Tag: beans

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Omni

Zinger Chicken Soup

one and a half slices chicken soup recipe easy thai spicy local
one and a half slices local simple recipes food

Zinger Chicken Soup

one and a half slices chicken soup recipe easy thai spicy local

The origin of this soup is… Fridge Soup. Fridge Soup is soup I make at least once a week, sometimes at the end of a week, when the fridge is almost empty but the freezer is stocked with chicken broth because I bake so many chickens. Fridge Soup involves chicken stock and whatever happens to be in the fridge (and pantry). It is flexible. It is hearty. It is warming, calming, homey, and very, very low maintenance. At minimum, you need something like dried herbs, onions, carrots, garlic, a rice or a noodle, maybe some chicken or perhaps just some really nice beans. This particular Fridge Soup, though, came out really, really well. So well that the entire household agreed it deserved its own post. So here is it. I dub thee Zinger Chicken Soup, mostly because it blends thai flavors with Italian inspo super well in this spicy, zesty, fresh yet hearty soup like nothing I’ve ever quite tasted. If you want that specific experience, recreate the recipe precisely. If you just want to go the way of Fridge Soup, vibe on, my friend… vibe on.

what you need

1 lb chicken (a breast is fine)

1-2 cups cooked brown rice or wild rice, or 1-2 cups cooked pasta noodles of choice 

1 cup beans (like a great northern bean, a pinto bean, or a kidney bean – a can is fine, but if fresh, soak overnight)

1 cup finely chopped vegetables in the allium family (e.g., garlic, onions shallots, green onions, leeks)

1 large knob of fresh ginger, minced

the zest from 1 lemon

the juice from that same lemon

2 thai chilies or serrano peppers. minced

6-8 oz dry white wine

1-2 cups finely diced carrots, celery, and/or baby turnips 

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes 

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup parmesan cheese

8-10 cups chicken and/or vegetable broth (a mix of both is fine)

3 cups washed and trimmed kale, spinach, or swiss chard

3-4 tablespoons herbs of choice (e.g., herbes de provence, oregano, thyme, parsley, salt)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

how to make it

Method: stovetop

Utensil: Dutch oven or large cooking pot

Chunk your chicken and season it as you see fit (salt, olive oil, mustard, paprika, lemon juice, ???, get jiggy w it)

Place the olive oil in the dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken really well until cooked almost through. Remove from the pot and shred or cut into smaller pieces for the soup. Set aside.

Back to the pot. Go in with the white wine and fully deglaze the pan. Add the butter, alliums, peppers, ginger, red pepper, lemon zest, herbs, and salt, and give it a good solid sauté for a minute or two. Then add the carrots/celery/turnips, along with some more salt and black pepper, and soften for a minute or two more. 

Once everything is softened, add the broth and the beans. If the beans were raw, at this point you’ll need to cover the pot and boil steadily for 40-50 minutes or until the beans are soft. If the beans were from a can, you can keep the boil to around 15 minutes. 

Add the chicken, rice/noodles, and kale/chard, and boil steadily for another 10-15 minutes until everything is fragrant and combined. After the soup is mostly composed, kill the heat. Into the steaming soup, add the heavy cream (slowly so it does not curdle), the parmesan cheese, and the lemon juice. Stir to combine. 

Ladle into 2-3 bowls, top with fresh chives or parsley, a glug or two of olive oil, and more parmesan cheese. Serve on its own or with very crusty, hearty bread.  

impromptu soup
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Local Omni

Rabbit Cassoulet

rabbit chicken cassoulet recipe simple one pot one and a half slices
OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Rabbit Cassoulet

rabbit chicken cassoulet recipe simple one pot one and a half slices

**Disclaimer: do not be intimidated by the rabbit. You can also make this dish with a rotisserie chicken if locally sourcing and roasting a whole rabbit isn’t in your game plan for the week. Traditional cassoulet also frequently uses sausage. 

Here we are with Protein #2 in our Protein Trio and it’s a bit of a non-standard one. (If you missed Protein #1, I highly recommend you check out the hot honey chicken post). We don’t often cook rabbit but… we totally should! It is more delicate than chicken with more flavor, but still not too gamey.  Here in the area, Whiffletree Farm frequently has whole rabbits but this particular rabbit we got pre-cooked at Sumac. I do adore rabbit cassoulet and I adore Sumac, so when I saw it on the menu I had to order it as one of our beautiful, locally-sourced small plates for lunch that day. Yet when Chef Dan came marching out to our little picnic bench in the sun ready to delivery the rabbit cassoulet, he came with an entire rabbit! The menu was not clear… I now understood the price tag on the dish. Obviously, we were stuffed having just finished a meal thinking this was the final course, so we wrapped up the rabbit, roasted delicately over open flame, and picked it apart the following day for this Sunday cassoulet.

Now let’s talk about cassoulet. It is one of those traditional French dishes that Americans like to try to make bougie. We serve it up in our Michelin starred restaurants with a unique protein like rabbit not understanding that a cassoulet is nothing more than a bean soup featuring whatever protein you can get your hands on. It can stew all day or come together quite quickly. Nevertheless, cassoulets are hearty and Fall-ish, and I am thrilled to have this one on my table. 

what you need

4 cups dried kidney beans, soaked overnight

3 strips of thick bacon

2 large shallots, minced

5 cloves garlic, minced 

3 cups Swiss chard, cut into thin strips

1/2 cup white wine

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

6 cups vegetable broth 

2 cups roasted rabbit or chicken, shredded (*you can also use a local sausage in a cassoulet)

1/2 cup good parmesan cheese 

Dried oregano, thyme, salt, and crushed red pepper

how to make it

Prepare the beans. Rinse the raw kidney beans until water runs clear. Place 1 minced shallot and 2 cloves of minced garlic in a pan and sauté over medium heat until fragrant. Add the beans, oregano, thyme, crushed red peppers, and salt to taste, and stir. Add five cups of vegetable broth, cover, and simmer until the beans are tender al dente (still holding their form well). This should take ~90 minutes but it can take up to three hours depending on how long the beans soaked and the nature of the simmer. Stir them once every 30 minutes and check the liquid levels. You may need to add more water as the beans cook. 

When the beans are finished and the rabbit or chicken is roasted, you are ready to assemble your cassoulet. 

Prepare the cassoulet. Heat a Dutch oven or large cast iron skillet on the stove over medium heat. Chip up the bacon and cook it directly in the pan until almost cooked through. Then add the minced shallot, minced garlic, and more crushed red peppers into the fat from the bacon, stirring continually for 1-2 minutes. 

Add the substance to the cassoulet. Deglaze the pan with the half cup of white wine. Then add the Dijon mustard, four cups of the cooked beans with a little of their juices, and the cup of vegetable broth. Sprinkle with dried herbs and salt, and bring to a steady simmer. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes, then add the shredded rabbit and Swiss chard. Simmer for 5-7 minutes more. Remove from heat when there are still some juices left in the bottom and the chard is fully wilted.   

Serve. Taste for salt and seasoning. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve over brown rice or barley, or with a few slices of thick, crispy bread. 

Cassoulet!
Sumac
More Fall-ish Stews

Moroccan Tagine

I have been SO excited to release this post!!! Why? Because this is your new weeknight dinner. It will impress your family, fill your stomach, warm your heart, and make your house smell like North African spices. I started making tagine years ago when I first moved to DC and came across a tagine in World Market. I was instantly and aesthetically intrigued, and purchased the thing on the spot not having a clue what I would do with it. Well… figured that one out. A tagine is the OG slow cooker.  And whatever you put inside – lamb, chicken, chickpeas, rabbit, potatoes – you will taste the spicy exoticism. If you don’t have a tagine, no worries. You can make it in a Dutch oven, stovetop or, yes, in a slow cooker. And before you think this is just chicken slow roasted in tomato sauce… keep reading…

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September 21, 2024 4 Comments
oneandahalfslices tomato soup recipe summer

Tomato Soup

Everyone needs a good, solid, simple tomato soup recipe because, let’s face it, if you’re past the age of 5, Campbell’s just doesn’t cut it. I don’t claim that this will be the best tomato soup you’ve ever tasted, but it is very straightforward and easy to whip up during the summer months when there is an excess of tomats. So get your grilled cheese ready (recipe to follow), turn on the oven, and slice up your beautiful reds. 🍅

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August 28, 2021 2 Comments
stew soup recipe fall One and a Half Slices lemon chickpea vegan dish

Lemon Chickpea Stew

Welcoming Fall in vegan/vegetarian style, the theme of this October is lentils and other legumes. The chickpea is a protein-packed, fiber saturated, hearty meal staple. This soup recipe boasts a super unique flavor comprised of lemon zest, really good olive oil, red chili flakes, and the lowly potato. Just one more example of how fresh, local, in-season produce carries all the flavor you’ll ever need. This stew is filling yet humble. It is bold; it isn’t fancy. It doesn’t require an exotic cocktail pairing… it’s just a simple stew for a simple weeknight to remind you to be thankful for a warm stomach, an engaged palette, and a full plate … (or bowl, in this instance).

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October 30, 2021 No Comments
vegetable soup recipe simple weeknight one and a half slices

Vegetable Soup

We decided to throw together a soup with… whatever was left in the fridge. With this recipe, literally anything goes. Whatever you’ve got in the fridge. Whatever is left over. It can be vegan/vegetarian or use leftover meat. It can be super starchy and hearty, or lighter and more vegetable-forward. In any form, it is simple, warming, and humble – a subtle reminder that we are fortunate to be able to indulge in anything more than this on a regular basis. This was how people cooked 200 years ago in America… in Italy, in France, in Morocco. Peasant food. Make-it-through-the-winter food. I am just as appreciative for dishes like these (and beef stew, and homemade beans, and tagine) as I am for Pot Roast and Pavlova. Also, if anyone else spent their childhood at Medieval Times, this is totally the soup they serve!

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November 17, 2021 2 Comments

White Bean Chorizo Soup

As we enter into the longest winter months with January barely having come to a close, it seems like it will never be warm again. These are the months for soups, stews, and roasts; hearty and cozy. This is one such soup. It is creamy (without any cream) and I hereby dub it my Winter Soup, topped with spicy chorizo, salty pepitas, and a dash of oregano.

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February 6, 2021 1 Comment
chili soup stew recipe oneandahalfslices

Indispensable Chili

Every year I make a New Year’s resolution and 2017 was the year of the cacao nib. While I appreciate a good office-party chili cookoff as much as the next, to me, chili is one of those sacred things that just should not be fucked with. Don’t try to make it fancy. Just make it good. So, here, basic, indispensable, chili.

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October 22, 2020 6 Comments
Categories
Veggie

Black Bean Bowls

oneandahalfslices black bean bowls homemade grilled corn mexican
OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Homemade Black Beans & Bowls

oneandahalfslices black bean bowls homemade grilled corn mexican

Man, I gotta say, bowls have to be the biggest culinary hack for weeknight dinner. They are so easy there is a whole line of mainstream, not-quite-fast-food restaurants built around their creation: Cava, Chipotle, Sweet Green… the list goes on. If they are simple enough for mainstream restaurants to churn out at the core of their business model, they are certainly simple enough for you to make at home on a weeknight. These Mexicali bowls are one of my standbys. The recipe I’m going to give you is for homemade black beans which, after you make them once, you’ll never buy another can of black beans again. The format is similar to the Anson Mills Red Island Sea Peas recipe. Then I’ll leave a few bowl assembly hints for you at the bottom.

Pro tip: get a grill.

#summervibes

🌽🥑🌶️

what you need

For the black beans:

5 cups raw black beans, soaked in water overnight

2 jalapenos or other hot peppers, minced

1 yellow onion or two shallots, minced

half an orange

salt and pepper to taste

1 vegetable bouillon cube

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Suggestions for the bowls:

1 cup of brown rice, cooked according to package

1 cup of homemade black beans, cooked according to this recipe

half an avocado, sliced

one cob of grilled corn, cut off the cob

one bell pepper, raw or grilled

half a roma tomato, or, use some homemade salsa and/or guacamole

half a jalapeno pepper, sliced thinly

fresh cilantro and/or parsley

(optional) protein of choice, chicken or steak, done your way on the grill

(optional) cotija cheese

how to make it

Beans. Soak your black beans overnight in water. The next day, drain them, strain them, and prepare them for cooking.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, peppers, and garlic, and sauté a minute or two until soft. 

Add the beans to the sauce pan along with 5 cups of water, the vegetable bouillon cube, and salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze the half orange into the beans then place the expressed half orange face down in the beans, cover, and simmer for two to three hours or until beans are tender. If the liquid is not evaporating, you can simmer the beans uncovered for the final hour.

Bowls.  Bowls are more assembly than anything else which is what makes them so fantastic. Start with your cup of rice, then your cup of beans, then the world – or in this case, the bowl – is your oyster. Add your protein, your pepper –  grilled or raw, your tomato or salsa, your avocado or guac, your grilled corn, and garnish with fresh herb and cheese of choice. You’ve got yourself a weeknight dinner. You’re welcome.

Oh, don’t forget the lime wedge!

Like these bowls? Try the Turkish Kebab bowls next (coming soon!)

Bean Prep
Fall Cocktail - Lost Plane
Grilled Things
Finished Bowl
Endless Weeknight Dinner Ideas
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Veggie

Black-eyed Peas

oneandahalfslices black eyes crowder peas recipe bacon
OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Homemade Black Eyed Sea Island Red Peas

There is something to be said for simple, whole food.

Can I just say that until recently, I drastically underestimated the impact of homemade peas and beans. I was a canned girl all the way… until my CSA offered fresh, dried Crowder Peas and Black Beans as part of the winter delivery (THANK YOU @farmerchefcasey and Potomac Vegetable Farms). If you’re going to eat peas or beans, especially on their own as a side, there is a HUGE taste difference between homemade and canned. So cook up my skillet cornbread and give these peas a try. They pair well with butter cabbage, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, or collard greens.

Technically, these are Anson Mills’ Sea Island Red Peas. You can order them from Anson Mills directly and they will ship to you in a few days. If you haven’t tried Anson Mills’ rice or these red peas, they come highly recommended. By me. Who ought to know. This has to be at least my hundredth batch. 

“Spring time in Florida is not a matter of peeping violets or bursting buds merely. It is a riot of color, in nature–glistening green leaves, pink, blue, purple, yellow blossoms that fairly stagger the visitor from the north…The nights are white nights as the moon shines with dazzling splendor, or in the absence of that goddess, the soft darkness creeps down laden with innumerable scents. The heavy fragrance of magnolias mingled with the delicate sweetness of jasmine and wild roses.”

– Zora Neale Hurston –

what you need

4 cups dried black eyed peas or crowder peas, soaked in water overnight and rinsed clean

4 slices bacon, diced (skip this if you’re after the vegetarian version)

1 cup swiss chard de-stalked and cut into thick ribbons

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (skip if you do not want your peas or beans spicy)

5 cups water

2 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons thyme

1 hot pepper or jalapeño, thinly diced

how to make it

Soak the peas or beans in water for at least three hours, ideally overnight. 

In Dutch oven or large pot stovetop, cook the bacon until dark brown and almost crispy over Medium-High heat. Add the garlic, hot pepper, onion, and crushed red pepper, and cook ~1 minute more, stirring so the garlic does not burn. 

Sprinkle mixture with thyme and add the drained peas, the water, and the broth to the pot, stirring everything together and scraping any bits up off the bottom of the pot. Reduce heat to low simmer, cover, place lid on pot and cook for 1-2 hours, or until beans are tender. 

Note: This will take different amounts of time depending on the pea, the bean, and how long it was soaked. Mine usually take 1 1/2-2 hours total, but sometimes I let them simmer and sit for as long as 4 if I’ve got the time. You could probably whip them into shape in 50 minutes if you crank up the heat but the point is to let them boil down.

About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve, stir in the swiss chard and continue to cook.

Top with Greek yogurt sprinkled with a dash of cumin and thyme, a crispy veggie, and a side of cornbread. 

Most people will think of this as a side dish, mostly because there is no meat.

But. This. Is. A. Whole. Meal.

As pictured above, you’re looking at 800 or so calories, 10g of fiber, and 60-70g of protein, give or take. This is all the fuel you need for one meal.

Categories
Omni

White Bean Chorizo Soup

OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

White Bean Chorizo Soup

As we enter into the longest winter months with January barely having come to a close, it seems like it will never be warm again. These are the months for soups, stews, and roasts; hearty and cozy. This is one such soup. It is creamy (without any cream) and I hereby dub it my Winter Soup, topped with spicy chorizo, salty pepitas, and a dash of oregano. Thank you Whiffletree Farm for the chorizo in the January CSA. And thank you Edible DC for putting this recipe in my inbox right when I needed it most. 

what you need

2 cans canellini or navy beans in their juices

1 yellow onion, diced

2 Russet potatoes; peeled

1 tablespoon fennel seed

2 tablespoons oregano

1 pound spicy chorizo

4 cups chicken stock

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons salted butter

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or cooking sherry

1 tablespoon paprika

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

(optional) For serving: 1/4 cup pepitas tossed in olive oil, sweet paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and a dash of cinnamon. Toast under broiler for 1 minute until crispy and allow to cool.

how to make it

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a soup pot and sauté onions until translucent, adding the garlic and cooking slowly over medium heat. Add the fennel and oregano, and cook for another minute. 

Add beans with all their juices and chicken broth, and bring the mixture to a slight boil. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the diced, peeled potatoes, cover, and cook on a medium simmer for 30 minutes.

In separate pan, chip up the chorizo and brown like ground beef or, alternatively, roll the chorizo into tiny meatballs. Once cooked completely through, add the cooking sherry, paprika, and oregano, stir, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. If using, simultaneously toast the pepitas under the broiler.

Once potatoes are tender in the soup, puree all soup contents in blender and return to soup pot. Ladle about two cups of soup into a bowl and top with about half a cup of chorizo, a dash of cayenne pepper or sweet paprika, and a pinch of toasted pepitas. Serve.

I have also had the thought that crispy, spicy kale chips would be an excellent topping for this in lieu of the toasted pepitas, but the cinnamon on the pepitas really rounds out the warmness of the soup.
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Omni

Indispensable Chili

chili soup stew recipe oneandahalfslices
OneandahalfSlices food blog recipes One and a half Slices Virginia eat local

Indispensable Chili

chili soup stew recipe oneandahalfslices

Chili is one of those things. There are chili cookoffs and chili arguments. There is chicken chili, vegan chili, white bean chili, and endless competition for the single spiciest chili ever to exist. While I appreciate a good office-party chili cookoff as much as the next, to me, chili is one of those sacred things that just should not be fucked with. Like cheeseburgers. Like cheesecake. Don’t try to make it fancy. Just make it good. So, here, basic, indispensable, chili.

what you need

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds ground beef, bison, or pork sausage

2-3 cans beans of choice (chili, kidney, pinto… I like a mixture)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 large, sweet or yellow onion

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1-3 green or red chili peppers

1 bottle beer (lager, ale, of witbier… the lighter the better for this recipe)

1 cup dark coffee

1/4 cup 100% cocoa powder

Cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, black pepper

how to make it

Place meat, onions, and garlic in Dutch oven or soup pot on stove over medium heat. Chip up meat and brown thoroughly. Dice the chili peppers and place into pot along with bottle of beer, cup of coffee, cocoa powder, and spices, stirring thoroughly.

On spices, you want a little cumin, a lot of chili powder, and oregano, salt, and pepper to taste. Cumin is powerful and can turn a dish bitter if added in large quantity.

Simmer chili base on low heat for ~20 minutes to allow the base to cook into the meat. Add tomatoes and beans and cook for another ~30 minutes. Chili gets better the longer it sits on the stove, so feel free to turn off the burner, secure the lid, and let it rest for a while.

Serve topped with a dollop of 0% fat Greek Yogurt, a solid shred of good cheddar cheese (good cheddar cheese is always white, never yellow), a sprinkle of chives or parsley, and a side of corn chips.

"Day by day, nothing seems to change. But pretty soon, everything's different." - Bill Watterson

A Note On Ingredients

Every year I make several New Years resolutions. One professional, one fitness-related, and one culinary resolution.

2017 was the year of the cacao nib.

In 2017, the culinary New Years resolution was to learn the culinary history of the cacao nib by way of cooking, of course, and in celebration of my favorite movie, Chocolat. After much reading and many a history lesson, a molé sauce cookoff with my mother, and the devising of the ultimate hot chocolate recipe, I arrived at a simple yet powerful rule of thumb:

Chili in chocolate and chocolate in chili.

These two ingredients are soul mates; chili is Calvin to the chocolate-y Hobbes. Good chocolate, hot or otherwise, always has a dash of chili pepper or straight up cayenne. And good chili should have 100% cocoa powder (among other things) to deepen its flavor and add to its base. This recipe uses cacao, coffee, and beer to create its rich flavor profile. Choosing a high-quality chocolate is key. I look to Guittard (American), Lindt (Swiss), Godiva (American/Turkish), Noi Sirius (Icelandic), or Girardelli (Swiss/American). Regardless of brand, the lower the cacao percentage in chocolate, the more milk/sugar/additives it has, so best to go with the darkest cocoa available (over 60% is desirable).      

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