Chilly mornings call for hot breakfasts, and with apples lining farmers’ market stalls, I made two versions of baked apples this week. First up: a modified version of granola-stuffed baked apples from Macheesmo.com. With all the ingredients in my pantry (see list below), I threw together a batch in less than five minutes (while William stumbled out of bed and groggily got dressed). The apples baked while we walked Bruno in the cold and were ready—steaming and oozing syrupy goodness—when we got home. Soft apple flesh caved under our forks. Brown sugar and butter made a sweet sauce, and nutty granola from Not Just Rugelach provided textural contrast. I served the apples with plain, whole-milk yogurt and a fat cup of coffee. Our hot breakfast craving was satisfied.

William and I favor savory breakfasts, so apple recipe No. 2 used bread crumbs leftover from my stuffed pumpkin, along with cream cheese, sharp cheddar and cream. The cheesy apples were equally (borderline more) delicious than the granola apples, and with a hint of black pepper they also could work as an autumn side dish. If you like a slice of cheddar with your apple pie and apple-cheddar sandwiches (as I do), this is the breakfast for you.

The methods for both recipes are the nearly the same. Just preheat your oven to 350°. Remove the apples’ cores and scrape out a little extra flesh to leave more room for stuffing. I used a pairing knife-spoon combo to do the work, but an apple corer and melon baller would make an even more effective team. For the granola apples, mix together granola, brown sugar and cinnamon; stuff the apples and top each with a teaspoon of butter. For the cheese apples, combine bread crumbs, cream, cream cheese, cheddar, salt and pepper; pack the stuffing into the apple. Next, pop the apples onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Granola-stuffed baked apple ingredients
2 medium apples
4 tablespoons granola
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Dash cinnamon and/or powdered ginger
2 teaspoons unsalted butter

Cheddar-stuffed baked apple ingredients
2 medium apples
3 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
Splash cream or milk
1 tablespoon cream cheese
2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

I bought my first bag of Cayuga Pure Organics beans at the farmers’ market last week and made a batch of Black Magic Chili—a vegan mole-like chili I prepared for the first time last winter. At $4 a bag, Cayuga’s black beans are cheaper than any reputable protein, and I’ll pay the premium in the future in favor of going back to Goya.

Cayuga’s fall harvest began in mid-October, and this year they’ll have soy, kidney, navy, pinto, small red, black, Jacobs cattle, adzuki, orca, tiger eye and cannelloni beans for sale. The latter three varieties will be available in the next few weeks in limited quantities.

The fresher dried black beans I used last week required a shorter soaking and cooking time than normal, three hours and one and a half hours respectively, and they maintained a firm texture and distinct flavor in the spice-infused final product. William and I ate the first few servings of Black Magic Chili simply dressed with cilantro and avocado. As the supply dwindled, I used the last of the chili to make the ultimate weeknight dinner: black bean nachos. I fried tortillas and topped them with the chili, sharp cheddar and blistered padron peppers (known as Russian roulette peppers because only one in 20 is spicy). We enjoyed the healthy and not-so-healthy meals this big black pot of local beans provided.

And I’ve been informed by Mr. Nicholson that I have to make a big man pot of meaty chili—and chili cheese fries with the leftovers—in the not-too-distant future. At least the kidney beans will be respectable.

Miami is heating up. And our dinners are cooling down. More salads. More pasta with raw sauces. Cold soups have been revived.

This open-faced pimento cheese sandwich and avocado soup fits the chilled bill. And better yet, you can assemble everything in the morning and come home to a picnic dinner. Just crack open a few beers, and relax.

The recipes are hardly novel. Just a simple reminder of how good the flavors of summer can be.

It’s been so long since my last homemade pimento cheese sandwich that I forgot how insanely delicious and rich they are. I piled the pepper-spiked cheese spread onto a thick piece of my go-to no-knead bread in a hurry. It’s poor man’s food, and I can’t help but love it.

I make Chilled Avocado-Cucumber Soup a few times a year—whenever I have an abundance of avocados or one that’s quickly ripening. I’ve tried it a few times as a main course, but it never quite fills us up. It’s a much better partner to a sandwich or salad.

Basic Pimento Cheese
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 ounces diced pimentos
1/3 cup mayonnaise
Dash cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon Worchestire sauce
Black pepper to taste

Instructions
Combine all ingredients, and chill for 1 hour or overnight.

Serves 4 to 6

]]> http://www.occasionalomnivore.com/2010/06/03/cool-pleasures-pimento-cheese-sandwiches-and-avocado-soup/feed/ 1 http://www.occasionalomnivore.com/2010/05/28/i-feel-like-jessica-seinfeld/ http://www.occasionalomnivore.com/2010/05/28/i-feel-like-jessica-seinfeld/#comments Fri, 28 May 2010 13:58:40 +0000 Caroline http://www.occasionalomnivore.com/?p=2044

I just devoured mac and cheese with carrot puree, and I loved it.

Months ago, I found a macaroni and cheese recipe in Food & Wine that called for carrots, orange juice and tarragon off all things. I made a mental note of it but was skeptical it would provide the soul-satisfying flavor of old-fashioned mac and cheese.

Fast-forward. There’s carrot overload in my fridge, tarragon growing on the balcony, penne in the pantry … you get the idea. The dinner cosmos aligned, and I made a deceptively delicious meal á la Jessica Seinfeld. However, William—unlike her unsuspecting, veggie-hating children—was well informed of the carrot presence, and if he didn’t like vegetables, our relationship would have gone south eons ago.

The carrot mac and cheese was perfect. Bright and cheesy with a hint of sweet and pastis.

To be fair, the low-fat appeal of the original version went out the window in my kitchen. I used 8 ounces of cheddar instead of a measly 3 ounces. I also subbed heavy cream for half of the pasta cooking water. For convenience sake, I used OJ from the carton and lemon zest rather than orange.

Let’s be real. What’s the point of healthy, low-fat macaroni and cheese? Make and eat this dish because it tastes good, really good. Vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber—these are an added bonus. Thank you carrots. Thanks orange juice for giving us these and fresh flavor to boot. 

Last weekend’s CSA box, contained a head of cabbage nearly double the size of my own gourd. And instead of making slaw or a vegan Indian dish or a slow-braised side, I decided to slum it up with cabbage casserole.

I am American and Southern, and I find casseroles irresistible. Though I’ve ditched the condensed soup of my youth, I can trash up vegetables—even local, organic ones—real good.

I started my recipe research in a logical place for plebeian cuisine: Google. Just Google “cabbage casserole recipe.” It will provide you entertainment to no end. You’ll find all sorts of recipes calling for pasteurized American cheese, cream of something soups, Slap Ya Mama seasoning, and much more. Even thekitchn.com, a trusted recipe source, boasted an older post featuring a “Joy of Cooking” cabbage casserole recipe. My ultimate find was Unky Bob’s Cabbage Casserole—less for the recipe that calls for Equal and more for the name.

I didn’t find the perfect recipe, so I just dumped a mess of dairy—cream cheese, sour cream and cheddar—into and onto cabbage wilted in a healthy portion of bacon grease. The dish was everything I hoped for. Unreasonably rich. Salty. Fatty.

This is trashy enough to put my name on. I am Camille’s Aunt Bo, so I present to you:

Aunty Bo’s Cabbage Casserole
4 slices bacon
1 large onion, diced
6 cups finely shredded cabbage
3 ounces cream cheese, cut into small hunks
1 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°.

In a large pot, fry up your bacon until crisp. Drain it on paper towels. Add onion to the pot and brown—just a few minutes. Add cabbage to the pot, and stir. Cover the pot, and cook cabbage until it’s wilted but still crisp. Stir in cream cheese until it’s melted. Add sour cream and salt and pepper to taste.

Pour cabbage mixture into a buttered casserole dish. Top with cheese, bacon, and bread crumbs. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Serves 6 to 8

Listening to Marcia Ball on Saturday night at Gusman made me crave a little piece of the South and New Orleans. And with four pretty little green peppers on hand, I decided to stuff them with andouille, rice, the trinity, cheddar and betel leaves (an Asian leaf used for all sorts of medicinal and cooking purposes). While I normally would have chosen sweet red, orange or yellow peppers for stuffing, the Redlands gave me green. The green bell is the vegetable (or fruit, rather) that “foodies love to hate,” says the New York Times, but when you stuff them with goodness and bake them until they’re tender, I don’t see any reason to complain.

NOLA-style Stuffed Green Peppers
4 medium green bell peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound andouille sausage
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
3 to 4 betel leaves, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain white rice
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup diced tomato
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°.

Slice 1/4 inch off the tops of the green peppers, and cut into a small dice (you’ll need 1/2 cup to saute). Remove seeds and stems from the body of the pepper, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Add andouille, breaking into small pieces. Cook for 3 minutes, and add onion, celery, diced bell pepper, and betel leaves. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Stir in rice, cooking for 3 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in green onions, tomato, and half of the cheddar cheese. Scoop mixture into the bell peppers, and top with remaining cheese. Place peppers into a glass baking dish, and pour water into the dish so it rises 1 inch up the sides of the peppers.

Bake peppers for 30 minutes, until tops are golden.

Serves 4

This weekend, I picked up my first glorious box of produce from Bee Heaven Farm’s community supported agriculture (CSA) program. The surprise package contained callaloo, tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, mizuna, farm-fresh eggs, roselle, corn, turnips, green beans and bok choy! For the next few months, the majority of my recipes will be inspired by such local, seasonal produce.  (I am so freaking excited.)

I usually start planning my weekly menus on Thursdays, but with a CSA, I won’t know what produce I’ll have to cook with until Saturday morning. My meals, no doubt, will have to get creative.

To start my CSA season properly, I made my all-time favorite meal—corn and tomato pie. This James Beard recipe is all Americana with a biscuit crust, ripe tomatoes and corn, sharp cheddar and lemon mayonnaise. For most of the United States, this pie should be reserved as a summer treat, but South Floridians can enjoy it November through February or April, as long as our slightly cooled climate gives us tomatoes and corn.

I’ve made this recipe four or five times now and have simplified it a bit. I don’t pulse my corn in a food processor nor do I peel the tomatoes. Also, the original recipe calls for beefsteak tomatoes, but I’ve used a mix of cherry, beefsteak and our lovely Florida uglies—the variety of tomato matters much less than the freshness and flavor. In a pinch, I’ll also substitute scallions for chives. But don’t skimp on the mayo and cheddar. They provide the dish’s craving-inducing, belly-satisfying richness. Believe me, unless you hate “summer” flavors, vegetables or America, you can’t help falling for this pie.

Ree Drummund is everywhere right now. And although I’ve visited her Pioneer Woman blog a few times, I had yet to make any of her recipes—until last week when she posted Lazy Chiles Rellenos. I like lazy. And I love poblanos and cheese, so I decided to give it a try.

Drummund uses canned peppers for her dish, but without a Southwestern-stocked grocery store, I had to opt for a little less lazy and roast the poblanos myself. After roasting the peppers (see preparation below), I placed them into an oiled baking dish, topped them with cheddar (rather than Drummund’s jack) and a milk-egg mixture. Just bake and then serve with warm tortillas and refried beans for a super simple dinner, breakfast or brunch.

The poblanos were a little spicy for William’s taste (maybe I left in too much of the peppers’ ribs and seeds), but I enjoyed the fruity, mildly throat-burning flavor. This isn’t  mind-blowing—lazy rarely is. But it makes a solid weeknight meal, and for leftovers, it works wonders with bacon in a bagel sandwich.

Roasted Poblano Peppers
On a baking sheet, roast peppers under the broiler, turning as skin begins to blacken. When all sides are blistered and darkened, remove from oven, and cool slightly. (I recommend wearing gloves for the last few steps.) Remove skins. Cut a lengthwise slit in the peppers. Remove seeds and stems.

This month, William’s Mom brought me Momma Cherri’s Soul in a Bowl Cookbook—based on recipes from England’s only soul food joint—by Charita Jones. The recipes are hardly novel to a Southern palatte, but for her British audience, Jones explains the soul of soul food as best you can on a written page.

A great portion of the recipes feature meat as the star: fried chicken, chicken wings, fish cakes, pork chops, Philly cheese steak, catfish. But I managed to take one of her few vegetarian creations and add a little meaty soul to it myself. Black-eyed peas, meet your new best friend, Tasso ham.

A bite of smoky Tasso in this largely veggie concoction is a porky surprise good enough to make you cry. Just a handful will do.

Of course, you could make this vegetarian, or hell, vegan if you skip the cheese. But I recommend sneaking in some secret soul. 

Baked Black-eyed Pea Chili
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup (or more) Tasso ham, optional
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, diced
3 1/2 cups cooked black-eyed peas 
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
3/4 cup fresh (or frozen) corn kernels
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Generous shake (or two) of Tobasco
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°.

In a large frying pan, heat olive oil on medium high. Saute onion, peppers, tasso, and garlic for 6 minutes. Add zucchini and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Stir in black-eyed peas, tomatoes, corn, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, Tobasco, salt, and pepper. Cook until mixture is heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons cilantro.

Pour black-eyed pea mixture into a large casserole dish (I used a deep 9 x 12). Top with cheese, and bake until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese golden. 

Serve over rice, or, better yet, with cornbread croutons. (Just cut old cornbread into small hunks, toss with olive oil or butter and toast.)

Serves 6 as main course

I had the satisfaction of eating this zucchini cheese toast for breakfast this morning. But this open-faced, sandwich-like creation also would make a fabulous light lunch or dinner. It has all my favorite food groups: cheese, eggs, vegetables and bread. I found this gem of a recipe in Easy Vegetarian (Rylan Peters & Small) and made a few modifications. 

Since I’m cooking for one, I cut the recipe in half (1/2 large egg = 2 tablespoons). I placed my zucchini mixture atop slices of no-knead bread in a hurry and broiled it until it was golden and crusty. To add a British spin to my morning, I placed slices of Roma tomatoes, drizzled with oil oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper, under the broiler as well.

What a lovely way to start my Friday.

Zucchini-Cheese Toast
4 hunks/slices of bread, lightly toasted
2 zucchini, grated
1 1/3 cups shredded, sharp cheddar
2 tablespoons, diced sweet onion
1 large egg, beaten
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Preheat oven to a 500° broil. Drain excess moisture from grated zucchini (I rolled mine up in an absorbant towel). Combine zucchini, cheddar, onion, egg, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper. Top toasted bread with zucchini mixture, and place under broiler until golden.

Serves 2 for a main course or 4 as a side or appetizer