Tara Duggan
San Francisco ChronicleIt's time to talk about school lunch again, as if it's a completely new concept. That comes off as a bit outdated to those of us who work most of the summer and send our kids to day camp, brown paper bag in hand. But packing lunch is a challenge no matter what time of year, and it never hurts to revisit that eternal question of what to put into it.
I certainly am open to new ideas, because my kids are happy to eat almost the same meal every day, and one that's not terribly inspiring or nutritious (the main course tends to be noodles tossed with butter and Parmesan in a Thermos). My older daughter will not even look at the school lunch calendar we get every month, even though it promises some of her favorites, albeit trucked from a central commissary and served in a reheated container -- there is no actual kitchen in her school cafeteria.
Feeling the need for outside inspiration, I looked at some recent books by authors who know what they're talking about. I first went to "Williams-Sonoma Family Meals," by Maria Helm Sinskey (Oxmoor House, 2009). The mother of two works full time as culinary director at her family's Napa winery, Robert Sinskey Vineyards. She's also studying to be a Master of Wine and still has time to write cookbooks.
Her book doesn't include lunch recipes per se, but I was drawn to her herb-roasted chicken, figuring I could cook it on the weekend and pack a leftover wing or drumstick in the kids' lunches for protein. Everyone has their own way to roast a chicken, and though the variations between recipes tend to be slight, her chicken was wonderful.
Sinskey combines herbs with olive oil and pepper and slathers the mixture under the skin, then oils the bird again and salts it well. She roasts it at high heat (425 degrees) throughout, which results in a crispy bird with juicy meat. The golden skin has just a tinge of the green herbs underneath.
Next I looked to Boston writer Emily Franklin. Because she is a prolific novelist, was briefly a chef and is now the mother of four young children, I figured her food memoir "Too Many Cooks" (Voice, 2009) would offer a few tricks.
I've tried only one recipe so far, but I was drawn to her overall unapologetic attitude to use certain ingredients only if you have them, to marinate the meat for just 10 minutes (or not at all).
Her recipe for Crunchy Sesame Tofu pairs a peanut-like dipping sauce with crispy fried tofu. She also recommends using the sauce on noodles, which we did. Her call for soy nut butter instead of peanut butter is an inspired choice for school lunches, as many campuses don't allow peanuts because of students' allergies. Made of toasted soy "nuts," the soy butter we found tasted surprisingly like Jif and resulted in a creamy, nutty sauce. The noodles are good chilled, and you can keep them cold in a lunch box with an ice pack.
Both of these recipes are adult-friendly, as is the Tuna and Corn Stuffed Manicotti from Rachael Daylong, a San Francisco Chronicle intern from the Culinary Institute of America in New York. It's not intended for school lunches, but it seems to fit in with the back-to-school spirit, with flavors reminiscent of tuna casserole.
Daylong stuffs cannelloni with a mixture of canned tuna with kernels of fresh corn that add a sweet bite, and covers it with an easy sauce made of half-and-half and Parmesan cheese. It's got the comfort factor of tuna casserole with an updated flavor profile.
Make any of these recipes for dinner with enough extra for a couple of lunches (or leftover dinners) for the rest of the week, and going back to school won't seem quite so stressful.
Tuna and Corn Stuffed ManicottiSunday Supper: Dinner in 1 hour
Serves 4 to 8
From San Francisco Chronicle food intern Rachael Daylong, this is a modern take on the old standby, tuna casserole. It can be prepared, up until baking, up to 2 days in advance.
The pasta:
1 (8-ounce) package manicotti, about 8 noodles
2 (6-ounce) cans quality tuna packed in olive oil, drained
Kernels from 2 ears corn
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
The sauce:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups half-and-half
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese plus 1/2 cup to top
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
For the pasta: In a large stockpot, boil pasta for 4 to 5 minutes, or until almost done; it should still have a hard center. Remove from the pan and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle.
While the pasta is cooking, in a medium bowl combine corn, tuna, red onion, mayonnaise and Parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the cool noodles each with about 1/2 cup filling and place in 1 layer in an 8 by 8-inch baking dish.
For the sauce: In a small saucepan, saute garlic and onion in olive oil over medium-high heat until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the half-and-half and bring almost to a simmer. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the 2 cups Parmesan cheese, about 2 tablespoons at a time, until the cheese is melted and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the oregano and thyme and add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the sauce over the noodles. The pasta can be prepared up 1-2 days in advance at this point. Wrap tightly and refrigerate.
To finish: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the pasta, uncovered, until warmed through and bubbly, 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Broil until the cheese is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes and serve.
Maria Sinskey's Herb-Roasted ChickenDinner in 2 hours (30 minutes active time)
Serves 4-6
Maria Helm Sinskey's delicious roast chicken, from her book "Williams-Sonoma Family Meals" (Oxmoor House, 2009, 288 pages), boasts moist meat, crispy golden skin and an infusion of herbal flavor. Sinskey's secrets are to use a high-quality chicken, season it well, cook it at high temperature, and allow it to rest before carving. The herb stuffing can be prepared and stuffed under the skin a day ahead. Consider roasting two chickens at once so you have plenty of leftovers for the week.
1 roasting chicken, 4-5 pounds
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary plus one 4-inch sprig
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme plus 3 bushy sprigs
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage plus 1 sprig
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 small yellow onion
3 large cloves garlic
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut off the chicken's tail with kitchen scissors. Remove the giblets and reserve for another use or discard, and remove the excess skin and fat from the cavity and neck.
In a small bowl, stir together the chopped rosemary, thyme, sage and 1/4 cup oil and season with pepper. With the shoulders facing you, gently separate the skin from the meat with your fingers, being careful not to tear the skin. Rotate the bird 180 degrees, and loosen the skin above the cavity the same way, reaching in as far as possible to loosen the skin on the tops of the thighs and legs. Slip the herb mixture between the skin and flesh, and rub it evenly over the exposed meat, covering it as much as possible. Pat the skin back into place, and tuck the wing tips under the shoulders.
Season the cavity with 2 teaspoons salt, and then stuff with the herb sprigs, onion and garlic, pushing them in as far as they will go. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. (The chicken can be prepared up to this point a day in advance, wrapped well and refrigerated.)
Rub the entire bird with oil and season well with salt. Put breast side up in a roasting pan. Roast the chicken until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced, about 1 hour and 10 minutes (12-15 minutes per pound), or a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh not touching bone registers 165 degrees. Let rest 15 minutes before carving.
Sesame Noodles With Crunchy TofuSunday Supper: Dinner in 1 hour
Serves 4
Adapted from "Too Many Cooks," by Emily Franklin (Voice, 2009, 384 pages). As she suggests, the sauce is great for dipping the fried tofu or shrimp or for noodles. I added a bit of water to make the consistency better for noodles. The noodles taste great cool for lunch and the crunchy tofu tastes fine cold, too (but admittedly better warm).
Sesame noodles:
1/3 cup crunchy soy nut butter, almond butter or peanut butter
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon tahini
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup finely minced green onions
2 cloves minced garlic
Red chile flakes or chile oil to taste (optional)
1 pound fresh Asian-style noodles or thin dried noodles, such as spaghetti
Crunchy tofu:
Peanut or other vegetable oil for frying
20 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained well and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Kosher salt
For the sesame noodles: Bring a large pot of water to boil for the noodles. Cook according to package directions. Drain, then rinse under cold or ice water until completely cool (this will help remove the starch so that noodles aren't too sticky).
Meanwhile, combine soy nut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, tahini, sesame oil, about 1/3 cup of the green onions, garlic and the red chile flakes or oil, if using.
Toss the cool noodles thoroughly with about three-quarters of the sauce and a few tablespoons of warm water to thin it.
For the tofu: Fill a large nonstick frying pan by about 1/2 inch with oil and heat over medium-high until a piece of tofu sizzles when you add it. Add the tofu in one layer (or fry in batches if they don't fit) and season with salt. Fry until browned on the bottom, 3-5 minutes, then flip over and season again. Fry on the other side until browned again, another 3-5 minutes.
Drain the tofu on paper towels and serve over the noodles. Garnish with the remaining green onions and serve with the extra sauce on the side.
