DInner for 12: Lamb Patties, Fava and Greek Salad

Kyra's Law: kale is a vegetable only eaten raw. On a hammock. Otherwise it's poison.

In the late spring, we three dinner co-op chefs met recently to check in, make sure everyone was feeling good with the food and to taste-test the fancy artisanal bitters one of them had recently brought home (verdict: mmmmmmmmm...)

It's been three years of cooking together and while we have kept the ground rules loose, we have come to recognize that there are a few secrets to success in terms of cooking for both adults and young kids worth sharing:

• Dinners where you can build your own dish are always the most popular, like falafel, fish tacos, fajitas, thai lettuce wraps, that sort of thing.
• When possible, we keep ingredients separate. Kids are weird. But if they will eat the bolognese if it's three inches away from the pasta, then I will deliver sauce and pasta in two different containers. No big deal.
• It seems like across all our families, kids will be most receptive to veggies when they are raw. That doesn't mean we don't go ahead and cook them into whatever dish is planned, but we tend to get creative with salads and veggie side dishes.
• We all agreed that while no one likes everything, having this variety put before them is turning our kids (and us) into very flexible, and increasingly adventurous eaters and that's a huge bonus to an already wonderful life-simplifier.

With that, we clinked cocktails and decided to go with a month of themed dinners. Each of us would cook one cuisine. I chose Greek. The others have gone with French and Italian, respectively. This menu is the first of four Greek-themed menus and features lamb and fava, a traditional pureed dish of the Aegean Islands (particularly Santorini) made with split peas and rich with olive oil.

Lamb Sausage, Fava and Greek Salad

The lamb sausage recipe is definitely greek-inspired but I found it in a Bon Appetit column written by one of my favorite food bloggers, Molly Wizenberg of Orangette. It's delicious, simple and the essence of Greek flavor minus martyring yourself for six hours in the kitchen. Fava is a split pea dish of the Cyclades, nourishing and deeply delicious and for the life of me, I cannot understand why more people don't know about it. I would have been among them if it wasn't for my stepmother who hails from Samos and makes a mean fava. As for the Greek salad, I provide no recipe but just chop tomatoes, cucumbers with sliced sweet peppers and onions, crumble in feta, and drown in olive oil. All of this, of course, begs for a loaf of crusty bread.

Lamb Sausage 

(serves 12, adapted from this February 2008 Bon Appetit recipe)

• 4 1/2 pounds cup ground lamb shoulder
• 6 large garlic cloves, pressed
• 3 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Place lamb in large bowl. Sprinkle garlic and salt over. Gently toss lamb to blend. Combine feta and mint in small bowl.
2. Divide lamb into 36 equal mounds. Using damp hands, shape each into ball. Working with 1 ball at a time, poke thumb into center to make hole. Press 1 teaspoon feta-mint filling into hole. Pinch hole closed, then press ball between palms to flatten into 3/4-inch-thick disk. Repeat with remaining lamb and feta-mint filling. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate).
3. Preheat oven to 250°F. Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, cook lamb sausages until browned on both sides and cooked to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium. Transfer sausages to rimmed baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm. Serve hot.
4.  

Fava
(serves 12, recipe adapted from The Olive and the Caper)

The key to this dish is the tastiest  olive oil you can get your hands on. Otherwise, you can customize the toppings to suit your interest but I will encourage the use of a briny topping to balance the earthiness of the split peas. My personal favorite is capers.

6 cups yellow split peas
2 large onions, peeled
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 quarts water
2 teaspoons salt

Preparation

1. Rinse the peas under cold water in a colander, drain and add to a large pot. Add the onion (whole), garlic and water.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer briskly, uncovered, until the peas are almost tender and much of the water is gone, about an hour.
3. Partially cover the pot, reduce heat to a gentler simmer and continue cooking until the peas stir into almost a puree. The texture should be like think porridge.
4. Top with a generous drizzle of olive oil and any of the toppings below. You can customize the toppings to suit your tastes but I strongly encourage the use of a briny or pickled topping to balance the earthiness of the split peas. My personal favorite is capers.

Topping ideas:
lemon
olive tapenade
chopped capers
pickled red onions
anchovy filets
tomato sauce
marinated mushrooms
steamed greens

Dinner for 12: Chicken with capers, polenta and brussels sprouts

table so dirty, they had to eat on boxes.

(Note: This entry languished for a little bit. I've got recipe catching up to do!)
Oof.
One of those weeks where we never caught our breath. One of those weeks where every last item stayed exactly where it was dropped while we ran to the next appointment, meeting or event, passing children and to-do lists to one another on the way out. It was the kind of week where I should have taken a pass, or ordered out. But no, instead I chose something "easy" and "quick" that I had never tried. A novice mistake. The polenta? Now that was quick. I love the method I present below, where you just mix the polenta and broth and cook it in the oven, no slaving over the stovetop. It's moist and creamy and e-a-s-y. The chicken was lovely, moist and with a depth of flavor that brine and butter can bring to anything. But pounding into cutlets pounds and pounds of chicken which then needs to be floured and sauteed with lots of room, so they don't feel crowded and get soggy? So not fast, trust me. It is, however, a great way to take out all your buried frustrations with a mallet.  Dinner eventually made it to everyone, just a couple of days late. And, sorry, not even half-assed pictures to share of this meal..

Sauteed Chicken with Capers
(Makes 12 servings. Adapted from Everyday Food)

10-12 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 pounds total)
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup champagne or white-wine vinegar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 tablespoons capers, plus 3 teaspoon brine
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally. Place each half between sheets of plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness with a meat mallet or small skillet. Place flour on a plate. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then coat with flour, shaking off excess. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. In batches, cook chicken until browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side (add remaining oil to pan, if necessary). Transfer to a platter and tent with foil.
2. Add vinegar to pan and cook, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, 1 minute. Add butter and capers and brine; cook, stirring, until butter is melted. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and top with parsley.

Oven Baked Polenta
(adapted from From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide To Cooking Farm Fresh Seasonal Produce)

3 cups polenta
12 cups chicken stock
3 tsp salt.

This is an infinitely easy recipe to replicate. Basically mix together 1 cup of polenta, 4 cups chicken broth and 1 tsp salt. Stir it together and bake in the oven at 350F for around 50 min or until the broth looks completely absorbed. This makes 4 servings. I make one of these for each family in a 1 quart casserole so I've tripled the recipe. You can make it in one big dish or individual dishes for each family as I do. It's all good.

I served this dish with sauteed burssels sprouts. The shredded brussels sprouts are a family staple in our house and if shredded with a food processor, can also be a quick side dish (I used 1.5 lbs of brussels sprouts, sauteed with one leek in olive oil with salt and pepper and a squirt of lemon to finish them off.).

Dinner for 12: Roasted Squash Risotto and a trio of Salads

spinach with roasted asparagus, blood orange and toasted almonds.

If I had the authority to declare salad month, it would be March. Because it's midwinter and all the celebrating is done for a while and spring is nowhere near yet. And if you're in the midwest, you are living in a state of anxiety because winter hasn't yet arrived either. So spring is even farther off than usual. At this time of the year, unless you are heading for warmer climates, the only brightness you will find lies in a bowl.

roasted delicata, fennel, carrot and green apple with bean sprouts on mixed greens

I love many foods, but I crave salads. And the cravings are always dependent on the time of year. In the heart of the grey midwestern winter, what I want are beautiful salads, bright, bejeweled and a little gaudy. The nice thing is that these salads draw in the little ones too. The jewel-colored fruit and little bits and bobbits are irresistible to small hands and before you know it, some green stuff has made its way in too. Luckily, it's citrus season so these jewels are plentiful. And my stash of  cheerful orange winter squash is beckoning. So this week's recipes are all about salads and squash, and squash in salads (if you count the photo above). And some red beets, orange turnips, and purple cabbage. And of course, a creamy risotto to balance out all that roughage.


Winter Squash, Leek and Saffron Risotto
(adapted from From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide To Cooking Farm Fresh Seasonal Produce)

10 cups chicken stock
1 tsp saffron threads
6 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups finely chopped leeks (about three fat ones)
3 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
1 1/3 cup dry white wine
5 cups squash, roasted and pureed
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring stock and saffron to a simmer in a saucepan

2. Heat olive oil in a large heavy saucepan. Add leeks, cook over medium-low heat until softened (but not browned).

3. Raise heat to medium high and stir in the rice. Stir for 1-2 minutes and then add wine. Stir and cook until all the wine has evaporated. (At this point, if you had the time, you could refrigerate the rice for a half hour before continuing to make a killer risotto but it's still really delicious without the added step). Add 2 ladlefuls of hot stock and stir frequently until it is mostly absorbed. Continue to add stock and stir very frequently until the risotto gets creamy but still firm (the refrigeration helps keep the risotto firm). This should take about 25-35 minutes.

4. Pour yourself the remaining wine and channel Julia Child while you stir.

5. Stir in squash during the last 10 minutes. When risotto is done fold in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Should be served immediately but, honestly, we served it the next day and while it's not award-winning in texture, it's just really stick-to-you-ribs delicious and filling. Good stuff.


Winter Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing
(adapted from From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide To Cooking Farm Fresh Seasonal Produce)

Seriously, you should just buy this book. It's an unassuming gem and the recipes just really work. The recipe is meant to be utterly adaptable, a clean-out-the-back-of-the-fridge kind of recipe. I used a combination of cabbage, beets, carrots, celeriac, turnips and kohlrabi. Yes, all of that was lurking at the back of the fridge.

5 cups any combination of grated beets, carrots and red cabbage.
5 cups any combination of grated celeriac, turnips, kohlrabi, Jerusalem artichokes, green cabbage and winter radish. 

4 cups chopped kale and/or parsley
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 cups sprouts (optional)

4 cups chopped fennel

Toss all ingredients and serve with Creamy Tahini Dressing (below)


Creamy Tahini Dressing

3 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 c tahini
1/4 c lemon juice
1/4 c sesame oil
1/4 c canola oil
1/4 c soy sauce, tamari or shoyu
1 tsp dried dillweed
1/4 c water

1. Toast the sesame on a dry skillet, tossing often, until fragrant and browning.I put it into a jar and just shake, shake, shake.

2. When cooled, mix sesame seeds with the remaining ingredients

Dinner for 12: The Meat Hangover

One of the risks you take in setting few rules in a dinner co-op is the potential for too much of the same thing to be eaten in a given week. Surprisingly, we haven't encountered this problem often. But last week was one of those rare times: three nights of heavy meat-eating (all delicious, mind you, but whoa!). As expected the pendulum swung hard. Call it the meat hangover. This week featured a roster of (almost) fully vegan meals completely different from each other in cuisines and flavors.

This beauty does not deserve the name "Turnip Dip"

We'll call it terrine de navet, oui?

Russian red lentil soup

My meal this week included an apricot-kissed red lentil soup served with a hearty turnip-herb dip. "Dip" doesn't quite do this justice; it's more of a savory rich vegetable terrine or pate that you slice thickly and spread on the crunchiest cracker you can find. I think some people describe it as having umami, whixh means it leaves your mouth really happy. I also say someone should change the name because "turnip dip" sounds like a euphemistic insult. When I lived in Montreal, I loved the veggie pate made by a local vegetarian chain resturant. This recipe is the closest I have ever come to replicating that delicious pate in my kitchen. We added a small platter of pickles, olives, crudites and a wedge of creamy Delice de Bourgogne as accompaniment.

Russian Red Lentil Soup for 12

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
3 cups dried red lentils
12 cups of homemade chicken stock (NOTE: I just used veggie chicken-flavored base here)
1 28-oz can of diced tomatoes
2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried thyme
Yogurt (for topping soup)
fresh mint for garnish (optional)


Combine all ingredients except yogurt and fresh mint (if using) in a crock pot. Bring to a boil then turn down and simmer 3-4 hours. NOTE: I actually just simmered overnight and it worked out great. Serve up a bowl with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinking of chopped mint.


Hearty Turnip Herb Dip
(Adapted from the recipe in From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh, Seasonal Produce)


3 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup vegetable oil (I ran out so it was a mix of veg and olive oil)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/3 cups sunflower seeds
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups nutritional yeast
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp dried sage
1 tsp nutmeg
2.5 cups boiling water
4 cups shredded turnips
1 1/2 cups shredded onion
2 cups shredded carrot
9 bay leaves

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease three 9x9" baking dishes (You can improvise here, I was making servings for three families). 
2. Combine the first 7 ingredients and stir well.
3. Stir in spices and boiling water.
4. Add vegetables and stir until well-combined.
5. Pour mixture into the baking dishes and press 3 bay leaves into the top of each dish. 
6. Bake until firm and golden brown, about 1 hour.
7. Serve on rye crackers (Ryvita or a similar crispy kind).Itgets firmer and more terrine-like on the second day.

You can improvise with any number of root vegetables including potatoes, beets, turnips and carrots or anything you root out of the deep corners of your fridge, really.

Dinner for 12: Pasta with Broccoli and Ham with Cheesy Cauliflower Sauce

Catching up on some previous weeks' dishes so I hope to post more often over the next week or two.

I am not one to be drawn in by heavy comfort food often but this dish won me over both because it didn't involve terrifying amounts of cheese and cream and because it did involve terrifying amounts of crucifers. And, well, I am kind of a broken record about how much I love me some crucifer. The ham lent a smoky depth to this otherwise and sweet dish but it's easy to omit the ham and still make it a scrumptious vegetarian meal. If you are looking for a vegan option, this one is on my "to make" list soon.

The dish was fragrant, filling and satisfying. I also felt a teeny bit smug about the fact that even if kids wound up picking around the chunks, they would still be getting a belly full of cauliflower and not just noodles. I served this with a crusty baguette to soak up the sauce and a green salad topped with oranges, grapefruit and radish.

Baked Spirals and Broccoli with Ham and Cheesy Cauliflower Sauce (adapted from Martha Stewart Living, February 2012)

Serves 12
9 cups cauliflower (2 large heads or 3 small), cored and chopped
1 head of garlic (yes, head!), roughly chopped
12 shallots, roughly chopped
Salt n' Peppa
1/4 cup flour
12 cups skim milk
3/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
18 oz pecorino cheese, grated (about 6 cups)
1 1/2 lbs whole grain pasta spirals (I used 2 bags of noodles which seemed to be more than enough)
3/4 lb sliced smoked ham (I am a fan of Willow Creek Farm's sliced ham and it was perfect in this dish)
2 heads broccoli (roughly 15 cups), trimmed and cut into florets
1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs (recipe called for panko, but I have homemade breadcrumbs that I used)

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cauliflower, garlic, shallots, and 1 1/2 tsp salt. cook until softened but not brown, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with flour, stir to coat well.

2. Gradually stir in milk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; gently simmer until cauliflower is very soft, about 15 min. Let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree with nutmeg and half the pecorino until smooth, about 2 minutes (I did this in four batches since it's a large amount of sauce).

3. Preheat oven to 400F. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta until slightly tender but not fully cooked through, about 5-8 minutes. Drain well, return to pot. Add ham, broccoli and cauliflower sauce and toss to combine. Transfer to 3 3 1/2 quart baking dishes. Sprinkle with remaining pecorino and bake until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Heat the broiler and broil until golden on top, 1-2 minutes. Divide among dishes, top with toasted breadcrumbs and enjoy.

Quick and Healthy: Green Sushi Salad

January has been our month of regrouping around these parts. I've purged years of files out of the office, We've pared down the books at home (high school Cliff's Notes to Macbeth? Really, Helen?). I've even been reorganizing the kids' art supplies. Good times. This cleansing has even extended to the cooking we do. I've promised myself to incorporate a little more vegan cooking into my repertoire, a raw dish here or there. We've enjoyed a delicous raw carrot, cabbage and beet salad recently.

Last night, I tried a recipe for a kind of suhi-as-a-salad dish I've been drooling over at Green Kitchen Stories. Actually, I drool over pretty much everything on this blog, but this was one recipe that didn't take hours to make. And that it can be made as a composed salad and involves toasted seaweed pretty much guarantees a family hit. Bright, crunchy, gingery and just the thing for a light dinner that's heavy on superfoods.

And beautiful, yes?

photo: 2010, Green Kitchen Stories

Green Sushi Salad (adapted from Green Kitchen Stories here)

This serves 4 but is easily doubled or tripled for a crowd.


Marinated tofu (marinade recipe below).
Steamed brown rice (I used 1.5 cups of uncooked rice and had plenty left over)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 large broccoli, chopped into bite size pieces
2 avocados, cubed
12 mushrooms, quartered (shiitake would be awesome; I only had button and still yummy), cut in quarters
1 handful sugarsnap peas
1/2 cucumber, cut into sticks
8 sheets nori seaweed
1 handful roasted sesame seeds
1 handful cilantro

Tofu Marinade
300 g tofu
5 tbsp sesame oil
5 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 clove garlic
1/2 red chili
2-inch (6 cm) fresh ginger, peeled and minced


 

1. Begin by marinading the tofu and let it sit while you prepare the rest of the salad. Drain and dry the tofu and cut it into 1-inch cubes. Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and add the tofu. Make sure the marinade covers all of the tofu. Put in the fridge for 1-2 hours (HS - I did not have time t do this but the tofu was still delicious!).

2. Steam the brown rice. When cooked, stir in the rice vinegar and sesame oil.

3. Steam the broccoli, peas and mushrooms to crisp-tender (I did each veggie separately).

4. Toast the nori sheets briefly over an open flame (I use the burner on my gas stove). Alternately, you can use the nori sold as seaweed snacks which is toasted and lightly flavored and skip this step. Cut or tear the nori into bite-sized pieces.

5. Divide the rice into 4 large bowls and top it with all the vegetables and tofu. Drizzle the rest of the tofu marinade over the salad, top it with sesame seeds and cilantro and serve it with soy sauce and chilis on the side.

 Note: for the kids, I left it as a composed salad, i.e. I kept everything separate which seems to make them like it more. Whatever, they ate it with gusto!

Dinner for 12: Shrimp, Cod, and Fennel Soup

I've been at this dinner co-op thing for three years now. There are the recipes I make that are stalwarts: delicious, simple and very amenable to upsizing. But every once in a while, I can't help myself. I get a little frisky, my eyes wander, seduced by the sexy centerfolds in magazine like this one. As a result on those weeks, there are a lot of people who get to be dinner guinea pigs. They will tell you this is not always a good thing. This recent meal was a cod and shrimp soup flavored with fennel and tomatoes in a light white-wine broth. I love a good fish stew, particularly one served with a dollop of garlicky rouille and a glass of Pouilly-Fume. But this was not that soup. It is light and delicate and maybe the perfect thing to cleanse the giblets and gravy out of your system. I served it with a green salad with sectioned oranges, fennel and beauty heart radish with a citrus-hazelnut dressing. And of course, the crustiest baguette you can find. This soup would probably also be delicious with a little feta crumbled into it for deeper flavor.

A note about the fish and shrimp: Anytime you're serving fish for 12, it's not the cheapest ticket in town. One great tip I learned is to buy the fish pieces sold at my neighborhood co-op for any fish stews. This time around, I got extra lucky since they were all cod pieces (ha! codpieces!). If you don't need full fillets, this is a significantly more affordable option. As for shrimp, I use it very judiciously, it's not the most sustainable seafood around. In this case, I upped the amount of fish and went low on the shrimp.

Shrimp, Cod, and Fennel Soup with Tomatoes (adapted from this recipe printed in Martha Stewart Living, Oct. 2011)

• 6 tomatoes (I used my frozen paste tomatoes but canned will also work)
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 large leeks, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 small fennel bulb, quartered lengthwise, cored, thinly sliced crosswise, (I saved the youngest, tenderest fronds for the salad)
• Coarse salt
• Freshly ground white pepper
• 3 cups dry white wine
• 12 cups fish stock
• 3 lbs skinless cod fillets, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left intact)

Directions

1. Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Score an X into the bottom of each tomato using a sharp paring knife. Blanch tomatoes until skins loosen, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to ice-water bath using a slotted spoon. Peel and discard skins. Core and coarsely chop tomatoes.
   
2. Heat oil in a medium Dutch oven or a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook onion, garlic, and sliced fennel until fragrant and softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper. Remove from heat, and add wine. Return to heat, and bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits from bottom using a wooden spoon. Cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
   
3. Add stock and chopped tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Stir in cod and shrimp, and return to a simmer. Remove from heat, and let stand, stirring halfway through, until cod and shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 minutes. When serving, drizzle with additional oil. Garnish with reserved fennel fronds.
   

This week's Co-op menu: Sopes

This week's menu was inspired by the abundance of tomatillos in my garden. OK, what I really mean to say is that the tomatillos completely took over both my gardens this year, trampling everything in their path and weilding their cloaked fruit like some sort of demented weedy monks. The funny thing is, I remember thinking back in May, "Gee, I forgot to plant tomatillos. I'm bummed I won't be able to harvest any." Evidently, the tomatillo gods heard my lament. I have truckloads to harvest.

lime and charred jalopeno

And so this menu takes advantage of an abundant crop yet again. And I thought it would be fun to try my hand at making sopes, a dish that I had the privilege to learn to make with some friends from Mexico City a few years ago. Fair warning here: this was not a speedy dinner. There are a number of components to make but a few can be done the day before and the side dishes: rice and jicama-orange salad, are pretty effortless. And I love these kinds of composed dishes for a few reasons. They are modular, so there's almost always something even picky eaters will agree to. They can be vegetarian or not, and the meat is not the centerpiece, but rather a garnish. Finally, they are fun and delicious and a little bit festive and who doesn't like a little party in the middle of the week, right?

Sopes for 12 with black beans, chicken, salsa verde and queso fresco.


Sopes

There are a few ways to make these and the video here is most like what I do: seared in a cast-iron pan, not fried in oil.

2 cups masa harina (found at any mexican grocery store)
4 cups hot water

1. Add the water to the masa and stir well. Cover and let sit for about an hour (Note: I found my dough stiff and dry, I would probably add more water or let it sit for less next time).
2. Heat a cast iron griddle or frying pan. I painted on a thin layer of oil but it isn't really needed.
3. Divide dough into 24 balls. Shape and flatten them and then toast them on the griddle about 2 min per side or until they are golden and crispy.
4. Remove from heat and let cool until you can handle them. Then push the edge of each sopa into a rim (watch the video if this doesn't make sense!). It's ready to fill!

Black Beans
I cook mine from dried beans, but you can also use canned.

2 cups dried beans, soaked overnight.
1 medium onion halved
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1tbsp cumin
bay leaves


1. Drain the soaked beans and then cover with fresh water to 3" above the beans.
2. Add all other ingredients and bring to a slow simmer until desired tenderness.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste at the end of cooking.

The beans can be prepared in advance and refrigerated, just rewarm before serving.

Salsa Verde
This is a loose and fast recipe because it's very forgiving of proportions.

Tomatillos (I made enough to fill the cast iron frying pan three times)
2 white onions, peeled and halved
1 jalopeno
1 bunch cilantro
2 limes
salt (I also use a vegetarian "chicken" broth powder that works great instead of salt)

1. Heat the cast iron pan. Add tomatillos, onion and jalopeno and char them on all sides.
2. Dump it all into a food processor, throw in the cilantro, lime juice and salt. Pulse to desired consistency (I like mine a little chunky).

Poached Chicken
This is entirely optional, the meal is really satisfying without it, too. I chose to simply poach my chicken but you can roast it. Or use chorizo, which is a more traditional topping. For this recipe, I used 2.5 lbs chicken total.

To assemble the full meal, place black beans, shredded chicken and salsa verde on your sopa. Crumble queso fresco (or feta) on top and garnish with cilantro and another squeeze of lemon.
Serve with white rice and a side salad of sliced jicama and orange wedges.

This is what dinner looks like

This is what a happy diner looks like

How to survive the work week tip #1: the dinner co-op.

If the Peanuts character Pig Pen were a time of the day, he would be my dinner time. That's what it most looks like when when we all crash land at home at 6pm. Amid dropped bags, clothes, and dirty tupperware, we try not break down while half of us need attention and the other half need dinner, and there is neither to go around. One day, a neighbor approached me with the idea of creating a dinner co-op: a few families would agree to share meal preparation for a few days a week. One day each week, each family would prepare the meal for the other two and deliver it.

Let's see, with one night's preparation, we got three nights of food (and leftovers).I was sold.

It's been four years we've been doing this now. And it wouldn't be an overstatement to say that this changed our days dramatically. We come home on dinner co-op nights and can play together, sit and read books, whatever else besides scramble to burn rice while two children sob at my feet. It's sane, it's lovely and I can't recommend this enough to other families scrambling to juggle kids, jobs and some semblance of healthy eating.

And did I mention delicious? Because that's the bonus: this food is good. Really. Damn. Tasty.

A few friends have asked what I cook for dinner co-op so I will start posting my weekly menu and link to recipes when I can.

This week's co-op meal: Navy Bean, Goat Cheese and Artichoke Casserole and Oven-roasted fingerling potatoes and brussels sprouts. This casserole is savory and rich and has a limited lifespan because the ingredients can be pretty pricey when not in season. But the herb garden is still producing and leeks are abundant at the market now and I cooked the beans from scratch which is a good way to make this a little more affordable given that I was cooking for 12 portions. As for brussels sprouts, what can I say? I have a love bordering on unhealthy for crucifers and these ones are cute. There's no resisting a cute crucifer.

Navy Bean, Goat Cheese and Artichoke Casserole
(adapted from this recipe and modified to serve 12).

4 ounces bread crumbs
2 cups dried navy beans, soaked overnight, cooked and left in their liquid (or alternately, 4 cans of beans)
4 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 garlic cloves, minced and divided
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 cups chopped leek (about 6 large)
4 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 (14-ounce) cans artichoke bottoms, drained and each cut into 8 wedges
10 ounces crumbled goat cheese

Preparation

* Preheat oven to 400°.
* Drain beans in a colander over a bowl, reserving liquid. Add enough water to liquid to measure 2 cups. Combine beans, thyme, sage, pepper, and 2 garlic cloves.
* Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 6 garlic cloves, leek, rosemary, salt, and artichokes; sauté 4 minutes. Stir in bean liquid mixture. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Spread half of bean mixture in two oiled 11 x 7-inch baking dishes, and top with half of goat cheese. Spread artichoke mixture over goat cheese; top with remaining bean mixture and remaining goat cheese. Combine the breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoon oil; sprinkle over goat cheese. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

beans, beans, the magical fruit...

Oven-roasted fingerling potatoes and brussels sprouts.

This is more guidance than recipe but I trimmed and halved two pounds brussels sprouts and put them in a pyrex dish with a healthy glug of olive oil and sprinkling of salt and pepper. In a second pyrex I did the same with tiny fingerling potatoes and roasted both at 400°, Brussels sprouts for 25 minutes and potatoes for 35 min. I sprinkled the sprouts with lemon juice and mixed the two together.