22 don that Recipes

any liquid can be reduced just by heating it - but why would you want to do that, answer comes back to two of our old friends, flavor and consistency (texture)., by reducing any flavored liquid you intensify its flavor and at the same time thicken it. you can continue this process until what you have left is a syrup if it contains sugar, or a sauce if it does not., this is 1 of the most important tools in the kitchen , believe it or not, because a great sauce can rescue an indifferent meal., literally any liquid can be reduced ., a few uses, wine is frequently used in cooking , both as a marinade and as an addition to sauces for meat., there are some problems with it though, 1 of which is that you need a really good wine and quite a lot of it to produce a reasonable sauce for, say, six people., on the other hand , if you use pure grape juice and reduce it to a syrup, that syrup, added to any sauce (or gravy if you prefer) will lift it into the realms of gourmet ., more , you don tsp have to make your reduction on the night you prepare your meal. you can reduce a liter of grape juice at any time to the consistency and flavor you want; then just store it in the fridge., you can do the same thing with any fruit juice - prune is sensational - and store it until needed. just about all of them will do things for ice cream, pies or tarts that will have your guests demanding the recipe, pork with apple sauce use a carton of fresh apple juice from the supermarket and reduce it. and if you want a real sensation add in a glass of apple brandy during the reduction process., are you getting an idea of how simple this is, take any carton of fresh stock straight of the shelf and reduce it. you will transform it into something even the manufacturer won tsp recognize. but beware, you need to start out with good quality in the first place, because when you reduce a liquid you intensify all the flavors, and not just the good ones., if it s salty to start with, for example, it will be salty beyond belief by the time you ve reduced it even by half. so if you are going to use a supermarket stock, make sure it s an extremely good 1., believe me when i tell you that stock cubes should not be used for reduction sauces., thickeners, because you will be tasting as you go (won tsp you ), you may find that you get the flavor you want before the desired consistency is reached., a couple of hints right now for your sauces., sweet ones can be thickened successfully without loss of color by adding in liquid glucose early on in the reduction process. surprisingly, this will add little in the way of sweetness and produces a beautiful velvety sauce when whisked., if you get it wrong and add too much, no problem. stir in a little extra water to thin it., reduction pans, reductions need to happen rapidly in serving to preserve flavors. and the greater the surface area of the liquid the faster the water will evaporate., however you may want to whisk something into the sauce while its cooking - such as butter or olive oil for example - and for that i find a small wok is best; 1 with a handle., a wok is less likely to reduce so fast that the sauce is burnt while your back is turned. but try both methods and see which you prefer. you may even end up using something totally different., no magic to this. whatever works for you, that s what you should use, in this and everything else to do with cooking., just bear in mind that what you re after is speed and ease of use. as well as a great tasting result, of course. :>), keeping, if they should dry out , simply add a little water and heat through., sauces containing meat juices of any kind must be frozen if you re going to keep them, and should be brought to boiling point before being used again. there is no need to thaw them out to do this, in fact it s better not to. simply drop the frozen cubes into a saucepan, melt them over a gentle heat, and then bring swiftly to the boil., why do you do this to avoid food poisoning, that s why. you are making sure that any bugs introduced into the sauce during the preparation process are killed off., worry , this will not be because of anything you have done wrong (i hope!), but because bacteria are part of our everyday lives and they exist in every kitchen, however clean., in fact your food , and especially your meat, is crawling with wildlife that you will never see. don tsp worry about them. careful handling and simple precautions will ensure that these miniature monsters can never multiply enough to harm either you or your guests.

turkey carcass , practically picked clean, bay leaves, onions, peeled and quartered, carrots, thyme

old age, i decided , is a gift., i am now , probably for the first time in my life, the person i have always wanted to be., i would never trade my amazing friends , my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. as i ve aged, i ve become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. i ve become my own friend., i don tsp chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that i didn tsp need, but looks so avant garde on my patio. i am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant., whose business is it if i choose to read or play on the computer until 4 am and sleep until noon, i will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50 s, 60 s, & 70 s, and if i, wish i will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if i choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set., will get old ., i know i am sometimes forgetful. but there again , some of life is just as well forgotten. and i eventually remember the important things.., over the years my heart has been broken ..., but broken hearts are what give us strength andunderstanding and compassion. a heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect., i am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. so many have never laughed, and so may have died before their hair could turn silver., as you get older , it is easier to be positive. you care less about what other people think. i don tsp question myself anymore. i ve even earned the right to be wrong., answer your question , i like being old. it has set me free.. i like the person i have become., i am not going to live forever, but while i am still here, i will not waste time lamenting about what could have been, or worrying about what will be. and i shall eat dessert every single day. (if i feel like it), may our friendship never come apart especially when it s straight from the heart, may you always have a rainbow of smiles on your face and in your heart forever and ever

cubed lamb pieces, water or lamb stock, onion chopped finely, red lentils, diced very ripe tomatoes, tbsn tomato paste, ground turmeric, ground cinnamon, cinnamon stick, ground ginger, salt, freshly ground black pepper, re-hydrated (cooked ) chickpeas, celery stalk with leaves, finely chopped, cannelloni pasta tubes , smashed so that you get odd size shapes (but if you don tsp have that a very small handful of any pasta smashed or crunched up a bit to add interesting texture to the soup will work, juice of 1 lemon, coriander (cilantro), chopped coarsely

christmas with louise, as a joke , my brother, jay, used to hang a pair of panty hose over his fireplace before christmas. he said all he wanted was for santa to fill them., what they say about santa reviewing behavior and checking the list twice must be true because every christmas morning, although jay s kids stockings overflowed, his poor pantyhose hung sadly empty., year i decided to make his dream come true. i put on sunglasses and with a hat pulled down and went in search of an inflatable love doll. they don tsp sell those things at walmart., i had to go to an adult bookstore downtown. if you ve never been in an x-rated store, don tsp go. you ll only confuse yourself. i was there an hour saying things like, what does this do you re kidding me! who would buy that finally, i made it to the inflatable doll section. i wanted to buy a standard, uncomplicated doll that could also substitute as a passenger in my car so i could use the car pool lane, during rush hour. finding what i wanted was difficult. love dolls come in many different models. the top of the line , according to the side of the box, could do things i d only seen in a book on animal husbandry. i settled for lovable louise. she was at the bottom of the price scale. to call louise a doll took a huge leap of imagination., on christmas eve , with the help of an old bicycle pump, louise came to life., my sister-in-law was in on the plan and let me in during the wee morning hours, long after santa had come and gone, i filled the dangling pantyhose with louise s pliant legs and bottom. i also ate some cookies and drank what remained of a glass of milk on a nearby tray. i went home, and giggled for a couple of hours., next morning my brother called to say that santa had been to his house and left a present that had made him very happy but had left the dog confused. she would bark, start to walk away, then come back and bark some more. we all agreed that louise should remain in her panty hose so the rest of the family could admire her when they came over for the traditional christmas dinner., my grandmother noticed louise the moment she walked in the door. what the hell is that she asked. my brother quickly explained , it s a doll. . who would play with something like that granny snapped. i had several candidates in mind, but kept my mouth shut. where are her clothes granny continued., boy , that turkey sure smells nice, gran, jay said, trying to steer her into the dining room. but granny was relentless. why doesn tsp she have any teeth again, i could have answered, but why would i it was christmas and no 1 wanted to ride in the back of the ambulance saying, hang on granny! hang on! ., my grandfather , a delightful old man with very poor eyesight, sidled up to me and said, hey, who s the naked gallon by the fireplace i told him she was jay s friend. a few minutes later i noticed grandpa by the mantel, talking to louise. not just talking, but actually flirting. it was then that we realized this might be grandpa s last christmas at home., dinner went well. we made the usual small talk about who had died , who was dying, and who should be killed, when suddenly louise made a noise that sounded a lot like my father in the bathroom in the morning. then she lurched from the panty hose, flew around the room twice, and fell in a heap in front of the sofa. the cat screamed. i passed cranberry sauce through my nose, and grandpa ran across the room, fell to his knees, and began administering mouth to mouth resuscitation. my brother fell back over his chair and wet his pants laughing and granny threw down her napkin, stomped out of the room, and sat in the car., it was indeed a christmas to treasure and remember. later in my brother s garage, we conducted a thorough examination to decide the cause of louise s collapse. we discovered that louise had suffered from a hot ember to the back of her right thigh. fortunately, thanks to a wonder drug called duct tape , we restored her to perfect health., louise went on to star in several bachelor party movies. i think grandpa still asks about her whenever he can get out of the house

whole wheat flour (i used whole grain pancake flour i found at whole foods, or you can use whole wheat pastry flour), eggs, low-fat buttermilk, artificial sweetener (i used splenda), baking powder (heaping), baking soda, unsweetened applesauce, flax seeds, ground (i used golden) (optional)

rib eye steaks , 6 oz, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil leaves, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, head romaine lettuce, cilantro leaf, red radishes, avocados, tomatoes, green onion, chipotle chiles in adobo, limes, ranch dressing, basil, tarragon, garlic cloves, limes, garnish

whole wheat flour (or use half white and whole wheat), baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, brown sugar (or to taste, or can use splenda), egg, slightly beaten, oil, vanilla, nonfat milk (or use low-fat milk), crushed pineapple, well drained, grated carrots (squeeze out some of the moisture with hands), raisins

baby lima beans , sorted and rinsed, dry white beans (navy or northern) or 1/2 cup black-eyed peas, sorted and rinsed (you can also use a good cholent bean mix), chuck roast (don tsp use that fatty cholent plate and do put some bones in) or 1 1/4 lbs beef brisket (don tsp use that fatty cholent plate and do put some bones in) or 1 1/4 lbs top ribs (don tsp use that fatty cholent plate and do put some bones in) or 1 1/4 lbs beef shanks (don tsp use that fatty cholent plate and do put some bones in) or 1 1/4 lbs other pot roast (don tsp use that fatty cholent plate and do put some bones in), onion, chopped, pot barley, washed, dry lentils , sorted and rinsed, paprika, salt, ground black pepper, ground ginger, potatoes , scrubbed

risotto with sausage and cranberry beans, make risotto , you absolutely must use a specific type of rice called arborio rice (carnaroli and vialone nano are also used, some say superior, but are more difficult to find). these types of rice release starch when stirred in a liquid; it is this process which makes risotto, otherwise you just have a starchy mess of mush. these types of rice are identified by their fat round grains and pearly appearance. they can be used to make other sorts of rice dishes, such as pilaf, but other types of rice cannot be used for risotto. arborio is no longer that much of a specialty product; it can be found in most large, well-stocked grocery stores in the italian section. or sometimes, misguidedly, in the asian section., okay , so now we have the rice. you will also need some good, low-salt stock or broth - it should be low-salt not for health reasons, but because a good deal of it will evaporate, leaving its salt behind, and i like to have more control over the salt in a dish. it can be homemade, but i m not going to be a snob about it because, in truth, we go through gallons of store-bought stock in this household and i don tsp see that changing anytime soon. furthermore, risotto is actually a dish which can be whipped up out of thin air when it seems as though you have nothing to eat, as long as you have butter, rice, stock, maybe a few herbs, and some leftover parmesan. i like the kind of stock purchased in tetrapak cartons, because they are resealable and can be put in the fridge and used as needed. if you really want to use homemade but you don tsp have time to make stock or don tsp like the aroma of roasting bones in your house (i don tsp blame you), you can buy really great stock at north market poultry and game - it is expensive, but can be diluted with a 2- or 3-to-1 ratio of water to stock, so it stretches. my general guideline is to plan on 1/4 cup dry rice per person, and about 4 cups of stock to 1 cup of rice. of course, this isn tsp exact and will vary depending on your elevation and the phases of the moon, but it s a good place to start. i usually just use 4 cups of stock and then dilute with water or wine (or sometimes beer, if that s all i have) if i feel i m going to run out., well, we have rice and stock covered, now we just need our setup: place the stock in a saucepan on your rear burner, bring to a simmer, and leave it there with a 6-8 oz ladle in, and place a large, wide saute pan (must be really large, plan that your rice will at least quadruple in size) or dutch oven on the burner in front. get out your favorite wooden spoon and flex your stirring arm., nice thing about using sausage is it s so full of flavor you can leave out the usual onion/garlic/shallot/celery nonsense if you re tired and don tsp feel like chopping. furthermore, sausage goes from the freezer to the pan without suffering too much. okay, let s go, risotto with sausage and cranberry beans - serves 4, links italian sausage , or 1 lb bulk (or hot, or a combination - definitely with some fennel), casings removed, cooked cranberry beans or 1 can white beans, drained, arborio rice, beef , chicken or vegetable stock, butter, freshly, finely grated parmesan cheese , plus more for garnish, an oz) flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely, lemon juice , or juice from 1/2 lemon, salt and black pepper to taste, red pepper flakes to taste, optional, good balsamic vinegar , optional

artichokes, smoked bacon or 1 1/2 lbs pancetta, sliced, italian seasoned breadcrumbs, parmigiano-reggiano cheese (don tsp buy it pre-grated, and don tsp use that stuff from the green can) or 1 1/2 cups good domestic parmesan cheese, grated (don tsp buy it pre-grated, and don tsp use that stuff from the green can), pecorino romano cheese, grated, green onion, chopped, parsley, chopped, garlic cloves, minced, salt, fresh ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, olive oil, lemons

we prefer the mild flavor of regular olive oil in this sauce compared to the stronger flavor of extra-virgin olive oil. don tsp worry about patting the beans dry with towels before tossing them with the sauce; any water that clings to the beans helps to thin out the sauce. this sauce is also good served with crudites or alongside grilled or roasted meat, chicken, or fish., walnuts, garlic cloves , unpeeled, fresh cilantro leaves and stems , tough stem ends trimmed (about 2 bunches), olive oil (see note ), juice from 1 lemon, scallion , sliced thin, salt and ground black pepper, green beans , stem ends trimmed

chicken breasts, pounded thin, prosciutto ham (or you can use any good baked ham), gruyere cheese, shredded (or you can use 4 slices of swiss), hickory bacon (don tsp use thick sliced, just regular), kosher salt, ground black pepper, olive oil, butter, diced onion (i prefer shallots, but a regular onion will work fine), chicken broth, white wine (if you don tsp want to use wine, just use all chicken stock or broth), heavy cream (or you can use evaporated milk or even light cream and even milk, i just like the consistency of hea), dijon mustard (i love to mix dijon and ground mustard but if you only have dijon, that if just fine, if you like mo), fresh parsley, kosher salt, ground black pepper

chicken wings or 2 lbs chicken drummettes (no tips on wings, i use the bags in the freezer dept that way i don tsp have to clean the chicken, cal), soy sauce, dry vermouth, sugar, cayenne pepper (optional), dry ground ginger

button mushrooms, trimmed, canola oil, fresh thyme sprigs, eggplant, leeks, chopped fine, garlic clove, dry pearl barley, garbanzo beans, drained and patted dry on paper towels, all-purpose flour, baking powder, marmite or 1 tsp vegemite or 1 tsp maggi seasoning, cashews (toasted ), soy sauce, panko breadcrumbs, salt and pepper

manwich sloppy joe mix (good for 1 lb. ground beef, i don tsp use manwich, the site threw that in there for some reason, i jus), lean ground beef (i use the 96/4 from trader joe s, nutrition is based on using 96/4 ), onion (chopped ), green onions, crushed tomatoes (with basil, or the equivalent with fresh crushed or diced peeled tomatoes and a bit of chopped basil), cheddar cheese soup (undiluted , campbell s healthy request only if you want the recipe low fat), fresh mint leaves (chopped , or a small handful... to taste), sea salt (to taste), hot sauce (i use trader joe s jalapeno... to taste depending on how spicy you like your food.... i like mine wi), rotini pasta (low carb, dreamfield s pasta can be found at ralph s for about $2.50 a box. each serving is 2oz. wit)

apple juice (clear), lemon, peeled and juiced, jalapenos, 1 red and 1 green, minced, sugar

green beans, drained, onion , medium sized, thinly sliced, garlic, 2 tsp minced, crushed red pepper flakes, olive oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar or 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, water, salt and pepper