Devour this

!Andale! Make this Tortilla Soup now

Let's go! Make this soup before it's too hot and sticky outside to want to eat something warm, soothing, and spicy!  (Will it ever be too warm for that? Probably Aug. in NYC...)

It's Saturday and so sunny I feel like a caged animal indoors, so I'm going to keep this short.  You don't need me to go on and on about how good, simple, satisfying, and cheap this meal is.  Just whip it up and you'll see for yourself!

Posting today specially for my girl Rors -- who, btw, is in this awesome new Sprint commercial, have you seen it?? Check her at :42.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup, makes 4-6 servings
adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Heidi of 101 Cookbooks recommends roasting some tomaotes to plop into this soup along with the other acoutrements. I heartily agree, but I made these Pomodori al Forno instead -- this slow-roasted tomato recipe is one of my top 5 recipes of all time.  You will not believe how unbelievable these tomatoes get...like tomato candy, but better than the best candy you've ever had...when I make these as an appetizer (served wth baguette and boucheron--aged goat cheese, heaven!), I follow the recipe exactly and roast them super slowly. For this, I cranked up the heat to 350F and roasted for an hour on one side, then flipped and 30 minutes or so on the other.  Oh, and I used a bunch less oil and quit right after the roasting, no layering with the garlic and parsley.  I know it seems like a long extra step, but it's so worth it.

6 corn tortillas, cut in half and then into matchstick-thin strips
extra virgin olive oil
salt
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes (I had a 28-oz. can and used about 2/3 of the can)
5-6 cups vegetable broth
a few slow-roasted or sun-dried tomatoes (or both), chopped
sliced avocado
lime
cilantro
cotija cheese

Gently toss the tortilla strips with a glug of olive oil and salt on a baking sheet, arrange them in one layer, and bake in a 350F oven for 10 minutes or until golden and crispy. Set aside.

In a big pot over medium-high heat, cook the garlic and onions in a splash of olive oil along with a couple pinches of salt for about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the spices and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Add the canned tomatoes. Cook down for about 8 minutes or so, it should be pretty thick. Remove from heat, add 2 cups of the broth and puree with a hand blender (or puree in a traditional blender, just be careful -- don't fill the blender more than 2/3 full!). Add the remaining 3-4 cups of broth (taste along the way) and puree until smooth. Bring the soup back up to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve with plenty of tortilla strips, the roasted and/or sun-dried tomatoes, avocado with a squirt of lime, cilantro, sprigs, and cotija cheese.  You will love this. 

Here you can see more of the tortilla strips in the soup...

I served the soup with easy and delicious stovetop quesadillas -- filled 'em with sauteed mushrooms and poblano peppers.

spreadsheets, saving $, and dinner

This dinner was built out of a new resolution: save as much money as possible and use up all of the food I have at home.

'Doesn't look too shabby, does it?  The meal was quite delicious, especially the pasta -- a concoction I riffed from the Penne with Potatoes and Rocket I saw a few weeks ago on Smitten Kitchen (who, btw, is going to spend some time with the Pioneer Woman on the ranch!  Isn't this blogging world fun?).  The salmon thing up front is just a salmon roulade from Trader Joe's that's stuffed with spinach florentine and coated in black peppercorn.  It's pretty tasty, and super convenient.  You just open the package, toss it in a Pyrex dish with some olive oil and bake for 10 minutes or so.  That groovy, unique pasta behind it is tonight's specialty.

I'll call my dish
Pappardelle with Roasted Broccoli and Potatoes
Serves 4

1 lb. small red potatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
Olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. broccoli, cut into florets, but with nice stem portion
Red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press or minced
1 pkg. sprouted whole wheat pappardelle (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup vegetable broth
Good long squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the potatoes with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet (I like to lined mine with parchment, as Deb suggested, and it made clean up so simple) and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes. Add the broccoli and red pepper flakes and roast for another 10 minutes, until all veggies are nicely browned.

Meanwhile, put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.  Add a generous helping of salt and when the water is rockin' and rollin', add the pappardelle. Cook, stirring often, for 6 minutes. Drain and place the empty pan back on the heat. Add a few splashes of olive oil and toss in the garlic for 30 seconds before adding the roasted broccoli and potatoes.  Mix the pappardelle in the pan and add the 3 liquids, stirring well.  Add more salt and pepper to taste.  Fork into mouth, preferably on a rainy night (is it ever!).  Soul satisfying. 

Back to my resolution. Don't laugh at what you see above or what I'm about to tell you.  I keep a grocery inventory spreadsheet. I know, it sounds incredibly nerdy, but I don't care.  I'll even admit that I enjoy putting together my spreadsheet and you know what else, my spreadsheet makes me happy.  I use Google Docs so I can update it from work and home and I can see what I have to work with when I'm planning meals.  Very handy, I tell ya.  I may go a tad overboard on mine.  The columns you can't see: Baking goods, Coffee/Tea, To Buy, Recipe Ideas.  Should I be in food business or what?

I spend most of my budget on food and I'm fine with this.  I love dining out, trying new restaurants as well as recipes. But right now I need to save save save so I'm looking to cut back on filling my grocery bags. It's difficult living where I do because I pass at least 4 great little groceries on my walk home from work.  It's so tempting to step into Basic, Garden of Eden, or even my little corner bodega to see what entices me.  However, I realize that I have plenty of food right at home that deserves my attention.  As a kid, my dad used to always tease me that I complained that there was no food in the house yet he'd go into the cupboards and fridge and whip up something delicious.  You were right, Dad!

Lets' see how many meals I can create from these cupboards:

And freezer:

Oof, without the big loaf of bread:

The stuff on the left is my roommate's, but I have the whole big right side.

And here's my pitifully empty fridge:

Lots of leftover containers on the bottom shelf.
Crisper drawer:

And the condiment door (middle shelf isn't mine):

There you have it.  A glimpse into my goods, my pantry, my big cold box of love.

The Home Food Project
Mission: Save $. Utilize the spreadsheet.  Make do with what I have.
Exception: I can buy fresh fruits and vegetables.  And some dairy as needed.  Currently I have no butter.  Butter is my favorite.  Not sure how much longer I can go without it.  I wanted to bake some blueberry muffins or chocolate chip cookies tonight, but alas.

Stay tuned!

The superiority of La Superior

After starting off our Saturday (without a doubt NYC"s most perfect day, weather-wise) at the ever-amazing Jimmy's No.43 sampling Nøgne Ø's mighty fine brews, Jeff and I scurried over to explore a couple of Williamsburg hot spots before seeing a band at the Music Hall.

1st stop, food.  We craved something cheap, something filling, something...Mexican?  I'd read mostly positive, if not glowing reviews of La Superior, but I prefer to judge with my own tongue, don't you?

I was nervous nelly-ing that the little tacqueria wouldn't have anything for vegetarians -- or pescatarian, as Jeff would now like to be known -- but I needn't have worried my dainty little head.  We had Rajas tacos (roasted poblano pepper strips, cooked with Mexican cream and onions), Hongos tacos (mushrooms sauteed with epazote and garlic), and Pescado zarandeado tacos (non-fried fish, topped with pico).  All topped with green salsa, delicious!  The fish taco was my favorite of these, spicy and full of flavor.  Next time I'll try the Camarón al chipotle (sautéed shrimp with chipotle sauce) - don't know how I managed to miss those.

What you see above is La Superior's Papa con queso (potato and cheese) quesadilla - slathered with creama and cheese, of course.  Simple, yet scrumptious.  What is the mysterious white Mexican cheese??  It seems there are different versions of it depending on the restaurant, but it's always heavenly.

Ah, some lettuce.  Goes nicely with the cheese.  These are gorditas, filled with requeson (ricotta
mixed with cilantro, with lettuce and crema).  The cornmeal pockets are what make this so amazing.

Topped off with aguas frescas - watermelon to the left, prickly pear on the right.  Chunky with fruit, not too sweet, and altogether satisfying.

All for $24.50.  I'd hit up La Superior if you're hankering for some tasty Mexican street food.  Now I just need to head to Mexico to write up a comparison...hmm...

La Superior
295 Berry St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 388-5988
lasuperiornyc.com
Mon-Thurs 12:30 pm-midnight, Fri.-Sun 12:30