Sweet Potatoes!!

Mrs. Sara Moncayo, this one’s for you ;) Sweet Pototato Enchiladas - a perfect mix of comfort, spice, and pure deliciousness.  I can’t remember how I came up with this recipe, but this dish has been a go-to dish in my repertoire for a couple of years now. It’s best when you make your own refried beans and sauce, but if need be, there are definitely some shortcuts. 

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Serves 6-8 (serves 2-3 in the Biber-Brewer household)

10 whole-wheat flour tortillas

2 cups refried black beans (recipe to follow) – or 1 can refried black beans

1 lb fresh spinach - steamed and well drained

            -frozen spinach works as well, just make sure that it’s thawed and drained

1-2 medium sweet potatoes – peeled and diced into bite size pieces

1 TB Cumin

2 tsp Coriander

3 poblano peppers

8 oz shredded monterey jack cheese

3 cups Roasted Tomato Sauce with Adobo seasoning (recipe to follow) – or 1, 28 oz can Muir Glenn Diced Adobe Fire Roasted Tomatoes

Optional Toppings: chopped cilantro, sliced avocados, yogurt or sour cream

1) Toss your diced sweet potatoes with olive oil, a pinch of salt, and the coriander and cumin.  Place them on a baking sheet and roast at 400 for about 15 minutes, until they are “al-dente” or slightly tender when pierced with a knife (they’ll cook further when the finished enchiladas bake in the oven).  Once the potatoes are tender, remove them from the oven and set aside.

2)  Now it’s time to roast your poblanos.  You can do this several ways – the easiest way is just to toss them on your grill, turning the peppers every few minutes or so, until each side is sufficiently blackened.  Remove them from the grill and let cool.  Once the peppers are cooled, peel the blackened skin off and dice the peppers into bite size pieces.  Don’t drive yourself crazy trying to remove all the seeds – they add heat, but they’re pretty mild. Toss the peppers in a bowl with your roasted sweet potatoes – you’ve got your enchilada filling!

-You can also roast your poblanos under the broiler in your oven.  The process is exactly the same as grilling them.  You place the peppers directly under the broiler (putting them on aluminum foil is easiest) and just keep flipping them until each side of the pepper is entirely blackened.

4) Enchilada Assembly!!  Lightly grease 2 8x8 pyrex dishes with olive oil.  Place a flour tortilla on a large workspace and spread a good amount of refried beans on it with a rubber scraper.  Next, toss on a handful of the spinach, and then about ¼ cup of the sweet potato/poblano mixture.  Finally, toss in some shredded monterey jack cheese, roll up the tortilla, and place (seam side down) in the pyrex dish.  An 8x8 dish should fit 4-5 rolled tortillas in it.

5) To serve the enchiladas, place one of the rolled tortillas (or 2!!) on a plate and top with a ladle full of the hot sauce.  Top with extra cheese and any of the additional toppings and of course enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Sauce with Adobe Seasoning

12 Roma Tomatoes (the bigger the better)

6 hefty sized garlic cloves – skins peeled

olive oil

salt

1 7 oz can Chipotle Chiles in Adobo Sauce (found in the Mexican aisle of your grocery store)

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Slice the Roma tomatoes in half and lay skin side down on a baking sheet.  Situate your garlic cloves in between the tomatoes and top with a glug of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.  Roast the tomatoes (shaking your baking sheet every so often) and garlic until the tomatoes are crinkly and blackened, about 30-40 minutes.

2) Let the tomatoes cool and then toss the garlic and tomatoes into a medium size sauce pan.  Pull out one or two of the chipotle chilis from the 4 oz can and deseed them (or don’t deseed if you like it HOT!) – place them in the sauce pan, along with 2 heaping tablespoons of the sauce from the can.  Blend the sauce with an immersion blender or in batches in a food processor.  YUM.

Garlicky Refried Black Beans

½ lb dry black beans

4 cloves garlic – peeled

1 bay leaf

salt

olive oil

1) Soak the black beans for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Once they’ve soaked, drain the beans and pour them, along with enough water to cover them, into a large soup pot.  Place the garlic, salt, and bay leaf in the pot as well and bring it to a boil.  Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot, and let the beans cook for about an hour to an hour and a half, or until the beans are tender.

2) Drain the cooked beans (remove the bay leaf) and RESERVE the cooking liquid.  In the same pot, heat 2 TB olive oil.  Add the beans and cook until the beans really begin to sizzle.  Once they are sizzling, add about a cup of the reserved cooking liquid.  Stir the beans until the cooking liquid is almost evaporated – repeat this process 3 times.

3) Add another cup of the reserved liquid and remove the pot from the heat.  Pulse the mixture with an immersion blender.  If you want the mixture to be silky smooth, keep adding the reserved liquid until you reach your desired consistency.  These beans are super, super tasty.

Steamboat!

I spent the weekend with my pals Mariah and Alex in Steamboat, and I got to do my three favorite things (in no particular order): cook, eat, and play.  The weekend started with a batch of blueberry buttermilk pancakes, and it only got better from there.  Here are some shots from my snowshoe off of Rabbit Ears Pass:

Surprise!  I was treated to yet another orchid blooming when I got home last night, awesome.  Don't ask me how I get orchids to bloom in our dry climate - my only answer would be I'm Mary Biber's daughter.

LOW and SLOW

Let's talk about braising. Here's what one of my favorite food writers, Michael Ruhlman has to say about this cooking technique: "More than any other technique, it is what cooking is all about: transformation, turning raw, tough, inexpensive ingredients into hot, tender, delectable dishes. When we braise, we are realizing our abilities as cooks in ways that are richer, more fulfilling, and more illuminating than when we employ any other single technique."

In his book "Twenty" (which is an amazing read!), Ruhlman defines braising as a series of actions:

1) The meat we choose is usually a tough, heavily worked (or leaner) muscle - like a brisket.

2) The meat is seared to add flavor and to set the exterior so that the meat doesn't release a lot of blood.

3) Liquid (could be water or stock) is added to the pot, along with spices and aromatics, the contents are brought to a simmer then put in the oven to cook for a longer period of time at a low temperature (hence the phrase LOW and SLOW)

Sooo, with that being said, let's braise! My fantastic friend and business partner Mariah had given me a large quantity of frozen elk meat a couple of months ago, and I was looking for an opportunity to use it. I'm cooking for a large crowd this evening, and I decided this was my chance! The weather has been cloudy and cold here (very unBoulder!!) for the past couple of days, so, I knew a braise would be perfect. I decided to go with some chili flavors, while using some frozen summer peppers and fall squash I have in my pantry, ultimately to produce a hearty elk stew.

Hearty Elk Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Chilies

1 lb stew meat, cut into bite sized chunks

1/4 cup AP flour for dredging

Olive Oil

2 medium yellow onions - diced

2 TB tomato paste

6 cloves garlic (minced)

2 tsp cumin, divided

2 tsp coriander, divided

2 TB chili powder

1 cinnamon stick

1 28 oz can Muir Glenn Fire Roasted Tomatoes

1 large sweet potato - peeled and diced (feel free to substitute any winter squash if that's what you have on hand)

3-4 roasted peppers of your choice, roasted and diced - (poblano, red bell peppers, jalapenos) depending on the level of heat you want

2 cups cooked pinto or kidney beans

salt and pepper to taste

Limes for serving

Cilantro, shredded cheese, and yogurt to top (optional)

1) Pull the meat out of the fridge about a half an hour before you begin cooking. Cut it into bite sized stew chunks and dredge it in a flour, salt, and pepper mixture. The flour helps to dry the meat so that the sear is more effective.

2) Heat about 2 TB of olive oil in a heavy soup pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot add the stew chunks, being careful not to crowd the pot - you may have to sear the chunks in batches. Once you add the meat, don't stir it around! You want a good sear on each side and this requires restraint from stirring, seriously, I know! Let each side brown for about 2-3 minutes. Once the chunks are nice and browned, remove them from the pan and set aside.

3) Add another teaspoon of olive oil to the pot and reheat it over medium heat. Add one of the diced onions and 3 cloves of garlic and saute until the onion begins to soften. Then, add one tsp cumin, one tsp coriander and the tomato paste - saute until the tomato paste begins to brown.

4) Preheat your oven to 300. Add about 4 cups of water or stock to the pot. At this point you want to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot that were left there when you seared the meat - these little brown bits are magical pieces of flavor! Add the meat back to the pot and bring to a simmer. Once the liquid is simmering, cover the pot, throw in a cinnamon stick, and place it in the oven - let the meat braise for about 3-4 hours, or until it's super tender.

5) Once your satisfied with the tenderness of the meat, remove the pot from the oven. Remove the meat from the braising liquid and set aside. Strain the liquid, discarding the onions, garlic, and cinnamon stick, and reserving the liquid. At this point you can reduce the braising liquid in a separate sauce pot and add back into to your stew later.

6) Now, on to making the final product. In the same pot that you just took out of the oven, heat a TB of olive oil and saute the other onion. Once the onion has softened, add the other 3 cloves of garlic, 2 TB chili powder, one tsp cumin, one tsp, coriander and mix until well incorporated.

7) Once the spices are incorporated return the meat to the pot and add the roasted tomatoes, roasted peppers, and the diced sweet potatoes. If you need to add more liquid in order to cover the potatoes, feel free. Bring the liquid to a boil and cover the pot. Let the mixture simmer until the potatoes are cooked through.

8) Add the beans and reduced braising liquid (if you chose to keep it) and cook until heated through. At this point you can decide to reduce the stew further, until you reach your desired consistency.

9) Ladle the stew into soup bowls and top with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, cilantro, and shredded cheese - serve with a slice of lime. You could also stretch this further by serving over rice or with a side of cheesy cornbread. I decided to make a batch of cornbread tonight - just sounded yummy.

Check out the picture play-by-play of the braise:

stew chunks dredged in flour

searing the stew chunks in batches

the yummy brown bits left behind from searing - flavah!!

sauteing the onion/garlic/tomato paste mixture

bringing the meat/liquid mixture to a simmer

putting the covered pot in the oven -see you in a few hours!!

P.S. My house smells ridiculous right now - wish I could upload the scent!!

Dumplings, Wontons, and ohhhh so much more

I catered a baby shower today (with the help of my ROCKSTAR friend Cassy!), and the weekend was pretty much consumed with prep and planning for the event. The baby shower was for a couple who had just adopted a baby from China, so, they requested a Chinese-American menu. Before I go much further, let me just tell you about this spread:

Appetizers:

Garlicky Winter Greens on top of Wonton Crisps

Toasted Sesame Hummus with Roasted Taro Chips

Tofu and Broccoli Spring Rolls with a Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

Pork and Cabbage Dumplings

Pea and Leek Dumplings

Dessert:

Chinese Five-Spice Cookies with Candied Ginger

Shortbread Cookies with Earl Grey Tea Leaves

Chocolate and Banana Dessert Wontons

Pork Dumplings

Chocolate and Banana Dessert Wontons (a.k.a puffs from heaven)

Garlicky Greens

Five-Spice Cookies

Ridiculous, right?? So, since I spent the better part of Friday folding dumplings (while of course simultaneously catching up on Grey's Anatomy on Hulu) I was inspired to talk about the process.

First off, there are very traditional choices for Chinese dumplings, some particular to dim sum, and some particular to celebrating Chinese New Year. I did two fillings - the pork and cabbage filling is a traditional dim sum dish, while the pea (yay peas!) and leek filling was a total improvisation.

I think the most important part of the whole process was organization - you have to have all of your dumpling components prepped and ready before you start folding, or else you'll be in a world of hurt. So, let me walk you through what I did for the pea and leek dumplings:

1) Go to the Asian grocery store and buy dumpling wrappers:

I contemplated making my own wrappers (very simple flour/water dough, similar to making pasta), but I wanted to play it safe since I was cooking these up for a client. Anyways, I went to Pacific Market in Broomfield, and the choices were overwhelming!! Probably 10-12 different wrapper brands - oh, and I think I spent 20 whole minutes standing in the chili paste aisle trying to decide on which brand to buy. I made the decision to buy the brand titled, "Mr. Chen's Chili Paste" because my brother in law's last name is Chen - yess, thank you Mark for helping me from wandering aimlessly in the chili paste aisle!

a stack of dumpling wrappers just waiting to be filled

2) Go home and prep all the ingredients for the dumpling filling:

The filling for the pea and leek dumplings was simple. I boiled a 16 oz bag of frozen peas for about 2 mins (until they became a bright green color), drained them, and then ran them under cold water to prevent them from cooking further. Once the peas cooled, I pureed them and set the mixture aside. Next came the leeks. I chopped the white parts of 2 medium leeks, and minced up a generous amount of garlic and ginger. Next, I heated up about a tablespoon of sesame oil and sauteed (over the highest heat) the garlic, ginger, leek mixture until the garlic and ginger became fragrant, about a minute. I then removed the mixture from the heat and added a dash of soy sauce.

the leek/garlic/ginger mixture

the pea puree

3) Assemble the dumplings!

I tried to get a good picture summary of the process so you could catch a glimpse of the action. The most valuable piece of advice I could give you is, don't add too much filling! Also, once you add the filling, be sure to brush an egg wash around the perimeter of the wrapping to hold everything together. And, once you assemble the dumpling, be sure to keep the finished product under a damp paper towel so that the dumpling wrapper doesn't dry and become brittle.

about of tablespoon of the vegetable filling in the dumpling wrapper

Handy Randy to the Rescue!!

I'm pretty lucky to have an amazing crop of talented friends here in Boulder. Today's post is a shout out to my friend Randy. He built me the post amazing prep counter for my kitchen - he did an amazing job!! YAY!!! I have a galley style kitchen, so, the counter/prep space is pretty limited - NOW I have SO much space. Check it out:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Dim Sum and Then Some

Today was a fabulous 40 something, sunny day in NY. Sarah, Keith, myself, and champion traveler Sybil hopped around Chinatown, visited the memorial at Ground Zero, and then walked all the way from the south tip of Manhattan, across the Brooklyn Bridge and back to Park Slope.

In Chinatown we had Dim Sum!! Fabulous. We went to Nom Wah Teahouse (the recommended Dim Sum place in the Times), and it didn't disappoint. Our fabulous spread included:

Pork Buns

Steamed Taro Dumplings

Bean Curd Skin Rolls

Shrimp Sui Mai

Veggie Rice Rolls

Turnip Cakes (I'm determined to recreate these!!)

Scallion Pancakes

Sesame Rolls

Here are some pics from the day:

Sybil enjoying her firstDim Sum Experience

Enjoying the Sesame Rolls - they were basically long rice noodles with a sesame flavor. Not sure they are truly authentic, but they are as close as I've seen to dessert in Chinese cuisine.

The waterfall built where the North Tower once stood.

Close up view of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Dinner Tonight

For all of you Boulder folks watching the snow pour down, this recipe is perfect! If you don't already have all of these ingredients, just strap on your snow shoes and head to the store - just a little pre-dinner workout.

I'm currently enjoying a sunny, 50 degree day in Brooklyn, NY. I'll be enjoying this meal tonight with my sister Sarah, her hubs Keith, my awesome niece Sybil, and Sophie the giraffe. Good times! Wherever you choose to enjoy this meal it will be delicious!!

Green Lentil Soup with Brown Butter Curry

adapted from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Everyday

Olive Oil

1 yellow onion, diced

4 good sized gloves garlic chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

5-6 cups water or good quality veggie stock

1 1/2 cups green lentils, split peas, or a combination of both

3 TB butter

1 TB Curry Powder (your choice whether to go with mild or hot)

1/2 cup coconut milk (don't buy the light version!!!)

salt to taste

1) Combine the olive oil, onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a large soup pot over medium heat and stir until the onions soften. Add the broth and lentils, making sure you add enough water to cover the lentils. Simmer with the lid on until the lentils are tender - could take anywhere from 30-50 minutes.

2) While the lentils are simmering, make your curry butter. Add 3 TB butter to a small saucepan and let it brown over medium heat. When you smell the nuttiness of the butter add the curry powder and saute for about a minute.

3) When the lentils are finished cooking, remove the pot from the heat.Add in the coconut milk and salt and blend with an immersion blender. I like my soup a bit chunky, but you can blend to whatever desired consistency.

4) Pour in about half of the brown butter mixture and leave the rest to drizzle on each individual bowl. Don't leave out the brown butter mixture - it gives the soup such flavor!!

I'm going to serve this soup with some homemade biscuits or bread (can't decide yet), but you can also beef it up by serving it over rice. Or if you wanted to add some crunch to the texture, serve it with some toasted pita chips. Enjoy the soup and the snow!!

Sweet Sybil

PEAS PLEASE!!

After grad school in Houston, I moved back to Chicago and was teaching and freelancing in the area. I was lucky to find an awesome aparment on the north side of the city, near Lake Michigan, and I was even luckier to have my BFF living around the corner. This post is a shout out to Liz! Today's her birthday, so, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZ!!

Living so near to Liz was beyond fantastic. We both had our weeks packed with long days of driving, teaching, and more driving to rehearsals, and what got us through these days was thoughts of what we were cooking for dinner. For some reason we totally had a period of time where we put peas in absolutely everything, no exaggeration. Peas on salads, peas with garlic and raisins, pureed peas on toast, pea soup, peas with couscous....Liz, am I forgetting anything?

We experimented with so many flavor profiles involving peas, and it was during this time that I really started to think about the cooking process. As a result of all our experimentation with peas, my kitchen and cooking confidence got a real boost (not saying that the many, many bottles of cheap Fronterra wine that we went through that year didn't help!...P.S. Liz I still have all the corks).

We made so many delicious meals with peas, and we totally convinced ourselves that we were amazing enough to open a restaurant. This restaurant would of course be called "PEAS PLEASE!!" Heh, ammmmazing.

In honor of Liz, and peas of course, I'm postinga recipe for pea coulis. What in the world is coulis? Well, I'll tell you! Coulis is just a fancy French term for a sweet or savory sauce, which can be made from either fruits or vegetables. It is usually used to accompany a meat (whatever meat you are using will determine whether you make the coulis from fruits or vegetables). In general, the consistency of a coulis is on the thicker side (for example, thicker than a pan sauce), and the base, either the fruit or vegetable, is pureed until the consistency is smooth and creamy.

A coulis can be paired with many more things than just meat. Think about a warm peach coulis drizzled over a piping hot biscuit. Or perhaps you'd like to drizzle your pea coulis over a dish of crispy roasted potatoes. Ohhhhh, what if you whip up a raspberry coulis, smear it on a plate (we're getting fancy here people) and place a warm gooey brownie right on top?? Okay, I'll stop, my mouth is watering.

PEA COULIS

Olive Oil

1/4 cup chopped shallots

2 cups frozen petite peas, thawed

3/4 cup high quality chicken stock

3 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon

1) In a small skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and saute for about a minute. Add the peas and saute a couple of minutes longer - make sure the peas are heated through.

2) Add the stock. Bring to a simmer. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and add the tarragon. Blend the mixture until smooth - you can let the motor run for a few minutes.

3) Season your coulis to taste with salt and pepper. Viola - you have coulis!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZ!!!!