Alyonka Russian Cuisine, Boise

23 Thursday May 2024

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Alyonka Russian Cuisine, Appetizers, Apple, Cabbage, Cakes, Caviar, Classic Cuisines, Dinner at Alyonka Russian Cuisine, Ethnic Foods, Food - Russian, Photos By: Bob Young, Potatoes, Restaurants To Try, Russian Food, What's For Dinner?

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borscht, honey cake, pelmeni, Russian, Russian cuisine, shuba

If you ar e in the Boise or plan to visit Boise, I highly recommend you go to Alyonka Russian Cuisine for a delightful and delicious meal. It is well worth the trip, time and experience and that is why I rate it a 5-Star restaurant. Their website and other information can be found at https://alyonkarussiancuisine.com/. Robin and I went there the other day, we have been there before, and the following photos are what we had for lunch. I do hope you enjoy these photos.

Let’s start with an **Apfelwein Hard Cider.** This one is really good. Sweet. Not sour or sharp.

Shuba. Layered salad – smoked salmon, potatoes, carrots, beets, with mayo touch

Borscht. Traditional Russian soup made of beets and garden
vegetables served with sour cream and toast

**Pelmeni.** Handmade Russian style dumplings with seasoned ground beef filling, served with sour cream

Trying Some New Meals

21 Wednesday Jun 2023

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Apple, Baking, Baking Sourdough, Bread, Captain's Shack, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Eggs Benedict, French Foods, Housemade Gravy, Housemade Sauces, King Arthur Flour, Mushrooms, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Recipe - Sourdough, Recipe By: Captain's Shack, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?

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beef, pork, salisbury steak, Sourdough, sourdough bread

Been trying some4 different recipes, most of which are Use What You Have In The Kitchen. You end up with some interesting combinations and meals.

For instance, I really hate to throw away the sourdough starter. Seems a waste to me both in time and ingredients. S I came across this recipe for http://www.rockinrs.com/Sourdough-Blueberry-Muffins.pdf – Sourdough Blueberry Muffins, that are really good and easy7 to make. Not particularly easy, but fun and delicious. Give it a whirl and see what you think, I haven’t tried, but why not change the fruit, strawberries, apricots or blackber4ies, for instance?

And if you have made some sourdough bread, why not make Sourdough French Toast? This was really deliciously different.

19June2023_1_Captains Shack_Pork Tenderloin

And here is a very basic Salisbury Steak dinner with Pan Gravy made with Apple Brandy and Caramelized Vidalia Onion and Button Mushrooms. Corn On the Cob and Steamed Asparagus on the side. Then add a slice of homemade Sourdough Bread.That sauce with the apple brandy was fantastic!

21June2023_1_Captains Shack_Pork Tenderloin

And this one, a Pork Loin Chop in a Brandy-Apple-Pear-Herb Sauce with Corn On the Cob. It was delicious! Apples and pork with fresh pears is an awesome combination. Just be sure to caramelize the apple and pear The pears should break down to act as a thickener. slices with some brown sugar in the unsalted butter.

And as an endnote, the sourdough recipe that I have been using I named Anna’s Sourdough and it comes from my Granddaughter In-Law, Anna Shaner. You can find her recipe at http://www.rockinrs,com/Annas-Sourdough.pdf

Chopped In The Kitchen

11 Friday Mar 2022

Posted by Bob and Robin in Apple, Apricots, Buy Local, Cabbage, Classic Sauces, Dinner At Marnies, Dinner For Robin, Eggs, Eggs Benedict, Food Photos, Food Prep, Grilled Pork, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Grains, Idaho Pork, Idaho Potatoes, Krusteaz, Lark and Larder, Latkes, Local Markets, Main Dish, Malheur River Meats, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork Belly, pork chops, Potatoes, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes - Sauces, Sauces, What's For Dinner?

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cabbage, caramelized apple, fried potatoes, Hollandaise Sauce, pork belly, potatoes, recipes, strawberry, waffles

So you have some “stuff” still in the refrigerator that you don’t quite know what to do with. Don’t throw it out, unless, of course, it’s green and fuzzy. It’s not exactly Réchauffé – a dish of warmed-up leftovers, but more like Utiliser les restes – using leftovers. We have strawberries that need to be used, so we make Strawberry Waffles. And there is some Pork Belly, “… pork belly is uncured meat (while) bacon is a cured meat…(it is) the boneless cut that remains after the loin and spareribs are removed.” (pork.org) Just in case you wanted to know. So why not make an Idaho Benedict or a sautéed cabbage and apple to go with a Malheur River Meals ( https://malheurrivermeats.com ) pork chop? (Or you can get their products at the Boise Farmers Market or at Lark and Larder in Boise Good idea! So let’s take a look. Bon appetit!

Strawberry Waffles are so delicious. I have made waffles from scratch but here I used Krusteaz, because I had some that needed to be used. Just altered it slightly with strawberry jam and 1 egg in the batter. Then when I cooked it, I put sliced strawberries in the batter plus more sliced strawberries on top of the waffle before serving. A dusting of powdered sugar, too. You can use other fruits, also, like blueberries.

Malheur River Meats Pork Chop with Braised Apple and Cabbage

This was a yum dinner. A Smoked Bone-In Pork Chop with Braised Apple and Cabbage. Caramelized the apple first in butter and brown sugar over med-high heat and watched it carefully so as not to burn the apple. Just golden brown. Then added some chopped cabbage and caraway and sautéed it all together. There were no left-overs from this dinner!

This was so differently good! If you like Eggs Benedict, try this version. Instead of a toasted English muffin, I used a potato pancake, of sorts. More like a latke than a pancake. I had the “cake” keep its shape and form by using an egg ring. Worked well. Cooking was a challenge to keep it from burning. Med high heat and used the rendered pork belly fat – some of it – to cook the potato in. Turned it over carefully when I noticed some browning on the edges. It really came out fine and was cooked all the way through. Then for serving, placed potato on plate, then one strip of thick cut pork belly broken in half, poached egg and finally Hollandaise Sauce. ( CIA Basic Hollandaise Sauce )

So there you have it. Another fun week in the kitchen!

Cream of Asparagus and Leek Soup and Bobotie

29 Thursday Apr 2021

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Apple, Apricots, Asparagus, Bacon, Basmati rice, Beef, Bobotie, Captain's Shack, Cast Iron, Chutney, Eggs, Falls Brand Bacon, Food - African, Food Photos, Fruit, Garlic, Lamb, Photos By: Bob Young, South African, What's For Dinner?

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apricots, Bobotie, lamb, recipes, South African, yellow rice

Cream of Asparagus and Leek Soup

We came across this awesome asparagus and since we have a contact to pick some – 75 pounds worth – and after some were canned, we made this awesome soup. Changed it slightly, I added some bacon for another layer of flavor and it was super. Not hard to do. Great with the fresh asparagus you are picking. Here is the recipe. Try it and see what you think, http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Asparagus-Soup.pdf

Bobotie – A South African dish

Then we tried this South African dish, Bobotie. We like it with lamb, even though the recipe calls for beef. And we change the chutney to apricot jam and julienned dried apricots. We also made our yellow rice with turmeric. The rice: For this Basmati rice, which we browned in butter before we added water, and then brought it to a boil, reduced the heat to a slow simmer and covered it. Took about 15 minutes to cook it. Here is the recipe. Enjoy! http://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Bobotie.pdf

From Wikipedia, “Today, bobotie is much more likely to be made with beef of lamb, although pork can be used. Early recipes incorporated ginger, marjoram and lemon rind (zest); the introduction of curry powder has simplified the recipe but the basic concept remains the same. Some recipes also call for chopped onions and almonds to be added to the mixture. Traditionally, bobotie incorporates dried fruit like raisins or sultanas (yellow raisins). It is often garnished with bay leaves, walnuts, chutney and bananas. Although not particularly spicy, the dish incorporates a variety of flavours that can add complexity. For example, the dried fruit (usually apricots and raisins/sultanas) contrasts the curry flavouring. The texture of the dish is also complex, the baked egg mixture topping complementing the milk-soaked bread which adds moisture to the dish. Bobotie is usually served with “yellow rice”, which is rice cooked with turmeric.“

Aebleskiver. What?

16 Thursday Jan 2020

Posted by Bob and Robin in Aebleskiver, Apple, Banana, Blueberries, Boise Foodie Guild, Brunch, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Ethnic Foods, Food - Danish, Food - Make Your Own Meals, Food Photos, Fruits, History of Food, Idaho Polenta Floriani, Idaho Polenta Roys Calais, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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Aebleskiver, idaho polenta, Make Your Own, polenta

OK. What is an Aebleskiver?

Aebleskivers are a type of pancake cooked in a special stove-top pan with half-spherical molds. The center is soft and fluffy, almost creamy. The crust is crisp and browned. In Denmark, aebleskivers are traditionally plated in threes, dusted with powdered sugar, topped or filled with tart jams of Nordic berries and served with mellow Scandinavian coffee. There, aebleskivers ( may be pronounced as “eb-el-ski-ver” , “a-bla-ski-va”, “eb-el-sku-wyr” , “ebb-ull-skee-vers” or “able-skEEvers”) have typically not been served in restaurants or for breakfast, but rather at the family table for afternoon coffee breaks. On long and cold Nordic winter evenings, they are served with glögg. In the wintertime, aebleskivers are often sold by street vendors. A symbol of community and hospitality, they are very popular at Scandinavian charity and open-air events.
There are many recipes for the batter, but they generally fall into two categories: those made with baking soda (or baking powder) as a leavening agent, or those made with yeast. The batters vary in texture and flavor — and yeasted batters take a bit more patience to prepare and will expand more in the pan — and which you prefer is a matter of personal taste … Here’s a little of Aebleskiver history:…. During that time of the Vikings, when they roamed the coastal waters of England and the Atlantic, one band of these rough Vikings was hard hit in battle. As they returned to their ship with dented horn helmets and shields, they made pancakes to regain their strength. They didn’t have proper cookware so they greased their dented shields and poured the batter on them over a fire. The first aebleskivers were born. (So they say:)…) [http://www.aebleskivers.com/history.html]

Cast Iron Aebleskiver Pan and Turners

Aebleskivers in Coeur D’Alene, ID describe these treats as Danish meaning apple slices. These are traditional Danish pancakes in a distinctive shape of a sphere. Maybe a cross between a Beignet and a Funnel Cake, without all the grease! So maybe all of this will convince you to try these sweet treats. If so, here is the recipe we use. Enjoy! CS Danish Aebleskiver.

Here is our first try. Homemade Huckleberry and Raspberry Jams. Scrambled eggs, too.

And if you want some great polenta recipes – Idaho grows awesome polenta – look here: 17 Polenta Recipes.

Buffalo Roast for Friends and Dinner

11 Monday Jun 2018

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop, Apple, Boise Farmers Market, Brown's Buffalo Ranch, Buffalo, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Dessert, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Friends, Eggs Benedict, Garlic Scapes, Herbs and Spices, Hollandaise Sauce, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Buffalo, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Vegetables, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Peaceful Belly Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Pinot Noir, Purple Sage Farms, Recipes, Roasted Vegetables, Rutabaga, Salads, Special Dinners, Spring Vegies, True Roots Produce, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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Brown's Buffalo Ranch, buffalo hump roast

This was such a delightful meal to make for friends Krista and Jess – Krista helps weed the flower beds. And she even gave us a beautiful White Daisy plant for the front bed. – A couple of weeks ago, we made breakfast for Donna who also helps us in the garden. The breakfast was Eggs Benedict! – The buffalo was local from Brown’s Buffalo Ranch in Nyssa, Oregon. Phone: 1-(541)-372-5588 or 208-741-5449, 720 Stephens Blvd., Nyssa, OR 97913. Hump roasts can be tough. But this one cooked for 6 hours on low in the crockpot 1/2 cup bone stock and 1 cup sherry and it was awesome! Spring vegetables – baby carrots, baby turnips, spring onions and rutabaga – were placed in the broth at different times. Here are some photos. Enjoy!

Eggs Benedict

Fresh Beet Salad

Buffalo Hump Roast and Fresh Garden Vegetables. Served with Acme Bakeshop Garlic Scapes and Rosemary Bread.

Skillet Apple Pie with Cinnamon Fresh Whipped Cream (Recipe – Skillet Apple Pie)

The dinner

Wonderful 5-Hour Roasted Duck

13 Tuesday Dec 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5 Hour Duck, Apple, Beets, Captain's Shack, Dessert, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Family, Duck, Food Photos, Heirloom Beets, Heirloom Carrots, Heirloom Onions, heirloom vegetables, Idaho Vegetables, Idaho Wine, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Onion, Petit Verdot, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Prep Work, Raspberries, Recipe By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Captain's Shack, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Sauces, Roasted Vegetables, Snake River AVA, Special Dinners, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners, Wines - Idaho

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5 hour roasted duck, duck, duck sauce, Petit Verdot

Love to make this and it really is so easy. 5 Hour Roasted Duck and add to that some Roasted Root Vegetables and 5 Hour Roasted Duck Sauce, also really good with ham, and you will have a superb and wonderful dinner. A good 2013 Indian Creek Petit Verdot goes extremely well with it.

Several people have asked how to make the duck. Basically – season with Celtic sea salt and fresh ground Tellicherry Black Pepper, stuff with sweet apple and pear, prick the skin all over and cook in a 300°F oven and turn every hour for 5 hours. Last hour raise temperature to 350°F. Do not cover throughout the cooking process.

First of all, the moon must be full. If not, the recipe may not work.

Duck has been salt and peppered and stuffed with Braeburn Apple and Bosch Pear. Oven is preheated to 300°F

After each hour, turn the duck and prick the skin. This is after 1 hour. Pricking the skin at each turn, keeps the duck fat basting the duck.

At 3 hours, things happen. Starting to brown nicely.

Root vegetables are large cut and put into the bottom of the baking pan. This roasts the vegetables and keeps the duck off of the pan surface. The vegetables here are heirloom carrot, heirloom beet, local onion, parsnips and turnips.

Make stock from the vegetable pieces and the duck neck and parts. Simmer low and slow!

Lay the duck directly onto the vegetables and return to the 300°F oven. Cook for another hour.

At 4 hours last turn. It is smelling yummy now.

At 5 hours, remove from the oven and let cool, somewhat.

Yummy slices.

Here is the Cranberry/Cherry sauce for the duck.

Oh yes. Dessert – Pound Cake with Fresh Raspberries and Fresh Whipped Cream.

Thanksgiving 2016

25 Friday Nov 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Apple, Bacon, Baking, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Celebrations, Comfort Food, Corn, Dessert, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Family, Dried Corn, Food Photos, Green Salad, Heirloom Carrots, Heirloom Onions, Heirloom Parsnips, Holiday Gatherings, Holiday Menu, Idaho Vegetables, Idaho Wine, Local Farmers Markets, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Snake River AVA, What's For Dinner?, Wines - Idaho

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Dried Corn, heirloom vegetables, Spatchcock, wilted lettuce

And a great day it was! Dinner finished almost on time. Marnie, Chris and Anna joined us. The turkey tuned out fantastic – the first time I have done a spatchcock turkey and it was awesome. Veggies roasted great. Turkey was moist, tender and delicious. I took several pictures on my phone – 3 – of the dinner plated, Marnie and Robin and Chris and Anna, but they never appeared on my phone. They’re out in La-La land somewhere. Here, though, are some photos of preparing the dinner and maybe I’ll make a photo of the plated dinner – at least close to it. Cheers – This was really fun to do!

Getting the Bacon Wrapped Dates ready. Stuffed with Chopped Almond.

Dates ready for the oven.

Mushroom Stuffed Puff Pastry.

Finished product.

Turkey has been spatchcocked (backbone removed) and sitting on heirloom root vegetables – carrot, parsnips and onion – to keep the turkey off the bottom of the pan.

Cooking in the oven at 400 degrees F. This after 1 hour. One more hour to go for a 14 lbs turkey.

Plated

Spatchcock Turkey
Robin’s Cranberry Sauce
Dried Corn
Wilted Lettuce Salad
Roasted Heirloom Vegetables
Stuffing Cups
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy throughout
2006 and a 2008 Indian Creek Winery (ID) Pinot Noir

Skillet Apple Pie

These wines were available for dinner. We only had the oldest one on the left.

These wines were available for dinner. We only had the oldest two on the left. Super paring and wines.

In order to do a dinner like this, one needs to make a “schedule of events”. Thursday, I also made a schedule like this hour-by-hour.

Shrimp Scampi Pizza and Wildflour Bakery

23 Tuesday Feb 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in 4-Stars, Apple, Bistro, Bistro - Wildflour Bakery, Boise Adventures, Boise Restaurants, Coffee, Cookies, Idaho's Bounty, Interesting Information, Local Markets, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Seafood, Seafood, What's For Dinner?

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Pizza, shrimp pizza, Wildflour Bakery

Shrimp! Plenty of shrimp! 2 pounds of 25 count on a 12″ pizza! No tomato or Alfredo. Just shrimp and mozzarella! Make your own crust or use, as we did, a Boboli crust. In less than an hour, you are eating some really good pizza. That is, if you like shrimp! And then for a further treat, shred some iceberg lettuce and add pineapple chunks, with juice, and shredded fresh basil leaves and you have a wonderful salad to add to your dinner. Here is the recipe., Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi Pizza

Source: adapted from Sal Yonta’s Shrimp Scampi Pizza
Total Time: 50 min Prep: 35 min Cook: 15 min Yield: 10 slices Level: Easy

Ingredients:
20 oz Pizza Dough or 1 Boboli Thin Crust pizza shell
2 1/4 lbs Shrimp, peeled and deveined. 1/2 lbs reserved whole
1 t Old Bay Seasoning, or to taste
3 T Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
3 T minced Garlic (about 8 cloves)
6 oz Button Mushrooms, quartered
1/2 c dry White Wine
1 stick unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1/4 c Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lbs shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
2. Stretch the pizza dough to make a 16-inch pizza. Place on a pizza screen and set aside. Or use a 12″ Boboli crust.
3. In a food processor, add the shrimp, along with the Old By Seasoning, and coarsely chop. In a medium skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil until very hot. Add the shrimp and garlic, sauté for 4 minutes, until shrimp turns lightly pink. Add the mushrooms.
4. Add the wine and stir. Reduce by 1/2. Add the butter and heat until melted. Then add in the breadcrumbs. Remove from the heat and season the shrimp with salt and pepper.
5. Spread half of the mozzarella over the pizza crust, then spoon the shrimp mixture over the cheese. Top with the remaining cheese. Top with 1/2 pound of whole shrimp. Bake until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before cutting.

Shrimp in skillet getting cooked

Cheese on pizza dough waiting for the shrimp

Shrimp being placed on the dough

Shrimp on pizza and assembled. Ready for the oven.

Pizza is hot! Let cool before cutting.

Shrimp Pizza and Green Salad with Pineapple and Basil Dressing

After all this delicious shrimp pizza, how about some goodies from Wildflour Bakery? They have only been open a very short time – maybe 2 months – but their products deserve the 4-Stars. We will probably return. It’s close to us!

Westside of 42nd Street

Interior. There are places to sit and have a cup or two of coffee and some wonderful douighnuts.

Interior. There are places to sit and have a cup or two of coffee and some wonderful doughnuts.

Thumbprint Cookie, Jelly Rolls and a wonderful Apple Doughnut.

A Thankful and Traditional Thanksgiving!

27 Friday Nov 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Apple, Boise Farmers Market, Classic Cuisines, Comfort Food, Dessert, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Family, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Photos By: Robin Young, Recipes, Recipes - Dessert, Turkey, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Zhou Zhou Winery

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cranberry, pecan pie recipe, stuffing, traditional dinners, turkey

Yes it was! A very good Thanksgiving with family. (Sorry you had to work, Chris. There’s a platter waiting for you.) Mac, Marnie, Sophia, Robin, Buddy and me. That made a good group. Mac may have a new Holiday Dinner job – The “Making of the Rolls“. They were super! The stuffing did not turn out so good. (Pictured here to the left) I think next time I will leave it in the turkey. It dried out too much. Crunchy. Difficult to eat. The turkey, though, was delicious and there is some leftover. Yea!! Dried corn was off, for some reason. Even with those drawbacks, we had a good time. Here are some photos. Enjoy! To see any of these photos enlarged, Left-Click the picture.