No-Chore Sunday
... and how it went astray
I would like to, but I can't right now. Too much to do, not the right time. I have work to do, Places to be But what if I just flee, And sleep endlessly. Blanket of Words - a crowd-sourced poem about rest and relaxation, incited by NPR Poet in Residence Kwame Alexander The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley From To a Mouse by Robert Burns; taken from The Poetry Foundation site.
Sunday’s to-do list is intentionally short.
Couch-time with Luca
Write
Yard work
NO cooking today, I tell myself. I avoid the market on Saturday, don’t visit the grocery store. I have everything I need. The freezer has plenty of food I prepared over the last few weeks.
As I stretch and look out on the patio, I see a spider web across the back door. The artist hangs, green and glowing in the morning light. I open the door, gently move Arachne and the web to one side of the door frame and step outside. She glares at me.
Back inside, lazily scrolling through my Instagram feed, the algorithm offers up a delicious-looking recipe. I have all the ingredients. It will just take a few minutes. Just a few minutes.
My farmers’ market hauls from last summer and fall are put to good use. The freezer yields fresh ginger cut into a fine julienne, crushed garlic in oil, steamed ridge gourd, sautéed potatoes, green chilies, puréed tomatoes, and cooked popcorn shrimp (store-bought). I soak sesame and poppy seeds in a little water, then grind them to a coarse paste with the ginger and garlic. The dish does come together in minutes but...
… as I transfer it into a storage bowl, my eye falls on the ‘so sweet’ cherry tomatoes that sit on my counter. They look enticing but lack flavor. I slice them up and make my go-to chutney.
“What about a frittata for weekday breakfasts?” my brain asks and off I go, thawing out frozen peas, more sautéed potatoes, stir-fried onions, bell peppers, green beans.
Easy as it is, by the time I finish all that cooking, I am beat. I lie down on the couch and draw a throw over my legs. Luca hops up on my lap - he always knows when I am horizontal.
At six, I fill up the kibble bowls, then head outside to do some yard work. Much to Luca’s disappointment. The pots need a good dose of water. The weeping cherry needs a trim. After their flurries of spring activity, the columbines and aquilegia are going to seed. Without vigorous deadheading, the tiny seeds will disseminate into every pot and take root there.
It’s dark outside when I finally walk into the mud room. Luca sits just outside the door, indignant and loud. So much for a chore-free day. I settle down on the couch with my laptop and manage to publish one post.
Parched, I look everywhere for my water bottle. I left it on the patio bench. When I open the door to fetch it, Arachne is weaving a new web across the door frame, rebuilding the nursery I destroyed.
A week later, she finds a more conducive place for her loom. My comings and goings are intolerable to her.
Ridge Gourd, Potatoes and Shrimp in a Poppy-Seed Sauce
A recipe inspired by this Instagram post from a Northeast Indian kitchen but not entirely faithful to it. I watched several other videos of this recipe, then cobbled together the recipe and added my own twists. Mustard oil is typical of Northeast Indian cuisine. My friend, Vinita, uses it as a garnish and I love the sharp, spicy flavor it imparts.
2 tbsp white poppy seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp finely sliced or julienne ginger
1 tbsp crushed or julienne garlic
2 tbsp peanut or safflower oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds
1 medium potato, coarsely diced
¼ tsp turmeric
1 medium onion, sliced
1 green chili, slit lengthwise
2 medium ridge gourd
1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder or paprika
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp sugar
½ cup tomato purée or sliced tomatoes
½ cup cooked popcorn shrimp
Juice of half a lime
1 tbsp minced cilantro
1 tbsp mustard oil
Add 2 tbsp of water to the sesame and poppy seeds. Set aside for 5 min, then grind to a coarse paste with the ginger and garlic. Set aside.
Trim the ends off the ridge gourd and discard. Shave the ridges off using a peeler and set them aside for ghosale sheere chutney (recipe to come in a future post) then roughly dice the gourds and microwave, a minute at a time, for a total of 3 min until it is tender-crisp. Set aside.
Heat the peanut or safflower oil with the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the potatoes, turmeric and salt. Cover and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender. Add the onions and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent. Add the green chili and continue to stir. Add the ridge gourd and sauté for 2 min, then add the salt, sugar, and Kashmiri chili powder or paprika. Stir in the sesame-poppy-seed-ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes. When the tomatoes cook down, add half a cup of water. Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Add the cooked shrimp and stir for 2 min, then take off the heat. Garnish with cilantro, lime juice and mustard oil.
Vegetable-Filled Breakfast Bake
The idea for this dish originated from an Instagram recipe. To call my version a frittata would be generous. Tasted good, though.
1 stale bread roll, cut into chunks
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp za’atar
2 tbsp sliced onions
2 tbsp sliced leeks
¼ cup each of sliced bell peppers, green beans, peas
¼ cup sliced potatoes
½ tsp salt
½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
¼ tsp turmeric, optional
1 tbsp minced cilantro
½ tsp lemon or lime zest
5 eggs
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp butter
Heat the oven to 350℉.
Toss the bread cubes in the za’atar and 1 tbsp of the oil. Arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 350℉ for 5 - 10 min, until golden. Set aside.
Separately microwave the peas, green beans and bell peppers 1 min at a time, for 2 - 3 min, until the vegetables are tender-crisp. Set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in a pan. Sauté the potatoes, covered, stirring occasionally, until they are tender. Add the onions and leeks. Continue to stir and cook until they turn translucent. Add the cooked peas, beans, bell peppers, season with salt and pepper. Add turmeric, if used, and stir for a few minutes, then take off the heat. Stir in the cilantro and lemon or lime zest.
Beat one egg into the mayonnaise, then beat in the rest of the eggs, one at a time making sure the whites and yolks are completely incorporated. Set aside.
Liberally butter a 7-cup oven-proof glass or porcelain container. Transfer the vegetable mixture and herbed croutons to the container and toss. Pour the egg mixture into the dish. Stir with a fork or chopsticks to distribute everything evenly.
Place the dish in a metal baking pan containing half a cup of water (a bain-marie or, what we chemists call a water bath.) Bake at 350℉ for 20 min.
Tomato Lonchen - recipe in Tamatar, Ek Khoj, a post from the summer of 2023.