Posted by Meg
Some folks give Hump Day a bad rap. Personally, it’s one of my favorites. By the time Wednesday is over, you’re closer to the weekend than not. The Anacostia Farmer’s Market is open. But most importantly, the Washington Post and New York Times dining and food sections come out. Between the two: the most fun I can have with $1.35. I have the option to read them online, but I won’t. It’s a totally ritualistic thing for me to go down to Trover on the Hill and buy my papers. Like St. Exupery says, “Il faut des rites.”
In other news, I made salt and pepper salmon, tomato and mozerella salad, and Boyfriend Mashed Potatos last night. Cassie (of pizza fame) sent me a pasta sauce recipe this morning:
“All you do is slice up one fennel bulb and one shallot. Saute those in olive oil for a few minutes then add a pinch of sugar, 1.25 cups of tomato sauce and 1t. oregano. Simmer on low heat for 10-12 minutes and then toss with 8 oz. penne and serve with crumbled bleu cheese on top. It was fantastic and fantastically simple.” I think I’ll try it next week!
Today, I’m considering going to the Bed, Bath and Beyond after work for a citrus juicer thing on a stick. You know, those wooden ones? But, I could just as easily go home and make curry. We’ll see.
Posted by Meg
I am beyond tardy with this regailing of deliciousness, but last Saturday Boyfriend Patrick and I went to eat dinner at our friend from work (and also from school, for me) Cassie’s place. She makes some of the best pizza dough I have ever had, and her toppings are nothing sort of genius. You’re looking at a pineapple gorgonzola pizza, a shitake mushroom and goat cheese pizza and a Mexican pizza, all to die for (or at least ask for seconds over).
I have the pizza dough recipe, and it’s coming later. It’s written on a scrap that’s been buryed under Gourmet magazine subscription cards and old New Yorkers–I plan on tearing my house apart to find it over the weekend. The dough makes a thin crust, but not a crispy one. It’s still very light, very doughy, but very supportive.
Cassie and her boyfriend, Jason, are vegetarians, so they need a firmer crust to hold up all those veggies, all that tofu. Who knew alternative protein sources could be so weighty? As much as I love the produce, they introduce me to new veggies all the time. They’re also big cheese people–I’m a cheese whore myself. It all works out.
I didn’t go over empty handed. I made the best pico ever, boiled some yucca, and make a yogurt, lime, cilantro dipping sauce (which consists of exactly what it says it does, in whatever quantities you’d like). I imagine we’ll be doing this again in the near future, but next time, I’ll squeeze everyone into my tiny apartment. Ha, perhaps we’ll have small plates.