Sunnyside Week

Tyler and I leave for Sunnyside after work on Friday to hang with the in-laws and drink lots of wine. So, the Friday challenge will be to have a paleo approved lunch on Friday because a typical "Friday dinner" (seafood)where leftovers probably won't work, is scheduled for Thursday. So, this is a good test or one of those 10 percent times when there's room for a treat. As usual, Friday dinner is a free night out--I love my Friday date nights. Although, this Friday date night dinner will be courtesy of my mother-in-law.

Anyway, it's supposed to be rainy this week, so more comfort food. I think the point has been made as far as breakfasts, snacks and leftovers for lunch. So, I've just put the dinners on the weekly plan.

Sunday

potato leek soup

4 c thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only
4 c chicken broth
2 large russet potatoes, peeled, cut into ½ inch pieces
½ t white pepper
3 strips bacon cut into lardons
¼ c whole milk, half and half or cream
3 T chopped dill

In a dutch oven, sauté bacon until crispy, remove cooked bacon and set aside. Leave all but 2T of bacon fat in the pan. Add the leeks, cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth, potatoes and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Add in milk and bacon. Test for seasonings and add accordingly. Garnish with dill.

Monday

pork with chard

4 pork loin chops
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup golden raisins or dried currants
1 bunch chard, tough stem centers removed (if any) and discarded, greens chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Roughly 1/2 cup dry white wine or water
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the olive oil to the pan and swirl it around. Brown the pork on both sides. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm. To the pan, Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds; the pan should already be hot, so it won't take long for the garlic to begin to brown. Add back the pine nuts, add the currants or raisins and the greens and mix well. Sauté, stirring often, until the greens wilt and begin to give up some of their water, 4-5 minutes.

Sprinkle a little salt and red pepper flakes on the greens. Add the white wine (can substitute water) and add the pork (and all accumulated juices) back to the pan. Toss to combine and let the liquid boil away. Once the liquid boils off, remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tuesday

brats with braised cabbage

4 brats
2T butter
1 onion sliced
1 head of cabbage, quartered and thinly sliced (core removed)
1 tart apple, peeled and grated
1T honey
¼ c red wine
¼ c apple cider vinegar, plus a splash
¼ c water
Salt and pepper

In a medium pot or Dutch oven, cook the onions in the butter over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the apple, honey, wine, vinegar, and water, and bring up to a simmer, stirring. Cover and braise for 30 minutes, stirring once and checking on the texture. Cook a little less for a firmer cabbage; a little more for softer cabbage.
Add a small splash of cider vinegar just before serving.

In the meantime, grill the brats, or brown in a separate skillet or grill pan

Wednesday

chicken with squash/carrots

1 whole chicken cut into pieces (you can buy it this way at the store)
2 zucchini cut into ¼ inch slices
4 carrots cut into ¼ inch slices
2T melted butter
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Melt butter in a dutch oven. Salt and pepper the chicken then brown chicken in dutch oven working batches—don’t clean out! Put into a baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. In the meantime, cut the veg and put into the dutch oven and sauté until cooked. Season with salt and pepper

Thursday

scallops and bok choy

Ginger Butter Sauce (make first)
2T minced shallot
4t minced fresh ginger
¼ c dry white wine
4T cold butter cut into pieces
½ t salt
Pinch of cayenne

In a medium saute pan, combine the shallots, ginger, wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced in by 1/2, about 2 minutes.

Whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, adding each piece before the previous piece has been completely incorporated. Continue until all the butter is incorporated and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, removing the pan from the heat periodically to prevent the sauce from getting too hot and breaking. Whisk in the salt, and cayenne. If you want a smooth sauce, strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pan. Cover to keep warm while cooking the scallops.

10 diver scallops
4 heads baby bok choy
1 shallot
2t minced garlic
1t minced ginger
6 oz sliced mushrooms (shitake, cremini, white, whatever)
½ c chicken stock or water
Salt and pepper

In a large saute pan, heat 1t olive oil and 1t of sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the bok choy stems and mushrooms and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the bok choy leaves, stock and salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until wilted and the liquid is nearly evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

In a large clean saute pan or skillet, heat the remaining 2T butter over medium-high heat. Add the scallops in batches and sear on the first side for about 2 minutes, then turn and cook for about 1 minute on the second side.

Arrange the bok choy mixture in the center of plates. Arrange the scallops on top and drizzle with the ginger butter sauce. Garnish with chives and serve immediately.

Grocery List:

2 large leeks
2 cartons chicken broth
2 large russet potatoes
bacon
whole milk, half and half or cream
dill
4 pork loin chops
1 bulb garlic
golden raisins or dried currants (unless you have some from last week)
1 bunch chard
1 bottle dry white wine
4 brats
butter
1 onion
1 head of cabbage
1 tart apple
honey
1 bottle red wine
apple cider vinegar
1 whole chicken cut into pieces (you can buy it this way at the store)
2 zucchini
4 carrots
2 shallots
2 pieces ginger
10 diver scallops
4 heads baby bok choy
6 oz mushrooms (shitake, cremini, white, whatever)
Apples
Pears
Nuts
Pluots or plums
8 fage 2% greek yogurts