the Yummy letter

Volume 1 Issue 25 July 22 , 2009

A Home Recipe from Parties that Cook

SALAD OF WATERMELON, RICOTTA SALATA AND PINE NUTS
Serves 12

Dressing

2 Tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2

teaspoon kosher salt

Topping

6 cups seedless watermelon, cubed into 1-inch squares, rind discarded

1/4 cup red onion slices

1/2

cup green olives (like Picholine), seeded and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1 bunch watercress

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

4 ounces Ricotta Salata cheese (can substitute feta)

Dressing: Using a whisk, mix lime juice, olive oil and kosher salt together.
Salad: Combine watermelon, red onion slices, olives, cilantro and watercress. Drizzle with half of the dressing and gently toss. Transfer salad to salad plates. Garnish with pine nuts, Ricotta Salata and serve immediately.
Recipe created by Parties That Cook®.

- Bibby

A Home Recipe from GraceAnn Walden

The first time I tasted Chilaquiles was when I went to lunch with a well-known Mexican-American muralist. Truth be told, I had a gigantic crush on him, but I soon discovered he had a girlfriend in Oakland.

He floated out of my life, but Chilaquiles
(chee-lah-KEE-lehs) became a favorite brunch and breakfast dish in my house. In fact, I served it to a long-time boy friend, to his delight.

This dish is a popular way to use stale corn tortillas and, of course, yummy.

Chilaquiles
(Serves 6)

1 35-ounce can plum tomatoes, drained

1 onion, chopped coarsely

2

garlic cloves, chopped coarsely

2

fresh or canned jalapeño chilies, or to taste, seeded and minced

3

tablespoons vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce: In a blender purée the tomatoes with the onion, the garlic, and the chilies. In a large skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking, add the tomato purée, and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and black pepper.

Chilaquiles

Oil for frying

1 dozen stale corn tortilla, cut into 1/2 inch strips and then crosswise

2 1/2 cups Mexican-style tomato sauce

1/2

cup chicken broth

2

fresh jalapeño chilies, seeded and minced

2

cups grated Monterey Jack (about 1/2 pound)

1/3 crema* or light sour cream

1/3 cup minced cilantro (optional)

In a skillet heat 1/2 inch of the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking, in it fry the tortillas in batches for 10 to 20 seconds, or until they are pale golden and almost crisp, and transfer them as they are fried with a slotted spatula to paper towels to drain. In a bowl stir together the tomato sauce, the broth, and the chilies.

In a greased 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish layer the tortillas, the Monterey Jack, and the tomato sauce, beginning with a layer of the tortillas and ending with a layer of the Monterey Jack, and bake the chilaquiles, covered with foil, in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 20 minutes. Drizzle the crema over the chilaquiles, cilantro and serve.

*In my neighborhood, Mexican groceries carry crema.

- GraceAnn

Cookbook Review

Jam it, pickle it, cure it
and other cooking projects
Karen Solomon
Ten Speed Press
$24.95
ISBN: 9781580089586

I wanted to like this cookbook more, but can’t. Frankly, it just doesn’t have enough jam, pickling and curing recipes.

However, it does have some nice recipes, so Solomon’s book is a keeper.

When it comes to the jam chapter, there are only four preserves. In the pickling chapter there are six choices. In the curing sections there are a bounty of nine projects.

The rest of the book covers making crackers, dressings, pasta, cheese, simple pastries, frozen confections, candy, and drinks.

I think the problem with the book is not its offerings, but its title. Like its precursor, “Better than Store Bought,” it is a guide to making favorite foods and condiments at home.

But the 21-year-old Better Than Store-Bought by Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider Colchie really covers the subject from A to Z. However, that book is 303 pages as opposed to Solomon’s 141.

The limoncello recipe in Solomon’s book requires an eight-week commitment and produces just three cups of liqueur.

I know people who make this for holiday presents and make it by the gallon.
If you want to try your hand at limoncello, try this recipe for a test run.

Limoncello
Edited by GraceAnn

Prep ahead:
You’ll need a clean, odor-free, wide-mouthed glass jar with a tight-fitting lid for the infusion process. If you are giving the liqueur for a gift, use an attractive bottle with a tight-fitting cap.

8 lemons

1 1/2 cups vodka

1

cup sugar

1

cup water

Peel the zest from four of the lemons with a zester, trying to avoid as much of the white pith as you can. Pour the vodka into the jar, and add the zest. Seal and label the jar, and let sit for two weeks, shaking daily, then strain out and discard the lemon zest.

To make the simple syrup, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat, just until; the sugar is dissolved. Cool completely.

Squeeze the remaining 4 lemons, remove the seeds, and add their juice to the syrup.

Add the lemon syrup to the infused vodka and allow it to mellow for six weeks.
Store in a cool dark place or in the freezer indefinitely. It will not freeze.

- GraceAnn