I say put glamour on your plate. Light the room with bright, flavorful dishes that spice the soul. Nothing complicated. Nothing with many pots. Somethings long slow cooked to heat up and perfume the house. Here are a few ideas, most of them meaty because winter is the time our metabolism can use the slow burning fat it provides to keep us warm.
Beef tagine with apples
You can serve this with the traditional couscous or freekah or perhaps quinoa. Add a simple lettuce salad and you have a very colorful table.
serves 6
2 1/4 lbs chuck steak
3 tbsp vegetable oil (can be olive)
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 lg onion, sliced into thin disks
lg pinch saffron threads, pulverized if you can
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 thin cinnamon stick
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to your taste
1 c raisins (either color)
1/4 c honey, best quality please
3 Granny Smith apples
1 tbsp + 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
Remove any excess fat from the beef and cut it into 1" cubes.
Half and core the apples. Cut them into thick wedges.
In a large heavy gauge lidded pot (casserole), heat half the oil and half the butter until the butter melts. Add the meat and over high heat, quickly brown it on all sides. With a slotted spoon remove it to a dish.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and sauté to soften,3-5 minutes. Add the saffron, ginger, cinnamon stick and stir. Add 1 1/2 c water, salt and black pepper. Stir in the meat and the cilantro sprigs. Cover the pot, reduce heat to simmer and cook 90 minutes. (You don't have to stand watch.) Add the raisins and 4 tsp honey. Cover the pot again and simmer 30 minutes or until the meat is very tender.
During the last 15 minute of the tagine cooking, in a medium frying pan, heat the remaining oil and butter til the butter melts. Add the apples and sauté 10 minutes, turning often. Drizzle with the remaining honey and cook another 5 minutes so they get glazed and soft.
Arrange the meat with its sauce in a serving dish (with sides), then top with the glazed apples and sprinkle everything with the toasted sesame seeds.
Spicy chorizo corn cake
serves 6-8
2 Poblano peppers, roasted and seeded
1 lb chorizo, finely chopped
Olive oil as necessary
1 lg yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3 extra lg eggs,
2 tsp honey
1 c sour cream
1 1/2 c corn kernels (canned drained or frozen)
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 1/4 c fine cornmeal
1/2 c unbleached flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c milk
dash Tabasco or other hot sauce
1/2 lb Monterey Jack cheese, grated
In a lg heavy skillet over medium heat, brown the chorizo to release its fat, about 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon remove the meat to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tbsp of the fat. If you don't have that much add olive oil to the pan. Add the onion and sauté to soften, 2 minutes, then add garlic and cook another minute. Stir in the minced jalapeno pepper and cook 7-8 minutes until everything is soft.
Heat oven to 350º. Generously butter a 2 1/2 quart round casserole or baking dish 2" deep.
In a large bowl beat the soft butter with the eggs to a smooth mix . Beat in the honey, sour cream, poblano peppers, onion mix, corn kernels and chili powder. In another bowl sift or sieve together the corn meal, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Blend into the wet ingredients alternating three times with the milk to get smooth batter. Season with the Tabasco and stir in the cheese.
Spoon 2 1/2 c of the batter over the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 the chorizo on top. Add another 2- 21/2 c batter and smooth it level. Top with the remaining chorizo. Spoon the remaining batter for a top layer that covers the chorizo.
Bake 45-50 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
Ohne khao soi (Burmese chicken noodle soup)
Serves 6 people as a main course.
6 boneless
breasts of chicken, cut into large bite sized pieces
2 tbsp
corn, canola or sunflower oil
1½ tbsp. red curry paste
3 cups
coconut milk
1 tbsp. garam masala or curry powder
½ tbsp
turmeric
1 star
anise or ½ tsp powder
1 cinnamon
stick
4 cloves
1tsp ground
cardamom or 3 crushed pods
2 cups
chicken stock
½ tsp brown or raw sugar
¼ c fish
sauce
About 6-7
(loosely packed) cups of boiled flat Chinese Bah-mi egg noodle or fettucini
noodles (about 11/4 lbs)
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp lime juice
Thinly sliced
shallots (garnish), fried.
To garnish:
6 slivers of fresh lime, chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Optional: 1 cup pickled Chinese cabbage
Soak
noodles to remove excess starch and drain.
Cook noodles as per directions on package and set aside. Fry the garlic
in a little extra oil until transparent.
In a heavy casserole or soup pot, heat oil and add the red curry paste,
curry powder and turmeric. Cook stirring
vigorously until the curry paste is fragrant—1-2 minutes. Be careful not to
burn the paste.
Add 1 cup of coconut milk. Over med/high heat, let it come to a boil and
bubble for a few minutes, stirring well, until the red oil separates from the
coconut milk. Add another cup of coconut milk and wait until the oil separates.
Add garlic, chicken pieces, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom
with chicken stock and the rest of the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, lower the
heat, add fish sauce and simmer.
Cover the pot and simmer until the chicken is done, 4- 5 minutes. Check
seasonings; you might need to add more fish sauce. The flavor should be a bit
salty and spicy with a sweet aftertaste. It should be a bit saltier than what
you would like the final dish to taste. Stir in lime juice and remove from
heat.
Divide noodles between deep soup bowls. Pour the coconut chicken over
the noodles. Garnish with fried shallots, cilantro leaves and a lime wedge.
Optionally pickled cabbage.
Pozole with chickpeas
serves 6-8
2 lbs pork stew meat, cut
into bite-size pieces
1 medium white onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves minced
6-8 sprigs fresh cilantro
3½ qts water (not all
together)
1 tsp salt
3 dried ancho chiles, stems
and seeds removed
2 dried guajillo chiles, stems
and seeds removed
3 tbsp masa harina
2 tsp dried oregano
1 heaping tsp ground cumin
2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Garnishes
shredded cabbage
chopped red onion
Lime wedges
Put the pork in a Dutch oven
or 4-quart soup pot with the onion, minced garlic, and fresh cilantro. Add 12
cups (3 quarts) of water and salt. Cover and over high heat, bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer about 90 minutes or until the pork is falling
apart tender.
While the pork cooks, combine
the dried ancho and guajillo chiles with the 2 remaining cups of water in a
medium saucepan and over high heat, bring to a boil. Cover the pot and remove it
from heat, letting it cool until the chilies have completely softened. In a
blender, combine the chilies and cooking water with the masa harina, oregano and cumin. Puree.
Add this puree and the chickpeas
to the pork stew. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer
the pozole 20 to 25 minutes.
To serve, ladle into bowls.
Garnish with shredded cabbage, chopped red onion, and the juice of a lime
wedge. Serve with tostada shells and your favorite bottled hot sauce.
This one's for vegetarians, a colorful south of the border presentation as "cake." Serve it with plantains for a hearty heartwarming meal: brunch. lunch or dinner.
serves 8
3 c cooked (can be canned) black beans
1/2 c bean cooking liquid
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 c red onion, diced finely
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 red bell peppers, cut into thin strips
2 chayote squash, peeled
1 cup corn kernels (canned or frozen or fresh)
2 tsp roasted ground cumin (use regular if you don't have this)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
6 9" tortillas (you may need to use flour ones to get this size. And two day old ones work best)
4 Anaheim chilies, char roasted, peeled and seeded
1 1/4 c fresh tomato salsa (store bought is fine)
3 c grated cheese (blend Monterey Jack with queso fresco)
Oil a 9" springform pan. Heat oven to 375º.
Halve the chayotes and remove the seed. Slice into thin wedges.
Slice the roasted Anaheim chilies into thin strips
Puree the black beans with the liquid into a smooth paste.
In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté 3 minutes to soften. Stir in the garlic, red peppers, chayote and corn. Sauté 5 minutes. Add cumin, salt and chili powder. Blend and remove from heat.
Place 1 tortilla on the bottom of the springform pan. Cover it with a generous layer of pureed black beans. Top with a layer of the sauteed vegetables. Top with a few strips of the Anaheim chili, then 1/4 c salsa followed by 1/2 c cheese. Put another tortilla on top of this, pressing gently to flatten and level. Cover with a layer of pureed black beans, then a layer of vegetables, strips of Anaheim chili and so on. Repeat the layering. Cover the last/top tortilla with any remaining salsa and cheese. (You can stop here and bake later.)
Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake at 375º 45 minutes. Let it cool 10 minutes. Run a thin knife or baker's spatula around the edges and remove the sides of the springform. Place the torta (bottom of springform still under it) on a serving platter and surround with avocado slices.
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