House Spouse

When I opened my computer tonight, I got a cruel reminder from iCal: Today was supposed to be my graduation day. It seems odd that I had to make the decision not to finish my thesis back a couple months ago when graduation wasn’t until today. It sucks, for sure, especially seeing some students who started after I did finishing up so quickly. Granted, they’re not married, have much different obligations than I, and chose different programs (programs with summer and J-term classes). But it still stings to think that I am going to take yet another semester before I’m finished with this stupid degree.

Funny enough, I’d been thinking about school this morning and was even inclined to peruse through a local college’s website looking at MFA programs. Andrew was not amused. I suppose it would be best if I finished one graduate program before moving onto the next.

I think the reason I love to be in school, doing actual course work rather than independent projects such as writing a thesis or studying for oral comprehensive exams, is that each semester is another timed challenge and adventure. Ironically, with such set parameters (deadlines and assignments), I feel more free to pursue what I’m interested in. Semester-long courses are like excuses to do what I love. Academia is sheer luxury for me, even when I’m frustrated with the amount of reading and writing I have to get done in such a short amount of time.

When I was in the midst of churning out my thesis and studying for comps, I’d fantasize about what I’d do with all my free time were I not writing and studying for 12 hours a day. I don’t recall what I came up with, but I do know what I have been doing at night when I get home from work and it is not the stuff of fantasy. So, I decided I’d sign up for a mandolin lesson in June. Now I just have to find a mandolin.

Now would be a good time for me to transition into a recipe that requires the use of a mandoline…

Rather, I have another taco recipe, which I suppose you could use a mandoline for.

Zucchini mushroom tacos are a fave around here. They’re spicy, smoky, and healthy. They’re especially great if you have a bumper crop of any kind of summer squash in your garden. I like to eat the filling on its own or with a side of rice. I’ve made these tacos in the fall with butternut squash and mushrooms, and while a very different filling, they were still really delicious. In other words, this is a really good recipe to play around with.

Zucchini-Mushroom Tacos
from Mexican Everyday
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3 oz mushrooms (Your choice on the variety. White mushrooms work fine.)
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 canned chipotle pepper, seeded
1 1/2 tsp adobo (chipotle canning sauce)
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt
1/2 to 3/4 c crumbled queso fresco
12 warm corn tortillas

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until it begins to soften. This should take about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 more minutes until their liquid has evaporated and they begin to brown.

While the mushrooms are cooking, pour the tomatoes, chipotle pepper, and adobe into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

When the mushrooms are ready, add the tomato mixture and cook, stirring regularly, until it thickens (about the consistency of a tomato sauce). Add the zucchini. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is cooked through. This should take about 8 to 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt.

Serve with warm tortillas and garnish with the crumbled cheese.

Rick Bayless’ original recipe includes the option of adding chorizo. If you’d like to add this, cook 4 ounces of fresh Mexican chorizo (casing removed) until it’s crisp. It works well as a garnish. Another option is to chop up 4 slices of bacon, fry until crisp, and sprinkle on the tacos. I prefer just to use cheese.

Oye. I’ve got nothing tonight.

Well, if you have leftover tomatoes, capers, and olives from making puttanesca or you’ve been spending a few days eating buttery quiche and need something lighter for supper, this is a good recipe. I was skeptical of the idea of braising celery, but this is tasty. I recommend serving this dish with grilled bread to sop up the broth and make it more of a meal.

Oven-Braised Celery
from How to Cook Everything (for the iPhone!)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs celery, trimmed
2 T minced onion
1 T drained capers
1/2 c pitted and chopped olives
1 c seeded and chopped tomato (fresh or drained canned)
2 T olive oil
1 c vegetable stock
Chopped herbs for garnish
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375F. Cut the celery into 2-inch long pieces and heat a deep, oven-proof skillet or flameproof gratin dish over medium heat. If you don’t have either, just use a deep skillet to prep the vegetables and poor them into a baking dish for the braising part.

Saute the celery and the onions for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the stock. Bring to a boil and put in the oven (or transfer to a baking dish). Cook until the celery is tender. Mark Bittman says it should take about 15 minutes, but I’ve found that his cook times are generally too low for my oven. It actually took more like 30 minutes for the celery to get tender.

During the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the capers, tomatoes, and olives. Garnish with chopped herbs and serve.

I was just about to turn in for the night (half past 10 is a half hour past my bedtime) when I remembered that I didn’t blog for today!

My mom is in town for work, so Andrew and I drove out to to O’hare after work to pick her up and take her to dinner. We weren’t familiar with any spots in the Schiller Park area (where she’s staying), so we took our chances with Yelp and narrowed it down to two places in/around Edison Park. My mom said that Italian sounded good, so we went Italian.

Much to our surprise, the place we ended up dining was really, really good. The atmosphere was nice, the food very tasty, and the price right. The portions were a little outrageous. My plate came with the amount of pasta I’d make for Andrew and I for dinner, with the intention of leftovers for both of us to take for lunch. Needless to say, we have enough food around for at least another day.

Now, I have Italian food on the brain, so here’s a recipe for a tomato sauce that is simple simple simple to make. It is, obviously, a delicious sauce and, according to Joy of Cooking, “exciting” and “ideal for busy cooks.” Traditional Puttanesca normally has anchovies, but I don’t keep them in my pantry, so I omit them when I don’t have any and add a few more olives and capers to substitute for their salty flavor.

Puttanesca Sauce
Makes 3 cups

Ingredients:
1/4 c olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large pinch red chile pepper
1 1/4 c olives (I used kalamata), pitted and chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 pounds whole peeled ripe tomatoes, or one 28 oz can whole tomatoes with their juice
3 Tbsp minced parsley
3 T drained capers
salt and pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add the garlic and chile pepper, stirring just until the garlic starts to turn golden. Add the olives and oregano and stir for about 30 seconds. Next, add the tomatoes and simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes while crushing them with the back of a spoon to thicken the sauce.

Stir in the parsley and capers and season with salt pepper to taste.

Serve with your favorite pasta.