What's for Dinner #104 - the Almost Green Edition - March 2024

I went to the Whalesbone on Bank for oysters once years ago and they were the best oysters I’ve ever had. The oysters at the Elgin location most likely come from the same purveyors so if you ever go there I’m pretty sure you will enjoy them.

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Definitely start with Shawarma Palace. Portions are HUGE. Shawarma Palace
I brought my cousins there in 2009, for lunch, and we didn’t finish what we ordered, and we were still way too full to be able to enjoy our dinner at Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal later that night. :rofl: Another place with massive portions :rofl: :pig2:

My favourite thing to order at Shawarma Palace is actually the Vegetarian Platter, not the shawarma :grinning:

Oysters are not my favourite shellfish so I usually focus on other things. I love the chowder at The Whalesbone on Elgin, as well as their Tuna Poke Bowl.

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Stagg chili, cheesy garlic bread, moar cheese and pickled jalapenos on this chilly snowy evening.

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Yes, she’s a bad hoarder and that’s a major. issue. She seems to appreciate my cleaning and helping her in general, but there are just so many issues with her.

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Roasted achari game hens with roasted pineapple salad, pickled chile yogurt dip, and basmati rice, adapted from the Gunpowder cookbook. This is supposed to be a partridge leg recipe and grilled or broiled. I decided to roast the hens at 400F (convection) covered loosely with foil for 25 minutes and then uncovered for 30 minutes (basting with butter every 10 minutes). Came out perfect! There will be leftovers for another night this week too.



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A Tibetan noodle soup called Lhasa Thukpa with slices of omelette, ground beef, noodles, greens, from a Tibet Café in Kensington Market.



I haven’t found an online recipe for Thukpa with ground beef, omelette and noodles.

Here are some Tibetan chicken Thukpa recipes. Thukpa is also made in Nepal and northern India, probably also in other countries. I’m not sure about the regional variations. This was my first time to try any Thukpa, as far as I remember.

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I made harissa-orange b/s chicken thighs baked over par-cooked spiced brown basmati rice, sauteed shallots, and coriander cauliflower. Tasty dragged through a slash of Greek yogurt and lemony peri-peri sauce. A few Kalamatas just because.

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A proper Sunday Dinner.

Roasted chicken, air-dried in the downstairs fridge overnight with s/p, and then roasted at 425° for 15 minutes and finished roasting at 350° for 20 minutes/lb. It had a half lemon cut into quarters tucked inside, and a butter, thyme and lemon zest tucked under part of the skin.

Par-steamed red and yellow baby potatoes, then roasted in the convection oven with olive oil and za’atar.

Steamed green beans with butter and toasted slivered almonds.

The rest of the Stags Leap Karia Chardonnay.

One of the better birdies I’ve made, even though the skin didn’t crisp as much as I’d have liked. :heart:

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The correct proportion of butter to potato in that photo!

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Actually salivated when I saw those potatoes :joy:.

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Devilled beef kidneys, à la Fergus Henderson, on toast with tomato carrot soup. I’ve never liked beef kidney, but this was really good. Offal from grass fed and finished beef lacks the manky flavour I’ve come to associate with kidney. Not the most pristine photo as we were already digging in, but you get the idea.

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Oh that looks delicious! I like kidneys and most offal.

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That is a thing of beauty right there…

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Marinated halibut kebabs on the grill. Served with a Meyer lemon sauce, and a pilaf of Arbrorio rice with orzo and baby garden peas.

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Those peas! Squeeeeeee!

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We enjoyed another outstanding dinner at The Circle Restaurant in Fredon/Newton, NJ, including pork loin with farro risotto, smoked beet, roasted Brussels sprout and chimichurri; paccheri pasta with shrimp; plus our usual favorites of lobster; tempura fried lamb ribs; and hen of the woods mushrooms. It all went great with a couple of excellent cabernets.






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Lol. We’re almost out. I think I have about half-a-quart of last year’s peas left in the freezer. The ones I planted last fall to winter over met their demise during a deep freeze in January. A month ago I planted close to 50’ of peas for this spring, but they won’t be in until late May or early June.

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I remember shelling peas sitting on the porch of our farmhouse in rural Ohio when I was a teen. Slapping mosquitoes all the while. I swore I would never do that again when I got out of there - and I haven’t. As much as I love peas of any kind, I seldom even buy snow peas or sugar snaps because of having to deal with the strings. My DH will do that if he gets a craving for them. Otherwise, we buy them frozen.

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Most of the green bits are hidden in this photo - the fresh Thai basil, mint, and chopped scallions. Also the broth and the spicy paste was loaded with lemongrass. Homemade bun bo hue. This is a second attempt and 10 yrs after my first try. It takes patience and a lot of ingredients to assemble! I revisited this since I have an Instant Pot, and this still took me almost 4 hours to get everything ready.

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