Cornbread Taco Casserole - a Fiesta of Flavors

I have been trying to get this recipe out for days, and one thing or another has seemed to prevent me getting it here. First off, when I created it last week, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I created it late in the day, tired after standing in the kitchen all day doing other things like making bread, pesto, cake, etc. I was hot and tired. I "knew" I had a Cornbread Taco Casserole recipe somewhere, one I'd made nearly 20 years ago. Do you think I could find it? Of course not. I just didn't know what to do with the hamburger I had thawed. I thought, "I don't need a recipe. How hard could a taco casserole be?"

I thought about what ingredients would be good here: onion and garlic of course. I had fresh thyme in a vase on the windowsill, so I could use that. My husband dislikes meat sauces that are runny, so I would thicken it slightly with flour, though cornstarch would work too. Tomatoes or tomato product of some sort. I had some Tostitos Salsa in the fridge, so I used some of that. Chili Powder would also be a must. I thought corn and kidney beans would be good. I love green chilies in a can, so I would certainly use those.

For the cornbread part, I wanted it to be on top of the casserole. It was already quite late in the day, so I opted for a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. At some point I do want to make this with my own cornbread recipe, but that was just not the day for it. Then, CHEESE! Oh boy, I had no shredded cheese. Drat. I thought about that and wondered if there was any in the freezer. Sure enough, there was some shredded cheese, a Mexican Blend. It was a bit old, but I wasn't using that much. Perfect.

Cornbread Taco Casserole, too brown

When I got all the taco casserole ingredients together, it made a lot! I used 2 pounds of hamburger meat, and with everything else going in, it completely filled my large skillet. I would suggest the possibility of using a large pot instead of a skillet, especially if one does not own a really large skillet. The casserole part is already cooked through by the time it goes in the oven, so all the oven accomplishes is baking the cornbread topping.

Okay, so I mentioned how tired I was from all the cooking & baking I had done that day? I had just pulled out a batch of bread from the oven shortly before the casserole was to go in. I had planned to set the oven at 375. Actually, anything I bake that is not covered, I set the oven to Convection Bake. On Convection, the temperature needs to be set 25 degrees lower than the recommended temperature to offset the faster baking and browning time. Meaning, I needed to set the Convection Bake temperature to 350 degrees. What, exactly, I was thinking when I set the oven temperature to 475 on Convection Bake, is beyond me. Obviously, I was not thinking at all by that time. When making a recipe for the first time, I set the timer for a certain amount of time as a baseline, but then check carefully to make sure everything is baking properly, adjusting the time as needed. I set the timer for 25 minutes, figuring it would probably be done at about 25, but it was a large casserole, so it was uncertain.

I checked once at about 15 minutes, noting that though not yet browned on top, it was certainly bubbling very furiously. It still did not occur to me that the temperature was ridiculously high. At 23 minutes, I checked again. This time I noticed that the top of the cornbread was now a definite mahogany color. Oops! I pulled it out and went to shut off the oven, finally noticing the temperature I had set. Good heavens. Still, while the top was very dark, it was not actually burnt. We ate the casserole and it was absolutely delicious, browned top notwithstanding. My husband particularly loved it. We polished it off in about 3 days, and I asked him if it would be okay to make it again, since I wanted to get photos of a better looking outcome! He said I could make it 3 times in a row if I wanted, he liked it that much! Alrighty then!

I made the casserole for the second time on Saturday for dinner. I had not spent the whole day in the kitchen. I was well rested. I baked it at the temperature I originally planned and it baked perfectly in the same amount of time as the last one, but this time without over-browning the top. The flavors were the same. I used Chi Chi's Salsa this time. I had bought a new bag of Mexican Blend shredded cheese, so it melted much more nicely. 

Cornbread Taco Casserole; perfectly golden top

In all, it is a really wonderful dinner, ready to eat in right about an hour. Have the meat thawed and cooking while chopping the onion and garlic. Then open all the cans and have them ready. Chop at the meat to make it into small bits. Add in the ingredients as they are needed. The whole thing comes together quickly. Mixing up the Jiffy Cornbread Mix takes seconds. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake and dinner is served.

Cornbread Taco Casserole

Makes one (very full) 9 x 13-inch casserole;

Cornbread Taco Casserole

6 large or 12 small servings

2 pounds ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
1½ tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

1½ tablespoons chili powder
1½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup water
2 cups Chunky Salsa of choice
1 small can tomato paste
2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chiles
1 can whole kernel corn (no salt added), drained
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
(1 egg + 1/3 cup milk)
1¼ cup shredded Mexican Blend Cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 (350 on Convection Bake). Spray a 13 x 9-inch oven safe casserole with cooking spray and set aside. 

In a very large skillet, or a wide soup pot, heat the oil and begin browning the meat over medium to medium high heat. While the meat is cooking, chop the onions, mince the garlic, chop the bell pepper and strip the leaves from the thyme stems. Get out the flour, chili powder and salt. Check the meat and break it up periodically so it browns evenly. Open the cans of tomato paste, diced green chilies, corn and kidney beans. Drain the corn. Rinse the kidney beans in a colander under copious quantities of running water. Measure out the salsa.

finishing in pan      |    Cornbread batter spooned on   |   sprinkled with cheese      |           just baked        |        served     

Once the liquid in the pan is almost evaporated, add in the onion, garlic and bell pepper and continue to toss and cook for about 5 minutes more. Sprinkle in the chili powder, salt and thyme leaves, stirring to combine.

Remove the pan from the heat and add in the flour, stirring until no longer visible. Add in the water, the salsa and the tomato paste and stir carefully, until completely combined. Return the pan to the heat. Stir in the diced green chilies, corn and kidney beans. Once bubbling, very carefully pour or spoon the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.

In a bowl, mix together the Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, the milk and egg. Drop the mixture from a large spoon evenly all over the surface. About 12 little piles of the mixture works well. Sprinkle the surface evenly with the shredded cheese. Bake the casserole for 20 to 25 minutes, until the casserole is bubbling and the cornbread top is golden.  

Serve with sour cream and sliced avocado, if desired. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Quick and Easy Blackberry Cobbler

Blackberries are out at a pretty decent price right now. I found out in the last couple of years that I love blackberries. As I mentioned in a recent post, I mainly grew up on a property that had such abundance of fruit; berries, cherries and other, as well as the vegetable garden my Dad planted each year. We did have a few blackberries way in the back of the yard, but with the huge and much sweeter red raspberry bushes, the blackberries sort of got left to their own fate. They always seemed sour. I never realized how sweet they can get.

I love to make apple crisp. Until recently I had not deviated to any other fruit in a "crisp." Not too long ago I had 2 cans of pie filling: one was blackberry and one was raspberry. I bought them with the intent of making pies for our friend Heidi, but she ended up not coming for that particular trip, so the cans were left in the pantry. I opened both cans and poured them into a pan and topped it with the same "crisp" topping I use for my Best Apple Crisp, Ever and baked it. It was really heavenly. Cobblers, on the other hand, with all that biscuit dough on top have never thrilled me. Just too much dough to fruit ratio. 

Blackberry Cobbler

Some long years ago I made a blackberry cobbler of a different sort. Rolling the biscuit dough out thinly and placing the fruit onto this large piece of dough, I rolled it like for a jelly roll or cinnamon rolls. It was sliced into spirals and laid into a baking pan with melted butter in the bottom and topped with a simple syrup. After baking, the biscuit dough completely absorbs all the syrup and the fruit is nicely spaced throughout. I liked this variation a lot and have made a few cobblers over the years, but always with berries. Blackberries alone or blackberries with raspberries; both excellent. My husband objects to the seeds in these kind of berries. It doesn't stop him from eating the cobbler though! I did a couple of things slightly differently this time, so I am re-posting the recipe here. I have to imagine this same technique would work with other fruits, particularly soft fruits like maybe blueberries, peaches, plums or apricots.

Blackberry Cobbler

Makes one 9 x 13-inch pan

10 tablespoons + 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1½ cups sugar
1½ cups water
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup milk, more if needed
3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, cut in half if very large
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
2 tablespoons sugar for sprinkling, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, heat the 1½ cups sugar with 1½ cups water until sugar is melted; set aside. Melt the 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter and pour it into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish; set aside. Place flour in a mixing bowl with the baking powder, soda and salt; cut in the 10 tablespoons of butter until fine crumbs form. Add milk, stirring with a fork until dough leaves the sides of the bowl. If more liquid is needed to bring together all the crumbs, add more one tablespoon at a time. Turn out onto a floured board; knead 3 - 4 times to just bring together.

Berries rolled in the dough    |    roll sliced and set atop butter in baking dish    |    syrup poured into pan to bake

Roll dough to a large rectangle, about ¼-inch thick. Spread berries over the dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Roll up, jelly-roll style, from the longer edge. Cut the long roll into 6 very thick slices. Carefully lay slices in baking dish over the butter. Pour the sugar syrup around slices (it will be absorbed when baking). If desired, sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold.


If you note how hugely tall the slices were before putting them in the pan, understand that again, guests were here in the kitchen with me and I was hurrying. I wasn't totally sure just how this would come out after baking. What happened was that the tall slices puddled down and filled out the space in the pan. It was perfect. In my older recipe it used smaller amounts for ingredients. I like this newer recipe much better. Also, the older recipe had the log of dough cut into 12 slices and set closely in the pan. Either way turns out great. I will say that this time the biscuit dough turned out gently crisp and flaky in the upper parts that were exposed, while being just moist and sweet underneath. This was an all around, really good recipe. A great revision of an old recipe.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Potato Pea Curry Quick and Easy

Last evening I was really late getting into the kitchen to make dinner. I had some pork chops I was planning to grill, with the idea of just slathering them with some barbecue sauce at the end of the grill time. I looked in the fridge; no barbecue sauce. Drat.

My next idea was to just use my marinade for Pork with Indian Spices. This marinade is so very delicious on pork, chicken or turkey, though I had never used it on pork chops before. Still, same difference so I proceeded. The marinade is tried and true and best of all, quick. I mixed up the marinade in a zip-top bag, placed the pork chops into the marinade and tossed it around a bit to coat. And then I was left with what to make for a side dish. My husband is very fond of potatoes. We have been eating potatoes all sorts of ways lately, including some new takes on potato salads. None of these were quick enough to get done in a reasonable amount of time for dinner when I was already running late.
 

Pork Chops in Indian Spices and Potato Pea Curry

Making Potato Pea Curry

Then I got that light bulb flashing on again. Since I was making Indian flavored pork, I would make Potato Pea Curry. I have made this a few times in past and it doesn't take very long. While the pork chops marinated, I started making the Potato Pea Curry. This curry by all rights should really have chopped fresh tomatoes in it, with a little tomato juice as the sauce, but my husband has an extreme distaste for fresh tomatoes. He absolutely loves almost any tomato based sauce; just nothing fresh. I use a can of tomato sauce which works well, giving the nice tomato base flavor and no despised chunks.

Obviously this curry has potatoes and peas in it, hence the name. Just FYI, "Aloo" is potato and "Mattar" means peas in Indian, so this can be called an Aloo Mattar Curry. Other Indian spices that flavor this dish are the ubiquitous coriander and cumin seeds. I know they may not be in every single Indian dish, but they certainly seem to be a set of main spice staples. Heat can be modified to taste. I used a little ancho chile powder and one jalapeno with seeds and membranes removed. Were Mario Batali to make this curry, I could imagine him using a goodly pinch of red pepper flakes and throwing in 2 or 3 sliced whole Serranos. Make the heat level to your taste. 

Potato Pea Curry (Aloo Mattar Curry)

Other ingredients in this curry are onions, garlic and fresh ginger. Garlic and ginger are another two staples that go into most Indian dishes I have encountered. They are generally minced together finely, in more or less equal amounts. The last most important part of this dish is a good amount of cilantro. I use a large handful, chopped coarsely, but if this is objectionable, just use less, to taste.  I do not add turmeric to this curry, though it is certainly fine to use. I did add in a small bit of true cinnamon quill and 2 whole cloves. I highly recommend having a small coffee grinder to use only for spice grinding, if you do not already have one. The use of whole spices, freshly ground, makes a world of difference to the flavors in a dish. Though I really love black pepper, I left it out of this dish because of the heat coming from the ancho powder and the jalapeno. I tolerate a lot more heat than does my husband, so in deference to his taste buds, I try to keep the heat at a very tolerable level. I can always add in more pepper or cayenne to my taste at the table. 

Potato Pea Curry (Aloo Mattar Curry)

Serves about 6

Potato Pea Curry (Aloo Mattar Curry)

2.5 pounds potatoes, peeled, cubed
1 tablespoon salt, for potato cooking water
1 1/2 cups frozen baby peas (about 6 ounces)
1 - 2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 to 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced with
1 large knob fresh ginger, size of a walnut
1 jalapeno, minced finely
1 1/2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1/2 inch true cinnamon quill
2 whole cloves
1 teaspoon pure ancho chilie powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 can (14.5 - 15 ounces) tomato sauce
large handful of cilantro, coarsely chopped

Place the cubed potatoes in a saucepan with water to just cover and bring to a boil. Once the pot boils, add the tablespoon of salt. I keep coarse sea salt for this purpose. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Drain and set them aside. Add in the frozen peas while the potatoes are hot and they will quickly come up to temperature.

While the potatoes are boiling, set a large skillet to heat. Once hot, add the oil and then the onions, stirring often until the potatoes are softened, translucent and beginning to color. During this time, place the whole spices into a spice grinder and once fine, mix in the ancho powder and salt and set aside. Mince together the garlic and ginger, and then the jalapeno. Once the onion is softened, add in the garlic, ginger and jalapeno and toss until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in the spices and toss well to combine, another 30 seconds. Add the can of tomato sauce and bring to boil. lower heat and cook for about 2 minutes. Pour this sauce over the potatoes and peas along with the chopped cilantro and stir well. Serve immediately.

Once the sauce had come together for the curry, I lit the grill. I got the pork chops on the grill a few minutes later. These were not thick chops, so they didn't take long on the grill. The whole dinner, from conception to table was 1 hour. Not bad.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Two Quick and Simple Potato Side Dishes

My husband is a staunch "meat and potatoes" Midwesterner. I love my meat and potatoes too of course (I am also a midwesterner by birth), though I am very happy with many dishes my husband won't touch. Potatoes, being a part of that wonderful duo, play a large part in our meals. My husband has most fond food memories of his Dad preparing potatoes in a pan to accompany burgers on a Saturday night. I never ate my father-in-law's potatoes, but judging from descriptions and demonstrations, I get the sense that he cut the potatoes in large slices and cooked them in fat of some kind with a lid on for part of the time at least, and adding water to help them steam. My husband has prepared these in the past to show me how, and he would use the spatula, while turning browned sides upwards, to chop, chop away, so the potatoes end up as a sort of hash. As a matter of fact, his idea of hash is cutting up leftover meat and adding it to the cooked potatoes to heat through. No gravy, no anything at all to give flavor - except ketchup smothering the whole meal on his dish.

15-Minute Pan Potatoes

Over time, while I have tried to make his potatoes, I don't like to have to stand at the stove with thickly sliced potatoes, trying to get them cooked through. My method differs a bit in that I prefer to slice the potatoes quite thinly, and in smaller, quarter rounds, so they cook quickly and evenly. This also means I don't need to chop, chop away to get them smaller as they cook. My method takes about 15 minutes of cooking, total. He accepts my version gladly enough, so I see no reason to make something that takes up more time and attention. I would prefer to leave the skins on, but he will not tolerate potato skins, so, alas, they are skinless. Here is my Pan Potatoes recipe:

Sliced thinly in quarter rounds

Pan Potatoes

Serves 2 - 4

1¾ to 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
3 tablespoons oil or bacon grease
1 teaspoon salt

After about half the total cooking time

Once potatoes are peeled, begin heating a large skillet, preferably nonstick on medium or medium-high. Have a lid handy that will fit the pan. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Lay one half flat side down and slice it again lengthwise. Leave the two strips together and slice across, thinly. Repeat with all the potatoes. Place the oil or grease into the hot skillet,coating the pan evenly, and place all the potatoes into the pan. With a spatula, toss the potatoes well to coat them all with some of the oil. Cover the pan. Leave the heat on medium or medium high and cook for about two minutes. Uncover and toss the potatoes, so that much of the brown is now upwards. Cover and repeat at 2 - 3 minute intervals, tossing briefly each time to scrape up and expose the browned parts. The potatoes are cooked through at about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and toss well.

Another type of potatoes I have been making for years and years - again, which could be made with skins on if desired - are Oven Steak Fries. As mentioned, my husband loves potatoes, and aside from his Dad's Pan Potatoes, Steak Fries have always been a hit. I make my steak fries in the oven, and while they are not fat free, I feel they are less fatty than deep fried potatoes. These come together in under an hour, with only one interruption in the middle to turn them over. Get them going while your main dish is being prepared and you're all set.

Oven Steak Fries

Oven Steak Fries

Serves 2

1 pound russet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil (I use olive oil)
salt as desired, to taste

In the baggie with butter and oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (375 on Convection). Melt the butter; I do this in a zip top bag in the microwave on very short bursts of 10 seconds or so. Add the oil to the bag and have it handy. Slice the peeled potatoes about 1/2 to 5/8-inch thick. End pieces can be left whole. Others, slice in half, or thirds lengthwise to make them about 1-inch wide. Place all the sliced potatoes into the zip top bag and seal. Move the potatoes around in the bag until all the potatoes are well coated. Have ready a large baking sheet with rim. Pour out the potatoes onto the baking sheet and arrange them so none are overlapping. Squeeze out the oil & butter mixture remaining in the bag over the potatoes. Bake them for about 20 minutes. They should have begun to brown. Remove the pan from the oven and turn all the potatoes over so the browned side is up. Return to the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are nicely golden and cooked through. Sprinkle with salt before serving.

Potatoes on the pan in the oven

I hope these two methods for potatoes will help someone to get a meal on the table in a timely manner with minimal fuss. We both eat these potatoes very often, so I have perfected the methods for them for over 20 years. Neither method takes much time to prepare. One requires supervision for 15 minutes, the other only once in the middle of the approximately 40 minute baking time. Other spices could be used - just not for my husband's version! I have sometimes sneaked in a little shallot with the pan potatoes, but not often. Enjoy these methods at your leisure and season them to fit your needs.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Port and Chocolate Salami

With the big wine tasting event just one week away, I am now going into high gear with finalizing the 6 appetizer dishes being created to pair with 6 specific wines - none of which I have tried except for the Warre's Warrior Port. I did this same thing last year, going in essentially blind, except for my knowledge of what the different varietals are like, and my trusty Wine and Food Pairing sheets. I knew I wanted to use chocolate, and walnuts help tone down sweetness as well as tart dried fruit like cherries. While port is a sweet wine, no wine can pair with anything too sweet. Nuts are a great accompaniment, as are many cheeses.

Fonseca Bin 27 Port and Warre's Otima Tawny

Port is a confusing wine, to those who do not know too much about wines. And if you are unfamiliar with port, though you love other wines, this will apply here also. Port is a fortified, sweet wine that originally came only from in and around Oporto (a port - as in, on the water, for shipping - town), in Portugal. Now, "port " wines are being made in Australia, South Africa, the US and many other places, and often from many grapes never used in Oporto. A fortified wine has had brandy added to the partially fermented wine to stop the fermentation process before it ferments out all the grapes' sugar. This makes port a dessert wine, which can be one of exceptional sweetness and depth. The very best port wines are vintage wines. A "Vintage" is only declared in years that the port growers (in Portugal) decide that the grape crop is worthy of making the greatest wine. Many factors come into play, but weather is the most overriding factor in wine-making everywhere. If the weather doesn't cooperate, the wines may come out just so-so; not the result vintners look for!

Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port

To make recognizing a true Vintage Port even more confusing, and I speak from my experience while still learning, is that some ports are labeled "Late-Bottled Vintage", for example. The word Vintage in there is confusing; is it a vintage or not? Not. Or a label that states "20-year old" - does that mean it is a vintage that was aged? Nope. Or another is having a year on the bottle that gives you the year the company was founded - but it is a year, right? No, not vintage. Then again, even among vintage ports, there are some few that are "declared vintage", but from a year that is not a declared vintage! What?! Well, these are found on occasion when a particular port grower has a certain small plot of land with a particular name all its own. Possibly that year was not the overall best for port growers all around Oporto, but that one little vineyard had optimal growing weather. There are little micro-climates possible in many vineyards. So for example, the very first Vintage Port I bought, before I was as familiar with this phenomenon, was a Fonseca "Guimaraens", 1967. Fonseca, along with many other wonderful Port wine growers, have certain little vineyards such as this. For these small vineyard selections, they may declare a vintage year, even though the rest of the Port growers do not see the crop as good enough. It turned out that my first purchase was a truly wonderful vintage. Beginner's luck. 

Then, aside from these red vintage ports, there are ports known as Ruby and Tawny. When you have the great vintage ports that need to be cellared for 20 years before they become palatable, Ruby Port is a nice change, meant to be drunk young. It can be pure plonk. Or it can be really very good. It has a lovely color, giving it the name Ruby. Tawny port is red port which has been left in a barrel over very long periods of time. Red wine, as it oxidizes with age, becomes lighter, more brick colored, and if very old, a lighter tawny color. In a barrel, with the amount of air that is available, the wine oxidizes more rapidly. Tawny ports can also be really lovely wines, slightly less sweet than some of the great vintage wines.

Warre's Otima Tawny Port left; Fonseca Bin 27 Port right

And then there are the red port wines that are called port, that don't fit into any of these categories, such as two of my most favorites, Fonseca Bin 27 or Warre's Warrior. These two are about the closest to what a vintage style will be like, but at a far more reasonable price. They are great to have on hand, because they are always good. I will be serving the Warre's Warrior for the wine tasting event. All this info, and there are so many other styles of Port to choose from!



In the past, I have made a recipe I found in an ad in the Food and Wine Magazine, to pair with port. Essentially, a chocolate candy with walnuts and dried cherries, it is a very good pairing, and easy to make. It is what I had planned to serve with the port wine tasting. And then I was online, looking for something else entirely, as usual, and came across a recipe for Chocolate Salami. I now see there are so many variations out there, but I went forging ahead on my own.

Chocolate Salami served with Port

First off, it is the cutest idea ever. This is a dessert, "sausage" only in the sense that it rather looks like a nice cry-cured sausage, but made with wafer cookies, cocoa, dulce de leche , dried fruits and nuts. 

Using the recipe I found as a baseline concept, but changed the ingredients to fit my need. I wanted to have a dessert that was not too sweet, so the sheer amount of condensed milk and dulce de leche seemed excessive. I decided to use only dulce de leche and skip the condensed milk. The cookies called for were "biscuit cookies". Vanilla Wafers can be a little more sweet than I wanted, so I found some called Leibniz Wafers and they are perfect in this recipe. Vanilla Wafers could be used. I wanted dried fruits in it, and used dried cherries and blueberries, along with walnuts, for their bitterness factor. I used a whole teaspoon of Kosher salt per recipe I made, balancing out the sweet with enough salt to give it character. When I finished making it, I tasted a little bit with a Fonseca Port I had opened on the counter and OMG! What a most heavenly-perfect match. 

Chocolate "Salami"

So, after finishing the recipes for the event, here is what I did:

Chocolate Salami

3 slices per serving = about 24 slices depending on thickness of slices

1¾ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
⅓ cup dulce de leche
7 ounces wafer cookies, such as Leibniz 
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
⅔ cup walnuts, broken
⅓ cup dried cherries
⅓ cup dried blueberries
confectioners' sugar for dusting

With a mixer, first beat together the butter and cocoa until very creamy. Add the dulce de leche to combine.

Formed and saved in paper towel tube

In a large bowl, crush the wafer cookies to medium-small bits. They do not need to be completely pulverized. Add the salt, walnuts and dried fruits. Make a well and scrape in the cocoa mixture. First using a spoon or spatula, begin to combine the ingredients, then switch to hands when the mixture gets too stiff to stir. Squeeze the ingredients together until the cocoa mixture is completely combined. Turn out onto a surface and divide into two equal parts. Begin rolling one section into a log. This will take a bit of patience, as with all the nuts and fruits, the mixture wants to break apart. Eventually it will come together, making a very dense log. Make the log as smooth as possible, rolling it out to about the size of a paper towel center roll. (If you have a couple of empty paper towel rolls handy, they are great for storing the logs until they get solid enough on their own.) Repeat this with the second part of the mixture, making two logs. Roll the logs in confectioners' sugar to coat, then wrap the logs in plastic wrap or waxed paper, twisting the ends. Slide the logs into paper towel rolls if available. Another alternative is using a baguette pan. The rounded forms help the logs to stay round while chilling. Set the logs into the refrigerator to chill completely before serving.

To serve, slice the logs with a very sharp knife in about ¼ inch thick slices. The amount of slices per log will depend on the thickness of the log and the length, and how thick the slice. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Just a Little Something Sweet

You know how sometimes you just have to have a little something sweet? Like you just can't go on if you don't have something - soon! Well, last evening I got that craving. Having been working frantically to get all the appetizer components made that can be made in advance, the last thing I felt like doing was making a dessert.

Some years ago, when I went on a completely RAW diet, where nothing at all is cooked or baked, I got very familiar with little dessert treats that can be whipped up in no time and really satisfy that craving. Once eating RAW, my cravings were satisfied far more easily. There are some very lovely dessert presentations to be found  on the internet these days for RAW desserts. Ice creams are easily made using nut or seed milks as a base. But what I loved most are these sweet little balls that can be made and kept refrigerated for when that craving hits. One of the first was Brownie Bites. Oh my! Whether on a RAW diet or not, those were just plain good. 

RAW Brownie Bites

RAW Brownie Bites

Makes 25 balls, about 48 calories apiece

1 cup pecans, finely ground
1 cup dates, packed tightly
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons agave nectar
3 packets sweet leaf stevia (or approximate)
3 tablespoons cocoa powder, for dredging
2 packets sweet leaf stevia, for dredging

Combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and balled-up. Form into about 25 small balls about 1-inch in diameter, and then roll these into a mixture of the 3 tablespoons cocoa powder mixed with the 2 extra packets of stevia. Keep refrigerated. 


Later I discovered how easy it was to make varied dessert balls, or "RAW Cookie Dough" recipes. No eggs are involved in these, so no problem with bacteria. Just use nuts (often cashews or almonds, with their milder flavor as a base) and the addition of other things as desired. Dried fruits are great, either as an addition or as in the case of my own recipe for Fruit and Nut Balls, just a lot of wonderfully sweet dried fruits and nuts mixed together. 

RAW Fruit and Nut Balls

RAW Fruit and Nut Balls

Makes about 30 balls @ 68 calories each

¼ cup dried apricots, finely minced
¼ cup dates, finely minced
¼ cup craisins, finely chopped
¼ cup dried blueberries, finely chopped
½ cup walnuts, finely chopped
½ cup almonds, finely chopped
¼ cup agave nectar
1 tsp dried orange peel
¼ cup ground flax seed
2 packets Stevia
¼ cup almond butter

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined. With hands, scoop up enough to pack together and roll into approximately 1-inch balls, then roll balls in either ground nuts, or coconut. Store in the refrigerator. 

Remaining RAW Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Anyway, back to last night. Raw cashews make a wonderful "cookie dough" base. However, I had no more raw cashews, having used up the last of them in a curry recently; drat... So, improvising, I had a craving for oatmeal cookies (I love oatmeal cookie dough - the real cookie dough, meant to be baked) and thought I'd use raw rolled oats. I am not totally sure if oats are heated when they are rolled, but I did not cook them, so I started out with almond meal/flour, added flax, some unsweetened coconut, and the oatmeal and tossed those things into the food processor. I should have stopped to grind the flax seeds first, as not many of them were ground in the processor. I was just in too much of a hurry to make my dessert to stop and take the time ;-)

I used agave syrup as the binder. I wanted chocolate chips and happened to have a partial bag of mini chips, so I mixed some of those in too. Chocolate chips are not RAW, so if you are being very strictly RAW, use Cocoa Nibs instead. Didn't have any of those on hand last night either.  If you do not want to use the oatmeal, or if making these Gluten-Free, add more almond meal, coconut or flax. The amount of agave syrup needed will depend on how much of the other ingredients are used. My "recipe" was written down after the fact, so the amounts are approximate. Watch when adding the syrup to see how the mixture comes together. If it is too dry, add more syrup. If it got too wet, add more of the dry ingredient(s) of preference. For now, this is more or less what I did for my craving last night. I ate about 3 of these little balls before they ever got to be balls, but by that time I was completely satisfied, so the rest are waiting for me in the fridge for whenever that desire strikes.

RAW Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Size of my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

 
Makes about 24 one-inch balls

⅓ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup flax, ground
½ cup almond meal
½ cup unsweetened coconut
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup agave syrup
more oats, if needed
¼ cup mini chocolate chips or cocoa nibs

Place the first 5 ingredients into a food processor and process until broken. Add the vanilla and with the processor running, add the syrup in a stream until the mixture starts to come together in a ball. Stop the processor as soon as this starts. If more syrup is needed, add more by hand. If the mixture is too wet, add more oatmeal. Fold in the chocolate chips and form into tiny, one-inch balls. If any are left, store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Craving for Pasta

Today, as I sat working at my computer, I started craving pasta. I haven't had pasta for a while. I had nothing in mind, except something quick and easy. Well, I did have something in mind, but since I knew I did not have the key ingredient - fresh basil - that wasn't going to happen; not today. 

Creamy Penne with Sundried Tomatoes & Olives

So I popped downstairs and started rooting through what I had on hand. I had penne pasta; check. I went to the fridge and deliberated. What sounds good, hmmm? Cheese, of course. I had a chunk of Pepperjack so I got that out. I wanted olives and maybe capers; check. Cream would be needed to melt the cheese into. Ah, and sundried tomatoes. I had a batch of tomatoes I had dried in my dehydrator in the summer when the tomatoes were coming in left and right. I had stored them in a zip top baggie in the vegetable drawer, so I got those out. One lonely lemon left, so I got that out. I switched from capers last minute to using green peppercorns in brine. These are much more available than they once were. They are whole green peppercorns, in a salty brine liquid, usually found in a little jar, similar to the tall, thin caper jars. Sometimes they are found in little tins. The peppercorns are firm, but not crunchy and add a nice piquant note and a little burst of heat. I love these things, but my husband does not tolerate them, so I have to be judicious in their use. Since I knew he would not be eating this dish, as he also hates olives, I felt free to add the little peppercorns.

Okay, so what to do, specifically? I set water to boil, while I thought. I heated a skillet and put in olive oil. I sliced a smallish onion into wedges and put that in the skillet to saute. When I saute large chunks of onion like this, as also for a stir-fry, I like to add in an acidic ingredient, to help both with steaming the onion a bit, but the acid (lemon juice or vinegar) also contributes to the flavor. On medium high heat, the liquid from one lemon doesn't take long to completely evaporate. This leaves behind a great concentrated flavor to combine with the flavors that follow. I knew I was adding cream, so it was important for the lemon juice to boil out. I just added things as I thought of them, and what came out was really delicious.  I didn't need any salt; with the lemon juice and zest, and all the cheese and the olives, there was more than enough saltiness already. Here is what I did:

Creamy Penne with Sundried Tomatoes & Olives

Creamy Penne

Serves 4 

8 ounces penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, in wedges
1 lemon, zest set aside
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, julienned (not oil-packed)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 ounces Pepperjack cheese, grated
12 green olives, rough chopped, 2 reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons green peppercorns in brine, optional, OR fresh-cracked black pepper
2 scallions, chopped

Cook the pasta in a large pot of water with a tablespoon of salt. When it is al dente, drain and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the onion wedges. I like narrow wedges; cut them as you prefer. Allow the onions to saute, tossing occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add in the lemon juice and continue to stir. Add the garlic and sundried tomato chiffonade to soften while the lemon juice is still in the pan. Once the lemon juice has cooked out, add in the lemon zest and the grated cheese. Once the cheese is nearly melted, add in the olives and green peppercorns with one of the scallions. When heated through it is ready to serve. Garnish with the reserved olives and scallion.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Quick Tuesday Supper

I love to cook. I cook a lot, and often. Sometimes, I just want something quick and easy, and last evening that was it. I had been emailing back and forth with my sisters about Bean Soup, a recipe my Mom and Dad created a l-o-n-g, long time ago. I started my website and blog one year and 4 months ago, and in all that time I have not made Bean Soup. It is one of my favorite things in winter. The main reason I couldn't just run to the kitchen and put on a pot of soup was because I had no leftover ham bone (with a bit of meat left on). Usually, whenever I have a ham bone left, I freeze it until such time as it is needed. In the last 24 years since being with my current husband, the use of a ham bone has been divided between My Mom and Dad's Bean Soup, and his Mom's Famous Baked Beans. The last couple of times a ham bone was available in this house, it went to make Baked Beans.

Creamed Ham and Peas, on Toast

Thus, my quickie dinner of last evening. I needed a ham bone. Therefore, I needed a ham! I went out and bought one. I mean, after emailing about it for days, I just want that soup. Now I had a ham and I needed to make dinner. A quick and easy dinner with many kinds of leftovers, such as ham, turkey or chicken, and even canned tuna, is to make a cream sauce or bechamel, and add in some meat and vegetables. My husband and I love peas, so peas was my choice last night. Another of my Mom's easy dishes was Creamed Tuna and Peas, basically with this same recipe. I loved that, growing up. My husband will not eat tuna, so I just don't make it just for myself.

When making this meal of Creamed Ham and Peas, no salt is needed in the recipe, as the ham is salty. If making this dish with turkey or chicken, some salt will be needed. I don't believe Mom ever added salt to her Creamed Tuna and Peas, but when using canned tuna and peas, there is plenty of salt there, also.

Creamed Ham and Peas being made

Creamed Ham and Peas

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk +
1 cup water (or use total liquid amount as 1 1/2 cup milk)
2 cups diced ham
1½ cups frozen peas

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add in the flour and stir with a spoon or spatula to completely combine the two. Off the heat, add in the evaporated milk and stir to completely combine the butter and flour roux with the milk. Back on the heat, add in the water and stir constantly, until the mixture thickens and is bubbling. (This is your basic Bechamel Sauce).

Add in the ham and the peas, stirring so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan, until the mixture is completely heated through. Easy!

This kind of creamed meal can be served over toast (and we all know what that is called), or over pasta or rice. It can be made and placed in a casserole with some grated cheese over top and baked for 20 to 30 minutes until bubbly. It can be combined with pasta, placed in a casserole and topped with buttered bread crumbs and baked as stated. In other words, this kind of dish is just plain versatile. It can be dressed up by adding in some shredded cheddar or jack cheese to melt while in the skillet or it can have some cream cheese melted in. Since it was already late when I got to making the dish, I made it at its most basic. I just wanted to point out that it can be embellished in so very many ways.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.