Has it ever happened to you? You’re cooking, cooking, cooking for a big party. Planning — and that’s my favorite part. Choosing dishes you love or those you were saving because they are for the big group. Imagining how the when day comes and you will devour them with everyone…

Then, the day comes and you can’t put a piece in your mouth. And if you can, you don’t taste anything.

This happens to me all the time. This happened again when I recently cooked for our friends at the radio station. There were a few dishes I was literally craving and couldn’t do anything about myself until they were gone.

That spanakopita from Taverna. I love it so much and was so excited to make it and have some. Nope — couldn’t eat.

Well, fixing it now when cooking just for us. Yes, it is as good as I remember it: bright, zinging green.

Spring is in the air.

#food #cooking #greekfood #spanakopita #homefood #inmykitchen #myhappyplace

Chả Cá Lã Vọng, fish cooked with turmeric, dill, garlic, and scallions.

This Vietnamese recipe got my attention with the unexpected addition of my favorite herb. Honestly, I do not remember seeing dill in Asian recipes at all. Never mind in these quantities. Correct me if I’m wrong.

Here, lemon sole is marinated in a mix of turmeric, galangal, and chili powder, then fried with a mix of dill, scallions, garlic, and chili peppers. Once plated over the rice noodles, it is dressed with the lime-mắm tôm-sugar-garlic dressing and chopped peanuts.

Not very dexterous at frying fish, I succeeded when it was cut in 2” chunks.

#food #cooking #vietnamesefood #fish #dill #turmeric #homefood #inmykitchen #ricenoodles #tasty

For saucy recipes, I do love Chinese cauliflower. Its moppy florets — they look like someone stuck cauliflower into an elect outlet — catch sauces so much better than tightly packed ordinary ones. At the store, I always try to get the biggest head — I can live on cauliflower.

This is Cauliflower Manchurian from Hetty McKinnon’s Tenderheart. This recipe is perfect for a complete dinner entree. It satisfies even a die hard carnivore like me.

Battered in a mix of cornstarch and rice flour that is spiced with Kashmiri powder, light soy sauce, and black pepper, cauliflower florets are fried in a neutral oil sort of shallow deep fry style.

And once they are done, then there is a sauce to toss them with that has strong Asian flavors: ginger-garlic-Thai dragon-scallion whites sautéed with chopped red pepper, celery, and dressed with a mix of soy sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, and white pepper.

We did not have any rice or roti as the recipe advises. It was perfectly fine and filling as is.

#food #cooking #cauliflower #vegetarian #asianflavors #homefood #inmykitchen #myhappyplace

Fleur du jour ... Fraises (en pots à l'année) pas celle de l'Ile d'Orléans, mais comme ajout décoratf et gustatif à vos desserts de fin de semaine en ajoutant goût et fraicheur. 100% bio, je les connais.../ Flower of the day. Strawberry (like wood one )One plant of these strawberries supplies enough fruits to had some with your weekend desserts. Add fresh taste for winter. 100% biologic @EdwinG #nature #plants #plantes #verriere #homefood #nourriture-maison

A meatloaf from “A Meatloaf in Every Oven” book. This one comes from the chef Michael White whose NYC restaurant Marea on the South side of Central Park is famous for upscale pasta and celebrity watching. For years, I walked by this restaurant several times a week to my favorite barre studio in the city. Never had their much talked about pasta but saw quite a few famous faces hanging around.

This meatloaf definitely has to be baked in a loaf pan, it would not hold the shape on its own. The result is a silky smooth texture with fennel seeds reminiscent of Italian sausage. The loaf is large — 2 lb of meat, almost 2 cups of bread, and a large eggplant — lots of leftovers. But with time, the flavor only seems to improve on the second day and even third.

MEATLOAF
— 1 large eggplant, quartered lengthwise
— 2 slices of white bread
— 1/4 cup heavy cream
— 2 lb ground chicken (dark meat is better)
— 2 tsp fennel seeds
— 2 garlic cloves, crushed
— 2 eggs, lightly beaten
— 1 cup panko bread crumbs
— 1/2 cup grated pecorino
— 1/2 cup grate parmesan
— 2 tsp salt
— 1 cup roughly chopped basil

The process and potatoes are on the blog 👆

#food #cooking #meatloaf #homefood #coldweathercomforts #onmytable #inmykitchen