Easy

Tomatillo Salsa

/ Emily / 4 Comments

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One of my favorite phrases in Spanish is “Por que no?”. Simply put, it means “why not?”. I used this phrase quite a bit when I studied abroad in Ecuador. To me it came to mean; don’t overthink it! Just go for it and enjoy the adventure of life. It seems like there are times when I need to apply this mentality to cooking. When I am working with an unfamiliar ingredient or a new recipe I do all my research, watch the ratios and am my own worst critic. But it seems like my most successful dishes come when I throw caution to the wind and let the ingredients “speak to me.”

This tomatillo salsa recipe has been perfected through that organic process. I simplified where I thought I could get away with it and what has come of it is a zesty, refreshing salsa. And it’s easy! I feel like I am always saying that, but seriously… So, say porque no? And venture to the tomatillo section at the grocery store and give this a whirl!

Buen Provecho!

Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients

  • 1 lb tomatillos, husks removed
  • 1 yellow onion, cut in half
  • 1-2 jalepenos
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 lime
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro
  • salt

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  1. Pre-heat the grill to medium high. If you don’t have a grill, turn the oven on broil.
  2. While your grill is heating peel husks off of tomatillos (FYI: the tomatillo skin is a little sticky), cut the onion in half, try to keep the top intact so the onion stays together on the grill. Peel the garlic and make a little aluminum foil pouch with a drizzle of olive oil in it.
  3. DSC_0226Place tomatillos, onion, jalepenos and garlic pouch on grill. Grill on medium high, turning occasionally until everything has a good char on it. You will know the tomatillos are done when they lighten in color and juices start flowing out of them. Since everything cooks a little differently, expect to take things off in stages.
  4. Let your jalepenos cool a bit then scrape the skin off. And remove seeds if you don’t want it very spicy.
  5. In a food processor blend all the grilled items with the juice of one lime, a half a bunch of cilantro and a big pinch of salt.
  6. Let cool and serve with some delicious tortilla chips! Enjoy!

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Pots of Chocolate-y Goodness

/ Emily / 1 Comment

You know that song about heaven missing an angel? I am pretty sure it was written about these. And before you say, “that looks too fancy for me to make” read the recipe and see how simple it actually is. Our friend and brother came to visit this weekend and luckily, these guys enjoy food as much as we do. Kyle planned on making a French inspired dinner so I wanted to make a complimentary dessert. I had planned to make creme brulee, but didn’t get enough whipping cream so I had to go back to the drawing board. The result was a super decadent to eat, impressive to look at and easy to prepare dessert.

Trust me…

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Chocolate Pots de Creme

makes about 6 individual 4 oz. servings

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. semisweet chocolate (2 boxes of the Baker’s brand bars or 1/2 bag of chocolate chips)
  • 1.5 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 4 TBL sugar
  • pinch of salt

How to:

  1. Break up chocolate into pieces and put in your blender or food processor. Pulse it until it becomes like a coarse powder.
  2. Separate your eggs so you just have the yolks (save the whites for an omelet or something!), whisk in the sugar just until blended.
  3. In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together milk, heavy cream, egg & sugar mixture and a pinch of salt. Cook this for about 5 minutes while stirring constantly. Watch the temp of your burner. You don’t want this to get to a boil. Just a very, very light simmer. Cook until your mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon (see photo). Take off the heat.
  4. Pour the mixture directly into your blender over that chocolate powder from earlier. Pulse your blender until everything is smooth and incorporated, scraping the sides if you need to. Divide among ramekins (6) and give each one a few little taps to get out the air bubbles. Put in the fridge to chill for about 3 hours.
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This is what “coating the back of a wooden spoon” looks like.

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Ready for the fridge.

Toppings (optional, but encouraged!)

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  • 1/2 c. whipping cream
  • 1 t. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 1/2 Tablespoon powdered sugar

1. Whip it all together!

Fruit Topping

  • 2 heaping tablespoons cherry preserves (you could do raspberry, blackberry etc.)
  • splash of whiskey

1. In a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat heat the preserves. Once they start to bubble a bit, add the whiskey. Enjoy the poof of whiskey aroma as the alcohol cooks off and then let it simmer for just a minute more. Remove from heat.

The final moment…. Your pots should be set and firm. Top with the whip cream, add a drizzle of the warm fruit and then prepare to sit around the table in silence while everyone savors these pots of deliciousness!

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Side note: I have ramekins, so I used those. But since there is no actual cooking in the vessel, you could use tea cups, little jars, etc.

The Soup that Made my Husband say, “I Like Kale”

/ Emily / Leave a comment

It’s raining out, getting darker earlier and the natural inclination to cook and do things indoors is taking over. I love hearty soups. Not really a fan of the pureed versions… Just doesn’t do it for me. This soup is really satisfying, flavorful and pretty easy too. Oh, and it’s true–this simple soup actually made Kyle say he liked kale– which means it must be good!

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Kale, Potato and Sausage Soup

Ingredients

  • Olive Oil
  • ½ lb Spicy Italian Sausage (ground)*
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 10ish crimini mushrooms (optional)
  • 5 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
  • 6 c. water
  • 1 Tbl. “Better than Bullion” chicken stock**
  • 5 medium red potatoes, cubed
  • 1 can Cannelinni beans
  • 1 lb. kale, chopped
  • salt & pepper
  1. In a large pot heat oil and add the sausage. Cook until browned. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside. Discard all the fat minus about a tablespoon.
  2. Add onion, garlic and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring.
  3. Add the water, bullion and potatoes. Boil until the potatoes are tender. Turn the heat down to medium so you have a nice simmer going and add the beans, kale and sausage. You now just want to cook it until the kale is tender enough for your liking. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Don’t overdo the cooking at the end or you will lose that beautiful bright green color in the kale! Top with fresh grated parmesan if you’ve got it!

*If you want to make it healthier, you can do ground turkey. If you go this route make sure to add more spices as the ground turkey can be a little bland. I’d recommend red pepper flakes, thyme, oregano etc.

**I like using the Better than Bullion. I think it gives great flavor and ends up saving tons of money on chicken stock (and space in the pantry!). That said, if you prefer chicken stock, I’d use one large container (usually 32 oz and then add 2 c. water)