Clean Out the Refrigerator Soup

As might be expected from the name, this soup is never the same meal twice.  Based on ingredients that are sitting around in the fridge getting ignored, the soup develops a flavor distinct to the leftovers from the previous week or so.  This version has a tex-mex, taco-y sort of flair largely because I was in a Mexican mood when I was buying vegetables but no one made mexican when they were cooking.

Clean Out the Refrigerator Soup

In the remains of last night's hamburger frying in the big cast iron skillet, I added the fat and cartilage scraps from some big steaks a few days ago. When it was hot, I added the last 1/2 cup or so of the Jamesons bottle and about 3/4 liter of bottled water that I found on the counter.  I scraped up the frond, let the mess come to a boil, then turned it down to a simmer while I made the rest of the soup.

Into another covered pot, I put the last 3/4 cup dried black beans from a bag in the pantry and covered it by two inches with water.  I brought this to a boil, covered, for five minutes, then turned off the heat, do not uncover, and let rest for 45-60 minutes.

In the bottom of a big soup pot, I poured a thin shimmer of olive oil and added several whole mini sweet peppers, searing all sides until the skin is well-browed, preferably blistery and a bit black. I removed to another dish to cool.  Then I added about 2 pints of whole grape tomatoes, letting them blister and soften,  without stirring, while I sliced or chopped carrots, celery with leaves, an Anaheim chili, and ear of raw sweet corn, three leftover cooked hamburgers, several shallots and three large cloves of garlic.  When the tomatoes began to split open and the juices mingle with the olive oil into a thickening slurry, I added the shallots and garlic and several grinds of pink salt, stirring briefly.  Cook until the shallots are translucent and the slurry begins to brown at the edges (do not let burn).

Then I added the carrots, celery with leaves, the Anaheim chili, and the hamburger to the tomato sauce. Stirred, salted again, and left it to sweat while waiting for the beans and the beef stock.  I sliced the remaining half serving of steak for garnish, chopped a handful of fresh oregano, and prepped the last of the cilantro and oregano for garnish.  When the sweet peppers were cool enough to handle, I sliced the softened flesh, discarding the seeds, stems and less-cooked parts.  I didn't add them until the end because long-cooked peppers disagree with me.  Same with the roasted cauliflower.

When the meat stock is flavorful (and reduced to about half), I strained it into the soup pot, reserving the scraps for the dogs.  After letting the beans sit in their water for nearly an hour, I drained and rinsed them, and added them also to the soup pot.  I also added three bay dried bay leaves, a dusting of cinnamon and cayenne, a pinch of chili powder, some ground black pepper, and a bit more salt.  Stir and let simmer until the beans absorb enough liquid to be soft, about 30 minutes.

Add in more liquid as necessary, a Corona would have been good. Stir in the sweet peppers, oregano, and cauliflower.  While those flavors mingle, score an avocado and slice a lime.

Also in the fridge was some spicy cole slaw I made a few days ago with shredded cabbage, grated carrot, celery, and slivered shallots, Anaheim pepper, and Fresno chili, dressed with lime juice, cilantro, and sour cream.  It wasn't great as a slaw but it adds a nice dimension of crunch and spicy chili bite to the soup, when added at plating.  Garnish with a few steak slices, diced avocado and a squeeze of lime.

Fish Tacos

Costco's Trident brand battered halibut is pricy but makes an excellent fish taco.  These pieces were leftover from someone's dinner last night--just baked frozen from the box, cooled and packed into the fridge overnight.  For lunch today, I reheated them in a cast iron skillet with a bit of grapeseed oil until the batter regained its crispy crunch.

While the fish reheated, I cooked some raw corn tortillas (also available at Costco) on a hot griddle: a minute or so on each side until they were cooked through but still pliable.  I also chopped some aging mixed greens found in the back of my refrigerator and sliced an avocado.

To assemble, lay out the tortillas on a plate, top with chopped greens, a piece of fish, a few slices of avocado, and a few generous spoonfuls of roasted salsa verde (Target's Archer Farms brand, it's very mild).  Fold the tortillas over the filling and stack next to each other.  Squeeze a twist of fresh lime juice over the plate and add a few grinds of Costco's pink salt.

Refried Beans and Tortilla Chips

The beans from earlier in the week were such a hit with the family that I made a big pot of them yesterday (doubling the recipe).  Everyone had a bowlful, or two, after we all got home from our busy day but I was just too fatigued to think about eating--summer heat and my hysterical illness do not mix well, especially with being out and about most of the day.  After the sun went down and I had rested, however, I thought maybe some food would be good before going to bed.

So about 9:30 last night, I reheated the bacon grease left in the cast iron skillet from breakfast and tossed in a couple big scoops of beans from the bean pot.  As it sizzled and thickened and smelled just all bacony, beany scrumptious, I grated a wodge of cheddar cheese (because it was what we had, a Mexican cheese would have been much preferred).  I layered the cheese on top of the beans just as they were about a thick and delicious as I wanted.

When the cheese was all melty and bubbly, I put the beans in my favorite turquoise bowls that remind me of my Grandma, topped it with a bit more cheese and a big dollop of strained plain yogurt (like Greek yogurt, it's what passes for sour cream in our house).  I sat down with the bag of tortilla chips and dug in.

One of my daughters came by, saw the chips in bean dip happening, and joined in, polishing off half the bowl.  It was good to have a late night chat with a teenager.  Food is a powerful magic.

Southwestern Chicken with Beans and Rice and Tequila Pan Sauce

Southwestern Chicken with Beans and Rice

For the beans:

2 Cups dried pintos, washed and sorted for rocks, etc.

Cover the beans with water by at least a couple inches.  Bring to boil, covered, let simmer rapidly for five minutes.  Without uncovering the pot, turn off the heat and let sit for one hour.  Drain, rinse, thoroughly and return to the pot (This step eliminates the overnight soaking, reduces future digestive bloating and gassiness, and shortens the cooking time).

Add to the beans, 1 tablespoon of bacon fat or olive oil, 1 small or 1/2 large yellow onion, diced; 1 jalapeño or 1/2 serrano, seeded if preferred, minced; 3 cloves of garlic, minced; 1 large bay leaf; 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano; a few grinds of black pepper.  DO NOT ADD SALT! Wait until the last half hour of cooking to add any salt because the beans will be tougher.

Cover the hydrated beans and aromatics with water or chicken stock by at least an inch. Cover the pot and simmer until the beans are soft, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour (but could vary 15-20 minutes depending on a variety of factors).

When the beans are soft, remove the bay leaves and add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, to taste.  Remove a cup or two of the beans, especially the liquor, to a blender and whiz at high speed until thoroughly mashed and creamy.  Alternatively, mash in the pot with a big spoon or potato masher.  The blender method produces a thicker result, more consistent with the beans you get in Mexican restaurants.  Return the mashed beans to the pot, stir to incorporate, and simmer on low until needed. Squeeze a quarter of a fresh lime into the beans just before serving.

For the rice:

1 1/2 Cups dried white rice
3 Cups water

Put together in a small pot, bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice is soft and a bit sticky, about 12 minutes.  For exceedingly white and fluffy rice, rinse the dry rice in cold water until the water runs clear.  This will shorten the cooking time.

For the chicken:

Rince and pat dry, 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces.  Season with 1/2 teaspoon dried chipotles, salt and fresh ground pepper. 

Melt enough bacon fat in a hot cast iron skillet to create a heavy glisten but not so much that the chicken will fry.  When sizzling hot, add the chicken pieces, top side down.  Add 1 tablespoon salsa of choice to the top of each piece.  When the chicken has seared and moves easily from the pain, turn pieces over, allowing the salsa to fall into the pan.  Add another 1 tablespoon of salsa to the cooked side of the chicken, cover with a lid and braise for about five minutes until chicken is just cooked through (a hint of pink in the center, still soft throughout).  Remove the chicken to a plate, cover loosely with foil and set aside in a warm place.  It will continue to cook in the center as it sits. When ready to plate, slice the chicken against the grain.

For serving, finely slice a quarter head of green cabbage.  Toss with the juice from half a lime.

For the pan sauce:

Deglaze the hot pan from the chicken with 1 shot tequila and 1 shot water or stock, scraping up all the crunchy bits of chicken and caramelized salsa.  Add 2 tablespoons more salsa.  Stir and reduce the sauce by half or until it begins to thicken, whichever comes first. Add in the collected juices from the warming plate.  Stir.

To plate:

Divide the plate into thirds, one-third rice, one-third beans, and one-third shredded cabbage.  Lay the sliced chicken on the cabbage.  Spoon the tequila pan sauce over the chicken and the beans and rice.  Squeeze a final lime wedge over the whole plate.

Amazingly, this recipe served 6 last night.  I expected to get four servings with some leftover beans, but we had unexpected teens around at dinner.  Everyone seemed satisfied.