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Garlic Herb Bread Sure, you can form it into a loaf or baguette and bake it in the oven, but a bread machine is so easy... 1-1/4 c water 2 T olive oil 1-1/2 tsp salt 1 T sugar 1 T dry milk powder 2 T herbs (I freeze pesto or basil oil in the summer and use one of these frozen cubes) 1 oz parmesean cheese, grated 3 cloves garlic, peeled 3-1/3 c flour* 1-1/2 tsp Bread Machine Yeast Put ingredients into bread machine pan in the order given. Set your bread machine to French Bread with Dark Crust setting if you have it. Garlic cloves can be left whole, the machine will break them up, same with the herbs, if you use fresh. * 3 cups of the flour, I use King Arthur Bread Flour, 1/3 I use whole wheat or rye or some other whole grain flour. If you don't have it just use all bread flour. Keywords: Bread Machine, Side, Vegetarian, Easy, Lunch, Dinner, Snack, Bread ( RG918 )

Onion Blue & Blue Cheese Pie This can be a side or an appetizer. If using as an appetizer substitute slices of lightly toasted french bread for the crust. 1 piecrust, baked till just slightly brown 2 red onions, thinly sliceds 1/2 lb good blue cheese, crumbled 6 T unsalted butter, softened 1 T dry sherry or Worcestershire 1-1/2 tsp basil, minced 1 tsp dill weed cracked pepper Line a lightly greased 9 x 11 baking dish with piecrust, prick and prebake until just golden. Oven at 400. Separate onion slices into rings and place evenly over piecrust. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl. It will be lumpy. Cover the onions with the mixture as best you can, but don't worry if some show through. Bake 20 minutes or until top is bubbly and lightly browned. Keywords: Side, Easy, Chocolate ( RG917 )

Doctor’s Orders There must be some sort of convergent evolution going on in the cocktail world. I "invented" a pomegranate cosmo over the weekend. My brilliant friend Steven turned me on to the fact that Pernod or any licorice-flavored spirit does wonderful things to pomegranate juice. Hence, this cocktail 1-1/2 fl oz vodka 1 T Cointreau 1-1/2 tsp fresh lime juice 1 fl oz pomegranate juice (fresh or Pom brand) splash of Pernod, Ouzo, or other licorice-flavored spirit Splash some Pernod into a chilled cocktail glass, swirl it around well, and dump it out. Pour all remaining ingredients over ice in a shaker, shake and strain into the glass Keywords: Cocktail ( RG916 )

English Cheese and Onion Pie While pissaldiere is excellent, an English cheese and onion pie is the other way up, with the pastry on top. Sometimes a plate pie with pastry and bottom, or even a cheese and onion pastie, with the pastry folded round the filling and crimped 8oz/250g cheese such as a sharp cheddar, grated Large onion or two, softened in a little butter 1 lb 500g potatoes, peeled, cooked and cubed or even mashed salt, pepper and a little mustard Season well, but remember the cheese is quite salty Mix the filling together, put in pie dish. Top with pastry. Brush with egg glaze, bake until brown - 20 min 400F. Good hot, warm or cold. You can use any sort of pastry - ordinary short crust, or even shop bought flaky puff pastry turned with some cheese, except that flaky tends to rise a bit much, but is spectacular. Rough puff is good. If you are doing a plate pie with top and bottom crusts, you can omit the potato. Some add eggs and cream to make a quiche like filling, but I think that is wrong. You can add leeks, but that can make the filling watery. Bacon if not veggie... Short crust/ Pate Brisee: 6oz/180g flour 4oz/ 120g unsalted butter.. pinch salt Whizz together until crumbs. Add 2 tbs water and poulse until it forms into a ball. Let rest for half an hour. Or buy the ready made. Rough puff: Same proportions Make the pastry as above with half the butter. Cut the rest into small cubes and and mix with the pastry. Give the pastry two or three turns - roll out, fold sides to middle, rotate by 90 degrees, roll out again, fold again. Keywords: Potatoes, Cheese ( RG915 )

Caesar Salad Dressing For those of us who are coddled egg challenged! 2 egg yolks 2 tsp dijon mustard 5 cloves, garlic, finely minced 1 T lemon juice 1 T lime juice 1 tsp worchestershire sauce squeese, anchovy paste olive oil or canola oil freshly grated parmesan cheese garlic croutons bacon bits, (optional) Using an electric hand mixer or immersion blender, beat egg yolks until pale and thick. This will take about 10 minutes or so. Add the dijon mustard and mix thoroughly. Add the oil in a steady stream until it looks like you've made about 3/4 of a cup, and it is nice and thick. And the garlic, lemon juice, lime juice, worchestershire sauce and anchovy paste and keep mixing. When tossing the salad in a wooden bowl, you can rub the bowl with additional garlic if desired. Taste. Now is the time to adjust for flavour, thickness etc. Add more oil for more dressing. Add a touch of lemon juice if the mixture becomes too thick. Keywords: Salad ( RG914 )

Cuban Margarita A refreshing change from Mojitos when eating Cuban- Not complicated, nothing no one has never heard of --- BUT the sour oranges are key and this drink is not the same with anything else. Seek them out at your local Latino/even West Indian grocery. [Navels, Tangerines, Clementines- all wrong. Blood can be nice but is better in a Martini.] And the tequila MUST be Hornitos Reposado. I think you will find this drink quite - something. Sorry- I don't really get the ingredient list table. Can't seem to add my 3rd ing. Serves one 1/2 jigger Sour Orange 1/2 jigger Cointreau 1 jigger Hornitos Reposado Shake in cocktail shaker with ice, pour all or pour over ice. Garnish with lime wedge [which should be squeezed in bev] Rim with salt and serve in a "short" or old-fashioned glass. This is defn not a "fancy glass" margarita. If you wanted to use an old fashioned style Margarita glass [true cocktail style] for a special occasion, then by all means do- BUT it's gotta be on the rocks. Keywords: Cocktail, Easy, Latin American ( RG913 )

Warm salad of orange and chicken livers with watercress and sherry vinegar dressing This recipe is from theLeaf Salads course in the eCGI This recipe illustrates the principle of combining warm ingredients with salad leaves to provide a contrast of temperature within the dish. It is inspired by chef Nico Ladenis' famous "Hot Foie gras with Caramelized Oranges on Toasted Brioche". We are using the slightly more affordable but no less delicious offal of chicken livers rather than the expensive and tricky to handle foie gras. These are paired with fresh, rather than cooked orange segments which would overpower the more delicate flavour of the chicken liver. The sherry and walnut flavors in the dressing marry well with the liver and the peppery leaves, and the croutons provide that "essential crunch". 500 g fresh chicken livers Vegetable oil for frying 50 ml of sherry for deglazing 1 orange peeled and cut into skinless segments and sliced into halves 1 large bunch of watercress, stalks trimmed 20 baked croutons for the dressing 1 crushed and minced clove of garlic salt and pepper 1 tsp of mustard 1 dessertspoon of sherry vinegar 1 T of walnut oil 75 ml of olive oil To make the dressing, combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Whisk in the oils and set aside. Heat the oil in a large think bottomed pan until smoking. Season the livers then sauté for a few minutes. They should still be pink in the middle. Deglaze the pan with the sherry. Combine the water cress and orange segments in a bowl and toss with the dressing to coat. Divide the salad between 4 plates, piling it into the centre. Arrange 5 croutons over and around the salad, then divide the livers equally between the plates and arrange around the salad. Drizzle over the juices from the pan and a little more of the dressing. Serve immediately Keywords: Salad, eGCI ( RG912 )

Bruce Poole's Salad of Soft Boiled Eggs, Leeks and Anchovies This recipe is from the Leaf Salads course in the eCGI. 4 soft boiled eggs 12 baby leeks or 4 medium young leeks sliced into rounds, blanched until tender then refreshed in ice cold water 1 250 gram tin of salted anchovies 2 baby gem lettuces, trimmed of outer leaves and cut into quarters 1 quantity of tarragon cream Cook the eggs according to the instructions in the Hard Cooked Eggs Course. Slice into quarters and arrange on 4 plates along with 2 lettuce quarters, 3 leeks and some of the anchovies. Spoon over the Tarragon Cream and serve as a starter. Keywords: Salad, eGCI ( RG911 )

Dressing a Green Salad This recipe is from the Leaf Salads course in the eCGI. Green salads are most often a mixture of a number of salad leaves, but here I'm just using two strongly contrasting types; the bitter flavored and structured frisee with the soft textured and blandly sweet tasting English round lettuce. In the UK, round lettuce may be combined with a thinly sliced cucumber and insipid hothouse tomatoes to create the world's most boring salad. With this recipe I wanted to demonstrate that in the right company, it can shrug off years of misuse and be employed to good effect. Here I'm using it as a foil to the stronger tasting frisee, which in turn adds some much needed textural interest and acts as a sort of skeleton to give the salad shape and height on the plate. But to a certain extent, the leaves most important job in this very simple salad is to provide a vehicle for some top quality single estate extra virgin olive oil which plays such a vital role in the dish by adding its own fruity, peppery notes. This recipe also demonstrates the very simple method of dressing salads in the mixing bowl. It's quick and easy and precludes the need for preparing a dressing separately and is also a very good way to build up your confidence in the kitchen when judging volumes and amounts by instinct. yellow leaves from the heart of one large head of frisee 1 round lettuce (butterhead), outer leaves removed best extra virgin olive oil juice of half a lemon salt and pepper Wash and dry the leaves well and place in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over enough of the oil to coat the salad. Squeeze over enough lemon juice to cut through he oil, but not so much that the salad tastes acidic. This is a matter of trial and error and is down to practice and developing your culinary instincts. (Alternatively, follow the instructions for vinaigrette in the Non Stock based Sauces class and pour over sufficient to coat the leaves). Toss the leaves to distribute the dressing evenly and then correct the seasoning if necessary. Allowing one good handful per portion, mound the salad onto a plate and serve as a simple starter or as a side dish. Keywords: Salad, eGCI ( RG910 )

Bruce Poole's Salad of Young English Vegetables with Tarragon Cream This recipe is from the Leaf Salads course in the eCGI. Chef Bruce Poole introduces the recipe: "This is totally delicious with romaine lettuce hearts or any good crunchy leaves. The spring vegetables are simply blanched and refreshed then dressed to order. Good vegetables to use are carrots, radishes, tomato concasse, turnips, broad beans, green beans, peas, leeks and beets (dressed separately)." 1 head of romaine lettuce, trimmed of outer leaves and separated 20 baby carrots, peeled, blanched until tender then refreshed in ice cold water 20 radishes trimmed 2 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and cut into concasse 20 baby or 4 small young turnips quartered, blanched until tender then refreshed in ice cold water 250 g broad beans, blanched until tender then refreshed in ice cold water 250 g peas, blanched until tender then refreshed in ice cold water 8 baby leeks (or 2 medium young leeks sliced into rounds), blanched until tender then refreshed in ice cold water extra virgin olive oil white wine vinegar salt and pepper Tarragon Cream yolks from 2 hard boiled eggs, sieved 1 tsp of Dijon mustard 1 T of white wine vinegar 150 ml double (heavy) cream 1 small bunch of tarragon, finely chopped Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and dress as per Green Salad recipe . Divide the salad equally amongst four plates and arrange attractively. Spoon over the tarragon cream dressing Tarragon Cream Mix the yolks, mustard and vinegar in a bowl, whisk in the cream then stir in the chopped tarragon. Keywords: Salad, eGCI ( RG909 )

Chicory, Caramelized Apple, Salted Pecan and Beenleigh Blue Salad with Mustard and Honey dressing This recipe is from the Leaf Salads course in the eCGI This recipe demonstrates the principle of substitution as a method for creating salads. The inspiration for this dish came from the classic combination of pear, blue cheese (normally Stilton) and walnut, and in particular chef Alfred Portale's recipe "Autumn Salad of pears, Gorgonzola and Walnut Vinaigrette" as published in the Gotham Bar and Grill Cook Book. 4 heads of chicory 2 dessert apples 25 g butter 25 g dark brown sugar 30 pecan halves, salted 200 g Beenliegh or other blue cheese 1 handful of chopped chives for the dressing 1 tsp of Dijon mustard 1 tsp of honey 1 dessert spoon of red wine vinegar salt and pepper 2 floz extra virgin olive oil 2 floz sunflower oil Salad Trim the end of the chicory with a small pairing or turning knife. Seperate the leaves. Peel, core and slice the apples into 16 segments. Place into a bowl of acidulated water if you're not using them straight away. Melt the butter and brown sugar in a thick bottomed pan. Caramelise the apple over a medium heat then allow to cool completely. Dressing Put the mustard honey, vinegar and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to an emulsion. Whisk in the oils slowly. If the resultant dressing is too think, let it down with a little water. Chop the chives as finely as you can manage. Roughly chop 10 of the pecans and 12 of the apple slices and place in a bowl with the chicory. Crumble in half the cheese (dice the rest and reserve), then spoon in enough of the dressing just to coat the salad. Arrange 5 apple slices, 5 pecan halves and 5 cubes of cheese on each plate, then divide the salad mixture evenly and pile it into the centre. Keywords: Salad, eGCI ( RG908 )

Herb Salad This recipe is from the Leaf Salads course in the eCGI This salad is designed as a garnish for starters or main courses. Treated like a vegetable, it should be integrated into the dish itself in order to provide a little explosion of herby flavor. It can be served on a risotto for example or to provide freshness to rich roasted or braised dishes. Most versions of this I have encountered includes frisee for body, but here I am just using soft herbs. You can pretty much use anything you like, but avoid the more woody varieties of herb like rosemary and thyme which will not work. Coriander should only be used in the context of Asian cuisine as its citrus, perfumed flavor can be overpowering. 1 bunch tarragon 1 bunch flat leaf (continental) parsley 1 bunch chives, chopped into 1 inch sticks 1 bunch basil good quality extra virgin Olive Oil white wine vinegar salt and pepper Pick the leaves from the stalks and combine in a bowl. Dress as per recipe for Green Salad Recipe . Using your hands, form very gently into small balls use to garnish the dish of your choice Keywords: Salad, eGCI ( RG907 )

Pasta con le Sarde This recipe is from Pasta Around the Mediterranean in the eCGI 2 fennel bulbs, including their feathery tops. 1 finely diced onion 1 kg of mussels in the shell (Cover them with fresh water, to which you have added the juice of half a lemon, leave for 4 hours then rinse, clean and de-beard.) 100 g pinenuts 3 garlic cloves 20 strands of saffron (a small pinch) 1/2 c of fruity good quality olive oil 1 c dry white wine salt and pepper Zest of one lemon (or half a citron if available), cut into fine slivers, like One recipe of Basic Pasta Dough 1. Roll out pasta sheets until 2 mm thick. Cut pasta into 4 mm ribbons using either a pasta machine or a knife. Alternatively, buy a good quality dried linguine. 2. Remove feathery tops from fennel bulbs, chop finely and set aside. Remove any discoloured outer leaves from the fennel bulbs and put them into a saucepan, cover with water, bring to boil and cook until the bulbs are easily pierced with a fork, about ten minutes. Remove from water, allow to cool and dice fennel bulbs finely. Put aside. Gently brown pinenuts in a saucepan Do not allow to burn! Put aside. 3. Place mussels into a large pot and add the white wine. Bring to boil, cover with lid and steam mussels until they open, about 4-5 minutes. Remove mussels from liquid and put the liquid aside. Discard any un-opened mussels. Strain the liquid through cheese cloth or a fine strainer to remove any debris. Remove flesh from half of the mussels and set aside. 4. Sauté onion in olive oil and when translucent, add crushed saffron and garlic. Stir for one minute, then add the strained mussel liquid. Reduce heat and simmer. 5. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add pasta. Cook pasta until tender to the tooth (al dente), around five minutes for fresh pasta; 10 minutes for dried. 6. Add the diced fennel. lemon zest and toasted pine nuts to the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning. When the pasta is cooked, add it and the shucked mussels to the sauce and combine. Place in a serving dish, top with the rest of the mussels in their shells and garnish with the finely chopped fennel fronds. Serve. Keywords: Pasta, eGCI ( RG906 )

Chestnut Flour Pappardelle with Wild Boar: This recipe is from Pasta Around the Mediterranean in the eCGI Pasta: 200 g of “00” Italian flour or all-purpose flour 100 g of chestnut flour 2 eggs 1 tsp of salt Sauce: 500 g of lean wild boar shoulder (or other game meat) cut into 4 by 6 cm pieces 1/2 tsp of grated orange zest. 50 g of finely chopped unsmoked pancetta 2 onions, one roughly chopped, one finely chopped 2 large carrots, one roughly chopped, one finely chopped 2 sticks of celery, including greens, one roughly chopped, one finely chopped 2 bay leaves, a sprig each of rosemary, thyme and sage leaves, tied in a bundle. 2 T of white sugar 3 T of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 4 T of good quality white wine vinegar 1 c of dry white wine 1 c of chicken stock Salt and black pepper Extra virgin olive oil 1. Take the roughly chopped vegetables and gently sauté in a little olive oil. When beginning to soften, take off the heat and add white wine. Allow to cool. Place wine and vegetables in a bowl, add meat and allow to marinate overnight in a cool place. 2. Drain meat (reserving the marinade) and pat dry. Discard the vegetables. 3. In a large flameproof casserole, sauté the finely chopped vegetables and pancetta in a little olive oil. When the vegetables soften, add orange zest and meat. Gently brown the meat. Add the reserved marinade, chicken stock and herbs. Bring to boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2.5 hours or until meat is tender. 4. Discard the herbs. Strain the meat and vegetables, reserving the liquid, and put both aside. 5. In a small saucepan, gently heat the sugar until it begins to dissolve and caramelize. Add the vinegar and mix until sugar is completely dissolved. Heat gently for 1 minute then add the strained liquid that you set aside in step 4. Reduce liquid to one cup. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add the parsley and the reserved meat and vegetables. The sauce should be very slightly sweet and tangy, but the flavours of the herbs and meat should dominate. Keep sauce warm. 6. Make pasta as directed in Basic Pasta . Roll out pasta sheets until 1-2 mm thick. Cut pasta sheets into 2.5 cm ribbons. Bring a pan of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for about four minutes. Drain. Add the pasta back to pot in which it was cooked, place on low heat and add three quarters of the pasta sauce. Heat through. Place on serving dish and top with remainder of the sauce. Serve. Keywords: Pasta, eGCI ( RG905 )

Cialzons This recipe is from Pasta Around the Mediterranean in the eCGI Cialzons can be stuffed with a variety of fresh fruit including, pears, apples and plums and/or dried fruit such as prunes, currants or figs. In the case of dried fruit it is often plumped up by gently pre-cooking in red wine. In this recipe I am using quinces, as quinces are not only traditional, but also utterly lovely in appearance, flavour and scent Filling: 2 large quinces 250 g of fresh ricotta (not UHT, as it is not suitable for this recipe) 2 tsp of white sugar pinch of salt 1/2 tsp of cinnamon 1/2 T of very finely chopped fresh marjoram 1 egg yolk 100 g of sweet butter One recipe of ‘00’ or all-purpose flour Basic Pasta Dough 1. Pre-heat oven to 160C/325F. Prick quince several times with a fork or skewer (to prevent the fruit from bursting), place in a baking dish and bake for one hour or until the fruit is soft. Allow fruit to cool then peel and remove the flesh into a clean bowl. Mash fruit thoughly to produce a fine puree. Weigh fruit, it should weigh 100-150 gm. Mix this pulp with the rest of the filling ingredients. Taste for salt. 2. Roll out pasta sheets as directed and stuff cialzons as directed in steps 4-5 of the Barbajouan recipe. 3. Cook cialzons in boiling, salted water, until they float, about 3-5 minutes. Test one cialzon to make sure that the pasta is cooked. When pasta is cooked, drain and place in a serving bowl. While the pasta is cooking, brown the butter in a clean pan over medium heat. As the butter heats, it will at first foam, then the milk solids will begin to brown. When these are a medium brown colour and smell ‘nutty’ pour over the pasta, carefully mix and serve. While cialzons are ‘sweet’, rather then ‘savoury’, in modern terms, they traditionally come before the main dish, like most other Italian pasta. I have seen them offered as ‘Dolce’, but I don’t feel that there is any need for that. If one was going to be non-authentic I think that a better way of serving them would be to cook them like pot-stickers, dress them in butter and serve them as a side with roast game such as pheasant or with a roast goose or even turkey. Keywords: Pasta, eGCI ( RG904 )

Nawasar Mafawwra ( Steamed pasta squares with spiced lamb and chickpeas) This recipe is from Pasta Around the Mediterranean in the eCGI 500 g of pasta (pasta squares called “Nawasar” in Tunisian or “Quadratini” in Italy*) 500 g of boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 2.5 by 3.5 cm chunks (or you can use leg of lamb or even lamb shanks). 1 small onion, finely diced 2 T of Harisa 1 tsp of cayenne, Aleppo or other hot chilli powder 2 T of double concentrated tomato paste 2 c of cooked chickpeas 250 g of small potatoes or Jerusalem artichokes (the latter isn’t traditional, I just like them) 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil, plus a few splashes more 3 T of unsalted butter (the Italian Alpine butter is particularly good, its sourness contrasts well with the hot pasta sauce. 4 raw eggs in the shell (wash the shells well) Salt and ground black pepper 1. In a large heavy-based casserole dish or kiskis, if you have one, cook the onion in a little oil until soft and translucent. Remove onion. In the same vessel, brown the lamb on all sides. Do this in small batches. 2. Add all the lamb and the onions back to the pot or kiskis base. Add red and black pepper, harisa, tomato paste and water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the four eggs in their shell. In the last half hour of cooking add the chickpeas and potatoes. Check seasoning at this point. 3. If you have a kiskis, mix the pasta with the remaining olive oil until well coated and add to the top section of the kiskis. When steam begins to appear, place the lid back on and steam for three hours. Yes, that’s right, three hours! Toss the pasta in the kiskis every 20-30 minutes or so to prevent sticking. 4. If you don’t have a kiskis, cook the stew for three hours in a lidded casserole pot and cook the pasta in salted boiling water as per normal. However, the pasta must be cooked to a softer stage than al dente. This is not an Italian recipe after all. When the pasta is cooked, drain and mix with butter until coated. 5. After three hours the lamb should be very tender and the sauce will be reduced somewhat. Remove the meat, potatoes and eggs from the sauce. If the sauce looks very liquid still, reduce it until it thickens. Mix this sauce with the pasta, place in a serving bowl and place the meat, peeled eggs and potatoes on top of the pasta. Serve. * I have difficulty finding this pasta, so I tend to use 2 cm “farfalle” or “orrechiette” pasta, as I happen to like them. ** The eggs cooked in this manner, in their shells, are very good as caramel type flavours start to develop in the egg white. You can use peeled, hard- boiled eggs if you are not convinced. ITALY Keywords: Pasta, eGCI ( RG903 )

Fideos with Clams This recipe is from Pasta Around the Mediterraneanin the eCGI you visit the Mediterranean coast of Spain, in addition to the bland mass-produced paella, you will sometimes see the bland rice replaced with bland industrial noodles. This is sad as these noodles are “Fideos” and they are a very interesting pasta indeed. A pasta dish known as “Fidawsh” is known from medieval Muslim “Spain”. From this origin we get a class of pasta known as “Fideos” in Spain or “Fidelanza/Fedelini” in Italy. These pasta are distinguished by being cooked in their sauce. The following pasta is adapted from Colman Andrews’ excellent Catalan Cuisine: Europe's Last Great Culinary Secret Olive oil for frying onions and pasta 1 large onion finely chopped 400 g of dry Fideos pasta or durum wheat vermicelli broken into 3 cm lengths (these must not contain egg) 1 (400g) can of chopped and peeled tomatoes (or equivalent of skinned, seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes) 250 ml of dry white wine 6 saffron threads, lightly crushed 2 T of finely chopped parsley 500 g of cleaned clams (smaller and sweeter types are best) For allioli/aioli/garlic mayonnaise 3 large cloves of garlic, peeled 1 egg yolk 250 ml good quality olive oil salt and pepper 1. Fry onion gently in a shallow casserole that is designed for stove-top use (or if you have an earthenware cassola, now is the perfect time to use it) until translucent. 2. In a separate pan, very gently fry pasta in a small amount of olive oil, until they turn opaque and a light tan colour. Stir constantly as they can burn if not carefully watched. 3. Add tomato, wine and saffron threads to the onion and bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook at a simmer for 20-30 minutes (this reduces the liquid and removes the ‘canned’ taste from the tomatoes. Taste at this point and correct seasoning. It will need salt and pepper and possibly a pinch of sugar, depending on the quality of the tomatoes. 4. During this time make an allioli/aioli/garlic mayonnaise from the garlic, salt and olive oil (consult your favourite recipe). 5. Add pasta and parsley to sauce and continue to simmer until pasta softens and absorbs the sauce. 6. Add washed clams to pasta and sauce. Cook until clams have opened. Discard any that are closed. 7. At this point the pasta should be soft and the dish should be a loose stew or a thick soup in consistency. Place a few tablespoons of the allioli in the centre of the dish and partially stir into sauce. 8. Serve from dish. Keywords: Pasta, eGCI ( RG902 )

Barbajouan This recipe is from Pasta Around the Mediterraneanin the eCGI Egg pasta made with Italian “00” or all-purpose flour (see Basic Pasta) 1 finely chopped onion 150 g Swiss chard/Silver beet, stalks removed and greens finely shredded. 300 g fresh ricotta cheese 100 g Prosciutto 50 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated 1 egg, beaten Salt, black pepper, nutmeg Additional beaten egg for sealing ravioli Vegetable or peanut oil for frying 1. Make pasta sheets as directed, cover with a clean cloth and put aside. 2. Gently fry onions until translucent and slightly coloured, but not browned. Add Swiss chard. Reduce heat and cook until Swiss chard is wilted. Allow to cool and then finely chop this mixture. 3. Mix together ricotta, prosciutto, parmesan, egg, and the Swiss chard and onion mixture. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. 4. Place a sheet of pasta on a floured bench. Place 1 teaspoon of filling at one end of the sheet, 3 cm from the end. Place teaspoons of filling down the centre of the pasta sheet, separated by 3 cm from each other, until sheet is filled. 5. Brush gaps between fillings with beaten egg. Place second sheet of pasta over the first sheet. Carefully press down between the lumps formed by the filling, excluding all air. Cut into squares, using a ravioli cutter, stamp or a knife. Place ravioli on a floured baking sheet, ensuring that the ravioli are not touching. Refrigerate for 20-40 minutes. 6. Heat oil until 180-90C/350-375F. Fry pasta in small batches until golden brown (the pasta will puff up and expand quite a bit). Drain on kitchen paper, and eat as soon as possible. Excellent with a Rose de Provence wine. Keywords: Pasta, eGCI ( RG901 )

Mlinci This recipe is from Pasta Around the Mediterraneanin th eeCGI These are the most primitive of the pasta recipes in this course and the pasta I have the most fondness for. They are basically an early solution to the problem of storing wheat flour in a stable, easily transportable form. While variations on Mlinci exist throughout the Balkans, I am familiar with the form cooked in Croatia. Once a year at Christmas, my grandmother would unlock the “Big Room” and we would have a Balic family gathering. Under the rather ugly and prominent painting of Tomislav the Great (he was riding a horse across a field of decapitated heads), the family would gather to bicker, drink and eat. I still wonder why my grandmother had a locked room full of expensive furniture, paintings of unsavoury ancestors, but the thing I remember the most is her Mlinci with Roast Turkey at Christmas. 250 g of all-purpose flour 1 egg 1/2 c of water Extra flour for dusting 1. Pre-heat oven to 150C/300 F. 2. Place flour into a large bowl. Add egg to flour and incorporate. Gradually add water and mix until a dough is formed. The dough should not be sticky at this point. If it is, add slightly more flour. 3. Knead dough on lightly floured bench for eight minutes. Allow to rest for 1 hour. 4. Roll out, using a rolling pin until very thin, about 2 mm thick. The easiest way of accomplishing this is to roll in one direction the full length of the dough, then turn the dough 45 degrees and roll again. Repeat this process until the dough is roughly circular and approximately 2 mm thick. 5. Rest pasta sheet for an hour to dry out a little, and then cut into 15 cm squares. Place these squares carefully onto baking parchment and cook in the pre-heated oven until the pasta sheets have blistered, dried and are a light tan colour, about 20 minutes. Don’t worry if there are some darker patches. 6. Leave to cool. At this point they can be stored and as long as they are moisture-free, they will remain fresh for many weeks, enough time to dispose of a few enemies...a la Tomislav the Great! Using Mlinci Mlinci are ‘ready to go’. Basically they can soaked in hot water for 10-15 minutes then mixed with a savoury or sweet dressing and they are ready to eat. However, the way my grandmother would prepare them would be to place the soaked Mlinci under a roasting turkey for the last hour of cooking. Or she would pour the juices from the roasting turkey over the Mlinci and bake them separately. Primitive, but good. Keywords: Pasta, eGCI ( RG900 )

Basic Pasta This recipe is from Pasta Around the Mediterraneanin the eCGI Making fresh pasta is a relatively simple task, easily mastered and quite rewarding. In terms of equipment, while it is possible to roll pasta dough using a rolling pin, I recommend a simple hand-cranked pasta machine. It simplifies the pasta making process and allows the production of not only a more consistent product, but also a wider range of pasta types. Many machines have attachments for making different sized pasta ribbons and for making ravioli. 3 c of Durum flour (fine semolina flour) or 3 c of Italian “00” flour (or “all-purpose” flour if this is not available” 1 c of warm water (if using semolina flour) or 3 large eggs (if using “00” flour) Semolina flour for dusting 1. Add three cups of one flour type to a large bowl. Add water if using semolina flour or eggs if using “00” flour. 2. Mix flour into liquids using a fork. When the liquid has been fully absorbed by the flour, form the dough into a ball. Start kneading the dough ball with the heel of you palm. Do this for five minutes. 3. As different flours absorb different amounts of liquid, and eggs differ in size, the dough may be either too dry or wet at this stage. The dough ball should be elastic and soft. If it is sticky, add a little more flour; if it is very stiff add a little water. 4. Knead for a further 5 minutes. If you intend to roll out the pasta by hand, most people recommend that you knead the dough for a further 5 minutes. So 10-15 minutes of kneading in total to form those gluten networks. 5. At this point wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in a cool place for an hour. If using semolina flour it is especially important to wrap the dough in plastic wrap to exclude air. The yellow carotene compounds in the dough react with oxygen to form melanin, in effect “tanning”. These melanin products are brown in colour and can result in discoloration of the dough. 6. After the resting period, take out the dough and divide into four. Re-wrap three of the dough portions in plastic. Flatten the remaining portion and dust with flour. Set the machine to its widest setting and wind the dough through. Repeat this six times, folding the dough sheet in half and turning it 90 degrees each time. This will give you a squarish, flattened brick of dough. 7. Decrease the roller separation by a notch and crank the dough through. Repeat this process until the pasta sheet is of the desired thickness. Should the dough begin to stick, dust with a little flour. Cover pasta sheet with a clean kitchen towel and repeat the process with the other dough portions. This method, using a pasta machine, will produce sheets 15cm wide and up to a metre of so long. I cut them down to 40 cm lengths for ease of use. Keywords: Pasta, eGCI ( RG899 )

Rosti This recipe is from The Potato Primer in the eCGI 2 lbs/1.5 Kg potatoes. Peeled 4oz/50g butter Put the potatoes in cold water and bring to the boil. When they boil turn off the heat and let get cold. Ideally do this the day before. Grate the potatoes. Melt the butter and mix into the potatoes. Season. Put the potatoes in a pan in one large cake about 1 cm/½ inch thick. Cook slowly and allow to brown on one side before turning. You might find them easiest to turn by inverting the plan onto a plate. Invert the rosti by putting another plate over the first and turning upside down. Finally put the rosti back in the pan by putting the pan over the second plate and inverting. Let the second side brown. Serve, cutting wedges. You can also cook these in the oven on a baking sheet. Variants • Add grated cheese (preferably Gruyere) to the cooked side when you have turned then over and let melt You can include various chopped or grated vegetables (onion, carrot, peppers etc) with the potato. • Galettes: Take the grated and buttered potato as above, and scatter a thin layer on a non-stick baking sheet in a hot pan. Alternatively, press a thin layer into a circular cookie-cutter or egg ring on a non-stick baking sheet and remove the mold. Cook until brown on both sides. Used as a carrier for many savoury towers of restaurant-style food presentations. Keywords: Side, Potatoes, eGCI ( RG898 )

Latkes This recipe is from The Potato Primerin the eCGI 1 lb floury potatoes (about 2 good size baking potatoes), peeled. This is sufficient for 4 latkes, normally enough for 2 people. 1 onion Plenty of salt and pepper Peel and grate the potatoes and the onion coarsely. A food processor with a grating blade is easiest Put into a cloth and squeeze out the excess moisture. Add plenty (½tsp) of salt and pepper and mix well Heat about 1 cm/½ inch deep oil or fat in a frying pan and put in large tablespoons of the mixture, squashing down a bit to form a thinnish tablespoon-sized patty. Let cook until golden brown, then turn over. When both sides are cooked remove and drain on adsorbent paper. Keep warm in an oven. They can be reheated in a microwave. Add more fat to the pan between batches – they adsorb a lot of oil. Keywords: Side, Jewish, Potatoes, eGCI ( RG897 )

Quick Potato Gratin a la Dauphinoise This recipe is from The Potato Primer in the eCGI 2 lb waxy potatoes (you can use a floury variety, but they will break up more) 1 large onion peeled and sliced thinly 2 or more cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 1 bay leaf 2 sprigs thyme (or ½ tsp dried thyme) 1/2 tsp salt, lots of pepper 1-1/2 pt milk, or cream if you want it very rich. 2 oz butter Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Use a mandoline (mind your fingers!), or the slicing disc on a food processor, or good knife skills. If you are unshaven and knit your own you can leave the peel on the potato, but scrub them well. Put everything in a large pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the thyme sprig, check the seasoning. Tip into a gratin dish so that it is a layer about 5 cm/2 inches thick. Smooth the top a bit, dot with butter. Put into a hot oven for 15 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbling, the potatoes soft, and the liquid adsorbed. Let cool a bit before serving Lots of variations and addition. Dauphinoise with some added protein component, and perhaps a plain salad makes a great bistro dish or a supper when friends drop round unexpectedly. Add one or some of: • Anchovies (this is called Janzon’s Frestelse (Jansson’s Temptation), after Adolf Jansson, a 19th century Norwegian fisherman turned opera singer) • Bacon Bits • Leeks (shredded). This dish was known as Gratin a la Normande. • Mushrooms, especially morels or shiitake or wild mushrooms, with a little truffle oil. • Cheese • Cubes of chicken breast. • Tofu • Salmon • Smoked fish, such as smoked haddock or smoked salmon. • Sliced salami • Diced Ham • Confit of duck (off the bone). • Savoyarde or Chambery: Like dauphinoise but replace the milk with stock. • Boulangere: Sliced potatoes cooked round a joint/roast with onions and moistened with the meat juices. Keywords: Side, Potatoes, eGCI ( RG896 )

Gnocchi This recipe is from The Potato Primer in the eCGI 1 lb/500g mashed potato, well-seasoned 4oz/100g flour 1 egg Mix together into a dough. You can add grated parmesan, or spinach or herbs if you like. Roll out into a sausage, and cut into about 1cm cubes. You can make any shape you like, but the traditional shape is a slightly curved oval, with one side grooved by the back of a fork. The ridges hold more sauce. Put the shaped ones on to a lightly floured plate Poach the gnocchi in about 1 inch/2cm of lightly salted boiling water with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. When they float they are cooked Keywords: Side, Potatoes, eGCI ( RG895 )

Potato scones This recipe is from The potato Primerin the eCGI 25g/1oz butter 1 leek, finely chopped 175g/6oz plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 50g/1¾oz butter 125g/4½oz mashed potato 50g/1¾oz fresh parmesan cheese, grated 2 T fresh thyme, chopped 2 T milk 1 egg yolk, beaten salt and freshly ground black pepper Finely chop a leek and sauté until soft in a knob (25g/1oz) of butter. Put the flour, baking powder and remaining butter into a food processor and whiz until it resembles fine breadcrumbs, or rub in by hand. Add all the remaining ingredients except the egg, and combine well until a soft dough is formed. Press or roll out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1 cm/½in. Use a 2.5 cm/1 inch fluted cutter to cut out the scones. Brush with a little beaten egg and then bake for 10-15 minutes in a hot oven until golden and risen. Split and serve with the filling of choice. Shown here with marinated herring and crème fraiche Keywords: Side, Potatoes, eGCI ( RG894 )