Hazelnut crackers

I created these crackers to go with quince paste and Spanish cheese.

HAZELNUT CRACKERS
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/2 tsp yeast
1/4 cup warmish water
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 & 1/2 cups flour
(I used 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 1/4 cup gluten flour, and 1/2 cup AP flour)
1/2 tsp. salt
6 T unsalted butter

· Slice the hazelnuts with a sharp knife.
· Toast the hazelnuts on a sheet in a 350° oven until slightly browned and fragrant.
· "Start" the yeast, sugar and the warm water in a cup.
· Whisk together the flours and the salt.
· Cut the butter into the flour, making a crumbly mixture; use fork, fingers, or food processor.
· Stir in the hazelnuts.
· Add the yeast-water a little at a time, until the dough just forms a ball.
· You may not need all the water, or you might need to add a little more.
· Divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces.
· Roll the dough out as thinly as possible on a floured surface. (for ease, roll on parchment.)
· Sprinkle sea salt on top. You could use water or egg wash to make it stick.
· Cut into cracker shapes. I used a ravioli wheel that has a curly edge.
· Prick the crackers all over with a fork.
· Place the crackers on a baking sheet and bake at 375° for about 10 minutes.
· Baking time might vary, based on the thickness of the crackers, etc.

Caribbean Spiced Nuts

1 envelope McCormicks Grill Mates "Spicy Caribbean" marinade
3-4 Tblsp. olive oil

**I found 1/2 a package of spice mix works well for 4 cups of unsalted mixed nuts.

Coat the nuts with olive oil, spread them in a roasting pan and roast them in the oven at 325 deg., stirring them every 10 min. Add the spices and mix thoroughly. Cool. Store in an air tight container. The nuts continue to absorb flavor so it is best to let them sit for a day before eating.

Variation: I had some candied lemon peel (leftover from making Limoncello) so I put some nuts in a small jar with the finely diced dried lemon peel just to see how it would work. It is also very good and adds just a bit of lemony sweetness to the mix. Again, let stand overnight so the nuts can absorb the flavor.

Zhi Ma Bin (Jur Mah Been)

(Sesame Seed - Scallion Bread)

5 c flour
2 cup warm water (or 1 c warm water 1 c milk room temperature milk)
3T sugar
2 ½ tsp. salt
4 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. vegetable oil
Black pepper
6 T raw white sesame seeds
2 c diced green onions

Combine flour, sugar, salt in large mixing bowl. Add yeast to 1 c warm water, let sit for 2 minutes.

Add yeast to dry ingredients. Mix and add second cup of liquid (may need more) including vanilla and mix thoroughly; dough should be moist but not sticky. Turn out onto unfloured surface, knead until smooth and elastic. Place back in bow, cover with a damp towel, let rise until double in size.

Turn out, divide into 2 equal pieces. Knead, roll into 12” log. Flatten with rolling pin until about 6” wide x 18” long.

Brush with 1 tsp oil, sprinkle with black pepper, sprinkle with 1 c scallions. Roll tightly into a log lengthwise. Coil, spiraling upward, tuck in end. Flatten with hands, lightly flour surface, roll out into a disc (roughly 1” thick). Spritz/brush lightly with water, sprinkle 3 T sesame seeds and press lightly into dough

Transfer to baking dish sesame seed-side up.

Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until golden.
(We used cake pans and made 3)

Burek (Borek)

Burek (Borek) or a few other names is a pastry showing roots in European countries all the way to Turkey, Greece and that area of the world.

• It is more assembly than cooking or baking a recipe but it does involve rolling phyllo sheets so it is a little tricky until you get the hang of it.


• When making the pastry, I lay one or two sheets of phyllo dough on a tea towel that just overhangs the counter edge.


• I then brush melted butter on phyllo.


• For cheese filling, I pipe a line from left to right but not quite to the edges. (I use a zip lock bag with a corner cut off)


• Then I take hold of the left and right edges of the towel nearest my stomach and gently lift so the phyllo rolls to a cigar shape.


• Cut the cigar shaped pastry in half at the middle so there are two pieces. Roll like a snail shape and place on a small sheet pan.


• Brush all with melted butter and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

The technique is similar for any other filling.

My cheese filling...

16 ounces Ricotta cheese

8 ounces Cream cheese

2 Eggs, beaten

1/4 Cup Chopped parsley

1 T Dill weed

Cream the cheeses in a food processor.

Add eggs, parsley and dill weed.

Continue processing and then place in a zip top bag with the corner clipped for piping.

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Jeff Smith (The Frugal Gourmet) has a recipe for a meat filling that is pretty standard. Liberties can be taken with usually good results.

These baked meat rolls are shaped like snails and filled with a flavorful ground beef mixture. Serve as an entree or make smaller versions for appetizers.

Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped 1 pound ground beef 1 teaspoon allspice 2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 box phyllo pastry sheet (12 inches x 17 inches) 3/4 cup butter, melted

Preparation:Heat a large frying pan and add the oil. Saute the onion until soft, and then add the ground beef, allspice, paprika, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook until the meat is crumbly but not dry. Cool completely before you continue. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough on the counter. Brush with some of the butter. Place a heaping 1/3 cup of meat mixture across the sheet along the long side, 2 inches from edge. Fold the bottom over the meat mixture and roll into a snake shape. Cut the roll in half and coil each roll into a snail shape. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and butt the end up against the edge of the pan to prevent uncoiling. Brush with additional butter. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until just golden. Keep the remaining sheets of phyllo dough covered with plastic, and work quickly to prevent in from drying out. Hint on handling phyllo dough: Be sure the dough is at room temperature before you open the box. Place the sheets of dough on a large cookie sheet and cover them with plastic wrap and then a heavy towel. In this way, they will not dry out while you are working with them. Work fast for best results and do not have the butter too hot when brushing the dough. Yield: 18 to 20 Recipe Source: The Frugal Gourmet On Our Immigrant Ancestors by Jeff Smith

Salt & Brine Curing Methods for Olives

These recipes were emailed to me from ggda, a new member who has been invited to contribute authentic italian recipes to The Food Files - justafoodie

Excerpted from Lynn Alley’s book “Lost Arts”, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA 2000:
(Comments in parentheses added by ggda)

DRY SALT CURE
The famous French Nyons olives (tiny, black, and pungent) are salt-cured olives. (As are small, black Mission, Lucca or ripe Arbequina olives.) They are not to everyone's liking, especially those of us born and raised on "finger" olives. They are a bit more fragile than the brine-cured olives, so you might want to make just a small number of them for openers. (We do 5 to 10 pounds at a time as well as 1-2 pounds – depending upon availability)

To dry-salt-cure olives, you must first find a clean pillowcase, (or clean food grade plastic bucket-see below) then make a drawstring top for it (Not actually necessary – tie the top with a stout string or wire.). Mix the olives with their own weight in non-iodized table salt, pickling salt, or rock salt. Pour them evenly into the pillowcase and cover them completely with more salt. You then need to put them someplace where any juice that drips from them will not stain. (Why not hang them in a tree?) (We hang them in a garage with a bucket or pieces of cardboard box under the pillowcase.)

Stir or mix them well once a week for four weeks (or until they lose their bitterness). When they are no longer terribly bitter, rinse them carefully and allow them to dry overnight. (They can also be dried in a single layer on trays in an oven set to the lowest heat- be careful not to dry them even more or they will become hardened.)
Then pack them in oil until you are ready to consume them. You may wish to serve them with a sprinkling of fresh herbs on top. (You can also add herbs to the oil and you store them with the herbs in the oil.)

(DISCLAIMER: There seems to be no agreed upon time that cured olives last, or when they are no longer suitable to eat. Some sources say keep under oil and eat within 2 weeks to a month. If one wants to keep the olives longer, one source, http://www.recipesource.com/misc/hints/00/rec0084.html, suggests the olives would keep for 6 months if the olives are kept in new salt, i.e. remove the curing salt, and re-salt with new clean salt, then pack in air tight jars.)

BRINE CURE
(This recipe is best for speckled or red olives. These have ripened somewhere between green (unripe) and black (ripe)

The brine cure is simple and safe, and it offers the most plausible response to my question about who first discovered that the olive was, given the right circumstances, edible. I suppose it's possible that, long ago, some olives fell into a saltwater tide pool and stayed undisturbed for a considerable length of time. Then one day, perhaps a housewife or fisherman, happened by to give one a try. Much to his or her delight, the olives had become pleasantly salty and quite edible. No doubt, she then took them home to her humble abode and, to her even greater delight, was able to duplicate the process. (The above part may better have started with “Once upon a time, but that’s just me” People still cure olives today in islands by dipping a basket of olives daily in the sea for 10 days. When the inner flesh is dark brown, the olives are ready.

To begin the brine processing, place your clean olives in cold water and change the water each day for 10 days. (I use plastic, covered buckets from a local restaurant supply.) (We have also found large glass crocks also work well. They can be found in a food supply store like Smart & Final) Weigh the olives down with a plate so they all stay submerged. No need to cover at this point. This will start leaching the bitter glucosides out of the olives. Notice the changes in both the color and aroma of the olives. At the end of the 10-day period, you can make a more permanent brine solution in which to continue the process. Add 1 cup of non-iodized salt to each gallon of water. Use enough of this brine to cover the olives.

(Some recipes call for a saturated salt solution at this point. A saturated salt solution is easiest made by measuring out the water needed, and gently placing a whole un-cracked egg in the water. Add the salt and stir – do not break the egg. The solution is saturated with salt when the egg floats. Some folks ask how high the egg should float. One measure is when the diameter of the egg above the water is about the size of a quarter.)

Change this solution weekly for four weeks. At the end of four weeks, transfer the olives to a weaker brine solution until you are ready to use them. The solution should contain ½ cup of non-iodized salt to each gallon of water.

Just how long it will take for your olives to become edible I cannot say. Mine seem to take about two or three months to really develop a rich, olivey flavor. The best piece of equipment you have for assessing when your olives are done is located between your nose and your chin. It doesn't cost much to maintain (outside of your of your biannual dental checkups), so use it! Store your olives in the weaker brine in a fairly cool place and keep them covered. A scum may form on the top olives, but according to my mother's Italian neighbors, this adds to the flavor of the olives! (One of my Italian sources says this is the "culture which consumes the bitterness of the olives.” Toss out the scum and use any olives that look unspoiled. (A squishy olive is a spoiled olive.)

Beet Relish

Yield: 4 half-pints

1 lb raw beets
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tart cooking apples, cored and sliced
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup malt vinegar
4 T. horseradish relish
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup raisins (currents are better cause they are smaller)

Cut tops off beets leaving a bit of stem to avoid bleeding. Wrap the beets in foil and bake at 350 deg. Until smooth (time depends on size of beets:1-2 hrs). remove beets form oven and let cool. Peel off and discard skins. Meanwhile, put onion and apples in a non-reactive large saucepan. Add the red ine vinegar and malt vinegar. Bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 min. or until tender. Chop the beets and add to the pan along with the horseradish, brown sugar and raisins. Heat gently, stirring, until sugar has dissolved, then simmer for about 10 minutes until relish has thickened. It will thicken further upon standing. Ladle into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Remove bubbles. Wipe rims, adjust lids and rings. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Source: Perfect Preserves.

Marinated Herb Cheese

4 oz. regular cream cheese
4 oz. feta cheese (see Note)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
¾ cup or more extra virgin olive oil
3 sprigs fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, marjoram
4-6 whole peppercorns

In a food processor, thoroughly blend the cheeses and garlic cloves to form a smooth paste. Line a mold, or several small molds, with damp cheese cloth or plastic wrap. For example, you may use small ramekins, teacups, small bread tins the inverted cover of a butter dish. With a spatula, spoon the cheese mixture into the cheesecloth lined mold(s) and smooth out the surface. Refrigerate until firm.

Select a wide-mouthed, air-tight jar or other container, one just large enough to hold 2 cups of liquid. Remove the cheese from the mold/cheesecloth or plastic wrap and cut into 4 chunks, fairly large in size but small enough to fit in the jar. Drop cheese pieces into jar. Insert the fresh herbs and peppercorns along the sides of the jar. Pour enough oil to cover the cheese and herbs completely. Seal the jar and refrigerate for at least 2 days before using. Keep refrigerated.

Note: Some feta can be extremely salty. Buy feta that is less salty. French or Bulgarian feta is usually less salty than Greek feta. A technique for de-salting very salty feta cheese…soak it for about an hour in milk then rinse. For softer more spreadable result, you can substitute goat cheese for feta.

Source: http://www.globalgoumet.com/food/egg/egg1296/herbches.html

Cranberry Mustard

Yields 1 ½ pints

½ cup dry mustard
1 cup cider vinegar
½ cup onion, finely diced
½ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
¼ tsp. tumeric
2 cups pureed cranberries (mangos, peaches, etc)

Combine mustard and enough water in a bowl till a smooth paste forms. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile combine cranberries and remaining ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes; remove from heat. Whisk ¼ cup of mixture into the mustard paste until smooth, repeat twice again with ¼ cup hot mixture each time; then whisk in remaining hot mixture. Puree in blender or food processor until smooth. Ladle into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rims, adjust lids and rings. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Source: Master Food Preservers Files.

* leave a “generous” ¼”-inch of headspace in the jar as the mustard tends to boil over and can get under the lid and affect the seal.

** The older dry mustard is the hotter it will be. If you want mild mustard use new dry mustard. Also, brand matters. Some brands of dried mustard will be hotter than others. You may need to experiment with different brands.

Faux Carnitas

Faux Carnitas

Book: Steve' diabetic recipe book

Chapter: MAIN COURSE



This pressure cooker version of Carnitas is quite good. I prefer it to the traditional method of cooking with lard. That, many times, has a greasy "mouth feel." You can have this version done in an hour or two rather than 8 or 10. I like my version better than the local taqueria's offering.

Serves: 8



2 cups chopped onion
2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder or butt cut to cubes.
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon Fiesta brand Pico de Gallo con Limon spice or sub chilli and chipotle powder and use a little lime, lemon or orange zest.
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 14 1/2-ounce can Swanson Chicken Broth
1 cup orange juice

In a pressure cooker:

Saute chopped onion in a little olive oil.

Add the cubed meat and spices. Stir to distribute evenly.

Add chicken broth and orange juice. Stir.

Cook under pressure 35-45 minutes.

Use normal pressure release.

Using a slotted spoon, place the cooked meat on a lined, lipped, oven pan.

Using two forks, shred the meat mixture.

Sprinkle a few ounces of defatted cooking juice on the meat. (A turkey baster will do the job.)

Place pan under a preheated broiler for 10-15 minutes checking every 4-5 minutes for excessive drying or burning. Sprinkle more cooking juice if necessary.

Enjoy.

Freezes well. Reheats in microwave well.

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 - 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup sliced fresh jalapenos,
1 1/3 cup buttermilk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup parmesean cheese to sprinkle on top before
baking (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Lightly grease an oblong 9 x 11 baking pan or coat
with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, salt,
sugar, and baking soda.
Stir in cheese, corn, jalapenos, buttermilk and
eggs, just enough to blend.
Stir in the melted butter.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30-35
minutes, or until the cornbread is golden and an
inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool in pan 15 minutes then
cool on wire rack.

I didn't have buttermilk and used skim milk instead.
I added a little more than what the recipe calls for
but it turned out fine. Use buttermilk if at all
possible.

Oven-fried Coconut Shrimp

2 large egg whites
1 1/3 C fine plain breadcrumbs (we use Panco)
¼ tsp cumin
2 T finely minced garlic
Freshly ground black pepper
6 T flaked sweetened coconut
24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Orange Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 500 F.
Lightly spray baking sheet with olive oil spray.
In small bowl, beat egg whites lightly with fork.
In small plastic bag, combine bread crumbs, coconut, cumin, garlic and pepper.
One at a a time, dip each shrimp into egg whites and then into the plastic bag and shake to coat with breadcrumbs. Lay shrimp on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until the shrimp are golden and cooked through, turning once with spatula halfway through cooking. Serve immediately with Orange Sauce.

ORANGESAUCE

½ C low-sugar orange marmalade
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
½ tsp molasses
Pinch of cumin
4 to 6 dashes Tabasco sauce, or to taste
Pinch of cinnamon

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients well. Makes about ½cup. Serves 4

Guamainian-style Lumpia

Lumpia is fiesta food. In Guam, every special occasion includes lumpia. It is happy food! Mounding trays of lumpia fried with love. Not to mention tables and tables of other wonderful dishes. In our family, we have trimmed the calories by oven-frying rather than deep frying the lumpia. The recipe adapts very well.

1-1.5 lbs. Ground pork or pork chopped fine (can use shrimp, too)

Garlic – lots like 5-6 big cloves
3-4 T. Soy sauce or to taste
Ground pepper- lots

1 Onion, large, finely chopped
1/2 head large Cabbage finely chopped
2 Carrots - shredded
1 Bell pepper, finely chopped
Bean sprouts (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste

1 egg
Lumpia wrappers (purchase from Filipino store) or Egg roll wrappers (not as good)

Finely chop all veggies except sprouts.
Brown pork w/ garlic and soy sauce until done. Remove from stove.
Add veggies and mix thoroughly w/hot mixture. Let cool.

Drain mixture very well (you don’t want a wet mixture when deep frying)

Roll mixture in lumpia wrappers burrito style. You do not want any filing to leak out as it will make a mess when you fry them. Use egg to glue the lumpia wrapper closed.

Scramble the egg and use it to glue the wrapper shut.

Use wax paper between layers of lumpia so they do not stick together.

***Deep fry lumpia until golden brown.

The beauty of lumpia is you can put anything you want in them. I have had many Filipino style. They can be meat only, veggie, or potato – those are the most common I have had. Guam style is more like a big eggroll, but better.

*** Oven-fried lumpia works very well. Preheat oven to 500 deg. Place lumpia on a jelly roll pan and spray with cooking oil spray. Turn the lumpia over and spray the other side. Bake for 10 min or until golden brown and turn the lumpia over and brown the other side.

Lumpia wrappers generally come in 100 count so I always make a big batch and freeze the extra lumpia. Make sure to separate the lumpia w/ wax paper before you freeze. You can fry them frozen.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 c. Brown sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. cider vinegar
11/2 c. pineapple juice
2 T. soy sauce

Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sauce thickens and becomes clear.

Parmesan and Black Pepper Biscotti

Great with wine!












Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (2 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk


Preparation

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.

Pulse peppercorns in grinder until coarsely ground.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 2 cups cheese, and 1 tablespoon ground black pepper in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 3 eggs with milk and add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and quarter dough. Using well-floured hands, form each piece into a slightly flattened 12-inch-long log (about 2 inches wide and 3/4 inch high). Transfer logs to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging logs about 3 inches apart.

Whisk remaining egg and brush some over logs, then sprinkle tops of logs evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper. Bake, rotating sheets 180 degrees and switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until logs are pale golden and firm, about 30 minutes total. Cool logs to warm on sheets on a rack, about 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Carefully transfer 1 warm log to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining logs, transferring slices to sheets. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 35 to 45 minutes total. Cool biscotti on baking sheets on racks, about 15 minutes.

From Gourmet.