Zucchini Patties

No pictures of last night's dinner, Zucchini Patties, courtesy of Peter at Kalofagas, for a number of reasons/excuses, in no particular order:

1. I was hungry
2. I'm lazy
   
3. It was getting dark
4. Peter's picture is better than mine

No pictures of the tzatziki I made either (I don't photograph white things so well).

So, forgive me, then go to Peter's blog and bookmark the recipe.

Lychees

Aren't they pretty? We picked them up at Nijiya Market on Convoy St. in San Diego (along with a ton of other stuff).















I was going to ask for suggestions on what to do with them, but I ate one - loved its apple-pear-banana-something-else flavor...but...I'm allergic. So Hubby will get to eat them straight out of their skins, and not have to worry about me messing with them.

The Omnivore's 100

I found this through Jerry, who got it from Krista, who got it from Last Night's Dinner, who got it from Very Good Taste.

Here's the deal . . .

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three- Michelin -star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

I'm a bit confused by #63 Kaolin...from what I can find, it's a type of clay...and some people (mostly in Georgia, according to the interwebs) eat it...WTF?

Also, I've had rabbit (yum), but not hare, but I still think that's good enough to bold #86.

And, I've just spent about 30 minutes trying to get the HTML tags to print out to show how to cross out items (like I did for #75 Roadkill), but Blogger won't let me. So, I'm going to be daring and slightly rude, and modify VGT's instructions - if you wouldn't ever try something, make it red, or type a big NOOOO!!!!! after it. :-)

Parmesan and Smoked Paprika Biscuits

I had these parmesan and smoked paprika biscotti bookmarked from Il Cavoletto di Bruxelles for a while, and last night finally decided it had cooled down enough to turn on the oven to 400 degrees.
















All you do is mix butter with parmesan, then flour, smoked paprika, salt, and an egg yolk. Roll up, refrigerate overnight, slice, and bake.

They taste just like a Cheez-It! I think next time I make them I'll slice them thinner, and maybe add a little more paprika, or some black pepper.

If you like cheesy crackery biscuity things, make these!

Twice Baked Potatoes with Gruyere and Escarole

This is my favorite twice-baked potato recipe by far. The original came from Great Greens by Georgeanne Brennan. The book has some great photography (by Frankie Frankeny), good enough to make you want to eat your vegetables. The first part of the book is a comprehensive guide to everything green, giving information on nutrition, preparation, gardening and storing.

Then come the recipes. Chard and Lentil Soup with Duck Confit. Yes, please. Gratin of Belgian Endive with Pancetta. Don't mind if I do. Don't worry, there are plenty of vegetarian recipes too, like this one.


















Coat your potatoes in olive oil, then bake for about an hour at 400, depending on size. The skins will get shiny and crinkly, which helps them hold up to stuffing and more baking. Let cool so you don't burn your fingers, then cut in half, and scoop out the insides to form a shell for stuffing.

While the potatoes are baking, wilt chopped escarole (tough stems and darkest outer leaves removed) in butter, covered. Add a little chicken broth, cover, and braise for a bit. Remove the cover and raise the heat a little until most of the liquid is evaporated.

Mix the scooped-out potato with cubed Gruyere, the braised escarole (drained), ground pepper and a little salt. Careful on the salt, 'cause there's cheese. Top with a little grated Gruyere, and bake for about 30 minutes.

These make a great side dish, but I usually have a couple halves by themselves for dinner (doused in hot sauce, of course).

Fried Chicken and Collard Greens

MIL made fried chicken wings and collard greens yesterday. I think I'm still full over 24 hours later. (I ate lunch today out of habit, not out of hunger.)















She marinated the wings in 4 different types of mustard (yes, I have 4 types of mustard in my fridge, probably 5 or 6), garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, black pepper and Accent. Then she coated them in a mix of Dixie Fry and Luzianne with a little flour, and some seasoning. Then fried in canola oil until crispy and happy. Served with homemade red chili sauce.















The collards started with a pot of water and a hamhock, boiled forever with onion and garlic. She hacked up the hock, returned it to the pot with the chopped greens, some white vinegar, and some seasonings, and simmered until done. I was a little disappointed with the hamhock - it was mostly fat, barely any meat. But the greens were still incredible tasty.

Fig Chutney

I've got too many figs!















I got so excited when I saw this recipe on half baked for fig chutney - yay! a new way to use figs! - that I jumped out of my chair and immediately picked a couple pounds of figs from the tree. Then I ran to the store and bought an apple. And got home and found out we were out of onions (!). Then re-read the recipe and realized I was supposed to use 2 1/2 cups of red wine vinegar. I had about 3/4 of a cup, so I replaced the missing part with 1/4 cup of orange champagne vinegar, 1/2 cup of rice vinegar, and a cup of white wine vinegar. And I added a minced jalapeno from my garden.

So here's my spicy onionless multi-vinegar fresh fig chutney. (Did you hear that, Chris Kimball? I modified a recipe!)


















Served on a cracker with brie. Mmm...