What I'm eating this week


I've got a queue of food articles I'm working on, but I can't seem to concentrate right now. It might be the football on TV. In the meantime, I thought it would be good if I started posting my weekly menu here on the blog. I've had a lot of back and forth with people about cooking while busy, and I notice that I haven't always done a good job explaining exactly how I cook given my relatively limited time. So after I plan my dinner menu for the week on Saturday, I'll try to post it here.

2 nights - Coq au Vin - I got a free bottle of red wine this week (don't ask!), and I like chicken, so I'm going to put together a chicken stew of mushrooms, bony farm raised poultry, wine, and various herbs. It'll serve for two nights of dinner, with rice the first night and buttery hot noodles the second.

1 night - Mushroom risotto - I also got a bottle of white wine this week. It isn't that great to drink (too fruity a chardonnay), but it should soak nicely into arborio rice. So I'm going to roast some mushrooms in oil and thyme, and add them to risotto made with the wine and some of that wonderful organic boxed chicken stock. Of course, it'll be finished off with butter and imported parmesan.

1 night - Risotto fritters - There ought to be some leftover risotto. After a night in the fridge, I'll form it into small patties, dip in egg and some flour or breadcrumbs, and fry in generous amounts of olive oil.

1 night - Braised endive - This is one of those wonderful but simple country meals the French do so well - all you need to do is put some endive in a thick bottomed pan smeared with butter, and then cook it for 40 minutes on low heat. After some cream and lemon to make a light sauce, you're done. Rice or bread to accompany.