Mexican Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Pungent cotija cheese, a garnish for Tortilla Soup with Chiles and Tomatoes, becomes the main event in this delectable sandwich. As the cheese melts, it melds with the buttery avocado; a layer of cilantro-flecked shallot keeps the richness in check.

Yield:

Makes 2 Large Sandwiches

Ingredients

1. 1 shallot, thinly sliced
2. 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
3. 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
4. 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
5. 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
6. 4 slices bread from a large round loaf
7. 1 1/2 cups coarsely grated cotija cheese (6 oz)
8. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

Directions

1. Stir together shallot, cilantro, lime juice, 1 Tbsp oil, and 1/8 tsp pepper.
2. Top 2 bread slices with half of cheese, then all of shallot mixture and avocado and remaining cheese and bread.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp each of oil and butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until foam subsides. Cook sandwiches until undersides are golden and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn over, then add remaining oil and butter to skillet and cook until bread is golden.

Notes

Tuna Noodle Casserole

My mother came from a long line of New England women who cooked from scratch, but with four kids in the early 1950s, she quickly embraced canned cream of mushroom soup as the all-purpose binding sauce for casseroles, which were the backbone of her meal planning. Tuna noodle was the hands-down family favorite, which was a boon to my mother because she could make everyone happy with the contents of two cans (tuna and soup) and a partial box of egg noodles. When I'm feeling nostalgic, I make it for my own family. I have to admit I now prepare it with my own sauce, embellishing it with extra mushrooms and a little Sherry for flavor.

Yield:

Serves 4 To 6

Ingredients

1. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
2. 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3. 10 oz mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick (4 cups)
4. 2 teaspoons soy sauce
5. 1/4 cup Sherry
6. 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
7. 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
8. 1 cup whole milk
9. 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
10. 1/4 teaspoon salt
11. 1 (6-oz) can tuna in olive oil, drained
12. 6 oz dried curly egg noodles (preferably Pennsylvania Dutch style; about 3 1/4 cups)
13. 1 1/2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (from 3 slices firm white sandwich bread)
14. 4 oz coarsely grated Cheddar (1 cup)
15. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish.
2. Cook onion in 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with a pinch of salt in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to moderately high and add mushrooms, then sauté, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms begin to give off liquid, about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce and continue to sauté mushrooms, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add Sherry and boil, stirring occasionally, until evaporated. Remove from heat.
3. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat and whisk in flour, then cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add broth in a stream, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking. Whisk in milk and simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in mushroom mixture, lemon juice, and salt. Flake tuna into sauce and stir gently. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
4. Cook noodles in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain noodles in a colander and return to pot. Add sauce and stir gently to combine. Transfer mixture to baking dish, spreading evenly.
5. Toss together bread crumbs and cheese in a bowl. Drizzle with oil and toss again, then sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake until topping is crisp and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes.

Notes

Arepas De Queso - Cheese Arepas

The Colombian and Venezuelan small fried corn cakes called arepas have a distinctive roasty-toasty flavor. They’re fantastic topped with a dollop of almost anything you see on the table.

Yield:

Makes 24

Ingredients

1. 2 1/2 cups warm water
2. 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
3. 1 tablespoon sugar
4. 2 cups white arepa flour
5. 1/4 lb coarsely grated queso blanco
6. 1/4 lb grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

1. Stir together water, butter, sugar, and 1 tsp salt in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon. Add arepa flour in a slow stream, stirring. Stir in cheeses, then turn out onto a work surface and knead with your hands until smooth.
2. Heat a 2-burner heavy griddle or a 12- to 14-inch heavy skillet (not nonstick) over medium-low heat until hot. Meanwhile, divide dough into 24 equal pieces and roll into balls, then flatten into 2-inch rounds, covering them with a kitchen towel.
3. Oil griddle and cook half of arepas, turning once, until crusty and golden-brown on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. Continue cooking, turning occasionally, until arepas sound hollow when tapped, 18 to 20 minutes more. Cook remaining arepas in same manner.

Notes

Arepas are best when freshly made.Dough can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered with plastic wrap. Bring to room temperature before using.

Elote Loco - Salvadoran Grilled Corn

El Salvador is the smallest of the Central American republics, and it’s easy to imagine the aroma of corn caramelizing over hot coals wafting from one end of the country to the other. Spreading the ears with a very typical, tangy, crazy-loco sauce gives them verve.

Yield:

Serves 12

Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2. 1/4 cup mayonnaise
3. 1/4 cup ketchup (optional)
4. 12 ears corn in husks
5. 1 1/2 cups coarsely grated queso blanco (5 1/2 oz) or Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

1. Prepare grill for indirect-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium-high heat for gas)
2. Stir together mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup (if using).
3. Pull back husk of each ear of corn, leaving it attached (like a handle), and tie back with a strip of husk. Discard silk.
4. Arrange corn on grill with cobs over coals (or over medium-high heat for gas) and husks over area with no coals (or over turned-off burner for gas). Grill, in batches if necessary, covered only if using a gas grill, turning occasionally, until ears are well-browned and tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Serve corn brushed with mustard mixture and sprinkled with cheese.

Notes

Corn can be cooked in a hot 2-burner grill pan over medium heat; about 15 minutes.

Cheesy Chicken And Mushroom Lasagne

No-boil lasagne noodles are a lifesaver: They can turn what’s often perceived as a party dish into a practical weeknight supper—especially since you have the luxury of simply reaching into the refrigerator and pulling out the main ingredient: half a roast chicken. Leftover lasagne noodles are handy for crumbling into soup.

Yield:

Serves 4

Ingredients

1. 1 (10-oz) package cremini or white mushrooms, thinly sliced
2. 3 garlic cloves, minced
3. 1 tablespoon olive oil
4. 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
5. 1/2 cup dry white wine
6. 1/2 roast chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded (about 2 1/4 cups), and carcass reserved for stock
7. 3 1/2 cups whole milk
8. 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
9. 2 teaspoons thyme leaves
10. 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
11. 12 Barilla no-boil egg lasagne noodles (less than a 9-oz package)
12. 1 1/2 cups coarsely grated Gruyère (3 oz)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
2. Cook mushrooms, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper in oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a 4-qt heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are softened, about 3 minutes. Add wine and simmer briskly 2 minutes. Transfer mushroom mixture to a large bowl and stir in chicken. (Set aside saucepan.)
3. Bring milk to a bare simmer in a medium saucepan. Melt remaining 4 Tbsp butter in 4-qt saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and cook roux, whisking constantly, 3 minutes. Add hot milk in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Add thyme, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve 1 cup sauce. Stir parmesan into sauce remaining in pan, then stir into mushroom filling.
4. Pour half of reserved plain sauce into baking pan, spreading evenly to coat bottom. Add 3 lasagne sheets, overlapping slightly, and one third of mushroom filling, spreading evenly, then sprinkle one fourth of Gruyère over top. Repeat 2 times. Top with remaining 3 lasagne sheets and remaining plain sauce, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with remaining Gruyère.
5. Cover with foil, tenting slightly to prevent foil from touching top of lasagne but sealing all around edge, and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until cheese is golden, about 15 minutes more. Let lasagne stand 10 minutes before serving.

Notes