deep watering of the landscaping (moving the hoses every hour, and in between doing jack-shit). In the afternoon I snacked on some jerky (terrible stuff, way too sweet, but I ate it anyway) and wasn't hungry later. This is my world now.

However today I'm going to a croquet party. It's an annual event for which the hosts make brats and burgers--nothing special, from Costco frozen patties (ick)--and everyone brings a side, appie or dessert. I'm going to make the little two-bite spicy Thai shrimp stuffed wonton cups that I made on Monday for my Book Club--that was the best thing I've eaten all week, and they'll add some elegance to the day. Plus, they look very complicated but are dead easy to make as long as you have a mini muffin tin.

[Jenise]

Got some veal out of the freezer, and I have a carton of gorgeous mixed mushrooms from a local vendor, all of which will become something to eat over rice because that's what I'm craving.

My friend gave me a half dozen avocados, so in a cast iron skillet I seared and oven baked a couple of chicken breasts. When they were done, I piled on slices of avocado, bacon, and grated cheese and put the breasts under the broiler for a couple of minutes until the cheese melted. Served with rice. Easy and yummy.

I was busy in the kitchen today.

First, I made some more cold brew coffee. My usual method is simply to mix the grounds and water together then strain them out; this gives a concentrate to dilute 1:1 with water when serving. But this time I used a "coffee sock", a cloth bag that you put the grinds inside, tie it up, then immerse it in a jar of water. On the plus side, the sock definitely simplifies cleanup. On the minus side, it fits no jar that I own. I eventually made the coffee in a 3-qt All-Clad pot. The brew does not look so dark as mine but we'll see how it goes.

Next, I made a Dutch oven full of coq au vin. I followed an Australian version which subbed a roux for the beurre manie, reduced the wine by half before using, and swapped out chicken broth for beef broth. As you might guess, you get a really robust gravy with this one. I added carrot chunks, pearl onions, and sauteed mushrooms as garniture. It's resting for a day or two now. Looks and smells good.

Finally, I half-made a leek-and-mushroom cream sauce for pasta: 3 leeks, a pound of shiitakes, sauteed up with the usual suspects (butter, garlic, lemon, thyme, Dijon, cream). I wanted to get the mushrooms cooked because they were weeping too much but I really won't finish this up for a few days. Need to buy some papperdelle for one thing! The sauce should finish with some shredded cheese and a bit of the pasta water.

I have been washing my hands, bowls, knives, utensils, and countertops over and over, all evening. The virtues of take-out are clearer to me just now.

[Jenise]

Funny observation, Jeff. I've been slooooowwww in the kitchen this week. Made oven-fried chicken on Wednesday for friends, and though the DW has been emptied, refilled and run, I still haven't cleaned up all pans (2) and racks (2) used to make it. I have promised myself that today I'll finally achieve a full reset.

That sounds like a great Coq au Vin! That's what I should have made yesterday instead of the stew I did make and which didn't appeal even when there was a bowl right in front of me.

I've thought about using a roux instead of beurre manie in coq au vin but never tried it. I assume you used a blond roux?

-Paul W.