Valentine's Day

It's here: the dead of winter. And although spring might be just a few weeks

away, we in  Colorado know that the really bad stuff won't start falling

until March. Luckily someone realized that this bleak month needed a 

little perking up and invented Valentine's Day Thank goodness, 'cause 

President's Day is just not exciting enough to carry me through this dark month. 

For those wishing to mark that day of love with a meal that might lead 

to some serious romance later in the evening, let me offer up my own 

suggestion for a menu that will ignite the romance fire, but not, ahem, kill it. 

First, the course that sets the tone for the evening - the the avocado

salad. Find a perfectly ripe avocado. And then go and splurge on the 

best bottle of olive oil you can afford. Ditto for balsamic vinegar. True

balsamic is probably out of most people's budget (it certainly is 

mine!) and runs anywhere from $500-$1,000 for a small vial.

But you can get some very decent approximations; the Peppercorn in

Boulder has a wonderful selection of fine olive oils and balsamic vinegars. 

To make the avocado salad, simply cut the avocado in half and remove 

the pit with one swift whack of the knife to the pit and pull up, removing the 

pit in one full motion. In the indentions left by the pit, pour in a little

olive oil and a tiny circle of balsamic vinegar - together, enough to 

fill to the top of the brim of the avocado. Grind fresh black pepper and 

coarse sea salt over the top. Serve with a teaspoon. Now, sit back and watch 

your mate swoon as they dip their spoon into the soft, succulent flesh of 

the avocado while the olive oil and balsamic dance alongside. The decadence 

of eating an entire half of an avocado and nothing else for a salad should

definitely set the tone for the evening. This also makes an impressive 

first course for a fancy dinner party.

After the avocado, prepare a plate full of tasty, but simple, nibbles. 

My list of favorites involve two really good cheeses, like an Italian 

Taleggio and a English well-aged cheddar, but truly anything works.

I include on my tray some fresh figs, freshly roasted walnuts or almonds

in nothing but a little olive oil and salt, grapes, olives, roasted red peppers and a 

loaf of really good bread. Take your time to just enjoy the food, savoring each

small bite. In the morning put the cheese out to come to room temperature and allow

all the flavors to come out. 

For dessert the temptation at Valentine's Day is to either buy

chocolate-dipped strawberries or a big box of chocolates. Don't. Both 

are usually mediocre at best. Strawberries used for dipping are 

purposefully overgrown so they have zero flavor left, and in addition

they're dipped in really low-grade chocolate most of the time. The big

shiny Valentine's boxes are perfect for the kids, but not for your significant

other. So instead, why not go to your favorite chocolate shop or high-end

grocery store and buy just a morsel of chocolate to share with your beloved

over a bottle of champagne. The new recreational cooking school in downtown, 

Mise En Place, has a wonderful assortment of Wen Chocolates –  just voted one

of the top ten chocolatiers in the United States (www.miseenplaceschool.com).

If you can find some organic raspberries, they might be a good accompaniment,

but chances are in February they're also going to be grown in Mexico and not full

of taste. 

The next suggestion is to refrain from enjoying these savory bites until the

children are in bed, the tv is off, and you and your mate are sitting in a

room filled with good music, a fire and some candles. My guess is that your

evening be more enjoyable than getting dressed up, finding and arranging a

babysitter, driving in the chilly night, hunting for a parking space,

and then sitting down in a crowded restaurant that is going a bit overboard 

with its Valentine's theme. Not only will you savor each of these nibbles, but chances are it will be

a little more magical and a lot less stressful. Plus, with the exception of the high-fat content of the

cheese (at least it’s loaded with calcium), you’ll feel good eating low on the food chain, but high

on the quality of the food all in the comfort of your own home. Ahhh...

West African-style Peanut Soup

The eating frenzy of fall has finally come to a close. Whew. For me it all begins in October with my oldest daughter’s birthday. It goes downhill two weeks later with Halloween (I read recently that 88% of all adults “steal” candy from their children’s candy stash. I’m certainly guilty.) And, then of course, the mother lode: Thanksgiving. Followed by, drum roll please: December. The month where it seems every time I turn around someone is either handing me a drink (thank goodness) or a festive cookie or a big slice of gooey cheese. Not to mention my own efforts in the kitchen where I’m pumping out sugar-laden and butter-rich cookies and rum soaked cakes and cheese heavy entrees.

So, when January 1 comes rolling I just can’t wait to go cold turkey on this parade of food. To go from a 2,000+ calorie a day diet to 800 calories a day seems not only like a bad idea, but dangerous. Falling off the diet-wagon is a sure bet. This is problematic. I need to eat lower on the food chain, but I’m desiring something that not only satisfies, but also is really, really tasty. I know that for me nothing truly satisfies like that piece of gently warmed brie on a fresh slice of French bread, or the pink, plump shrimp skewered and dipped in a tangy cocktail sauce, but I have to find something moderately healthy to eat. The idea of thinking that I’ll eat something austere like miso soup for the next week seems like a good idea on paper, but in reality, I need to ease off of the holiday food scene with something a bit more substantial. But, I need to feel virtuous and pure, too.

Where to turn?

Soup. It’s always my answer for nearly any ailment: binge eating, binge drinking, bad colds, too hot days, too cold days. It’s kinda like the egg – it’s perfect food. And, luckily there are so many soup recipes that it’s easy to find at least one that can satisfy you all the way down to your toes.

I created this soup because I love the taste of peanut butter with a spicy kick. I spent some time in various countries in West Africa when I was younger and found this taste combination quite frequently while traveling. Not only do you benefit from the protein and “good fats” found in the peanut butter, but you also come out ahead with the abundance of sweet potatoes which contain high levels of beta-carotene and the tomatoes that are packed with the antioxidant lycopene. In addition, it’s incredibly satisfying and easy to whip-up after work.

The key to this soup is to make all of your veggies fairly uniform in size for quick cooking. I like fairly small diced vegetables in this soup (think slightly bigger than a kernel of corn).

West African-style Peanut Soup

1 onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup fresh ginger, peeled minced

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

2 serrano chiles, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1, 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 veggie boullion cube

¼ cup natural peanut butter (don’t use peanut butter that has sugar added to it)

2 cups water

1 block of firm tofu or 1 lb. cooked chicken, cubed

Sea Salt

In a medium stock pot, heat olive oil. Add onion, garlic, ginger. Sauté until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add sweet potato and chiles, cook for 3 more minutes or until sweet potato starts to soften. Next add tomatoes, boullion cube and peanut butter. Let cook until peanut butter melts into vegetable and tomato mixture. Add water. If you like a thinner soup, add more water. If you like it thicker, like a stew, add a little less. Still well and bring to a boil. After soup boils, add tofu or cooked chicken. You can eat it right away, or let simmer for up to two hours.

Serve over brown or white rice. Or, plain with a whole wheat flour tortilla warmed up.

Makes 6 hearty servings.

Tamales!

Tamales!

Precious little bundles of corn and a savory filling, piping hot and pulled directly from a steamer – nothing beats it. Unwrapping each corn husk and finding a plump little mound of corn is like having a plate full of presents.

One of the last times I made tamales was with a very pregnant friend. I had wanted to give her a big batch of tamales along with a quart of homemade mole sauce before the baby was born, but then I ran out of time. So, instead of stressing about it, I just invited her over to help me make the tamales. And, that is precisely how you ought to make tamales: with friends or family. It’s a time-consuming process, but with a group of people, some good music and a fridge full of beer it can turn into a festive party. And children love to help out. Most adore scooping the corny dough out of the bowl and spreading it on a wet corn husk. The mere idea that they are creating little presents of food is enough to keep them interested for a good eight minutes.

Below is a basic, but not traditional tamale dough. Traditionally tamales are made with lard, which to me just doesn’t seem right to mix pig fat with something as pure and good and simple as corn. So, I’ve amended the recipe to work using butter or shortening, or as I prefer, a mixture of both. Not only is it healthier, but I think the tamales hold together and steam up a little nicer. Plus, who eats lard anymore?

One of the nicest things about tamales is that despite the time it takes to assemble them, they freeze and reheat beautifully. One of our favorite weeknight meals is tamales, mole sauce (which also freezes well), and a big salad.

Although our weekends in December pre-holidays are jam-packed, my intention is to carve out a few hours after the holidays, maybe even New Years’ Eve day to make a double-batch of tamales some of which we’ll eat that night with friends and the rest we’ll freeze for some easy weeknight meals.

Before you begin make sure you have everything you need and your fillings created.

Basic tamale dough recipe:

Makes enough for 2 dozen tamales

7 cups veggie stock
2 cups butter or shortening, or a combination of these
1-2 tablespoons salt (how much depends on how salty your stock is)
12 cups dry masa harina flour

30-35 corn husks

Before mixing the dough, soak your corn husks in a large bowl of warm water.

Heat the stock until it is warm. In an electric mixer, mix the masa harina flour with stock. Beat on medium speed for a minute or two until well combined. If your dough seems dry, don't be afraid to add additional stock. At this point your dough should resemble a thick pudding. Remove masa mixture from your mixer and set aside.

In the bowl of your mixer, beat the solid fats on high speed for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the masa mixture to the whipped fat a cup at a time until it is all incorporated. Continue to beat for about 5-8 minutes or until the dough is a soft paste consistency.

To create the tamales:

Open a wet corn husk and spread a little less than a quarter cup of masa onto the husk. The masa should cover all but about 1 inch of the husks on all sides. If you put too much masa in you won’t be able to properly close the corn husk around the masa and filling. After the masa has been spread, add a generous tablespoon of filling to the center and spread over the masa, but not to the ends of the masa. Bring the dough together and roll slightly. Fold the end of the corn husk up and tie it with a thin strip of extra corn husk.

To steam:

In a large pan (a soup pot with a steamer insert works great) put enough water in to cover the bottom, making sure that the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the tamales. Steam for about an hour. Check midway through to make sure you have enough water in the pan.

Fillings:

Keep it simple! Traditionally tamales are filled with pork, but use your imagination. I have often found that just opening up from fridge and combining things makes for some pretty fun and unusual fillings.

Here are some of my favorite very fillings:

• Corn that has been sauteed with a little onion, garlic and cumin.
• Black beans that have been simmered with onion, garlic, cumin and a green chile.
• A few tablespoons of sharp cheddar cheese mixed with jalapenos or other chile.