Posts from the ‘Recipes’ Category

May 5

ALL ABOUT PEPPERS

What is a more fitting subject for Cinco de Mayo than peppers? Actually, peppers are a fascinating subject. Everyone is familiar with them. Most people even have favorite go-tos for different levels of heat mild, medium, hot, and extra hot for the brave. Yet, few are familiar with the whole category. I’ve met Latinos, and chefs who still have to check references for substitute recipe ingredients.

Peppers are native to Latin America. The Spanish and Portuguese explorers introduced pepper plants to Europe, along with tomatoes, corn and beans. They were quickly adapted by the major cuisines of the world and their popularity only increased with time. Truly international in their appeal they are now integral to dishes from every country. All peppers are part of the genus Capsicum, which includes hot varieties, also known as chile peppers, and sweet varieties, such as bell peppers.

In this post, I list the 20 most popular peppers, internationally, for cooking according to Epicurious, the web site for Bon Appetit magazine (https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/20-types-of-peppers-and-their-uses-article) To quote from Epicurious: “No matter what pepper you choose, you’ll reap powerful health benefits thanks to peppers’ unique nutritional profiles. Not only are peppers are a good source of vitamins A, C, and E, they’re also rich in folate and potassium, low in sodium, low in carbohydrates, and high in minerals. Because they contain capsaicin, they have been studied for their ability to stimulate circulation and as a way to medicate arthritis”.

I’m including their links to recipes for each pepper under its description should you want to see an illustration of the use or try one. If you are unable to find fresh or dried chiles in your local grocery store, try an online source.

I’ve altered Epicurious’ listing and arranged them according to their Scoville scores. The heat of a pepper is measured using Scoville units. The Scoville Scale is a good indicator of how hot a chile is, ranging from 0 as in bell peppers all the way to 1,000,000 + as in the Ghost Pepper but know that the heat can vary according to climate and vegetation. Most dried chiles you will encounter fall somewhere in the middle but can still pack a punch. Also note some peppers have a wider heat range. The infamous Scotch Bonnet‘s index can start lower than the Rocoto or the Habanero but run higher than either.

If you want the flavor without the mouth-scorching fire, remove the seeds and interior ribs from a chile before cooking. It’s also a good idea to have dairy products, such as milk or yogurt, on hand—they contain casein, which helps neutralize capsaicin, the chemical that gives chiles their heat. Always protect your skin by wearing gloves and never touch your eyes when handling peppers.

THE LIST

1. Bell Pepper

Alternate Names: Green pepper, red pepper, sweet bell pepper, capsicum

Characteristics: Relatively large in size, the bell-shaped pepper in its immature state is green with a slightly bitter flavor. As it matures, it turns bright red and becomes sweeter. You can also find yellow, orange, white, pink, and even purple varieties. With their high water content, bell peppers will add moisture to any dish. They’re also great for adding color.

Scoville heat units: 0

Recipes to Try:

Bell Pepper and Goat Cheese Strata

Piquant Bell Peppers

Parmesan Peppers

2. Basque Fryer

Alternate Names: Doux long des Landes, doux de Landes and piment basque

Characteristics: Located on the border of France and Spain, the Basque region boasts six official types of peppers. The most popular type is the Basque Fryer pepper, also known as the doux de Landes, meaning “sweet from Landes.” (Landes is located in southwest France). As the name suggests, the pepper is sweet. The Basque fryer is can be eaten raw, roasted or sautéed.

Scoville heat units: 0

3. Banana Pepper

Alternate Names: Yellow wax pepper and banana chili

Characteristics: This mild yet tangy pepper adds a kick to pizza or sandwiches. This pepper usually takes on a bright yellow hue as it ripens, but occasionally grows to be red, orange or green instead.

Scoville heat units: 0–500

Recipes to try:

Mexican-style Cream of Spinach

Green Melon, Cubanelle Peppers and Ricotta Salata

4. Shishito

Characteristics: Harvested while still green, these thin-walled peppers can be pan-seared and eaten on their own. They can also be added to pizza or to flavor dishes. The riper the shishito, the spicier the pepper.

Scoville heat units: 50 to 200

Recipes to try:

Sautéed Shishito Peppers

Shishito Pepper Potato Hash with Fried Eggs

Grilled Chicken Wings with Shishito Peppers and Herbs

5. Cherry Pepper

Alternate names: Pimiento and pimento

Characteristics: This lovely pepper is sweet on the outside and the inside. Bright red and shaped like a heart, this large pepper barely registers on the Scoville scale, but makes up for its lack of spice with a sweet, succulent flavor. You’ll commonly find cherry peppers chopped and stuffed into green olives, in pimento loaves and pimento cheese.

Scoville heat units: 500

Recipes to try:

Beef Tartare with Cherry Peppers

Spicy and Greasy Rhode Island Calamari

Pork Chops Scarpariello

6. Piquillo

Alternate Names: Little beak pepper

Characteristics: This mild, sweet pepper hails from northern Spain and features a smokey, tart flavor that’s ideal for sandwiches and sauces, and also thrives as a compliment to meat and cheese. You’ll often find them jarred in your grocer’s gourmet section. As they mature, they grow from green to red. They measure three to four inches long and are slightly curved at the end, resembling a little beak.

Scoville heat units: 500 to 1,000

Recipes to try:

Crunchy Eggs with Piquillo Peppers

Grilled Portobello Burgers with Piquillo Pepper Aïoli and Watercress

Piquillo Pepper and Sardine Tartines

7. Anaheim Pepper

Alternate Names: California green chile, chile verde, New Mexican chile

Characteristics: This long pepper is relatively mild and very versatile. When mature, the Anaheim turns deep red and are referred to a chile Colorado or California red chile. Anaheims are popular in salsas and dishes from the American Southwest.

Scoville heat units: 500 to 2,500

Recipes to try:

Anaheim Chile Salsa Verde

Chicken Chili Verde

Chile Verde Hummus

8. Padrón Peppers

Characteristics: Padrón peppers are typically sweet and mild, but occasionally, a this pepper packs quite a bit of spice. The eponymous pepper grows in Padrón in northwestern Spain, and is often served, fried, as a tapa. They can also be served grilled.

Scoville heat units: 500 – 2,500

Recipes to try:

Blistered Padrón Peppers

Charred Padrón Chiles and Squid Salad

Padrón Peppers Stuffed with Tetilla Cheese

9. Poblano Pepper

Alternate Name: Ancho

Characteristics: Somewhat large and heart-shaped, the poblano is common in Mexican dishes such as chiles rellenos. Are poblano peppers spicy? Yes, but only mildly spicy. At maturity, the poblano turns dark red-brown and can be dried, at which point it’s referred to as an ancho or mulato. Anchos have a rich, raisin-like sweetness. The high yield of flesh to skin makes anchos great for sauces.

Scoville heat units: 1,000 to 2,000

Recipes to try:

Poblano and Mushroom Tacos

Potato- and Chorizo-Stuffed Ancho Chiles

Cumin and Ancho Chicken

10. Chilaca

Alternate Names: Pasilla and chile negro

Characteristics: Black and wrinkly, chilacas boast a prune-like flavor with a hint a hint of licorice. “Chilaca” is an Aztec term meaning old or gray-haired, which is fitting given the pepper’s wrinkly appearance. When dried, the chilaca is called a pasilla or chile negro, and is toasted or soaked and blended into sauces, often combined with fruit.

Scoville heat units: 1,500 to 2,500

Recipes to Try:

Ancho Pasilla Sauce

Turkey Leg Confit Tacos with Pasilla Purée and Pickled Peach Salsa

Mussels in Pasilla Broth with Corn, Jícama, and Cilantro

11. Mirasol Chili

Alternate Names: Guajillo

Characteristics: Bright red and pointed upward, these peppers grow toward the sun, which is why they were given the name mirasol (which means “looking at the sun” in Spanish). In their dried form, they are called guajillo. Guajillo are fruity, tangy, and mildly acidic, and are a common ingredient in traditional al pastor. They are also one of the main chilis used in mole sauce.

Scoville Heat Units: 2,500 to 5,000

Recipes to Try:

Toasted Guajillo Chile Salsa

Tacos Al Pastor

Shredded Beef in Guajillo Sauce

12. Jalapeño Pepper

Alternate Names: Chipotle

Scoville heat units: 3,500 to 8,000

Characteristics: This Mexican pepper is typically plucked from the vine while still green. If allowed to ripen more, they will turn red and take on a slightly fruity flavored. Jalapeños are a tasty ingredient commonly used to in salsa and sauces. When dried, a jalapeño is called a chipotle. Smoke-dried chipotles come in two varieties: meco (mellow) and moritas (spicier). Smoky, woodsy, and spicy, chipotles are the perfect ingredient for salsas, sauces, escabeche, and adobo.

Recipes to try:

Jalapeño Poppers with Smoked Gouda

Plantain-Stuffed Chipotle Chiles

Jalapeño Cheeseburgers with Bacon and Grilled Onions

13. Serrano Pepper

Characteristics: Just a couple of inches long, with a tapered end, this small pepper packs quite a bit of heat. Beware: The smaller the pepper, the hotter it is. When ripe, serranos are red or yellowish orange—they can be cooked in both their ripe and unripe states. Serranos are common in Mexican and Thai cooking.

Scoville heat units: 6,000 to 23,000

Recipes to try:

Tomatillo Salsa with Serranos

Serrano Ham and Swiss Cheese Frittata

Serrano Chips with Quince Preserves and Manchego

14. Cayenne Pepper

Alternate Names: Finger chile, Ginnie pepper, and bird pepper

Characteristics: Slender and tapered, this chile is probably most familiar in its dried, ground form—the powder known as cayenne pepper. Ground cayenne pepper is a main ingredient in the chili powder that flavors Tex-Mex dishes such as chili con carne. It’s one of the spiciest types of peppers!

Scoville heat units: 30,000 to 50,000

Recipes to try:

Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce

Roasted Red Pepper Harissa

Sweet-and-Spicy Bacon

15. Tabasco Pepper

Characteristics: Best known for the sauce that bares its name, this pepper grows throughout the world. At maturity, the pepper measures one to two inches and is bright red. To create the famous tabasco sauce, the pepper is smashed and combined with salt and vinegar, which tempers the pepper’s heat (the Scoville rating of tabasco sauce is 2,500 to 5,000 — a mere fraction of its rating as a pepper).

Scoville heat units: 30,000 to 60,000

Recipes to try:

Crispy Chicken Sandwich with Buttermilk Slaw and Herbed Mayo

Island Pork Tenderloin Salad

Bloody Mary

16. Piri Piri

Alternate Names: Peri peri, African bird’s-eye pepper and African red devil pepper

Characteristics: When Portuguese sailors made port of call in what’s now South Africa and Mozambique, they brought ashore little chile peppers called bird’s eyes, or peri-peri in Swahili. The name also came to refer to the piquant sauce made from these chiles, as well as to the Portuguese-African method of cooking prawns, chicken, or anything else in this sauce. Nando’s bottled version is a mainstay for those who don’t want to make it from scratch. Though it’s a relatively small pepper, growing only one to two inches, it packs quite a punch.

Scoville Heat Units: 50,000 to 175,000

Recipes to Try:

Piri-Piri Chicken

Prawns Peri-Peri

17. Scotch Bonnet

Alternate Names: Bonney peppers, ball of fire peppers, cachucha and Caribbean red peppers

Characteristics: This spicy pepper is called a scotch bonnet thanks to its resemblance to the caps men wear in Scotland (tam o’ shanter hats, to be precise). It’s the hottest pepper in the Caribbean and used to flavor all sorts of island dishes, including jerk chicken. Though the pepper is most often spicy, you will occasionally find a sweet variety, called cachucha.

Scoville heat units: 80,000–400,000

Recipes to try:

Grilled Jerk Chicken with Scotch Bonnet Sauce and Mango Chutney

Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce

Scotch Bonnet Tomato Salsa

18. Rocoto Pepper

Alternate names: Ají rocoto, hairy pepper and locoto

Characteristics: This South American pepper looks like a miniature bell pepper, and, like a bell pepper, can come in shades of orange, yelllow and red. The hottest rocotos are typically yellow, but red rocotos are the most common. Inside, the pepper has unique black seeds. It’s sometimes referred to as the hairy pepper thanks to its furry leaves. Rocoto have a crisp and fruity flavor, and are commonly used in salsa.

Scoville heat units: 100,000 to 250,000

Recipe to try:

Escolar Fish with Mango and Shrimp Ravioli

Solterito De Quinua

19. Habañero Pepper

Characteristics: Small and bulbous, this chile, in the same family as the Scotch bonnet, is one of the hottest on the Scoville scale. If you can get past the heat, habañeros also have a fruity flavor. They’re popular on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and in the Caribbean, where they’re used to make hot sauces.

Scoville heat units: 150,000 to 350,000

Recipes to try:

Tamarind-Glazed Black Cod with Habañero Orange Salsa

Habañero Pickled Peaches

Habañero-Marinated Pork Chops With Mustard Greens Slaw

20. Ghost Pepper

Alternate names: Bhut naga jolokia, bhut jolokia, naga jolokia, ghost chili, U-morok, ghost jolokia and red naga

Characteristics: Sometimes called Bhut Naga Jolokia (bhut means ghost, naga means snake, and jolokia is chile), the name alone sounds daunting. This chile has a venomous bite! The ghost pepper hails from Northeastern India and is also cultivated in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. So how hot is this hair raiser? With more than 1 million Scoville units, it’s approximately half as hot as the pepper spray used by law enforcement but 100 times hotter than a jalapeño. One of the hottest (edible) peppers in the world, ghost peppers are used — sparingly — in chutney and curry.

Scoville heat units: 1,000,000+

Recipe to try:

Hothouse Extra Hot Fried Chicken

Ghost Chili Korma

Apr 28

SALAD GREENS FOR 2022

When the weather warms lettuces and other salad greens gain menu importance because salads become optional entrees rather than side dishes. This is of serious interest nowadays when we are concerned with healthy eating and rising food prices, especially meat. Dinner salads have usually contained less meat than a plated meal. The new Combined Dinner Salads, as opposed to the traditional Dinner Salad Combinations, focus on this fact and feature a wider range of ingredients to deliver the nutritional value of a full meal, while offering less meat, but raising the protein value with the addition of nuts, seeds and grains, which also fortify the dish to make it satisfying.

So it’s important to have the right greens for a salad, not only as a fitting companion and compliment to the other ingredients, but for the purpose and for the occasion as well. A salad entree can support hardier, more filling greens, whereas a light luncheon or side dinner salad needs a lighter touch.

Moreover, our perception of ‘salad’ has really changed over the past several decades, as proven by the many varieties of lettuce and other greens for salads found in supermarkets today, including fresh herbs (May 20, 2021). We no longer think of salad greens as a way to line a serving plate or as low-cal ‘bunny food’ needing a dressing for taste. We’ve come to appreciate the different types for their individual textures and subtle flavors and understand the choice of greens can determine the character of a salad and that a combination of one or more types can create a delightful flavor experience.

Though the entrée salad has maintained its position on the menu, the ‘dinner side’ has evolved in two directions. Often it appears in its original place as a separate course, served just before the meat, and more recently, embracing a variety of ingredients, it has become the major part of the entrée, replacing both the carbohydrate and vegetable. This is credited with being the origin of the ‘Combined’ dinner salad.

I think the trend began in the 1980s with the arrival of restaurants, mainly steakhouses, with extensive ‘Salad Bars’. The restaurants were usually part of a chain and the salad bars were really an economy move. They could be maintained by kitchen assistants and wait staff, whereas an array of cooked vegetable dishes required a sous chef at least. Kitchen help could be reduced to a couple of ‘grill masters’, not trained chefs, who need only add a ready carb, a baked potato, fries or a quickly sautéed vegetable to complete the entrée plate.

Salad Bars offered other bonuses as well. They keep the customers busy and happy while waiting for dinner, take the edge off their hunger and give them the comfort of getting full value for their money. However, the real advantage has been for the public, by introducing it to the fun, creativity, diversity, individuality, not to mention the health benefits making a salad with lots of add-in choices offers. Today with specific restaurants serving only salads, salad offerings in supermarkets and fast food stops, salad has become not only a welcome but an intrinsic part of our diet. So much so, in fact, that it’s taken another step and become part of the entrée itself.

Since most salads are based on lettuce, either one type or a mixture of several, it’s important to know the characteristics of the main varieties to make the proper choices. I list the major players below with brief descriptions of each, but first, a word about handling salad greens in general.

When buying greens, avoid wilted, discolored or damaged leaves and, naturally, any signs of insect activity. Freshness is important because lettuce lose vitamins quickly after being picked. A head of lettuce should always feel dry and firm at the base, but crisp head types like iceberg and Belgian endives should feel firm when squeezed. Due to the leafy structure, lettuce can be sandy and/or harbor insects even tiny snails, so it needs washing before using .

If it’s to be served soon, separate the leaves first and spin or pat dry with paper towels, then store in a plastic bag, squeezing the air out before chilling. If it’s to be kept for a time, wrap the unwashed portion in a damp towel and place in the vegetable crisper. Crisp lettuces can last for a week, but soft types like Bibb should be used within 2-3 days. Above all, be sure the leaves are dry before making a salad otherwise the dressing will be diluted. As for dressing suggestions, check out my post DIY Dressings to Make Salads Sing, July 31, 2015, for ideas.

MAJOR SALAD GREENS

Arugula or Rocket—Dark green, tender leaves with a peppery taste, more assertive in the larger leaves . An excellent accent when used with other ingredients.
Belgian Endive—Firm, cone shaped with crisp yellow edged leaves and a slightly bitter taste. Excellent sliced into rings or with the leaves stacked, drizzled with dressing, held by the pointed end and eaten with the fingers.

Bibb, Butter or Boston Lettuce —A loose, soft head with rounded leaves and buttery flavor. Best with light vinaigrettes or French Blue Dressing (See post May 25, 2017-French Potato Salad)

Coral Lettuce—Both red and green varieties have tightly curled, crisp leaves with rippled edges and a subtle, sweet flavor; often mislabeled as ‘Red’ or ‘Green’ leaf lettuce; combines well in salads.

Curley Endive or Chicory—Slender, light green, frilled leaves. Has a mild, bitter flavor that can add a zing to a combination of lettuces.

Iceberg—A round, firm head with tightly packed, crisp pale green leaves. It’s currently lost favor because of its lack of nutrients and bland taste, but it’s still a great choice to add bulk to a salad, especially one prepared for crowds.

Mixed lettuces—Small, young leaves of many lettuces. Delicate in flavor and tender in texture, makes an excellent salad with an equally light dressing.

Red and Green Leaf Lettuce—Often confused with coral lettuce, but is a loose headed lettuce with long variegated leaves and a delicate flavor that is best served alone with a light dressing.

Radicchio—Dark red leaves in a tight head with a very bitter taste. Best used as an accent with other ingredients.

Romaine or Cos—Large, elongated heads with green, crisp, succulent, sweet leaves and high vitamin content. Excellent salad base or can stand alone.
NON LETTUCE SALAD BASES

Sprouts—Snow Peas, Alfalfa, Beans etc.—An excellent decorative addition to a salad to add crispness to the texture and a slightly grassy note to the flavor. Not to be used alone.

Spinach—There are 2 types of spinach in the stores, the bagged ‘baby’ and the field grown found in bunches. The ‘baby’, also called ‘English’, or when I first encountered it in Italy years ago, ’New Zealand’ spinach, is actually a different variety which grows in bush form with only the leaves harvested. It’s not a young version of the field variety which grows from the ground in separate plants and is cut at the roots like lettuce. Both types have dark green rounded leaves, a hearty flavor and are loaded with vitamins. Either can carry a salad alone and support a substantial dressing.

Kale—Can be used as a salad green in winter. It has the same qualities as spinach, but requires the stems be removed. Baby kale can be served raw, but the large leaves require a slight blanching and then a chance to re-crisp in ice water before inclusion in a salad.

Watercress—Small, glossy, dark green leaves with a peppery, yet cool taste. Excellent chopped and mixed with cream cheese in sandwiches or used as a bedding to showcase one ingredient, but tends to get lost in a mixed presentation.

Cabbage—Is a vegetable of the mustard family. However, it is served so often as a salad that it deserves a mention here. There are many types of cabbage in a wide range of colors, Chinese and round head, white, red, green, purple. They all have firm, crisp, leaves so tightly packed that it’s advisable to cut into the head to wash it. Cabbage has a hearty flavor and is loaded with nutrients but differs from lettuce in its versatility. It can be cooked in a number of ways, brined or pickled because the leaves have more stability than lettuce leaves. As a salad, its distinctive flavor needs an assertive dressing.

EDIBALE ADD-INS
Herbs– I grow my own and love to add the leaves to salads for special flavor effects. The choice of herb depends on the other ingredients and the rest of the meal, but chives, oregano, basil, mint, sage, marjoram, thyme and lemon balm are my special favorites and I often use different varieties, lemon thyme, Thai basil etc. Also, I like to add the flowers of t f these herbs when I can, but as for other edible flowers, though they can give color and flavor to a dish, I’m careful to buy only commercially packaged ones and those specifically required by the recipe I’m making at the time . This is definitely something I won’t ‘stock up’ on and keep.

Apr 21

MOTHER’S DAY ‘22

My interest in modifying adult pleasing recipes to help the kitchen novice, the pinch-hitter and/or the person with many small assistants dates back to 2011. A neighbor’s children, knowing I had a chef service, asked if I could advise them on cooking for Mother’s Day, because their Father was deployed with the military. The following year, their Father asked for help. He had been transferred and the family was in the midst of packing.

On May 10, 2012, I posted an account of the first day’s activities, along with the menu, and on May 2, 2013, wrote up the second day. On May 13, 2014, I introduced my book No Stress Recipes for Mother’s Day, which includes both those menus.

I’ve posted reviews of the book April 30, 2015, April 27, 2016 and April 9, 2018 and May 2, 2019. I wrote it up from the viewpoint of an Empty Nester on May 11, 2017, but my post on April 16, 2020 came from a far different perception of celebrating Mother ‘s Day at home. The holiday went from the busiest date on restaurants’ calendars to the least. Covid made it mandatory to find ways to entertain Mother at home.

Restrictions have been relaxed, but many people are still cautious. Many, too, may have found it pleasant to spend the day at home, or simply to prepare one meal to share with Mother on her day. The book has recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner plus desserts.

Consequently, the 2020 article is still on point. Things really haven’t changed in the past two years. We remain in a state of flux about Covid and options are welcome. So I’m re-posting this article from 2020, because it’s as applicable now as then.

The article explains the book, along with a bit of Mother’s Day history, including how and why the celebrations evolved, and gives a complete overview of the recipes. If you want to see some actual recipes and discover how the modifications simplify them, without loss of flavor or appeal, just click on the links provided above. Do try more than one link, because the postings give different examples.

“From its designation in 1914, Mother’s Day has focused on a special dinner prepared for, not by, Mom. Large housing developments, built continuously since World War II, expanded and/or created suburbs, brought shopping centers and introduced neighborhood restaurants . People got used to eating ‘out’ and getting Mom, not just away from the kitchen, but from the house for her special dinner was a natural move, creating the busiest day of the restaurant year.

About 2000, things began to change. The fact that most women work away from home, combined with cuisine curiosity, expanded pallets, and general interest in cooking altered our perspective . The day’s ‘treat’ returned to personally fixing something for Mom-if not the dinner itself, then breakfast and lunch or a fancy dessert . (For special dessert ideas see April 1, 2021, June 18, 2020, July 30, 2020 . and/or consult the Panorama)

2020 left little choice, all celebration were kept at home. Hopefully, after this pandemic is over when options of ways to enjoy Mother’s Day return, we will still want to add that personal touch that says;” We appreciate you.” Of course the success of this type venture depends on the kitchen experience and more importantly, the attitude, of those involved. Without proper guidance this can be a disaster and a nightmare for Mother, not a delight. ‘Proper’ means ‘responsible’. However, with good supervision even a kitchen novice can pull off a great dinner if they are serious about doing it, have a bit of patience and can read.

My book, No Stress Recipes for Mother’s Day, supplies a selection of adult pleasing recipes for every meal of the day, modified for easy child participation with monitoring. The inspiration for the book was a request several years ago from two neighborhood children who had heard I was in ‘the cooking business’. They asked if I’d help them make a nice day for their mother, while their father was deployed in the military overseas.

That holiday’s menu was so successful, that their father appealed to me the next year. He had been transferred and the family was moving within days. He asked me to plan a Mother’s Day menu that would give his wife a break, but wouldn’t interrupt their schedule by stopping to go out or require them to unpack any utensils. Menus and recipes for both years are in the book as illustrations of the fact that lovely meals can be made even by children with a little help and a lot of equipment isn’t always necessary. (To read the original articles and the complete menu directions, go to the links given above for 2012 and 2013.)

So if you want to try making a dinner for Mother at home or simply want to add some restaurant quality, simplified recipes to your repertoire and/or get the family involved in making delicious meals here’s your chance. No Stress Recipes for Mother’s Day is the guide you need. Find it on this site’s Bookshelf and on Kindle.

RECIPES IN THIS BOOK

GOOD MORNING

Baked Eggs in a Cloud – – Page 27

Cheese Pocket Biscuit – – Page 3

Eggs Adeline – – Page 26

Eggs Aurora- -Page 3

Eggs Parmesan—Page 4

Fast Fruit Crisp – -Page 4

French Toast – -Page 4

Frittata – – Page 5

Store Purchased Pancakes and Waffles – – Page 5

Turnovers – – Page 5

Toad in Hole – – Page 28

Yogurt & Bananas – – Page 6

HIGH NOON

Most Mothers favor light, healthy lunches, so I’m concentrating on that type of recipe here.

Recipe Listings:

Cheesy Toasted Tuna Sandwiches – -Page 6

Classic Quiche Lorraine – – Page 7

Greek Pita Pockets – -Page 7

Monte Cristo Sandwiches – – Page 8

Orange Banana Salad – – Page 8

Spaghetti Squash Primavera – – Page 8

Spinach Salad – – Page 9

True Deli Style Sandwiches –Page 9

Tuna and Bean Salad – – Page 9

Vegetable Wraps – – Page 10
Waldorf Salad – – Page 10

Zucchini, Onion Bean Salad – – 11

DINNER TIME

Recipe Listings:

Beef Kabobs – – Page 12

Chicken in Orange Sauce- – Page 12

Chicken with Mustard and Honey – – 13

Chip’s Chuck Roast – – Page 13

Cornish Hens with Wild Rice and Grapes – – 24

Flounder Rolls – – Page 14

Grilled Swordfish Steaks with Melon Salsa – – Page 14

Pork Chops Basil – – Page 15

Pork Loins with Apricot Glaze- -Page 15*

Pork Rosemary – – Page 16*

Salad Nicoise — 17

Salmon with Mustard – – Page 18

Stew on a Grill – -Page 28

*Can also be made with turkey tenderloin whole or sliced

DESSERTS

Recipe Listings:

Cheesecake Bars – – Page 19

Chocolate No-Cook Bars – – Page 19

Easy Angel Berry Cake # 1 – – Page 19

Easy Berry Angel Cake # 2 – – 19

Fruit Pizza – – Page 20

Fruit Rustica – – Page 20

Meringues – – Page 21

Mock Black Forrest Sheet Cake – – Page 22

Pistachio Pie – – 22

Puff Pastry Tower- – Page 23

Wrapper Fruit Cups – – 23

Zebra Cake———23

The Menus for the 2 Mother’s Days are:

Year 2012

Eggs Adeline

Ham, Tomato& Lettuce on Italian Bread

Cornish Game Hens and Wild Rice

Easy Berry Cake Cake/Berries & Whipped Cream

Year 2013

Toad in the Hole

Family Choice

Stew on the grill

Grilled Pound Cake Slices with Berries”

Apr 14

SAY CHEESE

Spring is so filled with holidays and events that knowledge of cheeses is a big help to anyone planning to entertain during these Covid years. America’s favorite type of party is known as a Cocktail or Open House before dinner and a Reception or Get Together after. Whether black tie or blue jeans the format is the same. People are free to mingle and chat without hindrance of seating arrangements. Food is in canape form, communally presented and eaten with the fingers. ( See posts of April 22, 2021, and April 29, 2021)

Nowadays, many consider dips and items requiring dipping sauces as cross-contaminates. Unfortunately, prepared canapes’ appeal depends on freshness, exposure spoils their texture. Serving them requires constant oversight and replenishing, a problem for DIY hosting.

Cheeses are the answer. Whether a single wedge, block or wheel on a plate with crackers or an array on a board, cheeses offer presentations to satisfy groups of all sizes. I’ve attended large parties where only cheese boards were served. Sometimes there was a variety on each board; others the boards featured the products of different countries, or specific types. There are many presentation possibilities, and the number of boards depends on the number of guests. So planning is easily scaled and preparation is simplified.

Cheese boards are easily kept looking fresh too. Buy double, or divide your selection in half, then when an item is consumed, or begins to look ‘untidy’ just replace it with the spare piece. So long as each item has its own knife, there’s never a question of cross-contamination either. Best of all, unlike other canapes, cheese leftovers have second lives in dressings, spreads, toppings and as ingredients in other dishes. So there’s no waste.

Cheese platters can vary from the spare dinner plate to inlaid or carved marble trays and cheese knives of various designs are sold everywhere from Dollar stores to jeweler’s shops, singly and in sets. Cheese boards are just as diverse, often doubling as bread boards; they range from rustic kitchen models to ones of patterned and/or inlaid woods to elaborate carved center pieces.

Crackers, sliced breads, chips and other products to hold the cheeses are far too large a category to discuss here. However, there are so many choices available that’s it’s smart to be aware of the options, keep an open mind as to pairings, and if you have no preferences, seek advice from the cheese vender, the web or recipe books. It is important to have complementary flavorings. If in doubt, select a product with a neutral taste, such as Table Water Crackers and allow the cheese flavor to stand alone.

To procure the cheeses for an event, most supermarkets, especially the upscale ones, have acceptable gourmet cheese sections. Peruse the markets in your area to determine the best and you may have to select items from several stores. If you have questions, don’t ask a clerk, get the manager or managers if need be. Of course, a specialty Cheese Shop or gourmet boutique are always the best bets. The web and its specialty sites are another option, but double check them. Aside from being more expensive, it’s wise to verify sources before ordering perishables by mail.

As for selecting cheese or cheeses, decisions depend on personal preferences and the specific occasion. It’s one thing to buy for the family or a few friends and another to plan for a large group. Actually, formal or casual doesn’t matter here, because people’s taste remains the same regardless of setting. The important thing is to have an understanding of the choices and what is appropriate for the occasion and the specific group.

In my book, How to Control Food Bills, along with the more than 100 pages of other charts, I have an extensive chart on cheeses. It’s too many pages to include here, but it describes many varieties, their appearance, colors, textures, flavors and uses. It is a true helper in advising anyone interested in this subject. However, I have included a Cliff Notes type of cheese directory below, which will give you an idea of how to proceed.

Even if you’re not entertaining, do take a step into the world of cheeses. It’s a delicious, fascinating trip you’ll never regret. So smile and say “Cheese”!

CHEESES-U.S. Department of Agriculture listing

UNRIPENED CHEESES – Unripened cheeses are made by coagulating milk proteins (casein) with acid, such as sour milk alone, and/or an enzyme such as rennet. A few require some heating. They can be made in the home kitchen and eaten fresh. White in color and soft textured they are good as spreads, in dips, casseroles, as pasta filings, with vegetables and fruits and in cheesecake

1) Acid Only – Cottage. Cream, Neufchatel, Quark, Chevre
2) Acid + Heat – Ricotta, Queso Blanco, Paneer, Mascarpone

3) Acid + Rennet – Fresh Mozzarella

4) Rennet Only – Queso Fresco, Panela, Ranchero

RIPENED CHEESES – Ripened cheeses are made by coagulating milk proteins with enzymes (rennet) and culture acids just as the unripened ones but then they are ripened (aged) by bacteria or mold. Also called maturation, this process in the cheese-making is associated with active microbial proteases and lipases changing the morphology and physical texture of the cheese as well as developing the taste and flavor into the final product.
For Interior ripened cheeses, the maturation process begins on the inside of the cheese and moves outward. Bacterial cultures introduced into the milk do the same thing as they do in surface-ripened cheeses, but they make for a more solid product by hardening the paste first. Lactic acid bacteria play a key role during ripening and can therefore be used as accelerating agents. After these cheeses have been fully ripened, they are coated and sealed with wax to cut off oxygen circulation on the surface.

Also known as soft-ripened cheese, this type of rind refers to cheeses that are ripened from the outside and whose rinds are made from a perfect amalgamation of mold and yeast. Bloomy rinds create a flavorful, textured, and very edible crust, which encourages the cheese inside to ripen. A soft-ripened cheese has mold (Penicillium candidum, camemberti or glaucum) added to the milk or sprayed over the wheel of cheese. By taking the cheese through a series of maturation stages where temperature and relative humidity are carefully controlled, the cheese maker allows the surface mold to grow and the mold ripening of the cheese by fungi to occur. This mold creates the soft, white rind and also helps the cheese ripen from the outside in. Often called; washed-rind’ these cheeses can be hard or soft. The softer ones are sometimes distinguished as ‘smear-ripened’.

Cheese rinds are food safe and edible. You should feel free to enjoy flavored rinds, washed rinds, and bloomy rinds as part of your cheese eating experience. Other rinds made of wax or cloth can generally be removed and discarded—these rinds are there to protect the cheese along its aging journey.

RIPENED CHEESES

BACTERIAL RIPENED

Internal – These cheeses are best known for their ready use as appetizers, snacks, sandwich filings, grated toppings and accompaniments to other foods. They have a firm texture, distinct rather sharp tastes and, generally, range in color from golden to dark orange.
Examples: Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, Swiss, Edam-Gouda, Romano, Parmesan, Provolone, Mozzarella, Muenster, Brick.

External – These cheeses are softer and smoother textured than the internal. In fact, they often have a silky quality. Creamy white to pale gold in color, their taste can vary from mild to strong, but they are all able to stand alone as appetizers and accompaniments to fruit as desserts. They also serve as a featured ingredient to a specific dish as does Gruyere in French Onion Soup.
Examples: Limburger, Liederkranz, Guyere, Esrom, Comte, Tilsit, Port du Salut.

MOLD RIPENED

Internal – These cheeses are the most recognizable. The mold which ripens them also marbles them with a dark vein. The bulk of the cheese is a creamy white, with a soft, dry, crumbly texture and a strong taste with a bite. People tend to like or dislike these cheeses as a group. They are excellent as appetizers with crackers, in salads and salad dressings and crumbled as garnish over cold fruit and vegetable dishes, or just with fruit for dessert.
Examples: Blue, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton, Danableu, Rosenbourg, Bleu d’Auvrane, Blue Shropshire

External – Like the externally bacterial ripened cheeses, these cheeses have a soft, smooth, rather silky texture differing from their internally, mold ripened cousins. They are generally a pale golden color with a no less distinctive taste but milder without the sharp bite of the internally mold ripened. They’re good as appetizers, snacks with bread or dessert with raw fruit.

Examples: – Camenbert, Brie, Cambozia, Saint Andre

Apr 7

ROASTS FOR SPRING HOLIDAYS

As spring approaches our natural inclination is to eat lighter. In warmer weather we need less fat and fortifying carbohydrates to sustain us. Of course the prospect of summer around the corner is motivation to cut back on calories and eat less too. The recipe suggestions in Spring Roasts for Easter and Passover, are selected for holidays, occasions or simply dinners at this season. I’ve written several posts with different excerpts from this book specifically on April 5, 2012, April 21, 2014, March 22, 2015, March 22, 2018, April 1, 2019, March 25, 2020 each with different takes on the book and one on brunch options on March 23,2016. The past few years, with holiday and event gatherings so dependent in size on the current situation, menu options are a real consideration.

The basic point is that spring roasts are smaller, more tender, than the hardy stars of fall and winter feasts. Also, in keeping with the season, spring roasts are treated in a lighter manner and/or presented in a more delicate cut, such as a rack rather than a leg, and are often served au jus rather than with thickened gravy. They are meant to be accompanied by and compliment the fresh, young produce of spring not overpower it.

Foods have changed with the times as well. They aren’t so seasonally specific. For example pork, formerly associated with colder weather is found on menus all year, offering an economic option. Summer squash and asparagus are available in fall and winter. I deal with this subject in my post on Spring Roasts for March 22, 2018. Incidentally, that post lists different entrée recipes than this, so you might want to check it out. I quote from it here.

“Beef is welcome, but in cuts like fillet mignon, London broil and a seasoned brisket. Pork too is acceptable, as loin, tenderloin or the elegant chop display of a crown roast filled with steamed spring vegetables. Lamb is making a comeback as a mature animal because it’s sustainable, but the legs are larger and chops in racks are becoming favorites. Poultry is still popular and turkey has joined the line-up but as a Hotel Breast not a full bird. Ham, cured over the winter has always been popular too.

Spring Roasts does contain recipes for veal, which is still available in specialty butcher shops but recipes for veal, turkey, chicken and pork are interchangeable. There are also lots of recipes for sides and desserts. There are many menu options and available selections cover a wide price range resulting in a huge variety of possible presentations. This book offers suggestions for the complete entrée as well as tips on seasonal upgrades. For example, if you feel comfortable with your own method of roasting, say a chicken, there are ways to perk it up for spring.

1.Rub the roast with oil and sprinkle inside and out with a dried herb of choice

2.Instead of potatoes, roast whole carrots, onions or lightly blanched fennel quarters around the roast. About 40 min. before it’s done, add the vegetables with a bit of canned, condensed broth, baste them a time or two.

3,Forget thickening gravy. Use the rest of the broth to deglaze the roasting pan at the end, adding a little wine or herbs to make a sauce to pass at table.

4.Try one of the easy stuffings below. I suggest the rice because it’s lighter than bread. The first 2 recipes can be made ahead, frozen and thawed for use on the day

In general, for spring meals, I like to go easy on the carbs and serve several vegetable dishes,
including a leafy salad with fruit. If I’m catering to big or growing appetites, muffins, especially fruit ones or focaccia with a flavored topping are great fillers.” However, there is a selection of spring carb recipes in last week’s post on March 31, 2022. Additionally, if you prefer stuffing, or want to roll a roast, there are seasonal options for that in Spring Roasts as well. Some examples are below:

RECIPES

Apricot Glazed Cornish Hens

4 Cornish Hens
1 cup apricot nectar
4 Tbs. apricot jam
1 tsp. butter – melted
Marinate the hens in a plastic bag with the nectar, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hr. turning often. Remove the hens, reserving marinade, and place in a pan breast side up. Bake in a 350 deg. oven basting with marinade often during first 40 min. Mix butter with jam and baste the hens a final time. Bake 20 min. more or until hens are tender. Deglaze pan drippings with a bit of white wine or apple juice and serve with the hens.

Duck with Cherries

4lb. duckling
2 cups white wine or apple juice
Salt, pepper, powdered ginger –
2 Tbs. flour
(1) 20 oz. can pitted Bing cherries in syrup
Clean the duck, trim the fat and remove the oil gland. Place the duck on a rack in the sink, prick the skin with a fork all over and pour 2-4 cups of boiling water over the duck. This shrinks the skin and helps it crisp. Sprinkle with the seasonings and put the duck, on the rack in a pan into a preheated 450 deg. oven for 15 min. reduce heat to 350 deg. and cook for 20 min. per pound until tender. Baste often with the wine or juice, using all. When duck is done, keep warm. Strain fat from pan drippings. Mix the flour with the drippings and cook until smooth and thickened. Add the cherries with syrup and heat through. Spoon some of the sauce over each portion as served and pass the rest.

Chicken with Herb Butter
6 lb. oven roaster
5 cloves garlic – mashed
1 cup mixed chopped fresh herbs- rosemary, thyme, sage & parsley OR ¼ cup mixed dried herbs
¼ lb. butter softened
Salt and pepper
2 cups water or broth – more if needed
1 Tbs.cornstarch

Mix herbs, butter and garlic. Gently lift the breast skin on the chicken and spread about ¼ the butter mixture under the skin on each side. Put the chicken in a roasting pan breast side up. Gently dot some of the butter over the top and pour about ¼ cup both in the pan bottom. Put the chicken in a preheated 350 deg. oven and roast 30 min per pound dotting with the remainder of the butter and adding broth to keep the pan drippings fluid during roasting. Don’t baste unless it looks dry. Remove the chicken to a serving plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Mix broth with the pan drippings to equal 2 cups. Whisk in the cornstarch and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened. Serve with chicken.

Chicken with Fruit Stuffing.
6 lb. oven roaster
¼ cup diced onion
¼ cup diced celery
1 large cooking apple like Granny Smith, peeled, cored and in large cubes
1 orange cut in half and segments removed—rind zested and reserved
1/3 cup raisins\
½ tsp. each dried thyme, rosemary and sage
1 egg
6 slices cinnamon raisin bread – lightly toasted and torn in 1 inch pieces OR 6 slices white bread lightly toasted with ½ tsp. cinnamon added to the mix
@ 3 Tbs. orange juice or apple juice – more if needed to just moisten stuffing
Salt and pepper to taste
Chicken broth
1 Tbs. cornstarch

Mix all the ingredients above except the broth and cornstarch, adding only enough fruit juice to moisten. Stuff the chicken and put it in a roasting pan breast side up, with ½ cup broth in the bottom. Cook 30 min. per pound, adding broth to keep pan drippings fluid. When chicken is golden and juices run clear, remove to a serving plate and add enough broth or, optionally, broth and fruit juice to pan to equal 2 cups. Whisk in cornstarch and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened. Serve with roast.

Rack of Lamb: Allow 1 chop per serving
Number 1
2 racks of lamb
½ cup mint jelly
2 Tbs. vinegar
Trim the meat well and place fat side up in a roasting pan. Brush with jelly melted with vinegar and roast 375 deg. 15-20 min per pound. Brush with rest of the jelly mix just before finished. Serve on a platter and divide into servings at table.

Number 2
2 racks of lamb
½ cup panko- lightly crushed
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. chopped fresh chives
3 tsp. chopped fresh mint
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
Water
4 Tbs. butter
SAUCE
1 Tbs. lemon juice
½ cup white wine
2 Tbs. mint jelly
4 Tbs. butter
Mix the panko and next 6 ingredients in a bowl using just enough water to bind. Trim lamb and press breading into meat, Place bones down in a pan, drizzle with butter and roast 375 deg. for 15-20 min per pound. MAKE SAUCE by deglazing pan with lemon juice and wine, add a bit of water if more liquid is needed. Dissolve first jelly then butter in pan to make sauce. Serve drizzled on plates when carving.

Leg of Lamb with Mint Sauce

5-7lb. leg of lamb
½ cup of mint sauce – a vinegar based sauce, not mint jelly. For recipe see p.28*
¼ cup of cider vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup beef broth
3Tbs. flour
Trim all the fat from the lamb, rub with the vinegar and place in a roasting pan with ¼ inch of water. Pour about ¼ cup of mint sauce over the lamb and put in a 325deg. oven. Roast 13-15 min. per pound for rare, 16-18 min for medium After 15 min. pour over the other ¼ cup of mint sauce. Baste frequently with drippings, adding water as necessary to maintain the liquid level. Meanwhile, dissolve the flour in 1 cup broth. When meat is done, remove to a plate and keep warm. Use I cup of broth to deglaze pan add to the cup with the flour in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and stir until thickened. Serve hot with the meat and pass mint jelly on the side.
* Mint Sauce:
Per bunch of fresh mint- I use spearmint; Cut off the thickest part of the stems and any root tendrils. Wash the leaves well. Place in a stockpot and just cover with apple cider vinegar. Bring to a simmer and add sugar to a sweet-sour taste. Don’t over sweeten. You may use sugar substitute. Cook until stems are soft—about 5-8 min. Cool and blend or process until mint is almost a powder. Pour into glass bottles. Leave to cool completely and screw on tops. I use well cleaned 8oz.salad dressing bottles. Store in a dark place at room temperature. Keeps for months.

Rub this over the leg of lamb before roasting and add a bit to pan drippings to baste. I make gravy of the pan drippings and 2 beef plus 1 chicken bouillon envelopes and 2 cups water mixed with ¼ cup mint sauce, pan drippings and about 5 Tbs. flour or 2 ½ Tbs. cornstarch.

For broiled lamb chops, or lamb patties, I pour a light covering of mint sauce over them before cooking.

Sauce can also be used for flavoring in Sheppard’s Pie, stews, soups etc.

Excellent over fresh fruit and vegetables.

Pork Loin and Beets: Serves 4- from Bon Appetit.com
¼ cup walnuts
3 Tbs. plus ½ cup olive oil
1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin
Kosher salt
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
3 medium golden beets, scrubbed, cut into bite-size pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups sauerkraut, plus ½ cup brine
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
4 Tbs. fresh lemon juice, divided
½ cup finely chopped mint”
½ cup finely chopped parsley
¼ cup finely chopped dried tart apricots
Toast walnuts in a skillet or on a rimmed baking sheet, in a 350 deg. oven, tossing once, until golden brown, 7–10 minutes. Let cool, and chop. Heat 3 Tbs. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Season pork loin with salt and cook until browned on all sides, 10–15 minutes. Transfer pork to a platter. Add onions and beets to same skillet and cook, stirring often, until onions are slightly translucent and browned, 10–12 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, sauerkraut, brine, broth, wine, and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Cover skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook until beets are fork-tender, 25–30 minutes. Return pork to skillet and push down into liquid. Turn heat up to medium and simmer, uncovered, turning occasionally until instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of loin registers 150 deg., 20–30 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
Meanwhile, mix walnuts, mint, parsley, apricots, remaining 2 Tbs. lemon juice, and remaining ½ cup oil in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Spoon beet mixture onto plates and arrange sliced pork on top. Spoon a generous amount of walnut sauce over.

Spinach Stuffed Pork Loin: Serves 6
3 lb. boneless pork loin
(1) 4 oz. can mushroom stems and pieces
½ cup diced shallots
1 garlic clove-minced
2 Tbs. brandy
1 Tbs. butter
(1) 10 oz. box frozen, chopped spinach-thawed
1 Tbs. oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups condensed canned chicken broth + more if needed
¼ cup white wine
Mix the broth and the wine. Butterfly the pork by lengthwise slicing almost through. Open it like a book and make similar slices down each half. Cover with plastic wrap and pound the meat to an even thinness. Sauté the shallots and mushrooms in the butter until golden, remove to a bowl. Add the oil to the pan and toss the spinach over with the garlic, remove to the bowl with the shallots and add seasonings. Save any pan juices and add to the broth mix. Spread the vegetable mixture on the meat to within a about an inch of each edge. Roll the meat around the stuffing, starting with a long side and secure with string. Pour over about ½ cup of broth mix and cook in a 350 deg. oven about 1 hr.45 min. >2 hrs. adding more broth mix as necessary. Deglaze the pan with the rest of the broth mix and pass at table.

Baked, Glazed Ham: For those on restrictive diets, Smoked Turkey can be substituted for the ham. The GLAZE is an old family recipe

1 ham, shank or butt 7-10 lbs.
½ cup molasses
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
@24 whole cloves
2 cups apple juice + more if needed
1 small can pineapple rings
4-5 Candied or Maraschino cherries + equal number of toothpicks
½ cup raisins
Trim all fat from the ham, lightly score the top and dot it with cloves. Put the ham in a roasting pan with 1 cup of apple juice to prevent sticking, and set it in a 350 deg. oven. After about 20 minutes, or when the scoring opens, baste it with ½ the glaze and add more juice to the pan, if needed. Allowing 15min. per pound, halfway through the cooking, add a bit more juice to the bottom of the pan to deglaze and baste with that, then spoon ½ the remaining glaze over the ham. 30 min. before it’s finished, open a small can of pineapple slices and, reserving the juice, place 4 slices on top of the ham, centering each with a cherry on a toothpick, then spoon the remaining glaze over them.
Raisin Sauce

Meanwhile, combine the reserved pineapple juice and enough apple juice to make 2 cups, with 2Tbs. cornstarch and ½ cup raisins. Stirring constantly, I bring the mixture to a boil in a small saucepan until it thickens and clarifies. Add the pan drippings and stir to incorporate. To make a delicious Raisin Sauce!

STUFFINGS –Stuffing with egg tends to puff and rice spills out. An easy way to keep the stuffing in a bird is to flatten a piece of bread with a can or rolling pin to compact it and place it over the cavity opening secured with a couple of poultry pins or skewers.

Apricot and Herb Stuffing: Yield 3 cups-Adapted from Memorable Roasts published by Konemann
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
¾ cup raisins
1 Tbs. dried parsley
¼ tsp. EACH dried sage, thyme, rosemary
About ¼ cup milk*
3 cups fresh breadcrumbs*
1 egg beaten*
Mix all the ingredients adding just enough milk to hold it loosely together and seal in a freezer bag or covered container. To use, thaw and stuff bird, cook as directed.
*Replace these ingredients with 3 cups cooked rice—suggestion brown rice.

Walnut and Ham Stuffing: Yield 3 cups- Adapted from Memorable Roasts published by Konemann
1cup finely chopped ham
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup chopped mushrooms
¼ cup chopped parsley
About ¼ cup milk*
2 cups chopped breadcrumbs*
1 egg beaten*
Mix all the ingredients adding just enough milk to hold it loosely together and seal in a freezer bag or covered container. To use, thaw and stuff bird, cook as directed.
*Replace these ingredients with 3 cups cooked rice—suggestion brown rice

Fruit Stuffing for Duck: Yield about 3 cups
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
½ navel orange sectioned + 1Tbs. slivered orange peel OR (1) 8oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
About ¼ cup orange juice or milk
1/3 cup raisins
1 small onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
1 tsp . dried sage
3 slices raisin bread toasted-torn in1 inch pieces
Mix all the ingredients adding just enough liquid to hold it together. Stuff bird and cook as directed

Mar 31

CARBOHYDRATES FOR SPRING

With the first signs of spring, our thoughts, food wise, focus on a desire to eat lighter and we anticipate the arrival of fresh spring produce. However, those crops present a menu problem, because, save for the small fresh peas, tiny new potatoes and possibly baby carrots, none of them contain the carbohydrate density to give a meal enough sustenance to stave off hunger for more than a couple of hours. There are no legumes or starchy spuds and sturdy stuffings and rich, filling sauces for pasta and grains seem too heavy. (For recipes using spring vegetables, see last week’s posting Mar. 24, 2022. It also contains a full listing of past posts on the subject.)

The answer to finding nourishing carbohydrates for spring to balance our dinner menus is to devise seasonal ways to prepare the old standards, pasta, grains, bread and to make-over a few vegetables from other seasons. Using delicate pastas with light sauces, mixing fruits and vegetables into grains and even bread stuffings, serving beets cold or as filled nests are all solutions.

The recipes below are tasty examples of this type of created carbohydrates for spring menus. Moreover, they all illustrate how to personalize carbohydrate side dishes to compliment your specific menu for any season by adding different ingredients, vegetables, fruits, herbs or spices. They’re great outlines for your imagination.

It seems simpler to present the basic carbohydrates categorically, with notes, to show the variations for clarity, rather than just listing the recipes. So here goes….

RECIPES

Pasta is a good place to start because it highlights how small changes can make the difference. As stated above, use the___14 light and/or delicate shapes.
Cappellini con Agilo e Formaggio (Angle Hair with Garlic an Cheese) Serves 4
4 oz. pasta cooked
2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil-this is important because here it is a taste factor
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Grated parmesan or Romano cheese to taste
Drain the hot pasta, toss with the oil and add the seasonings. Top with the cheese and serve at once.

Orzo with Lemon and Parsley: 4 servings- Also for Stellini, Rissoni, Anelli pasta shapes
Amount of pasta as directed on box for 4 servings
½ tsp. olive oil per serving
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice per serving
1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley per serving, or cilantro

Couscous: Packaged couscous is an excellent time saver. Fast cooking, it comes flavored and is open to any amount of add-ins, which can be stirred into the pot after cooking and before fluffing
Mediterranean Couscous: Serves 6- From https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/couscous-recipes This dish is wonderful with poultry, a favorite meat in spring.
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
13/4 cups Israeli couscous
3/4 cup beef broth
1 ½ tsp. salt
Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for a few minutes, until softened. Add apricots and couscous, and cook for 2 min. to toast the couscous. Add 1 ¼ cups water, beef broth and salt, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender, 10 to 12 min. serve warm.

RICE: Rice and pasta are inter-changeable in most recipes but be sure of the cooking times of all the ingredients. Caterers often prefer minute rice because of its lighter, fancier appearance and quick cooking time. Brown rice is preferable to white due to its higher fiber and protein content but be aware of the difference in types of rice. The choice can result in big changes in the appearance and texture of the finished dish.
1. Long grain rice cooks up fluffy and separates easily
2. Medium grain rice is more moist and tender, but becomes stickier the longer it cools
3. Short grain rice is almost round. Moist and tender, it has a high starch content and becomes very
sticky when cooked.

Rice, Spinach and Peas with Almonds: Serves 4**
1 cup long grain rice
3 cups water
1 envelope beef or chicken bouillon granules
1 small bunch spinach
4 Tbs. butter OR 2 Tbs. butter and 2 Tbs. oil
2 cloves garlic minced
2/3 cup fresh or frozen peas thawed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup toasted sliced almonds
Cook rice in water with bouillon until tender, about 14 min.; rinse in cold water and drain well. Remove tough stems from spinach and cut leaves in 1 inch strips. Heat 1 Tbs. butter and 1Tbs. oil, if using, or 2 Tbs. butter, in a skillet over medium low heat. Add spinach and garlic and sauté until spinach wilts about 1 min. Add peas, rice and seasonings and toss. Add remaining butter and oil, cover and allow butter to melt, about 5 min. Toss again gently with almonds and serve.
NOTE: This can be made a few days ahead and kept chilled, covered, without the almonds. Reheat in the microwave and toss with the nuts before serving.

Scented Rice: Serves 4
1 cup long grain rice
2 cups broth-chicken or beef
1 Tbs. butter
¾ tsp. flavoring spice or herb*
¼ tsp. other herbs or spices*
1 large onion diced—preferably red
1 bell pepper diced
½ cup peas- thawed if frozen
1 Tbs. oil
Salt to taste
Sauté the rice in the butter until it’s shiny and a bit golden. Add the flavorings and/or spices with the broth, bring to a broil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed, about 20 min. Sauté the onion, peas and peppers in the oil, then add to the cooked rice. Adjust seasonings. Serve hot, but can be made ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator for several days and reheated in the microwave.
*This rice dish can be altered to fit any ethnic menu by altering the spices, herbs and flavoring in quoted amounts or to taste. For example: Mexican=3/4 tsp. cumin + ¼ tsp. EACH oregano and chili powder; French=substitute powdered rosemary for the cumin and marjoram and thyme for the oregano and chili powder; Italian –use basil, oregano and garlic. A simpler, but tasty combination is to forget all the herbs etc. and add 1-2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice and 2 Tbs. fresh chopped parsley to the cooked rice.

Grains: The recipes below are really more outlines than written in stone. The add-ins and flavorings can be changed to better compliment the rest of the menu, even so far as substituting fruits for vegetables. The grains can be altered to fit your preference, so long as you calculate the cooking times to avoid overdoing the additions

Taboule: Serves 4 — This is a traditional dish and though the basic preparation is the same, the optional choice of add-ins can change its presentation. I’ve had it with only tomatoes and lemon juice, although mint is usually present as well. I marked the optional add-ins in this recipe (*) but feel free to add any others you like.
½ cup bugler
1 medium tomato –diced
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
½ cup chopped fresh mint
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cucumber-diced*
1/3 cup diced onion or thinly sliced scallions*
½ green bell pepper –diced*
¾ cup chopped fresh parsley*
¼ cup fennel- diced*
Cover the bugler with water and soak for 45 min. Drain well and squeeze in a towel to be sure it’s dry. Drain the tomato, and cucumber, if using, and pat dry if needed. Gently toss the bugler with the chosen vegetables and herbs and store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. Mix lemon juice, oil, oregano, salt and pepper in a small jar and store chilled. When ready to serve, gently toss bugler, vegetables and herbs with dressing. Can be served cold or at room temperature.

Bugler with Mushrooms: Serves 4 – This is excellent with all roasts
1 cup beef broth
1 cup bugler
3 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. oil
12 button mushrooms- caps and stems sliced
1 large shallot-diced
1 Tbs. thyme-fresh minced or 2 tsp. dried
Salt and pepper
Combine bugler and broth in a bowl and soak about 45 min. until tender then drain in a sieve to lose excess broth. Sauté mushrooms in oil and 1 Tbs. butter until starting to brown, about 8 min. add the rest of the butter and the shallot and sauté 5 min. more. Add bugler and thyme, seasonings and heat through. Serve at once or cover and freeze. To reheat thaw and use the microwave.
NOTE: With the addition of 1/3 cup thinly sliced celery sautéed in 2 Tbs. butter and 2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley, this can be used as a stuffing.

NOTE: Any of 4 recipes above can be made with cooked orzo or couscous following the same directions for preparation, storing and reheating.

Bread Stuffings may seem out of place in spring, but this is light and wonderful with duck and also chicken, both favorite roasts for the season.

Raisin and Fruit Bread Stuffing: This is estimated for a 5-6 lb. bird and can be used with chicken or duck.
5-6 slices raisin bread-toasted and torn in ½ >1 inch pieces
½ small onion –diced
1 smaller inside rib of celery- stalk thinly sliced and leaves chopped
1 cooking apple, cored, peeled and sliced-slices cut in half
1 orange
1 tsp. sage
Salt and pepper
1 egg
milk
Put the bread, apple, onion and celery in a bowl with the seasonings. Cut the orange in half and add the meat from one half to the bowl and the juice from the other half. Mix in the egg and enough milk to keep the stuffing easy to toss but not wet or sticky. Fill bird, both neck and body cavities if there is enough stuffing. Any extra can be cooked covered in a dish, for half the time the bird roasts. Follow regular cooking directions, according to the size of the bird.
** Recipes adapted from ones in the U.S.P.C.A. files

New Potatoes: These are wonderful just boiled and served with butter and chopped fresh parsley, or peeled in a band around their midsection and popped in the oven with a roast.

New Potatoes and Asparagus: Serves 4**
6 new potatoes—red or other colors preferred over brown
2 lb. asparagus—fresh preferred
1 roasted red bell pepper slivered-jarred is O.K.
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 small shallot in fine dice
4 Tbs. chopped chives
Salt and pepper
Boil potatoes until tender, drain cool and quarter. Cook the asparagus in 1/2 cup water in the microwave until crisp tender about 4-8 min. depending on thickness, drain and cut in 1 ½ inch pieces. Toss potatoes, asparagus and pepper together. Whisk mustard, oil, lemon juice and shallot in a small bowl and pour over the vegetables; toss gently. Serve at room temperature garnished with chives.
Note: Can be kept for a few days covered in the fridge. Lightly microwave to warm for serving.

My Nana’s Stuffed Potatoes: Serves 4–If the new potatoes aren’t in regular ones can be used. I like to peel brown skins, but redskins or other colors are decorative if left on.

4 potatoes
1 medium onion
4 slivers of butter—depending on roast and size of potatoes
Wash and prepare potatoes if peeling. Cut a sliver off the bottom so they stand up. Using an apple corer or vegetable peeler, scoop out the center of the potatoes, leaving at least ½ inch margin. Grate the onion (I use a mini-chopper) and stuff the potatoes making sure they are packed solid. If the roast is quick cooking and the potatoes are large, bake the potatoes, topping each with a sliver of butter, in a pre-heated 375 deg. oven until beginning to brown but be sure they have at least 30 min. in the pan with the roast being basted to finish. Otherwise, simply bake the potatoes with the roast.

Red Beets: Beets are an example of vegetables from another season which can be served in spring without seeming out-of-place. In fact their color fits right in. Zucchini, yellow squash and broccoli rabe, not broccoli, are others compatible with spring menus.

Pickled Beets: This can be made using freshly cooked beets or canned
Place cooked, peeled and/or sliced beets in a pot, covered in their juice. Remove half the juice and replace with vinegar. Add sugar and salt to taste. (Optionally other flavorings are added according to ethnic recipes, also to taste, cloves, caraway, peppercorns, allspice sliced onions and horseradish.)
Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and cook until the sugar dissolves and beets are heated through. Remove and allow to cool. Store covered in a cool place and allow to marinate for at least 36 hrs. These will keep for months properly stored. Serve well drained.
NOTE: After the beets are eaten the juice is a wonderful marinade to devil hard-boiled eggs. Put the eggs in a jar, covered with the juice and allow to pickle for at least 5 days. They should be a purple color. They are eaten whole, deviled and chopped into a salad. Don’t worry if they feel hardened, that’s to be expected.

Beets with Herbs: Serves 4
12 small cooked and peeled beets- canned-drained will do(save the juice to devil eggs)
4 Tbs. butter
½ cup sliced scallions
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 Tbs. fresh tarragon = 1 tsp. dried
1 ½ Tbs . sugar
¼ cup white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Leave whole or slice the beets. Melt the butter in a saucepan; add the beets and the other ingredients and heat through. Serve hot.
OPTIONALLY: Add 1 cup sour cream at the end and just heat through.

Beet Baskets: Per portion
The amounts vary with the choice of ingredients and the size of the beets, depending on their intended use. Small ones make canapés, medium ones are for sides and large ones can be entrees.
Boil and peel the beets, slice off a sliver of the bottom so they stand upright. Then hollow out the center, leaving at least a ½ inch shell on the large ones.
For 6 Servings:
6 medium beets prepared hollowed out- pulp reserved and chopped
1 cup chopped cooked beet greens*
1 hardboiled egg-chopped
1 slice of cooked bacon-diced
1 Tbs. chopped onion
1 Tbs. melted butter
Salt and pepper
Parsley for garnish
Mix all the ingredients but the parsley and stuff the beets. Place them in a flat bottom pan in a preheated 350 deg. oven and heat them through. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.

VARIATIONS:

Cold peas and chopped celery mixed with mayonnaise, or another creamy or boiled dressing

Chopped hard-boiled egg and chopped sweet pickle mixed with French dressing and a dash of mustard

Chopped hard boiled eggs mixed with tarragon chives and mayonnaise

The beet pulp chopped and mixed with chopped sautéed onions

Cheese flavored rice

Canned herring or mackerel can be combined with any of the above stuffings

Horseradish can be added to any of the stuffings where acceptable and horseradish dressing can be substituted for any suggested ones.

*NOTE: Beet greens are a wonderful vegetable by themselves, much like any other leafy green such as spinach and kale and like them 1lb. =2 servings.
1) Wash the greens well and briefly blanch them in boiling water. Drain them well and sauté them in melted butter with 1 Tbs. lemon juice and garnish with a pinch of nutmeg.
2) Wash and blanch them as above, then sauté in oil with chopped garlic.

Mar 24

SPRING VEGETABLES

Planning a menu with Spring Vegetables runs into the same problem with the weather as do the fruits. The crops simply may not be ready when desired. Nowadays most spring vegetables are available all year, thanks to transportation and freezing methods. However, here again, though they may be a treat out-of-season, in season these options seem artificial compared to fresh local produce.

The thing which sets spring vegetable apart from those of other seasons is that they are best while young and tender, rather than ripe and fully matured. Youth and freshness are key to both appearance and taste. Preparation is focused on maintaining and conveying these qualities, so cooking them is a case of less is more. A pinch of salt in the water, a dab of butter when plating them is often enough. For Spring Vegetable recipes see posts on May 17,2014, Apr. 9, 2015, Mar. 3, 2016, Mar. 31, 2016, Apr. 6,2016, Apr. 20, 2017, Mar. 15, 2018, Mar. 29, 2018, Apr. 2, 2020, Mar. 25, 2021.

On the other hand, this is the saving grace if you’re forced to depend on regular market offerings. The door is open to doctor them a bit to taste like the real thing. Not by using the sauces, syrups or bolder herbs and spices which are used on vegetables of other seasons, but with the delicate addition of herbs and spices also associated with spring. Mint, parsley and dill are prime examples. Ginger root is considered a light spice, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, though not seasonal, always brightens taste. I’ve written several posts giving recipes to use as examples,

The recipes below illustrate how this is done, and, hopefully, give you ideas for serving spring vegetables. Oh, and do try the radishes. They’re delicious!

RECIPES

Green Beans with Shallots: Serves 4 – From- https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/french-string-beans-with-shallots.html
2 Tbs. olive oil or unsalted butter

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

1/2 cup water

3/4 pound (12 ounces) French string beans (haricots verts), trimmed

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Pinch sugar

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 8 min. Do not brown. Add the beans, salt, pepper and water; bring to a boil. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 8 min. Remove the lid and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid is evaporated, the beans are tender, and the shallots are jammy, about 6 min. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Serve warm.

Peas and Mint Serves 4-6

1 lb. fresh or frozen peas

¼ cup. chopped fresh mint.

2 Tbs. butter

Steam or lightly boil the peas until crisp tender about 5 min or as stated on package. Drain, add mint or butter and toss to coat and mix, Serve at once.

Gingered Carrots: Serves 4

1 lb. carrots sliced on an angle

2 Tbs. oil

1 inch fresh ginger grated

1Tbs. poppy seeds

Lightly boil the carrots until just tender 8-10 min; drain well… Sauté in a pan with the oil, ginger and poppy seeds until glossy and just tender. Don’t allow to burn. Serve hot.
2) Prepare the carrots as above. Sauté them with 2 Tbs. melted butter, ½ cup maple syrup, 1 tsp. cinnamon until tender and glossy. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot.
3) Proceed as above and sauté the carrots in 2 Tbs. butter, ½ tsp. nutmeg, juice of 2 oranges and zest of 1 orange until glossy and tender. Add freshly ground pepper to taste.
4) Proceed as above, using 3 Tbs. butter and ¼ cup honey. This may need a drop of lemon juice.
Carrots roast well tossed with a bit of oil, 1 tsp. of balsamic vinegar and dusted with herb of choice, they take about 30 min. at 350 deg. just watch that they don’t shrivel.
2) They can also be baked. Cut them in sticks and lay the raw carrots in a shallow pan. Pour over 1 cup stock or broth and sprinkle with 2 Tbs. fresh or 1 Tbs. dried herb of choice, thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram or dill. Dot with 2 Tbs. butter and bake 350 deg. for 30-35 min. until stock is absorbed Taste for salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot.

Asparagus
Break off the woody part of the stems and put the spears in a microwave proof dish in one layer, if possible, no more than two, or cook in batches. Microwave on high 3 to 9 min. depending on the thickness of the stems. If marinating, put drained spears on a serving plate, pour marinade over and allow to infuse as the asparagus cools, then refrigerate or serve. If saucing, shock spears with cold water, chill them and sauce before serving or sauce and serve hot.
For Marinating: A vinaigrette of choice is best
For Saucing: A plain white sauce is good or optionally for 4 servings combine

1 cup cooled cooking water

1 Tbs. cornstarch

Lemon pepper to taste

Dissolve the cornstarch in the liquid and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until thickened. Add seasoning to taste. For a richer sauce, add 1 beaten egg yolk to the cooled sauce and reheat, over low, stirring constantly until sauce is quite thick. Check to adjust seasoning.
Garnishes: Asparagus loves to be decorated and will accept many things: sliced or chopped roasted or fresh peppers, chopped eggs, toasted chopped nuts and seeds, anchovies, capers, herbs crumbled bacon, even breadcrumbs.

Braised Fennel: Serves 4

2 heads fennel – stalks removed and quartered
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. oil
Enough broth to partially cover
Salt and pepper
Sauté the fennel in the butter and oil until golden on one side and slightly translucent about 5 min. Pour over broth, cover pan and simmer until tender about 15- 20 min. Season and serve hot.

Fennel also combines well with radishes, cucumber, cabbage, celery, pears, apples, grapes and most nuts citrus fruits, pieces, zest or juice spark its flavor as does a bit of vinegar in the dressing. Because of fennel’s unique flavor, some may think it’s hard to be creative in using it, but the opposite is true. Aside from braised, fennel doesn’t like to be alone and readily combines with other foods. Actually, it’s an excellent place to learn to be creative, and salads are a good platform, especially the newer ones combining many ingredients, including grains and seeds.

Spring Spinach Salad: Serves 6-8—depending on size of bag OR
7-12 oz. . fresh, spring spinach
4-6 red radishes= 1 per serving
¼ cup toasted, chopped walnuts
4-5 fresh strawberries per serving – halved if large
½ cup crumbled feta cheese—optional for garnish
Vinaigrette dressing of choice—Raspberry suggested
Wash greens snap off hard stems, wash and hull berries, wash and thinly slice radishes, discarding greens. Chill all ingredients, in water if necessary. Drain and divide the spinach among plates, scatter radish slices, then berries, nuts and cheese over. Drizzle with dressing

Nana’s Hot Boiled Dressing
This dressing is an old, favorite family recipe. It’s wonderful cold in place of mayonnaise for sandwiches and salads like potato, chicken, tuna and salmon. Hot it gives a new dimension to spinach and, if you can get them, dandelions. Young spring spinach is best but the “baby” found pre-packed in bags all year is acceptable. Just make sure all greens are well washed and the hard part of the stems is snapped off. Either salad can be garnished with crumbled bacon. Used cold with the addition of quartered hard boiled eggs it can make a meal of the spinach version.
Recipe: Makes about 2 cups
3 Tbs. sugar
½ tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. paprika
1 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. butter
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup water
2 eggs – well beaten
Using the top of a Bain Marie or double boiler, whisk together the first 5 ingredients. Whisk in the next 3 and place top pot over bottom in which the required amount of water is boiling. Cook, constantly stirring, until smooth and butter is melted. Pour a little into the beaten eggs, stirring to prevent curdling, pour the rest of the hot liquid into the eggs. Then return the mixture to the top of the double boiler and cook constantly stirring until mixture is thick and smooth.
Serve hot over chosen cleaned greens. Do not use over lettuces. All greens will wilt with the heat and lettuces don’t stand up well.
NOTE: Chill leftover and use as mayonnaise or a salad dressing.

Sautéed Spinach and Garlic: Serves 4

1 ½ lb. baby spinach or 1 large bunch field spinach
6 cloves garlic -chopped
2 Tbs. oi

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh lemon juice-optional
Trim stems of field spinach if using. Wash spinach and spin almost dry. In a large skillet, sauté garlic in oil over medium heat, 1 min. but don’t allow to brown. Add all the spinach, salt and pepper and stir with a wooden spoon to coat with oil. Cover pot and cook for 2 min. to wit spinach evenly. Uncover and continue cooking and stirring until spinach is tender and garlic is fragrant, about 2-5 min. more. Serve at once with an optional squeeze of lemon.

Sautéed Radishes: Serves 4- from 500 3-Ingredient Recipes by Robert and Carol Hildebrand.
1 lb. radishes-trimmed and split lengthwise
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 Tbs. rice vinegar or other light, flavored vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, add the radishes, season and add garlic. Cook 5-6 min. gently tossing. Add the vinegar and stir to incorporate. Serve at once.

Mar 17

SPRING CAKES

By mid-March the weather is warming, buds are appearing, daylight saving time begins and I, for one, am ready to kiss winter good-by. Along with craving lighter clothes I crave lighter foods. It’s easy to replace the hardy roasts and fortifying casseroles with different cuts and salads, but those warm, spicy desserts loaded with dried fruits and nuts are another matter because the local seasonal fruits aren’t ripe yet, and the frozen or imported ones in markets seem artificial . The answer is Spring Cakes.

Granted cakes are a favorite especially for events, all year,(see post for Dec. 9. 2021) but Spring Cakes are special. Lighter in texture, more subtle in flavor, they bring a freshness to the table which personifies the spirit of the season. Spring Cakes are great as treats on a weeknight or weekend, such as the Vegetable Cake below, and with small alterations or optional frostings and garnishes, most become a decorative headliner at a holiday feast or special occasion.

Another feature of Spring Cakes is their individuality. All of the recipes below, with two exceptions, are made from scratch rather than commercial mixes. Yet all of them require little more effort and no more time or cost for additional ingredients than commercial products. So give them a try—You’ll be so glad you did!! P.S.I’ve put personal notes on several.

RECIPES

Fresh Blueberry Cake: Serves 8-10
5 Tbs. butter
2 ¼ cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. EACH vanilla and cinnamon
2 cups fresh blueberries sprinkled with a little sugar
Cut 4 Tbs. butter into flour and sugar until it resembles pebbles. Reserve ¼ cup of mixture. Add remaining ingredients, except blueberries and cinnamon, and best until smooth. Pour batter into a greased springform pan, turning pan so batter forms a rim around the pan edge, leaving a hallow in the center. Place berries in hallow. Mix 1 Tbs. butter, cinnamon and reserved batter with hands until small crumbles appear and scatter them over the berries. Bake in preheated 450 deg. oven for 5 min., reduce heat to 350 deg. and bake 30 min. more. Serve warm or cold.

Boston Cream Pie: Serves 10-Despite the name this is actually a cake and great for the season, Try it with a garnish of coconut for Easter.
CAKE
1/3 cup butter-softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ¼ cups flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup milk
FILLING
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 ½ cups milk
2 egg yolks-slightly beaten
1 Tb. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
GLAZE
1 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. cocoa
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
For cake-Beat first 4 ingredients until light and fluffy. Combine next 3 and add alternately to egg mix with milk. Pour batter into (2) 9 inch greased cake pans and bake in a preheated 350 deg. 30 min.
For Filling-Combine first 4 ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, constantly stirring, until mixture boils. Boil 1 min. until thickened. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Stir to incorporate, cool and chill covered.
For glaze-Bring butter and sugar to a frothing boil, in a saucepan. Remove from heat add cocoa and beat in sugar and vanilla until smooth. Immediately pour over assembled cake allowing it to drip down the sides.
For assembly- Make filling before cake. After cake is completely cooled, divide each layer in half to make 4 layers. Coat 3 of the layers with filling, and place on top of each other ending with the 4^th layer. Pour hot glaze over. Cool and/or chill before serving.

MODIFIED OPERA CAKE Serves 10-12-A great dessert for events all year.
(3) 9 inch round cake pans—available as a 3-pack in a dollar store
Parchment paper or waxed paper
1 box yellow cake mix and ingredients listed on package*
8 oz. container whipped topping
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp. almond extract
1 can dark chocolate frosting
Toasted slivered almonds—optional for garnish
Cut parchment rounds to fit cake pans. Grease pan bottoms and paper rounds. Mix batter according to package directions and place 1/3 in each pan. Bake at package stated temperature for 1/3 the time recommended, usually about 15-18 min. or until top springs back when lightly pressed. Cool then invert onto plates and peel off paper. If necessary, slice tops to level them.
Beat cheese, topping and extract together until smooth. Plate one cake layer and cover with a thin layer of frosting, spread ½ the cheese mixture on top and repeat with a second layer. Top with the 3rd layer even side up making sure it’s level. Remove excess filling from sides with a knife if needed.
Microwave remaining frosting 20-30 sec. until easily pourable but not too runny and using a spoon as a guide if necessary, pour evenly over the top of the cake to create a smooth glazed effect . It’s O.K. if some runs decoratively down the sides. Decorate with toasted slivers of almonds or a sprig of holly in the center.

Authentic Opera Cake-This is a sponge cake recipe and the easiest one I’ve seen.
3 eggs separated
6 Tbs. sugar
Dash salt
¾ cup sifted cake flour
½ tsp. vanilla
3 Tbs. sugar
Beat yolks, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, about 5 min. Fold in flour. Beat whites until soft peaks form and then beat, adding sugar, until peaks are stiff. Fold a glob of whites into yolk mixture, and then fold in the rest. Pour into 3 pans, prepared as instructed above, and bake at 325 deg. for 15 min. Ice and store as for box mix.

Sponge Cake is wonderful baked in two layers with the rum frosting below. Simply prepare (2) 9 inch cake pans as directed above and bake at 350 deg. for 20-25 min. until a toothpick comes out clean. For many years this was my family’s choice for Easter dessert.

Rum Buttercream Frosting-From twosisterscrafting.com
1 pound (4 cups) of confectioner’s sugar
1 cup butter-softened
1-2 Tbs. milk
1 tsp. Rum Extract
Beat sugar and butter on low, add 1 Tbs. milk and continue beating until incorporated, then begin to bet on medium-high, scraping sides and bottom of bowl often and adding more milk a bit at a time until icing is right consistency. Beat in rum extract.

Pistachio Marble Cake: Serves 10–A great every day cake, but one which easily dresses up.
Requirements: 1 mixing bowl; 2 layer cake pans or 1 tube pan
1 box marble cake mix WITHOUT pudding included. White or yellow will do if you can’t find marble*. The important thing is no pudding in the mix.
(1) 4 serving size box pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix.
1 1/3 cup water
3 eggs
1/3 cup of oil
1 can dark chocolate creamy or whipped frosting mix OR make pistachio frosting if you want the cake to have a soft green appearance (Nice for Christmas and Easter)-see directions below
¾ cup coarsely chopped pistachio nuts (optional)
Cooking spray
3 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder*
This can be made in 2 layer pans but appears more attractive when cut if made in a tube or bunt pan. Prepare pan(s) by spraying liberally with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat the eggs, water, pudding mix and oil into the batter until it is smooth. See cake mix directions. Using a spoon, blend in ½ cup nuts. Pour 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan(s) if using a marble mix directions will say to add contents of the enclosed envelope to the remaining 1/3 batter in the bowl. * * If not, add the cocoa powder to 1/3 cup reserved batter and blend well. The cake box directions will now tell you to pour the chocolate batter over that in the pan(s) and using a table knife, blade down, in a cutting motion, gently swirl the top layer into the one below, creating a marble effect. If using a tube pan, go down to reach the bottom, but don’t overdo.
Bake the cake for the times dictated on the box for your choice of pan. Cool as directed and frost with the chocolate frosting. Use the rest of the nuts as garnish. If using a pistachio frosting there is the option of garnishing with chocolate curls or chips.

Pistachio Frosting

Makes enough to fill and frost 2 layers
I don’t like very sugary frostings, nor do I need one high in calories and fat. So I’m offering 2 recipes here. The first is the classic Kraft recipe for pudding icing and the second is my own creation. There is a third choice which uses only whipped topping, but I find that is so light that it soaks into the cake in a day and can’t be made in advance.
1) Kraft Pudding Icing

Makes about 2 ½ cups
(1)4 oz. pkg. = ½ of 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 stick= ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Pistachio flavor instant pudding and pie filling
Using an electric mixer beat together cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add pudding and beat on high speed until light and fluffy and pale in color, approximately 5 min. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated and fluffy.

2) My Pudding Icing

Makes about 4 cups
(1) 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
(1) 8oz. tub whipped topping
(1) 4 serving box of pistachio instant pudding and pie mix
Beat all 3 ingredients together until completely blended, smooth and spreadable.

Vegetable Garden Cake: Serves 10
3 eggs beaten until fluffy
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups-packed-shredded zucchini
½ cup-packed-shredded carrots
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup ground almond
½ tsp. cinnamon
Grease and flour (2) 9 inch round cake pans. Stir first 3 ingredients together, add vegetables and mix well, add remaining cake ingredients and stir well. Pour batter into pans and bake at 350 deg. for 25-30 min. Cool in pans on rack for 0 min. Remove and cool completely. Optionally freeze one layer now.
Milk Glaze-for 1 layer. Double quantities for 2 layer cake.
1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
2 tsp. hot milk
½ tsp. vanilla
Combine ingredients and mix until smooth. Cover top of cake and decorate as desired.

Coconut Cake with Coconut Icing: Serves 10-Always a spring favorite-From https://abountifulkitchen.com coconut-cake-made-with-box-mix//the-best-

3 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup cold water

3/4 cup coconut milk

1 white cake mix I like Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker

1 small package instant vanilla pudding*

ICING

1/2 cup butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

4-5 cups powdered sugar

Dash of salt

2 tablespoons milk or half and half

1 7-10 oz. coconut flakes, sweetened
Grease and line 2-9 inch cake pans with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set rack in center of oven. Beat eggs, sour cream, vanilla, water and coconut milk until blended well. Add cake mix and instant pudding.* Mix only till smooth. Pour batter into pans; sprinkle a little coconut on top of cakes, if desired. Bake at 350 deg. for about 25-30 min. or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Invert onto rack and let cool completely.

FROSTING:

Blend butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, salt and milk until desired consistency. Mix well. Spread frosting on cooled cake. Sprinkle remaining coconut on top and sides of cake and gently press into frosting.

Chill until serving. Remove about 30 minutes before serving for best results. Store any leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Notes: Actually I prefer Betty Crocker Fluffy White Frosting mix in a box. Simply top with the coconut flakes

*Coconut pudding may be used in place of vanilla pudding.

**3 8-inch pans or 24 muffin tin may be used. For cupcakes, bake at 350 for about 18-20 minutes

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