Gâteau Anna

A Pear and Apple Cake

This recipe came from the Capital Times, a Madison, WI, daily newspaper, in the early 1980’s.  It was the first cake I ever tried making.

2 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup all purpose flour
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (softened)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and sliced thin
2 pears, peeled and sliced thin (not too ripe; not too firm)
1-1/2 tablespoons light rum
1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder
powdered sugar

In a bowl, beat 2 large eggs (using an electric mixer) with ¾ cup sugar until the mixture is light and lemon colored.  Add flour, butter, salt and baking powder; mix well.  Add the rum and mix.  Stir in apples and pears.  Spoon the batter the batter into a well-butter and sugared 9-inch springform pan, 2-inches deep, and bake it in a preheated moderately slow over (350 degrees F.) for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Transfer the cake to a rack and let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes.  (Note:  Best if served the same day as baked, otherwise the crisp edges soften.)

The Great Sausage Making Adventure of 2010

Above, home made Chaurice sausages.

The idea of making sausage has been floating around in my head for several years. In September, Carolyn and I had a pizza at a restaurant called Mojo Tapas in St. Louis, MO that had a chorizo sausage that was excellent.  I finally decided it was time that I made some sausage.  Fortunately, I had Carolyn to help.  I think this would be difficult, if not impossible to do alone.

Our project was hampered by the fact that we do not own a meat grinder with a sausage stuffing tube attachment.  Nor do we have the meat grinding attachment for the KitchenAid stand mixer.  Our only alternative was to have a butcher grind the meat for us.  Besides, we needed to buy hog casings anyway, so we headed to Zier’s Prime Meats in Wilmette. We bought a nearly 5 pound chunk of pork shoulder.  The butcher ground it to a consistency equal to typical ground beef used for hamburger.
The second problem, because we did not have the proper equipment, was how to stuff the ground meat into the hog casings.  I had researched sausage-making on the internet and found recommendations to use a cake decoration piping bag.  We happened to have several of these.

Finding recipes was easy (internet).  I realized that I could divide the ground pork and mix it with different herbs and spices to make several different types of sausage.  I decided on Italian Sausage, Spanish Chorizo, and a Creole sausage called Chaurice (which I had never had before).  I didn’t follow the recipes exactly, but rather, determined the proportions of herbs and spices based on a number of recipes.  Not exactly intuition . . . but guessing.

 
Above, hog casing soaking in water.  The casing comes on a strip of plastic to keep it organized.

The hog casing comes salted and has to be washed and soaked for 15 minutes in lukewarm (not hot) water.  (Don’t over soak).  Using the piping bag, with the largest tip we own, we made several Italian sausages. But it was difficult and the piping bag split.  The tip burst out of the next bag and we were frustrated, but Carolyn had the inspiration to try using her cookie press.  It worked like a charm.  We had some leftovers from stuffing and friend them up, right there and then, to sample the sausage. Of the three sausages we made, I liked the Chorizo; Carolyn preferred the Chaurice.  Unfortunately, the Italian was too salty (I reduced the salt by half in the recipe below).  The sausage turned out far better than expected.  Despite all the work and frustration, dare I say it . . . it was worth it.  The sausage tasted better and had a better consistency than any sausage we’ve had in a restaurant or bought at the grocery store.  Now I’m dreaming about bratwurst and Polish sausage!   --jb  December 30, 2010


Above:  I labeled the spices with a water based pen to keep track which was which

Note:  The hog casing broke several times.  I think that’s normal.  I think that the thickness of the casing is not perfectly consistent; it’s weak in places.  Simply take the meat and put it back into the stuffer
.
Spanish Chorizo
 
I read that Spanish Chorizo, made in Spain, is air-cured for up to four months in special high-ceilinged rooms. Some chorizo is smoked; some is not. This recipe does not call for smoking, but because it includes smoked paprika, the sausage has a smoky flavor that is not overpowering.  I didn’t have Aleppo pepper, so I took advice I found on the internet to substitute it with a 4 to 1 mixture of sweet Hungarian paprika and cayenne pepper.

Mix the first six ingredients together:

• Coarse salt: 2 teaspoons
• Garlic:  1/2 teaspoon
• Ground nutmeg: 3/4 teaspoon
• Brown sugar: 1 tablespoon
• Smoked paprika : 1 tablespoon
• Aleppo pepper substitute:  1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika plus ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Ground pork: 2 lb.

I spread the ground pork on a large cutting board to an even thickness of about 3/8” and evenly distributed the spices.  Then I turned half of the meat over on to the other half and used my fingers to massage the meat to thoroughly distribute the spices.  Lastly, fill casings.  Push the meat through the casing so you have about 2 inches of casing to tie off the end.  Next, cut the casing at the other end, several inches past the meat, so you have another loose end with which to tie.  Squeeze the meat toward the first tied end before tying the other end.


Above:  Ground pork spread just before applying the seasonings.

Chaurice (Creole Pork Sausage) 

• Ground pork: 2 lb.
• Salt: 2 teaspoons
• Ground cayenne: 1/8 teaspoon
• Powdered thyme: 1/2 teaspoon
• Chili powder: 2 teaspoons
• Hungarian sweet paprika: 1 tablespoon
• Ground black pepper: 3/4 teaspoon
• Onion powder: 1 teaspoon
• Garlic powder: 3/4 teaspoon
• Allspice: ¼ teaspoon
• Cumin: 1-1/2 teaspoons

 Italian Sausage 

• Ground pork: 2 lb.
• Salt: 2 teaspoon
• Black pepper (ground):  1-1/2 teaspoos
• Fennel seeds: 2 tablespoons
• Optional:  Crush red pepper flakes: 1/2 teaspoon (or as you like)

12-30-12 Update:  I adjusted the Italian Sausage recipe (above) with more salt and fennel than the initial recipe. Now it's perfect!  -jb

Cranberry Relish

12 ounces fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup dried cherries
4 tablespoons Grand Marnier
2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Wash cranberries and combine in a heavy saucepan with sugar, water and orange juice.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat and cook at a gentle boil until cranberries begin to pop.

Remove from heat and stir in the cherries and Grand Marnier.  Chill for up to a week.  Stir in pecans just before serving.

8 to 10 servings

Kolaczki

 

1 lb. salted butter, softened (see note 1)
6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Fruit filling (such as Solo brand apricot, raspberry, etc.)
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Using a mixer, whip butter and cream cheese together.  Sift flour and baking powder into the butter/cheese mixture.  Divide the dough into two balls.  Roll out to 1/8" thickness.  Cut into rounds with the open end of a glass and place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center.  Fold two edges together and pinch.

Bake for 12 minutes.  After cookies cool, dust with powdered sugar.

Note 1:  Or use unsalted butter and add 1 teaspoon salt

Carolyn’s Holiday Sweet Potatoes

Christmas dinner isn’t dinner without Carolyn’s signature sweet potatoes.

6 medium sweet potatoes (Garnet variety if available)
1/2 stick of butter plus one tablespoon
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
salt
2 tablespoons Cointreau or Gran Marnier
2 cups mini-marshmallows

Wash potatoes and cut off the ends.  Cook in oven at 350 degrees until soft; about one hour.  You can cook them in a microwave if preferred. Cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cut potatoes into 1/2" thick slices and arrange the rounds in a buttered baking dish so that each round overlaps it's neighbor.

In a sauce pan, melt 1/2 stick butter.  Add sugar and dissolve.  Add orange juice and liquor and stir.  Drizzle over the potatoes.  Dot potatoes with remaining butter and sprinkle with some salt.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Add the marshmallows and broil for 2 minutes, until browned and soft.

Ptaszki (Translation: Little Birds)

Also known, inelegantly but popularly, as Christmas Pork Rolls.  First prepared in 1982 while learning to cook and living in Madison, WI.  -jb

2 large pork tenderloins (will make approximately 20-26 ptaski)
   (tip: buy trimmed tenderloins; cost more but save time)
Bacon, cut strips in half, cross-wise
Green peppers, cleaned and sliced into ½” wide pieces
Onions, sliced into thick ¾” wide pieces
Pickles (Vlassic brand Polish style), spears, cut lengthwise in half and ends trimmed to 4” long (but reserve the pickle juice)
Hungarian Paprika
Salt
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder (see note 1)
Olive Oil
Reserved pickle juice
2 Knorr’s vegetable bullions

Special tools:
Waxed paper
Kitchen mallet
Spray bottle with tap water
large nylon cutting board
round toothpicks
two oven-proof 12” skillets (or work in two stages with one skillet and an oven-proof baking dish) 

Preparation:  Spread waxed paper over a 2’x4’ section of the kitchen counter.  You will be laying out the flattened medallions of pork on this area.  Spray the area with water and keep it moist to prevent the meat from sticking to the waxed paper. Also, cut off a dozen or more sections of waxed paper, 10” long.  You will use these to cover the meat as you pound it flat.  This minimizes splatter of small bits of meat.

Trim off any excess fat from the tenderloin. Cross cut the tenderloin on a slight diagonal, into 1” to 1¼” thick medallions.  Each tenderloin will yield about 12 medallions.

Spray the cutting board with water.  Place a medallion of pork on the cutting board and spray with water.  You want to keep the meat very moist as you work.  Cover the medallion with a piece of waxed paper and pound with the smooth side of the mallet. Carefully pound the medallion until very thin; about the thickness of shirtbox cardboard.  The resulting piece will be about 4” x 7”.  Spray the waxed paper layout area with water and set the meat, flat, on the wet surface.  Repeat until all the medallions are flattened and arranged in rows on the waxed paper.  Remember to spray often as you work to keep the meat moist.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sprinkle the meet with about 2-3 pinches of salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.  Place a slice of bacon over the each piece of meat.  Place a piece of green pepper, pickle and onion at the end closest to you, perpendicular to the length of the meat.  Have toothpicks ready.  Roll the meat, starting at the end with the green pepper-pickle-onion and spear with one or two toothpicks to hold the roll together.  Place on a plate to free up work space.  Repeat the instructions with the second tenderloin. 

Pour 5-6 tablespoons of oil into a 12” skillet, turn up heat to medium high and add ptaszki  to fill the skillet in one layer.  Brown on all sides (as best you can; the toothpicks are in the way).  If your skillet is not oven-proof, place the browned ptaszki into a large oven-proof baking dish.  Brown the remainder of ptaszki until all are browned.  Add 1/3 cup of pickle juice and sprinkle the rolls with a little Paprika.  Cover with aluminum foil and place into the oven.  Bake for 1-1/2 hours.

Gravy:  Pour the liquid from the baking dish into a skillet and add about ½ cup of water.  In a cup, add 2 tablespoons of flour and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 3 tablespoons of cold water.  Mix thoroughly until smooth.  Set aside.  Add the Knorr’s vegetable bullion in the pan and dissolve, breaking it up with the back of a spatula.  Add black pepper, to taste.  Add the flour-water mixture and stir constantly while cooking over a moderate heat until thickened.  Season with salt, to taste.

Above, cutting medallions from a piece of tenderloin

Above, a medallion covered with a piece of waxed paper

A flattened medallion

All ingredients applied and ready to be rolled up.

Ptaszki, ready to be browned.

Browning in a cast iron skillet

Green Beans

Cooking green beans, you might think, is to simple to warrant a post, but this post is more than simply cooking instructions.

When I was growing up my mother served green beans often.  I didn’t particularly like them.  They were bland, soft and tasteless.  They came from a can.

Green beans are easy to grow in your yard or even in a container, although a single bush would probably only produce a handful of beans.   There are pole beans (i.e. a vine that needs to be supported by a pole of some kind) and bush beans.   Purple green beans are fun because, well . . . they’re purple.  When you cook them, unfortunately, they turn green. 

The typical green beans found in supermarkets, called string beans, are larger and thicker than the French Haricot vert beans.  They also tend to curl, whereas the French beans are elegantly straight.  The French beans do have a slightly different taste, but it’s a subtle difference. I prefer the haricot verts for aesthetic reasons, although both varieties are good to eat.

There are a dozen ways to cook green beans.  Here’s how I prepare them:  I bring some water to a boil and then place the basket with trimmed beans into the pot and immediately cover it.  I reduce the heat to a moderate heat and steam them for about 6 minutes ; until they are al dente.  It’s good to check tenderness with a fork because there is nothing worse than overcooked green beans.  Once they are cooked, I quickly dump out the water and put the beans into the pot.  I salt them with coarse ground salt and grind some black pepper over them and then  pour a tablespoon of olive oil into the pan and shake it all about.  The oil helps the salt and pepper to stick to the beans.

Note:  I trim the stem end of beans, but leave the other end alone.  Those little tails are too cute to cut.

Grilled Salmon Steaks with Peach and Mustard Glaze

Grilled salmon is simple to cook and is elegant to serve.  It’s a dish that you can prepare for guests quickly, without having to disappear into the kitchen for 30 minutes because the marinade is made earlier in the day or the night before.

1/3 cup peach marmalade
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cream sherry
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 T ginger powder (shaved and chopped fresh ginger would be ideal)
2 T honey
4 to 8 (8-ounce) salmon fillets

1. Combine first 6 ingredients.   Heat in a saucepan and stir well to mix the ingredient.

2.  Cut the salmon filet into individual steaks.

3.  Place the cooled glaze into a large Ziplock bag with the salmon.  If you have time, seal and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Drink some cream sherry while waiting.  If you are really planning ahead, do this the night before and refrigerate overnight.

4. Preheat grill for 10 minutes on high.  Place salmon on grill and cook for about 6-7 minutes (uncovered).  Reserve the marinade.  Using a wide metal spatula, turn the steaks once and cook an additional 4 minutes.

Serve  on hot plates and liberally spoon the marinade over each steak.  Garnish with a slice of lemon and a spring of rosemary to dress it up.  Nicely accompanied by green beans and oven roasted potatoes.  Or rice.  Or couscous.  Or whatever you like. 

Notes

1.   Feel free to substitute orange marmalade.

2.  We generally buy the Farm Raised Atlantic Salmon, boneless & skinless, at Costco. 

3.  There are health benefits to eating salmon, but also risks.  Read the following article to be informed.

Wild vs. Farmed Salmon, The Pros And Cons

By Joseph Schwartz
bjs54@cornell.edu
Cornell University News Service
http://www.news.cornell.edu

On the one hand, farmed salmon has more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than wild salmon. On the other hand, it also tends to have much higher levels of chemical contaminants that are known to cause cancer, memory impairment and neurobehavioral changes in children. What's a consumer to do?

In general, a new study shows that the net benefits of eating wild Pacific salmon outweigh those of eating farmed Atlantic salmon, when the risks of chemical contaminants are considered, although there are important regional differences.

Those are the conclusions of Barbara Knuth, Cornell professor of natural resources who specializes in risk management associated with chemical contaminants in fish, and Steven Schwager, Cornell associate professor of biological statistics and computational biology and an expert in sampling design and statistical analysis of comparative data. The two have co-authored a benefit-risk analysis of eating farmed versus wild salmon in the Journal of Nutrition (November, Vol. 135).

Read the rest of this article here: 

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/35370.php

Onion Burger

Rachel stay with us for the first time this weekend and we had a terrific time.  We met Natalie for lunch at Irazu, on Milwaukee Avenue, near Western.  Afterwards we went to Grant Park, planning to visit the Field Museum.  We arrived at 4:10 and learned that the last admittance was at 4:00 (!), so we went to see "The Bean."  Dinner at Mista Pizza.  Sunday morning Rachel help make a surprize breakfast for Carolyn (blueberry pancakes).  After breakfast we embarked on a bike ride through the NU campus.  It was hot!  And humid.  We turned on the lawn sprinkler for Rachel to cool off.  After lunch we went to visit Rachel's great grandmother.  We returned in time to make dinner, which consisted of an onion hamburger.  This was a first try, but everyone gave it a two thumbs up.

1 lb. ground beef, 7% fat
1.3 lb. ground beef, 20% fat
2 large onions, diced
Dubliner Irish cheese, diced into 1/4 inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a 12" skillet; spread to cover pan.  Set heat at medium high; add the diced onions and 2 tablespoons water.  Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes.  Stir, add another 2 tablespoons of water, cover and continue to cook.  Repeat for one hour.  Caramelize the onions; don't burn them.

Mix the beef together with the salt and cheese.  Add the caramelized onions and mix thoroughly.  The mixture will be fairly wet; not like a standard hamburger.  Form balls and squash into patty shape.  Grill on high heat; flip when underside is well cooked.  Serve on a toasted bun.

Mediterranean Style Skillet Potatoes

Paul and Tom joined us at Killasonna Lodge last weekend (Memorial Day Weekend).  They really liked the potatoes, which I made to accompany the Frittata B for breakfast.  They also liked the “HomeWare” outfits that we brought for them from Adriana’s atelier in Buenos Aires. 

Potatoes
Olive Oil
Ham (preferably a honey ham), diced (optional)
Salt
Black pepper
Oregano
Thyme
Basil
Paprika
Hot pepper flakes (optional)

Bake or microwave potatoes; cool; slice into 1/4" thick rounds. Dice the (optional) ham.

Arrange the potato rounds on a cutting board and generously sprinkle with salt, pepper and spices (easy on the paprika).
Pour about 1/4 cup of olive oil into a skillet and turn the heat to medium high.
Place the rounds into the skillet, seasoned side facing skillet.  While browning, season the clean side generously with more salt, pepper and spices. Flip occasionaly so everything gets nicely browned.
Once browned, push the potatoes to one side of the skill and add the ham.  Use a spatula to turn the ham so it gets thoroughly coated with the oil and seasonings.

Note 1:  The potatoes soak up the oil, so add a little bit at a time, as needed, but be careful; you don't want the potatoes to be oily.
Note 2:  Be generous with the oregano, thyme and basil. 

Frittata B

Sunday, June 29, 2008. Carolyn and I started the weekend by taking Natalie, Julia, Elliot and Zoe to dinner at Sabor a Café on Friday night. Yesterday we did at a road trip, of shorts, to Madison, WI to attend Tom’s 60^th birthday party (see photo below). We awoke with the alarm clock set to nine. Glorious!  I made breakfast a little after two in the afternoon and it turned out perfect. I had been trying to make a frittata for years without scorching the eggs and always failed. This time it worked; miraculously and perfectly. I think adding water did the trick, combined with cooking over a moderate, somewhat low, heat. –jb

6 large eggs
1/3 teaspoon salt
Generous sprinkling of thyme leaves
¼ teaspoon crush red pepper flakes
¼ cup water
Olives (Provencal, if possible), without pits (about ¼ cup)
2 tablespoon Giardinara
Brie, cut into ten ¾” pieces
Gorogonzola, broken into 10 small pieces
Spray canola oil
10 cherry tomatoes

Spray a 12” skillet with three short bursts of oil.  Heat the skillet on low heat for several minutes.

Mix the eggs, salt and water well and pour into the skillet.  Place olives and small dollops of giardinera into the eggs, followed by the cheese and tomatoes, distributed somewhat evenly.  Sprinkle with thyme.  Cover and cook over slightly less than medium heat for about 8-10 minutes; until done.  Be careful not to scorch the eggs (i.e. the dreaded light brown crust under the frittata). If done correctly, the entire thing will slide out of the skillet in one large piece. Serve with toast and jam.

Note 1:  I have made this with a variety of adjustments.  Sometimes with olive tampenade substituting for the olives and giardinera, sometimes without Brie.  Add or subtract as you like, just be sure to cook slowly.  i.e. just below medium, covered.

Note 2:  What’s the difference between an omelets and a frittata?  On omelets is folded; a frittata’s ingredients are combined with the eggs.

Alfajores de maicena

Sofia (Maria’s daughter) shared this recipe when we visited in Magnolia Hotel in May, 2010.  The cookies are made from cornstarch, not flour. 

150 gr Butter
150 gr powdered sugar
3 egg yolks
500 gr  maicena (cornstarch)
10 gr baking powder
Vanilla
Dulce de leche repostero
Shredded coconut

Mix butter and sugar in processor for 5 minutes until smooth
Add 3 egg yolks, one at a time, and process
Add baking powder; process
Add vanilla; process
Wrap in plastic and allow to chill in refrigerator
Roll out and cut into circles with a shot glass
Bake at 180 deg. C for 10-12 minutes
Smear with dulce de leche
Coat edges with coconut

Mussels Provençal

Last Saturday, May 15, 2010, Carolyn, Julia and I had lunch at El Obrero, a well known and well regarded “bogedone” in the La Boca barrio of Buenos Aires.  The restaurant is well off the beaten path, in a somewhat seedy neighborhood containing many industrial buildings, stray dogs and little street life.  The sidewalks in this area are unusual, abruptly changing elevation that presumably is meant to protect the buildings against flooding from the nearby river (see photo below).  Note that there are no guard rails at the top of the elevated sidewalks.  The restaurant, which dates back to 1954, is popular and crowded. The food and service were excellent.  Here, Carolyn and I introduced Julia to mejillones a la provençal (mussels provencal).  Following is my interpretation, which I developed after a trip to France in 2000.  Extremely simple, but totally satisfying.  -jb

2 lbs. mussels, cleaned and debearded
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 cup white wine
¼ teaspoon celery seed
salt and black pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 medium/large tomato, diced

In a Dutch oven, cook the onions and garlic in the olive oil for 10 minutes over a medium heat.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 5 minutes.  The heat to boiling and add the mussels, cover and reduce heat to medium.  Cook about 8 minutes or until all the mussels have opened.  Discard any mussels that remain closed.  Serve with bread and white wine.

first prepared June 29, 2000

At El Obrero, located at Augustin R. Caffarena 64

Lemon Marmalade

 

TJ Max has a section with various condiments, jams, etc.  Although I am suspicious of how long they have been there, I couldn’t pass up a jar labeled Sicilian Lemon.  It was love at first bite, but once the jar was empty I couldn’t find a replacement.  I decided to make my own and was rewarded with success on my first try.  The marmalade is wonderfully tart.  Best, of course, on fresh croissants (because they are packed with butter).

Don’t use this recipe to make marmalade from non-acidic fruits!

5 lemons
5 cups water
4 cups sugar

6 small Mason jars with rings and lids
Optional (but extremely helpful):  Funnel sized for processing marmalade
Tongs

Day 1:  Fill a bowl with 5 cups of water.  Slice four (4) of the lemons into paper thin slices, removing seeds as you go.   Chop slices so you don't have long pieces.  Cover and refrigerate 24 hours.

Day 2:  Place the contents of the bowl into a pot, bring to a boil and reduce heat to just below the boiling point.  Cook for 20 minutes.  Pour back into the bowl and allow to cool.  Cover and refrigerate 24 hours.

Day 3:  Place the contents of the bowl into a pot.  Bring to a low boil and add 4 cups of sugar.  Continue to boil for 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, fill another deep pot with water, add the glass Mason jars, and bring to a slow boil.  Wash the lids and rings in hot, soapy water.  Rinse well and place on a clean paper towel.  Five minutes before removing from heat, add the juice of one lemon and stir. Next, fill each jar with marmalade to within 1/4” of the top of the jar; no more/no less.  Using a clean, wet paper towel, clean off any marmalade from the top edge of the jars.  Apply the lids and screw on the rings.  Tight, but not super tight.  Using tongs, place jars into the pot of boiling water and boil (“process”) for 10 full minutes.  Carefully remove from heat and drain most of the water into the sink.  Using a towel, remove the jars and place on a towel.  Allow to cool for 12-24 hours.  (After 24 hours, push on the lids.  They should not pop up and down.  If they do, discard.)  The jars will keep for up to one year without refrigeration.

Note 1:  The second time I made the marmalade I used lemons that had been sitting on the table for a couple of weeks and had softened.  The marmalade set up much better than the first time, when I used just bought firm lemons.

Note 2:  The recipe made more than 6 jars of marmalade.  Place the extra in a jar or bowl, covered, and refrigerate right away.

Note 3:  I don’t know why, but no pectin is needed for this recipe.  At least I didn’t use any and it turned out great.

Video below emphasizes that the lemons must be sliced very thin:

Yield:  6 jars

The Birthday Granola

Natalie brought over some granola she made about a week ago.  It was supposed to be for Carolyn, but I must admit that I probably ate most of it.  I became addicted to it.  When my b-day rolled around she gave me a fresh batch and the recipe in the form of a card (below).  Not mention taking C and I out for dinner and some wine glass I.D. thing-a-ma-bobs.  Nice birthday!  The batch she made for my b-day was a bit more toasted than the first.  I like the toasty flavor.  I will be making this often!

Split Pea Soup

The  perfect use for a ham bone . . .

1-1/2 – 2 lbs. ham bone (or pork neck bones)
16 cups water
1 lb. split yellow peas
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced (or one teaspoon ground celery seed)
2 pcs. Knorr’s vegetable bullion
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 medium potatoes, cut into ¾” pieces
8 oz. cranberry sauce

Boil the bone(s) in the water for an hour. Remove bone(s) and discard. Strain liquid, if necessary, with a cheese cloth. Add the peas and allow to sit in the broth for 1 hour. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the cranberry sauce, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour. Add cranberry sauce and stir. Puree, in stages, in a blender or food processor. Serve with a crust white bread. (February 13, 1995)

Potato Pancakes (Placki kartoflane)

My mother made piles of potato pancakes when I was a kid.  She served them hot or room temperature.  The exact recipe remains a mystery because she didn’t follow a written recipe.  She simply threw everything together and made, the relatives all seemed to agree on this, the best “placki kartoflane” to be had.  The recipe below is based on her oral instructions.

8 medium potatoes
2 large eggs
12 tablespoons flour
2 medium onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
Canola oil
Butter

Grate the onions (or puree them in a machine) and add to a large mixing bowl with the salt and two eggs.  Mix well.  Grate the potatoes.  Add the potatoes and the flour to the bowl and mix well.

Place 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 or 3 pats of butter in a cast iron skillet.  Heat on high.  Add four dollops of the potato mixture and flatten.  When brown, flip and cook for about 4 or 5 minutes.  Remove to a hot plate and keep in a warming oven.  Add more oil and butter and make the next four pancakes.  Continue until all the mixture is used.  Serve immediately.

Poles usually serve potato pancakes with sour cream and/or apple sauce.

Roasted Chicken with 50 to 100 Cloves of Garlic

Serves 4

This recipe, I have read, comes from Provençal, however, like all old recipes, has many variations.  This chicken is roasted.  The garlic turns  mild and creamy after the long roasting. It may sound overpowering but the garlic cloves mellow and sweeten in the oven.

Note:  Option, if you don’t want to peel the garlic.  Separate cloves from garlic bulb, leaving peel intact. When you serve them, the creamy flesh will readily squeeze out from the skins.

Feel free to use as many cloves as you want because any leftover roasted garlic cloves can be peeled and used to make a simple garlic mayonnaise known as aïoli.

Note:  After the chicken is removed, you will have some remaining liquid.  Add enough cloves of garlic over cover the bottom of the roasting dish, add a bit more water (~1/3 cup), sprinkle with ~1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and roast for 1 hour at 325F.  Use as a spread on toast or mix into mashed potatoes.

50 to 100 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
3.5 lb whole chicken
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 cup white wine or water

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Peel the garlic.  Rub butter over outside of chicken and inside cavity; salt and pepper the skin and inside cavity.
Tie legs together with kitchen string.  Place the garlic cloves, in single layer, in medium baking dish and place chicken on the garlic.

Pour the water carefully into dish; roast, uncovered, brushing occasionally with pan juices, about 1 hour 30 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Stand chicken on platter, covered with foil, 15 minutes before serving.

Serving suggestions:  Oven Roasted Potatoes. 

Sliced chicken breast with pieces of garlic.

Garlic, roasted in the pan juices.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

 

Potatoes
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 400F.  Wash the potatoes and dry with a paper towel.  Microwave for 5 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool (cool enough to handle; about 20 minutes).

Pour some olive oil into a cast iron (or other oven proof skillet or dutch oven).  Pour some on your hand and coat each potato with oil.  Place in the skillet.  Place the skillet in the oven on an upper rack and roast for 40 minutes.