Stuffed Chiles

These are inspired by a dish I tried in Oaxaca a few months ago, which was chiles de agua stuffed with a fresh mixture of chopped vegetables. The chiles were barely toasted, almost raw.

Supposedly these chiles are only found in southern Mexico, but when I saw some chiles at my local market (in Mexico City) that seemed to resemble chiles de agua, I thought I’d give it a try.

This recipe is approximate.

I toasted the chiles just a few minutes – leaving them still crunchy – then cut a lengthwise slit in the sides and gutted them (removed the seeds and as much of the veins as possible).

I chopped finely approximately equal volumes of the following:

• plum tomato
• onion
• cilantro (fresh coriander)
• plantain, first boiled African style
• lightly toasted pecans

I could have added some finely grated cheese, but since I wanted try a vegan version, I added about

• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

and mixed it all together, salted to taste.

Then I stuffed each of the chiles with the mixture – and that’s all there was to it.

The chiles (I still don’t know whether they were chiles de agua or not) turned out very variable. Some were as mild as poblano chiles, some were too hot to eat, and some were in between. The filling was excellent, and the chiles that weren’t too hot to enjoy were very good with the filling.

Golden Carrot Soup

Ingredients
1/3 c butter
1/2 c chopped onion
2 c thinly sliced carrots
3 chicken bouillon cubes
3 c boiling water
1/3 c long-grain rice
1/2 tsp salt
2 c milk


Method
Sauté onions in butter until golden. Add carrots and toss until coated with butter. Add bouillon cubes, water and rice; cover and simmer until carrots are tender, and rice is cooked. Add salt. Add to blender one third at a time and blend until smooth. Return to saucepan; add milk and heat.

Makes six 8-oz. (250 mL) servings.

Source
Clipped from a Milk Calendar from the Dairy Bureau of Canada from the late 1970s or early 1980s. You can see this recipe here, where it’s identified as 1979.

Comments

• 1/3 cup of butter! That adds up to 2 tsp per serving. I would make it with about 1—2 Tbsp in total nowadays. 
• I’d also taste the soup before adding the final 1/2 tsp of salt; adding it would depend on how salty the bouillon is.
• Any rice would do, I think; it doesn’t necessarily have to be long grain.
• You can use potato instead of rice.
• Taste of Home has a version that increases the onion (relatively), adds garlic, reduces the butter, and garnishes the finished soup with parsley. It looks good. The recipe contributor is Canadian; my guess is that her version is based on the Milk Calendar’s recipe.
• Make the soup vegetarian by using vegetable broth or bouillon cubes, or vegan by also using olive oil instead of butter and a non-dairy milk (sorry, Dairy Bureau).

Ontario’s Summer Vegetables

Source
This is an Ontario Ministry of Food and Agriculture brochure from 1980 or 1981. It has tips on storing vegetables, and three dip recipes, two salad recipes and a dressing recipe.

Creamy Blue Cheese Dip

Ingredients
4 oz. (115 g) blue cheese
1 c sour cream
1 c mayonnaise
1 tsp finely chopped onion
1/4 c minced fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Method
Mash the blue cheese and mix together all the ingredients. Cover and chill.

Comments
I would increase the onion and maybe the Worcestershire sauce. The mayonnaise can be reduced or eliminated, or (partially) substituted by plain unsweetened yogurt.

Bacon and Egg Dip

Ingredients
1 8-oz (225 g) pkg cream cheese, softened 
1/4 c milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
4 slices bacon fried crisp, crumbled
2 hard cooked eggs, chopped
6 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
2 Tbsp finely chopped dill pickle

Method
Beat together the cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and chill.

Herb Cheese Dip

Ingredients
1 c cream-style cottage cheese
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp hot dog relish
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp prepared mustard
1 hard-cooked egg, chopped

Method
Combine, cover and chill.

Comments
I would suggest mashing the cottage cheese through a sieve or at least with a fork, otherwise the dip is likely not going to be attractive.
Strangely named dish. You’d expect something called “herb cheese dip” to contain some herbs.
The relish is an odd touch.

Super Salad
I will just summarize, since a basic garden salad doesn’t really need a recipe:
Iceberg and romaine lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, grated carrot, thinly sliced cucumber, sliced celery, thinly sliced radishes, chopped green onion, tomatoes cut in wedges.

Herbed Dressing

Ingredients
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/2 c vinegar
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil leaves
1/2 tsp oregano leaves


Method
Combine in blender until smooth and creamy. Store in refrigerator.


Warm Spinach Salad

Ingredients
5 oz (140 g) spinach, washed, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 c thinly sliced mushrooms
6 slices side bacon, cooked until crisp
Parmesan cheese to garnish


Dressing
1/4 c cider vinegar
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp sugar


Method
Combine dressing ingredients in saucepan. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes until sugar dissolved. Pour over salad ingredients while still warm. Toss lightly and sprinkle with cheese.

Two Green Bean Salads

Bean Salad

Ingredients
18 oz (225 g) frozen or 32 oz canned beans (half green, half wax)
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp basil
1/8 tsp oregano
dash sugar


Method
Combine beans and mushrooms. Combine remaining ingredients and toss with vegetables. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Let stand at room temperature 20 min. before serving.

Source
Something I had copied out (probably from a newspaper or magazine) in the mid-early 1980s.

Comments
If using frozen beans, cook them first.

Oriental Green Bean Salad

Ingredients
1 lb (450 g) green beans, cooked
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp hot mustard
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp sesame seed, toasted

Method
Combine all ingredients except sesame seed. Cover and chill several hours. Let stand 20 min. at room temperature before serving. Sprinkle with sesame seed.


Source
Same as above.

Eggplant in Cumin-Scented Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
1/4 c olive oil
1 large eggplant, cut into cubes
Flour for dredging
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp cumin seed, toasted and ground
1/2 tsp ground coriander
3 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 c plain yogurt
1/4 c chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Method
Heat oil in a large skilled. Dredge eggplant in flour and lightly brown on all sides. Remove and reserve. Add onion, garlic, cumin and coriander to the pan. Cook about 5 minutes, until onion is soft. Add tomatoes, simmer about 10 minutes. Return eggplant to pan, cover, and cook about 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in yogurt and parsley. Correct seasoning. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 6 servings.

Source
I clipped this from a book club brochure, but didn’t keep any information about the book it’s from. So all I can say is that it’s from some cookbook probably published in the 1980’s.

Comments
Looks really good. This is the kind of recipe I like a lot. I should make it.
Any time I cook with eggplant, it turns out bitter if I don’t sweat it first, whether the recipe says to or not. It doesn’t seem to do that for other people, but I’ve had too many otherwise good eggplant recipes spoiled by bitterness that I don’t risk it anymore, and sweat it every time I cook with eggplant. To sweat eggplant, cut it into the pieces required by the recipe (peeled and cubed, in this case), spread the pieces in a single layer on a tray or large plate, and salt heavily. Let sit for 1/2 hour to 1 hour. When you are ready to add the eggplant to the recipe (in this case, to flour and fry it), rinse well, and pat dry.

Red Wine-Cooked Onions (Daube d’Oignons)

Ingredients

1/4 c butter
2 1/2-3 lb Spanish onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cups full-bodied red wine such as Petite Sirah or Côtes-du-Rhône
salt and freshly-ground pepper
1 tsp or more red wine vinegar

Method

Heat butter in a 4-quart saucepan (not aluminum) over low heat. Add onions. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes.
Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are glazed and golden-brown (20 minutes). Sprinkle with sugar and boil down, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes to glaze.
Reduce heat to low, add wine, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and deep mahogany in colour, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Season with salt and pepper, and add vinegar to counteract any sweetness. Serve hot, lukewarm or cold.
If Spanish onions not available, increase sugar, but add a little vinegar at the last minute to counteract excessive sweetness.

Source

Adapted from a recipe card promoting The Cooking of South-West France by Paula Wolfert.

Comments

The subtitle of the cookbook is Recipes from France’s Magnificent Rustic Cuisine. The Amazon reviewers who have the book praise it highly and make it sound very appealing. The blurb sounds delicious, too;

the recipes do not disappoint. Some standouts include Morue Pil-Pil, a spicy, slow-cooked salt cod dish recipe from the Basque region, and Cèpes of the Poor, chunks of eggplant sautéed to replicate the texture of costly mushrooms.

I don’t think I’ll be making this one, though. Deeply browned onions are delicious, but worth 3 hours of to-and-fro-ing to stir the dish? You can make it for me if you want; I’m sure I’ll like it.
There’s a logical glitch at the end; if you don’t have Spanish onions, add more sugar (how much?) and then vinegar at the end to counterbalance the sweetness. But you’re supposed to add vinegar anyway; this instruction is no different than the one given in the basic recipe. I don’t think you can get this right unless you already know how it’s supposed to taste.

Vegetable Tart and Short Pastry

Vegetable Tart

Ingredients
1 c julienned leeks
1 c julienned carrots
1 c julienned zucchini
1 tomato, peeled & chopped (optional)
3 eggs
salt, white pepper
2 c heavy cream
freshly ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp chopped basil
Puff Pastry or Short Pastry (see below)

Method
Preheat oven to 350°–400° F (175°–205° C).  Mix the vegetables together (add tomato, if used). Line a 9-inch tart pan with the pastry, rolled thin. Prick with a fork, then arrange the vegetables over the pastry.
Beat the eggs with the salt and pepper. Add the cream, nutmeg, parsley and basil and mix well. Pour over vegetables. Bake the tart about 30 min or until done. Makes 6 servings.

Short Pastry

Ingredients
4 c flour
1/2 lb (1 c) butter, room temperature
salt
3–4 Tbsp sugar (if sweet pastry)
1 egg
3–4 Tbsp cold water

Method
Put the flour on the work surface. Cut softened butter into large pieces and distribute over flour. Add a pinch of salt (and the sugar, if using). Squeze the butter and flour lightly until well mixed and the texture of cornmeal. Do this quickly and delicately.
Beat the egg with 3 Tbsp water and stir it into the middle of the flour-butter mixture. Lightly squeeze the pastry together with a few quick movements. If too dry, sprinkle on the last tablespoon of  water. Form into a ball. Rest 1 hour at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator. Makes pastry for 2–3 8-inch tarts.

Source
Adapted from a recipe card promoting Cooking with Antoine at Le Périgord by Antoine Bouterin with Elizabeth Crossman; an extract from the book.

Comments
Two cups of heavy cream! I wonder if I ever thought I would make this when I saved the recipe. I would like to try it; I’ll bet it’s delicious. The nutmeg–parsley–basil seasoning is a little bit unusual (to my experience) and sounds great. I’m automatically thinking, though, “What can I substitute for most of the cream?” Maybe a bit of cream and mostly milk.
Strange that it doesn’t include onions.
As for the baking, I doubt it would be done in 30 minutes; I wouldn’t be surprised if it has to stay in the oven nearly twice as long. And what’s with the 350 to 400 temperature range, with no explanation of which one to choose?
Why do you have to make the pastry on a flat surface and make a spready mess? Professional pastry chefs always seem to do it that way. I make pastry in a bowl and contain the works.
The pastry differs from the pie pastries I generally make in two main ways: the butter-to-flour ratio is quite a bit lower, and the butter is room temperature and soft instead of cold and hard. I wonder what difference it makes.
The pastry recipe makes “2–3 8-inch tarts” but the pie calls for “1 9-inch tart”. My best guess is that a half recipe of the pastry would be about right for one vegetable tart.