Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Foodie post

I admit it. I like good food. I remember the evening a few years ago, the first (and last) time I cooked for someone I'd invited over for dinner. Before he even tasted what I'd cooked, he asked for soy sauce. I got it for him, watched him douse the still-untasted food and thought to myself that he'd never be back at my table.  I don't think I could make a relationship work with someone who didn't appreciate my cooking. This dinner last week was an impromptu meal, where I just started pulling things out of the freezer, fridge and pantry to see what I could make. Salad, asiago bread, and spinach fettuccine with shrimp, grape tomatoes, peppers, olives, artichoke hearts and capers. Nothing unusual, but still tasty.
Last night a friend made me a belated birthday dinner. Salmon cooked in a nori seaweed wrapper (I plan to reproduce this one some time), a cabbage slaw, parsley rice, and asparagus that hadn't yet made it to my plate.
We had chocolate puddingish cakey-stuff for dessert, with wine. This is actually a raspberries and similar mousse-like stuff she served earlier when we got together a while back. I don't think there ever isn't chocolate after dinner at her house.  We stay up after her daughter goes to bed, eating dessert, drinking wine, and talking late into the night.
This horribly fuzzy photo was taken Monday night when I accidentally had my camera on the wrong setting. I'm putting it in anyway because the meal was so good. The salad with beets, oranges, and ricotta I won't make again - it was fine, but not a favorite. But the other two dishes more than made up for it.  I had pan-fried tilapia covered in strips of red pepper sautéed with butter, brown sugar and pecans. I also roasted peppers (anaheim, yellow bell, and banana peppers) and garlic and multi-colored potatoes and carrots. The roasted peppers and garlic were peeled and pureed with rice wine vinegar and oil, and tossed with the potatoes, carrots, and caramelized sweet onions. Not just good, actually, but absurdly good.
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By request, the recipe as I made it for the potato salad:

Toss 3 pounds potatoes (I used the little multi-colored ones and some new potatoes)cut in pieces and a handful of little carrots, cut in chunks in olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast in shallow pan at 425 until easily pierced with a fork.

Microwave 1 large sweet onion in its skin for a couple of minutes, cut into thinly slices, and saute in a little butter and olive oil until browned.

Meanwhile, put Anaheim peppers (I used one Anaheim, one banana pepper and one orange bell pepper)and a clove of garlic still in its skin in another shallow pan with the potatoes.  When they are just starting to brown, remove and after cooling a bit, peel of skin and remove seeds.  Cut up a few pieces of the less hot peppers (Anaheim and bell) to go in the salad. Put the rest (1/2 C) into a blender with the peeled roasted garlic clove, 1/2 C rice wine vinegar, 2 T sugar, a little salt and pepper.  While blending, slowly pour in 1.3 C canola oil. Toss the roasted potatoes, carrots, and caramelized onions with some of the pepper vinaigrette.  (There will be too much, but it makes a great salad dressing for later.)  Sprinkle with fresh torn parsley.

41 comments:

  1. I do enjoy your foodie posts. I don't cook much for myself - far too lazy. but today I went into a butcher's and bought the most delectable lamb chop..... added to my farmer's market potatoes and beans, I think I am ready to start cooking again!

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  2. I have the same Irritant. If someone salts MY food before they taste it.
    I loudly admonish them!!
    I'm not nearly as diplomatic as you.

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    1. A reluctance to criticize a guest is ingrained in to me. But I never went out with the guy again.

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  3. I find it interesting that little things in one person's mind can be a big thing in another's mind. We all have different taste but there is a good lesson here for everyone to always remember taste before adding your spices and flavorings. I'll admit I often forget.

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    1. If it someone whose cooking you know well, it's less of a problem. Like I always cook eggs without salt and my old boyfriend just knew to salt the, But dumping a strongly flavored sauce all over a dish with entirely different seasonings? Not cool.

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  4. Okay - I love to eat good food too - yours looked pretty good.

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    1. I am my own harshest food critic, but this was all delicious.

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  5. dang...not cool on the dousing before even trying....with all the food you show, i def would gain a ton of weight eating at your table...ha....love some raspberries too...

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    1. Maybe - but I actually lean toward healthier foods for the most part. I always cook way too much, though.

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  6. "Spooning for her - warm, secure, straight to sleep.

    Spooning for him - face full of hair, dead arm, awkward boner."

    Bwhahahhahahaha! OMG...that was HILARIOUS!

    I myself am not a big cook (and I should be ashamed of myself because I'm full Italian), but I do so love eating other peoples food, and would NEVER season it before tasting. In fact, I don't like a lot seasoning on my food.

    Judging from your menu here, you sound like an AWESOME cook!

    The raspberries and mousse looks YUMMY!

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    1. Funny, and true!

      I didn't learn to cook until after I graduated from college, but I find I really enjoy it. And the consensus seems to be that I am a pretty decent cook.

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  7. I am lucky that my husband has almost the same cooking taste as I have:) And is never asking for soya sauce:)
    ps. I always like your foodie posts, esp. that now I can only watch-need too lose 3 kilo:)
    Blog about life and travelling
    Blog about cooking


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    1. Taste in food is a good thing to be matched on.

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    2. Roasted veggies are the best. It brings out the sweetness and is better than fruit, in my opinion. My spouse never seems comfortable with the face full of hair thing.......but I don't mind feeling the boner ;)

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    3. I like that about roasting veggies, too. It's my preferred cooking method for them.

      An I don't mind either, but then I'm sure not going straight to sleep!

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  8. I'm slightly surprised that your meal didn't end directly after the request for the 'soy'. Not only was he pig-ignorant, but he also had very bad manners; two absolute no-no's!

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    1. I just can't - I'm too polite. But if he'd been at all aware, he'd have noticed how quiet I got.

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  9. That drives me crazy too when people grab for a seasoning before even tasting the dish as intended! Grrrrr.

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  10. I think it is inforgivable for someone to season food before they've tasted it, and people who smother their food in ketchup or brown sauce leave me fuming!

    I love it when you describe what you've cooked. Sometimes I've never heard of some of the ingredients but it always makes my mouth water. :)

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    1. My mother used to blow a gasket when her idiot husband would cover food in ketchup. I just wouldn't cook for someone who did.

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  11. you are making me very hungry....that is all...

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  12. Chocolate puddingish cakey-stuff - that sounds like my sort of food!

    How incredibly crass, instantly smothering your carefully prepared meal in soy sauce. Not only would I not invite him for another meal, I'd assume he was pretty doltish all round!

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    1. I didn't go out with him again after that, period, let alone cook for him. And he was doltish all round!

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  13. I'll admit I do have a weakness for a dipping sauce of a good soy, wasabi and ginger with just a touch of sugar. Especially for flank steak. Odd, but there you have it. I remember in the 50's every dining room table in the US had salt and pepper shakers, and it was routine for folks to salt everything except the dessert. Probably why many of us have hypertension now.
    Nice sounding meal, and attractive too.

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    1. I don't think liking a particular kind of sauce is a problem. But would you go to someone's house as a guest (especially as a first-time guest) and immediately ask them to bring you sauce for the meal they've made? And, just to round out this illustration, it was a Mediterranean seafood and pasta dish that the guy poured soy sauce all over.

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  14. I always enjoy reading about the delicious food that you either cook or have the opportunity to enjoy elsewhere!
    The last dish you mentioned with the roasted vegetables sounds amazing.

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    1. That was the best. It's called a potato salad, but it bears no resemblance to conventional potato salads (except that it contains potatoes, of course).

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  15. Well, I dropped on by after reading your comment on my friend kj's blog.

    I have Quaker ties too and only wish that we could all work together (especially NOW, in the midst of all this mud slinging and sucker punches going on).

    Love this writing about the soy sauce. That would stop me cold too. I believe that cooking is a way to show love to others. Dumping soy sauce without even tasting it first (INSULT) shows someone who is insensitive.

    Cheers,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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    1. Thanks for the visit! I wish we could all work together, too.

      And I agree - cooking for people is a joy for me, but not when they can't be bothered to even taste what I've cooked.

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  16. Oh I had to laugh at this SAW, you put me in mind of an old BF where I served my spectacular steak and kidney pud (seriously excellent, my pastry is to die) and he asked for ketchup and I thought he was joking so put it on the table and he doused his entire plate with it.

    That was the very end. But like you, it was a gentle farewell.

    I am in cooking mode at the moment -love your pics and descriptors.

    XO
    WWW

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    1. Thanks!

      You know, those people should just be given a plate full of plain white bread and they can use it to soak up whatever sauce they want as their main course.

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  17. Love the foodie posts! Can you type out the recipe for the roasted pepper/garlic puree with potatoes dish so I can do it "right"?

    Glad to see that spooning is still going on in your house :)

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    1. Sure! I added the recipe at the bottom of the post.

      A little spooning keeps me sane. :-)

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    2. You're welcome - always glad to share a recipe!

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