Search the Community

Matzo Brei Serves 2 as Main Dish. My wife gave me the key to great matzo brei: run the matzo under hot water. Here's how I make it (for two) 1 T olive oil 1/2 T butter 5 pieces of matzo 3 extra-large eggs 2 T milk or cream pinch salt and pepper pinch tarragon and/or dill 1/2 onion, diced Run matzo under hot water, 5 seconds or so for each piece. Let pieces sit for 5 minutes to absorb water. Whisk eggs together with milk or cream. Add salt, pepper and herbs. Break matzo pieces 2-3 inches square and add to egg mixture. Let matzo sit in liquid ingredients for 10-15 minutes. Heat oil and butter in skillet. When hot, add diced onions and saute till they are translucent (but not burnt). Add matzo-egg mixture stirring lightly to mix onions and matzo together. Cook approx. 4 minutes on medium heat. When matzo mixture has firmed enough so that it can be flipped with spatula, do so. Be careful not to overcook. After flipping, let mixture cook another minute or two (lower heat if it is cooking too fast). When done, it should be moist, but firm. I do not like crisp, dry matzo brei though perhaps some do. Keywords: Breakfast, Easy, Vegetarian, Jewish, Passover ( RG741 )

Beet salad Serves 10 as Salad. I've made this for a couple of Heartland parties and everyone likes it. Feel free to substitute different kinds of vinegar, oil, or blue cheese. 3 lb baby beets 2 medium red onions, sliced 6 oz Maytag Blue cheese 2 T Dijon Mustard 3 T Sherry Vinegar 6 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salt and Pepper to taste Whisk together the mustard, sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil and continue to whisk to make a vinegrette. The vinegrette should be a little more acidic than normal. Add the sliced onion to vinegrette. Boil the beets until fork tender. Peel, cut them in half, and slice into half moons. Add the beets to the vinegrette and stir. Crumble the blue cheese and add 2/3 to the beets and store. Sprinkle the remaining blue cheese over the top of the salad. Keywords: Salad, Vegetarian, Vegetables ( RG734 )

Rajma A friend of mine, Russian, is married to an Indian and lives in India. She shared this recipe with me. She calls it rajma and says it is very poplular in Punjab. Lots of spices there! I served it over brown rice and with a dollop of sour cream on top (raita would've probably been better). 1. Soak beans overnight. I usually use 1 full cup of red (kidney) beans (as I cook for two). 2. In the pressure cooker, place 2 bay leaves, 2 black cardamoms (I prefer to crush them rather than place whole and then have to take them out), salt, 1 tablespoon ghee, and 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook 20-25 minutes. 3. Drain (reserve liquid). 4. In a deep skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Add 3 small chopped onions, grated ginger (small piece), 2-3 crushed garlic cloves, and 2-3 small hot green peppers. Sautee until the onions are golden. 5. Add 1/2 teaspoon powdered red pepper (I often skip this part because the green peppers are hot enough) and 1 large tomato, pureed. Let stew a little. 6. Add the beans and garam masala (the garam masala you use must be made fresh – this is what makes the dish so delicious: ground into powder together 1 teaspoon cumin, 4 green cardamoms, a 1-inch piece of a cinnamon stick, 6 whole cloves and 6 black peppercorns. It is best to make the garam masala beforehand, while the beans are cooking). Mix everything together well and add the liquid reserved after cooking beans. Bring to boil, turn down the heat, and cook until the beans are fully cooked and the sauce reaches desired thickness. You can crush some beans if desired. 7. Add chopped cilantro and a couple of tablespoons sour cream (if desired). Serve over rice. Keywords: Main Dish, Vegetarian, Beans, Dinner, Indian ( RG1386 )

Curry Chutney Spread Serves 10 as Hors d'oeuvre. There are many variations on this, including ones that substitute smoked almonds for the bacon (a great tip for vegetarians), but this is my all-time favorite. I often forgo the processing of the chutney - as long as your chutney isn't super-chunky, you should be able to make this without dirtying your Cuisinart! 8 oz cream cheese (light or regular), at room temperature 1 T curry powder 8 oz mango chutney (one jar) 6 strips bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and crumbled 1 bunch scallions, finely chopped In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese with the curry powder until mixture is well-blended and smooth. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the chutney a few times (until lumps are gone). Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over the bottom of an 8-inch quiche or pie dish. Spread the chutney on top, then top with crumbled bacon. Add the scallions evenly to the top. Serve with hearty crackers or small whole-grain toasts. Spread will keep, covered in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge, for up to two days. Bring to room temperature before serving. Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Dip ( RG1384 )

Peanut Butter Chicken Curry Serves 4 as Main Dish. This is my variation on the "Tender Turkey And Peanut Butter Curry" recipe from Ainsley Harriott's cookbook Gourmet Express 2. His basic recipe is very good, but I've tweaked this to my taste by substituting chicken for the turkey, changing the amounts of most of the ingredients, and adding more vegetables. 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into roughly 1/2" cubes oil for browning 1 small or 1/2 large onion, diced 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (or other hot chile pepper) 1 T grated ginger 1 T minced or crushed garlic (2-3 cloves) 1-1/2 T Madras Curry Powder 1/3 c peanut butter 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (+ cream if it's in there) 1 c chicken stock/broth 1 can diced tomatoes with juice 1/2 lb cauliflower florets, frozen or fresh 1/2 c frozen peas salt and pepper (and possibly sugar) to taste Preheat oven to 350F. In a large oven-safe pot (I use my Le Creuset), brown the chicken in oil. Add the onion and cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add the jalapeno, ginger, and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the curry powder and cook until really fragrant. Add the peanut butter and let it melt, a really short time. Add the coconut milk, tomatoes, and cauliflower, and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly so everything's mixed. Put a lid on the pot and put it in the oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, add the peas, and bake another 5 minutes. Adjust taste with salt and pepper. Serve with rice (or not, if you don't want it). Makes 4 large servings and freezes VERY well. Sometimes the ingredients are a bit on the bitter side, and since I use unsweetened peanut butter, I need to add a little sugar (or Splenda works well, too) to balance it out. (But Skippy and the like work just fine - crunchy or smooth.) Measurements are rough guesses at best, since at this point the only thing I measure is the curry powder. There are many substitutions which can be made with delicious results. I once made this for vegetarians by using butternut squash for the chicken and vegetable broth for the chicken stock. Keywords: Easy, Main Dish, Chicken, Dinner ( RG1383 )

Yesterday I had a delicious piece of strawberry pie at a vegetarian restaurant. the crust was made with coconut and finely chopped nuts. The fresh strawberries were crushed and in a solid type filling. It did not taste like gelatin. I made the crust and it seems fine. I am trying to figure out how to attempt the filling. Has anyone prepared such a pie. When you put your fork into it to take a bite, the filling was solid and held together, but all you really could taste was the delicious strawberry flavor...so fresh and natural. I am considering just trying to gently cook the strawberries with some sugar and cornstarch. But I am wondering if I should incorporate some unflavored gelatin in it. any ideas?

I have just been asked to prepare tea sandwiches for a reception on Sunday -- 100 or more people. The sandwiches will have to be packed by 9 AM for an ordination service that begins at 3 PM, and no refrigeration will be available, though I do have insulated cooler bags. Someone else is planning to do tuna salad; I am making the vegetarian ones. I would like them to be colorful, tasty, and of reasonable cost as they are a donation! Ideas that I'm considering: Cranberry-orange-walnut bread with cream cheese Dark rye or pumpernickel with cream cheese and olives Whole wheat bread with shredded carrot salad More ideas and any tips would be very welcome; sandwiches are not my specialty!

OK. I searched under +rice +salad, posts, topics found 42 pages. Help! Does anyone have a rice salad that they like? With not too many esoteric ingredients and for vegetarians. DH made a huge pot of rice for lunch. He likes roasted Ratatouille on rice. I just love roasted Ratatouille. So now I have about 8 cups of cooked Jasmine rice and I could really use a delicious recipe. It will be added to the coming Dog Weekend's fare. (Sorry, I don't really like rice salads, but then I had never tasted a bean salad like Randi's bean salad, so perhaps somewhere out there there may be an equally scrumptious rice salad.) Thanks.

Found this title today: Lick It! Creamy, Dreamy Vegan Ice Creams Your Mouth Will Love by Cathe Olson. It appears that I cannot get it through Inter Library Loan and I am loathe to buy cookbooks, sight unseen. Has anyone else tried any of the recipes from this book? Has anyone tried any vegan ice cream recipes with say, coconut cream or rice or nut milk or whatever. And what about using Agave syrup for the sweetener?

I am planning a send off dinner for one of my law school roommates and her boyfriend, who are moving to San Francisco. A few other law school friends will be joining. The boyfriend is a vegetarian and one of the other attendees "doesn't like cheese." I'm a bit at my wits end about what to serve. I was planning to make batali's fresh ricotta and asparagus ravioli as a starter and then do a main course of poussin with a quiche or something for the vegetarian. Since the issue of cheese was introduced, I'm not sure how to adjust the menu, but I'm beginning to think that family style dining might be more suited to a picky group. If possible, I'd like to stay very seasonal and ingredient driven. Since it's a goodbye dinner, I'd also like to make it as special as possible, within the limitations of the group. Ideas?

Italian Gratin Serves 6 as Main Dish. This is a lazyman's lasagna with more taste but less formality and eggplant. Quick and simple to make a large amount of decent food. This is a Moosewood receipe, I've really only altered some of the ingredient amounts compared to their original. 1 handful fresh basil 3 onions 3 c Tomatoes, or a 28 oz can 4 cloves garlic 3 c spinach leaves 4 c mushrooms 1 tsp salt 1 T olive oil 1 c bread crumbs 1 c dried pasta, some type of small shell 2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. I used a 13" by 9" glass lasagna type dish that my mom left at my place to make this dish. Oil the dish. Mix together the onions, basil, salt, and tomatoes. Heat the oil in a small frypan over medium heat. I might try some butter next time instead of the oil. Throw in the garlic and the bread crumbs and cook for about 3 minutes, until the bread crumbs are lightly browned. Remove from the hot pan and set aside. Spread out half of your tomato mixture in the bottom of the oiled dish. Sprinkle the pasta for the next layer. Then a layer of spinach, then mushrooms, and then half of your cheese. Top it off with the rest of the tomato mixture then the browned bread crumbs. Cover with foil and and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve it up with a green salad following behind. Keywords: Main Dish, Dinner, Vegetarian, Italian ( RG770 )

French toast Serves 4 as Main Dish. This is a very simple and easy dish which is also very forgiving. My measurements are slightly rough and can always be adjusted to your own taste. 1 loaf Brioche (I use Whole Foods brioche-I estimate it weighs around 24 ounces) 4 X-lg. eggs (5 if you slice the bread thin) pinch salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1/4-1/2 c. milk 1 tbs. butter 1 tbs. canola oil Slice brioche into 1/2 inch slices (cautions: try to make slices as even & flat as possible; also, cutting slices too thin will cause them to break & cutting too thick will not allow egg batter to penetrate them sufficiently--try to find a happy medium). Whip eggs, milk, salt and half the cinnamon and half the brown sugar in mixing bowl. Soak each individual slice in batter briefly. Heat stovetop griddle to med.-high heat. Add a portion of the butter and oil. Lay slices onto griddle. While cooking, sprinkle remainder of brown sugar and cinnamon on top of cooking slices. Cook on each side around 2 minutes being careful not to burn (which can easily dry out & ruin the French toast). While cooking, pay attention to griddle flame adjusting if it's cooking too hot. Serve with either fresh fruit, jam and/or maple syrup. Keywords: Vegetarian, Easy, American, Breakfast ( RG748 )

Matzo Brei Serves 2 as Main Dish. My wife gave me the key to great matzo brei: run the matzo under hot water. Here's how I make it (for two) 1 T olive oil 1/2 T butter 5 pieces of matzo 3 extra-large eggs 2 T milk or cream pinch salt and pepper pinch tarragon and/or dill 1/2 onion, diced Run matzo under hot water, 5 seconds or so for each piece. Let pieces sit for 5 minutes to absorb water. Whisk eggs together with milk or cream. Add salt, pepper and herbs. Break matzo pieces 2-3 inches square and add to egg mixture. Let matzo sit in liquid ingredients for 10-15 minutes. Heat oil and butter in skillet. When hot, add diced onions and saute till they are translucent (but not burnt). Add matzo-egg mixture stirring lightly to mix onions and matzo together. Cook approx. 4 minutes on medium heat. When matzo mixture has firmed enough so that it can be flipped with spatula, do so. Be careful not to overcook. After flipping, let mixture cook another minute or two (lower heat if it is cooking too fast). When done, it should be moist, but firm. I do not like crisp, dry matzo brei though perhaps some do. Keywords: Breakfast, Easy, Vegetarian, Jewish, Passover ( RG741 )

Beet salad Serves 10 as Salad. I've made this for a couple of Heartland parties and everyone likes it. Feel free to substitute different kinds of vinegar, oil, or blue cheese. 3 lb baby beets 2 medium red onions, sliced 6 oz Maytag Blue cheese 2 T Dijon Mustard 3 T Sherry Vinegar 6 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salt and Pepper to taste Whisk together the mustard, sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil and continue to whisk to make a vinegrette. The vinegrette should be a little more acidic than normal. Add the sliced onion to vinegrette. Boil the beets until fork tender. Peel, cut them in half, and slice into half moons. Add the beets to the vinegrette and stir. Crumble the blue cheese and add 2/3 to the beets and store. Sprinkle the remaining blue cheese over the top of the salad. Keywords: Salad, Vegetarian, Vegetables ( RG734 )

Linguine with tomato, chili, olive and basil sauce Serves 4 as Appetizeror 2 as Main Dish. Sometimes, the desire to crash on the sofa with a glass or three of wine is much stronger than the desire to spend hours in the kitchen generating washing up for my long suffering wife. I'm therefore always on the look out for recipes that take less than an hour to prepare, but still deliver in the taste department. Here's a dish that I recently knocked up out of store cupboard ingredients and that I enjoyed eating enough to want to record and share with others. I make no great claims to authenticity (well, I've used ketchup, so how could I?) or particularly original thought, but it is a genuinely quick and easy plate of food to prepare and worth having in your repetoire for those occassions when the inner-chef is demanding an early night. Ingredients 1 T olive oil 1 medium onion, finely diced 1 fat clove of garlic, finely diced 1 red chili, halved, deseeded and sliced 400 g canned tomatoes or passata 1 T tomato ketchup 8 black olives, pitted and chopped 8 leaves basil, torn or sliced sea salt and black pepper to taste 320 g linguine Heat the oil in a pan and sweat the onion until soft, add the garlic and chili and fry gently for a moment. Pass the tomatoes through a mouli legume (omit this stage if using passata) and add to the vegetables. Cook for 15-20 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken, then add the ketchup (you may not need a tablespoon, you want just enough to add sweetness to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.) Stir in the olives and the basil at the last moment. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the linguine as per packet instructions, drain, toss with the sauce and serve immeadiately with grated parmesan, a splash of extra virgin olive oil and some more torn basil leaves if you wish. Keywords: Main Dish, Italian, Easy, Vegetarian, Pasta ( RG634 )

Pan-roasted corn Corn (Fresh of the raw cob is nice, but I usually use frozen organic supersweet corn from Wholefoods) Spanish sweet smoked paprika Cumin (less than the paprika) Dried Ground Chipotle (less than the cumin) Salt Cook it all over a hardwood charcoal fire in some butter, olive oil, or a combination. It's best when some of the corn starts to carmelize a bit. That's it. Simple, but good. Keywords: Side, Vegetarian, Easy, Vegetables ( RG615 )

Frugal Fresser's Fried Rice Here's a yummy recipe for fried rice--you can add chicken, beef or even tofu for the vegetarians out there. You'll need the following: Four carrots, diced four celery stalks, diced one large onion, minced four chicken legs & thighs four eggs Cayenne pepper sauce 1 1/2 cups of rice soy sauce to taste First, preheat your broiler for about five minutes. This way, the chicken will sear & sizzle when you place it on the broiler. Remove any excess fat from the chicken and reserve this fat to stir-fry the veggies. Sprinkle garlic & onion powder liberally under the skin on the chicken thighs and place them on the broiler. Listen to the pretty sizzling noises. While the chicken is broiling, dice the carrots and celery. Don't dice them so finely as to create a brunoise; the veggies should add color and some texture, but they shouldn't make the diner feel like he or she is crunching a celery stalk. Then, toss the carrots & celery into a preheated skillet or wok with the chicken fat. Stir-fry them for about five to ten minutes, then add the minced onion. The onions won't take as long to cook. If you like, you can baste the chicken thighs in cayenne pepper sauce as they broil. This will make for a nice crispy skin. Turn the chicken every few minutes so it doesn't burn. While the chicken is broiling, cook up 1 1/2 cups of white rice. When the chicken is done, de-bone it and dice it coarsely. You can remove the skin first for a nosh if you like. Now beat the four eggs in a bowl. Add pepper if you like. Just when the rice is done, let it cool for about a minute and then pour the egg mixture on top of the rice. This will coat the individual grains and add a nice color. Now find a humongous pot and add the egg/rice mixture, the diced chicken and the sauteed vegetables. Sprinkle some soy sauce over the top and toss over medium heat until the colors of the veggies are well-distributed. Serve to Jews craving good Chinese food. Keywords: Main Dish, Side, Kosher, Intermediate, Beef, Chicken, Rice, Lunch, Chinese ( RG614 )

Salad of semi-dried tomatoes, three flavours, tomato syrup Serves 6 as Appetizer. 14 ripe tomatoes mozzarela 3 garlic cloves 2 shallots olive oil 6 small basil leaves basil 25 cl balsamic vinegar Semi-dried tomato petals - Peel the tomates (dive them few seconds in boiling water and refresh them immediately). Cut them in 4 quarters. Separate the seeds and the inside from the meaty outside. You should have four 'petal' of tomato per tomato. Keep the waster, seeds and inside meat in a ball. - Place the 56 petals (you'll only need 54) on an oiled baking tray. Dry gently for 2 to 3 hours around 100°C. - With one garlic clove, prepare 6 garlic chips that you can cook gently in oil in the oven at the same time as the tomatoes. The chips should be crispy. Tomato sirup - Put the left over of the tomatoes (water, seeds, etc.) in a blender. Strain. Add a bit of sugar. Reduce down the liquid in a pot over low heat until slightly sirupy. Balsamic glaze - Reduce down the balsamic vinegar over low heat (it should not boil) until sirupy. Assembling 1/2 When the tomatoes have dried and cooled down. - Finely chop the rest of the garlic. - Prepare 6 small shallots rings. Chop the rest of the shallots. - Julienne de basil a thin as you can. - Cut the mozzarella in in small 18 rectagles (about 3 mm thick) and slightly smaller than a tomato petal. - Line up six tomato petals. Cover with julienne of basil. Cover with another tomato petal. Keep in air tight box in a fridge. Do the same with chopped garlic and chopped shallots. Allow to cool down for at least an hour. - Keep the other petals (you should have 20) in the fridge. Assembling 2/2 Before serving. - Line up 18 petal. Top with a rectangle of mozarella each. Top with the other flavoured petals. - Paint the plates with tomato sirup, balsamic vinegar glaze and olive oil. - Dispose one flavoured tomato petal pile of each flavour on each plate. So each plate has one with basil, one with shallots and one with garlic. Fleur de sel.Decorate each pile with a smal basil leave, a shallot ring and garlic chip accordingly. Keywords: Appetizer, Vegetarian, Easy ( RG610 )

Mouth Watering Guacamole 2 Ripe avocados (I prefer Haas) 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped 1 Medium yellow onion, finely chopped 2 Garlic cloves, minced 1 Serrano chili, finely chopped 1 Lime Cilantro to taste, minced Salt to taste Halve the avocados lengthwise, and carefully scoop out the insides (try to keep skins in tact), and place into medium bowl. Set aside the pits and the skins for use later. Lightly mash the avocado with a fork. Add the tomatoes, onions, garlic, pepper, cilantro and salt and stir with fork until well blended, but still chunky. Squeeze the lime juice over the top and give it another light stir. Place pits in bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in fridge for an hour. To serve, scoop guacamole from bowl and place into avocado skins. Arrange on dish with cilantro bunches and a variety tortilla chips. Your guests will love it! Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Vegetarian, Easy, Dip, Tex-Mex ( RG605 )

Health Salad Serves 10 as Salad. This salad is great for BBQ's and picnics. Marinade 8 tsp salt 1/2 c water 1-1/2 c white vinegar 1 c oil 1 c sugar Mix all together and pour over: 1 medium head green cabbage shredded 1 large onion sliced 2 carrots sliced 1 green peppers slivered 2 peeled cucumber sliced I like to make this 2 to 4 days before serving and turn the container over a few times a day so that the marinade is distributed throughout the vegetables. You can add or take away vegetables to your taste. For ex. if you like carrots put in more carrots. The recipe can be doubled. If you are serving alot of sides this recipe can easily feed 20 people. Keywords: Salad, Vegetarian, Easy, Vegetables ( RG604 )

Health Salad Serves 10 as Salad. This salad is great for BBQ's and picnics. Marinade salt water white vinegar oil sugar Mix all together and pour over: medium head green cabbage shredded large onion sliced carrots sliced green peppers slivered peeled cucumber sliced I like to make this 2 to 4 days before serving and turn the container over a few times a day so that the marinade is distributed throughout the vegetables. You can add or take away vegetables to your taste. For ex. if you like carrots put in more carrots. The recipe can be doubled. If you are serving alot of sides this recipe can easily feed 20 people. Keywords: Salad, Vegetarian, Easy, Vegetables ( RG603 )

Lemon Coriander Tea Cakes Serves 8 as Dessert. These crisp cookies are infused with coriander and lemon and are perfect with a hot cup of tea, or paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with a fruit sauce for an elegant and quick summer dessert. Coriander has a flavor similar to lemon and sage, and it works beautifully in these tea cakes, which folklore says came out of the Southern plantation kitchens Recipe is from: Brown Sugar: Soul Food Desserts from Family and Friends, by Joyce White, used with permission from the author. 1/3 c golden raisins 2 T lemon juice 2-1/4 c all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp baking soda Pinch of salt 1 T coriander seeds, crushed 12 T unsalted butter, softened 1 c light brown sugar, firmly packed 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 T crystallized sugar for sprinkling, such as Sugar in the Raw Chop the raisins finely and mix in a glass bowl or cup with the lemon juice. Sift together the flour baking soda and salt. Set aside. Lightly toast and then finely crush or ground grind the coriander seeds. Set aside 1 teaspoon of the coriander seeds to use as a topping. Combine the remaining seeds, butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer at medium-high or creaming speed, beat until light and fluffy, for about 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula once or twice. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until well-blended. Using a large spoon, stir in the raisins. Add the flour and mix only until blended. Form the dough into a ball, dusting lightly with flour if sticky. Wrap the dough in wax paper or plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or until the dough is firm and easy to handle. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a baking sheet. Divide the dough in half, and return one piece back to the refrigerator. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the dough into a circle about 1/4-inch thick and about 8 inches in diameter. Using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on one of the baking sheets. Combine the remaining teaspoon of coriander seeds with the sugar and sprinkle each cookie with about 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar-spice mixture. Gently press the topping with you fingers so that it sticks. Set the pan of cookies in the center of the hot oven on the middle shelf. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes or until the bottoms are just lightly brown and the cookies are pale golden around the edges, switching the position of the pan around in the oven halfway through the baking. Remove the cookies from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the pan and then remove from the baking sheet with a metal spatula. Cool on a wire rack. Bake the remaining dough in the same way, one pan at a time, rerolling scraps. Makes about 24 cookies. Keywords: Dessert, Kosher, Vegetarian, Intermediate, Snack, Brunch, Cookie, American ( RG596 )

Hot Corn Fritters Serves 5 as Sideor 2 as Main Dishor 16 as Hors d'oeuvre. These are great for breakfast topped with hot syrup or melted hot fruit preseres. For cocktail nibbles, stir 1/2 cup grated cheese into the batter. Recipe by eGullet Q&A Special Guest, Joyce White, adapted from the cookbook: Soul Food: Recipes and Reflections from African-American Churches - used with permission from the author. 1 large ear fresh corn 3 c Vegetable oil for deep frying 1 c all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp ground cumin or coriander seeds 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 2 eggs 1/2 c whole milk 1 T vegetable oil Husk and silk the corn and then cut the kernels from the cobs, scraping the cobs well to extract the corn milk. Discard the cob. You should have 1 generous cup of corn kernels. Set aside. Pour enough vegetable oil into a deep, heavy kettle or pot to reach a depth of at least 3 inches. Place the pot on high heat and insert a deep-frying thermometer to gauge the oil temperature. In the meantime, in a medium bowl sift together the flour, salt, black pepper, baking powder, cumin or coriander seeds and cayenne pepper. Add the eggs, milk and oil. Mix only until blended and then stir in the corn, mixing lightly. Check the thermometer to make sure the oil has reached 370 degrees. If so, using a tablespoon and a rubber spatula to scrap the batter out of the spoon, drop the batter by spoonfuls into the hot oil. Don't overcrowd the pan. Turn the fritters over in the hot oil, and fry for 2 minutes or until they are puffed and golden brown. Remove the fritters from the oil with long-handled tongs. Drain on paper toweling, and keep warm in a 250 degrees oven while frying the rest of the batter. Makes 16 to 18 fritters. Note: You can substitute buttermilk for the whole milk. If so, use 1/2 teaspoon baking soda instead of the 1 tsp baking powder. Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Amuse, Appetizer, Side, Kosher, Vegetarian, Intermediate, Vegetables, Breakfast, Brunch, Snack, American ( RG595 )

Fusilli alla Siciliana- From the NY Potluck Dinner I've made this dish A LOT of times, so I've reworked the recipe a lot. Roasting the cauliflower adds a new dimension to the dish that the original one lacks...not that the original one isn't any good Cauliflower EVOO Garlic (I used about half a head) capers anchovy fillets (I was planning on getting salt-packed anchovies but couldn't so I opted for the more familiar kind) flat-leaf Italian parsley red pepper flakes balsamic vinegar Roast cauliflower (350 degree preheated oven) for an hour and 15 minutes. I had prepared it by breaking into florets, and seasoning with EVOO and kosher salt. Took out the cauliflower, let it cool for a bit, and then chopped the whole florets up into smaller pieces. Saute minced garlic in EVOO, add capers and anchovies. Saute until anchovies have disintegrated into the sauce. Ok, so this wasn't a purely vegetarian offering, but the anchovies are only there to provide a certain depth of flavor. I like to use them because they add a bass note to a lot of dishes along this particular vein. Tossed in a good dash of red pepper flakes, not enough to overwhelm things but enough to lend a hint of a bite. Added the florets to the garlic/anchovy mixture, drizzle with a little more EVOO, toss to coat and cook uncovered for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more EVOO as needed. Towards the final 5 minutes of cooking, added a splash of balsamic vinegar and let the vinegar mostly cook off. I wanted just a hint of tang and sweetness. Added a little more EVOO, and adjusted seasoning to taste. Prepared fusilli and combined pasta with the sauce directly in the pot. Added parsley and tossed to coat. ( RG570 )

Lime - Ginger - Mint Sorbet Serves 10 as Dessert. Worked really well, the very first time I made it! Icy, spicy, minty, refreshing sorbet/ice. This would be excellent as a palate cleanser for an Asian meal. 1 c Sugar 3 c water 1 bunch fresh Mint leaves, washed (it is not necessary to remove from stems, but if you don't then trim the stems into short lengths) 2 oz finger of fresh Ginger, peeled and finely diced 1/4 tsp Salt 2 Limes (zest one) 1 tsp Lime Zest, finely grated 2 T White Rum Combine sugar and 2 cups of water in a pot over medium heat. Stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved, reduce heat to low. Add 1/4 of mint and ginger. Allow to steep for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Place remaining 1 cup of water, and the rest of the mint and ginger in a blender or food processor. Puree for 1 minute. Pour into a large bowl through a wire mesh strainer. Press and squeeze to remove as much juice as possible. Discard pulp. Place steeped mint and ginger into blender or food processor along with about 1 cup of the sugar syrup. Puree and pour into the bowl through the strainer. Do the same with the remaining sugar syrup. Press and squeeze to remove as much liquid from the pulp as possible. Discard pulp. Add salt to mixture in bowl. Squeeze 2 limes through the strainer into the bowl. Taste to see it needs more lime or sugar. Add lime zest and rum, stir. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour or so. Freeze as per your ice cream maker's directions. Spoon into airtight container and firm in freezer for a few hours before serving. Makes approximately 1.25 quarts. Keywords: Dessert, Ice Cream, Ice Cream Maker, Kosher, Vegan, Vegetarian, Fruit, Hot and Spicy, Blender, Food Processor ( RG568 )