Brown Bag Lunch Project: Salad Days

A couple weeks ago I was on a salad kick that lasted just as long. They invaded my lunches and dinners, and sometimes I ate the same salad for both on the same day—a combination of laziness and busyness on my part.

Top Row, Left—Mango Salsa and Pan-cooked Fish with Mixed Greens

The Mango Salsa recipe was from my friend, R. In a bowl, combo a slightly under-ripe mango (bite-size cubes), a quarter of a yellow onion (finely chopped), and a good handful of cilantro (a finely chopped). Then mix, squeezing fresh lemon juice and adding salt and cayenne pepper to taste. The salsa was the dressing for the greens and the compliment for the fish, which was seasoned with S.'s wonderfully smokey chili rub. It's a secret mix and I only get jars of it and not the recipe.

Top Row, Right—Fish, Tomato, and Mozzarella with Mixed Greens

This was very much an assembly salad where I just piled assorted things in my fridge on a bed of greens. The fish was leftover from dinner the night before, and I already a small tub of fresh mozzarella and pint of cherry tomatoes from grocery shopping before that. Then I squeezed fresh lemon juice, grizzled olive oil, and sprinkled salt and pepper over the whole lot. In the end, it was a bright salad and one of my better thrown together meals in a while. I liked it so much I reconstructed for it dinner, which is the plate that's pictured.

Middle Row, Left—Chicken Salad on a bed of Mixed Green

I don't follow any one recipe for my chicken salad, but the it usually involves leftover chicken of some sort (obviously), celery, and carrots. Then mayo, a touch of mustard, and salt and pepper get mixed together with the chicken. I brought this one to work for lunch in the black plastic container.

Middle Row, Right—Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella

This combination is ubiquitous, but when something works, and tastes so good together, why mess with it. I can eat these three things together with olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar, salt, and freshly ground pepper by the pound, and was sneaking bites of this salad from a plastic container while attending a seminar at work.

Bottom Row, Left—Green Salad topped with Parmesan, Olives, and Roasted Tomatoes

I threw this together in the morning ten minutes before I needed to leave for work. It was a case of opening my fridge, while all bleary-eyed, sticking my hands in and pulling out the bags, containers, and jars they bumped into.

Bottom Row, Right—Grilled Chicken on Mixed Greens

I get overwhelmed with all the many varieties of salad dressing to choose from at the supermarket and usually don't buy anything for fear of buying the wrong thing—a kind I won't like and then don't use. As a result, I need to make my own, which I do with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper—and turns out to be pretty good, too, as simple as it sounds.


Also, it seems others have salad on the brain. Lis from La Mia Cucina and Kelly from Sass & Veracity are hosting a "Salad Stravaganza". Submissions are due to them by June 25th.

Happy Salad Days to All!

Girl Rediscovers Kitchen

I interrupt my recent string of restaurant posts with this bulletin—I still cook. While I've been hitting the restaurant circuit pretty hard on recent trips, I haven't forgotten my way around a kitchen once I've returned from my travels. Since coming back from New York, I've fired up my stove twice to make a fish stew and beef short ribs.

The fish stew came courtesy of Chef Paz, so I'll refer you to her site for the details on Brazilian Style Salmon Fish Stew. I threw my salmon in the marinade in the morning before going to work and tossed everything in a pot to cook once I got back in the evening. It doesn't get any easier than that for wonderful results. It's a full-flavored dish that goes great with rice. I made enough for dinner one night and two lunches during the week. A container also went into the freeze for later, down the road, when I'm too lazy to cook.




Short ribs are a lovely cut of beef to work with, although they've gotten a bit pricey with their recent, newfound popularity. The meat is marbled in a wonderful way; and as long as you slow cook it, you're guaranteed a marvelously tender outcome.

My short ribs were turned into Short Ribs Provencale with a recipe from Bon Appétit. I had a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon lying around and used it instead of Zinfandel. I don't think the switch made much of a different. One red wine is as good as another in my opinion for cooking, as along as its something you would also drink. And once again, I had enough ribs for one dinner, a couple lunches, and the freezer for a later date.



SHORT RIBS PROVENCALE

Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons (or more) olive oil
6 pounds meaty beef short ribs
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
12 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon dried herbes de Provence*
2 cups red Zinfandel
2 1/2 cups canned beef broth
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup (about) water
24 baby carrots, peeled
1/2 cup Niçois olives,** pitted
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add ribs to pot and brown well, turning often, about 8 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer ribs to large bowl.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from pot or add oil as necessary to measure 2 tablespoons. Add onion, chopped carrot, and celery and cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are soft, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, flour, and herbes de Provence; stir 1 minute. Add wine and 2 cups broth; bring to boil over high heat, scraping up browned bits. Add tomatoes with juices and bay leaf. Return ribs and any accumulated juices to pot. If necessary, add enough water to pot to barely cover ribs. Bring to boil.

Cover pot tightly and transfer to oven. Bake until ribs are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours 15 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, then refrigerate uncovered until cold. Cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before continuing.)

Add remaining 1/2 cup broth, peeled baby carrots, and Niçois olives to pot; press carrots gently to submerge. Cover, return to oven and continue cooking at 350°F until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Transfer short ribs and carrots to platter. Tent with foil to keep warm. If necessary, boil sauce to thicken slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over short ribs. Sprinkle with parsley.

* A dried herb mixture available at specialty foods stores and in the spice section of some markets. A mix of dried thyme, basil, savory, and fennel seeds can be substituted.
** Small brine-cured black olives; available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores, and some supermarkets.

Bon Appétit, January 2002

Brown Bag Lunch Project: Fried Rice to the Rescue

While I haven’t been good about posting my lunches (and posting in general for that matter), I’ve been pretty good about bring them to work, although I’ve needed to resort to various variations of fried rice for the last three weeks to help me get through the days.



The trick to fried rice is to use day old rice instead of a freshly made pot, similarly to how one makes croutons from stale bread, but other than that you can pretty much mix and match whatever else to toss in the stir-fry. I like to use the trifecta of carrots, green onions, and scrambled eggs as my base and then add some sort of meat to complete the dish—leftover braised oxtailsm, for example. But truly sky's the limit and you can make almost any combination of things work. Once in a pinch I used shredded Brussels Sprouts, and I also like to throw in a fistful of chopped cilantro if I have a bunch on hand.

And while I'm not a fan of pre-made seasoning packets, I make an exception for fried rice and use one that gives things an Indonesian style taste. Nasi Goreng is Indonesian and Malaysian for fried rice and in essence the same dish in both countries.

Tuna Goes Casserole

In an effort to keep my new year resolution of bring more lunches to work than I buy, I've begun looking at recipes with an eye towards quantity as well as quality. Hence casseroles have popped onto my cooking radar, and more specifically Tuna Noodle Casserole, which I made for the first time this week.

Let me say that I don't do casseroles—or never did 'til now. The baking that I do is associated with cookies, cakes, and pies. But there's a first time for everything; and for my introduction to tuna casserole, I used a recipe from Gourmet.

I followed the directions fairly closely in preparation, although I did mix my mushrooms, using crimini and white button, and substituted Marsala wine for Sherry because I didn't have the later. Furthermore I lacked white bread, so my breadcrumbs came from wheat bread that in my disregard of detail I cubed instead of truly crumbed. I also tossed in a palm full of dried herbs in the sauce and seasoned it with white pepper, but neither of those additions seem to affect the end taste of the dish which was unfailingly mild and creamy.

Yet when all was baked and done, I had enough casserole for lunch, dinner, and the freezer.




TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 oz mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick (4 cups)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 cup Sherry
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (6-oz) can tuna in olive oil, drained
6 oz dried curly egg noodles (preferably Pennsylvania Dutch style; about 3 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (from 3 slices firm white sandwich bread)
4 oz coarsely grated Cheddar (1 cup)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish.

Cook onion in 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with a pinch of salt in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Increase heat to moderately high and add mushrooms, then sauté, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms begin to give off liquid, about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce and continue to sauté mushrooms, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add Sherry and boil, stirring occasionally, until evaporated. Remove from heat.

Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat and whisk in flour, then cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add broth in a stream, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking. Whisk in milk and simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in mushroom mixture, lemon juice, and salt. Flake tuna into sauce and stir gently. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Cook noodles in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain noodles in a colander and return to pot. Add sauce and stir gently to combine. Transfer mixture to baking dish, spreading evenly.

Toss together bread crumbs and cheese in a bowl. Drizzle with oil and toss again, then sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake until topping is crisp and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Gourmet, May 2004

Do You New Year Resolution?

There are differing opinions on New Year resolutions. Some people don't believe in them, so they don't make them. Others make them in hope that the new year will bring change and betterment, but sadly they falter and fail to keep them. Still more say they will think about making a few resolutions, but in the end never even get that far. Then there are the few, the lucky few, who make resolutions and realize they've kept them when the next year rolls around.

I make New Year resolutions, although some years I've had more success then others in keeping them. Last year was a bust, but 2004 was a banner year and I batted a thousand with my resolutions

This year I have one food resolution, a part from the vague promise I make to myself every year to eat healthier, and that is to bring more lunches to work than I buy at work, at least 3 lunches per week and hopefully more.

I will periodically document my lunches during any given week with pictures under the "Brown Bag Lunch Project". You'll see what I'm eating, although I won't always explain what I'm eating, which is sometimes better since I make my share of food disasters in the kitchen. This way I will hopefully keep one of my resolutions for the year.

Happy 2007!
May it be a better, brighter, and blessed year!

BROWN BAG LUNCH PROJECT, vol. 1, Jan. 1-5.

January 1 was a holiday and my boss bought me lunch one day, hence 3 lunches for the week.