Nice Italian dinner tonight with Canuck friends from Calgary who are in town for the month, and whose daughter just graduated from Montreal U doing her honor thesis in Berlin for the next 8 months – lucky bish!!!
We shared the vitello tonnato (meat quality was good, whereas I’ve had better sauce) & a pizza with red peppers, nduja & leeks. Nice crust, but a little skimpy on the nduja, an ingredient I’m rather fond of.
Anyway, company more than made up for it 
Gilda the Gray Lady went in for an oil and tire rotation check and got 4 new shoes today. Even with 131K miles on her, She B Stylin’ in her new Yokohamas.
Windy, cold day, so some comfort food was in order. Took a hunk of leftover Easter lamb out to defrost, along with gravy and mashed potatoes.
Sauteed chopped onions and carrots, added chopped rare lamb and some frozen peas. Gravy and a blup of heavy cream was added, along with s/p, fresh minced thyme, and some white wine Worcestershire sauce (now called “chicken marinade with white wine and herbs” by Lea & Perrins, if it’s even still available).
Put it all into a 1.5 qt baking dish and covered with the mashed potatoes, sprinkled with some grated Parm-Reg. Baked for 30 minutes, let rest for 15, and dinner. A bit soupier than I prefer, and mashed didn’t brown the way I had hoped, but still very good.
Wine.
Well, I actually did like them quite a bit, but I think there are better recipes out there! Ooh, with your mention of cloves, it reminds me of a delicious meat only chili recipe I have that calls for clove and orange juice, among other things. I think it would be way delicious birria style. Actually one time I made it for a chili cook off at work, and I also put too much clove in mine. (Drinking while cooking + distractions in the kitchen! 
Still, it placed in the top 3 I think, but would have been better with a restrained hand!
Simply genius for leftovers in a one pan meal . Cheers .
BC Saltspring Island Mussels…cooked with EVOO, butter, shallots, garlic, anchovies, Pino Grigio and Bonito stock. Perfectly plump and sweet! Packed with umami!
A Deb Perlman recipe from Bon Appetit for stir-fried pork and asparagus. The chili crisp is a must.
Asparagus and scallions from the garden.
Can you recommend a brand of chili crisp to me? I’ve never had it - yours looks quite good. Preferably one I can order on Amazon. Thanks!
We were supposed to dine out at a nice restaurant, but Mrs. P threw out her back, and was in excruciating pain, so we had to go to plan B. We ordered takeout from Zeugma Grill. We had lamb hummus, pumpkin muhammara, avogannush, grilled sea bass with bulgur and beet salad, and creamy parsley sauce, and sirloin steak with celeriac puree. I had already decanted an outstanding Chateauneuf du Pape and Amarone, so I couldn’t let those go to waste.
Turned out good! I used the woks of life recipe. I find the most challenging part is getting the right Asian ingredients, but we have probably a twice yearly trip to Uwajimaya, and then we have a much smaller Asian grocery in town we probably hit up once a quarter. So I had the dried shitake, lilly flowers and woodears. Had the light and dark soy. I think we all have sesame oil right? And then the rest were pantry ingredients for us. Broth, tofu, bamboo shoots. I used ground pork. White vinegar, red pepper flakes, cornstarch, egg and scallion. Might have the leftovers tonight even.
I could totally eat it again tonight, but onto a different soup to match the weather.
Best wishes to Mrs. P for a speedy recovery.
I usually do some semblance of meal planning in my head based on what I have at home and what is in danger of spoiling. But then sometimes I get off schedule for one reason or another. I’m already 2 dinners backed up, and we just sat down today after spending the day looking at tulips, then at the nursery and then planting all we bought. I’m a little concerned about all these dinners that are getting postponed, especially if the fam busts out some surprise tomorrow for M day.
I wish I could, but I’ve only had it homemade from the NYT recipe. Maybe someone can chime in with a good brand? I love the stuff, and find it addicting!
I like the Lao Gan Ma (Amazon) or the chile onion crisp at TJ’s, although they’re quite different.
Teriyaki marinated flank steak “grilled” inside due to torrential rain and killer wind gusts. Served with grilled ramps and roasted mixed mushrooms with tarragon and balsamic vinegar.
Thank you! I will convey your well wishes to her.
May as well reply to you since our dinners are similar. Mussels with saffron, tomato & watercress.
Yes. I miss Nothing Is Wrong too. Anyone remember her as a long time popular poster on chowhound? She used to make these amazing dinners for her young daughter. She was an artist! She left the other group too.
Tulips have an expiration date too. Love them, the most cartoonish of all flowers. Lolipops in all flavors.
