The Recipe Thread

[Zenster]

Welcome to another round of Culinary Capers™. As always, everyone is invited to contribute early and often. Having an edit function is certainly going to help with clarity. I'll be starting with some brand new recipes and then begin bolstering the archive with ones from long ago. Any requests or general food questions are welcome as usual. On with the show!

I'll begin with a main course that I invented last salmon season. Adjust the octane by using different amounts and types of chiles. For more chile flavor and less heat, remove the interior ribs and seeds from the peppers.


Salmon with Hot Pepper Corn and Onion Hash
Main Dish

Ingredients:

1 Salmon filet per person (¼-½ # each)

2-3 Potatoes per person (White creamers or Yukon Gold)

2-3 Ears of yellow or white corn (Canned Shopeg corn can be substituted)
1-2 Medium tomatoes
1-2 Chile peppers (Jalapeño or hotter)
1-2 Chopped scallions
1 Large yellow onion (Or Vidalia sweet)
1 Red or green bell pepper

¼ - ½ # Bacon or pancetta (Fried and crumbled)
¼ - ½ Cup chicken or turkey broth

2-5 Cloves peeled garlic (Chopped or crushed)
1-2 TBSP Butter
1-2 TBSP Bacon fat
1-3 TBSP Chopped fresh dill

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes in heavily salted water. Fry off and drain bacon before proceeding. Heat skillet over a low flame, then melt some butter and bacon fat in the pan. Add (in order), the chopped onion, bell pepper, scallions, chiles, tomatoes and garlic. Continue to sauté the vegetables until tender. Husk and shave the corn then add to the other vegetables. Add the crumbled bacon. Stir well and cover, then reduce heat or turn off and reserve. The pan may be deglazed with a splash of wine if needed.

Pan fry or poach the salmon in stock with 1-2 TBSP of the chopped dill weed

Drain the potatoes

Plate:

In the bottom of a large shallow soup bowl place:

Slices of cooked potato (or crushed creamers)
Top with the corn and onion hash
Drape with a filet of the salmon (or tuna, swordfish or halibut)
Sprinkle with chopped dill (or capers)

Pairing:

Serve with chilled lager, Champagne, a crisp white or rosé wine.

[Chefguy]

That's an interesting recipe with room for variations, which I like. I used to make the following, but never wrote down the recipe (okay, I can't find it because everything is packed for the move), so it may need to be played with a bit.

Vietnamese Halibut

Halibut fillets, cut into about 4 oz. pieces
olive oil
fish sauce
lemon grass, peeled and cut up

Cooked rice
Peanut oil
Sembal Oelek

Marinate the halibut pieces in a mixture of olive oil, fish sauce and lemon grass for a couple of hours. Heat a small amount of oil in a wok and flash fry the halibut.

Now this is where it gets hazy, as I can't recall whether or not I heated some of the marinade to use as a base over the rice, or did something else magical with veggies and fish sauce. Perhaps you can come up with a suggestion.

Serve on rice and top with however much Sembal Oelek you can tolerate.

[iampunha]

Zenster, do you take requests? Alternately, do you have a list somewhere online (for anyone to grab)? (I didn't participate in your recipe threads back on the other board because I haven't cooked anything more complicated for myself than soup in several years.)

I ask because while I can eat any old thing (four years of boarding school will about kill anyone's tongue), I've recently become fairly sensitive to hot-spicy (I realize that "spicy" to a chef may seem like a pretty useless distinction) food: I really don't like it. Even garden-variety mustard is more than I like. On the other hand, pasta, rice and bagged meals have gotten boring and/or more expensive than they need to be.

[JavaMaven]

Oh, now Zenster, you knew I couldn't stay away from a recipe thread.


This soup has been the favorite around these parts this winter, and it gets my co-workers requesting that I bring it in for lunch more often (I usually bring enough to share):

Butternut Squash & Roasted Garlic Soup

3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into appx. 1" cubes
12 garlic cloves (more if you'd like), peeled
Olive oil

2 Tbs. butter
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped into appx. 1/2" pieces
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried
1 bay leaf
About 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt & pepper to taste

Greek-style whole milk yogurt or sour cream


Heat oven to 400 degrees and line a large sheet pan with foil. In a bowl, add the squash and garlic cloves, and drizzle olive oil on them--just enough to coat lightly, about 2, maybe 3 tablespoons--and toss until squash is coated. Pour onto sheet pan and spread out evenly, and put into the oven. Roast squash until the garlic is tender and lightly browned, and the squash has some nice brown spots--about 40 minutes.

While the squash is cooking, in a thick-bottomed pot (4-5 quarts), melt butter on low heat and add onions. Slowly cook onions on low heat to start to caramelize them. When the squash and garlic are done, add to the pot along with the thyme (if using fresh, just throw it all in, the leaves will fall off in the simmering) and bay leaf, and enough stock to cover everything, about 5-6 cups. Keep a little bit of the stock aside, about 1/2 cup, in case you need it later when pureeing it. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Pull out bay leaf and thyme stems (if you used fresh), and puree until smooth--a stick blender is easiest, but using a regular blender will be fine, too. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When serving, serve with a spoonful of plain yogurt or sour cream to stir in. The acidity of the yogurt/sour cream helps cut the sweetness of the soup and adds some richness. It's good--trust me on this.

[Zenster]

... do you take requests?

Absitively posilutely! Fire away.

In the meantime, since you mention pasta, here's a total no-brainer that is satisfying, flavorful without being spicy, simple as pie and vegetarian to boot.

Cheese Ravioli with Pesto Sauce
Pasta Dish

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Serves: 2 - 4 people


Ingredients:

1 15 oz. Box of ricotta ravioli (Genova brand is excellent)
1 Small jar pesto sauce (high quality is best)
¼-½ Cup grated Parmesan cheese

Boiling salted water
Vegetable oil

Optional: Butter or olive oil

Note: Traditional pesto sauce has six ingredients: Olive oil, basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pine nuts. The genuine item can cost twice that of its cheaper cousins but will totally outshine them.


Preparation

Slowly warm the pesto sauce in its original container using a microwave on lowest power or by standing it in a pan of water over low heat. Slightly unseal the pesto container before warming.

Bring three or four quarts of cold salted water to a direct boil. Add some oil and then dump in the ravioli. Return to a rolling boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir gently to prevent any pasta from sticking to the kettle's bottom. Raviolis are done when they begin to float on the surface.

Drain off the cooked raviolis, empty them into a large pre-warmed mixing or serving bowl and immediately add a small amount of butter or olive oil. This prevents clumping of the pasta. Add most of the grated Parmesan cheese and toss gently. Fold in the warm pesto sauce and serve immediately.


Plating:

Serve on preheated plates with a bowl of minestrone soup and a side of garlic bread.


Pairing:

Well chilled Verdicchio or Pinot Grigio, Peroni beer


On a personal note, this is one of those foods that I simply cannot stop eating until it is all gone. Sam, at the original Genova delicatessen, taught me this dish back in 1976 and it remains an absolute favorite to this very day. For anyone who is tired of tomato based pasta sauce, this is the answer.

[Zenster]

Minestrone
Italian Vegetable Soup

Preparation time: 2 – 3 Hours

Serves: 6 – 12 People


Ingredients:

2-3 Cups cannellini or white navy beans
2-4 oz. Pancetta, bacon, ham or salt pork, cut into small pieces
2-3 Quarts beef or chicken broth (beef is best)
1 Large onion, chopped
2-3 Celery stalks, chopped
1-2 Stalks of chard or kale, use both leaves and ribs
1-3 Carrots, chopped
2-3 Garlic cloves, chopped
½ Cup loosely packed Italian flatleaf parsley, chopped
½ Cup extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
½ Head green cabbage
1-2 Potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Zucchini squash, diced
2 Cups chopped Roma tomatoes
1 Cup Seashell pasta shapes or broken up spaghetti

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Optional: Replace kale or chard with baby bok choy.

NOTE: If using salt pork, reduce the amount of salt added.


Preparation:

Cook the beans in a large quantity of cold, well-salted water. The liquid should stand twice as high in the pot as the beans. Bring to a full boil and then reduce heat to medium. Leave the pot uncovered while the beans cook for at least two hours or until tender. Add more water as needed. When the beans are finished cooking there should be 1-2 cups of thick liquid remaining. Note: This is “bean gravy”, a major secret of Southern cooking.

While the beans cook, wash and process the vegetables. Warm a pan over medium low heat then sauté the onions and garlic for a short while to soften them. If there is any fat attached to the ham, separate it and add it to the onion and garlic mixture while it cooks. Do not brown them at all. Remove the beans from their pot and save the remaining liquid. Add that liquid to the soup pot along with the broth. In a separate bowl, mash one half of the beans into a fine paste. Stir this paste into the liquid and mix well. This is used to thicken the soup and is responsible for minestrone’s distinctive flavor and texture.

Stir fry the diced meat until lightly browned. Then begin building the soup by adding those ingredients that take longest to cook first. Pasta, potatoes, carrots, celery, squash, cabbage, kale and tomatoes, are added in that order. Add in the browned meat, cooked onions and garlic then the parsley and the other half of the cooked beans. Be sure to use some chopped leaves from the celery heart as they impart a delightful flavor. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and avoid overcooking the vegetables so they do not become mushy.

Salt to taste and add a generous amount of ground black pepper.


Plating:

Serve in large bowls and top each portion with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.


Pairing:

Almost any kind of wine, beer or pale ale.

[Baker]

Fruitcake

to make about 13 pounds

By Baker, from a very old recipe. And it's good too, I don't care what folks say about fruitcake! If you have any questions ask in this thread or PM me.

2 cups raisins
2 cups currants
1 pound candied citron
8 oz candied orange peel
8 oz candied lemon peel
8 oz candied cherries
1 pound pitted dates
8 oz candied pineapple
1 pound pecans, roughly chopped
4 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp mace
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 tsp baking powder
1 pound butter
4 cups brown sugar
12 eggs
1/2 cup orange juice

Mix together all the fruit and nuts in a large mixing bowl

In a seperate bowl blend together flour, spices, and baking powder. Pour about half of this over the fruit, and toss so it's evenly distributed.

In a third bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs and beat until they are smoothly blended in. Add the rest of the dry mix and the orange juice and beat until well blended. Pour this mix over the fruit/nut blend and mix well.

Scoop into well buttered loaf pans. It helps to have greased parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. A 9x5 inch pan will take about 7-1/2 cups batter, and 8x 3.5 pan about 5 cups of batter. Or you can also make small cakes in the mini loaf pans.
Bake at 300 degrees Farhenheit for about 80 minutes for the larger pans, somewhat less for the medium. Don't overbake, it's easy to do. Let cool in the pans for about twenty minutes, then pop them out and cool on a rack.

These freeze very well. When cool wrap in at least a couple layers and label them for the freezer. They'll last at least a couple of years.

[vison]

That fruitcake recipe is very much like mine. I don't put nuts in, though. I regard nuts as alien invaders in a fruitcake although I bet I'd like yours if I ever popped over for a cup of tea with you and you served me some. (Virtual tea time, though, she said sadly.) Mine involves some rum and sherry, though.

I love fruitcake and make it every Christmas except this last year I didn't and I have been regretting it ever since. I'm even thinking about doing it now.

I make an expedition to Famous Foods on Kingsway in Vancouver to buy the glace fruit and dried fruit. I could buy it all at the local supermarket but it makes a reason for the trip to town that I wouldn't other wise take. It costs the bloody earth but it's worth every single penny. My recipe is awfully long and detailed or I'd post it. I had to make a copy for a friend who had never made fruitcake and I had to make the recipe intensely detailed for his sake, right up to doing the pans, etc. He said it was utterly worth the trouble.

I would post it if you wanted me to. Gladly!!!

[NAF1138]

I promise to come back with recipies later, but for now I just want to make sure I subscribe to this thread.

[Baker]

I would post it if you wanted me to. Gladly!!!

Post it! Post it! One can never have too much fruitcake. Maybe if this board is still around come Christmas we can have a fruitcake exchange!

[Chefguy]

Okay, I'm going to redeem myself from that prior posted recipe and post the following recipe for spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs. Don't skimp on the ingredients. It feeds a decent gathering of hungry folks.

Time: 3 hours
This is an amazing spaghetti sauce, and any leftover meatballs and sauce can also be used for meatball subs. There’s lots of room for experimentation with meats in this dish, and it makes a lot of servings. I've even added chicken pieces. Note that the meatball recipe only makes 16 or so. That’s because Italian meatballs (unlike Swedish meatballs) are very large. The important key to good meatballs (or anything made with ground meat, for that matter) is not to overwork the meat mixture. Use a light touch when mixing, and a very light touch when forming the balls, or you’ll end up with dry, dense product.

Sauce:
Salt and pepper
1 pound pork spareribs, neck bones or pork chops
1 pound beef chuck roast, blade steak, round steak or brisket, cut into manageable pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 bay leaf
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably Italian
1 28-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
4 small or 2 large pickled peperoncini
Cooked meatballs (see recipe below)
1 pound dried spaghetti for serving
Grated Parmesan for serving.

1. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over pork and beef. Place large pot over medium-high heat; when hot, add olive oil and brown meat. (Or cook meat in same pot used for meatballs, browning in the leftover fat.) Remove meat to a platter. Turning heat under pot to medium, add onions, and cook 3 minutes, stirring. Add garlic, and cook 2 minutes longer. Add tomato paste, and stir: cook until it absorbs fat in pan. Add oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and bay leaf, stirring to combine.
2. Add cans of tomatoes and tomato sauce, then 4 1/2 cups water. Stir in sugar, parsley and peperoncini. Return meats to pot with their juices. Bring sauce to a gentle boil. Turn heat down to a simmer, partly cover and leave sauce to simmer 21/2 hours or more, stirring regularly.
3. About 20 minutes before serving, add meatballs to pot. Boil spaghetti according to package directions. Drain, return spaghetti to pan and add 3 cups sauce. Toss pasta in pan for a minute to coat with sauce, and place on a large platter. Pour 2 more cups sauce over pasta. Place meat and meatballs on pasta, slicing large pieces. Serve with bowls of remaining sauce and Parmesan.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Italian Meatballs
Time: 20 minutes
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil.
1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except olive oil by hand, using a light touch. Take a portion of meat in hand, and roll between palms to form a ball that is firmly packed but not compressed. Repeat, making each meatball about 2 inches in diameter.
2. In a large, heavy pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add meatballs in batches. Do not crowd. Brown well on bottoms before turning, or meatballs will break apart. Continue cooking until browned all over. Remove meatballs to a plate as each batch is finished. Let meatballs cool slightly; cover and refrigerate until needed.
Yield: About 16 meatballs.

[Lady Xoc]

Sopa de Lima
Lime Soup

You will need:
a chicken, skin removed and fat trimmed
2 medium onions, diced
several good limes, for zest and juice
gobs of cilantro
about 2" of cinnamon
3-4 cloves
Mexican oregano
One large can of crushed tomatoes
Chiles - can be anything you like, bells or whatnot, but I get pasillas for way cheap. I use about 4; make it more if you use smaller chiles.
Salt to taste
Corn tortillas
Oil for frying

In your good soup pot (you have one, right?) add the chicken and onion and cover with water. In a cheesecloth bag, tie up the cloves and cinnamon and toss it in there. Bring to a low simmer for 1-2 hours. Remove the chicken to a platter and let it cool. I pick it apart a little to release the heat - just bust open the chest cavity, pull off the legs, etc. While the chicken is cooling, I roast the peppers (instructions below, if needed). You can remove the spices at this time,

Pull the meat off the chicken and re-add to the pot. You can skim the fat off if you need to but as long as you removed the skin and trimmed the chicken closely it should be very clear of fat. Chop the peppers after they've been processed and add them to the pot, along with the tomatoes and a good tablespoon of oregano. Zest and juice 1-2 limes (depends on how limey they are and how limey you like the soup) and add to the pot. Add chopped cilantro and salt for your taste (for me, about 2 bunches of cilantro go into the pot).

On the side, I serve more chopped cilantro, thin lime slices, and fried strips of corn tortilla. The size/shape isn't too important, just soup spoon sized. I plop the lime slices into the bowl first and then ladle the soup over. Mash the limes up with your spoon as you consume.

Chile Roasting Procedure:

Cut the chiles in half lengthwise, remove seeds and stems. Dampen your hands just a little with veg oil and rub the oil onto the peels of the chiles. Arrange peel side up on a cookie sheet and stick it under the broiler. Let those suckers get black, then fish 'em out into a paper bag and fold it down good (alternatively, you can use a glass bowl with a sheet of cling film over the top; the idea is to let the steam from the still-hot chiles work the burnt skin off). After 5-6 minutes they should be cool enough to handle and the skin should rub off easily.

[silenus]

Cincinnati-Style Chili

1 tbsp oil
2 medium onions, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp chili powder (Spice Islands is best for this dish)
1 tbsp dried oregano, crushed fine
1.5 tsp cinnamon
salt
.75 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
.25 ground allspice
.25 tsp ground mace
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
1.5 lbs. lean ground beef


Heat oil in Dutch oven until extremely hot. Add onions and cook until soft. Add ingredients through allspice. Cook until fragrant. Stir in remaining ingredients. Add beef and stir to break up into small pieces. Simmer 30 minutes or do, until beef is cone and chili is brown and thickened.

Serve over spaghetti, top with cheese, kidney beans and chopped onions.

[Santo Rugger]

Ingredients:
3 lbs meat (chicken, steak, pork, ground beef, etc.)
1 tbs. oil
1 large onion
1/2 bulb garlic
2 large cans cream of mushroom
1 can corn
2 cups milk
1 quart fresh peeled New Mexican Green Chile*
secret ingredient
[spoiler:12bnrh9q]1 can nacho or cheddar cheese sauce[/spoiler:12bnrh9q]
36 corn tortillas
2 lbs. cheese

Prep:
Start the meat baking at about 350F. It'll take about twenty to thirty minutes, which is how long it'll take you to prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Peel and chop the chile. Dice onions and saute. When they're just about done, add some diced garlic. After a couple minutes, add the cans of cream of mushroom, corn, and chopped chile. Add milk until desired consistency is reached (easy to spoon, but you don't want it too runny). Continue sauteing while you cut the meat. Add the meat.

Layer six tortillas, a few spoonfuls of sauce, and a couple handfuls of cheese. Repeat. Make three layers for each large pan.

Serve with Spanish rice (Rice-a-Roni is perfect; add a jar of salsa instead of tomatoes), sour cream, and/or guacamole.



*You can use red chile or non-New Mexican green, but it won't be nearly as awesome.

Feel free to ask any questions or ask me to fix any incoherentness. I usually play this one by ear, so sorry the numbers aren't exact. It'll turn out awesome regardless.

[iampunha]

Fruitcake

to make about 13 pounds

Finally, someone who understands portion size

(I eat family-sized meals for dinner. We have leftovers when my wife asks me to not eat everything she cooked.)

[Ceejaytee]

1 Small jar pesto sauce (high quality is best)

Zenster, do you have any recommendations for a good jarred pesto? My son's a pesto fanatic, and since I can only make it fresh part of the year, I would love to have a jarred sauce to give him. We've tried Classico, but it was awful. Thanks!

[vison]

I would post it if you wanted me to. Gladly!!!

Post it! Post it! One can never have too much fruitcake. Maybe if this board is still around come Christmas we can have a fruitcake exchange!

It's really long, but here goes:
Vison's Fruitcake.

You need a very large mixing bowl, first thing. And you also need pans that will hold all this batter, but you don't need "fruitcake pans", loaf pans will work fine. I would not use ordinary cake pans, they are not high enough and if you were to bake this batter in a thin layer it might just wreck the whole thing.

Do not gasp and faint at the amount of glazed fruit. I have altered the recipe over the years, but have gone about as far as one can go replacing glazed fruit with dried fruit. There are perfectly nice fruitcakes made with ALL dried fruit, but this isn't one. The proportion of sugared fruit to the batter is important to achieve the right consistency.

Now, you say, doing this: :scratch: "What is glazed fruit?" I THINK things might be different in the US, but am not perfectly sure, but what you want is "candied fruit" or glace fruit (that last "e" should have the wee accent over it). I have never bought any of this stuff in the US so do not know how widely available it is, but I would guess it should be everywhere. Is not America a civilized nation where discerning and high-toned folks eat fruitcake?

The other thing is: you could use all the same kind of glazed fruit. You do NOT have to have cherries, pineapple and "mixed fruitcake fruit", it could be all cherries, all pineapple, or all "mixed fruitcake fruit", as long as it adds up to the right amount. Buy the best quality, this cake is so expensive there is no point trying to save a dollar here or there on cheap ingredients.

The recipe calls for 1 cup of sherry and 1 cup of dark rum. I often substitute whisky for the rum, have used white rum instead of dark, have used brandy instead of sherry, in other words, you need 2 cups of spirits. (Only I don't think I would use 2 cups of dark rum, it might be too overpowering in flavour.)

The work is spread out over several days. You can't do it all in one day, so don't try.

-1 pound butter (can be sweet or salted, doesn't matter. NEVER use margarine.)
-2 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
-12 eggs, separated
-4 cups all purpose flour

-3 tsp cinnamon
-2 tsp allspice
-2 tsp nutmeg
-1 tsp mace
-1 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp cloves
-1 tsp vanilla

--I often put a more generous amount of spices in, but do not overdo it, cloves in particular can be overpowering. If you don't have mace, don't worry about it, just add another teaspoon of Allspice.

-2 lbs. sultana raisins
-1 lb. Lexia raisins, seeded
-1 lb. currants

----regarding the raisins: you could use ALL the same kind of raisins, or any mixture you like of raisins and currants, as long as it comes to 4 pounds. Lexia raisins are hard to find and MUST have their seeds removed. Pick over all dried fruit VERY carefully. (Currants are not dried currants, but are small raisins, "raisins de Corinth" and lo and behold this year I actually got to buy Greek currants - from Corinth!!!) I am going to substitute 1/2 pound dried sour cherries (horribly expensive but very nice) and 1/2 pound unsweetened dried cranberries for 1 pound of raisins. I use a mix of golden raisins, sultanas, and the regular Sunmaid dark raisins.

- 2 pounds glace cherries, all one colour or mixed (NOT Maraschino cherries)
-2 pounds "fruitcake fruit mix"
-1 pound pineapple rings, cut in small wedges (often sold already cut)

--As I said above, you can use all one kind of glaced/glazed fruit or any mixture as long as it totals 5 pounds

-1 cup marmalade (Dundee style is best, any kind will do, NOT ginger, though)
-1 cup dark rum (or white or amber rum or whisky, or whatever)
-1 cup sherry (I use a semi-sweet sherry, not as sweet as Harvey's Bristol Cream)


-juice and rind of one orange (well scrubbed)
-juice and rind of one lemon (well scrubbed)


First day: warm the sherry and pour it over the raisins and currants, stir well, cover close and leave overnight in a non-reactive bowl.

Second day: Put the glazed fruit with the sherry/raisin mixture into a non-reactive bowl. Add the spices. Use the zest only of the orange and lemon, then peel and discard the white pith that was underneath the zest, then chop the orange and lemon insides, discarding the seeds, and add the zest and fruit to the mix. Pour in the cup of rum and stir well. Cover close and leave overnight. (This can sit for days, actually, just keep it covered well so the liquid doesn't all evaporate.)

Third day: Now you deal with your pans. The old-fashioned way was to cut strips of brown paper, like grocery-bag paper, into strips, and line the pans 3 layers thick, including the pan bottoms, and making sure the paper was an inch or so above the rim of the pans, as well. This is tedious and time-consuming, but is, admittedly, the best way. So if you do it, be sure to butter the innermost layer very well, the layer the cake will touch. You can use parchment paper, of course, but I would use 4 layers in that case.

I use 2 layers of aluminum foil and I DO NOT line the pans, I cover the outside of the pans, pressing the foil tightly to conform to the pan shape and I butter the inside of the pans well. Use butter.

Here we get into the number of pans required. This recipe will make 1 six inch round pan, 2 seven inch round pans, and 1 nine inch round pan: the standard "fruit cake pan set". I would say 5 or 6 ordinary 5 inch by 9 inch loaf pans, if you prepare one too many, so what, eh?

Now, if we aren't using the brown paper (and we probably aren't) it pays, when preparing the pans, to cut a strip of parchment or waxed paper longer than the length of your pan and lay it a long the bottom so it hangs over the ends, butter this well, too. So when you go to turn your cake out, you can sort of lift it, it won't stick.

Put the oven rack in the middle of your oven and turn your oven to 275 degrees.

-Take one cup of the flour and mix it into your fruit/booze mixture.

-separate 1 dozen eggs, beat the whites until soft peaks form, set aside

-Into a VERY large mixing bowl put your pound of butter.
-Add the brown sugar and cream this mixture very well
-Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each one.
-Add vanilla.
-Add marmalade and salt
-Stir in the rest of the flour
-Stir in fruit/flour mixture
-Fold in beaten egg whites (easier to do with your hand than with a spoon)

-put the batter into the prepared pans, do not fill the pans right to the top, leave a half inch or so headspace.

-put the pans in the oven, on the middle rack, don't let them touch each other.

-bake 2 hours MINIMUM. This is hard to judge, unfortunately. A cake tester should come out clean. The cakes should be beginning to pull away from the edge of the pan. A large 9 inch pan will take 3 or even 4 hours.

-cool for a time on racks, then as soon as the cakes can be handled with bare hands, turn them out and peel off the paper (if you used it). Let the cakes cool completely, then wrap very well in plastic wrap with aluminum foil over it (don't wrap the cakes directly in foil) and set aside to ripen.


-you can, if you like, occasionally brush a little sherry or whisky over the surface of the cake, but it is not necessary. Some people glaze the cake or ice it, I don't.

-you will notice there are no nuts in this cake. Really and truly, nuts ruin it, a friend of mine put nuts in one year and it was icky. So best not to do it.

-it will keep for months and months and is very yummy.

[longhair75]

Longhair75’s Spaghetti Pomodoro:

This will feed 6-8 people with leftovers

Start out doing the prep work . Roast a couple of bell peppers ( I use one red and one yellow) in your broiler. Half the peppers and clear the seeds and stem. Place them on a cookie sheet under your broiler until the skin is burned black (about ten minutes). Put them in a bowl of cold water for five minutes or so and the skins will peel off real easy. Coarsely dice them and set aside. Coarsely dice a large red onion. Finely dice half a head of fresh garlic (five or six cloves) and also finely dice a handful of shallots. Strip the leaves from a good sized handful of fresh basil. Roll them up and slice them very thin. Do the same with a handful of fresh Italian parsley.

For meat, I use four or five Italian sausages, a couple of pounds of lean ground sirloin and a pound of lean ground pork. Mix the sirloin and pork with a palm full of the onion, a little of the garlic and some of the shallots. Add some grated Parmesan cheese and roll into meatballs. (I make mine about twice the size of a ping pong ball)

In a large stockpot (eight quarts or so) start with some extra virgin olive oil. When it is hot, add the onions and sauté them until tender. Break up a couple of the meatballs and lightly brown the meat in the olive oil and onion, then add the garlic and shallots and sauté for another couple of minutes being careful not to burn them. Deglaze the pot with a cup or two of red wine. Turn the fire to low and add eight six ounce cans of tomato paste and two cans of water for each can of tomato paste. Stir in the roasted peppers, basil, parsley and a palm full of dried oregano. Bring the heat back up to a simmer.

In a large skillet, lightly brown the meatballs. Place them into a baking dish along with the sausages and bake at 350 for about forty minutes. Deglaze the skillet and the baking dish with another cup or two of red wine and add it to the sauce pot.

Simmer this all day until it has reduced by half. I leave a fresh, crusty French baguette on the counter to allow the family to break off a chunk to “check on the sauce” as it simmers. Four or five hours later, cut the sausage into bite sized pieces and add it along with the meatballs. Another hour, and the Spaghetti Pomodoro sauce is ready to serve over pasta with a tossed salad, hot garlic bread and a nice Italian red wine. Refrigerate the leftovers. This sauce is much better the second day.

[Chefguy]

Longhair75’s Spaghetti Pomodoro:

This sauce is much better the second day.

This sounds like one I'll probably try, once I get to the land of decent Italian sausage.

About the next day: I've turned leftover sauce into a wonderful fagioli soup by adding white beans (canned are fine) to the sauce and simmering for a half hour or so. Also, leftover meatballs (and sausage in your case) with some of the marinara, topped with provolone (or mozzarella) and broiled lightly on a baguette makes for the best damned sub sandwiches ever.

[longhair75]

Longhair75’s Spaghetti Pomodoro:

This sauce is much better the second day.

This sounds like one I'll probably try, once I get to the land of decent Italian sausage.

About the next day: I've turned leftover sauce into a wonderful fagioli soup by adding white beans (canned are fine) to the sauce and simmering for a half hour or so. Also, leftover meatballs (and sausage in your case) with some of the marinara, topped with provolone (or mozzarella) and broiled lightly on a baguette makes for the best damned sub sandwiches ever.

I agree. The small butcher shop where I buy my meat makes a great Italian sausage, and I love the next day sandwiches.

[Zenster]

... do you have any recommendations for a good jarred pesto?

I found the widely available Buitoni brand to be of reasonably good quality. They cut corners by using some canola oil, parsley and walnuts, but all of the other authentic ingredients are present as well. Buitoni also wins points for having extra virgin olive oil as the main ingredient and in greater proportion to canola oil. Even Italians will substitute with walnuts if pine nuts are unavailable so using them is not total blasphemy.

Here is a link to The Nibble where they rate some obscure but authentic pesto sauces:

http://www.thenibble.com/REVIEWS/MAIN/p ... 3.asp#best

As you noticed, the Classico brand really mucks about by adding torula yeast, lactic acid, regular and hydrogenated soybean oils plus some unspecified spice and natural flavors. Olive oil is a straggling number five on their list of ingredients. Pesto is definitely one of those immortal flavor combinations which does not tolerate much fiddling with.

Please check back with your opinion of Buitoni or any other brands you happen to try. If any other readers have a recommendation, please check in.

[Zenster]

Wud the hay? I'm in Colorado for a few days to work on a million dollar semiconductor tool and this thread slips to page three?!?

A favorite sandwich of mine is a warm pita stuffed with crispy broiled gyros. The meat's grain and lamb flavor notes are complimented by fresh tomotoes, red onion and lettuce plus the key condiment: Tzatziki sauce. After many years of unsatisfactory results, I did an exhaustive online search of various recipes to try and understand why my version did not have the legs of those that I had tasted.

The secret is as simple as it is complex: Red Wine Vinegar. Traditional lemon juice does not provide all the necessary top notes that the addition of red wine vinegar contributes.

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

Tzatziki Sauce
Greek Yogurt Dressing

Preparation time: 10 Minutes

Serves: 6 to 12 people

Ingredients:

1 Pint Lebne or Greek-style yogurt
2-3 Cloves of crushed garlic
2-3 TBSP Lemon juice
1-2 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
1-2 TBSP Olive oil

Dash of onion powder
Dash of sugar
Dash of ground white pepper
Salt to taste

Optional:

1 Cucumber, peeled and diced or grated*
Chopped dill weed

* If using cucumber be sure to wring out the cut pieces in a paper towel or tea cloth. The excess moisture will break the sauce and make it runny.

Note: Kefir cheese or Lebne is genuine yogurt. It is made using whole milk and cream and has the dense consistency of sour cream with a wonderful yogurt tang. Ordinary yogurts do not compare to this product. It can be found at Arabic and Middle Eastern food stores or other specialty shops.

If you are unable to find this product, be sure to substitute a very high quality commercial yogurt. Nancy's, White Cloud and Pavel's are among some of the better brands. Be sure to check that the yogurt is made using whole milk for the correct texture and richness.

To thicken regular yogurt, line a colander or large sieve with two layers of paper towels. Dump in the yogurt while trying to keep it in a single mass. Cover with another paper towel and allow it to drain for at least one hour or overnight. Keep refrigerated if spoilage is a concern.


Preparation:

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Allow sauce to rest for at least one hour before use. Reduce the amount of garlic if this is being prepared well ahead of time.

[Chefguy]

I thought perhaps you'd grown bored with us already. I have some more recipes I can post, but need to wait until the dust settles around here from sorting, packing and dumping. Shipping estimator comes today, so maybe things will calm down this week.

[Zenster]

I thought perhaps you'd grown bored with us already.

Nope, I was just out of state in Colorado servicing an ion beam tool last week. I appreciate all the other contributions made by fellow posters and welcome anyone else to participate.

Note to Readers: If you did so in the past, please feel free to post all of your contributions to the original recipe thread over at this site as well. I'll be reposting mine as things go along and eventually will create a list of old contributors in the hopes of prompting them to submit all their own recipes once again. I would enjoy seeing this board capitalize upon its content by issuing a Domebo Cookbook using the recipes from this thread. It could make a great fundraising tool somewhere down the road.

[Chefguy]

Nope, I was just out of state in Colorado servicing an ion beam tool last week.

Sounds painful...

[Dolores Reborn]

Creole Sauce

1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 med onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp paprika
1-1/2 tsp creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's or similar)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp Tabasco
Salt and pepper to taste
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
4 green onions, sliced
1 heaping tbs tomato paste

Heat oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add veggies, and saute a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes, then add the seasonings and Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Stir for about a minute. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir in the green onions, and simmer about 10 minutes uncovered to reduce. Add the tomato paste, stir for another minute, and remove from heat.

Serve over anything! My latest favorite is baked catfish, with creole sauce, of course! Put seasoned (with salt and pepper, or blackening seasoning) catfish filets in a baking dish, cover with sauce and bake at 375° for about 15-20 minutes, until fish flakes easily with a fork.

[Chefguy]

Creole Sauce

1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 med onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp paprika
1-1/2 tsp creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's or similar)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp Tabasco
Salt and pepper to taste
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
4 green onions, sliced
1 heaping tbs tomato paste

Heat oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add veggies, and saute a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes, then add the seasonings and Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Stir for about a minute. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir in the green onions, and simmer about 10 minutes uncovered to reduce. Add the tomato paste, stir for another minute, and remove from heat.

Serve over anything! My latest favorite is baked catfish, with creole sauce, of course! Put seasoned (with salt and pepper, or blackening seasoning) catfish filets in a baking dish, cover with sauce and bake at 375° for about 15-20 minutes, until fish flakes easily with a fork.

I have to say that I've never seen a creole sauce made without roux. The veggies look right, though, and I can see where the tomato paste would provide thickening.

[Chefguy]

Every year there are threads started by people who are in a panic about Thanksgiving turkey dinner. Gravy seems to be the source of much anxiety, since failure on T-day can be disastrous. Well, here's the fix.

Turkey Gravy in Advance
Chefguy

To avoid the last-minute panic on Thanksgiving, it’s an easy matter to make gravy in advance of the day. The added benefit is extra turkey meat, but you won’t have any giblets to add.

For the stock:
4 TBSP butter (perhaps more)
6 turkey legs or other dark meat parts (about 6 pounds)
salt and pepper
1 medium onion, peeled, stuck with 3 cloves
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
3 stalks celery with leaves, trimmed, cut into chunks
2 bay leaves
12 black peppercorns
1 cup water

For gravy:
12 TBSP flour
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 375. Melt 4 TBSP butter. Sprinkle turkey parts with salt and pepper, place in roasting pan and brush with melted butter. Roast 2 hours, basing with butter every 20 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool a bit and remove most of the meat from the bones. Discard skin. RESERVE THE FAT/DRIPPINGS IN THE PAN.

Transfer bones to stockpot, set roasting pan aside. Add onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves and peppercorns to stockpot. Add cold water just to cover. Bring to simmer and cook, mostly covered, about 6 hours.

Place roasting pan on stove and bring juices to a simmer over low heat. Pour in water to deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping. Pour all liquid into a bowl and refrigerate. When liquid is cool, lift of top layer of fat and reserve. Add deglazing liquid to stockpot.

Gravy:
Melt 12 TBSP reserved turkey fat in a skillet over medium heat. Use additional butter, if necessary. Gradually whisk in the flour. Cook until golden brown and toasty smelling, 3-5 minutes or longer.

Whisk in a small amount of stock, then add remainder more quickly and whisk until smooth. Simmer, continually whisking, until thickened. Thin if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. If desired, whisk in a few tablespoons cold butter to smooth and enrich.

Yields 3 quarts. Can be frozen for up to a month.

[danceswithcats]

The fruitcake recipes above remind me of those my mother makes (steeped in whisky and rum). One recipient commented, "Best fruitcake I ever drank."

For a great fish dish with minimal cleanup:

preheat an oven to 450

place a sheet of foil 2 1/2x the length of a shallow baking pan on pan and spray the pan half
place two 3/4# salmon fillets skin down
dust with ground black pepper to taste
apply approx 1 1/2 minced garlic cloves to each fillet
sprinkle with chopped fresh dill
lay slices of lemon atop the fillets
top slices with dill sprigs
surround the fillets with large cherry tomatoes, pierced
fold the foil over and crimp ends and sides, to form a tent

bake for ~ 30 minutes, or until fish flakes easily

Serve with your choice of side-I picked long grain/wild rice and french cut green beans

Disclaimer: this is modified from an online recipe, so I'm not claiming this to be my entire original creation.

[Julie]

Anyone have a good Italian Wedding Soup recipe? Maybe that will inspire me to cook something.

[jali]

Tzatziki Sauce
Greek Yogurt Dressing
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Serves: 6 to 12 people
Ingredients:
1 Pint Lebne or Greek-style yogurt
2-3 Cloves of crushed garlic
2-3 TBSP Lemon juice
1-2 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
1-2 TBSP Olive oil

Dash of onion powder
Dash of sugar
Dash of ground white pepper
Salt to taste
Optional:
1 Cucumber, peeled and diced or grated*
Chopped dill weed

* If using cucumber be sure to wring out the cut pieces in a paper towel or tea cloth. The excess moisture will break the sauce and make it runny.

Note: Kefir cheese or Lebne is genuine yogurt. It is made using whole milk and cream and has the dense consistency of sour cream with a wonderful yogurt tang. Ordinary yogurts do not compare to this product. It can be found at Arabic and Middle Eastern food stores or other specialty shops.

If you are unable to find this product, be sure to substitute a very high quality commercial yogurt. Nancy's, White Cloud and Pavel's are among some of the better brands. Be sure to check that the yogurt is made using whole milk for the correct texture and richness.

To thicken regular yogurt, line a colander or large sieve with two layers of paper towels. Dump in the yogurt while trying to keep it in a single mass. Cover with another paper towel and allow it to drain for at least one hour or overnight. Keep refrigerated if spoilage is a concern.


Preparation:

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Allow sauce to rest for at least one hour before use. Reduce the amount of garlic if this is being prepared well ahead of time.

THANK YOU!

[Chefguy]

preheat an oven to 450

[snip]

bake for ~ 30 minutes, or until fish flakes easily

Are you sure about that time? That seems very long at 450 when you can saute a salmon filet on the stovetop in about seven minutes. Not being critical, just asking.

[Zenster]

THANK YOU!

Please be so kind as to post a personal critique of the Tzatziki recipe. It is the best I've ever tasted and I would appreciate some feedback about the red wine vinegar. I've had nothing better.

[Lady Xoc]

THANK YOU!

Please be so kind as to post a personal critique of the Tzatziki recipe. It is the best I've ever tasted and I would appreciate some feedback about the red wine vinegar. I've had nothing better.

I use a similar recipe using red wine vinegar and it never fails to bring in the compliments.

That reminds me, it's grilling season.

Chicken Souvlaki

You will need:

Chicken pieces- whatever you like, I use a mix of breast and leg meat.
Olive oil - good quality
Lemon juice
Powdered garlic - lots
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Flat bread (pita or similar)
Romaine
Tomatoes
Tzatziki
ETA: I forgot the sliced red onion.

Hardware:
A grill, hot
Skewers, soaked

Cut chicken into roughly 1" pieces and marinate in salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, lemon juice, and olive oil. Don't be shy with the flavorings. After whatever time (a few hours?) start your coals and start stringing your chicken on the skewers. I use a lemon quarter to end each skewer, but that's a personal thing. Cook 'til done, throw a few cubes onto flatbread w/ lettuce, diced tomato, onion and tzatziki.

A summer standard at my house.

[danceswithcats]

preheat an oven to 450

[snip]

bake for ~ 30 minutes, or until fish flakes easily

Are you sure about that time? That seems very long at 450 when you can saute a salmon filet on the stovetop in about seven minutes. Not being critical, just asking.

Fair question. That's what I recall, though. Since you're steaming the fish, as opposed to direct baking or broiling, I'd guess the time is less critical, yes?

[Hatshepsut]

Everything upthread sounds yummy. My husband travels to Bangkok a lot and always gets Thai pomelo salad, which he loves. After he pestered me about making it at home, I came up with the following version, which works nicely. Amounts are all to taste and depend on how many people you are going to serve, but don't stint on the extra flavorful ingredients like chili, sugar and fish sauce, or it will be too bland.

Thai Pomelo Salad


DRESSING
Fish sauce
Lime juice
Sugar


MARINATED INGREDIENTS
Shredded red chili
Boneless chicken pieces, stirfried with soy sauce then chopped into smallish bits
Thinly sliced shallots


FINAL INGREDIENTS
Blanched bean sprouts
Shredded pomelo (use mild grapefruit as a substitute - use only the juicy cells, no rind or membrane)
Chopped fresh coriander or basil leaves
Fried skinless peanuts, slightly crushed

TOPPING
Bawang goreng (dry-fried onion - maybe not easily available outside of SE Asia. If you cannot get it, skip it or possibly substitute that fried onion stuff in a can, slightly crushed. I have not had the canned stuff in years so don't really remember if it is good or horrible. You can make bawang goreng if you feel really, really ambitious by slicing shallots microscopically thin and frying them til crispy. Unless you are a true cooking fanatic I don't recommend it.)

Make the dressing by mixing together all ingredients to taste. Pour it over the marinated ingredients and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24. Shortly before serving, add the final ingredients and if necessary more dressing. Top with bawang goring and serve.

[Chefguy]

preheat an oven to 450

[snip]

bake for ~ 30 minutes, or until fish flakes easily

Are you sure about that time? That seems very long at 450 when you can saute a salmon filet on the stovetop in about seven minutes. Not being critical, just asking.

Fair question. That's what I recall, though. Since you're steaming the fish, as opposed to direct baking or broiling, I'd guess the time is less critical, yes?

True enough. You're making a sort of fish soup, only in the oven.

[Chefguy]

Longhair75’s Spaghetti Pomodoro:

This sauce is much better the second day.

This sounds like one I'll probably try, once I get to the land of decent Italian sausage.

About the next day: I've turned leftover sauce into a wonderful fagioli soup by adding white beans (canned are fine) to the sauce and simmering for a half hour or so. Also, leftover meatballs (and sausage in your case) with some of the marinara, topped with provolone (or mozzarella) and broiled lightly on a baguette makes for the best damned sub sandwiches ever.

I agree. The small butcher shop where I buy my meat makes a great Italian sausage, and I love the next day sandwiches.

I meant to ask: do you brown your Italian sausage?

[Chefguy]

Chicken Marsala (Chicken Scaloppine alla Marsala)

This is one of those dishes that look and taste like something you would find in a nice Italian restaurant. It’s very easy to prepare and people love it. They’ll also think you’re a genius in the kitchen. There are other variations of this and all are good.

2 lb chicken breast, boneless and skinless
salt and pepper
flour
vegetable oil (canola, peanut or other neutral oil)
1 oz butter
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 shallots, sliced
4 oz Marsala wine (or use Sherry, if Marsala is not available)
8 oz white stock
1 cup cream or half & half
2 oz butter, cut in pieces

Egg noodles, cooked until al dente.

Preheat a large sauté pan to medium-high. While the pan heats, lightly flatten each piece of chicken with a mallet. If you don’t have a meat mallet, use the edge of a plate. Be careful not to tear the meat. I usually put the pieces in a gallon baggie and flail away. Dry the pieces, if necessary, and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour. Shake off the excess. Add enough oil to coat the hot pan. Add the chicken and sauté over medium high heat until lightly browned on both sides. Cook in batches, if necessary. Remove from the pan and either place in a warming drawer or in an oven heated to very low.

Drain any excess fat from the pan. Add the 1 oz. of butter (perhaps more). Add the mushrooms and shallots and cook until golden brown. Remove from the pan to a plate (otherwise the shrooms cook away to nothing). Deglaze the pan with the Marsala. Reduce it to almost dry (au sec). Add the stock and cook until it is reduced by half. Return the mushroom mixture to the pan. Add the cream and reduce until it is slightly thickened. Swirl in the 2 oz butter pieces until melted and combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the chicken to the pan to reheat and coat with the sauce. Serve over egg noodles.

[Beadalin]

My brother-in-law gave us a quail that I've now had in the freezer for a couple of months. I don't know what to do with it, but thought maybe preparing it as coq au vin would be yummy. Anyone have a recipe to recommend? I am very open to other ideas.

[sistercoyote]

I make this by eyeball, so I don't have exact measurements on hardly anything.

~1/4 yellow or white onion, chopped fine
4-8 garlic cloves, minced
~2 tbsp olive oil (I use just enough to coat the bottom of my pan)

Simmer until onions and garlic are translucent and "squishy."

Add:
4 cups Chicken Broth (however you like to make your chicken broth. I tend to use the canned stuff. I know, I know.)
Cooked chicken breast meat, cubed or shredded
1/2 to 1 cup (or more!) white wine (you can make this with chardonnay. Personally, I hate chardonnay and usually use a nice pinot grigio.)
1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 to 2 tsp ginger (you could probably use not-powdered ginger for this, but I wouldn't have the faintest idea how to prepare it)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp black pepper

Simmer these things for a while (how long, exactly? I don't know. I think I simmered mine for about 20 minutes. Long enough for most but not all of the alcohol to have simmered away). After you've simmered them for a while, add:

~2 cups chopped baby carrots
other vegetables to taste

then simmer for another five minutes or so, at which point you should add:
1 pkg egg noodles OR 1 package of those refrigerator linguine noodles, cut into bite-sized pieces OR equivalent homemade egg noodles OR pasta of your choice.

Simmer until the pasta is slightly more than al-dente. Serve hot.

[Beadalin]

Wow, sistercoyote, I'm in! Thank you!

Also, turns out it's a pheasant, not a quail. Oops.

[danceswithcats]

Here's a quick and easy appetizer-cheese stuffed peppers

18 fresh jalapeño peppers
1 block of Philly cream cheese
2-3T grated parmesan and romano cheese
2-3t minced garlic
6-8 sun dried tomatoes
1# thick sliced bacon
18 toothpicks

Soak toothpicks in water
Slice peppers lengthwise on one side and remove seeds/septum
Process sun dried peppers in food processsor to coarse chopped
Soften cream cheese, mix with parmesan, romano, garlic, and tomatoes until uniform
Stuff peppers with cheese mixture, wrap with a bacon strip and secure with toothpick

Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes until bacon is crisp, turning as needed.

Leftover cheese mix is yummy on toasted bagels, too.

[Annie]

My brother-in-law gave us a quail that I've now had in the freezer for a couple of months. I don't know what to do with it, but thought maybe preparing it as coq au vin would be yummy. Anyone have a recipe to recommend? I am very open to other ideas.

I make this with white wine, just to be weird. And I prefer it

Le vrai coq au vin


Total time: 2 1/2 hours, plus marinating time
Servings: 6 to 8
Note: Adapted from “The Country Cooking of France”
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
3 garlic cloves, divided
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 (750-ml) bottle red wine
Salt and black pepper
5 to 6 pounds chicken legs and thighs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (6-ounce) piece of lean smoked bacon, or thick-sliced bacon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth, more if needed
2 shallots, chopped
1 large bouquet garni of 2 bay leaves, 4 sprigs thyme and 5 to 6 stalks parsley tied together with kitchen twine
2 tablespoons butter, or more if needed
16 to 18 baby onions, peeled
1/2 pound button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered if large
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1. In a medium saucepan, bring the onion, carrot, celery, 1 clove garlic (peeled), peppercorns and wine to a boil and simmer 5 minutes, and then cool the marinade completely.
2. Rub each piece of chicken with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Pack the pieces in a deep, non-metallic bowl and pour the cooled marinade and flavorings over them. Spoon the olive oil over to keep the chicken moist. Cover with plastic wrap and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at least a day, turning the pieces from time to time, and up to 3 days if you like a full-bodied flavor of wine.(I use a big ole Ziplock bag with the air squooshed out)
3. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and pat them dry with paper towels. Strain and reserve the marinade liquid, keeping the vegetables separate. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Cut the bacon into lardons – small cubes or sticks. If you’re using thick-sliced bacon, cut the bacon crosswise into thin sticks.
4. Heat the oil in a braising pan and fry the lardons until browned and the fat runs. Transfer the lardons to a bowl using a slotted spoon and set aside for the garnish.
5. Add the chicken pieces to the pan, skin-side down, and sauté over medium heat until well browned, at least 10 minutes. Turn, cook until the other side browns, 3 to 5 minutes, and remove them. Do not overcrowd the pan; if necessary, fry the chicken in two batches.
6. Add the reserved vegetables from the marinade to the pan and fry until they start to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook over high heat, stirring until it browns, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the marinade liquid and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Simmer 2 minutes, then stir in the broth with the shallots, the remaining two garlic cloves (chopped) and bouquet garni.
7. Return the chicken to the pan, pushing the pieces down under the sauce. Cover the pan and cook in the oven, turning the chicken occasionally, until the pieces are tender and fall easily from a two-pronged fork, about 40 minutes to 1 hour. Some pieces may be done before others – if so, remove them so they do not dry out from additional cooking, and continue cooking the rest.
8. Meanwhile cook the garnish. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the onions, sprinkling one-eighth teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper, and brown them over medium heat, about 5 to 7 minutes. Shake the pan from time to time so they color evenly. Lower the heat, cover and cook the onions, shaking the pan occasionally, until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes more. Remove them with a slotted spoon and add to the reserved lardons. Add the mushrooms to the pan, sprinkling a pinch each of salt and pepper and add a little more butter if needed. Sauté until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add them to the lardons and onions.
9. When the chicken is cooked, remove the pieces from the sauce and set them aside. Strain the sauce into a bowl, discarding the vegetables and seasonings. Use a ladle to skim any fat on the surface. Wipe out the pan and add the garnish. Stir in the sauce; if it seems thick, add a little more broth. If it’s too thin, reduce over high heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the chicken pieces, pushing them well down into the sauce, and heat gently 3 to 5 minutes so the flavors blend. Coq au vin improves if you keep it, covered, in the refrigerator at least a day and up to 3 days so the flavor mellows before serving.
10. To serve, reheat the chicken with the garnish and sauce on top of the stove. Transfer the chicken pieces to a serving dish or individual plates and spoon over the garnish with a little sauce. Sprinkle the chicken with chopped parsley and serve any remaining sauce separately.

[Cluricaun]

1 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
2 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey
1 dash Angostura® bitters
1 maraschino cherry

Combine the vermouth, bourbon whiskey, and bitters with 2 - 3 ice cubes in a mixing glass. Stir gently, don't bruise the spirits and cloud the drink. Place the cherry in a chilled cocktail glass and strain the whiskey mixture over the cherry.

[Obsidian]

Chicken/Turkey Stock (should you want to make your own)

Ingredients:
2 chicken or one turkey carcass.
1 yellow onion
2-3 carrots
1 leek
1 parsnip
2-3 celery stalks
Fresh Basil
Fresh Rosemary
Fresh Thyme
Fresh Sage
Handfull of Peppercorns
Kosher salt
The cheapest bottle of Riesling you can find.
1 really big pot. (I actually have two, 12qt and 16qt and make a double batch)

Toss the carcass into the pot. Leftover meat, skin, everything (assuming it's been mostly picked clean, not like the semi-intact leftovers from a family who won't eat dark-meat or something). If they've been in your freezer let them thaw a bit first. I know you're supposed to clean the bones, but I was too tired and lazy one thanksgiving and just upended the carving platter right into the pot. Came out the best I ever made.

Scrub your veggies good. I get mine from a farmers market so they tend be right from the ground. Especially the leeks have dirt trapped in the,. Chop the veggies in half. Leave the skin on the onion.

Toss veggies on top of the chicken. Herbs & peppercorns on top of that. Pour in 1/2 bottle of the wine, unless your pot is really big, then use all of it. Fill the pot with water. Salt only as much as you'd salt, say, pasta water.

Put on the stove on high until it just boils, then turn it down to a high simmer. Cover and simmer for an hour.

Take the lid off. You'll now have a bunch of skin and meat having floated to the top. Pick out anything not attached to bone with a pair of tongs. Leave it to simmer uncovered for 5 hours. Come back every hour to give it a stir and pick out more skin/meat floaters. It will cook down a LOT. Do not worry.

Cover. Turn it down lower and simmer another hour. Taste it now, and add more salt if it needs it.

Turn the heat off, and scoop as much of the veggies/chicken out as you can (just makes it easier to pour). Put a mesh strainer over another large pot or bowl and pour it in. If you're really anal you can go a second pass through cheese cloth, as you may have some tiny floating herb bits. I'm not that anal.

Plop it on the counter for 10 minutes, and then skim off the fat film that forms on the surface. How anti-fat you are will determing how cold you let it get before skimming. My father, who has blood-pressure concerns, puts it in the fridge before skimming.

I then pour it in 2 cup portions into freezer bags, and store them in my back freezer, wherin they last a very long time. When ready to use, give the frozen bag a whack against your counter, pour the chunks into a bowl/saucepan and heat as you see fit. Last weekend I netted 18qts of stock from 28qts of pot.

I get RAVES about this stock, so I thought I'd share.

[sistercoyote]

Obsidian - that sounds really good.

A question, though, or maybe I'm just missing something: What do you usually do with the chicken/vegetables? Anything?

[Chefguy]

Obsidian - that sounds really good.

A question, though, or maybe I'm just missing something: What do you usually do with the chicken/vegetables? Anything?

I'll take the liberty of saying that the veggies should be thrown out after cooking that long. Also, the meat will just be chewy and tasteless. One other thing: I would not leave the skin on the onion. That's where molds and other nasties grow. I also would not put the skin in the pot, but that's an argument I don't feel like having at the moment.

[sistercoyote]

I'll take the liberty of saying that the veggies should be thrown out after cooking that long. Also, the meat will just be chewy and tasteless.

Okay, that's kind of what I figured, but I thought I'd ask.

[Obsidian]

The vegetables get chucked.

My Dad's left the onion skin on for as long as I remember (and seemed insistent that it remain on). I didn't think anything could survive 7 hours in semi-boiling water anyway. I do wash them. I left the chicken skin in once because I was lazy and thought it tasted better. I'm not not talking about a whole chicken's worth of skin-- my husband eats most of it. Just a little. YMMV.