What’s For Dinner #42 - 2/2019 - the Hearts & Flowers & Brrrr-Chilly Winter Edition

shrinkrap · February 16, 2019, 11:40pm

Dungies!

A Chow thing that gave me pause

I thought it was supposed to be back down. From Melanie W http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/4734…

Using this golden oldie from Chowhounder Melanie Wong, circa 2001

They were $8.99/pound at Country Square Market, and I walked away in huff. Then I went back. It’s February, and I haven’t had them yet!

Here’s what we wrote in 2013, and it’s still true!

" Melanie Wong 12/05/13 5:11PM re: raytamsgv

“I have never been able to make myself do that. I’ve had many people ask me why the crab they try to stir-fry at home doesn’t compare to restaurants. And this is exactly why. Squeamish home cooks par-boil the crabs or start with a dead one. The texture and taste can’t compare to stir-frying a newly killed, almost still moving crab the way your family (and restaurants) do.”

I wrote
"As much as my kids hate it, I don’t have a problem with steaming them live, but ripping them apart alive is not something I’d choose.

Still, I’d like to steam them as briefly as possible, then finish them as one of those Singapore-Style Chili Crab recipes.".

Melanie goes on to write
"Instead of boiling, you might try steaming the crabs. I like to cook my own because I want the crab fat under the carapace and it must be freshly cooked. If you boil them, most of the fat runs out into the boiling liquid. The flavor is much more intense, the meat is less water-logged and needs no added salt when steamed. But I will caution you that the aroma when you take the lid off is incredibly overpowering because all the crab juices are concentrated into such a small amount of liquid.

Only an inch of water is needed in the bottom of the pan, takes less time to heat up. Once its boiling, lay the live crab in the pot dorsal side down (to catch the fat in the carapace). Hold it from the posterior end and the claws cant reach you. Depending on size, cooking time is 12 to 17 mins. The legs will be ready in 12 mins., and sometimes Ill pull those off to start cracking while the rest of the crab finishes cooking."

I eat the “fat” sometimes , and some times I heed “warnings” about contaminants.

ccj · February 17, 2019, 12:26am

We have blue crab haven in front of our property
Always steam them alive, but be sure your water has come to a .roaring boil before you add the crab to the steamer so that they get stunned within minutes. If you place them in the steamer before the water comes to a full boil, that is less merciful.

ChristinaM · February 17, 2019, 12:34am

Tonight I made Thai turkey kebabs with lemongrass, ginger, Penang curry paste, egg white, agave, and panko. Those were grilled and served over cilantro brown rice with Sriracha-lime mayo sauce. I might have been very hungry, but they were really good! Bagged Caesar to start.

ccj · February 17, 2019, 12:48am

I have had this all clad grill pan for years but never used it till last week when I cooked some chicken legs with bones and skin on, then I added some red sauce from freezer which I had intended to make pork char sho but found out I was allergic to red meat including pork, so froze that instead.
I used it again today to cook a large batch of chicken legs on my 12 X 24 hot plate which I have not used for. along time since I use that to poach or steam fish and crabs only. It is fast becoming one of my favorite pan as one can grill without splattering grease all over. The grease accumulates between the ridges of the grill pan and it is very easy to clean.
So, I grilled chicken legs with skin, transferred them to a French

oven, added the marinade( I marinade the chicken wings in soy sauce, cider , garlic and ginger) without the garlic since I have just roasted 3 lbs of garlic in EVOO and would not want food poisoning if the garlic are old.
To this, I added caramelized onions, bay leafs, freshly crushed peppercorn, more garlic, Javin curry powder, chicken and shrimp broth ( cooked shrimp with tomato and feta yesterday but did not take pictures, so I roasted the shrimp shells), a can of chaoka coconut milk, 4 dehydrated New Mexico hatch pepper, smashed ginger, the juice and zest of. lime, so the chicken legs were completely submerged, came to a boil, added some small new potatoes skin on, sliced in half, simmered on low for around 3 hours, then I added vanilla yogurt to counteract the bitterness of the curry.
This was served with steamed rice
It was good. I guess I have enough that I will freeze most of them .

ccj · February 17, 2019, 12:58am

Here is picture of whole Ham hanging in Barcelona taken by son who ws there since Feb 13.
I had him bring home a Jamon swivel rack in 2013 but now, I cannot eat Ham
I still have Mangalitsa Ham slices from the whole one we purchased last August in fridge.

. Oh Well! My lost !

naf · February 17, 2019, 6:44pm

2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Diet suggestion for alpha gal syndrome ( lone star tick bite )

LindaWhit · February 17, 2019, 1:21am

It was a very good day.
Good visit with Mom.
Shopping for Mom at Frugal Fannies with Sis.
Shopping for me at Wegmans.
Nothing destroyed by the boyz at home.
Until after I got home.
:::Sigh:::

A word got stuck in my brain while driving home: Nage. Probably from seeing something on Top Chef.

So corn nage was made…essentially a corn mush of some Trader Joe’s sweet canned corn and some of the corn liquid all blended with a stick blender, heated alwith a wee bit of heavy cream, seasoned with salt and pepper.

Seared sea scallops on top of the nage, with corn and peas alongside.

Yup. There was wine.

shrinkrap · February 17, 2019, 1:22am

Regarding “the crab fat under the carapace and it must be freshly cooked”.

So we have had our way with the legs, and the remains, with the “carpace/backs”, are going to make broth for the next gumbo and/or jumbalaya. I have strained and set aside the broth that was in the carpace that contained the the “crab fat”. .

Should this go in the broth?

naf · February 17, 2019, 1:31am

Yummy scallops, and nice presentation!

Ttrockwood · February 17, 2019, 2:38am

So fancy looking!!

Ttrockwood · February 17, 2019, 2:45am

Working dinner with my friend i’m helping, we really hit our groove this afternoon and then realized we were hungry but not ready to wrap it up and call it a day yet.
Just went across the street to the enormous Deli of Everything you Could Want and picked up one of their vegan salads- nothing special but did the job. Had a ginger kombucha to drink (thankfully woke up feeling fine after the fries fiasco last night)

meatn3 · February 17, 2019, 3:23am

Today was day one of a predicted week of grey sky’s and near constant rain. A container of chili from the freezer and a pan of corn bread was cherry and warming!

shrinkrap · February 17, 2019, 3:31am

Eipicurious Crab Stock

emglow101 · February 17, 2019, 3:40am

Right behind you . Snowed in ,cabin fever . Plenty of food I could make . Frozen pizza and wine . Cheers.

Mr_Happy · February 17, 2019, 8:40am

Some chicken parm using Chef John’s recipe:

Only without provolone and basil because all I had was frozen mozzarella and parmigiano-reggiano. Used jarred Rao’s marinara for the tomato sauce.

And some asparagus and broccolini.

Harters · February 17, 2019, 11:34am

I suspect that we Brits will read that in a different way to you Yanks.

Upcoming dinner - quiche Lorraine (supermarket purchase), red cabbage slaw. I’n still trying to perfect my dressing for the slaw. At present, it involves mayo, a splash or two of cider vinegar and a smallish dollop of Dijon mustard. It needs a tweak - I’d add chives if any were yet growing in the garden.

tomatotomato · February 17, 2019, 3:43pm

Beautiful plate! Your dinner reminds me of a scallops over succotash recipe, by Sheryl Julian, that I saved long ago. Such a satisfying dish.

ccj · February 17, 2019, 4:02pm

Personally, when I am shelling crabs to eat with friends, I eat the tomalley or share them with my poms who loves crabs! I can never shell fast enough for them. However, when I have left over crabs, I shell them, divide the crab into 4 pieces and use that to make “crab in lobster sauce” , the same recipe as with shrimp in lobster sauce. I would use the tomalley and add it to my ground pork which is what I use for shrimp in lobster sauce. Substitute the crab for the shrimp. It is good. There is no lobster in the so called shrimp in lobster sauce, rathe black beans. recently, I substituted the pork with ground duck meat and it was DELISH!
Here is one recipe for shrimp and lobster sauce. I substitute crab for shrimp and when I was in HK, they substitute lobster for shrimp which is really good also.

ccj · February 17, 2019, 4:06pm

I follow Lopez in Serious eats. He uses Parmegiano and Mozarella.
It is really great. very similar to yours.

Harters · February 17, 2019, 4:58pm

The “Parmo” is a popular takeaway food in the Teesside region of northeast England. Apparently brought to the UK by a US Army chef in WW2 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmo). Perhaps thankfully, it hasnt really travelled outside of its home region.