Dayrecipe Food Community

Anne Rowland of Cohasset, Massachusetts, writes: “The Quincy Ships Brewing Company, south of Boston, is one of our favorite places. We especially love their citrus salsa, which they serve with chips.”

The restaurant has closed, but this spicy salsa is as good as ever.

Makes about 5 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 4large tomatoes, chopped
• 1cup chopped onion
• 1cup chopped sweet onion
• 1/2cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/3cup orange juice
• 3tablespoons chopped seeded jalapeño chilies
• 3tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1garlic clove, minced

DIRECTIONS Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Season salsa to taste with salt and pepper. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)

Zwiebelkuchen mit Speck

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 6 hr (includes dough rising)

Makes 12 hors d’oeuvre or 6 light-lunch servings.

INGREDIENTS

• for dough
• 1cup warm water (100–110°f)
• 1/2teaspoon honey
• 1/4teaspoon active dry yeast (from a 1/4-oz package)
• 2cups high-gluten all-purpose flour (not bread flour) such as sir lancelot high gluten flour*
• 1/2teaspoon saltfor topping
• 5oz slab bacon, rind discarded and meat cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips (about 3/4 cup)
• 3tablespoons cold water
• 2tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2lb small onions (about 8), halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1/4teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1/2teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4teaspoon salt
• 2tablespoons crème fraîche
• 1tablespoon minced fresh thymespecial equipment:a standing electric mixer with paddle attachment and dough hook; a pizza stone; a small offset spatula

DIRECTIONS Make dough:
Stir together water, honey, and yeast in bowl of mixer and let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes. Add flour and salt and beat with paddle attachment at medium speed until a dough forms. Attach dough hook and knead dough at medium speed until dough no longer sticks to side of bowl, 10 to 15 minutes. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough riseat warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 4 hours. (Dough will be sticky.)

Make topping:
Put pizza stone in bottom third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.

Sprinkle bacon in a 12-inch skillet and add water. Cook bacon over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is translucent, about 6 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, then pour 1 tablespoon bacon fat into a 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan. Cool fat to warm, then grease pan with your fingers. Discard any remaining bacon fat and reserve skillet.

With greased fingers, transfer dough to baking pan and stretch into a small rectangle. Continue to stretch until dough is a 10- by 8-inch rectangle, letting it rest about 3 minutes between stretches. (Dough will become more malleable as it rests.)

Assemble and bake tart:
Heat butter in reserved skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook onions with caraway seeds, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Spread onions on a baking sheet and cool completely, 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir together crème fraîche, thyme, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, then dollop over dough and spread evenly to edges with offset spatula. Sprinkle with bacon and onions.

Bake tart in pan on stone until edges of crust are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack until warm, about 10 minutes, before cutting. Serve warm.

* Available from The Baker’s Catalogue (800-827-6836).

ALSACE

Serve with a green salad for a lovely lunch or light supper. What to drink: Gewürztraminer or a dry Alsatian Riesling.

Makes 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4cups (or more) all purpose flour
• 1cup warm water (110°f to 115°f)
• 1teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1/2teaspoon fine sea salt3/4cup crème fraîche*
• 1/3cup large-curd cottage cheese
• 1/3cup sour cream
• 2small white onions, very thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 12ounces 1/4-inch-thick bacon slices cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips
• freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS Combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup warm water, and 1 teaspoon yeast in large bowl; stir to blend well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand until mixture bubbles, about 30 minutes. Stir in salt, then 1 1/4 cups flour. Mix until soft slightly sticky dough forms, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if very sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 500°F. Lightly flour 2 large baking sheets. Lightly flour hands; punch down dough and divide in half. Roll out each half on lightly floured surface to thin 16×10-inch rectangle. Transfer each rectangle to prepared baking sheet. If dough shrinks, roll or stretch each back to size. Puree crème fraîche, cottage cheese, and sour cream in processor until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread cream mixture over crusts. Sprinkle onions and raw bacon over cream mixture, dividing equally. Bake tarts until edges of crusts are crisp and brown, about 14 minutes. Sprinkle generously with pepper; cut into pieces and serve.

*Sold at some supermarkets. If unavailable, heat 1 cup whipping cream to lukewarm (85°F). Remove from heat and mix in 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Cover and let stand in warm, draft-free area until slightly thickened, 24 to 48 hours, depending on temperature of room. Refrigerate until ready to use.

“My family has subscribed to Gourmet since 1942 or 1943,” says Hope Mihalap of Norfolk, Virginia. “This uncomplicated hors d’oeuvre was first served to me at a cocktail party in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, some 35 years ago.”

“Since then I have discovered other people who make it. Some thinly slice the onion and top it with the mayonnaise and cheese, while others chop the onion and mix it into the mayonnaise. Either way, it’s delicious.”

This is one retro recipe we’re glad to revisit. Of the two preparation methods Hope Mihalap describes, we preferred chopping up the onions — the toasts are a bit easier to eat that way.

Active time: 5 min Start to finish: 15 min

Makes 12 hors d’oeuvres.

INGREDIENTS

We adapted this from the recipe for Supper Onion Pie, in the “Savoury Pies” section of Nigella Lawson’s How to Be a Domestic Goddess.We played with the crust to
make it lighter and substituted a yellow onion for the red ones (they turned an unappetizing mauve). We love the way Lawson’s books are written—and agree she’s got some great ideas—but we think you should know you may need to tinker with the recipes before they yield dishes that appeal to an American palate.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 50 min

Makes 6 (light main course) servings.

INGREDIENTS

• for onion topping
• 1 1/2tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1tablespoon olive oil
• 1large onion (1 lb), cut lengthwise into 12 wedges
• 1teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 1/4teaspoon black pepper
• 3oz coarsely gratedgruyère (3/4 cup)for crust
• 2cups all-purpose flour
• 2teaspoons baking powder
• 1teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4teaspoon salt
• 2oz coarsely gratedgruyère (1/2 cup)
• 3/4stick (6 tablespoons) coldunsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 3/4teaspoon dry mustard

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 400°F.

Make onion topping:
Heat butter and oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook onion, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stirin thyme, salt, and pepper, then cool. 3Toss cheese with onion andspread in bottom of a 9 1/2-inchdeep-dish glass pie plate.

Make crust: Blend flour, baking powder and soda, and salt in a food processor. Add cheese and pulse 3 or 4 times to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Whisk together buttermilk and dry mustard in a small bowl and addto processor, then pulse until liquid is incorporated and dough begins to clump (do not let it form a ball).

Turn doughout onto a lightly floured surface and foldit over on itself several times to lightly knead. Form dough into a ball and letstand, covered with plastic wrap, atroom temperature 10 minutes.

Roll out dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into a 10-inch round. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap andflip dough over onto onion. Peel off remaining plastic and tuck dough inside rim of pie plate.

Bake pie in middle of oven until crustis golden brown and firm to the touch,25 to 30 minutes. Cool pie on a rack2 minutes, then invert a platter over pie and flip pie onto platter. Serve warm.