breaking from tradition

like most households,

we have our evening routine

down pat.

i make dinner.

afterward, we bring dishes into

the kitchen, 

i put away any leftover food,

wrap up unused ingredients,

like half a lemon

or a few pieces of scallions

and leave larry to the cleaning.

it works for us

and we rarely vary from 

that very comfortable pattern.

which is why, you can imagine,

the look of horror on his face

last week - after briefly basking

in the realization that the cleanup

from this meal would be a snap -

when he turned from the sink 

just before 9:30,

to see me chopping an onion.

garlic,

tomatillos, 

serrano peppers

and a bunch of limes,

were hanging out nearby.

earlier in the day,

when i had been searching

for something, anything

to make in the extreme

heat, i opened up one

of my favorite cookbooks,

super natural cooking

right to page 95.

the picture was so beautiful,

and it was so hot in the apartment

and it reminded me of a soup

i hadn't had in a really long time,

one that i had always thought of fondly,

as a watered-down version

of guacamole.

it was thin, certainly 

avocad0-based, dotted

with chopped onions,

tomatoes and cilantro.

it was cool and satisfying,

but it looked nothing like

swanson's thick, green, smooth

soup that i had somehow

never before noticed. 

it's amazing what heat will do

to a person.

i made the shopping list.

in the store, unfortunately,

i was deterred by two things:

1) no tomatillos. anywhere.

we actually went to three stores,

because i just couldn't believe

that there weren't any to 

by found. finally, i gave in

and bought a large can

of tomatillos. certainly not

ideal, but also, especially

when they are destined

to be simmered and pureed,

not such a sin either.

2) the avocado situation -

bleak. at the first store,

they were so soft that i 

actually broke one trying

to softly press it. the second

store didn't have any and at

the third, they were as hard

as, well, an under-ripened 

avocado.

so, i made the decision

to use the can

and never speak of it again

(yes, i cracked already -

i'm weak, what can i say?).

this way, i could prepare

the first part, which required

simmering the above ingredients

together, pureeing and then

chilling, the night before.

i knew the next day, that

when i went to the fourth - 

and always faithful store -

i could pick up the perfectly

ripe avocados.

it was a great plan -

and in hindsight, one that worked

quite well - 

but certainly ambitious

for a hot sunday evening.

in the time it took for larry

to load up the dishwasher,

i had everything in the pot.

once it came to a boil,

i reduced it to a simmer, 

let it cook the requisite five minutes

and then pulled out

the immersion blender. 

the recipe instructed to let the mixture

cool for 30 minutes before stirring

in lime juice and placing in

the fridge.

we used this time to suck

on these odd little korean ice pops

we had found the day before

and pray for a stiff breeze.

the next day,

i was so happy to have the dinner

three-quarters of the way done.

i bought nicely ripened avocados

after work and when i came home,

i set to work mashing them with a fork.

they...didn't want to be mashed.

maybe the heat made me weak, 

i don't know.

so i tried with the immersion blender,

also a no-go. 

next, i splashed some soup 

into the bowl of avocados. 

perfect. 

they pureed into a beautiful green. 

and although i had been worried

all day that the 

chilling soup was too

thin and that i had somehow 

messed up

the proportions by using 

the canned tomatillos,

as soon as i blended in the creamy

avocados, i knew i was fine.

i modified the original step

of frying sliced corn tortillas

in clarified butter and instead,

coated a pan with cooking

spray to help the slivers

brown (i was planning to bake

them, but there was no

way i was turning on the oven).

chopped tomatoes and a few

drizzles of crema

finished off the bowl.

all three brought welcome

contrast.

the soup was really 

the most amazing food

for a hot hectic night

after work. 

and even though i worried that

it might suffer from 

texture repitition - i become

restless from the same spoonful

over and over again -

i don't think i could ever

tire of this soup.

while the original recipe

calls for the soup

to chill for at least two 

hours, i strongly 

recommend letting

it sit overnight. not only

will the flavors have more time to 

meld together, but you also

can be sure that it is cold

by the time you need it.

and i think larry, who

was thrilled to eat dinner

before 10pm, would be willing

to attest to this.

tomatillo-avocado soup

adapted from super natural cooking

in spite of the fact that i'm not the biggest fan of chicken, if i'm using store-bought, i much prefer chicken broth or stock over vegetable stock, so i switched to the former. i was a bit worried about the avocados browning, so i rubbed each half with a bruised lime before blending - i would do it again. and, when cutting the corn strips, i used kitchen sheers.

you could totally make this whole soup a day ahead of time. we ate this two nights in a row (and the next day for lunch) and the color never faded. i think it would make a fabulous first course for a dinner party or if you for some reason have tons of shot or shooter glasses, a special pass-around appetizer.

1 large can tomatillos (there should be 12 inside)

3-4 serrano chilies, seeded and chopped

1 white onion, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

6 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (i used 3 limes, here)

4 large ripe avocados, peeled and pitted

1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro

kosher salt

2 limes

12 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips

1 tomato, halved, seeded and chopped

mexican crema or thinned sour cream

in large saucepot, add tomatillos, squeezing inside the pot using your hands to slightly break them up. add serranos, onion, garlic and stock. over medium-high heat, bring to a boil; immediately lower the heat and simmer 5 minutes. using immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. (at this point, swanson puts the soup through a strainer. it's optional and i chose not to do this and i don't think the soup suffered any. in fact, i wouldn't strain the soup next time, either.)

cool soup 30 minutes; stir in 1/4 cup lime juice. cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

in bowl, place peeled and pitted avocados, cilantro and the juice of 2 limes. sprinkle with kosher salt. add a generous splash of chilled soup. using immersion blender, blend avocados. add mixture to tomatillo mixture and, using immersion blender, blend until smooth. add more salt or lime, if needed.

in large skillet or saute pan coated with cooking spray over medium heat, cook tortilla strips until golden, turning as needed. place on paper towel to cool.

divide soup among bowls; top with crema, chopped tomatoes and crispy corn tortilla strips.

an (almost) 20 minute trio

this weekend, we had our friends, lauren and jon, 

over to watch the super bowl.

it was the second year in a row, 

that we held

our party for four.

in 2008, the giants were playing (see, i remembered!),

and it was a very serious day in our house.

i planned meticulously 

and went all out, football-style:

spicy sweet glazed wings

garlic rubbed potato skins

scallion-cayenne-lime dip

macaroni and cheese

and 

peanut butter mousse with grape fluff

(ok, that last one wasn't really 

sportsy 

or tough,

or manly,

but, i was in a marshmallow/fluff phase and

determined to try out a new recipe when faced

with a ready and willing audience.)

this year, however, was a whole different story:

the giants didn't make it,

i kind of knew who was playing 

and i guess i sort of gave the meal thought on friday,

when i picked up tomatillos, limes, a jalapeno and avocados.

but that was it.

i woke up sunday morning 

sans plan, 

a pit in my stomach

and a determination not to repeat

last year's menu.

an hour later, i was pretty sure 

that i was destined to call lauren

at 5 pm, apologize and beg her

to pick up a pizza.

the morning was spent, wracking my brain - useless

the computer - overwhelming

and larry - no wings? really?

i briefly contemplated 

chili - chicken, vegetable and cornbread-topped,

make-your-own quesadillas, tostadas and sandwiches

before finally landing, thank goodness,

on mexican lasagna.

it was simple, i could assemble ahead of time,

bake when they got there, serve from one dish,

and most importantly, make use of the ingredients 

i had purchased two days before. because really,

what i love most about cooking for friends, 

are the appetizers

and the desserts.

the meal, in between, often gets lost for me, even though

i feel a ridiculously strong pull to match my courses.

so, after spending literally hours planning,

and taking a trip to the store to fight other last minute shoppers

lingering extra long in the chip aisle and staring at shrimp rings,

i braced myself to make the three appetizers,

all dips: 

roasted tomatillo salsa

smoky black bean

guacamole.

they were so simple that it was over fast, and i thought, 

as i often do, why don't i just plan the 

main meal around the starters? (next year, someone remind me, please.)

because it just made sense

that while i was roasting quartered tomatillos, roughly chopped onion pieces,

garlic cloves and a jalapeno for the salsa,

that i should throw

the ingredients for the black bean dip in the food processor. 

by the time i had tasted and tweaked the beans, then tasted and tweaked some more, 

the vegetables were beautifully browned and salsa-ready.

when combined, the beans offered just enough mellowness 

that you feel you're eating something simple, 

smooth and hearty and easy-going, 

with a back heat that makes you want more and 

start to believe

that you're noshing on something special.

and the salsa,

while deep in flavor, thanks to the roasted vegetable-only 

mixture, offers a bright

note that you can only achieve by blending

them with an additional dose of raw onions and garlic 

and, of course,

lime juice.

and, the guacamole.

please, if you take anything away from this super bowl saga,

let it be this:

it is so, so, so easy to make your own guacamole.

there's no need to buy a seasoning packet or 

pick up a ready-made container.

i swear it took me 5 minutes total for a from-scratch batch

and i've been accused of being a slow-poke in the kitchen.

they were a hit 

(i heard better than the jar murmurs).

and when it was time to serve

the lasagna,

i looked around and thought,

sure, it's probably better that i didn't expect

my guests to snack on chips all night,

but, truth be told,

we probably didn't even need 

the bubbly dish.

these are all often-made, off-the-cuff recipes that i tried to quantify. but as usual, for recipes like these, have fun adding a little more garlic, cutting back on the lime juice or mixing in an something - like scallions, maybe - that you're crazy about. a lot of them, luckily, use similar ingredients, so you can get away with buying 1 bunch of cilantro, extra large onions or tomatoes instead of the medium ones specified and squeezing a couple of limes at once so that you don't have to torture the cut, which inevitably seems to appear on your finger when you're handling citrus, multiple times throughout the day.

smoky black bean 

smoked paprika is our new favorite spice. its reminiscent of the seasoning on barbecue potato chips (in a good way, i think) and, since we've discovered it, has really helped improve the flavor of many dishes. i think it was made just to be paired with black beans.

1 medium tomato, cored and chopped

1/2 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (washed and dried)

2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

1 lime, juiced

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1-2 Tbs. hot sauce, depending on your taste and heat of your sauce (I used Goya)

1 1/2 Tbs. ground cumin

1 Tbs. smoked paprika

In bowl of food processor, combine chopped tomato, onion, cilantro, garlic and lime juice; sprinkle with a dash of kosher salt. Pulse just until chopped. Add black beans, hot sauce, ground cumin and smoked paprika. Run food processor until mixture is smooth. Season with salt. Taste; add more cumin, smoked paprika, hot sauce, lime juice or salt, until it suits your taste. Transfer mixture to a bowl; cover and keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Can be made 1 day ahead. 

roasted tomatilla salsa

i swear, it wasn't until i started this blog that i realized how much i adore roasting and more roasting. but, plain and simple, i think it's the answer to making questionable or out-of-season vegetables seem decadent and a way to truly deepen their flavor. this salsa, is not the kind of loose slip-off-the-chip type you may be used to. rather, because the only real liquid is lime juice, it's firmer and much more likely to show a dent when a bit is scooped from the bowl. if you're in the market for a pourable version, simply add a 1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken broth, vegetable broth or water before blending.

8-10 tomatillos

1 small onion, peeled, halved and divided

1 jalapeno, halved and seeded (keep the seeds in if you like it spicy)

5 cloves garlic, peeled, ends trimmed and divided

1/4 cup cilantro (washed and dried)

1/2 lime, juiced

Heat oven to 400˚F. Remove papery husks from tomatillos; rinse under running water to remove the sticky residue. Quater tomatillos; place on foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray or olive oil. Chop onion. Place half chopped onion on baking sheet; reserve other half. Add halved jalapeno and 4 whole garlic cloves to baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray or drizzle lightly with olive oil. Roast 20 min., or until slightly brown and sizzling. Let cool slightly. Transfer vegetables to blender. Add remaining chopped onion, remaining garlic clove, cilantro and lime juice. Blend until combined. Season with salt. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding extra onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice or salt to suit your taste. Transfer to bowl.

guacamole

when choosing an avocado, pick one that is deep green and gives a little when you push with your thumb. if there is little or no resistance, that one's not for you. i like chunky mixtures best and i find that when the avocado is really ripe, they collapse easily under your fork and leave little texture. also, it's lucky that this comes together so fast because you really want to serve it just after it's made to keep the guac from browning in front of your guests. if you're worried about timing, chop and juice the other ingredients earlier in the day.

2 ripe avocados

1 medium tomato, cored, halved, seeded and chopped

1/2 small red or yellow onion, peeled chopped

1 lime, juiced

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (this is up to you - if you worry about the spice, leave it out)

Halve avocados. Place the halves with the pits on a cutting board. Using sharp knife (and being very careful), whack the inner pit, twist the knife and pull; discard pits. Using spoon, scoop avocado flesh from skin and place in a mixing bowl. Using back of fork, mash avocado to desired consistency, making sure to leave pieces in tact. Gently mix in chopped onion, tomato and jalapeno, if using. Stir in lime juice; season with salt. Taste and adjust.