RECIPES
Side Dishes Potato Puffs with Herbs 6 cups mashed potatoes (not instant, for some reason instant doesn’t work as well) 2 eggs, lightly beaten finely chopped herb of choice (fresh chives or parsley, or dried marjoram or sage, for example) if fresh, 2 tbsp. and if dried, 1 tbsp. Salt and pepper to taste (white pepper is nice if you have it) Mix the mashed potatoes with the eggs and herbs. Lumps will disappear, so don’t worry if you have a few. Add salt and pepper and stir in. Gourmet Spinach - 2 pkgs. frozen spinach - 3 T. flour - ¼ tsp. nutmeg - 2 T. minced onion - Dash of paprika - 3 T. butter - 2 c. milk - 3 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped - ½ c. grated cheese (Swiss, medium sharp Cheddar, Feta) - ¼ c. toasted bread crumbs Cook and drain spinach well. In a medium saucepan, sauté onion in butter until transparent. Gradually add flour and blend, then add milk. Cook and stir until thickened and smooth. Remove from heat and add spinach and nutmeg, eggs, and salt and pepper to taste (if using a salty cheese like feta, omit salt). Put in a buttered 2 qt. baking dish and top with crumbs, cheese and a dusting of paprika. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Serves 6, unless you have a spinach-lover at the table! (This recipe is from our dear friend Mary Jane, who is an excellent cook) Soubise This is an onion and rice dish that goes so well with almost any meat and is “comfort food” for cold weather. Please read the recipe through before starting to cook! ½ c. long grain rice 4 T. butter 2 lbs. yellow onions, thinly sliced ½ tsp. salt 1 T. minced parsley (flat-leaf Italian if possible, if not curly will do) Dash pepper (again, white if you have it) ¼ c. heavy cream (half & half can be substituted) ¼ c. grated Swiss cheese 2 T. butter, softened Drop rice into 4 quarts of rapidly boiling salted water. Boil exactly 5 minutes and drain immediately. Melt 4 T. butter in a medium casserole dish. When it is foaming, stir in the onions, coating them well with the melted butter. Stir in the rice and seasonings. Cover and cook very slowly in a 300 degree oven for about 1hour, stirring occasionally. The rice and onions should become very tender and turn golden yellow. Just before serving, stir in the cream and cheese, and then the 2 T. of softened butter. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Makes 6 generous servings.
Drop in 1/3 cup amounts on lightly greased (or parchment paper covered) cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until lightly browned. Six to 8 servings (better plan on two servings per person!)
Return to Top.
Return to Top
Rosemary and Soy Marinade for beef*
- ½ c. soy sauce - 4 ½ tbsp. honey - 3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tbsp. dried, finely ground - ½ c. regular olive oil (not extra virgin) - 6 large garlic cloves, minced - 1 ½ tbsp. coarsely ground black pepper - 1 ½ tsp. salt Mix all ingredients. Put beef in a glass baking dish and pour marinade over, turn beef to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to 8 hours, turning occasionally. *Since this marinade contains no acid, it is not a tenderizer. It simply adds a wonderful flavor to beef! - ¼ c. water - 2 tsp. sugar - 3 medium cloves of garlic, minced - ¼ c. salad oil (I use extra virgin olive oil, but any oil that tastes good is fine) Marinade for Fish
Discard marinade when beef is removed.
Return to Top
Cold Vegetable Salad marinade
- ¼ c. tarragon vinegar
Mix your choice of vegetables that have been cooked to the still crisp stage, pour marinade over and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Partly cooked carrots, cauliflower, pearl onions, mushrooms, and green beans make a pretty salad. If you want, add cherry tomatoes at the last minute, but don’t marinate them - they turn mushy!
Return to Top
This marinade enhances a white fish such as tilapia. Again, there is no acid, since an acid like lemon juice actually "cooks" the fish. Don't ask me how I know...
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh marjoram
- 1/2 tsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried (if you have lemon thyme, use it!)
- 1/2 c. melted butter
- 4 fish fillets, about 1 lb.
Melt the butter in a baking dish, let cool slightly, add herbs and coat fillets with the mixture Refrigerate fillets for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes (timing depends on the fillet thickness). This is particularly nice served with rice with the extra herb butter mixed in.
Return to Top
Main Courses Fish baked with herbs and butter - ½ c. unsalted butter - ¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese - ½ tsp. dried oregano, or 1 tsp. fresh, chopped - 1 lb. white fish fillets (sole, tilapia, cod) - 2/3 c. cracker crumbs, very fine - ½ tsp. dried basil leaves, or 1 tsp. fresh, chopped fine - ½ tsp. salt - 1 small clove garlic, minced Melt the butter in a baking dish in the oven. Mix rest of the ingredients except fish and put in a shallow dish, such as a pie pan. Dip fish in melted butter, then in crumb and herb mixture. Place fish fillets in a single layer in the baking dish, and bake 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Saged Pork Chops - 8 ¾ inch thick pork chops - 1 tsp. dried sage, rubbed, or 2 tsp. fresh, chopped fine - Dash of pepper - 2 medium onions, sliced - 1 can (101/2 oz.) beef consommé - 1 c. dairy sour cream - 3 tbsp. flour - 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped Trim the chops and render the fat in a heavy skillet. Combine the seasonings and rub into the chops. Brown the chops lightly and pour off excess fat. Add onion and consommé, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until meat is almost done. Remove chops from pan and keep warm. Combine sour cream and flour and whisk into consommé slowly so the resulting gravy isn’t lumpy. Return chops to pan and simmer in the gravy for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with cooked rice , mashed potatoes, or noodles. Serves 8.
Return to Top
Return to Top