Spring Fever: Asparagus!!!

Posted on May 22, 2013 by gourmetmommy

Yippeee! yahooo! It’s SPRING!

Why am I so excited, you may ask? Well, you probably don’t ask–who doesn’t like spring?

I am so excited because WE GET TO LEAVE THE HOUSE. Cold, wet, grey weather does NOT mix well with young, active children. I can categorically declare that I can build just about anything with Legos and that I know every word in Cars. It’s time to move on to outside activities.

Outside activity #1: Farmers Markets. They’re back! Local produce, local artisans, and scooters–our preferred mode of best-way-to-wear-the-kids-out transportation.
Outside activity #2: Gardening. I love having the kids help me plant plants, watch them grow, pick the flowers/veggies. We just have a small city patio and garden space but it’s still plenty to give them some exposure to what it’s like to grow your own produce and plants.
Outside activity #3: Playground Happy Hour. Oh come on, you’ve never taken the kids to the playground after school, met up with other parent friends, and brought a little special bevvie? (responsibly of course; obviously I’m not advocating drunken debauchery around the kids here) If not, you’re missing out.

In addition to outside enjoyment, springtime fare is just the best. Some of the most delicious, and most elusive or short-lived, ingredients come to pass during spring so you’ve got to take advantage of them! Ramps, fiddlehead ferns (I’ve never made them but I hear they are a delicacy), morels, and of course asparagus!

A friend gave me asparagus fresh-picked from his garden with a bottle of Gruner Vetliner–a perfect pairing with asparagus. So I wanted to create an easy, delicious dish that highlighted the asparagus but didn’t overpower the wine. And I wanted to use some fresh herbs from my garden. And I had a farmers market leek in the fridge.

Herby Asparagus and Leek Gnocchi with Scallops was born. A little strategically, a little kitchen sinky, a lot deliciously.

It looks and sounds all fancy so is great for a special weekend meal, but honestly I made it on a Wednesday in 20 minutes with mostly ingredients I had on hand. So it can double as a mid-week pick-me-up. And the kids love the gnocchi, so it’s an easy sell.

Dinner for 4

Cheers!

Diary of 2 foodie gremlins

Posted on May 17, 2013 by gourmetmommy

What a difference a year makes. I can’t believe it’s been that long since my the last post.

We’ve been cooking like crazy over here. I literally mean cooking like a mad woman trying to shovel tons of food at two starving gremlins. Just. keep. feeding. them. Make. no. sudden. movements.

Seriously, they are going to put me in the poorhouse by the time they’re 10.

For N, it’s about quantity. more. More. MORE. The other day someone commented on what a big appetite N has a school breakfast. It was his third breakfast of the day.

Baby K (who, at 2, is no longer a baby I suppose), on the other hand is apparently on the paleo diet. She eats steak. A lot of steak.

Don’t believe me? Think I’m exaggerating? It’s normal. Everyone does. I have proof. Here’s a food diary from last weekend:

Breakfast #1: (both) Stoneyfield yogurt, unsweetened applesauce.
break while N prepares bacon using my baking technique.
Breakfast #2: (both) Fried eggs, bacon
Post-Breakfast snack at farmers market: Samosas (N: 2, K:1), Pickles (N: Full Sour, K: Kosher Dill)
Pre-Brunch snack after an exhausting outing to the farmers market: Grapes
Brunch at our favorite restaurant: K: mac and cheese with some chicken and veg. N: Grilled chicken, vegetables (his choice), half of K’s mac and cheese. Whatever was left of my homefries.
Pre-nap snack: strawberries from the market
Break for nap. I make pie.
Post nap-snack: popcorn
Dinner: Grilled steak (N&K split an entire NY strip), corn on the cob, asparagus, salad. Some of my steak. Some of dad’s steak.
Dessert: Strawberry rhubarb pie

Anyone wanna give me a loan for this week’s grocery trip?

But of course, I love that they love food. I love cooking for them. And I love talking about it, so more posts and recipes to come! Up next: Herby Gnocchi with Asparagus and Leeks with Seared Scallops.

What kinds of topics would you like to hear about in the future?

Taking a break

Posted on July 26, 2012 by gourmetmommy

As you may have guessed from my sporadic posting over the past few months, I’m finding that having 2 young kids, a full-time job, and a blog doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for the best part of life: living! I hope to jump back on and post now and again, but for now I need to take a little break and spend some time playing (and cooking) with these little ones!

In the immortal words of Tigger: TTFN!

Keen-what?

Posted on July 10, 2012 by auntieangela

I’ve gotten slack about making the Bear’s food lately. Between some work travel, vacation, and other general distractions, those nice pouches of organic baby food have been very tempting for the last few weeks. But tonight I was feeling a little inspired and got back to it. First I made these muffins. The Bear is pretty picky about his finger foods, but he loves bread, so I thought I’d make some vegetable-filled muffins to get a little variety in his life.

And for more variety, I made up a new puree. Part of the benefit of trying all those baby food pouches was that we discovered he likes quinoa. I tried to make quinoa once before for my husband and I, and we weren’t huge fans, which was disappointing because I know it’s so good for you. Protein! In a grain! But I did have some at a friend’s house a few weeks ago and like it better, I think the key is to make it with chicken or vegetable stock instead of water. In any case, the baby had some apple-raisin-quinoa puree from Plum Organics that he devoured quickly, so I figured I should go ahead and make him some at home. I made 1/2 cup of quinoa (boil for 15 minutes in 1 cup chicken stock), and mixed in 1/2 of steamed zucchini, 1 carrot (both left over from the muffin recipe) and 1/4 cup dried cranberries for a little sweetness. Puree and serve.

Grits ‘n Greens

Posted on April 21, 2012 by auntieangela

Hi! I’m Gourmet Mommy’s first guest poster – her sister. I guess that makes me a gourmet auntie, although I’m also a mom. My son (hereafter referred to as The Bear) is 10 months old, just a few weeks older than his cousin, Baby K.

We live in South Carolina, and I’d like to bust some stereotypes and tell you that Southern food isn’t all grits and turnip greens, but that’s exactly what we had for dinner tonight. Guess I’ll have to leave the stereotype busting to another day. This week was the first week of our CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture program. We’ve been subscribing for a couple years now, and I always miss it when it’s unavailable in the winter. One of the best things about participating in a CSA is that it encouragees you to eat in season, and forces you to cook with things you might normally not pick out at the grocery store yourself.

Some of this week's CSA delivery - turnips, greens, parsnips, and spring onions. Not pictured: strawberries and new potatoes

I was not a huge fan of greens before joining the CSA, but I’ve learned to cook them well enough to enjoy them now. You can’t go wrong with sauteeing in olive oil with a little garlic and some kind of pork product. Tonight’s meal was inspired by a recipe in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, one of my favorite cookbooks. He calls it Grits Gratin with Arugula and Garlic, but I improvised with what I had on hand.

I started by cooking a 1/2 cup grits according to the package directions. It should only take about 15 minutes, then pour into a flat dish or plate to cool and solidify. Then saute a link of hot Italian sausage until brown, and add about 1/2 cup diced onion. Once the onion is softened, add 2 cloves of chopped garlic. About a minute later, toss in the washed and chopped turnip greens (stems removed), and 2 tblsp. balsamic vinegar. Wilt the turnip greens – this won’t take long. Add one diced tomato toward the end, if you like.

Grits Gratin with Turnip Greens & Tomatoes

Pour the turnip green mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Cut the now-solid grits into squares and arrange them on top of the greens. Pour a little bit of marinara sauce over the grit squares (we had some leftover from the other night – you could also skip the tomatoes in the greens and use a can of diced tomatoes here). Top with shredded mozzarella and/or Parmesan cheese. Cook in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Serve!

Unfortunately this wasn’t a very Bear-friendly dish. He had applesauce. But you may have noticed some parsnips in the photo above. I’ll be making a parsnip-potato puree later this week, for us all to enjoy. Possible second guest-post? Maybe…

A bowlful of heaven: Ragu Bolegnese

Posted on March 7, 2012 by gourmetmommy

I went out for a mommies night out with Linda from KidFriendlyDC* and some other cool moms from DC.

Let’s pause. I. Went. Out. Can you say, wooo hooooooo?

Outburst over. Anyway, we went to this amazing Italian restaurant* that is not at all kid friendly. No high chairs, no booster seats, no paper on the table. It was fabulous. And I haven’t even gotten to the food. Housemade charcuterie, housemade pasta, a wine list you could spend hours studying. Many things I simply can’t replicate at home.

Most Italian food though is something you can replicate at home. That’s what I love about it: so many of the most amazing dishes are made of just a couple of ingredients sitting in your fridge or garden. Just give them some love and you’re rewarded 10-fold. Not unlike your darling children that sleep through the night…I digress. bolognese

Ragu Bolegnese. A perfect example of humble ingredients turned into a mouthwatering masterpiece with just a little love. And time. And maybe a little stirring. Take ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge or freezer right now. Start cooking at naptime. Leave alone on the stove for a few hours. By dinner you have a bowlful of heaven. bolognese ingredients

I essentially use Marcella Hazan‘s recipe for Bolegnese. It’s classic, and surprisingly light just using veggies, ground beef, milk and white wine. You can mix it up a few different ways if you want though too. Use red wine instead of white for a heavier sauce. Omit the milk in the long cooking time and add a bit of cream for a really rich sauce. Add in pork or Italian sausage for some pig love. Or even use a beef or pork roast cut into chunks instead of ground meat for a shredded meat sauce.

I like to serve over fettuccine with a classic Chianti. Heaven.

*The restaurant is called Cinghiale and if you’re ever in Baltimore without young children you should check it out. And if you’re ever in DC with your kids, check out KidFriendlyDC before you come. It’s got the best tips on events happening around the region that are awesome to check out with your kids.

One Pot Wonder Challenge: Chicken Barley Stew

Posted on February 26, 2012 by gourmetmommy

If I told you that I could feed mom, dad, big kid #1, and little baby #2 for less than a buck a serving, you’d be like: awesome, right? Let’s add healthy, delicious, and fits in one pot so there’s no clean up: could it be possible? Well, I know it’s possible for many people to do, but can I do it? chicken barley stew

I really like to cook. It’s fun for me. Shopping for the best ingredients is like my own little quest. Prepping my mise en place (chopping veggies) is my personal meditation time. And at the end of all of it, I get to share my work with people I care about. And they seem to like it. So, it may have been mentioned once or twice to me that I may possibly make a bigger deal out of a meal than I need to. That’s just crazy talk though. I’m sure they didn’t mean it.

D was been bugging me to write something about a one pot meal, since he hates doing dishes. But let’s face it: a really good dinner isn’t a success unless I spend a whole paycheck on it, go to every market in town for the specialty ingredients, and use every pot and pan in the house.

But I took the challenge. A simple meal, in one pot, that doesn’t cost a fortune.

And I realized, it’s nice to get back to basics. With my Chicken Barley Stew, I use classic combinations of vegetables, make my own stock, add a hearty grain and I’ve got a comforting and healthy meal that didn’t make a huge mess, freezes great, and feeds the whole family. And cost about $10 for the whole pot of food. barley stew ingredients

Since K is eating stage 2 baby foods, I was even able to puree some up for her. Which allowed me to break out the food processor. Thank goodness, that one pot was getting awfully lonely.

Gourmet Mommy

Recipes and cooking tips for foodie families.