What's For Dinner - Part 2

[Arete]

I came home and found a bag full of green beans and zucchini flowers hanging on the doorknob. One of my buddies with a garden left me a present. I fried the zucchini flowers, steamed the green beans, and made skordalia (garlic dip). It was heaven.

[gypsygirl22]

Last night we had fish tacos...sounds nasty but they are pretty good. Tonight we'll get takeout Chinese.

[DrPusey]

My intention is to make the first roasted potatoes and carrots dish of the fall. The carrots are from our own garden -it's the first time I've managed to raise carrots successfully so I'm feeling very proud. I'm not sure what else we'll have to go with - maybe just the last of the watermelon and some toast or something.

[RachelB]

^ That sounds yummy, Dr. Pusey.

We're making two Burmese salads (carrot-mint-lime; watercress-fried shallot-crushed peanut), rice, a tomato-cilantro omelet, and a tomato chutney as a condiment for the omelet.

[DrPusey]

Rachel, you always have the best-sounding dinners.

If I get my act together, tonight I'm hoping to make eggplant stacks - sort of a healthier version of eggplant parmesan. The eggplant is baked instead of fried, and you kind of pile panko crumbs, fresh mozzarella, and tomato sauce on the slices. I'm still working on the surfeit of eggplant from our garden.

[Aerial312]

^That sounds very tasty. A little sweet and a little savory?

Omelet filled with green onion, corn, tomato, and goat cheese. Green salad.

Yes, the peaches and blueberries gave it a nice sweet touch, then savory from lime, serrano pepper and red onion (and the quinoa).

[RachelB]

:embarrassed: Aw, shucks, Dr. Pusey.

We had a friend over for caprese salad last night, and nommed some passion fruit and coconut-milk-based chocolate ice cream for dessert.

Tonight, we're trying a couple recipes out of Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook Jerusalem-- the roasted sweet potato and fig salad* and the charred okra with tomato and preserved lemon. Hummus and pita for protein.

*I am a fig skeptic. My working assumption is that I have more sweet taste receptors than average, so my mouth finds sweetness overwhelming unless there's some significant counterpoint of tangy, salty, or bitter. But there's balsamic vinegar reduction in the salad, plus goat cheese. It seems worth a try.

[OkToBeTakei]

YAY. Keep forgetting this thread.

Homemade nut cutlets with a honking big pile of chargrilled courgette.

[Aerial312]

Pasta with a fresh sauce made with the last of the tomatoes and basil from the garden this season.

[Arete]

Tonight, we're trying a couple recipes out of Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook Jerusalem-- the roasted sweet potato and fig salad* and the charred okra with tomato and preserved lemon. Hummus and pita for protein.

I found a recipe of Yotam Ottolenghi's for red lentil soup with Thai red curry, coconut milk, and lemongrass. I am going to give it a go in the next couple of weeks and will post the results here. That cookbook is actually one that I have been eyeing for the last year. Have you made many recipes from it, and are you happy with them?

OKTBT, what is a nut cutlet?

[RachelB]

I found a recipe of Yotam Ottolenghi's for red lentil soup with Thai red curry, coconut milk, and lemongrass. I am going to give it a go in the next couple of weeks and will post the results here. That cookbook is actually one that I have been eyeing for the last year. Have you made many recipes from it, and are you happy with them?

OKTBT, what is a nut cutlet?

We got it for The Partner's birthday at the end of August. So far, we've only made three dishes-- two tonight (tasty! especially the salad; the okra needs more preserved lemon, IMO), plus the conchiglie with yogurt, peas, and chile last week (which was delightful and pretty easy). I'll probably make the mejadra next (onion-topped lentils and rice with spices), or the chopped salad with spiced chickpeas. Ottolenghi likes roasting things, and I generally opt for minimal oven use until it starts raining (typically sometime in mid to late October), but I have my eye on a number of things that require longer cooking: the pistachio soup, the charred eggplant soup with fregola, the roasted stuffed peppers, the barley risotto.

It is involved but rewarding cooking-- good for a leisurely weekend, or a day when you have friends over who don't mind sharing chopping duty.

[Becoming_Me]

I passed by a local country store while biking home from work and the sign out front said "fresh concord grapes". Being a huge grape fan I stopped in, brought 2lbs of grapes and now I am pigging out on them for supper.

[RachelB]

I passed by a local country store while biking home from work and the sign out front said "fresh concord grapes". Being a huge grape fan I stopped in, brought 2lbs of grapes and now I am pigging out on them for supper.

Yum!

I am having pea-and-mint ravioli tonight, with steamed fennel.

[OkToBeTakei]

I found a recipe of Yotam Ottolenghi's for red lentil soup with Thai red curry, coconut milk, and lemongrass. I am going to give it a go in the next couple of weeks and will post the results here. That cookbook is actually one that I have been eyeing for the last year. Have you made many recipes from it, and are you happy with them?

OKTBT, what is a nut cutlet?

It's just a nut burger shaped like a cutlet :lol:

Mine had almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, carrot, onion, spinach, parsnip, celery, seasoning, a wee bit of olive oil and whizz in the food processor, shape into cutlet shape and whack in the oven for 25 mins. Quick and cheerful.

Schools on holiday tomorrow so may make a more time consuming meal for celebrating tonight.

[RachelB]

^ I think I will try that sometime. Quick and cheerful is pretty appealing.

Tonight, butter beans with honey, marjoram, and tomato. Leftover okra. I already know what I want for dessert-- toast with salted butter and applesauce on it.

[wtylcf]

Made the zucchini Turkey grilled meatballs from the Jerusalem cookbook, with a mint cucumber yogurt sauce and a quinoa tabbouleh. So delicious, I didn't miss the garlic. I would have loved to try the sumac sauce that was supposed to go with the burgers, but didn't have time to find a good spice shop in my new city of residence. A yogurt and lemon curd popsicle for dessert. Yum. Did I mention I'm back to eating yogurt? Oh how I missed it.

[DrPusey]

I need to go get the Jerusalem cookbook.

Tonight's dinner was mozzarella mushroom chive risotto, with Halloween M and Ms for dessert. :)

[RachelB]

Apple curry. Cachumber. Rice.

[Arete]

Chicken soup with dumplings, carrots, potatoes, peas, mixed greens (kolrabi and beet greens), and basil.

[RachelB]

Leftover apple curry and rice. Just as good on day two, I think.

[gypsygirl22]

We had grilled chicken, rice, and veggies.

[RachelB]

Spicy shallot sambar. Shredded carrots quick-fried with mustard seed, ginger, and chiles, then dressed with yogurt. Rice.

[Arete]

I picked up the niblings from Greek school and parked them at my place until one of their parental units could pick them up. Black beans with peppers and scallions, with a cider vinegar and olive oil dressing. Spanish rice. Grated cheddar. Tomato salsa that I cubed an avocado into because I only had one so therefore guacamole was out of the question. Cut up bananas and apples for dessert.

Homework and a conversation with my 8 year old nephew about how he and a girl in class are "going out". I need a drink now.

[RachelB]

^ I do not envy you that conversation.

*pours drink and hands it over*

For me, mushroom pizza and steamed carrots.

[RachelB]

Omelets filled with ricotta, marjoram, and bread crumbs. Sauteed bell peppers. Arugula.