Queen for a Day

Most of my friends have stories about the foods they ate right after they gave birth. One friend ordered takeout sushi and a shot of chilled vodka, another sent her husband to In ‘n’ Out Burger, while another devoured Szechwan string beans. In my case, following 30 hours of labor and a C-section, I chomped on ice chips and dreamed of the ideal meal--lamb chops or grilled salmon and chocolate souffle. After five days of bad hospital food, which felt like an eternity, I was home. All talk seemed to revolve around food and, of course, the baby. Between hourly feedings, my mother, husband and I lounged around the kitchen paging through cookbooks, looking for a dish to satisfy my wildly large appetite. What could we fix that was hearty and slightly decadent but easy to prepare, knowing we’d be interrupted at least a dozen times?

We deliberated, as only competing cooks can, before reaching a unanimous decision--barbecued pork tenderloin. I had traditionally cooked tenderloin on top of the stove, but to save time we decided to grill it. After only 15 minutes, the meat was juicy and tender with a perfect brown crust. To accompany the pork, we made a grape, olive and walnut mixture from a recipe I had seen in a magazine while I was in the hospital. With its chutney-like texture, the topping would add a sweet-and-savory crunch to the meal. For a starch that would balance the strong flavors of our dinner, we settled on wet polenta with Parmigiano-Reggiano. But instead of stirring the polenta for 45 minutes, as most recipes require, we prepared it in a nonstick skillet in the oven, with no compromise to flavor or consistency. For a starter, we made a fennel soup with garlic croutons. We had concocted a traditional pear cobbler ahead of time for dessert, splitting up tasks to ease the workload. My husband, the baker in the family, quickly threw together the dough, kneading and rolling it while my mother and I sliced pears and arranged them in the baking dish.

At the table that evening, I realized how much I like pork. Simple and lean, it’s far more interesting than chicken. And as I ran my spoon along the side of the bowl of cobbler, scooping the last splash of heavy cream and sweet pear juice, I was finally satisfied. We had painlessly pulled together a feast that we could serve at dinner parties for years to come--the prep time was under 25 minutes. I had been told that for the first two years of my child’s life, I would never have time--or energy--for anything but takeout. Now I know that having a child doesn’t mean saying goodbye to my passion for food and cooking--but it may require a few extra hands.

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Barbecued Pork Tenderloin

Serves 4

3 pork tenderloins (10 to 12 ounces each)

4 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper

Gently wash pork loin and pat dry. Heat grill. In a bowl mix mustard, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cover pork loins with mustard mixture. Place loins over medium fire for 12 to 15 minutes, rolling them every 3 to 4 minutes to ensure even cooking. Remove tenderloins from grill, allow them to stand for about 5 minutes, then cut into 1 1/2-inch slices and serve.

Grapes, Walnuts and Olives

Adapted from a recipe by Paul Bertolli of Oliveto in Oakland

Serves 4

2 cups mixed black and red flame grapes

1 cup walnuts

1 cup Picholine and oil-cured black olives

2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 sprigs fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine grapes, walnuts, olives, vinegar and olive oil in oven-proof dish. Place dish in oven, uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Wet Polenta with Parmigiano-Reggiano

Serves 4

1 cup medium coarse cornmeal (preferably organic stone-ground)

1 quart water

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease nonstick 3-quart skillet with olive oil. Pour cornmeal, water, butter or olive oil and salt in skillet, and stir until blended. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes in oven. Mixture will separate in oven. Stir polenta after 40 minutes and season to taste. Bake another 5 to 10 minutes. Let polenta stand for 5 minutes. Cover with Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve.

Pear Cobbler

Adapted from Marion Cunningham’s “Fannie Farmer Baking Cookbook”

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Pear Filling

7 cups peeled, cored pears cut into eighths

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon mace

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 tablespoons butter

Biscuit Topping

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

4 tablespoons butter, chilled

6 tablespoons milk

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Glaze

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place prepared pears in an 8-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle pears evenly with sugar. Drizzle with lemon juice and dot the pears with butter. Set aside. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir together with a fork. Cutbutter into bits and drop it into the bowl. Using your fingertips work butter into flour mixture until it looks like fine even crumbs. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly with a fork. Gather dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Knead 8-10 times, until dough is fairly smooth. Roll or pat into a shape that will cover the pan, it should be no more than 1/2-inch thick. Trim edges if necessary. Place biscuit topping over prepared fruit in pan, pressing it down into the fruit all around the edges. Drizzle melted butter over top and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until juices are bubbling and biscuit crust is golden brown. Pears should be tender when pierced through crust. Serve warm with heavy cream on top.

Fennel Soup with Roasted Garlic Croutons

From “Intimate Gatherings,” by Ellen Rose and Jessica Strand (Chronicle Books, 1998)

Serves 4

Roasted Garlic Croutons

1 head of garlic

1 teaspoon olive oil

4 (1/2-inch) slices Italian bread

Fennel Soup

2 medium fennel bulbs (about 2 pounds)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 medium leek, cleaned and coarsely chopped

5 cups beef or chicken stock (preferably homemade)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

To prepare the roasted garlic croutons, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove most of papery outer skin of garlic, but leave head whole. Cut 1/2 inch off top of garlic head, drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil. Place in oven and roast for 45 to 50 minutes, or until garlic is very soft.#

During last 10 minutes of roasting, place bread on baking sheet in oven and toast until slightly golden. Remove bread from oven and set aside. ##When garlic head is cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic cloves out of bulb into small bowl. Mash garlic with fork and set aside.

To prepare soup, slice fennel bulbs crosswise into thin slices. Heat oil and butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add fennel and leeks and saute until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, loosely covered, until the vegetables are very soft, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove 1 cup of vegetables and puree in blender or food processor. Stir puree back into soup and simmer just until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

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Food stylist, Christine Anthony-Masterson