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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 2021)
HOME & LIVING TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021 APPETIZERS Continued from Page B1 1. Divide the goat cheese into 24 equal-sized balls. With your fi ngers, mold the cheese around each grape until the fruit is com- pletely covered. Keep cold. 2. Mix the walnuts and chives together in a small mixing bowl. Roll each coated grape, one at a time, in the walnut mixture until covered. Place in a single layer in a low, fl at dish, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Per serving: 81 calories; 6 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 7 mg choles- terol; 4 g protein; 4 g carbohy- drate; 3 g sugar; 1 g fi ber; 53 mg sodium; 28 mg calcium Recipe from “The Berghoff Family Cookbook” by Carlyn Berghoff and Jan Berghoff with Nancy Ross Ryan MARINATED MUSHROOMS Yield: 6 servings 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 tablespoons minced shallots 1 teaspoon minced garlic 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 pound small white button mushrooms, washed and trimmed Salt, to taste 2 cups dry white wine 1 heaping tablespoon THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — B3 8 ounces low-fat mozzarella cheese, grated 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried Pinch of ground black pepper tomato paste 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro 1. Place the coriander seeds in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Cook a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the seeds are fragrant. Remove to a plate to cool. Grind to a powder in a spice grinder, with a mortar and pestle or by carefully crushing with a cast-iron skillet. 2. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over me- dium-low heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until soft but not browned, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat if they begin to color. Add the thyme, coriander, bay leaf and pepper. Cook for 1 minute. 3. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt. Add the wine and tomato paste, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until soft, about 10 minutes more. Cool the mushrooms in the cooking liquid. 4. To serve, spoon the mush- rooms and some of the cooking liquid into a bowl, drizzle with the lemon juice and the remain- ing 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. Per serving: 190 calories; 12 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; no choles- terol; 3 g protein; 6 g carbohy- drate; 2 g sugar; 2 g fi ber; 394 mg sodium; 16 mg calcium Adapted from “Bistro Laurent Tourondel” by Laurent Tourondel and Michele Scicolone Hillary Levin-St. Louis Post Dispatch/TNS Herbed Quesadillas appetizers. BLACK AND WHITE BEAN SALSA Yield: 8 servings 3 tablespoons corn oil, divided 1 1/4 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen, thawed 1 (15- or 16-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 (15- or 16-ounce) can Great Northern beans, drained 1 cup chopped red bell pepper 3/4 cup chopped red onion 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 3 garlic cloves, minced, pressed or mashed 1 large jalapeño, seeded and minced 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried) 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin Note: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy, large skillet over high heat. Add corn and sauté until light brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to skillet along with both beans, pepper, onion, lime juice, garlic, jalapeño, oregano, chili powder and cumin. Cook just until spices no longer taste raw, about 2 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Per serving: 175 calories; 6 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; no choles- terol; 7 g protein; 25 g carbohy- drate; 4 g sugar; 4 g fi ber; 360 mg sodium; 58 mg calcium Adapted from “The Bon Appé- tit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook” by Barbara Fairchild HERBED QUESADILLAS Yield: 16 servings 1/2 red onion, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch slices 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 8 (8-inch) fl our tortillas 1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and cut into ½-inch strips 1. Preheat a grill or broiler. Brush the onion slices with 1 tablespoon of the oil and grill or broil 6 inches from the heat for 4 minutes on each side. Separate the rings and set aside. 2. Heat a skillet over high heat. Soften the tortillas by grilling 30 seconds on each side. 3. Mix the onion, red pepper strips, mozzarella, garlic, marjo- ram, oregano and pepper. Divide evenly between 4 tortillas and top with the remaining 4 tortillas, pressing them down gently. 4. Heat a skillet at least 8 inches wide over medium-high heat. Place a quesadilla on the hot skillet and cook until bottom is lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook until other side is lightly browned and cheese has melted, another 2 to 3 minutes. Cut into quarters and repeat with the remaining quesadillas. Per serving: 124 calories; 5 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 9 mg choles- terol; 6 g protein; 15 g carbohy- drate; 1 g sugar; 1 g fi ber; 318 mg sodium; 173 mg calcium Adapted from “The Gourmet Gazelle Cookbook” by Ellen Brown Mistaken identity: Cicada killer wasps aren’t Asian giant hornets By MIA RYDER-MARKS Capital Press Gretchen McKay-Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS Chicken taco lettuce cups are a hand-held take on the popular Mexican 7-layer dip served at parties. Dinner tucked between lett uce leaves Chicken taco lettuce cups inspired by Mexican 7-layer dip By GRETCHEN McKAY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Mexican 7-layer dip is a staple at parties, potlucks and summer barbecues for a reason. It’s easy to throw together, doesn’t require any special ingredients and can be served at room temperature. Now that it’s offi cially summer and the living is supposed to be easy, shouldn’t dinner be, too? It is with chicken taco lettuce cups. They’re inspired by the popular appetizer but more fi lling and easier to eat because all the ingredients are tucked neatly together inside a let- tuce leaf. I used Boston lettuce, which has large, supple leaves that make perfect “cups” for meat and veg- gies, but Bibb lettuce, which has smaller leaves, would work perfectly, and so would Romaine if you desire extra crunch. To spice things up, I opted for Trader Joe’s chicken sha- warma thighs instead of my go-to shredded rotisserie chicken. They come already seasoned and only take 20 minutes to roast. I also subbed in black beans for refried beans. A zesty cilantro-lime dressing, made extra creamy with Greek yogurt, is drizzled on top. Leftovers can be used as a dip for cru- dites or sauce for chicken, steak or fi sh. CHICKEN TACO LETTUCE CUPS For dressing 2 bunches fresh cilantro, rinsed 1 garlic clove, halved Zest and juice of 2 limes 2 teaspoons honey Pinch of ground cumin Pinch of salt 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt For salad 12 Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves 1 cup fresh corn kernels (from 2 ears) 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken, warmed 1/2 small red onion, minced 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed 1 avocado, peeled and diced 2 or 3 plum tomatoes, diced 1/2 cup crumbled Cotija cheese Crumbled corn tortillas, optional, for garnish When your computer is in despair Prepare dressing: Remove stems from cilantro by twisting the bunch between your hands, separating the top leaves from the bottom stems. Place cilantro leaves, garlic, lime juice and zest, honey, cumin and salt into a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth. Then, with the blade running, pour in the olive oil and yogurt and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour dressing into glass container and set aside while you make the tacos. (Makes about 1 cup of dressing). Prepare tacos: Wash and pat dry lettuce leaves with a paper towel, then place on individual plates or a large platter. Place corn in a small saucepan set over medium heat, and toss until it is slightly charred and warmed through. Divide chopped chicken among the lettuce leaves. Top each with minced onion, corn, black beans, diced avocado and diced tomato. Drizzle cilantro-lime dressing on top of lettuce wraps, then garnish with crumbled Cotija cheese and crumbled corn torti- llas, if desired. Serve immediately with your favorite cold Mexican lager. Serves 4. In her 17 years working as an extension entomol- ogist in Eastern Oregon, Silvia Rondon has never received more reports, emails, phone calls and texts with questions asking what type of wasp they just saw. After the Asian giant hornet showed up in Washington last year, many Oregonians have been on alert. However, experts such as Rondon want you to know the wasp you come across is more than likely a cicada killer wasp — which is fairly harmless to humans and pets. “This insect, unless you’re messing with them and trying to touch them, they shouldn’t be a bother. They are a nui- sance, and they’re impres- sive, because they’re very large,” said Rondon. Cicada killer wasps are native to Oregon and emerge during summer. They live 60 to 75 days before they migrate back underground until the next year. Oregonians can expect to see the insect until September. Hot spots for the wasps are primarily in Cen- tral and Eastern Oregon. Rondon said about 70% of her calls come from the Pendleton area. Jim LaBonte, a retired entomologist from the state Department of Agri- culture’s insect pest pre- vention and management program, said Eastern Oregon makes a suitable habitat for the wasps as the area is blanketed with sandy soil and trees. But for the most part, the cicada killer wasp is harmless toward humans, he said. Their prey is another insect — the cicada. The female wasp par- alyzes a cicada with one sting and then drags the insect back to its hole, which is dug 10 inches below the surface of the soil. Sometimes, this can be an all-day endeavor. Karla Salp/Contributed Photo An Asian giant hornet. Once inside the nest, the wasp will dump the cicada into a side chamber and lay eggs. As the eggs hatch, starved larvae eat the cicada alive — which could take weeks, LaBonte said. The male wasps keep themselves busy by fi ghting for a mate and vomiting on their own heads to stay cool in the summer heat. They may sting humans or pets if they feel threatened, such as if they are stepped on or their underground burrow is disturbed. “If you disturb their nest, they’ll get a little agi- tated,” said Tracy Wilson, agricultural literacy coor- dinator at Oregon State University, but the wasps are solitary by nature, so you probably will not see a swarm of them, decreasing the risk factor. People in agriculture or who have home gardens shouldn’t worry either; they only cause min- imal landscaping damage as the wasp digs into the ground to create a nest for its eggs. There are a few dif- ferences between the two wasps. Asian giant hor- nets are larger, about 2 inches long, and have unbroken bands of yellow and brown across their abdomen. The cicada killer wasp has three large stripes of yellow and black around it, and are about 1 to 1½ inches long and have a long stinger. There have been no traces of the Asian giant hornet in Oregon. Wilson said people can send samples or photo- graphs their way if they can’t tell the diff erence. This will help ease the worry and help the ODA track the wasps. Though Asian giant hornets are not a worry for Oregonians, Rondon, the entomologist, does have one bit of advice for anyone who comes across a cicada killer wasp: “In general, stay away from them.” For All your Meat processing needs Schedule Early For our Mobile Truck! Bring in your game scraps for sausage, burger or jerky! Baker County CUSTOM MEATS 2390 11th Street Baker City OR. Owners Del & Jana Woodcock OUTSTANDING M ICHAEL VISIT BAKER’S MOST INTERESTING STORE COMPUTER REPAIR 541-786-8463 M. Curtiss PN-7077A CCB# 183649 Store is open 24 hours Fast and Reliable MOBILE COMPUTER SUPPORT DALE BOGARDUS 541-297-5831 A C ERTIFIED M ASTER A RBORIST 7 am to 7 pm Take Out Only Take out and Catering is Available. 515 Campbell Street Baker City 541-523-4318
