A Day at the Museum

Having yesterday off was wonderful - a treat made even sweeter since I didn't find out I had it off until Friday, so I hadn't overwhelmed myself with plans or tried to squeeze in a trip. I had a full day with nothing to do!

Since it was a comparatively balmy 46 degrees out, Wright and I decided on a picnic in the park followed by a museum trip. We'd gone to MoMA the day before, had already seen the fabulous Kandinsky show at the Guggenheim (twice), and with the Met closed on Mondays, we ended up at the American Museum of Natural History - a little bit different than our usual art-focused ventures.

We had the most wonderful time wandering the halls of this enormous and fascinating museum. Returning there is always nostalgic for me. The dioramas still look the same as they did when I was in a stroller and no matter how tall I've gotten, the whale remains enormous.

While I attempted to insist we just wander the permanent exhibition (for free), Wright was steadfast and sweet, treating me to two of the special exhibitions. We first went to see the film "Journey to the Stars," narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, and shown in the Hayden Planetarium. If you've never seen anything in this theater, let me tell you, it is a real treat! Forgive me for botching this explanation, but the images are projected onto a large, circular screen above you, so that you lean back in your chair and really feel as if you are looking up at the stars. With stunning images taken from telescopes, the show was a real knock-out, and well worth the splurge.
We also saw The Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World, a fantastic exhibition with plenty of interactive and interesting components. I have to admit, I learned a lot!! Thinking back on the exhibition from a curator's perspective, I can't even imagine what it would be like to put together a show of that magnitude and breadth. It takes us long enough to arrange a hanging of work on paper in the gallery I work in, let alone if we had taxidermy camels, interactive smelling spices, digital movies, ancient artworks, etc.!

It was such a blast exploring all that this museum had to offer, I was so glad we stepped off of our beaten path to do it. What a reminder of how lucky we are to live in New York!

From the Pantry: Mushroom Pasta

I wasn't feeling very well when I got home on Wednesday night. Though I was tempted to just order pizza and glue myself to the couch, I knew that wouldn't make me feel better any faster. I needed a somewhat nutritious, but most importantly, comforting meal. And I certainly wasn't going to the grocery store.

I had some mushrooms leftover from the coq au vin in the fridge, and a half box of whole wheat pasta from who knows when. Not exactly ideal, but it would work. I sliced the mushrooms (with a lack of enthusiasm, so they were thicker than usual) and sautéed them in butter while I started boiling a pot of water. Once the mushrooms cooked, I added some milk (and a little more butter, since I only had skim) and then grated some swiss cheese, which I added to the mushroom sauce once it had cooked down. I tossed the cooked pasted into the mushroom sauce, added a few spices and served it up with some parsley (you know, so it would seem fancier than it was).

I was surprised by how good it tasted. Even with a stuffed nose, the flavors were wonderful and comforting. I happily ate two bowls and felt content falling asleep at 9pm.

What do you like to cook when you're sick? As much as I love a good chicken soup, I'd been eating leftover lamb stew (sorry, eventually I'll get to that post) all week, so this pasta was a welcome change. I stayed home from work yesterday and ended up eating mostly toast, though I did attempt a pear and goat cheese tart for lunch (good, but exhausting). The pasta reminded me how important it is to try to keep some ingredients around. As romantic as it sounds to go out and shop fresh for each meal you have, there are always going to be days when the grocery store is not an option, and it's nice to have some produce laying around for impromptu pastas.

The Weekend

Happy Monday! Was this weekend too short or what? Mine was generally quiet but highlighted by seeing the play The Understudy, which was absolutely fantastic. It's only out for a few more days, though, so if you are in New York I'd definitely recommend you rush to the theater. It's a small off-Broadway comedy starring Justin Kirk, Julie White, and Mark-Paul Gossalaar, and it is really a riot. (I won't lie, it did take me about half the play to stop melting about being in the same room as Zach Morris.)

We also made a lovely lasagna on Saturday night, inspired by my cousin's recent post. She's just launched a new website - The Moonlight Chef - so please check it out!

While I don't have much else to discuss today, look forward to some posts later in the week about a delicious lamb stew we made last night. (Okay, that's all I know so far that I'll write about. Hold that thought.)

Coq Au Vin

For my inaugural dish using my new Le Creuset dutch oven, I decided on coq au vin. Nope, this was not a last minute decision, I'd known for a long time that I'd make this dish first. It's just one of those dishes that I'd always wanted to make, but never could without the right pot. Kind of like how I'll make cinnamon ice cream when I get an ice cream maker (if I can ever fit an ice cream maker into my tiny kitchen; there is a real reason I don't own one).

Anyway, I was thrilled about the coq au vin and thrilled about the dutch oven. I even trucked down to Whole Foods to get better produce than that at my local grocery (which is 5 blocks and two avenues closer than WF). I used Ina Garten's recipe for the dish, deciding to hold off on Julia until boeuf bourguignon night. This was the right decision; the dish was simple, delicious, and flavorful. We paired it with roasted root vegetables (parsnip, turnip, and a few potatoes for good measure), which were surprisingly sweet and perfectly complimentary to the meal.

I ended up leaving out/altering just a few steps in the process, but tried to stick with the recipe. I couldn't find frozen pearl onions so I skipped them altogether, and I definitely guesstimated on the wine/chicken stock amounts. I also used one larger chicken instead of two smaller ones. The butcher at Whole Foods couldn't have been nicer when I brought over a whole chicken and asked him to cut it into eight pieces for me; lesson learned to never spend the money on packaged cut chickens!

Wright made me take this dorky picture of me with my new toy. Perhaps this will give you an idea of the size of my kitchen.

Coq au Vin
Adapted from Ina Garten

olive oil
4 ounces bacon diced
1 (4 to 5-pound) chicken, cut in eighths
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound carrots, cut diagonally in 1-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3/4 bottle good dry red wine such as Burgundy
1 cup good chicken stock, preferably homemade
10 fresh thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed and thickly sliced

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Meanwhile, lay the chicken out on paper towels and pat dry. Liberally sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. When the bacon is removed, brown the chicken pieces in batches in a single layer for about 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Remove the chicken to the plate with the bacon and continue to brown until all the chicken is done. Set aside.

Add the carrots, onions, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Put the bacon, chicken, and any juices that collected on the plate into the pot. Add the wine, chicken stock, and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just not pink. Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.

Mash 1 tablespoon of butter and the flour together and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. In a medium saute pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until browned. Add to the stew. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Season to taste. Serve hot, with plenty of wine to go around.

A Brown Lunch

Today was not a great lunch day for me. I ate a carrot muffin and some pretzel goldfish with a coffee. Very brown, very boring, very unhealthy.

Why, you might be wondering, would I subject myself to this lunch? It's a little bit of a long story. You see, I got an amazing dutch oven for Christmas from my grandparents. I could go on and on about it, and I suspect I will in future posts. I was so excited about it that ever since I got it, I've been making all of my meals in it. It's just so beautiful, so useful, so wonderful. Note obsession here.

Alas, I decided to make a big bowl of soup to have for my lunches this week. It's freezing in New York, so soup seemed like the right thing to do. Instead of relying on my trusty soup recipes of the past, I thought I'd branch out and try something new: Lentil Soup with Sausage. Doesn't that sound delicious? I thought so too. I was excited. Thrilled, really.

I got out my first copy of Bon Appetit, which just started coming last month in replace of my - so sad - Gourmet subscription. I hope I don't offend anyone by mentioning that this issue was completely lackluster, and this lentil soup recipe was actually the only one I'd dog-eared. Anyway, I made the soup. It was pretty fun to make - especially since the color of the lentils looked so beautiful against my blue pot.

I stirred in some spinach at the end to make it even more hearty, and split it up into various tupperware for both freezing and bringing to the office. My kitchen smelled fantastic and I couldn't wait to try the soup!

Well. Well. The. Soup. Was. Awful. Awful. Awful. I could barely eat more than a few bites each day this week - the lentils were mushy and gross in my mouth, the sausage was bland, and the spinach was chewy. It was unappetizing, uninspiring, and unfilling. I was heartbroken. Still am. I am so far in denial that I haven't made a replacement lunch - I still have two large containers of it in the gallery fridge. I'm simply choosing to eat other things I happen to have here... like carrot muffins. And goldfish pretzels.

So there you have it. That's why I had a brown lunch today. I made a soup that was terrible. I don't think it was the recipe, I'm sure I did it wrong. I don't even know where I went so wrong. Maybe I just don't like lentil soup? Who knows. And I can't even come up with a moral of the story. Perhaps, you taste with more than your eyes? Because I know this soup sure looks good.

For the record, I've made some other extremely delicious meals in my new dutch oven - look out for more [actually successful] posts soon. And never be afraid to mess up! You'll survive. I have (so far).