Thursday, April 17, 2008

Mexican chorizo Pizzas

These little pizzas make a great easy meal, or terrific appetizers!
This recipe serves 3 as a meal (everyone gets their own pizza), or 6 as an appetizer.

Red and Green Salsa (recipe below)
8 oz Chorizo sausage
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (you may alternatively use 8 oz of 'mexican blend', which is a combination of Cheddar and Monterey Jack)
3 (10 inch) flour tortillas

Prepare Red and Green Salsa.

Remove and discard casing from chorizo. Heat a medium skillet over high heat until hot. Reduce heat to medium, and crumble chorizo into skillet. Brown 6 - 8 minutes, stirring to separate. Remove with slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels.

Preheat oven to 450F. Mix cheese in bowl.

Place tortillas on baking sheet (use more than one if necessary). Divide chorizo evenly between tortillas, leaving 1/2 inch from edge of tortilla uncovered. Sprinkle cheeses over top.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes until edges are crisp and golden brown, and cheese is melted.

Transfer to serving plates, and cut each tortilla into 6 wedges. Sprinkle with Red and Green Salsa.

Red and Green Salsa

1 small red bell pepper
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
3 green onions, sliced thin
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
2 Tbl fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt

Cut bell pepper lengthwise in half, remove seeds and veins. Cut halves lengthwise into thin strips, cut strips in half. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Let stand, covered, at room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving, to blend flavors.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

It's A Wrap!

With the onset of warmer weather, I'm all about 'lighter' meals, especially one I can munch on while doing almost any other task, be it reading, writing, driving,(oops, not so safe, say the 'driving police', lol) or taking a walk.
Wraps are my new favorite, and I'm finding some delicious recipes!
For those who may not know, 'wraps' are almost any combination of ingredients, hot or cold, conveniently wrapped in a (flavored or plain) flour tortilla.
Below, I'd like to share one of the tastiest wraps I've made to date:

Shrimp Caesar Salad Wrap
(makes 2 wraps)

Ingredients:
1 Tbl plus 2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbl lime juice
1 Tbl lemon juice
1 Tbl concentrated orange juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp minced garlic
Kosher salt
3 Tbl olive oil, plus 1 tsp for brushing shrimp
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I prefer Parmigiano-Reggiano)
1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Fresh ground black pepper
2 and 1/2 cups chopped Romaine lettuce, firmly packed
1/4 cup croutons
Two 10 or 11 inch flour tortillas (plain, whole wheat, or sun-dried tomato are good choices)

Preheat broiler.
Combine mustard, citrus juices, Worcestershire, garlic, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in 3 Tbl olive oil. Stir in cheese, set aside.
Brush shrimp with remaining olive oil, and season with 1/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Place under broiler, and cook until firm and orange colored, about 2 minutes, turning once. Remove from heat and cut into quarters.
Toss together the shrimp, romaine lettuce, and croutons in large bowl. Add the mustard mixture and toss to coat evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide mixture evenly between the 2 tortillas and wrap.

To wrap:
Place filling vertically along center of tortilla, to within 1 inch of bottom edge of tortilla. Fold bottom upwards to beginning on filling line, then roll tortilla from the sides, working from left to right. Leave top open, to showcase filling.

Substitutions: You may substitute chopped grilled chicken for the shrimp in this recipe.
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