2011 Recipe Exchange Page

2011 Recipe Exchange

LETS START WITH DESERT SHALL WE:

HOT CHOCOLATE SAUCE  ala Great Grandpa Reiley  SERVE HOT OVER YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

Butter – Sugar – Karo Syrup – Vanilla, Salt and Bakers Chocolate Squares

Melt 1 Tb. butter

Add 1 sq Baker chocolate, stir until melted, then add

1/3 cup boiling water. Bring to boil again and add

1 cup sugar

2 Tsp Karo, stir until dissolved

Add vanilla and salt and cook for 5 minutes.

Serve hot over ice cream.

Great- GRANDMA HONEY’S INCREDIBLE DONUTS.

The secret ingredient is the mace – My Father remembers her house had this wonderful mace-smell when this recipe was in progress, which was almost every time he came for a visit.  I have never ever cooked donuts – but maybe this year will be the year!

3 ½ cups flour     1 tsp soda              ½ tsp cr .of tartar

¾ cup sugar

¼ tsp cinnamon         ½ tsp ground nutmeg     ½ tsp mace     1 ½ tsp salt

Combine with

2 Tbsp shortening

4 egg yolks or 2 eggs

1 cup sour milk

Roll dough on floured board to 3/8” thickness.

Let dough stand for 20 minutes

Then cut and fry donuts and donut holes.

QUICK CHOLCOLATE CAKE  

 It was my Grandmothers job to bake a cake every afternoon for her nine-person family in Coeur d’Alene during the 1920s.  A note on her recipe card for this cake says “My favorite”.

Melt 2 sq. Baker chocolate and 3 Tbsp. shortening.

Sift together 4 times

                1 1/3 c. flour

                1 cup sugar

                1 teasp. salt

Put in 1 cup measuring cup

                1 egg

1 teasp. Baking soda

½ teasp. Vanilla, and

milk to fill cup

Beat the above egg mixture in a bowl until bubbly

Combine flour with egg mixture slowly.           Add chocolate and beat well (with beater) for one minute.

Pour into greased pan and bake 30 minutes at 350.

GREAT-GRANDMA (Lottie) REILEY’S RAISIN AND RICE PUDDING

2 cups cooked white rice

4 eggs

3 cups milk

½ cup sugar

½ teasp. salt

1 teasp vanilla

½ cup raisins (or dried currants or dried cranberries)

Fresh ground nutmeg

Beat eggs gently by hand in large bowl. Add milk, sugar, salt and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.

Pour into large glass baking dish.            Add rice and raisins and distribute evenly.

Grind fresh nutmeg on top.

Bake slowly in 300 degree oven until inserted table knife comes out dry

It’s Not Really Cooking But its Food:

CHEAP AND EASY TUNA CASSEROLE (Perfect for lazy college students)

Combine appropriate amounts of

                Boiled flat egg noodles (or elbow macaroni)

                Canned tuna (drained)

                Campbell’s mushroom soup

                Frozen petite peas

                Salt and pepper to taste

Bake in 325 oven until bubbly (about 30 minutes)

RAMEN EGG DROP SOUP (An Alternative meal for lazy college students)

Cook one or more packages of Top Ramen noodles as directed on packaging

                Boil Ramen Noodles in Water

                Gently stir in one egg – allow it to flower in the soup

                Add frozen petite vegatables if desired

                Flavor with either enclosed packet  - OR – Beef/Chicken/Veggie Better Than Bullion to taste

STOVE TOP MACARONI AND CHEESE   - using what you’ve got

In Cambridge I competitively cooked mac n cheese with our upstairs neighbor – it was a good opportunity to use up whatever odds and ends of cheeses we had left in the fridge Maybe someday my kid will eat something other than Kraft again.

Place whatever noodles you have in the house on the stove to boil.  While the noodles are cooking prepare your cheese sauce in a small saucepan.  I start with a “rue” made roughly of ½ stick  butter, 1-2 Tablespoons Flour and Milk, Cream, or butter milk – I never really measured the milk just kept adding till I had a good consistency.  When its looking creamy add in cheese –either sliced small or grated -  I use what I have in the fridge – usually some sharp cheddar, some parm, a string cheese perhaps – and its perfect for leftover cheese chunks from dinner parties.

Add salt & pepper (or other spices – curry anyone?  Dried mustard? Cardamon?)  to taste.

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE   (My Fathers recipe)

My dad sent me this recipe – more complex than my stove top versions but looks good for all of those potlucks. This dish requires two large pots and a flat baking dish. I use a glass Pyrex bake pan about 10’ x 15” x 2”. That is the right size if you use one pound of pasta. 

1 lb. uncooked pasta. Use elbow macaroni or rotelle or penne or even rigatoni. Avoid flat noodles or salad macaroni.

1 flat teasp Dijon mustard (do not exceed this amount)

½ medium onion finely diced.

1/8 lb. butter

4 T. flour

2+ cups milk

Various cheeses, about 2 cups cut into cubes.

Breadcrumbs

salt and pepper.

1. The sauce and pasta can be prepared during the same period of time. It is important to have the cooked pasta ready by the time the sauce is ready to be added.

2. To prepare pasta bring 4+ quarts of water to rapid boil, add 1 teasp. salt. Slowly add pasta while stirring slowly to keep pieces separated. Cook to al dente (slightly chewy) state, usually 8 minutes or more. Taste it several times to get it right. Do not overcook, pasta will cook some more while baking. Drain pasta, place about 1/3 of it in bottom of baking pan and sprinkle all of the diced onion on top of this. Set remaining pasta aside.

3. To prepare sauce, start with Béchamel base as follows. Melt one half of ¼ lb butter in heavy bottomed large sauce pan. Whisk in a roughly equal amount of flour (3 to 4 T.) Be careful not to let mixture burn. Slowly add 2 to 3 cups of milk, stirring almost constantly.  Add mustard and salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a slow boil, lower heat, and begin adding cheese. Cheese should be pre-cut into ½” cubes and added gradually so that cheese melts and colors the sauce. (This can be made with just one kind of cheese, if doing this use sharp cheddar. It is best when several good cheeses are used. I suggest 1/3 mozzarella [which gives it a nice stringy consistency] 1/3 sharp cheddar and 1/3 jack, swiss or imported light, firm cheese.)

Do not let sauce get too hot or cook too long or it will curdle. The pasta should be ready for sauce to be mixed with it as soon as all the cheese has been melted into the sauce.

4. When all cheese is melted into sauce, pour about 1/3 of sauce over bottom layer of pasta in baking dish and stir well (but gently) getting onion distributed as well as sauce. Add remaining pasta. Then pour remaining sauce over top and stir gently until sauce is evenly distributed. Cover with grated cheese and/or a dusting of breadcrumbs and bake in 350 degree oven about 30 minutes until mixture is bubbly. Do not wait for it to brown on top (except for browning of breadcrumbs).

This serves up to 12.

Local and Seasonal   Crab – can be cooked & cleaned or bought that way

DUNGENESS CRAB   - a note from my father

Dungeness crabs range from Alaska south to San Francisco. It is named after Dungeness Bay near Port Angeles (where our cousin Mary Lee has maintained several crab traps for years).  I have eaten shell fish all over the world and I believe this crab is the best. (I prefer it to lobster). The flavor is delicate so you do not want to overpower it with spices or strong sauces. Only male crabs (with a triangle mark on the lower shell) more than 6 and ¼ inches across the shell are permitted to be harvested. Purchase live crabs, the larger the better (over 2 lbs. if possible). The best meat is in the large portion of each leg. Make sure that the crab you buy has all legs attached. One crab will serve two or three persons.

Keep crabs refrigerated (and alive) until you cook** them, which should be within a very few hours after they are purchased. Be very careful when handling these. Being clamped by a Dungeness claw is almost as bad as a stingray barb in the chest.

1. To cook bring very large pot of water to rapid boil, Place one or two crabs in pot. If crab is 2 lb or less, boil 13 minutes. If crab is large boil a little longer. My aunt’s husband, Maury Setzer, used to place crabs in cold water and bring it to a boil. That is not a kind way to do this

2. After cooking let crabs cool. Then clean as follows: (1) break off the ten legs and set aside. (2) On underside of crab body remove triangle male piece. (3) Separate upper shell from lower shell. Upper red shell and messy contents are discarded (unless you are French, in which case you consider this a delicacy). The lower shell should be broken in half and all yellow matter should be washed away. Discard excess pieces of shell and cut each ½ in half so that you finish with four body parts. (4) Scrub legs with stiff brush. I scrape them with a table knife. You want to get rid of surface dirt (sometimes tar) and hairy brown fringe. Place clean parts on plate, cover with some ice cubes and cool in refrigerator. Before serving, crack legs with a nutcracker.

3. Sauce. Do not use a hot ketchup (horseradish or Tabasco) sauce. This kills the flavor of the crab. I prefer a simple mild pink sauce of ½ ketchup and ½ mayonnaise. Crab is good with sourdough bread and macaroni and cheese.

** In the alternative you can get cooked & cleaned Dungeness at Monterey Fish Market, Andronico’s etc…

               

Now lets do some actual cooking shall we…

CHICKEN STEW AND DUMPLINGS (My Father’s  Recipe)

                1 large fryer or stewing hen

                Onions, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips (optional)

                1 lb. frozen petit peas

                Butter, flour, milk, salt and pepper, sage, chopped fresh parsley

                For dumplings: 1 cup Bisquick, 1/3 cup milk, chopped parsley

1. Thoroughly wash one whole chicken. Place chicken in large stew pot. Cover with water and add one peeled onion and one carrot and one stalk celery (optional) and salt and pepper. Bring to boil and boil slowly in covered pot until chicken meat is about ready to fall off bone (about one hour)
2. Remove cooked chicken and set aside to cool. Discard onion carrot and celery and skim stuff from top of broth. Save all the broth.
3. When chicken is cool, remove all meat from bones. Discard bones, skin and gristle. Break meat into attractive size pieces and set aside.
4. In clean stew pot melt 1/8 lb. butter, add about 1/3 cup flour. After roux is thickened, slowly add about 3 to 5 cups of the chicken broth, stirring constantly Season with salt and pepper and ground sage. (Milk or a small amount of white wine may also be added to sauce liquid. There will be excess broth from cooking chicken which should be saved for other uses)
5. Add to slowing boiling sauce root vegetables of choice in the order of their cooking time (carrots, parsnips, onions, potatoes, turnips). These should be peeled and cut into bite size pieces (except potatoes and turnips which should be whole or halved). Stir occasionally and add more chicken liquid if necessary. Don’t let gravy burn on bottom of pan.
6. When vegetables are about cooked (30 minutes), add chicken meat to stew and stir gently.
7. Prepare dumpling dough by mixing 1 cup bisquick with 1/3 cup milk (exact measurement is important) and stir chopped fresh parsley into dough. (This is one-half of the recipe on the bisquick box. This makes enough to cover the stew).
8. Add frozen peas to stew and stir gently. (This is your last chance to check the bottom of the pot.)  Drop dumplings (10 or 12 about 1 heaping T. each) on top of stew. (Try to drop dough on top of solid stew parts rather than just floating in gravy.) Cook 10 minutes uncovered (sprinkle dumplings with paprika if desired). Then place tight cover on pot and cook slowly ten minutes more covered.
9. Serve at once. Place two dumplings on each plate, surround with stew.

Peach Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Pizza

(best if you have a pizza stone)

DOUGH:                                             TOPPING:     

1 Package Dry Yeast ¼ oz               3 Tbl extra virgin olive oil

1 Tsp Sugar                                       1 -2 Firm ripe peaches

1 cup warm water                             8 very very thin prosciutto slices

2 ½ cups all purpose flour               3 oz mild soft goat cheese

1 tsp salt                                            2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary

Stir yeast and sugar in water (110 – 115 degrees) until desolved and let stand about 5 min or until foamy, whisk together flour and salt in lg bowl then add yeast mixture stirring until dough forms, knead on a floured surface for 5 minutes.   Return to lg bowl (oiled – turn to coat) and let rise, covered with a plastic wrap in a warm place for about 1 ½ hours.

While dough is rising place stone on lowest rack or oven floor if gas oven & preheat oven to 500 – 550 degrees  allow about one hour for oven to heat with rack.  REMOVE other racks from oven prior to heating.

On a floured surface shape about  ¼ of the Dough into two (2)  7 – 5 inch ovals  - keep remaining dough covered.

Brush ovals with oil and top each with one quarter of the peaches, prosciutto, cheese and rosemary – season with salt and pepper. Transfer ovals to pizza stone  (bakers peel can be used to do this)

Bake until crisp and golden – about 6-8 minutes.  

Asparagus Frittata

(breakfast lunch or dinner)

INGREDIANTS:                                                      

1 Pound thin-stalked asparagus      4 Tbl extra virgin olive oil

½ bunch green onions                                   4 Cloves Garlic – finely chopped

¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes                  1 tbs Fresh Basil (1 tsp if dried)

1 tbs Chopped Parsley                      2 tbs Chopped Mint

8 Eggs                                                 ½ cup Freshly grated Romano cheese

¾ tsp salt                                           ¼ tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large ovenproof non-stick sauté pan about 2 mins until sizzling.  Cook the asparagus and green onion about 1 ½ minutes.  Add garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, parsley and mint.   Cook 2 minutes then remove from heat.

In a large bowl beat eggs, salt and pepper and cheese until well mixed.  Stir in Asparagus mixture.

Heat remaining olive oil until sizzling then add egg mixture and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer to the oven and cook for 12 minutes.  Remove from oven and FLIP omelette to cook other side.   (Turn omelette onto a large plate then slide back into pan).  Cook another 12 minutes.

Serve warm or refrigerate overnight allowing flavors to mature – and bring to room temp to serve.