Leftover oden, much better than the night it was made and great with this cold weather (and wind). Diakon, fried tofu, I bought the mochi pouches since a they were on the shelf at the market. The fish cakes were made in the food processor with steamed leeks, local petrale sole, white pepper and and egg white with a texture closer to ground meat vs a super smooth paste, then wrapped and steamed.
7 Likes
Cod Cheeks, Cauliflower, Shiitake Mushroom, Celery Salsa Verde
It’s both dry and diet January for me, and so dinner plates haven’t been too exciting lately, but I managed to make something halfway decent looking last night. It’s no secret I love fish cheeks, the qpr champion of the fish if you will. This version was simply pan roasted with just salt, as I let the flavor of the fish and the other flavors of the dish do the heavy lifting. The mushrooms are cooked down pretty hard until crisp, and seasoned with allepo and paprika. I like my roasted cauliflower nearly burnt so this was ideal for me. Finally, a typical Italian salsa verde was made, but I added both celery leaves and diced celery to the mixture, as I had some I needed to use up. Simple, delicious, and healthy too!
11 Likes
Had some champagne in the kitchen fridge that either:
A) had to be opened;
B) had to be moved to the upstairs champagne fridge.
Option B won out. This dry January is tough.
Some Osetra with crème fraiche on a cape cod dirty chip.
Then a roasted chicken from a local farm. Some shallots tucked under it. Hash of sweet potatoes and squash Aleppo pepper and pomegranate molasses. Salad was simple with some fennel double cream feta and lemon vinaigrette.
7 Likes
Made some Cotechino and served with smoked polenta and lemon/coriander sautéed kale.
Finished with parsley, lemon zest and some toasted hazelnuts.
10 Likes
Still working on dry January.
First those biscuits could pass as mine.
Martini and caviar to start
Cranberry beans some andouille and Italian sausage. A little side salad with lemon vinaigrette.
6 Likes
Cannot believe I forgot to top this with the gremolata before the pic!!! Wagyu osso bucco with risotto alla Milanese (topped with a parsley, garlic and lemon zest gremolata). Used homemade beef stock. Outrageously good but damn that saffron gets pricey quick!
14 Likes
Nicely done. Great job getting the shank out of the pot whole. Makes for a great presentation.
2 Likes
Kotowski, that’s impressive even for you.
1 Like
Totally kicking myself for not getting the gremolata in there. The contrast with green, white and yellow was fantastic.
1 Like
Awesome. Going to cook the exact same thing for a Nebbiolo/Sangiovese tasting in two weeks 
1 Like
I wanted to make ramen like the first meal I had on my recent trip, Kitakata style ramen. Lots of prep, and I had no idea it involved multiple sauces/flavored oil etc, and since I didn’t actually read the recipe the first go and that the noodles require days of aging, the first batch of seafood broth and chicken soup went into a simple braised chicken dish both had to be made again.
Restaurant pic (Bannai Shokudo in Kitakata Japan)
Finished prep: chasu (braised w/ soy/mirin/water then roasted), flavored oil (rendered chicken fat flavored with onion, garlic, neboshi heads from the dashi and ginger), dashi (kombu, neboshi 24hr soak, then bonito flake (added the tare to this), chicken broth (feet/carcass, leeks, green/yellow onion and ginger), noodles, bamboo, scallions/leeks.
Done
Made ramen eggs because I love them, and added lots of raw green onion. I’m extra happy the noodles turned out great b/c I’m never going to make this again!
12 Likes
Yep. Something to do once. Then let the pros do it, with added appreciation.
1 Like
Mass production has its perks. Such as the ability to turn out insanely amazing Ramen and sell it for $3 a bowl.
Two more recipes from Maya Kaimal’s superlative “Indian Flavor Every Day”
First up, Basmati with Shallots and Cumin
.
yes, I cheated by using Jasmine rice; still tasted great.
.
All lined-up and ready to go. Given the break-neck pace at which one proceeds through the cooking steps with many Indian recipes, it is crucial that you have your ingredients prepped, measured, and standing-by before you begin your cooking. Nobs of homemade ghee in the pans.
.
aromatics for the Red Chili Shrimp preparation
.
Turned-out great! Yet another winner from this cookbook. Will absolutely make again. A bottle of Falkenstein Kabinett trocken paired nicely.
7 Likes
Following day saw me dipping in to my new Bon Appétit subscription, a gift received from my parents for XMas this year. Was quite pleased to be able to make this entirely from ingredients already on-hand. I did add some dried Thai chiles to the dish to amp up the heat, but otherwise followed the recipe closely. Highly recommended.
Thai Roast Chicken Thighs with Coconut Rice
Grunhaus Kabinett paired very nicely, and I snuck-in a pour of leftover Falkenstein, too. 
7 Likes
Do you have a link to the recipe for that chicken? I’ve got two quarters that I just vac sealed, and some really good rice (and farmer’s market broccoli) + cilantro, so almost all ingredients on hand.
1 Like
Let me know if that doesn’t work. I also added some chopped dried Thai chile to the marinade and also a little bit to the chicken while pan roasting in the oven. The broccoli and zucchini were separate from the recipe, but I felt they went well as part of the meal.
Perfect thanks! Copy/pasted and emailed to myself 