Muffin Tin Chef (8 page)

For the Mustard Sauce:
Place the yogurt, mustard, and honey in a small bowl and whisk until combined. Serve with the pretzel bites.

Crunchy wontons provide a nice contrast to the fresh-tasting, creamy avocado mixture. The filling doesn't store well, so try to whip it up as close to serving as possible.
Serves 6 to 12 V

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat both sides of the wonton wrappers with oil. Press the wrappers into 24 mini muffin cups, making sure the bottoms are as flat as possible. Bake until golden and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes, being careful not to burn them. Let cool for several minutes before unmolding.

In a large bowl, stir together the sour cream, lime juice, mint, garlic, salt, and hot sauce or cayenne pepper to taste. Gently stir in the avocado until coated. Divide the avocado mixture among the wonton cups and serve.

These delights hit the sweet, smoky, and savory taste notes. Look for puff pastry in the frozen food department of your grocer. Of course, if you have a cherished DIY pastry recipe, by all means use it. (I don't pretend to have the knack for making good puff pastry.) You can also find prerolled puff pastry at some grocers.
Serves 6 to 12

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease 24 mini muffin cups with butter. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 12-inch square. Cut 24 (2-inch) rounds using a cookie cutter, a 1/4-cup measure, or similar object about the size of the top of a mini muffin cup. Carefully press the pastry rounds into the prepared muffin cups, making sure the bottoms are flat. Poke the bottoms with a fork to prevent puffing.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs and stir in the sausage, apple, cheese, mustard, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Divide the mixture among the pastry cups and bake until the eggs are puffed and set, about 15 minutes. Let cool for several minutes before unmolding.

With a little bit of creativity, it's easy to use your muffin tin to turn out all-star entrees. Several of the recipes in this chapter, such as lasagna and meatloaf, are classic main dishes, but with the unexpected sparkle of being round, not flat. I'm a big proponent of Meatless Mondays (and Tuesdays!) as way to reduce the burden that our heavy intake of animal protein is having on our health and the planet's, so I've included a number of mains that work within the spirit of this noble cause. Best of all, all these make for wonderful leftovers so you're set for another meal or two during a busy work week. When possible, I've imbued these recipes with as many good-for-you ingredients such as whole grains, lean proteins, and vegetables as possible. But I guess that's just the dietitian in me at work.

Most muffin tin lasagnas floating around the Web use wonton wrappers, but I think a more authentic and flavorful result comes from taking the extra effort to use lasagna noodles. When using a store-bought tomato sauce, I'll often jazz it up by blending it with mushrooms, red wine vinegar, red chili flakes, oregano, or other seasonings.
Serves 6 V, F

In a large pot of water, cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions until al dente. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to do this in batches. Divide half of the pasta sauce among 6 jumbo muffin cups. Lay the noodles on a flat work surface and spread the ricotta cheese over each one. Top the ricotta with the spinach, and tightly roll the noodles. Slice each roll in half and stuff three lasagna rounds into each of 6 jumbo muffin cups with the cut sides up. Sprinkle the tops with a dash of salt. Top with the remaining sauce and the mozzarella cheese.

Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let cool for several minutes before unmolding. As they cool, the lasagna rolls will meld together. To unmold, run a butter knife around the edges, place a flat object such as a cutting board on top of the tin and turn upside down. If desired, serve with torn basil, grated Parmesan cheese, and/or additional pasta sauce.

 

LASAGNA ROLLS,
page 64

 

TURKEY POT PIES,
page 66

Wholesome and comforting, pot pies are sometimes unbeatable. This recipe would be a good way to use leftover holiday turkey.
Serves 6 F

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the turkey and cook until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Remove the turkey and rinse the pan. Then in the same pan add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and cook the leeks, celery, and carrot, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the flour, thyme, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the broth, stirring and scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked turkey and the peas. Turn off the heat.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 12-inch square. Using a knife or pizza wheel, cut the pastry into 12 rectangular pieces by slicing 4 vertical rows and 3 horizontal rows. Fit the rectangles into 12 medium muffin cups, making sure there is some overhang. Divide the turkey mixture among the muffin cups. Pull in all four points of each crust over the filling so they meet in the middle, forming individual pot pies. Brush each pie with the egg wash and bake until crisp and deeply golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool for several minutes before umolding and serving.

The best thing about individual meatloaves is they cook in less than half the time it takes regular meatloaf prepared in a loaf pan to cook. Chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce adds a hint of smoky heat and can be found in the Latin section of better grocers.
Serves 6 F

For the Chimichurri Sauce:
Place the parsley, oregano, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times to finely chop the herbs. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste; pulse until combined.

For the Meatloaf:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, use a fork to mix together the shallots, garlic, carrot, oats or bread crumbs, egg, cumin, ketchup or tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, chipotle chile, if using, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Gently mix in the ground meat. Divide the mixture among 12 medium muffin cups and bake until an internal temperature of 160°F is reached, about 25 minutes. Serve with chimichurri sauce.

Try this recipe and you can bid adieu to heavy, greasy, uninspiring eggplant Parmesan.
Serves 6 V

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes, basil, garlic, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste; set aside.

In a small bowl, lightly the beat egg with the water. In a shallow container, combine the panko bread crumbs, oregano, and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Slice the eggplants into 18 rounds 1/4 inch thick. If needed, trim the rounds so the slices fit into the jumbo muffin cups. One at a time, dip the eggplant rounds in the egg mixture, then dredge in the panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Place the eggplant on the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden, about 30 minutes, flipping the slices and rotating the baking sheet after 15 minutes.

To assemble, place a slice of toasted eggplant in each of 6 jumbo muffin cups. Top each with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mozzarella. Top with a sprinkle of the rapini. Place another eggplant slice on top and top with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mozzarella, and evenly sprinkle the remaining rapini among the cups. Place the remaining eggplant slices on top and evenly top with the remaining tomato sauce, remaining mozzarella, and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Bake until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before unmolding. Serve garnished with fresh basil.