Tuesday Recipes

Enjoy!

CHEESE ENCHILADAS WITH CHILI GRAVY

This comes from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Here is a recipe adapted from one that the great Tex-Mex scholar and restaurateur Robb Walsh serves at his El Real Tex-Mex restaurant in Houston. You can find similar ones served all over South Texas, often served with rice and refried beans. I think it’s an excellent side dish for a cookout of grilled chicken or pork, but you could also slide a few fried eggs over the top and call it breakfast, or don't and use vegetable stock or water, and call it a vegetarian supper. Make sure to leave some bare tortilla peeking out on each side of the gravy and cheese so it grows crackly and awesome.” Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 1 hour

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Chili Gravy:

1/4 cup neutral oil, like canola, or use lard or chicken or beef fat

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, ideally Mexican oregano

2 tablespoons chile powder

2 cups chicken broth, ideally homemade or low-sodium if store-bought

For the Enchiladas:

1/2 cup neutral oil, like canola

12 yellow corn tortillas

3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, or a mixture of 1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese and 1 1/2 cups American cheese, like Velveeta

1 medium-size white onion, peeled and chopped

Preparation

Prepare the chili gravy: In a medium sauté pan set over medium-high heat, heat oil or fat until it begins to shimmer. Whisk in flour and stir continuously until it turns into a light brown roux, roughly the color of coffee ice cream, about 10 minutes.

Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, oregano and chile powder and whisk to combine, then continue whisking for another minute or so, until roux becomes fragrant.

Add chicken broth, slowly, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking until sauce begins to thicken. Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer an additional 15 minutes or so. Add broth as needed to adjust the thickness of the gravy. Keep warm.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Prepare the tortillas: In a medium sauté pan set over medium-high heat, heat oil until it begins to shimmer. Using tongs or a wide spatula, place a tortilla in the hot fat; it should start to bubble immediately. Heat tortilla for about 10 to 15 seconds a side, until soft and lightly browned. Remove tortilla and set on a rack set over a baking pan, or just on a baking pan if you don’t have a rack. Repeat with remaining tortillas, working quickly.

Using a ladle, put about 1/2 cup chili gravy in the bottom of an 8-by-13-inch baking pan and spread it out a little. Roll a few tablespoons of cheese into each tortilla, then place it seam-side down in the pan, nestling each one against the last. Ladle chili gravy over the top of the rolled tortillas and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.

Transfer to oven and bake until sauce bubbles and cheese is melted, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle chopped onions over top and serve immediately.

CHESS PIE SQUARES

This is from Margaux Laskey in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “These heavenly little bars, adapted from the Southern cookbook author Julia Reed, are a modern-day, perfect-for-a-picnic version of a traditional custard pie made from flour, cornmeal, sugar, eggs, butter and buttermilk. They are like lemon bars without the lip-puckering citrus: a blanket of egg-rich custard generously laced with vanilla atop a lightly salted, crumbly shortbread crust.

“(If you don't have buttermilk, you can make an easy substitute by combining one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice with a cup of milk. Let stand for 5 minutes, then measure out 3/4 cup.)” Yield: 24 squares; Time: 1 1/4 hours, plus cooling.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Shortbread Crust:

2 cups/240 grams all-purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

6 ounces unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened

For the Filling:

6 ounces unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

6 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 tablespoons fine white or yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the shortbread crust: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until well blended and the dough holds together when you press a lump in your hand.

Press dough evenly into the bottom of 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until edges begin to brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove shortbread from oven and let cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, until well blended. Switch to the whisk attachment and slowly beat in vanilla and buttermilk until well blended. Beat in cornmeal and flour until just combined.

Pour filling over crust. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and set. Cool in the baking dish on a wire rack and cut the dessert into 24 squares (each about 2 inches) to serve.

CRANBERRY PIE

This recipe can be found in my e-cookbook Off the Wall Cooking.




My dad sent this recipe in a letter dated “18 No 79”. He wrote, “Here is a recipe for a pie. 1st the way it was in the paper and the way I made it.”

2 T cornstarch

1 C sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 C hot water

1 C raisins

1 T butter

2 C cranberries

Pie crust

Blend 1st four ingredients & cook in double boiler until thick. Add next 3 ingredients & cook 10 minutes. Put in pie shell & bake at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, covering pie with foil for the first 10-15 minutes. (Crust can be any kind you want, whether double crust or simply a bottom crust.)

VARIATION

2 Tbls cornstarch

3/4 C honey + 1/4 C molasses

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 C hot water

1 C raisins

1 T margarine

1 1/2 C cranberries + 1 C canned cranberries (kind with berries in sauce)

Pie crust

Make as above.

SPICY SPAGHETTI WITH TOMATOES AND FRESH ARUGULA “ALLE CAMPANE”

This comes from Danette St. Onge, About.com’s Italian Food expert. Danette wrote, “During the time I lived in Florence, Italy, one of my favorite casual restaurants in town was Le Campane, a spacious, bustling place in Borgo La Croce. While it is primarily popular as a low-key pizzeria, one of my favorite dishes there was from the pasta menu: their version of the classic, and extremely basic, dish spaghetti al aglio, olio e peperoncino (spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, and red chili pepper) -- with a fresh and intriguing twist. Fresh cherry tomatoes are lightly sauteed in olive oil together with the garlic and red chile pepper, and finely chopped fresh arugula and chives top the hot pasta -- their freshness, tang, and piquant bite play off of the spiciness of the red chile pepper flakes. This is a great dish and one that I make often: it's delicious and satisfying but also quick, easy and nutritious -- kind of like having your pasta and salad together in one dish!” Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 20 minutes; Yield: about 2-3 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon dried red chile pepper flakes (you can adjust depending on how spicy you'd like the dish to be)

1/2 pound spaghetti (or any other long, thin pasta)

1 cup very ripe cherry or cocktail tomatoes (about 8-10 cherry tomatoes or 4-6 cocktail tomatoes), stemmed and halved

1/2 cup finely minced fresh chives

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh, wild arugula

Fine sea salt, to taste

Preparation

Place a large pot of 6 to 8 cups water to boil over high heat, covered.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute briefly until lightly browned, less than 1 minute. Add the chile pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, lower the heat to medium and saute until tomatoes are heated through and slightly softened and the oil takes on a reddish-orange color, 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside.

When the water reaches a rolling boil, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of coarse salt to the pot and add the pasta. Cook until just al dente, then drain well.

Toss the drained pasta in the garlic-tomato mixture until evenly distributed and well coated, adding a little more extra-virgin olive oil as necessary if it seems too dry. Season to taste with salt, then divide into portions and transfer to serving dishes.

In a medium bowl, stir the finely chopped chives and arugula together until mixed well. Sprinkle over the pasta, dividing evenly between the portions, and serve immediately.

CHICKEN PESTO KABOBS

This comes from Chungah Rhee, whose blog, Damn Delicious, is really great! If you haven’t subscribed to it, I highly recommend doing so. This recipe begins, “No-fuss 4-ingredient kabobs! Can be made ahead of time, baked or grilled so you can make this anytime, anywhere. Easy peasy.” Yield: 6 servings; Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 45 minutes.

To view this online, go to http://damndelicious.net/2016/06/04/chicken-pesto-kabobs/.

Ingredients

1 cup pesto, homemade or store-bought

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes

2 pints cherry tomatoes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken and pesto; marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. Drain chicken from the pesto.

Thread chicken and cherry tomatoes onto skewers; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Preheat grill to medium high heat.

Add skewers to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10-12 minutes.*

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

*This can also be baked for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees F.

COWBOY BEANS

This is from Derrick Riches, About.com’s Barbecues & Gilling expert. Derrick wrote, “In Texas, beans mean Pinto Beans. These beans are cooked up with brisket burnt ends and barbecue sauce to make them the perfect side dish for barbecue brisket. If you don't have burnt ends try a grilled steak cooked well. You will want a smoky flavor for these barbecue beans.” Prep Time: 14 minutes; Cook Time: 180 minutes; Total Time: 194 minutes; Yield: Serves 6 to 8

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 pound dried pinto beans

2 quarts water

2 cups brisket burnt ends, chopped

1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup barbecue sauce

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Preparation

Wash beans and pour into a large saucepan or dutch oven. Add all other ingredients except the salt. Bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for two hours, covered. Stir occasionally, bringing up the beans from the bottom to prevent burning to so they will cook evenly. Add the salt after 1 hour. The beans are done when soft but still hold their shape.