E's Recipe Corner

From The Best One-Dish Suppers, from the editors of Cook's Illustrated.

Serves 4
We prefer fresh ripe mangos here, but you can substitute 2 C frozen mangos, thawed and chopped as directed.If your mangos are unripe, add sugar to the salsa in step 1 as needed.

2 medium mangos, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 small red onion, minced
1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro leaves, divided
2 T lime juice from 1 lime, divided
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 1/2 pounds ground pork (i used less, probably around 1 pound, whatever was in my prepacked meat pack)
2 ounces Montery Jack cheese, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
12 6-inch corn tortillas

1. Combine the mangos, half of the onion, 1/4 cup of the cilantro, 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl; set aside.

2.Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining onion and chipotles and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pork and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.Off the heat, stir in the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3.Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover, and microwave on high power until warm and soft, 1-2 minutes. Spoon a small amount of the pork filling into the center of each warm tortilla, top with the mango mixture, and serve.

I haven't tried this yet. I am attempting to grow tomatillos this year and found this recipe and want to try it later. It looks yum!

Found here.

First thing you do is preheat your oven to broil. Gather these ingredients:

8 to 10 tomatillos, husks peeled and cut in half
3 jalapenos, seeded, cored and cut in half
3 cloves garlic
1 TBS olive oil

Lay the tomatillos (cut side down), jalapenos and garlic on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Broil in oven for 8 to 12 minutes or until tomatillos start to char. Remove garlic and jalapenos earlier if they get too dark.

Let cool and put all the vegetables in a food processor. Add:

a handful of cilantro
Eat with chips or use as a topping on any meat.

From Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook

Makes 1 focaccia, 8 servings

3/4 cup water
2 T olive or vegetable oil
2 cups bread flour
1 T sugar
1 t salt
1 1/2 t bread machine or quick active dry yeast


3 T olive or vegetable oil
2-3 T chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Coarse salt, if desired

Measure carefully, placing all ingredients EXCEPT 3 T oil, rosemary and coarse salt in the bread machine pan. Select dough/manual cycle. Do not use delay cycles.

Remove dough from pan using lightly floured hands. Cover let rest on lightly floured surface 10 minutes.

Grease large cookie sheet. Roll or pat dough into 12-inch circle on cookie sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes or until almost double.

Heat oven to 400. Make depressions in the dough at 1 inch intervals with fingertips. Drizzle with 3 T oil. Sprinkle with rosemary and coarse slat. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm, or cool on wire rack.

This is from the America's Test Kitchen "Cover and Bake" cookbook. It's awesome. The only thing I did different is that I didn't use fresh basil (I used dried) and I didn't use as much cheese as it calls for. I bought as much cheese as it calls for, but holy crap, it's a lot, and I didn't use it all. Oh yeah, and I didn't buy curly-leaf spinach, because I couldn't find it, and my bag was only 9 oz. Okay, here goes.

Serves 6 to 8

Cremini mushrooms are particularly good in this dish, but any fresh mushroom is fine. Smoked mazzarella, Gruyere, or fontina can be substituted for the mozzarella and Pecorino Romano for the Parmesan. Also, 3 1/2 cups of your favorite prepared tomato sauce can be substituted for the sauce in this recipe. Feel free to substitute 3 cups of your favorite cooked vegetables (roasted, steamed, sauteed, grilled, or broiled) for the mushrooms and spinach.

5 tablespoons olive oil
1 (10-ounce) bag curly-leaf spinach, washed, stemmed, and chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
1 medium onion, minced
1 pound cremini or white button mushrooms, stems trimmed, brushed clean, and sliced thin
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles from one 8 or 9-ounce package
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 5 1/3 cups)
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the spinach in handfuls and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; transfer the spinach to a colander. Gently squeeze any excess liquid from the spinach; set aside (the cooked spinach should measure about 1 1/2 cups).

2. Wipe the pot clean and add 2 more tablespoons oil; return the pot to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute until they have released their moisture and are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste; transfer to a bowl and set aside (the cooked mushrooms should measure about 1 1/2 cups).

3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the garlic; return the pot to medium heat until the garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes; bring to a simmer and cook until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce into a large measuring cup and add enough water to make 3 1/2 cups.

4. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish (or a shallow casserole dish of similar size). Lay 3 of the noodles crosswise over the sauce, making sure they do not touch each other or the sides of the dish. Spread 1 cup of the prepared vegetables evenly over the noodles, 2/3 cup of the sauce evenly over the vegetables, and 1 1/3 cups of the mozzarella and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan evenly over the sauce. Repeat this layering of the noodles, vegetables, sauce, and cheeses twice more. For the fourth and final layer, lay the last 3 noodles crosswise over the previous layer and top with the remaining 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 1/3 cups mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

5. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a large sheet of foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover the lasagna. Bake 25 minutes; remove the foil and continue baking until the top turns golden brown in spots, about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

2 cans whole tomatoes in juice
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. chopped fresh jalepeno
2 tsp. finely chopped ginger
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 tsp. salt

Directions: Drain ONE can of tomatoes, then puree with other can WITH JUICE. Saute onion, garlic, jalepeno and ginger in olive oil in large pot. Add cumin and cook one minute. Stir in pureed tomatoes, broth, sugar and salt. Simmer stirring occasionally 20 minutes. Working in batches blend soup in blender (trust me....work in small batches, from previous experience large batches can create havoc on one's kitchen). ;) Haha! Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and crusty bread. Yum!!