What did you cook today?

[ronnie_suburban]

Here’s the result.

Looks sensational, especially that crust! Yowza!

I was out for dinner last night but before I went out, I did start a marinade for tonight's dinner . . .


Thai-Style Chicken Marinade Mise En Place & Middleton AEBL Echo Chef Knife, 8-inch
Avocado oil, palm sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, Thai chile powder, lime zest, lemongrass, Thai birds eye chiles and minced garlic.

This is a marinade recipe I pieced together a while back (from a few sources) when I wanted to make a Thai-style flank steak. That turned out pretty good, so I figured I'd give it a shot again, this time with chicken thighs and a ~24-hour marinade.

A friend really loves his Middleton knives, so much so that he wouldn't lend me one of his. So, I decided to plunk down for one of my own. After a few days with it, I have to say that I'm not in love with it. It's a fine blade -- well crafted and quite attractive -- but at least initially, not a great fit for me. The profile -- almost no flat area, pronounced belly with an upswept tip -- is not a natural match for my cutting style. I find that to complete cuts, I have to raise my elbow much higher than is comfortable for me. Also, at 168g, it almost feels too light in my hand. I don't love tanks but a little heft helps guide me and also keeps the knife from feeling like it's flying around on its own. And the flat grind isn't ideal for horizontal cuts or food release.

That said, I really put it to the test with these few ingredients and it did very well. It sliced (with care) through frozen chiles, shaved dense/hard nuggets of palm sugar into flake and dispatched the very fibrous lemongrass on two fronts -- bruising it with the spine, then slicing thin rings with the blade. It handled all these tasks quite admirably. It's very well made and the AEB-L seems as tough as one would expect it to be.

This morning, before the chicken grilling, it was time for some more practice on my new Demeyere 5-Plus nonstick frying pan. I'd sauteed a mixture of various leftover sausages, scallions and hot peppers for a savory baking project and had a little bit leftover, which I decided to omeletize . . .


Kitchen Sink Omelet
Leftover chourico, cevap, grill sausage & hot dog, plus scallions, red jalapeno, long hot peppers, swiss, cheddar and parmesan cheeses. Toasted/buttered country French loaf. Garnished with chives.

I'm getting the hang of this pan and have added a long, thin soft-silicone offset spatula to help me navigate its high sides and nonstick cooking surface. It needs more flame under it than my Scanpan does but I'm beginning to dial that in, as well. In any case, this omelet at least stayed intact and was tasty enough.

Later, after the skies darkened and the monsoon arrived, I still had some marinated chicken to grill. I tried to wait it out and got everything else ready first . . .


Homegrown Tomato & Basil Salad
With some Wisconsin burrata. I think it's the beginning of the end of our tomato crop this season but it's been a great one so far.

Rain still falling, it was time to grill. I raised the patio umbrella and got the charcoal started. Way too rainy and dark for any action shots (I was fairly soaked even after taking ~90 seconds to retrieve the chicken), I did manage a couple of hastily lit shots of the finished stuff . . .


Thai-Style Charcoal-Grilled Chicken Thighs
The wet marinade impeded some browning but the skin was still moderately crispy and the chicken itself was great. I'm really happy with this marinade and will definitely use it again soon.


Plated Up
Chicken thighs, tomato salad and some instant-potted corn on the cob; buttered and dusted with some Thai-inspired spice mix.

[LaVieestBelle]

Time to get serious about tackling all the farmer's market stuff in the refrigerator! It was a good day...

Breakfast... Zucchini and summer squash and scallion pancakes with creme fraiche and blueberries....

Lunch... Ronnie--great minds think alike. Just local tomatoes and basil and mozzarelle and olive oil dragged back from France...

Eventual dinner. Still on the stove... Every summer I love making the old Julia Child recipe for Provençal tomato sauce. For now...and to drag out of the freezer in winter, just to remember summer. Great ingredients including saffron and dehydrated strips of orange peel and fennel seeds....

[LaVieestBelle]

And I almost forgot the liquids...

Summer cocktail. Lillet rosé, Campari, gin, lime juice...and the watermelon I pureed into juice!

[trancher]

Awesome looking food, awesome photographic work, awesome that you two shared your meals with us.

Thank you!

[billk1002]

Shrimp Gumbo
Boneless skinless chicken thighs rubbed down with a local hot sause called Snake Oil and then covered with Todd's Dirt.
They get blackened in the cast iron skillet and removed.
The garlic, shallot, carrots, celery, onions and peppers go in the skillet next to cook down with salt, pepper, creole and hot sauce.
When the veggies are about halfway done the kielbasa and brats go in to render out the fat.
After a few minutes all of the above are removed from the skillet.
The bottom of the skillet is now heavily encrusted with flavor, it is time to make the rue.
After the butter and flower have been incorporated in goes the beef stock, clam juice and water.
All of the vegetables go back in, we let this simmer for an hour or so, flavor to taste.
The chicken and sausage go back in along with the shrimp for about 5 minutes, it is now time to eat!!

[LaVieestBelle]

The dealing-with-the-summer-produce project continues.

Today I am roasting sweet red Italian peppers. Some get frozen. Others get preserved in jars, interspersed with garlic slivers, basil leaves, a bay leaf, and capers, then covered with olive oil. I'll nibble on some as they are, and stuff others with a tuna-caper mix and roll them up...

[ronnie_suburban]

Shrimp Gumbo

That looks fantastic, Bill!

Lunch... Ronnie--great minds think alike. Just local tomatoes and basil and mozzarelle and olive oil dragged back from France...

Cindy, it all looks great but yeah, tomatoes are at their peak right now, and so delicious. Great of you to be putting some up for later. No better time for it.

Today I am roasting sweet red Italian peppers. Some get frozen. Others get preserved in jars, interspersed with garlic slivers, basil leaves, a bay leaf, and capers, then covered with olive oil. I'll nibble on some as they are, and stuff others with a tuna-caper mix and roll them up...

LOL! As you posted above, great minds and all. See below. I roasted and marinated some last week, and deployed a few of them tonight.

Back to tomatoes, yesterday's heavy rain plumped many of our tomatoes to the brink of splitting, so we plucked a few more out of the garden today and paired them up with a bunch of other items -- some from our CSA box and some from our fridge -- to make a big salad . . .


Mise En Place & Enjin Blue #2 Gyuto, 210mm
Dressing stuff on the right: evoo, red wine vinegar, "special" Greek vinegar, balsamic vinegar, minced shallot, microplaned garlic (hiding behind the handle), and Dijon mustard.
Salad stuff on the left (everything but the iceberg/romaine/arugula): ground cherries, homegrown tomatoes, leftover corn, bell pepper, blanched broccoli florets, roasted/marinated bell peppers, red onion, pickled garlic (reclaimed from a jar of homemade garlic dill pickles), Castelvetrano olives, and scallions. It all came together nicely . . .


Plated Up
I usually add a touch of honey or another sweet component to the dressing but this particular bottle of balsamic is really sweet (as were the ground cherries), so I figured it might end up being unnecessary. Guessed right.

There was also a pizza delivery involved, which I agreed to . . . as long as everyone else agreed to eat the salad!

Happy Monday!

[Bob Z]

Wow Ronnie that would be fun to get all that stuff prepped! Im jealous!

Back to tomatoes, yesterday's heavy rain plumped many of our tomatoes to the brink of splitting, so we plucked a few more out of the garden today and paired them up with a bunch of other items -- some from our CSA box and some from our fridge -- to make a big salad . . .


Mise En Place & Enjin Blue #2 Gyuto, 210mm
Dressing stuff on the right: evoo, red wine vinegar, "special" Greek vinegar, balsamic vinegar, minced shallot, microplaned garlic (hiding behind the handle), and Dijon mustard.
Salad stuff on the left (everything but the iceberg/romaine/arugula): ground cherries, homegrown tomatoes, leftover corn, bell pepper, blanched broccoli florets, roasted/marinated bell peppers, red onion, pickled garlic (reclaimed from a jar of homemade garlic dill pickles), Castelvetrano olives, and scallions. It all came together nicely . . .


Plated Up
I usually add a touch of honey or another sweet component to the dressing but this particular bottle of balsamic is really sweet (as were the ground cherries), so I figured it might end up being unnecessary. Guessed right.
[/quote]

[ronnie_suburban]

Wow Ronnie that would be fun to get all that stuff prepped! Im jealous!

Heh . . . was definitely fun. I don't know what I'd do without my daily knife time.

[gladius]

Today's breakfast: Mexican Migas and Chorizo with peppers and onions...

[ronnie_suburban]

Once again, working through some older items, as we're getting inundated with produce right now. Since I had a quart of homemade shrimp stock on hand, I decided on a shrimp-focused vegetable soup . . .


Mise En Place & Saji G3 Ginsan Nakiri, 165mm
Avocado oil, red bell pepper, shrimp stock, coarsely chopped garlic, carrot, assorted onions (mostly leftover odds and ends), homegrown garlic scapes, seared u26 shrimp (salt, black pepper, paprika), celery ribs & leaves, kale, black pepper and salt.

Sauteed the seasoned shrimp briefly in a bit of avocado oil and once they were done, moved them to a holding dish. From there, I sweated everything else (minus about 50% the carrot and 25% of the garlic) in the same pan. Once it was all aromatic, I dumped in the shrimp stock, covered the pot and let it all simmer for about an hour, checking/stirring it every 15 minutes or so. When everything had fully softened, I hit it with the stick blender and pureed it.

At that point, the soup was very sweet (fresh summer produce, dontcha' know?), so I ground a few dried shiitakes into a powder and added it. Better but still not quite there. Mrs. Suburban then suggested adding some fish sauce. What?! Are you insane?! But yes, that did the trick. Salt, umami and a nice reinforcement of the shrimpiness of it all. After that, in went the remainder of the carrot and the garlic, which I let simmer for another 15 minutes or so. Then, it was ready to serve . . .


Plated Up
Vegetable-Shrimp Soup, toasted/buttered baguette. Garnished with chives and a drizzle of evoo.

[LaVieestBelle]

Shrimpiness? This is the best new word yet in 2022. I need to start using it, somehow. Ah, the shrimpiness of it all….. love it, Ronnie!

[billk1002]

Ronnie, I am going to make that for my wife, we love stick blender soups and shrimp!!
Being from MD, I may need to add some Old Bay to the shrimp.

[ronnie_suburban]

Shrimpiness? This is the best new word yet in 2022. I need to start using it, somehow. Ah, the shrimpiness of it all….. love it, Ronnie!

Haha . . . always happy when my inability to use actual words is not only understood but also appreciated!

Ronnie, I am going to make that for my wife, we love stick blender soups and shrimp!!
Being from MD, I may need to add some Old Bay to the shrimp.

Yeah, the Old Bay sounds like a perfect fit. I have some on hand but it's pretty much Ancient Bay at this point. I need to update my stash.

[ronnie_suburban]

Embarked on a new pickling project this week, which I started yesterday . . .


Cherry Bomb Peppers
This is about 10 pounds, which I bought as an add-on from my CSA farmer. I'm making a large batch of lacto-fermented sambal. Hoping that after giving some as gifts, it'll last all year, as cherry bombs are quite seasonal around here. First step was to wash and stem the peppers, then cut them into small pieces . . .


Chopped Cherry Bombs & Gihei Blue #2 Gyuto, 210mm
A bit of a painstaking process. I considered wearing gloves but doing so really slows me down. So, I went bare-handed, which presented its own set of challenges. These are really hot. Even raw, the fumes from these bad boys were choking me out a little bit. The next step was to salt them (2% by weight) and pour off the moisture that drained out as they sat overnight. Earlier today, after draining the cherry bombs one last time, I added a few more ingredients, before putting it all in the fermentation vessel . . .


Mise En Place
Crushed garlic, Botanist gin, further-processed salted cherry bombs, microplaned ginger, salt (1% of drained weight) and granulated sugar. Before mixing all this together, I ran the cherry bombs -- in 4 shifts -- through the food processor very briefly to homogenize the mixture in preparation for the fermentation stage.


Fermentation Vessel
Here it'll all sit for, well, I honestly don't know exactly how long. Probably 14-17 days. Last year it took 15 days but it was a much smaller batch. After trimming, salting, draining and adding the additional ingredients, this netted out at just over 6.5 pounds. In any case, I'll be checking it regularly and keeping the collar filled with water. If it goes like last time, it'll start bubbling out gas after a couple of days (as fermentation begins).

There was also dinner, which was inspired by a lunchtime trip yesterday to an Indian grocery store near my office . . .


Seekh Kabob Mise En Place & Gihei Blue #2 Gyuto, 210mm
Minced jalapeno, minced cilantro, Seekh kabob seasoning (store-bought), minced onion, minced garlic and ground lamb & beef.

While I was at the market yesterday, I remembered I had the Seekh kabob seasoning mix at home and while I didn't buy anything there that went into the kabobs, it reminded me to give the stuff a try. Not bad but I'm confident I can find a better recipe and make the spice mixture from scratch next time.


Kabobs/Patties
Cooking on a Weber kettle, skewers tend to get in the way, so I just formed the kilogram of meat mixture into 16 ovular patties.

There was also another Indian-inspired side dish . . .


Dal Fry Mise En Place & Gihei Blue #2 Gyuto, 210mm
Soaked masoor dal, Spice Plate #1 (for tadka/tempering): asafoetida, Kashmiri chile powder, dried Kashmiri chiles, sliced garlic), Spice Plate #2: turmeric, Kashmiri chile powder, cumin seeds and salt, minced ginger, red onion, minced jalapeno, minced garlic and ghee.

Scraped the internet for a dal fry recipe and came up with a very good one. This goes together pretty much as a normal pot of beans, with one exception: Spice Plate #1 is held back until serving, when some hot, melted ghee gets poured over it to form a tadka. That tadka, which is basically an infused oil, is drizzled over the top of the dal when it's served. While the lentils cooked, it was time to grill . . .


Grilling
Only room for 8 at a time over the coals, so once the first 8 were marked, I moved them over and marked the second set.


Grilling Indirect
Once they were all marked, I moved them to the indirect side, covered the grill and let them cook for another 3 minutes. At that point, their internal temperature was ~140F, which seemed about right.


Plated Up
Seekh kabobs, dal fry w/tadka, a quickie yogurt sauce (yogurt, cilantro, lemon juice, sambal, ground cumin and grated cucumber) and some leftover/reheated jasmine rice.

Ironically, nothing I bought at the Indian market yesterday ended up in this meal but hopefully, I'll put a few of those items to use soon.

[Jeff B]

Looks great Ronnie!

[ronnie_suburban]

Recent discussion on this thread inspired me to get my Moritaka gyuto back into the rotation. Revved it up earlier today with a cucumber salad prep . . .


Persian Cucumber Coins & Moritaka AS Gyuto, 210mm
As you can see, it hasn't gotten a whole lot of use (the sticker on the ferrule is still intact) but that isn't due to any inadequacies with the knife. It's one hell of an accurate and breezy cutter. I love the light weight. The balance point and profile (plenty of flat, not much belly, minor upsweep at the tip) are both really nice matches for me. These were small cukes so, naturally, some food stuck to the blade but the bevel/grind really helps push food away from the blade as it's cut.

The coins will get salted, drained and eventually mixed with a spicy-sweet, Korean-inspired dressing (gochujang, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, toasted sesame oil, etc). This salad has begun to supplant slaw as our 'weekly' salad.

Also, with an onslaught of tomatoes coming in from our garden, I was inspired by this recent video at Pailin's youtube channel for a Thai-style tomato & egg scramble . . .


Thai-Style Tomato & Egg Scramble
A delicious, juicy scramble. The run-off was an intoxicating combination of tomato juice, soy sauce and fish sauce. Wow! I'll definitely be making this again.

[ronnie_suburban]

Been kind of a legume-heavy weekend so far. Started the day with some of the leftover/reheated dal fry . . .


Dal Fry & Eggs
Garnished with cotija and chives.

Then, coincidentally, some friends asked us to bring a pot of beans to their cookout tonight . . .


Rancho Gordo Snowcap Beans
Don't think I've ever cooked this variety before. Received them in my May 2022 Bean Club box.


Mise En Place & Moritaka AS Gyuto, 210mm
Yellow onion, carrot, celery, minced garlic, leftover 'grill' sausage, salt, black pepper, overnight-soaked Snowcap beans, slitted jalapenos/serranos & bay leaves and avocado oil.

Briefly rendered the sausage in a touch of the oil, then removed it. The beans are still cooking but I'll put the sausage back in at the very end, so it doesn't wash out. From here, it's a pretty standard build. Sweated the mirepoix, then added the beans, soaking water to cover by an inch and black pepper. Covered, boiled hard for ~12 minutes. After that, removed the lid, added the bay leaves, peppers and salt, vented the lid and simmer until the beans are tender. As of now, they've been simmering for about an hour and are not quite there.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Great minds, Ronnie! I woke up this morning with a hankering for some beans. It rained a lot yesterday and will again starting shortly. I put these cranberry beans in a salt and baking soda brine this morning. A couple weeks ago I braised a pork butt with some seasonings and chicken stock. I reduced some of that liquid and added it back to the pulled meat, but froze the rest of it. I pulled that from the freezer as well as the end of a rack of smoked spare ribs. I also have a bag of yu choy that needs to be eaten and a variety box of garlic from a farm in Wisconsin. I'm thinking I'll pull something together like a brothy beans and greens kinda stew. Not pictured are bay leaves and some the skin from a country ham that I smoked which I'll cook with my black beans later this week. Might add a few pieces to these beans as well. I have plenty of bacon fat on hand so some cornbread may be in order. Okeya Shiro #2 bunka.

[ronnie_suburban]

Great minds, Ronnie! I woke up this morning with a hankering for some beans. It rained a lot yesterday and will again starting shortly. I put these cranberry beans in a salt and baking soda brine this morning. A couple weeks ago I braised a pork butt with some seasonings and chicken stock. I reduced some of that liquid and added it back to the pulled meat, but froze the rest of it. I pulled that from the freezer as well as the end of a rack of smoked spare ribs. I also have a bag of yu choy that needs to be eaten and a variety box of garlic from a farm in Wisconsin. I'm thinking I'll pull something together like a brothy beans and greens kinda stew. Not pictured are bay leaves and some the skin from a country ham that I smoked which I'll cook with my black beans later this week. Might add a few pieces to these beans as well. I have plenty of bacon fat on hand so some cornbread may be in order. Okeya Shiro #2 bunka.

Love it, Justin! Brothy beans & greens sounds delicious. What a great way to incorporate some of those invaluable, impossible-to-recreate items you've been amassing. I love the way you put all the pieces together.