What's for Dinner #22 - 06/2017 - June is Bustin' Out All Over Edition

Mom requested a shopping day, so I went up and filled her freezer with Mom meals, and then took her to Kohls and got her most of what she needed there. And since it went on my Kohls charge, it’s my birthday gift to her. I win - Mom loves me best! :wink:

Dinner tonight was pork tenderloin rubbed with a mix of lots of dried lime zest and freshly ground pepper, and garlic powder and salt. Roasted with a drizzle of olive oil.

Sides were sauteed carrots, asparagus, red bell pepper and onions, seasoned with Penzey’s Sunny Spain seasoning, and leftover basmati rice.

V&L as the libation. Two, in fact. One during prep, one during dinner.

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LW, that pork tenderloin could not be more perfectly cooked. Looks fabulous.

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Went back to the FM today for some more Salmon belly . They truly are the bacon of the sea . Put on the smoker . Also some nice Mission figs . Farro salad with arugula . Beer to drink :beer: Cheers

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i love that you make and bring mom freezer meals! I’m sure she really appreciates that :)).
V&L is vodka and lemonade, right? Love those myself…!

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I’m definitely in the midst of a korean food phase…! I found a recipe for this chilled acorn jelly salad i really enjoyed in seoul, and i had bought the prepared acorn jelly and the perilla leaves the other day. I skipped the spicy stuff since i’m a wimp and instead of the chrysanthemum leaves i just used more salad greens and perilla leaves.
I munched more of my kimchi while cooking (chopping) as an appetizer. I was poking around at other acorn jelly recipes and hadn’t realized it’s like no calories! I added in some cubed tofu and was extra generous with the sesame seeds but I’ll probably have a late snack before bed.
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/dotorimukmuchim

Finally got to cook a bit. Tortilla de patata - i made it thinner than usual, which made it easy to flip. also, gambas al ajillo with Spanish chorizo, because the BF would not recognize this as a meal without any meat (although he does love scampi, basically the same animal). i used a SE recipe and loved how it has you saute the shrimp shells with crushed garlic, and then use that oil to cook the shrimp in. i accidentally let the chorizo saute too long, it became chewy, but tasted good. this dish really needed crusty bread! i just sopped it up with the tortilla. simple salad with a sherry vinegar/walnut oil vinaigrette.

marinating another pork satay, using pork shoulder this time, as i should have done the first. we had plenty of leftover spicy peanut sauce from last week.



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Thanks - at least I know she’s got something easy and homemade to heat up (various soups she’ll have with a half sandwich, or baked mac & cheese or baked ziti, pot roast) vs. her Stouffers or Lean Cuisine meals.

And yes - V&L is my summertime drink, when meal appropriate. I need to get some mint to drop in a sprig on occasion. :grinning:

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Goat’s legs. Got the butcher to saw them in twos as they wouldn’t fit my oven or SV water bath.

SV a whole day with lots of garlic and rosemary, and Montreal steak seasoning. Seared when done. Tender and delicious. Doesn’t have a game-y taste, just very nice. Bitter lettuce leaves were used as wraps for the meat. Sauce was pistachio picada.

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Picked up some Amberjack today. Corn looked good, is plentiful this time of year and the market had nice looking tomatillos. Mini colored peppers and cilantro in the fridge needing to be used

Seared amberjack on a corn relish. This kinda of simple meal just pushes my buttons big time.

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my mouth instantly watered.

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Made more pork satay tonight - marinated all night, then cut into chunks and seared, tossed in leftover spicy peanut sauce, then under the broiler. so glad i used pork shoulder this time instead of tenderloin - so much better! little rice, little nuoc-chamish salad of jalapenos, cukes and toms. Romaine for wraps.


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:volcano: your on fire Maria . Bravo .:clap:

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That looks fantastic! What do you marinate the meat in? I need to try this. Thanks.

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thanks!

I pretty much followed the NYT recipe, although on the 2nd go-round for the marinade i added fresh lemon/lime and orange juices because i had them. OH, and i used preprepared peanut butter because i misread the recipe! just used the peanuts-and-salt-only kind and went from there. also added sliced jalapeno to the marinade.

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE SKEWERS:
1 ½ pounds pork loin, tenderloin or shoulder, sliced into thin rectangles (1/4 inch x 1 inch x 2 inches; you should have about 24 pieces)
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
3 tablespoons chopped lemongrass
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1 ½ teaspoons turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ cup coconut milk
Cilantro and basil leaves, for garnish (optional)

FOR THE CUCUMBERS:
1 pound Persian or Japanese cucumbers, peeled, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 small shallots thinly sliced, about 1/4 cup
2 fresh Thai or serrano chiles, sliced into rounds

FOR THE PEANUT SAUCE:
1 cup dry roasted peanuts, unsalted
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice, more to taste
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
½ cup coconut milk

Prepare the skewers: Put pork in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together shallot, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, fish sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and coconut milk, and pour over meat. Toss with your hands to coat well. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Meanwhile, soak 12 bamboo skewers in water.

Prepare the cucumbers: Put cucumbers in a mixing bowl and season with salt. Add lime juice, sugar, shallots and chiles and toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Check seasoning, then transfer to a serving dish.

Prepare the peanut sauce: Pulse the peanuts briefly in a food processor just until finely ground. Add the garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, cayenne and coconut milk, and process until well puréed. Transfer to a bowl, then taste and adjust seasoning. Thin a bit with lime juice or water as desired.

Thread 2 slices of pork onto each bamboo skewer, keeping the meat as flat as possible. Grill over hot coals, under the broiler or on a stovetop grill pan for 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a platter and garnish with cilantro and basil leaves. Serve with cucumber relish and peanut sauce.

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Thank you so much! I’m thinking of trying it this weekend. Can’t wait…

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At the fish market the other day I picked up some more Cobia.

Made a coconut broth of coconut water and coconut milk with sautéed shallots and lemongrass. Pan seared the cobia

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Lovely meals everybody, looks like the heat has gone in France. It’s our 7th day in Cambodia now, it was less hot compared to been to the heat wave back at home, here it’s about 32°C and 33ºC max, but they have a daily afternoon rains… we have been to Siem Reap and Battambang and now in Phnom Penh. We both got a bit of stomach problem, luckily we got got enough medicine to keep us going.

Ta Prahm, the Lara Croft temple in Angkor

Several memorable dishes.

Khmer amok with chicken

Khmer Loc lac, beef with a lime sauce with seasame and sugar déglacé

Vegetables dumplings

Best dessert so far is a street food coconut delicacy

Banana fritter isn’t bad too.

Cats are skinny here, here was a young one with 3 legs trying to ask for food at every table, street food area in Battambang.

I will write more on my meals later, now only with a phone it’s difficult to type a lot.

We will be heading to Kampot in our next stop…tomorrow.

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@Scubadoo97, must be a tasty fish. It eats mostly crabs, squid and other fish. Flesh looks firm, which is good for searing.

Thanks, @naf. I don’t recognise the food from my trip. I didn’t do any food research in 2004. The stomach upset will pass. There’s really not much you can control what you eat there. Your system is readjusting.

Cobia taste like it has a higher fat content. A little more dense, succulent and juicy compared to other fish I buy. I love it but it shows up every once in a while at the fish market I frequent

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I grew up eating banana fritters duing recess from the school canteen.
I love it especially using ripe plantain split longitudinally, add a teaspoon in between the halves with a special coconut hybrid called macapuno ( I use the string versus the balls) wrap it with very thin spring rolls ( either home made on the wok or buy the SIMEX brand from the Asian store, pan fried!

Macapuno ( coconut sport) is the endosperm of a coconut that has not developed. It is just like a coconut on the outside but there is no liquid or very little liquid, the flesh is nutty, sweet and highly priced in Asian countries. We can find Macapuno in jars here in Asain Grocery stores, use it for making dessert like Halo Halo ( Bourdain’s latest episode) , part of tropical fruit salad with Jackfruit, macapuno, whipped cream and cream cheese and Del Monte Fruit cocktail, topping for BIKO ( sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and brown sugar) served with ripe mango.

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