Recipes

Chicken and Egg Enchiladas

Chicken and Egg Enchiladas

Cheese should melt into a velvety blanket forthis luscious enchilada dish. Choose a traditional Mexican-style cheese, suchas mild-tasting and quick-melting asadero  (ah-sah-deh-row)  available insupermarkets in areas that have a Hispanic clientele. Otherwise, use MontereyJack cheese, which melts evenly. To bring up the heat level, select MontereyJack cheese with crushed red pepper flakes.
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 1 large celery stalk trimmed and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/2 cup milk or half-and-half
  • 1 can 7 ounces diced mild chiles, undrained
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 hard-cooked eggs chopped
  • 2 cups diced cooked chicken
  • 4 flour tortillas each 9 inches in diameter
  • 1 cup grated asadero or Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Melt the butter in a large skillet.
  • Add the onion and celery and sauté over high heat 2 minutes.
  • Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute to form a paste.
  • Stir in the milk and cook 1 minute or until the mixture is thick.
  • Stir in the chiles, ground cumin, salt, and pepper.
  • Cook 30 seconds for the flavors to blend.
  • Stir in the eggs and the chicken and heat through, about 1 minute.
  • Butter a glass 9-inch square baking dish.
  • Working with one flour tortilla at a time, spoon 1/4 of the chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla.
  • Fold the sides of the tortilla tightly to the center to enclose the chicken filling.
  • These tortillas are stuffed to capacity, so be careful placing each seam-side down in the baking dish.
  • Repeat with the remaining chicken filling and tortillas.
  • Mix the cheese and cilantro together with your fingers.
  • Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the tortillas.
  • Bake the enchiladas for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.
  • Remove the dish from the oven and let stand 1 minute.

Notes & Wine Advice

Vary It!

Freeze leftover enchiladas so you can have a quick and filling lunch up to six months from now. Place individual enchiladas in small freezer containers and seal. Reheat at medium high in a microwave oven.
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Course; Chicken / Eggs

Roast Chicken

Roast Chicken

Feast on delicious chicken with gravy and roast vegetables. If you’re cooking potatoes, you probably want to skip a stuffing.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Remove the package in the chicken cavity containing the liver, neck, and any other parts.
  • Discard these or use for another meal.
  • Place the chicken on a rack set inside of a large, shallow roasting pan.
  • Sprinkle the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and oregano.
  • Drizzle the lemon juice over the chicken.
  • Spoon the olive oil over the chicken.
  • Place the red potatoes (if desired) in the roasting pan around the chicken.
  • Add the carrots (if desired).
  • Sprinkle the potatoes and carrots with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
  • Place the chicken in the oven for 2 hours.
  • Remove the chicken and insert an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, not touching a bone.
  • The temperature should register 180 degrees.
  • If not, return the chicken to the oven another 15 minutes and check again.
  • When the chicken tests done, remove it from the oven onto a platter.
  • Cover loosely with foil and set aside for 15 minutes.
  • This resting period makes chicken juicier and easier to slice.
  • Spoon the vegetables into a covered bowl to keep them warm.
  • Carve the chicken in the kitchen.
  • Arrange one-third of the bird and the vegetables on the serving platter (saving the remainder for subsequent recipes).
  • Place the roasting pan on your stovetop.
  • Using a large spoon, skim off any pools of fat.
  • Add the water to the pan and turn the heat under the pan to low.
  • Deglaze the pan by scraping up any browned bits using a wooden spoon.
  • Because the roasting pan is probably twice the size of your burner, deglaze one side of the pan and then turn the pan around to deglaze the other side over the burner.
  • Be sure to use an oven mitt.
  • Place the cornstarch in a cup.
  • Stir the chicken broth into the cornstarch until it’s smooth.
  • Stir the cornstarch mixture into the roasting pan.
  • Simmer, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes or until the pan gravy is slightly thickened.
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Course; Chicken

Asian Stir-Fry and Seasoning Sauce

Asian Stir-Fry and Seasoning Sauce

Spoon this pungent and sweet sauce over cooked Asian buckwheat or rice noodles and shrimp for a quick dinner or side. To use this sauce for stir-fry cooking, which I describe in Chapter 6, stir a teaspoon of cornstarch into the chicken broth and then add the remaining ingredients as the recipe directs.
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot
  • 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dry sherry or additional 2 tablespoons chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

  • In a bowl, stir together the chicken broth, gingerroot, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, sherry, and sugar.
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Course; Sauce
Cuisine; Asia

Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki Sauce

This sauce should have a thick consistency, so I avoid fat-free varieties, which get watery after standing a few minutes. I have to warn you, this sauce is intensely garlicky. Serving a store-bought lemon sorbet after a dinner with tzatziki eliminates some of the effects that garlic has on your breath.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the yogurt in a blender container.
  • Add the cucumber, salt, and garlic.
  • Blend the mixture to a puree.
  • If you want emerald green-colored sauce, add the dill and mint to the blender and blend again until the herbs are finely minced and tint the sauce.
  • If you want your sauce to remain white with flecks of green, remove the sauce from the blender to a serving bowl.
  • Finely mince the dill and mint and stir them into the sauce.
  • Add the olive oil, vinegar, and pepper.
  • Stir well.

Notes & Wine Advice

Vary It!
Substitute 1/2 cup sour cream for half the yogurt for a thicker and richer sauce. You can also try stirring 1 cup of ricotta or cottage cheese into the tzatziki sauce; then add a handful of diced radishes and serve the dish as a refreshing brunch entree.
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Course; Sauce

Blender Salsa

Blender Salsa

Use a variable-speed blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade to chop vegetables for this medium-heat salsa. When done, the vegetables should be finely chopped but not slushy. You can also chop the vegetables by hand, which is the traditional way to make salsa. Before adding the chile to this recipe, however, take a tiny taste of it. If you’re using a fiery hot habanero, you may want to add only a teaspoon of minced chile. If you’re using a milder tasting jalapeño chile, use the whole pod, minus the seeds. (See the sidebar “Some like it hotter” in this chapter for more on chiles.)
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Ingredients

  • 1 small garlic clove
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped scallion
  • 1 small chile cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 medium-large tomatoes cored and coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  • Place the garlic, lime juice, scallion, chile, and cilantro in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
  • Process with on/off pulses until the mixture is finely chopped.
  • Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper and turn the machine on and off a couple of times just to mince the tomatoes.

Notes & Wine Advice

Vary It!

If you accidentally puree the mixture, don’t worry. Add a dash of olive oil, and you have gazpacho, the famous chilled soup from Spain.
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Course; Sauce

Hot Shrimp and Vegetable Stir-Fry

Hot Shrimp and Vegetable Stir-Fry

Stir-fry cooking usually takes more preparation than cooking time, and this recipe is no exception. Take care of the vegetable slicing and you’re ready to cook.
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 3 slices 1/4-inch thick gingerroot, unpeeled
  • 1 pound small raw peeled shrimp
  • 2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
  • 2 baby bok choy thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh chile
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
  • 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice mixed with 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 cups cooked rice

Instructions

  • Add the oil to the wok and heat 30 seconds over high heat.
  • Add the gingerroot and heat 1 minute.
  • Scoop out and discard the ginger.
  • Add the shrimp and stir-fry for 1 minute over high heat or until the shrimp turn pink.
  • Scoop out and set aside.
  • Add the mushrooms, bok choy, and chile, and stir-fry 1 minute or until the vegetables are limp.
  • Stir the chicken broth, scallions, and the lime juice and cornstarch together.
  • Add to the wok and stir 30 seconds or until the liquid thickens slightly.
  • Return the shrimp to the wok.
  • Reduce heat to medium-high and cook 1 minute or until shrimp are cooked through and hot.
  • Immediately dish out the shrimp and vegetables and serve over rice.
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Course; Fish / Main Course

Avocado with Broccoli and Carrot Slaw

Avocado with Broccoli and Carrot Slaw

Look for bags of already combined shreddedcarrots and broccoli, also called broccoli slaw,  in your supermarket’s chilled produce section.The crisp, shredded vegetables are a great match for buttery avocado. If thissalad is going to sit for more than 10 minutes, toss the avocado with the dressingand then add the carrots. The lemon juice in the dressing will prevent theavocado from browning.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Arrange the avocado slices, carrots, and broccoli on a serving plate.
  • For the dressing, stir together the oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame seeds in a cup.
  • Pour over the avocado, broccoli, and shredded carrots.

Notes & Wine Advice

Vary It!

If you prefer, skip the shredded broccoli and double the carrots.
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Course; Salad

Baby Carrots with Dill

Baby Carrots with Dill

Lemon and dill add a citrusy and herbal tasteto carrots. Serve the carrots as a side dish for chicken, fish, or steak.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place carrots in a small pot with chicken broth.
  • Bring to a boil.
  • Partially cover pot and cook 15 minutes or until carrots are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated.
  • Stir in lemon zest, dill, and pepper while you hold the lid of the pot away from you to avoid steam.
  • Speed It Up!
  • Instead of chopping dill weed on a cutting board, hold a dill sprig over the carrots and snip a little dill into the carrots.
  • You won’t have to wash the cutting board.
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Course; Side Dish / Vegetables

Sautéed Grape Tomatoes

Sautéed Grape Tomatoes

Grape tomatoes were first cultivated inChina. The seeds were brought to the United States less than a decade ago. NowU.S. farmers grow more grape than cherry tomatoes.
Lightly sautéing grape tomatoes brings outtheir natural sugars. I add a splash of balsamic vinegar to balance thesweetness. You can serve this dish hot or at room temperature.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a medium non-stick skillet.
  • Add the shallot and sauté 1 minute over medium heat or until tender.
  • Add the tomatoes and cook over low-medium heat about 3 minutes or until the tomatoes are slightly pulpy and hot.
  • Add the vinegar and stir to blend.
  • Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
  • Serve the tomatoes hot or at room temperature.
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Course; Side Dish / Vegetables

Asian Greens and Radish Salad

Asian Greens and Radish Salad

Pair sharp-tasting Asian greens with radishesfor a pungent salad. Buy bagged, trimmed radishes without the tops.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a salad bowl, toss together the Asian greens and radishes.
  • In a cup, stir together the oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper.
  • Pour over the salad and toss gently but well.
  • Serve immediately
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Course; Salad / Vegetables
Cuisine; Asia