recipe: quick chipotle tomato soup (creamy, vegan)

I was hungry.  This is what happened.

1 medium yellow onion; diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
28oz can plum tomatoes
1 chipotle pepper, diced + 1-2T adobo sauce (from canned chiles)
2 qts vegetable stock
kosher salt
1/2c thick cashew cream (recipe here; freezes like a charm)

Sweat the onion slowly in olive oil; throw on a bit of salt to get this going.  When just getting translucent, add garlic and chipotle pepper.  Saute another minute.

Add can of tomatoes and liquid from the can, crushing tomatoes in your hand as you go.  Messy but oddly satisfying.  Add vegetable stock.  Then test for seasoning - probably needs a bit more salt.  Bring to boil.

Reduce heat and simmer soup for 20ish minutes.  Add cashew cream and cook 5 mn longer (this will actually thicken things up a bit).  Use immersion blender to get out the big chunks; alternatively, use your regular blender, but be prepared to do 3-4 batches.  Fill the blender only to half full, cover the top with a dishtowel and avert your eyes before you press any buttons.  Hot liquid volcano may ensue.

Adjust seasonings a tad (I liked a little smoked paprika to amp up the smoky chipotle flavor without adding more heat) and...mmm...you know what to do.

and then there were two

In the midst of life-changing events last fall, another small fire was kindling away.  Sparked during the summer, this teeny little flame was being fanned and fed, nurtured and stoked, until mid-November when a big rush of fuel came and our little fire became fully engaged.  Now as we enter 2011, I am thrilled to officially announce my new adventure and partner-in-crime.

Chef Molly Herrmann of Tastebud Catering has been a client of Segnavia Creative since early 2010.  I have been helping her create a fresh, new strategy and vision for Tastebud and putting some business development projects into play.  During this time, I have also been consulting with Midtown Global Market to reassess their strategies, operations and marketing efforts.  As kismet would have it, between us all, the idea for a new business came to fruition.  Molly worked daily in a shared commercial kitchen space at MGM.  A loosely organized, but committed group of caterers, chefs, and food manufacturers rented this commercial kitchen space to share costs, equipment and such.  The idea?  Wouldn't it be cool if this commercial kitchen expanded (allowing access to more chefs, having had a waiting list for nearly 2 years), the cooking classes expanded (so successful thus far, but not a ton of room to host more people), and we added a retail component (people are always wandering by, wanting to purchase those perky meringues and delicious looking wraps)?

Molly and I wrote a business plan, some initial financial projections, and then wrapped it all up with a bow, not thinking that it had a chance in hell of getting going.  Seriously.  There were just so many obstacles to a project of this scope.  But, indeed, the idea was a good one, and the more energy we put into it, the better it became.  MGM's management and board got behind the project.  Next thing you know, all of that kindling and rolled up newspaper and dryer lint had the match it had been looking for.

When the opportunity was presented to me to partner in this adventure, it couldn't have been a better alignment of timing, my personal passions, my career experience and my know-how.  Food, retail, cooking classes, a start up business, and a good friend by my side.  I knew it was meant to be.

A new business took shape, construction began, chef-tenants signed up, marketing efforts started and Kitchen in the Market was born.

So, as I continue my work supporting entrepreneurs and growing businesses, I launch into a new adventure myself.  The quick answers:

• I am excited to work with and take on new clients for Segnavia Creative.  In my strategic-eye-view, Segnavia is a significant portion of my work life in the foreseeable future.
• I will take on fewer new clients in the next 2 months as Kitchen in the Market gets up and running.
• I have been repackaging my consulting and coaching efforts for entrepreneurs and am excited to launch several new programs this spring.  Stay tuned!

In the meantime, I hope to see you at Kitchen in the Market - online, on Facebook, on Twitter, and especially in person.  Come check out our beautiful new kitchen, take a class in our cooking school, and take home something tasty from our soon-to-be open retail grocery.  We'd love to have you.

Beef Stew

(I can't/won't credit this recipe to any one source because I pieced together so many recipes, comments, and suggestions that I don't think this recipe will look anything like what may have published to begin with! But I definitely started with one recipe from epicurious.com and one from How to Cook Everything to get me going.)

1 1/2 lb stew beef, cut into 1" pieces (can go up to 2 or 3 lbs if you want to be extra beefy)
3/4 c. flour seasoned with s&p for dredging
4-6T olive oil, divided
6 large garlic cloves, one crushed and 5 minced
1 large onion, chopped into rought 1/2" pieces
4 carrots, chopped into 1/2" thick rounds
3 stalks celery, cut into 1/2" thick slices
8 oz container sliced mushrooms
4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 c. red wine
2 T balsamic vinegar
5 c beef stock (we really like this brand that does naturals and organics)
2-3 T tomato paste
1-2 t dried thyme
1/4 c Worchestershire sauce
salt & pepper
1 c frozen corn
1 c frozen peas

Heat 2-4T oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Toss in whole crushed garlic clove and brown quickly on all sides to flavor oil. Remove and discard garlic. Dredge about half of the beef in the flour mixture and add to pan; saute until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove to plate. Dredge and brown 2nd batch of meat. Remove to plate.

Add remainder of oil to the pan, saute onions, celery, and carrots for about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic. Add mushrooms. When onions are starting to look translucent, begin building the base for the stew: add red wine and balsamic vinegar and keep the heat high to deglaze the pan, bring to boil for about 5-10 minutes or until the volume is reduced almost to 1/2. Then add salt & pepper, thyme, tomato paste, Worsestershire sauce, and the beef stock. Add browned beef. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes the mixture should still be quite soupy; if it's not add a bit more beef stock. Add the potatoes and cook another 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add peas & corn in the last 5 minutes.

Not surprisingly, this stew is best 1-2 days after cooking so if you have time, cook ahead and simply reheat slowly.


Trixie's Tips: for the first and second serving, make sure to have plenty of crusty bread (we had a freshly baked rosemary ciabatta one night...so delish), or make the cute Pillsbury Grands Biscuits...easy and yummy. For the third serving, try scooping the stew out over mashed potatoes.
This dish loves red wine and dark beer as an accompaniment. In fact, if you get really excited, replace the red wine IN the dish with a pint of Guinness to Irish-up your stew.

everything changes

I’ve been trying to figure out how to “restart” myself after the events of the past 3 weeks. There’s an odd reality I’m facing.  And without being overly dramatic, I think I can say with all certainty that this event, accident, loss, trauma has literally changed everything.

I have spent much of the past 2-3 years resetting my concept of what my life is all about.  What is meaningful and important.  What is relevant and valuable.  And who I really am in this world.  In a weird way, I’m proud of myself for that.  Because my old way of living and loving wasn’t working so well.  I was unhappy at work and stumbling along with my personal relationships.  I knew I was off track, but I didn’t yet know how to find my path.  These past years have really allowed me to grow into who I am and figure out how I want to show up to the world.  But more intimately, I’ve also grasped the importance of those I love, and I’ve carved out a co-existence that felt right.  In the wake of tragedy, I can say that I’m happy with where I’m headed.  Because had all of this happened even 3 years ago, I believe I might have reflected on myself with words like lost, unfulfilled, disappointed, without purpose.

Three weeks ago, a lightening bolt created a crack in our lives.  A fissure.  A permanent void.  And while this loss is intensely personal to some, I’m starting to see this as more than just people who left us too soon.  It’s about the enormity of life and the ridiculously simple power of love.  It’s about living a life of purpose, and one without regret.  It’s about remembering that we have only this day to live well, love deeply and act accordingly.  With life growing more complex by the day, we’re reminded of the basics.  This is a very good reminder, hidden in a cloud of literal heartbreak.

I can’t begin to capture all that I have learned in the past 3 weeks.  But I can try to articulate a few of the important lessons that have jumped out at me.  Let’s face it, writing helps me process.  For me, these lessons are around four key things:  faith, humanity, purpose, impact.

Faith
I’m speaking here of both the practical and theological versions of the word faith.  For me, these became very intertwined with recent events.  I have often thought about and used the word faith when it comes to explaining one’s ability to make ridiculous leaps (transitioning from employee to small business owner in a troubled economy to, oh, just grab one off the top of my head) or to just trust in the small decisions we make every day.  Faith helps us trust ourselves and others.  It’s helps us rely on instinct and experience.  It drives us to accept the unseen & believed, along with the seen & proven - in business, in love, in friendship, in everything.

My own spiritual faith is a convoluted thing.  But it’s uniquely mine and I accept it.  And more than ever, I’m interested in learning more.  Exploring a few unturned stones.  Understanding the complexities in a new way.  I don’t always understand your way of accepting a higher power into your life, but I am inspired by it.  I’m grooving with it.  Be it God, Allah, Buddha or whomsoever you choose, there are so many comforting similarities between religions.  But I’ve come to realize that - for me - religion itself isn’t really the point.  It’s more about connecting to a force greater than me and attempting to understand the purpose and extent of my very existence.  Ok, that’s a bit much, I realize.  So take it as the mental wanderings of a woman with a number of questions.  A ready student.

Humanity
Human beings are amazing things.  Biologically, soulfully, theoretically and practically amazing.  We don’t experience enough the love that is possible between and among people, do we?  The reminder has been bittersweet, of course, but I have never been more grateful to experience the power of humans to genuinely care for one another.  It’s amazing to think that as my heart is breaking, it is also so full of warmth and energy because of how others have shown up - for me, for my friend, for those lost, and for each other.  Again, sometimes this is intensely personal - about my heart and my experience.  But it’s also about the collective - our hearts, our experiences.  We each have the ability to simply be human, to connect and to love.

Purpose
As a business consultant, I have a keen focus on strategic planning.  I intentionally work with a segment of business that oftentimes struggles with that higher-level visioning, namely entrepreneurs.  But the one thing that (I believe) successful businesses of all sizes have in common is a specific, focused, stated purpose for being.  It’s the start of your mission, vision, values and priorities.  It’s the guiding principle for how you go about your business day to day.  I resonate so strongly with this that I’m certain I drive people crazy sometimes.  But if you’re going into business just to make money, you’re probably going to struggle at some point in your evolution.

As people, we’re not so different.  But how many people do you know have a stated purpose for their lives?  Ok, maybe you just don’t know they have it but, really, you’d probably pick up on it, right?  It would permeate their behaviors, interactions, and how they go about their business from day to day.  You would probably sense it in the air when they’re around.

My friend Luke lived a life of purpose - both personally and professionally.  And I now know how deeply that purpose impacted everything and every single person around him.  I’m inspired by this example.  My purpose is just there - on the tip of my tongue.  But feeling more apparent by the day.

Impact
What we do impacts others.  That’s simple enough.  So how do you want your interactions and your very existence on this earth to matter to others?  I’ve thought a lot about this in the past few years and I think it’s such a key driver for me.  I’ve made some uncomfortable decisions because I knew that saying yes would have led me in the wrong direction.  The impact I want to have on others, on life, on this world is bigger than that. 

So maybe this event hasn’t changed everything, after all.  Despite the still-inconceivable loss, I am fortified by this experience.  I am placing a higher value on these above items; I think I knew them before, but now I truly know.  I believe in my soul, my cells, my brain, my fingertips.  Every part of me believes.  And with that, I suppose, everything changes.