- tacos de calabazas horneadas, frijoles de olla, rice
- some variant of meat chili
- tagliatelle with corn and bacon pesto
- roasted corn soup with tasso, mesclun salad
- gai pad krapow chili basil chicken, cantaloupe basil salad, sticky rice
- more oat-apricot blondie things
2010-07-31
week eight: corn!
2010-07-26
summer week seven: Week of Fruit
- slow-roasted bell pepper with red lentils (660)
- thursday picnic: keftedes, falafel, tzatziki, and pitas
- vanilla plum galette
- stone fruit tea cake (plums and apricots), unbaked, straight into the freezer for later!
- braised beef with pineapple, carrot purée
- dum aloo, and sweet corn and tomato medley (660)
- blueberry apricot muffins
- cantaloupe sorbet
2010-07-17
summer week six
- shredded kohlrabi and cabbage thai salad with basil and peanuts, sticky rice
- black bean - corn - cucumber salad, with (for some of us) tasso and/or hard-cooked egg
- dahiwaale rajmah, tart-hot kidney beans with tomato and yogurt sauce (kohlrabi greens thrown in for good measure); plain rice
- fresh pasta with pesto; arugula and cherry tomato salad
- kashmiri dum aloo (whole new potatoes, stewed with yogurt, fennel, and black cardamom)
- blueberry corn muffins
- apricot upside down cornmeal cake
2010-07-07
syrah/shiraz and bbq roundup
I was so busy grilling things, and we had overall such a wonderful night (and extremely well attended) that labels and bags lost sync. I have a few that I know for sure, and a few more by who brought them. We will have to be more careful next time. I would say my two favorites are the top two here, followed by the Montes Alpha and the Petite Sirah (cheating, but super tasty).
- (T) Zaca Mesa Santa Ynez 05
- This was my choice, and one of my two favorites. Dark, concentrated, smooth.
- (P) Claymore Dark Side of the Moon, Clare Valley AU
- Garrett's excellent selection, similar to above but more spicy
- (V) Boom Boom WA State 07
- (X) Casa Castillo Valtosca, Jumilla, 07
- unusual to find this style from Spain. It is straight shiraz blended with a bit of Viognier
- (ℶ) Winner's Tank Velvet Sledgehammer, Langhorne Creek South AU
- (I) Quivira Petite Sirah
- Exactly what is lovable about petite sirah, with mushroomy earth and delicious complex fruit.
- (W) Qupé central coast CA 08
- Zach
- Dominio IV Columbia Gorge
- Mark & Yaron
- Epiphany Gypsy Santa Barbara County 05
- ‘The Catcher’ AU 07
- Ravenswood 08
- Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve 07
- Cambria Santa Maria Count
- Chris Wingland Barossa 07
- Montes Alpha, Chile
- As I mentioned at Chilean night when we had their Chardonnay, Montes is one of my favorite wineries and their stuff is generally very French in style. This is no exception.
- D'Arenberg The Footbolt, AU 07
- Hitching Post Santa Barbara County 06
- This was thin, generally unimpressive
- Ex Umbris Columbia Valley 08
Next time, date to be determined, will be “house wine” — bring the thing you probably drink the most of, or would like to have every day. For me, this is probably Luzón or Juan Gil, though I need to re-taste some Chapoutier Belleruche before I decide for sure. For Scott it is probably a Vinho Verde or the Albero Sparkling.
2010-07-05
week four
summer 04
We are out of town next weekend, so we are getting another box of Wednesday. Trying to use up stuff we have, but also keep room for new fresh tasty things.
- linguine with tomatoes and fava beans, salad with tasso, hard-cooked egg, cucumber
- braised carrots, carrot-top sauce, mashed sweet potato, seared zucchini and mushrooms
- probable picnic foods: thai and chinese cabbage salads; potato salad; focaccia
2010-06-26
summer week three
- mushrooms and peas in fenugreek-cream sauce (malai waale dhingri mutter, 660)
- picnic: pita, cucumber mint raita, radish raita, salame
- fresh pasta with parsley-basil pesto
- persian rhubarb beef stew, salad
- palak paneer with the beet greens
- chicken sour cherry rice
baked goods:
- upside-down sweet cherry cake, one of the best looking things in rustic fruit desserts
- sour cherry muffins with coconut struesel for the scott-breakfast
and a couple wineclub plans:
- roasted sliced golden beets finished on the grill
- grilled meatballs (with bacon and ricotta? yes please.)
2010-06-21
party and double picnic week
- gujurati yellow and black chickpeas (and kidney beans and black lentils); whole wheat rotis
- blanched greenbeans, crab aïoli for jon’s thing
- mushrooms with tasso and capellini
- potato-rosemary bread, maybe potato salad; salami, cheese
2010-06-12
summer week two
- rhubarb bread pudding
- pea mint lettuce soup
- gujurati-style black and yellow chickpeas (660)
- potatoes and carrots with coriander-fenugreek sauce OR stewed potatoes, carrots and peas (660)
2010-06-08
summer week one
- crack pepper beef (video: inside the flavor inside!), steamed broccoli, hong kong fried noodle
- kale, andouille, white bean soup; salad with radish and strawberries
- baked potatoes with spring onions, béchamel, chorizo kale, valdeón, tomato, sour cream, cheddar, etc.
- more calzones with spinach and mashroom, salad
- quiche of zucchini, spinach, and bacon
2010-05-30
week eight
- crack pepper beef with steamed broccoli
- yogurt-harissa chicken; spinach salad with beets, radishes, broccoli, and onion tops
- albondigas and braised kale
- spinach lasagne
- spring onion - garlic chive - mushroom dumplings for the freezer
- more rhubarb syrup
2010-05-23
typesetting checklist
PDF. This is a really great compilation of things to check when typesetting, and helpfully geared toward Minion Pro. It does not address protrusions, which I lament that I have to give up for xetex.
Also, for web stuff, see Google Font Directory
week seven
- aloo saag – potatoes with kohlrabi greens & kale and bangala clove-cardamom masala
- arroz con pollo ahumado
- crêpes with nutella and strawberries
- spinach salad with strawberries, turnips, and fresh and roasted beets; kohlrabi soup; focaccia
- red-braised tofu skin sticks
- cabbage and plantain kootu with buttermilk & pigeon peas
2010-05-15
week six
week six
Originally uploaded by gay.goy.gourmet
- Salad of arugula, spinach, and radishes; garlicky mashed potatoes and turnips.
- Saag murghi, stewed chicken with spinach, radish, and kohlrabi greens sauce
- Aai braised kohlrabi and palak urad dal, spinachy skinned-split black lentils
- Spaghetti with arugula and cream
- Thai red curry root vegetables and sticky rice
- Rhubarb buckle with ginger crumb
- Asparagus: blanch & freeze
grüner veltliner / germany / alsace tasting
The initial suggestion for this was Grüner Veltliner, basically the grape of Austria. Thinking it would be tough to find a large number of examples of that specific cépage, I suggested an expansive interpretation of German Europe, excluding its best known and most common grape, riesling. Two grüner veltliners each showed up twice. They and a third one were quite lovely and all of them would be exceptional with thai food. I’ve tried to group the list below somewhat thematically from light and dry to heavy and sweet.
- O. Kuentz-Bas, Alsace, 07
- This blend of chasselas - gewürtztraminer - pinot blanc was light yet complex. It smelled of lychee, flowers, and grass, and it was crisp and slightly mineral. One of my favorites. Two people managed not to like it, saying it was watery or bland.
- S. Schoffit Pinot Blanc Auxerrois Vielles Vignes, Alsace, 07
- One wrote “heavy in a good way” referring to its sweetness, which was slightly more than the kuentz-bas but still balanced by sufficient acidity. I wrote “party: goat cheese” and also craved a tarte flambée / flammeküche.
- N. The Furst Riesling, Alsace, 07
- A nice example of alsatian riesling, less citrusy than the trimbach, but otherwise comparable. Notes include “fresh, tangy” and “smooth. like.”
- Q. Loimer Grüner Veltliner, Kamptal, 09
- This was lightly effervescent, and really well balanced sweetness and acidity. It wasn’t assertively floral like O and S, but had more mineral than the other grüner veltliners. People found it “sparkly, balanced” or “med. sweet, unexciting”.
- W/X. Huber Hugo Grüner Veltliner 09
- One wrote “interesting! and spicy” and I found it tart like a green apple, but not at all lemony. It was called “acidic and strong” and “tingly”. This wine made me want tom kha soup.
- P/D. Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner 09
- Less sweet than Q and less citrusy than W. It had a bit of yeasty taste usually associated with champagne. Generally well liked but no one seemed to find it more than “passable” or “meh”.
- Y. Becker Estate Pinot Noir, Pfalz, 07
- This stood out as the only dry red, but I was very pleased to try it and will be buying more. Most people disliked it, but we will be tasting it again with its peers whenever we have pinot noir night. I also like Zach’s suggestion of smoked trout with it but we were this wine’s only defenders.
- H. Vranac Red, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 07
- A 1939 interpretation of “german” brought this lush red. It was “rich” and “very smooth” with a long finish, that I compared to Hungary’s egri bikaver. I wanted a rich meaty gulyás with this wine.
- T. Valckenberg Dornfelder, Rheinhessen, 08
- This light, sweet red smelled of violets and tasted like pluots. One suggested this would be a nice addition to a batch of mulled wine.
- Z. Martin Schaetzel Gewürtztraminer Cuvée Réserve, Alsace, 08
- This was “cloyingly sweet” and “anæsthetic” but it was the most complex of the sweet wines. One said “blackberries” which is fair but “honey” predominated.
- V. Saint Josef Kabinett, Rheinhessen, 06
- I said this tasted like pineapple- and lemon-flavored haribo gummy bears or pineapple jolly rancher. Two agreed that it tasted mysteriously “dusty” and “sweet. too sweet.”
- —. Seebrich Scheurebe Kabinett, Niersteiner Ölberg, 03
- This was the last sweet one that was accidentally left in the refrigerator until after the tasting. It had considerably more acid and better balance than V. We found it improved with just a dash of chartreuse.
2010-05-07
2010-05-05
Week Five
- collards with merguez over either couscous or quinoa
- matzo ball soup, challah, and salad (probably with crispy bacon and creamy dressing, knowing me)
- stir-fried asparagus and tofu with oyster sauce, more LSC cabbage
- more delicious:days muffins with carrots and nuts (the blog is great, but these are not on it)
- baked fish with potatoes, olives, and capers en papillote
2010-04-30
week four
- green chile potatoes with mint and cilantro, yogurt rice
- tamarind garlic taro (wanted this for a while), lime-chana dal rice
- red-braised beancurd sticks, pan fried noodles, lao sze chuan style chile cabbage
- ma po tofu with kale (unmade from last week)
- indonesian stir-fried carrots
- salad with roasted potatoes, green goddess dressing
2010-04-24
malbec and steak!
We finally had malbec-and-steak wine club, and managed to all go to delicious Tango Sur with lots of great wine. A great night overall I have to say.
- A. Pélisse Croix du Mayne Cahors 07
- Very full bodied with tons of fruit, my note for this simply read, “yum, but needs steak.” This is what I drank mostly with my meal.
- B. NQN Malma 07
- The lower tier from my favorite Argentine producer – I could not get the reserva or the “colección” from NQN, but still recommend them highly. Yael and I loved it but some others found it overly acidic and alcoholic.
- C. Clos de los Siete 07
- Interesting oak, forest-floor-like for me, on top of heavy fruit. Bitter and watery for some.
- D. Pulenta La Flor 08
- Smoke, heavy, “tastes like a 2×4.” One person found it interesting, another “smooth” but too oaky.
- F. Urban Uco 08
- Although in Cahors malbec/côt is often blended with Merlot, this one from Argentina is not. Surprising, since it tastes more like bad merlot than X below (which was boring, but not offensive). The most positive note was "lightly sweet and peppery", one "meh", and one "ew"
- G. Bodega Septima 08
- “Good” or “great” according to two. This tasted more like good high-cacao dark chocolate than anything else we drank. Very well integrated tannins and oak, with hints of vanilla and lots of fruit.
- H. Árido 08
- This is what I think of when I think Argentine malbec. One called it rounded and tingly, two noted the bitter grip of its tannins.
- S. Doña Paula Estate 08
- I called this restrained and elegant, some people found it overly oaky and several noted “bitter.”
- T. Cèdre Hermitage Cahors 07
- I enjoyed the lightly vanilla oak and very firm tannins here. Two said “bleh” and that they didn’t want to try it again, but I think they just hate tannin.
- W. Caminade La Commandery Cahors 06
- Though some found it “flat,” another wrote “:) the most interesting so far!” with licorice and earthy flavors. Some things online call it “textbook Cahors.”
- X. El Colectivo 09
- For me just unforgivably boring. Others said flat and uninteresting, generically fruity. “Nice, but not outstanding.”
- Y. Clos Triguedina Cahors 05
- Very tight, tannic, but light bodied. One person hated it though.
- Z. Alamos 09
- Charred barrel, overly oaked, “California style” wrote one. Not great.
Week Three
- creamy turnip soup (needs stock) with caesar salad
- black beans & rice (glee night)
- spaghetti with kale
- polenta with braised collard greens
- burnt caramel ice cream (with colombian panela from sebastian)
- biscuits and sausage gravy
- ma po tofu with some kale
- chicken breast filets al ajillo, potato-turnip purée
- zaletti: polenta cookies with currants
2010-04-10
First Vicki box of the year yay
Week One! Originally uploaded by gay.goy.gourmet
- saag paneer variation (radish greens, mexican cheese)
- szechuan carrot soup plus miso; bekana and radish salad with thai dressing
- braised turnips with mustard sauce; salad of spinach, goat cheese, beets, pepitas
- steamed bok choy with oyster sauce; tofu and mushrooms with black bean sauce
- tamarind garlic taro, cucumber salad
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