Chile Rellenos

Sauce:
1 14.5 oz can tomatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chiles:
1 1/2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
1 tablespoon dried oregano
6 poblano chiles, charred, seeded, and deveined *see Cook's Note
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions
Sauce: Put the tomatoes, garlic and onion in a blender. Blend until smooth. In a medium saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes or till done with other steps. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Chile rellenos: Mix the cheese and oregano in a small bowl. Cut a slit through 1 side of the charred chiles and fill each chile with 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture. Close with toothpicks to hold the filling in place. In a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the egg yolk and continue to beat for about 1 minute.

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour in enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.) Dredge the filled chiles in flour until fully covered. Shake off any excess flour, then dip the chiles into the egg mixture, until well coated. Fry until golden brown and drain on paper towels.

Arrange the chiles on a serving platter, spoon the sauce on top and serve.

Notes
To char the chiles (or any fresh chile): Put the chiles over a gas flame or underneath the broiler and cook until they are blackened on all sides. Enclose them in a plastic bag and let stand for 10 minutes to steam, which will make them easier to peel. Peel, stem, and seed the chiles (use plastic gloves!) Once peeled, the chiles may be chopped, sliced or stuffed.

Falafel

Chickpeas:
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 carrot, peeled
1 rib celery
1/2 onion
Kosher salt

Falafel:
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
2 to 3 grates lemon zest
1/2 Spanish onion, small diced
Flour, for dusting
Kosher salt

Garnish:
Pita bread
Chopped lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Peeled, grated cucumbers
yogurt Sauce, recipe follows
Directions

Peanut or other neutrally flavored oil, for frying

To cook the chickpeas: Drain the chickpeas from the soaking water and place in a medium saucepan. Toss in the garlic, bay leaf, carrot, celery, and onion. Add water to the pan until it covers the chickpeas by about 2 inches of water.

Put the pan on a high heat and bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer until the chickpeas are very soft and tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Turn the heat off.

Season the water generously with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. Drain the chickpeas from the cooking liquid and remove the veggies, and bay leaf and discard.

To make the falafel: In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas until they look coarse and grainy but are NOT a puree.

Transfer the pulsed chickpeas to a mixing bowl and add the cilantro, parsley, breadcrumbs, garlic, lemon zest, onions and spices. Gently stir to combine. Taste the mixture to see if the mix needs seasoning, season with salt if needed.

Form the mixture into balls the size of walnuts and gently press to make patties. Lightly dust with flour on both sides and pat off excess. Place the patties on a sheet tray and let hang out in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or over night.

Add oil to a large straight-sided saute pan until the oil is about 1/2-inch deep. Bring the oil to a medium-high heat. Add the falafel to the pan and fry them on both sides until they are brown and crispy.

Remove the falafel from the pan and dry on paper towels.

Serve the falafel in pitas with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and yogurt Sauce.

Yogurt Dipping Sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt to taste

Jambalaya

2 teaspoons oil
1 chicken breast (sometimes I just leave this out)

1 cup diced ham
1.2 lb smoked sausage


1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups bell peppers (mixture of red, green, yellow, and/or orange), seeded & finely chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups long grain white rice

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 can (14.5 oz) diced, undrained tomatoes,
3 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
Tony's creole seasoning to taste

1 pound medium shrimp, shelled (optional)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Season chicken with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Add chicken to pan and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and cook until golden brown on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add diced ham and sausage; cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer ham and sausage to paper towel–lined plate and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium-low, add vegetables and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon, until vegetables have softened, about 4 minutes. Add rice, salt, thyme, and chili powder; cook, stirring frequently, until rice is coated with fat, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaves, and browned ham and sausage to pot; stir to combine. Place chicken on rice. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir once, keeping chicken on top, skinned-side down. Replace cover and continue to simmer until the internal temperature of the chicken is 160 degrees, about 10 minutes more; transfer chicken to clean plate and set aside for ten minutes (this keeps the chicken from drying out). Scatter shrimp over rice, cover, and continue to cook until rice is fully tender and shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Add Creole seasoning to taste.

Shred chicken. When shrimp are cooked, discard bay leaves; off heat, stir in parsley and shredded chicken, and serve immediately.


Adapted from Joelen

Pan Bagnat

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 baguette, approximately 16 to 18 inches long
• 12 ounces canned tuna packed in oil or water, drained and crumbled
• 1 small green pepper, sliced into rings
• 1 small red onion, sliced into rings (I omit)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• 1 cup chopped kalamata olives
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. While continuing to whisk, gradually add the olive oil. Whisk until an emulsion forms. Set aside.

Slice the baguette horizontally into 2 pieces. Tear out some of the soft bread in the center of each side, making a slight well in the bread. Place the tuna, green pepper, red onion, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and tomato on the bottom side of the bread in that order. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the vegetables, top with the second piece of bread, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours before serving.

Cut into 4 sandwiches and serve.

Tomato Pasta

Butter, for greasing dish
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound small pasta (macaroni)
1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
4 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 to 5 very ripe, extra-large or beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices


Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish. Set aside.

In a food processor, blend together the crushed tomatoes and garlic. Pour into a medium bowl and add the uncooked pasta, 1/3 cup olive oil, oregano, basil, parsley salt, and pepper. Toss until all the ingredients are coated.

Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with tomato slices. Pour the pasta mixture into the pan and spread evenly. Arrange the remaining tomato slices in an overlapping layer on top of the pasta mixture, making sure the mixture is completely covered. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake until the tomatoes are slightly crispy and the pasta is cooked, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Taco Soup

1-1 ½ lb. Ground beef, browned with onions
Brown with a medium size onion-diced
2 small cans corn (drained)
1 can red kidney beans (drain)
1 can black beans (drain)
1 other can of beans (or 2 of one of the above beans)
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1-2 envelopes ranch dressing mix (to taste)
1 large can whole tomatoes (can chop or puree)

Put all ingredients in a crock pot for about 2 hours. Top with cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips

Smoked Turkey and Artichoke Panini

One loaf rustic sourdough bread
One jar marinated artichoke hearts
Garlic-Herb sandwich spread (recipe below)
Smoked Deli Turkey
Provolone
Tomato, sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Garlic-Herb sandwich spread:
1 1/2 C mayo
1 large clove garlic
1/2 T lemon juice
zest from 1/2 lemon (1/4-1/2 t)
1/2 t fresh rosemary
1/2 T fresh oregano
1T fresh basil

Place mayo in a small food processor. Finely mince garlic, or press, and add to mayo. Add lemon zest then juice. Chop all herbs and add to mayo mixture. Process until smooth and combined.

Tomato Ranch Chicken

4 to 6 Chicken Breasts (can be frozen to start)
1 onion sliced into rings
1/4 cup melted butter
1 pkg Ranch Dressing mix
2 cloves minced garlic (optional)
1 large can diced tomatoes(drain for thicker sauce)
or 2 or 3 fresh diced tomatoes
1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
salt and pepper to taste
Rice

Layer onion and chicken breasts in crock pot. Melt butter and mix in Ranch Dressing mix, and garlic(optional). Pour over top of chicken. Set on low if you have all day to cook, or high for 1/2 day (turn down to low once chicken is thawed and starting to cook if it started frozen). Let cook for several hours before adding tomatoes on top.

About 1/2 hour before eating, remove chicken (wrap to keep warm) and put tomato and onions into a bowl. Whisk soup mix in with the juices in the crock pot and warm- this becomes your sauce.

Place chicken breast on a bed of rice. Spoon on tomatoes and onions and top with sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.

Corn Salsa

3 tomatoes, chopped
2 avocados, chopped
1 can corn, drained
1 can black eyed peas, drained
green onions, chopped
cilantro, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
Italian dressing packet, made

Combine all ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips.