Gazpacho

           ANN ARBOR NEWS GAZPACHO (R3A2 VERSION)
               A Make-Ahead Day-Before Recipe

2 large or 3-4 Roma tomatoes, peeled and seeded (see step 1)
1 large cucumber, peeled (seeded, too, if you want)
1/2 large red onion
1 large red pepper, seeds and membrane removed
2 large stalks celery plus 1 small inner stalk with leaves
2-5 stems parsley, leaves only
46 oz V-8 juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp Tabasco, or to taste
1/8 tsp ground black or white pepper
1 T (about 1/3 lemon) fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt to taste (I omit it: the V-8 is salty enough)
Optional Garnish: finely chopped cucumber, red onion, or parsley

1. Prepare the vegetables as indicated. To peel the TOMATOES: combine ~1 c. ice cubes and water in medium bowl to make ~1.5-2 cups ice water. In small saucepan, bring ~4 c. water to a racing boil, add 1 tomato, boil for 30 seconds and remove to ice water bath for 30 seconds. The peel should slip right off. Repeat with the other tomato(es). To seed the TOMATOES and RED PEPPER (and CUCUMBER if you wish), vertically quarter and scoop out seeds, pepper membrane, tomato jelly, etc.

2. Optional: Reserve and refrigerate a small piece of cucumber, onion or parsley to use as a garnish.

3. Have ready a ~4 qt. bowl or pot with a cover. Cut TOMATOES, CUCUMBER, ONION, RED PEPPER, CELERY and PARSLEY into blender-friendly pieces, no dimension more than ~1.5 inches. Put 3/4 c. V-8 JUICE in the blender, add ~2 cups loosely packed vegetable, and puree. Transfer to bowl and repeat until all the remaining juice and vegetables are used. If you have vegetables left over, chop fine and add to bowl.

4. Stir in any remaining V-8 JUICE and all other ingredients: OIL, VINEGAR, TABASCO, GROUND PEPPER, LEMON JUICE, GARLIC, and optional SALT. Chill for 2 hours or more. I chill overnight.

5. Optional: When ready to serve, chop the veg you reserved in step 2, or similar from the fridge, to garnish each serving. It looks pretty but the taste is great without, too.

6. Serve. Refrigerate any leftovers. The soup lasts several days in the fridge, maybe longer but we consume it too fast to know.
             Serves 8-12, maybe more.

7/16/99; 8/8/03; 6/18/11; rev for blog 7/7/18 rjm

Matzo Kugel

              R3A2 VERSION OF BABA'S MATZO KUGEL

PRELIMINARIES
Preheat oven to 350. Have on hand a 9x13 baking dish or two 8x8 ones. Grease now, or if you want to use the same 9x13 for wetting the matzo (step 1) as you do for baking, remember to grease the dish after emptying and drying it after step 5. For greasing, I use a Passover-suitable oil, such as canola or peanut oil, ~ 1T.
      When I was a kid, everyone used peanut oil at Passover
      so I do, too. Canola oil (not even under its old name,
      rapeseed oil) was not available as far as I know.

MAKE THE PUDDING
1. Use the perforations to break into 4-5 strips each
     * 4 matzos
but don't worry if the breaks aren't clean. Put all the matzo into a large flat dish that lets the strips lie flat in 2 layers.
      I usually use a Corningware roasting pan but, in a small
      hotel suites kitchen, I used the same 9x13 dish (ungreased
      at this point) that I later used for baking.
Pour on top
     * 2 1/2 c. hot tap water
Leave MATZO to soften while you do the other steps. Baba said to squeeze out excess water, see step 5, but I find that if I use 2 1/2 c. (she said 2-3 cups) all the water is absorbed and there's no liquid left in the dish. Check on the MATZO as you do the next steps: if any top pieces are still dry, look to see if there is any water at the bottom of the dish. If there is, move the dry pieces into the water. If not, leave them on top and wet them with a tablespoon or so more water.

2. Use the chopping blade in your food processor to chop
     * 1/2 c. slivered almonds
so that they are in small pieces. Today's food processors are so strong they make some of the almonds into powder, but don't worry: a little almond powder is OK, too. If you don't have a food processor or just prefer chopping by hand, chop the slivers into pieces ~ 1/8" long. Place those ALMONDS in a small bowl along with
     * 1/2 c. seedless raisins
and set the bowl aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat (I use a manual egg beater)
     * 6 eggs
Then beat in
     * 1/2 c. sugar
     * 1/2 tsp. salt
     * 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

4. Peel core, Cuisinart-shred or julienne by hand into ~1/8" wide strips, and put into the egg mixture (no need to stir yet)
     * about 1 3/4 to 2 lbs apples (4 large)
[What kind of apples? Baba's recipe said "tart" but Phil sometimes used sweet apples. Recently I used half Honey Crisp and half Granny Smith and the result was delicious. But then it always is.] Then grate directly onto the top of the apple/egg mixture (and still no need to stir yet) the peel of
     * 1 orange (I usually use a large one, maybe 1/2 lb)

5. Squeeze out any excess water (but it certainly doesn't have to be dry)
     * that MATZO
and put it in the large bowl by handfuls. Gently fold it into the egg mixture. This will also incorporate the APPLE and ORANGE PEEL. Then fold in
     * those ALMONDS and RAISINS

6. Put pudding into the greased baking dish. Top with
     * 1/2 T sugar (Baba said 1T but I use less)
     * cinnamon (Baba said 1/2 tsp but I just sprinkle on
         a light covering)
and then pour gently on top, zigzagging for good coverage,
     * 1/4 c peanut (or canola) oil.

7. Bake 45 minutes. Top should brown, but that's mostly the cinnamon. If edges get a little black, it's done, but I try to avoid that. A toothpick should come out clean.

MAKE AHEAD: It's fine - and maybe even better - to make ahead, freeze and then reheat at any convenient temperature, whether thawed or, if the baking dish can take it, frozen. I like the firmer texture that you get with rich desserts, such as chocolate cheesecake, when made ahead and then frozen and thawed. Matzo Kugel is the same. It's wonderful straight from the oven but it will be softer and looser that way.

Leftovers, if any, are delicious cold, room temperature or reheated.
Servings: 16
Prep time: 45? minutes
Baking: 45 minutes

NOTES
1. I think Baba may have invented this recipe. Making a sweet pudding with matzo instead of bread or noodles is something I've never seen elsewhere. I haven't done a search though. And pouring the oil on top of the pudding so it browns and stays moist inside: genius!

2. I call matzo kugel 'the dessert that masquerades as a side dish.' Charoses, of course, is 'the dessert that masquerades as a required ceremonial dish before the meal.' (Baba's Charoses will be added to the blog some day.) No wonder everyone loves Passover: there's dessert before, during, and after the meal. Baba's star dessert was angel food cake (12 eggs) with lemon sauce (more eggs). I make things with far less, or no, eggs: Passover Macaroons, Matzo Crunch or Dried Fruit Compote .

First typed 20030413 rjm, rev 20180410

Dried Fruit Compote

R3A2 DRIED FRUIT COMPOTE

Based on a Martha Stewart recipe. This is a crowd-pleasing dessert that goes well after a heavy meal such as at Thanksgiving, Easter or Passover. It's parve, vegan and gluten-free and has no nuts, no wheat and no chocolate. Quick and easy. Suitable for a pot-luck. Make it a day or two ahead or just before the meal.

INGREDIENTS*

3 c. apple cider (the result is very sweet so maybe substitute
      part water next time? I used Martinelli's cider
      but would use unfiltered fresh cider in season.)
6 dried pears halves (I cut each pear-half lengthwise into four
      strips, then crosswise into thirds)
12 dried apricots (they also are halves but Martha doesn't
      mention this; I cut them crisscross into quarters)
6 dried pitted prunes, optional (Martha doesn't mention prunes
      but I like the taste and the contrasting dark note to
      what is otherwise all orange-red. I cut them in sixths.)
3/4 c. dried cherries (about 5 oz.)
3/4 c. dried golden raisins (about 5 oz.)
1 lemon, zest and juice
1/2" piece of raw ginger, peeled
2 cinnamon sticks
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (or more or none: the spicy taste
      seemed to fade away with cooling, so maybe add it after
      cooking? Martha used a pinch of freshly ground white pepper
      which might survive the simmering better.)

* Fruit choices and amounts are pretty much Martha's. You could vary them based on taste, availability, price, etc. For example, pear halves and dried cherries may be harder to find and more expensive than other dried fruit.

.

COOKING

-> Chop larger fruit into pieces a little larger than a raisin. Peel the ginger. Zest and juice the lemon. (My zester is hard to use so I just grate the peel on my vintage flat grater).
-> Put all ingredients in a saucepan (2-3 quarts), except maybe not the pepper.
-> Bring to a boil and then, per Martha, "[r]educe to simmer, and cook until fruit is soft and liquid is thick, about 20 minutes."

After 20 minutes my fruit was soft but the liquid was still thin. I gave it another 10 minutes and then tried raising the heat to a gentle boil. After an hour had elapsed - and the liquid was not much thicker than the cider I started with - I took it off the stove. Fortunately, the liquid thickens and is mostly absorbed as the compote cools. I therefore conclude that it would be fine to simmer or gently boil for 20-30 minutes and not to care whether the liquid gets syrupy. If there's still too much liquid after the compote cools, drain some of it and toss or reduce, and the next time use less cider.

-> Remove pot from stove and remove the cinnamon stick and piece of ginger (cook's bonus if you like ginger). Stir in pepper flakes now if you didn't add them before.
-> Martha says "Serve hot, cold or at room temperature." I cooled my compote in the pot with the lid cocked a bit to release steam, then refrigerated it in a covered serving bowl. I took it out before the meal and served it at room temperature for dessert with almond paste macaroons and Phil's Baba's Passover Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe to be posted).
Makes great leftovers. Also could be used over ice cream.
Prep: 10 mins. Cooking: 25 mins (Martha), ~65 mins (me). Optional cooling time: ~30 mins.

rjm 20170412

Flank Steak (easy, fast, delicious)

              R3A2 5-INGREDIENT MARINADE
               Perfect for Flank Steak
  (based on Ann Arbor Hadassah Cookbook's Marinated Flank Steak)

This marinade can be used with 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of
      Flank Steak (or even 2+lbs)
      Boneless skinless chicken breast
      Fish (salmon steaks work well, or any fillets. Optional:
           replace some of the ginger with lime or lemon zest.)

INGREDIENTS
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. dry wine, any color but I usually use red
1/2 T. sugar (or a little less), which acts as a tenderizer
Ginger, raw (1+" long x ~3/4" diameter) peeled, chopped small       OR 1/2 tsp ground ginger but I prefer fresh.
1 clove garlic, minced or chopped same size as the raw ginger

(The original recipe had double all these amounts, but you don't need that much for a flank steak that serves 4 or even 6.)

1. Prepare the ginger by removing the skin with a carrot peeler and chopping small, maybe largest dimension no more than 1/8".
2. Put the meat, chicken or fish in a glass or stainless baking dish (not aluminum: too reactive).
3. Pour on the liquids, sprinkle on the sugar, and drop on the ginger and garlic. I like to rub the ginger and garlic in a little with the back of a spoon.
4. If I think of it half way through or even as late as when I preheat the oven, I scrape the ginger and garlic into the liquid, turn the meat over and then spoon the ginger and garlic onto the 2nd side, again rubbing it in with the back of the spoon..

Marinating Time per A2 Hadassh Book for flank steak:
      3-4 hours at room temperature or
      all day or even overnight in fridge.
If you have less time, it's OK, too.

5. When ready to cook, preheat grill or oven.
6. Remove from marinade (but don't toss it quite yet)
7. Broil on the grill or the oven, basting with a little marinade when you turn it over. -OR- Bake at 425: put a little marinade, but not all, in the baking dish to prevent sticking, and baste with soe more marinade part way through. If you bake, you don't have to turn the meat over unless you really want to.

Broiling Times:
If it's flank steak, 4 minutes on a side for rare.
If it's chicken cutlets, 5 minutes on a side.
If it's fish, depends on thickness and desired doneness.

8. For flank steak, cool a few minutes to make it easier to slice, slice about 1/2" thickness, and serve. Chicken and fish can just be served straight away.

Good cold. Great for leftovers.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Marinating time: 3 hours to overnight
Broiling time: 10 minutes

First typed 20020714 rjm, rev 20170315

No-Roll Pie Crust

PHIL'S AUNT SHAYNA'S NO-ROLL PIE CRUST

Sift directly into pie pan
      1 1/2 c. flour
      1 1/2 tsp. sugar
      1 tsp. salt
In measuring cup, whip with fork
      1/2 c. oil
      2 T. cold milk
Pour liquid over flour. Stir and toss with fork (careful, it will seem like there is a lot of flour) until all the flour is dampened.

With finger tips, make an even layer on the bottom, up the sides and on the rim. Flute/pinch the rim crust with your fingers. If one place is too thick and one too thin, you can patch, but try to be even as you go.

Bake
      unfilled: 12-15 min at 425 deg. Before baking, place
           circle of parchment paper on top of crust and fill
           with pie weights or dried beans
      filled: 15 min at 400 deg, then 30 min at 350 deg.

      P.S. At the end of the 30 min., I've been turning off the
      oven but leaving the pie inside for another 30 min.-1 hour
      (because I forget to take it out or I'm taking a nap and
      tell Phil to just turn off the oven when the beeper beeps).
      The crust texture has been perfect every time. I have yet
      to see what it is like if I actually remove the pie when
      the baking time is over.

      P.P.S. Now that I've tried removing the pie on time, I
      think it is a better idea not to, especially when the fruit
      is very juicy. So whether it's accidentally or on purpose,
      leave the pie in the cooling oven to dry out a bit.

FILLING
Phil's Aunt Shayna mostly made this crust for her fabulous lemon meringue pie. But that may be more ambitious than you want. You can just make any old fruit pie using this crust. What fruit? Really, any of the usual: apples, pears, peaches, plums, apricots, rhubarb, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or a mixture of two or more. I tend to make apple or peach myself. Here's an R3A2 recipe from Joy of Cooking.

Joy-of recommends
     5 cups of fruit
This seems like a lot to me, but it depends, literally, on how you slice it. If you use apples or pears, peel and core them and then slice them thinly so they cook down faster. If you use peaches or other stone fruit, you don't have to peel them unless you really want to. In that case, use the boiling water trick*. Leave the sliced fruit in a bowl, and in a smaller bowl mix together the SUGAR MIXTURE:
      1/2 to 2/3 c. sugar
      1/8 tsp. salt
      1 to 1 1/2 Tb. corn starch
      1/4 tsp. cinnamon
      1/8 tsp. nutmeg
You can toss the sugar mixture with the fruit and then put everything in the unbaked crust, or you can put a layer of fruit in the crust, top with some sugar mixture, and repeat until everything is used up. Or, if you happen to have put all the fruit in the crust before making the sugar mixture, don't worry. Just pour the sugar mixture all over the fruit. It will sink in and be fine. I often sprinkle some other things on top, such as
      1/8 tsp. allspice or
      ground walnuts (ground unto flour, if I happen to have
           ground too many for Vegetarian Epicure
           Eggplant (recipe on request))

Joy-of says to add lemon juice if the fruit is dry or if you like a little lemon. (I'd squeeze on the juice from 2 wedges of a medium lemon.) Joy-of also says always to dot with butter before baking. I routinely forget to do the butter and have never noticed the lack.

Phil's Aunt Shayna, may she rest in peace, taught Cooking in a middle school in Detroit for many years - which meant that she also taught the kids math, geography, science, nutrition, civics and everything else. I don't know if she invented this recipe or found it somewhere, but it is definitely perfect for middle-schoolers. And for everyone else. It's like making mud pies.

* Boiling Water Trick for Peeling: Fill a small pot about 2/3 full of water and bring to the boil. Have a pyrex cup or bowl half-filled with ice water standing by. Throw in (one at a time) whatever it is that needs peeling (can be a tomato as well as a peach or other fruit). Do _not_ turn off the heat. Leave the thing in the pot for 30 seconds, then remove it with a slotted spoon and plop it into the ice water for about 10 seconds. Take it out and the peel should come right off without any implements. If it needs help, use the tip of a knife to start the removal process. Repeat for the rest of the things in need of peeling. Add water to the pot or the bowl if you need to. Don't worry that the boiling water gets colored by whatever it is you're trying to peel. When you're all done, toss the water - into your garden during a drought.

rjm 8/25/93; 11/13/14;12/17/15

Lemon Bars (R3A2 Version)

LEMON BARS from Totally Lemons Cookbook

THE MORNING/DAY BEFORE
Bring to room temp
     1/2 c (1 stick) butter, cut into 1T pieces
     3 eggs
See this Note if you are concerned about room temperature butter or eggs. Also, if you forget to do this step, or still prefer not to bring these things to room temperature, that's OK. But you should still pre-soften the butter by microwaving it for 30 seconds at power level 4 (medium-low).

THE DAY
Grease 8" sq. pan and preheat oven to 350.

Grate zest from 1-2 lemons to make
     1 T + at least another 1/2 tsp grated zest, divided

CRUST: In large bowl, combine
     1 1/4 c flour
     1/4 c confectioner's sugar
Add in
     1/2 tsp (or more) of that ZEST
     that BUTTER
and cut in the butter using two knives crosswise (or your fingertips) until butter is in small bits, none bigger than a pea, and mixture holds shape when pressed. This takes several minutes. Press flour mixture evenly into pan.

Bake 20 minutes. Crust should be golden along edges and may pull away from pan a bit. Cool on rack 5 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 325.

THE LEMON LAYER: While the crust is baking, juice
     ~2-3 lemons (the one(s) used for zest are fine for juicing)
to make 1/2 c. (I used 2 Eurekas and one Meyer. The bars were tart and delicious.)

In a large bowl, lightly whisk
     those EGGS
Then add in and whisk some more
     that LEMON JUICE
     1 T of that ZEST
The original recipe says add all the dry ingredients to the big bowl. I think it will be easier (and result in fewer or no clumps that you have to break up by pushing them against the side of the bowl with the back of the spoon), first to mix in a small bowl
     1/2 tsp baking powder
     2 T flour
and then to stir in a spoonful of the egg-lemon mixture to make a paste. Thin the paste with a little more egg-lemon and then stir the thinned paste into the egg-lemon mixture.

Pour over cooled crust. Back at 325 for 25 minutes. Original recipe says top center should be set when pressed, but it is very hot and I don't want to try pressing it, even wearing an oven mitt. The edges were a little cracked at 25 minutes, and I figured that meant it was ready.

Cool on rack. Dust top, by pushing through a tea strainer,
     ~ 1/2 tsp confectioner's sugar

Cut into ~20 bars (they say 20 squares but 20 is not a square number) and, if you have the time before serving, refrigerate to set the lemon layer and because the bars taste good cold.

rjm 1st made and typed 2015.0717-19

CUCUMBER-YOGHURT SOUP

ROBERTA'S REVISED, REORGANIZED AND ANNOTATED
MOOSEWOOD'S CUCUMBER-YOGHURT SOUP
a good day-before recipe

I make the soup in two batches because Moosewood's amounts are too big to fit in my blender.

Prep time: Moosewood says 10-15 minutes. It took me more like 30.
Refrigeration time: A few hours or overnight.

Take out of the cupboard or fridge or tap
     HONEY
     SALT
     PEPPER (not in Moosewood but a little white pepper or, for
          contrast, black, is nice)
     2 c. YOGHURT
     2 c. WATER

Later, when ready to serve, if you like garnishing, you will need
     CHIVES or SCALLIONS

Prepare
     CUCUMBERS, (2 x) 1.5 cucumbers, about 2.5 lb total: peel, seed and chop coarsely. I slice the cucumber vertically and use an apple corer to remove the seeds. For the whole recipe, I use 3 largish cucumbers, 12-15 oz apiece, to get the 4 c total specified by Moosewood. The reason to chop is so that you can measure your cucumber by volume and so that the blender doesn't overheat during the pureeing.
     MINT LEAVES: remove tough stems and tear the leaves into blender-friendly size. Amount? I use (2 x) 1-3 leaves, depending on how big they are. The soup is quite minty if the leaves are too big. Moosewood said "several" leaves for the whole recipe.
     FRESH DILL: remove tough stems and pull apart larger sprigs to blender-friendly size. Amount? Moosewood said 1/4 tsp dill for the whole 2 x. I assume that meant dried. I prefer fresh dill. For the first batch I used 2 small sprigs. That didn't seem dilly enough. For the next batch I used 3 medium-large sprigs. The dill taste was faint but pleasant. (2 x) 3 average sprigs is probably good.
     GARLIC (optional; I omitted it): mince (2 x) 1/2 clove

To make the soup, puree in blender in TWO batches, each batch having
      2 c CUCUMBERS
      1 c YOGHURT (I use whole milk or low fat, not nonfat)
      1 c WATER
      MINT see above
      DILL see above
      HONEY 1/2 T (or a little more)
      3/4 tsp SALT (original full amount was 1 1/2 - 2 tsp)
      GARLIC (unless, like me, you omit)

Put soup into a bowl or pot with a cover. Cover and refrigerate a few hours or overnight.

Serve cold, garnished (optional) with chives or scallions chopped pretty fine, maybe about 1/4 tsp per person. Very refreshing and tasty.

Makes about 8 cups. Serves 6-8.

Prints on 1 sheet at 60%.
rjm 5/24/15

Carrot and Ginger Soup

R3A2 VERSION OF THE ANN ARBOR NEWS'S CARROT AND GINGER SOUP

Note 1: When we first moved to Ann Arbor in 1990, the Ann Arbor News regularly printed this recipe in the weekly food section (oh! the glorious days of daily local newspapers), always attributing it to the Silver Palate Cookbook. Later I bought that cookbook. It does have a recipe for carrot soup, but it is different. I have never made it because the differences make me think this one is better.

Note 2: I've made this for vegans and to go with a meat meal for people who keep kosher. The substitutions for vegan/parve are in {italics}.

      1. Prepare
2 oz ginger root, peeled and chopped
     (A2News said 1/4 c. I prefer going by weight.)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
     (garlic cloves are so huge these days; 2 or even 1 giant
     one may be enough)
1 large onion (~9 oz.), cut in half and then sliced ~3/8"

Since everything gets pureed in the end, chopping affects cooking times but not ultimate quality.

      2. In Dutch oven or other large pot, melt
6T butter (A2News said unsalted but I always use salted)
     {canola oil}
     and saute for 15-20 minutes
the GINGER, GARLIC and ONIONS.

      3. Meanwhile, get ready
1.5 lbs carrots (6-7 medium/large carrots)
     A2News said chop into 1/2" pieces. I slice the fat part of
     the carrot about 3/4" and the skinny part 1 1/4" and if
     any piece looks too big, I slice it vertically.)
1 c. dry white wine
7 c. chicken stock (=4 cans Swansons)
     {vegetable stock and/or kosher chicken-style
      dried soup mix and water, 1 tsp for 1 cup. Commercial
      veg broth is bitter, so I cut the edge by using some soup
      mix or adding a bit of kosher apricot jam at the end.}
     My own chicken stock is less salty and has more celery
      flavor than Swanson, but I don't always have any on hand.

      4. When ginger mixture is ready, add
those CARROTS, and the WINE AND STOCK
     and bring to boil. Then simmer uncovered ~45 minutes
     until carrots are fork-tender. When done, puree in blender.

I puree in batches of about 1 1/2 c. at a time, because blenders overheat and splash if they have too much liquid. I use a small coffee cup to move a mix of broth and vegetables to the blender. Once pureed, I put the pureed soup in a new pot. The soup is a gorgeous bright orange.

      5. Stir in
2 T lemon juice (~1 lemon)
1/8 tsp curry powder
     A2 News said "pinch" but I use more or less than a pinch
      (=1/8 tsp) depending on the freshness and heat of my curry
     powder.
1/8 tsp white pepper
     I think the original called for black pepper but that
     messes with the color.
salt (I use none if I use commercial stock and salted butter)
1/8 tsp ground cardamom (A2News said optional, but I say
      necessary)
{Vegan/Parve: 1-2 T kosher apricot jam if broth is from commercial vegetable stock}

6. Serve immediately -OR- If you plan to serve the soup within a few hours, leave it with cover tilted on the counter or cold burner -OR- If made a day or more before, refrigerate covered. Reheat uncovered (because covering wrecks the color) over low-medium heat starting about 15-20 minutes before time to serve.

The Ann Arbor News said that you should top each bowl with chives or parsley. I almost never do. Neither flavor seems like it would enhance this soup. My cousin John thought a dab of cranberry sauce would be better as to both flavor and color. He is probably right but I've never done it. I serve my soup unadorned. I suppose you could slice some of the carrot into 1/8" circles and contain them in a bit of cheese cloth during cooking so that you don't puree them, then float them on the soup - if they'd float - for decoration.

A2News said "Serves 6." I get 3 qts = 12 1-c servings. But even when people know that there is a huge wonderful meal to follow, they ask for seconds. The soup is that good.

rjm - first typed 11/10/99; rev 11/18/01; 10/9/09; 1/3,10/30/11; 3/14/15 for web.

Poached Pears

R3A2 DAY BEFORE COOKBOOK's
POACHED PEARS IN WINE

This is for 2 pears.  Can be multiplied.  I use 6 pears for New Year's Eve with ~30-40 guests expected and half a dozen other desserts available.

1.  Peel and slice vertically into 8 wedges (or 12 for bigger pears), removing seed part and any hard stem sections:
     2 D'Anjou pears (best if they're not totally ripe; ripe ones get
     slimy when cooked)
          Notes on other pears:
          Bartlett - too mushy
          Bosc - maybe OK
          Starkrimson - too soft

2. [Do _not_ do step 2 before step 1 because the wine boils very quickly.]  In saucepan, bring to boil
     1/4 c red wine
     1/4 c sugar
     1/2 cinnamon stick (or a whole small one)

3. Add pears, reduce heat, simmer 25 minutes covered, or until pears are soft but not falling apart.

4. Remove pears with slotted spoon. Reserve syrup.

5. [I don't always do step 5. My neighbor Delia did it and it does look nice, however. I often just serve the pears with a little unthickened syrup for color and moisture.]   A few hours (or a day) before serving, bring reserved syrup to boil stirring occasionally. Let simmer a few minutes to thicken and reduce for a glaze.

6. Arrange pears on platter and drizzle on the syrup. Refrigerate until a few hours before party. Overnight is OK. More than a day is fine if the syrup hasn't been thickened. 

first made, printout 12/31/06 (e-version lost)
1/2/11; 11/13, 12/24/14

Apricot Bars

LIBBY'S APRICOT BARS

1.  A FEW HOURS BEFORE:  If your jam has been in the refrigerator, bring  to room temperature
      12 oz. jar of apricot jam
   Amount: Libby said 1 cup.  A 12 oz jar is much more than 1 cup.  My advice is to start with what you've got and use it as sparingly or as generously as you like.  I've made these bars with as little as 1 1/3 cup of jam and as much as almost an entire 18 oz jar.  Experiment!
   Kind:  Libby said  "cheaper is better."  I buy the supermarket's house brand.  Nobody seems to carry jam any more, only preserves. Because the pieces of fruit in preserves aren't spreadable, sometimes I pull them out beforehand. Other times I just use them as is.

2.  Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9 x 13 pan. 
I use glass except when I use two 8x8 vintage Wearever aluminum pans.  The advantage to using two 8" square pans is that you can serve one batch and freeze the other for another occasion.

3.  Melt and then set aside
     3/4 c. butter (1 1/2 sticks: yes, it's a lot of butter)
I use a pyrex measuring cup and microwave for about 90 seconds at power level 5 or 6.

4.  In a big bowl, stir together
     1 1/2 c. flour
     1 tsp baking powder
     1/4 tsp salt
     1 c. brown sugar, tightly packed
     1 1/2 c. quick oatmeal
           ("NOT instant," said Libby, probably because instant
           is cut too small and will get mushy.  I once used
           old-fashioned and it was fine, although some oatmeal
           pieces were rather chewy.)

5.  Moisten dry ingredients with
     THAT BUTTER

6.  Remove about 1/4 of oatmeal mixture to a separate bowl for topping.  Press rest of mixture into baking dish.

7.  Drop by soupspoons
     THAT JAM
onto the pressed oatmeal mixture and spread jam gently with the back of the spoon to cover without breaking the pressed oatmeal.

8.  Sprinkle over top
     THAT RESERVED MIXTURE

9. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Cool and cut into squares or bars.

***

This is a great finger dessert without nuts or chocolate.   It can be stored on the counter for a few days, or in the refrigerator or freezer if you want to make it ahead.  Serve at room temperature.

Possible but untried variations:  plum jam, raspberry jam.  Use non-dairy margarine or maybe Crisco, to make vegan/ parve/lactose-free.

rjm 4/23, 5/1/01; 12/31/07; 8/23, 11/20/14
font problems fixed 5/24/15

Romaine - Nectarine - Havarti Salad

R3A2 BUSCH'S SUPERMARKET'S ROMAINE - NECTARINE - HAVARTI SALAD

When I lived in Ann Arbor, I loved the local supermarket chain, Busch's. From time to time their recipe creator would come by the store near my house with one of her latest creations. One summer featured this salad. I fell in love with it. I made it so often that summer that I became tired of it. Now I know that if I limit it to once or twice a season, it is always a big hit.

     SALAD INGREDIENTS
1 head romaine, sliced into narrow strips.

I cut the big leaves vertically into thirds, then slice them to make strips about 2" x 1/8". I usually use less than the whole head or else the result has too much lettuce.

3-4 nectarines, diced ~1/4".

I leave the skin on. If they're big, 3 is enough. When I can't find nice nectarines, I use red grapes (half a pound? a whole pound? I'll have to check next time), sliced in half, or ~2 big oranges, peeled and diced. Peaches are fine, too. I peel the peaches but I don't peel the nectarines.

1/2 lb havarti, diced ~1/4"

Busch's said "lite" but my view is that 1. when they reduce the fat (and the sugar, when there's sugar, not relevant for cheese, of course): A. the result is less favorful, and B. they add things that may be worse than fat or sugar, and 2. if you don't want to eat any fat or sugar, eat celery. Plus it is my understanding that you need some fat to digest and to extract the nutrients from raw greens. The dressing for this salad does not use much fat so you get it from the cheese.

1/3 medium red onion, diced 1/4 "

Busch's said 1/2 Vidalia onion, sliced, but I like the red color and I think matching the size of the cheese and nectarines looks nicer.

      DRESSING INGREDIENTS
  Amounts in original:
1/4 c. apricot fruit spread (I use Smucker's)
3 T cider vinegar
2 tsp walnut oil
1 tsp Tabasco
salt and pepper (utterly unnecesary with the Tabasco)
  My daughter says that this is not enough dressing so I ~double it:
     1/2 c. jam
     ~1/3 c. cider vinegar
     4 tsps walnut oil
     2 tsp Tabasco

      INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Or forget the whisk and put them all in a jar, cover it, and shake to blend. Add to completed salad or serve on the side.
Put the lettuce in the bowl. Sprinkle on the nectarine, cheese and onion. I do them in sort-of layers. They won't cover the surface so they're always be places where you see all three. WARNING: DO NOT TOSS. If you do, the havarti, which is heavy, ends up on the bottom. Instead, convince the diners to dig down with those salad tongs. I suppose the best thing would be to serve the salad in individual bowls and pass the dressing. Maybe next time for company, I'll do that.

rjm 2003? original lost, re-typed 5/22/06, rev 5/5,23/14

Baked Chicken

R3A2 BAKED CHICKEN

I found this recipe in a newspaper in around 1970. It was called 'Chicken Venetian' but I don't know what is Venetian about soy sauce.

2 - 4 lb chicken pieces, with skin and bone, of course.
        I usually use either a whole cut-up fryer or just thighs.
1/4 c soy
2 T vinegar
2 T oil, divided
1 clove garlic or 1/8 tsp minced garlic or equiv powder
1/4 tsp oregano

Choose a baking dish that will let the pieces fit cozily without overlapping. I use pyrex or vintage Corningware. Pour ~1 T of the oil in the dish and put into the oil puddle each piece of chicken skin side DOWN. Move the chicken pieces around in the oil so that the skin is well coated. Leave the chicken with skin DOWN.

Mix together SOY SAUCE, VINEGAR and the remaining 1 T of the OIL along with fresh or jar GARLIC (but not the powder) and pour over the chicken. You can also just pour the liquids directly on the chicken one at a time. Then sprinkle with OREGANO and, if you use garlic in powder form, the GARLIC. I never measure the oregano or garlic, just sprinkle with neither a heavy nor light hand.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake at time/temp indicated, removing foil and turning to skin side up after 3/4 of the time has passed and basting. Baste again once after that if you think of it.

TEMP/TIMES: 400 [375] total time 60 [80] minutes:
45 [60] min (skin side down, covered with foil)
then 15 [20] min (foil removed, skin side up,
basting if you think of it after 7 [10] minutes)
Always yummy.

Notes:
1. The original recipe specified 400 degrees. I think chicken cooks better at a lower temperature for a longer time so I experimented with lowering the temperature and extending the time. I am sure that other temp/times would work OK, too, just keep the proportion of 3:1 for the times for [skin side down and dish covered] : [skin side up and dish uncovered].

2. For years my handwritten version of the recipe (a) did not specify greasing the dish but I always did, and (b) said 2T vinegar and 1T oil. When I gave my aunt the recipe back in the late 70s she wondered about that ratio. A few years ago I found the newspaper clipping, and sure enough it said 1T vinegar and 2T oil, just like in salad dressing. I was right, however, that it was silent about greasing the dish. I like vinegar, though, so I still use 2T of vinegar, and only about 1 T of oil for the sauce.

rjm, first typed up 3/3/03; rev 11/17/13, 5/10/14

Three Cans (fast, easy, vegan, parve, cheap, tasty, low cal, packable lunch)

THREE CANS

R3A2 Three Cans
(makes 1 to 3 servings, depending on how ravenous you are)

If you just eat a third of the mixture of the three cans, then
Preparation time:1 minute and
Calories: 175
1. Drain a ~one pound* can of each of the following:
     Green Beans
     Tomatoes
     Beans
*These days typical cans are 14.5 to 15.5 oz but sometimes you can still find a 16 oz. can.

2. Mix together in a bowl, one you can cover and refrigerate if you have leftovers. I use an 8" vintage Corningware with a glass cover. Eat!

Lasts in the fridge for a week, maybe more.

VARIATIONS

A. If you want to get fancy, add one of these:
     a dash of Tabasco
     juice from a slice of lemon, Meyer lemon, or orange
     1-2 Tb oil and vinegar dressing

B. If you want more protein:
     Vegan: sunflower seeds (the roasted and salted kind are least likely to taste rancid)
     Vegetarian: Cheese - I favor pre-shredded asiago, or I cut up an ounce or so of extra sharp cheddar
     Pescatarian: Tuna - another can (3-7 oz) or a 2.5 oz bag to avoid having to drain

C. For more greenery, to improve presentation, or just for a change:
     * Serve THREE CANS on top of torn lettuce or arugula or a handful of salad-in-a-box
     * Pull off the leaves from a sprig or two of dill or parsley or both and stir in
     * Dice and toss in some carrot, maybe one baby-cut carrot per serving or an equivalent amount of regular carrots
     * Use leftover THREE CANS in an omelette


Notes on cans

GREEN BEANS: I prefer cut rather than French style, and I never get the low salt version because it tastes like the can to me. If you need to watch your salt, THREE CANS may not be for you.

TOMATOES: I usually use diced or petite diced. Spicy foods help me eat less volume and less fat, I think. My favorite these days is Del Monte Petite Diced with Zesty Jalapenos.

BEANS (not the green ones): Most of the time I use pintos, red or white kidney beans, northern beans or chick peas aka garbanzos. Except for chick peas, the taste is pretty much the same so my preference is really just a matter of appearance: color and size. Black beans and black-eyed peas are also fine, and they do have different tastes. My favorite brand of beans is Bush's. They still sell 16 oz. cans and their quality control is excellent. I have never used canned lima beans although maybe I will try them one of these days. Sometimes when I use plain tomatoes I mix them with spicy beans: S&W Pinquitos are delicious.

THREE CANS can be made in a hotel room if you can get to a supermarket. It can be made in advance and taken on a trip. With all the variations, you can probably lunch on THREE CANS several times a week for months and not get too tired of it. Or anyway, I can.



How I Came to Invent Three Cans: I once signed up for a web-based diet called Fat Loss for Idiots. It let you eat all you wanted of a few specified foods, 4 meals a day for 11 days. To start the program, you went through a list of foods and checked the ones you liked.* Then the software whirred and out came your personal meal plan.

For one meal I could eat all I wanted of certain vegetables. That day I was feeling too lazy to cook or chop. I did not want to use any extra bowls or knives. I looked in the pantry and selected THREE CANS. The rest is, well, both history and this recipe: a low calorie, tasty, vegan, parve dish you can make in almost no time. You can also take it with you on a trip, eat it at your desk, and dress it up when you need variety and are willing to dirty a knife and cutting board.

* The Fat Loss Program: If you checked off meats on their list, then your meal plan included "slices" of that meat: chicken, ham, turkey, beef. Did that mean I would have to buy those salty processed sliced meats in packages, or did the diet creators just assume that Americans can't cook? Maybe the word "slices" was used as shorthand for trimmed of excess fats and skin? But the diet had other oddities: "shrimp" was always listed as "Delicious Shrimp." No other food came with a sales pitch.

rjm 5/1/2014, rev 5/11/14

Pot Roast (Brisket)

R3A2 VERSION OF 

PEG BRACKEN'S I HATE TO COOK BOOK "SWEEP STEAK"

For the whole recipe in 10 lines, just read the boldface.

This works for a brisket that will serve 6-8.  I use
       one flat-cut brisket, 3-4 pounds
For a much larger brisket, cut it in half and treat it like two, which you'll have to do anyway because you won't have a large enough baking dish or aluminum foil.

Put the brisket on a huge piece of heavy aluminum foil, about 3 times as long as the brisket.   You are going to seal the brisket in it.  (See below).  Next time I make it, I'll add a photograph in the comment section.

The original recipe calls for 1 package of Lipton's Dry Onion Soup sprinkled on top of the meat. I don't use Lipton's any more.  That's because when  I was in Israel 1997 I couldn't find dried soups.  I substituted chicken-style parve soup mix - it has that good MSG! - and dried onion flakes.  I liked having that extra degree of freedom.  The recipe has no room for individuality otherwise.  I rarely bother with Lipton's because I don't keep it on hand if I don't use it for brisket.

Sprinkle on top and press in with the back of a spoon
          2-3 tsps of chicken-style parve soup (or bouillion)
          3-4 tbls of dried onion flakes 


I pretty much cover the meat with both.  The soup mix particles are tiny so I don't make that dense a covering.  The dried onion doesn't totally cover, but I'm pretty generous with it, probably using more than is in a Lipton's packet.  I mush in both the soup mix and the dried onions with the back of a spoon after sprinkling, a technique used by our nanny, Amy Gronevelt, when I asked her to make the pot roast 20 years ago.

Possible substitution if you are low on onion flakes (or an addition if you like prunes)
          some prunes, cut in half or not, about 4 oz
I did this one day when I didn't have that much dried onion.  It wasn't as good as it is with lots of onions although the prunes themselves were delicious.

Why not use chopped fresh onions? I think it would be too watery.  The meat is wet enough.

Wrap the brisket up so it won't leak. I like to match the edges and then roll them down or fold them together. I learned this trick in the 1980s watching sandwich makers in those little delis that do a big lunch business in midtown Manhattan.  It's a good way to wrap food.  Warning:  It's hard to prevent leaks. Sometimes I double wrap to be safe.

Put the wrapped brisket in a baking dish so if it leaks it's not so messy.  I use pyrex because it cleans so easily.  I have to write up my household hints one of these days, but I'll tell you right now:  for ovenware that gets brown hard grease spots, the answer is BAKING SODA.  (For very big areas of baked-on mess, soak first with hot water and liquid soap.  Baking soda is the perfect scouring powder for everything because it's food, not poison, and it's only a tiny bit abrasive.  Check an unobtrusive area if you have to scour something delicate.)

The reason you want to prevent leaks is that you want the liquid for later reheating and serving. But the meat will not be dry even if there are major leaks.  The almost-totally-sealed cooking keeps it tender.

Bake at 225 F for 9 hours, or 10 or more.  I leave it in overnight, and even if I remember to turn off the oven, or put it on automatic stop, I don't always take the meat out to cool right away.  Brisket (to quote my step-mother-in-law Libby, but she said it about yeast dough) is very forgiving.  You can also bake at 300 F for 3 hours if you are pressed for time but the long slow version is better.

Peg Bracken said 200 F for 10 hours, but I think it's important to go above the boiling point of water.  That's 212 F for those of you who went to school after they stopped teaching such things.

If you make your brisket overnight, your home will smell lovely in the morning.

Cool and refrigerate or serve hot right away.  Refrigerating is nice, though, because it makes it easier to slice the meat, easier to skim the fat, and besides, you made it overnight and aren't eating it until suppertime.


When ready to eat, I recommend slicing ONLY WHAT YOU NEED.   I worry that if you don't eat it all up in the first couple of days, the slices dry out and get refrigerator-y much faster than a big uncut hunk would.

Serve hot or cold.  I usually reheat the slices with some of the liquid.  Microwave is OK.  Oven at ?300? for 20? minutes is OK.  Heating on the stove is OK.  Eating it cold in a sandwich is delicious, too. I like brisket on caraway rye bread with ketchup and lettuce.

(Based on a January 2012 email to my friend Marilyn that I stumbled on today.  This is one recipe I had never typed up.  It's too easy and I've done it often enough over the last 40-odd years that I don't forget.)

Orzo Salad

                Roberta's Revised and Annotated

          Phil's Aunt Shayna's Friend Joy's ORZO SALAD

Can be made a day ahead.  Or more than a day.  Vegetarian.  Vegan if you use soy cheese.  Firm tofu might be fine too, but R3A2 Moosewood Tofu Salad, to be posted soon, is my first choice with tofu.

     1 box orzo (16 oz)

          I prefer the rice shape to the teardrops.

          You can use any noodle, but orzo makes it easy to

          serve with a single big spoon.  

     1/2 big red onion, chopped

     1 pint kalamata olives, halved to remove pits. 

          Or sliced into smaller pieces. You can slice pitted 

          ones, but I find they have less flavor.

     3 Tb dill, fresh    )

     3 Tb parsley, fresh ) stems removed and chopped

          Who can accurately measure dill or parsley?

          I use 4 or 5 good-sized sprigs of each.  More is fine,

          too.

     12 oz feta (I like Bonfiore brand), crumbled by hand

           In Israel, cubes of white Bulgarian cheese work fine.

     4 Tb lemon juice

     1/3 c olive oil

     Salt to taste (I use very little, < 1/4 tsp, because feta 

            is very salty)

    

Start boiling the water and then do the chopping while the noodles cook.  When the noodles are al dente, rinse them but not so much that they get cold.  Add the rest of the ingredients to the warm noodles and mix. The warmth of the noodles melts the smaller crumbles of cheese and blends the flavors.  You could serve immediately but I refrigerate and serve cold or at room temperature. 

"Serve with tomatoes" wrote Joy but I never do.

Still tastes great a week later, if you have any left.

                           Laptop versions 5/7/01; 1/5/03; 4/29/05; 1/3/11 rjm

Poached Pears

DAY BEFORE COOKBOOK'S POACHED PEARS

Serves 2-4.  Can be multiplied.  For New Year's Eve, 6 pears are enough for ~30-40 guests who can choose from multiple desserts. 

Peel and slice vertically into 8 wedges, removing seed part and any hard stem sections:
        2 pears, D'Anjou or other*  (best if they're not totally 
               ripe; ripe ones are slimy when cooked)

In saucepan, bring to boil
        1/4 c red wine
        1/4 c sugar
        1/2 cinnamon stick (or a whole small one)

Add pears, reduce heat, simmer 25 minutes covered, or until pears are soft but not falling apart.

Remove pears with slotted spoon.** Serve or refrigerate overnight Longer is probably OK, too.  Bring to room temperature a few hours before serving time.
      ** For a fancier presentation: 
      Turn heat up on remaining sauce.  Stirring occasionally, 
      bring to boil.  Let boil a few minutes to thicken and 
      reduce for a glaze.  Arrange pears on platter.  Spoon on 
      glaze.  

Refrigerate until a few hours before party.  Overnight is OK.  More than a day would probably be fine, too.  Refrigerate leftovers.  They are delicious.

* Note on Varieties of Pears
I've tried all different varieties of pears and in fact

the batch I made when I revised the recipe had 8 pears: 2 D'Anjou (woody but easy to handle), 3 Starkrimson (slimy, and the tops are so narrow that they break off too easily) and 3 overripe Bosc (would have been better if they weren't overripe; maybe the ones that broke were the Bosc???).  Back several years ago when I typed up the recipe the first time, I'd decided that D'Anjou are the best for poaching, but I really have to do a more careful experiment one of these days.

rjm 12/31/06 (printout only); 1/2/11; 1st draft for blog 8/31/12

Texas Caviar

                 HALF* RECIPE OF TEXAS CAVIAR (VEGAN)

Combination of Nina's A2News recipe and a web recipe on Hints from Heloise

Per Heloise:   Serving Size: 12   Preparation Time : 24:00

     *Divided in 2010 because the original makes way too much

     compared to the other salads for New Year's.  Some

     additional notes were added on the printout of 2004 over

     the years and are incorporated here.

8 oz Pace brand picante sauce, medium hot (half a 16 oz. jar)

1 can (15.5oz) blackeyed peas, drained

half a (15.8 oz) can white hominy, drained (~1 cup?)

1/2 medium green pepper, diced

1/2 medium white onion, diced

2 roma tomatoes, skinned, seeded and diced

cilantro - about 1/4 cup, finely chopped

     (=~ 1 oz before removing stems)

1/2 medium jalapeno ‑‑ seeded and chopped

2 scallions, chopped, white and green both

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 T sugar (or less)

1/4 tsp salt (or less or none)

1 T black pepper ‑‑ coarsely ground (or more **)

1 T cumin powder (or more**)

1 1/2 T lime juice (or more**)

Mix all ingredients together and marinate in refrigerator for 24

hours or more.  A few hours might be enough if you need Tex Cav in a hurry.

** In 2010, I was following the full recipe and forgot to divide these ingredients in half, so used 2 T each of black pepper and cumin, and 3 T lime juice.  It was fine.

                       rjm 9/2;11/23/02;1/4/03;11/11/04;1/3/11

Spinach Squares (Fingers)

Libby's* Spinach Fingers (like a crustless quiche)

The night before, leave out to soften and thaw, respectively:
        1/2 to 1 stick butter (I use 6 T = 3/4 stick)
        two 10-oz packages frozen chopped spinach
I often use one 16-oz package, alone or with ~4 oz (2 stalks) chopped celery. Frozen broccoli, chopped or florets, is a good variation.

A few hours before, if you think of it:
Grate
        1/2 lb cheddar (grate it cold, then leave it out
                   to reach room temperature)
Also, take out of refrigerator to remove the chill
        6 eggs
        24 oz small curd cottage cheese (room temp is better)

Now to make the fingers:
Squeeze that thawed SPINACH in handfuls to make it as dry as possible. (Broccoli is much harder to squeeze, so the final product is a bit wetter.) Put in small bowl and set aside.

In large bowl, mix with spoon
        that BUTTER
        that COTTAGE CHEESE
        that CHEDDAR
Blend in, one at a time
        those EGGS
Mix in by handfuls, twiddling to separate
        that SPINACH (or broccoli, or either plus chopped celery)
Stir in
        3 rounds of 2 T flour each (6 T all together)
                   (use matzo meal during Passover)
        "seasoned salt" says Libby
Instead of 'seasoned salt,' I use nutmeg, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and pepper. I just sprinkle them on top of each round of flour so they are a nice but not solid dusting. I use no salt because I find the cottage cheese and cheddar salty enough.

Bake in a greased 9 x 13 pan at 325, 1 hr till firm and slightly brown on top (convection oven at 300 for 45 min is OK but doesn't brown). Cool a bit and cut up for serving/freezing. Libby calls this recipe "spinach squares" but I tend to cut narrow rectangles ("fingers") for New Year's Eve parties. I cut big squarish rectangles (12 per pan) for breakfasts.

"Good reheated. Freezes well." says Libby. YES! I make up about 3 batches for big parties a week or more ahead of time, then cut up and freeze. I reheat, in the microwave or whatever oven is going, in batches as needed, straight from the freezer. A breakfast portion, microwaved straight from the freezer, is ready in 2-2.5 min.

laptop versions: rjm 8/25/93, rev 12/4/01, 12/16/02, 6/1/04, 10/29/06
rev/post 11/25/12

Libby is my father-in-law's wife. She has given me a number of great recipes over the years. Stay tuned for her Apricot Bars and Cocoa Brownies (a good cake-y alternative to my fudge-style Killer Brownies which come from a recipe I found on a box of unsweetened chocolate years ago).

Hummus

R3A2 Hummus
 from The South Beach Diet

1.  A DAY OR TWO BEFORE if you think of it, open your can of
       sesame tahini
to see if the oil has separated.  If it has, stir gently until reincorporated.  I use Joyva brand tahini which comes in 15 oz. cans.  Unless the can has been used very recently, the oil will be floating on top of very dense sesame paste.  Stirring is difficult, time-consuming and requires care: the oil splashes out if you stir too vigorously.  With a full can, I have spent maybe 45 minutes or more on this step. I start by chipping away at the hummus with a table knife, then stir with a wooden spoon.  When I make the whole recipe a day or two before - which is a good idea because the hummus tastes better after it has been refrigerated for at least a few hours - then I do all the steps at the same time.

2.  Drain into a measuring cup the liquid from
          1 can (15 oz.) chick peas

3.  Cut up coarsely and add to Cuisinart (with chopping blade installed)
          4 oz. (about 1/2 medium) yellow onion
          3 cloves garlic (or less)

4.  Squeeze and measure, then add to the Cuisinart
          about 1/3 lemon to make 2 T.  juice
If you don't have a fresh lemon, 2 T. bottled lemon juice is fine.

5.  Add also to the Cuisinart
          1/2 cup of that well-stirred TAHINI
          the drained CHICK PEAS (but not the liquid)
          2 tsps olive oil
          2 tsps cumin
          1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or 1/8 tsp ground red pepper
The original recipe called for ground red pepper, but I like to use up the packets of red pepper flakes the pizza people always put in the paper bag with the napkins and extra parmesan.

6.  Add to taste, unless like me you think the canned chick peas are salty enough,
            1/2 tsp salt (optional)

7.  Pulse the cuisinart until everything is blended.  To reach the consistency you want, continue to pulse, adding
            by tablespoons,
that reserved chick pea LIQUID, if needed, and
            possibly a bit more OLIVE OIL
to reach the consistency you want.  I like it grainy myself, made a bit creamier with a little of the chick pea liquid.

8.  Refrigerate 3-4 hours or overnight or longer before serving.   This hummus is pretty tasty right away, but chilling definitely improves the flavor.  The secret is the cumin.

laptop versions 1/28/05;6/19/10 rjm; rev/post 11/25/12

Tuna Mousse

MY MOTHER RUTH MORRIS'S TUNA MOUSSE

Notes

(a) All measurements are suggestions at best, especially since this recipe dates from the days when tuna came in 7 oz. cans.  Then it came in 6 oz. cans and I certainly didn't open a second can and put in 1/6 of it.  Now it comes in  5 oz cans but sometimes you can find 7 oz packets.  Using less than 7 oz. is OK but 5 would probably not be enough.  
(b) I made this in Israel in a faculty-housing kitchen and some of the guests were Orthodox.  The (minor) modifications improved it.

1. Chop fine and set aside
     2 Tb. parsley, minced
     1 Tb. minced green onion or 2 scallions, sliced 1/8"
NOTE: These two do not seem equivalent to me.  I use 2 scallions. In Israel, the scallions were HUGE so I used only 1, white and green parts, both. 
      Dill to be the equivalent of 1 tsp dry
I prefer fresh, using about 4 sprigs, maybe 1 or 2 Tb, if you measure.  More dill is always good.  I also set aside some for garnish.

2.  Chop and set aside separately from other vegetables
     1/2 c. cucumber, plus a little extra, separately,
             for garnish
Separately, I assume, because it is heavy so you don't want to beat it with the egg beater when the time comes.  It seems to me you could fold in all the vegetables at the same time, but maybe the minced ones disperse better if you beat them? 

NOW BEGIN THE REAL THING

3.  In a large bowl, sprinkle
     1 envelope unflavored gelatin
on
     2 Tb lemon juice (I use juice from 1/3 lemon)
and let stand for 5 minutes.

4.  Meanwhile, or toward the end of the 5 minutes if you have a fast boiler:  Boil
     1/2 c. water
Water must be boiling, says Mom.  She means that when you add the soup to the lemon/gelatin mixture, the water must have just boiled or the gelatin won't dissolve completely.

5.  Add to boiling water
     1 tsp. Carmel Parve Chicken-style soup mix or
          1 chicken bouillion cube
Then add soup to bowl with gelatin mixture and stir to dissolve all the gelatin.

6.  Stir in and then beat with egg beater until frothy  (or beat with a fork until you are tired of doing it, if you are on sabbatical and have no egg beater; you'll get a denser mousse, but a tasty one):
     that PARSLEY/CHIVE/DILL mixture
     1/2 c. mayonnaise
     1/4 c. milk (low fat is fine)
     1 tsp. prepared mustard (Dijon, e.g.)
     1/4 tsp. black pepper

7.  Fold in
     1 can tuna (7 oz.)
(regarding "7 oz.": see above. I use water-packed tuna, squeezed dry, and flaked with fork or fingers)
     that chopped CUCUMBER
Put into mold and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight if you can.

8.  Unmold and decorate with
      pimiento, says Mom
       a little chopped cucumber and a bit of dill, too, say I

HINT :   Using an 8" disposable cake or pie tin as a mold works famously because it is so easy to unmold.   Just set the pan in hot tap water for about 30 seconds.  In Israel I used a disposable cake pan out of necessity.  For sentimental reasons, I often use the molds I inherited from Mom, but a cake pan is just as good.
                            

rjm 1/20/97; 12/16/98; 1/3/00; 8/23/12
typos corr 10/17/12