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Come Wednesday, I'll be flying to San Diego for the ALA Midwinter Meeting, and I'm trying really hard not to be bitter about the fact that I was just in California five days ago to visit my family*.  I can hardly believe I'm heading back to the West Coast again.  Which is one reason why this New Year's weekend has been so important to me: I have such a strong sense of homebody-ness.  I have spent the last three days really hunkering down and enjoying my own little home here in NYC, spending time with Adam and Bug.

The craziness aside, it is during weeks like this when menu planning becomes even more of a priority to me.  It's more than food - it also assures me that Adam and Bug will eat well in my absence and that there is a certain amount of order in a chaotic world.  I mean, when the going gets tough, the tough eat good food, right?:

 Monday: Oatmeal with Apples, Brioche Toast.  Breakfast for dinner?  Absolutely.  This recipe is one of my favorites from French Women Don't Get Fat - the apples make it even heartier and more fulfilling, not to mention that they lend a brightness to the oatmeal.  I'm stressed and tired before a conference...yet this makes me feel like I've still provided a comforting, satisfying meal to myself and my family.

Tuesday: Creamy Parmesan Polenta with Brussels Sprouts.  I use Ina Garten's new recipe for the polenta and Nigel Slater's uber-easy recipe for the Brussels sprouts.  This dinner will truly take me only 30 minutes to put together...but the rewards are endless: it's the culinary equivalent of a working brick fireplace in my apartment.

Wednesday: Nachos.  Guess who is now in San Diego...  This is Adam and Bug's table now.  Chips, cheese, black beans, olives, salsa, sour cream.  Naturally, everything is organic-y.

Thursday: Grilled Prosciutto and Cheese.  Again, I'm gone.  I added prosciutto to make it resemble something delicious and uptown.  Does it help that they'll be making the sandwiches with Comte and Fontina?

Friday: I leave them to their own devices.  It's either Breakfast (eggs, potatoes, bacon, toast) or they'll go out.  I'll be busy stacking up books in the booth, waiting for the two hours of madness that is the conference's "opening reception".

The comfort food theme began tonight with Cabbage and Straw, one of my favorite winter pasta meals.  It comes from Rachael Ray's magazine, in which she says "I cannot successfully transition from summer to fall without eating this Italian classic".  But don't listen to her.  This is too hearty to be a summer/fall transitional dish - it's winter through and through.

CABBAGE AND STRAW
Adapted from Rachael Ray


2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
9 oz. fresh fettuccine or pappardelle pasta (not dried)
1/2 large head Savoy cabbage - quartered, cored, and shredded
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter
6 garlic cloves - smashed, skins removed, cloves quartered
20 fresh sage leaves, 10 whole and 10 thinly sliced
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Bring a large pot of water to a boil; salt it.  Add the potatoes and cook for 7 minutes.  Add the cabbage to the same pot and cook for 3 minutes.  Add pasta and cook for 2 minutes (fresh pasta needs to be cooked for much less time than dried, which is why I altered Ray's recipe).

While the potatoes and pasta are cooking, melt the butter in a large, deep skillet (I used non-stick) over medium heat.  Add the garlic and whole sage leaves.  Cook until the sage is crisp, 3-4 minutes.  Remove the garlic and sage leaves to a small plate.


Add the sliced sage and pepper to the skillet; just before draining the potatoes, pasta, and cabbage, add 2 ladles of the starchy cooking water.


Drain the potatoes, pasta, and cabbage and add to the skillet.  Stir it all together, adding the Parmesan as you work to get a cheesy, buttery coating.  Adjust the salt and garnish the pasta with the reserved whole sage leaves and garlic.


I drank a cheap but satisfying wine with it - Odfjell Babor Cabernet Sauvignon - and Adam really liked his Brooklyn Brewery Winter Lager pairing.

My point is that, even when you have no time, even when you're not home, planning balanced and satisfying meals is entirely possible.

Eat, drink, and make good food a priority.

* Oh, how I wish that I could have stayed there and just worked from my parents' house! 

Weekday Meals, Part 2: Antipasti and Soft-Boiled Eggs

This is the conclusion to my week as a single parent.  I intentionally left the "easier" meals until last.  So on Wednesday, we had "antipasti."  I call it antipasti, but I do believe it's not the traditional sort.  Anyway, I made myself a little salad with a honey mustard vinaigrette (approximately 1/2 tsp. honey mustard, about 3 tbsp olive oil, approx 1/2 tsp. sherry vinegar**, kosher salt and pepper to taste). 

I cut up a pear for Bug, as well as sliced up some smoked mozzarella (she loves the stuff). 

For me, I included some buffalo mozzarella, which I sprinkled with flake salt, fresh pepper, and lemon zest.  I've also discovered the joys (seriously, it's near-ecstasy) of smoked duck, thanks to my local purveyors Hudson Valley Duck Farm at Fresh Direct. 

Add some salami, which Bug loves, and some triple cream Brie...you have a meal!  Not just any meal, but a rather - dare I say it? - decadent meal for two young ladies without their knight?  Who needs a man, right?

For Thursday, we made one of Bug's favorites: Soft-Boiled Eggs with Artichoke Bread Fingers*, courtesy of Clotilde Dusoulier's Chocolate and Zucchini cookbook:

Of course, I don't call them "artichoke bread fingers" - she'd never eat them.  So it becomes: "Hey, hon, how about eggs with dippers tonight?"  Enthusiastic choruses of hallelujah and Mom is a hero.

Adam came home around midnight on Friday so I had still had one more night to get through.  Friday night.  You know what I did?  I ordered a pizza to be delivered, like any normal human being.  And called the week a success.

Eat, drink, and don't just survive...THRIVE.



* The site this links to is the recipe...but gives no credit to Chocolate and Zucchini.  So I give it here.  That is where I got the recipe.


Note: This is fun.  All the photos of the antipasti meal posted here?  Taken by Bug (aka my 9yo daughter).  I was rushing around: opening wine, getting the table set...  And she asked if she could take photos.  And this is the result.  Am I proud?  Totally.

Together Again!

Adam got home late last night, about an hour after I fell asleep and looong after Bug had gone down for the night.  I hardly responded when he spoke to me at midnight, even though my mind still registered his arrival.

So when I woke up this morning, I was thrilled he was there.  As I'm sure you guessed, we were awakened by Bug...with a hug!  She climbed on Adam, hugging him, which then woke me up.  Perfect, right?

We got the idea to make Adam breakfast in bed as a welcome home gift:

We made bacon - our favorite kind, from Dickson's Farmstand Meats in Chelsea Market - with scrambled eggs.  And I found some Eckerton tomatoes at Manhattan Fruit Exchange yesterday so I cut those up, and tossed them with salt, pepper, lemon zest, and olive oil.  Bug was in charge of making toast and buttering it.

Breakfast in bed on a sunny Saturday morning.  Really, at that moment, I knew that I didn't need anything else in the world to make me happy.

And, as a treat to myself for making it through a challenging week, I poured a glass (okay, fine, two glasses) of prosecco.

Eat, drink, and enjoy happy reunions.

Weekday Meals, Part 1: Naan pizza

Alas, I had such grand visions of blogging all week.  Now I know that should I, under tragic circumstances, be a single parent, I don't think I could keep up this blog.  Time was so not my friend for the past five days.

Nevertheless, I was able to capture our meals sans Adam.  On Tuesday, it was naan pizza:

This...well, this turned out not great.  Serviceable, at best.  My plan was for potato and ricotta pizza.  I heated the oven to 400 degrees with my pizza stone on the bottom rack.  I drizzled each naan with olive oil, then added salt and pepper to taste.  I spread each naan with Pomi strained tomatoes, followed by fresh ricotta.

I left Bug's as is.  To mine, I added some boiled potato slices and red pepper flakes.  Then both naans went into the oven for about 12 minutes.  Once out, I added fresh thyme to my pizza and shaved Parmesan to both our pizzas.

The result was nearly crap, actually.  I was entirely too generous with the sauce so, once combined with the already moist ricotta, turned the naan completely soggy - you can't really see it in the photo but there were POOLS of liquid on top of the pizza.  And because there was too much sauce, the pizza was overly sweet, in my opinion.  And it looked bland - I think a spell under the broiler would have done those potatoes good.

The good news?  Bug inhaled it.  Loved it.  So I guess that's good...

Eat, drink, and in all things moderation.

Shortcuts

As I mentioned, last night was "grown up dinner" - I made myself gnocchi with mushrooms and sage after Bug had gone to bed.  Then...I broke one of my cardinal rules...and ate it in front of the TV while watching "Absolutely Fabulous".

This dish was inspired by Jamie Oliver's recipe by the same name.  Only he makes his own gnocchi, of course.  But I'm doing the single parent gig while Adam is out of town this week, and there's just no way I'm making my own gnocchi on a weeknight.  I used packaged.  It was a shortcut that I deemed totally worth it, in this case.

Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Sage
Adapted from Jamie Oliver's Cook with Jamie

1 package frozen gnocchi (16 oz)
olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
6 oz. baby portobello mushrooms, sliced or torn

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 1/2 c. vegetable stock or water
24 sage leaves
a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Parmesan cheese, for grating

Heat a large frying pan over med-high heat then add about 4 tbsp. of olive oil.  Add the whole sage leaves and fry until crisp.  Drain on paper towels.  In the same pan over med-high, add another 2-4 tbsp. of olive oil.  Add the mushrooms and toss for 2-3 minutes, then add the pepper flakes, garlic, salt, pepper, and butter.  When the garlic is slightly golden, add stock or water and continue to cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add the frozen gnocchi to the mushroom mixture with the chopped parsley and mix well.  Be gentle and keep on heat only until thawed; otherwise, it'll just turned into mashed potatoes.  Serve with the crispy sage, some grated Parmesan for garnish, and any leftover parsley.  Serves 2-3.

I opened one of my favorite wines with this - a Cotes du Rhone - and it paired pretty well.  Nevertheless, I wonder if a Pinot Noir might have been better?

Slight wine misstep aside, this was a warm, comforting way to unwind after a challenging day.  Pairing it with AbFab's Eddy and Pats reminded me not to take anything, particularly this week, too seriously.

Eat, drink, and relax, sweetie daaaahling!

All by Myself

Bug and I are alone this week - Adam is on a business trip in California.  Emotions always run high when he's gone, as Bug and I are both Cancers.  Those of you who love astrology will understand: there's lots of tears, raised voices, hugs, and love while he's gone.  Adam is a Taurus - heaven knows, Bug and I need his steady ways to temper our passion.

Anyway (can you tell I had a day?), menu planning is always a challenge when he's gone because I don't have him around to run interference with Bug while I cook.  So I want to cook things that are still the same...um...caliber that I'm used to, and yet are still super short on time and effort.

Yesterday doesn't quite count, as it was Sunday and I had a full hour to cook.  I made Ina Garten's Croque Monsieur:

CROQUE MONSIEUR
Adapted from Ina Garten

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup hot milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
6 ounces Gruyere, grated (3 cups)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
6 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
Dijon mustard
4 ounces baked Virginia ham, sliced but not paper thin

Preheat the broiler.

Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter–flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/4 cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.

To toast the bread, place the slices on a baking sheet and broil for2 minutes. Turn each slice and broil for another 2 minutes. Keep a close eye on the bread to make sure it doesn't burn!

Brush half the toasted breads with mustard (to taste), add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce (some will likely run off the sandwiches, which is fine), sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and broil the sandwiches for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot. (Serves 2-3)

This is one of my standbys, as it doesn't require all that much effort, it's child-friendly, and it's decadent.  For Bug's sandwich, I leave out the mustard and, instead of a green salad, she got a sliced plum.  Voila!

Notice that I made a note in the margin: "Don't cook in summer - stove heats up house too much!"  My kitchen has no A/C and a window that, mysteriously, gets absolutely no air flow.  Luckily, yesterday was a rather cool day in NYC so we were able to make this.

That was last night but, tonight, I did "Kid Dinner", which means I made her a hot dog (all gourmet-y from Dickson's Farmstand Meats, of course), a sliced plum, and leftover mariquitas from Cabana (our dinner on Saturday night).  I could give myself a bad mom award for that dinner...but I won't.  Not this week.  

After I read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to her for bed, I'll be making Jamie Oliver's Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Sage for myself (hint: I certainly didn't make the gnocchi myself).  Photos tomorrow!

Eat, drink, and fumble your way through.

Thank god it's...

...Friday!

This is what Fridays are like in the Lutz household:

Any guesses what we're making?

Lillet on ice with a splash of seltzer and slices of lime

Nachos!

It's the one night a week we allow Bug to eat in front of the television. In fact, we call it Family Movie Night and we all have to compromise on something to watch. Lately, we all agree:

Eat, drink, and cheers to family!

This Week's Menu: Food as Life

I've had one of *those* weeks. You know the ones. First, I was sick so I missed lots of work and sat around the house. Second, I had to make some difficult Life Decisions - those choices where you know the answer but you hesitate to take that leap. These Decisions aren't easy to make and are the cause of many, many tears...yet when the choice is made, you feel lighter inside. Anyway, I had to make one of those Decisions. Last, because I was out of town last weekend, I didn't do any food shopping for this past week...so you can't imagine the haphazard, crappy way we ate this whole week. It made me feel discombobulated and out-of-sorts.

So today I made the menu for the upcoming week. Here it is:

Saturday - Penne with Vodka Sauce

Sunday - Goat Cheese Tart, green salad (tart recipe from The French Market)

Monday - Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup, ciabatta bread with dipping oil

Tuesday - Mustard Pork Chops with gnocchi

Wednesday - Blue Cheese Pasta (from Real Fast Food)

Thursday - Grilled cheese sandwiches, red pepper soup

When I looked at the menu, I realized what I had done unconsciously: I had created a healing menu. These are comforting foods, unapologetic in their warmth and simplicity. And I love the power of food - and the prospect of sharing it with my family - to make me feel better.

Eat, drink, and find comfort.

All the single ladies!

I am asked - on a surprisingly regular basis - how I do all the things that I do.

The question "How do you do it all?" surprises me because 1) I don't think I do that much more than anyone else, 2) it seems like a rather personal question, and 3) I always wonder why I don't do more. And yet...I still find myself answering the question.

Nevertheless, my answer is always the same: "Adam." I couldn't go to all the conferences I do, attend culinary school, cook the meals I cook, or write as much as I do without Adam there as a partner, co-parent, friend, and counselor. I don't say this in a cavity-causing sweet way; rather, it is a statement of fact: Adam.

So when my husband goes on a week-long business trip, which happens very rarely, I find myself in a bind. But you know me: my biggest concern is how to keep up my usual standard of cooking and eating. I still want to make stellar meals...but while having my attention pulled away by homework, showers, forms to fill out, and other family sorts of things. Seriously, Adam does all that while I'm in the kitchen. So here is what I came up with for our menu last week, dubbed "Girls' Week":

Saturday: Out to dinner (we got dressed up and went to Uno's...which isn't too bad, as chain restaurants go...)

Sunday: "Spanish platter" - chorizo, rosemary Manchego, grilled ciabatta, Serrano ham, grapes, and olives

Monday: Grilled chicken-apple sausages with green salad and grilled bread (I had the salad, Bug had peaches)

Tuesday: Prosciutto and Melon Panini (Bug had a pear, I had more salad) - recipe

Wednesday: Scrambled Eggs with Herbed Croutons (Bug had cantaloupe, I ate more of those pesky leftover salad greens) - recipe

Thursday: Gnocchi with Sage and Brown Butter (I also cut up some of the leftover sausages and put them on mine - Bug's had no sage. And did I make fresh gnocchi? Hell to the no. I bought frozen, and it didn't suck at all.)

Friday: "Leftover Night" - Bug had a quesadilla and grapes. I had more of the sausages with gnocchi

And my life partner returned at 1 a.m. on Friday night/Saturday morning.

Eat, drink, and cheers to family!

Note: Where I linked to no recipe, I just made it up. No recipe, no measurements. I dressed the salad each night with about a teaspoon of mustard, salt and pepper, a tablespoon of olive oil, and about a half-tablespoon of vinegar (one night it was balsamic, another night white wine...I changed it up). Again, though, I didn't actually measure - I just kept tasting, tasting, tasting.

My Weekend in Pictures

All you New Yorkers will understand...I was in heaven this past weekend.  It was our first truly sunny weekend...sunny enough for a California girl like me to get her fix.  It was all about the food, the sun, and Central Park for me.  Here's a glimpse:

The first Lillet with lemon of the season!

Grilled shrimp, grilled asparagus, grilled bread...it's a theme!

Me with my new short haircut...I got about 4 inches chopped off earlier that day.

After 2 years of talking big, I finally planted herbs on our balcony!

Our picnic lunch: crostini with roasted garlic, New York blue cheese, and salami; dried apricots and grapes (all Central Park photos taken with my phone - forgive me!)

Bug eating a popsicle at the children's playground in Central Park

Tulips at the carousel in Central Park

Balloons at the Central Park carousel

Sunday night's dinner: Roma tomatoes, rosemary ciabatta, roasted garlic, buffalo mozzarella, basil, salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar.  Toss.  Eat.

It was a phenomenal weekend.

Eat, drink, and cheers to a new season.

Christmas Day menu

This Christmas Day it will be only Adam, Kiddo, and me.  If you knew both our extended families, you would know how strange this is going to feel – I’m so used to having lots of family around and lots of noise. 

Luckily, we have our urban family.  In particular, we have Lori and Josh.  They actually do have family in town for the holidays, but they have graciously invited us to join them for dinner on Christmas Day.  I feel completely blessed to have a chosen family with whom I can share my daily joys and trials…and with whom I share endless amounts of food.

 Josh is a skilled gourmand, and some of my favorite meals have been at his table.  So he’s putting in about twelve hours of cooking between tomorrow and Christmas Day to create a veritable feast for all of us.  Check out the menu:

String beans and pecans, roasted, tossed with goat cheese and dried cranberries
Roasted squash and sweet potato soup with blue cheese drizzle
Slow-roasted ham with brown sugar glaze
Homemade noodles
Roasted broccoli w/ garlic, lemon, and parmesan
Roasted new potatoes with rosemary and thyme
Mac 'n' cheese with shiitake and cremini mushrooms and truffle oil
Cranberry sauce

Apple pie
Lemon-meringue pie
Salty White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

We’re bringing two bottles of Rioja to drink with dinner, recommended by the trustworthy folks at Chelsea Wine Vault (I was thinking Pinot Noir or Côtes du Rhône…I was shocked when Adam came home with Rioja).  Adam is beer shopping at Whole Foods and he’ll bring a couple bottles that compliment the meal.  Kiddo…well, Kiddo is hopefully bringing her more adventurous eating personality.  The one that wolfs down smoked salmon and clams…rather than the one that won’t touch a speck of parsley.  Here’s hoping!

Happy holidays to all of you!  And the very best in 2009!

Thanksgiving: In Photos

Lest you read my previous post and think that I didn't document everything about Thanksgiving, I am here to reassure you that I took LOTS of pictures (or Adam did).  Here was our menu:

- Pork Loin Roast with Chestnuts (from The French Kitchen)

- Apple-Turnip Mashed Potatoes (from Southern Living)

- Wild Rice with Roasted Grapes and Walnuts (from Bon Appétit)

- Blackberry Crisp (the Soul Twin brought frozen wild blackberries

 that she gathered herself and used them in place of the apples in Ina Garten's recipe from Barefoot Contessa's Parties)

Now I'm going to let the photos speak for themselves:

For goodness sake, I have the most ridiculous hair!

"Would you like some fresh ground pepper with that?"

"Oh, honey, I think we could ALL use some fresh pepper."

(My eternal love if you know where this line is from)

The finished product.  Think we're a fancy schmancy family?  Check out the plastic wine glass with water for Kiddo.  You gotta agree that un-glams the table a bit!

I swear, this looked much more beautiful in person!

The motley crew (bottom left, clockwise): my other husband, the Soul Twin, Kiddo, yours truly, and the Husband.

Eat, drink, and happy holidays!

All Ina Week continued...

Continuing my All Ina All Week thread, here was Tuesday night's dinner: Bay Scallop Gratin.  Here is the result:

As I mentioned before, my local fish monger only had sea scallops but Ina said you can use those and just quarter them - that worked great.  Ina asks for a tablespoon of Pernod, but I didn't have any Pernod on hand so I just used white wine instead - I have 2-3 recipes that call for Pernod...and even then, each recipe only calls for 1-2 tbsp of it.  And I can't justify a $25 bottle of liquor for that, especially when substituting wine works great.  So no Pernod.

My last comment is that I don't feel like my topping got crispy and toasted enough.  What happened was that I needed to put it under the broiler for two minutes, per Ina's instruction.  But I got jumpy - I've destroyed soooooo many things under that damn broiler.  It's an inferno from which few dishes have survived.  So I turned the setting to "low" instead of "high."  It was under there for 3 minutes, and I was still unhappy with the topping.  However, I was fearful that I was going to waaaaay overcook the scallops.  So you have the photo above.

We had a fun time debating which was better: the scallops themselves...or the bread dipped in the juices*.  It was a toss-up.  Overall, it was another success: the flavor was rich without being cloying (yay, lemon!) and the portions were the perfect size.  It was immensely satisfying.

Eat, drink, and all hail Ina!

* Ina called for a crusty French bread, but I used the fresh ciabatta I had on hand.  It worked swell.

NOTE: In the dish and with dinner, I used Mezzacorona 2007 Chardonnay from Italy (specifically in the foothills of the Dolomites).  While it was fairly oaky on its own, it was balanced and light with the dish.  Great pairing.

First recipe from Ina's new cookbook? Success!

As I mentioned earlier, I bought Ina Garten's new cookbook last week, but I wasn't able to incorporate the new recipes into my repertoire until tonight.  So tonight, and for the next three nights, it's All Ina, All the Time.  

For tonight, I made Mâche with Warm Brie and Apples.  Here are the lovely results:

I've never been able to find mâche at my local store so I tried using frisee instead, but that didn't work too well.  I'll probably just use baby arugula next time, if I still can't find mâche.  Other than this, I didn't change anything from Ina's instructions.  Drizzle some honey and sprinkle the pistachios over the Brie and bake it at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes.  Toss the greens with balsamic and extra-virgin olive oil.  Toast bread.  Slice Granny Smith.  Fifteen minutes later...voila!  Really, if I can do it, I know you can!  And for Kiddo, I substituted a bunch of grapes for the salad.  

For the rest of the week, here's the Barefoot Contessa menu:

Tuesday: Bay Scallops Gratins (my local fish monger only had sea scallops but Ina says I can just quarter them)

Wednesday: French Bistro Steaks with Provençal Butter (Kiddo is having "Kid's Night" and we're having "Adult Dinner"...which means we eat after she goes to bed...woo hoo!)

Thursday: Pasta with Pecorino and Pepper.

Oh, it's going to be a damn fine week in the Lutz household.  

I do have to share one tidbit about the new BC cookbook: she finally took note and made some recipes with smaller serving sizes, not as much of this 6-8 servings nonsense.  She does still have them, but there are quite a few of the 4-serving recipes.  Much friendlier to the small family who doesn't host dinner parties in the Hamptons.

Eat, drink, and be assured that any recipe with Brie is usually a good one