Winning cooking contest recipes delight the taste buds

First-place recipe in the pecan contest

Mary Boury of Knightdale won $200 and placed first in the pecan recipe competition at the N.C. State Fair with her Pecan Pesto Crostini. Amanda Boury of Raleigh placed second and took home $150 for her N.C. Pecan and Sage Risotto. Gail Fuller of Raleigh won $50 and placed third for her Cheese Pecan Ring with Strawberry Preserves. Harriet Carter of Durham received an honorable mention and $25 for Festive Pecan Couscous.
Entries were judged on taste appeal, appearance, creative use of pecans in recipe, and ease of preparation.
The winning recipe follows:

Pecan Pesto Crostini
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup pecans
1 ½ cloves garlic
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Dash of salt and pepper
Blend all of the above ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add more olive oil if mixture is too thick.

1 loaf of French bread, sliced into medium thin slices
Olive oil
Prosciutto
Shredded Parmesan
Balsamic vinegar
½ cup finely chopped pecans
Brush slices of bread with olive oil and broil until lightly browned. Spread a thin layer of pesto on toasted bread. Top with a thin slice of prosciutto. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese and chopped pecans. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Top Tar Heel Pork Challenge recipe

Gail Fuller of Raleigh won first prize and $200 for her Cheesey Chicken Ham Enchiladas in the Ham It Up! Tar Heel Pork Challenge Wednesday. This was Fuller’s fourth cooking contest top prize and 12th overall placement from the 2013 N.C. State Fair.

Amanda Boury of Raleigh took home second place and $150 for her Tropical Ham Panini. Katherine Gillespie of Zebulon came in third place with her Heart Healthy Ham Supper, winning $100. Mary Boury of Knightdale won $50 as the Honorable Mention for her Mom’s Holiday Ham Muffins.

Recipes were required to include at least 4 ounces of ham per serving and were judged on taste and flavor, creativity, family appeal and ease of preparation.

The winning recipe follows:

Cheesey Chicken Ham Enchiladas

Filling: Enchiladas:
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken 1 pound deli ham, sliced into 16 slices
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons oil 3 tablespoons flour
½ small onion chopped 2 cups chicken broth
7 ounces Rotel tomatoes and chilies ½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder
4 ounces cream cheese 1 cup sour cream
4 ounces diced green chilies 4 ounces diced green chilies, divided
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 7 x 11-inch baking pan.
Saute onions in oil until soft. Mix shredded chicken, 1 cup cheese, Rotel tomatoes and chilies, cumin, cream cheese and green chilies. Heat on low until cheese has melted.
Overlap 2 slices of ham. Fill with 2 tablespoons of chicken and cheese mixture and roll up. Place closely together in pan.
Melt butter in saucepan and stir in flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Take off heat and cool slightly. Stir in second can of green chilies, cumin, chili powder and sour cream. Pour over rolled ham bundles and top with remaining cheese. Bake 40 minutes covered, remove foil and broil on high for 3 minutes to brown cheese.