[gOOber]

Palomine`s Thanksgiving.

[Palomine]

With the unflattering flash it doesn't make for a pretty picture, but please take my word for it that this pot roast, made from pork shoulder, was perhaps one of my best ever: fork tender and intensely flavorful. Credit goes to the from-scratch stock and (I think) dusting the onions with seasoned flour before browning them (and everything else) prior to the slow cooker.

Served with buttered bow-tie pasta and a nice bottle of wine from Trader Joe's.

[pedonbio]

Every autumn/winter I make a side dish which is a squash/apple bake with some spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) and things. My wife likes it a lot. Our daughter is home from college for a while and has brought her vegetarian ways, so I made my shrimp/olive/onion/mushroom/pesto sauce with pasta and the squash thing. Daughter considers shrimp to be a vegetable.

[gOOber]

 

[Palomine]

Last minute urge to eat something good for dinner (not that leftovers aren't good necessarily, but you know what I mean) so since it was already getting dark outside I quickly plopped my well-worn (aka thoroughly seasoned) wok onto the the small downstairs BBQ http://www.best-grills-reviews.good-stuffblog.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/patio-caddie-gas-grill-home-depot.jpeg which (with the grate removed) fits the wok precisely and in rapid succession I cooked up:

Choy sum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choy_sum with yellow peppers, red onions, garlic and chili http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Kum-Chili-Garlic-Sauce/dp/B0000CNU5H?tag=donations09-20 Choy sum looks a bit like broccoli rabe but tastes more like bok choy ...I got it for the first time at yesterday's farmer's market just because I wanted to try something new.

Fried rice with eggs, ponzu sauce http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponzu and pink salt http://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-Himalayan-Crystals-Grinder/dp/B0078HXBN6?tag=donations09-20.

A nice filet o' fish (Swai aka Basa in this case http://www.chefs-resources.com/files/Swai-Fish-Information-Recipes/Swai.jpg ...an occasionally maligned but safe and delicious kind of catfish usually from Vietnam) with a Kecap Manis http://www.secretsofsushi.com/Sweet-Soy-Sauce.html and sesame oil http://cdn1.viewpoints.com/pro-product-photos/000/015/335/300/1214384691-03182_full.jpg glaze. If you're not familiar with it, Kecap Mains is a kind of very thick sweet soy sauce and is usually made with molasses or brown sugar. It's got a consistency like good maple syrup and is delicious on most anything stir-fried or fried (and more) if you want a bit of sweet that's not Teriyaki.

...as mentioned, the wok is so completely seasoned by now that even something delicate like a fish filet doesn't stick at all provided you cook it quickly and keep it moving. Everything was extremely tasty and the whole spiel took no more than twenty minutes from start to finish. Enjoyed with a cold Session Black lager http://www.fullsailbrewing.com/session-black.cfm from Trader Joe's.

[pedonbio]

Dining early tonight, huh?

I'm still waiting for my wife, who is editing a book with a friend. She takes Mondays off anyway. But I have my salmon-with-orange sauce baking in the oven, figuring she will be home at 7:30. After my last serious discussion with my doctor, I'm working on very-low-salt cooking, which takes a lot of getting used to.

[Palomine]

Currently in progress (see attachment). To be served with a warm cabbage/apple/onion/balsamic slaw from the Chez Panisse 'Vegetables' cookbook by Alice Waters.

[pedonbio]

I'm turning over dinner responsibility to my Pakistani friend who does great work with murg tikka:

[Palomine]

I'm turning over dinner responsibility to my Pakistani friend who does great work with murg tikka:

Is that a stock photo or a picture you actually took at the table PB? If the latter, I'm even more impressed due to your friend's excellent presentation.

Here's an 'after' pic from yesterday's dinner. It's out of frame, but there's a fire roaring in the fireplace across the room.

[Palomine]

Futhamukin' hot veggie curry yo!

[solvegas]

Futhamukin' hot veggie curry yo!

Mmmm, looks like roadkill on rice.    Just kidding, just kidding.  

Pal replies: firm tofu with the water pressed out, dusted in seasoned flour and cooked in a very hot pan so it forms a crust along with cauliflower, red onions, carrots, red potatoes, etc... all grown locally and purchased that morning at the farmer's market. The curry sauce is from a packet (but a good one) to which I added some dried chipotles for heat. I admit the flash photography is rarely flattering, especially with the camera held close enough to the food for the macro mode, but I was too hungry to go get the tripod out for a long exposure shot.

[Hiram]

It was this:

[Palomine]

It was this:

Are you a vegetarian Hiram, or simply enjoying a vegetarian meal? No judgement either way, just curious.

Tonight I made three plates/portions of dinner (photo of one attached) and delivered two to receptive neighbors. Grilled Adobo pork ribs with grilled peppers, rice (with chili sauce and sesame seeds) and a kale salad (I've been on a kale kick lately). The salad also had: grape tomatoes, Persian cucmbers, radish, garlic and red onion, grilled pepper, sesame oil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sesame seeds, pink sea salt, cracked black pepper and just a smidge of Danish blue cheese (on sale for $7.50/lb). Everything minced fairly fine and in modest quantity, tossed and then left to sit in the fridge for a half-hour. It was delicious.

[Palomine]

Ran the hell-all-over the City of Angels today, which would have been fine but for the fact that I had other stuff that needed doing. Stopped by a favorite grocery on the way home, saw a particular hen that spoke to me (suggesting, somewhat provocatively, that I eat her) so I came home, invited a neighbor, and we supped on Spontaneous Grilled Chicken. To wit:

Make usual foil tray filled with wet wood chips and lemon slices, place seasoned bird (seasoned both over and under the skin; heavy on the basil and garlic) atop chips and slices, add water to tray and light the crowded little grill, setting it to a low flame. Somewhere about halfway through the cooking, the bird will have finished steaming and the chips will begin to char and then smoke it. When the center of the birdly bosom registers 160F on thermometer, turn off grill and let sit for 10 mins. Draw and quarter and enjoy.

Served with corn on the cob and roasted red onions and yellow peppers (all also grilled) along with red rice (which smells like freshly dug earth when raw but tastes delicious when cooked) with a nice brown sauce on top made mostly of reduced coconut milk, Madras curry powder and some sort of Japanese brown soup base. I made a nice salad too. A few Trader Jose dark lagers to wash everything down.

All quite tasty for an impromptu meal.

[gOOber]