Feeling cheated by the arrival of “spring”? Um hum, I hear you.
There are a fair amount of mopers around these parts as well. Why? Ah, you see the puppers were in a tizzy because leur maître, Remi, was out of town for a few days and so they were stuck with…sigh…the girl…me. No big romps in the country. Oh, the utter sadness of sofa surfing and resting weary heads on velvet pillows…
I also felt a touch out of sorts but not exactly for the same reasons. You see, when you spend as much time together as Remi and I do, when one of us suddenly goes missing it is as if an arm had been misplaced. I spend an inordinate amount of time looking for it too. However, one way in which I let my “freedom” sing is in the kitchen.
Now I love to cook, don’t get me wrong, even in the truly closet-like “turn around and there you are” space in our current apartment. It is the “what” that tires me. As I often cook for both lunch and dinner, that is a whole lot of menus to scramble. So when Remi is gone, I don’t think, I copy. Things like the really perfectly balanced goat cheese, radish and arugula “tartine” (I used Wasa crackers instead for the crunch factor) drizzled with fruity olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt from La Tartine Gourmande (minus the endamame–again, Trader Joe’s how I long for thee!). Or my version of Ella Coquine’s “Italian Girl Stir Fry” aka “Pasta sans Pasta”.
It goes a little something like this: chop broccoli into florets, slice up red papers, prepare cooked chick peas. Sauté all of the above with a sliced onion and several cloves of garlic plus more spices than you can shake a stick at (chipolte, cayenne and ancho pepper? Uh, yup), add in enough coulis de tomates to coat, top with a blanket of melted emmenthal and then plop down in front of the most unapologetically girly American movie, because you can.
It was so good that I did exactly that two nights in a row.
And if that doesn’t warm you up (and it will)…?
Find a buddy to cuddle up to and hold on. No matter what might be happening outside of your window right now, the real deal is right around the corner.
PS:
Speaking of Ella, she recently wrote about tracing the path of her jazz vocalist Grandmother, Stella Levitt, who was an established artist in Paris for several decades. Frankly, this story is too fascinating not to pass on, so here is the link. The same can be said for the incredibly unique voice attached to it, so take a listen and see if that doesn’t make your heart take flight. It did mine.
Thank you! I will make this soon…it will be delish!
I'm still getting to seeing Kipling's face. Feels weird in a way, like who's that.
Heather, that first photo says spring like nothing else! I wish I liked radishes more. They are so pretty and crunchy, and are among the first vegetables to show up at our local organic farm each spring. They have a little too much bite for me, but I'm going to work on developing my taste for them.
I take my hat off to you for all the menu planning. If I were in charge of dinner most nights (and lunch too?!) we'd starve to death. But there will be much cooking in Morocco (my son says having someone to cook with is one of the things he is most looking forward to) and perhaps that will inspire me.
Your repast looks remarkably healthy. I envy your ease with eating items that are good for you.
Psssh. Not like you and Giampi! No way!
Did I tell you that when I made your "real" spinach version I plopped a fried egg on it? It was AMAZING. Thank you! And crazy girl, you are going to catch your death without a coat. Don't make me trot out…"en Avril…" because it isn't even April yet!!
And your Grandmother's talent is so lasting…more please!
We have to take care of ourselves too… =)
Heehee…OOPS! Changed that to cloves! Go forth and eat without fear…thank you Lois… 🙂
I am waiting, Jeanne…Jeanne? (heeheehee) And oh my, the movie would have to wait–we have far too much to talk about!!!
You know my door is always open to you…I would be thrilled!