Dinnertime

I've never really gotten the hang of dinnertime with Theo. We've always wanted part of our routine to be sitting down to dinner with him, but until recently he really needed an early bedtime. Once Ruth returned to the long days and occasional evenings of sea duty, a family dinner was almost impossible to put together.

I'm sure I could have forced it to happen, but I'm just not the SuperDad I'd like to think. Putting a real meal on the table without help at Theo's neediest time of day has always been beyond my skills; even if he was willing to give me a half hour or hour of time without reaching for knives and hot pans, it doesn't seem right to me to make the provider of the feast eat leftovers by herself when the firm's junior associate is happy to eat whatever leftovers I can warm up for him.

Even back when Ruth could be home early enough to distract Theo while I cooked, dinner has always been the most relaxing, satisfying part of the day for us. Since lingering over a relaxing dinner isn't really compatible with toddler eating habits, all three of us have been happy to have the adults eat after Theo went to bed.

Theo has recently made the big move to a later bedtime; instead of demanding to be put in his crib by 6:30, he won't even think about falling asleep until almost 8, and his dinnertime has also moved later. Now that the choice is dinner with Theo at 6 or finding ourselves starving before we can have dinner by ourselves after 8, the stars have aligned and we're eating together most of the time.

So tonight I adapted a recipe from the Cook's Illustrated "Best 30-minute Recipe" book. I love that Cook's gives me techniques, rather than just recipes -- and even with some additions, this recipe wasn't much over a half hour from cutting board to table. Theo sometimes has problems with creamy sauces, but he scarfed a bowl of this in no time.



Changed from the Cook's recipe: I started with their recipe for "Creamy Skillet Penne with Mushrooms and Asparagus." I substituted whole wheat Trader Joe's penne for regular penne. I added chicken sausage, onion, frozen peas and some spices. I omitted the shallot and dried porcini and just used the fresh mushrooms I had. I used half-and-half rather than heavy cream because it's what I had on hand, so I had to use some cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Instead of just water, I used half water and half chicken broth.

Creamy Penne with Sausage, Mushroom and Asparagus

1 TB olive oil
8 oz sausage (this time I used chicken sausage with sundried tomatos from Trader Joe's, which was precooked; you might need more if you start with raw)
10 oz sliced mushrooms, white & baby bella
salt and pepper
1/2 medium onion
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of dried sage
dash of dried thyme
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
3.5 cups of liquid; I used a combination of water and chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
8 oz penne
1/2 bunch of asparagus
1 cup frozen peas
grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage and then add mushrooms, onion, 1/2 tsp salt and seasonings. Cook until mushrooms are browned, 8-10 minutes. [Prep remaining ingredients while mushrooms cook.]

Add garlic, cook for 30-60 seconds. stir in wine and simmer for one minute.

stir in water, 1/2 and 1/2 and penne. Increase heat and cook uncovered, stirring often until penne is almost tender and liquid has reduced, 15-18 minutes. [I threw together a salad and some garlic bread while the pasta cooked.]

Add asparagus and cook until tender, a few minutes more. Add frozen peas and drop heat to medium-low.

[At this point I decided the sauce wasn't going to thicken the way I wanted so I added a slurry of cornstarch and milk that brought it right together.]

Off heat, stir in Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.