La Platicona Habla: Tastes, Passions and Pursuits

I slept in and made this delicious breakfast tart using some delicious Camembert brie cheese, and a simple ratatouille. For the tart crust, I opted for a traditional flakey tart crust, rather than my traditional savory tart crust. The main difference between the recipes is less flour and more butter. I will post separately with that recipe. The advantage of the flakey tart crust is the omission of pre-baking the crust. You can simply mold the crust into the tart pan and add your filling. The baking time is also less, which is especially important in summer when it can be too hot outside for baking inside.

For the ratatouille, basically a French version of random vegetables sauteed and sometimes roasted in an oven afterwards, I used the produce I found in my kitchen, including 2 plum tomatoes, 1/2 white onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 of a yellow and red bell pepper, and dried herbs de Provence. Rather than labor over stove and onion, I decided to quickly sautee these vegetables in 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat to give them a quick browning. I cooked them for about 8 minutes and turned the burner off, letting the juice from the vegetables evaporate as the pan cooled down. You don't want watery or mushy vegetables, so this process of eliminating the moisture from them is key to keeping your tart intact and prevent it from breaking up.

After molding my crust, I layered the vegetables first, then slices of the Camembert brie cheese (I tried the brie version, and frankly, didn't like it as much as the other brand that was more firm). I poured in 4 eggs I'd whisked with 1/2 c of cream. Bake the tart at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. The result is rather amazing, considering all the butter put into that flakey tart crust! Enjoy.

Labels: bell pepper, cheese, eggs, herbs, onion, tart, tomatoes

Labels: bread, breakfast, cheese, eggs, prosciutto

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

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

Chile comes in many varieties called Capsicum. Chile is native to the Americas and was first cultivated in Mexico over 5000 years ago. Chile is really a hollow fruit that encloses seeds coated with the chemical capsaicin that escapes into the inner wall of the chile and gives the chile its heat. The amount of capsaicin increases when that chile is grown in hot places with little water (like New Mexico), and decreases when the chile turn from green to red. Capsaisin suprisingly does not create ulcers, but rather, has many health benefits for the body, including increasing our metabolism, decreasing appetite preventing overeating, and inducing our body to sweat, causing us to burn more calories. So eat up!

The poblano peppers used for this dish are large, dark green peppers that require some intensive preparation. I propose that you prep them the night before you eat them so that you won't slave for hours over this dish. You can also put some beans in the crock pot the night before too (see blog post 10/18/05) and then "refry" the beans the day you want to eat this dish.

You will need: 2 c of shredded jack cheese; 4 poblano peppers; toothpicks; 3 eggs; medium skillet (castiron is best) and 3/4 c of vegetable oil for frying.

Step One: Turn the oven on broil. Place your peppers on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven. Cook these for 4 minutes, turn the peppers so each side is cooked. The skin will blister and turn black. Remove from the oven after each side is cooked and place immediately into a grocery bag or bowl and cover with saran wrap. Cover the bag or the bowl with a dish towel to retain the heat.

Step Two: After 10 minutes, remove the chile and peel the skins off. Gently make a long slit in the chile and remove the seeds.

Step Three: Stuff each pepper with cheese and close the slit by threading a toothpick into the chile. Refridgerate until you are ready to cook these.

When you are ready to cook these, start here:

Step One: Separate the yolks from the whites of the eggs. Place the whites in a mixing bowl and whip or beat on high with a mixer. When the whites stiffen, then fold in the yolks. This is the "batter" for the rellenos.

Step Two: In a castiron skillet or medium skillet, place vegetable oil in pan and warm over medium heat.

Step Three: Dip the stuffed peppers into the egg mixture using your hands. Remove and immediately place in frying pan with hot oil. Cook on each side for 4 minutes or until egg mixture turns golden brown. Place each cooked pepper on a paper towel to drain off excess oil before serving.

Step Four: Serve the rellenos (stuffed peppers) with a side of refried beans. You can use the beans you cooked in the crock pot (see blog post 10/18/05) and simply place them in a skillet with 3 tbslp of hot vegetable oil. Let the liquid cook off and mash. Add salt to taste and serve.

Labels: cheese, eggs, fried, pasilla peppers

I recently attended a potluck brunch and decided to bring a portable dish that mingling folks could carry in their hand while sipping mimosas. For the most quality burritos, you need top quality tortillas. These tortillas are made by Ms. Romero in San Luis, Colorado. My coworker loved them so much she had them sent in the mail. The next time you are driving to Taos, NM, be sure to stop at the local Philips Gas Station and buy a dozen of these tortillas. You will never taste a tortilla quite like it.

For 1 dozen burritos, you will need: 6 eggs; 3 medium sized russett potatoes diced; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 6 green chiles diced; salt and pepper to taste; 1 c shredded jack cheese; 1 dozen tortillas.

Step One: In a saute pan, heat vegetable oil on medium-high heat. When hot, add diced potatoes, salt & pepper. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Stir potatoes around so they don't burn.

Step Two: When potatoes are done, add all six eggs, tomatoes, and green chile into the pan with the potatoes, stirring around until cooked. (about 4 minutes) Potato and egg mixture should be covered while you reheat the tortillas.

Step Three: In a large skillet, griddle, or comal, reheat your tortillas - NEVER REHEAT TORTILLAS IN THE MICROWAVE! this is an insult to the tortilla - it's like reheating bread in the micro - it turns hard and gross. Place the tortillas on a plate and cover with a towel to retain heat.

Step Four: In each tortilla, place potato egg mixture and sprinkle cheese over it; roll it up and wrap each burrito in foil. Eat up.

Labels: breakfast, burrito, cheese, chorizo, eggs, green chile

Do you like Greek spinach pies? Hate trying to cook with philo dough? So do I. This recipe is a modified version of spinach pies and is made-easy for dinner service. You can premake this pie and freeze it for later. Cooking instructions are different if fresh vs frozen, so pay attention.

You will need: 1 bunch of spinach washed and drained, 1/4 white onion diced, 2 cloves of garlic crushed, 1/2 c of feta crumbles, 1/4 - 1/2 c of chopped italian parsley (flatleafed kind), 1/2 c of parmesan cheese grated, salt, pepper, 4 eggs, 2 Marie Calendar Pie Crusts thawed.

Step One: Cook spinach in a large saute pan with a lid or foil on top on medium low heat until wilted (don't add any water or anything, spinach is still wet from the washing). When done, drain this really well by squeezing the water out of the spinach (this reduces the spinach to about 1 cup worth). Set aside.

Step Two: Finely dice the onion, crushed garlic, and italian parsley. Put ingredients into a large bowl. Add the grated parmesan, feta crumbles, and eggs. Mix these ingredients well, then add the spinach. After ingredients are all well incorporated, pour into one pie crust.

Step Three: Take the other pie crust and cut out the middle. You place this over the prepared spinach pie, sealing the edges. This makes a spinach pot-pie look. You can freeze this (place in a large ziplock bag or wrap in saran wrap and then foil), or cook it.

Baking the Pie: Beat an egg and brush it on top of the pie. If thawed, place into an oven preheated to 375 degrees for about 25 - 35 minutes. The crust should be golden brown. Turn the oven down to Warm (a setting below 200 degrees), leaving the pie to finish off for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve like a piece of pie.
If you go from freezer to oven, cook at 400 degrees (don't forget to brush on the egg), for 45 minutes, and then turn down to Warm for 20 minutes. Whatever you do, just make sure the pie is golden brown and nice and hot.

Labels: cheese, spinach, tart