Canal House Cooks Lunch

christopher — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:57:17 +0000

Chickpeas on chickpeas—a bed of hummus piled with whole chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, and hard-boiled eggs dressed with a lemony vinaigrette and lots of chopped chives. Enjoy your weekend.

christopher — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:26:58 +0000

There’s no denying that spring has arrived well ahead of schedule here in the Northeast. Early this morning we pulled some wintered-over onions from the garden. Then we walked up a country road in search of watercress that grows in a nearby stream—sure enough it was thriving. We waded into the cold water and harvested enough to simmer with the onions in some good chicken broth. Before we knew it we had a tasty watercress soup. Let the foraging begin.

christopher — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:59:39 +0000

Last week a duck fell into our hands. We knew just what to do with it. First we made duck leg confit Parmentier, then pan-fried the breasts until the skin was golden and crisp and the meat juicy and rosy and served it with slow-cooked apples. Finally, we made this rich duck soup that we infused with Chinese rice wine, ginger, and star anise, then poured it into bowls over rice noodles, napa cabbage, cilantro, and a little sliced ham. There is nothing left but the quack!

christopher — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:06:00 +0000

In honor of Shrove Tuesday, we’re following tradition, using what’s left in our larder, and filling up on pancakes of the French order: buckwheat crêpes with sliced ham, a fried egg, and grated Gruyère. Our devilish nature’s are in conflict with lenten fasting, but we’ll try.

christopher — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:05:52 +0000

It’s Presidents Day Monday and we’re pretending to be on a ski vacation warming our toes by the crackling fire in the big base lodge fireplace. After a morning of powder skiing we are filling up on big bowls of nourishing sopa de fideos. The soup is real, but it’s actually a quiet day by the canal today. The daffodils are halfway up and there’s not a speck of snow to be seen. For dessert we’re thinking of baking a cherry pie in honor of good old George. We’ve lost our minds. It must be the altitude.

christopher — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:29:16 +0000

Well, so much for self improvement. Leonardo Live was a little too Ryan Seacrest-meets-Monty Python for us—each expert a caricature. But we did learn about Leonardo’s paintings, and hopefully a little refinement rubbed off on us and smoothed our edges. This morning we slathered Akmaks with our homemade hummus for a late breakfast. It ain’t art, but it sure is good.

christopher — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:13:09 +0000

We are off to see Leonardo Live tonight, so we are having a late lunch/early supper of grilled entrecôte with buerre maître d’hôtel, and a bright celery salad made with anchovies, preserved lemon, lemon juice, and really good olive oil. We need a little dose of culcha!

christopher — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:41:21 +0000

Paprika and caraway-braised short ribs with lots of onions, served with square Pennsylvania-Dutch egg noodles bathed in butter and parsley is our lunch on this cold drizzly day.

christopher — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:42:00 +0000

We are listening to The Magnetic Fields’ 69 Love Songs all day and eating red velvet cupcakes for lunch. Happy Valentine’s Day.

christopher — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:51:33 +0000

The cold finally made its way East, not bone numbing, subzero temps, but our blood has thinned, so 37° feels mighty chilly. Gets any colder we might just have to put on a hat (as they say in Minnesota at -20°). So it’s soup for lunch—chicken, ham, and lots of vegetables—to warm up our tums.