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Mushroom and Spaghetti Squash Gratin Serves 8 as Side. I was firmly in the anti-spaghetti squash majority until a couple of weeks ago when I was faced with having to come up with a recipe on short notice. I riffed on something in a Deb Madison book and came up with this, which I have to say astonished everyone in the test kitchen (similarly anti-spaghetti). To me, the important question is: does using this ingredient make the dish better than it would have been without it? Somehow, the spaghetti squash does this for the mushrooms. See the spaghetti squash discussion here. 1 3 1/2 - to 4-pound spaghetti squash 1-1/4 lb mixed mushrooms (portabello, cremini, white button) 4 T butter plus another . . . 1-1/2 tsp butter 2-3/4 tsp salt, divided 2 T minced shallots 3 slices prosciutto, cut in thin slivers 2 leeks 1 c creme fraiche 1 c cream 1/2 round loaf (about 4 ounces) day-old sourdough 1/3 c (1 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan 1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Place the squash cut-side down in a roasting pan and add about half an inch of water. Bake until the squash is easily pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. 2. Wipe the mushrooms clean, trim any hard stems and cut them into thick slices. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam has subsided and the butter turns a light hazelnut color. Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with three-fourths teaspoon salt, cover tightly and cook, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to glisten and give up their moisture, about 3 minutes. 3. Remove the cover, add the shallots, raise the heat to high and continue cooking, stirring constantly until the mushrooms are richly aromatic and soft, but not flaccid, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and set aside. 4. Reduce the heat to low and, without wiping out the pan, add the prosciutto. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut away the dark green leaves of each leek, then cut in quarters lengthwise, leaving the leeks attached at the roots. Rinse thoroughly under cold, running water and slice thinly crosswise. Add the leeks to the prosciutto and cover tightly. Let the prosciutto and leeks sweat slowly, stirring occasionally until the leeks are quite tender, about 10 minutes. 5. Add the mushrooms back to the pan along with any liquid that has accumulated in the bottom of the bowl. Stir to combine with the prosciutto and leeks. Add the creme fraiche and continue to cook slowly, stirring occasionally, while you clean the squash. 6. Remove any scorched spots from the cut side of the squash. Hold one squash half over a large bowl, and with a fork, scrape out the strands, separating them as you work from one end of the squash to the other. When there is little left but the skin, empty the squash strands into the bowl. Repeat with the other half, adding it to the same bowl. Season the squash strands with 2 teaspoons salt and stir well to combine. 7. Add the mushroom mixture to the squash and again stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart gratin dish, mounding it slightly in the center. Add the heavy cream, shaking the pan gently to distribute the cream through the squash. The cream should just be visible around the edge of the squash. Bake until the cream is bubbling and beginning to darken around the outside, about 15 minutes. 8. While the gratin is baking, prepare the bread crumbs. Cut away the crusts of the bread and cut the interior into cubes. Process in a blender to make coarse bread crumbs; you should have about 2 1/2 cups. Add the Parmesan and pulse 3 or 4 times to thoroughly combine with the bread crumbs. 9. Scatter the bread crumbs evenly over the gratin, then dot with the rest of the butter. Return to the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly before serving. Keywords: Side, Intermediate, Vegetables, Lunch, Dinner ( RG1464 )

Chantal's Chocolate Sorbet of Death Serves 4 as Dessertor 1 as Main Dish. Being a sorbet completely stuffed to the gills with chocolate, it is both rich and yet not egregiously fatty. PLEASE use the best-est quality cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate you can find. No Hershey's! Enjoy! 2 T dark rum 2/3 c cocoa powder 1 oz bittersweet chocolate 1-1/2 c strong brewed coffee, hot 1 T molasses 1/2 c sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/8 tsp salt 1. Whisk together the coffee, cocoa powder, chocolate, molasses, sugar, and salt until fully combined. Optionally, a blender can be used. 2. Chill until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight. 3. Add vanilla extract and rum. 4. Process in your ice cream machine, or pour into shallow glass dish and place in freezer, beating every 30 minutes or so to break up ice crystals. Sorbet is ready to eat or repackage for storage in 1-4 hours, depending on your freezing method. If allowing to fully freeze before eating, place in fridge for 30 minutes or more before consumption to soften the sorbet. Makes a generous pint (without voluminous add-ins, below). VARIATIONS: 1. Fold in 3-4T chunky peanut butter just before churning, or when packing into storage container for hardening. 2. Fold in 1/2 to 1 cup whipped cream or other fluffy/whipped enrichening device such as sour cream, creme fraiche, etc - before churning. 3. Add 1/2 tsp pure red chile powder to mix 4. Add 1/2 tsp other spices to mix, such as cinnamon, orange extract, etc. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Chocolate, Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Snack, Ice Cream, Healthy Choices ( RG1463 )

Longhorn Ancho Chili Serves 6 as Main Dish. Can be extended if served over rice or fritos. 3 c canned chopped tomatoes 2 chopped chili peppers 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black, white, cayenne pepper 1 bay leaf 2 lb chili ground beef 1-1/2 lb chili ground pork 3 large garlic cloves minced 2 med onions, chopped 2 c beef stock 1 bottle bock beer 1 8 oz can tomato sauce 1 T paprika 1 T ground cumin 1/2 c ancho chili powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp garlic powder salt & pepper to taste Combine first 5 ingredients in a large stock pot, simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Cook meats in an iron skillet with onion and garlic until nearly dry. Add to tomato mixture in stock pot. Add all other ingredients. Simmer covered until chili is reduced to about 3/4 (3-4 hours) stirring occasionally. Add more liquid if desired-- thicken with masa (2 Tbs dissolved in 3 Tbs water) Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Beef, Dinner ( RG1462 )

Simple But Damned Fine Beans Heat a skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat and add a good dollop of olive oil or lard, about 2-3 T or more. (You can cheat and use another kind of cooking oil, but the fat is part of what makes them damned fine.) Toss in one large red onion, diced. Sauté the onion, stirring now and then, until about half of it has browned nicely. Throw a T or 2 of ground cumin over the onions, and stir for a minute or so. (If you have some ancho or chipotle chili powder, you can throw in a T or 2 of that as well.) Throw two cans of pinto beans, drained, into the pan. Sauté those little babies for a few minutes, stirring all the while. Turn down the heat to medium, and add 1 c of good chicken stock. You can get away with boullion here, but the body of good stock makes a difference even in this simple dish. Stir that in and let the beans break down in the stock for about ten to fifteen minutes. Feel free to mash a few of them with a wooden spoon, fork, or masher, if you'd like, and add stock if you think they're getting too thick. Salt and pepper to taste, and you're done! Serve these damned fine beans with warmed tortillas, over rice, under cheese, or any other way that you'd serve those lousy refried beans in a can. Keywords: Side, Beans, Easy, Mexican ( RG1461 )

Swedish Kringle Serves 8 as Dessert. (This is more a coffeecake than dessert, but there doesn't happen to be a category for it.) When I was a member of the New Neighbors League Club in Nashville, I edited a cookbook. Guess the word got out that I wasn't accepting any recipes for canned soup or Cool Whip, as most of the recipes were from member's family or their travels. One member obtained this coffeecake recipe while living in Minnesota, which has a large Swedish community. It's not very sweet, but is very possibly addictive. Crust: 1 c flour 1/2 c butter 1 T water Cream Puff Layer: 1 c water 1/2 c butter 1 c flour 3 eggs, approx. 1/2 tsp almond extract Icing: 1 c powdered sugar 1 T butter 1/2 tsp almond extract Cream or milk 1/4 c lightly toasted sliced almonds, if desired Note: You may substitute your favorite cream puff dough using one cup of flour. Crust: Mix pastry ingredients as you would for pie crust. Press into 11 x 15 jelly roll pan in thin layer. Cream puff dough: Heat water and butter to boiling. Quickly add flour, stir until smooth. Stir in eggs one at a time, and beat after adding each egg. (If using large or X-large eggs, add the last egg a T. at a time. Paste should be spreadable but not runny.) Add extract. Spread over crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool. Mix icing ingredients, adding enough cream or milk to make a spreadable glaze. If desired, the almonds may be sprinkled over the top of the icing before it sets. Keywords: Dessert, Snack, Intermediate, Breakfast, Brunch ( RG1460 )

Gevulde koeken - Dutch almond pastries This is a cookie that consists of a crisp, buttery pastry with an almond paste filling. A word about the almond paste. In the Netherlands you can buy this readymade. Please note that it's not the same as marzipan, it has a courser, grainier texture. If you can't buy it, make your own by grinding together 125 grams of sugar and 125 grams of blanched almonds. Mix in an egg and some grated lemon zest. Knead well and keep in airtight jars in the fridge. My recipe says it will keep for a couple of weeks and improve in flavor. The recipe that follows is for about 10 large pastries (4-4,5 inches diameter) or 20-25 small ones (2,5 inch diameter) 300 g flour 200 g cold butter, cubed 150 g white sugar 200 g almond paste 1 egg, beaten almond halves for decorating Preheat the oven to 250 F / 125 C. Mix butter, flour and sugar together until you have a dough. You may need to add a couple of drops of water to make it come together. Roll it out farily thinly on a floured surface. Cut out rounds with a preferably fluted) pastrycutter. Put half the rounds on a baking sheet. Put heaps of almond paste on top. Moisten the edges of each round with a little water and press the other pastryrounds on top. Make sure the edges are sealed. Press one or more almond halves on top of each pastry. Brush liberally with the beaten egg. These cookies traditionally have a thick glaze on top, so if you like you can brush them a couple of more times during the baking. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. From the Dutch Cooking thread Keywords: Easy, Snack, Cookie ( RG1459 )

Soulful Bowlful Chile Serves 10. This recipe is authentic in that there are no beans, bell peppers, spaghetti, or other furrin' objects allowed. I like to use a combination of beef, pork, and venison for good flavors, but mostly beef with a little ground pork for extra fat will work as well. If chile pequins are not available, use dried Jap chiles instead. Ingredients: 25 ancho chiles 1 quart beef stock 2 & ½ lb chuck, chili grind 1 & ½ lb fresh pork sausage (not Italian) 2 lb ground venison 3 T. canola oil 4 cups finely chopped onions 8 garlic cloves, minced 1 T. chile pequin 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes 4 Serrano chiles 1 12-oz can beer 2 T. ground cumin 2 T. kosher salt 1 & ½ tsp Mexican oregano 1 tsp smoked paprika 3 T. cider vinegar Water as needed 1. Spread the ancho chiles on a large baking pan and toast for 10 minutes at 300º F. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and then stem and deseed. Combine with the beef stock in a food processor and pulse until a smooth paste is formed. Add more liquid if necessary. 2. Heat 3 T. canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the meat in batches and transfer to a Dutch oven when meat turns gray---it doesn’t need to be browned. 3. Add the onions, garlic, chile pequin, tomatoes, Serrano chiles, and 12 ounces of beer. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for twenty minutes. 4. After simmering twenty minutes, add the cumin, salt, oregano, smoked paprika, and vinegar. Simmer, covered, for another hour, adding more water or beer as needed. Serve with Mexican rice, pinto beans, and cornbread. Keywords: Main Dish, Hot and Spicy, Beef, Pork, Easy ( RG1458 )

Pork Chile Verde Serves 4 as Main Dish. This recipe is based upon recipes from Jane Butel and former New Mexico Senator Joseph Montoya, who won the Capitol Hill Chile Cookoff many years. 3 pounds boneless pork butt, cut in 1” cubes 3 T. flour 2 T. bacon drippings 1 large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced Water 1 tsp. salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp. ground Mexican oregano 1& 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped 20 fresh green chiles, roasted, peeled, and chopped OR 2 7-oz cans choppped fire-roasted green chiles 1. Sprinkle pork cubes with flour. Heat lard in a large, heavy skillet and brown pork. Remove to a plate. 2. Sauté onion and garlic in the same pan until the onion is soft. Return meat to the pan. 3. Add water to just barely cover the meat. Add salt, pepper, Mexican oregano, and cumin. Cover and simmer for one hour. 4. Add the tomatoes and green chiles; simmer 30 minutes or longer, adding a little more water if necessary, until flavors are well blended. Notes: I’ve used two 7-oz. cans of chopped green chiles, drained when I’ve been too busy (or too lazy!) to deal with fresh chiles. Keywords: Hot and Spicy, American, Main Dish, Easy, Pork ( RG1457 )

Green chili with lamb and garbanzos Serves 4 as Main Dish. This recipe was inspired by various recipes for New Mexico-style green chili and/or "green chile stew" that I found on the Internet, plus inspirations from various eGulleteers to be bold and do a non-traditional chili using lamb (one of my favorite meats) and garbanzo beans (one of my favorite legumes). As my transplanted New Mexican friend tells me with great sighs of longing, you just can't find fresh New Mexico chiles in Southern California markets, and there's no good substitute. The typical Hatch NM chile used for these kinds of dishes is called Big Jim--it's the chile that, when fully ripened to red and then dried, gets made into those ristras (chile wreaths) one sees in NM gift shops. Green, they slightly resemble Anaheims, but are a good bit hotter. The green chiles are rumored to come dried too, but I haven't found them. Typically the fresh ones are flame-roasted and skinned, and then either used as-is in recipes, or frozen. There are some mail-order places that sell the frozen stuff, but of course I didn't want to wait for that! The canned flame-roasted green chiles are considered a last resort--and most of the time, the chiles in those cans aren't even Big Jims, they're just more Anaheims. So, I did a compromise suggested by one or another of the NM chile-head websites I found, using a combination of canned and fresh-roasted Anaheims for the general flavor, color, and texture, and then some other chiles for the heat. The chiles de arbol are my favorite go-to dried chiles for long-simmered dishes--I've got their heat-level pretty well calibrated at this point. And the New Mexico (red) chile powder? I threw that in, well, just because (hey, it sez New Mexico on the label! :-) ) 1/4 lb bacon, sliced, then cut in 1-2" pieces 1 lb lamb, boneless, 1/2" to 3/4" cubes 2 7 oz. cans whole NM style green fire-roasted chiles (NOT pickled!) 1 lb fresh Anaheim chiles 2 small onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 dried chiles de arbol 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground Mexican oregano 1/2 tsp New Mexico red chile (not "chili"!) powder 1 bay leaf 3 c cooked garbanzo beans 1 scant cup water 1. Roast the Anaheim chiles: preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Slit each chile down one side and remove as much of the seeds/membranes as you can. Place chiles on a foil-lined cookie sheet and roast, turning every five to ten minutes or so with tongs until all sides of the chiles start to show brownish patches--approx. 30 minute in all. Remove from oven and, while still hot, place chiles in a heat-resistant container and seal with a tightly-fitting lid. Let them steam by their own heat in the container for about ten minutes or so, or until their skins have started to loosen significantly. Remove their stems, open each chile flat, and gently peel off their skins. Chop chile flesh into 1-inch lengths and reserve. 1a. While you're at it, chop the canned green chiles into 1-inch lengths too. 2. In a large stewpot over medium-ish heat, fry the bacon till moderately-cooked but not all the way to crispy. Remove bacon and reserve. 3. In the bacon fat, brown the lamb in batches; remove and reserve. 4. Turn the heat to medium low; sweat the onions and garlic in the hot fat until soft and a tiny bit browned. 5. Return the lamb and bacon to the pot, along with all the other remaining ingredients. Stir well, cover tightly, and let simmer on medium-low to low heat for a good couple of hours or until the lamb is as tender as you'd like. Check on it occasionally to give it a stir and to adjust heat so it stays at a gentle simmer and doesn't scorch--the chiles should release more than enough liquid to keep it from drying out. 6. You can serve this with corn tortillas, or over your favorite starch (rice, etc.). I think it would be dynamite served on top of Navaho frybread! Notes: 1. This produces a relatively low-heat chile. Please feel free to up the heat as desired by adding more chile powder and/or dried red chiles, and/or using hotter chiles than the arbols. 2. If you are able to get your hands on fresh or fresh-frozen New Mexico "Big Jim" green chiles, by all means use them instead of the Anaheims and the canned chiles--you'll probably want about 2lbs of the Big Jims in all. Be aware that the Big Jims, unlike the Anaheims, actually pack some heat of their own (i.e. wear gloves and/or wash your hands thoroughly after handling them, watch you don't touch any sensitive body parts with your chile-juicy hands, and take their heat into account when adding the other heat sources). 3. The garbanzos keep their shape well during the long simmer because the canned green chiles contain a bit of citric acid. If you go with all fresh or frozen Big Jim chiles, you'll need to add a bit of acid from some other source to keep the beans from disintegrating (I'd suggest a tablespoon or so of fresh lime juice). Keywords: Beans, Intermediate, Lamb, Lunch, Vegetables, Dinner, Main Dish, American ( RG1456 )

Pide (Turkish Flat Bread) Serves 4. This is a Turkish flat bread that is traditionally served during Ramadan, but is also served all year round. It can be sprinkled with sesame or nigella seeds or stuffed with various fillings of meat or vegetables or cheese. This recipe has been adapted from Classical Turkish Cooking by Alya Algar. Sponge 4 tsp active dry yeast 1/2 tsp sugar 1/2 c warm water 1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour Dough 3-1/2 c bread flour 1 tsp salt 3 T olive oil 1 c plus 1 tbsp warm water Glaze 2 eggs, lightly beaten Topping Nigella seeds and/or sesame seeds Mix the yeast and sugar in the warm water and set aside in a warm place for 10 minutes, until bubbly. With a fork, stir in the flour, cover with saran wrap and leave to rise for 30 minutes. Place the bread flour in a large bowl, make a well and add the sponge, salt, olive oil and water to the well in the middle. Add the flour, a little at a time until the dough is soft and sticky. Knead the dough on a floured board for approximately 15 minutes until the there is no resistance. Place the dough in a buttered bowl, cover with saran wrap and rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size. Divide the dough into two parts and mold into a ball. Cover with a tea towel and rest for approximately 30 minutes. Preheat a baking stone in a 550 degree oven for 30 minutes. Stretch the rested dough, using wet hands, into a 10-inch circle. Glaze the dough with egg, leaving a 1-inch wide boarder. Dip your fingers in egg and make four horizontal rows of deep indentations with your fingertips. Place the pide on the baking stone and sprinkle it with nigella and or sesame seeds. Bake for 6-8 minutes and place in a towel. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Keywords: Appetizer, Dinner, Main Dish, Snack, Intermediate, Middle Eastern, Lunch, Bread ( RG1455 )

Erwtensoep - Dutch split pea soup This is my family recipe for the famous Dutch split pea soup. It makes a very large pot of soup, but it freezes very well. 500 g green split peas 3 carrots 1 small celeriac 3 leeks 3 potatoes 2 large onions 1 kg pork ribs 200 g piece of salt pork 4 bayleaves 4 l water 2 smoked pork sausages celery leaves or parsley Wash the peas and put into a large pot that will easily hold all ingredients + 4 liters of water. Dice and slice all the vegetables into fairly small pieces. Put the vegetables, the pork (except the sausages), the bayleaves and the water in the pot. Bring to a simmer and simmer very very slowly for about 4 hours. A little longer won't hurt. Taste for salt and pepper. Leave to cool a little, take the meat of the bones and put the meat back into the soup. Now it's best to leave it until the next day for the flavors to develop but you could eat it right away. Slice the sausages and heat them in the soup. Serve in bowls with a little chopped celery or parsley sprinkled on top. (Serve with black rye bread spread with mustard, if possible with katenspek, a dutch bacon that has been salted, boiled, smoked and grilled) from the Dutch Cooking thread Keywords: Easy, Main Dish, Soup ( RG1454 )

Northern Valley Red- Chili with Beans Serves 4 as Appetizeror 2 as Main Dish. This is a nifty way of preparing chili when you don't really have the time to get involved with soaking the pods, pureeing and straining, stewing the beef for hours, etc., etc. The flavor profile is similar, and there are no tomatoes here, but the ground beef and beans are a real time and energy saver. 1/4" slice Salt Pork, 1 ½” x 3”, cubed 1-1/3 lb Ground Chuck 1/2 c Onion, diced 1 Clove Garlic, minced 1 tsp Vegetable Oil, for salt pork 1 T Vegetable Oil, for chili 1-1/2 T Flour 2 Small Bay Leaves, or 1 large 1 T Ground Cumin Seeds 1-1/2 tsp Oregano 2-1/2 T Mild Chile Powder* 1 T Pasilla Powder* 1 T Ancho Powder* 1 tsp Chipotle Powder* 1-1/2 c Water 4 oz Scotch Ale** 1 Can Pink Beans, drained and rinsed Salt, to taste 1) Place salt pork and 1 tsp. vegetable oil in small skillet over medium-low heat to brown and render some fat. 2) Brown ground beef in 4 1/2 qt. stock pot or Dutch oven. Remove to a holding bowl with a slotted spoon. Discard the remaining liquid and wipe pot clean with a paper towel. 3) Bring pot back up to medium heat and add rendered fat from salt pork along with 1 TBSP vegetable oil. Add chopped onion and slowly allow to caramelize. 4) Add bay leaves and garlic, stir until the garlic begins to lose its raw aroma. Add the flour and keep it moving until the roux begins to take on a nutty flavor. This is a very small amount of flour and oil for this size pot so it is important to keep the heat low at this point. 5) Add the chile powders and spices. Stir for a few seconds to allow the aromas to bloom, and then start adding the liquid. Raise the heat and allow to come to a simmer. Reserve some of the water as you verify consistency- you want it to look like pea soup- add more if needed. 6) Add the ground beef, salt pork and beans to the chile sauce. Check for salt. Cover the pot, slightly ajar, and allow to again return to a gentle simmer. Continue cooking for another 15 to 20 minutes. 7) Serve in bowls garnished to your liking. • * The proportions of the chile powders can be altered according to personal taste. This particular blend makes for a slightly hot and complex final product. • ** Any malty beer with a good amount of residual sugars will do, such as a bock or a dunkel. There are no tomatoes in this recipe and the sugars help smooth the flavors out in their place. Serving suggestion Keywords: Intermediate, Hot and Spicy, Main Dish, Tex-Mex, Beans, Beef ( RG1453 )

Cheddar Cheese Tartlets Serves 30 as Hors d'oeuvre. This recipe is originally from a Bon Appetit holiday cookbook. Tartlets can be made up to a week ahead, frozen, and rewarmed in a 350 degree oven until heated through. Good warm and at room temperature. Cheddar Cheese Pastry 1-1/4 c all purpose flour 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1-1/4 c loosely packed grated sharp cheddar cheese 1/2 c chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 5 tsp (approx) ice water Filling: 1 c cottage cheese 1/2 c heavy cream 1 c loosely packed grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided 2 large eggs 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1/3 c finely chopped green onions (scallions) For pastry: Blend dry ingredients in food processor. Add cheese and butter, and blend until crumbs are coarse and somewhat uniform. Add water and blend until dough forms clumps. (I have actually added quite a bit more water than the recipe calls for.)Remove dough from processor, form into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate an hour, or up to 3 days. If refrigerating longer than an hour, allow to stand at room temp a few minutes. For filling: Blend cottage cheese and cream well, until smooth. Add 1 cup of shredded cheese (reserve 1/4 cup), rest of ingredients and process until well blended. Roll out pastry very thin - about 1/8 inch, and cut with a 2 1/2 inch cookie or biscuit cutter. Ease dough into wells of a mini-muffin tin. If necessary, gather dough and re-roll and cut. Spoon about a tablespoon of filling into each cup. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese on tartlets. Bake until cheese is melted and filling is set, about 10 minutes. Allow tartlets to cool in tins a few minutes, then use a table knife to assist in popping them out of cups. Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Vegetarian, Intermediate, Cheese ( RG1452 )

Friese Dumkes - Frisian hazelnut aniseed cookies These are famous cookies from Friesland, one of the Northern provinces of the Netherlands. 100 g ground hazelnuts 150 g softened butter 125 g soft brown sugar 2 eggs 250 g flour 1 T aniseed 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground ginger pinch of salt Preheat the oven to 150 C / 300 F. Mix together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and mix well. Add the flour and mix for a couple of minutes. Add the spices, salt and hazelnuts and blend well. Roll out the dough on a well floured worksurface to a thickness of 1 cm. Cut into strips of 2 x 4 cm. Put strips on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes (they should not brown too much). Immediately after taking them out of the oven, you should make an indentation into each cookie with your thumb (hence the name - dumke meaning 'little thumb') However, I find this a rather painful exercise because the cookies just out of the oven are hot! So if you are not aiming for complete authenticity, just omit this step, thay will taste great anyway. let them cool on a wire rack. from the Dutch Cooking thread Keywords: Snack, Cookie ( RG1450 )

Short Ribs, with Port, Wine and Honey This is heavily adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit. 1-1/2 c dry robust red wine 1 c tawny port 1-1/2 c beef or chicken stock 1 c carrots, chopped 1-1/2 c onions 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 3 T olive oil 1/4 c red wine vinegar 1/3 c honey 1 full head of garlic cut in half 1/4 c grainy mustard 1 T butter 1 T flour 6 meaty short ribs 2 or three inches long Tie the ribs tightly. Brown them a few at a time in a heavy dutch oven, in the olive oil. Remove ribs to a platter and add the carrots, onion and chopped garlic and saute until soft and starting to brown. Add the red wine vinegar and scrape up brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the wine, broth, port, garlic halves and honey and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes and then add the ribs back to the pot, meat side down. Cover and place in oven at 240. Check after half an hour. If it's bubbling a lot, turn it down 5 degrees or so. Braise for 4 hours turning ribs a couple of times. When they are done, remove the ribs to a platter, and strain and degrease the sauce. Return the sauce to the dutch oven and bring to a boil. Add the grainy mustard and gently boil for a few minutes. Make a paste of the butter and flour and add it to the sauce. Boil gently until thickened, whisking constantly. Return the ribs to the pot, turn to coat, recover and heat in oven until ribs are warmed through again. Keywords: Main Dish, Beef, Easy ( RG1449 )

Exotic Fruited Cream Serves 8 as Dessert. Talk about non-traditional…this jewel of a holiday recipe came from a magazine in the 70s, and was attributed to Alice Peterson, of the New York Daily News. The unusual combination of ingredients is just heavenly. Instead of the marrons glaces I use chestnuts packed in syrup, well drained, because they were more accessible to me back when I started making it. Those are available at Zingermans. You may puree the frozen strawberries, if serving frozen strawberries constitutes a faux pas for you, but please don’t substitute fresh strawberries. They just don’t work. Crème fraîche might work instead of sour cream, but no low fat sour cream, or I’ll have to come and get you. 4 c sour cream 1/4 tsp ground cardamom seeds 1 c light brown sugar, packed 1 7 oz. package marrons glaces, coarsely chopped 1 10 oz. pkg. frozen sweetened strawberries, partially thawed 2 T Grand Marnier 1/2 c slivered almonds, toasted The day before: place the sour cream in a sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth or (easier) dampened paper towels. Place sieve over bowl, cover the cream with plastic wrap or the ends of the cheesecloth, if used, and refrigerate over night. Next day, discard the liquids in the bowl and remove sour cream to another bowl. Add the cardamom, brown sugar, and marrons to the cream, cover, and refrigerate until serving time. Before serving, allow strawberries to partially thaw and stir in Grand Marnier. To serve, place approximately a half cup portion of the cream mixture in each serving dish, preferable a stemmed champagne sauce. (If you dish out all 8 servings at once, before adding the strawberries and almonds you can even out the servings.) Top each with a spoon or two of strawberries and sprinkle over some toasted almonds. Keywords: Dessert, Christmas ( RG1448 )

St. Peter's Pudding Serves 12 as Dessert. This is one of my very favorite desserts: cool, creamy and sweeter than you'd suppose for a fruit dessert because of the amount of sugar. It looks very pretty in a cut glass bowl, but I prefer to make it in a rectangular pan or two, cut in squares and serve with whipped cream and a cherry on top. For some reason, the usually nasty maraschino cherries taste pretty good here, and their color is absolutely necessary. For Thanksgiving and Christmas... The fruit: 6 oranges cut into supremes, reserve juice (see below) 1 c seedless green grapes 1/2 c chopped walnuts (mine are always toasted) 1/2 c golden raisins 12 pitted dates, each cut in 4 to 6 pieces 12 maraschino cherries, cut in thirds or quartered The gelatin: 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin 2 T sugar 1 c water 2 c freshly squeezed orange juice (including above reserved orange juice) 1/2 c fresh lemon juice 2 c sugar The garnish: Whipped cream, barely sweetened, if at all Whole maraschino cherries with stems, for garnish Prepare fruit and nuts. To make supremes (orange sections with no membranes), first peel the oranges being sure to remove all the white pith and membrane from the outside. Now cut between membranes on both sides of each section. Catch the juices in a bowl as you go, and squeeze membranes into bowl to remove ever more juice. Refrigerate fruit and nuts. Make gelatin. Combine gelatin and 2T. sugar in a small pan. Stir in water and heat, stirring, over low heat until the gelatin is dissolved. Pour orange juice into large bowl. Add lemon juice, 2 cups orange juice, 2 cups sugar and the warm gelatin mixture. Stir until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until the consistency of unbeaten egg yolks. Fold in orange sections, grapes, walnuts, raisins, dates and cut up cherries. Turn into a pretty bowl and refrigerate, covered, at least 12 hours or overnight. Garnish with whole cherries and whipped cream, or as suggested in notes, above. Keywords: Fruit, Christmas, Dessert ( RG1447 )

Akoori - Parsi style eggs by PercyN This is a famous Parsi dish eaten at breakfast or served as a side dish at special occassions (weddings, etc). 2 Eggs 1 T Oil or clarified butter 2 Garlic cloves, crushed 1 tsp crushed ginger 1 Medium Onion 1 handful of fresh cilantro, chopped 1 medium tomato 2 T light cream (or half and half) 1 small chilie (optional) Sautee the onions in oil/butter until soft. Add the garlic and ginger and sautee for a minute. Add tomatoes, cilantro and chilie and cook until tomatoes break down and form a mixture the consistency of gravy. You may need to add a few tbsp of water as you go along. Once you have this mixture, you can freeze it and use it for other egg recipes as well. Add the light cream, stir in and crack in the eggs. Scramble to the desired consistency. Enjoy !! Keywords: Breakfast, Easy, Indian ( RG1446 )

Dutch Pancakes (Pannenkoeken) Please use the proportions of this batter as a guideline. It will take some experimenting to learn how you like your pancakes: thin and crispy or thick and fluffy. This batter produces fairly thin pancakes (using a 20 cm pan, it will yield about 4-6 pancakes, depending on how much batter you use per pancake). You can make plain pancakes, or with bacon, with apple, or apple and bacon. 200 g flour 2 egs 300 ml milk pinch of salt butter for frying slices of smoked bacon, lightly fried apple slices, lightly sauteed in some butter sugarsyrup to serve Mix all ingredients except the butter together to form a smooth batter. You can leave it to rest but it's not necessary. Heat a frying pan until it's very hot. Add a knob of butter and with a serving spoon, a scoop of batter. Swirl the pan around to spread the batter. Cook until the top is almost dry, flip, bake for another minute. Keep pancakes warm on a plate set on a pan of simmering water. For bacon pancakes, add fried bacon to the pan before pouring on the batter. For apple pancakes, put the sauteed appleslices on top of the batter after you've poured it into the pan. Serve all pancakes with Dutch sugar syrup. from the Dutch Cooking thread ( RG1445 )

Creamy Wild Chanterelle Soup Serves 8 as Soup. We just returned from the Pacific Northwest carrying five lbs of beautiful Chanterelles on the plane. We make a double recipe of this every year--it freezes beautifully and is an elegant first course. lb shiitakes, divided lb Chanterelles lb button mushrooms T fresh lemon juice T butter, divided med red onion, chopped,divided garlic cloves chopped, divided T fresh parsley, chopped,divided lemon, peeled, quartered tsp thyme leaves salt, pepper bay leaves c chicken stock c heavy cream c Maderia T Cognac T cornstarch T water Sprinkle mushrooms with lemon juice. Thinly slice 1/2 cup shiitakes. Cut remaining musrooms into cubes and set aside. For the garnish reserve 1 Tbls butter, the sliced shiitakes,2 Tbls onion,1 Tbls garlic, & 2 Tbls parsley. Melt 5 Tbls butter in a heavy pot and saute remaining onion and garlic until golden. Add remaining mushrooms, lemon peel and quarters, thyme, salt pepper and bay leaves. Saute over med heat until no liquid remains. Add stock and boil--simmer until reduced by 1/4. Remove bay leavs. Add cream and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in Maderia and cognac.Dissolve cornstarch in water and stir into the soup; simmer 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Mel reserved butter in skillet and saute reserved shiitakes, onion, garlic, and parsley. Season to taste. Serve soup garnished with sauteed mushroom mixture. Adapted from Rudi Lechner's original recipe--Houston Keywords: Soup, Intermediate, Dinner ( RG1444 )

Boterkoek, Dutch gingerpastry This is my mom's version of the classic Dutch boterkoek, a rich buttery pastry eaten as a snack with tea or coffee. I've included a "photo tutorial" of this recipe here on the Dutch Cooking topic I started. 150 g butter 150 g sugar 200 g self-raising flour 1 beaten egg 3 knobs of crystallized ginger, chopped 1 T ginger syrup pinch of salt butter and flour for cake tin Butter and flour a 20-22 cm round shallow cake tin. Preheat oven to 175 C / 350 F. Melt the butter. Mix the melted butter, sugar, flour, chopped ginger and ginger syrup and the salt together. Mix in most of the beaten egg (hold back a little to glaze). Spread the dough in the prepared cake tin and level the surface. Brush with the remaining egg. The pastry has to bake for about 30 minutes. During that time, about every 8 minutes, you have to knock down the dough as it starts to rise. Do this by gently patting the surface of the dough with the round side of a fork. (If you leave the tin in the oven while doing this, be very careful not to burn yourself). This 'knocking down' produces a rich and slightly chewy pastry. After about 30 minutes the pastry should be golden brown. Don't overbake. from the Dutch Cookingthread For a lovely variation, add tow heaping tablespoons of Dutch cocoapowder to the dough when mixing. See herefor the result! With special thanks to Nishla who came up with this idea! Keywords: Easy, Snack, Cake ( RG1443 )

Whacked-Out Chili Serves 8 as Main Dish. This recipe evolved from one I found in Southern Living several years ago. The original title was "Bodacious Chili." It was so weird that I had to try it. Being from Texas and a congenitally chili purist, my kids started calling it "that whacked-out chili you make" and the name stuck. This version has been pretty stable for some time now. But, I do have to admit that I mess with the spice mix from time to time. This is a really pretty dish and goes well with cornbread. Check out one of our great cook-offs . . . Chili--Cook-Off XV, eGullet Recipe Cook-Off Series 2 lb chuck in ½” cubes 2 large onions chopped 3 stalks celery cut in 1” pieces 1 large red bell pepper chopped 6 jalapenos, seeded and diced 2 c sliced mushrooms (Portobellos are really good) 8 cloves garlic minced 3 T olive oil Seasonings 3 T cocoa 4 T ancho chili powder 1 tsp cayenne or arbol (optional) 1 T cumin seeds 1 T dried Mexican oregano 1 T paprika 1 tsp ground tumeric 1/2 tsp salt or more to taste 1 tsp ground cardamom 1 tsp ground pepper 1 T molasses 1 c red wine 2 cans chopped tomatoes 1 can drained kidney beans 1 can drained garbanzos Start the meat in oil and when beginning to brown add the vegetables. Continue to cook on medium high until vegetables begin to cook. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Simmer covered for 1 ½ hours. Serve with cornbread or tortillas. Big corn chips and buttered saltines work well also. Our favorite topping is sour cream. Other toppings could include cheese, diced onion, shredded cabbage, pickled peppers, the list goes on and on. Keywords: Beef, Main Dish, Intermediate, Lunch, Dinner, Tex-Mex ( RG1442 )

Slow Cooker Pot Roast Serves 4 as Main Dish. This recipe is adapted from the book "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker." One to three days before cooking, salt the roast. For a 3-pound chuck roast, use 1-3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt. Ingredients 2 T olive oil 1/2 c each (diced): onion, carrot, potato, celery 3 lb chuck roast 2/3 c red wine 1-1/3 c boiling water 1 lb steamed root vegtables 1. In a large skillet, saute the diced vegetables in 1 TB oil till soft. Scrape veggies into the slow cooker. 2. In the same pan, add remaining oil. When hot, brown the pre-salted roast lightly on all sides. Place roast on top of the sauteed veggies. 3. Deglaze the pan with the wine, loosening all the tasty browned bits, and reduce it till slightly thickened. Pour the syrupy wine into the cooker, along with boiling water. 4. Turn slow cooker to Low. Cook for 7-8 hours. 5. Strain sauce, mashing solids against the strainer, then refrigerate sauce and roast overnight in *separate* containers. 6. Next day remove the layer of congealed fat from the sauce and any fatty bits from the roast. 7. Pour enough sauce into a large saucepan to cover the bottom and place roast on top. Cook, covered, over low till heated through. 8. Meanwhile, heat the sauce; thicken, if necessary, with a bit of potato starch slurry (I don't usually find it necessary). Place sauce in a gravy boat. 9. About 20 minutes before serving, steam some root vegetables (such as quartered Red Bliss potatoes, halved baby carrots) 10. Place roast in the center of a platter. Surround with steamed vegetables. Drizzle sauce over everything. Pass the extra sauce. Keywords: Beef, Crock Pot ( RG1441 )

Armenian-Lebanese Chili Paste Serves 15 as Hors d'oeuvre. During the late summer/ early fall months in Beirut, you could see large trays of the fire-y chili paste drying on the roof tops, the roof tops of mostly Armenian residents. The paste is a little sweet, hot, and has the unmistakable bell pepper taste. I love it spread on some pita by itself! I also use it to mix with all kinds of Mediterranean dips especially stuff with eggplant in it. I add a dollop on top of my lamb or chickpea stews. Spread it on pita and wrap around grilled lamb chunks or Kofta. Dip fried kibbe in a yogurt sauce mixed in with the paste. Well, you get my drift... 8 fresh red bell peppers 4 Scotch bonnet (or to taste) or other hot peppers 4 garlic cloves, minced or mashed 1/2 c olive oil Salt - Half the peppers, remove the seeds and cut them up into big chunks. - Puree the peppers in a food processor until fine. Mix in the garlic. - In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the oil on medium heat, dump in the puree (careful! It will splatter) and cook, stirring frequently until the water evaporates and the mixture is the consistency of a soft tomato paste. When this happens a film of oil will rise to the surface. - Season with salt to taste and store in clean jars. Top with a little olive oil and keep in the fridge. Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Hot and Spicy, Vegetarian, Dip, Vegan, Condiment, Easy, Sauce ( RG1440 )

Chinese Oxtail Stew Serves 4 as Main Dish. Here's my super-simple favorite, which I got from an old friend. It perfumes the whole house. 2 medium oxtails (3 to 4 lb.) cut in 2" pieces and well trimmed 6 whole sticks cinnamon, broken into 2" pieces 1 handful (1/3 to 1/2 cup) whole star anise 4 T dark soy sauce 2-1/2 T sugar 1/4 tsp MSG (optional) 1. Put the meat in a kettle with water to cover, heat to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the meat and the kettle. 2. Return the meat to the kettle with water to cover, add the cinnamon and star anise and MSG, if using. Heat to a boil and cook uncovered for 45 minutes over medium heat, occasionally skimming off any scum. 3. Add the soy sauce and sugar, reduce the heat to a slow simmer, cover and cook until the meat is falling off the bones (2 to 3 hours). 4. Remove the meat to a platter. When it's cool enough to handle, remove the fat and bones. Refrigerate the meat and sauce separately overnight. 5. The next day, skim the fat from the sauce and reduce it in a non-stick frying pan. When it starts to thicken, strain out the solids. Continue reducing until thick, almost a syrup (1/2 to 2/3 cup). 6. Reheat the meat, plate over white rice and pour the sauce around and over. Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Beef, Dinner, Chinese ( RG1439 )