early spring warmth

We're still at a point in the spring season where we'll see chilly and rainy and generally miserable days, so I still need soup.  But I'm definitely getting to the point where I want lighter, more vegetable-based foods.  This soup provided a nice balance.

I love Cook's Country's take on posole, but I can only take that fatty, pork-filled stew so often.  This potato soup begins with a similar pureed onion and chili base.  I opted for a can of crushed fire-roasted tomatoes instead of crushed fresh, but if you have nice fresh tomatoes around, go for it.

I also wanted to add another texture or flavor, and debated between frozen sweet corn or hominy.  I decided on hominy this time to keep the flavors smoky and earthy like the pork posole.  If I make this later into the spring or summer it would be nice to use frozen or fresh sweet corn to brighten up the whole soup.

Mexican Potato Soup

adapted from Serious Eats

1 lb boiling potatoes, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
Kosher salt 

28-oz can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes or 3 large red ripe tomatoes, about 1 1/4 pounds, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 canned chipotle in adobo sauce, coarsely chopped
2 c homemade chicken or vegetable stock (of course, go for veggie broth if you want it vegetarian)

28-oz can hominy (optional)
1/3 c cilantro, finely chopped

Place in large saucepan and cover with water by about three inches. Season water with salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender but firm to the bite (potatoes will cook further in step 2). Drain potatoes and set aside. Meanwhile, blend tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chipotle pepper in blender at high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Pour tomato mixture into large saucepan. Add vegetable stock and potatoes. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are completely tender, about 7 to 8 minutes. For thicker broth, mash a few potatoes against side of pot with wooden spoon. Add cilantro and hominy (if using) simmer for 2 minutes longer, or until hominy is warm. Serve immediately with extra cilantro and sour cream (I use Greek yogurt) as desired. 

 

meatless with mushrooms

This week was a pretty good week for animals.  We had several vegetarian meals, which were all very yummy.  This meal will be my first official "Meatless Monday" link for the Midnight Maniac blog (whose author I was delighted to discover is a fellow Wisconsinite!).  Our vegetarian attempts have recently become even more appealing, as our trip to Japan helped Matt and I both get over our mushroom "issues" once and for all.  Their earthy, meaty qualities were perfect for these flavorful meatless tacos.

I was able to whip this up fairly quickly since I had roasted and peeled the hot peppers earlier in the week to make our own rendition of this decidedly meat-ful torta (I'll leave description for another post).  I am about ready to start roasting up a huge batch of peppers--poblano, red, yellow, orange, and otherwise hot--on the weekends to have on hand all week for sandwiches, salads, soups, and the like.  I could also use a vat of roasted garlic in the fridge at all times.

Anyway, I digress.  I simplified the taco recipe a bit by switching out fresh epazote for dried oregano and omitting the coxita cheese.  I also used some frozen fresh salsa I stored away last fall instead of making the salsa quemada, though it sounds quite tasty as well.  Next time we thought we'd add a bit of Greek yogurt (our go-to sour cream substitute), but overall this turned out very well.  But look out--for us this made a ton of filling.  I'll be eating this as a salad topping all week!

Mushroom, Rajas, and Corn Tacos with Queso Fresco
adapted (slightly) from Epicurious

2 Anaheim chiles
1 poblano chile
1 c frozen or fresh corn kernels (about 1 ear)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt
1/2 white onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 lg clove garlic, thinly sliced
6 oz cremini or white button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 tsp oregano, preferably Mexican
Fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 c queso fresco, cut into small cubes
6 warm corn tortillas
Salsa quemada or your favorite salsa
Cilantro sprigs

Roast the chiles as for rajas.  If you have a gas stove, it's simple to quickly char the skin on the peppers directly over the gas flame.  If you're like me and are stuck with electric, it's not much more difficult.  I roast the peppers under a hot broiler in a small pan lined with foil for about 5 minutes on each side, staying nearby to check every so often, until all sides are blackened and beginning to blister.  Put the peppers in a plastic zippered bag and seal for about 15 minutes, or until the chiles have cooled and the skin is readily peeled.  Pull the stem from the top and strip the skin from the peppers, then remove the seeds and cut into 1/2-inch dice.

Heat a heavy pan (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat until very hot.  If using frozen corn, place corn in colander and rinse until thawed.  Allow to drain and dry somewhat before the next step.  In a bowl, toss the corn with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Spread the corn in the hot pan and let it blacken slightly, without stirring, for 30 seconds. Have a lid ready in case the kernels begin to pop. Remove the roasted corn from the pan.  In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Add the onion and diced chiles and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and beginning to brown. Season lightly with salt and remove from the pan.

Reduce the heat and add the remaining olive oil. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the corn and chiles to the pan and stir to reheat.  Turn off the heat and stir in the oregano, black pepper, and queso fresco.

To assemble the tacos, spoon some vegetables onto a tortilla. Top with a generous tablespoon of salsa. Top with cilantro and sour cream or Greek yogurt, if desired.

new favorite

The people at Cook's Country magazine come across as mad food scientists.  They make and remake and mess with and test a recipe so many times that it makes me impatient just reading about it.  The result is typically a reliable recipe, but sometimes involves ingredients I'd rather not keep on hand (anybody keep apple brandy in the cabinet??).

In the case of their "New Mexican Pork Stew", the result is a delicious and fairly simple posole.  When deciding to make this recipe, I did something I really shouldn't do.  I decided to make an ethnic dish from a recipe when I had never tasted any other version of the dish, good or bad.  I've attempted this foolishness with varied results.  Spanikopita was only so-so.  Korean bulgogi was actually pretty great.  And so was this posole.  The problem is, I don't know whether these recipes even begin to approximate the authentic dish.  If you're some kind of posole expert, please enlighten me.  I guess when it comes right down to it, I don't particularly care--this stew is that good.

Many meals in our home either start out spicy or get some kind of spice added to them later (red pepper flake, jalapenos, sambal).  This was not one of those meals, and yet we both found it immensely satisfying.  The ancho chiles, which Wikipedia tells me are a dried poblano, are not particularly spicy.  Instead, they are smoky and earthy.  Between the chiles and the intensely corny hominy, this dish reminds me of the first particularly earthy Mexican dish I ate, a tortilla soup at La Mestiza in Madison.  This is one recipe that will be going into our regular rotation.

One major benefit of Cook's Country (and they don't pay me to say this) is the mad scientist's report on the process which led to the recipe.  While mind-bogglingly involved, it does provide the justification for each step of the recipe that might seem unnecessary, like, say, browning hominy.  Steps that I might be tempted to skip, which would be very silly of me.  I will not be typing up Cook's Country's introduction to the recipe.  Just trust me and follow the directions.  As a side-note, the pork ribs from our butcher had little bones in a few of them, but they had no adverse effect.  Just pull them out when you shred the pork.  Also, my grocery store doesn't carry 15-ounce cans of hominy, so I went with two huge 28-ounce cans.  The more hominy, the better, I say.

New Mexican Pork Stew (Posole)
from Cook's Country-January 2011

3/4 oz dried ancho chiles (about 3 chiles)
8 c low-sodium chicken broth (I used homemade)
2 lbs boneless country-style pork ribs
salt & pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 (15-oz) cans white hominy, rinsed and drained well
2 onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
1 tbsp lime juice
chopped avocado, cabbage, and radishes for serving (optional)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place chiles on baking sheet and bake until puffed and fragrant, about 6 minutes.  When chiles are cool enough to handle, remove seeds and stems.  Combine chiles and 1 cup broth in medium bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until bubbling, about 2 minutes.  Let stand until softened, 10 to 15 minutes.

Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Cook pork until well browned all over, about 10 minutes.  Transfer pork to plate.  Add hominy to now-empty pot and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and hominy begins to darken 2 to 3 minutes.  Transfer hominy to medium bowl.

Heat remaining oil in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering.  Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Puree onion mixture with softened chile mixture in blender.  Combine remaining broth, pureed onion-chile mixture, pork, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon sald, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in now-empty pot and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until meat is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer pork to clean plate.  Add hominy to pot and simmer, covered, until tender, about 30 minutes.  Skim fat from broth.  When meat is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces, discarding fat.  Return pork to pot and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.  Off heat, add lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper.

Posole can be refrigerated in airtight container for 3 days.  We did not really skim the fat off the soup, thus the shiny spots in the photo.  We did, however, scrape some of the congealed, bright-orange fat off the top of our leftovers before reheating.  Only some though.  Matt's turned me into an animal-fat fan.

what's been cooking

Matt and I are heading to Tokyo on Saturday. That means the next several blog posts will be about Japanese food, hopefully while we're still over there. Before we go, I want to clear out my stash of recently-cooked meals, especially before all the spring/early summer ingredients are gone. The following are all recommended recipes--some have a link to a recipe and some just have the ingredients listed. Enjoy!

strawberry chicken club sandwich

potato frittata with bacon

burger with horseradish havarti, bacon, caramelized onions, mayo, and greens on pretzel roll

asparagus panzanella

grilled chicken fajitas

mixed green salad with strawberries, grilled chicken, avocado, spring onions, and Bolthouse Farms mango vinaigrette

three-cup chicken with green beans (no photo)

oh, lawrence

So this will be old news to Lawrence, Kansas residents. And it might be old news if you've been reading my blog for awhile, since I've posted about Dempsey's before. In any case, The Burger Stand at Dempsey's makes a great burger and fries.

Dempsey's was just a bar when we moved away from Kansas. Not a bad place to get a drink, but just a bar. When we went back for a visit last year, Dempsey's had brought in a chef to develop a menu and started getting what seems to be a lot more business. There are standards on the menu like the Kobe Burger (Matt's favorite), plus new selections occasionally (seasonally, maybe?). Matt got the Kobe again and I had a new one, the Fire Burger. Covered with habanero- cactus jam, my burger was surprising sweet and predictably spicy. Very good, but I'd try something new next time we go.

fire burger with habanero-cactus jam, avocado, & microgreens
poutine: fries with chunks of cheese & brown gravy

Yes, that is poutine in that basket. Dempsey's knows how to make some incredible sides as well as burgers, but the gravy on the poutine was overwhelmingly salty. Because of the gravy, the poutine didn't quite stand up to classics like the duck fat fries or truffle fries. It would be hard to choose between those two for my favorite fries there. Unfortunately, I neglected to photograph any other fries but my own. But take my word--they're amazing.

steak taco with chimichurri sauce & veggies
chicken taco with salsa verde, tomatillo sauce, & almonds
pork taco with mole rojo & pineapple pumpkin-seed salsa
(from left to right)

The crew that runs Dempsey's also opened a new Mexican place in Lawrence called Esquina. We ordered three tacos, all of which were creative and tasty, but none were standout. I preferred the chilaquiles (a favorite dish of mine anyway), which were topped with a fried egg instead of the scrambled that I'm used to. It also featured a thick white queso fundido plus queso fresco, which I thought was a very tasty addition. I also really enjoyed my taste of my friend's chicken enchiladas.

chilaquiles con huevos

chicken enchilada platter

Esquina has a considerably larger menu than what is posted online, including many special meat or enchilada platters. There were also some impressive-looking cocktails sitting at the bar when we walked in. I would definitely like to try Esquina again the next time we head south.

so-so

I have a lot of fantastic food pics waiting in the wings. Before I unleash a stream of gushing upon you, I think I should clear something up and temper all that oncoming positivity with some reality. I've noticed that I may be fostering a perception that I either like everything I eat, or that I have spot-on taste in restaurants. The truth is that I just lack the motivation to post about meals that don't excite me. The food we eat is rarely downright bad, but sometimes it's merely mediocre. I also don't fancy myself a true food critic, so I don't always feel comfortable complaining about local restaurants. However, it's hard to trust the opinion of someone who likes everything, so to foster your confidence, here's an attempt at some negativity.

One so-so meal was our Valentine's Day dinner at El Dorado Grill on Williamson Street in Madison. The style is Southwestern, and the decor is fittingly and charmingly rustic. We expected good things from this member of the Food Fight family of restaurants, but were not blown away.


The chips and salsa were tasty, though not as spicy as we'd usually prefer. The highlight of the meal came early, in the form of the priciest margarita I had tasted to date. I asked the very helpful server for a tequila suggestion (something in the lower price range for a beginner), since their list of 70+ tequila options was fairly intimidating. The tequilas ran from $5 - $10 per shot, and I opted to add another $2 to get the shot made into a margarita. I would absolutely return for margaritas and chips.

pasilla chile chicken enchiladas

I would most likely not go back to El Dorado for the food. While the drizzle of sauce over my enchiladas looked appealing, the flavor was sorely lacking. The chicken was dry and bland as were the beans. I would sooner take the saucier and more complex enchiladas in green sauce at the more casual Food Fight Southwestern joint, Tex Tubbs.

I also don't fancy myself a true food critic, so I don't always feel comfortable complaining about local restaurants. However, it's hard to trust the opinion of someone who likes everything, so to foster your confidence, here's an attempt at some negativity.

machaca pork chalupas

Matt ordered the machaca pork chalupas. The pork flavor was nice, but again the sides were unremarkable. The whole plate (and flavor) was obscured by the blanket of bland greens on top. The meal was capped off by a decent, but not amazing, piece of chocolate pecan pie. All in all, the food that we ordered at El Dorado was not worth our money. I might give it one more chance and try one of the entrees from the specialties section on the menu or for brunch.

chocolate pecan pie

perfect nachos

Wow! This is my 100th post! It doesn't seem like it's been that many posts, but after a year of blogging I should probably have even more. Oh well.

With our burgers and nachos, this weekend would seem to be filled with "junk" food, but I'd like to think that we do these dishes in a more healthful (and most definitely more delicious) way than your Burger King or your Taco Bell. My parents are to thank for beginning a grand tradition of amazing nachos made at home on the weekend. This is one of those meals that is never exactly the same since I just make them from memory.


Nachos or tacos usually follow a few days behind burgers. One half of the ground bison makes 2 burgers, the other half seasoned taco meat. The meat just gets cooked over medium heat, then coated to taste with lots of chili powder and cumin, plus a little chipotle powder, garlic powder, and salt.

Preheat the oven on low (300-350) and line an oven-safe plate with tortilla chips. Stick with a ceramic plate if possible--we've warped a porcelain plate in the oven before. The best chips are hearty, heavy, coarse corn chips. We usually use local blue corn chips, because the restaurant-style chips I used this time got too soggy from all the toppings.

Dollop warmed refried or black beans (if you like) over the chips, then add some meat and shredded cheese. Warm in the oven right on the plates until the cheese is melted and remove with hot pads. Then comes the fun part--slathering the nachos with lots of whatever toppings you like.

My nachos were topped with homemade salsa (that recipe is for another post!), plain yogurt (in lieu of sour cream), jalapenos, and my "green" guacamole. I originally got the guacamole recipe somewhere that I've since forgotten, but it's easy enough to make from memory. Below is the very non-scientific recipe.


"Green" Guacamole

2-3 soft avocados, mashed
1-2 green onions, sliced into thin rounds
2-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
handful cilantro leaves and stems, roughly chopped
small can diced green chiles, drained
splash of lime juice and pinch of salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients and enjoy!

eat your veggies

zesty zucchini quesadilla

The zucchini shreds and peppers in these quesadillas become soft and then blend right into the gooey cheese. Whether you enjoy vegetables or try to avoid them, this dish wraps the greens in a very appealing (and tasty!) package.

2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 zucchini, shredded
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped (I used green pepper and it worked fine.)
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 c fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
juice of one lime (2-4 tbsp)
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp hot-pepper sauce (optional)
4 8-inch tortillas
2 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and cumin. Cook for 5 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft. Stir in the cilantro, salt, and black pepper. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the tomato, lime juice, chili powder, and hot-pepper sauce, if using.

Spread one-fourth of the zucchini mixture evenly over half of each tortilla. Sprinkle each with 1 1/2 tsp pine nuts and one-fourth of the cheese. Fold the tortillas in half.

Wipe out the skillet and cook the quesadillas over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, turning once, until the cheese is melted. Cut the quesadillas into wedges and top with a generous amount of the tomato mixture and some plain yogurt/sour cream.

recipe from Simply Organic by Jesse Ziff Cool

corn chowder

smoky chipotle-chicken corn chowder

In the search for recipes that will use up the piles of corn that we get every week (not that I'm complaining!), I rediscovered this easy recipe for a really tasty, thick corn chowder. I like to use fresh corn in this while it's so tender, but the frozen kernels work fine too. This would also be a hearty vegetarian option if you used vegetable broth and omitted the chicken. It's a great soup for these days when fall is not quite here, but I am wanting something warm and hearty.

5 tbsp olive oil
1 lg onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves
1 chipotle chili in adobo, chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped (I always leave this out!)
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt and black pepper
20 white or yellow tortilla chips
1 quart chicken stock
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 10-oz boxes frozen corn kernels (or kernels cut from 3-4 ears)
limes, sour cream (we use plain yogurt), and cilantro for serving


Preheat a soup pot over medium-high heat with 2 tbsp of the oil. Add the onions, garlic, chipotle, celery (if using), coriander, cumin, and a little salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes or until onions are slightly tender, stirring frequently.


While the onions are cooking, put the chips in a resealable plastic bag and smash them up using a rolling pin. You can use a food processor too, but I rarely want to go to the work of getting that out and cleaning it up. In the end, you need about 1 cup of ground chips, so vary the amount of chips you grind accordingly.

Add the ground chips to the onions, stir to combine, then add chicken stock, bring it up to a bubble, and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add the chicken and corn and continue to cook it for 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (it seems weird, but the chicken will actually cook this way).

If the soup becomes too thick, adjust it by adding a little more stock, and if it is too thin, let it continue to cook and reduce it until it is to your liking. Taste and check for seasing, adjust with a little salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro, and serve with plain yogurt (sour cream) to cut the heat and lime wedges to squeeze in.

adapted from Rachel Ray's Express Lane Meals

matt cooks

Poor Matt was left at home until almost 7 while I was finishing report cards at school. He made the entire meal, from searing and roasting chicken thighs to picking the meat off the bones. It was really great (both to eat it and to not have cooked it!). By the way, we did not make the salsa ourselves. The recipe was hard enough already.

New Mexico Style Hacked Chicken Soft Tacos with Salsa Verde, Queso Fresco, Onions, and Cilantro

Matt also grilled bison burgers for our first outdoor meal of the year (see Ollie sniffing in corner).

Bison Burger with Pepper Jack Cheese, Avocado, Tomato, Bacon, Onions, and Greens

foodfoodfood pt. 2

Man, I've been slow to post lately. I made it through an overnight trip to an educational conference and 2 nights/1 day of parent/teacher conferences, so I think I'm ready to rejoin the rest of the world now.

Way back on Valentine's Day weekend, my parents visited and we ate at yet another restaurant that's part of the Food Fight group: Bluephies. Their menu is pretty extensive, so it was hard to decide, but here's what we settled on:

Sun-dried Tomato Pasta: curly fettuccine with white wine basil cream sauce, chicken, leeks, and sun-dried tomatoes

The Bluephie: roasted turkey with caramelized onions, roasted red pepper, Dijon aioli, and mozzarella

Black Bean & Smoked Chicken Enchiladas

Dessert Sushi Sampler: Butterfinger Wontons, Dark Chocolate Truffle (by Gail Ambrosius), Vanilla Custard

Dessert Sushi Sampler: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Eggroll

I really liked my pasta and Matt enjoyed his sandwich. The enchiladas, which my mom and dad split, were nice, but I prefer the enchiladas at Tex Tubb's Taco Palace (yet another Food Fight place). We had fun trying the unusual (and very rich) desserts, but probably wouldn't get them again. All in all, everything was quite good, and we'd like to go another time. There many more pastas and sandwiches to try, as well as an entire page of desserts to conquer--like the huge slice of red velvet cake that was tempting us last time.