By Misa Misono
In my post-Thanksgiving haze, I was looking for something warm and satisfying but with a completely different taste profile than traditional American fare. I also had a lot of leftover turkey to use. I turned to one of my favorite recipes—tortilla soup.
My version of tortilla soup requires little preparation and is easy to adapt to your tastes: add more salsa for increased heat or omit the meat for a vegetarian meal. By making use of pre-made salsa, frozen vegetables, and canned broth, it’s a 15-minute meal that is cheap, easy to make, and delicious. It’s also a great recipe to test out your culinary improvisation skills—adding a new vegetable (carrots would be great) or putting in some Mexican chili powder for extra heat and depth of flavor—without ruining dinner and suffering your significant other’s wrath.
This recipe is forgiving, adaptable, and can be made with as many or as few ingredients as you have on hand. Tortilla soup is a perfect meal for the cold, damp, Durham weather and perusing the stack of Wall Street Journals that have been piling up.
Shopping notes:
Purchase low-sodium chicken broth. Buy frozen instead of canned vegetables for this and other soup recipes; the flavor will be better and there are usually no preservatives in frozen vegetables.
Cooking tools:
Medium saucepan
Tip: Make this recipe vegetarian by using vegetable broth and omitting the meat (or replacing it with firm tofu or small dice potatoes). Store unused portion of frozen vegetables in freezer in plastic containers or freezer strength Ziploc bags.
Ingredients:
1 ½ (15 oz) cans low sodium chicken broth
1 medium garlic clove
¼ cup frozen corn
1/3 cup frozen bell pepper strips
1/3 (15 oz) can of black or pinto beans, rinsed with water
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
1-2 chopped green onions/scallions
1/8 cup shredded cheese of your preference (I like sharp cheddar)
1 bag of tortilla chips
1-4 Tablespoons salsa, depending on your desired spiciness
salt and pepper to taste
Optional:
½ cup shredded turkey or chicken
½ small avocado, sliced
Pour chicken broth into saucepan, and heat on medium-high. Wash green onion and cut into small pieces with a scissors, directly into the pan. Smash garlic clove with side of large knife or fist; place into pan. Add cumin and coriander. Let cook for 3 minutes.
Rinse beans thoroughly in a colander to prevent a metallic taste. Add corn, bell peppers, turkey, and beans to soup. Bring to a boil, then immediately turn down to medium-low and let simmer for 5-10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
Meanwhile, prepare your soup bowl. Smash chips to bite size pieces with your hands and place in bottom of bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and put desired amount of salsa on top. Remove clove of garlic from soup and discard.
Ladle hot soup over the bowl, place avocado slices in soup, stir, and enjoy!
Optional side: quesadillas, made with tortillas and your favorite cheese.
Serves 1-2, depending on your appetite!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Podcast Restaurant Review: Tonali
Click here to listen to the restaurant review podcast for Tonali, a high end nouveau Mexican restaurant.
Tip: Get the fish tacos!
Tip: Get the fish tacos!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Gnocchi with Browned Butter and Sage
By Misa Misono
Gnocchi with browned butter and sage is by no means a reinvention of the wheel—it is a classic Italian fall dish. But it is misunderstood, and many home cooks don’t even consider making it. I know I always believed there was some mysterious fancy preparation involved, and until recently, never tried preparing one of my favorite fall dishes.
Gnocchi is an Italian form of pasta made from potatoes instead of semolina flour. Each piece is about inch long and oval in shape. Gnocchi is delicious when served with a minimal number of ingredients that let its flavor and texture shine.
The hardest part of this recipe is browning the butter, which means it’s not very hard at all! I’ve put extra butter in this recipe to ensure that the butter doesn’t burn; as much or as little of the resulting sauce can be served with the gnocchi. Fragrant sage and spicy nutmeg add kick to this simple dish, and a touch of parmesan provides an extra layer of flavor. Don’t let the fancy name fool you, it’s one of the easiest dishes to make, and of course, totally delicious!
Buon appetito!
Shopping notes:
Look for gnocchi in the pasta section of the store. It’s usually vacuum sealed. Fresh sage can be found in a small plastic container in the fresh produce section of the grocery store. I prefer cooking with unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt, but regular salted butter will work fine.
Cooking tools:
Medium to large saucepan and medium sauté pan or skillet, preferably stainless steel. Tip: If you only have a dark-bottomed pan, use a white plastic spoon to test color of butter.
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons butter, preferably unsalted
6 fresh sage leaves, washed, dried
½ package of gnocchi
½ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon shredded or grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
Fill medium-large saucepan filled 2/3 way with water over medium high heat. Salt water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. While you wait for the pot to boil, place butter into sauté pan/skillet and bring to medium heat. After butter melts, add sage leaves and stir. Butter should take several minutes to brown—if you notice it turning darker very quickly, the pan is too hot. Lift pan off the burner for a few moments while you turn the heat down. Butter should start to get brown specks and the foaming will subside. Continue until it is the color of maple syrup. If you finish the sauce before the gnocchi are done, take pan off heat.
Add gnocchi to the boiling water. When gnocchi float to the top, let cook 1 minute longer and then scoop out with slotted spoon and place into your butter sauce. Turn heat back on and turn gnocchi gently in sauce, until warmed through. Stir in nutmeg.
Sprinkle parmesan over gnocchi, scoop into a bowl, and serve. Serves 1-2, depending on your appetite!
Gnocchi with browned butter and sage is by no means a reinvention of the wheel—it is a classic Italian fall dish. But it is misunderstood, and many home cooks don’t even consider making it. I know I always believed there was some mysterious fancy preparation involved, and until recently, never tried preparing one of my favorite fall dishes.
Gnocchi is an Italian form of pasta made from potatoes instead of semolina flour. Each piece is about inch long and oval in shape. Gnocchi is delicious when served with a minimal number of ingredients that let its flavor and texture shine.
The hardest part of this recipe is browning the butter, which means it’s not very hard at all! I’ve put extra butter in this recipe to ensure that the butter doesn’t burn; as much or as little of the resulting sauce can be served with the gnocchi. Fragrant sage and spicy nutmeg add kick to this simple dish, and a touch of parmesan provides an extra layer of flavor. Don’t let the fancy name fool you, it’s one of the easiest dishes to make, and of course, totally delicious!
Buon appetito!
Shopping notes:
Look for gnocchi in the pasta section of the store. It’s usually vacuum sealed. Fresh sage can be found in a small plastic container in the fresh produce section of the grocery store. I prefer cooking with unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt, but regular salted butter will work fine.
Cooking tools:
Medium to large saucepan and medium sauté pan or skillet, preferably stainless steel. Tip: If you only have a dark-bottomed pan, use a white plastic spoon to test color of butter.
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons butter, preferably unsalted
6 fresh sage leaves, washed, dried
½ package of gnocchi
½ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon shredded or grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
Fill medium-large saucepan filled 2/3 way with water over medium high heat. Salt water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. While you wait for the pot to boil, place butter into sauté pan/skillet and bring to medium heat. After butter melts, add sage leaves and stir. Butter should take several minutes to brown—if you notice it turning darker very quickly, the pan is too hot. Lift pan off the burner for a few moments while you turn the heat down. Butter should start to get brown specks and the foaming will subside. Continue until it is the color of maple syrup. If you finish the sauce before the gnocchi are done, take pan off heat.
Add gnocchi to the boiling water. When gnocchi float to the top, let cook 1 minute longer and then scoop out with slotted spoon and place into your butter sauce. Turn heat back on and turn gnocchi gently in sauce, until warmed through. Stir in nutmeg.
Sprinkle parmesan over gnocchi, scoop into a bowl, and serve. Serves 1-2, depending on your appetite!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Parmesan Meatball Soup
By Misa Misono
It is finally fall in Durham and the perfect time to heat up a chilly night with a warm, filling bowl of soup. Grocery stores are loaded with great ingredients that make preparing a healthful dinner easy and delicious. Frozen meatballs, shredded carrots, and bagged spinach make this recipe a breeze. Parmesan and smashed garlic add depth of flavor without being overwhelming. This soup is a simple, filling, and delectable way to end a long day at school. You don’t have to be an Iron Chef to make this great meal. All it takes is shopping smart at the grocery store and spending a few minutes in front of the stove. You can even check your email while the soup simmers.
Get in your kitchen and start cooking – you’ll be glad you did!
Shopping notes:
Look for low sodium chicken broth and meatballs without a lot of unpronounceable filler ingredients. Shredded carrots in small plastic bags and bagged baby spinach can be found in the fresh produce section.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 meatballs
2 cans (15 oz) low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup shredded carrots
1 ½ cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach
1 large clove of garlic - smashed
2 ½ tablespoons of shredded parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
Heat medium saucepan over medium high heat. Pour in olive oil, and place frozen meatballs in saucepan (watch out for splatter – to prevent, defrost meatballs for 15 seconds in the microwave). Let brown 1-2 minutes, rotating with a spoon or spatula. Smash garlic clove with side of large knife or your fist. Add carrots and smashed garlic into pan, stirring frequently for 30 seconds. (If garlic starts to burn before 30 seconds, immediately add the broth.) Add chicken broth and 2 tablespoons of the shredded parmesan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to low and let simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, roughly chop spinach.
Remove garlic from the pot with a slotted spoon. Add spinach to soup, stir. Wait 20 seconds.
Salt and pepper to taste. Add remaining parmesan. Serve with dinner roll or toasted bread with butter. Serves 1-2.
It is finally fall in Durham and the perfect time to heat up a chilly night with a warm, filling bowl of soup. Grocery stores are loaded with great ingredients that make preparing a healthful dinner easy and delicious. Frozen meatballs, shredded carrots, and bagged spinach make this recipe a breeze. Parmesan and smashed garlic add depth of flavor without being overwhelming. This soup is a simple, filling, and delectable way to end a long day at school. You don’t have to be an Iron Chef to make this great meal. All it takes is shopping smart at the grocery store and spending a few minutes in front of the stove. You can even check your email while the soup simmers.
Get in your kitchen and start cooking – you’ll be glad you did!
Shopping notes:
Look for low sodium chicken broth and meatballs without a lot of unpronounceable filler ingredients. Shredded carrots in small plastic bags and bagged baby spinach can be found in the fresh produce section.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 meatballs
2 cans (15 oz) low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup shredded carrots
1 ½ cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach
1 large clove of garlic - smashed
2 ½ tablespoons of shredded parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
Heat medium saucepan over medium high heat. Pour in olive oil, and place frozen meatballs in saucepan (watch out for splatter – to prevent, defrost meatballs for 15 seconds in the microwave). Let brown 1-2 minutes, rotating with a spoon or spatula. Smash garlic clove with side of large knife or your fist. Add carrots and smashed garlic into pan, stirring frequently for 30 seconds. (If garlic starts to burn before 30 seconds, immediately add the broth.) Add chicken broth and 2 tablespoons of the shredded parmesan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to low and let simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, roughly chop spinach.
Remove garlic from the pot with a slotted spoon. Add spinach to soup, stir. Wait 20 seconds.
Salt and pepper to taste. Add remaining parmesan. Serve with dinner roll or toasted bread with butter. Serves 1-2.
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