Torino's @ Home

Restaurant Review

Torino's @ Home This is a wonderful, little, well-hidden restaurant on Don Gaspar across from Del Charros. Big parking lot is right there! Husband and wife team Maxime and Daniella make authentic pastas, sandwiches, grilled Paninis, and salads. They are French and Italian and the two palates combine to make excellent, high-quality foods to eat in or take home. A great downtown gem open Monday - Friday. They also offer a great cup of coffee. Coming soon in an adjacent spot, an Italian market. I can't wait!

Wheatena Coconut Cookies

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Let's make cookies, Wheatena Coconut cookies to be exact. I found this recipe on the box of the old-school hot cereal eaten by "Mother of Rula." Full of fiber and with a great crunch, these cookies rule!

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Wheatena
1 cup A.P. Flour
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Procedure
Preheat oven to 375. In the bowl of your electric mixer, combine butter, sugars, vanilla, and egg and mix till light and fluffy. Add Wheatena, flour, coconut, baking soda and powder, and mix thoroughly. Drop by rounded teaspoons at least 2 inches apart, onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool and store in airtight container. Makes 3 dozen yummy cookies.

Avocado Crepes

Crepes are "retro chic" and super easy to make. You can fill them with curried vegetables, smoked tofu, grilled chickend or just drizzle them with some melted lime butter and call it a day.

Ingredients
1 cup ripe avocado, mashed smooth
8 eggs
1 cup A.P. flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, or chives (optional)
2 tablespoons butter

Procedure
In a medium bowl, combine mashed avocado, eggs, flour, and salt. Slowly stir in the water and milk. Toss in chopped herbs if using. Melt butter a little at a time in crepe pan. Get pan good and hot. Swirl a little batter in pan just to cover bottom and cook till edges start to brown and crisp, then flip over and cook other side. You can make these ahead of time and freeze. Remember, a good hostess is always prepared! This recipe makes 24 7-inch crepes.

Apple Cider Punch

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
Apple Cider Punch says autumn to me. New Mexico produces excellent apple cider in places like Velarde and north. This is a nice weekend beverage, it’s warm and soothing, the whole house smells great when you heat it, and personally I would definitely add some rum, it makes it that much more festive.

Ingredients
4 qt apple cider
1 cup packed brown sugar
6 oz frozen lemonade
6 oz frozen orange juice
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
3 cinnamon sticks

Procedure
Combine everything in a large, non-reactive pot. If you use the whole allspice, cinnamon sticks, and cloves, tie them in cheesecloth (to make them easier to remove at the end). Heat the mixture, do not boil. Stir occasionally. If you want an alcoholic drink, rum would be nice — add it at the end so you don’t loose all the medicinal effect of the alcohol.

Low-Fat Fresh Berry Clafouti

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Susan Purdy — my baking mentor and good friend — has a great recipe for a light mixed berry Clafouti in her book Have Your Cake And Eat It Too which is filled with luscious, low-fat recipes — except you would never know that from tasting the results. This cake, which is almost like a baked pudding, is so easy you have no reason not to make it, especially when the local berries are so divine. Best served hot from the oven.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 1/2 cups Raspberries
3 tablespoons liquor, Chambord, Triple sec or dark rum
1 cup 1% milk
2 large eggs, plus 1 egg white
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup sifted A.P. flour
Pinch salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Confectioner’s sugar

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 and position rack in the center of the oven. Spray a 10-inch pie plate with non-stick spray and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. In a large bowl, combine berries, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and the liquor of your choice. In the food processor or blender, combine milk, eggs, extra white, vanilla, the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, flour, salt, and nutmeg. Process till smooth. Spread the fruit into the pie shell and pour the batter over top. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until top is puffed and golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes, then sift some confectioner’s sugar over the top and eat all up. This should serve 8 people.

Stuffed Eggplant Provencal

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
What's more fun that stuffing vegetables with other vegetables? Especially when they are all farmer’s market fresh! Here is a French recipe form the Sundays at Moosewood Cookbook for a great vegetarian entrée.

Ingredients
3 medium eggplants
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt

Stuffing Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 cloves peeled garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 red pepper diced
1 cup diced zucchini
1/4 pound chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons currants
1 tablespoon fresh Marjoram
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste

Topping Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh bread crumbs or Panko
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Sauce Ingredients
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups crème Fraiche

Procedure
Preheat oven to 500. Slice the eggplants in half length wise and brush with olive oil then sprinkle with salt. Place cut side down on an oiled sheet pan, and bake for 20 minutes or till tender on the inside but firm on the outside (like me!). Remove from oven and let cool. Lower oven to 350.

To make stuffing, in a sauté pan add 1/4 cup olive oil and sauté the onions 10 minutes, add garlic and carrots, and cook 10 minutes more. Now add all the rest of the stuffing ingredients and cook 15 minutes more. Set aside.

To make the topping, add 1/2 cup olive oil to a sauté pan and sauté the garlic with the bread crumbs till the oil is absorbed remove from heat and add the Parm. cheese.

Now it's time to assemble. Turn the eggplants over and push the flesh to the sides of the shell. Spoon the stuffing into the cavity you just created and mound up filling. Top with the breadcrumb mix. Bake for 30 minutes and top with herbed Crème Fraiche, which you make by stirring the last 4 ingredients together. It sounds complicated but it's really very simple!

Ziggy's International Market

Restaurant Review

Ziggy's International Market It's about time Santa Fe got an inexpensive, international marketplace! They have a great Middle Eastern section (Halava galore), a great English section (though I'm not sure how many people need Bisto, treacle pudding, and sour wine gums), and a big Indian section. I hope they add more stuff. Ziggy's is in the shopping center at the intersection of Cerrillos and Saint Francis, near Tiny's.

Frozen Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

The Altitude Adjustment Section
How about some peanuts and chocolate? Reece’s chocolate bar got it right, so let's make a pie!

Ingredients
Pastry for a 9-inch pie shell (see archives)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 eggs
1/2 cup half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup salted dry roasted peanuts, finely chopped

Procedure
In a large bowl of your electric mixer, combine peanut butter and brown sugar till smooth and fluffy. Stir in corn syrup and blend till smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in half and half and vanilla and blend thoroughly. Preheat oven to 350. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips in the bottom of the pie shell. Carefully pour in batter and smooth top. Bake for 30 minutes till filling is puffed, firm and light brown. In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 1/2-cup chocolate chips with the 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat — be careful as this loves to burn. Carefully spread warm glaze over still warm pie. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the top. Cool pie then wrap in plastic and freeze. Remove pie from freezer 5 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream and cut small pieces — this baby is rich!

Pomegranate Soup

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I have always loved pomegranate, even before it was pronounced the wonder food of our generation. Here is a recipe from The Legendary cuisine of Persia by Margaret Shaida for a wonderful pomegranate soup. Think fall!

Ingredients
1/2 cup short grain rice
3/4 cup yellow split peas
2 medium onions
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 pound ground beef
1 bunch scallions
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch cilantro
3 sprigs fresh mint
6 tablespoons Pomegranate syrup
3 tablespoons sugar
2 quarts water or chicken stock or vegetable stock

Procedure
Wash the rice and the split peas and leave to soak separately for 30 minutes. Slice one onion and fry in oil till golden. Add turmeric, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Then stir in the drained rice and split peas. Add 2 quarts of water, chicken stock or vegetable stock and simmer for 1 hour. In the meantime, grate the 2nd onion and add to the meat along with salt and pepper, and with wet hands, make tiny meatballs and drop them into the soup as you make them. Now clean, dry, and chop up the parsley, cilantro, and mint and add them to soup. Simmer 30 minutes more. Add more stock if necessary and stir once in a while. Now stir in the pomegranate syrup and sugar. Taste to adjust seasoning. Nice to garnish with a little caramelized onion and a mint leaf.