Before Summer Goes….

This summer has gone by way too fast. After too short a vacation, I’m preparing to get back in the classroom this fall. I’m always excited about teaching, but I can’t help wishing that August would start moving just a little bit slower. However, since that doesn’t seem likely, I figured I’d better share with you a couple of dishes that can only be made in the next few weeks, before all the delicious summer produce dries up.

First up, this delicious, unusual take on Shrimp and Grits that I found over at “In Sock Monkey Slippers” spices things up with a little chorizo and makes great use of all of the best summer veggies. The original recipe calls for cherry tomatoes, baby squash and fresh corn, and I decided to add a few pods of thinly sliced okra. This was light and refreshing, and perfect topped with a generous splash of Texas Pete hot sauce.

The original recipe calls for using goat cheese in the polenta, and I’m sure that would be delicious and make it extra creamy, but I had a hunk of gruyère I needed to use, so I went with that instead.

My other summer treat to share is a delicious, seasonal peach pie. I love peaches so much, but it can be so hard to find good ones! It seems like whenever I buy them, they get mushy and mealy on the outside before they get ripe in the middle. Last week, I bought some local, farm-fresh peaches from our farmers’ market, and while I was tempted to just eat them plain or spooned over Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey and almonds, I decided to be sweet to my sweetie and bake a pie for TH instead.

This is the first pie I’ve ever made where the crust didn’t shrink! I have no proof of this, though, because I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. This pie is like biting into summer. The sweet peaches are practically au naturel, with only a couple of spoonfuls of brown sugar and flour added to create the filling. The crust and crumble are both rich and buttery. I used this Brown Eyed Baker recipe for the filling and crumble, but I used my favorite pie crust recipe from Dorie Greenspan. This pie is perfect at any temperature, but we like it best slightly warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

I’ll close up by encouraging y’all to head out to your markets to get the ingredients for these delightful dishes today, before summer slips through your fingers.

Bon Appétit,

K

Creamy Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas

Oh friends!

I am so far behind and out of date on this blog. I have been cooking and photographing up a storm, I promise you; I’m just a little behind on the writing and posting. The following dish is something I made last month, but it’s actually a good one to feature as summer wanes and we all start back to school (yikes! how is that even happening?), because it’s quick, easy and filling.

This recipe for Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Salsa Verde is another delectable concoction from the amazing Gina at Skinny Taste. I really love her recipes. These enchiladas may be healthy, but they are still backed with gooey, cheesy, creamy goodness. The Salsa Verde sauce was so delicious that I just wanted to slurp it up with a spoon. The Enchiladas had a nice bit of heat, because I used fresh jalapeno rather than jarred, but you could tone down the heat or leave the jalapenos out entirely if you like things a little less spicy.

As a bonus, this recipe makes a 9X13 casserole. This is great if you have a crowd to feed (or if you just have a very hungry spouse like I do). I served these with a feta, avocado and green onion slaw. TH ate two or three helpings, and asked if I could send the leftovers in his lunch the next day.

You can find the recipe here on Gina’s site, as well as a much more appetizing photograph. About the only changes I made (besides the jalapenos) were being a little more heavy handed with the cheese (couldn’t help myself) and cutting the chicken bouillon down to half a cube. I think if I make these again, I might even try preparing them with the homemade flour tortillas I’ve been making recently.

Anyway, definitely give these enchiladas a try the next time you have a tex-mex craving to satisfy. You won’t regret it.

Bon Appétit,

K

Spicy Zucchini Butter

Readers,

I’m about to let you in on my secret culinary shame. I am not the kind of cook I would like to be. What kind of cook is that? The kind that can open a fridge at 4:30 on a Friday night, just before happy hour, and pull out a hunk of good cheese, some forgotten produce, some country bread or dried fruit or other odds and ends, and suddenly whip up last minute spread of dips and canapés to serve to the neighbors. My mother is capable of this kind of culinary miracle, and I envy her.

I, unfortunately, am a planner. If we’re having a casual get together, I normally spend the week before planning out what nibbles I’ll make and how each one fits into a complex plan of fridge, oven and stove space. This limitation of mine is especially irritating in the summer, when all the fresh vegetables and fruit flooding the market should make this kind of easy, breezy cooking utterly simple. I had resigned myself to my anti-Ina Garten lifestyle until today, when I made this:

This is zucchini butter, and I’m probably not lying when I say I might not eat anything else until October. This recipe is not, of course, my own idea. My friend G, a phenomenal cook herself, had told me that she’d been making it and eating it slathered on toast with reckless abandon. So, I googled “zucchini butter” and found about 1/2 a dozen recipes (including this one, which as far as I can tell is the original), all fundamentally the same. I then went to the market and bought some zucchini for the express purpose of giving it a whirl.

Ok, ok, so the above description certainly doesn’t qualify as spontaneity– I’ll give you that. Still, this delicious treat feels like the kind of no-effort inspired nibble I could pull out at the last minute if I were that kind of cook. And I can claim a little bit of innovation when it comes to this spread. As I chopped up the shallots and garlic to make my first batch, I thought of how nice it might be to make something with a little bit of kick. I grabbed half a fresh jalapeno, minced it in with the shallots and garlic, and did not regret the decision as I took my first bite slathered on crusty ciabatta bread.

Because my gluttony knows no bounds, I toasted up a second slice, spread generously with zucchini butter and topped it with fresh mozzarella cheese. After sending it through the oven (giving the mozzarella a chance to get all gooey), I sat down and crunched into the most satisfying lunch I’ve had all summer.

So here’s to summer cooking, whether premeditated or spur of the moment. If you feel like dropping by this weekend, I still can’t promise you a spread of clever and creative antipasti, but if you get here in the next 2 hours (before I go dig in the fridge and eat the rest of the batch), I might just be able to promise a taste of zucchini butter.

Spicy Zucchini Butter

(very slightly adapted from this recipe by LA caterer Jennie Cooke)

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, minced

2 medium zucchini

salt to taste

1) Using a box grater or a food processor, coarsely grate zucchini and set aside for 3-4 minutes. You can also squeeze the zucchini in a kitchen towel or blot it with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

2) Meanwhile, melt butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add shallots, jalapeno and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until aromatics begin to soften and color.

3) Add zucchini, and continue cooking until vegetables cook down and caramelize, acquiring a spread-like consistency (about 15-20 minutes). Remember to stir mixture frequently, although if you let it cook and stick to the pan just a little, you will get some lovely extra-caramelized bits in the final product. Remove from heat, add salt to taste and stir.

4) Spread on grilled or toasted bread, top with mozzarella or ricotta (or anything else, really) and enjoy.

Spinach Beet Salad with Sesame Peanut Dressing

Readers,

I am here today to change your mind about one of the most maligned and misunderstood vegetables out there– beets. Personally, I like to think of them as nature’s candy; they’re simultaneously sweet and earthy, and they’re a nutritional power house.

I can understand why so many people dislike them, since most are only familiar with the canned variety, but I’m here to convince you that there is a whole other world outside that little tin, and it is delicious! I promise you that fresh roasted beets are miles away from anything you’ve passed up on the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday.

Until recently, beets were something I mostly enjoyed at restaurants. I was, for some reason, intimidated about the idea of preparing them at home. They seemed so bulky, and I didn’t want my kitchen to look like a crime scene from all the beet juice. In retrospect, this was very silly, because cooking beets at home couldn’t be easier. You roast them in the oven just as you would a baked potato, and while the juice certainly is vibrant, it washes off of cutting boards and knives fairly easily (just be careful not to get any on your clothes! Aprons are a must).

Another great thing about beets? You can eat the whole plant, which makes them even more versatile. Not only are the roots great as a side, but you can make excellent use of the leafy green tops, whether cooked or raw. That’s where this salad comes in. Dark leafy greens (including beet greens) and beautiful ruby beet roots tossed in a delicious and slightly spicy peanut-sesame dressing. The inspiration comes from Jan over at beets and blue cheese (can you tell she’s a fellow beet lover and beet evangelist?). I changed up her version a little bit by adding some spinach and some whole beets to her purely beet green original, and I also changed the dressing a little to suit our tastes.

Y’all, this salad was an epiphany for me. Truly. I am not ashamed to say that I gobbled down almost the entire plateful for dinner, all the while greedily wishing there had been more. The dressing really ties everything together and the sesame seeds add a pleasant crunch.

My way of preparing beets for this salad also includes a trick I learned from Bon Appetit for those who don’t like beets due to their mushy texture. After roasting the beets, I heat some olive oil in a cast iron skillet and, once the pan is very hot, I toss in the beets. This gives you a seared, crunchy outside and a soft center, providing some great contrast.

So, in closing, do yourselves a favor and make this salad. My version is below, or you can click the link below for Jan’s original, but whatever you do, don’t wait another day to jump on the beets band wagon.

Spinach Beet Salad with Sesame-Peanut Dressing

(slightly adapted from Chopped Beet Green Salad with Spicy Peanut-Ginger Dressing at Beets and Blue Cheese)

For the Dressing:

1 1/2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp water

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. chipotle sauce (found with Latin American products in the grocery store, this is just the sauce, and not the peppers canned in adobo sauce. You could also probably use sriracha)

1 1/2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter

1 large clove fresh garlic, grated

 

For the Salad:

One bunch beet greens, washed and stalks removed

2 large handfuls baby spinach

1-2 beet roots, quartered

3 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, lightly toasted

 

1) To prepare the beet roots, Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash beet roots well, drizzle with 1/2 Tbsp. of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap each root separately in aluminum foil, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast for 40-50 minutes or until soft in the center. Allow beets to cool, then peel off skin. set aside

2) in the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing.

3) Thinly slice beet greens. Add beet greens and spinach to bowl on top of dressing.

4) To finish preparing the beet roots, heat remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat. Once pan is very hot, add beets and allow to cook until caramelized, about 2-3 minutes per side. Turn off heat and allow beets to cool slightly before placing them in the bowl with the other salad ingredients.

5) Toss greens and beets with dressing to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately.

 

 

B’stilla and a Blueberry Roulade

Bonjour tout le monde!

While we’re on a roll with pot pies and pot lucks, I thought I’d share two dishes I made for a potluck just this past month, one of which just happens to be a North African take on chicken pot pie! Both recipes came from Dorie Greenspan’s amazing Around My French Table. For that reason, I won’t be sharing the actual recipes, just my high praise for the results, so that you’ll hopefully head over to Amazon and buy a copy for yourself!

B’stilla, sometimes written Pastilla, is a traditional Moroccan dish comprised of a creamy chicken filling encased in a flaky phyllo dough crust. Flavored with honey, almonds and cinnamon, it hits the perfect notes of sucré-salé.

Dorie is right when she says this recipe is a show stopper. It can be made almost entirely ahead of time and it bakes up pretty as can be. While the process for making it is a little long, no part of it is particularly difficult. The hardest part was layering the sheets of phyllo dough without ripping them, and even that was accomplished with the bare minimum of frustrated outbursts, considering that dough was involved.

The chicken thighs for the filling can marinate anywhere from an hour to overnight in a mixture of onions, garlic and spices before you move them to the stove, at which point they simmer for another hour until they’re fall-off-the-bone tender. The most interesting part of the recipe comes when you whisk a combination of honey and beaten eggs into the filling to create a creamy, dreamy mix.

Assembling the tart involves brushing sheets of phyllo with plenty of butter and layering them to create a lovely crust for the filling. The whole shebang gets dusted with cinnamon sugar and baked to a flaky golden brown. Yum!

But wait, save room for dessert, because I also whipped up a roulade with a blueberry mascarpone filling from Dorie’s wonderful dessert section:

Roulades start with a light, airy sponge cake made from whipped egg whites, sugar, flour and a bit of cornstarch. The batter is spread out onto a rimmed baking sheet, and after a quick trip through the oven the finished cake gets rolled up in a kitchen towel while still warm, which helps it hold its shape once its filled.

You can fill a roulade with just about anything. Dorie’s version calls for a luscious, luxurious mix of mascarpone, whipped cream and plump, sweet blueberries. A dusting of powdered sugar is all this lovely cake needs to be table ready.

Both of these were really delicious, so do yourself a favor and get your hands on the book today!

 

Creamy Mushroom and Leek Chicken Pot Pie

Hello Dear Readers!

I know what you’re thinking— chicken pot pie in the middle of July? Ms. Dissertation Brain has finally lost it. Sadly, I can’t use that as an excuse because last week I handed in my committee- approved dissertation to the Graduate School! In celebration of the culminating achievement of 6 years of my adult life’s work, I am planning to get back to blogging in a big way. This is the first of several posts I hope to write in the coming weeks, but since I’m still working my way through a culinary backlog, I’m bringing you this delicious chicken pot pie I photographed in March— or was it April? The last 6 months have been a bit of a blur.

Anyway, what matters is this pie. I have never liked chicken pot pie. It’s not something I ever ate growing up, so my only references for the dish were frozen or fast food versions, which conjure up visions of overly salty pastry, mushy frozen vegetables, and chunks of weirdly spongy chicken. All of that changed when I found this recipe from cooking light. Looking for comfort food to keep us warm in an unusually cool spring, and noting the fact that it made use of my favorite under-appreciated aromatic, leeks, I put it on the weekly menu plan. Such a good decision.

 

The pie in the picture is actually the second incarnation of this dish. After we devoured one at home, I made the pie again for our church potluck. I’m so sorry that this photo doesn’t show the tasty filling, but I didn’t think our church family would be too happy if I brought the dish with a big spoonful missing merely for the sake of a blog post. While the base recipe seemed pretty good, I tweeked this a bit both times I made it and, not to pat myself on the back too much, but I think the modified version is even better.

Part of that is probably due to my decision to remove the “light” from the equation by substituting all-butter puff pastry for the store bought pie crust the recipe originally recommended. My feelings are, if you’re going to eat pastry, at least make it the real deal instead of partially-hydrogenated oils and chemicals, but if you want something a little less rich you could certainly use a ready made pie crust.

I try to tell myself I made up for the butter-laced gluttony by adding extra veggies to the filling. I’m not sure the math quite works out, but hey, there’s a reason my PhD is in French. I added some mushrooms to the filling because mushrooms and leeks are always a winning combination. I also added some garlic and rosemary, thinking they would go well with the chicken and potatoes.

You can click the link above for the original recipe, or see below for my modified version

Creamy Mushroom and Leek Chicken Pot Pie

(adapted from Cooking Light August 2012)

2 slices center-cut bacon

1/2 lb. red potatoes, cubed

1 cup chopped carrot

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

3 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

3 cups sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only, about 2)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

14 oz frozen all-butter puff pastry, thawed

1 large egg +1 Tbsp water or milk

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450

1) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon to pan and cook until almost crisp. Remove bacon from pan and coarsely chop.

2) Add potatoes and carrots to bacon drippings in pan (you may also need to add a little olive oil to keep things from burning and sticking, depending on the fattiness of your bacon), sauté 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic to pan and sauté 30 seconds.

3) Add chicken to pan, sauté 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in rosemary, flour, leeks, salt and pepper. Sauté 1 minute, stirring frequently.

4) Slowly add the chicken broth to the pan and bring mixture to a boil while stirring continuously. Cook two minutes or until filling has thickened slightly. Spoon mixture into a 7X11 glass or ceramic baking dish. Top with puff pastry dough, folding under to seal.

5) Wisk together egg and water, brush over top of pastry. Cut small slits in dough to vent. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

 

Raspberry Chocolate Tartelettes

This post is a little bit of a cheat. I actually made these sweet little gems last year, and just never got around to posting them. I figured with raspberries at their peak, now would be the perfect time to break out this recipe.

Dark Chocolate and Raspberry is one of my favorite combinations. These individual tartelettes feature a nutty cinnamon spiced crust, a quick jammy filling made from fresh raspberries, sugar and vanilla, and a drizzle of bittersweet chocolate on top. They’re rich without being heavy, and the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon cup of tea.

Recipe:

Spiced Tart Dough (From Dorie Greenspan’s Baking, My Home to Yours recipe available here

Filling:

6 oz fresh raspberries

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Chocolate drizzle

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

 

Instructions:

On a well floured surface, roll out chilled tart dough to about 1/2″ thick. Cut into circles to fit 6 miniature tart pans. Draping dough over rolling pin, carefully fit into well greased tartelette pans. Place pieces of foil over each crust, weigh down with dried beans, rice or pie weights. Place tartelette pans on a cookie sheet, and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove crusts from oven, remove foil, and return to oven for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack to cool.

In a small saucepan, lightly mash raspberries and combine with sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture has a mostly smooth, jammy consistency. Turn off heat and stir in vanilla extract. Carefully divide raspberry filling equally between prepared crusts. Cool.

In a double boiler, combine chocolate and butter. wisk until melted and smooth. Drizzle chocolate mixture over tartelettes.

Lamb and feta pizzas

Another long hiatus due to my many months of toil– but now it’s summer and I can squeeze in a few more updates. Spring and summer always get me excited to cook again, due to all the fresh produce hitting the market. I decided to use some fresh herbs to “Green up” these lamb pizzas from Food and Wine magazine.

These tasty beauties are typical Turkish street food and feature a whole wheat crust and ground lamb cooked with sun-dried tomatoes and spicy peppers, all topped off with salty feta and a sprinkle of mint and cilantro.

The magazine recipe includes the steps for a homemade crust, but I cut down the prep time on a busy weeknight by picking up a pound of whole wheat dough from our Farmers’ Market. While the original recipe was dairy free and called for adding an egg on top of the flat breads, I made the executive decision that everything is better with cheese and topped them off with a generous crumble of goat’s milk feta. I also sprinkled everything with a generous dusting of sumac, which is a middle-eastern spice with a slightly limey/citrus flavor.

As an added bonus, these come together very quickly. Just whip up a green salad for a weeknight meal. Since I didn’t really make any significant changes to the recipe, I’ll just give you the link here so that you can whip up your own Turkish street food.

 

eggplant and sausage penne

Among the very few things Tall Husband won’t eat, eggplant tops the list. This fact repeatedly breaks my little aubergine-loving heart, since I can think of few things more perfect than a big pot of ratatouille, some spicy schezuan style eggplant, or a good old fashioned eggplant parmesan. Luckily, we have church potluck once a month, allowing me to cook tasty eggplant dishes like this eggplant and sausage penne for a more appreciative audience.

The original version of this recipe, from Emeril Lagasse is pretty elaborate and time consuming, so I made a few adjustments to try and cut down on some of the prep. It’s still not a quick dish, per se, but it makes a huge amount and is perfect when you’ve got a crowd to feed. I have to say this was a seriously tasty concoction. Tall Husband even ate some and admitted that with all the sausage and cheesy goodness, he barely noticed the eggplant.

You can find the original version on the Food Network website, or see below for my more streamlined take on things. Health Food it’s not… Comfort Food it is, but with the winter we’ve been having this year, I can think of few things better than curling up with a warm, comforting, gooey plate of pasta. Enjoy!

Eggplant and Sausage Baked Penne

(Adapted from Emeril Lagasse’s recipe for Food Network)

Ingredients:

For the Eggplant:

1 large eggplant, cut into cubes

1/4 cup olive oil

salt

fresh ground black pepper

For the Red Sauce:

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb hot or sweet Italian sausage (I used hot), removed from casings

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 (28 oz can) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 cup pitted kalamata or other black olive, coarsely chopped

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

For the White Sauce:

2 Tbsp. Butter

2 Tbsp. Flour

2 cups milk (2% or whole)

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Remaining Ingredients:

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

8 oz ziti, penne, or other pasta, cooked according to package directions and drained

1 1/2 cups grated whole milk mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a deep dish 9X13 pan and set aside

2) In a large bowl, mix cubed eggplant with 1/4 cup of oil, salt and pepper. Pour onto a greased or foil lined baking sheet, roast in over for 30-40 minutes or until softened and beginning to char. Remove from oven and set aside

3) While eggplant is roasting, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add onion and sausage to pan and cook until sausage is browned and onion soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

4) Add tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes. Next, add the crushed tomatoes, dried basil and oregano, black olives, 1 tsp salt and the crushed red pepper. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. Remove the sauce from the heat, stir in the fresh basil, taste and adjust seasonings as needed (you may need more dried herbs or red pepper)

5) To make the white sauce, melt butter in a large saucepan. Slowly add flour, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Cook for about 2 minutes, until lightly brown. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking frequently, until sauce is thickened and smooth, approximately 4 minutes. Remove from heat and season to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

6) To assemble the casserole, layer half the cubed eggplant in the bottom of the deep dish 9X 13 pan. Top with half of cooked pasta, then half of the sausage/tomato sauce mixture. Repeat layers, then top with all of the white sauce. Sprinkle top of casserole with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

7) Bake, covered with foil, for 40 minutes, then uncovered for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Note: Casserole can be assembled with night before, refrigerated overnight, and then baked the next morning. This is what I did, which may be why my baking time was about an hour. Some reviewers of the recipe said it was done sooner, around the 40 minute mark, so just keep an eye on things.

 

pork tinga tacos

Recently, I was in Chicago for the MLA annual convention. While I was less than excited about the temperatures, I was excited to get out of the hotel and have some culinary adventures, because Chicago is a food-lovers town!

One of the spots I was most hoping to check out was Rick Bayless’s Frontera Grill, located just a few miles from where I was staying. I’ve already featured my spin on his creamy chicken tacos on this blog, and I couldn’t wait to eat his innovative yet authentic Mexican recipes at the source. The first night we were in town, a couple of similarly food-nerd friends and I went to the restaurant with high hopes and visions of mole dancing in our heads. Quelle horreur! They were closed!

The next day I had lunch with my friend from college, MB, who is now a permanent Chicago resident. I told her of my Mexican food-related trials and tribulations, and she clued me in that there was also a Rick Bayless restaurant in the Chicago airport. Since I didn’t have time to get back to Frontera Grill during my too short stay, I kept my fingers crossed that I’d have time to grab a quick bite at the O’Hare outpost.

Unfortunately, the Rick Bayless restaurant was in a different terminal than the one I was flying out of, so I never did get that part of my Chicago experience, but I vowed to myself that as soon as I got home, I would be putting some more Rick Bayless recipes on our home menu. Enter these Pork Tinga Tacos:

This is one of those amazing recipes with short prep and big reward. I spent about 20 minutes in the morning browning the meat and chopping some onions, potatoes and garlic, then I threw the whole thing in my slow-cooker to simmer away until dinner time. What I love about Rick Bayless recipes (from my experience with them so far, anyway), is that the ingredients lists stay pretty short and sweet, but the flavors always manage to be complex and fantastic.

This pork tinga packs a big umami punch with tomatoes and worcestershire sauce, and has added heat from chipotle peppers, adobo sauce and spicy chorizo sausage. To cool things down, you top them off with some creamy avocado and fresh cotija cheese. The one change I made to the recipe was to use a pork tenderloin where pork shoulder was called for 1) because it was on sale and 2) because anyone who has every grocery shopped knows it’s impossible to buy a 1lb pork shoulder, and I didn’t want a lot of leftovers in the freezer.

Rick suggests serving it with soft corn tortillas on his website, but I’m a sucker for the crunchy variety that also just happened to be on sale at the grocery store, so that’s what I used. You can find the recipe on the Rick Bayless website, along with plenty of other delectable looking Mexican dishes.