Filed under: DINNER, LUNCH, SIDE | Tags: chicken, corn, jalapeno, onion, soup, tomato
I have finally used up our roasted chicken from the other night. I was shocked at how much meat was there was. I shredded it and slow baked it to make a nice, crispy, lightly salted garnish for our soup. This soup is a combination of several recipes I perused online. If I make it again, I’ll definitely blend it more. The only food processor i have here in Guate is this tiny thing that barely chops stuff up enough for pesto. Otherwise, I think the flavors were really good, especially with the garnish.
[Serves 4-6]
Soup
- 4 corn cobs
- 6-7 medium sized tomatoes
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 jalapeno, halved and seeded
- 3 T evoo
Garnish
- 3 T coarse chopped cilantro
- 1 avocado
- 1 1/2 C roasted chicken
Method
- Husk the corn, chop off all the kernels and set them aside. Place the cobs in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and let the cobs steep for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400F. Arrange tomatoes and garlic so they’re spaced evenly apart on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to wrinkle.
- Once the corn stock is finished, strain it into a medium sized pot (or large if you have another large one). Add tomatoes, onion, halved jalapeno, garlic and the extra evoo from cooking. Simmer for 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Then add reserved corn kernels and cook another minute or two.
- While the veggies are simmering, turn the oven down to 350F and bake the shredded chicken on the same baking sheet that the veggies were on for 20 minutes, stirring after 10.
- Working in batches, transfer soup to a food processor and pulse to desired consistency. At this point I wanted to cook off more of the liquid, but you can also make the soup ahead of time and just refrigerate till you’re ready to serve.
- Garnish each bowl with a quarter of the avocado, chopped, crunchy chicken and cilantro.
Filed under: DINNER | Tags: carrots, collard greens, ethiopian, lentils, potatoes, tomato, vegetarian
To celebrate my new job, Joe and i were going to go out for Ethiopian. After my first excursion to the grocery store since ‘the accident’ my ankle was not feeling very good. Plus the fact that it had been raining all day, made it tempting to stay home. So I decided to make it myself instead. Joe bought the Injera at a place called South End Food Emporium, just a few blocks from the Prudential Center in downtown Boston. It felt pretty good to get back in the kitchen. Now that I have a pretty demanding job, it’s hard to find the time to get into cooking during the week. Also, my ankle has healed to the point that i don’t mind standing in the kitchen for a while (especially if i get something as yummy as this afterward).
1. Yataklete Kilkil (Vegetable Stew)
- 6 new potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
- 5-6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4″ discs
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 T chopped ginger
- 1 T niter kebbeh or butter
- 1 t ground cardamom (I used 6 whole pods)
- 1 C vegetable broth
- 1 t fenugreek
- 1 1/2 t tumeric
- combine carrots and potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, add 2 t salt and bring to a boil. Boil the vegetables for 20 minutes or until fully cooked. Drain, set aside.
- Puree onion, ginger, and garlic in a blender or food processor.
- Add onion puree to pot with butter, fenugreek, and tumeric (or nitter kebbeh) and saute for 5 minutes (do not brown).
- Add cardamom pods (or ground) and stir a few minutes more. Add vegetables, 1 C broth, stir, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep on low heat while preparing the other dishes. This stew only gets better as it sits.
2. Yemiser W’et (Spicy Lentils)
- 1 C red lentils
- 3 C water
- 1 C onions, finely chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 1/4 C niter kebbeh (or 5 T butter)
- 2 T berbere (this is a tad spicy – but not as spicy as takeout)
- 1 t ground cumin
- 1 T sweet paprika
- 2 C tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1/4 C tomato paste
- 1 C vegetable broth
- 1 C grean peas (fresh or frozen)
- 1 t fenugreek
- 1 t tumeric
- salt and pepper to taste
- Bring water to a boil and simmer lentils until soft – about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. This should yield approx. 3 C lentils.
- Meanwhile, saute garlic and onion in niter kebbeh or butter in a large saucepan until translucent, but not brown. If you are not using niter kebbeh, I advise adding 1 t fenugreek and 1 t tumeric to mimic the spiced butter.
- Add the spices and continue cooking for a couple minutes until fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes, paste, lentils, broth, and peas (if desired) to the saucepan and simmer (stirring every couple minutes to keep from sticking) until it is sufficiently thickened to eat with injera (about 30 minutes).
3. Gomen (Collard Greens)
- 2 big bunches collard greens
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 T niter kebbeh or 3 T butter (i’m sure they use about 6 T in restaurants)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- wash collards, drain, and trim stalks from leaves. chop the stalks into 1/4″ pieces and coarsely chop the leaves.
- saute garlic and onion in niter kebbeh (or butter + 1 t fenugreek + 1 t tumeric) until soft.
- Add the stalks to the pot and saute until softening, about 10 minutes. Then add the leaves and cook until soft and dark, about 20 minutes. Stir every couple minutes to keep from browning on the bottom.
This is the first time in a long time that Joe and i have shared a uniformly topped pizza. Typically, my half has a lot of sauteed/ semi fancy toppings, and his looks a bit like what you might find on a dominos menu. I decided to give his style of pizza a try tonight and really enjoyed the simplicity of sweet peppers (Italian and red), onions, and grape tomatoes. It was especially tasty with some red pepper flakes on top… sweet and spicy.
I used the same crust recipe as usual, but left it on the sticky side while kneading. This proved to be a good thing and made it softer than usual on the inside. After proofing for two hours, dividing into thirds, and shaping one into a disc, i drizzled it with olive oil, covered it with aluminum foil (so it wouldn’t stick) and let it sit an extra hour or so before baking (as the oven preheated).
The sauce was delicious and homemade and contained:
- 6 halved and seeded cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 t garlic powder
- 1/4 t onion powder
- 1 t dried basil
- 1/4 t salt
- 1/4 t sugar
- mix it all with an immersion blender till the tomatoes are completely crushed. Yum.
Cherry tomatoes were 2lbs/ $1 last week at Haymarket! I have been using them in practically everything lately. Normally we can’t afford them, and they are one of my all time favorite foods, so it has been a big treat! The other night i was loooking to make some comfort food for dinner, and this recipe really hit the spot. We had leftover tofu from out sandwiches the other night, broccoli rabe pesto frozen from a couple weeks ago, and PLENTY of tomatoes.
Here is a link to the recipe. The only difference is that tonight i roasted the tomatoes (tossed in olive oil, salt, and brown sugar) for 45 minutes at 425°F. I will definitely use this roasting technique again!
Filed under: DINNER | Tags: appetizer, beef, bread, mushrooms, onion, strawberries, tomato
Ever since i was little, i have preferred to eat like a bird… just a little bit of everything. Just ask Joe about my peppermint patty eating technique! I am a big snacker and I love to have little bites of things for dinner. I am a big fan of tapas-style eating. So, when Joe and i have leftover rustic bread, i jump at the chance to turn it into crostini or bruschetta.
Crostini Di Firenze Recipe
- 1 clove fresh garlic
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1/4 pound (frozen!) strawberries
- 1 large ripe tomato, diced
- 5 fresh mint leaves, chopped
- Slice the baguette into 1/2-inch slices, discarding the two end slices. Grill the bread over a gas grill or electric grill, or toast the bread in a toaster or conventional oven. Turn to grill or toast both sides, if necessary.
- Peel and finely mince the garlic. Place the garlic in a small bowl. Add the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk well to blend. Set aside.
- Rinse the strawberries and drain thoroughly, then remove and discard the leaf caps. Coarsely chop the strawberries (about 1/4-inch pieces) and place, along with the juices, in a small mixing bowl.
- Core and seed the tomato and finely dice it. Add the tomato and any juices to the strawberries as you chop. Rinse and dry the mint leaves and finely chop them, adding them to the bowl.
- Just before serving, whisk the oil mixture to recombine and add it to the strawberry mixture. Stir well. Place the toasted (or grilled) bread on a serving platter and spoon 2 heaping teaspoons of the topping over each bread slice. Allow the slices to stand for about 5 minutes so the juices can penetrate the bread, then serve immediately.
- Each serving has about 75 calories (40 percent from fat), 3 grams fat (0.5 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 1 gram protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram dietary fiber and 85 milligrams sodium.
Beef + Caramelized Onion Crostini:
- 1 loaf rustic bread, thinly sliced
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 C dry red wine
- 2 T red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 T packed light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 T honey
- 1 piece (24-ounce size) beef tenderloin
- 2 T blue cheese for topping
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.
- Brush the bread slices with the olive oil. Place on a sheet pan and grill until crispy, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the onions, wine, vinegar, brown sugar, and honey. Stir constantly over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, until the sauce is the consistency of marmalade.
- Grill the beef tenderloin, turning to mark all sides, until medium rare, about 10 to 15 minutes total. Let rest for 10 minutes, then thinly slice the meat. Place a slice of beef on each crostini and top each with a teaspoon of onion marmalade and sprinkle with blue cheese.
With the crostini we had truffle and mushroom risotto (packaged truffle risotto to which i added sauteed porcini mushrooms) and a salad.
two skinny jenkins 