Breakfast October 8, 2013

1 Melon Salad Breakfast October 8, 2013 1 cup sugar 1-1/2 cups water or fruit juice 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons vinegar 1 teaspoon ground ginger 4 Spanspek (Use cantaloupes if in the USA) 1/4 watermelon Salt, pepper 2 tablespoons muscadel or port Mint, for serving In a small saucepan, place the sugar, water, lemon juice, vinegar, and ginger. Heat to a boil, stirring well. Continue boiling for about 5 minutes, then strain syrup through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl. Cool. Meanwhile, de-seed the cantaloupes and watermelon. Using a melon baller, collect balls and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then sprinkle on the muscatel. Toss gently. Pour syrup over melon balls and refrigerate for several hours before serving. To serve, decorate with mint sprig. Morrocan-Spiced Roasted Vegetables Serves 12 2 pounds shallots, halved (or quartered if large) 4 tablespoons olive oil 4 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes 4 large red bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes 1 tablespoon coarse salt 4 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into bits Preheat oven to 375 F. Toss shallots with 1 tablespoon oil and roast in a shallow baking pan in lower third of oven 25 minutes. Toss together squash, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, salt, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Add roasted shallots and divide between 2 large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pans. Dot vegetables in each pan with half of butter and roast in upper and lower thirds of oven, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes total.

2 Poblano Chile Relleno Recipe courtesy Michael Fennelly 1 1/2 cups flour, divided 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon 12 ounces beer 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions 1 clove minced garlic 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels Fresh ground black pepper 1/2 cup grated monterey jack 6 poblanos, charred and peeled Corn oil, for frying Sour cream, as accompaniment Lime wedges, as accompaniment Directions Combine 1 cup of the flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Gradually add the beer, whisking until the batter is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and garlic, and cook until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the corn and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Allow to cool, add cheese, and set aside. Make an incision the length of each chile and remove the stems and seeds. Stuff corn filling into chilies, and close with a toothpick. In a large deep skillet, pour oil until half full. Heat over medium heat until hot. Dredge chilies in remaining flour, shake off excess, dip in batter, and fry until golden, approximately 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels and season with salt. To serve place on large dish and serve with sour cream and lime wedges.

3 Curried Hamburger and Potato 1 lb. hamburger 1 onion sliced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups diced tomatoes Salt and pepper to taste ¼ t. cinnamon 1 t. curry powder 1 t. cumin ½ t. mustard 1 t. paprika 1 t. ginger 1-2 T. parsley, chopped 1 or 2 potatoes Heat a frying pan and add 1 T. oil. Add hamburger and onions and cook over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until meat is brown. Drain off the fat and add tomatoes and spices. Cook 5 10 minutes to let flavors blend. Add potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender and liquid is absorbed. Water or broth can be added if needed. Serve with rice or pita. (You may substitute spinach or peas for potatoes.)

4 Hoisin Asian Meatballs Yields 18 meatballs 1 pound ground beef 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1/2 cup Panko 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1 large egg 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish Sesame seeds, for garnish For the hoisin sauce: 1/4 cup hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, sesame oil, Panko, ginger, egg, garlic and green onion. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 18-20 meatballs. Place meatballs onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until all sides are browned and meatballs are cooked through. To make the hoisin sauce, whisk together hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger in a small bowl. Serve meatballs immediately with hoisin sauce, garnished with green onion and sesame seeds.

5 Vegetable Fried Rice Makes 4 to 6 1 cup cooked Jasmine Rice 2 Tbs. vegetable oil, (divided) 1 2 cup chopped carrots ½ cup chopped celery ½ cup chopped zucchini 2 tsp. minced garlic 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp. thick Chinese soy sauce (optional) 2 Tbs. Fish Sauce 1 4 tsp. white pepper 2 Tbs. green onions, thinly sliced Optional garnishes: sprigs of fresh cilantro and cucumber*, thinly sliced Optional: Spicy Thai Chili Sauce Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir-fry vegetables and garlic for 1 to 2 minutes or until light brown. Remove from wok and set aside. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and coat bottom of wok. Add eggs and stir-fry for 30 seconds; until scrambled. Add cooked jasmine rice and stir-fry rapidly, turning jasmine rice over to coat with eggs. Add vegetables and garlic stir-fried mixture, soy sauce, fish sauce and white pepper; stirfry for 1 minute. Add green onions and cook for 30 seconds more. Place on a serving platter or in a bowl and garnish with sprigs of fresh cilantro and sliced cucumber. Accompany with Spicy Thai Chili Sauce.

6 Chicken Rice Noodle Salad with Peanuts and Spicy Lime Vinaigrette Makes 4 to 6 Servings 4 oz. Thin Rice Noodles or rice vermicelli 1 ½ cups cooked chicken, shredded ¼ cup purple onion, slivered ½ cup cucumber, seeded, thinly sliced ¼ cup carrots, julienne thinly sliced ¼ cup cilantro, coarsely chopped 4 Tbsp. green onions, chopped 2 cups torn butter lettuce leaves or baby salad mix ½ cup crushed peanuts Spicy Lime Vinaigrette Dressing 1 Tbsp. dried red chili flakes ½ tsp salt ½ cup sugar ¼ cup rice vinegar 6 cloves garlic, minced 3 Tbsp. Fish Sauce ¼ cup fresh lime juice In a bowl, mix together dressing ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. Can be made 1 day ahead. Store covered; refrigerated. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Cook rice noodles for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft. Drain; rinse with cold water to cool. Set aside. In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together with dressing.

7 Grilled Skirt Steak Salad with Mango and Arugula Serves 4 Ingredients For the Toasted Guajillo Dressing ¾ cup vegetable oil, olive oil or a mixture of the two 2 medium (1/2 ounce total) dried guajillo chiles (you can also use with New Mexico chiles) 2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in quarters ¼ cup sherry vinegar 1 scant teaspoon salt Optional: 1/2 seeded and finely chopped canned chipotle For the Salad 1 pound skirt steak 5 ounces arugula leaves 2 champagne or honey mangoes, peeled and diced 1/2 cup coarsely chopped spicy glazed pecans Directions Make the dressing. Pour the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. While the oil is heating, break the stems off the chiles, tear them open and shake out all the seeds. Lay tthe chiles in the oil, along with the garlic. Turn and stir continually until the insides have lightened in color and they are toasty smelling, about 30 seconds if the oil isn t too hot. Remove from the heat. Transfer the chiles to a blender jar (leave the oil and garlic in the pan). Add the vinegar, salt and chipotle (if using), then blend for 30 seconds. When the oil and garlic are cool (5 to 10 minutes) add to the blender. Blend until smooth it may take a minute or more. Taste and highly season with more salt. Measure 1/3 cup of the dressing to use as a marinade for the steak. Pour the rest into a jar with a secure lid. Shake well immediately before use. Marinade the steaks. Place the steaks in a non-reactive dish and pour the reserved 1/3 cup of dressing over the steaks. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour. Grilling the steaks. Heat your gas grill to medium-high, or light a charcoal fire and let it burn until the charcoal is covered with white ash but is still quite hot. Remove the steaks from the marinade and salt both sides. Lay the steaks on the grill. When richly colored underneath (about 3 to 4 minutes), flip and cook on the other side until medium rare (about 2 or 3 minutes more). Remove and place on a wire rack set over a baking sheet to cool before slicing against the grain into 1/2-inch strips. Place the steak into a small bowl and toss with 1/2 of the remaining dressing. Plating the salad. In a large bowl, add the arugula and mango and toss with remaining dressing. Portion the salad between four dinner plates.

8 Thai Coconut Sticky Rice and Mango 1 cup raw Thai sticky rice (no substitute), preferably jasmine 1 cup good coconut milk 1/3 cup sugar ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon vanilla One perfectly ripe good mango, peeled and cut into thick slices 1 T. toasted sesame seeds Procedure: Rinse the sticky rice and allow it to soak over night or for at least four hours. Drain the rice and either steam for approximately 30 minutes or simmer in 1 ½ cups water until tender. While the rice is cooking, prepare the sauce by heating the coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a small heavy saucepan. Whisk until the milk is smooth, creamy and slightly reduced. Remove from heat and keep warm. When rice is cooked, but still hot, transfer to a bowl and while fluffing the rice, drizzle half of the sauce into the rice. To serve, place about ¼ of the rice in the center of the plate, top with mango slices and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Drizzle remaining coconut sauce around the rice.