Stewey

I love a good one-pot meal. Especially on weeknights, when I really don't have the time to futz around with high-maintenance food.

I discovered this stew on the Food and Wine Magazine website and adapted it to be less fattening and speedier than the original. You can go from grocery bag to table in about 35 minutes, most of which is unattended. So go ahead, open your mail and water your houseplants.

Chickpea Stew with Spinach and Shrimp
Adapted from this recipe at Food and Wine

The original version of this recipe called for dried chickpeas, but I didn't have that kind of time on my hands this week, so I used the canned variety. The original also called for chorizo instead of shrimp, but the shrimp lighten up the stew and reduce the cooking time.

1/8 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Vidalia onion (or any small yellow onion), finely diced
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
1 bay leaf
One 28-ounce can Italian tomatoes, chopped, 1 cup juice reserved
1 cup of water
2 15-ounce cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
8 large shrimp, cleaned and peeled with the tails left on
2 packed cups of spinach, thick stems discarded
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium-sized, enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, onion, rosemary and bay leaf and cook over moderate heat until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, their juice, and the water and cook over moderately high heat until sizzling, about 4 minutes. Add the chickpeas, cumin, and paprika and simmer for 20 minutes.

Five minutes before serving, stir in the spinach and cook until wilted. Turn off the heat and stir in the shrimp, then cover the pot and let it stand, undisturbed, for 4 minutes. Peek in on the shrimp at this point; they should be pink and tender. Season with salt and pepper, then serve in 4 soup bowls, arranging two shrimp in each.

Serves: 4

Because It's Not Winter Yet

Your plate has been pretty full lately. All of these pumpkin tarts, acorn squash risottos, and fried apples must be elbowing each other for more room.

Autumn is terrific, it really is. After the fresh corn and tomatoes of late summer disappear, I love scooping mouthfuls of pie and whipped heavy cream from a bowl. I love the richness of toasted pecans and roasted hard squashes. And nothing beats fresh cranberry sauce.

Love the puckery taste of cranberries. Love it.

However, I find that I tend to overindulge in these offerings during the month of October. After several weeks of filling my shopping cart with cello-shaped squashes and bright apples, I need a breather.

Perhaps you feel the same way. How about something on the lighter side for lunch today? Let's make soup.

I found this version of stracciatella in last year's December issue of Food and Wine Magazine. Have some; you'll find that you have enough room for a few bites of sweet dessert later on.

Spinach and Egg-Drop Pasta Soup
Adapted from this Tom Valenti recipe in Food and Wine Magazine

1/2 pound tubetti, ditali or other small pasta
2 quarts chicken stock
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5 ounces baby spinach
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
Extra-virgin olive oil and lemon wedges, for drizzling

Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well.

In a saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer with the garlic; simmer for 3 minutes. Add the pasta and spinach and cook over moderate heat until the spinach wilts. Season with salt and pepper. Gently stir in the eggs, breaking them into long strands. Gently simmer the soup until the eggs are just firm, about 1 minute. Stir in the 1/2 cup of cheese. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with olive oil and serve, passing lemon wedges and more cheese on the side.

Payday Gnocchi

Now here is something I did not know.

Gnocchi, one of my favorite meals, has its own day of the month in Argentina. Ñoquis del 29 is what it's called.

The day is so-named because traditionally, the 29th day of each month was the day before payday for most people, which meant that it was a day on which people had little money in their pockets. Gnocchi was celebrated as an inexpensive way to have a hearty meal on a day that had nothing else going for it.

A hot bowl of gnocchi is my favorite meal-on-the-go; the gourmand's version of fast food. It's my go-to on the nights when I have an evening event or meeting. This is because I rarely make gnocchi from scratch.

Buying it pre-packaged and vacuum-sealed, I'll rip open that plastic pouch, dump the lot into a pot of boiling water, and let it go for 3 minutes. I'll chop an onion, smash a clove of garlic, and dump a 15-ounce can of fire-roasted tomatoes and a handful of dried herbs into a second pot, heating the whole thing to a simmer. Once the gnocchi float to the top of the boiling water in pan #1, I'll drain them, then add them to the sauce in pan #2 for another 2-4 minutes. Into a plate it goes, and ta-da: fast food. Off to my meeting.

My experiences making gnocchi from scratch have been crummy. I end up with potato crusting my counter-tops, flour smeared on the floor and--the worst--lumpy gnocchi.

I'm sure this is a sign that I need to keep working at it. I will muster the energy to try again soon, but until then, I'm sticking with the pre-packaged stuff.

Today's gnocchi recipe is a good summer feast and is nearly as fast as my tomato-based fast food sauce. In spite of the fact that the sauce is built upon a smooth foundation of heavy cream (a very little heavy cream, folks), it is a light, citrus-y dish with bright green spinach and sweet peas at the forefront of the palate.

Speaking of palates, Steve and I drank a $7.00 Domaine Du Pouy with this dish and it paired beautifully with the citrus and cream. Economical and tasty, it's an appropriate way to toast an upcoming payday.

I have adjusted the proportions a bit to suit my own taste, and reduced the amount so that it serves two people. If you would like the original recipe, which is portioned for four people, it is available at Epicurious.


Lemon Gnocchi with Spinach and Peas
Adapted from Gourmet, December 2007

1/2 cup frozen baby peas (not thawed)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, smashed
3 cups packed baby spinach (3 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (I love Meyer lemons, but regular lemons will do the job, too)
1/2 pound dried gnocchi (I use whole wheat)
2 tablespoons grated parmesan

Simmer peas with cream, red-pepper flakes, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 12-inch heavy skillet, covered, until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add spinach and cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, stirring, until wilted. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and juice.

Meanwhile, cook gnocchi in a pasta pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain gnocchi.

Add gnocchi to sauce with cheese and some of reserved cooking water and stir to coat. Thin with additional cooking water if necessary.

Serves: 2 people on ñoquis del 29