FIERY GARLIC SHRIMP WITH MINT MANGO SALSA

FIERY GARLIC SHRIMP

4 wooden skewers
1 lime, juiced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp Chinese chile oil
1/2 tsp coarse grain salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
12 large shrimp, shelled and deveined

Soak the wooden skewers in water for several hours. In a medium bowl, place the lime juice, garlic, Chinese chile oil, salt and white pepper. Mix the ingredients together. Add the shrimp and allow to marinate for one hour.

Thread the shrimp on the wooden skewers. Grill the shrimp for 2 minutes on each side, or until they have turned pink with some grill marks. Serve the shrimp with the Mango Mint Salsa. The recipe serves four.

MANGO MINT SALSA

2 cups mango, diced
3/4 cup red onions, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 jalapeño chile peppers, seeded and diced
1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
1 lime, juiced

In a medium bowl, place all of the ingredients and mix gently.

Chill the salsa in the refrigerator at least one hour before serving.

SMOKED SALMON DIP WITH TOASTY PITA CHIPS

SMOKED SALMON DIP

1/2 lb. smoked salmon
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic, minced
2 dashes white pepper
2 Tbsp parsley, minced
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
6 whole pita breads
4 Tbsp minced fresh herbs, such as parsley, rosemary, thyme, dill
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Place the salmon in a food processor and puree until finely minced.

In a medium bowl, place the pureed salmon, mayonnaise and sour cream. Mix the ingredients together until they are well blended.

Add the garlic, white pepper, parsley and lemon juice to the salmon mixture. Stir together and serve on toasty pita chips.

Serves six.

TOASTY PITA CHIPS

Cut pita bread into halves and then into triangles to form chips. (If the bread is thick, you can first cut it horizontally into two rounds and then cut each round into chips.)

Place chips on baking sheet and brush both sides with extra virgin olive oil. Top chips with minced herbs.

Roast in 350-degree oven until crisp. Allow to cool before serving.

WINTER SQUASH, CARROT AND PARSNIP STEW

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp. each ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger & cayenne pepper
1 pinch saffron
1 cup vegetable stock
14 1/2 oz canned, diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 cups assorted winter squash of choice, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp mint, chopped

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Mix in paprika and next 8 ingredients.

Add 1 cup water, tomatoes and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add the squash, carrots and parsnips. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Right before serving, stir half of the cilantro and half of the mint into the stew. Serve the stew over quinoa, couscous or other grains, sprinkling with the remaining herbs.

Recipe courtesy of Laura Marquez, Plate It Up!, 5707 W. Myrtle Avenue, Glendale, (623) 937-1267.

MESQUITE ALMOND COOKIES
By Junie Hostetler

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (Pima club wheat flour)
1/2 cup mesquite meal
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set aside two baking sheets.

In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugars. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, mesquite meal, soda and salt. Stir in almonds.

Drop by teaspoonfuls on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in a 400-degree oven. Remove from baking sheet to wire racks, for cooling.

Yield: 3 to 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Reprinted with permission from the cookbook From Furrow to Fire compiled by Mary Ann Clark and Shannon Scott (Native Seeds/SEARCH).

ORANGE CORIANDER ONIONS

These onions are an easy-to-do blend of healthy and gourmet cuisine. Enjoy the subtly sweet aromas that permeate your kitchen as they bake.

2 red onions
Juice of 1 orange
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon of water
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon corn starch

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the onions into quarters and gently pull back the papery skin, just enough so the outer onion layers are exposed. Put the onions in a baking dish.

Mix the orange juice, 1/3 cup water, coriander and brown sugar together and pour the mixture over the onions, making sure to get between the papery skin and outer onion layer.

Cover the baking dish and onions with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees or until the onions are soft. Remove the onions from the baking dish and set aside in a serving dish, removing the papery skin as desired.

Carefully pour the remaining liquid from the baking dish into a pot over medium heat. Mix the corn starch together with the remaining teaspoon of water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the onion baking liquid and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, stir until the cornstarch thickens the glaze.

Drizzle the thickened glaze over the cooked onions and serve.

This recipe is traditionally made with Spanish chorizo which is a hard sausage. We've substituted local Mexican chorizo for a Southwestern twist.

CHORIZO-STUFFED DATES

1/2 pound bulk chorizo
1/3 cup breadcrumbs, preferably fresh
36 whole dates (with pits*)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and, when hot, add the chorizo. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring several times. Then transfer the chorizo to a cool bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs.

Meanwhile, use a paring knife to make a lengthwise slice down the top of each date. Remove the pit. You should end up with dates that you can open up, somewhat like a book. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of the chorizo mixture into each date and close it back up.

Spread the stuffed dates out on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 9-10 minutes. Serve warm, not hot, as the sugars in the dates can become molten as they heat up. Makes 36.

*Note: It’s better to use unpitted dates for this recipe. When you remove the pit, there’s a small chamber that’s easier to fill with the chorizo than the sometimes-gummy insides of a pre-pitted date.

Recipe courtesy of Andy Broder, AndyFood, a culinary studio, 7000 East Shea Boulevard Suite 1740, Scottsdale, (480) 951-2400. This recipe will be featured in a Simple Holiday Hors d’Oeuvres class in October.

SCALLION AND NEW POTATO SOUP WITH A TOMATO SALAD

Forget those so-called red new potatoes from the grocery store. Real
new potatoes aren’t a variety but simply any newly dug potato. As
summer is their season, it stands to reason that August is just as
good a time for potato soups as February, but with a lighter touch
employed. Made with scallions, this quickly assembled soup has a
pale green hue and is finished with a little salad of chopped
tomatoes and slivered basil. Orange Sun Golds, yellow pear, and
green zebra make a particularly striking garnish. The soup can be
served hot or tepid.

THE SOUP:

2 big bunches of green onions (scallions or table onions),
including the firm greens
1 pound new potatoes, any variety or a mixture of varieties, scrubbed
1 tablespoon each butter and olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

THE TOMATO SALAD:

3/4 to 1 cup halved or diced fresh tomatoes, such as small cherry or pear types
Several opal or Italian basil leaves, finely slivered
1 shallot, finely diced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Slice the scallions about 1/4 inch thick. Dice the potatoes into small irregular cubes. You should have about 2 cups.

Heat the butter and oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the scallions, give them a turn, and cook for a minute. Add the potatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. When you get a whiff that says “home fries,” add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot to give the soup a little more substance. Taste for salt and season with pepper.

Toss the tomatoes with the basil, shallot, and oil. Season with a pinch of sea salt or to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls, spoon some of the tomatoes and their juices into each portion, then serve.

Editor’s Note: Local I’itoi onions are a wonderful substitute for the green onions.

*Reprinted with permission from Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen, 2006 Broadway Books, NewYork, NY.

FRESH GOAT CHEESE

David and Kathryn Heininger have graciously agreed to share their recipe for making fresh goat cheese.

20-25 delightful registered Nubian goats
Barn/comfortable safe shelter
Fully equipped milking shed
280 acres open range for grazing
Pasteurization equipment
Assorted thermometers, pots, filters, stirring, shaping, pressing, and molding utensils

Ensure that your 280 acres of land have sound perimeter fencing. Set herd of Nubian goats loose to forage on open range. This ensures that the flavor of the milk is subtly enhanced by whatever edibles are in season: tender new leaves in spring, cactus flowers and fruit, assorted native grasses, tasty chewy aromatic barks in the fall. Terroir, it’s not just for the French. (Note: Phoenix foodies get very excited about the subtle changes in flavor that occur in BMR’s artisanal cheeses as the goats forage for food throughout the seasons. I’m considering it a personal challenge to do the same and have pledged to devote myself to trying BMR cheese throughout the spring and summer to experience the influences of the White Mountain terroir myself.)

Bring goats in twice a day, every day, even Christmas and your birthday, to be milked. They are happy to comply and may even be waiting by the door in case you are a little tardy. The goats will hop up on the milking platform and wait for you to attach the milking apparatus. Turn on the pump. Collect milk in a clean pail. Make sure to empty goat completely as the last drops have the highest butterfat and protein content. Repeat until you have a full set of relieved goats. Lug pail(s) full of milk, taking care not to spill, next door to the kitchen, filter out any impurities, and pour into a large sterile container for pasteurization. (By law, all milk used for cheese that will be aged less than 60 days must be pasteurized. Heininger uses the gentlest method: the milk is heated to 145F for 30 minutes.)

Once pasteurization is complete, cool milk rapidly to 86F, add culture and non-animal rennet, stir well, and wait for about 24 hours while it sets into curds. Scoop the curds into cheesecloth bags and hang to drain for about 24-48 hours. Add a bit of salt, and voilà!—fresh goat cheese.

PEACH SALSA

2 large peaches
1 small jicama, peeled
Mint leaves
Chives
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon walnut oil
1 green jalapeno pepper
1 red jalapeno pepper
1 yellow jalapeno pepper
Juice of one lime
Salt and black pepper

Peel peaches and cut into small chunks. Julienne jicama into small matchsticks. Roll mint leaves and cut into a chiffonade to make one teaspoonful. Mince chives to make one tablespoonful. Slice jalapenos very thinly (e.g., with a Kyocera ceramic slicer.) In a small bowl, add all ingredients. Stir together and adjust seasonings.

Recipe courtesy of Julie Wood, Kitchen Classics, 4041 East Thomas Road, Phoenix; (602) 954-8141. Julie will teach a class on Peach Festival Food at Kitchen Classics on Saturday, May 20.

CROSTATA DI RICOTTA (HONEY RICOTTA TART)

Cech says that “the abundant earthy and dairy flavors in this tart call for medium-bodied wine with notes of honey and orange blossom. It pairs well with both Ice Wine and Vin Santo. Orange Muscat brings out the tart’s subtle orange flavor.”

We recommend that you add a local twist to the tart: use Arizona orange blossom honey and the zest from our fine local citrus. Pair the tart with an Orange Muscat such as Quady’s Essencia ($13.99) available from local wine stores including AZ Wine Company, Sportsman’s Fine Wine and Spirits, and AJ’s Fine Foods .

Makes 10 servings

PASTRY CRUST

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup fine cornmeal
Ricotta Filling
15 ounces (1 3/4 cups) whole milk ricotta cheese
3 ounces (1/3 cup) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon finely grated zest (from about 1/2 orange)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To make the crust: Process the butter, 3 tablespoons sugar, egg yolk, and salt in a food processor, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add the flour and cornmeal and pulse just until combined. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 2 to 3 times to bring the dough together into a ball. Press the dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic film, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes or up to 3 days.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack near the center. Briefly knead the dough on a floured surface, then roll it into a 12-inch round, keeping the work surface, dough, and rolling pin all well floured and moving the dough frequently to prevent it from sticking. Work quickly, handling the dough as little as possible to keep it cool.

Wrap the pastry loosely around the rolling pin and then unroll it over a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, draping the pastry over the pan to center it. Push the pastry firmly into the bottom and sides of the pan, using dough scraps to patch any tears. If you find this soft dough difficult to work with, either chill it again or press pieces of the dough into place in the pan. Roll the pin firmly over the top of the pan to trim the edge neatly. Bake the crust for 20 minutes; it will not be fully baked. Set the pan on a rack to cool. Leave the oven on.

While the dough bakes, make the filling: Pulse the ricotta, cream cheese, cream, sugar, eggs, egg yolk, honey, orange zest, and vanilla in a food processor until completely smooth.

Pour the filling into the partially baked crust and bake until the filling is set, with golden brown spots dotting the surface, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool until it is room temperature. When it is cool, remove the sides of the pan and transfer the tart with the base to a serving platter. Cut the crostata into wedges with a sharp knife and serve at room temperature.

*Reprinted with permission from The Wine Lover’s Dessert Cookbook, Recipes and Pairings for the Perfect Glass of Wine, 2005 Chronicle Books, LLC, San Francisco, CA.

SPRING VEGETABLE BRAISE

Gather as many baby veggies as you can find (or cut larger specimens into quarters). Look for new potatoes, carrots (especially the red and yellow varieties), baby squash, fennel and I’itoi green onions. Spring vegetables such as chopped green garlic, fava beans and tender greens are also welcome additions. Also pick up one or two fresh herbs (tarragon, basil, thyme and chervil are all good choices). Scrub the vegetables well so you do not have to peel them. Cut them into smaller pieces as needed. Chop the herbs. In a large frying or sauté pan gently heat a couple tablespoons of high quality butter or olive oil or both. Add the green garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes until it begins to soften. Then add about _ cup of bottled water to the pan along with the sturdiest vegetables such as the potatoes and carrots and one half of the herbs. Season with sea salt, partially cover the pan, and cook gently for a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the veggies every couple of minutes in order of size/tenderness (e.g. fennel slices and green onions would probably be next, followed by peeled fava beans, then the tender greens at the end). Include another light sprinkle of sea salt with each addition. Once all of the vegetables have been added to the pan, season with the last half of the herbs. Remove the cover from the pan and let the remaining water evaporate so that you end up with a shiny olive oil or butter glaze on the vegetables and just a little bit of moisture in the bottom of the pan. You want everything to be tender, but don’t let it get gray or mushy. Serve the vegetable braise in a shallow bowl on its own, or topped with a piece of poached salmon or chicken or a few curls of Parmesan or other hard cheese.

With green beans, to tail or not to tail, that is the question.

As a child, I remember my grandmother shaking her head and saying that only lazy cooks wouldn't tail the beans. We'd sit at her grey-flecked, Formica kitchen table with a giant tin pan of string beans straight from the garden. In one fluid motion, she'd tear off half the tops of the beans, giving them a tug down the side to remove one of the fibrous strings. Then she'd twist off the pointed tail and pull the string from the other side. Only then, were the beans ready to bend into bite-size pieces with a satisfying snap.

Grandma would have been horrified, when years later as a young adult I encountered a bundle of green beans in a fancy French restaurant that still had their tails.

"For these prices," she would have tsk-tsked, "they could have removed the tails."

Looking closer, however, I noticed that these were not your ordinary garden variety of string beans. They were whisper-thin, delicate, French haricots verts with all of their pointy little ends perfectly aligned. When nibbled, the beans were crisp, yet tender, but definitely not stringy.

Grandma would have still shaken her head.

French Bean Salad

When you have tiny, tender beans, they need nothing more than a quick dunk in boiling water to set their bright green color and make them ready for the salad. For planning purposes, a pound of green beans will serve 4 to 6 people, but use however many you have on hand or feel like eating.

Put a large pot of water on the stove. Add a tablespoon of salt. While the water is coming to a boil, wash and remove the tops of your green beans. Then fill a big bowl with water and ice. Drop a couple of handfuls of the beans into the boiling water and then immediately fish them out with a slotted spoon or strainer and slip them into the ice water. Swish the beans around in the ice water to make sure that they are completely cool and then drain. Drizzle the beans with your best fruity olive oil, a little bit of cracked black pepper and some of that fancy salt you bought.

These beans are also fantastic accompanied by warm, little red potatoes boiled in their jackets and high-quality canned tuna or salmon. (Or if you are lucky enough to have a leftover piece of grilled or poached fish, use that.)

Roasted Green Beans

If your green beans are larger, but still not over-the-hill, they can be roasted.

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Wash, top and tail your beans (grandma would be proud, but if you skip the tailing part, we won't tell). Dry the beans and mound them in the center of a cookie sheet large enough to later hold the beans in a single layer. Add about a tablespoon of good olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Move the beans around the cookie sheet with your hands like a Las Vegas dealer mixing the cards on a casino table. When all of the beans are evenly coated with the oil, arrange them in a not-too-crowded single layer on the cookie sheet. Put the pan in the very hot oven for about 5 minutes. Check on the beans and move them around the cookie sheet with tongs, flipping some of them over to cook the other side. Keep checking on the beans every few minutes (but don't move them around too much more) until they are done to your taste; I like my beans to be limp with lots of dark roasted spots. (If you want to get fancy, you can toss the cooked beans with a little soy sauce or some finely minced garlic (or both), but I like mine just plain.) Serve immediately or at room temperature. If no one else is home, eat the beans with your fingers.

Slow-Cooked Middle Eastern String Beans

Sometimes you end up with beans that have seen better days. They may be large, tough, stringy or even starting to turn a little brown on the edges. When that happens, this is the green bean dish you need to make.

Wash the green beans and top and tail them using Grandma's technique to remove any fibrous strings that may be running down the sides of the beans. Snap or cut the beans into one-inch pieces. Finely chop one large onion and open a 14.5-ounce can of peeled tomatoes. Heat a pan with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat on the stove. With the lid off, add a good slug of olive oil to the pan. When the oil has warmed, add the onion and stir. Cook until the onion has turned brown, stirring occasionally, but don't let it burn. Add the green beans to the pan and swirl them around in the onion and olive oil. You want the outside of the beans to get shiny from the oil and even a little blistered. Turn down the heat to low, and smoosh the canned tomatoes through your fingers to break them up into small pieces as you add them to the pan (or cut the tomatoes in the can with a scissors before dumping them into the beans). For a more exotic flavor you can add a couple pinches of cinnamon at this point, but the beans are also good without it. Stir everything together, season with salt, put on the lid, and cook low and slow, stirring periodically. Depending on the starting quality of your beans, it may take 45 minutes to an hour for the beans to be done. The beans will have turned that dark green, almost gray, color and will be extremely soft. Scoop the beans into a low, flat dish. You may want to season them with a little more olive oil and salt. Tear warmed pita (pocket) bread into pieces and use them to scoop up mouthfuls of the oily, oniony, tomatoey, beans.