This week in the kitchen

Monday/3-Nov-14: Yogurt on overday.

Dinner was Curried Leek Tart Tatin (Dusoulier2, p164; cookbooker), which was tasty and impressive. Unfortunatly I always forget how much wall clock time is needed for this kind of thing, so we ate fairly late. We started with a grated carrot salad, a classic French thing, which is (note to self) better when the carrots are grated on the box grater rather than the microplane). Then the tart. The tart was made with Yogurt Tart Dough (Dusoulier2, p199; cookbooker), which was quite tasty. Might be worth trying again for something else; there's also a buckwheat flour variation. Ed was so impressed with the tart, he thought it needed some photos. Here are the chunks of leek, browned on one end, topped with goat's cheese:

Tucking the pie crust around the leeks.

And turned out à la Tatin for serving.

Tuesday/4-Nov-14: An early main meal today since we're going out this evening. Using up some lamb shanks from the freezer, I made Roast Lamb Shanks and Lentils (TLAmer, p28; cookbooker). Served with Shredded Zucchini (MW@Home, p87), an old favorite.

Wednesday/5-Nov-14: Shopping today.

Dinner was a half recipe of Merluzzo Pasta Puttanesca (web). (I actually got this from EAT-L, but it was just a cut-and-paste job.) The pasta was good, an interesting variation on a puttanesca bianca sauce with the fish included. Too much red pepper flakes, this from folks who like it hot. Think regular anchovies would be better than anchovy paste. I used real olives, chopped, rather than tapenade. The rucola was a nice touch. Then a big salad. Then some store-bought tiramisús, following the Italianish theme.

Thursday/6-Nov-14: Yogurt on overday.

Comfort food for dinner, a nice Dutch stamppot met zuurkool en rookworst. Yum. Of course it's French sauerkraut and a French sausage, but the same effect. Then off to line dancing.

Friday/7-Nov-14: Dinner was a half recipe of Linguine with Shrimp and Porcini (30MinPasta, p99; cookbooker), a really nice pasta. Then a salad. That was all.

Saturday/8-Nov-14: Dinner was Tangy Stir-Fried Pork (MC), using up the rest of my kumquats. My varkenshaas (pork tenderloin) was huge, so there was lots of meat, but it was tasty. Served with rice and a broccoli-mushroom stirfry. Chocolate mini mags for dessert.

Sunday/9-Nov-14: Ed's choir gave a Remembrance Day concert this evening. We had pizza afterwards.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: yes; #2 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #3 PASTA: no #4 FotW: no; #5 BREAD: 0

This week in the kitchen

Monday/2-Jun-14: Yogurt on overday.

Dinner was a half dose of Zucchini, Caper, and Herb Linguine (web). Pretty good stuff. Then a small salad. For afters, there was some banana bread that I put in the oven before I started dinner. It was Banana Tea Bread (Essential, p655). The recipe from 1947 made a really nice banana bread. I used my cuisinart for all mixing. Used butter instead of shortening. Used slightly more than 1/2cup sucre de canne. More-ish.

Tuesday/3-Jun-14: Shopping today. Back on schedule for a while.

Dinner was Mirin-Glazed Salmon (web), except that it turned out I'm out of mirin. Somehow forgot to add it to  my Dutch shopping list. Substituted sherry. Was pretty good, might be worth doing again when mirin reappears on the shelf. Served with Broccoli in a Fragrant Wine Sauce (HotWok, p156), a favorite not made in a while, and some rice.

Wednesday/4-Jun-14: Lunch at a friend's going to a patchwork exhibition. Only sandwiches and fruit at dinnertime.

Thursday/5-Jun-14: Yogurt on overday.

A Nigel Slater brunch dish for dinner tonight, followed by a nice salad. That was all.

Friday/6-Jun-14: Grilled Chicken with Garlic and Lemon Butter (Diaries, p262), a recipe calling for "chubby poussin". Love reading Slater's recipes. I didn't make the butter bit, just marinated and grilled the birdies. They were good cooked under the broiler at a low temp, with the rack set on the bottom, but the marinade wasn't especially thrilling. Served with Clothilde Dusolier's Perfect Roast Potatoes (MC, HandyBook) and A Radish, Mint, and Feta Salad (Diaries, p195). For dessert I made up another half dose of the shortcakes for Strawberry Shortcakes (TLAmer, p90). Cut the baking powder back to 1-1/4tsp as suggested by Barbara. Much better, i.e., quite good. I made six shortcakes, we both thought that one each was too much; better would be to split one for two desserts. Poured marscapone cream over the berries.

Saturday/7-Jun-14: Dinner was a half dose of Alfredo Pasta with Cajun Spiced Chicken (web). Good stuff, and easy. Used a packet of aiguillettes de poulet (~225g) and some Cajun run I made up for something or other. Used about 1 teaspoon of this for my half recipe, which is about four times more than asked. Also spray the chickie bits with a bit of olive oil spray. Then cooked on the grill pan. Cut them in half to toss with the pasta and sauce. Followed by a big salad. That was all.

Sunday/8-Jun-14: Yogurt on overday.

Lunch with friends today. For dinner, we shared a plate of fruit plus some strawberries over the last shortcake.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #3 PASTA: no; #4 FotW: no; #5 BREAD: 0

American Cooking: Artichokes Stuffed with Shrimp and Green Goddess Dressing

A bit late for this cookbook, but today I made another not-so-typical American dish, Artichokes Stuffed with Shrimp and Green Goddess Dressing (p70). I made a half recipe with three artichokes, normalish in size for what I usually buy, but apparently large by American standards.

The instructions in the recipe for dealing with artichokes are fairly standard ones. Instead I used the method for Roasted Artichokes from a recent issue of Cook's Illustrated's. This meant I ended up with halved artichokes rather than hollowed out ones. Actually, this was a fine way to deal with the chokes, but we missed the "bowl" effect.

The Green Goddess Dressing was good enough that I was sorry I didn't make the mayo myself. (It was Hellman's instead.) Next time ...

The chokes are stuffed with small cooked shrimp mixed with the dressing. I didn't really have enough shrimp, but it was still quite edible. (We have extra dressing that's we'll probably use for a salad in the next days. This is not very closely related to store-bought green goddess dressing, much tastier.)

It's a little puzzling to me how this dish should be served and there are no clues in the text. I served it as a starter. One artichoke was slightly larger than the other two, so the two ladies at dinner had the bigger halves, while the gents each had two smaller halves. It's quite large for a starter, but seems a bit small for a main. And it's a bit rich for a main.

At table, we thought the shrimpy sauce might be good to stuff avocado halves, a lot less trouble, and then a nice size for a starter. A half recipe made a lot of filling, so maybe a quarter recipe would do for 4 avocados or 8 servings.

Unfortunately I didn't manage to get the pic of the final dishes properly focused.

This week in the kitchen

Monday/19-May-14: Potatoes to use up? Broccoli to use up? The go-to recipe is Warm Broccoli and Potato Salad (MDSalads, p15). Since there was lots to use up, two of us ate a whole recipe. That's all.

Tuesday/20-May-14: Tamale Pie from the freezer for dinner, along with a little salad of avocado, tomato, and cilantro. That was all.

Wednesday/21-May-14: Yogurt on overday.

BIll arrived this afternoon. For dinner we had chicken noodle soup from the freezer, "enhanced" with some potatoes. Then a salad. Then a chunk of nameless cheese (I've forgotten the name) that I got at the market in Angoulême on Saturday. Then some eclairs that Ed and Bill bought at a boulanger on the way back from the train station.

Thursday/22-May-14: Lunch out with Bill today before Ed went to choir practice and Bill and I went shopping. For our evening meal we had fruit, cheese, and rillettes, followed by cream puffs Ed bought at our local boulanger.

Friday/23-May-14: Dinner out before a concert this evening. Not much happened in the kitchen.

Saturday/24-May-14: Yogurt on overday.

For a starter tonight we had Artichokes Stuffed with Shrimp and Green Goddess Dressing (TLAmer, p70). Then there was Escalope of Pork with Asparagus and Cheese (30MinCook, p187) for next week's IHCC, accompanied by boiled potatoes, buttered and parslied. (We were all full afterwards.

Sunday/25-May-14: For dinner Ed barbecued chicken thighs that had been stewing for a day in a marinade from the freezer, then basted with pomegranate molasses just before serving. For sides there was polenta and Green Beans with Garlic and Preserved Lemon (WorldVeg, p205), me declaring my preserved lemons "done" a few days before the appointed time. None of us felt like anything afterwards.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: yes; #2 VEG/FISH: 2
This month: #3 PASTA: no; #4 FotW: no; #5 BREAD: 1

This week in the kitchen

Monday/12-May-14: We lunched at La Bellone today. For dinner, we had small bits from the fridge and elsewhere. Finished off the soup, apple slices, sliced ham, the rest of the Mediterranean Lentil Salad, cheeses (Morbier, Fourme d'Ambert, Chabichou), membrillo, and probably some other things I've forgetten.

Yogurt on overday. Had an electric blip while we were out, so it was off when we returned. Restarted, guessing at how much time was left.

Tuesday/13-May-14: Yogurt was a bit on the runny side, but otherwise OK.

Another lovely lunch out, followed by a little bit of touristing, followed by grocery shopping (we know how to treat visitors here), then home for a rest. For dinner we had salad and cheese.

Wednesday/14-May-14: Yogurt on overday.

For dinner we started with ham and melon, the ham from neighbor Barbara's loto winning, laboriously cut by me and the visiting Barbara. As a main, there was a cheesy risotto (RealCook, p169); cookbooker) for this week's IHCC theme. Then a salad. Then a bit of ice cream with frais de bois (wild strawberries) from the potager.

Thursday/15-May-14: Lots of cooking today. While I was a physio, Barbara took the meat from the leg of lamb and made Shepherd's Pie with Spiced Parsnip Mash (RealCook, p119), which was my potluck dish for next week's IHCC. Later I made, Carrot and Onion Salad (MJ1, p171) for a starter and Strawberry Shortcake (TLAmer, p90) for an ender.

Friday/16-May-14: Lunch out today, in preparation for concert in evening. Not much action in the kitchen.

Saturday/17-May-14: Saw Barbara off in Angoulême after a look around and lunch. Ed had a hamburger and I had a salad. For our evening meal, Ed had a salad and I had a lamb sandwich.

Sunday/18-May-14: We had our main meal at lunch today since we went to an concert in the early evening. I made Scallops with Spicy Curry Sauce and Couscous (web), which was okay, but nothing special. Added fêves to the couscous. For a side, there was Gujerati Carrot Salad (MJ1, p170). We had our usual lunch for dinner when we got home.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: yes; #2 VEG/FISH: 2
This month: #3 PASTA: no; #4 FotW: no; #5 BREAD: 1

This week in the kitchen

Monday/6-May-14: (Managed to loose what I wrote on Monday, so this bit is reimagined.) Working on the freezer inventory, we grilled some chicken sausages on the bbq. Served with Mediterranean Lentil Salad with Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette (Essential, p288), a yummy side dish salad that could be a vegetarian main. For after there was Easy Berry Cobbler (HandyBook) fresh from the oven, served with ice cream.

Tuesday/7-May-14: Shopping today.

Dinner was fish from Nigel Slater for IHCC. Served with boiled new potatoes and some of the yellow beans from the freezer. Finished off the cobbler for dessert.

Wednesday/8-May-14: Yogurt on overday. Boiled up the the chicken&pigeon stock yet again and froze it.

Some 1970s American food for dinner. I made a half recipe of Deviled Crab (TLAmer, p71), served over some nouilles bouclées (curly noodles) along with some broccoli.

Thursday/9-May-14: Easy dinner tonight. Arroz con Pollo from the freezer, followed by a salad. The chicken was very good still. The rice was tasty enough, but pretty soggy. Not sure if that was from its time in the freezer, or being well covered in the oven for quite a while.

Friday/10-May-14: And a really easy dinner tonight. Some so-so broccoli sauce for pasta from the freezer, brightened up with a bit of lemon juice, over the rest of the nouilles bouclées, followed by a big salad.

Saturday/11-May-14: Picked up Barbara from the train today. There was a train broken down and all trains were delayed about 50 minutes. Hers was the first late one into the station. Stopped by Leclerc on the way home to do a bit of shopping.

For dinner we had Potaje de Vigilia from the freezer and a big salad. Then some cheese (morbier and camembert) with some of Barbara's homemade membrillo (which goes really nicely with cheese).

Sunday/12-May-14: Ed had a late afternoon choir concert today and restaurants aren't open Sunday evening. He went early for practice and Barbara and I went later, leaving a Slow-Roast Lamb (Diaries, p62) in the oven. When we got back, we smashed some potatoes and steamed some broccoli. The lamb was delicious. So were the cheeses (finished off yesterday's two). Then we had some little store-bought rice puddings.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: yes; #2 VEG/FISH: 4
This month: #3 PASTA: no; #4 FotW: no; #5 BREAD: 1

American Cooking: Broiled Squab with Lemon-Soy Butter and Spoon Bread

This book provides a summary of what American cooking looked like, at least in restaurants and for important family meals, in the late 60s and early 70s. There are some things that I recognize here, but others that I find hard-pressed to place as American, for example, the Broiled Squab with Lemon-Soy Butter (p55) that I made for tonight's dinner. Soy sauce would be starting to be used for general cooking along about this time, having been adopted from Chinese restaurants, but squab?

A squab, for those of us who can't get further than "it's a small bird" is an unfledged pigeon (i.e., it hasn't yet flown from the nest). This translated to pigeonneau in my French food dictionary. When I asked at the butcher's counter for deux pigeonneaux s'il vous plaît, he gave me two pigeony bird, but judging by the weight—my two birds were about a pound each—I'd guess these were adult birds rather than babies. And, surprise, they came complete with heart and liver and other "scary bits," as my friend Hennie calls them. (It's not normal to get innards with your birds here.) I removed these, spatchcocked the birdies, flattened them, salted and peppered, dipped them in the butter, soy sauce, and lemon juice mixture, then broiled them, basting when they got turned. They took more than the advertised 6 minutes per side to cook, but I expect that was because of the extra size.

The author recommends serving the birds with Spoon Bread (p89). Now, spoon bread really is an American tradition, southern, I think, but I've never had it or made it before. After dinner, I looked at other spoon bread recipes and found that most included either baking powder or soda (if buttermilk was called for) to raise the bread. This recipe depends only on the egg white for lift, making it really a kind of soufflé. But it's very good and was especially good for sopping up all the juices.

The lemon-soy butter was a very good basting sauce. I might use this on a plain old chicken one day. The pigeons were good, with lovely dark meat rather like duck but not so gamey in taste. A a bit pricey for everyday eating, though.

We both enjoyed the spoon bread. Part of the leftovers with get toasted for breakfast, I expect, and the rest used for some kind of soup or stew at lunch, whatever the freezer has to offer. (The pigeon bones went in the freezer sack with chicken bones and will get used for the next batch of stock that I make.)

This week in the kitchen

Monday/21-Apr-14: Dinner was Sticky Soy-Hoisin Chicken Thighs (web; cookbooker) which was pretty good. Used five thighs and all the the sauce for the two of us; there was plenty of sauce, but not a superabundance. Served with coconut rice and some yellow green beans from the freezer, cooked in sesame oil and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and amchoor at the end. For dessert, I used up a tub of ricotta that I defrosted for something that didn't get done and made my version of Coffee Ricotta Mousse (MW@Home, p307).

Tuesday/22-Apr-14: Shopping today. Bought some organic lemons to make preserved lemons. Picked up a pair of coquelets then asked at the butcher's counter if they had pigeonneaux. Yes they did, so I bought two and froze the coquelets. Them-thar pigeons were expensive! Stay tuned.

Dinner was Spiced Fried Fish (30MinCook, p120) made with swordfish, which was on sale today. Fish strips tossed with lime, spices, and besan, then deep fried. Yum. Served with Carrots with Mustard Seeds (30MinCook, p47) and Pan-Fried Potatoes with Browned Onions and Garam Masala (RealCook, p244). For dessert we had fresh strawberries with Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream (TLAmer, p106). Forgot to take a picture till it was too late.

Wednesday/23-Apr-14: A lovely lunch out today, courtesy of Groupon. We didn't need to eat anything for the rest of the day.

Thursday/24-Apr-14: Yogurt on overday. Another IHCC dinner tonight, with Chicken and Rice Salad (Diaries, p187; cookbooker). We finished off the ice cream when I got back from line dancing.

Friday/25-Apr-14: The day got late, so what was on the plan (and defrosted) will move to tomorrow. Instead there were Zucchini Bread Pancakes (web). Good there were. I made a whole recipe, expecting leftovers to freeze, but we ate it all. A bit much, but oh so good.

Saturday/26-Apr-14: Made up some Preserved Lemons (Couscous, p31) which now need to get shaken daily for 30 days before using.

American food from TLAmer tonight. Served the squab and spoon bread with Grilled Asparagus (30MinCook, p31) and Cold Beetroot with Cream (Pomiane, p180). We were full. No dessert.

Sunday/27-Apr-14: Intended to make pasta today, but it looks like Ed finally managed to share his cold-crud with me, and I'm feeling like s***. So I made the sauce to go with the strangely named Whole Wheat Spaghetti (XSpecCP, p99). This isn't a crockpot dish (except to keep it warm) and all you do is cook some store-bought whole wheat spaghetti, but there's a nice sauce of sautéed leeks, goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, olive, lemon zest, and lemon juice. I made a little salad of rocket and a chopped up beet and the rest of the dressing from Pomiane's beet dish. Split a Magnum classic for afters. Hoping to feel better tomorrow.

Yogurt on overnight.

Progress on goals
This week: #1 COOKBOOKS: yes; #2 VEG/FISH: 3
This month: #3 PASTA: no; #4 FotW: yes; #5 BREAD: 0