Dong quai steamed chicken is one of those dishes that I had in Chengdu and reconstructed from the memory of the taste. You steam the chicken for hours until the meat is falling off the bones. I remember that it had ginger and Chinese broad beans and was finished off with pea top. Pea tops are the tender leaves at the ends of the pea plant.
Karl’s Chinese Steamed Ginger Chicken
Fish tacos have become a weekday meal at our house. If I do not have a lot of time, they can be simply topped with some cilantro, guacamole, and diced onion. If I have more time, I will make pickled red cabbage and a salsa to go with the fish.
Karl’s Corn Salsa
Filed under California Fusion, Fish, Sauces and Spices, Seafood
Jan decided that she wanted a traditional Labor Day barbecue with sausages and “plain” hamburgers. Sunday, just as I was forming the patties, she passed along the information that the kids wanted “doctored” hamburgers. It was time to get creative—this was a no recipe, what do I have on hand at the last minute idea.
Karl’s Barbecued Chili Burgers
(close up)
Filed under Barbeque, Beef, Main Dishes
Jan received some green beans and cherry tomatoes from the SJSU Environmental Studies garden [correction]. There were not enough green beans or tomatoes to make a separate dish. I started to think of ways I could add them to a main dish. I finally decided to use them in a seafood noodle casserole.
It’s Not a Tuna Casserole!
It’s not! It’s not! It’s not!
Filed under Casserole, Fish, Main Dishes, Pasta, Seafood
Miriam and Chris went to Dishdash and had mansaf, lamb in aged yogurt. They asked me to replicate this dish for Sunday dinner. This is originally a Bedouin dish that is claimed by the Jordanians as a national dish. One site even claimed that mansaf is what Abraham served the angels.
Karl’s Deconstructed Bedouin Mansaf
(lamb in aged yogurt sauce)
Filed under Barbeque, Lamb, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices
Jan’s new job is very stressful. When she is stressed, she wants comfort food. For her this is soup, today it is turkey. The “wild” in this title is the wild rice, not the alcoholic beverage—although if you feel cheated, it would not hurt the dish to add it when you add the leeks and carrots.
Karl’s Wild Turkey Barley Soup
Filed under California Fusion, Main Dishes, Poultry, Turkey
Eilene trimmed our grape plant—it was starting to overrun the fig tree. I looked at all of these fresh grape leaves and thought dolmas! I have made them with bottled preserved leaves, but I am sure they are even better with fresh leaves. When you say “dolma” you have only said “stuffed thing.” What is stuffed and what you stuff it with can cover a world of possibilities.
Karl’s Greek Dolmas
Filed under California Fusion, Lamb, Main Dishes, Rice, Steaming, Vegan, Vegetarian
The kids are not coming over this Sunday and Jan wants to go to a movie. Instead of my usual feast I will be making a late Sunday lunch. I finally settled on gumbo, a Louisiana signature dish.
Karl’s Creole Gumbo
Filed under Fish, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices, Seafood, Shrimp
Adapted from Frugal Feeding
My girl’s are all over the place today. Mom is going over to Miriam’s after work, to swim and de-stress. Eilene is up in San Francisco with a friend. They will be hungry when they finally get home, but there is no telling when that might be.
Karl’s Saffron Chicken and Leek
Corn(ish) Pasties
Filed under California Fusion, Chicken, Main Dishes, Poultry, Vegetables
Jan has a hankering for chili. She pointed out that I have not made it in a long time—looking at my posts, not since February of last year. For Jan, chili means “chili with beans.”
Karl’s Chili California con Carne
Filed under Beef, California Fusion, Main Dishes, Vegetables
karllueck
Miriam
Jabberwocky Stew 