Mushroom Caviar
Single batch serves 8.
12 oz of mushrooms, finely
chopped (the more variety, the better the flavor)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stick of butter
1 tbsp dry sherry
3 oz curd cheese
3 oz cream cheese
2 oz parsley
1 oz tarragon
1 oz marjoram
Saute the mushrooms and onions in butter. Add sherry and
remove from heat. In a bowl, beat together cheeses and herbs. Stir in
mushrooms, onions, and juices and beat until just combined. Chill overnight in
a crock.
Notes: Use dried mushrooms for best varieties and just
reconstitute and drain before starting the recipe.
Melon in Vinaigrette
Single batch serves 24.
1 honeydew melon
½ cup vegetable broth
¼ cup vinegar
1 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp mint flakes
¼ cup pomegranate juice (reduced)
¼ cup passum
Wash, open, and scoop melon. Cut melon in thin slices and
place in a large bowl. Mix all other ingredients in separate bowl and pour marinade
over melon and cover. Put in fridge and stir occasionally.
Notes: I had to look up passum, which is a raisin wine. I
had to speak to a brewer to see what I could use that would be close or at
least similar. They suggested a nice sweet sherry, so I used a cream sherry in
its place.
Lobio
A single batch serves 4.
½ cup of dried kidney beans
½ tsp of salt
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
¼ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup fresh cilantro
Some pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Bring an abundant amount of water for the beans to boil. Add
the beans, remove from heat, and cover for ten minutes. Put back on the heat
and bring back to a boil for ten minutes, while covered. Remove from heat again
and keep covered for 20 minutes or until beans are the consistency you want.
Meanwhile, combine all other ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
Drain and pat the beans dry before adding to the bowl and tossing. Let sit for
flavors to meld.
Notes: Can use one can of beans in place of the tried beans,
but again, make sure to drain well before tossing. This dish is fantastic cold.
But can also be room temperature.
Lotus Root Salad
Single batch serves 8.
1 lotus root
4 cups of boiling water
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
Peel and thinly slice the lotus root – keep it soaking in
cool water to keep from discoloration. To blach, drain and lay the root in a
roasting pan and pour boiling water over top. Let sit for five minutes before
draining and patting dry. Meanwhile, combine all dressing ingredients. Sprinkle
root with dressing and chill at least one hour before serving.
Notes: I find the longer it sits, the better it tastes, so I
make it the night before the event for peak flavor.
Peas in Herb Sauce
Single batch serves 5
2 leeks
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cilantro
½ tsp cumin
10 oz frozen peas
1 tsp dill
1 tsp basil
¼ tsp pepper
2/3 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup white wine
1 tbsp cider vinegar
Slice white part off leeks and mince cilantro. Cook leeks
until soft in oil with cilantro and cumin Add rest of ingredients and set
aside. Let sit as long as possible to blend flavors. Reheat and adjust spicing.
Notes: I served this dish cold and it was fantastic. The
longer it sits, the better it tastes.
Shashlyk
Single batch serves 15.
5lbs of meat (lamb, beef, whatever you prefer)
2 onions
2 bay leaves
2 cloves of garlic
A handful of peppercorns
2 cups pomegranate juice
Layer cubed meat with onion and spices, the top layer being
onion. Pour pomegranate juice over the meat. Let marinate before grilling.
Notes: Meat can be made ahead of time and frozen in the
marinade – works fantastic. No matter how you need to cook it, it tastes
fantastic: baked, grilled, kabob’d, stir fry’d, etc).
Azerbaijan Pilaf
Single batch serves 6.
½ cup sliced almonds
2 tbsp butter
1 cup rice
2 cup vegetable stock
½ tsp sesame seeds
¼ tsp ginger
¼ tsp salt
Pepper to taste
Melt butter. Add rice and stir until white and opaque. Stir
in sesame seeds and then pour in stock, ginger, salt, and pepper. Stirring
constantly, bring to a boil. Put in tightly covered dish and bake for 20-25
minutes until rice is tender. Sprinkle almonds over top and serve.
Notes: I added the almonds in while cooking and also did it
on the stove top instead of baking. As long as the rice absorbs the stock,
whichever method is preferred will work.
Marinovannye Griby
Single batch serves 6.
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves
½ cup water
5 peppercorns
½ bay leaf
2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic
1 lb mushrooms
1 TBSP vegetable oil
Combine vinegar, cloves, water, pepper, bay leaf, salt, and
garlic in pan. Heat on high until boiling and drop in mushrooms. Reduce heat
and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove garlic and pour contents into jar, topping
with oil. Marinate for at least one week.
Notes: I never take out the garlic because I like pickled
garlic. I like using a variety of fresh mushrooms, if I can find them. I save
the marinade for marinating more mushrooms later or using as the base for a
salad dressing. You can make these any length ahead of time.
Vinegar For Meat
Single batch serves many.
3 cups vinegar
3 ½ tbsp. salt
1 celery root
2 parsnips
2 carrots
2 onions
Spices to taste (allspice, bay leaves, mace, cloves,
cinnamon, cardamom, garlic)
Finely shred all vegetables. Add all ingredients into a pan
and bring to a boil. Let cool and bottle.
Notes: Bottle with the veggies and spices in and strain
later – adds to the flavor. Vinegar can be used to pour over cooked meat or
marinade meat to be cooked later.
Dried Beef
Single batch serves 8.
1 oz black pepper
1 oz long pepper
½ oz mandarin peel
½ oz cardamom
½ oz grains of paradise
½ oz galangal
2 lbs lean beef
8 oz ginger juice
2 oz onion juice
50 grams of salt
Grind spices to a fine powder. Mix rest of ingredients.
Marinate meat for two days, turning to cover evenly. Remove meat from marinade,
drain well, then air dry for a couple hours. Arrange meat strips in single
layer on fine wire screen or cooling rack in oven at 200 until meat is dry. Use
two forks to shred meat into floss. Store in air tight container.
Notes: I used bamboo skewers to hang the meat in my oven to
save space. It worked well. The spices seemed like a lot, so I experimented
with a batch with spices, a batch wiped, and a batch rinsed. The rinsed is less
peppery, the batch with spices has a lot more flavor. I did not shred the meat
into a floss because I wanted easy to access jerky.
Kotmis Satsivi
Single batch serves 4
3 lbs chicken
½ stick melted butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp salt
Pepper to taste
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
2 tsp tinely chopped garlic
1 tbsp flour
1 ½ cup chicken stock
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp parsley
¼ tsp salt
3 oz ground walnuts
Coat chicken in mixture of melted butter and vegetable oil.
Cook in a pan on a rack, basting with butter oil, at 475 for 10 minutes on each
side. Turn oven to 400, baste and season bird with salt and pepper and roast
for 40 minutes, basting every 10. When done, pull out chicken and cube. In
skillet, melt butter and add onion and garlic. Cook until soft. Add flour and
make a paste before adding chicken broth. Boil until thickened and add rest of
ingredients. Pour over chicken before serving.
Notes: Due to allergy concerns, I kept my sauce on the side.
The chicken was moist and delicious and the sauce was a very nice compliment.
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