She wasn’t pretty, but she was muy delicioso. Spanish night - albondigas al ajillo - a recipe i’ve been making for about 25 years now. A bit ambitious for a work day (24 cloves of garlic! and i didn’t have the already peeled ones) but it turned out great. my tomatoes weren’t very juicy, the sauce for the albondigas is usually a little more tomato-y, but not much; it’s not a tomato sauce, it’s a garlic sauce! Pan con tomate, my favorite tapa of all time, and garbanzos con espinacas y champiñones - a blend of two dishes, with garlic too, harissa, and lots of smokey Spanish pimenton.
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Mrs. P prepared another awesome dinner tonight with enough leftovers for another dinner. She made deep fried soft shell crabs and avocados; figs stuffed with blue cheese and pine nuts; roasted delicata squash; asparagus, and a delicious sauce consisting of homegrown herbs, capers, and vermouth, to go with the crab and asparagus. It all went great with a nice Spanish Garnacha.
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Yesss… I actually had real alioli, but apparently it went bad while I was procrastinating.
So plan B - mayo (Duke’s - first time trying it), microplaned garlic, and some lemon juice to fix the flavor of the mayo. And a pinch of salt. SO GOOD.
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We could have had our own party together tonight, @mariacarmen!
I really wanted pan con tomate but convinced myself it would be way too much food. Sigh. Tomorrow, now that I’ve seen yours 
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WHOA! @paryzer that’s next-level dining!
(Give me a little notice and I won’t cook next time… looks like plenty of soft shell deliciousness for us all!)
Compliments to Mrs. P!
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i just saw! i was wishing I had chorizo on hand, and I thought about making patatas bravas, but like you, said nope, too much food. next time!
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Thank you 
It was all delicious. Mrs. P feels that if she has to break out the deep fryer then she might as well make enough for a few dinners 
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Love the soft shells! Here in Baltimore, some places serve soft shells in a sandwich, but I much prefer them as-is. The sandwich is too difficult to eat. Did you use cornmeal in the coating?
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I’d love this recipe - can you share?
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Of course!
Albondigas al Ajillo
3 tbls. olive oil
2 heads garlic (about 20-24 cloves), peeled and left whole
3 1-inch slices french bread
1 lb. ground beef or combination of ground veal, pork & beef
4 tbls. minced fresh italian parsley
1 tsp. salt (or a little less if using bouillon for broth)
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 lg. egg
All-purpose flour for coating
1-1/2 cups beef or chicken broth (or any combo of dry white wine/dry vermouth/dry sherry/broth)
2 medium tomatoes.
Heat 2 tbls. oil in skillet and add all but 3 or 4 garlic cloves. cook until golden and remove. toast 1 slice of bread in the same oil. break up the bread and grind together with cooked garlic in blender or food processor. set aside.
soak the remaining 2 bread slices in water to cover, then squeeze water out. mince the remaining cloves of garlic and combine in a lg. bowl with the soaked bread, 2 tbls of parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg and ground meat. mix well with your hands. form little cocktail sized balls. toss meatballs with flour in a shallow bowl to coat. shake off excess flour.
Heat rest of oil in large skillet. add meatballs and cook over medium heat until browned on all sides. pour stock mixture over meatballs. cut tomatoes in half, and using a grater, and grate tomatoes directly into skillet. discard skin. stir in the reserved ground garlic-bread mixture. cover and simmer for 30 mins. if the sauce is too think uncover the skillet and raise heat and cook until thick. sprinkle remaining parsley over meatballs and serve immediately with toothpicks.
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Saving this - sounds amazing!
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Mrs. P used self rising flour, vegetable oil, evaporated milk, eggs and salt in the coating. The secret to the crunchiness is the self rising flour.
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Sunday … Lunch up on north cape … (Italian and Spanish ) … ! Blonde is dear Friend of our´s.
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Closer to an Alfredo. Butter, roasted garlic, heavy cream, a healthy dose of freshly cracked pepper and grated Parm-Reg. After that was well whisked, I added a tiny bit of a medium-thick paste of flour and heavy cream, and whisked that in. It ended up a bit thicker than I would have preferred and I should have thinned it with a couple teaspoons of water or white wine, but I was hungry and just went with it as is.
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It was a foodie-type day. My errands included trips to BJs Wholesale Club, Penzeys, Trader Joe’s, and Wegmans. Glad Penzeys is open again. I went in for four items…came out with eight. DAMN THEM!!! 
(Then again, two were small freebies, so…)
But TJs was OUT OF the yellow can sweet corn! The horror! I asked at the C/S desk, hoping against all that is holy that they hadn’t discontinued it and telling them they’d cause anarchy if it was discontinued. They said distribution was delayed. Maybe in a week. 
I’m down to a single can…I WILL be stocking up next time I’m there!
A coworker made this during the week, so I made up my own marinade/glaze using the ingredients he provided. He used red, but all I had was white miso, so that’s what got used.
Mixed white miso paste, a splash of fresh lemon juice, a drizzle of dark soy sauce, sone minced garlic, a tiny bit of Sriracha, a splash of vermouth, and a drizzle of local honey. Poured it over the sockeye salmon from Wegmans and let it sit for 30 minutes before it went into the Breville at 350° for 10 minutes, then turning to broil for the last 5.
Side was sauteed sugar snap peas, red bell pepper and carrots with Penzeys Tuscan Sunset seasoning blend. And wine.
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Dumpling burgers for dinner tonight - everything you love about dumplings (ground pork, ginger, garlic, scallion, soy, chili garlic paste, sesame oil, splash of black vinegar), shaped into a patty and pan fried. Topped with Sriracha and served with a side of fennel-red cabbage slaw (with ginger, coriander, white pepper and rice vinegar).
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I’m sitting on the deck
98 degrees in the shade. Making taco bell Supreme tacos . With my favorite cucumber salad . Served cold . I’m sure I’ll be buried in snow before long . Enjoying the heat . Cheers. 
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I tried Blue Plate while out in CA, but I think Duke is more to my taste - definitely compared to the other options.
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