32 replies to this topic

[hillvalley]

We have decided to make Mktye's life a lot easier this time around. Instead of doing a formal book we are going to have a recipe thread instead. Please post your recipes here.

In the next few days I will create an index so it will be easier to find what you are looking for. If you post a recipe from a cookbook please make sure to give appropriate credit.


Index
mktye's Rosemary Garlic Crackers and Baguette
Barbara's Raspberry Topped Cheesecake
clayrae's Turkey Tonnato Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis and the Food Network
porcupine & shogun's Caipirinha
porcupine's Stuffed Strawberries and Couscous Salad
bbq4me's Grilled Tri-Tip and Finadene Sauce
cracker's Red Onion and Rhubarb Tartlettes
dcfoodies Fried Risotto Balls
squidsdc's Chilled Tomato and Bread Soup
MBK's Asian Slaw
goldenticket's Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
cucas87's Mojito Salad
amalah's Baked Beans
Rissa P's Tres Leches and FILIPINO PORK AND CHICKEN ADOBO
crackers; Petits Aubergine Farcis/ Feta-stuffed Mini-Eggplants
mdt & crescentfresh's Brats
agm Pernil-(Puerto Rican style pork shoulder)
StephenB's Not Yet Famous Deviled Eggs with Caviar
shogun's Strawberry-Bresaola Packets-The Thinking Man's 'Prosciutto and Melon Ball'

Edited by hillvalley, 11 June 2006 - 08:35 PM.

[mktye]

ROSEMARY GARLIC CRACKERS
Makes ~9 dozen 2” crackers.

I like to use my pasta machine to roll the dough out, but a rolling pin also works well (but is a bit more effort). The most important things are that the crackers are rolled thinly and thoroughly dried out after cooking. If necessary, turn down the oven a bit and cook the crackers until crisp.

~3¼ cups (14 ounces) unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, minced very finely
1 to 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2¼ teaspoons (or 1 package) dry yeast

¼ cup (1¾ ounces) olive oil
~¾ cup (6 ounces) water, hot from the tap

coarse salt

In a large bowl, mix together 3 cups of the flour, rosemary, garlic, sugar, baking powder, salt and yeast. Stir in the oil and water, and mix to combine. Knead the dough on a lightly-floured surface or in a mixer with a dough hook just until it's smooth. The dough should be somewhat stiff – add the remaining flour or more water, a tablespoon at a time, as necessary. Cover the dough and let it rest for 1 to 2 hours or, for added flavor and an easier time in rolling out the crackers, put the dough into an oiled zip-loc bag and refrigerate it overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Divide the dough in half and, on a well-floured or lightly-greased surface (if using a rolling pin, I roll it out directly on top of a piece of lightly oiled parchment paper), roll each half into an ~18”x12” rectangle ~1/16” thick. The thinner the dough, the more delicate the finished crakers. If the dough starts to shrink or tear, cover it and allow it to rest for a few minutes before continuing. Alternately, you can cut the dough into quarters, flatten each piece, lightly flour and run it through a pasta machine until it is 1/16” thick. Transfer the dough, before cutting it into individual crackers, onto a parchment paper-lined or a lightly-greased half-sheet pan.

Prick the dough all over with a fork or a dough docker (this will keep it from bubbling up while cooking). Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 10 minutes, then cut it into squares using a pizza wheel, pastry wheel, or a sharp knife. Don't worry about separating the crackers; they'll break apart easily along the "scored" lines when cool. Brush or spray the dough with water and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Bake the crackers at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until the crackers are golden and dry. Remove the crackers from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container.

You can also vary these crackers by replacing the garlic and rosemary with other flavorings – pretty much anything will work as long as it is powdered or very finely minced. Replacing half the flour with other flours (whole wheat, rye, chickpea flour) is also another variable. Plus you can add more fat (oil, butter, shortening, cheese) for a more tender cracker.

rwtye’s favorite version is Chili-Onion: 1 tablespoon mild chili powder (or hot if you want your crackers spicier), 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 tablespoon toasted onion powder (or regular onion powder, but the toasted really adds a great taste – I get it from Penzey's Spices) and ½ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper.

Other variations I brought to the picnic:
Jack and Dill
Chickpea
Rye with Caraway Seeds
Cheddar with a touch of cayenne
Fennel
Parmesan-Lemon-Pepper
Sesame
Basil-Oregano

If you would like exact ratios for any of the above variations, please PM me.

BAGUETTES
Makes three ~16”x2” loaves

This recipe uses a poolish, which is a commercial yeast starter. Since the poolish needs to ferment for over 12 hours, be sure to start this recipe the day before.

The wetter the dough, the larger the holes in the crumb (which is a good thing!). Since very wet doughs are tricky to knead, using a machine for kneading is the easiest way to make this recipe.

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon dry yeast
1 cup water, hot from the tap

1 cup water, room temperature
~3¼ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt

In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a mixer, mix the 2 cups flour with the yeast and then add the water. Beat vigorously to mix together well, cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow the poolish to ferment for 12 to 16 hours at room temperature.

The next day, add the water to the poolish and mix until smooth. Mix in 3 cups of the flour, the yeast and salt and let the dough rest for 10 minutes for the gluten to start to develop. Knead the dough by hand or with a mixer with a dough hook for 5 minutes adding the reserved flour only if the dough is noticeably wet and is sticking excessively (I rarely add any extra flour). If using a food processor, mix with the steel blade for 15 seconds. Place the dough in a large bowl (or back in the mixing bowl or leave in the mixer bowl), cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 45 minutes. Gently remove the dough from the bowl and fold in half twice. Do not knead.

Return the dough to the bowl and, in 45 minutes, repeat the folding in half twice, then let rise for 1 hour after second folding (for a total of three rises so far).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and gently (you want to keep the dough as puffy as possible) divide the dough into thirds. Shape each piece into an ~16” log, place on a piece of parchment paper, cover with lightly-oiled plastic wrap, and let shaped dough rise until almost, but not quite doubled, ~2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. For the best results, place a baking stone on the top shelf of the oven and a second stone on the bottom shelf. If only using one stone, put it on the bottom shelf.

Just before baking, place a heavy metal baking pan in the bottom of your oven (or on the top shelf if using an electric oven) and pour in ~1 cup of hot water. Slash the tops of the loaves with a sharp knife or a single-edged razor blade and spray or brush the loaves with water. Bake the loaves on the baking stone (leave the loaves on the parchment paper) or on a half-sheet pan on the lower rack of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the loaves are a deep golden brown. Cool completely on a rack before eating.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour baking class handout

[Barbara]

Raspberry-Topped Cheesecake

Recipe Here (from Epicurious)

The only changes I made were to the crust and the top. I used two cups of Graham Cracker Crumbs and about half the butter and sugar specified. I wound up not using all of it--it makes the crust too thick, IMHO. Also, I covered the top with raspberries (which I find easier to cut) instead of strawberries and used strawberry jelly as the glaze, since I can't seem to find raspberry jelly. I also baked the cake with a pan of hot water in the lower oven rack.

[clayrae]

Turkey Tonnato Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis and the Food Network

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (I doubled the recipe for the picnic)

2 pound turkey breast, skinless and boneless
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tuna Sauce:
6 ounces canned white meat tuna, packed in olive oil – do not drain
1 teaspoon anchovy paste or 1 anchovy fillet, drained
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon capers
1/3 cup mayonnaise
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish


Preheat oven 375 degrees F.
Season the turkey with salt, pepper and herbs. Coat with olive oil, place in a baking pan and pour the chicken broth around the turkey. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes. Slice into 1/2-inch slices, on an angle. Allow to sit in baking pan with juices as you make sauce.

In the bowl of a food processor add the tuna, anchovy, lemon juice and capers. Puree until creamy, about 1 minute. Pour the tuna mixture into a bowl and stir in the mayonnaise.

Place the slices of turkey on a platter and pour the tuna sauce on top. Garnish with chopped parsley.

[porcupine]

Caipirinha

If you liked what came out of the pitcher, you'll like this much better. Don't take shortcuts. The muddling makes a huge difference. Like espresso, a good caipirinha can't be rushed or made in quantity. [Oh nuts, I think I'm channeling JoeH!]

For one drink, cut a lime into eighths. Sprinkle with superfine sugar to taste and muddle thoroughly to dissolve the sugar and extract the oils from the lime rind. Transfer to a shaker, add a shot of cachaca and some ice. Shake well and pour the whole thing, limes as well, into a short glass. If it isn't as sweet as you want it, add some simple syrup. Or hand the glass to a friend and make yourself another.

ol_ironstomach uses 1/2 lime per shot, which is also very good. Use as much or as little as you want (obviously I like the stuff), just be sure to muddle it well.

Pitu brand cachaca makes a perfectly good drink, but if you can get your hands on any artisinal bottle, you'll have a great drink. Avoid Cachaca 51 - it stinks.

The label on Armazem Vieira Rubi reads "Aged Artesian Cachca". Holy crap! If that stuff comes bubbling out of the ground in Brazil, I need to get there stat!

[porcupine]

Stuffed Strawberries

Use the nicest large berries you can find. Hull them and cut off the tips so they stand on their own.

Beat ricotta cheese until it's smooth and sweeten with confectioner's sugar and Tahitian vanilla. How much? I dunno. I keep tasting til I get it as sweet as I want it.

Use a pastry bag or a plastic bag to fill the berries.

Variations:

1. Dipped the prepped berries in dark chocolate (or white, I guess) and chill til chocolate hardens, then filll.
2. Garnish with tiny mint leaves.
3. Flavor the cheese with rose flower water or orange flower water instead of vanilla.
4. Mix whipped cream into the sweetened cheese to soften the consistency and serve as a dip for whole berries rather than stuffing them.
5. Mix in more whipped cream to get it very soft and use as a sauce for mixed berries on top of angel food cake or in shortcakes.

I've always wanted to try this with lavender. I would steep the lavender in cream, then strain and whip the cream and mix with the ricotta.

[porcupine]

Couscous Salad

This recipe came from Premier Cheese and Gourmet Foods in Buffalo, NY, as published in the July 1994 Gourmet magazine. The original calls for chicken stock. The vegetable stock recipe I used can be found in Fields of Greens by Anne Sommerville. (I modified that, too, omitting the leek and garlic.)

2 c vegetable stock
2 T unsalted butter
1 1/2 c couscous
2 cups chopped pecans, lightly toasted
1/2 c currants
1 T freshly grated orange zest
1/2 chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 c drained canned mandarin oranges
1/3 c fresh orange juice
3 T fresh lemon juice
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil

Bring the stock and butter to a boil, add the couscous, stir, cover, turn off the heat, and let stand five minutes.
In a large bowl combine pecans, currants, zest, parsley, oranges, the couscous (fluff with a fork first), and salt and pepper to taste. In a small bowl whisk together the lemon and orange juices and oil, then pour over the couscous and toss gently to combine.

[bbq4me]

Grilled Tri-Tip and Finadene Sauce
2 – 3.5 lb beef tri-tips (I heard at the picnic that Costco-Pentagon City has them, also Trader Joe’s. The Trader Joe’s meat is good, but I’d rather bring them back frozen from California where USDA Choice is readily available at Costco and in most meat cases)
Marinade: Don’t over think this—1/2 cup Lowry’s Mesquite marinate, splash red wine, dash Worcestershire sauce, splash soy sauce per tri-tip. Trim silver skin from tri-tip and lightly score both sides and season with kosher salt and fresh black pepper. Marinade 6-24 hours, 1 gallon zip locks work great. In California they cook these well-done and dry and slice the meat thinly on a deli-slicer. I prefer to cook them medium rare over charcoal but gas will work if you must.

Finadene: This a traditional Guam spicy/sour/hot sauce. On the island they use wild jungle bird chilis (similar to thai bird chilis). This sauce is supposed to be firery hot, but there is such a thing as “too hot” so I try to keep it moderate. This is the version I made for the picnic (consensus was it not hot):
½ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup Kikkoman Japanese soy sauce (not tamari, not Chinese soy, not Thai dark soy, not kecap manis) This is the only ingredient I wouldn’t change
3-4 green scallions, minced
4 minced Serrano chilies, with seeds (use whichever chili you prefer for heat—green or red thai are closest to the homestyle and what I usually use)
Mix and allow to sit for an hour. The ratio of lemon to soy is 1:1 so measure out your lemon juice and add an equal part of soy and you’re golden. The onion and chili can be added to you taste.

[crackers]

Red Onion and Rhubarb Tartlettes
[Inspired by a recipe found on Clotilde Dusoulier's Chocolate & Zucchini blog]



4 medium to large red onions, peeled, halved and sliced across thinly (a mandolin works best for this)
4 stalks of rhubarb, tough fibrous exterior removed if necessary, and cut into very small cubes
about 4 T olive oil for sauteeing
2 rolls of premade pie dough (I used Pillsbury ready-made), rolled out more thinly than straight out of the box

Yields about 50 mini-tarlettes, depending on their size - I used mini-muffin pan size.

Heat the olive oil in a large, preferably non-stick skillet, and add in the onions. Cook down on medium-low for about 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently, until very limp. Remove and place to drain in colander or sieve. Add diced rhubarb to the pan and cook for about ten minutes, tossing regularly, until cooked through. Add into onion to drain and cool. You can store the mixture at this point in refrigerator for a day or two.

Preheat the oven 400°F. Cut out circles of pie dough to fit size of your tartlette or muffin tins with a cookie cutter. Press the dough into the molds, and prick the bottom with a fork. Bake for ten to twelve minutes, until the shells are cooked to a light tan. Allow to cool a bit, remove from molds, and spoon in a heaping mound of the onion mixture into each. Sprinkle the tops with a generous shake of salt.

Serve cold or rewarmed. Variations: can add a tart marmelade or roasted garlic confit to the bottom of each shell before filling, or use less filling, and pour in a custard mixture of egg yolk and cream and bake an additional few minutes after filling.

[dcfoodie]

The fried risotto balls or arancini that I brought are based on Michael Chiarello's recipe.

The only changes I made are the following:
Half the spinach
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper or more if you want them hotter.
2/3 chicken stock, 1/3 vegetable stock
When adding the spinach add a couple tablespoons (or more to taste) of tomato paste.

Oh, I guess you might want to consider that I deep fried them on a propane burner.

Edited to add: This also makes a pretty kick ass risotto if you stop before the cooling process.

[squidsdc]

CHILLED TOMATO AND BREAD SOUP
(from Molto Italiano/Mario Batali)

Makes 4 servings (roughly-depending on how many tomatoes you use) I did a 1.5 recipe with 5 lbs of tomatoes, which yielded approx 2 quarts of soup--after skimming off several tastings for myself and others!

3 to 4 pounds overripe TOMATOES, cored
1 ½ cups torn DAY OLD BREAD
¼ cup fresh BASIL LEAVES
1 tablespoon chopped fresh THYME
½ cup EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
½ cup cold WATER
SALT and freshly ground BLACK PEPPER
4 BAGUETTE SLICES, toasted and cooled
2 SCALLIONS, thinly sliced

1. In a food processor, process the tomatoes until liquid. Add the bread, basil, thyme, olive oil, and water and process to blend. Season aggressively with salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick, thin with a little more cold water. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Stir the soup well, then divide among four bowls. Place a baguette slice in the center of each, and top with the scallions.

**When he says season aggressively, he really means it--I seasoned with salt and pepper, then let the soup sit for about an hour in the fridge. When I took it out, even after stirring well, it needed lots more salt and pepper. (and I was using the Malden Sea Salt) I used some very flavorful tomatoes from Costco, and supplemented them with some Romas from TJ's. I also recommend letting it sit overnight for the best blending of flavors.

[MBK]

Vietnamese Slaw (adapted from Asian Cook, by Terry Tan)

1 head white cabbage (thinly sliced)
1 cucumber (seeded, peeled, and julienned)
2 carrots (shredded)
1 bunch scallions (thinly sliced)
5 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 tbsp ginger (chopped)

Combine above ingredients in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for at least 30 minutes to sweat, then drain and squeeze out excess liquid.

In another bowl combine:

6 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
juice of 2 limes
3 tbsp sesame oil
1/2-1 tsp dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp chopped mint

Add dressing to vegetables, mix well. Garnish with chopped peanuts.

[goldenticket]

Like Barbara, I got my recipe for the Quinoa and Black Bean Salad on Epicurious. I used red bell pepper instead of green.
This little hint was very true:
The secret of the success of this salad is the steaming of the quinoa. (The tradional cooking method for quinoa, boiling it in a measured amount of water, does not produce the light, fluffy texture that works so well in a salad.) This dish provides a complete protein and can stand alone as a luncheon or light supper entrée.
Click here for the recipe.

ETA - I've added the Grilled Chicken with Cranberry Relish recipe. It came from a Lee Bailey cookbook - Long Weekends. The reciped says to quarter the breasts and serve them in pitas. I've never done that - always sliced them up and just served them as an entree. This is a good dish for taking somewhere (camping, for example) because it can be made ahead of time and is served at room temperature. [pardon the stains on the scan - I've made this a lot - looks like some balsamic splashed on the page]

 Cranberry_Chicken.pdf   89.58K   82 downloads

[cucas87]

Mojito Salad (adapted from a recipe in the New York Time Magazine).

salad:
1 -2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
juice of 2 limes
1 jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 English cucumbers, sliced thin and in half-moons
1/2 -1 seedless watermelon, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 pounds strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise
1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves thinly sliced
(optional: I didn't do this for the picnic" 1/2 cup thinly sliced cilantro leaves)
dressing:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4- 1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup lime juice
zest of 2 limes
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 teaspoons light rum

If I make this ahead of time, I don't add the jalapenos until a few hours before it's time to serve. Also, it's best to add the dressing at the last minute.

And if you are serving this to non-vegetarians, it's wonderful with grilled shrimp.

[crackers]

---> Amalah's Baked Beans

[RissaP]

TRES LECHES
Makes 1 13X9X2 pan
(Source: Cooking in Costa Rica by Susan Cuda)

CAKE:
1 cup flour
½ cup sugar
4 each eggs, separated
1 large can condensed milk
1 large can evaporated milk (or whole milk)
1 cup heavy cream

Method:
·Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form
·Add sugar a little at a time
·Add egg yolks one at a time
·Add flour
·Pour in greased (not floured) 13X9X2 pan
·Bake at 350 degree oven until golden brown (about 20 minutes)
·Let it cool completely
·Mix together condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream; pour over cake
·When it is all absorbed, top with meringue made as follows:

MERINGUE:
1 ½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup water
3 each egg whites

Method:
·Put sugar, cream of tartar and water in a pan over medium heat until it forms a syrup
·Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form
·Carefully drizzle in hot syrup; continue to beat until well mixed
·Spread on top of cake

[RissaP]

FILIPINO PORK AND CHICKEN ADOBO

This braised dish is very easy to make, as it does not require exact measurements or any particular product. You can use just pork or just chicken.
* Not to be confused with Spanish Adobo seasoning.

Pork butt or shoulder
Chicken
Vegetable oil
Soy Sauce
* Any soy sauce will work: Kikkoman (regular or lite), Teriyaki sauce, or any Asian brands
Vinegar
* Any vinegar will work: white, apple cider, or any Asian brands
Chicken stock, as needed
Fresh garlic, minced
Fresh grated black peppercorns
Bay Leaves
Pinch of sugar

Method:
·Cut pork and chicken into frying pieces
·In hot pot under medium heat, add oil; sear pork and chicken on each side to a lite golden brown.
·Set aside pork and chicken; discard oil
·Mix together equal parts to taste soy sauce and vinegar (enough to cover about 2/3 of the meat)
·Add garlic, black pepper, bay leaves, sugar
·In the same frying pot, place seared pork. Pour soy sauce mixture
·Add chicken stock to cover meat in liquid
·Bring to a boil then lower the heat to simmer until the pork is halfway cooked. Add the chicken pieces. Cover with a lid and simmer until pork and chicken are fork tender
·Skim excess fat off the surface
·The sauce can be strained for a finer sauce

*Best served with plain white rice and fresh tomatoes to off set a bit of salty taste.

[crackers]

Petits Aubergine Farcis/ Feta-stuffed Mini-Eggplants

This recipe is amenable to a lot of tweaking of amounts and additions. I don’t have exact quantities listed. Here are the basics:
Eggplant:
Thai or Japanese “Kamo” type eggplant – round and the size of a large golf ball. I get them at Shoppers Food Warehouse.

Thai = green,

Japanese = purple

One per serving. Cut the tops off each eggplant and scoop out most of the inside with a melon baller. Place cut side up on a pan, brush or spray with vegetable or olive oil and run under the broiler for 3-4 minutes until soft but not mushy – the skin may darken and blister. Remove and cool.
[optional: Chinese eggplant, long and purple, use plump ones and cut in quarters and scoop out]

Filling:
Feta cheese
Ricotta cheese (or cream cheese or goat cheese)
A few tablespoons of cream or milk
Fresh mint leaves
Fresh garlic cloves or spring garlic
Red pepper flakes or Tabasco
Lemon rind and lemon juice
Black pepper

Optional toppings: Roasted red pepper strips, tapanade, pine nuts

For each approx. 1 c. of feta, blend/mash in 2/3 c. ricotta, the juice and rind of one large lemon, and a few grindings of black pepper. Finely mince or run thru a food processor about ½ c. of fresh mint leaves loosely packed, with a small amount of red pepper flakes, (or add Tabasco later to taste), and 1-2 medium cloves of garlic. Mix mint in with the feta, adding a bit of cream if it seems too stiff, and allow flavors to meld for a few hours or longer.

Fill each grilled eggplant ‘cup’ with a heaping teaspoon of filling or more to fill, and top with a strip of roasted red pepper or other optional topping. Serve at room temperature.

[mdt]

Brats

~ 3 lbs. pork shoulder
~ 1.5 lbs. veal shoulder
~ 1 lb. fat back
5 T of Penzey's Bratwurst spice mix (1T per pound of meat)
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
hog casings

- Cut meat into approx. 1" cubes and mix together
- Grind through coarse die
- Add seasoning and mix
- Let rest in the fridge for at elast 30 minutes
- Grind through small die
- Mix in milk and egg (this can be done with a mixer and the paddle attachment on low/med speed for 1 min)
- Let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
- Stuff into casings and twist to make links

It is important to keep everything COLD while grinding so keep the grinder in the freezer prepping.

To cook:
Poach in simmering (not boiling) beer and onions until brats reach 150F
Remove and finish on the grill, in a saute pan, broil, or whatever
Serve with a hard roll and some good mustard

[Ferhat Yalcin]

I`ll give `my` recipe if anyone needs

[agm]

Pernil (Puerto Rican style pork shoulder)

What I brought to the picnic was not the recipe my family traditionally uses. I'll give a few variations. All of them start with:

1 pork shoulder, 8-10lbs, with skin


My method:

2 tablespoons salt (kosher or sea, nothing fancy)
2 tablespoons peppercorns
1 tablespoon dried oregano (or a little more)
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon dried onion

Place all ingredients (except pork) in a spice grinder, and grind until fine. Take half of the mixture and combine with

1 cup sour orange juice
1 cup water

Let sit for several hours, then using a large cooking syringe, inject into the shoulder at varying points and varying depths. Don't poke any holes in the skin! Pour any remaining liquid over the shoulder, cover and place in the refrigerator 8 - 24 hours.

Take the remaining salt/spice mix and combine with just enough olive oil to moisten and form a thick paste. Rub thoroughly over the entire shoulder, then return to the refrigerator for several hours.

Take the shoulder out of the refrigerator and allow it to warm up to room temperature before cooking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place roast in oven dish (or whatever) skin-side up. Cover with aluminum foil. Roast at 350 for 30-35 minutes per pound, until internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Remove foil, and cut several long slits in the skin. Return to the oven and raise temperature to 400. Continue roasting until the skin is brown and crispy.

More traditional method:

1 tablespoon salt (kosher or sea, nothing fancy)
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano (or a little more)
2 bulbs garlic, peeled and well crushed

Mix all ingredients well, preferably crushing it all together in a mortar and pestle. A wooden spoon and strong bowl will also work. Add enough olive oil to make a thick paste.

Cut several short, shallow cuts on the outside of the shoulder (not the skin). Rub the paste over the shoulder, including skin, and work the mix into the cuts. Refrigerate overnight, cook as above. The fresh garlic definitely improves the taste, and the flavor of the paste is stronger without the presence of the sour orange juice. But it may not penetrate as deeply, and the meat may not be as moist.

Even better traditional method:

Same mixture as above, but make about 50% more of it. Instead of shallow slices on the outside of the shoulder, cut deep, narrow holes - a boning knife is good for this. Rub the paste over the shoulder, and use your fingers to work it deep into the holes. Unfortunately, leaving deep holes in the roast while you cook it can lead to all the juices running out. To prevent this tragedy, cut strips of salt pork and plug the holes with it (how much depends on the size and number of holes). Cook as above.

[StephenB]

Not-Yet-Famous Deviled Eggs with Caviar

Instructing rockwellians on how to boil eggs would be tantamount to teaching your grandma to suck them. I will note that Extra Large are the best because you want a generous cavity for the blend. As for the caviar, my usual supplier, Trader Joe’s, was out and the stuff at SuperFresh seemed moldy. So I turned to Rodman’s (“between Harrison and Garrison with prices beyond comparison”) and found exactly what I wanted in 12 oz jars.

Boil eggs, run under cool water, peel, slice, deposit yolks in bowl. Add about a third of the yolks’ volume of Hellmann’s mayonnaise, sprinkle in dill, a tsp of Colman’s mustard powder, several shakes of parsley and a drop of Worcestershire. (No salt — the caviar will take care of that.)

Mish, mash and mosh until it’s no longer bumpy. Deposit in egg halves, smoothing at the top so there’s a place for the caviar. Using a cocaine spoon, or something of similar size, lovingly add the caviar. Grind some pepper over the whole shebang.

Refrigerate until you leave for Fort Hunt or wherever the comestibles will be consumed.

A couple of years ago, I read in one of the food sections something like, “Let’s not kid ourselves. You can make any kind of appetizers you like, but it’s the deviled eggs that go first.” I took that to heart, and the donrocks picnic gratifyingly demonstrated it. I sent a photo of the finished product to a friend in India and noted that one woman walked by me with four of my eggs on her plate. My friend said, “After looking at those puppies, I think she showed remarkable restraint.”

[shogun]

Strawberry-Bresaola Packets

The Thinking Man's 'Prosciutto and Melon Ball'

Ingredients:

• Strawberries, tops cut off and sliced in halves or thirds, depending on size
• Bresaola, sliced thin, cut in half if nessesary
• Ground black pepper
• Sea salt, preferably sel gris or fleur de sel for a bit of crunch
• Chives, blanched

Procedure:
Blanch and shock a suitable number of chives for how many packets you wish to make, plus a few for good measure (Some will be too short, etc). Slice your strawberries and bresaola. This is pretty much it! Now you're ready to assemble. Lay out bresaola slice on work surface, place strawberry slice in center, sprinkle with black pepper, a few grains of sel gris, and wrap with the bresaola in whichever way you find is best. Place on top of chive and tie with overhand knot, using tip of a paring knife to help push through if need be, and carefully pull snug. The blanched chive is surprisingly resiliant, so you can get it pretty tight and neat looking. The whole thing should hold together nicely once you get a technique down.

Looks kind of like this:


Might try additional fillings such as balsamic reduction, herbs, maybe something like a basil creme fraiche or lemon-zested chevre. I tried herbs and balsamic vinegar, but the basic strawberry/salt/pepper worked best!

[Al Dente]

The Thinking Man's 'Prosciutto and Melon Ball'

Brilliant! I wish I could have tried this.

[DonRocks]

Organic Pastures Butter

1. Buy Butter
2. Serve

Arganöl

1. Receive Oil as Gift
2. Serve

[hillvalley]

Brilliant! I wish I could have tried this.

You have no idea what you missed-it was one of my favorites of the picnic

I've updated the index at the top but we are still missing a lot of recipes. Keep 'em coming!

[legant]

Black-eyed Pea Succotash
(Adapted from Bon Appetit)

1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse mustard
1-tablespoon honey
Hot pepper sauce to taste
6 tablespoons (canola) oil

1 can (16 oz) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 can corn (8.5 oz), drained
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/3 cup diced red bell pepper

Place rice vinegar, mustard, honey, hot pepper sauce and oil in jar. Shake vigorously. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix black-eyed peas, corn, onions and peppers in a bowl. Pour vinaigrette over black-eyed pea mixture. Season again with salt and pepper. Let sit for ~ 1 hour for the flavors to meld. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm (microwave just long enough to take the chill off--30 seconds or so).

[crackers]

Keep 'em coming!

Yes! I wish I'd been able to taste more dishes, but I am hoping that cucas87's other recipe will show up, as well as Zora's cheese and quince spread, jparrot's ham, Gubeen's som tam, hannah's squash casserole, Scott Johnson's pickles, Nadya's shrimp, and bnacpa's insane brownies. Dare we hope for bbhasin's shammi kabob recipe and sauce? Waitman's head cheese recipe would be a wonderful addition too, although I don't see myself acquiring a hog's head in the near future (read: in my lifetime.) I'm sure there are others...

[Hannah]

Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

Around 3 lb yellow squash (can also use zucchini, broccoli, or cauliflower in addition to or instead of yellow squash)
3 eggs
3 tbsp butter
3-4 cups of cheese, shredded (cheddar works well; I put in one of the unseasoned 4-cheese Mexican blends this time as well. Around 3 cups should go in the casserole itself; have 4 on hand if you want to use cheese as topping)
½ cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
(Optional) Garlic and onion to taste
(Optional) Cracker crumbs, breadcrumbs, tortilla chips

Slice squash into rounds (1/8 - 1/4 inch thick) and boil in salted water until fork-tender.
While the squash is cooking, mix eggs, milk, salt, pepper, (garlic and onion if desired) in a 2 ½ quart casserole dish.
Add the butter to the egg mixture in pats - it'll melt as you add the squash and cheese.
Once you've drained the squash, alternate layers of squash and cheese, stirring them into the egg mixture, until all the squash is gone and the cheese is mostly melted.
You can top the casserole with cheese (if you have some left) or any kind of cracker crumbs, breadcrumbs, or tortilla chips. If you plan to warm it over, cheese works best since the crumbs tend to get soggy in the fridge.
Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes - the top will be golden brown/melted and the egg and cheese will be set. Let stand 5 minutes or so before serving.

[cucas87]

Cilantro Hummus

Like any dip (or peanut butter), how smooth or chunky you make it is entirely up to you -- and the agility of your food-processor. The quantities are all variable, I tend to start with less tahini and add more along the way.

4 cans (14 /2 oz) chickpeas, drained, but reserve the liquid that is in the cans
1/3 - 2/3 cup tahini (well mixed!), more depending on taste
1/3 - 2/3 cup fresh lemon or lime juice, more or less to taste (I used lime juice for the picnic)
2 - 3 tsp salt, more or less to taste
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled - more to taste
3 - 6 TBSP reserved chickpea liquid
1 1/2 - 2 tsp cayenne, more to taste
4- 6 TBSP chopped cilantro (more or less to taste)
2-3 TBSP olive oil (to be drizzled on top)
Optional: (additional) 1-2 TBSP olive oil (to be added into the mixture)
Optional: 1-2 tsp cumin
Optional: paprika for garnish

Place chickpeas, tahini, garlic, (cumin), cayenne, salt, and lemon/lime juice in the food processor and process until as smooth as you like. Start tasting. Add more lemon/lime juice until it tastes "fresh enough" to you. If it's too thick, add some plain tap water or some of the starchy liquid that was reserved from the canned chickpeas. You also can add olive oil (I tend not to since there's oil in the tahini). Remove humus from the food processor and add 1/2 of the chopped cilantro. Mix. Chill well, preferably overnight. Before serving, bring humus to room temperature and taste again. Add more spices/salt/lemon juice if needed, add the rest of the chopped cilantro, and mix again. Garnish with paprika (I forgot!) and drizzle with olive oil before serving.

[paula]

Here is my rice salad recipe. I got it off epicurious.com.
I substituted a yellow pepper for the green. I also didn't have corn oil so I used olive oil. This is the first time I made this...I think next time I will double the dressing. Make sure you have a big bowl to mix everything together!

SUMMER RICE SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE DRESSING

Dressing
1/2 cup corn oil
1/2 cup crumbled soft mild goat cheese (such as Montrachet)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Salad
4 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 10-ounce package frozen corn, thawed, drained
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped red onion
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives or green onions

For Dressing: Combine corn oil, goat cheese, vinegar, oregano, cumin and cloves in large bowl and whisk until well blended. Set aside.

For Salad: Bring 4 1/2 cups water to simmer in heavy large saucepan. Add rice and 1 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.
Transfer rice to large bowl. Fluff with fork. Pour goat cheese dressing over hot rice and let cool, tossing occasionally. Mix in corn, red and green bell peppers, red and green onions and chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Rice salad can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand 2 hours at room temperature before serving.)

Serves 8.

[Gubeen]

Som Tam – Green Papaya Salad
Serves - 8?

1 large green papaya – peeled, seeded and grated (approx 4 cups grated papaya)
6-8 Chinese long beans or ½ cup green beans – washed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2lb grape or cherry tomatoes -- sliced in half
8-10 garlic cloves – cut in half
6-8 Small red chilies – cut in half or thirds
2-3 TBSP jaggary or palm sugar or brown sugar
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2-3 TBSP fish sauce
2 TBSP dried shrimp (optional)
¼ cup raw peanuts -- lightly crushed


This may be one of the easiest cold salads to make. Once the papaya is grated, place in a large bowl and add the tomatoes and beans. In Thailand, everything would be added to a very large mortar to release all the oils. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a mortar that big in NYC. If you want to take a large cast iron pan to the green papaya, go for it. I usually put the papaya/tomatoes/beans in a large ziplock bag and then pound it a few times to give the same result.

For the dressing, place the garlic, chilies and sugar in a mortar. (You can do this in a food processor but you will need to smash the ingredients first to release the oils.) Using the pestle grind the ingredients into a paste, adding a bit of lime juice or fish sauce, if necessary to loosen things up. The sugar should do most of the work. Grind the ingredients until you have a pretty smooth mixture. Add in the dried shrimp and pound to break them up and combine with garlic and chilies. The shrimp should remain recognizable. Add in most of the lime juice and the fish sauce. The dressing should have a decent mix of salt, sweet, and sour. Add more sugar, fish sauce or lime juice to achieve your desired taste. You want a nice balance between the flavors. Depending on the fish sauce you use, it may be more or less powerful. I usually find that I need more lime juice and sugar. This dressing should be mild to hot, adjust the chilies for desired heat level.

Garnish with crushed raw peanuts and more dried shrimp, if you desire. Serve cold or room temperature.

This can be made ahead up to a day or so, but do not mix the dressing in to salad until about 2 hours before serving. The flavors meld over time and it will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. It gets hotter over time and I like to snack on this cold right out of the fridge. This is great with barbeque chicken.

NOTE: This recipe is from The Thai Cookery School in Chang Mai. I have adapted it a bit overtime. If you have the opportunity to go to Chang Mai, I highly recommend checking out the cooking school. Full day lessons run approximately $25 and are well worth it just for the food. www.thaicookeryschool.com

[Scott Johnston]

a little late...


Scott’s Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
Adapted from Alton Brown

1 onion, thinly sliced
4 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced (smaller the tastier)
2 cups water
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 cups sugar
Pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon celery seeds
3 teaspoon pickling spice

1) Combine onion and cucumber slices in a clean spring-top jar.
2) Combine the remaining ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil.
3) Simmer for 4 full minutes to wake up the flavors of the spices.
4) Slowly pour the hot pickling liquid over the onion and cucumber slice, completely filling the jar.
5) Allow the pickles to cool to room temperature before topping off with any remaining pickling liquid.
6) Refrigerate for at least 24 hours.