The (un)official MacRumors Recipe thread

[anika200]

from a genuine old-school New York Jewish deli

Definitely on my lists of must do whenever I get there, hopefully soon.

 

[Huntn]

Nana’s Cornbread Stuffing+

​

• 2 Apples (cut into small pieces).
• 2 Potatoes cubed (boiled).
• 2 Celery Stalks (chopped fine).
• 1 Green Pepper (chopped fine).
• 1 Onion (chopped).
• 2 Hard Boiled Eggs (chopped)
• 2 sticks of butter (8 oz total) melted.
• 1 package of cornbread mix.
• 1 package of chicken livers boiled (need 5), diced.
• Giblets, if included with a chicken your cooking, boil with livers.
• Broth from livers, Chicken broth (optional) or water. (personal taste).

Preparation

• Prepare ingredients as listed above.
• If you have giblets from a bird being prepared for dinner, boil these with chicken livers.
• Cube potatoes, skin on or off and boil till soft.
• Mix up cornbread and bake per mix instructions cook in a pan.
• Preheat oven to 375deg F.

Mix

• After the cornbread is baked. Crumble up and add to large mixing bowl.
• Add other ingredients as prepared above.
• Mix gently, if mixture seems dry add some of the left over liver water, chicken broth or plain water. The goal is to keep the mixture on the dry side, not real wet.
• Spread mixture in a 9x12” cooking pan.
• Cook at 375 deg F for 15 min.

 

[Huntn]

Green Bean Casserole
Easy

​

Ingredients

• 1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup or Condensed Unsalted Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 4 cups cooked cut green beans (I nuke them in Microwave.)
• 1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions (amount divided in recipe steps below)

Steps

• Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until hot. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 2/3 cup onions.
• Bake for another 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

 

[decafjava]

We don't even celebrate Thanksgiving in Europe (though our American study abroad students usually organize a dinner among themselves) but I love the typical dishes.

 

[anika200]

Velveeta , American , Cheese Whiz Recipe.

Super easy to make cheeses And you know what is in them, only one mystery chemical.

Four easy steps.....

For all recipes use a thick bottom pan on medium/low heat.
1. Add butter and cream or milk and heat until warm (you should see some steam but not bubbles or only a couple) stir so it does not stick to bottom of pan.
*** Use a silicone scraper.
2. Add 1/2 the magic chemical Sodium Citrate and stir it in.
3. Add all the cheese and stir until half or at least partially melted.
4. Add the last 1/2 of the Sodium Citrate and keep stirring until it is all combined and liquid like or flowable.

It may take some vigorous stirring but once it all comes together in a homogeneous mass you can pour it into a mold and you are done.
Let cool at room temp and then refrigerate. Enjoy.

Notes,
I use plastic lined squarish dishes for the Velveeta and American, the cheese whiz can be poured into anything no lining needed.
You can use any combo of cheeses in the world except real hard cheeses. Its fun to experiment with different flavors.
You may have to turn up the heat a little or add more liquid (cream, milk, water) to make it turn out perfect.

Velveeta Cheese - Soft meltable cheese
Cheese - 220 grams
Butter - 1/4 cup or 1/2 stick
Cream - 5 OZ or between 1/2 and 2/3 cup
Sodium Citrate - 14 grams - heaping Tablespoon

American Cheese - Sliceable soft cheese
Cheese - 220 grams
Butter - 2 Tablespoons or 1/4 stick
Cream - 1/4 cup
Sodium Citrate - 8 grams - heaping Teaspoon

Cheese Whiz - very soft semi-liquid cheese
450 grams cheese
Butter - 1/2 stick
Whole Milk 1-1/3 cups
Sodium Citrate - 16 grams

Here are a couple pics for visual reference, sorry missed the cooking stage too busy stirring.

 

[Huntn]

Easy Taco Soup from a friend in Tulsa. This is surprisingly good. The image below was grabbed online, I don’t include the chives, or greenery whatever it is, scallions sliced (?), flour tortilla strips, or the dallop of sour cream on top, butI might include that next time!

​

• 1-1.5 Lb of ground or shredded chicken (I might boil a package of thighs and shred them).
• 1 large Onion, diced.
• Olive Oil.
• 1 Package of Ranch Dressing seasonings (dry).
• 1 Package of Taco Seasons (McCormick with30% less salt).
• 1-27 Oz can of pinto beans.
• 1-15 Oz can of stewed tomatoes.
• 1-15 Oz can of Mexican style tomatoes.
• 1 package of frozen corn (off the cob).

Instructions

• The quantities of chicken, pinto beans, corn and tomatoes can be varied to preference but start with the above. The cans of ingredients, don’t drain, dump it all in.
• Fry the chicken and onions in a pan with olive oil. After it is cooked, stir in the Ranch and Taco seasonings, then place in a large pot.
• Dump in the reminder of the ingredients, and add enough water to make it look like a soup. I filled the pinto bean can with water and used that.
• Cook to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour.

This recipe as is, made 6 large bowls of delicious soup.

 

[anika200]

Easy Taco Soup from a friend in Tulsa. This is surprisingly good. The image below was grabbed online, I don’t include the chives, or greenery whatever it is, scallions sliced (?), flour tortilla strips, or the dallop of sour cream on top, butI might include that next time!

View attachment 2000015​

• 1-1.5 Lb of ground or shredded chicken (I might boil a package of thighs and shred them).
• 1 large Onion, diced.
• Olive Oil.
• 1 Package of Ranch Dressing seasonings (dry).
• 1 Package of Taco Seasons (McCormick with30% less salt).
• 1-27 Oz can of pinto beans.
• 1-15 Oz can of stewed tomatoes.
• 1-15 Oz can of Mexican style tomatoes.
• 1 package of frozen corn (off the cob).

Instructions

• The quantities of chicken, pinto beans, corn and tomatoes can be varied to preferencem but start with the above. The cans of ingredients, don’t drain, dump it all in.
• Fry the chicken and onions in a pan with olive oil. After it is cooked, stir in the Ranch and Taco seasonings, then place in a large pot.
• Dump in the reminder of the ingredients, and add enough water to make it look like a soup. I filled the pinto bean can with water and used that.
• Cook to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour.

This recipe as is, made 6 large bowls of delicious soup.

Great detailed recipe, had to laugh at "off the cob" but you never know, hahaha. I think I will try this over the fire some night, super easy.

 

[Huntn]

Shrimp Fettuccini Alfredo
found at Delish.com
This includes outstanding advice for preparation of the key ingredients.

​

Not my image

Great advice in general:
Overcooking the pasta.
Nothing is worse than a bowl of mushy pasta. We're going for al dente in this recipe—as in, it should still have some bite. This can be especially tricky when you're adding cooked pasta back to a hot pan because it will continue to cook. We recommend tasting your pasta for doneness a 3 to 4 minutes before the box recommends. There should still be a bit of firmness in the center of your fettuccine. That means, given a little extra cooking time in the sauce, it'll come out perfectly.
Overcooking the shrimp.
Never underestimate how fast shrimp can cook. Depending on their size and the heat of your pan they could cook in literally one minute, so keep an eye on them! As soon as they turn from gray and translucent to pink and opaque, they're good to go! Set them aside on a plate and continue with the sauce. Just don't ditch anything they've left behind in the pan! Those juices will add so much flavor to your final sauce. Using shell-on shrimp would provide even more flavor, but we don't love to use our hands while eating pasta. If you don't mind getting your hands dirty, feel free to leave the shells on!
Curdling the sauce.
One of the secrets to making an extra creamy Alfredo sauce is the addition of an egg yolk. In order to incorporate that yolk without cooking it, you need to make the sauce in a specific order. After you've added your flour, add your cold milk and cream first, so that when you drop your yolk in, it won't start cooking immediately. When you do drop your yolk in, whisk it into the sauce immediately to avoid clumping. If it still sounds risky to you, you can whisk together your heavy cream, milk, and yolk in a separate bowl and pour it into your pan as a homogenous mixture.
Using pre-grated parm.
This creamy sauce is totally dependent on the cheese. Most of the pre-grated parmesan cheeses sold at the grocery store are mixed with preservatives in order to prevent caking, and to keep the cheese dry. Unfortunately, this can lead to a less than favorable texture, and can make it more difficult for the cheese to melt. If you can, splurge for a real piece of Parmigiano Reggiano (or another hard cheese like Locatelli or Pecorino Romano). It'll make your Alfredo sauce a bit more smooth and creamy.

Nutrition (per serving): 910 calories, 37 g protein, 95 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 7 g sugar, 42 g fat, 25 g saturated fat, 1,148 mg sodium
YIELDS:4
PREP TIME:0 HOURS 15MINS
TOTAL TIME:0 HOURS 25MINS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. fetuccine
• 3 tbsp. butter, divided
• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
• kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 1/2 c. whole milk
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 c. freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
• 1 tbsp. Chopped parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook fettuccine according to the instructions on box, reserving a cup of pasta water to thicken the sauce, if needed.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon butter until melted. Add shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook until pink and completely opaque, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove shrimp from skillet and set aside.
3. Into the pan, add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and garlic. Cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in flour and cook until no longer raw, 2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and milk, then whisk in egg yolk. Bring to a low simmer and whisk in parmesan. When cheese is melted and sauce has thickened slightly, add cooked pasta and shrimp, tossing to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Garnish with more parmesan and parsley.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Pasta Carbonara:

This evening, I reminded myself that these days, I live alone, and, as I love to dine late sometimes, why not indulge myself, as nobody here is demanding an early dinner.

Anyway, dinner took the form of the Italian classic, Pasta Carbonara; I realised that I had all of the ingredients to hand, and thought, why ever not?

So, Pasta Carbonara:

The ingredients for this dish are quite simple, and there aren't all that many of them, but, as with any supposedly "simple" dish, this means that it stands or falls on the quality of the ingredients.

The ingredients are: Pasta (preferably one of the long strand types, such as spaghetti, or tagliatelle, but any good quality pasta will suffice); eggs (actually, egg yolks - and here, the quality of the eggs do matter; preferably free range, as they taste better); guanciale (pig cheek); at a push, pancetta - or, any other bacon - will do fine, but guanciale is better; and Pecorino Romano (rather than Parmigiano Reggiano); some recipes call for a 50/50 mix of both, if you only have Parmigiano Reggiano that is fine, but the original recipe calls for Pecorino Romano.

And black pepper. This is a dish that calls for a generous hand with freshly ground black pepper.

Slice and dice the guanciale (remove the rind, and the peppered coating - just slice them off and discard them), then add the diced guanciale to a large saute pan, on a low heat. A very generous, a seriously large chunk of guanciale is what I have in mind; be generous, for this lovely bacon will add a wonderful flavour to your finished pasta dish.

Tonight, I added a little olive oil to the pan - most Italians do not even do this, as the fat of the guanciale will be rendered - to start them off; they will become translucent, and eventually, a little crisp.

Heat the pasta water; for once, you will not need to salt it, as the Pecorino (or Parmesan) cheese will be quite sufficiently salty, and cook the pasta - paying attention to how long it will take to cook - according to the instructions on the packet.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites (roughly one egg yolk per 100g of pasta, although you can be more generous), and add them to a bowl; tonight, I used two egg yolks (organic, free range) and one whole egg; whisk them.

Do not buy cheese already grated, it will not be fresh and it will taste of nothing; instead, buy a hunk, and grate it yourself.

When I had the cheese grated, most of it (in two batches) was added to the already whisked eggs, and stirred and whisked. Add some freshly ground black pepper.

If this mix is too claggy, too solid, one can dilute it a little with a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water (which I did this evening); also, - although the purists will howl - should you feel the need for cream, this is when and where you can add it; as with the pasta cooking water, a few tablespoons/dessertspoons should suffice. You want the egg/cheese mix to be neither runny nor solid.

Turn off the heat for both the pasta and the guanciale in its saute pan. This is because you do not want the egg mixture to become scrambled eggs once it has been added to the pan.

Remove (and reserve) around half a mug of pasta cooking water; drain the pasta, and add it to the pan. Stir, coat it with the guanciale (and, above all, that lovely bacon fat that has rendered into the cooking liquid); add a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking liquid to it and stir and mix and marry.

Now, you pour in - slowly - the egg and cheese mix, on top of the pasta; stir around, blend, mix and meld and marry the lot, with tongs, and/or a wooden spoon; and don't forget to add plenty of freshly ground black pepper while you are stirring.

The pasta should be creamy, and should taste delicious (what is there not to like? For here, we have a dish that combines bacon, egg, cheese and pasta).

Serve, and savour.

 

[Huntn]

When I see the list of a Directory, I realize how much info is contained here, and how hard it is recognize without a directory a thread of 7 pages.

• 19Aug22- Total added to the Page 1 Directory: 6 Appetizers, 1 Side, 8 Entrees, 3 Deserts, 1Drink. All of those listed to date are on page 1 of this thread.

 

[anika200]

When I see the list of a Directory, I realize how much info is contained here, and how hard it is recognize without a directory a thread of 7 pages.

• 19Aug22- Total added to the Page 1 Directory: 6 Appetizers, 1 Side, 8 Entrees, 3 Deserts, 1Drink. All of those listed to date are on page 1 of this thread.

Hahaha, Wow none of my recipes made the contents list, normally directory lists contains all files.

 

[Huntn]

Hahaha, Wow none of my recipes made the contents list, normally directory lists contains all files.

None of mine are listed either…yet. I’m not done, starting at page 1 working backwards, not making a job ot it. It is a wiki post, so if in a rush, you could add your own, just please follow the format. But be careful if you delve into BB code, it’s easy to screw up the post big time. I already did once and it took a while to fix.

 

[Huntn]

• 24Aug- Made it to page 2 recording recipes, will be adding recipe links for navigating directly to the recipe post.

 

[Huntn]

Extra Creamy Lobster Mac and Cheese

Not my image. Recipe found online.​

Not the typical inexpensive Mac and Cheese kids are normally fed, at least the kids I know personally.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces lobster meatcooked, chopped, about 2 cups *Shrimp, crab, scallops, salmon, combination can be substituted. I use 4 small lobster tails @$6 each.
• 16 ounces dry pastacavatappi, penne or shells (I used about 3/4 of the cooked pasta to fit in a 6x9” baking dish.)
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to taste
• 2-3/4cups milk
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 2 cups sharp cheddar shredded
• 1 ¼ cups Gruyere cheeseshredded, or swiss cheese, mozzarella, or havarti
• 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese shredded

Toppings

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter melted
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese grated
• 1 teaspoon parsley chopped

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x13 pan.
• Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain and run under cold water and set aside.
• While pasta is cooking, melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Stir in flour and seasonings and cook 2 minutes.
• Combine milk and cream. Add to the flour mixture a little bit at a time whisking in after each addition. The mixture will be very thick at first but will smooth out as you continue adding liquid.
• Once all of the liquid is added, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1-2 minutes or until thickened while whisking.
• Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses whisking until the sauce is smooth and melted.
• Combine the sauce and the pasta. Gently stir in half of the lobster meat and spread into the prepared pan.
• Add remaining lobster meat on top and sprinkle with the topping mixture.
• Bake 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and topping is browned. Do not overcook.

To Boil Lobster Tails for Meat
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Place 3 lobster tails (approximately 3-3.5 oz each) in the boiling water and let simmer 3-4 minutes or just until cooked through. The thickest part of the meat should reach 140°F. Check them early to ensure they do not overcook.

Note: No clue on how you check the internal temp of lobster tails in boiling water. I took 4Small refrigerated lobster tails and placed them in boiling water, and let them cook for about 9 minutes total.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Ragù:

Perfect winter fare.

This recipe takes time: Around an hour of prepping - it can be nice, relaxed cooking, - and seven hours in the oven.

For the meat, I used shin beef, bone attached, ordered from the organic butcher who has a stall in the weekly farmers' market. This is a cut of meat that requires long, slow, cooking, (minimum fours hours, preferably a lot longer) but the flavour obtained from this method of preparation is well worth the time it takes.

The meat was browned (in a mix of olive oil and butter), and then chopped roughly, seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and placed into a large, copper casserole.

A tin of tomatoes, (San Marzano, an excellent Italian brand) was chopped and mashed and added to the casserole, and the tin rinsed with water that was also added to the casserole; next, I added some stock, and half a bottle of Chianti (an Italian red wine).

In the sauté pan, some chopped Guanciale (pig cheek) was sautéed; some recipes call for pancetta, but, I realise that I have come to prefer guanciale for such flavours. The sautéed guanciale was added to the casserole, and the lot then put into a preheated oven (150C, 300F) where it mingled, married, and melded for around an hour.

While the meat was being greeted with heat, a wall of warmth, I prepared the soffritto: two sticks of finely chopped celery, one large (very large) carrot, and two enormous onions, all diced finely, and sautéed in the sauté pan (more olive oil and butter added), which took the best part of an hour (on a low heat) to soften and caramalise; while they were sautéing gently, I added six fat cloves of finely chopped garlic to the pan.

The soffritto and its gloriously softened garlic were then added to the casserole which - upon examination - gave evidence that it was coming along nicely.

After that, around every hour, or every hour and a half, the casserole is removed from the oven, inspected, tasted, stirred, - whereupon a little (a few tablespoons) of milk, (yes, milk, full fat milk) are added - and then returned to the oven for a further hour's alchemy, where the wonder of warmth and heat can work its magic.

Ragù recipes often suggest - or recommend - that gremolata is served as a condiment to accompany the dish: (Gremolata: Finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, grated lemon rind, juice of half a lemon and some olive oil).

Now, as it happens, all of these ingredients were winking at me.

So, the gremolata has been prepared.

This dish can be served with polenta, potatoes (boiled, mashed, roasted), fresh bread, or - obviously - pasta, something such as fettuccine, or tagliatelli.

And, as with any such dish, it improves when consumed (devoured?) the day after it has been prepared, and tastes even better.

My own personal suggestion is to serve something along the lines of pasta the first day, and, perhaps, roast potatoes the following day.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Pasta e fagioli: (Pasta and beans):

This recipe - classic comfort cooking, soothing winter cooking, what Italian friends describe as "classic peasant food" is deceptively simple, yet utterly delicious.

I started with the classic soffritto: Very finely diced carrot, celery, and onion, - sautéed in olive oil until soft (something that always takes a lot longer than you think), and added four fat cloves of garlic, finely sliced, to the (large, copper) sauté pan.

Next to be added was some finely diced guanciale - pig cheek, which - to my mind - is even better - far better - than pancetta, and fulfills a similar function in Italian cuisine; the rendered fat adds a most wonderful flavour to the finished dish.

Once they were soft and translucent and tasty - I added the contents of half of a jar of excellent quality (Spanish, because that was what I had to hand) cannellini beans to the sauté pan. In this instance, a jar was better than a tin, as the jar containing the rest of the beans could be kept in the fridge.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, water - actually, stock, to which I added some olive oil - was set to boil, at which point fettuccine was added.

A generous half cup (that is, a Le Creuset mug, not the formal American measurement) of pasta cooking water - nice and starchy - was reserved, and added to the sauté pan, where it met with, mingled with, (a stir with a wooden spoon aided this process), merged and married the other ingredients already in the pan, and they were brought to a smart simmer for a few minutes.

The pasta was drained and then, the rather tasty sauce added, whereupon dinner was served, with napkins, tablecloths, proper glassware, and so on.

 

[Huntn]

Delicious Pecan Pie
Featured in Texas Monthly Magazine

​

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 Cups light corn syrup
• 3 TBS butter
• 1 TSP vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten- beat them with fork or wire whisk until yokes and whites are well blended.
• 1 Cup chopped pecans- some people like a combination of chopped and pecan halves. The difference is esthetic only.
• 1- 9” unbaked pie shell

Instructions

• In medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, and vanilla extract.
• Constantly stirring, bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 6 minutes, continuing to stir. Note: Instead of just mixing these ingredients and stopping there, heating them on the stove top, dissolves the granulated sugar Into a creamy smooth consistency.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, then mix in lightly beaten eggs, until well blended.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Place pecans evenly in the bottom of the pie shell, then pour sugar mixture over them.
• Cook 50-60 minutes until pie is set in center. Note: Be wary of over cooking pie. At 60 minutes, my pie was not set in the center, I let it cook another 10 min, removed it and it firmed up as it cooled but was still slightly runny when cut into. Firmer is better.

 

[decafjava]

Delicious Pecan Pie
Featured in Texas Monthly Magazine

View attachment 2118134​

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 Cups light corn syrup
• 3 TBS butter
• 1 TSP vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten- beat them with fork or wire whisk until yokes and whites are well blended.
• 1 Cup chopped pecans- some people like a combination of chopped and pecan halves. The difference is esthetic only.
• 1- 9” unbaked pie shell

Instructions

• In medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, and vanilla extract.
• Constantly stirring, bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 6 minutes, continuing to stir. Note: Instead of just mixing these ingredients and stopping there, heating them on the stove top, dissolves the granulated sugar Into a creamy smooth consistency.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, then mix in lightly beaten eggs, until well blended.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Place pecans evenly in the bottom of the pie shell, then pour sugar mixture over them.
• Cook 50-60 minutes until pie is set in center. Note: Be wary of over cooking pie. At 60 minutes, my pie was not set in the center, I let it cook another 10 min, removed it and it firmed up as it cooled but was still slightly runny when cut into. Firmer is better.

Happy Thanksgiving to you too!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Pasta All'Amatriciana:

This is a deceptively easy recipe, is very tasty, and is one that uses very few ingredients, but, like all such recipes, it stands or falls on the quality of the ingredients used.

The first step is to prepare the guanciale, the pig's cheek.

Cut off the rind and the peppered side, and discard (although the rind can be retained and used to flavour stock, or soups).

Slice it, and then dice it, and put it into a large pan (I used a large copper sauté pan) where a small quantity of olive oil has been heating. The diced guanciale will become translucent and transparent, the fat will render (and will give a glorious flavour to the sauce) and blend with the olive oil.

When the diced guanciale has rendered - and you can stir it with a wooden spoon - the meat soft, the fat luscious and succulent, add a small glass of white wine to the pan, and stir, allowing the alcohol to burn off.

Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes: These will come from a tin - San Marzano (an excellent Italian brand, for preference); Open the tin, and tip the contents into a bowl or dish, where you mash them and cut them up; season them (with sea salt, - some recipes insist that this is not necessary as the guanciale is already quite salty - but I am of the opinion that tomatoes, in common with potatoes and eggs, that tomatoes also require the addition of some salt - freshly ground black pepper, and a dash of sugar, I used organic brown sugar); this is then added to the sauté pan, where the chopped and sautéed guanciale awaits; let this cook, at a simmer, stir occasionally, for around twenty minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, prepare a green salad if you wish: Today, I used mixed leaves (organic), and prepared a dressing: Olive oil, red wine vinegar, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, locally sourced organic runny honey (instead of sugar), French mustard.

I also grated some Pecorino Romano, to be served with the finished dish.

Water (rather than stock, the sauce will be sufficiently flavoursome, the pasta does not need the addition of being cooked in stock to enhance its flavour) is put to boil, with a little salt and olive oil added, and the pasta is then added once it has reached the boil. When almost ready, the pasta is drained, and added to the sauté pan, and a little of the pasta cooking water is retained, should a little more liquid need to be added to the sauce.

And this is when dinner is served.

 

[anika200]

I dont know suddenly I feel like robots and not cooking.

 

[Huntn]

Crepes Roulees et Farcies (shellfish)
* Source with alterations: Julia Child's The French Chef Cookbook
* Makes 6 crepes, I usually double recipe to make 12.
* I use crab or lobster. Obviously, lump crab is better but more expensive than the shredded crab sold in the can.
* See Basic Crepe Recipe below...

Ingredients
Step 1: Make the basic crepes first. See Crepe recipe.

Shellfish Stuffing

• 2TBS Butter
• 3TBS minced Shallots or Scallions
• 1 1/2 Cup shredded cooked or canned shellfish meat
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/4 Cup dry White Vermouth

Shellfish Directions

• Heat butter to bubbling in skillet, stir in the shallots or scallions, then the shellfish.
• Toss and stir over moderate heat for 1 min.
• Season with salt & pepper, then add the vermouth and cook rapidly until liquid has almost entirely evaporated.
• Scrape into bowl.

Wine and Cheese Sauce

• Note: IMO you need to double to have adequate sauce.
• 1/3 Cup dry White Vermouth
• 2 TBS Cornstarch
• 2 TBS Milk
• 1 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream (or Half and Half)
• 1/4 TSP Salt
• White Pepper
• 1/2 Cup Swiss Cheese grated.
• 1/4 Cup Swiss Cheese grated to sprinkly on top after assembly.

Wine and Cheese Sauce Directions

• Blend Cornstarch and milk into a small bowl.
• Add Vermouth to a skillet and boil rapidly until liquid is reduced to about a Tablespoon.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in Cornstarch mixture, cream, & seasonings.
• Simmer 2 min, stirring, then blend in the cheese and simmer a minute more.
• Correct seasoning if you deem so.

Assembling and Baking

• Blend half the sauce into the shellfish, then place a big spoonul of the shellfish mixture on lower third of each crepe, and roll into cylindrical shape.
• Arrange creps closely together in a lightly buttered baking dish.
• Spoon over rest of sauce, sprinkle with cheese and dot with bits of butter.
• Refrigerate until ready to bake.
• Place cooking shelf in upper 1/3 of oven and heat to 425°F.
• Bake crepes 15-20 min or until the cheese topping is bubbling hot and lightly browned.
• Or heat and brown under a low broiler.

Basic Crepe Recipe
Makes 8 crepes
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16383/basic-crepes/

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Mixing Instructions

• Put the liquids, eggs, and salt into the mixing bowl.
• Add the flour, then the melted butter.
• Cover and mix at the highest speed with the whisk attachment for 1 minute. If any flour is stuck to the sides, use a rubber spatula to scrape it down and mix the batter for a few more seconds.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The batter should be like a light cream.

Cooking Instructions

• I take 1/3 cup of batter, almost a full ladel and poor it onto a hot (medium/low heat) greased cast iron skillet
• I lift the skillet by the handle (obviously) and gently tilt it and rotate the tilt so the batter spreads out on the skillet in a circular shape.
• Let it cook until it looks dry all the way through, and at about 4 min cooking time, with a metal spatula, I gently scoop underneath to make sure that it is entirely loose and then at 5 minutes, lift and flip it.

 

[Huntn]

not my image
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Date Pinwheels (via Mom/Aunt Dot)
Found this identical online recipe, but it includes the vanilla extract. It says this makes 16 dozen cookies...but I ended up with about 4 dozen.
13Dec22-Recipe edited, see dough section. Added instructions to avoid complications.

Date Filling

• 2 1/2 Cups Dates*
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 Cup Water (may need more)
• 1 Cup Chopped Pecans

* In the olden days , I remember being able to find a box of chopped dates at the grocery store for baking. I’ve not made this in more than a decade. My visit to 2 local groceries, and they had whole dates, but none chopped and packaged. So I used whole dates, cut them up with scissors not fine enough to be called chopped and at the end of cooking used a masher to get the bigger remaining pieces to break down. I have yet to assemble these, and will report back with any issues with chunky date filling.

Dough

• 1 Cup Shortening
• 2 Cups Brown Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 4 Cups Flour
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract (optional)
• Wax Paper and/or plastic wrap
• rolling pin

Instructions
Date Filling

• In a large saucepan, bring the dates, sugar and water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook until mixture is thickened, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. Stir in pecans.

Dough

• In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
• Divide into four portions, wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate until chilled.
• On a baking sheet, roll out each portion of dough between two sheets of waxed paper into a 12x9-in. rectangle. It you try to do this without wax paper, you’ll need flour on the rolling pin and on the dough itself or it will end up sticking to the rolling pin. Wax paper is easier. Wax paper u der each and on top, roll out with a rolling pin. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Note: It’s important that for the first 30 Min timing that you want theses doughs fully cooled in the refrigerator. At this stage the dough is sticky and can become as mess real fast if you don’t follow the instructions. You can even wait 60 minutes.
• Remove waxed paper off the top of the dough, pull gently parallel to the surface of the dough and it should separate mostly clean of dough. Lay it (the removed paper) flat and spread a light coating of flour on it. Then flip and lay the dough on wax paper with flour, exposed side down. Pull off the other piece of wax paper that is on top In the same manner. Spread the date mixture On top. Then tightly roll up each portion jelly-roll style, starting at the long side and wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.

Assembly and cooking

• Unwrap dough and cut into 1/4-in. slices.
• Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
• Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set.
• Remove to wire racks or where ever to cool.

Aftermath

• Store in an airtight container at room temperature, or freeze for up to 3 months.
• Also if you are a cookie dough fanatic, try these raw, at your own risk, lol… delicious! My mom used to keep one of the uncooked rolls in the freezer for me to snack on when I came home at Christmas to visit.

 

[Huntn]

View attachment 2127382
not my image
​

Date Pinwheels (via Mom/Aunt Dot)
Found this identical online recipe, but it includes the vanilla extract. It says this makes 16 dozen cookies...maybe consider halving it?

Date Filling

• 2 1/2 Cups Dates*
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 Cup Water (may need more)
• 1 Cup Chopped Pecans

* In the olden days , I remember being able to find a box of chopped dates at the grocery store for baking. I’ve not made this in more than a decade. My visit to 2 local groceries, and they had whole dates, but none chopped and packaged. So I used whole dates, cut them up with scissors not fine enough to be called chopped and at the end of cooking used a masher to get the bigger remaining pieces to break down. I have yet to assemble these, and will report back with any issues with chunky date filling.

Dough

• 1 Cup Shortening
• 2 Cups Brown Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 4 Cups Flour
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract (optional)
• Wax Paper and/or plastic wrap

Instructions
Date Filling

• In a large saucepan, bring the dates, sugar and water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook until mixture is thickened, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. Stir in pecans.

Dough

• In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
• Divide into four portions, wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate until chilled.
• On a baking sheet, roll out each portion of dough between two sheets of waxed paper into a 12x9-in. rectangle. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Remove waxed paper; spread with date mixture. Tightly roll up each portion jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.

Assembly and cooking

• Unwrap dough and cut into 1/4-in. slices.
• Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
• Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set.
• Remove to wire racks or where ever to cool.

Aftermath

• Store in an airtight container at room temperature, or freeze for up to 3 months.
• Also if you are a cookie dough fanatic, try these raw, at your own risk, lol… delicious! My mom used to keep one of the uncooked rolls in the freezer for me to snack on when I came home at Christmas to visit.

Commented about chopped dates added to previous recipe. Added more clarification Regarding assembly.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

A soup, (a soothing, warmimg, winter soup) based on a couple of Italian recipes: Italian sausage, spinach/kale and potato.

Italian sausage, with spinach (actually, I used kale as I had kale but did not have spinach) and potatoes.

This dish starts with heating a large saucepan, one to which you have a lid, and into which you have poured some olive oil (yes, I used Italian olive oil, as I had it).

Remove the casing from the Italian sauages, proper artisan butcher's sausages (these actually are Italian sausages, flavoured with fennel and a little chilli), and break the sausage meat up into small pieces before adding them to the pan, where they will be gently sautéed until browned.

Remove the sausages with a slotted spoon and place them in a dish.

Meanwhile, a soffritto - finely diced carrot, celery, and onion - is added to the pan, and allowed to simmer away until reduced and translucent and soft. This does not take the "five minutes" some mendacious recipes tell you; it takes something closer to thirty, if not more.

As I like garlic, and as garlic goes so well with Italian food, I added six fat cloves of finely sliced garlic to the soffritto.

Once this has all softened, it is time to add the stock to the pan; I used chicken stock, to which a tablespoon of tomato puree had been added. Next to be added, were a few potatoes, peeled and chopped and diced into small pieces; this, too, takes well over twenty minutes to cook, not the "ten" some lying - or optimistic - recipes seem to suggest.

When you add the diced potatoes to the stock, you can also return the sausages to the mix and place a slightly tilted lid on the pan; at this stage, I also added some rosemary and thyme, leaving the woody stems as they were, with needles of thyme and rosemary still attached, all the better for easy removal prior to tucking in to dinner - I had the herbs and they confer a wonderful flavour to the finished dish while the aroma was absolutely amazing.

Once the potatoes are well on the way to softening, one can then add the roughly chopped kale and replace the lid.

Once the kale has cooked through (around seven to ten minutes) dinner is ready to be served, savoured and devoured.

 

[Huntn]

Simple Beef Stroganoff- Will report back: Delicious! 😛

Simple Beef Stroganoff

This easy beef stroganoff recipe with ground beef is made rich and creamy with sour cream and mushroom soup and ready to serve in under 30 minutes.

www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package egg noodles
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensend cream of mushroom soup
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• ½ cup sour cream
• salt and ground black pepper to taste.
• Extra: Add fresh mushroons sautéed! If used, sauté theses first in butter or olive oil and set aside. Add at end…

Directions​

1. Gather all ingredients.
2. Sauté ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and crumbly; 5 to 10 minutes.
3. At the same time, fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rapid boil. Cook egg noodles at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain and set aside.
4. Drain and discard any fat from the cooked beef. Stir condensed soup and garlic powder into the beef. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove beef from the heat. Add egg noodles and stir to combine. Stir in sour cream and season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve hot and enjoy