Friday, October 07, 2011
Caprese Pasta
Three or four ripe tomatoes
Big handful of basil
Extra-virgin olive oil – the greener and thicker, the better (or basil-infused olive oil, if you can find it)
At least half a pound of best-quality bufala mozzarella
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
2. While spaghetti is cooking, dice up the tomatoes and chop up the basil. Either chop up the mozzarella or pull it into strips – whichever you prefer. Put it all into a large serving bowl with about 1/4 cup olive oil and a ton of salt and pepper.
3. Drain pasta and add to bowl; toss to coat. Season a bit more, if necessary.
Thursday, October 06, 2011
cheese enchiladas
Ingredients:
Method:
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients:
Method:
Continue with remaining tortillas.
Entomatadas with cheese
2 pounds tomatoes, cored and cut in half, lengthwise or 2 15-ounce cans of diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
1 jalapeño, seeds and stem removed, cut in half lengthwise
3 garlic cloves
1/3 medium yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon vegetable oil or lard
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt to taste
For the entomatadas:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or lard
12 corn tortillas
4 cups grated Monterrey Jack or Muenster cheese (16 ounces)
Avocado slices for serving
Method:
Heat up the broiler and line a baking sheet with foil. Place the tomatoes seed side down on the sheet, along with the jalapeño, garlic, and onion. Place under the broiler and after 4 minutes, take out the jalapeño, onion and garlic and place in a blender.
Continue to cook the tomatoes for 5 more minutes or until the skin blackens. Take out the tomatoes, and when you’re able to handle them, remove the skin. Place the tomatoes in the blender. (If using canned tomatoes, skip the broiling step and just add them to the blender.) Add the cumin, allspice and chicken broth, and puree until smooth. Heat the oil in a pot on medium low, pour the sauce into the pot, turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cilantro, adjust seasonings and add salt to taste.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a large baking dish. In a skillet, heat up the oil or lard on medium-low heat. One at a time, heat up the tortillas in the hot oil until soft. Keep them wrapped in a cloth or tortilla warmer until all the tortillas are heated.
Take each tortilla and place 1/4 cup of the cheese in the center. Roll the tortilla and place in the baking dish seam side down. Repeat for all the tortillas. Cover the tortillas with the sauce and the remaining cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese on top is brown and bubbling.
Yield: 4 servings
Savory Mushroom and Scallion Pancakes
(makes 4-5)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon kimchi brine
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 medium-sized trumpet or King oyster mushrooms, ends trimmed and julienned
2 scallions, thinly chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Add a tablespoon of the oil to a large fry pan and once it’s hot, add the mushrooms. Season with a pinch of salt and cook on high, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have just begun to sear and soften. Transfer to a bowl to let cool down.
Whisk the egg, milk, 1/4 tsp salt and kimchi brine in a large bowl. Sift in the flour gradually while whisking to incorporate, eliminating lumps. Whisk in the baking powder. Fold in the chopped scallions and slightly cooled and sauteed mushrooms.
Heat the pan with the remaining oil and once hot, drop in a ladle of the pancake batter. Once the batter begins to bubble on the surface, peek underneath and if lightly browned, flip. Let opposite side brown a bit and transfer to a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Sprinkle pancakes lightly with salt and cut into wedges to serve.
Sunday, October 02, 2011
pasta with cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, about 1 pound
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 pound penne, fusilli or other cut pasta
- 1 cup coarse bread crumbs.
Method
- 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Trim the cauliflower, and divide it into florets. Add about a tablespoon of salt to the water, and boil the cauliflower in it until it is tender but not mushy. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, remove the cauliflower and set it aside. When it is cool enough to handle, chop it roughly into small pieces.
- 2. Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet over medium-low heat, saute garlic in olive oil, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden. Start cooking pasta in same pot and same water as was used for the cauliflower.
- 3. When the garlic is ready, add the cauliflower to skillet, and turn heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally. When pasta is just about done — it should be two or three minutes short of the way you like it — drain it, reserving about a cup of cooking liquid.
- 4. Add pasta to skillet containing the cauliflower, and toss with a large spoon until they are well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with just enough pasta water to keep the mixture moist but not soupy. When the mixture is hot and the pasta is tender and nicely glazed, mix in the bread crumbs.
