"Comida Corrida" Chile Soup

In Mexico, especially in Oaxaca, they have this wonderful thing called the comida corrida.  Comida corrida translates to "fast food", but it's not the type of fast food by U.S. terms.  For around four dollars, you can get a three or four course meal, with a homemade drink.  It is usually composed of some kind of light soup, main entree, and dessert, and also comes with some type of water-based drink (such as water mixed with tamarindo pulp, watermelon juice, hibiscus, or citrus). It is the economical way to eat lunch in Mexico while getting some variety in your lunch.

This soup reminds me a lot of the type of soup that can be served with the comida corrida (minus all the tasty toppings).  I won't lie, this soup was a bit labor intensive.  You will need:

- 2 dried guajillo chile peppers
- 2 fresh poblano chile peppers
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 Mexican calabaza (or two small zucchini), chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 cans of Goya tomato sauce, Spanish style
- 1 tsp of oregano (preferably Mexican)
- half of a box of elbow macaroni
- one large plum tomato, chopped
- 9 cups of water
- 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
- handful of chopped cilantro
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- toppings: avocado, lime wedges, croutons or tortilla strips

Place the two poblano peppers over a low flame on the stove, turning until blistered on all sides.  Place into a large ziplock bag.

Start with a dutch oven or a large pot and coat the bottom with extra virgin olive oil.  When the oil is hot, saute the onions and calabaza for three minutes, then add the garlic and saute for another two minutes.  Add chopped tomatoes and oregano, then sprinkle with some salt and pepper and cook for another minute, being careful not to burn the garlic (add more olive oil if it's dry).  Add the water, tomato sauce, half of the cilantro, dried guajillos and bouillon.  Cover and bring to a boil.

While waiting for the soup to come to a boil, remove the poblanos from the bag.  Remove skin and seeds from the poblanos, chop, and add to soup. Simmer on med to low heat for about 45 minutes to an hour. While soup is cooking, boil the pasta but don't add to soup.  When the soup is done, remove from heat and add the remaining cilantro and remove the guajillo chiles.  Blend some of the soup using a hand blender.  If you don't have a hand blender, put half of the soup and vegetables into a blender.  You want to blend the soup to make it a bit thicker, but so that there are still some chunks of vegetable left over.

To serve add a half of a cup of the macaroni to each bowl (you want to always keep the pasta separate, so it doesn't get soggy if you are saving some leftovers).  Add soup, top with chopped avocado, squeeze of lime juice and either croutons or tortilla strips.  This soup is entirely vegan, but you could also add some parmesan cheese, queso fresco, or shredded jack.  Add more salt and pepper to taste. 

Pasta with Chickpea and Mushroom in White Wine

I'm moving to a new apartment soon. I am pretty excited to get away from some bad neighbors, but also really sad about leaving the good ones. This week I spent some time with two of my favorite neighbors and at 2am decided that since we were all hungry, I would cook for us. This dish came out really good, even while sipping vodka/cranberry drinks.

- 3/4 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (I like Goya)
- One tomato, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp of red pepper flakes
- 4 button mushrooms, sliced
- 3 large pads of earth balance butter
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Handful of chopped fresh parsley
-3/4 cup of white wine (I used Yellow Tail pinot grigio)
- Freshly grated parmesan (nice handful)
- Juice of one lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 of a box or fusilli pasta, or whatever kind you like

Have a large pot of water boiling and cook the pasta while making the sauce. Start with a large saucepan or frying pan, coated with some extra virgin olive oil. Add crushed garlic and red pepper flakes and cook at a very low level until garlic is cooked but not burned. Next add the sliced mushrooms and one pad of butter. Add some salt and pepper, but do not keeping stirring the mushrooms. Let them lightly brown. Next add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the white wine, chickpeas, lemon juice, 2 pads of butter and cook until alcohol is evaporated.  Next, add the drained pasta to the pan, along with the parsley and some more salt and pepper to taste.  Cook in the sauce for about 1 or two minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cheese and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Dress Up Your Mac and Cheese

OK, so I know this post has a Sandra Lee-type feel to it. I'm really not a big fan of her Semi-Homemade show, but when when you have a box of Mac and Cheese, there are some things you can do to make it really tasty. This should be by no means regarded as a healthy recipe, but it tastes yummy.

-1 box of Mac and Cheese (I used Trader Joe's Wisconsin Cheddar)
-1/2 cup of Bread Crumbs
-2 or 3 tbsp Olive Oil
-Handful of shredded cheddar/jack blend
-1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk, depending how thick you want it
-2 pads of butter (I use Earth Balance vegan butter, it tastes just as good)
-3 heaping tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese or pecorino romano
- 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp of cayenne Powder
-Freshly ground pepper
-1/2 tsp of dry Mustard

Preheat oven to 475.  In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan, and olive oil. Cook the pasta to al dente, drain and set aside.  In the warm pot, pour in the milk, cheese powder packet from the box, 2 pads of butter, and the handful of shredded cheddar/jack blend.  Stir until cheese is melted.  Then add the spices. Stir and add pasta until coated.  Pour into a buttered baking dish.  Sprinkle the top with the breadcrumb mixture and place in oven until the breadcrumbs start to brown.

**If you use the Trader Joe's Mac and Cheese it already has butter in the mix, so you can omit the butter if you would like.

For The Italian In Me

It's been pretty dreary here in New York.  I was headed out the other day to grab some sushi before work and the second I got outside it started pouring.  I turned right back around and decided to make some comfort food.  My favorite food is spaghetti with fried eggplant.  I didn't have time for all of that in one meal so here are are two separate meals I had this week. First I made some homemade sauce with thick spaghetti.

Make sure to top it off with some extra virgin olive oil, freshly grated cheese, and fresh basil.

Earlier on in the week, I made a fried eggplant sandwich. For this sandwich you will need:

-Two fried eggplant slices

-Two slices of swiss or provolone cheese

-Thinly sliced tomato

-Thinly sliced cucumber

-Thinly sliced onion

-Whatever kind of roll you like

-Italian balsamic dressing