Cuisine Diva

Interesting Breakfast Foods

Although I do have a sweet tooth, I've never been one of those people that enjoys donuts, coffee cake, and other sweet items for breakfast. I even have a problem with cereal and oatmeal. I would much rather have a bowl of grits, or a hash brown or a bit of scrambled eggs.

However, fresh fruit seems to agree with me in the morning. I especially like fresh fruit for breakfast or brunch, if I have just gotten back from an intense cycling or running workout. Something about really cold fruit hits the spot. My favorites are watermelon, pineapple and grapes.

Hearty Breakfast Foods

Some mornings, I even prefer to have non-traditional breakfast foods for breakfast. Today I made some homemade guacamole as I was waiting to drive my daughter to her bus stop. So I'm having guacamole with organic blue corn chips for breakfast right now. Interesting, but it works for me. Some days I will have dinner leftovers for breakfast, such as eggplant Parmesan, or a piece of pizza.

Unfortunately, not having an appetite for sweet foods in the morning, doesn't mean I don't like sweet food. I will often eat a donut for an afternoon snack, or have a bowl of cereal at dinner time. Weird cravings or something. I wish I didn't like sweet foods at all, I'd probably be a lot thinner.

What kind of interesting breakfast foods do you enjoy?

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Moussaka; Eggplant Casserole

Individual serving of moussaka.

Moussaka is a Greek entree, which features layers of tomato seasoned ground meat, eggplant and a cream sauce. There are many variations of this classic, Mediterranean dish. I wrote an article for Suite101 on moussaka a few months ago: Eggplant Moussaka Recipe; Classic Greek Style Lasagna.

Potato Laced Moussaka
Yesterday I came up with a potato laced version of moussaka, which I am sharing on the Cuisine Diva site. The inspiration for this recipe came from a moussaka I tasted at Round Green Pie at the Boynton Beach mall. Their version used ground beef, but since I have mostly eliminated beef from my diet, I made my moussaka with ground turkey. The top layer of potato laced moussaka reminds me of au gratin potatoes. Thinly sliced layers of potatoes, mixed with lots of creamy, cheesy sauce - heaven!

Inexpensive plastic mandoline slicer.

Mandoline Slicer
You will need a mandoline slicer in order to cut the eggplant and potatoes thin enough so they don't require pre-cooking. If you have to slice the eggplant and potatoes by hand, you may have to partially cook them, before adding them to the moussaka. You definitely don't want semi-raw potatoes - invest in a mandoline slicer if you don't already have one.

If you have an inexpensive plastic mandoline, like I do, make sure you DON'T place it on a hot stove. In the picture above, the bottom of the mandoline was starting to melt and stuck to my stove. I guess I forgot I had just used that burner to make the cream sauce, and it hadn't cooled down yet. NICE! Maybe it's time to invest in one of those fancy-pants, restaurant grade, stainless steel mandolines.

Ground turkey and tomato mixture spread on the bottom of baking dish.

I use my mandoline slicer all the time - to slice carrots, zucchini, cheese, cucumber and tons of other stuff. I have a cheap, plastic mandoline slicer which came with all sorts of slicing and grating attachments. High quality stainless steel mandolines can cost $100 or more.

Beginnings of cream sauce on the left. Finished cream sauce on the right, after whisking in the eggs.

Ingredients for Moussaka Recipe

• 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
• 1 cup tomato sauce - divided in half
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 large eggplant
• Approximately 1 pound waxy, yellow potatoes - peeled and sliced extremely thin
• 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese - mixture of mozzarella, asiago and Parmesan

Left - first layer of eggplant, beginning to add tomato sauce. Right - second layer of eggplant added, topped with cream sauce.

Directions for Moussaka Recipe

1. Place the ground turkey in a large frying pan, placed over medium heat.
2. If you are using ground white meat turkey breast, as opposed to dark meat turkey, you may need to add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the bottom of the pan, to ensure the turkey doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. Break up and stir the turkey until it is no longer pink in the center.
4. Stir in 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, sage, oregano and salt.
5. Cook for another minute or two, until the sauce is heated through.
6. Place the ground meat mixture on the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch rectangular, glass baking dish.
7. Peel the eggplant, cut it in half, and slice thin using a mandoline slicer. You need to have enough eggplant slices, to make two layers.
8. Add 1 layer of eggplant slices on top of the ground turkey mixture. 
9. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of tomato sauce on top of the eggplant slices.
10. To make the cream sauce, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan, placed over medium heat.
11. Whisk in the flour and nutmeg and cook for 1 minute.
12. Whisk in the milk, and turn the heat to medium high.
13. Continue whisking until the sauce begins to thicken.
14. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese.
15. Remove the sauce from the stove.
16. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs.
17. Whisk the eggs into the saucepan of cream sauce.
18. Add the 2nd layer of eggplant slices to the baking dish.
19. Top the 2nd layer of eggplant with 1/3 of the cream sauce.
20. Add the first layer of potatoes, and top with 1/3 of the cream sauce.
21. Top with the second layer of potatoes and top with the remaining cream sauce.
22. Sprinkle the top of the moussaka with the grated Italian cheese mixture.
23. Place the baking dish on a large baking sheet and place in 400 degree preheated oven.
24. Bake the moussaka for 45 to 60 minutes, until dark golden brown on top.
25. Let cool slightly before serving, the moussaka will be like molten lava!
26. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

 

Thinly sliced potatoes added to the baking dish.

The moussaka, topped with shredded cheese, waiting to go in the oven.

Complete Meal
Serve the moussaka with other Greek inspired recipes.

• Tzatziki Yogurt Sauce Recipe
• Taboule Salad Recipe
• Greek Vegetable Salad Recipe
• Lemon Herb Pasta Toss

• 

  The completed moussaka, after baking.
  

Take care, Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Never Trust a Skinny Chef

The Cuisine Diva playing tourist at Kennedy Space Center in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Looks like I'm wondering were the food vendors are hiding.

Real Women Can Cook
I like to watch the Food Network, and observe my favorite chefs cooking up a variety of delicious meals. Most of the chefs featured on the show look like real, ordinary people. I believe it when they show them tasting their food at the end of every show.

I like to watch 30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray, Paula's Home Cooking with Paula Deen, and the Barefoot Contessa with Ina Garten. They are all real women, who look like they enjoy eating their culinary creations. Well okay, sometimes Miss Paula does get a bit carried away with all the butter she adds to her recipes, but she sure is a hoot and a holler to watch. And she loves to eat the food she makes.

Skinny Chefs
There are a few skinny chefs, such as Giada de Laurentiis, that I question as to whether she really eats the food she makes, besides the one bite taste she does for the camera, after each dish she makes. Do skinny chefs really eat the food they make? Or are they all closet bulimics that visit the bathroom as soon as the camera stops rolling? I am being a bit sarcastic with this post, probably just jealous that someone that enjoys cooking can also be skinny.

I also secretly wonder how Sandra Lee, of Semi-Homemade can stay so thin. Is it because she is tall, and she can elegantly carry extra weight unlike us more vertically challenged cooks? Or maybe it's all that drinking she likes to do, she just grazes on her culinary creations, and doesn't eat real portion sizes? Again, at 5 feet 5 inches, and never mistaken for skinny, I'm just jealous of skinny chicks that can eat.

I do a lot of recipe testing, and a lot of recipe EATING: reason #999 why the Cuisine Diva will never be mistaken for a skinny chick. Yes, I could give out all the food I make to the neighbors, but I like eating. What's the point of recipe testing and writing food articles if you don't actually get to eat the food you are writing about?

The Cuisine Diva trying to burn off some calories, so she can eat more food when she gets home.

Cuisine Diva Mantra
Workout - recipe test - eat, workout - recipe test - eat, repeat as necessary.

As I write this post, I am testing a recipe for date bars. That's not a dessert, is it? It has lots of old fashioned rolled oats and dried fruit in it. I like to think of it as cereal in bar form. Works for me. It's a good thing I do a lot of working out, otherwise I'd probably weigh about 200 pounds right about now.

I'm the Herbs & Spices Feature Writer for the Suite101 website. I'm writing the date bar recipe for Suite101, and will post up a link to the article when it goes live. Here's the link: Date Bar Recipe; Make a Dessert Featuring Oats, Brown Sugar and Dried Fruit.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Roasted Corn with Green Chile Cheese Tamales

Platter of homemade tamales

For the past couple of weeks I've been blogging about my Mexican inspired cuisine journey. Here are the links to those posts.

Food & Culinary Equipment From Mex Grocer

Pozole; Pork and Hominy Stew

Quesadillas; Homemade Corn Turnovers

More Mexican Ingredients From Mex Grocer

Some of the ingredients used to make tamales

Tamale Time
I've been wanting to try making tamales, and yesterday I finally got around to making them. I made a small batch of vegetarian, roasted corn with green chile cheese tamales. They were a bit time consuming to make, but quite tasty. The nice thing about tamales, is that you can make a big batch of them, then keep the leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days. They can even be stored in the freezer for a month or two.

Soaking corn husks in hot water

Roasted Corn Tamales with Green Chile Salsa

This is a multi-step recipe. You will need to prepare the corn husks, make the tamale dough, make the tamale filing, then assemble the tamales before placing them in the steamer and cooking them.

• Prepared corn husks
• 1 recipe tamale dough
• 1 recipe tamale filing
• Shredded cheese

This recipe makes approximately 1 dozen tamales. You will need to prepare approximately 2 dozen corn husks for this recipe, 1 dozen husks for the tamales, another 3-4 husks to tear into ribbons to tie the ends of the tamales together, and around 6-8 husks to line the bottom of the tamale steamer. To prepare the dried corn husks, soak them in a large bowl of hot water, until they are pliable. This can take up to 3 hours, so start this step in advance!

Stand mixer on left, masa harina blended with margarine and seasonings on right

Ingredients for the Tamale Dough

• 1 1/2 cups masa harina
• 6 tablespoons margarine - room temperature
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth

Tomatillos, left, and green chiles, right

Roasted corn with green chile filling

Directions for the Tamale Dough

I highly recommend using a stand mixer to make the tamale dough. You could use a regular electric mixer, but I think my hands would get tired holding onto it for so long. Kitchen gadgets are your friend!

• Place the softened margarine inside the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Whip the margarine until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the salt, baking powder, sugar and cumin.
• Add the masa harina and beat until it resembles fine crumbs.
• Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl as needed.
• Slowly add the vegetable broth and beat until the dough is light and fluffy.
• Cover the bowl of dough with a clean cloth, or piece of plastic wrap, and set aside while you make the filling.

Line the bottom of the tamale steamer with corn husks

Ingredients for the Tamale Filling

• 1 can corn - drained
• 4 canned tomatillos - diced
• 3 canned mild green chiles - diced
• 2 teaspoons toasted Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon achiote paste
• 1 tablespoon hot water

Directions for the Tamale Filling

1. Place the corn in a large frying pan over medium heat.
2. Cook until the corn begins to turn golden brown, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in the tomatillos, green chiles, oregano and cumin.
4. Place the achiote paste in a small bowl, and stir in the hot water until a smooth liquid is formed.
5. Stir the achiote liquid into the pan, and cook the filling for another minute or two.
6. Turn the heat off, and set the filling aside until you are ready to fill the tamales.

Building the Tamales

I thought it would be easiest to take a lot of pictures of the tamales, as they are being put together, rather than typing out a long list of instructions.

Spread 2 tablespoons of tamale dough, on the smoothest side of a corn husk. You can either use a spatula, your hands or a tamale spreader for this step.

Place a heaping tablespoon of filling on top of the tamale dough.

Place a couple of teaspoons of shredded cheese on top of the filling. I used cheddar, but you can use Jack cheese, pepper Jack, Mexican blend, etc...

Fold the left side over the filling, then fold the right side over the filling.

Use two strips of corn husks to tie off the ends of the tamale.

The tamale ready to go in the tamale steamer.

Fill the steamer basket with a couple of inches of water, place the steamer insert on the bottom. Cover the insert with corn husks, then place the tamales on top. Place the lid on the pan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Let the tamales steam for approximately 1 hour. Check occasionally to see if you need to add additional water to the steamer pot.

Carefully remove the tamales from the steamer basket. They will be hot! Unwrap the tamales and eat ASAP. You can either eat the tamales as is, or add a bit of mild red chile sauce, or a bit of hot sauce if you prefer.

My Tamale Future
This was my first attempt at making tamales. They came out better than I thought, but this is another recipe where it would be a big help to have another set of hands. I was going to make 3 varieties of tamales, but once I realized how much time that would take, I decided to only make 1 variety for my first attempt. In the future I would like to try a meat filled tamale and a dessert tamale. YUM!

Take care,
Cuisine Diva AKA Lynn Smythe

Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad

Caprese salad plate

Tomato, mozzarella and basil salad is also known as Caprese Salad, or Insalata Caprese. I wrote an article on how-to make a caprese salad, for the Herbs & Spices section of Suite101 on September 14: Insalata Caprese; How-to Make a Classic Italian Salad Platter.

Lunch Salad
I had a caprese salad for lunch yesterday, which is shown in the photo at the top of this blog post. I used perfectly ripe, campari greenhouse tomatoes, layered with marinated mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves. The mozzarella had been lightly coated in olive oil, then rolled in a finely chopped mixture of garlic, parsley and red peppers. That must have been red pepper flakes, because the cheese was a bit hot and spicy. I sprinkled the salad with a fruity extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, freshly cracked black pepper and a bit of sea salt.

Platter of caprese salad kabobs

Balsamic Vinegar VS Lemon Juice
I found the balsamic vinegar to be a bit too sweet for my taste. So for today's salad, I used a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice instead. That was the secret, the tangy lemon blended perfectly with the fruity olive oil. Lots of yummy dressing to sop up with my big chunk of crusty Italian bread.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Clementine Oranges

Bag of clementines

Oh my darling, oh my darling,
Oh my darling, Clementine!
Thou art lost and gone forever
Dreadful sorry, Clementine

Click here, for the complete lyrics to Oh My Darling Clementine.

Clementines are a type of mandarin orange. You know, those cute little, bitty orange segments that you can find in the grocery store, either in tin cans, or clear plastic jars. We LOVE mandarin oranges at our house. Clementines are available in the fall down here in south Florida. I started getting them a few years ago, when I saw a small crate of them at Costco.

Perfect Little Packages
They are perfect little snacks, easy to peel and seedless. They remind me of a tangerine, but with a sweet orange taste, and no seeds. I almost never buy regular oranges, just a bit too big for a snack. Since clementines are only available for a short time, I buy them whenever I see them at the grocery store. Today I found a large net bag of them at my local Publix grocery store. A little bit disappointed that they didn't have them in the wooden crates like I usually find them. My husband and kids like them too, always nice to have a healthy snack for a change.

Clementine Facts
Clementines are normally imported from Spain, Morocco and other parts of North Africa. But my bag says it came from Chile. The Produce Pete website mentions that "Clementines have been available in Europe for many years, but the market for them in the United States was made only a few years ago, when a devastating freeze in Florida made domestic oranges scarce and expensive. A lot of oranges, including clementines, were imported from Europe, and clementines started to catch on. Over the past few years they've become increasingly popular, and as the demand has gone up, so has the price."

Snack Time
We've even found mandarin oranges in individual size plastic cups, 6 cups to a package. My daughter, the vegetarian, likes to pack those in her school lunch,much more interesting than a cup of boring applesauce. The individual cups are also great to take along on road trips, much neater than trying to open a full can of mandarin oranges in the van.

Clementine Trees
I would like to grow a few clementine orange trees, but I'm not sure if they can be shipped to Florida or not. Most citrus fruit trees aren't available for Florida shipment. I'll wait until we move to North Carolina, then I'd like to grow a tree or two in a large container. That way the clementine can grow outside during the summer, then be brought indoors, or inside my greenhouse (wishful thinking?) for the winter. A quick search on the Internet found clementine trees available from $24.99 to $325.00, depending on the size and variety.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Egg in the Basket Recipe

Eggs in a basket, ready to eat

An egg in a basket is simply an egg, that has been pan fried in a piece of bread, which has had it's center removed.

Alternative Names

• Egg-in-a-frame
• Egg-in-a-window
• Egg-in-the-hole
• Egg in toast
• Hen-in-a-nest
• Moon egg
• One-eyed Jack

Butter both sides of the bread

Ingredients for Making Egg in the Basket

I made eggs-in-the-basket on Friday morning for breakfast. I used rye bread, Land O'Lakes Buttery Spread, and cooked the eggs over easy.

• 2 slices bread
• 2 eggs
• Butter or margarine
• Salt and pepper

Hole cut out of center of bread slices

Directions for Making Egg in the Basket

You can either butter the bread first, then cut out the center, or cut out the center and then butter the bread. If you butter the bread first, you could also cook the center circle you cut out, to serve along with the eggs in a basket.

Eggs cooking in the bread basket

1. Place a medium frying pan over medium heat on the stove.
2. Cut out the middle of each slice of bread, using a cookie cutter or small knife.
3. Spread both sides of each slice of bread with a bit of butter.
4. Place the buttered bread into the frying pan.
5. Crack open the eggs, and place one in the center of each slice of bread.
6. Cook until the bread is light brown.
7. Flip the egg in a basket over, and continue cooking until the other side is light brown, and the egg is cooked the way you like it.
8. Garnish with salt and pepper and EAT immediately.
9. Total cooking time is approximately 2 minutes per side for an over easy egg, cook a bit longer if you want to thoroughly cook the egg yolk.

Egg in the basket flipped over and continuing to cook

Creative Flair
You could use just about any interesting cookie cutter, to cut out the center of the bread. How about using a heart shape cookie cutter when making breakfast on Valentine's Day. Or a clover shape for St. Patrick's Day, a star shape for Independence Day, etc... I have TONS of cookie cutters, I could find an interesting shape for all the major holidays.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

More Mexican Ingredients From Mex Grocer

On August 27, I blogged about placing a large order with Mex Grocer. I've been having fun using all the ingredients in a variety of Mexican and Latin American inspired recipes.

 

Above: individual serving of picadillo

Latin American Inspired Recipes
Here's links to my latest Mexican/Cuban recipes, which incorporate some of the ingredients I purchased from Mex Grocer.

Authentic Mexican Hot Chocolate; recipe for a hot chocolate drink.

Mexican Green Chile Cornbread Casserole; recipe for a lightly spicy corn side dish.

Picadillo Recipe; how-to make a classic Latin American meat sauce.

Pozole; pork and hominy stew

Quesadillas; homemade corn turnovers.

 

Above: Mexican green chile cornbread casserole

Last week I placed a second order with Mex Grocer, which arrived this afternoon.

Here's what I've received:

1. Can of mild, whole green chiles. Will use a few in the meat tamale filling and/or to make a green chile sauce to go along with the meat tamales. I'm thinking pork or turkey, but you never know.

2. Can of zucchini flowers - I plan on using them for either a zucchini flower soup, or as part of a corn turnover filling.

3. Bag of tortilla wheat flour, AKA harina para tortillas. I've made corn tortillas before, using masa harina, AKA corn flour, now I want to try making regular tortillas using wheat flour. The wheat flour contains shortening and baking powder, just add water to make into tortilla dough.

4. Another bag of masa harina. I've made homemade quesadilla's, AKA corn turnovers, twice since getting my first order from Mex Grocer. They are super delicious and fun to make. I still want to try making tamales, and will need quite a bit of masa for the tamale dough.

5. Another package of Mexican chocolate tablets. Great cinnamon laced chocolate. I've been using it to make Mexican hot chocolate and hot mocha - delicious!

6. Another couple of packages of corn husks. When I finally get around to making tamales, I'm going to be making a HUGE batch. I want to make three kinds: a dessert tamale, a meat tamale and a veggie tamale for my vegetarian daughter. YUM, I can't wait!

7. Mexican oregano. I have a huge Mexican oregano bush growing out front, but with all the cooking I've been doing lately, I've been using it faster than I can harvest/grow it. Not a bad idea to have some dried Mexican oregano on hand, just in case.

8. Bay leaves. I have an old container of musty looking bay leaves. Time to throw those out and replace them with some fresher ones.

9. Package of short cinnamon sticks, AKA canella. I have ground cinnamon, but there's nothing like grinding your own herbs and spices in a mortar and pestle right before you need them for a recipe.

10. Package of whole cloves. Again, I have ground cloves in the pantry, just not the same as grinding your own.

11. Package of whole cumin, AKA comino. Looks a little bit like caraway seeds. I'll use these both ground and in whole form.

12. Mild, red enchilada sauce. I'll probably use this as the sauce for either the meat tamales, or the veggie tamales when I make them.

13. Chipolte pepper paste. I received a can of whole chipolte peppers in adobo sauce in my last order with Mex Grocer. Since all the recipes I've been following have you finely mince/grind the chipoltes into a paste, I thought it might be more convenient to have a jar of the pre-made paste on hand. Chipoltes are smoked jalapeno peppers, totally different flavor profile than the fresh, green jalapenos.

14. Pickled prickly pear cactus, AKA nopalitos. The pickled cactus pads are packed in a glass jar with  water, onions, cilantro, serrano peppers, salt and vinegar. I'll use these to make a salad, or as part of a corn turnover filling.

I've actually seen prickly pear cactus in a few of my neighbors yards. I suppose I could knock on their door and ask for one. But in this neighborhood, they might shoot first and ask questions later. And I don't think I'd really like dealing with the spines on the fresh cactus pads. 

 

Above: making Mexican hot chocolate

Toast Your Herbs & Spices
Most of the Mexican recipes I've been following, call for dry toasting one or more of the ingredients. It's much easier to toast herbs and spices in their whole form. Use a dry frying pan, set over medium heat, and toast each ingredient until it just begins to turn fragrant. If the items are smoking, either your pan is too hot, or you've left them in the pan for too long. Remove the toasted ingredients from the pan, let cool, then grind to a powder in a coffee grinder or mortar & pestle.

You can also toast dry chile peppers using this method. Once the peppers have cooled, break them open and remove the seeds and membrane, unless you are looking to make a really hot and spicy dish. The peppers can then be torn into rough pieces and added to your recipe, or soaked in a liquid and then added to your recipe.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

How-to Make Caesar Salad Dressing

Individual serving of Caesar salad

Caesar salad can be ordered at most any restaurant. Fancier eating establishments will make the salad table side, which makes waiting for the rest of your meal to arrive not quite so boring. Authentic Caesar salad dressing should be light in texture, yet rich and tangy in taste, and not a gloppy, mayonnaise clogged mess.

 

Making homemade breadcrumbs for Caesar salad

To make an authentic Caesar salad, first you will need to make homemade breadcrumbs. While the breadcrumbs are toasting in the oven, begin to make the dressing. Once the breadcrumbs and dressing have been made, you can assemble the salad.

This recipe calls for a raw egg, which has been coddled in hot water. If you have an aversion to using raw eggs, look for pasteurized eggs in the grocery store. Or you can substitute a tablespoon of mayonnaise for the raw egg if absolutely necessary.

 

Ingredients for making a classic Caesar salad

To make a vegetarian version of the Caesar salad dressing, omit the anchovy fillets. I used to be afraid of anchovies, thinking they were nasty little fishy beasty things, but after making pasta with homemade puttanesca sauce for the first time, I am no longer afraid of this classic, gourmet ingredient.

 

Anchovy fillets packed in olive oil

Making Breadcrumbs

Use leftover Italian or French bread to make the breadcrumbs. I used leftover sesame coated Italian bread that I had purchased a few days earlier at a local Italian market. The bread was pretty much dried out when I went to make breadcrumbs with the leftovers. Fresher bread will require less oil, and a longer toasting time, while staler bread will require more oil and a shorter cooking time.

Ingredients for the Homemade Breadcrumbs

• 4 cups cubed, day old/stale Italian or French bread
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic - minced, or 1 tablespoon garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon fresh, or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions for the Homemade Breadcrumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut the bread into 1 to 2 inch cubes.
3. Place the cubed bread into a large mixing bowl.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, garlic, oregano and salt.
5. Toss the bread cubes with the olive oil mixture, until all the bread is well coated.
6. Place the seasoned bread cubes onto a baking sheet.
7. Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown, and crisp.
8. Remove to a wire rack to cool until ready to use in the Caesar salad.

Coddle egg in hot water

Caesar Salad Ingredients

1. 3-4 teaspoons minced garlic or 1 tablespoon garlic paste
2. 4 anchovy fillets - finely chopped
3. 1 teaspoon capers - drained
4. 1 teaspoon grainy, Dijon mustard
5. 2 tablespoons lemon juice
6. 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
7. 1 egg - room temperature
8. 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
9. Freshly cracked black pepper
10. Grated Parmesan cheese
11. 2-3 heads Romaine lettuce - chopped

Caesar Salad Dressing Directions

1. Place the garlic and anchovies into a mortar, and grind into a fine paste with a pestle.
2. Add the capers, and mustard and continue grinding until a smooth paste is formed.
3. Use a spatula to scrape the paste out of the mortar, and place it in a mixing bowl.
4. Whisk in the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Place the egg in a large coffee mug, or other heat proof container.
6. Pour boiling water over the egg, and let sit for 3 minutes.
7. Drain the hot water off the egg, and cover with cold water.
8. Whisk the coddled egg yolk into the mixing bowl with the other Caesar dressing ingredients (discard the egg white).
9. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, until well blended. The dressing should have a consistency which is just a bit thicker than heavy cream.
10. Add the Romaine lettuce to a large salad bowl.
11. Toss with a bit of the Caesar salad dressing, then garnish with Parmesan cheese, freshly cracked black pepper and a few of the homemade breadcrumbs.
12. The salad should be well coated, but not drowning, with dressing.
13. Because of the raw egg that is used, any leftover dressing should be discarded.

 

Garlic, anchovies, capers and mustard processed with mortar and pestle

 

The complete Caesar salad dressing

Cardini's Original Caesar Salad Dressing
Read the story about the origin of Caesar salad: Cardini's Caesar Dressing. The salad was invented circa 1924 when Italian born Mexican Caesar Cardini started making the salad in his Tijuana restaurant.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Quesadillas; Homemade Corn Turnovers

 

Two corn turnovers topped with mild, creamy green chile cheese sauce

Wow, I can't believe I actually made these all by myself yesterday. They aren't complicated, but are a bit time consuming. I could have used another set of hands, or a short order cook to help me out, but I did it all on my own. Besides making the turnovers with the pork filling, I also made a few with some leftover picadillo I made a few days ago.

 

Cooked, shredded pork

Prep Work
I made the filling and cheese sauce ahead of time. I actually thought I would wait until the next day to make the quesadillas, but decided to make them later that same day. I blew off my regular Wednesday night bike ride and run (BRICK workout) to stay home and make these delectable corn treats. It's a good thing they are so time consuming, otherwise I'd probably make them every week. And then I would weigh 1,000 pounds by the end of the year.

 

Jar of achiote paste, and small dish of achiote paste which has been blended with hot water

Mex Grocer
I got many of my ingredients from Mex Grocer including:

• Tortilla press
• Queso cotija
• Chipolte peppers in adobo sauce
• Achiote paste
• Masa harina

You should be able to find most of the ingredients at your grocery store or gourmet market.

 

Quesadilla filling: pork with spicy red chile sauce

Multiple Step Recipe
There are three items that need to get made, before you can begin putting the quesadillas together. The filling and sauce can be made in advance, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. To reheat the cheese sauce, I stirred in 2 tablespoons of chicken broth, and heated it up in the microwave for a few minutes. You could also reheat it in a small pan, placed over medium low heat, but that will take longer.

1. Filling - pork with spicy red chile sauce.
2. Sauce - mild green chile cheese sauce
3. Quesadilla dough

Pork with Spicy Red Chile Sauce
Queso cotija is a very salty, Mexican cheese which is a bit like feta. Use feta if you can't find queso cotija. Chipolte is a smoked jalapeno pepper, they can be found in most grocery stores, packed in small cans of a vinegar based sauce, AKA adobo sauce. Achiote paste is a combination of achiote seeds, vinegar, salt, garlic and spices. I bought achiote seeds before, they are hard as a rock, it's much easier to buy ready made paste.

I had some leftover pozole in the refrigerator. I strained out the pork, and shredded it with a fork. The pork was already well seasoned from when it was cooked in the pozole. You could use chopped, cooked chicken or cooked ground beef in place of the pork, if desired.

Ingredients for Pork with Red Chile Sauce

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded pork
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 chipolte in adobo sauce - minced
• 1 teaspoon achiote paste
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon Spanish sweet paprika
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso cotija

Directions for Pork with Red Chile Sauce

1. Place the shredded pork into a mixing bowl.
2. Stir in the garlic and chipolte.
3. In a small cup, blend the achiote paste with the hot water. Stir the mixture into the pork.
4. Stir in the cumin, coriander, paprika and cheese.

Shredded, drained zucchini

Green Chile Cheese Sauce
The pork filling is quite spicy. The mild green chile cheese sauce is a nice compliment to the spicy filling. I have a HUGE Mexican oregano bush growing near my front door, which I can harvest a few stems from whenever I need it. Regular oregano can be substituted for the Mexican oregano if necessary. 

To prepare the zucchini, first I peeled it, then I grated it. Then I wrapped it up in a clean, kitchen towel and squeezed the excess moisture out of it.

 

Mild, green chile cheese sauce

Ingredients for Green Chile Cheese Sauce

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups grated, drained zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon fresh, or 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2/3 cup mild, green chile sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup shredded cheese such as Monterey jack, cheddar or Mexican cheese blend
• 1/4 cup chopped, fresh cilantro leaves

Directions for the Green Chile Cheese Sauce

1. Add the oil to a large frying pan placed over medium heat.
2. Add the zucchini and green onions to the pan, and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in the oregano, salt and nutmeg.
4. In a small cup or bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the green chile sauce. Whisk the mixture into the frying pan of zucchini/green onions.
5. Whisk in the shredded cheese. Continue whisking the sauce, until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is thick and creamy.
6. Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the cilantro.

Ingredients for the quesadilla dough

Quesadilla Dough
There are two ways to make the quesadilla dough, either using the traditional ingredients, or using the modern ingredients. I used the modern method. Masa harina is a dried corn flour, which is specifically processed for use in tortillas and tamales. Do not substitute corn meal!

 

Quesadilla dough

Traditional Quesadilla Dough Ingredients

• 2 cups masa harina
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 7/8 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons pork lard

Modern Quesadilla Dough Ingredients

• 2 cups masa harina
• 1 7/8 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons margarine - melted

Quesadilla dough waiting to be pressed flat in the tortilla press

Directions for the Quesadilla Dough

1. Place the masa harina in a large mixing bowl.
2. Heat the chicken broth in the microwave, using a microwave safe container.
3. Slowly stir in the chicken broth and melted margarine into the masa harina using a large fork.
4. Form the dough into a ball, and knead a few times with your hands.
5. Set the dough aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

Place filling in center of flatted quesadilla

Assembling the Corn Turnovers

• 1 recipe filling
• 1 recipe sauce
• 1 recipe quesadilla dough
• Tortilla press
• Gallon size plastic freezer bag - cut in half
• Comal or large frying pan
• Vegetable oil

Fold corn turnover in half, sealing edges

Directions for Making Corn Turnovers

1. Place one half of the plastic freezer bag on the bottom of the tortilla press.
2. Place a 1 1/2 to 2 inch ball of quesadilla dough on the middle of the tortilla press.
3. Place the other half of the plastic bag on top of the quesadilla dough ball.
4. Press the dough flat.
5. Open the tortilla press, remove the top plastic bag.
6. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle of the quesadilla.
7. Fold the bottom plastic bag in half, forming a turnover, or what I like to call, a giant Mexican ravioli.
8. Seal the edges of the turnover using your fingers, making sure not to rip/poke a hole in the dough.
9. Place 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large frying pan placed over medium to medium high heat.
10. Add 3-4 quesadillas to the pan and cook until lightly browned on both sides.
11. Place the cooked quesadillas onto a large serving platter.
12. Add additional oil to the pan if necessary, and continue making, filling, cooking the turnovers until all the filling and dough has been used.
13. Place 1-2 quesadillas on a small plate, and cover with the sauce.
14. EAT - EAT - EAT!!!!!

Pan fry homemade quesadillas

Vegetarian Quesadillas
My almost 14 year old daughter is a vegetarian. If I were to make the corn turnovers again, I would use vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth, so I could make a few quesadillas that she could eat. For the filling I might try heating up some soy crumbles, mixing them with taco seasoning and adding a bit of shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend. I think she still eats cheese, but I'll have to check to make sure she hasn't gone to the extreme of becoming vegan.

 

Platter of homemade quesadillas, AKA corn turnovers

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva