Recipes for Life (7 page)

2 (19-ounce) cans mild red chile enchilada sauce (I like Las Palmas)

3 cups chicken broth

¼ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1 chicken bouillon cube

1 pound cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken from the supermarket works well)

1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated

2 bunches scallions (including some of the green tops), sliced, divided

Vegetable oil

12 corn tortillas

1 (16-ounce) container sour cream

First make the enchilada sauce. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Stir in the flour and cook over very low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring. This cooking of the roux prevents the sauce from having a raw, floury taste. Do not allow the flour to burn, though it is all right if it colors slightly. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for a minute or so. Stir in the enchilada sauce and the chicken broth. Return the pan to the heat and bring the sauce to a simmer while stirring with a wire whisk. Add the herbs and chicken bouillon and let simmer over very low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. If the sauce seems thin, continue simmering a few minutes longer. Set aside, covered.

Make the filling by shredding the one pound of meat from the rotisserie chicken into bite-size pieces, then combining it in a mixing bowl with the Monterey Jack cheese and half the scallions. Mix well to blend.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat ⅛ inch of oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Dip one tortilla at a time into the hot oil for a few seconds to soften it. Remove and put on a plate with paper towels; pat dry and set aside. Continue with the rest of the tortillas, adding more oil as needed.

On another plate, place a scant amount of enchilada sauce and some of the filling mixture in the center of each tortilla and roll it up securely. Place the rolls, seam side down, in a 13 x 9-inch baking and serving dish, taking care that they are at least ¾ inch apart.

Just before baking, reheat the remaining enchilada sauce and pour it evenly over the top of the enchiladas. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is sizzling around the edges of the pan. Before serving, top each enchilada with a large dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of the remaining sliced scallions.

If you don’t think you are a pork lover, you will be after this!

7 pounds lean pork shoulder roast, boneless

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons commercial mixed pickling spices

1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds, or ground cumin

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon dried oregano

5 cloves garlic, pressed

2 tablespoons dark-red chili powder

3 to 4 tablespoons Mexican chili powder

3 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce

2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter

1 large onion, finely diced

2 cups canned chicken broth (or more)

Trim all fat from the pork and cut the meat into 1-inch cubes.

Using an electric blender, grind together the salt, pickling spices, cumin, peppercorns, and oregano. Place these spices in a mixing bowl with the garlic, chili powders, and tomato sauce. Cover the bowl and set the mixture aside.

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the meat and brown very slowly, stirring it occasionally, until most of the liquid the meat gives off has evaporated—this will take about an hour. Add the onion and sauté until transparent. Stir in the sauce mixture and chicken broth and simmer for about 2 hours, until the meat is tender. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more chicken broth.

To make ahead: The flavor will improve greatly if the pork is made ahead and either refrigerated or frozen, then reheated to serve. Reheat at 350°F, covered, for about 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Serve with white rice, buttered noodles, or Rice Casserole with Sour Cream, Cheese, and Chiles (page 40). It’s rich but worth it!

6 cups cooked white or brown rice (page 41)

3 cups sour cream, divided

Salt and pepper

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles, divided

1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated, divided

8 scallions (including some of the green tops), chopped, divided

Cheddar cheese, grated, for the topping

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 4-quart ovenproof serving dish.

Place one-third of the cooked rice in the prepared dish. Evenly dot 1 cup of the sour cream over the rice and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with half of the chiles, half of the Monterey Jack cheese, and half of the chopped scallions. Repeat all of the layers, in the same order. Top with the last third of the rice and the sour cream. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with grated cheddar cheese.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the rice heated all the way through.

To make ahead: The casserole may be stored, baked or unbaked, in the refrigerator for 3 days.

2 cups water

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon vegetable oil or butter

1 cup white long-grain rice

In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the water, salt, and olive oil to a boil. Add the rice and give it a quick stir. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. Then, keeping covered, remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.

Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Serve immediately or keep warm.

TIPS:

Do not remove the lid while cooking rice. The steam is what actually cooks the rice.

You may find it helpful near the end of the 20 minutes cooking time to peek under the lid briefly. You can then see if the rice needs a little more water. You may add water but do not stir. If it is too moist, uncover it and cook a few more minutes.

Always fluff with a fork before serving.

This is my favorite fish taco recipe. I make my fish tacos on flour tortillas but feel free to use corn tortillas if you prefer.

FOR THE AÏOLI:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 large or 8 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 cup mayonnaise

½ teaspoon lime juice, or more to taste

Salt and lemon pepper

FOR THE FISH:

2 pounds firm, meaty fish fillets, such as halibut, cod, or salmon

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

Salt and lemon pepper, to taste

1 small lime, or to taste

FOR THE TORTILLAS:

Cooking spray

12 flour tortillas

4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 cup)

FOR THE CONDIMENTS:

8 scallions (the white and barely green parts only), chopped

½ cup chopped cilantro

2 avocados, sliced (or 1 cup of your favorite guacamole)

2 large tomatoes, chopped

2 to 3 cups thinly sliced white cabbage (about ¼ of a large head)

Hot sauce

Salsa

FOR THE AÏOLI:

Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the garlic and cook until just golden brown. Stir the garlic into the mayonnaise along with the lime juice, and add salt and lemon pepper to taste. Set aside.

FOR THE FISH:

Pat the fish dry with paper towels. (Removing as much liquid as possible from the surface allows the edges to turn gold and crisp up more readily.)

Place a heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 1½ tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon of butter (the butter flavors the oil). When the butter is melted, lay in half of the fillets. Cook, turning once, until the fish is cooked through and the edges are golden. The cooking time will vary according to the thickness of the fish, but thin fillets take 2 to 3 minutes per side and thicker fillets usually take about 5 to 6 minutes per side. The fish should still be slightly translucent in the center when done and easily flake when separated with a fork.

When the fish is done, move to a serving plate and season with salt, lemon pepper, and the juice from half a lime. Keep the cooked fish warm while you repeat this cooking process with the remaining fish.

FOR THE TORTILLAS:

Spritz the cooking spray into the bottom of a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add a tortilla, and when it’s warm on one side, flip it, and add a sprinkling of cheddar cheese to taste. When the cheese melts remove the tortilla. Repeat this process until six of the twelve tortillas have been used.

Put the prepared tortillas on individual plates. Divide half the fish among the six tortillas and serve to your guests, who should add condiments to taste. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining tortillas, dividing the remaining fish among them, and serve.

I
REMEMBER BEING
incredibly anxious when John said he wanted me to meet his good friends Carl and Bunky Vernell. I knew that Bunky was still best friends with Ursula. Although Ursula left John for French star Jean-Paul Belmondo, many believed she would one day try and get him back.

So what were the odds Bunky and I would become friends?

The dreaded day finally came to have dinner at their house in Encino. Bunky answered the door and much to my surprise, as I looked into her eyes, I just loved her. To this day, she has remained my oldest and dearest friend.

Meet my outrageous friend, Bunky.

That first night, I also met Bunky’s family: her eldest, Michael, who was thirteen, the twins, Chris and Kelly, who were six, and her little girl Tracy, who was eight (and who, some forty years later, became my personal assistant while I toured with the play
Legends
).

When it came time for dinner, Bunky brought out her meatloaf and my jaw dropped, along with John’s. It was shaped like a massive phallus, complete with meat “balls” and parsley.

Bunky’s kids just looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
“
Oh, Mom. Not meatloaf again!” Evidently, they had seen all this before.

I soon learned that the reason Bunky was so “inventive” with her meatloaf was because she was bored, a state I have learned brings out the most outrageous in her. She had had a couple of glasses of wine, became inspired by the great sculptor Rodin, and began sculpting her masterpiece.

We spent many fabulous evenings at Bunky’s home and I discovered that her husband Carl was also a great cook. Wanting to reciprocate, I decided to take cooking lessons for the first time.