Jibne Wa Labneh

Feta cheese on sale at Meijer, three for five dollars yo!

1/2 lb feta
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 c olive oil

Crush the feta with a fork and blend the olive oil and yogurt. Serve with pitas or pita chips or whatever strikes your fancy.

Salatat Bathinjan

Because Amy needs more eggplant in her life, obviously. Hahaha.

1 lg. eggplant, peeled and sliced thick
8 tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1-2 chopped jalepeno or other hot pepper
3 tbs lemon juice

1. Sprinkle eggplant with salt, allow to drain on paper towels for half hour.
2. Heat olive oil in frying pan. Fry both sides of slices until golden brown. Remove, dice, set aside.
3. Mash garlic cloves with a pinch of salt. Add to eggplant with peppers and lemon juice. Serve slightly chilled.

Branston Pickle

Oh, my parents eat this stuff on everything. Sandwiches and hot dogs or sausage. It's a Branston Pickle copycat recipe. My dad makes and jars it about twice a year.

9 oz carrots
1 medium rutabega
4 cloves garlic
4.5 oz dates
1 medium head cauliflower
2 onions
2 apples
2 zucchini (unpeeled)
15 sweet gherkins
1/2 lb dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 oz lemon juice
12 oz malt vinegar
1 tbs worcestershire
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp allspice
1 tsp cayenne pepper

I think my dad usually adds turmeric and also the recipe calls for Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce, but forget it.

Cube and/or chop all ingredients. Combine all in pot and bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours (until the rutabega is cooked but firm). If you have the browning sauce, add that until it turns dark brown. Seal it in clean jars. Leave set for 3 weeks to let the flavor age.

Eat it on whatever. Ploughman's lunch includes cheese, bread, salad, apple, tomato, beets, pickled onion, etc.

Moskva Borshch

Or Moscow Borsch if you please. Or "borscht" if you want me to stab you in the eye. Was just going through my recipe folder. Mmmm borshch.

2 tbs butter
1 onion, chopped
1.5 lbs beets, peeled and cut into strips*
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
2 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tsp salt
1.5 qts stock (beef if you're being authentic, veggie if you live in my house)
1/2 lb cabbage
3 tbs snipped parsley
1 bay leaf

* I suppose you could use canned beets and tomatoes but... why? Also, you can add 1 lb ground beef - cooked and drained - and some cubed ham to this if you fancy. I think that's how my Russian boys' mom and baba made it.

1. Saute the onions in butter. Add remaining ingredients except the bay leaf. Bring to a full boil then reduce heat and simmer for about oooohhh let's say 45 minutes. It takes a while. Add the bay leaf, simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf.
2. Ladle into bowls and serve with smyetana (sour cream) and fresh dill on top.

Mmm, eto horoshee!

General Tao's Tofu

(Totally ganked from some random veg website at some point in the last decade.)

1 box firm tofu
1 egg
3/4 c corn starch
3 chopped green onions
1 c steamed broccoli
1 c sliced mushrooms
1 tbs minced ginger
1 large clove garlic, chopped
2/3 c veg stock
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs white vinegar
toasted sesame seeds
oil for frying

1. Cube your tofu. If you have a problem with cubed tofu falling apart when it's stir-fried (shout-out to Tristin), try freezing it overnight first. Beat egg, and dip tofu cubes first into the egg and then into cornstarch, taking care to avoid clumps.
2. Heat oil in wok or skillet and fry tofu until golden. This takes a few minutes.
3. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic. Cook for two or three minutes, taking care as usual not to burn the garlic. Add remaining ingredients. Mix 2 tbs water with 1 tbs cornstarch and pour into the mixture in the pan, stirring well to combine. Cook until broccoli is soft. Serve over rice.

Fettucine Alfredo

One of the few things everyone, including Rayna, will eat in this godforsaken house. In fact, it is what I made for lunch. I am fairly sure that the sun dried tomatoes are not a part of authentic fettucine alfredo, but they make a lovely tangy addition.

Fettucine noodles*

3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 c half-and-half
1/3 c grated parmesan
2 tbs parsley, snipped
1 tbs fresh basil, chopped
1 c sliced white mushrooms
2 green onions, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets, cut into pieces
1 pkg sun-dried tomatoes

*Uh, we have a huge family, full of boys, so we tend to eat a whole BOX at a time. Adjust accordingly.

1. Melt butter in large skillet. Add garlic and green onion and sautee until softened.
2. Stir in flour, cheese, and half-and-half, heat stirring until bubbly and smooth.
3. Add herbs, mushrooms, broccoli, tomatoes and cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft and cooked.
4. Serve over pasta. Top with additional grated parm if desired.

Crumpets!

Oh my goodness.... you can't even.... oh, how to describe a crumpet to someone who'd never had tea with a British grandmother. They're... crispy and chewy and soft and... sigh. No, there's nothing like a nice toasted crumpet. People always think of them as English muffin type deals, but not really. In fact, English muffins were invented by Americans. Did you know that? It's true.

2 1/2 tbs active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1/3 c warm water

2.5 c bread flour

1 3/4 c milk

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Mix sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand for five minutes. It's supposed to bubble, I'm sure you know that.

2. Stir in the flour, milk, salt, and baking soda. Cover in plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes.

3. Heat a griddle to medium. Arrange round cookie cutters on the greased griddle and pour batter (3 tbs, but who measures? Newbies.) into each ring. Cook until the tops are bubbly and porous, flip and cook until set on the other side. About ten minutes per crumpet.

4. Toast in the toaster, eat with butter and jam.

Devonshire Cream

Devonshire cream is a dip/topping. For fruit, primarily. And it's from, surprise, Devonshire. (I guess. I don't know. I assume it's from Devonshire, but knowing the British it could well be an old Brummy recipe or something. Hell, my folks are Cornish, what do I know?) Probably not good for the lactose intolerant and, sadly, another of those things we can't have when Liam's near.

8 oz cream cheese
12 oz sour cream
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp vanilla
2 c powdered sugar

One step: Mix until sugar is completely dissolved, and have at it.

Chicken mole w/tomatoes

I just realized that nearly all my recipes are Mexican/Latin American. Hey, I love cilantro and cumin!!! This one was cut out from some flyer I got at the health food store next door to my work. It's yummalicious.

1 T olive oil
1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 1/2 C diced onion
2 t ground cumin
1 1/2 t chili powder
2 t cocoa powder
2 t ground cinnamon
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 t sea salt (I never have sea salt, I use regular...it's ok!)
1 1/2 t brown sugar
3 C cooked basmati/brown/whatever you want rice
2 limes, quartered, for garnish if you like
3 T chopped fresh cilantro for garnish, also if you like

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over med-hi heat. Saute chicken and onion, stirring, until chicken is no longer pink. Add cumin, chili powder, cocoa, and cinnamon. Stir to coat chicken. Add tomatoes w/liquid, sea salt, and brown sugar. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 8-10 mins. Serve over rice of your choice, add lime and cilantro to garnish if you please.

Bubble and Squeak

Katie informs me that (normal) Americans don't eat bubble and squeak. I cannot believe it! What do you do with your leftover greens? Pff. I know, people always make fun of English cooking and yes, it is true that my parents tend to eat bland, overcooked vegetables; but I really. Really. Love. Bubble and squeak.

2 cups cooked, shredded Cabbage
1 Onion sliced or chopped
1 lb Potatoes
3 tbs Butter
salt and pepper to taste
oil

1. Peel, boil, and mash potatoes with butter. (Do not add milk.) Season with salt and pepper.
2. Usually we use leftover cabbage for this, but if you aren't: cook in water and 1 tbs butter until tender. Mix together with potato.
3. In a skillet, heat some oil and add the onion, cooking until soft. Add the potato and cabbage mixture and press down atop cooked onions to form a flat cake.
4. Cook over medium heat until browned on the bottom, for about 15 minutes. Transfer upside down onto a plate and heat another 2 tbs (approximately) of oil. Replace cake in the skillet and brown on the other side.

Transfer to plate again, cut into wedges, and serve.

Rarebit

Welsh rarebit is probably one of my all time favorite British foods (aside from beans on toast, of course) and here is how we make it. It's good any time, all the time, every time.

3 tbs butter
6 oz cheddar cheese
1 tbs beer
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp Worcetershire
1 egg, beaten
Baguette sliced and toasted
salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in salt & pepper, mustard, and worcetershire. Cook until bubbly and smooth. Remove from heat. Add beerand cheese, stir until melted.
2. Spoon over toast.

That's it! You can also substitute the beer for either whiskey or milk. Sometimes this is called "Welsh Rabbit" but I don't know why, since it's quite vegetarian.

Chicken and green onion curry in the crockpot

I think I found this one online too. I tend to scribble recipes on sticky notes, ha!

1 med onion, thinly sliced
3 med garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 T fresh ginger root, grated (you can substitute 1 t of jarred ginger spice if you don't have fresh)
1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1 t ground turmeric
a dash of ground cloves
1/4 t ground cardamom
3 1/2 lbs chicken pieces with skin removed (I usually use chicken thighs as they are pretty inexpensive)
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 T cornstarch, blended w/2 T of cold water
salt
1/2 c of green onions or chives, sliced

Combined sliced onion and all spices except salt in a 4-5 qt crockpot. Rinse chicken and pat dry, arrange the pieces over the onion mixture. Pour broth over chicken. Cover and cook on the low crockpot setting about 6-7 hrs, until meat is very tender and juices run clear when pierced. Geltly lift chicken to warm serving dish and keep warm. Skim and discard the fat from the cooking liquid if necessary. Mix cornstarch with cold water, blend into cooking liquid. Increase crockpot setting to high, cover and cook stirring 2 or 3 times until sauce thickens. Add salt to taste, pour broth over chicken. Garnish with cilantro and sliced green onions.

This is good served over the rice of your choice.

Stuffed shells

Growing up I loved stuffed shells when Mama made them. I got my own recipe from the back of a Barilla pasta box but made a few modifications.

1 box (12 oz.) large shells
1 jar of pasta sauce of your choice; I find tomato/basil or marinara is the best.
2 eggs
2 15-oz containers of Ricotta cheese (If you live in RI or New England and can get Supremo brand cheese, yay! If not, others will work.)
4 C shredded mozzarella, divided
1 1/2 C grated parmesan cheese, divided
special seasoning*

*When I started making my own stuffed shells, I added some "scampi mix" spice from Wildtree Herbs (you buy them at a party, not unlike a tupperware party) to the ricotta mixture. Everyone LOVED my shells. I've since run out of the stuff, but info about it can be found here. I've recently emailed the company about getting more scampi mix, but if you are unable to get it, you could add in probably some lemon pepper blend as well as some garlic powder and some parsley. Nothing can ever replicate the scampi mix but it comes close.

Preheat oven to 350. Cook shells according to package directions. Spray the bottom of a 15 X 10 X 2 glass baking dish with Pam or the like. Spread 2 C of the sauce in the bottom of the dish. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in ricotta, 2 C of the mozz, 1 C of the parm and the special seasoning. (My seasoning was added to taste...probably about 1 or 1 1/2 T.) Fill each cooked shell w/ricotta mixture. Put the shells in the baking dish. Top with remaining sauce, mozz, and parm. Bake covered with foil until bubbly, about an hour. Uncover and continue cooking until cheese is melted, about 5 mins. Let stand 5 mins before serving.

Marinara sauce

(Or, as we call it in RI, gravy!)

2 28-0z cans San Marzano Itialian whole peeled tomatoes*
1/4 C 100% olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, peeled, sliced
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 T sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh basil

*I've used other brands and it came out fine! This recipe is from a restaurant around here and I assume that is what brand they consistently use.

In heavy saucepan, saute garlic and onion in olive oil until lightly browned. Crush tomatoes with your hand and add to browned garlic-onion mixture. Add salt and pepper to your taste and then add sugar. Cook for 15-20 mins on med-hi heat, covered and stirring occasionally. Then reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer until you achieve the consistency of your liking. Sauce should cook for no more than 30 mins. Top your favorite cooked pasta with this sauce. Add a bit of fresh basil for flavor and presentation. Serves 4.

I've tried making gravy from whole fresh peeled tomatoes before and never succeeded very well. This recipe is really easy and I love the sauce. It also freezes well in ziploc freezer bags for later use.

Gazpacho

I absolutely adore gazpacho. I got the following recipe about four years ago from the Stonyfield Farms website. It comes quite close to what I like my gazpacho to taste like. As a note, you can leave out the yogurt if you wish. I don't always like my gazpacho creamy and it does fine with or without the yogurt.

Ingredients:
1 14oz can tomatoes, skinned & diced
2 cups sliced cucumbers, seeded
1 roasted red pepper, whole, seeded
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 cup plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup parsley, chopped, garnish
1 cup small diced cucumber, for garnish

Directions:Place all ingredients (except for cucumber and parsley for garnish) in a blender, puree on high until contents are well blended. Serve soup well chilled, and garnish with chopped parsley, diced cucumber and a dollop of plain yogurt.

Poori

Poori is a puffy Indian bread. It is incredibly easy to make - much quicker than naan or roti - and goes well with any Indian or Pakistani dish. It was a childhood favorite, introduced by an Indian neighbor, and my kids love it today.

1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c white flour*
salt to taste
ground cardamom to taste
warm water
cooking oil for deep frying

* You can also use only whole wheat flour.

1. Mix both kinds of flour, salt, and cardamom in bowl. Combine thoroughly.
2. Add warm water, not hot, in small amounts and stir with fork to combine into a medium-consistancy dough.
3. Knead lightly on oiled surface until dough becomes pliant. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes in towel-covered bowl.
4. Break off small pieces of the dough, about the size of small limes, and roll into balls. Use rolling pin to roll balls flat, rolling evenly in all directions to make thin rounds.
5. Heat oil in frying pan until very hot. Fry poori in oil until each side is golden brown, holding the first side under the oil so that it puffs up. Drain oil and serve hot.

Eggplant Bharta

This is my all time favorite dinner. When I was single, I made it at least once a week - unfortunately, the man of the house isn't fond of eggplant so I don't fix it as often anymore. It's a Pakistani dish which I originally found on a vegetarian website several years ago. Spices are approximations since I never measure anything (sorry!).

1 medium to large eggplant
1 onion, sliced
1-2 tomatoes, diced
1 jalepeno, diced
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cooking oil
cooked basmati

1. Poke holes in the eggplant with a fork and place on foil-lined pan. Cook at 350 about 40 minutes or until the skin is brown and the inside of the eggplant is soft and pulpy. Set aside and allow to cool enough handle, then scrape out the pulp, mash, and set aside.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet and add the cumin seeds. Cook the seeds in hot oil until the sizzle.
3. Add all other ingredients and stir to mix. Heat until cooked through. Serve over hot basmati rice.

Tofu Mutter

Since I'm allergic to dairy, I generally use deep-fried tofu when I make mutter. You can use cubed paneer cheese to make it more authentic, if you prefer.

1 package extra firm tofu, cubed and deep fried OR 1 package paneer cheese, cubed
1 package frozen peas
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 jalepenos, chopped
2 entire green onions, chopped
2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
4 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
1 piece crystalized ginger, chopped small
1-2 tbsp canola oil
to taste: turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, garam masala, whole cumin seeds.

1. If using tofu, cut into cubes and deep fry in about 1/2" vegetable oil until golden brown and slightly crisped on the outside. Set aside. If you have a problem with the tofu breaking apart when frying, freeze it overnight. If using paneer cheese, you only need to cube it.
2. Sautee onions and cumin in canola oil. Add the ginger and pressed garlic when the onions begin to turn brown and soft. Sautee while being careful not to burn the garlic.
3. Add the tomatoes, green onions, and jalepenos along with the other spices. Cook until the tomatoes and peppers are soft, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the tofu and peas and cook about 20 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.

Serve over basmati or jasmine rice. I also serve mine with homemade poori.

Homemade soft tortillas

4 C white flour
1 t salt
1/2 C shortening
~ 1 1/4 C warm water

Mix flour and salt in large bowl. Cut in shortening with knives or pastry cutter. Add warm water (I start with a little over a cup and then mix until it's dough-y but not too sticky). Mix with wooden spoon until dough forms ball. Knead dough for approx. 1 min on floured surface. Divide dough into 12 balls, put back in bowl and let "rest" for 10 mins.

Put saute pan (preferably Teflon), DRY, non-oiled, on stove on medium heat. Roll out dough ball flat, and put in pan. When ball starts to bubble, use spatula to flip over. Repeat process with each doughball.

Makes 12 tortillas.

If you wish, you can mess around with this recipe and try swapping some of the flour for cornmeal, or use wheat flour for some of it. I generally use King Arthur flour for all my stuff.

Wicked easy Mexican dinner

Brown rice, prepared to package directions*
1 package ground turkey (approx. 1-1 1/4 lbs)**
1 can black or red beans
1 can of diced tomatoes w/chiles (I believe this is called Rotel in some places)
olive oil

*I generally buy brown rice in a 1.5 lb bag. For each meal put 1 C of brown rice in casserole dish, add 2 1/4 C water, 1 t of olive oil, and for this recipe season rice to taste with dash of cumin and/or coriander if you wish. Micro the rice on full power 5 mins then 27-32 mins on 50% power depending on your microwave, or prepare on stovetop.

**You can substitute ground beef for this if you like, or ground pork. If you wish to have veggie-only meal throw in another can of beans.

Start the rice in the micro. Swirl olive oil 2x around large saute pan on medium. Drain can of bean(s). When pan is warmed throw in bean(s). After 5-ish mins you can add turkey. Season if you wish with whichever spices you like (cumin, cilantro, curry, chili powder, basil, oregano...use your imagination!) Cook until turkey has browned. At that point add tomatoes/Rotel. Simmer on low heat until rice is done, stirring occasionally. Serve mixture over rice.

This is also wicked good if you put it in tortillas with toppings.