Foodmomiac

Prepping for the New Year with Black-Eyed Peas, Ham Hocks, and some Resolutions

I've done a lot of thinking about my food life over the past week or two, and I have come to the realization (which I've alluded to), that I have recently descended into a bit of a food funk. In the spirit of the New Year, I hereby resolve to do the following things to get myself out of this funk:
- Get into a weekday food prep routine - the exact routine will be revealed over time, but it will include make-ahead meals, slow cooker meals and more militant menu planning
- Read more about food. I've been uninspired lately, but I'm relatively certain that I can change this by reading my cookbooks, food magazines, and checking into eGullet on a daily basis.
- Remember the basics. There are some meals that I can always make well, and these help to decrease the general funk. These include Chicken Parmesan, Greek Salad and Black-Eyed Peas and Ham Hocks.

The Black-Eyed Peas are a New Year's Day tradition in our house, handed down from Michael's grandfather, who grew up in the South. The version we make comes from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American. It is amazing, and this year will be especially good, because we got our ham hocks from the Paulina Meat Market.

This recipe serves six:

Black-Eyed Peas and Ham Hocks

2 pounds smoked ham hocks, cut into 2-inch slices (we just use the hocks as is, but feel free to have your butcher slice them)
1/2 pound black-eyed peas, soaked for 4 hours and drained
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

black pepper to taste (you probably won't need salt due to the ham hocks)

Put the hocks in a large pot and barely cover them with fresh water. Cover the pot, bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 2 hours. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for another two hours (this is more than twice as long as the original recipe, but we like the meat to fall off the bone - feel free to cook it for less time)

We eat this over white rice. It's amazing.

Chilaquile Casserole

  Chilaquiles Casserole 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac

Does this look gross? It was actually quite tasty, and also very easy to prepare. I wanted to make this for Tuesday's dinner, but the eggplant that was scheduled for Monday required brown rice, and I didn't set the rice cooker before work. (I am the WORST at making rice, and I now refuse to make it without the assistance of the rice cooker.)

This is a terrific weeknight meal. I got home from work at about 5:30 or so, and it was on the table by 6:30. You could also prepare it the night before or in the morning, and just pop it in the oven when you get home. The recipe is from Still Life with Menu by Mollie Katzen. This cookbook just arrived at my house. It was in the box of cookbooks that I got from Grandma Ana's apartment. (When she moved into a nursing home last year, my mom set the cookbooks, and some fun cooking tools, aside for me.) This cookbook isn't one of the older ones, but there are a lot of notes in there from Grandma Ana. I know she made this dish, because she made notes next to it in her messy cursive handwriting.

Max LOVED the dish, but Dylan refused to eat it. She is being a real piece of work lately, and spent part of the meal laying on the floor saying over and over again, "but I don't LIKE EGGS! but I don't LIKE EGGS!" She went up to her room for a five minute timeout, came down and apologized, and then had a leftover piece of pizza. UGH.

Chilaquile Casserole

12 corn tortillas
2 4-oz. cans diced green chiles (we used some pico de gallo)
2-3 cups grated cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
1 can beans (I used borlotti)
1 zucchini, cubed
salt and pepper
4 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk (I used milk with 2 tablespoons of vinegar added)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 9x13 pyrex dish. Tear half of the tortillas into bite-sized pieces and place them in the dish. Cover with half of the cheese, the chiles (or pico de gallo), the beans and the zucchini. Tear the rest of the tortillas and layer them over the cheese. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Beat the eggs and buttermilk well with the salt and pepper and pour it slowly and evenly over the casserole.

Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. (I would let this sit for about 10 minutes before serving. It was kind of watery for a bit, but then set up very nicely.)

Featured Ingredient: Leftover Corn

I always get so excited when corn is finally in season. Excitement translates to more ears of corn than my family can possibly eat, so it's nice to have some leftover corn recipes in my pocket to avoid being wasteful.

My all-time favorite leftover corn recipe is Ubiquitous Corn Salad. You really can't go wrong with this, and everyone always loves it. In fact, I would have probably made it tonight, but the reason I had leftover corn in the first place was because I made the salad yesterday. It was requested that I bring a bowl of it over to our friend Dave's birthday party. (We had a great time, and loved getting the chance to spend time with our old buddy Howard.)

So, yeah, you can't make corn salad with corn that's leftover from corn salad. But, I made too much corn, and I needed to do something with it. Michael went to a Cubs game tonight, so it was just me and the kids. I wanted something simple, summery and healthy, but I didn't want it to seem so healthy that they'd refuse to eat it.

I am happy to report that this dish was a hit. Proof:

Pasta with Corn, Chickpeas and Cheese

1/2 pound small pasta (I used gemelli, but I think small shells or elbows would be even better)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, sliced thinly
2 ears of leftover cooked corn, scraped off the cob
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons butter
1 scallion (white and light green parts), sliced
salt and pepper
3/4 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
small handful of fresh basil, julienned (cut into thin slices)

Cook pasta according to the package directions.

In the meantime, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds (don't let it get too brown). Add the corn and chickpeas and saute for two minutes. Add the butter and scallion and continue to cook for another minute or two. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and add to the pan. Stir to combine and then add the Parmigiano. Stir again. Top with the julienned basil. Enjoy!

Trader Joe's Lentils

First of all, thank you all so much for your great suggestions for my weeknight dinner dilemma. Most of your suggestions were terrific, and I plan on trying most of them as I make my way through this new world of working long hours outside of the home.

The solution I tried tonight worked out very well. We left work early! Michael and I drive home together, and we were both ready to leave at 4:50, which is rare. Leaving just before 5pm makes a world of difference in terms of traffic. We were home before 5:15, and I think most of the time was spent traveling down in the elevator from the 64th floor!

I also left a note for our nanny on our white board. As soon as I started this job, I hung a giant white board in my kitchen. This is information central. I write down Dylan's daily activity (swimming, stage, dance), tell her about any errands that need to be done, etc. This morning I wrote, "I am making dinner tonight! Please try to hold the kids off with snacks (especially Dylan). Thanks!" Everything worked beautifully. We were home early, dinner came together in minutes, and we were eating dinner as a family before 6pm. I even managed to give both kids a bath before bed.

It should come as no surprise that I relied on Trader Joe's for my dinner. This place was custom-built for the working mom. The star of tonight's meal was their steamed lentils. Made by Melissa's, these are little French lentils, and they are pre-cooked and vacuum sealed. You just cut open the package with a pair of scissors and you are good to go!

Lentils and Greens

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 small package diced Pancetta (from Trader Joe's)
1 package Greens with Envy (a frozen mix of spinach, broccoli, asparagus, green beans and edamame from Trader Joe's), defrosted
1 package steamed lentils

Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add the Pancetta and cook until it starts to render and brown. Put greens in the pan and cook until heated through. Add lentils. Cover pan and turn heat to low. Cook for another five minutes or so.

We served this over white rice and topped with a splash of soy sauce and some Sriracha.

I'm alive - (Moroccan Chicken and Lentils)

Just a quick note to say that I am alive and well. Just trying to get used to this working mom gig! I am finding that it is very tiring to do all of the things I have been responsible for at home while undertaking a new and very demanding job. BUT, I love, love, love my new job, so all will be fine, I am sure.

This was crockpot week, by the way. I made a very yummy Moroccan Chicken and Lentil dish that was emailed to me by Susan of Friday Playdate.

Moroccan Chicken and Lentils

1 8oz package baby carrots
1 and 1/2 cup lentils, uncooked
1 and 1/2 pounds frozen chicken breast
2 T minced garlic
3/4 t salt
2 t salt-free Moroccan rub (or 3/4 t ground turmeric, 1/2 t ground red
pepper, and 1/2 t ground cinnamon)
1 box chicken broth

Place all ingredients, in order listed, in a 4- or 5-quart electric
slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high setting for 5 hours, or cover and
cook on high setting for one hour; reduce to low setting and cook for
7 hours.

Yield: 6 1-cup servings.

I also experimented with making my ribs in the crockpot. I sprinkled them on both sides with Old Bay seasoning and garlic powder and then I covered with water. I set them on low all day. When I got home, my plan was to throw them into the oven with BBQ sauce. They were delicious, but the "all day" part was just too much. The meat fell off the bones before the ribs even made it out of the crockpot. I think that 5 hours on low would be sufficient. Next time I'm going to have my babysitter turn the crockpot on for me after lunch.