Spicy Red Lentil and Tomato Soup

Lentils are one of my favorite comfort foods, and when I need a little warmth and comfort I’m very likely to walk into the kitchen and make a pot of mujaddarah, my favorite lentils and rice. Lentils are a powerhouse of nutrients, including protein, iron, fiber, folate, and thiamine, plus they are inexpensive, making them a great pantry staple. I keep bags of dried brown and red lentils on hand to take care of my cravings and I’m always on the lookout for another delicious way to enjoy them.

I spotted the original recipe for this soup (they call it chili) in Wegman’s Menu Magazine, a seasonal publication by my favorite grocery store, and I made a large batch of the soup on a cold, wintry day with a few changes to suit our palates. We used olive oil instead of butter, skipped the cornstarch, and came up with our own list of garnishes we like on top. I enjoyed the aromas and snuck a nibble here and there while cooking, then I knew we had a winner when Michael said I could make this any time. We even got a thumbs up and request for a second helping from our six-year-old son. Read more

Italian Beef Sandwiches

On Super Bowl Sunday I attempted to fulfill one of Michael’s foodie wishes. He has been craving Chicago Italian beef sandwiches, and I decided to do some research and make some for him. He got to relive some good memories, and I learned that making Italian beef is pretty easy and well worth it!

Italian beef is a Chicago institution, and a number of restaurants around town serve up this dripping wet sandwich, which is best eaten over a trough. The meat is roasted to medium rare, sliced thin, then simmered in an au jus made from the meat drippings, stock, lots of oregano, and other seasonings. To eat it, you fill a sub roll full of meat and then dip the whole sandwich into the au jus. No dainty dipping of the ends, you plunge the whole sandwich in! Then you top it with bell peppers and giardineria (pickled vegetables). It is sloppy good! Read more

Maple and Black Pepper Chicken

This is my new favorite way to fix chicken, partly because of the amazing flavor and partly because it is easy to fix. The chicken is very simple, just salted and browned on the skin side in a pan, then roasted in the oven while you work on the pan sauce. The sauce is started with shallots and thyme sauteed in some of the leftover drippings, then apple cider vinegar deglazes the pan, followed by maple syrup and crushed black peppercorns adding a little sweet and a little heat. The whole thing is reduced by half then poured over the crispy roasted chicken. The smells in the kitchen while this dish is in progress are so good! Serve it with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and some greens, and you’ve got an easy and delicious meal.

The recipe comes from Cooking with Shelburne Farms: Food and Stories from Vermont, a new cookbook that I reviewed last month and fell in love with. I make the recipe as is, except we cook just two or three chicken breasts and use the whole sauce recipe. If we used more breast pieces or cooked a whole chicken, we would have to double the sauce because we love it poured over mashed potatoes and on the side for dipping the chicken. Read more

Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup

It’s official—we’re moving. Over the Christmas holiday we learned that Michael has a new job in the DC metro area, and now we’re in the midst of selling a home and looking for another. I’m excited about returning to that area and I think it will be very good for our family, but right now it is a *lot of work* and I don’t see that changing much in the next few months. Frankly cooking is not very high on the priority list at the moment, not when the house has to be kept immaculate for potential buyers to come visit. Oh, and our three little boys need some attention every now and then (every two or three minutes).

I never really gave this much thought until now, but all of this prepping to show the house has made me realize that I often make a real mess in the kitchen. I mean, some days it looks like a kitchen bomb went off. Read more

Ajiaco Bogotano (Colombia)

For me this is the ultimate comfort food, and it’s also my favorite food from my years overseas. It’s a great weekend soup, but it’s also a celebration meal for the Bogotanos who often make very large pots of this soup for festive occasions such as Christmas. They typically serve the soup in black bowls just like the one in the photo, sitting in a basket because the bowls are rounded, not flat, on the bottom. Sides include rice, capers, and avocado. I’ve missed the wonderful ajiacos I enjoyed in Bogotá, so this year I wanted to have it as part of our Christmas celebration.

There are several versions of ajiaco in Hispanic culture. Ajiaco Bogotano has chicken, three different kinds of potatoes, corn on the cob, and the herb guascas. The potatoes are papas criollas, sabaneras, and tocarreñas, or yellow, red, and white potatoes respectively. Of the three, the papas criollas are the most important Read more

Chicken Tortilla Soup

My husband pestered me for several years about making some tortilla soup for him. I’d never had it, so I wasn’t exactly sure what it should look like or taste like, and I wanted it to be as authentic as possible. I found a slow cooker recipe, but I was afraid that it would turn out too watery or just not taste authentic. So I tried it but made a couple small changes. My husband really liked it and said it came in a close second to a good tortilla soup he had in New Mexico. So this one is now a regular for us. You can also make it on the stove (directions below). We like it with chips, guacamole, and a couple Coronas.

[Updated: January 2, 2010.]

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

Serves 6.

Equipment

6 quart slow cooker
9×13 baking pan or cookie sheet
aluminum foil Read more