What’s for Dinner #39 - Nov. '18 - The Beginning of the Holiday Season!

I’m going to bake a test pc of the pastry only to see what our oven prefers😉. Looks like the Oven has the last word.

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Will get this eventually, never been cut by mandonlin so far, was too nervous always proceed slowly, but cut several times by the grater, lol!

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I have bought a big jar of sumac, don’t know how to use it… :thinking:

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I’m mixing half oz with zaatar, white sesame seeds, thyme, kosher salt and ground black pepper for a dipping mix with olive oil for warmed bread and the other half oz. for lamb dishes.

What did you have in mind?

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Sounds perfect to me.

WFDs!

Simple no fuss meal: bucatini with Gorgonzola cream sauce, leek, bacon and pine nuts.

Head cheese with pistachio and green salad

Sunday noon: Alsatian Devil’s pork shoulder with mustard, a brune beer, onions and bay leaves. Recipe here.

Dinner: octopus and squids with chilis, fish sauce, lime juice, lemongrass with some greens.

Husband craved for pizzas for days, bought home 2 Monday night:
Parma ham, buffalo mozzarella, parmesan, arugula and tomato

Buffalo mozzarella, bell peppers, spianata, nduja, tomato and onion. Hot like it should, excellent!

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LOL, I need to get some of this now!
I wonder if I can make my mix. Too much spice at home, and can never finish using them on time.

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Such interesting meals. Food combinations that don’t occur to me. Wow, @naf.

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Thx. Some dishes were made limited to what were left in the fridge. Trying the best to use up the ingredients.

Sure. I make mixes from whole spice I grind in a small coffee grinder or buy small oz batches pre ground. I placed a recent order with World Spice Merchants. Sumac, zaatar, mace, herbs de provence, hazelnut dukkah. Some blends in whole form, some single spice.

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I try to use up food stuffs too. Bothers me when food is wasted.

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Do you have a good recipe of Zaatar?

I have both a small electric one, and a manual one, both coffee grinder for this usage. The electric one can mixed really fine, but needs a bigger batch.

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4 posts were merged into an existing topic: High praise for sumac, uses

I have only been cut by mine cleaning it. I was so mad last time I threw it out!

Thanks! I like the fact of drying fresh thyme, and the extra (Mexican) oregano seems like a good idea.

BTW, Mexican oregano vs Italian oregano, what’s the difference?

Ouch! Sorry for that! I always use a toothbrush for cleaning those tools.

Mediterranean Oregano

This oregano is a member of the mint family and grows throughout the region, from Greece to Italy, Spain, Turkey, Egypt, and Morocco. It’s also known as wild marjoram. Oregano from these areas is robust in flavor, though different. Some more bitter, sweet, or peppery than others. Greek oregano tends to be the most savory and earthy, while Italian is milder and Turkish is more pungent.

Mexican Oregano

This oregano is a relative of lemon verbena and native to Mexico, it also grows in Central and South America. Although this it shares the basic pungent flavor of Mediterranean oregano, it also has undertones of citrus and mild licorice.

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I’ve tried that with limited success. Still tasted good though!

All four, Greek, Italian, Turkish and Mexican oregano taste diff. Italian is mild and Mexican is faintly citrusy to me. I enjoy all of them.

I didn’t add any oregano to the zaatar because I thought it would overpower the thyme. I prefer oregano with roasted garlic s&p and mild paprika in ooil as a garlic bread dip.

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