This shrimp dish from chef Michael H. Flores comes together quickly and requires only one pan, so cleanup is easy. Serve it as a main course or as an appetizer.

Shrimp With Garlic and Vegetables

1/2 cup olive oil
15 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon crushed red chile flakes
1 zucchini, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup fish stock or clam juice
1 pound raw Texas shrimp, peeled, tails off
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves, packed
2 teaspoons salt

In the olive oil, sauté the garlic and chile flakes for 5 minutes over low heat. Add the zucchini and bell pepper and continue sautéing for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes. Pour in the wine and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the stock or clam juice and bring to a boil. Once it has boiled, add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Squeeze in the lime juice and add the cilantro and salt.

Serve immediately with crusty French bread for dipping.

Makes 6 entrée or at least 8 hearty appetizer servings.

From Michael H. Flores.

Photo and recipe supplied by Texas Department of Agriculture (www.GoTexan.org).

The pancetta, smoky ham and herbs bring a taste of Italy to this hearty white bean soup.  The sun-dried tomatoes add color and a lively acidity. This mellow, nourishing soup recipe is from personal chef Sarah Penrod, owner of the local Chef for Life. Contact chef Penrod at (210) 264-8988.

Tuscan Bean Soup
1 ounce pancetta OR 1 slice bacon, cut in small dice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ounces smoked ham (1 thick slice from the deli), cut into small dice
¼ cup diced onions (cut in small dice)
¼ cup diced carrots (cut in small dice)
¼ cup diced celery (cut in small dice)
¼ cup thinly sliced leek
4 cloves roasted garlic, mashed
1 bay leaf
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon leaf thyme
1 tablespoon chopped basil
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¾ pound dry white beans, cooked according to package directions OR 2 3/4 cups cooked beans
40 ounces chicken stock
¼ cup minced sun-dried tomatoes
½ cup tomatoes, crushed, with juice
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Place the pancetta or bacon in a heavy saucepan over medium heat with olive oil blend. Render fat, but do not cook meat until crisp. Add onions, carrots, celery and leek and sauté until almost tender.

Add roasted garlic, bay leaf, pinch red pepper, thyme, basil, oregano, cooked beans and stock. Stir ingredients together gently. Bring just to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer over low heat until beans are very tender.

Add sun-dried tomatoes and crushed tomatoes and simmer another 15 minutes. Using a hand blender, purée approximately ¼ of the soup.   (Or, transfer 1 cup of soup to regular blender, blend, then pour purée back into pot.)  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

Makes 6-8 servings.

From Sarah Penrod, chef, Chef for Life

This is a special-event dish with real autumn appeal, as it pairs a game bird with tender, simmered apples and a buttery apple sauce. The pâté is the surprise in the middle. The recipe comes from Byron Bergeron at Fig Tree Restaurant.

Pâté-stuffed Quail

1 quart (4 cups) apple cider
4 Granny Smith apples (peeled and cored, but kept whole)
5 tablespoons butter, divided use
10 (4-5-ounce) boned quail
Sea salt, for seasoning
1 pound black truffle mousse pâté

For sauce:  In a saucepan large enough to hold a quart of liquid and 4 apples, put the apple cider and bring to a simmer. Add apples. Cover pan and poach over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until apples are done but still firm. Remove apples and reduce liquid to syrup (about a cup). Whisk 3 tablespoons of the butter into reduced liquid 1 tablespoon at the time.  Reduce heat and keep sauce warm.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place quail on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with oil and season birds with salt. Insert a portion of the pâté into the cavity of each quail. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and brush the quail with it. Roast the quail for 10-12 minutes or until done at 160 degrees internal temperature. Lightly cover with foil and set aside to rest.

Slice cooked apples  into thin rings. Place 3 or 4 rings in the middle of each plate. Place the roasted quail on top of apples and drizzle sauce around the plate and over the quail.

Makes 5-10 servings.

From Byron Bergeron/Fig Tree, 515 Villita St.

Biga Crunch Granola

Fans of the farmers market each Saturday at the Pearl Brewery will likely have discovered Lilla Bernals’ granola from Bruce Auden’s Biga on the Banks, 203 S. St. Mary’s. If you want to make your own version of this treat at home, you can adapt it at will. Use whatever you have at home and shape it to your family’s tastes.

2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Big pinch of salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup dried currants
1/3 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a bowl combine oats, cinnamon and salt.

In another bowl combine the oil, honey, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir with a whisk until combined, pour on top of dry ingredients and mix to combine. Add coconut, almonds, currants and cherries, and mix until all the fruit and nuts are lightly, evenly coated with the honey mixture. Spread the mix onto a lightly oiled, or parchment lined sheet tray. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola, return to the oven and continue baking about 15 more minutes, remove from the oven and break up any big clumps. Cool completely. Granola can be stored in an air tight container for 7 days.

For Tropical Crunch Granola substitute macadamia nuts for almonds and banana chips for dried cherries.

For Totally Nuts Granola try using only nuts and leaving out the dried fruit; pistachios and hazelnuts are a good combo.

From Biga on the Banks

The first dish I remember having at Checkers Diner, 13835 Nacogdoches Road, was owner Rasol Osoli’s hummus. It was an unexpected dish to find on a menu that celebrates American fare with its burgers, chicken dishes and fried seafood. And it was wonderful.

I’ve had it many times on repeat visits and enjoy how creamy it is, with its slices of black olives on top and crispy pita slices on the side.

It was great to learn that Osoli’s recipe is as easy as it is tasty. His version is also flexible in that you can adjust it to your tastes. “Play with it,” he says.

So, add a little extra garlic, if that’s what you like. Or adjust the amount of tahini, a sesame seed paste that you can find in the Middle Eastern Market, Ali Baba International Food Market, 9307 Wurzbach Road, as well as many H-E-B’s (it’s stocked near the jams and jellies). Osoli also gets his pita from Ali Baba International Food Market, 9307 Wurzbach Road.

Checkers’ Hummus

1 (16-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
2-3 tablespoons tahini
2 large or 3 small cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
Up to 1/8 cup water
Up to 1/8 cup olive oil
Pinch of salt, or more to taste

In a food processor (not a blender), add garbanzo beans and tahini. Process. Add garlic. Process. Add lemon juice, water and olive oil while processing until desired texture is reached. You can add more lemon, water or oil to make it smoother. Add salt to taste. Serve with toasted pita pieces.

From Rasol Osoli/Checkers Diner

Mike Behrend’s Green Vegetarian Cuisine has vegan options plain and simple. Or, a little bit fancier. This dish is a sweet-hot treat enhanced by the fresh flavors of yeasty focaccia, creamy tofu and crunchy walnuts. Green is at 1017 N. Flores St.

Garlic Glazed Tofu on Walnut Focaccia

Focaccia:
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
4 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
¼ cup oil
1 ½ cups bread or all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

Glazed Tofu:
2 (12-ounce) packages of extra-firm tofu
½ onion, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 bell pepper, finely diced
1 serrano, finely diced
10 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup water
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon corn starch
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Alfalfa sprouts
1 avocado, sliced

To make focaccia: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the water, yeast, sugar, salt, herbs, nuts, oil and flours in large bowl and knead for 3 minutes. Add additional flour if needed. Let dough rest for 5 minutes, then roll out to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Place on well-oiled sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. Take bread out. After it cools, cut it into 4 rectangular pieces, then slice in half.

For the tofu: Drain the tofu and cut in half to make 4 (½-inch thick) sheets of tofu.  Place on a well-oiled pan and bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees. For the sauce: Sauté onion, carrot, bell pepper and serrano with the garlic in the sesame oil until slightly browned. In a small bowl combine the water, soy sauce, brown sugar and cornstarch to form a slurry. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the slurry to the sautéed vegetables.  When the sauce thickens, add the baked tofu and reduce to a simmer. Thoroughly coat the tofu with the glaze and simmer for two minutes.

Place 1 slice of tofu with a little glaze on top of the foccaccia and garnish with sprouts and sliced avocado.

Makes 4 servings.

From Mike Behrend at Green Vegetarian Cuisine

With two popular downtown  San Antonio restaurants to her credit, Lisa Wong continues to reign among the city’s top restaurateurs.  Rosario’s Mexican Cafe y Cantina, 910 S. Alamo St., and Acenar, 146 E. Houston St., are popular with tourists, but also bring plenty of San Antonio locals downtown.

Rosario’s Shrimp Nachos are perennial favorites.  The warmed pico de gallo makes a flavorful sauce and the combination of shrimp and melted cheese can’t go wrong.

Rosario’s Shrimp Nachos

To make pico de gallo: Place tomato, onion, cilantro, minced and seeded jalapeño and lime juice in one bowl. Mix well, then set aside.

To make nachos: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice shrimp in half lengthwise for 12 pieces.  Over low-to-medium heat 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon minced garlic. Add shrimp and sauté about 1 minute per side or until cooked through. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

Sauté pico de gallo in same pan with remaining butter-garlic mixture for 1-2 minutes till cooked through.  Set aside.

Take 12 nacho chips (triangular corn chips, homemade preferred) and place on cookie sheet. Place a shrimp half on each chip and top with pico de gallo and grated Monterey Jack cheese. Place in oven until the cheese is melted and the nachos are hot.

After you take them out of the oven top each nacho with guacamole and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

From Lisa Wong of Rosario’s.

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Young Casy of IlSong Garden

For years, Young Cacy has been celebrated for her Korean cuisine in San Antonio. She gained recognition statewide and nationwide as a chef after opening Go Hyang Jib Korean BBQ House in 2000. So popular did this tiny restaurant on Rittiman Road become that she and her husband, Thomas Cacy, moved the restaurant to an address across the street that offered substantially more room. In 2007, she sold Go Hyang Jib to new owners.

Cacy has since focused her attention on Ilsong Garden on Blanco Road. Casual enough for families, but offering excellent Korean fare on a fine-dining scale, including a wine list, Ilsong Garden is thriving.

Cacy developed the recipe for this stir-fried, wine-marinated steak with fresh vegetables during the low-carb diet craze a few years back. The dish is so delicious that non-dieters also order it regularly.

Ilsong Garden is at 6905 S. Blanco Road, just south of Loop 410. Call (210) 366-4508 or click here.

Ilsong Stir-Fry Rib-eye

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon dry or semi-dry white wine
½ teaspoon cornstarch
16-20 ounces boneless rib-eye steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 medium onion, cut into 1-inch slices
1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small tomato, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 (or more or less depending upon taste) jalapeño, sliced into small pieces (optional)
1 teaspoon crushed fresh garlic
Black pepper, to taste
Steamed rice, for two

Mix soy sauce, sugar, wine and cornstarch together until blended, in a medium bowl. Add the cubes of steak, mix it around in the marinade and let it sit for 10 minutes or so.  Meanwhile, place canola oil into wok/pan and heat until it is hot.  Add the meat to the pan, stir it around, cooking until it is as rare or well done as you like. Add onion, zucchini, tomato, red bell pepper, jalapeño, if using, garlic and black pepper. Continue to stir and cook for approximately 1 minute, until the vegetables are tender-crisp.  Serve with steamed rice.

Makes 2 servings.

From Young Cacy, Ilsong Garden

Seafood Cannelloni shows off fresh, summery herbs.

A rich, decadent and tasty Seafood Cannelloni is one of the French-influenced specials that chef Nicolas Lebas is preparing at Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar these days.  The flavors of truffle, tarragon and a dash of Pernod lightly season this dish.

Nicolas Lebas, formerly sous chef at Bistro Vatel, also worked at L’Etoile. He trained in Lyon, France, considered the gastronomic capital of that country. He is assisted in Soleil’s kitchen by Nolan Pierce.

Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar is at 14415 Blanco Road (click here).

Seafood Cannelloni with Mushroom Sauce

1/2 pound tilapia or flounder
1 cup cream heavy cream
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped dill
1/4 cup chopped tarragon
1 cup minced shallots
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash of Pernod, or to taste
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

4 (6-inch) squares of pasta, cooked OR 4 cannelloni cylinders, cooked

For serving:
Mushroom Sauce (see recipe below)
8 spears fresh asparagus, sliced lengthwise and steamed, for garnish
Minced parsley, dill or tarragon to garnish

Put tilapia, cream, egg, dill, tarragon, shallots, garlic powder, Pernod, salt and pepper into a food processor and work to a fine purée.  Place a fourth of the mix into each square of cooked cannelloni pasta and roll it into a cylinder. Or, if using cooked, cylindrical pasta shells, carefully stuff each one with a quarter of the seafood filling. When all four cannelloni are rolled or stuffed, place on a rack in a large pan that has a little simmering water on the bottom. Cover the pot and steam the cannelloni until the filling is just firm, 6-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter the bottom of a medium baking dish, then cover with a thin layer of Mushroom Sauce. When cannelloni have firmed up, carefully transfer each to the baking dish. Mask with more of the Mushroom Sauce, leaving enough remaining sauce to put on plates. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven until the sauce is lightly browned and the cannelloni are hot.

Before serving: Put some sauce on each of four plates and place one of the cannelloni on each. Top with steamed asparagus slices and chopped fresh herbs.

Chef Nicolas Lebas comes to Soleil by way of Bistro Vatel.

Mushroom Sauce

1/2 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 cup cream
1 teaspoon truffle oil
2 tablespoons minced parsley or dill
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Spray nonstick sauté pan with cooking oil. Saute mushrooms until they are golden. Add cream, truffle oil, minced parsley or dill, salt and pepper, to taste.  Reduce  sauce at a gentle simmer until it has slightly thickened.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Nicolas Lebas, Soleil Bistro & Wine Bar

Chef Scott Cohen shows off his Croque Monsieur at Brasserie Pavil.

For the past few months, Brasserie Pavil, 1818 N. Loop 1604 W. at Huebner Road, has been wowing diners with its simple yet spectacular approach to French classics. Among them is chef Scott Cohen’s version of the Croque Monsieur, a griddled ham and cheese sandwich on sour dough bread drizzled with Mornay sauce.

Croque Monsieur

Mornay sauce:
1 pint milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 ounce flour
Pinch ground nutmeg
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
6 ounces grated Gruyere cheese

Sandwich:
2 slices sourdough bread, about 5-6 inches in length
2 ounces (4 slices) Gruyere cheese cut 1/8-inch thick
5 (3-ounce) slices baked ham
1 tablespoon sweet butter

Serve with:
French fries, ketchup, Dijon mayonnaise, 1 sprig frisee, 2 cornichons, salt and pepper.

To make the Mornay sauce: Heat the milk in a small saucepan. Set aside. In a small pot add butter and flour. Cook at medium heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the flour mixture turns a golden blond, about 4 minutes.  Slowly add milk, stirring constantly and slowly. Stir in nutmeg, salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Slowly add cheese, stirring until all is melted.

To make the sandwich, butter each slice of sourdough bread and place butter-side down on griddle top. Add the ham on the top side of half and cheese to the top of the other half. Cook until lightly golden. Press sandwich halves together with the ham and cheese touching. Continue to cook each side of the sandwich until cheese is fully melted and golden brown. Remove sandwich from grill, slice in half. Place on a plate with fries. Garnish with cornichons. Serve the Mornay sauce on the side along with Dijon mayonnaise and ketchup.

From Scott Cohen / Brasserie Pavil

www.brasseriepavil.com

If you would like to see a favorite recipe from a local restaurant, e-mail info@savorsa.com.