CityMama™

Cooking with Kids: Bunny's Chili

I remember being younger than Bunny when my mom would turn me loose in the kitchen and let me cook (mostly things like scrambled eggs, pancakes, or soup...). Now that she's almost 8.5 (and we have a baby on the way), I've been making more of a concerted effort to teach her how to cook simple things. She's really excited about our lessons and always says, "Do I get to make this when Bundle is here?" 

The funny thing is that it's Wallie who, at the moment, has the patience for the start-to-finish—the reading of the recipes, the gathering of ingredients, the cooking and the clean up. Bunny prefers to come into the kitchen, help for awhile, then leave. She isn't much for the details.

Having said that, her repetoire now includes: making scrambled eggs (she knows to keep the pan on low, stir gently, and to take them off the stove while the eggs are still glossy), making toast (and checking to make sure the toaster is off), heating up her favorite veggie sausages in the microwave, and making tomato soup from scratch (and adding a little honey if the tomatoes are too acidic).

A side note: she can also make hard boiled and poached eggs in our egg cooker which is a great gadget for kids (and makes cooking eggs SO easy—just don't ever fill it up all the way with water or the eggs get over-cooked.)

Last night we tackled chili.

I don't use a recipe when making chili. It's always a variation on the same theme:

• diced onions (pre-diced onions from Trader Joe's are perfect for this, especially if kids are cooking)
• smashed garlic
• a pound of ground beef or turkey
• a can or two of drained pinto, black, or kidney beans (with beef) or drained cannelini beans (with turkey)—or all beans (and maybe some diced zucchini) for veggie chili
• a can of diced green chilis (with turkey)
• a large can of diced tomatoes (usually with the beef, sometimes with both)
• Penzey's chili powder
• cumin
• unsweetened cocoa powder
• a pinch of cinnamon
• oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• if I have it, a half bottle or so of beer (as long as it's not dark and bitter, Corona or Heineken are perfect)

And the toppings include:

• diced avocado
• chopped onions
• shredded cheese
• minced fresh cilantro
• Mexican crema or sour cream
• lime wedges
• jalapeños en escabeche
• hot sauce or salsa
• tortilla chips (if I have them) or rice (Hawaiian style!)

Last night I turned Bunny loose on this loose recipe. She learned how to use a can opener for the first time, opening all the beans and tomato cans. I taught her to taste for salt as she goes. To add a little water if the consistency didn't look right. A measuring lesson is up next because those teaspoons and tablespoons can be confusing (I don't measure, but I'm trying to teach Bunny about proportions of things.) But overall, she did a great job, and the chili was delicious. Not a drop was left!

Black-Eyed Peas for New Year's CityMama-Style

Do you cook black-eyed peas or beans or lentils for New Year's?  I do!  My New Year's tradition includes foods from the many diverse parts of my family: black-eyed peas as introduced to me by my very Southern aunt, lentils and cotechino (sausage) from my Italian family, and dumpling (mandoo) and rice cake (dduk) soup from my Korean side.

Today I'm cooking up a simple batch of black-eyed peas made even simpler due to the fact that you can now get fresh peas (no need to soak) in the produce department of the grocery store.  Here's how I do it, but I'd love for you to share your recipe, especially if you make Hoppin' John!

 

CITYMAMA'S BLACK-EYED PEAS

If you dont have a ham hock, you can use about a cup of diced ham, bacon, or pancetta, just saute it with the onions and garlic. If you use dried beans, you'll need to cook them longer, according to package directions.

• olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 4 bay leaves (I like a lot of bay flavor, and it makes a difference in this dish)
• 1 ham hock
• about 48 ounces of fresh black-eyed peas (I like the Foodology brand found at Whole Foods)
• water
• salt and pepper to taste

 

In a large Dutch oven, saute the onion, garlic, and bay leaves in a couple three of glugs of olive oil over medium heat until onions are soft and translucent. Add the ham hock and the peas and enough cold water until the peas are just covered. Bring to a boil, skim off any foamy impurities, then reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes, until beans are tender.  Let sit, covered, for at least an hour so that ham flavors and pea flavors have time to meld. Drain water, remove bay leaves and ham hock (and if desired, shred any ham on the bone and add it to the pot). Salt and pepper to taste, but I find it doesn't need salt.

Happy New Year!

Fava bean crostini with shaved pecorino romano

Favas in the Cuisinart. I swear, this is my favorite color of green.

We're smack in the middle of fava bean season here in Northern California. My local market and farmer's markets are bursting with them and we've been scooping them up since they won't be around for long.

Never cooked favas before? Favas do require a little work but the reward is so worth it. You have to shell the beans and then remove the skin that covers each individual bean. Look for pods with small-to-medium-sized beans. They are sweeter, and when the beans are small you don't necessarily need to remove the skin that covers the bean. The larger the beans are, the tougher the skin on the bean. If you do end up with larger beans, no worries. Just plop the shelled but unskinned beans into boiling salted water for a minute or two, then drain them and shock them in an ice bath. The skins will soften and shrivel and you can pop them right off.

I bought 3-4 pounds of fava beans in their pods to yield about a cup of pureed favas for my crostini. They go so well with garlic and your best, fruitiest olive oil, and if you have a food processor (love my Cuisinart) you can make these crostini in just minutes.

Summer Barley-Vegetable Salad with Meyer Lemon-Miso Dressing

One of my favorite grains is barley. I love its earthy, chewiness and that as a "sturdy grain" it lends itself beautifully to soups and salads. I also love grain salads whether made with quinoa, bulgur wheat, or cous cous (okay that's a pasta and not a grain but still) and so it follows that I would love barley salads as well.

There is nothing worse than an under-seasoned grain (or pasta) salad and I think the miso adds big, bold flavor without having to add a bunch of salt. Fresh herbs also add lots of flavor. This is one of my faves and it's the perfect sunny side dish for a spring or summer day.  I make a big batch of it and keep it in the fridge for weekday lunches and snacks.

• 2 cups of pearl (not flaked) barley, soaked overnight
• extra virgin olive oil
• juice of one Meyer lemon (about 2 tbsps)

Veggies/Legumes/Herbs: (a handful or so each, use all or some):

• chopped carrots
• chopped cucumber (I like the firmer Persian cukes)
• chopped celery (celery really goes well with this)
• chopped onion
• chopped green onion
• chopped tomato
• chopped broccoli florets
• chopped sugar snap peas
• 1 can of garbanzos, drained/rinsed
• minced fresh parsley
• minced fresh basil
• 1 clove of finely minced garlic and/or shallot

Dressing:

• 2 tbsps white (shiro) miso mixed with 1 tbsp hot water
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• fresh ground pepper

Drain the soaked barley and place in a pot with enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain in colander and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain well and dump into a big bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and lemon juice, toss and set aside. Chop veggies and add to bowl. Toss.

For the dressing: Put the miso into a bowl and add hot water. Whisk or mix with a fork until smooth. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and whisk to combine. Add pepper to taste. Add dressing to barley and veggies and toss well.  Let sit at least 30 minutes to combine flavors before serving.  Keeps really well in the fridge for several days.

Photo taken with with my iPhone. I am part of the post-DSLR Revolution, are you?

Garlic Edamame Heaven

Not garlic edamame, but still delicious.

When I was in Honolulu for spring break we had dinner at Side Street Inn which has become a sort of "last night in Hawaii" tradition for me. Side Street looks like every sports bar/restaurant in any city in America. The thing that sets it apart is the delicious, anything-goes, local-style food. This is a sports bar that forgoes most of the usual sports bar fare. You won't find nachos here, but you will find other treats like broiled hamachi kama (when they have it), sublime deep-fried chicken gizzards, and passion-fruit-glazed ribs. And, yes, the most kickass chicken wings you've ever eaten.

I am never disappointed when we have dinner there and this time was no exception. In fact, we had eaten an entire dinner consisting of: steamed clams with Portuguese sausage, kalbi, kimchi fried rice, mixed poke (ahi and tako [octopus]), king crab legs, Caesar salad and macaroni salad all served family style, when for dessert, my brother ordered another order of the steamed clams.  They were that good.

But the dish that took the meal over the top was their garlic edamame. Try to see if you can imagine it: boiled, salted edamame (already delicious in their own right) tossed with tons of chopped garlic, melted butter (which made it heavenly), and olive oil (or just olive oil if you prefer) with just a hint of spiciness, finished with a squeeze of lemon.  Presented at the table they looked like green velvet dusted with snow from all the garlic. (Here's a photo that does not do it justice--there's just not enough garlic on this batch.) They were amazing.

Today I went out and got a bag of edamame with the intention of recreating the dish, when lo and behold, some quick Googling brought up Side Street's very recipe.  Their recipe makes a mountain, which is perfect for dinner parties (or one very ravenous party of 8).  If you make this I promise you will be addicted.  And you don't even have to go to Honolulu to taste them.

More Side Street Inn photos.

White bean soup with sauteed lacinato kale and veggies [my way]

This is how I do bean soups:

First I soak the beans over night, then I put them in a pot with their soaking liquid, bring it to a boil, skim any foam, reduce to a low simmer and cook until the beans are tender and most of the water has been absorbed (about an hour). They should be slightly dry and not yet soupy. Sometimes I add a ham hock or a Parmesan cheese rind and/or a bay leaf or two to flavor the beans while they simmer.  Then I remove anything added, season the beans and mash them lightly leaving some whole.

In a separate pan, I saute (in olive oil) whatever I am adding to the bean soup. Tonight it's a sturdy bunch of organic lacinato kale, sweet shallots, lots of garlic, garden carrots, and celery.  I cook the veggies until they are crisp-tender, then I season them as well.

To the bean pot I add more water or broth (3-4 cups) to make them soupy or as in the case of tonight, 3/4 of a box of no-chicken broth, then I dump the sauteed veggies into the soup, heat through, and serve. Don't cook too long or the kale (or spinach or chard or whatever you are using) will loose its deep green color.

Tonight's bean soup will be served with a a sprinkling of chopped fresh rosemary, a drizzle of special olive oil, and for the kids, a shaving of pecorino romano, but it's also wonderful topped with freshly toasted bread crumbs or caramelized onions or even a splash of sherry vinegar. You can even add a cup or two of al dente cooked short pasta to the soup for a warming bowl of pasta e fagioli. I love how verstile bean soups can be, whether "meatful" or vegan, it's always tasty.

Once the beans are soaked, the soup comes together fairly quickly.  It's done in about 2 hours (about an hour to cook the beans + 15-20 minutes to saute the veggies), but you don't have to watch the pot every minute.  Enjoy!

How to: Improvise when you don't have a Crock-Pot [NaBloPoMo Day 12]

Throughout my cooking life, I have had a love/hate relationship with slow cookers. Even with the help of two slow cooker cookbooks, I have never been bowled over by anything that comes out of a slow cooker. It seems to me that they are best used for keeping soups, stews, and chilis hot on a buffet.

I think my biggest problem with Crock-Pots (and I use that term to mean all plug-in slow cookers) is that when cooking meats, to get the best results, you have to brown it in a separate pan first then transfer it to the Crock-Pot and add the remaining ingredients. Those looking for a mess-free short cut to cooking (me) now have to deal with a crusted pan and a splattered stove, and that totally defeats the purpose for me.

Two recipes that I do think work really well in a slow cooker are chicken breasts that are cooked with a little water and then shredded to use in tacos or enchiladas (they do stay moist this way), and chile verde also made with chicken.

I have owned slow-cookers and always ended up giving them away. Here's what I do instead.

The best split pea soup ever

You know how Split Pea Soup is good and reliable and comforting and tastes exactly like how you remember it every time you eat it?  This recipe is way way a thousand times way better, and it came from the back of my bag of green split peas.  I've adapted it slightly, but still, the basics are the same. I think the difference came in the number of ham hocks  and bay leaves used.  I usually only use one hock and one bay leaf, but increasing the amount of each gave the soup a flavor-packed punch. From now on for all my bean soups, I will use more ham hocks and bay leaves. Try it this week, you will not be disappointed.

SPLIT PEA SOUP

The most flavorful split pea soup you will ever eat. Start it well ahead of dinner time. I didn't add any salt to this soup. I found the hocks and sausage made it plenty salty enough.

• olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 whole onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 3 carrots cut into 1/2 in thick coins or large chunks (I like lots of carrots)
• 4 bay leaves
• 3 (yes 3!) smoked ham hocks
• 2 quarts of water
• 1 quart of low sodium chicken broth (or just 3 quarts of water)
• 1 bag of green split peas, rinsed
• 2 sausages such as Aidell's chicken or even a polska kielbasa will do (or you can omit entirely)
• pepper to taste
• plain yogurt, creme fraiche, or sour cream to garnish (optional)

In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook the garlic, onion, celery, carrot and bay leaves in about 3 glugs (tbsps) of olive oil until onions start to turn golden brown (about 7-10 minutes). Add hocks, water and broth. Bring to a boil, skim any foam, then reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered for no less than 2.5 hours. At this point the ham hocks should  be falling-apart tender so remove them and set them aside to cool, then shred the meat.  Add peas, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cooking uncovered for about 45 minutes to an hour or until peas are melty and soup is thickened. During last 15 minutes of cooking time, add sliced sausages and the shredded ham meat (not the skin, cartillage etc.) from the ham hocks. Remove bay leaves before serving and pass the pepper. Makes 8 servings. (And is even more delicious for breakfast!)

Quinoa Salad with Lemon Miso Dressing

I made this salad just now and between me and the girls, it might not last until dinner.  It's based off a recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, 101 Cookbooks. I used brown rice miso instead of tahini because, well, I'm just not a fan of the tangy-gritty flavor of tahini. (When I make hummus I cheat and use ground roasted sesame seeds and a touch of sesame oil instead of tahini.)

Quinoa Salad with Lemon Miso Dressing

• 1 cup of quinoa cooked in 1 3/4 cups water for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• 1 can of organic garbanzos, drained and rinsed well
• 1/4 white onion, finely diced
• a handful of fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup brown rice miso (or any you like) thinned with 2 tablespoons of hot water
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic, pressed
• 1/2-2/3 cup of olive oil
• freshly ground pepper

Mix or shake well and set aside.

Toss cooked quinoa and garbanzos with dressing until well-mixed, then add onion, cilantro and mix again. Taste for salt/pepper. I found that it didn't need any salt because the miso is salty enough. Just before serving fold in the spinach leaves. Serves 4.

Note: The spinach holds up very well in grain salads, especially if it is freshly picked (as from a farmer's market). It's fine even the next day--I often combine handfuls of spinach with my grain (quinoa, barley) and pasta/couscous salads for extra color, texture, and nutrition.

Black Bean Soup (make this and dinner's ready by lunchtime)

This morning at breakfast, since I was in the kitchen preparing food for breakfast and lunches anyway, I started a pot of black bean soup for dinner.  After simmering all morning, it was done by noon and now I don't have to worry about dinner for the rest of the day.  I snuck a taste at lunch time and, after adjusting the seasonings, I'm going to give it a little more time to mellow. It'll be just right by dinner time, and even better the next day.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Saute the following together in a big soup pot until onions are lightly browned:

• a couple of glugs of olive oil
• a 1/4 pound hunk of nitrite-free salt pork, leave whole (Avail at Whole Foods)*
• 1 red or yellow onion chopped
• 1 clove of garlic chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped finely
• 1 4 ounce can of fire-roasted diced green chilies
• 1 stalk of celery, halved lengthwise and chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig (2-4 small leaves) of fresh sage
• a palmful of ground cumin

Then add:

• 8 cups of cold water
• about 2 cups of dried black beans, picked over and rinsed