Using the left over pan drippings from the Moroccan Lamb we roasted chicken drumsticks, with steamed whole baby bok choy and new grain I’ve tried for the first time called Quinoa which apparently is an ancient Aztec staple, it’s pretty non descript in taste but a little chicken stock and some onions and it takes on a life of its’ own, I’ll cook with it again.
We celebrate Beatrice’s birthday, a good friend of ours. This is the “bottle show” of the food blog. We started with Japanese salad and a Miso dressing, not shown (a little honey seems to be the trick to make the salad taste like the real thing.) The appetizer is Wild Mushroom Tarte Tatin served in a puff pastry shell, the mushrooms are: chanterelle, black trumpet and shiitake. The dish is finished of with some sour cream and a shaved black truffle with black truffle oil. The main course is Moroccan Lamb Shank with sautéed haricots verts, orange, white and red baby carrots. The starch is a mushroom risotto in veal stock with chanterelle and black trumpet mushrooms, parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Repeating myself was going to happen sooner or later. Toppings: tomato sauce, mozzarella, Cremini mushrooms, yellow peppers and smoked bacon. Great on a lazy Friday night, tomorrow is a big day in the kitchen so best to conserve my energy.
A simple dish of Farfalle (bow tie pasta) with home made tomato sauce, smoked bacon, leeks, yellow bell pepper and grape tomatoes. Topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Cream of asparagus soup from scratch, of course. The soup is pretty conventional, just see Joy of Cooking, also added to the bowl before adding the soup was: shaved black truffles, black truffle oil, and roasted shallots. There’s an almost undefinable quality which truffle oil adds to a dish, that leaves me speechless. Served with Veuve Cliequot Ponsardin. The main course is pan seared salmon poached in lobster bisque with haricots verts, pearl onions and orange, white and red baby carrots, along with a potato cake in ramekin topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano and stuffed with roasted shallots, garlic and black truffle and truffle oil. The main course was paired with Kumala Reserve Merlot 2003, a very good match. Finally a dessert of boisen and raspberries flambeed in cognac and served with pound cake and ice cream.
For the one I Love Arlene.
New York Striploin pan fried and then broiled and topped with Gruyère cheese and finished with brown sage butter. The asparagus is sautéed in olive oil and white wine with butter, shallots and Dijon mustard and dusted with Parmigiano-Reggiano. The starch is simple mashed potatoes. Paired with a Peter Lehman, Clancy’s 2002 Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and what a heady blend it is, very delicious.
As the title says veal Marsala with safron risotto, along with steamd broccoli. The Marsala is Sperone Cremovo Marsala Fine D.O.C. and is so far the only Marsala that has the properties that make this dish sing on your palate.
Well, with a ton of leftovers in the fridge, it was time for a little creativity in the kitchen for lunch. Today is a stew from the oxtail of a few nights back, roasted vegetables from last night and some red kidney beans. It all made enough for two lunches which I will also be eating tomorrow.
With Super Bowl Sunday just passed there was only pizza and chicken wings on the menu, mind you they were the best damn chicken wings in Toronto, courtesy of Mr. Janes and the Bistro on Avenue Road. We also had dinner at the Corner House on Feb. 4th which is part of Winterlicious. I was pleasantly surprised by the Lamb and Lentils I had, the appetizer of shrimp was outstanding, the waiter brought me a second helping of shrimp after I shared my dish with my wife, finally the Crème Brule was outstanding. We will definitely be going back in the future. On Monday, Feb. 7, we had roasted BBQ chicken legs with root vegetables not very exciting and more or less a repeat of my first post. Last night for Fat Tuesday we had a feast at Mr. Janes’ which is an annual tradition, we filled up on ham, pancakes, sausage and many other fixings along with a healthy dose of wine. I’m feeling very fat today after all the great food yesterday. Finally, I know nothing about taking pictures of food, but I’m slowly learning how to use my first camera. Any advice would be appreciated.
This Ragu is not the stuff in the jar you might find in the grocery store, but a Northern Italian dish from the “Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian.” To say this dish is rich is an understatement, since it contains 2lbs each of ground veal and pork, 1/2 pound pancetta, 6 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup whipping cream, 2/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Eating this every day would be a bad thing, but it’s definitely a good thing every once in a while.
