i did.

Well, here I am again, on the other side of the coin. I’m not prepared to or particularly inclined to write a big post about the wedding itself, the details, the dress, the vows or the sheer, palpable joy of it all. This is, after all, a blog about food, not weddings. But it is also a blog about me and my life and I can’t just roll back up here makin’ soup and act like I didn’t just have the best day of my life, because: DUDES, I did.



I think that part of the reason I’m hesitant to write about it is because in no way could I cobble together sentences that even remotely did it justice. I don’t know how to describe how on your wedding day you feel calm and present and happy and more connected to your spouse than ever before, because maybe not everybody feels that way. But I’ll count us as lucky because that’s exactly how we felt.



So now that we’ve taken the plunge and the big day is done, now that by the power vested in my brother by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts we have become, on the books, an US, maybe I can also get back to being me and not just a bride-to-be. Which is sort of great, because I really missed having spare time and I certainly missed doing the things that make me, me. Like actually having time to think about groceries, make a proper dinner and spend a rainy afternoon in early October making a creamy and delicious soup: it’s good to be back.



CAULIFLOWER, POTATO, LEEK SOUP 
with CRISPY FRIED LEEKS 

1 head cauliflower, cored and roughly chopped
2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large leek, thinly sliced (white and light green part only)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (32 oz.) containers chicken or vegetable stock
2-3 tbs. olive oil 2 tbs. butter, divided A few whole pink peppercorns* (about 7-10)
Kosher salt
Pepper
1 tsp. red wine vinegar

*If you don’t have pink peppercorns use just a few (4 or 5) whole black peppercorns



Heat olive oil and 1 tbs. butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté leeks in oil and butter until fragrant for about 5 minutes; add garlic and cook, stirring frequently for another minute or two. Add potatoes and cauliflower to pot, season with salt and pepper and cover with chicken stock- you will not use BOTH containers, rather, more like one and a half. Save the rest in the fridge for future use.



Raise heat to high and bring soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until cauliflower and potatoes are tender (about 15-20 minutes). Remove from burner and puree with an immersion blender. Alternately, if you don’t have an immersion blender, let soup cool for a few minutes and puree in batches in a blender. Take caution: hot liquids expand so be careful! Return pureed soup to pot and turn heat on underneath to medium low. Taste and adjust seasonings: soup like this needs quite a bit of salt, at least for my taste buds, so really, don’t be shy. Add red wine vinegar and remaining pat of butter and stir in completely. Taste again and adjust seasonings if necessary.



FOR CRISPY FRIED LEEKS:

These are a completely optional garnish and not really necessary. But before you ignore them entirely you should know this: crispy fried leeks taste like tiny, baby Funyons, and that is not at all a bad thing. If making, reserve a few raw leeks and separate the slices into little circles, like teeny, tiny onion rings (aww).

Heat about ½ inch of oil and 2 pats of butter in a small pan over medium high heat until very hot. Add leeks and let fry until golden brown, scoop out of oil and place on a paper towel to drain, sprinkle with salt. Garnish a cup or bowl of soup with a sprinkle of these little guys for texture. Be careful making these because you’re essentially shallow frying them and working with a bunch of oil at high heat is always a little scary in a home kitchen (at least for me, but I am a known wimp).

the bigness of it all

Yesterday morning I stood in my kitchen, with greasy hair, a cold cup of coffee, hunched over my counter top with a paint brush in my hand and I thought to myself: I am my father's daughter.

On Tuesday afternoon I used the word "shitfaced" in a conference call with my photographer and I spent 99% of my wedding budget on the food: I am my mother's daughter.

And come Sunday morning, when all is said and done, I will be Paul's wife. And this is a big thing. The bigness of which is not at all lost on me. So while I'll ask you to forgive me for my absence in the kitchen in the past few months, and my relatively few and far between posts here on the blog. I have been busy, ironing out the little things, the "details" as they say. But the big thing, the biggest thing of all was sorted out some time ago. From the first meal I ever cooked him, to the last lunch I made as his girlfriend, not yet his wife, choosing this man to spend my life with is a very big deal and none of that is lost on me. So now the details are set and the day is almost here and seriously, I'm just really, really excited to get this show on the road. It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time. Wish us luck!

inbreadable

I’m not sure I have anything clever to say about these recipes. I’m actually not even sure that my brain is working right now at all. I just tried to do two spreadsheets. If you know anything about me, you know that doing spreadsheets at 8:00 a.m. is not exactly my proverbial cup of tea. Heck, I don’t even drink tea. Well, that’s a lie, I just had some tea this morning because we’re out of coffee filters and I have to make a special trip to get coffee filters, because of course I have some stupid gourmet coffee pot that only sells the filters online or at Whole Foods. That Folgers Crystals guy in the commercial with the French press, well, he would really hate me.

 

Anyways, where was I? Ah yes, my under developed baby brain that’s not working too much these days. Let me use it to tell you about food. These two recipes here were dinner on a weeknight last week. It’s the time of summer when the mornings are a little cooler and there are backyard tomatoes everywhere. If you can, make this salad with tomatoes picked from someone’s yard because it’s kind of fun and old fashioned and they taste like pure sunshine. These kinds of tomatoes can be eaten with just a sprinkle of salt, but of course, my job as a food lover and purveyor of recipes is to bulk fresh ingredients up and make them more delicious and more fattening (right? That’s what we’re all looking for, yes?).



So instead of a straight tomato salad, I added a bunch of big giant, crusty croutons for a panzanella, because everything can be improved with lots more bread. And then to the pasta, which I kind of threw together based on something I had heard of once, I added a bunch of buttery toasted breadcrumbs. I essentially turned a simple weeknight meal into a carbo load- as though we were planning on running a cross country race the next day or something. If you have seen the Tim and Eric* movie (which I might be isolating all readers that aren’t high school aged boys here/ revealing to you confirmation that I am a 32 year old woman with the sense of humor of a 13 year old boy) there’s a scene where they go out to dinner at a restaurant called Inbreadables and there is bread in absolutely everything. Like you dip your bread into breadcrumb spread and your fork and knife are made of breadsticks and it’s bread as far as the eye can see- truly, imbreadable- get it? Anyways, Paul and I were laughing as we ate dinner because this meal was essentially my version of a Wednesday night trip to Inbreadables. And it was also totally easy, cheap and delicious, and came together in about 20 minutes- so if I do say so myself I think this meal was pretty imbreadable indeed.

*Tim and Eric are ridiculous, surreal, silly and as my mom would say “very fresh.”



CLASSIC PANZANELLA

Tomatoes, preferably from someone’s backyard
A few slices of good quality, day old bread
Basil leaves
Arugula
¼ red onion, diced
Boiling water
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Pinch sugar
Dijon mustard
Salt
Pepper



Preheat oven to 375. Chop bread into crouton sized cubes and toss with olive oil and sea salt on a cookie sheet. Set to toast in the oven 15-20 minutes, turning once. Remove pan and let cool. Meanwhile, Dice onion and pour boiling water over. Let sit until cool, drain and set onion aside.



Slice your tomatoes over your salad bowl to catch any juicy drippings; cut them into bite sized chunks. Toss croutons with tomatoes and their juice, salt and pepper generously. In a jar or small bowl combine red wine vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk olive oil in a steady stream to emulsify- or use my preferred method- combine in a jar, clamp the lid on and shake like the Dickens (no pun intended). Tear basil leaves from stems and add, along with a few handfuls of arugula to your salad bowl. Add onion and a drizzle of dressing. Toss together well, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve immediately.



INBREADABLE PASTA

One jar good quality Italian tuna, in olive oil
Fresh flat leaf parsley
Breadcrumbs
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Crushed red pepper
Parmesan cheese

½ box pasta, prepared according to package instructions (I love cavatappi if you can find it, but this would also taste great with straight up spaghetti).


Bring pasta water to a boil, salt generously and add pasta. Cook until al dente, according to package instructions. While the pasta cooks heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and toast, until golden brown. Drain tuna from oil and coarsely chop, add to pan and stir together. When pasta is ready drain, reserving ½ cup pasta water. Toss pasta with tuna and breadcrumbs, add salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of the reserved pasta cooking water. Toss together thoroughly, remove from heat and sprinkle with lots of parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley.

bright as yellow

At this time of year, I'm wont to put corn in anything I can feasibly jam it. An ear of fresh local corn is a treat in and of itself. Boiled up with a bit of butter and a lot of salt and pepper there is hardly a more worthy summer side dish that I could choose. I love fresh corn kernels added to pretty much anything, bringing in a bright little burst of sweetness and a bit of texture. What I love about corn is it actually tastes bright, just like it looks- it tastes yellow. And yellow is so fun!



I saw a similar salad made with Israeli cous cous at a Mediterranean sandwich place I like to go to every now and then (if you have a hard time finding farro, feel free to substitute that). Corn, mushrooms, chives: that was it. It sounded so appealing in its simplicity but a little inspired in its choice of ingredients. This is a delightful side dish and I just can’t wait to make up another batch. I wish I had time to do so today.



FARRO SALAD with FRESH CORN,
ROASTED MUSHROOMS and CHIVES

2-3 cups farro, cooked according to package instructions
2 ears fresh corn
½ lb. cremini mushrooms, cleaned and diced
1 bunch chives, minced
Juice from one lemon
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
Salt and fresh cracked pepper



Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook farro in boiling salted water, according to package instructions (about 20-25 minutes). While the farro is cooking, clean and stem your mushrooms and cut into equal sized chunks. Toss on a baking sheet with a splash of vinegar and a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper. Set to roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.



Peel, shuck and cook corn however you choose. You can toss the cobs on the grill, quickly char them over an open flame or do what I did: toss them into the boiling farro water for 7 minutes and then pluck them out. Once the corn is cool, cut the kernels from the cobs and set into a medium sized bowl. When the mushrooms are ready, pull them out and spoon them into the bowl, adding a splash of their accumulated cooking liquid.



Remove farro from heat, drain and rinse with cold water. Add to your bowl the farro, chives and ½ the lemon juice. Toss together well, add a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more lemon juice if it seems dry. Serve at room temperature or chilled.



This salad would make an excellent side dish for sandwiches or a healthy accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish. I also love to toss a few spoonfuls on a simple mixed green salad to bulk it up a bit.

plenty

I’ll spare you the same old boring chit chat as last time about how quickly this summer is going by and just cut to the chase. It’s probably looking like 3 posts a month until I become a human again and cease being a Bride. Until then, spare time willingly co-opted, cooking relatively sparse, when I do show up around this old corner of the internet, I’ll probably be a little less wordy, but still bring plenty of food. I’m sure everyone is fine with that.



And plenty of food is what I’ve got here. This is a “drop off dish” if I’ve ever seen one. A delicious, satisfying casserole that’s perfect for making ahead of time and freezing, or delivering to your friend that just had a baby, or moved, or anyone that’s in need of a nice meal really. And a nice meal it is. Packed with all the best summer vegetables it’s savory and satisfying and sneakily very healthy. I wanted to make a baked pasta inspired by ratatouille to take advantage of all the summer vegetables. This here’s what I ended up with and I must say it came out real nice. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to do a CSI report on the RSVP card which came back with no name but an “X” next to “delightfully accepts.” If this is you and your reading this blog, please identify yourself immediately, there might just be a baked pasta casserole in it for you.



BAKED PASTA with RATATOUILLE SAUCE

1 white or yellow onion, minced
1 small zucchini, quartered and thinly sliced
2 small summer squash, quartered and thinly sliced
2 Japanese or graffiti eggplant, diced
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and minced
1 tbs. tomato paste
1 small can pureed tomatoes
¼ cup olive oil, divided
1 box dried penne, elbows or cavatappi

3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
2-3 sprigs thyme
Salt, pepper
½ tsp. crushed red pepper
1 pinch sugar

Grated parmesan cheese
1 bag shredded mozzarella or Italian style blend
Fresh flat leaf parsley
Fresh basil



Preheat oven to 400. Heat half of olive oil in a large braising pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until fragrant and translucent, about 5 minutes. While the onion heats, toss your diced eggplant with a generous sprinkle of salt and set in a colander in the sink to drain. Add the summer squash, zucchini and minced garlic to the pan, drizzling in a touch more oil if it seems dry. Salt and pepper and reduce heat to medium-low, continue stirring occasionally. Set a large pot of water to boil on the stove.



Toss eggplant on a cookie sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Set pan to roast in the oven, stirring once or twice, for about 20-25 minutes. While the eggplant roasts, add to your pan the minced roasted red peppers, tomato paste and pureed tomatoes. Add a generous amount of salt, pepper, the crushed red pepper, whole garlic cloves and your thyme sprigs. Bring the heat up so that the mixture comes to a boil then reduce to low and let simmer until the eggplant is finished roasting. Reduce oven heat to 375.



Once the eggplant is done, toss the lot of it right into your pan, stirring everything together. Taste and adjust seasonings. I found mine needed quite a bit of salt and a pinch of sugar because of all the raw vegetables involved. Let the mixture simmer on medium low heat so the flavors can come together while you make the pasta. Just before adding the pasta fish the sprigs of thyme out of the pan and add a bit of fresh chopped basil and parsley, reserving a bit of parsley to garnish on the finished dish.



At this point, your pasta water should be ready to roll: salt the water generously and add pasta. Let the pasta cook for about 5-7 minutes. It will not be fully cooked, but the ends of the pasta should be white.



Drain pasta and add to sauce, tossing together (did I mention you need a very large braising pan or Dutchie here?). In addition, add 1/3 of your shredded cheese, toss together well, add the next 1/3 reserving the last of the cheese for sprinkling on top. Lightly oil a baking dish and spoon the pasta mixture in, top with remaining cheese. Set to bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with a simple salad for a hearty meal with a deceiving amount of healthy vegetables tucked inside

crisp, cool and crunchy

I have to confess here. I am currently sitting in a Starbucks ticky tapping away on my laptop while I’m writing this. I’m even drinking a green tea. It’s like I hardly even recognize myself any more. I swore on all that is holy that I would never be a Laptop Loiterer working sucking up all the wifi and the best seat (on the couch next to the outlet with the footstool-score!) but truth be told this is Dickens multitasking at its most ridiculous.

I feel as though I am living in a time warp right now. Where I wake up on Monday morning wondering how I will possibly get All The Things done this week and by the time I’m done scratching the sleep out of my eyes it’s Thursday night and I’m like “Say wait a sec., did I post a blog this week? Did I cook anything this week?” So bear with me on my timing this summer. It’s not you, it’s me and it’s the time warp that happens when you need more time but none is forthcoming.

But you know what? It’s sooooo boring to talk about being busy and it’s even boring-er to talk about the weather but hey, speaking of the weather, hot enough for ya?? (I needed a segue) Cooking is for the birds in this kind of heat wave and summer in general is a season that more lends itself more to simple assembly rather than actually cooking. Fortunately, the food of the season cooperates. As I drove home for lunch yesterday afternoon I knew that I needed food and that I needed said food to be crisp, cool and crunchy. But also healthy, because it’s Tuesday and I should at least try to be healthy on Tuesdays, so that I can take down burgers and ice creams on Sundays. This is what’s called a balanced diet.

SUMMER VEGETABLE BRUSCHETTA 
(inspired by this salad)


1 cucumber 
1 bunch radishes
1 or 2 ears fresh corn
Approx. ½ - ¾ cup mixed fresh herbs, I used: basil, chives and mint
½ cup Feta cheese
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Juice from one lemon
Salt and pepper


Multigrain bread, large slices, or a baguette cut into ½ inch slices* 
1 or 2 peeled garlic cloves 


Store bought hummus (optional)

Peel, quarter lengthwise and slice your cucumber into thin slices. Wash the radishes thoroughly, trim the ends and thinly slice into tiny circles. Cook the corn however you choose and once cooled, cut the kernels from the cob. As always, I choose to char it over an open flame because it takes the least amount of time and tastes great.

Combine all of your veggies in a medium-sized bowl. Trim and chop the herbs and add to bowl as well. I used equal parts chives and basil and then a little bit of mint but really any fresh herbs would work well here and scallions would stand in perfectly for the chives if that happens to be what you have on hand. Likewise, any crisp, fresh raw vegetable would work here, I just happened to want cukes, radish and corn, but you could use fresh green beans, snap peas or carrots even.

Crumble feta on top and drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt. Grind in a good amount of fresh cracked pepper and toss together to combine. Taste and add a bit more seasoning or lemon juice if necessary.

Cut a multigrain baguette into slices, or use sliced bread that you have on hand. Toast until well browned and while it’s nice and hot rub a clove of garlic over. If you’d like to use the hummus, spread a thin layer on the toast after it’s been rubbed with garlic and spoon the salad on top. If not using, skip this step and spoon the vegetables right onto your garlic toasts. Serve immediately.

Truthfully, I could take or leave the hummus and I’m the type of person that will ALWAYS take the hummus. Seriously, hummus is like currency in our house and we mainline hummus like it’s some sort of serum of eternal youth. And truth be told we DO always get ID’d when we’re together even though we are both at least ten years over the legal age, so maybe there’s something to that. Hummus= eternal youth. The Dickens’ scoop: you heard it here first. ANYWAYS, I’m off track, so I thought maybe this salad would need a little jazzing up, hence, I added hummus to one of my toasts and left the other unhummused. Verdict: it’s seriously delicious either way. The hummus adds a little texture and tang, but without it, the taste of lemon juice and bright herbs really stand out, so it’s totally your call.

*This would make a phenomenal summer appetizer. If I were making it for a crowd I would make small bruschetta toasts. In this case for a lunch main course, I used larger slices of multigrain bread. 

red, white and rosé

I am, admittedly, a wee bit obsessed with rosé. I will talk about it passionately with anyone who will listen because I am determined that the world know how refreshing and delicious it is (in addition to being so very pretty). Rosé is refreshing and easy to drink but has a touch more complexity than your typical white wine. Not that I don’t like a cold glass of white, I am a Caucasian female: we’re pretty much programmed to pound the stuff. But my warm weather weekends almost always involve a chilled bottle of pretty pink wine (or two).



I knew for 4th of July that I wanted to make a punch to: a) use our radical new punch bowl; b) use up the delicious Sweet Cherry Simple Syrup I made last week; and, c) have enough hooch in it to make us sufficiently warm and fuzzy because nothing to me says “Happy Birthday America” like a cool buzz, some smoked meats and some mother loving fireworks. Tonight I plan on having all three and I wish you the same. Happy 4th.



RED, WHITE and ROSE PUNCH

(for one)

½-¾ cup chilled rose wine
Juice from half a lemon
1-2 oz. Sweet Cherry Simple Syrup
Ice
Seltzer

Frozen cherries
Slicced lemons

Fill a rocks glass or stem less wine glass with ice. Drizzle in Cherry Syrup, add the lemon juice and rose; stir together to combine well. Top off with seltzer. Garnish with frozen cherries or any other fruit (peaches or strawberries would also taste great). Serve immediately and repeat until feeling sufficiently patriotic.



(for a crowd)

2 bottles chilled rose wine
Juice from 2 lemons
½ - ¾ cup* Sweet Cherry Simple Syrup
1/3 container frozen lemonade concentrate (like Minute Maid)
1 ½ liters seltzer
Frozen cherries, lemon slices, or any other fresh cut fruit for color and garnish

Combine Cherry Syrup, lemon juice, frozen lemonade and rose in a large pitcher or punch bowl; stir together to combine well, add the cherries and any other fruit. Set in the fridge until ready to serve, anywhere from an hour to overnight. When ready, fill pitcher or bowl with ice and top off with seltzer. You can also use less seltzer for a more concentrated punch; or, if you’re a real boozehound use a bottle of Prosecco or Cava instead (no judgment here, I think it’s a swell idea).

*(the amount depends on how sweet you want your finished punch, add it to taste)