broccoli quesadillas with chipotle-peanut sauce.

It's been a while.

Somehow, some way, we are in the middle of July and I feel as if I blinked and missed half of summer already.  But! It's been a really lovely summer thus far.  Weekends spent all over (Upstate! Miami!  Maine! The Beach!) and cooking/assembling/eating whatever looks remarkably in season and impossibly delicious.  I've been doing less "projects" and more winging it which is fun.  It also means dinner isn't always cohesive but rather a sum of parts.  Take last night for example where we ate grilled shisitos (first of the season!), steamed sweet potatoes with tahini butter, and tomato toasts with goat cheese and pesto.  Not your typical dinner but it was easy and delicious and isn't that the whole point of cooking?   

In addition to winging it, I've also found a couple of recipes that I love so much that they've become a part of our weekly rotation schedule.  Good for days where improvising feels like a lot of work.  These broccoli quesadillas have made the cut because they are fantastic.  Crunchy, spicy, cheesy.  Leftovers are delightful at room temperature the next day.  The best part is the peanut sauce which if you have a Vitamix and make it in there results in the most unbelievably creamy sauce you've ever encountered.  Great with chips, excellent drizzled over any number of vegetables, would also be excellent on a roll in a cemita type of sandwich.  

Broccoli Quesadillas with Chipotle-Peanut Sauce 

Recipe tweaked slightly from Food 52

For the Quesadillas

3 tablespoons canola oil, divided, plus more for cooking quesadillas

1 large broccoli crown (or 2 small), about 400 grams or 14 ounces

Roasted peppers if you happen to have some in your fridge

Kosher salt, to taste

1 lime

1 to 1 1/2 cups crumbled cotija, crumbled queso fresco, or shredded Monterey Jack cheese

6 soft corn or flour tortillas (about 6-inches in diameter)

For the Chipotle-Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup peanuts (I like roasted and salted)

2 chipotle chiles in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon adobe sauce (from the can)

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 to 3 teaspoons honey, or to taste

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Kosher salt, to taste

For Serving

Sliced avocado

Sour Cream/Yogurt Sauce

More limes!

To shave the broccoli: Trim the crown of any discolored areas and cut into quarters. Use the slicing blade of a food processor (or a sharp knife) to cut the broccoli into 1/4-inch slices. You should have about 4 to 4 1/2 cups. Set aside. (Tip: wipe the bowl of the food processor clean, and use it for Step 2.)

To make the chipotle-peanut sauce: In a food processor or blender, combine peanuts, chipotles, adobe sauce, water, olive oil, vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Process until smooth. Taste a small amount to gauge spiciness, then add honey, to taste, to balance the heat. Taste again, and adjust seasoning and acidity. Add more water (a teaspoon or two at a time) to loosen the sauce, if needed.

To make the filling: In a 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the  the broccoli and peppers; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the chipotle-peanut sauce, lower the heat, and cook another minute to warm through. Season with salt and a few squeezes of lime juice, to taste.

To make quesadillas: In a large skillet, heat a teaspoon of oil over medium heat, then place the tortillas in the skillet (working in batches to fit). Quickly sprinkle the whole tortilla with cheese, then spread the broccoli mixture (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup) over half the tortilla and fold in half. Flip quesadilla; cook, pressing down a few times, until the cheese is fully melted and the tortilla is nicely toasted on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes in total. **Alternatively, you can make the quesadillas with two full tortillas, which I sometimes do if my corn tortillas aren’t pliable.

For serving, stir together sour cream and 1/4 cup of the chipotle-peanut sauce (or more or less, to taste). Cut quesadillas into wedges, and serve with sour cream and lime.

chicken tinga.

Cinqo de Mayo more then any other holiday makes me nostalgic for college.   In college we looked for any excuse to celebrate and a holiday involving drinking copious amounts of Coronas' with Lime and wearing sombreros was about the best you could get.   I'd give anything for a cooler full of cold beers and a dance party with my girlfriends next Wednesday.   

And nachos!  The most popular bar on Main Street (home to Saturday night Eighties night) served a giant plate of nachos and cheap pitchers of beer.  As a poor college kid there was nothing better that that.  On Cinqo de Mayo the line to get into this place was so long but the promise of nachos made the wait worth it.   

But this monstrous plate of nachos was not well-designed.   Oh no, it was poorly executed with a a copious amount of chips on the bottom and an assortment of toppings strewn haphazardly over the top.  Now, almost 10 years later (god I feel old), I see the error in their ways.  A plate of nachos should be so well-designed that a little bit of everything is incorporated into each and every bite.  It's all about the combinations of flavors which is why it's important to start with flavorful ingredients.

Chicken tinga (a fancy name for spicy Mexican shredded chicken) is the best nacho base.  Because it's chicken nestled in spicy tomato sauce you basically get your protein and your salsa in a single dish.  From there it's up to you.  I like homemade black beans, cheese (duh), pickled jalapenos, and a tomatillo/avocado salsa.   Sour cream optional on the side.    The key is freshly fried tortilla chips (go big or go home) and laying all of the tortilla chips onto your baking sheet so you can top each chip with a little of bit of your ingredients (as demonstrated below) followed by a generous layer of cheese.   Sure it's more work, but the resulting nachos are awesome.   Best served with a cold beer (but you already knew that didn't you?).   


Chicken Tinga (Spicy Mexican Shredded Chicken)
Recipe adapted (slightly) from Serious Eats 

2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds; 550g)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (30ml) lard or vegetable oil
6 ounces tomatillos, peeled (170g; about 2 medium)
10 ounces ripe plum tomatoes or diced can tomatoes (270g)
4 medium garlic cloves
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons (30ml) cider vinegar
2 cups (475ml) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock (or water)
2 to 3 canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, plus 1 tablespoon (15ml) sauce from can
2 teaspoons (10ml) Asian fish sauce

Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over high heat until shimmering. Add chicken skin side down and cook, without moving, until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. (Lower heat if pot is smoking excessively or chicken starts to burn.) Flip chicken and cook on second side for 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and immediately add tomatillos, tomatoes, and garlic to pot. Cook, flipping occasionally, until blistered and browned in spots, about 5 minutes.

Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add oregano and bay leaves and cook, stirring, until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add vinegar and stock. Return chicken to pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a bare simmer. Cover the pot and cook, turning chicken occasionally, until chicken registers 145°F when an instant-read thermometer is inserted into the center of the thickest part, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a bowl and set aside. Continue cooking the sauce at a hard simmer, stirring, until reduced to about half its original volume, about 5 minutes longer.

Add chipotle chilies and adobo, remove and discard bay leaves, and blend the sauce using an immersion blender or by transferring to a countertop blender. Sauce should be relatively smooth, with a few small chunks. When chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones and finely shred the meat. Return it to the sauce. Add fish sauce and stir to combine.

Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until sauce thickens and coats chicken. It should be very moist but not soupy. Season to taste with salt and pepper (if necessary). Chicken tinga can be served in tacos; stuffed into enchiladas or burritos; on top of nachos, tostadas, and sopes; or on its own.

enchiladas verdes.

September has practically disappeared and I'm not entirely sure how that happened.  I guess when you spend 2 glorious weeks living in a bubble far removed from reality you kind of loose sight of time.  It's a shame that it snuck past me because September is my favorite. Apples are plentiful, it's possible to sleep with the windows open (I sleep like a baby in this weather), plaid and flannel becomes a weekly wardrobe staple, and you can turn on your oven (and not sweat to death!) which means baked dishes have now become a dinner staple.

The baked dishes of September are my favorite because they can incorporate the last remaining summer ingredients in a new way. In August you probably ate a lot of raw tomatoes (ideally paired with burrata and basil) but in September you can roast them and toss them with cubes of mozzarella and rigatoni for an incredibly satisfying summer supper. In August, tomatillos became salsa and dinners consisted of chips, salsa, and margaritas (a completely acceptable dinner when it's 90 degrees), in September, you can't got wrong with enchiladas verdes.

Enchiladas verdes is a simple baked dish that no one can resist.   I prefer making enchiladas at home because they are lighter and brighter.  Not exactly health food, but when you avoid drowning them in cheese they could almost be considered healthy. The salsa verde is bright and tangy and pairs perfectly with leftover roast chicken to make an incredibly delightful meal.  

Enchiladas Verdes 
Recipe adapted from the Homesick Texan

For the Salsa Verde

1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husks removed
1/2 medium yellow onion, peeled, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 or 2 serrano chiles, cut in half, stems removed (depending on how hot you want it)
1 cup cilantro, leaves and stems

3 cups chicken stock or water (in a pinch)

½ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt to taste

For the Enchiladas

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
16 corn tortillas
2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Muenster, Asadero or Monterey Jack cheese
Sour cream
2 peeled and pitted avocados, cubed

To make the salsa, place the tomatillos, onion, garlic, serrano chiles and cilantro in a large pot. Add 3 cups of stock or water and bring to a boil on high. Continue to boil uncovered for 10 minutes or until the tomatillos go from a bright green to a light, muted green (If the water doesn’t cover them completely, don’t add more water just turn the tomatillos in the pot halfway through the cooking so all sides are exposed to the boiling water). Turn of the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Transfer the pot contents to a blender and blend until smooth. (If you don’t let the vegetables cool, the steam will make the blender lid pop off, which makes for a bit of a mess.) Add cumin and salt to taste. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish and spread 1 cup of the salsa along the bottom.  Place the rest of the salsa in a large bowl (large enough to dip the tortillas in). In a skillet, heat up the oil on medium-low heat. One at a time, heat up the tortillas in the oil, and then keep them wrapped in a cloth or tortilla warmer until all the tortillas are heated. 

To assemble the enchiladas, take a heated tortilla dip (VERY BRIEFLY) into the salsa, place a couple of tablespoons of chicken down the center, and then roll the tortilla. Place filled tortilla in the baking dish and repeat. 

Pour evenly over the rolled enchiladas the rest of the salsa. Top with the shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbling. Serve warm topped with sour cream and cubed avocado.   

green chile corn pudding.

I'm in a bit of a food blog rut.  Or maybe it's just that I need a vacation.  I'm not sure which it is to be honest.  It's not that I haven't been cooking, I have been, a lot, but sometimes I don't see the point of photographing everything and finding new ways to say how utterly amazing a dish is.  Sometimes I make something incredibly satisfying but it's too dark out to get a picture or the pictures are bad or I just don't know what to say beyond "THIS IS REALLY GOOD" and I ask myself if it's even worth blogging about it.  I look at other food blogs that feel like actually works of art and I wonder how the hell these people have time to produce such stunning images and write detailed accounts of a life that sounds far more perfect then mine.

Having a blog is exhausting.  You give so much of yourself and you wonder what it is that you are getting back in return.   When I started this I never had a clear end goal.  It was just supposed to be a creative outlet.   A place to document everything.  But if it no longer brings joy is it worth it? Yesterday I gave up an 30 minutes of sitting outside in the sun drinking a beer to go inside to photograph food.  I'm not sure if that's a good use of my time.

Tyler and I leave on Friday evening for a Pacific Northwest roadtrip and I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am.  I think a change of scenery, exploring some new cities, walking around with no formal destination, and trying new restaurants will be restorative.  It will hopefully reignite my passion for cooking (vacations and trying new things tend to do that).

But until I jet off across the US, let's talk about corn pudding.  Specifically this Tex-Mex version or corn pudding which is like the summer version of mac and cheese.  Mac and cheese, as much as I love it, is not something I enjoy eating on 90 degree August days.  But corn nestled in a cornmeal custard base with chopped poblanos and just enough cheese to make it feel indulgent?  That I can get behind.  The leftovers are utterly amazing for breakfast the next day - especially if you put an egg (and some avocado) on it.  

Green Chile Corn Pudding
Recipe adapted (barely) from the Homesick Texan

3 Hatch, Anaheim, or Poblano chiles
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 ears of corn, kernels removed or 2 cups fresh corn kernels
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more for garnishing
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack or pepper Jack cheese
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup half and half

Roast the Hatch, Anaheim, or Poblano chiles under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side. Place the chiles in a paper sack or plastic food-storage bag, close it tight and let the chiles steam for 20 minutes. After the chiles have steamed, remove from the bag and rub off the skin. Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles and dice.

When the chiles are ready, preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large ovenproof skillet, preferably a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, on low heat melt the butter. (If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, lightly grease a 9-inch square-baking dish for the pudding, and melt the butter in a saucepan.) Once the butter has melted, turn off the heat and swirl the butter around the base of the skillet and the sides to lightly grease it.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the diced chiles, corn, garlic, cilantro, salt, cumin, cayenne, melted butter, and 1/2 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in the cornmeal and baking powder. Whisk together the eggs and half and half, and then pour them over the corn. Stir until everything is well combined.

Pour the corn mixture back into the skillet (or a baking dish if using that instead) and sprinkle evenly over the top the rest of the cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and the custard is set. (The color may be a little lighter in the center, but that’s okay.) Allow the pudding to rest int the skillet for 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro before serving. 

roasted tomatillo salsa.

People with garden's enjoy giving Tyler and I whatever overflow they have (clearly they are aware there is a cook in our home).  So far we've been lucky to receive zucchini, green beans, basil, rhubarb, and most recently habaneros.  Tyler came home with the three habaneros in a zip-lock bag and a warning that they were hot.

Of course I decided there was no way they were going to be as hot as the recipient stated.  Which is why all three went into the tomatillo salsa I made yesterday.   

The resulting salsa was a slow burn kind of salsa.  Not a bad thing but maybe not for everyone (which is why I suggest one or 2 habeneros in the recipe below unless you like a slow burn and then by all means add 3).  The salsa itself is bright and flavorful (in season tomatillos and cilantro will do that).  Perfect on a tortilla chip as an afternoon snack as well as on steak tacos for an epic summer dinner.  

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Recipe adapted from Rick Bayless

Servings:  1 cup

8 – 10 ounces (3 to 4 medium) tomatillos husked and rinsed Fresh hot chiles (1 or 2 serranos or 1 jalapeno or 1 – 2 habaneros), stemmed 2 large garlic cloves, peeled 6 sprigs of fresh cilantro (thick bottom stems cut off), roughly chopped 1 small white onion, finely chopped Juice of ½ a lime Salt

Roast the tomatillos, chile(s), garlic, and onion on a rimmed baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, until blotchy black and softening (they’ll be turning from lime green to olive), about 5 minutes.

Flip them over and roast the other side. Cool, then transfer everything to a blender, including all the delicious juice the tomatillos have exuded during roasting. Add the cilantro and lime, then blend to a coarse puree. Taste and add salt as necessary.  Eat with abandon.     

vegetarian tamale pie with brown butter cornbread crust.

During the month of March I ate the same meal at least once a day for practically an entire week.  I don't do things like that very often.   Leftovers and I generally don't see eye to eye.  I grow fickle quickly and when that happens I pawn them off on the guy I live with.  

But I may have tried to hoard this dish.

Most "carnivores" find that bean based dishes are poor substitutes for the meat dishes they are supposed to mimic.  Even a  devout bean-a-holic like myself can admit that some vegetarian versions are just plain awful. Trying to substitute one for one doesn't always work - to make a vegetarian dish sing, you really need to think about adding components that create that umami meat flavor.   

Kenji over at the Food Lab puts in more time and effort then any other chef out there to make vegetarian dishes that are as good (if not better) then their meat-centered counterparts.  Over the last couple of months he has become by go-to for vegetarian centered meals and of all the things I've made, this tamale pie is the best of the best.  I don't know if it's the soy sauce, or the combination of beans, perhaps it is the multitude of spices, but this filling is just addicting.  Spicy, sweet, MEATY, and all together satisfying.  The real kicker is the cornbread crust which is everything a Northerner like me wants in cornbread (a lot of tenderness and a little hint of sweetness).  To say I am obsessed is a bit of a an understatement.  It's everything I want to eat until rhubarb and peas show up at the farmer's market.          

Oh and if you were wondering, it reheats brilliantly.   

Vegetarian Tamale Pie with Brown Butter Cornbread Crust 
Recipe from Kenji at the Food Lab on Serious Eats 

The only change I made was to use dried beans (that I cooked ahead of time) instead of canned because I don't always love the texture of canned beans - do what ever works best for you.   

For the Pie Filling

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup fresh corn kernels from 1 to 2 ears of corn

1 medium onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 poblano pepper, diced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 Serrano pepper, minced

1 tablespoon ground cumin (preferably from whole seeds)

1 teaspoon ground coriander (preferably from whole seeds)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3 tablespoons ancho chili powder

1 cup pitted green olives, sliced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and coarsely crushed with your hand

4 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 cup)

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves and fine stems, minced

For the Brown Butter Cornbread Crust

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup (about 5 ounces) fine yellow cornmeal

1 cup (about 5 ounces) all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

6 ounces (about ¾ cup) sour cream

4 ounces (about ¼ cup) cultured buttermilk

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

1 red jalapeño pepper, finely minced

Sour cream, for serving

Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven, or saucepan over high heat until lightly smoking. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is well charred in spots, about 4 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, and poblano pepper, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes.

Add garlic, Serrano pepper, cumin, coriander, oregano, and chili powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add olives, soy sauce, tomatoes, black beans, and kidney beans. Bring to a simmer and adjust heat to maintain. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and fragrant, about 20 minutes. Stir in grated cheese, scallions, and cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

For the Brown Butter Cornbread Crust: Heat butter in a 12-inch cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium heat until melted. Continue to cook, swirling pan gently until butter is nutty-smelling and solids are a toasty brown. Transfer to a heatproof cup or bowl and let rest until slightly cooler, about five minutes.

Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Combine eggs, sour cream, and buttermilk in a second bowl and whisk until homogenous. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in reserved browned butter. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients until homogenous. Fold in scallions and jalapeño pepper.

Transfer bean mixture to a large cast iron skillet. Using a large spoon, place small dollops of the cornbread batter mixture on top of the bean filling, then use the back of the spoon to spread it into an even layer. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until pale golden brown and a skewer inserted into the cornbread comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Let cool 15 minutes, then serve with sour cream.

beer-battered catfish tacos.

One of the perks of marriage is having someone to take care of you.  

This past weekend I managed to splice off the top of my finger and come down with the flu and having Tyler bandage me up and make me tea reminded me that marriage and relationships are about taking care of one another.  I like to pretend I am superwoman - that if I am sick with the flu that I can still go to work, and go to the gym, and make dinner, and be everything for everyone.  Sometimes you have to let that all go and wear sweatpants all day and watch a lot of really bad Bravo TV and be taken care of.  

It's nice being taken care of.  

But as much as I like being taken care of, I much prefer taking care of others - usually by cooking. While tacos aren't the most romantic of foods it's up there with pizza and cheese as my Valentine's Day meal of choice.  These fish tacos are the kind of perfect food because the two of you can make them together - one can assemble the slaw, the other the beer batter, and together you can fry the fish up.  Wash the tacos down with a couple of beers and a box of chocolates.  Sometimes romance is being taken care of and other times its doing something together.   

Beer-Battered Catfish Tacos

From The Homesick Texan’s Family Table, by Lisa Fain

Serves 4

For the Cabbage Topping

2 cups shredded cabbage

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and finely minced

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

¼ teaspoon toasted cumin seeds

2 tablespoons white vinegar

For the Beer Batter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Pinch of cayenne

1 egg

1 cup dark (preferably Mexican but anything works) beer

For the Catfish

Oil, for frying

1 pound catfish fillets, cut into thin sticks or bite-sized nuggets

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

¼ cup all-purpose flour

Corn or flour tortillas, warmed, for serving

Optional Additions - Lime wedges, sliced avocado, crema or sour cream 

Hot sauce or store-bought salsa, for serving

To make the cabbage topping, toss the cabbage with the salt and allow to sit for 1 hour, refrigerated.

Rinse and drain the cabbage. Stir in the garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, cumin seeds, and vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasonings, and then keep refrigerated until you are serving.

To make the beer batter, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne until well combined. Beat the egg with the beer and then pour into the flour mixture and stir until a smooth batter forms. Allow the batter to rest at room temperature for 1 hour. If it separates a bit during this time, simply whisk it again before using.

After the batter has rested, in a large, heavy skillet, heat 2 inches of oil over medium heat until it reaches 350°F. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, after 5 minutes of heating, you can stick a wooden spoon into the oil to see if it’s ready. If the oil bubbles around the spoon, it should be hot enough. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

To fry the catfish, first season it evenly with the salt, pepper, and lime juice. Place the ¼ cup of flour on a plate, then, working in batches, lightly dredge the catfish in the flour. Holding it by one end, dip the catfish in the beer batter until well coated, and then gently lower into the oil. Fry for 2½ to 3 minutes, or until golden, turning once. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain the catfish on the paper towels. Repeat for the remaining fish.

Serve the fried fish with the warm tortillas, lime wedges, cabbage topping, sliced avocado, sour cream or crema, and salsa and let diners assemble their own tacos.

vegetarian dried-bean chili.

It seems that February is keen on exhibiting polar vortex like tendencies which normally I don't mind but if I have discovered anything these past couple of weeks, it's that work pants are not designed to withstand sub-arctic temperatures.   By the time I return home, my goal is to thaw myself in front of our oven (since someone is keen on making it his goal to see if we can avoid ever turning on the heat).  The oven has turned into my own personal heater which mean's I've been very into braises, roasts, and long simmering dishes like chili.   

A few months back I discovered Rancho Gordo and basically fell head over heels for their beans. I ordered a few bags and then, when Tyler and I were out in California for our Honeymoon, I stumbled across their shop in the San Francisco Ferry Market Plaza.  I may have purchased several pounds of beans and loaded our suitcases with them. Thankfully they returned home unscathed.   As someone who eats minimal amounts of meat, beans (and eggs!) are my go-to sources of protein so you can only imagine my delight at discovering this heirloom bean shop.  I've been making all sorts of bean dishes (soups! on toast!) but chili was something I had yet to tackle.  

If you are purebred Texan, the idea of vegetarian chili probably sounds like blasphemy but if you are from the North where chili can include beans (and still be called chili) this probably sounds rather delightful.  Beans are cooked slow and low in a myriad of spices and crushed tomatoes to produce a full-bodied chili that tastes meaty without including a lick of meat.  It's flavorful and comforting and the kind of thing that begs to be served during a February polar-vortex-esq snow storm.  Best of all the chili tastes better the longer it sits, so day 3 of eating chili is even better then day 1 (WIN-WIN).   

Vegetarian Dried-Bean Chili

Recipe adapted and inspired by here and here.   

If you are inspired to make your own chili powder (and I encourage you to do so), this guide is awesome.  

This is the "when I have a whole day to make chili" dish.  If you are looking for a quick-cooking (canned bean) chili, this is the one I recommend.   

Serves 4-6

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped small
1 to 2 peppers of your choice (I personally love poblano’s but bell peppers will work), finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 chipotle chilies in adobo, chopped + 2 tablespoons chipotle chili sauce

1 teaspoons hot sauce (plus more at the end if you choose)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons table salt or 2 ½ teaspoons kosher or coarse salt
1 12-ounce bottle beer
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted if you can find them
1 1/2 cups mixed dried beans (pinto and black beans are my beans of choice)
3 1/2 to 4 cups water

2 tablespoons masa (if desired)

To serve: Lime wedges, sour cream, diced white onion, hot sauce, cilantro, corn or flour tortillas or tortilla chips or rice, cheese, avocado

Heat oil in the bottom of a medium-sized heavy pot or Dutch oven.  Once warm, add onion and cook for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add any fresh peppers and cook for 3 more minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt and cook for 2 minutes, until browned and deeply fragrant. Add beer and scrape up any bits stuck to the pot. Boil until reduced by half.

Add tomatoes, dried beans, chipotle chiles (and sauce), hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, and the smaller amount of water. Bring mixture to a full boil and boil for one minute, then reduce heat to a very low, gentle simmer, place a lid on your pot, and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the last 1/2 cup water if mixture seems to be getting dry, though I didn’t need it in most of my tested batches. If a slightly more sloshy chili wouldn’t bother you, you can add it from the get-go.  Stir in the masa if you want your chili a little thicker.

Store in the fridge for up to a week (best eaten the day after it is made).  Can also be frozen! 

avocado tacos (and some awesome salsa.)

Last week I discovered one of my favorite farms finally set up shop on Thursdays across the street from my office.

Upon discovering this, I practically wept.

I manage to encounter a farmer's markets at least 5 of the 7 days a week and usually these markets have everything I could possibly need depending on the season we are in.  But most lack the "rare" produce - concord grapes, sugar pumpkins, and tomatillos.  These are the items that I love getting my hands on at least once a season. These are the kind of ingredients that makes cooking fun and interesting.

When I stumbled across the tomatillos last week, I knew fresh salsa was in order.  It also happened to coincide with the discovery of the most epic-ly simple recipe from the NYTimes.  This recipe is the kind of thing I want to eat when I am exhausted and have minimal energy to cook anything.  Avocado wrapped in corn tortillas with homemade salsa? Yes, yes, and more yes.  The salsa is both robust and mild.  It plays well with neutral flavors but manages to add an extra dimension of smokiness that you can never get from store bought salsa. Eating simple has never tasted so good.

Avocado Tacos 
Recipe adapted (barely) from the NYTimes

You will have A LOT of salsa left which if you ask me it's a good thing.  I am already planning on spooning in on baked sweet potatoes and pouring it over bean and cheese enchiladas.  It would be killer on a breakfast taco as well.

Serves 3 - 4 depending on your level of hunger

4 pasilla chiles

½ teaspoon coarse sea salt

2 garlic cloves

10 tomatillos, boiled in salted water for 15 minutes or until soft

Juice of half a lime

3 avocados, sliced thin

12 corn tortillas

½ cup chopped cilantro

Optional toppings: Crumbled queso, sliced radish, black beans, lime juice

Make the salsa: Snap the stems off the chiles and remove the seeds. Using tongs, carefully hold the chiles over a medium flame to char on all sides. Transfer chiles to a food processor, add the salt and process into a powder. Add the garlic and tomatillos and purée until smooth.  Add lime juice.  Taste.  Add additional salt if necessary. (This makes 1 pint salsa, more than needed; refrigerate the rest in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.)

To serve, place 3 or 4 slices of avocado on each tortilla and top with salsa, cilantro, and any additional toppings of your choice.

buttermilk bacon fat flour tortillas.

Tyler and I as of late seem to be playing a perpetual game of “What do we have in the fridge that we can cram into a tortilla for dinner tonight?”.  This is a rather fun game because

A – Everything tastes good in a tortilla. (True story.)

B - You get to come up with ridiculously fun combinations of things using all the leftovers in your fridge.  (A ¼ cup of beans, 1 ear of corn, some roasted poblanos, shredded monterey jack, and cherry tomatoes.  That sounds like an ideal taco filling.  I am also partial to the kale, corn, bean, and lime combination I created this past weekend.) 

This game is as fun as it is because I have developed a slight obsession with homemade flour tortillas.  It started a few months ago with these and now that I have discovered yet another recipe, I have found myself looking for just about any excuse to eat tacos (and who even needs an excuse?).  

This particular tortilla recipe is so perfect that I can't imagine I will ever need another one.  These tortillas cook up tender, almost buttery with the right mix of tang and smokiness.  The addition of bacon grease is pure genius (because how many people keep their grease never knowing what to do with it?  That would be me!).  I love them with scrambled eggs and hot sauce but let's be honest, I haven't met a filling they didn't work with.  

Buttermilk Bacon Fat Flour Tortillas
Recipe from The Homesick Texan's Family Table via Serious Eats 

This is a particularly awesome recipe for the summer because if you are anything like me, you've been eating BLT's or BLAT's at least once a week (if you haven't been, I think there is something wrong with you).  Now you can save all of that wonderful bacon flavoring and turn it into tortillas!  One meal turns into another.  

Makes 8 -10 Tortillas depending on how wide you make them.  

2 tablespoons bacon grease (see note)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

Combine the bacon grease and butter in a pot and cook over medium-low heat until bacon grease and butter have melted. Remove from heat.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Pour in the melted fat mixture and stir until the flour is crumbly. Pour in the buttermilk and stir until a soft dough forms.

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes until the dough is firm and smooth.

Cover the dough and let it rest for an hour. Divide the dough into 8 or 10 pieces and roll each piece into a ball.

One at a time, place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a 4-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center out until the tortilla is thin and about 6 - 8 inches in diameter.

Keep the rolled-out tortillas covered, side by side, until you are ready to cook. (I usually have one cooking as I roll out another.)

In a dry cast iron skillet heated over medium heat, cook each tortilla for 30 seconds on one side, flip it, and then cook for 1 minute on the other side. It should start to puff up a bit. Flip it again and cook for 30 more seconds.

Cover the cooked tortilla with a cloth until you are ready to serve.

Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.

Note: Bacon grease is what's left over in the skillet after cooking bacon. To save my bacon grease, I pour it into a glass jar and store it in the refrigerator.

black bean burgers.

Well we are back.  Discussing food!  Real food and not liquid food.  I've never been so excited.  Especially since we are discussing black bean burgers which are my new favorite thing after having a most epic one a couple of weeks back when Tyler and I had date night at the new burger joint in Jersey City.  It was so epic that I spent the better part of the last 2 weeks researching recipes and trying to come up with a homemade version that would make me dance in my seat the way that one did. 

There burgers will satisfy carnivores and vegetarians alike.  They are meaty, filling, and beyond flavorful due to a combination of peppers, onions, and spices galore. Sure you could omit the spices so they don't feel so Southwestern but my thought is it's better to embrace this characteristic and let the burger be it's awesome Tex-Mex/South-West self.  I like to serve them on (homemade) hamburger buns (recipe coming later this week!) with pepper jack cheese, sliced avocado, pickled jalapenos, ketchup, and mayo because a burger can really be enhanced by the sum of it's parts (that and the fact that I have a love affair with toppings and condiments).

Oh! And don't forget the chips.  

Black Bean Burgers

Recipe adapted from Serious Eats

Makes 6 – 8 Patties

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 small to medium sized yellow onion, finely chopped 

1 large poblano pepper, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

3 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus 1 teaspoon sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked Spanish Paprika (Hot)

1/3 cup finely crumbled feta or cotija cheese

1 whole egg

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cheese as desired, such as pepper jack, cheddar, muenster, or Swiss (optional)

6 to 8 hearty hamburger buns, toasted

Condiments as desired, such as chipotle mayo (or regular mayo), ketchup, mustard, or mayonnaise (optional)

Toppings as desired, such as shredded lettuce, sliced onions, avocado, and pickled jalapenos (optional)

Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 350°F. Spread black beans in a single layer on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven and roast until beans are mostly split open and outer skins are beginning to get crunchy, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

While beans roast, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and poblano and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add chipotle chili and sauce, cumin, chili powder, and paprika, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Place mixture in food processor and pulse about 5 times until the mixture is finely chopped. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.

When beans are slightly cooled, transfer to food processor. Add cheese. Pulse until beans are roughly chopped (the largest pieces should be about 1/3 of a full bean in size). Transfer to bowl with onion/pepper mixture.  Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary. Add egg and bread crumbs.. Fold together gently but thoroughly with hands. Patty mixture can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days at this stage.

Form bean mixture into 6 to 8 patties as wide as your burger buns. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 4 patties and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until well browned and crisp on first side, about 5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until second side is browned, about 5 minutes longer, adding cheese if desired. If cooking more than 4 burgers, cook in batches, keeping cooked burgers on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet in a 200°F oven while second batch cooks.

Spread top and bottom buns with chipotle mayonnaise or other condiments as desired. Add toppings to top or bottom bun as desired. Place patties on bottom buns, close burgers, and serve immediately.