Quick Corn Chowder with Toasted Tortillas

This was an impromptu dinner that I hadn't intended to make this week. My husband hasn't been well, and soup seemed like a good idea. I wish I could say I used gorgeous summer sweet corn from my CSA for this soup, but I had none, and had to turn to frozen corn instead. If you have fresh corn on hand, please use it!

This soup is remarkably simple, a sort of fluid polenta-that-isn't-actually-polenta, topped with yummy Mexican-inspired toppings and featuring lots of interesting colors. I took Nigella's recipe and ran with it, throwing in some things I happened to have in the fridge. The result was a tasty and soul-satisfying meal; everything soup should be, if you ask me.

Blue corn tortillas are a fun and more interesting chip, but feel free to use white or yellow corn chips if that's what you have.

Quick Corn Chowder with Toasted Tortillas
adapted from Nigella Express
serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups frozen sweet corn, defrosted (or fresh corn kernels)
2 scallions, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons semolina flour
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
salt to taste
handful lightly salted blue corn tortilla chips
1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar or mozzarella are best)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Drain the corn and put into a food processor with scallions and semolina. Process to form a paste, leaving some texture but very few (if any) whole kernels.

2. Warm the broth in medium pot over medium-high heat. When hot, stir in the corn paste. It will break up and distribute throughout the broth as it heats up. Stir in the bell pepper and about half the jalapeno. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer for about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, preheat toaster oven (or oven) to 375. On a foil-lined baking sheet, spread out the chips and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for about 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.

4. Serve the soup, about two ladles per person, topped with the cheesy chips and remaining jalapeno.

Enjoy!

Pollo alla Cacciatora

I didn't want my 100th post to be a recipe that I am kind of lukewarm about, but unfortunately it has worked out that way. A twist of fate, I suppose - the blog can't be entirely successful. But I shouldn't denigrate this recipe too much. It was comforting, and it smelled fantastic. There was nothing really wrong with it. It just didn't have the intense flavor that its smell advertised.

I've changed the recipe a bit from the way I made it in the hopes that this will make it more flavorful - namely by adding an extra garlic clove and some red pepper flakes. I do recommend giving it a try, as it makes a lovely simple Sunday supper that is surprisingly quick to make. Also, serve it with something yummy, like creamy polenta or cornbread. We had ours with some French bread and I think it could have used a better partner.

So here it is, the 100th recipe I've shared with you, and only the second (if I remember correctly) that I don't wholeheartedly endorse. I suppose that's a pretty good track record.

Pollo Alla Cacciatora
adapted from Nigella Express
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 strip of bacon, chopped
3 scallions, finely sliced
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 pound chicken breast tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
pinch celery salt
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 14-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Warm the EVOO over medium-high heat in a large skillet. When it's hot, add the garlic, bacon, scallions, and rosemary. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes.

2. Add the chicken pieces and celery salt and stir. Cook for about 1 minute.

3. Pour in the wine and let it come to a bubble before adding the tomatoes, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. Put the lid on and let the pan simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Stir in the cannellini beans and warm through, about 1 minute. Serve.

I hope someone does give this a try, perhaps with his or her own spin on it, and lets me know how it turns out! If you do, enjoy!

Rosemary White Bean Mash with Steak

When naming a meal, it is somewhat unorthodox to lead in with what most people would consider the side, and follow it with the meat. But this is a side dish so delicious and easy that it deserves first billing. If I had been aware of this side dish when I was in college, I probably would have eaten it as a main course.

Sure, the steak is pretty great too. But in my opinion, the white bean mash seriously outshines it. So go ahead, heap the beans onto your plate and give yourself a small serving of steak. We had ours with lightly sauteed baby broccoli, cooked for only a minute or two so as to preserve its crunch. It felt like a real nuclear-family type meal, but with a modern twist, thanks to Nigella.

Rosemary White Bean Mash with Steak
adapted from Nigella Express
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons EVOO
salt and pepper
1 medium-large sirloin steak (about 3/4 pound)
1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed
1 14 oz. can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
1 sprig fresh rosemary
zest and juice of 1 small (or 1/2 large) lemon

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium skillet, heat 1 teaspoon EVOO over high heat. Season steak with salt and pepper. Add the steak to the pan. Cook for about six minutes on each side, or until desired doneness. You may need to reduce the heat if it is getting too dark on the outside.

2. When the steak is about 3 minutes from done, put 2 tablespoons EVOO, garlic, and lemon zest into a small pot over medium heat. Warm through, then add the
beans. Mash them with a potato masher until mostly smooth, but with some texture remaining. Add the rosemary sprig. Stir and cook until heated through. Add a little more EVOO if it looks too dry.

3. When the steak is done, remove it from the skillet and turn off the heat. Squeeze lemon juice into the skillet to incorporate it with the juices from the meat. Serve the steak with this sauce drizzled over it, accompanied by the beautiful beans.

I'd recommend a bit of horseradish with the steak if you like that sort of thing. (I most certainly do!) And a bit of green veg never hurt anyone. Go ahead and throw it in with the steak while it's cooking.

Enjoy!

Crunchy Salad with Spicy Asian Dressing

Sometimes I crave a really good salad. Not merely lettuce and cucumber, I'm talking a veggie-packed onslaught of crunchiness, full of vitamins and fiber. All it takes is picking out some good vegetables, whipping up a delicious home made salad dressing, and dinner is on the table. I found the inspiration for this one in Nigella Express, and changed up a couple of ingredients to make it a bit more budget-friendly.

This salad is great for a weeknight dinner, and if you make a large quantity you can take the leftovers for lunch the next day. The dressing is Asian-inspired, and the veggies are just plain fantastic. Feel free to add your favorite crunchy vegetables, or subtract out anything you don't like. Or if you want to make it a bit naughty, you could add some crispy won tons. Yum.

You'll notice that my "measurements" for the veggies are quite liberal. It's a salad, folks. No need for precision here.

Crunchy Salad with Spicy Asian Dressing
adapted from Nigella Lawson's "Nigella Express"
serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (more if you want extra spice)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon honey
pinch of salt
generous handful of broccoli florets cut into 1-inch pieces
a dozen or so slender green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
two generous handfuls of salad greens OR shredded napa cabbage
generous handful of bean sprouts
one can of baby corn cobs, drained, rinsed, and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the dressing by combining the first six ingredients in a glass jar or salad shaker and shaking vigorously.

2. Par-boil the green beans and broccoli for about 2 minutes in boiling water. Drain. Shock them in ice water to stop them from cooking too long, and to cool them off.

3. Put the greens/cabbage in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Top with bean sprouts, baby corn, broccoli and green beans. Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss. Serve garnished with toasted sesame seeds.

This is a nice light weeknight supper that will leave you satisfied and full of that I've-just-been-done-good-to feeling. Enjoy!