Week 2 – Lockdown Menu + Recipes

I was so happy to see that so many of you used the menu, and especially the recipes, from last week’s post. There sure was a LOT of focaccia going on!!

As we go into our 4th (!) week of lockdown here’s what’s happening. We are still allowed out to do grocery shopping, and all the stores up here in Umbria are fully stocked and not that crowded with people. Either Sophie or I go into town once a week, or even less often if possible. The farmer’s market was today, so I went on my own and was the only one there. Even though there was only one stand, I bought a kilo of everything she had! We now have local organic veggies for the next 10 days or so. Sophie will probably go to the supermarket, pharmacy and butcher on Wednesday.

We just found out that our favorite agriturismo will deliver and so have just put in an order to them for dried legumes, farm fresh eggs and their famous Onion Parmigiana! Also, our nursery will also deliver and are going to be bringing some plants to start our vegetable garden. In the meantime I’ve been harvesting the last of the flowering spighiarello (kind of like broccolini) and Swiss chard from the garden as well as feeling very frontier-womanish by foraging for wild asparagus and dandelion greens.

Here is our menu from this past week. One thing we’ve learned is that while it’s great to have a plan, be prepared to change it up if you feel like it.(the plan should definitely not cause any stress) This coming week we’ve left a lot of the side dishes blank, since we were changing them so often (is Sophie the only person in the world who still uses white-out?) . We’ve also left room for improvising. For instance, one meal per week is my ‘Vegetable Feast’ where I just get inspired by what’s left in the fridge. We’ve also decided we like a Mezze Night, where Sophie can make her favorite small dishes from Greece and Turkey. (It’s basically just an excuse for her to eat homemade pita bread and hummus and call it dinner)

One constant, whether we plan it or not, seems to be soup made from leftovers. Does that sound familiar to everyone? (I REFUSE to call this ‘clean out the fridge soup, ok?). If you are making soups more often, remember to always keep the liquid that you cooked any of your beans in. If you aren’t going to use it right away, then just stick it in the freezer. Ditto from the liquid from any cooked vegetables. Even if you are steaming broccoli or carrots, that liquid at the bottom of the pot makes for a great soup base.

And thanks so much for sharing your menu plans with me on Instagram. I love seeing them! (just tag me and I’ll share them with everyone @eminchilli)

Here is what we had. When possible I’ve provided a link to the recipe we used. Otherwise I’ve written shorthand recipes)

Week 2: Meal Plan March 23-29

Monday:

Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Pasta with Swordfish, Green Salad
If you don’t have Swordfish you can substitute any firm fish. You can even use canned tuna!
(saute 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup black pitted olives in olive oil. Cook till soft, about 5 mins. Add 1 pound cubed swordfish, season with salt and pepper and cook till it loses its raw color. Add 1 cup white wine, let bubble. Add 2 cans cherry tomatoes, season and let bubble till thickened. Cook 400 gr. pasta, drain and add to pan with sauce. ) If you have parsley you can top with that. No cheese, since it’s fish.

Tuesday:

Lunch: Composed Salad: Swordfish, Greens, Great Western Beans, steamed carrots, steamed zucchini, avocado, home made mayonnaise
(This was supposed to be tuna and salad, but I got fancy, since Sophie has bought too much swordfish from the day before. It’s a great way to use up bits of salad and vegetables like one lone zucchini or carrot. And also an excuse to make homemade mayo, which is easier than you think.)

Dinner:
Turkey Burgers
Home made hamburger buns, tomato salad, slaw, homemade mayo
I was so incredibly proud of my hamburger buns! I pulled the recipe from the King Arthur site, and although at first I didn’t think they were rising enough they turned out perfected! I brushed the tops with some of the egg white left over from making mayo.

Wednesday:

Lunch: Carbonara, Radicchio Salad
The link above leads to my recipe for Carbonara, which also has a video. Sophie has also saved her Carbonara tutorial on her Instagram highlights.

Dinner: Lentil baked with Feta , Lemony fennel salad

Sophie used the recipe for Lentils and Farro Baked with Feta, but ended up not using farro. We also thought it probably would have been easier to just cook the lentils in a pot, then transfer to the oven when the feta was added. It took forever to cook the lentils in the oven and just seemed a bit weird.

 

Thursday:

Lunch: Torta Rustica (mushrooms, leeks and wild asparagus with ricotta), Roasted vegetables (odds and ends tossed in olive oil, with rosemary and popped in hot oven for 45 minutes)
Dinner: Polpette Fritti (made from leftover meat from making broth last week, then frozen)
Steamed Carrots with Lemon and Mint
Salsa Verde
Home made mayo

Friday:

Lunch: Zuppa: empty the fridge soup
Dinner: Pasta with Crispy Squid and Lemon (Alison Roman)
Roasted Broccoli with Cheese and Lemon (Alison Roman) This is one of my big discoveries during these past few weeks. When roasting almost any vegetable, add some lemon wedges and a handful of grated parmigiano when you toss them with olive oil.

Saturday:

Lunch: Pasta Amatriciana, Radicchio Salad
Again, see Sophie’s highlights for her tutorial, or else find the recipe for Amatriciana in my book Eating Rome or on my blog.

Dinner:
Vegetable Feast: This is the time of week I get creative with whatever vegetables are left at the end of the week.
Asparagus with Egg
Roasted Broccolini with Lemon
Dandelion Green Salad with Pancetta Vinaigrette
Crostini topped with Bean Puree (these were just leftover beans from dinner, whizzed in the food processor with leftover salsa verde)

Sunday:

Lunch:
Grilled meats, Radicchio Salad, Steamed Zucchini
Super simple, but we also opened a bottle of Barolo, because why not.

Dinner: Indian feast: Salmon Curry, Palek Paneer; Chana Dal, Raita, Basmati Rice

This Indian dinner was not like going out to an Indian restaurant, but it was pretty damn close. I made do with what we had, and even used supermarket curry powder. It made us all very happy. I’m thinking of trying Chinese take out this week.

Desserts and baked things:

I can’t tell you how much we love having just a little something sweet with our coffee in the afternoon, and after dinner. Not a lot, but that little bit helps. I also remembered that we don’t have to wait for summer to make gelato. And one night I even used the last 2 bananas to make Banana Flambe!

Dark Seed Bread: I bought this flour and added extra seeds
Philadelphia Style Vanilla Ice Cream from David Lebovitz (no eggs!)
Banana’s Flambe
Chocolate Ice Cream (again, no eggs)
Apple Galette with this crust from Alison Roman (a very easy crust recipe for everything)
Pantry Crumb Cake – another winner from Melissa Clark
Melissa Clark’s Olive Oil Brownies: This is a fantastic recipe since it uses no butter, and only 1 egg.
Like everyone else in the world I’m attempting to develop a sourdough starter. I’m following this advice, but realize there is a lot of information out there. It’s day #2 and I may have already done something wrong (pink streaks are showing up.) I gather I’m not alone in finding this more challenging than I thought?

Cocktails:
I continue to find solace in martinis (you can find my recipes on last week’s post) and the odd Negroni. But we also branched out this week with David Lebovitz’s Rosemary Gimlet. If Sophie brings home more limes this week, then I may make Margaritas. Although Bloody Marys are also sounding good these days.

For more inspiration in the kitchen, and virtual traveling to Italy, see my books:

Eating Rome: Living the Good Life in the Eternal City

Eating My Way Through Italy: Heading Off the Main Roads to Discover the Hidden Treasures of The Italian Table

The Italian Table: Creating Festive Meals for Families and Friends