Recipes 7/29
Roasted Eggplant Dip
Vegetable oil spray
1 large eggplant, about 1 1/2 pounds, halved crosswise
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined and minced
1 shallot, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin seed
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
1 cup minced coriander leaves, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a small baking sheet with vegetable oil. Place the eggplant cut side down, and bake until soft, about 35 to 45 minutes. Set aside until cool and chop coarsely.
Combine remaining ingredients except coriander in a glass or ceramic bowl. Marinate for 30 minutes. Combine the mixture in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with coriander. Serve with sesame pita chips (recipe below).
(From The New York Times)
Sesame Pita Chips
Vegetable oil spray
2 whole-wheat pita pockets
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil. Set aside. Separate the pita pockets into halves. Cut each half into 8 sections. Set aside.
Combine egg whites and sesame oil in a glass or ceramic bowl. Brush the egg-white mixture on both sides of the pita. Sprinkle both sides with sesame seeds. Place on the baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Store in a cookie tin.
(From The New York Times)
Chicken Enchilladas
Sea salt
4 skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves
1 pound tomatillos, papery skin removed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small white onions, peeled & chopped
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
12 corn tortillas
8 ounces queso añejo, crumbled Mexican crema or sour cream
Bring a pan of salted water to a simmer and poach the chicken over low heat until just cooked through, about 9 minutes. Remove to a bowl. Let cool. With your fingers, finely shred the chicken. Lightly season with salt, toss to mix and set aside.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Cut the tomatillos in half. Heat the oil in a skillet large enough to fit the tomatillos in 1 layer. When the oil shimmers, add the chopped onion and jalapeño and sauté until the onion is softened at the edges. Add the tomatillos, season with salt and continue cooking until wilted. Turn off the heat and let cool for a few minutes.
Pour the tomatillos into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning. Pour the sauce into a shallow bowl.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart baking dish and spread a little sauce on the bottom. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, soften each in a dry, hot skillet for about 8 seconds per side, then coat lightly with sauce. Lay each tortilla on a plate and sprinkle about 1/3 cup of shredded chicken in the middle and roll into a cylinder. Repeat, lining up tortillas tightly in the dish.
Spread the rest of the sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with queso añejo. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer, until the queso añejo is melted. Dollop with crema or sour cream. Serve.
(From The New York Times)
Beet & Goat Cheese Salad
4 medium beets, about 1 1/2 pounds
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more as necessary
4 to 6 cups mesclun or other greens, trimmed, washed and dried
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons sherry or balsamic vinegar, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon or 1/ teaspoon dried
8 ounces goat cheese
Peel, rinse, and quarter or slice beets. Place in a small saucepan with 1/2 cup water and the olive oil. Cook at a moderate boil, covered, until beets are tender, about 20 minutes. Add more water if pan dries out during cooking. When beets are done, uncover, raise heat to high, and cook until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, then cool.
Arrange greens on a platter. If beets are quartered, cut into small chunks. Combine cooking liquid of beets with salt, pepper, vinegar and tarragon. Taste, and add a little more olive oil or vinegar if necessary: mixture should be sharp.
Put beets on greens and cheese on top, or alternate cheese and beets. Drizzle dressing over all, and serve.
(From The New York Times, Mark Bittman)
Memphis Chopped Slaw
1 medium head green cabbage, cored and chopped fine
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
1 carrot, peeled and shredded on box grater
1 small onion, peeled and shredded on box grater
2 tsp salt
1/4 C yellow mustard
1/4 C chili sauce
1/4 C mayonnaise
1/4 C sour cream
1/4 C cider vinegar
1 tsp celery seeds
2/3 C packed light brown sugar
Toss cabbage, jalapeno, carrot, onion, and salt in colander set over medium bowl. Let stand until wilted, about 1 hour. Rinse cabbage mixture under cold water, drain, dry well with paper towels, and transfer to large bowl.
Bring mustard, chili sauce, mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, celery seeds, and sugar to boil in saucepan over medium heat. Pour over cabbage and toss to coat. Cover with plastic and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 1 day. Serve. (From Cook’s Country Aug/Sept 2007)
Pickled Beets
1 bunch (4 or 5) beets
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Salt and pepper
Remove greens from beets. Cut beets to uniform sizes so they will cook evenly. Steam or boil around 30 minutes or until done. A fork easily inserted into the beet will tell you if the beets are done or not.
Drain the beets, rinsing them in cold water. Use your fingers to slip the peels off of the beets. The peels should come off easily. Discard the peels. Slice the beets.
Make the vinaigrette by combining the cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and dry mustard. Whisk ingredients together with a fork. The dry mustard will help to emulsify the vinaigrette. Adjust to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine beets and vinaigrette in a bowl and allow to marinate for a half hour at room temperature.
(From simplyrecipes.com)