Chipotle Sweet Potato Risotto

I had just finished checking a whole lot of things off my to-do list, like Townes' birthday invitations and health insurance changes, when I realized it was suddenly 3:30 and I had no idea what we were eating for dinner.  I also looked outside and it had gone from a blustery, damp day to pre-storm gloom.  I had to make a decision fast and had no where to start.

I wanted something comforting, but I didn't want another comfort food that was covered in cheese and grease and overly decadent.  I wanted comfort food that would warm my soul but also make me feel good.  I wanted veggies and freshness.  I decided risotto was a great place to start, but my favorite (mushroom risotto) would be a no-go with Aaron.  So while I walked to Randall's with T in the stroller I started deciding what to put together. 

I thought sweet potatoes would be an interesting starch to add to the rice, but wouldn't be savory enough on their own.  I always think bacon marries well to sweet potatoes and would add some kick.  Chipotle and sage would add smoky, spiciness that would bring out the depth of the sweet potato instead of the sweetness.  I decided to up the nutritional factor and add some spinach, along with the risotto staples of onion, shallots and garlic. Finish it off with nutty Parmesan and I was good to go.

The best part about how this came out, is that you can keep customizing it.  Substitute kale for spinach, use prosciutto instead of bacon, vegetable broth instead of chicken.  This can be filled with super foods, its gluten free, and it could be vegetarian!

Chipotle Sweet Potato Risotto

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, chopped into 1-inch chunks
• Olive oil
• 1 tbs. chopped fresh sage
• 1 tbs. Chipotle powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 8-12 oz. bacon, diced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced small
• 2 tbs. minced garlic
• 2-3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray or olive oil. 

In a large mixing bowl, toss the sweet potato chunks with the sage, Chipotle powder, garlic powder, season with salt and pepper and 2-3 tbs. of olive oil, until evenly coated.  Spread the sweet potato onto the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven until very soft and tender.  Mine took about 30 minutes, tossing them every 10 minutes to make sure they cook evenly.

Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven, over medium heat, cook the diced bacon.  In a separate sauce pot, warm the chicken broth over medium high heat, if it comes to a boil, turn the heat down and keep it warm.

When the bacon is done, remove it from the pot with a slotted spoon into a paper towel-lined bowl.  Pour out the bacon fat, leaving just about a tablespoon or two at the bottom, discard the rest.

Melt the 2 tbs. butter in the dutch oven into the bacon fat over medium heat.  Add the shallots and onion, sauteing until translucent, 3-5 minutes.  Add the minced garlic and spinach, cook until spinach has wilted. 

Your sweet potatoes should be done around now, just pull the tray out and set it aside and let them cool for a bit.

Add the rice to the pot with the veggies and cook for around 5 minutes, stirring constantly so the rice doesn't burn, but starts to toast.  Add the white wine and stir until the wine has been absorbed. 

Once the wine is fully incorporated, pour in enough chicken broth to just cover the rice.  Stir frequently to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom or burning.  The broth should bubble a bit, but should not be boiling.  After the broth is absorbed, add more broth, just enough to cover the rice and repeat the process until the rice is tender and cooked.

While the rice is cooking, put your sweet potatoes into a bowl and mash until smooth.  Taste and re-season to your preference.  I added more Chipotle powder to kick up the spice factor. Don't forget to keep stirring your rice, though!

Once your rice is cooked and all the liquid is absorbed (you may need more or less than 4 cups of chicken broth depending on your rice), turn the heat down to low and stir in the sweet potatoes one scoop at a time.  My potatoes made about 1 1/2 cups mash and I used it all.  If your potatoes were very big you may not want to use it all. Stir well until the sweet potatoes are well incorporated.  Keep stirring and let it cook for a few more minutes to let the flavors mingle. 

Add the grated Parmesan and half of the cooked bacon, mix well, and turn off the heat. Taste and re-season as needed.  Garnish with Parmesan, bacon and some fresh herbs like sage or parsley.  

Chicken Lo-Mein: NY Chinese Take-Out

I spend a lot of time extolling the virtue of NY Italian food and the impact it had on my culinary development.  However, there is a dish that I grew up with, that was not homemade, but an important thread in my culinary history: Chicken Lo-Mein.  When I was growing up we only had a couple of places we ordered take-out from (far less than my family does now) - there was Joe's Pizza and Imperial Wok.  We had pizza at Joe's once a week on Thursdays after tennis lessons with our friends and about twice a month my dad decided we would order Chinese. 

I had two staples that I liked to order; chicken fried rice and chicken lo-mein.  I don't think my tastes were wild and crazy at the age of eleven so I kept it simple and easy.  And since then, I have lived in San Francisco and been exposed to the insanely wide variety of Asian cuisines, fell in love with Thai fried rice with tofu and Pad Kee Mao and so on and so on.  But my basic, simple, chicken lo-mein could never be replaced in my heart.

Unfortunately however, there weren't that many great Chinese places in San Francisco (lots of Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, Japanese, etc.), Chinese take-out seemed to almost be unique to New York.  When I moved to Austin, the situation only got more dire.  We have even less Asian take-out and just about one decent Chinese place.  No offense to some of the staples here like Mama Fu's and Madam Mam's, but its just not the same.  Thank goodness for Titaya's Thai Cuisine that absolutely hits the mark for Thai fried rice and Pad Kee Mao, but I am sorely out of luck on Chicken Lo-Mein.  It just constantly blows my mind that I just can't get it here - you can walk in to almost any Chinese place in New York and get a solid serving of Chicken Lo-Mein that tastes the same.

Anyway, I am getting too deep on my feelings for Chinese take-out.  The point is, I only get to eat lo-mein when I go home to see my mom, which is just not enough.  This was the first year we didn't go to New York for Christmas in my entire life (which was wonderful for some reasons and sad for others, but that's another story for another day) and so I didn't get an opportunity to feed my craving.  I've been thinking about it for weeks and finally decided to give it a go making it at home.

Y'all it was so worth it.  SO WORTH IT.  This was an insanely easy concept once I didn't some reading and comparing of recipes and decided on a game plan.  I wanted chicken in mine, so I chopped up the chicken into bite sized pieces and tossed it in the crock-pot and let it ride all day until I was ready to make dinner.  Then it was as simple as boiling the noodles and then sauteeing the veggies and tossing it all together.

Chicken Lo-Mein

Serves 8

For the Chicken:

• 4 skinless chicken breasts (or breasts and thighs) sliced thin into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup Teriyaki sauce
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sesame oil, divded
• 1 tbs. ground ginger, divided
• 2 tbs. sugar

For the Sauce:

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 tbs. sugar
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 2 tbs. ground ginger
• 2 tbs. Sriracha mayo

For the Lo-mein:

• 16 oz. Lo-Mein egg noodles
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup chopped green cabbage
• 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 2 tbs. minced garlic
• 1 cup snow peas (optional)

Whisk together the ingredients for the sauce in the bowl of a crock-pot.  Add the chopped chicken and stir to coat.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours until cooked tender.  Remove from crock pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil and cook the lo-mein noodles according the directions on the package.  Drain cooked noodles into a colander and rinse well with cold water.  Set aside.

Whisk together the ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large saute pan or braiser over medium-high heat.  Add a few tablespoons of sesame oil and the garlic.  Saute until fragrant, just a minute or two.  Add the onion, carrots, mushrooms and snow peas.  Saute until onions are translucent.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook for a few minutes.  Add the cabbage and saute until wilted.  Pour 1/3 of the sauce over the veggies and chicken and saute until evenly mixed.

Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the lo-mein noodles, using tongs to toss the noddles with the veggies and chicken.  Add the remaining sauce as you go, tossing to distribute the sauce evenly and cook for a few minutes more until the flavors are blended. 

Serve immediately, or refrigerate and consume in the morning after a rough night out.

Comforting Chili-Mac

So right now finding things to eat in our house can be a bit of a challenge; everyone has an opinion and so I feel like often whatever I make, at least one person is unhappy that night at dinner.  Townes is in a phase where all meat is "sausage" and he only wants "sausage" - Hondo is all carbs all the time, if there isn't pasta, life's not worth living - and Aaron is fine as long as the vegetables aren't big enough to be obvious.  Easy to make everyone happy, right?

Not surprisingly I was exasperated figuring out what to make for dinner, so I asked Chanel (who I have finally realized is like a dinner Magic 8 Ball - I don't know how she does it - I say what should I make for dinner and she just says "x" and its perfect).  Well, she said chili, because it would make T happy, but then macaroni because of Hondo.  I couldn't choose between my children, so I made both.

This chili-mac is full of veggies (and you can even add more, I think sweet potatoes diced up add a great layer of flavor in chili and are chock full of nutrients; a spicy pepper like a jalapeno would kick it up a notch; use your imagination!), has pasta for Hondo, meat for Townes (we can just call it sausage), and is wrapped in a silky cheese sauce no one can resist.  Serve it Texas-style with some Fritos for a second-level frito pie, or top it fully-loaded with sour cream, bacon, green onions and shredded cheese, or just eat it as it is.  You can't go wrong.

Cozy Chili-Mac

Serves 8

ingredients for chili:

• 3 tbs butter
• 2 tbs minced garlic
• 1 red bell pepper, diced small
• 1 green bell pepper, diced small
• 1 medium to large white onion, diced small
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 3 tbs chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp chipotle powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 1 can of red kidney beans (15 oz)
• 1 can of black beans (15 oz)
• 1 small can of crushed or petit diced tomatoes
• 1 lb tube pasta, uncooked (I used elbows but cavatappi would be fun, or anything you like to hold sauce well)
• 1 box (32 oz) beef broth

ingredients for cheese sauce:

• 2 tbs butter
• 2 tbs flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (optional)
• 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• Salt and pepper

In a large Dutch oven or pot, melt the 3 tbs of butter and sauté the garlic for just a minute or two until fragrant. Add the peppers and onion and sauté until onions are translucent.

Push the vegetables to the on half of the pot, add half of the ground beef and brown. Once browned well, and broken up, stir into the vegetables and push the mixture back to half the pot. Repeat with second half of the meat.

Add the seasonings (chili powder, chipotle, cumin, oregano and salt and pepper) and stir to combine well. Add the beans and tomatoes. Combine evenly and bring to a simmer.

Pour in the beef broth, bring to a boil and add the uncooked pasta. Boil until the pasta is cooked: it will probably take 50% longer than the time on the box (i.e. If it says 8 minutes, expect about 12). Stir frequently to prevent the chili from cooking into the bottom of the pot.

While the pasta in cooking, prepare your cheese sauce. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and then whisk in the flour. Whisking constantly, let the floor and butter cook for just a minute or two, but do not burn.

Slowly, adding it just a little at a time, whisk in the half cup of chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Repeat with the milk and then cream. Once combined, mix in the cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Once the pasta is cooked into the chili, remove from heat and pour the cheese sauce into the chili. Stir well to combine together. Serve immediately. Garnish with sour cream, bacon bits, shredded cheese, sliced green onions, chives or Fritos.

Matzo Ball Soup

The majority of my best friends growing up were Jewish (and are still some of my best friends) and I was so lucky to be exposed to so many wonderful traditions, foods, and families.  One of my best memories is having holiday dinners at my friends and having brisket and my favorite, matzo ball soup at Passover!

Matzo ball soup is something I miss terribly living in Texas.  You can't find it anywhere.  I mean ANYWHERE in Austin.  Its not like bagels, where they are just not very good, but you can get them.  I seriously can not find a place to get Matzo Ball Soup here, but I have been pretty intimidated to make my own.  I never made it at home, my friend's moms always made it and they set the bar really high.

But Chanel was sick this week, allergies just giving her sinus problems and a sore throat, but she wanted soup and she had never had Matzo Ball Soup and it had been on my list of things to tackle for a while - so we did it!

I reached out to my friends and their moms before diving in to make sure I did the right things and used the right seasoning and correct process.  Boy, am I glad I did!  These were the best!  So light, so fluffy, the right size, and so flavorful!

I have to admit, I didn't make chicken soup.  I made a broth with vegetables and seasoning and chicken broth, but no chicken.  As I say about chicken and dumplings, "I eat the dumplings because I want to, I eat the chicken because I have to."  That rule applies even more to Matzo Ball Soup.  I only want the Matzo balls, who needs chicken?  None of my Jewish mamas put chicken in the finished product.  They made a broth from scratch with chicken feet and vegetables, but served a matzo ball with the just broth (no veggies or chicken) poured over it and garnished with dill.  We went that route more or less, but kept the veggies because they are so tasty too!

However, the Matzo balls are not cooked in the soup, they are boiled separately and then you pour the soup over them.  So you can use whatever chicken soup recipe makes you the happiest!  I will include how we made our broth, which I think was perfection, but there are lots of wonderful chicken soup variations, so go with what you love.

Matzo ball soup

Makes 6-8 Matzo Balls

For the Matzo balls:

• 5 oz (2, 2.5 oz packets) of Matzo Ball Mix (we used Manischewitz)
• 4 eggs
• 4 tbs. olive oil
• 1 tbs. dill
• 1 tbs. parsley
• 1 tsp. salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper

for the broth:

• 4 cups chicken broth (we used Swanson's)
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 4 carrots, sliced or diced
• 1 small/medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1/2 purple top turnip (optional), diced into bite sized cubes
• 1 tsp. dill
• 1 tsp. basil
• Salt and Pepper

Prepare the Matzo Balls: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and the oil together.  Mix in the seasonings. Using a fork or a spatula, mix in the Matzo Ball mix, until just combined, but do not over-mix.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, or until ready to boil. They taste best fresh, so don't boil them until before you are ready to serve the soup.

Make the broth: Over medium high heat, saute your vegetables in the olive oil in a large dutch oven or stock pot.  Sprinkle with the seasoning, add the broth and bring to a boil.  Boil until the vegetables are tender and cooked through.

Boil the Matzo Balls: Fill a medium or large pot with water and bring to a boil.  When the water is boiling, remove the dough from the fridge and form the balls.  Using a large spoon, scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into a smooth ball with your hands. 

I recommend a ball about the size of a golf ball (they will expand as they cook, nearly double in size).  This will yield balls about the size of a tennis ball; we served two in a bowl and it was plenty.  You can go larger or smaller depending on your preference.

Drop the formed balls into the boiling water.  We did four at a time, you don't want them to be too crowded since they will expand quite a bit.  We did two batches.

Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a low boil (not a simmer, but you don't want the water boiling over).  Boil for 30 minutes and do not remove the cover until they are done.  Thankfully we have clear pot tops and I could peek with excitement without taking the lid off.

Remove the balls with a slotted spoon directly into soup bowls.  Pour broth over the balls and serve immediately.

Picnic Sandwiches

Its the end of summer, beginning of fall: the perfect time to get outside.  You still have enough light to enjoy summer activities like BBQ, and picnics, and events at the park.  Certainly here in Austin, I feel like we are finally getting back outside as the heat of summer eases up.  With that in mind its the perfect time of year to have a few people over for casual get-togethers over the weekend.  Easy, simple, but tasty foods are great to have in your back pocket for things like this.

The pulled pork sandwiches and chicken salad I made for Katie's Shower are exactly those type of things.  It was a cinch to put them together for a crowd without breaking my back and slaving in the kitchen.  You can prep both meats in the crock pot, or do the pork in the smoker (like Aaron likes to).

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

The pulled pork sandwiches are probably some of my favorite.  It's a really simple flavor concept that I think is always a win: sweet, spicy and savory.  Aaron does the pulled pork in the smoker (a 8-10 lb pork shoulder or butt), he puts a brown sugar rub on it.  Or you can put the pork in the slow cooker with your favorite BBQ sauce, a sprinkle of brown sugar, salt and pepper, and a splash of root beer and soda.  As long as the pork gets cooked so tender it falls apart - you are good to go.

Put your pork in a bowl and shred it with two forks, your hands, or Chanel's secret weapon (the hand mixer!).  Then prepare the sauce: I like to simmer Stubb's BBQ sauce with 2/3 cup of pineapple juice, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and a 1/2 cup of hot sauce.  Its a tangy, sweet Hawaiian flavor with a bite.  Simmer it until its thick then pour it into your pork, a little at a time, until its the right consistency for you.  Some people love LOTS of sauce, others less - do you.  I like to serve them on King's Hawaiian slider rolls with coleslaw. 

Classic Coleslaw

The slaw is pretty easy to make also.  Chop 3/4 head of red cabbage, 1/2 head of green cabbage, and 1 1/2 cups grated or shredded carrots.  Whisk together 1 cup of mayo, 1 tbs. white wine vinegar, 1 tbs. apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp celery salt, 1/2 tsp. dry mustard, salt and pepper. Taste and re-season as needed - pour the dressing over the cabbage and carrots and combine well, make sure its evenly coated.  I like to make sure it sets in the refrigerator for at least 2 or 3 hours before serving - it lets all the flavors blend and grow.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

The chicken salad is seriously one of the easiest and most flavorful I have ever had.  You put four or six chicken breasts into the crock pot, cover with chicken broth, season with salt, pepper, sage, poultry seasoning, basil, garlic and dill.  Cook until falling apart with a fork.  Then Chanel used her secret trick (which I will totally tell you), which is to use the hand mixer to shred the chicken.  Its practically magical.

Once its shredded, you add mayo until its the moistness you like, add diced celery and re-season with the original seasonings. For the shower, I served the chicken salad on sliced croissants (thanks, Pillsbury) and it was great.  One of the best things about shredding the chicken (instead of dicing it) is that it tends to hold together better, so when you have lots of little sandwiches, it doesn't fall out the sides and into people's hands when they pick them up.