Author: Robert Andrews

Sicilian Pizza

This recipe was adapted from America’s Test Kitchen.

Ingredients

  • Dough, mozzarella cheese, sauce, Pecorino/Romano, and EVOO
    DOUGH
  • 2 tsp yeast
  • 2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2  C high gluten flour or bread flour
  • 2 C semolina flour
  • 3 TBL EVOO
  • 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 C ice water
  • 2 tsp salt – at the very end
    CHEESES
  • 12 oz whole milk Mozzarella.  Don’t use skim or it will turn out rubbery.
  • Pecorino/Romano cheese or grated Parmesan/Regiano – Use ACTUAL block of cheese, not pre-grated
    SAUCE
  • 28 oz San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 tsp ground oregano
  • 1 pkg crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 TBL granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 TBL EVOO
  • 6 cloves garlic – minced
  • 1 TBL tomato paste

Step by Step

  1. Mix yeast, sugar and 1/4 C very warm water (102-105º) and set aside.
  2. Prepare ice water ( 1 C cold water and 3 ice cubes)
  3. Mix together salt, flour and semolina in a food processor or mixing bowl
  4. Mix EVOO into the flour mixture
  5. While mixer is on low, pour in yeast mixture
  6. Immediately pour in the ice water – drizzle it in until the dough starts to come together – discard any extra water
  7. Let continue to mix for about 3 more minutes
  8. Cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes
  9. Add salt and then run on medium for 8-10 more minutes
  10. Finish kneading by hand on a floured surface, creating a tight ball
  11. Place in oiled bowl, turning to cover all sides, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours.  This will allow the flavors to fully develop.  It makes a big difference… really.
    SAUCE
  12. The sauce can be made the same day as the dough, or the next day.  I usually do it on the same day.
  13. Open canned tomatoes and crush into mixing bowl
  14. Add oregano, red pepper flakes, sugar and salt and mix well – set aside
  15. Heat EVOO in a skillet and add your minced garlic
  16. Heat for 2 minutes, then add tomato paste
  17. Heat for 3 minutes, then add your crushed tomato mixture
  18. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until it thickens
  19. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate until it is time to create your pizza
    CREATING YOUR PIZZA
  20. Pour 1/4 C EVOO onto a 1/2 sheet baking sheet and spread around
  21. Flour your cleaned kitchen counter
  22. Spread by hand to about 9×12 rectangle
  23. Finish with a rolling pin, and roll it out to 13×18 inches
  24. Fold into thirds and transfer to the baking sheet
  25. Work into the corners then spray with cooking oil and cover with plastic
  26. Place a second baking sheet on top of the dough to keep the bubbles to a minimum
  27. Let relax and rise for about 60 minutes
  28. While it rises, preheat the oven to 500º with a baking stone 2 levels above where the pizza will cook
  29. Remove the top pan and plastic, then reshape the pizza into the corners.  The dough should be more relaxed now and should reshape easily.
  30. Put a layer of sauce on top of the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border
  31. Sprinkle shredded Parm/Reg cheese on top of the sauce
  32. Sprinkle mozzarella on top of the Parm/Reg
  33. Add one or two optional toppings, but no more than that
  34. Put into the hot oven and cook for two minutes
  35. Turn oven down to 450º and cook for 10 more minutes
  36. Rotate pizza pan and cook for 10 more minutes
  37. Turn oven off and cook for five more minutes
  38. Remove from oven and let cool for 2-5 minutes
  39. Remove from baking sheet and place onto a cutting board
  40. Cut into 12 square pieces

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 TBL EVOO
  • 1/2 onion – diced
  • 1 carrot – julienne strips
  • 4 leaves Tuscan Kale – chopped
  • 1/4 C white wine
  • 2 C beef stock
  • 1 LB meatballs – see below

Step by Step

  1. Sweat onions, carrots and Tuscan kale – All chopped – in EVOO
  2. Deglaze with white wine
  3. Add beef stock
  4. Bring it up to a boil
  5. Reduce to a simmer
  6. Nestle meatballs carefully – see recipe below
  7. Cover
  8. Simmer for an hour
  9. Garnish with grated parm

Italian Meatballs

  • 1/2 LB lean ground beef
  • 1/2 LB ground pork
  • Parm cheese
  • 2 TBL AP flour
  • 1/4 C Panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 onion – grated or minced
  • 1 egg
  • salt, parsley and nutmeg to taste
  • Mix to combine, but do not overmix.
  • Create rustic “almost round” meatballs

Pasta Fagioli

Ingredients

  • 1 TBL EVOO
  • 1/2 Onion – chopped
  • 4 cloves Garlic – minced
  • 1 stalk Celery – chopped
  • 1 pkg Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1/2 C white wine
  • 2 C chicken broth
  • ± 2 C tomatoes
  • 1 C Elbow macaroni or other pasta
  • 1 can Cannelloni beans
  • Parsley and/or cilantro

Step by Step

  1. Sweat garlic, onions and celery in 1 TBL EVOO
  2. Add crushed red pepper flakes
  3. De-glaze with white wine
  4. 1 can Tomato pieces with juice
  5. Chicken broth
  6. Bring to a boil
  7. Simmer for 60 minutes
  8. Add elbow macaroni, cook another 10 minutes
  9. Cannelloni beans – Cook for 5 more minutes
  10. Parsley and/or cilantro
  11. Salt to taste

 

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 can (12 oz) raw pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix – see note at bottom)
  • 2 oz canola oil
  • 2 TBL buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 oranges – juice and zest
  • 1 C sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • spice mixture (see below)
  • 1 TBL baking soda
  • 3 C AP flour

Spice Mixture

  • 2 TBL Grandpa’s CinnaSugar®
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground clove

Step by Step

  1. Combine baking soda, sugar, salt and AP flour
  2. Combine spice mixture into flour mixture
  3. Mix together all other ingredients in separate bowl
  4. When combined, fold wet and dry ingredients together
    Do not overmix
  5. Pour into greased baking dish (ramekin, pie tin or bread pan)
  6. Bake at 340º for 50 minutes

NOTE:  If all you can find is pumpkin pie MIX, eliminate the spice mixture, sugar and salt from this recipe.

 

Cod Fritters – Bacalhau

This is best with cod, but you can also use talapia or catfish.

Ingredients

  • Fish (see note at bottom)
    DRY INGREDIENTS
  • 1 C flour
  • 1/2 tsp garlic
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 TBL baking soda
  • 2 tsp corn starch
  • 1 tsp sugar
    WET INGREDIENTS
  • 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
  • 1 lemon – juice and zest
  • 1 C beer
    FOR DREDGING
  • 1 egg white

Step by Step

  1. Sift together all dry ingredients
  2. Mix together wet ingredients
  3. Fold dry ingredients and 1/2 wet ingredients together
    Mixture should be the consistency of a thin pancake batter
  4. Cut fish into two-bite pieces
  5. Dip in egg white – let drip so it is not too wet
  6. Dredge in flour – shake off excess so it is not too gummy
  7. Dip in batter – let drip so it is not too wet
  8. Fry until browned – about three minutes
  9. Put onto rack to drain – salt while still hot
  10. Dress with lemon or spicy tomato sauce or cocktail sauce

If using salted cod

  1. Soak salted cod for 48 hours in refrigerator
  2. Change water every 8 hours
  3. Blanche for 10 minutes in unsalted boiling water
  4. Dry 60 minutes on a rack, then proceed to recipe

Boston Cream Pie

Ingredients for Vanilla Cream filling
Make this first, because it will have to cool for two hours after creation

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 6 TBL granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 C whole milk
  • 3 TBL corn starch
  • 1 1/2 TBL butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Step by Step

  1. Cream together yolks and sugar
  2. Mix milk and corn starch
  3. Mix together milk and sugar mixtures
  4. Put all into a soup pan and add cold butter
  5. Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for another 60-90 seconds
  6. Remove from heat and let rest for three minutes
  7. Pour through a mesh strainer to remove any lumps – Use a spatula to help
  8. Mix in vanilla and cover with plastic wrap – press wrap down onto surface of the pudding
  9. Let chill two hours

Ingredients for Cake
Make this next because it will have to cool for at least 30 minutes after creation

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 C granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 C AP flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 C baking powder
  • 6 TBL butter
  • 1/2 C whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Step by Step

  1. Cream together eggs and sugar
  2. In separate bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder
  3. Melt butter and whisk together with whole milk
  4. Mix milk mixture with egg mixture
  5. Add vanilla
  6. Fold in flour mixture and stir only to moisten MOST of the mixture – do not overmix
  7. Fill greased muffin cups half way with prepared mixture
  8. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until tops start to brown
  9. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes

Ingredients for Chocolate Ganache

  • 1/2 C heavy cream
  • 1 TBL cocoa
  • 3 TBL granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 oz semi sweet chocolate
  1. Bring heavy cream to a simmer – NOT a boil
  2. Mix cocoa with the sugar and salt
  3. Add cocoa mixture to cream
  4. Add chocolate to the cream
  5. Stir until smooth, then remove from heat

Assembly

  1. Cut cakes in half using a NON-SERRATED knife – creating a top and a bottom
  2. Spread vanilla cream on the bottom
  3. Put the top onto the cream
  4. Spread chocolate ganache onto the top
  5. Optionally put some sprinkles on the top for color
  6. Repeat for each one
  7. Best when refrigerated

 

Peas and Onions

Ingredients

  • 2 C whole sugar snap peas
  • 1 C shelled peas
  • 2 TBL butter
  • 3 shallots or large green onions
  • 3 mint leaves

Step by Step

  1. Start large pan of boiling salted water
  2. While coming up to a boil, prepare a large bowl of water with a dozen ice cubes in it
  3. Boil your large shelled peas until one of the largest ones is soft – taste them
  4. Dump them into the ice water
  5. Boil your whole sugar snap peas for two minutes
  6. Dump them into the ice water with the other peas
  7. Slice your onions and sautee them in butter
  8. When soft, put your peas into the pan with the onions
  9. Cook for a few minutes, the put chiffonade pieces of the mint into the mix
  10. Serve as a side dish

 

Brown Sugared Carrots

Ingredients

  • 12 carrots
  • 2 T butter
  • 2 T brown sugar
  • 1 T molasses
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • Salt, pepper

Step by Step

  1. Peel the 12 carrots and halve or quarter into long spears
  2. Heat butter, sugar and molasses in a pan
  3. Add the carrots and a splash of water
  4. Add salt and pepper and the sprig of rosemary
  5. Cook about 3 minutes
  6. Add splashes of water as necessary to keep things from burning
  7. Plate caramelized carrots
  8. Remove the rosemary and discard
  9. Top with fried carrot tops

Fried Carrot Tops

  1. Heat 2 TBL grapeseed oil and 1 tsp sugar to shimmering
  2. Fry carrot tops until browned, but not black
  3. Set on waxed paper to drain and cool.

Chocolatey Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

  • 1⁄2 cup sugar
  • 1⁄3 cup cocoa mix (recipe below)
  • 1⁄3 cup water
  • 1/4 C Hershey’s baking chocolate chunks
  • 4 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Step by Step

  1. Stir cocoa mix and sugar in a pot.
  2. Add water and stir.
  3. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil two minutes.
  4. Put chocolate chips into the mixture and stir until dissolved.
  5. Add milk and vanilla.  Serve.

Cocoa Mix

This can be prepared and stored for up to two months

  • 300 gm confectioner sugar
  • 200 gm cocoa powder
  • 100 gm Whey protein powder
  • 300 gm nonfat dried milk
  • 1 TBL corn starch
  • 1 tsp canning salt (or other fine salt)
  • 1 pinch of cayenne pepper

Sugared Pecans

Ingredients

  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 C sugar
  • 2 C almonds
  • 1/2 TBL salt

Step by Step

  1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil
  2. Put into oven at 350º just until butter melts
  3. Beat egg whites until they are soft peaks
  4. Toss in white sugar and salt
  5. Pour pecans into the egg whites
  6. Toss to mix
  7. Pour almond mixture onto buttered tray
  8. Spread across surface of baking tray
  9. Bake for 20 minutes
  10. Take tray out and stir/toss
  11. Bake another 10 minutes

Grandma Miller’s Hard Tack Candy

Photos courtesy of Angie Wolford.

Ingredients for 12 batches

  • 11 lb granulated sugar
  • 64 oz Karo syrup
  • 1/4 C water

Ingredients for 4 batches

  • 4 lb granulated sugar
  • 24 oz Karo syrup
  • 1 TBL water

Ingredients for 1 batch

  • 1 lb granulated sugar (approx 2 C)
  • 6 oz Karo syrup
  • 1 tsp water

Optional:  Oil Flavoring and Food Coloring

Step by Step

  1. Mix corn syrup and sugar (corn syrup will help keep the sugar from crystallizing)
  2. Cook on low heat until sugar is completely liquefied.
  3. Use an immersible candy thermometer to monitor your temperature.
    THIS IS WHAT I USE and it works great.  Great for perfectly cooking meats too.
  4. Stir fairly frequently with a wooden spoon.
  5. Stop stirring when everything is completely dissolved.
  6. At 260º add your food coloring, but don’t mix it.  Let the bubbles do the mixing.
    Yellow for lemon, red for cinnamon, black for licorice, blue for… well, you get it.
  7. Increase heat to high and heat until mixture is AT LEAST 300º but no more than 310º
    – This temperature is called CRACK, and it is when the crystals become rigid.  It will boil for quite awhile before the temperature gets to 300º but be patient – the high temperature is necessary, or you will have sticky hard caramel kind of things.
  8. Pour onto a lightly buttered marble slab (or Coreon slab) and use a bench knife to keep the molten from spilling onto the floor.  You can also use a very large silicone mat.  BE CAREFUL.  THIS MIXTURE WILL BURN YOU TO THE BONE
    –
    SPECIAL NOTE:  Alternately, you can use old cookie baking sheets with edges. Don’t use nice new ones, because they will take a beating in a little while.  If you do it this way, let the mixture come to a NON-BOILING STATE before you add the flavor oil.  Mix it in, then pour it onto your baking sheet.
    –
    Another alternative, just use heavy duty aluminum foil.
    –
  9. Pour in flavoring oil and continue to fold the edges to the middle of the mass
  10. AS SOON as it can be handled without raising blisters, use a poultry scissors, cut into strips, then into pieces.
  11. Drop pieces into a bowl with 1 C confectioner sugar
  12. Toss until coated, then sift out and put onto a newspaper to cool.

If you go with the baking sheet method, let it cool completely ON THE COUNTER and then whack it with a small hammer and clean screw driver to shatter the pieces into whatever size you desire.  Discard the dust, and keep only the pieces.

Tips: Equivalents – COLLECTION

See also: SUBSTITUTIONS

Milk conversions and substitutions

Use this link for different types of MILK CONVERSIONS.

Chemicals

  • Citric Acid Powder – 1/4 tsp – You can substitute 1 TBL bottled lemon juice – Cannot substitute Ascorbic Acid
  • Lemon Juice – 1 TBL – You can substitute 1/4 tsp citric acid powder – Cannot substitute Ascorbic Acid
  • Ascorbic Acid – You can substitute lemon juice or citric acid powder, but not the other way around

Liquid Measurements / Volume

  • 1 Gallon = 4 QT = 8 PT = 16 C =128 OZ = 3.8 L
  • 1 QT = 2 PT = 4 C = 32 OZ = .95 L = 950 ml
  • 1 PT = 2 C = 16 OZ = 480 ml
  • 1 C = 8 OZ = 240 ml
  • 1 OZ = 30 ml = 28.5 gm
  • 100 ml = 3.4 OZ = 1/2 C minus 1 TBL
  • 250 ml = 1 C plus 2 TBL
  • 1 IMPERIAL Gallon = 1.2 US Gallons = 4.5 L

Dry Measurements

  • 16 TBL = 1 C
  • 1/3 C = 5 TBL + 1 tsp
  • 4 TBL = 1/4 C = 12 tsp = 2 OZ = 60 ml
  • 2 TBL = 1 FL OZ = 30 ml
  • 1 TBL = 3 tsp = 1/2 FL OZ = 15 ml
  • 1 tsp = 5 ml = 1 CC

Weight / Mass

  • 1 OZ = 28.4 gm
  • 1 KG = 2.2 LB =
  • 1 LB = .45 KG
  • 100 gm = 3.5 OZ
  • 250 gm = 8.8 OZ

Temperature

  • Degrees Celsius to Fahrenheit :: Multiply by 1.8 (or 9/5) and add 32º
  • Fahrenheit to Celsius :: Subtract 32º and multiply by 0.55 (or 5/9)
    –
  • Fry temperature = 350º – 370º F :: Lower than 350 your food will be greasy.  Above 370º and it will burn.
  • Burnt Sugar = 350º F = 177º C – Becomes bitter
  • Brown Sugar – Liquid Caramel = 338º – 350º F
  • Clear Liquid Sugar Concentrate (Karo) = 320º – 335º F
    – High Fructose Corn Syrup – The chemical chain is not good for us, but tastes REALLY good.
  • Hard Crack Stage = 300º – 310º F (eg) Hard Tack, Lollipops
  • Soft Crack Stage = 270º – 290º F (eg) Taffy
  • Hard Ball Stage = 250º – 265º F (eg) Gummy Bears
  • Firm Ball Stage = 245º – 250º F (eg) Caramels
  • Soft Ball Stage = 235º – 240º F (eg) Fudge
  • Thread Stage = 230º – 235º F
  • Jams and Jellies = 220º – 225º F
  • 212º F = 100º C – Steam – has more kinetic energy than the water – will cause severe and more painful burning.  Will have the same effect as 230º liquid.
  • 212º F = 100º C – Hot water – will cause burning
  • 162º F – Skin will be destroyed on contact – scarring will occur
  • 131º F – Second degree burning will occur
  • 125º F = 52º C – Painful burning will occur
  • 108º F = 42º C – Hottest bath that is marginally safe
  • 98.6º F = 37º C
  • 68º F = 20º C
  • 32º F = 0º C
  • -40º F = -40º C – Not useful, but interesting!
  • -109º F = -78º C = Temperature of Dry Ice – Causes tissue damage in 5 seconds
  • ABSOLUTE ZERO = –273.15° C = –459.67° F

For Speed and Length Conversions CLICK HERE.

Pork Grillade

Ingredients

  • Pork chops (bone removed – cut thin)
  • 1/4 C AP flour
  • Grandpa's Thunder Powder or Arghhh Powder
  • 1 onion
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • 2-4 cloves garlic
  • 2 C chicken broth
  • 1 can diced or crushed tomato
  • 2 strips of bacon

Step by Step

  1. Remove bone from pork chops, and cut into very thin slices.  Ideally, use a blade chop (shoulder blade – between shoulder and back loin)
  2. Create Dredge:  Mix 3/4 C flour with 1 TBL Grandpa's Thunder Powder or Arghhh Powder
  3. Season chop with salt, then dredge in flour mixture.  Shake off excess.
  4. Fry in Dutch Oven in 1 C canola oil @ 350º for 3-5 minutes – until golden brown – set aside
  5. Pour excess oil into measuring cup.
  6. Add 1/4 C back into the Dutch oven, and the rest into an empty soup can
    – to cool – then discard – CAUTION – can will be very hot
  7. Add 1/4 C AP flour into Dutch oven and stir into oil for 2 minutes
  8. Add 1 onion, 1 bell pepper and 1 rib of celery – all chopped to medium pieces
    NOTE:  This mixture is called Trinity, and is similar to Mirpois.  The trinity mixture contains bell pepper, whereas mirpois contains carrots
  9. Stir together, then add 1 tsp of salt and 2 cloves of minced garlic
  10. Stir 15 seconds, then add 2 C chicken stock, 1 can of crushed tomato, 2 strips of (whole) bacon, 1 TBL Worcestershire and 1 bay leaf.
  11. Mix to combine, then nestle chops back into the pot, cover and cook at 350º for 60 minutes.
  12. Meanwhile, make your white rice
  13. After one hour, remove bay leaf and bacon and add a dash of Tabasco
  14. Serve on white rice and garnish with scallions.

Green Tomatoes – COLLECTION INDEX

In Phoenix, you can garden year-round.  If you get tomatoes in early enough in the fall, you can get another harvest in.  If you are a bit late, you wind up with three large bowls of green tomatoes!  Here is what I did with them.

PRINTABLE GREEN TOMATOES GARDEN CLUB HANDOUT

Green Tomato Casserole

Green Tomato Quick-bread

Green Tomato Ketchup

#########

Frozen chopped Green Tomatoes – ****

Classic Pickled Green Tomato – Martha Stewart –

Green Tomato Bread – Suggests frozen chopped green tomatoes – *****

Fire Roasted Green Salsa – Latina Mama Rama – ****

Amish Green Tomato Relish – Sandra Jones – ***

Scalloped Green Tomatoes – Martha Stewart – ***

Green Tomato Mincemeat – Recipe Curio – **

Green Tomato Mincemeat – Food.com – ***

Grandma’s Fried Green Tomatoes – Delishably.com – **

Green Tomato Pie – Taste of Home – *

Notes:

  • Use Green Tomato Pie to create Green Tomato Tartlets using Puff Pastry
  • Green tomatoes WILL eventually ripen.  They will not have the full flavor of a vine-ripened tomato, but will be just as good as supermarker ‘maters.  This can take anywhere from one to five weeks.  You can speed up the ripening process by putting them in a paper bag with a banana.  The ethylene gas (a natural growth hormone) from the banana will speed the tomato ripening process.
  • Shop locally and seasonally.  Buy firm but not mushy.  Don’t refrigerate or it will kill the flavor.

 

Green Tomato Chutney

This recipe is for canning salsa for future use or making enough to take to a potluck.   Canning is not that difficult as long as you invest in quality canning jars and lids (a total of about $15).  You don’t even need a large canning pot, as long as you have a deep-sided spaghetti pot.

Ingredients
Yield 10 pint jars

  • 4 C chopped green tomato
  • 1 C chopped onion
  • 1 chopped bell pepper
  • 2 chopped jalapeno peppers
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 TBL salt
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 C minced cilantro
  • 1/2 C chopped raisins
  • 1/2 C chopped apple
  • 1/4 C muscovado or turbinado sugar
  • 2 C apple cider vinegar
  1. Blacken jalapenos, sweat, and remove skin
    • Chop all outside skin, but not seeds or stem
  2. Put chopped bell pepper, chopped onion and chopped green tomatoes in a skilet and heat just until onion is barely softened
  3. Mix together to use over the next month. 
    • OPT:  Heat to near boiling and then process in water bath for 20 minutes to can.  Canned jars will keep until next season.

Ghee – aka – Clarified Butter

  1. Heat butter in a sauce pan at medium low heat.  DO NOT STIR.
  2. Once it has completely melted, let rest a few minutes
    – During this time the solids will precipitate to the bottom of the liquid
  3. Skim off any foam that has formed on top.
  4. You now have clarified butter
  5. Keep cooking until the solids in the bottom begin to turn brown
  6. You now have ghee
  7. Carefully pour off the ghee, leaving the solids behind.
  8. Ideally, pour it through cheesecloth for even cleaner ghee

This will give a cleaner taste to whatever you are cooking.  It is also less likely to burn.  Just a dash of EVOO will also help inhibit burning.  If you are a purist, pour the butter through cheesecloth.

Appetizer Trays

I was asked to create appetizers for my son and daughter’s wedding. Here they are:

Appetizer
Cream Cheese with different jellies and marmalade.  Pizza pieces with different toppings.
Appetizer
Misc dips for the veggies
Appetizer
Cheese and meat skewers, veggie tray, garlic toasts and misc crostini
Appetizer
Cream cheese and chiltipen and thai chili peppers
Appetizer
Tea cucumber sandwiches – darker with cayenne.
Appetizer
More tea sandwiches, and pizza with misc toppings.
Appetizer
Misc crostini with cheese, meat and veggies toppings, caprese, veggie tray.
Appetizer
Small veggie tray, pretzels, cucumber sandwiches and ???
Appetizer
Misc crostini with cheese, meat and veggie toppings, caprese and garlic toast

Chicken Fried Steak

INGREDIENTS

PER PERSON

  • 1 cubed steak per person – about 4-6 oz
  • flour
  • 1 egg – beaten
  • panko bread crumbs or crushed potato chips

STEP BY STEP

  1. pound cube steak until it is about 1/4 inch thick overall
  2. dredge in flour, then in egg, then in flour again, then egg, then flour
    alternately panko for third dredge
  3. fry at 375-400º for about 90 seconds per side
  4. Serve with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables

 

Spanikopita

It is actually quite time consuming to make your own phylo dough, so don’t hesitate to buy it frozen in the store.  Make sure the phylo is NOT crumbly.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 box phylo dough
    SPINACH MIXTURE
  • feta cheese – made with sheep or goat milk NOT cow milk
    buy a block and crumble it
  • Mix in a sweet onion sliced just as thinly as possible
  • Mix with EVOO, mushrooms, chives, zucchini, basil, parm cheese
  • Fresh spinach – NOT frozen

STEP BY STEP

  1. De stem FRESH spinach and give it a rough chop
  2. Mix in with everything else
  3. In a heavily greased cake pan lay down about ten sheets of phylo dough
  4. Divide your spinach mixture into fourths
  5. Spread 1/4 of your mixture onto the phylo
  6. Add 3-5 sheets of dough and another 1/4 spinach
  7. Repeat two more times until your spinach is all used up
  8. Finish with about 8 sheets of phylo dough on the top
  9. Butter the top heavily and tuck in the edges
  10. Bake it at 350º for an hour
  11. Let it cool a bit (or it will fall apart) and then loosen up the edges and the bottom
  12. Invert it onto a baking sheet and remove the cake pan
    – The bottom will become the top
  13. Cut it into half, and then into triangles

Serve with a village salad of tomato, zucchini, black olives, cucumber slices, oregano and lemon all tossed in a bit of EVOO

 

Sweet Potato Pie

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 steamed medium sized sweet potatoes (cubed and steamed 20 minutes) 25-30 oz – Remove the flesh from the potatoes – do not use the skin for pie
  • 6 TBL softened butter or half lard, half butter
  • 1/2 C sweet condensed milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 egg yolks & 2 eggs – beaten
  • Seasoning
    • 1 tsp CinnaSugar
    • 1/2 tsp ground or grated ginger
    • 1/2 C granulated white sugar
    • 1/2 C brown sugar
    • scant allspice
    • salt
  • candied pecans or walnuts – lightly crushed (or into pie shell)
  • juice and zest from 1 orange or lemon

STEP BY STEP

  1. Mix everything in a food processor
  2. Pour into an uncooked 9″ pie shell (prepared or see below)
  3. Sprinkle crushed pecans or walnuts over top
  4. Drizzle with warm maple syrup
  5. Bake on bottom rack at 325º for 50 minutes
  6. Internal temp should be 160-180º :: ideally 170º
  7. Wait one hour to slice

Serve with whipped maple topping

  1. 1 C heavy whipping cream
  2. 1/4 C confectioner sugar
  3. 2 TBL maple syrup

Crust

  • 1 C AP flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 C chopped pecans
  • 1/2 C shortening
    • Cut  together till it is mostly pebbled
  • 1/4 C ice water
  • Cut together with knives or similar, don’t use your fingers – it’s important to keep the crust cold
  • Roll or press into a pan
  • Prick bottom with a fork, and prebake for 10 minutes @ 400º
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