What to do with those leftover tortillas
Food_031312_half_GHNS_7.qxd:GHNS
3/6/12
4:48 PM
Page 1
WISE TO THE WORD
Food
Irish soda bread This classic Irish quick bread uses baking soda (as the name implies) as its leavener. It’s usually made with buttermilk and is speckled with currants and caraway seed. Before baking, a cross is slashed in the top of the loaf. The purpose of the cross, legend says, is to scare away the devil.— epicurious.com THEBITTENWORD.COM/FLICKR.COM
DID YOU KNOW? The range of temperatures in which bacteria grows most rapidly — 40 to 140 degrees — is called the “danger zone.” —FoodSafety.gov
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
What to do with those leftover tortillas
FLAT MORGUEFILE.COM
Irish favorites They came in the 1840s to escape the devastating potato famine. And they stayed to become part of the fabric of America. Today, 36.9 million U.S. residents claim Irish ancestry, second only to those who
claim German heritage and more than eight times the population in Ireland, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2009 statistics. Enduring hardships and privations, the foods these
Irish immigrants cooked in the new land would have replicated foods that reminded them of home — dishes such as cottage pie and Irish apple cake. “There is a real revolution going on about food — a longing, a craving to relearn life skills like butchery, keeping chickens, growing vegetables and curing meat,” said Darina Allen, author of “Irish Traditional Cooking.” — Family Features
‘BREAD’ By Linda Bassett GateHouse News Service
ou know the dilemma: You buy a package of soft, flour tortillas to use in a recipe for the family, but the package holds more than you need. Now you’re left with a bunch of tortillas, and no one wants a repeat performance the next night, or the next week. What are the choices? Make the same dinner the next night and the next until you use them up? Put them in the freezer and forget them until they grow icicles? Stick them in the back of the fridge until they crack or grow a beard? Or just throw them out, right now, so you don’t need to deal with them any more? Wait! I have a couple of other ideas. And they’re so good that the family will think they are eating restaurant takeout.
Y
Both are hearty enough to be a main course and can be tuned up from mildly spicy to very spicy, depending on how much
chili powder or adobo sauce you add to the recipe. Control the flavor by taking control of the ingredients, more or less of the chile powder or chipotles in adobo. You can also further heat up either recipe with a few dashes of Tabasco at the table. Don’t let the length of the ingredient list scare you away from this recipe. Many of the items may be regulars in your pantry or refrigerator. And although both recipes require a
good amount of cutting, chopping and dicing, in most cases, you can do this a day ahead. Or, since nothing needs to be meticulously cut, get the kids involved, if they’re old
enough to handle a knife. With the vegetables prepped, you can just start cooking and have dinner ready within 45 minutes. In any case, you’ll get some guilt-free good eating. For the enchiladas, the spice comes not from the filling itself but rather from the chipotle chilies in adobo sauce. I usually tone that down, using only half the amount but keeping the other ingredients as written for a much milder heat. When seeding the canned peppers, wear gloves if you can. Whether wearing gloves or not, wash your hands immediately afterwards in warm soapy water, and do not touch your face for hours afterward. One more quick idea: Brush the tortillas with canola oil, sprinkle on seasonings (anything from garlic salt to cumin powder to oregano) depending on your taste. Then cut them into strips. Put them on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for a few minutes until they turn golden. Scatter the strips on top of a salad of avocado, tomato, cucumber, iceberg lettuce dressed with lime juice and olive oil. Linda Bassett is the author of “From Apple Pie to Pad Thai: Neighborhood Cooking North of Boston.” Reach her by email at [email protected].
Chicken-and-Tortilla Soup Tip: For this restaurant-grade Mexican accented soup, toss the avocado in citrus juice so it stays bright green. • 2 bone-in or boneless, skinless chicken breasts • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided • 1 teaspoon chili powder • 1/2 teaspoon cumin • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1 small onion, diced • 1 clove garlic, minced • 1 red bell pepper, diced • 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes • 4 cups chicken stock • 2 cups water • Salt, pepper, to taste • 5 soft flour tortillas • 1 avocado, diced • 1/2 cup jack cheese, grated • 1 bunch cilantro • Sour cream or plain yogurt 1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Whisk together 1 tablespoon olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon chili powder, cumin and salt; rub this mixture all over the chicken. Roast chicken, 20 to 30 minutes, until tender and barely cooked through. Set aside. 3. Add the remaining oil in the bottom of a pot on medium heat. When the oil is warm, add onion, garlic and the bell pepper to the pot. Cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the remaining chili powder, tomatoes, stock, and water; simmer 25 minutes. 4. Shred the cooked chicken into bitesize pieces; add to the soup pot. Cut the tortillas into thin strips. Stir into the pot with the cilantro. Ladle the soup into bowls; top with avocado, jack cheese and sour cream. Makes 4 servings.
3/6/12
4:48 PM
Page 1
WISE TO THE WORD
Food
Irish soda bread This classic Irish quick bread uses baking soda (as the name implies) as its leavener. It’s usually made with buttermilk and is speckled with currants and caraway seed. Before baking, a cross is slashed in the top of the loaf. The purpose of the cross, legend says, is to scare away the devil.— epicurious.com THEBITTENWORD.COM/FLICKR.COM
DID YOU KNOW? The range of temperatures in which bacteria grows most rapidly — 40 to 140 degrees — is called the “danger zone.” —FoodSafety.gov
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
What to do with those leftover tortillas
FLAT MORGUEFILE.COM
Irish favorites They came in the 1840s to escape the devastating potato famine. And they stayed to become part of the fabric of America. Today, 36.9 million U.S. residents claim Irish ancestry, second only to those who
claim German heritage and more than eight times the population in Ireland, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2009 statistics. Enduring hardships and privations, the foods these
Irish immigrants cooked in the new land would have replicated foods that reminded them of home — dishes such as cottage pie and Irish apple cake. “There is a real revolution going on about food — a longing, a craving to relearn life skills like butchery, keeping chickens, growing vegetables and curing meat,” said Darina Allen, author of “Irish Traditional Cooking.” — Family Features
‘BREAD’ By Linda Bassett GateHouse News Service
ou know the dilemma: You buy a package of soft, flour tortillas to use in a recipe for the family, but the package holds more than you need. Now you’re left with a bunch of tortillas, and no one wants a repeat performance the next night, or the next week. What are the choices? Make the same dinner the next night and the next until you use them up? Put them in the freezer and forget them until they grow icicles? Stick them in the back of the fridge until they crack or grow a beard? Or just throw them out, right now, so you don’t need to deal with them any more? Wait! I have a couple of other ideas. And they’re so good that the family will think they are eating restaurant takeout.
Y
Both are hearty enough to be a main course and can be tuned up from mildly spicy to very spicy, depending on how much
chili powder or adobo sauce you add to the recipe. Control the flavor by taking control of the ingredients, more or less of the chile powder or chipotles in adobo. You can also further heat up either recipe with a few dashes of Tabasco at the table. Don’t let the length of the ingredient list scare you away from this recipe. Many of the items may be regulars in your pantry or refrigerator. And although both recipes require a
good amount of cutting, chopping and dicing, in most cases, you can do this a day ahead. Or, since nothing needs to be meticulously cut, get the kids involved, if they’re old
enough to handle a knife. With the vegetables prepped, you can just start cooking and have dinner ready within 45 minutes. In any case, you’ll get some guilt-free good eating. For the enchiladas, the spice comes not from the filling itself but rather from the chipotle chilies in adobo sauce. I usually tone that down, using only half the amount but keeping the other ingredients as written for a much milder heat. When seeding the canned peppers, wear gloves if you can. Whether wearing gloves or not, wash your hands immediately afterwards in warm soapy water, and do not touch your face for hours afterward. One more quick idea: Brush the tortillas with canola oil, sprinkle on seasonings (anything from garlic salt to cumin powder to oregano) depending on your taste. Then cut them into strips. Put them on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for a few minutes until they turn golden. Scatter the strips on top of a salad of avocado, tomato, cucumber, iceberg lettuce dressed with lime juice and olive oil. Linda Bassett is the author of “From Apple Pie to Pad Thai: Neighborhood Cooking North of Boston.” Reach her by email at [email protected].
Chicken-and-Tortilla Soup Tip: For this restaurant-grade Mexican accented soup, toss the avocado in citrus juice so it stays bright green. • 2 bone-in or boneless, skinless chicken breasts • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided • 1 teaspoon chili powder • 1/2 teaspoon cumin • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1 small onion, diced • 1 clove garlic, minced • 1 red bell pepper, diced • 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes • 4 cups chicken stock • 2 cups water • Salt, pepper, to taste • 5 soft flour tortillas • 1 avocado, diced • 1/2 cup jack cheese, grated • 1 bunch cilantro • Sour cream or plain yogurt 1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Whisk together 1 tablespoon olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon chili powder, cumin and salt; rub this mixture all over the chicken. Roast chicken, 20 to 30 minutes, until tender and barely cooked through. Set aside. 3. Add the remaining oil in the bottom of a pot on medium heat. When the oil is warm, add onion, garlic and the bell pepper to the pot. Cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the remaining chili powder, tomatoes, stock, and water; simmer 25 minutes. 4. Shred the cooked chicken into bitesize pieces; add to the soup pot. Cut the tortillas into thin strips. Stir into the pot with the cilantro. Ladle the soup into bowls; top with avocado, jack cheese and sour cream. Makes 4 servings.
