What's Cooking (Take Two!)

[Jenise]

Tomorrow I think I'll stay in my jammies and live on popcorn.

Dusted with fennel pollen and served on a slab of Himalayan pink salt, no doubt.

YOu forgot the white truffles.

[Jenise]

Here's a pic of the Morroccan salads I served on Saturday night. Actually, it's the leftovers that we had for lunch yesterday, so the portions of each are larger than what I actually served but this is a faithful rendition of how I plated them.

I was pretty proud of how this came together, that I managed to produce such a diverse and yet pointedly Morroccan-ish array without having to go to the store for ingredients. By sheer luck, I'd stopped at an ethnic market on Monday last week and picked up stuff I wouldn't normally just happen to have on hand like long, narrow Philippine eggplant. I had some underripe small black tomatoes from the plant we just finally pulled out. I also had preserved and fresh lemons, celery, rainbow carrots, haricot verts and one bunch of small chiogga beets. I had only to pick up some oil-cured olives (which I normally do have around but was out of, they're immortal) on the way to the event, and I was good. I literally emptied the vegetable drawer, and yanked out of the pantry stuff that might work like brown favas, golden raisins, fresh walnuts and bulghur wheat, and sat down and made two lists, bulk items on one side and possible seasonings/augmentations typical of that part of the world on the other and then just decided what to put where.

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Here's what I made (list not in order of how they appear on the plate):

shaved raw Brussels sprouts with sesame-dill dressing
brown fava beans with celery, garlic, and ground walnuts
slivered haricot verts with preserved lemon and oil-cured black olives
diced chiogga beets with sumac and horseradish
grated carrots with vaudovan, fresh ginger and gold raisins
a short stack of charred eggplant slices, flame-grilled then soaked in lemon juice and EVOO and topped with feta cheese and crisp fried garlic slices
a minty tabbouleh with black tomatoes*

*a playful reference to the classic black and white bean dish from those environs, Moors & Christians

What was especially cool was that none of the other dinner guests had ever eaten a raw Brussels sprout ("I didn't know you could eat them raw!"), a preserved lemon, sumac or a brown fava bean that they knew of, nor had they ever seen a light red beet or a black tomato. But they loved and ate everything.

Delightful. I don't think I've ever had a brown fava, either.

[Jenise]

Delightful. I don't think I've ever had a brown fava, either.

They have a very different and distinctive flavor, they taste like nothing else. You can buy them dried in middle eastern stores or in cans from Progresso brand (which is what I used). I have no idea where they grow like that, though.

Delightful. I don't think I've ever had a brown fava, either.

They have a very different and distinctive flavor, they taste like nothing else. You can buy them dried in middle eastern stores or in cans from Progresso brand (which is what I used). I have no idea where they grow like that, though.

I've never noticed these, either. We get a lot of fresh favas around here in season, but not brown ones. I'll have to keep an eye out for the Progresso ones.

[Jenise]

They're delicious, Mike. Odd at first, and maybe you don't love the first one you taste, but by the time you eat three or four they grow on you. And they take to flavoring very well, of course.

Tonight our main course is grilled pork chops that were marinated in a wine+maple syrup vinaigrette and creamed green beans, following an avocado and escarole salad.

It's time for our annual autumn treat...Persimmon Pudding.

[Jenise]

Yum, 'Winger. Jealous!

Last night's meatless Monday meal was a classy little French bistro dinner at home. First course, a salad of butter lettuce tossed in an emulsified dressing of Maille mustard/vinegar/EVOO with but snipped chives, and lots of them, for seasoning, and topped with grated hard boiled egg. With that, a white Bandol. The main course was a simple shared platter of oven fries with Bordeaux, and after dinner: fresh raspberries. Who needs meat?

[Jenise]

About six months ago I bought a bunch of chuck blade steaks and hit them with the 'Yosemite marinade', so called because when I was a kid this is how my dad once marinated a bunch of steaks from the meager pantry at a rented cabin in Yosemite, the result of which we all loved: sherry, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and garlic salt. Guests expected that night had to cancel, so half went into the freezer. About two weeks ago I got them out to thaw for dinner the next night.

Only we didn't have dinner at home that night after all, so I put them in the fridge for the next night. Change of plans that day, too. About four days later I finally ran of opportunities, so I removed them from the marinade, blotted them dry, pan seared and then braised them. When done, I trimmed the meat and put the meat and broth in separate containers so I could remove the chilled fat from the latter. The next day, I figured: shepherd's pie.

Only we didn't end up eating at home that night either. Fast forward five additional days--last night--and we got home from a shopping run around 7:30. Wanted something fresh and fast, so I peeled and diced two small potatoes, lightly cooked them and then pan fried them with diced onions, garlic, the shredded meat and oregano, adding back just a bit of the broth when the goods started to brown. VOILA, taco filling! To finish, I stirred in two large jalapenos, finely diced, for flavor, heat and crunch.

Atop them in soft Trader Joe's corn tortillas (best on the planet you can buy ready-made) went a chiffonade of romaine with tomatoes lightly doused with vinegar and salt, and on the side we opened an 09 T-Vine zinfandel.

Heaven.

About six months ago... About two weeks ago... About four days later... Fast forward five additional days... VOILA...

...fungus! (Well, that's where I thought this would end up.

Jenise, what a recipe post that would make! Infinity Blade Steak. Simply an attestation of your culinary creative genius.

In the "yes, I should have known better" category, I decided to try out a pork loin recipe I saw on Food.com (which probably should have been warning #1). In this recipe, you take a loin roast and cook it in a dutch oven with beef broth at 325 for two hours. I was pretty sure that this would not work out all that well but thought I'd give it a shot, It was supposed to come out very tender and it did in a sense: you could break the slices up easily with fork. In the mouth, though, it managed to be dry and lacking flavor. I cooked it with plenty of carrots and potatoes and those were great. Also had excellent roasted broccoli to go with. Overall, not a terrible dinner but I'll stick with roasting pork loin in the future.

Pork loin is not a fatty cut so I wouldn't expect it to braise well. If you have any leftover, sling some barbecue sauce on it and claim it was pulled pork all along?

Pork loin is not a fatty cut so I wouldn't expect it to braise well. If you have any leftover, sling some barbecue sauce on it and claim it was pulled pork all along?

Not a bad idea, but I think it will likely be going intl some leftover tomato sauce and dumped onto pasta.

By the way, the recipe had a ton of five star reviews from people claiming that ti was the best pork roast they'd ever had. Those poor people must have never had a decent piece of roast pork on their entire lives.

By the way, the recipe had a ton of five star reviews from people claiming that ti was the best pork roast they'd ever had. Those poor people must have never had a decent piece of roast pork on their entire lives.

By coincidence, I roasted a pork loin tonight, too! I put it on a bed of Granny Smith apple slice, surrounded it with little red potatoes, splashed seasoning and beef broth on it, then roasted 30 mins/pound at 400*F. A bit bland, but I took care of that with a selection of dressings at the table... plum sauce, cranberry sauce, and beef gravy.

And, the recipes that I consulted -- none of which I used, but I like doing research -- every one had comments extolling how wonderful it is, how the cook has never had success before, ya da ya da.

Sheesh.

[Jenise]

I was in town late yesterday doing errands for tonight (I'm having 18 people for a casual dinner meeting), and picked up a package of pre-made four cheese tortellini for a Meatless Monday dinner. By the time I'd driven home, I'd decided to combine the tortellini with 1" segments of asparagus, which I'm long on, in a low-fat béchamel brightened with the grated peel of a lemon and enriched with much parmesan cheese. We had a first course of butter lettuce tossed in a mustardy dressing with shaved red cabbage and sliced almonds. Delish, all the way around.

Tonight's dinner is going to be, like I said, very casual. This is a planning meeting for our Wine Society's Xmas dinner (we have 80 reservations), the theme of which is Spanish, so tonight I'm serving peach gazpacho (testing how well this will work with frozen peaches), Spanish tortilla (the potato-onion classic), a chorizo-cauliflower bread salad, asparagus with an orange/tarragon/shallot vinaigrette and grated manchego, a huge cheese platter, olives, mushrooms marinated in Rioja and chocolate covered hazelnuts and almonds with dried Spanish Palmera figs.

[Robin Garr]

It was a cool autumn evening yesterday, so a skillet of old-fashioned cornbread sounded really good. Mary made up a simple bean soup, and I threw together my longtime favorite, an old-school recipe from the American Heritage Cookbook, a '70s-era collection of recipes that look mighty simple now, but may of them are simple and good.

American Heritage skillet corncake recipe:

Place a 12-inch greased black-iron skillet in a 450F oven and leave it to become very hot.

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups yellow corn meal, 1 tablespoon white sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Combine 2 well-beaten eggs and 2 cups buttermilk* and stir these liquids into the cornmeal mixture until smooth. Then stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter.

Carefully pour the batter into the screeching-hot skillet, then bake at 450 for 30 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Slice into wedges and serve with plenty of butter.
____________
* I realized after I got into the recipe that we never have buttermilk in the house, and I was not inclined to run out for some. A 50:50 mix of thick plain organic yogurt whisked into water got the job done, though, and I don't believe there's any flavor difference in the final product.

...and chocolate covered hazelnuts and almonds with dried Spanish Palmera figs.

Does Spain produce hazelnuts?

[Jenise]

...and chocolate covered hazelnuts and almonds with dried Spanish Palmera figs.

Does Spain produce hazelnuts?

No frigging idea. But everyone besides me loves chocolate, so....

[Robin Garr]

American Heritage skillet corncake recipe:

Here is its pretty picture ...

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...and chocolate covered hazelnuts and almonds with dried Spanish Palmera figs.

Does Spain produce hazelnuts?

No frigging idea. But everyone besides me loves chocolate, so....

Hazelnuts

Spain is one of the world's biggest traders in the market for hazelnuts, being in fourth position in both production and exports. This high level of activity contrasts with Spain's limited growing area, which is concentrated in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia. The name of the city of Reus, well-known for hazelnut production and exports, has been given to the only Designation of Origin for hazelnuts in Spain, the Avellana de Reus PDO.

Cultivation of hazelnuts in Spain dates back to the 12th century, and systematic exporting began in Catalonia at the end of the 19th century. The Negreta hazelnut is the main variety produced and exported. It is of large size and has a medium-hard shell, almost completely filled by the nut. Together with other varieties, it is covered by the Protected Designation of Origin Avellana de Reus, in the Catalonian province of Tarragona.

Some of the hazelnut crop goes, alongside almonds, to the production of turrón , a traditional Spanish Christmas sweet, but most are used in confectionery as a common ingredient of chocolate and of the popular cocoa spreads. Hazelnuts are also used in certain traditional sauces, such as the Catalonian romesco.

Hazelnuts

Spain is one of the world's biggest traders in the market for hazelnuts, being in fourth position in both production and exports. This high level of activity contrasts with Spain's limited growing area, which is concentrated in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia. The name of the city of Reus, well-known for hazelnut production and exports, has been given to the only Designation of Origin for hazelnuts in Spain, the Avellana de Reus PDO.

Cultivation of hazelnuts in Spain dates back to the 12th century, and systematic exporting began in Catalonia at the end of the 19th century. The Negreta hazelnut is the main variety produced and exported. It is of large size and has a medium-hard shell, almost completely filled by the nut. Together with other varieties, it is covered by the Protected Designation of Origin Avellana de Reus, in the Catalonian province of Tarragona.

Some of the hazelnut crop goes, alongside almonds, to the production of turrón , a traditional Spanish Christmas sweet, but most are used in confectionery as a common ingredient of chocolate and of the popular cocoa spreads. Hazelnuts are also used in certain traditional sauces, such as the Catalonian romesco.

Wow. Thank you, Frank.

How does the Negreta halzelnut compare to the Piemonte nocciola?

Hazelnuts

Spain is one of the world's biggest traders in the market for hazelnuts

Wow. Thank you, Frank.

How does the Negreta halzelnut compare to the Piemonte nocciola?

No frigging idea…

[Jenise]

Cool, Frank.

Btw, Spanish peanuts? Saw some in Spain, was ready to buy until I saw the bottom of the package "Product of the U.S.A.".