November 8, 2013 Lunch - Hana Sushi; Dinner -Stir fried Chicken at Debbie and Jeff’s house.

November 8, 2013 Lunch - Hana Sushi;  Dinner -Stir fried Chicken at Debbie and Jeff’s house.

I worked all day on a pleading in a case I am representing Bill Turner in.  At around 12:30 we took a break to grab lunch and walked the one block to Hana Sushi at the corner of 6^th and Central.  Bill ordered the Sushi Daily Special Bento Box ($10.99) and it ordered the Mackerel Daily Special Bento Box ($7.95) bill’s Bento Box came with a spicy tuna roll and four pieces of nigiri sushi and a salad and an egg roll and a few other items.  My box came with a piece of sautéed mackerel on a bed of stir fried vegetables, like onion and zucchini squash and carrots, a pile of tempura fried sweet potato, zucchini, onion ring, shrimp and potato and an egg roll.  We were each served a bowl of miso soup and I also received a small bowl of salad.   Each Bento Box comes with rice also.  I enjoyed lunch a lot and would go back for either the mackerel or sushi bento again.

Suzette had talked to Debbie several days ago and we had arranged to eat dinner at their house tonight.  I was busy getting Bill’s pleading filed so when Suzette asked what we wanted to cook, I off handedly suggested buying a couple of pizzas and adding toppings as we had successfully done a couple of weeks ago. I guess the message that I was too busy to seriously consider a menu got across, for which I am both embarrassed very thankful, because on Friday Suzette told me that Debbie was cooking Chinese.  When I got home at 5:20 I showered and grabbed a bottle of 2010 Pinot Grigio delle Venezie named Grigio Luna from Villa Borghetti that turned out to be surprisingly light and pleasant and e took off for Debbie’s house at the top of Glenwood Hills.

When we arrived around 6:20 Jeff was drinking beer and I decided to drink a Tanqueray and Tonic even though I was tempted by Debbie’s invitation to try one of the basil and cucumber martinis she was making.  Suzette and Debbie drank the martinis and loved them. 

When we arrived we were also greeted by a tray of very interesting shrimp topped dumpling appetizers made with onions baked on a sesame oil glazed pan.  They were lovely warm and very interesting. 

Debbie had made a large pot of chicken in a spicy soy sauce brown sauce with celery and boiled a pot of brown rice.  In addition she had pickled cucumber slices in mirin and rice vinegar that she tossed as a dressing over a large salad bowl of fresh shredded cabbage just before serving with the chicken and rice for a lovely healthy plate of food.

We really appreciated Debbie cooking such an interesting and pleasant meal after having such a busy week of work.

I loved the chicken dish so much that I took seconds, which turned out to be a poor decision, because Debbie had made a delicious yellow cake and garnished it with whipped cream and Nilla wafers for dessert.  I had to eat a piece of it and I found myself over stuffed, but happy with all the food.

Suzette and I enjoyed the light fruity Pinot Grigio with our dinner, while Jeff drank his beer and Debbie her martini.

After dinner Suzette and Debbie went out on the patio to watch the beautiful blanket of city lights and talk, while Jeff and I talked about how pleased we were by the turn of events in the Middle East this week, with the discussions between the 5 plus one in Geneva over Iranian de-nuclearization (which hopefully will lead to a reduction in Sunni versus Shia warfare) , the Isreali-Palestinian discussions with Secretary of State Kerry and the visits by Iraq’s Al-Malaki and Pakistan’s Sharif to Washington.  I made the Syrian disarmament of their chemical weapons seem like old news. What a whirlwind of activity and hopeful moment for a move toward peace in the Middle East.

But by about 9:45 Suzette and I began to lose energy, so we said goodnight after a lovely evening of food and conversation and went home to our own bed with its freshly washed sheets.

Bon Appétit

 

November 5, 2013 Grilled Lamb Shish Kebabs and Sliced Eggplant with Tomato Couscous and marinated asparagus

November 5, 2013 Grilled Lamb Shish Kebabs and Sliced Eggplant with Tomato Couscous and marinated asparagus

This was a PPI dinner.  We had made the couscous earlier in the week and I had had PPI lamb marinating in pomegranate juice and olive oil since Sunday that needed to be cooked.  We even had a PPI red bell pepper Suzette bought at Costco and an eggplant I had bought at Sprouts last week, so we made up 4 skewers of alternating pieces of bell pepper, onion and lamb.  Suzette heated up the grill and sliced the eggplant and brushed it with her homemade pesto and placed it on the grill, followed by the shish kebabs, when the lamb and eggplant were close to ready, I heated up the couscous and took the chill off the asparagus in the microwave.

 

 

When Suzette brought the grilled eggplant slices and the grilled shish kebabs in, we were ready to eat.  I poured glasses of La Granja (50% Grenache and 50% tempranillo) from Rioja, Spain ($4.99 at Trader Joe’s).

What a wonderful  and quick dinner.  After dinner we ate a few pieces of toasted baguette slathered with Delice (triple cream brie style) cheese.

Bon Appétit

November 4, 2013 A Fall Dinner at the Palmers - Roasted Pork Tenderloins, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes, Steamed carrots, and Roasted Potatoes, Corn Chowder and Apple Pie

November 4, 2013 A Fall Dinner at the Palmers - Roasted Pork Tenderloins, Roasted  Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes, Steamed carrots, and Roasted Potatoes, Corn Chowder and Apple Pie

Suzette was driving to Santa Rosa for the day and I knew she would not wish to cook after a long day and long drive, so a couple of days ago I talked to Susan Palmer about cooking dinner and she was kind enough to invite us to her house for dinner.  Then last week when Janice visited our house, I mentioned the Palmers’ house and she said she had not seen it since an AIA tour several years ago and then only shortly, so I suggested to Susan that we include Janice and Tom in our dinner plans. 

As it turned out Susan and Charlie were starting a new project to update to LED bulbs and add additional lighting in areas that lacked enough light, so Susan wanted to cook extra food to have on hand for the week to avoid cooking during the remodel period, so I agreed to make a large pan of roasted vegetables.  We discussed the menu and Susan said she wanted to experiment with apple pie and she would also cook some vegetables and roast a pork tender.

When I finally reached Janice on Monday she said she had made corn chowder she could bring, which gave us an appetizer/soup.  I said I would bring the Back River Gin we had bought in Union, Maine  in August and Fever Tree tonic waters, because I know how much Charlie likes gin and tonics. 

So at 4:30 p.m., I started filling our largest pyrex baking dish (about 10X15) with diced Brussels sprouts, one large onion, one red bell pepper, about 2 Tbsps. of chopped garlic from our garden, 1½ Tbsp. of fresh chopped sage and  two diced small sweet potatoes.  I dusted the vegetables with salt and white pepper and tossed them lightly with olive oil, covered them with aluminum foil and put them into a 350˚ for 45 minutes and then took a shower at 5:30.

When I got out of the shower Suzette had arrived and took over with the vegetables.  When the alarm went off she uncovered the vegetables and roasted them for about another twenty minutes.  At around 7:00 we gathered up the Back River Gin, Fever Tree Tonics, and a bottle of 2012 Eguren Tempranillo Rosé from the Spanish Rioja and we went to the Palmers.

Shortly after we arrived Tom and Janice arrived with a large Le Creuset covered Casserole with lovely smelling corn chowder.  We heated the chowder and ate it first.  Janice said she and Tom had roasted the ears of corn on the open grill until they took on color and then removed and mixed the roasted kernels with chipotle (smoked jalapeño chilis) and non-fat half and half.  The soup was excitingly spicy, but not too over the top picante for me, and exuded a smoky flavor and smell.  I thought the smoky flavor and aroma of the roasted corn was wonderful.  When the roasted pork registered an internal temperature of 140˚ Susan said it was ready, so I sliced it and, although some pieces were still a bit to red, most of it was no more than pink and we placed the platter of pork slices, the carrots, steamed haricots vert, Susan’s roasted potatoes and a sauce Susan had made on the buffet beside the dining room table and I filled glasses with the rosé.  The Eguren rosé has a slightly more red wine flavor that its lighter more elegant French cousins, but its slight fruitiness complemented the pork nicely.  Everyone had a good meal.

 

 

 

Then after dinner Susan made Earl Grey tea and served her fresh baked apple pie stuffed to overflowing with fresh apples and vanilla ice cream.

We did not last past 9:30 but we had a great meal and took home some apple pie for later.

Bon Appétit

November 2, 2013 Sautéed Smoked Pork Chops and Roasted Brussels sprouts with Candied Quince

November 2, 2013 Sautéed Smoked Pork Chops and Roasted Brussels sprouts with Candied Quince

We had both worked today and wanted to make something simple for dinner. 

This was the simplest dinner we have cooked to date.

I had thawed out a four pack of smoked pork chops and put a bottle of Eguren Tempranillo 2012 Rosé in the fridge to chill.

When I returned from an 18 mile ride to Paseo del Norte at around 5:30 p.m. we started cooking.

Suzette heated butter and olive oil in a pan and sautéed the already cooked pork chops.

She then put the PPI Roasted Brussels sprouts into another pan with a bit of oil and some of the candied Quinces and sautéed them.

I opened the bottle of Eguren Rose and poured glasses of it and in about ten mites we were ready to dine on a hearty Fall meal.

Bon Appétit

November 3, 2013 Day of the Dead party at Cynthia and Ricardo’s

November 3, 2013 Day of the Dead party at Cynthia and Ricardo’s

Suzette made a wonderful omelet with the last five white mushrooms sliced and slices of French Emmenthaler cheese I bought at Costco yesterday and garlic greens and marjoram.  We enjoyed it with slices of French baguette from Fano and cherry preserves and hot tea

Cynthia texted us with an invitation to join them and a group of Day of the Dead Dancers at5:00 at their house.  Saturday I had gone to Costco and bought a leg of lamb from Australia ($4.99/lb.) plus a bottle of Morgan Beaujolais and eggs and to Pro’s Ranch market and bought three lovely large pomegranates ($.69/lb.), plus some limes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes (3lb./$.99) and milk ($1.97 per gallon). 

When I got home and after we ate dinner, I remove some of the fat and sliver skin from the leg of lamb and squeezed the juice out of 2 ½ of the pomegranates and but that in a one gallon freezer with about ¼ cup of olive oil and the sectioned lamb into the fridge.  The next morning we decided to make shish kebabs, so I cut the lamb sections into 2 X2” cubes and added the leaves of three sprigs of oregano from the garden to the bag.

Then at around 4:00 Suzette returned from Costco with a bag of 8 red bell peppers and we cut up two yellow onions and two red bell peppers and filled 15 inch long skewers with alternating pieces of onion, bell pepper and marinated lamb.  When the skewers were filled with six pieces of lamb each, Suzette dusted them salt and black pepper and we place them on a colie sheet and covered them with saran wrap and drove to Cynthia and Ricardo’s house.  There were about fifteen people on their back yard patio, including members of Ricardo’s band and dance related friends who had participated in the Day of the Dead March, many of whom had dressed elaborately and made up their faces to honor Day of the Dead.  It was a festive atmosphere. We met several folks who sat near us at one of the outdoor tables, including Marisa?, who had been an art teacher and Ashley , who worked for Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

Cynthia made an elegantly simple but delicious, vegetarian root vegetable posole that she served in bowls with a pile of fresh shredded green cabbage and a dollop of crema (it was not spicy, so the delicate flavor of the vegetable broth shown through). Rick?, one of the band members who is a great pie maker, made sweet potato pie, Suzette and Ricardo grilled the lamb shish kebabs.  Cynthia made a fresh kale salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.  There were also two loaves of Bosque bakery bread and two platters of fresh tamales, one filled with vegetables and the other filled with either chicken or pork ant roasted beets and lovely spinach balls made with spinach, onions, egg, bread crumbs, and baked.

We brought a bottle of 2010 Eguía Reserva ($7.99 at Costco on sale) Spanish Rioja tempranillo red wine from Elciego .

We enjoyed a lovely meal and evening talking to several of the folks, but a 7:30 we both were overtaken by a wave of tiredness and said our goodbyes.

Here are photos of Cynthia with her Day of the Dead makeup and Marisa’s beautiful gingerbread Day of the Dead Skeletons.

Bon Appétit

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 1, 2013 Flounder Meuniere, steamed asparagus and tomato couscous

November 1, 2013 Flounder Meuniere, steamed asparagus and tomato couscous

I had bought three filets of flounder at Sprouts on Thursday.  When we got home we decided to sauté them.  Suzette crushed panko and added some mozzarella and salt and pepper and also made an egg bath, so she could dip them in egg and then dust them with the panko mixture.

I snapped asparagus and heated butter in a sauce pan and shopped the last three tomatoes from the garden and when the butter in the sauce pan began to boil added the tomatoes to it and after about five minutes Suzette added a cup of water and when that came to a boil we added 1 cup of couscous and cooked it for a couple of minutes and then turned off the heat. 

Suzette sautéed the panko dipped flounder filets and I quartered a lemon and we squeezed lemon juice on the filets and I fetched capers and Suzette sprinkled some of them onto the flounder filets.  We drank the last of the Trader Joe’s Sauvignon Blanc and it was really good with the delicate fish. 

After dinner Suzette heated the two brownies we had brought home from the Greenhouse bistro and placed a scoop of vanilla ice cream on it and we had a lovely dessert.

Bon Appétit

October 31, 2013 A Scary, Wonderful Dinner at the Greenhouse Bistro and Bakery

October 31, 2013  A Scary, Wonderful Dinner at the Greenhouse Bistro and Bakery

We had no enthusiasm for celebrating Halloween this year and did not even buy any candy.

When we finished our appointment with Janice to get a second opinion about our house remodel around noon, Suzette asked, “What do you want to do this evening?”

I suggested, “Let’s eat dinner at the Bistro.” 

Suzette, replied, “Great, I love the sautéed Brussels sprouts with Pork Belly and will not have to cook or clean.”
So we agreed to meet at the Bistro at 6:00.

When I arrived there was only the waitress folding brochures.  Suzette had brought a new selection of Portuguese wines and was in the kitchen discussing them with the Executive Chef, Angeloe Dixon.  Soon Suzette appeared from the kitchen holding an open of 2010 Loios, a red vinho tinto.  Here is some information on the wine in found on Google.

 

 

 

2011 Joao Portugal Ramos Loios Vinho Tinto 

Alentejo, Portugal

Well-regarded wines from the Alentejo DOC (Designation of Origin) region have been at the forefront of growth in Portugal's wine exports. Alentejo is a hot, dry area in eastern Portugal, and vast acres are planted with cork trees. From the region's vineyards, red wines are primarily produced from multiple varieties of native grapes blended with the well-known grapes such as cabernet sauvignon and syrah. This bottling, made from indigenous grapes, is a blend of 35 percent each aragones and trincadeira and 30 percent castelao. The wine was vinified in stainless steel and touched no oak. It offers jammy aromas of berry fruit, and on the palate, one tastes red currants and more ripe, dark berry flavors, smooth tannins, good acidity and a lightly sweet finish. Drink it with grilled meats, red beans and rice, barbecue, fowl, pasta with tomato sauce, stuffed pork chops and sweet potatoes. Buy it at: Pearl Wine Co. and Keife and Co. — BRENDA MAITLAND

We sat at a table beside the window overlooking the park area at the Center and Suzette poured us each a glass of the Joao vinho tinto and the waitress brought us the menu.  I asked the waitress what the Soup of the Day was and Suzette answered, “It is Elk Stew, I had a bowl of it for lunch and it is fabulous.

So I ordered that.

Then I noticed an appetizer of Pumpkin Risotto on the menu and ordered that because I have learned that Chef Angeloe makes the best risotto I have ever eaten.

Suzette then ordered the Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with pork belly.  

The wine was very good.  It had that flat tannin, heavy and complex earthiness that I had tasted before in good Douro de Riberas, which makes sense because these grapes are raised in eastern Portugal.

Soon a medium, I am guessing a pint, mason jar of stew was served with a lovely deep square shaped soup bowl along with a bistro basket filled with a wedge of warm freshly baked parmesan encrusted dense egg rich farm house bread, half sliced through so you could have a slice or tear off a hunk from the bottom crust with aluminum wrapped pads of butter.

I poured the stew into the soup bowl and tasted the stew.  It was a long cooked tomato based stew full of fresh tomatoes, and herbs from the garden with some additional bay leaves, onions, garlic and canned tomatoes with chunks of and elk tenderloin instead of hamburger beef.  I would make a perfect spaghetti sauce.  It was loose and flavorful and its light vegetable flavor and texture was well complemented by the heavy complex wine.

 

We were then brought a smaller square bowl filled with Squash Risotto.  I had never eaten squash risotto and thought of it as a bit gimmicky, but it turned out to be delicious beyond words.  I do not know what broth or liquid was used to emulsify the rice and squash, but the result was terrific.  The kernels of Arborio rice were plump and tender and yet completely cooked, so they did not have that al dente characteristic that appears to be the Italians’ preference, but which I call undercooked.  The chunks and short, thick slices of squash were also cooked beautifully to the point that they were tender and yet retained their structure and the whole seemed to be held together with cheese and the top of the risotto was garnished with chunks of fresh herbed goat cheese.  It seems that every time I eat Chef Angeloe’s risotto I say it is the best I have ever tasted, but he keeps outdoing himself.  Although this time I think he hit a pinnacle that not even he will exceed, even though I dream to be surprised again.  Just the idea of using a common fall vegetable like squash in risotto is exciting and the flavor combination of squash with risotto shows that Chef Angeloe is a master of this medium. 

We were excited and also saddened to look around the restaurant and see that there were no other diners and knowing how many foodies would love this food.

We initially thought the bowl of risotto was incredibly large, but, as soon as we tasted it, we could not stop eating it. The most amazing thing was how well the wine complemented the risotto. They were perfect together as the wine blended with and helped emulsify the dense texture of the risotto.

As soon as we scraped the last kernel of rice out of the bowl, the waitress brought us a square plate half-filled with the halved fresh Brussels Sprouts (I saw the Chef preparing the dish.  He cut the fresh Brussels Sprouts in half and de-stemmed them and then cut large slices off a huge hunk of pork belly.) that had been sautéed and glazed with a pomegranate.juice glaze.  Beside those was a pile of about four or five three or four inch long and two or 2 ½ inch wide by ½ inch thick slices of pork belly that had been sautéed to dark golden brown.

We loved the combination of hot pork fat and tender meat and I instantly understood why folks are now attracted to pork belly in this recent head to tail craze in the food world.  This was the first time I had had pork belly pan sautéed and loved this approach.  It had that crisp exterior crunch combined with a very soft interior, not unlike scrapple.  I tried it both ways, eating it with the fat and without the fat and enjoyed both.  Unfortunately, the wine, for some reason was not as wonderful with the pork belly.  I am guessing because the pork belly is brined and the extra salt interferes with the flavor of the wine, whereas the wine complemented and shined when paired with the sweetness of the tomatoes in the stew and the squash in the risotto.  A lighter bodied wine might have been better, but that is a problem one does not usually think about when one has an open bottle of good red wine already open sitting in front of oneself.

We were stuffed by the time we finished the Brussels Sprouts and Pork Belly and could not eat dessert, but we could not resist taking home some caramel filled snicker doodles and chocolate brownies made by the new baker.  Suzette, who grew up on Snicker doodles in rural Pennsylvania, says these are the best she has ever tasted; a real compliment to the new baker.

The prices for these dishes are ridiculously cheap and the portions are impressively large, so they more than make up for the cost of driving to Los Lunas and are easy to split.  The bottle of Elk Stew was $6.50, the Squash Risotto with fresh herbed goat cheese was $9.00 and the sautéed Brussels sprouts with Pork Belly was $18.00.  Suzette and I split the three dishes and were stuffed for a total of $17.75 each before wine and tip, which I consider an amazing value.

This is a back road treasure, like finding that amazing small auberge in the French country side with fabulous fresh local produced food.  If you know and love great food, you will be blown away. For more information go to https://www.facebook.com/GreenHouseBistro/.

Bon Appétit