Recipes List: 09/14/07

Christmas Quesadillas

Christmas Quesadillas

Ingredients
1 tbls. vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbls. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
12 (6 to 7 inch diameter) flour tortillas
6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno chiles, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
cilantro leaves and l hot red pepper for garnish

Instructions
In nonstick 10-inch skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add onion and peppers and cook, stirring often, 15 minutes or until golden and tender. Add garlic, cumin, and salt, and cook 5 minutes longer, stirring often. Remove skillet from heat; stir in cilantro.Place 6 tortillas on work surface. Spread pepper mixture on tortillas;, sprinkle with cheese. Top with remaining tortillas to make 6 quesadillas. Cover and refrigerate assembled quesadillas up to 6 hours before serving.

To complete, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place quesadillas on 2 large cookie sheets and bake 8 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides, turning quesadillas over once. Remove quesadillas to cutting board; cut each into 8 wedges. Top each wedge with a cilantro leaf for decoration.

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS CAKE

Ingredients

12 oz plain flour,
1 tsp cinnamon,
1 tsp mixed spice,
A pinch of salt,
4 oz candied peel,
4 oz cherries,
2 lb dried fruits,
4 oz blanched almonds,
4 eggs,
4 tbsp sherry,
Finely grated 1 lemon,
8 oz margarine,
8 oz sugar,
1 tbsp black treacle, and
A closet with a lock (to keep it safe from children until the C-Day).

Method

Sieve together all the dry ingredients.

Mix the peel, fruit, cherries, chopped almonds and lemon rind.

Whisk the eggs and sherry together.

Beat the margarine, sugar and black treacle until soft.

Add the flour and egg mixtures alternately to the margarine little by little till it has a thick paste consistency.

Stir in the fruit mixture.

Put into an 8-9 inch tin, lined with greaseproof paper round the sides and at the bottom.

Now, tie a double band of brown paper round the outside of the rim, standing well up above the top of it.

Put in the middle of a hot oven. Bake for 3 1/4-3 1/2 hours at gas mark 3 for the first 1 1/2 hours, and then decrease to gas mark 2 for the remainder.

Cool the cake in the tin, then store in an airtight container.

Can be served hot or cold with custard or double cream respectively

Berber Bread

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup hot water

DIRECTIONS:

In the container of a blender or food processor, combine the flour and salt. Pulse to blend. Add the oil and hot water, and blend until it stops sticking to the sides. Remove from the container, and cut into 4 pieces.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until fairly thin. Let it rest for a minute if it is difficult to roll. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and spray with a light coating of cooking spray. Fry one piece at a time until the surface begins to bubble. Flip over, and fry until it has brown spots on the other side. Cut each piece into quarters to serve.

Multigrain Seeded Bread

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
3 tablespoons shelled pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 cup water
2 tablespoons molasses
1 egg white
1 tablespoon 1% milk

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, and salt. In another bowl, mix the seeds with the oats.
In a saucepan, combine the water and molasses and warm the mixture over low heat until a thermometer reads 120 to 130 degrees F (50 to 55 degrees C) .
Add the liquid to the flour mixture with the egg white. Mix together until a soft dough forms.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes; then shape into a ball. Lightly oil a large stainless steel bowl. Add the dough and turn to cover the dough with the oil. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours until doubled in size.
When the dough has risen, punch the dough down with your fists and add all but 2 Tablespoons of the seed mixture working it into the dough. Reserve the 2 Tablespoons of seed mixture for the topping. Shape the dough into a loaf by rolling it into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle and then roll up by its shortest end. Pinch the ends together and tuck underneath. Place in a non-stick 9×5 inch loaf pan with the seam underneath. Cover the loaf pan with a tea towel and let rise for 1 hour until doubled in bulk.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush the top of the loaf with milk and sprinkle on the reserved seed mixture. Bake the bread for 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove the bread from the pan and let cool completely.

Hubby’s Pizza Bread

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
16 ounces sliced pepperoni sausage
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups bread flour

DIRECTIONS:

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
Select the Bread/Light Crust cycle, and press Start.

BASQUE CHICKEN WITH RICE

BASQUE CHICKEN WITH RICE
1 onion
1 chicken
1 small can pimentos
1 tomato or 1/2 can tomato sauce
2 chorizos or Basque sausage
1′/2 cups rice
Salt to taste
Parsley, chopped

Put oil in cooking pot to cover bottom. Place on hot fire and add chopped onion. Add small chicken, washed, cut up in small pieces, and floured. Add salt and cook until tender and brown. Add can pimentos, tomato, or tomato sauce. Add parsley, 2 chorizos cut in small pieces and cook on low heat for six minutes. Add rice and mix. Remove from heat and spread mixture in baking pan and add 1′/2 cups of water. Cover and bake in moderate oven for ‘/2 hour or until rice is tender. Do not stir rice while cooking. Garnish with pimento strips and parsley.

BASQUE TURKEY STUFFING

BASQUE TURKEY STUFFING
8 Boiled eggs
1 Ib. ham
1 pint pimentos
3 onions
3 toasts or 1 cup rice
Gizzard, liver, and heart of turkey
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil gizzard, liver, and heart with small amount of water. Then grinc through all ingredients, except onions. Fry onions in small amount o Mazola oil till brown and add to mixture. Mix all together. Stuff turkey.

TZAZIKI -Greek Recipe

TZAZIKI

INGREDIENTS :

* 500 grams (1/2 quart) of Greek yoghurt (or natural full, dairy yoghurt)
* Three garlic cloves
* 1/2 cup of olive oil
* 1/2 sliced cucumber

Cooking:

Put the yoghurt in a bowl. Put the garlic through a garlic press and using the edge of a knife, spread the garlic coming our of the press on the yoghurt. Take the cucumber and peal the skin. Slice it thinly, either with a knife or using a salad slicer. Mix the ingredients with a mixer (or a fork) and slowly add the oil. The oil will be absorbed, and when it is done, the tzazki is ready. Serve with a spoon and a few olives spread on the top. Tzaziki is eaten with plenty of french bread.

Spiced Pumpkin and Pecan Butter

Spiced Pumpkin and Pecan Butter
Zest of 1 orange or zest of 1/2 orange and 1/2 lemon removed in wide strips with a swivel peeler
1 (29-ounce) can solid pack pumpkin plus 1/2 cup of water or 3 1/2 to 4 cups pumpkin puree prepared from scratch
2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
3 tablespoons strained fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves
1/3 cup pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted and very finely chopped

1. Simmer the orange zest in 2 cups water in a saucepan for 10 minutes, then drain it and mince it to a fine pulp. Measure out 1 tablespoon and reserve. Combine in a heavy-bottomed stainless-steel or other nonreactive saucepan, the pumpkin and water (if using canned) orange zest, sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, allspice, ginger and cloves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; lower the heat and simmer the mixture, stirring it very often with a wooden spatula, until it has become very thick, about 15 minutes. Sample the butter and add a little more of any of all of the spices, if you like (although flavors will blossom in storage). Add more sweetening if your taste buds request it.
2. Stir in the nuts and continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle the boiling-hot pumpkin butter into clean, hot half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Seal the jars with new 2 piece canning lids according to manufacturer’s instructions. Process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Cool, label, and store for up to a year in a cool cupboard.

Tomato Ginger Jam

Tomato Ginger Jam
This brilliant jam is fabulous with roast meats, grilled fish or with Indian ‘pappadam’ crackers.

5 pounds fresh tomatoes
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup fresh garlic, thinly sliced, or chopped
1/3 cup fresh ginger, fine julienne, or minced
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Peel, seed and dice tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in heavy enamel or stainless steel pan.
(Aluminum pans will react with the acidity in this dish.)
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low heat. This will need to cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir occasionally at first, then check more frequently at end of cooking time to prevent scorching on bottom of pan. When jam is thick and shiny, and volume is about 4 cups, it is done. Let cool in shallow pan.
3. Keep refrigerated. Let come to room temperature, or warm slightly to serve.

Apple Butter

Apple Butter
Ingredients:
4 quarts apple cider
3 quarts pared and quartered cooking apples (about 4 pounds)*
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Method:
1. Heat cider to boiling in a 5-quart Dutch oven. Boil, uncovered, until cider reduces to measure 2-quarts, about 1 1/4 hours.
2. Add apples and heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until apples are soft and can be broken apart with spoon, about 1 hour. (Apples can be pressed through sieve or food mill at this point for smooth apple butter.)
3. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer,uncovered, stirring frequently, until no liquid separates from pulp, about 2 hours.
4. Heat to boiling. Pour into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Wipe rims of jars. Seal and process in boiling water bath 10 minutes.