Sunday Suppers: Brick o' Guts (and more)

So mom's boyfriend brought me a souvenir from a grocery store in Cambridge. It wasn't actually a brick of guts, but if you've seen guava paste, you know what I mean. I decided to make a guava soufflé with custard sauce (http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2008/12/guava-paste.html). Despite its rather grim start, it turned out absolutely fantastic. Make this soufflé.

I also made deliciousness out of leftovers. Stuffed baby bell peppers over ratatouille and couscous. 

Stuffing: 

1 c. cooked couscous

1 clove garlic

2 minced scallions

1 1/2 t. olive oil

salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, balsamic vinegar

Saute the garlic and scallions in the olive oil. Add the couscous. Stir well. Season and add about half a cup of hot water. You want the couscous to get evenly coated with your seasonings. (I put in some marjoram and oregano as well.) Cook and stir until the couscous is fluffy. (If your couscous was not old and dry, you can just mix in the seasonings and veggies. 

Stuff it into 12 baby bell peppers (you'll have some left over), coat them lightly in oil (do not coat them in oil beforehand, like I did), then put them in the oven at 350 F until they start to soften. It will probably take 15-20 minutes. 

Make a bed (about 3/4-1 c.) of plain couscous. Top with 1/2-3/4 c. ratatouille. Put three peppers on each serving. 

Ratatouille, Incidentally

This is really more of a ratatouish. 

Heat 2 T. of olive oil in a large skillet. You want one that has relatively high edges. 

Add 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped green pepper, and 1 chopped eggplant. Toss in some zucchini if you have it. When it starts to get soft, add a clove of minced garlic and a can of diced tomatoes with juice. I only had a small can, but a big can is better. Let simmer until everything is tender, seasoning with salt, pepper, and a hint of cinnamon. You might need to continue adding water (augment it with wine and/or ketchup). That's it. You're done. 

TGIF! Broccoli Slaw

Two sixty-hour weeks, thirty-odd papers, two badly cut fingers, and far too many frozen, canned, and boxed dinners later, I'm finally getting back into the kitchen. Tonight: what to do with the broccoli stalks that you don't want to steam.

DIY Broccoli Slaw
1. Cut the florets off of the stalks. Cut off the dried ends. Remove all of the tough fibers and skin. (A peeler probably isn't going to work. Use your knife.
2. Grate the stalks and one peeled carrot into a bowl. You'll probably have about a cup (half a cup if you pack it). Add 2 minced scallions (as much green as you can manage without it getting tough).
3. Add 1 t. of mayo. Mix it in. You want everything to be coated. Add more if you need.
4. Add a few drops of red wine vinegar, a small squirt of mustard, and some salt. You might need a pinch of sugar, but the broccoli and carrots are pretty sweet.
5. That's it.

Drunken Clementine Pie

Awhile back, I wondered aloud if I could make a Creamsicle pie. A friend, trying to be helpful, piped up, "Sure! Just use orange sherbet and top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!" That wasn't quite what I had in mind. Any fool could come up with that. I wanted a real, homemade orange meringue pie. I wasn't sure how to do it and eventually forgot about it.

Then, I came across Sweety Pies, a fantastic pie cookbook by Patty Pinner. My dad had a copy, and out of it I made my first pecan pie. It was amazing. I also found the pictures and stories that accompanied each recipe positively charming, so as soon as I found a copy at Half Price Books, I bought a copy. This is an adaptation of Almeta McCray's Tangerine Meringue Pie, found on page 149.

You'll need:
one crust for a 9-inch pie, fully pre-baked
1 to 1 1/4 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
a pinch of salt
1/2 c. fresh clementine juice
4 eggs, separated
graded zest of 1 or 2 clementines
1/2 stick butter
mandarin orange vodka
1/2 c. sugar
2 additional egg whites, if needed
vanilla or whipped cream vodka

Mixi the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large saucepan, then whisk in the clementine juice. Add the egg yolks and mix well. Add the butter and zest.

Cook over medium heat, still whisking, until it starts to bubble. Turn the heat down and continue to stir as the filling thickens. Add 1-2 oz of the vodka, and continue to cook. Give it a taste and see if you need more of anything, like sugar. The process will take 8-10 minutes. Once you have the right consistency, pour the filling into the pie crust. Preheat the oven to 350.

Now, make the meringue. Beat the egg whites and sugar until soft peaks form. Add about 1 oz. of the vanilla or whipped cream vodka (or, if you can find Creamsicle vodka, add that) and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. They'll be nice and shiny because of the sugar. Mound it onto the filling, swirling to make it pretty. Bake for 8-10 minutes to get the meringue browned. Cool on a cooling rack for 1 hour, then refrigerate for another 3 hours or more.