Dinner tonight - or last night.

Marco, love tell me about your carne asada.

No, not ground beef.

Tonight I will be cooking "something" (not quite sure what, yet) with some black-eyed peas I soaked & cooked last night ... plus some silverbeet/Swiss chard (just checked the garden), plus some pumpkin (just checked the fridge), maybe some tomatoes ..... & possibly potatoes .... Who knows?
And any herbs/spices/flavourings which come to mind.
I have a few hours up my sleave to think about it .

I use a very think beef steak, pound it flat, chop it into small pieces, marinate it in taco seasoning for about four hours, brown it in a little olive oil. It’s so fast and easy to make and a very inexpensive dinner. Morgan and Antonio love them.

I also use the corn tortilla and heat them in a little olive oil in a skillet.

pork spare ribs, baked tater, and spinach / arugula mix sauteed with broth and butter...

still in recovery from lunch when I ended up with 2 servings of foie gras, as I'd ordered one (part of an appetizer) for my meal, then discovered no one else was willing to try the foie gras that was served with the cheese and charcuterie board

Chicken Parmagiana Schnitzell with warm vegetables and potatoes, followed by Macadamian Nut Ice Cream.

I have a pork roast in the oven, also making red beans and rice for tonights dinner.

Bought some small top blade (chuck) beef cuts - not a large amount. Will braise them slowly; thinking of using japanese hot curry disk in the braise, or maybe disks in the plural. Will toss in carrots and potatoes at some point.

Trying to make Breadtopia (Eric's) rye bread again - messed it up last time since my starter was about dead as a door nail. This time using packaged yeast. So far so good, this time.

Beth, I would have shared that foie gras..

Marco's pork roast came out wonderful and I'm stuffed, I'd cook something tomorrow but I think we have plenty of leftovers

gimme a rundown on your red beans and rice. I kill for a good version. If you give me the recipe and its good. Sometime, someday, you may need a favor and I will be there to make men fear you (said with cotton in my mouth like Don Corleone)

My braise is lying in wait to braise some more tomorrow, but the rye bread came out almost but not quite great.

Tastes fantastic, lordie. Crust too crusty. But that's not the worst thing in the bread world. Maybe next time I'll get it right. Under the crust, perfect.

quinoa with a touch of brown sugar and honey. topped with some coconut milk.

dried apricots for dessert.

I woulda shared the foie gras with you too. I was so surprised to get both servings.

PA Dutch chicken pot pie. Its a thick chicken gravy with big flat noodles and taters , chicken, onion dices . Its thick and flavorful. Its comfort food season.
Tomorrow its chicken scapiarello

Bertranou's L'Ermitage wasn't my first french restaurant - it just felt like it. After all, I'd been to some place on Beverly Drive where we in our work group all got french onion soup.. (I have a history of really great work groups).

Anyway, L'Ermitage and the dishes I ever got to try there, including foie gras, circle in my mind - we might have been there twice or maybe three times as years went by, for one of our birthdays. Always an arm and a leg, but I'm not so sure as much so as now , now all that much worse from, gag, Lawry's - speaking cost wise. This was in the late seventies (I think). Wish I'd had the brains to ask for a copy of the menu.

The braise is coming to fulfillment. Gahhhhh, the mix of the japanese curry disc and a later dollup of cheap cabernet and water have come to an ideal realization over the beef, with sauteed onions, garlic, carrots, potato slices., most of those added late. Took a while, but the gravy is to die for. The meat, perfect.

I've messed up braises in the past, so this one is great.

How about this recipe, farmerman?

1 lb dried or 6 - 15oz. cans of Red Beans
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 bell pepper, diced
3 stalks celery diced
3 cloves garlic diced
1 tbs. dried parsley
1/4 cup green onions chopped
1 - 2"X2" piece of Salt Meat or a few ham hocks
2 links of your favorite smoked sausage
1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce
Pinch of Thyme
Pinch of sugar
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Creole seasoning
Salt and black pepper to taste


Wash the dried beans well and pick beans for bad ones and rocks. (If you're using the canned beans skip all of this) Soak beans in cold water until plump (softened). Drain water, and in a pot cover beans 1/2" over the top with water and cook at a slow rolling boil for an hour. Add water as you need to keep the beans covered. Do the following as soon as you get the beans on.

In another pan, sauté, on a med-low fire, the onions and salt meat or ham hocks until light browning occurs on the edges of the onions. Add bell pepper, green onions, garlic and celery and cook another 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and continue to cook until the sauce slightly scorches (not burns). Stir often.

Turn the fire off under the beans and drain them. Refill the pot with the beans and fresh water to cover and put them back to boil.

If you're using the canned beans open them and put them in the pot.

Add all the sautéed ingredients to the beans, deglaze the pan you sautéed the veggies and meat in and add that to the bean pot. Now add all the seasonings except the salt and parsley.

Slice the sausage in bite sized pieces and add to the beans.

Add seasonings except salt and continue to cook on a med-low fire until beans are tender, don't let them dry out; add water as needed and stir occasionally (they will burn).

When the shells of the beans just start to split they're done. Take a spoon and mash some of the beans a few times on the side of the pot, this will make them a little creamy. Add salt, allow to dissolve a few minutes and start tasting. Add other seasoning to taste.

Serve on hot rice

That sounds like a good red beans recipe. I would add the andoille in there to give that smoky sausage hint. I think that this must be on the docket for sometime this week or next.

I get home tonight I'll post me re beans recipe for you, puerto rican style!