Good thing that I kept my mouth shut. The menu was all about "going on a picnic" and it worked together just fine. Not sure if that was simply because all the dishes were good, and good food goes well with good food, or if everything really complimented everything else. But there were almost no left-overs--and we made plenty--so everyone ate a lot and was eager to take food home. That bodes well for any night at Frugal Foodies. So here's what we had:
Corn, Cucumber and Tomato Salad--this wasn't bad but was my least favorite dish of the night. I attribute this to the fact that we've had lots of corn dishes of late, and some nice fresh salads. With this said, it was an excellent complimentary dish and the fresh raw corn was really tasty. I give it a score of 4.5 bucks.
Classic Potato Salad--talk about a dish for which I had low expectations! I'm not a fan of potato salads, and especially ones with mayonnaise. In fact, I almost never keep mayonnaise in my house, and might have this jar for the next year. But this salad was really really really good. Besides the flavoring, I think that what was key was that everything was cooked perfectly. The potatoes were absolutely just right, and the quantities of celery, pickles, and red onion really hit the mark. Whenever I make potato salads these days, I always try to shake it up with pesto, sundried tomatoes, etc, but after this dish, I may go back to the classics. I give it a score of 6 bucks.
Cold Sesame Noodles--I've also had this dish quite a few times since both Jennie and Oded Hilu make it a lot. It's a solid dish with the noodles, vegetables, and garnishes, but what really makes this salad for me is the great dressing. I really love it. I'm not a big fan of jicama but it adds crunch to the recipe and the other veggies--matchstick red peppers and snow peas--are super. I give it a score of 5 bucks.
Picadillo Empanadas with Cornmeal Crust--Jennie described this as 'a vegetarian dish that even meat-eaters love as much as its meaty equivalent'. And I think she was right. I'm not a meat eater, so I can't say for sure, but the TVP was incredibly meat-like, and wonderfully flavored. So you've got all this wonderful flavor made into a faux meat pie, and the pastry component--a flaky cornmeal--would also make a lovely pizza dough. Jennie broke all Frugal Foodies rules by making the dough ahead of time--and it was a good thing that she did since we had a couple of no-shows and were short on time--and the result was a beautiful pocket treat (I should add a photo of these once I get one). The only thing that I would change about this recipe would be to add more raisins, or more olives, or something to give it just a bit more of a kick. Still, I highly recommend this dish, and give it a score of 6.5 bucks.
Chocolate Chip Cookies--this is basically the Mrs. Fields recipe, or at least has the foundation of it--oats blended into a flour--and they were tasty but something was not perfect about them. Perhaps they were a bit overcooked or a little too runny, and it cost it a buck. With this said, I wish I had more to eat right now and give it a score of 5.5 bucks.
Overall--so as you can see, a very solid meal that had all above-average dishes. If I were going on a picnic and had lots of time, maybe I'd make many of these dishes, along with a fruit salad, and impress not only my date but myself. You really can't go wrong with this menu, and the total score of 27.5 bucks certainly bears that out.
Now for the recipes...
Now for the recipes...
Corn, Cucumber, and Tomato Salad
From the Guest Chef night of Jennie Chuang, August, 2009
Ingredients
4 T olive oil
2 T white wine vinegar or lemon juice
3 small clove garlic, minced or smashed
1 large sweet red onion
6 ears corn, really fresh
4 smaller cucumbers
6 tomatoes
1 t salt
2 T fresh basil, mint, cilantro, or parsley (optional)
Instructions
1. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar or lemon juice, garlic, and salt.
2. Cut the onion about thumbnail size.
3. Shuck corn and cut off kernels into a large bowl. Peel, seed, and dice the cucumbers, and add to the bowl. Core and dice the tomatoes, add to bowl.
4. Dress with dressing and garnish with herbs.
Serves 12
Classic Potato Salad
From the Guest Chef night of Jennie Chuang, August, 2009
Ingredients
30 small Yukon potatoes
5 eggs
1/3 c total red wine vinegar AND sweet pickle juice
3-4 stalks celery, chopped into 1/3 inch pieces
1/3 c sweet pickles, chopped
1 ½ T sweet red onions, finely chopped
3 T parsley, chopped
1 T Dijon mustard
¼-½ c mayonnaise
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Place potatoes in a pot of water over high heat. Once the water has been boiling for 10 minutes, add the five eggs to the pot. Continue boiling until the potatoes are just done and not mushy. Pour hot water out and dunk into cold water until cool.
2. Drain and peel eggs and potatoes.
3. Cut potatoes into ½-¾ inch cubes and splash vinegar and sweet pickle juice on them. Set aside.
4. Chop the eggs, celery, pickles, onions, and parsley and combine in a large bowl. Add the potatoes.
5. Mix together the mustard and mayonnaise and combine with the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.
Serves 12
Cold Sesame Noodles
From the Guest Chef night of Jennie Chuang, August, 2009
Dressing Ingredients
¾ c sesame seeds
Peanut oil
2 shallots
1 clove garlic
1 T toasted sesame oil
2 T soy sauce
¼ c rice vinegar
¼ c sugar
1 t chili paste
¾ c water
Noodle Ingredients
12 oz fresh thin Chinese egg noodles
1 c snow peas, blanched and thinly sliced
1 red pepper, julienned
1 c jicama, julienned
1 c scallions, chopped
(you can substitute whatever veggies you like for taste and/or color)
Garnish Ingredients
1 c cilantro leaves
½ c chopped peanuts
Instructions
1. Toast the sesame seeds. Let cool and grind in a food processor. Sweat shallots and garlic with a little oil and add to food processor. Add remaining dressing ingredients and puree.
2. Cook noodles in boiling water, not allowing them to overcook. Remove and cool with cold water.
3. Place noodles in a large bowl. Combine with remaining noodle ingredients. Top with dressing and garnish with peanuts and cilantro leaves
Serves 8-10
Picadillo Empanadas with Cornmeal Crust
From the Guest Chef night of Jennie Chuang, August, 2009
Cornmeal Crust Ingredients
¼ ounce package (2 ½ t) active dry yeast
1 ½ T sugar
½ c milk, heated to lukewarm
1 large whole egg, beaten lightly
1 large egg yolk, beaten lightly
1/3 c sour cream
5 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 ½ c all-purpose flour
1 ¼ c yellow cornmeal
¾ t salt
Picadillo Ingredients
1 ¼ cups onion, finely chopped
2 t garlic, minced
2 large pickled jalapeño chilies, seeded and minced, about 1 ½ T
2 t ground cumin
1 T chili powder
1 t crumbled dried oregano
1/2 t cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
2 T vegetable oil
1 ½ c TVP, soaked in hot water and then drained
¼ c tomato paste
28-ounce can plum tomatoes, chopped, including half the juice
1/3 c raisins
½ c plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives (about 4 ½ ounces)
Dried hot red pepper flakes to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Proof the yeast with the sugar in ¼ cup of milk for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is foamy. Beat in the remaining ¼ cup milk, the whole egg, the egg yolk, the sour cream, and the butter. Add 2 cups of the flour, the cornmeal, and the salt, and beat the mixture until it forms a dough.
2. Knead the dough, adding as much of the remaining ½ cup flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking, until it is smooth and elastic.
3. Form the dough into a ball, transfer it to an oiled bowl, and turn it to coat it with the oil. Let the dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 1 ½ hours and punch it down. (The dough may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Let the dough return to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.)
4. Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the oil to medium-low, and cook the onion, garlic, jalapeños, cumin, chili powder, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, and pepper, until the onion is softened. Add the TVP and cook the mixture over moderately high heat, stirring to make sure there are no lumps. Add the tomato paste, the tomatoes with the juice, the raisins, the olives, the red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the picadillo, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is thickened and most of the liquid is evaporated, and let it cool. (The picadillo may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Let the picadillo return to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.)
5. Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time and keeping the remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap, on a lightly floured surface roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick and with a 6-inch round cutter cut each piece into a round. Put about 1/3 cup of the picadillo onto the bottom two thirds of each round and fold the rounds in half, enclosing the filling. Seal the edges of the dough and crimp them decoratively.
6. Transfer the empanadas with a spatula to a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake them in the middle of a preheated 450°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are golden.
7. Transfer the empanadas to a rack and let them cool.
Make 12 large empanadas
Chocolate Chip Cookies
From the Guest Chef night of Jennie Chuang, August, 2009
Ingredients
1 2/3 c rolled oats
1 ½ c all purpose or unbleached white flour
1 t baking soda
¾ t baking powder
¼ t salt
¾ c (1 ½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 c granulated sugar
2/3 c light packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 t vanilla extract
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
1. Set oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a blender or food processor, grind the rolled oats until they become a fine powder. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, mix butter until light, add sugars and beat until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture. Blend well before adding ground oats and chocolate chips.
5. Grease a cookie sheet. Roll dough into 1 ½ inch balls, flatten slightly and bake 2 inches apart.
6. Bake 8-10 minutes until brown on top.
Makes 30 3 ½ inch cookies
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