Tag Archives: Cheese

Bloomin’ Onion Bread

Got friends coming over? Try this bloomin’ onion bread.   You’ll prepare it in a flash and your friends will love it.  It’s better if you use sourdough bread to really get the “blooming” effect.  We don’t have sourdough bread available at the bakery in Guatemala, so I used a country style round bread, and it worked just fine.  I used a small serrated knife to help me cut the bread when I had to do the second part. I think I would have made a tragic mess out of that loaf if I had used the regular bread knife.

If you’re having more than 4 friends over, make at least 2!  Trust me, they will be gone quicker than you think.

This recipe can be the base for you to use your creativity and add different ingredients such as, cheddar cheese and bacon instead of  just mozzarella and onions.  How about individual portions using small round breads?  I’ll be experimenting with these ideas over the holidays, I have a ton of family get togethers coming up.  (yikes)

 

Bloomin' Onion Bread

Bloomin’ Onion Bread

Recipe adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything
Ingredients:
1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread (or any round country style bread)
1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup finely diced green onion
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust. This can be a little tricky going the second way but the bread is very forgiving.  Tip! Use a serrated knife.
  3. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Insert cheese between cuts. Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
  4. Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Bloomin' Onion Bread

Bloomin' Onion Bread

Bloomin' Onion Bread

Bloomin' Onion Bread

© 2012 – 2013, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

As our Independence Day festivities get closer, I wanted to try out a recipe that used a local staple ingredient to make a fusion dish.  I knew I wanted that ingredient to be loroco. I thought up this recipe for a loroco and tomato rustic tart which I am glad to share with you, I do hope you give it a try!   We ate the whole thing in one sitting for dinner.

You just need to make a pie dough, or buy frozen puff pastry dough.  If you make your own dough, add 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper to the flour mixture before processing it. This is optional, to give the dough a little flavor.   When your dough is ready fill it out with a mixture or locoro, onions, cream, tomato, parmesan and a good quality melting cheese.  In my case, I bought Quesillo from San Julian, which is creamy and melts deliciously.

Loroco, is a vine with edible flowers that grows in El Salvador, the eastern part of Guatemala, and other Central American countries. It is an important and popular source of food in El Salvador and Guatemala. The plant’s buds and flowers are used for cooking in a variety of ways, including in pupusas.

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

A The Foodies’ Kitchen Original Recipe
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 recipe for pie dough (follow the link above),
or 1 lb store bought frozen puff pastry

1/2 lbs loroco, stems removed
1/2 medium sized white onion, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup white wine
3 plum tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Quesillo (scamorza type cheese)
Salt and black pepper, to taste.

1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Procedure:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. Heat a medium skillet, and add the olive oil followed by the sliced onions and loroco.   Cook until the onion is translucent.
  3. Lower the heat, and add cream, salt, pepper and wine. Cover and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
  4. Roll out your pie dough, or puff pastry, into 1/4 inch thickness. Don’t worry too much about the shape… it should be a sort of square or circle.
  5. Place the dough on top of a large cookie sheet
  6. Arrange the loroco and cream mixture in the middle of the rolled dough
  7. Sprinkle with parmesan
  8. Arrange tomato slices on top
  9. Finally, arrange quesillo slices to cover most of the mixture.
  10. Fold in the dough to make the tart, as shown.
  11. Prepare the egg wash, by whisking 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water.   Brush the top part of the dough with it, to give golden finish. (this step is optional)
  12. Transfer the cookie sheet with your loroco tart to the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
  13. Serve warm.

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

Loroco & Tomato Rustic Tart

Cheers!

© 2012 – 2013, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.

Avocado and Corn Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

I found THE BEST salad recipe! I know you will love this and it will become one of your favorites.  It’s so good, I’ve already made it about 4 times.  I know we’re all trying to eat more healthy foods, and I for one do try to include healthy and low fat meals during the week so we can indulge and eat things like pizza, cake or a cheeseburger on the weekend.  So, if I absolutely HAVE TO eat more vegetables, this is how I want to eat them… this is my kind of healthy dish.
It is not only an avocado and corn salad, it includes other chopped fresh veggies and a flavorful vinaigrette, I’m still not sold on the leafy salad variety…they’re not so filling.  This has a mixture of textures and flavors that balance off wonderfully, not to mention it looks great.  (Well, my photo isn’t so hot, the avocado I used was a little soft… but I promise it looks great served on a plate).  The crisp cucumber against the soft cheese, tart tomatillos with buttery avocados and all the flavors blended with a perfect cilantro vinaigrette are a real treat to your taste buds.   I’ve paired this with spicy chicken wings, or grilled chicken and I have had great comments about it from my family.

I did mess around with the original recipe, which called from grilled corn (not gonna happen), feta cheese (eeeeh…I prefer farmer’s cheese for this salad) and it did not include tomatillos.  In Guatemala, we use tomatillos to make “Salsa Verde”  which is  a sauce used in a variety of Latin recipes. The thing is, we mostly use cooked tomatillos for our dishes.  Go ahead and try to slice up a few of them on your next salad (uncooked), you will love them!

For our Guatemalan readers, use queso fresco, queso de capas or queso panela for this.

Corn and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

Avocado and Grilled Corn Salad
with Cilantro Vinaigrette

Recipe adapted from Authentic Suburban Gourmet

Serves 4

Ingredients:
5  ears of corn, cooked
2  avocados
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup green tomatillos (miltomate), quartered
1/2  small red onion, finely diced
¾ cup fresh farmers cheese (queso fresco or queso panela), cut into cubes
1 english cucumber

Procedure:

  1. To cook the ears of corn, boil them in water for 8 minutes, use a sharp knife to cut the grains off.
  2. For the avocados, dice and sprinkle them with lemon juice to prevent browning.
  3. Cut in half the english cucumber, remove the seeds with a spoon and slice  (I leave the skin on, it’s your choice).
  4. Mix all the ingredients and add to a large bowl.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

 Cilantro Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
6  tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1  teaspoon garlic powder
2  tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
½ teaspoon Salt
10 grinds of fresh ground pepper
a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Procedure:

  1. Add olive oil to a small bowl.  Stir in garlic powder, cilantro, salt, pepper, cayenne (if using).
  2. Add vinegar and whisk until well combined.  Taste to adjust seasoning.
  3. When ready to serve salad, add the dressing and gently toss.

Corn and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

Corn and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

Corn and Avocado Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

© 2012 – 2013, The Foodies' Kitchen. All rights reserved.



Blog Lovin

Follow on Bloglovin

MamaOm

MamaOm

Casa Healthy

Casa Healthy

Cocina al Chile

Cocina al Chile

Foodbuz

Foodbuzz