What's Cooking (Take Three!)

Mostly autumn here: swordfish, squash, and corn. (Respectively: smeared with pesto and seared in a cast-iron pan, delicata rings oven-roasted with mixed seeds, on the cob (still!).)

Tonight I'm making gong bao chicken with cashews.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Gong bao and kung pao being the same?

Yes. Like Peking and Beijing. Gong bao seems to be the preferred latinization these days.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

That sounds so good, Paul. I've got some halibut thawing for fish tacos. Not what i'm in the mood for but that hunk of fish fell out of the freezer when I opened the door, and I took that as a sign. Oh, and it was fresh caught in Alaska by friends. That's always special.

Last night I made oven baked bbq ribs, Aussie style. Well sort of, for the rub I used Bush Dust a local spice mix of Tasmanian native pepper berries, macadamia nuts, bush tomatoes and other things, designed for dipping with bread and olive oil.
Roasted in foil for 2 fours then finished with a bbq glaze. Served with a simple salad and fritters with polenta, corn kernels, peppers and spring onions.

Celebrated my 82nd b-day last night, it is actually today but eldest son came up for 2 days and helped me clean out the entire 900 sq ft. work shop my hubby spent hours in. It is so clean and organized now. Junk man coming today and for that it is like a present to me. We were both so tired last night, that the fancy dinner out was not an option. So he picked up Mongolian Beef and Dry braised chicken with steamed rice for our dinners and we loved the peace and quiet. We have an Asian restaurant out at our local airport that is a favorite of the locals. It is always busy and their food is very good. The dry braised chicken is my favorite and always a treat. Son did not want to take it home so I get to eat for the next two nights!

Last night I made oven baked bbq ribs, Aussie style. Well sort of, for the rub I used Bush Dust a local spice mix of Tasmanian native pepper berries, macadamia nuts, bush tomatoes and other things, designed for dipping with bread and olive oil.

"Roasted in foil for 2 fours then finished with a bbq glaze. Served with a simple salad and fritters with polenta, corn kernels, peppers and spring onions.

"
Barb, that sounds delicious. Never heard of Bush Dust, it sounds delicious. Is it sold in the US?

[Jenise]

So the halibut didn't happen; I ended up picking up a pizza at a new 'joint' that just opened. Used my new pizza mezzaluna for the first time--LOVE IT!!!!!!

I stopped there because I was at that shopping center for groceries. First time in 20 years I've used coupons but I just happened to, for once, browse through the coupon book they send every two weeks. Or at least have lately--I don't recall a booklet like this before about 2 or 3 months ago. Anyway, lots of things on coupon that I buy anyway: bell peppers $1.25 ea instead of $2.50. Mangos and avocados, $1 each. Tri-tip, $3.48/lb. 5 lb bag of large russets, $2. Etc etc. Saved a ton.

Barb, that dust sounds very interesting!

And Karen, happy birthday. Congrats on the clean-out.

Karen, Happy Birthday.
I have no idea if Bush Dust is available in America you could ask if they ship
https://tasmaniangourmetonline.com.au/p ... /bush-dust

Congratulations, Karen! And it's nice to have a clean room back.

Thank you and yes, I actually liked going out there yesterday , as I pass through to the waste wheelers in the garden area. At 900 sq. ft. it looks so open and organized now. Even smells better. My pooch is amazed at it as well, she looked at me so funny when she finally got to go in there after the work was finished. Poor hubby had forgotten how to use the blowers and vacuums he had to keep it clean. But I never said a word, knowing that the day would come when the job would be mine. He enjoyed his time out there so much.

Last night I made Taylor Holliday's chao larou, Sichuan stir-fried bacon in bean sauces. This dish is nicknamed "once-cooked pork" because the seasonings and sauce are the same as for the famous "twice-cooked pork" but since it uses cured bacon instead of fresh pork belly the initial parboiling stage is skipped. I follow Taylor Holliday's lead and use thick-cut US bacon (streaky bacon elsewhere in the English-speaking world). Both Sichuan bacon and US bacon are heavily smoked, albeit they use different woods in Sichuan than in America. Provided that you avoid maple sugar cures, this dish comes out close to the original using US bacon, and it's less involved than twice-cooked pork using fresh pork belly.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

I have a whole fresh pork hock, skin on. I'm going to roast the devil out of it today and hope for that incredible skin. Haven't decided whether to go Alsatian or Chinese on the seasoning. Or maybe I should just go American farmhouse with mashed potatoes, like my Grammy would have made.

They've been bringing lunch in at work. I think it relieves some of their guilt of us working 10 to 12 hour days. Anyway, bad sandwiches, bad pizza (and not enough of it (3 for a dozen people), and mediocre Americanized Chinese.

I stopped and picked up a piece of cod, and ceasar salad, and pasta salad fixings. I'll enjoy it with a nice white burgundy (2015 Henri Boillot Burgogne Blanc).

Henri Boillot is a great producer if you can find his wines. I've been buying it for a few years.

I have a whole fresh pork hock, skin on. I'm going to roast the devil out of it today and hope for that incredible skin. Haven't decided whether to go Alsatian or Chinese on the seasoning. Or maybe I should just go American farmhouse with mashed potatoes, like my Grammy would have made.

I just had one of those ham hocks and I browned it in a cast iron pan really well. Put it in the slow cooker with Royal Corona Beans. OMG, that skin was so good, and it the meat shredded beautifully. Great pot of beans.

Tonight, it is a sheet pan dinner. I am using up chicken pieces from the freezer, legs, wings, a thigh. They have been marinating in pineapple juice, soy sauce, sunflower oil, garlic and onion powder, and paprika. I have Yukon Gold potato chunks, red onion, tomato chunks, garlic, and Brussel Sprout halves in a bowl, and will add olive oil, spices and or herbs, and Lisbon lemon juice. This will go on the sheet pan as will a few marinated artichoke hearts. Sort of a clean up the fridge and freezer dinner. Easy to do, and no pans to wash!

[Jenise]

Chicken sheet pan dinners are so easy, efficient and colorful, Karen. I should do them more often myself.

[Jenise]

So on that pork hock, I went granny style. Tomato salad starter, then pork on mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans on the side.

Did it taste like Grammy's roast pork? Yes, but it's been so long since I've had a gravy made from pure pork fat that I have apparently lost my ability to enjoy that flavor without a boatload of guilt. Won't be doing that again.

[Jenise]

Yesterday was Meatless Monday, so dinner was three courses in front of the TV while watching that fairly meaningless Broncos/Chargers game. We started with a soft ash-coated cheese from B.C., smeared onto shards of unsalted Matzoh and drizzled with pesto sauce, then share a plate of small tomatoes cut in crescents and lightly salted, and then finished with a 50/50 mix of mac & cheese and lightly steamed chopped broccolini which has become a favorite repeat in our household. Extra tangy from parmesan, and extra oomf from lots of black pepper.

[Jenise]

Working down the freezer again. Had two large chuck blade steaks around for a few months, so they've been marinating in Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, Spanish vermouth and oregano all afternoon. We'll incinerate them on the Egg in a little while. Green salad and roasted garlic potatoes will accompany that. Might be our last big outdoor barbecue of the season. Storms are coming on Friday.

Yesterday I made a big Italian salad, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, pepperoncini, Kalamata olives, marinated artichoke, shaved parmigiana, garlic croutons lightly browned in butter and Italian dressing. Delicious

[Jenise]

Yesterday I made a big Italian salad, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, pepperoncini, Kalamata olives, marinated artichoke, shaved parmigiana, garlic croutons lightly browned in butter and Italian dressing. Delicious

I could eat that every day.

Didn't cook last night and won't be today, we're heading up to Vancouver for lunch. As my contribution, I'm taking a bowl of salami chips (salami dehydrated for six hours) to serve as a nibble with the starter wine which I'm also bringing (theme: Chianti).

Wow, I've never heard of salami chips, did you do them in the oven
Well, I just made two salami chips in the microwave, who knew, not too bad. I usually eat the salami wrapped around a Bruno's pepper. I buy the light salami with much less calories and I love it. Thanks Jenise, always learning something new on here.