Back before the summer imploded, Ella turned 10. There were burgers. There was a ballgame. There was another cake by Kory.
lisa
About lisa
Lisa is the author of the award-winning memoir, A Double Life: Discovering Motherhood, which was an National Book Critics Circle Top-10 Independent Press Pick for 2011. With Caroline, she's the co-founder of Learning to Eat and co-editor of The Cassoulet Saved our Marriage: True Tales of Food, Family, and How We Learn to Eat. She holds an MA in creative writing, a PhD in English and has taught literature and creative writing widely, most recently in the MFA Program at the University of San Francisco.
Posts by Lisa Harper:
Books and Bentos
The best part of a morning spent buying and selling books? Lunch with your new find.
Finn + Zita the Space Girl.
Kale Salad with Poached Egg and Anchovy
You will have to trust me here, this recipe without a picture. Some months ago, Caroline fed me this delicious salad. Then, I’d been reading Dash and Bella, one of the terrific writers contributing to our forthcoming book, whose love of the irresistible umami of anchovies (and salt, and garlic) seeps into your own cooking life, making you lament that you’ve gone so many weeks, months even, without mashing up some for yourself. I figured it was time I jumped on the kale salad wagon. I started with this recipe, subtracted a few ingredients, tweaked the dressing, and layered on some new things, ending with a poached egg, which Phyllis Grant knows makes anything better. We’ve eaten this salad now–okay Kory and I have eaten it, the kids being not quite convinced it’s edible–four times for dinner. But I still haven’t managed to get a good picture.
Kale Salad with Poached Egg and Anchovies
- one bunch curly kale
- pine nuts
- Parmesan cheese
- a handful of fingerling or baby Yukon gold potatoes
- eggs, one per person serving
- anchovies, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces. Use a good, jarred variety, one per person or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 7 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Combine olive oil, vinegars, salt and honey. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
- Cut ribs out of kale, and then cut leaves into small, bite-sized pieces
- Toss kale with a small amount of salt and dressing to lightly coat. Let sit 15-20 minutes or longer to slightly soften the leaves.
- While the kale is resting, cook the potatoes in very salting boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then cut into small pieces or slice.
- Poach the eggs. Remove from water and drain on a paper towel. These will keep until you’re ready to serve.
- Just before serving toss the kale with a handful of pine nuts–about a 1/4 cup, a generous shaving of Parmesan cheese (use a vegetable peeler), the cooked potatoes, and the anchovies. Add additional dressing as needed. If you’re serving anchovy-haters, you can add the delicious chopped fish separately to each plate.
- Separate the salad onto four plates. Top each serving with an egg and the anchovies.
Summer Comfort
We had heat. We had sun. We had days off from school. We also had a canceled vacation, crushing workloads, a debilitating neck injury for my husband.
In short, summer was not.
During the dizzying free fall of summer vacation the last 10 weeks, I turned to the food that took little time, little effort, and even less thought. Easy, seasonal, beloved by the kids. Gazpacho. Grilled salmon. Corn omelette. Pesto. Corn on the cob. Caprese salad. Padrons. I took comfort in the repetition, found relief in the routine. In the blur of anxiety, pain, distraction, these meals were some of the only things I could count on. They didn’t exactly save our marriage, but they helped get us through one of the roughest patches we’ve had in years.
Now, too quickly, the kids are back in school. But I’m grateful for the warm September ahead, for the kids’ good spirits, for my husband’s improving health. Also, Caroline and I have a book on the way.
Tree of Life
by Lisa
Four parents. Four kids. A long weekend. California sun. A traveling bar. Mojitos. The season’s first salmon. The last oranges from our tree.
Grilled Salmon with Citrus Herb Marinade
This is similar to many other salmon dishes I’ve written about here, but this particular combination of fragrant herbs, mild spring garlic, and fresh, sweet juice is an especially winning one.
Serves 6-8
- 2lbs salmon filets
- 1/2-3/4 cup Fresh orange juice,
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2-4 large springs basil
- bunch fresh cilantro
- 1 stalk spring garlic
Marinate salmon with juice, oil, garlic and herbs in a ziplock bag for several hours, turning occasionally.
Heat grill on high, then lower heat to medium and grill salmon until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately or, later, at room temperature.
