Wednesday, August 20, 2008

First All Team Recipes

Kristi's Two Way Saffron Orzo
You can make this yummy side into a main dish by adding shrimp!

Saffron Orzo with Sugar Snap Peas and Shrimp (or without shrimp)

½ yellow onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 ½ cups orzo
2 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
½ lb asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
½ lb sugar snap peas, trimmed
½ lb shrimp, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
Salt and pepper to taste

Warm oil in a large saucepan, over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and saffron threads and
sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Mix in the orzo and stir well. Then stir in the broth. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is just tender – about 8 minutes.

Add the asparagus and sugar snap peas and simmer until partially cooked, about 3-4 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until opaque, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Calories = 315, Total fat = 5 grams



Sweet and Spicy Zucchini Salad by Ruth
Ruth's tip is to double up on the chilie paste to give the salad more kick.

Sweet and Spicy Zucchini Salad
Brad Levy, Firefly Restaurant as published in SF Chronicle Cookbook

4 medium zucchini, preferably 2 green and 2 golden
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Chinese chilie paste with garlic
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 small carrot
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Trim the zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/16 inch thick slices on a 45 degree angle. Combine the zucchini, 1/4 cup of the vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a bowl. Toss well and let stand at least 1 hour.

Drain the zucchini well. Add the remaining 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt, the chilie paste and cilantro; mix well.

Peel the carrot, cut in half lengthwise, then slice as thinly as possible on a 45 degree angle. Blanch the carrot slices in boiling water for 10 seconds, then transfer to ice water to stop the cooking. Drain, pat dry and add to the zucchini. Add the onion and let stand 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8



Chris’ (by way of Hilda) Orzo
A few people commented on how tasty this was and as much as I’d love to take credit, Hilda is the brains behind this find. One great tip she shared was that orzo typically comes in 1 lb boxes so, just double the recipe and you have lunch for a week!


Orzo with Roasted Vegetables
Barefoot
Contessa Parties! 2001

This recipe is a slight variation of a wonderful summer dish invented by Sarah Leah Chase in her book, The Open House Cookbook.
1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced

1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound orzo or rice-shaped pasta

For the dressing:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:
4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts), toasted
3/4 pound good feta, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil.

Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.


Gina's Delish Corn Pudding
I heard Pat walked out of the meeting with a big cup of Gina's yummy corn pudding. It sounds super easy to make, give it a try!

Santa Fe Corn Pudding
June '07 Sunset Magazine

4 c fresh (or frozen) corn, divided
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
About 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped roasted green chiles (like anaheim or new mexico varieties)
1 cup crushed buttery salted crackers (like Ritz),divided
4 Tbsp melted butter, divided
1/2 cup grated monterey or pepper jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 2 qt baking dish. Put 1 ¾ c corn kernels in bowl of a food processor Pulse until mixture is pureed but still a bit chunky, about 5 pulses. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, and 1 tsp salt. Add whole and pureed corn kernels, green chiles, ¼ c crackers, and 3 Tbsp melted butter. Stir to combine. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish and scatter cheese over the top.

In a small bowl, mix together remaining ¾ c cracker crumbs and 1 Tbsp melted butter. Sprinkle over cheese. Bake pudding 45-50 min., or until puffed and golden brown. The edges should be a bit crusty and the center still a little jiggly. Serve hot.

Jared's Amazing PB&J Cheesecake Bars
Get this, not only are these incredibly tasty...it's also a Weight Watchers recipe so you don't have to feel guilty about eating the whole tin! Not that I know from experience...

PB & J Cheesecake Bars
Weight Watchers

15 items reduced-fat vanilla wafer(s), crushed
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp sugar
1 sprays cooking spray
8 oz light cream cheese
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, with salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg(s)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup spreadable fruit, blackberry
1 items reduced-fat vanilla wafer(s), crushed

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine first three ingredients; press into bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350ºF for 6 minutes.

Beat cream cheese and peanut butter with a mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add sugar and egg, beating well. Stir in vanilla.

Spread blackberry spread evenly over crust. Pour cream cheese mixture over fruit spread; sprinkle with remaining crushed vanilla wafer.

Bake at 350ºF for 14 minutes or until almost set. Cool 30 minutes. Cover and chill 1 1/2 hours. Yield: 16 servings

Patti's International Pasta Salad
Patti said she had a lovely pasta salad from the marketplace in Barcelona that she's tried to replicate by taste...what did you think?

Pasta Salad

1lb pasta (i.e. Rotini)
1 can corn (approx. 15 oz)
1 small can sliced black olives (approx. 3 oz); save a bit of juice
½ red onion, diced
2 roma tomatoes
Feta Cheese (approx. 3-4 oz)
Olive oil (to coat)
Splash of Sherry Vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
Sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional)


The One We've Been Waiting For
Lindsey's Goat Cheese Tart ('nuff said)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board Kosher salt
13 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, divided
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 to 4 shallots)
3/4 cup chopped pancetta
10 1/2 ounces garlic-and-herb soft goat cheese (recommended: Montrachet}
1 cup heavy cream
3 extra-large eggs
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, put the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cut 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of the butter into large dice, add to the bowl, and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, add the ice water all at once and process until the dough becomes crumbly. Don't overprocess. Dump the dough out on a floured board, gather it loosely into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough on a well-floured board and fit it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable sides, rolling the pin over the top to cut off the excess dough. Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil and fit it, butter side down, into the tart pan. Fill the foil with rice or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and foil from the tart shell, prick the bottom all over with a fork, and bake for another 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small pan and saute the shallots and the pancetta over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tender for the shallots and crispy for the pancetta. Place the goat cheese in the bowl of the food processor and process until crumbly. Add the cream, eggs, basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper and process until blended.

Scatter the cooked shallots over the bottom of the tart shell. Pour the goat cheese mixture over the shallots to fill the shell (if the shell has shrunk, there may be leftover filling). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tart is firm when shaken and the top is lightly browned.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve hot or at room temperature.

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