**** This Weeks Winners ****

# 1 - Hot Luck Day

Today was the hot luck here in NJ for the NJ Chile-Heads. These
are the two appetizers I brought. They are delicious, if you love
chiles. I didn't make much for dinner later on.

Black Bean Salsa (RisaG's adaptation)
Recipe By : Michelle DeWitt - Chile-heads

2 (15 oz) cans black beans -- rinsed & drained
1 (16 oz) can tomatoes -- diced OR
3 tomatoes -- seeded & diced
4 jalapenos -- chopped
1 yellow bell pepper -- diced
1 onion -- chopped fine
2 cloves garlic -- chopped fine
2/3 cup cilantro -- chopped fine
scallions (with tops) -- chopped fine
ground cumin -- to taste
salt and pepper -- to taste
1 tsp vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lime

Mix all together in a bowl. Serve with blue corn chips. Feeds many.

Hab Hummus (RisaG's adaptation)
Recipe By : Buffalo Sue - Chile-Heads

3 (15 oz) cans chickpeas -- drained & rinsed
1 head garlic -- peeled
8 oz lemon juice
8 oz tahini paste
olive oil
toasted sesame oil
habanero powder
Red Savina powder -- OR
Calvin's Magic Powder
cumin
salt
cilantro -- chopped fine

Finely chop garlic in food processor. Add chickpeas and everything else, except cilantro and whiz until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. If too dry, add more lemon juice or water. Remove to serving bowl and stir in cilantro. Drizzle extra oil on top.

* Calvin's Magic Powder is a chile powder from one of the chile-heads. Cannot be bought in stores.

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# 2 - Basil Shrimp with Feta and Orzo

I got this recipe from a friend in WA, and she was just going on and on about this. She sent me a copy by snail mail (I have no printer) and tried it tonight. Really good. Thanks Tawny.

Basil Shrimp with Feta and Orzo
Recipe By : Cooking Light, March 2000, p. 101
Servings : 2

1 regular size foil oven bag
Cooking spray
1/2 cup uncooked orzo pasta
2 tsp olive oil -- divided
1 cup tomato -- diced
3/4 cup green onions -- sliced
1/2 cup feta cheese (2 oz) -- crumbled
1/2 tsp lemon rind -- grated
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 lb large shrimp -- peeled & deveined
1/4 cup fresh basil -- chopped

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Coat inside of oven bag with cooking spray. Place the bag on a large shallow baking pan.

Cook the pasta in boiling water 5 minutes, omitting salt and fat, drain. Place the pasta in a large bowl. Stir in 1 tbsp oil and next 7 ingredients (1 tsp oil through pepper). Place the orzo mixture in the prepared oven bag. Combine shrimp and basil. Arrange shrimp mixture on orzo mixture. Fold edge of foil bag over to seal. Bake at 450°F for 25 minutes or until the shrimp are done. Cut open bag with a sharp knife, and peel back the foil. Drizzle with 1 tsp oil. Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 cup orzo and about 5 oz shrimp).

Nutritional information: 14.4 g fat (5.6 g sat fat), 38.8 g protein, 52.7g carbo, 3.4 g chol, 817mg sodium, 258 calories.

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# 3 - Creamy Polenta

I love polenta. It is one of my favorite comfort foods. This one
I adapted by putting some of my home-grown dried tomatoes into
it and I garnished with some fresh tomatoes that I chopped up. Ooo
those Jersey tomatoes!!!

This came from an article on the Oscar parties in LA after this
years Oscar presentation. It was an adaptation of something served
at one of the parties. It was really good.

Creamy Polenta with Dried Tomatoes, Parmesan & Parsley
Recipe By : Celebrity Dish Magazine, 3/2000, p. 52
Servings: 4

3/4 cup polenta or yellow cornmeal
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese -- grated
1/4 cup dried tomatoes packed in oil -- coarsely chopped*
1/4 cup parsley -- coarsely chopped

In a small bowl, whisk polenta or cornmeal into 1 cup of chicken broth until smooth. In a heavy saucepan, heat remaining broth with milk and salt until hot. Whisk in cornmeal mixture and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until cornmeal is tender and polenta is texture of mashed potatoes, 15-20 minutes.

Stir in butter**, cheese, chopped tomatoes and parsley. Serve at once.

Serving Ideas : soup or salad

NOTES : Risa's notes:

* I used dried tomatoes, not packed in anything. I soaked them in boiling water for awhile and coarsely chopped them up.

** I used light butter, not full-fat butter.
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# 4 - Memories of my Honeymoon

After I moved, I found this small cookbook I had bought on my honeymoon. When I looked through it, I found a lot of great recipes that I had forgotten about. I found a dish that had meat and veggies and could easily be a one pot meal. I made it into an entree & side dish. I made the meat without the potatoes and put the potatoes on the side. This came out great. This is my version of the dish and the side dish I put with it:

Turkey Ragout Caribbean
Recipe By : RisaG
Servings: 4

4 cups turkey -- minced
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1 lg onion -- chopped
1 green bell pepper -- chopped
1 jalapeno pepper -- minced
1 cup carrots -- diced
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp celery seed
1 6 oz can tomato paste

Cut meat into bite size pieces. Roll in flour and saute in oil until brown. Add minced garlic, onions and peppers (hot & sweet), then the parsley, celery seed and tomato paste. Cook for 10 minutes over a low-ish heat. Add carrots, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook slowly until vegetables are done, adding water if necessary.

Serving Ideas : cilantro pesto mashed potatoes

Cilantro Pesto Mashed Potatoes
Recipe By : Four Oaks Restaurant, Peter Hugo Roelant
Servings : 4

1 1/2 lb baking potatoes -- 3 medium
1 cup cilantro sprigs -- 1 small bunch
1/3 cup parsley sprigs
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp pine nuts or almonds
1 1/2 tsp garlic -- minced
1/4 cup warm milk (up to 1/2 cup)
salt and pepper

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1" chunks. Cook in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 12 minutes or until soft.

Meanwhile, in a blender of food processor, combine cilantro, parsley, olive oil, pine nuts and garlic. Puree until very smooth.

When potatoes are done, drain and either pass through a ricer or transfer to a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Mix in pesto and enough milk to thin to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

NOTES : From Celebrity Dish Magazine, March 2000, p. 76-77
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# 5 - Pasta

Haven't made pasta in a few days. DH loves it. I love mushrooms so I thought I would put them together. This one came from Celebrity Dish Magazine, 2/2000 issue. I bought the magazine and never cooked from it. This one looked particularly good and it was. If you wish to use exotic mushrooms, try cremini or shiitake. If you use shiitake, make sure to remove the stems before cooking.

Penne Pasta with Forest Mushrooms
Recipe By : Celebrity Dish Magazine, 2/2000, p. 23
Servings: 4

6 oz cremini or other wild mushrooms
8 oz white button mushrooms
1/2 cup onion -- chopped
2 tbsp garlic -- minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable stock
2 tbsp parsley -- coarsely chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup nonfat sour cream
salt and pepper
4 cups cooked penne pasta -- 1.5 lb dried
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese -- shredded
2 tbsp fresh basil -- slivered

Coarsely chop all mushroom stems and enough white caps to measure 2 cups. Thinly slice remaining caps.

In a large nonstick skillet, cook chopped mushrooms, onion and half of garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat until tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp wine and boil until almost evaporated. Pour in stock. Add parsley and thyme. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook until liquid is reduced to 1-1/2 cups, 25-30 minutes. Puree chopped mushrooms and liquid to a sauce.

Wipe out nonstick skillet. Heat remaining olive oil over high heat. Add sliced mushroom caps and remaining garlic and saute until mushrooms are limp, about 3 minutes. Pour in remaining wine and boil until evaporated. Pour pureed sauce over sauteed mushroom slices. Stir in sour cream; simmer 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To serve, place 1 cup cooked pasta in each of 4 shallow bowls. Ladle 1/2 cup mushroom sauce over each serving. Top with shredded Parmesan and slivered fresh basil.

4 servings, 392 calories and 9 grams of fat per serving.

RisaG