Pink of Perfection

One thing I can tell you about Argentina is that they’re not so into their salads. Rather, they are into their meat. And that’s a good thing––a really good thing. What is vacation for if not eating one cut of red meat after another and kicking back glass after glass of blood red wine? I’m not sure how this national diet would feel in the summer, but on South American winter days spent wobbling on cobblestones in long-forgotten tights, it was just the right thing.

That said, returning to a wall of New York humidity requires slightly different fare. As does my wardrobe, should I ever expect to slip into a pencil skirt or slim-waisted dress again. Ahem. (Learn from my mistake: Do not, I repeat, do not, schedule a bridesmaid’s dress fitting immediately upon your return from an over-indulgent vacation.)

What a delight to return to summer (especially raspberries, sweet raspberries) and all it’s green growing things. I’ve had my eye on this particular salad for awhile, but it seemed a perfect mix of hearty/filling and fresh/light. If such a combination can exist. I’m still a little unsure of the dressing, to be honest. I think my fatal mistake was skipping the feta cheese. Again, learn from my mistakes; don’t do that. The feta adds a sharp, slightly sour balance to the dark, smoky paprika. If you do make it, I’d be interested to know what you think. As usual, the reviews on epicurious are a little divisive.

Ah, chickpeas––it’s so nice to see you again.

PS I thought of you guys teasing me for my love of lentils at the Eva Perón museum when I saw this display of legumes.

Continue reading “Quinoa, Chickpea, and Spinach Salad with Smoked Paprika Dressing” »

I’ve spent my adult life thinking I didn’t like barley. Turns out, what turned me off were the bloated, mushy pearls in soup. But as a grain cooked to delicate, chewy perfection, I’ve discovered I’m a big, big fan. In fact, I’ve been eating it all week with my farmer’s market stir-fries instead of rice.

You’ve got to have a killer air-conditioner or an unseasonably cool day on your hands to want to make risotto in June, I realize, and I certainly wouldn’t advise standing over a hot pot on a humid day. But I made this a few weeks ago when I had a basically bare pantry, and despite the not-so-delicious looking picture, this was a total success. I don’t think I’ll go back to making classic risotto unless it’s for a special occasion, and I’m definitely ditching the time-sucking brown rice attempt. Barley risotto it is from now on!

One more thing: this recipe kind of falls into no-brainer territory. It’s warm and comforting and soothing, and I find it’s nice to have those basic recipes on hand for the days we’re feeling uninspired about dinner, or you spent the afternoon at the public pool and return home with that feeling of bone-weary exhaustion and a cool core temperature. Don’t you love that feeling? And more than any other supper prep that comes to mind, perhaps with the exception of chopping onions, risotto-making is therapeutic, for those days when you can’t handle the high energy action of flipping this and searing that or watching the broiler like a hawk lest something burst into flames. This is for those slower days when your brain’s not firing on all cylinders and you can just manage stirring.

Continue reading “$5 Dinner: Tomato and Parmesan Barley Risotto” »

I am not proud to tell you guys, when it comes to being sick, I am a really big baby. I expect the world to come to a grinding halt and my mother to be instantly transported to my side, bearing clean sheets and sympathetic words. Alas, the world marches on. There are meetings to attend and landlords to call back. But more than usual, when under the influence of a cold, I find myself pushing the limits of doing the bare minimum.

In my misery last night, I might have OD’d on the sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever so you can rest medicine. It held me in its raptures of deep, bizarre dreams and my-eyes-weigh-a-ton until, well, not so long ago.

This is all a long way of saying: poor, poor me. I am sick, and life goes on. Dinner must be served.

I picked up the fixins for this salad at the farmer’s market. I didn’t really have a recipe at hand, just an idea, which means there were plenty of delicious additions to this salad that didn’t get snatched up, like ginger, lime, and cherry tomatoes. I settled on ruby red radishes, long spears of green scallions, and stubby, dirt-covered carrots. There would have been pea shoots, but the line was too long. So it goes.

The strangest thing about being ill is my lack of appetite. You basically strip away 70% of life’s pleasures when you can’t look forward to the next meal, am I right? I have been slurping down spicy soups that feel good on my sore throat and help clear my head, but last night, I wanted to make use of the leftover steak we had sitting in the fridge and remember what it feels like to chew again. What resulted was a salad filled with, dare I say, the life force itself: vibrant, singing, herbs; sweet spicy dressing. It was enough to make me want to turn off Arthur and join the ranks of the living again.

Continue reading “Easy Thai-Style Beef Salad” »

Oh, lord, the humidity. It’s already got me in a state. My hands are clammy and my forehead is shiny. Let us just hope this is merely a transition to when I am suddenly glowy and crisp and fresh as a daisy. Seriously, how do people do that in summer? I will find this out in my next earthly incarnation, when I am rendered ethereal, rather than earthy.

(While we’re on the topic, generally speaking at least, does anyone have a non-greasy, everyday facial sunscreen that they love?)

I don’t have much to say today, so I will have to just cut to the facts: I have eaten this for three out of my last six meals. It is just what I needed in the wake of too much vacation: fresh, crisp, light, and lemony. I served it with a poached egg on top (no surprises there), but turn to whatever protein you like. Cold roasted chicken would be nice, cubes of tofu, a few chickpeas, or maybe even some flakes of smoked salmon. Oh, yes; that would be heavenly, indeed. And for the hot (and bothered?) among us, this is the perfect steamy day dinner or lunch. The stove stays on for mere moments, and you need only dirty one pan. Score one for the cooks in the battle against the summer heat!

Continue reading “$5 Dinner: Spring Vegetable Couscous” »

Back in the days when I woke up and traveled 45 minutes on a train to a job every morning, rainy days used to really get me down. Once I was in the office, there was something almost cozy about all us worker bees tucked into our cubicles while the wind hissed outside. But the getting out of bed was torturous. I have always struggled with the whole getting-out-of-bed ritual to begin with; add a dark, rainy day, and what little resolve I have goes poof.

I never imagined, though, then when my commute was as short as walking to the living room or neighborhood coffee shop, that rainy days would still be my nemesis. That I would still long to lounge and luxuriate. Or that after a few days of gray, I would want to drop it all and high-tail it to Mexico. Life just never stops serving us surprises, does it?

That’s a funny thing about finally getting what you want — it doesn’t always look or feel exactly how you thought it would. Call it human nature or a cruel joke, but so often when we get “there,” sometimes the scenery isn’t quite as breathtaking as we were anticipating. Blame our expectations.

But then, of course, there are the days when we expect nothing; when we’re just on a nondescript stretch of highway. Something about the slant of the light, the song on the radio, and the grip of our hands on the steering wheel creates a moment as breathtaking as a glimpse of the Grand Canyon. Perhaps even more so.

This has nothing to do with frittatas, of course, other than the fact that slices of this subtle, spring treat have sustained me morning, noon, and night these past few days. It is wholesome and simple, and perfect for these rainy days in May.

Continue reading “Baked Leek, Potato, and Parmesan Frittata” »

On these shape-shifting spring days — in which one moment the tulips in my neighbor’s backyard bend in the sunny breeze and next the sky’s turned ominous and rain threatens — I long for something steady, something to rely on.

And I always come back to lentils.

They are a stalwart and steady friend in this house. They’ve been with me on days of faux luxury and days of deep poverty. And I can say I’ve yet to run into a way I don’t like them. My favorite is the red variety, velvety, comforting, and falling-to-pieces right along with you, if you need them to.

But then there are the green lentils from France, like poor man’s caviar, they say. “They” must be a little off their rocker, but I will concede there is a touch of understated luxury in this incarnation. More importantly, this is a lunch that feels properly grounded for these flitty days. There’s even a waft of civility in here. And if you don’t need a breath of that every now and then at lunchtime, you’re a better woman than I.

Continue reading “Spring Stalwart: Lentil and Arugula Salad” »

I love eating cold crisp salads even in the darkest days of winter, but the freshness of spring makes them absolutely apropos. My mom has always made a big green salad to go along with supper dressed with a puckery splash of olive oil and red wine vinegar. I think that’s why I love both of these salads, my go-tos for the past several months. Both have that familiar sour flavor I love, but are balanced out with rich cheeses to make them crowd-pleasers. I’m not the sort that can eat some greens and call it a meal, though; to round things out I’d add a hard-boiled egg and call it a day. The first combo was introduced to me in a local Italian restaurant and then reinforced at a cute place in Red Hook, Brooklyn; the second salad is courtesy of my friend, Weetabix.

Fennel, Apple, and Parmesan
Toss thinly sliced fennel and tart, green apple with mixed greens. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Shave parmesan cheese over top.

Feta, Apple, and Sunflower Seeds
Toss sweet, chopped apple with crumbled Greek feta, sunflower seeds and mixed greens. Dress with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

Did you ever read that book Stone Soup? I didn’t remember the plot of the story, so I looked it up (the best kind of con — greedy villagers are tricked into sharing supper with hungry soldiers). What I do remember about the book, as is the case with some of my favorite books from childhood, is more a sense. Just as The Runaway Bunny made it safe to hunker down into my bed and fall asleep alone for the night, Stone Soup gave me the feeling that something could come from nothing. I don’t even really remember if this is one of the morals of the book itself, but it is, in any event, a lesson I took away.

Isn’t it sort of amazing the way those picture books of our childhood shape our interests in adulthood? Miss Rumphius solidly informed my desire to make the world a more beautiful place and encouraged my wide independent streak (who could resist the way she strode, pink-cheeked, hands tucked inside a fur muff, into that greenhouse in the dead of winter; or sat, thoughtful and alone in a bedroom painted somewhere between pale lilac and dream-hued blue, the curtains blowing in the sea air).

And I credit Stone Soup, a story I can’t even remember, for my deep love of alchemy recipes. The recipes where the humblest ingredients come together to make something, in the end, far greater than the sum of their parts. You put in this and that in an underwhelmed fashion, and you can hardly believe, 20 minutes later, in what surprising and mysterious ways the world works. From garlic and beans comes something voluptuous.

This meal is peasanty in the best sort of way. The way that is wholesome and honest and unassuming and feels eminently springlike. And perhaps more practically, if you have a husband who has been buying a fresh loaf of sourdough every day, it’s a good way to make use of that fragrant bread.

Continue reading “$5 Dinner: Tomato Soup with Poached Eggs” »