[Sca-cooks] That Time of Year -- Again...

Laura C. Minnick lcm at jeffnet.org
Thu Jan 19 02:13:31 PST 2012


Aww... it seems I came out for the wrong holiday!

(And make sure my progeny eats some vegetables!)

Liutgard

On 1/18/2012 11:01 PM, Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius wrote:
> Hullo, the list!
>
> I realise we have lots of new people on this list, and I haven't been 
> as active as in previous years, as I spend most of my time pretending 
> to be a serious academic.
>
> However, after discussing with the spouse the pros and cons of doing 
> the Lunar New Year as we have done in previous years, something that 
> takes about a month of planning, and a previous year that included 
> three or more really significant deaths (including one that made 
> national news, a co-worker of my wife's was killed in a ridiculously 
> preventable office-building elevator accident while the spouse waited 
> for that same elevator with her Starbucks cup in hand) we have 
> questioned the value of going all-out this year. In spite of that, and 
> after a lot of discussion, including questions on how I'm going to be 
> in class taking midterms and performing brilliantly at the same time 
> that I'm at home stir-frying shrimp with lobster sauce, we have 
> decided that shirking our cultural responsibilities is shabby.
>
> Here's our limited menu (the one we agreed we weren't going to do 
> because we're too flaming busy):
>
> Moonrise dinner, Sunday evening:
>
> -- Seaweed Egg Flower Soup in Chicken, Pork, and Shrimp Broth
> -- Fried Fish (two whole fish, whatever looks nice at the market on 
> the day)
> -- Steamed Lop Cheung Sausages (multiple of two)
> -- Steamed Chicken (whole, head and feet) With Scallion Rub and 
> Dipping Sauces
> -- Stir-fried Baby Shrimp with Ketchup
> -- Drunken Ridiculously Large Freshwater Prawns in Shell, Head On, 
> etc. Poached and Marinated in Wine Sauce
> -- Blanched Green Veg with Ginger and Shallots (probably Chinese 
> broccoli, more leafy and stemmy than its European counterpart)
> --Steamed White Rice
> --Oranges, lichees and longan
>
> The fish and the sausages are not eaten Sunday night, they're just 
> prepared and more or less displayed for the Kitchen God to indicate 
> that we Did It Properly...
>
> Steamed dumplings all day Monday, whatever I (or whoever is home, 
> should there be visitors) pull out of the freezer: Shrimp har gaw, 
> Pork and Crab Juicy Buns / Soup Dumplings, Pork, Shrimp, and Leek 
> pot-stickers
>
> New Year's Day dinner, Monday night:
>
> Any leftovers from Sunday night (since there will probably be three 
> people eating, maximum, the stuff above, this is pretty much a given; 
> the fried fish and the steamed sausages will be reheated). In addition:
>
> -- Sweet and Sour Sauce with Pickled Ginger for the aforementioned 
> fried fish
> -- Cold Five-Spice Beef with Ginger-Scallion Oil and Dried Shrimp 
> dipping sauce, as well as the Five-Spice Soy Sauce the meats were 
> cooked in, which is also the Ultimate Dumpling Sauce
> -- Soy Sauce Chicken
> -- Roast Pig (purchased from local restaurant and pre-chopped; we 
> don't need a whole pig; I ordered three pounds from the belly and loin)
> -- Shrimp With Lobster Sauce (Tiger Shrimp with Pork, Black Bean and 
> Wine Sauce with Egg Flowers)
> -- Jai (The Usual Suspects, a mix of veg with fried bean curd, dried 
> bean curd sticks, black mushrooms, cloud ear fungus, and cellophane 
> noodles)
> --Twice-Cooked Pork Belly (braised, cooled, sliced thin and stir-fried 
> until crisp, then glazed in the wok with bean paste, garlic and chiles
> -- Cold Marinated Bean Curd and Preserved Duck Eggs (chopped, served 
> rolled in lettuce leaves)
>
> We stocked up on some very nice Spanish wines (Muga 2009, among 
> others; I forget what the red was) after enjoying them a great deal at 
> the Western New Year, so we have plenty of that, plus the usual teas, 
> and I can't rule out ardent spirits both straight up and mixed... I 
> expect there will be desperate need for dry martinis, myself.
>
> Up at 6 for class. If I don't sign on again before the weekend, may 
> you all have a glorious Year of the Dragon!
>
> Adamantius
>


-- 
"It is our choices Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our 
abilities." -Albus Dumbledore ~~~Follow my Queenly perambulations at: 
http://slugcrossings.blogspot.com/


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