Methinks you protest too much! 
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Sometimes there isn’t enough time to buy anything even though you originally planned and so you have to combine more unusual things - indian inspired stir-fried greens (kale and swiss chard) with black mustard seeds, turmeric, curry leaves, coconut, lime juice and jalapeño served with some excellent sausages from our closeby German butcher. Overall excellent “fusion” food.
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Dinner tonight was gifted wild caught cod prepared as Parmesan baked cod. Brushed with mayonnaise, seasoned and dipped into a panko & Parmesan crumb mixture. Far from an original idea, but can well attest that Mayo in some fish applications is quite amazing! Pulled at 130 degrees & let sit for 5 minutes or so. Perfect. ETA: that was a small piece pictured, but ate another that size.
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Kubbet Samak Bil Siniyeh - Baked fish kubbeh. Kubbeh is usually mixture of ground lamb with onions, spices and bulgur. This version, from Sami Tamimi’s book Falastin, is made with fish, sea bass in this case. Half the fish is processed with the bulgur and forms the top and bottom. The rest of the fish is used as the filling along with cilantro, parsley, chiles and sumac. It is then baked. Served with Bamia Bil Siniyhe - Pan fried okra with tomato, olives and haloumi (though I used feta), tahini-yogurt sauce, and harissa.
Both dishes were really good and may become regulars.
Kubbeh before cutting. The instructions suggested scoring the top in a crosshatch or spiderweb pattern. I think this ended up somewhere between the 2.
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Sometimes even the monkey falls out of the tree.
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Here’s mushroom ragu. Delicious, yet way more work than I bargained for. Shown partway through the cooking process so you can see all the pretty ‘shrooms.
I didn’t get a good photo of the finished dish, which was mafaldine pasta with mushroom ragu. Because of its curled edges, mafaldine is my go-to pasta shape for a mushroom-based sauce.
Note to self: Consider a less time-intensive choice when you have a pile of fiddly little mushrooms like small shiitakes and golden chestnut mushrooms.
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Last night, we made a sheet-pan chicken and broccoli dinner that gets served over rice and drizzled with honey-garlic sauce. Its very tasty and a great weeknight meal. No pics since I’ve posted it a couple times in the past.
BF also decided to make shrimp toast out of nowhere. We had every ingredient except Sambal which he picked up. Let me tell you, these were better than any I’ve had at any restaurant (one of those items that becomes soggy and greasy via takeout). Entire portion devoured.
NOT air fried. LOL
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I love this version. I usually use frozen methi (fenugreek) leaves instead of the mustard greens.
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I’ll have to try that. I see methi leaves at my favorite Indian grocer but never knew what they were. Thanks for the tip.
Pork chop, s/p’ered, quickly seared and removed.
Minced shallots sautéed.
Sliced mushrooms added to the pan and sautéed, with a pinch of dried thyme sprinkled on top.
A sploosh of Marsala wine added and reduced.
Some chicken stocked added and reduced.
Whisked in some Dijon mustard.
Chop added back in with some red grapes I needed to use up.
Pan covered, finished cooking.
Served on leftover Basmati rice with steamed green beans alongside.
Wine as well.
Not too shabby.
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My FIL is visiting and arrived today. I wanted to make something special to welcome him. BLT salads with homemade blue cheese dressing for a late lunch, served up with multigrain bakery bread.
Dinner was more salad, roasted half butt pork loin with German-esque rub, mashed potatoes, pork gravy, cranberry-apple sauce, and sauteed garlic broccoli. Snickerdoodles for dessert.
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Won’t win any prizes for beauty, but this was quite tasty. Inspired by a Chef John recipe, “Lebanese Rice-a-Roni” with shredded chicken and home-made broth - his take on a Lebanese pilaf. I kinda winged it - subbed RG Domingo Rojos for garbanzos, didn’t have red pepper, did add peas, and also TJs fried crispy onions, because I had them. Rice and broken spaghetti are fried in butter/olive oil with chopped onions. Seasoning is saffron, oregano, cumin, and a dash of cayenne. Next time I’d add more of all that (except the saffron), but this was a homey dish that we wolfed down. Little cuke/cherry tom/shallot salad with a garlicky vinaigrette on the side. Delicious when the dressing got into the pilaf.
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Sarson ka saag. Is what happens when you google “broccoli rabe Indian style” because that’s what you a) have and b) are in the mood for. I see why people buy this stuff pre-made! Took forever. I didn’t have paneer, so I threw some smoked tofu in there. I took some liberties - butter instead of ghee, for example, and no garam masala to finish (I just threw in a little cinnamon). But I was not displeased.
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Leftover coconut milk chicken adobo from yesterday’s lunch, garlic fried rice with fried egg hat, steamed broccolini.
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Hot dog ramen. I am almost embarassed to write that, but it was the protein we had. I whipped up a quick broth. Hot dog, noodles, leaves from Chinese broccoli, marinated water chestnuts, scallion, furikake, and marinated jammy egg. It was overall ok, but that egg! Loved it and can’t believe it took me so long to look up how to make one. Velvety texture both yolk and white. Child requires that I make them again. They were a bugger to peel though.
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Tonight was a tale of two beefs: I don’t like burgers and BF doesn’t like steak. So he made burgers based on a Smash Burger recipe he found on YouTube (with truffle fries) and I made Alton Brown’s Steak au Poivre which I had been craving (especially after the Memory Foods thread). The kitchen looked Iike a crime scene but we both enjoyed our meals. My steak, a NY Strip, was perfect though the sauce was a little too thick.
Since I had to buy brandy for the sauce on mine (supposed to be Cognac but I wasn’t paying the price for something that’s gonna sit on my bar forever), I figured I would make a Sidecar to drink alongside. E & J XO Brandy, Grand Marnier, and lemon juice. Since he likes sweet, creamy cocktails, I made him a Brandy Alexander. Cheers!
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I love shrimp toast.
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