Friday Recipes

It's finally Friday, time to Celebrate (with a little help from Kool and the Gang). While we're at it, here are six yummy recipes to help you through the weekend, including Enchiladas Con Carne and Cajun Pot Pie. Enjoy!

HEALTHIFIED BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP

This yummy recipe is from the Food Network. Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Yield: 6 servings; Level: Easy

This can be viewed online by clicking here.

Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 medium red-skinned potato, diced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

One 12-ounce can fat-free evaporated milk

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

Separate the stems and the florets from the broccoli. Trim and discard the bottom of the broccoli stems and peel the tough outer layers. Finely chop the stems and coarsely chop the florets and set aside separately.

Mist a large pot with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the broccoli stems, onions and potatoes and cook, stirring, until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and the vegetables are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the reserved florets and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and continue to steam until the florets are bright green and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the entire contents of the pot with the florets to the soup along with the nutmeg. Stir to combine and remove from the heat. Stir in the Cheddar, Worcestershire and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the scallions.

Cook’s Note

Leftover soup should be reheated in the microwave rather than the stovetop, where the cheese will "break" or separate from the broth.

WATERMELON SORBET

This came from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. Makes 8 servings.

The recipe began, “This fresh sorbet is the perfect dessert for a tropical meal.”

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 4 cups seeded and pureed watermelon

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon lime zest

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup watermelon puree and sugar to simmer and remove it from heat. Add lime juice and zest and allow mixture to cool for 20 minutes. Add the 4 cups fresh watermelon puree to melon-lime mixture, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

ENCHILADAS CON CARNE

This is from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. (Sign up, if you haven’t already. You won’t regret it!)

Sam wrote, “There are a few cool tricks to this recipe, one of which I picked up from an old issue of Bon Appétit, one I learned from Robb Walsh, the great Tex-Mex scholar and restaurateur who runs El Real Tex-Mex in Houston, and a final one I learned by happenstance. First, for the thickening agent in the chile sauce, toast raw all-purpose flour in a pan until it is nutty and golden brown, then reserve it to stir in with the browned beef later in the recipe. Second, if you like truly melty cheese in the classic Tex-Mex tradition, use a mixture of American cheese, like Velveeta, with the Cheddar you use inside and on top of the finished enchiladas. Finally, if you’re fearful that a casserole of cheese, chili and fried tortillas may be a little rich for dinner, serve it with a bowl of tomatillo pineapple salsa on the side. The acidity provides a nice balance. (Note also that as with all recipes, but particularly this one, some planning and practice can get the preparation down to 60 minutes.)”

Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 1 1/2 hours.

This was featured in “Enchiladas Are the Saucy, Cheesy Addition to Your Dinner Table”, and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018152-enchiladas-con-carne.

Ingredients

For the Chili Con Carne:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola

1 pound ground chuck beef, ideally 20 percent fat

Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1 medium white onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 jalapeño pepper or more to taste, seeds removed if you want it less spicy, stemmed and chopped

1 cup chopped or canned crushed tomatoes

3 tablespoons chile powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, ideally Mexican

2 cups chicken stock, 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 (optional)

Preparation

Prepare the chili con carne: Put flour in a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to turn golden brown and smell nutty, then pour it onto a plate to cool.

Wipe out sauté pan and return it to high heat with 2 tablespoons oil. When oil is hot and shimmery, add ground beef to pan, and cook, breaking it up with a fork and stirring, until it is well browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then use a slotted spoon to remove meat to a bowl, leaving drippings behind.

Add onion, garlic and jalapeño to pan and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits of meat, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Stir in tomatoes and cook until their liquid has evaporated, then add chile powder, cumin and oregano and stir to combine. After a minute or so, when mixture begins to turn fragrant, return browned meat to pan, along with toasted flour, and stir well to combine.

Lower heat to medium-high and slowly stir in chicken stock, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture has thickened and started to simmer. Lower heat again and allow chili to cook slowly for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until meat is tender. Add more stock or water if needed. Use immediately, or let cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a few days.

When you are ready to cook the enchiladas, heat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium sauté pan set over medium-high heat, heat 1/2 cup neutral 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: Using a ladle, put about 1/2 cup chili in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and spread it out a little. Roll a few tablespoons of cheese into each tortilla, along with a tablespoon or so of chili, then place it seam-side down in the pan, nestling each one against the last. Ladle remaining chili over top of rolled tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

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

BACON-WRAPPED CAULIFLOWER

I first saw this recipe by Laura Rege (on Delish) on Facebook when a friend posted the video for it. I was instantly hooked! When he mentioned he'd tried it and how good it was, that was all it took.

Laura wrote, “Want to make this vegetarian-friendly? Easy—leave out the bacon! If you like, mix up a little minced garlic and olive oil to brush on the outside before baking. Since you don't need to worry about crisping any bacon, you can get away with a shorter bake time—10 minutes at 450° should do the trick.”

Yields: 4 servings; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes.

View this online at https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a26882653/bacon-wrapped-cauliflower-recipe/

Ingredients

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 c. lemon juice

Kosher salt

1 head cauliflower, leaves removed and stem trimmed so cauliflower lays flat, but still intact

1 (10-oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed, water squeezed out and chopped

2 large eggs, beaten

4 green onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 c. shredded cheddar

4 oz. cream cheese, softened and cubed

1/2 c. panko

1/4 c. grated Parmesan

1 lb. thinly sliced bacon

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°. Bring 8 cups water, oil, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil in a large pot. Add cauliflower and bring back to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and place a plate on top of the cauliflower to keep it submerged. Simmer until a knife easily inserts into the center, about 12 minutes.

Using 2 slotted spoons or a mesh spider, transfer cauliflower to a small rimmed baking sheet. Let cool.

Meanwhile, combine spinach, eggs, green onions, garlic, cheddar, cream cheese, panko, and Parmesan and place in a piping bag with a 3/4-inch tip.

Position cooled cauliflower stem side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Pipe filling between stalks of florets. Flip cauliflower stem side down, then lay strips of bacon, just slightly overlapping strips, over cauliflower, tucking ends of strips into bottom of cauliflower.

Roast, rotating sheet halfway through, until golden all over, about 30 minutes.

SPICY CHEESY CHILI SAUCE LASAGNA

This comes from the Tablespoon e-newsletter, and starts off, “A simple meat lasagna that packs a spicy kick!” Prep Time: 30 min; Total Time: 1 hr 15 min; Servings: 6

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 pounds spicy Italian sausage

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 (28 oz.) can Muir Glen™ organic diced tomatoes with basil and garlic

1 (14 oz.) can Muir Glen™ organic tomato sauce

1 (12 oz.) can chili sauce

18 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated

6 large lasagna noodles, cooked al dente

Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and sausage and cook until sausage is browned, 8-10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and chili sauce and stir together. Let sauce and sausage simmer for 15-20 minutes so it thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook noodles according to package (or use no-cook noodles).

In a 9x13-inch casserole dish, spoon in a cup of sauce. Lay 3 noodles on the sauce as the bottom layer. Sprinkle on about half of the cheese, then scoop in half of the remaining sauce.

Add another layer of noodles, half of the remaining cheese, the last of the meat sauce, and the last of the cheese.

Bake lasagna for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling. Let cool briefly before serving!

CAJUN POT PIE

This is from the Campbell's Kitchen e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “All the flavors of Cajun-inspired jambalaya can be found in this hearty, kickin' pot pie. Turkey, andouille sausage, green peppers, onions and tomatoes are simmered with turkey gravy and Cajun seasoning and spooned into a baking dish, topped with puff pastry and baked until perfectly golden. This is one pot pie that is loaded with flavor everyone will enjoy!” Serves: 6; servings: about 1 cup each; Thaw: 40 minutes; Prep: 15 minutes; Cook: 5 minutes; Bake: 30 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes.

To view this recipe online, go to http://www.campbellskitchen.com/recipes/cajun-pot-pie-61937.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)

1 small potato, peeled and diced (about 1/2 cup)

1 large green pepper, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained

1 carton (18.3 ounces) Swanson® Turkey Gravy

3 cups cubed cooked turkey or chicken

6 ounces (1/2 of a 12-ounce package) smoked andouille sausage, diced (about 1 cup)

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed

Directions

Heat the oven to 400°F.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, potato, pepper and Cajun seasoning and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender-crisp, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes, gravy, turkey and sausage.

Spoon the turkey mixture into an 8x8x2-inch baking dish. Unfold the pastry sheet and place it over the turkey mixture. Cut several slits in the top of the pastry.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.