This week in the kitchen

Monday/23-May-16: Dinner was Spicy Pork and Broccoli Stir-Fry (web; actually from Cook's Country, maybe from a sample issue I was sent a while ago). Spicy? No, but still good. A big squirt of sriracha didn't hurt. Over basmati rice. The recipe is supposed to serve four; three is more like it. Then some canoli-like things I got at the boulangerie today.

Tuesday/24-May-16: My new T-tube had its check-up today. All is well. Two months till the right side gets one to match. Did a little shopping at Grand Frais after.

Came home and got busy in the kitchen. Made Rhubarb Ring with Strawberries (TLNorthW, p115) That didn't use all the rhubarb it asked, so I used most of the rest to make two jars of Strawberry Rhubarb Quick Jam (GrainAM, p71). This was finger-licking good. Looking forward to tomorrow's breakfast.

Dinner was a Greek Omelet (web) using two eggs kindly donated by Clarabelle. Closer to a frittata than an omelet, but still pretty good. Then a big salad. Then some of the Rhubarb Ring. Yum.

Wednesday/25-May-16: Lunch out with friends today. Nothing happened in the kitchen.

Thursday/26-May-16: Made Plum Jam (TLBrit, p5) today.

Dinner was three chicken thighs worth of Constance's Chicken (collected from EAT-L). (Wish they would go back to packaging thighs in fours instead of in threes.) This is a really easy and tasty recipe. Served with steam-sautéed potatoes and carrots. Then more of the Rhubarb Ring for dessert.

Friday/27-May-16: Shopping today. Bought a Label Rouge chicken from the almost-out-of-date cooler for only €5; straight into the freezer with that. When we first moved to Europe the breakfast cereal section in groceries (in the Netherlands and in France) was tiny with a very limited selection. Today I noticed that it's grown to almost half an aisle. Nothing interesting, but lots of the American-style cereals with a sugar content that should put them on the candy aisle. Yuck.

There was tuna on sale today, so I scrapped the plan and bought some tuna steaks. It was looking like it might rain, so I broiled them. The storm passed us by and it turned into a lovely evening for eating outdoors. We had Charmoula-Marinated Grilled Tuna (MedHot, p48). This didn't seem as good as it has before. I opened a new bottle of balsamic vinegar and think it may be too sweet. Served with grilled eggplant slices coated with the charmoula marinade, and corn on the cob! Not often Leclerc has those, so I had to buy them. They were good. Finished off the Rhubarb Ring for dessert.

We decided to go to an early evening movie tomorrow, so I started artichoke bottoms to marinate for an early afternoon meal.

Saturday/28-May-16: Our main meal was in the afternoon so we could go to a movie. We had, sort of, Shells with Artichoke Hearts and Shrimp in Lemon-Oregano Vinaigrette (365Pasta, p38). Mini-lasagnas instead of shells. Artichoke bottoms instead of hearts. Greek-style olives (in the fridge needing to be used) instead of California olives. These olives were probably too strong a taste, rather than the bland ones. Still, the whole thing was OK, but didn't seem to work. Maybe some feta would help, and the right olives, and some red pepper flakes in the sauce perhaps. Then a salad. Then some chocolate squares. Later we went to a move.

Sunday/29-May-16: A party with food this afternoon. Nothing happened in the kitchen.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #3 PASTA: no; #4 BREAD: no; #5 FotW: yes for April/May; yes for May/June

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

365 Ways to Cook Pasta
Marie Simmons
HarperCollins Publishers (1988)
ISBN 0060186631

This is a book that's been around for quite a while. I use it fairly often, but have't made anything new from it recently. It's a plain, rather homely, book that offers quite good cooking. It covers a wide variety of pasta dishes, the recipes are good, and the instructions are clear. It's actually on the shortlist for my Desert Island Cookbooks list as possibly the only pasta cookbook I would bring. (Judging by another of the "365" cookbooks that I have, I think the whole series is surprisingly good.)  When the week's menu plan got thrown into disarray, I picked this up for a look and stopped at the first recipe, Spaghetti alla Puttanesca, whore's spaghetti, supposedly named because it makes a fast snack between clients. Well maybe.

Like many good pasta sauces, you start by softening garlic in olive oil. Then stir in canned tomatoes (I used some purée of deseeded tomatoes that I froze last summer), chopped black olive, capers, dried red pepper, oregano, and coarsely ground black pepper. Simmer that for a while, till the sauce thickens. Then stir in some chopped anchovies (these disappear and add only a complexity to the overall taste, nothing fishy) and some chopped flat-leaf parsley (of which there was none in the kitchen, so I used the curly kind instead). Simmer the sauce a bit longer bit, salt to taste, serve over spaghetti, and enjoy. 

This post is linked to this week's Cookbook Sunday. 

This week in the kitchen

Monday/11-Jun-12: We watched the France-England football match at Barbara and David's, and filled up on munchies. When we got home, I made a salad and that's what we had for dinner.

Tuesday/12-Jun-12: Dinner from the freezer again—the sauce for Gemelli with Mushrooms and Tomato, but with mushroom-flavored pasta that are shaped like chanterelles. Then a big salad.

Wednesday/13-Jun-12: Oops, no shopping today as planned, so it's more eating from the freezer. Tonight was Lamb with Black Peppercorns (web), with smashed potatoes and sautéed Shredded Zucchini (MW@Home, p87). Then we finished off the Strawberry Yogurt Freeze.

Thursday/14-Jun-12: French toast for breakfast with the stale ends of two bits of bread. Then some Authentic French Bread (Magic, p22, but out of head) in the bread machine.

Still haven't made it shopping, so off piste for tonight's dinner, which we ate outside, this first time we've been able to do this since the end of March. There was a yummy, half dose of Spaghetti alla Puttanesca (365Pasta, p7), followed by a salad, then some mixed berries over Strawberry Sorbet, which was also pretty darn good.

Friday/15-Jun-12: Whew, finally made it shopping today. Dinner was Tandoori Halibut (Bombay, p179), a halfish recipe, using cod, since there was no halibut to be found. This was accompanied by Alu Dum (Smothered Potatoes) (Singh, p175) and Spiced Green Beans (IndLight, p174). All in all, a very tasty meal, although afterwards I noticed that I'd gotten out my jar of amchoor, rather than garam masala, so bother the fish and the potatoes were not quite as intended. Double chocolate mini-Magnums for afters.

Saturday/16-Jun-12: Finished off the Five-Alarm Lentil Soup for lunch. That help up pretty well.

Dinner was a half recipe of Red Onion and Goat Cheese Pancake (web). The "pancake" itself was quite nice, but the balsamic-honey syrup to go with it was yicky, and not really needed. Then a bit of salad. Then some tasty tomme de Savoie, which was a special offer this week.

Sunday/17-Jun-12: Dinner al fresco for the third night in a row, an ordinary spring/summer/fall occurrence that has been very rare this year. The main was was Quiche aux Fonds d'Artichaut (Quiche with Artichoke Bottoms) (VPQ). Simple and good. The quiche custard contains cornstarch, which is a new-to-me and interesting variation. In fact the custard seemed to set quite well. Most custardy things I make seem to need to cook much longer that the recipe to get set. Something about my magnetism in the kitchen, I guess. Followed by a big salad. Then the last of the Strawberry Sorbet. Yum

Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: yes, #2 BREAD: yes, #3 SOUP: yes, #4 MIDDAY: no, #5 VEG/FISH: 5
This month: #6 PASTA: yes

This week in the kitchen

Monday/24-Oct-11: Last week at Leclerc they had one-portion Alsacian choucroûte dinners to be reaheated in your microwave or in a bain marie. Each included zuurkool, a long skinny worst, a short fat worst, some slices of what looked like gekookt worst, and a slice of what looked like casselerrib, plus a small boiled potato. I bought some extra potatoes and made a Dutch stamppot this evening. Rather nice on what turned into a cold, rainy evening. Maybe I've noticed this before, but I think I prefer the Dutch sauerkraut; can't really say what the difference is, but somehow tastier. Have leftover potatoes and zuurkool, maybe for tomorrow.

Tuesday/25-Oct-11: Shopping today between various appointments in La Rochefoucauld. This weeks's choucroûte dinners n offer were not as nice as what I got last week, so we felt good about that impulse buy. During lots of waiting time, sitting in the car, I read through Made in Texas: H-E-B's 100th Anniversary Cookbook, a fun read. Tagged some recipes to try. I wish there had been more pictures of some of the old stores. I have found memories of the "pointed" HEB on McCullough near my grandparents house in San Antonio. Long gone.

Dinner was Pork Chops in Mustard Sauce (MC), accompanied by the leftover potato-zuurkool mush, and followed by Roasted Broccoli with Toasted Pine Nuts, Feta, Basil, and Lemon (MC), made recently as a main. The sauce was actually a honey-mustard sauce. I used the Charente honey of flowers than I bought at a market recently. Flowers indeed. Even after the carton was closed, I keep looking for the source of the flowery perfume odor. Lovely.

Wednesday/26-Oct-11: Yogurt on overday. Oven-roasted tomatoes on overday.

Went to make dinner and discovered that the contents of my lovely box of mushrooms was covered by a dense white fur. Oops, no mushroom stroganoff for dinner tonight. Since I was already munching a bit of a sausage/salami I'd bought on sale, dinner became, more or less, Spaghetti with Salami and Peas (365Pasta, p55), a recipe we've had a number of times. Pretty good for last minute what not. Then a salad. Not as early as I'd like, but not too bad.

Thursday/27-Oct-11: Made pasta today, vaguely following the recipe for Mushroom Pasta Dough (PastaBible, p47). Second time I've made this, not really following the recipe closely. I soaked the dried 'shrooms rather than grinding them dry; used shiitakes instead of porcini/cêpes; omitted the extra egg yolk and 1tbl of olive oil; used 1 cup tipo 00 flour and 1 cup all-purpose (instead of two of all-purpose). No extra water required. Froze half for another dinner.

Made a little sauce of olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes. The gas canister for the stove ran out while the pasta was good. Very annoying, since I was leaving shortly and didn't have time to fool with it. But it got done eventually in the not quite boiling water. Tasty.

Followed by a salad using one of the beets I froze up. Worked fine. The beet was still a bit chilly, but should be better if I remember to get one out of the freezer an hour ahead of time.

Friday/28-Oct-11: Dinner was a half recipe of Penne with Green Vegetables and Goat Cheese (SeriousEats, soon to be MC). Very nice. The kind of thing I'd make up myself, although I'd not likely have combined broccoli, zucchini, and (frozen) peas.

What really happens to all the missing measuring spoons in the world? Do borrowers come to take them away? I used to have a glut of 1/2 tablespoon measures (a favorite, 1-1/2 teaspoons, an amount I seem to measure frequently); now I have only one. Where have the others gone? Not many 1 teaspoons either. May be time to break out another set before long.

Saturday/29-Oct-11: A mixed dinner tonight, Mediterranean Chicken Burgers (from the web) and a made-up side dish, vaguely Mediterranean, using the leftover shell pasta and ricotta. The burgers were tasty, more Indian than Mediterranean, but a bit dry. It called for 2 tablespoons of olive oil, I added only 1 tablespoon (with 3/4 of the meat asked), but I wonder if that really made a difference. Needed salt too.

The stuffed shells were good. I had 10 shells left from last week's dinner. Defrosted some ricotta pesto and spread that on the bottom of a dish that held all the shells. Sautéed some shallots, then garlic. First thought to steam some broccoli and chop it it, but decided to finish off last night's zucchini. In 1/4" cubes, sauteed too. Mixed with the leftover ricotta, a squeeze of lemon juice, some pine nuts, and S&P. Filled the shells. Grated on some Parmesan. Popped in the oven till for a bit till they were starting to brown a bit. Good side dish. Thought about starting with some lardons, but decided against that; would have been a bit to heavy perhaps. Thought about adding a bit of chopped tomato, maybe an oven-dried one or two, but was a bit lazy. That might have been OK. Pretty good stuff.

Finished my read through Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys this evening. Very enjoyable. Recipes from this get lots of good reviews, so I'm looking forward to trying some of them.

Yogurt on overnight.

Sunday/30-Oct-11: Lunch out today. Nothing much happening in the kitchen.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: yes, #2 SOUP: no, #3 MIDDAY: no
This month: #4 PASTA: yes

This week in the kitchen

Monday/23-May-11: Cooked the 2-day marinated lamb for Lamb Curry from the Romertopf site. The recipe was really poorly written, it didn't even give the temperature for cooking, and I ended up comparing the English, French, and German versions. Good enough, we ate it all. Started with a carrot salad I've made before that went with another lamb recipe (carrots, kalamatas, radishes, and parsley with a sauce of olive oil, water, red wine vinegar, and harissa). Finished up with the kulfi I made a couple of nights ago.

Tuesday/24-May-11: Started the lamb for the Lunch in Paris dinner. Our dinner was Stir-Fried Shrimp with Broccoli and Chili-Garlic Sauce (MC), which is about as simple a dinner as you could get. Tasty. Followed by a salad, then the end of the goat cheese.

Wednesday/25-May-11: Went to freeze the buttermilk ice cream, not following instructions. You should assemble the whole thing, start it, then pour in the "brew". I poured in the brew first, but such a layer froze on the sides that the paddle couldn't turn properly. Boo. It will take a day to defrost enough to clean it.

Tonight's dinner was a meal for Cook the Books.

Thursday/26-May-11: Second post-op checkup this afternoon, then dinner and a movie. Nothing happened in the kitchen, even the dishes are unwashed.

Friday/27-May-11: Whew, got all those dishes washed this morning. Yogurt on overday.

Dinner started with some melon and pineau. The main was a half recipe of Rotelle with Asparagus and Mushroom Sauce (365Pasta, p176). Ed stopped for a minor shopping this afternoon, but brought back dried mushroom instead of fresh, so there were a few changes to make. Used the funny new pasta I found, like short bits of a widish tagliatelle with ruffled edges like American lasagne, a useful pasta. I hope I can find it again. Followed by a salad. Ended with some goat cheese.

Saturday/28-May-11: Put some tomatoes in to oven-roast this morning and forgot them. No smell to stir the memory. They were some tomato chips, not very tasty.

Dinner was Chiptotle-Marinated Pork Chops with Chimichurri Sauce (MC), an oldie with a really yummy sauce. Yesterday we talked about barbecuing, but Ed forgot today, so I did them under the broiler. Good stuff. Baked some potatoes, sliced, with onion slices between the bits and a lemony vinaigrette. More kulfi for dessert.

Sophie didn't come in until almost midnight. We were worried.

Sunday/29-May-11: A vegetarian dinner, using up many of the veggies in the fridge. There were steams haricots verts with cilantro pesto from the freezer. And Greek Eggplant Salad (MedLight, p86), tasty, but a bit soupy; I think the eggplant should be put through the food mill, rather than processed or blended. And Tunisian Zucchini Salad (MedLight, p117), a nice zucchini salad. And Red Couscous (MedLight, p225), which could use a bit more harissa; not wanting to grind caraway seed, I used ground cumin instead. All tasty. I bought some jesuite pastries at the boulangerie this afternoon for dessert.

Sophie out late again today, but we started looking earlier and found her fairly far away. We suspect she's lost territory to a new young cat in the neighborhood. Both nights when she's come in, she's been very nervous around the front door.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 VEG/FISH: yes, #2 SOUP: no, #3 MIDDAY: no
This month: #4 PASTA: yes