What did we cook in OC?, Entirely ecumenical; breakfast lunch dinner + in-betweens and afters

[Priscilla]

Hasn't this weather been fab for cooking, esp. on the weekends, seems like. Yesterday was a good example. I roasted a nice chicken, such a good complement to the fire in the fireplace and the grey day outside.

Ivan and Le Mangeur shifted untold cubic yards of mulch. I made them some brownies for later to offset any possible health(y) affects.

Chicken, carved, was landed atop a big salade of the wonderful Me?os Farms green leaf from Newport Beach Farmers Market, a little of the pan drippings, as usual, sluiced over the lettuce while dressing. LOVE.

Cream Pan that-a.m.'s baguette, from an especially nice visit.

[Priscilla]

Fresh English peas just seem to deserve fresh pasta, don't they?

And so they shall have it. Or had: Fresh fettuccine with bacon, peas, ricotta. The essential Parm of course. Angelo & Franco's ethereally good whole-milk ricotta. I love this sauce with my usual froz peas, but L-O-V-E it w/fresh, and not just because it's a rare occasion, though it is, rare.

Cream Pan petti rolls. Done AND done.

[Priscilla]

Well, monumentally UNsurprisingly, it was Zuckerman fat asparagus again last night, this time with pristine albacore from a little fish boutique I like to call Costco.

Sometimes, like last night, I like to panko it on its flat cut sides, the better to see the lovely striations of cooked-raw-cooked, and quickly sizzle in a little grapeseed oil to the perfect state of partial cookedness. Landed on top of the asparagus, the whole shebang garnished with a dollop of mayonnaise, and an eightieth viewing of This is Spinal Tap, perfect accompaniments, both. So good!

Lee's baguette. Maltylicious as usual.

[Priscilla]

On this sad day, learning of Poly Styrene's death. RIP Poly. SO influential, so rockin', and such a cutie, too. Been listenin' to X-RS all a.m. already.

Ah, last evening, the lovely day-after-holiday... we took care of the leftovers from Easter Sunday. Herring & sour cream on rye, Brie on walnut bread, shrimp cocktail w/oyster crackers, a few macarons. Just right.

Something I learned long ago: Serve things you like to guests, then the leftovers are something you can welcome.

I did off-load a lot of ham on departing guests, which they were very happy to have. It's a great symbiosis, sending ham home with those who didn't cook, and some of whom don't anyways. Holding back enough for a few sandwiches, but the rest, out the door. Excellent.

[Priscilla]

As some of you knpw, Taco Friday continues unabated in 2011. Last evening it was El Fenix' marinated flap meat which Ivan grilled over hardwood charcoal. El Fenix meat, both prepared and to be cooked at home, has been of course a frequent guest in our home since that heavenly little store opened its doors.

[Priscilla]

Wow been a while. What's been cooking recently?

Last evening, ragu Bolognese and a salade of the utterly fab Me?os green leaf we keep on with.

On the weekend, a couple of beautiful porterhouses from El Toro Meat, mashed potatoes with chives, and lovely green beans. You could almost assume that Ivan and Le Mangeur had been toiling physically outside for long hours, just from reading that menu. And you'd be correct.

Lots else?I?ll try to catch up some.

[Priscilla]

Last evening, lovely shrimp & scallop brochettes from SM Sfd that'd been resting in a garlic herb olive oil marinade overnight. Grilled, and grilled corn (the first grilled corn is away... but SO not the last), and a lovely tomato-cucumber salade prepared by Le Mangeur. Just too summery outside to NOT grill, it was.

[Priscilla]

Last evening, lovely shrimp & scallop brochettes from SM Sfd that'd been resting in a garlic herb olive oil marinade overnight. Grilled, and grilled corn (the first grilled corn is away... but SO not the last), and a lovely tomato-cucumber salade prepared by Le Mangeur. Just too summery outside to NOT grill, it was.

[Priscilla]

Last evening, vegetable soup of the sort I've written about elsewhere, and often.

Ivan had four zucchini stalled on the vine that needed to be cleared for new growth, and a couple of his tomatoes that needed to be used, like yesterday, and with what else I found in the fridge and pantry, including a big old carrot from the carrot lady, it was good. A flatbread I'd made the other week split and broiled to brownity with a cheddar-goat cheese spread that was as virtuously unwasteful as the veg.

[Priscilla]

Last evening, more testing of the pizza sauce that'll be in Taste of Orange County presently.

We had a couple of favorite, simple toppings, both with nice whole-milk mozz: Anchovies, strewn artlessly, and also prosciutto, which got Ivan's great watercress-arugula salade landed on top after emerging from the oven.

[Priscilla]

Finally had our post-Thanksgiving turkey soup. I'd made and clarified and reduced the stock in a timely manner, and finally the day arrived.

This was the favorite (of the resident eaters) variation with matzo balls. Nice carrot salade made by Le Mangeur on the side, and herring in sour cream on rye as a leetle Cocktail Hour starter. All with a crackling fireplace on a night that was already dipping into the 40s when it was still just evening.

To paraphrase Ray Davies: God bless turkey soup, in all its many varieties.

[Priscilla]

Last night as a special adjunct to Taco Friday we had the muy fantastico pumpkin-spice margaritas, or as we call them, pumpkinaritas, from Newport Beach's SOL Cocina that I had in the blog. Anne Valdespino, one of the mag's senior editors, tried one at the restaurant and got the recipe.

We had a little pumpkin from our own garden that had just come off the vine the other day, and even more serendipitously, was a stone volunteer... we didn't even notice the vine trailing from the garden into the creek until we noticed bright-yellow flowers a couple of months ago. We've been watching it ripening, and finally, the vine withered, as they do, and the Santa Anas efficiently whisked away the dried shreds, leaving only the strikingly orange little pumpkin behind.

Here's the link to the blog post with the recipe: SOL Cocina Puts Pumpkin Where it Belongs?in a Margarita.

[Priscilla]

Last evening, chicken cutlets that'd been pounded & panko'd, a delicious watercress salade dressed with one of Ivan's special vinaigrettes mounded in a little haystack atop. Cream Pan petti rolls to accompany.

But what tonight???

[Priscilla]

Among other things over the weekend, it was AGAIN with the Zuni radicchio salade... that makes, I don't know HOW many times in the past several months or a year. And no end in sight. I had this end of Le Pain Quotidien's excellent sourdough boule leftover from bruschetta with burrata that Ivan & I had had whilst catching up on "EastEnders," and my VERY FIRST thought was, this would make FABULOUS crumbs for, yes, ZUNI RADICCHIO SALADE!!!

I used round Chioggia radicchio this weekend, but recently wrote a little about Treviso radicchio, the chicory family in general, and this salade in particular in Taste of Orange County, and there's a Serious Eats link to the recipe there, too. Make it make it make it.

[Priscilla]

Yep, Zuni radicchio salade last evening, also again with the roast chicken. What's indicated for many Sundays, apparently!

[Priscilla]

Well, it's not like I haven't cooked since the previous entry... but I HAVE been cooking a new-old way quite a bit. New to me, OLD to nearly everyone else: Slow-cooker cooking. Is it even cooking? Yes, I have concluded, if you do it right (as one should endeavor, no?) it is indeed cooking.

Tonight, for instance―or today, I should say, because that's how it goes with the slow-cooker, you're constantly sort of meta-cooking all the live-long day―it'll be yet another slow-cooker meatloaf. I love meatloaf in general, and even Ivan the Meatloaf Bigot (as I wrote about in Taste of Orange County last year) REALLY LIKED.

Today's was an unplanned meatloaf, after Ivan and Longlocks went steak provisioning Monday at El Toro Meat and couldn't resist buying some superlative 22% ground in addition. Never goes to waste, but I didn't have a slot for it at the moment. So, a slot was made, EVEN on a day when I wasn't going to have time to spend in the kitchen.

How, how, how how how do such things get arranged? I may have once wondered―but now I know!

[Priscilla]

Last night, Taco Friday, it was David Chang cured pork belly tacos, w/El Fenix' excellent pico de gallo and so-fresh-they-were-still-warm made-in-Santana tortillas. Sort of heavenly. Def remains our favorite of all the tacos we've had since Taco Friday was instituted in 2010.

I'd also cooked some pinto beans, organic from WF, in the, yes, slow cooker, and used the accumulated rendered pork fat to fry―always a favorite. The fat from the lightly cured pork is deliciously pre-seasoned.

[Priscilla]

Last night, Taco Friday, it was David Chang-cured pork belly tacos, w/El Fenix' excellent pico de gallo and so-fresh-they-were-still-warm made-in-Santana tortillas. Sort of heavenly. Def remains our favorite of all the tacos we've had since Taco Friday was instituted in 2010.

I'd also cooked some pinto beans, organic from WF, in the, yes, slow cooker, and used the accumulated rendered pork fat to fry―always a favorite. The fat from the lightly cured pork is deliciously pre-seasoned.

[Priscilla]

I wonder what everybody cooked for father's day last Sunday.

At our house, it was a superthick ribeye cut from El Toro Meat, slathered with a herb-olive oil (& a little garlic) paste, grilled. Our favorite Me?os carrots, roasted, and a gorgeous first-of-2012 Caprese made by Le Mangeur. Just very father's day-y, and very good.

[Priscilla]

With the extreme heat, it's been caprese, caprese, and yet more caprese around here, with and without grilled wild salmon. (YAY salmon season!)

What's everybody else cooking???