All Hail Deborah Madison! – Part One

Please don’t mistake one for the other:

Dolley Madison = The First Lady of Fashion

Deborah Madison = Goddess of Vegetarian Cooking

We have spent the past couple of weekends in homage to the latter of the two, after I finally procured a gently used (but autographed!) copy of Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.  May I also mention that, somehow, most of this weekend’s treats were divined by the grace of my infrequently used food processor.

The first recipe choice was the Quesadilla with Smoky Black Bean Spread (p.123) & Salsa, including the Black Bean-Smoked Chile Dip (p. 98) .  Who knew that San Diego’s version of the grilled cheese sandwich could be a little fancy pants?!  It could be made with staples that you should already have in your pantry:

• black beans
• coriander
• cayenne
• cumin
• salt
• fresh cilantro
• lime 

This little ditty of a dip is spread on corn tortillas, then topped with scallions, queso fresco (or goat cheese), a serrano chile, some additional cilantro and some fresh salsa.  After topping with another tortilla, the quesadilla is toasted (er, lightly fried) in a buttered skillet.  Served with the guacamole mentioned in a previous blog entry, and….oh my.  Just enough of a kick to keep us tuned into the Padres action and True Blood’s sassiness.  Delicioso!!

Roasted Pasilla/Poblano Guacamole

Adapted from Rick Bayless' Mexico, One Plate at a Time

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Happy Independence Day, folks! For this holiday, Sam and I chose to play in the kitchen while watching the Padres play some ball, followed by a little True Blood.

As Sam is Guacamole's (yes, with a capital 'G') biggest fan, we decided to make a very special variety -- roasting the peppers and tomatoes under the broiler and then blending them with garlic in the food processor.  The (adapted) recipe is included below!

Side note: the Black Bean Quesadillas and Boca Negra cake are the other creations in progress right now...with the bourbon cream currently chilling in the refrigerator.  Details to come...

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Roasted Pasilla Guacamole

2 medium, fresh, poblano chiles

2 small, tomatoes

2 cloves, roasted garlic

3T cilantro, chopped

3 large avocados (I love California for its readily-available HASS avocados!)

2T fresh lime juice

1 jalapeño (to your preferred heat level)

-Lay the large peppers and tomatoes on a aluminum, baking sheet and broil for about 10-12 minutes until they blister and become blackened a bit.  Then, place the peppers in a bowl and cover with a towel (the steam will soften the skin and make it a bit easier to remove).  After about five minutes, remove the stem, seeds and skin.  Although I've heard that it's easier to use a damp paper towel to remove the skin...fingers worked much more efficiently.

-Toss the skinned (?) peppers into the food processor with the garlic and pulse briefly.

-Coarsely chop the tomatoes and mince the jalapeño.  Add to the peppers, but do not process

-Pit the avocados and remove the flesh with a spoon.  Mash with the back of the spoon or a potato masher.

-Add the pepper/tomato/garlic mixture to the avocados.  Juice half of a lime over this green gorgeousness, then add the cilantro and salt (to taste), and blend.  Taste, and add additional lime juice and salt to taste.

-Serves 1-2 hungry guacamole fans over the course of a couple snacks and a meal.  Happy Fourth of July!