CHEAP & DELICIOUS RECIPES

[annie aronburg]

Add some corn meal and you're half-way to a hush-puppy, add some gram flour and you're part-way to a pakora.
Other delicious additions would be minced red pepper, corn, shredded spinach, chard or carrot.

[annie aronburg]

If spicy is your thing here's a quick and tasty soup for those with Indian spices in the pantry,

Tamatar Rasam

1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
2 -4 whole dried red chiles
1/2 tsp turmeric
2-4 cloves of garlic crushed
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups of tomato juice or crushed tomatoes
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup water
salt
chopped cilantro

Heat oil and fry first six ingredients until chiles are nearly black and the garlic is golden brown.
Lower heat and add tomato, lemon, water, and salt. Bring to a boil then simmer for ten minutes.
Serve with cilantro, a dollop of yogurt or sliced avocado for vegans.

This soup is best when doubled or tripled, as it only gets better the next day and leftovers are rare.

[Perelandra]

The tomato soup sounds good. Potato pancakes too. My German grandma used to make something like that when I was a kid. I don't remember liking them, but she and my mom would go crazy over them. Must give them a try. I have lots more favorites, but for now, here are a couple salads I make often.

Black Bean Salad

1 can black beans
1 can corn
1/2 red pepper, diced
Jalapeno or two, diced (optional)
A few green onions or 1/2 red onion, diced
Olive oil
Vinegar or lime juice
1 T Ground cumin
Salt and pepper

The last few ingredients are to your taste. Mix all and serve. I like this and most salads at room temp. This can be increased and adjusted as needed.

Greek Salad

1 lg cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 lg tomato, chopped or a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 lg red onion, chopped
2 C pitted greek olives, halved
1/2 green pepper, chopped (optional)
1 C or so crumbled feta (optional)
1 T dried oregano, fresh is good too
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Same comments as above.

[Perelandra]

Sweet Potato Fries

However many sweet potatoes you like
(One large will feed 2-3 people easily)

I leave the skin on (BUY ORGANIC)
Cut lengthwise into 1/2" square frites shapes

Toss w/ olive or coconut oil
Salt, pepper, and season generously
I use garlic and chili powder mostly, but any you like
Roast at 450 degrees about 15 minutes
Then I broil to brown them a little, don't overdo it

I haven't tried frying them in coconut oil, but I suspect that would work as well. They're a little softer than potato fries, but they have crispy bits too.

[Perelandra]

No-Recipe Cherry Jam

1. Buy as many cherries as you feel like pitting.
Usually I have the patience for about 3 pounds, but it's up to you. Figure one pound of cherries will make one good-sized jar of jam. Plump, dark Bing cherries work really well, although Burlats are good, and if you can find sour cherries, your jam will rock.

2. Wear something red. Or black. Rinse the cherries and remove the stems. Using the handy cherry pitter that I told you to buy a few weeks ago and pit the cherries. Make sure to remove all the pits since everyone is so litigious these days. Chop about ¾ of them into smaller pieces, but not too small. Leave some cherries whole so people can see later on how hard you worked pitting real cherries. If you leave too many whole ones, they'll tumble off your toast.

3. Cook the cherries in a large non-reactive stockpot. It should be pretty big since the juices bubble up. Add the zest and juice of one or two fresh lemons. Lemon juice adds pectin as well as acidity, and will help the jam gel later on.

4. Cook the cherries, stirring once in a while with a heatproof spatula, until they're wilted and completely soft, which may take about 20 minutes, depending on how much heat you give them. Aren't they beautiful, all juicy and red?

5. Once they're cooked, measure out how many cherries you have (including the juice.) Use 3/4 of the amount of sugar. For example if you have 4 cups of cooked cherry matter, add 3 cups of sugar. It may seem like a lot, but that amount of sugar is necessary to keep the jam from sprouting green whiskers after a few weeks in the refrigerator.

6. Stir the sugar and the cherries in the pot and cook over moderate-to-high heat. The best jam is cooked quickly. While it's cooking, put a small white plate in the freezer. Remain vigilant and stir the fruit often with a heatproof utensil. (Wouldn't it be a shame to burn it at this point?) Scrape the bottom of the pot as you stir as well.
And no matter how good they look, resist popping a warm cherry into your mouth. They are really hot, take it from me, and you will burn your mouth. Yes, take it from me.

7. Once the bubbles subside and the jam appears a bit thick and looks beginning to gel, (it will coat the spatula in a clear, thick-ish, jelly-like layer, but not too thick) turn off the heat and put a small amount of jam on the frozen plate and return to the freezer. After a few minutes, when you nudge it if it wrinkles, it's done.

If not, cook it some more, turn off the heat, and test it again. If you overcook your jam, the sugar will caramelize and it won't taste good and there's nothing you can do. Better to undercook it, test it, then cook it some more.
Are you beginning to understand why all those gourmet jams are expensive?

Once it's done and gelled, add a bit of kirsch if you have it, clear cherry eau-de-vie which will highlight the flavor. Or add a few drops of almond extract, but not too much, or it will taste like a cheap Italian cake. Ladle the warm jam into clean jars and cover. Cool at room temperature, then put in the refrigerator, where it will keep for several months.

Note from P: I used this last year and made the BEST jam EVAH.

[Perelandra]

Want this?



Building a Backyard Tandoor
This site also has many more interesting articles about growing, finding, and processing food, plus much more sustainable living stuff.

[RomanyX]

Want this?



Building a Backyard Tandoor
This site also has many more interesting articles about growing, finding, and processing food, plus much more sustainable living stuff.

Neat. Thanks for the link.[/quote]

[Perelandra]

Spareribs and Sauerkraut

* 1 pork rib rack
* 3 (1 lb) packages sauerkraut (the bags from the refrigerator section)
* 1-2 onion, chopped
* 12 ounces beer, apple juice, or broth

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a roaster (I halve recipe and use dutch oven)
2. Salt and pepper well, I also add ~ 1 t caraway seed
2. Cover tightly, bake at 250° for 8 hours. (Check it after 6, depends on your oven)
4. Uncover and stir.
5. Remove bone and cartilage as meat will have fallen off.
6. Turn oven up to 350°; continue cooking for 1 hour stirring occasionally as the dish caramelizes. (Play this by ear, depends on your oven, but you want it to brown some)
7. I serve with mashed potatoes and milk gravy.

Feeds a crowd. Just like my German mom's. It would probably be ok without the meat, also.

[Peregrine]

I got a lovely recipe for a curry stew years ago that was absolutely delish & inexpensive to make. And I don't have any set measurements, I just throw in whatever suits my fancy.

So, here goes...

You will need:

Fresh ginger & garlic (to your liking, I usually do a tablespoon of crushed ginger & about 4-6 cloves of garlic, crushed)

1 medium onion, diced.

2 carrots, cut into rounds,

1 large apple, peeled, cored & cut into small chunks

about a half cup of raisins, or more if you like.

Garam Masala, salt, & a little curry powder (to your liking. You can also add other spices that you might find you like. Cardamom for Perelandra heehee)

tomato paste (about 2 tablespoons)

About 2 cans of stewed tomato,

about 1 cup each of kidney beans, black beans & chick peas, cooked

And if you eat meat, 1 chicked breast, cubed & cooked (but I tend to like it meatless)

Fry the ginger, garlic & onion in Grapeseed or Olive oil. Add carrots, raisins, apple & spice mixture. Don't overdo the spices, you don't want to burn them. Add the tomato paste, blend a little, then ad the chicken, if you are doing the meat. Add the stewed tomato & beans. Turn on low & let simmer. Add more water or stock if there isn't enough liquid. Let it stew until veggies are to your liking.

Serve over basmati rice, sprinkle with cilantro & yoghurt if desired.

Yum!

[Peregrine]

Spiced Pear & Rasin Crostata

You will need:

Pastry for pie (I'm too lazy to post a recipe for one, whatever pastry recipe you have will work well, I'm sure)

about 4-6 cups of pears, peeled, cored & chopped

about a half a cup to 1 cup of raisins

about a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour.

spice mixture consisting of about 2 teaspoons of powdered ginger,
2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon,
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg,
1/2 teaspoon of cardamom,
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of all spice
(you can of course tailor the spices to your liking)

Prepare pie pastry as directed, roll out on flowered surface into a disc. Transfer to baking sheet.

Mix the pears, raisins, flour & spice mixture.

Pour into the middle of the pastry & fold edges around the mixture so it forms a free-form pie.

Brush the top of pastry with an egg wash & bake in the oven at about 350 until the top is golden & the fruit mixture is looking like it's thick & bubbly.

Remove, sprinkle with icing sugar & let cool.

You can also make smaller, individual crostatas.

[lightningBugout]

there are many som tum recipes online. all are only approximations yet this is still my favorite starting point for my favorite dish.

Som Tum - Thai Papaya Salad

Green papaya salad is loved throughout SE Asia in various forms, and we are pleased to present this detailed summary so you can bring it to your own kitchen. Somtum is a classic Thai dish, commonly associated with the NE (Isaan) area but served all over Thailand including a sidewalk shop found on our walking tour of good eats in Saochingcha area. Somtum is typically prepared three different ways. It can be "Somtum Thai" which has peanuts mixed in, "Somtum Bu" which has small pickled crabs pounded in, or "Somtum Lao sai pla ra" which includes the juice of pickled mudfish. Som tum is eaten as a snack as a salad. We also offer a very simple pre-made som tum sauce that you can add to the papaya, for quick preparation.

Ingredients

2 cups shredded fresh green papaya, use a Pro-Slice Thai peeler or Miracle Knife.
3 medium roma tomatoes, or use a few more if you can find cherry tomatoes
A handful of fresh string beans cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons dried shrimp
4-6 fresh Thai chiles, remove stems
3-4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons juice of pickled mud fish (optional)

Method
Peel fresh green papaya, rinse the white milk off, pat dry, then shred the whole papaya. Sprinkle with a bit of salt then rinse it off and drain. Keep 2 cups shredded papaya out, and put the rest in a sealed container for later use. Slice tomatoes thinly. In a clay Lao-style mortar & pestle, coarsely pound the fresh chiles (whole) and garlic. Add string beans and sliced tomato, and pound it lightly (do not over-crush). Add dried shrimp, fish sauce, palm sugar and lime juice. Add these items spoon-by-spoon, and taste as you go. If you want to add peanuts, add now and lightly pound (optional). If you want to add pickled mud fish (pla ra), add two tablespoons of juice (optional). Add shredded papaya and pound together until mixed well. Serve on a dish with fresh cabbage and string beans on the side. Enjoy!

http://importfood.com/recipes/thaipapayasalad.html

[annie aronburg]

like I'm gonna find green papaya out here in the sticks....

[lightningBugout]

xxx

[Perelandra]

Good stuff. I've always wanted to try the green papaya salad.

I'm about to prepare my own horseradish. I can't understand why the stores here only have the icky creamy stuff with the soybean oil in it.

Here's a favorite soup I modified from a Bon Appetit recipe. I use chicken in it, but I suppose you could use fish or more veges, even greens.

P's Carrot Stew

2 T olive oil
1 lg onion chopped
3-4 carrots chopped
4-5 potatoes peeled & chopped
1 T curry powder (hot is good)
1 T cumin
4 c chicken broth
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cubed
3 T chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in large heavy pot, medium heat. Add veges, cook til onion is tender but not brown. Add spices, stir 2 minutes. Add broth and meat, bring to a boil, simmer until meat is tender, about 25 minutes.

At this point I use a stick blender to partially blend it, not too much. You want lots of chunky veg and chicken. This thickens it a little. You could use a regular blender instead.

Add cilantro and season to taste.

[Perelandra]

Here's one of my favorite holiday treats. They always get raves, plus they're decorative.

Sugared Cranberries

Because of the contrast between the tart cranberries and sugary coating, the flavor of this snack pops in your mouth. The berries are steeped in hot sugar syrup to tame their tangy bite. When entertaining, serve these in place of nuts. For gift-giving, package in parchment-lined tins. Present with a small bottle of the reserved cranberry cooking syrup for the recipient to use as a cocktail mixer. If you can't find superfine sugar, make your own by processing granulated sugar in a food processor for a minute

SERVES 9 , 1/3 cup

* 2 cups granulated sugar
* 2 cups water
* 2 cups fresh cranberries
* 3/4 cup superfine sugar

Combine granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring mixture until sugar dissolves.
Bring to a simmer; remove from heat.
(Do not boil or the cranberries may pop when added.) Stir in cranberries; pour mixture into a bowl.
Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
Drain cranberries in a colander over a bowl, reserving steeping liquid, if desired.
Place superfine sugar in a shallow dish.
Add the cranberries, rolling to coat with sugar. (I found a few at a time is best)
Spread sugared cranberries in a single layer on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature 1 hour or until dry.
Note: The steeping liquid clings to the berries and helps the sugar adhere.
Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a week.