Escape from January!
As I write this, I’m seated in my kitchen, surrounded by beautiful birdsong— playing from Spotify, but effective in its illusion all the same. I’m facing the sun, who’s coquettishly peeping out from a hazy wall of grey clouds. I feel she’s come to see what I’m cooking, and to ask if I’d like her to shine a bit to complete my Springtime fantasy. Yes, please.
I’ve just sat down to a lovely lunch of beans and tomatoes with plenty of lemon juice and fresh herbs, and little puddles of olive oil. I’m thinking about how good the now feels— in the pre-Spring, but immersed in the prickling excitement as it mounds; of seedlings and flowers, fresh snap peas and radishes, sunshine and showers, and what always feels like the freshest of new beginnings. The anticipation is as much, sometimes more, pleasurable than the real thing.
My Springtime fantasy has been running all week, and started with a bang! A watch party of BBC’s mini series Pride and Prejudice, complete with a full tea party spread to satiate us through the 6 hour run time. (Just kidding— we ordered pizza too.) I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but this version of P&P always feels like Spring to me. It’s also my favorite version-- I can’t resist the floating head of Darcy, the very scary Lady Catherine de Bourgh, or Jennifer Ehle’s Elizabeth Bennet, which in my opinion is perfect in every way. Tea sandwiches were my contribution to our party, fueling Springtime sentiment with cucumbers and a garden of mint, dill, and chives on cool cream cheese, and snappy radishes on cushy beds of truffle butter with glittering flaky salt.
If you make tea sandwiches of your own, take what I learned from this round: cut the crusts off as the final step, not the first. The crust helps hold the bread together while spreads are being applied. Squish the bread down over the fillings to adhere well, and if there’s time, put the sandwiches (covered) in the fridge for a few minutes before cutting off the crusts and cutting into pieces.
On Sunday night a storm cloud came— I managed to injure my neck in my sleep (an accomplishment I could never claim in my 20s.) This made Monday through Tuesday mandatory downtime, literally, on my back. Through gritted teeth I resentfully began researching how and when different types of flower seeds should be planted. But by Tuesday, I was all a flutter to lie still and watch videos on installing drip irrigation! Like Spring, this passing storm brought new growth. And headaches, but let’s focus on the positive.
In addition to some seeds I bought on a whim last fall, I also saved seeds from many of the perennial flowers in the front yard. I’ve never saved or planted flower seeds before, so I plan to conduct some experiments and see what happens! I will, of course, share the results with you.
Do you know anything about planting flower seeds? Tell me everything!
Even with the sun’s flirtations, the January days are still very dark, which inspired me to write this blog post on the many types of twinkle lights I use to cheer up my space in the winter.
Also new on the blog, as promised, a recipe for tagliatelle with Saffron sauce and peas (which, coincidently, is even better in the Spring with snap peas!) And, how to color glass with alcohol inks— a topic I researched extensively last fall and have chronicled my findings in this post. I think it will open up lots of creative projects for us both— inking disco balls, vases, and candle vessels for a start.
Here’s the Best Things I Cooked this Week:
Cucumber and Radish Salad with Broiled Chicken
I sliced far too many cucumbers and radishes for tea sandwiches, and so this salad came to be! It was dressed with a shallot vinegar I’d made that was lurking in the fridge, and also had celery, dill, mint, and chives. On the bottom was farro and on the top were a few crushed pita chips, goat cheese, and a sprinkle of sumac.
Also, chicken breast that was broiled, which I think is going to be my new favorite way to make it— juicy, golden, and fast! Butterfly the chicken breast, and rub with olive oil. Season with salt. Broil 3-4 inches away from the broiler for 4(ish) minutes per side, or until the internal temperature is 165F.
Spinach and Artichoke Grilled Cheese
Chopped marinated artichokes and sliced fresh spinach with mozzarella, Swiss, and goat cheese. Delicious! I made it in a cast iron pan, no butter, just toasty. Ate it with the tomato soup I mentioned a few Fridays ago that’s been in the freezer!
Miso, Escarole, and Golden Raisin Salad with Panko
My favorite of the week! I took a cue from Eliza Weinreb’s post on Ceasar Salad in Food Processing, which mentioned using bread crumbs in place of croutons, and I just loved that!
The dressing was white miso, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and a little Kewpie mayo. The salad was shaved fennel, escarole, Bibb lettuce, and golden raisins, all topped with toasted panko and some fried onions leftover from Thanksgiving. Fantastic! The pork chop was made like it is in this recipe, except for going in the oven— instead, I kept it partially covered the entire time it cooked, which made for a more tender, and less hassle-y process. I think I will update that recipe with this new method in the future.
Brothy Beans
Last, today’s lunch, brothy beans. It started with some aromatherapy, sautéing garlic in a bunch of olive oil. Then came the drained beans, San Marzano tomatoes (from Trader Joes! I love these), and some homemade stock. Seasoned with black pepper, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and porcini powder, and simmered partially covered until the tomatoes were soft. Served with more olive oil drizzled on top, lemon juice, parsley and basil, and a snow drift of parmesan. I’d prefer a crusty bread in the future, but this was so delicious I’d have eaten it with no bread at all!
That’s it for this Fryday, see you next time!
Kiya
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