I’m never all that sorry to see the end of February, and this year is no exception. But after nearly a month of snow and sleet (so much sleet!), February snuck a sunny, 60-degree day in just under the wire, and suddenly, the longest shortest month of the year doesn’t seem so bad. I like winter, but that gorgeous day put a serious spring in my step, and I’m feeling hopeful that it’s a sign of good things to come in the next several months. Also, the people I love most in this world have begun being vaccinated and I’m just so grateful and relieved I don’t think I’ll ever find the words. That’s all the spring my step needs! Hoping you can say the same, or will be able to very soon.
Cooking this month mostly looked like trying to squeeze in all the coziest foods while the weather still called for it. Even after nearly a decade in DC, this Western NY’er is always caught by surprise when spring produce arrives as early as it does. And that’s great, and I can’t wait! But you can pry my braised oxtails and roasted squashes out of my cold, dead hands.
February Faves
#1: Caramel pork pie with scallions
#2: Focaccia sandwiches with bacon-tomato jam, sharp cheddar, garlicky kale, and fennel-pickled carrot slaw
#3: Braised oxtails with goat cheese polenta
Honorary Mention because it is not a meal and my fiancé says I therefore can’t count it in the top 3: Chocolate cream cheese frosting. I am wholly unashamed to admit I have been (painfully) slowly working my way through the leftovers one half-spoonful at a time, mixed with half a spoonful of peanut butter. Honestly, it’s worth whipping up a batch just for that…
- Sushi rice bowls with Thai lime tofu, broccoli, pickled cucumbers, and avocado
- Romaine salad with green beans, roasted beets, red onion, crispy tumeric-smoked paprika chickpeas, goat cheese, and Provencal olive vinaigrette
- Roasted butternut squash and carrot coconut soup with pecorino crisps
- Twice-baked sweet potatoes with garlic spinach and mozzarella
- Tray bake: hot Italian sausage and Brussels sprouts with honey mustard and pickled red onion
- Braised oxtails with goat cheese polenta, followed by chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting (I doubled the linked cake recipe and used the ganache as filling rather than frosting)
- Pho with oxtail broth, udon, silken tofu, peas, asparagus, watermelon radish, and egg yolk
- Lettuce wraps with: crispy beef crumbles, rice vermicelli, watermelon radish, peanuts, and nuoc cham
- Oxtail nachos with cheese sauce, shredded cheese, sofrito, refried beans, black olives, pickled red onions and watermelon radish, jalapeño, homemade fermented hot sauce, and cilantro
- Summer squash and potato Simple Khichari from Divya’s Kitchen
- Dill tomato soup with ravioli and sausage
- Focaccia sandwiches with bacon-tomato jam, sharp cheddar, garlicky kale, and fennel-pickled carrot slaw (carrot slaw inspired by a recipe from Nik Sharma’s Season) (This sandwich combo went over BIG in my house, and would probably have its own dedicated post if I were better at photographing sandwiches…)
- Cocoa-spiced bean and lentil soup, also from Season
- Crispy-skinned chicken thighs roasted atop asparagus, potatoes, and onions
- Brothy beans with toasted everything bagel focaccia
- Grilled cheese tteokbokki with sesame cucumber salad
- Baked Pasta alla Norma
- Caramel pork pie with scallions (from Erin McDowell’s The Book on Pie)
- Curried pork and potato pie (using Erin McDowell’s rough puff pastry recipe)
Law and Lentils 