salad days

One of the things that I love most about summer is that I suddenly feel like eating salad all the time. In the winter, I tend to look upon lettuce with disdain. But once the heat hits, it's all I want. This solves all kinds of problems, I can tell you. First of all, it's much easier to maintain your girlish figure if you are nibbling on leaves all the time. Second, it provides a definitive answer to the ongoing lunch dilemma. (What to eat? Argh.) And third, it gives you a creative project. And lord knows I love a creative project.

So here's what I do. On the weekends, I buy a ton of veggies. I don't worry about what I will do with them, only whether I actually feel like eating them or not. Asparagus, green beans, avocado, oh my! Then I buy greens: spring mix, baby kale, arugula, you name it. I tend to buy bags or boxes of pre-washed, since I'm lazy in the summer months, but if you have a salad spinner and some elbow grease to spare, buy full heads of lettuce and have at it. When dry, tear into bite-sized pieces, throw in a big bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. 

Next, I buy some good quality protein: farm-fresh eggs, top notch parmesan, thinly sliced pancetta. Anything that I know I'll look forward to seeing on my plate. And some fresh herbs never hurt: flat-leaf Italian parsley and green onions are my top picks. Nuts and seeds and sprouts are always fun too.

On Sunday, I do some simple prep work. I might chop some red peppers or roast some potatoes. And then, every day, I add a new element into the mix. I boil an ear of corn or bake chicken or slow-roast cherry tomatoes. 

The key to all of this, of course, is having salad dressing on hand. If you don't, chances are good that you won't get around to making a salad. But if you do, it's all as simple as throwing some greens in a bowl, adding fun toppings (well, hello there chick peas!) and drizzling the whole mess with dressing. 

This here is my standby. It's a strong mustard dressing, but I've found that if I add extra olive oil, it's milder and can be paired with all kinds of fun flavours. For inspiration, I often consult Bittman's New York Times list of 101 Summer Salads.

Everyday vinaigrette
Adapted from Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life

2 heaping tablespoons good quality mustard
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
3-4 tablespoons olive oil, to taste
pinch of salt

1. Whisk together mustard and vinegar. 
2. Add oil and whisk well to emulsify.  
3. Keeps for up to a week in the fridge.

life-changing tomato sauce

I am of the opinion that if you have a good tomato sauce recipe in your repertoire, you are well on your way to becoming a decent home cook. If you have mastered that, after all, you can make winning pastas and lasagnas and pizzas and all manner of sloppy sandwiches. Moreover, you have glimpsed the reality that all things are possible.

This recipe is the first tomato sauce I ever tried and also happens to be the best.

There is nothing in the world like the smell of garlic sizzling in olive oil, and, minutes later, the taste of a rich, hearty tomato sauce. It’s the epitome of comfort.

Also: enormously handy in a pinch. When I am on a budget, I make this sauce. When I get home from work at nine o’clock, famished, and have nothing in the fridge, I make this sauce. When I have friends coming over for dinner on a weeknight (what was I thinking?), I make this sauce. I wouldn’t even dream of ordering takeout. Why would I?

This recipe is happily available online, and I have taken to recommending it to people frequently. I can’t tell you how many have made their first forays in the kitchen with it. I converted all of my non-cooking family and friends – and then I was forced to branch out. 

Recently I was getting my face made up when I sung its praises to the makeup artist, who until then had only ever used jarred sauces. The next time that I arrived in her chair, she greeted me with an enormous hug and raved about how the sauce had changed her life. Then she took extra long on my makeup. So you'd be surprised what a humble little tomato sauce can do for you.

Magic Tomato Sauce

Adapted from David Rocco's Dolce Vita (one of my fave cookbooks)

Serves 4

3 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, put through garlic press

pinch of chili flakes

796 ml can of roma tomatoes (no extra seasoning)

salt, to taste

1. Rinse tomatoes under water to get rid of seeds. Place in bowl with juice. Break up tomatoes with your hands. Set aside.

2. Pour olive oil into frying pan and add garlic and chili flakes. Heat over medium heat until garlic is fragrant but not browned.

3. Add tomatoes. Simmer and allow to reduce for 20-30 minutes, depending on the consistency you like.

4. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over pasta of your choosing.

Note: this recipe is a wonderful foundation for all sorts of pasta dishes. Feel free to add grated Parmesan cheese, cracked black pepper, chopped basil or Italian flat-leaf parsley, capers, black olives or even walnuts.

what to eat when you've eaten too much

Sometimes in life, we need to press the reset button. Picture this: you've let yourself get too busy. Desperate for fuel, you begin treating yourself to an endless parade of sweets. Before you know it, this approach has extended to your meals. Cheese on everything! Extra bread! Another round of soda! Attempting to curb your enthusiasm (and perhaps save some precious time), you do away with dinner altogether, but wind up eating bags of chips on the run and calling that a meal. Vegetables become a distant memory; you can't imagine why you ever wanted them. Then one day you realize that you feel tired all the time and you have to strain to zip up your beloved Little Black Dress. You all know how it goes. 

Here's the thing: I happen to have a strategy for times like this. And I'd like to share it with you. When I find my eating out of balance, I face facts, muster up all of my determination, set aside a few days – free from social obligations – and commit to reseting my palate. Sometimes I limit myself to fruits, vegetables, chicken and fish. Other times, I eat vegan. In the winter, I go on a vegetable soup kick. In the summer, it's all about salads. The point is to cut out all of the junk and learn to enjoy real food again.

My current M.O. is the brown rice bowl. As far as I'm concerned, it's pure genius. Clean food – and so satisfying. The key is to make it really simple for yourself. At the beginning of the week, I make a giant pot of rice, grate some beets and buy a bag of grated carrots and cabbage from Whole Foods. I have green onions on hand, and avocados and a little lemon to squeeze on top. I make the sauce (which sounds ultra-complicated, but actually isn't once you've made the herb blend) and viola: dinner for days. I'm back to feeling like myself again in no time flat. You will be too.


Back to basics brown rice bowl
Inspired by the latest cookbook from Fresh restaurant
Serves one

1/2 cup of cooked brown rice
grated beets
grated carrots
grated white cabbage
grated purple cabbage
avocado, chopped
package of extra firm tofu, cubed
green onions, thinly sliced
squeeze of lemon
drizzle of sauce, to taste

Place warm or room temperature rice on a plate. Pile on the beets, carrots, cabbage and avocado and tofu. Sprinkle with green onions and drizzle with lemon. Pour sauce on top.

Sauce
Adapted from the latest cookbook from Fresh restaurant
Makes about 1/2 cup

Whisk together: 

1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons tamari
scant 1 teaspoon mixed herbs

Mixed herbs
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 tablespoon dried dill
1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/2 tablespoon dried tarragon

no-fuss supper (after a fancy weekend)

I don't know about you, but nine times out of ten I prefer home food to restaurant food. It tends to be healthier, cheaper and more delicious. It's nourishing and comforting and uncomplicated. Plus, for me, it usually includes vegetables, which I suspect are the answer to every problem in life. 


Still, the social world is not conducted in my kitchen, and so every now and then (read: at least once a week) I find myself donning a dress and marching off to the hot spot du jour to sample award-winning cheese plates and handmade donuts. I relish these outings. I like the energy, the excitement, the polish of the patrons, the boisterous table talk. And, occasionally, one even winds up getting served superb food. Last night, for instance, during a long dinner on a breezy patio, I drank pink lemonade and ate the juiciest burger I've ever had, with salty fries and a tiny little salad designed to make me feel better about the fries. Followed by two decadent desserts. 


But after such brazen indulgence, I am back to craving home food. Tonight I wanted something refreshing and light. Preferably requiring only one pot, because it's Sunday and I sure as heck don't feel like doing dishes.


I came across this Gourmet magazine recipe while looking for a way to recreate my favorite Whole Foods orzo salad. The first time I made this dish was something of a revelation. As in: really?! I defy you to find anything more lovely than lemon rind marinated in olive oil. And the way the fresh dill compliments the buttery orzo? Forget about it. You can serve this over a bed of spinach, or, if that feels like too much trouble, eat it plain. It's best enjoyed on the couch watching Chelsea Lately. 


Orzo with Feta and Tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 cup orzo
1 and 1/2 cups crumbled feta (6 ounces)
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Toss together oil, tomatoes, dill, zest, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large serving bowl.
2. Let stand 10 minutes. Breathe in the seductive citrus scent and daydream about lemon orchards in Italy.
3. Meanwhile, cook the orzo in a pot of boiling, salted water until al dente.
4. Drain orzo and toss with tomato mixture. Add feta and toss again. 
5. Send me silent blessings for introducing you to this recipe.