Dutch Cheese Sandwich Filling

The Vegetarian Table: America by Deborah Madison
Cookbook 14 Recipe 1 (Total 30)

Yep - another Debrah Madison cookbook. I found this cookbook in the $1 section of Half Price Books. It was a thrilling discovery because I wasn't aware of its existence.

I've been thinking about sandwiches since visiting Rachel last weekend and hearing her talk about eating them. I chose this recipe - quick and easy!

Did I like it? It was much tangier than I was expecting and therefore more enjoyable. It is a fun addition to a spread repretaur.

Recipe: In a bowl combine 1 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 cup chopped watercress (we bought a variety called Upland Cress). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Leg of Lamb with Mint & Garlic

Great Women Chefs Marvelous Meals & Innovative Recipes from the Stars of American Cuisine, by Julie Stillman
Cookbook 13, Recipe 2 (Total 29)

I was interested in trying something new with a lamb roast - I usually prepare it with a honey mustard rub. I'm not usually into mixing meats, the paprika and bacon rub was definitely something I had not tried.

This recipe is by Joyce Goldstein

Did I like it? Yes - it made absolutely delicious leftover sandwiches.

Recipe: Blend or pound together 3/4 cup mint, 3 cloves garlic, 2 thick slices of natural unsmoked bacon, 1 T paprika, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper and 2 T red wine vinegar. Rub on a 2-3 lb bone in lamb roast and refrigerate overnight. Bring the roast to room temperature. Brush with a mixture of 1/2 cup olive oil and 1 T red wine vinegar. Roast at 400 for 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting every 25-30 minutes.

Matzoh Brei with Wild Mushrooms

Great Women Chefs Marvelous Meals & Innovative Recipes from the Stars of American Cuisine, by Julie Stillman
Cookbook 13, Recipe 1 (Total 28)

On Sunday I took a lamb leg roast out of the oven to cook tomorrow and use for sandwich materials this week. I decided to pick a cookbook that would use both a leg of lamb as well as the mushrooms we purchased at the Madison Farmers Market this weekend. This cookbook was written in 1996 and is a compilation of recipes from 30 top women chefs in the United States.

This recipe is from Anne Rosenzweig

Did I like it? Scrambled eggs with semi-soggy crackers... It was interesting at first and then way to heavy. I think if the butter was cut in 1/2 it would be easier to eat. I didn't even finish half of my serving. Stephen liked it.

How does one cook scrambled eggs crispy? I've never been able to acquire that happy talent.

Recipe: Melt 4 T of butter in a pan and slowly caramelize 1.5 chopped onion. Add 3 cups sliced mushrooms. Saute and place in a bowl. Meanwhile, mix 4 eggs and 1/4 cup plus 2 T milk together with salt and pepper. Soak 4.5 sheets of matzoh in water for 30 seconds, then crush into the egg mixture. Melt 3 T butter in the saucepan, add the egg and mushroom mixture. Cook until preferred doneness. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped parsley.

Tunisian Brik

Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco by Paula Wolfert
Cookbook 12, Recipe 2 (Total 27)

Rachel chose this recipe as she'd be interested in trying it for a while. I thought it sounded intereting and fun to try.

Did we like it? Absolutely no. Stephen said he'd never try one again. Rachel said neeich. After the first batch of frying each of us dumped the raw egg (inside the cooked parcels pictured above) into a cup and then had no stomach to try again.

To be fair the fourth try yielded a completely cooked egg. I think we were all too grossed out at that point to try.

What is a Tunisian Brik? It's an egg roll/spring roll wrap filled with onion, canned tuna, parsley, capers and 1 raw egg. It's then deep fried preferably until the egg is cooked.

Since this was a complete flop I will not include the recipe.

Orange and Black Olive Salad

Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco by Paula Wolfert
Cookbook 12, Recipe 1 (Total 26)

Last week I was sick the entire week. I didn't get off the couch in the evening and ate mostly ramen. Fortunately my cold cleared well enough by Friday to visit Rachel as we planned. We decided to cook on Saturday evening and chose this cookbook because she has it as well as I and then I wouldn't be stuck with 2 cookbooks this week.

Rachel pointed out that although the recipe calls for canned black olives, Paula Wolfert would probably call for something different now. The cookbook was published in 1973 and olive availability now versus 35 years ago is a bit different.

Did I like it? Surprisingly yes. I really dislike olives and rarely ever eat them. Both Rachel and Stephen love olives so it seemed like a good choice to make. The oranges combine with the olives to form a great marinade.

Recipe:
In a bowl place, three supremed valencia oranges, 1 cup chopped up kalamata and salt curred Moroccan olives, 2 T olive oil, 1 clove chopped garlic, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp salt, pinch of cumin, and 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Serve.

Carrot Salad with Currants and Almonds

Vegetable Love Vegetables delicious, alone or with pasta, seafood, poultry, meat and more by Barbara Kafka
Cookbook 11, Recipe 2, (Total 25)

I purchased a 2 lb bag of carrots on Wednesday to make carrot sticks for a vegetable platter this weekend. I'm not a big chomp on raw carrot fan and didn't want to waste the other 1.5 lbs so I chose a carrot recipe.

Did I like it? It was nicely balanced with tangy and sweet flavors. It's more a of a sidekick than a main dish, tonight it played sidekick to a BLT. We both thought it should have poppy seeds added.

Recipe:
Combine 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Pour over 1/2 cup currants and leave for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, grate 1 lb carrots (using that handy scale I bought you for Christmas) and place in a bowl with a handful of chopped almonds. Drain the currants (keeping the liquid) and add to carrot mixture. To the drained liquid add 1/2 cup yogurt (plain) and 1 T honey. Pour over carrots, mix and serve.

Recently I discovered I often use the word currant instead of current... Now that I pay attention to this, I'm embarrassed how many times I have to stop and think - OK not the dried fruit...

Cauliflower Cheddar Gratin

Vegetable Love Vegetables delicious, alone or with pasta, seafood, poultry, meat and more by Barbara Kafka
Cookbook 11, Recipe 1, (Total 24)

Or as pa likes to call her "Barbara aka 500 Kafka". She generally cooks food a much higher temperature than your standard cookbook authors. This cookbook is organized by vegetable which is handy. I picked up cauliflower on Saturday. Sunday I decided I wanted to make this recipe - Yep I've made it before. I didn't set any rules against making something I already like.


Did I like it? Yep! I think cheddar sauce is much better on Cauliflower than broccoli. I've only recently begun to enjoy cauliflower and I think this is my favorite Cauliflower dish.

Recipe:
Steam enough cauliflower until fork tender to fill your baking dish (I used an 8x8 and therefore the following sauce is for an 8x8). Melt 2 T butter in a sauce pan and add 1/4 cup flour, cook for about 5 minutes or until it starts to break apart again and is a toasty brown. Mix together 1 & 1/4 cups milk, 1/3 cup cream, 1/8 tsp cayenne and 2 tsp salt. Gradually add to the butter/flour mixture with a whisk. Cook over medium heat until thick. Add 1 cup of grated cheese - a mixture of cheddar and Parmesan is my favorite. Pour sauce over cauliflower in the baking dish. Bake at 400 (not 500 this time) for 40 minutes.

Star Anise-Glazed Tempeh with stir-fried peppers

Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen, by Deborah Madison
Cookbook 10, Recipe 2 (Total 23)

It's been an extremely busy week. I actually made this on Wednesday and am finally posting it on Sunday. I chose this recipe because I would like to learn how to cook with Tempeh. I'm comfortable with setain but not Tempeh.

Did I like it? It was a good stir fry. The cabbage doesn't really cook through, it stays crunchy. I think I would rather have tofu or setain. This was a night that I normally would have thrown something frozen in the oven or cooked ramen. I knew my other nights were going to be busy so I cooked anyway. After cleaning on Thursday Stephen happened to mention that "cabbage really sticks" - there wasn't many areas of the kitchen that didn't end up with cabbage.

Recipe:
Place in a saucepan and bring to a boil: 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 mirin, 2 T brown sugar, 1 T maple syrup, 1 3inch piece of cinnamon and 2 star anise. Boil for 4-5 minutes, turn off the heat and add 1 pkg tempeh cut into desired size. Let soak four minutes on each side.

Heat a wok and add 2 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp sesame oil, add tempeh and cook until browned, add a few T of the marinade and cook until it's evaporated and glazed the tempeh. Wipe out the wok and add 2 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp sesame oil. Add 1 chopped garlic clove, 1 T chopped ginger and 6 chopped scallions - cook 1 minute. Add 1 small shredded red cabbage, 1 green pepper sliced, 1 yellow pepper sliced, salt and pepper, cook until softened - about 10 minutes. Add the remaining marinade and cook an additional 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Pasta and Chickpeas with plenty of parsley and garlic

Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen, by Deborah Madison
Cookbook 10, Recipe 1 (total 22)

It doesn't get better than Deborah Madison. I love her cookbooks. This book was given to me by my in-laws David & Rita for Christmas this year.

Did I like it? It was hearty and good. I would have really enjoyed it with young garlic. My garlic is a little old and quite harsh. The recipe made me think of a deconstructed parsley pesto. I deviated from the directions by cooking the garlic - I wasn't in the mood for 3 cloves of raw winter garlic.

Recipe:
While bringing water to a boil for pasta. Heat olive oil in a pan and saute 1 small chopped onion. Add 1 can of chickpeas and heat for 3 minutes, add 3 chopped cloves of garlic along, with 1/2 tsp chili paste and cook for 5 minutes. Chop up 1 large bunch of parsley and a handful of sage leaves, add 1/3 of this mixture to the pan along with salt and pepper to taste. Cook this mixture, adding the liquid from the canned chickpeas as appropriate. Cook 1/4 lb pasta, drain, add to pan with the remaining parsley/sage. Serve with grated parmesan.