I did not stick exactly to my menu yesterday. I have a Zoom meeting on Tuesdays at 3:30 so by the time I am done sometimes I  do not feel like going through the big dinner production. Certainly you can relate? So yesterday was “eat whatever you feel like from the refrigerator” day. I made a leftovers tostada.

Corn tortilla tostada with cauli-rice, black beans, a smear of hummus, sriracha, and power greens

Today because I had some extra time and cabbage and kale in the refrigerator I made a cabbage and kale soup with cannellini beans. It turned out so well! I could imagine eating a soup like this in a trattoria in Florence. Good soup, good memories.

Cabbage and kale soup with cannellini beans

The original recipe was from Food and Wine for cabbage and kale soup with farro. I made mine simpler by using cannellini beans instead of farro (but I am sure it would be good with farro too!) I subbed in 2 oz. of diced turkey sausage for the pancetta, 1/4 tsp. of fish sauce for the anchovies, and added a chopped carrot.  I cooked my soup on the stovetop rather than the oven. It took about an hour. The idea here is to use what you have and you will probably make a dish as good if not better than the original.

My early prep for tonight’s classic chicken dinner included roasting a butternut squash. Cut the squash in half longitudinally, scoop out the seeds, rub some olive oil on the cut side that you have scored, season with salt and nutmeg and put it in the oven for 1 hour at 400F. When it is cool enough to handle, scrape the innards off from the skin. I used an ice cream scoop. Add a little butter or faux butter and mash it up. You will probably have to add additional salt.

Roasted butternut squash

John has his sous vide set up for cooking the chicken breast later today and all I have left to do is to sauté some mushrooms for the gravy and cut up and sauté the broccoli. Yay! For early prep!