What Do You Eat When You Are Alone?

What do you eat when you are alone?

If someone were to ask me that question, I would say, "grilled cheese." I love to eat grilled cheese when I am dining alone, but today I ate a can of beets for lunch.

Yes, a can of beets. Not roasted. No goat cheese. No arugula. A can of beets, drained and tossed with olive oil, salt and oregano. A salad straight from my childhood. And delicious. Beet salad was definitely in my mother's rotation.  It never  supplanted the tossed green salad served after the meal, but  it was a side dish with--what? I don't remember. Maybe hamburgers, maybe cubed steak. Sometimes with a thinly sliced red onion, but always delicious.

Do you ever  wonder what people eat when there is no one around? I think what we eat when we are alone can be divided into two categories. There are those of us who live alone and therefore cook for ourselves on a regular basis.  In his article, Table for One, writer Nigel Slater believes that cooking for one is the perfect time to indulge his food desires and pour himself a glass of good wine.  Mr. Slater takes great pleasure in spending at least a few nights a week satisfying his culinary whims.

In her book, The Pleasures of Cooking For One, the legendary book editor turned author, Judith Jones turns the act of cooking for one into an homage of sorts.  She sets the table and pours the wine. And then dines solo. She has even made a cheese souffle scaled down for one.

But don't get me wrong, there are times, Mr. Slater says, when dinner for him could be a a tub of hummus, a bag of pita bread and a bottle of wine.  Or a bacon sandwich at midnight. That brings me to the next category. What do you eat when no one is looking?

Ah! See there is a difference. When no one is looking many of us resort to childhood favorites or bizarre combinations we would never think to eat in front of another living soul.  Years ago when John would work every third night, my favorite after-work dinner for one was a bowl of salty popcorn and a glass of white wine chased by a couple of pieces of dark chocolate. How healthy is that?

In my very unscientific poll, I saw a big trend in solo eating of carbohydrates--a bowl of cereal, cake, a pan of brownies; an entire candy bar or a half a pan of cornbread as well as  the all-time favorite, cold pizza.  I've also known someone, who shall remain nameless, who thought the perfect dining companion was a can of cold spam. When no one is around to disapprove of what we're eating, all bets are off.

So I ask you, what do you eat when you are alone?

Pizza Again

Last night John and I had our first grilled pizza of the summer. If you have never grilled a pizza, you must give it a try.  It is easy, fun and never fails to impress.  Did I mention delicious?

Simply pat out your dough, brush liberally with olive oil and place directly on a medium-hot grill.
Grill until crisp and brown on one side. Brush top of dough with olive oil and using a tongs or your fingers turn over.  When the second side is almost done, add toppings, close grill and continue to cook until toppings are ready.  Garnish and serve.

Just Peachy

It was with some trepidation L and I picked up our first farm box from our CSA.  E-mails last week from the woman who runs this CSA gave us the feeling that it is very loosely run--definitely not our style--but OK.

The first e-mail informed us that she is not sure if we will be continuing through the summer. What? We just started our session, because in New Jersey we wait all year long for summer produce.  The next e-mail said that because of such a large response, she had to go in search of other providers. OK.

So we go to pick up our boxes, a half share each, in the pouring rain.  We make our way back to the garage where a short hunt finds us our labeled boxes. A stop at the cooler to collect our dozen eggs, and off we go. We will return in two weeks for our next box.

When I returned home I was excited to see what was awaiting me.

There was no need for me to have been apprehensive about the quantity of produce being too much for two people as it seemed quite manageable. In fact some of the quantities seemed quite ridiculous. Four baby beets and pea pods that yielded less than one cup shucked peas.  Good thing, for me, that John doesn't care for either, because neither would have made a decent side dish for two.

The baby beets looked so much prettier raw than cooked; but I roasted them with olive oil and made them into a tiny first course salad with goat cheese and arugula.

The sweet peas were just steamed and buttered and added to the dinner plate.

Dinner the next night was fresh eggs fried in a ring of red pepper and dusted with Parmesan cheese atop wholegrain toast.

This was accompanied by the broad beans, the only vegetables adequate enough for two servings. They were boiled, drained, tossed with olive oil and salted.

And some beautifully ripe and sweet Campari tomatoes roasted with olive oil, thyme and garlic.

Saturday's dinner was accompanied by the five scallions, grilled.

I am trying to reserve judgement, but I thought the whole concept of community supported agriculture was just that. Eat seasonally, eat locally, and support local farmers. I have been eating seasonally and locally as much as possible my whole life, so it is not a new or foreign concept to me.  So you can understand my confusion to find included in my box pears from Argentina, scallions from California and peaches and oranges from who knows where.  The Campari tomatoes, by the way, were purchased from the supermarket and hydroponically grown in New Jersey!

Perhaps a half share should contain less variety than a full share, but enough of each vegetable to serve at least two people.  Perhaps I'm being too picky.

Today is Sunday and I have left 3 hard pears, two oranges, and one peach. The cherries went quickly.The two yellow squash will be grilled for dinner today or tomorrow, and the large head of red leaf lettuce will be gone as well.

We'll see.

Long Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend  has long been the unofficial beginning of summer, and our weekend was the perfect juxtaposition of activity and relaxation.  The true sign of summer for me is the first time I brew a pitcher of iced tea.  Perfect.

Friday night ushered in the weekend like many before it. T and J were coming for dinner. But this time it took some convincing as it was T's birthday, and she was determined not to acknowledge it.  I had to promise not to. Right before they arrived the sky cleared so we sat outside to enjoy some bruschetta.  I cut some slices from a baguette on the diagonal, brushed them will olive oil and placed them on the grill. Hot off the grill I rubbed them with a clove of garlic and piled them high with some ripe grape tomatoes, shreds of basil and salt then anointed them with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Perfect.

So it was pizza and politics as usual.

The only nod toward the occasion was dessert -- affogato.  A scoop of ice cream, in our case caramel macchiato flavor, doused with a bit of liqueur, here Patron XO Cafe, and drowned in a shot of espresso. T approved.  

Saturday was lovely and we spent it relaxing, reading and enjoying the symphony of birds that visit our birdbath. Between the visits to the bird bath each day by our pair of mourning doves, Fred and Ethel, the rabbits chomping on the lawn, and the deer, well eating our plants, sometimes it's hard to remember that we live only ten miles outside of New York City.

When I checked my small garden, I was thrilled to see that the arugula I had planted just a few days before had germinated.

And as usual, the mint is on its way to taking over.  I guess there are Mojitos in our immediate future.

Last weekend was spent mostly doing work in the yard. We weeded and mulched and spruced up as we planned to enjoy it all this weekend. Saturday morning was our first al fresco breakfast overlooking John's newly mulched garden path to nowhere. 

Sunday's weather was beautiful, and we continued to putter around at a very leisurely pace.  J and L called on their way home from the wine shop. Can they come over and bring some wine? Sure--you've got to love them.  So it was bruschetta again, this time with slices of ciabatta grilled, topped with some fresh ricotta, chopped tomatoes and basil. I made a salad and grilled some hot sausages as we drank a lovely zinfandel.

The very best thing about Sunday was knowing  that we had one more day of the weekend ahead of us.
Ahh.

Thursday

Breakfast

Lunch at the office

Haircut

Market

Flowers from the garden

Dinner

Dinner Tonight

It was approaching 5 pm and I still didn't know what I was going to make for dinner.  I must have been channeling Tracy at Amuse-Bouche for Two when I texted John and asked if he had any ideas for dinner.

"Do you have any beef barley soup in the freezer?"  No.
"How about any tomato soup in the freezer?"  No.

I could see where this was headed as it is a miserable, cold, and rainy day.  Ok, I'll survey the fridge and see what I can come up with. Celery, carrots, and an onion. Canned (boxed, actually) tomatoes, a bag of lentils, and some low sodium chicken broth. Good.

I pour some olive oil into the soup pot, add a knob of butter and saute the chopped vegetables until soft. If you happen to have some pancetta--I didn't--now would be the time to add it. Add a pinch of salt then one cup of tomatoes, cut up. Season and simmer for a bit.

Add 1 1/2 cups lentils, stir, then add 4 cups broth or half broth and half water. Season to taste.  Cover and simmer approximately 45 minutes or until lentils are tender--adding more water if lentils absorb too much liquid.  Off heat finish with a tablespoon or so of butter and correct seasoning. Serve dusted with grated cheese. We used Pecorino. Add a green salad, a whole wheat roll, and a glass of wine. Done.

Master Chef

I stopped at the Asian market on my way home yesterday. You see I've been yearning to make an Asian-style turkey burger ever since I saw this recipe at Serious Eats, and I needed sriracha sauce for the dressing.

Sriracha is a blend of hot chiles, salt, sugar and vinegar. It can be used to liven up just about anything, and is quite good blended with some mayo as a sauce for the burger.  I have, in the past, used these same Asian ingredients that appear in this recipe with great success blended with freshly chopped salmon to form burgers.

I was first introduced to the wonders of the Asian marketplace in the late 1970's  by my Chinese cooking guru, Eileen Yin-Fei Lo.  Eileen is quite the authority on Chinese cooking and has authored eleven cookbooks on Chinese cuisine and many articles for major magazines.  But I knew her as Eileen Ferretti and took cooking lessons from her in her New Jersey kitchen.

Those were the days before anyone had ever heard of a celebrity chef, and people were still allowing strangers through their doors to teach them to cook.  Imagine that!  Eileen did, and still does, cook food that is traditional to her native land. I worked and ate my way through Eileen's classes all the way up through "super advanced".

An Asian grocery store could be overwhelming to a Westerner; but before classes would begin, Eileen would take us to Chinatown in New York City to make sure we would have all the proper woks and utensils and ingredients to continue our education at our own stoves at home. I did become quite proficient at it, too--even going so far as hanging a Peking duck from a hook on our screened-in porch, fan blowing to dry it out, before roasting it in a hot oven. That was before our kitchen had an exhaust fan, and I don't know how the Fire Department didn't show up!

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo is a 4'9" dynamo who was born in the village of Sun-Tak in Canton and learned to cook at an early age from her beloved grandmother. During the Chinese Revolution Yin fled to Hong Kong to be with her father and continued her cooking education with her Number 6 Aunt.  She met her husband of fifty years,  journalist Fred Ferretti, in 1958 when this American G.I. walked into the tailor shop that she managed. They married the following year, she added Eileen to her name, and moved to the United States to begin a family.

Eileen believes that Chinese cooking is Chinese culture. One must have respect for the tradition of Chinese cooking and be authentic in technique and in life. Her latest book,  Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking, will serve to keep her beliefs and traditional recipes alive forever.

I see Eileen from time to time around town. We always stop to talk. We ask about each others families, the projects we are working on, and about her grandchild.  Now Eileen can pass on her treasured culture to her granddaughter Siu-Siu, as her grandmother did to her.  And I think of Eileen every time I make Lemon Chicken from Number 6 Aunt!


Click here to see Eileen at home in her kitchen.

A Weekend At Home

I am planning a weekend at home. John is working and I expect to catch up on many neglected tasks.  The weekend started well with a quiet dinner for two on Friday night of a nice broccoli and ricotta pizza on a whole wheat crust.

 I got up early today and paid the bills, both home and office--but the filing will have to wait.  The day is gorgeous for a change so my mind is racing--should I run out and buy some plants for the deck? Sure! I get to the garden center when it opens, buy some large baskets of New Guinea impatiens, some lettuces and more basil plants. When can I plant these? What else do I need? Should I buy seeds and start a pot of lettuce? No. We've decided to join a CSA and we'll probably have more lettuce than we will know what to do with.

Back home there seems to be unfinished projects everywhere.  Focus. I fire up the espresso maker.

Did that coffee help, or did it make me crazier?

I cook for my 94-year old mother, and her freezer needs to be filled.  As she is not an adventurous eater and a creature of habit,  I prepare the same food for her over and over. A no-brainer, really. So I put a podcast on my ipod and try to get into the zone as I did during my days as a personal chef. I begin with baked ziti, a dish I may add, I never make for us.

Next comes beef barley soup.

Now cool, portion, package and freeze.  The remainder of the food will have to wait. You probably can tell that I am having an ADD kind of day. Breathe, just breathe.

The serenity I felt on vacation is gone, and the only thing left from it is the photo on my screen saver!

If you've stuck with me for this long, thanks for letting me rant!

Ready to Roll?

Back from vacation and up at dawn. Pour coffee, empty dishwasher, check e-mails, jump on the treadmill--both literally and figuratively--drawing up to-do list in my head.

After a beautiful and restful week with our friends at the beach eating and drinking with total abandon, it's time to get back to more prudent habits.  I roasted a plump chicken for dinner last night. Sprinkled the cavity with salt and pepper and filled it with a lemon pierced in spots, some rosemary springs and garlic gloves.  After loosening the skin over the breast I massaged it with some softened butter and more salt and pepper. I worked some more butter into the skin, s & p, then I trussed it closed and put it to roast in a hot oven.

There is nothing like the smell of a chicken roasting. I added a green salad, some olives and one glass of red wine.  Off to a good start.

Decompression

My friends S and A are at the gym, and John is already at the beach. Good for them, but I have declared a no exercise zone for myself.  I'm on vacation, you see, and at home I work out at least five days a week.

At home I eat yogurt and fruit for breakfast. Here in St. Thomas I eat goat cheese and smoked salmon.  At home I race from task to task. Here I sit in a lounge chair overlooking the turquoise sea. At home I drink my morning coffee while I check my e-mails. Here John pours our coffee, and brings it back to bed as we part the curtains to allow the sun to stream in.  At home I grab a solitary lunch usually standing up. Here I prepare lunch with friends, set the table on the balcony overlooking the beach, pour some wine and enjoy.

At home some days it is difficult to finish reading the newspaper.  Here I have brought with me my favorite literary friends.  There is Nic Costa, the dark and emotionally damaged Roman detective with a penchant for Caravaggio. Alex Delaware, a psychologist who consults with the LAPD on interesting crimes.  Alexandra Cooper, NYC assistant DA who is smart, tough, and majored in English Lit. Jack Reacher, lone wolf, ex-military cop whom trouble seems to follow. Yep. Murder and mayhem.

We have been coming to this lush tropical island with S and A for over twenty-five years. It allows us to pause the rush and chaos of everyday life.  For that I am grateful.

My Day in Food

Since I'm still at a loss for words, I'll show you.

Breakfast of Greek yogurt, a ripe pear, some walnuts with a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Lunch of peanut butter on whole grain.

Dinner of grilled pork chop, roasted chili sweet potatoes, and cole slaw.

And coffee.

Argh!!

Spring has sprung, as they say; and I have a terrible case of blog block. I am enjoying reading prolific posts by my favorite bloggers, but I'm not able to put pen to paper.

Is it lack of inspiration? How could it be? Spring is bursting forth all around me--warm sun, trees in bloom, birds splashing in the birdbath, vibrant green herbs peeking through the soil, and spring produce starting to appear in the market. Is it just that I don't have anything to say? That never stopped me before.

Is it lack of confidence in my writing skills? Definitely, as the entertaining prose of my favorite bloggers puts mine to shame. Or is it distraction? Could be. Easter and the planning, cooking, serving and cleaning that came with it is now over. The first of several out-of-town weddings is over. Showers, more travel for weddings, a weekend trip for my birthday, and a much looked-forward-to  week on our favorite beach in St. Thomas all taking place within the month.

So much has to be accomplished and planned for before we can collapse on that beach. But I will hold onto the promise of soothing turquoise water, gentle breezes, and warm sand--and maybe blog block will become a thing of the past.

Still Crazy After All These Years

One of the definitions of crazy is someone who repeats the same task over and over expecting a different outcome.

After another failed attempt at an olive oil cake on Friday, I vowed that I was done with this elusive task. But while browsing through dessert recipes in my to-be-tried file over the weekend, I came across--you guessed it--a recipe for this Walnut-Orange Cake made with olive oil. Now I don't know if it was crazy, obsession or just tenacity that made me do it--but I had to try this cake.  It was worth the wait.

It was sweet, light, tender, and--best of all--delicious. "Are you done now?'" asked my friend, L, in her inimitable style.  Yes, I'm done now.

For dinner we had Jacques Pepin's Crusty Chicken.

These chicken thighs are started to cook in a cold non-stick pan, then when sizzling, covered until done. While the chicken is kept warm, a quick sauce of diced onions, garlic and mushrooms is made in a small amount of the chicken fat and finished with white wine.  The ubiquitous, but refreshing, green salad rounded out the meal. Topped off by, of course, Walnut-Orange Cake.

Tomorrow marks one year since I began writing this blog. It has taken a different turn from what I set out to do, but I think I am starting to find my voice and having fun along the way.

We are having a crowd for Easter dinner, and I still must decide on the desserts. Other than Aunt Louise's Cheesecake, I can't make up my mind.

Whether you are celebrating Passover, Easter or the coming of Spring, I hope that it is joyous.

A Rainy Weekend

Another weekend of terrible weather in the northeast. Torrential rains and high winds wreaked havoc on the area with fallen trees and downed power lines making travel difficult at best. We were lucky to never have lost our lights or our heat, so it was a good time to at stay home and catch up on a few things that had gotten away from us.

Sunday afternoon J and L stopped by and decided to stay for a while to watch a movie with us.

When it became evident that we all wanted to eat, ingredients were easy to gather, and water was put on to boil.

Broccoli florets were tossed with some olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt then put to roast in a hot oven. I soaked some very thinly sliced red onion in ice water while I made a salad of escarole and baby spinach, then I dropped the orecchiette into the waiting pot of boiling water. I drained and dried the onions, tossed them into the greens and then dressed them with a lemon mustard vinaigrette.

The cooked pasta was quickly dumped into the waiting bowl and tossed with 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, the roasted broccoli, a couple of handfuls of toasted walnuts and enough hot pasta water to marry everything. While John poured the red wine, I tasted for seasoning and sprinkled the pasta with freshly grated Parmagiano. Dinner!

I have had some unsuccessful baking projects lately, but this almond torte was a hit.

Kath of The Ordinary Cook was hoping I would post the recipe. Here it is.

Almond Torte from Everyday Food, March 2010

1 1/4 cups (6 ounces) whole natural almonds, toasted

1 teaspoon cornstarch

4 large eggs, separated

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, blend almonds and cornstarch until finely ground, about 15-20 seconds,

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Gently fold in almond mixture.

In another bowl, whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of whites into almond mixture; then fold almond mixture into remaining whites just until combined.

Pour batter into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in pan.

Note: There is no mention of greasing the pan in the recipe. Make sure that the cake is thoroughly

cooled before removing springform pan. Next time I would consider using buttered parchment

on bottom of pan to make removing cake from bottom a bit easier.