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I've really been living up to the name of this blog. I haven't cooked ANYTHING since my enchilada extravaganza of Monday night. (Mmmm...that sounds good for dinner. I wonder if my leftovers are still safe to eat...) In fact, I can't recall making or even eating anything at all this week...until last night.
I was fortunate enough to be invited to a friend's house for a little dinner party in honor of a fancy, brand-spanking-new oven! It was super fun and we ate and drank very well. If memory serves, we drank 1 bottle of Grüner Veltiner, 1 bottle of red from Haut Medoc, 1 bottle of red from Priorat, 1 bottle of red from Gigondas...I'm probably forgetting something. (It's all kind of blurring together right now.) We also snacked on olives, Marcona almonds, guacamole, and ham croqeutas before a fabulous shrimp and andouille paella with sauteed dandelion greens on the side. We finished it all off with a tangy lemon tart. I stumbled home without any new recipes, but I did remember to take a few photos. If only they were scratch and sniff...
In a continuing effort to empty my freezer, which has been overrun with staples like Aquavit and Parmesan cheese rinds, I came up with the perfect solution for the frozen corn tortillas (leftover from Cinco de Mayo) and a cooked whole breast of turkey (leftover from Thanksgiving) that have been stashed there for the last few months. Enchiladas! Please. You can totally make this. It's less a recipe than simple assembly. If you can put together Ikea furniture, you can do this.
All you need is corn tortillas, chicken or turkey, salsa, and cheese. For real. You don't even have to roast the chicken or turkey first. Just buy a cooked rotisserie chicken from your butcher or supermarket. Shred it, wrap it up, and throw the whole thing in the oven. The end. I wish I had thought to make a margarita or three, so you might want to pair it with a Wrinkly Slut, because, well, why wouldn't you?
Easy Enchiladas Verdes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cooked turkey or chicken
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups packed grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 (7-ounce) can sliced jalapeño peppers
1 (16-ounce) jar tomatillo salsa
Sour cream for serving (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Using tongs, add 1 tortilla and cook until softened, turning once, about 15 seconds for each side. Transfer the tortilla to paper towels and drain well. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
2. In a medium bowl toss the turkey (or chicken) with the oregano, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of the cheese.
3. Spoon 1/2 cup tomatillo salsa into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Add about a 1/3 cup chicken and cheese mixture to the center of 1 tortilla. Top with a few slices of jalapeño peppers. Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down in the prepared dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, chicken and cheese mixture, and jalapeños. Pour the remaining salsa over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese and top with any remaining jalapeño slices.
4. Bake the enchiladas until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes. Serve hot, with sour cream, if desired. Serves four.
Individual Flourless Chocolate Cakes
(Adapted from Everyday Food)
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ice cream or whipped cream, for serving (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Place four (6 to 8-ounce) ovenproof bowls on a baking sheet. Set aside.
2. Place the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and mix in 2 tablespoons of the sugar, then stir in the egg yolks and vanilla. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer (or in the bowl of a standing mixer), beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Continue beating and gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Beat until the mixture is stiff and glossy, about 3 minutes.
4. Using a rubber spatula, mix about 1/3 of the egg-white mixture into the chocolate mixture. Gently fold in the remaining egg-white mixture just until combined. Divide among the bowls. (Cakes can be prepared in advance up to this point; cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate up to 1 day.)
5. Bake until the tops are puffed and cracked but the insides are still soft (a toothpick inserted in center will come out gooey), 20 to 25 minutes, or 25 to 30 minutes if the cakes were previously refrigerated. Serve warm or at room temperature (puddings will sink as they cool), topped with ice cream or whipped cream if desired. Makes four cakes.
In honor of the official New York City Public Schools Snow Day (and my office closing early at 2:00 pm!) I had to make snowball cookies. I remember having snow days when I was growing up so was totally jealous of all of the school closings this morning. Sleeping in...watching daytime TV...pelting your brother with snowballs...drinking hot cocoa...Some years were better than others. The superintendent from California? Score! Two inches of snow would yield an immediate school closing. The superintendent from Minnesota? Not so much. What's a snow day? Two FEET of snow were meaningless.
To be honest this "blizzard" has been a bit of a dud. I expected at least a foot of snow by now. (Get a load of it here.) But I've learned to get used to disappointment when it comes to a NYC snowstorm (except for the occasional STORM OF THE CENTURY). What generally happens with a New York City "snow storm" is that transportation gets all effed up and then you're stuck dodging giant puddles surrounded by thick black slush for the next week. It looks pretty at first and then you just want it gone.
With snow on the brain I couldn't get home fast enough to make my snowball cookies (or Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies or whatever you call them) because I never got around to making my 85 batches of Christmas cookies this year. Annoyingly, I was out of powdered sugar. I quickly discovered on my trek back out into the snow that no grocery store in my hood keeps it in stock. The 24 hour corner bodega, however? Stockpiled. (I guess you never know when you might need it at 3:00 am.) What I should have done is made a bunch of actual snowballs to store in my freezer until July. But then again the snow hasn't melted...yet.
Snowball Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 sifted confectioners sugar, plus additional for rolling cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
1. Beat together the butter and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium high speed (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla, flour, and salt and mix at low speed until combined. Add the nuts and mix until just combined. Chill, covered, at least 1 - 2 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Let the dough stand at room temperature until just pliable, about 15 minutes. Roll heaping teaspoons of dough into (1-inch) balls and arrange about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake until set, but not brown, and the bottoms are pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Sift an additional 2 - 3 cups confectioners sugar into a large bowl. Immediately transfer the hot cookies to the confectioners sugar. Gently roll the cookies in the sugar to coat well, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Roll the cooled cookies in the confectioners sugar for a second time to coat completely. Makes about 36 cookies.
I'm still trying to use up all of the random crap that's been hanging around in my cupboards. (I also had to head out of town and didn't want to purchase any perishables that may have had the opportunity to turn into an unwanted science experiment while I was away.) The ingredients in this recipe are not unlike those in the red lentil dal that I made last week. You may think that I am boring. I think that I'm economical...and kind of stuck in a rut. But it's tasty, so enjoy! 
Curry Spiced Lentils with Cashews
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder or garam masala
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup chopped cashews (roasted and unsalted)
1 cup dried French green (Le Puy) lentils, washed and picked over
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup yogurt, for garnish
1/4 cup chopped parsley, for garnish
Cooked Basmati or Jasmine rice, if desired
1. Place a large pot over medium heat. Add the butter and once it is melted and foamy add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the spice blend (curry or garam masala) and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until it darkens, 2 - 3 minutes.
2. Add the cashews and stir to coat them in the onion mixture. Add the lentils and enough water to cover by an inch.
3. Bring the lentil mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, simmering until the beans are soft, 20 to 30 minutes. (Add additional water if the mixture begins to dry out.) When the lentils are cooked through and the mixture has thickened, stir in 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve, over rice, if desired, garnished with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of parsley. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
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