Being within walking distance of Mitsuwa and on my own for dinner, my sons and I took a stroll and got the goods to make a Japanese noodle soup.

But I couldn't leave with soup ingredients alone. So, I picked up a quarter pound of sashimi grade tuna as an appetizer. Sliced it into a dozen thin strips and ate it with nothing more than a dip in some soy sauce. Delicious!!

My soup consisted of chicken stock, thinly sliced garlic, baby bok choy, Japanese wheat flour noodles, sesame oil, shrimp shumai, and crab shumai. Easy to make and absolutely fantastic flavor!!! I had 3 bowls before calling it quits for the night.

Seamus wrote:
My soup consisted of chicken stock, thinly sliced garlic, baby bok choy, Japanese wheat flour noodles, sesame oil, shrimp shumai, and crab shumai. Easy to make and absolutely fantastic flavor!!! I had 3 bowls before calling it quits for the night.

I bet, that sounds really good.

Believe it or not, my soup was a variation of a wonton noodle soup recipe by Emiril Lagasse. For as easy as it was to make, I couldn't believe how absolutely flavorful it was. Sometimes, simpler is better.

Circumstances brought me to Chicago this weekend (at 7 AM). That early in the morning the only thing I figured would be open was maybe a bakery. So I set my GPS for Chiu Quon Bakery on Argyle St. I loaded up on lots of things LTHers had recommended, which included sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves (remember that for later). It was a beautiful morning, still early, and very little traffic. So I set my GPS for Chinatown. The drive down lake shore drive was awesome. The sun sparkled off the water, and the early morning joggers were out. An easy drive to Chinatown for this driver, who isn't use to city traffic. In Chinatown the only places open that early were the grocery stores. After reading about Jim's growing addiction to oysters, I decided to get a few to bring home. NO IDEA what kind of oysters they were (everything was written up in Chinese). However, with sign language and lots of smiles, I got three big oysters in a bag. I had fun looking at the other "live" stock. This was the first time I had seen live frogs (big ones!) for sale. Then I happened on a big bin of soft shell crabs. At least I think they were. They sort of had blue legs...however when I banged on the shell of the crab it sounded pretty hard...and made the crab mad. But how many times do I get to Chinatown? So more sign language and the next thing I knew I had four crabs in a bag. I rummaged around and found some LTH recommended "Three Crabs" fish sauce and some black bean garlic sauce. Someday I'd like to go back with someone who knows more about what is being sold in Chinatowns grocery stores...and how I might use it in cooking! I also picked up two huge bags of fortune cookies for my son's graduation party, and a mango mini pearl smoothie (for me!). So I pretty much have the travelogue portion (in, What are you making for dinner tonight?) over. I have to say, hearing the crabs rustling around in the bag on my way home un-nerved me somewhat. I wimped out and just stuck the whole bag in my freezer when I got home. That being done, I had one option for dinner…oysters! They were big, meaty and tender. I ate them with garlic butter. Jim, old man, I just don't see a heavenly connection to them like you do, but they were good. Maybe if I had some of your pineapple salsa to go with it! OK…so for tonight I'm taking my sticky rice (also frozen) and crab out of the freezer to make for dinner. After reading up on soft shell crabs on the internet I have learned that I should have probably cleaned them before I froze them...but I wouldn't have cut their eyeballs off (part of the cleaning process) while they were still alive anyway. And, as I read it, the hard shell that is present is something you take off in the cleaning process. So tonight I'm doing a soft shell crab and sticky rice dinner. I have no idea how this is going to turn out, but then that is half the fun!

razbry wrote:Circumstances brought me to Chicago this weekend (at 7 AM).

sounds like a heck of a shopping trip.

I had some oysters in Chiantown a couple Saturdays ago that didnt wow me compared to the blue points, and gulf oysters I have been eating alot of(they tasted off).

I cant wait to hear about your crab preperation.

razbry wrote:And, as I read it, the hard shell that is present is something you take off in the cleaning process. So tonight I'm doing a soft shell crab and sticky rice dinner. I have no idea how this is going to turn out, but then that is half the fun!

Razbry,

If the shell on the crab is hard I would venture you do not have soft shell crab.

Easy to follow tutorial, Buying & Preparing Blue Crabs

Enjoy,
Gary

Waaaaahhhh....say it ain't so!

I know you all are just holding your breath to find out how my "takings" from Chinatown turned out for dinner last night. GWIV was right...I did have hard shell crabs. Let me just first say, God bless all the people out there who pick crab meat out of shells for a living. I only had four of them; it took me about 45 minutes to take out the meat. Guts, gore and shells were everywhere, and I maybe got a 1/4 c of crab meat. So not worth it, but still an experience. The sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf didn't work out so well either. The pork inside the rice had joints and gristle in them. I don't know… I just didn't like the flavor of it. The highlight of the meal was the steamed BBQ pork dumpling from Chiu Quon Bakery. I don't know how they make it, but however they do it…wow! That dumpling dough was so light and airy. Finished the meal off with fortune cookies (from my huge stash purchased last Saturday). I love those things.

(New inspiration) After reading about Ma Po Tofu, I tried some at Lao S in Downers Grove. Good GAD...that was way too hot for me. Happily my nephew was ”man” enough to scarf it down. Looking at GWiv's inspiring (and numerous) attempts at this dish, I decided that I could at least try it at home, and maybe scale down the spice level. It may sound weird, but really spicy food not only numbs my mouth (I can't taste very well after that), but it also stresses my body out. Anyway, while I'm on the subject of inspiration by Gary, Gary...have you ever shared your miso soup recipe? I mean, anyone who has tinkered with a recipe for that long must really have something great! It never hurts to ask!

last nights supper was supposed to be Sunday's supper(too dang tired after painting the house to cook on Sunday).

so last night after work I roasted a veggie stuffed whole chicken, made some mashed potatoes & gravy, and also heated up a can of baby peas.

A nice treat on a Monday night even though we didnt eat til' after 7:30.

HI razbry,

I did weigh and measure the meat and roe from blue crabs here. When you realize the shell to meat to roe ratio, you get a new appreciation for why picked blue crab is so expensive.

Regards,

That whole thread was interesting Cathy. I'm so glad that you draw out past threads so that we all can enjoy and benefit from previous discussions.

I'll be eating a combo that looks something like this almost every day for the next month and a half or so. I just love strawberries with basil or mint, a touch of aged balsamic, and some kind of fresh cheese. Here it's chevre. Next time it'll probably be buffalo mozzarella. I use a healthy dose of black pepper on the berries with chevre, but leave it off with the mozzarella.

homemade gyros on the WSM
homemade tzatziki sauce
greek salad

jimswside wrote:homemade gyros on the WSM
homemade tzatziki sauce
greek salad

That is so wierd - I made chicken kabobs (marinated chicken in lemon juice, olive oil, S&P, garlic), homemade tzatziki sauce, a greek salad and served with pita.

Must be in the air.

A simple slow grilled, kind of smoked chicken. I need some practice on my Weber yet, but it held just a little too warm at 275F. Still, entirely delicious and cooked to exactly 165F.

zoid wrote:

jimswside wrote:homemade gyros on the WSM
homemade tzatziki sauce
greek salad

That is so wierd - I made chicken kabobs (marinated chicken in lemon juice, olive oil, S&P, garlic), homemade tzatziki sauce, a greek salad and served with pita.

Must be in the air.

lol, I was looking for a "light" fresh tasting meal, and it fit the bill.

Al pastor tacos done on a rigged rotisserir type set up, high heat, on the WSM, striving for tacqueria caliente quality.

Striped bass - not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. Probably stuff with chopped onions, cilantro, and lemon juice, brush with olive oil, and broil, but ideas welcome.

Anyone have ideas for oyster mushrooms? They were on sale yesterday at Fresh Farms, so I bought some, but I don't think I've ever cooked them before. Preferably something that would go withthe aforementioned bass.

Sauteed shrimp with garlic, red peppers, sherry
Green Salad
Mozzarella with tomatoes and basil

and Rose' wine, out on the deck

last night's dinner for wife and kids
I had it for lunch today after shooting it...
with my new food Pr0n camera Canon Powershot SD4000 IS


firm tofu sliced and squeezed between a few layers of paper towels to remove whey (water?)

Mixed grated garlic and ginger mixed with soy, sesame oil and a touch of honey, a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, ground black peper and usually some scallion ( I forgot this time) marinated the tofu for a few hours then pan fried in some oil (not olive) and then chilled.

The udon was boiled then shocked in Ice water and then I used my salad spinner to dry (kind of)
then tossed with some soy+sesame oil and some black sesame seeds. chilled and then tossed with the now cubed tofu.

and the yang.....

Tonight Prime strip steak split with my wife.

9 am, about to start cooking and chopping, want to have the oven use done before 11 am

bruschetta
grilled chicken (marinated in lemon/garlic/oregano/oo)
asparagus
grilled artichokes
watermelon goat cheese salad
blackberry pie

Good ol' cheap American grain-fed cow burger on Fox & Obel's fantastic sourdough boule, with baby mustard greens and a truffle-mustard compound butter.

Kennyz wrote:Good ol' cheap American grain-fed cow burger on Fox & Obel's fantastic sourdough boule, with baby mustard greens and a truffle-mustard compound butter.

Nice, the sheen of burger juice/compound butter on the bread is calling to me.

Inspired by a salad I had at Cucina 24 in Asheville: strawberry and arugula salad with goat cheese and honeyed pecans, served with grilled tuna with salsa verde

Grabbed some plump local (Boston) anchovies which became boquerones en vinagre, some fluke devoured in the raw (with some salmon roe), and a catch-as-catch-can Portuguese Alentejana-inspired stew with littleneck clams, potatoes and radish greens (also eaten with a heaping tablespoon of roe about halfway thru ).

undercooked butter braised radishes with burnt toast, gritty pasta with arugula that I forgot to wash, sorrel ice cream with plastic shards that broke off from the container.

Cooking and plating dinner with an infant in the house is sometimes proving more difficult than I expected.

almost all from low & slow, we hosted 20-25 people and served up lesson 3, some bobak's kielbasa, some romanian kosher hot dogs/garlic hot dogs (killer), baked beans, garlic slaw, 7 pepper sauce, a salad with walnuts/blue cheese/cherry vinaigrette, guac, ginger lemonade (spiked with some leftover pineapple vodka = awesome), curried cashews, chocolate chip cookies.

For the "things my dumbass dog wants to eat" thread: someone brought a cake frosted to look like a hamburger (quite impressive, really... from a major grocery store, too). Loki licked all of the frosting off the cake, leaving the cake itself almost untouched.

I keep wanting to ask the moderators to fix the spelling of "tonight" in this thread's title. It's a fingernail on my brain's blackboard.

sort of a corn zucchini & red pepper cake plus salmon for wife and I and burger sliders for the kids

and then cooked