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Published: September 11, 2007 10:41 pm
Mix it up!
Modifying recipes provides a variety of meal choices
Bev Davis
Register-Herald Senior Editor
Half the fun of cooking is altering recipes, one Beckley cooking instructor believes.
“You can always find a way to do something a little bit different with a recipe — except when you’re baking, and those recipes have to be followed precisely,” said Sawsan Galal, part of the adjunct factuality of the National Institute for Culinary Arts at Mountain State University in Beckley.
A recipe for chicken picadillo enchiladas, for example, works as well — or better — as a type of lasagna.
The recipe calls for tortillas and a chicken mixture, which Galal layered in a casserole pan, using the tortillas as if they were lasagna noodles. The result is a filling family meal.
An interesting side dish, which doubled as a dessert, was grilled pineapple and banana sauce with honey and lime.
“Just about all of your solid, dense fruits such as pineapple can be grilled,” Galal said. “Stone fruits, such as nectarines and peaches do well on the grill. Just remove the pits and put them open-side down. The less ripe the fruit, the better.”
About a minute on each side will do the trick. Spray the grill to prevent items from sticking.
Watermelon-ginger agua fresca is a refreshing beverage that can be modified to suit the occasion.
“Agua fresca can be made with any flavor you want. You can add sparkling water, a liqueur, a lemon-lime drink or whatever. I used ginger because it is an especially refreshing, healthy ingredient and adds a zesty flavor to this drink,” Galal said.
Artificial sweetener can be used for those who need to limit their sugar intake, she said.
When grating ginger, a thin grater or microplane will work best. “Ginger fibers do not dissolve. You can get specific ginger graters, but the smaller the grater, the better. Using a spoon to peel the ginger works best because the skin is so thin,” she said.
The following recipes were adapted from epicurious.com.
Chicken picadillo enchiladas
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cups chopped white onion
5 large garlic cloves, chopped
1-1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 cups crushed tomatoes with added puree
1/2 cup sliced drained pimiento-stuffed green olives plus juice from jar
3 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 cup raisins
Twelve 6-inch corn tortillas
2 cups sour cream, divided
Chopped green onions and chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is tender, about 4 minutes.
Stir in chili powder. Add crushed tomatoes and 4 tablespoons juice from olives. Simmer sauce until flavors blend, about 6 minutes. Season with pepper and more olive juice, if desired.
Combine chicken, raisins and olives in large bowl. Mix in 3 cups sauce. Season filling to taste with pepper.
Spread 1/2 cup sauce over bottom of a 13-inch-by-9-inch-by 2-inch glass baking dish. Heat one tortilla directly over gas flame or in hot skillet until just softened, about 10 seconds per side. Place on work surface. Spread 1 tablespoon sour cream in strip in center. Top with 1/3 cup filling. Roll up tortilla. Place enchilada, seam-side down, in prepared dish. Repeat, making 11 more enchiladas. Spoon remaining sauce over them. Cover dish with foil
Bake enchiladas until heated through, about 20 minutes. Uncover; top with dollops of remaining sour cream. Sprinkle with green onions and cilantro. Makes 12.
As a variation of this recipe, layer the ingredients in a casserole dish in the same manner in which you would prepare lasagna, using the tortillas as you would use lasagna noodles.
Grilled pineapple
and banana sauce
with honey and lime
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Five 1/2-inch thick rounds peeled cored pineapple
2 medium bananas peeled
Place butter, honey, brown sugar and lime juice in a small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean.
Bring to simmer over medium heat, whisking until smooth. Do ahead of time. This can be made as much as two days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Remove vanilla bean and re-warm sauce before using.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush both sides of pineapple with some sauce. Grill 1 minute per side. Transfer to plate; cut into 1/2-inch cubes and place in large bowl, leaving juices behind. Mix remaining sauce into pineapple. Cut bananas into 1/2-inch chunks; fold into pineapple mixture.
Watermelon-ginger agua fresca
10 cups 1-inch pieces peeled watermelon, seeded, divided
3 cups cold water, divided
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup (or more) sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh *ginger juice (from one 3-ounce piece of ginger)
Ice cubes
Lime wedges or small watermelon wedges to garnish the glass
*To make ginger juice, peel a 3-ounce piece of ginger and grate it over a plate., Wrap in cheesecloth; twist at both ends to squeeze out the juice. Or put the grated ginger in a fine mesh sieve and press to release the juices. In a pinch, bottled ginger juice is available in natural food stores.
Place 2-1/2 cups watermelon and 3/4 cup cold water in blender. Puree until smooth. Pour agua fresca into large pitcher. Repeat three more times with remaining watermelon and cold water. Add lime juice, 1/4 cup sugar and ginger juice to pitcher and stir to blend. Add more sugar by tablespoons, if desired. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours. Can be made 8 hours ahead of time. Keep chilled. Stir before serving.
Fill glasses with ice cubes. Pour agua fresca over them. Garnish each glass with a lime or watermelon wedge and serve.
— E-mail:
bdavis@register-herald.com
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