St. Mark's United Methodist Church
Sunday, September 05, 2010
Celebrating Diversity, Creating Unity
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Papaya and Feta Salad
September 2010
1 large papaya, seeded and diced, about 3 cups
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons lime juice (from about 1 lime)
1 tablespoon honey
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions
Place the papaya and mint leaves in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice and honey. Drizzle the dressing over the papaya, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Divide the salad among 4 plates, sprinkle with the feta, and serve.
Orange Brownies
August 2010
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups granulated sugar 1-teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 4 eggs 2 teaspoons pure orange extract 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 1 recipe Orange Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan. Stir together flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add butter, eggs, orange extract, and orange zest. Using a handheld electric mixer beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until light golden brown and set. Remove from oven, allow to cool, then pierce entire cake with a fork. Spread the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting over completely cooled brownies. Cut into squares. Orange Cream Cheese Frosting: 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 4 tablespoons softened butter 1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoons orange zest 2 tablespoons orange juice Cucumber-Pineapple Salsa
July 2010
2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger 1/4 cup chopped scallions 1 cup chopped cucumber 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro leaves 2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint leaves Pinch salt Pinch freshly ground black pepper Apricot Chicken
June 2010
16 chicken thighs (with bones and skin) 2 1/2 cups chicken broth 1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger 5 large cloves garlic, crushed 2/3 cup sweet cooking rice wine 3 teaspoons Szechuan spicy stir fry sauce 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons light virgin olive oil 3/4 pound soft dried apricots 1 cup cashew pieces In medium bowl, mix together chicken broth, ginger, garlic, rice wine, Szechuan sauce and soy sauce; set aside. In large frying pan over medium heat, place olive oil. Add chicken and cook about 10 minutes to brown. Remove chicken, discard oil and return chicken to pan. Pour chicken broth mixture over chicken thighs and bring to a boil. Add apricots, lower heat to medium, cover and cook 15 minutes. Uncover, reduce heat and continue to cook about 1 hour, turning chicken occasionally, until sauce thickens. Remove chicken to serving dish and sprinkle with cashews. Makes 8 servings. Arroz Esmeralda (Emerald Rice)
May 2010
4 cups cooked long-grain white rice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1/2 c finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves 1/2 c finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 Tsp lime zest 1/2 c grated Asiago cheese Salt and freshly ground black pepper Preheat your broiler to high.
Heat the rice in your microwave until it's warmed through. Place the rice in a heatproof casserole or baking dish and toss with the melted butter, the chopped cilantro, parsley, lime zest and Parmesan. Place the dish under the broiler for 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese is browned.
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
April 2010
6 sweet potatoes, even in size and scrubbed
4 tablespoons brown sugar 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1/2-teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4-teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4-teaspoon ground ginger (optional) Salt and freshly ground black pepper Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place sweet potatoes on sheet tray and bake for 1 hour or until soft. Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle.
Split potatoes and remove the flesh to a medium sized bowl, reserving skins. In another bowl, add brown sugar, butter and cream cheese and all of the spices mash with a fork or rubber spatula.
Add the butter and cream cheese mixture to the sweet potato flesh and fold in completely. Add the filling back to the potato skins and place on a half sheet tray. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Southern Corn Muffins
March 2010
1-cup self-rising cornmeal
3/4-cup self-rising flour
1/2-teaspoon salt
1/4-teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2-cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 (8-ounce) can cream-style corn
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, salt, and cayenne. In another bowl, beat together the oil, eggs, and sour cream until well blended. Add the corn mixture to the flour and stir until just mixed.
Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tins about 2/3 full. Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Pork and Tomato Pasta
February 2010
2 tablespoons kosher salt
16 ounces spaghetti pasta 1 pound thick-cut bacon - chopped, (I use pancetta whenever possible)
3 tbl olive oil
1 c diced onion 1 tsp red chili flakes 3 tablespoons garlic, minced 2 c Roma tomatoes, diced 1/4 c red wine 4 tablespoons basil, 1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper In a large pot, boil water, when boiling add 2 tablespoons kosher salt and the pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add bacon/pancetta and sauté until crispy. Remove to drain on a paper towel-lined plate and remove 3/4 of the fat from the pan. (Save the rest in your fat can) Add olive oil, onions, and red chili flakes. Cook until onions are translucent, add garlic, and cook for 2 minutes then add tomatoes. Sauté for 5 minutes, then deglaze with wine.
Drain pasta and add to the tomato mixture pan. Add basil and bacon/pancetta. Toss with Parmesan, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Pear Bread
January 2010
3 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 cup chopped pecans 3/4 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs, slightly beaten 2 cups sugar 2 cups peeled and grated pears 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pecans in a large bowl; make a well in center of the mixture. Combine remaining ingredients and add to dry mixture, stirring just until moistened. Spoon into two greased 2-8 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees F for 35 minutes or until done. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan Three-Cheese Pasta Bake
1 (16-ounce) package ziti 2 (10-ounce) containers refrigerated Alfredo sauce 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese Prepare ziti according to package directions; drain and return to pot.
Stir together Alfredo sauce and sour cream; toss with ziti until evenly coated. Spoon half of mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
Stir together ricotta cheese and next 3 ingredients; spread evenly over pasta mixture in baking dish. Spoon remaining pasta mixture evenly over ricotta cheese layer; sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
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Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings
Pollo Asado en Cazuela (Roasted Chicken in a pot)
En cazuela (it means in the pot) and will generate small amount of sauce, it is braised slowly and I preferred to use this method rather than roasting.
8 pieces of chicken or one 1 large roasting chicken
¼ c sour orange or the juice of a lemon or lime 1 teaspoon salt 3 garlic cloves - mashed 1/2 cup dry white wine (vino seco) 1 onion, sliced 1 bay leaf 3 tbs of olive oil or lard (the lard part is the old fashion way) 1/8 teaspoon black pepper Marinate the chicken with salt, the citrus juice and the mashed garlic for several hours. Drain it but reserve the marinade and then sauté the chicken to golden brown in the oil or lard. Add the onion sauté until brown; add the white wine, bay leaf, onion, pepper and the leftover marinade. Cook on low, turning over once to make sure all of the chicken cooks evenly do not pick with fork or the juices will run off. Use a tight lid. Generally you would cook this on the stove for around 60 minutes. I put everything in a Dutch oven in the oven and bake for 45 minutes at 300F to finish off the dish This is not the same as Chicken in Wine sauce; you will not have and abundance of sauce. The chicken will absorb all the flavors.
Caramelizing the onions is a very important step. Great over white rice.
ITALIAN STYLE TATERS TOTS
5 cups frozen tater tots
1/4 cup olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 tablespoons crushed garlic 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese Preheat the oven to 400F.
Combine the tater tots and the olive oil in a bowl. Toss to coat, spread on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crisp, about 30 minutes.
Remove the tater tots from the oven, season with salt and pepper and transfer to a mixing bowl. To the taters, add the garlic, parsley and cheese. Toss to combine and serve immediately.
When you have to produce a dish in a hurry, this is great!
Southern Bread Pudding
3 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 3 tablespoons rum 1/2 cup raisins 7 (1/2-inch) slices brioche bread, cubed or torn 4 eggs, beaten Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large saucepan, add milk, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, rum and raisins and heat until warm. Simmer and stir until sugar dissolves. Into a large bowl add the cubed bread and pour in the hot milk mixture. Let sit for 30 minutes so the bread absorbs the milk.
Add the beaten eggs to the bread and milk mixture and stir. Pour bread pudding into a buttered 1 1/2-quart baking dish and bake for 50 minutes
This is a Southern version of Bread Pudding and it is GOOD!!
1/2 cup salt 10 pieces of chicken with bone Water 2 eggs 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup cornstarch 2 quarts vegetable shortening, for frying |
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