On Top of Spaghetti

That I love my kids' school is a great comfort. That I can sign them out for lunch mid-week is a great joy. That my oldest recently chose, instead of a restaurant, to come home and eat spaghetti with me is probably the biggest reason I'm writing this blog. My kids like my food, and I like the idea of having it all on record for them.

I love having a big lunch followed by a smaller dinner. Spaghetti and Meatballs is an easy lunch to prepare since I make three pounds of meatballs a few times a year and reserve them in the freezer. They cook up very nicely straight out of the freezer - I just add my house tomato sauce and some shaved Grana Padano (a super nutty Parmesan-type cheese). Here's how...

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Print recipe only here

YOU WILL NEED:
1 # lean ground beef (96/4)
1 # lean ground pork
1 # lean ground veal
Breadcrumbs
Parmesan
Fresh parsley

I pick up the beef at Trader Joe's and the pork and veal at Whole Foods.

Making Meatballs
In a large bowl, lightly beat:
2 eggs

Add and incorporate:
2-3 T milk (nonfat is fine)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs

In 1-2 T olive oil, sauté over medium heat:
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

Sauté for a few minutes, until onions soften. Set aside to cool.

Add to the mixing bowl:
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2-3 t finely chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
1-2 t kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

Add the meat and onions to the mixing bowl and combine everything well. It's easiest to roll up your sleeves and get into it with your hands.

Form the meatballs to desired size and transfer to a baking sheet (reserving some to cook fresh that day). When your baking sheet is full wrap it well in plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer. In 24 hours, transfer the meatballs from pan to a Ziploc freezer bag.

To cook frozen meatballs:
Preheat a nonstick pan on medium heat. Briefly sauté a clove or two of garlic and a pinch of chili flakes. Add frozen meatballs and brown all over. Add 1-2 cups tomato sauce (see below) or tomato puree and simmer uncovered - or loosely covered - until cooked through, 20-25 minutes.

To cook fresh meatballs:
Same instructions. Simmering time will be more like 5-10 minutes.

Essential Tomato Sauce
Print recipe only here

YOU WILL NEED
Food mill or Cusinart
28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes. I only buy Muir Glen.*
Olive oil
Fresh garlic
Chili flakes

METHOD
Puree tomatoes in a food mill. If you don't have a food mill, you can spin them in a food processor.

In a medium saucepan, heat 2-4 T olive oil over medium heat. Add:
2 cloves garlic, smashed a bit
pinch chili flakes

Let the garlic brown gently on both sides.

Add the pureed tomatoes to the saucepan.

Simmer gently for about 15 minutes. The sauce will change in color from red to an orange.

Add kosher salt, to taste and serve. You can also add another tablespoon of good olive oil right here at the end. It finishes the sauce quite nicely.

*Whole peeled tomatoes that you puree yourself is not the same thing as canned pureed tomatoes. Don't buy the latter - this sauce depends absolutely on whole tomatoes. (I think the product difference is that the canned puree is cooked and more concentrated.)

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How a Recycled Treo Helps Me Put Dinner on the Table

The more I listen to other people's life stories the more convinced I am that we all fight the same battles. Dinner is a battle. Not only does it demand a commitment from its maker at a wholly inopportune time of day (does anyone have the requisite energy, creative or otherwise, in the early evening to produce a balanced meal??). Moreover its preparation depends on advance execution of a menu plan and its resultant shopping list, and grocery shopping.

Cooking for my family is more than a priority for me, it’s a passion. And, yeah, cooking healthier foods a HUGE time drain. But over time I've streamlined my shopping habits, found some great resources and developed some fantastic recipes.

Following are four things that help me put dinner on the table regularly. How about you? How do you do it?

1. SPLASH SHOPPER. I really cannot say enough about this fantastic software. Download a trial copy and see for yourself. It will help you keep your pantry stocked so you can easily whip up a healthy meal at any time. Caveat: it's a Palm thing. I'm an iPhone user and still lug around a frumpy Treo because I cannot imagine life without SplashShopper.

2. DESK CALENDAR. I use a blotter-style desk calendar to map out what I'm going to cook for the week. Using it in the kitchen I get a good sense of balance for the week (how much red meat, fish or pasta am I planning) and for the month.

3. SET A MENU. Set aside 5-10 minutes each weekend to make a weekly meal plan. I do this by consulting a list I’ve made of all the dinners we like. I pick out what I feel like cooking and eating that week (taking care to make the week balanced) and then schedule meals according to what the family schedule looks like (I plan a quicker meal on evenings when I don’t have as much prep time).

4. SHOP. After you’ve decided what you’ll be cooking, make your shopping list (see #1) and don't leave home without it. Be sure to plan your veggies, too. After years of having multiple trips to the store I’m now generally able to hit the store once and be stocked to cook for the week. Nothing kills a cooking opportunity like an empty cupboard.

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What Iron Chef Taught Me about Home Cooking

I'm reading several books right now, all of them orbiting around the central question of WHAT'S FOR DINNER? At the top of my pile is Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle along with Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food.

I'm also devouring other food blogs and found a noteworthy observation from Michael Pollan on the New York Times Well Blog (find the whole interview here):

...A lot of us are intimidated by cooking today. We watch cooking shows on TV but we cook very little…You’re going to have to put a little more time and effort into preparing your food. I’m trying to get across how pleasurable that can be. It needn’t be a chore. It can be incredibly rewarding to move food closer to the center of your life.

I don't watch food TV, in part because I've cooked professionally (I bet much of the success of cooking shows is based on the intrigue about the inner workings of a professional kitchen; there's less intrigue for professionals) and in other part because when TV moves closer to the center of my life I don't get anything done. More than hoovering productivity there's a danger in getting too wrapped up in food TV, celebrity chefs, and the restaurant scene in that it turns eating well into a complicated pursuit. Certainly it's fantastic that we have talented chefs who do amazing things with food, but the reality of cooking at home should be within reach of the home cook. Moreover, the gourmand's diet championed by such diversions is usually an unhealthy diet.

Of course there's the entertainment factor, and I can't argue with that.

What has Food TV done for you lately?

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Get Me a Sangwich - Part II

Yesterday Pinch took delivery of three glorious loaves of bread from Zingerman's in Michigan. Thank you, Tami! In between mouthfuls, I remembered a few things:

1. I need to add the two remaining sandwiches to the Get Me a Sangwich or Somethin' post;
2. Chicago needs better bread bakers;
3. I need to add March to the list of months I could do without (right now only January and February are on the list). March is glorious when you live in the mountains (warmer days, spring skiing) and tedious when you live in Chicago where it snows but not quite enough to play in.

sigh.

Here are the remaining sangwiches we love at Pinch, Chicken with Pomeray-Rum sauce and Frisee and Italian Beef with Pepperoncini and Giardinera.

Smoked Chicken Sandwich with Pomeray-Rum sauce and Frisee
Print recipe only here

I picked this up from a chef at Café Nola. It’s a tasty and original sandwich even if you don’t bother with the smoking part.

YOU WILL NEED:
* Hickory wood chips
* Skinless, boneless chicken breasts
* Good crusty baguette or ciabatta
* Apple cider vinegar
* Meyers Rum
* Brown sugar
* Pomeray mustard – or a comparable course, high-quality mustard

METHOD
Soak wood chips for 15 minutes.

Preheat grill.

Drain the wood chips and wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Seal the package by folding over the edges and pierce the top side of the foil pack. Place the pack between coals and grill rack.

Rub chicken with a thin film of olive oil and a bit of kosher salt and pepper.

Wait 10-15 minutes until smoky, then grill chicken. If you have room on your grill you can grill the chicken over the front coals, with the foil pack at the backside of the grill. If not, no worries. The chicken will be fine cooking atop the wood chips.

In a saucepan, combine:

* ½ cup Apple cider vinegar
* ¼ cup Meyer’s rum
* 2 T Brown sugar
* ¼ cup Pomeray mustard

Simmer a few minutes.

Remove chicken from grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes or so before slicing.

Toss sliced chicken in sauce.

Serve on baguette with frisee, arugula or any spicy greens.

Italian Beef Sandwich with Giardinera
Print recipe only here

YOU WILL NEED:
* Slow cooker or Dutch oven (I use a 3 qt. Le Creuset Dutch oven)
* 3 # beef roast. I use a lean tri tip roast from Trader Joe's.
* 1 jar (12-16oz) giardinra peppers, mild or hot
* 1 jar (12-16 oz) pepperoncini
* 10 oz beef broth (I use a good beef base plus water)
* Good crusty bread - baguette or ciabatta

METHOD
Preheat oven to 175-200°

Drain the giardinera and pepperoncini and add to Dutch oven or slow cooker.

Add the beef broth (or beef base plus water) and the the roast and stir to coat the beef.

COOKING
Slow Cooker: Cover and cook on the low setting for 18 hours

Dutch oven: Cover and place in oven for 6-8 hours

SERVING
Use two forks to shred the beef, or remove from cooker/Dutch oven and slice.

Serve with crusty bread and the jus, pepperoncini and giardinera.

You can also toast the bread first, melt some provolone on top and top with sliced/shredded beef.

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Fish and Chips

Lifting one’s clear voice to the air is common in our house. We could probably record an entire album of silly songs. One such favorite is the oldie Fish and Chips and Vinegar. Join me in a rousing chorus!

Fish and chips and vinegar. Vinegar. Vinegar.
Fish and chips and vinegar. Pepper, pepper, pepper, salt!

Don't throw your trash in my backyard, my backyard, my backyard.
Don't throw your trash in my backyard, my backyard's full!

I cannot do the pepper, pepper part without a little head banging.

We’re having fish and chips this week. Fish and chips and vinegar. Fish and chips and vinegar and a big salad. And maybe that blackberry cobbler for dessert.

Heinz Malt Vinegar is the only way to go this side of the pond. The stuff in the right jolly jar that calls itself London Pub Olde English Malt Vinegar is just some junk from Piscataway and is not goode.

Here’s how we do Fish and Chips at Pinch:

Chips
Start the chips first because prep and cooking times are longer.

Preheat 1 or 2 baking sheets in the oven, set at 400°. If your sheet pans are not heavy duty (and warp in the oven) I wouldn’t preheat them. Just preheat the oven.

Plan on about one-two russet per person, depending on size (of person and potato).

Thoroughly scrub potatoes under running water. I don’t peel them, but I do trim the ends off and trim the long side to make a flat surface. It’s just easier to cut the chips that way.

If you have a mandolin use it. I set it to about 4-5 mm thick and push my spuds through. Or cut by hand. First cut the entire potato into 4-5 mm slices, then cut the slices length-wise into chips, or french fry shapes.

As you work, place slices in a bowl of cold water, or in a colander in the sink. Periodically spray down the potatoes as you add new ones.

When they’re all trimmed, rinse them a few times until the water runs clear. Then drain and dry on a clean kitchen towel.

Add potatoes to a large mixing bowl and toss with 2 T canola oil.

Remove one hot sheet pan from the oven, spray with canola spray and spread an even layer of potatoes on top. Toss in the oven and repeat as necessary with the second sheet pan, if using.

Roast for about 20 minutes, then flip (use a thin metal spatula if you’ve got it and be gentle). You may want to rotate the pans for even heating.

Total cooking time will be about 30 minutes. You want the chips to get a little browned and blistered. When they seem good to you, remove the pans and transfer the fries to a plate or bowl lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and serve.

Fish
Get a basic white fish that you like. I usually choose cod, plaice or tilapia. Halibut is a fine option, assuming you don’t have issues with halibut.

Anyhoo, rinse your fishie in cold water and pat dry.

Make a seasoned flour: 2 T flour, 1 T cornmeal, salt, pepper, paprika (or shake a good blended seasoning in). Dredge the fish in the flour - both sides - and reserve.

Preheat a large cast iron pan on medium-high heat for a few minutes.

Add 1-2 T canola oil and heat for a few minutes.

Gently transfer fish to the pan. Don’t overcrowd the pan – work in batches if necessary. Add more oil if you must.

Cooking time will depend on the variety and thickness of the fillets you choose, but plan on about 4 minutes on one side and 2-3 on the other. Unless it’s tilapia. For a skinny fish tilapia takes forever to cook.

When cooked through transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Let the towels pick up as much of the surface oil as it can in a minute or two, then serve.

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Quinoa

Quinoa (pron. keen-wah) reveals my inner six year old. For years I couldn't pronounce it, hadn't tried it and assumed I would hate it. I figured it was one of the stinky items on the hot bar at Whole Foods that had no place on my plate. Then I tried it. Its nutritional stats are commendable: no gluten, high protein - it's considered a nutritionally complete food. And it's tasty.

I've experienced irrational fear of other consumables including: poi (which I habitually confuse with the carp in Japanese gardens), scrapple (needs no explanation, I'm sure), shepherd's pie (I saw a production of Sweeney Todd. The line,"...shepherd's pie with actual shepherd" scared the scrapple out of me), chai ("Tea!" you're shouting. "It's just tea!" I say if it is tea, call it that and I'll have some. Chai sounds like something scraped off the surface of a pond.), and corn dogs because a) doesn't a hot dog cause enough trouble on its own? and b) what even is a corn dog?

Maybe someday I'll get over these aversions and extol the virtues of the corn dog. Until then, try quinoa. I think you'll like it.

Quinoa
Print recipe only here

Serves four as a side dish

In a covered saucepan, bring to a boil:
* 2 cups water
* 1 cup quinoa, rinsed

Cover, reduce heat to lowest setting and cook for about 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.

Sauté in 1-2 T olive oil, about ¼ cup each of:
* Leeks, finely sliced and chopped a bit
* Celery, finely chopped
* Red pepper, finely chopped
* One shallot, minced

When softened, add to quinoa with salt and pepper to taste. Also add:
* ¼ cup sliced almonds, smashed a bit with your hands as you add them

Stir all together, taste for seasoning and serve.

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In a Pinch

Recently I heard a woman describe asking her husband to pick up some milk on the way home from work. There was no milk in the house and she needed some so that the family could have cereal for dinner. She omitted that last bit of information.

The thing about cooking is that it's a time hog. There are always going to be days when a dinner plan fails to come together or I just don’t have an hour to spend cooking. My priorities don't shift on these nights. I'm still shooting for lean protein and vegetables (usually in the form of mixed greens) and trying not cheat by relying empty fillers like pasta and rice.

The thing about cereal for dinner (and regularly ordering pizza, or relying too heavily on commercial fast foods or the microwave) is that we misrepresent our food values when we put it on the menu. And for the most part, we have good food values. We're just inconsistent about reflecting our values on our plates.

The good news is the real problem - not having items in the fridge or pantry that can be turned into a healthy, quick meal - is solvable by making some thoughtful additions to our shopping lists.

Spend some time thinking about meals already in your repertoire that are quick and healthy. Work necessary items onto your shopping list. And pass your healthy/quick meal ideas along! I'd love some new ideas myself.

Here are a few examples of quick meals we eat:

1. Tuna, 1 of 3 ways. I won't eat chunk light. I just won't. I don't care if it has less mercury than albacore. A deep-dish pizza has less mercury and I'm not eating that either.
Tuna Soft Taco - Prepared tuna scooped into warmed corn tortillas and topped with hot sauce. Add some avocado slices, if you've got 'em.
Tuna on a bed of greens - Mixed greens, drained water-packed tuna, straight out of the can and some salad dressing.
Tuna salad - Finely chopped onion, celery and mayo (personal fave) or with green olives, celery, lemon and mayo (à la Grandpa Gil).

2. Ham and Gruyère Panini. I have a deep affection for low-gluten sprouted bread, either Alvarado Street or the comparable version on the shelf at TJ. This is really just a grilled ham and gruyère sandwich. Gruyère is so flavorful that a little goes a long way - I only use a few, thin slices. I cook this on a non-stick pan, sprayed with canola spray. And I use that Petite Ham I love so much from Trader Joe's. Oh, and slather a good country dijon on the bread, too.

3. Avocado Toast. Avocado toast is fine on sourdough, but so much heartier on sprouted bread. Simply toast, slather on a fine film of mayo, top with thinly sliced avocado. Cut into nine squares (this is the hardest part because the avocado sticks to the knife and your beautiful slices get all moved around), and transfer for a plate. Sprinkle on a bit of salt and then squeeze the better part of a lemon all over.

4. Thai Kitchen Hot and Sour Noodle soup with Shrimp. I've taken to having frozen uncooked shrimp on hand to add a tasty protein to this quick soup.

5. Mama Lil's and Turkey. Having some turkey breast on hand makes my life so much simpler - weird that I don't have it on hand more often. Mama Lil’s peppers add some heat and great flavor.

6. Cheese Toast. This is really on the kids' menu. They've been raised on sprouted bread, so it's not a problem for them. Topped with a thin layer of cheddar, cheese toast is easy and fairly nourishing, especially with veggies on the side. Just toast the bread, then turn the dial on your toaster oven to BAKE (you have a toaster oven, right??) and melt the cheese. Sprinkle with a little Spike, cut into skinny slices or squares, and serve. With a pickle.

Shopping list for Meals in a Pinch:

Tuna, albacore in spring water
Sprouted sandwich bread, Alvarado Street
Fresh corn tortillas
Thai Kitchen Hot and Sour Noodle Soup
Sliced turkey
Petite ham (or thicker sliced ham from the deli)
Frozen uncooked shrimp (get the deveined, tail on ones at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's)
Gruyère
Cheddar
Avocados
Mixed Greens
Lemons
Condiments: mayo, mustard

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