Tortilla Soup

One thing I didn't expect when migrating across the world, was a big difference in food. I mean, I'd always heard that Aussies are so similar to Canadians and that the cultural shock is slim to none. This is true on most fronts. I have already gone into details about some of the different words they use, but I haven't noted a food type that is not nearly as prevalent as it is back home - Mexican.

And I LOVE Mexican food. In general, stores in Australia do not carry a large variety of Mexican style food or ingredients. The main brand you see is Old El Paso (of course) but others are hard to find. The lack of Mexican food is also felt in the restaurants. Not sure if you know, but apparently Adelaide has more restaurants per capita than any other city in Australia. I've seen 2 Mexican places, that's it!

Why would I have expected any different though? I mean, Mexico is as far from here as any place! I guess I didn't really think about it at all. And I must say, any lack in Mexican food is more than made up for in the abundance of awesome Asian restaurants. From Thai to Chinese to Indian and everything in between - you can find some amazing Asian dishes in Adelaide.

So, needless to say, I try and make Mexican food at home so we never have to miss it too badly.  This tortilla soup doesn't require anything out of the ordinary (so I can find the fixings at a regular grocery store) and it certainly brings a taste of Mexico to my kitchen which is miles and miles away.

Enjoy!

Soup

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped medium

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1tbsp paprika

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1.5 L chicken broth

1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes (3 cups)

2 bay leaves

2 tsp salt

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (you can grill, bake or fry, or use a whole chicken from the store)

Toppings

1 avocado, chopped

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 cup green onions, diced

1/2 cup pickled jalapenos

Cilantro

Tortilla chips, crushed

Lime wedges

 

1.    Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and toss for about 3 minutes. Add paprika, cumin, coriander, chili and cayenne and stir for another 3 minutes.

2.    Add broth, tomatoes, bay leaves and salt and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Add chicken and simmer for 5 more minutes.

3.    Prepare with toppings, or let people dress their own.

Serve and prepare to take your praise!

Sarah's Chicken Puttanesca

Puttanesca. Generally meaning a spicy dish of tomatoes, onions, capers, olives and anchovies, and usually served on pasta. Those of you that know me might know now why I added the qualifier “Sarah’s” in the title. There’s no way I am using anchovies in anything. (I don’t care how you feel about that, Dad.)

We had this lovely dish for dinner last night with an Australian Shiraz. It was fantastic yet again. We have this one every once in awhile as it is one of Nathan’s favourites.

When I thought about the blog entry for this dish, I decided to use my handy Food Lover’s Companion, which I’ve mentioned before. Much to my dismay, the definition of Puttanesca in this book was rather off-putting and I didn’t find it appropriate for my blog at all. Let’s just say, it comes from the Italian word Puttana which means, um… a… lady of leisure, if you will. It goes even further about why it is named after that, but that’s where I am stopping. And, let’s just say, the amendment I make to this dish (mentioned above) eliminates the comparison completely…

Anyway, here goes.

1 tbsp olive oil

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 medium onion cut into 1 cm rings

12 garlic cloves split lengthwise

1 35 oz can of whole plum tomatoes

½ cup sliced black olives

½ cup sliced green olives (with pimentos)

2 tbsp baby capers

¼ cup sundried tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp dried basil

1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 pinches red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

1.     Heat oil in large frying pan over medium high heat. Brown chicken on both sides, about 4 minutes each. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2.     Lower the heat to medium low and add onion and garlic to the same pan. Toss until softened, but careful not to burn, about 8 minutes.

3.     Stir in the tomatoes, followed by the remaining ingredients. Add the chicken back to the pan and coat well with sauce. Cover and simmer until sauce is thickened and chicken tender, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve on pasta and prepare to take your praise!

Prosciutto Balls with Bocconcini and Tomatoes

Pu Pus (yes, pronounced "poo poos"). I'm not joking. Hawaiian for snacks, this is the term I grew up using to describe any sort of smaller, nibble-type snack. Basically, appetizers.

So sometimes when my Mom didn't have the usual homemade bread and cold cuts for a sandwich, she would pack our lunches full of pu pus. Pepperoni sticks cut up, cheese bites, etc. Sometimes when she didn't feel like cooking a big dinner, she would creatively decide it was a pu pu night. Gosh I feel embarrassed just thinking about how that sounds...

So, all grown up now, and the primary chef of my own household, I am responsible for coming up with all sorts of snacks, appetizers and nibbles for us, and our guests when we entertain. I like the cheese board, a homemade dip - for which I have many awesome recipes to share, and other bite-sized treats. I also like to serve a variety. This means that I need to have a few go-to pu pus that I can use to jazz up a cheese board, or complement a feta and sundried-tomato torta.

The follwing recipe is from Fine Cooking (I'm their most loyal follower and absolutely love their website and magazines!) and I just love how easy it is to whip them together and how amazing they taste. I have now served them to quite a few different groups and I've never, not once, had leftovers.

Whoever thought pu pus could be so yummy? (Did I take that too far?!)

8 pieces of prosciutto, sliced lengthwise in 2

16 pieces of fresh basil, sliced lengthwise in 2

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

8 cocktail boccochini cheeses, halved

Your best extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Lay the sliced prosciutto on your chop block. At the bottom of each strip, lay 2 pieces of sliced basil. 


2. Make a ball by pressing the cheese and the cherry tomato together. 


3. Generously salt and lightly pepper the balls before rolling up and finishing with a toothpick.

4. Refrigerate for up to one hour. Let sit on counter and drizzle with oil at least 10 minutes before serving. 

Serve and prepare to take your praise!

Tomato Risotto with peas and prosciutto

Soggy rice. That’s what my Dad said to me when I served risotto to the family over the holidays. Insulting? No way. That’s just my Dad. There are a few things he simply does not like, and risotto – much to my dismay – is one of them.

Though it is not one of my Dad’s favourites, there are many of us out here who LOVE risotto. In fact, as someone who likes to dabble in a fair bit of cooking, I think risotto is a very satisfying dish to make. You can get really creative and add pretty much any complementing array of vegetables, herbs and spices. The results are consistently pleasing.

Contrary to popular belief, risotto is NOT hard or complicated to make! I think that the fact you have to be around and pay a little attention to risotto is why a lot of people (including myself) have avoided it.  Well, when I finally tackled it, I found out that it is not hard at all and especially the more you make it – the easier it becomes.

This is the latest risotto that I tried, enjoy!

4 pieces prosciutto

5 cups chicken broth

Pinch of saffron (10 or so threads)

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 leek, halved lengthwise and sliced thin

1 ½ cups Arborio rice

½ cup dry white wine

¼ cup tomato paste

½ cup frozen peas

¼ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated

1 tbsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley for garnish

1. Crisp prosciutto in pan and set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, bring the broth to a boil. Add saffron and turn heat to low to keep warm.

When your spoon leaves a line on the pan's bottom,
that's when you know you should add more broth.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and leek and stir until softened, about 2 minutes. Add rice, and toss until toasted and it starts to make a clicking sound, about 4 minutes.

3. Add wine and tomato paste and stir until reduced, about 3 minutes. Add a ladle’s worth of the warm broth and stir until the liquid is soaked up and you can run the spoon along the bottom of the pan and see the bottom for awhile before the liquid re-immerses (SEE PICTURE). Continue to add the broth at this rate, and stirring continuously until the risotto is tender and all the liquid has been used, about 20 minutes. With the last ladle of broth, add the peas. 

4. Off the heat,  stir in the parmesan and butter. Top with crisp prosciutto and parsley.

Serve and prepare to take your praise!