Ham Sandwich Indicted!

Skillet-Baked Eggs w/Spinach, from Bon Appetit  (This is their pic, not mine...my camera is on the fritz.) For Christmas this year, my food-obsessed brother-in-law (and partner-in-crime) gave me a copy of Jean-Georges Vongerichten's latest book,  Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes . It's a collection of what are, in all reality, pretty simple recipes that highlight fresh ingredients and can be accomplished with a minimum of time and effort.  The photos are beautifully shot, and the recipes, while occasionally so basic they're obvious (I'm not sure heirloom tomato crostini warrants an actual recipe..), for the most part give creative little twists on elementary concepts.  You definitely can't fault Mr. Vongerichten for his overall concept, though--the presentation of simple, satisfying meals for his friends and family that require few fancy ingredients and no complicated techniques. Take, for example, the dish that apparently pro...

Above is the broccoli I harvested this weekend from my lone plant, below is all that's left. It was turned into a broccoli salad, courtesy of Paula Deen, with a few tweaks. Broccoli Salad by Paula Deen 1 head broccoli, washed, stalk removed, florets cut into bite sized pieces 6 to 8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled 1/2 cup chopped red onion (I used a couple green onions I had on hand) 1/2 cup raisins, optional (no raisins, but I did have some dried cherries, craisins are good, too) 8 ounces sharp Cheddar, cut into very small chunks (I shredded it, and used maybe 3-4 oz) 1 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons white vinegar (or, champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar) 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes Salt and freshly ground black pepper Put chopped broccoli and cherry tomatoes in large bowl. In a small bowl, mix mayo, vinegar, and sugar. Taste to make sure the sweet/sour balance is to your liking. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the bacon, onions, dried fruit, and che...

Now that the Farmer's Market season is once again upon us (hooray!), I've been playing a little game in which I try to make meals with ingredients that I a) already have on hand and b) only get from my Saturday excursions to the North Market. (It's also a fun game to play if you're trying NOT to spend money like a drunken sailor.) Last night, in the spirit of the game, I decided to use the last of the asparagus that I got from Saturday's market, whatever I had in my fridge, and some herbs from my garden and make a 'green' risotto. I love risotto. You can put damn near anything in it and it's delicious--shrimp, chicken, wine, vegetables, cream, cheese.... I remember the first time I think I tried it was my senior year in college (it's amazing, how far the Ham Sandwich has come!), and my then-boyfriend took me to a Valentine's Day dinner in the Italian North End of Boston. I had mushroom risotto and fell in love (with the risotto; unfortunately, no...