Monday, Monday...

Mondays suck! They really really do. I (and I’m sure I’m not alone) have always hated Mondays. Getting up and going to work after the weekend is blah, but now that I m not working I have to confirm that Mondays just plain suck and it has absolutely nothing to do with getting up and going to work after the weekend. And to top it all off today was just miserable, cold with a wicked wind and rain which actually started out as hail, yes hail and it’s early November. Here I go running out to dump the garbage in my pajamas and booty slippers before the bag collapses on me and I get hit on the head by chunks of ice. Just wanted to crawl back into bed and under the covers which is exactly what Max did ALL DAY LONG, smart puppy.

So I spent the whole day sitting at my computer trying to figure out what the hell I’m going to do for the rest of my life while Frank kept running down to bitch about every little thing imaginable because…Mondays suck. And all I can think about is cooking so I guess I’ll share some weekend dishes:

Bacon wrapped codfish with sage and broccoli rabe sautéed with garlic and tomatoes

Saturdays, especially in the Fall & Winter, are my favorite days to cook something that takes a long long time and I can spend most of the day in the kitchen so I usually pull out some cookbooks and start to plan the strategy. I found this delightful dish in an old Bon Apetit magazine so as they say when printing the recipe:

 

Braised Veal Breast with Herbs, Pernod, and Tomatoes adapted from Bon Apetit:

 

Ingredients

• 1 (4 3/4- to 5-pound) large end of veal breast (about 8 bones), cut between bones into individual ribs
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced
• 8 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 large shallots, sliced
• 3 anchovy fillets, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 cup low-salt chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 (10-ounce) bag pearl onions, peeled
• 1 cup brine-cured green olives (such as picholine; about 6 ounces)  
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon peel

Preparation

• Sprinkle veal ribs on all sides with salt, pepper, thyme, and sage. Heat oil in heavy large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add half of ribs and sauté until brown, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer ribs to bowl. Repeat with remaining ribs.
    

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion, garlic, and shallots to pot. Cover and cook until soft, occasionally scraping up any browned bits, about 8 minutes. Mix in anchovy fillets; cook 1 minute. Add white wine and Pernod. Increase heat and boil mixture 3 minutes. Add diced tomatoes with juice, chicken broth, and chopped fresh tarragon; stir to blend. Add veal and any accumulated juices from bowl, arranging veal in single layer in pot. Bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until veal is tender, turning veal occasionally, about 1 3/4 hours.

Add peeled pearl onions and green olives to pot. Cover and simmer until pearl onions are tender, about 25 minutes longer.

Using tongs, transfer veal to plate. Tilt pot and spoon off fat from top of sauce; discard fat. Boil sauce until thick enough

I served it over rice but over noodles and polenta will do just fine.

This will serve 4 hungry people.

Oh and as far as my crappy Monday I did accomplish to apply for unemployment.