What is/was for dinner?

[Scepticalscribe]

I do really love kedgeree. Almost crawled into the screen of my laptop watching Downton Abbey when they first showed it on the sideboard at breakfast in Season 1, Episode 1. Meanwhile the characters were just having some stewed fruit or a bit of scrambled egg...

This is the recipe supposedly used for the Downton kedgeree. I don't use smoked fish, just any leftover white fish I've usually poached for a previous evening's dinner. Past that difference it's pretty much how I make it. Sometimes I add a few other leftovers to it, maybe some peas or greens or whatever strikes my fancy and doesn't overwhelm a dish meant as breakfast.

https://downtonabbeycooks.com/recipe/kedgeree/​

I kept wondering all through that show's seasons if they ever let the cast and crew eat some of that food later on, or if it had to be doctored with assorted craft materials to stay in service as a prop without collapsing before a 2nd and 3rd take.

Loved the scene in Downton when a barn cat got into kitchen and grabbed one of several roasted birds; the maids rescued it off the floor and brushed it off and added a little more parsley to cover any toothmarks. When a housemate and I had a similar experience in the city, we elected to let the thieving cat have the bird (it was one of two roasted Cornish game hens) and we settled for splitting the other one, doubling down on the side dishes and adding a salad. After that though the cat was locked in the bedroom while roast poultry was being served...

Actually, I love kedgeree, as well, and think that the smoked fish and curry and egg combination really work well with rice. (You have given me an idea for a meal over the next week or so).

Thanks for sharing the recipe.

And yes, the cat story is very funny.

Moreover, cats never had (or have) that guilty look you see on the face of a dog that managed to raid sausages, or chicken or turkey when you weren't looking or weren't around to prevent such opportunism.

 

[LizKat]

Moreover, cats never had that guilty look you see on the face of a dog that managed to raid sausages, or chicken or turkey when you weren't looking or weren't around to prevent such opportunism.

Hah, yes... cats do display their still feral nature in not having any sort of guilt complex. Everything of ours is theirs for the taking, no matter if a sunny windowsill or what we meant to serve ourselves for dinner.

Dogs on the other hand have been thoroughly domesticated, and unless out on their own in packs for awhile, do have a well developed sense of guilt and matching physical gestures signaling "I've done wrong, it's time to pay again..."

We even describe a guilty-looking person as having a "hangdog look" about him. There's no such thing as a "hangcat look". Regal, maybe. And indignant!

Our most common expressions relating human behavior to that of cats run more to admiration of their sense of style, their skills, even acknowledgment of their sense of superiority and of course their complete disregard of our wishes:

"the cat's pajamas"
"while the cat's away, the mice will play"
"a cat may look at a king"
"well that turned out like trying to herd cats".​

All that said, our cat and dog did once work together to swipe a pound of butter and a ham off a countertop at Easter. The dog may have had the idea but it was the cat that got up onto the counter and shoved the items within reach... and in fact it was the dog took the heat for it when seen trying to export the haul.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Hah, yes... cats do display their still feral nature in not having any sort of guilt complex. Everything of ours is theirs for the taking, no matter if a sunny windowsill or what we meant to serve ourselves for dinner.

Dogs on the other hand have been thoroughly domesticated, and unless out on their own in packs for awhile, do have a well developed sense of guilt and matching physical gestures signaling "I've done wrong, it's time to pay again..."

We even describe a guilty-looking person as having a "hangdog look" about him. There's no such thing as a "hangcat look". Regal, maybe. And indignant!

Our most common expressions relating human behavior to that of cats run more to admiration of their sense of style, their skills, even acknowledgment of their sense of superiority and of course their complete disregard of our wishes:

"the cat's pajamas"
"while the cat's away, the mice will play"
"a cat may look at a king"
"well that turned out like trying to herd cats".​

All that said, our cat and dog did once work together to swipe a pound of butter and a ham off a countertop at Easter. The dog may have had the idea but it was the cat that got up onto the counter and shoved the items within reach... and in fact it was the dog took the heat for it when seen trying to export the haul.

That is very funny and very true.

A cousin of mine once arrived home to find her dog - an adorable Bichon Frise - utterly unable to meet her eyes, and positively exuding guilt, with "culprit" written all over those canine features.

It simply remained to discover the actual crime - which took some time because she and her partner had to discover what had happened, - nothing was broken or damaged - whereupon the investigation focussed on what (food item) was inexplicably missing. Sausages or chicken, I think, was what they eventually discovered had gone missing.

As for the here and now, I am debating something along the lines of a pilau with organic, free range, chicken thighs. Pilau sounds easier than biryani, although there is an intersection or overlap between both dishes.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Dinner will be chicken (organic, free range, with skin and bone attached) thighs, and basmati rice.

The chicken thighs are sautéing slowly in a blend of olive oil and butter.

Already chopped or diced and sliced, are a head of new spring (organic) "wet" garlic, a thumb of ginger (cut into sticks), organic onions and carrots, along with some dates, dried apricots and golden raisins from Turkey, and a small cup of peas.

Spices (cardamon pods, whole cloves, turmeric, whole black pepper corns, saffron strands, and cumin seeds await their turn to be added to this dish.)

The chicken stock is waiting in its jug.

The rice has been washed (several times).

 

[LizKat]

That dinner sounds delicious. I'm out of fresh ginger at the moment and regretting I don't at least have something like bits of candied ginger on hand for such an emergency. I keep forgetting to include some of that when I refresh my cupboard stores. It has come in handy enough a few times when powdered ginger is not the ticket at all.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

That dinner sounds delicious. I'm out of fresh ginger at the moment and regretting I don't at least have something like bits of candied ginger on hand for such an emergency. I keep forgetting to include some of that when I refresh my cupboard stores. It has come in handy enough a few times when powdered ginger is not the ticket at all.

I perused several recipes and am not quite sure whether this will be classed as a sort of pilau, or a sort of biryani; perhaps some strange mongrel dish.

Fortunately, they are quite relaxed in how these dishes are prepared in their home countries (and I have had pilau in a number of countries of central Asia, invariably delicious, including some surprisingly tasty ones in roadside cafés in Russia, not far from the Kazakh border).

But, it should turn out well.

Candied ginger sounds like an excellent store cupboard staple.

Re spices, anytime I am in Asia - or dashing thorough Istanbul airport, if I have the time - I will stock up on spices.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The garlic, (in whole young cloves, of spring, or "wet" garlic), thin sticks of ginger, and spices - plus dried fruit and peas - have all been added to the dish, along with the rice, to (and extra butter), to coat them in the spices.

Then, I added the chicken stock, the saffron and its stock, and the chicken thighs, (which had been removed when browned), and brought it to the boil, whereupon I have reduced the heat to permit it to simmer for another ten or fifteen minutes, after which I shall allow to steam for a while.
[doublepost=1559676423][/doublepost]And now, it is steaming away quietly to itself.

Meanwhile, I have opened a bottle of Riesling to accompany.

 

[0388631]

Roast lamb with some thyme and garlic. On a bed of rough cut potatoes, carrots, fennel, parsnips, onions, etc. interlaced with chunks of lamb fat. Coarse sea salt strewn about with rough ground black pepper. A small merry blend of spices inspired by south Asian cuisine dashed about on the interior and exterior of said dead animal in an almost salve like fashion. Half bottle of good Argentinian wine on the bed of veg. Taken out 3/4 of the way through and slathered with a garlic and herb aioli.

Had some puff pastry left over and made some vol au vent for lunch stuffed with diced herbed cold chicken and smoked salmon. Followed by a bottle of Riesling and some scotch.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Roast lamb with some thyme and garlic. On a bed of rough cut potatoes, carrots, fennel, parsnips, onions, etc. interlaced with chunks of lamb fat. Coarse sea salt strewn about with rough ground black pepper. A small merry blend of spices inspired by south Asian cuisine dashed about on the interior and exterior of said dead animal in an almost salve like fashion. Half bottle of good Argentinian wine on the bed of veg. Taken out 3/4 of the way through and slathered with a garlic and herb aioli.

Had some puff pastry left over and made some vol au vent for lunch stuffed with diced herbed cold chicken and smoked salmon. Followed by a bottle of Riesling and some scotch.

That sounds absolutely delicious.

Roasting is a wonderful way to prepare root vegetables, it caramelises them beautifully, and as a bed under meat - whether beef, chicken, or lamb, where they are both roasted yet have meat juices trickling down......yum.

 

[0388631]

That sounds absolutely delicious.

Roasting is a wonderful way to prepare root vegetables, it caramelises them beautifully, and as a bed under meat - whether beef, chicken, or lamb, where they are both roasted yet have meat juices trickling down......yum.

Yes. We ended up making some organic brown rice on the side. I used a meat baster to soak up some juices and add it to the rice stock along with some finely chopped carrots. Very, very satisfying meal.

Find the aioli's cream-like structure provides a nice coating for any meat. Alternatively if you haven't got the time, whip up some homemade mayonnaise and added seasoning and spice once creamed and whip ti again, then spread it onto said meat. It'll melt and produce a flavorful crust. I'll sometimes inject this into a large bird's breasts and thighs.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Yes. We ended up making some organic brown rice on the side. I used a meat baster to soak up some juices and add it to the rice stock along with some finely chopped carrots. Very, very satisfying meal.

Find the aioli's cream-like structure provides a nice coating for any meat. Alternatively if you haven't got the time, whip up some homemade mayonnaise and added seasoning and spice once creamed and whip ti again, then spread it onto said meat. It'll melt and produce a flavorful crust. I'll sometimes inject this into a large bird's breasts and thighs.

While I love roasting vegetables, (and am generous with olive oil and butter - so yes, they taste good), and have absolutely no problem with stuffing cavities (leon an garlic for chicken), and inserting thyme and garlic (and occasionally a little rosemary) for lamb, I had never thought to use aioli to coat meat while roasting.

An idea worth pondering.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Simple yet very tasty: Fried eggs, (free range and organic), sautéed in olive oil and butter in an Italian copper sauté pan.

 

[yaxomoxay]

We made veal cotolette alla milanese... love them!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Just enjoyed a snack - an early starter, as I did some shopping where I purchased some Parma ham (very thinly sliced) served with apricots, nectarines and peaches (rathe than the more usual melon).

In winter, I will also serve Parma ham with blood oranges, which looks, and tastes, brilliant, tart, sweet, sour, salty all at once.

Anyway, they do say that you eat with your eyes as much as your mouth: This dish - redolent of autumn and late summer with a combination of colours of burnt orange, deep gold, rich apricot, and the particular shade of bright red that distinguishes Parma ham from other hams, looks stunning. And tastes every bit as good.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Debating whether or not to prepare pasta - or spaghetti - carbonara.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Debating whether or not to prepare pasta - or spaghetti - carbonara.

I realised that I had all of the ingredients to hand in the house: Pancetta, eggs, (free range and organic), double cream (organic), Parmigiano Reggiano, (which I grated), black pepper, and - of course - spaghetti.

Actually, it was exceedingly tasty.

 

[0388631]

Made it last night. Odd that.

Grilled vegetables and chicken tonight. Light meal since it's beginning to warm up. And then a slide towards cool town. Kill me now.

 

[yaxomoxay]

I realised that I had all of the ingredients to hand in the house: Pancetta, eggs, (free range and organic), double cream (organic), Parmigiano Reggiano, (which I grated), black pepper, and - of course - spaghetti.

Actually, it was exceedingly tasty.

God bless Carbonara (if you can try to find guanciale in place of pancetta). It’s one of our favorites, and it’s quite easy to make. My kids devour it.
[doublepost=1559960224][/doublepost]Homemade pizza for us tonight. Had a protein shake right after the gym, but I wouldn’t consider it part of dinner!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

God bless Carbonara (if you can try to find guanciale in place of pancetta). It’s one of our favorites, and it’s quite easy to make. My kids devour it.
[doublepost=1559960224][/doublepost]Homemade pizza for us tonight. Had a protein shake right after the gym, but I wouldn’t consider it part of dinner!

I have asked about guanciale - unfortunately, neither my cheesemonger nor my butcher (who has a stall in the farmers' market and who rears, slaughters, ages and sells the meats at his stall) stock it.

Indeed, I have to give a week's notice before I can lay hands on oxtails.

However, yesterday, it struck me that I had everything I needed in order to be able to prepare carbonara already in the house: Pancetta; Parmigiana Reggiano; organic free range eggs; double cream (organic, and raw); black pepper; and spaghetti.

Yes, it was delicious.

 

[Gutwrench]

Now that Ramadan is over let the fun begin.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Now: Debating this evening's dinner.

Pasta (probably penne) with blue cheese sauce, or:

Crab claws with thinly sliced roast potatoes and an apricot, peach and tomato salad with thinly slice spring "wet" garlic,

Or,

Kedgeree. (But, in truth, I would probably hold off preparing kedgeree until tomorrow).
[doublepost=1560003303][/doublepost]

Now that Ramadan is over let the fun begin.

If memory serves, usually, you have around three days of feasting (Eid) when Ramadan (or Ramazan) comes to an end.

I have worked in a number of Muslim countries, and, while our local staff were wilting badly towards the end of Ramadan, and offices were barely functional, they disappeared entirely for a number of days (indeed, such leave days were written into their contracts) once Ramadan ended.

 

[Gutwrench]

If memory serves, usually, you have around three days of feasting (Eid) when Ramadan (or Ramazan) comes to an end.

I have worked in a number of Muslim countries, and, while our local staff were wilting badly towards the end of Ramadan, and offices were barely functional, they disappeared entirely for a number of days (indeed, such leave days were written into their contracts) once Ramadan ended.

I was only joking. I’m not Muslim. Actually, I’m anything and everything that justifies escaping the office for a day or two.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I was only joking. I’m not Muslim. Actually, I’m anything and everything that justifies escaping the office for a day or two.

I was pretty certain that you are not Muslim (and neither am I), but - if memory serves - the days off when I worked abroad in Muslim countries during the Eid festival only applied to our local staff, and not us, alas.

However, agree completely that anything that allows for an escape from the office is worthy of celebration.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Dinner this evening was light and simple (in preparation) and tasty (in execution and upon eating).

Organic, free range eggs sautéed in an Italian copper sauté pan (with olive oil and butter), served with French bread.

Afterwards, French apple tart and tea.

And now, a beer.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Fresh crab claws, which I served with crisp, very thinly sliced, roasted potatoes (drizzled with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper), homemade Marie Rose sauce, and a salad of organic cherry tomatoes, nectarine, and apricot, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.