the joy of simple roasted root vegetables

i love roasted vegetables all year long, but especially in the cold, early darkness of winter. just turning on the oven to preheat makes the kitchen seem warm and productive. then, just a little chopping, a quick toss with a few generous swirls of olive oil and a cavalier sprinkling of salt and off they go. these could make a meal on their own with just a bit of cous cous on the side, or maybe a side of some terrific hearth bread and marinated goat cheese. traditionally, they make a terrific accompaniment to roasted or grilled meat, or even a simple risotto.

the mix is always slightly different in our house, whatever we have on hand really. this time i used celery root, golden beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes and russet potatoes. however turnips, rutabagas, any of the winter squashes, they all work equally well. be creative here, it's fun to experiment. i like to cut them fairly small, which maximizes the crispy browned edges and makes for quick even cooking times.

roasted root vegetables

preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit, or if you've got a convection roast setting, 375°

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

4 parsnips, peeled and chopped

1 celeriac bulb, peeled and chopped

2 golden beets, peeled and chopped

2 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

couldn't be much simpler really. peel and chop your mix of vegetables. place in a medium size bowl. add several large swirls of olive oil. toss while giving a good dose of sea salt, i am really liking grey sea salt lately. slide into a roasting pan. set in your preheated oven. and forget about them for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your oven, and your pan and how browned you like them. wonderful. and not just for restaurants. i think roasted vegetables are sadly under-represented in american cookbooks, which makes no sense because they are such a simple wonderful delicious thing to make. enjoy.

wonderful wintery day

2 inches of fresh snow to cover up the muck. and bunny tracks i think. happy weekend xo, g

sweet maine shrimp

what a great weekend. perfect mix of friends, food, art exhibits, strolls through central park, and bike rides. we found a great deal on seasonal sweet maine shrimp, just in season now. less than $4/pound at whole foods market. so sweet. so easy. they cook in 30 seconds! any meal involving newspaper on the table and an entree that cooks in 30 seconds is special to me.

we made a bit of nuoc chum dipping sauce, but it wasn't even necessary. the shrimp are so delicious they need nothing at all. a bit of salt in the cooking liquid and some lemon or lime at the table would do just fine, better than fine even. served some cucumber carrot salad dressed with a bit of nuoc chum as well. and some fresh, still warm french bread. a couple tiny maison du chocolat chocolates for dessert. 

sweet maine shrimp

boil water in medium sized pot

place shrimp in rapidly boiling water

allow to come back to a boil

cook for 30 seconds more

drain, serve, enjoy.

spinach lasagna

my kids are crazy for spinach lasagna. it is the most requested dish. last night it turned out especially delicious. i got lots of compliments. lots of "i love you moms" "best mom in the universe" that sort of thing. 

this lasagna is much more than the sum of its parts, comforting, noodly goodness, with an entire pound of fresh organic baby spinach hidden inside of there.

spinach lasagna

1 box lasagna noodles 

16 oz ricotta cheese

milk

somewhere between 6 and 16 oz mozzarella (depending on taste and type)

16 0z fresh baby spinach leaves

giant jar italian tomato basil pasta sauce

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

olive oil

salt

i always start this process by assembling all the ingredients. it goes together quickly then. preheat oven to 375 degrees. put giant stock pot of water to boil.

hum to yourself as you open the ricotta and squeeze and wiggle the plastic container until the ricotta falls out into a medium mixing bow. grab a small wire whisk and mix in the milk. (milk? you ask, yes, milk, if you thin your ricotta with milk it is much easier to spread, and your lasagna is more liquidy-juicy and not at all dry. i learned this trick from lidia bastianich). mix in enough milk until it is about the consistency of cake batter. i never measure but it is a bit more than half a cup and can vary depending on the thickness of the particular ricotta you choose. now add a whole lot of freshly grated parmesan cheese. again, i grate and don't measure but i would guess that it is about 3/4 cup parmesan. we like a lot of parmesan

about now the stock pot should be boiling. dash over and throw all the spinach in the water. stand by with a nice mesh strainer. push all the spinach under the water. as soon as it wilts, it is done. which is immediately. now scoop it all out with the strainer into a bowl. let cool for 2 minutes. meanwhile. keep the stock pot water at a low boil. add a tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot. drain the water from the spinach and place it on a cutting board. chop away with a large kitchen knife. mix the chopped spinach into the ricotta milk parmesan mixture and stir till combined. now add your lasagna noodles to the stockpot. cook for 3 maybe 4 minutes tops. no more. they should still be quite undercooked (they cook more in the oven) don't listen to the package that tells you to cook them for 6 to 9 minutes, they will be overdone.

time for assembly. add a couple tablespoons tomato sauce to the bottom of the lasagna pan. layer your noodles. 3 per layer i find. leave plenty of space around them. next smear the ricotta mixture. top with some grated or slice mozzerella. but not too much. add another layer of noodles. now smear some more ricotta. so easy with a little spatula. sprinkle or layer on some more mozzarella. okay more noodles. okay repeat until you end with a layer of noodles on top. now pour the gigantic jar of italian tomato basil jar across the noodles. cover all the noodles and all the sides. now for the final step. layer on another 1/2 to 3/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan. into the oven it goes for 45 minutes. allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. maybe serve a caesar salad with homemade croutons, or some steamed artichokes or broccoli or something and you are good to go.

i am grateful for world trade

good morning blogiverse. i had an eye opening weekend. the thaw has begun with a new warming trend. and i am seeing the world with new hope and a bit of clarity this morning. and so, a bit of food philosophy to begin the week. 

i am begging here for a bit of reason regarding the guilt of carbon footprints for importing foods from further than 150 miles from your home. i say, stop the madness. stop feeling guilty. this movement makes perfect sense in only one regard. when produce is in season try to buy it locally. that is all. 

all these chefs, foodies, and climate fanatics, i ask you, where do they buy their shoes? were they made locally? their clothing? their lighting fixtures? their cars? where were their computers made and shipped from? how about their cookware? is it local? what is the carbon footprint on importing that fancy cookware from france? those knives from japan? how about in their restaurants...are the stoves and sinks locally produced? the china? where was the fuel that fires those ovens and stoves produced? where is the tile from on their floors and walls? italy perhaps? egypt maybe? (i realize this is overkill, you got the idea several lines ago, i just cant stop once i get started!) my apologies alice waters, i simply disagree.

by this reasoning, i should never have an avocado, drink tea or peel a tangerine living in new england. like i do. and world trade should cease to exist. if it is wrong to eat blueberries in february. than i am very very wrong. these lovely blueberries are getting me through the winter, making dreary days seem much brighter. so go ahead, enjoy some delicious produce imported from somewhere. 

there are many ways to live responsibly. we should all try harder. but to associate all this guilt with beautiful fresh produce, which is healthful and wonderful, i strongly disagree. and i bet the avocado and passion fruit farmers are with me. and those wonderful chilean blueberry farmers. muchos gracias. and if you do not agree. by all means, stick to the local stuff. i understand.

43 days till spring and counting

well we had another snowstorm this week and another day off school. and i still have a sick child home with a fever. but there are only forty something days until spring now, according to this lovely sign i photographed in town yesterday. i love that it is all hand-painted and has those crazy daisies/sunflowers on it. and it has the the 'only' up above,  an optimistic afterthought. i love everything about it. 

below that are some fox footprints in my driveway, two foxes live just over the stone wall. charming you think. until you see how much they hunt. no wonder we haven't seen the turkeys for a while. feeling bad for the groundhogs that live nearby. lots of fox footprints at the door of their burrow in a boulder retaining wall. tough winter all around.

snowed in with snuffles (guatemalan chicken soup)

what to do when your children have colds and the world turns into 8 inches of slushy snow and the schools are closed? make guatemalan chicken stew. a cure-all for even the most stubborn snuffle.

food is powerful medicine. guatemalan chicken stew has nearly every vegetable in the world in there (ok, not really, but when you are chopping, it seems like it). it also has lemon, tomato and cilantro and chile heat if you choose.

guatemalan chicken stew

ingredients

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, smashed

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1 butternut squash, peeled, cubed

2 potatoes, peeled, chopped

3 tomatoes, seeded, chopped

1 red pepper, seeded, membrane removed, chopped

2 zucchini, sliced and quartered

green beans, sliced into 1 inch lengths

3 ears of corn, cut into 4 slices each (or if it is winter, 1 bag frozen sweet corn)

2 chicken breasts

1/2 cup of long grain brown rice

chiles (optional and to taste)

6 cups chicken stock

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 large bunch cilantro, stems minced and leaves reserved

2 lemons, juiced

okay. it is a lot of chopping. you may use every cutting board in your house. but so worth it. i made this yesterday and am feeling better already. this makes lots of stew, plenty to last 3 days.

saute onion celery and garlic for 4 minutes in about a tablespoon of olive oil. add the 1/2 cup of long grain brown rice. stir around until rice is coated for a minute or two. add chicken stock and crushed tomatoes. turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil. once boilage is achieved, add potatoes and butternut squash, minced cilantro stems and whole chicken breasts. let cook for 25 minutes at a nice simmer. keep covered so the rice doesn't eat up all the liquid and chicken poaches thoroughly. when potatoes and squash are tender and rice and chicken are cooked, add pepper, zucchini, fresh tomatoes, chiles (if using) and corn on the cob (if using frozen corn, do not add yet). simmer another 10 minutes until fresh veg are tender. remove chicken breasts from the stew, shred chicken meat into bite sized pieces, return meat to stew. (if using frozen corn, add it now) add salt, pepper, cayenne pepper if you like, juice from two lemons or limes. serve in bowls. garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and lemon or lime wedges. heal thyself.

lentil soup

why do i love lentil soup so much? (and i do). it has a ton of iron and protein in it. it has onion, celery, carrot, potato, and leek as well as lentils. it is delicious and doesn't require bean/legume soaking of any kind. better than split pea and no soaking! comes together in 30 minutes. hearty peasant fare. it really helps to have really great quality lentils lying around your pantry, which i have recently found grown in the usa from a stylish lentil company in montana. they sell a few different varieties. the ones in the soup above are the larger green lentils, next i am going to try the smaller, darker european style ones.

lentil soup

1 onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 carrots, small dice

1.5 cups diced potatoes

1 large leek, sliced

1 cup lentils

2 quarts natural chicken stock (i use health valley from whole foods)

sautee onion and celery for 3 minutes or so on medium/medium high heat in a bit of olive oil (i use organic extra virgin olive oil because we eat so much of it, i use it for just about everything, no more butter for me except in baked goods). next add lentils and chicken stock. stir. add carrots and potatoes. bring to boil, then cook for 20 minutes at a nice strong simmer. add sliced leeks. cook another 10 minutes. adjust seasonings. add salt or pepper if needed. 

lemon juice or sour cream can finish this off nicely. but i rarely use them and tuck right in as is, au naturale. love it. r and the kids often request the addition of a bit of ham, i rarely listen, but it is delicious when you do add a bit of ham, if you are in the mood for that sort of thing. but me, i rarely want ham in the way while enjoying some delicious vegetables, but this is family cooking isn't it? occasionally i give in, but truthfully, i sometimes say with a sly smile, "that would be lovely, go ahead and put some in, next time you make the lentil soup." yes, it must be awful, having to eat the food my preferred way most of the time. in my view, it is for their own good (nutritionally speaking) and i always invite them to cook anything they want anytime. of course, i'll help them along, chopping, setting the table, even clean up. everyone needs motivation, a reason to cook. my greatest motivation as a cook is the eating. i love to eat healthy, delicious, wonderful food and i will work hard to make it, as long as i get to eat it.

still winter

it is definitely still winter around here. the snow keeps falling. the mercury keeps dropping. winter. snow on top of snow on top of ice on top of snow.

a simple breakfast was called for today. plain yogurt, toasted oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, dried cherries, apricot king dried apricots. apricot king is the best. i order his apricots and have them shipped all the way from northern california. "home grown in the flavor zone" is his slogan. really good though despite the slogan. tart. moist. chewey. not too sweet. (minimum of sulfer dioxide...i've tried them without the preservative and they are just. awful)  anyway these apricots taste so incredible, so delicious, it seems perfectly believable that we will be feasting on juicy fresh local apricots just 5 months from now. you are on your way out, old man winter. 

winter fruits

january, and then february, (and yes usually even march), can be a bit dreary here in the northeast. new england is famous for its winters. yet i remain defiant. i try to enjoy winter outside by going to the beach for a walk (dressed very warmly) or a jog. and i head into new york city for lively museum visits and lunch at trendy restaurants or dinners with friends. and i try to keep the inside of my house in denial that winter is even happening outside. i have a variety of tricks for this. and no, none of them involve staying in bed reading and hiding under the covers eating chocolate until april. no, i keep a large quantity of tropical plus other fruits in the larder. yes there are still some good apples now and citrus is wonderful. loving the grapefruit we have been getting lately. and the organic blueberries from chile are AMAZING right now this week. but also some pomegranates and best of all, passion fruit. we are all crazy for passion fruit around here.

passion fruit are grown in either california or new zealand and are available off and on throughout the year. a passion fruit is not ripe until it is nice and wrinkly, and becoming a bit soft. slightly wrinkly and you may have a tart inedible fruit on your hands. once you have purchased your lovely passion fruit, you wait patiently for several days or more and let it get all uniformly wrinkly and then it is time to cut open. but if you just slice right through it, the juice runs all over the place. and it is so delicious i don't want to waste even one tiny drop (although it is impossible not to spill a little juice every single time). so, to remedy this wasteful situation, i cut the fruit almost all the way through, drop my knife, and seize the two halves (still joined) and right them. little bowls of passion fruit goo. insert spoon into said goo. congratulate yourself on a job well done. enjoy. gorgeous luscious fruits, beauty in the dead of winter.