INGREDIENTS:

1 package pie crusts

Pie weights or dried beans

2 large red skinned potatoes, small dice

½ lb. bacon, diced ½ inch thick

1 package of ham steaks

2 small leeks, white and light green part only, thinly sliced

½ lb. white cheddar cheese, shredded

8 eggs

2 ½ c. half and half

1. Preheat the oven to 425°.  Place the pie crusts in two 9” pie plates, crimping decoratively if desired.  Line each crust with a piece of tin foil; fill the foil with the pie weights or the dried beans, scootching the weights or beans up the sides of the crust to avoid the dreaded ‘shrinkage’.  Place the crusts in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and the weights and set aside.  Reduce oven temperature to 375.

2. Meanwhile, place the diced potatoes in a glass baking dish.  Season with salt and pepper, and cover dish with a damp paper towel.  Microwave on high for 4 – 5 minutes, or until cooked through but not falling apart.  Stir them around a bit, if needed.  Set aside.

3. In a large sauté pan, cook the bacon over medium high heat until browned and crispy.  Remove the bacon and transfer to a bowl.  Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.  Sauté the leeks in the bacon fat; seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, until leeks are softened but not browned, about four minutes.  Transfer the leeks to the bowl with the bacon, and toss to combine.

4. In large Pyrex measuring cup, beat the eggs and the half and half together.  Season with salt and pepper.

5. Divide the potatoes equally between the two pie crusts.  For the Ham and Cheese Quiche, top the potatoes with the diced ham and then half of the shredded cheddar.  For the Bacon and Leek Quiche, top the potatoes with the bacon/leek mixture, and then the other half of the cheese.  Pour the egg mixture over each quiche, dividing equally.  Place quiches to the oven; bake for 30 minutes.  Transfer quiches to a rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing into wedges and serving.

Serves 4-6 with leftovers

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 15-ounce cans black (or other ) beans
• 2 cups toppings, such as coarsely shredded chicken, cooked chorizo sausage, small cooked shrimp, sliced ham, cut into strips, flaked tuna, and/or cubed tofu
• 1 large romaine heart, cut into ¼-inch thick slices
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons Mexican hot sauce, plus more for serving
• 12 tostadas (crisp-fried corn tortillas), store brought
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from skin and cut into ¼-inch pieces (optional)
• ¾ cup Mexican queso añejo or garnishing cheese, such as Romano or Parmesan
• ½ to ¾ cup (loosely packed) chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic, stir for about a minute, then add undrained beans.  Mash to a coarse purée with a potato masher or the back of a spoon, then cook, stirring regularly, until thickened just enough to hold shape in a spoon, about 10 minutes.  Taste and season with salt if needed.  Reduce heat to lowest setting to keep warm.
2. Place romaine in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, mix together sour cream and hot sauce.  Drizzle mixture over romaine and toss to combine.
3. Spread each tostada with some of the beans.  Top with portions of your chosen topping(s) romaine.  Dot with avocado, if using.  Sprinkle generously with cheese and cilantro, and serve immediately with additional hot sauce.

SERVES 4

• ¾ ounce (about ½ cup) dried porcini (or other wild mushrooms)
• 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1 large jalapeño or 2 serrano chiles, stemmed and finely chopped
• 1 medium white onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large ripe tomato, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons full-flavored beer
• 8 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
• About a dozen war, corn or flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place mushrooms into a small bowl, cover with boiling water, weight with a plate to keep mushrooms submerged, and let rehydrate for 20 minutes.  Drain off liquid, pressing on mushrooms to remove all of the water.  Chop into ¼-inch pieces.
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium0high heat.  Add chiles, onion, tomato, and mushrooms and cook, stirring until onion begins to softened and brown, 7 to 8 minutes.  Add beer and stir until liquid has evaporated and mixture looks dry.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, sprinkle cheese evenly over vegetables and stir slowly and constantly until cheese is just melted.  Immediately scoop into a warm serving dish (a small fondue dish over tea light is ideal) and serve with warm tortillas for making soft tacos.

SERVES 6 AS A LIGHT APPETIZER

• 6 corn tortillas
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
• 1 small white onion, sliced
• 2 dried pasilla chiles (or 1 dried ancho), stemmed, seeded, and torn into several flat pieces
• 1 14.5-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice, drained
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 large sprig fresh epazote, if available
• 6 ounces Mexican queso fresco, feta, or other crumbly fresh cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 large lime, cut into wedges

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut tortillas in half, then into ¼-inch strips.  In a medium-large saucepan, heat ½ inch of oil over medium heat until shimmering (not smoking.)  Add half of the tortilla strips.  Cook, stirring, until golden-brown and crispy.  With a slotted sppon, scoop out tortilla strips and drain on paper towels.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.
2. Pour off all but a thin coating of hot oil from the saucepan and return to heat.  Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring regularly, until golden, about 7 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to scoop out garlic and onion, pressing them against side of pan to leave behind as much oil as possible.  Transfer garlic and onion to a blender or food processor.
3. Add chile pieces to pan.  Cook, turning quickly, for about 30 seconds.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  Set pan aside.
4. Add tomatoes to blender or food processor containing garlic and onion, and process to a smooth purée.  Set saucepan over medium-high heat.  When hot, and purée and cook, stirring, until it has thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, about 10 minutes.  Add broth and epazote (if using), bring to a boil, then partially cover and gently simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes.  Season to taste with salt.
5. To serves, divide cheese and avocado among soup bowls.  Ladle broth into each bowl, top with tortilla strips, and crumble on a little toasted chile.  Serve with lime edges.

SERVES 6 AS A FIRST COURSE, 4 AS A LIGHT MAIN DISH

• 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained
• 2 to 3 canned chipotle chiles en adobo
• 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
• 1 large white onion, sliced ¼-inch thick, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 ½ cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water, plus a little extra if needed
• 2 cups sliced red chard leaves (optional)
• 12 corn tortillas, cut into sixths and fried or baked to make chips, or 8 ounces thick, homemade-style tortilla chps
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 crème fraîche or sour cream thinned with a little milk
• 1 ½ cups coarsely shredded grilled or roasted chicken (optional)
• ¼ cup finely crumbled Mexican queso añejo or other dry grating cheese such as Romano or Parmesan

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place tomatoes and chipotles in a blender jar.  Blend to a purée that still retains a little texture.
2. Heat oil in a medium-large pot or Dutch oven or a deep, large skillet on medium heat.  Add half of the onion slices and cook, stirring regularly, until golden, about 7 minutes.  Add garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute, the raise heat to medium-high.  Add tomato purée and cook, stirring, until mixture begins to thicken, 4 or 5 minutes.  Stir in broth or water and season to taste with salt (use less if using salted chips.)  Bring to a boil.  Stir in chard (if using) and tortilla chips.  Return to a rolling boil, cover, and turn off heat.  Let stand 5 minutes (no longer.)
3. Remove cover and carefully stir to coat chips evenly with sauce and to check that chips have softened nicely – they should be a little chewy, not mushy.  (If too chewy, stir in a few tablespoons more broth, cover and set over medium heat for a couple minutes more.)  Sprinkle with cilantro.
4. Spoon tortilla chip mixture onto warm plates.  Drizzle with the crème fraîche or milk thinned sour cream, strew with the remaining sliced onion and the shredded chicken (if using), and dust generously with cheese.

SERVES 4 AS A MAIN DISH

• Vegetable oil spray
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ½ cup finely chopped shallots
• 8 ounces cremini or baby bella mushrooms, stems removed and caps minced
• 4 teaspoons unbleached flour
• 1 cup milk
• 3 ounces chèvre cheese, crumbled
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 large egg yolks
• 5 large egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare 6 8-ounce ramekins by spraying with vegetable oil, then coat insides with Parmesan cheese.  Put ramekins on a sheet pan, and chill until time to bake.

2. Preheat oven to 425°F, and position a rack in lower third of oven.

3. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt butter and sauté, stirring constantly with a heat-safe spatula, until mushrooms are shrunken and soft, about 3 minutes.  Sprinkle flour over mushrooms and stir to incorporate.  Remove pan from heat and add milk a bit at a time, stirring to mix.  Return to pan back to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly.  When mixture comes to a simmer, stir for a minute more, then remove from heat.  Stir in chèvre, then transfer mixture to a large bowl.  Let cool for 5 minutes, the stir in tarragon, salt and pepper.  (The mixture can be made up to this point and chilled for assembly later-let the mixture come to room temperature before adding the yolks.)  Stir in egg yolks.

4. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites with lemon juice until they make firm peaks.  Using a rubber spatula, fold ¼ of the beaten whites into mushroom mixture.  Fold in remaining whites, the divide mixture between the 6 ramekins.  Put sheet pan with ramekins in oven and reduce heat to 350 °F.  Bake until puffed and well-browned and a toothpick inserted in a center soufflé comes out clean, about 40 minutes.  Serve immediately.

SERVES 6

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces (scant 1 cup)
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 1 ¼ pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
• 1 pound spaghetti
• ½ cup freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add bacon and cook until almost crisp, about 7 minutes.  Add scallions (leaving bacon and fat in pan), sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and beginning to brown in spots, about 4 more minutes.  Add white wine and bring to a boil, scraping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge any caramelized bits.  Simmer for 1 minute, then remove from heat and set aside in a warm place.

3. When water boils, drop in asparagus and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.  Transfer asparagus with a slotted spoon to a colander.  Rinse with cold water and set aside to drain.

4. Return water in pot to a rapid boil and add pasta.  Boil until al dente, stirring occasionally.  Drain, reserving about ½ cup of pasta cooking water.  Heat bacon and wine mixture over medium-high heat.  Add drained pasta, asparagus, and a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking water.  Add parsley, lemon zest, cheese, and a generous amount of black pepper, and toss well.  Season to taste with salt and more pepper.  Serve in warm bowls, topping each with additional freshly ground black pepper and Parmesan, as desired.

SERVES 4

Recipe Courtesy of the Beef Check Off

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 boneless beef top loin (strip) steaks (about 1-1/4 pounds)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 12 slices thin white sandwich bread, crusts removed
• 1-1/2 teaspoons coarse grind black pepper
• Salt
• 4 ounces garlic-herb cheese spread, slightly softened
• Prepared balsamic syrup
• 24 small arugula leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Combine Parmesan cheese and flour in small bowl; toss to mix well. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle Parmesan mixture evenly into 8-inch circle on baking sheet. Bake in center of 350°F oven 6 to 8 minutes or until melted and light brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet, then remove to wire rack to cool completely. Break into 24 irregular-shaped pieces. Set aside.
2. Cut each bread slice diagonally in half. Place in single layer on baking sheet. Bake in 350°F oven about 6 minutes or until lightly toasted but not brown. Set aside.
3. Press pepper evenly onto beef steaks. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Place steaks in skillet; cook top loin steaks 12 to 15 minutes (tenderloin steaks 10 to 13 minutes) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally. Carve steaks into thin slices; season with salt.
4. Meanwhile, spread 1 teaspoon cheese onto each bread piece; top with 2 to 3 steak slices. Drizzle balsamic syrup over beef; top with Parmesan crisp and arugula leaf.

MAKES 24 APPETIZERS

Recipe Courtesy of the Beef Check Off

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound beef top sirloin or beef tenderloin steaks, cut 1 inch thick
• 8 ounces medium mushrooms
• 2 medium red, yellow or green bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt

Seasoning:

• 2 tablespoons
• Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup finely chopped seeded cucumber
• 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut beef steak into 1-1/4-inch pieces. Combine seasoning ingredients in large bowl. Add beef, mushrooms and bell pepper pieces; toss to coat.
2. Alternately thread beef and vegetable pieces evenly onto eight 12-inch metal skewers, leaving small spaces between pieces.
3. Place kabobs on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill kabobs, covered, 7 to 9 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, covered, 9 to 11 minutes) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning once. Season kabobs with salt, as desired.
4. Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in small bowl. Serve with kabobs.

SERVES 4

• 3 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (about 6 ounces)
• 5 tablespoons cider vinegar, divided
• 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ to 1 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
• 3 cups shredded roasted chicken
• 2 scallions, thinly slices
• 4 bulky rolls, split and toasted
• 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese (about ¼ pound)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, toss cabbage with 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, oil, and salt.  Set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, heat remaining vinegar, honey, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and hot sauce until it comes to a simmer.  Fold in chicken and scallions, turn off heat, and let sit for 5 minutes.

3. To make sandwiches, layer chicken on bottoms of rolls, then top with cheese, cabbage, and tops of rolls.  Serve immediately.

SERVES 4