Chicken Chicken Chicken

I once heard someone describe eternity as a ham and two people. For many, a roasting chicken and one person would be an eternity, but for me it's a joy. I seldom buy chicken pieces because I really like the variations I can make using leftovers from a roaster.

First, I enjoy the roast itself. If I'm making it for myself, I usually don't make gravy. I enjoy the juicy meat with a sweet potato or double-baked white potato, and have a simple salad on the side. Then, depending on the weather and my mood, I usually make at least two of the following dishes:

• creamed chicken and mushrooms
• chicken club sandwiches
• chicken panini with artichokes, red peppers, and some sort of cheese
• curried chicken salad with cashews and apricots
• Cobb salad

After that, I finish up by making a rich chicken soup. I make a stock using the chicken, onion, celery, and carrots. After that cooks for a while, I strain the broth, pick all the chicken off the bones and throw the meat back in the broth. I throw out the exhausted veggies. Then I neatly chop another onion, more celery and carrots, and a parsnip if I have one. I put those in the soup and let it all cook together for a while longer.

Now I add salt and pepper. Shortly before serving, I throw in some chopped parsley and a handful of noodles. I usually don't eat the soup right away. Instead, I freeze it in small batches. It's very flavorful and probably healthful. Makes a perfect quick meal on those days I have no urge to cook.

Color & Texture

Yesterday I made more potato salad than I planned. The potatoes were larger than I first thought. I figured it would be a nice warm weather treat. (The day was unaccountably cold and raw, but I tried to ignore that detail.) I had some for last night's dinner and this afternoon's lunch, but I craved something colorful and crunchy to serve with it. So I made a chopped salad, and since many summer vegetables are not yet ripe, I made a few substitutions.

I wanted a Mexican flavor, so I loosely based my recipe on the corn and black bean salads I make when corn is in season. I didn't have fresh corn, so I used canned. I didn't have black beans, so I used kidney. Then I added a whole lot of chopped onions, green peppers, grape tomatoes, and cilantro. I made a dressing by whisking together lime juice, olive oil, cumin, chipotle, garlic, salt and pepper, a splash of balsamic vinegar,  and a dash of hot sauce. I mixed it all together and let it chill for a few hours. It was delicious.

Although I love green salads, I enjoy other types as well. I often chop up vegetables and throw them together with some sort of dressing. The secret to these chopped salads, I think, is to mix colors, tastes, and textures. So rather than thinking of specific foods, I think crunchy, tangy, smooth, chewy, or bland. I try to mix and match. So I might mix bland cucumbers with tangy garlic and yogurt, or sweet corn with spicy dressing, or sweet watermelon with sharp onions and salty feta, or chopped tomatoes with black kalamata olives.

Not only do I get a variety of vegetables that way, but I also get to decorate my plate.

Spring Spritzer

Cranberry-Orange Spritzer

Usually when I think of spring drinks, I think of lemonade or orangeade. Maybe even iced tea. I'm not usually a consumer of hard liquor. Or so I thought....

Today I was helping a friend by taking pictures of the new drinks that she was offering in her restaurant. Most looked lovely but had too much alcohol for my tastes. But this one was perfect. I'm not even sure what was in it, although I was told it contained a lemon vodka, and judging by its name also contained cranberry juice and a hint of orange.  It was light, refreshing, and incredibly tasty. I know the world is mad for cocktails and mixed drinks right now; if this is a sample of what the new drinks are like, I can understand their popularity.

Lighter Lunches: Fruit & Cheese

When New England enjoys its first warm days, I happily anticipate the foods of summer that will soon arrive. However, in the meantime I start changing my diet by fixing myself lighter meals. One of my favorites is fruit and cheese, paired with some sort of substantial bread.

Today, I had a juicy pear, sliced, made into a sandwich on French bread with melted brie. For eye appeal and crunch, I added a handful of fresh watercress. It made a perfect spring meal.

Pears and brie are just one of several well-known combinations. Apples and cheddar are another. But have you ever tried melon and goat cheese? How about figs and goat cheese, with a dab of honey thrown in? Strawberries, grapes, and peaches also pair up well with mild cheeses.

To really enjoy the combined flavors and textures, make sure that your cheese is at room temperature and your fruit just slightly chilled. Serve on a bread with some substance, otherwise the juice from the fruit will turn your bread to mush.

Kosher Coke

photo by Mark H. Anbinder on flickr

Live and learn.

Passover is finished, and only today do I learn that the Coca-Cola company makes kosher Coke.  Although I'm a seltzer gal myself, as opposed to sweetened drinks, other family members drink Coke and I usually have some on hand. When I was growing up, soft drinks were often served at various relatives' homes, and I never gave it a second thought. Modern Coke, though, is different from the drinks I grew up with.

In 1985, Coke changed its formula and replaced sugar with high fructose corn syrup. Most other soft drink manufacturers followed suit. Certain Coke fans were upset, but not as upset as observant Jews, who were now unable to drink Coke during Passover. At this holiday, certain cereals and grains are forbidden, including corn and thus corn syrup. So Coke was out.

Enter Rabbi Tobias Geffen, a Lithuanian-born Orthodox rabbi living in Atlanta, where huge quantities of Coke are bottled. To make a long story short, Geffen persuaded officials at the Coca-Cola company to create a kosher form of the popular beverage. They did, and you might still find some on the shelves this week. You can distinguish kosher Coke by its bright yellow bottle cap (it is almost exclusively found in bottles).

However, be warned that kosher Coke is available mainly in large cities, such as New York and Boston. This year, it is not available at all in California.

Sardines, Anyone?

Why do so few people eat canned sardines? Almost no one I know does, and in fact, many screw up their faces at the thought. Yet sardines are inexpensive, tasty, and extremely nutritious. They are just loaded with B vitamins, omega-3 oils, and calcium. A NY Times article quoted one nutritionist, who said that sardines were "health food in a can." Everyone  seems to be gobbling down kale and salmon these days, so why not sardines?

I think one of the problems is that they look like small beheaded fish, which they are, while other forms of fish are more aesthetically pleasing.

I grew up eating sardines, so perhaps that's why I don't turn up my nose at them. I usually have a few cans on hand. My preference is for those packed in olive oil or mustard. These fish tend to be somewhat oily, so I usually pair them with something crunchy, such as toast or crispbread (Ryvita and Wasa are favorites). I smear the bread with a dab of mayonnaise, lay down a few sardines, mash them with a fork to make them stick, then add something to cut the oily taste, such as chopped raw onion and a slice of raw tomato. Some need a bit of salt as well.

Go ahead.Try some. Don't be afraid of a little fish.

The Importance of Bread

what my mother refered to as goyishe bread

One of the surprises I received when I first moved to Massachusetts was the bread—the entire state seemed devoid of good bread. (Remember, this was in the 60s.) This was a shock because I had grown up in an area that had dense bagels, chewy rye bread, dark pumpernickle, and crusty French bread. Later, I learned that Brookline had decent bread, but by then I had set up my own personal importation procedure. Every time I went down to New Jersey or New York, I would visit my favorite bakery and return with shopping bags full of bread and other baked goods.

Then I got on a breadmaking kick myself. My husband loved oatmeal bread, for example, so I learned how to make that. I liked whole wheat bread and learned how to make that. The kids liked white bread, so I learned how to make that. We all liked various muffins, and I learned how to make dozens of different types. Soon I was baking most of the breads we ate. About 20 years ago, When Pigs Fly opened up, good bread became available in more locations around me. Gradually, other good bakeries also opened, and I stopped my incessant baking.

I am surprised at how much this all matters to me considering the fact that I'm not a big bread eater. My mother, for example, felt as if she hadn't really eaten if she didn't include bread in any meal. I don't feel that way. Still, when I do eat bread, I want it to be good. To my mind, a slice of crunchy whole wheat toast with chunky peanut butter makes a great breakfast—high in protein, fiber, and taste. Good rye bread is essential to certain sandwiches. And lox and cream cheese just doesn't taste right if it's not on a good bagel (those other bagels were referred to as goyishe, i.e. not Jewish, bagels by my mom, who grew up in an Orthodox household. )

So while I don't  eat a lot of bread, I do accept its importance in the scheme of things. I understand why breaking bread is synonymous with nurturing both body and soul. Whether I'm eating a wrap, or focaccia, or pita or pizza, I want the bread to be more than a vehicle for other ingredients; it needs to be good by itself before I consider it good with anything else.