The Everything Chili + Announcement

Pin It It's been a busy few days around here. I feel like I've been running around all weekend. You see, we are moving.

Yes. Again.

It's the second time in a 10-month period and we must be outta here in a week or two. Over the weekend, we found a new place to live (with a big kitchen!) across the Bay. We're slowly packing some stuff into boxes and purging others. The cats know something is up and are wary about what will happen next. Frankly, so am I. I feel like a fugitive running from the past and blindly into the future. I sincerely hope our second stint in the Peninsula will be better than our first. Really, it couldn't possibly be worse.

*Fingers crossed*

In the meantime, blog updates will be sporadic until our lives are back to normal. For now, priority number one in the kitchen is to pack food into our tummies so we have less to carry with us. Unfortunately, we have a particularly stinky food project that we'll have to take with us. But that's for another day, another post...

I made this chili so that I can basically throw some produce and pantry staples into one big pot and eat it for a few meals. It's simple and festive. I love the combination of sweet crunch from the fresh corn and savory creaminess from the kidney beans.

Goodbye, East Bay! I'll miss you, at least a little. Maybe not at first, but someday... eventually... I think...

Summer Roasted Corn Stew

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Nothing says summer quite like fresh corn and ripe tomatoes. We found some among other fresh summer offerings like watermelons and blueberries at our local produce market. Sure, you can get corn and tomatoes in the winter, but they never look or taste the same -- winter corn is always a bit dry and shriveled and tomatoes are bland and pale. So I thought I'd take advantage of the fresh produce and make something simple and amazing.

Initially, I thought I'd make a succotash of sorts. Then I realized that I don't know what goes in it besides corn. Then I thought of Sylvester the cat ("sufferin' succotash!"). Then I thought I'd wing it and make a soup, which came out pretty tasty.  

You'll need:

• 2 ears of corn, husked
• 5 medium tomatoes (I used plum tomatoes), diced
• 2 pounds of Yukon gold potatoes, medium diced with skin on
• 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 onion, diced small
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 5 cups of vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• chopped cilantro for garnish
• fresh lemon juice

Place an oven-proof pan in the oven and pre-heat to 500 degrees. You want to use something sturdy like a cast iron skillet, so the high heat doesn't warp your pan. Place the corn in the pan. Grease it with a little bit of canola oil if you are worried about sticking. Make sure the corn is in contact with the surface of the pan because you want nice brown bits. Turn the corn every 5 to 10 minutes until the corn is nicely browned, about 30 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. You can also grill the corn instead.

In a large pot, saute diced onions in olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook for another minute. Add vegetable stock and Yukon gold potatoes. Season with salt. Crank the heat up to high and bring the soup to boil. After it reaches boiling point, reduce the heat so the soup simmers. Cook for 15 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and crank up the heat for another 10 minutes. Add black beans. Shuck the cooled roasted corn and add into the pot. Cook for 5 more minutes. Check the seasoning. Turn off the heat and serve with chopped cilantro and a little freshly squeezed lemon juice on top.

The fresh corn gives this soup some sweetness while potatoes and black beans give it more substance and body. I think the key ingredient here is the fresh lemon juice, which keeps the soup from being too heavy. If you like it a bit spicy, this would be great with a dash of hot sauce or some red chili flakes. I liked it as is -- rich, sweet and flavorful.

Tofu Picatta

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Conventional thinking says I've clearly got the better end of the deal when we dine out. As an omnivore, I have many more options to chose from and I'm never weary of chicken broth or fish sauce or gelatin or lard or any number of non-vegetarian ingredients that tend to creep onto the plate.

But what I've learned from dining out with a vegetarian is that good restaurants serve delicious food and bad restaurants serve crappy food. Period. It doesn't matter whether there's meat on the plate; VB and I are generally equally happy (or unhappy) with our respective meal.

Well, that's true most of the time...

Occasionally, we would go to a restaurant where one of us loved the food while the other ate nothing but the bread. We had that experience recently at a fine dining eatery. I ordered pork two ways with pork tenderloin and pork belly. VB ordered tofu picatta. No contest, right? I thought so too. But it was VB who loved his food and me who hated my pork both ways. It just goes to show that a meal with meat doesn't always taste better than a meal without.

That was weeks ago, but I still think about the terrible pork that I barely ate. The only way to atone for crime against the piggies is to make some tofu picatta. I think that would give me some closure and make me feel better -- a symbolic return to the scene of crime and exorcise one's culinary demons of sorts...or something.

Anyway, it was what we had last night, okay?

It was a pretty quick meal and full of flavor. The mushrooms were meaty and robust while the lemon and capers bring a nice balance to the dish. I can see why this could be more delicious than pork two ways. You can find the recipe here.