Fennel Quiche

Ronald’s Fennel Quiche
From the Moosewood Restaurant New Classics Cookbook

Crust:

1 c unbleached white flour
1/2 t salt (optional)*
1/3 c chilled butter
2 T ice water

Filling:

2 T olive oil
3/4 c diced onions
1/2 t salt
1 c thinly sliced or diced fresh fennel (bulbs)
2 medium fresh tomatoes
1 c seeded and diced zucchini
1 t ground fennel seeds
2T minced fresh bsil
1/4 t ground black pepper
4 eggs
1.5 c grated feta cheese, packed
1 c grated Swiss cheese, packed

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 1 hour
Baking time: 50 minutes

Mix together the flour and the salt, if using, in a large bowl. Rapidly work the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or your fingers until it resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture a tablespoon at a time, and lightly mix it through the dough.

Push the dampened dough from the sides to the middle of the bowl, to form a ball that holds together. Transfer it to a clean, dry work surface. Cut the dough in half, place one half on top of the other, and press down. Repeat the cutting and pressing steps three or four times until all of the water is well distributed and the dough clings together. 

Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer the pie dough to a 9-inch pie plate, fold the edges under, and crimp with your fingers or a fork. Refrigerate the pie shell while you prepare the filling.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed, nonreactive skillet. Add the onions and salt, and sauté on medium heat until the onions are translucent and juicy, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the fresh fennel and sauté for another 3 to 5 minutes. The edges of the onions will begin to brown.

While the onions and fennel cook, halve the tomatoes through the stem sends and scoop out the pulp and juice, setting aside ½ cup of it. Dice enough of the tomato flesh to make 1 cup and add it, with the z8ucchini and ground fennel, to the skillet. Cook on medium, heat for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the tomatoes soften and begin to fall apart. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil and pepper.

In a blender, puree the eggs, the reserved ½ cup of tomato pulp and juice, and the feta to form a smooth custard. Spoon the sautéed vegetables into the chilled crust, top with the grated Swiss, and pour the custard over all. The pie will be very full.

Bake for 50 minutes, until the quiche is domed, crusty, and golden.

http://hotmamacookbook.blogspot.com/2013/04/unbaked-single-pie-crust-savory.html 

Chili Rellenos Casserole - Lazy Chili Rellenos

Original Recipe at: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/11/lazy-chiles-rellenos/

Ingredients

• 8 whole Roasted, Peeled, And Seeded Green Chiles
• 1-1/2 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
• 5 whole Large Eggs
• 2 cups Whole Milk
•  Salt And Black Pepper To Taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Mix together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne.
Cut chilies in half and add a single layer of chilies on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Top chilies with half the grated cheese.
Repeat with another layer of chilies and another layer of cheese.
Pour egg mixture all over the top.
Place into a larger baking dish or rimmed baking sheet. Pour in 1/2 inch of water and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until completely set.
Cut into squares and serve with warm corn tortillas!

Hot Mama Notes: I roasted my own chilis from the garden.  I thought about making actual rellenos, but it seemed like a lot of work, and I was short on time!  As it is, the kids are complaining about being hungry.  :/  I used a jack/chedder cheese blend.  I used season salt.  I had maybe 10 smaller chilis, mainly poblanos, but there might have been another type in there, too.  

To roast the chilis, I followed these directions (which are from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/authentic-mexican-chili-rellenos/):

1. Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack at about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place peppers onto the prepared baking sheet, and cook under the preheated broiler until the skin of the peppers has blackened and blistered, about 10 minutes. Turn the peppers often to blacken all sides. Place the blackened peppers into a bowl, and tightly seal with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to steam as they cool, about 15 minutes.
2. Rinse cooled peppers under cold water to peel off the skins, and cut a slit along the long side of each pepper to remove the seeds and core. Rinse the peppers inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels.

The kids didn't really dig this recipe much (well, the older one like it okay, but the younger two wouldn't eat much), but my Hubby and I *loved* it!!!  I guess you can't go wrong with what is essentially an EGG casserole.  YUM.  The fresh roasted fresh chilis were the BOMB.  We will definitely make this recipe again.  We are always looking for recipes to use up the chiles from the garden!  :D

Hot Mama Grade: A! :D

I also liked this link about chilis:

http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/chilerecipes/r/Roasted-Green-Chiles.htm

All chiles start out green, and then as they mature, they change color to yellow, orange, red or purple. Green chiles are picked as soon as they reach their full size, but before they begin to change color. They are usually roasted before using them in recipes to impart a smoky flavor as well as soften them and make the skin easy to remove.

Heat Source
Begin by preparing your heat source. You will need something extremely hot to char the chiles with. An open flame, such as a grill, is best but you can also roast them in a hot pan or under a broiler. Turn up the heat and begin roasting the chiles by turning them frequently over the heat source. Roast them until the skins are blackened and blistering. The skins do not need to be solid black, just blackened in areas and the rest of the skin should appear loosened and browned. 

This should take about 10 minutes over an open flame or in a broiler, and 15-20 minutes if you roast them in a pan.

Steaming the Chiles (optional)
Once the skin is thoroughly charred, remove the chiles from the heat source and into a bowl. Cover the bowl loosely so that the hot roasted chiles create a steam. You can cover the bowl with aluminum foil, a lid, or a dish towel. Let the chiles steam for about 10 minutes. This helps to loosen the skins even more, but this step can be skipped if time is of the essence.

Preparing the Chiles 
When the chiles have cooled enough to where you can touch them, begin peeling of the skin. The skin should peel off easily, but if it is being stubborn, you can run it under warm water while peeling. This will remove some of the chiles flavorful oils and should only be done if the skin is very hard to remove.
If you are using the green chiles for rellenos (stuffed chiles) use a knife to cut a two-inch slit from the stem and down the side and use a spoon to carefully scoop out the seeds.

Roasted chiles tear very easily so go slowly and take your time. If you're using the chiles for anything else, you can cut the stem portion off and then slit the remaining chile down the entire side and open it up. Use a spoon to scrape the seeds off. Discard the seeds and stems and use the roasted green chile in your recipe.


More on How to Roast Chiles:
http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/techniques/ht/roastchiles.htm

You can roast chiles under medium heat on the broiler, on a very hot grill, over open fire or on the stove top. For the stove top method it is helpful to use a metal steaming basket placed over the open flame. Place the chiles into the basket and keep the flame medium.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 10-20 minutes

Here's How:

1. Prepare chiles
   Clean chiles and dry thoroughly.
2. Prepare heat
   Get the heat source ready. Pre-heat broiler or grill, get fire ready or place the metal steamer over the open flame of a stove top

1. Char chiles
   Place cleaned chiles under or over the heat and turn every minute or so until the skin is blackened. The entire chile will not be completely black, but it should be charred about 60%. It should take 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Remove from heat
   Carefully remove the charred chiles from the heat source. Tongs are helpful for this.
3. Sweat chiles
   Carefully place the chiles into a plastic baggie and seal it. This will steam the chiles to continue the cooking and make the skins easier to remove. Let the chiles sweat for 10-15 minutes. Use additional baggies if roasting a large number of chiles.
4. Remove skins
   Remove the chiles from the bag one at a time. As you remove them, rub the chiles to remove the skins. Use a knife to remove any skin that sticks.
5. Use or store
   When the chiles are all peeled, you can use them immediately for best flavor, or freeze them for later use.

Tips:

1. If a baggie is not available, place the chiles in a plastic storage container with a lid. Or on a plate covered with plastic wrap or a towel.

1. 
   What You Need: Be careful of the heat. Always use tongs, pot holders or whatever you need to protect yourself.
2. Remember that the chile does not need to be completely black. As long as the chile is at least 60% charred, it should be fine.
3. Some people remove the skins while holding the chile under running water. The water can remove some of the flavorful oils in the chile so try to remove the skins with just your fingers.

• Fresh, whole chiles
• Heat source- broiler, grill, open fire, stove top with a metal steam basket
• Tongs
• Plastic baggie or plastic wrap

Easy Brownies!

Original Recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quick-and-easy-brownies/

Ingredients:

2 c    Sugar
1 c    Butter
1/2 c Cocoa Powder
4       Eggs
1 1/2 c  Flour
1/2 t  Baking Powder
1/2 t  Salt
1/2 c  Walnut Halves (optional)

Directions:

Melt Butter and mix all ingredients in the order listed above.  Preheat the oven to 350F and bake for 20 to 30 minutes in a 13x9x2 pan.

Hot Mama Notes: PERFECTION!!!!  We really liked this recipe!  :)  Easy and tasty, you can't beat that!  

Hot Mama Grade: A


I might try these next time:

http://blog.blueapron.com/five-ingredient-super-easy-brownies/

Five-Ingredient Brownies

INGREDIENTS
½ cup flour
1 cup sugar
½ cup salted butter, melted
2 eggs
1/3 cup cocoa powder

Prepare the ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-9-inch baking pan.

Make the brownies: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar and cocoa powder. In another small bowl, whisk together the butter and eggs. Add the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring until just combined.

Bake the brownies for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Cut into 16 squares and serve. Maybe à la mode?

Pecan Pie

Hot Mama Grade: A

Hot Mama Notes: I love this pie crust and filling recipe.  SO GOOD.  Simple (for pie, anyway) and tasty.  The family LOVES it.  WIN WIN WIN! :D

Cake Mix Pancakes - Red Velvet or Other!!!

http://www.purewow.com/entry_detail/recipe/9070/It-doesnt-get-sexier-than-red-velvet-pancakes.htm

Ingredients

Red Velvet Pancakes

2 cups red velvet cake mix

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 egg

1 cup whole milk

Nonstick spray, for cooking

Cream Cheese Icing

6 tablespoons whipped cream cheese

4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

4 tablespoons heavy cream

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Make the pancakes: In a large bowl, whisk the cake mix with the butter, egg and milk to combine. Work out any lumps with the whisk to make sure the batter is smooth.

2. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over high heat. When the skillet is hot, spritz it with nonstick spray and reduce the heat to low (to prevent the pancakes from becoming too dark).

3. Working in batches, ladle the batter into the skillet and cook until bubbles begin to rise from the center of the pancakes, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the pancakes and continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove the pancakes to a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm.

4. Make the icing: Using a whisk or hand mixer, combine the cream cheese with the sugar, cream and vanilla.

5. To serve, pile the pancakes onto plates and top generously with icing.

Blueberry Ginger Smoothie

http://www.purewow.com/recipes/Blueberry-Ginger-Smoothie

Ingredients

½ cup plain yogurt

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

Pinch of cinnamon

⅓ cup almond milk

1 tablespoon honey or agave

¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a blender, puree all ingredients until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add additional almond milk until the desired texture is achieved. 

Note: You can use fresh blueberries, but add ½ cup ice into the blender to keep the texture.

Chocolate Bread

Original Recipe at: http://www.purewow.com/entry_detail/recipe/8325/Double-chocolate-bread-you-can-make-in-one-bowl.htm

Ingredients

1½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

½ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup dark-chocolate chips

Confectioners’ sugar, as garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla, then mix with a whisk until well combined.

3. Gently fold in the chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. It should fill the pan a little more than halfway.

5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

6. Let the bread cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then remove it from the pan while it is still warm by inverting it onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving. If desired, finish the loaf with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar.