Combine goat cheese,
walnuts, parsley, lemon zest and scallion for the filling. Taste for salt and
pepper. Fill dates with 1 t of the filling and wrap with halved prosciutto
slice. Secure prosciutto to date with a toothpick.
Place on a parchment lined
baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until ready to bake.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake
for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and prosciutto is crisp.
OUT OF THE BLUE COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS
¼ C water
¼ C sugar
Pinch of sea salt
Handful of blueberries or
blackberries
¼ C fresh squeezed lemon
juice
¼ C brandy
1 bottle ginger beer
Prepare simple syrup – heat
water, sugar, berries and salt in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over high
heat. Reduce heat and simmer until berries burst. Stir well to combine flavors
and to be sure sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in lemon juice and cool to
room temperature. Strain before using.
Prepare Cocktail – Combine
brandy and strained simple syrup together. Just before serving add ginger beer
and serve over ice garnished with a lemon twist.
Leftovers
from cleaning out your refrigerator *see above
METHOD:
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare
an egg wash with 1 egg and 2 T water. Set aside.
For the Dough:
Heat
milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat until tiny bubbles appear
around the sides of the pan. At this point the milk should be around 180
degrees and the butter should be melted. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
In
a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook, combine yeast,
warm water, cooled milk, sugar, and egg. Mix lightly to incorporate ingredients.
Add
half of the flour and mix well until dough is combined and no dry flour
remains.
Add
salt and enough of the remaining flour to form a soft but cohesive ball that
clears the sides of the workbowl.
Turn
dough out a lightly floured surface and knead, adding additional flour to form
a smooth, elastic ball.
Shape
dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Lightly spray the top with pan
spray. Cover with plastic film and let
rise at room temperature for 1 ½ hours.
Transfer
dough to a lightly floured surface flatten into a rough rectangular shape. Using
a rolling pin, roll dough into a 10” x 13” rectangle with short side parallel
to counter.
For the Filling:
Spread
condiments of choice down center of dough taking care to leave a wide boarder
around edges. Top with cheese, meats, cooked vegetables or grains. Brush edges
of dough with a egg wash and fold bottom and top edges over filling
ingredients. Then fold right side over the ingredients taking care to
completely cover them. Brush with additional egg wash and fold left side over
the prepared loaf. Pinch edges lightly to seal.
Transfer
loaf to parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden
brown and cooked through.
Remove
from oven and cool for 10-15 minutes before serving with additional condiments
on the side.
1 C instant masa
harina (available at Harmon’s, Red Mountain and 3 Amigos)
½ t baking powder
½ t salt
1-2 t diced
chipotle en adobo
¼ C water
¼ C solid vegetable
shortening
½ C + 2 T chicken
stock (vegetable stock may be substituted)
1 C shredded cooked
chicken
1 ½ C prepared
salsa verde, divided (see recipe below)
½ C shredded
cheddar or jack cheese
½ 8oz bag dry corn husks
soaked in warm water for 2 hours OR substitute six 8 inch square sheets
of parchment paper.
Chopped cilantro,
sour cream, pico de gallo and hot sauce for serving.
METHOD:
*Please keep in
mind that this is a streamlined method for making tamales. I use the food
processor first to make the green tomatillo sauce and then to make the tamale
dough. I folded my tamales in the traditional corn husks, but parchment paper can
also be used.
Prepare
the salsa verde: Combine one 14.4 oz. can tomatillos (drained),
1 clove garlic, ½ jalapeno pepper, ¼ chopped white onion, and 1 bunch cilantro
in food processor. Process until well
combined and smooth. Heat 1 T oil in a sauce pan and add pureed tomatillos and
cook until slightly thickened. Remove
from heat and add ½ t salt. Set aside.
Prepare
the masa: Pulse the masa harina, baking powder,
salt and chipotle in the work bowl of your food processor. Add the vegetable
shortening and with quick, short bursts combine the ingredients. Add the water
and pulse briefly. (Mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal.) Then with machine
running drizzle in the stock and process until evenly blended but not over
processed. The dough should be soft and tacky but not overly sticky and wet.
You may need to add more stock or masa harina to achieve the proper consistency.
Finish
and steam the tamales: Fill the bottom of a steamer basket with about
2” of water. Line the bottom of the
insert with a layer of crumpled corn husks or parchment paper.
Place a corn husk
or piece of parchment on your work surface.
Pinch off a golf ball sized piece of the masa and with wet hands,
flatten the dough to approximately 3 inches square and ¼” thick. Spread a bit of the sauce, shredded chicken
and cheese lengthwise down the center of the dough. *For a vegetarian option
black beans may be used in place of the chicken. Take care not to overfill the
tamale.
Fold the husk (or
parchment) together until the edges overlap and the masa and filling are
completely enclosed by the husk or parchment. Fold the bottom edge of the husk
or parchment up, leaving one end open.
Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Stand the filled tamales in the steamer basket with the open ends up.
Cover the tamales
with a layer of remaining corn husks or parchment and a few sheets of paper
toweling. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid. Steam the tamales 30-40 minutes. Add water to the pan as needed to be sure it
doesn’t run dry. Tip: I add 1 T of vegetable oil to the water. If
the water boils away, I hear the oil sizzling on the bottom of the pot to let
me know to add more water. (Eva strongly disagreed with my idea here – but
between us, I think it’s genius.)
To
Serve: Open the husks to reveal the tamales. Drizzle
with additional sauce, pico de gallo, sour cream and cilantro.
2 red
bell peppers, roasted, peeled and cut into ¼” dice
¼ C kalamata
olives, pitted and halved
1 T white
wine vinegar
2 T capers,
minced
3 T fresh
basil, chopped fine
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare cauliflower steaks as directed and
arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle both sides with 2T olive
oil and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast
steaks until fork tender, flipping halfway through, until deeply caramelized
and crispy around the edges, about 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, sweat garlic, red pepper flakes (if
using) and anchovy in 1 T olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat until garlic
is fragrant but not browned. Remove from heat and add roasted peppers, vinegar,
kalamata olives and capers. Once cooled,
stir in basil. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon relish over hot steaks and serve.
Serves 2*
*I like to serve one cauliflower steak per person
as a side dish and 2 as an entrée portion.
Any
leftover relish can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.
ROASTED
RED PEPPERS
With
this technique peppers are roasted or charred to remove the skin, but in the
process they develop a smoky, rich flavor that is absolutely delicious. Once roasted and peeled, they keep well in
the refrigerator, covered in olive oil, for up to 2 weeks. Any type or color of
pepper may be substituted for this preparation.
METHOD:
To
roast over gas flame: Turn your burner on to the highest setting and place the
pepper directly on the open flame. Using tongs turn pepper periodically until
charred and blackened all over.
To
roast in the oven: Preheat oven to 400 degree. Line a rimmed baking sheet with
foil. Toss pepper in small amount of olive oil and place on baking sheet. Roast in oven until well blackened. This
should take about 30-35 minutes.
Remove
charred pepper and place in a bowl and cover with plastic film. This will allow
pepper to steam and will aid in removing the skin. Let rest for 30 minutes or
until cool enough to handle. Holding the pepper over the bowl, carefully remove
the blackened skin. Take care to catch
the juice from the pepper. One strained, it is a flavorful addition to the
sauce if you’d like to add it. DO NOT wash
your peppers under running water to remove the charred skin. You will wash away the flavor you’ve
developed from the charring.
Note:
I don’t worry about having a little bit of the charred skin left on the
pepper. I think it adds significant
flavor and I like the rustic look of it.
