Cooking

For various reasons, the first week of 2013 was not spent cooking.  There was a family dinner on December 30, delicious Chinese take-out on NY Eve, a couple of nights working the late shift so no dinner at all, one dinner out with friends and finally, a really sad stew-ish sort of thing I threw together one night with whatever was languishing in the fridge.  That was the low point (much, much lower than the Trader Joe's frozen Indian food which is actually rather decent) and if I had been someone else, like a stranger, I wouldn't have eaten it.  But it was in front of me, it was dinner and, thankfully, it tasted better than it looked, which was not difficult since it looked awful.  Suffice it to say the second day's portion of that stew mess got tossed.  (With guilt, thinking of people without enough food and there I was throwing some away.)

The stew misfortune woke me up.  I wanted a good dinner, one with good ingredients, one with a little effort that could pay off.  With a little planning and a handful of dollars, I took myself to Whole Foods (a rarity for me) and bought, in no particular order, the following: two small lamb chops, two leeks, plain peanuts, a pound of mushrooms, pearl onions and various other specific ingredients. (If I don't have a written list when visiting the Cathedral of Whole Foods, I spend way too much money on delicious yet unnecessary items, so I religiously stick to my scribbled list. Sadly.)

Thus, in the last two days I have made wonderful pistachio-crusted lamb chops, leek fritters, an awesome Mushroom Bourguignon (recipe below) and some snacking peanuts that are like caramel-corn peanuts, seductively and addictively delicious.  Today's dinner plan is as yet unformed but might involve another trip to a good grocery store for ingredients for a coconut Thai soup or perhaps french onion soup, something bracing for such a cold, gray day.

Speaking of cold, gray days:  walking the dog this morning before 7:00, the day reminded me of Paris, when often, in winter, the sky is overcast in a low-ceilinged flat grayness, the cold is not the cold of below freezing temperatures but that insinuating coldness, the kind that is heavy and dank and seeps through layers of clothes.  Combine that weather with the smell of diesel fuel and the smell of pancakes from the local coffee shop, one is transported for a few seconds to early morning Parisian streets, out to get "un café et un croissant, s'il vous plaît" before the city is 100% awake.  It was a nice, albeit fleeting, moment.

Here's the recipe.  I didn't change much except saute the pearl onions with the mushrooms because mine were fresh, not precooked.  I also ended up using more liquid because I wanted a little more sauce and I had already cooked it down a bit.  The flavors are intensely delicious.  The next time I make it I might use a little bacon grease in the first step (with the oil and butter.) although it certainly isn't necessary.  It would be good with a mix of different kinds of mushrooms, too, or even with some chicken breasts chopped into smallish chunks and sauteed after the mushrooms and before the carrots. Not a lot, just a handful for protein.  But honestly, it is almost perfect just the way it is.  I wish I could take the credit for the recipe, but I can't.  Still, I take credit for trying it and passing it along.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/01/mushroom-bourguignon/



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