The Galveston County Daily News

It’s always a treat when good food and good friends come together, but this month there’s a way to make it even more special.

Macy’s department stores recently launched the Come Together campaign, encouraging people to gather their friends for a meal and, in lieu of bringing the usual hosts’ gifts of wine or flowers, making a contribution to Feeding America that will benefit local food banks.

Macy’s will match all cash donations brought into its stores, which in this area will benefit the Houston Food Bank.

To simplify party planning, Macy’s has solicited party menus and recipes from all the celebrity chefs on its Culinary Council, including Emeril Lagasse, Martha Stewart, Rick Bayless and 13 others.

The chefs developed not just full menus for themed events, such as Autumn Dinner, Cajun Cookin’, Dessert Party, and other meals ranging from pizza to wine-tasting, but even chose party music to set the mood while cooking or entertaining.

The menus, recipes and playlists all can be downloaded free from the Macy’s Web site.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Macy’s on the Come Together program,” Houston Food Bank spokeswoman Betsy Ballard said. “It’s been a busy year for us — since Hurricane Ike, there’s been a huge need in the coastal communities.”

The Houston Food Bank collaborates with many Galveston County agencies serving the hungry, including Catholic Charities, Gleanings from the Harvest, the Salvation Army and The Jesse Tree.

“In the months after the storm, we were sending down trucks every day, more than 20 million pounds of food that these agencies distributed,” Ballard said.

“Every dollar donated to the Houston Food Bank enables us to provide three meals,” Ballard said. “With Macy’s matching these donations, the Come Together program can have a big impact on the community.”

The collaboration comes at a time when it is sorely needed, Ballard said.

“Food banks around the country have seen a 30 percent increase in the need for their food in the last two years,” Ballard said. “In our service area, it’s been about a 20 percent increase, but it’s catching up with us.”

Locally, Mall of the Mainland and Baybrook Macy’s are active participants in the Come Together campaign.

“We had a kickoff party recently and will be promoting the program heavily,” Terri Noland, Macy’s store manager at Mall of the Mainland, said. “We’ll end it with a big day on Oct. 17, which is our Shop for a Cause day.

“In addition to benefiting the food bank, quite a few local charities are raising funds for their own groups by selling $5 tickets to Shop for a Cause.”

In Houston, celebrity chef appearances will provide live demonstrations for those who might be planning a party around one of the Come Together menus.

Rick Bayless, cookbook author, television chef and owner of famed Chicago restaurants Topolobampo and Frontera, will be at Macy’s Memorial City store Sept. 30 to preview his Mexican menu.

The Come Together recipes don’t require the talents of a star chef, though. They were chosen with the intent that anyone who liked to cook for friends could use them to make a meal to share with friends and family and, in the process, help Feeding America to share its resources with those in need of a meal.

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Sage And Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage

1 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1/4 pounds), tied with kitchen twine

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stir together garlic, sage, salt, pepper and olive oil in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over pork.

Heat a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil. Add pork, and brown all over, about 4 minutes.

Transfer pan to oven. Roast pork, turning occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 145 degrees to 150 degrees, about 20 minutes.

Transfer pork to a cutting board; tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

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Classic Chicken Jambalaya

1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Emeril’s Original Essence

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup green bell peppers, chopped

1 cup onions, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 pound andouille sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 pound boneless smoked ham, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

2 cups rice

2 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup canned whole tomatoes, drained and crushed

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon Emeril’s Kick It Up! Red Pepper Sauce, or other hot sauce, plus more for serving

4 bay leaves

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons finely sliced green onions, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Season the chicken with 2 tablespoons Essence and the salt.

Heat the oil in a small Dutch oven or heavy-lidded pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides, working in batches if necessary, 8 to 10 minutes per batch.

Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add the celery, bell peppers and onions and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the sausage and ham and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the rice, stir to blend, and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire, the remaining 1 teaspoon Essence, the pepper sauce, bay leaves and thyme.

Stir to combine and return the chicken to the pot, nestling the pieces in the rice mixture.

Cover the pot and bake until the chicken and rice are tender, about 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let stand, still covered, for 5 minutes. Garnish with the green onions and serve with hot sauce.

— Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

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Mushroom Quesadilla

2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons corn oil, divided

6 ounces button mushrooms, sliced

6 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into quarters

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 flour tortillas

12 ounces shredded Chihuahuan cheese

1 recipe Poblano Rajas (see below)

Salsa, for serving

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan set over high heat until it is almost smoking.

Add the mushrooms and garlic and don’t disturb for 1 minute. Then toss the mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring until they are beginning to brown and are completely cooked, 6-7 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Reserve.

Lay the tortillas out on a work surface. Sprinkle 2 ounces of cheese evenly over each tortilla. Spread the mushrooms and Poblano Rajas atop the cheese, dividing the mixtures evenly among the six tortillas. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat for 1 minute. Add 1/4 teaspoon oil and turn the pan to coat.

Carefully add the open-faced tortilla and cook until the cheese begins to melt, then fold in half (do not press down) and cook for a few more seconds.

If the tortilla is browning before the cheese melts, turn the heat down a little.

Remove with a spatula to a cutting board and cut into slices for serving. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Serve with your favorite salsa.

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Poblano Rajas

3 medium poblano peppers

1 tablespoon corn oil not divided!

1/2 small white onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic, divided

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directly over a gas flame or on a baking sheet under the broiler, roast the chiles, turning occasionally with tongs until blistered and blackened on all sides, about 5-6 minutes.

Place the blackened chiles in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then peel off and discard charred skin.

Core and seed the pepper and then slice into very thin (1/4-inch) strips. Reserve.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet set over high heat.

Add the onions and cook, tossing until browned but not soft, 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Add the reserved chiles, herbs and salt and cook stirring for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and reserve.

— Recipe courtesy of Rick Bayless

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Grilled Shrimp With Mexican Chimichurri

1/2 head garlic, cloves separated

3 serrano chiles

1 bunch cilantro, tough lower stems removed

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, tough lower stems removed

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt to taste

3 tablespoons water

1 1/4 pounds large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tail section of shell intact

To make the chimichurri sauce, set a dry skillet over medium heat. Lay the unpeeled garlic cloves and chiles in the pan.

Roast, turning frequently, for about 10 minutes for the chiles and 15 minutes for the garlic, or until soft and blotchy brown in spots.

Let cool until they can be handled, and then slip the skins off the garlic and pull the stems off the chiles and roughly chop (no need to remove the seeds).

Place in a food processor along with the cilantro, parsley, olive oil, and 2 generous teaspoons salt. Process until nearly smooth (it will be pasty).

Remove 1/3 cup of the chimichurri sauce to a small bowl. Stir in the water. Cover and refrigerate for later use.

To prepare the shrimp, thread the shrimp onto two parallel metal skewers (or bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water for 30 minutes).

Brush the remaining chimichurri over both sides of the shrimp, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes for the spicy, herby flavors to meld into the shrimp.

Preheat a gas grill to medium-high, or light a charcoal fire and let burn until the charcoal is covered with gray ash but still very hot.

Alternatively, heat a stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat.

When the grill grate or grill pan is quite hot, lay the shrimp skewers on it and cook, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until the shrimp have turned from translucent to milky white.

Serve the shrimp either warm or at room temperature, drizzled with (or accompanied by) the reserved sauce.

— Recipe courtesy of Rick Bayless from “Great Gatherings,” September 2007