February 2024 Archives

If you’re one of the millions of lovebirds who embrace Valentine’s Day, you are no doubt in the throes of trying to decide just what to do this year that will be fun and unusual and romantic.

May I put in a vote? Don’t go out.

It’s Restaurant Goer 101 that Valentine’s Day is among the worst days of the year to eat out, and I have a much, much better idea for you: stay cooped up at home, and cook something simple but delicious.

My menu suggestion would be:

• Start with beet hummus: it’s super easy, it’s pink, and you can spread it on little toasts or cucumber slices for one another;
• Move on to spatchcocked chicken: it’s a fun performance-style recipe to make together, the resulting chicken is finger-licking good, plus there’s something ever-so-slightly suggestive about the name, and the way the chicken is splayed out in the pan (made you click!). Serve with a green salad to keep things easy and light — just be sure to check your teeth afterward;
• Finish the meal with my three-ingredient French hot chocolate.

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I am ordinarily immune to the pre-holiday rush everyone talks about. I am not in charge of cooking an elaborate Christmas meal (I contribute but don’t host), I don’t attend a trillion holiday functions, and we don’t go crazy with the presents in my family, so the lead-up to the holidays isn’t significantly busier than other times of the year.

For some reason though, the end of this year has felt particularly intense. Not with holiday-related stuff, but with various work projects I was striving to complete before taking a little time off to cuddle up at the foot of the Christmas tree and sip hot cocoa while humming Petit Papa Noël (you’re welcome).

Few people actually take the time to make their own spiced and roasted nuts, yet they are so much tastier homemade than store-bought.

Of course, when you’re a freelancer, having a lot of work is something to rejoice — not complain — about, but what it means is that I have had zero time to get my act together and prepare edible gifts as I aspire to.

Fortunately I have a few tricks up my sleeve, and just a couple of days ago I decided I was going to be giving little bags of the chipotle cumin roasted almonds I’ve been making for myself (and love love loving) lately.

They are a great example of something simple and easy that is still absolutely lovely to receive: few people actually take the time to make their own spiced and roasted nuts, yet they are so much tastier homemade than store-bought. They disappear in an instant when you offer them with a pre-dinner cocktail, and I also love to nibble on them in the afternoon, or chop them coarsely and add them to my lunch salads.

So if you’re sitting here wondering whether there’s still time to whip something up before the gift-giving commences, chances are there is: all you need is a handful of pantry ingredients and half an hour.

And if you want more edible gift ideas, here is a selection from the Chocolate & Zucchini archives:

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Last week my dear friend Florence tweeted a link to Nadya Andreeva’s ayurvedic blog Spinach and Yoga*, and her recipe for yellow lentil and squash soup caught my eye straight away.

I love a good soup of lentils, but I don’t think I’d ever thought to pair their meaty earthiness with the sweet, soft flesh of winter squash. This version was especially appealing for its use of fresh ginger and spices — cumin, coriander, turmeric — and I had just about everything I needed to make it.

I thought I’d be clever and use lentils of three different colors; in the end they all turned the same shade of brown.

What little I know about ayurvedic cuisine is that it’s strictly vegetarian, but I took the liberty of using the super fragrant fish stock I’d made the day before, using the bones and head of a roasted sea bream purchased at Terroirs d’Avenir’s sustainably-sourced fish stall on the increasingly foodie-friendly rue du Nil.

Another change I made to the original recipe was in fact inspired by the stock photo that illustrated it: the tell-tale milky sheen indicated the use of coconut milk, which the recipe itself didn’t include, yet I knew it would make the soup even tastier.

I also thought I’d be clever and use lentils of three different colors, green, pink, and yellow. In the end they all turned the same shade of green-brown, but I’m certain the variety of textures had a hand in making this the most wowing soup I’ve made in a while.

Join the conversation!

Have you ever dabbled at ayurvedic cooking? And what’s been your winner soup recipe this winter?

* Coincidentally, I see that Nadya Andreeva is just releasing a book this week, called Happy Belly.

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