Reverse Engineering

Yesterday, I took a co-worker friend to Baco Mercat for her belated birthday, and one of her choices was a blistered tomato quinoa salad with pecorino, corn, chives and mint. It was delicious, albeit a tad heavyhanded with the salt. What was really intriguing was that the mint was sautéed; the subtle flavor permeated the dish. I told her that I would try to reverse engineer it and create my version for dinner. I mentioned that I had some cooked quinoa on hand, cherry tomatoes from the farmers market, mint, cheese and frozen corn. She demurred, saying that the corn was fresh in the dish we had shared. True, but here's my philosophy, especially when it comes to weeknight cooking: we all know what's ideal, but the key to staying sane is doing the best you can with what you've got in your fridge and pantry at home. There is no need to rush to the store on the way home to pick up one special ingredient. It's about making a delicious, healthy meal in a way that won't be too tiring or overwhelming. There is no requirement out there that you perfectly replicate the restaurant dish you just tried. It's about being inspired by new dishes, by the ideas of others, and then building on that.

So I drove home, pullled the quinoa out of the fridge, broiled the cherry tomatoes with some sea salt and olive oil until they blistered and chopped some mint. I sautéed the mint in some olive oil, added the quinoa, some salt and the rest of the frozen corn I had in the freezer. When the tomatoes were done, I tossed them into the wok along with the tomato juices, and gave the whole thing a quick toss. I looked for some parmesan in the fridge and found some ricotta salata instead and grated some into the mix. Verdict: the girls loved it all but for the tomatoes, which I am still working on with them. Husband pronounced it "excellent!" And I found it to be packed with flavor but delicate at the same time.

I also made some creamed chard and baked some Trader Joe's fish nuggets. Another secret to maintaining my sanity: your dinners can be a mix of homemade and convenience foods. No need to feel pressure to have everything be homemade, sourced locally and be organic. Do the best with what you've got, and it turns out you can have a pretty special meal.