Thursday Recipes

It's almost the end of the week, just before a holiday weekend. Here are six yummy recipes to help you through the day, including Sweet-and-Spicy Grilled Vegetables With Burrata and Tabbouleh Fruit Salad. Enjoy!

CRISCO’S® APPLE COBBLER

This is from that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list, though the poster stated that it's from the Crisco® Cookbook. This begins, “Top this wonderful dessert with whipped cream or ice cream.”

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cooking Time 20 minutes

Serves 8

Ingredients

Filling:

5 medium cooking apples, peeled and sliced

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup CRISCO all-vegetable shortening, or 1/4 CRISCO Stick

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Heat oven to 400ºF. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with Crisco No Stick Cooking Spray.

Filling:



Place apples in a large mixing bowl. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg in small mixing bowl. Pour sugar mixture over apples; toss and stir to combine. Pour apples into prepared pan; dot with butter.

Topping:

Food processor method: In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pulse in Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening until coarse crumbs form. In a small bowl, mix egg, milk and vanilla; add to flour mixture and pulse to combine. Drop biscuit mixture in 8 mounds on top of fruit.

Or

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl; cut in Crisco until coarse crumbs form.

Combine egg, milk and vanilla in a small bowl; add to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Drop biscuit mixture in 8 mounds on top of fruit.

Bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with cream or ice cream, if desired.

Apple-Cranberry Variation: Add 1 cup fresh cranberries and 1/2 cup additional sugar to the filling mixture. Proceed as directed.

LAYERED VEGETABLE TORTE

This is from Mark Bittman in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Mark wrote, "Getting this vegetable torte right takes a little time. You really must grill (or pan-grill) or roast all the vegetables well — they have to become quite tender — before assembling the torte. Ultimately, you want the vegetables to almost melt together. Grilling is the technique of choice because it gives the vegetables a hint of smokiness."

Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 1 hour

This was featured in "A Vegetable Torte Starts at the Grill", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013213-layered-vegetable-torte.

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices

4 medium zucchini or yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed

Salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/2 cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh

Preparation

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put a grill pan over medium-high heat, or prepare a grill; the heat should be medium-high, and the rack about 4 inches from flame. Brush eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms lightly with half the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; if roasting, grease 2 baking sheets with oil. Roast or grill vegetables on both sides until soft.

Coat bottom and sides of 8-inch springform pan with oil. Layer a third of the eggplant slices into bottom of the pan, then layer in half the zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, garlic and basil, sprinkling each layer with a bit of salt and pepper. Repeat layers until all vegetable are used. Press the top with a spatula or spoon to make the torte as compact as possible. Sprinkle top with Parmesan and bread crumbs, and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon oil.

Bake torte in oven until hot throughout and browned on top, about 30 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before removing outer ring of pan, then let cool for another 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

SWEET-AND-SPICY GRILLED VEGETABLES WITH BURRATA

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, "A colorful platter of soft, grilled vegetables in a sweet and spicy sauce can be the centerpiece of a light summery meal; just add some creamy cheese for richness and crusty bread to round things out. This recipe is extremely adaptable. You mix and match the vegetables, increasing the amounts of your favorites (or the ones you can get your hands on), and skipping anything you don’t have. And if your grill is large enough, you can make several different kinds of vegetables at the same time. Just don’t crowd them so they cook evenly."

Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: 45 minutes

This was featured in "Let Vegetables Be the Star of Your Memorial Day," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021091-sweet-and-spicy-grilled-vegetables-with-burrata.

Note: The original ingredients list calls for 1 tablespoon fish sauce or colatura (optional). However, since this is optional, and this is a vegetarian blog, I'm leaving it out. It was part of the Sweet-and-Spicy Sauce.

Ingredients

For the Sweet-and-Spicy Sauce:

1/4 cup chopped raisins, preferably golden, or dried apricots

2/3 cup white wine vinegar or cider vinegar (or a combination)

2 tablespoons honey, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

Pinch of fine sea salt

For the Vegetables (use any or all):

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 to 3 bell peppers, quartered, stems and seeds removed

1 to 2 zucchini or summer squash, sliced diagonally 1/2-inch thick

1 small eggplant, sliced diagonally 1/2-inch thick

2 to 4 ears yellow corn, shucked

8 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and halved or quartered

1 bunch thick asparagus, ends snapped

8 ounces cherry tomatoes, preferably still on the vine

For Serving:

2 small burrata or fresh mozzarella balls, or 2 cups fresh ricotta

Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Basil or mint leaves, for serving

Crusty bread slices

Preparation

Make the sauce: Put raisins or apricots in a small heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, honey, fish sauce or colatura (if using), red-pepper flakes and salt. Bring to a boil, then let simmer until the mixture reduces slightly, about 3 minutes. Immediately pour over the raisins and let cool. Taste and stir in a little more honey if the sauce is too harsh. (Sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in the refrigerator.)

Prepare the vegetables: Oil the grill grate and light the grill. Have a serving platter at the ready.

Grill the peppers, zucchini, eggplant and corn directly on the grate, in batches if necessary, and turning them as needed. Move them around the grate so they cook evenly. Cook until they are lightly charred, watching them carefully, 5 to 12 minutes, depending on the vegetable.

To grill the mushrooms and asparagus, place them in a grilling basket if you have one, or put directly on the grill. (Arrange the asparagus perpendicular to the grates so they don’t fall through.) Grill, turning as needed, until charred all over, 6 to 10 minutes. Grill the cherry tomatoes, using the vine as a handle if possible, for 1 to 2 minutes, until they start to burst and char slightly. Transfer all the vegetables as they cook directly to the serving platter.

Add the cheese to the platter next to the vegetables. Immediately drizzle everything with some of the sauce, stirring it up to get the raisins, and with olive oil. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and pepper and scatter the herbs generously on top. Serve the extra sauce and the bread alongside for making crostini with some of the vegetables and more of the tangy sauce.

Tip

To make this using a broiler, spread the vegetables on a rimmed sheet pan, drizzle with oil and broil until browned on top, then flip and broil until browned on the other side. The timing will depend on the vegetable, so stick with one kind per baking pan. You’ll need to do this in batches. You can also use a grill pan.

WAGON TRAIN BISCUITS

This comes from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. It begins, “I received this recipe from a friend. Here's what she says about it.” This is what followed: “Cooks Notes:

“Here is a great recipe for old fashioned biscuits...and I do mean old. I found it in the 1842 diary of Alice Stephen. She stated that it had been in her family for generations. She baked them in a dutch oven and sometimes used what we now know as a 'reflector fire.' I use this recipe when camping and it is GREAT!”

Ingredients

2 cups flour

4 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

4 tsp. baking powder

2/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup buttermilk

Directions

Measure all dry ingredients and place into a large bowl. Cut in shortening thoroughly, until mixture looks like meal. Stir in buttermilk. If dough is not pliable, add just enough buttermilk to make a soft, puffy, easy-to-roll dough. Round up dough on lightly floured cloth-covered board. Knead lightly 20 to 25 times, about 1 minute. Roll out until 3/4" thick. Cut with floured biscuit cutter (I use a wine glass). Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 10 to 12 minutes.

TABBOULEH FRUIT SALAD

Yield: 6 servings

Source: "The Complete Diabetes Prevention Plan"

Found in Info: “The Complete Diabetes Prevention Plan: A Guide to Understanding the Emerging Epidemic of Prediabetes and Halting Its Progression to Diabetes”

Ingredients

2-1/2 cups prepared bulgur wheat

3/4 cup seedless red grapes

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup sliced scallions

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sliced almonds or pine nuts

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

Dressing Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Combine the bulgur wheat, grapes, apricots, scallions, almonds or pine nuts, parsley, and mint and toss to mix well. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well. Add the dressing to the salad and toss to mix well. Cover the salad and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (per 3/4 cup serving): Calories: 186, Carbohydrate: 27 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Fat: 8.2 g, Saturated Fat: 0.9 g, Fiber: 5.7 g, Protein: 4.6 g, Sodium: 204 mg, Calcium: 42 mg

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1 Fruit, 1 Fat

CAPELLINI WITH TOMATOES AND BASIL

This is from Ina Garten on her the Food Network show, Barefoot Contessa.

Yield: 6 servings; Level: Easy

To view this inline, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/capellini-with-tomatoes-and-basil-recipe-1949902.

Ingredients

Kosher salt

1/2 cup good olive oil, plus extra for the pot

2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)

4 pints small cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes

18 large basil leaves, julienned

2 tablespoons chopped fresh curly parsley

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3/4 pound dried capellini or angel hair pasta

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Extra chopped basil and grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt and a splash of oil to the pot.

Meanwhile, heat the 1/2 cup of olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan. Add the garlic to the oil and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften but don't break up.

While the tomatoes are cooking, add the capellini to the pot of boiling water and cook for 2 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water.

Place the pasta in a large serving bowl, add the tomatoes and Parmesan and toss well. Add some of the pasta water if the pasta seems too dry. Serve large bowls of pasta with extra basil sprinkled on top and a big bowl of extra Parmesan on the side.