Sunny's Kitchen (14 page)

1
Make the seasoning blend.
In a small bowl, combine the cumin, chili powder, pumpkin pie spice, oregano, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Set aside.

2
Sear the beef.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat until it begins to swirl. Add the beef cubes and sprinkle with half of the seasoning blend. Cook, stirring intermittently, until the beef is browned on all sides but not cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the beef chunks with a slotted spoon and set on a plate.

3
Build the flavor.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, and hot sauce. Cook, stirring, until everything turns a dark reddish brown, about 10 minutes.

4
Complete the chili.
Add the ground beef and sprinkle with the remaining half of the seasoning blend. Cook, stirring, until the beef is browned, then add the reserved beef chunks back to the pot along with the cornmeal, stock, wine, and squash. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the chili is thick and the liquid reduced, 40 to 50 minutes. Taste and season with another pinch of salt if needed, but the seasoning blend you’ve made should have this tasting perfect for you. If using cinnamon, add the stick 20 minutes before the chili is done, then remove before serving. Serve warm.

 

tip!
If you don’t have butternut squash, substitute 2 or 3 sweet potatoes for equally tasty results.

t
his is a soup you can eat with a fork, then just tilt the bowl toward you to sip the rest. For such complex flavors, it’s very simple to put together. I even made it once with leftover steak from a restaurant. Perfect for a winter day, it can actually stand alone as meal.
SERVES 4 TO 6

1
Fry the tortilla strips.
Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a pot or deep fryer until it reaches 360°F. Fry the tortilla strips in batches until golden brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Maintain the frying temperature at 350°F., allowing it to come back to 360°F. between batches. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate and sprinkle with salt.

2
Season and rest the beef.
In a small bowl, combine the cumin, garlic powder, thyme, salt, and pepper. Rub the spice blend over all of the steak and drizzle with the olive oil. Let rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes.

3
Start the soup.
In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic and sauté until the mushrooms are tender, adding extra oil if needed. Pour in the broth, jalapeños, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

4
Grill the steak.
Preheat a grill to medium-high. Sear the steak until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Place on a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Cut the beef against the grain into strips and add to the soup along with the spinach, stirring until the spinach wilts. Season to taste. Serve topped with the fried tortilla strips.

 

tips!
Make meatball soup using 1 pound of ground beef (80% meat, 20% fat) and the same amount of seasoning as you would for the steak. Roll meatballs the size of golf balls and use the olive oil to pan-fry them over medium-high heat until golden on all sides. Then drop them in the soup to finish cooking. Jiggle, and don’t stir the pot while cooking to avoid breaking up the meatballs.

t
his soup is light and filling with minimal ingredients. Sometimes you just have to let the ingredients do the talking. Here, the hint of licorice flavor from the tarragon gets smoothed out by the heavy cream; then the lemon comes along and makes everything bright. It’s a simple combination that tastes totally classy—five-star taste attainable in your kitchen.
SERVES 4 TO 6

1
Sweat the veggies.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and a pinch of salt. Stir and cook until the onions are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, lemon zest, and tarragon and cook, stirring, until the garlic is tender and fragrant but not browned, about 5 minutes.

2
Add the stock.
Add the chicken stock and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook for just 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the tarragon leaves. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.

3
Prep and bake the crostini.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a small pan over very low heat, combine the oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for 20 minutes or until a taste reveals the flavor of garlic and pepper. Season with more salt if desired. Brush both sides of each bread slice with the flavored oil and place on a baking sheet. Set the sheet in the center of the oven and bake the crostini until the edges are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

4
Finish the soup.
Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer again for a few minutes. Taste the soup and season with salt, if needed. Serve warm with the crostini.

t
o me, squash is neutral. Sure it has flavor, but not so much that it can’t be pushed around in the kitchen; I find it accepts flavor very easily. I’m in an area of Brooklyn that always has tomatillos on sale, so it was only a matter of time before I worked them into a soup instead of a salsa. Quite honestly, all I was thinking about was color. Green squash, green tangy tomatillos, green soup. It turned out pretty and tasty at the same time; score one for nature’s color coordination.
SERVES 4

1
Cook the zucchini.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a medium pot, combine the zucchini, stock, garlic, thyme, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook 20 minutes. Remove the thyme and discard.

2
Roast the tomatillos and onion.
Place the tomatillos and onion on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss with your hands to coat all sides, then season with a sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast until golden but not charred, 20 to 24 minutes.

3
Blend the soup.
Put the tomatillos and onion along with any remaining oil on the roasting sheet in a blender. Add a spoonful from the cooked zucchini mixture and blend until smooth. Add a few more scoops and blend, continuing until all of the pot contents are blended. Pour everything back into the pot and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes to serve warm or refrigerate to serve chilled. Garnish with cilantro.

w
hen people say that kids hate Brussels sprouts, I feel like an outsider. I actually loved them growing up, and that was back when people just boiled them, maybe with some onions. For this recipe I love the sprouts in all their green crunchy glory. This came from making cabbage in a similar way and then one day thinking, wait a minute, Brussels sprouts are just tiny cabbages, so why not? I implore you to try this salad! I can eat the entire recipe in one sitting. This takes all of ten minutes to pull together.
SERVES 4