Single Servings: April 2003 Archives
I had the prettiest little dinner last night (my last night of a long stretch of dinner alone). I sliced up a small yellow squash lengthwise, blanched some green beans and sugar snap peas, and hard-boiled an egg that I sliced in quarters lengthwise. Arranged on a plate squash-beans-egg slices-peas with a little dipping cup of aioli (garlic mayonnaise, which I bought fresh at the Amish Market, which does not seem to really be Amish) and some hard, thin breadsticks.
Made me wish Todd didn't carry his camera with him everywhere. The green and yellow were so bright I would've liked to take a picture. Some prosciutto would have been nice, too.
I had the prettiest little dinner last night (my last night of a long stretch of dinner alone). I sliced up a small yellow squash lengthwise, blanched some green beans and sugar snap peas, and hard-boiled an egg that I sliced in quarters lengthwise. Arranged on a plate squash-beans-egg slices-peas with a little dipping cup of aioli (garlic mayonnaise, which I bought fresh at the Amish Market, which does not seem to really be Amish) and some hard, thin breadsticks.
Made me wish Todd didn't carry his camera with him everywhere. The green and yellow were so bright I would've liked to take a picture. Some prosciutto would have been nice, too.
Another night without Todd. He's back from Minnesota but now he has class. In fact, we figured out last night that he won't be home for dinner for another week (next Friday will be the first time). Saturday was his last meal at home, so he's going to be going on about two weeks without a homecooked meal. He doesn't seem to mind. Should I take it personally?
I had a small fillet of some type of fish left over from making the fresh cod cakes (the fishmonger didn't have cod and so suggested a suitable substitute, then proceeded to give me too much of it). I bought a small head of radicchio, tossed it with sugar and salt, sauteed it in some butter, then put the fillet on top, put the lid on the pan and left it to steam. When it was finished cooking, I topped the fish with some leftover fig & olive tapenade. The fig in the tapenade went a ways to counter the bitterness of the radicchio, but not far enough for me. I think the radicchio needed more butter, sugar or maybe a little lemon juice to counter the bitter flavor. Maybe more cooking time. Me and my thoroughly American palate.
Another night without Todd. He's back from Minnesota but now he has class. In fact, we figured out last night that he won't be home for dinner for another week (next Friday will be the first time). Saturday was his last meal at home, so he's going to be going on about two weeks without a homecooked meal. He doesn't seem to mind. Should I take it personally?
I had a small fillet of some type of fish left over from making the fresh cod cakes (the fishmonger didn't have cod and so suggested a suitable substitute, then proceeded to give me too much of it). I bought a small head of radicchio, tossed it with sugar and salt, sauteed it in some butter, then put the fillet on top, put the lid on the pan and left it to steam. When it was finished cooking, I topped the fish with some leftover fig & olive tapenade. The fig in the tapenade went a ways to counter the bitterness of the radicchio, but not far enough for me. I think the radicchio needed more butter, sugar or maybe a little lemon juice to counter the bitter flavor. Maybe more cooking time. Me and my thoroughly American palate.
Last night I was all alone again, so I made spoonbread, something I always wanted to try but that Todd would say was not "real food." I've never had it so I don't know if I got the right texture, but I can't imagine what texture would be better than the creamy, fluffy softness I ate for dinner. Every bite I changed my mind: egg dish? cornbread? The diced ham had infused it all with a faint salty smokiness and the scallions added a bite that kept the whole dish balanced. And it was easy to make a large serving for one:
Soak 1/4 cup cornmeal in 1/3 cup water in a saucepan for 5 minutes, then add another 1/3 cup water and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, until it starts to thicken, stirring frequently. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 egg, 1/3 cup buttermilk (my usual substitute is a mixture of nonfat plain yogurt and milk), salt, pepper, a heaping tablespoon freshly shredded Parmesan, and diced scallion and cooked ham. Add that to the cornmeal mixture. I baked it in a deep oven-safe bowl at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes (the recipe said 30, but I kept going until the center was set; when I took it out mine was still slightly jiggly but firm when I touched it). This would be a fun brunch dish, with smaller individual servings made in oven-safe mugs (as the recipe, which I took copious liberties with, suggested). The cookbook, Little Meals, recommended sauteed apple slices as a side, but I ate my apple fresh.
Last night I was all alone again, so I made spoonbread, something I always wanted to try but that Todd would say was not "real food." I've never had it so I don't know if I got the right texture, but I can't imagine what texture would be better than the creamy, fluffy softness I ate for dinner. Every bite I changed my mind: egg dish? cornbread? The diced ham had infused it all with a faint salty smokiness and the scallions added a bite that kept the whole dish balanced. And it was easy to make a large serving for one:
Soak 1/4 cup cornmeal in 1/3 cup water in a saucepan for 5 minutes, then add another 1/3 cup water and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, until it starts to thicken, stirring frequently. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 egg, 1/3 cup buttermilk (my usual substitute is a mixture of nonfat plain yogurt and milk), salt, pepper, a heaping tablespoon freshly shredded Parmesan, and diced scallion and cooked ham. Add that to the cornmeal mixture. I baked it in a deep oven-safe bowl at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes (the recipe said 30, but I kept going until the center was set; when I took it out mine was still slightly jiggly but firm when I touched it). This would be a fun brunch dish, with smaller individual servings made in oven-safe mugs (as the recipe, which I took copious liberties with, suggested). The cookbook, Little Meals, recommended sauteed apple slices as a side, but I ate my apple fresh.
I always have this problem: I plan to make something, then I decide not to cook, or a friend wants to have dinner, or Todd's home, and the recipe keeps getting pushed off until it's a week later and the vegetables are getting flabby. But I finally made the noodles with peanut sauce on Wednesday night, and it was great.
I always have this problem: I plan to make something, then I decide not to cook, or a friend wants to have dinner, or Todd's home, and the recipe keeps getting pushed off until it's a week later and the vegetables are getting flabby. But I finally made the noodles with peanut sauce on Wednesday night, and it was great.
I went shopping this weekend and bought a couple of books that are relevant to these pages: Salt, a World History and What Einstein Told His Cook. (I also bought a belted knit top, a pair of pants and a light dress to celebrate the advent of spring--I should have bought earmuffs instead.)
I've started reading the Einstein book, which was written by Washington Post columnist Robert Wolke. The book follows a basic formula: A reader poses a question, and Wolke answers it by simplifying the science so it's understandable to a layperson. He's already answered two things I've wondered about in the last week: Is hominy really soaked in lye, and why are the fleshes of different animals different textures and colors? Alton Brown-type stuff, with recipes. It's an interesting book, and one I'm planning to keep as a reference at work.
So ask me a sciency-type food-related question, and I'll see if the answer is in the book.
