Mixed Fruit Rustic Tart, Stuffed Tomatoes, Butternut Taco Soup

Blue-Raspberry Tart
I needed a dessert for Sunday Brunch With Mum, and the local megamart had raspberries for $.99 a box.  Hard to pass that one up!!  I had fresh blueberries to fill in between.  Had a single sheet of puff pastry in the freezer begging to be used, so that was the crust.

12 oz fresh Raspberries
1 cup fresh Blueberries
4 tsp Cornstarch
Raspberry Jam
2 tsp Lime zest
1 Tbsp fresh Lime Juice

Pre-heat the over to 400F, and thaw the crust to a workable state.  While that's going on:

Gently combine the berries and cornstarch plus the zest and lime juice.

Roll out the puff pastry on a baking sheet.  Dock the dough with a fork, leaving at least 1" all around the edge un-docked so it will puff as it bakes.

Soften the jam in the microwave for 30 seconds or so, then brush a thin layer on the crust.  Now transfer the berries to the crust and spread with a spatula, turning up the 1" edge and pinching corners to form a shallow dish shape.  Brush additional jam on top of the fruit.  You'll see that I used small skewers to hold the sides up in place while the pastry cooked.  Just be sure to remove them all before serving!

Bake for about 20 minutes until the pastry is GB&D.  Rest a few minutes before slicing and serving.


Greek-style Stuffed Tomatoes
This recipe comes from the Forks Over Knives folks.  To make it more 'Greek-style", I've used Cavender'stm Greek spice blend

4 large Heirloom or Beefsteak Tomatoes
1 cup cooked Brown Rice
1/4 cup Pine Nuts
1/2 cup chopped herbs -- basil, celery greens, sage, parsley, etc.
1 cup chopped Onion
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp Oregano
1-1/2 tsp Cavender's
2 Tbsp Raisins (optional)
1/8 tsp fresh ground Black Pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.  Cook the rice with the Cavender's seasoning.  Slice the tops off the tomatoes, reserve, and hollow them out with a spoon, reserving the tomato "guts" also.

In a dry skillet toast the pine nuts a few minutes until browning and fragrant.  Reserve.  In the same skillet cook the onion, along with tomato guts, herbs and spices, and other ingredients.  Lastly, add the rice and cook until heated through.  Taste and re-season as needed.

Fill the tomato shells with the stuffing.  Place in a baking dish, and put the tomato tops back on.

Put any leftover stuffing in the dish, and add enough water to cover the bottom.  Bake, covered with foil, for 30 minutes, uncover and cook 10 minutes more.

Serve warm or cooled to room temperature.


Black Bean Butternut Taco Soup
I needed a quick soup for one of our "get home late" evenings.  I had the cooked up beans, and the squash and sundries on hand.  No special ingredients.

1 small to medium Butternut Squash -- peeled, seeded and cubed
1 Onion - chopped
2 sticks Celery, chopped
1-1/2 cups cooked Black Beans (about 2 cans)
1-2 Shallots - chopped
2 cups Vegetable Broth
1 cup water
Taco Seasoning to taste
Tortillas to make tortilla chips

Saute the onion, celery and shallots in a splash of EVOO.   Nuke the squash for 6-8 minutes until soft but not mushy.

To the sauteéd veggies, add  the broth and water, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the beans, taco seasoning, and half the squash (reserve the other half for garnish).  Simmer the flavors together for about 20 minutes.

Puree the soup and return to the pot.  Adjust the seasoning as needed.

Serve with cubes of reserved squash and a dollop of sour cream or Icelandic yogurt.

Tres Cerditos, Black Bean and Rice Casserole

Los Tres Cerditos
this is the story of the Three Little Pigs.  Well, sorta...   What I cooked were Solomillos de Cerdo  corte fino -- thin cut pork sirloins,  a.k.a pork tenderloin "steaks".

At least as tasty, and usually less expensive than ordinary pork chops.  I use these solomillos all the time when I need a nice bit of pork but not a whole pork loin or butt or shoulder.

Oven-Braised Mojo Solomillo de Cerdo

I started by marinating the solomillo de cerdo in classic Mojo sauce for about an hour.  Then I slipped the dish into a 350F oven for 20-30 minutes until just done.  Serve with your choice of sides -- like hominy and roasted red pepper strips.

Solomillo marinating in mojo sauce

Solomillo de Cerdo en Salsa Verde
This solomillo de cerdo is pan braised, or fried then smothered, with Salsa Verde.  To start I dusted the solomillo with "green" Sazon Tropical.  

Then ladled on the salsa verde and reduced the temperature and let the meat simmer until just off pink.

Tacos Solomillo de Cerdo 
This time I sliced the meat into thin strips, seasoned it with Sazon Tropical "yellow", and lightly fried them until just off pink.  I reserved the meat while I pan fried some chopped red onion and sliced mushrooms.  I combined the meat and veg along with a black-bean chipotle salsa that I'm particularly fond of, on small "street taco" sized corn tortillas.

Sazon Tropical x 2

Here are the two Badiatm Sazon Tropical spice blends that I used above.  

They are readily found in most megamart spice sections along with the other Badia brand spices.

Vegetarian Beans & Rice Casserole

Here's a modern vegetarian take on an ancient combination of ingredients. Nothing new here, except the added dairy and the bake. Pretty tasty though, especially if you top each serving with your favorite salsa!

2 cups cooked Brown or White Rice

2 cups cooked Black Beans

2 cups Corn, fresh or frozen

2 tablespoons Milk

1 Lime, juiced

1/3 cup diced Red Bell Pepper

1/3 cup diced Purple Onion

4 ounces Cream Cheese or Greek Yogurt

1 Tbsp Cumin

1 Tbsp Taco seasoning, to taste
Optional but highly recommended:  a jar of your favorite salsa for topping.

Preheat oven to 425ºF degrees.

Spray an 8-x-8-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray, and set aside.

Combine all ingredients except the black beans and corn in a large mixing bowl. Blend thoroughly. 

Then gently fold in the black beans and the corn, taking care not to smash them.

Pour mixture into baking dish, and bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Serve hot or at room temperature as a standalone dish, or as a side dish to grilled meat, poultry, or seafood. 

Also makes a great taco filling!

When I make this another time, I am NOT going to bake it -- waste of time and electricity!  Everything is already pre-cooked or doesn't need cooking.  Just fold it all together very well and ladle it onto plates or whatever, add the salsa, and nuke each serving for a minute or so to get it nice and warm.

Summer Salad, Shrimp & Green Chili Enchilada

Dog Days of Summer Peach Salad
What a nice change from your average summer pasta salad!   When I do it again, I'll chop up another peach to add to the body of the salad.   Some crumbled feta cheese would go nice here too, or some crumbly bleu cheese.  Something to add a bit of bite.

Serves 2 with leftovers for a lunch:

2 cups dry multigrain Penne Pasta
2 large ripe Peaches
2 Lemons
2 cloves Garlic, minced or pressed.
2 tsp Dijon or similar Mustard
2+ cups Baby Salad Greens
1 cup fresh Blueberries
2 tsp pure Maple or Cane Syrup, or even Honey --  not imitation crud
S&P TT

Cook the pasta to package directions.  Drain and rinse twice, and chill to reserve.

Halve and pit both peaches.  Put 2 halves on a grill and sear until you get nice grill marks.  Or  lay the halves cut-side-up on a baking tray and broil them for 6-10 minutes until they start to char along the edges.   Reserve.  Chop the remaining peach halves into 1/2" pieces.

Take a teaspoon or two of minced zest from the lemons.  In a screw top jar, vigorously shake together the zest, juice of the lemons, mustard and garlic to make a dressing.   Shake again before applying to the salad.  You can add a splash of EVOO to the dressing if desired, it will help the dressing stick to things.

In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, chopped peaches, greens, blueberries.  Drizzle the dressing overall and toss again just before serving.  Once plated, drizzle with the syrup, and serve.


Stacked Green Chili & Shrimp Enchilada
The state of New Mexico lays claim to having invented the "stacked" enchilada, distinguished from the Old Mexico rolled enchiladas in a baking dish smothered in sauce.  The stacked version can be done as individual stacks or overlapping stacks of tortillas alternating with various ingredients.  This is my version, using whole roasted Hatch's Green Chilis and shrimp.

I can't find cans of Hatch's whole green chilis anywhere at least in my part of Florida.  But some Airbnb guests from Albuquerque kindly sent me a can awhile back and I saved them for a special occasion.  Sally's out of town this week with a girlfriend, and she doesn't care for green chilis much, so this is the perfect occasion!

12-16 whole roasted Green Chilis, seeded & veined
12-16 small Corn Tortillas
2-3 cups Mexican Cheese Blend or good Mexican melting cheese (not cheddar!)
1 lb 36-40 raw Shrimp, shelled, tailed and cleaned

Preheat the oven to 400F.

In an 8x8 baking dish, lay down a layer of 4 overlapping tortillas.  Top them with some cheese, then 3-4 split open green chilis.  Add more cheese and then a layer of about a dozen shrimp.  Repeat layering until you use things up (at least 3 layers); ending with shrimp covered with cheese on top.

Bake for 45 minutes until everything is cooked and melted together.  Rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Pasta, Bannocks, Apple-Sweet Potato Casserole, more

Doesn't this look amazing?  Ginger and Citron and Almonds.  See my recipe for Yetholm Bannock, below.  But first:

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Garbanzos & Basil
Simple pasta, minimum sauce, maximum flavor.

1 pint Cherry Tomatoes
1 small can Garbanzos
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 cup slice Mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped fresh Basil
2 servings of dry Pasta -- spaghetti or fettucini
Basil Pesto to garnish

Saute the mushrooms in a bit of butter.  Reserve.  Start a pot of water to cook the pasta.  Halve the tomatoes and lay them out on a sheet pan with the garbanzos and garlic.

When the water boils, add the pasta and set your timer for al dente.  Turn on your broiler and put the tomatoes and chickpea sheet pan under for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes just start to wrinkle and collapse.

Toss the sheet pan contents with the mushrooms.  When the pasta is done, drain and plate.  Top with the vegetable medley.

Bannock Bread
Bannock -- a round 'flat', unleavened or barely leavened bread "fried" above a fire -- is a planet-wide recipe.  Scots, Tibetans, pre-invasion Native Americans, and all sorts of other folks around the world make something of the sort, sometimes with seeds or dried berries added.   This recipe makes one loaf nominally 9" in diameter.

1-1/2 cups Flour (AP, Whole Wheat, Oat, or some combination)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Water
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1-2 Tbsp additional Water

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt with the cup of water to make a wet dough.

In a 9" cold skillet (cast iron or non-stick), swirl the vegetable oil to cover the bottom.    Plop the dough in the middle and use a spatula to spread it out and smooth the top.  Drizzle the 1-2 Tbsp of water around the edge where the dough meets the skillet.  This helps steam-cook the bread.  Cover, set the stove's burner to medium low, and cook for 15 minutes or so, until nicely browned on the bottom.

This is where the recipe gets tricky!  Gas or electric stove, camp stove or open fire?  Mine is a glass-top electric. How low is medium low?  I set mine to 4 on a 10 point dial.  How heavy is your skillet?  Mine is an average non-stick pan.  All I'm saying is that it may take you a couple trials to get things right with your equipment.  My first attempt was burnt black in part because I wasn't watching as closely as I should!  The second  bannock was acceptable and the third nearly perfect.  Now I know how my equipment works for this recipe.

Reduce the heat (I dropped from 4 to 2 on my dial), carefully flip the bannock over, and cook the second side for another 5-10 minutes.  Total cook time 20-30 minutes, depending on your equipment.

My first two (including the cinder) were plain AP flour.  Tasty, but not fabulous.  The last one was two-thirds cup Whole Wheat flour and one-third cup Oat flour.  Don't have Oat flour?  Take 1/3 cup dry oatmeal for a spin in your coffee grinder -- quick oat flour!

This is a perfect bread to accompany a stew or hearty soup.  A half loaf hot from the skillet, slathered with butter and/or marmalade (or sliced and topped with sausage gravy) would make a hearty breakfast.  Or, split one in half to make a big sandwich.

Yetholm Bannock
That's pronounced Yet-hum with almost no 'h' sound.  Two tiny villages --Yetholm Town and Yethom Kirk -- on opposite sides of Bowmont Water, a river about a mile inside Scotland.   This is not your average savory Bannock bread by any stretch of the imagination!  But if you love crystallized ginger like we do, this is your dish!  Yetholm bannock is a holiday or festival dessert similar to, but better than fruitcake or anything like that.  Very rich and very sweet, but then you don't make this everyday -- just for very special occasions. I'd take this instead of birthday cake anytime! 

5 oz Butter
2 Egg Yolks (save the whites to glaze the top of the loaf when baking
2 Tbsp Golden Syrup (or cane syrup or honey)
3 oz Sugar
8 oz AP Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp ground Ginger
1 cup flaked Almonds
4 oz Candied Orange Peel or Citron Peel
3/4 cup Crystallized Ginger

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Beat together the butter, egg yolks, and syrup.  You can use a hand mixer or go "old school" with a spoon, but a stand mixer makes this a lot easier to prepare.  Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and spin some more. Plop the thick sticky mass on a cutting board and knead into it half of the almonds and all of the citron peel.  Form into a log and cut in half.

Chop the crystallized ginger into about 1/4" dice.

Line an 8x8 baking dish with tinfoil or parchment paper and dust with a bit of flour.  Spread one half of the dough into the dish, all the way into the corners.  Smooth a bit with a spatula.  Spread the crystallized ginger over the top.

Now pat out the second half of the dough, and then spread it in an even layer on top of the crystallized ginger.  Smooth the top.  Brush the top with slightly beaten egg whites and scatter the remining almonds on the surface.

Bake for 30-45 minutes until golden.  Let it cool in the pan on a rack, then cut into 1" squares. A 1" square of this is a real mouthful!

Apple-Orange-Sweet Potato Casserole
Something different this time.  I'm posting pictures of what I made, but giving you a recipe for what I should have done!  The recipe I made was 'way too sweet, even for a Thanksgiving side dish.  The following will still be somewhat sweet but not make your teeth ache!

2-3 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
2-3 large Apples, cored, peeled and cut into 1/4" rings
2-3 Oranges, preferably Moro or Blood Oranges -- peel on, sliced 1/4" thick
1/2 cup walnuts, pecans, or whole almonds
You want enough slices/rings to make two layers of each in your 7x10 casserole dish

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp ground Ginger

Microwave the sweet potatoes until tender but firm and let them cool a bit.  Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the casserole dish.

In a bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon and ginger.

Lay down and layer of each element in the casserole dish, and top with half the sugar&spice mix.  Repeat to make a second layer.

Bake for 30 minutes.   Serve.

Mum's Birthday Lunch

Sunday Brunch was in celebration of Sally's Mum's birthday (never ask a lady her age).  By request I made my Panko Fish -- cod fillets dusted in masa then dredged in beaten egg and Panko before being shallow-fried in 1/4" of vegetable oil in the electric skillet.

For the veggie, she requested my Roasted Brussel Sprouts -- halved and laid cut side up on a baking sheet, the sprited with EVOO and dusted with Cavender's Greek Seasoningtm.  Roast for 30 minutes in a pre-heated 400F oven.

For her birthday cake I made this Mango Upside Down Spice Cake from a box mix with the usual brown sugar syrup and large slices of Mango from one of Mum's trees.