winter

Everyday Vinaigrette

Marianne Sundquist · June 23, 2023 · Leave a Comment

I love to keep a vinaigrette in the fridge for the week. It makes a lunchtime salad easy, it’s easy to grab for dipping raw vegetables in for a snack, sometimes I find myself drizzling some inside a sandwich or in a chicken, tuna, pasta, or grain salad, or on top of all types of grilled vegetables. The bottom line? A simple vinaigrette is more savvy and useful than it might appear.

Everyday Vinaigrette - fresh ingredients in a bowl

I know I’ve talked about it before, but this is a nook-and-cranny kind of dressing. I have to admit they are my favorite kind. Sure, they can be tossed with all kinds of greens but this kind of dressing functions at its best when it’s topically applied, meaning to spoon on top creating an uneven coating.

Why in the world does anyone want an uneven coating of dressing you might be asking? It all comes down to the element of delight and surprise. Imagine you are eating a salad and with the first bite you taste some greens, some golden beets, and a bit of goat cheese and in general everything is lightly dressed in a bright, lemony vinaigrette. That salad sounds pretty good and as I write this, I’m starting to feel a bit hungry for lunch. Now, imagine you are eating another salad and with the first bite you taste some greens, some golden beets, a bit of goat cheese and then BAM, a burst of lemon, olive oil, honey, shallot, and some savory element you can’t describe (here it’s the garlic that’s mellowed in the olive oil and acid) has found a spot to hide inside a fold of greens. This is the delightful experience of a nook and cranny dressing. It’s the finely chopped shallot and garlic that gives the dressing the ability to concentrate flavors and hide. I sometimes use other ingredients to function in this way, like crushed grapes or diced apples. You’ll probably notice that the olive oil hardens in the fridge. Just remove the jar about 15 minutes before using or run the sealed jar under hot water for a minute.

This is the dressing I make most often and never measure the ingredients. The lemon juice is interchangeable with many kinds of vinegar like red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, and rice wine vinegar. I encourage you to try this by either following the recipe or not. I have complete faith that your eyes and your mouth will guide you.

Everyday Vinaigrette

Everyday Lemon Vinaigrette ready to serve

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This everyday lemon vinaigrette makes a lunchtime salad simple, it’s easy to grab for dipping raw vegetables in for a snack, sometimes I find myself drizzling some inside a sandwich or in a chicken, tuna, pasta, or grain salad, or on top of all types of grilled vegetables. The bottom line? An everyday vinaigrette is more savvy and useful than it might appear.

Author: Marianne Sundquist
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 0 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
Yield: 1 cup
Category: Salads
Method: chop
Cuisine: French

Ingredients

Units

1–2 shallots, depending on size, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 c. freshly squeeze lemon juice
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. honey
1 T. dijon mustard

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Instructions

Chop what needs chopping, squeeze what needs squeezing, and whisk all ingredients together and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. So simple, so easy. You’re a pro!

New Mexican Sipping Chocolate

Marianne Sundquist · May 20, 2023 · Leave a Comment

I can’t help but think about the person who first stumbled upon a cacao tree and cracked open one of the large pods, revealing bundles of luscious white fruit inside. Past the white silky pulp (baba) of a cacao bean resides the beginnings of the chocolate we know and love today. Similar in some ways to the coffee bean, the potential of cacao is unlocked by fermentation, roasting, winnowing, and grinding. A laborious endeavor is putting it mildly, as there is nothing easy about processing cacao by any standards, which is why there has been much-needed attention given to Slave-free and Fair Trade Chocolate in recent years. And while coffee grows along the “bean belt” 20-30 degrees north and south of the equator, cacao trees thrive in an even more restricted 10-degree zone, on either side of the equator.

It’s long been known that chocolate played an important role in Mayan culture, where the first iterations of “hot chocolate” were born. Aztecs believed that the feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl gifted cacao to humanity and are known to have roasted and ground cacao beans before adding water, chiles, and cornmeal.

The History of Chocolate

The history of chocolate is exciting on its own, with new pieces of the puzzle being uncovered, even in recent years. In 2018, University of British Columbia archaeologist Michael Blake discovered evidence that cocoa was held in vessels around 5300 years ago in Santa Ana-La Florida, an ancient village in what’s known today as Ecuador. And the mysteries surrounding this “food of the gods” have landed close to home for us here in New Mexico as well. At one time, it was believed that the Spanish brought cacao to the area in the 15th century, but University of New Mexico archeology professor Dr. Patricia Crown and her team of researchers traced evidence of chocolate consumption to 750 A.D. in the area that is now Arizona and 900 A.D. in Chaco Culture National Historical Park in western New Mexico.

These days, hot chocolate and drinking chocolate methods vary widely depending on what part of the world you are in. So here, because we are lucky enough to live in a place where New Mexico chiles abound, I could not resist incorporating them into a decadent drinking chocolate that we reserve in our house for both the coldest and most special days of the year. I wanted to keep this version simple and straightforward with chiles and cinnamon, but dried sage, lavender, rose, and a variety of other herbs and spices would be lovely to experiment with too.

Sipping hot chocolate in two ceramic cups

Traditional New Mexican Sipping Chocolate

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Indulge in a cup of our Southwestern Sipping Hot Chocolate, inspired by the rich history of this ancient beverage. Chocolate, derived from the cacao bean, holds a storied past, cherished by ancient civilizations like the Mayans and Aztecs who believed it possessed mystical and energizing properties. We pay homage to this tradition by infusing our hot chocolate with a simple combination of chiles and cinnamon with a touch of southwestern flavors.

Author: Marianne Sundquist
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Category: Dessert
Method: Simmer
Cuisine: New Mexican

Ingredients

Units

1–2 dried new Mexican chiles, stemmed and seeded, and broken into pieces
2 c. milk
1 c. heavy cream
2 t. vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
pinch of salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 c. bittersweet chocolate chopped pieces
maple syrup or honey to taste, optional

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Instructions

In a dry medium-large saucepan over medium heat, stir the chile pieces for around a minute to soften them and activate the oils inside. Now pour in the milk, heavy cream, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Bring this mixture to a very low simmer (where you barely see a bubble) and let it steep like this for five minutes. Strain the milk mixture through a fine mesh strainer and add it back to the pot. Add the chocolate to the pot and whisk over low heat until the chocolate is completely melted. Serve immediately.

Notes

Chocolate has been a Southwestern Tradition for Centuries

Everything you need to know about Mexican hot chocolate

Dr. Patricia Crown presents chocolate in Chaco

World’s oldest chocolate was made 5300 years ago South American rainforest

The History of drinking chocolate

Pan-Seared Steak Method

Marianne Sundquist · May 1, 2023 · Leave a Comment

Even though our grills might be covered for the season, we can still make mouth-watering, perfectly cooked and seasoned steaks indoors. Today, I am going to walk you through my favorite way to cook a steak indoors. I first learned to properly cook a steak when cooking at The Peninsula Hotel in Chicago under the tutelage of Chef Graham Elliot. We were a small team of four cooks working five nights a week in the hotel’s fine dining restaurant inside the workings of a large hotel kitchen. Our open kitchen was small, with a dining bar allowing guests a front-row seat to watch us cook. We each worked a station on our own (garde manger, hot apps, butcher, and saucier) for three months, after which time we would rotate around to another station. When working as the butcher, not only was it our responsibility to break down fish and other cuts of meat on the menu, during service we cooked every piece of meat that left the kitchen, from 3-course to 21-course tasting menus per guest. To get the job done we had a four-gas burner range and a small convection oven which we kept at 500 F. the entire night. There was no grill or wood-burning oven, but I soon learned that all I needed was right in front of me: a large soup spoon (never tongs), a few well-seasoned cast iron pans, salt, my trust pepper grinder, a high smoke point oil, butter, and aromatics.

In this recipe you’ll notice that the aromatics I use are lemon, cilantro stems, jalapeno and garlic. This is just one out of an almost infinite number of variations you could try. Use the herbs and flavors that work for you. If you have sage or lavender in the garden, try it! Normally I tend to use thyme, rosemary, garlic and lemon. But on this night, I used what I had (leftover cilantro and jalapenos from taco night earlier in the week) and it ended up being one of the best pan-seared steaks I have ever made. The important thing to remember when choosing aromatics is that they need to be carefully dried after being washed. Natural juice from a lemon, lime, or piece of ginger isn’t a big deal, but you never want to add water to a pan with hot oil, as it will result in dangerous splattering and possible burns.

At first glance, this method might appear too easy for a whole recipe’s worth of attention, but let me assure you. It’s the best way of cooking a steak I’ve ever come across. Aside from maybe the Japanese three-crust method which I’ll save for grilling season since it requires an open flame. Because this recipe is mostly about a method or technique, I would especially recommend reading the entire method in advance.

And this technique isn’t only for steak. Over the years I have found myself using this method for fish, chicken, all kinds of red meats, even cauliflower steak. When it comes to beef though, choosing a good quality porterhouse, beef tenderloin, filet mignon, t-bone, strip or rump steak are good choices.

Pan-Seared Steak Method

HDT Pan Seared Steak - plated and ready to serve

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This method will teach you how to cook a mouth-watering pan-seared steak indoors in a cast iron pan. When I don’t have a grill, this is hands down my favorite technique for cooking a well-seasoned steak.

Author: Marianne Sundquist
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Category: Dinner
Method: sear
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

1 large steak, 1-1 1/2 inch thick
salt and pepper
1/2 t. neutral oil with a high smoke point (grapeseed, avocado, vegetable, sunflower)
2 T. butter
1/2 lemon, sliced
1 small handful of cilantro stems
2 jalapenos, sliced
3 garlic cloves, sliced

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Instructions

First, dry the steak with a paper towel and let it come to room temperature so it can cook evenly and retain its juices. This will take anywhere from 10-30 minutes depending on the temperature of your kitchen as well as the size of the steak.

Now, season the steak generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Place a cast iron or other heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. When you can see the oil ripple as you gently tip the pan to one side, you know the pan is hot enough (do not put the steak into a cold pan). Gently place the steak in the pan and let it sear where it is (resisting the temptation to move it around) for around 3 minutes. If you want to help it along, carefully press down on the steak with the back of a spoon to create more pressure as it’s searing which will create even more caramelization in the flavor-filled crust. Turn the steak over and repeat this process so both sides get a good sear.

HDT Pan Seared Steak - prep and ingredients — prep ingredients

At this point, turn the heat to medium and add the butter, lemon, cilantro stems, jalapeno, and garlic. With your spoon, move the steak toward the top of the pan and move the aromatics to the side or on top of the steak. Carefully tip the pan towards you while it’s still over the heat, being careful no butter spills out, and spoon the sizzling butter over the steak, again and again, to finish cooking the steak. This will probably take anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steak and how well done you prefer it to be cooked.

You can certainly take the temperature of the steak with a thermometer to find your perfect cook (rare: 125 F. | medium-rare: 130-135 F. | medium: 135-140 F. | medium-well: 140-150 F. | well: 155 F.) by inserting the thermometer into the thickest part of the steak. But I prefer and recommend the poke-with-your-finger method. Not only does it teach you to just know when a steak is done, but I find it to be more accurate during the fast pace reality of cooking. You feel it with your finger, take it off at the perfect time, and boom it’s done and ready for resting.

The Finger Test

The best way I have found to learn the poke method is to use your very own hand as a guide. The first step is to touch your ring finger to your thumb and turn your hand so the palm is facing you. If you press on your hand just below your thumb this will mimic what it feels like when you poke a well-done steak. Move your finger slightly to the left around your thumb and you will feel what a medium-well steak feels like. Keep working your way around your thumb and you will eventually reach what a rare steak feels like. Use this method as long as you need to learn and then the day will come when you’ll know everything you need to know with a single poke of your finger.

Once the steak is cooked to your preferred temperature, transfer the steak and all the aromatics to a shallow bowl (so as not to lose any of the juices) and loosely cover it with foil for 5-10 minutes before serving so the inside juices can redistribute and don’t just spill out once the steak is cut with a knife.

Everyday Southwest Stew

Marianne Sundquist · March 12, 2023 · Leave a Comment

It’s no accident that our kitchens have long been considered the heart of our homes. They can — and should — be a place of comfort and relaxation. With many of us doing a lot more cooking and a lot more staying at home, I’m fairly sure the heartbeat of our home kitchens has never been louder, or more important than now. Even as a chef with two small kids, I’ll be the first to admit it can be a challenge. But cooking for ourselves and our families can also be grounding and deeply satisfying.

With our high desert nights still cool and trips to the grocery store unpredictable, I can’t think of a better time to share one of my favorite recipes of all time — Everyday Southwest Stew.

You can follow this recipe exactly and you will undoubtedly notice smiles around your table, although I have to admit I never actually measure anything when making a stew, but offer the amounts more as a guide. You can also tinker with this recipe and make it work for the ingredients you have on hand. Who knows? Maybe your new version will become a family heirloom, passed to children, grandchildren, and neighbors, a culinary snapshot from this historic moment in time.

Here’s the secret. You don’t have to go to the store for the perfect ingredient, because there are no specific ingredients that are going to make or break this stew. The only requirement is that you trust yourself and let the rest go. I’m considering this a time of invention and innovation in our home kitchens. To start, let’s take a big-picture look at this simple recipe which allows for almost endless variations:

FAT

First, start with a big, heavy-bottomed pot. Add a splash of oil or other fat to the pan. This is a great way to use bacon fat (aka bacon butter) leftover from breakfast. In this recipe, I render bacon, remove it when it’s crispy and use the leftover fat to sear the meat. You could also use ghee. The only oil I would recommend not using is extra virgin olive oil, which is best used for salads and finishing dishes.

MEAT

Once the pan is hot, sear the meat. My favorite stew meat is local buffalo, but you could use almost any meat you have on hand; beef shoulder (aka chuck), beef round, ground beef, pork shoulder, pork tenderloin, sausage, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, and even bone-in chicken if you’re careful to remove the bones before adding the meat back to the pot after cooking. You could also leave out the meat altogether, use beans or grains instead, and skip to the next step.

MIREPOIX

Now it’s time to add the flavor bomb veggies, roots, and spices that are going to add loads of flavor to your stew, also referred to as mirepoix (meer-pwaa). What does this mean? This is where you choose what direction you want your stew adventure to go. In France, the classic mirepoix is a combination of celery, carrots, and onion. In Italy, cooks will often start with the French mirepoix and add parsley and garlic. Chinese mirepoix consists of green onions, ginger and garlic. If you have a hankering for Thai, try a combo of ginger, lemongrass, basil, and lime zest or leaves. In my house, we often go the Indian route and in addition to the carrots, celery and onion, add red chile, fresh ginger and turmeric, and curry powder or paste. This is the time to look around in your fridge, pantry or produce section of the market and get creative. What looks good, sounds good, and what do you have access to? Do you have any fire-roasted New Mexican chiles hiding in the freezer? I can promise you there has never been a better time to find them. In this recipe, I use herbes de provence because even though the blend originates in the southeastern region of France, it often includes New Mexico herbs like lavender, thyme, and oregano.

DEGLAZE

After your mirepoix has been hanging out in your pot for a while, now is the time to deglaze! This means add a bit of liquid to get all the caramelly goodness off the bottom of the pot and into the stew. You could add a few glugs of wine. You could add a can of coconut milk or some crushed tomatoes or broth. Scrape the pot with a wooden spoon.

HEFTY VEGETABLES & LIQUID

Now add your hefty vegetables to add texture and substance to the strew. You can add things like potato, cabbage, celery root, beet, squash, fennel, mushroom, radish, turnip, collard greens, daikon, etc. Then add more liquid to cover. This could be more broth or even water.

FINAL SEASONING & DELICATE GREENS

Depending on the meat and/or vegetables you’re using, you will want to simmer over low heat until everything is tender. This could be 40 minutes or four hours. Check the seasoning and see if you want to add salt, pepper, or other spices. For instance, sometimes when I go the Thai route, this is when I add juice from a lime or a splash of fish sauce. Just a bit to brighten it up. This is where tasting and trusting will get you where you want to go. Once everything is cooked and tender, now is the time to add greens and green vegetables. I like to add greens a few minutes (but not more) before ladling them into bowls. You can add greens like spinach, kale, broccoli, peas, rapini, chard, asparagus, etc.

My hope is that by making this stew, you’ll create new scent memories of lavender and roasted chiles.