Food: Shrimp Enchiladas with Parsnips and Sweet Potato

Are you ready? Ever thought of combining shrimp with parsnips and sweet potatoes? Me either. Until this came along - the best recipe I've stumbled upon in the past couple of months. And to make it even better, meat lovers love it too (trust me, two meat-and-potato types just enjoyed this with me a few evenings ago). The dish is so tasty and comforting, I'm considering adding it to my Christmas party menu. Spicy, sweet, fulfilling, warm...Southwest flavors combined with sweet and nutty root veggies. What else could you ask for in the perfect Fall meal? My mouth is still salivating. Seriously. My tummy is full but my taste buds are asking for more.

If you're looking for a pairing, this dish actually goes great with an earthy Malbec but would also be nice with a light, balanced white. And it'd be great even without the shrimp if you're looking for a meal to satisfy vegetarians. I was even tempted to use the filling as a mashed potato substitute...so feel free to freeze any leftover filling to use as a quick side for a future meal.





Shrimp Enchiladas with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Parsnips

Slightly Modified from Bon Appetit - October 2010 (Molly Stevens)

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 medium parsnips, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 anaheim pepper, halved, seeded
• 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles, drained
• 1 jar tomatillo salsa (MM Recommendation: Frontera)
• 1/2 cup sour cream, divided
• 8 ounces cooked, peeled, de-veined shrimp, coarsely chopped
• 12 5 1/2- to 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas
• 8 ounces crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese (about 2 cups)
  

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine parsnips, sweet potatoes, and red onion in large bowl. Add ground cumin, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, chili powder, oregano, and 1 teaspoon coarse salt; toss to coat. Transfer to baking sheet. Roast vegetables until soft and browned in spots, turning occasionally, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool. (Note: This could be prepared the day before - just refrigerate and allow to come back to room temperature before assembling the enchiladas).
• Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. With machine running, add garlic and jalapeño through feed tube of processor and process until finely chopped. Add cilantro and drained green chiles. Using on/off turns, process until coarse puree forms. Add salsa; process to blend. Transfer salsa mixture to large deep skillet. Add 1/4 cup sour cream and stir over medium-low heat just until warm (do not allow to boil). Remove from heat. Cover and keep warm.
• Measure 1 cup roasted vegetables; set aside. Transfer remaining vegetables to processor. Using on/off turns, process until coarsely chopped. Transfer to large bowl.
• Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, cook until just softened, about 15 seconds per side (do not allow to brown). Transfer tortillas to paper towels to drain.
• Spread 1/2 cup salsa mixture over bottom of long baking dish. Place 1 tortilla on work surface; sprinkle generous 2 teaspoons crumbled cheese down center. Top with generous 1/4 cup roasted vegetable filling, and sprinkle with chopped shrimp. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in prepared dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, cheese, and filling. Scatter reserved 1 cup roasted vegetables over enchiladas. Spoon remaining salsa mixture over. Sprinkle with any remaining cheese. Bake enchiladas until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Food: Sweet Potato Gnocchi and Pork Tenderloin

Do I have a treat for all of you today! Not only am I sharing two absolutely delicious recipes, but my sister has deemed this to be her "new favorite meal." Both of these dishes would make a great menu for a low-pressure dinner party since the gnocchi can be made in advance and the pork is relatively low-maintenance. The gnocchi is soft, warm, sweet, and pillowy (although my lesson learned is to use half of the butter the recipe called for since the gnocchi has plenty of moisture on its own). The pork is salty and moist and works very well with the sweetness of the soft onions and the crunchy texture of the green beans. And if you aren't having a dinner party both the pork and the gnocchi make wonderful leftovers.

(My mom and sister are pictured below with the gnocchi...they did a great job!)

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage
From: Bon Appétit - December 2005

Ingredients
2, 1-pound red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), rinsed, patted dry, pierced all over with fork
1, 12-ounce container fresh ricotta cheese, drained in sieve 2 hours
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 3/4 cups (about) all purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (MM Note: The gnocchi are so light and airy I felt this was actually too much oil. Next time I make the dish I plan to cut the amount of butter in half.)
6 tablespoons chopped fresh sage plus whole leaves for garnish


Directions

• Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place sweet potatoes on plate; microwave on high until tender, about 5 minutes per side. Cut in half and cool.
• Scrape sweet potato flesh into medium bowl and mash; transfer 3 cups to large bowl. Add ricotta cheese; blend well. Add Parmesan cheese, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and nutmeg; mash to blend. Mix in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto floured surface; divide into 6 equal pieces. Rolling between palms and floured work surface, form each piece into 20-inch-long rope (about 1 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if sticky. Cut each rope into 20 pieces. Roll each piece over tines of fork to indent. Transfer to baking sheet.
• Bring large pot of water to boil; add 2 tablespoons salt and return to boil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to clean rimmed baking sheet. Cool completely. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until butter solids are brown and have toasty aroma, swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes.
  Add chopped sage (mixture will bubble up). Turn off heat. Season sage butter generously with salt and pepper.
• Transfer half of sage butter to large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add half of gnocchi. Sauté until gnocchi are heated through, about 6 minutes. Empty skillet onto rimmed baking sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining sage butter and gnocchi.
• Divide gnocchi and sauce among shallow bowls. Garnish with sage leaves.

Sweet and Salty Pork Rib Roasts by Jean-Georges Vongerichten
MM Note: Food & Wine also listed a spicy broth to serve with this dish. Since I felt there were plenty of flavors going on, we served the pork without this added step.

Ingredients
PORK
1 quart water
1 cups soy sauce (MM Note: Modified from 2 cups; Recommend to use low-sodium due to adding salt)
1/2 cup pure Grade B maple syrup (MM Note: Modified from 1 cup)
1/8 cup kosher salt (MM Note: Modified from 1/4 cup)
Two 5-bone pork rib roasts, about 4 pounds each (MM Note: I used boneless pork tenderloins, which worked perfectly!)

ONIONS
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 medium onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 large head of garlic, cloves peeled and thinly sliced
1 fresh red Thai chile with seeds, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound thin green beans

Directions

• Prepare the Pork: In a large nonreactive pot, mix the water with the soy sauce, maple syrup and salt, stirring to dissolve the salt. Add the pork rib roasts and refrigerate for 2 hours. Light a grill. Preheat the oven to 350°. Remove the pork from the brine and pat dry. Grill over medium heat, turning several times, until lightly charred all over, about 15 minutes. Transfer the pork to a large rimmed baking sheet and roast for 50-60 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer registers 150° when inserted into the thickest part of the meat. Transfer the pork to a carving board to rest for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the onions: In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onions, garlic and chile, cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened but not browned, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Stir the green beans into the onions. Cover and cook over moderate heat until warmed through.
• Transfer the green beans and onions to a platter. Using a sharp carving knife, slice the roasts from the racks, using the bones as a guide. Carve the deboned roasts 1 inch thick and arrange on top of the onions.
  

Food: Simple Stir-Fry (and not-so-easy rice)

On Friday I decided to make a recipe out of this month's Bon Appetit (May 2009): Stir-fried Beef, Broccoli and Yams. It turned out to be a very easy dish (minus our slight disaster with the short-grain brown rice) and was a nice combination of sweet, crunchy and spicy. Some slight modifications I made to the recipe included throwing in some water chestnuts and doubling the amount of red pepper (since we like things a little more spicy). I think the stir-fry would have also been good with peanuts instead of the water chestnuts, so I'll have to try that next time. The sweet potatoes in the sauce reminded us both of candied yams...so they definitely needed the beef, broccoli and heat to balance out the sweetness.

Stir-Fried Beef, Broccoli, and Yams

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper (or a little more if you want some heat)
• 1 1-pound flank steak, cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil, divided
• 4 cups broccoli florets (about 8 ounces)
• 1 8-ounce yam (red-skinned sweet potato), peeled, cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices (I used a regular sweet potato and it turned out fine)
• 2 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger

PREPARATION

• Stir first 4 ingredients in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Set sauce aside. Place beef in large bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add cornstarch and toss to coat.
• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in large wok over high heat. beef mixture; stir-fry until no longer pink outside, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer beef mixture to medium bowl. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet. Add broccoli, yam, and ginger. Toss to coat; sprinkle with salt and pepper. sauce.
• Cover, reduce heat to medium-high, and cook until vegetables are just tender, about 5
  minutes. Add beef mixture. Toss until sauce coats beef, about 1 minute. Serve.

Food: Hamburgers with Chipotle Ketchup and Fresh Guacamole, Oven Sweet Potato Fries

Since the weather was so beautiful this past weekend, we thought it was fine time to get out the BBQ and grill up some hamburgers. I decided to fancy things up a bit by topping the burgers with fresh, garlicy guacamole and chipotle-spiced ketchup and serve oven-baked sweet potato fries on the side. The italian sesame seed hamburger buns shown below are awesome - they're supplied from a bakery in Windsor, Canada and some of the grocery stores in the Detroit-area (specifically Busch's) carry them in their bakery section.

Weber has a grilling guide that has become my best friend when it comes to cooking things on the grill. I suggest you to visit Weber's website, print out the guide and keep it in one of your cookbooks. We've found when we follow the instructions, everything comes out cooked just how we like it with no worries that we have to put something back on the grill/run the risk of overcooking/drying out the meat.
Here are my "basic" instructions:
Hamburgers - Preheat your grill to medium heat. In a medium-sized bowl, mix 1 finely diced shallot, 2-3 Tb of worchestershire sauce and ~1.5 lbs of lean ground beef with your hands. Hand pack into paties ~3/4" thick. Cook paties on Direct-Medium for 8-10 minutes (Weber guide tip).
Guacamole - This is my basic proportioning for guacamole, which does the trick every time. In a bowl, combine 2 ripe avacados (halved, pit removed, pulp scooped out into bowl), juice from 1 lime and 2 finely chopped garlic cloves. Combine/mash ingredients to desired consistency/texture. Add salt to taste.
Chipotle Ketchup - My favorite way to make this is to use canned chipotles in adobo. In a small bowl, mix ketchup, a few Tb of adobo, and a portion of a diced chipotle to taste. If I'm just making a small amount, sometimes I don't want to waste an entire can just for ketchup. In this case, I follow a quick and easy version, mixing chipotle hot sauce (Bufalo or Tabasco both work well) into ketchup, adding in increments until I reach the desired level of heat and smokiness.
Sweet Potato Oven Fries - Preheat oven to 450. Peel sweet potatoes and slice into matchsticks. Toss potatoes with a few Tb of olive oil, salt and pepper and spread them on to baking sheet(s) so that they compose one layer (they'll brown up and get crispy (not soggy) if you keep them from overlapping). Bake "fries" until browned, 45 minutes-to-one hour (you may have to cook longer if you you're using two oven racks).