Dinner of the Day.

[Leo]

you never really see cheese on fish, though. maybe it's an americanized Italian dish, but lots of casual Italian restaurants here (sometime referred to as "red sauce" or "checkered tablecloth" places) will serve shrimp parm, but that's about it. and yeah, lobster thermidor at the higher end.

 

[IdleRich]

Checkered table cloth places is a description I've normally for old-fashioned French bistros in Paris... but yeah I get what you mean, it transfers quite easily.
I wonder what the reason for the separation is... maybe cos once upon time cultures were fishermen or farmers but not so often both so they either ate fish or dairy? Just a guess though.

 

[IdleRich]

I'm sure "shrimp parm" is an American thing... I get the impression (from the Goldbergs!) that it's like a trashy (but tasty) bastardised dish. Probably is a low-end version of lobster thermidor. Prawn mac and even lobster mac became a kind of semi-ironic thing in hipster pubs and stuff in London a few years back I remember before I moved away. Not sure I ever had it though.

 

[Leo]

I get the impression (from the Goldbergs!) that it's like a trashy (but tasty) bastardised dish.

absolutely, although considered a slight step up from chicken parm, which you can get over pasta or as a sandwich. the stereotype is burly construction workers getting chicken parm sandwiches for lunch, hearty and filling. when I used to eat them, I'd want to take a nap in the afternoon.

 

[Mr. Tea]

you never really see cheese on fish, though.

Except in Mr. Tea's patented sweet-n-smoky upside-down fisherman's pie!

 

[IdleRich]

Lunch a quick shakshuka type thing



Then baked some ham and lerk scones from the Violet cookbook

 

[Mr. Tea]

"Hom and lerk scyewns" sounds like a phrase the British airman might have come out with on 'Allo 'Allo.

 

[Mr. Tea]

What massive prawns though? Probably giant tiger prawns I'm guessing and you can get them in some of the more hipster fish mongers in London. It's not like they're native to France, they come from Thailand.

Sounds about right - I think they were slightly smaller than langoustines, anyway. And it was the fact they were available in regular hypermarché type shops and (I guess) probably a bit cheaper than they were in the UK.

Speaking of fishmongers, I really need to go back to the decent one near us which sells amazing-looking tuna steaks - it's something you're not meant to have while pregnant so it was off the menu for most of last year but I think it's allowed if you're breastfeeding so we should probably treat ourselves.

 

[IdleRich]

Tiger prawns and scarlet shrimp are much bigger than langoustines. A big giant tiger prawn is like a small lobster but with less faffing around to eat.

 

[Mr. Tea]

My prawn knowledge is pretty rusty, clearly.

 

[IdleRich]

In fairness they have like twenty different sizes here. Sometimes the giant tiger prawns are fucking huge... they can be like 20 euros each.

 

[IdleRich]

We gone to our friends bar for some food... feelinga little weak cos I didn't sleep last night but this has fortify me.

Squid in black ink



Battered fish cheeks in mango and chilli



Some kind of lamb thing



Duck salad



Also sides such as marioca chips and lentil parcels.... followed up with a delightful white and powdery dessert.

 

[Leo]

you know how to live, rich.

 

[Mr. Tea]

My prawn knowledge is pretty rusty, clearly.

Having done a quick bit of research, I think they may have been crevettes.

 

[IdleRich]

This shows my ignorance now cos I always thought that was just the generic word for prawn. To be honest the whole nomenclature of prawns and shrimps and crayfish and crawfish and langoustines and rock lobsters etc is as complex as wine or something but further complicated by different countries disagreeing on it.

 

[luka]

I had a stew. Horrible word maybe. Think in Shakespeare day was a word for prostitute? Stewing in the vaginal passage? Many ingredients congealing and mingling?

 

[IdleRich]

Turns out my share of that dinner is 12 euros... can't be right, I had five or six glasses of wine... I feel embarrassed

 

[IdleRich]

Oh well.

 

[Slothrop]

This shows my ignorance now cos I always thought that was just the generic word for prawn. To be honest the whole nomenclature of prawns and shrimps and crayfish and crawfish and langoustines and rock lobsters etc is as complex as wine or something but further complicated by different countries disagreeing on it.

We had squat lobster last time we were up in North West Scotland - known as "spineys" up there, but nothing to do with spiney lobster. Well worth looking out for - large prawn sort of size, a bit more fiddly to eat, but much meatier and more interesting flavour.
https://applecrosslifeblog.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/squat-lobster-fishing/

Anyway, tonight's dinner was a fairly standard potato and cabbage curry.

 

[luka]

Sloth are you going veggie? You went to a kebab shop and had chips in Pitta the other day