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What are you EATING right now?


JBLoudG20

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Took Debbie out for a belated birthday dinner. Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba in Chicago for tapas and paella. Started with a Pintxos platter - chorizo wrapped date & cheese, bacon wrapped shrimp, goat cheese croqueta with lemon gastrique, short rib stuffed paquillo pepper, deviled egg with mustard and bacon and a roasted beet crostini with herbed goat cheese and hazelnuts.

 

Then on to the regular small plates. Rioja-braised short rib, manchego mashed potatoes and squash. That was followed by seared octopus with padron peppers. Next was shrimp with garlic, olive oil and red pepper flakes. Last was spicy potatoes with a tomato alioli.

 

Then came a seafood paella - shrimp, bay scallops, monkfish and green beans.

 

Helping to wash this down was both a peach and raspberry sangria.

 

All of the small plates were delicious, but the paella was bland with mushy rice. Debbie and I agreed that the last paella we made at home was better. So there some good and some blah. Regardless, we had a good time.

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Al, did you grind the meat yourself? I'm thinking of grinding sirloin, chuck and bacon together but I don't have a meat grinder. So I was thinking of trying it in the food processor. Has anyone else tried this? I guess the key is to pulse and have the meat partially frozen beforehand. I wonder if I should partially cook the bacon before grinding.

Edited by shellylh
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Seems to be pretty common - not quite as easy as a traditional meat grinder though.  

 

I have no real use for a KitchenAid mixer (besides grinding meat) and don't really have the room for it in my house.  I am thinking of getting a Weston or LEM electric mixer which seem to be cheaper (if one doesn't get the professional versions) and *smaller* than a mixer + grinder attachment.   Perhaps I should wait and ask for it for Christmas since I can never think of anything I want then.  

Edited by shellylh
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You could always go this route Shelly - think of it as exercise. We have my mom's old hand cranked meat grinder.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002L84GJU/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1378066268&sr=8-2&pi=SL75

 

I thought about this but don't know if it is such a great idea with my shoulder troubles.  

 

I'll try the food processor for now.  Actually, I may end up wimping out and getting ground chuck and sirloin from the store this time and mixing in some bacon since we'll be feeding 12 people.  

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