Dinner--or Dessert--Tonight

[secundem_artem]

During my first trip to Australia, our hosts took us to a restaurant that served kangaroo and emu.  I've eaten 'roo on several occasions since  - roughly like beef but much leaner, not particularly gamey.  I have no recollection of what the emu tasted like.

But I would also point out that a kangaroo and an emu are prominent on the official Australian coat of arms.  So it's kinda like going to an American restaurant and being served bald eagle or a Canadian café and finding beaver on the menu.

The Aussies most certainly have a puckish sense of humor/humour.

[ab_grp]

I have had alligator sausage, but I don't think it tasted a whole lot different.  I also had some reindeer in Finland that was delicious.  I guess it's not a great time of year to mention that (sorry, Santa).

Daughter has most of the week off, so on Monday she made us some garlic and potato soup she found on TikTok.  It was pretty good and made a fair amount of leftovers.  She is currently making a vegan pad Thai recipe so she can learn about working with (baked) tofu.  I could get used to this!

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I'm planning to make lentil soup tonight, from scratch, so that I can use up (at least some of) this leftover ham.

[ab_grp]

We made some braised short ribs with mashed root vegetables last night, based on Alfred Portale's oxtails recipe (from his easier cookbook, not the Gotham cookbook).  It took some work, but now we have good dinners for two more nights as well. 

[Morden]

I'm planning to make lentil soup tonight, from scratch, so that I can use up (at least some of) this leftover ham.

That's what we did last night! Very comforting.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I'm planning to make lentil soup tonight, from scratch, so that I can use up (at least some of) this leftover ham.

That's what we did last night! Very comforting.

Yep! I finished the rest of it for lunch today. So good!

[Stockmann]

For Xmas, we had (this was very much and all-hands-on-deck team effort):

-Pecan cream soup with clove and nutmeg
-Tomato, avocado and onion salad with balsamic vinaigrette (olive oil, a dash of avocado oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt)
-Penne with tomato, garlic and brandy sauce
-Roast plum pork
-Roast duck injected with orange liquor, and basted with its own juices and orange juice
-Apples and chestnuts fried with butter and brandy
-Baked apples with sugar and cinnamon

Over the past few days I've done a lot of cooking with leftovers.

[mamselle]

Wow, you could combine those last two items with some bread crumbs and have a dressing/stuffing to go with either the duck or the pork....just simmer the meat in its own juices, add a bit of water and a pre-mixed tiny bit of thickening (i.e., cold milk or water and flour or corn starch, 《selon votre gout》), and heat to bubbling as a pour-over.

Or maybe you've already done that....

;--》

M.

[FishProf]

But I would also point out that a kangaroo and an emu are prominent on the official Australian coat of arms.  So it's kinda like going to an American restaurant and being served bald eagle or a Canadian café and finding beaver on the menu.

Cue Stan Freeberg

[ab_grp]

Stockmann, oh my gosh! What a feast!! So many delicious items on your menu!

[Harlow2]

I had chestnut soup once but did not know of precancerous soup. What a dinner you made!

[mamselle]

I had chestnut soup once but did not know of precancerous soup. What a dinner you made!

Auto-corrupt rules again!

M.

[Stockmann]

I used the duck bones to make a stock for mushroom soup, the duck drippings for frying potatoes and for frying mushrooms for rice, and the pork drippings for a kind of gravy for mashed potatoes. For NYE, we had:

-Cucumber and herb salad (wife made it)
-Spaghetti with capers and homemade tomato sauce (me)
-Spicy roast pork (Dad)
-Beans (Dad)
-Apple strudel (Mom)

Wow, you could combine those last two items with some bread crumbs and have a dressing/stuffing to go with either the duck or the pork....just simmer the meat in its own juices, add a bit of water and a pre-mixed tiny bit of thickening (i.e., cold milk or water and flour or corn starch, 《selon votre gout》), and heat to bubbling as a pour-over.

Or maybe you've already done that....

;--》

M.

The chestnuts and apples were supposed to be for the stuffing, but I ran out of time and didn't use any stuffing and served them as sides, so you're kind of spot on.

Stockmann, oh my gosh! What a feast!! So many delicious items on your menu!

Thanks!

I had chestnut soup once but did not know of precancerous soup. What a dinner you made!

Thanks! We have a lot of leftover chestnuts, so that's a good idea, making chestnut soup.

[ab_grp]

Stockmann, everything sounds great.  It seems as though you repurpose components in creative and delicious ways, too. 

We have had some good meals the past week.  I got my husband a cookbook from a local author near his roots, and he got some red chile pods and made a yummy red pork chile sauce that we have had in several different meals.  His friends are now interested in the cookbook as well.

Last night we decided to make a lamb ragu/ragout.  It took quite a while (mostly simmering), and that was difficult because it smelled so good that we just wanted to eat it right away.  But we held off, and it was quite delicious.  We had it with the cascatelli pasta and some Locatelli cheese.  But we will have leftovers for days, so that's definitely an extra win.

[apl68]

After the temperatures blipped up higher over the weekend, they have come back down to seasonable levels.  So I plan this evening to bring out some of that chili that I froze from the big batch I made last week.  I like a thick chili.  This batch doesn't even need crackers!