Beautiful Bowls: A Measure of Love

This past Christmas I received a sweet gift from my friend Angelica and her daughter Cecilia. They are food lovers.  Well, of course they are.  Angelica and her husband, Marcos are the owners of the fabulous Despaña; wholesalers, distributors and retailers of fine Spanish food products.  Their daughter, Cecilia, has a keen sense of taste and has helped me in the kitchen on several occasions. So when they gave me these beautiful bowls and spoons for me to measure up my ingredients, it was a true gift of the heart and spoke to me of pure LOVE.  

Now I will admit that these are a bit delicate to use on a daily basis, but when I have some peace in the kitchen I take them out because they bring a sense of elegance that just makes me smile.  Which is why they came out while I was making an Easter tradition, Pizza Rustica; honoring my grandmothers who dutifully made this rich 'pie' each spring.  These little bowls have an antique feel and make a perfect way to bridge old memories with new ones, created with love by dear friends.

And as with all things in my home, everything has more than one purpose.  These are so gorgeous you can use them as serving bowls for decadent Delaviuda chocolate and the even more addicting Spanish Marcona almonds, both of which can be purchased at Despaña.

They also gave me a dish towel that was too pretty to get wet, so I use it in some of the food photos I take.  It makes the perfect backdrop. 

A glimpse of "When the Carrot Met the Eggplant" (post coming soon)

Pasta with roasted vegetables

These clearly make a precious gift or a gift to yourself. These particular ones are available at Anthropologie. Find yourself some beautiful bowls to measure up all the love in your kitchen. 

Stuffed Lemon Sole

Lemon Sole over carrot/chard ribs, oven roasted broccoli and potato

My sister was coming in from out of town and I had no idea what to make for dinner. As I strolled the produce section, I spotted the Swiss Chard, which was standing up at attention, bright and green, sturdy and fresh.  It got my attention, so I grabbed it.  I wasn't sure what I would do with it but it was gorgeous.  I picked up a fluffy head of broccoli and some Idaho potatoes and made my way to the fish market.  The Red Snapper looked a bit suspect but the Wild Caught Lemon Sole caught my eye.  

(Although I didn't know what I was going to buy this time around, I do shop in a similar fashion. When I have a plan for food items, if I get to the store and they don't look good, I walk on by and come up with another plan.  Buy fresh, buy what speaks to you and try to buy in season whenever possible.  This is how my 'something from nothing' style was born... what do I have and what can I do with?)

On the way home with my items in tow, I thought I would sauté the chard and stuff the sole. First, I needed to get the potatoes going. I made accordion like cuts into my Idahos, drizzle them with oil, a good sprinkle of sea salt, pepper and slid them into a 400 degree oven.  (I can't take credit for slicing the potato this way. I also can't recall where I saw it, but I like how it looks and how it cooks, so I'm sharing it here.)

Then, as I cut up the chard, I plotted my strategy.  Here's how my head works when I'm not exactly sure of the plan.

I know that some people throw out the ribs of leafy greens because they might be tough, but I try to use as much of a product as possible.  As I cut out the ribs, i know that these will be hearty and sturdy.  I thought they would be great as a bed to lay the fish on top, so they got chopped into 1 inch pieces. I then sautéed red onion, some garlic, and the ribs of swiss chard, salt and pepper.  But as I tasted it I felt like it needed something else. Something with a hint of sweetness.  Searching in the fridge, I found a carrot and shaved some pieces into the sauté mix.  This made a huge difference. 

I set that aside and started on the stuffing.  I cut up all the leafy green parts added a shallot, some garlic and sautéed them together.  I had made some shrimp broth the day before and after the greens cooked down a bit, I added the broth.  My mind was still working on the stuffing mixture and was feeling it needed some texture and body.  That's when I remembered that I had leftover polenta squares. I took 3 and mashed them up into my mixture.  

This gave the mixture the body it needed. Once it all combined, I spread it onto the fish, rolled it up.  There you have my stream of consciousness for this dish.  Now, that you've been patient, below are the more straightforward instructions.

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Ingredients for entire meal

• 4 pieces Lemon Sole

• 1 bunch swiss chard

• 1/2 c shaved carrot

• 1/4 c minced red onion

• 1 shallot, minced

• 3 garlic cloves

• polenta or bread cubes, bread crumbs (enough to help bind)

• 1/2 c fish stock (you can use vegetable stock, wine or even water but then only 1/4 cup)

• 4 Idaho potatoes

• 1 head broccoli

• Olive oil, salt & pepper

Instruction Recap

Cut deep slits into the potato and drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper.  Place into a 400 degree oven.

Wash and cut the broccoli into small pieces.  Cut the stems into chunks. Place all the pieces on a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper.  

Cut the ribs out of the swiss chard and chop them into 1 inch pieces, setting them aside.  
Chop up all the leafy green parts, set aside.

With a vegetable peeler, shave carrot into 2 inch ribbons.

In a cast iron pan, sauté 1/4 c of red onion in 2 tbsp olive oil until tender and add 2 smashed cloves of garlic.

Add the ribs of swiss chard, salt and pepper. Once the chard softens, add the half of the shaved carrot and sauté until mixture is tender. Remove from the pan. This mixture will be used to plate the fish upon.

Sauteed Carrot & Chard rib

After the potatoes have been cooking for 1/2 hour, turn them over.  At the same time, put the broccoli tray in the oven.

Meanwhile using the same sauté pan, add some oil, minced shallot and 1/2 garlic clove, minced . Once soft, add the swiss chard greens and remaining carrots and cook until wilted. Then add the shrimp broth and polenta (or breadcrumbs)  to create a stuffing mixture.  Spread the mixture on the filets then roll and secure with toothpicks. Lightly brown on the stove top.

Carrot, swiss chard, polenta mixture

Stuffing and rolling

Remove the potatoes and broccoli once tender and nicely roasted.

Then lower oven to 350 degree and finish the stuffed fish in oven for 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of the filets.  Plate using the chard ribs and carrot mixture as a base for your fish, round out the plate with some broccoli and a potato.

I really like how the sweetness of carrots mellowed out the chard. And although I used some polenta to give the stuffing some body, this did not make it heavy like a traditional bread crumb stuffing would.  Jill and Juan Carlos loved it, and I was pleased with the results.

Purple Forest

Who doesn't like walking into a room with fresh flowers?  This is one of the simple pleasures that I try to bring into our home as often as possible.  I have found that it doesn't need to be expensive or elaborate.  As a matter of fact, I lean more toward simplicity.

This past weekend we had a little brunch at our home (yes, recipes and table scape posts coming soon).  Since I knew I wouldn't be going into the city to pick up flowers at my favorite spot, Dahlia, I knew I would need to find some locally.  

Alas, there wasn't much from which to choose in my town, but I did find two bunches that had promise.  As I picked up tracheliums and sea holly, I already had a plan in my head for a simple display.

Garage sale bargain that brings me joy time and again

My first thought was to use the tracheliums, also known as jade, to create a low line of "trees". From there, I would sporadically insert the purple sea holly. However, Plan A got squashed when I got home to realize that I didn't have a right vessel.  (Hard to imagine given the varied vase styles and sizes In the cabinets). The one I was thinking of was WAY too large.  Plan B:  use my favorite little glass jars I picked up at a garage sale.  

I laid it all out and was about to start cutting, when I realized that it just wasn't what I had in mind. So I searched through my cabinets and found a small serving dish with just enough lip to hold water and serve a new purpose.  I put the frogs inside and starting assembling my Purple Forest.

Once I cut the stems to the height I wanted the shorter stems were quite thin for the frog teeth.  However, the bottom parts of the stems were thicker so I used those to act as fences to hold them up.  

Then I took some stones and placed them around the base to cover up the frogs.

I'm so glad I found that little platter. It wasn't exactly my original plan as the "vase" was slightly different, but it was much closer to my vision than using the glass bottles.  I don't know what your thoughts are but I simply adore this sweet little arrangement.  Super simple but eye catching. Thought I would share this one right before Easter weekend in case you needed a little floral forest for your table.  

A few fun purple thoughts:

• It is said that if you surround yourself with purple you will have peace of mind.

• Most children love the color purple.

• Purple is the color most favored by artists.

• Thursday's color is purple. (Hence, launching this post on Thursday seems perfect.)

Or for the simplest "put a smile on your face" florals for Easter... Totally Tulips.

Also, I am repeating this little message about posting a comment since there might be some questions on how to do so.   Please note that you do NOT have to subscribe to Squarespace.  After you write a comment, a black window pops up with several icons.  If you click on the one to left that resembles an outline of a person that will allow you to submit the comment without a sign up. You will only need to put your name, as leaving your email is optional. I would love to hear your comments and feedback, so please comment away!  

Sunday in the Chilean Countryside

Juan Carlos and I recently returned home from a fabulous trip to Chile, where we were visiting our friends' country home and taking in the sights.  This was our first visit to this amazing country.

Fruit trees on the farm

Our friends were quite generous with their time, taking us on several adventures.  On a beautiful Sunday morning, we had the great fortune of being invited to their mother's 75 acre farm home, located in Melipilla, just outside of Santiago.

Citrus trees on Teresa's farm

As we drove up the eucalyptus tree lined driveway, we spied a charming house and were met by an even more charming hostess. Teresa is the matriarch of the Momo family and the initial force behind their restaurant business, Terra Momo Group, back in Princeton, NJ.  She served up graciousness
along with a meal that filled us to the brim. We spent the afternoon exchanging stories and delving deeper into the questions of our soul.  Such as what is the difference between the Spanish words "simple" and "sencillo".   A philosophical debate that we didn't quite conclude.

Lively dinner discussion

Handmade empanadas

Appetizers started with the most delicious empanadas. Since I'm a pescatarian and these were meat filled, I only tried the masa. It was light and tasty and full of onions. There was also a plate of local cheese and olives, both were mild but flavorful.  

Fernando, who is an old friend of Chile's most famous author, Pablo Neruda, shared with us his legendary Pisco Sours, made using lemons from the farm. These were a treat indeed, as he stirred the glass with ice cubes for 20 minutes to ensure the temperature was just right.  The word patience simply is not good enough for this kind of dedication.

Fernando ready to serve his delicious Pisco Sour.

The art of the ice

Then after all that, the actual meal began.  We each received an enormous square of vegetable lasagna.  At first, I was excited at receiving such a large piece because I LOVE PASTA, but then thought, how in the world will I finish this.  Much to my surprise, this was one of the lightest yet flavor-packed vegetable lasagna I have ever eaten. The reason; Teresa made her own fresh lasagna noodles that were paper thin, light and float in your mouth.  She filled it with mushrooms, shredded carrots, spinach, each sautéed separately.  Then she used the barest amount of béchamel and tomato puree.  Needless to say, I was committed to finding the bottom of my plate. Being from good Italian roots, I had no problem devouring my entire portion.  

Teresa, pleased with the most amazing vegetable lasagna

A square of heaven

When our hostess asked me if I wanted another piece, my heart sang out YES, YES, but my stomach had to say no. Especially knowing that we were about to be served a freshly caught, oven roasted fish served with cilantro/tomato salsa, avocado & celery salad, red and green leaf salad. Need I say more.  I tried it all and every bite was more delicious than the next. Fresh and clean, with all the purity of flavors standing on their own.  

Fresh, Fresh tomatoes

Roasted fish with celery salad, avocado & tomato

Now I'm sure you are thinking "what a meal?" And it was, but then came the fresh fruit plate with apricots picked from her farm.  These were succulent and sweet, with a melt in mouth texture that I've never experienced in eating apricots.  I wanted to stuff my bag with them and run out the door!

Seriously the most tender, flavorful apricots I have ever eaten

The piece de résistance: Tiramisu, of course, made by Teresa.

A dessert worth the calories

What can I say, but on this Sunday I was reminded of my own Italian family roots and big Sunday dinners as we were treated to an amazing afternoon of Italian/Chilean hospitality filled with scrumptious food, provocative conversation and gracious generosity.  I hope that you can find time on Sundays to share food, laughter and good conversation with family and friends.  I think that is what Sundays were made for.

Juan Carlos, Teresa and me

Post Note:  In the very near future, I will attempt to recreate Teresa's vegetable lasagna to share with you.

A Something from Nothing Sunday, featuring lentils

I had a true something from nothing Sunday morning back in February.  Since both JC and I had been super busy, and it had been freezing in NY,  we hadn't wanted to venture out much. This left us with only a few odd items in the fridge.  We were so low that we didn't even have garlic, which we ALWAYS have.  

The first order of business was to pull everything out and see what I had to work with.  The stars of the day: carrots, fennel, acorn squash, shallots, a tiny bit of cilantro.  In the cupboard, I found basmati rice and French lentils.  Well, I can make stuff with that and thus the cooking off of odds and ends began.

First, I made 3 uncooked cups of basmati rice so I can have an abundant amount to mix with the vegetables, add to soup or just have as a side dish.  I was thinking about having enough to take for lunch during the week.  I also decided to sauté one and half finely chopped shallots in oil and added that to half the cooked rice, plus seasoned with salt, pepper and minced cilantro.  I like adding onions or garlic with some fresh herbs to cooked rice.  It makes rice a better side dish.

Then I sliced the acorn squash, skin on and left the carrots whole with their greens on. I roasted them in a 425 degree oven with some olive oil, salt and pepper until they got nice and caramelized.  I LOVE  LOVE LOVE roasting vegetables.  The high heat just a bit of olive oil brings out all the nature sweetness of any veggie.  

Basmati rice sauteéd with shallots and cilantro

Sweet and earthy - Oven roasted acorn squash and whole carrots

While those were roasting away, I got started on the lentils.  Please note that my style of cooking is without measurements.  I just use what I have and add salt, pepper and spices as I see fit.  However, I realize that not everyone is comfortable with that methodology, especially my sister Jill.  She isn't a big fan of cooking but can follow a recipe and does a great job. Over the years I have had to write down impromptu recipes so that she can replicate them.  With her in mind, I took out my notebook and jotted this down.  But please keep in mind that this recipe is meant to be a true something from nothing.  Meaning, you can use whatever you have in the fridge to make these lentils, and in whatever quantities you have.  I just used up what I had but measured it for ease of repeating.

French Lentils with carrots & fennel

Ingredients:

3 T olive oil
2 c chopped red onion
2.5 c chopped carrot
1 c chopped fennel
2 tsp salt
1/2 t crushed pepper
1 t tumeric
2.5 c French lentils
4 c vegetable or chicken stock  
(if you don't have any stock, use all water)

Instructions

Put all the oil in a deep pan and sauté the onion, carrot, fennel, salt, pepper and tumeric until slightly softened.  Do not overcook these as they will continue to cook with the lentils.  Add the lentils and the liquid and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes.  Lower the heat and let cook until most of the liquid is absorbed.    You can cook these to your liking.   If you want to use them to add to a salad, then I would leave them al dente.  If you want to puree this mixture to make a thick soup, I would cook the lentils longer until very tender.

Lentils cooking away

I left mine on the al dente rice because I like the bite of them.  I also used them for the week's lunch.  
Monday:  room temp lentils over mixed greens with a side of roasted carrots/acorn squash
Tuesday:  warm lentils in vegetable broth & basmati rice
Wednesday:   Quinoa pasta with lentils and feta cheese

That exhausted the batch of lentils I made, and gave me a three yummy, hearty lunches for the frigid NY winter days, plus there was enough for Jill and JC too.  Remember, the something from nothing rule: there are no rules. Use what you have. Any vegetable and in any quantity will work.