Lunch Slump? Trader Joe's to the Rescue!

I’ve been working from home for the last year and a half. First from my dining room table, resulting in a daily jumble of papers, and then from a small standing desk placed in the only free corner of our small house (now a contained mess!). Being able to do my job remotely is a privilege in and of itself, but the monotony of it sometimes feels endless. Not exactly the best petri dish for growing creativity.

What creativity I do muster is generally directed toward dinner, since that’s the one time of day we reliably sit around the table as a family. But lunch doesn’t get nearly as much attention. So when mid-day hits and I have zero motivation to cook, I’ve come to rely on a few trusty standbys, one being Trader Joe’s Cheese & Green Chile Tamales and their naturally fermented sauerkraut with Persian cucumbers. Sure, it’s quick (3 minutes to be exact), but the combo of soft, hot and cheesy with cold, crunchy and bracing is perfection.

My love of this flavor combination was first sparked by a breakfast my sister made for me more than 20 years ago. She scrambled the fluffiest eggs and broccoli in coconut oil and served it alongside a ruby heap of shredded beet sauerkraut. Oily, soft and rich paired with acidic and fresh - wow, did that make an impression. Every time I make eggs with kimchi or peanut butter toast with soy sauce, Sriracha and fermented pickles or this quick Trader Joe’s lunch, it transports me to that game changing breakfast years ago. It’s funny how food memories revisit us when we least expect it.

I guess what I’m saying is that a satisfying meal doesn’t have to take long, or even require (extensive) cooking. And that rich dishes plus crisp ferments are pure magic.

Italian Salsa Verde

I buy a bunch of fresh parsley and cilantro on almost every shopping trip. The parsley goes into carrot salads, meatballs and on top of pretty much anything coming off the stove. And since we gravitate toward Asian flavors, cilantro has become an indispensable staple. But despite my best efforts, I inevitably end up composting the last bits of wilted herbs that didn't quite make it to the dinner table.

I've always enjoyed a good salsa verde or chimichurri, and theoretically knew that these leftover herbs could be repurposed into something delicious. But I guess it just felt… fussy. Then last month, as winter approached, I deeply craved something herbaceous and bright. In a moment of inspiration, I pulled out my mini food processor and whipped up a simple green sauce in a matter of minutes (the opposite of fussy). I served it alongside crispy oven-roasted potatoes and was astounded at how it made that simple dish come alive. Fresh, bright, green things do that. The kids devoured it, even after the potatoes were long gone. 

If you need a little culinary pick-me-up this winter but don't usually buy fresh parsley, add it to your shopping list with the explicit purpose of making this sauce.

Italian Salsa Verde

This is more of a “no recipe” recipe. Use what you have on hand - all parsley or a mix of fresh herbs (parsley and cilantro is my favorite combo, but basil or a bit of tarragon would be delicious additions). No lemon juice? Add a small splash of red wine vinegar. For a bit of brine or umami, throw in a tablespoon of drained capers or a few anchovy filets, respectively. The sauce tastes spectacular with roasted potatoes, poultry, fish or meat, but also brightens eggs, grilled vegetables and fresh cheeses. I wouldn’t think twice about adding a spoonful to a bowl of vegetable soup either. 

 

1 small garlic clove

1 bunch parsley, or a mix of fresh herbs (see note above) - keep the stems, they have flavor! Just trim off the lowest portion.

¾ cup olive oil, or more as needed

Lemon juice to taste 

Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Smash the garlic clove and place it in a food processor along with the parsley, ½ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and red pepper flakes, if using. Process until a finely minced sauce forms. Depending on the amount of herbs used, you may need to add another ¼ cup or more of olive oil (I regularly need at least ¾ cup per regular bunch of parsley). The sauce should be slick and pourable. Add salt and pepper, taste, and adjust all seasonings as needed.

If you don’t have a food processor, finely chop the parsley and mince the garlic. Transfer to a bowl and mix with remaining ingredients. 

Can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 5 days.

Syrniki (Russian Cheese Pancakes)

Do you know someone who’s a real whiz in the kitchen? Someone who's dinner invitations always guarantee a mouthwatering meal? I’m not talking about a gourmet chef, but someone who simply knows how to put out good, tasty food? That’s our friend Vlad.

He loves to entertain, and his approach is to spoil his guests with a smorgasbord of appetizers: Russian dark bread, cheeses, caviar, smoked fish, garlicky cheese spread, beet salad, etc. His simplest concoctions are often the ones guests continue thinking about long after the party’s over.

Nothing demonstrates this better than his Syrniki, or Russian cheese pancakes. He was responsible for breakfast during a group vacation weekend in Lake Chelan and decided to make his family’s favorite (seriously, they request them every weekend). His American version uses cottage cheese, a simple substitute for the traditional, drier Russian farmer’s cheese that can be hard to find. Traditional Syrniki include a fair amount of sugar (and sometimes vanilla or raisins) to produce a sweet dough, but Vlad’s approach is more flexible. An egg, a little flour and a teaspoon of salt is all that’s needed for the basic recipe, which gets shaped into little cakes and pan fried until crisp on the outside. His family eats theirs drizzled with maple syrup but I suspect they’d be equally delicious with jam. While I do enjoy that sweet-salty interplay, I most often whip up a batch of savory Syrniki for a quick weeknight dinner. My go-to mix-ins include fresh chives or garlic and spinach, but this recipe is ripe for experimentation.

Fried cheese in all its cultural iterations is delicious (think Greek Saganaki, Swiss Malakoff or Indian dry chili paneer), and these cheese pancakes are no different. When it’s Syrniki night and I tell the kids what I’m making, their response is predictably, “Yay!! Cheez-nicky!”

Cottage Cheese Pancakes (Syrniki) – Basic Recipe

Traditionally made with hard-to-find Russian farmer’s cheese, this cottage cheese version comes together easily with a few staple ingredients. The thick batter is shaped into cakes, dusted with flour and pan fried until golden brown. Serve the basic recipe with maple syrup or jam, or try some savory mix-ins.

1 egg

1 lb full fat cottage cheese (I like this one made with milk from pastured cows)

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup flour, divided

Oil for pan frying (I use this one)

Lightly beat the egg in a medium bowl. Add the cottage cheese and salt and mix well. Add a ½ cup of the flour and stir to combine. The mixture should resemble very thick pancake batter. If it’s too thin and sticky, add a bit more flour. 

Pour enough oil into a large skillet (I prefer cast iron) to generously coat the bottom; heat over medium-low. In the meantime, pour the remaining flour into a shallow plate. Scoop roughly a ¼ cup portion of dough onto the floured plate. Get your hands in there and dust generously on all sides with flour, then carefully shake off excess, forming each into a little flattened cake. Handle carefully - they will be very soft. Repeat this process with the rest of the batter.

Once the oil is hot, place four or five cakes into the skillet – do not overcrowd – and cook until a nice golden brown crust forms on the bottoms, about 4 minutes. Flip and continue cooking on the other side, adding more vegetable oil as needed. Remove to a platter and lightly sprinkle with salt if desired. Repeat with the remaining cakes.

Serve hot with maple syrup, jam or fruit compote, or as a main dish with a fresh salad.

Makes about 12 Syrniki

Celery Apple Salad with Toasted Walnuts

As 2014 comes to a close, I'd like to finish the year by talking salad. If you're like most people, this conjures up images of lettuce leaves, perhaps with tomato wedges and cucumber slices, coated in dressing. While I adore green salads (from fresh heads of lettuce and scratch dressing), I'd like to inspire you to think beyond the leaf. 

If I had it my way, I'd have some type of salad (celery root, carrot, raw beet, apple and herb, etc.) at every meal. This probably stems from the years I spent in Switzerland, where a day didn't go by without some type of salad gracing the table. We always ate it after the main course, which may sound strange to you pre-dinner salad eaters, but no matter how full you were, a salad would settle the stomach and aid in digestion. It worked like a charm.

While I avoid the pre-washed, bagged salad mixes (you shouldn't if that works for you), I don't always have the time or desire to wash and spin a head of grimy lettuce. This celery apple salad is for nights like that.

I always have celery in the crisper and apples in the fruit bowl, both of which keep pretty well. So even when groceries are running low, this is a cinch to throw together on a busy night. There's really no reason you can't have your salad and eat it, too.

Celery and Apple Salad with Toasted Walnuts
The variations here are endless. Use any green herb (I'm partial to parsley or chives), nuts (pecans, almonds, hazelnuts or pistachios), or fruit (grapes or pears work equally well in place of the apples). For a more substantial salad, add some soft, crumbled cheese (think feta, chèvre, gorgonzola, etc.)  

1/2 cup raw walnut halves
5 large celery ribs
1 crisp apple, cored and cut into thin slices
1/3 cup fresh, chopped parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, checking frequently, until they begin to brown and give off a nutty, toasted aroma. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Slice each celery rib on a bias to produce long, thin, diagonal slices. Add the celery and apple to a large salad bowl. Roughly chop the walnuts and add them, along with the parsley, to the celery and apples. Sprinkle with olive oil, fresh lemon juice (start with 1 tablespoon) and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice (I always add more), if needed. Serve with - or if you're at my house, after - your meal.

The Best Thing I Ever Baked

You haven't heard a peep from me for an entire year (gulp), which wasn't my intention, I swear! Nevertheless it's astonishing how a new baby and a full time job leave little time for anything. And I mean anything. If I got three showers a week I'd think I was on vacation.

Despite the perpetual eye bags, never-ending laundry and a house that may never be tidy again, it's been a wonderful year. My heart has grown five times its original size in response to the tiny little human who joined us 17 months ago.

This part is loooong overdue. So dear readers, without further adieu, I'm pleased to introduce my wonderful distraction: Maximo Christian.

                                                            At two days old

                  Nice and plump at 5 months    

          Already feeling at home in the kitchen

                Chunky Monkey, a.k.a. Maxidozer

                                       And of course he's a good eater. 

How to Make the Perfect Grilled Cheese

I don't have the greatest memory. Birthdays? Forget it. The big snow storm of 2008? Clueless. What I did yesterday? Give me a minute. But when it comes to food memories, I can spew out more details than anyone cares to hear.

For example, in 1998 my mother, sister and I were in England during a 6-week European adventure. In addition to visiting the Beatrix Potter museum in the Lake District and the home of James Herriot (author of "All Creatures Great and Small"), our to-do list included a proper afternoon tea in London.

I'll never forget it. My mom was up front ordering while my sis and I grabbed a table. Nearby, a little 5 or 6 year old English boy, outfitted in knee-high socks and dress shorts, was looking us up and down. He was sitting on a bench swinging his little legs when, apropos of nothing, he proudly announced in the most adorable British accent, "I'm having the toasted cheese." I will always think of this when I eat a grilled cheese sandwich.

  
Grilled cheese is a simple comfort food that both children and adults enjoy immensely. While the dish is uncomplicated, it's surprising how many competent cooks admit having a hard time getting it right. Most often this means charred bread. The good news is that scraping the blackened bits off with a knife is a thing of the past. With the correct technique and a little patience, you can serve up perfect, glorious grilled cheese sandwiches every single time.

The number one rule is that the heat needs to be lower than you think. The whole point is to end up with a golden, buttery exterior and an oozy, melted interior, a process that simply cannot be rushed. Number 3 (a solid medium-low) on the stove dial is just right. 

Secondly, I find that putting a weight on top allows for even heating and ensures that the cheese melts properly. I use a simple piece of aluminum foil and an empty pot.

Like I said, it's all about the technique. Here's how I do it:

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. In the meantime, assemble your sandwiches using good bread, sliced cheeses and any other fixins' that strike your fancy. For the sandwiches pictured here, I used raw Cheddar, summer tomatoes and basil from the garden. Swirl some butter in the bottom of the skillet. Place the sandwiches in the pan, cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil and top with a pot that's large enough to press the sandwiches evenly (a baking dish would also work). Let the grilled cheese cook until the bottoms are perfectly golden brown, 4-6 minutes. When you lift each sandwich to flip, swirl a little more butter underneath (don't be skimpy). After flipping the sandwiches, there's no need to continue covering and weighing them down. Cook on the other side until golden, about 3 minutes.

Unless you'd like to cut them, you can now ditch your knife since no scraping will be required. 

Spaghetti with Fish Sauce

Last October my family and I met up in Chicago for a long weekend. We saw a show, took some tours and, of course, ate ourselves siiiiilly. We even had a few serendipitous moments, like when we found ourselves standing in front of Rick Bayless' restaurant Xoco. 

We had just eaten a few Chicago-style hot dogs but knew enough to find room for some of the best churros and Mexican hot chocolate on the planet.

In addition to its vibrant restaurant scene, Chicago is well known for its many ethnic and cultural neighborhoods. In fact, it boasts the third largest Italian population in the country. It also happens to be the first U.S. city to inherit giardiniera, a pickled vegetable concoction that made its way from Italy in the 1920's. Used as a condiment atop Italian beef sandwiches, it also finds its way onto antipasto platters and pasta dishes.

 
I've always loved pickled, briny things (just ask Tristan - he always kept a big jar of pickles in the fridge for me when we first started dating), so naturally I went gah-gah when I heard about a pasta and fish dish packed with green olives, capers AND gardiniera. It happened one day when I was channel flipping and landed on "My Family Recipe Rocks." Joey Fatone (remember him from N'Sync?) was in Chicago learning how to make the Cannistra family's beloved "Spaghetti with the Fish," where pasta gets topped with an olive oil-based sauce that's loaded with chopped garlic, fresh parsley and lots of salty flavor bombs. The final step involves the addition of white fish, which falls apart and melts right into the sauce as it simmers.

I adjusted the recipe substantially for bolder flavors and, well, more sauce. What can I say but YUM-o. The juicy broth is light and fresh, and if you happen to have any left over, it tastes even better the next day.

Spaghetti with Fish Sauce
Adapted and tweaked from My Family Recipe Rocks on the Live Well Network. 
Serves 4-6.

1/2 cup olive oil
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
10 large green olives with pimentos, chopped
2 tablespoons capers
Hot water
3/4 cup hot giardiniera*
1 lb white fish fillets (cod, halibut, haddock, etc.)
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, plus more for garnishing
1 lb vermicelli pasta
Asiago or Romano cheese for grating

In a 1 1/2 - 2 quart pot, heat the olive oil, garlic, green olives and capers over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown. Add enough hot water to fill the pot 3/4 full. Add the hot giardiniera* and some salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes.

Add the fish fillets and continue cooking for 30 minutes more. The fish will slowly flake into the sauce. Right before finishing, stir in the fresh parsley and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente.

To serve, top each plate of pasta with a ladle of fish sauce. Garnish with grated cheese and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

*My neighborhood grocery store only had regular giardiniera so I added some Mama Lil's Peppers for heat (you could also use hot sauce or red pepper flakes). If you don't want the heat, just use regular giardiniera.