Pink of Perfection

I’ve been having one of those blah weeks. Know that feeling? There’s nothing actually wrong — in fact, besides a scratchy throat that makes me sound at turns like Kathleen Turner, everything’s going quite well — but there’s something that I just can’t put my finger on. Maybe it’s this last leg of winter gray or that I need a shot in the arm of get-out-of-town or learn-something-new excitement. Whatever it is, there it is. In fact, just saying it out loud feels like I’ve thrown the ballasts overboard. It’s out there now, hopefully sinking to the bottom of the dark oceanic depths from which it came. Now maybe something fabulous can come and take its place.

This isn’t the kind of psychic ennui that can be undone with a fantastic dinner, but if it were, this recipe would be the cure. I’m filing this one away in the “quick and easy but in line with my fantasy vision of myself” folder. I have always thought of the recipes in How to Cook Everything as little more than utilitarian; this, however, is simple but otherworldly. You pop the sliced potatoes and onions in the oven with nothing more than a bit of olive oil, turning them every 10 minutes until the onions turn languorous and the potatoes become golden and crisp in patches. They you lay the fish on top, drizzle a bit of olive oil over the fillets, and in 8-12 more minutes you have a supper that is wonderously simple but perfect in every way: lush with flavor, and easy but refined, like a woman with a very expensive haircut who wears it in a just-rolled-out-of-bed sort of fashion.

Continue reading “Roast Cod with Potatoes and Onions” »

Can I tell you a secret? This winter I made a discovery born completely out of pure, unadulterated laziness. One of my most abhorred kitchen tasks is peeling butternut squash. I hate the thick skin, the irregular shape. Just writing about it my nose has assumed a position of crinkled-up-in-annoyance. See, I don’t even like to think about it. Which is a shame, really, because I love the stuff once the hard work is done. That is why, when I once saw butternut squash already peeled and chopped in the grocery store, it was the kind of convenience food I could really get behind. When I didn’t see it again, though, I decided to just stop peeling. That’s right. Whether roasting (which Sara Rose convinced me was a-ok) or chopping up for a soup, I just left the skin on. What’s a little bit of extra fiber?

And that, my friends, is the only way I could bring myself to make this vegetarian winter stew. And it’s a good thing I found a work-around, because I really loved this, rich as it is with red lentils and topped with a smattering of chopped peanuts, yogurt, and cilantro. It’s the sort of decadent yet basically healthy food that gets me through winter without consuming a truckload of extra sharp New York State cheddar cheese and 40 gallons of tea.

Come to think of it — holy hey, it’s March! Did you read your Astrologyzone horoscope? Are you hanging in, or so deeply sick of winter that if you have to pull on your tights once more you just might yip?

Continue reading “Winter Squash, Red Lentil, and Chickpea Stew” »

Oh, believe me, I know what you’re thinking. Even the very word seems a little unappetizing. Sar-deeeens. Poor guys, they just don’t have the best PR in the world (or, as I gather, on this side of the pond), and it’s a shame, really. Because if you can get past your initial feelings, you might find that this inexpensive fish — high in protein, iron, calcium and all important omega-3 fatty acids — rather suits you. Or you may be like my friend who, when asked to join me at home for a sardine sandwich after an exceedingly pleasant morning spent writing side-by-side in a coffee shop, could not run away quite fast enough muttering something about ravioli in her freezer. I suppose they’re not for everyone, but all I’m asking is that you try. Where would you be if you had listened to the prevailing sentiments on liver or brussels sprouts? SOL, is where.

I used to splurge on a $9 sandwich that made me feel rather posh in the middle of the workday: marinated anchovies, soft-boiled egg, frisée and country bread. (I belong to the club, by the way, that likes just about anything topped with frisée and an egg). When I saw a recipe for this sardine sandwich in a recent issue of O, I thought it might be able to stand in for that beloved midtown lunch now that I am a work-at-home kind of gal. (Which really, presents a whole slew of problems that we should discuss at a later date, namely, what do you wear that makes you feel 1) not like a schlump in her pajamas at noon but 2) not like an idiot wearing a pencil skirt and blazer in her living room. I have resorted to looking at mommy blogs for guidance on this front, but am more than open to your expertise. End of digression.)

This sandwich was everything I wanted it to be: hearty, healthy, and full of flavor. The exact kind of lunch you want to have when you’ll be too busy to stop for a snack at 4pm; this is the sandwich that sees you straight through to dinner. I also surprised myself at how un-fishy I thought the sardines were. If you can handle canned tuna, you can certainly handle this.

And, last but not least, I was able to make good on my promise to Dayna and investigate some other recipes using sardines. Here are six elegant-sounding recipes that star our beleaguered fish friend:

Continue reading “The Case for Sardines” »

This time of year is so strange, isn’t it? Even hardened pessimists have a glint in their eye of possibility. And yet even the most Sally Sunshine among us can probably not help but be reminded of our past “failings,” rife as this time of year is with talk of resolutions and beginning again. Perhaps we have tried and failed before to change something about ourselves and even if we want to give up the cycle of “New Year, New Me,” the pull of possibility is mighty strong.

Of all the resolutions you’ve shared thus far, I found myself thinking most about is Anne’s: “I am stealing a friend’s resolution to ‘make my body sing.’ This could be going to yoga. Or not. Eating chocolate. Or roasted veggies. Saying yes. Or saying no and reading at home, alone on the couch. It just might be the perfect resolution…”

It might just be, and it seems to hit on the head of what it means to be our best selves: to always be tuned in to what will be best thing for us at any given moment. That necessitates a really developed self-knowledge, as well as some will. A piece of dark chocolate might make my body sing; a bag of drugstore chocolate? Not so much. There is also the matter of what’s best for us not always being the most appealing or easy option. And why can it be so hard to do what what will make us happiest? This is a conundrum I might be struggling with till my dying day.

There are some good choices, though, ones that are nourishing, sustaining, that are easy to make. Like feeling, after one too many glasses of wine last night, that your body would sing were it given a soup filled with dark greens, mellow with earthy flavors and brightened, perhaps, by a squeeze of lemon. You can practically feel the brain cells rebuilding as you lift your spoon and sip.

Continue reading “Leek, Mushroom, and Barley Stew” »

In a marriage of synchronicity and luck, just as I was weary of cooking I found myself a guest at one dining room table after another. The timing couldn’t have been better–the holidays ushered in a handful of invitations just as I was wandering the produce section of our grocery store, fresh out of fresh ideas. So instead of trying to put dinner together each night, we were trunching through fresh snow on our way to plates of creamy lasagnas rich with béchamel, homemade gnocchi, zucchini salads, and enough glasses of champagne and red wine to warm us on our walk back to the subway and onwards toward home.

Just as Brillat-Savarin says, my happiness had been taken charge of and placed in the hands of gifted and generous hosts for as long as I was under their roofs. We ate well, drank well, concocted big ideas for the future, and I reveled in the delights of being the guest. Because perhaps I so enjoy entertaining myself, the tiny touches were not only lost on me, they gave me a wild thrill: someone had done this just for our pleasure! The vintage magazine covers to mark the seating arrangement, the preparation of one guest’s favorite dessert, the candles placed just inside the front door so as to be the first sight of warmth as we step in from the cold.

And now, for a few days at least, before the singing of Auld Lang Syne sets in, we’re back to eating alone. At this point, after all the cheese and chocolate, it feels a bit like a relief. We can return to the quirks and peculiarities of eating solely for our own pleasure. At a dinner party a few months ago, we went around the table with whispered confessions divulging what we like to eat when we eat for one. One woman made herself a bowl of plain, buttered rice. One of my favorite people enjoys a singularly unique dish of sautéed purple cabbage with crushed red pepper, fish sauce, and sour cream. Another friend pairs hummus with fig jam for a sandwich he finds healthier than pb&j. When alone in the kitchen I used to turn to a bowl of couscous topped with a poached egg and eaten with a few cloves of raw garlic for kick (hey, don’t knock it till you try it). Now, though, I like to make a huge salad with crunchy-fresh romaine lettuce with the vegetables of the season–not so much a recipe per se as a longing for bright crisp greens paired with some supporting fellows and eaten luxuriously alone. And what about you — what do you eat when you’re alone? And what will you eat these last low-key days before the next holiday hurrah?

Continue reading “What We Eat When We’re Alone” »

I never thought I’d say this, but I am cheesed-out. If I see one more cube of cheddar or oozy wedge of brie, I just might lose it. Furthermore, I think I’ve had quite enough wine and cookies. It’s not that I don’t love the holiday food — I do; I even thought it was high time for an eggnog recipe the other day. But sometimes all the heavy treats start to feel like they are stalking you this time of year, dogging you down a dark alley with a tray of more cheese, more cookies, and another glass of wine tucked inside his long dark trench. When I have a moment alone between booze-fueled holiday gorge-fests, I find myself seeking reparations.

What do you turn to for that healthy kick between holiday parties? I find myself wanting protein-packed meals that welcome a big salad or bowl of broccoli on the side. Maybe your idea of healthy doesn’t include a rich red bean curry, but mine does. It takes a bowl of spiciness to wake my taste buds from their cheese and cream sauce slumber. This curry is an Indian cousin of your favorite kidney bean chili, and if you already have the spices in your pantry (and I hope you do so you can make mulligatawny), this dinner costs mere pennies, making it a fast and affordable dish to have in your repertoire. If you live in an apartment building, you will definitely fill the stairwell with heady aromatics, but I always like to come home to the signs of cooking, even if the smells come from behind some else’s door.

Continue reading “Spicy Red Kidney Bean Curry” »

When for awhile you exist in the land of bounteous buffets that offer your heart’s desire — say, on vacation at a resort or on a cruise or at a Sunday brunch smorgasbord — you learn quickly what you would eat when handed the world on a plate. My husband gravitates towards steak at every meal: steak and eggs to start the day, steak and french fries at noon, and ribeye for dinner, juicy and rare. I, apparently, just want to eat homemade tortilla chips and fresh, spicy, pico de gallo. Plate after plate, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it is one of my most favorite meals. Add a paloma and I’m in heaven.

But the thing about Brooklyn tomatoes in December? Not looking so hot. In fact, it would be an exercise in disappointment to try to recreate the luscious flavors of a ripe tomato-filled pico de gallo. But a girl who needs her fix and is willing to make compromises will perhaps look around to see what’s in season and will find apples — tart, sweet, and crisp. I served this apple pico de gallo alongside sliced rare steak, black beans and rice for a meal that satisfied needs of both husband and wife.

When meal time comes, what do you crave again and again? Cheese and crackers? Peanut butter and saltines? Big salads? Soup and bread?

Continue reading “Non-Equatorial Pico de Gallo” »

Allow me to introduce you to a new very special someone in my life…

To answer your unasked but anticipated questions: yes, it is as wonderful as they say; yes, it is absolutely the heaviest item in our entire household; yes, I feel rather lucky and pretty spoiled to be the recipient of this thing. But guilt aside, having this mixer on my counter feels like crossing a sort of threshold. I think I have just entered the realm of Fancy Baker Type. More importantly, if I ever needed a push to whip up more cookies and cakes (I didn’t), this is it. I’m positively chomping at the bit to feed people desserts.

Which is why last weekend you could find me in the eye of a floury storm. First up was banana bread. Now, I know people have staunchly held beliefs about what they want from their banana bread, and I wouldn’t dare to call this the best banana bread. But in terms of what I’m looking for — a tender crumb but not cakey, a pronounced banana flavor without other distractions, and a relatively healthy composition — this is it.

I served this to a highly discerning friend (the type who can actually identify notes of cassis and butter in the wine you serve her) on an overcast Saturday afternoon. She came over wearing a plaid shirt and suede boots, tucked her legs under her on the couch, and declared this banana bread delicious. That out of the way, we poured the tea, and the real talk could commence.

Continue reading “My Best Banana Bread” »