Food Nouveau - Read On

Serves 8

TAMALITOS

ROASTED GREEN BEANS

SQUASH WITH SWEET-POTATO SOUP WITH CHIPOTLE SAUCE

ROASTED WILD MUSHROOMS IN RED-WINE REDUCTION

SAGE, ONION, AND WILD-RICE RISOTTO CAKES

CRANBERRY GINGER SAUCE

JICAMA AND CILANTRO RELISH

PUMPKIN FLAN WITH PUMPKIN-SEED PRALINE

APPLE AND PRUNE TART

These tiny tamales can be made a day or two ahead with no compromise. Corn is the essential flavor here, so be sure yours is sweet and fresh by tasting each ear. In the absence of fresh corn you can use frozen, but you should taste that, too.

About 6 dozen dried corn husks (6 oz)
3 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 cups light vegetable stock (recipe follows) or broth
1/2 cup milk
2 or 3 fresh poblano chiles
1 large red bell pepper or 4 pieces bottled Italian roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained
3 cups masa harina (dry corn masa; 10 oz)
1 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion

PREPARE HUSKS:
Soak corn husks in a large bowl of hot water, weighting with an inverted heavy plate to keep submerged, turning husks occasionally, until soft, about 30 minutes. Rinse husks under running water, separating them (and discarding torn, tough, or badly discolored husks). Pile best husks on a plate and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Tear some of the thickest husks into 1/2-inch-wide strips to use as ties. (Keep ties damp as well.)

PREPARE FILLING:
Simmer corn in stock, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in milk and purée in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely, about 25 minutes.

Put chiles and, if using, fresh bell pepper on a rack of a broiler pan and broil about 2 inches from heat, turning them, until skins are blistered and charred, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let stand, covered with plastic wrap, until cool enough to handle. Peel peppers and remove veins if desired. Cut tops from peppers and discard with seeds. Separately chop chiles and fresh or bottled bell pepper.

Sift masa harina with baking powder and salt into a bowl. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Alternately beat in corn purée and masa harina mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until mixture dough. Divide filling in half and stir chiles into one half and bell pepper and scallion into the other. Season both fillings with salt.

ASSEMBLE TAMALITOS:
Put 1 husk on a work surface, pointy end facing you, and, spreading it flat, mound 2 tablespoons filling (about the size of an egg) in center. Bring pointy end of husk up and over mound of filling and fold sides of husk over filling, overlapping. Now gather the protruding end of husk and tie it with a corn-husk strip. (This little purse will expand slightly as the tamalito is steamed.) Assemble remaining tamalitos in same manner.

Stack tamalitos, in a crosshatch pattern so steam can move freely around them, in a large steamer basket. (Tamalitos can also be steamed in batches.) Set steamer over boiling water in a deep heavy pot, without tamalitos touching water, and cover with a folded kitchen towel. (Towel absorbs condensation so tamalitos don't get soggy.) Steam tamalitos, covered with lid, adding more boiling water as necessary, until filling is tender but no longer mushy, about 45 minutes. (If any part is still gummy, steam 10 to 15 minutes more.)

COOKS' NOTES: Tamalitos can be steamed 1 day ahead, cooled completely, and chilled, covered. Just before serving, bring tamalitos to room temperature and steam until hot, at least 10 minutes.

Set a coin in the bottom of your pot so you'll know if all the water has evaporated. If you can no longer hear the coin bouncing around, you need to add more water.

7 qt water
10 large carrots, sliced
4 large celery ribs, sliced
4 large onions, coarsely chopped
2 unpeeled heads of garlic, halved horizontally
Peels of 2 large potatoes
2 medium turnips, coarsely chopped
24 fresh cilantro strips
8 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

Bring water to a boil with remaining ingredients in a 10- to 12-quart pot and boil gently 1 hour, or until vegetables are completely soft.

Pour stock through a colander into a large bowl. Strain stock again, through a fine sieve into another large bowl.

COOKS' NOTES: Stock may be made 4 days ahead, cooled, uncovered, and chilled, covered. It keeps frozen 1 month.

Toss beans with oil and salt to taste. Roast in 2 large shallow baking pans in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans halfway and stirring occasionally, until spotted here and there with dark brown and thinner beans are crisp, 45 to 55 minutes total (depending on size of beans). Season with salt.

Brush cut sides of squash with 1/2 teaspoon oil and arrange, cut sides down, in a shallow baking pan. Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork and roast with squash until very tender, about 50 minutes for squash and about 1 1/4 hours for sweet potatoes.

Cool vegetables and scoop flesh from squash into a bowl. Peel sweet potatoes and add to squash.

Cook onion in remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons oil with salt to taste in a 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in squash and sweet potato, leek, ginger, and 8 cups stock and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

Purée in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a clean pot. Bring to a simmer and, if too thick, add more stock. Season with salt and white pepper. Finish with lemon juice and, if desired, honey.

Serve soup drizzled with some chipotle sauce or swirl sauce in to make a pattern.

COOKS' NOTES: Soup may be made 2 days ahead, cooled completely, and chilled, covered. Reheat before serving.

2 dried ancho chiles (1 oz)
1 dried chipotle chile
2 cups water
1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted

Discard stems from chiles and remove seeds. Rinse chiles under cold running water. Bring chiles with water to a simmer in a nonreactive 1 1/2-quart saucepan. Add onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt, then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally (add more water if necessary to cover chiles), until softened, about 30 minutes.

While chiles are cooking, finely grind cumin seeds with a mortar and pestle or in an electric coffee/spice grinder.

Transfer chiles and vegetables with a slotted spoon to a blender and purée with cumin and 1/4 cup chile water (save remaining chile water) until smooth. (Sauce should be thick but not stiff; add more chile water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary.) Season with salt.

COOKS' NOTES: Sauce may be made 3 days ahead, cooled completely, and chilled, covered. Reheat before serving.