FamilyFood

Creamy Brussels Sprouts

When Mary Tsao mentioned the creamy brussels sprouts the first time, I sat up and took notice. When she mentioned them a second time, I knew I would be making them ASAP.

ASAP was last night. I cooked up two pounds of sprouts and Bunny, my five-year-old brussels sprouts freak, ate about a pound and a half of them. Next time I think I'll double the recipe and that'll be dinner along with a loaf of crusty bread.

They were creamy and cheesy and nutty and in a word: gooooooooood.

20 minute meal: Japanese Yellow Curry

Curry and rice is nice...and would be even better with a side of kimchi.

Japanese yellow curry is one of those comfort foods that reminds me of my childhood. A steaming-hot bowl of curry and rice just hits the spot sometimes. Thankfully, it's easy to make using boxed curry which contain bricks of curry paste. I like S&B or Vermont brands, available at any Japanese store and some well-stocked supermarkets in the Asian section.

Just add water, protein (chicken, beef, shrimp, tofu) and veggies + the curry mix and you are done. This curry is also wonderful atop udon (with or without broth) or even over spaghetti (a Hawaii thing.)

Put on a pot of rice, and by the time that's done, so is the curry. Just follow the directions on the box.

Pappardelle with Tartufata (Truffle sauce)

Tonight's dinner was a meal that came together in about 5 minutes once the pappardelle was boiled. 

Tartufata is definitely not something we eat everyday, but it makes such an easy and delicious pasta sauce (or bruschetta topping) that it's a no-brainer when you have guests or just want to cook something special for no reason.

I wanted tonight's dinner to be special because I had just been gone for 3 days at BlogHer and I wanted to make something yummy for my family (esp. after eating all that conference food.)

I used to bring tartufata back from Italy, but you can now find it in Italian specialty shops here in the states. To make the pasta:

• Cook 2 8-oz. packages of pappardelle until al dente. Drain and reserve about 2 tbsps of pasta water.
• Toss pappardelle with 3/4 of a stick of butter and 1/2 to a full jar of tartufata (depending on your taste).
• Use the pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed (using warmed cream is good, too.) Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
• Top with grated pecorino romano and a sprinkling of finely chopped parsley. Serve at once.

Serves 4-5

Pasta with fresh white corn, heirloom tomatoes, and herbs

This is that salad that everyone makes in the summertime. I just love fresh (raw) corn, just off the cob, and summer tomatoes together.  When I want to make it into a heartier main dish or side, I add pasta to it, and perhaps some cheese (crumbled sheep's milk chevre is wonderful in this).

The tomatoes (especially the Green Zebras) were so outstanding that I didn't add cheese to it. I didn't want to take away from their sweetness.  I simply dressed the pasta with olive oil, salt and pepper and tossed it with the tomatoes and corn which I seasoned separately with salt, pepper, olive oil, and a splash of white balsamic vinegar. The final touch was the addition of freshly pick oregano and Italian and Thai basil, all of which I grow in pots on my patio.

We had company and I served this alongside grilled chicken paillard. It was a match made in heaven. It tasted so good sitting outside in our backyard sipping wine and chatting with our guest.  We had leftovers of both so I just chopped the chicken into the pasta and we ate it the next day for lunch.

Scenes from a Sunday dinner

We had my brother's family for dinner tonight while he attended a work thing up in SF. It was the perfect night for grilling up a Sunday night dinner. On the menu: Meeeeeat (New York Strips and Top Sirloin) and grilled veggies.

My favorite part of the dinner was the vegetables. J. was in charge of the meats and I have to say, I am a die-hard rib-eye girl. Once you go rib-eye you never go back, and the strips and sirloin, though flavorful, were no match for the buttery tenderness that I'm used to. I'll be buying the steaks from now on.

I call this: "Duke" (our nickname for our grill) and Cecil Brunners.

Potatoes and peppers.

setting the table.

grilled fennel and buttergold potato planks

a whole mess o' grilled veggies

just a drizzle of olive oil and they're done.

grilled asparagus

the steaks.

Eat Local Challenge: Pasta with Meyer Lemon, Spinach and Walnuts

Towards the end of the week we were ready for some pasta. The lemons, spinach and walnuts were local, and when added to the pasta and cheese, gave this dish a substantial bite. The slight bitterness of the toasted walnuts (which I toast in my toaster oven) was offset by the creamyness of the feta.  And the addition of fresh spinach leaves made it seemed like you were getting a salad along with!

Toss the ingredients below (feta, chopped, toasted walnuts, spinach) with hot pasta, the juice of two Meyer lemons, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Roasted Cauliflower, Fennel, and Garlic Soup

Soup is the favorite way my husband likes to eat cauliflower, with roasted running a close second. That inspired me to create this soup for dinner last night. The normally pungent fennel goes all sweet and creamy in this soup.  Roasting mellows its flavor just as it does garlic. I served it with warm, whole grain bread and local butter.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER, FENNEL, AND GARLIC SOUP

1 head cauliflower, remove core, break into florets
1 fennel bulb, white part only, trimmed and cut into chunks
6 unpeeled cloves of garlic
olive oil
unsalted butter
6 cups of water or broth
2 waxy potatoes scrubbed and chunked (I never peel them for soup)
heavy cream, milk, half n half or unsweetened soy milk (about a cup)
salt and pepper

Place cauliflower, fennel, and garlic in roasting pan. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 375º for about 45 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned.

Peel garlic and then transfer squeezed garlic and veggies to soup pot and saute in olive oil and a little butter for about 10 minutes.

Add water or broth and potatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft skimming any foam as needed. Puree with a stick blender (see side bar) then add cream to taste until soup is silky. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Eat Local Challenge Weekly Menu (Finally)

A little late, but this morning I took the girls to the park, sat in the sun, and made my menu. 

Note: breakfasts have been mainly cereal (an exception) and local milk or toast with jam and butter. I did pick up some local bacon and eggs but haven't made those yet.

Tuesday

Lunch: Pesto and provolone sandwiches, Raw English Shelling peas, apples (exceptions: provolone, bread*)
Dinner: Roasted Cauliflower, Fennel, and Garlic Soup, Crusty whole grain bread + butter (exceptions: bread*)

Wednesday

Lunch: Pasta with Spinach, lemon, and feta (exceptions: pasta, feta)
Dinner: Chicken Paillard (California, may not be within 100 mi), roasted asparagus, fennel/orange salad

Thursday

Lunch:  Zucchine frittata or cous cous (an exception)
Dinner: Either Gypsy Soup or Local Sausage and Yam soup, sauteed English peas, crusty bread

Friday

Lunch: leftovers of some sort.

My mom is coming into town for the weekend so the challenge for us will have to end on Friday. Since we are staying with her in San Francisco for the weekend, I'm hoping it won't be too hard to find locally grown/made ingredients  in our restaurant meals.

P.S. Saturday night's dinner is at a super-fancy and yummy restaurant and I am too too excited.  I will report back, for sure!

*bread is locally made though not sure where flour is from

Matzo Brei

Our quick lunch today was a savory Matzo Brei.  It's the only way Bunny, my four-year-old, will eat eggs...which is fine because in this family, we all love to eat it. This recipe is probably not "traditional," but it works for us.

MATZO BREI

• 2 sheets of unsalted matzo, soaked in hot water until soft and squeezed
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• a pat of unsalted butter and a glug of olive oil
• 4 eggs, whipped (add a splash of milk or water if you like)
• salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in butter and oil over medium heat until translucent. Add squeezed matzo and fry until slightly crisp. Pour in eggs. Salt and pepper to taste. Scramble until soft but set (or cook like a frittata making a big "pancake.") I served this with sliced avocado and canteloupe balls on the side.  Serves 3-4.

Creamy Chile Cheese Polenta

This is one of my kids' favorite meals. It combines everything they love to eat—cheese, corn, and polenta—in one dish. (My older daughter picks out the green chiles but my toddler eats them.) I serve this along side a green salad for an easy weeknight meal, but it could easily be a side dish for a Tex-Mex meal or an accompaniment to grilled chicken, pork, or shrimp.

CREAMY CHILE CHEESE POLENTA

• 3 cups of liquid (water, broth, milk, or a combo; I use half water, half 1% milk)
• salt
• 1 cup of polenta (not the quick cooking kind, hit up your bulk foods section of your grocery store)
• unsalted butter (I used half a stick, you can use less)
• 1 small can of roasted diced green chiles
• 1 bag of frozen corn
• 2 good handfuls of grated cheddar cheese (or whatever you like)

Preheat oven to 325º.

Bring salted liquid to boil in a medium, heavy-bottomed pan. Slowly sprinkle in the polenta while stirring constantly. This should take 5-7 minutes. (Reduce heat to low, watch out for bubbling exploding polenta.)

Stir until polenta is incorporated with the liquid then add butter. Mix well, then add the chiles and corn.

Heat that through (about 3-5 minutes) then add cheese, reserving some for the top. Remove from hear (polenta will not be cooked through, that's okay.) Stir quickly then turn the mixture out into a greased glass Pyrex dish (prefereably with a cover) or similar pan. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cover (or cover tightly with foil). Bake for 35-45 minutes until mixture is bubbly.

For kids, let cool slightly before serving. For adults, pass the Cholula hot sauce.

Just about to go into the oven:

Ready to serve:

[recipe and photos: Stefania Pomponi Butler]