TWEAKING THE CLASSICS

Growing up our traditional meal consisted of one kind of vegetables, some protein, mainly chicken or beef, and some carbohydrates, rice or pasta depending on the vegetables. Most of the time, we used to have rice, and pasta was the side dish for moussaka. The rule was that vegetables were cooked in tomato sauce with beef cubes. This way the "poor" would stretch a low cut of beef to serve a big family and to cook it for a long time to become tender. For the "rich" having meat in the vegetable dish, meant that they have a higher status, since they would also serve some kind of meat or chicken separately. In our house, it was a mix, sometimes we had separate meat, other times we had it in the vegetables. From day one I was somewhat uncomfortable with this arrangement. Yes, I ate what I was served, like all of us, but I had a strange feeling about it. When I was old enough to sort out my preferences, I discovered what it was: I did not like the taste of the meat in the vegetables, nor the  vegetables with the meat flavor. It took me a while to convince my mom of my opinion, but at the end she did it. We started serving the vegetables without any beef in them, and kept the protein separate. It was a huge step for our family, apparently serving veggies without any meat in them was something bordering the scandal. But mom was not someone who would accept any social convention sitting down: if it was not good for us, she would never do it. So now that I am in control, I never put any meat in my vegetables, when I cook them the traditional way, i.e.: in tomato sauce. It took my husband a while to accept that, only from the "social" point of view, since veggies for him are not a priority, and he likes to get his protein whole and separate from everything else.

As we are going now through an adjustment period, I am aiming at preparing simple menus, mainly classics, so that my husband would not go back to cheese and waffles. One day it's grilled beef with okra and rice, another day is veal Milanese with penne al forno, and today it's chicken and a salad. 

                                                      

Remember the new cut of beef that I discovered last month at the store? Well, this time I simply sprinkled some salt and pepper on it and grilled it on the stove. In 5 minutes I had dinner ready.

                 

For the veal Milanese, it took a little longer: my husband loves it, so I made a big batch. Just marinate the veal slices in a tbsp of onion/garlic mixture with some salt and pepper, add a beaten egg to the bowl, mix flour and bread crumbs (a 1/3 to 2/3), drench, and fry. I also prepared 2 dishes of baked ziti, cooked one and kept the other in the freezer for later. Simply cook the pasta, prepare a tomato sauce with a drop of oil, a tbsp of onion/garlic mixture, mix it with ricotta and grated pecorino Romano cheese, and sprinkle with grated mozzarella. Bake.

                                           

Today it was much simpler: we had chicken rotisserie, home made and a salad. I had a Cornish game hen that seemed a bit large for two, so I decided to use the rotisserie. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, in and out, and drizzle some lemon juice. Let it stand for 10 minutes then put it in the rotisserie. For the salad, I tried to make something different in the presentation and the flavors. It's basically using what you have, and dress it according to your taste. I used to put some chopped red onion or scallions because mom loved it, today I didn't. You'll need:

1 (15 oz) can of corn
2 large tomatoes
3 small cucumbers
2 avocados
1 small lettuce
1 red frisee
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried mint
1 tbsp each oil and lemon juice
Salt to taste

Chop the tomatoes in small dice, peel and slice the cucumbers and drain the corn. Mix them with the cumin, the oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Chop the lettuce, rinse and dry it, transfer it to the serving platter. Transfer the vegetables over the lettuce in a circle, leaving the center. Chop the avocado, arrange the red frisee around the center, and transfer the avocado pieces to the center of the platter. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with dried mint.
You can use fresh cilantro instead of the mint, but I didn't have any today, so I improvised.
                                                

And for dessert a simple fruit salad: just chop the fruits you have at hand and be creative with the arrangement. I used kiwis, strawberries, papaya, pineapple and grapes.