the hungry bambino: thick as pea soup

thick as pea soup

By Sarah Monday, March 11, 2013 dinner menus, greens, recipes, salads, weekly menus, winter cooking

the wild klein boys

We had a great weekend for it being SO gross outside - the weather was cold, rainy and grey. Fog rolled in and out both days and we spent a lot of time running around our basement playroom. We had some good, head- and booty-shaking dance parties and there may have been some delicious pastries on Sunday morning to offset the dreaded time change.

Dinners were a team effort this weekend, with both Mr. Klein and me tackling the prep. The boys have been playing so nicely together that it actually allows us to collaborate in the kitchen (like the good old days :).

Chris LOVES salads - the heartier the better, so Saturday night we made Parmesan-coated chicken breast paillards with homemade Caesar salad. I went all-out on the dressing (even coddling the eggs, which was a first for me!). I have to say, it was pretty good. Chris said he could have eaten the whole bowl of salad himself and even Rhys ate a good helping of the greens (shocked!). He, of course, had ketchup with the chicken :)

Caesar salad adapted heavily from marc bittman's how to cook everything

Ingredients
1/2 a clove of garlic, chopped roughly
2 anchovy fillets or 2 tbs. anchovy paste
dash of Worcester sauce
2 eggs
2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice (regular lemons work too)
6 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup finely grated parmigiano reggiano
One head of romaine lettuce, cleaned, dried and torn into pieces

Directions:
Bring a small sauce pan of water to boil; with a pin, poke of broad end of each egg. Drop the egg carefully into the water for 60-90 seconds. Remove and carefully crack the eggs into a blender or tall measuring cup. Add the garlic, lemon juice, anchovies and Worcester sauce. Using an immersion blender (or regular blender), blend the ingredients until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. With blender running, slowly add the olive oil until the dressing thickens and becomes viscous. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Dress the salad, coating evenly with the dressing; add the parmigiano and serve with crispy chicken breast paillards, grilled chicken breasts or croutons.

Here's what we're eating this week ...

Menu: week of 9 March 2013
Saturday: Chicken Parmesan paillards with Caesar salad
Sunday: Split-pea soup with smoked pork shank and Yukon-gold potatoes
Monday: Impossible ham and cheese quiche from Cook's Illustrated
Tuesday: Winter pizza margarita with apple-fennel salad
Wednesday: Eggs poached in tomato sauce with crusty bread
Thursday: Pasta with sauteed Italian sausage, green cabbage and fresh ricotta
Friday: Fish tacos with avocado crema and shaved cabbage

Happy eating, -s.

dinner menus, greens, recipes, salads, weekly menus, winter cooking

About the Author

Sarah Klein

Author, cook, entertainer and world-class eater of delicious food, Sarah Klein began The Hungry Bambino as a way to capture her evolution as a mother and cook. Sarah's greatest passion is to cook for those she loves; so if you're invited to dinner, you know you're special. When Sarah's not cooking up a storm, she's managing a successful career, playing with her due bambini, rearranging the furniture in her house, or tackling a challenging trail run. She does this all with her partner in crime and best friend and favorite person to cook for: her husband, Chris, or Mr. Klein, as referred to on this blog.