Black Bean Dip

(Adapted from The Foster's Market Cookbook)

First step: Start this recipe well ahead of time, or the day before you plan to serve it.

This dip isn't very photogenic, but it's seriously one of my most delicious recipes. It's easily the thing I make most from this cookbook. It's a flexible recipe so feel free to tweak the garlic, tomatoes and spices. It's a bit more work to cook the beans from scratch, but I always do, and I usually use organic beans.

1 cup dried black beans (If you have time, soak them first for a few hours)

1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced

2-3 bay leaves

1/2 cup tomato juice, or 6-8 small tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil and roasted till soft

juice of 2 limes

1 Tb. cider vinegar

Drizzle of olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves, smashed and diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (I skip this)

1/2 red onion, chopped

3-4 scallions, trimmed and chopped

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1-2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

Place the beans in a large pot, cover with water (extra water so beans are covered with about 4 inches of water). Add bell pepper and bay leaves, bring to boil (covered). Take the lid off the pot, reduce heat to medium and cook about 1 1/2 hours, till beans are done.  

Rinse and drain beans, discarding pepper and bay leaves.  

Into bowl of food processor, combine beans and all remaining ingredients except for the cilantro.

Process till smooth. 

Add half the cilantro, pulse till cilantro is roughly chopped.

Serve with remaining chopped cilantro sprinkled over the dip.

This will keep for up to 5 days in the frig (covered), but if you're like us, you'll eat it all within two days. 

It makes a great spread for sandwiches and roll-ups, too.

  

Maple Roast Chicken with Herbs

 

Today is going to be busy and fun and rainy. We have a visit from my parents, a trip to Julia's pop-up shop so she can sell her leather goods, and a thunderstorm moving in. I hope the storm doesn't keep everybody home from the shop. 

If I make dinner at all, it will be something like this. My easiest meal. I got the recipe from my sister and it stands up to infinite variations.You can use a whole cut-up chicken, or any combination of dark and white chicken pieces. You can also use any of your favorite herbs.  

 Maple Roast Chicken with Herbs

8 chicken thighs, skin removed

1 red onion, cut into wedges

sweet potatoes, cut into wedges

potatoes, cut into quarters   

Pat chicken dry, if needed, and place at one end of a large baking dish.

Drizzle chicken with: olive oil (I use about 2 Tb.) and

                                maple syrup (about 3 Tb.) 

Scatter the onions over and around the chicken.  

Sprinkle chicken with: thyme (about 1 tsp.). My sister uses fresh thyme, I use dried.

                                  salt and pepper to taste

                                  and lately I've been adding marjoram too.

At the other end of your baking dish, or in a separate dish if you run out of room, place the vegetables.

Drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and with dried dill if you like.

Bake for about 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees, basting the chicken and stirring the vegetables every half hour or so. I often roast the food for about an hour at 400 degrees, then reduce the oven temp. to 350 until everything is done. Oven temps will vary. Mine must run cool, because this dinner needed a full 2 hours in the oven (even with the first hour at 400). I did have the pan pretty crowded.

This picture was taken after 1 1/2 hours of roasting. I was running out of natural light and had to take it, but later the food got more brown and crispy and delicious-looking.

I love this meal because it is so easy. It makes the house smell wonderful. And after it's done, you have just one pan to wash, and hopefully you have a few leftovers for the next day. I usually chop everything and make a hash.

Salchipapas (Sunday Supper)

My memories of Lima House, where we stayed on our way out to the jungle and on our way back to the States, are mostly about the food. Every morning, the dining room was set for breakfast and a perfect orange half was placed at each setting.
 
I remember hard rolls and cold toast. I remember the fresh, cool air (so different from the jungle humidity) and the bougainvillea growing in the garden. I remember telling my best friend Tacy, when we were just four and a half, that I knew the way to the beach. We managed to collect our pails and shovels, and we left the gated House behind us. Eventually our absence was discovered. Our parents found us a few blocks away, sitting in a stranger's car. I got a spanking; Tacy did not.

Of the many suppers we ate at Lima House, the only menu I can recall is Salchipapas. I think even as a child, I was amazed that something so simple could taste so good.

Salchichas are sausages, and papas are potatoes. That's all this is. Fried sausages and potatoes. If you don't like to cook on Sundays (I don't), then this is a good way to keep people happy without working very hard.

This goes faster if you use frozen french fries. However, I like to use real potatoes. I often start with carmelized onions, just to add a bit of flavor and make the dish more healthy. The legit Peruvian recipe is just sausage and potatoes.

Salchipapas

Slice your favorite sausages (about one per person) diagonally
If you decide to microwave the potatoes first, do that now. Scrub, pierce,
and microwave whole potatoes till done
Slice potatoes (about two per person) into wedges, set aside

Fry sausages till browned on both sides
Scoot sausages to edge of pan, and place potato wedges in the oil left by the sausages

Fry potatoes on both sides till crispy and brown
Combine sausages and potatoes

Serve with ketchup

I know, I know....in the States, this is called "hash." But "Salchipapas" is much more fun to say. And you can tell people you made a real Peruvian dish. Remember - it's the best food in the world. 

Fish Stew (Or, How to Lose Six Pounds)

This is one of my best recipes, a soup that my husband loves above all others, because it is full of flavor and heat and fresh ingredients.

I adapted it from Sara Foster's cookbook, one of the few cookbooks I don't regret buying.
Her stew is replete with mussels, clams, and shrimp. I skip all those and just use fish.      
    

This cookbook was worth buying for two recipes: the fish stew, and the black-bean dip.
Yesterday I snacked on Christmas cookies and fresh rolls all afternoon. It was terrible. Thankfully I had this stew on hand, because its real, hearty depth of flavor was purely satisfying in a way that cookies are not.
(My other two tips on how to lose six pounds: stop drinking pop, and eat a blueberry-walnut-yogurt breakfast. These tips sort of worked for me. I'm sharing them because they might help you. At the least, you'll feel better. At the most, if you're a woman, you might end up pregnant. Which means you will gain 20 pounds).        

Fish Stew

2 Tb. olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 leeks, trimmed and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
3 ribs celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed (Foster's recipe calls for 6 cloves. Go for it if you love garlic)  
1 28-oz. can whole tomatoes (I sometimes use a diced fresh tomato)   
8 cups broth, either fish or chicken
1 cup dry white wine (I use Three Buck Chuck, or sometimes skip the wine)     
2 teaspoons salt
1 tsp. fresh black pepper   
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (less if you don't like heat)    
grated zest and juice of two oranges
2 pounds of fresh or frozen fish (we like the wild-caught cod from Costco), cut into 2-inch pieces  
2 tsp saffron threads (this is so expensive that I use far less, just a pinch)
2 Tb. finely sliced fresh basil leaves (I often use dried basil) 

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat, add onion, cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes.  

While onions are cooking, soak the leeks in a large bowl of cold water. Rinse and drain the leeks, and add them to the onions. Cook and stir for 5 minutes.

Add celery and carrots, cook and stir for 5-10 minutes

Add garlic, cook for 2 minutes

Add tomatoes, broth, wine, salt, pepper, marjoram, and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes. (Foster says one hour, but I like my veggies to have some personality).  

Increase heat to medium-high, add orange zest and juice, fish, and saffron. Stir to mix. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fish is done. This might only take about 5 minutes. Fish is done when it begins to flake.

Remove stew from heat.

To serve, ladle into bowls and sprinkle with basil     

This was a date meal, since we like it and our younger kids do not.
(Look at Malachi's concerned face. He's wondering what in the world he's getting for supper).

 

Too Much Squash

This week I said to Anna Kate,
"I am getting completely sick of squash."
"So am I!" was her reply.

While this pan of squash was roasting in the oven, Nate came home.
"This house smells like pumpkin all the time now," he said.
"I'm not sure I like it."

Sigh.
It's so much work to not waste food.
I have diced, seeded, roasted, boiled, mashed and pureed about 15 squash and pumpkins this year.
They tasted great at first.  The pumpkin bread with cinnamon butter was especially delicious.

Now I'm trying to freeze it or give it away.
If you're hungry for squash soup, come on over.
I've got plenty.

(My recipe for Butternut Squash Soup is under "Dinner and Dessert" in my sidebar. Please forgive the strange font array. I don't know why it does that, it's not how I type it. The secret ingredient is the grated nutmeg on top. I buy whole nutmegs at the Anoka Co-op; they are about 50 cents each).

Straight to the Heart (and a recipe for Anticuchos)

 My adventurous mom with Malachi.

Yesterday was (for us) full of adventure.
My friend Jamie had invited me to a Women of Hope event to benefit TreeHouse, a local teen ministry.
Our church has been involved with TreeHouse for years, although I haven't heard as much about it recently, but I didn't know what to expect. I had put off finding a sitter for Malachi, vaguely hoping that Nate could be home from work on that day. Suddenly the 24th was upon me, and I had to send out a desperate mass text to friends asking if anyone could watch him. No one could.
But my Julia came through. She usually does. It was her free day at school, and so I dropped Anna Kate and baby Mick off to hang out with their big sister for a few hours.
On the way to Julia's college, I called my mom and dad and invited them to have lunch with my kids. They lost no time (typical of them) and were soon on their way from Red Wing.
Meanwhile, the luncheon was lovely.
For starters, the guest speakers were Gabby Douglas and her mom Natalie, and a TreeHouse teenager named Jozee.
Hearing Gabby tell her story, and listening to her mom's perspective (she saw her daughter for just 30 seconds after Gabby won her individual all-around gold medal), made me unaccountably weepy.
I am often unaccountably weepy. But here was this young girl, who left home at fourteen to train for the Olympics, having no idea if she would ever make the team.
And here were her sisters, cheering her on. And her mother, who had $35 in her bank account when she found out her daughter was on the U.S. Gymnastics team.
But Gabby was full of talent, and she had her family to give her courage when hers ran low.

Then the TreeHouse girl spoke. Jozee doesn't have Gabby's kind of family. She has the same tooth-grinding determination, but she's had to survive by her own wits. The support and love of her mentor at TreeHouse probably saved her life. The mentor told Jozee she was of great worth. She seemed fragile and tattered as she told her story, but she sounded brave. I think all of us in the room sorrowed with her, and rejoiced with her. Peace be on you, precious Jozee.

I thought, it's all about the heart. The heart that we are given at the beginning, that beats regularly at just a few weeks' gestation, and does not stop until we draw our dying breath. Our heart is what He is after.

My son is in his first year of med school, and the students have cadaver work. (I hope this isn't too much for you. I find it fascinating). I asked him if they started slowly, with fine physical details like skin and muscle layers.

"No," he said. "We pretty much dive right into the pectoral and start with the heart."

Start with the heart. It's apparently the best way to begin knowing the mysteries of the human body. It's the place that Jesus wants to know us. He created us the way He wanted to, beautiful, with delicate details and invisible wonders. But when he wants to change us, or heal us, or jolt us back to life, he goes for our hearts.

So that was my day. I returned to Julia's college to find my girls, my parents, and my baby in the Student Center, waiting for me. They had had a fabulous time. The baby had been somewhat terrible at first, then slowly cheered up. We hugged all around, and then we parted ways.

I went to prepare supper, and for the only time all year, because a cow only has one heart, we had true Anticuchos. When I was growing up in Peru, the local cooks would come to our jungle center and set up a barbeque. All day we smelled the astounding fragrance of these marinated beef kabobs. Now I wonder, Why did it take all day? Why did we have to wait so long before we could buy and eat? I can't figure it out, because these only take about three minutes on the grill.

But it's a lovely memory: the lake, the pequi pequis chugging slowly through the water, the smoke and mouth-watering goodness of anticuchos wafting from the shore.

Enjoy!
(Made with regular beef, these are delicious and not quite so alarming. Anna Kate said our meal was "morbid." Nate said it was like something out of Fear Factor. But we ate them all.)

Beef Anticuchos

(We buy half a cow, so we only get half a heart. This recipe is for way more meat than I had, so I didn't use all the marinade).

2 1/2 lbs. fresh beef heart, cut into thin strips
1 cup red wine vinegar
4 T. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. salt
5 big garlic cloves, crushed and peeled and chopped
2 T. fresh parsley or oregano
4 dried chiles (I used a combination of red pepper flakes and chipotle peppers)
1 1/2 cups oil, divided

Blend all ingredients except the oil in a large bowl.
Take out about half of the mixture.
Add 1/2 cup oil to the remaining mixture to make a soft paste.
Stir the beef strips into the marinade.
Allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

To reserved spice mixture, add remainder of oil for a basting sauce.

Thread beef onto skewers.
Place on grill.
While the meat grills, brush with marinade.
The recommended brush is made with shredded corn husk, which works great if you're on a picnic, since you can later toss it.
(I used a silicone grill brush).

Allow fire to flame over the meat as you baste.
Cook about 1 1/2 minutes per side.

Best when served alongside corn and potatoes. I was pretty scattered last night, so we didn't have good side dishes. We ate butternut squash soup, anticuchos, mashed potatoes, and rice, all in succession since nothing was ready all at once.

Half a beef heart. I admit this made me a bit queasy.

Marinating beef.

I wish you could smell these. Finicky feelings would vanish, and you'd gobble them up, just like we did.

Breakfast: Oatmeal Crepes

When I was growing up in Peru, I got so tired of breakfast food.
Our options were eggs, toast, puffed rice (with canned evaporated milk, ugh), pancakes, and when we felt creative, crepes.We called the crepes "Panqueque de Huevo," or egg pancakes. They were pretty wonderful.

I thought breakfast cereals were the greatest. I thought I'd eat nothing but cornflakes when I got to the States.
Well, I have eaten a few bowls of cornflakes, and lots of Cheerios and Rice Krispies. But we don't go for fancy breakfast cereals in our house. When Julia got to college, her roommates brought Cap'n Crunch. It was ridiculously delicious, she hadn't had it in years. Anna Kate doesn't even know what it is. We'll keep it that way.
These crepes are our favorite breakfast these days. My husband loves them, they're easy finger-food for the baby, and they're healthy and filling.
We've been trying to cut down on wheat, even whole-grain organic wheat. So this recipe is made using oatmeal. To get a fine, flour-like mill on the oats, use a coffee grinder.

This recipe isn't exact, because I don't measure. If you need exact measurements, an online crepe recipe is your best bet.

Oatmeal Crepes

2 eggs
2/3 cup ground oatmeal (the amount that fits in a coffee grinder)
about 3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Whisk together all ingredients.
I like a thin batter. If the batter is too thick, it won't cover the bottom of the pan.
Add milk if needed to thin batter.

Melt 1 tsp. butter in a crepe pan or a non-stick 10-inch frying pan (on medium high heat)
Pour in about 1/4 cup batter, depending on how thin you like your crepes. I like mine quite thin.
Tip the pan so batter goes to the edges.

The first side takes the longest to cook, about 2 minutes.
Flip crepe, finish other side, tip onto a plate, and garnish as you like. We use peanut butter and jam, or just jam. Fresh fruit and whipped cream taste great, but are way more work.

A sunny morning and two fresh crepes.

If you can find a small whisk like the one on the left, buy it.
This one is from Dayton's (back in the day), they don't have them anymore. It's a wonderful whisk.
You will need to keep whisking this oatmeal batter, as the heavier particles want to sink.

It was difficult to take these pictures with a baby grabbing at the plate.
He ate more than I did.

If you make these and have recommendations about the measurements, let me know!

Pollo Saltado, Deconstructed

What a wonderful week we've had. I am chasing the baby all day long, and that is not always easy. Sometimes I can hear my bones creak when I stand up with him. But I am getting used to this new life with just two kids. The truth is, we have a two-kid house. All those years with lots of kids, sports, endless meals and snacks, music and messes and coats and shoes and dirt and chaos: that was what I wanted. I was thankful for all of it.

But I didn't know any other life. I didn't realize that with each new baby, my work increased. A lot. And so did my husband's. It's a luxury to have a large family. We sort of assumed, when we started having kids, that at some point we would move into a bigger house. We did build an addition and remodel the kitchen. But here is where we stayed. It's not what I pictured. But our kids, oh our kids are such an enormous blessing. I'd rather have them than the finest mansion in the world.

This new life, with a home-schooled 7th grade daughter and a busy, lovable toddler, is strangely calm. It wouldn't seem calm, though, if you popped in at suppertime. Then, the baby might be clinging to my legs, hollering loudly, while I tried to cook supper. Nate would be wandering through the kitchen like my personal troubador, playing and singing his latest song. Charming, but sort of in my way. Anna Kate would probably be off somewhere either practicing piano or reading a book. I'd have to call for her to come and help.

Last night, I decided to try a new take on Pollo Saltado. Literally, it means "Chicken Jumped" (Although an MK friend just told me the meaning is closer to "Tossed Chicken"). It's my all-time favorite Peruvian food. Well actually, I prefer Lomo Saltado, the beef version, but the pollo is a close second. You can google the recipe online. The recipe I found had ingredients I've never used, like soy sauce. Soy sauce, in a Peruvian recipe? Not my style, but go for it if you want to.

This is the Pollo Saltado I made last week. It takes quite of bit of chopping and stir-frying, something I don't have time for these days.

This is the trouble-maker who is helping me simplify my recipes.

These are my last two babies. If you had told me, after Julia was born, that I would have two more children - a girl and a boy! - I'd have thought you were nuts. Oh thank the Lord for for His good plans!

Deconstructed Pollo Saltado. SO MUCH EASIER than the stir-fried version, though I must admit not quite as yummy. Close, though.

Recipe:

First, make your rice. I'm not going to tell you how to do this. However, I recommend brown rice.

Then, scrub your potatoes for Home Fries. I used 3 large russets. Pierce the potatoes and microwave on High until done. Slice them into thin (but not too thin) wedges, and fry them in olive oil till brown and crispy. This takes a surprisingly long time, at least 5 minutes per side. Turn potatoes to crisp both sides. Salt and pepper to taste.

While potatoes and rice are cooking, get your chicken ready:

4 chicken thighs (with the skin removed)
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 T. aji panca chili paste, or one diced fresh chili
dash of hot red pepper (to taste, I like it spicy)

Blend the spices together and rub onto skinless chicken pieces.
Grill till done (170 degrees internal temp). On my grill, at medium high heat, this takes about 15 minutes per side.

While chicken is grilling, prep your other veggies:

1 onion (I use red onions all the time, as they're supposed to be highest in antioxidants).
1-2 tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Slice the onion and tomatoes into chunky wedges. Slice the green pepper however you want to.
Smash the garlic cloves with the side of a big knife, take off the peel, and chop it up.
Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large skillet, add onions, stir-fry till onions are clear.
Add tomatoes and pepper, stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
Add garlic and stir till that is done, about 1 minute.
If you like (this is from the online recipe, but I didn't do this step) add 1 T. vinegar, 1 T. honey, and 1 T. soy sauce to the veggies. The online recipe had these ingredients in a marinade for the chicken, but I didn't have time for that.
Salt to taste if you like.

While you're busy with the veggies, you're going to have to be watching and turning the potatoes. You may have to make them in batches. So I hope you have help with the chicken on the grill. At this point it should be done.

To serve:

Adjust seasonings (salt and pepper)

Scoop some rice onto the plate
Get the chicken off the grill, place it on the rice
Add the veggies and the hot fries to the plate.

This recipe served two adults and two children. 

Enjoy! Peruvian food is the best in the world. 

Chicken Chilaquile Casserole

If I had to give up one kind of cuisine, it would probably be Mexican.  (I could never give up Peruvian or Chinese). But sometimes I am hungry for nothing else but this cheesy, delicious casserole, adapted from Sara Foster's cookbook.  Since I'm pregnant, I cut back on the spicy salsa, but you can tweak it to your taste.

8-10 5 1/2 inch corn tortillas, cut into quarters and toasted in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes
1 cup of your favorite salsa
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 8-oz. package of cream cheese, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh black pepper
3-4 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

Stir together the salsa, cilantro, scallions, cream cheese, feta, sour cream, milk, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Fold in the shredded chicken and mix well.

Combine the Monterey Jack cheese and the Cheddar in a separate bowl, mix.

Arrange half of the tortilla wedges in the bottom of a casserole dish (the recipe calls for 9x13, but I use a 7x10). Spread half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas.  Sprinkle half the cheese over the chicken mixture.

Repeat with remaining tortillas, chicken and cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for about 35 minutes until the dish is bubbling and golden brown.  Serve immediately.

(Block cheese that you grate yourself will be better than the already-grated stuff in bags.  It melts better).

I usually just slice fruit to serve with this.  Lately our favorite beverage has been ice-cold club soda with a squeeze of lime.  It's perfect with this meal.