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Fideua
Clean really well: 1 pound mussels 18 little neck clams Clean but leave in their shells 8 or 12 shrimp, depending on size Clean ½ pound sea scallops, cut in half horizontally (producing shorter cylinders) Cook the clams with ⅓ cup water, covered in a 2 quart sauce pan, until the clams open. Remove from…
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Potato Blintzes
This makes about 12-14 blintzes, depending on how generously you fill them. If you don’t have any mashed potatoes around, make some. You need about 3 to 4 cups of them. Season them with butter, milk, salt and lots of pepper. While the potatoes are cooking… Dice 1½ large onions or 3 medium onions. In…
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Corn Ice Cream
Corn ice cream seems to be more commonly found in Asia than in North America. Go figure! In any case, it’s delicious.
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Grilled, Stuffed Squid
Buy 1 pound of uncleaned squid. The ones I bought had bodies about 5-6 inches long and there were 8 of them in a pound. Clean the squid (directions below) reserving the ink, which is the whole reason to buy uncleaned squid and cleaning them yourself. Chop 4 scallions, napa cabbage (about 1¼ cups) and…
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Mango Tres Leches Cake
You can make a smaller cake, see note at end. Combine 1½ cups flour ¾ cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ tsp salt Stir and set aside. Separate 6 eggs Beat egg whites with mixer until foamy. Add ¼ tsp cream of tartar and beat on high speed, gradually adding ¼ cup sugar Stop…
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Cold Sesame Noodles
Cook 1 pound of Chinese egg noodles in boiling water. Drain and cool by rinsing under cold water. Fluff to dry them out. Dress with 2 TBL sesame oil. To make the sesame dressing, combine ¼ cup smooth peanut butter, 2 TBL corn or peanut oil, ½ tsp salt, 2 TBL dark soy, 1 tsp…
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Fluden
This is a pastry made by Ashkenazi Jews. I associate it with Purim, as my mom always made this with part of the dough from her Purim baking spree. My technique is a bit less artful than hers. so I had fewer layers, but you get the idea from the photo.
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Roasted Chicken Stock
Place parts for soup (necks, backs or sometimes you can buy the bones left over from boneless chicken breasts) on an oven-proof tray with sides. Make sure the parts are in a single layer or use additional trays. My most recent batch was about 40 chicken necks – just to give you an idea of…
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Turkey Soup
I love gathering up turkey carcasses that family and friends want to throw out at Thanksgiving dinner. Sometimes they are loaded with meat, but even if well trimmed, they yield a delicious soup. Soak overnight in separate bowls 1 cup barley and 2 cups dried lima beans. I soak them separately. Preheat the oven to…
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Upma
A yummy grain alternative. In a large saucepan heat 3 TBL oil 1 tsp mustard seeds and cook until the seeds pop, about 2-3 minutes (or use) 3 TBL mustard oil ( the diluted mustard oil that’s ready to use) Add ½ cup chopped shallots 3 hot green chilies (stemmed, seeded and chopped) 3 tsp…
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Fiery Shrimp
Combine 1 tsp tamarind concentrate, 2 tsp cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp groun cumin, 1 tsp salt. Add 1 pound of deveined shrimps with the tail left attached. Mix until spicesd are distributed evenly over the shrimps. In a glass or Corning ware dish with a glass lid, combine…
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Nell & Mindy’s Potica
Potica (pronounced poe-TEET-sa) is a Slovenian nut roll, made with a yeast dough. Our family friend Nell Simala taught my sister Mindy how to make this, except Mindy’s mistake of doubling the butter in the dough made for an even better recipe. Now I always make it this way. I would generally recommend doubling this…
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Multi-Grain Stuffing
My mother would often make this, not fully cooking the grain, and use it to stuff the Thanksgiving turkey. The excess would sit around the turkey in the roasting pan. At other times, she’d cook it as I do, in a skillet cooking to completion, and serve it as a side dish. The day before…
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Delhi ‘dempte
Saute a diced medium onion and 2 2½ cloves garlic, minced, in oil in a stew pot. When soft, add ¾ tsp garam masal 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp turmeric ½ tsp ground coriander ¼ tsp ground cardamom 2 tsp ground chili 1 tsp cumin ½ tsp kosher salt 1 cup dried red lentils…
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Pasta with Sardines & Breadcrumbs
This has become our standby dinner pasta when we don’t have much time. We usually have all the ingredients in the house. This would be our “midnight spaghetti” as the Italians like to say.
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Chocolate Cake with Sour Cherries
Preheat oven to 350º F. In microwave, melt 1 cup butter (2 sticks) and 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces. Let cool a bit. Drain a jar of sour cherries. I used frozen ones that were defrosted. Make sure they are well-drained. Separate 6 eggs. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form; set aside. In…
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Pie Crust
The directions are rather detailed, but the results are great. The measurements are in the table at the end of this page. Sift flour, then measure. Sift it again with the salt and place in a large bowl. Cut in the fat with a pastry blender or two butter knives. Work until the particles are…
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Portuguese Corn Bread
Make a sponge by combining 1½ cups warm water, 2 heaping TBL dry yeast and 2 cups bread flour. Cover and let rise until doubled. Meanwhile, dissolve ⅓ cup corn starch into ⅓ cup cold water; use your fingers to be sure there are no lumps remaining. Combine with 1 cup boiling water in a…
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Cornmeal Pancakes
Combine 1 cup cornmeal (I prefer Quaker brand for this recipe), 1 tsp salt and 2 TBL honey in a bowl. Stir in 1 cup boiling water, cover and leave for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, beat together 1 egg, ½ cup milk and 2 TBL vegetable oil. Separately sift together ½ cup flour and 2 tsp…
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Bread Salad
Cut 2 or 3 large (1½ pounds) very fresh tomatoes (heirloom in a mix of colors is nice) into ¾- to 1-inch chunks 2 or 3 Persian cucumbers, cut into similar-sized chunks and place in a non-reactive colander. Place the colander over or in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1½ tsp salt Let stand 30…
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Mexi-Dempte
The improbable combination of Tex-Mex enchilada flavors and hominy are a big hit in our home. It’s delicious over rice or with some tortillas on the side!
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Balık ekmek
A delicious, simple fish sandwich — the name literally means “fish bread”. Best with a fish fillet that just came out of the water. This a summer treat for us, when Boston mackerel and delicious tomatoes are both in season.
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Potato Kugel for a Crowd
Peel 8 pounds of russet potatoes and keep under water until you are ready to use them. You can peel them the night before with no ill effect. Preheat oven to 350º F. Peel and quarter 4 large onions. Place onions, 2 at a time in of the food processor or leave running until it’s…
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Apple Maple Cobbler
This cake-y cobbler, is on the sweet side from all the delicious maple syrup. We prefer the darkest syrup we can get our hands on, and it shines in this dessert.
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Striped Bass with Braised Fennel
This recipe will serve 6-8 people. Prepare Tomato-Fennel Sauce in advance. You will need one piece of boneless (skin-on) Striped Bass per serving. Cut up 2 fennel bulbs: trim root end slightly, cut off stems. With root sitting on cutting board, cut vertically to split the bulb in two. With cut side of bulb facing…
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Tomato-Fennel Sauce
Use this to make Striped Bass with Braised Fennel. You can prepare this sauce a couple days ahead of time. In large saucepan, heat 1-2 TBL oil. Saute 1 diced onion, 2 cloves garlic (sliced), ½ tsp salt, pinch red pepper flakes and 0.4g saffron threads you’ve broken up with your fingers. Cook until onions…
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Gedempte Chicken
Dice one large onion and mince 2 cloves garlic. Heat oil in stew pot, saute garlic and onions. It’s okay if they brown a little. Season with salt, pepper and paprika (or cayenne, my personal preference). Push vegetables to one side of pan and chicken pieces (one whole chicken cut in pieces or use your…
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Potato Gateau
Is it a potato (pan) cake? Well, yes, and no. Peel and very finely slice 5 baking potatoes. In a cast iron frying pan, heat olive oil and add the potatoes. Sprinkle generously with salt. Stir to cook them all a bit. Let them start to cook on one side without stirring — I did…
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Pan Pizza
From Mark Bittman, with some adjustments. In food processor mix together 1 cup flour, scant ½ tsp yeast, ½ tsp kosher salt. Turn on machine. Through feed tube, add ¼ cup water and 1 TBL olive oil. Process 30 seconds, adding a bit more water if necessary to get dough to form a ball. Coat…
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Kasha Fusillichkas
Okay, it’s supposed to be made with bow-tie pasta (and then it’s called Kasha Varnichkas), but I’m not so traditional. This makes a lot, so you might want to cut it in half. Just use the white of the egg if you do. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Mix together 1 beaten…