What a Summer! {Grilled Vegetable Enchiladas}

As I sat down to write, I looked back at the previous posts and saw it has been quite a while since I've shared anything at all here. Following what was a Spring filled with a multitude of kid-related events etc, I had envisioned a summer filled with cooking and recipe testing and writing and family and fun. Summer had other ideas about what would be. Following a series of unfortunate events (minor illnesses for the kids & a seemingly small ankle injury that resulted in surgery for my sweet daughter), not much happened in the way of creative cooking.  While we did have an amazingly fun trip to the NJ/NYC area, the majority of the summer was spent in survival mode. Now,with the school year in full swing, we're just now acclimating to the school year schedule and all that it brings. Also, it is officially Fall, but here in Central Texas, temps are still reaching into the 90's so no sweater vests or cords for us just yet. 

With warm-weather cooking still on my mind, and summer crops still available at the local farmers' market, I set out to make a meal that was simple, tasty and not in our usual rotation. I love a good enchilada and have an excellent recipe for my Grandma's red sauce. However, that dish can be a bit heavy with the cheese-filled tortillas, sauce and more cheese. This dish is a bit lighter with all of the things required to be defined as an enchilada but with a bit of a twist --  the filling is purely grilled vegetables, the sauces, one red and one green, are also light and fresh and the cheese is a queso fresco which is lighter than the mounds of melted cheese found in the traditional version. Additionally, rather than a casserole type item, the final product is given a light fry in oil to crisp up the corn tortilla and give it some texture. It is a big like a flauta in a way, but not really...maybe it is a flauta-lada. Whatever you call it, it is so so good and made a fabulous re-entry into creative cooking here in my home.

Grilled Vegetable Enchiladas with Red and Green Sauces

adapted from Ruth Cosineau

• 1 lb of fresh zucchini squash; sliced lengthwise into 1/4" thick slices
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into 1/4" slices
• 2-4 red sweet peppers, stems and seeds removed and cut into quarters
• 8 corn tortillas
• canola oil
• 8 oz of queso fresco, crumbled
• your favorite red salsa (fresh, table style preferably)
• your favorite green sauce (tomatillo salsa is a good choice)

1. Prepare grill or grill pan to medium high heat. While grill is heating, prepare vegetable slices and place on a grill pan/grill basket.
2. Place vegetables on grill and cook until slightly charred - about 6-8 minutes for peppers and squash and 10-12 minutes for onions. Turn as needed to have both sides even. (Cook to your taste, but let them cook at least until softened)
3. Once vegetables are done, slice into thin strips and hold until ready to fill enchiladas.
4. In a small fry pan, add enough oil to have depth of 1/4-1/2"of oil. Heat oil over medium-high heat. In order to soften tortillas for rolling, slide tortilla into the hot oil briefly and then remove to a papertowel lined plate. (Allow oil to drip back into saute pan before moving.) Once all tortillas have been softened move on to filling.
5. Spread a scant tablespoon of the green sauce on the surface of the pliable tortilla. Fill with strips of grilled vegetables being careful to not over stuff. Roll tortilla and then place enchilada into the hot oil; seam side down first. Once the enchilada has crisped a bit, use the tongs to flip and crisp other side. (I used a small 8 in pan(in an effort to reduce the amount of initial oil needed) so I did these one at a time. If you use a larger pan, you may be able to fit more at once.)
6. When crisped, move enchilada to plate. Drizzle with both salsas and crumbled queso & serve and enjoy!

Note: I used homemade salsas, but jarred salsas would do just as well. The local farmers' market has many high quality products that have more of the aspects of a fresh made salsa than the standard mass produced store varieties. Additionally, make sure that your rolled enchiladas aren't too wet with sauce as you will cause a flash fire when you place them in the grease - I learned the hard way with a couple of surprising flare-ups!

These were absolutely delicious and such a refreshing change of pace from our usual dinners. I'm hoping this sparked my cooking mojo and that it will stick with me into the fall season!

Happy Cooking!

sld

Farmers' Market Friday - Fresh from the Sea {Seared Scallops over Israeli Couscous & Sauteed Zucchini}

We have an unusual situation here. El Syd is allergic to fish. However, unlike most people who are allergic to shellfish, he's just the opposite, he cannot have finned/boned fish, but can have shellfish to his heart's content. So, when I saw that scallops were available at the farmers' market recently, I jumped at the chance to buy some and fix them for dinner. Scallops are one of my most favorite seafood items - that sweet, rich taste that varies from mild to a bit briny is just so delicious and decadent.

If you've never had scallops before, but are interested in trying them, cooking at home gives you the opportunity to purchase just a few and try them as an appetizer portion. If you're really unsure, buy just one and sear it up. Have the whole family take a taste.  When buying sea scallops, they should be fresh, large (U10- meaning there are under 10 scallops per pound), ivory in color, and slightly sticky to the touch. The best kept scallops will be designated as "dry", and that's really the only kind you want. At times, the scallops you see at the grocery store are in a white liquid.  This means that they've been dipped in phosphates to extend their shelf life and to add water weight. These scallops will also appear pure white when the natural color of sea scallops range from white to off-white to pale shades of orange, pink and tan. When cooked, wet scallops will seep out all of that retained water and fill up your pan with that liquid, resulting in a steamed type item and a less than satisfactory result. Believe me, you don't want them...stick to the dry scallops

Scallops are highly perishable. I recommend only buying them on a day when you will be preparing and eating them. Ask your fish counter for an extra bag of ice to keep them on until you get home. Once home, keep them on that ice in the coldest part of your fridge until you're ready to cook them up. Searing scallops is one of the easiest and quickest ways of cooking and yields very impressive results. Since they do cook so quickly, I recommend preparing all of your side dishes prior to getting to work on the scallops. 

Items from the market

• dry scallops 

• olive oil

• zucchini squash

Israeli Couscous

Israeli Couscous is a toasted pasta that is shaped like small pearls or beads. It is very simple to make and serves as a great foundation for the rest of this dinner.

• 1/2 lemon

• 1/2 C chopped onion

• 1 1/4 C Israeli Couscous

• 2 C chicken broth (or water, if you prefer)

• olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat oven to 350F. Thinly slice lemon and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Place slices on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven until they take on a light color - about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool and then chop fine.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-hi heat. Saute chopped onion until they are golden color. Add couscous and allow to toast in the onion and olive oil.
3. Add liquid and lemon bits. Stir and bring to a steady simmer (reduce heat if needed). Cover (stir occasionally) and let simmer until liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender (about 12 minutes). Season with salt and pepper and hold over low heat until scallops are ready.

Sauteed Zucchini

• 1 large squash, thinly sliced (or 2 medium; 4 small)

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• fresh garlic, thinly sliced

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add sliced zucchini and cook, stirring frequently to ensure all pieces cook evenly. After the squash begins to soften, you may want to reduce the heat a bit to make sure the squash doesn't burn. 
2. Add garlic to the saute pan and continue to cook squash to your preferred level of doneness. (I like to have a mixture of some pieces with a bit of snap and crunch and some soft and caramelized.) 
3. Remove from heat and hold until ready to plate.

Seared Scallops

• Enough sea scallops to serve 2-3 per person (this will depend upon what else you're serving and if you intend for this to be an appetizer portion or a dinner portion.)

• 2 tsp butter

• 2 tsp olive oil

• salt and pepper

1. Rinse the scallops with cold water to remove any grit. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towel.
2. Add butter and oil to a heavy 12-14 inch sauté pan and heat over high heat.
3. Once the fat is hot (almost to the point of smoking), add the scallops, making sure they don't touch each other.
4. Sear the scallops for about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn scallops using tongs. and sear for another 1 1/2 minutes.
5. The scallops should have about a 1/4 in crust on each side and be slightly translucent in the center. Remove the scallops to a plate where they will continue to cook for a couple of minute and finish to perfection.

Putting it all together: 

On individual dishes, plate one serving of couscous. Top with sauteed squash and then, nestle seared scallops on top. Drizzle with a bit of the pan juices and enjoy!

A quick and easy dish that is sure to impress, these scallops were delicious. 

Happy Cooking!
sld

Disclosure: I was invited by Wolf Ranch Farmer's Market to visit and meet the vendors and was provided Market Money with which to purchase ingredients for use in the Farmers' Market Friday posts.  I was not compensated to write this article and all opinions are my own.