What did you cook today?

[ronnie_suburban]

Thanks for the tip on rinsing the garlic before frying, I'll try that next time!

In case I wasn't clear, it's slice/chop/mince, etc, then rinse. Apparently, breaking down the garlic releases a compound that imparts bitterness.

Quickie breakfast. I scrambled up a plate of eggs and stuff for the family this morning . . .


Sausage, Fried Onion, Cheddar and Cotija Scramble
Leftover sausage . . . gone!

[Mike9]

Another rainy day today - yesterday was the first time we've seen the sun in a week!!! So it was a perfect day to go back in time and have dinner at "The Five and Dime". Hearty tomato soup, a grilled cheeses sandwich, chips, pickle and a glass of Coke.

[ronnie_suburban]

Delightful repeat on squash blossoms, since we received another baker's dozen in our CSA box this week . . .


Stuffed Tempura-Fried Squash Blossoms
Garnished with chives and onion flower.

This time, I knew there'd likely be extra batter, so I had some onions prepared . . .


Tempura-Fried Onion Rings
Garnished with paprika, chives and onion flower.

Needed a main, too . . .


Sunday SausageFest
"Grilling" sausages, smoked jalapeno-cheddar brats (made in-house at our butcher's shop) and Ukrainian ring kielbasa.


Plated Up
With a blob of the weekly slaw and a duo of mustards.

[Bob Z]

Repeat for me too, wifey loved stir fry so much had to do it again. Veggies are baby bok choi, scallions, snow peas cut on bias, carrot planks and left over cabbage from yesterdays slaw.

This time I used chicken tenders on skewers with a glaze of teriyaki. Sorry no photo as things got hectic cookin on grill and inside on stove BUT the charred flavor was much better than pan frying! They cooked about 10 minutes then I roughly chopped them and added to the almost done lo mein.
Need a change? you wanna make this! easy and so tasty!

Watanabe Nakiri 180mm did an awesome job.

[ronnie_suburban]

Back at the wok again tonight, trying to nail down a dish I've made a few times now. And the unsurprising lesson I learned once again was: less is more . . .


Mise En Place & Yu Kurosaki VG10 Fujin, 210mm
Sea scallops, minced garlic & grated ginger, scallion tops, scallion bottoms, shiitake mushrooms, toasted sesame oil, corn starch (for slurry), fried shallot/garlic oil, Chinese-inspired spice mix, 4x gelatinous beef stock and snap peas.

Seasoned the scallops in my spice mix, seared them in the shallot/garlic oil then removed them until the end. Instead of six or seven components for the sauce, I just went with stock, soy sauce and a corn starch slurry. It took great restraint to not add any oyster sauce but I'm glad I stayed strong! The last thing in was the sesame oil, which I drizzled in after I killed the heat.


Platter
The combination of snap peas, mushrooms, scallops and sesame oil is a dead solid lock. Garnished with a few crispy shallots.


Plated Up
I can never resist topping off my portion with a little drizzle of LGM spicy chili crisp.

Happy Monday!

[MisoSatisfried]

Dang Ronnie, that looks delicious!

[ronnie_suburban]

We're in the process of moving my 82-year-old mother which, thanks to comcast, has been an absolute nightmare. Unfortunately, that train wreck has combined with one of my busiest-ever weeks at work to wipe dinner completely off the books last night and seriously cut into my cooking time tonight. So, no CSA use-up tonight but I did manage to get dinner on the table . . .


Mise En Place & Konosuke HD Western Petty, 150mm
Minced garlic, rendered bacon fat, onions, fried shallot/garlic oil, apple cider vinegar and green beans.

The onions were "reclaimed," leftover from a gyros lunch buffet we had at work yesterday. I just can't let anything go to waste.


Green Beans
Did these in the wok, onions in the bacon fat first, then the green beans and garlic in the allium oil. Mixed the onions back in at the end and drizzled in a little of the vinegar. Garnished with gochugaru.


Charcoal Grilled Chicken Thighs
Used the old standby -- Manale spice -- on these.


Plated Up
Really can't believe how fast I threw this one together but it all worked out okay in the end.

[ronnie_suburban]

Quick and easy new-old-favorite for dinner, after a relatively trying week at work (and elsewhere). The first-ever batch of pad ka-prao with our homegrown Thai holy basil . . .


Mise En Place & Konosuke HD Western Gyuto, 210mm
Garlic, shallots and Thai birds eye chiles (later mortared into a paste), coarsely ground pork, oyster sauce, Golden Mountain, soy sauce, fish sauce, veg oil, dark sweet soy sauce, green beans and homegrown Thai holy basil.


Plated Up
Garnished with a frizzled egg.


Yolk
Really enjoyed this. Can't say the difference between standard Thai basil and holy (tulsi) was profound but it was definitely noticeable. The tulsi had a licorice note that accentuated some of the other flavors in the dish in different ways than I'm used to (including many restaurant versions). I'm glad I used it and I'm glad I'm growing it but I'm not going to be feeling disappointed when I eventually have to shift back to standard Thai basil when making this dish. For my untrained palate, they both work really well.

[ronnie_suburban]

Found an orphaned slab of St. Louis-cut spares in the back of the basement fridge. They'd been there a couple of weeks but they were in a vacuum bag and were so deeply buried, they were actually slightly frosty. So, in perfect condition. Decided to build a meal around them . . .


Baby Squash Mise En Place & Michael Rader 52100 Gyuto, 240mm
Minced garlic, salt, homegrown cinnamon and Thai basil that I'd overpicked yesterday, black pepper, 4x gelatinous beef stock, evoo and baby squash.

Just a quick sautee, covered for a moment along the way, to coax the squash toward doneness.


Sauteed Squash
Peak of the season on these lovelies.


St. Louis-Cut Spares Grilling
These were slathered with a thin layer of yellow mustard and lightly coated with my homemade bbq rub. I can't remember ever smoking ribs on my kettle (though, I'm sure I've done it) but with only one slab to cook and some huge pieces of very-long-burning lump charcoal in house, I figured this was the perfect opportunity. 4 hours later, with some occasional mopping along the way, they were done and yes, the charcoal was still chugging along.


Plated Up
Spare ribs with sauteed baby squash and a mound of newly minted weekly slaw.

[Kalaeb]

Is that a new knife Ronnie? I don't recall seeing MR in your pics before.

Great looking ribs and sides too.

[ronnie_suburban]

Is that a new knife Ronnie? I don't recall seeing MR in your pics before.

Great looking ribs and sides too.

Thanks. The Rader is relatively new. I bought it about a year and a half ago. I really need to use it more often.

[ronnie_suburban]

Took another swing at Sichuan-style cold chicken, a dish we're thrilled to be able to recreate at home. And the guidance I aggregated via a few youtube channels has set us up nicely for doing so. This version holds its own with all but the very best local restaurant versions . . .

First up, the poach . . .


Poaching Mise En Place & Michael Rader 52100 Gyuto, 240mm
Chicken thighs & breasts, garlic & ginger (later smashed) Shaoxing cooking wine, leek tops (freezer stock).

All this goes into a pot of cold water and is brought to a boil for 15 minutes. After that, cover it and let the chicken sit in its bath until you're ready to separate the meat and skin from the bones and other inedible bits. Once the chicken is out, I like to reduce (and strain and de-fat) the poaching liquid down to a highly concentrated stock for use in future dishes.

Next up, the sauce . . .


Sauce Mise En Place & Michael Rader 52100 Gyuto, 240mm
Minced garlic & ginger, toasted and ground Sichuan peppercorns, gochugaru, salt, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, mature black vinegar, scallion tops, sesame paste, msg, Hong Yu chile oil and granulated sugar.

Just a simple mix that turns into this . . .


Completed Sauce
This was a quadruple recipe that included 8 fluid ounces of the chile oil. Assembly would come a bit later.

Next up, side dishery . . .


Mushroom Mise En Place & Michael Rader 52100 Gyuto, 240mm
Garlic chives, minced garlic, tropea onion slivers, sesame seeds, fried shallot/garlic oil, Shaoxing cooking wine and shiitake mushrooms. Not pictured is salt, which I definitely included!


Sauteed Shiitakes
I wanted to echo some of the flavors in the main course, while leaving it mushroom-forward. That worked out pretty well. The added notes were there but the dish was subtle and matched up nicely with the poached chicken.

Next, on to the main course assembly . . .


Mise En Place
Poached chicken, roasted peanuts, Chinese celery stalks, cilantro leaves, Chinese celery leaves and sauce.


Boned Chicken Pieces & CCK Small Carbon Steel Cleaver
Needless to say, the meat and skin pulled away quite easily from the bones, leaving some very tender pieces of moist chicken. The CCK worked beautifully here, slicing through the delicate chicken without tearing it up and doubling as a spatula to help move it over to the serving platter.


Sichuan-Style Poached Chicken "Salad"
Ready To Serve.


Plated Up
With Zojirushi'd jasmine rice.

[ronnie_suburban]

More mushrooms, courtesy of my friendly forager . . .


Chanterelles
Sauteeing in some browned butter, with salt and pepper. These were really beautiful.


Sauteed Chaterelles
Garnished with chives.

And there were also oysters, not quite in the prime condition of the chanterelles, so I made them, too . . .


Sauteed Oyster Mushrooms
Garnished with chives.

In both cases, I thought the slightly browned butter and the chives really highlighted the earthiness of the mushrooms.

And there was also beef . . .


Charcoal-Grilled Flank Steak
Looks much better than it was. Really not a good steak. Very chewy, even for a flank. Costco doesn't seem to be the place to buy flanks.


Plated Up
With a spot of the weekly slaw and some of Mrs. Suburban's world famous roasted cauliflower.

Happy Monday!

[Chappychap]

That's awesome that your friend brought you those freshly foraged mushrooms. They look delicious.

Tonight was unagi don with some cabbage and Kewpie, just because. Managed to nab some Japanese parsley that had a bit of root left on and planted it, I hope it survives as it has a unique taste and is great for garnish on Japanese dishes. Fingers crossed!

Couldn't resist a knives and cabbages shot with the Koishi too

[ronnie_suburban]

That's awesome that your friend brought you those freshly foraged mushrooms. They look delicious.

Well, I buy them from her but she does contact me regularly and brings them to my door, which is very nice.

Tonight was unagi don with some cabbage and Kewpie, just because . . .

Who needs a reason?! That looks spectacular!

[playingfetch]

My new Kurosaki Raijin with a custom olivewood handle with rosewood ferule just came in, and this was the test run meal. My buddy gave me an eggplant from his garden and I paired it with some pheasant that was saved from hunting season. The eggplant is breaded in panko crumbs and the pheasant was coated in mustard then a light BBQ rub applied. Seared the outside of the pheasant over the coals then indirect heat so it wouldn't get tough.

[Chappychap]

My new Kurosaki Raijin with a custom olivewood handle with rosewood ferule just came in, and this was the test run meal. My buddy gave me an eggplant from his garden and I paired it with some pheasant that was saved from hunting season. The eggplant is breaded in panko crumbs and the pheasant was coated in mustard then a light BBQ rub applied. Seared the outside of the pheasant over the coals then indirect heat so it wouldn't get tough.

Beautiful! Love the meal, and your custom handle.

The Raijin was my first gyuto and remains one of my favourites. Whenever I went in a direction (I.e. more laser, out more workhorse), I just kept on coming back to it. What's your impression of the knife so far? I haven't seen too many folks taking about them.

[ronnie_suburban]

Beautiful! Love the meal, and your custom handle.

The Raijin was my first gyuto and remains one of my favourites. Whenever I went in a direction (I.e. more laser, out more workhorse), I just kept on coming back to it. What's your impression of the knife so far? I haven't seen too many folks taking about them.

Agreed on both counts.

After a night off, I needed some wok time and wanted to finish up the items we had left from last week's CSA box . . .


Eggplant Mise En Place & Takeda Stainless Clad Nakiri, 170mm
Japanese eggplant, grated ginger & sliced garlic, granulated sugar, veg oil, corn starch for slurry, mature black vinegar, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil.

I brushed a little of the veg oil on the cut sides of the eggplant, then broiled it for about 12 minutes until it had softened and slightly browned. After that, I cut it into smaller pieces and stir fried it with the sauce components to create the dish. Added the sesame oil after I'd killed the heat.


Stir Fried Black Vinegar Eggplant
Garnished with garlic chives.

Next up, the main course . . .


Shrimp Mise En Place & Takeda Stainless Clad Nakiri, 170mm
Red onion, spice blend, u26 shrimp, veg oil, 4x gelatinous beef stock, minced garlic, soy sauce and savoy cabbage.

Started by seasoning the shrimp, then searing them in the veg oil and removing them from the wok. There were a lot of them, so I did that in two batches. After they came out, in went the onions, garlic and cabbage. Once that cooked down a bit, I added all the sauce components and let them reduce for a moment, then I added back the shrimp, tossed it all together and offloaded it to a platter.


Stir Fry Shrimp & Cabbage
Garnished with chives. It ended up with just the right amount of sauciness.


Plated Up
With leftover/reheated jasmine rice.

[playingfetch]

My new Kurosaki Raijin with a custom olivewood handle with rosewood ferule just came in, and this was the test run meal. My buddy gave me an eggplant from his garden and I paired it with some pheasant that was saved from hunting season. The eggplant is breaded in panko crumbs and the pheasant was coated in mustard then a light BBQ rub applied. Seared the outside of the pheasant over the coals then indirect heat so it wouldn't get tough.

Beautiful! Love the meal, and your custom handle.

The Raijin was my first gyuto and remains one of my favourites. Whenever I went in a direction (I.e. more laser, out more workhorse), I just kept on coming back to it. What's your impression of the knife so far? I haven't seen too many folks taking about them.

Thank you! Well, to be honest I've barely used the knife, but so far I love it. I am very much an amateur cook but get a lot of pleasure out of preparing food with a piece of art. This knife feels great in my hand and cuts amazingly well. It's nice and light and food doesn't stick much to the blade. It's my overall favorite of the knives I've bought and am really glad I splurged on the custom handle.

When I signed up on this forum I was really looking at a low end knife set and thought it was insane to spend money for my kitchen. Now, I've got the Kurosaki Raijin, a Misuzu bunka, and Kuwabara tall petty, an end grain cutting board, sink bridge, in drawer knife holder, and Nubitama sharpening stones with a diamond paste coated strop and flattening plate. I also picked up Mark's last Kurosaki Fujin AS santoku for my brother's upcoming birthday. All in less than 6 months.

[Chappychap]

When I signed up on this forum I was really looking at a low end knife set and thought it was insane to spend money for my kitchen. Now, I've got the Kurosaki Raijin, a Misuzu bunka, and Kuwabara tall petty, an end grain cutting board, sink bridge, in drawer knife holder, and Nubitama sharpening stones with a diamond paste coated strop and flattening plate. I also picked up Mark's last Kurosaki Fujin AS santoku for my brother's upcoming birthday. All in less than 6 months.

Sounds like a great collection you've built up! It was a familiar story for me - the first six months was a lot of purchases, although they helped me figure out what I liked most and led me to spend more time in the kitchen, soi consider that splurge period a success. For me the purchases died down for a while after that, though that was more due to my wife's influence than my own . I think I might be buying something new again soon though. Regardless, I'm glad you're enjoying this slippery slope of a hobby! And sink bridges for the win... I love mine so much that this week I took a hacksaw to it to make it fit in the sink at my new house, which is smaller than the new build I was in before.

Your Raijin post also had the effect of encouraging me to get in the kitchen and use mine, which I'm grateful for. Monkfish yellow curry .