There were a couple of possibilities for dinner tonight – we coulda made a meal of all the leftovers in the fridge, namely: a couple spoons of leftover baba ganoush with flatbread, a sizable amount of pilaf, steamed broccoli, saag paneer & chicken makhani, more cilantro dip, a few more spoons of cheesy white bean bake, maybe half a cup of fesenjān, and enough rice to feed a family of 10 from the recent crappy Indian order
Another option were pillowy ricotta ravs from Talluto’s in Philadelphia, of which we brought home 3 trays along with a pint of their vodka sauce (and meatballs, but those are for another day). In case we decided on pasta, I grabbed a discounted loaf of supermarket garlic bread – might as well go whole hog
Once we started discussing our evening entertainment & The Godfather Pt II came up, the choice was a no-brainer: lusciously tender, creamy ravioli, zesty vodka sauce, and a salad (of course) of harvest crunch lettuce, flavor bomb tomatoes, avocado, and walnuts in a tart, zesty walnut vinaigrette.
There’s 12 to a pack, and I’d forgotten how many we usually make. Four/person is kinda the perfect amount. The ricotta filling is delicate, but generous. The vodka sauce (first time we got it since I usually make my own) was a nice counterpart - zesty, tart & just a touch of cream.
Met a friend out early for drinks and apps at a favorite French place nearby.
We had one of our favorite charcuterie offerings there, a delectable chicken liver mousse with onion jam. I wanted a second pate but my friend was tempted by the tarte d’alsace – which I also love, but ended up being a surprisingly weak rendition, much to her disappointment. We had fingerlings Lyonnaise on the side, because: potatoes!
The server was oddly insistent I get their specialty gin cocktail instead of the seasonal Manhattan I wanted, and I do love gin, so I acquiesced like a dummy, but what came was basically a Cosmo, which is not what I had wanted to drink at all, so that teaches me to stop trying to please random people
Mrs. P made a delicious pan seared boneless quail breast salad with roasted delicata squash, roasted mini peppers, sautéed red onions, arugula, with a balsamic syrup. It all went great with an excellent Napa red blend.
Beef stroganoff over egg noodles. Spinach, green onion, radish, avocado salad, creamy Greek dressing. There was a Tanqueray Gibson on the rocks and wine.
I sent the BF a link to a cauli cream-less cream soup from a site called Spain on a Fork, and he went to town on it. It adds zucchini and leeks, and I asked him for some cheese, too - parm regg, in this case. He went just a little heavy on the drizzle of olive oil, but tasty nonetheless. He added a little dab of Calabrian chili paste to his, and I followed suit about halfway through. Liked it both ways. Super creamy and rich - couldn’t finish a whole bowl. I’d try it with Manchego next time.
Cozy Saturday @casa lingua. My band’s auditioning a new drummer this afternoon – a 19yr old junior in college, which means we’re all at least twice (if not thrice) as old as the poor kid
I’ve seen him perform with a jazz quintet at the venue we play fairly regularly, so at least the dumbass state liquor laws aren’t gonna prevent him from joining us at 21+ places …. assuming we’re happy with his work.
I started another Mississippi roast earlier with a beautiful hunka chuck roast from the university’s meat lab. I barely got all of its almost 5lbs in the DO & actually had to cut it up and sear in several stages, and now it’s bathing in all of its low-brow glory of flavored sodium packets & pickled peppers with their brine in the DO tub at 200˚F. Should be ready to go by 8pm.
Not sure yet what to make on the side. We have quite a bit of steamed broc leftover that I could nuke briefly and serve with a quick hollandaise, plus maybe a few steamed baby taters on the side. Ve shall see what appeals closer to dinner time
I hadn’t realized I never watched The Godfather II in its entirety. Liked it better than the first one. Maybe Numero Tre is on deck tonight if we’re in the mood.
May add in a grilled cheese and a cucumber deli-style salad.
The soup will do double or triple duty, until it runs out or I’m sick of it, whichever comes first. That being said, I am usually happy to eat my own leftovers because it’s no additional work, except for a dish or two.
No, it’s not nearly as tart (or lean) as most sauerbraten I’ve had. I’m not a big fan TBH even tho the dish is from the area I grew up. It’s heavy on the umami, so def not something for peeps watching their sodium intake… then again: one pack of ranch dressing, and one of “au jus” on a 5lb. roast perhaps isn’t overkill. Although of course I seasoned all pieces well on all sides with s&p.
The peppers give it a nice bite & tartness, though it is far from spicy (spicy = chili heat ), and the brine adds acidity to a relatively fatty cut of meat. Which is why I also omit the stick of butter bc that’s gross and unnecessary.
The final product is pull-apart tender, savory pot roast. I remove most of the visible fat & toss it with the JUS, not shredding it entirely like you would pulled pork, but bite-size chonks. We often add extra peppers on top for fresh crunch and more bite, since the jar that’s been cooking for 8 hours doesn’t have that much of etiher
It makes for wonderful leftovers, as it heats up nicely & is fantastic crisped up for carnitas tacos.
Thank you for the info. I have access to grass fed beef so I would probably need the butter. I can’t remember if there are any chuck roasts, but if I find something suitable I’ll give it a try.
on a 5lb. roast perhaps isn’t overkill. Although of course I seasoned all pieces well on all sides with s&p.
), and the brine adds acidity to a relatively fatty cut of meat. Which is why I also omit the stick of butter bc that’s gross and unnecessary.
