The night before last I boiled 6 eggs when I was making dinner, just because they give me one more game piece to play with. It takes about 32 seconds to drop the eggs into a pot of cold, covered water and turn on a flame. (bring them to a boil, then turn off the heat and leave them in there for 10 minutes). And Voila–I have cooked food in the fridge. You know those pictures of women on the front of old cookbooks, all satisfied with themselves, with that look of “I have my kitchen act together?” These are the kinds of things those women did. I am not saying we should go back to wearing high heels when we cook and feeling loved when Daddy brought home TV dinners on a Saturday night, I am just saying they had something going on with the extra boiled eggs.
If the child won’t eat what you’re making–offer boiled eggs with a side of celery and carrot sticks and whole wheat toast.
Chop them up for a salsa verde to serve with chicken.
Mash them for an egg salad with your own mayo and a tiny bit of curry powder.
Or slice them up for a nicoise salad. Get a little piece of fresh tuna (look the fish monger right in the eyes and tell him you have heard the news that some people are trying to pass off other fish as tuna; if he starts to sweat, find yourself another fish monger). Season it with a little salt on both sides, and rub it with the best olive oil you have. Put another drop of olive oil in a heavy pan, and when the pan is hot, sear the fish without touching it, until it starts to go a paler color along the bottom edges. Flip and sear the other side. I like it medium rare. Remove from the pan.
Braise a few string beans, removing only the end that was attached to the plant. You want a little resistance when you bite into them, but not alot. Season them well with olive oil, pepper, and salt. Cut up a gorgeous ripe tomato and season it the same. Pick out your favorite black olives (it would be good to try nicoise here), and I like a little pile of boiled potatoes, seasoned with olive oil and salt as you did the rest. Arrange everything in its own little pile on a plate, and serve it with a one of the new bag-in-a-box wines, no shoes and a baguette.