More Kalbi, Mommy!

I once read an article about Ana Sortun, the acclaimed chef/owner of the wonderful restaurant Oleana. She talked about how she believed that her daughter, Siena, was a good eater as a toddler because Ana repeatedly gave her daughter everything that she ate with her husband. So Siena ate food flavored with many spices. I loved the idea of not "dumbing down" my food for R, of sharing these complex meals and of enjoying food.

Alas, despite all my attempts, my son really subsists on "yog" (YoBaby brand yogurt), "noodlesauce" (pasta with jarred sauce on the side), chicken nuggets (the frozen kind) and "orangemacancheese" (Annie's brand only) to anything else.




As our son is so small that he is literally not on the growth charts, my husband and I continue to try to find a balance between our style of eating (we eat most anything), what we grew up with (the begging and pleading of the "One more bite or no dessert" sort) and the practice that R. experiences with his daycare provider, Anne. Anne is a big supporter of the Ellyn Satter belief system. Satter, author of This Child of Mine advocates that as parents you provide the "what" (what type of food) and the child decides on the "how much." She is against the begging and pleading, and is opposed to the "one bite rule" and being a "short order cook."

In theory her ideas are great: Yay, a simpler life. Yay, a toddler that eats everything. But like every great mommy book, the ideas are often better in theory...

For example, it doesn't address the reality that I would far more prefer to eat bi bim bap or a composed salad than noodlesauce. Or that despite my son trying chicken (the grilled kind) for the 20th time, he still isn't ready to eat it.

So, for now most meals are dual: I make what my husband and I would like. And I make what I know R will eat. And then I am thrilled when he wants to try a bite. I am even more excited when, on the rare occasion he asks for more!

This happened recently after a trip to the new John's Market on Linden Street in Brighton (right by Spike's Dogs and just down the street from the Super 88.) John's Market is a Korean grocery store, but better. Why? Well the owners make many of their own dishes. So, in the refrigerator section are dish upon dish of banchan, or little dishes that are served with Korean meals. These include sweet black beans; dozens of kinds of pickles (from radish, to fern to bean sprouts); and multiple styles of kim chee. But the best was the prepared meat section. There, although not cheap, was Kalbi or Korean short ribs. Soaked in a sweet soy sauce, the owner explained that all I needed to do was heat up a pan and saute them on both sides for a bit.

Armed with my stash from John's and a fresh bowl of rice from our great rice cooker, I placed my meal on the table in front of R. And the same little boy who rarely diverges beyond his noodles, took one bite of the sweet beans and one bite of the kalbi...and ate almost all of it up. While I confess to being a bit sad that I didn't get to indulge too much in this wonderful treat, it was worth it.

I found this kalbi at Trader Joe's in the freezer section and cooked them up on the grill. They were good and incredibly easy, though a bit sweet. But I also think another trip to Brighton is in order!

Grilling with Toddlers

In the years before we had children, barbecuing was actually fun. I can't say that we did it frequently. And it was the gas grill rather than the charcoal variety. So, while some would scorn us as not true grillers, it worked for cooking up some salmon, chicken or eggplant.

I have yet to say that I have mastered the art of grilling with young children. On the surface it seems so simple. Go outside, turn on the grill. Go inside. When it is preheated, go outside again and put on the meat or veggies. Go inside. Go outside again and see if it is done.

But wait??? Where are the children during all this? That is the conundrum! Either they are inside which means tempting fate that my toddler won't accidentally smother our infant while giving him a hug or a toy (which can be anything from a rattle to a drumstick). Or, alternatively they stay outside which means covering my toddler with layers of sunscreen and a floppy hat while my infant bakes in his carseat.

So, instead we rely on my husband who while a good griller, doesn't always come home from work (actually just down the stairs as he works on our 3rd floor) until 6- a bit late in toddler world for dinner.

Recently, then, on one of those hot summer nights when it was just too steamy to consider cooking outdoors even without children, I rediscovered an old gadget. A number of years ago my grandmother got me and my mother "grill pans." Really, this is simply a non-stick pan with raised edges. The idea is that you can cook items on the stove and the ridges give it a grilled style.

I had just returned from a Trader Joe's trip and was armed with some frozen kalbi, new mango sausages (already cooked-a great convenience food), organic all beef hot dogs for R. and some tofu.

I threw some rice in the rice cooker, the tofu in a teriyaki sauce and then tossed the meat and then the tofu on the pan. I was, honestly, impressed. The tofu was seared, the sauce caramelized, the hot dog was juicy....and all done in an air conditioned kitchen.

Tofu Teriyaki

One block of firm or extra firm tofu
1/4 cup of rice wine
1/4 cup of soy sauce
2 T of sugar
minced ginger (optional)
sesame oil (optional)

Drain the tofu and wrap it in paper towels. Place a heavy object (a can or a heavy plate or skillet work well) on the tofu and let it drain for about 30 minutes. This will just take away some extra moisture. Slice the tofu in slices. My husband likes when I slice them about 1/4 inch thin so that they get crispy. Mix the remaining ingredients in a large dish and put the tofu in to marinate for about 30 minutes.

Lightly oil and preheat the grill pan on medium heat. Cook the tofu on both sides for about 5-10 minutes each until it is gets a bit dark and hot.