menus October 17th 2012

What was it that your mother, or grandmother, or Father, or Grandfather, had waiting in the kitchen for you when you arrived home after weeks or months or years away?  As you stepped in the door, what familiar smells invited you to come to the table? Or what family tradition eatery could you count on going to?
 No matter what’s on the menu, the best homecomings are those that start with happy hugs, and progress to happy tummies.
My own mother and child reunions often include

a little of this
 

a little more of this

and as many of these as I can gather 

Because whether it’s said with chilidogs or cordon blue, reunion food welcomes you into the company of people who know all the right and tasty ways to say “I love you”.

This week, I’ve traveled to my daughter’s new house and the reunion food traveled with me, wrapped in plastic and labeled ‘leg of lamb’.

 Wednesday: Slow roasted lamb with roasted veggies

Lots of right ways to do a lamb roast, my friends. I used to baste it with (what I thought was a very nice) sauce made of mustard, plum jam, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. These days, by popular request, we take a simpler route. I poke a few holes in the meat, pack in some rosemary and garlic, sprinkle on some salt and pepper and roast it slow, at  about 300 for 3 or 4 hours. ( the 140C in the recipe is 140 Celcius. that's  284 to an American oven)
The roasted veg go in for the last two hours or so, a mix of whatever’s on hand, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper and a little balsamic vinegar.
When you’re cooking mixed veggies, it usually makes sense to put the slow cooking ones in first- things like pumpkin or hard squash, white potatoes, onions, or carrots. Then after they’ve got a good headstart, add the smaller, softer veggies like zucchini, tomatoes or mushrooms. That way, they all finish the race to the table together.

Thursday: Pumpkin Ravioli and Pork chops

A long and beautiful drive home today, across the great state of Texas, and I’d rather not make a three-course gas-stop dinner of pretzels, almonds, and granola bars. If I get home in time, dinner will need to be fast and easy. Fortunately, I have a bag of pumpkin ravioli waiting for me in the freezer.
I’ll cook the ravioli while the pork chops pan fry, then top the ravioli with browned butter and sage.

Having fished empty, exploded ravioli and tortellini out of a pot of filling-filled water about a bajillionty times, I can share with you the following memo from the department of useful tips:
 Bring the salted water to a boil ( this is faster if you start the water in a kettle or put a lid on the pot), dump in the pasta, and NO MATTER WHAT the pasta box or bag says, DO NOT return the water to a rapid boil. Instead, let those little pasta parcels simmer, moving gently in the water. It’s the violent boil that makes them spill their guts.

 

Friday:  Spiced Chicken with Squash and Apples.
Apples and pumpkin- as reliable in winter as avocados and tomatoes are in summer. They make their first dinner time appearance in our house here.  I’ll be cooking extra chicken for soup over the weekend.

Saturday: Three Sisters Soup and Sandwiches

There’s an old story about a newlywed couple, happy and poor, who one night celebrated a special occasion with a perfectly cooked ham. Eager to use up every last bit of this crazy indulgence, the loving couple eyed the leftovers.
“My mother used to make beans the day after we had ham”. Said one affectionate spouse “ The bone and the ham scraps would cook all day in the beans, and we’d have them with cornbread. It was awesome.”
“My mother did that too!” Said the adoring other spouse. “It’s decided! Ham and beans and cornbread tomorrow!”
Twenty-four hours later, an eager spouse lifts a pot lid and gasps in horror! “What in the world are these!?”
“Beans”. Said the perplexed other. “Ham bone and beans”
“Oh no, no, no.” Groaned the miserably disappointed spouse. “Not GREEN beans!!! My mother cooked the ham in PINTO beans”

(cue married people laughter)

Not exactly ‘gift of the magi’, but kinda funny, when you consider Three Sisters Soup.

The Three sisters, according to Native American legend, are corn, beans, and squash, and this magic soup unites all three. And now for the funny part: The internet can’t decide whether it’s green beans or pinto beans! For reals!  This has had me grinning all day, and will probably have me downright smiling as I stir up the soup. I’ve posted a recipe of each- you decide what “beans” means in your family.
The green bean one      
The pinto bean one

If you have leftover lamb, slice it thin and make some sandwiches. Perfect.

True love. The greatest thing in the world-
except for a nice MLT.
Mutton, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich.

Sunday: Chicken and Dumplings

If you have any leftover chicken, use it here. If not, then either cook some up fresh, or take the meat off of a rotisserie chicken. I’ll be prepping the veggies on Saturday night, and zipbagging them into the fridge. Sunday morning, all throw everything in a crock pot, and make the dumplings when we get home. If that doesn’t work, we’ll go out for lunch, and I’ll let the whole thing simmer stovetop for dinner.
Here’s another culinary line of  division and dissension:
Fluffy dumplings, or flat dumplings? Herbed or plain?
I’ll be making fluffy herbed, but, I’ve never met a carb I didn’t like, and I like the flat dumplings just fine.

 

Happy eating and happy cooking everyone. I hope that at least once this week, you gather around a good meal with people you love, and love being with. I hope that whether you’ve been apart for a day or a year, the reunion is a sweet one, and the food says “I love you”

 

Apples comin at cha this weekend!