Bean and Cheese Pupusas

This time, I'm making pupusas a little more how they were intended.  They're so much easier than tamales, lower in fat, and you don't have to plan ahead.  Plus, I still have that 2-pound block of cheddar to work through.  I do have "Mexican style" shredded cheese, but that's going to have to wait until the cheddar is gone.  Maybe next month.

I also made the curtido to have alongside the pupusas.  The half cabbage I had leftover from a stir-fry made enough for a generous serving with each meal.  It's an almost calorie-free salad, and cabbage is good for you, so it was great to have it take up half the plate.

Curtido

1 lb cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 C apple cider vinegar
1/2 C warm water

1.  Early in the day, shred cabbage and carrot and toss in a bowl.

2.  Stir together salt, sugar, vinegar, and water into a light brine.

3.  Pour brine over cabbage and toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pupusas

1-3/4 C masa harina
1 tsp kosher salt
1-1/2 C water
1 C cooked pintos or refried beans
1/2 C shredded cheese
Oil for frying (about 2 Tb)

1.  Stir together masa and salt.  Stir in water until flour is moistened.  Allow to sit 5 minutes.

2.  Portion out 8 balls of masa.  Flatten each into a disc.  Top with 2 Tb of beans and a pinch of cheese.

3.  Fold edges over fillings until they're encased in dough.  Don't worry if you can see some through the masa.

4.  Heat a griddle over medium-high heat and grease with a tablespoon of oil.  Set pupusas on the griddle and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Flip and cook other side until browned, another 5 minutes.  Re-oil if doing them in batches.

5.  Serve hot, with curtido salad on the side.

Difficulty rating  :)

Roasted Plantains

I wasn't specific on my "pile of veggies" grocery list, and saw plantains on sale for 50¢ each.  They did not fit in my Italian-leaning menu, but that didn't stop me from buying one.  If I'm roasting veggies, what's one more thing in the oven.

The one I bought was slightly yellow, so it was a tiny bit sweet.  If you want to make this more like a substitute for potatoes, buy a green one.  Honestly, I didn't want to go to the extra effort to peel a green plantain.  They're much harder to peel than a ripe one.

2 green or mostly green plantains
1 Tb olive oil
*1/4 tsp ground sumac

1.  Preheat oven to 400º.  Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.

2.  Peel plantains and cut into rounds.  To peel, cut off both ends, then make a slit lengthwise.  Pull off peel, trying not to bruise the fruit.

3.  Slice into 1/2" thick rounds.  In a bowl, toss with oil and sumac.  Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet.

4.  Roast for about 20 minutes, turning once halfway through.  Serve hot.

Difficulty rating  π

Pesto-Roasted Cauliflower

After the yummy chicken-mac, my next grocery list started with "giant pile of veggies".  I did manage to put on a pound by going off my low-carb diet, but that's not how I'm supposed to be eating.  Time for a vegetarian feast.

The main dish for this was a socca, since I'm already trying to whittle away at the chometz and clear freezer space before the defrost in April.  It used up the last of the chickpea flour, oven-dried tomatoes, and 2023's home-grown artichokes.  This cauliflower dish was to continue using pesto.  It's almost time to see which basil plants made it through the winter and seed some new ones.

To speed things up, I used frozen cauliflower florets.  The procedure will be the same with fresh, except for the time spent cutting it up.  Going with the pre-blanched frozen means they will be softer once cooked. If you want them slightly crunchy, you're going to have to cut up a fresh one.

*1 lb frozen cauliflower florets or one small fresh cauliflower
*1/2 C pesto
Parmesan for garnish, optional

1.  Preheat oven to 400º.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil.

2.  If working from fresh, trim cauliflower and cut into florets, discarding the core.  For frozen, you don't have to defrost first.

3.  Place florets in a bowl and add pesto.  Toss until evenly coated.  Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet.

4.  Bake until easily pierced by a fork, about 15-20 minutes.  Serve hot or as part of a pasta dish or salad.  Sprinkle with extra parmesan if desired.

Difficulty rating  π

Chicken-Mac

I bought a pound of cheddar because it was under $3, and that's a really good price.  I rarely get packages over 8oz, so they don't spoil on me.  At some point, I realized it was actually a 2 lb block.  That's a very good price, but now I had two pounds of cheddar to use up.  Mac'n'cheese time.

Because I can't leave well enough alone, a simple macaroni and cheese dinner turned into a one-pot meal.  I had shredded chicken in the freezer, some bacon ends, and broccoli out of the garden.  I was going to add a cup of frozen peas, but it was already getting to be a very full meal.

It looked a lot nicer in my head than it did on the plate, but it tasted great.  Filling comfort food for a rainy winter day.

*2 slices thick-cut bacon
*1 C diced onion
1 tsp paprika
*2 Tb sherry or 1/4 C white wine, optional
2 Tb flour
1-1/2 C milk, or to desired consistency
*2 C shredded cheddar cheese
*1 lb cooked shredded or canned chicken
*2 C broccoli florets
1-1/2 C macaroni

1.  In a large pot, cook the bacon over medium-low until the fat renders and the meat is mostly cooked, about 30 minutes.  Remove bacon and chop into bite-sized pieces, then return to pan.

2.  Start boiling a pot of water for the pasta and broccoli.

3.  Add diced onion and cook in the bacon fat until softened, 5 minutes.  Raise heat to medium and add paprika and flour.  Stir until flour is cooked into a roux, several minutes.

4.  If pasta water is boiling, start cooking.  The rest of this is going to come together quickly.

5.  If using, add alcohol to onion pot and allow to cook down for a minute.  Start adding milk 1/4 C at a time, allowing it to thicken between additions.  Once all is incorporated, stir in chicken.  Around now, the pasta should be almost done, so add the broccoli to it for the last 2-3 minutes.

6.  Stir cheese into sauce mixture until melted.  Drain pasta/broccoli and add to the pot.  Stir everything together and add more milk if it seems too thick to spoon onto a plate.

7.  Serve hot, with extra cheese on top if desired.

Serves about 6

Difficulty rating  :)

Roasted Vegetables with Saffron Yogurt

 

 It's sheet pan dinner time again.  As long as I don't do it more often than once a month, it feels like a treat.  And it always means vegetarian to me, so there's less timing for everything to cook properly.

This one did involve giving the eggplant a head start.  That 20 minutes was plenty of time to whip up the sauce and prep the rest of the veggies.

1 medium eggplant
olive oil as needed
salt to taste
*1 tsp paprika
*1/2 tsp sumac
2 carrots
1 red onion
1/2 lb green beans
*1/2 C walnuts or almonds, optional
*pinch saffron, about 1/4 tsp
2 cloves garlic, minced
*1/2 tsp turmeric
*1 tsp dried mint
*2 Tb lemon juice
2 C Greek yogurt
*Feta for garnish, optional

1.  Preheat oven to 375º.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment for easy cleanup, but not required.

2.  Remove cap from eggplant and dice into generous bite-sized pieces.  In a bowl, toss with a glug of olive oil, bearing in mind that the eggplant will soak it up and it won't look like as much as you put in.  Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/4 tsp sumac.  Toss again, then arrange in a single layer on baking sheet and start roasting.

3.  Peel carrots and chop up as desired.  I did diagonal rounds.  French cut onion and break apart.  Trim ends off green beans and cut in half if very long.  Add in walnuts, if using.  Splash with another tablespoon or two of oil in the bowl.  Toss with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/4 tsp sumac.

4.  Pull out the pan and push the eggplant to one side.  Mound up remaining vegetables and put the pan back in the oven.

5.  In a small cup, crush saffron and mix with 1 Tb hot water.  Let sit while you work on the dressing.

6.  In a small bowl, whisk together minced garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, turmeric, dried mint, and lemon juice.  Add yogurt and combine.  Stir in bloomed saffron and its water.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.  You should not taste the mint; it's there to cut any bite from the saffron and turmeric so you don't have to add sugar.  There should just be an undefined crispness.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

7.  Check vegetables after about 20 minutes in the oven.  If the carrots can be pierced with a fork, everything's done.  Toss the assortment in the large bowl and serve hot, with the yogurt on the side and feta either in the yogurt or sprinkled on the veggies.

Difficulty rating  :)

Cranberry Slow Cooker Pork

I haven't done a slow cooker recipe in a while.  Of course, this can also be done on the stove on the lowest setting or in the oven at 220º.

This was the last pound from the large pork roast I cut up.  I'm kind of running low on red meat in the freezer.  Might be time to call my friend and split another brisket.  There's plenty of chicken, but how much chicken can I really eat?

To be honest, this recipe is a lot like cranberry brisket.  Less onion and the addition of vinegar are the main changes.  I had a little cranberry ketchup left, so I used that instead of half the vinegar.  You should use an acid to cut the sweetness of the cranberry sauce.  The berry tartness isn't quite enough.

1/2 yellow onion, sliced
*1-1/2 lb pork butt roast
1 C cranberry sauce
2 Tb apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp kosher salt
water as needed

1.  If using, place liner in crock.  Arrange onions at bottom, then roast.  I had to cut mine in a couple of pieces to fit it in.

2.  In a bowl, mix together 1/2 C of the cranberry sauce, the vinegar, peppercorns, and salt.  Add 1 C water and mix until smooth.

3.  Pour sauce over roast.  The water should come up at least halfway.  If it doesn't, add a bit more.

4.  Cover crock and set on low for 8 hours or high for 4.

5.  Once the meat is fall-apart tender, remove from crock with tongs.  Serve with the onions from the bottom and remaining cranberry sauce.

Difficulty rating  π

Torta Caprese

Ok, I first saw this on Mediterranean Living, so we're going to pretend it's on my diet.  Man, it's a lot of butter.  My doctor did say not to be afraid of using butter.  I'm not sure she had 11 tablespoons in mind, even for an 8-serving cake.  No matter what recipe you research, it's going to have way more butter in it than you think it should.

I planned to make a smaller 6" one for my first try.  There was a rather annoying 3 eggs in this recipe, so I went in search of one with easier math.  Chef Dennis's version has the advantage of using a standard 10" springform, so we're going with that one.  I made a third, and it fit nicely in the 6".  I cut the cake in quarters, based on the original serving size, but it really could have been six slices.  10 out of a 10" cake is a very generous serving.

This torte is naturally gluten-free.  It's kosher for Passover (dairy) if you omit the powdered sugar topping and go for a side of sweetened whipped cream instead.  Vanilla ice cream and berries are also welcome garnishes.

It is very important not to over-bake this cake.  The edges will be crispy regardless, but you want the center to just barely pass the toothpick test.  Otherwise, it will be like an overdone brownie.

6 eggs, room temperature, separated
1 C sugar, divided
10 oz dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
10 oz unsalted butter (2-1/2 sticks), softened
*3 C almond flour
1 Tb *Sabra, vanilla, or chocolate liqueur, optional
powdered sugar for dusting (unless for Passover) and/or whipped cream

1.  Grease a 10" springform with butter.  My 6" has a weird, textured bottom, so I also lined it with wax paper and buttered that.  Set on a rimmed baking sheet in case/when butter leaks and preheat oven to 350º.

2.  Whip egg whites and 1/2 C sugar to firm peaks.  Chill for the few minutes you're working on the rest of the batter.

3.  Melt the chocolate, either in a double boiler or in short bursts in the microwave.  Stir in liqueur or extract, if using.  Set aside to cool slightly.

4.  In a stand mixer with the whisk, whip butter and remaining 1/2 C sugar.  Scrape down bowl and whip in egg yolks one at a time until smooth.  There will be a lot of bowl scraping.

5.  Fold in almond flour by hand.  Rewarm chocolate a little if too stiff and stir it in until you get an even batter.

6.  Go get the egg whites from the fridge.  Gently fold in a spatula full at a time, taking care not to work the batter too hard and deflate them.  Once the big streaks are gone, pour batter into prepared springform.

7.  Bake until lightly set and it passes the toothpick test, 40-50 minutes.  That's a large variance because there are so many ways to build a springform pan.  Start checking when the cake no longer jiggles.

8.  Allow pan to cool on a rack for 10 minutes.  Run a knife or offset spatula around the rim, then release spring.  Let the cake cool another half hour on its base.

9.  Ok, here's what I should have done... Place a second cooling rack on top of the cake and invert.  Remove base and wax paper, if using.  Once bottom of cake is cool, invert serving plate and position for serving.  Invert again, and you've hopefully transferred the cake without breaking it.  I only lost a small chunk.  Remember, gluten-free torte.

10.  Dust with powdered sugar, if using, or garnish as desired.  Serve slightly warm or room temperature.

Serves 10-14

Difficulty rating  :)

Roasted Farro and Kale

I know it looks like I've been heavy on the grains lately, but only the rice and lentils were white rice.  I had brown rice with the chicken, and farro here.  Whole grains have a low glycemic index, are on the Mediterranean diet, and are generally good for you.

I really debated what to call this.  Kale and farro, farro and kale... Neither one is likely to get all that many views.  We're going with it this way, even though the main flavor that comes through is from the tomato and garlic confit dressing.

I had really hoped my home-grown lacinato kale would be the star here.  It kind of stalled in the cooler weather, and the other two seedlings haven't had time to make up the difference.  I had two servings, at most, on the plant and reluctantly bought a bundle to make up the rest.  Maybe next month.

The one on the left is home grown. Big surprise.

If you're doing this as a one-pot meal, it's going to take over 2 hours.  What I should have done was make the confit the day before and let it mature in the fridge.  The farro bakes in under an hour.  Since you're using two different oven temperatures, they have to be made separately.

1 dry pint grape or cherry tomatoes
*1 head garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
*sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
1/2 C olive oil
2 bunches lacinato kale
1 C dry farro
1 C boiling water

1.  Preheat oven to 375º.  In a 2 or 3 quart casserole, preferably with a lid, strew tomatoes.  Peel garlic cloves and distribute.  Sprinkle with salt, add thyme, and pour oil all over.  Cover and roast until tomatoes are done, 60 to 90 minutes depending on what kind of tomatoes you used.  Set aside.  Can be made up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated.

2.  Lower oven to 325º.  Strip leaves from kale stems and give a coarse chop.  If using the same casserole, pour confit into a glass or porcelain container for the duration.  You don't need to rinse out the oil.  Pour farro into the bottom of the casserole and top with the kale.  Pour boiling water in, cover, and roast until the farro is done and most of the water is gone.  Start checking after half an hour.  If you had especially juicy kale and there's too much water at the bottom, strain out the excess.

3.  Add in confit and toss everything together.  Serve hot, or chilled as a cooked salad.  If not vegan, you can sprinkle with feta or chevre as a garnish.  If not vegetarian, a side of fish or chicken works.

Difficulty rating  :-0

Lemon-Dill Chicken

Before menu planning, I didn't usually decide what I was making far enough in advance to do a marinade.  I'm still not huge into doing them, but the lemons in the freezer were staring at me and there are more on the tree.  Between that and the lifetime supply of dill weed I took from work when it was discontinued, this was a pretty obvious recipe.

I'm sure there are more authentic Greek versions of this rather basic recipe.  It's simply a lot of good, fresh flavors roasted up and served alongside salad or roasted veggies.  It's an easy way to pop dinner in the oven after work and have it on the table in under an hour.

I used chicken leg quarters because Smart & Final had an excellent deal on them.  79¢ a pound, but you had to buy a ten-pound bag.  Out came the Food Saver, and it turned out to be 15 quarters.  15 dinner proteins for $7.90.  Nice.  This night, I used the 3-piece bag, but the recipe is basically the same for 4 servings.  If making this with boneless-skinless chicken, I would recommend a skillet version over baked, such as one I found at Sprinkles and Sprouts.  This is largely based on that.

1/4 C olive oil
*1 lemon
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp *dill weed or 1 Tb chopped fresh dill
*1 clove garlic, sliced
4 servings skin-on, bone-in chicken (can be 1 half-breast, leg quarter, etc)

1.  At least 4 hours before, and up to 24 hours, prepare marinade.  Quarter lemon and attempt to remove seeds.  Squeeze juice into a gallon bag, then toss in the quarters.  Add olive oil, salt pepper, garlic, and dill.  I used white pepper for a lighter taste, but black or even cracked pepper is fine.  Squish around ingredients to combine, then add chicken and squish again to distribute marinade.  Seal bag, set in roasting pan in case the bag leaks, and refrigerate until ready to bake.

2.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Empty contents of bag, including the lemons, into roasting pan and arrange skin-side up.  Cover with foil and roast for 20 minutes.  After the half hour, remove foil to allow skin to crisp and continue cooking until thickest piece reaches 165º.  Time will vary depending on size of pieces and white vs dark meat.

3.  Serve chicken with one of the now-roasted lemon wedges and extra dill for garnish if desired.

Difficulty rating  π

Herbed Rice and Lentils

I wanted something to go with the curry that was more than just a side of rice and tossing the lentils into the sauce.  I tried to come up with something that I could also use in the future as a side for fish, chicken, or as a vegan main.  Honestly, I might make this again in the summer as a cold salad with a light vinaigrette, so don't be surprised if that happens in six months.  The little bit I had left over once the curry was gone got topped with shredded chicken and taken to work for lunch.

Side note on grocery store baked chicken.  I don't buy the pre-roasted ones often, but there was a special that made them cheaper than canned, and I did want the bones for broth.  What I didn't realize until I got there was they are only itty-bitty two pound chickens.  No wonder they were so cheap.  I did get a pound and a half of meat off it, which was pretty much what I wanted, and enough bones for a quart of broth.  In the future, I'm going to wait for a per-pound special on a chicken twice that size and roast it myself.  You do pay extra for shortcuts.

3/4 C Jasmine, basmati, or other long grain rice
3/4 C green lentils
*2 C assorted herbs or greens
salt and pepper to taste
*2 Tb lime juice

1.  Sort and rinse lentils.  Bring to a simmer with water to cover by at least 1 inch.  Cover and cook until tender and split, about 30-40 minutes.  Drain and rinse.

2.  When the lentils are about half done, start the rice.  If desired, rinse first for a less starchy result.  I like the starch.  Bring to a simmer in about 1-1/2 C water.  Cover and cook until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.  If rice is too dry when fluffed, add 1/4 cup and let rest 5 minutes.

3.  Chop your herbs and greens.  I went through the garden and grabbed handfuls of whatever seemed good.  There was arugula, cilantro, and the leaves off the celery that I put in the curry.  Parsley would be good, or spinach, or chard.  Use your imagination.

4.  Toss together rice, lentils, and greens.  Drizzle in lime juice, salt, and pepper and toss again to distribute.  Serve either warm or chilled.

Difficulty rating  π