A Month of Sundays

Sunday is fast becoming my favorite day of the week. It is the one morning I can sleep in as long as I don't feel to pressured to get in a run or ride early. It is a day of having people hanging about working in their yards or watching the kids play in the street. It's a day of partly ignoring the to-do list and partly working through it. Sometimes procrastination can be productive in spite of itself.

I woke up this morning to the insistent whine of the pager letting me know someone else wasn't having such a restful morning. My packet sitting on the dining table called me to do what I "should" be doing. I paid attention to the pager and ignored the packet. Guy was already out in the garage making sawdust and noise. I'm sure much more productive things were going on out there but if I acknowledge them I won't have any excuses to make him do dishes.

I opened the fridge and took out the last of the farm fresh milk we were trying this week. I brewed up a nice latte to start my day. I thought I'd drink it while washing spinach and then go for my bike ride. I know, washing spinach doesn't seem like a typical Sunday task. It is now. We bought a share in a local organic farm and are getting bags of yummy veggies. Trouble is we are often too busy to eat them all. This week's veggies were picked up on Tuesday - two kinds of radishes, 3 heads of lettuce (green, red, and butter), 1 bunch garlic leaves, 1 bunch chives, 1 bunch garlic chives, 1 bunch cilantro, 1 bunch parsley, 3 lbs of spinach. The hadn't been touched. Last week's veggies weren't all gone either though they had been cleaned and stored in paper towels in the crisper drawer.

I have learned that the produce does best if left in a breathable cloth bag without washing the dirt off, even if it is damp to begin with. Once washed, it needs to be eaten quickly. This week we are trying those "green bags" as seen on TV at the suggestion of a friend. The lettuce and the best of the spinach is divided into a large bag of salad for each of us and some was given to the neighbor for a dinner she is attending tonight. The less-nice spinach has been tucked neatly with zucchini, yellow squash and red sauce between lasagna noodles and layers of mozzerella. A bit of it got tossed into potato kale soup which will be sprinkled with grated gruyere. All of the bell peppers have been stewed into Ropa Viejo with a rump roast for Guy to eat for lunches. And leftover forbidden and brown rice was tossed in with an ailing sweet potato that was sauteed in curry powder and then doused with broth. A few shrimp found their way into that dish and it will provide lunches for me.

Now that I don't have any more cooking to do for the day and have used up all of the veggies, the packet is calling once again. I avoided it a little longer on a bike ride but I'm getting in better shape and the ride gives me less of a reprieve from the reading. I know, a nice shower... that'll be much more enjoyable than reading... and then, I must.

I think, if I could have a month of Sundays it would be a beautiful thing.

Ropa Viejo

To make this dish, I thinly sliced a medium onion and put it in the bottom of the crock. I put in 2 bell peppers, any color, sliced and one package of green chiles (this was ½ package of dynamite chiles) and sprinkled about 2 Tablespoons of cumin on top. I took a beef rump roast (the cut doesn’t really matter) and cut it into 4 large pieces just so it would fit. I poured 2 cans of diced tomatoes on top and cooked it on high for 4 hours. Guy turned it down onto low for about another 2 hours and it was done.

Potato Kale Soup with Gruyere

I took a recipe from a friend and modified it slightly to use the abundance of fresh greens in my refrigerator. I did not have 6 cups of kale but did have some braising greens in addition to a smaller amount of kale. I also had some spinach wilting in the crisper drawer so I added it also. The spinach definitely overpowers the kale so I’d suggest using one or the other. It was quite tasty but with just one or the other would be better. Remember to chop the kale and other greens. It is difficult to eat this if you don’t.

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
* 1 bunch garlic leaves, chopped
* 1 bunch chives, chopped
* 2 quarts chicken broth
* 4 cups coarsely chopped Yukon gold potato (about 1 1/2 pounds)
* 1 sprig rosemary, minced
* 6 cups chopped fresh kale (about 3/4 pound)
* 4 springs thyme leaves
* 9 tablespoons (about 2 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
* Fresh chives
* Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic leaves and chives; cook until fragrant and tender, stirring frequently.Stir in broth, potato, fresh ground pepper, and herbs; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until potato is tender. Partially mash potatoes with a potato masher.

Stir in kale and basil. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until kale is tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with cheese and chives.