Grilled Vegetables and Burrata

Thursday 22 January

You can't go to Jungle Jim's without bringing home one of their fresh burrate.  But what goes with it outside tomato season? 

A pound of tiny baby eggplant from Jagdeep's, that's what, on a tray with three plum tomatoes, some sliced red onions, and two zucchini; all halved, generously oiled, salted, thymed or rosemaryed, and roasted at 450º. 

The creamy burrata curds went perfectly with the soft eggplant innards, and everything else as well.

Sunday's Chili

Wednesday 21 January

Even simpler if you stored the leftovers in the saucepan you would reheat them in.

Creamed Chicken with Mushrooms

Tuesday 20 January

Leftover chicken can go any number of ways.  We discussed our options on the walk home, and decided to go for the cream.

Sliced and sautéed 3/4 lb. of mushrooms, and in their juice and a little white wine reheated the chicken legs, thighs, and other bits from Saturday.  We seasoned with rosemary and parsley, added cream to boil down and thicken, and served with the leftover chicken-roasted potatoes, sizzled with a little more oil on convect in the combi-oven.

I Loves You Porgy

Monday 19 January

A trip to Jungle Jim's always results in fresh fish, and today's fish was porgy - a bright-eyed 2-pounder.

We stuffed him with parsley, drizzled with olive oil, and roasted at 500º for about 15 minutes.  At the end, we sprinkled him with garlic oil and salt and served on a platter from which we could each pick.

On the side went the Jungle's baby bok choy, halved, stir-fried with ginger and salt (to keep them distinct from the fish's garlic flavors), then steamed with some chicken broth until tender.

Even without the bass, we love porgy.

Venison Chili

Sunday 18 January

More or less as here, though without any green pepper.

Near Eastern Roast Chicken with Vedge

Saturday 17 January

Yes, it's the Shabbat chicken, bought fresh today at Charles Bare.  But we wanted to make the spices a bit different, so we mixed up some ground coriander, cumin, sumac, and salt; some, mixed with oil, got rubbed into the chicken's skin, and some got dusted under the skin.

We scattered parsnip coins, halved shallots, garlic cloves, and steak-fry-cut potatoes around the tray, and everything roasted to perfection.

Tuesday and Thursday's Leftovers

Friday 16 January

There were two pieces of the baked stem of butternut squash from yesterday, so one got cut into cubes and reheated with the leftovers of Tuesday's pot roast.  Gave it a whole new flavor.