Hot Dish Review

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Instead of making guacamole today, I’ll be driving back from the Kentucky Derby. So make a big batch for me, here’s how:

OK, this is the real deal. I got this recipe from an old Mexican cleaning lady 20 years ago and have made it according to her standards ever since. Perhaps she prepares it with loving care in a traditional molcajete, a lava rock mortar and pestle. I make mine in my traditional Pillsbury Doughboy bowl!

(Note: the photo of ingredients includes a Corona Light. This ingredient is not mandatory, however, I find that it helps the culinary process. You may substitute a shot of Herradura Silver if you prefer.)

3 ripe avocadoes
1/2 white onion (I use Vidalias)
1 large tomato, peeled
1 jalapeno
bunch cilantro
salt
lime juice

Split the avocadoes and scoop them out into a medium bowl. To keep the guacamole chunky I use the spoon to coarsely cut up the avocadoes just a bit. Very small dice the onion by first cutting it in half, then making 1/8″ cuts in both directions (like a checkerboard pattern). Slice it across the pre-made cuts to make tiny diced pieces. Use the same method for the jalapeno, being careful not to touch the pepper and then your eyes (or other sensitive areas)! Chop a shitload of cilantro to taste. Rest the tomato in hot water to ease peeling, then peel, seed, dice and add to bowl. Add the juice of half a lime. Fold all the ingredients together and salt to taste. Refrigerate for up to 8 hours, completely covered in plastic to avoid oxidation.

Is that f*ckin’ delicious or what? Buy restaurant chips and salsa to serve with it….my new favorite is Uncle Julios.

Sure, there are a couple of acceptable variations but authentic quacamole contains no sour cream, no garlic, no mayonaise. Mayonaise is a French sauce like bearnaisse….not invented in a trailor park in Mississippi as you may have suspected. Mexicans do not use French sauces. There was no sour cream in Mexico in the 1700′s.

Just use the real ingredients above and you will have quacamole as good as what I had in Playa del Carmen a few years ago…..Ole’!

The first time I ate homemade meringues was during a holiday dinner at LC’s parents’ place. I’ve always considered meringue a pie topping, not a dessert on its own, however, his Mom made meringue shells, then filled them with mixed berries. Crunchy yet chewy, they were light as air…and one of LC’s favorite sweet treats.

Recently, I promised myself to cook more at home so I asked his Mom for the recipe. It’s deceptively simple, but the success depends on technique.

Here’s her recipe:

2 egg whites, at room temperature
2/3 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Beat all ingredients except sugar in a glass bowl with electric mixer, starting on low speed and increasing to high until stiff. Gradually add the sugar and continue mixing until incorporated.

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray. Either preheat the oven to 400 degrees and turn it off before putting meringues in for 3 hours, OR preheat oven to 200 degrees and cook meringues for 1 hour.

Note: I was short on time so I used the second cooking method. My meringue shells got a little dark and extra crunchy in the center where they were thin, while the thicker round meringues came out chewier.

I filled the shells with sugar-marinated strawberries and blueberries, then topped them with whipped cream. Surprise….homemade meringues! LC loved them.

Sure, I could drive to McDonald’s and get a delicious Egg McMuffin any day of the week for $2, so why try to recreate this fast food classic at home? Because I can make mine in my pajamas! (or lack of, as the case may be)

You may remember my discovery of Jimmy Dean’s D’Lights….microwavable breakfast sandwiches with turkey sausage, egg white and cheese. They are a quick, tasty and low calorie alternative to McDonald’s sausage McMuffin with egg. But it was LC’s Mom that introduced me to the homemade Egg McMuffin.

She had experimented with cooking the eggs individually in coffee mugs, then topped them with turkey ham and cheddar, sandwiched between two toasted English muffins halves. Initially there were issues with the egg squishing out, but eventually, she perfected her method.

As with any microwavable food, cooking times vary. So I checked online and found several variations on how to cook eggs in the microwave. One gave a longer cooking time, but at 50% power, so I thought I’d give it a try.

My first attempt looked good, but the egg yolks were very runny and the cheese had melted too much, both oozing out of the sandwich onto our hands and dripping on the floor….messy! On the second go round I adjusted the cooking time, but still had the dripping cheese issue.

The third time was the charm! Here’s how I did it:

Homemade Egg McMuffin

1 Omega 3 egg
1 English muffin, split (any variety)
1 Slice Canadian bacon or ham
1 Slice light cheddar cheese

Spray the inside of a coffee mug or microwave safe cup with cooking spray. Break the egg and cover top of cup with damp paper towel. Cook at 50% power for 1 1/2-2 minutes, checking the yolk for doneness (I like mine semi-soft).

Toast the muffin halves, butter lightly, then melt the cheese on both sides. Nuke the Canadian bacon until warm. Flip the cup onto a muffin half and season the egg with salt and pepper. Top with meat and second muffin half. This method keeps everything in place.

It’s not rocket science, just microwave science. Tasty!

Now making a weekly appearance in my lunchtime repetoire:
This is one of the best salads ever! The original recipe comes from the February 2009 issue of Food & Wine Magazine. I still have it bookmarked, the pages sticky from making the dressing dozens of times, although by now, I’ve committed it to memory, and made a few changes. Here is my version:

BITTER GREENS WITH FIGS AND FOG

1/2 small head radicchio, finely shredded
1 Belgian endive, thinly sliced crosswise
1 C. baby arugula
1 1/2 oz. cooked organic chicken, cut up
7-10 whole unsalted almonds
1 dried calmyrna fig, chopped
1 oz. Humboldt Fog goat cheese, cubed

DRESSING (this is a double recipe, you’ll want extra!)

3 tblsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 tblsp. fig vinegar (or raspberry)
3 tblsp. sugar free apricot preserves
1 shallot, very thinly sliced
1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
freshly ground pepper and salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the raw almonds on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes, and let cool, then coarsely chop. (I make a big batch to save time, also great served with cheeses).

Let the sliced shallots marinate in the vinegar for 10 minutes. Meanwhile add the oil, rosemary, and thyme to a small saucepan. Heat over moderate heat for 2 minutes until it sizzles. Stir in the apricot preserves and heat until melted, about 1 minute. Add the shallots and vinegar and cook an additional minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss the lettuces, warm chicken, figs, and almonds in a large bowl and drizzle the warm dressing, to taste. Top with chunks of the cheese. (Note: the original recipe calls for regular goat cheese, see photo in magazine below)

This recipe makes one huge salad or 2-4 servings as a side, in which case I add more almonds, figs, and cheese but omit the chicken. The sweetness of the preserves and figs are the perfect match to the bitterness of the greens.

L-tryptophan coma, round 2:

If you’re like me, you’ve got some leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Who doesn’t? I bagged up individual servings and stashed them in the freezer to use on salads (instead of chicken) and for this yummy turkey salad, adapted from a recipe for curried egg salad that I found in one of my Mom’s Health magazines.

I’ve been buying the curried chicken salad at Whole Foods for years, so this is my homemade interpretation. It’s one of those recipes that you can add ingredients to taste, depending on what you have on hand:

4 oz. cooked turkey, shredded
3 tblsp. Greek yogurt
1 tblsp. finely chopped green pepper
1 tblsp. chopped celery
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
dash of salt
1 tsp. dried cranberries (optional)

Mix it up! You could experiment with herbs too, like parsley or cilantro. Pinenuts or almonds would also add textural interest (and calories).

The first time I served it simply on a bed of field greens. But it was even better with a spinach salad dressed with red wine vinegar, olive oil, and black pepper. I’m sure it would make a fine sandwich on toasted wheat or ciabatta too!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING HOT DISH READERS!

This recipe is my Tennessee Grandma’s, healthily adapted by my Mom. We’ve been making it this way for years and I promise it is the best dressing you will ever have! Simple and straight-forward, one could add some other elements but why? It’s perfect the way it is. Give it a try, it doesn’t have to be Thanksgiving or Christmas to have game hens and dressing, right?

But before you can make authentic cornbread dressing, you have to make the cornbread:

1/2 C. white corn meal (self-rising)
1/4 C. yellow corn meal
1 tsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. water
1/2 C. buttermilk

Spray a 6″ cast iron skillet with Pam. Preheat oven to 445 degrees and put empty skillet in oven to heat. Mix all ingredients and pour into heated skillet. Bake 22-25 minutes until lightly browned.

Cornbread Dressing

2 cakes of cornbread, cooled
2 slices of whole wheat bread
1 tbsp. dried sage
2 stalks of celery, grated
1/2 large onion, grated or finely chopped
1/2 C. Eggbeaters
1/2-3/4 C. reduced fat low sodium chicken broth
Nature’s Secret seasoning, to taste
Salt & pepper, dash each

Coursely crumble cornbread and tear bread into large bowl. Fold in other ingredients until moist but not wet. Bake at 375-425 degrees until slightly browned, about 20-30 minutes (depending on the bird that is sharing the oven!)

That’s it ya’ll….enjoy!

My friend and colleague MC has become addicted to Pinterest. Scrolling down her page, she showed me her lovely collection of photos and ideas, many sharing a soothing aqua blue theme.

Then I saw it….a closeup of a gooey grilled cheese. Food porn. I suddenly had an interest in Pinterest.

Upon closer inspection, it was a grilled cheese made with cheddar, cream cheese, and jalapenos, like an inside out jalapeno popper. I turned to google for specific recipes and found several variations, some including bacon. I jotted down some notes and stopped by Publix for the standard ingredients, then Trader Joe’s for a decent loaf of bread.

Here’s my version:

4 slices sourdough bread
Light cream cheese
Shredded light cheddar
2 large fresh jalapenos
4 slices of bacon, cooked
Unsalted butter

Roast the jalapenos on foil in a 500 degree oven until the skin is charred, about 10 minutes, and let cool. Spread some cream cheese on each slice of bread, then sprinkle with cheddar, to taste. Cut the jalapenos into quarters lengthwise, removing the stems (*and the seeds if you prefer less spice…see note). Layer the jalapenos and bacon in between the pieces of bread. Melt butter in a non-stick skillet and heat the sandwiches, pressing them with the back of your spatula, until they are golden brown.

Makes 2 paninis. Serve with fancy chips like the Trader Joe’s Ridge cut sweet potato chips shown snuggling up to the panini in photo.

The sandwiches were delicious, tasting just like the infamous snack served at restaurant chains across the country. However, next time I’ll use more cheese….a lot more cheese.

*Note regarding jalapenos: some are hotter than others. I left all of the seeds in the 2 panini I made for myself and LC. His was smoky with a hint of spice, mine was lip-incinerating!

The cleaning staff at my office always brings homemade meals, dishes from their native countries, mostly Mexico and Columbia. The aroma of freshly pressed corn tortillas is intoxicating.

A recent Lean Cuisine theft lead to a conversation with a sweet Mexican employee who had a similar experience. Having a pretty good grasp of the English language, he and I often discuss where to find authentic Mexican food.

I was preparing my sad frozen entree while we talked, and he offered me a tamale. I declined, not wanting to take his lunch, but when he said he had thirty of them, I changed my tune. Isabella, an older cleaning staff employee, had made a large batch to share. I happily took two.

The extra large tamales were filled with tender roasted pork and red chili sauce, then wrapped in the traditional corn husks before being steamed. I reheated them in the microwave and whipped up a quick bowl of guacamole to serve alongside.

Delicioso!

OK, it was not from my garden or even my parents’ garden, but it grew somewhere in the US, presumably in a garden. Publix had this packaged okra, vibrant and fresh. I grew up eating okra, in gumbo or fried….love it!

My parents are growing okra too, in addition to zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, squash, and cucumbers. Mom has already canned her first batch of beans which we had with grilled pork tenderloin, onions, zucchini, and peppers in Helen, along with a salad of cous cous, edamame, and black olives. Healthy and delicious!

Like the fried green tomatoes, this is my first attempt at frying okra. Mom usually makes and freezes several bags for me but today I decided to cook up a mess of it myself!

Talk about easy! Here is the method: wash the okra, cut into pieces 3/8″-1/2″, toss with cornmeal, season with a little salt and pepper and panfry over medium heat in about 2 tbsp. canola oil for 20-25 minutes, until tender and browned.

I made a big batch so I froze half of it. So good!

There we were, driving through the woods in Alabama looking for LC’s friends’ place on Smith Lake. It’s the kind of area with poorly marked, winding county roads. LC has a fantastic sense of direction, instinctively getting us wherever we are going with little effort. But this destination required a search party to come find us.

When we finally arrived, we both needed a shot of tequila! Our hosts, another couple from Nashville, and me and LC hung out while all the kids played in the lake. They had stocked up on groceries for an awesome grilled dinner including a pork tenderloin and yellow squash. But first, the Nashvilles prepared an appetizer that blew our socks off.

While I enjoyed my second Corona with lime, they were cutting banana peppers in half and stuffing them with cream cheese. Then, each half was wrapped with a piece of bacon, skewered, and put on the grill.

Our host JM grilled them low and slow, allowing the bacon to get crispy without charring the delicate peppers inside. I took a bite, expecting the mild flavor of banana peppers, but the damn things were spicy as hell, tempered only slightly by the mellow cream cheese. I probably ate a dozen of ‘em….crazy good!

Try these the next time you grill out to really spice things up!