Simple Gifts

If you are celebrating Passover and/or Easter - many of you will be in the wake of, or just embarking on - big family meals. Normally, I love this time of year. My first Passover Seder in Paris, I made a sit-down dinner for 18. I adore getting out the silver asparagus picker-uppers (a family favorite) and Auntie Lynn's grandfather's sterling sliver bottle opener (who knew such a thing even existed). I like answering the door - kissing people hello and stirring the pots at the same time (the kitchen of our Paris apartment is actually in the foyer - it sounds awful, but it's really very welcoming). I love watching the table in animated conversation (I always mix up the seating chart so everyone is sitting next to someone they don't know). And I love the hush that falls when everyone digs in and starts seriously eating. But this year, even though I have much to celebrate, as a new parent and new author, dinner for 18 felt utterly overwhelming - just totally beyond me.

The sun is coming out, and instead of finding myself refreshed, I find myself depleted. G and I are both traveling too much - I'm literally packing for the next trip out the of suitcases not yet undone from the last one...

When I feel this way, I tend to keep things simple in the kitchen, I put aside my zest for experimentation and gravitate toward ingredients I know, recipes I've memorized. I make big batches of jumbo meatballs - laced with cinammon and cumin, lightened with ground almonds instead of breadcrumbs. In the summer I use the meat to stuff beefsteak tomatoes. But the meatballs are wonderful served with cous cous and tomato sauce as well. I made a batch the night before I went into labor last August, so I think of them as good luck. (That's me and the soon-to-be-born Augustin!)
I make roasted eggplants - stuffed with quinoa, topped with grilled goat cheese and fresh coriander - healthy and incredibly satisfying.
And then of course, there's the bacon. Lardons (cubes of chopped smoked bacon) are the very definition of comfort food in our house - the little something that makes everything taste better. Haricots verts aux lardons, green beans sauteed with bacon (topped with lots of black pepper) is a standard of G's repetoire, so I can soak in the bathtub while he makes it, which is a considerable advantage. Pair it with an oven roasted sweet potato and a dollop of plain yogurt - there's almost nothing I'd rather eat.

I'm off to NY on Monday - which always gives me a jolt of energy. If you're in New York City, I'd love to see you at Barnes and Noble Tribeca on Wednesday, April 7th, 7pm - for a reading (and some homemade baked goods)!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend everyone!

Jumbo Meatballs with a touch of North African Spice

Meatballs have never been an exact science for me. The key is to handle the meat as little as possible. The ice water always helps keep them light as well as moist– perhaps there’s a Chemistry major who can tell me why…

500 grams ground beef
500 grams pork
½ cup breadcrumbs or ground almonds
1 large onion (red or white) grated
Handful of fresh coriander, chopped
A few good pinches of cinnamon
Sprinkle of cumin
Handful of golden raisins
½ teaspoon of coarse sea salt, or more to taste
Black pepper to taste
2 eggs
1/3 cup ice water

Preheat the oven to 400F.

In a large shallow casserole dish, crumble the meat and then LAYER the onion, herbs and spices, raisins, salt and pepper on top. Do not mix after the addition of each ingredient.

Lightly beat the eggs, pour over the meat mixture and mix lightly with your hands.

Sprinkle on the ice water and mix lightly to combine.

Gently pat into very large meatballs (I serve three per person)

Bake on a cookie sheet in a 400F oven for 30-40 minutes.

If you are stuffing tomatoes, you’ll use more meat for each one – extend the cooking time accordingly…this has the advantage of giving the tomatoes time to roast and collapse a bit.

Aubergines Farcies au Quinoa – Eggplant Stuffed with Quinoa

4 medium eggplants, 10 oz each
1 tablespoon olive oil + 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
5 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup white wine
1 1/3 cups chicken broth
1 cup quinoa (available at health food stores and many large supermarkets)
Coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cinnamon
Small handful of cilantro, coarsely chopped
8 oz. soft goat cheese
Fresh cilantro, ripped by hand

Choose eggplants that are firm, shiny and without blemishes – the smaller and heavier, the better.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Rinse the eggplants and pat dry. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Prick five or six holes in each eggplant with a fork to allow steam to escape. Rub the surface of the eggplants with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake for 1 hour, until the flesh is tender.

Meanwhile, in a medium frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and sauté over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes and sugar, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the white wine, lower the heat to medium/low and cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove ¾ cup of tomato sauce from the pan and set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add quinoa, bring back to a boil. Cover tightly, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until water is absorbed. The quinoa should have the consistency of couscous. Fluff with a fork and leave to cool.

When the eggplants are done, drain any liquid from the baking sheet and let the eggplants cool slightly. Make a 4 inch cut in the top of each eggplant and carefully scoop out most of the flesh without piercing the skin. Put the eggplants shells in a shallow casserole dish (you will stuff these later). Put the flesh in a colander, pressing firmly with the back of a fork (or your hand) to drain any excess liquid. Season the flesh with salt, pepper and a pinch of cinnamon.

Chop the seasoned eggplant flesh into small chunks and add to the tomato sauce along with a small handful of cilantro. Heat through. Add the quinoa, stir to combine.

Stuff the eggplant shells with the quinoa mixture, they should be heaping. Top each eggplant with a spoonful or two of your reserved tomato sauce. (You can refrigerate the eggplants at this point. Reheat at 350°F, tightly covered with foil, for 30 minutes. Proceed as below.)

Set the oven to broil.

Top each eggplant with two slices of goat cheese. Cook on the middle rack of the oven for 3-4 minutes until cheese is softened and beginning to color.

Sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Serve with a large green salad.

Serves 4