Mar 27, 2007

Because.... Cherry-O Pie :Recipe Tuesday

Because I'm thinking of Mom and this is close enough....

Cherry-O Pie
1 graham cracker pie crust
8 oz. cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cap almond extract
1 can cherry pie filling, chilled
Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, milk, lemon juice, and extract until well blended and smooth.
Pour cream mixture into pie crust and smooth top.
Chill overnight in the refrigerator.
Top with cherry pie filling before serving.

Mar 20, 2007

Irish? Why yes... Yes I am...

But I cannot, for some reason, make bread.
This week's Recipe Tuesday comes to you from Food TV, where I got what seemed to be a decent recipe for Soda Bread. Go here for the recipe.
Now, what I ended up with isn't a chewy, earthy bread good for corned beef and cabbage and potatoes. That's what it should have been.

I didn't use enough liquid.
I ended up with a large hockey puck that had a dry, icky texture.
If anyone can make bread, teach me.
Happy Recipe Tuesday, folks

Mar 6, 2007

SOPA!!!

Once again, Dear Reader, it's time for Recipe Tuesday. Slight disclaimer: I'm cooking these when I get home tonight, I'll update and let you know how they turn out Tuesday evening (posting from work, no internet at home, Sic_un's getting his sissy bar installed tonight).

I've been craving Sopas... Sopapillas. A delicious light, airy fried bread prevalent (very) in every Mexican restaurant in New Mexico. People here haven't HEARD of them... Why, you may ask. I asked that too. Nobody here could tell me.

So you go to the internet and what can you find? THIS. Apparently, according to Wikipedia (and, really, this is the best explanation I can find), sopapillas were developed or created or whatever in the late 1800's... IN NEW MEXICO. There is a South American dish called torta frita that is quite a bit like it, but apparently sopas are a New Mexican phenom. Even the language kindof carries this through. The etymology: American Spanish, diminutive of Spanish sopaipa, fried dough sweetened with honey, from earlier xopaipa, from Mozarabic xupaipa. Also diminutive of úppa, súppa, bread soaked in oil, from Old Spanish sopa, food soaked in liquid, of Germanic origin.

And I've been craving.

Shall we go to the kitchen, Dear Reader?

Sopapillas (service for 6)


1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shortening
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons warm water
2 cups oil for frying --USE SHORTENING... Fries up better.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and shortening. Stir in water; mix until dough is smooth. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes.
Roll out on floured board until 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3 inch squares. Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve hot. You may dust with powdered sugar, serve with honey, or stuff with whatever you desire.

Easy recipe. Please note, you can get more servings if you double/triple, etc. I don't see ANY problem with expanding this recipe. BUT... Sopas don't store so well, they don't reheat so well. You're better off keeping the batches smaller to fit how many you want to feed at any one time.
You MUST roll them really thin otherwise they don't puff the way they should (thick dough=thick sopa...icky). I've often heard they should be tissue paper thin. Don't need to go that thin, but it does puff up better the thinner it is.
Use shortening for frying. Oil doesn't give quite as good a browning from what I've seen in the past. I prefer to deep fry with shortening.
My favorite way to enjoy them is to either have them with enchiladas (gooey and dripping with chile verde over at Los Cuates) or as dessert drizzled with honey. The salt in them (and it really is a bit of a savory dough) contrasts nicely and makes it a 'not heavy' dessert.
Enjoy, and I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow afternoon or evening. Maybe even with pictures :)

The Its-Been-a-Hell-of-a-Week Quiche

Hi, I'm SiO2. I've commented some here and I post Recipe Tuesday stuff in that Other journaling site, but the food's good so at Neuro's request I'll be cross posting here and there and I also ended up with my own blog(I'll link if I do anything with it). I'm sure that's mostly a sentence.

Its Recipe Tuesday and after the week or so that it has been, Dear Reader (rough and not in that warm squishy way), I figure I'll make comfort food this week.

This is the sort of about right style my dad taught me to cook in (think of measuring a teaspoon in of salt into your cupped palm and knowing its about right). I have no idea what dad calls this, but its thing he made for dinner when the day had been long or awful.

OK pick up a zucchini: wash and shred it

Take a glass baking pan and grease or spray it. Then line it with the zucchini shreds and press them into place. Bake 350 that til a little crispy. After you pull that out of the oven turn it up to 400 to preheat.

Take enough eggs (5ish - it depends upon your pan) and milk and cheese to fill this and beat them and pour it in to the crust, plus or minus spicing but really I like it mostly plain. Fresh sage could go well.

Place mixture in the crust then cover with red chile sauce, which is buy red chile add water and simmer till gooey.

Bake at 400 or so for 30-45 or til golden brown and solid.

I always think this is fabulous in its balance: spicy and plain, crunchy and soft. Sorry no pictures.