Agua de Sandia (Watermelon Water)

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Laudan and appeared on the Splendid Table program

Because the quality of this drink depends on the quality of the fruit, buy a ripe, deep colored watermelon in season. You are after a consistency not much thicker than lemonade so adjust the water accordingly.

This will keep a couple of days in the refrigerator and will be safe to drink for longer than that, but the texture changes and the taste fades so it's best when used the same day. For a party, it's lovely to make another batch using a yellow watermelon or a cantaloupe, and a pale green one with honeydew melon.

• 4 to 6 cups watermelon, peeled, chopped into chunks and seeds removed (or use a seedless melon, or blend with the seeds and let the debris settle to the bottom of the blender beforepouring into the pitcher)
• 1/2 cup sugar (optional)
• Few drops lemon or lime juice (optional)
• Water

1. Place the watermelon in a blender with 3 cups water and blend until smooth. Pour into a gallon pitcher and add more water to make a gallon of beverage.

2. Taste and add sugar if necessary, stirring until dissolved. If the watermelon is not quite at its peak and the flavor needs brightening, add lemon or lime juice to taste. Chill. Stir before serving.

Pozole Verde (Green Pozole)

Recipe from The Art of Mexican Cooking by Diana Kennedy (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group). Copyright 1989, 2008 by Diana Kennedy).

This is one of those rare recipes, surprising in its flavors and wonderful in its simplicity - an out-and-out favorite of mine. I found it in a little book dedicated to the cooking of Chilapa, in the state of Guerrero, where I have eaten it very often. It calls for 20 leaves of axoxoco, an intriguing name that turns out to be a wild sour-grass, also called lengua de vaca (cow's tongue) or oreja de liebra (hare's ear) or more prosaically in the state of Mexico, vinagrera, describing its sharp acidity.

During the rainy season I can find this wild green growing alongside the irrigation ditches, but since it wasn't raining when I was cooking this recipe, I substituted sorrel.

The toppings or garnishes for pozoles in Guerrero are different from those of other regions; while they call for finely chopped onion and dried oregano, which are normal, they also include cubed avocado and small pieces of chicharrón (fried pork skin), all of which provide a wonderful contrast to the soup. Chopped chiles serranos and limes are also part of it, but I think they tend to exaggerate the heat and acidity of this particular pozole. I have listed them as optional.

• 1/2 cup hulled, raw pumpkin seeds
• 9 ounces (about 2 cups) tomate verde, husks removed, rinsed and quartered
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 10 large sorrel leaves, rinsed, stems removed, roughly chopped
• Finely chopped chile serrano to taste
• 2 tablespoons safflower oil or melted lard
• 3 to 3-1/2 cups cooked corn, with 1/4 white onion and 2 peeled garlic cloves added
• 1 pound stewing pork, cubed and cooked with the corn for the last 40 minutes of the cooking time
• 1 quart cooking water
• 1 large leafy stem of epazote
• Sea salt to taste

The Toppings:

• Finely chopped white onion
• Dried oregano, Mexican if possible
• 1 large avocado, peeled, pit removed, and cubed
• Chicharrón, broken into small pieces
• Lime quarters (optional, see note above)

1. Put the pumpkin seeds into an ungreased frying pan and heat through over medium heat, shaking the pan from time to time, until they begin to pop around and swell noticeably; do not let them brown. Spread them out on a flat surface to cool. When cool, grind them finely in a coffee/spice grinder.

2. Put the tomate verde into a pan with 1/2 cup of the water. Cook over medium heat until soft and mushy - about 15 minutes (there should be hardly any liquid in the pan; if there is, drain them). Transfer mixture to a blender jar. Add the chopped sorrel leaves, fresh chiles, and remaining 1 cup water and blend until smooth.

3. Heat the oil in a heavy pan and add the blended ingredients through a fine strainer, pressing down to extract as much of the juice as possible without the stringy veins, etc. Fry over fairly high heat, stirring from time to time, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the ground seeds and cook for 10 minutes longer, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan until the broth has thickened slightly and is well seasoned - about 10 minutes.

4. Add the corn, pork, and the 1 quart water in which they were cooked. Add the epazote and salt to taste and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Serve in deep bowls and pass the toppings separately in small bowls.

Momofuko Roast Pork Shoulder

Take 3 lb pork shoulder and put in a roasting pan.
Rub a mixture of 1/4 cup kosher salt and 1/4 cup sugar well over the roast.
Cover and put into the refrigerator for a minimum of six hours but no more than 24.
Heat oven to 250º.
Discard accumulated juices in pan.
Put roast in oven and cook for six hours, basting once every hour.
Allow to rest for thirty minutes.
Shred the meat. If not using immediately, toss with the pan drippings to help keep moist while refrigerated.

Ramsay's Winter Veg

Rutabaga
Turnip
Celery root
Carrots
Parsnips

Preheat an oven to 400º with a roasting pan inside.

Slice and toss the veg in olive oil, adding salt, pepper, and possibly thyme and rosemary leaves.

Put the veg into the heated roasting pan. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until tender. Turn once midway.

Serve as a side or as a first plate with goat cheese crumbled over.

Momofuko Pickle

Mulligatawny for Tristan

1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
1 med. onion
1 carrrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turneric
1 1/2 to 2 cups hard vegetables (like potatoes, winter squash, parsnips, tunrnips, peeld if needed and cut into smaller than a 1/2 inch dice)
salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cups stock (chicken, veg., or beef - I used beef)
1 cup seeded and peeled tomato (canned is fine, include juices)
2 T curry powder

Put 3 T olive oil into large deep pot over med. heat
When hot, add onion, carrot, and celery.
Add 1 tsp each of ground cumin and turmeric.
Add the hard veg, sprinkle salt and pepper, cook for a minute.
Add the stock and tomato.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer.
Cook, stirring occasionally until veg are fairly soft and the tomato is broken up, about 15 minutes.
Add 2 T curry powder and stir.
Continue cooking until all veg are soft, about 15 minutes.
Can blend slightly with submersible to thicken texture.
Taste and adjust seasoning.

Also delicious served over pasta.

Adapted from Mark Bittman's, How to Cook Everything...

3-C Casserole (Chicken, Cheese, and Cauliflower)

The Everyday Low-Carb Slow Cooker Cookbook

Ingredients

cooking spray

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, fat trimmed, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into bite-sized people

1 10 3/4-ounce can condensed cheddar cheese soup

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (about 4 shakes)

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Steps

1. Coat the slow cooker crock with cooking spray. Add all ingredients, except the cream and shredded cheddar; mix well.

2. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Before serving, stir in cream and cheese.

Tomato Garbanzo Soup with Rice

Serves: 6
Hands-OnTime: 15 Minutes
Cooking Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients:
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup water
1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice
2 large carrots, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans

Directions:
1 Place the diced tomatoes with juice and water in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Mix in the rice and carrots, and season with cumin, chili powder, red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 25 minutes, or until rice and carrots are tender.
2 Mix the garbanzo beans into the pot, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until heated through.

Italian Style Rice and Beans

6 servings

2/3 cup rice
1 can 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
1 can 16 oz cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning or dry basil
fresh pepper to taste

Prepare rice according to instructions.
Place all ingredients in medium saucepan.
Cook 3-4 minutes, covered, over medium-high heat.
Uncover pan continue cooking 2-3 minutes in needed
Combine with rice.
Dish is slightly saucy when completely cooked.