Southwestern Pie Crust

Southwestern Pie Crust
An excellent choice for a quiche that features a lot of peppers.

3 1/2 oz Masa*
3 1/2 oz All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 Tbsps Unsalted Butter (cold and cut into 1/4 inch cubes)
1 Egg lightly beaten
2 Tbsp cheap Vodka**

In a food processor thoroughly blend all dry ingredients.
Add Butter and pulse a few times until it is evenly distributed
Add Egg and Vodka and pulse until a big ball of dough forms.
It is ok if not every bit of dough sticks to the big ball. Mold it all
together, press into a 1 inch thick disc, wrap in plastic wrap and
chill 1 hour before use.

*Masa is a special type of corn meal that is made using corn that is treated with Calcium Hydroxide.
This processing is called Nixtamalization, and was first developed by the Aztecs.
Nixtamalization boosts the nutrition of the corn and also gives it a flavor that is slightly different from regular corn meal.

**Vodka makes the dough moist and easy to handle. It evaporates much more than water, so adding
it wont give you a soggy end product. Go cheap since you wont taste the vodka after baking.

Broccoli Quesadillas

Broccoli Quesadillas

serves 8

1 lb Broccoli florets (about 1 head, or 2 crowns)

6oz Red Onion, diced small

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 small can Diced Green Chiles

6 Cherry Tomatoes, quartered

1/4 cup chopped Cilantro

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp chile powder

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 lb Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

8 Fajita size Tortillas

Put broccoli and 1/2 cup water in a large Dutch oven, cover with lid slightly ajar.

Turn heat to high and steam 8 minutes (start timing immediately).

Lower heat to Medium, remove broccoli from Dutch oven. Return Dutch oven

to burner and add oil, onion and spices. Saute onions until translucent, but not browned.

Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds, taking care not to brown it.

Add Chiles, Tomatoes, and Cilantro. Stir together and remove from heat.

Put a cast iron griddle on a small burner on low heat to get ready for quesadillas. (allow 5 to 10 minutes)

Chop cooked broccoli coarsely (no thicker than the thickness of the quesadilla), and return to Dutch oven. Stir everything together.

For each quesadilla take one tortilla, put 2 oz of mozzarella evenly over it. Add 4oz of filling (or 1/8 of the total amount) just on one half of the tortilla.

Carefully fold the cheese-only half over the topping.

Cook on the griddle, taking care not to burn the tortilla. It will only take a minute or two on each side. You just need to melt the cheese inside. No oil is needed on a cast iron griddle. Slice the quesadilla into manageable size wedges. Use a pointed-tip knife to poke a dotted line of holes on the top of the quesadilla before cutting. This will help keep filling from coming out when cutting wedges.

Pesto

makes 1 1/2 pounds

9oz Olive Oil
2/3 cup Pine Nuts
6oz Basil Leaves (fresh)
1 Tbsp Garlic, chopped
4oz Parmesan, grated (not powder out of the green can)
4oz Romano, grated
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Put all ingredients except Olive Oil in a food processor. Turn on processor and slowly pour in the Olive Oil. Blend until it reaches a smooth consistency.

Szechuan Green Beans

Szechuan Green Beans

Be wary of this dish at restaurants. It may have Chinese sausage (Lap Cheong) in it.

1 lb Green Beans

6 Chiles de Arbol

1 bunch Green Onions, finely sliced

2 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Siracha Sauce

1 Tbsp Black Bean Chile Paste

1/4 tsp Liquid Smoke

1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar

2 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Sesame Seeds

2 tsp Sesame Oil

2 Tbsp Canola Oil

Wash and drain the beans. Cut to desired length for easier sautéing. They may be left long, but cutting them in half makes them easier to move around in the pan.

In a large skillet, heat Canola Oil on med-hi until you see wisps of smoke come off the oil. Put Beans and Chiles de Arbol in the pan and stir-fry about 5 minutes. Watch closely so as not to over cook the beans. The ideal time to stop is when there are a few toasty dark spots on the beans. Remove Beans and Chiles, reserving oil in the pan.

Add Ginger/Garlic Paste (careful of splattering) and cook for a minute or two, letting the water cook off but not burning the paste. Add all other ingredients except Sesame Seeds and Sesame Oil. Stir until sauce is evenly mixed. Reduce to medium and cook a couple of minutes to slightly thicken the sauce. Put the Beans and Chiles into the sauce and allow to warm up again. Remove from heat, stir in Sesame Oil. Sprinkle Sesame Seeds on individual portions. 

Bell Pepper and Asparagus Risotto

This is a bit more healthy than typical risotto since there's no butter or cheese.

Bell Pepper and Asparagus Risotto
Serves 6 as a main dish

8 fl oz Canola Oil
1 oz Chopped Garlic (4 to 5 cloves)
8 oz Yellow Onions, diced
1 lb Arborio Rice (don't use any other kind for risotto)
2 cups Dry White Wine, hot (microwaving is fine)
6 cups Vegetable Broth, hot (microwaving is fine)
2 Bay Leaves
1 tsp Saffron, crushed
1 lb Red Bell Peppers, diced
1 lb Green Bell Peppers, diced
12 oz Asparagus, cut in 1 inch pieces
2 Tbsp Parsley, chopped
3/4 tsp Salt
2 tsp White Pepper (don't use black- it does make a difference)

Heat half of the oil in a large dutch oven on medium heat.

Saute Garlic and Onion about 10 minutes or until the very first traces of browning are visible.
Add Rice and stir, cooking 5 minutes or until the edges of the rice become translucent.
Add hot Wine, Bay Leaves, and Saffron. Stir until mostly absorbed into the rice.
Add hot Vegetable Broth one cup at a time. Stir frequently and wait for each added cup of broth to cook down before adding the next. The trick is to wait until the rice appears creamy rather than looking submerged in liquid.
While rice is cooking, Heat the remaining Oil in a large skillet or wide pot on medium heat.
Saute Asparagus and Bell Peppers until tender-crisp. Stir them into the risotto.
Remove Bay Leaves and add Salt and Pepper.