Chicken and Pesto Turnovers

Total time: About 2 hours

Servings: Makes 4 dozen

Note: From test kitchen director Donna Deane. This recipe uses 13-by-18-inch filo sheets. The turnovers can be baked ahead and frozen. Reheat at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.


Ingredients:

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 crushed garlic cloves, plus 2 minced garlic cloves, divided
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups loosely packed watercress, leaves only (stems removed)
1/4 cup toasted, slivered almonds
18 sheets filo dough
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter or more as needed
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese


Directions:

1. In a nonreactive, shallow baking dish, stir together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, lemon zest and crushed garlic. Add the chicken breasts and rub them all over with the marinade. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. While the chicken is marinating, make the pesto. Purée the watercress, minced garlic, almonds and one-fourth teaspoon salt in a food processor until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the remaining one-third cup olive oil until emulsified. Set aside.

3. Heat a grill pan or grill over medium-high heat. Shake off the excess marinade and season each chicken breast with one-fourth teaspoon salt and a couple grinds of black pepper. Place the chicken on a medium-hot grill and cook until the meat is opaque and firm and a thermometer inserted in the center reads 160 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool, then cut into a one-fourth-inch dice.

4. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush one sheet of filo dough with melted butter. Top with a second sheet and brush with butter. Top with a third sheet. Use a sharp knife to cut the filo dough crosswise into eight strips. Spoon about 1 teaspoon diced chicken at one end of the filo strip. Top with one-half teaspoon of the pesto, then about one-fourth teaspoon cheese.

5. Fold one corner over the filling, forming a small triangle. Continue to fold, as if folding a flag, retaining the triangular shape. The last fold may need trimming. Repeat with the remaining filling and filo strips. Place turnovers in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets, lightly brush with melted butter. Bake till golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Each serving: 68 calories; 2 grams protein; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 5 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 9 mg. cholesterol; 47 mg. sodium.

Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

Traxx Crab Cakes

Total time: 30 minutes

Servings: 5

Note: Adapted from Traxx restaurant in L.A. The restaurant serves these with a chipotle mayonnaise.


Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 tablespoon seeded and minced jalapeño
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 1/2 cups minced sourdough bread (about 2 slices)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon minced cilantro
2 teaspoons minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked and cleaned
Butter and olive oil for frying


Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then add the jalapeño, red onion, sourdough bread, mayonnaise, Old Bay, cilantro, parsley, mustard and panko. Gently fold in the crab until combined.

2. Form the mixture into 10 crab cakes. Heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Melt a half-tablespoon each butter and olive oil in the pan, then fry the crab cakes, two at a time, until golden on each side, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Place the crab cakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and continue to fry the remaining cakes, adding additional butter and oil as necessary.

4. When all the cakes are fried, place the sheet pan in the oven and bake the cakes at 350 degrees until set in the center and slightly firm to the touch, about 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 268 calories; 20 grams protein; 10 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 15 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 172 mg. cholesterol; 460 mg. sodium.


Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

Thai Peanut Chicken Wings

Total time: About 1 hour, plus marinating and cooling times

Servings: 8 to 10


Marinade

Ingredients:

Zest of 3 Key limes
1/2 cup Key lime juice
1/4 cup water
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons chipotle powder
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 to 4 Thai or serrano chiles, or to taste
2 pounds trimmed chicken wings, cut at the joint and wing tips removed (20 to 24 pieces)


Directions:

1. In a blender, combine the lime zest and juice, water, onion, garlic, vanilla, ginger, chipotle powder, soy sauce and serrano chile. Blend until well puréed.

2. Place the trimmed wings in a large, sealable plastic bag. Pour over the marinade and eliminate as much air as possible before sealing the bag. Use your hands to massage the marinade through the bag over the wings. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, up to overnight.


Peanut sauce and assembly

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter, preferably Skippy
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar, sifted to remove any lumps, plus extra to taste
2 tablespoons canola oil, more as needed to thin the sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, more to taste
1 tablespoon Key lime juice, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder, more to taste
Marinated wings
Vegetable oil for frying
1 to 2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
Chopped green onions, for garnish

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the peanut butter, brown sugar, canola oil, sesame oil, Key lime juice, salt and chipotle powder. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the ingredients are combined and the sauce warms; be careful not to overheat or the sauce may burn. Taste the sauce and adjust as needed (with extra brown sugar, sesame oil, Key lime juice or salt). Remove from the heat and set aside in a warm place. This makes about 1 1/3 cups sauce.

2. Remove the wings from the marinade, wiping off the excess marinade with paper towels to dry the wings.

3. Fill a 4-quart pot with frying oil to a depth of 3 to 4 inches. Heat the oil to maintain a temperature of 350 degrees. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375 degrees.

4. Fry the wings, in batches, until the meat is firm and opaque, and the skin is crisp and a rich golden-brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the wings to a large rack on a baking sheet, spacing them at least 1 inch apart from each other. Continue until all the wings are fried.

5. Brush each wing on one side with a light coating of sauce. Place the wings in the oven for about 3 minutes to bake the sauce onto the wings. Remove the wings from the oven and flip them over, brushing the other side with a light coating of sauce. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and bake again for about 3 minutes.

6. Remove from heat and allow to cool just slightly (enough so they can be handled). Meanwhile, thin the remaining sauce if desired with a little extra canola oil, then pour it into a small bowl and garnish with the chopped green onion.

7. Remove the wings to a plate or platter and serve immediately, with extra sauce on the side.

Each of 10 servings: 459 calories; 16 grams protein; 14 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 39 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 29 mg. cholesterol; 11 grams sugar; 238 mg. sodium.

Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

Mexican Lasagna

Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Servings: 8 to 12

Ingredients:

8 poblano chiles
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 onion, cut into rounds
1 cup corn kernels
1 chopped garlic clove
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable broth
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
15 ounces (1½ 10-ounce packages) cotija cheese, divided
9 pieces oven-ready lasagna
6 ounces quesadilla cheese (½ of a 12-ounce package), shredded


Directions:

1. Prepare the chiles: Roast the chiles under the broiler or over a stove-top burner until the skin is charred on all sides. Peel the skin and seed the chiles, then cut lengthwise into long strips.

2. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the corn and chile strips, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until the corn and chiles are warmed through. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce and vegetable broth and heat until hot. Remove from heat and set aside.

5. In a food processor, combine the sour cream with two-thirds of the cotija cheese and blend until creamy but lumpy (this can also be done by hand in a large bowl, using the back of a spoon).

6. Line the base of a 13-by-9-inch baking or casserole dish with 3 lasagna noodles. Add one-half of the corn-chile mixture, distributing evenly over the noodles. Dollop one-half of the sour cream-cotija mixture over the corn and chiles. Place 3 more noodles in the pan, and repeat with the remaining corn-chile mixture and sour cream-cotija mix.

7. Place the 3 remaining noodles in the pan. Sprinkle the shredded quesadilla cheese and remaining cotija cheese over the noodles. Using a spoon, drizzle the thinned tomato sauce evenly over the noodles in the dish.

8. Cover the dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is melted and golden, an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Each of 12 servings: 376 calories; 22 grams protein; 23 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 23 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 54 mg cholesterol; 3 grams sugar; 1,006 mg sodium.

Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times