Sunday, April 27, 2008
Singin' the Pesach Blues
Blogosphere, I have been sadly remiss in not posting during Pesach. I'll be honest - I don't have good Pesach recipes. I talk a good game, but in reality I roast five chickens for second night Seder and then live off of chicken soup, matzoh, spinach, fruit and cheese (obviously not all together) for the rest of the week. My friend Lilly wants to make matzoh ball soup and roast chicken tonight, so I will try to post that this evening. However, if you have inspiration for good Pesach recipes that I've been missing, I would appreciate them!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
How to Cook Out of the Pantry
There are points in my life where I find myself with random pantry items in need of use, and last night was one of these times.
I had just finished making Comfort Food Risotto with some leftover mushrooms, shredded carrots, baby spinach, and fresh ricotta (left over from a brunch I hosted the weekend before), and I had about 3 cups of leftover vegetable broth.
And half an onion.
And two sorry-looking, slightly mealy apples.
And so I got to thinking. What could I make with those three ingredients (broth, onion, mealy apples) that wouldn't involve going to the store (this all the more important because an accident on the main drag had reduced my neighborhood to a parking lot). I took a page from one of my favorite bloggers, Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks, and looked through my pantry to see what was to be had. Deep in the back, on the highest shelf, I hit the jackpot - two cans of Libby's Solid Pack Pumpkin. I scrounged around on another shelf and found a can of light coconut milk, and my recipe idea was shaped - a slightly curried pumpkin soup, all of whose ingredients came from the pantry or from the depths of the root vegetable drawer of the fridge.
As a busy student (and before that, a busy professional) who is nonetheless committed to cooking for herself regularly, having a well-stocked pantry is really essential, because I grocery shop once a week in a good week, and sometimes less than that.
At the same time, I have limited pantry shelf space, so prioritizing what to have available becomes important - it can be the difference between eating a healthy meal made at home (saving money!) and ordering pizza. I'm going to work on a comprehensive list of my essential pantry items and post it next week (as we are gearing up for Pesach, when 90% of said essential pantry items will be living in a box in the storage closet for the week), but in the meantime, the recipe:
Slightly Curried Hurried Pumpkin Soup (pareve)
1 tbsn olive oil
1/2 medium onion in 1/2" dice
2 large apples, peeled and cored, in 1/2" dice
2 medium white potatoes, peeled and in 1/2" dice
2 small cans plain pumpkin
1 can light coconut milk
3 c. vegetable stock
2 canfuls (probably about 4 cups) water
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2/3 c. honey
1. In the bottom of a medium stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent. Add the apple and the potatoes and cook until the onions are beginning to turn golden and the apple and potatoes are starting to get soft.
2. Add pumpkin, coconut milk, stock and water. Stir, then bring to a boil.
3. Add spices and honey, then reduce to a simmer and let simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it looks too thick, add more water.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool 10 minutes. If you have an immersion blender (a glorious tool, indeed), puree the soup in the pot. If not, you can either cool the soup further and put it in your real blender/food processor, OR you can use a potato masher to break up the apple and potato pieces at the bottom of the soup to get it better blended and eat it slightly chunky.
5. Serve hot. This would be great with a large salad and a piece of bread spread with chevre.
On a side note, so long as the honey and broth were hechshered for Pesach, this would be a great Pesach-friendly recipe.
Enjoy!
I had just finished making Comfort Food Risotto with some leftover mushrooms, shredded carrots, baby spinach, and fresh ricotta (left over from a brunch I hosted the weekend before), and I had about 3 cups of leftover vegetable broth.
And half an onion.
And two sorry-looking, slightly mealy apples.
And so I got to thinking. What could I make with those three ingredients (broth, onion, mealy apples) that wouldn't involve going to the store (this all the more important because an accident on the main drag had reduced my neighborhood to a parking lot). I took a page from one of my favorite bloggers, Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks, and looked through my pantry to see what was to be had. Deep in the back, on the highest shelf, I hit the jackpot - two cans of Libby's Solid Pack Pumpkin. I scrounged around on another shelf and found a can of light coconut milk, and my recipe idea was shaped - a slightly curried pumpkin soup, all of whose ingredients came from the pantry or from the depths of the root vegetable drawer of the fridge.
As a busy student (and before that, a busy professional) who is nonetheless committed to cooking for herself regularly, having a well-stocked pantry is really essential, because I grocery shop once a week in a good week, and sometimes less than that.
At the same time, I have limited pantry shelf space, so prioritizing what to have available becomes important - it can be the difference between eating a healthy meal made at home (saving money!) and ordering pizza. I'm going to work on a comprehensive list of my essential pantry items and post it next week (as we are gearing up for Pesach, when 90% of said essential pantry items will be living in a box in the storage closet for the week), but in the meantime, the recipe:
Slightly Curried Hurried Pumpkin Soup (pareve)
1 tbsn olive oil
1/2 medium onion in 1/2" dice
2 large apples, peeled and cored, in 1/2" dice
2 medium white potatoes, peeled and in 1/2" dice
2 small cans plain pumpkin
1 can light coconut milk
3 c. vegetable stock
2 canfuls (probably about 4 cups) water
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2/3 c. honey
1. In the bottom of a medium stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent. Add the apple and the potatoes and cook until the onions are beginning to turn golden and the apple and potatoes are starting to get soft.
2. Add pumpkin, coconut milk, stock and water. Stir, then bring to a boil.
3. Add spices and honey, then reduce to a simmer and let simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it looks too thick, add more water.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool 10 minutes. If you have an immersion blender (a glorious tool, indeed), puree the soup in the pot. If not, you can either cool the soup further and put it in your real blender/food processor, OR you can use a potato masher to break up the apple and potato pieces at the bottom of the soup to get it better blended and eat it slightly chunky.
5. Serve hot. This would be great with a large salad and a piece of bread spread with chevre.
On a side note, so long as the honey and broth were hechshered for Pesach, this would be a great Pesach-friendly recipe.
Enjoy!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
How can Manischewitz do this to us?
I received horrible news yesterday about Passover.
No, I already knew about the whole no-bread thing.
Rather, I read this deeply disappointing article in the NYTimes about Manischewitz and its plant problems that have caused a shortage of Tam Tams and Thin Tea Matzohs. How can they do this to us? Why must this be? These are the only two forms of matzoh that I actually LIKE!!!
Sigh. Well, I guess Passover this year will be even more culinarily miserable than usual. In the meantime, I am scouring shelves for good matzoh. If you have any suggestions, let me know.
No, I already knew about the whole no-bread thing.
Rather, I read this deeply disappointing article in the NYTimes about Manischewitz and its plant problems that have caused a shortage of Tam Tams and Thin Tea Matzohs. How can they do this to us? Why must this be? These are the only two forms of matzoh that I actually LIKE!!!
Sigh. Well, I guess Passover this year will be even more culinarily miserable than usual. In the meantime, I am scouring shelves for good matzoh. If you have any suggestions, let me know.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Say "Cheese"
I was, not for the first time, faced with a rennet dilemma this weekend.
I love cheese. It is no secret that if it is made from dairy, I have an almost overwhelming desire to eat it. To put it, as my friend Austin often says, in my mouf. Preferrably with some bread. Or crackers. Or pasta. Or rice. I'm equal opportunity, really. Dairy + starch = Yum.
You can sense, dear readers, a "but" coming on. The problem with cheese (correction: the problem with my unadulterated love of cheese) is that most cheeses (particularly aged cheeses) are made with rennet. Rennet, as some of you may know, is an enzyme that helps cheese to coagulate. Remember Little Miss Muffett? Her curds and whey were the result of a coagulation process in which the fat solids of the milk (the curds) pulled away from the water and sugar (the whey) in the milk with a little help from our friend rennet. Not all cheese is made from rennet, and not all rennet is bad. Some rennet is vegetarian, derived from yeast, mushrooms, and the like. Other rennet, however, is taken from the stomaches of calves or other animals.
Rabbis are divided as to whether rennet that comes from animal products are "meat" for the purposes of kashrut. Some would argue that such cheese made with animal rennet would be treif both because it would mix milk and meat AND because it would be difficult to figure out whether the animal was kosher. On the other hand, when a noted Talmudic sage was asked the question of whether such a cheese would be treif, "hayseo ledavar achayr," - he changed the subject. The other twist is that there is a rule in kashrut in which something that a dog wouldn't eat wouldn't be considered "food." Would a dog eat rennet (which is pretty chemically and gross)? No definitive ruling has ever been made, of course.
Thus, if a cheesemaker uses animal rennet, her cheese may or may not be treif. Yet, the USDA doesn't require cheesemakers to say what kind of rennet they use. So, it's hard to know unless cheese is hecshered whether the cheese is "Kosher" or not. Some rabbis have argued that the USDA's rules for milk and cheese are sufficient that there should not be a need for kosher certification, but this rule is still very much in the minority.
In other words, the jury is still out.
My rule of thumb is as follows: I buy kosher cheese whenever I can. Because almost all cheeses made in the U.S. are made with microbial (parve) rennet and most of these microbial rennet manufacturers are hecshered, I err on the side of buying US-made cheeses without hecshers unless they specify that they are made with animal rennet.
For foreign-derived cheeses (why do all the good ones fall into this category????), I take it on a case-by-case basis. If the label says animal rennet, I don't eat it. If it's a longer-aged or hard cheese (which more commonly uses animal rennet), I won't eat it. If it's a fresh cheese, which requires less coagulation, then I usually say it's okay. Does this make me less frum than I feel I should be? You betcha. So, with that long explanation, I give you a recipe.
Trader Joes is lovely because they offer a variety of kosher cheese. I've been a big fan of their feta and their lite chevre, and they also sell Cabot products, most of which are hecshered . I also LOVE Joseph's Soy and Flax flatbreads - they are 60 calories and make a wonderful sandwich, pizza, or tostada base.
Because so many of my recipes are cheesy and I have posted so many, I thought I'd post a couple of kugel recipes. I made one of these for the law schools "Taste of Diversity"...Shockingly, the Jewish Law Students Association were one of the only groups that had food left at the end of the event...because running out of food is a terrible sin. Anyway, both of these recipes utilize lovely yummy kosher cheese. :-)
2. Pour into one large or two smaller baking dishes and top with remaining sugar and cinnamon. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serve warm or at room temperature. Kugel is also wonderful as leftovers (if you have any left).
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (if you are using the food processor to grate the potatoes, throw the onion in too)
1 1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 c. + 1/4 cup shredded kosher cheddar or other hard cheese (this recipe is very flexible)
3/4 c. light sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsn. olive oil or melted butter
1 tsp. dijon mustard or 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic powder or 1/2 tsp. minced/crushed garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place oven rack in the middle. Lightly oil a medium casserole dish.
2. Mix together potatoes, onion, spinach, and 1 1/2 c. shredded cheese in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, oil/butter, sour cream, mustard, garlic (powder), salt, and pepper.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour into casserole dish and top with remaining cheddar.
5. Bake 1 hour. If top is not golden, set oven to broil and broil 3-5 minutes until cheese is gooey and brown on top. Serve hot.
This recipe also freezes well (and is kosher for passover).
I love cheese. It is no secret that if it is made from dairy, I have an almost overwhelming desire to eat it. To put it, as my friend Austin often says, in my mouf. Preferrably with some bread. Or crackers. Or pasta. Or rice. I'm equal opportunity, really. Dairy + starch = Yum.
You can sense, dear readers, a "but" coming on. The problem with cheese (correction: the problem with my unadulterated love of cheese) is that most cheeses (particularly aged cheeses) are made with rennet. Rennet, as some of you may know, is an enzyme that helps cheese to coagulate. Remember Little Miss Muffett? Her curds and whey were the result of a coagulation process in which the fat solids of the milk (the curds) pulled away from the water and sugar (the whey) in the milk with a little help from our friend rennet. Not all cheese is made from rennet, and not all rennet is bad. Some rennet is vegetarian, derived from yeast, mushrooms, and the like. Other rennet, however, is taken from the stomaches of calves or other animals.
Rabbis are divided as to whether rennet that comes from animal products are "meat" for the purposes of kashrut. Some would argue that such cheese made with animal rennet would be treif both because it would mix milk and meat AND because it would be difficult to figure out whether the animal was kosher. On the other hand, when a noted Talmudic sage was asked the question of whether such a cheese would be treif, "hayseo ledavar achayr," - he changed the subject. The other twist is that there is a rule in kashrut in which something that a dog wouldn't eat wouldn't be considered "food." Would a dog eat rennet (which is pretty chemically and gross)? No definitive ruling has ever been made, of course.
Thus, if a cheesemaker uses animal rennet, her cheese may or may not be treif. Yet, the USDA doesn't require cheesemakers to say what kind of rennet they use. So, it's hard to know unless cheese is hecshered whether the cheese is "Kosher" or not. Some rabbis have argued that the USDA's rules for milk and cheese are sufficient that there should not be a need for kosher certification, but this rule is still very much in the minority.
In other words, the jury is still out.
My rule of thumb is as follows: I buy kosher cheese whenever I can. Because almost all cheeses made in the U.S. are made with microbial (parve) rennet and most of these microbial rennet manufacturers are hecshered, I err on the side of buying US-made cheeses without hecshers unless they specify that they are made with animal rennet.
For foreign-derived cheeses (why do all the good ones fall into this category????), I take it on a case-by-case basis. If the label says animal rennet, I don't eat it. If it's a longer-aged or hard cheese (which more commonly uses animal rennet), I won't eat it. If it's a fresh cheese, which requires less coagulation, then I usually say it's okay. Does this make me less frum than I feel I should be? You betcha. So, with that long explanation, I give you a recipe.
Trader Joes is lovely because they offer a variety of kosher cheese. I've been a big fan of their feta and their lite chevre, and they also sell Cabot products, most of which are hecshered . I also LOVE Joseph's Soy and Flax flatbreads - they are 60 calories and make a wonderful sandwich, pizza, or tostada base.
Because so many of my recipes are cheesy and I have posted so many, I thought I'd post a couple of kugel recipes. I made one of these for the law schools "Taste of Diversity"...Shockingly, the Jewish Law Students Association were one of the only groups that had food left at the end of the event...because running out of food is a terrible sin. Anyway, both of these recipes utilize lovely yummy kosher cheese. :-)
Easy Applesauce Kugel
8 oz. package medium or fine noodles (I use medium)
8 oz. cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1/2 pint sour cream
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 c. plus 1 tbsn. white or light brown sugar
15 oz applesauce (I prefer unsweetened)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2. Pour into one large or two smaller baking dishes and top with remaining sugar and cinnamon. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serve warm or at room temperature. Kugel is also wonderful as leftovers (if you have any left).
I am sucker for all things cheese-and-spinach.
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (if you are using the food processor to grate the potatoes, throw the onion in too)
1 1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 c. + 1/4 cup shredded kosher cheddar or other hard cheese (this recipe is very flexible)
3/4 c. light sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsn. olive oil or melted butter
1 tsp. dijon mustard or 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic powder or 1/2 tsp. minced/crushed garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place oven rack in the middle. Lightly oil a medium casserole dish.
2. Mix together potatoes, onion, spinach, and 1 1/2 c. shredded cheese in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, oil/butter, sour cream, mustard, garlic (powder), salt, and pepper.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour into casserole dish and top with remaining cheddar.
5. Bake 1 hour. If top is not golden, set oven to broil and broil 3-5 minutes until cheese is gooey and brown on top. Serve hot.
This recipe also freezes well (and is kosher for passover).
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Superbowl of Chili
So, in the NYTimes this week there was a disgusting article about how double-dipping is the equivalent of french kissing everyone at the party (because you transfer your saliva into the dip, which other people then eat). So, having thoroughly freaked myself out over the idea of eating anything that didn't come in an individual serving-sized container, I propose an alternative: Kitchen Sink Chili.
Kitchen Sink Chili is exactly what it sounds like - you start with a basic chili base (canned tomatoes, beans, onion, garlic, spices) and then you add...whatever you happen to have laying around. Carrots? You got it. Corn? Perfect. Other/different/better beans? Sure thing. Green veggies? Yummo. (Got you with that Rachael Ray reference, didn't I? You know I did). Kitchen Sink Chili accomplishes 4 (count 'em, 4!) objectives:
1. Feeds the Masses - you can make Kitchen Sink Chili in a crock pot (and, if you don't cook the onions and garlic first, you can actually cook the whole thing in one pot. Personally, I like the onions and garlic cooked first, but still, that's only one minor extra frying pan). It is delicious, and you can cook it all day (and/or all night) and it tastes awesome. In fact, the longer the flavors meld together, the better you are. This is one of those great recipes that tastes even better the third day than the first day (and goodness knows we need more of those recipes).
2. Provides Double-Dip-Free Dipping - No one eats from a communal bowl of chili. It's just not done. I mean, you have to think about toppings, and spiciness, and all that stuff, and everyone likes their chili just so and, let's face it, no one wants to share a bowl of this deliciousness with someone else. BUT, at the same time, chili is great for chip-dipping. Who doesn't like corn chips and chili (okay, I admit, if you are in the early stages of a relationship with the olfactorily sensitive, you may want to go easy on the beans)? So, you can accomplish the dip, even the double dip, without passing your nasty mouth cooties on to everyone else. Genius.
3. Clean out Your Vegetable Drawer/Freezer - I will admit, I don't eat nearly as many fresh veggies as I should. I am, however, a big proponent of frozen veggies, which have 95% of the vitamins and minerals of fresh and yet keep forever. That said, they also come in awkward-sized bags. For some reason, I ALWAYS end up with 3/4 cup of frozen corn kernels, or carrot slices, or chopped baby spinach. Not enough to make into a side dish (once the ice melts, that's really about 1/2 cup of cooked veggies), but too much to justify throwing away. This recipe is a great place to throw in those frozen veggies - and because there are so many different flavors, you never feel deprived of any one veggie. Likewise, this is also a great recipe for fresh vegetables slightly past their prime. That half-eaten bag of baby carrots in the fridge that has dried out? Chop 'em up and throw them in the pot. Those slightly shriveled grape tomatoes? A quick rinse is all they need. I haven't tried broccoli in the chili, but I could see it working if you chopped it up first. Finally, if you are like me and sometimes find yourself with half-open packages of low-fat cream cheese/(dairy or soy), then this is a great place to get rid of them - just cube and stir in.
4. Freeze Ahead - This chili freezes really well. It also reheats well. It is a great three-season (fall/winter/spring) dish, and I heartily recommend it.
Kitchen Sink Chili
Chili Base
2 large cans roasted/stewed whole tomatoes in paste/sauce (Muir Glen's Fire-Roasted Tomatoes are my faves, but any kind will do - but you want the big-ass cans, not the regular-sized ones)
2-3 cans beans (pinto, black, and great northern are good choices, but if you like kidney or garbanzo beans, they can also work).
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 chiles in adobo sauce (optional) *
1/2 cap liquid smoke (optional)
Add-Ins
- Zucchini, coarsely chopped
- Sliced baby carrots
- frozen spinach, collard greens, or kale
- corn kernels (canned/frozen)
- green beans
- cubed low fat cream cheese (dairy/soy)
Toppings
- Sliced ripe avocados
- Low-fat grated cheese (any kind)
- Light sour cream (I will disown you if you get fat-free sour cream. You might as well eat wallpaper paste)
- Chopped fresh scallions
- Sliced/chopped tomatoes
Accompaniments
- Tortilla chips (lots and lots of tortilla chips. Yum.)
- Rice (any kind)
- Hearty white or light wheat bread, preferably toasted
- Fresh tortillas (flour or corn)
* I like my chili moderately spicy but I never seem to use a whole can of chiles before they go bad. I have, however, recently discovered that you can freeze the whole can, in a ziplock bag, and when you need a chile, just sort of chisel one out with a butter knife. The adobo sauce doesn't really harden, and you would end up chopping the chile anyway, so what's the difference? For a big pot of chili, you want about a tablespoon of chiles/sauce (more if you like five-alarm chili). And the chiles keep for several weeks in the freezer, so it's all good. This discussion of chilis and chiles is confusing, but you get the idea.
Let me know how it turns out!
Kitchen Sink Chili is exactly what it sounds like - you start with a basic chili base (canned tomatoes, beans, onion, garlic, spices) and then you add...whatever you happen to have laying around. Carrots? You got it. Corn? Perfect. Other/different/better beans? Sure thing. Green veggies? Yummo. (Got you with that Rachael Ray reference, didn't I? You know I did). Kitchen Sink Chili accomplishes 4 (count 'em, 4!) objectives:
1. Feeds the Masses - you can make Kitchen Sink Chili in a crock pot (and, if you don't cook the onions and garlic first, you can actually cook the whole thing in one pot. Personally, I like the onions and garlic cooked first, but still, that's only one minor extra frying pan). It is delicious, and you can cook it all day (and/or all night) and it tastes awesome. In fact, the longer the flavors meld together, the better you are. This is one of those great recipes that tastes even better the third day than the first day (and goodness knows we need more of those recipes).
2. Provides Double-Dip-Free Dipping - No one eats from a communal bowl of chili. It's just not done. I mean, you have to think about toppings, and spiciness, and all that stuff, and everyone likes their chili just so and, let's face it, no one wants to share a bowl of this deliciousness with someone else. BUT, at the same time, chili is great for chip-dipping. Who doesn't like corn chips and chili (okay, I admit, if you are in the early stages of a relationship with the olfactorily sensitive, you may want to go easy on the beans)? So, you can accomplish the dip, even the double dip, without passing your nasty mouth cooties on to everyone else. Genius.
3. Clean out Your Vegetable Drawer/Freezer - I will admit, I don't eat nearly as many fresh veggies as I should. I am, however, a big proponent of frozen veggies, which have 95% of the vitamins and minerals of fresh and yet keep forever. That said, they also come in awkward-sized bags. For some reason, I ALWAYS end up with 3/4 cup of frozen corn kernels, or carrot slices, or chopped baby spinach. Not enough to make into a side dish (once the ice melts, that's really about 1/2 cup of cooked veggies), but too much to justify throwing away. This recipe is a great place to throw in those frozen veggies - and because there are so many different flavors, you never feel deprived of any one veggie. Likewise, this is also a great recipe for fresh vegetables slightly past their prime. That half-eaten bag of baby carrots in the fridge that has dried out? Chop 'em up and throw them in the pot. Those slightly shriveled grape tomatoes? A quick rinse is all they need. I haven't tried broccoli in the chili, but I could see it working if you chopped it up first. Finally, if you are like me and sometimes find yourself with half-open packages of low-fat cream cheese/(dairy or soy), then this is a great place to get rid of them - just cube and stir in.
4. Freeze Ahead - This chili freezes really well. It also reheats well. It is a great three-season (fall/winter/spring) dish, and I heartily recommend it.
Kitchen Sink Chili
Chili Base
2 large cans roasted/stewed whole tomatoes in paste/sauce (Muir Glen's Fire-Roasted Tomatoes are my faves, but any kind will do - but you want the big-ass cans, not the regular-sized ones)
2-3 cans beans (pinto, black, and great northern are good choices, but if you like kidney or garbanzo beans, they can also work).
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 chiles in adobo sauce (optional) *
1/2 cap liquid smoke (optional)
Add-Ins
- Zucchini, coarsely chopped
- Sliced baby carrots
- frozen spinach, collard greens, or kale
- corn kernels (canned/frozen)
- green beans
- cubed low fat cream cheese (dairy/soy)
Toppings
- Sliced ripe avocados
- Low-fat grated cheese (any kind)
- Light sour cream (I will disown you if you get fat-free sour cream. You might as well eat wallpaper paste)
- Chopped fresh scallions
- Sliced/chopped tomatoes
Accompaniments
- Tortilla chips (lots and lots of tortilla chips. Yum.)
- Rice (any kind)
- Hearty white or light wheat bread, preferably toasted
- Fresh tortillas (flour or corn)
* I like my chili moderately spicy but I never seem to use a whole can of chiles before they go bad. I have, however, recently discovered that you can freeze the whole can, in a ziplock bag, and when you need a chile, just sort of chisel one out with a butter knife. The adobo sauce doesn't really harden, and you would end up chopping the chile anyway, so what's the difference? For a big pot of chili, you want about a tablespoon of chiles/sauce (more if you like five-alarm chili). And the chiles keep for several weeks in the freezer, so it's all good. This discussion of chilis and chiles is confusing, but you get the idea.
Let me know how it turns out!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Friends and Foods and Shortrifle
Hello Buddies!
I was lucky enough to have two of my best friends from college over for dinner last night (and a lovely friend-in-law as well). It's so nice to have people in my life who, no matter how long it has been since you've seen them, just totally "get it" and get you and are so comfortable. I wish I got to see them more often, but I am always grateful when I do see them.
We had some yummy risotto on Sunday, which I have already posted below, and a big Greek salad, but I have discovered a new, quick and easy dessert that I am totally obsessed with. It is something between a shortcake and a trifle - a shortrifle, if you will. So, here is the first recipe of the year (sad that it's been almost two months since I posted, but I will start posting them again). This is a slight variation on the original way I served it, but I think it makes a better presentation.
Mixed Berry Shortrifle (serves 8)
Topping
1 cup cored, sliced strawberries
1 cup washed and halved blackberries
1 cup washed raspberries
2 tbsn lemon juice
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cinnamon, nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice blend (optional)
1 loaf Entenmann's pound cake, sliced into 1/4" slices (as thin as possible)
1 tub vanilla ice cream ( I used Trader Joe's vanilla gelato, but you could pretty much go with any brand, or with custard or whipped cream).
Mix the topping ingredients together and allow to sit at room temperature about 30 minutes to macerate. The berries should release their juices.
Shortly before serving, take ice cream out of the freezer to soften.
Layer cake and berries twice and (cake as base, berries, cake, berries) then top with ice cream/other dairy. If you have leftover berries, you can drizzle them around the plate. You could also cube the cake and layer the ingredients in a tall glass and make it a parfait-type dessert. Yum.
I was lucky enough to have two of my best friends from college over for dinner last night (and a lovely friend-in-law as well). It's so nice to have people in my life who, no matter how long it has been since you've seen them, just totally "get it" and get you and are so comfortable. I wish I got to see them more often, but I am always grateful when I do see them.
We had some yummy risotto on Sunday, which I have already posted below, and a big Greek salad, but I have discovered a new, quick and easy dessert that I am totally obsessed with. It is something between a shortcake and a trifle - a shortrifle, if you will. So, here is the first recipe of the year (sad that it's been almost two months since I posted, but I will start posting them again). This is a slight variation on the original way I served it, but I think it makes a better presentation.
Mixed Berry Shortrifle (serves 8)
Topping
1 cup cored, sliced strawberries
1 cup washed and halved blackberries
1 cup washed raspberries
2 tbsn lemon juice
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cinnamon, nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice blend (optional)
1 loaf Entenmann's pound cake, sliced into 1/4" slices (as thin as possible)
1 tub vanilla ice cream ( I used Trader Joe's vanilla gelato, but you could pretty much go with any brand, or with custard or whipped cream).
Mix the topping ingredients together and allow to sit at room temperature about 30 minutes to macerate. The berries should release their juices.
Shortly before serving, take ice cream out of the freezer to soften.
Layer cake and berries twice and (cake as base, berries, cake, berries) then top with ice cream/other dairy. If you have leftover berries, you can drizzle them around the plate. You could also cube the cake and layer the ingredients in a tall glass and make it a parfait-type dessert. Yum.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Ratatouille and Remembrance
I am, I admit, a bit of a cinematic neophyte. I was working over the summer back in DC and didn't get the chance to go to the movies as much as I'd liked, and so I missed the critic's darling of the summer, the animated film Ratatouille. However, as it was a Pixar film (all of which I have, without exception, adored) and a movie about cooking, I decided that I would order it to own on DVD, rather than simply renting it. It came in the mail today.
Let me first say that my accolades about its general perfection are needless - I don't think I read a single review of the movie that had anything bad to say. More importantly, however, were three (for lack of a better term) takeaways from the movie that I wanted to mull over.
"Anyone can cook" is the motto of the protagonist's spectral mentor. And this is, in fact, true. While the movie makes it seem like some are born to greatness while others are not, I think that's actually the wrong approach. I think that, if so inclined, it is possible for anyone (okay, 99% of people - my stepdad may be beyond help, but that's another story) to learn to cook competently and to refine their palette. More importantly, I think it's possible for anyone who wants to to learn to cook for their own palette - after all, the foods that I love (risotto, anything with goat cheese or spinach) may be the opposite of what others love. My friend Adam, for instance, hates cheese. We have learned to disagree (and always order different appetizers).
Another theme in the movie is the role of criticism as the discoverer and defender of the new. I think this is something that is applicable not only in my culinary life (oh, that there were more people challenging me to get outside my comfort zone!) but in my academic life as well. Isn't that what we all strive for, as students? Not only to know what has already been discovered but to find the new insight that no one has thought of yet? If not, then I would really like to dispense with all this preemption research nonsense that one is forced to endure if one wishes to be on a law journal. Ugh.
Finally, the movie also reminds us why we, as humans, are so tied to food and strive so hard for what is sometimes sarcastically called "culinary greatness." What is magical about food is the way that it can anchor or bring back a memory. Olfactory (smell-based) memories last five times as long as sight- or sound- anchored memories. More on this in a later post (or posts), but I was just struck by how true that is. There is a reason that the NYTimes Food section has a column entitled Eat, Drink, Memory. It is because food is a visceral reminder of where we are, where we come from, and who we want to be.
Speaking of the ghosts of flavors past, here is a recipe based on a salad at my favorite high-school fast food restaurant - Everything Salad & Yogurt. This salad goes well with a strawberry-banana yogurt smoothie, fyi...
Pasta Tuna Veggie Salad
1 can chunk light tuna fish in water
1 bag mixed salad greens (romaine-based, though spinach would also work)
2 cups fresh broccoli florets (TJs sells them by the bag, pre-cut)
2 cups baby carrots, thinly sliced (1/8" thick is ideal, but everything is relative)
1 cup fresh green beans, sliced into thirds
1/2 cup frozen green peas
2 cups uncooked whole wheat or wheat-blend pasta
1/3 cup light ranch (or other creamy) dressing. I like Newman's Own, myself.
1. Put a pot of salted water on to boil.
2. Open and drain can of tuna.
3. Mix veggies together in a large bowl.
4. Using a fork, gently flake tuna out of can, separating larger chunks with a forl -tuna should look almost fluffy.
5. Cook pasta until al dente; drain and cool for about 15 minutes.
6. Toss pasta into salad. Bit by bit, toss in dressing until all elements of salad are lightly coated (and to your taste).
7. Chill 15-20 minutes before serving (allowing the flavors to meld but not letting the lettuce get soggy).
Let me first say that my accolades about its general perfection are needless - I don't think I read a single review of the movie that had anything bad to say. More importantly, however, were three (for lack of a better term) takeaways from the movie that I wanted to mull over.
"Anyone can cook" is the motto of the protagonist's spectral mentor. And this is, in fact, true. While the movie makes it seem like some are born to greatness while others are not, I think that's actually the wrong approach. I think that, if so inclined, it is possible for anyone (okay, 99% of people - my stepdad may be beyond help, but that's another story) to learn to cook competently and to refine their palette. More importantly, I think it's possible for anyone who wants to to learn to cook for their own palette - after all, the foods that I love (risotto, anything with goat cheese or spinach) may be the opposite of what others love. My friend Adam, for instance, hates cheese. We have learned to disagree (and always order different appetizers).
Another theme in the movie is the role of criticism as the discoverer and defender of the new. I think this is something that is applicable not only in my culinary life (oh, that there were more people challenging me to get outside my comfort zone!) but in my academic life as well. Isn't that what we all strive for, as students? Not only to know what has already been discovered but to find the new insight that no one has thought of yet? If not, then I would really like to dispense with all this preemption research nonsense that one is forced to endure if one wishes to be on a law journal. Ugh.
Finally, the movie also reminds us why we, as humans, are so tied to food and strive so hard for what is sometimes sarcastically called "culinary greatness." What is magical about food is the way that it can anchor or bring back a memory. Olfactory (smell-based) memories last five times as long as sight- or sound- anchored memories. More on this in a later post (or posts), but I was just struck by how true that is. There is a reason that the NYTimes Food section has a column entitled Eat, Drink, Memory. It is because food is a visceral reminder of where we are, where we come from, and who we want to be.
Speaking of the ghosts of flavors past, here is a recipe based on a salad at my favorite high-school fast food restaurant - Everything Salad & Yogurt. This salad goes well with a strawberry-banana yogurt smoothie, fyi...
Pasta Tuna Veggie Salad
1 can chunk light tuna fish in water
1 bag mixed salad greens (romaine-based, though spinach would also work)
2 cups fresh broccoli florets (TJs sells them by the bag, pre-cut)
2 cups baby carrots, thinly sliced (1/8" thick is ideal, but everything is relative)
1 cup fresh green beans, sliced into thirds
1/2 cup frozen green peas
2 cups uncooked whole wheat or wheat-blend pasta
1/3 cup light ranch (or other creamy) dressing. I like Newman's Own, myself.
1. Put a pot of salted water on to boil.
2. Open and drain can of tuna.
3. Mix veggies together in a large bowl.
4. Using a fork, gently flake tuna out of can, separating larger chunks with a forl -tuna should look almost fluffy.
5. Cook pasta until al dente; drain and cool for about 15 minutes.
6. Toss pasta into salad. Bit by bit, toss in dressing until all elements of salad are lightly coated (and to your taste).
7. Chill 15-20 minutes before serving (allowing the flavors to meld but not letting the lettuce get soggy).
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