I am whole-heartedly done with winter. Valentine’s Day or not, It is yet another grey, still cold day outside and, though some form of strenuous exercise definitely feels warranted, my instinct is to hunker back down under the covers with the cats and watch something that has no bearing on the occasion. Unfortunately, my instinct is also to do so with a steaming mug of proper hot cocoa clutched in my hand, which is on the “verboten” list...
Not forbidden to me, thank goodness, are any of the ingredients used in this week’s menu, which I hope will be a gustatorily exciting one. Last week’s menu was, if not exactly a dud, not as inspiring as what we ate the week before. The Kombu Brined Chicken I made was a thing of golden beauty, but L. didn’t love how it tasted, and the Sukiyaki that I forgot to photograph was good, but did not quite meet our expectations. That being said, I whole-heartedly recommend the incredibly easy, utterly fragrant and delicious Whole Baked Branzino with Hot Ginger, Scallion and Chili Oil which, as well as being something that you will happily devour, will make your house smell wonderful and draw any teen with whom you cohabit out from behind the permanently shut door of their lair to find out what’s for dinner. Since Valentine’s Day chocolates are off the menu, and I have been craving sweets (which is quite unusual for me), I came up with my own version of the energy balls for which there are hundreds of recipes on the Internet. Though my Oat Balls don’t sound like much on paper, I have been enjoying them and they definitely ease sugar cravings as well as allow for a pantry clean-out.
It is still root vegetable and cabbage season, but I continue to try to rise to the challenge and come up with new and interesting ways to prepare them, within the confines of my new dietary restrictions, the ones with which I am starting to bore you... L. and I will definitely be doing a bit of armchair traveling this week with dishes inspired by those from Korea to Gambia, with detours through the Indian subcontinent and nods to both China and Japan. I am counting on the spices and recipes from all of those locations to cure me of my flagging February weather related doldrums.
I have also continued to do a bit of windowsill gardening while the cold and Covid keep us mostly indoors. CSA boxes are great for this as many vegetables need but a tiny bit of coaxing to send out green shoots. For proof just take a look at my mini turnip top garden in the photo above. And my avocado seed, something that I have never had any success in getting to grow in the past, is now a proper plant in its own right.
You know what? Between the thought of spices and good food, and the small cheer added by indoor gardening and cuddly cats and the prospect of The Godfather movies (I and II, not III), and counting my blessings which are many, maybe I will just ignore today’s nearly white sky, the cold, and my own grouchiness and rise to today’s occasion after all. Should I make L.’s dinner popovers in the shape of little hearts? Maybe not. The shock of it all might drive him back into his room until the day he leaves for college...
This Week's CSA box contained:
Herbs: --
Greens: a large bunch of collard greens, a baggie of Romaine leaves and a huge head of lettuce
Alliums: a head of garlic and a couple of yellow onions
Vegetables: Yet another cabbage, a huge head of bok choi (as far as I am concerned cabbage by another name), a couple of Jerusalem artichokes, a mess of carrots, a bunch of leeks, a large baggie of pea shoots, a punnet of Brussels sprouts, a large celery root, a couple of red beets, two turnips, a gigantic butternut squash and a handful of Austrian Crescent potatoes
Fruit: 6 red apples
Remainders: ½ a bunch of basil, a sweet potato
So, with the addition of the above remainder and some avocadoes and blood oranges (minus whatever I use for lunch) these items will be transformed into:
Sunday “Pantry Roulette”; fridge, freezer, and pantry item dinner]
Green Salad with Austrian Crescent Potatoes, Pumpkin Seeds and Pumpkin Seed Oil Dressing
Grilled Scallops with Green Curry Spinach (from the freezer)
Wheat Germ Popovers
Monday [Wildcard; a more complex or fiddly dish than usual to test my culinary skills]
Bento Dinner:
Steamed Pea Shoots with Ginger
Korean Bok Choi Salad
White Rice for L. / Kaniwa for me
Tuesday [Pasta]
Romaine Salad
Smokey Roasted Root Vegetable, Collard Green and Lentil Ragu with Lentil Rotini for me
Pasta Carbonara with regular pasta for L. 🔁
Wednesday [L.'s choice]
Salade Composée for me
Thursday [Fish]
Silky Leek Salad with Blood Oranges, Spicy Coriander Dressing
Bourbon Glazed Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon
Wild and Brown Rice Pilaf
Friday [Veggie-centric]
Butternut Squash Salad with African Peanut Sauce
Grilled Five Spice Cabbage Wraps
Saturday ["Picnic"; something that is easy to assemble and easy to eat in front of a movie]
Beet, Carrot and Jerusalem Artichoke Salad with Meyer Lemon Dressing
Miso Chicken Wings and Oven Fries for L. 🔁
Oats Upma for me
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