Except that I can’t eat any. I’m having a minor test done tomorrow, which means I can only ingest clear fluids for 24 hours. Me! Going without food for 24 hours! Plus however much time I spend at the hospital tomorrow afternoon, which I’m sure will seem far longer on an empty stomach.
So, planning to spend a full Sunday out of the kitchen (very unusual for me), I made a batch of chicken stew with pesto yesterday for Mike and W. If I didn’t work in the food world, and had just a few go-to dinner recipes in my repertoire, this would be one of them. If I was one of those Moms who made meals on rotation - meatloaf Mondays, spaghetti Tuesdays, pork chop Wednesdays, and so on, this would definitely make the cut. Willem loves it (possibly on account of the pesto, which he seems to be in love with), and so do Mike and I. For some reason it turns out creamier tasting than it should, and is far more interesting than the sum of its (veg, legumes and skinless chicken or turkey) parts. Plus, it’s another one of those meals that’s freezable or keeps well in the fridge; ideal for dipping in to all week long. And because it’s all in one pot yet isn’t runny like soup, it makes a perfect portable lunch. If when it cools down you divide it into individual freezable containers, you can pull one out in the morning and by lunch it will be partially thawed - still cold enough to be safe, but with a head start on the reheating process.
I have to stop talking about food and go read a book or something to distract myself. Maybe I’ll open up A Stew or a Story, an assortment of short works by M.F.K. Fisher. If I can’t eat food, I can at least read about it…
Chicken & White Bean Stew with Pesto
Canola or olive oil, for cooking with
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs or turkey breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 big cloves of garlic, crushed
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 19 oz. (540 mL) can white kidney or navy beans, drained
1 can chicken broth
a few drops of Tabasco or a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup (or a couple of big spoonfuls) basil or sun-dried tomato pesto
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pot set over medium heat. Cook the onion and chicken pieces for about 5 minutes, until the onions are starting to brown and the chicken is opaque. Add the celery, carrots, and red pepper and cook for a few more minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for another minute.
Add the beans, chicken broth, Tabasco and some salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low, cover and let cook for about 45 minutes.
Stir in the pesto and serve topped with Parmesan cheese. Serves 4-6, or 2-3 with leftovers. It doubles easily if you want to make a bigger batch.
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January 27 2008 | beans and chicken & turkey and freezable and one dish and stews & braises | 4 Comments »
By happy coincidence, I flipped on Nigella Express yesterday just in time to see her snipping rolled-up corn tortillas into a hot skillet to brown and crisp them before adding a slurry of egg, tomatoes and chopped fresh chilies. Hey, good idea, and using things I happen to currently have in my kitchen. I don’t usually keep fresh corn tortillas on hand, but when I do I’m always looking for new ways to use them, since they come in a 50-pack. (Tomorrow, the rest are going into the freezer, to resurface later on in the year.)
So, since Mike is playing an afternoon show and heading straight out afterwards, I’m cooking for one. Well, one and a half, but the half just downed a whole wheat tortilla spread with peanut butter and wrapped around a banana, and close to his own weight in dried apricots (thankfully we’ve just passed the diaper stage). I’m in just the mood for a bowl of spicy eggs with lots of crispy bits, so thought I’d give Nigella’s recipe a whirl - the only thing I’m missing is the black satin wrap dress. I’m not convinced this is the best choice of outfits when cooking something that splatters anyway.
It was fast, it was easy. Although I have toasted many a corn tortilla, it never occurred to me to cut them into strips first. The long, thin pieces browned quickly, and I bet they’d be fantastic on a salad. As for the jalapeno, it doesn’t make things as hot as you’d think. (And I’m sorry for the recurring theme - but I had a bag in the fridge since researching that article on chilies, and I hate wasting things, even when it’s a jalapeno pepper that cost all of 6 cents.) To turn the heat down a bit, remove the seeds and membranes, which account for about 80% of the capsaicin - the substance that makes chilies burn. If you do, you can get away with using a whole jalapeno for 2 eggs (if I can do it, so can you - I’m a wuss when it comes to spicy food). Halved grape tomatoes go perfectly into eggs without watering them down with excessive juice. Beyond the tomatoes, this would have been fab with any number of toss-ins: mushrooms, chunks of asparagus, bits of ham…
I did resist the urge to smother it in cheese. Until halfway through, that is, when I remembered the chunk of queso fresco (fresh cheese) I had acquired at La Tiendona market awhile ago (along with the corn tortillas) and forgotten in the depths of the fridge. It would really be a shame to not use it before it goes slimy. And creamy, salty, ultra-meltable and almost feta-esque queso fresco would really go well with the spicy-soft eggs and crispy shards of tortilla. It was like a breakfast burrito bomb exploded deliciously on my plate. Perfect Saturday afternoon couch food.
Spicy Scrambled Eggs with Crispy Corn Tortilla Strips (for one - bump up the ingredients as necessary for the number of people you want to feed)
Canola or olive oil, for cooking with
1-2 small corn tortillas
1 jalapeno or small red chile pepper, seeded and minced
a small handful of grape tomatoes, halved
1 chopped green onion (optional
2 eggs
salt and pepper
Heat a good drizzle of oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat, and cook the tortilla strips, tossing them about occasionally, until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate. Add the jalapeno and tomatoes (the juice will make them splatter) and cook for a minute, until the tomato begins to soften and darken on the edges.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, adding a drizzle of water or milk if you like. Add to the hot pan, along with the green onion, if you’re using it, and some salt and pepper. Gently push the eggs around in the skillet, allowing the uncooked egg to run underneath the cooked egg. Turn the heat off while they are still slightly runny, and allow them to finish cooking with their own heat; you want them to be nice and creamy, not hard and curd-like which is how overcooked scrambled eggs often end up.
Add the crispy tortilla strips to the pan, toss to combine them, then transfer to a wide, shallow bowl and eat on the couch.
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January 27 2008 | eggs and one dish and vegetarian | No Comments »
