Shopping List: Top-Your-Own Spuds, Savory French Toast, and I Made a Pastrami
The Family Plan #65
My friends, last week I made a pastrami. From scratch. I wasn’t aware that was something a person could do. (Paid subscribers already know this, but they don’t know how it turned out.) It’s kind of a cockamamie idea, one I only considered because my supremely picky (and yet somehow also a foodie) kid suggested it might be fun. As pandemic cooking projects go, it was kinda perfect.
Two weekends ago I bought a five-pound brisket. I also got special curing salt, smoked salt, and several different whole spices, all of which went into a brine for the brisket—over the course of the week it spent in my fridge, that brisket became corned beef. Then on Saturday I took a special trip to Greenpoint, where the Polish bakeries make killer rye bread and you can get a pickle so sour, you’ll be gulping water for days. When I returned I coated the corned beef in a hearty mixture of coarsely ground pepper, coriander and mustard seeds, and more smoked salt. That turned it into pastrami, ready for cooking.
I borrowed the cooking method from Leite’s Culinaria’s recipe, then refrigerated the pastrami overnight. On Sunday, I took things a step further, chasing the luscious quality you get at Katz’s on the Lower East Side. I steamed that baby for an hour before serving. Oh, and I also decided to try my hand at potato knishes, with a recipe from Joan Nathan’s Jewish Cooking in America.
Can I just say: HOLY COW that was totally worth it. Those fresh spices, whoa they had zing. We feasted on pastrami sandwiches and potato knishes on Sunday, and again last night. (Well, my husband and I ate knishes—my pastrami-loving picky eater wouldn’t touch them.) Now I’ve got spare knishes in the freezer, and enough curing salt and spices to make at least three more pastramis. I’ll wait a little while, though, since a person can only eat so much of it. But not too long.
Here’s the menu for next week:
MONDAY: Stovetop Tuna (or Just) Orzo Casserole with Broccoli from The Kitchn. It’s quick and creamy, all cooked in one pan—perfect for a busy weeknight. Got picky eaters? Pull out some of the orzo/broccoli mixture before adding the tuna. Vegetarians, leave out the tuna completely and add more cheese—fontina or gruyere would be nice. You’ll wind up with stovetop mac & cheese with broccoli.
TUESDAY:
Easy Baked Potato Bar from Taste of Home. This is a no-recipe night—the link will take you to an article that includes instructions for baking potatoes in a slow cooker, oven, or Instant Pot, as well as suggestions for toppings. A picky eater special! Everybody gets to make their own combo. Bake extra potatoes for Thursday. NOTE: I’m only including the potatoes in the shopping list, since the toppings are so variable. Don’t forget to add your choices.
WEDNESDAY: Vegan Coconut Lentil Soup from Bon Appetit with crusty bread. One pot, pantry staples, interesting flavors: A perfect February soup for dinner. My picky son won’t go near this, so he’ll be having bread and cheese—keep that in mind if your kids are similarly, um, discerning.
THURSDAY: Shepherd’s Pie from Martha Stewart OR Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie from Budget Bytes. Mash Tuesday’s baked potatoes with some butter and milk (and any plain Greek yogurt you have left from last night) and you’ve got the topping for your pie. Meat-eaters, your version is super simple, using frozen mixed vegetables. Vegetarians, your option is only a little bit more time-consuming. Either way, you’re eating in under an hour.
FRIDAY:
Savory French Toast from Rachael Ray. That bread you bought early in the week is perfectly stale by now—this dinner-worthy French toast is just right to use it up. The recipe is flexible, with instructions for the French toast itself and three different options to top it (that’s cherry tomato/basil/balsamic in the picture). I’ll let you choose the one that appeals to you, which means I’m only including ingredients for the French toast down below. Make sure to add your topping ingredients to the shopping list.
Here’s the shopping list:
As always, items marked with an asterisk * are for the vegetarian option.
Produce
2 medium & 1 large onions (M, W, Th)
7-8* cloves garlic (W, Th)
1 (3-inch) piece ginger (W)
6 large or 8 medium russet potatoes (T, Th)
1 broccoli crown, about 12 oz. (M)
3 carrots* (Th)
2 ribs celery* (Th)
8 oz. button mushrooms* (Th)
Pantry
Dried thyme (M, Th, F)
Curry powder (W)
Cayenne pepper (W)
Smoked paprika* (Th)
Nutmeg (F)
1 1/2 cups orzo (M)
1 (5- to 7-oz.) can or jar tuna (M)
Virgin coconut oil or other neutral oil (W)
1 (13.5-oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk (W)
1 cup split red lentils (W)
1 (15-oz.) can lentils OR 1/2 cup dried lentils, optional* (Th)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (W)
1 (15-oz.) can crushed OR diced OR whole tomatoes (W)
Tomato paste* (Th)
Ketchup (Th)
All-purpose flour (Th)
1 cup vegetable broth* (Th)
Meat Counter
1 lb. ground beef chuck (Th)
Dairy
Butter (M, Th, F)
3 cups milk (not nonfat), (M, Th)
1 cup half-and-half or heavy cream (F)
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan (M, F)
4 oz. additional melting cheese, like gruyere or fontina* (M)
1 (6-oz.) container plan Greek yogurt (W, Th)
6 large eggs (F)
Bakery
1 large or 2 smaller loaves peasant or country bread (W, F)
Freezer
1 (10-oz.) box frozen spinach (W)
1 (10-oz.) box frozen mixed vegetables (Th)
1 cup frozen peas* (Th)
On Saturday, paying subscribers will get the details on how it all comes together.
Stay safe, be kind, wash your hands, and wear a mask.
Debbie