Curried Beef Puffs

Curried Beef Puffs

A favorite of my mom's and a bit of an ethnic twist! It tastes best if freshly made. Direction #5 is very important, otherwise the triangles will look pale and sickly. Also, don't roll the sheets. The puffs will not be as flaky.

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp. curry powder, or to taste (I like more)
• soy sauce or salt to taste
• Pepperidge Farm pastry sheets (2 sheets to a box. 1 box makes 18 puffs)

1. Sauté onion in oil. Add curry powder. Then add ground beef.

2. Add soy sauce or salt when beef is almost done.

3. Let cool.

4. Cut pastry sheets into 9 squares. Fill each square with curried beef. Fold the square into a triangle.

5. Put triangles on pan and brush the top of each with a beaten egg (to give it a nice yellow color).

6. Bake at 400º F for 30 minutes.

7. Serve immediately.

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"Kitchen Sink" Meatloaf

"Kitchen Sink" Meatloaf

• 2 pounds good lean ground beef
• 1 large onion chopped fine
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1 cup tomato juice (I use the juice from the canned tomatoes that go on top streched with wine if I need more liquid)
• 3 - 5 tbsp. (or more) red chile powder. (The kind I use is just chile, no added cumin or garlic) Your choice of heat level.
• 2 tsp cumin
• a lot of garlic, chopped, minced crushed or whatever.
• 1 cup thawed frozen corn kernels
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted peeled red or green chile (or bell pepper if you can't get chiles)
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes (I like the plain ones but the seasoned ones are good too)

Mix everything except the beef and canned tomatoes together in a large stainless or other non-reactive container. This mixture can be stored in the fridge for a while to blend flavors. (Do not leave it to sit out for more than a few minutes because of the eggs.)

Prepare your baking pan by lightly oiling it with a little olive oil. Add a nice thick layer of sliced onions and then a layer of sliced potatoes.

Mix the ground beef into the other stuff, shape into a blob, plop in onto the layer of potatoes, cover it with a layer of canned diced tomatoes, and bake for about 1-1/2 hours at 350° F. I generally use a meat thermometer and call it done at 170° F internal temp.

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Corn Crackers

Corn Crackers
from Laurel's Bread Book

1 cup cornmeal (fine grind, NOT stone ground)

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or white, but definitely pastry flour)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. chili powder (I use more like a teaspoon)

2 tbsp. grated cheddar cheese (we like more, and very finely grated sharp)

2 tbsp. oil

1/2 cup buttermilk (I use yogurt or sour cream + milk)

(I used to add minced fresh hot peppers too.)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix dry ingredients and cheese.
3. Add oil and milk and mix to form a soft, moist dough.
4. She gives all sorts of blather about rolling them out using waxed paper. I just sprayed Pam on the cookie sheet and rolled. Make the stuff as t-h-i-n as you can, 2 mm would be good. 1/8" is way too thick. Test in the center as well as at the edges. After rolling, score with a knife. I prick mine with a fork just for looks (they don't bubble).
5. Bake 5-10 minutes being very careful not to burn them. I remove the done crackers from around the edge and let the central ones cook longer.

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Spiced Coffee (not really a recipe)

Spiced Coffee (not really a recipe)
Gramercy Tavern served this at a couple of meals. My assistant really liked it so I started bringing it
in to work for him.

Ethiopian Yrgacheffe (?)

1-2 cinnamon sticks
5-8 cardamom pods

Add spices to your pot of coffee. I have best results with a coffee press, but simply putting the whole spices in the carafe of a drip coffeemaker and letting them infuse into the hot coffee should work too.

MoPQQQ

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Spiced Tea (Chai Masala)

Spiced Tea (Chai Masala)
Serves 2

Known as chai masala in India, this beverage has as many versions as there are teapots. Use a rich, full-bodied tea to match the strength of the spices. Adjust the proportions or the spice mixture to suit yourself.

2-1/2 cups cold water
4 slices of fresh ginger root, about 1/4"-thick and the size of a quarter
3 orange slices, about 1/2"-thick
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. whole cloves
1/4 tsp. whole black peppercorns
2 teabags (black, green, or mint tea work well)
honey or sugar to taste

Combine the cold water, ginger root, orange slices, fennel seeds, cloves, and peppercorns in the saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10-12 minutes.

Pour through a strainer into 2 cups and add the teabag of your choice to each cup. Steep for 1-3 minutes and add honey or sugar to taste.

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Spiced Tea

Spiced Tea
serves 4

4 cups water
1 (3") cinnamon stick
1" piece fresh ginger root, cut into 4 slices
10 cardamom pods (or 1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds)
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. whole coriander seeds
3 teabags of black tea
1 cup milk
honey or other sweetener to taste

Bring the water and spices to a boil in the saucepan. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add teabags and milk and simmer for an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove the teabags, sweeten to taste, and serve, pouring the tea through a strainer to catch any loose spices.

This tea gets stronger the longer it sits, so if you want a stronger spice flavor, let it sit for a
while and then reheat. Add more teabags if you desire a stronger black tea taste.

The recipe come from a Moosewood cookbook.

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Indian Cinnamon Tea (Masala Chah)

Indian Cinnamon Tea (Masala Chah)
4 (6-oz.) servings

A tea from Darjeeling with a gentle bouquet. To truly enjoy, omit milk or sugar, which can mask the flavor.

3-3/4 cups water
3" piece of cinnamon stick, broken into small bits
3" piece fresh lemon peel (about 1/2"-wide)
4 heaping tsp. leaf tea or 4 tea bags (orange pekoe)
milk and sugar if desired

1. Bring water to a boil in a pan. Add cinnamon, stir, and turn off heat. Let cinnamon soak in the water for 2 minutes.

2. Bring water with cinnamon to a boil again. Add lemon peel and tea and turn off heat. Let tea brew, covered, for 3 minutes. Strain the tea into a pot and serve. Add milk or sugar if desired.

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Cardamom Tea (Ilaichi Chah)

Cardamom Tea (Ilaichi Chah)
Serves 8

This tea is mellow than masala tea. It is flavored only with pods of green cardamom, which lend a tasty sweetness.

6 cups cold water
12 green cardamom pods
6 heaping tsp. leaf tea or 9 tea bags (orange pekoe)
1 (1" by 1/2") piece of lemon, lime, or orange peel
Scalded milk and sugar, to be served on the side

1. Combine water and cardamom in a deep saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Turn of heat and let soak, covered, for 10 minutes.

2. While the cardamom is soaking, rinse the teapot with boiling water. Add the tea and the peel to the
pot.

3. Bring the cardamom water to a full boil and pour it, pods and all, into the teapot. Let the tea brew for 2-3 minutes before serving. Add milk or sugar as desired to each cup.

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Spiced Tea (Masala Chah) 2

Spiced Tea (Masala Chah) 2
8 (6-oz) servings, for 8 people

6 cups cold water
1/3 cup milk, or to taste
1 stick cinnamon, 3 inches long
6 green cardamoms
4 whole cloves
12 black peppercorns (optional)
12 tsp sugar, or to taste
6 heaping tsp leaf tea or 9 tea bags (orange pekoe)

1. Combine water and milk in a deep pan and bring to a boil. Add the spices and sugar. Stir to blend, and turn off the heat. Cover the pan and let the spices soak for at least 10 minutes.

2. Add the tea leaves or bags and bring the water to a second boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover. Check the color and taste and add more milk and sugar if desired. Strain the tea into a warm teapot and serve immediately.

This is the way that the traditional spiced tea is made. You may, however, omit the milk or sugar or both, in which case reduce the quantity of tea to 2 heaping teaspoons or 3 tea bags.

From Indian cookbooks by Julie Sahni -- Classic Indian Cooking and Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking.

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East African Chai

East African Chai
Here's another chai recipe. I have no idea where it came from; it's just written down on a scrap of paper.

2 cups water
2 cups milk
3 tsp loose tea
2 tsp sugar
2 cardamom pods
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Boil all ingredients for 5 minutes. Strain into a teapot. Serve with additional sugar and milk to taste.

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Bailey's (from Marilyn)

Bailey's (from Marilyn)

1 can of sweetened evaporated milk
1 quart of whole milk or half & half (if you use milk, throw in some cream)
couple squirts of vanilla
Hershey's chocolate syrup.....to taste
lots of good whiskey, whatever you like, I use close to a bottle of it

Shake it all together in a plastic rubbermaid thingie with the lid, add more milk if you think, but, its goooooooood.

enjoy!!
marilyn

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