Note: During this time, I am trying to post more regularly in the hopes that in my small way, I can help people cope with a crisis. As I usually do – through food. I am trying to fulfill the requests for pantry-focused meals that are wholesome to the mind and the body. You can find all the recipes here. Wishing everyone all the very best from NYC!
Eating in quarantine is…interesting. Much has been made of and written about the vacillations between wanting comfort and joy from food, and pursuing (often in contrast) food’s health-giving promise. Yesterday, I ate two plain hotdogs and macaroni and cheese from a box for lunch. I blamed my toddler, and he did indeed find it thrilling. But, really, it was all me. I wanted it. I asked my husband to make it (back-to-back Zooms; thanks, Mr. English!). And I ate it.
So, dinner needed to be better.
I love vegetables. Simple sentence and simple truth. I kind of appreciate that you can’t just throw vegetables under the broiler, like a hot dog, and expect them to hide behind fat and salt and magically become something irresistible (to me or to toddlers). They need a bit of thought – but not too much effort – to reach their full potential.
Here, a whole head of cauliflower is simply roasted with olive oil, salt, and pepper – left alone to become crisp on top, melting in the middle. To go with it, I whiz up a simple sauce in the blender of tahini, yogurt, lemon, and herbs. THAT IS IT. The result is a stunning centerpiece vegetable star afloat in a sea of creamy, dreamy tahini. I can see myself making versions of this weekly. If only I can find more tahini….
Roasted Whole Cauliflower with Creamy Green Tahini
serves 2 – 4
INGREDIENTS
1 “jumbo” cauliflower
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup tahini
6 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 cup of loosely packed fresh herbs (I use chives, flat-leaf parsley, and mint; cilantro would work well too)
1 small clove of garlic, grated (this is optional; I don’t love raw garlic, so I omit, but I can see the appeal)
Juice of 1 lemon
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Trim the base off the cauliflower and place it on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Rub the oil and seasoning all over the exterior of the cauliflower. Place in the oven to roast for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until a knife can easily piece through to the core of the cauliflower and the crown is golden.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Add the tahini; yogurt; herbs; garlic, if using; lemon juice; and 4 tablespoons of water to a blender. Season with salt and pepper and whiz up. You may need an additional 2 tablespoons of water to get the creamy texture you want.
Pour the sauce onto the bottom of a plate and arrange the cauliflower on top. You can drizzle with olive oil and scatter on some fresh herbs if you feel fancy. Cut into quarters with a big knife and eat one or two (or two and a half, as I did last night).
In our family, we are HUGE fans of l’apero, or the early evening snack and drink combo commonly observed in France. Sometimes it’s just olives and a glass of cool seltzer, but it must be observed. In my mother’s house, this is served every evening around five o’clock; even the dog gets his special carrots. She just left Asheville, one of the greatest food towns I have ever been to, and there was one “apero” snack that we actually got not at home when we were there: these crispy, fried chickpeas with yogurt at my favorite pizza place, 
My friends and family and especially my husband like to poke fun at me (that’s what I am calling it) for my inability to compromise. I want both, is almost always my answer to any choice, difficult or easy.
I spoke to one of my best friends today. She is a mother, a doctor – so incredibly busy, and we have been talking for a long time about recipes that are healthy and doable that she could make for her family instead of ordering takeout. We had been chatting about the possibilities of my 
I spent a few moments this morning counting my cans.
People have been requesting pantry recipes as online delivery and trips to the store have become more harrowing, and I have to say, this is my husband’s and my favorite dinner even when we are not forced to figure out what to do with dried beans. To give you context, I’d say we eat Salvatore Beans about once a week under normal circumstances.
Moving into week three of staying at home, and it has me daydreaming, planning of all the vacations I am going to take, all the restaurants I am going to sit in, all the sunny skies I will bask under. Can you imagine – travel?! I was remembering a trip to Lake Cuomo with Mr. English, where the dramatic steep slopes of the mountains around the lake feel somewhat like the walls closing in on my small NYC apartment, although with much more grandeur and greenery. When we were there, we went to this local Italian place (we were told Clooney is a regular, though I swear that’s not why we went) night after night. They had this pulled lamb ragu over handcrafted whole grain wide wheat noodles. Because I personally love using whole wheat pasta (you don’t have to!), I was vindicated seeing it used for flavor and texture, rather than just wholegrain health, but real Italians.
The original pasta from Italy – amazing.
