Pozole Rojo

A and I visited Lazarus 2 and tried their pozole one evening, and loved it so much that I immediately started Googling for recipes so I could make it myself. Simply Recipes had a recipe that formed the basis for what I wanted to make, so credit goes to them for providing me with the bones of a recipe that I then tweaked to make it even simpler and to fit the ingredients that were on hand.

Pozole Rojo

Adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 ounces dried guajillo chiles
• 2 ounces dried ancho chiles
• Salt
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 1 large (108 ounce, 6 lb 12 oz, 3 kg) can white hominy, drained and rinsed
• 3 pounds pork steaks (preferably with bone), cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes (keep all the fat!)
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1/2 small cabbage, thinly sliced
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons dry oregano (Mexican oregano if available)

Optional garnishes (can prep while pozole is cooking):

• 2 avocados, chopped
• 4 limes, quartered
• 1 bunch red radishes, sliced thin
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped

Method

1. Remove and discard the stems, seeds, and large veins from the chili pods. Heat a cast iron pan on medium high and heat the chili pods for a couple minutes, until they begin to soften. Do not let them burn. While the chilies are heating, bring a medium pot with 3 cups of water to a simmer and remove from heat. Once the chiles have softened, add the chiles to the pot hot water and cover. Let the chiles soak in the hot water for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a large 10-12 quart stockpot) on medium high heat. Pat the pork pieces dry with paper towels. Sprinkle them generously with salt. Working in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan or stir the meat much, brown the meat on all sides. 
3. Once the meat has browned, return all of it to the stockpot and add 5 quarts of water. Scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the rinsed hominy. Add bay leaves, cumin, and oregano. When you put the oregano in, smoosh together with your hands so that the oregano breaks up more as it goes in. Add a tablespoons of salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Prepare the red sauce by puréeing in a blender the chilies, 2 1/2 cups or so of their soaking liquid, a teaspoon of salt, and the garlic. (To prevent the blender from creating too much pressure, it's probably best to start with the chiles and garlic and only a cup of the liquid in the blender, and then adding the rest of the liquid.) Strain the red sauce through a sieve, discarding the tough bits of the sauce. [Note: I did not do this as I am lazy and do not own a sieve. It was fine.]
5. Add red chili sauce to the pot with the pork and hominy. Add another couple teaspoons of salt. Add the shredded cabbage (this is something I did because I love cooked cabbage and I think it makes sure that we eat enough veg as part of this soup - some people would prefer the cabbage to be raw and added to the hot soup as a garnish - you can do it either way). Return to a simmer, lower the heat to just high enough to maintain a simmer, partially covered.
6. Cook for 2 to 3 hours until the pork is completely tender. Skim away excess fat. Taste for seasoning and add more salt to taste (you will likely need more than you expect, perhaps a tablespoon or more.) The resulting soup should be rather brothy, as you will be adding a lot garnishes. Add more water if necessary.
7. When getting ready to serve the pozole, you can prep the garnishes (slice the radishes, chop the cilantro, etc.) To serve, arrange the garnishes in bowls on the table and serve the pozole soup into bowls. Let your guests pick and choose which garnishes they would like on their pozole. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE RADISHES. They really transform the dish.

Turmeric Cashew Chicken

This sauce. This sauce! It is so easy and so delicious that I am slightly upset I only discovered this recipe in 2023.

I've tweaked it, obviously, as it didn't have enough delicious curry flavors the first time I made it, and I had more spices on hand that I thought would work, so I've noted what are additions from the original recipe. I'm also lazy, so skipped the step where you marinate chicken in chopped garlic and ginger, and instead just threw everything into the blended sauce. Trust me, you won't notice a difference.

Turmeric Cashew Chicken

Serves 4

Adapted from Bon Appetit January 2023 issue

Ingredients

2/3 cup raw cashews

5 garlic cloves

1 2" piece of ginger, roughly chopped (I leave the skin on too, after I wash the ginger)

1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (original recipe called for boneless skinless thighs, which is probably more delicious but not what I've been cooking with)

1 tsp kosher salt

2 red Thai chilies (or 1 jalapeno in original recipe)

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 1/2 tsp turmeric (1/2 tsp in original recipe)

1 tsp garam masala (my addition)

3 big handfuls of baby spinach or kale (my addition)

Steamed rice, cilantro sprigs, and lime wedges (for serving)

Method

1. Place cashews in a small bowl and pour in hot water to cover. Let sit until softened (you should be able to crush a nut easily between 2 fingers), 15-20 mins.
2. Drain cashews and transfer to a blender. Add  garlic cloves, ginger, red Thai chilies, 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, 1 tsp. cumin seeds, 1 ½ tsp. ground turmeric, 1 tsp garam masala, ½ tsp. kosher salt, and 1½ cups water to blender and blend until smooth. Set cashew sauce aside.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook chicken, sprinkling with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, tossing occasionally, until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add reserved cashew sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 6 minutes.
4. Add spinach or kale and stir to wilt completely, about 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Divide steamed rice among shallow bowls and spoon cashew chicken over; top with cilantro sprigs. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Coconutty Beans & Greens

Some may remember a 9-month period where A and I attempted to be vegan (at least at home). It introduced me to a lot of new recipes and was a good way for us to be a little more mindful of how much meat we have in our diet, and we still mostly use milk substitutes at home now (A is particularly fond of coconut milk for the flavor it adds to his teas and coffees).

This recipe happens to be vegan, but I think it's so flavorful that it beats a lot of non-vegan recipes for me. A feature by Zaynab Issa, associate food editor at Bon Appetit, says this is a take on mbaazi wa nazi, an East African pigeon pea dish, so I should clearly go seek that out as this dish was a big hit. The picture above shows how many jars of this are ready to go for quick lunches during the week.

Coconutty Beans and Greens

Adapted from Bon Appetit, February 2023 issue

6 servings

Ingredients

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 plum tomato, coarsely chopped

3 garlic cloves

1 1" piece ginger, scrubbed

2 red Thai chilies (I bought a fairly large size bag of frozen ones at the Asian grocery and so always have them in the freezer)

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

1 13.5oz can of unsweetened coconut milk

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and sliced into 1/4" rounds and then quartered 

1 16oz package baby spinach & kale (my substitution for chard)

2 15oz cans navy beans (a substitution for cannellini, butter or gigante beans)

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Optional: baguette

Method

1. Puree onion, tomato, garlic, ginger and chiles in a blender until smooth. I had to add 1/4 cup of water to get this to work, but it's fine, it cooks off in the next step.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a deep pot over medium heat. Add blender mixture and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture is evaporated and mixture is paste-like in consistency and beginning to stick to bottom of pot.
3. Stir in coriander, cumin, and 1/2 tsp salt. Pour in coconut milk and 2 cups water and stir to combine. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to buil. Add sweet potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 10-12 minutes.
4. Add beans, spinach and kale and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach and kale is wilted, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice as needed.
5. Spoon into bowls and serve. If using baguette, slice it and toast it in a pan with a small amount of oil, then serve on the side of bowls.

Tomato, Asparagus, And Herbed Ricotta Tart

Hey y'all. While lots of cooking has been happening here (pandemic, etc), I will freely admit that it has not been particularly inspired. More of a "what will get us fed somewhat healthily with a minimum of effort", which means nothing makes it onto the level of saving the recipe on this site. The discovery of this tart recipe was remarkable in that I had a lot of what was needed AND it sounded really different from our usual meals. I upped all the herbs by quite a bit, since I love them, and didn't use any garlic though I'm sure that would be a nice addition. I know the original recipe says it makes 6 servings, so don't be alarmed by A and I ate this whole thing, split between just the two of us. And I don't regret that decision at all.

Tomato, Asparagus, And Herbed Ricotta Tart

Adapted from Leite's Culinaria

Ingredients 

• One (9- to 11-oz) sheet puff pastry rolled to a 10- by 12-inch (25- by 30-cm) rectangle
• 12 ounces whole milk ricotta
• 1 3/4 ounces (about 1/2 cup) Parmesan cheese finely grated
• 1 medium sprig (about 10-12 leaves) fresh basil finely chopped
• 1/4 oz package of fresh chives finely chopped
• small bunch of flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, optional
• Zest of 1/2 or whole lemon 
• 5 ounces asparagus spears woody ends trimmed
• 1 medium tomato, sliced and seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large egg beaten
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Unroll the puff pastry onto the prepared baking sheet.
3. Using a sharp knife, score a 3/4-inch (2 cm) border around the edge of the pastry, being careful to not cut all the way through. Prick the pastry inside the border all over with a fork. This will help to stop it from puffing up in the oven.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ricotta, garlic (if using), Parmesan, chopped herbs, and lemon zest, then season liberally.
5. Spread the ricotta mixture over the tart inside the border. Place the asparagus spears over the tart and dot around the tomatoes. Gently press down on the tomatoes so that they sink slightly into the ricotta mixture, brush lightly with olive oil.
6. Brush the pastry border with the beaten egg and bake until the pastry is golden and cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. Season with pepper and serve.

Polenta Lasagne

I've been really enjoying these big casserole-type dishes where I can do all the prep and cooking on Sunday and then have great meals throughout the week. It certainly helps that A and I have no problems with leftovers, especially when they're dishes we really enjoy.

I don't usually go for recipes with this many steps but I couldn't resist the sound of this (maybe because it has 3 types of cheese in it??)

I subbed arugula in my version as I think it has a lot more flavor than spinach. I also omitted nutmeg as I didn't have the energy to seek out nutmeg for the tiny pinch needed. And I definitely added the red pepper flakes to give just the tiniest kick, as I didn't want this dish to be too bland as it was already full of soft textures. 

And for whatever reason - I struggle to find polenta in my local grocery store so have been subbing coarse ground cornmeal lately. Still tasted oh so fine.

Polenta Lasagne

Adapted from the NYTimes

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups polenta (not instant) or coarse-ground cornmeal
• 5 ounces arugula (about 5 cups)
• 2 cups grated Parmesan
• 1 pound whole-milk ricotta (about 1 2/3 cups), preferably fresh
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (25-ounce) jar good-quality marinara sauce (3 cups)
• Large pinch of red-pepper flakes
• 1 pound shredded mozzarella (about 4 cups)

Method

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees and butter an 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet pan. Grease a rubber spatula with butter.
2. Prepare the polenta/cornmeal: In a large pot, bring 6 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, then slowly pour in polenta/cornmeal, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking often, until polenta/cornmeal thickens, 8 to 12 minutes. Whisk in 4 tablespoons butter until melted. Whisk in arugula until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in 1 cup grated Parmesan.
3. Scrape polenta/cornmeal onto the prepared baking sheet. Using the greased rubber spatula, spread the mixture into a thin, even layer to cover the entire pan, all the way to corners. Sprinkle 1/2 cup grated Parmesan on top. Bake until polenta is firm and cheese has melted, 12 to 18 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack until completely cooled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or place in refrigerator until cool to touch, about 40 to 50 minutes. (Polenta can be baked the day before and refrigerated until needed.)
4. When ready to bake the lasagna, heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
5. Prepare the ricotta filling: In a small bowl, mix ricotta, parsley, basil, egg, black pepper, nutmeg and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix until well combined and set aside.
6. Taste the marinara sauce. If it needs some zip, stir in any or all of the optional ingredients.
7. Assemble the lasagna: Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut cooled polenta in half widthwise, creating 2 pieces roughly 9-by-13 inches each. Using a large spatula, gently place one half in prepared baking dish. (It is important for polenta to be completely cooled and firm; otherwise, the pieces may break when transferring to baking dish. If anything breaks, just reassemble it in the pan. It won’t make much of a difference once it’s covered in sauce and baked.)
8. Spread about half the ricotta mixture in an even layer on top of polenta. Pour about half of marinara sauce on top of ricotta, sprinkle with about half of the shredded mozzarella. Repeat with remaining polenta, ricotta, marinara and mozzarella. Once assembled, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan on top.
9. Place baking dish on top of a rimmed sheet pan in case the lasagna bubbles over. Bake until cheese melts, about 30 minutes. If you like the top of your lasagna more brown, broil it for 2 minutes after baking until it develops brown spots.
10. Remove from oven and let lasagna stand for about 15 minutes to firm up before serving. 

Baked Falafels

My friend V inspired me to try making falafels at home and they've quickly become a favorite. The biggest drawback for me is that I don't have a food processor. I have a blender. So it's definitely a little bit more effort, but the end results have really been worth it. The other thing that held me back in the past is that I really don't enjoy deep frying at home. Enter V's solution of baking the falafels. They're still crispy, and I expect they're a tiny bit healthier too. So here's my mashup of two recipes to create my new favorite baked falafels. I often double the recipe below since they get eaten so quickly. Note: the chickpeas need soaking overnight, so don't try and make this if you're tight on time!

Baked Falafels

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen + Cookie and Kate

Ingredients

Falafels

• 1/2 pound (1 1/4 cups or 225 grams) dried chickpeas
• 1/2 a large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley, if you’re measuring, or a big handful
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, if you’re measuring, or a big handful
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for blending if needed

To serve

• For wraps - we use fresh tortillas from HEB. For burgers, I love the potato hamburger buns. 
• Shredded cabbage, mixed with ranch dressing
• Finely chopped parsley and/or cilantro
• Hummus

Method

1. Put chickpeas in a bowl and cover with water so there's 2 inches of water above the top of the chickpeas. Cover the bowl and leave it to soak overnight in the fridge.
2. Drain soaked chickpeas and place in large bowl. Add onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, salt, red pepper flakes, and cumin. Mix to combine.
3. In small batches (I usually do about 1 cup at a time) - add mixture to blender and blend until ingredients are roughly chopped. Some larger pieces of things can remain, but it should look like couscous. You may need to add a little olive oil or water to get the blender to mix well, but don't add too much - you need the final mixture to hold together and shape into falafels. Scrape blended mixture into clean bowl and keep doing this until you've blended all of the falafel mixture. Give the mixture in the new bowl a good mix at the end to make sure everything is combined evenly. Let this mixture rest in the fridge for 30 minutes so it can firm up. (I often skip this fridge step because I am LAZY.)
4. Heat oven to 375F/190C. Add 1/4 cup olive oil to a baking sheet and tilt the baking sheet until it is completely covered in oil.
5. If making smaller falafels, I use my hands to scoop out a falafel-sized amount of mixture and then shape it into patties about 2-3 inches wide and about 1/2 inch thick. If making falafel burgers, I scoop out enough mixture to form a burger-sized patty. I drop each of these patties onto the oiled baking sheet, leaving some space in between them so I can flip them later. 
6. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping the falafels halfway through baking, until the falafels are nice and brown on both sides. 
7. For wraps: Warm a tortilla and smear hummus across the middle in a stripe. Place falafel patties on hummus stripe and top with cabbage, cilantro and/or parsley, if using. Fold it up like a taco and eat! For burgers: toast buns and smear hummus on bottom bun. Add falafel patty and cabbage, cilantro and/or parsley and any other burger condiments you enjoy.

Chicken Ginger Rice Soup

This is a cobbled together recipe using plenty of influences, including dak gomtang (Korean chicken soup) and also growing up watching my mom cook lots of delicious soups. Everything is to taste, so here's my version. This makes a huge amount of soup - I usually spoon it into jars for our lunches and it'll make 10-12 jars, easily, which is 5 or 6 meals for me and A.

Chicken Ginger Rice Soup

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

• Whole 5-lb chicken (the best one you can afford)
• A 6 inch piece of ginger root (or even more if you really like ginger)
• 1 large yellow or white onion
• 1 tbsp chicken Better than Bouillon (if using water to fill pot) or 1 carton chicken broth
• 1 bundle of green onions (usually 6-8 in a bundle, depending on the size of each green onion)
• 1 lb spinach or kale greens (or any other leafy dark green that you enjoy)
• 2 cups jasmine rice
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• Salt to taste
• Chopped cilantro, to garnish

Method

1. Get a large soup pot that can comfortably hold your whole chicken and then some. Slice your onion into half-moons, and put in the pot. Cut off 2 inches of ginger root and bruise it with the flat edge of your knife and drop into the pot. 
2. Rinse the chicken and remove any giblets. If you like nibbling on the giblets, put them in the pot (I always do). If they make you squeamish, I guess you can discard them (sad!) Put whole chicken in the pot, breast side up. Add chicken broth if using, and then top off with enough water to cover chicken. If you're using water, fill pot to cover chicken, then add the chicken Better than Bouillon. Grind lots of fresh pepper into the pot too - whatever you think you'll enjoy.
3. Bring pot to a boil. Once it's boiling, turn down heat to a simmer and let it cook for 25 minutes. Then turn off the heat and flip the chicken so it is breast side down. Cover with lid and let it sit for 30 minutes.
4. Remove chicken from pot and put it on a plate to rest for 15 minutes. Remove the bruised chunks of ginger and discard. Once cool enough to handle, remove all of the meat from the chicken and chop into bite size pieces. If you don't like chicken skin in your soup, you can discard, but I tend to include some pieces in the soup for that lovely chicken fat richness.
5. Peel the remaining ginger and slice thinly (cross wise first, then into matchsticks). 
6. Chop green onion into small rings (I use both the white and green parts).
7. Add rice, ginger, green onion, and all of the spinach or kale greens to the chicken broth and simmer for 20-30 min. Rice should be fully cooked by the end of this time, and greens should be completely wilted. Take off heat when done.
8. Add chicken meat back into the pot and stir to fully combine. Taste and check if soup needs additional salt or pepper.
9. Serve in bowls with cilantro on top, if desired.