My summer is off to a real dull start. In the last two weeks, at least half of my food has come from a restaurant that shall remain nameless, but is apparently owned by a clown with a Scottish surname. I’m looking for grand gastronomic adventures, culinary creativity, and some way to kill an extra hour or two each day.
Post your favorite recipes here. Let it become the Chiff & Fipple Cookbook!
I’ll post this one again, since it’s a recipe I posted to C&F before. My grandmother’s recipe.
BUTTERMILK PIE
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
Mix all together & pour into 9" pie crust and bake at 325º F till set.
CHICKEN CHOW MEIN
lots of noodles
some chicken
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, chopped
some water chestnuts
red pepper, chopped
some cashew nuts
boil the noodles, then prepare the chicken marinade:
chicken Marinade
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornflower
salt and pepper as ya like
Marinade the chicken, then fry the (boiled) noodles in a wok. Prepare the veg, and make the sauce
Sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
6 tablespoons (at least) water
salt, pepper, etc.
Now fry up the chicken and onion, until the chicken is cooked through, then throw in the rest of the veg (and nuts). stir fry until happy, then add noodles and sauce. Mix well, and serve!
I prefer this recipe to most of the chow mien from takeaways.
Thai beef with basil
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic (or more to taste)
1 Thai green chili (or more to taste; dried Hunan or fresh serrano or jalapeno may be subbed)
handful of Thai basil, fresh regular basil may be subbed
1-2 Tbsp soy sauce or fish sauce
water
brown beef in a large skillet
dice onion, mince garlic, core and mince chili
add these to the pot; fry till the onion begins to get clear
add ~1/2 c water
cook till water is mostly gone
add soy sauce and basil
cook another minute or two
serve over jasmine or basmati rice
variations:
if you don’t have enough fresh basil, add a tbsp or so of dried basil and/or a few fennel seeds with the onions and garlic
If you want it with sauce, add 1/2 c water mixed with 1 Tbsp corn starch at the same time as the soy sauce and fresh basil
If you don’t like hot food, don’t use a fresh chile; a dash of cayenne will give it just a little zing
This is a really easy recipe; about 10 minutes of prep time and 10-20 cooking time. If you can find the small-leafed Thai basil, it makes a big difference.
Since it looks like you need help with meal ideas, here is one for lunch and one for dinner:
CHICKEN SALAD
3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
2-3 green onions, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tsp. dried tarragon, crushed
Salt & Pepper to taste
Mayo or Miracle Whip – enough for desired consistency
SPINACH SHELLS
2 pkg. frozen chopped spinach
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 cups mozzarella cheese
2 cups ricotta cheese (or 1 15-oz. container)
1 pkg. large-shell pasta, cooked
1 jar marinara sauce
Parmesan cheese
Cook spinach with water and onion until thawed. Mix spinach mixture with mozzarella and ricotta cheese. Stuff shells. Place in large greased casserole dish; pour sauce over shells and sprinkle Parmesan on top. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.
If cooking for just one or two people, the individual shells can be frozen on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet, then placed in a zip-lock bag. Then just pull down as many as you want at a time, cover with sauce and cook.
Enjoy!
This hardly qualifies as an actual recipe, but if you want something quick, easy and utterly delightful to share at the next session or party, here’s a gem:
Chocolate stuffed croissants (or ‘pasties’):
a bag or two of your favorite chocolate chips (Ghiradeli’s double semi-sweet are exquisite)
a tube or two of your favorite (even if you’d normally never buy them) croissants or bisquits (the flakey ones are better)
some melted butter or lightly whipped egg white or butter flavored cooking spray
a little sugar (turbinado is good, but plain old granulated is fine)
Preheat oven to the recommended temp for cooking the bisquits.
Open one roll of breadstuff and separate. (if using flakey bisquit type, split each one in half so that you end up with two thinner rounds)
Put a small spoonful of chocolate chips in the center of the round, fold round in half and seal edges by pinching, or in the wide part of the croissant triangle and then roll as shown on the package, being sure to seal edges to keep chips from escaping
Position on cookie sheet or baking pan, an inch apart or so,
Spray, brush or spread your available glaze (butter flavored cooking spray, egg white, or melted butter) on the top
Sprinkle a light dusting of the sugar - not much! (those two steps can be skipped and still have good results)
Repeat with next roll of bread stuffs…
Bake according to the bisquit or croissant directions and serve
Excellent with a bit of icecream, whipped cream, coffee, alone, with milk, alone, alone, …
Make twice as much as you think you’ll need, 'cause these babies are instant hits!.
If you want to be extra decorative, take a thin sharp blade and cut a couple of shallow slits in the top just before baking…
These keep well, refrigeratored or not… if any survive the initial offering
just as good cold.
Here is my chicken salad but I am a little different.
One whole chicken breast cut into bite size pieces.
some Romaine shredded
some vidalia onion thinly sliced
some cucumber diced
some tomatoe diced
some garlic minced
some olive oil
hot pepper jelly
Place olive oil in a frying pan and add the garlic. Add the bite sized pieces of chicken and brown until cooked through. While the chicken is cooking Put the romaine, onions, cucumber, and tomatos in a big enough bowl and toss. When the chicken is cooked through add 2 very heaping tablespoons of the hot pepper jelly and cook until the jelly melts and glazes the chicken. Pour the chicken into the bowl of greens and any jelly still in the pan.
Enjoy
Ron
Some good summer recipes:
Lemon Chicken with Artichokes salad
3 cups cooked chicken
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 small onion, sliced
3/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Mix oil, lemon juice and parsley, and pour over chicken, artichoke hearts, and onion. Marinate at least 2 hours before serving. Stir frequently. Can serve over lettuce.
Tomato Salsa
2 Cups peeled and chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1 can chopped green chiles (mild)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon (dried) oregano
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
Penzey’s salsa salad seasoning to taste (optional, but makes it much better!)
Combine ingredients. Chill several hours. Can substitute fresh cilantro for cumin and if you want hotter salsa, use 1 or 2 jalapenos instead of green chiles.
( http://www.penzeys.com for the salsa salad seasoning)
Greek salad
4 tomatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
2 green peppers cut into rings
1 large cucumber, peeled, cut lengthwise and sliced thin
1 can whole pitted ripe olives
1 onion, sliced
1 1/2 cup feta cheese
Combine above ingredients in large bowl
Dressing
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup olive oil
mix dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Allow to marinate before serving for best taste
And don’t forget dessert:
Raspberry Mallow Pie
35 large marshmallows
1/2 cup milk
1 package (10 oz) sweetened frozen raspberries, undrained
1 carton (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Graham cracker crust
In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine marshmallows and milk. Cook on high for 1-2 minutes, stir until smooth. Stir in raspberries. Fold in the whipped topping. Pour into crust. Refrigerate or freeze.
Note: the recipe calls for a 9-inch crust, but I found this recipe makes way more filling than that. You could probably fill 2 9 inch pie shells or use an extra large/deep dish pie shell.
Now I’m getting hungry.
Beth
The best chili recipe in all Christendom –
A good chili recipe does not lend itself readily to quantification, as the manufacture of good chili is more of an art than a culinary science. But here’s how a northern boy makes chili (with a nod of thanks to H. Allen Smith).
Get about three pounds of good meat. I use ground sirloin - a tad more expensive, but you don’t have to drain off a quart of grease like you do when you use that bargain stuff that comes in the 5-pound chub. Here is where most Texans go awry with their chili - They’ll grind up just about any hunk of cow and use it in chili - gristle and all.
Sear it in a big pot. I like to use the big cast iron dutch oven. (If you do not have a big cast iron dutch oven, you are not civilized.) Don’t break the meat up into little crumbles - chunks are good. When it’s all browned, dump it into a colander to degrease it if you used cheap Texas meat. But if you bought good meat, you can skip the degreasing stage and forge ahead.
Add a couple of cans of tomato paste, or tomato sauce, or chopped tomatoes, or tomato puree. Tomato sauce will result in a thinner product so don’t add as much water when you get to that step. Tomato puree will give you a heavier tomato taste. My preference is a can or two of tomato paste and a can or two of Rotel tomatoes, but you can get by with whatever you find in the cabinet.
Chop one or two onions and, if it pleases you, some bell pepper. There
are those who would maintain that bell pepper has no place in chili, but these people also dip snuff and drive around in pickup trucks drinking PBR longnecks, tossing their empties out on the road. Give the bell pepper a try.
Toss in about a quart of water. Don’t worry about measuring; just add it until it looks like chili.
And now the seasoning. Here’s where a lot of folks have trouble. There is chili powder and there is chili seasoning. You don’t want chili seasoning - it has chili powder and lots of other stuff in it, too. Read the can, and make sure it doesn’t have a bunch of adulterants. (Generally, if it came in a can, you don’t want it.) I like to buy bags of California or New Mexico chili powder, or sometimes I get the bulk powder at the natural food market. You can also find some decent stuff sometimes in those little, horribly expensive bottles on the top shelf. Add a couple of good sized, three-finger handfuls. You can also buy dried chili pods and crush them yourself, but that’s too much work for me. (Note: The California powder is milder that the New Mexico. I prefer the NM, but I have to use California if mrs. gonzo is going to be eating it. )
Chop up a couple of cloves of garlic, or use the equivalent amount of garlic powder. Not garlic salt.
Add a pinch of oregano and couple of pinches of basil. Do get too
heavy-handed with these - you don’t want spaghetti sauce.
Cumin – Purists will insist on roasting cumin seeds and crushing them, but ground cumin from the store will be fine. Add about a two finger pinch.
Simmer uncovered about an hour, then add some salt if you want and adjust the seasoning. I usually end up adding more chili powder here, or sometimes more cumin. If it gets too thick, add more water. If it’s too thin, simmer more.
When it’s about done, you can add the beans if you want. Canned pinto beans are the best - dump two or three cans into a colander to rinse off the bean snot and stir them into the chili. Kidney beans are OK, too – hell, you could even use those white Great Northern beans if that’s all there is in the cabinet and you don’t care what it looks like – but don’t use anything that’s labeled “chili beans,” because it will have seasoning in it that you don’t want, and leave the damn garbanzos for mushing up into hummus. Simmer a bit longer to get the beans hot. Texans tend to leave out the beans, too, and will criticize you for putting them in, probably because they think the beans hide the delicate texture of the gristle.
Once the beans are hot, you’re done. Dip up a bowl, pour yourself a big glass of cold milk and enjoy. Or if you’re wanting something fancier for company, serve it with a big hunk of fresh baked bread and some chunks of cheese to either nibble on or stir in. And some of Waldon’s buttermilk pie for dessert.
If your tastes lean more toward Texas-style chili, get a package of Wick Fowler’s Two-Alarm Chili and follow the instructions. It’s pretty good in it’s own way, but it’s a world apart from the chili described above. But for gawd’s sake, use good meat.
Enjoy.
I’ve made all of these and liked them quite a bit
SHRIMP WITH SPICED MASALA AND COCONUT MILK
Serve over steamed basmati rice. Garam masala, a spice mixture, is available at Indian markets and some supermarkets. I was able to get it at my local Ranalls/Tom Thumb
Masala
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
Shrimp
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 13 1/2-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onion tops
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For masala:
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until deep golden, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and all spices; stir 1 minute. Cool to lukewarm. Puree tomatoes with juices and yogurt in processor until almost smooth. Add onion mixture; puree until almost smooth. Season masala to taste with salt and pepper. (Masala can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
For shrimp:
Heat oil in heavy large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and sauté until partially cooked, about 2 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, cilantro, green onions, lemon juice, and prepared masala. Simmer until shrimp are opaque in center, about 3 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Makes 8 servings.
Lamb Chops with Garlic-Rosemary Sauce
2 garlic cloves
4 lamb shoulder chops (each about 3/4 inch thick)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
Chop garlic. Pat lamb dry and season with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch heavy skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sear lamb 3 minutes. Turn lamb over and sear 2 minutes more for medium-rare. Transfer lamb to 4 plates. Add garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, and stock to skillet and deglaze over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Whisk in butter. Pour sauce over lamb.
Guinness Beef Stew
2 tbl oil
2 lbs stew beef
1/4 c flour
salt
pepper
cayenne
2 lg onions, chunked
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbl tomato puree
pint guinness (20 oz)
1 can beef broth
10 carrots, sliced
fresh thyme, half package
fresh rosemary, half package
2 dried bay leaves
Toss the beef in flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Heat oil on med-high heat in a large skillet and add beef and brown all sides of cubes. Toss in onion and garlic. Add tomato puree and stir. Place meat in a large pot.
Add guinness to the skillet to stir up the carmelized goodies on the bottom. Add to the meat pot. Add rest of guinness and beef broth. Bring to a boil & add carrots, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. simmer covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
HONEY GINGER-GLAZED CARROTS
1.5 pounds carrots, cut into 3- by 1/2-inch sticks
1.5 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
.5 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh gingerroot
In a kettle cover carrots with salted water by 2 inches and boil, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes.
While carrots are cooking, cook honey, butter, and gingerroot over moderate heat, stirring, until butter is melted.
Drain carrots well and in a bowl toss with honey glaze and salt and pepper to taste.
Fruit Cobbler
1 stick butter
4 cups of fruit (1 large, 1 small can)
sugar (1.5-2 cups)
1 cup self rising flour
1 cup buttermilk
1tsp almond or vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
preheat oven 375 degrees
melt 1 stick butter in large baking dish
cut up fruit (4 cups or so, or 1 large and 1 small can) into melted butter
add sugar to taste (1/2-1 cup depending on fruit)
put fruit in oven.
While fruit heating, mix 1 cup sugar, flour, and buttermilk, cinnamon, nutmeg, & extract.
pour batter evenly over fruit.
Bake til brown, approx 50 minutes.
3 eggs beated
Two Good hanfulls of frenchfires
Cook frenchfries in a frying pan using Extra virgin olive oil. When fries are fully cooked and crispy, stir in the beaten eggs and Scramble everything together. Place mass of Fries and eggs in a bowl and cover it with Ketsup. Good to go.
There’s no better carb filled breakfeast on the Planet… except for maybe beer 
I know it sounds nasty… but eveyone I have made it for always asks for it when they visit…or when I visit them. That and I make pancakes the Right damn way. Huge! They fill up the whole pan, then I give them a nice big jar of Jam, and instruct them on how to properly roll a “flap-jack” no crappy syrup here! Non of those “silver dollar” pancakes with fake “maple” syrup. Most people have never had real maple syrup, and you can’t get it for $2 in a plastic container molded in the shape of a woman. Real maple syrup comes in a tin can with a screw on lid and is slightly thicker than water, and costs between $6 and $12.
I gained 20 pounds just reading all those great recipes.
This is a rather long one for chicken curry, as it includes recipes for the curry and (optional) chutney that are part of it. It’s totally non-traditional. I worked out the curry powder recipe after seeing a show on the subject by Jeff Smith (the Frugal Gourmet). I think the basic idea for the chutney may have come from him, too.
Red curry powder
(vary amounts to taste - this version is hot)
• Ingredients
grind together:
black peppercorns - 2 tsps
cloves - 6 each
coriander seeds - 4 tsps
whole nutmeg - 1 each
add ground spices:
allspice - 1/4 tsp
cardamon - 2 tsp
cayenne - 1/2 tsp
cinnamon - 1/4 tsp
ginger - 1/8 tsp
Hungarian paprika - 3 tsps
pasilla chili powder - 3 tsps
turmeric - 1/2 tsp
(other possible spices are cumin, fennel, black mustard seeds, and bay leaf)
• Procedures
I use a Braun coffee grinder to grind the whole spices, then add the remainder and grind the entire mixture together for several seconds to blend well.
The spices in the curry powder are based on what I like and on what I have available. This should just be a starting point for your own recipe. In the past I never pre-mixed spices — I just poured them out of jars until I liked the smell.
Instead of pasilla chili, try California or New Mexico chili powders. New Mexico tends to be hotter, so if you use that, you may want to cut the cayenne.
Inexpensive paprika may have no flavor at all. Go with good Hungarian stuff.
Be careful about increasing either the cinanamon, ginger or the cloves. Any of them can easily become too dominant. To me, the most interesting thing is when you can’t quite identify the ingredients.
Red Chicken Curry
• Ingredients (all amounts approximate - serves 2–if they are me and my granddaughter)
(Actually, all ingredients are negotiable.)
1 small yellow onion, 1/2" dice
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper,
1 small mango
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup boiled chicken in 3/4" chunks
1 to 2 Tbsp peanut oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup port wine
1/8 cup dark rum
2 Tbsp Marukan rice wine vinegar
2 tsp red curry powder (or more) (see previous recipe)
salt
cooked rice
• Procedures
Peel peppers, seed, vein, and cut into 1/2" to 3/4" dice.
Peel and slice mango, being careful not to get too close to the seed where the flesh is stringy. Cut into 1/2" to 3/4" dice.
Place medium non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Add oil. From this point on, stir pretty constantly. Add curry powder and stir well into the hot oil. This brings out the flavors in the spices.
Immediately add onion and red & yellow bell pepper. As soon as the onions start to turn translucent, add the garlic and continue stirring for about a minute.
Add rum, port, water, and vinegar. Add the mango and the chicken. Cook until liquids thicken and no longer run. There should be enough juice left to slightly moisten the rice.
Salt to taste at the last minute. Adding salt before the liquid has reduced can fool you into over-salting.
Serve with boiled white or brown rice. I suppose basmati would be the way to go.
• Substitutions and additions
Roast chicken works well, or even raw–as long as you’re careful about getting it well-done.
Mango must be completely ripe. If mango is not available, Bosch pear and Granny Smith apple both work well. In that case, the addition a couple of tsps of mango chutney, such as Major Grey’s, is also nice (but see my recipe, below). The chutneys tend to be salty, so you may not need any other salt.
Other fresh peppers may be added or substituted. I have used as many as seven different kinds in one dish, including green, red, and yellow bell peppers; green, red, and white jalapeños; Anaheims; serranos; and banana peppers. Peeling the peppers is not absolutely necessary, but it enhances digestibility and improves the overall texture of the dish. I use a potato peeler on them, rather than roasting them, in order to maintain a little firmness.
If the mango and port together are a bit sweet for your taste, try a dry (but not sour) wine, but nothing too obtrusive. Or, try brandy in place of both the wine and the rum.
If you start with raw chicken, you might need to add some more water or chicken stock to give the chicken more time to cook. This might overcook the vegetables, so an alternative would be to put the chicken in just before the garlic.
Other cooking oils may be substituted for peanut oil, but olive oil may detract from the spices.
Other onions work well, as do shallots.
Mango Chutney
• Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vinegar ( I use Marukan Gourmet Rice Wine Vinegar)
3 mangoes cubed
1 red bell pepper, peeled & seeded, in 3/4" pieces
2 fresh jalapeños, seeded, in 1/4" pieces
5 garlic cloves sliced extremely thin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (this is mainly for color)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne or other hot pepper powder
1/4 cup raisins
• Procedures
Dump it all into a thick-bottomed sauce pan and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes, or until the liquid starts to thicken.
This can be deceptive, because juice will keep coming out of the mango. You want something a little bit more liquid than you would have in jam.
• Substitutions
This works very well with peaches instead of mangos. I bet other fruits would work, too.
Have you found this site yet? I discovered it through a Washington Post article.
M
(no recipes handy to share here at work, alas)