I love these darn things...

Tamales de puerco con salsa roja, frijoles negros y ensalada de maíz

Pork filled tamales with red sauce,black beans and corn salad

I love tamales and have fond memories of the sweet tamales (tamales dulces) I had in Mexico, some filled with a sweet corn mixture and some with pineapple.  I have never tried to make a sweet tamale at home, but will make savory, usually filled with pork.  As much as I love them, I don't usually make them more than once a year because them are time consuming...as such, when I do make them it will usually be a double or triple batch (they freeze fairly well).

I was in the midst of a severe craving for tamales last week, and with leftover pulled pork in the fridge and masa harina in the pantry (a staple), tamales were going to be had.  I served these with a corn salad (or relish) and black beans made with  adobo and beer.  A note about tamales is  that as long as you have the basic technique for making them, you can put whatever you like in them...and the corn husks?  When I first started making tamales (quite a few years ago now) I used to have to seek out the husks, but now they are easily found in any large grocery store (or your local Aldi).  This recipe makes 12 to 15 tamales, but I advise soaking a few extra husks, because if you are anything like me, you will tear a few in the process.

Tamales

adapted from Zaeela Martínez, found in In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs

 20 (or so) dried corn husks

2 1/3 cups masa harina

1 tsp. salt

2 cups warm water or chicken stock 

4 oz. shoetening

2+ cups of filling of choice 

Soaking the corn husks:  Place the corn husks in a large bowl and cover with boiling water.  Let soak at least 1/2 hour.

Making the masa:  Combine the masa harina and the warm water or stock in the bowl of a stand mixer, stir to combine well.  Place into the mixer and start beating while adding the shortening by spoonfuls.  Continue beating for 3 or 4 minutes (longer if beating by hand or with a hand mixer) until the mixture is very light and fluffy...this is important so that the finished tamales are not heavy and dense.  

Forming and filling the tamales:  Remove the corn husks from the water and gently squeeze out the excess, then pat dry with a kitchen or paper towel.  Place the corn husks on the counter with the rough side down and the narrow end pointing away from you.  Spread a scant 1/2 cup of the masa over the bottom 2/3 of the husk in a rectangle, leaving the narrow end uncovered.  Spoon a few tablespoons of your choosen filling into the center of the masa.  To enclose the filling, fold the sides of the husks together...the masa will come away from the husk and you can form it over the filling.  Fold the sides of the husk in, overlapping them tightly, then fold up the pointed end in, leaving the wide end open.

Steaming the tamales:  Arrange the tamales in a steamer with their open ends up, placing a ball of foil in the center to act as a prop.  Pour one inch of boiling water into the pan (or up to the bottom of your steaming basket) and lay a clean, damp kitchen towel over the tamales (this helps hold in the steam).  Cover tightly and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to maintain a gently bubbling and steam for 45 minutes to 1 hour, replenishing with boiling water if necessary.

When are they done?:  The tamales are ready when the masa is firm to the touch.  Remove from the steamer and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.  The tamales may be served in their husks, or unwrapped and placed on individual plates with sauce and sides.

Better without frying...

Roasted Eggplant Parmesan

I found eggplant on sale at a price that could not be passed up, so I snapped up four of these beauties without even knowing what I was going to do with them.  The cold weather meant something substantial and comforting, so thoughts drifted to Eggplant Parmesan.  But, I hate frying, so I thought I'd lighten things up a bit and roast the eggplant slices instead.  So, so glad I did.  This dish was elegant in its simplicity, and the taste was divine.  It tasted even better the next day (and the next, and the next)...yes, I had this for lunch for three days in a row, it was THAT good.  I didn't miss the pasta, but the boys stated that they would have liked some with the dish, but that will be up to you and yours.

Roasted Eggplant Parmesan

1 large onion, diced fairly fine
1 tbs. olive oil4 large clove garlic, minced
1 tbs. dried oregano, crushed
2 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1 heaping tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 cup dry red wine
4 large eggplants
olive oil
coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 and 1/2 lbs. mozzarella, divided use

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  In a fairly large pot, saute the onion in 1 tbs. olive over medium high heat oil until softened and just turning golden.  Add the garlic, oregano, basil, pepper flakes, salt and pepper; saute an additional minute until fragrant.  Stir in the tomatoes and wine and bring to a boil before reducing the heat and letting the sauce simmer while you prepare the eggplant.

Brush two baking sheets with olive oil.  Trim the ends and slice the eggplants into 1/2 inch slices and arrange on the oiled baking sheets.  Brush the top of each slice lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom after 15 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Spray a "lasagna" pan, or other large baking dish, with nonstick cooking spray.  Ladle 1/2 of the sauce into the bottom of the pan, spreading it evenly.  Layer in 1/2 of the roasted eggplant to completely cover the sauce.  Layer 1 pound of mozzarella slices or shreds over the eggplant...I used fresh here, but the bagged mozzarella "shreds" would work too.  Cover the cheese with the remaining eggplant, again arranging it to cover completely.  Ladle over the remaining sauce, cover the pan tightly with foil, and bake for 45 minutes.  Uncover the pan and layer on the remaining 1/2lb. of mozzarella...I did use the bagged shreds here...and bake uncovered an additional 15 minutes to melt and brown the top cheese layer.  Let the Eggplant Parm rest on the stove top at least 1/2 hour before cutting.  This made 8 large servings.

A Christmas Tradition...

Poppy Seed filled Kolacky

We were away for Christmas this year, so Ben was not able to compete in the annual Kolacky baking contest.  Not wanting us to be without a Christmas Kolacky, his sister sent us one via second day UPS.  Undoubtedly, Becky would have won this year as this was the best one that we had ever had.  I posted a picture of the Kolacky in a Christmas album on Facebook where a friend saw it and wanted the recipe.  Since I was originally going to email it to her, but as I have been so remiss in posting, I decided to share it here.  As it turns out, I had already posted this last Christmas, so the recipe can be found here.  Ben uses Solo Poppy Seed filling and says that he uses about 3/4 can for each roll (and leftover filling is good eaten right from the spoon :)

While I didn't take a photo this year, another traditional (in the sense that we eat it at all holidays) holiday dish from Ben's family is Escalloped Pineapple.  One of my purposes for this blog was to create a recipe collection for my (and anyone else's) future use, but when I looked for the recipe here I found that this must have recipe was not included.  Out came the book of handwritten recipes and cooking commenced.  This recipe, like the Kolacky, is short on detailed instruction...I've played with it over the years, cutting the amounts of butter and sugar and subbing soft wheat bread for the white, cutting off the crust sometimes, keeping it others.  This year I used the whole amounts given for butter and sugar and used the white bread (with crusts).  It was just perfect.

Escalloped Pineapple

4 cups white bread cubes

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup margarine (I use butter)

1 can crushed pineapple (I use the large can)

Mix ingredients and bake 30 minutes at 35o degrees.

I find that I usually use more than 4 cups of bread cubes; I use stale bread and keeping cubing and mixing in until the mixture is not too soupy.  To get it nice and golden brown with crisp edges (my favorite part), I find that the baking time is usually closer to 40-45 minutes in a 9" x 13" glass baking dish.

A lazy day (finally!!)...

 Sunday Sauce  with Veal Meatballs
(that's cheese ooze on the lower left meatball)

Have I ever been busy this fall.  A leave of absence from school has been no vacation for this girl, what with coordinating the move for The Caring Closet and getting every thing in order, in addition to all sorts of exciting developments on the home front.  Whew!!  On top of all that I have decided to learn how to be one of those coupon wizards and build our own stockpile of coupon goodies (silly, silly girl).  I did learn the valuable lesson of not trying to shop the ad with coupons on a Friday afternoon (!!), but it was the first chance I had to get to the store last week (a fate echoed this week, although I did manage to get there before noon).

After much stressing, I ended up leaving with an "okay" cart full and a fist full of rainchecks, but my favorite find of the day was two packages of ground veal a bit more than three bucks each (have I mentioned before how I love the Manager's Specials?).  My mind went immediately to meatballs and I decided standing in the meat department what we would be having for dinner on Sunday.

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful, and FINALLY a day with nothing on the calendar.  I did some web browsing to come up with how I would make my sauce using what I had on hand, and since there appear to be about a gazillion different ways, I figured that was okay.  There was one particular link that I really liked, especially her directions as to when commence pouring and drinking wine while cooking (including refills!!).  So, because the nice writer told me to, and because I had no where I had to be on this Sunday afternoon, I did just that!

See what I'm talking about?

Ben had seen stuffed meatballs on some food program that week, and after he mentioned it a few of times (I think they call those hints), I decided to fill these meatballs with cheese.  I have made a "cheater" manicotti before, wrapping string cheese in salami before inserting into the manicotti shell, so I thought I could do something similar here by pushing half inch pieces into the middle of the meatballs..  Wrooong.  When I pulled the meatballs out of the oven ,two had leaked their oozy, cheesy goodness, leaving me to worry that all the cheese would leak into the sauce and be lost.  Well, that didn't happen.  The manicotti had been a short cooking recipe that left the cheese melty and nice...the long simmering of the meatballs allowed the cheese to absorb juices from the surrounding meat, leaving an odd middle, both in appearance and texture.  Needless to say, I now admonish you "don't try this at home."

Despite the meatball mishap, this was a most enjoyable dinner. The sauce had a wonder depth of flavor, and the meatballs were unlike any I had made before.  The texture of the veal made for a very tender meatball, much more so than beef, or even turkey, and the taste was almost delicate.  If you are not opposed to eating veal, give this a try.  If you are, try it anyway, just use your protein of choice; you won't be disappointed.  Please note...this makes a TON of food.  We had it again on Thursday for dinner and I still had leftovers.

Sunday Sauce with Meatballs


For the sauce...
about 1/3 cup diced fatty bacon
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. (or more)crushed  red pepper flakes
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. dried basil, crushed between the fingers as adding
1 28oz. can tomato sauce
2 15oz. cans diced tomatoes, I used fire roasted
1 cup dry red wine

In a large pot over medium heat, saute the bacon until the fat has rendered.  Add the onions and sweat until soft and just starting to turn golden, about 10 minutes.  Add the minced garlic and spices, cooking for another two minutes.  Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, and wine; bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a bubbling simmer and proceed with making the meatballs.


For the meatballs...
2 lbs. ground veal (or beef, or pork, turkey, or mixture of)
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 cups bread crumbs, preferably homemade
1/2 tsp. each of coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 450.    Mix all the ingredients, except the ground meat, until well combined.  Add the meat to the wet mixture and start mixing everything together...using your hands is the best way to make sure everything is incorporated through the meat.  Form meatballs to whatever size you like; I used a 2 inch scoop to ensure a uniform size; I got 32 fairly large meatballs.  Place then on one (or two) baking sheets as you make them.  Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the meatballs, and rotating from top to bottom halfway through if using two sheets.  The meatballs should be firmed up and starting to brown but not necessarily cooked all the way through.  Drop the meatballs carefully into the simmering sauce; cover and simmer at least an hour and up to two.  Serve over a fairly substantial pasta- I used Dreamfields linguine.

I had to have this!

Linguine with Clams and Roasted Tomatoes

A few weeks ago I found a recipe in The New York Times for linguine with littleneck clams and roasted tomatoes...the picture alone was enough to make me drool, but after reading the recipe, I knew I had to have this.  But what to do?  If I served a bowl of pasta with clams in their shells, Chris would go running from the room, and chances were good that Ben would turn his nose up at it too.  

A week or so later came a day to cook from pantry stores, and with this dish still stuck firmly in my brain, I went with it.  I had a can of minced clams in their liquor and a bottle of clam juice, so I figured that I would substitute those for the whole clams and see what happened.  Chris was none the wiser, his only complaint being that the tomatoes weren't cooked into a "sauce" (the boy not being a tomato fan).  Ben knew exactly what I was doing, but enjoyed the dish anyway (but why not with whole clams?).  I made a few other changes from the original recipe to accommodate what I had on hand, including using some mojo de ajó  I had in the fridge instead of the olive oil and sliced garlic (remembered after I had taken the picture, alas).  I will definitely make this garlicky, luxurious tasting dish again, but next time I will add a second can of clams and skip the bottled clam juice.

Linguine with Clams and Roasted Tomatoes

1 lb. cherry or tomatoes, halved

6 tbs. mojo de ajó 

1 pound dry linguine(I used a 13oz box of Dreamfields)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake, more to serve if desired
1 cup dry white wine
1 small can minced clams with liquor
1 small bottle clam juice

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the tomatoes and the mojo de ajó to coat in a baking dish large enough to accommodate them in a single layer; roast tomatoes for 20 minutes.  In a large pot of heavily salted boiling water, cook the pasta until it is 2 minutes from being done to taste. Drain.  Return the pasta pot to medium-high heat and add the roasted tomatoes, wine and clam juice. Bring to a boil and add the linguine and can of clams with liquor; reduce heat to medium and cook until the pasta is al dente and the clams have heated through (do not overcook or you will have tough clams and mushy pasta).  Divide mixture among serving bowls and serve, garnishing with chopped parsley if you have it on hand.

.Summer's end...

This bowl of cherry tomatoes has become a fixture on my kitchen windowsill.

This last weekend of summer has been brutally hot, with afternoon temperatures of 100+, so I have kept myself busy indoors, with much time spent in the kitchen.

The mozzarella doesn't show well against a white plate.

I have stocked up the fridge with a Key Lime Pie,  Mojo de Ajó, and a variety of salads for the weekend (and coming week), including longtime favorite Three Bean Salad and a Caprese Salad using my homegrown basil and drizzled with the Balsamic reduction  that I have recently become so fond of.  I also added slivers of red onion to this one since I had a bit left from another salad and it seemed a shame not to use it.

As pretty and practical as it is, I have given up trying to grow veggies in my beds...we have too many rabbits and deer and I just don't have it in me for the heartbreak (at least they are no longer eating my roses :).  This leaves me growing in pots on the deck...this year I have basil (as always), cherry tomatoes, and jalapeños.  It was time for another jalepeño harvest, so I pickled more, hopefully we will end up with enough this year to get us through the winter.

It also seemed a good time to start putting away pesto for the winter, putting away 1/2 cup portions in small freezer containers, just covered with a slick of olive oil.  By next weekend I'll be able to harvest more basil for future use...I can't even imagine paying $2 anymore for the tiny little grocery package when I am cutting it by the armful.  I also mixed up some Pesto Cream Cheese for Christopher and I to share over the next week.

Now about the cherry tomatoes...our friends Doug and Sharon Trimmer own Trimmer Hardware here in Hamilton, and every year Doug starts hundreds of tomato plants himself to sell in the spring (they are his babies :).  I sent Ben this spring to get me two plants, figuring he would get Romas, or some nice slicing variety, but he came home with FOUR cherry tomato plants.  The plants have done beautifully in their pots and we have enjoyed the little bites of sweetness all summer in our salads, as well as roasted with olive oil and garlic slivers (my mouth waters just thinking of it).  Well, what was a fairly small, but constant, supply over the summer, in this last week has exploded and I had several POUNDS of the tomatoes.

I have been craving Tomato Pie anyway, so I used two pounds of quartered cherry tomatoes in place of the regular tomatoes and was not disappointed in the least.  The resulting pie was not nearly as wet, and the tomato flavor was more concentrated (and sweet), so I think this shall be repeated.  If you have not tried Tomato Pie before, now is the time.  We have found it to be particularly nice for breakfast with some fresh fruit, especially summer cantaloupe.

Doesn't that make your mouth water?

An easy appetizer (or entree)...

Creamy Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

I found large packages of huge mushrooms on sale and picked them up knowing that I wanted to stuff them.  That, however, was the end of the planning process, and when it came time to actually make my stuffed mushrooms, I didn't know with what I would stuff them.  A search through the fridge uncovered a roll of turkey sausage, some cream cheese, and a bell pepper, so off I went :)  This exceedingly simple recipe used few ingredients and turned out fantastic.  Christopher especially liked these since they used two of his favorite things, mushroom and sausage.  These would make a fantastic appetizer, but I served them with a green salad and called it dinner.  Enjoy.

Creamy sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

2 large pakgs, of large white or cimini mushrooms

1 lb. ground sausage of choice (I used "hot" turkey breakfast sausage)

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 large yellow or red bell pepper, finely diced

1 8 oz. pkg. reduced fat cream cheese

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 359 degrees.  Wipe the mushrooms with a damp towel to clean and pull out the stems, leaving a hollow; place on a baking sheet or dish large enough to accommodate them all and set aside.  Brown the sausage, breaking into small bits.  Remove the sausage to a mixing bowl with a slotted spoon, reserving the drippings in the pan.  If you have used pork sausage and there is more fat left than needed to saute the onion and bell pepper, spoon some of it out; conversely, if you have used a chicken or turkey sausage, you may need to add a touch of olive oil.  Saute the veggies until crisp tender and place into the mixing bowl with the sausage.  

Add the cream cheese and stir until well combined and the cheese is melty.  Add the egg and combine again.  Spoon the filling into the mushroom caps, heaping as necessary to use it all.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling has set and the tops are nice and browned.  Let rest for 5-10 minutes and serve hot or at room temperature.

All nice and toasty from the oven.

Add a salad and call it dinner.

A different twist on an old standby...

Bell Pepper Puttanesca with turkey Italian sausage
and whole grain penne

Now to keep up with the bell pepper theme of the last post.  On another recent occasion of bell pepper bargains, I decided to make one of my pantry favorites, substituting the fresh red bell peppers for the canned, diced tomatoes I would normally use.  I love puttanesca, not only for its ease of preparation, but for the savory, spicy, and salty flavors that suit me so well.  This recipe makes a lot, so it's perfect for freezing half for a later, hectic, day.

Red Pepper Puttanesca

2oz. can anchovy fillets, in oil

6 red bell peppers, seeded and diced fairly small

6 cloves garlic, minced (2 tbs.)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 finger pinch of coarse salt and a generous grinding of black pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp. crushed red papper flakes

6oz. can tomato paste

1 1/2 to 2 cups dry white wine

1/2 of a 2oz. jar of capers, drained

1 heaping cup pitted kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise

The anchovies break up quite easily.

In a fairly large nonstick pan, warm the olive oil with the anchovies and their oil over medium heat until they break apart (this doesn't take long if you assist with a wooded spoon).  Add the garlic and bell peepers and continue to saute until tender.  Season with the salt, pepper and pepper flakes, stir in the tomato paste and cook a few minutes, or until the paste just starts to darken.  Add the white wine to achieve the desired consistency and bring to a boil before adding the capers and olives; heat through and taste for seasonings before serving.  Enjoy.

Bell pepper bounty...

$1.50 a package!  Really!!

I know you've all heard it before, but here it goes again...bell peppers are one of my favorite veggies, especially the red ones (and avocados, and summer tomatoes, and summer corn :).  Well, lucky me, I keep finding these packages of  six huge bell peppers at Kroger for only $1.50!!  Just like 'day old' bread, it bothers me not in the least to buy "day old" peppers, especially when the red, orange and yellow ones are usually $1.50 EACH. 

I like to cut the side into strips and dice the tops and bottoms.  Now I'm ready to cook from the prepped peppers for a week.  And if I'm not going to use them all within the week they are ready for the freezer to be used this winter when I am unlikely to find these bargains.

I had really been in the mood for a repeat of the chilies rellanos I had created using midget sweet peppers (kinda like midget bells), so I thought I'd make it again, this time using the bottom thirds of some of these beauties.  This could easily be a more traditional looking "stuffed pepper" by using four whole bells and baking a bit longer.

 Ready and waiting.

Oh, look at these just out of the oven :)

Just looking at this photo makes me want these all over again.

You can find the recipe here if you too are jonesing for some

chorizo goodness.

A new kid favorite...

Red Chili Enchilada Meat Loaf

I recently picked up a copy of Better Homes and Gardens Ultimate Mexican, and must say that I am ready to try just about every recipe in here.  The first up on a busy night was the Red Chili Enchilada meat Loaf (pg. 125) and this was a definite kid pleaser.  Chris had seconds, went looking for thirds, and was disappointed to find it all gone.  If you are looking for an easy dish the kids will love, be sure to give this one a try, just don't try to feed too many with it, because they'll be asking for more.

Red Chili Enchilada Meat Loaf

1 egg, slightly beaten
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup salsa
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 tbs.)
2 tbs. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 pkg. corn muffin mix
2 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
additional salsa to serve

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl combine the first seven ingredients.  Shape into a ball and place in a 9 inch pie pan lightly covered in cooking spray; flatten into a 6 inch circle.*  Prepare the muffin mix according to package directions and spread over the meat in the plate.  Bake for 50 minutes or until a temperature of 160 degrees.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese; cover loosely and let rest 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with additional salsa and any other Mexican inspired sides you desire.

*This was how directed in the recipe.  by time the meatloaf reached 160 degrees, the cornbread was browner than I would have liked.  In the future I will spread the meat out flatter, leaving less of a gap between it and the edge of the plate.