Food, Drink and What's for Dinner Tonight

Nothing from Luxembourg, but both Belgian and Dutch beer this evening. Hope I am not poisoned .

German and Japanese beers are the best.

Wonder if those two countries have ever teamed up for anything interesting.

Phantom Commander wrote:

both Belgian and Dutch beer this evening. Hope I am not poisoned .

If one side of the fam'ly don't git him, the other side sho' will!

CJB wrote:

German and Japanese beers are the best.

Wonder if those two countries have ever teamed up for anything interesting.

Heh heh. Gotta hand it to the Krauts--they taught the whole world how to brew beer. Not only the Japs, but the Chinks and the Messkins, too.

Carne guisada burritos tonight. Basically lean beef chunks stewed--similar to chili, but less spicy--and then served, along with grated cheddar, on warm flour tortillas. This is the best in Mexican comfort food.

Cuisine from east of the Oder Neisse line last night.

- Rich pork lard smeared on rye bread
- Borsch (but spelled with an inordinate number of C's and Z's)
- Pork schnitzel with boiled potatoes and a cucumber and sour cream salad
- Sobieski vodka

CJB wrote:

Also a question to the coffee-drinkers here: do you have a preferred brewing device/method?

I've previously tried Chemex but never really mastered it. Don't really have the patience for it (brewing time and clean up). Also dabble with Turkish coffee which is pretty idiot-proof, but it only produces an espresso-sized portion and not the proper mug of Joe I usually want.

Considering giving the French press a go.

Suggestions?

I went the other way, from French press to Chemex, and I've not looked back.

I made the switch probably five or six years ago but I seem to remember the French press requiring slightly more cleanup than the Chemex.

Chemex being: just lifting paper filter into trash plus rinse/wash the glass flask. With the French press, you have the grounds pressed into the bottom of the glass pitcher which have to be broken up to come out, the pitcher itself, then also the filter screens on the plunger. (It's really not much but I think it's slightly more time consuming).

Brew itself is a bit less active work than the Chemex, as you can walk away for the 5 minutes or so that the grounds are steeping, but overall I'd bet the time on the clock would be about the same.

I do think there is a difference in taste so it's probably worth trying out just to see if you prefer it.

CJB wrote:

Cuisine from east of the Oder Neisse line last night.

- Rich pork lard smeared on rye bread
- Borsch (but spelled with an inordinate number of C's and Z's)
- Pork schnitzel with boiled potatoes and a cucumber and sour cream salad
- Sobieski vodka

Gott im Himmel!

Sobieski vodka is my go-to, incidentally. Polish vodka is the best, much like Beluga, north of the Caspian...

I'll be having Tunisian meatball soup tonight. Lots of harissa, garlic and mint in this soup.

Somerset wrote:

I went the other way, from French press to Chemex, and I've not looked back.
...
I do think there is a difference in taste so it's probably worth trying out just to see if you prefer it.

I think mastering the Chemex requires a bit of patience. Lot of variables like ground size and water temperature at play. Alas, I lacked the patience.

I am interested in trying the French press method at home (not that I haven't drank it previously - relatively common in European hotels and tastes just fine to me).

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Sobieski vodka is my go-to, incidentally. Polish vodka is the best, much like Beluga, north of the Caspian...

I tend to agree, caveat being that I prefer whisky generally. Wyborowa is also acceptable.

Russian vodka is just... harsher. Stolichnaya is OK (though technically produced in the Baltics I believe).

CJB wrote:

Somerset wrote:

I went the other way, from French press to Chemex, and I've not looked back.
...
I do think there is a difference in taste so it's probably worth trying out just to see if you prefer it.

I think mastering the Chemex requires a bit of patience. Lot of variables like ground size and water temperature at play. Alas, I lacked the patience.

I am interested in trying the French press method at home (not that I haven't drank it previously - relatively common in European hotels and tastes just fine to me).

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Sobieski vodka is my go-to, incidentally. Polish vodka is the best, much like Beluga, north of the Caspian...

I tend to agree, caveat being that I prefer whisky generally. Wyborowa is also acceptable.

Russian vodka is just... harsher. Stolichnaya is OK (though technically produced in the Baltics I believe).

I drink less vodka than I used to. More whiskey and gin these days. Not that my liver notices the diff.

Tonight will be pan-fried red snapper fillets topped with a lime vinaigrette. This is a recipe from Baja. Yes, BAAAA-ha! Alas, no bomba surpreeze for dessert, only French fries to accompany.

Joining in the Mexican fun with pork tacos, featuring enough jalapeños to put hair on ya chest.

Which reminds me that I should get 'round to making jalapeño poppers one of these days.

Open-faced turkey sandwiches tonight, and broccoli florets poached in chicken broth and then sauteed in olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper.

These sandwiches are typical diner fare on AINO's East Coast. You just make a thyme-and-garlic-seasoned sauce whose base is chicken broth, heat the thick-sliced deli turkey in that sauce, and serve it over Texas toast that has been...well...toasted.

PK,if I ever become a billionaire, remind me to hire you as my chef.

Phantom Commander wrote:

PK,if I ever become a billionaire, remind me to hire you as my chef.

You've got yourself a deal.

So, how close are you to becoming a billionaire?

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Phantom Commander wrote:

PK,if I ever become a billionaire, remind me to hire you as my chef.

You've got yourself a deal.

So, how close are you to becoming a billionaire?

Just a billion to go.

Linguini with pecan pesto tonight. It's a basic pesto sauce with pecans instead of pine nuts, and maybe a bit heavier on the nuts than most pesto recipes.

Oven barbecued salmon. This is a rather unusual dish. You make an ordinary BBQ sauce, and then adulterate it with tamarind, garam masala, cumin and powdered Kashmiri red pepper, brush it over salmon filets and bake until done. You then sprinkle it with minced cilantro and mint and drizzle with lemon juice.

It's not bad.

Steaks grilled over pecan wood and then topped with a roasted onion sauce. Baked taters (lots of butter and sour cream) and a pinot noir to wash it all down.

An Italian spinach-and-rice soup tonight, made with arborio, spinach, a little garlic and a touch of ancho chile.

Frito pie tonight. Bag of Fritos covered with Wolf Brand Chili, extra-sharp cheddar, diced white onions, and maybe some pickled jalapeno slices. This is trash food, but it's undeniably delish.

Your own take on chilli nachos, Khanners!

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Your own take on chilli nachos, Khanners!

Wisht I could take credit, Blunts, but this is a traditional Texas dish that dates back to the 50s or earlier.

Tonight I'll be having capellini with a sauce made of Roma tomatoes, bacon, mushrooms and white wine. The recipe is from the NY Times--possibly the only decent thing ever to have stemmed from that loathesome rag--and it may be the best pasta sauce recipe I've ever tasted.

Chili dogs in blankets tonight. You simply butterfly frankfurters, place American cheese and diced Hatch pepper in the incision, wrap the franks in crescent roll dough, and bake until golden brown. Spread some mustard on these puppies, and you're good to go.

Gumbo made with chicken, andouille, ham and file' powder tonight. Creole cole slaw, too. Looking forward to it, mightily.