Fare Exchange: Question of the day — what to cook and how to cook it

It’s that time again, and it’s that topic: What to cook and how to cook it. Here is a short list of catch-up requests: Salmon burgers, coconut rice, power salad and what to do with fresh jalapenos bursting from the garden.

Tish Morgan, who returned to live in Chattanooga several years ago, has not only the answer to how to make a fluffier quiche, but the specific recipe. Her original crustless quiche was printed in “Gooseberry Patch Homemade Christmas.”

Ms. Morgan explained, “I created this recipe for all the low-carbers in my life to enjoy. Slice it in generous squares to serve as a brunch dish with a fruit cup or into smaller squares for an appetizer.”

Crustless Broccoli Quiche

8 eggs

1 (16-ounce) container cottage cheese

1 (8-ounce) package shredded cheddar cheese

2 (16-ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add remaining ingredients; mix well and transfer to a 9-by-9-inch baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes, until center is set and tests clean with a knife tip. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6.

Variation: To make quiche lighter and fluffier, add a teaspoon of water and whip eggs. Cut cottage cheese in this recipe to 8 ounces.

QUICK CAULIFLOWER

Debbie Pataky of Lookout Mountain described the cauliflower she got from a co-worker at McCallie School as “Mmmm good.” Sounds like the right name for the recipe to me. She described the end result as “easy, delicious and quick.”

Cauliflower Mmmm Good

1/4 cup prepared mustard, like old favorite French’s

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 head of cauliflower

1 to 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (mild, sharp, whatever the preference)

In a small bowl mix mustard and mayonnaise.

Wash cauliflower and remove the leaves. Slice in slabs if you want to save cooking time. Microwave on high, covered, until cauliflower reaches desired doneness. This may be done in the large Pampered Chef microwave container, a pie dish, whatever, covered. Add a bit of water to the container if you choose. After 5 to 8 minutes, cauliflower will still be a bit crunchy and that may be preferable.

Remove from microwave and drain water. Slather mustard-mayonnaise mixture all over cauliflower. Cover this with a mixture of the cheddar cheese. Pop back in the microwave, uncovered, and heat watching carefully until cheese is melted.

Serve right away.

HOMEMADE GARLIC CHEESE

Tricia of Walden addressed the fact that a roll of Kraft Garlic Cheese is no longer available must now be made at home as a substitute in many garlic cheese grits recipes (though not in Mary Lynch’s recipe below). This is her version.

Substitute for Kraft Garlic Cheese

1 1/2 pounds sharp cheddar cheese, grated

pound Velveeta

3 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

to teaspoon garlic powder or to taste

Drop of Liquid Smoke, or to taste

Warm ingredients in top of a double boiler or on low heat, until cheeses have melted and ingredients are well combined. Put into storage container to cool and set. Portion as needed. The Kraft cheese rolls were 6 ounces; this recipe would make 4 of those rolls.

GRITS CASSEROLE

Mary Lynch described the recipes that follow as ones “I’ve found and enjoyed making (and eating), that your readers might also like to try. The first is a good basic recipe for cheese grits with garlic; it’s from Food for Thought, put out by Girls Preparatory School.”

The Perfect Cheese Grits Casserole

1 1/2 cups stone ground grits (uncooked)

4 cups water

1 pound (4 cups) shredded cheddar cheese

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons salt, divided

Dash of Tabasco sauce

3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon paprika

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil and stir in grits. Lower heat and continue to stir frequently to keep from sticking, until grits are done.

Combine cheese, eggs, butter, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce with the cooked grits. Stir in butter until melted.

Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with paprika and refrigerate overnight. (If only refrigerated for 30 minutes to an hour, it’s fine.)

Remove from refrigerator about 15 minutes before baking. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

SQUASH

Squash is the main ingredient in Ms. Lynch’s second recipe, “my adaptation of Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock’s recipe for cymling squash in light tomato sauce in ‘The Gift of Southern Cooking.’ I replace the cymling (pattypan) squash with our local yellow summer squash. It’s a nice change from a squash casserole, even though we like those, too.”

Cymling or Summer Squash in Light Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons bacon fat (or butter)

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 small stalk celery, finely diced

1 1/2 to 2 pounds squash, sliced into bite-sized pieces

4 cloves garlic, thinly slivered

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 cups coarsely chopped tomato

3/4 cup chicken stock

Chopped parsley to garnish

Heat the bacon fat and butter (or all butter) in a heavy skillet. Add onion, celery and sliced squash, stirring well to coat in fat. Cook over medium heat until just tender, stirring, often, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, chopped tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer gently about 20 to 30 minutes and then taste for seasoning. Sprinkle on parsley, stir and cook a couple of more minutes.

DESSERT

All those recipes were for the main meal, so here comes dessert.

Phyllis Burzese found those missing marshmallows. Having tasted a homemade, square marshmallow recently, I would recommend the homemade marshmallow as a concept. Ms. Burzese found hers in an advertisement for Diamond walnuts, so this version will logically be coated in nuts.

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Marshmallows

1 3/4 cups walnuts

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1 1/4 cups water, divided

2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Powdered sugar

Chop walnuts fine; sprinkle about 1 cup evenly in 9-inch square pan. Set remaining walnuts aside.

Combine gelatin and cup of the water in a measuring cup; set aside to soften.

In a 2-quart glass measuring cup with handle, combine remaining cup water and sugar. Microwave at high 5 minutes. Stir well until sugar dissolves. Microwave at high 7 to 8 minutes or until mixture reaches 234 degrees. Stir in softened gelatin; let stand until slightly cooled (about 130 F). Stir in vanilla.

Empty mixture into large bowl of electric mixer. Beat at high speed until mixture is very fluffy and increased 4 to 5 times in volume, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Turn into walnut-coated pan and sprinkle remaining walnuts on top. Let stand at room temperature several hours or overnight, until mixture is firm and set.

Use a sharp knife, dipped in powdered sugar, to cut mixture into 1-inch squares. Roll sides in walnuts remaining in pan and additional powdered sugar, if desired. Makes about 1 1/2 pounds.

Thank you for sharing this newsprint meal brought to the table by several of you. And there will be more, always.