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Post by tod2 on Sept 29, 2020 14:05:12 GMT
I wish we had tried something from Picard when we had the apartments. Maybe there is 'a next time'….
Tonight I'm cooking two duck breasts along with fennel braised in orange juice, zest and a little veg stock and brown sugar. I will flame it in brandy before serving. Sides are rice and Swiss chard. I have had a pot of white butter beans bubbling away in parsley and garlic stock cubes, and a tin of Italian tomatoes, and a good tablespoon of mixed herbs, chopped onion. It's really for a Greek dish tomorrow, called Gigantes Plaki. .
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 29, 2020 14:09:48 GMT
I will be having a cheap meal of fried chicken livers and onions, but I am well known for loving cheap things. A cheap red will go just fine with it.
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Post by tod2 on Sept 29, 2020 14:12:48 GMT
If you invited my son to join you he will be so delighted as chicken livers ( with loads of chilli like the Portuguese make it -) is his absolute go to choice of a starter when dining out. He loves red wine.
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Post by whatagain on Sept 29, 2020 18:10:07 GMT
We had invited my brother for a bbq. Having lost 20 degrees celsius and gained rain, we switched tonraclette and pierrade. Cheese and meat on hot stone. I bought the meat, my wife bought the cheese and charcuterie. We added 4 guests. We could only eat the cheese, we have eaten twice already on the leat since. I think we buy too much...
However i had put aside 4 bottles of wine. 2 red 2 whites. We ended up drinking one champagne, 2 reds and half the bottle of whisky. 7 adults. Hips.
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Post by mickthecactus on Sept 29, 2020 19:18:55 GMT
We had sweetcorn from the garden tonight which my daughter cooked. It was so delicious.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 30, 2020 0:51:54 GMT
I'm reporting on what I had night before last, just because I want to record it here as a triumph created out of what was on hand. I came up with the idea while walking the dogs & idling wondering what I'd eat that night. The idea of something Greek-like was appealing.
I steamed broccoli florets in a wok until almost but not quite done. Meanwhile, I gently rejuvenated some leftover rice and also made a very nice batch of bechamel. I beat up two eggs with some grated Chiapas cheese (like a dry feta) and minced herbs. Then I added a little bit of water to the bottom of the wok, spread the rice over the broccoli, and then spread the bechamel over that. I poured the eggs over the whole thing, covered it and put the heat on low. To make sure the eggs cooked, I heated a cast iron skillet until very hot and placed it upside down over the cover of the wok. I have to say, it came out beautifully and quite pretty, too.
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Post by tod2 on Sept 30, 2020 16:18:30 GMT
Bixa I think you did swell! After all dishes are created through experimentation!
Most meals are started to take shape during the morning and prepped for the afternoon. So, I fell hook, line and sinker for Kerouac's suggestion of chicken livers! I picked up the phone and made preparations for a dinner today for the other half of my family. As I told Kerouac, my son adores hot (chili fire hot) flavours so I offered to make them Portuguese chicken Livers Peri-Peri.
I was at the supermarket at 8am to buy said livers. Later at 3pm dressed them (that means cutting away all fibrous veins and gunk. ) I had to go to fetch some fish and whilst there saw two jars of pesto sauces. One made with crazy out of this hemisphere chilis and the other made with those little red pepperdews. I bought both but wanted to know more about the violence they could deliver. So, I phoned the helpline and was put through to the chef who actually makes the pesto sauces. What a lovely man. He warned me that the chili paste was very very hot. I found this out after adding a little too much to the sauce but managed to calm it somewhat with a little white wine, cognac, treacle sugar and cream. I gotta tell ya - those Chicken livers Peri-Peri are one hell of a dish tonight!
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 30, 2020 18:56:39 GMT
That meal sounds excellent, bixa.
Tonight I made mussels, and they were not as good as I would have wished, but I don't think it was my fault. These were mussels from Galicia and you would think that the origin does not make much difference but it does -- they were extremely salty even though I did not add one bit of salt to the pot. Mussels from the North Sea are not nearly as salty.
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Post by tod2 on Oct 1, 2020 7:23:40 GMT
Report back on the Peri=Peri chicken livers……My son sent me a message: " I LOVED Them! They were super spicy and delicious". I asked if he tried the gigantes plaki I also sent them, and his answer was 'he didn't want to contaminate the chicken livers as they were superb.' Now here's the problem. I am definitely not going to remember how I made them - talking ingredients now - Because it will probably be some time before I make another batch. The main ingredients:
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 1, 2020 10:23:36 GMT
I will be having chicken wings tonight but have not yet decided how I will cook them.
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Post by tod2 on Oct 1, 2020 12:18:21 GMT
Can't wait to hear how you tackled them. Tonight we are having grilled Kob or also a close relative of Cape Salmon. It is caught on fishing line in the ocean. That is sold as 'wild' salmon as apposed to 'Farmed' salmon. I like both and both are an expensive fish compared to hake. The fish flesh s a pink shade but when cooked turns snow white and super moist and flakes easily.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 1, 2020 17:28:18 GMT
I am definitely not going to remember how I made them - talking ingredients now - Because it will probably be some time before I make another batch. The story of my life! I have great faith that you'll be able to reproduce them, though, Tod. It is kind of amazing how often our sense memories come through for us.
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 1, 2020 17:40:27 GMT
My chicken wings were very simple. I broiled them in the oven (low heat) with some water and olive oil, along with herbes de Provence and Cayenne pepper. I put an herb cube (in proper Queen's English -- a herb cube) and a chicken cube in the water but no other seasoning. I turned them over at an appropriate moment to expose the other side above the liquid line. I was satisfied by the result.
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Post by lagatta on Oct 1, 2020 17:48:56 GMT
Those cubes are very handy but can be extremely salty.
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 1, 2020 17:54:52 GMT
Which is why I added no salt.
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Post by tod2 on Oct 2, 2020 16:33:15 GMT
Dinner was roast roll of belly pork. I cut it in two so allowing browning to occur on 4 sides. I don't think I'll buy it rolled again as the very neat string was a nightmare to cut through and clung to the nice crispy skin. I served green beens from the garden, roast potatoes and sweet carrots. White rice and gravy. As I had no apple sauce I mixed plum jam with peach chutney. It was better than expected.
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 3, 2020 5:40:08 GMT
I tried my hand at a Brazilian feijoada the other night but discovered too late that I didn't have any black beans, so I had to use black eyed peas.
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 3, 2020 5:42:15 GMT
fried tofu for a vegan touch
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Post by tod2 on Oct 3, 2020 17:17:00 GMT
We had macaroni cheese and a side of stewed mushrooms, onion, bell pepper , herbs and spices.
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Post by lugg on Oct 3, 2020 17:59:23 GMT
Daughter is cooking tonight for us - I can see that there is spinach and octopus - not sure how she will bring it together but she is a very good cook so am not worried .
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Post by tod2 on Oct 5, 2020 16:41:04 GMT
Spinach and octopus…..that sound interesting Lugg! What did she make? Yesterday we had a late late lunch or early dinner - Spqanish rice with queen prawns and baby calamari tubes which a snipped into rings, Was super delcious. And tonight I made a giant Caesar salad for a kind of starter while we waited for the hamburger patties to grill in the airfryer.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Oct 6, 2020 15:55:36 GMT
Frittata tonight...made with ham, cheese, onion, potato and peppers (and eggs!)
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Post by tod2 on Oct 6, 2020 16:21:46 GMT
Ooh! I'm so stuffed! I got the slow cooker into gear early this morning with beef chuck cut into manageable pieces in a red wine sauce. During the course of the day I prepped potatoes and one of each colour - a red, a purple, and a yellow carrot, with cabbage and zucchini. This evening we enjoyed the beef stew with a surprise addition of parsley dumplings and some leftover white rice. Too much for the brain…..
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 7, 2020 5:40:43 GMT
I just had spicy tuna salad. This was partially inspired when I saw how many tins of tuna were in the cupboard.
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Post by tod2 on Oct 7, 2020 9:49:15 GMT
Mark two tins for the recipe I posted for my Tuna Patties. 10 min to make and 10 min to cook.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 7, 2020 17:40:12 GMT
I didn't grow up with dumplings, but am sort of fascinated by them. Would you be willing to share the recipe, Tod?
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 7, 2020 18:22:35 GMT
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Post by mickthecactus on Oct 7, 2020 20:12:00 GMT
Definitely my sort of meal. Macron has good taste.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 7, 2020 21:14:25 GMT
I would suspect that cordon bleu would likely often be served at official banquets, which should work out nicely for Macron.
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Post by kerouac2 on Oct 8, 2020 3:22:58 GMT
It rarely gets beyond the school cafeteria.
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