Ratatouille

My due date was like The Rapture.  It came and went and nothing happened.  I went to the grocery store and the clerk asked me not once but about three times what I was 'up to' yesterday.  'Not too much' and 'Nothing really' I responded until finally I said 'Today is my due date so I didn't make any plans!'  Funnily enough the girl behind me in line at the checkout was a L&D nurse at the hospital I am delivering at, so we said we hoped we'd see each other soon! 

I made this Ratatouille for dinner last night and served it over whole wheat couscous with a poached egg and a dollop of goat cheese.  I was out of parchment paper so I covered the dish with a little square of foil.  I'm still not entirely clear on why you don't want the veggies to brown, but I figured there must be sound reasoning if this is originally a Thomas Keller recipe!  While this Ratatouille may look labor intensive, it really only took about 10 minutes to throw together and was well worth the time spent for such a pretty, light and healthy supper.  Find the recipe here.  

Hot Potato

Last night I made these baked potatoes to go along with some prime New York Strip Steak that Trevor was grilling up.  I didn't follow the recipe exactly - i.e. I didn't measure, used spicy instead of dijon mustard, and subbed white wine for champagne vinegar.  When I removed the potatoes from the oven I filled them with a few pats of butter, then a big tongful of arugula tossed in the vinaigrette.  We drizzled more vinaigrette over the top.  Mmmmm these were good.  I agree with the recipe author that these potatoes would make a lovely light summer supper as-is or topped with a fried egg!   Find the recipe here.  

The 39th Week

Hello Readers! I am still here, 39 weeks (& 1 day) pregnant.  And yes, that is my bump in the above photograph. Last night we had artichokes with balsamic mayonnaise and a tortilla Espanol for dinner.  The dishes are still in the sink. The dog has been shedding like crazy so I really need to vacuum. And put away the laundry. You should see the weeds in the yard. Rationally I know the end is near, but at the same time I feel like I am going to be pregnant forever. 

Welcome to Atlanta

As part of my new job I'm currently on a 36 hour jaunt to Atlanta to meet new coworkers and check out a panel we are doing with the designers of Bravo's upcoming series - Million Dollar Decorators....FUN!

I arrived around lunchtime but due to my heavy work load didn't have a chance to pop out to eat (wah). Luckily I'm staying at the Ritz in Buckhead, which has a very nice in-room dining menu. I had a tomato, marinated mozzarella, basil pesto and roasted pine nuts salad, topped with grilled chicken.

It was actually super delic restaurant-quality food. Now I remember why I love being on the road!

Bodega Bean & Pesto Soup

Yesterday I worked from 8AM-9:30PM, which not only made me appreciate people who work more then one job, but made it really difficult for me to find food on my way home. In most NYC neighborhoods there are a million places open late - but the UES tends to be more suburban, with the only late night options being greasy pizza. So I stopped by my corner bodega and pulled this soup together for an easy weeknight meal.

BODEGA BEAN & PESTO SOUP

• 1/4 c Yellow Onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 c Scallions, finely chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbs Tomato Paste
• 3 Anchovies (optional)
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Dry Oregano
• 1 Can White Beans
• 1 Container Chicken Stock
• Bay Leaf
• Pesto

Saute the yellow onion, scallions, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes and anchovies - you can use any onion you want, I was just using what I had. While you saute the veggies - clear a space in the pan and caramelize the tomato paste. When the veggies are soft stir everything together and cook another 30-60 seconds until it's a paste. Season with salt and pepper then stir in the beans (liquid and all). The liquid is starchy and will thicken up your soup. Take a potato masher to the beans and lightly break them up. Next, add the chicken stock and bay leaf and cover and cook for 15 -30 minutes - depends how much time you have!

Serve with fresh parsley (if you have it) and a dollop of pesto.

Easy, yummy, leftovers for lunch- enough said.