Those Staggered Nights


I am so delighted to feature guest-poster Caroline Campion today. Caroline is a
Saveur alum and one of the OG bloggers, having first caught my attention almost a decade ago with her site Devil & Egg; today she co-writes keeperscooks with Kathy Brennan. Their new book, The Dinner Plan, is, obviously, near and dear to my heart, and, among other things discusses the all-too-familiar concept of the Staggered Family Dinner. I’ll let Caroline tell you all about her delicious solutions to the problem. (Hint, you’re looking at it up there.) Take it away, Caroline!

When my kids were younger and their extracurricular activities consisted of a once-a-week ballet class or a Little League game, it wasn’t hard to assemble and eat as a family on most nights. Around 6:30 we’d be pouring the milk, serving up the pasta and meatballs, arguing over who was bogarting all the grated parm, and be full and filling the dishwasher by 7. But then something began to happen upon entering the middle school years…for better or worse…and suddenly nobody ever seemed to be in the same place at the same time anymore. Overlapping activities—like my daughter needing a ride home from field hockey at the same time my son needed a ride to soccer practice— and the necessity to drop and fetch kids all over town, became the new normal. On those evenings when miraculously every family member arrived under the same roof at the same time, they were all invariably some combination of exhausted, famished, cranky, and freaking over a French vocab quiz. Which is really not the best time to tell everyone that “the chicken pot pie won’t be done for another 40 minutes and who wants to set the table?”

It took me awhile to relinquish my grip on the fantasy of a daily dinner time, but once I did, and embraced something that me and my cookbook co-author call “situational cooking” (I know, not the sexiest term, but you get the idea), it relieved a heck of a lot of stress. When we were writing our new book The Dinner Plan we spoke to a lot of families, friends, and readers who were just like us, and what they needed weren’t just foolproof recipes but recipes that were flexible enough for their family’s evolving schedule. This is especially true on evenings when your family is like the moving pieces on a map of Westeros. For this situation we came up with the Staggered Meal: Dishes that are ideal for nights when people will be eating at different times, so they can be left on the stove to be gently reheated when needed, or are also terrific left at room temperature on the kitchen counter for members of your family to serve themselves. So for example, I’ll make a platter of Chinese Chicken Salad with the dressing in a jar on the side and place it on the counter with a stack of bowls and forks; then my daughter can make herself a bowl of as soon as she arrives home from hockey practice but before grabbing a shower and tackling the rest of her homework. This means I can also have a few moments with her to ask about her day and there’s no pressure to set the table or manage a group meal and bonus, I know she’s still gobbling a homemade dish rather than a Hot Pocket.

One of our faves for nights like these are the Okonomiyaki or “Japanese Pizza” with Shrimp from The Dinner Plan. If you haven’t had an Okonomiyaki then you’re in for a treat—a beloved crispy-pancake like dish that can you can play with by adding a variety of fillings. We love them with shrimp and cabbage but feel free to sub in chopped ham instead or skip the meat for the vegetarian in your life. They’re pretty great with a quick homemade sriracha-mayo as well. What makes them Staggered Meal is that you can make a batch then keep them covered in a 200°F oven or make the batter ahead of time and let the older kids in your house go DIY with the fillings and cooking, which is a pretty fun activity (they’re as easy to fry up as pancakes). We’ve also discovered they’re ideal cocktail snacks, just cook and serve as guests arrive…you’ll have them at “Japanese pizza.”

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Thanks Caroline! Caroline and Kathy’s book contains dozens of other recipes for staggered cooking and is packed with strategic make-ahead and one-dish meals. It is available at Amazon, Indiebound, and everywhere books are sold.

Okonomiyaki with Shrimp (“Japanese Pizza”)
Okonomiyaki is a beloved crispy pancake-like dish that is sometimes called Japanese pizza, perhaps because of its shape or because it’s cut into wedges, it’s usually shared with others, and you can play with the ingredients (okonomiyaki means “as you like it, grilled”). Try it with thinly sliced pork, ham, or squid instead of the shrimp or leave out the protein altogether and add some shredded carrots. Makes about eight 3-inch pizzas.

3 large eggs
1⁄2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2⁄3 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄3 cup cornstarch
5 cups very thinly sliced (crosswise) green cabbage (less than 1 small head) or bagged coleslaw mix
1 bunch of scallions, sliced
1⁄2 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus 1 tablespoon
Mayonnaise (optional)
Sriracha or hot sauce of your choice (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and salt. Add the flour and cornstarch and whisk until just incorporated. Avoid overmixing; some lumps are okay. Add the cabbage, scallions, and shrimp and gently fold into the batter.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Spoon about 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) of the cabbage mixture into the skillet. Use a spatula to lightly pat down the surface to form a round about 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide and 1⁄2 inch (12 mm) high. Repeat until the skillet is full, but not overcrowded. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Flip the rounds over and cook, undisturbed, until cooked through and golden brown, about 4 minutes more. Transfer to plates and repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and cabbage mixture. (It’s okay if there’s liquid left in the bottom of the bowl; don’t use that.) Serve with the mayonnaise and Sriracha, if you like; you can also mix them together as shown in the photo.

Staggered: Okonomiyaki is best eaten right away, but will keep, covered, in a 200°F (90°C) oven for about 1 hour.

Photo credit: Maura McEvoy; Recipe and photo reprinted with permission from Abrams.

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23 Comments

Oakland Mom

I love okonomiyaki! I’ll definitely give this version a try, but a tip for those who are mayonnaise-averse like me: use tonkatsu sauce instead (or, as the Japanese do, use both). Tonkatsu sauce is also great with chicken or pork cutlets with panko.
Btw Jenny – tonkatsu sauce was the “bridge” I used to get my picky eater to branch out to chicken, steak, tofu, etc. – we told him he could dip it into the sauce and that opened many a protein door for him. Kikkoman has a version, called “Katsu sauce” that doesn’t contain high fructose corn syrup. Caroline, I’ll check out the book, just as soon as I figure out how to get two kids to overlapping soccer practices in different cities in a couple of days…

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Katie C.

Leave it on the counter?! You obviously do not have omnivorous critters. I have two house cats one of which has earned the nick name “Hoover!”

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katy

This looks SO GOOD and I’m on a very strict diet right now but this actually almost fits. The flour part I can’t do – any inkling if alternative gluten free flours might work?

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Robin

Katy, my daughter has to have gluten free flours as well. I’ve found as long as the GF flour is “ready to use” or “1-1 substitute” they work quite well in most recipes. You just have to keep an eye out for flours that do not contain xanthan gum, as the final product won’t turn out as planned.

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Rebecca

Katy, if you try it will you please report back and let us know how it goes and what flour you used? These look delicious but my daughter and I have celiac disease. Thanks!

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Kathy from Keepers/The Dinner Plan

Hi. I’m not sure what you are asking here. Please clarify and I’ll be happy to answer. Thanks!

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Emily

How long could this batter sit in the fridge before cooking? I’m wondering if I could assemble it at 1 or 2pm while my kids are at school and then fry it at 6 (or 7 or 8)pm when we’re home from the evening rush.

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Kathy from Keepers/The Dinner Plan

That timing would be fine. Just keep the batter separate from the cabbage, etc, and mix them right before frying. Enjoy!

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Emily

Thank you! I love having ready to go options when we walk in the door with starving kids in the evening. And much as I love my crockpot, there are only so many things it can do.

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Elemjay

Made this tonight – it is fabulous. Quite a bit of prep with all the chopping – wonderful flavours and textures. Make again!!

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Kathy from Keepers/The Dinner Plan

Hi. So glad you liked it. If you use bagged coleslaw mix, it takes just a few minutes 🙂

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Ellen Fari

Delicious, I made this last night. I was making enough for two, so I cut down the recipe and used bok choy instead of cabbage. I used rice flour, that worked well also.

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Kathy from Keepers/The Dinner Plan

Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful comments. Happy Holidays!

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Awads

I made this (using Trader Joe’s presliced green cabbage). it came together very quickly and was delicious. My only trouble was getting the frying right so that the inside was cooked thoroughly. Even with a total of 7 minutes in the pan, some of mine were crispy on the outside, but undercooked inside. My husband loved them, though, and even proclaimed them just as good the next day as a reheated lunch. Will definitely make this again!

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Kathy from Keepers/The Dinner Plan

That brand of cabbage may be sliced thicker, which would create more nooks and crannies for the batter to hide and thus not cook as evenly. Maybe err on the side of caution and make the mounds a little thinner (not as “high”) in the pan. You could also lower the heat and cook them a little longer. Let us know how it goes with these tips.

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robin z

As a new grandmother of 2, mom of 4, call me mimi, with a job and a life, this meal is bomb. It lands somewhere between breakfast and take-out. Two of my favorite things!! Okono… hmmm forgot the rest, is on the menu for next week, pre-holiday game week. Setting the oven to 200, wish me luck!

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Ellen Scott

One of chef tell me that pizza is the most simple food of the world. everything you need is put all of your favorite food on the cake and cook it. Japanese pizza is the good name. I like it and just decided will try it now!

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Kathy from Keepers/The Dinner Plan

This recipe lends itself to substitutions/experiementing, too. Enjoy!

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