Additional copies are available for $10 (shipping included). Just email me: acurrerib@gmail.com
Friday, March 19, 2010
The JBR Cookbook is complete! And it's on its way around the country to the contributors. Enjoy!
Additional copies are available for $10 (shipping included). Just email me: acurrerib@gmail.com
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
THE BABA OF ALL BABAS
From Bessma Khalaf (San Francisco, CA)
Make it!
2 eggplants
3 tablespoons yogurt
3 tablespoons tahini
1 or 2 cloves crushed garlic
half of a lemon
salt to taste
a dash of olive oil
pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
poke a few holes in the eggplants
place on a baking sheet and bake till wrinkly and liquefied on the inside
scoop out the insides of the eggplant and place in a bowl
mix in the yoghurt, tahini and garlic.
Mix with a fork to incorporate all the flavors add salt and lemon to taste.
Finish of with a dash of olive oil.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds if you are feeling fancy.
From Bessma Khalaf (San Francisco, CA)
Make it!
2 eggplants
3 tablespoons yogurt
3 tablespoons tahini
1 or 2 cloves crushed garlic
half of a lemon
salt to taste
a dash of olive oil
pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
poke a few holes in the eggplants
place on a baking sheet and bake till wrinkly and liquefied on the inside
scoop out the insides of the eggplant and place in a bowl
mix in the yoghurt, tahini and garlic.
Mix with a fork to incorporate all the flavors add salt and lemon to taste.
Finish of with a dash of olive oil.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds if you are feeling fancy.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
PEGGY'S ORANGE CRANBERRY RELISH
From Park McArthur
I'd like to give a little introduction if that's okay. I'm including two recipes for two grandmothers, so, here it goes:
The following two recipes are examples of food's intimate connection to memory. Each is courtesy of a grandmother--one who I did not meet and one who I've been able to love each day of my life. Peggy Herman, my mom's mother died many years before I was born and my mom makes sure this relish is a permanent fixture at our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner tables. This dish, in combination with photographs and the occasional story, help me remember someone I never knew. Nancy Herman, my mom's stepmother and my grandmother extraordinaire, introduced me to (among many things) the bent paperclip as a handy cherry pitter. Her pie recipe is a sweet and tangy legend.
Peggy's Orange Cranberry Relish
1 bag of fresh cranberries (4 cups)
2 fresh organic oranges
1 cup of sugar (or to taste if you like it a bit sweeter)
1/2 cup unsalted roasted pecans or walnuts (whichever you prefer)
Halve the oranges, taking their seeds out but leaving the peel on. In a food processor or blender add cranberries, oranges, sugar, and nuts. Pulse-mix until well blended, leaving small gravel-sized pieces of fruit and nuts for a nice texture. Served chilled or at room temperature. Makes 1 quart of relish.
*********************************************************************
NANCY'S DE-LUXE CHERRY PIE
From Park McArthur
(From the baker herself: my recipe is really a work in progress because I'm working on improving it and we haven't had cherries for two years now, but here goes...Enjoy!)
Filling:
4 cups sour cherries, at least (ours are Mount Morency)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. almond extract
3/4 cup cherry liquid
Flaky Pie Crust Recipe - from Better Housekeeping Cookbook, 1955 edition:
2 1/4 cup sifted flour
1 t. salt
3/4 cup Crisco
5 T. ice cold water
For filling: mix 3/4 cup sugar with cherries and let sit for awhile until some liquid forms, hopefully 3/4 cups of liquid. Mix corn starch and remaining 1/4 cup sugar and salt. Gently heat liquid and stir in cornstarch/sugar/salt mixture, also gently to blend well. Stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
Start heating oven to 400 degrees.
For crust: mix flour and salt. With pastry blender, add Crisco and cut until you have a bowlful of coarse sized mix...Sprinkle tablespoons of ice cold water over all and mix with fork or fingers until dough holds together. Handle as briefly as possible. Divide into two balls (or more if you want to "stretch" the dough further).
Cut two sheets of waxed paper and get out the rolling pin. Flatten the first ball into a disc and roll between the waxed paper sheets. Do not overdo, but roll until quite thin. ( I can even make two pie crusts, one 9" and one smaller from each of the balls, if I want to cut down on calories. )
Pull the top paper off of the dough, slowly, and turn the dough into the pie pan, holding the paper underneath. Center the dough on the pan and gently remove the remaining waxed paper. Press the dough slightly to the sides of the pan. Cut the extra dough from the pie plate edge with a butter knife, going around the edge with the knife to remove the dough that overhangs the pan. You might use the leftover pieces to make some shapes to decorate the top of the pie.
Roll out the top crust, using the same pieces of waxed paper again. Make some cut out shapes into the top crust. Use knife to make your own decorations or use small cookie or canape cutters. This allows steam to escape, and also makes a decorative pie.
Add cherries and prepare to add to unbaked pie crust (below). Top with a little butter scattered around (about 1 T or less). Add top crust, centering it on the pie. Then crimp the edges together, using fingers or fork.
If you want to make a glaze on the top, here is an option. Brush with slightly beaten egg white, cream, or melted butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Put in the 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, reducing heat to 350 for 45 more minutes. Keep an eye on browning of edges near the end. You may need to cover the edges with foil to keep it from getting too brown.
Serve with whipped cream! Hopefully the interior of the pie will stick together but not be too sticky! It may take some trial and error to manage the most suitable texture!
From Park McArthur
I'd like to give a little introduction if that's okay. I'm including two recipes for two grandmothers, so, here it goes:
The following two recipes are examples of food's intimate connection to memory. Each is courtesy of a grandmother--one who I did not meet and one who I've been able to love each day of my life. Peggy Herman, my mom's mother died many years before I was born and my mom makes sure this relish is a permanent fixture at our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner tables. This dish, in combination with photographs and the occasional story, help me remember someone I never knew. Nancy Herman, my mom's stepmother and my grandmother extraordinaire, introduced me to (among many things) the bent paperclip as a handy cherry pitter. Her pie recipe is a sweet and tangy legend.
Peggy's Orange Cranberry Relish
1 bag of fresh cranberries (4 cups)
2 fresh organic oranges
1 cup of sugar (or to taste if you like it a bit sweeter)
1/2 cup unsalted roasted pecans or walnuts (whichever you prefer)
Halve the oranges, taking their seeds out but leaving the peel on. In a food processor or blender add cranberries, oranges, sugar, and nuts. Pulse-mix until well blended, leaving small gravel-sized pieces of fruit and nuts for a nice texture. Served chilled or at room temperature. Makes 1 quart of relish.
*********************************************************************
NANCY'S DE-LUXE CHERRY PIE
From Park McArthur
(From the baker herself: my recipe is really a work in progress because I'm working on improving it and we haven't had cherries for two years now, but here goes...Enjoy!)
Filling:
4 cups sour cherries, at least (ours are Mount Morency)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. almond extract
3/4 cup cherry liquid
Flaky Pie Crust Recipe - from Better Housekeeping Cookbook, 1955 edition:
2 1/4 cup sifted flour
1 t. salt
3/4 cup Crisco
5 T. ice cold water
For filling: mix 3/4 cup sugar with cherries and let sit for awhile until some liquid forms, hopefully 3/4 cups of liquid. Mix corn starch and remaining 1/4 cup sugar and salt. Gently heat liquid and stir in cornstarch/sugar/salt mixture, also gently to blend well. Stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
Start heating oven to 400 degrees.
For crust: mix flour and salt. With pastry blender, add Crisco and cut until you have a bowlful of coarse sized mix...Sprinkle tablespoons of ice cold water over all and mix with fork or fingers until dough holds together. Handle as briefly as possible. Divide into two balls (or more if you want to "stretch" the dough further).
Cut two sheets of waxed paper and get out the rolling pin. Flatten the first ball into a disc and roll between the waxed paper sheets. Do not overdo, but roll until quite thin. ( I can even make two pie crusts, one 9" and one smaller from each of the balls, if I want to cut down on calories. )
Pull the top paper off of the dough, slowly, and turn the dough into the pie pan, holding the paper underneath. Center the dough on the pan and gently remove the remaining waxed paper. Press the dough slightly to the sides of the pan. Cut the extra dough from the pie plate edge with a butter knife, going around the edge with the knife to remove the dough that overhangs the pan. You might use the leftover pieces to make some shapes to decorate the top of the pie.
Roll out the top crust, using the same pieces of waxed paper again. Make some cut out shapes into the top crust. Use knife to make your own decorations or use small cookie or canape cutters. This allows steam to escape, and also makes a decorative pie.
Add cherries and prepare to add to unbaked pie crust (below). Top with a little butter scattered around (about 1 T or less). Add top crust, centering it on the pie. Then crimp the edges together, using fingers or fork.
If you want to make a glaze on the top, here is an option. Brush with slightly beaten egg white, cream, or melted butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Put in the 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, reducing heat to 350 for 45 more minutes. Keep an eye on browning of edges near the end. You may need to cover the edges with foil to keep it from getting too brown.
Serve with whipped cream! Hopefully the interior of the pie will stick together but not be too sticky! It may take some trial and error to manage the most suitable texture!
ROSIE'S ZUCCHINI BREAD
From Janice Archuleta (Pacific Grove, CA)
When I was in 5th grade my family moved into a house on a ¼ acre. With this move started the existence of a family garden that is grown to this day. My mother freezes bags of grated zucchini in 2 cup increments so she may easily thaw them out and make this delicious bread that is very synonymous with my childhood….
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. oil
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. grated zucchini
½ c. chopped walnuts
½ c. fresh raisins
Sift first five dry ingredients together and set aside.
Cream oil and sugar, beat in eggs one at a time, and add vanilla.
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture and mix until smooth.
Add the zucchini, walnuts, and raisins to smooth mix.
Pour mix into 2 greased standard loaf pans. Bake @ 350 for 1 hour
Yield: 2 lovely loaves, enjoy!
From Janice Archuleta (Pacific Grove, CA)
When I was in 5th grade my family moved into a house on a ¼ acre. With this move started the existence of a family garden that is grown to this day. My mother freezes bags of grated zucchini in 2 cup increments so she may easily thaw them out and make this delicious bread that is very synonymous with my childhood….
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. oil
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. grated zucchini
½ c. chopped walnuts
½ c. fresh raisins
Sift first five dry ingredients together and set aside.
Cream oil and sugar, beat in eggs one at a time, and add vanilla.
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture and mix until smooth.
Add the zucchini, walnuts, and raisins to smooth mix.
Pour mix into 2 greased standard loaf pans. Bake @ 350 for 1 hour
Yield: 2 lovely loaves, enjoy!
LUIS FERNANDO ROLDAN'S GREEN SALSA
From Jeronimo Roldan (San Francisco, CA)
This is my Dad's variation on a Colombian salsa commonly served with steak and/or potatoes. It's also really good in soups or with chips. I always like to tell the story of our Milwaukee PBS station dispatching their arts+culture reporters to interview him. He kept them in the kitchen for most of the interview telling them about how he had a plan to sell jars of this salsa. Today he convenes with his crew in Milwaukee every couple of years to make a batch.
1 Bunch of Cilantro
1 Bunch of Scallions
1 Medium White Onion
20 Serrano Peppers
1 Lime
1/2(+) Cup Extra Virgin Olive OIl
A Dash of Rice or Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Remove and dispose of stems from cilantro. Chop off white bases from scallions. Finely chop cilantro leaves and green part of scallions, set aside.
In a blender mix the serrano peppers and juice of the lime and vinegar with the white bases of the scallions.
When finely blended into a paste, combine in a separate bowl with chopped cilantro and scallions, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Dice the white onion (1/4" pieces), mix into salsa. Put into mason jars, the salsa gets really nice with a week or two of aging.
*Play around with quantities of ingredients and adjust to your taste; some like it more spicy, some like it more sour.
From Jeronimo Roldan (San Francisco, CA)
This is my Dad's variation on a Colombian salsa commonly served with steak and/or potatoes. It's also really good in soups or with chips. I always like to tell the story of our Milwaukee PBS station dispatching their arts+culture reporters to interview him. He kept them in the kitchen for most of the interview telling them about how he had a plan to sell jars of this salsa. Today he convenes with his crew in Milwaukee every couple of years to make a batch.
1 Bunch of Cilantro
1 Bunch of Scallions
1 Medium White Onion
20 Serrano Peppers
1 Lime
1/2(+) Cup Extra Virgin Olive OIl
A Dash of Rice or Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Remove and dispose of stems from cilantro. Chop off white bases from scallions. Finely chop cilantro leaves and green part of scallions, set aside.
In a blender mix the serrano peppers and juice of the lime and vinegar with the white bases of the scallions.
When finely blended into a paste, combine in a separate bowl with chopped cilantro and scallions, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Dice the white onion (1/4" pieces), mix into salsa. Put into mason jars, the salsa gets really nice with a week or two of aging.
*Play around with quantities of ingredients and adjust to your taste; some like it more spicy, some like it more sour.
Monday, December 28, 2009
PECAN BALLS
From Vige Millington (Brooklyn, NY)
I'm at home with my mom and I thought I'd send you the cookie recipe we always make together. Here it is!
2 cups butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups finely chopped pecans
4 cups cake flour
Confectioner's sugar
Cream butter. Blend in sugar, vanilla, pecans, and flour. Chill for 2 hours. Form into small balls; place on greased cookie sheet. Bake 25 minuts in slow oven (300-325 degrees). When cool, roll in confectioner's sugar.
From Vige Millington (Brooklyn, NY)
I'm at home with my mom and I thought I'd send you the cookie recipe we always make together. Here it is!
2 cups butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups finely chopped pecans
4 cups cake flour
Confectioner's sugar
Cream butter. Blend in sugar, vanilla, pecans, and flour. Chill for 2 hours. Form into small balls; place on greased cookie sheet. Bake 25 minuts in slow oven (300-325 degrees). When cool, roll in confectioner's sugar.
HELEN'S RUM PIE
From Jeri McMahon (Arlington, VA) and Matt McMahon (Brooklyn, NY)
6 egg yolks
7/8 c. sugar
1 pkg. plain gelatin
1/2 c. cold water
2 c. heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla
6 Tbs rum
Beat yolks and sugar until fine in texture; set aside. Dissolve gelatin with water in saucepan. Bring gelatin mixture to boil for three seconds. Slowly pour gelatin mixture over yolk and sugar mixture and lightly blend.
Whip heavy cream to soft peaks (Add vanilla while whipping). Fold whipped cream into egg mixture in three parts. Add rum. Pour into pie crust and chill til set. Makes two small pies or one big pie.
From Jeri McMahon (Arlington, VA) and Matt McMahon (Brooklyn, NY)
6 egg yolks
7/8 c. sugar
1 pkg. plain gelatin
1/2 c. cold water
2 c. heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla
6 Tbs rum
Beat yolks and sugar until fine in texture; set aside. Dissolve gelatin with water in saucepan. Bring gelatin mixture to boil for three seconds. Slowly pour gelatin mixture over yolk and sugar mixture and lightly blend.
Whip heavy cream to soft peaks (Add vanilla while whipping). Fold whipped cream into egg mixture in three parts. Add rum. Pour into pie crust and chill til set. Makes two small pies or one big pie.
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