What's for Dinner Tonight?

[Felicity]

I don't know what to have for supper tonight. I need inspiration. For my husband and myself it wouldn't matter -- or we could just eat out -- or fix something quick and easy but we have this young Chinese guy living with us and so I have to constantly be thinking of him.

He likes RICE of course and loves lots of green veggies. He's a big eater. You'd never know it to look at him though.

[Trouvere]

rice and alot of steamed veggies with a nice big piece of fish.That will make him happy.We were out last week among a big group of Chinese folks and they had huge pots of steamed veggies and bowls of rice and clear broth soup.Good but plain.

[Felicity]

Originally Posted by Trouvere

rice and alot of steamed veggies with a nice big piece of fish.That will make him happy.We were out last week among a big group of Chinese folks and they had huge pots of steamed veggies and bowls of rice and clear broth soup.Good but plain.

He doesn't like fish which is amazing because most Chinese do like seafood. He's also very fussy about food being fresh, not using a lot of oil, etc. He's been very well raised, this kid. For having just turned 16 he's very mature and responsible.

Honestly, we love Eric but after getting used to not having to think much about meals from day to day trying to come up with something different every meal so that you're not eating the same thing all the time and with things he would like is a bit of a pressure.

[Ferd]

Originally Posted by Felicity

He doesn't like fish which is amazing because most Chinese do like seafood. He's also very fussy about food being fresh, not using a lot of oil, etc. He's been very well raised, this kid. For having just turned 16 he's very mature and responsible.

Honestly, we love Eric but after getting used to not having to think much about meals from day to day trying to come up with something different every meal so that you're not eating the same thing all the time and with things he would like is a bit of a pressure.

Grill some porkchops and summer squash and make a rice pilaf.

[Ferd]

couscous paella with chicken




1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice,
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 can (14 1/2-ounce) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 box (10 ounce) frozen peas, thawed
1 1/2 pounds Chicken, cubed
1 (10-ounce) box couscous
1/2 cup pitted black olives, sliced

Heat oil in a 8 to 10 quart heavy bottomed pot. Add onion, garlic and sweet peppers; cook until peppers are tender, 8 minutes. Add salt, black pepper, thyme, pepper flakes and turmeric; cook 1 minute. Add broth, water, peas and shrimp. Simmer, covered, 2 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in couscous; cover; let stand 5 minutes. Serve, garnished with olives.

[Ferd]

This is one of my all time favorite pasta dishes


Corn Pasta with Dried Tomatoes
From Michael Chiarello
http://www.napastyle.com

(Serves 4)

1/3 cup dried tomatoes, not packed in oil (see Chef's Note)
3 tablespoons boiling water
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh marjoram
3/4 pound dried capellini
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cups corn kernels (about 3 ears)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Mix the dried tomatoes in a small bowl with the boiling water, sugar, vinegar, and the 1 teaspoon marjoram. Let rehydrate until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain well, squeezing out excess liquid. Cut the tomatoes into fine julienne and set aside. Discard marinade.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large sauti pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and sauti briefly until light brown. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon marjoram, the corn, and about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Cook, uncovered, until the corn is just tender, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is cooked, drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauti pan with the corn. Add the tomatoes, half of the Parmesan, and 1 tablespoon of the parsley and toss well. Toss with some of the reserved cooking water, if necessary, to moisten.

Pour the pasta into a warmed serving bowl, dust with a little Parmesan, and scatter the remaining parsley on top. Pass the remaining Parmesan at the table.

You can substitute 1/2 cup drained, oil-packed dried tomatoes and omit the rehydration step.

Put this in the Chef's corner, sparky, so we don't lose it!

[Felicity]

Sounds good Ferd. I love the intense flavour of dried tomatoes.

[Trouvere]

Ferd would love Macaronni Grill.They make something very similar.

[Margies3]

I made a super simple dish the other night that was delicious. And even better reheated the next day.

First I took some smoked sausage, split it down the middle lengthwise and cut it into about 2-3" chunks.

I put them in my big wok pan with a little water and cooked them. After they were nicely done, I took them out of the pan, added a dollop of butter to the pan and melted it, stirring the bottom to get all that good flavoring from the sausage. After that was mixed together, I added about 2" of water and a good size bunch of redskin potatoes that I had cut in half, putting the cut side down. I cooked them for about 10 minutes, then put a bag of frozen green beans across the top of them, 1/2 bag of frozen onions (cuz I'm too lazy to cut up a fresh one), and finally put the sausages back on top. I put the lid on and let all that cook together until the potatoes started to brown up nicely. Mmmmmmmmmmmm