Ingredients

Tomatillo Puree and Enchilada Sauce

• 10 medium tomatillos
• 1/2 jalapeno, smoked and seeded
• 1/2 Serrano, smoked and seeded
• 8 green chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 tsp thyme

Sweet Potato Filling and Enchiladas

• 5 medium sweet potatoes
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp Chili powder
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 tsp curry powder
• Salt and pepper
• 4 green onions
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 16 oz Monterey Jack cheese
• 12 corn tortillas

Preparation

For tomatillo puree: Preheat oven to 375. Place tomatillos on parchment paper or foil-lined cookie sheet. Cook 30 minutes or until soft in the middle. The last 10 minutes, place jalapeno, Serrano, and Hatch pepper on a cookie sheet and put in the oven, so the skins can blacken.

Once skin is blackened, place the peppers in a paper bag to cool. Slice tomatillos open at bottom and squeeze juice into food processor. When peppers are cooled lightly, rub paper bag until skin is peeled. Then slice Serrano and jalapeno in half. Place only half of each pepper in processor. Peel, seed, and chop Hatch pepper and set aside for enchilada sauce. Add a little water. Puree until mixed thoroughly and add to the sauce.

For enchilada sauce: In a skillet, sauté the cornstarch and olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add herbs and spices and cook 11 additional minutes. Add garlic and vegetables and sauté another minute. Add broth, tomatillo puree, and lime juice. Raise heat and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Stir constantly until thickened. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool. Add back to the food processor and blend until smooth.

For sweet potato filling: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap sweet potatoes in foil and bake the sweet potatoes until tender, about 1 hour. Cool and peel the sweet potatoes. Place the sweet potatoes in a bowl and mix in the cream cheese, chili powder, curry, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper until well blended. Stir in green onions.

Putting it all together: Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 13x9 baking dish. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat and fry the tortillas, one at a time, for about 10-20 seconds per side. Remove the tortillas with tongs and drain on paper towels. Place a regular spoonful of sweet potato filling down the center of each tortilla, add 1 tablespoon cheese, roll it up, and place filled tortillas seam side down in dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the enchilada sauce is bubbling and the cheese is beginning to brown. Cool for 5 minutes and serve.

Central Market

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 cup arborio rice
• Pinch of saffron
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup vegetable broth or water
• Kosher salt
• 3 large eggplants (about 3 pounds), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch rounds
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups store-bought tomato sauce (such as marinara), divided
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 2 cups), divided
• 1 cup coarsely grated Parmesan (4 ounces), divided

Preparation

Arrange racks in top and bottom thirds of oven; preheat to 425°. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add rice; cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Stir in saffron, then wine. Cook until wine reduces slightly, about 1 minute. Add broth; season with salt. Cover and cook over medium heat until rice is very al dente and still crunchy, about 6 minutes; remove pan from heat.

Meanwhile, divide eggplant between two rimmed baking sheets, overlapping slightly to fit. Drizzle 1 cup oil over; season with salt and pepper. Bake, turning eggplant and rotating sheets halfway through, until tender and golden brown, 20–25 minutes.

Cover the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with 1 cup tomato sauce. Sprinkle 1/3 of mozzarella over, then 1/3 of Parmesan.

Cover with a layer of eggplant rounds, overlapping so no sauce is visible beneath them. Add saffron rice, spreading out in an even layer. Sprinkle over another 1/3 each of mozzarella and Parmesan, then 1/2 of the remaining tomato sauce and another layer of eggplant. Top with remaining tomato sauce and remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover dish with foil; transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Uncover dish and bake until golden on top, about 20 minutes longer. Let stand for at least 10 minutes to set before serving.

Serves 8.

Bon Appetit, September 2012

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (1 1/8 cups) black beans, washed, picked over and soaked for 4 to 6 hours or overnight in 1 quart water
• 1 onion, cut in half
• 2 plump garlic cloves, minced
• 1 to 2 sprigs epazote or 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus additional for garnish (optional)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin, to taste
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground mild chili powder (more to taste)
• Salt to taste
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparation

1. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven combine the black beans with their soaking water (they should be submerged by at least 1 1/2 inches of water; add if necessary), one half of the onion, and half the garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour. Add the remaining garlic, epazote or cilantro if using, cumin, chili powder, and salt to taste and simmer for another hour, until the beans are very soft and the broth thick, soupy and aromatic. Remove from the heat. Remove and discard the onion.

2. Using an immersion blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade coarsely puree the beans. The mixture should retain some texture and the consistency should be thick and creamy. Heat through, stirring the bottom of the pot so the beans don’t stick. Taste and adjust salt. Keep warm.

3. Slice the remaining onion half crosswise into thin half-moons and cover with cold water while you assemble the enfrijoladas. Heat the corn tortillas: either wrap them in a damp dish towel and heat them, 4 at a time, in the microwave for about 30 seconds at 100 percent power, or wrap in a dish towel and steam for 1 minute, then let rest for 5 minutes.

4. Assemble the enfrijoladas just before serving them. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the hot, thick beans over the bottom of a large lightly oiled baking dish or serving platter. Using tongs, dip a softened tortilla into the beans and flip over to coat both sides with black beans. Remove from the beans and place on the baking dish or platter (this is messy; have the serving dish right next to the pot.) Fold into quarters. Use the tongs to do this, and if you find that the tortilla tears too much, then just coat one side with the black beans, transfer to the baking dish and spoon some of the black beans over the other side, then fold into quarters. Continue with the remaining tortillas, arranging the quartered bean-coated tortillas in overlapping rows. When all of the tortillas are in the dish, spoon the remaining black bean sauce over the top. Drain and rinse the onions, dry briefly on paper towels and sprinkle over the bean sauce. Garnish with cilantro and chopped walnuts if desired and serve at once.

Serves 4

Martha Rose Shulman, New York Times

Ingredients

For the quinoa:

• 3/4 cup regular blond quinoa
• 1/4 cup red quinoa
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt, to taste

For the dal:

• 1 cup brown or split yellow lentils (toor dal), rinsed
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1/2 medium onion (intact), peeled
• Salt to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice or 1/4 cup tamarind water (made from soaking 1 tablespoon tamarind paste in warm water for 10 minutes; optional)
• 2 tablespoons grape seed oil, canola oil, safflower oil or sunflower oil
• 1/2 cup finely minced red bell pepper
• 1 plump garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Preparation

1. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly and combine with the water and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until the white quinoa displays a little white spiral. Turn off the heat, remove the lid and place a dish towel over the top of the pot. Return the lid and let sit for 15 minutes. The quinoa will now be fluffy. Keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, combine the lentils, ginger, turmeric and onion half (don’t chop it) with 1 quart water and salt to taste (about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons) and bring to a gentle boil. Stir only once to make sure there are no lentils sticking to the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat to medium – the lentils should simmer briskly – and cook uncovered until the lentils are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in the lime juice or tamarind concentrate and add another 1/2 cup water. Stir together and simmer for another minute. Turn off the heat and using an immersion blender, an Indian mathani (a wooden tool used for mashing dal) or a wooden Mexican hot chocolate mixer, partially pureé the dal. It should be thick but not like a pureed soup.

3. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan or small frying pan (such as an 8-inch omelet pan). Add the cumin seeds and allow to sizzle, stirring, for 10 seconds. Add the garlic and cook until lightly colored, about 15 seconds. Add the red pepper and cook until slightly softened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and pour over the lentils. Add the cayenne pepper and 1 tablespoon of the cilantro and stir gently. Taste and adjust seasoning.

4. Serve the quinoa with the dal spooned on top. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.

Serves 4 to 6

Martha Rose Shulman, New York Times

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for grilling or sauteing if desired
• 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• optional: 1/2 medium jalapeño, or a few tsp. hot paprika
• 1 quart chicken stock or broth
• 1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 ounces Parmesan, grated

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large, oven-safe saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the red onion and salt and sweat until the onions begin to turn translucent, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic (and peppers or paprika, if using), and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, making sure the garlic does not burn.

Turn the heat up to high, add the chicken stock, bring to a boil. Gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking. Once you have added all of the cornmeal, cover the pot and place it in the oven. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent lumps. Once the mixture is creamy, remove from the oven and add the butter, salt, and pepper. Once they are incorporated, gradually add the Parmesan.

Serve as is, or pour the polenta into 9 by 13-inch cake pan lined with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely.

Once set, turn the polenta out onto a cutting board and cut into squares, rounds, or triangles. Brush each side with olive oil and saute in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, or grill.

Alton Brown, Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 large onion (about 1/2 pound), peeled and quartered
• 1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger
• 3 quarts water
• 1 pound leeks (1 1/2 large), tough ends cut away, halved lengthwise, cleaned and cut in thick slices (including the dark green parts, just discarding the very ends)
• 2 medium turnips (about 10 ounces), peeled and cut in wedges
• 1 pound carrots (3 large), peeled and sliced thick
• 2 ounces mushroom stems (from about 8 ounces mushrooms), or 4 dried shiitakes
• 1 head of garlic, cut in half
• 2 stalks lemon grass, trimmed, smashed with the side of a knife, and sliced
• Salt to taste
• 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (to taste), preferably raw brown sugar
• 6 star anise pods
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• A 2- to 3-inch cinnamon stick
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fish sauce (nuoc mam), to taste (optional)

Preparation

1. Scorch the onion and ginger by holding the pieces above a flame with tongs, or in a dry frying pan if using an electric stove. Turn the pieces until they are scorched black in places on all sides. Slice the ginger lengthwise.

2. Combine the scorched onion and ginger with the water, leeks, turnips, carrots, mushroom stems or dried shiitakes, garlic, lemon grass, salt to taste and 1 tablespoon sugar in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Tie the spices in a cheesecloth bag and add to the soup. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add the fish sauce if using, and simmer for another hour (2 hours total, with or without the fish sauce). Strain through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Taste and adjust salt and sugar.

Serves 6

Martha Rose Shulman, New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 recipe pho broth (about 2 1/2 quarts)
• 3/4 pound rice noodles, preferably wide ones
• 2 medium or 1 large carrot (about 5 ounces) peeled and cut in 1 1/2-inch julienne
• 2 cups edamame (can use frozen, thawed)
• 6 ounces tofu, cut in matchsticks
• 1/2 cup Asian or purple basil leaves, or Italian basil, slivered
• 4 scallions, chopped, or 1/4 cup chopped chives
• 1 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
• Several sprigs fresh mint
• 2 cups bean sprouts (mung are traditional) or slivered romaine leaves (chiffonade)
• 2 to 4 bird or serrano chiles, finely chopped (to taste) or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (more or less to taste)
• 2 to 3 limes, cut in wedges

Preparation

1. Have the broth at a simmer in a soup pot. Season to taste with cayenne if you are not using fresh chiles.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles. Cook until just al dente, firm to the bite, following the timing instructions on the package (my wide noodles take about 5 minutes). Drain and divide among 6 large soup bowls.

3. Add the carrots and edamame to the simmering broth and simmer until just tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Ladle a generous amount of hot broth with the carrots and edamame into the bowls. Divide the tofu among the bowls. Sprinkle on half the cilantro, half the basil leaves and the scallions or chives. Pass the bean sprouts or lettuce, chopped chiles if using, the remaining basil and cilantro (if using), mint sprigs, and the lime wedges. Serve with chopsticks for the noodles and soupspoons for the broth.

Serves 6

Martha Rose Shulman, New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 lg. butternut squash (or 4 medium sweet potatoes)
• 1 tbsp. flaked almonds
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 3 slices ginger, or 1/2-1 tsp. dried ginger
• 1 red chili, deseeded and sliced, or 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• 3/4 c. coconut milk (about half of a standard 14.5 oz can)
• 1-1.5 c. baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

Preparation

Peel the squash or sweet potatoes. Discard the seeds and cut the flesh into 1-inch pieces. Toast the almonds in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat for 5-7 minutes and set aside. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions until lightly browned, stirring regularly, 12-15 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, chili, coriander, cumin, mustard seeds, and turmeric. Reduce heat to low and cook until fragrant, 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the squash or sweet potatoes and coconut milk. Stir and cover, simmer for 20 minutes until just tender. Add the spinach and cilantro, and stir until the spinach is just wilted. Serve with rice, topped with almonds.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 1 lg. red onion, chopped
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 2 1/2-3 c. water, divided
• 1-2 tbsp. cayenne (1 tbsp. is hot, 2 is blazing)
• 1/4 tsp. dried ginger
• 1 sm. clove garlic, diced
• 1 c. red lentils, washed
• 1 tbsp. butter or qibe
• 1/4 tsp. salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Using a medium pot with a lid, start by sauteeing the onions until light brown, about 6-8 minutes over medium heat. Don’t worry if they stick a bit. Add the oil. Once it is simmering, add 1/4 c. water. Then immediately add the cayenne and the ginger and garlic. It will be a rather thick mix, but keep stirring as it may burn if you don’t. Add the qibe or butter, and about 1 cup water, 1/4 cup at a time, constantly stirring. It is important that you add the water gradually because the cayenne has to cook and blend with the broth. Once you have enough volume in your pot to submerge the lentils, add them. Stir the lentils for about 2 minutes. Then add about a cup of water to the pot and close the lid to let it come to a boil. Once the volume of the pot has considerably come down, 10 minutes or so, start stirring to see if the lentils have cooked. If they are tender and crush easily, it’s time to take your pot off the stove. If not, keep them cooking, checking every 3 minutes, adding a few tbsp. of water so they don’t dry out. For red lentils, the recipe should take around 12 minutes, for green lentils, 20. Let cool a bit, add salt and pepper, and serve warm with bread for dipping.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 8 cups water
• 3 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 pound dried brown lentils, rinsed, drained
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons ground cumin, divided
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Combine 8 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in heavy large saucepan over high heat. Add lentils; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well; rinse with cold water and drain again. Place in large bowl.

Whisk 1 cup olive oil, vinegar, 2 tablespoons cumin, 2 tablespoons chili powder, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt in large measuring cup. Pour 1 cup dressing over warm lentils and toss. Cool.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over high heat. Add onion; sauté until dark brown and soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken; sauté 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon cumin, 2 teaspoons chili powder, and cinnamon. Sauté until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.

Arrange lentils on large platter. Place sliced chicken atop lentils. Drizzle with remaining dressing and sprinkle with parsley. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Bon Appetit, January 2004