You are actually correct on both parts. I lightly brown fresh garlic and shallots (herbs) in a pan first then add the balsamic and reduce. Then I combine with mayo
-or- an unflavored greek yogurt works very well also.
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Sounds delicious. I may have to try that and see how it goes over with my fam, which typically avoids any “creamy” dressings besides blue cheese and caesar.
Arroz con calamares.
Is it relatively easy to find frozen Monterey squid at your stores in the States ? It’s become very difficult to find in Canada. Most of the squid is coming from Asia, and it tends to be larger and a little tougher than the boxes of frozen Monterey squid I bought for decades.
This was made from thawed whole squid tubes at the seafood counter at the grocery store. No idea where they came from.
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Hey ma!!! Hey ma…I hope you’re looking down at me right now. Look ma!!! All those years of Catholic Skool paid off…look at your good Catholic boy!!! No meat in lent, instead we have a creamy shrimp scampi and pasta!!! Love ya Ma!!!
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Went with my old Friday night standby: sirloin tips seasoned with olive oil and s/p, grilled on the grill pan, finished in the oven with Ballymaloe steak sauce.
Half a baked tater with TPSTOB&SC and steamed broccoli.
Ohhh, there WAS wine after a short work week that ended up being a long week.
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A few recent dinners;
Stifado, rotisserie chicken, au gratin potatoes, ramenish - all good on wintry nights.
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Broccolini, creamed spinach, mashed potatoes with chives, slightly overcooked NY strip with shallot and mushroom sauce and Gorgonzola cheese.
Manhattan.
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Eggplant stuffed with lamb, feta, and pine nuts. I usually make this with slices of eggplant topped with the lamb mixture but my oven has been acting up and this seemed easier. I don’t post pictures of my beverages but I like how this one came out - Pama (pomegranate liqueur), gin, club soda, mint and lime.
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Cheesesteaks tonight with Pat LaFrieda shaved steak, hot cherry peppers, fried onions, and mozzarella on a toasted Martin’s hoagie roll. Side of lackluster McCain’s baked fries not pictured.
Our supermarket tends to alternate between LaFrieda and some generic brand of shaved steak (though at the same price). We seem to have cheesesteaks once a month or so, and this was the first time we had LaFrieda when purchasing. I was always curious if it lived up to the hype. I’ll say this: there was a marked difference in quality. I don’t know what it was–just tasted better overall.
To drink: It became a martini night. I kept it classic with a Stoli and Dolin Vermouth straight up. As for my BF, I created something new and special: the Chocolate Covered Almond. I’ll let you in on the recipe: two ounces each of Trader Vic’s Chocolate Liqueur and Disaronno, one ounce each of Stoli Vanilla and regular Stoli, splash of heavy cream, shake vigorously and strain. I must say, as someone who does not drink sweet and creamy cocktails, it was amazing. Cheers!
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Friday night was my second go at purple potato pizza. Purple potatoes (spiralized for thin slices), speck, roasted red pepper, garlic, rosemary, and olive oil.
Dotting the pie just out of the oven with blobs of thinned out mascarpone produced a happy and surprising effect.
Kind of like a chip and dip pizza. Sounds odd yet really yum!
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While I attended a Zoom baby shower, DH made dinner: seared pork Copa steak with sage and brown butter, zoodles in the drippings topped w/ pecorino, and Melissa Clark’s wild rice and clementine salad (a hard favorite in this house). So good.
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Late to bed
Late to rise.
But the dinner she made
Is not one LindaWhit
Could ever despise.
I’ve had a couple of heavy meals these past couple of days, so I wanted something lighter. Quiche to the rescue.
A blind bake on a single Pillsbury pie crust, cooled, then layered with sauteed baby spinach and caramelized onions, with a mixture of 4 whupped eggs, 2/3 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup cooked-until-crispy pancetta, 1/2 cup grated mozzarella and 1/4 cup grated Parm-Reg, s/p, and grated nutmeg, then carefully poured over the spinach and onions. Baked at 375° for about 35 minutes until the knife came out clean.
Protein, veg, dairy and meat, all in one. Oh yeah. And fruit with the wine poured before and during cooking.
A fully rounded meal with all of the food groups.
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What a dream!
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We experienced our first and probably last outside bubble dining experience tonight at Bloom in Verona. They had a birthday party indoors and we were forced to dine in a bubble on a cold and windy evening. We were also stuck with the last bubble in the parking lot where the ground was on an incline, so it felt like we were going downhill the whole night. Also, the wind blew the bottom of the bubble up causing cold air to blow on my feet which were frozen. My hands were frozen the whole night as well. They had a heater inside the bubble but it just blew on my face. The heater also went out for about 15 minutes. The food and service were excellent but it was hard to fully enjoy it under the circumstances. I felt sorry for the servers who had to keep running inside and outside and unzipping and zipping the bubbles. We might give the bubble another try in warmer weather with a bubble on flatter ground.
Anyway, besides the usually excellent escargot, bulgogi tacos, and truffle fries, we enjoyed some excellent fork tender short ribs with a carrot puree, and bass and clams over a scallion and clam jus. It all went great with an excellent french red blend.
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Looks fantastic.
We are big quiche fans !
I am going to prepare one this week with Emmenthal and Comte …
Have a nice weekend.
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Probably wise, as the heaters seem like they could be a fire hazard in the bubble. Here in Asheville they are not even permitted in tents.
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Sorry to hear about your dilema and horrendous weather.
In Spain, the heat lamps cannot be locked in an indoor environment due the strict fire hazards. They have them outdoors which create a comfortable temperature around the terrace tables …
They are installed on flat ground, never a hill … And they do get warm, to point that one does not need a bubble enclosure. A bubble enclosure would do better with a small electric heater on flooring.
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Thank you @Barca. Yes, I agree that it would be more beneficial to have the heater on the floor as opposed to up above in your face.
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@LindaWhit That QUICHE 
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