October menus - includes recipes

Sunset, Oct, 1991

As frostier days and nights arrive, put your oven to work to create speedy, handsome, warming meals. Menus focus on autumn produce and heartier fare. Inspiration comes from the West's rich culinary heritage, blending the flavors of Asia, the Americas, and Europe.

CITY LIGHTS

SUPPER

Glazed Game Hens Sweet Dumpling Squash with Peas Green Salad Onion Brushes Tortilla Sticks Sake Baked Pears in Ginger Syrup

Let the oven do the lion's share of the work for this menu. First bake rolled flour tortillas to crisp. Game hens and dessert pears share the oven next, while miniature squash steam on the range; give the squash a 10-minute head start. The pears finish baking as you eat dinner.

While foods cook, anoint purchased mesclun salad mix with your favorite dressing and make onion brushes. Cut 12 green onions into 4-inch lengths. Make narrow, parallel cuts about 2 inches long from the bulb end.

Glazed Game Hens

6 small (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb. each) Rock Cornish game hens 2 1/2 teaspoons grated tangerine or orange peel 2 cups tangerine or orange juice 2 tablespoons cornstarch 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce or soy sauce 1/2 teaspon crushed dry hot red chilies

Remove giblets from hens and save for other uses. Rinse birds and pat dry. Place birds breast up in a shallow 12- by 15-inch pan.

Mix tangerine peel, juice, cornstarch, hoisin, and chilies; pour evenly over birds. Bake in a 450[degrees] oven, basting every 10 to 15 minutes, until meat is no longer pink at thighbone (cut to test), 30 to 40 minutes. Place birds on warm plates. Skim fat from sauce; pour sauce into a bowl. Spoon onto birds to taste. Serves 6.

Per serving: 655 cal.; 69 g protein; 34 g fat (9.5 g sat.); 13 g carbo.; 4651 mg sodium; 220 mg chol.

Sweet Dumpling

Squash with Peas

Season vegetables with some of the game hen sauce. 6 sweet dumpling squash (8 to 10 oz. each) 2 packages (10 oz. each) frozen petite peas

Deeply pierce squash in several sports. Set on a rack above about 1 inch water in a wok or 6- to 8-quart pan. Cover pan and bring water to a boil; steam until pumpkins are tender when pierced, 20 to 30 minutes.

Place peas and 1/4 cup water in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan. Stir often over high heat until hot, 5 minutes. Drain; keep warm. Protecting hands, cut off squash tops. Scoop out seeds; fill with peas. Set tops on peas if desired. Serves 6.

Per serving: 131 cal.; 5.8 g protein; 0.5 g fat (0 g sat.); 29 g carbo.; 132 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Tortilla Sticks

12 flour tortillas (10-in. size, 20 oz. total) Salt Dip tortillas, 1 at a time, in water and drain briefly. Season to taste with salt. Loosely roll each into a cylinder and fasten with toothpicks.

Place tortillas on 2 greased baking sheets, each 12 by 15 inches. Bake in a 500[degrees] oven until bottoms are golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn tortillas over, switch positions of pans, and bake until tortillas are crisp and deep golden, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Remove toothpicks. Serve warm or cool. Makes 12.

Per piece: 150 cal.; 4.3 g protein; 0.4 g fat (0 g sat.); 31 g carbo.; 275 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Baked Pears in

Ginger Syrup

6 medium-size (2 1/2 lb. total)firm-ripe Bosc or Bartlett pears 3/4 cup water 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons sugar 1/3 cup minced crystallized ginger

Trim bottoms of pears, if needed, so they will sit upright. Fit pears snugly in a shallow 1 1/2- to 2-quart baking dish, such as an 8-inch-square pan. Mix water and lemon juice; pour over pears. Sprinkle fruit with sugar.

Bake in a 450[degrees] oven for 30 minutes. Baste pears with pan juices and sprinkle with ginger. Continue baking pears at 400[degrees], basting occassionally, until they're tender when pierced and richly browned, 30 to 45 minutes longer. Offer warm or cool. Serves 6.

Per serving: 167 cal.; 0.7 g protein; 0.7 g fat (0 g sat.); 43 g carbo.; 9 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

PORK DINNER

BRAZILIAN-STYLE

Spiced Pork Roast Wilted Kale Hasty Hominy Ale or Orange Juice Vanilla Ice Cream Pineapple

Typically Brazilian seasoning of garlic, cumin, and oregano coat this pork roast. It cooks unattended, leaving you plenty of time to prepare the kale and hominy.

Rinse and chop the kale, wilt it briefly in a big pan, and stir in green olives and onions. The hominy couldn't be simpler--just warm it out of the can with herbs and a little olive oil.

Ice cream with fresh or canned unsweetened pineapple makes a satisfying, sweet-tart dessert.

Spiced Port Roast

1 small, boned center-cut pork loin roast, 2 to 2 1/2 pounds 1 tablespoon cumin seed 1 teaspoon black peppercorns 1 tablespoon dry oregano leaves 3 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed Wilted kale (recipe follows)

Trim most of the fat from pork, leaving a thin layer. With a mortar and pestle or in a blender, coarsely crush cumin seed and peppercorns with oregano. In mortar or a bowl, combine seasonings with garlic. Pat mixture all over pork. Shape meat into a neat log, then tie securely in several places with cotton string.