Beef Tacos

I was in a mood for tacos one evening last week, so I decided to make some, and to use my own mix of seasoning instead of one of the store-bought seasoning packets. 

In designing my own recipe, I first checked out an old one from Cook's Illustrated back in 2002.   The basics of that recipe gave me something to start from in designing my own recipe.  I also found something else good in Cook's Illustrated:  how to make home-fried taco shells.

The taco shell method is pretty straightforward, really.   Heat 3/4 cup oil (I used canola oil) in a small skillet to 350 degrees.  When the oil is ready, use tongs to slip half of a tortilla into the oil, folding it partway over and using a spatula to keep the frying part of the tortilla flat.  When the first half of the tortilla starts to stiffen, flip the tortilla, holding it open a bit.

Fry the second side until it is lightly browned, then flip again until that side is lightly browned, then transfer the shell upside-down on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.  Continue with as many shells as desired.  

I used store-bought (Mission brand medium-sized) tortillas.  They worked great, although they did have something of a tendency to puff up sort of like fry bread.   This made for a nice change of pace from the hard shells one gets in a store, or from going the soft-shell route.

I decided to make a large batch of taco meat, even though I was cooking for just Juli and me, since I had an idea what to do with the leftover meat.   The recipe below is for a large batch; if you want less taco meat, just halve the recipe. 

The tacos were really, really good.  Juicy, nicely-seasoned meat, crisp lettuce, garden-fresh tomatoes and sharp cheddar cheese (as usual, we grated up some Cabot extra-sharp cheddar) inside a crisp (but not crunchy) shell... they were well worth the effort of going the do-it-yourself route instead of relying so much on store-prepared ingredients.  Juli used some of what was left to make a taco salad for work the next day, and I had plans for the rest of the meat.  Stay tuned!

Beef Tacos

yield = enough meat for 16 tacos (serves 8)

3                   tablespoons canola oil
1                   large yellow onion, diced
2                   teaspoons minced garlic
4                   tablespoons chili powder
2 1/2             teaspoons ground cumin
2                   teaspoons coriander
1 1/2             teaspoons dried Mexican oregano, crushed
1/2                teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4                teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4                teaspoon table salt
2                   pounds 90% lean ground beef
1                   cup tomato sauce
3/4                cup low-sodium chicken broth
2                   teaspoons light brown sugar
2                   teaspoons cider vinegar
8                   taco shells
2                   cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2                   cups shredded lettuce
4-5               small tomatoes
                     sour cream (if desired)

Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.  Stir in the garlic and spices and cook, continuing to stir, for 1 minute.  Add the ground beef and cook until the meat is no longer pink (about 5 minutes), using the wooden spoon to break up large pieces of meat and to scrape the bottom of the skillet to prevent burning. 

Add tomato sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar and vinegar.  Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has cooked off (about 10 minutes). 

To serve, spoon portions of the meat mixture into each taco shell, then top with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream (if desired).

Food Nostalgia: Spaghetti Rice

The most recent potluck lunch at my workplace had a theme very appropriate to August:  State Fair and Back to School Food.  I figured (correctly) that several of my colleagues would go with state fair favorites such as corn dogs and chili dogs, so I decided to go with some sort of school food, and while thinking about some possibilities, I remembered something I hadn't thought about in a long time:  Spaghetti Rice.

The name is something of a misnomer, as there isn't any spaghetti in the dish at all.   It's sort of like spaghetti with meat sauce, but with it all mixed together and topped with a bit of cheese, and using rice in place of the spaghetti.   The story was that one of the lunch ladies came up with the idea, and it became a hit.   From an adult POV, I'm sure it was a hit with the lunch ladies because it would be quicker and easier to serve up scoops of sauced rice than it would be to serve up spaghetti and then top it with sauce, but it was also a hit with the kids.   It's one of the few things they served in the school cafeteria while I was growing up that I remember with fondness.

So, with those fond memories in mind, I decided to try to recreate that school-time favorite.  In doing so, I decided to go real simple.   When you're trying to feed hundreds of kids, you don't make fancy sauces.   I'm pretty certain they just cooked up big pots of rice, browned some hamburger, stirred the hamburger into big pots full of spaghetti sauce from the big, institutional-sized cans and mixed it all together.  So, that's the way I approached this recipe.   I started with cheap, plain store-bought pasta sauce (Hy-Vee's store brand), long grain white rice and some browned hamburger, plus some fine-shredded supermarket-brand cheese (mild cheddar, since that's what the lunch ladies topped the spaghetti rice with back in the day).  To decided I'd have to spruce that up a bit to make it tolerable to my more mature and experienced palate, though, so I tossed in some garlic, freshly-ground black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.  Still, it was very fast and easy to prepare.

I am very pleased with the results.   My creation tastes just like what I remembered from my school lunch days.   It's nothing complex or sophisticated, but the simplicity has a charm of its own.   I did find it a tiny bit too sweet for my tastes (the store sauces use a fair bit of sugar), but Juli really liked that, and the sweetness wasn't enough to put me off.   It turned out to be popular with my colleagues, and several commented positively.

Spaghetti Rice

yield = 10-12 servings

2                pounds ground beef (90% lean)
2                tablespoons minced garlic
2 1/2          jars (24 ounces) pasta sauce
1                teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2             teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
14              cups cooked white rice (still warm)
2                cups finely-shredded mild cheddar cheese

Add the beef to a large Dutch oven over medium heat.   Cook the meat until it is evenly browned, stirring often and using the side of a wooden spoon to break up large chunks of meat.   Clear a spot in the middle of the pan, add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 45 seconds).  Stir the garlic into the meat, then add and stir in the pasta sauce, black pepper and red pepper flakes.  Heat until bubbling, then reduce heat, cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes.   Add the cooked rice to the Dutch oven and stir evenly combine the rice and meat sauce.   Serve, topping individual servings with a generous sprinkle of cheese.

Your Basic BLT

During our trip to Cedar Rapids last weekend, we stopped by the downtown farmer's market scheduled the first and third weekend of each month during farmer's market season.  We didn't buy much, but there were a few things I just couldn't pass up.   Incredibly good tomatoes, for example.

Lots and lots of vendors offered tomatoes, of course, since they're pretty much a summer staple.  The vendor we bought from had samples, though, and the samples made the sale.   She had sliced up some orange tomatoes, and I was hooked from the first bite.  Those golden tomatoes were the sweetest - and just plain best - tomatoes we've had so far this summer.

When we got home with the tomatoes, it seemed only natural that we use them to make another summer staple:  BLTs.   Other than perhaps grilled burgers or hot dogs, is there any more quintessential summer food than a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich?  I can't think of one.

We used our favorite bacon, Vande Rose Artisan Dry-Cured Applewood Bacon, to make our sandwiches, but instead of frying it, I used a trick I read about in a recent issue of Bon Appetit:  cooking the bacon in the oven.   The technique is simple:  Heat an oven to 375 degrees, set a wire rack on a foil-lined baking sheet and arrange the bacon on the rack.  After about 15 minutes (turning the baking sheet once during that time), you've got crisp, flat, even-sized pieces of bacon.  Since they aren't all curled up as often happens when frying bacon, the baked bacon is great for sandwiches.  Cooking it on a rack also allows a lot of the fat to drip away.

Juli here.  I LOVE baking the bacon!  I will never fry bacon again!  If you're wondering where we got the bacon rack,  it was scavenged from a Farberware chicken rotisserie that I received as a gift about 30 years ago.  The rotisserie is ancient history and is long gone, but the rotisserie rack lives on! It is the perfect size for the thick-sliced bacon we like.   I was always puzzled why someone thought I really needed a chicken rotisserie, but apparently at least part of it was destined for greater things.  Spooky.

Oh, and another little tip- you might want to have a rack dedicated to bacon-baking, or just baked meats in general.  I would be sad if you came crying to me at some future point about your bacon-flavored cookies.

While the bacon cooked, we sliced up some tomatoes, washed and dried some lettuce and toasted some bread.   Crispy bacon, delicious summer tomatoes, fresh lettuce and toast... add a bit of ranch dressing and you've achieved simple perfection. 

BLTs... part of what summer is all about.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

While in Cedar Rapids last weekend, we met Juli's son at the big downtown farmer's market, then took him out to lunch.   He wanted to go to the Olive Garden.   While we are not at all a fan of the West Des Moines Olive Garden (we've found the service to be indifferent and the food fair at best), from past experience we knew the food served up at the Olive Garden in Cedar Rapids was pretty good.   I had a bowl of their chicken and gnocchi soup.  It was really quite good... creamy, with nice chicken flavor, tender gnocchi and simple but balanced seasoning.  I was so pleased with the soup, I decided then and there to come up with my own version once we got home.

Olive Garden's Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

I looked around online and found a couple different recipes claiming to be like the one used at Olive Garden.  Using those recipes and my memory of the soup, I put together a working recipe, then tried it out.

As you can see, my soup doesn't look quite like the version served at Olive Garden.  The biggest difference is that in mine, the chopped spinach imparted a slight green tint to the soup.  Other than that, the two are an awfully lot alike, and what differences there are - a slight variance in seasoning, mostly - do not result in either being superior to the other.  Mine turned out a bit thicker, and I'm guessing this is because I cooked the gnocchi in the soup, vs. adding cooked gnocchi to the soup, but since I like thick soups, I consider that a plus, if anything. 

I should note that I used frozen gnocchi purchased at a supermarket.   I have several gnocchi recipes I've been wanting to try out some day, but I didn't want to put in the effort needed to make fresh gnocchi in order to make the soup.
While my version isn't identical to what I had at Olive Garden, I'm quite pleased with it.  Hopefully you will be just as pleased.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

yield = 7-8 servings

4               boneless, skinless chicken breasts
                 table salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
2               tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2               carrots, peeled and grated on the small holes of a
                    box grater
1               small yellow onion, peeled and grated on the large
                    holes of a box grater
1               celery stalk, trimmed and finely diced
2               teaspoons minced garlic
1               tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
4               cups low-sodium chicken broth
2               cups half-and-half
2               tablespoons chicken soup base
1               pound potato gnocchi
1               tablespoon corn starch, dissolved in one
                   tablespoon water
1 1/2         cups chopped spinach

Thoroughly dry the chicken breasts with paper towels and sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper.  Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.   Arrange the chicken breasts in the Dutch oven.   Let them cook until well-browned on one side (about 6 minutes), then turn them over and brown them on the other side.   Transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board.

Add the second tablespoon of olive oil to the Dutch oven.   When the oil is shimmering, add the carrot, onion and celery stalk.   Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent.  While the vegetables cook, chop the chicken breasts into small pieces.

Clear a spot in the middle of the pan, add the garlic and thyme, and cook about 45 seconds, then stir in with the vegetable mix.  Add chicken broth, half-and-half-and-half and chopped chicken.  Heat to boiling, then add the gnocchi.   Boil 4 minutes, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.    Stir in cornstarch mixture.  Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed, to taste.

Stir in the spinach and cook 2 minutes.  Serve with a crusty bread or garlic bread. 

Our go-to ingredient for adding chicken
flavor:  LB Jamison's Low Sodium Chicken
Flavored Soup Base.

Behind the Scenes at The Class Act

Yesterday I wrote about our dining experiences at The Class Act Restaurant, located in the Hotel at Kirkwood Center.   The meals we had there were exceptional, but we got an additional treat after breakfast:  a chance to look behind the scenes.

First we toured the Class Act's kitchens.   We started with the line kitchen, which is where meals are prepared for serving by Kirkwood's Culinary Arts students.  We also saw the main or prep kitchen, where the ingredients are prepared - also by students - and some other areas used for catering and so forth. 

All of the facilities were neat, clean and very well-stocked with high-quality, state-of-the-art equipment.   We were told that most of the storage was in the basement of the building, but in the prep kitchen we did see a wide array of quality ingredients of the sort that would be used in everyday cooking.  This included a wide array of spices, many from the Frontier Natural Products Co-Op.  We were told that Frontier (another Iowa business) donates the spices. 

Next we got to check out the classrooms, where the Hospitality Arts students learn the tricks of their trades.  Kirkwood's Hospitality Arts program offers degrees in Hotel Management and Restaurant Management, but we focused on the facilities used by the Culinary Arts and Baking students.  Everything was well-organized and state-of-the-art.   The cooking labs featured a station from which the instructor could monitor what each student was doing via cameras, while the student work stations also featured monitor screens to facilitate communication between the instructor and the students. 

One of the more unusual and impressive things we saw was an auditorium set up for cooking instruction and demonstrations.  Multiple view screens were placed to allow students sitting anywhere in the auditorium to clearly see what an instructor or lecturer was doing.   We were told that guest chefs, including some international ones, have come to teach the Kirkwood culinary students about different sorts of cuisines and cooking techniques.   Some of these lectures and demonstrations are broadcast on Kirkwood's TV station. 

All in all our tour was pretty interesting.   I've seen some other culinary arts facilities, but I've never seen one quite as impressive as what we saw on this tour.   It was clear that Kirkwood's program is well-equipped with everything an aspiring chef or master baker might need to learn, and the quality of the program instructors and the real-world experience provided at the restaurant was evident in the great food served in The Class Act.

The Class Act Restaurant



Breakfast time at the Class Act. 
Each meal features a different linen theme,
such as the sunny yellow breakfast linens.

 Yesterday we wrote about our stay at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center.   That post noted that among other features, the Hotel has a gourmet restaurant.   That restaurant is the Class Act, and it lives up to its name.

As with everything else at The Hotel, the Class Act is a real-world, real-time educational experience.  The servers, cooks and other staff are students, overseen by instructors.  The restaurant features seasonal menus, uses local and Iowa products whenever possible and features exquisite glass artworks - including a chandelier - made by Kirkwood students and faculty. 

One of the featured tables, complete with
a custom chandelier made by one of
the Kirkwood art instructors.

We ate two meals at the Class Act, Friday dinner and Saturday breakfast.   On each occasion, the food was perfectly cooked, artfully presented and just plain delicious.   The service was excellent, and we were very pleased that our morning server was able to take us on a tour of the kitchen and arrange for a tour of the classrooms.

For dinner on Friday, we both had mushroom and potato soup.  The soup featured pureed Yukon gold potatoes, mushrooms, cream and bacon, plus sauteed mushrooms.   It had an exquisite flavor, due in part to the mix of various mushroom varieties, including shitake and oyster.   It was the best mushroom soup I've ever had.

For the main course, Juli had a half plate of gnocchi served with brown butter, snow peas, asparagus, arugula and shaved Parmesan.  I had scallops served atop a green bean and asparagus almondine and topped with a roasted tomato and cream sauce and heirloom tomato salsa.  We both sampled from each other's plate, and both of us found both dishes to be excellent in every way.   The gnocchi were tender, the vegetables perfectly tender-crisp and the scallops perfectly cooked.

Although the soup and main course was hearty enough a meal to be satisfying, we couldn't pass up dessert.  Juli got coconut mango frozen entremet made of a coconut-lime dacquoise, mango orange sorbet and chocolate rum cremeaux.   I got the triple berry crisp, served with a smalls serving of vanilla ice cream.   Juli's featured a more delicate mix of flavors, while my crisp was both more basic and more bold, and full of whole strawberries and blueberries and fresh raspberry sauce. 

For breakfast, Juli had an omelet with ham, tomato, mushrooms and cheddar, while I had buttermilk pancakes served with a blueberry and strawberry compote and maple syrup.  Once again, both breakfasts were perfectly cooked.  The pancakes were easily the best I've ever had at a restaurant.  Juli's omelet came with a serving of delightfully-seasoned fried potatoes and toasted bread made by the restaurant's baking students. 

Price wise, the Class Act is very reasonable, especially given the quality of the food.  If someone wants a mound of food for a low price, they're better off going to a buffet place, but if you would like to have a gourmet dinner or an excellent breakfast, you aren't going to find any better than the Class Act.  We've certainly paid as much or more for meals vastly less satisfying than what we got at the Class Act.  We recommend it without reservation, and will definitely be dining there again next time we're in Cedar Rapids.

You can see the Class Act's hours and other information here.  The link also includes links to the current menu.   As noted above, the restaurant features a seasonal menu.  Our visit came near the end of the summer menu; once classes start for the fall, the restaurant will feature a different menu, and most or all of the dinner selections will change.   We look forward to choosing from a new selection of dishes next time we visit.

The Hotel at Kirkwood Center

As I mentioned in our last post, Juli and I were on the road part of the weekend.  We went to Cedar Rapids to visit her son, who will be a senior at Coe College this year.   Since he is a college kid, with a typically small college-kid apartment and a roommate, we couldn't stay with him, so we looked around for a good place to stay overnight.  

I should note that our previous hotel stays in Cedar Rapids had been pretty much unpleasant.   The first time we went there, we got an alleged nonsmoking room that smelled so strongly of smoke one might suspect it had been an ashtray in a previous life.  We had been going cheap that time, though, so the next time around we stayed at Cedar Rapids' downtown Five Seasons Center hotel.  Unfortunately, a train station is located right behind the Five Seasons, so we were awakened night and day by the sounds of trains and train whistles. 

While doing some research online, Juli came upon the Hotel at Kirkwood Center.   We were both pleased by the result of her research, because we had a fantastic stay.

The Hotel at Kirkwood Center is an upscale boutique hotel, and it also serves as a teaching facility for Kirkwood's Hospitality Arts program.  It opened just over a year ago.  Eco-friendly and posh, the Hotel boasts a one-to-one service employee to staff ratio.  It is, quite frankly, the best hotel either of us has ever stayed at. 

The Hotel is lavishly decorated with marble, attractive carpets and a lot of art, including lots of hand-blown glass.  All of the art was created by Kirkwood college and faculty members and local artists.  The spacious rooms include king or double queen beds, custom furniture, 32" wall-mounted flat-screen TVs, large marble bathrooms including granite counter tops and even a Kurig coffee maker.  Ameneties and services include free parking and shuttle service, same-day dry cleaning, free wi-fi, high-quality complimentary toiletries, room service, a bar and a full-service gourmet restaurant.  We found the rooms to be incredibly comfortable and quiet, with virtually no noise from the hallways and no noise whatsoever from other rooms.   We didn't even hear any noise from surrounding guests using the showers or toilets, which was quite welcome.

The base rates for a stay at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center aren't cheap.  Standard rooms go for around $200 a night.  Deluxe rooms and executive and presidential suites are progressively more expensive, with a presidential suite costing about $400 a night.   However, if one does a little homework and plans ahead, you can get a standard room for a lot less.  Expedia dropped cost of our standard room to less than $100.  That's quite good for a hotel in Cedar Rapids, especially on a weekend.  As far as we're concerned, the comfort and the friendly, courteous service made it a bargain.

The living area of one of the Presidential suites.

Now, you might ask why we are writing about this hotel on our food blog.   Two reasons, really.  First, we were really impressed and pleased with our stay at the Hotel, and we wanted to put out the word about this wonderful facility.  Second, we did mention the gourmet restaurant and that the Hotel is a teaching facility for Kirkwood's Hospitality Arts programs.  That includes their Baking and Culinary Arts programs.  We'll write about the restaurant and the academic programs in upcoming posts.