thursday thirteen #3

Thirteen Recipes I Love (and if you try them, I'd love to hear about it!) 1. Dhaal 1 large yellow onion, 6-8 stalks celery, 1 bell pepper, 4-6 carrots Dice each in food processor, sautee in olive oil and 2 T chopped garlic until the onions are clear. Add 4 c lentils, mix in with veggies well, sautee until the lentils sweat. Add 2 T red curry. Pour in 5 c veggie stock and 3-4 c water. Bring to rolling boil, then bring down heat to simmer uncovered, stirring every 10 mins (and no sooner!) until lentils are very soft and dhaal is a porridge consistency. Add salt to taste. Garnish with chopped green onion and cilantro. Also excellent with plain yogurt or sour cream! 2. Hummus 2 T chopped garlic, handful of cilantro, 2-4 T lemon juice, pinch salt, 1-2 T cumin, 2 16-ox cans garbonzo beans (chickpeas), olive oil Toss everything in food processor on high, adding drizzling in olive oil until hummus is the consistency of a spreadable paste. 3. Hummus Veggie Pita 1 bell pepper, 1 small onion, approx. 1 c sliced mushrooms, olive oil, chopped garlic, Pita bread, romaine lettuce, hummus, crumbled feta cheese Thinly slice onions, chop bell pepper, toss in frying pan with mushrooms, olive oil, and garlic, and sautee until onions are almost completely carmelized. Heat pita in microwave (to make it easy to open without tearing), spread hummus on one side, then layer with lettuce, veggies, and top with feta. Deceptively filling, and incredibly delicious! 4. Unionville Old Tavern Corn Fritters 1 c flour 1 1/2 t baking powder 2 eggs 1/3 c milk 15 oz whole kernel corn 1 T melted butter oil for deep frying 10x (confectioner's sugar) Combine flour and baking powder; set aside. In another bowl, beat eggs and milk, stir in corn and butter. Stir egg mixture into dry ingreds until just blended. In deep-fat fryer or skillet, heat oil to 375 degrees. Drop batter by heaping t's into oil, fry 2-3 mins or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with 10x 5. Zucchini Quiche 4 eggs, plus 1 extra yolk 2 c whipping cream 1 bunch green onions w/stem, sauteed lightly 4 med zucchini, grated 1 T mustard 1 t salt 2 c grated cheddar Beat everything and pour into lightly browned pie crust. Bake 45 mins at 400 d's. 6. Veggie Divine Sauce: 1 large can cream of chicken soup, 1/2 c mayo, 1 T lemon juice, 1-2 T red curry paste 2-3 heads chopped broccoli, equal parts chopped carrots, celery, and sliced mushrooms. Toss veggies in 8x11 baking tin or casserole dish. Spoon sauce on top, bake at 375 degrees until veggies are al dente, then top with shredded cheddar and place back into oven until cheese is melted. (chicken pieces on top of veggies is optional, but will affect baking time) 7. Cheddar Potato Soup 4 large potatoes 2 c water 1 small onion, chopped fine 3 T butter 3-4 T flour 3 c milk 1 c shredded cheddar (1 c cubed ham or kielbasa optional) Peel potatoes and cut into 1" cubes. Bring water to boil, add potatoes and cook until tender. Drain, reserving liquid. Set potatoes aside. Melt butter in same saucepan, add onion and sautee until onion is translucent and tender. Add flour, season with ground pepper to taste. Cook approx 5 mins, then gradually add potatoes, 1 c of potato liquid, and milk to onion mixture. Stir well! Add cheese (and ham). Simmer over low heat 30 mins, stirring frequently. 8. Chile Rilleno Casserole For those of you who love chile rillenos, but abhor the work! (hehe, like me) Mix in blender: 4 eggs, 3 T flour, 1 small can evap milk, 2 T salsa In glass/pyrex casserole, lay whole chiles (2 16 oz cans or one large can Ortega green chiles), sprinkle w/grated cheeses (colby jack, or mixed variety). Add another layer of chiles and cheese, just like with a lasagna. Cover with egg batter. Bake 35 mins at 325 degrees. Sprinkle on top with spoonfuls of salsa, return to oven for 15-20 mins. Let set 10 mins, enjoy! *Tip: rinse chiles under cold running water first and pat dry, before laying in pyrex. Trust me on this. 9. Spicy Fish Soup 4 c fish stock 2" chunk fresh ginger, peeled & sliced thinly 2-3 lemongrass stalks, chopped (peel off outer layer) 3 kaffir lime leaves (1-2 T lemon juice optional) shredded bunch garlic chives (green onions work just as well) 1 bunch cilantro, leaves & stems separated, stems chopped 1 T olive oil 4 shallots, chopped 4+ T fish sauce 1-2 T red curry paste 1 lb fresh uncooked shrimp, with peels (and heads, if you can) 1 lb fresh white fish Pour fish stock into large pan. Add ginger slices, lemongrass, and half lime leaves (or half lemon juice). Add half the chives and cilantro stalks. Bring to rolling boil, set heat to low and cover, simmer 20 mins. In separate pan, add oil and shallots, cook over med heat 5-10 mins until shallots just turn brown. Add to stock. Add remaining kaffir leaves (or lemon juice), 2 T fish sauce. Heat until simmer, 5-10 mins. Add curry and shrimp, simmer 5 mins. Add fish and remaining lime/lemon. Season to taste. Garnish with the rest of the chives, and cilantro leaves. Fish Stock: Peel shrimp, place peels and heads into pot. Add 4 c water, cover and simmer 30 mins. Strain. Voila! Fresh fish stock. *Tip: If you've never used fish sauce before, be careful! It's not fishy, but it adds a salty taste to a lot of asian dishes without being, y'know, salty. It's very flavorful! If the soup isn't salty enough, add fish sauce a teaspoon at a time and taste! The difference between not enough and, "Holy crap, that's gross!" is a very fine line. Don't re-create my misadventures with fish sauce, if you can help it. Fish sauce can be found at asian food stores, and some grocery stores. A lot of the time it's also known as nuoc mam sauce. 10. Amaretto Cookies 1/2 lb blanched almonds 4-5 drops bitter almond oil 1/4 c sugar 2 egg whites 1 T 10x Finely grind almonds in food processor or grinder. Mix ground almonds with almond oil, sugar, and lightly beaten egg whies. Knead mix into firm dough. With moistened hands, form dough into 1" balls. Dough should yield approx 45 balls. Place balls at least 1" apart on baking sheet covered with baking parchment. Use a 2nd baking sheet if needed. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place baking sheet on bottom rack and bake 55-60 mins. Transfer cookies to wire rack. With sieve, dust cookies with 10x while still warm 11. Lime Jello Surprise I loved this as a kid... 2 pkgs lime jello 1 c boiling H2O 1 c iced cold H2O 1 lb cottage cheese 1 pt heavy whipping creame lg can crushed pineapple, drained Whip cream until light and fluffy. Add 1 c boiling water to jello. Stir well, add cold water and let gel slightly. Whip on electric mixer. Add other ingreds slowly, and beat. Cherries can be added for color, but ours never lasted long enough to matter. Pour into mold and let set. 12. Funnel Cake 1 c flour 3/4 c milk 1 t baking powder 1/8 t salt 1 egg oil for frying 10x In mixing bowl, mix flour, milk, baking powder, salt, and egg. Let batter rest for 10 mins. Heat oil in large heavy skillet until very hot. Drip batter through a metal funnel into oil, forming a spiral-designed cake. Carefully flip over when browned. Remove when browned on both sides a deep golden color. Drain on wire rack with paper towels. Sprinkle with 10x 13. Dragon's Breath Nog 1 dozen eggs, separated 1/2 c sugar 1 c sugar 1/4 t salt 1 qt heavy cream 1 qt milk 1 pt bourbon 1/2 pt rum In large bowl, beat egg whites until very stiff, then beat in 1/4 c sugar. In small bowl, beat egg yolks, 1/2 c sugar and salt until well blended. Combine contents of both bowls and mix thoroughly. Beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add milk and bourbon to egg bowl and mix well. Add whipped cream, mix well. Add rum, mix well, and bottle. Age for at least 4 weeks in fridge; the longer it ages, the better and smoother it is. Recipe yields approx. 1 gal. Shake very well before serving! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)