Author Archives: Yumolicious

COYOTE CAVIAR

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1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4 1/4 oz)) can chopped ripe olives
1 (4 1/2 oz) can chopped green chiles
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tbs lime juice
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1.4 tsp dried crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
2 tbs chopped green onions
tortilla chips

stir together first 13 ingredients in a bowl. cover and chill at least 2 hours.

to serve, spread softened cream cheese on a round serving platter. spoon bean mixture over cream cheese. sprinkle egg around edge of bean mixture. sprinkle green onions over bean mixture. serve with tortilla chips.

12 appetizer servings

BROILED HERBED CHICKEN BREASTS

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2 tbs white wine vinegar
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 (7 oz) chicken breast halves, skinned

in a medium bowl, combine vinegar, olive oil, tarragon, thyme, salt, and pepper. pierce each chicken piece several times with a fork and add to bowl. turn to coat. marinate at room temperature, turning once or twice, 30-60 minutes.

preheat broiler. set chicken, bone side up, about 6″ from heat and broil 10 minutes. turn, baste with any marinade remaining in bowl, and broil 10-15 minutes longer, until chicken in white thoughout but still moist.

serves 4

MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH CHICKEN AND MUSHROOMS

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SAUCE:

4 tbs butter
4 tbs flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM FILLING:

4 tbs butter
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 12 oz), cut into 3/4″ pieces
10 oz mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper
pinch of nutmeg

1 lb elbow macaroni
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup coarsely shredded gruyere OR jarlsberg cheese

for the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan; stir in flour until thoroughly blended; cook, stirring, 2 minutes. gradually add the chicken broth, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil and thicken; add the heavy cream. cook, stirring, over medium heat until sauce is thickened and smooth, about 10 minutes. beat the yolks in a small bowl. gradually beat in some of the hot sauce. return to the saucepan. season with salt and pepper.

for the filling: melt 2 tbs of the butter in a large heavy skillet. add the chicken and saute until tender, about 7 minutes. scrape onto a side dish. add the remaining 2 tbs butter to the skillet. add the mushrooms; saute,, stirring, until tender and lightly browned. add the scallions and the garlic; saute 2 minutes. return the chicken to the skillet; add the parsley; season with salt, pepper, and the nutmeg.

cook the macaroni in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, or firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain. combine the macaroni, sauce, chicken and mushroom mixture, and grated parmesan cheese. spoon into a buttered 9″x13″ baking dish. sprinkle top with the gruyere.

bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until top is browned and bubbly, about 45 minutes.

8 servings

SLOW BEANS BOURGUIGNON

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8 oz fresh pearl onions
1 tbs olive oil
8 oz white mushrooms, quartered
8 oz baby carrots, halved lengthwise
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs tomato paste
2 tsp minced fresh thyme OR 1/2 tsp dried
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup dry red wine
2 (15.5 ) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
salt and freshly ground pepper

blanch the onions in a medium-size saucepan of boiling water, then drain, remove the root ends, and peel them. cut a shallow “x” in the bottom of each onion and place in a 4-6 qt slow cooker.

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. add the mushrooms and cook quickly to brown, about 2 minutes. remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

reheat the same skillet over medium heat. add the carrots, cover, and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. transfer the carrot mixture in the slow cooker. add the tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves, stock, wine, and beans; season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

about 20 minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms.

4 serving

BLACK BEAN SOUP

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2 (15 oz) cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drain only one can
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
2 (10 oz) cans chunk chicken in water OR meat from 1 roast chicken (approx 3 cups)
black pepper to season

combine all ingredients and bring to boil; simmer 5 minutes.

12-15 servings

PUNGENT CHEESE FONDUE

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2 tbs butter OR margarine
3 tbs flour
2 cups milk
salt
paprika
nutmeg
1 lb ripe domestic cheddar cheese, finely diced

melt butter or margarine in a fondue pot. add flour, stirring until smooth. add milk very slowly, stirring constantly so that lumps do not form. add salt to taste; make sure it is stirred in thoroughly. add paprika and nutmeg to taste.

cook for 3-4 minutes over LOW heat. add cheese a bit at a tme, making sure it melts before adding more. remove from heat to a warming stand.

4 servings

KEY LIME PIE

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1 (9″) crumb crust made with graham crackers, chilled until firm

KEY LIME FILLING:

4 egg yolks
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbs grated lime zest
1/2 cup key lime juice, preferably fresh

preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

prepare the filling: in a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the condensed milk until smooth. mix in the zest and the juice. the mixture will be thick. pour the filling into the pie crust.

bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, or until the filling is set and a cake tester or knife inserted into the center comes out clean. cool on a rack.

referigerate and keep cold.

makes 1 (9″) pie

TANGY BARBECUE SANDWICHES

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3 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup ketchup
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup water
1 tbs vinegar
2 tbs worcestershire sauce
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 (3-4 lb) boneless chuck roast, trimmed

in a slow cooker, combine the first 12 ingredients; mix well.add roast. cover and cook on HIGH 6-7 hours, or until tender. remove roast; cool. shred meat and return to sauce; heat through.

14-18 servings

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WHY RICE KRISPIES SNAP, CRACKLE AND POP! – Rice Krisipies, also known as “Rice Bubbles” in some countries, are created by preparing rice in such a way that it will “pop” like popcorn during the cooking process, albeit much less dramatically. This popping puffs up the kernels. When the rice is finished cooking, most of the Rice Krisipies will have thin, solid walls with hollow, sealed areas inside where air pockets have formed. When cold milk is added, the sudden temperature shift causes the walls of the air pocket regions of the Rice Krispies to fracture suddenly, making a snap/crackle/pop type noise.

TRIPLE TOMATO RISOTTO WITH BASIL

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1 lb whole baby plum tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
about 1 qt hot vegetable broth
2 cups passata (italian pureed, strained tomatoes)
1 stick unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
8 pieces sun-dried tomatoes (not the ones in oil), chopped
2 cups risotto rice
2/3 cup light red wine
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

put the plum tomatoes in a roasting pan and pour the olive oil over them. mix well to coat and season with salt and pepper. roast in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until slightly collapsed and the skins are beginning to brown. remove from the oven and set aside.

pour the broth and passata into a saucepan, stir well,then heat to a gentle simmer. melt half the butter in a large, heavy saucepan and add the onion and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. cook gently for 10 minutes until soft, golden, and translucent but not browned. add the rice and stir until well coated with the butter and heated through. pour in the wine and boil hard until it has reduced and almost disappeared. this will remove the taste of raw alcohol. remove from the heat.

return the risotto to the heat, warm through, then begin adding the broth, a large ladle at a time, stirring gently until each ladle has almost been absorbed by the rice. the risotto shoudl be kept at a bare simmer throughout cooking, so don’t let the rice dry out – add more broth as necessary. continue until the rice is tender and creamy, but the grains still firm (15-20 minutes depending on the type of rice used – check package instructions).

season to taste with salt and pepper and beat in the remaining butter, the parmesan, and chopped basil. you may like to add a little more hot brroth to the risotto at this stage to loosen it – it should be quite wet. cover and let rest for a couple of minutes so the risotto can relax and the cheese melt. carefully ladle into warm bowls and cover the surface with the roasted tomatoes and any juices. add the basil leaves and serve immediately with extra freshly grated parmesan cheese.

serves 4