I don’t usually post on Sunday nor do I do two foodie stories in the same week…but then again…this isn’t any ordinary Sunday. So while I prepare the long wait until 8pm when the election results start rolling in, I am taking comfort in comfort, wherever I can.
My grocery store roses help, even if they are bruised and fading fast. I still love their leathery petals and spindly form that pulls me into the gateway of a labyrinth with a simple gaze.
And of course, there is food. I have been cooking even more than usual, if that is possible. Actually, it isn’t, so I will add that I have been putting a little more thought into what goes in the pan and onto the plate as I need an extra outlet for the brimming anxiety within.
First up, for those of you that might be pondering your Sunday brunch, a funky mixture that worked well. I have the fantastic Deb Perleman at Smitten Kitchen to thank for both the “just put it in a bowl” and the “everything tastes better with a fried egg on top” concepts which are fun to play around with. Here, the bottom layer is shredded zucchini sauteed in cumin and crushed cherry tomatoes, then perfectly ripe Haas avocados were spliced around the sides, topped with eggy and crumbled feta and there you go. I will be making this again.
Have you already eaten? Europe just finally swung around to the time change last night (I know, I don’t understand why we can’t just do it all on the same day either), so depending where you are, that is entirely possible. All right then, well, if comfort is what is called for, there is nothing that fits the bill better than this dish, a riff from the most amazing Patricia Well’s “The Provence Cookbook” which has been sleeping up on the top shelf for far too long.
Get out your trusty Creuset (or any deep iron casserole dish) then brown chicken legs on each side and remove with thongs so as not to pierce the skin (p.s. France, you may be in crazy politics mode, but I love you for providing chicken fermier or straight from the producer so readily). As they are in season, sauté some sliced spring onions until tender and then replace the chicken, add two cups of white wine (or less if you are not as greedy about sauce as I am), add olives (I happened to have some that are stuffed with chorizo on hand and I have to say that it added mucho gusto), more of those perky cherry tomatoes, additional spring onions and sliced lemons on top. Cover and cook over lowish heat for about an hour until done. This has to be the easiest and yet most rewarding dish I have made in forever. Don’t go by the mi-cooked crappy iphone photo, just trust me.
And since we know by now that roasted cabbage is actually vegetable bacon, why not make some? Along with eggplants roasted with a little olive oil and a delightfully wacky product that is a mashup of Tabasco and teriyaki sauces plus some strips of whatever fish you have on hand (I used leftovers of Remi’s excellent trout), voila, another healthy stack in a bowl idea. P.s. I also made a lemon tahini vinaigrette for this but it doesn’t really need it so if you are feeling lazy, like a true Food E, then skip it.
So there we are. I am currently roasting asparagus (two huge bunches for only 4.50€ at the market yesterday) to surprise Remi with a salmon benedict for when he comes back from voting…
…for something tells me that I am not the only one that is going to need to take comfort in comfort today.
So I will leave you with this absolutely gorgeous version of one of my very favorite songs in the whole wide world…turn it up and calm down…
…and sigh it with me now, “Ommm“…
…”Shanti, shanti, peace, peace, peace.”
Oh no, Loree, none of this is fancy at ALL. I am an ok cook but a really, really good eater. 🙂 And thank goodness I don't bake! I'll leave that to you. It would be the end of me!
Oh, it was a stressful one but it is over! 🙂 And while we always roast whole chickens, I actually prefer the legs cooked in the Creuset to seal in the flavor of the sauce…
Absolutely and what a beautiful post it was Judith, thank you…
Condolences to us all. The new mayor of Paris is a bright spot, though.
Nice post. When you mentioned avocados I desperately wanted to make guacamole!
Dear Mike,
Eeek……Twenty-some years ago,One of my friends (her house is fairly far out in the country) had to deal with the complexities (and the simple, immediate facts) of coming back from a 2-week trip to the beach to find that the 50-something year -old house&pet-sitter had DIED sometime around the middle of her absence. She didn't actually know the house/pet-sitter that well, and certainly wasn't "friends" with the person (who happened to be dead in my friend's bed). My friend was very glad to see that dogs (big ones) had learned to drink out of the toilets.
It was all very weird (to say the least). As my friend said "This is so NOT something Emily Post tells you how to deal with…."
I agreed with her that Miss Emily doesn't offer much advice on how to gracefully manage someone's kicking the bucket while he/she is visiting or staying at your house. It's just not in the index….look as you may.
By the way?…I know that actual families live in Las Vegas. I once (long ago) dated a very nice felllow
who'd actually&really been born and raised in Las Vegas. His mother had been a nurse at the county hospital,and his father taught(was the principal, as I recall) at one of the high schools…..just "normal" as can be in the USA……and the fellow made it very clear that he'd grown up quite happily and, to be honest, knew next to nothing about casinos, mob-controlled restaurants where Frank Sinatra used to eat, and the stereotypical glitz and pricey , neon-lit squalor that folks like me see in the movies.
I was born and raised in an East Tennessee….a mountain county crossed by three large rivers and a thousand creeks…..so I did have to ask him what it was like to grow up in a place where, if the artifical water-supply were suddenly cut-off, you'd immediately realize that you might as well be living in a colony on the moon. He told me that they tried not to think about that issue too often.
—-david terry
http://www.davidterryart.com
P.S. you'll love Heather's blog….glad you found it.
I got comfort from looking at your photos (but then I always do!) – thank you for the yummy, peaceful Sunday post! Just went to NY Times to see if I could get a feel for how the elections went – doesn't look good! : ( Be strong and, yes, ommm really will help!! The link to the article I saw is below. I love you!
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/31/world/europe/french-voters-shift-to-the-right-in-mayoral-elections.html?ref=world
It's an inviting proposition to cook the chicken and vegetables you suggested. I love to put fried eggs over everything especially over pizza, steamed white rice or over your roasted eggplants.
It's comforting to think that during political turmoil one can still cook delicious meals.
Hopefully – your nerves have settled Heather – was it a local election?? Your foodie blog is most welcome any time you know – you inspire and tantalise!!! Love your rose!!
Breath deep, friend. Crossing fingers that the results of today's elections are as you hope. In the mean time, I think you took the right approach to finding comfort. The chicken from Patricia Wells has me wishing I could turn Mr. H from his vegetarian ways… but that cabbage is reminding me I have to try what you say is veggie bacon! Roasting garlic for our humble feast tonight – a white bean, rosemary and sun dried tomato concoction. The scent is filling the kitchen (AKA my office).
Hope in spite of any clouds overhead, you enjoyed the weekend! XO