Old recipe resurfaces

One of my “stretch goals” for 2008 is to organize the six years’ worth of Cook of the Week recipes and recipes I’ve written about in my column, Speaking of Food, so that it takes me less time to find them when readers call or write asking for them.

Today, I’ve been working on recipes from 2006. This was apparently the year for pound cakes, apple dumplings, hamburger casseroles and sweet potato pies. It was also the year for Chicken-Spinach Rolls from Cindi Irwin, who was featured in August.

I made this dish once and then apparently lost or misfiled the recipe, because I went looking for it one day a few months ago and couldn’t find it. Thankfully, it has resurfaced

Chicken-Spinach Rolls
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups fresh baby spinach
4 ounces cream cheese, softened and cubed
4 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 ounces crumbled Feta cheese
2 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon dry ranch dressing mix
1/2 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flattened to 1/8-inch thickness
Sauté onion in olive oil until tender. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Remove pan from heat and add remaining ingredients, except chicken. Spoon 1/4-cup of the mixture onto each chicken breast and roll up jelly-roll-style. Place seam-side down in a greased baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake or chicken will be dry.
If using as an appetizer, place cooked chicken in refrigerator to chill. Slice into pinwheels and place on a serving tray. Serve at room temperature.
Note: For a rich dish that’s more moist, pour 1 1/2 cups whipping cream over the chicken before baking.

Joe Joe’s sample menu

Joe Joe’s Espresso on Main Street in downtown Tupelo has revamped its menu for a third time. Here’s a sampling of what you’ll find now:

Sandwiches (served with choice of chips, baked potato salad, cole slaw, deviled eggs or fruit)

Southwestern: Roasted Salsalito turkey, bacon, melted Pepper Jack cheese with chipotle mayo and crisp green leaf lettuce on chipotle flat bread, $6.50

Aloha: Old World smoked ham covered with fresh pineapple and melted Pepper Jack cheese, chipotle mayo on Italian herb flatbread, $6.50

Fairpark: Mesquite grilled chicken covered with Vermont Cheddar, bacon, honey mustard and green leaf lettuce on Italian herb flatbread, $6.50

Londonport Roast Beef: Gourmet tender roast beef flavored with port white herbs and spices with Vermont Cheddar cheese, mayo, crisp green leaf lettuce and fresh cut tomato, $6.50

Rowdy Reuben: Thinly sliced New York-style corned beef piled high with melted imported Swiss cheese, homemade Russian dressing and fresh sauerkraut on pumpernickel, $6.50

BLTC: Crisp bacon, crisp green leaf lettuce, fresh cut tomato, Vermont Cheddar, $4.95

Other sandwiches include:
Bavarian, $6.50
Tuna or Chicken Salad, $5.95
Pimiento and Cheese, $4.95
Club on Croissant, $6.50
West Coaster, $6.50
Aroastica Chicken, $6.50

Salads and Soups
Joe Joe’s Salad: Grilled chicken breast, mandarin oranges, candied walnuts and dried cranberries on fresh spring mix, $6.95

Roasted Turkey Salad: Roasted turkey, smoked Gruyere cheese, fresh tomatoes, boiled eggs on fresh spring mix, $5.95

Half sandwich and cup of soup:  $6.25
Cup of soup, $2.95
Bowl of soup, $3.95

Expresso, cappuccino, latte, mocha, Americano and locally roasted gourmet coffee, frozen frappes and smoothies, chai, hot tea, hot chocolate

Breakfast items include croissants (can include ham, turkey, egg, bacon or cheese); sausage and biscuit; scones; muffins; cream cheese danish and cookies.

Vidalia Onion Cheese Dip

Vidalia Onion Cheese Dip

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 large Vidalia onions, coarsely chopped
2 cups shredded Cheddar or Swiss cheese
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 garlic clove, minced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion, and sauté 10 minutes or until tender.

Stir together shredded cheese, mayonnaise, hot sauce and garlic; stir in onion, blending well. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish.

Bake for 25 minutes, and let stand 10 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

Pasta dish a winner

Last week, I mentioned that today’s Cook of the Week, Marianne Ulmer of Starkville, often tosses together pasta and vegetables for supper. She mentioned spaghetti and spinach in particular. I found a recipe from a newspaper in Florida on the Internet for a dish that sounded similar to what she was talking about. I made it for dinner last night, alongside baked catfish, and it was delightful.

My 11-year-old son, who usually tries everything put before him but only eats about half of what’s on his plate, ate every bite and kept saying how well all the flavors went together. I agree.

Angel Hair Pasta With Lemon, Garlic and Spinach

1 lemon
8 ounces angel hair pasta
4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper flakes
3 cups loose-packed baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup loose-packed basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese
Chicken broth (optional)

Remove zest with a fine grater and lemon juice from lemon; set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain, return to pot and set aside.

Place garlic in a small skillet with olive and sauté until garlic is soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add pepper flakes, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add this mixture to pasta along with spinach, basil and cheese. Stir well to combine and serve. (If mixture seems to day, add some chicken broth.) Makes 4 servings.

Orange Honey Butter recipe

Back before Christmas, I got a cookbook in the mail called “Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins and More” by Carole Walter (Clarkson Potter Publishers, $35).
The book has more than 200 recipes and lots of pretty color photos, but I have to admit I’m not much of a bread maker. I’m intrigued by this cookbook, though, because it gives step-by-step instructions, and illustrations, for things like making croissant pockets and braiding dough.
In the back of the book is a chapter with recipes more my style: streusels, glazes, frostings and spreads. I found an Orange Honey Butter spread that sounds like the perfect indulgence for biscuits, scones or croissants.

Orange Honey Butter

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated navel orange zest

Combine butter, honey and zest in a medium bowl. Stir with a spoon until well blended. Place in a ramekin or a small bowl and refrigerate. Let soften to spreading consistency before serving.
Makes 2/3 cup.

Mexican lasagna

Today is my 45th birthday and tonight, between my daughter’s Cross Country practice and my son’s Boy Scout meeting, we’ll be squeezing in some Cinco de Mayo fare for supper. I found this recipe for Tortilla Pie, also called Mexican Lasagna, in Gourmet magazine this morning. Gourmet says this is a sure-fire way to please adults and teens alike.

I’m thinking I might like to add some shredded chicken breasts to this.

Mexican Lasagna
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup mild tomato salsa
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups pepper Jack cheese, grated
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas (burrito-size)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sour cream
Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Stir together beans, corn, salsa, tomato sauce, cheese, cilantro, scallions and cumin in a large bowl.
Heat a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until smoking. Brush both sides of each tortilla with oil and fry, turning over once, until puffed and golden in spots, about 1 minute.
Put 1 tortilla in a well-oiled 10×15-inch shallow baking pan, then spread with 1 1/3 cups of filling. Repeat layering twice, then top with remaining tortilla, gently pressing to help layers adhere. Bake until filling is heated through, about 12 minutes. Transfer with a large metal spatula to a platter, then cut pie into wedges with a serrated knife. Serves 4.

Savannah Red Rice

My friend Jan Willis gave me an early birthday present this week: a copy of “Savannah Style,” a cookbook I mentioned in my Food column a few weeks ago.

I was flipping through it earlier today and came across a recipe for Savannah Red Rice. I’ve seen recipes for red rice before, but this one looked particularly good. (I’m wondering if I could cut the bacon in half or use turkey bacon?)

Savannah Red Rice
1/4 pound bacon
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 celery, chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cups rice, uncooked
2 (16-ounce) cans tomatoes, pureed
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco
In a large frying pan, fry bacon until crisp; remove from pan. Crumble and reserve. Sauté onions, celery and green pepper in bacon grease until tender. Add rice, tomatoes, crumbled bacon and seasonings. Cook on top of stove for 10 minutes. Pour into a large greased casserole, cover tightly and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serves 8.

Pasta dish sounds yummy

I went to visit a Cook of the Week on Wednesday and we started talking about the sort of weeknight meals she prepares. She said some nights she does some type of pasta/veggie dish. I asked her to be more specific and she said she boils some spaghetti, then tosses it with some fresh spinach and garlic sauteed in olive oil, seasons it with salt and pepper and then gives it a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

I’m not sure of any exact measurements here, but it sounded yummy to me.  I’m guessing a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese couldn’t hurt the finished product, either. What a perfect side dish as summer approaches.

Sangria

Daily Journal bizbuzz blogger Carlie Kollath is looking for a place that sells good white Sangria. I don’t drink the stuff, so I’m no help. Anybody out there with a sweet tooth?

Easy Crock-Pot recipes

Ginny Miller requested some easy Crock-Pot recipes. I’m including two. One has three ingredients (is that easy enough, Ginny?) and the other has a few more, but mostly involves opening cans.

Beef & Noodles
1 pound beef for stew
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can French onion soup
Combine all in ingredients in a Crock-Pot. Cook on low 7 to 8 hours. Serve over egg noodles.

Taco Soup
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can black beans
1 can red kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
1 envelope Taco Seasoning
1/4 cup chopped onion
In a heavy skillet, brown the ground beef, cooking and breaking up until no longer pink. Combine all ingedients in  Crock-Pot with juice from beans and corn; cook on low 4 to 6 hours. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream and shredded cheese.