[CP: This recipe is really flexible. I made it with zucchini and summer squash (sauteeing rather than baking), and substituting the farmer’s cheese for crumbled feta, and it came out great.]

Ingredients

• 6 large poblanos (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 large butternut squash (4 pounds total)—peeled, halved, seeded and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely chopped thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon coarsely chopped oregano
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 8 ounces farmer cheese (crumbling, dry cottage cheese style cheese)
• Toasted pumpkin seeds, for serving

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°. Roast the poblanos directly over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning, until they are charred all over. Transfer the chiles to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let them cool. Peel, stem and seed the chiles, then cut them into thin strips.

Brush the butternut squash with 6 tablespoons of the olive oil and spread it on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes, until the squash is tender, shifting the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Increase the oven temperature to 425°.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the sliced onion, garlic, oregano and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of thyme and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add the poblano strips and cook until they are very tender, about 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the crème fraîche and season the poblano mixture with salt and pepper.

Spoon half of the poblano mixture into a large baking dish and top with half of the butternut squash and half of the Monterey Jack and farmer cheeses. Repeat with the remaining poblano mixture, butternut squash and both cheeses. Bake in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until the gratin is golden and bubbling. Let the gratin rest for 10 minutes. Garnish with the pumpkin seeds and serve.

Food & Wine

Ingredients

• 4 pints (~3lb) fresh strawberries
• 3/4 c.sugar
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Sure-Jell low-sugar pectin (pink box)
• pinch salt
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 pie shell, baked

Preparation

Select 6 oz. of less pretty berries. Blend to smooth puree. Whisk sugar, cornstarch, Sure-Jell, and salt in medium saucepan. Stir in berry puree. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil, scraping bottom and sides of pan to prevent scorching, for 2 minutes to ensure that cornstarch is fully cooked. Transfer to large bowl and stir in lemon juice. Let cool to room temperature.

Measure 2 lb. of pretty beries; halve only extra-large berries. Add berries to bowl with glaze and fold gently until berries are evenly coated. Scoop berries into pie shell, piling into mound. Refrigerate pie until chilled, about 2 hours. Serve within 5 hours of chilling.

CI

Ingredients

• 16 tortillas de maiz
• 800g (1.5 lbs) pork butt
• 1/2 pineapple
• 1 lg. onion
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 8 limes
• salt

For the axiote marinade:

• juice of 2 oranges
• 300g ground axiote (powder)
• 10 dry chiles guajillos
• 1 medium size onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp white pepper
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 stick of cinnamon

1 recipe salsa taquera

Preparation

1. Make a cut into the side of each chile guajillo, and devein them (rip out the stem and the guts) and soak them in hot water. Once they’ve hydrated and they’re soft, remove from water and place in blender. Add the vinegar, the juice of two oranges, chop up the medium sized onion and add that too. Add your garlic cloves, the cinnamon, and blend it a little. Then add the axiote, the white pepper, then blend. Then add salt to taste. Once the mix is ready, pour into a big bowl you’ll use to marinate the meat.

2. Cut your pork hiney into half steak pieces. Try to make them uniformly thick, but they don’t need to look pretty at all because we’re going to chop them all up before the end to serve in the tacos.

3. Cover each “steak” in the axiote marinade and then refrigerate them all for as long as you can afford to (at least three hours).

4. When it’s time to make dinner, start be preheating the grill.

5. Slice your 1/2 pineapple into “disks” just a bit over 1cm thick (about 1/2″). You can just cut the slices across the entire pineapple, and you don’t have to peel the outside of the pineapple off before you grill it, either.

6. With a hot grill, throw on the now-marinated pork steaks along with your pineapple pieces until both have been cooked. This should take about eight minutes, maybe a touch more. You know you’ve cooked the pineapple enough when it has become soft throughout. It’s alright if the pineapple slices get charred a bit, but do your best to keep them from burning, otherwise they will not taste good.

7. Now peel the pineapple rings off and chop the pineapple into small little cooked pieces.

8. Mince the onions, chop up the cilantro, then mix them together with the pineapple in a bowl. Take a lime and squeeze its juice into the mix and add salt to taste. Sample it to see if you need to add more lime juice.

9. Chop up the pork into little strips and pieces for filling your tacos with.

10. Make the tacos: add the meat to the tortillas first, then your pineapple-cilantro-onion mix, and then top off with your delicious authentic salsa taquera.

Authentic Mexican Recipes

Ingredients

• 3 pints firm small mixed cherry and grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup vodka
• 3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon superfine granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

Preparation

Cut a small X in bottom of each tomato. Blanch tomatoes, 5 at a time, in a saucepan of boiling water 3 seconds. Immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking. Drain and peel, transferring to a large shallow dish. Stir together vodka, vinegar, sugar, and zest until sugar has dissolved, then pour over tomatoes, gently tossing to coat. Marinate, chilled, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Stir together salt and pepper and serve with tomatoes for dipping.

Gourmet, August 2009

Ingredients

• 2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
• 8 Tablespoons (1/2 c) of Bacon Fat (or Butter) (Melted)
• 1 Cup 2% Milk or buttermilk
• 2 Tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 Tsp. Salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 425F

Mix your dry ingredients together

Mix the melted butter and milk together until clumps of fat form in milk (put in fridge if necessary)

Combine ingredients together in large mixing bowl

Use a greased quarter cup measuring cup to place biscuit batter on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake in oven until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter as they cool.

The Unmanly Chef

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
• 3/4 cup corn flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 red or green jalapeño, seeded, finely chopped
• 1/2 pound small shrimp, peeled, deveined, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears of corn)
• 3/4 cup grated cheddar (about 3 ounces)
• Grapeseed or canola oil (for frying)
• Lemon wedges (for serving)

Preparation

Whisk together sour cream, lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp. salt; set aside for serving.

Whisk flour, baking powder, Old Bay seasoning, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Whisk egg and buttermilk in a medium bowl, then add to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Stir in scallions, jalapeño, shrimp, corn, and cheese.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium. Working in batches and adding more oil in between, drop 1/4-cupfuls corn mixture into skillet, flattening slightly, and cook until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer fritters to paper towels to drain; season with salt and serve immediately with sour cream sauce and lemon wedges alongside.

Epicurious

Ingredients

• 2 15 ounce cans cooked small fava beans
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 4 cloves garlic, mashed
• ½ cup lemon juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Pour the cooked fava beans with the liquid into heavy saucepan. Add the mashed garlic, the cumin, the salt and the pepper. Bring to a boil. Using a potato masher, mash the fava beans partially and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice, the olive oil and half of the chopped vegetables. Stir, adjust the seasoning and remove from the heat. Spoon the foul moudamas into shallow serving dish and top with the rest of the chopped vegetables.

Sanaa Cooks

Ingredients

• 1 lb. thick macaroni
• 7 tbsp olive oil
• 2 vegetable stock cubes (optional)
• 1 lg. onion, finely chopped
• 1 lg. clove garlic
• 2 lb. minced meat (half pork and half beef, or lamb, etc.)
• 2 tsps dried mint, rubbed
• 1 tsp oregano
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup pureed tomatoes
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 heaped tbsp butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup grated Halloumi (or other dry, hard) cheese

For the white sauce:

• 8 cups milk scant
• ½ c. corn flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp grated cheese
• zest of 1 lemon

Preparation

Macaroni:

Grease a shallow baking dish (15x13"). Break the macaroni in half (this will enable you to arrange the cooked pasta better in the baking dish later). Add macaroni to a large pan of boiling water, together with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 1 vegetable stock cube (optional). Boil, uncovered, until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well and put aside in a bowl. Add 1 tbsp butter to the pasta, 3/4 cup of your grated cheese, the beaten egg and 1tsp dry mint. Mix well and set aside.

Meat Sauce:

Heat the rest of your oil in a large frying pan; add your chopped onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add the mince and cook until well browned. Add the pasata and the tomato paste, the sugar, oregano, dried mint, cinnamon, the stock cube dissolved in 1 cup of hot water, the salt and the freshly ground black pepper. Towards the end, add the parsley and remove from the heat.

White sauce:

Dissolve your corn flour in 1 cup of milk, then and1 tsp salt. Add the egg (lightly beaten), and the finely chopped parsley and lemon zest. In a big non-stick pan add the remaining 7 cups of milk and bring almost to the boil. Gradually whisk the dissolved corn flour and egg mixture into the hot milk, stir well over the heat until the mixture boils and thickens; mix until smooth and remove from heat.

Next steps:

Add half of the macaroni into your greased dish. Top the macaroni with the meat sauce and spread evenly. Add rest of the pasta over meat sauce. Pour over ¾ of the white sauce and use a fork to make sure that some of the white sauce goes through the pasta to the base of the dish. Now add the rest of the white sauce and smooth the surface, then sprinkle the breadcrumbs and cheese on top. Spread several nobs of butter equally along the surface of the dish.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until golden brown. Leave to stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds young, small to medium okra pods
• 4 small dried chiles, split in 1/2
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 12 sprigs fresh dill
• 4 cloves garlic, whole
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 2 cups rice wine vinegar
• 2 cups bottled water

Preparation

Wash the okra and trim the stem to 1/2-inch. Place 1 chile, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 3 sprigs of dill, 1 clove of garlic and 1/4 teaspoon peppercorns in the bottom of each of 4 sterilized pint canning jars. Divide the okra evenly among the 4 jars, standing them up vertically, alternating stems up and down.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the salt, vinegar and water to a boil. Once boiling, pour this mixture over the okra in the jars, leaving space between the top of the liquid and the lid. Seal the lids. Set in a cool dry place for 2 weeks.

Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup finely shredded basil leaves
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound frozen baby peas, thawed
• 3 large seedless cucumbers (about 1 pound each)—peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick

Preparation

In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt with the lemon juice and olive oil. Add the parsley and basil and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the peas and cucumbers and serve.

Food & Wine