Cheese Empanadas and Pebre

Empanadas

frozen empanada wraps
a brick of mozzarella cheese
frying oil

Pull wraps out of freezer several hours in advance. Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Cut thick slices of cheese and place on half of wrap. Fold in half and then fold and crimp edges together to seal. Fry until browned.

Pebre

tomato
onion
fresh cilantro
salt
olive oil

Heat a kettle of water to boiling. Dice tomato and onion into equal sizes and equal amounts. Soak the onions in boiling water, and drain. Chop the cilantro and mix with the tomatoes and onions. Add salt and oil to taste.

Bite off a corner, and fill with pebre.

Vegetable Gratin

1 large onion
1 head of garlic
1 small eggplant
1 zucchini
2-3 tomatoes
Oregano
Basil (dried or fresh)
Salt
Pepper
Grated cheese of choice

Roast garlic cloves in advance. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut onion in half and slice; saute with a dash of olive oil. Spray an 8"x8" glass pan, and spread the onions and garlic cloves on the bottom. Slice the eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes thinly, and arrange in layers on top. Sprinkle very generously with spices. Cover with a lid or foil, and bake for 1 hour. Check to make sure it isn't drying out, and if it is, sprinkle water on top until wetted.

Add the cheese and broil to finish. Serves 4.

Steak salad

leftover steak or tri-tip
romaine lettuce and/or greens mix
cherry tomatoes
avocados
blue cheese
peas
bell peppers
red onion
salad dressing

Fig Tarte Soleil with whipped blue cheese dip

Tarte:
1 box of puff pastry (2 sheets)
TJ's fig butter
walnuts, finely chopped
honey
1 egg, beaten with a little water

Pull pastry out of freezer the night before, and allow to come to room temperature according to package instructions. Spray a pizza pan with pam, roll out one sheet, and transfer it to the pan. Use a 10" pie pan to cut a circle. Spread the fig butter, walnuts, and honey up to 1/2" from the edge. Roll out the second sheet, lay on top, and use the pie pan to cut the top sheet in a circle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place a cup upside down in the center, and cut strips from the cup to the edge. Remove the cup, and holding the joint between the center circle and the strip so it doesn't tear, twist each strip several times. Brush with egg wash, and bake until browned.

Whipped blue cheese dip:
1/8 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 pkg cream cheese
olive oil
salt

Blend everything, adding olive oil until the desired consistency is reached.

Fried Squash Blossoms

squash blossoms from the squash volunteers in the garden
optional- cheese
2 eggs, beaten with a little water
a bottle of beer
enough flour to get a pancake batter consistency
salt
oil

Cut the anthers/style out of the squash blossoms, stuff with cheese and twist the petals closed if you choose to fill with cheese. Heat oil in a saute pan. Mix the beer, flour, and salt. Dip each blossom in the egg, and then in the batter, and place in oil. Flip after several minutes to brown both sides, and remove to a cooling rack on a sheet pan in a warm place.

Chile Relleno Casserole

6 jalapeno peppers
1/2 15-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 lb Oaxacan cheese
1/2 lb chorizo
fresh or dried oregano
1 T salt
12 eggs
1/2 cup milk

Char the jalapeno peppers, peel the blackened skin, cut in half and remove the seeds (use gloves or take care not to touch them). Cook the chorizo.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x11" pyrex with Pam, and arrange the peppers in the bottom. Place a strip of cheese in each pepper. Sprinkle the onion and chorizo over the top. Blend eggs, milk, salt, and oregano, and pour gently over the top. The recipe I based this off of called for a 1/3 cup flour and 1 t baking powder mixed into the eggs, which I skipped in favor of more of a souffle effect than a casserole.

Bake until the egg is fully puffed up, 30+ minutes.

Asparagus Pizza

Pizza dough
alfredo sauce
several asparagus spears
caramelized onions
prosciutto or coppa
Romano cheese

Chop asparagus into 2-inch pieces and saute.  Cut meat into strips. Preheat oven to 450.

Shape pizza dough, spread the alfredo sauce, and arrange the asparagus, onions, and meat on top. Grate a small amount of cheese on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the meat is getting crispy and the dough is cooked.

Baked Breaded Chicken Strips

6 Costco-sized chicken breasts
5 eggs
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
~4+ cups pulverized stale party crackers
5 T cornstarch
1/2 t baking soda
4 T Lawry's seasoning salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t paprika
dash cayenne pepper
1 t garlic powder + 2 T onion powder or 1 T no-salt seasoning
4 T buttermilk
Pam or oil spray or melted butter

Preheat oven to 425, spray baking sheets with Pam.

In one mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, W sauce, and 1/4 cup buttermilk together.

Grind the crackers in the food processor and add all the dry ingredients. Mix and then empty into another mixing bowl. Cut the 4 T of buttermilk into the crumb mixture in order to get larger chunks of batter.

Cut the chicken breasts into strips. Coat with the crumb mixture, and then submerge in the egg wash, and generously coat again with the crumb mixture. Place on the baking sheets, and spray the top with Pam or oil spray or drizzle melted butter over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes or until browned and the chicken is 165 degrees.

Serves 10.

Savory Bread Pudding 2

2 stale baguettes, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 eggs
1+ quart of milk
1 T salt
2 t ground mustard
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1 t ground sage
2 t ground dried rosemary

Whisk eggs and spices together, add milk (and additional eggs if needed) to cover bread. Add bread, mix well. Let stand overnight in the fridge with something- I used a bowl filled with water- holding the bread down in the egg mixture.

1 onion
4-5 small carrots
6 cloves of garlic, minced
a big handful of fresh thyme
a large sprig of rosemary
several stalks of celery
1 bunch of asparagus
1 head of Swiss chard
2 cups of grated romano cheese

Cut the veggies into bite-size pieces, and saute, adding in the order listed. Chop the herbs very finely and saute with the veggies. When cooked, add to the bread/egg mixture, tempering to prevent scrambled eggs. Fold the cheese in, leaving some to put on top.

Spray two casserole dishes with pam, and fill just over half full with the bread and veggie mix. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 for an hour, with the lids on for the first half.

Makes 16-18 servings.