Cookery

2006-03-19T20:48:00.000-08:00

Pork Salad

4 cups leftover pork roast, diced
1 small onion, chopped
a pinch of celery seed, crushed as you add it
4 T lemon juice
a cup or two seedless red grapes, cut
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 cup mayonnaise
1 T dry mustard
a pinch of salt
a bigger pinch of pepper
six eggs, boiled, peeled, & halved
dash paprika

put the first three ingredients in a bowl together and drizzle with the lemon juice. Toss. Refrigerate while you prepare the rest:

Halve or quarter the grapes & chop the nuts. Add these two items into the meat mixture. Toss again. Return bowl to the refrigerator.

Stir the half-and-half into the mayonnaise until smooth. Add the mustard and spices. Stir till smooth. Fold this mixture into the main ingredients. Refrigerate.

Boil the eggs for 15 minutes or until hardened. Peel and halve. Garnish the pork salad with egg halves. Lightly sprinkle with paprika.

Use your imagination. The meat can be chicken or turkey; maybe even leftover beefroast. The nuts can be the original recipe's slivered almonds, or just about any other chopped nuts. Instead of grapes, use diced apples or pears, or dried fruit, like raisins. Garnish with black olives or colorful slices of sweet pepper or radish roses instead of boiled eggs.

2006-03-13T16:56:00.000-08:00

Breakfast
aka
Julie's one-pot super-cholesterol camping breakfast

You can have this once a week and eat healthy the other 6 1/2 days ;)

feeds 4-6

ingredients:
1 lb pork sausage (ground meat)
4-6 potatoes, scrubbed and sliced
3 onions, peeled & chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
1 bell papper, chopped
1 dozen eggs
salt & pepper
1 lb slliced or shredded cheese- I prefer medium cheddar but you can use anything

preparation:
crumble the sausage into large skillet,
over medium heat, stirring occasionally, cook till done
remove sausage onto plate, leaving grease in skillet
fry potatoes in sausage grease till done
add onion, garlic, pepper, saute till tender
add sausage back into skillet
stir in eggs
salt & pepper to taste
top with cheese
cook till eggs are done and cheese is melted (a lid helps)

notes:
1 lb = 450 gm
I like to leave the peel on the potatoes- more flavor
I slice potatoes between 1/4 and 1/8" thick - about 1/2 cm
this works great in an iron skillet, on a campfire
easy cleanup - you've used a knife, a cutting board, a spatula, and one skillet.

2006-03-13T16:55:00.000-08:00

Egg Rolls

filling:
1 lb. ground uncooked pork sausage
1/4 head cabbage, chopped fine
6 green onions, sliced thin
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. cooking sherry
1 t. sugar
1 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. salt

wrapper:
1/2 lb. egg roll skins
1 T corn starch
2 T water

hot oil for deep-frying

preparation:
mix together all filling ingredients
brush edges of skins with cornstarch/water mixture
put a couple t filling mixture in center of skin and fold one corner over it, then fold in the two sides, then roll it up the rest of the way. The cornstarch & water act as a glue to hold the skin together.
drop egg rolls into hot oil and fry till light brown & crispy

notes:
measurements are not real critical here - I use roughly equal amounts meat and vegetable matter
you can probably use ground beef or chopped chicken(?) if you object to pork
I found the egg roll skins in the produce department of my local grocery, near the tofu, which is near the broccoli
I make a little roll of the filling, about the size and shape of my index finger for each egg roll
I don't have a deep fryer and just use a 1 quart-sized pot about half way full of canola oil, fry 2 or 3 at a time, about 3-5 minutes.
if you want to make these ahead and fry later, separate them with wax paper or they'll stick to each other and tear when you pull them apart
we've made more than one meal of just these and nothing else - they're good :)

measurements & conversions:
T= tablespoon, t=teaspoon lb=US pound qt=quart

1 US lb approx. = 450 gram
1 T = approx. 15 gram
1 t = approx. 5 gram
1 quart = approx. 1 liter

2006-03-13T16:53:00.000-08:00

New Orleans beignets

ingredients:
1/2 c water
4 T butter
2 t sugar
dash salt
1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract

oil for deep-frying

powdered sugar

preparation:
in a small pot, combine water, butter, sugar, salt.
heat to a boil, stirring, until butter melts
add flour all at once
reduce heat to low-medium, stir until mixture forms into a ball
remove from heat
add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla, beating vigorously after each addition
mixture should be smooth and shiny

drop rounded teaspoonfuls into hot oil, a few at a time
fry till golden and crispy (3-5 minutes)
drain on absorbent paper, sprinkle with powdered sugar

notes:
the first step, bringing ingredients to a _boil_, is critical. Simply melting the butter won't do.
I usually add a 1/4 t of almond extract to anything that gets 1 t of vanilla extract
1/2 t grated citrus rind can be added to the dough before frying
cinnamon can be added to the powdered sugar
my husband, who lived in New Orleans for several years, claims these are as good as any he's had there.

measurements & conversions:
c = cup = 200 ml
t = teaspoon = 5 gm
T = Tablespoon = 15 gm

2006-03-13T16:52:00.000-08:00

Pretzels

ingredients:
dough:
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 T sugar
1 c warm water
2 1/2 to 3 c all-purpose flour
1 t salt
2 T salad oil

glaze:
1 egg white, beaten with 1 t each salt & water

toppings:
coarse salt, grated cheese, caraway seeds or fine herbs

preparation:
prepare the dough:
dissolve yeast and sugar in water in bowl, let stand 10 minutes
add 2 c flour, the salt & oil, beat till smooth
gradually stir in up to 1/2 c more flour, till dough is soft & not sticky
knead dough on floured surface with floured hands about 5 minutes
place dough in a large greased bowl, turn so all sides of dough get oily, cover with a towel
let dough rise in a warm (not hot) place about 45 minutes, till doubled in size

form the pretzels:
punch down the dough, after it deflates divide it in half, then in half again
divide each of these four portions in thirds, for a dozen pretzels
with floured hands, roll each into a cable as long as your forearm
twist into pretzel shape, tucking both ends under
place on greased baking sheet
let rise again, uncovered this time, about 20 minutes

before baking:
brush pretzels lightly with egg-white mixture
sprinkle with your choice of toppings

bake 12 -15 minutes at 425 F, till well browned
serve warm

notes:
if you are used to using self-rising flour, baking with yeast can sound scary and complicated. It really isn't.
yeast dissolves and activates best in water about bath temperature - almost but not quite "hot"
dough rises well at 70-80F
I've never been able to "save these for later" - they are too good! better make two batches!

measurements and conversions:
pkg yeast= 1/4 oz = 7 gm
t=teaspoon = 5 gm
T=tablespoon = 15 gm
c = cup = 200 ml
70F = 21C
80F = 26C
425F = 218C

2005-07-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

I've begun baking with yeast. I now have a sourdough starter refreshing itself, a sack of yeastrolls (which I'll do better with next time, and a partial loaf (all that's left of it) of sourdough french bread.

I used a recipe for the yeast rolls out of LaVece Hughes' book Cooking with my Friends (windpub.org, 2003), to which next time I will either add more yeast (Bob's suggestion) or powder and soda (on the advice of Norma Jane). The french sourdough loaf recipe, along with sourdough starter, came from the Forest Oak Towers' Cookbook (cookbook publishers inc, 1995) I inherited from Grandmother Rose.

The recipes, as published, follow:

Yeast Rolls

3 1/2 c flour
i pkg dry yeast
1 1/4 c milk and 1 egg
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c shortening
1 t salt

In mixing bowl combine 1 12 c flour and yeast. Heat milk, sugar, shortening and salt just till warm. Stirring cansstantly till shortening almost melts. Add to dry mixture. Add egg. Beat at low speed for 1/2 minute, scraping bowl. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. BY HAND, stir in remaining flour to make a soft ball. Shape into a ball. Place in lightly greased bowl, turn once to grease all surface. Cover and let rise in warm place till double, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down; turn out on floured surface and cover. Let rest 10 minutes and shape into desired rolls. Dip in melted butter, press in middle with dull blade and cut 2/3 through. Fold over and place in sheet cake pans. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in warm place for 30-40 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. 2-3 dozen rolls.

Sourdough Starter

1 pkg. active dry yeast
2 c. warm water
2 c. flour

Combine preceding ingredients in bowl. Let stand 48 hours. Stir occasionally. Add water if it dries out. Ready to use when it has good sour smell. Put aside 1 cup in tightly sealed glass jar. Refrigerate. Should be renewed every two weeks. Put into large bowl; add 1 cup flour and 1 cup water and let stand in warm place until it bubbles.

Sour Dough French Bread

1 c. starter
1 1/2 c. warm water
4 c. unsifted flour
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp soda (optional)
2 additional c. flour

Combine starter, water, 4 cups flour, and salt in bowl. Let rise 18 hours; add 1 cup additional flour and soda if desired. Knead until smooth (about 5 minutes); add more flour if necessary. Put into loaf pan (floured and greased). Bake at 400 for 45 to 50 minutes until crust is dark brown.