Have you all discovered the food-geek wonder that is The Pioneer Woman Cooks! yet? Get thee over there, right now, and then use your back button to return to me. She won a Bloggie at SXSW for her food blogging, and man is it well-deserved. I...I am so very embarassed to admit this to you all, but I think I may have actually licked my computer monitor while reading her entry on pasta primavera. Yes Indeedy.
In short, The Pioneer Woman is a totally hilarious housewife on a cattle ranch somewhere in the middle of the country. She used to be an urban hipster in L.A.; now she drives forty minutes round trip to buy her very basic grocery staples, so she is a little defensive of her use of parmesan cheese from that green can. You know--that green can. She has two blogs: The Pioneer Woman Cooks and Confessions of A Pioneer Woman. That one features a lot of pictures of rather fit young men in tight jeans. Thanks for that, by the way.
Anyway, about her food blog: she takes pictures, something I am mostly too lazy or harried to do (also, I can't find the USB cable for my camera), and the pictures are some of what's so appealing about her cooking. Also, it's unpretentious, real-world easy, and uses a lot of butter. By which I mean, a lot. I can't believe she doesn't weigh 345 pounds. I would.
She doesn't really measure things so much, so it's hard to use her recipes as, you know, recipes, rather than just something to think dirty thoughts about, but her spicy shrimp look so good that I am sort of a little bit in love right now. One great thing about living on the Eastern seaboard is the seafood. We still get the shrimp frozen, but they're usually in better shrimp than the ones that have been sleeping with the fishes, so to speak, for months and months. And I don't think I need to explain what a decent crabcake can mean for a woman who's lived to be 27 years old and never tasted Maryland blue crab.
So, I will now attempt to translate Ree at The Pioneer Woman Cooks! from shameless hard-core food porn to a recipe with measurements and everything. It will be my usual wild-ass-guess estimation method that I use every time I attempt to post a recipe that isn't really my recipe but just an idea out of my head. By all means, assume that I'm playing it fast and loose with the numbers and hope for the best. If I'm off by a mile on anything, I encourage you to let me know.
Spicy Shrimp
2 lbs. large shell-on shrimp
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Tabasco to taste
1/3-1/2 cup Worcestershire
Generous amounts of Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
8 tablespoons (1 stick) Butter, cut into 16 pieces
3-4 Lemons
1 large loaf crusty French bread
Thoroughly rinse shrimp under cold running water. Spread shrimp in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet.
Drizzle oil, Worcestershire, lemon juice, and Tabasco (you are seasoning these shrimp through the shells, so be aggressive.) Generously salt. Very generously pepper.
Drop pats of butter over the shrimp. Then pepper them again. Generously.
Slide the shrimp under the broiler for 10 minutes or so, until they are cooked all the way through. Don't overcook.
Warm the loaf of bread in the oven. Use it to sop up the sauce from the shrimp.
Showing posts with label Snacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Snacks. Show all posts
Monday, March 17, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
March 11: Cocktail Meatballs For A Crowd
I'm throwing a baby shower! Well, sort of. It's my best friend's baby who I'm showering, and I'm throwing it in conjunction with her mother, if my best friend doesn't beat her to death with a heavy object soon. The shower is next month, in Kentucky, and Kimberly has given an executive order for no fuss.
Of course, the first thing I thought about was what to eat at a baby shower. I've never thrown one before. So...what do I serve? Baby carrots? Baby corn? Baby...Baby's breath? No, no, that's not food. Kimberly doesn't eat a lot of meat (although the baby loves him some chili dogs), and there's the no-fuss order.
Here's my experience with parties: nobody will like everything, and bad food is never, you know, good, so I consider my audience. There are some things that almost everybody likes; serve enough of them, do it well, and people will talk about how great the food was. It's the law of large numbers.
Here's my rule when it comes to party food, and it exists because I am the laziest housekeeper on earth, I really am: I like party food that gets eaten completely without leaving some part of itself behind. For example: shrimp. I like shrimp. Everybody likes shrimp, just about, but shrimp have shells and tails to be left behind. Invariably, they slide off of little paper plates or get knocked off an end table, and just like that, you have shrimp shells in your carpet for, like, a week. Really want to serve shrimp at your party? Make a shrimp dip and serve it with slices of baguette. No shells left behind. Chicken wings: incredibly popular, a huge crowd-pleaser. They also leave a mess. Instead, make a buffalo chicken dip: chunks of white-meat chicken in a creamy dip base mixed with wing sauce, with lots of bleu cheese stirred in, served bubbling hot. I've had it on tortilla chips. Sounds a little weird? Go with me on this; I know I've almost never met a dip I didn't like, but this one is something special
Another thing almost everyone likes: meatballs. The great thing about cocktail meatballs is that you can totally buy good-quality frozen ones, because it's all about the sauce. Thaw the meatballs overnight in the fridge, pop them into a hot oven for a few minutes on rimmed baking sheets to heat up, and then toss them with some kind of yummy sauce in your crockpot. They'll stay hot forever and the only thing they leave behind is maybe a toothpick or something. I've also seen the same meatballs simmered in sauce with kielbasa: also delicious.
As for the sauce, you can keep it simple with barbecue sauce--whatever kind you like; I like KC Masterpiece. You can make a sauce with tomato paste, red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce, but it seems fussy to me. My favorites are Sweedish meatball sauce, a sort of sour-cream-dill-beef broth concoction which is delicious but occasionally curdles if it stands too long, and this ridiculous thing that I love, despite the fact that it's so low-brow. Here it is, barely a recipe at all. Sandra Lee would be so proud of me. I'm a little embarassed by this thing, but go with me. You'll love me for it.
Cocktail Meatballs for a Crowd
2 1-lb bags of good quality frozen meatballs, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
1 bottle Heinz chili sauce
1 12 oz. jar good-quality apricot preserves
1 8 oz. jar good-quality grape jelly
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet and warm in the oven until heated through, 15-20 minutes.
While meatballs heat, put preserves, jelly, and chili sauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally, until jelly melts.
Place meatballs in a crockpot set on low, gently pour sauce over. Keep warm; serve.
Of course, the first thing I thought about was what to eat at a baby shower. I've never thrown one before. So...what do I serve? Baby carrots? Baby corn? Baby...Baby's breath? No, no, that's not food. Kimberly doesn't eat a lot of meat (although the baby loves him some chili dogs), and there's the no-fuss order.
Here's my experience with parties: nobody will like everything, and bad food is never, you know, good, so I consider my audience. There are some things that almost everybody likes; serve enough of them, do it well, and people will talk about how great the food was. It's the law of large numbers.
Here's my rule when it comes to party food, and it exists because I am the laziest housekeeper on earth, I really am: I like party food that gets eaten completely without leaving some part of itself behind. For example: shrimp. I like shrimp. Everybody likes shrimp, just about, but shrimp have shells and tails to be left behind. Invariably, they slide off of little paper plates or get knocked off an end table, and just like that, you have shrimp shells in your carpet for, like, a week. Really want to serve shrimp at your party? Make a shrimp dip and serve it with slices of baguette. No shells left behind. Chicken wings: incredibly popular, a huge crowd-pleaser. They also leave a mess. Instead, make a buffalo chicken dip: chunks of white-meat chicken in a creamy dip base mixed with wing sauce, with lots of bleu cheese stirred in, served bubbling hot. I've had it on tortilla chips. Sounds a little weird? Go with me on this; I know I've almost never met a dip I didn't like, but this one is something special
Another thing almost everyone likes: meatballs. The great thing about cocktail meatballs is that you can totally buy good-quality frozen ones, because it's all about the sauce. Thaw the meatballs overnight in the fridge, pop them into a hot oven for a few minutes on rimmed baking sheets to heat up, and then toss them with some kind of yummy sauce in your crockpot. They'll stay hot forever and the only thing they leave behind is maybe a toothpick or something. I've also seen the same meatballs simmered in sauce with kielbasa: also delicious.
As for the sauce, you can keep it simple with barbecue sauce--whatever kind you like; I like KC Masterpiece. You can make a sauce with tomato paste, red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce, but it seems fussy to me. My favorites are Sweedish meatball sauce, a sort of sour-cream-dill-beef broth concoction which is delicious but occasionally curdles if it stands too long, and this ridiculous thing that I love, despite the fact that it's so low-brow. Here it is, barely a recipe at all. Sandra Lee would be so proud of me. I'm a little embarassed by this thing, but go with me. You'll love me for it.
Cocktail Meatballs for a Crowd
2 1-lb bags of good quality frozen meatballs, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
1 bottle Heinz chili sauce
1 12 oz. jar good-quality apricot preserves
1 8 oz. jar good-quality grape jelly
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet and warm in the oven until heated through, 15-20 minutes.
While meatballs heat, put preserves, jelly, and chili sauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally, until jelly melts.
Place meatballs in a crockpot set on low, gently pour sauce over. Keep warm; serve.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
January 22: Cheese Straws
Puff pastry is great. It's versatile, easy to use, affordable--and it comes right straight out of the freezer. You can make your own, if you really feel like you have to--it's an important skill for pastry chefs to have--but I don't. There's a line for foodies, and when I'm making my own eggrolls or puff pastry, it's time to step away from the chef's knife.
These cheese straws are a must-do for a party. They're flaky, incredibly adaptable, great with cocktails, next to a big bowl of pasta, alongside soup. You can prepare them, slice them, and twist them, then chill them and wrap them gently in aluminum foil, and freeze them for up to a month. Don't thaw them before you bake them--you may have to add a few minutes to the baking time.
Cheese Straws
1 9x9 1/2 inch sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator for 24 hours or on the counter for 1 hour
2 ounces Parmesan or Asiago cheese, grated (1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Adjust oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 425. Lay the puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with the cheese, salt, and pepper. Top with another sheet of parchment, and, using a rolling pin, press the cheese into the dough, rolling to shape the dough into a 10-inch square.
Remove the top layer or parchment and with a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 3/4 inch wide strips. Gently twist each strip of dugh and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing the strips about 1 inch apart.
Bake until the straws are fully puffed and golden, about 10 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Other flavors: replace the cheese, salt and pepper with any of the following combinations:
4 ounces shredded cheddar
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile in adobo
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup minced walnuts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, well drained
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped fine
1 oz. feta, crumbled
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
1 tbsp. EACH minced parsley, chervil, tarragon, chives
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped fine
1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped fine
1/4 teaspoon cardmom
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon dehydrated minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
These cheese straws are a must-do for a party. They're flaky, incredibly adaptable, great with cocktails, next to a big bowl of pasta, alongside soup. You can prepare them, slice them, and twist them, then chill them and wrap them gently in aluminum foil, and freeze them for up to a month. Don't thaw them before you bake them--you may have to add a few minutes to the baking time.
Cheese Straws
1 9x9 1/2 inch sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator for 24 hours or on the counter for 1 hour
2 ounces Parmesan or Asiago cheese, grated (1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Adjust oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 425. Lay the puff pastry on a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with the cheese, salt, and pepper. Top with another sheet of parchment, and, using a rolling pin, press the cheese into the dough, rolling to shape the dough into a 10-inch square.
Remove the top layer or parchment and with a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 3/4 inch wide strips. Gently twist each strip of dugh and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing the strips about 1 inch apart.
Bake until the straws are fully puffed and golden, about 10 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Other flavors: replace the cheese, salt and pepper with any of the following combinations:
4 ounces shredded cheddar
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile in adobo
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup minced walnuts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, well drained
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped fine
1 oz. feta, crumbled
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
1 tbsp. EACH minced parsley, chervil, tarragon, chives
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped fine
1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped fine
1/4 teaspoon cardmom
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon dehydrated minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
Sunday, January 20, 2008
January 20: Parmesan-Pepper Popcorn, Curry-Spiced Nuts
Every year for Christmas, inevitably, somebody gives you one of those giant tins full of stale, artificially-flavored popcorn. Hideous. It barely resembles popcorn, and yet, somehow, it ends up in a bowl at your Superbowl party, probably with the thought that somebody will eat it, and you can throw away the rest after the party.
I love popcorn. I try to watch my salt though, and I have a tendency to overdo it when it comes to popcorn, so I've started trying other flavors so that I don't wake up the next morning feeling so incredibly bloated. America's Test Kitchen has some suggestions, and my favorite is this parmesan-pepper. I don't bother with microwave popcorn, either--I can't even fathom what chemicals must be involved. I buy the regular old bag of popcorn kernels on the bottom shelf at the grocery store--they're about $1 a bag, much cheaper than anything else. I used to use my 8-quart stockpot, but we bought a microwave popcorn popper. It's just a bowl with a loose-fitting lid, but it's quicker than the big pot on the stove and it's easy to use. I think we bought it at Target, and if you like popcorn but are kind of afraid of those bags of microwave stuff, I recommend the bowl.
Same thing with the spiced nuts. Tons of salt, tons of chemicals, and even a really surprising amount of sugar. Even the recipe that I use has more sugar in it than I think it really needs, so I've cut it back from 2/3 cup to 1/4 cup. Adjust it as you like, but I like them a little less sweet.
1/2 cup of popcorn kernels will make about 4 quarts of popcorn.
Parmesan-Pepper Popcorn
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
Salt to taste
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Add 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the melted butter and cook over medium heat until fragrant. Remove from heat and let stand while the popcorn pops.
Combine the oil and popcorn in a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Cover and place over medium-high heat, shaking occasionally, until the first few kernels begin to pop. Continue to cook, shaking vigorously, until the popping has mostly stopped. Pour immediately into a large bowl and toss with the flavored butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, toss again, and add salt to taste, if needed.
Curry Spiced Nuts
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound pecans, cashews, walnuts, or whole unblanched almonds
1/4 cup superfine sugar (if you can't find superfine sugar, run regular granulated sugar through a food processor for about 1 minute)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon paprika
Heat oven to 275. Whisk the egg white, water, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the nuts and toss to coat. Drain in a colander for 5 minutes.
Mix together the sugar, cumin, curry, and paprika together. Toss the spices with the drained nuts. Spread the nuts evenly on two baking sheets. Bake until the nuts are dry and crisp, about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven and let the nuts cool completely on the baking sheet, about 30 minutes. Break the nuts apart and serve.
I love popcorn. I try to watch my salt though, and I have a tendency to overdo it when it comes to popcorn, so I've started trying other flavors so that I don't wake up the next morning feeling so incredibly bloated. America's Test Kitchen has some suggestions, and my favorite is this parmesan-pepper. I don't bother with microwave popcorn, either--I can't even fathom what chemicals must be involved. I buy the regular old bag of popcorn kernels on the bottom shelf at the grocery store--they're about $1 a bag, much cheaper than anything else. I used to use my 8-quart stockpot, but we bought a microwave popcorn popper. It's just a bowl with a loose-fitting lid, but it's quicker than the big pot on the stove and it's easy to use. I think we bought it at Target, and if you like popcorn but are kind of afraid of those bags of microwave stuff, I recommend the bowl.
Same thing with the spiced nuts. Tons of salt, tons of chemicals, and even a really surprising amount of sugar. Even the recipe that I use has more sugar in it than I think it really needs, so I've cut it back from 2/3 cup to 1/4 cup. Adjust it as you like, but I like them a little less sweet.
1/2 cup of popcorn kernels will make about 4 quarts of popcorn.
Parmesan-Pepper Popcorn
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
Salt to taste
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Add 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the melted butter and cook over medium heat until fragrant. Remove from heat and let stand while the popcorn pops.
Combine the oil and popcorn in a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Cover and place over medium-high heat, shaking occasionally, until the first few kernels begin to pop. Continue to cook, shaking vigorously, until the popping has mostly stopped. Pour immediately into a large bowl and toss with the flavored butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, toss again, and add salt to taste, if needed.
Curry Spiced Nuts
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound pecans, cashews, walnuts, or whole unblanched almonds
1/4 cup superfine sugar (if you can't find superfine sugar, run regular granulated sugar through a food processor for about 1 minute)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon paprika
Heat oven to 275. Whisk the egg white, water, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the nuts and toss to coat. Drain in a colander for 5 minutes.
Mix together the sugar, cumin, curry, and paprika together. Toss the spices with the drained nuts. Spread the nuts evenly on two baking sheets. Bake until the nuts are dry and crisp, about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven and let the nuts cool completely on the baking sheet, about 30 minutes. Break the nuts apart and serve.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
January 19: Chips and Tomato Salsa, Guacamole, Chile Con Queso
This is, no kidding, the best salsa in the world. And let me say this about it as well: it is almost a blank canvas. The great thing about salsa is that it can embrace a thousand different ingredients. I use this salsa not just as-is, but I have added the following at different points:
Do you see where I'm going here? Possibilities are limited only by your own imagination. This also addresses the problem of winter tomatoes. Winter tomatoes are generally inedible, hard, pale, and flavorless, but the marriage of flavors and the other ingredients coax a little breath of life into the grocery store travesties that pass as tomatoes in January.
I love that this salsa is as great on chips as it would be over a piece of broiled fish, or tossed with hot pasta and olive oil, or on a taco or nachos. And guacamole? How can anything that looks so awful taste so great? It does though, and it's full of heart-healthy fat and I can eat it by the boatload. Enough guacamole is never enough.
Let me say this about guacamole: If the avocados aren't great, if they are rock-hard and emerald-green on the outside, if they squish under light pressure, put them down and move on. Your guacamole will only serve to disappoint you.
If the avocados are unsuitable, go with the chile con queso. It sounds complicated, but it just really isn't. We were visiting family in San Diego in April, and had dinner in a Mexican restaurant in Old Town. There were little old Mexican women in costume making fresh tortillas in the storefronts, and they served an appetizer called queso fundido, which was a big crock of hot, oven-baked cheese with crumbled chorizo sausage. You scooped up gobs of it in fresh flour tortillas, wrapped it up, and tried to not let it dribble down your chin. Ohh, just the thought of it makes me miss California a little bit. It's not exactly practical for a party, since it really has to stay bubbling hot or it sort of hardens into a rubber-cement consistency, but chile con queso is a great alternative. The list of ingredients is sort of long, and make no mistake--this is spicy. But it's a crowd-pleaser.
Start here, with the salsa. If you make it ahead, wait to add the salt--everything will weep a little, and your salsa will be watery. Also, for more spicy, leave some or all of the seeds from the jalapenos in.
Tomato Salsa
1 1/2 pounds firm, ripe tomatoes , cut into 3/8-inch dice (about 3 cups)
1 large jalapeño chile, seeded, flesh minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup minced red onion
1 small clove garlic, minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon table salt
pinch ground black pepper
2 - 6 teaspoons lime juice from 1 to 2 limes
1. Set large colander in large bowl. Place tomatoes in colander and let drain 30 minutes. As tomatoes drain, layer jalapeño, onion, garlic, and cilantro on top. Shake colander to drain off excess tomato juice. Discard juice; wipe out bowl.
2. Transfer contents of colander to now-empty bowl. Add salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoons lime juice; toss to combine. Taste and add minced jalapeño seeds, sugar, and additional lime juice to taste.
Guacamole does not hold very well--it tends to oxidize and turn brown. Don't make it much ahead of time if you can help it, and it you can't help it, spray the top with lime juice--the acid will help to prevent browning--and place a layer of plastic wrap directly against the guacamole, pressing out as much air as you can, and cover tightly.
Make this recipe en masse, if possible--it multiplies well, and it will be popular.
Guacamole
2 small ripe avocados
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
1/2 small jalapeño chile, minced (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
Table salt
1 tablespoon lime juice from 1 lime
Halve, pit, and scoop flesh from avocados into a bowl. Sprinkle lime juice over and mix lightly with fork until mashed, with a few pea-sized chunks. Add onion, garlic, chile, and cilantro. Adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary, and serve. (Can be refrigerated up to 1 day. Return guacamole to room temperature, removing plastic wrap just before serving.)
You can make the chile con queso with chorizo. Brown 1/2 pound bulk chorizo sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Drain very well, and stir into the finished queso. Keep this dip warm in a fondue pot or Crock pot or a chafing dish, and stir it occasionally to keep it from separating. Serve everything with lots of tortilla chips--regular ones, blue corn tortilla chips, whole-grain, even the new flour tortilla chips, if you like.
Chile con Queso
1/2 pound fresh poblano or Anaheim chiles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped white onions
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
2 cups milk or cream
2 cups grated Cheddar
1 cup grated Jack or Pepper Jack
Roast the peppers by placing them on an open gas flame, turning them frequently with tongs until all sides are charred black, about 7 to 10 minutes. Place the blackened peppers in a plastic or paper bag, and let rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Peel the peppers, split in half lengthwise, and discard the seeds and the stems. Roughly chop and set aside.
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cayenne. Cook, stirring, until very soft, about 6 minutes. Add the flour and stir until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chopped chilies, and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add the milk or cream and stir until thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cheeses and cook, stirring, until melted and well incorporated. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste.
- Small-diced radishes
- Small-diced seeded and peeled cucumber
- Sweet corn, cut off the ear and toasted in a dry skillet
- Canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- Minced chipotle in adobo
- Small cubes of mango
- Grilled pineapple, diced
- Different peppers
- Heirloom tomatoes
- Different herbs
- Roasted, chopped red peppers
- Toasted pine nuts
- Chopped oil-cured black olives
Do you see where I'm going here? Possibilities are limited only by your own imagination. This also addresses the problem of winter tomatoes. Winter tomatoes are generally inedible, hard, pale, and flavorless, but the marriage of flavors and the other ingredients coax a little breath of life into the grocery store travesties that pass as tomatoes in January.
I love that this salsa is as great on chips as it would be over a piece of broiled fish, or tossed with hot pasta and olive oil, or on a taco or nachos. And guacamole? How can anything that looks so awful taste so great? It does though, and it's full of heart-healthy fat and I can eat it by the boatload. Enough guacamole is never enough.
Let me say this about guacamole: If the avocados aren't great, if they are rock-hard and emerald-green on the outside, if they squish under light pressure, put them down and move on. Your guacamole will only serve to disappoint you.
If the avocados are unsuitable, go with the chile con queso. It sounds complicated, but it just really isn't. We were visiting family in San Diego in April, and had dinner in a Mexican restaurant in Old Town. There were little old Mexican women in costume making fresh tortillas in the storefronts, and they served an appetizer called queso fundido, which was a big crock of hot, oven-baked cheese with crumbled chorizo sausage. You scooped up gobs of it in fresh flour tortillas, wrapped it up, and tried to not let it dribble down your chin. Ohh, just the thought of it makes me miss California a little bit. It's not exactly practical for a party, since it really has to stay bubbling hot or it sort of hardens into a rubber-cement consistency, but chile con queso is a great alternative. The list of ingredients is sort of long, and make no mistake--this is spicy. But it's a crowd-pleaser.
Start here, with the salsa. If you make it ahead, wait to add the salt--everything will weep a little, and your salsa will be watery. Also, for more spicy, leave some or all of the seeds from the jalapenos in.
Tomato Salsa
1 1/2 pounds firm, ripe tomatoes , cut into 3/8-inch dice (about 3 cups)
1 large jalapeño chile, seeded, flesh minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup minced red onion
1 small clove garlic, minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon table salt
pinch ground black pepper
2 - 6 teaspoons lime juice from 1 to 2 limes
1. Set large colander in large bowl. Place tomatoes in colander and let drain 30 minutes. As tomatoes drain, layer jalapeño, onion, garlic, and cilantro on top. Shake colander to drain off excess tomato juice. Discard juice; wipe out bowl.
2. Transfer contents of colander to now-empty bowl. Add salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoons lime juice; toss to combine. Taste and add minced jalapeño seeds, sugar, and additional lime juice to taste.
Guacamole does not hold very well--it tends to oxidize and turn brown. Don't make it much ahead of time if you can help it, and it you can't help it, spray the top with lime juice--the acid will help to prevent browning--and place a layer of plastic wrap directly against the guacamole, pressing out as much air as you can, and cover tightly.
Make this recipe en masse, if possible--it multiplies well, and it will be popular.
Guacamole
2 small ripe avocados
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
1/2 small jalapeño chile, minced (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
Table salt
1 tablespoon lime juice from 1 lime
Halve, pit, and scoop flesh from avocados into a bowl. Sprinkle lime juice over and mix lightly with fork until mashed, with a few pea-sized chunks. Add onion, garlic, chile, and cilantro. Adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary, and serve. (Can be refrigerated up to 1 day. Return guacamole to room temperature, removing plastic wrap just before serving.)
You can make the chile con queso with chorizo. Brown 1/2 pound bulk chorizo sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Drain very well, and stir into the finished queso. Keep this dip warm in a fondue pot or Crock pot or a chafing dish, and stir it occasionally to keep it from separating. Serve everything with lots of tortilla chips--regular ones, blue corn tortilla chips, whole-grain, even the new flour tortilla chips, if you like.
Chile con Queso
1/2 pound fresh poblano or Anaheim chiles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped white onions
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
2 cups milk or cream
2 cups grated Cheddar
1 cup grated Jack or Pepper Jack
Roast the peppers by placing them on an open gas flame, turning them frequently with tongs until all sides are charred black, about 7 to 10 minutes. Place the blackened peppers in a plastic or paper bag, and let rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Peel the peppers, split in half lengthwise, and discard the seeds and the stems. Roughly chop and set aside.
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cayenne. Cook, stirring, until very soft, about 6 minutes. Add the flour and stir until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chopped chilies, and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add the milk or cream and stir until thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cheeses and cook, stirring, until melted and well incorporated. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
The Christmas Eve Open House
My mother has a Christmas Eve-afternoon tradition of inviting over thirty or forty of her friends. They show up when they feel like it and stay as long as they feel like staying, and it's really my favorite kind of party with some of my favorite people--really, my mother has just incredible friends. Mom always has homemade eggnog with bourbon and champagne, and my stepfather has an extraordinarily well-stocked liquor stash. They also sort of casually collect wine, and they have wonderful taste. People generally bring plates of cookies and Christmas candy and fruitcake, which Mom sets out, but the big attraction is the food.
My mother makes a few things really well, and her Christmas Eve Afternoon spread is her best of the best. Everything varies from year to year, but every year she makes these glazed meatballs that really are just plain frozen meatballs that are simmered in this mixture of chili sauce and apricot preserves and some other stuff, which, my God, I know how weird it sounds, but wow. My stepfather is a frat boy in a 71-year-old's body, and so she makes wings, only he can't take the spicy anymore, so she makes these tequila-lime wings, as well as honey-barbecue flavored. I'm not a fan of wings, but these are invariably the hit of the party.
I like dip, and so I am generally left in charge of dip at the party. Crudite with roquefort or dill dip, hot clam dip with bacon and scallions, and this artichoke-parmesan spread with roasted garlic on crostini--fabulous. That last thing is so rich it almost hurts to eat, so I pair it with tomato bruschetta with basil and a balsalmic reduction that complements it and cuts the richness a little. Chips and salsa, hummus and toasted pita. Last year I made queso fundido with chipotle and Mexican sausage. Spicy, and delicious. This year I'm thinking about a spinach dip with water chestnuts and bacon with pumpernickel bread.
Mom's cheese board varies from year to year. There's a brie or a camembert, something a little soft and runny, and some kind of goat cheese--last year I brought her a small-batch fresh cheese from West Virginia that I bought straight from the farmer. The farmer, incidentally, was so handsome that it hurt. Last year or the year before, she had a 4-year bandaged cheddar that isn't like anything else I've ever had in my life. The last few years, we've replaced the aged parmesan with a dry jack, which is really sharp and strong and powerful, and last year she got ahold of a Spanish manchego that was just incredible. Mom's a fan of stilton, but I like bleu d'auvergne or something a little less overpowering. She puts it all out with fruit and nuts and really yummy aged port.
There's always some yummy little nibbles--spicy honey-glazed pecans, marinated olives, shrimp or crab claws. Most people have a bigger meal planned later in the day when they come over, but this spread is enough to keep people pretty satisfied.
Mom's party is a great time, and the people make it. She's got really fascinating friends--scientists, writers, teachers, a retired judge, artists, musicians, all of these creative and smart and funny people, a few members of our extended family, the neighbors. The people are the party, and the food is peripheral. But the food is so good, I look forward to Christmas Eve all year long. I love it.
I am not going to start in with the recipes until January 1st. But if you're interested, shoot me an email or leave me a comment, and I can send a recipe for any of the stuff I've mentioned. Or leave me your ideas for your holiday celebrations and get-togethers.
My mother makes a few things really well, and her Christmas Eve Afternoon spread is her best of the best. Everything varies from year to year, but every year she makes these glazed meatballs that really are just plain frozen meatballs that are simmered in this mixture of chili sauce and apricot preserves and some other stuff, which, my God, I know how weird it sounds, but wow. My stepfather is a frat boy in a 71-year-old's body, and so she makes wings, only he can't take the spicy anymore, so she makes these tequila-lime wings, as well as honey-barbecue flavored. I'm not a fan of wings, but these are invariably the hit of the party.
I like dip, and so I am generally left in charge of dip at the party. Crudite with roquefort or dill dip, hot clam dip with bacon and scallions, and this artichoke-parmesan spread with roasted garlic on crostini--fabulous. That last thing is so rich it almost hurts to eat, so I pair it with tomato bruschetta with basil and a balsalmic reduction that complements it and cuts the richness a little. Chips and salsa, hummus and toasted pita. Last year I made queso fundido with chipotle and Mexican sausage. Spicy, and delicious. This year I'm thinking about a spinach dip with water chestnuts and bacon with pumpernickel bread.
Mom's cheese board varies from year to year. There's a brie or a camembert, something a little soft and runny, and some kind of goat cheese--last year I brought her a small-batch fresh cheese from West Virginia that I bought straight from the farmer. The farmer, incidentally, was so handsome that it hurt. Last year or the year before, she had a 4-year bandaged cheddar that isn't like anything else I've ever had in my life. The last few years, we've replaced the aged parmesan with a dry jack, which is really sharp and strong and powerful, and last year she got ahold of a Spanish manchego that was just incredible. Mom's a fan of stilton, but I like bleu d'auvergne or something a little less overpowering. She puts it all out with fruit and nuts and really yummy aged port.
There's always some yummy little nibbles--spicy honey-glazed pecans, marinated olives, shrimp or crab claws. Most people have a bigger meal planned later in the day when they come over, but this spread is enough to keep people pretty satisfied.
Mom's party is a great time, and the people make it. She's got really fascinating friends--scientists, writers, teachers, a retired judge, artists, musicians, all of these creative and smart and funny people, a few members of our extended family, the neighbors. The people are the party, and the food is peripheral. But the food is so good, I look forward to Christmas Eve all year long. I love it.
I am not going to start in with the recipes until January 1st. But if you're interested, shoot me an email or leave me a comment, and I can send a recipe for any of the stuff I've mentioned. Or leave me your ideas for your holiday celebrations and get-togethers.
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