This here is a plate of farro, gently steamed Cooks Valley Farm spinach, melted Wishing Stone Farm cherry tomatoes with Zephyr Farm green garlic, a healthy hit of lemon juice and zest, some good olive oil, a crumble of Blue Ledge Farm goat cheese, and a sprinkling of crispy homemade herb and lemon breadcrumbs. Summer’s coming, and I love that we’re entering the time of year when I can make a fast and satisfying weeknight meal from a simply cooked grain, a load of vegetables and herbs from the farmers’ market, and a judicious amount of good quality fat and protein.

I know of very few people whose lives have not been affected in some way by cancer. Mike was just a little boy when he lost his father to pancreatic cancer. My aunt is a breast cancer survivor. Our friend Michele has undergone treatment for skin cancer, and just recently, our friend Jill lost someone very dear to her after a long battle with breast cancer that metastasized to her brain. It is for Jill’s friend Jen, and for everyone else in our lives who has been touched by this disease, that I am writing this today, to participate in the third installment of Cooking to Combat Cancer.

Cancer is a scary word, and I’m sure it’s easy to feel powerless when you or someone you love is faced with that diagnosis. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia nearly 10 years ago, and after struggling with various treatments, I took a good hard look at my diet, figuring it was one small thing I had control of. Cancer is, obviously, a very different beast than fibro, but consuming a diet made up of good, wholesome foods is a great way to help manage all sorts of health conditions.

Food is a powerful thing: it provides both fuel for our bodies and comfort for our souls. I’ve talked a lot about the latter here, but it’s easy to forget sometimes that so many foods contain compounds that fight cell damage, reduce inflammation, boost immunity, and are as beneficial to those battling disease as to those of us who are trying to stave it off, or who are managing chronic health conditions. The fact that they taste good is a bonus.

I tend to like vivid color on my plate, so with that in mind, I chose red quinoa as the base for my cancer-fighting dish, a warm quinoa salad. Quinoa is a favorite pantry staple, a great canvas for other flavors, and a breeze to prepare – just rinse it well and cook it as you would rice. I tossed my cooked quinoa with a zippy dressing spiked with lots of minced garlic, lemon juice and zest, all bound with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. I added about a cup of thinly sliced spring onions to the mix, as well as several handfuls of young kale.

Inspired by Sara Kate’s recent post at The Kitchn, I opened a tin of olive oil-packed sardines, reserving the oil to fry them in. I gave the sardines an ultra-light coating of Wondra flour seasoned with sea salt and a little cayenne, then gently fried them until they were crisp on the outside and just warmed through.

I gave the warm quinoa salad another quick toss before serving it, placing the sardines on top and finishing the whole thing with another hit of lemon zest. The richness of the fish married really well with the nutty quinoa, brightly flavored dressing, sharp onions and tender young kale – this meal was as full of flavor as it was packed with healthy goodness.

(Big thanks to Mele Cotte for hosting, and to Blue Kitchen’s Terry B for referring me there.)

This has turned out to be an odd week for us, schedule-wise. For the sake of record-keeping, here are our last couple of dinners, with minimal comment.

I had planned something different for Tuesday night, but I ended up working late, which got me back home even later, and a risotto was what I wanted. I decided to make a leek and parsley “stock” for the cooking liquid, which is a fancy way of saying I cooked chopped leeks and parsley in water until tender, whizzed them with the stick blender and seasoned with salt until it tasted right to me. This liquid went into my standard risotto base, in which I had also sauteed some diced Meyer lemon. I loved the bright flavors here, but I was reminded that I much prefer the texture of Carnaroli rice to Arborio for risottos. Your mileage may vary.

Mike has still been eager to take a meal or two during the week, and he did so again last night, turning out his latest version of Mario Batali’s bucatini all’amatriciana, featuring luscious chunks of guanciale from Pat’s Pastured. I think this was his best yet.

Posting may be sporadic as we finish out this week and head into the next one, but hopefully I’ll have time to share what we’re up to in the kitchen. See you soon.

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!

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve probably noticed that I rarely follow a recipe to the letter. That was definitely the case last night. See, about a week ago, Mike forwarded me a recipe called “Rockstar Lentil Soup.” He had obtained the recipe during the course of an email exchange with our friend Kelly Sue, and she raved about it. I’m a big fan of lentils in any form, and this soup sounded like just the thing for a cool autumn night, so I wrote it into our meal plan for this week.

As I reviewed the original recipe, I had a few changes in mind from the start – I usually like to start soups with a base of diced vegetables sautéed in whatever fat I’m using and begin adding the seasonings to build the flavors, so I would cook the onions and garlic first rather than adding them in later. I was standing over the pot stirring my spices into the onion-garlic mixture when my phone rang, and I have to be honest, while I chatted with my folks I kind of put the rest of the soup together on auto-pilot. In the end it tasted great, but the measurements I’m going to give below might be a bit imprecise. I have no idea how my version compares to the Rockstar version, but I’ll print both recipes here – try them both and decide for yourself!

Rockstar Lentil Soup
(Kelly Sue informs me that this soup gets its name because she got the recipe from her friend Maggie Estep, who got it from Blixa Bargeld)

1 1/2 cups lentils
8 cups vegetable stock
1 large potato
2 bunches (about 1 1/2 pounds) Swiss chard
1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
4 T olive oil
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (or 1/2 cup chopped parsley plus 3/4 tsp ground coriander)
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 T lemon juice

Rinse lentils; sort through and discard any foreign material. Drain well.

Combine lentils and stock in an 8-quart pan; cover and bring to simmering.

Peel potato and cut into 1/2-inch cubes; add to lentils. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Slice chard leaves and stems crosswise in 1/2-inch wide strips. Add to soup, cover and continue simmering until lentils are tender (About 20 more minutes).

In a small frying pan, cook onion in oil, stirring occasionally until onion is soft and golden. Add to onion 1/3 cup of the fresh coriander (or the parsley-cumin mix) along with garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add onion mixture to soup during the last five minutes of cooking. Stir in salt to taste, pepper, cumin and lemon juice. Garnish soup with lemon slices and remaining chopped coriander or parsley-cumin mix.

Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/4 cup white vermouth
1 1/2 cups green lentils
6-8 cups stock (we didn’t have vegetable stock so I used the rest of our homemade chicken stock)
2 cups diced Yukon Gold potato
Sherry vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 bunch Swiss Chard, chopped into about 1 inch pieces
Juice of one lemon
Greek yogurt or crème fraiche for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt and cook until softened. Add the garlic, coriander, cumin and chipotle powder and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring well. Add the vermouth and stir, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the lentils, stock, bay leaf and potato, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, stir in a couple of splashes of Sherry vinegar, cover again and cook until the lentils and potatoes are tender, about 35 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, add the chard and cook just until wilted. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and ladle into bowls, topping with a dollop of yogurt or crème fraiche.

When I first moved to the city, I landed in a pretty darn perfect situation. I spent my first six months here living with a friend in her gorgeous townhouse in Hunters Point, Long Island City. This place was equipped with the most amazing kitchen I have had the privilege of cooking in, and I put it to good use as I took advantage of all of the fresh, delicious foodstuffs the city has to offer.

As any of you who have moved to New York from elsewhere know, relocating here can take a big chunk out of your pocketbook, so my dinners then were often even simpler than they are now, and usually more veggie-centric. This zucchini and lemon risotto was a dish I made often, since my roommate and I always had a big bowl of lemons on hand, and a nice-sized zucchini would cost me a buck – if that – at the great little produce market just around the corner. Combined with fridge and pantry staples, it was a meal that was cheap, came together quickly, and was bursting with the bright, fresh flavors of summer.

Mike and I always have a big bowl of lemons on hand in our kitchen in Bushwick, and I still love to make zucchini and lemon risotto. The version I made last night was a little richer than the version from my Long Island City days thanks to a generous addition of soft, creamy Mettowee cheese from Consider Bardwell Farm, but the flavors took me right back to those first giddy months of living here, the newness of it all, and the excitement of the possibilities that lay ahead.

Zucchini and Lemon Risotto

2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 white onion, diced
2 cups Carnaroli or Arborio rice
1/2 cup white vermouth
Juice and zest of two lemons
2 cups diced zucchini
4-6 cups water
Kosher salt
3 oz. soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Melt 1 tablespoon butter into olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add onion and a generous pinch of salt and cook until the onion is softened. Add the rice and stir well to coat with the butter/olive oil mixture. Cook until the rice starts to become translucent, then add vermouth and stir. Continue cooking until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add lemon juice and zest along with one cup of water and again allow to cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally.

Add the zucchini and season with salt. Continue adding the remaining water a cup or so at a time, allowing the liquid to cook into the risotto as described above. You may need more or less liquid than I have listed above, but what you want is for the risotto to be creamy and the texture of the grains of rice to be al dente. Taste often as the rice cooks so you can monitor the texture of the rice, and also adjust for salt.

Once the risotto is al dente, turn off the heat and gently stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter and the goat cheese until the risotto is creamy and the cheese is well-incorporated. Serve in shallow bowls with additional lemon zest on top.