Author: Robert Andrews

Cod Fritters – Bacalhau

This is best with cod, but you can also use talapia or catfish.

Ingredients

  • Fish (see note at bottom)
    DRY INGREDIENTS
  • 1 C flour
  • 1/2 tsp garlic
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 TBL baking soda
  • 2 tsp corn starch
  • 1 tsp sugar
    WET INGREDIENTS
  • 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
  • 1 lemon – juice and zest
  • 1 C beer
    FOR DREDGING
  • 1 egg white

Step by Step

  1. Sift together all dry ingredients
  2. Mix together wet ingredients
  3. Fold dry ingredients and 1/2 wet ingredients together
    Mixture should be the consistency of a thin pancake batter
  4. Cut fish into two-bite pieces
  5. Dip in egg white – let drip so it is not too wet
  6. Dredge in flour – shake off excess so it is not too gummy
  7. Dip in batter – let drip so it is not too wet
  8. Fry until browned – about three minutes
  9. Put onto rack to drain – salt while still hot
  10. Dress with lemon or spicy tomato sauce or cocktail sauce

If using salted cod

  1. Soak salted cod for 48 hours in refrigerator
  2. Change water every 8 hours
  3. Blanche for 10 minutes in unsalted boiling water
  4. Dry 60 minutes on a rack, then proceed to recipe

Boston Cream Pie

Ingredients for Vanilla Cream filling
Make this first, because it will have to cool for two hours after creation

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 6 TBL granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 C whole milk
  • 3 TBL corn starch
  • 1 1/2 TBL butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Step by Step

  1. Cream together yolks and sugar
  2. Mix milk and corn starch
  3. Mix together milk and sugar mixtures
  4. Put all into a soup pan and add cold butter
  5. Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for another 60-90 seconds
  6. Remove from heat and let rest for three minutes
  7. Pour through a mesh strainer to remove any lumps – Use a spatula to help
  8. Mix in vanilla and cover with plastic wrap – press wrap down onto surface of the pudding
  9. Let chill two hours

Ingredients for Cake
Make this next because it will have to cool for at least 30 minutes after creation

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 C granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 C AP flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 C baking powder
  • 6 TBL butter
  • 1/2 C whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Step by Step

  1. Cream together eggs and sugar
  2. In separate bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder
  3. Melt butter and whisk together with whole milk
  4. Mix milk mixture with egg mixture
  5. Add vanilla
  6. Fold in flour mixture and stir only to moisten MOST of the mixture – do not overmix
  7. Fill greased muffin cups half way with prepared mixture
  8. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until tops start to brown
  9. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes

Ingredients for Chocolate Ganache

  • 1/2 C heavy cream
  • 1 TBL cocoa
  • 3 TBL granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 oz semi sweet chocolate
  1. Bring heavy cream to a simmer – NOT a boil
  2. Mix cocoa with the sugar and salt
  3. Add cocoa mixture to cream
  4. Add chocolate to the cream
  5. Stir until smooth, then remove from heat

Assembly

  1. Cut cakes in half using a NON-SERRATED knife – creating a top and a bottom
  2. Spread vanilla cream on the bottom
  3. Put the top onto the cream
  4. Spread chocolate ganache onto the top
  5. Optionally put some sprinkles on the top for color
  6. Repeat for each one
  7. Best when refrigerated

 

Peas and Onions

Ingredients

  • 2 C whole sugar snap peas
  • 1 C shelled peas
  • 2 TBL butter
  • 3 shallots or large green onions
  • 3 mint leaves

Step by Step

  1. Start large pan of boiling salted water
  2. While coming up to a boil, prepare a large bowl of water with a dozen ice cubes in it
  3. Boil your large shelled peas until one of the largest ones is soft – taste them
  4. Dump them into the ice water
  5. Boil your whole sugar snap peas for two minutes
  6. Dump them into the ice water with the other peas
  7. Slice your onions and sautee them in butter
  8. When soft, put your peas into the pan with the onions
  9. Cook for a few minutes, the put chiffonade pieces of the mint into the mix
  10. Serve as a side dish

 

Brown Sugared Carrots

Ingredients

  • 12 carrots
  • 2 T butter
  • 2 T brown sugar
  • 1 T molasses
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • Salt, pepper

Step by Step

  1. Peel the 12 carrots and halve or quarter into long spears
  2. Heat butter, sugar and molasses in a pan
  3. Add the carrots and a splash of water
  4. Add salt and pepper and the sprig of rosemary
  5. Cook about 3 minutes
  6. Add splashes of water as necessary to keep things from burning
  7. Plate caramelized carrots
  8. Remove the rosemary and discard
  9. Top with fried carrot tops

Fried Carrot Tops

  1. Heat 2 TBL grapeseed oil and 1 tsp sugar to shimmering
  2. Fry carrot tops until browned, but not black
  3. Set on waxed paper to drain and cool.

Chocolatey Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

  • 1⁄2 cup sugar
  • 1⁄3 cup cocoa mix (recipe below)
  • 1⁄3 cup water
  • 1/4 C Hershey’s baking chocolate chunks
  • 4 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Step by Step

  1. Stir cocoa mix and sugar in a pot.
  2. Add water and stir.
  3. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil two minutes.
  4. Put chocolate chips into the mixture and stir until dissolved.
  5. Add milk and vanilla.  Serve.

Cocoa Mix

This can be prepared and stored for up to two months

  • 300 gm confectioner sugar
  • 200 gm cocoa powder
  • 100 gm Whey protein powder
  • 300 gm nonfat dried milk
  • 1 TBL corn starch
  • 1 tsp canning salt (or other fine salt)
  • 1 pinch of cayenne pepper

Sugared Pecans

Ingredients

  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 C sugar
  • 2 C almonds
  • 1/2 TBL salt

Step by Step

  1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil
  2. Put into oven at 350º just until butter melts
  3. Beat egg whites until they are soft peaks
  4. Toss in white sugar and salt
  5. Pour pecans into the egg whites
  6. Toss to mix
  7. Pour almond mixture onto buttered tray
  8. Spread across surface of baking tray
  9. Bake for 20 minutes
  10. Take tray out and stir/toss
  11. Bake another 10 minutes

Grandma Miller’s Hard Tack Candy

Photos courtesy of Angie Wolford.

Ingredients for 12 batches

  • 11 lb granulated sugar
  • 64 oz Karo syrup
  • 1/4 C water

Ingredients for 4 batches

  • 4 lb granulated sugar
  • 24 oz Karo syrup
  • 1 TBL water

Ingredients for 1 batch

  • 1 lb granulated sugar (approx 2 C)
  • 6 oz Karo syrup
  • 1 tsp water

Optional:  Oil Flavoring and Food Coloring

Step by Step

  1. Mix corn syrup and sugar (corn syrup will help keep the sugar from crystallizing)
  2. Cook on low heat until sugar is completely liquefied.
  3. Use an immersible candy thermometer to monitor your temperature.
    THIS IS WHAT I USE and it works great.  Great for perfectly cooking meats too.
  4. Stir fairly frequently with a wooden spoon.
  5. Stop stirring when everything is completely dissolved.
  6. At 260º add your food coloring, but don’t mix it.  Let the bubbles do the mixing.
    Yellow for lemon, red for cinnamon, black for licorice, blue for… well, you get it.
  7. Increase heat to high and heat until mixture is AT LEAST 300º but no more than 310º
    – This temperature is called CRACK, and it is when the crystals become rigid.  It will boil for quite awhile before the temperature gets to 300º but be patient – the high temperature is necessary, or you will have sticky hard caramel kind of things.
  8. Pour onto a lightly buttered marble slab (or Coreon slab) and use a bench knife to keep the molten from spilling onto the floor.  You can also use a very large silicone mat.  BE CAREFUL.  THIS MIXTURE WILL BURN YOU TO THE BONE
    –
    SPECIAL NOTE:  Alternately, you can use old cookie baking sheets with edges. Don’t use nice new ones, because they will take a beating in a little while.  If you do it this way, let the mixture come to a NON-BOILING STATE before you add the flavor oil.  Mix it in, then pour it onto your baking sheet.
    –
    Another alternative, just use heavy duty aluminum foil.
    –
  9. Pour in flavoring oil and continue to fold the edges to the middle of the mass
  10. AS SOON as it can be handled without raising blisters, use a poultry scissors, cut into strips, then into pieces.
  11. Drop pieces into a bowl with 1 C confectioner sugar
  12. Toss until coated, then sift out and put onto a newspaper to cool.

If you go with the baking sheet method, let it cool completely ON THE COUNTER and then whack it with a small hammer and clean screw driver to shatter the pieces into whatever size you desire.  Discard the dust, and keep only the pieces.

Tips: Equivalents – COLLECTION

See also: SUBSTITUTIONS

Milk conversions and substitutions

Use this link for different types of MILK CONVERSIONS.

Chemicals

  • Citric Acid Powder – 1/4 tsp – You can substitute 1 TBL bottled lemon juice – Cannot substitute Ascorbic Acid
  • Lemon Juice – 1 TBL – You can substitute 1/4 tsp citric acid powder – Cannot substitute Ascorbic Acid
  • Ascorbic Acid – You can substitute lemon juice or citric acid powder, but not the other way around

Liquid Measurements / Volume

  • 1 Gallon = 4 QT = 8 PT = 16 C =128 OZ = 3.8 L
  • 1 QT = 2 PT = 4 C = 32 OZ = .95 L = 950 ml
  • 1 PT = 2 C = 16 OZ = 480 ml
  • 1 C = 8 OZ = 240 ml
  • 1 OZ = 30 ml = 28.5 gm
  • 100 ml = 3.4 OZ = 1/2 C minus 1 TBL
  • 250 ml = 1 C plus 2 TBL
  • 1 IMPERIAL Gallon = 1.2 US Gallons = 4.5 L

Dry Measurements

  • 16 TBL = 1 C
  • 1/3 C = 5 TBL + 1 tsp
  • 4 TBL = 1/4 C = 12 tsp = 2 OZ = 60 ml
  • 2 TBL = 1 FL OZ = 30 ml
  • 1 TBL = 3 tsp = 1/2 FL OZ = 15 ml
  • 1 tsp = 5 ml = 1 CC

Weight / Mass

  • 1 OZ = 28.4 gm
  • 1 KG = 2.2 LB =
  • 1 LB = .45 KG
  • 100 gm = 3.5 OZ
  • 250 gm = 8.8 OZ

Temperature

  • Degrees Celsius to Fahrenheit :: Multiply by 1.8 (or 9/5) and add 32º
  • Fahrenheit to Celsius :: Subtract 32º and multiply by 0.55 (or 5/9)
    –
  • Fry temperature = 350º – 370º F :: Lower than 350 your food will be greasy.  Above 370º and it will burn.
  • Burnt Sugar = 350º F = 177º C – Becomes bitter
  • Brown Sugar – Liquid Caramel = 338º – 350º F
  • Clear Liquid Sugar Concentrate (Karo) = 320º – 335º F
    – High Fructose Corn Syrup – The chemical chain is not good for us, but tastes REALLY good.
  • Hard Crack Stage = 300º – 310º F (eg) Hard Tack, Lollipops
  • Soft Crack Stage = 270º – 290º F (eg) Taffy
  • Hard Ball Stage = 250º – 265º F (eg) Gummy Bears
  • Firm Ball Stage = 245º – 250º F (eg) Caramels
  • Soft Ball Stage = 235º – 240º F (eg) Fudge
  • Thread Stage = 230º – 235º F
  • Jams and Jellies = 220º – 225º F
  • 212º F = 100º C – Steam – has more kinetic energy than the water – will cause severe and more painful burning.  Will have the same effect as 230º liquid.
  • 212º F = 100º C – Hot water – will cause burning
  • 162º F – Skin will be destroyed on contact – scarring will occur
  • 131º F – Second degree burning will occur
  • 125º F = 52º C – Painful burning will occur
  • 108º F = 42º C – Hottest bath that is marginally safe
  • 98.6º F = 37º C
  • 68º F = 20º C
  • 32º F = 0º C
  • -40º F = -40º C – Not useful, but interesting!
  • -109º F = -78º C = Temperature of Dry Ice – Causes tissue damage in 5 seconds
  • ABSOLUTE ZERO = –273.15° C = –459.67° F

For Speed and Length Conversions CLICK HERE.

Pork Grillade

Ingredients

  • Pork chops (bone removed – cut thin)
  • 1/4 C AP flour
  • Grandpa's Thunder Powder or Arghhh Powder
  • 1 onion
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • 2-4 cloves garlic
  • 2 C chicken broth
  • 1 can diced or crushed tomato
  • 2 strips of bacon

Step by Step

  1. Remove bone from pork chops, and cut into very thin slices.  Ideally, use a blade chop (shoulder blade – between shoulder and back loin)
  2. Create Dredge:  Mix 3/4 C flour with 1 TBL Grandpa's Thunder Powder or Arghhh Powder
  3. Season chop with salt, then dredge in flour mixture.  Shake off excess.
  4. Fry in Dutch Oven in 1 C canola oil @ 350º for 3-5 minutes – until golden brown – set aside
  5. Pour excess oil into measuring cup.
  6. Add 1/4 C back into the Dutch oven, and the rest into an empty soup can
    – to cool – then discard – CAUTION – can will be very hot
  7. Add 1/4 C AP flour into Dutch oven and stir into oil for 2 minutes
  8. Add 1 onion, 1 bell pepper and 1 rib of celery – all chopped to medium pieces
    NOTE:  This mixture is called Trinity, and is similar to Mirpois.  The trinity mixture contains bell pepper, whereas mirpois contains carrots
  9. Stir together, then add 1 tsp of salt and 2 cloves of minced garlic
  10. Stir 15 seconds, then add 2 C chicken stock, 1 can of crushed tomato, 2 strips of (whole) bacon, 1 TBL Worcestershire and 1 bay leaf.
  11. Mix to combine, then nestle chops back into the pot, cover and cook at 350º for 60 minutes.
  12. Meanwhile, make your white rice
  13. After one hour, remove bay leaf and bacon and add a dash of Tabasco
  14. Serve on white rice and garnish with scallions.

Green Tomatoes – COLLECTION INDEX

In Phoenix, you can garden year-round.  If you get tomatoes in early enough in the fall, you can get another harvest in.  If you are a bit late, you wind up with three large bowls of green tomatoes!  Here is what I did with them.

PRINTABLE GREEN TOMATOES GARDEN CLUB HANDOUT

Green Tomato Casserole

Green Tomato Quick-bread

Green Tomato Ketchup

#########

Frozen chopped Green Tomatoes – ****

Classic Pickled Green Tomato – Martha Stewart –

Green Tomato Bread – Suggests frozen chopped green tomatoes – *****

Fire Roasted Green Salsa – Latina Mama Rama – ****

Amish Green Tomato Relish – Sandra Jones – ***

Scalloped Green Tomatoes – Martha Stewart – ***

Green Tomato Mincemeat – Recipe Curio – **

Green Tomato Mincemeat – Food.com – ***

Grandma’s Fried Green Tomatoes – Delishably.com – **

Green Tomato Pie – Taste of Home – *

Notes:

  • Use Green Tomato Pie to create Green Tomato Tartlets using Puff Pastry
  • Green tomatoes WILL eventually ripen.  They will not have the full flavor of a vine-ripened tomato, but will be just as good as supermarker ‘maters.  This can take anywhere from one to five weeks.  You can speed up the ripening process by putting them in a paper bag with a banana.  The ethylene gas (a natural growth hormone) from the banana will speed the tomato ripening process.
  • Shop locally and seasonally.  Buy firm but not mushy.  Don’t refrigerate or it will kill the flavor.

 

Green Tomato Chutney

This recipe is for canning salsa for future use or making enough to take to a potluck.   Canning is not that difficult as long as you invest in quality canning jars and lids (a total of about $15).  You don’t even need a large canning pot, as long as you have a deep-sided spaghetti pot.

Ingredients
Yield 10 pint jars

  • 4 C chopped green tomato
  • 1 C chopped onion
  • 1 chopped bell pepper
  • 2 chopped jalapeno peppers
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 TBL salt
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 C minced cilantro
  • 1/2 C chopped raisins
  • 1/2 C chopped apple
  • 1/4 C muscovado or turbinado sugar
  • 2 C apple cider vinegar
  1. Blacken jalapenos, sweat, and remove skin
    • Chop all outside skin, but not seeds or stem
  2. Put chopped bell pepper, chopped onion and chopped green tomatoes in a skilet and heat just until onion is barely softened
  3. Mix together to use over the next month. 
    • OPT:  Heat to near boiling and then process in water bath for 20 minutes to can.  Canned jars will keep until next season.

Ghee – aka – Clarified Butter

  1. Heat butter in a sauce pan at medium low heat.  DO NOT STIR.
  2. Once it has completely melted, let rest a few minutes
    – During this time the solids will precipitate to the bottom of the liquid
  3. Skim off any foam that has formed on top.
  4. You now have clarified butter
  5. Keep cooking until the solids in the bottom begin to turn brown
  6. You now have ghee
  7. Carefully pour off the ghee, leaving the solids behind.
  8. Ideally, pour it through cheesecloth for even cleaner ghee

This will give a cleaner taste to whatever you are cooking.  It is also less likely to burn.  Just a dash of EVOO will also help inhibit burning.  If you are a purist, pour the butter through cheesecloth.

Appetizer Trays

I was asked to create appetizers for my son and daughter’s wedding. Here they are:

Appetizer
Cream Cheese with different jellies and marmalade.  Pizza pieces with different toppings.
Appetizer
Misc dips for the veggies
Appetizer
Cheese and meat skewers, veggie tray, garlic toasts and misc crostini
Appetizer
Cream cheese and chiltipen and thai chili peppers
Appetizer
Tea cucumber sandwiches – darker with cayenne.
Appetizer
More tea sandwiches, and pizza with misc toppings.
Appetizer
Misc crostini with cheese, meat and veggies toppings, caprese, veggie tray.
Appetizer
Small veggie tray, pretzels, cucumber sandwiches and ???
Appetizer
Misc crostini with cheese, meat and veggie toppings, caprese and garlic toast

Chicken Fried Steak

INGREDIENTS

PER PERSON

  • 1 cubed steak per person – about 4-6 oz
  • flour
  • 1 egg – beaten
  • panko bread crumbs or crushed potato chips

STEP BY STEP

  1. pound cube steak until it is about 1/4 inch thick overall
  2. dredge in flour, then in egg, then in flour again, then egg, then flour
    alternately panko for third dredge
  3. fry at 375-400º for about 90 seconds per side
  4. Serve with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables

 

Spanikopita

It is actually quite time consuming to make your own phylo dough, so don’t hesitate to buy it frozen in the store.  Make sure the phylo is NOT crumbly.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 box phylo dough
    SPINACH MIXTURE
  • feta cheese – made with sheep or goat milk NOT cow milk
    buy a block and crumble it
  • Mix in a sweet onion sliced just as thinly as possible
  • Mix with EVOO, mushrooms, chives, zucchini, basil, parm cheese
  • Fresh spinach – NOT frozen

STEP BY STEP

  1. De stem FRESH spinach and give it a rough chop
  2. Mix in with everything else
  3. In a heavily greased cake pan lay down about ten sheets of phylo dough
  4. Divide your spinach mixture into fourths
  5. Spread 1/4 of your mixture onto the phylo
  6. Add 3-5 sheets of dough and another 1/4 spinach
  7. Repeat two more times until your spinach is all used up
  8. Finish with about 8 sheets of phylo dough on the top
  9. Butter the top heavily and tuck in the edges
  10. Bake it at 350º for an hour
  11. Let it cool a bit (or it will fall apart) and then loosen up the edges and the bottom
  12. Invert it onto a baking sheet and remove the cake pan
    – The bottom will become the top
  13. Cut it into half, and then into triangles

Serve with a village salad of tomato, zucchini, black olives, cucumber slices, oregano and lemon all tossed in a bit of EVOO

 

Sweet Potato Pie

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 steamed medium sized sweet potatoes (cubed and steamed 20 minutes) 25-30 oz – Remove the flesh from the potatoes – do not use the skin for pie
  • 6 TBL softened butter or half lard, half butter
  • 1/2 C sweet condensed milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 egg yolks & 2 eggs – beaten
  • Seasoning
    • 1 tsp CinnaSugar
    • 1/2 tsp ground or grated ginger
    • 1/2 C granulated white sugar
    • 1/2 C brown sugar
    • scant allspice
    • salt
  • candied pecans or walnuts – lightly crushed (or into pie shell)
  • juice and zest from 1 orange or lemon

STEP BY STEP

  1. Mix everything in a food processor
  2. Pour into an uncooked 9″ pie shell (prepared or see below)
  3. Sprinkle crushed pecans or walnuts over top
  4. Drizzle with warm maple syrup
  5. Bake on bottom rack at 325º for 50 minutes
  6. Internal temp should be 160-180º :: ideally 170º
  7. Wait one hour to slice

Serve with whipped maple topping

  1. 1 C heavy whipping cream
  2. 1/4 C confectioner sugar
  3. 2 TBL maple syrup

Crust

  • 1 C AP flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 C chopped pecans
  • 1/2 C shortening
    • Cut  together till it is mostly pebbled
  • 1/4 C ice water
  • Cut together with knives or similar, don’t use your fingers – it’s important to keep the crust cold
  • Roll or press into a pan
  • Prick bottom with a fork, and prebake for 10 minutes @ 400º

Chicken Paillard Sandwich

Paillard means that it is flat because you have pounded the heck out of it with either a meat seasoning hammer or a small cast iron skillet. The reason for flattening the chicken breast is that it will cook more quickly and it will cook evenly.

INGREDIENTS

  • Chicken Breast – Lightly oiled
  • 1 TBL EVOO
    MARINADE – MIX IN A BOWL THE FOLLOWING:
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 TBL Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 TBL vinegar
  • 2 TBL soy sauce
  • 2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
  • 1 TBL granulated sugar
  • 1/4 grated onion

STEP BY STEP

  1. Start in the morning
  2. Lightly oil chicken breast
  3. Put into a heavy duty baggie
  4. Pound with a meat hammer or cast iron skillet or soup can till about 1/4 in thickness
  5. Put into a new baggie (or bowl) and cover with marinade
  6. Agitate about every two hours
  7. After 6-8 hours, pat the chicken lightly with paper towel and discard the marinate.  It can go down the garbage disposal.
  8. Put a few drops of olive oil on a skillet, and turn it to medium heat.
  9. Once the oil starts smoking slightly, sear the chicken in a hot skillet
  10. This will only take about 3 minutes on the first side, and 2 minutes on the second side.
  11. Serve on flatbread or a bun or bread with mayo, lettuce and tomato

Alternately, after Step 7 you can dip the breast in egg and then in bread crumbs.  This will make more of a steak that you can serve flat on a plate with vegetables and mashed potatoes on the side.

 

Sweet Potato Gnocci

Any potato can be used, but the sweet potato has a deeper flavor than white.

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 Peeled and boiled sweet potatoes
  • 1/4 C cane syrup
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp alspice
  • 1/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 C ricotta – drained and set onto a paper towel
  • salt
  • white pepper
  • 2 C AP flour
  • 2 TBL EVOO

STEP BY STEP

  1. Put all into a food processor
  2. Have a container of chicken broth available
  3. Process ingredients drizzling in broth until the dough comes together into a ball
  4. Remove it to a floured surface and finish by hand
  5. Roll into a thick rope
  6. Cut off pieces about the size of a golf ball
  7. Roll into a thinner rope about the diameter of your thumb
  8. Use a bench knife and cut off one inch pieces
  9. Using a fork, press and roll creating the traditional gnocci groves
  10. In water that is at a light boil, drop in about 8 at a time
  11. Let them cook until they start to float to the surface (2-5 minutes depending on size)
  12. Remove them and set onto a paper towel

CREATE YOUR BROWN BUTTER SAUCE

  1. Put a stick of butter into a skillet over medium heat
  2. Add a bit of sage, parsley and oregano
  3. Once completely melted, add 1 TBL of EVOO
  4. When it starts to brown (first around the edges) add your gnocci
  5. Cook and toss until well covered.
  6. DO NOT LET YOUR BUTTER BLACKEN or it will turn bitter and ruin the dish
  7. Serve on a plate topped with crumbled feta cheese

 

 

Pitas from Scratch

INGREDIENTS


  • 1 C whole wheat flour
  • 2 C bread flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp instant yeast
  • 
1 C lukewarm water
  • 1/4 C yogurt
  • 2 TBL olive oil
  • 2 tsp sugar
    TOPPING FOR FINAL RISE (Step 7)
  • 1 TBL olive oil to coat bowl
  • 1 TBL coarse salt

STEP BY STEP

  1. Mix and knead the dough ingredients for at least 5 minutes together to make a soft, smooth very slightly sticky dough.
  2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 60-90 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
  3. Preheat the oven to 500°F, with a baking stone on the middle rack.
  4. Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces, and shape each into a ball.
  5. Cover, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, and let rest for 10 minutes.
  6. Roll balls into 6″ flattened circles and cover with a damp cloth to rest for 10 more minutes.
  7. Place pitas on the hot stone.
  8. Bake for 3-4 minutes, until puffy. Turn them over, and bake for one more minute.  The key is to set the top and bottom so the inside has a chance to expand.
  9. Remove from the oven, and place on a rack to cool.
  10. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
  11. Once the pitas are cool, separate the two sides of each to make 16 thin rounds. These will become your pitas.
  12. Brush rough side with oil or butter, and sprinkle with salt

Skim Milk to FATTED Milk

This was posted by Karl S (from Boston) on Chowhound.

This is my conversion chart I’ve posted a few times here:

Add the following to 1 cup of skim milk to approximate 1 cup of

1% milk

  • 1.5 t heavy cream = 1% milk
  • 1 T light cream = 1% milk
  • 2 T half & half = 1% milk

2% milk

  • 1 T heavy cream = 2% milk
  • 3 T half & half = 2% milk
  • 1 T 2t light cream = 2% milk

whole milk

  • 3 T light cream = whole milk
  • 4 T half & half = whole milk
  • 2 T heavy cream = whole milk

Half and Half

  • 5 T 1t heavy cream = half-&-half
  • 5 oz light cream = half-&-half

Light Cream

9 T heavy cream = light cream

 

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