Last Night’s Dinner

The last week has been a struggle, but with two weeks left to go before our move, we’re trying hard to get on with our lives. There’s a lot left to do and not much time to do it, and honestly, the sorting and packing have been a welcome distraction. I’ve gotten to the point in my grieving where I have actually been able to get back into the routine of making dinner, though I’ll admit that much of what I’ve put on the table has been uninspired. It’s going to take a while before I get that spark back.

I put together a quick pasta last night, using some really nice spaghettini di farro I had picked up recently at Formaggio Essex. I cooked it until al dente and tossed it with a few odds and ends from the fridge – some sautéed shallot and leftover crimini mushrooms, finely sliced red chard, toasted pine nuts and Pecorino Romano. It was a tasty dish if a little flat; the farro pasta definitely needed more salt in its cooking water, and Mike and I both agreed that some chile flakes or lemon zest or a punchier cheese would have made for a better dish. I’m definitely not back on my game, but this was a start.

(On an unrelated note, check out who’s blogging Tales of the Cocktail… )

I’ve served salmon with lentils probably dozens of times since Mike and I have been sharing meals, and while it’s a great combination, last night I decided to change it up a bit. Since we were away last weekend and weren’t able to do our usual food safari, I had to stock up on a few provisions earlier in the week. I went a little crazy at Greenwich Produce, bringing home fingerling potatoes, Meyer lemons, little stem cherry tomatoes (I know, I know, but they were so pretty and jewel-like I couldn’t resist), red and golden beets, and a gorgeous bunch of rainbow chard. Since chard and lentils play so well together in soup, I thought I’d combine them to go alongside our salmon fillets.

I started by separating the chard stems from the leaves, trimming the bottoms and slicing the stems thinly. I sautéed them in a bit of olive oil along with a couple of smashed garlic cloves and a pinch of kosher salt until they were tender, and then added a cup of Puy lentils. I poured two cups of water into the pot, added a generous amount of fresh thyme, covered it and let it simmer over low heat. While the lentils were cooking, I rolled up the chard leaves like little cigars, sliced them into about 1 inch ribbons and gave them a good rinse, letting them drain but leaving a little water clinging to their leaves. When the lentils were tender and had absorbed almost all of the liquid in the pot, I added the chard leaves, gently stirring them through until they were just wilted. I dribbled in a little sherry vinegar, gave it another stir, and spooned the mixture onto our plates, topping them with our salmon and a quick little pan sauce of sharp Dijon mustard, white wine, and lemon juice with a knob of cold butter whisked in at the end.

The salmon was great but I really loved the chard and lentil combo. It was quick and wholesome and would actually make a great meal on its own, topped with a little feta or goat cheese (or one of my favorite poached eggs). I liked it so well, in fact, that I’ve packed the leftovers for my lunch today. As Terry B can attest, sometimes the side dish really is the star of the show.

It has turned into a bit of a busy week at Chez Dietschyblossom, which has meant that our dinners for the last few nights were fairly quick and uncomplicated. We’re meeting up with friends for dinner tonight, which means I probably won’t be back here until Monday, but I’ll get you caught up on our last couple of dinners:

I’ve had this recipe for Hazelnut & Chard Ravioli Salad bookmarked for a while, and I based Tuesday night’s pasta dinner on it – a delicious mix of red chard sautéed in olive oil with a bit of garlic and fresh thyme, roughly chopped hazelnuts, grated Parmagiano Reggiano and a bit of butter which I then tossed with Gorgonzola ravioli. It was a winning combination of flavors and textures, and a dish which I’ll definitely keep in our repertoire.

I didn’t quite hit the mark with Wednesday’s dinner of sautéed wild striped bass with a Meyer lemon and green olive relish. The fish itself was fine, but the relish was slightly too bitter. I tend not to add sweeteners to my food, but I wonder if a bit of honey might have balanced the flavors out, or perhaps using a fruitier variety of olive. At any rate, I’ll keep playing with the relish recipe – I did like the flavors of the Meyer lemon and herbs (parsley, dill, chives and mint) with the fish.

I’ve got my annual post-holiday lunch date with one of my bosses today which should provide me with lots of inspiration for future fish dishes – we’re going to Le Bernardin, which I’m positively giddy about. I’ll be sure to report back. Have a great weekend!

I love making savory tarts in the spring and fall months, when mushrooms and leafy greens are at their best. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t make my own pastry because of lack of a food processor and the tiny amount of workspace we’ve got in our current kitchen, but I generally have good luck with a few favorite store-bought brands. Well, my luck gave out last night – actually, it’s probably less the fault of the pie shells and more the fact that I didn’t let them thaw enough. I opened the package, pulled the first crust out of its little aluminum tin to roll it out a bit on my floured board, and it immediately shattered. It was so brittle there was no hope of saving it, and since I was already getting a late start on dinner after a very slow commute home, I said to heck with it and decided to place my filling into the second, intact shell. Not quite what I had in mind, but it would have to do.

That filling was a couple of sliced shallots, a quarter pound of chanterelles, and about four big handfuls of chopped Swiss chard, seasoned with salt and sautéed in a bit of olive oil, all of it bound with 3 beaten eggs, 1/4 cup of crème fraiche, a cup of finely grated Gruyere cheese, salt, black pepper and a half teaspoon of Colman’s mustard powder. I spread the sautéed vegetable mixture in the bottom of the pie shell, poured the egg mixture on top, and added an additional 1/2 cup of grated Gruyere to the top of the tart before placing it into a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes.

I have to say that even though the tart didn’t look exactly as I had hoped it would (i.e., not something that could have just as easily come out of a box), it was darned tasty. I have really grown to love the addition of a little bit of dry mustard to creamy or custardy dishes because the bite it provides really seems to make the flavors in the dish pop, and in this instance it highlighted the earthy mushrooms and chard beautifully. All in all, this was a good meal that came together quickly, and was easy to put together after a long, hectic workday - I guess I can’t really ask for more than that.