Search the Community

Aunt Hattie Anne's Green Tomato Pie Here is the recipe for green tomato pie/marmalade. This was my great-aunt's recipe, the favorite in our family. She got it from a Shaker society in Kentucky when she visited them for a time in 1925 to exchange herb lore. She made it in big rectangular cake tins because there were so many of us to feed. I have cut it down to a manageable size for a single 9 inch pie. I sometimes add a bit of ginger, either candied or fresh, finely minced and crushed for a bit of a "bite". I have also added Sultanas, or golden raisins when I didn't have quite enough green tomatoes to fill the pie shell. Both variations are very good. You can double the batch and jar it up in 4 pint jars and use it later. It will keep well in the refrigerator for about 3-4 weeks or the freezer for 3-4 months, or longer. 4 cups green tomatoes chopped in bite-sized pieces 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground 3/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch Top & bottom pie crusts 1-1/2 tablespoons butter diced Directions First prepare dough for a double-crust 9 inch pie. Chill dough while you are preparing the filling, then roll out the dough while the filling is cooling. Cut aluminum foil in 2-inch wide lengths, enough to go around the circumference of a 9 inch pie pan. In a large saucepan combine the chopped tomatoes, lemon juice, lemon peel, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring often to keep from burning. Mix the sugar and cornstarch together and gradually add to tomato mix, stirring constantly. Continue cooking until liquid is clear. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the butter. Cool for 15 minutes Now roll out the dough, line the pan and prick it all over with a fork, sides too, to keep it from blistering. Preheat oven to 425F. Pour mixture into the 9-inch pie shell. Cover with top crust and seal the edges so juices will not leak out. Cut several slits in top to allow steam to escape. Fold aluminum foil strips in half lengthwise and crimp all around the edges of the pie to keep crust edges from burning. Place pie tin on a sheet pan on oven center rack or higher. Bake for 50 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or topped with whipped cream CHEESE to which you have added a little sour cream. (You may wonder at this last, but wait until you taste the flavor combination.) YIELD: 8 servings (or less! - my neighbor's husband likes this so much he takes about a third of a pie for his serving. So I usually make two.) ( RG1657 )

Rhode Island Clam Cakes Serves 6 as Side. Rhode Island clam cakes aren't cakes. They aren't like crab cakes, either. They're savory fritters, sort of like hushpuppies with chopped clams, intended to be served as the primary side for clam chowder in the Biggest Little State in the Union, Rhode Island. They're also seriously addictive no matter where you live. This recipe uses quahogs (KOH-hogs), the titanic east coast clam that is steamed, chopped, and served in chowder, stuffies, and clam cakes. You can substitute cherrystones, if you'd like, but the sweetness of littlenecks is wasted here. And don't use steamers, please. Really. Trust me. Once you've got your batter down, you can fiddle with it a bit (bacon, scallions, corn kernels). But don't get all nouvelle. These are meant to be salty, greasy, hearty explosions of slightly briny, slightly corny crunch, with nuggets of chewy clam in each bite. This recipe is adapted from two excellent cookbooks: Jane and Michael Stern's 1986 Real American Food and Jasper White's Cooking from New England (1989). 5 lb quahogs or cherrystones in the shell 2 tsp baking powder 2 c AP flour 1 c johnnycake or corn meal 3 eggs, beaten 1 c milk 4 T butter, lard, or bacon fat, melted salt pepper corn or peanut oil for deep frying 1. Steam the clams in a scant cup of water just until they open. Chop the clam meat roughly, salt and pepper it liberally, and set it aside. Strain the clam juice (the steaming water) through a wet paper towel or cheesecloth and set it aside, too. 2. Combine the dry ingredients well; combine the eggs, milk, 1/2 c of the clam juice (save the rest just in case), and melted fat well. Pour the wet into the dry and combine until smooth, then fold in the chopped clams. 3. Put the batter into the fridge for an hour or so; you want to soften up that corn meal. Meanwhile, heat a couple of inches of the oil to 375F in a deep fat fryer, cast iron skillet, or dutch oven. When you take out the batter, it should be thicker than pancake batter but not so thick that it won't fall easily from your spoon. If it's too thick, just add a bit of the clam juice. 4. Drop, ever so carefully, the batter into the oil, one heaping tablespoon at a time. Don't crowd them; you want that oil to surround the cakes comfortably. Fry for 2-3 minutes until the clam cakes are golden brown. Serve immediately while hot with chowder. Keywords: Side, Appetizer, Seafood, Intermediate, American, Deep Fryer ( RG1656 )

Baby Food Brownies I found an interesting whole wheat brownie recipe in the King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cook Book. The only problem was that the recipe calls for applesauce, which I was out of. But, then I recalled the last time a baby had visited my house ... and, here's my modified version of the recipe: 1/2 c (1 stick) butter or margarine 2 T vegetable oil 3/4 c sugar 2 eggs, beaten 3/4 c applesauce (or (1) 6oz jar of Gerbers "3" Applesauce) 1-1/4 tsp vanilla 1 c King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour 6 T cocoa (or carob if you want to share with your dogs) 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt Topping: 2 T sugar 1/4 c chopped nuts 1/2 c chocolate chips In a medium bowl combine butter/margarine, oil, sugar, eggs, applesauce/baby food and vanilla, mix well. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa/carob, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring just to combine. Spoon batter into a greased 8 x 8-inch pan. Mix Topping ingredients together and sprinkle over batter. Bake brownies in a preheated 350°F oven 30 to 35 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before cutting. Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate ( RG1655 )

Graham Crackers Sylvester Graham was an early nutritionist. He preached, (literally, he was a minister), the benefits of the flour containing wheat bran that now bears his name. If you don't have Graham Flour, any whole wheat flour will work. This recipe is based on one in the "King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cook Book". I doubled the quantities and made a few changes. This will make about 4 dozen 2 inch square crackers. 2 c Graham Flour 2 c AP Flour 1/2 c Sugar 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Cinnamon 1 tsp Penzeys Baking Spice (or, another of Cinnamon) 2 tsp Baking Powder 2 Eggs 1/2 c Vegetable Oil 1/4 c + 2 T Honey 2 T Molasses 1/4 c Milk For Topping: 2 Tbl Milk Cinnamon Sugar (@1 tsp Cinnamon/1/4 Cup Sugar) Preheat Oven to 350, very lightly grease two baking sheets Mix Dry Ingredients thoroughly Stir in Wet Ingredients to make fairly stiff dough Roll dough out on floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick Cut into approx 2 inch squares Place on baking sheets and prick with fork Brush with Milk and sprinkle lightly with Cinnamon Sugar Bake about 15-20 minutes until edges almost burn, Cool on racks The first one you eat won't taste like much, but they're oddly addicting. SB (and, if there are any old Girl Scouts out there .... you know what you can do with them!) Keywords: Intermediate, Snack, Healthy Choices ( RG1654 )

Baby Biscuits No, not the little tiny progeny of normal size biscuits, nor a recipe from Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal", but teething biscuits for human babies. The first time my de facto grandson visited our house I was pretty much at a loss for anything to do. If there's one subject I know next to nothing about, it's babies. The last direct contact I'd had with an actual baby was long ago when my Sister was one. Since I was only six years old at that time I don't recall too much about it. I did notice, however, that babies like to eat. I remembered that my King Arthur Flour Cookbook included a recipe for Teething Biscuits. I retired to the kitchen, leaving the hands-on baby care in more capable hands of Mom and Grandma. 1/2 c Milk 1/4 c Vegetable Oil 1/4 c Molasses 1-1/2 c AP Flour 1-1/2 c Whole Wheat Flour Blend the Wet Ingredients Stir the Flours into the Wet Ingredients Knead the mixture to make a smooth Dough Let the Dough rest, covered, 20 minutes Roll Dough out to 1/4" thickness Cut in 1-2" shapes (I used a star shapped cutter) and place on baking sheet Let them rest another 15-20 minutes Preheat oven to 350 degrees Bake approx 30 minutes until quite hard Store in refrigerator or freezer and serve cold They tasted rather bland to me, but the 9 month old baby I had available for testing approved. SB (and our dogs liked them too) Keywords: Amuse, Easy ( RG1653 )

Curing Lop Yuk (Chinese Bacon) Lop yuk or Chinese bacon is a fantastic ingredient in a number of Chinese dishes, most notably Naw Mai Fon or Chinese sticky rice (Click here for Russell Wong's great recipe). It's also great simply sautéed in scrambled eggs. To see a few photos, click here. To participate in a topic devoted to curing lop yuk, click here. To prepare lop yuk you'll be doing some dry curing, which requires a few special things. First, you'll need dry curing salts a.k.a. DC or DQ #2; I get mine from Butcher Packer in Detroit MI. You'll also need a dry (under 50% humidity) and cool (under 60F) place to hang the lop yuk to cure -- on a porch, covered by cheesecloth, if your weather is perfect! -- and a little fan for air circulation is a good idea. Finally, plan for about ten to twelve days of curing, start to finish. One final note. Multiple batches of lop yuk testify to the fact that using a quality shaoxing wine in this recipe makes a significant difference. Most decent Chinese markets should have non-salted shaoxing available for about $7-10. If you cannot find such shaoxing, then cooking (that is to say, salted) shaoxing can be used, but you should cut down on the added salt. Thanks to Ben Hong, jmolinari, Michael Ruhlman, and the folks at the Chinese American Market, on Park Ave in Cranston, RI, for their help in developing this recipe. 1-1/2 kg pork belly (about three pounds) 3 g DC #2 dry curing salt 10 g kosher salt 20 g sugar 60 g dark soy 60 g (light) soy 60 g shaoxing or sherry 1. Cut the pork belly into strips that are 2" wide and as long as the belly. You should not remove the skin. Strive for strips that are of consistent thickness, if possible. 2. Combine the dry and then the wet ingredients and mix well. (If you are using cooking -- that is to say, salted -- shaoxing, do not include the kosher salt.) 3. Place the pork belly strips in a large ziploc bag and add the marinade, mixing well. Marinate the pork for a day or two, moving the strips around occasionally to distribute the marinade. Remove the pork from the marinade and dry the strips with paper towels. Tie a 10-12" piece of kitchen twine at the top of each strip, and then tie the twine to your drying line. Hang the strips in your cool (60F or lower) and dry (50% humidity or less) area for seven to ten days. If the temperature or humidity rises a bit for a day or so, that should have no lasting effect. However, several days significantly over 50% humidity will slow things down quite a bit, and several days significantly over 60F temperature will be dangerous. When the strips are fully cured, they'll have lost that squishly feeling even at their fattest points and will feel firm but not utterly inflexible. You're going for the density of a good, firm salami: there should be a little give throughout the piece when you squeeze it, but anything even remotely mushy in the interior isn't ready yet. Once they are fully cured, you can store them in a cool, dry place (they'll drip lard if it gets too warm, by the way) or in the fridge or freezer for a good long while. Keywords: Intermediate, Pork, Chinese ( RG1652 )

Princess Mary Clam Chowder The Princess Mary is a restaurant in Victoria BC housed in a former luxury steamship. Like the BC Ferries chowder recipe also found in RecipeGullet, this recipe was printed in Victoria's morning paper, the Daily Colonist (before it was the Times-Colonist, which should give some idea of the time frame we're looking at here) and was adapted for home kitchens. For the non-BCers reading this, "clam nectar" is like clam juice but is sold in large tins (and it's cheap!). 3 slices bacon 1 tsp thyme dash sage 1 c onion 3 c potato 1/2 c chopped celery 2 tsp salt 2 tins baby clams 1 tin tomato soup 1-1/2 c chopped carrots 5 c hot water 3 c clam nectar 1 lg tin tomatoes, chopped, with juice (28 oz, I think) 1/2 tsp pepper 1 T parsley Cook. Thicken with flour and water. Keywords: Soup, Main Dish, Appetizer, Seafood ( RG1651 )

BC Ferries Clam Chowder After reading the Chowdah cook-off thread, I realised how different the chowders discussed were from the chowders of my youth. All chowders were made with bacon or ham--smoky flavour is good! Celery was de rigeur and the broth was definitely tomato-based. None of that fancy cream soup for us! And so, I dug out my "recipe book" and tracked down the chowder recipes I have. When I was in my 20s, I borrowed my mum's recipe box as well as a huge shoebox filled with recipes on notecards and scraps of paper from my grandmother. This is one of the two chowders that were made in our houses. Anyone from the Lower Mainland or the Island will recognise the name of its source however I should say that this recipe was from the early days of the ferry system--(before my time) when there was no cafeteria and the restaurant on the ferry was a sit-down affair with table service. This recipe was printed in Victoria's morning paper, the Daily Colonist (before it was the Times-Colonist, which should give some idea of the time frame we're looking at here) and was adapted for home kitchens. For the non-BCers reading this, "clam nectar" is like clam juice but is sold in large tins (and it's cheap!), not the piddly little glass bottles I see on the shelf of my local Raley's. And, like most old recipes, there are no real instructions. If you want to try it, you'll have to wing it... 1/4 lb bacon, diced 1/3 c diced onion 1/4 c carrot, diced 1/4 c celery, diced 1/4 c green pepper, diced 2 T flour 2 c clam nectar 2/3 c potato, chopped 1 14-oz. tin tomatoes, chopped with liquid 1 T tomato paste 1 can clams, with liquid 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce pinch of thyme salt and pepper to taste No instructions whatsoever but I do remember my mum always made a flour and water slurry to thicken it (if that helps). Keywords: Soup, Main Dish, Appetizer, Seafood ( RG1650 )

Lebanese Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup with Lemon juice Serves 4 as Soup. "Adas Bil Hamud" is the Arabic name for this common Lebanese soup, and it translates to "lentils in lemon juice". So, please make sure you can taste the lemon juice in this lovely dish. If you choose to make the additional dumplings to poach in it then the dish is not the Beiruti "Addas Bil Hammud" anymore, it is instead the Northern Lebanese "Kibbet El Rahib" meaning "Monk's Kibbeh" and it is the version I grew up eating. 1 c brown lentils 6 c water (more if you use the dumplings) 16 leaves chard, ribs removed and cut up and leaves chopped 2 T olive oil 6 garlic cloves, minced or crushed 1 c cilantro, finely chopped Juice of 1 to 4 lemons Salt and Pepper Optional dumplings 1/2 c fine bulgur 1 T Flour 1 T finely minced onions 1 T chopped parsley 1 tsp chopped mint (optional) salt and pepper to taste If you are using the dumplings, make them first. Soak the bulgur in enough cold water to cover for about 30 minutes. Drain them and place in a bowl. Add all the other ingredients and mix. Make sure to have a cohesive dough, if it is too wet add a littel flour, if it is too dry sprinkle in some water. Form marble-sized dumplings and place them on an oiled wax paper in the fridge. In a large pot place the lentils and add the water, bring to a boil and decrease the heat and let it simmer till almost fully cooked, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a seperate pan on medium heat and add in the garlic and 3/4 of the cilantro. Cook over moderate heat till the garlic is soft but not brown, about 5-8 minutes, turn the heat off and set them aside. About 10 minutes before the lentils are fully tender add the chard ribs and let them cook with the lentils. If you are using the dumplings, add them in with the ribs as well. When the lentils are almost tender add in the cut up chard leaves and the garlic-cilantro mixture. Let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes or until the chard is fully cooked and the lentils are meltingly tender. Season the soup with salt and pepper, and add more water if it is too thick. Turn off the heat and add in the lemon juice, it should be nice and lemony so don't skimp. Stir in the remaining cilantro. Serve the soup hot or at room temperature with a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil. Keywords: Main Dish, Dinner, Vegetarian, Lebanese, Easy, Lunch ( RG1648 )

Oysters Rockefeller Chowder Serves 2 as Soup. Inspired by the restaurant Liuzza's by the Track in New Orleans. 1 Bacon slice, minced 2 T Flour 1 Onion, small, minced 1 Celery stalk, minced 2 Scallions, minced 1 Garlic clove, minced 1 c Spinach leaves, chopped 1 c Milk (low fat works fine) 1 c Chicken or Fish Stock 1/2 c Clam Juice 1/2 tsp Dried Chervil Nutmeg, a few scrapings 2 T Anise Flavored Liquor (Pernod, Ouzo, HerbSaint, Sambuca) 2 T Heavy Cream 1/2 lb Oysters, shucked (any liquid can be added with other the other liquid) 1 T Parmesean Cheese, finely grated Salt & Pepper Cook the bacon slowly in heavy soup pot to lightly brown the lean and render the fat. Add flour and stir for 2 minutes, do not let the flour brown. Add minced vegetables, stir, cover and sweat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the vegetables cook, combine the milk, stock, clam juice (and any oyster liquid), dried chervil and nutmeg. When the vegetables are cooked (but not browned), add the spinach and stir well, until the spinach is just wilted. Slowly add the liquid to the vegetables, using a whisk to break up lumps. Raise heat to high and reduce by 1/3, until it lightly naps a wooden spoon. Add liquor and cream, boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat to low. When the soup stops bubbling vigorously, stir in the oysters and simmer for exactly one minute. Turn off heat and stir in the parmesean cheese. Add salt and finely, freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Keywords: Soup, Seafood, Intermediate, American ( RG1647 )

black and white sesame almonds This is from Sally Sampson's Party Nuts book. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl combine and set aside ¼ teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds 2 tablespoons sugar Over medium heat, in a large heavy skillet, melt ¼ cup sugar. After sugar melts, stir in 1 ½ cups raw whole almonds and stir until completely coated. Sprinkle about one fourth of the sesame seed mixture over it and stir until incorporated. Continue adding the rest of the mixture a fourth at a time until it’s all in. Pour onto parchment and separate into individual clusters of two or three nuts with two forks and allow to cool. ( RG1646 )

Mashed Zucchini with Onions, Garlic, and Mint Serves 6 as Side. 2 lb zucchini, cut into 3 inch lengths 2 T olive oil 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2 T mint, chopped salt and pepper, to taste Steam the zucchini until soft. Drain, then mash in the strainer to get out as much liquid as possible. In the meantime, saute onions in olive oil over moderate heat until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, then add the zucchini and mint. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the zucchini gives up most of its liquid, around 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Keywords: Side, Vegan, Easy, Vegetables, Lebanese ( RG1645 )

Cold Cream Sauce This is adapted from Damon Lee Fowler's cookbooks on classical and new Southern cuisine. He describes the texture as being similar to clotted cream. It is a simple and wonderful sauce to serve with fresh fruit and/or a plain cake. I vary the amount of lemon rind and nutmeg depending on the application. 1 pt heavy cream (minimum 36% milkfat) 1/2 c sugar 1 lemon (finely grated zest of whole lemon and strained juice of half) nutmeg, freshly grated Makes 2 cups Dissolve sugar in the cream without heating the mixture. Add in the finely grated zest of 1/2-1 whole lemon and add in strained juice of half the lemon. Stir mixture until it begins to clot slightly and season it with some freshly grated nutmeg. Refrigerate until fully thickened; at least 3-4 hours. Serve cold. The freshly grated nutmeg is really a key component in my opinion. You can add more to have a stronger nutmeg flavor, but even if you don’t want an ostensibly “nutmeg-flavored sauce” adding some nutmeg in lesser amounts creates an ineffable, but delicious, final flavor. So, I would add the nutmeg sparingly and taste to achieve the flavor you want. Grating the nutmeg on a small, fine plane grater works just as well as using a dedicated nutmeg grater. I haven't experimented with decreasing the sugar, but that may be one avenue to explore. Another interesting variation may be to replace the lemon rind and juice with other citrus like tart oranges, tangerines, limes or Meyer lemons, but I haven’t tried this yet. I don’t know if all these citrus have the proper acidity to thicken the cream under these conditions. Keywords: Dessert, Vegetarian, Easy, Sauce, Topping/Frosting, American, British ( RG1644 )

Baklava, "Nightingale's Nest" type (Bülbül Yuvasi) Serves 30. This is a favorite of the many kinds of individually-rolled baklava types common in Turkey. This recipe is based on the one in “Türk Tatlı Sanatı” (The Art of Turkish Sweets) by Necip Usta (the Julia Child of Turkey I suppose) but adapted for American realities. Necip Usta’s recipe presupposes that you have made your own yufka (phyllo). As making true baklava yufka is a long, labor-intensive process that few people will undertake, here is a doable version with American-style prepared phyllo. It’s not the same; it can't be because the Turkish baklava dough has eggs, and is rolled to rolling-paper thinness, but it’s still quite good. This is a recipe for a 50 cm round pan. Such pans are easy to find in Middle Eastern groceries and aren't too expensive. You can of course make it in any pan, you can also cook it in batches as long as you keep the uncooked baklava from drying out. But a big round pan of this baklava, in concentric circles, is a beautiful sight, and you are going to a lot of effort... Pastry 2 pkg Prepared phyllo dough 2 lb butter, clarified Filling 1/2 lb ground pistachios, walnuts or almonds 1/4 c powdered sugar 1/8 c water Syrup 6 c sugar 3 c water 2 T lemon juice Garnish 1/2 c ground nuts, or 1/2 c blanched whole pistachios Put a pot of water on the stove and let it simmer; this will help keep your humidity up. (Ignore this suggestion if you live in or near a tropical rain forest.) Lightly butter the pan. Open one box phyllo, spread, cut crosswise into three equal parts. Cover with a damp (not wet!) towel and let rest for 10 minutes. This allows the phyllo to soften and be more workable. Take several sheets from the top of each of the three stacks to work with, replace the towel. Take a 10 inch dowel (or a new unsharpened pencil, or something of similar dimensions) and lay it on the table horizontally in front of you. Lay one sheet of phyllo vertically over the dowel so that there is about an inch and a half of the phyllo on your side of the dowel, and the remaining length on the far side. Put about a teaspoon of filling evenly along the far side of the dowel. Now lift the dowel over the filling, and roll the piece up around the dowel, not too tightly, leaving about 2/3 of an inch unrolled at the end. Now gently push the roll from the ends towards the middle, crimping it tightly. (It may take a few tries before you get it just right; too much and you will get splitting.) Now slip the dowel out, and bring the ends of the roll together towards the unrolled portion into a small circle, so that you end up with a little “donut” (the “nest”), with the unrolled portion forming a “floor.” Place in pan, cut side towards center. Continue around the pan making one circle, then another inside that, till you reach the center. Their edges should barely touch but do not pack them too tightly because they will expand some during cooking. (It's no disaster if they do; they'll still settle back down.) Continue with the remaining pieces, removing a few each time from the stacks to work with and leaving the remaining ones covered to soften a bit. When you run out, open the next box and cut just one third off; you probably won’t need more than this. Preheat oven to 390F, and melt the clarified butter, it should not be overly hot; a temperature where you can keep a finger in it. (Unclarified butter will make spots on your baklava.) Pour butter evenly over the baklava and bake for about 25-30 minutes till lightly browned, turning pan if necessary to ensure even browning. While the baklava is baking, make the syrup. Mix sugar, water and lemon juice, boil together 2 minutes. Keep hot. When baklava has browned remove from the oven and tilt pan, use a turkey baster to remove the extra butter that collects on the edge. Pour the hot syrup over the baklava, and let cool. Garnish with either a small spoonful of ground pistachios in the center of each piece, or a whole blanched pistachio. Or you can also use ground blanched almonds. This baklava can be formed in various ways. Instead of rounds, it can be simply doubled over, formed into a spiral, or left straight (çubuk baklava). You can also make a really beautiful pan of baklava by combining shapes. Keywords: Dessert, Vegetarian, Expert, Middle Eastern ( RG1643 )

Old Sour OLD SOUR This is a versatile condiment that originated in the Florida Keys. I grew up with it, and am growing old with it. It is splendid with seafood, cooked or raw. Use it in place of vinegar or citrus juice in salad dressings; or add it to mayonnaise or butter-emulsion sauces. I like to bottle it in old Grolsch beer bottles that I buy at garage sales. For every two cups freshly squeezed Key lime (or Mexican dwarf lime) juice, you will need one heaping tablespoon sea salt, or kosher salt. Squeeze juice from limes. Line a funnel with a double thickness of cheesecloth, and strain juice into a clean bottle. Add sea salt, and shake the bottle well. Tie a square of cotton cloth (such as old bedsheet scrap) over the top of the bottle. Let the sauce age in a dark, cool cupboard for at least two weeks, or as long as eight weeks. When desired, strain again through double thickness of cheesecloth and return to bottle. Aged Old Sour should have an acid-salty flavor,with a slight bite on the tongue. Cork the bottle, and the sauce will keep indefinitely. There is no need to refrigerate this sauce, and it gets better with age. Some people add a dash or two of Tabasco sauce to each bottle. It's a matter of personal preference. Keywords: Condiment, Easy, Fruit, American ( RG1642 )

Old Sour OLD SOUR This is a versatile condiment that originated in the Florida Keys. I grew up with it, and am growing old with it. It is splendid with seafood, cooked or raw. Use it in place of vinegar or citrus juice in salad dressings; or add it to mayonnaise or butter-emulsion sauces. I like to bottle it in old Grolsch beer bottles that I buy at garage sales. For every two cups freshly squeezed Key lime (or Mexican dwarf lime) juice, you will need one heaping tablespoon sea salt, or kosher salt. Squeeze juice from limes. Line a funnel with a double thickness of cheesecloth, and strain juice into a clean bottle. Add sea salt, and shake the bottle well. Tie a square of cotton cloth (such as old bedsheet scrap) over the top of the bottle. Let the sauce age in a dark, cool cupboard for at least two weeks, or as long as eight weeks. When desired, strain again through double thickness of cheesecloth and return to bottle. Aged Old Sour should have an acid-salty flavor,with a slight bite on the tongue. Cork the bottle, and the sauce will keep indefinitely. There is no need to refrigerate this sauce, and it gets better with age. Some people add a dash or two of Tabasco sauce to each bottle. It's a matter of personal preference. Keywords: Condiment, Easy, Fruit, American ( RG1641 )

Jamie's Velvet Thighs Serves 4 as Main Dish. Dedicated to JamieMaw, to thank him for his gift of a jar of the delicious Mission Hill Plum and Pinot Sauce, and named for the velveting technique borrowed from Chinese cuisine. 6 large boneless skinless chicken thighs 4 egg whites 2 T cornstarch 3 T duck fat 1 c Mission Hill Plum and Pinot Sauce 1/2 c heavy cream salt and pepper Using a fork, beat the egg whites lightly with the cornstarch. Drop in chicken thighs and mix well with hands to coat chicken. Let rest for 30 minutes. Heat duck fat in a large skillet until very hot (don't use nonstick!). Drop in chicken pieces, season the side facing up, and let them cook over a medium-low heat. The chicken will stick to the pan, but cook until bottom side is golden brown. Turn chicken, scraping up the stuck golden bits. Cook like this, turning and scraping occasionally, for 15-20 minutes. Pour the plum sauce over the chicken, turning gently to coat chicken evenly. When the coating has absorbed the sauce, pour the cream evenly over all. Cook, turning, until chicken is done through and crispy golden. Adjust seasoning. Made like this, the chicken is just slightly spicy. Increase the amount of plum sauce for a spicier dish. NOTES : Use the very best chicken you can get. Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Chicken, Hot and Spicy ( RG1640 )

Pumpkin Scones These scones are a very Australian way of using surplus pumpkin. If you wish to make round scones add slightly more flour to stiffen the dough, roll onto a floured surface and cut with a scone cutter. Serve scones cut in half with butter. Makes about a dozen 1-1/2 T butter 1/2 c sugar 1 egg 1 c cold mashed pumpkin 2 c self raising flour 1. Cream together the butter and sugar. 2. Beat in the egg. The mixture may curdle at this point but this doesn't affect the end result. 3. Stir the pumpkin into the mix. 4. Fold flour through wet ingredients. 5. Place tablespoon sized heaps onto a baking sheet. 6. Bake in a very hot oven (210-220C) for approx 15 minutes. Please note that Australian tablespoons hold 20 ml. Keywords: Easy, Brunch, Snack ( RG1639 )

Portuguese Fish Soup Serves 6 as Main Dish. This is my adaptation of a recipe from the Nashville Herb Society's "Soups" cookbook, published in 1975. 6 cloves garlic, slightly smashed 3 T olive oil 6 slices rustic white bread 8 c chicken stock 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes 1/2 c parsley, chopped 8 oz sliced mushrooms (preferably criminis) 1/2 tsp dried thyme (1 tsp if fresh) 1/2 tsp tarragon (1 tsp if fresh) 1 pod hot red pepper or 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1 T grated orange zest 1/2 lemon, squeezed, juice and rind salt and black pepper to taste 1 lb firm white fish, cut into 1" cubes(I used mahi mahi last time) 1/2 lb shelled shrimp In a heavy saucepan, heat oil and garlic until oil is infused with garlic flavor. Brush bread lightly with garlic oil, toast under broiler, then turn over to let other side dry out. Do whatever you want with any remaining oil and garlic. In a Dutch oven, put toasted bread and all remaining ingredients except white fish and shrimp. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook, covered, 30 minutes. Add white fish, cook 2 minutes, add shrimp, stir well and remove from heat. This soup is delicious served right away or left over. Keywords: Soup, Seafood, Fish ( RG1638 )

Dulce de leche from scratch This is an authentic dulce de leche recipe that tastes incredible. It is perfect for the Tres Leche cake Here is an authentic Mexican recipe as made by Mrs. Obregon, my neighbor, who loves her slow-cooker which she says is muy sympatico. DULCE DE LECHE - SLOW COOKER 1 Mexican (or other) vanilla bean, split lengthwise 2 cups regular goat milk, do not use low fat 2 cups regular milk 1 2/3 cups cane sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in ¼ cup water Mix the milk together in a quart measure. Pour 3 cups of the milk (refrigerate the remaining cup) into the slow cooker and add the vanilla bean and sugar and turn heat control to high and mix with a whisk to make sure the sugar has dissolved. As soon as the mixtue has warmed to about 140 degrees, add the water with the baking soda and whisk again. Do not cover the cooker. Continue cooking for about 8 hours, gently stirring about every 2 hours. Remove the vanilla bean, wash it and set it aside to dry and stick it into your sugar canister to flavor the sugar. Meanwhile, with a silicone high temp spatula, scrape down the crust that has formed on the sides and stir it into the mixture. If foam forms do not remove it, simply stir down into the mixture. Reduce the temperature to medium and continued cooking. Stir occasionally, about every 15-20 minutes until the mixture has thickened, it should pour like honey. This should take about 2 hours. Near the end of this time, warm the remaining cup of milk in a small saucepan then stir into the mixture in the slow cooker. Mix well and transfer to a sterilized quart jar and place the cap lightly on the jar, do not seal. Allow it to cool to room temperature then tighten cap and refrigerate. It will keep for three months in the refrigerator. ( RG1636 )

Rice with Puy lentils. - Riz avec Lentilles de Puy. Serves 4 as Side. This is a very simple, but extremly delicious dish. The key to success is using very the nice tasting green French puy lentils. No other kind of pulse will do with this recipe. 3 dl short grain or risotto rice 10 dl chicken stock 2 T butter 1 T extra virgin olive oil. 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped 3 dl Green Puy Lentils 1 T chopped fresh thyme spicy chorizo sausage, or good quality dried spicy sausage. 1 T freshly chopped chives. fresh coarse salt Fry the onions softly in 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir in the rice and add the chicken stock. Bring put on a lid and bring to boil. Bring down the heat so the chicken stock only simmers and then let it simmer til the stock has been wholely reduced and the rice is done. Meanwhile the rice is cooking, in another pot, add the puy lentils, one tablespoon of olive oil. and cover it with water so the lentils will "swim freely". Chop the chorizo and add it to this pot. Add the sausage and the fresh thyme . Bring to boil and season with lots of salt (to the point where you think there is a good abundant salty flavor). Cook the lentils until they are all soft, and probably add more water if there seems to be a dryness to the pan. When both the rice and the lentils are ready. Mix them togheter throughly with a spoon, adding another tablespoon of butter. Right before serving, garnish the dish with the fresh chives. Keywords: Rice, Vegetables, French, Easy, Side, Pork ( RG1634 )

ALMOND BISCOTTI JMAHL’S INFAMOUS ALMOND BISCOTTI Ingredients 4 cups four 4 tsp. Baking power 2/3 bar sweet butter 1 1/3 cup sugar 4 eggs 2 tsp. Vanilla extract 2 cups whole toasted almonds ( you can add more) Directions Mix flour baking power, set aside mix butter and sugar in mixer add eggs and vanilla slowly add flour mixture blend well add almonds * chill dough shape dough in to 4 logs 9”X 2”X 1½” more or less place on parchment paper on baking sheet bake at 375º oven for 25 minutes cool on rack then cut diagonally ½” (use sharp thin blade knife)(I use a carver) lay flat on baking sheet, return to oven for 8 min. then turn over and return to oven for 10 min. remove and cool. enjoy. * other dried fruit or nuts can be used, to make chocolate biscotti add 1 cup chocolate syrup to dough. To make marble biscotti mix half white dough and half mixed with ½ cup chocolate syrup Recipe is very forgiving - play with it. Dough will be relatively sticky, use a lot of flour on your counter and hands while forming. Credits: Adapted from “County Home” magazine Holidays at Home 1995 p.90 Keywords: Dessert, Italian, Intermediate, Brownies/Bars, Cookie ( RG1633 )

Southwest Chicken Stroganoff Serves 4 as Main Dish. This recipe is actually the result of a mistake. I was intending to make Paprika Chicken to try out my newly arrived smoked paprika. My eyes were tearing from cutting the onions, and I was talking on the phone. While digging around in the newly arrived box of spices from Penzey’s, I grabbed the ancho chile powder instead of the smoked paprika. I didn’t notice the mistake until the chicken was already coated. I forged ahead. The sauce needed “fixing” and this is what I came up with. It is a sort of ridiculous fusion type of dish but ended up being good enough to keep and do again. 2 large yellow onions 8 chicken thighs, about 1 ½ pounds, skin removed Salt 1/4 c ancho chile powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp Mexican oregano 2 tsp ground cumin 1 c sour cream Slice the onions into rather thin half rounds and distribute in the bottom of a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid. I use a Le Creuset French oven. The pot should be large enough to hold the chicken thighs in a single layer. Salt the chicken and place in a plastic baggie. Add the ancho powder and toss to evenly coat the chicken. The coating should be rather heavy. Depending upon the size of the chicken pieces, you may need to add more ancho powder. Arrange the chicken pieces on top of the onion slices. Put the lid on and put into a 250 degree F oven for about 2 hours or until the chicken is tender and succulent. Remove the chicken and reserve. Depending upon the onions, you may want to put the pot on the cook top and cook down the liquid. Onions vary a lot as to water content. Add the garlic, oregano and cumin. Transfer the onions and liquid to a blender or use a stick blender to puree into a smooth sauce. Add the sour cream and blend in. Break the chicken into large chunks and return to the sauce. Adjust seasoning if needed. Heat it gently on the stove top, do not boil. Serve over egg noodles or rice. I like noodles best. Note: Consider adding other chile powders to the ancho to vary the heat and flavor. Anchos are very mild and don’t really lend much heat to the dish. You can substitute chicken breast for the thighs. Just be careful not to over cook. Skinless chicken is much preferred for this recipe, as for the Paprika Chicken, so that the flavor permeates the meat. I don’t like the texture of braised chicken skin anyway. Like the Paprika Chicken, this can be done in a crock pot. The tale of the mistake is here. Keywords: Easy, Main Dish, Immersion Blender, Chicken, Dinner, Blender ( RG1632 )

Gingerbread biscotti I fiddled around with an online gingerbread biscotti recipe until I came up with something entirely new. The only measurements that remain the same are the number of eggs, amount of flour, and amount of molasses... Hope you enjoy them! 2 c AP flour 3/4 c sugar 3 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp ground black pepper 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 2-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 3/4 tsp baking powder 2 eggs 1/3 c molasses 1/2 c melted butter *Preheat oven to 350 1. Sift the flour, and combine it with all the dry ingredients, including the sugar. 2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly with the molasses and melted butter. 3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. 4. Shape in two logs, and bake for 20 minutes on an ungreased pan. 5. Remove from oven, lower temperature to 275. Cut the biscotti and lay them on their side. Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until browned. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Snack ( RG1631 )

Mom's Orange Cake 4 eggs 3/4 + 3/4 cups sugar (1 1/2 at all) 1/2 cup oil 3/4 cup orange juice (=2 large oranges) 2 cups flour 1 3/4 tsp baking powder the peel of 1 orange The baking pan you need: A teflon tube pan=baba pan(oil it and powder it with flour) How to do: Preheat oven to 180C (350F) 1. Separate the eggs. 2. whip the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar, add 1/2 cup of oil & the orange peel. 3. Add in the orange juice alternately with the flour (mixed before with the baking powder) 4. whip the egg whites in a mixer bowl, add the rest of the sugar,and mix for few minutes. 5. Fold this carefully into the cake mixture. 6. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan,and bake for 50 minutes ,or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. 7. Cool completely on wire rack,dust with powdered sugar. Keywords: Cake, Easy, Jewish ( RG1630 )