Picture Thread: What's For Dinner?
 

Do/did we have a what's for dinner thread? I can't find it. So, I'll start one (another one?).

Here's my main course tonight.

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Tuna steaks, marinated in soy sauce, honey, wasabi, salt and pepper, then peppered some more, and seared in a really hot pan - cast iron, of course - for 30 sec each side. Remove steaks to cutting board, turn off burner. Pour used marinade into the still-hot pan and boil it thicker with residual heat. Slice steaks into 1/8"s, arrange, sauce.

Low calorie so goes well with a diet - my diet. Not low sodium or low sugar, though.

Come be my chef. That looks fantastic. Yellow?

Nice!

Not sure (what kind of tuna), maybe yellow. This works w/ other firm fishes too, swordtail and so on. You can also get the sweetness from brown sugar or mirin (may need a touch of cornstarch for quick thickening if mirin), and the heat from chili sauce or red pepper, it's all a bit different but good. For more crust, you can press sesame seeds into the tuna along with the pepper.

Oh, and naturally you can give the same treatment to good beef. It's a kinda different way to do cow.

john..that looks fantastic.! nice knife work!

if you're on a diet, eat it on top of a salad. again, great job!
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Vash, post a dish and the recipe. I dug the vashtail.

Damn-Too far too drive to barge in for a bite of that!!! Sure looks good.

Do you think that could be shipped in a cooler with several blocks of dry ice? ;)

I'm just saying...

:D

not sure whats going on but i have been having a blast cooking lately


fish is ono ( cant get chilean sea bass ) Cooked ono goes over 3 cheese polenta (corn meal and cheese melted together ) with the diced tomatoe puree on top. also over the top was roasted mushrooms. this all goes in a large dish and is baked for another 10 minutes. had some really nice beer during prep and forgot the final money shot, sorry

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Wow, could you post more details in a recipe? I'd sure like to make that!

i faxed this to myself lets see if i can post it

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nope, send me a fax or email and ill send it over

Before:

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we'll have to see what 90 minutes later and a lot of basting brings us.

Start it off with homemade croutons.
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Next make the Caesar dressing.
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Start the pork loin roast.
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Add potatoes and sauerkraut.
Take out roast and carve!
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Last night I made some braised-roasted pork belly. It was pretty good, with a couple of adjustments that'll I'll remember next time.

This isn't an all-figured-out recipe, but it went as follows:

Pick a piece of belly that is of more-or-less uniform thickness. Cut into reasonably square pieces. Brown on skin and meat sides. Place in pressure cooker, skin side up, with a bunch of daikon radish (probably optional, could use shallots), some duck wing tips (ditto, could use chicken or skip), soy sauce, sake, peppercorns, and enough water to more-or-less cover the pieces. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. (Alternatively, 2 hours braising in covered pot in oven.) Release pressure, remove belly pieces and place, skin side up, in oven-safe pan. Add enough of the liquid from the pressure cooker to come near the top of the pieces, but - important - do not submerge the skin. Place in oven (temperature is not critical - 350-400F) and braise uncovered for at least an hour, basting the skin occasionally with braising liquid. Strain solids from the rest of the liquid and reduce to sauce thickness. Add a bit of cornstarch or other thickener if desired, but don't make a flour-y, cream-y gravy - this is supposed to be a concentrated, intense, dark sauce.

You are braising the meat and fat, while roasting the skin and reducing the sauce, all at once - take a bow! The belly is done when the pieces are tender enough that a skewer slides through with little effort, but the skin is medium-brown and crisp but definitely not overcooked to ''hard''. Poke skin with a skewer every now to check. If you want, you can honey-glaze the skin during roasting, or include a brief broiling step, to get a deeper colour. Or, lightly score the skin before cooking, in case it gets a touch hard.

Note the importance of uniform thickness: on thicker pieces. the skin will be more exposed and will overcook more quickly than pieces where the skin is just hovering above the surface of the liquid. I got messed up on that. See the picture - the smaller pieces shrank during the pressure cooking, they got thinner, the skin was right at the liquid level in the subsequent roasting/braising, that skin was perfect. The big piece, the skin was much higher than the liquid, it was a little hard. I suppose one could ''shim'' the thinner pieces with a slice of something underneath.

To serve, cut into 1'' x 1'' sections. It helps to place toothpicks through the belly, to hold the pieces together, before you start slicing. Sauce liberally and serve hot.

This is a disgustingly fatty dish, and you don't want to see how everything congeals when it cools (imagine your arteries), but damn is it good.

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john. that is awesome looking! makes my gout flare up, just looking at it!! yum.

i had my first chinese success today. my family didnt even give me a chance to shoot a photo.

i made:
steamed chinese broccoli
sweet and sour pork
shrimp in lobster sauce.

this was for my in-law new years day dinner. home run.

Tell me more about the lobster sauce!

tell me whats on those artichokes

PM sent!

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Homemade clam chowder a couple nights ago while on vacation on the Mendocino coast.


KT

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Micro Prime Rib

Just had this - steamed Tilapia with spring onions, ginger, garlic, sesame oil and soy sauce. Snow pea ends and marinated pork. My wife only buys live fish.

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And my wife also picked up a snack for herself. I'm not a fan.

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i give, what did she get for herselF

Chicken parts.

Chris, they're stuffed with:

2 cups Italian bread crumbs (I use Pastene).
3/4 cup grated parmesan-romano
4 cloves of garlic minced
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil

cut off the stems to make a base, pull off outer leaves, cut top quarter off. spread leaves, drizzle a little EVOO in, mix all other ingredients, pack them into the leaves. drizzle with EVOO now and again. Bake at 350 for 90 minutes in 1/2 water, foiled, basting every 20 minutes.

Pulled pork loin 12 hours in the crock pot with black beans, onions, bacon, garlic, cumin and cinnamon. Ripe avocado and fresh salsa bread pudding.

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This:
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Done like this:


Sandhill Crane breasts
1 Can of ring pineapple
1 bottle of Worcestershire Sauce
2 Bell Pepper
1 Onion
1 Pack of whole mushrooms
1 Tbsp of minced garlic
Salt, pepper & Tony Chachere’s seasonings

First, breast out the bird from the breast bone and thoroughly clean accordingly. Once washed, slice the breasts in 1″, or slightly larger, pieces so that they will fit on a skewer. Place them in a container (that can be sealed). Open can of pineapple and pour the juice over the breast pieces. Save the pineapple rings in the refrigerator for grilling. In an approximately equal amount to the pineapple juice, pour in the Worcestershire Sauce. Add garlic (if desired). Place the sealed container in the refrigerator and let marinate for 12 or more hours.

When ready to grill, cut up vegetables and skewer them k-bob style. I alternate each piece of breast meat with a different vegetable or pineapple piece. Grill until fully cooked with a warm red center. Sprinkle some cajun spice over em and chow down.

My uncle's Name Day lunch. 18kg Lamb on a spit. It's a Greek thing... ;)

Shot on film... Leica M3, Leica DR Summicron... Kodak Pro BW400cn.

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Been trying to learn basic bread. Big step for me as I don't bake.

First try. All purpose flour, 65% hydration, 450F on a stone.

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Second try. Same flour, 68% hydration, 450F w/ stone and steam.

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I'm trying to get bigger holes and a thin, crackly crust. Next try will be 75% hydration, more kneading, softer touch when shaping, shorter baking time.

Upside down BBQ chicken. Washed the chicken and put inside a polybag, half a bottle of Bulls Eye (no corn syrup) Hickory Smoke flavor. Coat and seal in fridge for the day, cook at 350 for 20-baste brush-20-baste brush-10-baste brush-30 minutes. last 30 sprinkled with raw sugar.

Notes:
Smoke flavor penetrated deep into the meat where no sauce came close.

Nearly fall off the bone for the dark meat. I think I'll go down to 300 and cook 20 minutes longer next time.

Upside down means the breast was crazy moist and super tasty. and the thighs got a lot of sauce.

BUT, you lose the breast skin. Back skin was excellent!

just ate half a 4 pound chicken and a baked potato. I'm stuffed!

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These aren't the luscious slow-cooked sort of ribs, but they were good and only took 45 min start to finish.

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Pork ribs. Cut into four rib sections; heat oil in pressure cooker; brown ribs in oil; discard oil; add sake, rice vinegar, hoisin or soy sauce, star anise, garlic, pepper, onion; cover pressure cooker; bring to high pressure and cook for 15 min; release pressure, remove ribs; boil the liquid in the pressure cooker to reduce, for 15 minutes, then stir in some cornstarch; meanwhile, broil ribs in toaster oven, 5 min per side; assemble and serve to kids as evening snack.

Lobster Bisque

3 lobster carcasses
1 bottle of Sauternes
4 shallots
3 stalks of celery
2 carrots
1 leek
1 bouquet garni
4 oz tomato paste
heavy cream
peanut oil

move the broken up lobster carcasses around over high heat to bring out flavor. watch the bottom of the pot, deglaze with water as needed. Add the rough chop of shallots, celery, carrots and leak. Keep over high heat deglazing with the wine as needed, the lower the heat and sweat the vegetables. Add in the wine, water to more than cover, bouquet garni and tomato paste.

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You don't add lobster meat? I've only made this once, I added the meat, and plenty of cream.

you can use a claw as garnish but you don't need the meat for flavor. To my taste, the meat breaks up the velvety goodness of the bisque. I'll post the process tomorrow of getting it to the next level. just on simmer now.

Cool, looking forward to reading the rest. You're eating high on the hog for sure!

and gaining tons of weight! can't keep up even with lifting and erging.

When living in Hermosa Beach I used to buy catches off the boats. Can't get it much fresher.

Thresher Shark was common in those days before it got popular and the water temps changed and they moved away. The sauce I used was a modification of a recipe that was used at Tony's on the Redondo Beach Pier.

Equal parts mayo and either Dijon or Gulden's mustard. Mix them together, add garlic, raw onion and the special ingredient, cinnamon.

While grilling the Thresher steaks, have a foil full of the sauce on the side of the grill cooking along with the meat. Don't worry if the sauce gets a bit smokey and gets some crunchies.....when the steaks are about 90% done.....ad them in with the sauce. The final, late marinade gives it a nice flavor. Or just use it as a dip.