Tag: summer


Quick & Easy Pozole

July 9th, 2014

pozole3

Yes, summer soup might seem a bit silly, but let me make my argument:
It’s delicious. It’s delicious. It’s delicious.

Okay, if mere repetition doesn’t convince you, then I offer these three (perhaps more) salient points:

1. It’s practically no-cook and can be ready in 20 minutes. Maybe less if you’re quick.
2. It’s refreshing. Spritzed with fresh lime juice, this is practically a chicken margarita.
3. Food for days. For 20 minutes worth of work.

Are you convinced now?
Because I do have a few more arguments in my back pocket…

pozole2

Or I can just let all that delicious garnish speak for itself.
Avocado. Radish. Lime. Cilantro. Tostadas.
Get. in. my. mouth.

I would also like to mention that this soup made a believer out of my friend Dana who usually hates the stuff.
Sure she was on post-surgery painkillers and my captive prisoner lunch guest, but I’m pretty sure she actually
loved this pozole.

And while I’m in a confessional mood, I should probably mention that I stole this recipe from my unassuming boyfriend. Okay, okay, I might have asked nicely what all went in it, and he might have given me a vagueatbest list.

That’s the beauty of this recipe-
it’s pretty libertarian…

You like spicy? Awesome, chuck in some peppers. You’re veggie? Leave out the chicken. And the spices?
I’m pretty sure cumin is the only constant in our kitchen.

And while this recipe is comprised of what I would call wholesome convenience foods (rotisserie chicken, tomatillo salsa), feel free to start from scratch. It’ll just take a bit longer. In other words, please don’t eat raw chicken.

Regardless of how you make it (we do it differently nearly every time) this is quickly becoming one of my favorite weeknight dinners! And I wouldn’t feel the least bit bad serving up a vat of the stuff to some last-minute company either.

Summer soup,
it’s what’s for dinner.

pozole1

 

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Fast & Easy Pozole
 
This recipe is fast, easy, and adaptable- feel free to change up the ingredients to suit your time constraints and taste!
Ingredients
For the Pozole:
  • 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded/ripped in chunks
  • 1 onion, sliced in rings
  • 1 large can hominy, drained + rinsed (29 oz)
  • 1 jar tomatillo salsa (12 oz)
  • 1 quart veggie or chicken stock
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Chesapeake Bay (or Old Bay, or similar)
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ Spike (or salt)
To Garnish:
  • avocado
  • cilantro
  • radish
  • lime
  • tostadas
Instructions
  1. In a stock pot or dutch oven, saute onions until translucent.
  2. Add garlic and spices to onions and continue to saute until garlic is fragrant (1 minute)
  3. Add stock, salsa, hominy, and chicken and bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or longer if you like.
  5. Enjoy your soup garnished with avocado, radish, cilantro and a healthy squeeze of lime!

Pickled Strawberry Ice Cream Sauce

June 20th, 2014

I had to eat so much ice cream to get that one picture, you guys.
I know, a real tragedy.

And it’s still not quite what I was after. Photographing ice cream is a difficult, melty mess. Jeez. Dreams of the perfect scoop sitting pretty in a champagne coupe aside, I persevered because pickled strawberry ice cream sauce is amazing.

easy way to core strawberries

And if you don’t believe me, it’s insanely easy to make, so just go ahead and try it.

And while we’re on the subject of insanely easy, do you guys know about coring strawberries with a straw? You just shove the straw through the bottom of the strawberry, and off pops the top! Amazing right?

Or maybe I’m just easily entertained…

pickled strawberry ice cream sauce

But if I can pull off this recipe in a cloud of post-Japan pickle withdrawal jet lag, then you can definitely whip up a batch tonight, and be eating pickled strawberry ice cream sundaes this very weekend.

Yep, this weekend. Those beautiful berries need to sit overnight in a red wine/honey marinade to become pretty piquant pickles. So what are you waiting for? To the kitchen!

Jet lag, I salute you for this recipe.

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Pickled Strawberry Ice Cream Sauce
 
This sweet-tart strawberry sauce has just a little bite at the end, making it the perfect partner for ice cream, whipped cream, and creamy cheeses.
Ingredients
  • 1 lb strawberries, cored
  • ½ cup red wine vinegar
  • ¼ honey + 1 tablespoon
  • 6 peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
  1. Heat vinegar, ¼ cup honey, peppercorns, and vanilla on stove, stirring until honey is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.
  2. Slice larger berries in halves or quarters and leave smaller berries whole.
  3. Pour vinegar mixture over berries. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  4. Strain strawberries and reserve vinegar mixture.
  5. Heat strawberries, ¼ cup vinegar mixture*, and 1 tablespoon honey in small pot over low heat for 10-20 minutes or until you are happy with the consistency.
Notes
*If you prefer a sweeter sauce, you may want to substitute ¼ water for the vinegar mixture when heating the sauce.