What's for Dinner?

[Kitarra]

Mmmmm Mushrooms!

 

[Morganey]

I have been known to make a seed-cake or two.

 

[Bagofcats]

This is fine cooking and dining weekend, apparently. With the same supects as the last one, but this time at our favourite restaurant (chef/owner and the sommelier are friends and neighbours) - Lyran in Malmö in case you happen to be in town, although booking is a must as it's small and they're always full. And comparatively unexpensive too

Anyway, a seven course/dishes dinner, each paired to a wine chosen for flavour synergy coming from the not so usual regions/names - it's an adventure
















I use to keep a little bit of each of the wines served, so I can revisit them at the end and compare, just for kicks

 

[Bagofcats]

A selection of experiments from the last couple of days

Gnocchi Parisienne (gnocchi sautéed in clarified butter with garlic and parsley) - it's been a discovery, a favourite


pickled tomatoes - this is @Kitarra 's recipe and it's amazing with a wow tacked at the end (garlic and parsley, which is a combination I prefer to garlic and dill, not a fan of dill)


stuffed zucchini, an old classic from my childhood, and somehow I never had done it myself before - turned out quite nicely even in the hands of a noobie

 

[Kitarra]

Those zucchini look good! What did you put in them?

 

[Morganey]

Looks like cheese and some sort of pork product. Which sounds intriguing.

 

[Bagofcats]

stuffing made with veal (though a classic is de-sausaged sausage), olives, parmesan, red peppers, bechamel, shallots, garlic and the core of the zucchini. I haven't got the hang yet, I should have added bread crumbs and egg to get a drier stuffing, zucchinis have a lot of water

 

[Kitarra]

Sounds delicious. You can salt the zucchini and then drain it out and blot it.

 

[Bagofcats]

Oh, I do that - it's the core that I should've dried a bit further. Next version Mk II

 

[Bagofcats]

My favourite fishmonger's in town, Fiskehoddorna. I managed to get there just as the last one was closing for the day. My lunch was hot-smoked lemon-marinated salmon, smoked pepper mackerel, and Danish sourdough rye from my favourite bakery, Söderberg & Sara. The beer is a very decent 3.5 vol%, the only one drinkable on the standard supermarket shelves, and with typical Swedish name, Sir Taste-A-Lot (Swedes are absolutely bonkers about Monty Python. Still.):

 

[Kitarra]

FiSHIES!!!!!!! Some of the tuna I got last weekend is going to be smoked. I have never smoked tuna before. I will let you know how it turned out.

 

[Bagofcats]

FiSHIES!!!!!!! Some of the tuna I got last weekend is going to be smoked. I have never smoked tuna before. I will let you know how it turned out.

piccies of the tuna hanging in the smoker? before & after

 

[Kitarra]

I shall see what I can do!

 

[Bagofcats]

visiting friends this evening, I had some very nice burger and apple cobbler:

 

[Bagofcats]

Estofado & fettuccine, yesterday for Election's Eve. The estofado had been simmering for 2 hours in white whine and its own juice, meat melts in your mouth. Well, no, it melted in my mouth. But you get the point

 

[Bagofcats]

Helping a mate with his 'puter, staying for dinner (and wine and whisky)

 

[Bagofcats]

I've been remiss for a while. Here's a lemon-stuffed chicken, and some saucisson sec, casatica and levain bread (this last one made do as supper yesterday). The beer, you've met before in earlier posts.

 

[Bagofcats]

OK, so strictly speaking they're not cookies - and strictly speaking this is not dinner. But let's not be so strict, and call them dinner cookies, yes? Petit-choux (or profiteroles, or bombas) with caramel cream (or dulce de leche)

 

[Bagofcats]

my favourite place for foccacia stopped doing it, because their customers are not buying it and they're having to throw most of it away.... it's an upscale neighborhood, very vulnerable to trends... they did tell me if I call them the day before, they'll bake a small one in the morning, so there's that

anyways, I had to have one today, so I made The Lazy Cat's Focaccia, a.k.a. bruschetta: good bread, bruise a crushed garlic clove against the slice, olive oil, spring onions, tomato and mozarella:

 

[Bagofcats]

Today at the brewery: Caliban, a wheat and oats pale ale, really, really nice, my new favvo - and the first of the Xmas beers: Holiday Porter, coffee and cardamom flavoured. I rather go for a stout than a porter, stouts are more full bodied, but this one is quite nice, and the coffee and cardamom are not overwhelming