Open Faced Tostadas

Since we are guaranteed to have lots of roast meals over the next few days, I decided to bring a little Mexican food from California into the mix for lunch!

Ingredients: Serves 2

4 small corn tortillas or 2 whole wheat tortillas

1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 can black beans or kidney beans, rinsed

1/2 cup cooked Mexican rice or brown rice

6 ounces jack cheese or mild cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 head of lettuce, chopped or 1 cup salad greens

1/4 cup tomato salsa

2 Tbsp. chopped scallions (spring onions)

Handful chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Sour cream and guacamole to serve (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.
Place tortillas in an oven-proof dish or baking tray. Mix corn, beans and rice together then spread to cover the tortillas and sprinkle with the cheese.

Put tostada into the oven until the cheese melts and the beans bubble around the edges, about 7 minutes.

Take the dish out of the oven and top each 'tostada' with chopped lettuce, tomato salsa, chopped scallions and chopped cilantro. Cut into 4 portions and serve immediately.

Pork Tenderloin & Mixed Squash with Pecans Gratin

I bought some 'Delicata' squash from Whole Foods in London (see photo below) to use for our Thanksgiving decorations and decided to cook them up before they expire. This squash dish received rave reviews from D (it hardly tastes like vegetables) and would be great for kids who are fussy about squash. The pork recipe came from my mom and the squash recipe (Vegetarian) came from The Big Book of Casseroles, which I'm finally diving into after years of flipping through. The squash also paired well with grilled salmon fillets with dill seasoning.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin & Mixed Squash with Pecans Gratin

(serves 4)

Pork Tenderloin

(serves 3-4, depending on size of tenderloin)

1 pork tenderloin, any size, in a vacuum pack

1/4 c soy sauce

2 Tbsp sake or dry sherry

1 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

Rinse meat, pat dry. Put meat in a resealable plastic bag. Add the rest of the ingredients, set bag in a bowl to marinate. Chill 30 minutes or overnight. Barbeque 25 minutes or grill according to pork's packaging instructions if a bbq is not available. Reserve marinade to brush over meat while grilling.

Mixed Squash with Pecans Gratin (serves 4)

1 zucchini (courgette), about 8oz./250g, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 delicata squash, about 8oz./250g, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 large egg

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup/125ml chopped green onions/spring onions, including some tender green tops

1 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp salt

Fresh ground pepper

2 Tbsp butter

3/4 cup/375 ml dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup/60 ml finely chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Place squashes in a steamer ans steam over gently boiling water for about 10 minutes.

2. Transfer squash to a food processor. With pulses, coarsely chop squash. Add egg, cheese, onions, dill, salt and pepper to squash mixture. Mix briefly. Turn into a 9-inch glass pie plate or 8" x 8" square glass casserole dish lightly coated with cooking spray or oil.

3. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add crumbs and nuts and stir until toasted, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle on top of squash mixture. Bake, uncovered, until puffed up and set, about 30 minutes.

Easy Xmas Mince Pies

Mince pies are everywhere in England during the holiday season, and they are practically's D's favorite thing, so I decided to try my hand at baking them in the kitchen. To save some money and time, I bought ready-roll shortbread/shortcrust pastry from the refrigerator section in the supermarket, and 2 jars of Sainsbury's "Luxury" mincemeat.

Although the term 'mincemeat pies' did actually include beef during Victorian times, nowadays they are almost always made without any meat and contain only suet (which is a type of vegetable fat that has a low melting point) as a substitute. The mincemeat also usually contains dried raisins, sultanas, dates, and candied fruit peel, often marinated or 'matured' in brandy to give it richness. If you are not in England, you can find recipes for making home-made mincemeat on the internet and start from scratch, or give jars of mincemeat as holiday gifts.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Roll out the pastry on a well-floured surface to about 3mm (1/8") thickness. Using a 3" round pastry cutter, cut 12 rounds out of the rolled pastry and place one round in each hole of a muffin or bun tin sprayed with oil or lightly buttered. You can use either a 'bun tin', or a regular muffin/cupcake tin like I did, in which case, the pastry rounds won't reach the top of the tin.

2. Next, scoop about 1 heaping teaspoon of mincemeat into each pastry cup.

3. Roll out the remaining dough again and cut out 12 stars using a 3-inch star-shaped cutter, or if not available, cut a 2nd disk for the top using a slightly smaller round cutter and use a fork to poke a set of vents in the top of each pie.

3. Bake at for about 20 minutes, or until pies are golden brown.

Leave pies in tin for 2-3 minutes after baking, then turn

out onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Dust pie tops with powdered sugar (icing sugar) and serve.

Merry Christmas!!!

Ice Cream Pumpkin Pie

I had 1/2 a can of Libby's canned Pumpkin Puree leftover from Thanksgiving in the fridge, so I decided to make another version of Pumpkin Pie that I found in The Junior League Centennial Cookbook. This recipe was originally published in Epicure, and was submitted by the Orange County, CA Junior League. I used the same gingersnap cookie (ginger biscuit) crust that I used for my Pumpkin Chiffon Pie instead of the store-bought shortbread pie crust called for in the recipe, so the substitution is noted below. It's yummy!--just like a second taste of Thanksgiving!

1 (9-inch) pie crust (or prepared gingersnap crust--see my Thanksgiving Treats post from Nov.)

1 pint (475ml) vanilla ice cream

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp ground or grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1. Bake and cool pie crust per directions (or per my post if using gingersnaps).

2. Soften and spread the ice cream on the bottom of the pie crust. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the pumpkin with the sugar, spices and salt; stir until thoroughly blended.

3. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks; add the vanilla. Fold into the pumpkin mix.

4. Pour the filling over the layer of ice cream and smooth the top. Place in the freezer for at least 6 hours or overnight. Cut into wedges 10-15 minutes before serving. Serves 6-8.

Scrambled Eggs w/ Pancetta, Asparagus & Orzo

For the pasta lover--you can even have pasta for breakfast! This is a great way to use up the remains of a bag of orzo (which I've been using a lot of lately!). I'm not usually a huge fan of asparagus as part of a breakfast dish, but I figured no vegetable could possibly taste bad after being stir-fried with pancetta & onions, and this was delicious. This recipe came from Giada de Laurentiis' Everyday Pasta, but I substituted baby bocconcini mozzarella instead of smoked mozzarella (which is expensive and not as easy to find here in England). It was fast & easy to make and made a delicious Sunday brunch with some fresh toasted Italian or sourdough bread.

Breakfast Pasta Scramble (serves 4--easily halved for 2 persons)

1/2 cup orzo (rice shaped pasta)

10 large eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 oz./100g smoked or plain mozzarella, torn or cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

4 oz./125g pancetta or bacon, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

8 thin asparagus stalks, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions:

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, and drain.

2. Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and basil, set aside.

3. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the asparagus & saute for until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the orzo to eggs and stir to coat. Add the egg mixture to pan. Using a rubber spatula, stir the mixture until the eggs are softly set, about 3-4 minutes. Serve warm.

Toad in a Hole

I was planning on using a recipe for Toad in A Hole that I saw in a Gordon Ramsey cookbook, but it turned out that my maternal grandmother, Helen, had her own recipe that she's used before, so I opted to try hers out instead. I added a few sprigs of chopped, fresh rosemary to the batter in my grandmother's recipe to give the dough some extra flavor, and it was great! We ate it with some simple steamed veggies for dinner tonight (carrots, corn & peas or broccoli work best).

Toad in A Hole (serves 4) - total cooking time (includes prep): 1 hour

1 lb/400-500 grams Vienna sausages or Cumberland sausages (6-8 sausages)

1 Tbsp oil

1 cup flour (don't pack down)

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk

2 eggs

small sprig of rosemary

Sift flour and salt together in a bowl and add in milk. Beat 2 eggs until frothy and mix into batter. Stir in rosemary. Let batter stand for 30 minutes. Fry the sausages for 5 minutes in the oil. Remove sausages from pan and place in a 9" x 12" baking dish. Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Pour batter over sausages and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F/180C and bake an additional 10-15 minutes longer or until batter is puffy and browned. Serve at once--the sausages will be nestled in holes in the puff pastry.

Mom's Hearty Minestrone Soup

My mom used to make this hearty soup every Halloween and we kids weren't allowed to go out trick-or-treating until we'd finished a big, warm bowlful of it. Depending on how much stock you add, it can be really thick (almost like a stew) or thinned out. Great with garlic bread!

Ingredients: (makes 8-10 servings)

3 Tbsp (40g) butter

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup peeled, diced potato

1 small jar spaghetti bolognese sauce (vegetarian)

1 can pinto or kidney beans

1/2 lb. (250g) dry spaghetti, broken into thirds

1 chopped white onion

1 cup chopped carrots

4 cans (1500ml) beef broth/stock

1 lb. (500g) ground (mince) turkey or beef

1/2 head shredded cabbage

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large soup pot, add celery, carrots and onions. Cook until tender but not brown.

2. Cook meat in a separate pan until browned and drain (if desired).

3. Add meat, potatoes, bolognese sauce, and broth to vegetable pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Add dry spaghetti, undrained beans, and cabbage. Cook covered for 20-25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Flavors get even better the next day.