The Meal Plan | 04.07.14

Monday:  Lebanese Lentils (lentils cooked with rice served with a heavily dressed salad on top)

Tuesday:  Curried Split Peas over rice

Wednesday:  Fish Stew with Fennel and Baby Potatoes -new recipe to try this week

Thursday:  Hot Dogs with Sweet Potato Oven Fries.  Yes.  

Friday:  Flatbread of some sort.  I'm hoping it will be without cheese, topped with olive oil, sauteed mushrooms and arugula.  

I'm always exhausted when I plan my meals and shop for them on the same day.  I'm bent over the counter, hunting for recipes, writing down the ingredients I need, having told the girls we are leaving in ten minutes for the grocery store.  Ten minutes turns into twenty minutes and I'm kicking myself for having mentioned a stop at the playground on the way home.  We get back, lunch is rushed, groceries and couch cushions are everywhere.   Enter exhaustion.  I hope this ramshackle meal-plan will survive and carry us through another week.  

If you care to join me, here is the recipe I'm going to try from this month's Bon Appetit.  

Fish Stew with Fennel and Baby Potatoes

1/4 cup olive oil 

8 oz. small waxy potatoes, scrubbed, sliced 1/4" thick

1/2 medium fennel bulb, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Kosher salt, ground pepper

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup creme fraiche

1 1/2 lb. skinless flounder or fluke fillet, cut into 2" pieces 

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill

lemon wedges (for serving)

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Cook potatoes, tossing occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.  Add fennel and garlic; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until fennel is soft, about 2 minutes.  Add wine, bring to boil, and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 4 minutes.  

Add 2 cups water to pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10-12 minutes.  Stir in creme fraiche.  Add flounder, cover pot, and reduce heat.  Simmer until fish is cooked through, about 4 minutes.  

Stir dill into stew; season with salt and pepper.  Serve with lemon wedges.  

I already have a list of substitues:  I'm using haddock instead of flounder, cilantro instead of dill.  And I'm going to salt at the beginning instead of at the end.  :)