By Request: Mexican Rice

Neighbor Sherry requested that I post this recipe on the blog. It is the wicked cousin of the most caloric mac and cheese you have ever had. My mother has been making it for years and it continues to be my vegetarian brother John's welcome home meal. I wonder what kind of makeover Cooking Light would give this? I wonder how it would taste with quinoa? Hey, Costco now has a 4 pound bag of organic quinoa for $10.49. That is a bargin.

Mexican Rice

1 cup onion chopped
1/4 cup butter
5 cups cooked rice
1 pint sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 4 ounce can chopped green chiles
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350. Saute onions in butter. Mix the onions, rice, sour cream, cottage cheese, bay leaf, salt, pepper and green chiles together. Pour half of the rice mixture into a greased 12x8 pan (12x8 must be some weird 1970's size, I like to use a corning ware 2.8 liter oval ) cover with half of the cheese. Repeat. Sprinkle parsley on top and bake for 30 minutes.

In Search of the Rustica Bittersweet Cookie: Round 2

We are definitely getting closer. If you want to replicate your favorite cookie recruit Neighbor Sherry to help you. She found this version in The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook recently and we each gave it a go. I chose to go with bittersweet chocolate from Trader Joe's for melting and Ghirardelli bittersweet chips. The trouble with this cookie is that it easily trips my rich trigger, which is becoming more sensitive with each week.

Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant coffee
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 (12 ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla, and instant coffee together until the coffee is dissolved.

Beat the butter and sugars together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Beat in the melted chocolate, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Stir in the chips until incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is scoop-able and fudge-like, about 30 minutes.

Working with 3 tablespoons of dough at a time, scoop the dough into balls, dip the top in granulated sugar and lay on three parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time until the edges are set and the tops are cracked but the centers are still soft and underdone (peek through the cracks to check the centers), 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

A Weekend In the Windy Woods

We spent last weekend with our favorite recent retirees Bob and Moe of Dalkeith-Menomonie-Minong fame. I was under strict instructions from Moe to bring nothing but clothing or I would be asked to leave. I usually show up with a cooler full of food and a sharp knife. I tried my best to listen but I did manage to bring up some of my renegade raspberries and olives and feta from Spiros. The raspberries were used with the fabulous Swedish pancakes Moe made on Sunday and I left the olives and feta behind so that they could try this favorite recipe from Bon Appetit. We have been making it in the neighborhood for the past four summers and even make it in a cast iron pan in the winter when we feel sorry for our ice weary selves.

Grilled Pitas with Tomatoes, Olives and Feta

Ingredients
1 cup diced seeded plum tomatoes (about 4)
1/2 cup pitted coarsely chopped mixed olives
1/2 cup chopped red onion
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
4 whole wheat pita breads
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)


Preparation
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Stir tomatoes, olives, onion, 2 tablespoons oil, and mint in small bowl to blend. Brush 1 side of each pita with remaining 2 tablespoons oil; place pitas, oiled side down, on grill. Cook until lightly charred, about 2 minutes. Turn pitas over; top with tomato mixture, spreading almost to edges. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover barbecue and grill pitas until topping is warm, about 2 minutes. Transfer pitas to plates and serve.


Test-kitchen tip: To pit an olive easily, simply crush the olive with the side of a chef's knife and pop out the pit.

Bon Appetit July, 2004

Faux Steak Salad

I traveled for work for the first time in eight years this month. It was fun. My material was fresh to everyone. My caffiene intake was way down so I was much more functional and I got to eat out everyday for lunch and dinner. Breakfast was Mega M&M's and a Nutrigrain bar on the way to the Columbus, Ohio Convention Center, lunch was at the amazing North Market , and dinner was at various spots within walking distance of the hotel ,including the Flat Iron Grill,thanks to Mary Lou's investigating our options via Chowhound.

At the Flat Iron the four of us all ordered the same thing, the steak salad. Mixed greens, grilled steak, carmelized onions, tomatoes, blue cheese and a light dressing. It was amazing. I did my best to recreate it this weekend substituting the steak with this grilled mushroom recipe, another recipe brought to my attention by neighbor Sherry. I made a simple dijon, red wine vinegar, black pepper and olive oil dressing, carmelized onions a la The Barefoot Contessa and added a handful of walnuts for good measure. It was very good.

Worcestershire Glazed Portobello Mushrooms

1/2 cup butter
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 pound portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices

Melt 1/2 cup butter in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Stir in mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt. Remove from heat.

Grill mushrooms until soft and beginning to release juices, about 3 minutes per side. Divide mushrooms among the salad and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Bon Appétit July 2004

A Little More Sherry

My friend and neighbor Sherry is an amazing cook. She is always good for a borrow whether it is a cake pan, elusive spice, extra cup of sugar or bottle of wine on a Sunday. What I most admire about her cooking prowess is her eye for a great recipe. Here is one of them. So many of my recipes have their roots in Sherry’s kitchen that she will have a label of her own . . A Little More Sherry

Bucatini All’Amatriciana

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 thin slices (4 ounces) pancetta, finely chopped, you could substitute thick sliced bacon, Farmland is good
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
1 medium onion, cut in ¼-inch dice
Scant 1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Scant ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt
1 pound bucatini or spaghetti
6 quarts boiling salted water
¾ cup to 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook the pancetta 5 minutes, or until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Take about half the tomatoes from the can, poking each with your finger to drain the seeds and juice back into the can, and add to the pan, along with half the onions and the red and black pepper. Sauté, stirring often, over high heat 5 minutes, or until the onions are golden and the tomatoes are thickened and taste very rich.

Stir in the rest of the tomatoes with their juices, the remaining onions, and the reserved pancetta. Adjust the heat so the sauce simmers gently. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Turn off the heat and cover the pan while you cook the pasta.

Cook the pasta in the fiercely boiling water, stirring often, until tender yet firm to the bite. Drain in a colander.

Toss the pasta with the sauce over medium-low heat. Turn into a heated bowl and serve hot, passing the cheese separately.

Serves 6 to 8 as a first course, 4 to 6 as a main dish.

Pasta Alla Gricia

Double the amount of pancetta and eliminate the tomatoes and onions. Increase the cheese to 1 ½ cups. Toss the pasta with the browned pancetta and red and black pepper. Turn onto a bowl and toss with the cheese.

The Italian Country Table by Lynne Rosetto Kasper