What is/was for dinner?

[Certificate of Excellence]

What I w

Yes.

Personally, I think that ratatouille can go with anything (or, almost everything).

Anyway, I have had it with sausages, or fillet steak (which has also been served to me in a really good French restaurant, along with sautéed, or dauphinoise, potatoes), or chicken thighs.

Actually, moving beyond meat, I have even served it with cod (or any firm white fish) fillets, and that also works exceptionally well.

What I was alluding to was cooking the meat component in the ratatouille akin to a one pot meal, casserole etc. Have you run into a version like this?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

What I w

What I was alluding to was cooking the meat component in the ratatouille akin to a one pot meal, casserole etc. Have you run into a version like this?

No.

While I will serve meat (be it steak fillet, chicken thighs, or sausage, or pork or lamb chop) - or, for that matter, a fillet of firm white fish - with ratatouille, I have never seen it served (either in a restaurant, or in somebody's home in France, or, when I have prepared it myself when hosting dinner parties or when dining toute seule), with a protein accompaniment in the form of a one pot dish.

That is not to say that it cannot be done; just that I have never seen it done, and nor have I ever served it in such a way, myself.

 

[Sammael]

Grilled Octopus, with white wine, garlic, butter.
Chicken Parmesan
Linguine with Clam Sauce
Garlic Bread

 

[splifingate]

Soul Food:

Fried chicken with collards, boil't cabbage and a cornbread muffin (paired with a lovely slice of meatloaf over a double-scoop of mushed potatre's).

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Grilled Octopus, with white wine, garlic, butter.
Chicken Parmesan
Linguine with Clam Sauce
Garlic Bread

Sounds absolutely delicious.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

I made a Cincinnati classic.

The 5-way.
And it was delicious.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

The better half is spending a much deserved night out with her book club girl friends so I’m bachin’ it with the boys tonight. Dug deep into my Midwest roots. A Chicago pub classic this time - super crispy Chicago pub style pizza. Made a pepperoni for the boys & a meat lovers (pepperoni, ham, bacon, mushrooms and onion) for myself. Forgot to take the pic when they were fresh out of the oven lol but here is what’s left over.

I was going to cut it into squares (my preferred cut for most pizza) but my middle kiddo knows me too well and left specific instructions to cut triangles lol

 

[WriteNow]

Last night, I "sort of" made ratatouille. I say "sort of" because it wasn't that authentic. I took non-authentic/inspired by type recipes as my starting point. "Someday" I'd like to do it properly--but one issue I have now is no real access to good fresh tomatoes. Indeed, no good fresh tomatoes was an irritant for other things I'd like do, like gazpacho (which I made a while back, also using canned tomatoes).

I remember ratatouille being something my mother made every summer at least once. It was a way to deal with the overabundance of zucchini from the garden. She also probably used canned tomatoes--tomatoes didn't do well the one year I remember my father trying them, so he gave up on the idea. So I suppose my ratatouille is authentic for family tradition.

 

[BotchQue]

Huevos Rancheros, one of the world's best breakfasts, if not the most photogenic.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Huevos Rancheros, one of the world's best breakfasts, if not the most photogenic.

View attachment 2560551

Is that NM green chile sauce? Looks great. I’ll take two please

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Better half invited neighbors over for dinner last night. I made a roast garlic pork loin, pinto beans, calabacitas, green chile smoked pork sauce and a sourdough loaf. Made an apple pie for dessert.

Not entirely sure what I’ll be making tonight. We’ll see.

 

[BotchQue]

Is that NM green chile sauce? Looks great. I’ll take two please

Indeed it is, Hatch 2024 (still have about three baggies worth in the freezer before I dive into the '25 vintage).
My deviation from traditional HR is frying the corn tortilla in bacon grease; it doesn't suck.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Seriously. Frying the corn tortillas in animal fat is ALWAYS the street to flavor town I want to be on Way to rock the 505 cuisine, one of the best kept culinary traditions & secrets in the US.

We always go in on a bushel with the in-laws each year which sets us up for the year.

 

[edubfromktown]

I made chopped lobster tail (bucatini AKA perciatelli) pasta with yellow tomatoes, parsley and basil last night.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Last night, I "sort of" made ratatouille. I say "sort of" because it wasn't that authentic. I took non-authentic/inspired by type recipes as my starting point. "Someday" I'd like to do it properly--but one issue I have now is no real access to good fresh tomatoes. Indeed, no good fresh tomatoes was an irritant for other things I'd like do, like gazpacho (which I made a while back, also using canned tomatoes).

I remember ratatouille being something my mother made every summer at least once. It was a way to deal with the overabundance of zucchini from the garden. She also probably used canned tomatoes--tomatoes didn't do well the one year I remember my father trying them, so he gave up on the idea. So I suppose my ratatouille is authentic for family tradition.

Sort of is the secret sauce. That’s the best way

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoyed an amazing dinner last night; fantastic bread, superb roasted vegetables (aubergines, courgettes, peppers, tomatoes, carrot, mushrooms, dressed in olive oil), and local meat stews where the meat was so exceptionally tender it simply fell off the bone.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Yesterday evening, I enjoyed a quite superb meal in a Georgian (Caucasus Georgia) restaurant - which served Georgian dishes (and Georgian wine) with some colleagues.

 

[Huntn]

Yesterday evening, I enjoyed a quite superb meal in a Georgian (Caucasus Georgia) restaurant - which served Georgian dishes (and Georgian wine) with some colleagues.

Where I live, the restaurant scene is very desert like. The usual array of TexMex, of only one, I look forward to, all the Steak houses have gone to pot, Chinese takeout quality has deterioriated as they either are going cheap, or have americanized some of their dishes, 'fried rice' is just not what it used to be, most restaurant food pricing has shot up, fast food costs what average restaurants used to cost. Good thing, more and I am relying on cooking at home, and I make some mighty fine dishes. 😋

 

[WriteNow]

Where I live, the restaurant scene is very desert like. The usual array of TexMex, of only one, I look forward to, all the Steak houses have gone to pot, Chinese takeout quality has deterioriated as they either are going cheap, or have americanized some of their dishes, 'fried rice' is just not what it used to be, most restaurant food pricing has shot up, fast food costs what average restaurants used to cost. Good thing, more and I am relying on cooking at home, and I make some mighty fine dishes. 😋

I doubt this will be much comfort, but I hear a lot of complaints from others about the experience of eating out in many restaurants of today. I hear complaints about not very good cooking, not very good service, and high prices. It's been a long time since I ate out, and given the horror stories, I'm not in any rush to eat out again. (Plus a lot of the eating out was for reasons that won't happen again, like meeting someone specific for lunch or dinner.)

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I doubt this will be much comfort, but I hear a lot of complaints from others about the experience of eating out in many restaurants of today. I hear complaints about not very good cooking, not very good service, and high prices. It's been a long time since I ate out, and given the horror stories, I'm not in any rush to eat out again. (Plus a lot of the eating out was for reasons that won't happen again, like meeting someone specific for lunch or dinner.)

Eating out is still - or, can still be - a very pleasant experience in Europe, especially in small, bistro, or trattoria style restaurants, restaurants that are family owned and run, that take pride in what they prepare and serve, restaurants that are not part of a chain dedicated to the art of profit and the need and greed of shareholders.

 

[edubfromktown]

Same in the US.

I always seek locally owned restaurants both when at home (dine out maybe once a month) and on travel.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

A few free range, organic, fried (sautéed in a mix of olive oil and French butter) eggs, served (and prepared) "sunny side up", an expression with which Americans are familiar, (but not one in use here), comprised my evening repast.

 

[Huntn]

I doubt this will be much comfort, but I hear a lot of complaints from others about the experience of eating out in many restaurants of today. I hear complaints about not very good cooking, not very good service, and high prices. It's been a long time since I ate out, and given the horror stories, I'm not in any rush to eat out again. (Plus a lot of the eating out was for reasons that won't happen again, like meeting someone specific for lunch or dinner.)

Restaurants are in a hole, finding it hard to find employees willing to work for nothing but tips, prices rising substantially, and customers who will balk at higher prices. It’s the worst it’s ever been.

 

[Huntn]

Same in the US.

I always seek locally owned restaurants both when at home (dine out maybe once a month) and on travel.

One of the best here in the Houston suburbs is Italianos, a small local restaurant with 3 locations. Their meals are reasonably priced, but we usually order dinners to be picked up and eaten at home.

 

[Huntn]

A few free range, organic, fried (sautéed in a mix of olive oil and French butter) eggs, served (and prepared) "sunny side up", an expression with which Americans are familiar, (but not one in use here), comprised my evening repast.

Is there a local term for an egg fried but not flipped, or is that just a given, as opposed to ‘over easy’?