recipe: beef and barley stew

it's february in new york city and winter is still going strong. i've been concocting weekly soup recipes that make me feel good about staying indoors and making a delicious meal instead romping around town for dinner - fighting the bitter wind and slushy mess. summer seems like an eternity away and while i wait patiently for those outdoor patio happy hours and relaxing days in the park, the next best thing is to have a hearty stew, a glass of red wine and some coltrane spinning on the record player at home. stay warm folks!

beef and barley stew
(serves 6)

ingredients:
2 pcs bone-in beef ribs (approx. 1 1/2 lbs)
8 c beef stock or water
2 leeks, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 c barley
1/2 tsp thyme
2 yukon gold potatoes
1/2 c frozen green peas
salt and pepper to taste

instructions:
in a large dutch oven or pot, put the beef ribs in the bottom of the cooking vessel, pour in the beef stock or water and turn the heat on to high. while waiting for the liquid to heat up, cut the leeks length-wise and roughly chop both the green and white part. then chop up the onions and add both the leeks and onions to the pot. add the barley and thyme and wait until the mixture comes to a boil. turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 2 hours. after 2 hours, cube the potatoes and add them to the stew along with the green peas. season with salt and pepper and simmer for an additional hour.

before serving, skim the fat off the top of the pot, as beef ribs tend to be quite fatty. take the beef ribs out of the stew, remove the bones and chop up the beef. then put the chopped beef back into the stew and give it a good stir before ladling into bowls. serve with some warm crusty bread.

recipe: red velvet cupcakes

there are a plethora of cupcake bakeries here in new york: magnolia, crumbs, buttercup, sugar sweet sunshine, chikalicious, etc. i could go on and on. whenever i visit a new shop, i always end up ordering the classic red velvet. my favorite one so far is from crumbs. the cake is dense and moist and the buttercream frosting is rich and delicious. it would probably be more economical to bake these at home, but that just means i end up devouring 3-4 cupcakes a day which is just not good. so i'm happy to pay $4 for my large crumbs cupcake. however, when the occasion calls (such as a friend's birthday for example), i gladly bake up a batch and keep some extras to eat some days afterward.



red velvet cupcakes
cake adapted from the new york times red velvet cake recipe
frosting adapted from paula deen's cream cheese frosting recipe
(makes 36)

ingredients:

cupcakes
3 1/2 c cake flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 c vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 large eggs
6 tbsp (3 ounces) red food coloring
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c buttermilk
2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp white vinegar

frosting
2 8 oz. pkg (1 1/2 pounds) cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 c sifted confectioners' sugar

instructions:
preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 3 12-cupcake pans with cupcake liners.

in a large bowl, whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt. in a separate bowl, add oil and sugar and with an electric mixer beat at medium speed until well-blended. then beat in eggs one at a time. with machine on low, very slowly pour in the red food coloring (take care: it may splash). then pour in the vanilla. finally, add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.

put baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. beat for 10 seconds.

divide batter among 3 12-cupcake pans, filling each about 2/3 full. bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

for the frosting, in a large bowl beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until very fluffy. add vanilla and mix until well-combined. finally, beat in confectioners' sugar.

let cupcakes completely cool before frosting. store in refrigerator.

recipe: chicken tortilla soup

fonda san miguel is one my favorite restaurants in austin, texas, serving up delicious authentic mexican cuisine. the restaurant itself is a site worth checking out with mexican furnishings and art adorning the building making one feel as if they are actually in mexico. i had a chance to experience their famous brunch buffet a couple of months back and was astounded by the quality and authenticity of the food. naturally, i bought their cookbook before i left the restaurant to take back a little mexico with me to new york. this recipe is perfect for a light winter meal.



chicken tortilla soup
adapted from fonda san miguel: thirty years of food and art
(serves 2)

ingredients:
6 tbsp vegetable oil
6 small corn tortilla, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 tomato (roasted)
1/4 onion, diced
1 garlic clove
3 c chicken broth
1 chicken breast, poached and shredded *
1 tbsp dried epazote **
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp shredded monterey jack cheese

instructions:
in a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and fry the tortilla strips until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. remove the tortilla strips from the oil using a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and set aside. pour off all but 1 tbsp of oil from the pot.

in a blender, combine the tomato, onion and garlic and puree until smooth. heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat and fry the puree until it has thickened and reduced by about one-quarter. add the chicken broth and shredded chicken and bring to a boil. then reduce the heat to a simmer and add the epazote, fried tortilla strips (save about 2 to 3 tbsp for garnish) and salt and pepper to taste. cook for about 10 minutes.

to serve, ladle the soup into 2 bowls and garnish with monterey jack cheese and the remaining tortilla strips.

notes:
* instructions to poach and shred chicken breasts can be found here
** this mexican herb can be found in your local latin markets or grocery stores