What's for Dinner #44 - 04/2019 - the April Flowers but no Showers Edition

After a few days away for work training last week, I’m semi feeling like I am caught up. The kiddo didn’t starve to death and the house looked no messier than usual! Great success!!!

Here in NJ the weather felt like summer yesterday so burgers, zucchini, portobello mushrooms and roasted potatoes on the grill. After too many failed grilled potato experiences, I realized that if I microwave the chunks for 3-5 minutes then they are softened enough to finish off on the grill.

We ate outside which was delightful.

No pics but here is one of my cherry tree that exploded yesterday! Happy Spring!

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I love preserved lemon with lamb and oddly enough, tomatoes. Something about the two types of acidity together really works for me. Here’s an Ottolenghi recipe I made (subbing lamb for beef and using preserved lemons/juice instead of regular lemon juice) that was very successful: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/mar/02/meatballs-recipes-yotam-ottolenghi-jerusalem

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Upcoming - a brown gloop from the freezer. In this case, the leftovers from a roast lamb dinner - ( meat and veg) were chopped small and frozen with the gravy. Now defrosted and with mashed spuds on top, HEY PRESTO, it’s shepherds pie for dinner. Steamed purple sprouting broccoli to accompany.

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Great recipe! Made it several months ago & then went on a junket. Adult daughter loved the leftovers. Thanks for the reminder, had kinda forgotten about it.

We frequently make potato packets for the grill. We cut into large fry shapes usually, seal them in tin foil and they are usually done by time the other elements of our dinner are. Meant to say that we season them & drizzle with olive oil too.

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Voting for Cuisine of the Quarter is live! Spring 2019 (Apr-Jun) Cuisine of the Quarter - VOTING

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No tomatoes in that one, or did I misunderstand?

Dinner tonight:

Pan fried Cajun catfish with homemade tartar sauce
Maque Choux with a pinch of jalapeno
Something green - leaning toward a vinegar based slaw with cabbage and carrots.

Last nights dinner was a quicky casserole using browned slices of polenta (the tube stuff, using up last summers hurricane rations) topped with an herbed ricotta with parmesan surrounded by the red sauce from the other night. Very tasty and comforting to eat with the wind and hail pounding the house.

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No, no tomatoes, although I think I served roasted cherry tomatoes as a side the last time I made those meatballs, which worked really well. I meant to say that I like the flavor of preserved lemons with lamb as well as with tomatoes (separately). Imprecise language on my part, sorry! I made a roasted tomato vinaigrette with preserved lemon a while back that was a big hit - just blitz roasted tomatoes and preserved lemon with garlic/herbs of your choice and enough oil to make a dressing. I don’t care for raw tomatoes in salads so it was a nice way to get tomato flavor without having to eat big pieces of raw tomato!

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It was indeed he Snowdonia Cheese Company. I’ve also had the Black Bomber and you’re right it is a good cheddar.

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Mrs. P made a blackened chicken cutlet with a Cajun dry rub. She made more of that excellent roasted fennel, shallot, leek, etc. side dish that we had with the rabbit last week. It is not very pretty but the chicken was very juicy.


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Just fish and salad
Steelhead

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The vinaigrette sounds tasty!

Do you (or does anyone) use the pickling liquid in dressings? I recently confirmed that it’s fine to use the pulp rather than discard it (it always seemed like such a waste, so I just rinsed it and used it like the rind).

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Thank you! Passing this along to her too!

Tried to avoid buying produce today since i should recieve my misfits produce box tomorrow (yay!).
Made a cucumber/rice wine vinegar/sesame oil/black vinegar/sesame seeds thing that was my appetizer

Another one for the Random Stuff on Salad series- three bean salad i found in the cupboard (why do i keep thinking i like this more than i do?? It’s definitely not a repurchase), and some cucumber, sunflower seeds, some orange segments and tomato. Side of kombucha and the rest of the plantain chips from last night

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Black beans and rice. I also made homemade salsa served up with sesame blue corn chips for a playdate. Bogle old vines zin in our glasses.

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I had marinated two chicken thighs with the cafreal spice paste yesterday, so I cooked the other one, but in a gravy this time.

Puréed some extra spice paste ingredients plus half a zucchini to add some bulk to the sauce, apparently channeling my mother’s vegetable-hiding skills.

Parathas from the freezer.

(Black speck in the background is the chicken skin chip.)

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I like the Bogle wines . Been to their vineyard.

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Hard to beat for $8.88. Their wines have been good for a while, as I recall.

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Last night we had grilled chicken legs that were marinated (brined?) in buttermilk, brown sugar, garlic, smokey paprika, lemon juice and salt overnight. Super tasty but next time I’ll do boneless thighs. I think the flavor will stand out better since they are thinner. Sides of brown rice and sauteed green beans in butter.

The little one looked at the plate, grabbed the whole handful of beans and moved them to mine. “Mommy, NO WANT IT” Ok kid… She did eat the chicken and the rice so not a total loss.

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