Duncan wanted to watch 101 Dalmatians. I acquiesced. Fine film that it is. Although I would have preferred a more wholesome, verdant nurturing activity for Duncan like quietly rubik's cubing while the Paganinni Violin Caprices play gently in the background, him humming along and abstractedly and unknowingly articulating the left hand fingering all the while cubing, the idea of him settling in for some classic Disney leaving me free to deal with Shaw's apparently increasing appetite seemed an appropriate 90 minute parenting solution. Duncan's greatest skill by far is movie watching, he is truly a top notch movie watcher and not above shushing a distracting Dad.
Shaw reiterated her need for more of absent mother's milk. I brought the second and final reserve bottle to room temp and lord be if she didn't down that one as well. Nicole calls and says they're running behind and she'll be getting back out to South Orange a little later.
Okay I say. For what else is there to say?
This is not to be a day for cooking. This is not to be a day for writing. This is a day to be a parent and day to parent. A day for the nitty gritty of parenting. Probably the kind of day I will remember far too well when I am 87 and wish to God I had again, and yet in the moment of the day all I feel is increasingly frustrated, frazzled and less than fruitful.
I think the cooking is important. I like to make the food. It eases some of the inherent Dad/husband guilt. I can't make the breast milk that Shaw craves at 3:00 AM, but I can make a mean spaghetti and meatballs that Duncan craves at 6:00 PM, and that should count for something. I think having the dinner at or around 6:00 with everyone present kind of makes for instant family. Kind of like those Tina Landau viewpoints make for instant ensemble. It's my thing and I do love it. And I plan to keep the dinner thing alive in our house.
And cooking the real bacon keeps me rather sane when I'm not bringing the metaphorical stuff home.
After the movie is over, Pongo has saved the day and there is indeed a Dalmation Plantation, after Duncan and I do every trick we know to keep Shaw's 6 week old mind off of her gnawing hunger and I become increasingly more curt in my correcting Duncan's gender pro noun problem, "She's hungry, not He's. Shaw is a girl so you say She.", after we attempt the pacifier for the umpteenth time and she just isn't buying it anymore, after Shaw has descended into full-on wail, Nicole mercifully enters. We place the babe on her breast, a temporary peace is restored and we have cold leftover duck for dinner.
Today, when I wake, I have the exceedingly pleasant and comforting notion that I will have time to cook and that enough time has passed to allow tonight to be pasta night. We try to keep it to one night a week. If I could I would eat it seven days a week, and there have been times, earlier, more metabolically agreeable times, when pasta every night was possible.
As I'm driving Duncan to preschool nursing my stiff neck, a legacy of the hours of Shaw burping yesterday, I am thinking of pasta. I think... Putanesca? The very Novemberness of this day makes me remember the home made sweet potato gnocchi I have in the freezer and wonder if maybe that would pair up with some pancetta and peas and cream. Nothing sticks yet but maybe there is something I can do with the duck fat....
SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI WITH SLAB BACON, KALE AND TARRAGON
Wow, This was one of those recipes that just simmered on the back burner of my mind all day and by the time dinner rolled around, it just rolled out of the kitchen as if we made it every night. The duck fat added a rustic, idiosyncratic dimension to the overall flavor of the sauce that I was frankly, very proud of.
GNOCCHI (try the sauce here or try mine below)
http://www.foodnetwork.com
SAUCE
2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
2 c. chicken stock
I bunch Kale cut into two inch ribbon
1/2 lb. slab bacon cut into 1 inch cube
2 med. onion finely sliced
1 red pepper finely sliced
1 yellow pepper finely sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 c. heavy cream
2 Tbs. duck fat
3 Tbs. chopped fresh chives
3 Tbs. chopped fresh Tarragon
Place a large stock pot of salted water on the stove to boil.
In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add garlic and saute until fragrant (about 30 seconds to a minute). Add chicken stock and heat until boiling. Add Kale in batches until all is wilted. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender.
In a large skillet, heat bacon over medium high heat until fat is rendered (about 6 minutes). Add onion, red pepper, yellow pepper and salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add Kale with juices and bring mixture to boil.
Reduce heat to medium and add cream and duck fat. Simmer.
Drop gnocchi into the boiling water and when it floats, remove with strainer and add to the sauce.
Once all gnocchi is in sauce bring heat to high and heat through. Toss with tarragon and chives and serve in a large pasta bowl.
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