Sass & Veracity

Shepherd's Pie with Beef, Pork and Lamb

It's raining here today, so I'm as subdued as the grey skies.  After two mornings of very early morning walks as I attempt to get back into the "I, too, can be fit!" swing of things, I'm content to sit in the quiet sipping my coffee.  Thoughts come and go but hover around memories of our trip to the UK a few years go -- the winding roads in Wales, ancient castle ruins tucked between soft green hills, engaging after dinner conversation with local farmers at an old country house, and Pub food.   

Last night, my husband's parents came by for an impromptu celebration in honor of my mother-in-law's birthday, and it seemed perfect to make a shepherd's pie.  I love to cook for them, and for years, they've indulged my culinary whims.  When we get together, inevitably, talk turns to travel, and specifically travel to the UK.  My father-in-law has always wanted to go, and so he graciously indulges us yet another sharing of our time there as we think of ways to get him there before too much longer.  He's 80 now. 

Of course the talk turns to food and a pub we enjoyed in Bath.  I don't remember the name of it because we made several attempts before we found one that would allow us to enter, my husband talking to someone inside while my son and I waited on the street.  Although pubs are more accepting of children than they used to be, not all of them are, and it was mortifying to my son that his presence caused us to have to search.  I felt badly for him knowing I would have been embarrassed as well. Finally we found one, and were led to the back, away from the bar to a small room.  So much for my romantic notions of cozy tables, old plastered walls and a roaring fire, no matter if it was the middle of summer with temperatures so uncharacteristically hot that everyone was talking about it.

Thank goodness for the waiter who indulged my husband with good-natured humor in answering a question about the rules of Cricket. He chided us about ordering "extra cold" beer and served us a meal of Shepherd's Pie that was truly memorable. 

Shepherd's Pie is a traditional English dish made of minced meat -- usually lamb -- and vegetables, then covered with mashed potatoes before baking.  If the dish contains beef, then it's referred to as a Cottage Pie.  Regardless, it's comfort food at its best, and one that will leave you smiling well into the evening after the plates have been cleared from the table.  You may have to waddle to bed, however, because it's quite filling.

Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon and Tomatoes

It's been just about as cold as it ever gets here, hovering around 50 or so, and although the sun is bright, I'm freezing, so that means dinnertime is all about comfort food.

Comfort food warms me just thinking about it.  It comes in large pots or big casseroles, isn't always as complicated as it may first seem if I'm trying a new recipe, and is challenging to keep from helping myself to just one small serving.  What's best about comfort food is that time in the fridge over night improves the flavor.  And since I'm the one who gets to enjoy it for lunch, that matters quite a bit.

While my sister's family was here for the holidays, I made several dishes I'd say fit this bill -- which provides yet another characteristic of comfort foods:  They can feed a big group, and if you're not sure whether everyone will be able to sit down to dinner at the same time, they're nearly always something that can be made ahead, and heated up.

I'm sure we all have our favorites, but one of mine is Macaroni and Cheese.  It probably tops my list.  In the last few months, I've sampled a variety of recipes, not so much trying to find the one we like best, but more to see just what each recipe can do with an old classic.

This version is similar to Ina Garten's, but I've included some thick bacon and parsley, and cut back on the cheese.  Not quite a Bacon, Lettuce, & Tomato Mac-a-Cheese, but the idea was there. 

Green Beans and Chantrelles with Fried Onions

Green beans go way back in my family.  And when I think of them, it's usually not the crispy sauteed with garlic and a few shallots way I routinely fix them now, but something that's a meal in itself:  A big pot of fresh green beans with quartered, unpeeled potatoes, and lots of onions, sauteed in bacon fat, and then stewed slowly until the mixture is somewhere between a soup and a stew. We ate it for dinner, and I can imagine that it most likely was light on my mom's wallet.  It wasn't a favorite, but I wasn't allowed to mention that part because it was food.

I have found a happy medium for dinner now, occasionally.  Especially during the holidays when someone expects "Green Bean Casserole."  You know the casserole I'm talking about, right?  The one developed by the Campbell Soup company in the 1950's  and made with Durkee's fried onions?  Yes, that recipe.

Because my family never ate green beans in a casserole, and we'd never have had our version of beans at a special dinner, I'd never tried green bean casserole until I was well into my adult years.  And when it was my turn to make it for a holiday meal, I did what I normally do -- alter the recipe. 

It had to be better if it was made with fresh green beans that still had a hint of crunch to them, didn't it?  And the creaminess had to be able to come from something other than a soup can.  Don't get me wrong.  If you've spent any amount of time reading here, then you know that I was raised eating very simple, wholesome food.  So, I played around with a fresh mushroom saute with caramelized onions, rehydrated mushrooms and used the broth, made a white sauce, added some garlic, but never quite got the flavors to blend well.  It always tasted like greenbeans with sauce on them.

A year ago, I saw a recipe in Saveur that I had to try.  The only problem with it was that I'd have to make crispy fried onions and couldn't imagine doing that on a busy holiday cooking day.  Who comes up with these ideas?  Clearly, someone who doesn't have responsibility for an entire meal.  The only problem is, even though I prepped everything the way the recipe read, I sort of forgot to think about the whole onion frying thing.  Oops.

Since then I've tried the recipe quite a few ways -- fried onions and no fried onions, and have found the flavors so nice, that a few shallots works just fine when you're too busy to mess with deep frying.

This year, since we're seriously out of commission due to construction, I'm in charge of green beans for Thanksgiving dinner -- and a bunch of other non-turkey items.  I'm going to fry the onions at home first, and store them in an airtight container to assemble the dish after the drive to my sister-in-law's house right before baking time.  I'll have to let you know how it goes since I am anything but the Queen of the Deep Fry.

Have green been casserole, will travel. 

Food for Thought: Pot Pie

When I think back to my childhood, the food we ate could be summed up with little fanfare:  it was inexpensive, quick, not very risky, and stuck to our ribs.  We were skinny little things and my mother held down jobs that kept her working long hours to keep a roof over our heads and food in our cupboards.  There was no complaining about any of it, or else. 

So when I was less than thrilled that a Banquet or Swanson pot pie had been pulled from the freezer, baked in anything but a "pot" and put on my plate, I kept it to myself.  I chose instead to exercise my only two options:  Would I like chicken or beef and would I like it left in its tin or dumped over on my plate.  The flavor didn't matter as much as being able to eat it out of the tin, unlike my brother who loved it dumped on his plate.  And my sister?  She got away with everything, so she probably got to have a slice of bread with peanut butter or a cold piece of baloney. 

My story isn't quite as elegant as Proust and madeleines, but clearly, the idea of a pot pie conjures memories for me.  So when The Skinny Gourmet decided that we might come together to share our Food for Thought, I didn't have to think very long.  There's certainly nothing glamorous about a pot pie, but I seem to remember that the idea of one was very comforting and I was always disappointed that it wasn't at least palatable.

I know.  Ungrateful brat.  How disrespectful of me to complain about watery sauce, a few pieces of meat, carrots, and a token floating pea.  There had to be a better way.

So thank you, Erin, because after all these years, I finally took it upon myself to see if a pot pie could actually be something that was satisfying.  Thanks very much for hosting this event.

My inspiration for this recipe comes from a cute little cookbook I found in a grocery store right before the holidays called Goodness Gracious:  Recipes for Good Food and Gracious Living by Roxie Kelly and Friends.  It's a homey sort of book with quaint illustrations and straightforward recipes.  Here's my rendition of her Chicken Pot Pie.  I decided to use a skillet instead of a pot because I happen to own the very same black cast iron skillet my mother cooked most of our meals with.  How perfect is that?  Oh, and I made mine with beef instead of chicken.

I know.  I always do that.  But I had some left over steak in the fridge and why not use it for this?  It was perfect!

Skillet Steak Pie

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 c. beef broth
.5 oz. dried porcinis (plus 1 c. liquid used to hydrate them)
1 T olive oil
11 oz. beef*
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1" pieces
1 lg. russet potato, peeled and cubed (approx. 1 lb.)
1 c. celery sliced into 1/2" pieces
3/4 c. fresh green beans, sliced into 1" pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 lg. pinch dried thyme
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 c. whole milk
1/3 c. all purpose flour
1 egg, slightly beaten
salt & pepper to taste

Prep

After the puff pastry sheet is thawed, carefully open it taking care not to tear it, placing it on a piece of plastic wrap. Roll it to even it out and smooth away the fold marks.  Make sure it will fit completely across your skillet.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Boil a cup of water and pour over the porcinis in a small bowl.  They'll need to sit for about 20 minutes.  To prepare them for cooking, line a collander with a strong paper towel or a coffee filter.  Place it over a bowl large enough to collect the liquid.  Pour the mushrooms through the sieve to trap any sediments on the mushrooms. Save the liquid.  Turn the mushrooms into the collander and throw away the paper towel or filter.  Rinse the mushrooms and then coarsely chop.

Have all ingredients chopped and ready to go, as this comes together fairly quickly!

Directions

In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil and add the garlic, onions, parsley, thyme, and porcinis, stirring together to soften and lightly brown before adding the chopped beef.  Cook the meat to brown well if using raw meat or to combine flavors and heat through if using precooked meat.  Turn off the heat and let sit. If any fat has accumulated in the pan, drain well.

In a medium sized pan, heat the beef broth, the reserved porcini water, and add the chopped vegetables.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, slowly add the milk to the flour, mixing well to eliminate clumps.  Pour the mixture into the cooking vegetables, stirring as you add it.  Bring the mixture back to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until it is thickened, about 1 minute.  Season with salt and pepper and taste to adjust seasonings to your liking.

Pour the vegetable mixture into the skillet to combine with the meat mixture and stir well. Remove from heat and place on a baking sheet.   

Place the piece of puff pastry over the skillet making sure it covers the entire skillet.  The corners will drape over the edge. Using a fork, press down on the puff pastry where it sits on the rim of the skillet.  Be careful not to press too hard or it will tear.  Slice a few slits through the top, brush the entire piece of pastry with a lightly beaten egg, and place in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until pastry has puffed and is golden brown in color.

To serve, using a sharp knife, cut down through the pastry, and using a wide, flat spatula, scoop under the pastry and lift into a shallow bowl.  Scoop out more of the sauce as needed and enjoy!

Notes: The steak I used for this was bone-in rib eye.  It was prepared on a BBQ the day before and left over.  Ground beef would also work.  If you plan on using beef that needs to braise, this recipe won't allow it enough time to cook.  If you have a pot roast that is left over, that would be perfect!  Of course, chicken would be excellent, too.  And if you prefer not to eat meat, add some zucchini, some parsnips, or whatever vegetable you enjoy.  Broccoli may even be good, as the cooking time is quite short.

Would I make this again?  We found the sauce lacking in flavor.  What that translates to is adding more salt, which isn't necessarily good.  My additions to the recipe were designed to bump up the flavor (the mushrooms, garlic, and onions -- none of which were in the original recipe), but the flavor was still too tame.  I did sprinkle on some Sal de fleur which is really delicious, but again, more salt.  So I'm going to be thinking about this one.  I also had a piece for lunch the next day, and found the flavor to be better.  Not surprising since they've had some time to mingle.

But my faith in the promise of yumminess from a pot pie has been rekindled and I'll be on the lookout for the perfect recipe.

Macaroni & Cheese: The Ultimate Comfort Food

I grew up eating basic food:  no frills, no hidden ingredients, all good taste and comfort.  My mom's macaroni & cheese was the best.  None of the recipes she made are written anywhere, but I remember them all.  Her macaroni & cheese, or "mac-a-cheese" as we've come to call it, was always made of elbow macaroni pieces -- the large ones.  She'd make a skillet full of white sauce, grate cheddar cheese, layer all three and then pour some milk over it all for good measure.  Once in a while, she'd throw in some canned tomatoes, too, and I loved their tart flavor with the cheese.

Curious person that I am, occasionally, a mac-a-cheese recipe will catch my eye, and I'll give it a try, just to consider that there may be another recipe out there that isn't just about more steps or ingredients.  And it's your lucky day, because I have found two that are pretty good, even if there are more steps, more ingredients, and heck-of-a-lot more calories.  Like we need those, right?

 
I found the first recipe in a magazine last year.  You're thinking, what a shocker, right?  It accompanied an advertisement for Tillamook cheese (which is mysteriously absent in my photo above), which is being run again this year.  "Penne Rigate Macaroni and Cheese baked with Truffle Essence" is what I would call the elegant version of mac-a-cheese.  No question about it.  Pricey, too.  But I had to try it out and see what that smoked cheddar and black truffle oil did to a classic comfort dish.  Evidently, most black truffle contains no black truffle.  Instead, a synthetic flavoring agent is used to give it a flavor thought to be similar to the real thing.  I did make sure I had the real thing.  My bottle's ingredients read:  "extra virgin olive oil, black truffle (tuber melanosporum), natural flavoring."  No artificial anything.  Of course, it set me back $18 for 1.86 oz., too.

More recently, I came across "Mac & Cheese for Grown-ups" in fresh magazine which is affiliated with The Best of fine Cooking magazine.  This recipe caught my eye because it contains four types of cheese, one of which is blue cheese, and I immediately wondered if there could be too much of a good thing.  I don't know how blue cheese can't overpower every other flavor in this dish.  My husband loves Four Cheese Pasta, and Four Cheese Pizza, but this was something all together different.  Not exactly conducive to low fat eating, either.  I guess both recipes at least meet the qualifications of mac-a-cheese and comfort food, though.

Penne Rigate Macaroni and Cheese baked with Truffle Essence

Ingredients
3 T kosher salt
8 oz. penne rigate pasta, dry
1 T black truffle oil
2 T shallots, minced
3 oz. applewood smoked bacon, minced
1 T garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
2 T all purpose flour
1-1/2 c. heavy cream
1 T minced basil
1/4 tsp. minced thyme
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
3 c. white extra sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 c. pecan quarters
1 c. smoked medium cheddar, shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bring 1-gallon water to rapid boil with kosher salt in an 8-qt. pot.  Add pasta to water and stir.  Boil for 5-6 minutes total.  Pasta should be slightly undercooked.  Drain off all water through a colander, sit one minute and toss in a bowl with the black truffle oil.  Reserve.

Combine shallots, bacon, garlic, and olive oil in  4-qt. pot and cook slowly for 10 minutes using low heat.  Add the flour, raise heat to medium and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Temper in the heavy cream and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes on low.  Add in the herbs and seasonings.  Stir in 3 c. of White Cheddar until smooth.  Add in the truffle scented pasta and stir until evenly combined.  Divide into individual shallow baking dishes (welsh rarebits) and top with the pecans and the shredded medium cheddar.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until bubbly and slightly browned on top.

Serves 4.

Before...

And after...

Notes:  I made this dish sometime early last spring.  Clearly, I was still in my "yellow stage" with my little camera.  Good thing we learn a bit as we proceed, isn't it?  Moving right along, I used a convection setting, and used yellow sharp cheddar instead of white.  Also, the medium cheddar was apple smoked.  I figured the bacon was, so why not?  And I also omitted the bread crumbs.  I'm not much of a fan of bread crumbs on the top of baked food for some reason.  It never really seems to add very much, and if the addition is about adding color, cheese dishes always brown nicely, so I don't see the point.  This recipe was not bad.  The truffle oil was highly noticeable, and I would have wondered what the flavor was had I not known.  I haven't eaten truffles often enough to be able to adequately describe their flavor.  Even now, it reminds me more of garlic, and I think that must be one of the "natural" flavorings in my bottle of oil.  I wonder if I made the recipe again with garlic oil instead of truffle oil what the difference would be.  The smoked cheddar flavor also stands out in this recipe, but the flavors work well together.  I did not use the pecans called for, although after eating it, know that I would have liked them in this dish.  People enjoyed this dish, but there were no raves.

Luxurious Four-Cheese Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients
kosher salt
3 c. whole milk
4 T unsalted butter
1 med onion, finely diced (about 1 c.)
1 bay leaf
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce; more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
5 oz. Gruyere, coarsely grated (about 1-3/4 c. lightly packed)
1/2 lb. blue cheese (such as Maytag Blue), crumbled
1 lb. dried penne rigate pasta
1 T finely grated lemon zest
11 oz. Monterey Jack, cut into 1/2-in. dice (2 c.)
1/2 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 T fresh thyme leaves
2-1/2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated (scant 1 c.)
3/4 c. fresh bread crumbs

Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Put a large pot of well-salted water on to boil.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan over med-low heat to just below a simmer.  Remove from the heat and cover to keep hot.  Melt the butter in a med saucepan over med-low heat.  Add the onion and bay leaf.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.  Gradually whisk in the hot milk, bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, whisking frequently, until thickened and smooth.  Season with 1 tsp. salt, the nutmeg, the Tabasco, and pepper to taste.  Remove and discard the bay leaf.  Stir in the Gruyere and blue cheese.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water to al dente, following the package directions.  Drain well and return to the pot.  Toss the lemon zest and half of the Monterey Jack into the pasta while it's still hot; add the cheese sauce and quickly toss to combine.  Stir in the parsley and thyme and transfer half of the pasta to a large (3-qt.) shallow casserole or lasagna pan.  Sprinkle with the remaining Monterey Jack and half of the Parmigiano; top with the remaining pasta.  Sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano and the breadcrumbs.  Bake until bubbling and golden, 50 to 60 minutes.  Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

Notes: This obviously was an incredibly rich dish.  I began to have difficulty when it came to adding the last cheese -- the Jack at 11 oz.  Although I estimated that amount in cubes and was prepared to put it in the dish, I ended up only adding half the amount.  The blue cheese stood out the most.  I wasn't surprised.  And although good, I ended up confirming overkill on the cheese in this recipe.  The parmesan wasn't the least bit noticed.  The recipe is huge and would server more than eight in my opinion.  It is so rich, a smaller serving was perfect -- a lot of flavor goes a long way.  Serve it with a good salad and you'll be fine.

Conclusion?  The biggest difference between these two versions of mac-a-cheese is the whole cheese sauce component.  In the second recipe, it's quite the undertaking and I began to wonder if it would all fit in the pan!  It's fun to try a spin on a dish that is an old family favorite, but it just isn't my mom's mac-a-cheese.  These dishes are both worth trying, and each is good enough to consider as something a bit more fancy than usual.  But cut back on the size of the second recipe.  It goes a very long way.  Your arteries will thank you.

Three-Way Chili Love Fest

My husband loves to get out of the house and do things on the weekend. There's only one problem -- he often doesn't have an idea about what he wants to do.  I've had many years of practice getting used to this, so I've learned a few tricks.  It hasn't been easy, though, because I'm one of those people who likes to stay home and play house all day.  Cook, garden, write on my blogs, pretend like I'm doing the laundry and  cleaning the house.  You know, right?  Okay, maybe you're a more productive human than I am.  But still.

So last Sunday, we went down to The Home Depot to do some Father's Day shopping.  No, not for his father.  For him.  I decided he wants a new BBQ and he's usually okay with my deciding when he needs new things.  He rarely wants anything new, or thinks he needs anything new, and since he's the only one bringing home the bacon right now, he's seriously due.

We looked at about 15 BBQs while we were there.  We looked at BBQs with rotisseries, with split lids, with stainless steel exteriors, drawers, and easy glide propane holders.  BBQs with lights, without lights, with ceramic grills, and with metal grills.  Jeez.  Who knew there could be so many variations?  Did we buy one?  Nope.  But he did decide he likes the Charmglow above with the 896 square inch cooking surface.  Actually buying it would be my job today.  Mind you, it's already 3:00 and we don't have a truck to get it here even if I actually make it to the store to purchase one.  And if I could actually fit one still in a box into my car, one of us would have to put it together.  We won't discuss our tool collection at this point.  My husband wields mechanical pencils, calculators, and a lap top.

So what does this have to do with the price of tea in China?  We got home sans new BBQ, and were suffering from a terrible need to BBQ.  Something.  Anything.  So being the darling wifey that I am, I gave my husband a choice about his dinner.  "Pork tenderloin, Shrimp, or Roasted Pepper soup, dear?"  He chose the soup.  He loves this soup.  I know you all think I'm in a rut with this pepper fetish I have, but that's what happens when Mexico is only 30 minutes away.  To be fair, the pork tenderloin and shrimp options were disguised as salad dishes and I'm thinking he's a bit saladed out.  You do remember that Lis' & Kelly's Salad 'Stravaganza is looming on June 25th, right?

So before those of you who have professed a dislike fear of peppers leave the building,  stick around and read through this just because you know I wouldn't intentionally lead you astray.  Think about all those anti-oxidants you're passing up.  Besides -- if you roast the peppers, and remove the seeds and fibers, they'll cool way down.  I promise.

So today's your lucky day.  You'll have peppers coming out your ears by the time I'm done.  And if you're even tempted to give the menu a go, I promise you'll have all the info you need, but I'll still not come close to that spread Lisa at La Mia Cucina put on in this post.  Forget comin' to California, Lis.  I'm there, babe!  Where's my bib?  Serve me up!  You got me with all those cute little bowls.  They suck me in every time.
 
We enjoyed the Roasted Red Pepper Soup on Sunday with a Bacon, Avocado, Tomato salad (recipe not included).  Monday, the remainder of the roasted peppers were used for the Stacked Chicken Enchilada casserole with the Citrus Red Pepper Salad.

"Red Pepper Soup with Yellow Pepper Puree" is from a little book I bought at a nursery of all places.  It's written by Beth Dooley and was published in 1990. It not only has some excellent recipes but great information about chilies which can be extremely confusing:  for example, once a chili is dried, the name changes, often making shopping for them confusing.  Hell, even the guys in the produce department at the grocer can't keep them straight.

**Roast everything for both the soup and the stacked chicken enchiladas at the same time even if you make the recipes on subsequent days like I did.**

Soup Ingredients
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, grilled and chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
4 medium red peppers, roasted and peeled, deveined and seeded, chopped
1 Anaheim chili, roasted and peeled, deveined and seeded, chopped
2 T all-purpose flour
2 c. chicken stock
3/4 c. heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro for garnish

Puree Ingredients
2 medium yellow peppers, roasted and peeled, deveined and seeded, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Dollop of heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Roast peppers until blackened on all sides.  This happens much quicker on a BBQ than the gas range, so keep an eye on them.  Roast onion until grill marks appear and onion is caramelized.
2. Remove chilis from grill and place in a brown grocery bag to sweat for about 15 minutes.  Set grilled onion aside.
3. Remove skin, seeds, and fibers from chilis and coarsely chop.  Do NOT rinse the chilis off.  Set aside.
4. Chop onion.
5. In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, saute garlic and onions for a couple of minutes.
6. Add peppers and cook about 5 minutes.
7. Stir in flour and cook about 2 minutes.  Do not brown the mixture.
8. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil.
9. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
10. In a blender of good processor fitted with the steel blade, puree the pepper mixture until smooth.
11. Return mixture to the saucepan.
12. Whisk in cream and cook until heated through (do not boil).  Season to taste.

Puree

1. In a blender or food processor fitted with the steel blade, puree yellow peppers and garlic until smooth.
2. With motor running, pour in dollop of heavy cream and season.

To serve:

1. Ladle soup into bowls.
2. Add a few spoonfuls of yellow pepper puree into the center of each bowl.
3. Using a wooden skewer, create a design of sorts by pulling the skewer from the puree into the soup.
4. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro and serve.

"Citrus & Red Pepper Salad with Feta" is my own creation. The crunch of the cabbage and the tart sweetness of the oranges are very pleasant with the heat of the peppers in the enchilada dish. 

Salad Ingredients
1/4 head of green cabbage, slivered
2 c. packaged greens (I used a herb mix with arugula, dill, and oak leaf romaine)
2 small oranges, peeled, seeded, sliced, and cut into quarters
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced and cut into pieces
1/4 c. crumbled Feta
2 green onions, all parts sliced

Dressing Ingredients
3 T. Orange Muscat Champagne vinegar (Trader Joe's)
Juice of one lime
1/4 c. grapeseed oil
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Choose a bowl that is transparent.  This is a lovely salad with lots of color and it can be fun to organize layers depending on the shape of the bowl you select.  If you're having more than the 3 for dinner that I often have to cook for, then you can really have some fun.  Add grapefruit, red onion, and yellow or orange peppers as well.  A trifle bowl works best if you're going to go "whole hog."

1. Place shredded cabbage in the bottom of the bowl and top with the mixed greens
2. Top with red pepper pieces, orange quarters, and then sprinkle on feta and green onions.

To make dressing:

1. Measure vinegar into a small bowl.  Squeeze in the lime juice.
2. Secure bowl by making a ring of a dish towel to place beneath the bowl.
3. With a wire whip, constantly stir while pouring oil into vinegar/lime juice mix in a slow, steady stream.
4. Taste and balance flavors to your own liking.  We like to taste the citrus.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.

To serve:

1. Pour dressing over salad right before serving.
2. Mix thoroughly and divide among plates

"Stacked Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde and Cheese" is a recipe featured in this month's June '07 issue of Bon Appetit and can be found at this link in its original form.  My modifications are specified below with an asterik.

Salsa Verde Ingredients
7 lg. (not pounds) tomatillos, husked, rinsed* (The tomatillos will be sticky after removing papery husks.)
1 jalapeno
1 serrano chili*

4 lg. garlic cloves, peeled*
1 tsp. ground cumin*
1 bunches fresh cilantro, stems removed*
3/4 c. Italian parsley leaves
1/3 c. basil chiffonade*

1-1/2 T oil
1-1/2 tsp. salt

4 roma tomatoes, cut into eighths

Directions

1. Mix first 3 ingredients in large saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to boil, and reduce heat.  Simmer until soft -- approx. 15 min.  Remove from heat and let stand for 15 min.  then drain.
2. Pulse tomatillo mixture (sans stems on chilis) , garlic, and cumin in food processor until coarsely chopped.
3. Add next 3 ingredients and blend until herbs blend in and salsa is chunky.
4. Heat oil in a heavy saucepan over low heat.  Add salsa and simmer until slightly thickened.
5. Add tomato eighths and stir.  Cover and let simmer 10 minutes longer.
6. Season with salt.

Stacked Enchilada Ingredients
2 poblano chilies, grilled, seeded, de-veined, and sliced into strips -- reserved from grilling above
1 Anaheim chili, grilled, seeded, de-veined, and sliced into strips -- reserved from grilling above

6 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
8 corn tortillas* (I thought 12 would be too much corn tortilla taste for the casserole)

2 c. Salsa Verde*
2 cooked and shredded chicken breasts*
3/4 c. sour cream
6 oz. smoked sharp cheddar, grated*

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat 2 T of oil in med skillet over med heat. You will need to add to this as you cook the tortillas.
3. Fry tortillas until softened about 15 seconds per side.  Drain and stack flat between paper towels until ready to use.
4. Spray 8x8 square baking dish with oil.  (I used a small oval dish instead)
5. Spread about a 1/2 c. of salsa over bottom of the dish.
6. Cut each tortilla in half as needed to cover the dish.
7. Arrange 4 halves over salsa, covering most of the area.
8. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the shredded chicken over the tortillas, then about 1/3 of the chili strips over that.
9. Sprinkle 1/4 of the grated cheddar over chilis.
10. Drop sour cream over cheddar in 6-8 tablespoon-sized dollops
11. Repeat twice more:  salsa, tortillas, chicken, chilis, cheddar, sour cream.
12. Finish with a final layer of tortillas, topped with chicken, remaining chili strips, remaining salsa, and grated cheese.
13. Bake casserole until cheese is lightly browned and bubbling, approx. 35 minutes.

Notes:  The order of these ingredients and the number of layers you produce is yours to decide.  Please check the original recipe at the link provided above if you'd like.  I added the tomatoes to the salsa because it was spicier than my family likes.  The intensity of the serrano chili I added was strong, but if you like it hot, it was terrific.  It depends on who you're feeding.  Also, I did not roast the jalapeno or the serrano chilis.  That would have cooled this down as well.  The left overs are terrific, and not quite as spicy, which is interesting.