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Posts tagged ‘mexican food’

Aug 29

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Grilled corn and poblano salad

Grilled-corn-poblano-salad

We are finally back in Madison after two months of travel, and we’re trying to soak up every last bit of this summer. Aldo is toddling around like a crazy man, and between running after him and comforting the inevitable bonks and bumps that come with new mobility, we’re focusing on all the joys of late summer in the Midwest – tomatoes, corn, eggplant, peppers, melons, and more tomatoes, and more corn, and more tomatoes, and more corn. Most evenings I cut up a hunk tomato for Aldo with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and because he’s in the midst of an ardent tomato strike (not his first), I slurp up the leftover pieces from his plate and don’t think twice about it.

The first weekend we were back we were invited over to a friend’s house for burritos, and we wandered the Capitol market that morning to stock up on summer basics (aforementioned corn and tomatoes) and to grab the supplies for a Mexican-inspired roasted corn and poblano salad. I’m a huge fan of corn salads in the summer and generally go with a raw base, but when I saw the poblanos which I knew I’d want to char and peel, I let the corn follow suit.  Read more

Jul 20

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Tex Mex-style ground beef (aka homemade taco seasoning)

Being a person who not only loves food as much as I do but someone who does it more or less professionally, I’ve fielded quite a few questions over the last six months or so on how being pregnant has affected my diet, my tastebuds, my craving, my cooking activities, etc. etc. etc. There have been ups and downs as far as all elements have been concerned, but I will say as I head into my final month (final month! Okay, month-ish!) of carrying this tiny little human around that lately things in both the Cooking and General Accomplishments categories have been a bit touch and go. About six weeks back we started joking about how I could reasonably accomplish  just one thing each day – go to work OR run an errand OR cook a meal OR do something social OR do a couple of chores around the house – but soon enough that joke became reality, and I wouldn’t hesitate to say that Brett has taken on the vast majority of household tasks, including the shopping and cooking. Lucky me, he’s a pretty fantastic cook, so we’re still eating well. But in general my preferred diet has taken on characteristics similar to that of me as a nine-year-old, albeit with significant improvements in ingredients and process, so even when I am cooking it hasn’t been much of anything to share here.

But I’ve spent the entire weekend swooning over a rediscovery of a particular childhood favorite, so even with a bit of hesitation I’m going to share it all with you today. Blame the baby, if you must, for what I’m about to share may be seen as a giant betrayal among many – the ground beef hardshell taco.

Beef-tacos Read more

Feb 19

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Roasted mushrooms, chorizo, and sweet potatoes with chipotle quinoa (plus more exciting announcements!)

Nearly two years ago, when we decided we were moving to Madison, I began seeking out other like-minded folks and food-related organizations to start getting to know my new hometown. Among many others, I was delighted to find a couple of other food bloggers (Vicky of Things I Made Today and Sarah of Wisconsin From Scratch) and the three of us have been getting together regularly over the past year or so to chat about our businesses and find ways to support each other.

Over time, we found there could be a lot of benefits of working together as a group – we could coordinate our efforts, cross-promote each other, brainstorm future collaborative projects … after a few meetings we had generated a pretty sizable list of ideas. So we’ve officially joined forces together as Wisconsin Whisk, a collective of food website coming together to share our love of cooking and of rooting our work here in Wisconsin. We even have an intern! (That’s official.)

There’s more to come on Whisk later – like a shiny new website! – but for now, we’re very excited to announce a rather fortuitous turn of events, unveiled today. Madison Magazine’s Best of Madison 2015 list was announced this morning, and the three of our sites have been listed as Madison’s best food blogs! Thanks most of all to all the readers (that’s you!) who helped vote us here. Woo hoo!

And in the spirit of collaboration, we’re teaming up to bring you a celebratory three-course meal, each of us contributing a recipe. I’m here today with the entree of the meal, an easy and flavorful one that’s been on my table at home a few times over the recent weeks.

Before I say too much more, let’s talk about what comes before and after (important to know what you’re in for!).

sun-dried-tomato-soupFirst course
Creamy sun-dried tomato soup

“I’ve been on kind of a sun dried tomato kick recently, and using them in soup form seemed like a logical next step. Obviously fresh tomatoes aren’t quite in their prime during winter, so the sun dried version is an excellent alternative …”

Full recipe from at Things I Made Today

Chipotle-quinoa-sweet-potato2Entree
Roasted chorizo, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes with chipotle quinoa

“… a wonderful, modern interpretation of some great Mexican flavors.”

See recipe below

blood-orange-cakeDessert
Blood orange cornmeal upside-down cake

“I swapped out the butter in the cake for olive oil, whose fruitiness I felt sure would complement the oranges. I added some coarse ground cornmeal for texture and  more rustic feel …”

Full recipe at Wisconsin From Scratch

My contribution is fairly simple to put together – perfect for a weeknight dinner; enough for two people with plenty of lunch leftovers the next day. Roasting chorizo, onion, and mushroom together is one of my favorite taco fillings, as I’ve written about here before, and it’s balanced perfectly by creamy roasted sweet potatoes. Adding chipotle to quinoa or any other grain is a perfect way to add some flavor and give it a kick, and topped with some basic Mexican-style garnishes (especially avocado, cheese, and/or crema if your quinoa ends up pretty spicy) this is a wonderful, modern interpretation of some great Mexican flavors. Read more

Sep 6

Homemade Mexican Horchata

Horchata

We’ve been in Madison for just over a year now, an anniversary also nicely marked by the start of Brett’s second year of graduate school and by my 30th birthday, and lest you think those three occasions don’t lead to a fair bit of introspective life evaluation, let me tell you that they suuuuure do. But it all turns out pretty rosy, in this case – I’m happier each and every day about being back in the Midwest and not upset in the least by entering this new decade of life (in fact, I’m welcoming it with open arms). Read more

Jan 18

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Pumpkin seed mole (pipián verde)

Pepita_pipian

I realized a few days ago that over the span of my cooking years (the last ten years or so) I’ve inadvertently drifted toward simplicity. I love vegetables, I love eggs, I love simple braises and pasta dishes. I love simple desserts that feature fruits, good dairy, or nice chocolate. I’d generally choose a simple stew and a hand-torn hunk of bread over a meticulously-plated meal of dozens of components, and if a meal is going to take hours to prepare I’d rather it be because it’s braising or roasting away in the oven while I’m comfortably enjoying happy hour or socializing or reading a book or otherwise enjoying myself outside of the kitchen.  I can’t imagine my life without the significant time I invest in food – writing, talking, planning, shopping, preparing – but over the years my feeling about cooking and food seem to have clarified around trying to appreciate and focus on the simple things. The beauty of a poached egg broken open on a pile of perfectly cooked greens; the brightening power of a huge handful of fresh herbs; the allure of caramelized edges; the power of a bit of acid, fat, or salt in transforming something humble into something revelatory. Much of the time, the joy of cooking is about finding opportunities to turn something simple into something really spectacular without adding complicated technique, expense, or effort-intensive time (and that’s exactly what I love to share with students when I teach).

But sometimes, simplicity simply doesn’t cut it. There are worlds of dishes and cuisines that require more complication – even if only because they’re unfamiliar – and those recipes provide opportunities to learn something new, to invest a bit more in a meal to make it special, or to provide yourself with something you can’t otherwise access.

This recipe is one of those. There’s nothing inherently complicated about it, aside from a decent number of ingredients, but if you’re not regularly making mole sauces at home or don’t generally have a good stock of Mexican ingredients (and especially if they’re hard to find), it presents itself as more of an investment. An investment solidly worth it, I might add, but an investment nonetheless.  Read more

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