18 that make your Recipes

make and maintain your own sourdough starter, need a volume of at least 1 and 1/3 cups., there are several ingredient combinations for making wild, yeast sourdough, is to grate a raw potato. then add enough water to cover, enough flour to make a thin batter of about a cup and a, third in volume ., method is to use water that you ve boiled potatoes, in instead of the grated potato and water combination., you can also use flour , sugar and water. use 1 cup of, flour , a tbsp of sugar and enough water to make a, pancake consistency batter ., yet another is to simply mix together equal amounts of water, flour (whole wheat is best for this)., anything that provides food for the yeast and a good growing, environment will work. yeast needs sugar or carbohydrates, which it converts to sugar), and clear liquid., make your choice based on what you have handy and just because, what you d like to try. don tsp worry about whether or, not 1 set of ingredients will work better than another, because the chances are that they will all be equally, efficient in attracting wild (sour) yeast. there is no exact, recipe because there are so many other variables in each house, that will invite or dissuade wild yeasts from entering the, mixture. if at first you don tsp succeed, try, try again . the, most important thing is the method ., when you have decided on the ingredients you want , put them in, a glass container that will hold at least three times the, volume of the ingredients. mix lightly with a wooden or, plastic spoon as some metals will react to it. the working of, starter will mix itself ., leave the mixture undisturbed and loosely covered with a cloth, perforated plastic (to allow gases to escape) at warm room, temperature until it begins to froth or work and expand., this is a sign that wild yeasts have made themselves at home, what you re after. the new starter will rise up in, then fall again. when it has , it s ready for, use. (note: it will smell sour !), when you use it , always leave some in the container and add, flour and water back to equal what you ve taken out. most, recipes call for a cup of starter, so replace it with a half, flour and a half-cup of water and set it in a warm, place to work again ., you will probably see a liquid covering the top at 1 time or, this is called hooch , and it s exactly what it, sounds like , but don tsp drink it! actually, it s harmless, so, stir it back into the starter if the starter is thick, or if, either way ., keep sourdough in the refrigerator unless you use it at least, every third day. if you use it that often , you can leave it on, counter or any place where it s safe. if you can tsp, refrigerate it , you can keep it fresh by throwing out a cup of, it every second or third day and then replenish with flour and, water. wait until it works again before counting days ., a properly cared for starter can live indefinitely, but if you, leave it out without using it for too long, the yeast can, literally suffocate in its own waste products. if the starter, looks off color (grayish is normal) or turns pink, toss it and, start fresh ., what can you make with sourdough besides the traditional, bread , you can make biscuits, pancakes, pretzels, bagels, muffins , cornbread and even cookies! once you re comfortable, using it , you can experiment with your favorite yeast or, baking powder recipes. simply put , you substitute sourdough

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.

egg, mustard, salt, lime juice (optional), safflower oil , high oleic and expellar pressed, pepper

here are the basics of making an excellent cheese fondue , the proper way (or at least the lindysez way)., use good cheese , i use half emmental swiss and gruyere, grate them up and toss them with some salt and a good amount of pepper. let them sit out at room temp so they melt better . cut your bread (good french bread, but not sourdough) into bite sized pieces making sure to have crust on each piece. let those sit out for a while too so they aren tsp too soft., cheese that you use , you are going to use 1 3/4 cups of a dry white wine, such as a fume blanc, a california sauv blanc (don tsp use a new zealand 1 as most are too grassy) or a pouilly-fume. when you are ready to make the fondue, rub the pot with a clove of garlic (we like garlic, so we leave the clove in, but you don tsp need to); then place over a medium heat and add the wine. when the wine comes to a simmer, start slowly adding the cheese, sprinkling in a handful at a time, allowing each addition to melt (my dad said you always have to stir in the same direction, in a figure 8 motion, it works. if you stir in a circle you will end up with a big glop of cheese in the middle of a pot of wine, the figure 8 is key); keep adding until you have a nice thick sauce, then add a splash of kirsch and a pinch of nutmeg. put over a burner to keep it bubbling, and stir often when you dip your bread., a lb of cheese is enough for 4 people; or more if you are serving other things. and the amounts are guesstimates. i almost always grate too much cheese, so only add as much as you need to get the right consistency ; when you dip a piece of bread into the fondue, you want a nice coating of cheese and for the bread to absorb the wine. that s what it s all about, cheese, wine and bread. so use the best you can of each ingredient. and any left over cheese makes for a mighty good ham and cheese omelet.

i use a 3 1/2 to 4 lb chuck roast, well marbelized with fat, and if you can find a bone-in roast, that s better yet (but it s almost always boneless chuck that you find at the grocer). i like to quickly rinse the roast in cold water just before i lay it on the cutting board to coat it with seasoned flour. place the following ingredients in a small baggie and shake the closed bag to mix it up, flour, salt, garlic salt, crazy mixed-up salt (if you can tsp get this seasoning, use seasoned salt instead, but jane s is by far the best), pepper, use your hands to generously pat the seasoned flour into the roast, on both sides, flipping the roast a couple times and repeating the process., in a dutch oven or roasting pan large enough to hold the roast, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat - you want your pan and oil to be hot enough to sear the roast well when you put it in the pan. when the oil is just about to the smoking point, put the roast in and cover the pan. let the meat sear until nicely browned on the bottom, then flip the roast. let it sear for a minute or two on the second side, then add, beef stock (i much prefer the boxed stock to the canned broth - it just seems to give the gravy a much richer taste in the end), cover the roasting pan and place it in a pre-heated 300 degree oven. roast for 4 to 5 hours, until the meat is fork tender and falls apart easily. i check the roast each hour, quickly opening the lid, just to make sure the stock has not evaporated. as long as your pan has a good seal on it, this shouldn tsp happen. but if necessary, add more stock to the pan., an hour before the roast is done , prepare the mashed potatoes. peel 6 large red potatoes (these work better - at least for me - because they are much moister than the russets, so the mashed potatoes are creamier); cut into 1/4th, and place them in a large saucepan - rinse the cut potatoes 2 times in cold water, then cover them in fresh cold water and place the pan over medium high heat; boil until tender. this is usually about 30 minutes, but it depends on the size of your cuts, so just cook them until you can easily insert a fork into a potato. drain potatoes well, reserving 1 cup of the water for the gravy. add the following to the hot potatoes, butter, sour cream, milk, salt, crazy mixed up salt (use regular salt or garlic salt if jane s salt is not available), pepper, i use a hand masher , but you can use an electric mixer or however you chose to mash the potatoes into a creamy yet firm texture. add more milk if potatoes are too stiff. place the mashed potatoes in a buttered casserole dish, cover with foil, and place in the oven to keep warm while you make the gravy., prepare the gravy, melt 2 tbsp butter, stir in 1/4 cup flour to make a paste, stir in enough beef stock to thin the paste enough to pour., finished roast from the pan and place it on a plate; cover meat with foil to keep warm., place the roasting pan over a medium flame and bring the liquid to a gentle boil (i usually seem to have about 1 1/2 to 2 cups liquid in the pan when the roast is done - if you have less, just use the beef stock to increase your liquid)., use a whisk to gradually whisk in the butter/flour/stock liquid., add 2 tbsp beef base - i use tone s (i prefer beef base to buillon - has a richer flavor and is really worth having on hand, but if you can tsp find this, try knorr s beef buillon extra large cubes), add the 1 cup of reserved potato water, add 1/2 cup beef stock, taste the gravy and see if you want more seasoning. i usually find i don tsp need to add anything at this point, since i have the seasoning from the flour coating and the stock and the beef base. if you think you need more seasoning, add salt and pepper to your taste. beef base will also give you more saltiness., keep the gravy warm while you uncover the meat and use 2 forks to pull the meat apart into small to medium chunks., you are now ready to assemble...

at the time when christianity was accepted in serbia , many families were baptised and chose their own saint. this is why saint nicholas is celebrated by so many families on the 19th of december. for the orthodox families st. nicholas is a special day with special rituals and prayers, to others it only means a day to be with your family and enjoy lots of food., this st. nicholas bread is traditionally made in orthodox families for the feast of st. nicholas. i heard that in other families a coin is put in the bread and the person who gets the piece with the coin will be rich in the future. i do not believe that this is part of a religious ritual, but i can be wrong., ingredients for the bread, sugar, fresh yeast or 1 package dry yeast (7 g), lukewarm milk, kilo flour (all purpose), salt, sugar, butter, egg yolks, grated lemon peel and some lemon juice, ingredients for the braid, flour, water, little bit salt, how to make the bread, put the (fresh ) yeast in a small bowl together with a tsp sugar and a little bit lukewarm milk. mix and set aside so the yeast can start to work. yeast usually activates between 25 and 28 degrees celsius., take another bowl and beat the egg yolks, add the rest of the milk and stir well., put the flour , sugar, salt, lemon peel and a bit of lemon juice together in a bowl. add the softened butter in small pieces and knead until the mixture has a fine texture., mix the yeast mixture with the milk/egg mixture and add it to the flour. knead everything well until the dough becomes a ball (leaving the bowl clean). put the dough into another bowl, cover it with a damp cloth and put it on a warm place. let the dough rise for 2 hours., after these two hours knead the dough again (shortly) on a floured surface. make a ball again and let the dough rise again for 1 hour., form a round bread and put it on a greased baking tray or use greased baking paper. you can also use a round baking pan, don tsp forget to grease it, make the dough for the braid by mixing 250 g flour, 180 ml water and a pinch of salt together in a bowl. make a soft dough, divide it in three pieces and form 3 rolls. make a braid twice the diameter of the bread. cut the braid in half and form a cross on the bread, use a water/egg mixture to glue it on the bread., bake the st. nicholas bread in a preheated oven on 180 degrees celsius for about 60 minutes.

lukewarm water (90of to 100of), dry yeast or two 0.6-oz packages fresh yeast, crumbled, all purpose flour (i use king arthur bread flour), extra-virgin olive oil, coarse sea salt, note: i have found that adding anywhere from 1-2 tsp. of salt (table salt works just fine) to the flour while making the dough works as good or better than the coarse salt on top. it depends on your taste. i would suggest adding 1 tsp. of salt to the flour and maybe lightly adding the coarse salt before baking. or forgo the coarse salt altogether and add 1.5 tsp of salt to the flour for the dough. bread does needs salt to have a good taste., note 2: drizzle with olive oil before baking., note 3: you can knead with a little olive oil to keep from adding more flour and prevent dryness., add herbs of your choice and/or a grated favorite cheese. i have used rosemary, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, cracked black pepper, asiago, and parmesan in various combinations and it all worked out well.

boneless skinless chicken breasts, real butter, water, fresh green beans, italian dressing (not creamy or you can always make your own), firm tomatoes or 3 roma tomatoes, chopped (optional)

flake pie crusts can be used for main course dishes or, by adding the optional sugar, for sweet fillings and tart shells. they contain the same ingredients as other pie crusts, but it s the way the shortening is incorporated into the flour that gives these crusts theirs name and characteristics., when you break a medium flake pie crust with your fingers, it separates into flakes rather than breaking clean. a crust that breaks clean is made with short flake pastry. to make a crust short, the ingredients are put together a little differently. short crusts are equally good and used just about as universally.

article, those of us who are blessed with living in the lone star state may take for granted the steaming hot, flavorful corn tortillas that many mexican restaurants still provide free to patrons. cities and towns of any size at all frequently have a tortilleria, that is, a tortilla factory, where freshly-made tortillas or fresh masa (tortilla dough) can be purchased. or maybe not., in any case , a resourceful cook, particularly 1 who relishes tex-mex fare, will want to be able to produce a batch of corn tortillas. there is nothing quite like the aroma of hot, handmade tortillas. your own tortillas will not only rival the restaurant variety, they will taste even better because they are so fresh., according to the tortilla industry association, tortillas are more popular today in the u.s. than all other ethnic breads, such as bagels, english muffins and pita bread., average (say 6- to 7-inch) corn tortilla contains about 60 calories, a gram or so each of protein and fat, 12 g of carbohydrate and 44 milligrams of calcium. since they are made exclusively of corn flour and contain no wheat gluten, they are an ideal bread alternative for those who are gluten intolerant., but most of all , they are good., corn tortillas are the foundation of classic tex-mex dishes like enchiladas , gorditas, quesadillas, tacos and tostados. mexican cooks have been patting them out for millennia; tortillas are the bread of mexico., this article will concern itself with corn tortillas, rather than the wheat flour tortillas that originated in northern mexico., ingredients for tortilla making are incredibly, and somewhat deceptively, simple. there are only two: corn flour and water. we could get so basic as to detail the process of making corn flour with parched corn and slaked lime, and grinding the resulting product ourselves, but no 1 would do that. and besides, there is a product made by the quaker oats company called masa harina that makes an excellent corn tortilla. masa harina may be difficult to find in some, principally northern, areas of the u.s., and you may have to ask your grocer to serving it for you. it can also be obtained by mail order, although it is a bit pricey ($3.95 for 2 lb, plus shipping), compared to what you pay for it in a local supermarket., whatever you do , don tsp confuse corn flour with corn meal. corn meal is made from a completely different process, and it simply won tsp work for tortilla making., need a big cast-iron skillet or griddle and a tortilla press, too. tortilla presses have become pretty easy to find in kitchen-supply stores. not exactly a high-tech gadget, if you pay more than $20 for 1, you ve paid way too much. if you can tsp find a tortilla press, it is possible (but not preferable) to press out your tortillas on a flat surface using a heavy, flat-bottomed dish. you ll also need some plastic bags of the sandwich or freezer variety, but more about that later., in most every recipe for corn tortillas, the proportion of ingredients called for is 2 cups of masa harina to 1-1/4 to 1-1/3 cups of water. however, the difference between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup, while only 4 tsp, can be critical.

mayonnaise, sour cream (or you can use all mayo), chopped green onions, white & green parts, wasabi paste (or if you have the wasabi powder use that and add a little water to make your own paste), teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, unseasoned rice vinegar, grated ginger, tuna steaks

make use that your bowl and the beaters of you mixer are completely void of any grease and place them both in the freezer before starting to make the whipped cream, every 1/2 pint of whipping cream add 1 egg white and sweeten to taste.whip well, white of the egg stiffens the cream and gives it a smooth and airy taste,that can not be duplicated., enjoy

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

dried corn husks, lard or vegetable shortening (i used . it adds flavor. it s not that bad once in a while, it s a saturated fat yes, but vegetable shortening is a trans fat, and i think that s worse for you. you can render your own using the cut off fat from pork roast and pork chops. do not use salt pork or bacon - ask your butcher for about 1 1/2 lb of pork fat), baking powder, blue corn meal ( is coarser than yellow, but if you want to make yellow tamales, get masa harina for tamales), water, chicken stock, preferably homemade, salt, poblano chilies, seeded and cut into a small dice, fresh or frozen corn (thawed if frozen ), monterey jack cheese , cut into a small dice

many supermarkets sell meat specifically labeled for braciole. if yours does not, the butcher should be able to cut it for you. steaks that measure 5 inches across by 7 inches long are ideal. this recipe makes enough extra sauce to coat 1 lb of pasta. we like to serve braciole with a hearty pasta shape, such as ziti or rigatoni., braciole, garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tsp), raisins, pine nuts , toasted in a dry skillet until fragrant, fresh parsley leaves , minced, fresh basil leaves , minced, pecorino romano cheese , grated, steaks , cut from the widest part of a top round roast, 1/2 inch thick (about 2 lb total), extra-virgin olive oil, salt and ground black pepper, provolone cheese , cut in half (optional), simple tomato sauce, extra-virgin olive oil, onion , minced, garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 5 tsp), red pepper flakes, dry red wine, crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, fresh basil leaves , minced, salt and ground black pepper

ruby tuesday s chicken quesadillas, chicken breast, italian dressing, flour tortilla, margarine, shredded monterey jack/cheddar cheese, tomatoes, diced, jalapeno peppers, diced, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, place chicken breast in a bowl with enough italian dressing to, coat ; allow to marinate 30 minutes, refrigerated. grill marinated, chicken until done in a lightly oiled pan. cut into 3/4 pieces, aside ., brush 1 side of tortilla with margarine and place in frying pan, over medium heat. on 1 half of tortilla , add cheese, tomatoes , peppers, and cajun seasoning in that serving. make, spread to the edge of the half. top with diced chicken, fold empty tortilla side on top , and flip over in pan so that, cheese is on top of chicken. cook until very warm throughout ., pan to serving plate and cut into six equal wedges, on 1 side of plate. on the other side put lettuce , topped with, tomatoes , and then topped with sour cream. serve your, favorite salsa in a small bowl on the side .