Quick Chicken

A little quick homemade shake and bake action is just what a exhausting summer day calls for. I salted and peppered the chicken a little a head of time and then shaked it in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, chili pepper, cayanne, sugar, cumin, thyme, paprika.... A little oil is sprayed on before going into a 400℉ oven. The only problem is the package of the chicken recommended 30 minutes. While this is a bit longer than I usually cook it, I figured I would try it. Well, the chicken is over cooked. Still tasted good but it was a little, let's say, firm.

Mushroom Risotto

I have a bunch of wild and farmed mushroom in the fridge need to be eaten...











What is a better way to use them up than making a risotto? With good Parmiggiano Reggiano and finished with a little butter, it is all creamy and forest-y. Nice.

Curry Goat

I said there was no better summer dish to go with rice than black bean ribs and bitter melon yesterdays, well, I made one at least equally as god--Caribbean style curry lamb. I marinated the goat with onion, garlic, black pepper, salt, curry powder and hot chili pepper for an hour or so before browning it slightly and then adding water to slowly cook it for an hour and a half. More curry powder was added and then some fresh sweet sweet new Yukon Gold potatoes to cook for 15 minutes. Goat got to be the best meat for curry, and for stew, of them all. Sweet sweet meat in spicy sauce, so good

ReUse

This is perhaps the best way to use left over black bean ribs--cook it with bitter melon. It is very simple, sautéed the bitter melon for a short minute and then add the ribs and the sauce, add some water if needed, let it cook for until the bitter melon is done and you can't find a better summer dish to go with rice.

Wild Mushroom Linguine

I got some wild mushroom fresh from the market so I thought a simple pasta dish may be a good way to enjoy some of it. Here is sautéed it in some olive oil and onion. I then added some beef stock and cook till it is almost dry. Fresh organic parsley and thyme is added before a little butter and the linguine with a little of the pasta water. It is finished with Parmigiano Reggiano. It is very tasty indeed, feels just like walking in the woods.

Blueberry and walnut muffins

This is my second attempt at muffin making. Maybe my flour is too hard or I mixed it to much, it came out between a typical muffin and bread, on this side of muffin. It is still pretty good eating. I may even like it better this way... strange...

Ribs and Amaranth

This is a pretty standard meal for a Cantonese, steamed pork ribs and Amaranth soup. The ribs are marinated in salt, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, washed preserved black beans, corn starch and Shaoxing liquor.
It is steamed for about 20 minutes. The soup is the easiest just some garlic sautéed in a little oil, into which the veg is added and then some chicken stock or water, a little salt and boil for a few minute, and that is that. Comfort food.

Buns

I have a cut on my hand so I used the food processor to make the dough. It worked pretty well but not as good as doing it by hand though. Looks kind of cute like this.

Market Day Meal

Went to the Farmer's Market today for the first time this year. The wet and cool weather so far this year seems to be holding some produce back. Still, there are good things and this salad is the proof, the purple radishes are as sweet as can be and the three beautiful cheeses are: Mountain Meadow's sheep's brie and Goat's Pride Dairy's ash caprabella and Tomme de chevre. The cheeses are unique but uniformly excellent.








And to go with that wonderful salad, what is better then a morel omelet made with some top quality giant fresh morel from my friend Lewis.