White Bean And Pumpkin Seed Masa Appetizer Food

PUMPKIN WITH WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Place beans in a medium saucepan and cover by about 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil; remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse.
• In a stockpot over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Add onion, garlic, serrano chile, and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. Saute until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in hot or sweet paprika and tomato paste; cook for 1 minute. Add beans, chicken stock or water, and cilantro. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for about 35 minutes.
• Peel, seed, and cut half small sugar pumpkin. Add pumpkin to bean mixture, plus additional stock or water to cover, and simmer, partially covered, until tender, about 25 minutes more. Remove and discard cilantro. Serve immediately.

WHITE BEAN AND PUMPKIN SEED MASA APPETIZER

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the tomatillo salsa. Cover and reserve. Then prepare the tortilla dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a dry skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds until they start to brown and pop in the pan. Transfer to a plate. 2. When the pumpkin seeds are cool, grind them coarsely in a food processor and put in a bowl. Add the beans, chives, salt, and pepper. Mix well. The mixture will be thick and hold its shape on a spoon. Reserve. 3. Line a tray with plastic wrap. Prepare the tortilla dough to make 8 tortillas. Press 1 (4 1/2-inch) tortilla. Peel off the top piece of plastic, and lay the tortilla on a flat work surface with the bottom piece of plastic still attached. Put about 1 tablespoon of the reserved bean filling on one half of the tortilla. Carefully fold the tortilla over, using the plastic as a guide, and press the edges together to form a crescent. Unfold the piece of plastic. Seal the edges of the filled crescent. Place on the tray. Repeat, pressing, filling, and folding the tortillas until all are finished. 4. In a deep skillet, pour oil to a depth of about 2 inches and heat until the oil shimmers. Fry the filled tortillas 1 or 2 at a time, until deep golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot, topped with the salsa. From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MASA SHELLS WITH REFRIED BEANS AND CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the salsa. Reserve. Then, prepare the masa shells. Cover and set aside. Then, prepare the shredded chicken. Cover and set aside, or if made ahead, refrigerate until ready to use. Then, in a nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and cook the potato, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onions, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute. Reserve in the pan off heat. 2. In another skillet, pour oil to a depth of about 1 inch and cook over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Fry the masa shells, 3 or 4 at a time, turning once until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels. 3. Spread about 1 teaspoon of warm refried beans on each shell. Add about 1 teaspoon potato and 1 tablespoon of the shredded chicken. Top with 1 teaspoon of salsa and a dollop of sour cream. Add a thin slice of radish on top of the sour cream, if desired. Serve at once. From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TUSCAN PUMPKIN WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Coat a large soup pot with cooking spray and set over medium-low heat. Add onion, cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes.
• Stir in pumpkin, broth, beans and oregano; simmer 8 minutes.
• In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Return soup to pot and reheat; season with salt and pepper.
• Ladle soup into bowls and top each with 1 tablespoon of grated cheese.

MASA PATTIES STUFFED WITH BEANS AND CHEESE

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the dough. Have ready a tortilla press and 2 (8-inch) squares of plastic wrap or 2 small plastic sandwich bags. Then, make 12 egg-size tortilla balls. Put on a plate cover to keep moist. 2. Open the tortilla press. Lay 1 piece of plastic on the bottom and drape the second piece over the hinged lid. Put 1 ball of dough on the plastic on the bottom of the press and lay the other piece of plastic on top of the dough. Lower the hinged lid and press gently to form a 4-inch tortilla about 1/3-inch thick. Open the lid and pick up the fat tortilla. Peel off the top piece of plastic. Flip over the tortilla and carefully peel off the second piece of plastic. 3. Lay the tortilla on the hot pan. Cook until the edges look dry, about 40 seconds. With a spatula, turn and cook the second side for 1 minute. Turn again and cook for 15 seconds. (If it puffs, that's good, it will be easier to cut open for the filling.) Put the tortillas on a plate, cover to keep moist and repeat making small fat tortillas until all are finished. 4. With a small sharp knife, cut a slit in one side of each tortilla and gently slide the knife blade back and forth to make a pocket for the filling. Stuff the pockets with about 2 tablespoons refried beans, 1 tablespoon cheese, and 2 or 3 strips of jalapeño. Brush the gorditas on both sides with oil and cook on a hot griddle or in a hot skillet, turning 2 to 3 times, until flecked with brown but still soft, about 2 minutes total. Serve at once. From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MASA WHITE BEAN SNACK

Steps:

• 1. In a saucepan, bring about 2 cups water to a boil. Add the tomatoes and chiles. Cook until the tomatoes and chiles are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer tomatoes and chiles to a blender. Add the cilantro, garlic, and salt. Blend well. Transfer to a bowl. 2. Prepare the masa dough then, roll the dough into balls 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Cover to keep from drying out. Set up tortilla press. Put 1 piece of plastic on the bottom of the tortilla press. Place 1 dough ball on the plastic covered press. Top the ball with another piece of plastic. Lower the handle and press into 3 1/2- to 4-inch tortilla about 1/8-inch thick. Remove the top piece of plastic. Holding the tortilla with the bottom piece of plastic attached, spread 1 tablespoon of beans on top of the tortilla. Fold tortilla in half, remove the second piece of plastic and shape the tortilla into an oval and pat to flatten. Pinch the edges to seal the beans inside. Repeat until all are filled. 3. Heat a dry nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the filled tortillas on the hot pan, 2 at a time, until light brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until lightly browned. Brush tops lightly with oil. Turn again and cook 1 minute. Brush with oil, turn and cook 1 minute more. Remove to a plate. Cover to keep warm. Repeat until all are cooked. Top each tlacloyo with the tomato sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Serve at once.From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

WHITE BEAN & PUMPKIN SOUP (VEG)

Steps:

• Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water. To use the quick method, rinse the beans and then add them to a large pot with enough water to cover them by about an inch. Bring to a boil, let boil for 5 minutes then turn off the heat and leave covered for an hour. Either method, drain the beans when you're ready to start!
• Warm the olive oil in a soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add in the diced onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so.
• To the cooking onions and garlic, add in the bay leaves, salt and herbs. A note on the herbs: I crush dried whole herbs saved from the garden, you could use fresh, either way chop well. If using ground versions, use much less, around 1/3 tsp each.
• Once the onions are nicely translucent and lightly browned add in the beans, pumpkin and broth. Adjust seasoning and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium low, cover and leave to cook for about 45 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove the lid for the last 15 minutes of cooking if you want to reduce the amount of broth and have it more stew like.
• If you used the quick soak method for the beans, it will need to cook slightly longer, about an hour.