Oaxacan Grilled Corn Recipe

We made this to have with steak tonight. Everyone approved. We even found some techniques that could be used anytime you grill corn. 

Ingredients

6 ears of corn, with husks and stalks (hopefully)

1/4 c. salt

4 tbsp butter, melted 

1/4 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. queso fresco

1/4 c. sour cream or crema Mexicana

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp lime zest

2/3 c. cilantro, coarsely chopped

lime wedges

Instructions

Peel back the corn husks and remove the silks. Soak the corn for an hour in water with the salt. 

Brush the kernels with the 3 tbsp of melted butter. Cover with the husks and tie the husks with cotton string to keep them in place. 

In a food processor, mix softened butter, queso fresco, and sour cream until fairly smooth. Mix in spices. Stir in lime zest and cilantro. 

Grill the corn until the kernels are tender. 

Peel back the husks and and tie them with a piece of husk a the stalk to create a handle. Roll the corn in the cream mixture on a plate using a flexible spatula for spreading. Serve with lime wedges and salt. 

We definitely think that the melted butter really helps with the cooking. We didn't put salt in the water but we're going to try it next time. We also didn't have corn with very long stalks but it would help with eating. 

Lunch Hour NYC

Here are some recipes from Horn & Hardart's Automat.  I picked these up at the Lunch Hour NYC exhibit at The New York Public Library.  I will add some more soon.  Below the recipes are some videos related to the exhibit.  The second video is really interesting.  I watched it in the exhibit.  

Burgundy Sauce with Beef and Noodles

2 lbs. lean beef (chuck or round)

2 tbsp. flour

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 medium carrot (grated)

1/2 medium onion (grated)

1/2 celery rib (finely minced)

2 garlic cloves (finely minced)

1 tsp. salt

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. Maggi seasoning

1/2 cup tomato juice

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups Burgundy wine

2 cups broad noodles, freshly cooked

Trim beef of any fat or gristle.  Save the fat.  Cut beef into 1 1/2-inch cubes.  Season it with salt and pepper. Dredge with flour.

Render the fat in a heavy pan.  Sear the meat in it.  Add all the other ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover.  Cook slowly until tender.

Just before serving, remove the bay leaf and mix in two cups of freshly cooked noodles.  Serves 4-6.

Creamed Spinach

1 lb. raw spinach

2 tbsp. butter

1 1/2 tbsp. flour

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. white pepper

Wash spinach.  Cook in a covered pan, using only the water that clings to the leaves.  When done, chop fine.  

Melt butter in a separate pan.  Add flour gradually, stirring constantly until it is of smooth consistency.  Add milk slowly.  Cook until thickened.  

Add spinach to the sauce.  Add seasoning and blend well.  Serves 4.

Pumpkin Pie

2 cups cooked pumpkin (mashed)

3/4 tbsp. salt

1 can (14 1/2 fl. oz.) evaporated milk

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp. butter, melted

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Heat oven to 425.

Beat all ingredients together with a rotary beater or wire whisk.  Pour into a pastry-lined 9-inch pan.  

Bake 40-45 minutes.  Insert a silver knife into the filling about one inch from the side of the pan.  If knife comes out clean, the filling is done.

Shells Stuffed with Spinach, Mushroom, and Ground Pork

Here are some pasta shells that I made a few weeks ago. I froze some of them and just enjoyed them again this week. I used several recipes from the Joy of Cooking to make them. Below is approximately what I did. What I have written below is about half of the original stuffing recipe modified. This made enough stuffing for a whole box of shells which filled one 9x13 baking dish and one 9x9 baking dish. I think I was more generous with the tomato sauce and cheese than the recipe calls for.



Stuffing

Heat in a very large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam subsides:
3 tbsp butter

Add and cook, stirring, until wilted:
1/2 lb. mushrooms, finely chopped

Squeeze almost dry:
One 10-oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
Stir into the vegetable mixture and cook until all the liquid is evaporated and the pan looks dry.

Turn the mixture into a large bowl and stir in:
3/4 pound ground pork, cooked
1 c. fine bread crumbs
1/2 c. finely chopped parsley
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese


Jumbo Shells

Have ready:
3 c. Tomato Sauce
Stuffing Filling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish. Cook in a large pot of boiling salted water until barely tender:
8-10 oz. of jumbo shells

Drain. Using a small spoon, fill the pasta with the filling. Arrange the pieces side by side in the baking dish. (At this point, the dish can be covered and refridgerated for up to 24 hours.) Spoon the tomato sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with:
1 c. shredded mozzarella
6 tbsp grated Parmesan

Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Pork and Kimchi Dumplings

For a while, I have been meaning to upload these dumplings that I made. The grocery only had dumpling wrappers past their expiration date, so I had to buy wonton wrappers. They worked out fine. I ended up making them twice because there was enough ingredients. Below is the recipe for the dumplings and the kimchi from MyRecipe.com:

Dumplings

Ingredients
Dumplings:
1/2 cup finely chopped shiitake mushroom caps
1/2 cup finely chopped Shang Kimchi
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
4 ounces ground pork
24 gyoza skins
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Cooking spray

Sauce:
1 tablespoon minced green onions
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Preparation
To prepare dumplings, combine first 10 ingredients. Working with 1 gyoza skin at a time (cover remaining skins to prevent drying), spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons pork mixture into center of each skin. Moisten edges of skin with water. Fold in half, pinching edges together to seal. Place dumplings, seam sides up, on a baking sheet sprinkled with 1 teaspoon cornstarch (cover loosely with a towel to prevent drying).
Arrange half of the dumplings in a single layer in a bamboo or vegetable steamer coated with cooking spray. Steam dumplings, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove dumplings from steamer; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining dumplings.
To prepare sauce, combine 1 tablespoon onions and remaining ingredients. Serve sauce with dumplings.

Kimchi

Ingredients
14 cups coarsely chopped napa cabbage (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
2 1/2 tablespoons sambal oelek or Thai chile paste
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

Preparation
Place cabbage and salt in a large bowl, tossing gently to combine. Weigh down cabbage with another bowl. Let stand at room temperature 3 hours, tossing occasionally. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain and squeeze dry.
Combine cabbage, sesame seeds, and remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Sour Cream Spice Cupcakes

Yesterday, I made these yummy cupcakes and iced them with cream cheese icing.


Taken from The Joy of Cooking.

Yield: 18 cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Whisk thoroughly in a bowl:
1 3/4 c. sifted cake flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Beat in a large bowl until creamy:
5 tbsp unsalted butter

Gradually add and beat until light, 3 to 5 minutes:
1 c. packed brown sugar

Beat in:
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 parts, alternating with:
1 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
in two parts, beating until smooth.

Using clean beaters, beat at in a medium bowl medium-high speed until stiff but not dry:
2 large egg whites
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites. Fold into the finished batter:
3/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Fill muffin cups about two-thirds full. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve plain or iced.

Happy Birthday! / Moo Shu Shrimp

Happy Birthday to Jim and Claire!!!

I hope that you both had a great birthday. Uncle Jim, I hope that I get to talk to you later this week.

I am continuing on my Chinese food kick. The following is a recipe that I tried this weekend. I don't have any pictures, but it was very tasty. I tried making Mandarin pancakes to go with it. I had mixed success, but I'm determined to get it right in the future.

Moo Shu Shrimp

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons peanut oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic, divided
• 1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 6 cups Napa cabbage, shredded
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas or Mandarin pancakes

Preparation

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic and shrimp; stir-fry 3 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through. Remove shrimp from pan; keep warm.
Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic and mushrooms; stir-fry 1 minute or until mushrooms are tender. Add carrot and onions; stir-fry 2 minutes. Stir in cabbage; cook 2 minutes or until wilted.
Combine soy sauce, 1 tablespoon water, cornstarch, and Sriracha in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir soy sauce mixture into cabbage mixture. Remove from heat; stir in shrimp, tossing to coat. Serve with hoisin and tortillas.
The recipe can be found at My Recipes: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1591067&cookbook_id=5326623
Below is the recipe for Mandarin pancakes. I had difficulty making them because of the dough, but the few that I did make were very tasty. I will try again soon and keep the dough warm as I work with it.

Mandarin Pancakes

Yield: 16 pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

Preparation

Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and water in a large bowl. Stir until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 3 minutes). Shape the dough into a 1 1/2-inch-thick log. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions. Roll each dough portion into a 6-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Brush 8 pancakes evenly with oil. Top each with one of the remaining pancakes, gently pressing together.
Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place 1 pancake stack in pan, and cook 1 minute on each side or until slightly puffed. Remove from pan, and cool. Peel pancakes apart.

The recipe can be found at My Recipes: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=222042&cookbook_id=5326623

Vegetable and Chicken Lo Mein/ My New Kitchen

I can't wait to see you this weekend (just one more day). I am glad to hear you are all having fun.

I made this fun Lo Mein today from the fresh noodles bought in Chinatown.


Below is the recipe and some pictures of my kitchen, now that it's all set up and ready for cooking.

Total: 45 minutes
Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles (lo mein)*
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1 cup coarsely shredded carrots
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken or tofu
• 3/4 cup mung-bean sprouts
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Preparation

1. Cook noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water until just tender to the bite, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and mix with sesame oil. In a small bowl, combine hoisin and soy sauce.
2. Pour 1 tbsp. canola oil into a 12-in. nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic, green onions, carrots, celery, and red onion, and stir often just until softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Add chicken and bean sprouts and stir just until warm. Turn out into a bowl and keep warm.
3. Wipe frying pan clean. Pour remaining 1 tbsp. oil into pan over medium heat. Add noodles; stir and turn occasionally until light brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Pour hoisin mixture and chicken mixture over noodles, add cilantro, and mix gen
tly.
The recipe can be found on My Recipes:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1835317&cookbook_id=5326623

Chili-Beef-Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients

4 zucchini, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

¾ pound ground beef

1 tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 cup jarred pickled jalapeño chiles, finely chopped

1 (8-oz) bag Mexican-style shredded cheese

View full reInstructions

Preheat oven to 450°. Arrange the zucchini cut side up in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Add ½ cup water to dish, cover with foil and bake until the zucchini begins to soften, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the beef and cumin and cook, breaking the meat up, until just browned, about 4 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes and pickled jalapeños.

Uncover the baking dish, pour off the water and season the zucchini with salt. Fill with the beef mixture and sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

Pasta with Mushrooms and Pumpkin-Gorganzola Sauce

Here is another recipe to try. I will leave up the other quiz, so you can still vote on the black bean soup also.


Ingredients
1 pound uncooked pennette (small penne)
1 tbsp olive oil
5 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about ¾ pound whole mushrooms)
4 cups vertically sliced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1½ tbsp cornstarch
1½ tbsp cold water
½ cup (2 oz) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
½ cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
⅛ tsp grated whole nutmeg
Fresh sage sprigs (optional)

View full recipeInstructions
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Keep warm.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic; cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
Combine chopped sage and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture and cheese to milk mixture, stirring with a whisk. Cook 2 minutes or until thick and smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in pumpkin, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Add pasta and pumpkin mixture to mushroom mixture; toss well to combine. Garnish with fresh sage sprigs, if desired.

Voting on TasteBook Recipes

I am hoping to have some new recipes for the TasteBook printed this Spring. There are already several recipes that have been added to the website. My father, however, suggested that some of the recipes should be vetted before being allowed in the cookbook. He also suggested that we do this by voting on the recipes through an online survey.

Below is the first of the recipes and the survey. Every week I will post one of the recipes in question and a survey with it. Please participate by trying the recipe and then voting. I will leave the surveys up for one month.

Black Bean-Tomato Soup with Cilantro Lime Cream

Ingredients

2 bacon slices, chopped

½ cup onion, chopped

¼ cup celery, chopped

1 tsp ground cumin, divided

½ tsp chipotle chile powder

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ tsp black pepper

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed & drained

1 (14.5 oz) can no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (14 oz) can fat free, less sodium chicken broth

¼ cup reduced fat sour cream

1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced

½ tsp grated lime rind

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

avocado slices (optional garnish)

View full recipeInstructions

Cook bacon in a large stock pot over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon, reserving 1 tsp dripping in pan; set bacon aside. Add onion & celery to pan; cook 5 minutes or until celery is tender. Stir in ¾ tsp cumin, chile powder, & garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in bacon, pepper, beans, tomatoes, & broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, & simmer 10 minutes. Place half of bean mixture in blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in lid (to avoid splatter). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining bean mixture; process until smooth.

Combine sour cream, remaining ¼ tsp cumin, cilantro, lime rind & juice in a small bowl. Drizzle cream over soup.

The recipe is supposed to serve 4 but it doesn't make a lot. If you want it to be the main course for more than 3 people, I suggest doubling the recipe. Instead of a traditional blender, you can use a submersion blender to make this part easier.

Pork Chops Stuffed with Feta and Spinach

Tonight, Laura made this recipe for me and Dad. It was delicious and had a nice presentation! She made it with a pine-nut couscous, a very good side.

Cooking spray
4 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
5 sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil, diced
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) block-style fat-free cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops, trimmed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano


Preheat broiler.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 2 garlic cloves; sauté 1 minute. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, tomatoes, and spinach; sauté until moisture evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in cheeses and rind.
Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each pork chop to form a pocket. Stuff about 1/4 cup spinach mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper over pork. Arrange pork on the rack of a broiler pan or roasting pan coated with cooking spray; place rack in pan. Combine remaining 2 garlic cloves, juice, mustard, and oregano in a bowl; stir well. Brush half of mustard mixture over pork. Broil 6 minutes; turn pork. Brush remaining mixture over pork; broil 2 minutes or until done.

You can see the original recipe on My Recipes if you click on the link.

Black Bean-Tomato Soup with Cilantro-Lime Cream

This is the third time I have made this recipe. I highly recommend it. If you do try this recipe, let me know what you think.


2 bacon slices, chopped
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. celery, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin, divided
1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14 oz.) can fat free, less sodium chicken broth
1/4 c. reduced fat sour cream
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 tsp grated lime rind
1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Cook bacon in a large stock pot over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon, reserving 1 tsp dripping in pan; set bacon aside. Add onion & celery to pan; cook 5 minutes or until celery is tender. Stir in 3/4 tsp cumin, chile powder, & garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in bacon, pepper, beans, tomatoes, & broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, & simmer 10 minutes. Place half of bean mixture in blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in lid (to avoid splatter). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining bean mixture; process until smooth.

Combine sour cream, remaining 1/4 tsp cumin, cilantro, lime rind & juice in a small bowl. Drizzle cream over soup.


The recipe is supposed to serve 4 but it doesn't make a lot. If you want it to be the main course for more than 3 people, I suggest doubling the recipe. Instead of a traditional blender, you can use a submersion blender to make this part easier. You can also add avocado slices as a garnish.