La Platicona Habla: Tastes, Passions and Pursuits

Gorgonzola is a mild blue cheese that mixes well with nuts and dried fruits like figs. This recipe is an elegant way to use your stinky cheese and serve up a quick meal. You can use penne, linguini, or whatever pasta you like.

You will need: small wedge of gorgonzola 1/3 c size; 2 tbsp butter; pasta cooked and drained; 1/4 sliced red onion; 3 cloves minced garlic; 1/3 c cream; 3 handfuls of cleaned baby spinach; 1 handful of chopped walnuts; salt, pepper, chile piquin, italian parsley (Fresh) for falvor.

Step One: In a saute pan, combine butter and garlic. Add red onions and a dash or two of olive oil. Cook over medium high heat so onions carmelize (they will get soft and brown the butter). Reduce heat to medium.

Step Two: Crumble cheese into pan and add cream. Cook until cheese melts in. Add spinach and cooked pasta, tossing together with salt, pepper, piquin, walnuts, and chopped italian parsley. Serve with fresh grated parmesan.

Labels: cheese, pasta, spinach

A spring snow storm has rolled through the front range today and all the green grass, flowering trees, and budding plants have received a dusting of white this morning. To honor the much needed moisture, I will post a soup recipe today that is sure to warm you through until the sunshine returns.

For this mushroom soup, without the milk (for my lactose intolerant friends), you will need:
- olive oil to sauté;
- ½ small white onion minced;
- 2 c of mushrooms, sliced (I used cremini and oyster mushrooms);
- 2 celery stalks, diced;
- 1 carrot, diced;
- 2 bay leaves;
- 1 c white wine;
- 2 tsp corn starch;
- 3 c vegetable stock;
- 2 c water;
- handful of fresh Italian parsley, chopped;
- 4 c cooked wild rice.

Step One: Cook the wild rice (about 2 c of raw rice makes 4 cups of cooked rice) according to directions. I used my rice cooker, but you can use a microwave brand, or whatever brand you like. Set this aside.

Step Two: In a large stock pot, sauté the onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, salt & pepper in 4 tbsp of olive oil until translucent over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and white wine; cook for 5-7 minutes. When the wine reduces, add the corn starch and stir until incorporated.

Step Three: Add the vegetable stock and water, cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes (let simmer, but not boil).

Step Four: When stock reduces by about 1 cup, soup is ready. Ladle soup over bowls of wild rice; season to your liking (I usually sprinkle that Italian parsley on at this point). When storing the soup, keep the rice and soup separate or else the rice will bloat and fall apart overnight.

Labels: mushrooms, soup

I was asked for an asparagus recipe, and I apologize for the delay. Although this is an advanced recipe, the directions for cooking the asparagus itself are quite simple (I promise - just try it, and post a comment if it turns out wrong). Oh, and Happy Birthday Auntie Bee - I promise to come home this weekend and cook for you.

Asparagus is part of the lily family, and is green or white depending on the growing conditions. Like cauliflower, white asparagus is grown by covering the plant, but instead of leaves, the plant is buried underneath soil and then harvested when mature. In New Mexico, asparagus grows wild in the spring time along the acequias and small creeks, providing a special seasonal treat. I like to eat asparagus as simply as possible to enjoy its full flavor. The focus here is how to simply cook asparagus and not end up with a mushy brownish green mess in the pan.

You will need: ingredients for saffron risotto (minus the shrimp, add chopped italian parsley at the end though, and don't forget the peas) as posted on 01/08/06 and shown again on 03/03/06; 1 bunch of skinny asparagus stalks; 1/3 c of water; 2 tblsp of olive oil; sea or kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Step One: Cook the risotto according to the directions as posted on January 8, 2006. Add italian parsley at the end when it is done cooking and set aside in a bowl with a foil cover.

Step Two: Take your bunch of asparagus and rinse it. The asparagus should be as skinny as possible - the larger stalks are tough and fibrous and are not as tasty. Cut the bottom 2-3 inches off with a knife, slicing along the diagonal for presentation.

Step Three: Place asparagus in a medium saute pan with water and olive oil. Cover pan with foil and cook on medium-high for 3-5 minutes or until just bright green and tender. I like my asparagus hot, but you can plunge the cooked asparagus into a bath of ice water and serve over greens for a salad too. Mmm.

Step Four: Place asparagus on top of risotto, drizzle with olive oil and salt & pepper to taste. It is a wonderful combination; for the vegans, vegetarians who don't eat seafood, and gluten free eaters, it is an impressive looking and tasting meal.

Labels: asparagus, risotto, saffron

While I dedicate much of this blog to my vegetarian followers, sometimes, I can't help but put some meat recipes in here. While this is not a traditional won ton recipe by any means (no pork), it is nonetheless a light alternative to the traditional soup and can be modified to your likeness.

The "skill" level for this soup is relatively basic, but it is very time consuming. I recommend that you make the won tons the night before you plan on cooking them (this will also allow the meat to set overnight and flavors to marry).



You will need:
- one package of won ton wrappers (sold at any local grocer, but not frozen!);
- 1 chicken breast;
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger,
- 3 minced garlic cloves,
- 2 tbsp minced onion;
- 1 tsp kosher salt,
- 1/2 tsp pepper,
- 1 tbsp sesame oil;
- 2 tbsp soy sauce;
- 1 egg beaten;
- 3 scallions sliced on the bias;
- 2 c of chicken stock;
- 1 c veggie stock;
- 2 c water;
- shredded carrots and daikon raddish for topping.

Won Tons
Step One: take the chicken breast and remove the bone; place the meat between 2 sheets of saran wrap and pound at it with a meat bloc or other equally heavy object until pulpy. Remove the meat from the saran wrap, place on a non-wood cutting board and mince away until the chicken resembles minced meat.

Step Two: in a large bowl, place the meat, all spices listed above (garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, onion, sesame seed oil, soy sauce) and stir until mixed.

Step Three: take a won ton wrapper and place 1 tbsp of minced meat in the middle; brush egg wash on the lower 2 edges of the won ton wrapper (the bottom of the diamond if you will). Fold over and place a dab of egg wash on the top point of the triangle and fold in the 2 corners to make the won ton pretty. (the won ton wrapper package will contain an illustration and my picture above shows you what they should look like) Repeat until all the meat is gone; place on a plate with corn starch on the bottom (so they don't stick); cover and refridgerate overnight.

Soup
Step One: In a stock pot, bring all the liquids to a boil. For added flavor, feel free to drop in a couple cloves of garlic or pieces of onion.

Step Two: When stock boils, drop in the won tons and cook for 6 minutes. Serve in bowls with scallions, carrot, daikon raddish, and peas if you'd like. It is a very soothing soup.

For a veggie version, skip the chx stock and chx, substitute 1 c of minced shitake mushrooms and 1/2 c minced tofu inside wrappers.

Labels: soup, won ton

Tomatillos are certainly a mystery food in the complex array of Mexican fruits, vegetables, and spices. Although these green things look just like small tomatoes, they are in fact related to the gooseberry (yuck!). They are found in almost every grocery store and have a dried sticky leaf attached to them you have to remove in order to prepare. I love eating tomatillo salsa as a snack food with blue corn tortilla chips. My brother-in-law should be given his due credit for showing me how to cook these things - thanks Joel.

You will need:
- a blender;
- 5 tomatillos, husks removed, and rinsed;
- 2 serrano peppers with the stems removed (you can also do jalapeno peppers or 3 mini yellow banana peppers);
- ¼ white onion (you should mince half of this and set it aside, and chuck the rest into the blender);
- 3 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled;
- handful of cleaned and chopped cilantro leaves (my mom is totally grossing out now);
- ½ of a lime;
- salt to taste.

Step One: Place the cleaned whole tomatillos into a small pot of boiling water (about 3 c) along with the peppers. Boil this for about 7-10 minutes or until the tomatillos turn an ugly moco green and are very soft. Drain and chuck these ingredients into a blender.

Step Two: In the blender along with the tomatillos and peppers, add the garlic, onion (the part not minced), and salt to taste. Blend this until smooth. Pour into a bowl.

Step Three: When the salsa cools, add the rest of the minced onion, squeeze the lime, and add the cilantro leaves; stir with a spoon. (If you add the leaves while hot, they wilt and taste slimy) Serve with your favorite chips. For a good blue corn chip, try the Wild Oats brand of blue corn chips with sesame seeds. (my brother-in-law occasionally adds a spice here and there to the salsa before serving, but it is really good plain and simple like this)

Labels: salsa, tomatillos

I never have anything bad to say about any legume - after all, I grew up on beans and I could never betray them by chiding them on this blog. However, my one complaint is how long it takes these little things to cook. These green split peas are very scrumptious, but require a bit of cooking. I promise that the taste is worth the wait though, and there isn’t much to this recipe so it should be a good starter for new cooks.

You will need:
- 2 c green split peas;
- 4 cloves minced garlic;
- ½ of a small white onion, diced;
- 2 large carrots, diced;
- 2-3 stalks of celery, diced (depends how much you like it);
- 1 medium potato, diced (I used 5 fingerling potatoes);
- handful of chopped Italian parsley;
- 4 c vegetable stock;
- 1 c white wine;
- 2 c water;
- salt and pepper to taste; chile piquin crushed for flavor.

Step One: sauté the garlic, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, and chile piquin in a large stock pot with ¼ c of olive oil until onions are translucent (cook over medium-high heat). This takes about 7 minutes.

Step Two: stir in white wine and cook off for about 3 minutes. Add split peas, vegetable stock, water, and cover pot. Reduce heat to medium so that the ingredients will simmer for 1 hour. Stir occasionally and add more water if necessary. Consistency should be slightly thick and the peas should be a little past al dente. If not to the desired thickness, cook for another 20 minutes, carefully making sure the liquid doesn't all cook off.

Step Four: stir in freshly chopped parsley; add salt/pepper to taste and serve. Optional: add ¼ c of heavy cream and cook for another 10 minutes.

Labels: soup, split peas

Eggplant "Sorrentina" (I don't really know the proper spelling for this region in Italy) is a dish that I enjoyed every Sunday at the Cafe Pertutti in NYC. The chef would never share the recipe until one day I got lucky and talked to a different cook in the kitchen who gladly gave me the secret ingredient I couldn't figure out that would horrify any kosher eating vegetarian: prociutto. Eggplant Sorrentina was served at this restaurant and only this restaurant (believe me I ate at nearly every Italian restaurant in Little Italy, the Upper Westside, and the old school Upper Eastside Italian hood) with a side of penne and vodka sauce. Sorrentina is named so for the style of cooking. The eggplant is lightly fried on each side in a bit of olive oil (after being coated as listed below), and served stacked with layers of vodka sauce, prociutto, and cheese. If you hate eggplant, you must give it one more chance, and let it be Sorrentina. If you hate it, I'll eat a frozen dinner.

You will need: one eggplant sliced 1/4 inch thick long ways; 1 c shredded mozzerella; 1/2 c shredded parmesan; 2/3 c flour with 1 tsp salt mixed in, place on a plate; 2 beaten eggs in a large bowl; 6 slices of prociutto (very thin); 1 jar of vodka sauce (get a high end brand because the consistency will be better); olive oil for cooking. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

This picture shows the process of stacking the eggplant before baking in an oven. This recipe makes three little stacks.

Step One: Heat 1/4 c of olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat.

Step Two: Take your eggplant slice, dip it into the egg mixture and then the flour mixture, dust off, and fry on each side until golden brown. (note that the eggplant should not swin in oil, you need just enough to cook each side). Place on paper towels to drain. Repeat this step until all eggplant is cooked.

Step Three: In a baking pan, layer the ingredients as follows: 1 tbsp of vodka sauce; cooked eggplant slice; prociutto; 1 tbsp vodka sauce; pinch of chopped Italian parsley; sprinkle of 2 cheeses; repeat up to 3 times. For final layer, add a healthy handful of cheeses on top.

Step Four: Bake in an oven at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Turn oven to broil and cook for another 2 minutes or until the cheese begins to bubble and turn brown. Remove from the oven and serve with a side of penne pasta and vodka sauce. If you can't eat wheat, substitute flour for rice flour and eat this with a refreshing salad of organic field greens and balsamic vinegar dressing.

Labels: cheese, Eggplant, sauce