Katie Stew

I was watching that new FoodNetwork show last night, The Best Thing I Ever Ate. I really like that show. Just a bunch of chefs that I like sitting around and mooning over the best things they’ve had. Not stuff they love to eat or favorite things, but the best things ever.

It got me thinking. What is the best thing I’ve ever eaten? The one thing that came to mind was pizza.

The best pizza that I have ever had in my life was in Monterrosso al Mere, the northernmost village in Cinque Terre, Italy. Cinque Terre is a collection of 5 villages on the coast of Italy. Each town is small and built into the hillside on the shore. The area surrounding the towns is protected government land, so the cities can’t expand. They are picturesque. There is a walking trail along the water that connects each of the 5 towns. Cinque Terre is the most beautiful place I have ever been.

When I was in college, I spent a semester abroad in London. There I studied Theater, History, and Literature. When spring break rolled around, my roommate and I shot off to Italy. We were followed by most of the other students studying with us, but that is another story.

We spent a few days in a number of cities. Florence, where I had some fettichine carbonara which was also memorable and amazing, Rome, and Venice. In the middle of this, we went to Cinque Terre to get the small town feel. The second day we were there, we decided to do the walking trail between all the towns. We started in Riomaggiore, the Southernmost town where we were staying, and headed north. Along the way we sampled from bakeries and bought wine that we drank on a famous nude beach. (The beach was empty. The water was very cold. We got in anyways. My roommate almost drowned, but I saved her life. The first of 2 times that day.)

By the time that we rolled into Monterrossa al Mere, the group was exhausted. We had been hiking for hours, swimming in the freezing water, getting lost on the hillsides, and drinking wine. I doubt we had water with us. We found this tiny restaraunt that was open. A pizzaria.

Best pizza I have ever, ever had. And I love pizza. I eat it often and from a variety of places. This was the perfect pizza. Maybe I’m biased because of the crazy day, but I’m pretty sure that if I walked into that place right now and had it for breakfast, it would still be perfect.I will try to describe it, but my words seem so small in comparison to the flavors in my memory.

There was nothing complicated about this pizza. Simple and perfect. The pizza had a thin crust. Chewy, yet crisp. The perfect amount of bendiness when you pick up a slice. The base was fresh pesto. Fresh pesto in Italy. To die for. Next up were fresh slices of melty, authentic mozzerella, and the final topping, salami. Big round thin slices that were salty and rich. All the ingrediants were so fresh, so real, so…. well, Italian.

Holy crap.

Hands down, best pizza ever. Possibly the best thing I ever ate.

My mother makes wonderful Mexican Lasagna. I remember when I went to college, I asked her for the recipe. She told me one that was very, “Oh, you just toss in some of this and a container of that. It’s easy!” So, I’ve never made it. It seemed challenging and ambiguous.

But, I remember that it was always wonderful and comforting. Cheesy and soft. Perfect for scooping up into a tortilla chip.

Last night, I made my first Mexican lasagna. I used a recipe from Robin Miller that I found on FoodNetwork. It was perfect. I couldn’t believe how easy it was. My mom was right. It really is just a can of this, container of that, kind of recipe. Unlike most lasagnas with their complicated layers, this has one filling that you layer with some corn tortillas, top with extra cheese and you’re done. Awesome.

When I was eating the lasagna last night, I had an amusing moment. I sat down to eat and before I knew it, I was a quarter of the way through my piece. I realized, I haven’t even paused to think about what this tastes like. Other than the fact that I had been to the gym and was starving, I further realized that I hadn’t stopped to consider the lasagna, because it was just exactly what I expected it to taste like. It tasted like my mom’s. It was comforting, simple, and yum-yum-yummy. It is a surprising and lovely thing to realize that what you are eating is just exactly what you wanted it to be.

I highly recommend this recipe. It will be a crowd pleaser. I added a little more cayanne and chili powder than this called for. Also, the reviews of the recipe on the original posting included a number of people adding things like black beans to the recipe. I’m sure that would be really tasty. But, for me, I’m keeping it simple.

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 12 ounces cooked chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
• 1 cup sour cream (regular or low-fat)
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (regular or low-fat), divided
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar (regular or low-fat), divided
• 1/2 cup mild, medium or hot salsa
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon  ground chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 6 wedges

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat an 11 by 7-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, sour cream, 3/4 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese, 3/4 cup of the Cheddar, salsa, chiles, cilantro, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Arrange half of the tortilla pieces in the bottom of prepared pan, overlapping pieces slightly to cover the surface. Top with half of the chicken mixture and smooth over with the back of a spoon to even the top. Layer remaining tortillas over top, and spoon over remaining chicken mixture. Top with remaining 1/4 cup each of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 more minutes, until top is golden and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

To reheat, bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 15 minutes.

I have an on again-off again relationship with my oven. Sometimes I like to be able to toss something in and walk away, but most often I prefer stovetop cooking. I like to see what I’m making so that I can fiddle with it as I go. It feels safer. It is hard to trust an oven sometimes.

A few years back, I believe it was a Thanksgiving, my mother presented me with oven roast carrots. They are just a wonderful thing. She used Ina Garten’s recipe. In my experience, you can never go wrong with The Barefoot Contessa. The carrots when you roast them, become sweet and brown, just salty enough to be perfect. AND, they are the easiest thing in the world.

Since discovering this recipe, I have learned I can do most any vegetables this same way. Olive oil, salt and pepper, roast. Last night I tried brussel sprouts again. I have to say, I quite liked them. First, I microwaved them for 1 minute. My friend recommended I do this to make sure they are done all the way through. Then, I roasted them in this simple manner for 20 min at 400. They were nicely browned and tasty. I would recommend you stir twice to get a nice, all over brown.

Lately, I have been following this method all the time. Tossing some marinated chicken or pork chops on a cookie sheet along with a pile of vegetables and just roasting them all together. Easiest dinner ever.

I really like zucchini or squash done in this manner with a little lemon pepper. Cubed potatoes with some rosemary. Parsnips. Fennel. You can even toss them all in a pan together. The Contessa has a parsnips, carrots, and fennel recipe similar to the one below that is killer. Try this recipe out. You’ll use it all the time.

Barefoot Contessa- Roast Carrots

• 12 carrots
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill or parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

If the carrots are thick, cut them in half lengthwise; if not, leave whole. Slice the carrots diagonally in 1 1/2-inch-thick slices. (The carrots will shrink while cooking so make the slices big.) Toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a sheet pan in 1 layer and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until browned and tender.

Toss the carrots with minced dill or parsley, season to taste, and serve.

This is a super easy and healthy way to do basic side vegetables. But, when roasted in this manner, they will taste anything but simple.

January in Seattle is a time for comfort food. I’m sure there are drearier climates out there, but this one is pretty oppressive. It is chilly and drizzling. Every day. For months. It could be worse. I could be up to my neck in snow drifts. But, there is something about the constant grey sky and constant drizzle of rain that just makes me hunger for some hearty home cooking. Maybe it has just been too long since I’ve seen the sun.

Last night, I decided to appease my desire for something comfortable to eat. I made a really tasty beef soup. What I really wanted was to make a beef stew, but was sad to find that I had no flour in my house. I think that is the difference between a soup and a stew, some kind of thickening agent.

Despite my initial disappointment, I pulled it together and made something wonderful.

On your average night, I don’t use recipes. If I want to make something that I’ve never made before, like a beef soup, pot pie, or whatever, I usually find a few recipes on the subject. I scan over them and get a basic idea. I find out what the core ingredients are, how long you cook something, that kind of thing. Then I just go to town. So, my measurements when I write out a recipe are general guidelines. That is why I’m writing in more of a casual paragraph/story style. If you like something, add more. If you don’t, add less. When it comes to something like soup, just toss in whatever you have on hand. (The exception to this attitude is baking. Precision is important when it comes to baked goods. Perhaps that is partially why I don’t bake often.)

Katie’s Spicy Beef Soup

This is easiest if you prep everything ahead of time and just toss it in as you go. Please read all the way through the recipe before you start. I list ingredients as I go. It would be unpleasant to reach the final step of a recipe and realize you are out of something.

In one bowl, combine 3 large cloves of garlic- chopped and one shallot- chopped. (You can use half an onion. I happened to have shallots on hand and prefer them.)

In a larger bowl, combine 3 small potatoes- cubed, 3 large carrots- sliced, and one small yellow squash. The size of your pieces doesn’t really matter. I like mine small, so that there are many different ingredients in each spoonful. But, if you prefer, do big chunks. The key is to just make sure that all your ingredients in this bowl are about the same size.

Then take one pound of stew meat. Trim excess fat and cut down to the same size pieces as your vegetable bowl.  When that is done, pour a splash of olive oil in your soup pot and heat to medium high.

Brown the meat in your pot in small batches. Give the pieces a little room from each other. As soon as a batch browns, remove it from the pan, add some more oil if necessary, and do the next batch until all is browned.

When all the meat is browned and removed from the pan, toss in the garlic and shallots. Let them cook until they begin to turn golden brown. (note- This will not take long. Keep an eye on it and keep stirring. There is nothing that can ruin a dish faster than burnt garlic.)

Now, the pan is probably looking a little crusty on the bottom. Pour in about half a cup of red wine to deglaze the pan. Stir up all those crusty brown bits off the bottom. Once the wine has bubbled for a minute or two and it looks like it has reduced a bit, toss your meat on in. Stir it all around, getting everything coated. Then, toss in your bowl of vegetables.

Once all that goodness is in your pot, stir everything up to get it nice and coated. You’re almost there! Now, add a small can of crushed or diced tomatoes. I prefer the “fire-roasted” variety for flavor. Also, pour in 48 oz box of beef broth. Stir to combine.

Now, this will make you an excellent soup. But, last night, I wanted to “kick it up a notch”. So, I added a tablespoon of Emeril’s Essence and floated 2 dried chilies on the top. This gave the really rich soup a nice extra warmth.

Once everything is in there, bring it to a boil. Once you get those first bubbles pushing up against all the ingredients, making it look like something is trying to climb out from the bottom of the pot, turn the temp down to a simmer. That’s it. It will be ready in about an hour. You can eat it at about 40 minutes if you are really, really hungry, but it won’t be as good. Everything will be done, but I find that if you wait until that hour mark, the meat will be much more tender and lovely.

Taste for salt and pepper levels frequently. Salt is easy to gauge and I find I can never have too much black pepper. Keep in mind that many store bought broths can be really salty. So, use salt sparingly until everything is added together.

In terms of sides, I enjoyed this tasty delight with a biscuit. I think cornbread would have been perfect though.

If you wanted to turn it into a stew instead of a soup, before you brown the beef, dredge it in flour with some salt and pepper and leave out the tomatoes. Other than that, you’re good to go. The flour on the meat helps it thicken nicely.

This is definitely a dish that will get you through those winter months.

Stay warm and enjoy!

I learned a simple fact about 2 months ago. Everything is better in a pastry.

Now, this isn’t necessarily a new concept to me. I have always loved what I charmingly refer to as “meat pockets”. That covers everything from samosas, spring rolls, and gyoza, to pasties and pot pies. I have explored this realm of food thoroughly. I have made samosas, which were good, but not as good as the ones my favorite indian place makes. Those are heavenly. I have made spring rolls, frequently. I look forward to talking about my recipe. They are awesome.

But, it was only recently that I discovered the wonder of pot pies and pasties. For some reason pot pies always seemed difficult. Then one night back in November or so, I decided to just do it. I never knew it was so easy! (That is if you are using frozen pie shells. Its a little harder if you are making your own crust.) Basically, you just saute up everything you want in it and then make a creamy gravy. Toss it all in the pie and bake until pretty and bubbly.

This weekend I was thinking about making a chicken pot pie. I proposed the idea to my boyfriend who countered with tacos. Then a few minutes later, “what about a taco pie?”. I pondered, “what about a taco pie?…..” How hard could that be?

“Not very” is the answer.

Here is the basic rundown.

First, I assembled the following: 3 cloves of garlic-minced, about 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1 pound ground beef, 2 cups cubed potatoes-small, and a dash of olive oil.

Then I sautéd the garlic and pepper in the olive oil until golden. Added the beef and potatoes and cooked until brown. When brown I drained and added a package of taco seasoning and followed the directions.

Once all that meaty goodness was simmering, I tossed in 2 diced tomatoes, half a cup of salsa, and a good couple of shakes of Tapatio hot sauce. I love that stuff! Add as much or little as you want, depending on taste.

Once all that was ready, I put it in a pie shell, sprinkled liberally with some shredded cheddar cheese, used a second pie shell to make a top for the pie, and then did an egg white wash. I baked it at 350 for about 25-30 min. Until brown and bubbly.

This is not a dieter’s meal.

But, I have to say, it was really tasty and my boyfriend didn’t care about eating anything else all weekend. I served it with a little shredded cheese on top and a dollop of sour cream. I think the sour cream is a real must for this dish.

I would like to end this with “Bon Apetit!”. But, I’m pretty sure Julia Child would have a conniption fit at seeing this recipe. So, simply:

Dig in!