The Charmed Kitchen

Zucchini Quesadilla

If you are looking for a fast and easy new way to prepare zucchini this dish really works well. Somewhere between a quesadilla and a frittata it can be a main dish, side dish, brunch dish or even a great breakfast. The hardest part is getting it turned over once it starts to set. Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect. Once you sandwich it between two tortillas any mistakes are covered up. All cheesy and gooey in the middle with crisp tortillas on the top and bottom it might even get your kids to eat their veggies. You just cut it in wedges to serve.

Zucchini Quesadilla

2-3 c. shredded zucchini
2 eggs
1 medium onion, minced or grated
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 c. flour
2 t. dried basil or 2 T. fresh
2 t. dried parsley
1/2 t. salt, or to taste
1/2 t. chili powder
Oil
2 (10- inch) tortillas – I used whole wheat
1 c. shredded cheese, cheddar or Monterey Jack work well, but use what you like or have on hand.
Pepper confetti (finely minced sweet peppers, mixed colors if you can)
Salsa, optional

Combine first nine ingredients in bowl and set aside. Heat 10-inch skillet and add a small amount of oil. Pour in zucchini mixture and spread out evenly. Turn down heat to medium-low and cook until edges start to firm up and brown. With spatula turn over zucchini pancake and cook 3 minutes longer. It should be set. Place 1 tortilla on top of “pancake” and turn over again so tortilla is in bottom of pan. Place cheese on top of pancake and place second tortilla on top of the cheese. Press down lightly. Cook a couple of minutes before turning again. Tortilla should be lightly browned. Cook long enough for the second tortilla to also brown. You can flip them back if to want to make them crispier. Remove to serving dish and sprinkle with the peppers. Cut into wedges and serve. Serve with salsa, if desired. You can also add a dollop or sour cream or some sliced ripe olives if you like.
Makes 2 luncheon servings or 4 appetizers. You can also make them ahead of time and keep them warm or reheat them in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Variations: You can use 1-2 cups cooked mashed beans (kidney, black, chickpeas etc. in place of the zucchini, or even use cooked lentils.

Ricotta Fritters

Ricotta cheese is the ingredient that makes these fritters so special. They are delicate and tender on the inside with a light crunch on the outside.  If you are looking for a fast and easy addition to a dessert tray or brunch menu you can’t do much better than home made fritters. You just heat up oil, mix up the batter ingredients, and start frying. In less than 30 minutes you can have a plate of warm fritters.  When finished, you can eat them plain, roll in cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar or drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze.

Ricotta Fritters

3/4 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 T. cinnamon

1 c. ricotta cheese

2 eggs, beaten

3 T. sugar

2 t. vanilla

Powdered sugar for dusting

oil for deep frying

Heat oil to 370 degrees in heavy saucepan. While oil is heating combine dry ingredients with cinnamon and set aside. Beat together cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Stir in dry ingredients. Working in batches spoon batter by level tablespoonfuls into hot oil, turning occasionally until golden brown, about 3 minutes in all. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Dust with cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar and serve. Makes about 3 dozen.

Apple Fritters

Fritters are  similar to doughnuts and are really easy to make. Rather than being made from a dough that is rolled and cut, like doughnuts, fritters are made from a batter that is spooned into oil for frying. Good fritters are light and airy inside with a crisp outside.  These are very good fritters. These fritters have diced apples and cinnamon and cook up tender and light. You could play around by adding other fruits, like pears, peaches or even berries. They are good plain, but can be rolled in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar or drizzled with a powdered sugar glaze.

Apple Fritters

2 c. flour

2 T. sugar

2 T. baking powder

1 T. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

1 c. milk

2 eggs, beaten

2 T. melted butter

1 c. diced apples

oil for frying- I used coconut oil

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Mix together milk with the eggs and butter. Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened and add the apples. Heat oil to 375. If using gluten free flour heat oil to 350. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Don’t do more than 4-5 at a time. It will take about  4 minutes in total but you need to turn them to brown evenly so 2 minute per side. Drain on paper towels. While warm roll in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar or drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze. Makes about 32.

Maple Doughnuts

These cake doughnuts were one of the doughnuts we made yesterday for Doughnut Days. The flavor from the addition of maple syrup made them a big hit. They can be eaten plain, rolled in cinnamon sugar or dipped in a powdered sugar glaze.

Maple Doughnuts

3 c. flour

1 T. baking powder

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. salt

1/2 t. grated ginger

2 eggs

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. maple syrup

1/3 c. buttermilk

1/4 c. melted butter

oil for deep frying

cinnamon sugar

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. In another bowl beat together eggs, sugar and syrup until well mixed. Stir in buttermilk and butter then stir in dry ingredients. Do not over mix. Chill dough at least a couple of hours before using. Overnight is better. When ready to use, heat oil to 375 degrees. While oil is heating roll dough out, on floured surface,  1/2 inch thick and cut out with a doughnut cutter. Fry several at a time for 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels. Roll warm doughnuts in cinnamon sugar. Re-roll scraps. You will end up with about 18 doughnuts and 18 doughnut holes.

Ginger Lime Shrimp

A friend was stopping by last evening and I wanted to make dinner, but didn’t have a lot of time. I always keep some shrimp in the freezer. It can be defrosted in no time and makes any dinner special. I put the shrimp in a bowl of cold water. I changed the water a couple of times. They were mostly defrosted in less than 30 minutes. I peeled them and added the marinade ingredients. While they were marinading I started cooking the rice. It was brown rice and would take 40 minutes or so. I also prepped the veggies. When the rice was nearly cooked I started cooking the rest of the dish. It was so easy but it felt very special, like it was more work than it really was. It tasted pretty special, too.

Ginger Lime Shrimp

12 oz. raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 lime
1 t. fresh grated ginger
2 t. soy sauce
1 egg
oil
1 small onion, sliced
8 oz. pea pods, washed and trimmed
1-2 T. oyster sauce
2-3 T. cornstarch
Hot cooked rice

In small bowl place shrimp. Zest the lime and add the lime zest to the shrimp along with the juice of half of the lime, ginger, soy sauce and egg. Allow mixture to marinade together for 30 minutes or so. In skillet or wok heat a little oil and saute the onion until golden. Add pea pods and cook 3-4 more minutes. Remove veggies from pan and set aside. Drain shrimp and dredge in the cornstarch. Heat a little more oil in the pan and cook shrimp until just done. Return veggies to pan and toss with the shrimp. Add the oyster sauce and heat through. Serve over the rice. Serves 2-3.

Almond Cookies

These are a great finish for any Chinese New Year party. The cookies are soft and almost cake like. Delicately flavored with almond extract and centered with a toasted almond they are great any time.  I enjoy almond cookies with an evening cup of tea. They aren’t too sweet and make a nice light dessert.

Chinese Almond Cookies

¾ c. sugar
¾ c. softened butter
1 egg
2 T. water
1 t. baking powder
1 t. almond extract
¼ t. salt
2 ½ c. flour
whole almonds, about 1/3 c.

Combine all ingredients except flour and nuts and beat until smooth. Stir in flour. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 2” apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Dip bottom of buttered glass in sugar and use it to flatten cookies a little. Press an almond into the center of each. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 8-12 minutes. Cookies should be firm to the touch, but not brown. Makes 3-4 dozen.

Wonton Soup

As part of our Chinese New Year dinner the other night, I was in charge of soup. I decided to go with one of my childhood favorites- Wonton Soup. I figured it was a soup everybody would like. I had some time constraints, too, and this soup is pretty easy to put together. The one problem I find when trying to make this soup at home is finding wonton wrappers that are thick enough. The square ones I find at the store are OK, but thinner than the ones in Wonton  Soup at a restaurant. At a local Asian grocery I have found round wrappers that are labelled for dumplings and are thicker. That is what I used. They worked out better. I normally add strips of roast pork to wonton soup, but one of our guests doesn’t eat pork, so the use of chicken thighs was a great substitute. You can play around with fillings, too. I often add shrimp as both a filling and to the soup itself.

Wonton Soup

1½ lb. chicken
1 head bok choy
3 T. hoisen sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
24 won ton wrappers
2 qts. Stock
1 t. ginger
1 t. hot pepper sauce
Chopped green onions
Sesame oil

Bake the chicken until cooked. I used boneless chicken thighs, but even leftover roasted chicken would work. Once cooled I minced enough of the chicken to give me 1 cup of meat. The rest I cut into thin strips. I then took stems from the bok choy and minced enough of them to make 1 cup. Combine the minced chicken with minced bok choy, the hoisen and the garlic. This is the filling for your wontons. Slice more of the bok choy- using mainly the leaves, into thin shreds. This will go into the soup later, along with the strips of chicken. You should have at least a couple of cups of the shredded bok choy, but more is OK, too. To make the wontons place one on your work surface and spoon a rounded teaspoon of the filling into the middle of it. Moisten edge with water, fold in half and press to seal. I used round wrappers, but square wrappers are fine, too. Repeat with remaining wontons and fillings until done. Bring stock to a boil and add the ginger and hot sauce. Add the wontons to the simmering stock. Simmer gently for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the strips of chicken and the shredded bok choy greens. Cook about 5-6 minutes longer. Finish soup with chopped green onions and a drizzle of sesame oil. Serves 6-8.

Amy’s Chicken Lo Mein

Keeping with the plan for a celebration of Chinese New Year we decided to include a lo mein dish. The dinners I enjoy with friends are wonderful collaborations. Amy and I get started with an idea and then things just seem to come together. In this dish I contributed a few packs of ramen noodles, spinach, oyster sauce and chopped green onions. Amy had marinated chicken in sherry and had also chopped up onions, carrots  and  peppers. She had some ginger, sesame oil and soy sauce. The end result was pretty darn good. Easy, too.

Amy’s Chicken Lo Mein

3 packets of ramen noodles
Oil
1 onion, diced                                                                                                                                          1 carrot, peeled and diced fine
1 sweet pepper seeded and diced
16 oz. chicken, cut in thin strips and marinated in sherry
1 lb. fresh spinach
¼ c. oyster sauce
Ginger
Soy sauce
Siracha sauce or other hot pepper sauce
Sesame oil
Chopped green onions

Cook pasta according to package directions but don’t use the seasoning packets they come with. Drain and set aside. In large skillet heat up a little oil and add the onion, cooking until tender. Add carrot and pepper and cook a few minutes more. Add chicken and stir fry until no pink is visible. Add spinach and cook until spinach is wilted down. Add noodles and oyster sauce with about ¼ cup of water. Toss to mix well. Add seasonings to suit your taste. We used about a teaspoon of ginger and a healthy shot of soy sauce. I also added about a teaspoon of the siracha. Just before serving I drizzled some sesame oil into the dish and added a handful of green onions. Serves 6.

Shrimp Fried Rice

I got together with friends to celebrate Chinese New Year and we made several Asian- inspired dishes. I did my version of fried rice, using brown Jasmine rice as the base. I cooked the rice a day ahead so it would be cold when I fried it the next day. I left the shrimp whole- I prefer that. I really liked the way it came out. Of course, you can switch out ingredients in countless ways. It isn’t like the take out fried rice you are used to. It’s moister and actually has a lot less oil in it. I loved it and so did the other guests at the dinner.

Shrimp Fried Rice

2 c. uncooked rice- I used brown rice and prefer it in this dish
4 c. stock or water
Soy sauce to taste
4 T. oil, or a bit more
1 onion, diced
1 sweet pepper, seeded and diced
1½ c. shelled edamame (fresh soybeans), you could use green peas
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. raw medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 t. grated ginger
1 t. hot sauce
Toasted sesame oil
Chopped green onions

Cook rice in water or stock (stock preferred). Add some soy sauce to the cooking liquid, if you like. Once rice is cooked, cool down and keep in the fridge until ready to use. Better if you make the rice a day ahead. Heat half of the oil in large skillet or wok and cook the onion until lightly browned. Add the pepper, edamame and garlic and cook about 3 minutes longer. Add shrimp and cook, stirring often, until shrimp are just cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Heat remaining oil in pan and stir fry the rice until just starting to turn a little golden around the edges. You might have to do this in batches. Once rice is done return the shrimp mixture to the wok, with the rice, and stir to mix well. Add seasonings and adjust to your taste, adding more soy sauce if needed. Drizzle with a little sesame oil and green onions and serve. Serves 6-8.