Tomato, Red Pepper, Basil and Feta Dip

Tomato, Red Pepper, Basil and Feta Dip
Makes about 4 cups
Active Time: 15 min Start to finish

I had this over the weekend at a party -- it was absolutely addictive. Could not stop eating it. Got the recipe, which I thought I'd share with you all:

2 small garlic cloves
1 (7 oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained (1 ¼ cups)
1 (8 oz) sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained (1 cup)
¼ cup drained bottled peperoncini, stemmed
½ lb crumbled feta (1 ½ cups)
1 (8 oz) cream cheese
¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Accompaniments: cucumber slices, celery sticks, pita bread

Blend garlic, roasted peppers, tomatoes, and peperocini in a food processor until finely chopped. Add cheeses, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and blend until smooth, about 1 minute.

With motor running gradually add oil and blend until incorporated. Add basil and parsley until finely chopped.

Dip can be made one day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temp before serving.

Carolyn
(7/25/03)

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Peanut Dipping Sauce for Beef Satay or Noodle Salad

Peanut Dipping Sauce for Beef Satay or Noodle Salad

This is my basic noodle sauce recipe, which was great on the beef satay.  It makes enough for a noodle salad as well as the beef.  Keeps in the fridge for about a week.

handful fresh cilantro
a 1" piece of ginger root, peeled
several cloves of garlic -- maybe 3 (in this recipe it is used raw, so don't go overboard)
1 cup natural style peanut butter,
     (do not use Skippy or Jiff or any processed brand- which are of the devil)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 to 4 tbsp chili paste with garlic
     (I like Lee Kum Kee brand, adjust depending on how spicy you like it)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp dark sesame oil
1/2  to 3/4 cup hot water, more or less

Process cilantro, ginger and garlic to make a paste.  Add PB, balsamic, brown sugar, soy sauce, chile paste, brown sugar, dark sesame oil.  Process. Pour water in -- just enough to make the sauce the consistency of thick cream.

Refrigerate until needed.  If making noodle salad, do not put on the noodles until just before serving (the pasta will otherwise absorb the sauce and the texture will be gummy and not good).

Carolyn
(7/22/03)

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Beef Satay (with peanut dipping sauce)

Beef Satay
(with peanut dipping sauce)

Approximately 1 lb London Broil (or Flank Steak), sliced thin against the grain (I partially (un)froze the pieces of meat and that made slicing it thin much easier)

Marinade: (all measurements are approximate)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce (I used 1/2 regular & 1/2 lite cause that’s what I had)
1/2 cup red wine (I omitted)
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/2 tbsp ground pepper
4 tbsp brown sugar

Add chili flakes, garlic, etc to taste.

Mix ingredients in an appropriately sized container, add beef in, turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator a minimum of 4 hours (I let mine stay for approximately 36)

Soak the skewers in water for a few minutes. Weave the slices of meat onto the skewers. Grill over medium-high heat for a few minutes each side until done.

Thanks to Sue Rabinowitz, who told me I could freely distribute this.  I could NOT stop eating these.  And yes, Kate, I know they had sugar in the marinade, but it was a picnic (and I will probably cut it back when I make it at home).

Carolyn
(7/22/03)

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Mango Salsa a la Shelley

Mango Salsa a la Shelley

5 ripe tomatoes
1 ripe mango
1 bunch cilantro
1 Serrano Chili pepper
2 to 3 cloves garlic
1/4 whole red onion
2 limes juiced
1 tsp chili powder

Chop the tomatoes and mango into small bite sized bits.  Clean out Serrano chili pepper.  Add chili pepper, garlic, cilantro, and red onion to small food processor, process till all finely chopped.

Combine tomatoes, mango and processed ingredients in a storage bowl.  Add chili powder and lime juice, stir to combine, refrigerate for a few hours to strengthen flavors.

Shelley
(7/21/03)

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Coffee Walnut Cake

Coffee Walnut Cake

4 oz soft margarine (tub kind)
4 oz caster sugar
2 large eggs
2 oz chopped walnuts
1 tbsp coffee essence (can be espresso-strength coffee)
4 oz self-raising flour
pinch salt
1 level tbsp baking powder

Filling
3 oz soft margarine
8 oz icing sugar (aka confectioners/powdered sugar)
2 tsp milk
2 tsp coffee essence
walnut halves

Grease two 7" straight-sided round cake pans and line the bases with buttered grease-proof paper.

Put the margarine and sugar, eggs, chopped walnuts and coffee essence in a bowl. Sift in the flour with the salt and baking powder. Beat these ingredients with a wooden spoon for 2 - 3 minutes or until well combined. Divide the mixture between the prepared pans, level the surface and bake in the center of a 325°F oven for 35-40 minutes, or until well-risen and spongy to the touch.

When baked, turn the cakes out on a wire rack to cool before removing the lining paper.

Meanwhile make the filling: beat the margarine along with the sifted sugar, milk and coffee essence in a bowl until smooth. Sandwich the cakes together with 2/3 of the filling, top with the remaining filling and decorate with walnut halves

(from The Cookery Year, a Readers Digest cookbook I was given in 1986 as I couldn't remember the exact details offhand.)

Enjoy.
J.
(7/13/03)

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Chopped Walnut and Coffee Cake

Chopped Walnut and Coffee Cake

by Jennifer Paterson from Two Fat Ladies
Serves 8-12
Preparation time: less than 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes to 1 hour

4 eggs
115g (4 oz) icing sugar (confectioner's/powdered)
1 tbsp fine fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp finely ground fresh coffee
1 tbsp real cocoa powder
175g (6 oz) shelled walnuts, chopped roughly

For the Icing:
115g (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
115g (4 oz) icing sugar, sifted
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp instant coffee
2 tbsp boiling water

Grease and line a cake tin, 20cm (8") in diameter and 5cm (2") high.

Separate the yolks from the egg whites. Cream the yolks and sugar together until pale yellow and hanging like ribbons from the beater. Add the breadcrumbs, ground coffee, cocoa and walnuts and mix well together. Whisk the egg whites stiffly and carefully fold into the walnut mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180C (350°F) or Gas 4 for 45 minutes. Cool in the tin, then turn out on to a rack.

Make the icing: Cream the butter with the icing sugar and egg yolk. Dissolve the instant coffee in the boiling water and mix well into the icing. Spread over the cake with a wet knife.

From Two Fat Ladies © Optomen Television and Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright 1996. Link included is no longer viable.

Posted by Linda
(7/13/03)

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Carpet Cleaner

Before you go and get a steamer, (though I'd love info on that also), try this:

Carpet Cleaner

1/2 tsp ammonia
1 tsp white vinegar
3 tbsp dish soap (I use Dawn)
3/4 cup water

Mix up and beat til frothy. Dab around on the carpet - don't soak it but get it in there. Mop up with towels and let dry.

I've used it and it works pretty well.

di
(6/22/03)

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Country Rhubarb Dessert

Country Rhubarb Dessert

Made this tonight and it was VERY good. Kind of a 'lemon bar' type concoction but with rhubarb instead of lemon.

2 cups fresh rhubarb, washed and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
3 eggs
1-1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
whipped cream
strawberries for garnish

Blend flour and softened butter until like coarse crumbs. Add confectioner's sugar. Press into buttered 9" square pan or 10" x 7" x 1/2" rectangular pan.

Bake at 350° for 15 minutes until golden.

When crust is baking, beat eggs. Add 1-1/4 cup sugar, very gradually. Beat until very light and fluffy, 5 minutes on high with electric mixer.

At low speed, add flour, baking powder, vanilla and salt. Fold in rhubarb with spatula.

Pour over baked crust. Spread evenly. Bake at 350°  for 40 minutes until light brown and top feels dry. Serve cooled, with whipped cream and strawberries.

Deanna
(6/10/03)

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East African Groundnut Soup, Tomato and Kale Soup with Barley, and Focaccia

East African Groundnut Soup, Tomato and Kale Soup with Barley, and Focaccia

Here are the recipes from yesterday's party. They are all from Moosewood's "Daily Special" book, the soup/salad/bread one. As Joe says, "Wouldn't be a Kate party without soup." The peanut soup is one of those things that's oddly addictive; it doesn't taste like much for the first few bites, but then you just can't stop eating it. The focaccia is more of a pizza-crust type than my normal recipe, and it would make killer breadsticks with a bit more flour.

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East African Groundnut Soup
3 cups chopped onion
3 celery stalks, diced (about a cup)
1 tbsp canola oil
1 green and 1 red bell pepper, diced (about 2 cups)
1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne
2 tbsp garam masala or other curry powder
1 cup raw brown rice
28-ounce can diced tomatoes
6 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup peanut butter (natural, please!)
1 to 2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
chopped fresh cilantro and scallions for garnish

In a soup pot, sauté the onions and celery in the oil for about 10 minutes on medium-high heat, until onions are soft and translucent. Add the peppers and saute for another 5 minutes. Stir in the cayenne and garam masala. Add the rice, tomatoes, water, and salt; stir well. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes until rice is tender. Whisk in the peanut butter, sugar, and lime juice. Serve with optional garnish.

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Tomato and Kale Soup with Barley
1/3 cup pearled barley
1 bay leaf
5 cups water
7 sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
1/2 cup hot water
1 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped or minced
28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 tsp minced fresh dill (1 tsp dried)
pinch of cayenne
1 tsp salt
2 cups loosely packed rinsed, stemmed, and chopped kale
ground black pepper to taste
fresh dill sprigs and crumbled feta for garnish (optional)

Combine barley, bay leaf, and water in a soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until barley is tender.

Meanwhile, place the sundried tomatoes in a small heatproof bowl, cover with the hot water, and let stand until softened, about 20 minutes. While the tomatoes soak, warm the oil in a small skillet. Add the onions and garlic, and saute for about 10 minutes until the onions are translucent. Remove from heat and put aside.

When the barley is cooked, remove bay leaf and stir in the onions/garlic, canned tomatoes, dill, cayenne, and salt. Drain the sundried tomatoes, dice them, and add the tomatoes and the soaking liquid to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Add the kale, reduce the heat, and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Season to taste with pepper. Serve with optional garnish.

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Focaccia (an interpretation of the real recipe)
1-1/4 cups warm water
3 cups white flour (I used bread flour)
scant 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil

Use a mixer or bread machine. Dump all ingredients into the bowl and mix for about a minute. The dough will be VERY wet and sticky but do not add more flour. When it has become elastic and stringy, scrape it into an oiled bowl, cover, and put aside to rise for 2 to 3 hours. The longer and slower the rise, the better the focaccia will be.

When the dough has doubled, preheat oven to 500°F.

Turn the dough out and make two rounds, breadsticks, or just a big flat plane. It was so wet and sticky that I just put it on parchment paper and smooshed it into a sort of rectangle. There was no way it was going to shape into breadsticks without more flour. If yours is drier, dip your fingertips in flour and dimple the top; I couldn't get the dimples to stay put. You can add chopped fresh rosemary or garlic, Parmesan, olive oil, and/or salt at this point (I oiled/salted mine after baking due to the wetness). Let rise for 10 minutes, then put in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until done.

Kate
(6/1/03)

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Kate's Focaccia

Kate's Focaccia

From "Moosewood's  Daily Special" book, the soup/salad/bread one. The focaccia is more of a pizza-crust type than my normal recipe, and it would make killer breadsticks with a bit more flour.

Focaccia (an interpretation of the real recipe)

1-1/4 cups warm water
3 cups white flour (I used bread flour)
scant 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil

Use a mixer or bread machine. Dump all ingredients into the bowl and mix for about a minute. The dough will be VERY wet and sticky but do not add more flour. When it has become elastic and stringy, scrape it into an oiled bowl, cover, and put aside to rise for 2 to 3 hours. The longer and slower the rise, the better the focaccia will be. When the dough has doubled, preheat oven to 500° F.

Turn the dough out and make two rounds, breadsticks, or just a big flat plane. It was so wet and sticky that I just put it on parchment paper and smooshed it into a sort of rectangle. There was no way it was going to shape into breadsticks without more flour. If yours is drier, dip your fingertips in flour and dimple the top; I couldn't get the dimples to stay put. You can add chopped fresh rosemary or garlic, Parmesan, olive oil, and/or salt at this point (I oiled/salted mine after baking due to the wetness). Let rise for 10 minutes, then put in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until done.

Kate
(6/1/03)

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