June menus - recipes

Paula Smith Freschet

QUICK, SEASONAL, BUDGET-WISE... FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Twilight stretching into June evenings makes supper outdoors an attractive choice, even for weeknights if the menu has plenty of impromptu options. The outing for family and friends at right came together quickly by making use of this month's plentiful produce, cooked ribs from a market delicatessen, and a bake-and-carry cobbler.

Efficient kitchen tools--the blender or food processor and the microwave oven--whip out a fine brunch in minutes. For a simple dinner, nachos with canned beans take on company flair.

Insulation News

Wrap yesterday's paper around foil-sealed hot ribs; tie with twine.

Swimming Vegetables

Pack vegetables with ice in a leakproof container to keep them crisp, cool, and moist.

Dressed-up Cobbler

Wrap a larger napkin or dish towel around oval baking dish; tie ends with raffia.

Freshen Up

Pack a jar with water- and lemon-moistened paper cloths, or buy moist wipes.

SUPPER IN THE COUNTRY

Golden Tomato-Papaya Gazpacho with Basil

Edible-pod Peas, Orange Bell Peppers, and Red Radishes

Pork Spareribs

Crusty Bread

Merlot Apple Juice

Ice Water

Apricot-Blueberry Cobbler with Biscuit Topping

You can plan to make the gazpacho and cobbler the day before your picnic. Just before leaving, pack the vegetables on ice in a leakproof container. Along the way, pick up the cooked and seasoned spareribs at a gourmet shop, deli, or meat market; allow 1/2 to 3/4 pound for each person.

Golden Tomato-Papaya Gazpacho with Basil

2 pounds ripe yellow tomatoes (regular or cherry)

1 large (about 1 1/4 lb.) ripe papaya, peeled, seeded, and diced

1 cup diced cucumber

1/4 cup minced white onion

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar.

2 cups regular-strength chicken broth

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves

1/8 teaspoon liquid hot pepper sauce

Salt

Fresh basil sprigs

Stem small tomatoes or core large ones; rinse and drain. Dice tomatoes; put into a large bowl. Stir in papaya, cucumber, onion, vinegar, broth, basil, and liquid pepper. Add salt to taste. Cover and chill until cold, at least 1 hour or up to a day.

Serve, or transport in a chilled thermos; to enjoy cold, serve within 2 hours. Garnish with basil sprigs. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Per serving: 34 cal.; 1.3 g protein; 0.5 g fat (0.1 g sat.); 7.1 g carbo.; 17 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Apricot-Blueberry Cobbler with Biscuit Topping

1 cup and about 2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca

2 quarts sliced, pitted firm-ripe apricots (about 3 lb. total)

1 1/3 cups blueberries, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Biscuit topping (recipe follows) 1 large egg white

In a shallow 3-quart baking dish, combine 1 cup sugar and tapioca. Add apricots, blueberries, and lemon juice; mix gently. Let stand at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour to soften tapioca; stir fruit mixture gently several times.

On a floured board, roll or pat biscuit dough into a 1/2-inch-thick cake. Cut into rounds with a 2 1/2-inch-diameter cutter. Reroll scraps, and cut. Place biscuits slightly apart on fruit. Beat egg white slightly, then brush lightly on biscuits; sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake in a 400[degrees] oven until fruit is bubbly in center, 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm or cool. If made ahead, cover and store at room temperature up to 1 day. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Per serving: 290 cal.; 3.9 g protein; 8.5 g fat (4.9 g sat.); 52 g carbo.; 234 mg sodium; 22 mg chol.

Biscuit topping. In a food processor or bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add 1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter or margarine; whirl or rub with your fingers until mixture is coarse crumbs. Pour in 1/3 cup milk; whirl or stir just until evenly moistened. Gather dough into a ball.

Place croissants, uncovered, in a 200[degrees] oven to warm and crisp, about 15 minutes. Make fruit spread, then whirl the yogurt shake.

For cafe au lait, blend equal parts hot, strong coffee and hot milk (if desired, froth hot milk with a whisk).

Mango-Peach Yogurt Shake

1 medium-size (about 3/4 lb.) firm-ripe mango, peeled and sliced

1 medium-size (about 1/2 lb.) firm-ripe peach, peeled and sliced

2 cups unflavored nonfat yogurt

2 tablespoons thawed frozen orange juice concentrate

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups crushed ice

Fresh mint sprigs

In a blender or food processor, whirl until smooth the mango, peach, yogurt, orange juice concentrate, vanilla, and ice. Pour into 3 or 4 tall or stemmed glasses; garnish with mint. Makes about 5 cups, 4 servings.

Per serving: 138 cal.; 7.3 g protein; 0.4 g fat (0.2 g sat.); 27 g carbo.; 88 mg sodium; 2.3 mg chol.

Double Raspberry Microwave Jam

In a 2- to 3-cup microwave-safe bowl, heat 1/2 cup raspberry jam made with fruit concentrate (or sugar), uncovered, in a microwave oven on full power (100 percent) until warm, about 1 minute; stir every 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup rinsed and drained raspberries; stir to crush a few of the berries. Serve hot, warm, or cool. Makes about 1 cup.

Per tablespoon: 23 cal.; 0 g protein; 0 g fat; 5.7 carbo.; 0 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

BORDER NACHOS DINNER

Black Bean and Fresh Corn Nachos with Tomato Salsa

Jicama and Avocado Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Coffee Ice Cream with Chocolate-Cinnamon Sauce

Iced Beer

Sparkling Water

You can season the beans as early as a day ahead.

For dessert, stir a little ground cinnamon into chocolate sauce for ice cream.

Black Bean and Fresh Corn Nachos with Tomato Salsa

Black beans (directions follow)

2 cups fresh-cut corn kernels (from 2 medium-size ears yellow or white corn, or 1 ear of each)

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded jalapeno jack cheese

1 bag (about 14 oz.) blue or yellow corn tortilla chips, or 12 (7-in.-size) warm flour tortillas

Thin avocado slices or fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves (optional)

Tomato salsa (recipe follows)

Spoon black beans onto a large, ovenproof platter; spread level into about a 10-inch-long oval. Top beans with corn, then cover with cheese. Bake, uncovered, in a 400[degrees] oven until hot in center, about 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and tuck some tortilla chips beside beans; serve with remaining chips. (Or place rolled flour tortillas beside beans.) Garnish with avocado. Spoon onto plates and top with some salsa. Scoop onto chips or roll into tortillas; add more salsa to taste. Serves 5 or 6.

Per serving: 693 cal.; 21 g protein; 37 g fat (8.4 g sat.); 75 g carbo.; 1,179 mg sodium; 37 mg chol.

Black beans. Coarsely chop 1/2 pound bacon, 1 medium-size (5 to 6 oz.) onion, and 1 clove garlic. In a 10-to 12-inch frying pan over medium heat, stir bacon, onion, and garlic until bacon is crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and discard fat.

Drain 2 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, reserving 1/2 cup liquid. Add beans, reserved liquid, and 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar to pan. Coarsely mash beans with spoon; if made ahead, cover and chill up to 1 day.

Tomato salsa. Core and dice 3 medium-size (about 1 1/4 lb. total) ripe yellow or red tomatoes. Stem, seed, and mince 1 fresh hot chili.

Mix tomato and chili with 1/2 cup minced yellow or red bell pepper, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro, and salt to taste. Serve, or cover and let stand up to 6 hours. Makes about 3 cups.

Per 1/2 cup: 21 cal.; 0.8 g protein; 0.3 g fat (0 g sat.); 4.8 g carbo.; 8.4 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Jicama and Avocado Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Save a few avocado slices to decorate nachos.

6 cups thin silvers rinsed and crisped romaine lettuce

1 cup thin slivers jicama

1 medium-size (about 1/2 lb.) firm-ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons salad oil

Salt and pepper

Arrange lettuce in a bowl; top with jicama and avocado slices.

In a small bowl, mix mustard, orange peel, orange juice, and salad oil. Pour over salad; mix gently and add salt and pepper to taste. Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 108 cal.; 1.8 g protein; 9 g fat (1.3 g sat.); 6.4 g carbo.; 34 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

COPYRIGHT 1992 Sunset Publishing Corp.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group