NEPA Foodie

Charoset

2011-04-18T16:51:00.004-04:00

Charoset is one of the symbolic foods that Jews eat during their Passover seder every year. It represents the mortar that the Israelites used to make bricks while they were slaves in Egypt.

We actually made quite a bit of "clay" as the kids eat more than just a taste on their seder plate. Here's the expandable recipe:

This is just a little. Nina gave me two dozen apples to knife through. At least the peeler was fun to play with!

2 apples, cut into 1/8 dice
1 oz walnuts, chopped coarse
1/3 cup grape Manischewitz Wine
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Stir to combine all ingredients.

Halushki

2011-04-12T16:21:00.000-04:00

Halushki is a popular Polish dish consisting of cabbage, potatoes and egg noodles. It's the big pan of white stuff that shows up at potluck suppers in Northeastern PA and always gets devoured.

1 head cabbage, shredded
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup butter
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 bag Egg noodles
Garlic power (to taste)
Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Add the chopped cabbage and diced onion to 1/2 cup of butter and fry until the cabbage is almost transparent. Use a pancake turner to flip the cabbage often to avoid burning.

Prepare the potatoes and noodles. Add potatoes to boiling, salted water and boil them for 20 to 30 minutes or until you can easily cut them with a fork. Meanwhile, boil a 4 quart saucepan of water and add noodles. Boil the noodles for at least 10 to 15 minutes or until done.

Drain the potatoes and noodles and add them to the cabbage, onion, and butter.

Season the dish with garlic, salt, and pepper to taste and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Cajun Jerky Seasoning

2011-04-08T13:02:00.001-04:00

3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1 tablespoon ground thyme
2 tablespoons Tender Quick

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 1/2 cup

Use 1 TBSP of this mixture for every pound of meat that you are drying.

Pickled Eggs and Beets

2011-03-23T18:06:00.000-04:00

* 18 hardboiled eggs, peeled
* 5 raw beets, peeled and sliced
* 1 onion, peeled and sliced
* 2 c. vinegar
* 2 c. sugar
* 1 tbsp. whole cloves
* 1 teaspoon salt

Mix and heat untill boiling, vinegar, sugar, whole cloves and salt. Add sliced beets and reboil. Simmer for about 30 minutes to cook beets. Beets should be just al dente, so they’ll hold up soaking in the pickle for a couple weeks. Combine beet mixure and eggs in large jar. Seal and refrigerate for a week before serving for nice red eggs.

White Fudge

2009-12-11T09:48:00.001-05:00

Most "fudge" recipes call for evaporated milk and miniature marshmallows. MY recipe is much closer to fudge than the "easy" recipes can offer:

2 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. dairy sour cream
1/3 c. white corn syrup
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla

Combine first 5 ingredients in saucepan; bring to a boil slowly, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Boil, without stirring, over medium heat, to 236 degrees on candy thermometer. Remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes. Do not stir.

Add flavoring, beat until mixture starts to lose its gloss (about 8 minutes). Line a bread pan with wax paper to use as a mold.

Let the candy cool for a couple of hours and then cut it into bite sized pieces!

Cut fudge into squares.

Peanut Brittle

2009-12-11T09:09:00.002-05:00

1 C Karo Syrup
2 C Sugar
1/2 C water
1 t salt
2 C raw peanuts
1 t butter
1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda

Yes, you need to use raw peanuts for this. You can find them at the supermarket, if you look. This trick is that the peanuts cook in the hot candy and impart their flavor to the brittle. Peanuts MUST be cooked before eating. They carry bacteria that is killed during cooking (like raw meat).

Combine the first 4 ingredients. Boil this mixture until it reaches 255F on a candy thermometer.

When it does, add raw peanuts and stir until this miture reaches the right color. You'll have to take out the thermometer, so cook this until the brittle is a golden brown.

Quickly, stir in the last 3 ingredients. Once the butter melts and is completely incorporated, pour out onto a buttered cookie sheet with sides. Hold the sheet flat and shake on the counter to get the candy to spread.

After the candy has cooled, you can pull it off the sheet and break into pieces.

Quick Drying herbs from the garden

2009-09-17T20:50:00.005-04:00

To dry your freshly harvested herbs from your garden, don't turn on the oven or invest in an expensive food-dehydrator--use your microwave! Drying takes just a couple of minutes, if you're careful.

Line a diner plate with 3 paper towels. Loosely cover the towel with the herbs. In the picture, I've got some basil I grew. Make sure you get rid of most of the stems.

Put in the microwave on High for one minute. Make sure the turntable is working and the herbs are moving. Fold the corners of the towel under, to prevent them from hanging up on the inside walls of the oven. Take the herbs out and transfer to another plate covered with paper towel.

Spread the damp towels out to dry while you've got the next batch in the oven. Keep repeating this process until the leaves are crumbly and before they burn!

Once the leaves are dry enough, you can store them in a jar, or run them through a grinder to put into a little spice jar.

Dilly Beans

2009-09-17T10:32:00.006-04:00

Here's an alternative to pickles made from cucumbers. Try pickling some beans! This works well on old, late-season beans that you don't want to throw away.

First, mix up a good quanity of the "pickle" or solution:

3 quarts water
4 c vinegar
1 c non-iodized salt

Boil.

In your canner, add enough water to cover your jars and boil them for at least 20 minutes.

Wash the beans and trim the ends. Cut any long beans so they fix nicely in the jars. Peel a couple of garlic cloves for each jar.

Once the jars are sterile, remove them one at a time and fill. Throw in a couple of garlic heads, fill with beans, and neatly put a dill spring or head or two on each side of the jar. Do a nice job so the jars come out presentable.

In a small pot, boil some water to sterilize the lids. Don't bother with the rings because they don't come in contact with the sterile contents of the jars.

Once you have filled all your jars, carefully use a canning funnel to fill each of the jars with pickle. The pickle should come to within 1/2 and inch of the tops. Put a sterile lid on each jar and hold in place with a ring.

Now, return the jars to the canner and start boiling. The water should cover the jars by an inch. The jars need to boil for 15 minutes for pint jars and 30 minutes for quarts.

After time's up, carefully remove the jars, letting the water pour off the tops. Let cool on the counter on a folded bath towel. You should start to hear the lids pop down after a couple of minutes. Resist the urge to check if the popped with your finger!!! After the jars have completely cooled, put them in the cupboard for at least 6 weeks so the flavors can come out. Any jars that don't "can", need to be stored in the 'fridge.

How to Can Pickled Peppers

2009-08-31T13:49:00.009-04:00

I wanted to make Pico de Gallo, but all my tomatoes rotted on the vines. So, I decided to pickle the pepper crop instead.

Rinse the garden off the peppers. Wearing gloves, slice the peppers into rings. I kept my pepper varieties separate, but there's no reason why you can't mix them together.
While you're chopping peppers, fill your canner with water and clean jars. Get them boiling. You want to make sure your jars are clean AND sterile. Clean means there's no leftovers in them. Sterile means leaving them in boiling water for 20 minutes.

In a small pot, boil some water. This will be used to preheat the lids. Just before putting the lids on the jars, heat up the seals for 2-3 minutes in the boiling water.

Mix together your pickle. This is my Dad's ratio of vinegar to water. It's not too vinegary so it doesn't overpower you.

1 quarts water
1 c vinegar
1/4 c non-iodized salt
8 cloves garlic (or more) peeled

This is enough for 4 pint jars. Make sure you have enough or extra. Mix this up in a pot and get in boiling.

Using some tongs, retrieve the jars from the boiling pot, drain and fill with peppers. Add a couple of garlic cloves to each jar. Leave about 3/4" "headroom" in each jar. Pour the boiling vinegar solution to within 1/2" of the top of each jar.

Using a magnet or a fork, carefully get the lids out of the preheat pot and put on each jar. Make sure there's no seeds or anything on the rim that will interfere with the seal. Screw on the rings. Hand tighten. They're only used to keep the lids in place.

Put the jars back in the canner. 15 minutes for pints. 25 minutes for quarts. The boiling water should cover the lids by 1 inch.

Using a jar lifter, remove the jars from the canner and let rest on a folded towel. Resist the temptation to touch the lids before they seal. As the jars cool, you'll hear the lids start to pop down.

If they all pop down, you've successfully canned peppers. If they don't pop, keep them in the 'fridge--they're not safe to store in a cupboard. But you can just have "Refridgerator Pickles"

Gougères

2008-12-21T01:45:00.004-05:00

A gougère, in French cuisine, is a savory choux pastry with cheese. Grated cheese may be mixed into the batter, cubes of cheese may be pushed into the top, or both. Gougères are sometimes called cheese puffs in English.

2 cup milk
1/2 C. butter
2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
2 C. flour
8 eggs
6 oz. Swiss cheese

Scald milk. Just before it boils, add the butter, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and all at once add flour. Stir over heat until it forms a ball. Remove from heat. Beat eggs in one at a time. Stir in cheese. Drop by "spoonful" onto greased pan. Bake for 45 minutes at 350.

Here's some pictures, for the visually oriented:

Scalded milk, ready for butter.

Once the butter's melted, dump in the flour. Add the eggs, ONE AT A TIME. You really have to beat the daylights out of it!

OK. I've got the flour and the eggs in. This looks good. If you're not too tired, beat it for another minute or two, to "dry" the pastry. It gives it a better "puff". We're ready to add the cheese to the party.

Once you've got the cheese incorporated, drop the batter out on greased cookie sheets. I use a 1/4 cup measure. Put them in a 350F oven for 45 minute. Keep your eye on them, but don't open the oven door!!!

Success! Take them to a diner party and WOW all your friends.

Homemade Granola

2008-12-19T15:07:00.003-05:00

1 lb Rolled oats
1 c Wheat germ
1 c Almonds
1 c Cashews
1 c Raw sunflower seed kernels
1/8 ts Salt
1 c Honey
2/3 c Water
2 ts Vanilla
2 ts Cinnamon
1/3 c Oil
3/4 lb Raisins
1/2 lb Shredded coconut

Toast the coconut in the oven separately. 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes watching and stirring.

Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine remaining ingredients and pour over first. Mix well. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Turn mixture over and repeat until cereal is almost dry and nicly brown. Remove from oven and stir in raisins and coconut. Turn off oven and leave door ajar. Allow cereal to dry in warm oven for another 6-8 hours.

PS. This is my Mom, not me!

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

2008-11-27T10:52:00.008-05:00

Pumpkin seeds are easy too make and much tastier than the lumps of salt that come from the supermarket. If you're making Pumpkin Pie or Jack-O-Lanterns, Save the Seeds!

First, dump the seeds in a big bowl and cover with warm water.

Add a handful of salt.

Squeeze out the fibers and goo.

Soak for about an hour.

Spread out in a baking pan (metal works better)

Bake at 400F, using a spatula to loosen the stuck seeds from the bottom of the pan.

When lightly browned, remove and cool. Store in an airtight container.

Welsh Cookies

2008-11-10T17:15:00.004-05:00

3 1/2 C flour
3/4 C sugar
1/2 t salt
1 T baking powder
1 t nutmeg
1 egg
3/4 c milk
3/4 C shortening
1/2 box currents
1 tsp vanilla

For the shortening, you can use any combination of Crisco, butter, margarine, or lard. I use equal parts of butter and lard.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Rub in the fats and add the other dry ingredients. Beat the eggs lightly and add milk to make a firm paste. Roll out on a floured board to a thickness of 1/4 inch and cut into rounds with a glass or a cookie cutter.

Rub a cast iron frying pan with shortening. Arrange the rounds in a circle without one in the middle to ensure they cook evenly.

The tops of the cookies will melt and begin to look shiny.

The cookies will puff as the middle cooks.

Once the bottoms are nicely browned, flip them and cook for about half the time to brown the tops.

Lebanese Fish Fry Dinner

2008-11-06T11:23:00.003-05:00

Here's what's planned for tonight. The sumac berries in the salad really makes a difference between what you get served in a restaurant and what you generally end up with at home. Look on the Internet. Mountain Rose Herbs is an excellent source, but they're in Oregon, so you have to plan ahead!

Sayoudeiah: Lebanese Fried Fish With Tarator Sauce and Rice

1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Pinch cayenne
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1/2 cup olive or canola oil -- (1/2 to 1)
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
3 cups water
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 mild -- (6-ounce) firm white fish fillets
Chopped fresh parsley -- garnish
Pomegranate molasses
Chili oil
Lemon wedges -- garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the tarator: Place the tahini, 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, the garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in a blender and process on high speed. With the machine running, continue adding more water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time until it becomes a smooth sauce with the consistency of mayonnaise. Add the parsley and process to incorporate. Adjust seasoning, to taste, with additional lemon juice or spices. Transfer to another container.

For the Fried fish: In a small bowl, combine the black pepper, ginger, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and fenugreek. Stir to combine. In a medium pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring, until golden brown and fragrant.
Remove with a slotted spoon. Add the onions and fry, stirring, until golden. Add the rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, turmeric, and 1/4 teaspoon of the mixed spices. Cook, stirring, until fragrant and the rice is coated with oil, 1 minute. Add the water. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer without stirring until the water is absorbed and the rice is fluffy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit without stirring for 10 minutes. While the rice is cooking, cook the fish.

In a large saute pan, heat enough oil to come 1/2-inch up the sides of the pan over high heat until hot but not smoking. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, remaining spice blend, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Dredge the fish fillets in the seasoned flour to coat on both sides, shaking to remove any excess. Add to the hot oil in batches, if necessary, and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side, shaking the pan to prevent the fish from sticking. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Fluff the rice with a fork and add the fried pine nuts, stirring to incorporate. Divide among 4 plates and top with the fish. Spoon the sauce over the fish, garnish with parsley and drizzle with pomegranate molasses and chili oil. Serve with lemon wedges, and serve immediately.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Fatoush – Lebanese Salad

I English (seedless cucumber) -- peeled and diced
1 box grape or cherry tomatoes or 3 vine ripened tomatoes -- diced
3 green onions -- white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
½ cup Italian/flat leaf parsley -- chopped
2 romaine hearts -- chopped
3 pita breads -- toasted and broken into bite size pieces (Don't leave
this out! Soooo good!)
Dressing:
2 cloves garlic -- minced
Juice of 1 large lemon (3 T)
Equal amount of extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Bunch fresh mint (about ½ cup) -- coarsely chopped. You can use 1 tsp
dried mint, but I'd only do it if you can't find fresh.
1 tsp ground sumac

1. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients, to a large serving bowl, add the
dressing, toss, taste for seasoning and serve.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

German Supper!

2008-11-04T10:36:00.000-05:00

Julie created a great German supper for us with some recipes from Alton Brown and others on the Internet! We also had red cabbage as a side, but we got lazy and opened a jar...

Here's what we made:

Sauerbraten

(Alton Brown)

2 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 medium onion -- chopped
1 large carrot -- chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt -- additional for seasoning meat
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
12 juniper berries
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 bottom round -- (3 1/2 to 4-pound)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
18 dark old-fashioned gingersnaps (about 5 ounces) -- crushed
1/2 cup seedless raisins -- optional

In a large saucepan over high heat combine the water, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper, and mustard seeds. Cover and bring this to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Pat the bottom round dry and rub with vegetable oil and salt on all sides. Heat a large saute pan over high heat; add the meat and brown on all sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.

When the marinade has cooled to a point where you can stick your finger in it and not be burned, place the meat in a non-reactive vessel and pour over the marinade. Place into the refrigerator for 3 days. If the meat is not completely submerged in the liquid, turn it over once a day.

After 3 days of marinating, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Add the sugar to the meat and marinade, cover and place on the middle rack of the oven and cook until tender, approximately 4 hours. Remove the meat from the vessel and keep warm. Strain the liquid to remove the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk in the gingersnaps and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Add the raisins if desired. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Potato Latkes

4 cups potatoes -- peeled, slawed
1 lg Onion -- peeled; slawed
4 Egg
3 tb All purpose flour
1 1/4 ts Salt3/4 ts Pepper
1 teaspoon Baking powder
10 tb (about) vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 325°F. Place 2 baking sheets in oven. Line large bowl with towel. Finely grind potatoes and onion in processor (do not puree). Transfer to towel. Fold towel up around mixture; twist top, squeezing out all liquid into bowl. Let liquid stand 5 minutes. Pour off liquid, reserving any potato starch in bowl. Add potatoes to bowl. Mix in egg, flour, salt, pepper and baking powder.

Heat 6 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drop 1 heaping tablespoon batter per pancake into hot oil. Using back of spoon, spread to 2 1/2- to 3-inch rounds. Cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheets in oven. Repeat with remaining batter, spooning off any liquid from surface of batter and adding more oil to skillet by tablespoonfuls as necessary. Serve hot.

Makes about 18.

The secret to crisp latkes is the removal of as much liquid as possible from the ground potatoes. Serve these plain (they're a fine accompaniment to a roast with gravy), or with sour cream or
applesauce.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Apfelkuchen

(Sunken Apple Cake)

2/3 cup soft butter or margarine -- plus some for the form
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
1 pinch salt
2 drops almond extract
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup ground almonds
6 large apples
1 lemon
1/4 cup slivered almond (optional)
1 teaspoon icing sugar -- for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the butter or margarine with a wooden spoon or mixer until creamy. Slowly add the sugar, together with the vanilla sugar, salt and almond extract, alternating with the eggs. Mix the dough until it is very foamy and the sugar has been thoroughly dissolved. Sift in the flour with the baking powder, add the ground almonds, and mix everything together quickly.

Carefully coat a springform with butter or margarine. Pour the batter in and smooth down the surface. Peel the apples, cut in half lengthwise, and remove the cores. Cut into the outer surface a few times with a knife, but don't cut all the way through. Brush apples with the lemon juice. Place the apples close together onto the batter, core side down.

Soak the currants for a short time in hot water, wash thoroughly and rub dry in a cloth. Sprinkle the currants, together with the slivered almonds over the apples. Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 75-80 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool before dusting with icing sugar.

Serve with whipped cream.

Spanakopita

2008-10-30T15:13:00.001-04:00

I made this for a pot luck supper tonight at the church. It was gone before I got any. I heard that it was enjoyed by all. I make this a lot so I know it's good. I don't remember where I got the recipe...

2 lb Spinach -- washed, chopped
1/4 c Scallions -- chopped
1/4 c Parsley -- chopped
1/4 c Dill -- chopped
1/4 c Olive oil
1/2 c Onions -- chopped
1 lb Feta cheese -- crumbled
1/2 c Parmesan cheese -- grated
2 Whole eggs -- beaten
1/2 c Butter -- melted
14 Whole Phyllo dough sheets

Shred spinach and mix with parsley, and dill. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and sauté scallions until transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach. Remove from heat and cool, stirring occasionally, to room temperature. Beat together eggs and cheeses, stir in vegetable mixture.
Brush bottom and sides of a 9 x 2-inch baking dish with melted butter. Line the dish with a sheet of Phyllo, pressing the edges of pastry firmly into the corners, and against the sides of the dish. Brush surface of Phyllo with melted butter, spreading it all the way to the outside edges and lay another sheet of Phyllo on top. Repeat until you have used 7 layers of Phyllo in all. Spread spinach mixture evenly over last layer of Phyllo and smooth it into the corners. Place another sheet of Phyllo on top, brush with butter and repeat, layering with remaining Phyllo. Turn edges over to form a crust. Brush the top with the remaining butter. Bake at 300 degrees for 3/4 hour. Increase heat to 450 for 15 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and delicately browned. Cut into squares and serve hot.

KFC Coleslaw

2008-07-06T15:31:00.000-04:00

8 cups finely diced cabbage (about 1 head)
1/4 cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons minced onions
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Use fine shredder disc on food processor to finely dice Cabbage and carrots

Pour cabbage and carrot mixture into large bowl and stir in minced onions.

Using regular blade on food processor process remaining ingredients
until smooth.

Pour over vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly.

Cover bowl and refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.

Colcannon

2008-01-26T23:19:00.001-05:00

5 russet potatoes -- peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup unsalted butter -- at room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk
Kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1 large leek -- including pale green parts, halved lengthwise and well
rinsed, thinly sliced
4 large shallots -- thinly sliced
1 bunch kale -- about 1 lb, well rinsed and stemmed, then coarsely chopped
1 head napa cabbage -- cored and coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground mace or freshly grated nutmeg
2/3 cup chopped green onion tops

Pour water to a depth of 1 inch into a large pot and bring to a boil. Put the potatoes into a collapsible steamer basket and set the basket over the boiling water. (The water should not touch the bottom of the steamer basket.) Cover and steam until the potatoes are tender when
pierced with a small knife, about 15 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl.

Empty the pot and wipe dry Return the potatoes to the still-hot pot. Add 1/4 cup of the butter, the milk, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and mash well with a potato masher.

Melt the remaining 1/4 cup butter in another large pot over medium heat.

Add the leek and shallots and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the kale and toss just until wilted but still bright green, about 3 minutes. Add the napa cabbage and toss until tender-crisp, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with the mace, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook until the flavors blend, about 1 minute. Stir the cabbage mixture into the potatoes. Reheat the potatoes over low heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle with the green onion, and serve.

Barley and Mushroom Casserole

2007-11-20T15:17:00.000-05:00

I stole this one from Jeff Smith's Book, Our Immigrant Ancestors. Great book, if you're into ethnic cuisine!

This is dish that shows the ingenuity of the Scottish cook. Barley is not expensive, and it swells to six times its size, not twice, like rice. By itself it is tasty, but in this dish it becomes a joy. A great replacement for potatoes at your house.

6 tablespoons butter
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
2 cloves garlic -- peeled and minced
3 cups Chicken Stock
2 yellow onions -- peeled and minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound mushrooms -- thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 cup pearl barley

Preheat the oven to 375°.
Melt the butter in a 2-quart stove-top covered casserole. Add the garlic and onion and sauté over moderately low heat until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté over moderate heat until mushrooms are golden, about 5 minutes.

Add the barley and basil to the mushroom mixture, and toss lightly, then pour in the Chicken Stock and season to taste with salt and pepper. Slowly bring the casserole to a boil, then remove it from the heat.

Cover the casserole and bake in the oven until the barley is tender,
about 45 to 50 minutes. Before serving, add the chopped parsley and toss gently. Serve piping hot.

Beef Jerky

2007-11-06T11:21:00.000-05:00

Start with a large cut of beef. I used a Bottom Round Roast of about 4 pounds. Cut in half along the grain, if necessary, to facilitate slicing later. Put meat in freezer for 30-45 minutes, until firm but NOT frozen.
Slice the meat ACROSS the grain into slices about 3/8" thick. A meat slicer is great, if you have one. Now, cut each slice into 1" wide strips and put in marinade. Stir meat into marinade well, and refrigerate overnight.
Following the manufacturer’s directions for drying meat in your dehydrator. Place the meat strips in the dehydrator with an air space of about 1/4” between each piece. Turn on the dehydrator and allow meat to dry, testing occasionally. Properly dried meat should break apart a small bit when bent, but not to the point of snapping.

Teriyaki Sauce
16 oz soy sauce
1/4 cup dark sesame oil
1/4 cup sweet rice wine
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ginger, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup garlic, peeled and sliced
16 scallions, tops and bottoms removed

Combine first 6 ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Pour 1 cup into blender and blend in ginger until fine. Pour contents into another pan and repeat process with garlic and then scallions. Bring to a boil briefly and then simmer for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool and strain into marinating bowl through wire mesh colander or strainer. Refrigerate.