Revision Bunker

I'm in the midst of revisions on multiple projects right now, so that means I keep my head down and there is a HUGE variety of cold cereal at our house. But even I know I can only feed my 3 kids (ages 7 and under), only so much cold cereal before they might need some other food groups. (I know, totally Mom of the Year, right?)

One of my favorite, quick and easy, good for lunch or dinner, meals all starts with some chicken. Leftover chicken from the night before, a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, some KFC or Popeye's works too. Whatevs.

I grab a few things we always have on hand at our house:
Mayo (lite mayo if you want)
a couple stalks of celery
Craisins (YUM! our kids all love these!)
a couple slices of onion
Paprika
Curry powder
Salt & Pepper
Bread (any kind)

I'm sure you all know where I'm going with this ...

Chop up the chicken, celery, and onions. Throw in a handful of craisins and a scoop of mayo, a dash of  paprika, a pinch of curry powder, and stir. Mix it really well then taste it BEFORE you add any salt and pepper. This really depends on the kind of chicken you use and how well it's seasoned before you added all the other stuff. You don't want to over-season.

Toss all this on top of some bread and EAT.

I know, you probably didn't need a recipe of this, but I think some of us forget the really simple things when we have so much craziness happening around us. A reminder to not think so hard when it comes to that "what's for lunch/dinner?" question sometimes is all it takes for us to remember that leaving the revision bunker to come have a meal with the family doesn't mean we all have to eat cold cereal. A quick forage through the pantry and fridge and you might be surprised what you come up with!

On Familiarity, Within Reason

With food, as with writing, a little familiarity serves you well—you want some recognition to make the eater or the reader feel safe. Yet at the same time, it can't be too predictable or you risk being boring. In my current WIP, I am struggling a lot to work within the conventions of a thriller, but trying to offer an unusual premise and story. The jury is still out on how it's coming together. On the culinary side, however, I can promise you a winner. I made this recipe the other night, which was a nice riff on traditional ratatouille, with smoked paprika and anchovies bringing lots of depth and intensity of flavor. I'm a big fan of Barton Seaver's cookbook For Cod & Country, which has lots of great ideas for sustainable fish cooking and had my eye on this one for a while. Turns out, it's pretty easy to pull together, it's healthy, and it's accessible yet stylish. (Tip: Have some crusty bread nearby.)

Eggplant Stuffed with Smoky Tomato-Anchovy Ratatouille

1 cup bread crumbs
2 jumbo eggplants
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, grated on a Microplane or very finely minced
16 oil-packed anchovy fillets
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
2 medium zucchini, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
4 Roma tomatoes, diced in 1/2-inch pieces
Salt

In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the bread crumbs, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Heat a heavy sauté pan over high heat, then add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sear the cut sides of the eggplant halves until well browned. Transfer them to a baking sheet and place in the oven for 12 minutes. Remove eggplant from oven and let cool, leaving the oven on.

While the eggplant is baking, add the onion, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the pan and sauté over high heat until the onion begins to soften. Add the anchovies and paprika and cook for 30 seconds to flavor the oil. Add the zucchini and cook for about 4 minutes, without stirring. Add the tomatoes and cook until they break down, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt. Place the tomato mixture in a medium bowl with the bread crumbs.

When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, scoop out the insides, chop them, and add to the bowl. When scraping the eggplant halves, make sure to leave enough flesh on the inside so that the outer skin does not collapse. Season the eggplant hulls with salt. Stir the vegetable mixture well and use it to stuff the eggplants. Return the eggplants to the oven for 10 minutes to warm the stuffing through. Then increase the heat to broil and cook about 4 inches from the heat source until the tops are brown and beginning to char, about 3 minutes.

Drizzle the eggplant halves with the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a main course

Working for It

For my one of my day job gigs, I write about food for the Philadelphia Inquirer. For an upcoming story, I had to test several recipes at home, most of which were pretty labor intensive (a rolled omelet and lamb chops with several sauces that got dotted around the plate, restaurant-style were among them). By Sunday night, I had one left to do. Fish en papillote*. In my mind, I thought it would be super-easy, so I saved it for last. Just throw everything in a packet and bake it. Meanwhile, my husband and I could enjoy a cocktail, lounge leisurely and soak in the Sunday vibe.

Yeah. Nothing is ever that easy, is it?

I mean, don't get me wrong. I got in my own way here a little bit. I went all the way to the market and drove the 15 minutes back to my house before I realized I forgot the, uh, fish. So that added an unnecessary ten miles' worth of exhaust to the planet. Once I started prepping, I noticed that one of the potatoes was half rotten and I realized I should have gotten one extra tomato. I spilled the herbs everywhere and undercooked the vegetables. By the time I was wrestling with the four giant pieces of parchment in my already-crowded kitchen, I was completely sweaty and grumpy and no longer interested in eating this thing.

But it did look pretty. I will give it that.

I'm not even going to spell out the metaphor here, except to say that it's always the things you think will be simple that turn out to be the most grueling. What, in food or in writing, has been your fish en papillote nightmare?



*I can't share the recipe since it hasn't run in the newspaper yet, but here's another fish en papillote recipe I like.

Ode to Spring and New Ideas

Of all the seasons, I’d say my cooking gets the most creative in spring. Partly it’s because the ingredients that are seasonal are here for such a short time (ramps, rhubarb, baby artichokes) and I feel the (self-imposed) pressure to use them before they’re gone. There’s always the excitement of being able to get stuff out of my own garden, like the chives that are finally in bloom. Mostly, though, it’s because these are just inspiring flavors, and since I don’t get to cook with them the rest of the year, there’s a lot of joy in the experimentation.

Like this sorrel pesto, for instance—it’s a once-in-a-year type of dish. I had some sorrel from my farm share and I found this recipe on the Guardian UK website. I threw in some of my own chives. Then I pan-roasted some arctic char in a cast-iron skillet and draped this pesto on top, and served it with a portobello mushroom and potato salad with watercress. I was pretty pleased with the way it came out. The pesto’s garlic and lemony tang played off the fish’s rich texture nicely, and it was the perfect fleeting–joy-of-spring meal.

            Which brings me to my writing. I just finished up a draft of a manuscript that I’ve been working on for two years. I think it’s certainly gotten better as I’ve written and rewritten it (this is probably the tenth first draft) but I am, quite honestly, completely lost in the muddle. If this WIP were a food, it would be porridge. (Don’t get me wrong. It could very well be delicious and nutritious. I just couldn’t tell you right now because I can no longer judge the damn thing. Guess that’s what agents and beta readers are for.)

Luckily, there’s a shiny new YA novel idea that’s starting to percolate in my brain. It feels new and fresh and full of possibility. I’m ready to grab onto it, with the full understanding that the newness and freshness won’t last. That’s okay, though—I’ll just enjoy it while it’s here.

 

Sorrel Pesto

Adapted from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall in the The Guardian UK

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1 small clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1-2 handfuls young sorrel leaves (about 45g in weight)

1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, stalks removed

1 tablespoon chopped chives

Sea salt

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup hard goat's cheese, grated

In a small frying pan over a medium heat, lightly toast the pine nuts until they're just beginning to turn golden, then tip out into a food processor. Add the garlic, sorrel, parsley, chives and a pinch of salt to the pine nuts, then pulse a few times until roughly chopped and combined. Slowly pour in the olive oil, pulsing as you go, until the pesto is the consistency you like.

Spoon the pesto mixture into a bowl and stir in the goat's cheese. The pesto will keep, sealed in a jar with a slick of olive oil over the top, for about a week.

When Writing Interferes with Cooking

Sometimes, the writing life really interferes with kitchen life. Last week, my debut book, Pretty Crooked, was released into the world. As I should have predicted, my entire routine went to crap. I spent many hours online, doing social networking, talking up contests and answering email, obsessing about various book-related details, writing up blog posts and preparing for my launch party. In the meantime, I could not go to the gym. I could not get anything practical or household-y done. Worst of all, as far as I'm concerned, I could not cook.

When this week started, I was determined to get back on track and restore some sense of normalcy in my household. I craved home-cooked nourishment. I needed routine and simple food. And yet, I was still pretty fatigued, both emotionally and physically, from the release experience.

Last night, as the dinner hour drew near, I made a deal with myself: If I only agreed to cook, I was allowed to use the easiest recipes in my arsenal. So I broke out an old favorite from Epicurious, Spiced Roast Chicken Breasts. This little number takes little forethought, no knife skills and can be thrown together in minutes. Even better, the technique guarantees an excellent result every time. I served it with some asparagus and mashed squash and I was good to go. I could even envision a time when I might tackle something a bit more challenging. But for now: baby steps.

Spiced Roast Chicken Breasts

From Epicurious.com

Serves 2

2 chicken breast halves

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 450°F. Pat chicken dry. Stir together spices, salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and rub evenly all over chicken.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil in an ovenproof heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken on both sides, about 5 minutes.

Transfer skillet to middle of oven and roast chicken, skin side up, until just cooked through, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Add water to pan and deglaze over high heat, scraping up brown bits.

Pour pan juices over chicken.

Making It Up As We Go

I wish that life came with a manual.

A really precise manual, spanning tens of volumes like an Encyclopedia set.

It would also be cool if life came with a unicorn, but I digress... Because if life came with a manual, dear readers, then we would have something concrete to spin off from, or twist to make it uniquely ours. Instead we trundle along, mostly following in familiar footsteps, shying away from the things we were told to be scared of, or sticking to the straight and narrow after a near-miss when we did try to change course.

Sticking to the known is comfortable. It can also be boring.

I took a big step off course when I decided to write for publication, then a larger step out of my comfort zone when I started to see some success. And now, while I'm not exactly at ease with publishing, I don't panic as I bob about in its peculiar gravity. I'm trying on a new genre, dipping the toes of my pen in to see if we might be a match. It's exciting, stretching parts of my skillset and requiring that I set aside others.

In the spirit of stretching, I'm giving you a recipe that practically begs to be adapted. It's a slow-cooker recipe, which in my mind makes it difficult to screw up. It's also delicious and feeds eight to ten.

Mid-post P.S. Those are pickled jalapenos peeking out of the corn muffins. They're like spicy gold, I tell you.

Two Bean Chicken Chili

1 T. vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic
1 lg. onion, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 t. dried savory
1/2 t. coarsely ground black pepper
zest of 1 lime
1 T. ground cumin
2 T. fine cornmeal
1 C. chicken stock
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with juice
2 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 14-oz cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 C. frozen, sliced green beans
1 T. chili powder
2 T. lime juice
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 4.5-oz can mild green chiles
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (optional)

• In a skillet over medium heat, warm oil. Add onions and celery. Stir and cook until onion is translucent. Add garlic, savory, pepper, lime zest and cumin. Stir for 1 minute. Add cornmeal and toss to coat vegetables. Add chicken stock and cook, stirring, until boils - about 1 minute. Add tomatoes (with juice), return to boil, then transfer into slow cooker.
• Add chicken, both beans, and stir well. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Chicken should be cooked and chili should be bubbling.
• Add chili powder, lime juice, and all chosen peppers. Stir. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until bell peppers become tender.

This is a great recipe with which to experiment. Add your favorites. Excellent topped with sour cream and cilantro.

Interview with Author Gina Rosati

Today we're talking with YA author Gina Rosati, whose debut book Auracle (Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan) comes out in August. I met Gina through the Apocalypsies group and she is one of our most enthusiastic members—she's always there with a kind and funny comment. No surprise, then, that with such sweetness Gina also happens to be an expert cake decorator. Gina lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two teenagers.

About Auracle

On the surface, there’s nothing special about Anna Rogan; she gets average grades, she’s not especially beautiful, and she spends most of her time just hanging out with her best friend, Rei. But Anna has a secret; she can astrally project out of her body, allowing her spirit to explore the world and the far reaches of the universe. When there’s an accident and her classmate Taylor takes over Anna’s body, what was an exhilarating distraction from her repressive life threatens to become a permanent state. Faced with a future of never aging, never being heard or touched, Anna turns to Rei for help. Together they search for a way to get Anna back into her body in time to stop Taylor from accusing an innocent friend of her murder, but they don’t take into account the deeper feelings that are beginning to grow between them. A story about an out-of-body experience gone terribly wrong, Auracle reaches deep within the soul of one girl to discover the strength of love and the power of a single touch.

How does food play into your August debut, Auracle?

Food plays into Auracle in so many ways! First, our main character, Anna, really loves to eat (especially junk food!) except she has a peanut allergy, which puts the kibosh on eating certain things. Food allergies are just a fact of my life—my husband, my kids and I all have them. Auracle is a paranormal romance meant to entertain but I may have slipped in a few random facts here or there to help people understand food allergies.

Another way food plays into Auracle is Anna’s next door neighbor (and possibly soul mate) Rei—his parents own an Asian-themed health food store, so he likes to point out the healthier choices for Anna. This is how I justified my fascination with bento boxes and all the adorable ways food can be prepared … I bought Yum Yum Bento Box and said, “Oh look! It’s a research book! It’s tax deductible!”

What draws you to writing about this subject?

I like food. I like to eat it and shop for it and play with it (cake decorating is a hobby of mine). I like to learn about healthy food, but I like to eat junk food. I have tons of books about healthy eating, which I usually read while I’m sitting down drinking diet soda and eating chips. It’s very counter-productive.

What are some of your own favorite eats?

Favorite eats … oh, let’s see. Filet mignon with béarnaise sauce. Potatoes, any way except raw. I love most vegetables (except Brussels sprouts), although I prefer my veggies roasted with garlic. I love salad, especially if I don’t have to make it. And Marshmallow Fluff, right out of the jar—fastest way to mainline that sugar.

Do you cook while on deadline or do you go takeout style?

I mix it up. I do take out at least once a week whether I’m on deadline or not, but if I’m really rushed, yes, pizza, KF-Bell, sometimes I’ll pick up the baked potatoes from Wendy’s just because they taste better than my own baked potatoes.

If your agent or editor came to visit you in New Hampshire, where would you take them out to eat?

I’d take them to Giorgio’s, which is an Italian/Greek restaurant very close to my house. They have the most authentic Italian bread I've found in my area, and their basil/garlic/olive oil dipping sauce … so good!

Recipes or improvisation? Plotter or pantser?

It depends on what I’m cooking … I’m married to a nice Italian boy who still (after 28 years) compliments my cooking after every meal :) Most things I cook on autopilot just because I’ve made them so many times. I do follow recipes occasionally, but that’s mostly for baked goods where I find the measurements are more important.

As far as my writing, I pantsed my way through Auracle, and after a major revision, I discovered Larry Brooks' writing book, Story Engineering. I have seen the light *halleluiah* and now I outline.

Tell us about your cake-decorating hobby. How did you first get into decorating cakes and what do you like about it?

When I was around 18, my stepfather bought a Brigham’s Ice Cream Restaurant. My mom asked if I’d like to take cake decorating lessons with her and I was fairly decent at it, so I ended up decorating ice cream cakes through college. I’ve done a few wedding cakes for friends, and at one point I thought of starting a home-based cake business, but then I decided it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun if I had to do it. [NOTE: The picture on the left is a wedding cake Gina made for her friends Nick and Jean. Amazing, right?]

Now for the signature Pots and Pens question: If you had to choose a single book and a single food item, desert island style, what would you pick?

Single book … I know I’m supposed to pick my favorite work of fiction, but I can’t choose just one, and being the practical person that I am, I’d have to go with: SAS-Revised Edition Survival Handbook For Any Climate In Any Situation by John “Lofty” Wiseman

Single food item … bananas – not my favorite food, but in the practical sense, they don’t need refrigeration, they’re easy to peel and they’re loaded with potassium. Anna's BFF, Rei, would approve.

What recipe are you going to share with us? Tell us a little bit about it!

I’m going to share a frittata recipe from this cookbook which I highly recommend. My husband grew up near Providence, RI and his extended family still lives in the area—great Italian food!!! My father-in-law made the best frittata, but he made it like an omelet and I have never been able to master the art of flipping a giant omelet, so I was excited when I found this recipe. I brought it to a family gathering, and even my relatives who started the legendary Tom’s Deli in North Providence loved it. The nice thing about this recipe is you can make it as low fat and healthy as you like, and it tastes great cold. It’s good for breakfast, lunch or dinner and it’s very portable—good to bring for lunch to school or the office. I’ve improvised, so this isn’t the exact recipe as it appears in the book.

Baked Frittata

1 dozen eggs or combination egg substitute to make the equivalent of a dozen eggs

16 oz. ricotta cheese (use regular, low-fat or fat-free)

Handful (about 1 and 1/2 cups) grated Italian cheese, according to taste (I usually use freshly grated Pecorino Romano, but use your favorite – sometimes I buy Sargento Classic 6 Cheese Italian shredded blend and toss the entire bag in).

Mix that all together, and season to taste with garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, chives, whatever you love – this is a very versatile recipe.

Now stir in anything you’d like (just make sure your veggies are well drained). Some suggestions:

- Sliced sausage

- Diced pepperoni

- Diced ham

- Steamed broccoli

- Cooked spinach

- Diced onions

- Grated zucchini

- Grated carrots

- Steamed asparagus

- Cooked bell peppers

Bake in a greased 9 x 13 casserole pan at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Thank you for hosting me here on Pots & Pens!!!

Let it Simmer

It's officially slow-cooker season in my household. This week, I got out the machine and set it on the counter by the coffeemaker, where it will likely stay until March. I'm going to admit right now that I splurged last year and bought myself a combo pressure cooker/slow cooker/rice maker and it's genius. I'm still learning the fine art of pressure cooking, but that's a topic for another post. For now I want to talk about the slow cooking. Get ready for the writing/food metaphors...

I love to labor over details as much as the next neurotic writer and cook, but there's something to be said for not watching the pot. For set-it-and-forget-it. For putting all your ingredients together, walking away and letting the thing do itself.

Of course, with writing it never exactly happens on its own. (If only!) But a lot of important developments happen when we're not in front of the computer and not consciously thinking about the WIP. There's that slow simmer just barely bubbling under the surface that can happen when we sleep or go for a walk or watch a movie. And when you come back to the keyboard, it's like a revelation—ideas just pop, seemingly out of nowhere. So much can be accomplished with so little strain! We should all use our slow cookers more.

Anyway, onto the eats. I found this recipe online last winter. Then I proceeded to make it about four times over the following weeks. As Jamie Oliver would say, it's dead easy. (And this makes even his laziest recipes look Julia Childesque). I like to serve it with mashed potatoes, but sandwiches are good, too.

• 
  
• Slow Cooker Brats and Sauerkraut
• From TasteofHome.com
• Serves 8
• 
  
• 8 uncooked bratwurst links
• 1 can (14 ounces) sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained
• 2 medium apples, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 
  
• 1. Place the bratwurst in a 5-qt. slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine the sauerkraut, apples,
• bacon, brown sugar, onion and mustard; spoon over bratwurst.
• 


• 
  
• 2. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until a thermometer inserted in the sausage reads 160°.
•