August 29, 2011

MENU FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 29, 2011

It would appear that we came out of Hurricane Irene in pretty good order.  We got a little water in the cellar and lost power for a short time over Sat. night.  All in all, we were very lucky as a lot of areas around here were hard hit.  We are thankful.

I have yet again and hopefully put the grilled Tuscan steak under a brick on the menu.  Every time I have done it in the last few weeks, it has rained and we’ve had to take another direction. I’d like to do this again once before fall really hits.

Julia Child’s Syrian Beef Salad has been good – and rather cost effective for roast beef for two.  A month ago I roasted a small eye round.  Then cut of 12 slices and marinated them. The rest I froze.

It was the frozen roast that I worked with this week, and we are getting two more meals off of it. And it really is a treat.

As we head into September I am not yet willing to think fall food. I hate to rush the season, so I will continue the cold preparations and the grilling for a while yet.  I really want the cool weather to coax me into thinking braises and the like.  And there is always the point that as we both are trying to shed a few pounds, the summer diet is a bit more figure friendly…..

And to this end, we have both done the unthinkable….. We have joined a gym.  Fortunately (or not) it is a new facility and it is not yet ready to open so we have some time to get our mind set in order. I never would have thought this possible, not being the most athletic couple on the face of the earth.  However, with age, gravity and our culinary tastes the time has come - both for weight and for fitness issues.  Damn!

Mon.  AM            Cold Cuts

Mon. PM              Lasagna with Bolognese and Spinach Ricotta Sauces

                             Tossed Salad

Tues. AM             Cold Roast Beef Sandwiches

Tues. PM              Roast Chicken, Pan Gravy

                             Roasted Potatoes

                             Carrots with Mint

Weds. AM            Lasagna revisited
(Meals often morph around here. When I first met my wife I would not eat spaghetti this was made very clear, it was not on the menu. I have always disliked it. A few years after we got married my sister in law served, as entree, two different spaghetti. My wife may even remember what they were. Of course, out of courtesy, I ate them. I could always get a couple of slices at my end of the subway. To my surprise I liked both of them. Since then it is often a lunch. wwj)

Weds. PM            Cold Syrian Roast Beef with Taboula Salad

                             Sliced Tomatoes and Cukes

Thurs. PM            Fillet of Sole with Almonds, Lemon and Capers FW 2003 178

                             Fresh Lemon Pasta EI

                             Sautéed Green Beans

Fri. AM                Home Made Sausages with Sauerkraut

Fri. PM                 Grilled Rib Eye Steaks

                             Potato Salad with    Haricots Verts, Roquefort and Walnuts BA 5/94 107

                             Local Corn

Sat. AM               Steak and Eggs

Sat. PM                James Beard’s Roquefort Mousse JBCC 68

                             Tuscan Grilled Chicken Under a Brick PB 379

                             Cheese Tortellini with Red Pepper Dressing PS 21

                             Sliced Tomatoes

Sun. AM              Cold Cuts

Sun. PM               Chinese Chicken Wings CCI

                             Grilled Shrimp and Andouille Skewers RG 232

                             Orange Rice Salad SOP 86

Mon. AM             Sour Cream Pancakes with Blueberries

                             Home Made Sausages, Coffee
                             Surf and Turf Eggs, shrimp in the eggs 

Mon. PM              Headcheese Vinaigrette

                             Rosemary Brined Pork Chops RG 132

                             Pasta with Pesto Sauce

                             Local Corn

August 22, 2011

MENU FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 22, 2011

Mon. AM           Grilled Home Made Bratwurst Char

Mon. PM           Cod in Red White Sauce SFF

                          Baby Peas

                          Green Couscous
                          Rosemont Shiraz Cabernet 2008

Tues. AM           Onion Quiche, Salad

Tues. PM           White Beans Braised with Sausage and Tomato

                          Local Corn
                          Terrazas Malbec 2009

Weds. AM                   Shrimp Linguini Fra Diavalo FWAD 380

Weds. PM          New England Boiled Platter, Served Cold

                          Mustard, Horseradish Sauce

Thurs. PM                   Grilled Chicken with White BBQ Sauce WCG 160

                          Orzo Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs BA 8/04 82

                          Local Corn

Fri. Am              Cold Cuts

Fri. PM              Zesty BBQ Ribs with Lemon and Worcestershire

                          Curried Pear and Potato Salad GM 11/93 168

                          Local Corn

Sat. AM             Cold Chicken

Sat. PM              Zucchini Fritters  

                          Lasagna with Spinach Béchamel and Bolognese Sauces GM 1/09

                          Salad

Sun AM             Eggs Benedict, Warner’s Home Fries                           

Sun. PM             Sun Dried Tomato Tarts f/i

                          Julia Child’s Syrian Roast Beef Platter with Tomatoes and Cukes WTC 214

                          Tabboula PFSME  

Brunch

Your regularly scheduled menu, which can be found below and on Monday above,  has been hi-jacked by this entry: This is Your Life Eggs Benedict.

Home cured smoked Canadian Bacon, from Rhulman and Polcyn: Charcuteire.

For two people, four slices.

A half medium onion and 3 table spoons butter in a cast iron skillet. The skillet has been with me since 1972, having been purchased for my first Park Slope Brooklyn apartment.

Low heat, 2.5 out of 10.

The other half onion

Slice, carefully 10-12 times along lines of longitude, then along line of lattitude, do not cut off the roots as they hold it together.

This a hot, but mild pepper. I have removed the seeds and ribs, which hold most heat and will only chop half.

Add to onion. This is for two people, for more increase as needed.

Add 4 oz diced potato per person.

Brown, with lid , and stir periodically.

Do not let potatoes stick, and use the spatula edge to keep the bottom of the pan clean.

Let out cat, repeat as needed, alternate with letting cat in most times.

Mean time, at the other end of the kitchen, the chef is prepping the eggs on the big stove.

She has also laid out the Canadian Bacon and is melting butter for the sauce.

In this household the 25th wedding anniversary was Stainless, 8 burners of it. It also has an extra large oven that will take a full sheet. 

Sauce

This is what I mean about keeping the pan clean.

And then flatten the potatoes down again, the will take between 15 and 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper as you would use while cooking.

Poach the eggs

Toasted English Muffin with Canadian Bacon

Egg on top

Sauce, garnish and serve with potatoes.

The vegetable juice is also home made and canned. We do about 30 quarts every summer we need it. This will be one of them.

The chef's office, that is part of one of three walls of floor to ceiling cookbooks, and there are several hundred in the basement. We integrated our cookbooks before we got married, but only had about six feet of them. We have a lot more now.