[dragonbird]

Following on from a recent discussion at The Hairy Bear, welcome to the recipes thread.

Given the differences in measures between one country and another, it would be useful if anyone posting gives the country concerned, especially if using measures like "cups" or "pints" that have different meanings in different places.

American to Australian
American to Metric

(If anyone has better links, let me know. The ones above don't seem that wonderful)

And the recipes from Guy, Corylea, Volsung and Pangaea that started the discussion on having a thread...

Conversion link from Guy:

Guy N said:

Cookipedia has good conversion tables, and the entry for each ingredient has US volume to gram-metric and US weight conversions.
›››

[dragonbird]

Guy N said:

A little late-night food action.



St. James Cake (Torta Santiago) is my son's favorite. This one is totally non-traditional, but I had my wreath pan handy, and it's for a Christmas party, so it is what it is.

2-2/3 cup almond meal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter
3/4 tsp baking powder (I use 1/2 tsp cream of tartar and 1/4 tsp baking soda)
Zest cut from 1 lemon (I had candied lemon peel handy, so I used that)
A little water (less than 1/2 cup)
1 cup icing sugar (powdered, confectioner's)
Sprinkles or whatever you like for decoration

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a pan of whatever type you want to use (if I were being traditional, I'd use a skillet).

Cream butter and sugar until well blended. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift the flour and baking powder, and stir in. Do not overmix (so the flour won't get tough and bready). Stir in the almond meal and lemon zest. If the batter is too thick, add a little water. If the cook is too sober, add a little Amaretto.

Spoon into the pan, and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Let it rest about 15 minutes at room temperature, then turn it out of the pan.

While the cake cools, beat the icing sugar with a little milk until it runs off the spoon in strands. Drizzle the icing over the cake, doing your best Jackson Pollock imitation. Decorate with sprinkles, sliced almonds, or whatever suits you. (The traditional decoration is a St. James cross, done in icing sugar.) ›››

[dragonbird]

Corylea said:

Here are a couple of my guaranteed-FAST recipes. These aren't haute cuisine. /> They're the foods I make when I'm too tired to cook, but we have to eat anyway. They're the kind of thing that most people just come up with on their own, but if you're new to vegetarian cooking, they might not be obvious to you.

Poor Man's Lasagne

Takes around 20 minutes to make, including time to boil the water

6 ounces whole wheat macaroni or penne pasta
1.5 cups low-fat cottage or ricotta cheese (or full-fat if you need the calories, which some young men do)
2 cups meat-free spaghetti sauce from a jar (I use Classico tomato and basil)

In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add pasta and stir. Boil for 10 minutes.

Pour the pasta sauce into a pan and heat it or pour it into a bowl and microwave it.

When the pasta has cooked, pour it into a strainer and shake, to get all the water off. Put the drained pasta back into the empty pot.

Add the cottage/ricotta cheese and stir until the cheese is evenly distributed through the pasta.

Add the warmed spaghetti sauce and stir well. Makes 1 - 4 servings, depending on your appetite. It would be 3 servings for my husband and me, but for a young man, it might be just one. />

Serve with a salad or steamed broccoli or cooked baby peas (or the vegetable of your choice, but these all pair well with it).

This is nowhere near as good as real lasagne, so don't let the name get your hopes up too high. /> But it's very fast, fairly cheap, and quite nutritious.


Black Bean & Corn Burritos

1 15-oz can black beans
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cumin
1 bag frozen yellow corn kernels
salsa -- mild, moderate, or hot, to taste
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
whole wheat flour tortillas
oil or butter

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tbsp oil or butter. Add the minced garlic and sauté for one minute. Add the chili powder and cumin, sauté for an additional minute.

Add the can of black beans (with the liquid). Stir. Cover the pot, reduce heat to simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes.

While that's cooking, warm up the corn. You can steam it on the stove or nuke it, whichever you like.

Put a whole wheat tortilla on a microwave-safe plate. Put a tablespoon of salsa on the tortilla and spread it thinly over the entire tortilla, just enough to moisten the whole thing.

Put 1/3 cup shredded mild cheese in a line down the center of the tortilla, reaching from top to bottom and about 4 centimeters wide.

When the beans have had their 10 minutes, pour the contents of the pot into a fine mesh strainer (we want to strain out the water but not the minced garlic). Put the drained beans back into the empty pot.

Add 1.5 cups of hot corn kernels to the pot and stir until combined.

Take ½ to ¾ cup (depending on the size of your tortilla) of the bean-corn mixture and put it in a line down the center of the tortilla, on top of the cheese.

Fold in the sides of the tortilla to make a long tube and flip it over so that it's seam-side down.

Put a couple of tablespoons of salsa on top of the burrito and spread it up and down so that the entire top of the burrito is covered.

Put the plate in the microwave and nuke for a short time. If you have an old, low-power microwave, nuke it for 1.5 minutes. If you have a new, high-power microwave, nuke it for one minute.

Put one or two beans and one or two corn kernels on top of the burrito, in the center, for garnish.

Serve with lettuce and tomato or with guacamole. We drink carrot juice with these.

The bean mixture will be enough for around 4 burritos. It freezes well, if you don't want to have burritos four nights in a row. />

Whole wheat tortillas freeze well, and if you take out one or two at a time, they defrost by themselves in the time that it takes the beans to simmer.

These take about 15 minutes to make.

See? Vegetarian food is EASY. And it doesn't have to contain any soy. /> ›››

[dragonbird]

.Volsung. said:

An usually overlooked yet delicious vegetarian meal: Neapolitan pizza. You can make the dough if you have the time and/or energy, or buy premade or frozen dough, or even make mini pizzas with pita bread.

Some usual ingredients:

- fresh tomatoes
- tomato paste
- garlic
- green olives
- oregano
- basil (preferably fresh)
- mozzarella cheese
- parmiggiano cheese (it adds a nice extra touch of flavor). Provolone and gorgonzola might also work well.

What I do is:

- In a small pot, add some olive oil and minced garlic and let it simmer.
- Prepare your dough/crust, either make it or take it out of the bag. Either way, put it on a baking rack.
- Using a spoon, cover the top of the crust with the oil and pieces of garlic. Let it absorb for a bit. Then spread tomato paste as thick as you prefer.
- Over the tomato paste, sprinkle some oregano, and then cover with shredded mozzarella.
- Thinly slice the tomatoes, and cover the top of the pizza with the slices. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the tomato slices to bring out the flavor.
- Slice the green olives and spread them all over the pizza.
- Cut the basil and, again, decorate the pizza.
- Cut little thin sticks of parmiggiano, and put them on every little crevice your find.

Preheat the oven at around 395º F or 200º C. Then bake for around 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the pizza and how crunchy you want it. This is a really delicious meal that is actually very practical and easy to make. Accompany with wine or beer, and salad if you want.

I used to make this with pita bread all the time, and it would be ready to eat after 12 to 14 minutes at around 355º F - 180º C. ›››

[dragonbird]

Pangaea said:

One dish I love that would also qualify as vegetarian (unless people have issues with eggs and/or milk) is pancakes. It takes a while to make unfortunately, but it's fantastically good. Many fry bacon with it too, but that's no needed of course. I know over the pond people tend to use maple leaf sirup and such, but I prefer blueberry jam instead. I have been making this since I was about 7 years old and saw it in a textbook, and I still love it.

Mouth getting all watery here now, so maybe I should make this today />

Since I've been making this since I was a wee lad the recipe is quite simple, but you can add in a little spice or whatever else you fancy.

3-4 eggs
about a litre of milk
teaspoon of sugar and a little salt
flour until the mixture feels right, I prefer it fairly thin so the pancakes become thin

That's all you need really. Very, very simple and easy, but the kicker is the time it takes to cook/fry it. This will be enough for a small family, so cut down if you are only 1-2 persons. ›››

[dragonbird]

Guy N said:

Allergy specialists all have it on their list of top allergens, but you're right; it doesn't get the publicity. Probably because it takes a larger dose to trigger reactions, and few of those reactions are severe. So it doesn't make headlines like it does when a kid in school goes into anaphylactic shock after sharing a bite of another kid's peanut butter sandwich.

And yes, it's very difficult to avoid. You can pretty well assume that any manufactured foods, and most prepared foods in restaurants, contain some soy or have been exposed to soy. And you can't count on most grocers or waiters to give you accurate information about it.

I always make pancakes with a yeast batter. You have to start it an hour or so ahead of time, but the texture and the little bit of tartness from the fermentation are just sublime. This recipe makes a fairly thick batter and substantial cakes.

4 cups flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter

If you are uncertain of your yeast (if you get those little foil packets of yeast from the grocery, you should be uncertain of it), double the amount. If you have good yeast, for Melitele's sake don't double it.



Scald the milk and set it aside to cool. Sift the dry ingredients together. Melt the butter. Beat the eggs, and gradually add the butter to the eggs while beating.

When the milk has cooled to about 110F (43C), stir the milk and the butter and eggs gradually into the dry ingredients. Don't overmix; lumps will work themselves out as it ferments.

Let it rise until it starts to look like The Blob. Stir it down, and let it rise again.

Dip to a hot buttered griddle, turning once when the batter looks like it's just starting to set on top. If you can't serve immediately, hold finished cakes in a warm (about 170F, 77C) oven. ›››

[Veleda]

Oh wow, I have to try those pancakes. Must be similar to sourdough pancakes which is a thing here in the San Francisco area.

[Guy N'wah]

Veleda said:

Oh wow, I have to try those pancakes. Must be similar to sourdough pancakes which is a thing here in the San Francisco area. ›››

We used to keep a sourdough starter. The result is very similar. The longer you can let it ferment, the more sour it will turn out.

What frustrates me about Christmas baking is that essentials like candied lemon and orange peel have disappeared from the grocers or are of debased quality. So I made my own this year.

My measures are "US customary" (American). This makes 1 cup or a little more.

4 medium to 6 small lemons
3-1/2 cups granulated sugar
3-1/2 cups water

Peel the lemons (carefully) with a knife you can handle easily. You want to get as much of the yellow and as little of the white as you can. Cut the peel into fairly long, thin strips.

Put the peel into 2 cups of water, bring to a boil for 5 minutes, drain and discard the water. This is to get any bitterness out.

Put the drained peel, 1-1/2 cups of water, and 2-1/2 cups of sugar (reserving the additional 1 cup of sugar) into a saucepan, bring to a boil, stir until the sugar is dissolved, and boil until the peel is translucent, about 20 minutes.

Drain, reserving the sugar syrup. Lay the pieces of peel out on wax paper to cool. In a bowl, make layers of peel and the remaining sugar, and toss to coat. Turn the sugar-coated peel out on wax paper to dry. Store what you don't use right away in a cool, dry place.

To use up the lemons and syrup, juice the lemons (should yield about 1 cup), combine the lemon juice and sugar syrup, and add about 3 to 4 cups water to make lemonade.

[dragonbird]

Oh my, you've just made my day. I'm not planning on candied lemon, but I've been craving candied ginger in chocolate for months now, and you've just made me realise I can make it myself.

In the meantime though, and following that train of thought, my "Recipes for Non-Cooks" Contribution.

Crockpot Beef and Ginger.

- 500gms of beef cube, of the cheapest grade classed as "for human consumption" rather than "dog food"
- Some potatoes (2, 3, 4 whatever.)
- Similar amount of some other root vegetable that's currently in season and doesn't contain poisonous crystals if prepared wrongly (Readers outside the tropics probably don't need to worry about that particular criterion)
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger. Old ginger is preferred, but young ginger will do. Ginger powder is NOT a substitute. Yes, this is quite a lot of ginger.
- Half of a standard sized can of beer, preferably chilled so that you can drink the other half.
- One tin of Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup. Can substitute with tomato puree, paste, tinned tomatoes, whatever. But not ketchup.
- One medium sized onion, more if preferred.
- Two cloves of garlic. more if you're single.
- Coarse-ground black pepper to taste
- Salt to taste if the tomato isn't already laden with it.

Peel and wash the vegetables and cut into biggish lumps. Peel and wash the ginger and cut into long thin slices. Peel the onion and quarter it. Crush the garlic and throw away the skin.

Throw everything into a crockpot, stir briefly, then cook on auto until you can stick a fork into every lump without excessive force. (That's probably 5-7 hours) Serve with your preferred carbohydrate.

Leftovers can be frozen.

[Veleda]

Guy N'wah- You can get very high quality peel from the King Arthur Flour online store. That's where I do a load of Christmas preparation shopping.

[Guy N'wah]

Veleda said:

Guy N'wah- You can get very high quality peel from the King Arthur Flour online store. That's where I do a load of Christmas preparation shopping. ›››

Yes, you can. But instead of ordering it for $13 a cup, I think I will settle for making my own Between Trader Joe's and Boney's, we can get most everything else for reasonable; it's just the candied citrus, and not having it is a showstopper for panettone, Gugelhupf, Stollen, vánočka, and the like.

[Guy N'wah]

dragonbird said:

Following on from a recent discussion at The Hairy Bear, welcome to the recipes thread.

Given the differences in measures between one country and another, it would be useful if anyone posting gives the country concerned, especially if using measures like "cups" or "pints" that have different meanings in different places.

American to Australian
American to Metric

(If anyone has better links, let me know. The ones above don't seem that wonderful)

And the recipes from Guy, Corylea, Volsung and Pangaea that started the discussion on having a thread... ›››

Cookipedia has good conversion tables, and the entry for each ingredient has US volume to gram-metric and US weight conversions.

Thanks for setting up the thread. Smacznego!

[dragonbird]

Guy N said:

Cookipedia has good conversion tables, and the entry for each ingredient has US volume to gram-metric and US weight conversions.

Thanks for setting up the thread. Smacznego! ›››

Wa'y blema. And as soon as I can find local recipes that I like and don't include entire pigs, I'll contribute more

[gryphonosiris]

Nice to see another Bay Area Resident Veleda. Bay area sour dough, Gallo dry salame, the mission burrito and It's Its, our best contributions to the food scene.

I have a Christmas tradition of making Baklava every year since it's a wonderful success, and if I don't people will hurt me... badly. I also only make it twice a year, since the work involved, and it uses a painful amount of butter.

Baklava

3 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 stick cinnamon
8 whole cloves
1/2 pound walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 pound blanched almonds, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 pounds filo pastry
1 tbs vanilla (not imitation vanilla)
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

In a saucepan, combine 3 cups of the sugar, the water, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon stick and whole cloves, and bring to a boil. When syrup reaches boiling point, add vanilla. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves, and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the walnuts, almonds, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves. Set aside

Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper and a damp towel so it doesn't dry out and become brittle. Remove 8 filo sheets, fold, cover and refrigerate for the top layer. Using a pastry brush, brush a 15 1/2 by 11 1/2 by 3 inch baking pan with some of the melted butter. Lay a filo sheet on the bottom of the pan, brush with butter, and repeat using a total of 8 sheets. Sprinkle a handful of the nut mixture over the top filo sheet. Layer 3 more filo sheets, brushing each with butter, and sprinkle again with a handful of the nut mixture. Continue until all the filo sheets and nuts are used, being sure to brush each sheet with butter. Use the reserved 8 sheets of filo for the last, top layer.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Using a long, very sharp knife, cut the baklava into small diamonds: First make 6 evenly spaced lengthwise cuts. Cut straight down until the tip of the knife touches the bottom of the pan, and keeping the knife straight, cut in a straight line all the way. Next, cut diagonally across the lengthwise cuts to form diamonds, starting in one corner and making cuts until you reach the opposite corner.

Heat the remaining butter until it bubbles and pour it over the top of the pastry. Bake for 1 1/4 hours or until evenly golden and flaky. Remove to a rack and spoon the cooled syrup over the entire pastry immediately. Cool in the pan, then serve pieces individually, placing them in decorative paper cups if desired.

[Guy N'wah]

gryphonosiris said:

Nice to see another Bay Area Resident Veleda. Bay area sour dough, Gallo dry salame, the mission burrito and It's Its, our best contributions to the food scene.

I have a Christmas tradition of making Baklava every year since it's a wonderful success, and if I don't people will hurt me... badly. I also only make it twice a year, since the work involved, and it uses a painful amount of butter.

Baklava

[snipped] ›››

Ooh, yummy! We have a box of phyllo that wants using, and this should be just the thing for it. Probably going to substitute pistachios for the almonds, though it's not like California has a shortage of either.

This is just about the simplest thing I make. Good with soup and in what passes for "cold" weather in California.

Baking Powder Biscuits (Scones)

"US Customary" Measure:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 Tbsp baking powder
(I prefer 1-1/2 tsp cream of tartar and 3/4 tsp baking soda)
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450F. Sift flour with baking powder (or cream of tartar and baking soda). Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until well mixed. With stirring, gradually add the milk until the dough sets up.

On a floured board, pat or roll the dough out to about 3/4 inch thickness. Cut into 2-1/2 to 3-inch rounds; it should make about 10. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes.

Notes:

I hate the taste of alum and will not use commercial baking powder because of it. Cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) in a 2:1 ratio is a good substitute. But it starts to work immediately, so you cannot hold the dough (even in the refrigerator) before baking.

Sometimes, depending on the weather, the dough for this recipe turns out too wet and sticky to work. If this happens, make drop biscuits; drop spoonfuls (about 3 Tbsp each) onto the cookie sheet, and bake in the same manner.

[gryphonosiris]

Guy N said:

Ooh, yummy! We have a box of phyllo that wants using, and this should be just the thing for it. Probably going to substitute pistachios for the almonds, though it's not like California has a shortage of either. ›››

If you are looking for other uses of Phyllo, I also have a Spanikopita with grilled chicken and sun-dried tomatoes, or traditional German Apfel-Streudel, and of course the Apple-pear pie recipe from the 3 course Witcher meal works wonderfully.

[Guy N'wah]

gryphonosiris said:

If you are looking for other uses of Phyllo, I also have a Spanikopita with grilled chicken and sun-dried tomatoes, or traditional German Apfel-Streudel, and of course the Apple-pear pie recipe from the 3 course Witcher meal works wonderfully. ›››

I have made Spanakopita; I'd probably make it more often if my family didn't turn up their noses at spinach Always rolled my own dough for Apfel-Strudel, even if it doesn't come out as fine and flaky as phyllo. But I'm going to get out my big baking pan and make your Baklava this weekend.

[gryphonosiris]

Guy N said:

I have made Spanakopita; I'd probably make it more often if my family didn't turn up their noses at spinach /> Always rolled my own dough for Apfel-Strudel, even if it doesn't come out as fine and flaky as phyllo. But I'm going to get out my big baking pan and make your Baklava this weekend. ›››

My secret with the Baklava is Apple Blossom honey, and fresh ground cinnamon. That and a cubic butt load of butter.

[*Tommy*]

Salmon Loaf with Cucumber Sauce
SALMON LOAF
1- 16 oz. can of Salmon drained and flaked
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup minced onions
1/4 cup cup minced celery
1 egg beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt

CUCUMBER SAUCE
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cucumber diced or minced (minus seeds)
2 tablespoon onions (can substitute dried onion flakes)
1/2 teaspoon dill weed

Preparation :
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit
Combine all loaf ingredients, mix lightly
Shape into loaf in a shallow baking dish
Bake for 40 minutes
Remove from oven , slice and serve

Cucumber Sauce
Combine sauce ingredients, mix well
Spoon over baked and served salmon loaf

[slimgrin]

I've never noticed canned salmon at the stores here. I might try that with fresh salmon though. Sounds good!