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RecipesHere are some of the great recipes that people have entered in years past |
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| Archie's MilSpec Salsa
This is to make a batch of Fresh Salsa Cruda. Collect the following: 6 fresh Pascilla peppers - not Anehiems. Open a beer. Use Pascilla chilies and a
couple of jalapenos. Pascillas are shortish, fattish, thick fleshed and
dark green. They have an excellent chili flavor. Peel them by
roasting under a broiler until the the skin blisters. A salamander is
the best. Don't over do it as the chili flesh will overcook and go
mushy. After roasting put 'em in a plastic bag for a while as it will
help loosen the skin. Peel off the skin, it does not have to be anywhere
near a perfect job. Gloves prevent later problems. When you wash
up, get under the finger nails. 1. THE CHOP. The size of the chop is important when it comes time to put it on a chip. If the pieces are too big then you can't get the whole range of ingredients on a single Tostitos. Also the chips will break while scooping. Too small is not visually appealing - The colors get submerged in red and a decent amount will not stay on the chip. It also loses that luxurious feel on the palate. De-stem the cilantro a bit and chop the leaves to release the flavor. A rough chop here so you can see it in the mix. Get a lot of the green parts of the scallions. 2. THE HEAT. Here you have to think about how many of the chili seeds ( where the majority of the heat resides ) you want as you are chopping. They will be mostly clustered right under the stem. Pascillas are medium to hot. Sometimes I also roast and throw in a couple of Jalapenos as boosters. Mad dogs use habaneros or scotch bonnets. The use of scotch bonnets will change the overall flavor and may cause a violent reaction among your soon to be former friends. Have that second beer in arms reach during the testing phase. Blood curdling screams are acceptable culinary observations. 3. THE SNAP. Cilantro is important. It has to be fresh NEVER dried. Don't be goosey about using it. The tomatillos are more subtle, but very important. 4. THE BALANCE. The onion, green onion, tomato, tomatillo ratio is something to fiddle with. Essentially we have tomato with onion salsa not onion with tomato. Garlic is good, however the desired effect is a Pascilla Chile/Cilantro dynamic in a tomato/onion base with helpers. Careful with salt. 5. THE CARRIER/BINDER. This is a problem. Your freshly assembled salsa will look great. It will look worse in an hour, "breaking," when the water comes out of the tomatoes. On the one hand the water looks bad and can cause the salsa to slide off the chip exactly one inch from the tip of your tongue and onto your shirt. Women wearing a decollage will be miffed, unless of course you are alone together and on good terms. On the other hand liquid is needed to suspend the 'stuff'. One way is to squeeze out the chopped tomatoes and substitute some thickish tomato juice. Also, tomato paste can be used for the same effect. Be careful with this part as too much TJ or paste can submerge the target flavors. Commercial outfits use thickeners and binders. A variation is to strongly de-water the salsa and serve it as relish or vegetable course with dinner. Great with a good steak! 6. Use a decent chip. Now you know why the stuff is expensive and tedious to make. In addition you know now why a chili loving society HAD to invent those roasters on the sides of the roads. A food processor is a must for any sort of scale production. 7. NO-NOs - Tabasco, black pepper or any other heating agent is an abomination unto the chili god (who, incidentally, lives in Hatch, New Mexico). Any sweet fruits or other veggies - Are there no purists anymore? Use PLAIN flour or corn chips - not potato chips. Do not let your salsa get warm without being eaten, the flavors will muddle. The difference is much like that between a good pickle and any other. 8. THE ADVENTURE CLUB. Leeks instead of
onions for that European twist. Use all jalapenos - this will be some
hot. Run it all through a vegetable liquifier for a refreshing summer
drink. 10. CANNING - As if for tomatoes. A little lemon juice on top helps preserve the color. It's not the same, but doing a hundred quarts at a time can get you through the winter.
Ginger's fresh Salsa |
Nona's Perugian Ravioli
(Umbrian Style) Filling 3/4 lb Ground Beef 1/2 lb Ground Pork 1/4 lb Ground Veal Olive oil 2 Eggs 1/3 cup of Bread Crumbs 1/2 cup imported Romano Cheese 3 tsp grated Lemon (or orange) Rind 1 Clove of Garlic Pepper 2 Packets of Frozen Spinach 1. Saute the garlic in olive oil, then add the meat and cook slowly. Set aside. 2. Separately cook spinach according to directions. 3. Drain spinach well and squeeze out remaining liquid 4. Mix spinach and meat in a bowl 5. Add beaten eggs. 6. Add cheese 7. Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of bread crumbs 8. Add 2 or 3 tsp grated Lemon Rind 9. Mix, and let stand covered overnight in the refrigerator Note if the consistency appears too dry add more eggs and olive oil, if too moist add more breadcrumbs Dough 3 1/2 cups of flour 3 Eggs (beaten) 1 tsp oil 2 tsp water Mix flour, eggs, water and oil in an electric mixer fitted with dough hooks Add additional water/oil as needed It's easiest to use a Pasta Machine to make Pasta 1/8 to 1/16 thick. Alternately, roll out two rectangular piece of dough about 1/8 to 1/16 thick, plop down some of the ravioli mix in a rectangular patter for 2" or 1-3/4 inch squares, lay the second sheet of pasta over the top, and cut apart the rectangles. There is a special rolling pin for this and there are corrugated cutters available that pinch the edges, but a knife and a fork for joining the edges is low tech and works. Boil in a large pot of water for about 4 minutes and drain. Any nice Italian sauce is good for pouring on top. Garnish with plenty of Basil.
Sandy's Mango Chutney This recipe makes quite a bit of Chutney. Collect the following: 15 Peaches 1. Wash and defuzz the peaches and chop into thumb sized pieces 2. Outsmart the Mangoes as follows. Along the seam side, cut around the pit to get a palm sized oval. Using the tip of your knife, cut the meat into 1/2 inch cubes like ice cubes. Pop the half inside out and nick off the cubes. Do the same to the second half and cut off any remainder from the pit. There's less mango to a mango than you would suppose. 3. Scoop out the seeds and chop the papayas. 4. Mix the fruit with 2 tablespoons of ginger, 1/4 cup of candied lemon peel, chopped pepper and onion, and add a cup of raisins. Cook in a pot with 3 cups of brown sugar and 3 cups of red wine vinegar. Add a teaspoon of turmeric, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of cumin, and a teaspoon of curry. When the mixture begins to boil add a spice bag made of 2 cinnamon sticks, 20 whole cloves, and a teaspoon of coriander seeds. Simmer for 20 minutes and then remove the spice bag.
I like this best with curried lamb and rice. Good side dishes are fresh pineapple, peanuts, shredded coconut, pickled watermelon, and some genuine Greek olives. The only hard part is finding the candied lemon peel. You can make it, but that's a whole different problem. I leave that for you to discover.
Chantel's Spring Snack Gather the following: 1. A bunch of Spring Onions Sauté the crushed garlic in a small frying pan. Slice or dice the potatoes, and add when the oil is hot. Cut the tomato and onions into thumb sized pieces and add to the mix just as the potatoes begin to soften. Salt and pepper to taste, then roll up in a fresh tortilla. Kiss somebody you like and tell them:
Pat's Dynamite Rice-Sausage Casserole Fry 1 lb. sausage drain off excess fat. Add 1/2cup
chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped green pepper, and 1 cup chopped celery.
Cook with
Page's Pico!! Mince or chop the tomatoes and onion into small cubes. If you want to skin the Jalepenos, hold them in a pair of pliers, and roast them over a burner, peel the skin, then chop into small pieces. The seeds have a lot of the heat, so remove the seeds if you don't like it really hot. Leave them in if you do! Put in a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix it up! Store in fridge! Great as a dip for tortilla chips. My husband loves it on his Huevos Rancheros. Fabulous on fajitas!! Great appetizer with chips to go with your favorite Margarita! Make the Margaritas by filling a glass
with ice, adding 1 1/2 ounces of Tequila, 1/2 ounce of Cointreau, half a
teaspoon of sugar, and reducing the whole thing to mush in a blender.
Salt the rims of the glasses. Drink four of these quickly.
Time to rock and roll! Anitha's Ridge Gourd Chutney Ridge gourd chutney:
Kathy's Zing Sauce
Michelle's Hot Dog "Relish" |
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sausage until tender, then add 1/2 cup uncooked rice, 1 can of cream of
mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cups of milk, and 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
(optional). In a casserole, bake closely covered for 50 minutes at 350
degrees, stirring occasionally, and bake 20 minutes longer uncovered.
