Because it isn't all about the kids!

There is nothing like a living room full of children to make one flee for the kitchen and a spot of blogging. I say "full of children", when in actual fact there is only one non-farrar added to the mix, but the impact of that addition seems to be a twelve-fold increase in energy level and particularly volume. My hearing may never be the same again. Anyway, it has sent me fleeing for my laptop, hence the blog post.

Given my mood, I felt it only right to blog about a not-very-kid-friendly recipe I tried recently. I'm not entirely sure why it was such a non-starter with all three children, particularly since two out of three eat all of the ingredients, and have lapped up other seemingly similar dishes.... Of course, I am forgetting that logic is irrelevant. Nevertheless, I will be adding this to my repertoire, because it can't always be about pleasing those particular three Farrars, particularly since the other two thought this was a great dish. As Annette Bening and Julianne Moore would no doubt point out: the kids are alright.

The recipe comes from a book by George Geary and Judith Finlayson 650 Best Food Processor Recipes, but you can do it easily without a food processor (see instructions below). It is so simple, but so much tastier than a boring old omelette. And it has a way more complicated-sounding French name, so there.

Roasted Leek, Mushroom and Tomato Clafouti
Serves 5

1 lb cherry tomatoes
12 cremini mushroom caps (cut the bigger ones in half)
2 leeks cut into 1/2" slices
2 TBSP olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBSP finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
ground black pepper
4 eggs
1/4 cup AP flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Butter a 6 cup (1.5L) gratin dish
3. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, mushrooms and leek with olive oil and toss well. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in oven until mushrooms and leeks are lightly browned and tomatoes have collapsed (about 30 minutes). Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Transfer vegetables to prepared gratin dish and sprinkle with garlic, parsley and pepper to taste.
4. In a food processor with a metal blade, place eggs, flour and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse to blend (about 5 times). Add milk and cream and process until smooth (about 30 seconds). If you don't have have food processor, then I see no reason why you can't just do all of this with a handheld mixer.
5. Pour mixture from processor over vegetables. Bake in preheated oven until edges are set and center is still slightly jiggly (about 30 minutes).
6. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan. Place under a hot broiler until lightly browned. Let cool slightly before serving.

More heavenly wholegrains

Yes, I'm a goody-two-shoes, but I really am enjoying the recent Farrar forays into the wonderful world of wholegrains. I've been on a quest to improve our diet in this house, yes, but also to increase the variety. Quite frankly I was getting bored of rice and cous-cous. Today's heavenly wholegrain addition to the Farrar repertoire is bulgur wheat. This is a form of wheat (so those who are gluten intolerant should steer clear) that has been parboiled, cracked and dried. I have had it in the past, but only in Tabbouleh, a delicious Middle Eastern salad (if you are interested, then there is a Barefoot Contessa recipe for Tabbouleh here)

This dish is a great addition to a spot of summer evening barbeque. I found the recipe in Cooking Light, but tweaked it a bit: the supermarket had run out of kalamata olives (except for the disgusting canned kind), so I used green olives; and I added more vinegar to the dressing, as my family like sharp tasting foods. Oh, and I added more feta because.... well just because.

Enjoy :-)

Bulgur Wheat Salad with Feta and Olives
Serves 5

1 cup medium bulgur wheat (denotes the size of the grain - not crucial here, but might affect cooking time)
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup thinly sliced fennel
1/2 cup olives, halved
1/2 cup shelled, roasted, salted pistachios
5 oz feta cheese, crumbled
3 TBSP red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Cook bulgur wheat according to packet directions, drain (if necessary) and cool slightly.
2. Mix bulgur wheat with remaining ingredients and serve at room temperature.

My own mission impossible

There are times when I suspect there must have been a mix-up at the hospital when my kids were born, in fact three separate mix-ups. I realize that this seems far-fetched, but consider my grounds for such suspicion: gastronomically speaking, there is compelling evidence that these children cannot genetically be mine. Firstly, my daughter does not like chocolate cake (in fact, this may indicate that she comes from alien stock, as it is simply not human to dislike chocolate cake). No child that emanated from me and my husband can NOT like chocolate anything, let alone chocolate cake. After all, my husband has spent a lifetime making sure to order chocolate fudge cake whenever it appears on a menu. Secondly, my oldest son doesn't like melted cheese on top of things. I know. Ridiculous. Particularly since unmelted cheese is fine, as is melted cheese IN things, such as grilled cheese sandwich. Just not on TOP of things. He is happy to slurp up three or four servings of your delicious pasta bake, but will meticulously scrape all evidence of toasty melted deliciousousness from the top first, with a look of indignant distaste on his face. Sigh.

Perhaps the most anomalous of the Farrar offspring though, is my youngest son, who doesn't like... wait for it.... pasta. WHAT? Firstly, pasta is a blank canvas for all sorts of delectable sauciness, and does not have a taste of its own, well not really. Secondly, this zero-tolerance policy towards pasta seems like a recipe for starvation in a house where pasta is indubitably a staple food and always has been. I have therefore made it my culinary mission to keep trying different pasta recipes. Not, as you might surmise, as a form of sadistic torture for the poor boy, but in the hope that at some point, a huge lightbulb will appear above his head, as he chews on some delicious morsel, and he will, at this moment, realize the error of his pasta-hating ways, break into a huge grin, and of course express extreme gratitude to his long-suffering but perseverant mother.

The latest dish on this culinary mission came from Giada de Laurentiis. From what I can tell from her cooking shows on TV and her books, Giada lives a perfect life. Her kitchen looks spotlessly clean even when she is in the middle of preparing a complex dish, she manages to keep her lipstick flawless whilst eating a bowl of spaghetti AND I have never once witnessed her adorable offspring turn down what she cooks with a whiny cry of "BUT I DON'T LIKE PASTA". I am sure such behavior just wouldn't happen in Giada's house.

I have to confess that the light bulb moment didn't happen this time round. Beloved, but misguided, youngest son, ate everything surrounding the pasta, but managed to leave a sizeable pile of denuded farfalle on his plate. Oh well, the mission continues.... On the plus side though, this is a dish which the remaining four members of the family found delicious, and in my house, even if not in Giada's, four out of five is reason for celebration (and a blog post).

Farfalle with Sausage and Kale
Serves 6

3 TBSP olive oil
1 lb uncooked Italian sausage, casings removed (I used Trader Joe's Italian chicken sausage)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 bunch kale, largest stems removed, and chopped (about 4 cups)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 lb farfalle pasta
Grated parmesan to serve

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
2. In a large heavy pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until golden, breaking up sausage. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and set aside. Add onion and garlic to same pan and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms and onion start to brown (a further 5 minutes or so). Add canned tomatoes with juice and stir to get browned bits off base of pan. Add salt, pepper and sausage back to pan,
3. Meanwhile blanch the kale in the boiling water for 5 minutes and then remove from the water with a skimmer or sieve. Add kale directly to the sausage mixture. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Add cream and stir to combine, then remove pan from the heat.
4. While the sauce is simmering, add farfalle to the water the kale was in. Cook until desired firmness is reached, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and add to sauce, tossing to combine.
5. Serve with parmesan sprinkled on top.

Feeding the masses

The title of this post refers to the fact that I think I have made enough batches of this over the past few years to sink a ship. I have, by now, made this recipe for pretty much everyone I know, and it is one of my go-to quick and embarrassingly easy baking recipes. Of course, if I have never made them for you, that means that either I don't value the friendship as much as you thought I did, OR I haven't seen you for way too long, and you need to rectify that.

This recipe is one that is close to my heart for another reason also - it comes from a recipe book called The English Rose Restaurant Cookbook, named after a little tea shop in San Carlos California. The restaurant was founded by two English ladies, who had clearly made the effort to export for the interior all of the most stereotypical (and perhaps tasteless) aspects of English decor - from the wildly patterned floral wallpaper, to the little doilies weighted down with beads that draped over the sugar bowls, and the ghastly oil paintings of thatched cottages, their doorways surrounded by magnificent English flower gardens. My favorite though is probably the numerous framed photographs of the late Queen Mother, smiling down beatifically on patrons as they munch on their ploughman's lunches or fruit scones. Going to the English Rose was like walking back in time (and across the Atlantic) to a 1970s England, where if you liked patterned wallpaper AND patterned carpet, then it was OK, you could safely fill your living room with both, because so did everyone else, and there was no such thing as too much. {Insert wistful sigh}

I am also posting this recipe because I have been asked to so many times before. Its addictive qualities are by now legendary. It's a great one to take camping, as it doesn't spoil if out of the fridge, and it also keeps for AGES (assuming your family don't scarf it all in less than a day... If you cannot get butterscotch morsels, then it also works with Heath Bar bits, or chocolate chips.

Most recently, I baked a batch for my youngest son's teacher. I am happy to say that she enjoyed it - happy primarily because she is such an excellent teacher, and someone whose love for the job and for every one of the students in her classroom was palpable. Thank you Mrs W, and happy baking!

Pecan Slices
(Makes 24)

1 package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 14 oz can condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup butterscotch morsels

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray the inside of a 9" x 13" baking tin with canola oil spray.
3. In a bowl, combine cake mix, butter and 1 egg and beat with a handheld mixer on low speed until crumbly.
4. Press mixture into base of prepared pan.
5. In a small bowl, beat together condensed milk, the other egg and vanilla extract until blended.
6. Stir in pecans and butterscotch morsels.
7. Pour mixture over cake mixture in pan.
8. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes until golden.
9. Cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

So much more than a side

If I were a salad, I'd be pretty annoyed to be called a side; a mere accompaniment. To put all that tasty effort in, and be condemned to the ignominy of merely sitting alongside a more important dish? Yep, that would not be satisfying. What I can say, is that this side is worthy of a starring role on your plate. How do I know this? Well, firstly because this one is a doozy in the taste department, and secondly, because I stupidly over-catered and doubled the quantities below, meaning that we have all been eating leftovers for lunch for the last few days. I have a habit of over-catering, but I blame the fact that my kids can often eat an incredible amount of food, and that when they will do so is completely unpredictable. Also, I have a pathological fear of under-catering, a sin which would send my guilt complex into an over-drive from which it might never recover. So forgive me. Otherwise, you'll merely contribute to the guilt problem - vicious circle, p'raps?!

Another sin, of which I am definitely guilty, is that I add recipes to my bulging 'I need to try this' folder, without always noting the source. This in one such recipe - someone lovingly typed this out for me, and I have no idea who it was. Whoever you are, you are lovely, and so is the recipe. Enjoy.

Malaysian Summer Salad
Serves 4 as a main course, or 6-8 as a side ("Ahem! Who you calling a side?")

Dressing:
3 TBSP toasted sesame oil
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP orange juice
2 TBSP cider vinegar
1 TBSP orange zest
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger

Salad:
1 cup chopped celery
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium green bell pepper, diced
4 scallions, finely chopped
3 cups cooked short grain brown rice
1/2 cup roasted peanuts (no salt)
1/2 cup roasted cashews (no salt)
2 TBSP toasted sesame seeds
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 cup snow peas, trimmed and sliced
1 cup bean sprouts

1. In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients, and whisk until well blended.
2. In a large bowl, combine celery, bell peppers and scallions. Add rice and mix well. Sprinkle in nuts, seeds and raisins and mix well. Add snow peas and bean sprouts to the mixture. Pour over dressing and mix well. Chill until ready to serve.

The best cheesecake ever...

I know. I am asking for it. It is a deliberate ploy.

Firstly, I feel an impulse to do myself harm right now, because my kids broke for the summer vacation three days ago. Three LONG days ago. By issuing a challenge on my blog, I am merely resisting the urge to rip my own ears from my skull, lest I be forced yet again to hear a child issue those three words "I am bored!" Instead I am opening myself up to waves of online indignation, something along the lines of "You cannot be serious, because my recipe is ten times better than this one". Still masochism, but of the verbal variety. Crafty, eh?

Secondly, the last time I issued this kind of challenge, (see post on 4/12/13), I was pointed in the direction of an alternative recipe (see post on 5/24/13) which has now also entered my repertoire, and I am very glad to have it there. Yes, this is, in part, a ploy for people to send me equally delicious recipes to try.

The cheesecake in question here is undoubtedly a fine specimen. I mean just look at it, and I dare you not to salivate. In fact, fair warning, back away from the keyboard lest you dribble on your laptop:

Granted, the list of ingredients are enough to make your waistline quiver in anticipation of imminent expansion. But, for a special occasion, I highly recommend you try this cheesecake, waistline be damned. I am not a fan of many baked cheesecakes, as I find them grainy in texture. Not so here: this one is rich, smooth, and deliciously creamy. I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com, a frequent hang-out for recipe addicts like myself.


Chocolate Cappuccino Cheesecake

Crust:
1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 TBSP white sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Middle:
3 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
8 1oz squares of semisweet chocolate
2 TBSP whipping cream
1 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup Kahlua (coffee-flavored liqueur)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TBSP powdered sugar
2 TBSP Kahlua
1 (1oz) square semisweet chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter one 9-10" springform pan.
2. Combine ingredients for crust. Mix well, and then press into base of prepared pan. Set aside.
3. In a medium sized bowl, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Whilst continuing to beat, gradually add 1 cup white sugar until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating at low speed until mixture is very smooth.
4. Melt the semisweet chocolate with 2 TBSP whipping cream in a bowl set over a pan of boiling water. Stir until smooth.
5. Add chocolate mixture to cream cheese mixture and blend well. Stir in sour cream, salt, Kahlua, coffee and vanilla and beat until smooth.
6. Pour over crust in prepared pan.
7. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes. Center will still be soft, but will firm up when chilled. Do not overbake! Leave in oven, with heat turned off and with door ajar, for a further 45 minutes. Then remove from oven and chill for 12 hours.
8. To make topping, beat cream until soft peaks form, and then add Kahlua and sugar and beat a little more until cream holds its shape, but isn't stiff. Use piping bag to pipe rosettes over top of cheesecake. Then sprinkle over grated chocolate.

Wholegrain home run

My family loves food, and a recurring dinner conversation of late starts thus: "If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be...." I shouldn't be surprised that this conversation recurs so frequently, since limiting oneself to but one dish would be a trial indeed for a family as food-loving as mine. Needless to say, if, as is occasionally the case, the sought after dish is what actually lies steaming in front of them at the time, it is a huge compliment to the chef!

For my oldest son, the one food that would satisfy him solo in the years to come is chilli. Any kind of chilli really, whether veggie, meaty, soupy... you name it, he will lick the bowl clean then reach for seconds. And if there are any leftovers, then he'll eat them out of a thermos the following day for lunch, and then lick that clean (not an easy feat, with a thermos, you try). So this may not be the last chilli recipe that makes it on to this blog. It is a good one though, and unsurprisingly, since it comes from my idol Judith Finlayson, yet again, from her book The Complete Whole Grains Cookbook. I have tweaked it a little, since I prefer to cook with ground turkey instead of ground beef, and therefore with chicken stock, rather than beef stock, but either way you'll get a steamy one-dish meal of satisfaction. Moreover, it fits with my current aim to get more wholegrains into our diet, featuring as it does, wheat berries. One serving of this deliciousness delivers 7.5g of dietary fiber.

Satisfaction guaranteed

Chilli con Wheat Berries
Serves 8 (well, it serves 6 Farrars)

1 1/2 cups uncooked wheat berries (soft or hard red)
3 1/4 cups water
1 TBSP olive oil
1 lb lean ground turkey
2 onions, chopped
4 stalks celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 28oz can diced tomatoes in juice, no salt added
1 cup chicken stock
Chopped avocado and shredded cheddar to serve.

1. Put wheat berries and water in saucepan and bring to boil. Turn heat down to low, cover and simmer for 50 minutes, then drain off any remaining water and set wheat berries aside.
2. In a large dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat and add ground turkey and onions. Cook, stirring and breaking up meat until no longer pink (about 6 mins).
3. Add celery, bell pepper, jalapeno(s) and garlic and cook until vegetables start to soften (about 3 minutes). Then add chili powder, caraway seeds and pepper and continue to cook, stirring, for a further 1 minute.
4. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, cooked wheat berries (should be 3 cups of them now they are cooked) and stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until flavors meld, about 30 minutes.
5. Season with salt to taste, and serve in bowls, topped with avocado and cheddar.

The s-word

You know those conversations with your kids that you wish had never started? Well, we had one last night. It began with a simple enough question: "What's for dinner, Mum?" Oh ok, it was probably "Muuuuuuuuum, I'm staaaaaaarving. WHEN [pause for dramatic effect} is dinner going to be?" But you get my drift.

Since I was concentrating on getting said dinner on to the table at a reasonable time, I didn't think before answering. I know, fatal mummy mistake. Opening my mouth before any connection to brain matter was made, I said "Spicy Peanut Chicken". Oh OK, I probably said "Oh for goodness sake, can't you see it is nearly ready? And honestly, if you would just eat your packed lunch at school, then you wouldn't be so hungry by now! It is Spicy Peanut Chicken."

{Insert sharp intake of breath}

"BUT MUM, YOU KNOW I DON'T LIKE SPICY FOODS!"

Yep, I had used 'The S-word'.

There followed an exchange which we have probably had a million times (oh, OK, probably (slightly) less than that) about the difference between 'spicy-hot' and 'spicy-flavorful':

"No, darling, this is spicy-flavorful, not spicy-hot! You'll be FINE!" (if it is possible to insert gritted teeth, then do that here)

Fortunately, since he is now 7. and had not eaten his lovingly packed lunch that day, my son was at least willing to give it a try. Otherwise, obviously, his prediction of starvation would clearly have rapidly come true. Fortunately, that try turned into an empty plate in no time at all!

This dish is Thai-inspired and comes from the 'other love of my life', Judith Finlayson. It appears in her book 'The Healthy Slow Cooker' which I highly recommend.

Spicy Peanut Chicken
Serves 6

1 TBSP extra-virgin coconut oil (or olive oil, if you can't find this)
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP minced gingerroot
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup chicken stock
2 lbs skinless boneless chicken thighs
3 TBSP smooth peanut butter
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 tsp Thai red curry paste
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro/coriander leaves

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat, then add onions, carrots and celery, and cook stirring until carrots are softening (about 7 minutes). Add garlic, ginger and pepper and continue to cook for 1 minute. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.
2. Arrange chicken over bottom of slow cooker stoneware and pour vegetable mixture over the top. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or high for 2.5 hours, by which time, chicken should be cooked.
3. In a bowl, combine peanut butter, lemon juice, soy sauce and red curry paste. Mix well, then add to slow cooker and stir well. Add coconut milk and red pepper and stir again.
4. Cover and cook on high for 20 minutes, or until bell pepper is tender.
5.  Serve over brown rice, garnished with peanuts and cilantro.

The cake at the end of the rainbow

I could at this moment say that this cake is "solid gold", you know the British love puns, but I will resist the temptation. After all, you all know that I will have thought about this play on words, and you can get there on your own ;-)

What I will say is that this is what I call great cake; worthy of a cup of nice English Breakfast tea and a comfy sofa. It is moist, chocolatey, sticky (you'll need a napkin for that lap tray) with a bit of crunch on the top. It also has an orangey tang (no, not an Orangutan, that is something quite different) which is to die for (Orangutans aren't nearly so attractive).

The original recipe came from a special issue of Better Homes and Gardens, which I was flicking through whilst waiting for one of those doctor's appointments that seems to run later than humanly possible, given that the appointment was for 8am. I have tweaked the original recipe slightly, as they use butterscotch chips, but I personally love the combination of chocolate and orange, and chocolate is more widely available (for the original combo just switch out the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips, and it is also pretty delicious. Trust me, I've eaten a lot of it... for err... research purposes!).  I have a friend who baulks at the idea of chocolate with fruit and claims vehemently that "It is just wrong". Well, this cake is a testament to the fact that she is wrong. Sorry darling. There is nothing like the combination of chocolate and orange. Game, set, match.

Chocolate Orange Cake

1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut up
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
Finely shredded/grated peel of one orange (around 1 1/2-2 tsp)
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Put oatmeal in a large bowl and pour over boiling water. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, grease and lightly flour a 9" x 13" pan.
4. Add butter to oatmeal and stir to melt. Then add both sugars and stir to combine.
5. Stir in eggs until combined, then add flour, baking soda, orange peel and salt and mix in.
6. Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips.
7. Pour mixture into prepared tin, spreading evenly, then sprinkle over pecans and remaining chocolate chips.
8. Bake in oven for 40 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Cool in pan before cutting into portions (I usually cut it into 18 or 24 slices, depending on how greedy I'm feeling :-) )

Sunday Roast

There is nothing more traditionally British than a good Sunday roast. It is that time of the week when the whole family sits down together, eats too much, fights over something tactless Aunty June said last summer, argues over who can have the last Yorkshire pudding, and then falls asleep on the sofa in a food-induced stupor.

My mum and my sister are both experts at dishing up such joys (the food, not the arguments :-)) - a beautiful joint of meat slow-roasted in the oven, so that the whole house is fragrant with it, roast potatoes, perfectly crispy on the outside, and fluffy and tender inside, and a whole host of colorful veggies on the side, all topped with lashings of gravy. Yum! Unfortunately, the gene seems to have skipped me. I find roast dinners the hardest thing to cook - everything seems to require a different cooking time, different cooking temperature, and even a different cooking method. The potatoes are a case in point: as much as I love traditional roasties, having to peel them, then boil them, then toss them in oil, then roast them (at a different temperature to the meat.... obviously...). It's all a bit much. I end up losing my temper, stuck in a hot kitchen, and shouting such pleasantries as "DON'T OFFER TO HELP, WILL YOU!", "IF SOMEONE DOESN'T LAY THE TABLE IN A MINUTE, I'M GOING BAN SCREENTIME FOR A WHOLE YEAR" and "OF COURSE I WANT A GLASS OF WINE! WHY DO YOU EVEN HAVE TO ASK. YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND ME....", all whilst sweating profusely, and making the kind of mess in the kitchen that it seems can only be solved by a visit from Ty Pennington and an extreme makeover. None of which is of course conducive to the kind of socialized, convivial, chatty family lunch anyone had in mind.

But there is something very comforting about a roast, so I'm always on the look-out for a solution to my roast-related woes (one that doesn't involve hiring kitchen staff or getting the whole thing catered by Whole Foods). My good friend Beth recently passed on a great recipe (taken from Martha Stewart), which fits the bill perfectly. She even lured me into trying it by claiming it was so straightforward that her family enjoyed it on a weeknight, when time and the possibility of maternal stress-induced meltdowns are only greater in this house.  So I had to try it, didn't I? It is a beautiful dish of pork tenderloin, roasted on a bed of fennel (already sounds good then, since the meat and one of the veggies get cooked together!). I served it up with a 'more streamlined' version of roast potatoes which I came up with. Although non-traditional, these roasties are so much simpler and pretty tasty, if I do say so myself. I've put the roasted potato recipe below as well. I also added a quick saute of zucchini to add some green to the plate.

At this rate, maybe we can have our family roast on a sunday without risk of enduring a full 365 days of lost screentime, or divorce because my husband can't pour the wine fast enough ;-) Beth, we owe you... big time!

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fennel and Garlic
Serves 6

12 cloves garlic, peeled
3 lbs fennel bulbs (about 3-4 bulbs)
3 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper
2 pork tenderloins (about 1 lb each)
1/2 tsp dried oregano

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Remove stalks and fronds from fennel bulbs. Chop and reserve fronds for later. Remove the hard core from the bottom of each bulb, and then cut into eighths.
3. On a large rimmed baking sheet (approximately 15"x11"), toss whole garlic cloves, fennel, 2 TBSP of olive oil and salt and pepper.
4. Roast for 10 minutes.
5. In the meantime, trim pork, then rub with remaining oil, oregano and more salt and pepper.
6. Remove baking sheet from the oven and push fennel and garlic to sides of the sheet. Place tenderloins in the center, and return to the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of pork reads 145 degrees F (temp will rise further while it rests).
7. Transfer fork to a cutting board and leave it to rest for 5-10 minutes before thinly slicing. Serve on top of fennel and garlic. Sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds.

**********

Roast Baby Potatoes with Lemon and Feta
Serves 6

2lbs baby new potatoes, whole, halved or quartered so all same size (approx 3/4" diameter)
2 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper
zest of 1 lemon (plus juice if you want to, see below)
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
4 oz crumbled feta cheese

1. If not cooking with roast above, then preheat oven to 400 degrees F. If cooking with roast, don't fret - they will be fine at 450 degrees, just look for instruction changes below :-)
2. Toss potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Put in oven and roast for 30 minutes at 450 degrees, or 40 minutes at 400 degrees, or until fork tender and starting to get crisp and golden on the outside. (If you are cooking them with the roast pork above, then put them in the oven when you first put the fennel in. They should be ready to come out when the pork comes out.)
4. Remove from the oven and toss potatoes with lemon zest and rosemary. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes (while the pork rests).
5. Remove from the oven and toss with the feta, then serve. If your family are big lemon fans, then sprinkle with the juice of the lemon too before serving.

Going.... going.... gone.