Fare Exchange: Making cheesy Chicken Enchiladas, eggplant recipe from Julia Child

Good morning, May companions. Today the focus is on healthful cooking with anonymous requests for heart-healthy meals for a food-lover, particularly recipes and ideas to make food tasty without salt.

Anonymous would also like any recipes from the Acropolis restaurant, particularly for Greek Lemon Chicken and Eggplant Parmigiana. Also, there’s a seconded request for gluten-sensitive diet recipes, this time from Cassidy G.

CHEESY CHICKEN

The turnaround time was short on the request for chicken enchiladas laced with whipping cream. The sender is G.H., a cook who has prepared her recipe successfully using the meat from a rotisserie chicken.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

4 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces (see note)

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

1 cup sour cream

1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies

1 onion diced and cooked in butter with several shakes of red pepper to taste

1 (1-pound) bag shredded mozzarella cheese

20 flour tortillas, or corn tortillas may be substituted

1/2 cup heavy cream

Note: You may use a roasted chicken from the grocery store and just take the meat off the bones.

Mix cream cheese until smooth; add sour cream and green chilies, this works well in a mixer.

Stir in onions and chicken. Place this mixture by spoonfuls into the tortillas and roll up.

Place in a 9-by-13-inch greased casserole dish. Top with the shredded mozzarella cheese, covering each tortilla generously. At this point you can freeze them if needed.

Drizzle heavy cream over all, just before baking Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

FAVES

Cassidy G. has begun to love cooking in her first year in college. Her favorite recent recipes include the Black Bean Brownie recipe she prepared for Mother’s Day for her gluten-sensitive mother and a Julia Child Eggplant Pizza recipe adapted on kalynskitchen’s blog.

Black Bean Brownies

Spray oil

1 1/3 cups black beans, cooked

4 large, cage-free egg whites

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons organic canola oil

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

6 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Adjust oven rack to the lower third level and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking pan with oil spray, creating a light coating.

Place the bowl and metal blade in food processor. Add black beans and put on cover. Process until smooth, creamy and without any lumps.

Add egg whites, water, oil, cocoa, sugar, vanilla, baking powder and salt to food processor. Secure the lid and process until smooth.

Pour batter into pan, smooth top with spatula and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake for 20 minutes, or until edges start to pull away from the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center cones out semi-clean. Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool.

When cool completely, slice into 12 pieces. Store covered at room temperature.

Julia Child’s Eggplant Pizzas

1 globe eggplant, about 8 ounces and 9-10 inches long

About 1 tablespoon salt for drawing water out of eggplant

About 2 tablespoons olive oil for brushing eggplant before roasting

About 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning for sprinkling on eggplant before roasting

10 large basil leaves, cut in chiffonade strips (optional)

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/3 cup finely grated low-fat mozzarella blend

Hot red pepper flakes for sprinkling finished pizza (optional)

Sauce

2-3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, very finely chopped

1 can good-quality petite diced tomatoes with liquid, or use 3 cups peeled and diced fresh tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning blend

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, use Greek or Turkish oregano

Cut off both ends of the eggplant, then cut it into 3/4-inch thick slices, trying to make them the same thickness. Put the eggplant pieces on a double layer of paper towels and sprinkle both sides generously with salt. Let the eggplant sit with the salt on it for about 30 minutes to draw out the liquid. After the eggplant sits for 15 minutes, turn on the oven to 375 degrees.

While the eggplant sits, make the sauce. Heat 2 to 3 teaspoons olive oil, depending on your pan, and sauté the finely chopped garlic just until it becomes fragrant. Don’t let it brown. Add the petite diced tomatoes, dried Italian seasoning and dried oregano, and let the sauce cook at a low simmer until it’s thickened, breaking up the tomatoes with a fork as it cooks. Add water as needed, a few tablespoons at a time as the sauce cooks, keeping it hot by simmering at very low heat until it’s needed for the eggplant slices.

After 30 minutes, wipe the eggplant dry with paper towels; this also removes most of the salt. Spray a roasting sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray, lay eggplant slices on, brush the tops of the eggplant with olive oil, and sprinkle with dried Italian seasoning. Roast the eggplant about 25 minutes, but “not so long that the slices become mushy and lose their shape,” Julia says.

While the eggplant roasts, thinly slice the fresh basil leaves, if using, and combined freshly grated Parmesan and low-fat mozzarella blend. After 25 minutes, or when eggplant pieces are done, remove eggplant from the oven and turn oven setting to broil. Spread a few tablespoons of sauce on the top of each eggplant slice, sprinkle with thin basil slices, if using, and top with a generous amount of cheese. Put pizzas under the broiler until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. This took 6 to 7 minutes using a toaster oven and in a more-powerful broiler it would probably only take a few minutes.

Serve hot with red pepper flakes to sprinkle on pizza if desired.

POUNDED CHOCOLATE

The following pound cake has been in Linda Leake’s family for generations, and it answers the repeated call for Chocolate Anything and Everything. Leake added, “Icing is a big hit, too.”

Chocolate Pound Cake

2 sticks butter

1/2 cup shortening

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Cooked Chocolate Icing (recipe follows)

Cream butter and shortening. Add sugar gradually, beating after each addition.

Sift flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk. Add vanilla extract before last addition of flour.

Bake in a greased and floured tube pan at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Cool and frost if desired.

This cake freezes well.

Cooked Chocolate Icing

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup milk

1 stick butter or margarine

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Put sugar, cocoa, salt, milk and butter in a large pan. Boil fast for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Start timing when mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract.

Place pan in a bowl of cold water until cool, then beat until creamy.

All good today, all good. As always. And to this we say, “Encore.”