What are you cooking for dinner this weekend?

[ashwa64]

this thread is torturous to read.

i miss fresh fish (although i had some pretty good pomfret last night) and am jealous...

[Shinomaster]

Tempeh tastes like crap. I made carne asada this weekend.

[dave1215]

last night's cedar planked salmon leftovers
became today's salmon croquettes

btw, when making hummus
throw some parsley in the processor
particularly on st. patrick's day
and don't forget drizzled evoo and toasted pignoli on top

[RIHans]

This has been a hit with my guests...

Bone-in pork chops, thick-cut, or no bone.
S+P, and Jamacian Jerk seasoning (a lot)

Roast in a med. oven. Take it out before you think it is done. Don't over-cook. Maybe 12- 14 mins. Should be kinda pink on the inside...Not shoe-leather. (note...bone-in chops cook slower than no bone, loin chops)

DO AHEAD

The Topping.

A can of roasted red peppers (large, with the juice) in a sauce pan with 1/2 cup brown sugar. Low heat for 1 hour or more. A reduction here. You can turn up the heat, but it will burn your pan and make a f-ing mess. Reduce to a syrupy pan.(?) Maybe a 1/4 cup liquid.
Into the blender while hot. Be careful. Kitchen towel on top, not the blender top. Pulse it. Looking for a smoooth jam.

The Finish

Plate the chop and some rice and veg. A spoon or two of the glaze. The yin and yang of the Spicey Jerk, and the sweet Rst Red Pepper works.

Go crazy...This Rst Red Pep Jam, works on Cajun Spiced Salmon too.

Hans

[Too Tall]

RiHans, from your lips to g-d's ears my friend.

[RIHans]

If you are reading this, you may have more than a passing interest in food, cooking, wine, etc, good times.
I get this Mon-Fri update from the leading culinary school in the USA, mebbe the world. It is free, shows up in your inbox. Just sign up.
They (the editors) cull the best of what is in print, or online regarding the above food/beverage "stuff", and put it in an easy to read/print format.
I like it to spark a little idea for a dish for my guests, you may find it could be useful, too.

http://www.smartbrief.com/cia/

Ciao, Hans

[Blue Jays]

In shallow pan:
Combine and cook fresh garlic, onion, salt, black pepper, red pepper, splash of oil, and tomato paste

In first pot:
Boil at least a pound of "smallish" pasta like tubettini, orzo, tubetti, or similar.

In second pot:
Several cans of regular lentil soup depending on number of guests. My preference is for the Progresso brand.

• Open cans of soup and gently warm on cooktop and then place on gentle simmer.
• Combine spicy ingredients in shallow pan, cook, and set aside.
• When pasta is nearly done, add soy/edamame beans, frozen broccoli, or both to boiling water. Drain when cooked.
• Combine everything in the larger pot, garnish with grated cheese, and enjoy!

[Too Tall]

I've been getting that link for about a month RIHans and appreciate it. It's sort of an "idea" billboard. Nothing really earthshattering.

I'm at the beach sooooo. First night was pizzas with shrimp or cheese / herbs. Second night we scored some really fresh blue fish fillets. I salt/peppered/olive oiled a pan and laid them on that. On top they got a good coat of cracked pepper, light dusting with fine flour, dust with paprika, some salt, butter and into a 560F convection oven for 10 mins. :) Served with a grape tomatoe couscous and a gogonzola w/ haas avacado salad...yummr. I'm on the hunt for a whole rock fish and next day a dreaming up a seafood soup with small potatoes. mmmmm the beach :)

[Shinomaster]

canned soup? WTF?

[Too Tall]

canned soup? WTF?

Hey, relax it's comfort food.

[Blue Jays]

Shinomaster, fortifying an existing high-quality product with extra pasta & spices has worked well.
I don't have sufficient cooking skills to create my own "base" lentil soup to which to add other ingredients.

[Shinomaster]

Shinomaster, fortifying an existing high-quality product with extra pasta & spices has worked well.
I don't have sufficient cooking skills to create my own "base" lentil soup to which to add other ingredients.

I'm just messing with you. I use sometimes use canned pizza sauce and all sorts of other canned stuff too. :)
I bet if you try you could make a yummy lentil soup from scratch. It's easy!

[Shinomaster]

To a lot of confused persons pasta salad is an unholy combination of rotini, Italian salad dressing and a can of chopped olives. This is what most supermarkets and deli counters offer up. You might even get some bad cheese and cheap salami in there too if you are lucky.
Well, I'm here to help you all make what can be a tasty gourmet treat that any knuckle head can assemble. It's easy!

You will need:

Orzo or Israeli cous cous or any good quality small pasta*
a big bowl
a lemon
olive oil
chopped big bunch of Italian parsley
chopped tomatoes
chopped cucumber
good feta like Israeli or French , not the bad awful salty crap that comes as crumbles in tubs.*
salt
pepper


Cook the pasta until al dente and rise with cold water, drain and then set aside. Toss in a big bowl with the veggies and parsley. Add half the lemon juice, and drizzle the olive oil over the mixture and toss. It should not be swimming in oil, but don't be stingy. salt to taste. If it's bland add more salt and lemon. Add the feta at the end and gently mix (good feta or white cheese as we say in Turkey is soft and will dissolve.)
Last night I got kinda crazy and made it with roasted corn, onion, chillies, yellow pepper, and a pinch of cumin. Once you get the hang of it you can doctor it up any way you like. My dear mom would always add grilled chicken and Turkish olives. Last night we added a can of black eyed peas, and quinoa for a bit more protein. It truly is a super easy dish to make and it combines your salad and entree in one convenient tasty treat.

* Good pasta holds it's integrity and doesn't turn to mush the next day. The Italian imported stuff is to me worth the extra cash.
** Good feta is mild and creamy almost like chevre.

[Blue Jays]

/\/\ This thread is absolutely killing me...that looks delicious!
It's a good thing we have bicycles around to burn calories.

[Shinomaster]

/\/\ This thread is absolutely killing me...that looks delicious!
It's a good thing we have bicycles around to burn calories.

Oh good! If you make it right it's very healthy. Good for after a ride on hot day.

[Blue Jays]

OK, it's the roasted corn that I see in the photograph that's providing the extra texture. Got it.
I could imagine that would be really tasty with freshly-diced grilled chicken as you mentioned....which would absolutely make it a full-fledged salad/main course combo.

[Shinomaster]

OK, it's the roasted corn that I see in the photograph that's providing the extra texture. Got it.
I could imagine that would be really tasty with freshly-diced grilled chicken as you mentioned....which would absolutely make it a full-fledged salad/main course combo.

I made that one with Israeli couscous which looks a lot like lentils. It is a type of toasted pasta. It's just as yummy with orzo, a rice shaped macaroni.

[agilismerlin]

open pit fire tonight at my fellow r2d2 rider (sam's) house

burger(chive,feta)mix
chicken wings
homemade bread

this bottle. 12.99$


2004 tempranillo

Tempranillo is a variety of black grape widely grown to make full-bodied red wines[1] in its native Spain. It is the main grape used in Rioja, and is often referred to as Spain's "noble grape".[2] Its name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano ("early"),[1] a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks earlier than most Spanish red grapes.
Tempranillo wines can be consumed young, but the most expensive ones are aged for several years in oak barrels. The wines are ruby red in colour, with aromas and flavors of berries, plum, tobacco, vanilla, leather and herb.

History

Until recently it was suspected that Tempranillo was related to the Pinot Noir grape, but recent genetic studies tend to discount this possibility.
Spanish cultivation of Vitis vinifera, the common ancestor of almost all vines in existence today, began in earnest with Phoenician settlement in the southern provinces. Later, according to the Roman writer Columella, wines were grown all over Spain, yet there are only scattered references to the name "Tempranillo". This is presumably because in many places, like the Valdepeñas region, it was the main indigenous variety and assumed to be a different grape.[3] One early reference to this grape is found in a verse attributed to the 13th century poet Alejandro, referring to the Ribera del Duero region, in which he mentions the Castilian grapes by name:

"Ally fallaría ommes las bonas cardeniellas
e las otras mejores que son las tempraniellas"

which roughly translates as:

“There, everyone acknowledges the Cardeniellas - which are good -
and the Tempraniellas - which are better"[4]

Up until the 17th century Tempranillo-type vines remained confined to mainland Spain, where they were best suited to the slightly cooler climate of the northern provinces. Here the regions of La Rioja (Spain) and Valdepeñas historically made them their most important variety and they still make up the majority grape of their finest blends.[2]

A Tempranillo varietal wine in a glass, showing typically intense ruby coloring


The grape was brought to America, possibly as seeds, with the Spanish Conquistadors in the 17th century, where it has largely retained its genetic identity and still strongly resembles its Spanish ancestors.[5] Due to its high susceptibility to pests and diseases (particularly phylloxera which devastated stocks in the 19th century and still threatens the vines today), Spanish Tempranillo has long been grafted onto more resistant rootstock, resulting in a slightly different grape style to those grown today in Chile and Argentina. Despite its apparent fragility, Tempranillo travelled widely during the last century and, following much trial and error, has become established in a surprising number of countries worldwide.
In 1905, Frederick Bioletti brought Tempranillo to California where it received a cool reception not only due to the encroaching era of Prohibition, but also because of the grape's dislike of hot, dry climates. It was much later, during the 1980s, that Californian Tempranillo-based wine production began to flourish, following the establishment of suitably mountainous sites. Production in this area more than doubled since 1993.[6]
Tempranillo is currently enjoying a so-called renaissance in wine production worldwide. This surge began partly as a result of the efforts of a 'new wave' of Spanish growers who showed that it was possible to produce wines of great character and quality in areas outside of the Rioja region. One of the results of this has been that Tempranillo varietal wines are becoming more common, especially in the better-suited, cooler Spanish regions like Ribera del Duero, Navarra and Penedès. During the last decade, growers as far-flung as Australia, USA and South Africa have started significant Tempranillo plantations.[7]

[edit]

[rydesteel]

Deb's making a Red Bell pepper and Swiss Chard pasta, couple peppers and a bunch of chard chopped saute with a bit of garlic and olive oil till tender add a knob of butter a bit of good balsamic vinegar and some Parmesan grated over. That wine of agilis's is just fine :cheers:.
Desert is turtle brownies, home made caramel swirled into some decadent brownies topped with more caramel and pecans. Hmm.. might need some coffee for this one :D.

[Too Tall]

Thanks for the recipe Shino I'll make that this week. That's a no-brainer dinner :)