Category: Entrees

Tomato Sauce II

Servings: —
Source: From Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

Although this sauce is made with the same ingredients as Tomato Sauce I, it has a fresher, more delicate flavor. There are two reasons for this. First, the tomato is cooked much less, just enough to concentrate it, but not so long that its garden-sweet taste is altered. Second, the vegetables are cooked right along with the tomato instead of undergoing a preliminary saute’ing in oil. It is an excellent all-purpose sauce for every kind of pasta, from spaghettini to such thicker, stubby cuts as penne or ziti.

Ingredients
For 6 servings
2/3 cup chopped celery
2 pounds fresh, ripe plum tomatoes. If using canned tomatoes: Use 2 cups tomatoes and their juice. Start the recipe at Step 2, cooking the tomatoes with the vegetables as directed.
2/3 cup chopped carrot
2/3 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 tsp sea salt (less if table salt)
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup olive oil

Recipe X 6 (for freezer)

Costco-Size (1 big can) of tomatoes (12 Cups of tomatoes)
4 Cups of veges each (~1 1/2lb carrots, 8 celery spears, 2 large onions)
3 Tbs sea salt (less if table salt)
2t sugar
1 1/2 Cup Olive Oil

Directions

1. Wash the tomatoes in cold water. Cut them in half, lengthwise. Cook in a covered stockpot or saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes.
2. Add the carrot, celery, onion,1 teaspoon salt, and sugar and cook at a steady simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes
3. Puree everything through a food mill, return to the pan, add the olive oil, and cook at a steady simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes more. Taste and correct for salt

Tofu Mushroom Burger

Servings: —
Source: tastyandmeatless.com
Makes 12 patties or 24 tofu balls

Ingredients
1 block firm tofu
1 med. onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large carrot, grated
12 mushrooms, chopped very fine
1 TBsp. olive oil
1-2 tsp. sea salt
3-4 cup quick oatmeal
1 cup water
2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1-4 tsp. turmeric
1-2 cup sesame seeds (optional)
Vegetable oil for frying

Directions
Drain and crumble tofu in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Heat a large skillet and add olive oil. Sauté the onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms with the sea salt. Add the oats, herbs and spices to the sauté mixture. Continue cooking until the oats are toasted. Then add the water and stir to combine. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the breadcrumbs. Let the mixture cool, then add it to the crumbled tofu and mix well. With your hands, shape the mixture into patties or balls and then roll them into the sesame seeds to create a crunchy outer crust (this step is optional). Fry the patties or balls until brown on both sides. Eat as is or as part of a sandwich with your favorite fixings. You can use the tofu balls in sauces or stews. Alternatively, you can bake the mixture in a loaf pan and cover it with ketchup to create an authentic meatless loaf.

Thin Spaghetti with Fresh Basil and Tomato Sauce

Servings: 4
Source: The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan
Carretti were hand-or mule-driven carts in which wine and produce were brought into Rome from the surrounding hills. The carrettieri, the cart drivers, were notoriously underpaid and had to improvise inexpensive but satisfying meals that could be quickly prepared in the intervals between treks to and from the city.

There are many versions of spaghettini alla carrettiera. This li’s evidently a spring and summer version, because it calls for a large quantity of fresh basil. It has a very fresh, unlabored taste. Don’t be put off by the amount of garlic required. It simmers in the sauce without browning so that its flavor comes through very gently. In Rome, one would use very ripe, small sauce tomatoes called casalini, which thicken quickly in cooking. For our purposes, a good-quafity canned Italian plum tomato is best.

Ingredients
1 large bunch fresh basil, preferably with the smallest possible leaves
2 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, seeded, drained, and coarsely chopped
5 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
1/3 cup olive oil, more if desired
Salt
Freshly ground pepper, about 6 twists of the mffl
1 pound spaghettini

Directions
Pull off all the basil leaves from the stalks, rinse them briefly in cold water, and roughly chop them. The yield should be about 1½ to 2 cups.

Put the chopped basil, tomatoes, garlic, the 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in an uncovered saucepan and cook over medium-bigh heat for 15 minutes. Taste and correct for salt.

Drop the spaghettini in 4 quarts of boiling salted water. Since thin spaghetti cook very rapidly, begin testing them early for doneness. They should be truly al dente, very firm to the bite.

Drain the spaghettini in a large colander, giving the colander two or three vigorous upward jerks to make all the water run off, and transfer quickly to a large hot bowl. Add the sauce, mixing it thoroughly into the spaghettini. You may, if you wish, add a few drops of raw olive oil. Serve immediately.

Tamales Nortenos

Servings: —
recipeNotes: Tamales are made with masa (corn dough) bought at tortillerfas. They are also prepared the modern way: with masa made with masa barina (treated corn flour purchased at supermarkets) and reconstituted with water. Masa is beaten with shortening until fluffy, then spread on aromatic leaves and topped with a filling. The leaves are folded and the packages steamed. Tamales made with coarse masa and wrapped in dried corn husks are the tamales of choice in northern Mexico.

The difference between corn dough for tortillas and corn dough for tamales is texture. Tortillas are made from finely ground corn dough so the delicate pancakes can be thinly pressed. Tamales are made with two masa grinds: Tamales wrapped in banana leaves (southern-style) are made with the same finely ground corn dough as tortillas. After they are steamed, the dough texture is smooth and delicate, similar to that of thick pasta. Tamales wrapped in corn husks (northern-style) are made with coarsely ground corn dough, so after the tamales steam, they have the fluffy, coarse texture of muffins. Traditional tamales have freshly rendered lard beaten into the dough for taste and fluffiness. Substitute butter. Vegetable shortening works fine, but add salsa or herbs to the shortening for great flavor. Also, a long mixing time ensures fluffy tamales. Tamales are just as heavenly refrigerated and reheated as they are fresh. They also freeze successfully. Reheat frozen tamales for about 20 minutes in a steamer. Leftovers, with wrappings removed, sliced and pan sauteed until crispy brown, are nothing’short of one of life’s small miracles.

Make tamales as spicy as you wish by the type of chile you add to the filling. Serve tamales with a hot table salsa and Crema (page 49).

Yield.- about 25 medium tamales
Tamales made with Coarsely Ground Masa and Wrapped in Husks (Tamales Norteños)

Yields 25 medium tamales

Ingredients
For the corn husks:
1 8-ounce package dried corn husks (found in many supermarkets, Latino markets, or by mail order)
1. Remove the largest dried leaves and rinse. Don’t open the centers of the husks or your sink will be full of corn silk. Cover the leaves with boiling water in a large pot and soak for 1 hour, or until they are pliable. Weight the leaves down with a water-filled bowl to keep them submerged
2. Use only the largest leaves for wrapping tamales-there are more than enough in a package. Tear smaller leaves into strips to use as ribbons to tie tamales closed, if desired.

For the dough:
1 1/3 cups butter or vegetable shortening

2 pounds (about 4 cups) coarsely ground masa from a tortilleria (not masa preparada because it has fat incorporated), or masa made from 4 cups coarse mesa harina and 4 cups Vegetable Broth (page 90) or warm water (2 pounds masa makes about 25 medium sized tamales)

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 Tablespoons dried Mexican oregano

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

For the filling:

Prepare a filling before beginning the dough. The list is almost limitless-let your imagination run wild after you’ve tried a few basics such as a simple smear of Adobo (page 43). Fresh corn kernels are sensational with glazed onions for an easy, nonspicy filling; tomatillo salsa and cheese is classic;

nopales or green beans and roasted garlic is extraordinary, with Mexican oregano mixed into the masa. Chopped grilled vegetables make a fabulous stuffing; a piece of Monterey Jack cheese and a strip of toasted fresh chile is another; chopped olives, capers, raisins, and chipotle chile salsa; black beans seasoned with hoja Santa or epazote; toasted chile strips and garlic slices caramelized in olive oil; or saut6ed wild mushrooms with Basic Cooked Tomatillo Salsa (page 34) are a few suggestions.

1. Whip the butter or vegetable shortening until it is fluffy and aerated, 5 minutes with a mixer, three times as long by hand with fast folding motions.
2. Add the masa, a handful at a time, with the baking powder, oregano, and salt. Mix well and continue to mix. If the mixture becomes too thick, add up to 1/2 cup tepid broth or water. This step takes at least io minutes; you will feel the masa become light and fluffy with a spongy texture. The prepared masa is now ready to be spread onto leaves and topped with a filling.

Directions
To assemble:

1. Place a large, soaked husk on the table (sides curling inward) and, with a spatula, smear 1/4 to X cup masa over the wide end from side to side and about halfway to the pointed end. Many people “”glue”” 2 husks together with a smear of masa to increase the tamale size. (Hey, it’s okay to be messy-they’ll still be delicious.)
2. Place a generous tablespoon of filling in the center of the masa toward the wide end. Fold the right edge over to the center, then roll toward the left third. Flap the narrow end over to the wide end, leaving the end open (this is the easiest tamale-making system). For other tamale shapes, you may tie the middle, end (or ends, depending on the shape you choose) with ribbons of husk from the smaller soaked leaves cut into 1/4-inch strips. For an envelope shape: Place masa and filling on the center of a husk, leaving the edges clean; fold the right side to the center, then the left side to the center; fold each end to the center, overlapping, and tie with a husk ribbon around the middle. Rolled tamales look good: Spread the masa and filling in the center of a husk, then roll up the long way. Tie both ends. Place finished tamales in a bowl, open ends up, until ready to steam.

To set up a steamer:

Almost every tamale in Mexico is cooked by steaming.
Tamalerias are large metal steamers made especially for cooking tamales. They look like tall stockpots. A shelf with holes for stacking tamales is placed on the bottom over an inch or two of boiling water. An opening under the shelf, on the outside of the pot, is for adding additional boiling water so the lid doesn’t have to be removed during the cooking process. Some alternatives, if you have no tamaleria: an Asian bamboo steamer; stainless steel vegetable steamer, opened flat, in a wide pot; or three water-filled tunafish cans or custard cups at the bottom of a wide pot with a nonfragile plate on top, with enough room for steam to escape along the sides. In any metal steamer, drop a few coins in the wateryou know there’s water in a metal steamer as long as you can hear the coins rattling.

To steam:
1. Pour water into the steamer. Be sure the water does not touch the rack. Lay any remaining husks on the rack to keep the tamales from sticking to it. If the tamale ends are open, arrange them vertically in the steamer so the masa doesn’t fall out. Arrange other tamales horizontally and overlapping so steam can pass around each.
2. Cover the steamer tightly and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and steam for about 1 hour. Check the water level after 45 minutes, but do not remove the cover before then. Add boiling water if necessary.
3. Remove a tamale from the center of the steamer to see if it is done-the masa should pull away from the husk easily and be firm. Let the tamales rest for io minutes before serving. As with all tamales, peel away and discard the husks, then eat.

Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil

Servings: 4
Source: Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan
This is one of the easiest, quickest, and tastiest pasta dishes you can prepare. Its humble origins are in the shanty towns of Rome, but it is now a universal favorite, especially among Rome’s chic insomniacs, who depend upon a wee hours’ spaghettata to see them through the night until their early-morning bedtime.

In most versions, crushed garlic cloves are sautéed in olive oil until they are nearly black. They are then discarded and the spaghetti is seasoned with the flavored oil. In this recipe the garlic is chopped, sautéed lightly, and left in the oil to be added to the spaghetti. The result is a fuller yet milder taste of garlic, with no trace of bitterness.

Ingredients
½ cup plus I tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons very finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoon salt
1 pound spaghetti or spaghettini
Freshly ground pepper, 6 to 8 twists of the mill
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
hot pepper flakes (optional)
8 oz jumbo shrimp (optional)

Directions
The sauce can be prepared in the time it takes to bring the water for the spaghetti to a boil. When you’ve turned on the heat under the water, put the 1/2 cup oil, the garlic, and salt in a very small saucepan. Sauté the garlic over very low heat, stirring frequently, until it slowly becomes a rich, golden color.

Drop the spaghetti into the boiling salted water and cook until tender but al dente, very firm to the bite. Drain immediately, transfer to a warm bowl, and add the oil and garlic sauce. Toss rapidly, coating all the strands, adding pepper and parsley and hot pepper flakes to taste. Mix the remaining tablespoon of olive oil into the spaghetti and serve. Serve with shrimp if desired.

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

Servings: 2
Source: Fine Cooking May 2008, pp. 57
If you’d like to make this pasta for four people, double the recipe, but transfer the pasta back into the pot used for cooking it and then toss it with the eggs and cheese.

Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
4 oz. fatty pancetta or guanciale, sliced ¼ inch thick and cut into 1 ½ x ½-inch rectangles
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup diced red onion
2 large eggs, chilled
½ lb. imported dried spaghetti (
½ cup lightly packed, freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat.

In a 10-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta or guanciale and ½ tsp. pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes. (If the meat is browning too quickly, reduce the heat to medium low.) Add the onion and continue to cook until it’s soft and golden and the meat is crisp, about 5 minutes more.

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully spoon off all but about 2 Tbs. of the fat. Add 1 Tbs. water to the pan and scrape any brown bits from the bottom.

Beat the eggs in a small bowl until smooth and set aside.

Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water4ecording to package directions until it’s just shy of al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water and drain the spaghetti. Transfer the spaghetti to the skillet, set it over medium heat, and toss with tongs to coat the spaghetti with the fat and finish cooking to al dente, about 1 minute. If the pasta is too dry or starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, add 1 or 2 tsp. of the pasta water. You want the bottom of the pan to be just barely wet. If the pan is too dry, the eggs will scramble when you add them.

Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the eggs over the pasta, tossing quickly and continuously until the eggs thicken and turn to the consistency of a thin custard, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (Tossing constantly is important, as it prevents the eggs from scrambling.)

The sauce should be smooth and creamy, and it should cling to the pasta. Add a little more pasta water if necessary to loosen the sauce. Stir in the Parmigiano and season to taste with salt and pepper (you may not need additional salt, as both guanciale and pancetta can be very salty). Serve immediately.

Snapper and Mango with Green Peppercorn Sauce

Servings: 4
Source: Gourmet, 7/81 pg 32

Ingredients

Directions
Rub two 1½ -pound snapper fillets with 2 teaspoons lime juice and dust them with 3 tablespoons flour seasoned with ¼ teaspoon salt and ? teaspoon white pepper. In a skillet heat 3 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over moderately high heat until it is hot, add the snapper, and cook it for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until it just flakes when tested with a fork. Transfer the snapper with a slotted spatula to a platter and keep it warm.

In a skillet cook I large mango, peeled and sliced thin, in 2 tablespoons unsalted butter over moderate heat for 2 minutes and arrange it decoratively over the snapper. In the skillet cook 1 tablespoon drained whole green peppercorns or capers packed in water (available at specialty foods shops) and 2 teaspoons drained and bruised green peppercorns packed in water in 1 tablespoon unsalted butter for 1 minute. Add ½ cup heavy cream and simmer the mixture for 3 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the snapper and mango and garnish the dish with sprigs of watercress.

Smoked Trout Rillettes

Servings: 8
Source: Fine Cooking December 2000
These slightly smoky, velvety rillettes are as good tucked into an omelette as they are on freshly made croutons. But be advised, even so-called boneless smoked trout may harbor small bones, so keep a sharp eye as you mix.Serves six to eight.

Ingredients
2 boneless smoked trout, skin discarded (to yield about 8 oz.)
5 to 7 Tbs. crème fraîche (depending on how moist the trout is and on your personal taste)
3 Tbs. chopped fresh chives
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Remove any bones from the trout and break it up into small pieces. Add the crème fraîche and mix with a fork, taking care to shred rather than mash the trout. Fold in the chives and a generous amount of ground pepper. Serve with freshly made croutons or toasts.

Be gentle with your final folding to avoid bruising the chopped chives and to keep the flaky-chunky texture of the smoked trout.

Shrimp Cakes with Chili-Lime Cream Sauce

Servings: 6
Source: Bon Appétit
September 2005
Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar, Maui
Bonnie Hillard of Washington, DC, writes: “”My sister and I stumbled across Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar at the end of a day of shopping at the Kapalua Shops on Maui. We’d read about this popular spot in a guidebook, and we couldn’t resist stopping in for dinner. Everything was fabulous, especially the shrimp cakes we shared.””

Ingredients
16 uncooked large shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled, deveined
1 large egg
1 green onion, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 tablespoons (or more) peanut oil

Directions

Chili-Lime Cream Sauce

Coarsely chop shrimp in processor. Add egg, green onion, lemon juice, mustard, cilantro, hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Blend in using on/off turns. Add 1 cup panko and blend in using on/off turns. Form mixture into twelve 3-inch-diameter cakes. Roll cakes in remaining 1 cup panko; transfer to waxed-paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate 10 minutes. (Can be made up to 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry cakes until cooked through and golden brown on both sides, adding more oil to skillet as needed, about 6 minutes.

Spoon 3 tablespoons Chili-Lime Cream Sauce onto each of 6 plates. Place 2 shrimp cakes on each and serve immediately.

Market tip: Unseasoned Japanese breadcrumbs called panko, give these shrimp cakes a light, crispy coating. Dry white breadcrumbs make a good substitute. Panko is available in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets and at Asian markets.

Shredded Chicken and Cucumber with Sesame Sauce (Pang Pang Chi)

Servings: 6
Source: Gourmet, 2/79

Ingredients
2½ -pound chicken
1/3 cup rice wine
2 tablespoon minced gingerroot
3 ½ ounces rice sticks (mi fen)
3 Tbsp imported sesame oil
2 unwaxed seedless cucumbers
salt
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1½ tablespoons Chinese sesame paste, well stirred, or peanut butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced minced scallion
½ teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon of chili paste
1 teaspoon of Chinese black vinegar or Worcestershire sauce

Directions
In a kettle combine a 2½ -pound chicken, 10 cups water, 1/3 cup rice wine, and 2 slices of gingerroot, each the size of a quarter, flattened with the flat side of a cleaver, bring the liquid to a boil, skimming any froth that rises to the surface, and simmer the chicken, covered, turning it once, for 40 minutes. Remove the kettle from the heat and let the chicken stand in the broth for 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it cool, loosely covered with foil. Remove and discard the gingerroot, transfer 1/3 cup of the broth to a small bowl, and reserve the remaining broth in the kettle.

In a bowl let 3 ½ ounces rice sticks (mi fen) soften in hot water to cover for 15 minutes. Bring the reserved broth in the kettle to a boil, add the rice sticks, drained, and cook them for 1 minutes. Drain the rice sticks well and in a bowl toss them with 1 teaspoon imported sesame oil.

Halve lengthwise 2 unwaxed seedless cucumbers and cut each half crosswise into 4-inch sections. With a vegetable peeler or very sharp knife shred each section lengthwise into paper-thin slices. In a colander toss the slices with 1 tablespoon salt and let them drain for 20 minutes. In a bowl toss the cucumber with 1 teaspoon imported sesame oil.

Add to the broth in the small bowl 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1½ tablespoons Chinese sesame paste, well stirred, or peanut butter, 1 tablespoon each of imported sesame oil, minced garlic, minced scallion, and peeled and minced gingerroot, ½ teaspoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon each of chili paste and Chinese black vinegar or Worcestershire sauce. Skin and bone the chicken, leaving the breast meat in 1 piece. Cut the breast meat into bite-size cubes and reserve it. Shred the remaining meat and in a bowl toss it with two thirds of the sesame sauce. Arrange the rice sticks in one layer on a platter and arrange the cucumber on them. Arrange the shredded chicken on the cucumber and top it with the reserved breast meat. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the dish and sprinkle it with 2 tablespoons minced scallion tops. Serves 6 as an entire or 8 as a first course.