Pesto

As I recall, we had a bumper crop of basil in the garden that year so this recipe is dated 11/4/1990 in my recipe box. Its easy to grow from seeds. Here in Texas we plant it around the middle or March. Don't let the soil get too dry, though.

Pick the leaves from the plants leaving enough so it doesn't die.

Lately, I've also bought Basil plants container grown and put them in a pot on the porch or in a window.
 
You can use Pesto for lots of things. 

1. Pizza: Use Pesto in place of the tomato sauce. No precooking required. Spread a thin layer over the bread and top with cheese. I like to use Mozzarella, Provolone, Fresh Mozzarella and feta in declining proportions. Fresh basil and a few tomato slices or tiny tomatoes on top are good.
2. Pasta: Plop a big spoonful of Pesto fresh from the refrigerator on top of fresh cooked pasta. I like it with the bowtie pasta, linquine or spaghetti. Stir and eat.
3. Cheese sandwiches: Use Pesto in place of the mayo. Spread liberally on the bread. Add some cheese slices. (Try a thick slice of Feta with a slice of Muenster for something spectacular.)

Add the following to a blender:

• 3 cloves garlic (peeled if fresh or 3 tsp from a jar of chopped garlic with oil)
• 1/2 c chopped fresh green basil (measure after chopping)
• 1/2 c chopped fresh curly parsley (Note: Really we want a cup of green stuff. Half and half is good or you can vary the proportions of basil and parsley even to the point of no parsley or no basil.) I prefer the curly parsley over the Italian variety in Pesto. Both are available in many grocery stores and are dirt cheap.
• 3/8 c pine nuts
• 1 c extra virgin olive oil.
• 1 tsp salt. (Reduce if more basil is used. Increase if more parsley.)

Drizzle this in while blending.

• 1 - 1 1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (Parmesan Reggiano is best. Romana or Asiago will work but you may need to adjust the salt. Don't bother using the dry, dusty kind.)

Try it with a cup first and see if you need some more. More doesn't hurt but less makes the Pesto thicker and easier to deal with. And you can add more olive oil later if needed.

It will keep in the refrigerator if you make sure the olive oil covers it. If any of the green parts stick out, they will turn dark. Add some olive oil on top if you need.

Replace basil wholly or partially with parsley and it works. Maybe need some extra salt.

Pesto can be frozen. Use an ice cube tray for small ice cubes. Thaw at room temperature when you need it. (Or melt it on hot pasta.)

Cocktail Sauce

This is the red sauce that tastes great on shrimp. I originally started making this in college from the condements they put out in the cafeteria and added that to the recipe from the "Joy of Cooking," 1974 edition. Of course, I have been fooling with it for a few decades. Funny how this doesn't have that "whoosh" taste that horseradish often does.(If you want it spicy add some hot sauce or cayenne pepper.)

• 1 cup ketchup 
• 1 T parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
• 3 T prepared horseradish (not the mayonaissey kind)
  
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice of 1/2-1 lemon)
• 2 tsp capers (optional)

 Just stir it all together and let it set an hour or more in the refrigerator.

Shrimp or Crab Boil Seasoning

I like to stop by the Asian grocery stores on my way home from church Sunday's around noon. The variety of seafood beats all the other stores. Here is how I fix any sort of shrimp or crab.

Take a large stock pot and fill it 2 inches deep with cold water. Put it on the stove on high heat. While that is coming to a boil you can mix up this combination of spices. Note that various online recipes add ground ginger, chopped chives, whole garlic cloves, celery seeds, thyme, oregano and others. You may want to add these. I don't much like the way dried flake spices bubble up and coat the seafood but you may like the taste.

• 4 T salt
• 1 T ground cayenne pepper
• 2 T whole mustard seeds (yellow)
• 1 T crushed red pepper flakes
• 8 bay leaves (crumbled)
• 1/2 T whole cloves
• 1/2 T whole allspice
• 1 T whole black peppercorns
• 2 T whole coriander
• 1 T dill seeds (not dill weed)

Add 6-8 T (about 2/3 of the above amount) of spice mixture to a stock pot that's 10" in diameter. A 12" pot needs the whole amount (10-12 T) as it holds 50% more water when 2" deep.

Bring this to a boil covered.

Add 2 lb of seafood. It should not be frozen. Leave on high heat unless it starts to boil over. (In that case, turn the heat down or adjust the lid to let some air in.)

2 lb or shrip, crawfish or crab need to cook for about 5 minutes. Don't overcook.
A 2 lb lobster take about 10 minutes. 2-1 lb lobsters would be somewhat less.

Remove the seafood with tongs or a strainer. Bring the pot back to a boil and cook some more. You can use the seasoned mixture 2 or 3 times.

(On a side note, with shrimp or crawfish, you can cook whole corn on the cob or small potatoes in the same water if you like. Corn takes about 10 min. Potatoes about 15 depending on the size. Add them first and then add the seafood for the last bit.)

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This is mild or hot depending on the chile you use. Notes below allow making a vegetarian version.

Spray some oil on a large casserole baking dish. If you are going to cook immediately, set oven to 375 degrees F.

Make a crust with

• tortilla chips (Like Doritos) crushed a bit and lining the bottom of the baking dish
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth poured over the chip bits

(You will use a large bag of tortilla chips before you finish plus a whole can of chicken broth. Substitute vegetable broth or water for a vegetarian version.)

In a mixing bowl stir together well

• 8 oz sour cream
• 4 oz cream cheese (chop of this is not already soft)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 lb of grated cheese (cheddar and/or Monterey Jack) Note: You will use another 1/2 lb later to top the dish.
• 1/2 cup green onion tips chopped (the green part)
• 1/2 medium red onion chopped finely (3 inch diameter)
• Chopped cooked chicken (1-2 lb frozen cooked chicken fajita meat OR 3 large frozen breasts cooked and cut in 1/2 in (1cm) cubes. Grill, broil, fry, boil or even microwave unseasoned. Grill tastes best.) Vary to suit your taste or leave it out (but add another 1-2 cup of cheese to replace the chicken if you leave out the chicken. )
• 8 oz frozen kernel corn
• 3 chiles (Cut in half and place under the broiler out-side up until the skin begins to burn. Chop medium. Use Anaheim or Hatch or Poblano fresh chiles. Add Jalapeño or Habanero for heat. Use mild chiles for mild enchiladas. 2 or 3 cans of green chile are an acceptable substitute.)
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder.

Stir together well

Spread 1/2 of the mixture evenly over the tortilla chip crust

Crush another 3-4 cups of tortilla chips evenly for the next layer.

Follow with the rest of the mixture. And another layer of crushed chips.

Sprinkle another 1/2 lb of grated cheese on top and evenly spread another 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Sprinkle some more Mexican Oregano flakes or parsley flakes to make it pretty. (Slices olives on top look nice too.)

So the layers in the baking disk look like this (from top to bottom):

• Grated cheese (top)
• Crushed tortilla chips
• Cheesy-chickeny mixture
• Crushed tortilla chips
• Cheesy-chickeny mixture
• Crushed tortilla chips (bottom of the dish)

It is best to let the flavors blend for 12-24 hours in the refrigerator. Cover with foil or a lid to the dish.

Cook covered at 375 degrees F until bubbly hot throughout. About 1 hour seems to do that but it will take longer if the contents of the dish aren't room temperature.

Serve hot.

Serves 6 a large portion each.

A Smooth Margarita

Pretty strong, this drink is smooth and just sweet enough. The fruity taste is enhanced with a good tequila and all the citrus.

(Note that two ounces is 1/4 cup.)

Add this to a glass with salt on the rim

• 2/3 oz agave nectar (or one ounce sugar)
• 1/4 cup (2 oz) water
• 1 tsp frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 of the squeezed lime
• 2 oz tequila (Don Julio Reposado)
• 1 oz orange liqueur (Gran Marnier)
• Fill the glass with ice

Stir well and share with a friend.

Seven Layer Mexican Dip

Ingredients

What is it about with tortilla chips? Some people like the thin ones. Some people swear by the thick ones. Some people only like the white corn. However you like the chips, serve this with your favorite tortilla chips.

Oh, and the title calls this "Seven Layer ..." but its sort of hard to tell how many layers there are the way I make it. For example, the typical recipe calls for guacamole but I prefer to sort of construct this from avocados and stuff in place. Does that make one layer or three? But if you take the "Seven" metaphorically, it all comes out fine.

On a large plate (14 inches) or a large casserole dish you spread these layers:

Layer 1 - beans and chile

Beans, Chile, Onion and Avocado

• 20.5 oz can refried Black Beans - The first layer is formed by spreading the can of refried beans evenly across the plate. (I saw some recipes where the beans were mixed with sauteed shallots or onions and green chile before cooling and spreading on the plate. I didn't try it, but it sounds good even though it adds a lot of work.)
• small can green chile, chopped - sprinkle the bits of chile around over the beans. You can use more than one can or use 1/3 cup of the frozen chopped green chiles available some places. In the pictures, I used a jar of Poblano chile strips chopped up.

Layer 2 - guacamole (sort of)

• 1 Tbsp finely chopped red onion - Spread around over the beans.
• 2 Med or Large Avocados - Cut in half, remove the seed, peel and chop coarsely. Then spread this around over the beans.
• ground paprika - sprinkle a dusting over the avocado
• salt - sprinkle a bit over the avocado
• 2 Tbsp Lemon juice - drizzle this as evenly as possible over the avocado and then spread the avocados around to even them up 

Layer 3 - taco dip

•  1 cup sour cream - put this in a small mixing bowl or large measuring cup
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise -  stir in
• 1 Tbsp powdered New Mexico red chile - This is not the typical "chili powder" which is a mixture of red chile powder, garlic, cumin and such. If you must use that, put a bit more and remove the garlic powder.
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp Mexican oregano flakes
• 1/2 tsp ground paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Note that I really use whole cumin and black pepper and put all the dry spices in my spice grinder and pulverize them. It's fresher. But you can use the already ground spices too.

Stir this together until mixed evenly. It should have a light, brick red tint. Then spread it carefully over the avocado mixture in layer 2.

Layer 4 - Cheese

Taco Dip and Cheese

• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese - sprinkle evenly over the top
• 5 oz Cotija cheese, well crumbled - sprinkle over the top. This is a crumbly Mexican variety of cheese with a tangy flavor. Substitute half Feta and half cheddar or just double the mozzarella if you don't have it available.

Layer 5, 6 and 7 - vegetables

•  6 oz can sliced black olives, drained thoroughly - disperse evenly over the top.
• 2 or 3 medium tomatoes chopped coarsely - sprinkle with salt and pepper, let set for a minute or two, drain off the liquid and then spread evenly, again, over the top
• 1 bunch green onion tops, chopped - spread artfully over the top

You can serve this immediately. Or you can put a wet paper towel over the top, seal it in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for up to a few hours. Leave it too long and the avocados start to darken while the tomatoes wilt and give up their liquid.

Serve with tortilla chips (of your own choosing).

Rice w/ Indian Spices

I put a few recipes together for this one. Because of the turmeric, the rice turns a festive yellow color. This is really good with the "Indian Chicken" recipe from Feb 2012.

Put the following in a large skillet over medium heat.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped medium
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp minced fresh ginger which is about an inch of ginger root(or add 1/2 tsp powdered ginger when you add the spices in a bit)

Saute until the onion is translucent. Then add the following all at once.

• 1 tsp cardamom (or 8 whole cardamom seeds)
• 1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• (optional: some red pepper flakes for spiciness)
• 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
• 10 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger (if you didn't chop up the fresh ginger previously)
• 1 bay leaf  
• 3-4 whole Indian green chile pods (small and very hot)

Stir together and then add

• 2 cups basmati rice

Fry the rice in the oil mixture stirring and turning. The rice will lose its white and become almost clear. Some will get a little brown. Stir enough to not let it get too brown.

Add the following and stir:

• 1/2 cup white wine (the drinking kind)
• (option: add a handful or raisins, craisins or some coarsely chopped apricots at this point for some sweetness.)

Then add the liquid a cup at a time. Stir and bring it to a simmer. When the rice absorbs most of the liquid, add another cup. At the end, you may need a bit more or less to cook it to the right softness for you. Taste the rice to see when its soft all the way through. (Hint: It goes a little better if you microwave the liquid so it is warm already when it is added to the pan. You have to warm it all up at the start as there is no time while working.) This process is the similar to that used with some Spanish Rice recipes and Risotto.

• 4 cups water or chicken broth or vegetable broth

 When the rice is soft, remove from heat and add the following.

• Salt to taste
• Ground pepper

Serve from the pan or move it to a suitable bowl and serve immediately.

Alternative:

If you want, you can take the rice off when it gets to where it isn't crunch in the middle. Then put it all in a casserole dish, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. This may work better for timing your meal if you have other things to prepare. You can also fill the casserole dish, cover with foil and keep in the refrigerator. If it starts cold, you are going to need to bake it at least an hour at 350 degrees F. Serve directly from the dish.