Something old is new again

Penny used a phrase awhile ago that has really stuck with me: "good to the bottom of my belly".  I think that is a wonderful way to mark a truly satisfying meal.

After a week of restaurant food on my holiday, I was dreaming of wholesome home cooked meals & to satisfying my cravings for menus that included lots of vegetables, grains, and meat-on-the bone.  "Good to the bottom of my belly" meals.
 

Mostly after a full day at work I go to quick & easy, tried & true, but this week I was looking forward to adding a few new twists. Rainbow chard & kale was a nice change from the regular spring mix greens. Preserved lemon added a citrus punch to the grains. Roasting veggies I would normally pan fry (brussel sprouts); boiling something I would normally bake (garlic, turnips); grating potatoes to include in quiche. Something old is new again.

Prepping and cooking ahead definitely helped! Made the bolognese on Sunday; marinaded and cooked the chicken ahead on Tuesday/Wednesday.

Bon Appetit and the LCBO Winter 2015 edition inspired the menu. I would make any of these meals again.

• Sunday: beer braised short ribs and root vegetable tarte tatin and and fresh chard/savoy kale salad.
• Monday:  spiced lamb chops with mint jelly and barley risotto with swiss chard and preserved lemon and fresh chard/savoy kale salad.
• Tuesday: Mushroom beef barley soup (Can't find the recipe online, but what I liked about this was browning the mushrooms in butter first, then adding the celery and shallots, then stock, then bring to boil and add barley.  simmer for an hour
• Wednesday: Paparadelli Bolognese
• Thursday: Chinese Chicken Salad, Kung Pao Brussel Sprouts; Miso Glazed Turnips
• Friday: Chinese Chicken Salad Redux (This was from the LCBO Winter 2015 edition, not yet available online... what I liked about this was marinading and then cooking ahead. It made for a main-dish meal, easy to assemble with minimum fuss)
• Saturday:  Quiche. Not recipe but a meld of several. Included bacon, mushroom, carmelized onion, roasted garlic & gruyere. Tried a few 'new' techniques. Grating raw potato & then squeezing out the moisture & pan frying; boiling garlic cloves for a couple of minutes before sauteing & browning in butter & then slicing. Delicious combo of flavours, served alongside colourful greens with oranges and a dollop of Greek yogurt.