Southwestern Cornbread Strata With Creamy Spicy Tomato Sauce Food

SOUTHWESTERN CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray and place in the oven while you make the batter.
• In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, red pepper flakes and salt. Stir to combine. Add the milk, oil and corn and stir until just combined. Stir in the Cheddar, onions and green peppers and stir just until incorporated.
• Carefully remove the hot muffin tin from the oven and ladle the batter into it. Return to the oven and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Remove from the muffin tin and serve.

SPICY STRATA

Steps:

• Butter 8-by-8-inch baking dish and set aside. Heat butter over medium heat. When it foams, add scallions, and cook until just softened, about 1 minute. Add asparagus and cook until bright green and beginning to soften, about 2 minutes; remove from heat.
• Whisk eggs, half-and-half, salt, cumin, and pepper in a large bowl until evenly combined. Arrange half of the bread in bottom of prepared dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the cheese and half each of jalapenos, cilantro, and asparagus mixture. Pour over half of egg mixture. Repeat layering with remaining bread, another 1/2 cup of the cheese, and remaining chilies, cilantro and asparagus mixture. Pour remaining egg mixture over top.
• Sprinkle strata with another 1/4 cup of the cheese and push to ensure bread is submerged in egg custard. Cover with plastic wrap, put a plate and a 1-pound weight on top (a large can of tomatoes or rice in a re-sealable plastic bag works well), place in refrigerator for 1 to 12 hours.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 325 degrees F and arrange rack in the middle. Let strata sit at room temperature while oven heats, at least 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle strata with remaining 1/4 cup of the cheese and bake until puffed and edges pull away slightly, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Serve with some cilantro, sour cream, and avocado, as desired.

GNOCCHI WITH SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Bake potatoes in a 350 degrees F oven until tender. When cool enough to handle scoop out the insides and put through a ricer to eliminate any lumps. In a small bowl combine the egg, salt and nutmeg. On a lightly floured work surface mound the potatoes making a well in the center. Pour in the egg mixture then, using your fingers or a fork, begin to mix the eggs into the potatoes working from the outside in as to not break the "moat." When eggs are about halfway combined begin to sprinkle a bit of the flour and cheese over the potatoes, continuing to lightly knead, bringing the mixture together adding more flour as needed to make a pliable dough. Once the dough is no longer sticky the dough is done. It is important not to overwork the dough creating gluten giving the dough a dense texture. Working quickly and lightly will give you light, airy gnocchi. Dust the board with flour and roll 1/4 of the dough into a long rope about 1-inch thick. Cut into thumb size sections and set aside, tossing with a bit of flour to avoid them from sticking together. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. Using the back of a fork take each gnocchi and gently roll over the tines by lightly pressing with your thumb and allowing the gnocchi to fall off the fork. Boil gnocchi in a large pot of salted water until they float. When they float they are done. Remove and toss immediately with Spicy Tomato Sauce. Garnish with torn basil leaves and additional cheese.;
• In a large saucepot over medium-high heat add olive oil. Add onions and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add oregano, chili flakes and tomato paste, stir until combined and paste cooks into the mixture, about 1 minute. Add red wine, stirring until almost completely evaporated. Season with kosher salt, pepper, to taste, and tomatoes using the back of a spoon to break up the tomatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook down about 20 minutes. Taste the sauce and add red wine vinegar, cheese and additional salt and pepper, if needed. If desired you may puree the sauce at this point using an immersion blender or keep it chunky. Serve with gnocchi.;

SOUTHWEST CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400ºF.
• Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl until well blended. Add remaining ingredients; mix just until moistened.
• Pour into greased 13x9-inch pan.
• Bake 25 to 30 min. or until golden brown.