Winter Into Spring

It was 38 degrees outside when I left for work this morning at 7:25 am, and 31 degrees when I left the office at 5:30 pm.  It felt even colder, too, because of the strong wind.  Over the weekend it seemed like spring might be just around the corner. The sun shone warm, and I even saw a few crocuses starting to poke their way out. Just the hint of the change of seasons motivated me to order seeds, potatoes, onions plants, and a few other odds and ends. I want to be ready when it is time to garden. But then the cold blew back into town. It didn't get me down, though, because the days are longer, and I know that a change is in the air.

It won't be long before I want to cook differently, but comfort food still feels right. I made some lamb shanks over the weekend, seared and then braised in red wine with root vegetables, and perfumed by bay leaves, herbes de Provence, some anchovy and tomato pastes, and orange peel. I had the last one for lunch today, with the rich gravy, and it was pretty delicious. Sure beats Quiznos. I think that I will try those again soon, adding some black olives towards the end of the braise. We had the lamb with polenta and some fresh bread that I had made, a pain de campagne from Bread Baker's Apprentice. The bread was fine, but I would like to make the same recipe again next weekend. I think that there might be room for improvement. I really, really want to make Peter Reinhart's cinnamon-raisin bread, though, and I might do it, since we will have some house guests to feed.

Tonight I made a risotto that incorporated some parsnips that I didn't need for the lamb. I diced them small and sauteed them with two sliced leeks in butter and olive oil along with a bit of rosemary, before adding the arborio rice. I also soaked some porcini mushrooms, and I added the soaking liquid to the risotto, along with white wine and chicken stock. I then chopped the mushrooms and added them towards the end, and I finished with Parmesan cheese and a couple of tablespoons of cream, along with some salt and pepper. We had the risotto with some sauteed spinach, which made for a perfectly satisfying weeknight dinner.