Gomen Besiga: Ethiopian Collard Greens with Lamb

With a dinner party planned and about eight pounds of Portuguese kale waiting to be harvested from my garden, I couldn’t wait to make Gomen Besiga. Our variety of kale is very similar to the collard greens in this dish, but the leaves are much larger and have less ribs, which make them much so much easier to clean and process. Yay!

So what is Gomen Besiga? It’s an Ethiopian dish that hits the soul-food spot with its spicy braised greens and lamb instead of ham hock. The dish is wonderful served on its own over injera or even better with a few side dishes. If you don't know where to get some of these ingredients, check out my previous blog post on how to acquire them. 

We served our Gomen Besiga to our happy guests with Doro Wot (a spicy chicken stew), Kik Alicha (yellow split peas), and a side salad with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, serrano peppers, danish white cheese, and Italian dressing. We ate every bite on our plates  because it was so delicious! Somehow we saved room for dessert and had a little honey wine and baklava. How perfect is that for a dinner party?

So if you’re wanting to throw a party yourself, but say you desire less meat, consider other recipes from my blog as well. All can be made vegan without altering the amazing good flavor, including mesir wot (the vegetarian version of doro wot) and gomen (the vegetarian version of gomen besiga). 

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Gomen Besiga: Ethiopian Collard Greens with Lamb

Time: 1 Hour
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
2 lbs collard greens or kale, rinsed and chopped
1 cup yellow onions, chopped
¼ cup niter Kibbeh
½ tsp nigella seeds
1 tbsp ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb boneless leg of lamb, cubed into ½ inch pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
4 to 6 serrano peppers (less for mild), chopped
4 medium scallions, chopped
¼ tsp berbere
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp fenugreek or methi leaves

Injera, to serve

Directions
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, add collard greens and wilt over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In another large skillet or Dutch oven, heat niter kibbeh over medium-high heat. Add onions and nigella seeds and sauté until onions are soft, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Increase heat to medium-high, add lamb, season with salt and pepper, and stir until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add reserved collard greens, bell peppers, serranos, scallions, berbere, turmeric, and fenugreek and stir. Then add 1.5 cups hot water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cover partially with a lid, stirring occasionally for about 40-45 minutes, until water is fully absorbed and greens are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve over injera! 

Koshary: Egyptian Rice, Pasta, and Lentils with a Tomato Garlic Sauce

I love to travel through food because I can’t possibly travel around the world as much as I want to. So after watching Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservation’s episode in Cairo, it’s only natural that I wanted to make an Egyptian staple: Koshary!

This stuff is full of carbo-loading deliciousness and it’s also vegan! But if you want extra protein, it tastes wonderful with a fried egg. I definitely plan to eat this a few nights in a row before my next marathon run!

Koshary: Egyptian Rice, Pasta, and Lentils with Tomato Garlic Sauce

Time: 1 Hour
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
4 tbsp vinegar, divided
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup basmati rice, washed to remove excess starch
2 oz spaghetti
1 cup macaroni
1 cup brown (or green) lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 cups canola oil
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water

Directions
Add chickpeas, 2 tbsp vinegar, coriander, cayenne, cumin, and ginger to a large bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.

Prepare your rice in a rice cooker, or alternatively, in a medium saucepan, bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Add basmati rice and stir. When water returns to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cover for 15 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and transfer to chickpea mixture, stirring to combine. 

While rice cooks, combine lentils and 4 cups water in a medium saucepan with 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer stirring occasionally, until lentils are al dente and almost tender, about 18 minutes. Drain and transfer to bowl with rice and chickpea mixture. Stir to combine.

Bring a pot of boiling salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and macaroni, and boil for 9-10 minutes, until al dente. Drain and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, add flour and season with salt and pepper. Lightly coat onion slices in flour and set aside on another plate. 

In a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion slices and fry in batches until brown and crisp, being careful not to overcrowd skillet. Remove from skillet with tongs and blot on paper towels. Set onions aside and reserve 2 tbsp oil.

Heat reserved oil in another medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add minced onion and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add tomato sauce and vinegar and simmer until sauce reduces, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, divide pasta between bowls. Top with rice, lentil, and chickpea mixture. Ladle over tomato sauce and garnish with fried onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and maybe even a little extra vinegar if you’re into that! Oh, and maybe a little chili garlic sauce or sriracha :)

Potato, Chorizo, and Green Chili Tacos OR Burritos

Last night I asked Adrian what he wanted for dinner and he said BURRITOS!!! Yes, he said it in all caps and definitely with three exclamation marks. But I was feeling tacos. So what did we do? We made the same filling for two different purposes and the result is spectacular!

While chorizo isn’t the healthiest option, at 4-6 servings, you’re not eating way too much of it, AND, you get a heaping serving of amazing nutrition between the potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and avocado. So you don’t have to feel too guilty on this one, especially if you limit your tacos to 2, or your burrito to a medium tortilla.

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Potato, Chorizo and Green Chili Tacos OR Burritos!

Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
3 medium red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 medium poblano or ahaheim chili pepper, thinly sliced
2 hot chili peppers (e.g. serrano or mix of serrano and red jalapeño)
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
12 oz Mexican chorizo, beef or pork
2 tsp cumin
Juice of 1 lime

Tortillas of Choice
4 whole wheat flour tortillas
OR
12 6-inch corn tortillas

Fillings of choice
2 roma tomatoes, chopped into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 Avocado, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 small white onion, chopped fine
1/2 Avocado, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cotija cheese (queso anejo)
1/4 cup Roasted tomato salsa
Hot sauce, of choice
1 large lime, cut into 4-6 wedges

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and boil for 7-8 minutes, until softened, but still al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high eat. Add onions and poblanos, and stir, until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a a heavy skillet, heat chorizo over medium-high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon to break up until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Reserving oil in the pan, transfer chorizo with a slotted spoon to the onions and peppers. Remove chorizo mixture from heat.

Heat chorizo oil over medium-high heat and add potatoes and cumin. Stir to combine.Cook for about 5-6 minutes, until potatoes are crisp, adding more oil if necessary. Remove from heat and transfer potatoes when done to chorizo mixture.

Reheat chorizo mixture. Add juice of 1 lime, and stir to combine. Remove from heat.

Prepare tortillas of your choice: warm your corn our flour tortillas in the microwave or very cautiously over your burner. You can also fry your corn tortillas in olive oil over medium-high heat: 30-60 seconds on each side, until crisp, and blot on paper towels.

Fill tortillas of choice with chorizo mixture. Then top with your favorite fillings, squeezing lime wedges over each serving. Serve wrap burritos or fold your tacos. Enjoy!

Thai Stir-Fried Noodles with Kale and Chicken: Pad See Ew

Sometimes your noodles fall apart and the dish is still tasty. This is a great example of that! I was sooo excited that the grocery store started carrying "fresh" flat rice noodles that I purchased them the first time I saw them on the shelf. But, it turned out that these noodles weren't as fresh as what I was used to purchasing at an amazing Asian market in downtown San Jose. Darn it! 

Adrian and I learned in the past that even storing the fresh noodles in the refrigerator for longer than a week would cause them to disintegrate, so I'm assuming that's what happened at the store. So if you're going to make these, you might want to check the shipment date with your marketplace to ensure freshness. I'm not too disappointed though, it's really just a different texture and the seasonings brings immense joy to my palate!

We usually make this dish with Chinese broccoli, but we have so much kale growing that it was a fun experiment. If you have access to Chinese broccoli, definitely go ahead and use it over kale. But even though it's not authentic, I'm loving the kale flavor. I'm pretty sure this dish works well with any related green from the brassica family.

Note/Reminder: Light soy sauce is not low-sodium soy sauce! Check out this article on Serious Eats for more.

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Thai Stir-Fried Noodles with Kale and Chicken: Pad See Ew

Adapted from Thai Table
Time: 25 Minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tbsp peanut oil
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup thinly sliced chicken thigh or breast
1 lb fresh flat rice noodles, 3/4-inch thick
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 lb kale or Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan), cut into two-inch long pieces; large stems halved
1 tsp ground white pepper

Condiments
Light brown sugar
Fish sauce
Ground chili pepper
Light brown sugar
White vinegar
Ground white pepper

Directions
Heat a wok to high heat and then add oil. Drop in the chopped garlic and stir until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add in the sliced chicken and stir until light brown. Add rice noodles, stirring carefully to break up the noodles. Then stir in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Stir to mix the seasonings into the noodles and chicken. 

Open a spot in the middle of the pan, and drop the egg in. Scramble the egg until it is almost all cooked. Fold in the noodles into the egg until combined.

Add the kale stems and stir for a couple minutes. Then add kale pieces, a couple handfuls at a time, and carefully fold them in. Once the kale is tender, turn off heat and mix in white pepper. Serve on plates with condiments of your choice!

Smoked Salmon Belly & Frisee Salad with Celery Root and Walnuts

Isn’t it awesome when you can have a salad for your main course? This salad is not only filling, but delicious to the extreme. The smoked salmon belly just melts in your mouth and pairs really well with the dressing. Did I mention it only takes 10 minutes to make? Yep, dinner in 10 is totally cool with me!

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Smoked Salmon Belly & Frisee Salad with Celery Root and Walnuts

Adapted from Peggy Knickerbocker

Time: 10 Minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 large shallot, minced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 small heads frisee, torn into pieces
1 medium celery root, peeled
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1 lb smoked salmon belly pieces

Directions
Combine shallot, balsamic vinegar, and 3 tbsp olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, whisk, and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts and stir until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels, sprinkle with salt and let cool.

With a mandolin, slice the celery root very thin. Stack pieces and cut into small strips.

Add the frisee to the dressing and toss well. Add the celery root, walnuts, and cheese. Toss again, and serve over plates, topped with salmon belly. 

Slow-Cooked Adzuki Beans with Indian Spices, Rajmah-Style

Slow-Cooked Adzuki Beans with Indian Spices, a.k.a Rajmah! This is such a delicious vegan dish and the prep is super easy. While some say beans are a magical fruit, I tend to think they’re magical for many other reasons, from their antioxidant properties to being rich in several vitamins and minerals, like folate, potassium, and iron. The complex carbs, high fiber, and protein content also help to keep me feeling full throughout my day. Plus slow-cooker recipes are the easiest ever, right? 

I was in need of a good slow cooker dish to begin in the morning and free me up to hang out with friends last night, so I scoured my pantry for legumes that I tend to buy on a whim and found a bag of adzuki beans. Knowing that Indian food is AMAZING in the slow-cooker, I did a little googling of traditional Indian recipes with red beans and put together this delicious one. I garnished with some sour cream, lime, and tomato, which isn’t very traditional, and served it with naan, instead of rice, because I felt like it is even better with a little crunch! 

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Slow-Cooked Adzuki Beans with Indian Spices, Rajmah-Style

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 8 Hours & 20 Minutes
Serves 8

Ingredients
3 cups dried red adzuki beans or kidney beans, rinsed and sorted
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp ginger, minced
2  tbsp garlic, chopped
6-8 serrano chilis, chopped (less for mild)
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp Kosher salt
2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp dried coriander
1 pinch asafoetida (hing) - optional
1 tsp kasuri methi leaves, crushed (optional)
4 tbsp olive oil
10 cups water

To Garnish
1 roma tomato, chopped
8 tbsp sour cream
1 large lime, cut into 8 wedges
4 tbsp fresh cilantro
4 pieces of naan

Directions
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add adzuki beans and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and add to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients (except for those to garnish) to the slow cooker and cook on high for 8 hours.

Ladle beans into bowls and garnish with tomato, sour cream, a squeeze of lime, and cilantro. Serve immediately with naan. 

Nutritional Info per serving (excluding naan): 375 Calories, 11g fat, 57g Carbs, 11g Fiber, 17g protein  

Cider-Dijon Pork Chops with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Quick gourmet meals in the middle of the week are my favorite! This one is done in as little as 35 minutes. Excited? I'll get you more excited! These vegetables are not only off the hook delicious, they also help to pack in 7g of fiber, and make the meal look pretty, wouldn't you say? At 500 calories, this won't break your calorie bank either.

Recipe credits go to Curtis Stone, but I did make a few adjustments in oil and the portion of the meat to bring the calories down from 650 per serving. I was also more realistic with the cooking time, because I'm nice like that.

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Cider-Dijon Pork Chops with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Time: 35 Minutes
Serves 4 

Ingredients

Pork
4 boneless pork loin chops (each about 5 ounces, and 1-inch thick)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoons unsalted butter

Vegetables and Apples
1 pound red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled and cut lengthwise in half, then cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
2 Pink Lady or Fuji apples, cored and cut lengthwise into eighths
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and cut lengthwise into eighths
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Remove the pork from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature while the oven preheats. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and place in the oven until very hot.

To cook the vegetables and apples: In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes, apples, fennel, and rosemary with the olive oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread the vegetables and apples on it. Roast, turning the ingredients over halfway through, for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are nicely browned and tender.

Meanwhile, cook the pork: Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, then add the chops to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and barely pink when pierced in the center with the tip of a small sharp knife. Transfer to a platter (reserving the oil in the skillet) and let stand for 5 minutes.

Return the pan to medium-low heat, add the apple cider, and bring to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Whisk in the mustard and simmer for about 2 minutes to reduce the liquid slightly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter to lightly thicken the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the sweet potato mixture among four dinner plates. Place a pork chop alongside the vegetables on each plate. Drizzle with the pan sauce and serve.

Thanksgiving, Leftovers, and Roasted Turkey Soup with Potato-Parsnip Dumplings

Adrian and I have soooo many delicious leftovers from Thanksgiving. So I figured, instead of just rehashing Thanksgiving dinner for the entire weekend, why not play with the leftovers?

First off, let me tell you what we did make for Turkey Day! For the past several years I’ve been making Tom Colicchio’s Herb-Butter Turkey with Gravy and his recipe works like a charm. BUT, since 2015, I have incorporated a dry brine from Serious Eats. If you've never heard of dry brining, you HAVE TO try it! It changed everything for me (unlike wet brining, which is messier and doesn't do much for tenderness at all in my opinion). I’ve never had a more tender turkey in my life. While some of your guests may not even look forward to the dried out turkey breast they know from past experience, they will surely want to be at your house every year if you utilize Tom’s recipe and the dry brine. Yum, yum, yum.

Next up, we made parsnip mashed potatoes, haricot vert, the best cranberry sauce EVER, and some amazing honeyed carrots. The mashed potatoes were so spectacular (just a little sweeter than regular mashed potatoes), and may I say, even a little more nutritious? The honeyed carrots were a new recipe we tried this year from Williams Sonoma. We weren't disappointed. Adrian and I could have died and gone to heaven after eating them. Seriously, look at this picture below!

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Of course, when making something like a turkey, I want to use the whole bird in an effort to achieve some kind of sustainability, if that’s even possible on Thanksgiving. So I made a turkey stock from the New York Times. It’s super fabulous, and just made sense to make a soup with the stock and leftover parsnips and potatoes.

I was actually planning to make Ottolenghi’s vegetarian Parsnip dumplings in broth on this rainy day weekend, knowing I’d have some root vegetable leftovers. But since I already labored over the stove for 3 hours making a turkey stock, why spend more time on a vegetarian stock? So I decided to hybridize his recipe with my Thanksgiving dinner leftovers. I’ll make his version down the road for sure, but not this weekend! 

While this dish is quite different from Ottolenghi's with the shredded turkey and meaty stock, I am happy to have his inspiration. Adrian and I just finished eating our first bowls on our porch outside, watching the rain water our garden and listening to a Songs of Old Russia album. So perfect. This soup is sooo divine, and adding the shredded turkey brought on a whole new layer of yumminess. 

What an incredible few days off it's been! I'd love to have four-day weekends more often in my life. But then again, wouldn't we all? At least I know I can cook up some great things when I have time off. No better way to spend a holiday weekend.

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Roasted Turkey Soup with Potato-Parsnip Dumplings

Active Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour   
Serves 4

Ingredients
1/2 lb russet potato, peeled and diced
1.5 cups parsnips, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup self-rising flour (see note)
1/3 cup semolina flour
1 egg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 cups (2 quarts) homemade turkey broth or chicken broth
3 to 4 cups roasted turkey or chicken, shredded, both white and dark meat are fine
2 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped

Directions
Boil the potato, parsnip and garlic in salted water until soft, about 10 mintues. Drain. Wipe moisture out of pan and return the vegetables. Add butter and sauté over medium heat for a few more minutes. Mash with a potato masher or ricer. Whisk in the flour, semolina, egg, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30-60 minutes.

In a medium pot, bring broth to a simmer. Add shredded turkey and keep on very low heat to keep warm. Taste and adjust seasoning.

In another pan, bring some salted water to a light simmer. Using a teaspoon measurer, portion out dumplings and move to a plate. Add dumplings to the pot of simmering water. Once the dumplings come up to the surface, leave them to simmer for 30 seconds, then remove them from the water with a slotted spoon.

Ladle the broth and shredded turkey into bowls. Place the dumplings in the broth. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

Note: To make self-rising flour, combine 1 cup flour, 1 1/4 tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin Salad with Braised Fennel and Radicchio

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I’ve been making the most delicious fennel-rubbed pork tenderloin thanks to Ian Knauer for several years now. I usually serve it over a lemony orzo risotto, but this time I decided to adapt the recipe into a salad when I had a little radicchio on hand from an impulse buy at the grocery store. 

Okay, so it wasn’t really an impulse buy. While I didn’t know exactly what I would do with the radicchio when I bought it, I knew something would come to me.  And that it did! Amazingly, our annual fennel plant we planted last year rebounded, and produced several more delicious bulbs this year. We also had some pomegranates sitting in the fridge from a friend’s tree. It made perfect sense that these sweet flavors would make a delicious pairing with the bitter radicchio, and could also be a good lesson in food history for all of you.

Believe it or not, I actually love radicchio for its bitter flavors. Full disclosure: I had my DNA analyzed a couple years ago and my genes did give me away as a person who likes bitter foods, which explains why I like black coffee and IPA! But you know what? People who like bitter foods tend to be healthier overall. This is because there are more phytonutrients in bitter produce than mild produce, which is due to the fact that modern agriculture bred these phytonutrients out in favor of sweeter produce with even less fiber. 

So what does this mean for us in the modern era? It means that it’s beneficial to test our palate, and even if we don’t like the flavors the first or second time, we can become accustomed to them, or even pair them with other ingredients to balance the flavors. So the next time you bite into a bitter vegetable, like radicchio or arugula, instead of turning up your nose, maybe think how you can make it yummy! Pro tip: Look for vegetables rich in deep colors like purple, green, red, orange, and blue. These pigments are full of antioxidants that can fight cancer and prevent heart disease. For more reading on this, check out this interesting article in the New York Times.

Below is the recipe. I hope you make it and enjoy it! It’s not too bitter in the end. I promise.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin Salad with Braised Fennel and Radicchio

Adapted from Ian Knauer
Time: 45 Minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

Pork Tenderloin
1 tsp fennel seeds
Kosher Salt
Pepper
1 lb pork tenderloin
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed, cut into 1/2 inch wedges (reserve 1/4 cup fronds)
2 tbsp olive oil
5 garlic cloves
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicen broth
2 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
1 tbsp lemon juice

Radicchio Salad
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp red-wine vinegar
1 small shallot, minced
2 tsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 small head radicchio, trimmed, leaves torn
1 small bunch chives, cut into 2-inch lengths
Seeds from 1 small pomegranate
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F with rack in the middle.

In a small skillet, toast fennel seeds over medium heat, bout 2-3 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool. Roughly grind seeds in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.

Pat pork dry, then sprinkle with crushed fennel seeds and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. 

Heat oil in a 12-inch oven-proof heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown pork on all sides, about 6 minutes total, then transfer to a plate. Sauté garlic and fennel wedges in skillet until fennel is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add wine, stirring and scraping up brown bits, then stir in broth and butter. Nestle pork top of fennel and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 145 to 150°F, about 15 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, transfer skillet to stovetop (handle will be hot) and boil, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated. Stir in lemon juice and reserved fennel fronds. Remove from heat.

In a large serving bowl, prepare dressing by whisking olive oil, vinegar, shallot, mustard, and seasoning with salt and pepper. Add 2 tbsp of the braising liquid from the skillet and torn radicchio. Toss to combine and let sit 5 minutes to soften. Add braised fennel wedges, chives, pomegranate seeds, and toss again to combine. 

Thinly slice pork and serve over radicchio salad. Garnish with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

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Chicken tortilla soup encompasses all of my favorite flavors: tomatoes, fresh and dried peppers, garlic, and cumin. If I were on a deserted island and could only choose specific ingredients in my own personal cuisine, these would be them! The flavors that came out of this creation are actually quite similar to an Indian curry (minus the garam masala), which we love! This soup was such a success that Adrian and I are going to have to adjust some of our Indian curry recipes in a similar fashion. I just knowwwww there are secrets no one has told me yet, and I’m starting to think dried chilis could be one of them. Tips anyone?

When we were drawing up the recipe, we realized we really wanted to try it out with some dried cascabel chilis we bought on a trip to Mexico last year. Holy yum (!) did they bring this dish to a new level. Other dried peppers work perfectly fine (pasilla, or even New Mexico, which are a little milder), but these cascabels have a nice spicy touch that we enjoyed immensely. 

To make the recipe a little quicker, you can always use chili powder and purchase your own tortilla chips. But keep in mind that it can be really fun to process your own chilis and fry your own tortilla chips. Haven’t done that yet? Give it a try this time and let me know how fun it was!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Time: 45 Minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 dried chili peppers, such as pasilla or cascabel, broken into pieces
4 corn tortillas, halved, cut into ¼-inch thick strips
Canola oil, for frying
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, diced
4 sage leaves
2 large jalapeños, finely chopped, divided
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh epazote, torn, or ½ tsp dried (optional)
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups (32 oz) chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 large tomatoes (about 1 lb), roughly chopped
1 lb chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
Juice of 2 limes 

To Garnish
1 avocado, diced
¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
Sour cream
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
4 radishes, cut into rounds, halved
1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions
Slightly roast the peppers in a medium hot skillet, turning frequently, for about 1-2 minutes. Transfer peppers to a medium bowl and soak in 2 cups of hot water for 15 minutes, until soft. Drain and set aside. 

In a large skillet, heat half an inch of canola oil over medium heat. Fry tortilla strips in batches until crisp, about 1 minute. Drain strips on paper towels and set aside.
 
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil and sauté the sage until crisp, about 30 seconds. Remove sage leaves and reserve for garnish. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes, until soft. Add half of the diced jalapeno, bell pepper, garlic, epazote, and cumin, red chili powder, and salt, and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.

Add chicken broth, chicken, bay leaf, corn, tomatoes, and chicken. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, or until chicken has fully cooked. Remove chicken from the pot and shred with a fork. 

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup in the pan until it reaches a pureed consistency. Add lime juice and reserved chicken and cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove bay leaf, pour soup into bowls, and garnish with tortilla strips, avocado, cilantro, sour cream, green onions, radishes. Serve lime wedges on the side.