Spinach enchiladas

Tres Joses in Fort Worth serves the best spinach enchiladas in town, rich with a sour cream sauce. I never order anything else when I go there. But I've been making spinach enchiladas for years. They weren't always popular with my kids, most of whom don't like spinach. I have two recipes that I like

Spinach-Cheese Enchiladas
2 green onions, chopped, divided
1 Tbsp. butter
1 8oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained (best way to do it is have very clean hands and squeeze)
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded, divided
1 cup sour cream, divided
1 10 oz. can mild enchilada sauce
8 corn tortillas

Saute half the green onion in the butter, add the spinach and cook until it's dry. In spite of squeezing, there will be some moisture left. Take the pan off the stove, and add one cup cheese and 1/2 cup sour cream.

Separately heat enchilada sauce and dip tortillas in it to soften--so much better than using grease. Place about a Tbsp. of spinach mixture in each tortilla and roll. Put seams side down in greased 12x8 baking dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas and top with cup of cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Spread remaining 1/2 cup sour cream over tortillas and sprinkle with green onion. Serves four.

Green Enchiladas
This is great for using up leftover turkey.

1 pkg. frozen spinach
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup (I prefer Healthy Choice)
3 green onions, chopped
2 4oz. cans chopped chillies or 1/2 c. chopped jalapenos, depending on your taste
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pint sour cream
2 dozen corn tortillas
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
2 cups cooked turkey, preferably dark meat
4 cups Monterey Jack
3/4 cup cooking oil for softening tortillas; I'd rather soften them quickly in the microwave
2 cups grated cheddar

Cook spinach in a bit of water and drain well. Add onions, peppers, and salt. Puree in blender. Then add sour cream.

Separately chop onion and turkey. Soften tortillas and spread each with some of the turkey/onion mixture. Roll and put seam side down in baking dish. Pour spinach sauce over them and top with cheese. Bake at 350 40 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Serves ten.

A trip down my kitchen memory lane

I keep my appalling recipe collection in a series of battered folders labeled Entries Tried, Entrees Not Tried, Vegetables and salads, Appetizers, and Desserts. There's also a ring binder into which I throw soup recipes, sauce recipes, breads, etc.--kind of a catch-all that I don't consult often because it's not as easy to get to as my folders.
This morning I set out to go through my Entrees Tried looking for a recipe for green enchiladas that I haven't made in years. Betty and I went to Tres Joses for spinach enchiladas tonight (I had a Groupon discount--I'm a big fan of Groupon and have enjoyed some good meals with its benefits). Made me think that spinach enchiladas would make a good blog post. And that post coming next Sunday night.
But this morning's prowl brought back so many memories of when I cooked this or that or how good I thought such-and-such was that I pulled a bunch of recipes to cook soon. (My Burton family will be coming for dinner some week-nights since I will be keeping Jacob after school--some of what I pulled are approriate but others would appall Christian.) For them I'll fix things like Judy's Sloppy Joe, which is really a hamburger/red wine casserole.
For instance, I found one page with tuna tonnato with eggplant salad and smoked salmon with egg salad and green beans, a couple of Salisbury steak recipes (I've been meaning to fix that for Christian because it's beefy and rich with sauce, and he'd love it).  I pulled some recipes that I could cook for myself or when Linda comes to dinner on class night--like a simple spaghettis sauce wtih tomatoes in juice, onion, garlic, salt, sugar and olive oil. What could be easier and healthier? (Helpful hint: my mom said to always add at least a pinch of sugar to tomato-based sauces to "round them off.")
 There's a tuna salad I found in the cookbook I dropped in the sink--had to photocopy all the recipes I wanted to save! This salad calls for a can tuna packed in olive oil (I have to much water-packed on hand I simply drain it and add a bit of olive oil), a tomato seeded and chopped, capers, salt, pepper, basil, and olive oil.
How about quick muschroom and bacon pasta? Or a 20-minute black bean soup? The recipe I'll share tonight comes directly from Krista Davis at Mystery Lovers Kitchen--my favorite food blog. Krista got it from Jaden Hair at SteamyKitchen.com who apparently got it from Chef Jesse Thomas. As always, I've adjusted it. Krista used chicken legs but I love thighs--and I have two in the freezer. The original recipe calls for ten chicken legs, so I cut to approximate proportions.

1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary--I used fresh from my luxurious bushes
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 chicken thighs
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt

Preheat oven to 425. Put chicken legs on a rimmed baking sheet so juices don't run all over the oven. Krista suggests a broiler pan, but grease it with olive oil first so your chicken doesn't stick. Mix oregano, rosemary, salt, and cumin. Sprinkle on chicken. Bake 45 minutes. Keep an eye that it doesn't get too brown, and decrease heat if necessary.

Just before the chicken comes out of the oven, mix garlic powder, salt, melted butter, and Parmesan. Toss the chicken in it--I usually just smear it on top since thighs don't "toss" like legs.

Tastes great the next day if you nibble on a cold piece.

What about you? Do you have recipes tucked away in your kitchen memory lane that you'd share? I'd love to have them. Send to me at j.alter@tcu.edu.

What to do with a boiled chicken

Remember all those recipes that began with, "Boil an old hen"? I've surely boiled a lot of hens in my day, and often now when a recipe calls for cooked chicken--like an enchilada recipe--I buy a pre-roasted chicken at the market. And need the broth? Good, low-sodium broth comes in a box at the grocery. I can hear my mom scolding me now for my spendthrift ways--and she's probably right. But when I boil a chicken and want to use the broth, I always have to strengthen it with a bouillon cube or two, even though I add carrots, celery, an onion stuck with cloves--all those traditional things.
You can make great enchiladas with boiled chicken and great casseroles--the web is full of recipes, and I have a few if  you run short. But the recipe that sticks in my mind is for chicken loaf--a cool and perfect entree for hot summer night.
When my ex- was a resident and we were poor as church mice, we made an appointment with a real estate agent to look at a house we could not come anywhere near affording. But the agent, Carolyn Burk, suggested we rent a house in a good part of town--Arlington Heights for those from Fort Worth--that her son had just bought as an investment. We did, and that was the house we brought our first child home to. After that Carolyn adopted me. Years later, she would still call me on the birthday of each of my children--I thought it was touching of her to remember me on their days. She had two sons, and I sort of became the daughter she never had.
Carolyn gave me her recipe for chicken loaf, which her younger son--who lived with us for a while and was a special pal of mine--absolutely loved. I can never remember which of my children like it and which don't.

One hen or two fryers
1 cylinder saltine crackers
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
Chicken broth as needed
Salt and pepper

It honestly begins with, "Boil a hen." Then skin and bone it and cut into tiny pieces. Carolyn did this with scissors--or she had her husband, Burk, do it. I put it in the processor with on-and-off turns and watch that I don't let it go to mush.
Carolyn also crumbed one cylinder of saltine crackers by hand--I put them in the processor and make crumbs.
Mix crumbs and chicken; salt and pepper but  be careful with salt--the saltines have already added quite a bit. Stir in enough broth to make the mixture hold together. It should be moist be not soupy.
Carolyn, being a purist about this, never added gelatin, but my mom, who fixed the recipe often, added two envelopes, softened in water, and the loaf held together better. Megan thought it too "gelatinous," a quality she dislikes (see previous post on meatloaf).
Put the mixture in a loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, and top with another loaf pan. Put two cans of anything, just canned goods to weight it, in the top loaf pan and refrigerate overnight.
This gives the purest chicken taste ever, and I love it. In fact, just writing about it, I think I might make it. One loaf serves eight for lunch or dinner. Serve it with mayonnaise or make a more interesting topping like blue cheese dressing or mayo with horseradish--let your imagination go! I like plain mayo, but then I'm a mayo fan.
This freezes well but must be used quickly after defrosting.

Meatloaf

I am of the "I love meatloaf" school. I think most people do--it's a comfort food. But I know people who don't like it. My brother used to refuse to eat it because it was peasant food--I won't point out to him it's on some of the most upscale menus. My oldest daughter never liked it, and I remember once when I tried a recipe for cold meatloaf, she said, "Omigosh! You aren't serving it cold, are you?" She claims now mine was always gelatinous (even the word is horrible). Her older brother swears she'll eat his meatloaf these days, but I haven't tried mine on her in years.
Then there are so many varieties of meatloaf. A basic question: do you want tomato sauce on it or not? I never put sauce on it when I make it, but just last night I had one of my favorite meatloaf dishes at the Old Neighborhood Grill: it's heavily covered with a chunky tomato sauce with onions and green peppers (I usually can't eat green peppers but these are cooked to mush--probably canned tomatoes with onion and peppers). At the Star Cafe, they use my friend Betty's recipe which calls for green peppers--sometimes I pick them out, but I love meatloaf day up there.
Then there's buffalo meatloaf, all the rage these days when we've learned that buffalo is such lean meat. You have to use a recipe specifically designed for buffao or else mix in a little ground beef--otherwise your meatloaf will be too dry. I have one recipe that uses chopped musthrooms to add moisture. You can find a variety of bison meatloaf recipes on the internet.
I've even made a stuffed meatloaf, where you spread the seasoned meat in a jellyroll pan, cover it with whatever--I think this was chopped hard boiled eggs, croutons, spinach and herbs--and then roll it jellyroll fashion.
I admit in my salad days I made less than perfect meatloaf. My mom, if I remember correctly, used half pork sausage, half ground beef, salt and pepper, maybe a bit of bread crumbs, and probably an egg. Besides, Megan's accusation of gelatinous (which probably comes from making it in a bread pan where the juices collected at the botom), Colin used to say when I made meatloaf from scrach, I got more filler than meat in it. Then I discovered Hunt's Meat Loaf Fixin's and followed their directions--pretty good.  I've been tempted a time or two by cheeseburger meatloaf, but now I have a standard recipe I really like. I adapted it from one published in Texas Co-op Power several years ago and the big thing is you make it in an iron skillet.

Mix
1-1/2 lbs. ground beef (I often use a lb. of bison and 1/2 lb. ground chuck)
3/4 cup white bread crumbs--Panko is you're feeling elegant, otherwise whatever bread is left in your freezer than you can turn to crumbs in the processor
5 Tbsp. ketchup
3 Tbsp. salad mustard (not Dijon or that fancy stuff)
3-1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, mashed in a garlic press
3/4 tsp. onion powder
2/3 cup chopped celery
4 Tbsp. chopped onion
If mixture is dry, add a little water--never more than 1/4 cup
Note: there are no eggs in this

The only way to mix meatloaf is to wash your hands thoroughly and dig in until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Then spray your cast iron skillet with oil and pat the meatloaf evenly into the skillet. Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes, until it is well browned. Want a sauce? That's up to you, but my family likes it plain. You can use a premade tomato sauce, invent  your own, pour Rotel tomatoes over it--do this for maybe the last ten minutes of cooking. Or make up a cheese sauce with canned cheese soup and white wine and serve on the side. Serves six.

A true potluck--and a cool summer supper

Tonight we had a true potluck--I deviled eggs and made a huge batch of southwestern tuna, forgetting that Beth and Weldon can't eat mayonnaise unless it's made with canola oil--I have a lot of leftover tuna; Beth brought a green salad, and Jean, a luscious bowl of cantaloupe and watermelon straight from the farmers' market. A good, light summer salad. Southwestern tuna is in a previous Potluck post, ifyou're interested.
Yesterday was a lazy day, and two recipes in the morning paper caught my eye, so I decided to cook for one--though, of course, I changed them around. The first was a cucumber soup. I thought it called for a disproportionate amount of yogurt, so I used less, and I substituted buttermilke for almond milk, which is way expensive. The result was too thin, and I probably should have stuck with the original amount.  The recipe, first printed in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, called for a large cucumber, peeled and seeded, a shallot, a "handful" of fresh mint, 16 oz. Greek yogurt, and 8 oz.almond milk. My first problem was defining a "handful" of mint, and I think I got too much mint. Then I obviously didn't use enough yogurt--but I thought I was cutting the recipe in half. In proportion I used too much buttermilk. I think if I'd gotten the proportions right, it would really have been good. What I fixed had a good flavor.
The second was a salmon tartare salad, mixing smoked and fresh salmon. I wasn't going near the only store I'd trust for sushi grade salmon, so I substituted canned and soon discovered how spoiled I am to Pisces salmon, which is deep pink and rich in flavor. The standard commercial salmon I used was pale and did not have anywhere near the flavor, though I stand by my decision to use canned. Here's what I did:
1 7.5 oz. canned salmon
4 oz. smoked salmon
Two chopped green onions
crushed black pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
Juice of one lemon

It was good, but it would have been better with Pisces salmon. I don't undertand the political ins and outs of why the salmon is not available but the cannery missed salmon season in the process of buying a new fishing boat. If I understand it right, salmon fishing for small operations is controlled by the politics of the big commercial fisheries. I'm on the waiting list for spring when they expect to have it available again. As I've said before, Pisces salmon and tuna are canned fresh and cooked only once, after the fish is in the can. No preservatives. Makes a world of difference in the taste and is worth the difference in price.
Even with a few caveats, it was a good, light meal for one. I ate leftovers for lunch and then that nice light meal tonight--I'm feeling quite righteous and healthy.

Piccata this, piccata that, a Dover sole story, and a note about asparagus and eggs

Eons ago, when I was a doctor's wife and on a different budget, we had a favorite upscale restaurant. When I walked in the waiter didn't ask, he just said, "Dover sole and sauteed spinach." It was my favorite ever meal. In more recent years, my then-boss, the dean of the library, included me in a dinner to entertain a candidate for the position of assistant dean. (I really liked the candidate and am pleased to say she's now assistant dean.) But the special of the day--at another upscale bistro--was Dover sole, and I ordered it. To my chagrin, I later learned that it was a $45 dinner item. I apologized profusely to my boss, but she was cool about it.
Now I've learned to cook myself a Dover sole dinner for under five dollars. I simply use the piccata technique on it. Accord to The Food Lovers Companion, a bible for me, piccata is Italian for a veal scallop or seasoned and floured veal quickly seared and served with a sauce made from the pan drippings, lemon juice, and chopped parsley. The note adds that chicken may also be cooked that way , and I've done that.
Years ago I cooked chicken piccata for a very southern man I was dating, and he said, "Bless your heart, you bought boneless chicken." I wondered what his ex-wife had been feeding him. But if you use chicken, you need to use bonesless breast halves and pound them as flat as you can without tearing. Dip in flour seasoned with salt and pepper (or as one recipe suggests a mixture of flour and corn meal), cook quickly in a mix of butter and olive oil (butter burns and olive oil splatters--the mix is supposed to avoid both these evils); remove the chicken breasts from the pan and tent to keep warm. Add a bit more butter if needed and lemon juice--why bother with parsley? But you might add capers--a nice finishing touch.  Pour over the chicken and serve immediately.
You can see the point of this story: I use the same technqiue with Dover sole. Cooking fish, don't get the pan too hot because the fish will stick. It is much more delicate than the chicken and tends to fall apart when  you turn it, so I don't often do it for company except my daughter who loves it and forgives if her fish is in pieces. But if you can get just the right touch of brown on it and turn it in one piece, then drizzle it with that lemon butter, it is a dish fit for kings.
I figure you can use the piccata technique on a variety of meat and fish; in fact, somewhere I have a recipe for lamb steak piccata. But it would have to be pounded flat to come out a lot more tender than the lamb steak I cooked tonight. I doused it with lemon and olive oil, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Seared it in a hot skillet and then baked 20 minutes in a slow oven. It was cooked more than I usually like lamb but the flavor was delicious--it just didn't cut with a fork as the recipe advertised.
My note about aspargus and eggs: several days ago I posted about putting scrambled eggs over asparagus. The other night Sue, my former and much-missed neighbor, came for dinner and that's what I fixed. My mom used to serve asparagus on toast, so I started with a base of toasted and buttered sourdough bread. Next came oven-roasted the asparagus (no more than ten minutes at 350, doused with olive oil and salt and pepper), and then the eggs. In spite of suggestions about adding capers and hollandaise sauce (way too rich), I stuck to smoked salmon in the eggs. Sue likes them as I do--soft scrambled, or as she says a Canadian friend calls it, "just caught." It was delicious. Recently I fixed salmon and eggs for Colin, my oldest, and added tomatoes and scallions, which he carefully picked out, explaining, "I want the salmon to be the main event." So that's why I went with simplicity--and I'm glad I did.
Happy cooking.

Ooops!

I'm still not used to having two blogs. Last night's post, Taco Night, on "Judy's Stew" was supposed to go on "Potluck with Judy" as part of my food blog. I'll figure this out eventually!