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Watermelon seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, then grilled. Topped with goat cheese, mint, basil, and balsamic glaze. Served still warm with the goat cheese melting.
Fascinating.
I'd never have imagined such a co-mingling of flavors, but I can practically taste it. It tastes good. I absolutely adore a well-aged balsamic (the kind that drips like honey) on sweet / tart things.
Originally Posted by 2slow
One pot pasta
Very interesting. Did you drain excess water, or somehow add *just* enough at the beginning?
I've tried salted watermelon. Granted nothing as fancy as what shooter posted, but in the same general spirit as that dish. Wanted to vomit. Dunno, maybe all the cheese/glaze/etc totally changes things.
Very interesting. Did you drain excess water, or somehow add *just* enough at the beginning?
You add just enough at the beginning, but if you need to add some more - it's not a huge deal. You want it to just cover the pasta. Ingridinet layout in the picture for done for the picture. You want pasta on the bottom and rest can be on the top initially as you want to make sure pasta doesn't stay dry on top as it will get soggy slowly and will stick.
While it all sounds very simple, there are a few items to keep in mind
- don't put too much pasta (in the picture there is a whole 450g pack, which is too much. You want anywhere from half to 2/3 depending on desired sauce/pasta ratio.
- use regular spaghetti, don't use linguine or capellini
- stir, stir, stir throughout the process
- add favorite cheese (grate it) at the end of cooking, but before serving
On the subject of watermelon:
When I was a kid, you could go to a local produce store and buy pickled/fermented watermelon from a barrel. There would be about a dozen of them in brine. You pick one, get it put it in plastic bag and take home. Strangest way to eat it that I've ever tried. I can't even describe the taste, but the closest I can is this: it's a watermelon that kind of tastes like a barrel pickled cucumber, but then is still a watermelon. The texture can be a bit off-putting as it becomes really soft and mushy if pickled for a wile.
I've tried salted watermelon. Granted nothing as fancy as what shooter posted, but in the same general spirit as that dish. Wanted to vomit. Dunno, maybe all the cheese/glaze/etc totally changes things.
oh I'd eat that watermelon salad like that. im just saying: salt + watermelon = bad.
Last night, went off in a different direction. Rig ship for maximum tabbouleh.
I'm so very happy to have the new, larger food processor. Parsley is tedious as hell to work with if you're doing it by hand, and tabbouleh requires a lot of it. Two batches and done, including all of the mint and the scallions.
Add four diced roma tomatoes, one diced English cucumber (I quartered it lengthwise, then used the mandoline plate in the Cuisinart), 1/2 tbs minced garlic garlic, 1/4 cup lemon juice, a dash of salt and pepper, and some olive oil. Mix with bulgur (3/4 cup medium-grind, tossed into 1.5 cup boiling water and a few shots of lemon juice and olive oil, and left to soak off-heat for an hour) and viola!
This was a night-before prep for lunch the following day. Plate with some mixed olives and a nice chunk of Sirene cheese from Bulgaria. I didn't even know this was a thing until I tried some at the market a few days ago. It combines the best attributes of Feta and Chèvre. Funkier and more tart than Feta, but firmer and more crumbly than most soft goat cheeses. Good stuff.
I also discovered a secret: Sprinkle a little cinnamon onto the tabbouleh. Seriously good.
I'm still trying to find a store around here which sells Mizithra. I miss that cheese...
I guess it's been a while. We have these quite a bit and never tire of them.
1 lb Brussels sprouts, quartered & peeled
Olive oil
Balsamic glaze
Honey
Pickled red onions (I kick mine up just a bit with some Sriracha)
Sea salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
Roast at 450° for 30 minutes (I have a convection oven so your time /temp may differ. If normal oven try 500°)
Quarter and peel the outer layers of leaves (hint, if you like more crunch pull more of the leaves away so they toast), add 4-5oz of pickled red onion and toss with olive oil to just coat (don't soak). Season with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Put in heated oven and stir a few times during the roasting to get a 'crunch' on the lower leaves.
When the final 5 minutes, drizzle balsamic glaze and honey over the sprouts and toss to coat. Put back in to roast another 5 minutes or to suit your taste (I like mine toasted).
I've had some amazing toasted brussels sprouts. The best, I think, was at a sidewalk cafe in Asheville, NC, where they were mixed with a bit of pork belly. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant... My memory is that it was towards the edge of town...
You're making me wanna replicate your recipe here.
EDIT: Lexington Avenue Brewery, aka The LAB. 39 N Lexington Ave, Asheville, NC 28801. I don't see them on the menu at present, but regardless, this spot merits visiting if you find yourself in the area.
I've had some amazing toasted brussels sprouts. The best, I think, was at a sidewalk cafe in Asheville, NC, where they were mixed with a bit of pork belly. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant... My memory is that it was towards the edge of town...
You're making me wanna replicate your recipe here.
Similar experience.
Order Brussel Sprouts as a side to a great roasted 1/2 chicken. Very simple, garlic/onions/bacon/slight drizzle of Balsamic. Just amazing something so simple can be so good.
Now that I think about it, these were astonishingly good, too:
Same concept, from a place called Lillie's Q here in Chicago, which turned out to be a fantastic BBQ joint in general. (I know- Chicago BBQ? Easily rivaled anything I've had in TX / TN / GA.) Y8s and I were discussing Tri-Tip earlier, and I couldn't remember the name of the place here in Chicago that does it well. This is that place.
Forgot to take pictures, we went tried a new to us place last night for dinner over in Nichols Hills (richest suburb in the state). It was the most modern, filled with upper-middle class/upper class, milquetoast white people "pub" I've ever been in.
However, the bacon-wrapped meatloaf stuff with blue cheese with a side of andouille and bacon mac and cheese was insanely good.
Better half had their "Republic Burger," Gruyere, arugula, caramlized onion bacon jam, fried egg, pretzel bun, with the vermont cheddar beer cheese soup.
And they had Dogfish head 90 minute IPA on tap. Pretty outstanding dinner.
07-26-2018, 07:28 AM
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