Black Bean and Cheese Tamales
Adapted from The Salpicon Cookbook, by Priscilla Satkoff with Vincent Satkoff
I just made these for the first time three days ago. I’d never even thought of making tamales before because I’d heard that they are difficult to make. However, a group of students wanted to make them for Cinco de Mayo and they didn’t care that I was teaching them how to make something I’d never made before. Go figure.
They were surprisingly easy. I also discovered that they are incredibly convenient. By the time I’d finished making them on Tuesday night, we’d already had dinner. So I tried one, declared it a success, and put them in the refrigerator. I’ve been putting these in the kids’ lunches all week. Fortunately, they have access to a microwave at school.
The black bean filling is simple and accessible to virtually all palettes. I can’t wait to play with more ingredients, however. I want them spicy and I want them with squash blossoms and cilantro and corn and… Read more
Tex-Mex Succotash
Corn and beans are the classic Mexican subsistence food. For thousands of years the Mayan civilization depended upon these staples for their existence. They had no idea how important to their survival this combination actually was. You see, the combination of the amino acids in beans and corn makes a protein that is perfectly complete for the human body to use. Arguably, succotash in its varying forms- just about any kind of bean combined with corn will do the trick- might be the most important food for vegetarians to make a regular part of their diet. Read more
Craveable Veggie Burgers
One of the bigger challenges in feeding my family well is the minivan roadtrip. Ack! It has been such a temptation to throw my hands up in despair and give in to the siren call of the fast food islands at the side of the road. But I now have my iPhone! I can pass a hundred miles of freeway looking for little food gems in far-flung towns along our routes. I’ve made a science of discerning the truth behind the chatter of sites like Yelp. Read more
Chard Brunch Casserole
This is one of my go-to recipes for brunch or even a light dinner. Read more
Minestrone Soup: The Reshoot
Adapted from Summer Minestrone with Pesto recipe from Bon Appetit, August 2004
When we lived in Greenwich, we had a regular Sunday night ritual of going to a local pizza place, Bella Nonna, which had a variety of Italian dishes that were very tasty and wonderful, ebullient Italian service. They made a killer minestrone with vegetables that were never overcooked, pasta that was perfectly al dente and a fresh, vegetal flavor. When we moved to Chicago, I yearned for that minestrone and spent about 6 months working on it until I got it. This is a fantastic way to use the bounty of the summer garden. Read more
Acorn Squash Filled with Mushroom Orzo
I developed a bit of a collection of acorn squash varieties as a consequence of getting lots of them in my winter CSA boxes. They were so pretty in their oranges, greens, yellows and even speckles that I was enjoying them too much as kitchen ornamentation. Read more
