Mid-Week Update: Overstocked!

Somehow this week I ended up with a ton of food in my kitchen, and no specific plans for any of it. Red potatoes, cauliflower, cod, spinach, fennel, tons of citrus, radishes, mushrooms, pancetta...I was suffering from a case of too many ingredients, which apparently I had bought on a whim. But I didn't panic; I took this as an opportunity to go shopping in my own refrigerator, and most of it worked out pretty well.

Non-fail dish #1: a mock-curry of diced red potatoes, yellow cauliflower, onion, ginger and yellow curry powder tossed with spinach and served over farro. It turned out to be a gorgeously yellow, texturally satisfying vegetarian dish with just enough smoky/spicy/sweetness for a curry. The next day I sent my boyfriend to work with the leftovers rolled up in a tortilla with a little cheese, and apparently it was yummmm.




Non-fail dish #2: spinach tossed with warm pancetta and mushrooms and a little mustard vinaigrette. Went nicely with the roasted fennel I made on the side. The only thing not so great was the cod I served it all with. While the huge filet of True Cod I bought from my sustainable fishmonger/butcher was gorgeous, the marinade recipe I found online was not. The citrus blend was too much, and the fennel seeds were WAY too much. Made for a pretty picture, especially before cooking...but not a pretty flavor in our mouths. Should have stuck to a simple olive oil and lemon approach. But anyway, lesson learned!




Way prettier before cooking...




Spinach, Pancetta and Warm Mushroom Salad (no photo)

Fry some diced pancetta in a frying pan over medium heat until slightly browned, about 7-10 min. Remove from pan, drain on paper towels.
Pour of half of the pan drippings, place pan back on heat and add a little olive oil or butter. Brown sliced mushrooms (I had Trumpet Royals) on medium heat, about 10-15 min. (As Julia Child would say, "Don't crowd the mushrooms!")
Toss pancetta and mushrooms w/ fresh spinach (in separate bowl; spinach gets too soggy if you do it in the pan) and a little balsamic vinaigrette. (2 TB balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 TB whole grain mustard, salt and pepper...and I like to throw in a squirt of lemon)



Potato and Cauliflower Curry (sort of) with Spinach

1 lb baby red potatoes, boiled/microwaved until just tender, then quartered
1 large head "Cheddar" or other variety cauliflower, chopped into small florets
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
Yellow curry powder
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 TB butter, 2 TB olive oil
Fresh baby spinach

Fry the cauliflower in 1/2 the oil and butter, until just tender but still snappy. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat rest of oil in medium saucepan, add butter when hot. Add onions and ginger, saute until onions are transparent, about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower, potatoes, and yellow curry powder. Toss everything together so that coated evenly with butter/curry powder. Add chicken broth, more curry powder if necessary, and salt and pepper. Cook until flavors blend and most of liquid evaporated, leaving vegetables sticky but not too soft, about 10-15 min. Cauliflower should still have snap.
Remove from heat, toss with spinach.

Serve over rice (or farro, like I did!) and garnish as desired.


Sneak Peak:



HOW CUTE ARE THESE LIONS MANE MUSHROOMS??? I can't wait to use them in something...I'll probably throw them on a pizza Friday. It's a girl's night and we're going to watch The Philadelphia Story and drink wine and giggle. Is there anything better than Katherine Hepburn and fungi pizza and red wine and a girl's night with your best friend? Unless it's all those things plus Cary Grant? And not to mention, Jimmy Stewart?