Prep Work

I used to arrive a couple hours early for my shift on Fridays and Saturdays. Typically, they were my longest, busiest days on the floor of Eleven; I figured what's another hour or two. Instead of going straight to the office though, I moseyed into the kitchen with a cautious plea to Chef, 'Can I help?' Incredulously, he would wonder what the girl with the wrong clothes, scar-free arms, and big hair was doing in the back of the house. But with an apron, a promise I wouldn't cut myself and a quick sweep of my hair, he would let me pitch in: rolling out, cutting and flouring the gnocchi, mixing up and molding the crab cakes, filling, simmering, and setting the massive pots of stock for a 24-hour journey toward richness.

I loved participating in the prep work rituals of the massive, industrial kitchen, steaming toward serving 300 to 400 people throughout the course of a given evening. There was both an art and science to the planning. Timing was everything and coached through frequent Chef check-ups on process and status. When the doors of Eleven opened at 5:00 PM, every cook, every pastry chef, every station needed to be as equipped as possible for the estimated amount of traffic that would come through the double doors. A slip in efficiency on the line due to a lack of preparedness, could dismantle the whole evening.

What I learned as an observer, I've transported to my kitchen. And at home, I've gotten relatively good at the prep work needed to execute a dinner party in which I'm less of a caterer and more of a guest.

Last night, I felt particularly proud of the prep work I put into a dinner for my friend, Cristine and her husband Kevin. The menu was planned by mid-morning. Grocery shopping was done by 3:00. Dessert was finished by 4:00. The ribs were braising by 4:30. The table was set, garde manger was ready for salad assembly, and cocktails and appetizers were set up fireside by 5:45 PM, Cristine's reservation time. After an hour relaxing and chatting with our guests, I only needed 15 minutes in the kitchen to get everything on the table. I felt like Chef would have been proud.

***

When it comes to prepping for the baby though, I'm a little less sure about my plans and timing. Sure, the nursery looks cute, I'll pick up the vintage Sound of Music poster that I just had framed tomorrow. Mary's closet is all organized and color coordinated. And I translating 'nesting' to mean buying new furniture for our sun room. But this week, I had a couple 'huh, I should really do that' moments which led me to question my preparedness.

Say when Genevieve asked if I had been reading a lot recently.
I have actually! I'm about halfway through Moby Dick. Great book!
Oh, I meant baby books.
Right. No. Haven't read any of those.
Or at my shower on Wednesday, when I started opening essentials like bibs, pacifiers, a baby tub and an infant swing, and realized that I would have totally forgotten about these staples had others not come to my rescue.
Or when my Mom sent me a message in her signature check-list format. Have you ...
Stopped running. (Kind of) 
Stayed away from anyone who is sick. (Like the plague) 
Relaxed and gotten lots of sleep. (Not so much.)
Stocked the freezer with meals. (No, but excellent idea.)

So with a little more than three weeks left, I've decided to do a little more practical prep work. I started to think of the comfort food classics that were always stocked in Grandma Barry's freezer and made a mental list of the meals I should make, starting with beef stroganoff. But I had this idea. Instead of making a whole meal without the instant gratification of eating it for dinner, I would just double the recipe so we'd have the other two servings for those days in March when I'll probably be too tired to cook.

My plan backfired though. See, the retro stews, braises, and roasts of this world - the ones that make excellent leftovers, also translate into amazing seconds or thirds. So my beef stroganoff for four on Thursday night, quickly turned into beef stroganoff for 2.5 with nothing, not even a couple egg noodles, left to freeze.

So I'm back to the drawing board again tonight. And with it, I'm thinking I need to make meals for eight or ten, in order for their to be any generous portions in my freezable future.

In terms of non-culinary prep work, savvy Moms, what else am I missing?

Lo.


Citrus and Pomegranate Salad with Honey Vinaigrette
Adapted from Thomas Keller's 'Ad Hoc at Home'
Serves four  

Ingredients:
Mixture of Bibb and Romaine lettuces (Keller calls for Little Gem lettuce, which I could not find in the store)
1 grapefruit, segmented
1 orange, segmented
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon finely chopped 
Salt, pepper

Directions:
Mix oils, vinegar, honey, tarragon, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Toss lettuce with dressing. Plate lettuce. Top with citrus slices, a generous amount of pomegranate seeds and walnuts. Serve.

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs 
Adapted from Bon Appetit 
Serves six 

Ingredients: 
5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
salt, pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks of celery, peeled and chopped 
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Bottle (750 ML) Red Wine, preferably Cabernet Sauvignon
3 cups beef stock
Head of garlic, sliced in half horizontally
10 sprigs of flat leaf parsley
8 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 bay leaves

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously season beef with salt and pepper. In a large dutch oven, heat oil. Brown short ribs on all sides in two batches. Set aside.

Add onions, celery and carrots to the pot. Cook over medium high heat for 8-10 minutes until onions are soft and starting to brown. Add the flour and tomato paste. Mix well to incorporate and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the bottle of wine, stirring well, making sure the liquid is even. Put the ribs back in the pot, bring to a boil, and reduce liquid by half. It took me about 40 minutes to do this. By that time the sauce was thicker, richer in color, and delicious.

Add beef stock, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper to the pot. Place in oven and cook for 2 hours.

Remove the pot from the oven. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Remove the ribs. Strain the liquid into a saucepan. The fat should rise to the top, remove that using a spoon or skimmer. Serve short ribs in a shallow bowl over something like mashed potatoes and parsnips, with the sauce on top.

Beef Stroganoff 
Serves four (or two and a half on a hungry day) 

Ingredients: 
1 pound beef stew meat
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt, pepper
1 onion, halved, then thinly sliced 
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons ground mustard 
2 cups beef stock
1/2 pound baby bella mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup sour cream
Flat leaf parsley
Egg noodles

Directions:
Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil over medium heat in a dutch oven. Brown meat evenly, about 8 minutes. Add onions to the pot and saute until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add flour and ground mustard, stirring well and cook for 2 minutes.

Slowly add stock, whisking constantly. Turn heat to low, and let simmer for 2 hours. After an hour, check on the pot. If you need to add more liquid, add another 1/2 cup of stock.

Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and let cook for another 20-30 minutes over low heat. Right before serving add the sour cream. Serve over egg noodles, topped with fresh parsley.