Wednesday Recipes

Today's recipes include Deep-Dish Apple Pie and Grilled Chicken. Enjoy!

VEGETARIAN TORTILLA SOUP

This is from Alison Roman in The New York Times cooking email. Alison wrote, “This vegetarian version of tortilla soup is no less complex than its chicken counterpart, thanks to plenty of vegetables, spices and a secret ingredient: canned chipotles in adobo. Smoked and dried jalapeños softened in a vinegar-tomato mixture, these little powerhouses do much of the heavy lifting in this vegetarian soup, offering depth and a certain meatiness to an otherwise light and tangy broth.”

Yield: 4 servings; Time: 1 1/4 hours

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Soup:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 jalapeño, seeds removed, finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons chile powder

2 chipotles in adobo, finely chopped

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen and thawed

For the Tortillas and Assembly:

2 cups vegetable oil

8 small corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips

Kosher salt

1 avocado, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco or shredded Cheddar or Monterey jack

3/4 cup sour cream or crema

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 red or yellow onion, finely chopped

Lime wedges, for serving

Preparation

Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and jalapeño and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add chile powder and stir to coat. Cook a minute or two to toast the spices, then add chipotles and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to caramelize a bit on the bottom of the pot, concentrating their flavor.

Add vegetable broth, corn and 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer until flavors meld and broth tastes rich and flavorful, 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet or heavy-bottomed pot. Bring oil to 375 degrees and working in batches, fry tortilla strips until light golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt.

Place about 3/4 of the tortilla strips into broth and stir to submerge and soften for a few minutes. Divide soup among bowls and top with avocado, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, onion and remaining fried tortilla strips. Serve lime alongside for squeezing.

GRILLED CHICKEN

This is from Ree Drummond of The Food Network show The Pioneer Woman.

Total: 24 hr 15 min; Active: 15 min; Yield: 4 servings; Level: Easy

To view this recipe online, click here.

Ingredients

Olive oil

Juice of 4 lemons

1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons honey

A dash of salt

4 whole chicken breasts

Directions

Mix together some olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, honey and a dash of salt. Pound the chicken breasts until they are uniform thickness, then marinate them for about 24 hours in the fridge.

Grill 'em up ... they should take 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and cooked all the way through ... turn them halfway through so they cook evenly on both sides, then set 'em aside and keep 'em warm.

COCONUT RICE

This is from Tejal Rao in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “Coconut milk lends rice both fat and sweetness, making it a richer, more mellow side than plain rice. To make it, simply replace half of the cooking water with coconut milk. It becomes a meal if you serve it with a fried egg, finely sliced pickled chiles with a little of their pickling liquid and some crushed peanuts. And if you wanted to turn it into dessert, serving it with ripe fruit like cut mango on top, you could stick to the recipe below, but bump the sugar up to 2 tablespoons.”

Yield: 3 to 4 servings; Time: 35 minutes

To view this recipe online, click here.

LEARN: How to Make Rice

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain white rice, such as jasmine

3/4 cup coconut milk

1 scant tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

3/4 cup water

Preparation

Rinse the rice a few times, until the water that drains away runs almost completely clear.

Put in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat with coconut milk, water, sugar and salt. When the liquid comes up to a boil, give it a good stir, scraping the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot and turn the heat down to low.

Cook for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 10 minutes. Mix gently with a flexible rubber spatula. Taste, season with salt and serve.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH SALSA VERDE

This also comes from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. For this one, Sam wrote, “Don’t let the one-hour prep time on these enchiladas scare you. Use some leftover roast chicken, or buy a roast chicken at the market on the way home, and you’ll save at least 20 minutes, making the dish a terrific weeknight feed, alongside a green salad. (At El Real Tex-Mex restaurant, in Houston, the great Tex-Mex scholar and restaurateur Robb Walsh serves his version with lightly smoked chicken, which if you can find or make is superb.) The salsa verde is dead simple to make and the rest is assembly — a task that grows markedly easier each time you do it.” Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 1 hour.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Chicken (or use 1 1/4 pounds leftover or store-bought roast chicken):

2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs or breasts, or a mixture

1 small white onion, cut in half

4 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon kosher salt

For the Salsa Verde:

1 pound fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut into quarters (use canned if you can't find fresh)

1 small white onion, peeled and chopped

1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped

2 serrano chiles or more to taste, seeds removed if you want it less spicy, stemmed and roughly chopped

4 to 5 tender stems of fresh cilantro, with leaves, roughly chopped

Salt to taste

For the Enchiladas:

1/2 cup neutral oil, like canola

12 yellow corn tortillas

1 cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese

1 cup Mexican crema, or use crème fraîche or sour cream

1 medium-size white onion, peeled and chopped (optional)

Preparation

Prepare the chicken: Place chicken parts in a large saucepan with onion, garlic and salt, and cover with water. Heat pan over high heat until liquid comes to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and let simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove chicken and let cool, reserving stock for another use. Using your fingers or two forks, shred meat from chicken and reserve, discarding skin and bones. (Alternatively, shred meat from leftover or store-bought roast chicken and set aside.)

Meanwhile, heat oven to 375, and make the salsa verde: Combine tomatillos, onion, garlic, serranos and cilantro in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth, adding water as needed to thin it out a little. Season with salt to taste.

Prepare the tortillas: In 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 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.

Assemble the enchiladas: Use a ladle to put about 1/2 cup salsa verde in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and spread it out a little. Roll a few tablespoons of shredded chicken into each tortilla with a teaspoon or so of salsa verde and place it seam-side down in the pan, nestling each one against the last. Ladle salsa verde over top of rolled tortillas and sprinkle with about half the crumbled cheese.

Transfer to oven and bake until sauce bubbles and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Dot with crema, sprinkle with remaining cheese and, if using, chopped onion, then serve immediately.

DEEP-DISH APPLE PIE

This comes Julia Moskin in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Julia wrote, “If you’re going to the trouble of making a pie, why not make it a blockbuster? This pie, adapted from the professional pie coach Kate McDermott, is both deeper and wider than the traditional nine-inch version. The thicker rim is especially satisfying, like a buttery, crumbly slab of shortbread. You can use a 10-inch deep-dish pie pan, or a deep nine- or 10-inch square, or another 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish of your choice. A mix of apple types always makes the best filling.”

Yield: 12 to 16 servings; Time: 2 hours, plus chilling and cooling

This was featured in “An apple Pie That Lasts For Days” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

For the Crust:

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting surfaces

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

12 ounces cold unsalted butter (3 sticks), cut into large dice

For the Filling:

About 10 cups peeled and sliced apples, more as needed (see note)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 to 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or 1 tablespoon unfiltered apple cider vinegar

1 to 2 tablespoons Calvados or other apple liqueur, brandy or cider

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 egg

2 teaspoons coarse or granulated sugar for sprinkling

Preparation

Make the crust: In a food processor or stand mixer, mix together the flour, salt and sugar. Add butter and pulse (or mix at medium-low speed) until the pieces are coated with flour. Add 1/2 cup ice water and mix until incorporated. Keep dribbling in ice water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough just comes together into a lump. It should be moist, but not sticky. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If dough feels wet, use a little extra flour.) Press the dough together, turning over a few times, until smooth and solid.

Shape into 2 disks, using about 1/3 of the dough for the top crust and the remaining 2/3 for the bottom crust. Wrap separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

On a lightly floured surface or nonstick baking mat, roll out the larger disk to about 1/4-inch thickness. The size and shape will depend on your dish. Use the crust to line a large 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish, like a 10-inch round or 9-inch square, at least 2 inches deep. Refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Make the filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine the apples, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, lemon juice or vinegar, 1 tablespoon Calvados and flour. Toss together until the apples are roughly coated with what looks like wet sand. If filling is dry, add the remaining tablespoon of Calvados. Pour into the pie crust, mounding above the rim, and dot with butter. (If necessary, add more apple pieces to the top. Don't worry about mixing them in.)

Roll out remaining dough to 1/4-inch thickness (or a bit less) and lay it gently over the fruit. Trim any excess and fold the edges into a thick rim. Crimp, if desired.

Whisk the egg thoroughly with 1 tablespoon cold water. Brush over the entire top crust, including the edges. Cut 5 or 6 vents on top. Refrigerate pie while the oven heats.

Place a baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and heat to 425 degrees. Place pie on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Bake another 25 minutes.

Open the oven and carefully sprinkle the sugar over the surface of the pie. Bake about 10 minutes longer. Look for steam and bubbling juices coming out of the vents, and a well-browned crust, before removing the pie from the oven.

Let cool at least 1 hour before serving.

Tip

A mix of sweet and tart, crisp and soft apples produces the best filling. If using mainly firm apples (like Honeycrisp, Gala, Cameo or Golden Delicious), try to add a few that will soften and become jammy (like Idared, McIntosh or Cortland).

EAT-YOUR-VEGGIES MEDITERRANEAN MEATBALLS

This comes from the Food Network, and begins, “These meatballs have a secret -- they're packed with spinach. Veggie-shy kids (and adults) won't even notice since they are happily tucked into a warm pita with lettuce and tomato and drizzled with tangy dill yogurt sauce.”

Total: 45 min; Active: 30 min; Yield: 6 servings (half a sandwich per person); Level: Easy

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray, for coating the baking sheet

2 cups frozen spinach (from a 10-ounce package)

1 pound 80 percent ground turkey

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium carrot, grated

1 large egg

2 tablespoons fresh dill fronds, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt

Juice of half a lemon

3 pitas with pockets, cut in half and warmed

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and coat with cooking spray.

Cook the spinach in a large bowl in the microwave according to the package instructions. Let cool slightly.

Add the turkey, breadcrumbs, cumin, garlic, carrot, egg, 1 tablespoon of the dill, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix with your hands until just combined. Scoop mounds of the meat mixture (about 2 tablespoons each) onto the prepared baking sheet. With damp hands, roll the mounds into balls and space them evenly apart on the baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the yogurt, lemon juice and remaining dill in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve 3 meatballs in each pita half. Pack in shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes. Drizzle with the yogurt sauce.