one-pan broccoli-bacon-mac 'n' cheese

Yep, it's as good as it sounds.  Thanks to the Sept. 2015 issue of Cooking Light magazine: http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/how-to-make-one-pan-broccoli-mac-cheese

hasselback apples - think individual apple crisps

This is a delicious dish from the Sept. 2015 issue of Cooking Light magazine:  http://simmerandboil.cookinglight.com/2015/08/12/hasselback-apples-recipe/

shrimp and broccoli rotini

I used a different pasta shape called 'trece' for this yummy dinner.  I cooked the pasta and added broccoli in the last 3 minutes of the cooking.  While that cooked I pan sauteed some shrimp, adding some lemon rind.  After draining the pasta and broccoli I added it to the shrimp, then some butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

easy and fast chicken tacos

Combine 2 c. shredded skinless boneless rotisserie chicken meat with 1/2 c. prepared salsa verde.  You can heat this up, or not.  Then mix up 2 c. shredded purple cabbage with 1/3 c. mayonnaise.  Heat corn tortillas, fill with chicken mixture and top with cabbage mixture.  This is enough for about 8 tortillas per the suggestion in the September 2015 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

pork belly tacos

Crispy Pork Belly Tacos with Pico de Gallo

Serves 4. Try this out from the September 2015 issue of Food and Wine magazine!  The technique left us with leftover succulent pork belly that we used on tostadas and with fried eggs.  The braised pork belly can be refrigerated overnight; return to room temperature before frying.  The Pico de Gallo can be refrigerated for 6 hours.

            Braised Pork Belly:

            one 2 lb. piece of meaty pork belly

            1 c. olive oil

            1 c. melted lard or shortening

            3 garlic cloves, crushed

            1 white onion, coarsely chopped

            2 dried chipotle chiles

            2 tsp. kosher salt

            Pico de Gallo:

            ½ lb. cherry tomatoes, finely chopped

            4 oz. tomatillos – husked, rinsed and finely chopped (about ¾ c.)

            ½ small red onion, finely chopped

            1 chile de arbol, crumbled

            ¼ c. Mexican beer

            ¼ c. fresh lime juice

            kosher salt

            Tacos:

            1 Tbs. oil

            twelve corn tortillas, warm

            lime wedges, for serving

Braise the pork belly:  Heat oven to 250 degrees.  In a large ovenproof saucepan, combine all the pork belly ingredients and bring to a simmer over moderate heat.  Cover, transfer to oven and braise until very tender, about 3 hours.  Transfer pork to a plate to cool slightly.  Discard the braising liquid. 

Make the Pico de Gallo:  In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the salt.  Season with salt and mix well.

Make the tacos:  In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the oil.  Add the pork belly, skin side down, and weigh it down with another heavy skillet.  Cook over moderately low heat until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes.  Transfer the pork, skin side up, to a cutting board and let cool slightly.  Slice across the grain ¼” thick, then halve the slices crosswise.  Top each tortilla with a few pieces of pork belly and a little Pico de Gallo and serve warm.  

spicy stir-fried lamb

Another winner from the NY Times cooking site, serve it over rice:  http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013036-crispy-lamb-with-cumin-scallions-and-red-chilies

zucchini crisp

Zucchini Crisp

Serves 6-8.  I had to try this when I saw it in the Aug/Sept 2015 issue of Saveur.  Squash is just a kind of melon and this sweet treatment proves it.  Nice to serve a la mode.

            1¼ c. flour

            1 c. rolled oats

            ½ c. packed brown sugar

            ¾ tsp. kosher salt

            ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

            8 Tbs. chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes

            3 lbs. zucchini, peeled and cut into 1” chunks

            ½ c. granulated sugar

2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

            2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

            1 tsp. ground cinnamon

            ½ tsp. ground ginger

           

In a medium bowl, stir ¾ c. of the flour with the oats, brown sugar, ¼ tsp. of the salt, and the nutmeg.  Using your fingers, rub the butter into the oat mixture until it forms clumps.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large bowl, toss the zucchini with the remaining ½ tsp. salt, the granulated sugar, vinegar, and lemon juice and let stand for 10 minutes.  Squeeze the juice from the zucchini and pour it into a small saucepan.  Bring the juice to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until reduced to ¼ c., 5-6 minutes.  Remove the syrup from the heat and let cool completely.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Stir the cooled syrup back into the zucchini and then stir in the remaining ½ c. flour, the cinnamon, and ginger until evenly combined.  Scrape zucchini into an 8” square baking dish and sprinkle evenly with the topping you made earlier. Bake until topping is golden brown and the zucchini is bubbly and tender, 1 hour.  Serve hot and topped with ice cream.  

uses for prickly pear cactus fruit

Prickly Pear Drinks

For years we’ve admired the beautiful ruby fruits that adorn the prickly pear cacti (they are called ‘tunas’) on our property and wondered what we should do with them as they ripen at the end of each summer.  We finally figured it out in 2015 and are so hooked that we’ve asked our neighbors if we can harvest their tunas.

To harvest:  Don’t touch with your bare hands.  Those little fuzzy spines called glochids won’t hurt if you digest them but they will hurt if you get them stuck in your hands.  Grab the fruit with tongs near the base, twist off and drop in a bucket of water.  We find that we need about 20-22 fruits to make a pound.  Use the tongs to vigorously swish them around in the water for several minutes.  This softens and loosens the spines which will float.  Reach in with the tongs to pick out each fruit, rinse it off a bit more and the spines should be gone.  These fruits are rich in fiber and vitamin C but low in acid so you have to add lime juice or citric acid.

Prickly Pear Syrup (makes about 2 c.)

            1 lb. prickly pears (makes about 1 c. of juice)

            ½ c. sugar

            juice of 2 large limes or 1-2 tsp. citric acid

           

Cut the fruits in half and put them (seeds and all) into a juicer or food mill to extract the juice.  Alternatively you could put them in a blender and then strain through cheesecloth.).  We strain it one more time, then add the sugar and lime juice.  This base can be used in the drinks below, on pancakes, in barbecue sauce….

For Aguas Frescas:  add 4 c. water and 2 c. ice to the 2 c. of syrup you made above.  Serve in tall glasses.  Serves 4.

For Margaritas:  rim a glass with a mix of kosher salt and turbinado sugar.  Combine 6 Tbs. tequila, 1 Tbs. orange liqueur, and 6 Tbs. of the prickly pear syrup in a cocktail shaker.  Shake to mix, serve over ice in the sweet/salt rimmed glass.

blt salad - genius!

Thanks to my favorite food podcast, The Splendid Table, and this recipe from Steven Raichlen:  http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/blt-salad

butterscotch peaches

Butterscotch Peaches

Serves 4-6.  I was searching for many peach recipes, thanks to the harvest shared by our neighbors.  This one from the NY Times Cooking site was yummy – we wanted to call it Peaches Foster.  Credited to Bringing It Home: Ode to the Peach: A Cook Baffled, and Then at Peace.

            6 medium or 5 large ripe peaches

            4 Tbs. butter

            ½ c. cream

            ½ c. sugar

            1 Tbs. honey

            pinch of salt

            ¾ tsp. vanilla, or ½ tsp. ground ginger, or ½ tsp. almond extract

            vanilla ice cream

            almond biscotti, gingersnaps, or other cookies

Fill a large bowl with ice and water, and set aside.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Place peaches in boiling water for 2 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer to ice water.  When cool, drain and pat dry.

Working over a bowl to catch the juice, peel skins from peaches, squeezing as much juice as possible from the skins.  Slice each peach into 10 to 12 slices, and set aside with juice; discard skin and pits.    

In a medium skillet over low heat, melt butter.  Raise heat to medium-high and cook butter until it foams, subsides, foams again and begins to brown.  As soon as butter is nut-brown, add the peaches with juices.  Sauté 2 to 3 minutes, then place skillet over low heat to keep warm.

In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine cream, sugar, honey, and salt.  Place over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely melted.  Raise heat to medium and let boil without stirring until it turns a rich golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.  (Because of honey and cream it will appear to turn pale brown before it has caramelized; wait until it has darkened noticeably, thickened and reduced before proceeding.)  Carefully pour peach mixture into this caramel mixture; it will boil and spatter; stir to combine.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.  Add vanilla or other flavoring.  Serve warm or at room temperature over ice cream, with cookies on the side. 

shrimp, spinach, and peaches - oh my

Grilled Shrimp with Wilted Spinach and Peaches

Serves 4.  This says it is for 4 appetizer servings but we found it hearty enough (thought only 243 calories) for a light supper after we were gifted with peaches from the neighbors.  From the NY Times Cooking site.

            1 Tbs. white peppercorns (you could substitute black)

            1 Tbs. coriander seeds

            1 Tbs. mustard seeds

            5 green cardamom pods

1 lb. 16- to 20-count (extra large) shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail on

kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. chopped fresh ginger

¼ c. red wine vinegar

¼ c. fresh orange juice

1 tsp. curry powder

2 firm but ripe peaches, peeled and diced medium

1 lb. baby spinach, washed and dried

Heat grill to medium-high.  Meanwhile, put peppercorns, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and cardamom pods in a small sauté pan and toast over medium heat, shaking frequently to avoid burning, until they begin to darken slightly and you can smell them, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, then grind fine in a spice mill or mortar. 

Sprinkle shrimp generously with salt and pepper, then rub all over with the spice mixture, pressing gently to be sure it adheres.  Set shrimp aside.

Heat olive oil in small sauté pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking.  Add ginger and cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute.  Add vinegar, orange juice, curry powder and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

Put peaches and spinach in a medium bowl.  Pour hot dressing over them, wilting the spinach.

Place shrimp on the grill and cook until just opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes a side.  Divide the spinach-peach mixture among four plates and top each with ¼ of the shrimp.