What's for Dinner #45 - 05/2019 - The Sunshiny, Flowery & Blooming May Edition

digga · May 13, 2019, 6:11pm

I’m a great believer that most bottled sauces / dressings people buy out of convenience are fairly easy to make and with fewer unpronounceable ingredients. I’ll give this a whirl one of these days. Well except for the 48 L part. Good gawd, that’s a lotta sauce. I’m sure you have a master plan for it all.

Welcome @Foodhunter!

ChristinaM · May 13, 2019, 6:36pm

That looks delicious!

Foodhunter · May 13, 2019, 8:05pm

No we split it with Harvey the gentlemen we made it with. We give most of it to family and friends.when you going to a friend’s I always ask a bottle of wine or a bottle of teriyaki sauce I’ve never taken a bottle of wine to a dinner since I started making this teriyaki sauce.

Harters · May 13, 2019, 8:07pm

That was actually my specific interest here. On the occasions when I use teriyaki sauce, I reach for the bottle in the cupboard - supermarket own label, so not even a very good one but, when I’d last run out, I couldnt be bothered schlepping into the city to one of the Chinatown shops.

Saregama · May 13, 2019, 8:51pm

Welcome, @Foodhunter!

How long does your homemade sauce last in the fridge?

mariacarmen · May 13, 2019, 9:32pm

Made a friend’s mom’s recipe for chicken, peppers and shrooms, with penne rigate, Sat. night for Sunday’s dinner. Very good and homey. Also, a salad from Via Carota via NYT (which I got to eat at on my recent trip - FAB) - Insalata Verte. A lot of attention is paid to thoroughly washing the various greens and adding water to the dressing and letting things sit. I didn’t use the recommended greens (butter lettuce, frisee, watercress, romaine, endive) but used what i had - really nice radicchio, endive, and romaine. The dressing itself is what makes it, though, and I followed it pretty much to the letter. when i first tasted it i wasn’t sure what all the hoopla was about, but 20 minutes later - DELISH. and today, for lunch, too, even better. good thing the recipe makes a lot.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020223-via-carotas-insalata-verde

mariacarmen · May 13, 2019, 9:35pm

and in case you don’t have access:

INGREDIENTS:

2 heads butter lettuce, such as Boston or bibb
1 romaine heart
1 large Belgian endive
1 bunch watercress
½ small head frisée

FOR THE DRESSING:

1 large shallot, minced
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon aged sherry vinegar, plus additional, as needed
1 tablespoon warm water
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ teaspoons whole-grain mustard
1 ½ teaspoons honey (optional)
2 sprigs thyme, washed and stripped
1 large clove garlic, finely grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

Wash the greens: Fill a sink or large basin with tepid water. Remove any wilted or damaged leaves from the butter lettuce, romaine and endive. Trim each head at the root to release whole leaves. Leave butter-lettuce leaves whole, but halve large leaves of romaine and endive on the bias, then drop into water. Trim and discard any roots and long stems off watercress, and drop remaining leaves and tender stems into water. Trim and discard dark green outer leaves and tops from frisée until only light green and white parts remain. Trim at the root to release leaves, and drop into water. Swirl greens in water, then drain. Wash twice more in cool, then cold, water, then transfer to a salad spinner to dry. Gently wrap in clean dish towels, and set aside.
Place the shallot in a fine-mesh strainer, and quickly rinse with cold water. Allow to drain, then place in a medium bowl, and add vinegar and warm water. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then whisk in oil, mustards, honey (if using), thyme, garlic and a large pinch of salt. Taste, and adjust salt and vinegar as needed.
To serve, gently pile a generous handful of greens into a serving bowl, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and a generous drizzle of dressing. Continue with another handful of salad and more seasoning and dressing, repeating until you have a glorious, gravity-defying mound of salad. Top with a final drizzle of dressing, and serve immediately.
Wrap remaining greens in an airtight container or plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Cover and refrigerate remaining dressing for up to 3 days.

digga · May 13, 2019, 9:55pm

I have been obsessed with this salad as soon as the NYT story appeared despite the fussinesss. And with Via Carota since I first heard about it. If we ever get back to the city (we’re attending a swanky wedding this September), this will be top of my list to try.

ChristinaM · May 13, 2019, 9:55pm

Thanks, I was just gonna ask!

ChristinaM · May 13, 2019, 9:58pm

I made Turkish-rubbed salmon (sumac, za’atar, Aleppo and Urfa peppers, s+p), saffron pappardelle with browned butter, tomato-braised pole beans, and lemon-dill cucumber-yogurt sauce.

mariacarmen · May 13, 2019, 10:40pm

It was divine. really, start to finish. the only thing we didn’t love was their chicken livers with lemon, which turned out to be more like a pate. not a bad thing, just wasn’t expecting it. Go, go!

mariacarmen · May 13, 2019, 10:50pm

oh and maybe try going at lunch, it’s easier to get in. We got there at 11:30 and got in within 5-10 mins.

RedJim · May 13, 2019, 11:20pm

Another dinner scuttled. Was going to make a Chef John Mac & Cheese for HS #2, & wife but he called to postpone. Fall back was scrambled eggs with Wright Hickory Smoked Bacon. Bacon was oven-fried. Love that option.

Carmelizing a bit of Vidalia Onions:

Dinner on the plate:

Saregama · May 13, 2019, 11:59pm

Finished some leftover blackeyed pea and quinoa salad as filling for pani puri while chicken defrosted.

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Chicken legs had been marinated in yogurt and zhoug for kababs, but with the cold and rainy weather I wanted something saucy, so I turned them into chicken in yogurt and cilantro gravy. Last of the sautéed snow pea leaves, and freezer paratha.
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Saregama · May 14, 2019, 12:00am

Gorgeous color on the pappardelle!

Saregama · May 14, 2019, 12:01am

I’ve been wondering about that salad dressing since they published it…

LindaWhit · May 14, 2019, 12:14am

Late home from work. A sweet Italian sausage taken from the freezer and defrosted with a cup or so of Pomi chopped tomatoes.

Sausage squozen and sauteed, then some broccoli florets and diced red bell pepper sauteed.

Penne cooked and drained. Made a bastardized Parma-Rosa sauce with the tomatoes, some heavy cream, white wine, and half a container of Alouette garlic and herb cheese augmented with dried oregano, basil and parsley, some tomato paste, and a handful of grated Parm-Reg.

Added everything to the sauce to heat it up, then more grated Parm-Reg on top. T’was dinner, and it was good.

bear · May 14, 2019, 12:52am

When I made Sicilian pizza the other day, I blew it making the first batch of dough and added too much water. Rather than messing with the ratios, I stuck the dough in a ziplock bag and cold-fermented it for dinner tonight. It wasn’t super-browned, but was very good overall with a moist and flavorful crumb. It was paired with Melissa Clark’s Roasted Eggplant and Tomato pasta dish, which was tasty enough but not memorable. I probably won’t make it again.

ChristinaM · May 14, 2019, 1:01am

That looks awesome. Yum.

ChristinaM · May 14, 2019, 1:02am

Sure looks good, though!