pasta, pumpkins & those amazing Cubbies

It's been a momentous couple weeks, and it's hard to resume normal life.  First, let's focus on the positive and talk about the CUBS!  They did it!  They did it! If you haven't yet, or in a while, watch this video.   

I miss those boys.  Especially given the week that followed.  Talk about ecstasy and agony.   All I will say is that America has withstood some dark times, times when it seemed our democracy could not bear the strain, and yet it has. We press on.

I find that cooking is an excellent distraction.  So let's talk about food.

First up:  Melissa D'Arabian's Crisper Drawer Pasta.  It's delish and you can seriously make it with anything in your fridge. 

Heat 2 T olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 small, finely chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the dried herbs (½ teaspoon dried herbs, such as basil, marjoram, oregano, thyme, plus a squeeze of lemon juice, or herbes de Provence) and 2 cloves minced garlic, and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Then stir in the soft vegetables or leafy greens ** and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the greens are wilted, 30 seconds to 4 minutes, stirring often. Turn off the heat and set aside.

**Soft Veg/Leafy Greens = 1 to 2 cups soft vegetables or leafy greens (sliced bell peppers, corn, chopped and salted eggplant, escarole sliced crosswise, sliced fennel, sliced mushrooms, peas, chopped spinach, chopped Swiss chard)

Meanwhile, Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook for 3 minutes. Add the hard vegetables *** and continue to cook according to the package instructions until the pasta is al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and vegetables and return them to the pot.

***1 to 2 cups cut-up hard vegetables (chopped beets, carrots, celery, zucchini, green beans; broccoli or cauliflower florets)

 Stir 2 Tbsp sour cream and ½ teaspoon salt into the pasta,

add ½ cup of the Parmesan,

 1 tablespoon finely chopped aromatics or fresh herbs (basil, chives, crushed red pepper flakes, dill, fennel fronds, flat-leaf parsley, lemon zest, scallions, tarragon)  and ¼ cup of the pasta water.

Stir to combine, add the cooked soft vegetables or leafy greens, and add more pasta water if needed. Serve with more Parmesan on the side.

For dessert, I highly recommend this

pumpkin cake

mix 1 cup oil with three beaten eggs, 1 tsp vanilla & 1 can pumpkin mix

mix together

2 1/2 cups white sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix into pumpkin mixture and blend until just combined. 

Pour in a greased bundt cake pan.  Cook for one hour at 350.

 Let cool then invert and cover with powdered sugar. 

YUM
When in doubt, or despair, it helps to eat some pumpkin cake.  Cheers. 

HOLY COW!

The Cubs are going to the world series.  Let me repeat that:

THE CHICAGO CUBS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!

Homigod.  It's stunning, really.    I am a transplant, but at this point I've lived in Chicago longer than I lived anywhere else - it's my home. And I love it.

I grew up a Mets fan, so growing up with a team that had some serious curse baggage is de rigueur, but the Cubs' baggage is of a different magnitude.  We haven't been to the World Series since 1945.  1945!

And the last time we won the World Series?  1908!  Let's put that in perspective:

20 Events that Have Occurred Since the Chicago Cubs Won Their Last World Series

1. Both radio and TV were invented
2. Fourteen teams were added to Major League Baseball
3. George Burns celebrated his 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th, 90th and 100th birthdays
4. Haley's comet passed Earth, twice
5. Harry Caray was born, and died
6. The NBA, NHL and NFL were formed, and Chicago teams won championships in each league
7. The US fought in World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, Iraq War, Afghanistan War
8. Man landed on the moon
9. Sixteen US presidents were elected
10. Eleven amendments added to the Constitution
11. Prohibition was created and repealed
12. The Titanic was built, set sail, sank, and was re discovered
13. Wrigley Field was built and becomes the oldest park in the National League
14. Flag poles were erected on Wrigley Field roof to hold all of the team's future World Series pennants, which have since rusted and been taken down
15. A combination of 40 Summer and Winter Olympics have been held
16. Thirteen baseball players have won the Triple Crown
17. Swing music, bell-bottoms, and disco came in style, went out of style and came back in style
18. The Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins have all won the World Series; what next, the Nationals?!?
19. The Cubs played almost 15,000 regular-season games, losing the majority of them
20. Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Oklahoma and New Mexico were admitted to the Union

Sooooo, we're due.
No more talk of curses.
No more talk of Goats
No more talk of Steve Bartman (Doug and I were at that tragic game.)

Let's talk about Javi.  And Rizzo.  And Grandpa Ross.  And those glorious pitchers.  And Joe Maddon. And Theo Epstein.  These guys are easy to root for - young and exuberant and unencumbered and READY.

 Hoist a glass, people.  It's on.

For tomorrow night's game, I'm going to whip up a batch of a classic Chicago Italian Beef

Portillo’s Family Recipe - Italian Beef

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 bay leaves
• 1 (2/3 ounce) package Italian salad dressing mix
• 5 lbs inside round roast (cap on)
• 
  

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water, salt, ground black pepper, oregano,
 basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf and salad dressing mix.

2. Stir well and bring just to a boil.

3. Place roast in a slow cooker and pour mixture over the roast.

4. Cover and cook on low setting for 10 to 12 hours OR high setting for 4 to 5 hours.

5. Remove bay leaf and shred meat with a fork.

6. Serve on Italian Rolls with spicy giardiniera



                             LET'S GO CUBBIES!!

Veggie Tales

Remember Veggie Tales? If you have a child between the ages of 15-22, chances are you have a soft spot for "Dave and the Giant Pickle," "Rack, Shack & Benny," Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber and his alter-ego, Larry Boy.  Hilarious, sweet stories told by animated vegetables, based on bible stories, with very catchy tunes.

What's not to love? Guilt-free e-parenting that got me through those toddler years.

Was that why my kids were good veggie eaters?  I don't know.  Couldn't have hurt.  Julie taught me that me trick that, before dinner, when your kids are starving, if you put out a big plate of cut veggies, maybe with a little side of ranch dressing, they'll gobble it up.  And they did.  Veggies were never the enemy.  When Noah was in preschool his teacher told me at pickup one day that she had made a pepper rainbow - had cut strips of red, orange, yellow, green and even purple peppers arranged on a plate like a rainbow, and Noah was the only one who ate them!  Yay!

But my veggie prowess is being tested, suddenly, because Corey is now a vegetarian.  She's been talking about it for a while and finally made the jump this summer, following my niece Jackie, who recently went vegan.  Vegan to me makes cooking and eating way too much work, but veggie I get.  I looked for a cute picture of corey and jackie and I have, well, millions.

 

 

 

So cute!  So many years have passed!  Sigh.  (Girls: notice how I left out the awkward years?  You're welcome.)

ANYWAY, it's a good time to be a vegetarian or vegan in the world - there are so many more options for dining out or in now.  But cooking vegetarian?  That's not really my jam.  So I'm having to learn.

The other night I made the family a weeknight stir-fry.  No recipe, just marinated some diced chicken breasts in soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, vegetable oil, crushed red pepper & garlic.  Then I stared at that block of tofu I had bought, utterly mystified.  I knew that Corey (and Jackie) had done some tofu 'pressing' at the lake this summer - so I called her down to deal with it.

Apparently, if you want your tofu to stay firm you need to drain the excess water.  You wrap it in a towel or paper towels, put between some heavy items and leave for 15-30 minutes.  Which I did. It wasn't a raging success - still a little mushier than I think is ideal, but hey, I'm a newbie.  It's a whole new veggie world out there.

Stir fry for one and all

Cut all the veggies you have on hand into strips/florets.  I prepped a red pepper, green pepper, a few carrots, a bunch of green beans (just trimmed edges) and a head of broccoli.

I took two chicken breasts and cut them into strips then marinaded them in

1/2 cup soy sauce

3 Tbsp sesame oil

3-5 Tbsp rice vinegar

1/4 cup veggie oil 

several cloves garlic, minced

lots of crushed red pepper flakes

 The trusty beast lays in the same spot all the time, right in my way, hoping I'll drop something.

 Heat up some veggie oil in the wok.  Get it really hot.

 Add the marinated chicken with about half the marinade.  

Cook it on high heat for about 5 minutes, until cooked through.  

Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon.

 Meanwhile, cut your pressed tofu into pieces and let it marinate in the other half of the marinade while the chicken is cooking.

 Throw the whole situation in the wok and cook on med high heat until it's firm and edges are crispy. Remove from wok with a slotted spoon.

 

 Dump all your veggies in the wok, stir up and cover. 

 Stir occasionally and cook only till veggies start getting tender, about 5 minutes.

 Take some of this yumminess out and mix it with the tofu. 

Then dump the chicken and some peanuts into the wok and mix well.

Serve over rice. 

Meanwhile, I had a lovely afternoon in the city with one of my favorite carnivores, and he wisely chose a classic Chicago hot dog.  

Variety is the spice of life, yo. 

Fall, Friday, Football...

It's that time of year again!  Fall!  I love fall.  As I discussed last year, I think fall is my season - I love when the nights turn crisp and the  world starts turning a little inward and the smells and activities change.  Football games on Friday nights (Dylan) and Sunday afternoon (Bears.  Thank you for your sympathy.)

Cooking has been a little haphazard, I must confess.  Due to my previously discussed poor ability to cook for three, we have a lot of leftovers lately,  and leftovers have now become part of the rotation.   What a concept!  But this week I got myself in the kitchen a few times.

As an aside, poor Dylan is now directly under the kitchen-table spotlight, both literally and metaphorically.  There are upsides:  I think he likes having the basement and the bathroom all to himself, but dinners are, well, QUIET.  He's in that reticent teenager phase and Doug and I really have to draw conversation out of him.  But draw we do!  We persevere!  Remember conversation questions?  Well, they're baaaaaack.  The other night I made us engage in that beloved dinnertime activity, and it was a hoot.  Dylan asked about my transition, as a kid, to being an only child.  I informed him I was the fifth (he: you were?), so was never an only child, but regaled him with tales of Jacquie and me being a junior and senior,  the last two at home,  and inheriting Mary Beth's sky-blue AMC Pacer when she moved to Manhattan.  I had to pull up some photos of Pacers - he was duly stunned and impressed. 

I asked Doug and what instrument he regrets giving up as a kid (cello.)  (He gave up many.)  Doug asked Dylan about his Chem/Phys class.  Anywho - in addition to the scintillating dinnertime conversation, we ate some yummy fall  food.

Cauliflower and Zucchini Soup

Last night was a cold and rainy night.   I got home and looked in the fridge and I had a ton of veggies and no plan, so decided to make some class of veggie soup.  We were heavy on Zucchini and Cauliflower so, voila!

I pan roasted 3 chopped zucchini and a head of chopped cauliflower with some olive oil, salt & pepper.  About a half hour on 400.  

 

 Then I sauteed a chopped onion and some garlic. 

 I added some chopped potatoes to give the soup some oomph.  Brought to a boil with 6 or so cups of chicken broth.  Then let that simmer for half hour or so, while the veggies roasted. 

 I added the veggies back to the pot and threw in some crushed red pepper and a ton more fresh ground pepper and some kosher salt. 

 

 Then pureed it a bit with the hand blender. 

 It was good!  Next time I might add some cumin or curry to give it a little more depth, and for sure some more crushed red pepper.  But it was filling and yummy and both veggie-rich and filling. 

Also this week: 

Baked Squash Soup, 

which I spelled out for y'all last year.

And last weekend we had a dinner party and served: 

Grilled  Chicken & Steak with  Chimichurri

 I know, you're sick of me posting this recipe.  I know!  But, see, you MUST make it.  You must!  It is the best thing ever.  I promise. And takes 5 minutes.  Please make a list and go to the store.  

You're welcome.  

Happy Fall!!

Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Skirt Steak - trimmed - about 1/2 lb/person.  I used almost 6lbs for 10 people. 4 min per side.
(this sauce is also amazing on grilled chicken breasts - just pound them out, salt & pepper them and grill 4 min/side)  When the meat is resting, smother in chimichurri.  Serve with more on side.

Melissa d'Arabian's Chimichurri - I doubled this recipe. 

• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tsp white wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
• Red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2/3 cup olive oil

Table for Three

Remember when I used to cook?  And write about it?  It's been a month of major adjustments in the Holt household.  First we got Noah off to school. Then Corey off to school. Then I took two quick work trips - to NY and DC - with a weekend in Phelps wedged in.  And now, as we settle in to fall, we are, suddenly,  a family of three.  It's so tiny and cute!

I do not know how to shop for three.  Milk has spoiled.  Fruit has overripened.  Leftovers are copious.  But I am adjusting.  And, much as I miss my big people, it's been lovely to just focus on Dylan for once in his life.  Not sure if he'd agree.....

So I'm slooowwwwly getting back to kitchen duty.  Doug did a very good job of getting dinner on the table while I was gone.  I had made and frozen a few entrees, he was responsible for sides.  I asked Dylan how Doug had done in my absence.  His answer, "Pretty good.  There was a LOT of rice."

Last week's menus:

Grilled chicken breasts seasoned with The Spice House's Central Street rub,  fruit salad

Meatball subs with green salad

 mix 1lb ground beef, 3/4 cup bread crumbs, 1 egg, 3 Tbsp parmesan, salt & pepper & a couple Tbsp chopped parsley.  Mix well and form about a dozen meatballs. Bake at 350 for half hour.  Simmer some tomato sauce, add the meatballs and simmer a bit, serve on crusty bread wedges.  YUM.

Sausage and peppers subs

Cut 4-5 hot links (can be turkey or beef or hot italians (my fave)) into 1-2 inch chunks.  Cook on med high heat in a skillet until cooked through, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes to start.  Add a chopped up onion and 2-3 peppers sliced in strips (I like multi color) after 10 minutes and cook together with sausage the last 10 minutes.  Drain the nasty fat from the pan.  Put all the yumminess back with a large can of diced tomatoes, a tsp dried oregano and basil, lots of pepper and a tsp kosher salt and some crushed red pepper for grins.  Simmer the whole situation for at least another 20 minutes, longer if you can.  Serve up on crusty rolls or french bread wedge and a green salad. 

 Ina's Linguine with Shrimp Scampi 

I served it with a watermelon/arugula salad with a lemon vinaigrette.

Vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
3/4 pound linguine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.

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