Archive for February, 2008

fideos with shrimp & chickpeas

Published by mel on February 29, 2008 in entree and recipe.

fideos with shrimp

I finally got to cook last night. Not just throw a quick soup or salad together, but really cook. It felt great to make something I was excited about, something I’ve never made before, something pretty darn tasty.

I seem to have a stock-pile of hot, Spanish chorizo in my fridge and it’s been finding its way into so many of my meals recently. I love how it infuses a dish with color and flavor. For this recipe, I sauteed it with chickpeas and added chicken stock and the thin Spanish noodles known as fideos. Something really interesting happened that I hadn’t intended — the broth became super thick and almost creamy and I couldn’t figure out how it had gotten that way without flour or cream. After thinking about it, I concluded that the little bit of water from the chickpeas thickened up as I sauteed them and the fideos released a good amount of starch as they simmered in the stock. The result was a thick orange sauce that I used to poach my shrimp.

I think I’ve found my new favorite meal in this dish. It has a really short prep and cook time and is impressive enough for guests. Oh yeah, and it’s a one-pot meal so the hub likes it too.

cooking

Continue reading ‘fideos with shrimp & chickpeas’

2 Comments

tomato almond soup

Published by mel on February 28, 2008 in entree and recipe.

tomato almond soup

Two bulgur soup recipes in a week is a little much, but I haven’t cooked anything else this week aside from some uninspiring noodles last night. Monday’s recipe was decidedly Asian, so I tried to get as far from that as possible for today’s soup.

And so, I went Spanish. I made a nice broth from fire-roasted tomatoes and smoked paprika and added bulgur for weight and texture and a little kale for color and vitamins. I think this soup would be really lovely with some giant Lima, fava or butter beans, but I only had dark red kidneys in the pantry so those went in instead. Finally, I topped the soup off with a hearty drizzle of good olive oil and some slivered almonds.

It’s actually “cold” in Miami — a low of 58° today (!) — and the slightly spicy, smoky flavors of the soup will warm me right up. (Stop rolling your eyes northerners.)

I just noticed that 3 of my last 5 recipes have been for soup! That’s just crazy. Tomorrow’s will break the soup-y routine I’ve been on. Promise.

Continue reading ‘tomato almond soup’

0 Comments

double curry lentils

Published by mel on February 25, 2008 in entree and recipe.

double curry lentils

Last week, Heidi posted a delicious-looking chickpea and bulgur recipe that reminded me of a forgotten tub of bulgur that’s been sitting in my pantry. I had every intention of making her recipe, but I found a big bag of beautiful French lentils (how’s that for alliteration?) cozying up to the bulgur and grabbed those instead.

I should use bulgur more often. It has a low glycemic index, which helps keep energy levels from spiking and crashing and it cooks quickly — always useful. I also had a can of coconut milk, which pairs beautifully with curry. I wanted the spice of Thai food and the warming aroma of Indian food, so I used both Thai red curry paste and Maharajah-style curry powder to flavor the broth. Everything was brightened with fresh lime juice, cilantro and mint. I love how flavorful and nutritious this meal turned out, and I’m sure my husband loved that he only had to wash one pot.

Continue reading ‘double curry lentils’

4 Comments

tarragon meatloaf

Published by mel on February 21, 2008 in entree and recipe.

meatloaf

Tom’s family is in town defrosting from the Michigan weather. I had planned on inviting them over for meatloaf last night, but forgot that they had tickets to a basketball game. So I bought enough to feed 7 people, but instead made a meatloaf (with 3.5 lbs. of ground beef and lamb) for just myself. Needless to say, there are leftovers galore which Tom delivered to his family this morning. Can anyone say meatloaf sandwich?

meatloaf

Anyway. I wanted to make something a little more interesting than the traditional meatloaf, so I used Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard and lots of fresh tarragon to add more of a bite and to pair well with the bit of lamb I was using. Overall, it felt lighter and tangy-er than the traditional version. I liked that the lamb flavor was there, but not overwhelming and the tarragon gave it a super fresh taste.

Continue reading ‘tarragon meatloaf’

1 Comment

chorizo & blue corn tortilla soup

Published by mel on February 20, 2008 in entree and recipe.

tortilla soup

I didn’t make it home until late last night, but I was cold and hungry when I got there. I know I live in Miami, but my office and most indoor spaces blast the a/c all day long. Unless I wear pants and a jacket, I shiver all day. Yesterday, fashion took precedence and I wore a dress. By the time I got home, all I wanted was a big bowl of soup. Preferably, one that would be ready in 15 minutes.

soup

I had some hot Spanish chorizo, canned fire-roasted tomatoes, stock, limes and blue corn tortilla chips. A quick sautee and a simmer and we were eating our tortilla soup 20 minutes after I walked in the door. I garnished it with some cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, sour cream and more tortilla chips. It was spicy and hearty, but still tasted fresh and vibrant from the lime and cilantro. This may just become my go-to recipe when I’m pressed for time because frankly, I’m getting a little sick of omelettes.

Please note how pretty my fancy new lens makes everything look. Thanks to my awesome hub!

Continue reading ‘chorizo & blue corn tortilla soup’

6 Comments

valentine’s sausage & chard with farro risotto

Published by mel on February 15, 2008 in dessert, entree and recipe.

sausage kale tomatoes parmesan farro risotto

I’ve never done the Valentine’s Day thing. The big fancy dinner, the flowers, the chocolate. Frankly, I’m just not into it. While I do love going out to dinner and exploring new places, I don’t particularly like crowded and cramped restaurants, prix fixe or valet parking. I do like cooking a new meal, using fine china and dining at our formal table using cloth napkins.

I’ve cooked for Tom almost every Valentine’s day we’ve been together. In fact, the only year I didn’t cook for him, I tend to forget how we celebrated. Our first February 14th, I made him seared tuna steak with a cold noodle salad. It was his first tuna steak and we ate on the floor of my East Village studio because it was the only place to sit comfortably in those 275 square feet.

The second year is the one I really tend to forget. It’s the year he had a Spanish class until late and we went to Otto for pizza on my lunch hour. A cab splashed me with some very dirty melted snow as Tom was walking me back to work.

Last year, I made a pizza with sausage, artichokes and ricotta. Speaking of love, I love pizza.

This year, I sauteed sausage, heirloom tomatoes and swiss chard and spooned it over some Parmesan farro risotto. I served it in my pretty fine china and we had a quiet meal without the tv.

chocolate ice crea,

I had also made some of David Lebovitz’s Easiest chocolate ice cream the night before, which ended up being supremely smooth and delicious. Of course, I made some modifications because I just couldn’t help myself. I subbed vodka for the dark rum because that’s what was in the cabinet, and I sprinkled it with fleur de sel which made the chocolate even more chocolatey and gave it a subtle crunch every few bites. The entire dessert-making process took less than 10 minutes, but tasted like it took 100. Too bad it all kind of melted before I took the photo which makes it look wholly unappetizing. Sigh. Aha! Replaced it with something MUCH better than the melty poo.

Continue reading ‘valentine’s sausage & chard with farro risotto’

0 Comments

mushroom leek pasta carbonara

Published by mel on February 14, 2008 in entree and recipe.

mushroom leek carbonara

Wikipedia says that pasta alla carbonara (usually spaghetti, but occasionally linguine or bucatini) is a family of Italian pasta dishes based on eggs, cheese, cured pork, and other ingredients. I was very much craving the original carbonara, but it’s a bit of a heart attack on a plate. The original requires too much butter and bacon and too little vegetables.

For this dish, I omitted the meat completely and added a healthy dose of leeks and mushrooms. I also swapped the standard white spaghetti for some whole wheat fettuccine. I kept the eggs for protein and the cheese for tang. It was a simple recipe that made for a delicious weeknight dinner.

Continue reading ‘mushroom leek pasta carbonara’

2 Comments

red lentils & quinoa

Published by mel on February 13, 2008 in recipe and sides & bites.

red lentils

Red lentils are my go-to when I need to make lunch before work. I particularly like lentils because they’re a good source of protein and they cook relatively quickly. I can throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot and they simmer while I have coffee, breakfast and get ready to go to work. I usually start the lentils at about 7:15 and they’re ready at around 7:45 - 7:50.

While most people think I’m insane for getting out of bed before 6 AM, I work late hours and have a long commute, so mornings are my time to workout, relax a bit and get some stuff done. If I wait until after work, I’m almost certainly too tired to do much other than make dinner and get in bed. But, I digress.

I added some quinoa to my usual lentil recipe for some extra protein and complex carbs. Everything was seasoned with Indian spices for earthiness and then brightened up with lemon and cilantro. A tasty and filling lunch.

Continue reading ‘red lentils & quinoa’

0 Comments

Irish steel cut oats

Published by mel on February 12, 2008 in breakfast and recipe.

steel cut oats

I’ve always loved oatmeal. Even as a little kid, I would crave Quaker instant oatmeal (Maple Brown Sugar, please…though I did go through an Apple Cinnamon phase). I’d like to think that my tastes are more sophisticated now (ha!), but really I switched to steel cut oats for their nutritional value. These oats are full of fiber and are hearty enough to satisfy for hours. I used McCann’s Irish Oats (cooked according to instructions) and topped them with blueberries, pecans, fancy vanilla sugar crystals and a splash of buttermilk. A delicious start to my very busy Saturday.

0 Comments

guava stuffed pork shoulder

Published by mel on February 11, 2008 in entree and recipe.


photo credit: Not me. Meutia Chaerani / Indradi Soemardjan from Wikipedia.

Tom and I had a dinner party for some friends and family on Saturday night and I did not take a single picture. I’m not really sure how that happened, except for the fact that I was completely exhausted by the time my guests arrived. In fact, my mom brought us cortaditos (Cuban coffee with a bit of evaporated milk) at my request because I didn’t think I’d make it through the festivities otherwise.

The day began before sunrise when Tom’s alarm went off and he got up to film some videos on a Carnival ship. Then there was a flurry of last-minute shopping, de-boning, marinating, cleaning and cooking and suddenly it was 7:30 and my guests had arrived. The menu looked something like this:
Hors d’oeuvres: Crispy Hominy (one day I’ll get around to posting this recipe), Pita Chips and Black Bean dip, little toasts with chorizo/cherry tomato bake and Manchego cheese

Main course: Roasted pork shoulder stuffed with guava shells, bacon and prunes, and roasted with a brown sugar/malt soda glaze. Side dish was pine nut and green onion pilaf.

Dessert: Berries with cardamom whipped cream, fancy vanilla sugar crystals and Ghiradelli toffee and dark chocolate squares

Continue reading ‘guava stuffed pork shoulder’

1 Comment
« Older Entries