The Metal Fork: A Modified Version

Welcome, February!

Do you ever have a week that’s neither typical nor atypical—it just is? Well, that’s sort of what this week has been for me.

My partner and I were out of town this past weekend visiting my family in Ohio, arriving back home Sunday afternoon. I suggested Thai food when we stopped at the first gas station during the drive home, in The Middle of Nowhere, Indiana. I’d been thinking of Thai food for hours already and was crossing my fingers that it sounded good to her too! I was in luck.

Sunday Spoon Thai:

Pot Stickers—delicious grilled wheat flour dumplings with a tasty soy sauce
Nam Sod Salad—ground chicken, onion, sliced ginger, green onion, cilantro, roasted peanuts and lime juice. Always my favorite salad
Suki Hang Kai—thin, clear noodles stir-fried with tofu, egg and veggies in a delicious sauce. Her new fave … plus it’s just fun to say!
Spicy Basil Leaves—chicken stir-fried with basil leaves, chili pepper and green onion … and this time with about 17 massive jalapenos. Served with jasmine rice and SO yummy!

We had gotten a produce box delivery while we were gone on Saturday, so we had a fresh supply of fruits and veggies waiting in our foyer on Sunday. There were also fixings for what we’ve termed “Mexican Cantina” awaiting us in the fridge.

Monday Mexican Cantina:

Sautéed tofu with garlic, jalapenos and cayenne pepper
Sautéed green and red peppers with more garlic
Sautéed spinach with even more garlic
My famous black beans (see Taco Salad post for recipe)
Impromptu guacamole—one avocado, a dollop of salsa, some salt and pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Once all the sautéing was complete, the tofu and peppers were combined into one bowl. The dish was served this time around taco salad-style: layer of spinach, tofu/pepper mixture, black beans, cheese, salsa, guac and some blue corn chips. May have been the best Mexican Cantina night yet!

Tap dancing class for me plus a computer class for my partner on Tuesday nights equals a no-cook night. Sometimes we’ll head over to the Grafton for a few beers and some lovely Irish sup, but not this week. Instead, we came home and prepped one of our staple meals—noshes. This generally consists of a few varieties of cheeses, some crackers, hummus and a few varieties of veggies.

Tuesday Noshie Night:

Manchego and cheddar cheeses and some Stone Ground Wheat crackers
Carrots, zucchini and cucumber with hummus and some pita chips
Lovely bottle of red and an episode of CSI Miami and there’s a good night!

Wednesday was a bit of a toss-up. I could have created something in the kitchen—brown rice with zucchini, pepper, goat cheese and something else … but the day had a bit of an unpredictable feel to it. The only remedy for that rhymes with rizza! Oh yes, pizza night.

Wednesday Ranalli’s Pizza:

Pan-style (with the fabulous criss-crossed crust) with spinach, green olives and sliced tomatoes = awesomeness!

That brings us to Thursday. My partner also has an art class on Thursday nights, so that’s another late one. We have yet to go out anywhere this week, which is a bit unusual for us. There’s usually at least one night that we meet out for a few beers—at the Daily, or the Bad Dog, or the Grafton or even Ricochet’s or Spyner’s. Not so this week.

I think tonight I’ll head over toward the puppet studio to meet her at O’Shaughnessy’s. Her class is just beginning, though, so I’ve got about 3 hours to go. Better stop writing about food!

Two-Bean Soup with Kale

Soup season is in full swing! When the wind is howling and the snow is swirling, soup can warm the core like nothing else. It’s more than just a fall staple—it’s a Chicago winter essential.

One of my new favorites is this Two-Bean Soup with Kale. It could easily be made carnivore-friendly by adding chicken or another meat of your choice, but I kept it herbivore-focused this time around.

The original recipe specifies that the beans are rinsed and drained and that a portion of the bean mixture is pureed until smooth. For a “soupier” dish, I kept the liquid from both the cannellini and the black beans and skipped the suggestion to blend.

This soup has a rich, well-rounded base but is not too overpowering. The rosemary and garlic add an herby-yet-zingy kick that compliments the kale nicely. Top with a few small dollops of goat cheese and serve with a slice or two of French or Italian bread and you’ve got a nutritious, scrumptious supper.

 

Two-Bean Soup with Kale*

 3 T olive oil

1 c chopped onion

½ c chopped carrot

½ c chopped celery

½ t salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 c organic vegetable broth—I also added 2 c water

7 c stemmed, chopped kale

2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed, drained and divided—I did not rinse or drain

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained—I did not rinse or drain

½ t black pepper

1 T red wine vinegar

1 t chopped fresh rosemary

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, carrot and celery and sauté 6 minutes or until tender.

Stir in ¼ t salt and garlic; cook 1 minute. 

Stir in 3 c vegetable broth and kale. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes or until kale is crisp-tender.

Place half of cannellini beans and remaining 1 c vegetable broth in a blender; process until smooth. Add pureed mixture, remaining cannellini beans, black beans and pepper to the soup. (I simply added these ingredients, plus 2 c water to the soup at this point.) 

Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ¼ t salt, vinegar and rosemary.
Add some red pepper flakes for additional spice and serve.

*Recipe discovered on MyRecipes.com.

My trusty assistants!

Is this flower looking at me?

Hi, I am Christina...

Pot Roast Stew

As the leaves begin to blaze with color, outside temperatures start to fall and radiators clink on, I think about one of my favorite fall staples … homemade soup! The varieties of soups and stews are endless, and experimentation is deliciously satisfying.

Last fall I experimented with cooking a roast for the first time ever. As I added crushed tomatoes and water to the browned meat, I decided that it felt appropriate to transform this dish into more of a soupy stew.

I added additional water and some vegetable broth, and voila—the Pot Roast Stew emerged. Throughout the three-hour braising process, the aromas drifting through the apartment were mouthwatering. “Slicing” the roast was unnecessary, as the meat was so tender it flaked right off the bone. Leftovers are even more delicious once all the flavors have a chance to blend. Serve this stew with a nice crusty baguette for a splendid fall meal.

Pot Roast Stew

1 (3-4 lb) piece of roast, trimmed of excess fat

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 T olive oil

1 can crushed tomatoes

>1 c water—I added at least another c of water and 1 c vegetable broth

Yellow onion, halved

>2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 bunch baby carrots

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 c mushrooms

2 sprigs rosemary

Thyme, basil, and bay leaves

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Heat 2 T of oil over moderately high heat. Brown the meat on all sides, taking time to get a nice crust on the outside. Pour in tomatoes, water, and broth. Scatter vegetables and herbs around the pot roast, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with remaining T of oil. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Braise for about 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until beef is fork tender. Slice the pot roast and arrange on platter surrounded by the vegetables. Serve with pot juices.

Green Curry Soup

Though this summer has not been quite as hot as prior years here in Chicago, we’ve had some scorchers here and there. It was one of those days a few weeks ago, and I was on the hunt for a refreshingly spicy green curry dish to lift the spirits. I found exactly what I was searching for on 101 Cookbooks; click here for instructions on how to make Swanson’s In a Hurry Green Curry.

Obviously I can’t take credit for Swanson’s fabulous recipe, but I can report the modifications I made. I like spicy stuff, so I definitely added more than 2 T of green curry paste. Since I used more tofu than she called for (14 oz instead of 6 and sautéed it first … I prefer it cooked to raw), I boosted the coconut milk to two (14 oz) cans. I also used both water and light vegetable broth and an entire package of frozen peas. 

 
The smell of this dish wafted through the apartment for hours. It tasted even more amazing than it smelled. Think of a coconut-milk-based soup from a Thai restaurant and then add a lot more green! The peas, asparagus and basil gave this soup the perfect tinge of freshness I was seeking. Leftovers tasted great too!

This is a keeper. Thanks, Heidi Swanson!

Asparagus Stir-Fry

I love to read, write, travel, and cook. Sometimes I like to read while traveling, or write about cooking. Heidi Swanson’s blog, 101 Cookbooks, brings all of those elements together into one beautiful package. Essentially, her striking photography pulled me in, and her eloquent writing hooked me. I have been a fan for several years now. Swanson’s blog and the ways in which she is able to convey important—and everyday—experiences inspire me.

Part of that inspiration includes the whole, all-natural ingredients with which Swanson cooks. Following her lead, I have recently been experimenting with more natural ingredients—whole-wheat pastas, quinoa, bulgur, etc. For the last several months, I’ve also been taking full advantage of the produce box that shows up at my doorstep every other Saturday. The box often includes a variety of fruits and vegetables that I would not normally gravitate toward at the produce market … like the kohlrabi bulbs that came in last week’s box. They look like little aliens!  It’s been fun to experiment with this vast array of fresh goodness.

The introduction of these new ingredients into my repertoire has motivated me to explore different produce items and sauces even further. Enter sesame oil and hoisin sauce.

I’d searched 101 Cookbooks to find some ideas for a one-dish meal using asparagus and discovered Swanson’s Asparagus Stir-Fry.  I wasn’t entirely sure what sort of flavor to expect from sesame oil, and I had no idea what hoisin sauce actually was.

This is yet another reason why I am so thankful to live in an urban environment. My local market has a large selection of ethnic foods of all kinds—Greek, Mexican, Asian, etc—so it was not difficult to find all the items I needed for this dish. Once home, however, I realized that I did not have cashews on hand as I’d thought. I substituted them with pine nuts and chose to use spinach over kale or chard. Otherwise, I followed the recipe verbatim and added some sriracha sauce at the end for a bit of a kick.

The sesame oil added a rich nuttiness to the tofu, and (unbeknownst to me) I actually did know what hoisin sauce was. Spring roll dipping sauce = hoisin sauce. Combined with the nutty taste of the sesame oil-infused tofu, the hoisin sauce brought a lightly sweet balance. This stir-fry came out so well that I’d wished I’d doubled the recipe. Next time!

 

Taco Salad

Taco salad has long been one of my favorite dishes. My mother used to construct it on a bed of tortilla chips, complete with lettuce, seasoned ground beef, salsa, and plenty of cheese. It is now one of my staple meals, though my own recipe has changed from my mother’s “original.” It’s easy to modify ingredients, so it’s usually not the same salad twice in a row. Every time I make anything even remotely Mexican, I whip up my famous black beans—to either serve on the side, on top, or all over! They are very easy to make, and incredibly delicious. This recipe is one of my latest taco salad combinations.

Taco Salad

Mixed greens

Package of precooked oven-roasted chicken

Green pepper, sliced

Avocado, sliced

Tomato, sliced

Corn, baked (instructions below)

Cilantro, chopped

Shredded cheese

Tortilla chips

Baking ears of corn:
Preheat oven to 375º. Husk corn, leaving attached at the base of the cob. Pull husks back up around corn. Wrap each ear loosely with aluminum foil. Put ears in a single layer onto a baking pan. Bake 45-50 minutes or until corn is tender when pierced and very hot.

Christina’s Famous Black Beans

1 can black beans

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 T cilantro, chopped

½ t cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

Combine beans and garlic in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Season with cilantro, cayenne, and salt. Simmer 5 minutes and serve.

Tomato Veggie Casserole

My love of vegetables has flourished as I’ve gotten older. While I’m not a vegetarian by any means, I do eat a very veggie-heavy diet. I am continuously striving to create innovative twists on vegetable dishes. This casserole has become a staple for me. It’s simple to prepare and tastes just as delicious reheated as freshly baked.

Tomato Veggie Casserole

1 medium potato, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium yam, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
2 small or 1 large zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
Salt and pepper
2 large ripe tomatoes, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons dried Italian-style breadcrumbs
Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss the potato, yam, bell pepper, carrots, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until coated. Spread vegetables evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Arrange the onion slices evenly over the vegetable mixture. Arrange the zucchini over the onion. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the tomato slices over the zucchini.

Stir the Parmesan and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the Parmesan breadcrumbs over the vegetables in the baking dish. Drizzle with the last tablespoon of olive oil.

Bake uncovered until the vegetables are tender, and the topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired.