Chicken Tortilla Soup

I have never been a soup person, that being said, yummm tortilla soup. We are having a little false summer here (I know, we jumped from polar vortex to mini-heat wave) and I am starting to break out, tentatively, the rose, strawberries, and avocados (it's still a little early for fresh tomatoes). I will try to post something springy next, but in the meantime, enjoy some tortilla soup.

 I easily ignored the urge to make my own tortilla strips and happily reached for my always-on-hand bag of Have'a Corn Chips.To begin saute 1 chopped onion until it starts to get a little yummy and brown. Add in 4-6 cloves of smashed garlic along with 1 tablespoon each, paprika and cumin, 1 heaping teaspoon coriander and chili powder and a healthy dash of cayenne. Let the flavors marry for a few minutes before adding in a quart of chicken stock and one 28-oz can of tomatoes. Add a cup and a half of extra liquid whether you choose water (I often do), extra stock or a can of beer - it's up to you. Toss in a couple of bay leaves, a couple teaspoons of salt, a half bunch of roughly chopped cilantro, and a couple handfuls of slightly crumbled tortilla chips. Let the mixture simmer for about 45 minutes.

 Meanwhile, you can be working on your chicken. I used a half chicken but go with what suits you. I just did a super simple preparation for the chick-a-dee - season the meat with salt and pepper, sear in a cast iron skillet until skin is golden and then pop into a 450 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until cooked through. Once the soup mixture is done cooking, puree and serve. I like to put the shredded chicken on the bottom of the bowl and pour the soup over it - topping it off with some shredded cheddar, fresh cilantro, chopped avocado. I also like to eat the crispy chicken skin while i shred the meat. 

This recipe was inspired by the tortilla soup recipe from Food & Wine Magazine. 

Disappointing Game, Fulfilling Nachos

Well, we may not have won the game, but at least the nachos were awesome.

Sutro Baths

The real star of the day though, was . . . Sutro Sam (see below for a portrait)! I get abnormally excited by animal sightings, so naturally I have an unhealthy interest in our local river otter, Sam. Re-directing my focus -  Super Bowl Sunday has come and gone and as I may have mentioned in the past, my real interest is based on the rituals of eating surrounding the "big game". Although I did get into it, given that the local team (the 49ers, for those of you who may not know - no judgment) was in it. Unfortunately it didn't go our way but I think we all took comfort in the copious amounts of pork and crunchy-nacho-ness surrounding us.

I was inspired by Bon Appetit's recipe from their latest issue - but I of course made some tweaks. To see my version read on:

 

In the mood for summer - Tilapia Tacos

After a particularly grueling work week, I settled into a soothing weekend of long (slow) walks and simple cooking. I saw some beautiful fresh corn at the market, and, while it seemed a bit early, I couldn't help myself. I find that I often put my meals together in the same way that I pick my outfits – I find one random item, whether minor or major, and then build everything else around it. Thus, I built my meal around the corn and decided to make fish tacos.

For the tilapia, I prepped the fish by giving it a quick rinse, patting it dry and seasoning with a bit of salt and pepper. I added the zest of one orange and one lime, a squeeze of lemon juice and a little bit of sriracha and let the fish marinate while I prepped my toppings. I sliced some fresh radishes, boiled my corn and cut the kernels off, got out some sour cream, chopped cilantro and halved a handful of super sweet cherry tomatoes - et voila.  

To cook the tilapia, I sauteed a couple finely sliced shallots in olive oil (and a smidgen of butter) over medium heat. Once the shallots were translucent I added the fish and cooked for about 2 minutes per side. It was that simple. I cooked some black beans to serve with the tacos and put salsa out for those who wanted it. It was the perfect taste of summer (the corn was wonderfully sweet and juicy).

8.20.10

Los Toros, Chatsworth -
Best meal deal of the week. To start: an ample supply of salsa, chips and piping hot bean dip (all you can eat bean dip . . . mexican cuisine at its best). I got the "luncheon special" - carnitas burrito (filled with rice and refried beans), served with rice, refried beans (of course), and guacamole, all accompanied by a blended margarita = $6.75!!

8.16.10

Homegrown tomatoes with fresh basil and burrata for an afternoon snack.


For dinner I made fish tacos with mahi mahi and a cilantro-lime slaw.
Recipe: I used two mahi mahi filets to serve 3 people. Season the mahi mahi with salt and pepper, chop four cloves garlic and about 1/2 cup of cilantro and rub those onto the fish. I then put the fish into a dish and let it marinate while preparing the rst of the dish. For the slaw: slice a half head of cabbage toss it into a bowl and add in the juice of 1 or 2 limes, 3/4 cup cilantro, a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper, and sriracha to taste. Mix it all together and set aside. Open a can of black beans and warm them on the stove top. I chopped some avocado and cherry tomatoes to use as toppings. To finish the dish heat a pan with a little bit of olive oil, once warm place the mahi mahi in the pan and sear it for about 4 minutes on the first side and then flip it and leave it on the other side for two more minutes. Remove from the heat and break the fish into chunks. Warm some corn tortillas and pile on whatever toppings you please (I served mine with slaw, beans, tomatoes, avocado and a healthy dollop of sour cream. Next time I might swap in some radishes and queso fresco.).

8.1.10

I made sweet corn tamales (recipe tweaked but passed down from friends) with black beans and mango, corn and avocado salsa. I mix up the toppings, sometimes I just put avocado and cilantro, try different salsas, whatever you please. Tamales:

• Roast three cans of white corn(or yellow, your preference), about 4 1/2 cups, in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. Meanwhile boil a big pot of water and once it's boiling turn it off and throw in about 30 dry corn husks, cover and leave to soak.
• Mix dry ingredients: heaping 2 cups of masa, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt.
• Simmer all but one cup of the corn in 1 1/2 cups milk (I use 1% milk, it's up to you) for about 10 minutes and let cool a bit.
• Whip 1 cup + 1 (or 2) tablespoons butter in a large bowl.
  
• Throw the corn and milk into the blender and pulse to combine. Stir in the one cup of corn you reserved (you can blend it all but I like getting whole corn kernels in my tamales).
• Alternate stirring in the dry mix and the milk blend into the whipped butter.
• Take your tamale husks out of the water and shake them dry. You need to tear a couple of husks into long strings to use as ties. Put about 3 tablespoons of the masa mix into the center of a flat corn husk; wrap the bottom up, then the left side and then the right and tie the top with a string of husk. Place each finished tamale in a steamer. Once done put it on the stove and cook for 35-45 minutes.