EASY THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS DINNER, II

Let's finish our menu for both dinners. For those who don't eat poultry, I made two meat dishes for the two occasions. You may think that this is too much work, but, again, as I said, if you get organized from the start, you will not be overwhelmed  and you will have all the time to enjoy the company of your guests. In fact, from where I come from, having people for dinner means that you should not spend your time in the kitchen leaving your guests to themselves. When my grandma or my mom had company everything had to be ready beforehand and they went to the kitchen only to serve the food, or supervise the cook while plating the food. Hors d'oeuvre were ready in the fridge in the serving platters to greet the guests as they arrive. You have to understand how shocked I am when I see on TV programs where people are looking for houses with "an open concept" kitchen, so they can be cooking while their guests are out there. This means that these people usually do not cook, because if they did cook on a regular basis they wouldn't like to have a sofa, or any furniture for that matters, in a space open to the kitchen with all the fumes. Have you seen the hood of your range if it's not regularly cleaned? That would be your sofa in an open concept living space!

To get organized for a big dinner is not that difficult, you only have to plan your menu, chose items that don't need individual cooking or frying, and limit the items that need to be prepared a few minutes before serving. So the best option is to chose a meat dish that can be marinated overnight and cooked in the oven with no hassle. That's what I did on both occasions.

EASY EYE ROUND

                                                      

I often choose this cut of meat because it's lean and when sliced it comes in perfect circles, so it's more attractive for children and you're not going to supervise them while eating to remove fat or cut it for them. I've tried several ways of cooking it until I managed to find the easiest way to do it. For this recipe i had to make it big to serve a lot of people, you can use only one piece of meat. You'll need:

2 beef eye rounds
3 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture
Salt and pepper

Rinse the meat and with a sharp knife remove the fat that is usually on the lower part of it. They say it makes it tastier, I don't think so, and it will melt and remain in the pan, so you will have to remove it eventually before you use the liquid to make gravy. So remove it from the start. The flavor will come from the marinade, not from the fat. In a small bowl, mix the onion mixture with salt and pepper, then rub the mixture all over the meat. Transfer the meat to the cooking pan. Chose one that is large enough to hold both pieces of meat without touching, and it should be high enough to reach at least half of the meat height. Cover with aluminum foil, refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove from fridge, let stand for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature then cook in a 375 degree oven undisturbed for 2 hours (I put it in the oven with the turkey). Remove the foil and let it cook for another 30 minutes. By then it should be browned on one side, so turn it in its sauce and cook for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a cutting board and cover with foil until it's time to carve it. Slice the meat and arrange it in a serving platter. Use the liquid to make gravy by simply adding a couple of tbsp of flour, whisking it until completely dissolved and thickened. Adjust seasoning and serve in a gravy boat.

EASIEST ROAST EVER

                                                    

While shopping for Thanksgiving dinner I came across a different cut of beef. It was a cut from the side of the beef, where you have the ribs, but these were removed. It was about 16 inch X 10 and 2 inches high. What made me think of it was that it had almost no fat. So I bought it and took my chances. It turned out that I had made a good choice. It cooked very quickly and came out tender and delicious. You don't need a recipe for that. Simply rub it with my usual onion/garlic mix with salt and pepper, but add to it as I did a good pinch of cajoun seasoning. I thought it would give it a kick, and it did. Cover it with foil, refrigerate it overnight and cook it as the previous dish. But with this cut, be careful after you remove the foil: you have to check on it after 15 to 20 minutes, then turn it once and give it no longer than 15 minutes more. It will melt in your mouth.

AND FOR DESSERT....
                     
                                                  

I made an easy Oum Ali (original recipe on 12/3012). This time with hazelnuts, almonds, coconut and 3 (4 oz) container of peaches in syrup I had in the pantry. I prepared it the night before and put it in the oven after I removed the turkey and the meat.

EASY LEFTOVERS FIX

Just toss some chopped lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, top with slices of meat, white and dark meat from the turkey, each one on a different side, and your favorite cheese, I used Jarlesberg in this one. Use your favorite dressing and voila: you have a chef salad.

                                               

EASY THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS DINNERS, I

The key to an easy Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner is planning. Plan ahead and you'll have a wonderful dinner and you'll enjoy the company of your guests. I started this blog before Thanksgiving, it was meant to give an idea on how to prepare for a dinner party, but I had to travel for work right after that day, and here we are today, with another dinner for the whole family just before Christmas.
On Sunday before Thanksgiving, I had already done my shopping by Friday evening and was ready for the big day. As usual, each of my guests has his own request, some are vegetarians, others don't eat poultry, and some don't eat vegetables at all. For the last three weeks we've been bombarded with advise about the Thanksgiving meal, how to cook the turkey, to brine or not to brine, with stuffing or not, to cover it or not to cover it, not to mention the side dishes. As a starter, I don't follow the American tradition when it comes to side dishes or dessert. First I don't like pumpkin, so no pumpkin pie. Also, traditionally we never cooked with cranberries, as far as I know, in my Mediterranean culture we don't have cranberries, so I am not going to stress over something I don't know and maybe getting it wrong. I have to taste it first to know what it is before I try to make it, and until now I am the one always cooking on this day and nobody volunteered to bring it over. Also traditionally sweet potatoes for us are exactly that, sweet, so we're not having them as vegetables in a side dish.

So what are we having? Well, turkey of course, and I am glad I had a rehearsal dinner the other day when we threw a party for a colleague who retired, so I got to make two turkeys to feed the whole office and their families. Instead of stuffing, I am making my famous brown rice with nuts.

For the vegetarians in the group it will be tortellini with spinach sauce, and lots of salads. And finally I am thinking of making a big beef roast. For sides I bought green beans and fingerling potatoes, in different colors. I will not mash them, but will think of a way to cook them to impress those of us who never saw colored potatoes. My husband asked for moussaka, so we'll have that and a babaganough dish on the side. As for dessert, I thought of the best way to please everybody with an assortment of ice creams, and many items to create your own special dessert or sundae. With the shopping  done, I think I can rest until Tuesday when I will start the process. Two days ahead, I chose the serving dishes, the platters and cleaned the house. Our guests for Thanksgiving were all adults, so I could afford to use my delicate china and table cloth.

                                    

EASY TURKEY

                                                     

 I don't remember if I told you that before, but where I come from, free range turkeys were really free range, meaning they roamed freely in the yard all day, and had really strong muscles. My grandma used to boil them first to tenderize the meat, then roast them. Our turkeys here don't need all this, they just need the right way to marinate them before you cook them. When I started cooking, I looked into many recipes, tried some of them and came up with my own fool proof recipe. I never brined the turkey or stuffed it. Actually I always made my brown rice with nuts on the side, because every time I tried to make stuffing everybody asked for the rice, so we ended up always serving rice with the turkey. This recipe can be adjusted according to the size of your turkey, add to it if it is bigger or reduce it if you have a smaller turkey. For this recipe I had a 19-20 lbs turkey. You'll need:

2 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture
2 pinches ground cardamom
1 tbsp dry oregano
2 to 3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 orange
Salt and pepper (I use Adobo), and
My secret ingredient: the stems of any herbs you have, parsley, dill, cilantro. I used all three.

Clean the turkey, remove the giblets and neck from the cavity and cut the extra skin on the neck side so that you can reach inside the bird from that side and remove any vocal chords or extra fat. Also remember to remove the fat from the other end of the bird, it's easy to remove with your fingers. Rinse the turkey inside out and make sure that there is no water left inside. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. 
In a small bowl mix all the ingredients except the orange and the stems. Take a good pinch of salt, about 2 tbsp, into your hand and rub it inside the bird, spreading it all around the cavity. With your hand, go between the skin and the breast to completely loosen the skin, then rub the whole breast with the marinade mixture. Do the same inside the cavity and all over the skin covering breast and thighs with the mixture. Cut the orange in 4 and, depending on the size of the bird, you can keep it whole or in quarters. Insert the orange in the turkey cavity making sure that while doing so you squeeze it a little to release some of its juices. Add the herb stems to the cavity. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight. The next day, around noon, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and let the turkey cook undisturbed for 2 hours, after which remove the cover and continue cooking until golden. Make sure to follow the time table for cooking given in the instructions that came with the turkey. To be sure that the turkey is well done, a thermometer  inserted in the thickest part of the breast should read 180 degrees. Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with foil until ready to serve.

EASY GREEN BEANS

                                                      

I usually cook smaller quantities of vegetables, just enough for the three or two of us, and when I sautee them, I never boil the vegetables beforehand. I simply sautee the veggies in a large pan and add a little boiling water to cook them through and keep their beautiful green color. Today I have to cook a large quantity of green beans, so I have to change my technique. For the first time I felt I have to follow what many cooks do, i.e. start by boiling the beans. So be it. You'll need:

2 lbs french green beans
2 to 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds
2 to 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
1 tbsp clarified butter or oil
Salt to taste

In a large pot cook the green beans in boiling salted water until barely tender. Drain the beans and put them in cold water to stop the cooking process, or simply open the cold water on them in the colander for a few minutes. Drain the beans and at this point, you can keep them refrigerated until the next day, just make sure that they are thoroughly dry. Ten minutes before serving dinner, melt the butter in a non stick skillet large enough to hold the beans in almost one layer. Add the green beans and toss with tongs to completely coat and heat through. You may adjust seasoning at this point. Serve on a large platter sprinkled with the pomegranate and pine nuts.

EASY BAKED POTATOES

                                                       

I love fingerling potatoes, I love their shape and their colors. I feel they add something extra to the regular potato dish. So this was a good opportunity to serve something new, especially that some of my guests have never seen them before. It was a very good conversation starter over dinner. You'll need:

5 lbs fingerling potatoes in different colors
1 tbsp rosemary, preferably  fresh
1 tbsp oil 
Salt to taste

Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes maximum. Drain and let cool until easy to handle. If you have some potatoes larger than others, cut the big one lengthwise to have some kind of uniformity. Spread the potatoes in one layer on a baking sheet, sprinkle with rosemary and salt. Drizzle the oil and mix it with your hands to evenly distribute and coat the potatoes. Bake in 375 degrees oven until completely done, about 20 to 25 minutes.  

TWEAKING MY OWN RECIPES

I always maintain that we never cook the same dish the same way, all the time. We always do something different with the same recipe. Maybe it's because we don't have all the ingredients, so we substitute, or we need to experiment with a different twist on the recipe, or maybe we think that a new way of cooking the same recipe might give us better results, or, simply, we forget all the details of the original recipe, so we improvise. Mostly this tweaking happens when you have a rather new recipe, you want to experiment to see if by tweaking it, the recipe will be better, or if you make some substitutions you'll have a perfect dish. To tell you the truth, old recipes also often get tweaked in my kitchen. This happens mostly when I am tired, or lazy to follow the recipe step by step, or when I am in an adventurous mood and start questioning tradition. This is basically how I got to make my own improved version of melokheya. No one would dare to tweak such a recipe, it has probably been around since the days of the Pharaohs, but one day when I felt lazy and adventurous, I changed the way of cooking it and got a better result. This doesn't mean of course that all tweaking will yield better results, sometimes it creates disasters, so be careful, and try to work within certain limits, meaning, be creative with the spices you use for example, but don't go overboard with the creativity. My sister once  used some strong oriental spices in a tomato sauce we were going to use with pasta, and we ended up having the pasta with just some butter and a sprinkle of black pepper.

Lately I didn't put many posts simply because I was repeating many of my usual recipes. I wouldn't call it a rut because we had many friends over for dinner many times, and two of my best friends came for a prolonged visit and stayed with us. We went out all the time doing all things tourists do, shopped a lot, but also had many dinners at home. This is the main reason that made me think about this post today. I realized that although I was cooking from my usual repertoire, I always managed to make something new. This is also why I made a point of taking pictures of these old recipes that I tweaked. So here are some tweaked recipes. You might find them more interesting than the original.

CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN

                                                    

We had a big dinner party to celebrate the first day of Ramadan. I made the dishes that everyone expects to have after a day of fasting, also with a twist: I didn't serve chicken, but rabbit. Usually on these occasions people serve some kind of meat and another protein dish, usually chicken, but I went another way. Also people expected some kind of old fashioned rice dish, but were surprised to have lasagna. We had soup as a starter and two kinds of vegetables. This one was particularly appreciated. That made me really happy because I always make a point of taking care of my vegetarian guests so that they don't feel left out. In such occasions and menus, vegetables are usually treated as garnish, or as an after thought, nobody cares about them and they are the last dishes to be picked or served. But I always have some vegetarian friends in my parties and I want them to feel included, that their dishes took as much care and preparation as all the others. So I decided to make my cauliflower au gratin. I didn't go back to my recipe, you remember that I had made it only once, tweaking it from a recipe we found in the NY Times. It is very easy. I made two heads of cauliflower, and added to it slices of carrot in a quantity that creates a balance between the colors white and orange. So it's up to you to decide how much carrots you'll add. I sliced one can of pitted black olives, and added 3 tsp of capers.
I didn't have any parsley, so I used cilantro. It turned out to be an excellent idea. It gave the dish a new layer of flavor, especially when I added the takleya (finely chopped garlic cooked with coriander, salt and pepper in a drop of oil until browned and fragrant). This is what gives the dish the "oriental" flavor. So start by boiling the carrots and cauliflower in salted water, adding a pinch of cumin. When the vegetables are tender, after about 4 to 5 minutes max, drain them and transfer to the baking dish. Add the olives and capers, toss with the takleya, making sure that you don't break the florets. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. Make a simple roux by dissolving about 4 tbsp flour in 2 cups of milk, I used skim, and cooking it over medium heat stirring with a whisk to prevent lumps. Add grated cheese to the thickened roux. Use what you have available or what you like most. Just don't use a cheese that would overwhelm your veggies. How much? Start by melting a cup of shredded cheese, and add another 1/2 cup, stirring to melt. Add the sauce to the dish, and with a spoon, push the veggies so that the sauce is evenly distributed in the dish. sprinkle some more cheese on top, and bake in a 375 degree oven until golden brown.
The picture is taken before adding the sauce.

BAKED PASTA

                                                     

This is my classic baked ziti or penne with three cheeses. But this time it's a bit different. I served it the day we had invited a young couple who just got married and were just coming back from their honeymoon. I wanted to make it special, but that day I had to go to work, so I had to think of an easy way to make that special. I found the easiest solution in a traditional concept: Add meat to a dish and it will be special. I had, as usual, some browned ground beef in my freezer. This is the solution. I'll add it to the pasta. I made one whole box of penne. Cook it according to the package instructions. In a pan heat the browned ground beef, then add a can of tomato sauce, rinse it with 1/2 a can of water, and add it to the pan, plus a sprinkle of crushed oregano. Cook the sauce until thickened. Transfer  the pasta to a large deep baking dish, and add the sauce. Toss. Add 1 cup of ricotta cheese and toss. You may add another 1/2 cup, then 1 cup grated parmigiano. Stir to combine all. Add shredded mozzarella on top and bake in a 375 degree oven until the cheese is melted. It was a great success. They expected some kind of bechamel sauce in the dish, but were surprised to know that this creamy texture came from cheese. 

WHAT TO DO WITH THE WRONG CUT OF MEAT?

The other day I asked my husband to get me the cut of beef that I recently discovered, the strips of beef that I liked so much and think are very versatile. I had in mind a new plan for them. He told me he did, so I stepped outside for some errands while the meat was defrosting. When I came back, I discovered that we were defrosting the wrong cut of meat. I was disappointed. I had a very nice plan for my strips. I also make sure that when I pack the meat to freeze, I usually write on the bag the name of the cut and the date, so how could he get something else? I didn't stop for long to fret about it. I am now used to this "man thing" about the refrigerator. They never find what you need unless it's on the edge of the first shelf, so how can you expect to get something from the freezer? I let my plan go, and started thinking about the new challenge.

BEEF CHUNKS WITH TOMATO 

                                         

The cut that I got was from the tip of the big top round of beef that I buy sometimes and cut according to my needs. They were two pieces from the top, I call them bananas because of their shape. We usually sear them and continue cooking in the oven on a bed of root vegetables. But today I was in a hurry so I had to think of a new way to cook them of the stove and quickly. We just came back from shopping and were hungry. So I started marinating the meat in onion, garlic and salt and pepper until I thought of the new plan. It turned out to be one of the easiest meat dishes I've ever made. It was easy, quick and delicious. You'll need:

2 medium strips of beef (about 7 X 3 inches each)

1/2 onion cut into medium strips

2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes with juices

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by marinating the beef in the onion and garlic with salt and pepper. Heat a non stick skillet and add the meat. It will sizzle. That's good. Brown the meat on all sides, then add some water to the skillet. With a spatula, scrape all the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. You'll have a brown sauce around the meat. Let it boil and reduce. Add the can of chopped tomatoes with their juices. Bring to a boil and lower the heat. Cover the skillet and let simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until the meat is fork tender. You may need to check on it from time to time, add some more liquid, depending on the nature of the cut of beef you're using. In the mean time you can cook some yellow rice to serve on the side and make a salad or sautee some vegetables.Slice the meat against the grain, serve topped with some of its sauce. Wasn't that really easy?

                                                 

TRICKS I LEARNED FROM THE INTERNET

My friend Maram has this habit of posting on her Facebook page some recipes she gets from different sites on the Internet. I usually don't go there, I actually have no time to spend on the Internet looking for something I might or might not find. Besides, I spend enough time doing what I have to do online, so I rarely look for recipes there. The recipes that Maram likes to post on her page are almost always very rich, she claims she likes to eat and therefore she likes to post them, but she's very skinny, so I doubt that she actually cooks those dishes. Sometimes a recipe catches my eye. I look at it, but find it really full of fat or very elaborate, so I get discouraged and never try them. A couple of times I found some recipes that I can tweak to my taste, so I didn't hesitate and made them my way with great success. Today I am making a chicken dish and a dessert. Of course you may have noticed that I seldom make desserts or bake, but this one I couldn't miss: it's easy, versatile and "healthy", for a dessert.

CHICKEN TERIYAKI

                                         

I've always wanted to make this dish. The reason? Every time I fire up my outdoor grill to cook some chicken, my next door neighbor asks about this delicious smell and if it is coming from chicken teriyaki. I keep telling him that this is my regular marinade, that I don't use any store bought sauce in my food. He usually gets a taste, but the next time I am grilling, he asks the same question. So I got curious, I went looking for several types of chicken teriyaki and tasted them. They had nothing to do with my usual grilled chicken, be it in taste or smell. May be that was his way of inviting himself to dinner with us? The result was that when Maram posted a chicken teriyaki recipe the other day I decided to make it. The recipe was for chicken cooked in the slow cooker, but I decided I couldn't wait for four to six hours to taste it. So I decided to simplify things, I'll cook it in a skillet. Would it work? We'll see. I went to the store and bought the sauce. It had sesame already in it, but it seems that you have to add some yourself to get the dish exactly like the picture in the recipe. I didn't, so I got everything else except for the sesame seeds, the ones in the sauce mysteriously disappeared when cooked. Also I made it from thighs and breasts. The recipes called only for breasts, but I prefer the mix, thighs are more tender. You can choose what you prefer. Also you may serve it over white or yellow rice, or even mashed potatoes, as we did with the leftovers. You'll need:

5 skinless, boneless thighs fat removed and cut into strips

2 skinless, boneless breasts cut into strips

2 tbsp onion/garlic mixture

2/3 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

2/3 cup stock or water plus granules

1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

Marinate the chicken strips in the onion/garlic mixture with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, not too much until you know how salty is the sauce for your taste. I usually marinate them in the same skillet I am going to cook them in. Use a non stick skillet, and let the chicken marinate for 15 to 30 minutes. Cook the chicken over medium high heat turning often until the liquid is all absorbed and the chicken pieces not browned, but no more pink. Add the teriyaki sauce, rinse the measuring cup with the stock or water and add it to the skillet. Stir to combine. Lower the heat, and keep stirring every now and then until the sauce thickens and the chicken pieces well coated. If you are using sesame seeds, add them to the skillet after the liquid is all absorbed just before adding the sauce. This way the seeds will be slightly toasted or cooked.

                                               

THREE MINUTE DESSERT

                                                     

This is the most amazing trick I got from Maram's posts. I couldn't believe it until I made it myself in front of my husband, so he wouldn't doubt it. It became his favorite, and when he wants a dessert, he just brings me the ingredients and tells me you mix it, I'll cook it. As if it needs cooking. I even made it for a friend who bakes for a living, she didn't believe it  although she was the one who put it in the microwave oven herself. According to the original recipe you should mix 2 boxes of cake mix, one Angel food and one any other flavor you prefer. I kept each one in the box and use whatever I need.  The result is amazing and the possibilities are endless. Here I used Dulce de leche ice cream and some berries over a chocolate cake. You can imagine many other combinations: white cake with vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce and chopped salted almonds. Or top the cake with buttercream ice cream and a peach in its syrup. I told you the sky is the limit. For this dish you'll need:

1 and 1/2 tsp Angel food cake mix

1 and 1/2 tsp chocolate flavor cake mix

2 tsp water

2 small scoops Dulce de leche ice cream

2  heaping tbsp mixed berries cleaned and left macerating in some sugar overnight 

Mix the powdered cake mixes with water in a ramekin until dissolved. Cook in the microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove and let rest, then transfer to the serving dish. Top with the ice cream and the berries. How easy was that?

                                                       

PUT SOME COLOR IN YOUR LIFE

Summer is here, but for the last couple of weeks, it was not really summer, it was grey, cloudy and mostly rainy. Sometimes it was also cold. This weather, and the fact that my husband still insists on not eating, pushed me to look for something new to add to my life, or at least my table. My husband was working with a beige palette: waffles, corn flakes etc., I, on the other hand, tried to have some action by always adding salads and fruits. But since I was working, I didn't have enough time or energy to really think about something actually new. I kept repeating the same menus until I really got fed up. As usual, my menus were planned according to the need of having the leftovers for lunch the following day over a salad of lettuce, cucumber and tomato. I was not happy. Every now and then, I came up with some ideas that I thought I should put together in one blog. So today we are going out of the ordinary and adding lots of color in our meals.

TORTELLINI PRIMAVERA

                                                  

The easiest way to add color to a meal is to make it "primavera". The word may have meant something different when people started using it to qualify certain pasta dishes, but today almost everyone considers a pasta dish "primavera" if they simply add some vegetables to it. When I was confronted with the need of going out of my husband's beige palette, I decided to use the vegetables I had in the refrigerator to have a pinch of color in my dinner. This dish does not need an actual recipe. Use what you have. It can be made with regular pasta and any vegetables you have. I chose cheese tortellini with asparagus, carrots and some chicken that I had cooked the day before. The ratio also depends on your taste, you can put more or less from any ingredient you like. Simply boil some salted water in a large pot to cook the tortellini, add the carrots to cook with the pasta. I used baby carrots that I cut almost the same size of the pasta. Add the asparagus, also cut the same size, to the pot just before you remove it from heat. Drain, add the chicken pieces. I made a rather big batch, so that I can have some of it for lunch the next day at work. To make different dishes out of this one, change the dressing. The options are limitless starting from a simple vinaigrette to an elaborate blue cheese dressing. Also you can make it from scratch or simply add a store bought dressing, it's up to you. Just keep in mind that you only add dressing to the quantity you are going to use, the rest can keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When you use the last batch, add some fresh lettuce and tomato to it, you'll have the feeling of having something fresh that you just made.

CARROT SOUP

                                                  

When we had a couple of cold rainy days, salad was not really an option for dinner. I needed something soothing, something light but delicious. What better than soup? Luckily I was in a good mood, so I decided to make something new. I usually buy big bags of baby carrots and keep them in the refrigerator to cook with them and have as a snack. I think many chefs have elaborate recipes for carrot soup, but I thought I didn't need a recipe to make a good soup. So I used 40 baby carrots and 1 potato cut in small chunks. In a large pot I cooked 2 tbsp chopped onions in a drop of oil until translucent, added the carrots and potato, covered with stock (or water), and let cook until tender. Puree the vegetables in a blender or with an immersion blender. Return to medium low heat, add some cumin and half a can of tomato sauce. I decided to add the sauce because I felt it was not colorful enough. Don't add too much though or else you'll have tomato soup. Adjust the seasoning and serve hot. You can add a dollop of sour cream or some croutons. I didn't, I like it plain, and the potato is enough.

BULGHUR SALAD SURPRISE 

                                                      

Today my husband asked for his usual dish, veal Milanese. I made it for him, but I simply cannot serve a meat dish without anything colorful on the side. For some reason I had left on the counter a can of whole beets that I forgot to put back in the pantry after I reorganized it yesterday. Looking at the beets I had an "Aha" moment: I decided to use it in a salad, not the ordinary beet salad that I usually make, but a salad with a twist. The day before I had organized my pantry, checked out what needed to be replaced or used asap. So I looked at the pastas in front of me: I had a jar of fine cut bulghur. We usually use it in Lebanese tabbouleh, with green herbs. What if we changed the color? What? How? It's simple, beets. Beets are the solution. You'll need:

1 can (15 oz) whole beets

1 cup bulghur very fine cut

1/2 heart of romaine lettuce

1 avocado

2 to 3 scallions

1/2 bunch each dill and cilantro

1 tbsp oil

Lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste

Drain the can of beets in a cup to measure the liquid. It will be about 3/4 cup. Rinse the can with enough water just to fill up the cup (the bulghur I had needs 1 cup liquid for 1 cup grains). Bring the liquid to a boil in a sauce pan, then add the bulghur. Stir once or twice, then remove from heat and let it absorb all the liquid. In a bowl, chop the beets, finely chop the scallions, white part and a little green, the dill and cilantro. Add the bulghur, lemon juice and oil. Mix and season to taste. Finely slice the lettuce, arrange it on a serving dish, pile the bulghur mixture over it. Seed, peel and slice the avocado. Arrange the avocado slices in the corners of the plate and dice some on top. You will be pleasantly surprised by the explosion of flavors of the herbs in this salad.

MAKE YOUR OWN FAST FOOD

After a couple of sunny days, it has been raining non stop in New York for the last two days. I wish it was really rain, but no, it's the continuous drizzle that makes you feel bad all over all the time. You don't really know if it is summer or winter, hot or cold. If you close the windows to stay dry, you'll suffocate; if you open them, it will be wet and chilly. With this kind of weather, it's hard to decide what to eat. Do we have a soup? It's too hot for that. A salad? It's not that bright to be happy with just a salad. It may be the perfect day to order out or have some good old, hearty fast food. So what can we have? Contrary to all predictions, my husband came out today with an answer, a very clear answer: let's have a pizza. But he made sure to immediately add: do we have all the ingredients? Probably, I said, but we'll have to defrost the dough. What if we just buy a fresh one? No problem, it will need less time to defrost. So we got a new package from the store. Still, I consider it home made. Hey I defrosted the dough, and did everything else.

PIZZA MARINARA

                                                     

I have to warn you from the start: I love my pizza over filled with goodies. I love the crust to be medium, not very thin or very thick, and sure no stuffed crusts or any other strange invention. I love a regular, real Italian pizza, just like the one I used to get in Rome, in the small alleys, not the touristy restaurants. I used to get the most delicious pizzas by the "etto" (100 grams rectangular slice) cut from a big baking sheet with different toppings, etto after etto, flavor after flavor. So my perfect pizza has to cover all these basic rules. You don't need a recipe for the pizza, just decide what do you want as toppings. You can have a pizza with lots of toppings and cheese, or one with less toppings, it all depends on what you really like. If you want to make one like mine, you'll need:

1 package pizza dough, thawed

7 or 8 white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 (7 oz) can tuna in water, drained

1/2 can black olives, sliced

10 shrimps, cleaned, deveined

1 can tomato sauce

1 can anchovies, flat

Grated mozzarella and Parmigiano cheeses, the quantity again depends on your taste

A pinch of each oregano and salt.

Read the dough package carefully and use it according to the instructions. The one I got asked for drizzling the defrosted dough with some oil, then spread it on the baking sheet. It had two small balls of dough, and I used them both in a regular size baking sheet. Once the dough is in the pan, start preheating the oven to 450, according to my package instructions. Make sure to check yours. In a small sauce pan, preferably non stick, pour the can of tomato sauce plus half a can of water, add a pinch of salt and oregano, stir and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes, until bubbly. Back to the dough: make sure that it is covering all the sheet, if not, push it again with your hands so it is well spread, covers all the baking sheet and is equally thick in all places. With the back of a big spoon, spread a thin layer of sauce over the dough, you don't have to use all the sauce, the leftover can be used later, then start piling up the toppings. Start with the mushrooms, the tuna, then the shrimps: if they are as big as the ones I used today, just slice them lengthwise, you'll have a thinner shrimp, but equally big, and they'll plump up when cooked. Top with the Parmigiano, then the olives and half of the mozzarella. Drain the anchovies and arrange them at regular intervals, in order to have enough salty bites all over your pizza. Sprinkle another round of mozzarella, and bake until golden brown. Serve with a green salad.