molly’s cupcakes was just down the street from my good friend tessa & my apartment in lincoln park, chicago. I took this photo there last year while we were still living in the city. to this day, the best cupcake I’ve ever had, and well worth the trip.
i’ve really wanted hummus all day today. when i make hummus at home, it hardly ever turns out the same way each time. i use ingredients that i have available and combine whichever sound the best. but this afternoon while i was looking at recipes online, i stumbled across mouhammara, a middle-eastern dip made with red peppers and walnuts, and decided to give it a try. even though it doesn’t include chickpeas or tahini, the dip has a really smooth and creamy consistency–and for so few ingredients, really has a lot of flavor.
3 red peppers
1-2 garlic cloves
1 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
3/4 cup walnuts
1/3 cup olive oil
1 small sweet onion
roast the peppers at 350 on an oiled baking sheet for 20-30 minutes, turning every five minutes, until the skin begins to wrinkle and blacken. meanwhile, saute the onions until softened, 5 minutes at medium heat. when finished, add the onions and remaining ingredients to a blender and blend till smooth. when the peppers are finished and have cooled for 20 minutes, peel off the skin and discard the seeds. add to the blender & finish! serve with crackers, veggies or pita chips.
fish tacos are one of those dishes that I’m admittedly a little intimidated by. after making them once a few years ago and coming up with less than impressive results, I decided that it might be something that’s worth going out for.
since then, having eaten fish tacos at numerous restaurants, I have come to the conclusion that whether fried or grilled, what really makes a standout taco is the correct balance of crunchiness, creaminess and spice. some of my favorite tacos are at kaya, a big burrito restaurant in pittsburgh, and after discovering them I was back within a few weeks to order the exact same dish.
but my limited budget and craving for fish tacos has me back to my own kitchen, willing to try again–so here’s to my second attempt. after some testing and recipe research, I think this version will be marinated & pan-fried fish, cilantro and cabbage slaw, and chipotle cilantro crema, with roasted red peppers and avocado slices.
chipotle-cilantro crema:
1/2 cup yogurt
3 T. fresh cilantro
1 chipotle in adobo sauce
1-2 T. lime juice
1 t. salt
pulse all of the ingredients together until the chipotle pepper is finely diced
fish taco marinade
10 4 oz. cod fillets
1/4 cup lime juice
badia adobo seasoning, available at most mexican grocery stores
2 T. olive oil
1/2 bottle modelo beer
make sure the skin is removed from the fish, and slice them lengthwise into roughly 1 inch strips. place the fish in a shallow pan and drizzle with olive oil and lime juice, and sprinkle adobo seasoning on top, then place in the fridge.
30-45 minutes before you’re ready to cook the fish, pour the beer over the fish and remove the pan from the refrigerator. to cook the fish, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. lay the fish in the pan, making sure not to crowd them too much. turn the heat up to medium, and add the remaining beer to the pan. cook for at least 5 minutes on each side, until the fish is firm & slightly browned on each side.
the extras
12 white corn tortillas
1 avocado, halved and sliced horizontally
3 red peppers, halved, seeded & roasted, cut side down, for one hour at 300 degrees. when finished & cooled, slice into strips to serve.
heirloom pepper salsa
4 heirloom sweet peppers, cut in half & seeded
whole canned tomatoes, 4 total with some sauce, pureed
4 T. chopped cilantro
1 small red onion, chopped
2 T. lime juice
1 large clove garlic
1 T. salt
4 T. hot sauce, or jalapeno pepper
preheat the oven to 300 and coat a baking sheet with olive oil. cut the peppers in half, seed them, and place them cut side down on the sheet. roast in the oven for one hour, or until skin begins to blacken. when finished, the skin should feel papery and peel off quite easily. meanwhile, roughly chop the onion and garlic, then place in a food processor and pulse until minced. place in a bowl, and then pulse the tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, hot sauce or jalapeno, and salt until the pepper and cilantro are nicely chopped, and combine with the garlic and onions. when the peppers are out of the oven & cool, peel them, pulse in the food processor, and add to the bowl with remaining ingredients. season to taste & let sit so the flavors combine, at least a few hours.
the apples, goat cheese & peppers were all items that jon & I bought on saturday at the farmers at the firehouse market in the strip district. I was thinking I would make a quinoa salad with the peppers & goat cheese, but when I saw this recipe today I changed my mind. apple + goat cheese quesadillas instead!
you can also try adding your favorite hot sauce, which will change the flavor of the salsa. i recommend franks’s redhot or chipotle tobasco—-the chipotle flavor would complement the roasted peppers nicely.
apple + goat cheese quesadillas
4 corn tortillas
1 cup goat cheese, at room temperature
4 apples, sliced vertically, seeds removed
1 T. olive oil
assemble the quesadillas by spreading a quarter cup of cheese on each tortilla, and covering half with slices from one of the apples. fold the other side in, pressing to make sure the apples are in place. brush the outside of the quesadilla with olive oil, and make the remaining quesadillas. broil in the oven, 5-8 minutes on each side, until the cheese melts & the tortilla has begun to brown. serve with the heirloom pepper salsa & chopped avocado.
photo taken outside of lili coffeeshop, polish hill, pittsburgh.
fall is definitely my favorite season. the cooler weather and changing leaves are always such a welcome change, and after the unseasonably hot summer in pittsburgh, I’ve been looking forward to it even more.
growing up in michigan, each time the fall came around, my family would make a trip out to the VerHage Farm to pick apples. what stands out most in my memories from these occasions are all of the wonderful fall things we would make after each visit. this year I’m looking forward to the apple crisp and cider just as much, but have come across a new recipe that I think will become part of my annual repertoire. butternut squash soup is usually the soup I’ve made in the years past, but when my friend Andre presented me with a pumpkin a few days ago, I thought I would give pumpkin soup a try.
the soup is really simple and takes only about an hour to make, but the result is really satisfying.
one of my good friends, elisabeth, is on a strict gluten free and dairy free diet. when we decided to have dinner together, making soup seemed like the best option. anything that begins with olive oil, garlic & onions is pretty difficult to mess up. I started there, chopped and added the vegetables in the kitchen that seemed to pair well, and came up with a thick, hearty tomato base flecked with thyme, basil and hints of garlic. the result, with a bottle of wine, roasted cauliflower, and friends–made for a pretty great evening.
heat the oil over medium, then add the garlic & onion and saute till translucent, but not brown, for about 5 minutes. after the five minutes are up,
season with kosher salt & pepper, dried rosemary, thyme, and basil, and red pepper flakes
cover, reduce to a simmer and let everything cook together for 3o minutes. then use an immersion blender to puree the soup.
herb pistou: combine a handful of fresh herbs with garlic, 2 T. olive oil, and salt and pepper in a food processor.
annaliesemaree.com 
