Although for those of us up to our eyeballs in snow it may be hard to believe, spring will soon be upon us. Thoughts are already turning to asparagus, fiddleheads, all those tender green shoots that are the first to poke their heads up after the big sleep. With the promise of spring's renewal at hand, I'm about to embark on a 10-day juice fast. So things around here will be decidedly less food-focused for a while (although I do have a short backlog of recipes to share with you). In the meantime, seize this final cold stretch as an opportunity to eat up the last of those roots and tubers. The tortilla española I posted about the other day is a great vehicle for potatoes, and really goes a long way. We had it warm for supper the first night, cold with salad the next day for lunch, and cut into little cubes alongside some olives to munch on before dinner with friends.And if you still haven't tried my recipe for roasted garnet yams—the one I was pushing over Thanksgiving—I really can't recommend it enough. Although it's probably not the meat-&-potatoes dish you were expecting. No hunk of shortribs plopped on a buttery puree. Even though it's Meaty Monday, the meat here is more of an accent. The star player is the impossibly orange, irresistibly sweet and creamy garnet yam (actually a sweet potato, but let's not quibble). Look for big, firm ones with smooth, dark russet skins; they've got plenty of fiber and loads of vitamins A and C.
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Even though it ends with me cooking dinner for my husband, I believe this to be a feminist post. After committing to joining in the year-long fun at Charcutepalooza, I promptly fell behind in procuring and curing the requisite first couple of challenges: duck prosciutto and pancetta. I'm pleased to say that here, today, on Meaty Monday, I can present the results of both completed endeavors.The day I found myself rubbing spices into 5 pounds of fresh pork belly, I happened to be tuned into Terry Gross' Fresh Air interview with historian Stephanie Coontz on the subject of her new book about revisiting Betty Friedan's seminal "The Feminine Mystique." Friedan's book, published 47 years ago, ignited the contemporary women's movement, appealing to all those busy and domestically accomplished stay-at-home moms who were mystified by their utter despair and unhappiness. Cut to 2011: I am standing in my kitchen in the middle of a weekday, contentedly massaging a piece of meat with freshly ground nutmeg and feeling no pain. As we post-feminism feminists understand, it's all about choice.