Mothership Meals and Satellite Saucers: Bittman Again

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Bittman Again

I thought I was over my Bittman phase, but he's written one of his grand round-ups, and, get out the scissors, it's a clipper. 101 Simple Salads in today's dining section may blow your mind, or at least may relegate your current favorite standards to the back shelf in the fridge.

Here are a few, randomly considered:

#29 Cherries gently steeped in in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then tossed with chopped radicchio or endive and toasted hazelnuts.

#48 Chopped dandelion greens with chopped preserved lemons, chickpeas, feta and olive oil. (I'm having that one tonight.)

# 82 Crisp pancetta and carmelized onions tossed with chopped bitter greens, toasted pine nuts and halved cherry tomatoes.

#76 Sliced fresh figs with crumbled bacon, balasamic vinegar and crumbled blue cheese. (If my fig tree produces this year, which it looks like it might, we'll be having this every night)

He even has a hot dog salad: #78 Sliced grilled dog with tomato wedges, chopped pickles hot peppers and shredded lettuce, dressed with a mustard vinaigrette.

I'm not so sure about the hot dog one, but #44 suggests making a grilled cheese, letting it cool and cutting it into croutons for use on any salad. "This," he says, "you will do forever." I believe him, and I have a grim vision of the rejected grilled cheeses I've let go to waste in recent months as my kids have alternately toyed with their appreciation for the grilled cheese.

There are countless salads in here that will find as they say in the dog world, forever homes with all of us. Good girls, come to mama. Thank you, Mark Bittman.

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The Mothership Method

(Or, how to sit down for dinner with your family without completely losing your mind)

It would be great if kids AND parents wanted boiled chicken and baby carrots every night for dinner. But, too bad, we picky parents want spicy, exotic, fun foods, and our kids want, well, sorta lame foods.
Here's the solution: break it down. Serve the dish deconstructed, and let everyone put their own dish together at the table. Sort of like tapas, or smorgasbord, or tacos. Or how in some parts of China you get a bowl of rice, and everything else is in the middle of the table and you take what you want for your own little bowl of rice. That way everyone gets to eat what they want, parents don't have to nag their kids, and kids get to feels some ownership over their meals. Plus, kids get exposed to the look and taste of the foods you hope they will one day love. But it's not just tacos. You'll be amazed at what can be served with the Mothership Method.

Ten Tips to Get Through Dinner Without Having A Nervous Breakdown

1. Accept That Kids Are Picky. No need to freak out on your cooking ability, or look at your kids like there is something wrong with them. It's called "neo-phobia", and it's just how they are, especially from ages 3-6.

2. Serve Meals Broken Down. Even grown-up meals like coconut curry or linguine with clams can be served in their elements, making them more appealing to kids. Grown ups can assemble their own jumble of deliciousness at their own plate while kids take on the pared-down elements.

3. Push if it Works, But Don't Nag If It Doesn't. Some kids are okay with being expected to taste everything on their plate. Others aren't. I think it's okay to push kids -- but not if you're turning dinner into a battlefield.

4. Suggest a Smell. Smelling a new food is easier than tasting it, and can sometimes provide a kid with the information needed to take that scary first bite. But don't confine smelling to new foods. Smell favorites, too, and help them develop their sense of smell by making a game out of it.

5. Don't Ask "Do You Like It?" Instead, try, "What does this remind you of?" or, "Would your cousins like this?" or, "Does this taste salty or sweet?". Asking if they like it or not gives kids too much power and ends the conversation. Besides, we don't care if they like it! We just want them to keep tasting it until it is familiar.

6. Don't Get Frustrated. Imagine being in Taiwan, or Nairobi, or Rome for the first time. Would you eat everything on the local menu? New foods are scary and gross. Our kids need time to learn about the foods that we eat.

7. No SubstitutionsThis is family dinner, not a diner. You, in all your wisdom, have provided foods that are healthy and delicious and appropriate for your children. There is something on the table for them to eat. Period.

8. No Snacks Before Dinner. This can be the hardest with our hectic schedules and hungry kids. But children who come to the table hungry are more likely to eat than cause trouble.

9. Put Peer Pressure To Your Advantage. School children are more likely to accept new foods if the alpha girls in their group accept them. Swap healthy food ideas on playdates.

10. Involve Your Kids In Cooking, Shopping, and Gardening. The more experience kids have handling and preparing a variety of foods, the more likely they are to eventually accept the foods. (But don't get upset if they help you make a complicated wonderful meal, and then refuse to eat it.)