Did a bunch of driving today: took my elderly neighbor to her hair appointment & back, drove my PIC to the gym & back, then downtown for a talk on campus he had to attend, did some grocery shopping & got cash for my elderly neighbor (heretofore referred to as EN) — a rainy, gray day that would’ve been perfect for driving strangers & actually making some money. Oh, well.
As for my plans to stay home a few nights, that didn’t quite shake out, either. My PIC had been meaning to get together with a newly minted PhD in his department & their partner for drinks & a bite, and the menu at the gay bar looked so inviting I decided to join in the fun.
The crab dip was very good, the Caesar salad as well, the soup was a bit disappointing. Nice corny broth, but just lobster crumbs on the bottom that were tough. Meh.
BF was going to make himself a Peruvian dish (papa a la huancaina - potatoes in a cold cheese sauce), so this a.m. i rubbed/marinated a chicken breast we had in the freezer with cumin, paprika, aji panca, salt, granulated garlic & onion, and aji panca paste. He seared it and served me some on my SALAD, and as a side to his potatoes (no pic). Chicken was juicy for breast meat, and flavors were great. All that was missing was the aji verde sauce… next time.
It’s been a day that required a stiff drink, although another gorgeous Indian summer day.
Meatloaf from the freezer, creamy mushroom sauce, charred cofftc with onion and orange bell. Tomato, cucumber and green onion salad, oo&v dressing.
White Poached Chicken with Napa Cabbage and Peanut Rayu from Ottolenghi’s “Comfort” - chicken breast gets poached in water and shredded. Rayu is made by slowly heating up canola oil with gochugaru and once hot you add chopped peanuts, sesame seeds and chopped garlic and cook for a few minutes. Off heat you add soy sauce, salt and sugar and let it cool down to rt. The chicken is mixed with thinly sliced napa cabbage, basil, ginger, scallions, shaoxing wine and the rayu. Finished with some lime juice
Seafood stew in a light tomato sauce. I’ve been making this sort of thing for years. This one has sausage, shrimp, whitefish, calamari, clams, unctuous salmon belly chunks, spinach, and butter beans.
Thank you! In this instance, a simple potato gratin (spuds, olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, butter, chicken stock).
After assembling the gratin, I usually cook it on the hob - covered - for 6-7 minutes until bubbling, and then finish off by baking at 375 degrees - still covered - to internal temp of 205. Remove cover and continue baking another 10-15 minutes “until golden brown” (the broiler can speed up this last part).
Add-ins can be almost anything, but scallions are one of my favorites - their aroma can permeate the whole dish.
A couple of references, from which I’ll typically spring board (scroll down the Guardian/Ottolenghi article to find the potato gratin):
I like the NYT recipe, because it’s just as it’s supposed to be: no frippery, no fooling with the ingredients - just eggs and yolks, pepper, cheese (although I’ve never made it with Pecorino Romano as I rarely, if ever, have it in the house, but Parm-Reg is an excellent stand-in), pasta water, and guanciale (or bacon/pancetta, which is what I usually have). It comes together quickly as well. Glad SO was able to separate the egg whites and yolks - how did he like it?
OR you could just say that Mrs. P chose an older, very distinguished gentleman to settle down with.
There you go! And I certainly don’t feel 67yo. Haven’t felt my age in forever - well, except maybe when I was hospitalized, but you can be hospitalized for heart attacks at any age, I guess!
