Fruit and Cider Pancakes

I'm searching for a better name for the long list of pancakes I have made over the past decade or so. "Cake" is not what I am going for, but they always consist of batter fried in a pan, so this is it for now. These have a summery flavor and are simple to make.

This summer was a good year for fruit and I like to use what's on hand.

For these tasty breakfast treats you will need:

5 eggs
1 1/2 cups of mashed fruit
1 + cups of any flour you like; I have used wheat, quinoa, and brown rice flour - all with good results.
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup of cider; it can be hard cider or the non-alcohol kind.

Mix your ingredients together. Heat some coconut oil in a large frying pan, and spoon in some batter, and cook on a low heat setting.

Make the pancakes dollar size for easier flipping. If you like thicker batter, it's all right to add more flour. I tend to like a crepe-like result, so I use less flour.

Top with fruit sauce, honey, syrup, jam, butter or anything else that you like on pancakes. I usually sprinkle some chopped pecans on mine.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

I'm a big fan of recipes with variable ingredients. This roasted vegetable soup will work with whatever vegetables you happen to have around your house, in your garden or available at the farmer's market. Put chunks of raw vegetables into a Dutch oven, or any covered casserole dish or enamel baking dish. Slow roast the vegetables along with wine, olive oil, and salt.

When the vegetables are soft and somewhat caramelized (3 - 4  hours in a 325 oven), remove the covered dish from the oven, add the broth and any herbs that you like. Return the dish to the oven for another hour.

As your final step, allow the roasted vegetables to cool a bit, and then puree them with a hand blender. You could add some sour cream or creme fraiche, if you like. And you might want to add more herbs or salt to bring it into the perfection zone!

Any combination of these will work in your soup:

Onions - peeled and quartered

Whole peeled garlic cloves

Tomatoes - remove stems and cut in halves or quarters

Sweet potatoes - peel and cut into chunks

Broccoli

Cauliflower

White or red potatoes - peel and cut in halves or quarters
Leeks - clean and cut off green tops
Shallots - peel and put in whole

Chili Peppers, Ortega, Pasilla, jalapeno - remove stems and seeds and cut in half

Winter Squash - any kind - peel, remove seeds and cut into chunks

**Winter squash can be hard to cut and peel, so I put the whole squash into the oven for 30 to 40 minutes before I attempt to cut and peel it. Works like a charm!**

Other ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil 

1/2 cup red or white wine - add at the beginning

2 - 3 cups broth - add after vegetables are roasted

Herbs - basil, dill, parsley, thyme, rosemary, turmeric, ground caraway,

Basil, dill, and parsley can be used in large quantities. Thyme, rosemary and oregano are too strong for more than a pinch. (See note below.)

Salt - add initially and at the final step, if needed

1/3 - 1/2 cup sour cream or creme fraiche - add at the end

Cooked rice, barley or corn - add after the soup is pureed

Cooked, chopped vegetables, such as green beans or asparagus - add after the soup is pureed

Sauteed mushrooms - add after soup is pureed

If you like to use your imagination, this is a terrific way to make a hearty winter soup with fabulous flavor.

Note: One way to add a strong spice like rosemary to a broth is to put it in a tea strainer or a gauze drawstring pouch and let it steep in the hot broth for a bit. You will get some of the flavor and the aroma, but without the woody bits.

Chili Casserole

This is sometimes called chili relleno casserole, but by any name it is delicious and easy.

1. You will need 2 cans of peeled whole green chilies. You can also roast and peel your own chilies and use a slightly hotter version, such as a Poblano or a Pasillo.

2.Any kind of cooked meat or cheese that you like - about 1 pound. Chorizo or another ground meat, or shredded chicken, pork or beef are all good options. Cook and season it with cumin, chili powder, onion, and garlic.

3. 6 - 8 eggs depending on the size

4. About 1 cup of crumbled queso freco or cotijo cheese. If you don't have those, shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar will be fine. Cheese is optional in this dish.

5. About 1/2 cup of mild to medium enchilada sauce.

6. 1/2 cup half and half

7. 1/3 cup of flour (any kind) plus 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Step 1. Pour the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish.

Step 2. Add a layer of chilies.

Step 3. Cover the chilies with the meat mixture.

Step 4. Add a second layer of chilies over the meat.

Step 5. Beat the eggs together with the half and half and the flour. When these are well mixed, add the cheese. Pour the egg/cheese mixture over the meat and chili layers.

Step 6. Bake covered at 325 degrees for 1/2 hour. Uncover and bake for another half hour or until the egg mix is set.

Slice like you would a lasgana and serve with rice and frijoles.

Flavor Cubes

 Gardens are producing already, so I am posting this in a hurry because I think it is a time saving idea and an efficient way to handle quantities of produce.

Use peppers, tomatoes, herbs, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and some olive oil to make a sofrito. I like a little heat in nearly everything I cook, so I use jalapenos and poblanos, but you can also use bell peppers and ortega chilies in your sofrito.

Cook the mixture until everything is soft. Spoon it into a Pyrex mixing bowl, and let it cool  slightly. Use an immersion blender to make a paste, and spoon the paste into ice cube trays.

When the flavor paste is solid, remove from the trays and wrap in wax paper. I found this nice unbleached wax paper at Sprouts.

After your pieces are wrapped, pop them into a zipper bag and store them in the freezer.

Use them to flavor rice, soups, stews, stir fry dishes, salad dressing, or any other place where you need a flavor burst.

Rice nearly always needs a little something to make it interesting, and popping one or two of these into the water when you are boiling it will do the trick quite nicely.

The total time for creating these flavor cubes is pretty modest. When the gardens are gone, you will have some pleasant reminders of your summer harvest.

Mango Citrus Cake

I'm a big fan of cooking with whatever is around. More particularly, I like to use up whatever Really Needs to be used up Now. One day last week, I found some sliced mango in the refrigerator ( I really thought this would get eaten.) and started on this cake. The result was a fruity, citrus-y cake that resembled a carrot cake or a hummingbird cake. Buttery frosting made it decadently delicious, but it is definitely good enough to be eaten as a coffee cake or a muffin with no frosting at all.

1 cup of sliced mango

Zest of 1 orange

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice of 1 orange

Juice of 2 lemons

1/3 cup brandy

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup soft butter

4 eggs

1 cup coconut flour

2 cups wheat flour - You might need a little more depending on the size of your citrus fruits.

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 sliced bananas for the filling between the layers 

Frosting:

3/4 cup soft butter

3 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons buttermilk or heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

A few drops of orange extract

1. Puree your mangoes and mix in all of the other ingredients in order. Stop for a few minutes after you add the coconut flour. Coconut flour takes a few minutes to absorb liquid. 

2. Add the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt and stir until mixed thoroughly.

3. Put into greased muffin tins, two 8 inch cake pans. 

4. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. The middle should be a bit springy before you take it out.

5. Make the frosting while you are cooling the cakes.

6. Frost the top of the bottom layer very lightly; and add banana slices.

7. Add the top layer and frost the top and sides.

8. Invite some friends over!

Everyone is fortunate in one way or another; our task is to identify the ways in which we ourselves are fortunate. Alexander McCall Smith

Tomato Based Sauces

We use tomato sauce for a number of dishes: pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, eggplant Parmesan, ravioli, and a wide variety of meats and soups.

In busy times, we usually get it from a jar. The stuff in the jar is all right, but it is possible to cook up something more interesting and more delicious if we use some of our spare minutes to do a slow version of a tomato based sauce at home. One of the great things about creating your own sauce is that you can experiment and another is that you can use up whatever is around. Tomato sauce can be too tomato-y; If you make your own, you can include some balancing flavors and get a sauce that has a little more depth and complexity.

You can use the oven, the stove top or a slow cooker to roast the ingredients. Pieces do not have to be very small since you will be blending the sauce after cooking.

Tomatoes - These can be cooked, fresh, or canned. They could theoretically be dried, but those are generally too expensive for this kind of quantity. Two or three cups will be about right.

Other Vegetables - Bell pepper, squash, carrots, potatoes, celery, parsnips, turnips
You can use an equal amount of other vegetable pieces as you do tomato, but exact quantities are not at all crucial.

Flavor and flavor enhancers - Garlic, onion, leeks, fish sauce, anchovy paste, nutritional yeast, wine, vodka, bay leaves (remove before blending)

Sweeteners - Honey, jams, jellies, sugar, maple syrup
A couple of tablespoons

Spices - Oregano, basil, thyme, celery powder, coriander

Fats and oils - olive oil, sour cream, mascarpone, creme fraische

1. Put the tomatoes, vegetables, and flavor enhancers into a large kettle, cover, put in the oven or on the stove on a medium low heat. Cook these things for 2 or 3 hours.

 2. When all of the vegetables are soft, remove the bay leaves, cool for 30 minutes or more, and mix with a hand blender.

3.Add oils, spices, and sweeteners and stir. Taste, adjust and stir until you like the result.

Other options:

If you make a big batch, you can always pour some into a zippered plastic bag and freeze for later use.

Or you can add some broth or milk, a little cooked rice or corn and make a delicious tomato soup.

Do not spend the last half of your life trying to recapture the first half. Instead, stretch and grow and do bold things, question what you've been taught and generally alarm people with your broadmindedness.

Philip Gulley (adapted)

Tamale Casserole

This is my new favorite breakfast. You can certainly have it for dinner, but Oh! What a fabulous morning meal. Truly a reason to get up in the morning!

Tamale Casserole

18 - 20 corn tortillas

Cooking oil - at least 4 - 6 ounces

1 cup corn meal

1 can creamed corn

1/3 cup water

4 eggs

2 oz diced pimento

4 oz chopped ripe olives

4 oz diced green chilies or diced jalapenos

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups shredded, cooked chicken

1 teaspoon cumin

Chili powder or chili powder blend*

3 cups enchilada sauce

3/4 cup crushed tortilla chips

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese - optional

* If you use pure chili powder, use a 1/2 teaspoon for the corn meal mix and a 1/2 teaspoon for the sauteed chicken. If you are using a blend you can sprinkle it in a little more liberally.

1. Cut 18 corn tortillas in strips, saute in oil. They don't need to get crisp. Use plenty of oil to soften them. Put some in the pan and then drizzle a little over the top. 

2. Saute 1/2 of the tortillas and put them in the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Pour 1 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Stir them slightly so they are evenly coated with sauce.

3. Cook corn meal along with: eggs, creamed corn, water, pimento, diced green chilies or diced jalapenos, salt, and diced ripe olives. Cook on medium heat until thickened. Stir to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

4. Saute the shredded, cooked chicken in oil with cumin and chili powder.

5. Ladle the cooked corn meal mixture over the tortilla/sauce layer.

6. Saute the other half of the tortilla strips and arrange them over the corn meal.

7. Spread the spiced, sauteed chicken over strips; ladle the remaining enchilada sauce over chicken.

8. Sprinkle crushed tortilla chips over chicken. If you like, sprinkle grated cheese over the crushed chips.

Bake covered for 45 minutes at 350

If you delight in existence, you will become a guide to those who need you, revealing the path to many.

Sutra Nipata