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Dinner Plans? (4 Viewers)

detroitdad said:
We had one pack of ground venison left. Trying my hand at Ground Venison vegetable soup with rice.

No recipes, just throwing a bunch of shit together. Its simmering now. Hope it turns out.
Click to expand...


It turned out pretty good. Added some shredded parm to it. Great meal on a 16 degree day.


20160117_174050_zpssex3qfio.jpg
 
detroitdad said:
I've thought about trying it out that way. Do you encrust it before cooking? If so, how do you not burn the sesame seeds? Still get a solid "Medium Rare" end product?

that looks amazing.
Click to expand...


I give each side of the tuna a light sprinkling of fresh cracked pepper and coarse salt first. Then on a small plate make a good layer thick layer of sesame seeds then press your steak(s) into them to get a good crust, I do the edges also. then just fry in a pan till your desired doneness, I don't think you can burn the seeds (within reasonable cooking time) they do however get toasted and develop a deeper flavor IMO. I have fried in non stick and cast iron (preferred), and used olive oil, sesame oil, and coconut oil (looks more like shortening). It has turned out phenomenal every time using vac sealed ahi tuna from Sams, we don't have access to the good stuff here with out planning it ahead for several days. I usually cook mine to a medium rare'ish, my wife needs hers medium well. the asparagus is just cooked in the pan drippings afterwards with a few more sesame seeds added along with a little SPOG.

It is easy peasy with the look of something that requires much more attention. I think my preferred method of the above would be cast iron with coconut oil......if I had to choose, but hey are all good.
 
RowdyRawhide said:
I give each side of the tuna a light sprinkling of fresh cracked pepper and coarse salt first. Then on a small plate make a good layer thick layer of sesame seeds then press your steak(s) into them to get a good crust, I do the edges also. then just fry in a pan till your desired doneness, I don't think you can burn the seeds (within reasonable cooking time) they do however get toasted and develop a deeper flavor IMO. I have fried in non stick and cast iron (preferred), and used olive oil, sesame oil, and coconut oil (looks more like shortening). It has turned out phenomenal every time using vac sealed ahi tuna from Sams, we don't have access to the good stuff here with out planning it ahead for several days. I usually cook mine to a medium rare'ish, my wife needs hers medium well. the asparagus is just cooked in the pan drippings afterwards with a few more sesame seeds added along with a little SPOG.

It is easy peasy with the look of something that requires much more attention. I think my preferred method of the above would be cast iron with coconut oil......if I had to choose, but hey are all good.
Click to expand...

Next time I cook these I'll give it a shot. Thanks.

I always use a cast iron skillet. I agree. It gives it a little bit of texture, while getting hot enough to cook it to taste. I put just a touch of oil on the two sides of the steak. Lightly fresh cracked pepper, sea salt, and lemon zest. Then I put in just a touch of oil in the skillet. Heat it up until its just starting to smoke. Cook it somewhere between rare/medium rare. Honestly, I prefer it closer to rare. If its a 1.5-2 inch steak I'll cook it for 60 seconds on each side.
 
I wish we had access to sashimi grade tuna and fresh seafood around here, I love tuna poke, and ceviche of all sorts. Speaking of anyone have a Tuna Poke or Ceviche recipe they would like to share?
 
2 and a half hours into cooking, and the house smells amazing. Like a million orange-blossoms. It's going to be a very long night, but at least it'll smell good.
 
You're nuts Zombie. Never cooked octopus before. I have to imagine it's temperamental.

Btw, love the price point of Casa de Zombie!
 
Last edited:
I'm a loving husband - not necessarily a nice one. I don't do dishes. The price point was originally going to be the number of dishes required to make the dish. Unfortunately, when one dish required 9 pots/pans/bowls etc to be cleaned, I realised that this was becoming depressing - so I reset everything to zero and leave Liz with a surprise when she walks into the kitchen the next morning.

The toughest part about Octopus is finding it here in Nashville. I have a fishmonger in Atlanta as my fallback when it isn't available here.
 
I try not to walk into the kitchen too much on my birthday. PZ did take a photo one year - every last freaking inch of counter space was covered, including with a cutting board over the sink and stuff on that too. Needless to say, I did the dishes in batches that year.
 
Mrs Poker Zombie said:
I try not to walk into the kitchen too much on my birthday. PZ did take a photo one year - every last freaking inch of counter space was covered, including with a cutting board over the sink and stuff on that too. Needless to say, I did the dishes in batches that year.
Click to expand...

She wasn't kidding...
2014 Birthday disaster copy.jpg


...and the photo doesn't show the 5' table that also had prep-work on it.

In order to do something great, you have to be willing to go all out.
 
Trial run on the pasta for the tortellini a success - plus I get to eat my experiment. Creme Catalina in the oven. I will be taking catnaps all night to keep up with the orange confit.
 
Mrs Poker Zombie said:
I try not to walk into the kitchen too much on my birthday. PZ did take a photo one year - every last freaking inch of counter space was covered, including with a cutting board over the sink and stuff on that too. Needless to say, I did the dishes in batches that year.
Click to expand...
I remember that photo from CT...disaster area!!!

^^Yep...that picture was the one!!
 
OK, it's the day after. Time to share the experience.

Started cooking at 2 pm the day before. The Orange Confit takes time, and monitoring every hour or 2 to rotate the oranges and replace water. No big deal here, just keep waking up, flip, fill and go back to bed. This actually worked out.

The next morning, I finally found octopus about 45 minutes from home. Frozen, of course, and in a bag the size of a Crown Royal bag. It had to get a constant flow of cold water to thaw it out. Since I needed the sink for other cooking/prep I put the octopus (in the plastic bag) in the shower. I really should have taken pics.

By 3 PM the day of dinner, things began cooking in earnest. Start by roasting old shrimp/crab/lobster shells that I've been saving. This will eventually become the base for many of the dishes.
2016-01-26 12.50.18.jpg


Once the shells had roasted, I added water, white wine, Gin, and Bay leaf, and a mirepoix to make a broth that would be used as water for everything else. The stock was crazy good. Too bad there was none left by the end of the night.
2016-01-26 13.23.21.jpg


Next I mixed up goat cheese, thyme and home-grown basil. Also rolled out a batch of pasta. Making pasta is fun, but when it goes sideways, shit becomes tough. Adding to the difficulty is this pasta origami called tortellini. They came out... well.... ugly. Luckily, they will be hidden in the soup, so I have that going for me.
2016-01-26 12.56.37.jpg

2016-01-26 15.31.20.jpg


By this point I realise I'm losing my mind. Because I don't have any recipes, I cannot remember what I bought and where it goes. So I start sorting stuff out.

For the soup (tortellinis go in at the end):
2016-01-26 17.34.12.jpg

The small black packet to the left is squid ink. It doesn't go in this dish, it goes in the smoked onion puree - but by this point things were in full out-of -control mode.

For a white bean puree that will be part of an amuse bouche (a small app made from extra ingredients).
2016-01-26 16.48.05.jpg


For the Swordfish Livornese - which is Swordfish finished with a tomato/olive/garlic sauce. It's not swordfish liver, like I initially thought.
2016-01-26 17.02.42.jpg


This is how you know you are completely out-of control. We have a 4 eye-stove, I had 6 things cooking on it at the same time. Plus a grill outside. Plus the oven.
2016-01-26 18.30.00.jpg


I try my best to avoid disaster, but things spiral quickly. I stopped photo-documenting the drama in case someone came into the kitchen asking me a food question. The photos would have been used as evidence against me.

Instead I'll summarize the final dishes.
Amuse Bouche - Applewood smoked shrimp on a cannellini-bean puree
2016-01-26 18.51.47.jpg


Minestrone di Tortellini. Made with smoked turkey stock and the seafood stock, celery, carrots, cannellini beans, Zucchini, kale, and goat cheese tortellini. Topped with Parmesan Reggiano.
2016-01-26 19.06.03.jpg


Charred Octopus, orange confit, red sea beans, and a smoked onion squid-ink puree:
2016-01-26 19.29.47.jpg


Swordfish Livornese:
2016-01-26 19.51.57.jpg


Also, (not shown because I forgot to take the pic) Creme Catalina - a creme brulee with a hint of lemon and cinnamon.

I did not photograph the end disaster this time, but it involved 11 pots/pans, 18 bowls, 6 glasses, 8 plates, 2 cutting boards, 5 knives, and various cooking utensils.

364 days to recover and get ready for @Mrs Poker Zombie 's Birthday next year.
 

Attachments

  • 2016-01-26 16.37.17.jpg
    2016-01-26 16.37.17.jpg
    123.8 KB · Views: 100
My little octopus friend didn't get his pic in the above story, but I thought you might like to see him while his arms were still attached.
2016-01-26 19.01.46.jpg
 
Poker Zombie said:
OK, it's the day after. Time to share the experience.

Started cooking at 2 pm the day before. The Orange Confit takes time, and monitoring every hour or 2 to rotate the oranges and replace water. No big deal here, just keep waking up, flip, fill and go back to bed. This actually worked out.

The next morning, I finally found octopus about 45 minutes from home. Frozen, of course, and in a bag the size of a Crown Royal bag. It had to get a constant flow of cold water to thaw it out. Since I needed the sink for other cooking/prep I put the octopus (in the plastic bag) in the shower. I really should have taken pics.

By 3 PM the day of dinner, things began cooking in earnest. Start by roasting old shrimp/crab/lobster shells that I've been saving. This will eventually become the base for many of the dishes.
View attachment 28901

Once the shells had roasted, I added water, white wine, Gin, and Bay leaf, and a mirepoix to make a broth that would be used as water for everything else. The stock was crazy good. Too bad there was none left by the end of the night.
View attachment 28905

Next I mixed up goat cheese, thyme and home-grown basil. Also rolled out a batch of pasta. Making pasta is fun, but when it goes sideways, shit becomes tough. Adding to the difficulty is this pasta origami called tortellini. They came out... well.... ugly. Luckily, they will be hidden in the soup, so I have that going for me.
View attachment 28902
View attachment 28903

By this point I realise I'm losing my mind. Because I don't have any recipes, I cannot remember what I bought and where it goes. So I start sorting stuff out.

For the soup (tortellinis go in at the end):
View attachment 28908
The small black packet to the left is squid ink. It doesn't go in this dish, it goes in the smoked onion puree - but by this point things were in full out-of -control mode.

For a white bean puree that will be part of an amuse bouche (a small app made from extra ingredients).
View attachment 28906

For the Swordfish Livornese - which is Swordfish finished with a tomato/olive/garlic sauce. It's not swordfish liver, like I initially thought.
View attachment 28907

This is how you know you are completely out-of control. We have a 4 eye-stove, I had 6 things cooking on it at the same time. Plus a grill outside. Plus the oven.
View attachment 28910

I try my best to avoid disaster, but things spiral quickly. I stopped photo-documenting the drama in case someone came into the kitchen asking me a food question. The photos would have been used as evidence against me.

Instead I'll summarize the final dishes.
Amuse Bouche - Applewood smoked shrimp on a cannellini-bean puree
View attachment 28912

Minestrone di Tortellini. Made with smoked turkey stock and the seafood stock, celery, carrots, cannellini beans, Zucchini, kale, and goat cheese tortellini. Topped with Parmesan Reggiano.
View attachment 28913

Charred Octopus, orange confit, red sea beans, and a smoked onion squid-ink puree:
View attachment 28914

Swordfish Livornese:
View attachment 28915

Also, (not shown because I forgot to take the pic) Creme Catalina - a creme brulee with a hint of lemon and cinnamon.

I did not photograph the end disaster this time, but it involved 11 pots/pans, 18 bowls, 6 glasses, 8 plates, 2 cutting boards, 5 knives, and various cooking utensils.

364 days to recover and get ready for @Mrs Poker Zombie 's Birthday next year.
Click to expand...


When are you hosting a meat up? WOW.............Every few years I drive through TEN on the way to my dads house......just sayin.........
 

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