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.

Best Brownies Ever

You will find others that claim to be the best brownie recipe, but these are better. Beating the butter gives their dense fudginess a unique light quality that no melted-butter brownie can match. This recipe is from Brownies: Over 100 Scrumptious Recipes by Linda Burum.

4 oz (113.5 g) unsweetened* chocolate
1/2 cup butter, unsalted, room temperature
1 1/8 cup (=1 cup + 2 Tbsp) sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
2/3 cup flour, stirred
(1 1/4 cups walnut pieces – optional)

Melt the chocolate over hot water; set aside to cool. Cream butter until fluffy, add the sugar in three portions, beating after each addition; beat until light and creamy. Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the melted chocolate. Fold in the flour (and walnuts). Pour batter into a greased and floured 8×8 inch pan**. Bake in preheated 325 °F (165 °C)  oven about 20–25 minutes, or until no longer raw in the middle. Cool completely before cutting.

*If I only have semisweet chocolate available, I use 6 2/3 oz (190 g) semisweet chocolate and reduce the sugar to 7/8 cup.

**In the book, the recipe as given above is supposed to be for a 9×9 inch pan, but I find it turns out better in an 8×8. To get the equivalent thickness for a 9×9 inch pan (using semisweet chocolate) my version is:

240 g (= 8.5 oz) semisweet chocolate
5/8 cup (=10 Tbsps) (142 g) butter
1 cup + 1 tsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
5 eggs
5/6 cup (=3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp) flour

Chicken Livers Normande

Ingredients
2 tart cooking apples, cored & cut into 8 wedges each
1/4 c butter, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper
1 lb (450 g) whole chicken livers, cut in half
2 Tbsp dry white wine
1/4 c sliced scallions
2 c hot cooked rice, cooked in chicken broth
2 Tbsp seedless raisins
2 Tbsp toasted almonds


Method
In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of the butter and sauté apple wedges until soft. Remove from pan and keep warm. Season flour with salt and peppers and dredge chicken livers.
Melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter in same pan and sauté livers for 10 minutes. Add wine, apple pieces and scallions; cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Toss raisins and almonds with rice. Serve livers and apples on mound of rice. Makes 4 servings.

Source
Long term: A recipe I had clipped from the K-W Record, probably in the 1970s or early 1980s.
Immediate: Under the wall unit, found when I dropped my cell phone, the battery cover flew off and hid under the furniture. The clipping must have fallen out of the recipe file at some point.

Comments
Looks good.
Should the apples be peeled? I think I would want to.
Why keep the apples warm, when you add them back to the pan and cook 5 minutes more? I wouldn't bother trying to keep them warm.
To make 2 cups cooked rice, use approximately 2/3 to 1 cup raw rice; it depends on the kind of rice.

Two great cakes from an old recipe book

I picked up this book in a used-book shop downtown a couple of months ago. My copy was printed in 1969, but the original edition dates back to 1938. The former title was Thoughts For Food. (That $51 price tag is pesos, not dollars, and it wasn’t the price tag that counted; the book actually cost 10 pesos.)

I’ve made two recipes from it so far, and they were superb. I updated them a bit; reduced the salt and sugar, added some whole grain flour, etc.





  



Filled Coffee Cake

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, separated
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Filling/Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 to 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Method
Grease and flour a 9×9" cake pan. Combine the filling ingredients (except for nuts) and mix well. Stir in nuts, set aside. In another bowl, beat egg whites to medium-stiff peaks and set aside. In another bowl, combine flours, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat butter with brown sugar. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.  Add flour mixture alternately with milk. Fold in the egg whites.
Spread about 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle all but about 2 Tbsp of the filling evenly over, then carefully spread over the rest of the batter, and finally sprinkle the remaining filling evenly over top. Bake in a preheated 350 ºF (175 ºC) oven until done (40–55 minutes). Cool completely. Cut into squares and serve from pan.

Chocolate Spice Cake

 
Ingredients
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, separated
3 oz (85 g) semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled to lukewarm
1 cup strong coffee (2 tsp instant + 1 cup water)
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves
(optional: about 1/2–3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped)

Method
Grease, flour, and line with parchment or wax paper two 8×4" loaf pans. Toss the raisins with about 2 Tbsp of the flour. Combine remaining flours, baking powder and soda, salt and spices and set aside. In another bowl, beat the egg whites to medium-stiff peaks. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar, and beat in the yolks. Stir in the chocolate. Add the coffee alternately with the flour mixture. Fold in the egg whites and raisins (and nuts, if used). Divide between the two prepared loaf pans and bake in a preheated 350 ºF (175 ºC) oven until done (45–60 minutes). Cool about 15 minutes in pan, then carefully invert, unmold, peel off paper, and finish cooling on wire racks. Slice to serve.

Comments
I didn’t try the lemon icing that is suggested in the original recipe. The cake was already excellent without any embellishments.

Drinks, Dressings and More from Milk’s Little Cookbook III

The last two pages of Milk’s Little Cookbook III are devoted to ‘Delightful Drinkables’; milkshakes and what we would these days call ‘smoothies,’ and some salad dressings made with yogurt.

Basic Milkshakes
Ingredients
2 (or more) scoops of ice cream
3/4 c cold milk
flavouring option (see below)

Method
Combine in blender until smooth.

Flavourings
Vanilla – 1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate – 2 Tbsp chocolate syrup
Fruit – 1/3 cup fruit; fresh, frozen, or canned (drained)

Comments
For a chocolate milkshake, you could use chocolate ice cream instead of (or with!) the chocolate syrup.
The original recipe, oddly, also lists “berry” as a separate flavouring option. Perhaps to remind the reader who might not think of using berries under the fruit category?
If using canned fruit, you can use the juice combined with powdered milk instead of fresh milk, for extra fruit flavour.

The next three recipes are fruit smoothies.

Raspberry Frosty
Ingredients
2 c milk, divided
3/4 c raspberries, fresh or frozen
2 Tbsp sugar

Method
Freeze 1 c milk in ice cube tray. Place frozen milk ice cubes in blender with fruit, sugar, and 1 c milk. Blend (1 minute) until smooth. Makes 2–3 servings.
Variations: use other fruits instead.


Pineapple Jog Nog
Ingredients
1 c unsweetened crushed pineapple with juice
2 eggs
1 c cold milk
3 ice cubes

Method
Combine pineapple and eggs in blender; blend until smooth and creamy. Add milk and ice cubes, blending about 30 seconds more, until foamy. Makes 2 servings.

Comments
Ah, those innocent days when raw eggs weren’t considered a teeming fount of salmonella. How to pasteurize eggs at home.


Banana Frappé
Ingredients
1 c cold milk
1/2 c yogurt
2 medium ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 whole walnuts, chopped

Method
Combine in blender until smooth. Makes 1–2 servings

Comments
The raw egg again. See above recipe.
I’d judge this to be 2–4 servings. Even with one banana, it should make at least 2 servings, and with two, I’d guess it’s going to be awfully thick. Let me know if you try it.

The last two recipes are some ideas for using yogurt in homemade salad dressings. The recipes don’t say so, but of course the yogurt must be plain and unsweetened. In those days, plain unsweetened yogurt was the default; no need to specify it.

Yogurt Dressing
Ingredients
1 c yogurt
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp lemon juice

Method
Combine ingredients. This is especially nice on spinach salad.

Blue Cheese Dressing
Ingredients
1/4 c crumbled blue cheese
1/2 c yogurt
1 tsp vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Combine ingredients.

Milk’s Little Cookbook, Vol. 3

This is a booklet issued by the Ontario Milk Marketing Board, probably in the late 1970s.

Magic Mix
Ingredients
8 c all-purpose flour
1 c sugar
1/3 c baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 c vegetable shortening

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the shortening until crumbly. Store in a sealed container in a cool dry place or in the refrigerator. Makes 10 cups. Use within 8 weeks.

Comments
I wouldn’t make this, since I prefer to use butter or oil in baked goods; butter because the flavour is better (but you could use butter-flavoured shortening) or oil because it’s generally healthier. (Shortening manufacturers claim to be reducing or eliminating the trans fats in shortenings; for more information see here and here, for example.) Anyway, I wouldn’t want the pressure of having to use it up within 8 weeks.
Here are two sample recipes using Magic Mix. It would be easy to adapt them to other flavours.

Apple’n Spice Muffins
Ingredients
3 c Magic Mix
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp grated orange rind
2 eggs
1 1/4 c milk
1 c grated peeled apple

Method
Stir cinnamon and orange rind into Magic Mix. In another bowl, beat eggs with milk. Stir into dry ingredients, along with the apple. Spoon into 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 400 ºF (200 ºC) 15–20 minutes or until done.

Crunchy Coffee Cake
Ingredients
2 eggs
1 1/2 c milk
3 c Magic Mix
Topping:
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 c chopped walnuts

Method
Beat eggs with milk and stir into Magic Mix. Pour into a greased 8×8-inch (2L) square baking pan. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake at 350 ºF (180 ºC) for 30–35 minutes or until done. Cool in pan.

And now for the rest of the recipes in the booklet.

Seafood Lasagna
Ingredients
2 10-oz (total 570 g) fresh spinach (or two 12-oz (340 g each) pkgs frozen spinach)
3 Tbsp butter (divided)
salt and pepper to taste
dash nutmeg
3 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 c milk
1 6-oz (170 g) crabmeat
2 Tbsp dry sherry (optional)
1 Tbsp fresh choopped dill
6 oz (170 g) lasagna noodles, cooked
1/2 c grated Swiss cheese

Method
Trim and wash spinach; cook until tender. Drain, chop, and toss with 1 Tbsp butter. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter. Add flour and cook, stirring, over medium heat 1 minute. Remove from heat, whisk in milk, return to heat. Stir until smooth and thickened. Drain crab and pick out any bits of shell. Add to sauce with sherry (if used) and dill. Lightly butter an 8×8-inch (2L) square casserole dish. Layer half of spinach, crab mixture, lasagna noodles, and then repeat. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, covered at 400 ºF (200 ºC) 20 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 minutes more to brown the top lightly. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Makes 6 servings.

Comments
No-cook lasagna is a shortcut well worth using, instead of having to wrestle with slippery, floppy cooked lasagna noodles, not to mention that it eliminates the extra time and bother of cooking the lasagna. If I could gauge the amount of extra liquid to use, I’d make this with no-cook lasagna. If you’ve made other recipes with no-cook lasagna, you’ll have a feel for how liquid the sauce needs to be. Extra cooking time may be required as well.
I think this would be good with any seafood, even fish.

Tarragon Chicken (make 1 day ahead, refrigerate overnight)
Ingredients
3 lb (1.5 kg) chicken, cut into four pieces
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 c dry white wine
1 c chicken stock
1 tsp dried tarragon
2 onions, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
3 carrots, cut into strips and cooked
1/2 lb (225 g) asparagus, cooked
1 envelope unflavoured gelatin (1/4 oz; 7 g)
1 c milk

Method
Lightly brown chicken pieces in butter. Add wine, stock, tarragon, onion, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat, and simmer until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken and strain liquid. Skim fat from surface of liquid, reheat, boil down to 1 cup and reserve. Adjust seasoning if required. Meanwhile, remove meat from skin and bones, and chop coarsely. Rinse an 8½×4½-inch (1.5L) loaf pan with cold water and layer dish with chicken, carrot strips and asparagus. Soak gelatin in the 1 cup reserved cooking liquid, then stir to dissolve. Add milk and pour over the prepared chicken and vegetables in the loaf pan. Refrigerate overnight. Unmould to serve. Accompany with mayonnaise flavoured with a bit of Dijon mustard.

Comments
You could do this with any chicken pieces. I admit that cutting a whole chicken into 4 pieces intimidates me. I think you could just as well cook the chicken with water instead of chicken stock. It will have turned into chicken stock anyway by the time the chicken is cooked.

Super Nachos
Ingredients
3 c grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp dry mustard
a few drops Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c chopped oives
1 pkg plain tortilla or nacho chips
chopped hot pepper, tomato and onion (optional)


Method
Toss flour with grated cheese. Heat milk in saucepan. Gradually add cheese mixture and cook, stirring until smooth. Add dry mustard, Tabasco, seasoning and olives. (Sauce may be prepared ahead to this point and refrigerated. Reheat in double boiler over simmering water.)
Spread chips on large plate. Pour hot cheese mixture over top. Sprinkle with hot peppers, etc. May be placed briefly under broiler to serve piping hot.

Comments
Monterrey Jack or marble cheese would be good alternatives.

Strawberry Delight
Ingredients
1 qt. (about 4 c) fresh strawberries, cleaned
4 eggs, separated
3/4 c sugar (divided)
2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 c milk
1 envelope unflavoured gelatin (1/4 oz; 7 g)
1/4 c lime juice
1/2 c whipping cream, stiffly beaten

Method
Purée strawberries in a blender or force through a sieve. Set aside. Beat egg yolks with 1/2 c sugar until creamy and light. Beat in cornstarch. Heat milk and slowly whisk into egg mixture. Return to saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until sauce is hot and slightly thickened. DO NOT BOIL.
Sprinkle gelatin over lime juice. Stir to combine, then beat the gelatin mixture into the hot sauce. Add 1 cup strawberry purée, refrigerate remainder of purée. Beat egg whites with remaining 1/4 c sugar until stiff and fold into the hot mixture. Refrigerate until cool and starting to set but not yet gelled. Fold in whipped cream and pour into an 8 cup (2L) mold. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight until set. Unmould onto serving plate and surround with remaining strawberry purée flavoured with lime juice and optionally sweetened to taste.

Comments
You can avoid incorporating raw egg whites if you pasteurize the eggs first: Bring eggs to room temperature. Cover amply with water. Heat until the water temperature reaches 140 ºF (60 ºC). Maintain for 4 minutes. The temperature must not exceed 150 ºF (65 ºC), to avoid cooking the eggs. After 4 minutes, remove the eggs and cool them in cold water.

Parmesan Fettuccine
Ingredients
1 1/2 c milk
1 1/2 c water
1/2 tsp salt
4 oz (115 g) fettuccine noodles
1 c grated Parmesan
1 c frozen peas
2 green onions, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Bring milk, water and salt to boil. Add the fettuccine, partially cover, and cook, stirring often until pasta is tender and most of liquid has been absorbed. There should be about 1 cup liquid left. Stir in the remaining ingredients and heat through. Thin with more milk if necessary.

Comments
The takeaway from this recipe is that any creamy pasta can be prepared using the principle of this recipe: half water and half milk, and only enough liquid to cook the pasta, with a little extra to serve as a creamy sauce. It’s a great way to prepare either boxed or homemade macaroni and cheese.

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).