Will Whitted's Improvised, vegetarian recipes

My Vegetarian Recipes:

Vegetarian Tamales

Will's way - makes about 2 dozen tamales

about 4 hours to prepare - 1¹/₂ to 2 hours to cook

The filling:

quantities are left to your discretion - I use about 3 Tbs. of each unless otherwise indicated - the object is to come up with about 2 cups of filling - all ingredients must be finely diced

peas - fresh or frozen
mango - fresh or frozen
cashews - roasted / unsalted
tomato - peeled and seeded - romas work best
tomatillo
cucumber - peeled and seeded - English
red bell pepper - roasted / peeled / seeded - reserve liquid from inside
1 red jalapeno pepper - roasted / peeled / seeded
1 green jalapeno pepper - roasted / peeled / seeded

sauté together in olive oil 'till carrot is tender and onion translucent

yellow or red onion
carrot
4 cloves garlic
celery or 1 tsp. celery seed

spices to taste:

salt
pepper
oregano
cayenne pepper
chili powder
cumin

de`glasse' with juice of a lime and liquid from inside roasted red pepper

The corny part:

Thoroughly mix:

4 cups masa harina
4 tsp. double-acting baking powder
2 tsp. salt

In another bowl, cream until light and fluffy

1 cup mascarpone cheese

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the whipped cheese until fully incorporated (this requires a mighty mixer or a strong-armed cook). Slowly beat in

3 cups of vegetable stock

Some assembly required: (this is the time consuming part)

Put the dried outer husks of 5 or 6 ears of corn into 6 quarts of water and bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, turn off the heat and let the husks soak for five or ten minutes. Drain the hot water and cover the husks with cool water. Remove and drain a few husks at a time as you assemble the tamales. You need a husk about a foot long and 5 inches wide for each tamale. You can overlap multiple husks to achieve the desired acreage.

Spoon a couple of Tbs. of batter into the center of the leaves and spread it out into a square about 4 inches on a side and a 1/4 inch thick. Spoon a generous Tbs. of filling along the center of the batter square working along the long axis of the leaf. Roll the leaves to close the batter over the filling then fold both ends toward the center to seal the tamale inside. Use a narrow strip of corn husk the tie the folded ends down.

To cook:

Put a small amount of water and a steaming rack into a large pot. The water shouldn't touch the tamales when they are placed on the steaming rack. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer and let the tamales steam for 1¹/₂ to 2 hours or until the husks pull easily away from the tamale. Remove the tamales from the steamer and let them rest for about five minutes then serve.

Alternately, you can freeze the cooked tamales and reheat them in the microwave (five minutes on high plus a five minute rest) or steam them for a half hour.

Thanksgiving Stuffing

No turkeys need apply - makes about 6 cups

about 45 minutes to prepare - 20 to 30 minutes to cook

Preheat oven to 325 - 350 degrees F.

Prepare

1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. canola or other vegetable oil
1 med. yellow onion finely diced
4 cloves of garlic macerated
1 tsp. each
sage
marjoram
parsley
thyme
basil

^{1/₂tsp. each

salt

pepper

rosemary (chop leaves as fine as possible)}

Heat a heavy skillet over a high flame.

Add the oil and butter and reduce the heat to medium high.
When the oil is hot add the onion, garlic, and spices.
Sauté until the onion is translucent. Avoid browning.

Add:

1 Granny Smith apple peeled, cored, and diced
1¹/₂ C. red flame grapes (seedless)
1 C. shelled pecan halves

Continue cooking mixture another couple of minutes

Then deglazé with

¹/₂ C. dry sherry or marsala

Reduce liquid by half then add

3 C. vegetable stock

Bring stock to a boil then reduce heat to simmer.

Simmer for 5 minutes.
Coat the inside of a large, oven safe, casserole dish with butter.

Add

3 C. dried, crumbled cornbread
3 C. dried, cubed sour dough bread
(may be dried in oven - 200 deg. F. for 20 minutes)

Mix the bread crumbs and cubes thoroughly then add the simmering