Kai's "Old-Fashioned" Recipe Thread

[magicwoman19]

Hey Jolie I have one for ya:

Got this out of a cook book that I got for Christmas.

Elephant Stew

1 med. size elephant 2 rabbits
salt and pepper to taste Brown gravy (lots)

Cut elephant into bite sized pieces. (takes about 2 months) Reserve trunk; you will need something to store pieces in. Put meat into large pot. Cover with brown gravy to cover and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over kerosene fire for about 4 weeks at 465 degrees. Serves 3, 800 people. If more show up, add rabbits. But only if necessary as most people don't like hare in there stew. P.S. I have a problem using elephant as I've never met one I didn't like, so a large canvas tent can be substituted for elephant but then you must use tenderizer.


LOL!!! There are some funny ones in here, I will have to post more later. LOL!!!

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[the fugative]

Celeriac Salad

• 3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 lb. celeriac (1 large or two medium)

• 1/2 c. minced red onion

• 1/4 c. minced green onion

• 1/4 c. Dijon-style mustard

• 1/2 c. olive oil

• 2 tbsp. heavy cream

• 1/4 c. minced fresh mint or parsley (optional)

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Pour lemon juice into medium-size glass or ceramic bowl. Peel celeriac and julienne or grate; quickly toss in the lemon juice to reduce browning. Add red and green onions; toss again, cover, and set aside.

Place mustard in a small bowl. Add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until mixture thickens. Whisk in cream and, if used, mint or parsley. Add mustard mixture to celeriac and onions, tossing to blend well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill well before serving.

The salad can be made up to 48 hours ahead. Taste it and adjust the seasoning, if necessary, shortly before serving.




HAM SIMMERED IN PORT AND CREAM


• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1½ pounds good-quality cooked ham (not prosciutto or other salt-cured air-dried ham), cut into 6 steaks

• 4 to 6 shallots, chopped

• 1½ cups port

• ½ teaspoon red-wine vinegar

• 1 cup water

• 18 pitted prunes

• 2-inch cinnamon stick

• Pinch of coarsely ground black pepper

• 1 vanilla bean or a few drops of vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2¼ cups half-and-half

In heavy nonstick frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Brown ham steaks in butter, 1 at a time, until just opaque. (Note: Add more butter as needed.) Remove steaks to plate.

To make sauce: In same pan, add shallots, port, vinegar, water, prunes, cinnamon stick, pepper and vanilla bean. (Note: If using vanilla extract, wait to add a few drops.) Bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until liquid has reduced and slightly thickened and shallots have softened. Reduce heat to very low. Stir in tomato paste and half-and-half.

To reheat ham: Return ham to pan. Cover. Simmer over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes or just until ham is heated through. Remove cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. If using vanilla extract, add a few drops now.

Serve on plates with no vegetable accompaniment, a simple salad to follow and a good baguette to soak up the sauce

The fruit and wine enhance the salty nature of the ham. If you do not have port, use another fortified wine such as madeira.

[the fugative]

Roasted Root Vegetables


Change the mixture as you like, it'll be swell.

• 1 medium rutabaga, pared, halved and cut into 1/4-by 1/2-in. sticks

• 2 medium potatoes, pared, halved crosswise and cut into 1/4-in. slices

• 2 large turnips, pared or scrubbed, and cut into 8 wedges each

• 2 large carrots, pared or scrubbed, halved crosswise and each half cut into quarters

• 2 large parsnips, pared or scrubbed, halved crosswise and each half cut into quarters

• 8 radishes, washed and halved

• 1/4 c. olive oil, plus more for dish

• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the rutabagas and potatoes. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, until the pieces are beginning to yield to a fork (but aren't fully tender). Drain.

Lightly grease a 9-by 13-inch glass baking dish with olive oil and spread the rutabagas, potatoes, turnips, carrots, parsnips and radishes into it, in a single layer as much as possible.

In a bowl combine the 1/4 cup of oil and the garlic; crumble the thyme and stir in, along with the salt and pepper.

Drizzle the oil mixture over the vegetables. Roast, stirring and turning the vegetables once or twice, for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until fully tender and nicely browned on edges and tips. (If a few tips get a little darker, it's fine, but watch after an hour to make sure the vegetables don't burn.)




Creamed Rutabaga, Onions and Sausage with Pasta


• 2 large onions, cut in half and sliced thin

• 6 tbsp. ( 3/4 stick) butter

• 1 1/2 lb. rutabaga, pared and cut into 1/2-in. cubes

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

• 1 c. heavy cream

• 1/2 c. condensed chicken broth

• 1 lb. bulk pork sausage

• 1 lb. medium pasta shells, cooked according to package directions

Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are browned (caramelized). Stir in the rutabagas, salt, pepper, cream and condensed broth. When the liquid begins to bubble, reduce heat to moderately low and gently simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until the rutabagas are tender.

Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a frying pan over medium heat, crumbling with a large spoon, until it is fully cooked (no pinkness when crumbles are broken open). Drain well and stir into rutabaga mixture for its last 5 minutes or so (timing isn't critical, but it should have a few minutes to help flavor the sauce). Taste, add salt and pepper as needed.

Serve sauce over cooked, drained shells or stir sauce and pasta together before serving.

[the fugative]

CLAFOUTI OF BRANDY-SOAKED DRIED PLUMS


2 cups dried plums (aka prunes), pitted

¾ cup brandy

1 teaspoon butter

1 cup milk

¼ cup heavy cream

¼ cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

2/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

To plump dried plums: Combine dried plums and brandy in bowl. Cover. Let macerate 8 hours or overnight.

To prepare oven, dish: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9- to 10-inch round baking dish. Set aside.

To make batter: In mixing bowl, combine milk, cream, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour. Beat for 3 to 4 minutes or until frothy. Drain plums thoroughly in sieve or colander. (Note: Reserve brandy for another use, such as sipping or flavoring a cake.)

To bake: Pour enough batter into prepared baking dish to cover bottom with ¼-inch-deep layer. Bake for 2 minutes. Dot surface with drained fruit. Top with remaining batter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until puffed and brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Just before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

[the fugative]

DRIED FRUIT POACHED IN SAUVIGNON BLANC



8 ounces mixed dried fruit such as cherries, papayas, apricots, peaches, golden raisins

2 cups sauvignon blanc

2 tablespoons sugar

1 slice Meyer lemon

To poach fruit:Combine fruit and wine in nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until soft. Add sugar and lemon slice. Increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes or until syrup thickens.

To serve, store: Serve warm, directly after making, or at room temperature on its own, accompanied by biscotti or other cookies or use it as a topping for cake or ice cream. Or make 1 or 2 days ahead and store in refrigerator until ready to use.

[the fugative]

POACHED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH SPICY DRIED PEACH SAUCE



• Chicken breasts:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 chicken breast halves, with skin and bone

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

¼ cup chicken broth

½ cup water

• Sauce:

2 long, smoked dried pimientos dulces (Spanish dried peppers) or 1 chipotle pepper or 2 ancho chiles

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup chopped onion

4 ounces dried peaches, chopped

1 small garlic clove, chopped

1½ cups chicken stock

12 to 15 toasted almonds

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ to ½ teaspoon salt

To cook chicken: In skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and rosemary. When oil is hot, place chicken, skin side down, in skillet. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until golden. Turn. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly golden. Add chicken broth, scraping up any clinging bits. Add water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is tender and opaque at its thickest part.

To make sauce: Meanwhile, remove seeds and stems from chiles. Crumble coarsely. In sauce-pan, heat butter over medium heat until it melts and foams. Add onion. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes or until translucent. Add chopped fruit, chiles, garlic and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until fruit is tender.

To puree sauce: Transfer mixture to blender. Add almonds. Puree. Stir in pepper and ¼ teaspoon salt. Taste. Add more salt if desired. (Yields about 2 cups)

To serve: Spoon a little sauce over each chicken breast. Serve accompanied by remaining sauce.

The sauce pairs well with rosemary-flavored chicken breasts but could also be served with pork, duck or a sturdy fish like halibut.

[Jolie Rouge]

While researching craft rojects for my Scouts -- I found this : too good not to share ...


Cook Up a Chef's Hat

Nothing says ?chef? like a poofy white hat, and these are especially easy to make.

WHAT YOU NEED
• White poster board
• White tissue paper
• Tape
• Paper clips
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

Step 1:
Start with a band of white poster board 26 inches long and 3H inches high, and 3 sheets of 20- by 30-inch white tissue paper. Fold each sheet in half the long way.

Step 2:
Gather and tape one of the short sides of each sheet along the hat band, overlapping the sheets slightly.

Step 3:
Curl the band tape side out, place it around a child?s head, and paper clip the ends. Gather the tissue at the top, taping it tightly together, as shown at right. Cut off the extra tissue, remove the paper clips, and turn right-side out. Reattach the paper clips, puff up the tissue, and start cooking!

[the fugative]

Perfecting potato pancakes
BY WOLFGANG PUCK
Columnist

You don't have to be Jewish to love potato pancakes. Some form or another of potato pancakes is popular all over Europe.

The irresistibly crispy rounds are delicious for all kinds of winter meals and in all kinds of ways, from simple appetizers to side dishes to main courses. Depending on what accompanies them, they can be enjoyed at breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

However you serve potato pancakes, some simple tips will help you make them perfectly every time.

To ensure the crispiest possible result, be extra diligent about removing as much liquid as possible from the shredded potatoes. The moment you've finished shredding them, pick them up by the handful and squeeze hard to extract the liquid. Do the same thing with the onion.

Once you've mixed the potato, onion, salt and pepper, along with some flour and egg to bind the mixture, cook the pancakes right away. If you leave them too long, the shredded potatoes will oxidize and discolor. Nobody likes gray potato pancakes.

That's not to say you can't make the pancakes in advance. Especially when you want to multiply the recipe for a large group, you can fry all of the pancakes up to an hour ahead, which leaves you plenty of time to clean up the kitchen and air out the aromas of frying. Leave the cooked pancakes at room temperature. When guests start to arrive, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread out the pancakes on a large, dry baking sheet, in batches if necessary and taking care not to overlap them, and bake them for 10 minutes or until they are once again hot and crispy.

Serve your potato pancakes in the traditional style, if you like, accompanied by bowls of applesauce and sour cream from which guests help themselves. Or make them even more of a star attraction by spreading each pancake with a little creme fraiche or sour cream seasoned with fresh dill and lemon juice or some freshly grated horseradish and chopped chives, then topping them with some smoked fish from the deli, such as salmon, trout or whitefish.

POTATO PANCAKES WITH SMOKED WHITEFISH

Makes 12 to 14 pancakes.

1 pound russet baking potatoes, peeled

1 small onion, peeled

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking oil, such as canola or safflower

½ cup creme fraiche or sour cream

1 teaspoon minced fresh dill

Lemon juice

½ pound smoked whitefish, separated into large flakes, skin and bones removed

To make potato mixture: Using large holes of box grater/shredder, shred potatoes into mixing bowl. Grate in onion. Using hands, pick up a handful at a time. Over sink, squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer mixture to another bowl. Add egg, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Using fork, stir to blend well.

To fry pancakes: In large, heavy skillet, heat about 1 inch cooking oil over high heat to 350 degrees on deep-frying thermometer. Using metal tablespoon, carefully place spoonful of potato mixture into hot oil, pressing it down slightly with back of spoon to form evenly thick pancake about 3 inches in diameter. Add more spoonfuls, taking care not to overcrowd skillet. Cook pancakes for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown, turning over carefully with slotted metal spatula. Transfer to tray or platter lined with paper towels to drain. Continue with remaining mixture.

To make crème fraiche mixture: Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together creme fraiche or sour cream and dill. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

To serve: Place potato pancakes on platter. Spoon small dollop of creme fraiche mixture onto each pancake. Top with flakes of whitefish. Serve immediately.

[Jolie Rouge]

Editor's Note: We have a special treat for you in today's issue! Meet Zola Gorgon, a cooking connoisseur ready to try her recipes on the ArcaMax audience. Let us know what you think about Zola and her recipes (by clicking on the "send your comments" link below her recipe). If you like, this feature will be brought to you at least once a month in the Monday recipe editions, but this will not mean we have discontinued publishing reader-submitted recipes. We will continue to review those recipes and they will show up in future editions.

But we like Zola so much, we just have to give her and her colorful columns a chance in our ezine. On Wednesdays and Fridays, we return with the ArcaMax Chef's delicious recipes and his comedic and inspiring commentaries.

For more information on Zola, visit her Web site at www.apexperformancesystems.com/recipes/. You may also read about Zola following today's recipe at the bottom of this page.

Enjoy!


To Carb or Not to Carb? That is the question.

Is it any coincidence that cellulite looks sort of like mashed potatoes?

...Not to me. In reading The South Beach Diet I found out that a baked potato converts to fat faster than high speed cable can send my email! When my husband was out of town I used to live on diet macaroni and cheese or the occasional dinner of a single baked potato with diet margarine. Here I thought I was doing my diet a major favor by having a 200 calorie dinner and all along I might just have well pasted that potato directly to my bottom! That's obviously where it went.

What is proper nutrition these days? Is the food pyramid upside down? Flour consumption has plummeted to record lows thanks to low-carb diets. Pasta has taken a serious drop too.

64% of the American population is overweight. (I'm finally in the majority on something -- and by golly I'm not proud of it!)

My husband lost over 20 pounds on the Atkins diet. He's as trim as they get. I lost 4 pounds during the same time. Big deal. I went on The South Beach Diet. I've been on it for almost 2 months. My net loss is 2 pounds. My husband lost another 5 pounds just hanging around me! The good news is I eat probably 150% more calories now than I did before. I used to just skip entire meals. I drove every dietitian I met nuts.

What diet works? Probably all of them if you stick with it and expend more calories than you take in. So here I sit. I'm dressed in my usual business attire with one exception. I have a pedometer attached to my waistband. Why? Instead of measuring calories I'm measuring how many steps I take per day. That's the thing. Walking. Everyone can do it. The average American walks 3000 steps per day. If you want to maintain health, (according the Cooper Institute) you need to walk 7000 steps per day. Want to lose weight? Walk 10,000 steps PER day.

When I do a dinner party for 6 or more I find it's EASY to walk 10,000 steps or more. How about that? Have fun and get the needed steps at the same time. Everyone can do it! You don't have to freeze your "baked potato bottom" in the Wisconsin winter. You can go do a brisk stroll through the grocery store. Set the table, arrange the flowers, make the food, greet your guests, entertain and clean up. All for the sake of motion which leads to fitness. Serve healthy food and you get a double bonus. What constitutes healthy food is what's up for debate. Here's what I do. I serve healthy things that also qualify for Atkins and South Beach since 30% of the people I serve are on one diet or the other. Lean meat with a sauce like chimmichuri or a reduction sauce always works. Double up on the veggies. Roast or grill them for more flavor. Use herbs and other flavorings. (you can find lots of recipes on the Zola website at www.dinnerwithzola.com Skip the potatoes. I quit serving bread about 2 years ago and hardly anyone noticed. Now I skip the potatoes and people thank me. I found a low-carb peanut butter, chocolate cheese cake recipe the other day that came in at less than 300 calories. Bingo. Women who hadn't eaten dessert in months snarfed it up. Everyone groaned with delight and asked for the recipe. Splenda is a wonderful thing.

So have a I lost weight? No. Have I given up? No. I figure I'm probably going in the right direction because at least I'm probably keeping my blood sugar in check. I was never a chocoholic but those potatoes and pasta were probably creating havoc I didn't even feel. So what are you going to do to improve your diet this year? The options have certainly expanded along with our waistlines. I'd say it's time we all get moving.

[Jolie Rouge]

MMORE ZOLA ...

Recipe - Low-carb Snack Mix

The low-carb craze is in full swing. If you suffered through the holidays because you couldn't indulge in that favorite snack mix that zillions make this time of year, I have a solution for you. In plenty of time for the Super Bowl, here's the low-carb snack mix that will put that same flavor in your mouth. And besides the nuts are the best part anyway!


Low-carb Snack Mix

1 can of whole cashews
olive oil spray
2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce (or more to taste)
one half tsp of salt
one half tsp of onion powder
one-half tsp of cayenne (or to taste)

Pour the nuts into an oven proof pan.

Spray with oil and toss. Sprinkle on the seasonings and toss thoroughly. Roast in your oven at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Keep a nose out for when the wonderful smell starts or when you spy a little browning on the edges. When you take them out toss one more time. Cool on paper towels. You can even eat them warm and really savor the coating.

ArcaMax Readers...Meet Zola:

The fifth of seven children, born in 1957, just on the heels of the Baby Boom and smack-dab in the middle of the Cold War, Zola was an unlikely candidate for getting anyone to take notice, much less achieve the reputation she now enjoys. Brainy, farsighted, and cross-eyed, she began wearing pink glasses at just 18 months - not only to correct her wayward vision, but to draw attention away from the chaotic, uneven pixie haircuts that the local cosmetology school offered up at fifty cents apiece.

Dinner in the Gorgon family household was predictable, if not monotonous. The daily menu was inextricably linked to the day of the week; Monday was chicken, Tuesday was meatloaf, and so on. The meal-of-the-day approach wasn't just for convenience, but for sanity. For years, Zola's mother cooked two dinners a day - one for the residents of a local halfway house, and one for her own family. Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference between the residents.

Meals weren't intended to stimulate the palate as much as nourish the body, and as such, they consisted largely of entrees and side dishes that were, for reasons unspoken, never allowed to touch each other on the plate. Zola suspected this was Dad's doing (a personal quirk of dining etiquette that didn't stop him from combining food items into a heaping mouthful on the fork) because when Dad traveled, the kids were treated to the ultimate combination of co-mingled ingredients, the casserole. So long as the casserole wasn't created with a foundation of rice - the universal barf-inducing ingredient that seemed to afflict all Gorgon children simultaneously -- most of them passed the kid-test.

In another family, Zola's kitchen appearances might have been relegated to drying dishes or scrubbing hardened mashed potatoes off the Fiestaware. Whether it was setting the table at the halfway house or baking chocolate chip cookies on snowy Wisconsin Saturdays or a Graham Kerr-inspired concoction or just her unwillingness to leave the house until she "grew breasts" (an event that, combined with weight loss and eventually straightened eyeballs, made the young Miss Gorgon observed with wide eyes by the town boys), Zola quickly developed a great comfort for the kitchen. Most days, it was the room with the greatest activity - so much that, upon completion of a kitchen remodeling project, Dad didn't even bother to put the doors back on the oft-opened-and-closed cabinets. By age twelve, Zola was cooking up a storm in her place -- experimenting, testing, mixing and trying again.

It wasn't until long after she'd left the house - after thousands of family meals; after wildly successful Dallas-and-dinner parties at her Chicago apartment; after countless first-conquerings of new recipes - that Zola experienced her first gourmet gaffe, an apple and mushroom casserole that caused her husband to complain of "way too much going on in my mouth right now."

It's a memory that still evokes laughter twenty years later.

[the fugative]

Cream of Parsnip Soup


• 1 lb. parsnips

• 1 large bulb fennel

• 1 large onion

• 6 tbsp. ( 3/4 stick) butter

• 1/4 c. flour

• 2 (10 1/2-oz.) cans condensed chicken broth

• 2 soup cans (about 2 1/2 c.) water

• Dash hot pepper sauce

• Salt to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 c. sour cream

• Bacon bits, for garnish, if desired

Pare or scrub the parsnips and cut them into 1/2-inch slices; halve the small slices, quarter the large ones. Split the fennel bulb in half lengthwise, cut off the woody base, wash well and cut the bulb and a little of the stalks into small dice (making about 3 cups). Save some of the feathery tops for a garnish. Peel and slice the onion.

Melt the butter in a soup pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the parsnips, fennel and onion. Cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are fully softened. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.

Add the stock, just a little at first and stirring constantly after each addition until the liquid is taken up. Add more and more each time until the sauce is quite liquid, then add remaining stock and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes until vegetables are fully tender.

Purée in batches in a food processor, or (better) a blender. Return to the pot and add hot-pepper sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, put the sour cream in a small bowl and add 1/2 cup or so of the soup. Stir to blend well, then stir into the pot of soup. Warm just to heat through. Serve, garnished with fennel tops and/ or bacon bits.