As you might remember, I try to plan my weekly menu so I don’t have to worry about what’s for dinner at 4:40 every day.  Some weeks the plan materializes easily, based on my cravings, and some weeks it is more challenging.  This past week I need a little inspiration so I got out a cookbook or two and started to browse around the internet.

Somehow, I found myself in the Recipes for Health section of the New York Times.  They have a list of healthy ingredients that you can click and find a list of recipes that feature that ingredient. I am having a small crush on chickpeas lately so there I clicked, and what I found was Puree of Chickpea Soup.  This sounded like a perfect mid-week, winter dinner, something I could start ahead and have ready when Adelaide returned from modern dance class tired and hungry.  I paired it with a loaf of crusty no-knead bread (thank you Jim Lahey!!) and some kale with garlic and roasted peppers.

Of course, with all new culinary adventures, we hold off on our praise until it passes the dinner/diner test.  This one, happily a keeper!  Smooth and warm with hints of cumin and coriander.  The drizzle of oil and spritz of lemon finish it off beautifully!

My only wish is that I had made a double batch!

2012 is going to be a year for us to really look at what we eat and who we are supporting with our food dollar.  I made a quick budget the other day and realized just how much of our monthly income we eat, a little less than 25%.  I think that might be a bit high on average, I’d be curious to hear, but I live in NYC where prices are high for everything.

One of the things that I know boost our monthly food budget is reasonably raised meat.  Last week I brought home a chicken that cost me $30.54.  I will admit, I stood at the meat counter a good, long time, deciding on whether or not I was going to put that bird into my cart.  At last, I hefted the fatty into my cart, it was a 5 pounder,  and headed to check out.  I am very happy I did.

My $30 chicken fed us for three meals.  Michael butchered it for me, roasting the carcass for stock for that night’s soup.  The leg/thigh portion were saved for chicken cacciatore later that week with the breasts frozen for the next.  Three dinners for 3 for $30!

This is what the breasts turned into.  Although we only had two, they were whoppers and easily fed the three of us!

Roasted Chicken Breast with Grainy Mustard Sauce.

Preheat oven to 400〫

salt and pepper two generous chicken breast halves on the bone (being on the bone helps keep everything moist and adds flavor to the meat)

Heat a saute pan with one table-spoon olive oil and one of butter.  When the butter is done foaming put your chicken breasts in with the skin down.  Throw in two or three springs of rosemary and let brown, not moving the chicken until it is time to flip.

When the edges of the skin start to look brown, flip the chicken and put in the oven.  I have a great electric meat thermometer that I put into the meat, not touching the bone and leave in since the reader part sits on top of my stove.  I recommend these to everyone so you don’t have to guess if your chicken is done and have bad results at the table.

When the chicken has reached 163〫take it out of the oven and transfer to a platter to rest, tented with foil.  Skim any fat from your drippings and place the pan over a med high heat.  Glug in 1/2 glass white wine, two tbs whole grain mustard and let reduce by half.  Pour in 1/2 cup heavy cream and continue to boil until sauce thickens up to the consistency you like.  Adjust the salt and pepper.

Slice the chicken against the grain and smother with sauce or serve sauce on the side.  Our chicken was accompanied by roasted potatoes,  sautéed kale with white beans and garlic and the rest of that white wine I used for the sauce!

The dinner was delicious and I can feel rest assured that the bird had a good life.

I will admit that I did fall off the wagon a little, I went on a small vacation from my weekly meal planning and shopping.  Adelaide and I found ourselves out and around town and knew the cupboard was relatively empty at home and so ate out more than I care to admit.  I even left cash for the babysitter to order in Chinese once, the ultimate in laziness!!   Now as the farmers market is gorging with beautiful produce and we are turning our eyes back to the reality of back to school I have reigned in my wild horses and put my apron back on.

This week I am enjoying having a big jar of cream of broccoli soup in the fridge.  This is a favorite recipe from my beloved Moosewood Cookbook, the original, published by Mollie Katzen in 1977.  My grandmother gave it to me a decade later with the inscription “to Gretchen from Gram, don’t cook yourself to death”.  The Cream of Broccoli soup page is the most wrinkled followed closely by the Moosewood Brownie page, but that is for another day.

This soup is delicious hot or cold but I think I prefer it cold, the flavor seems to sit on your tongue longer for some reason when it’s cold, or maybe I just hold it in my mouth longer!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

4 T butter

1½ c onion, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 t salt

1 bell pepper, diced

4 c broccoli, chopped

2½ c veggie stock or water

2 c milk

½ c heavy or sour cream

¼ t allspice

pepper

Dash of thyme or basil (optional, to taste)

1 c broccoli florets, sliced and steamed (optional)

1/2 c buttermilk whisked in right before serving

Directions Melt butter in the Dutch oven, then sauté onion and bay leaf with salt over medium heat until onion is clear, about 5-7 minutes.

Add bell pepper, broccoli, and stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, and continue cooking for 10 minutes, until broccoli is tender, but still bright green.

Discard the bay leaf and purée the soup in batches with the milk.

Stir in the heavy or sour cream and spices, adjust salt and pepper to taste, top with optional florets, and serve.

My mother sent me this soup in bell quart jars when I was in college and I would keep it in my little fridge.  When I was feeling peckish I would get it out and take a swig.  I think I grossed out one or two of my friends but maybe now they will read this and remember and make it for themselves because it is SUPER DELISH!!

I have found that chilled soups are good to have around in these hot summer months for quick snacks. Full of calcium, vitamins A and C, a glass of this chilled soup is just enough to get you through that afternoon trip to the swings!

While planning ahead is an aide in cooking at home, I think another good trick is to space out more time consuming recipes over the course of a few days.  I tried this this week with my sweet onion and peppers chicken with ricotta gnocchi.  The gnocchi hail from the same Moosewood Cookbook (thank you Mollie Katznen!)  The recipe looks too fussy, but if you break it down into steps, it is easy and fun!

Ricotta Gnocchi

• 1 pound ricotta cheese
• 2 beaten eggs
• 2/3 mozzarella cheese, grated
• ½ c parsley, minced (optional)
• 1/4 tsp garlic, minced (optional)
• ½ t salt
• 1/2 c parmesan, finely grated
• pepper
• 2/3 c flour
• Step 1 (which I did the night before).  Combine all ingredients and beat well with a fork.  Cover with plastic and refrigerate.
• Step 2 (which I did in the AM of the day we were to eat them).  Flour your hands and make the batter into little balls (about 1/2″ in diameter), rolling them until firm between your palms.  roll them in flour shaking off the excess.  Place them , single layer, on a tray.  Refrigerate.
• Step 3 (that night during dinner preparation)  Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling.  Lower to a simmer.  Drop the balls in, one-at-a-time and simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a buttered baking tray.  (I have frozen half of the batch at this point for a dinner down the road, I will let you know how they do)
• Step 4  just before serving, broil the balls until golden brown on all sides.  Drizzle them with melted butter and sprinkle them with grated parmesan as you broil and turn them.  The cheese and butter  make a delicious coating.

I served these golden nuggets of cheezey happiness with chicken that I had braised with onions, red peppers and kale.  This is a loose interpretation of chicken cacciatore that changes every time I make it depending on what’s around.  Tonight’s dinner went like this

Chicken Braised with sweet onion and red peppers

Wash and dry a chicken that has been cut into eight pieces.  Liberally salt and pepper the  chicken and brown it on all sides in olive oil. remove the chicken from the pan and drain off the excess oil.  Add to the pan one onion, cut in half and sliced, one red pepper, cored and sliced and two garlic cloves, quartered.  Saute until the onions start to get golden on the edges.  Return the chicken to the pan with its juices.  Toss in 1/2 (28 oz) can of chopped tomatoes, one bay leaf and 1/2 c water or chicken stock.  Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer for 45 or so minutes, turning once.  When the chicken is fully cooked remove it to a platter.  Add to the pan two large handfuls of julienned kale and cook until tender and the pan juices have evaporated a little.  Sprinkle in a tablespoon or two of fresh basil and spoon over the chicken.

My quiche recipe comes from my hero Julia Child, it is so easy that I remember the ingredients and don’t even have to bother cracking the book.  You can make it even easier by buying your pastry crust already made, they have beautiful ones in the frozen section of your grocery but if you want bragging rights to the pastry follow this simple formula:

Mark Bittman’s Fullproof Pie Crust

Ingredients

Spring Sipper #1  Fresh Strawberry Milk

This is a simple concoction that is delicious, nutritious and a good way to use up those berries that were a little too jostled on the way home from the farmers market.  Put as much milk as you would like to drink (cow, soy, rice … your pick) and about 1/2 cup washed and hulled strawberries.  Blend until smooth in your blender and pour over ice.  You will NEVER go back to Strawberry Quik again!!

Spring Sipper #2 Pomegranate Iced Tea

I must admit that I stole this idea from the BEST falafel place in NYC, Taim at 22 Waverly Place. The perfect accompaniment to their green falafel pita sandwich is their pomegranate iced tea.  I made it at home by brewing a very strong pot of simple black tea.  Cool.To make the pomegranate syrup make a simple syrup by boiling equal parts sugar and water (1/2 cup each) in a pot until the sugar is dissolved.  While the syrup is still warm combine with 1/2 c pomegranate molasses, stir to dissolve.   Cool.

When you are ready to partake of said beverage simply pour your tea over ice and add as much syrup as you like.  The tea will have a delicious tangy sweetness.  

As I was marching to the bank today the last thing on my mind was dinner, ok that is a little bit of a lie since dinner is never really far from my mind, but it was pushed pretty far back.  Anyway, I was on my way to the bank when I found myself smack dab in the middle of the Union Square Farmer’s Market.  I was not prepared for what I beheld.  Flowers in full bloom, yes, potted herbs looking all lush and succulent, sure, but then I rounded the corner and KA POW!!  a whole table full of strawberries!  Strawberries red and warm from the sun, smelling like cotton candy but even better, and right next to these delicate, delicious creature?  Straight stalks of pink and green rhubarb.  Right there, on the spot dinner was already decided, or at least dessert.

Rhubarb is a treasured taste from my childhood.  My parents would stew it up into a sauce and eat it with a spoon, just as it was, or sometimes over vanilla ice cream.  My grandmother made a  rhubarb pie whose filling included an egg and had a delicious custard like interior and I  fear I have eaten my weight in Tarte a la rhubarbe during visits to Paris.  My father once tried to start us a rhubarb plant in the back yard,  that was a misguided adventure, but I digress…

The happiness of my day was that on the way to the bank, I filled my bag with a quart of locally grown strawberries, 3 pounds of beautiful rhubarb, a fist full of perfect asparagus and a plan for a delicious meal that would be a snap to put together, dessert included.  

Pan Roasted Pork Chops with Asparagus and Rhubarb Sauce  and Mixed Fruit Crisp with Ice Cream

To start the meal I washed and chopped the rhubarb stalks into 1/2 in pieces.  Of the 3 pounds of fruit I put 1/3 in a pot with 1/4c water, covered the pot and let it simmer away over med low heat until it was sauce.  When all the pieces of fruit had broken down into a slurry I added 1/2 of a vanilla bean that I had scraped (I used the inside for the dessert) and about 1/4 c sugar.  I then let the sauce simmer slowly with the cover off the pot until it reached the consistency that I wanted, you have to be careful not to burn the sauce at this point because you have added sugar.  

The rest of the rhubarb went into a bowl along with 1/2 quart of washed and hulled strawberries and about 1c frozen blueberries.  I tossed the fruit with 1/2 cup of sugar, the scraped out insides of 1/2 a vanilla bean and two shakes of cinnamon.  After dumping the fruit into an 8″ square baking dish, I rinsed my bowl and made the crisp topping.  The topping is easy, equal parts of flour, brown sugar and oatmeal, in this case 1/2 c with 6 Tbs cold butter worked in with your fingers until it is the size of peas.  I always give my topping another two or three shakes of cinnamon but you could add ginger or nutmeg or a combo , a dash of salt and a hand full  or two of nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios or pecans).  Toss all together and sprinkle over the fruit.  Bake for 30-45 minutes in a 350 degree oven until bubbling all around the edges.

Next I marinated my chops for a few minutes in olive oil laced with one crushed garlic clove, cracked black pepper and a sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and chopped.  I dredged each chop in the oil and stacked them up to soak up the deliciousness as well as come to room temperature to assure quick and even cooking when they hit the pan.

Last, but not least, I washed the asparagus, trimmed off any tough ends and set it aside to steam last minute.

When the sauce was thick enough for my liking and Adelaide was finally finished with her homework, dinner was ready to pick up.  I heaved my trusty 14″ cast iron skillet onto my stove top and let it get good and hot over medium high heat.  The chops went in and stayed put (no moving!!) until I could see the edges on the bottom were getting nice and crispy brown, I flipped them and then the pan went into the oven (under the crisp) to finish cooking (about 4 minutes)  Next I steamed the asparagus until  JUST tender, drained it and slathered it will a little butter and a sprinkle of salt.  Voila!  Dinner was done!  I pulled the pork chops from the oven and let them rest while I set the table, make sure all hands were washed and poured  myself a nice glass of rose . 

I must admit that we were pretty full after all that dinner but we forced ourselves to have little bowls of crisp, still warm, with vanilla ice cream.  We might have some for breakfast too, with yogurt, in our house, the breakfast of champions!!

For this reason I try to get Adelaide and myself outside as much as possible once the days begin to lengthen and the temperatures start to rise.  In a NYC fantasy world I would have a terrace large enough to seat six, but alas, Adelaide and I have become the masters of the picnic.  We are lucky enough to have several tables outside our building free for us to use as well as a sizable amount of dog-free grass. During the warmer months I keep a basket under the bed stocked with an old table cloth, jacks, jump ropes, a pack of cards and chalk for post dinner hop scotch.  We pack the whole shebang, plates and cutlery to be taken back in and washed and we take out beverages in old salsa jars which have never leaked.  It seems against the rules of Nature to dine in all Her splendor only to litter Her with endless piles of plastic and paper dinner ware.

Our “dining out” dinners always have to go together quickly, usually assembled  in the minutes fresh from the playground, trying to be ready before the monsters start clamoring for a snack.  Tonight’s selection was grilled Niman Ranch uncured ham steak, grilled peach halves, roasted sweet potato slices and steamed broccoli sauteed with shallots and balsamic vinegar.  The longest preparation for this meal is the sweet potato so make sure you deal with that first.  Sweet potatoes are a staple for Adelaide and me and we usually eat them the same way, simply sliced into thick slices, brushed with olive oil and dusted with salt and pepper and then roasted in a 375 degree oven for about half an hour, turning once.  Roasting the potatoes deepens their flavor and crisps the skin which provides a delicious contrast to the creamy, dense flesh.

After the spuds are in the oven the rest is a snap.  Turn on your grill pan (or your grill if you are a lucky duck).  Cut your peaches in half and remove the pit.  Brush the open side with olive oil and place cut side down on the grill.  Open the slab of ham and chuck it on the grill.  In a few minutes flip them both, the peach skin will protect the flesh and it shouldn’t stick or need any extra oil.  For the broccoli, peel the stem and thinly slice, separate the flowerets, steam in a covered pot with 1/4c water until just tender.  Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.  In a medium size saute pan gently saute one thinly sliced shallot in 2tbs olive oil.  Add the broccoli and toss to re-warm. Put broccoli in a sealable container and sprinkle with salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar to taste.  You could omit the vinegar and replace it with lemon juice or saute the shallots in butter and omit the acid all together.

Tonight I called into service all my ziplock storage plastic containers.  Adelaide and I each got one containing a generous slab on ham and a grilled peach.  The broccoli went in the third with the sweet potatoes in a fourth.  We ate everything right up so the clean up back home was super quick… everything into the dish washer!!   I cheated a little on dessert, we shared a cup of Ciao Bella mint chip gelato and watched the sun set across the Hudson.

What is a girl to do when the season is still telling me Winter, but my soul is longing for Spring?

Adelaide  is studying New Amsterdam this semester.  Last week we took a very exciting field trip to Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, NY.  It is a working farm and grist mill that is still run as it was in the 1850′s.  We brushed oxen, ground pepper in a mortar and pestle and watched corn be ground into flour with the power of water and a wheel.  One of the most interesting things to me was when we were sitting in the kitchen, shelling beans, the woman running our tour asked the kids what sorts of foods would the people of the 1800′s be eating at this time of year?  The kids listed off all the things they see in the produce section everyday, oranges,strawberries, peas…

The woman reminded us that they had planted the peas only a month ago and they were mere shoots striving for the sun, with luck they would have fresh peas by the end of June as long as the frost held off.  Fresh berries, asparagus, ramps, all the things that scream “IT’S SPRING!!”  are just beginning to grow.  

Well that puts me in a pickle.   

So tonight  took a deep breath and embraced the flavors of the fall and winter, because that is what is really available to me, and it was delicious.  

Grilled Bratwurst with French Lentils and quick Pickled Beets

Find a good quality bratwurst, Adelaide and I like Original Brat Hans.  Put as many links as you’d like to eat in a pot and cover with water.  Gently bring to a boil and simmer until heated through.  Poaching your brats before grilling heats them through evenly and cooks out some of the fat in the sausage.  Heat a cast iron griddle or fry pan over medium heat.  When the brats are heated through transfer them to the griddle and brown on all sides.

For the lentils, finely dice one carrot, one rib of celery and one small onion.  Saute the veggies in olive oil with one garlic clove gently crushed until soft and a little brown.  Add 1 cup of french lentils and saute until the lentils are nicely coated with the vegetables and oil, add water or chicken stock to cover.  Bring the a boil, cover the pot and turn down the heat very low.  Let the lentils steam for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally and checking for doneness.  Salt and pepper the lentils and keep warm.

For the beets, peel and dice as many beets as you think you are going to eat.  Steam in the top of a steamer until tender and cool.  Place the beets in a bowl and drizzle them with a couple TBS of olive oil and half as much balsamic vinegar.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and a pinch or two of sugar.  Stir and taste, adjust seasoning to your liking.

We ate our crunch brats with the earthy lentils and the bright beets with some sauteed kale (surprise!!) and some quince mustard.  

Delish

While Michael was off pouring, tasting and talking about wine, Adelaide and I ventured up and down the coast, taking in the beautiful sites, hiking and basking in the sun.  I had done some online searching for interesting places to eat, trying not to spend too much money  but find tasty treats.  Traveling with an eight year old has its tricky bits and one of them is  she does not love to sit at restaurants meal after meal.  I get it, while I am more than pleased to sit under a looming redwood tree, smelling the blossoming flowers and hoping all the birds flying overhead do not decide to add anything to our meal we did not order, to her it is just another hour to have to sit and wait.   She loves to eat out, just not three meals a day, you can see who does the dishes in our house.

To solve this problem in a fun and economical way (the girl loves the room service!!) we decided to visit the local Whole Foods and create an al fresco patio dinner on our tiny terrace.  I had read about a BBQ place in Big Sur that had ribs so good Bobby Flay had stopped to have a few.  On our trek back to Monterey from hiking in Big Sur we stopped by to get a rack to go, since we only had a microwave I thought we’d leave the protein preparation to a man with a real stove.  At the grocery we picked up a frozen veggie medley some salt and pepper packets off the salad bar as well as a butter packet for the veggies.  At the prepared food section we also scavenged some plastic wear and plates to eat with.  Dessert?  Fresh strawberries, which in California are in season, we had driven past fields of them the day before, the rich red berries visible from the road, and a small seedless watermelon.  While we were at it we picked up some yogurts and granola for the morning and some popcorn to pop for an in-bed movie night, a hotel stay tradition with us.  $40 later we had a dinner with dessert, a breakfast and a late night snack, all to be consumed without our shoes on. 

Not to brag, but I think it was one of our best meals of the trip.  I am not sure it was licking the sticky sauce off our fingers while having out feet propped up on the edge of the terrace, eating buttery mixed veggies out of a soup container or the simplicity of sweet, juicy berries for dessert but it was really good.