Breakfast/lunch/Dinner, what are you having?

The weather is filthy, cold, wet, dark, dreary, dismal.

Thus, today - well, I have been deferring or putting it off for a few days - seemed a good idea to try to prepare a warming dish of chilli.

Sautéed diced stewing beef (organic, etc, but defrosted - originally, I had thought I was defrosting actual steak, not stewing steak, tant pis, never mind) until brown; that meant browning in batches, and not crowding the pan.

Anyway, the browned steak was returned to the pan, where it was seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, brown sugar, ground cumin, ground coriander, and generous quantities of chilli - pimentón - (dulce) sweet, smoked, Spanish chilli, and its hotter cousin, picante; this was returned - with the pan juices - to the copper casserole dish, along with stock, tomao puree, and a tin of Italian San Marzano tomatoes.

This lot then went into a preheated oven, at a low enough temperature for two and a half hours.

At that stage, I checked the liquid, and added a mug of strong black (Ethiopian, because I have nothing else, but would have used central American coffee if I had it to hand,) coffee, with a spoon of brown sugar.

The casserole was returned to the oven for a further hour, while, on the stove top, on a low heat, eight small onions (I would have used three or four large onions, if I had them, but, pre-Christmas shortages - for reasons well known to all, but connected with severed transport links due to both Covid and Brexit in the weeks immediately preceding Christmas - of standard sized organic onions meant my purchases in the farmers' market before Christmas were confined to small onions)- roughly chopped - onions were gently sautéed; when they were soft, a minced head of garlic (nine fat cloves) was added to the copper sauté pan.

These - the softened and sautéed onions and garlic - were then added to the chilli casserole where they will cheerfully cook for a further hour, at a low heat, at which point I shall add the kidney beans, and return the casserole to the oven for a further - and final - twenty minutes to half an hour.

There will be more than enough for seconds tomorrow, which I shall probably serve with rice.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
The weather is filthy, cold, wet, dark, dreary, dismal.

Thus, today - well, I have been deferring or putting it off for a few days - seemed a good idea to try to prepare a warming dish of chilli.

Sautéed diced stewing beef (organic, etc, but defrosted - originally, I had thought I was defrosting actual steak, not stewing steak, tant pis, never mind) until brown; that meant browning in batches, and not crowding the pan.

Anyway, the browned steak was returned to the pan, where it was seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, brown sugar, ground cumin, ground coriander, and generous quantities of chilli - pimentón - (dulce) sweet, smoked, Spanish chilli, and its hotter cousin, picante; this was returned - with the pan juices - to the copper casserole dish, along with stock, tomao puree, and a tin of Italian San Marzano tomatoes.

This lot then went into a preheated oven, at a low enough temperature for two and a half hours.

At that stage, I checked the liquid, and added a mug of strong black (Ethiopian, because I have nothing else, but would have used central American coffee if I had it to hand,) coffee, with a spoon of brown sugar.

The casserole was returned to the oven for a further hour, while, on the stove top, on a low heat, eight small onions (I would have used three or four large onions, if I had them, but, pre-Christmas shortages - for reasons well known to all, but connected with severed transport links due to both Covid and Brexit in the weeks immediately preceding Christmas - of standard sized organic onions meant my purchases in the farmers' market before Christmas were confined to small onions)- roughly chopped - onions were gently sautéed; when they were soft, a minced head of garlic (nine fat cloves) was added to the copper sauté pan.

These - the softened and sautéed onions and garlic - were then added to the chilli casserole where they will cheerfully cook for a further hour, at a low heat, at which point I shall add the kidney beans, and return the casserole to the oven for a further - and final - twenty minutes to half an hour.

There will be more than enough for seconds tomorrow, which I shall probably serve with rice.
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Dinner was absolutely delicious, though I say so, myself.
 
I shall have yesterday's chilli tomorrow.

Meanwhile, dinner this evening took the form of free range, organic, fried eggs, (delicious), and dessert was sliced mangoes (I had two to use up).

Simple but very tasty.
 
Dinner was my take on, or version of, Chinese style egg fried rice: Finely chopped carrots, onions (both organic), sautéed in butter (and a little olive oil), until soft, seasoned with freshly ground black pepper; then, a head of minced (organic) garlic was added, then a half mug (Le Crueset) of frozen peas and some sliced French onions.

Once they were soft, I added two eggs (free range, organic, and already whisked) to this mix, and scrambled them through it; then, the day old basmati rice was added, and sautéed and stirred and mixed through.

This was when the seasoning - to taste - was added, along with more chopped French onions: Soya sauce, oyster sauce, a little kecap manis, and some sesame oil.

Then serve and tuck in.

Very tasty, I must say.
 
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On Nikon Cafe, where I also hang out, someone who is very into cooking posted photos of the latest meal he prepared for himself and his wife: Gnudi. Many of us reading and responding to the thread had never heard of Gnudi. It's an Italian dish rather similar to Gnocchi, featuring ricotta cheese, but without the pasta. Sounds interesting and I thought since you enjoy cooking different things you might enjoy this, if you are unfamiliar with it..... There are plenty of recipes available on the internet. Bon Appetit!
 
Clix Pix said:
On Nikon Cafe, where I also hang out, someone who is very into cooking posted photos of the latest meal he prepared for himself and his wife: Gnudi. Many of us reading and responding to the thread had never heard of Gnudi. It's an Italian dish rather similar to Gnocchi, featuring ricotta cheese, but without the pasta. Sounds interesting and I thought since you enjoy cooking different things you might enjoy this, if you are unfamiliar with it..... There are plenty of recipes available on the internet. Bon Appetit!
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Never heard of them, either.

Fascinating.
 
A bit late, but on Saturday night we ordered delivery for the first time during this whole Covid Lockdown 1/2/3…

Indian Vegetarian.
Samosas, Varli Baingan, Saag Paneer, Dal Makhani, Dal Tadka, Biryani…

It was most delicious, but wow did those carbs knock me for a six!

I fell asleep (feeling stuffed!) while we were watching Disenchanted — woke up and was fine the rest of the night. Just a blood sugar crash.
Of course as soon as I woke from my slumber I was hungry enough to eat it all again…

😄

Clix Pix said:
On Nikon Cafe, where I also hang out, someone who is very into cooking posted photos of the latest meal he prepared for himself and his wife: Gnudi. Many of us reading and responding to the thread had never heard of Gnudi. It's an Italian dish rather similar to Gnocchi, featuring ricotta cheese, but without the pasta.
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Ah Gnudi…
Michelangelo did the best ones.
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Oh hang on… wrong Gnudi. 😄
 
Got another bag of lemons from our friend of over 20 years who just happens to live close by. I planted my own lemon tree this year so looking forward to some of my own produce. You just can’t beat home squeezed lemon aid! :D


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7 jumbo lemons made this.
 
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Huntn said:
Got another bag of lemons from our friend of over 20 years who just happens to live close by. I planted my own lemon tree this year so looking forward to some of my own produce. You just can’t beat home squeezed lemon aid! :D



7 jumbo lemons made this.
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Again, absolutely mouth-watering.

I can hardly begin to describe how envious I am.

Actually, I love lemons, and citrus fruit are gloriously in season just now.

Have you ever tried stuffing a roast chicken with (organic, or home grown) lemons? Yum.

Grated lemon rind on apple tart (pie), or aple crumble, is lovely, too.
 
It's taking every ounce of my willpower not to hop in my car, and drive down to the bayou for some real Cajun food. It's an 8 hour drive, but damnit, I want some blackened redfish and crawdads!
 
Renzatic said:
It's taking every ounce of my willpower not to hop in my car, and drive down to the bayou for some real Cajun food. It's an 8 hour drive, but damnit, I want some blackened redfish and crawdads!
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I love blackened redfish! Crawdads remind me of budget lobster, I prefer them in a bisque. :)
 
Renzatic said:
Here you go: Redfish Pontchartrain! Oh, and don't forget the Dirty Rice for the side.



I've always considered them snack lobsters, myself.
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I love that sort of food; if I ever do manage to visit the US (to date, three continents visited, mostly, though not exclusively, for reasons of work, but none of them the Americas), I have it in mind to explore the cuisine (and music) of New Orlenns and Louisiana.
 
We are currently experiencing that rare phenomenon in Los Angeles called rain. Therefore, the need for warm, comfort food on a wet, chilly evening. I will be making this tonight.

Baked Tortellini with spinach and artichokes in a cream sauce.

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I shared this over at MR but for those of you not frequenting that arena, here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

8 oz medium pasta shells
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 t red pepper flakes
10 oz fresh baby spinach or frozen chopped spinach
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts drained & roughly chopped
2 C heavy cream (1 pint)
4 oz grated parmesan (about 1 cup)
Black pepper
4 oz grated mozzarella (about 1 cup)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Turn down to medium hight and cook pasta according to package directions until 2 minutes short of al dente (the pasta will finish cooking in the oven). Drain and reserve liquid.

Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add spinach little by little until wilted, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Stir in chopped artichokes.

Stir in cream and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Sir in the Parmesan until melted. Remove from the heat then carefully stir in the cooked pasta or transfer to large bowl to mix together. The liquid might appear wet and loose but will thicken up as it bakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer the pasta to a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake until bubbling. 20-25 minutes. Broil unit browned in spots, 1-2 minutes if desired.

Note: my friend also added bacon. :)
 
shadow puppet said:
We are currently experiencing that rare phenomenon in Los Angeles called rain. Therefore, the need for warm, comfort food on a wet, chilly evening. I will be making this tonight.

Baked Tortellini with spinach and artichokes in a cream sauce.

View attachment 3009

I shared this over at MR but for those of you not frequenting that arena, here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

8 oz medium pasta shells
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 t red pepper flakes
10 oz fresh baby spinach or frozen chopped spinach
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts drained & roughly chopped
2 C heavy cream (1 pint)
4 oz grated parmesan (about 1 cup)
Black pepper
4 oz grated mozzarella (about 1 cup)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Turn down to medium hight and cook pasta according to package directions until 2 minutes short of al dente (the pasta will finish cooking in the oven). Drain and reserve liquid.

Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add spinach little by little until wilted, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Stir in chopped artichokes.

Stir in cream and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Sir in the Parmesan until melted. Remove from the heat then carefully stir in the cooked pasta or transfer to large bowl to mix together. The liquid might appear wet and loose but will thicken up as it bakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer the pasta to a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake until bubbling. 20-25 minutes. Broil unit browned in spots, 1-2 minutes if desired.

Note: my friend also added bacon. :)
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Welcome onboard! (Forum ref) :)
 
got my wife some doughnuts. first time with this place nothing like a square doughnut. she said they were great they actually use chocolate chips in the frosting. my gradaugher only ate a little but I don't think she is a huge chocolate fan. but boy does she love black licorice. poor think got a 25 mile ride in my bike bag.
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