Queso Fresco--Baked with Oregano

I do not know much about South American cuisine and I hardly ever reach for recipes coming from that part of the world. One reason for that could be that I tend to be more comfortable with anything coming from the Old Continent. Another could be that I do not have any Latin friends who could introduce me to their favorite home recipes, which always helps break the ice when it comes to embracing an unknown cuisine. The third could be that in the US, South American restaurants are so popular that there is really no reason to make these dishes at home, unless you have some really well tried recipes for home-made dishes, which are not easy to find elsewhere.

But it does not mean that I do not eat South American food, or that I am not intrigued by it. Whenever I shop in the places that sell more South American products than I can find in my regular neighborhood food store, I always wonder what to do with them.

I often buy Latin cream which is very similar to Polish cream. The other day, I also bought queso fresco, the cheese that occupies a very large space in the Latin food store refrigerators but which I never tried before. There are different cheese types called "fresco", sold in big, usually round, pieces. I found a Mexican recipe calling for queso fresco and, interestingly, not much more. It was baked with oregano and garlic and served as a starter. I served it with fresh bread.

It was very aromatic and delicious, accompanied by a glass of a red wine. Molten queso fresco tasted a bit like Halumi or like molten mozzarella. flavored with a strong aroma or garlic and oregano. Oregano is an important ingredient in this otherwise very simple dish. Mexican oregano, like its Greek cousin, has a lot of flavor, so if you make a trip to a Latin store to buy this cheese you may wish to buy Mexican oregano as well.

When I made this dish for the first time, the cheese held its shape after being baked. When I did for the second time, the cheese melted. Nevertheless, each time s it was equally delicious.

Queso Fresco Baked with Oregano

Ingredients:
1 lb (about 500 g) queso fresco, queso panela (if you have neither of them, mozzarella would be a good substitute),
4 garlic cloves,
1/4 cup olive oil,
1 tbsp dried oregano,
freshly ground pepper.

Preparation:
1. Place the cheese in a oven-proof dish.
2. In a small bowl mix crushed garlic, olive oil, and oregano. Pour the oil mixture over the cheese, cover it with plastic foil, and let it marinate for a minimum 2 hours, or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350 F (180C). Take the plastic foil off and bake the cheese for about 15 minutes, or until it becomes soft. Season with freshly ground pepper and serve warm.

Serve with a fresh baguette or crackers.

Marinated Pumpkin--Sweet and Sour Halloween Leftovers

I am sure that these days many, like me, ended up with at least one huge pumpkin sitting on the porch. And I have no doubt that those living in America probably have some family recipes for it. Well, ever since I moved to the US I have been intensively adapting pumpkins and everything from its family to my culinary repertoire. I think I am getting pretty good at that, considering that in Europe I have never been a pumpkin lover.

Around this time pumpkins are present in all farmers' markets and ordinary grocery stores. They are so beautifully shiny and orange that it is impossible to avoid them. So each year, I warm up to them more and more and try a new pumpkin recipe. Last month I posted a pumpkin dish coming from Afghanistan. Today, I would like to share another one, this time a very Polish recipe.

Pumpkins have always been cultivated in Poland. In my home I heard only about two pumpkin dishes: milk-pumpkin soup, that has never sounded appealing to me, and marinated pumpkin that my grandmother and my mother prepared for winter. That version of pumpkin I have always loved and I have not seen in any other cuisine.

In Poland, almost any fruit or vegetable used to be marinated for winter consumption, when fresh produce was very limited. One of them was a marinated pumpkin. I think that condiment could be very successful in the US, especially to accompany a Thanksgiving turkey. Traditionally, we served it with roasted meats and potatoes, most often roasted hams, pork loins, and poultry. So if you have never tried marinated sweet and sour pumpkin, here is the idea how to make a good of use of at least a part of that Halloween leftover sitting on your porch.

Marinated Pumpkin
(For a 750g or 24oz jar)

Ingredients:
1 lb of pumpkin, cut into small cubes,
1 cup, 5 percent acidity white vinegar,
1 cup sugar,
1/2 cup water,
6 cloves,
6 grains all spice,
2 bay leaves,

Preparation:
1. In a medium pot boil water with 2 tbsp of salt. Add pumpkin and boil for 2-5 minutes. The exact time will depend on how ripe or hard your pumpkin is and you need to check it with a fork every few minutes. Pumpkin should be cooked, but still pretty hard. Drain it on a colander.
2. To make a marinade put all the ingredients in a medium-sized pot and bring it to boil. Let it boil for about 3 minutes.
3. Transfer pumpkin pieces to a preserve jar, pour the marinade in, close the jar, and set it aside. Pumpkin is good already on a next day but if the jar is tightly closed, it can be kept for months.

Serve with all roasted meats and cold cuts.

Bell Pepper Rolls--For Party Dinners

Bell peppers, like tomatoes, can be turned almost into any dish. I have always liked their strong aroma and taste, but I love them even more since I learned years ago that they can be roasted and peeled off. Bulgarians use so much of pepper prepared this way that they invented a special clay pot to make the process of peeling easier. I just broil them in my oven and then peel them off easily.

Pepper-based dishes can enrich any menu, as starters, side dishes, or main dishes by themselves. In the past years I have been cooking and experimenting with roasted peppers a lot. I stuffed, fried, marinated, and pureed them. I also made many roasted pepper-based dishes--a soup, pasta, a tart, and preserves.

Some time ago, inspired by the Bulgarian cuisine where pepper is often paired with Feta cheese, I made slices of pepper rolled with goat cheese and prosciutto. It was an experiment based on the idea "whatever you have in your fridge" when I had unexpected guests coming and no time to do additional shopping. This combination happened to be excellent--the softness and sweetness of roasted peppers, delicate sourness of the goat cheese, and and the smoky taste of prosciutto turned this simple dish into an attractive dinner starter.

It became one of my most popular starters, I prepared it already several times for many of my guests. It tastes and looks great taste and also can be made a day or two ahead. Two of my French friends, ladies who are excellent cooks themselves, asked me to share this recipe. Since a party season is approaching, I thought this was a good time to post this recipe, as some may want to look it up searching for an idea to make a dinner more festive.

I served those pepper rolls with caper fruits, fresh parsley sauce, and a freshly baked ficelle.

Bell Pepper Rolls
(Serves six)

Ingredients:
4 red peppers,
8-10 slices slices prosciutto or Serrano ham,
a log of goat cheese, about 8 oz, room temperature (this is important, as it can be spread more easily without tearing the soft peppers),
marinated caper fruits or capers to decorate,

For the parsley sauce:
1/2 cup of fresh, chopped parsley (can be either Italian or curly),
2 tbsp lemon juice,
1/4 cup olive oil,
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Put whole or half peppers on a cookie sheet in an oven (on the highest rack) and set it for broiling at 400F. Let them broil until the skin on top is blackened and even partially charred. If you broil whole peppers, they should be turned once upside down.

2. Remove the peppers from the oven and place them all in a large container. Cover it with a lid and let the peppers cool down completely.
3. Take the peppers out of the container, remove seeds, and (using a small pairing knife) peel off the skin.
4. Cut each pepper in four and lay on the cutting board.

5. First, spread a slice of goat cheese on each piece evenly, season with ground black pepper, and put a slice of prosciutto on top and roll up.

6. Put pepper rolls in a refrigerator and let them chill for at least half an hour to set.

7. To make a parsley sauce put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until they make a smooth sauce.

Drizzle the rolls gently with the parsley sauce, decorate with caper fruits, and serve.