January 30, 2011 new recipes

Dinner on 1/30/2011 was wonderful. I made Rick Bayless' Smoky Peanut Mole with Grilled Quail, from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen. I can't tell you how many times I've looked at that recipe thinking it would be fun to make. Finally I did it! Partially deboning quail is a new experience from me--I could definitely benefit from some butchery lessons. Fortunately, the quail tasted great anyway!

Carl created a salad from avocado, grapefruit, tomato and chili powder that was a perfect accompaniment, another new dish.

The wine was Garnache de Fuego, 2009 Old Vine.

January 29, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/29/2011. We repeated the African Adobo-Rubbed Tuna Steaks for Melissa, Carl's niece, and her husband Mike, and of course for our friend Dwight. The new dish came from Epicurious.com--Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Grapefruit Salad. They were both great!

We drank Garnacha de Fuego 2009 Old Vine with this meal.

January 28, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/28/2011. Carl made Chicken with Achiote--the sauce was left behind from an earlier Rick Bayless shrimp dish, and he applied it beautifully to chicken. He served it with a totally new recipe for us, Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Vinaigrette, from Epicurious.com. The name of the dish does not do justice to the way the lime juice jazzes up the chile and the squash!

The wine was a 2007 St Michelle Merlot.

January 27, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/27/2011 was Shrimp and Scallops with Asian Eggplant, which Carl served over rice. This is yet another recipe from Epicurious.com. Epicurious aggregates recipes from a number of sources, and we have been very happy with most of the recipes!

The wine was the 2009 Leitz Out Rheingau Riesling.

January 26, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/26/2011 was extraordinary! This is African Adobo-Rubbed Tuna Steaks, from Epicurious.com. It is served with quick pickled cucumbers and and avocado salsa.

The wine, which worked very well with this dish, was a 2002 Leasingham Magnus Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon Blend.

January 25, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/25/2011 was a Spiced Lentils With Mushrooms and Greens, from Food and Wine Magazine. Yes, we had lentils two days in a row, but there are 2 cooks!

The wine was a 2008 Alamos Torrontes.

January 24, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/24/2011 was a simple affair, with a recipe from Epicurious.com. Simple, but delicious! We had Mediterranean Couscous and Lentil Salad. I think this could be made with any lentils, but the French green lentils (Lentilles de Puy) really do hold together better than many others do. This recipe also had a lot of mint, but it was what really made it work. It was equally good for lunch the next day!

The wine with this meal as a 2009 Coppola Bianco Pinot Grigio.

January 23, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/23/2011 came from Epicurious.com: Lamb Köftes with Yogurt Sauce and Muhammara, a wonderful lamb meatball with yogurt and a syrian red pepper sauce. I served it with a Salad of Mixed Greens with a Vinaigrette of Pomegranate Vinegar, with Dukkah sprinkled on top.

The wine was a 1996 Marques De Arienzo Gran Reserva Rioja, which was perfect with this dish.

January 22, 2011 new recipes

Dinner on 1/22/2011 was all from Mario Batali's Molto Italiano. I made Spaghetti Alla Carbonara, and Braised Baby Fennel. They were both very tasty. I do not recall the wine.

January 21, 2011 new recipes

Dinner on 1/21/2011 had a fabulous new dish for us, Persian Style Chicken, with Walnuts, Onion and Pomegranate Sauce (Fesenjan), from the Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl, and Flemish Brussel Sprouts, from Everyone Eats Well in Belgium by Ruth van Waerebeek. They were both quite good, but they did not seem pefrectly suited for each other.

The wine was a 2003 Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay, which worked very nicely with both dishes.

January 20, 2011 new recipes

Dinner on 1/20/2011 was a Stuffed Red Pepper, accompanied by an Arugula, Spinach, Pear and Celery Salad created by our friend Dwight Davidson (http://www.davidsonsculpture.com/).

Both were new to us--we are looking for the source of the stuffed pepper recipe.

The wine was a Yealands 2008 Sauvignon Blanc.

January 19, 2011 new recipes

Since yesterday's dinner was fairly robust, we decided to do a lighter dinner on 1/19/2011. We made the Grilled Mushroom Salad with Arugula, from Epicurious.com. This new dish for us was accompanied by another new dish from Mario Batali's Italian Grill, Asparagus Wrapped in Pancetta with Citronette (though I used Prosciutto instead of Pancetta), and some stellette pasta.

The wine was a 2008 Terredora DiPaolo Aglianico, which worked well with the grilled meat and the citronette.

January 18, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/18/2011 was a new recipe for us from Mario Batali's Molto Italiano, Game Hens with Pomegranate. It was very tasty, indeed! It was nice with some cooked Farro on the side.

The wine was a 2000 Sommer Merlot. Though the wine has been around for awhile, the flavors blended nicely with the hens.

January 17, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/17/2011 was Tagliatelle with a Fresh Tuna Ragu, another first time recipe for us. This is also from Mario Batali's Molto Italiano. We served it with an Arugula Salad dressed in our usual dressing. Both were very tasty!

The wine was a 2009 Côté Est Catalan, a blend of Grenache, Chardonnay and Marsanne.

January 16, 2011 new recipes

Dinner on 1/16/2011 was a team affair. I made Chicken with Wild Mushrooms and Roasted Garlic. Carl made Farro with Artichokes and Herbs. We had it with a Mâche Salad with Edible Flowers, and the usual dressing.

The chicken and the farro were both new recipes, and both came from Food and Wine Magazine.

The wine with this meal was a 2007 Patton Valley Pinot Noir, brought by our friends Kris and Tony.

January 15, 2011 new recipes

Dinner on 1/15/2011 was a Round Steak with Soy Citrus Marinade--I adapted this from the London Broil with Soy Citrus Mayonnaise recipe on Epicurious.com. Carl made an Smoked Onion Soubise from Food and Wine Magazine. It was all served with a red pepper salad in our Viandox dressing, with edible flowers.

The steak and the soubise were new. The soubise was sublime, the steak was not. I think the recipe was just fine, but I overestimated the thickness of the steak and the ease of cooking it. Let's just say I need to learn more about round steak!

I don't recall the wine.

January 14, 2011 new recipe

On 1/14/2011, we had this lovely creation. Carl invented this from scratch--Herbed Potato and Steak Salad. This was accompanied by a Pickled Cucumber Onion Salad--slices of cucumber and red onion are pickled in a 9:3:1 ratio or rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt (3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 3 teaspoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt). You marinate for 10-20 minutes, and you can add red pepper flakes, if you wish. The flavors are lovely!

January 13, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/13/2011 was Scallops with Angel Hair Pasta and Piccata Sauce, Broccoli Rabe Puglia Style, and the Crispy Leeks again. I used spaghetti, but the scallop recipe came from EatingWell.com. The rabe recipe is courtesy of Mario Batali's Molto Italiano.

The wine was a pinot grigio.

January 12, 2011 new recipes

Dinner on 1/12/2011 was Seared Scallops with Crispy Leeks. This recipe is new, and comes from the EatingWell.com website. It was tasty! The key to the leeks, which are crisped in a very hot over, is to be sure to spread them out in a single layer. Otherwise they get a little mushy.

We had this with some Farro, and with Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Grapes. This recipe was given to me by a coworker. You just cut equal parts of red or black seedless grapes and brussel sprouts in half. Lightly oil with olive oil, salt and pepper, and then roast at 350 degrees until they look done. It is so simple and so easy!

January 11, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/11/2011: Camarónes a la Diabla. Carl served this with rice. The recipe is from Rick Bayless' Fiesta at Rick's.

January 10, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/10/2011. Anne prepared a wonderful Leek Tart for us. So I supposed technically we fell down on this one, since we didn't do the actual preparation. Ah well. It is fabulous--resembles a quiche in some ways, but much less egg and much more vegetables and cheese.

Don't remember the wine, other than to say it was a white.

January 9, 2011 new recipes

Here is dinner on 1/9/2011--a Moroccan Lamb-Chicken Stew, served over pearled couscous. It was delicious, and made many days of wonderful leftovers!

I need to dig back through our recipes to remember where this one came from.

Don't recall the wine.

We don't often have dessert, but this evening we had a chestnut cream, with vanilla ice cream and bitter chocolate. Anne found the recipe in French online and made it. Roasted chestnuts have a flavor that is really unlike anything else, and it is wonderful! Here is a recipe from Yankee Magazine.

January 8, 2011 new recipes

Here is Anne again at dinner on 1/8/2011. Both dishes are new: a Lime-Marinated Grilled Flank Steak, and a Cucumber-Onion Salad with Chinese Sausage.

We are still trying to remember what the sources for these are!

Don't recall the wine either.

January 7, 2011 new recipe

Here is dinner on 1/7/2011, and our friend Anne Trégloze, who arrived from France, a day after she was supposed to be here!

We had some more of the wonderful Polish Barley Soup, accompanied by our new dish for the day. Carl adapted the Frisée and Wild Mushroom Salad with Poached Egg from Epicurious.com--he used arugula instead of the frisée, but it was wonderful nonetheless.

We had a sauvignon blanc with this, though I can't remember which wine.

January 6, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/6/2011 came from Rick Bayless' Fiesta at Rick's. This time Carl did the whole recipe, Achiote-Seared Shrimp with Quick Habanero-Pickled Onions. This was the first time we did the shrimp, but not the first time for the onions (and not the last time, either!).

Simple, and fabulous. We had a Riesling with this, but I don't remember which one.

January 5, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/5/2011 was simple and very satisfying. This Polish Barley Soup came from Twelve Months of Monastery Soups, by Brother Victor Antoine D'Avila-Latourette. Delicious!!

Don't recall the wine.

January 4, 2011 new recipe

Dinner on 1/4/2011 was an Asian affair. As he has many times before, Carl made the Roasted Brussel Sprouts recipe from David Chang's Momofuku. The roasting gives them a lovely caramelized flavor, but the key is the spicy fish sauce dressing. David Chang serves them over puffed rice--so far we haven't tried that, but they are also spectacular with some white rice.

The new dish was Fried Chicken Wing Drumettes in Cilantro Batter, from David Cost's excellent cookbook, Asian Ingredients. These wings have a fantastic flavor, but I think we both decided that it was more fried food than we would usually eat.

Once again, I can't remember what the wine was.

January 3, 2011 new recipes

Dinner on 1/3/2011 was a tasty yet simple affair. The Quick Habanero-Pickled Onions, was a new recipe for us, from Rick Bayless' Fiesta at Rick's cookbook. The Shrimp From the Devil Priest, from Mario Batali's Molto Italiano, was served over Basmati rice.

Delicious!

The wine was Leitz Out 2009 Rheingau Riesling. Rieslings are fruity, even when they are not sweet, making them a good match for spicy food.

Our cooking adventure

As many know Mark and I love to cook. We cook everyday unless something like going out to dinner gets in the way or we are traveling. So we have decided to cook a new dish everyday this year. I actually started on Monday before the new year. I made Omelet de Lyonaise which is an onion omelet topped with a white wine vinegar that you heat in the drippings from the omelet and pour on top. Tuesday I cooked Mesquite smoked chicken with roasted potatoes. I bought Mark a cold smoker for Christmas and his mother bought me a set of different woods to use in it. So I must admit that I actually used Mark's gift before he had a chance. He did of course get to eat the chicken. On Wednesday, I made carrot ginger soup and Thursday I cooked risotto with peas and prosciutto with a side dish of Brussels sprouts with a maple walnut vinaigrette.

Friday Mark and I went out to Dinner with his parents, Ann and Mike and his sister Mary with her husband Kenny and their three kids, Georgia, Julia and Brett. Since I could not cook I had a dish that I love yet have not ventured to make yet. Chioppino.

Last night Mark made a terrific meal, curried black eyed peas, chanterelle mushrooms cooked in butter shallots and garlic. The main dish was chicken thighs cooked with juniper berries. Fantastic although I think it made me dream of gin last night.

Tonight we are having Grilled rack of lamb with honey pasilla glaze, Roasted new potato salad with poblano Mayo. After a day on the slopes I can hardly wait.

January 2, 2011 new recipes

This is the dinner on 1/2/2011. Carl and I were in the mountains, near Winter Park. The temperatures were very cold for skiing. That didn't stop us, of course, but we wanted a nice warming meal afterward. The main course was Grilled Rack of Lamb with a Honey-Pasilla Glaze, from Rick Bayless' Fiesta at Rick's cookbook (one of my Christmas presents). He has such a love of Mexican food, and so many good recipes! The Salad of Roasted New Potatoes with Poblano Mayo came from the same book. We also had a salad I make often with caramelized corn kernels, and diced cucumber, red bell peppers, dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette and shredded basil or tarragon.

The wine was a garnacha--a fruity red wine that often matches well to spicy foods.

January 1, 2011 new recipes

New Years Day, 2011. We made Chicken with Juniper Berries, from Ruth van Waerebeek's Everyone Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook. We also made Fresh Chanterelles with Shallots from Epicurious.com, and a green salad. Both were new to us.

Our usual green salad is made with a very simple vinaigrette--olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a little Viandox. Viandox is a Knorr product, which our friends Anne and Gilles introduced us to when we visited them in France. We have not been able to get it in the US, so we tend to return from France with a bunch of bottles in the suitcases! It is a salty sauce with yeast extract, some spices, soy sauce, and beef extract.

Being New Years Day, we also had to have black eyed peas. I modified the Curried Black Eyed Pea Soup recipe on Epicurious.com. I didn't use bacon, just olive oil and the smoked paprika for the smokiness of bacon. It was really nice! The chanterelle recipe also came from this site.

I can't remember what red wine we had with this.