For those of us with children, feeding them may be the most insistent demand we face. The regularity of preparing meals can often seem relentless, and the pressure to put nourishing food on the table for breakfast, lunch and dinner can leave us feeling inadequate.

The fact that feeding a family feels challenging, however, does not reflect on us. It doesn’t feel hard because we ourselves are limited; it feels hard because it is hard. The task is intrinsically challenging and can, at times, be a struggle for every one of us. I have built my personal and professional life around food, yet there are still days when I want to hide under the covers as dinner time nears.

When kids are at an age or phase that makes them more selective about what they eat, the task looms still larger and can become more frustrating. It’s demoralizing to shop for food, prepare it, and then watch it be pushed away. And it’s disheartening to finally find nourishing food our children will eat, and then have it wiped off their list because peers deem it “uncool.”

Finding the fortitude to face the challenge squarely and to meet its demands creatively takes a lot of energy, especially when food manufacturers spend millions selling us quick and cheap “solutions.” Time is the great commodity, after all; we might resist giving up what precious little we have when our efforts are unappreciated or rejected. “Not worth it,” our small internal voice may say.

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Serves 9

These small cream scones were created by Alice Medrich, and I have adapted the recipe just a bit. They are easy to make and a wonderful way to introduce buckwheat flour into your baking. If you like, you can substitute whole-wheat pastry flour for some of the all-purpose flour–a change I like to make. You can also use more or less cream in the filling, depending on how indulgent you want these shortcakes to be. If you don’t have access to buckwheat flour but want to make a whole-grain scone, simply take the total flour amount and make it half whole-wheat pastry flour and half all-purpose flour.

For the shortcakes:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buckwheat flour (1.7 ounces)
1/4 cup maple crystals
1-3/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing tops

For the filling:

1-1/4 cups heavy cream
maple crystals to taste
2 to 2-1/2 pints (16-20 ounces) fresh strawberries, rinsed, patted dry, hulled, and sliced

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, and place a rack in the center position in the oven. Line a baking sheet with 2 layers of parchment paper to protect the bottoms of the shortcakes from browning before the interiors are cooked.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the flours, maple crystals, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and pour the cream into it. Use a rubber spatula to push the dry ingredients from the sides of the bowl into the well, cutting and turning the mixture just until the dry ingredients are moistened and the dough looks rough and shaggy.

3. Gather the dough into a ball and knead it gently against the sides of the bowl 5 or 6 times, pressing loose pieces into the dough, until it holds together and the bowl is fairly clean. The dough should not be smooth.

4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and pat it into a 6″ square, about 3/4″ thick. Trim the edges using a sharp knife and quick downward pressure so as not to compress the dough (this approach gives you the best rise).

5. Cut the dough into 9 squares and place them at least 1″ apart on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with cream and bake the shortcakes until the tops are golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Cool on a rack.

6. Meanwhile, in a chilled bowl, whip the cream, sweetening it lightly to taste as the cream thickens. If your berries are sweet, you may not need the maple crystals at all. Continue beating until the cream holds a soft shape–not too stiff.

7. Slice each shortcake horizontally in half. Place the bottom halves on serving plates. Top each with a scoop of berries and a dollop of cream. Cover with the tops of the cakes and serve.

Note: You can serve the shortcakes warm or at room temperature. You can make the whipped cream a few hours ahead of time and keep it covered in the refrigerator. You can wash and slice the berries up to an hour before serving them.

Serves 4-6

This soup recipe, which I’ve adapted slightly from one included in Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking, makes good use of the garlic scapes that crowd farmers’ markets in early spring. If you like soup that has a  rustic texture, there is no need to strain it. But for a finer texture and a more elegant result, don’t skip this step.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 dozen garlic scapes, flower buds discarded and green shoots chopped
3 small russet potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1/2″ dice
6 cups vegetable stock
2 large handfuls spinach leaves, stemmed
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup buttermilk, optional

Recipe

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, then add the scapes and cook for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and stock, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and beginning to break down.

2. Remove the soup from the heat and add the spinach, stirring  until it wilts.

3. Puree the soup using an immersion blender. For a fine texture, strain it through a sieve lined with two layers of cheesecloth. Or puree the soup using the fine or medium holes of a food mill, which will strain the soup as well.

4. Season the soup with lemon juice, sea salt and pepper, and add the buttermilk for a silky texture.

Serves 4

This recipe, which I’ve tweaked only slightly, comes from Cucina Simpatica, a cookbook written by Johanne Killeen and George Germon. It’s a delicious addition to a brunch or lunch menu and takes little time to pull together.

Ingredients

2 pounds asparagus, tough ends discarded
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
a sprinkling of coarse or fine sea salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Spread the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle it with olive oil. Sprinkle it with sea salt and roast it in the oven until it is done to your liking. The amount of time will depend on how tender you like it and on the thickness of your spears. It generally takes 15-20 minutes.

3. While the asparagus is cooking, melt the butter in a skillet and break the eggs into the pan, taking care to keep the yolks whole. Cook the eggs until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft.

4. Remove the asparagus from the oven and divide the spears among 4 plates. Using a spatula, transfer one egg to each “bed” of asparagus, leaving only the tips of the asparagus exposed. Top with cheese, drizzle the melted butter left in the skillet over the cheese, and serve.

Makes 2 pizzas

This is a very special pizza crust. It’s easy to make; it also tastes good, handles well, and has, for me, moved pizza out of the ranks of ambitious undertakings and into the realm of food that works when there’s little time to spare. You will not miss the white flour that’s included in most pizza dough recipes, and you will not miss the kneading either. With this recipe, making whole-grain pizza at home becomes practically effortless—and I don’t use that word lightly.

The vital wheat gluten included in the ingredient list is optional, but I like to add it because it makes a tender dough that rolls out beautifully. In practical terms, this means you get a crust that rolls out large; if you like a thin crust, you will get two pizzas, each about 10” x 14.” If you like a thicker crust, simply roll the dough smaller and thicker. Taking into account the long, slow rise of this dough, if you want to serve pizza for dinner one night, just pull the dough together the evening before, which will take five minutes, and your dough will be ready to roll before dinner the next day.

Dough Ingredients

¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
1-1/2 cups lukewarm water (110 degrees), divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for parchment paper and rolling pin
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
2-1/2 cups whole-wheat bread flour
½ cup rye flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten, optional

Pizza Ingredients

2-1/2 cups pizza sauce*
1 pound fresh, or 8 ounces shredded, mozzarella cheese

Recipe

1. Sprinkle yeast into ¼ cup of warmed water and let it sit for 8-10 minutes to ensure that it’s active. You should see a creamy foam develop, and if you stick your nose into the bowl it should smell like bread. (If you do not see the foam or detect the smell of bread, discard the mixture and start again with new yeast.) Once the yeast foams, add the remaining 1-1/4 cups water, along with the rest of the dough ingredients, and stir with a wooden spoon or your hands until the flour is evenly moistened and the ingredients are well mixed. The dough will have a sandy appearance and will not feel sticky. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and leave on the counter top for about 16-18 hours in a room that is as close to 70 degrees as you can make it. Two or three times during the rest, you may need to lift the cover of the bowl to release trapped gas. (You don’t need to wake up in the night to do this step; just lift the cover in the morning.)
2. One hour before you plan to bake your pizza, preheat a pizza stone on the lowest rack of a 500-degree oven.
3. Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Let each half rest covered on the counter top or in an oiled bowl for 30-40 minutes.
4. Lightly oil 2 pieces of parchment paper, each about 11” x 15” and place one ball of dough on each piece. Flatten each ball into a disc and let one rest, covered with plastic wrap.
5. Take the other disc and, if it feels sticky, sprinkle it lightly with flour. Using an oiled rolling pin, roll the dough out on top of the parchment paper—into a 10” x 14” rectangle (if you used vital wheat gluten) or a 9”-10” round or rectangle. If you like a thicker pizza crust, roll the dough smaller and thicker. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15-30 minutes. Repeat this process with the second disc of dough.
6. Cover the first dough you rolled with a generous portion of tomato sauce—the amount depends on the size of your pizza. For a 10” x 15” pizza, you will need about 1-1/4 cups of sauce. Then cover the sauce with half of your mozzarella cheese.
7. Using a pizza peel, slide the pizza, along with the parchment, onto the pizza stone and bake for about 15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is lightly browned.
8. Repeat this process with the second pizza dough.

*To make a simple pizza sauce, fill a 2-quart saucepan with diced tomatoes from one 28-ounce can, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2-4 cloves peeled and crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. Puree and season to taste with additional sea salt and freshly-ground pepper before using.

Embellishments

For a good-tasting and nutritious pizza topping, wash and chop about 3 pounds of escarole for one pizza. Then coat it lightly with olive oil and sprinkle it with fine sea salt. Put it on top of the mozzarella cheese before cooking the pizza, and bake the pizza for the same amount of time.

In Transition

If you’re transitioning away from pizza dough made with white flour, you may want to substitute 1 cup of white bread flour and 1-1/2 cups of whole-wheat flour for the 2-1/2 cups of whole-wheat flour in the recipe. Add the same quantity of rye flour called for. This change will lighten the flavor and texture of the pizza dough.

Copyright 2010, Ellen Arian, Ellen’s Food & Soul