What's for Dinner?

[BigDaveK]

Playing again with sake lees - kasudoko, sake lees marinade...

Vegetables - cukes were done first. Carrots and radish still going, take longer. Definite Asian flavor. I think I prefer vinegar or lacto fermented veggies but I may try this again.



Salmon kasuzuke was really good. Again, pronounced Asian flavor. This one I'll do again.

 

[bstnh1]

Sweet & Sour Chicken

 

[BigDaveK]

Another delicious peasant food you'll only find in a local Hungarian or Eastern European butcher shop. I grew up calling this paprika szalonna - paprika bacon. I have to make some every time I get a pork belly. The pork belly is slow boiled for about 2 hours with onions and garlic. While still hot it's covered with paprika, wrapped in wax paper, and refrigerated overnight. Usually eaten sliced on rye bread with onions. And if I have patience I'll also smoke it. Crazy good!
Oh, the cooking water makes a great soup base.

 

[sour_grapes]

Another delicious peasant food you'll only find in a local Hungarian or Eastern European butcher shop. I grew up calling this paprika szalonna - paprika bacon. I have to make some every time I get a pork belly. The pork belly is slow boiled for about 2 hours with onions and garlic. While still hot it's covered with paprika, wrapped in wax paper, and refrigerated overnight. Usually eaten sliced on rye bread with onions. And if I have patience I'll also smoke it. Crazy good!
Oh, the cooking water makes a great soup base.


View attachment 111980

I'm going for it!

Inspired by this post, I just pulled some pork belly out of the freezer, and will give this a try.

 

[sour_grapes]

Another delicious peasant food you'll only find in a local Hungarian or Eastern European butcher shop. I grew up calling this paprika szalonna - paprika bacon. I have to make some every time I get a pork belly. The pork belly is slow boiled for about 2 hours with onions and garlic. While still hot it's covered with paprika, wrapped in wax paper, and refrigerated overnight. Usually eaten sliced on rye bread with onions. And if I have patience I'll also smoke it. Crazy good!
Oh, the cooking water makes a great soup base.


View attachment 111980

Dave, do you cure the belly before braising it? I am getting mixed signals on the internets!

 

[BigDaveK]

Dave, do you cure the belly before braising it? I am getting mixed signals on the internets!

Usually no. If I smoke I'll do an equilibrium cure - 2.5% of the weight of meat in salt, vac seal, fridge for a couple days, then the boiling.

Been doing this about 15 years because the nearest source is 3 hours away in Cleveland. Simple:

1 lb piece of pork belly into heavy pot with COLD water covering about an inch.
1 onion quartered
as much garlic as you want (at least 6 cloves)
1 Tbls peppercorns
Couple bay leaves
3 Tbls kosher salt

Slow boil 2-3 hrs, pat dry a bit, cover with Hungarian paprika while hot, wrap in waxed paper, fridge over night. Sometimes I'll put a weight on top to keep it flat. (This time I did.) And as I mentioned the water is delicious.

 

[winemaker81]

Haddock was on sale.

 

[sour_grapes]

Usually no. If I smoke I'll do an equilibrium cure - 2.5% of the weight of meat in salt, vac seal, fridge for a couple days, then the boiling.

Been doing this about 15 years because the nearest source is 3 hours away in Cleveland. Simple:

1 lb piece of pork belly into heavy pot with COLD water covering about an inch.
1 onion quartered
as much garlic as you want (at least 6 cloves)
1 Tbls peppercorns
Couple bay leaves
3 Tbls kosher salt

Slow boil 2-3 hrs, pat dry a bit, cover with Hungarian paprika while hot, wrap in waxed paper, fridge over night. Sometimes I'll put a weight on top to keep it flat. (This time I did.) And as I mentioned the water is delicious.

Thanks for writing that up. Will do this tomorrow.

 

[Kraffty]

A little change of pace from regular Saturday night steak / potato dinner. Seared scallops with a browned butter and lemon pan sauce. No worries, fat ribeye tomorrow.

 

[bstnh1]

Latkes, Potato Pancakes or whatever you prefer to call 'em.

 

[bstnh1]

To further complicate simple meals:

https://www.tastingtable.com/764058/types-of-pasta-and-when-you-should-be-using-them/

 

[Boatboy24]

 

[tullamore]

Latkes, Potato Pancakes or whatever you prefer to call 'em.

View attachment 112019
View attachment 112024

yes here in canada , Winnipeg , is the capital of the famous latkes

 

[ceeaton]

Found some flank steak on fire sale today, decided some grilled beef fajitas might hit the spot...





Yum!

 

[winemaker81]

My niece & her family visited this week, and per our usual, I made egg rolls. Mine are very different from commercial egg rolls as I use mung bean sprouts for filler instead of cabbage.



The picture is the "before" picture. After 3 adults and one 12 yo finished, there wasn't much left.

We had wrappers left over, so they were filled with a dollop each of peanut butter and strawberry jam. Dessert egg rolls!

Nutella, apple pie filling, and cherry pie filling work very nicely as well!

 

[vinny]

I have been taking you guys lots of dinner pics, but the evening schedule is a bit off and I haven't been finding time to post them after cleaning up.

This I had to share though. FINALLY. Paprika Chicken. I live in a world of bland and tasteless paprika that gets used to turn potato salad red, and carry flavorful herbs and spices in rubs and chicken seasonings. I bought some quality paprika and gave it a shot because it was posted frequently and clearly given a place of honor.

My folks made it and sent me a recipe because they were so impressed. That lit the match. Then I came here to see if I was given a recipe to follow in the posts that inspired the paprika purchase. @BigDaveK posted a recipe and armed with @winemaker81's notes that if you can see the chicken, it is not enough paprika, I felt well instructed enough to come out successful.

Well hot damn. I would have to use explicits to describe my astonishment and pleasure. It is so _$%$#% good! Has a curry like presence without the I am going to smell this in my clothes for the rest of the day depth, but it is rich, tasty, and glorious. If I like it this much with an uneducated palate, I can only imagine how comforting the dish will be when it starts to feel like home. 100% going to be added into the rotation.

I might even make it for guests, and I aim to please, but sometimes simple is so much more than you can hit with showing off.

Thanks for sharing, and thanks for the motivation. Just a shame it took me so long, that was months ago.

Here is Dave's recipe post. https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/whats-for-dinner.40309/post-881578

 

[winemaker81]

This I had to share though. FINALLY. Paprika Chicken.

I'll speak for @BigDaveK and say you made us proud!!!

 

[ChuckD]

I have been taking you guys lots of dinner pics, but the evening schedule is a bit off and I haven't been finding time to post them after cleaning up.

This I had to share though. FINALLY. Paprika Chicken. I live in a world of bland and tasteless paprika that gets used to turn potato salad red, and carry flavorful herbs and spices in rubs and chicken seasonings. I bought some quality paprika and gave it a shot because it was posted frequently and clearly given a place of honor.

My folks made it and sent me a recipe because they were so impressed. That lit the match. Then I came here to see if I was given a recipe to follow in the posts that inspired the paprika purchase. @BigDaveK posted a recipe and armed with @winemaker81's notes that if you can see the chicken, it is not enough paprika, I felt well instructed enough to come out successful.

Well hot damn. I would have to use explicits to describe my astonishment and pleasure. It is so _$%$#% good! Has a curry like presence without the I am going to smell this in my clothes for the rest of the day depth, but it is rich, tasty, and glorious. If I like it this much with an uneducated palate, I can only imagine how comforting the dish will be when it starts to feel like home. 100% going to be added into the rotation.

I might even make it for guests, and I aim to please, but sometimes simple is so much more than you can hit with showing off.

Thanks for sharing, and thanks for the motivation. Just a shame it took me so long, that was months ago.

Here is Dave's recipe post. https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/whats-for-dinner.40309/post-881578


View attachment 112181View attachment 112182

That’s it… I’m going to have to buy some quality paprika. I was going to grow paprika peppers this year but life got in the way and I never ordered the seeds.

 

[ceeaton]

Pizzas last night, working on ribs tonight.





Was a same day Neapolitan dough (I prefer at least overnight ferment) that turned out really well.

 

[vinny]

That’s it… I’m going to have to buy some quality paprika. I was going to grow paprika peppers this year but life got in the way and I never ordered the seeds.

@BigDaveK Told me even though he grows his own, he buys the Hungarian paprika to make sure the dish tastes right. I bought the Szeged brand he recommended. Cost me way more than it should have, but in hind sight, it was worth it.

I posted this after it arrived. I believe Costco on the left was $9 and Szeged was $14. Shipping is likely hidden in that cost, but I can understand why I had such misgivings about paprika. You get what you pay for. I wasn't wowed by the finger dip. Definitely more flavor, but it didn't kick me into action, in a dish though, holy. The generic junk I have been buying around here has nothing to add. So much so, that if recipes included it amongst flavorful spices I omitted it. It just gets lost.

I will have to reevaluate my stance.