What You Should Have Eaten #54

 Veal Scallopine with Dijon Sauce, Asparagus, and Avocados

So, let’s start off this newly budget conscious feature with a veal recipe. Veal’s cheap, right? What’s that, it’s not? Damn.

So, yeah, I didn’t use veal. I talked with one of the meat guys at Kroger and he suggested breakfast pork loin cuts. I also went cheap on the dry white wine. I picked up a bottle of Flip Flop Left Coast Riesling for $4.99. It was very average. Not crappy, not spectacular, just run-of-the-mill.

There’s not much to be said for the recipe itself. It’s extremely simple. I did, however, have a small problem with the pork chops staying seasoned and floured, so they pretty much just ended up plain, but the sauce fixed that.

I don’t know how this would have tasted with veal, but it was damn good with the pork. Hell, the kids even ate it. I didn’t give them any of the sauce, because I knew they’d turn their noses up at it, but they pretty much ate everything else.

What You Should Have Eaten #34

Baby and Big Bella Mushroom and Chicken Stew

No cocktail tonight. Since I’m cooking with wine, I’m drinking it, too. Tonight’s bottle is a Rosemount Estates Riesling. The recipe calls for a dry white wine. I had two bottles of white in my fridge, and both were sweet. It’s been a while since I’ve had a Riesling, but I remember liking what I’ve had. I decided to use this bottle instead of the slightly more expensive Sauvignon Blanc because I figured I’d like the other one more. Why waste a better wine in a pot of stew? Of course, it’s a 2005 bottle, so we’ll see how drinkable it is.

Well, it doesn’t smell like vinegar, but it looks a bit TOO yellow. When my drink looks like pee, that’s when I pause a bit before eventually trying  it. Well, it doesn’t taste bad at all. Doesn’t taste like anything great, but it’s not bad. Very smooth with a very pleasant but undetermined aftertaste.

I don’t know what red bliss potatoes are. I grabbed the only red potatoes that Kroger Marketplace had. I’m sure they’ll be fine.

Warning, melancholia coming up. Whenever I cook mushrooms, I always think of my ex-wife. She loved herself some sautéed mushrooms. Whenever a recipe called for mushrooms, I would always buy some extra and sauté them in brandy and butter. She loved ‘em…or at least she said she did. Yeah, she loved ‘em.

This is a pretty easy recipe to make. Most of the time involved in making it is the preparing of all the ingredients. Chopping and slicing and such. It’s amazing how good this smells while it’s cooking.

I knew going into this meal that the kids wouldn’t touch it, so they got something different. Hot dogs, oranges and celery with peanut butter.

I, however, LOVED the stew, and I’m planning on enjoying it for lunch just about every day this week. It wasn’t thick like I expect a stew to be, but it was loaded with veggies and chicken, so I guess that’s why it’s called stew instead of soup. Whatever, it was still incredibly tasty.