Kielbasa with Red Cabbage

Sunday 16 December

Yesterday we bought some smoked kielbasa from Kroger Bros. in Findlay Market, and cooked it up today in our usual manner, with red cabbage, onions, and Cameo apples, the latter a new find from Backyard Orchards.

The apples were great, but for some reason the red cabbage was sort of flaccid, and needed an extra shot of vinegar.

Chilaquiles

Saturday 15 December

One of the many variations on a classic. 

Among the layers were bag-ripened tomatoes whizzed up with oil-cured sun-dried tomatoes; some ladlefuls off a precious jar of David Warda's salsa roja; shreds of roasted poblano peppers; coljack cheese; and a topping of extra-thick yogurt cheese.

We baked it for 45 minutes covered, 30 minutes open, then took it out of the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes covered.  And that's what it takes to get 'er done.

Penne with Salami, Zucchini, and Cream

Friday 14 December

It seems to be the week for favorite pasta recipes - or we just happen to have the proper leftovers for them.

Fusilli with Broccoli, Anchovies, and Garlic

Thursday 13 December

Pretty much as here, but with fusilli.  And we assure you, we washed the broccoli after Dora got done with it.

Chicken and Creamed Bok Choy

12/12/12

This was a clever way to use the leftover chicken legs, thighs, and scraps from Monday: serve them over creamed bok choy, a recipe vaguely suggested by Rose Cheng's Chinese cookbook.  

Stir fry a clove of garlic, then the white parts of 6 baby bok choy, sliced across; when they're tender, add the sliced green leafy parts and stir fry for a minute or two.  Dollop in some heavy cream, stir, and arrange the chicken on top; cover and let it heat.  As the bok choy gives off some water, plate the solids, boil down the liquid, and pour it on top of everything.  

Amazing use of dairy in a Chinese recipe, but the bok choy was downright buttery and delicious.

Latkes

Tuesday 11 December

It's the fourth night of Chanukah, and we finally got around to having latkes.

We have long depended on ClaudiaRoden's simple and straightforward recipe, but we have to admit: it depends on perfect conditions, which we rarely have.  So to avoid latkes that are raw in the middle, we tried this new approach.

We halved the recipe, used yukon golds, and had sieved panko as the breadcrumb element.  And since we left the latkes in the oven for a while, they were definitely cooked in the middle.

Served with drained yogurt cheese and lox, these were quite good.  But next year, I think we might try asking Joel's mother Noony for her treasured recipe.