Dîner chez moi 07-13 February 2015

We've been sick for a while. Hubby started first, then, yes me (typical cycle). The cold we got is not serious (knock on wood!). It's just general fatigue and lots of sneezing and blocked nose. Luckily, we both are on the mend. The appetite is there, albeit sometimes drastically reduced. Tonight I have the energy and the desire to work in the kitchen. So here we go, our weekly menu:

Saturday: Grilled sirloin steak with caper mustard sauce, roasted potato wedges, Cape Cod chopped salad. Dessert: Salted caramel chocolate mousse

Sunday: Spanish meatballs and pasta, blanched green beans.

Monday: Mustard roasted fish, mushroom and pea pilaf

Tuesday: Ham and potato casserole, chopped salad.

Wednesday: Grilled salmon and lentils (yes, I am having a Ina Garten kick this week)

Thursday: Spanish meatballs and pilaf

Friday: Wildcard

Dîner chez moi 18-24 May

Saturday - Crispy chicken and roasted cherry tomatoes, Three cheese and potato pie

Sunday - Burger patties, Mac and cheese, steamed broccoli

Monday - Stuffed tomatoes and grilled fish

Tuesday - Sausage and mushroom filled pasta

Wednesday - Chicken Adobo, steamed rice, garlic sauteed greens

Thursday - Sausage and mushroom filled pasta

Dîner chez moi 11-17 May

Saturday - Grilled steak pizza with golden onion slices, mushrooms and red bell pepper, Caramel apple tart

Sunday - Smoked salmon open sandwich, radish and tomato salad

Monday - Roast trout with caper tomato sauce, pan grilled flattened baby potatoes

Tuesday - Turkey kebab, rice and beans

Wednesday - Pancetta and tomato pasta

Thursday - Turkey kebab, rice and beans

Dîner chez moi -27 April to 3 May

Saturday - Korean spicy pork stir-fry, brocolli florets with garlic, brown basmati pilaf

Sunday - Chicken stew with bell peppers and artichokes, buttered macaroni

Monday - Pancetta and pea pasta

Tuesday - Coconut and mustard prawn curry, Dal Makhani, brown basmati rice

Wednesday - Grilled haddock, spinach and brown basmati gratin

Thursday - Chicken stew with bell peppers and artichokes, buttered macaroni

Friday - wild card

Dîner chez moi -13-19 April

Yes, my friend, we appear to have gone just a little bit stars-and-stripes this week with our menu.

Saturday - Red onion burger on sesame buns, oven baked potato wedges, chopped salad of coriander, red cos lettuce and radishes

Sunday - Maxican pulled pork (Carnitas) sandwiches, carrot salad with Dijon shallot dressing

Monday - Seeded fish fingers, chopped salad with coriander, cucumber, tomatoes and red onion dices

Tuesday - Quiche Lorraine

Wednesday - Linguine alle vongole bianco

Thursday - Mexican pulled pork sandwiches (if there is anything left from Sunday!)

Dîner chez moi -16-22 March

Saturday - Shallot and mushroom quiche, fresh leafy salad

Sunday - Pasta all'amatriciana, grilled courgette slices

Monday - Grilled salmon, chickpea and lemon casserole, ratatouille

Tuesday - Pasta all'amatriciana, grilled courgette slices

Wednesday - Cod in basque style sauce, steamed basmati rice

Thursday - Shallot and mushroom quiche, fresh tomato salad

Dîner chez moi - 2-8 March

Saturday - Porchetta, potato boulangere, green beans and mushrooms with caramelized shallots

Sunday - Porchetta sandwich, garlic, basil and caper dressing, mixed salad leaves

Monday - Baked white fish, basmati rice, green beans braised in kinpira sauce

Tuesday - Chinese salted chicken roast, stir-fry Chinese cabbage with fresh shitaki mushroom

Wednesday - Salmon with caper and red pepper, buttered pasta

Thursday - Chinese salted chicken roast, Chinse cabbage, steamed rice

Dîner chez moi - 23 February - 1 March

Saturday - Murgh Mahkani/butter chicken, mustard seed spinach, basmati rice

Sunday - David Libovitz's Shakshuka, crusty baguettes

Monday - Baked cod filet, basmati rice with peas and caramelized onion

Tuesday - Pasta Amatriciana, blanched green beans

Wednesday - Smoked salmon quiche

Thursday - Murgh Mahkani, basmati rice

Dîner chez moi - 16-22 February

Saturday: broth baked potatoes, pan fried cauliflowers, grilled pork and leek sausages

Sunday: Saffron risotto, grilled sausages

Monday: Lemon rice, tender broccoli sprouts, baked plaice

Tuesday: Potatoes Boulangère, grilled pork cutlet

Wednesday: Leek and salmon pasta

Thursday: Vegetable pilaf, grilled pork cutlet

Dîner chez moi - 19-25 January

Saturday - Rosemary garlic potato gratin, grilled sausage, garlic chilli broccoli

Sunday - Grilled five-spiced pork cutlet, mixed-veggie stew, steamed rice

Monday - Bell pepper risotto, plaice with caper garlic white wine sauce

Tuesday - Mostly veggie turkey chilli, steamed rice

Wednesday - Cod in tomato sherry sauce, steamed rice

Thursday - Garlic chilli linguine with grilled pork, steamed broccoli

Dîner chez moi - 12-18 January

First, belated happy new year to you. Being back home for almost a week, work has caught up with me. It's nice to feel that my professional opinions are valued and sought. I have to say that I feel quite pleased with how my work has gone for the last few years. I hope the trend continues in the coming year.

My small English kitchen also starts for real this Saturday. Now both of us are back from holidays and work travel (Yes, already!).  My small goal for our 2013 dinning table is to have more vegetable-based main courses and leave meat/protein as a side. I love vegetables but I think it takes a lot more creativity (and planning) to make vegetables the star of the table (not to mention to please a carnivore). It is a challenge I love to take and it is also a way to venture out my cooking comfort zone.

I am not aiming to become meat-less (I love my steak too much) but I want to see whether I (or we) could live by "Mostly veggies" motto. What about you, do you have any food resolution this year?

Saturday - Spinach and ricotta cannelloni, grilled sausages, garlic buttered bread

Sunday - Vegetarian cottage pie, buttered green beans, cold ham slices

Monday - Baked cod with light crust, roasted ratatouille, steamed rice

Tuesday - Broccoli risotto, grilled smokey sausages

Wednesday - same as Saturday

Thursday - same as Sunday

Friday - wild card

Dîner chez moi - 8-14 December

Saturday - Flash grilled flat iron steak, prawn mac and cheese, blanched green beans

Sunday - Spinach and feta filo tart, grilled chicken legs

Monday - Pan-fried salmon, braised puy lentils

Tuesday - Chicken in soy and chestnut sauce, steamed rice

Wednesday - Tuna, caper and chili taglioni

Thursday - Spinach and feta filo tart, grilled prawns in rosemary and garlic.

Friday - Wildcard

Dîner chez moi - 17-23 November

After being looked after for several months, it's time to cook more routinely again. Hence the return of weekly menu.

Saturday - Beef tagliata with roasted potatoes

Sunday - Courgette quiche

Monday - Indian spiced salmon with steamed rice

Tuesday - Garlic prawns, tagliatelle in tomato butter sauce

Wednesday - Win-win combo: Tonkastu with champ (If you are an Asian who understands English, you may realize why this is a win-win combination)*

Thursday - Courgette quiche

Friday - wild card

*Just like champ is sometimes short for "champion", katsu happens to mean "win" in Japanese as well. That's my win-win combo. :-)

Dîner chez moi - 12-18 May

Saturday: Basque styled fish gratin, Persian jewelled rice, cucumber, coriander and tomato salad (this is another salad I keep coming back. the combined flavour is so much more than just adding the individual ingredients alone. you have to like coriander though, which is the case in the house hold).

Sunday: Pork ribs slow-cooked in barbecue sauce, cucumber, coriander and tomato salad, crusty bread

Monday: Sardine pasta with capers, chilli and tomato (I don't seem to get tired of this dish, such a tasty and quick pasta)

Tuesday: Basque chicken, Persian jewelled rice.

Wednesday: Caramelised onion and pea pasta, deli ham slices.

Thursday: Same as Tuesday

Friday: wild card

Dîner chez moi - 5-11 May

Saturday: Red mullet in tomato and porcini sauce, crusty baguette, raspberry clafoutis

  A typical Ligurian dish, I was told, has both sea and mountain flavors in one dish, just like its geographical location, Liguria.

Sunday: a day in London

Monday: Roasted pork ribs with home-made barbecue sauce, steamed green beans

Tuesday: Mushroom and shallot quiche with bacon bits

Wednesday: Broccoli pasta, Serrano ham slices

  I first discovered this dish by watching an Italian police TV series, Commisario Moltalbano. Then I turned to my Italian cookbook which says this way of mixing broccoli and pasta can be found all over southern Italy. There are basically two versions, with or without anchovies. I opted for the simplest version, with just a hearty amount of chopped garlic, a customisable pinch of chili flakes and half a onion. My version is very similar to Rachel's from rachel eats, one of my recent favorite finds.

Thursday: Same as Tuesday

Friday: wild card

Dîner chez moi - 21-27 April

Saturday - Roasted duck leg confit with cheesy potato nests, green beans and shitaki mushroom stir-fried with shallots and vinegar

Sunday - Neapolitan ragu with tagliatelle, blanched cauliflower shoots

Monday - Baked plaice in light bread crumb crust, steamed rice, mixed vegetables

Tuesday - Sardine pasta

Wednesday - Thai Yellow curry rice

Thursday - Same as Sunday

Friday - wide card

Dîner chez moi - 14-20 April

Saturday - Asparagus with bacon bits, walnuts and lemon, potato and bell pepper hash

Sunday - Easy chicken curry, steamed basmati rice, mixed-vegetable sauteed with panch phoron

Monday - Cheesy tomato and potato bake, crusty bread

Tuesday - Baked cod in seeded crust, steamed rice and vegetables stir-fried in garlic

Wednesday - Tomato pasta bake, black ham slices

Thursday - Same as Sunday

Friday - wild card

Dîner chez moi - 17-23 December

How should one eat before the official holiday feast begins in a week's time? Hard one, I don't want to be de-sensitised for the ultimate treat week but at the same time I would feel deprived if I just eat like a rabbit. Here is what I come up and I hope that would please everyone.

Saturday: Vodka tomato cream tagliatelle, baked lemon sole and blanched green beans (sautéed in browned butter).

Sunday: Spanish chicken with chorizo and potatoes. I really enjoy cooking from this book by Nigella Lawson. The recipes are very practical, sufficiently easy and always turn out delicious for me. This is one of the few books where I have tried almost 10 dishes (I've had it for a year) and keeps me coming back for more ideas every time.

Monday: Prawn curry, steamed rice and spiced spinach.

Tuesday: Quesadilla with Spanish chicken with chorizo (as suggested by Nigella to finish up the Sunday dish). No leftover from Sunday. The dish did not disappoint me. Pasta tonight!

Wednesday: Prawn curry and rice.

Thursday: Lemon sole with crushed potatoes. Steamed vegetables.

Friday: Pan-fried balsamic pear salad with Serrano ham with crusty bread. Can I pull it off for the carnivore in the house? Watch this space!

Dîner chez moi - 26 November to 2 December

I notice that I cook more often during colder days. A form of self warming (or healing) process, perhaps? Anyhow, I want to share with you what I plan for tonight and the next few days.

Saturday: Chorizo and cream pasta, sauteed mixed veggies, cardamom rice pudding with spiced plums

Sunday: Corn chowder and grilled cheese/ham sandwich

Monday: Pork and chicken satay, coconut rice and beans

Tuesday: Smoked salmon, buttered baguette slices, chopped salad

Wednesday: Paella

Thursday: Corn chowder and grilled cheese/ham sandwich

Friday: wild card

Dîner chez moi - 25 June -01 July

I am in the salad mode recently. Perhaps because the weather is getting warmer or because all veggies look just so lusciously tempting begging to be eaten. Or I just am addicted to blue cheese dressing. Who knows?! Last week we had carrot salad twice and crudités for one night, instead of my usually blanched veggies dressed in garlic and olive oil. All were happily accepted by the carnivore hubby which is my measure of veggie success.

With 20+ centigrade forecasted for the next few days, looks like we get to enjoy our salad for a few more days. Here is what I have planned for next week:

Saturday: Roasted Chicken and chorizo, Tabbouleh (couscous salad)

Sunday: Jerked pork, Zucchini salad with harissa, olives and feta

Monday: Grilled sole, couscous, ginger pickled radishes and chopped tomato/cucumber salad

Tuesday: Tagliatelle with bacon and mushroom sauce, blanched green beans

Wendesday: same as Saturday

Thursday: same as Sunday

Friday: wild card day