Russ's Restaurant and Recipe Repository

[Smuttyandfun]

This is a family favorite. Even people who don't like beans really like this hearty soup.

PASTA FAZOOL – MACARONI AND BEAN SOUP ROMAN STYLE​

Saute:

¼ lb. (or less) of bacon; ½ cup onion, ½ cup chopped celery in 2 Tbsp of vegetable or olive oil until bacon becomes golden.

Add:

14 oz. can, or more, of diced tomatoes with liquid; 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper. Simmer 5 – 7 minutes.

Add:

5 cups chicken broth – or use cubes dissolved in water, 1 - 19 oz. can

Romano Beans. Bring to boiling point, then simmer 10 to 20 minutes.

Cook in another pot of salted boiling water:

1 - 1/3 cups of small shell pasta or other small pasta. When pasta is just tender enough to eat, drain and add to soup mixture. Add more broth if mixture is too thick, or more tomato to taste.



Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.



Serves 2 – 6 depending on whether it is served as an appetizer or main course. Except for bacon, double all ingredients for a larger batch. Great with a nice loaf of crusty bread.

 

[AloneTooLong]

Russ, here is a gluten free biscuit (Southern food) recipe from a low-carb gal, Jennifer Banz (she has a blog on the internet and also posts recipes on Facebook).

Combine:
2 1/2 c almond flour
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t Kosher salt

In a separate bowl, combine and whisk together:
4 large eggs, beaten
4 oz very soft cream cheese
1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c melted butter

Now add the dry ingredients to the 'wet' ingredients and stir well to blend.

Place portions (I used a 1/4 c measuring cup but I think the 1/3 c measure would be better as I got 16 instead of the suggested 12 biscuits). I made these today and they are really good for biscuits without wheat flour. I use the term 'biscuits' for the US Southern item, rather than what the UK might call a biscuit.

Anyhow, place individual portions on a flat pan (cookie sheet) with either a silicone sheet or parchment paper. Bake at 400 deg F for 15 min.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Apple Butter

My mother grew up in the Great Depression and nothing got wasted.

She'd make and can applesauce. She'd then boil the leftover peels and cores with a little apple juice or cider and put them in a jelly bag to drain overnight. The juice (so pink!) was used for apply jelly the next morning.

That done, she'd use whatever was left in the jelly bag (never squeeze it or it'll turn the jelly cloudy!), to make apple butter. She had a manual food mill of the sort pictured - a coarse, stiff screen with a blade pushing the apple bits through. I had her mill until recently when it broke and I had to replace it. It's not fast, but it does a good job.

Anyway, you now have a bowl of thick purée and nothing left in the mill but seeds and maybe a few stems.

Put the purée into a pot of appropriate size, keep the heat low and bring to a boil. Everything that follows is 'some' in quantity, except for brown sugar and the amount for that is 'lots'. When the pulp comes to a slow boil, add sugar, cinnamon (I prefer Saigon to Sri Lankan), nutmeg, cloves and, if you're fond of them, mace and/or allspice. Again, quantities are entirely to taste and every batch is different, but in general, 'some' is good, 'more' is better and it's hard to reach 'too much'. Go by taste, not measuring spoons.

Being careful not to allow it to burn (the sugar will cause it burn very easily), continue to boil uncovered until the purée is soft and thick, then can in the usual way with a water bath.

Marvelous on toast or muffins, works well on pork.

 

[yowser]

Garlic Salsa

3-6 dried red chiles (chipolte, casubel, colorado, guajillo, De Arbol)*
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1-2 serranos or 1 jalapeno minced (optional)
½ tsp salt
1 can diced tomatoes (or 2-3 roasted tomatoes, cored and chopped.)
chopped cilantro (optional, just a little)

In small dry sauce pan, heat the chili peppers over medium heat for a couple minutes on each side, until fragrant and just starting to expand. Add just enough water to just cover, heat for another couple minutes (don't boil) and let sit for 1-3 hours to hydrate. You may want to put a plate on them to keep them down in the water. Stem and seed (or keep the seeds for a hotter salsa), add to blender with enough soaking water to make a thin puree. Add tomatoes and pulse until chunky (does not need to be smooth.)

Saute garlic (and fresh chiles if using) for a few minutes until garlic is soft (little brown is okay), add tomato/chili blend, cilantro and salt, and warm over low heat for 10-15 minutes.

* Source: Los Chileros de Nuevo Mexico
http://www.loschileros.com/

 

[TarnishedPenny]

BUTTER TARTS
(A Canadian Tradition)

Oven 400°F

• 1 egg, well-beaten
• ½ cup each white and brown sugar
• ½ cup raisins and/or currants (more if desired)
• ¼ cup chopped pecans and/or walnuts (optional)
• 3 tbsp corn syrup
• 3 tbsp thick sour cream
• 3 tbsp melted (but not hot) butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• dough for tart shells

Roll dough, cut circles, place in tart or muffin pans
Add raisins and nuts
Mix all remaining ingredients and pour to cover raisins
Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until filling is golden
Let sit five minutes before removing from pan.

The filling mixture may be refrigerated.

 

[yowser]

Basic Bread

3c lukewarm water
2 pkgs (1 1/2 Tbsp) yeast
¼ c sweetening (optional)
4c flour (whole-wheat or mix of white and whole-wheat)

Mix well in a large ceramic bowl, end by beating rapidly with a wooden spoon for 100 strokes. Should look pretty much like thick mud.

Keep covered in a warm place ½ - 1+ hrs (I prefer longer)

1 Tbsp salt
¼ c oil
approx 3 c flour (smoother texture if all white)
flour for kneading

Add salt and oil and mix, then add flour, one cup at a time, less as the whole business gets thicker. When dough starts to come away from the bowl turn out onto floured board and knead for 10-20 minutes, adding small amounts of flour until no longer sticky but smooth and elastic. Put into oiled bowl, turn over (so top is thinly coated and won’t dry out) and cover with a towel. Keep warm for an hour or doubled in size.

Turn out onto board, shape into loaves on a floured board or put into lightly oiled pans (turn over so oiled part is on top.) Keep warm and let sit another 20 minutes or so, put into medium (350 degree F) oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, until brown on top and slips out of pans easily. If free-loaves, a little cornmeal under the kneading board/paddle helps them slide onto your baking stone or pan in the oven.

Variations: 1-2 c other flour (oats or rye are my favorites, buckwheat or cornmeal are other options.)


Adapted from the Tassajara Bread Book, Edward Espe

 

[AloneTooLong]

this thread is getting lost (found it on page 8 I think) since our most productive poster hasn't been around in some time. Therefore, I will attempt to take up the slack a little and post at least one recipe a month.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Thank you, ATL. I should add a couple of occasional finds for those who can burn water in a microwave.

Lori and Will have not been seen anywhere for months. It's a bit of a worry.

 

[AloneTooLong]

Thank you, ATL. I should add a couple of occasional finds for those who can burn water in a microwave.

Lori and Will have not been seen anywhere for months. It's a bit of a worry.

Yes, Russ it is a bit of a worry; I think maybe March or April when she last posted. Concerned about them. With the holiday season approaching it seemed like a good time to 'revive' this, especially since Tx has new members hanging around.

 

[AloneTooLong]

Fall is the time for pecans (that is pronounced Puh Con - not pee can!) and lots and lots of them are grown in my part of Texas.

Pecan pie was my Dad's favorite and he was the one that usually made it also. He used the 'original Karo' recipe and I have "stolen" that from the internet, but give Karo credit for the recipe below.

This is a pretty high calorie/carb recipe (but if you want low carb, no gluten just let me know--I have one of those recipes also).

1 cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans
1 (9-inch) unbaked OR frozen deep-dish pie crust

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place rimmed cookie sheet on the center rack in oven while preheating.
Mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla using a spoon.
Stir in pecans.
Pour filling into unbaked pie crust or frozen pie crust.
Carefully place pie on the preheated cookie sheet on the center rack of oven and bake for 60 to 70 minutes (see tips for doneness, below).

Cool for 2 hours on wire rack before serving.

RECIPE TIPS: Pie is done when center reaches 200°F. Tap center surface of pie lightly - it should spring back when done. For easy clean up, spray pie pan with cooking spray before placing pie crust in pan.

If pie crust is overbrowning, cover edges with foil.
HIGH ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENTS: Reduce sugar to 2/3 cup and increase butter to 3 tablespoons. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

VARIATION: coarsely chopped walnuts may be substituted for pecans to make a walnut pie

 

[AloneTooLong]

BACON based on a recent 'issue' here is a recipe for the easy way to cook bacon (and easy clean up also).

This works on either thick or thin bacon; I hesitate to give you temps and times because it all depends on your oven. I have a (Breville) countertop convection oven and I cook the bacon for between 12 and 24 mins (depending on if one or two pans). In addition I use between 325 and 335 deg F.

I have seen folks cook the bacon on a piece of parchment paper that was placed on a flat, low side pan. In this 'recipe', I will call it a "pan" (in my house we call it a cookie pan, large, flat, low sides).

Preheat the oven. Get your pan, place a similar size cooling (wire) rack in the pan, lay the strips of bacon on the rack (do not overlap the strips, but they can just barely touch). Place pan with bacon in the hot oven. Remove pan with bacon when it is cooked to your preference (I like my bacon crispy). To make clean up even easier, I put a silicone sheet in the bottom of the pan first.

 

[Rustyoznail]

BACON based on a recent 'issue' here is a recipe for the easy way to cook bacon (and easy clean up also).

This works on either thick or thin bacon; I hesitate to give you temps and times because it all depends on your oven. I have a (Breville) countertop convection oven and I cook the bacon for between 12 and 24 mins (depending on if one or two pans). In addition I use between 325 and 335 deg F.

I have seen folks cook the bacon on a piece of parchment paper that was placed on a flat, low side pan. In this 'recipe', I will call it a "pan" (in my house we call it a cookie pan, large, flat, low sides).

Preheat the oven. Get your pan, place a similar size cooling (wire) rack in the pan, lay the strips of bacon on the rack (do not overlap the strips, but they can just barely touch). Place pan with bacon in the hot oven. Remove pan with bacon when it is cooked to your preference (I like my bacon crispy). To make clean up even easier, I put a silicone sheet in the bottom of the pan first.

Thanks ATL

We have one of those ovens. I'll give it a try.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Speaking of countertop convection ovens/air fryers, I realise there's no basic Aussie/English scone recipe here.

=====
Basic Aussie/English scones

Recipe makes 5-6 and is suitable for cooking in a countertop convection oven/air fryer. Just scale up if you want more for a conventional oven.
A great recipe to introduce kids to the kitchen

1 cup self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
30g butter, chilled and cubed
1/2 cup of milk

Heat oven to 200C
Sift flour and salt into a large bowl
Add half the butter and rub into the flour with your fingers. Add more butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
Make a well in the centre of the mix and add half the milk. Mix with a flat-bladed knife until a soft dough forms. Add extra milk if needed.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. It should take much, and don't overwork the dough.
Press the dough out with your hand until it's about 2cm thick.
Use a 5cm pastry cutter or a glass to cut out the scone. Don't twist the cutter as the scone won't rise evenly. Reroll the scraps and cut. Anything left -
roll in the ball for the cook
Place the dough on a sheet of baking paper about 1cm apart.
Rub some milk over the tops and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.
Serve warm with jam and cream, or just with butter.

 

[yowser]

Vegetarian Chili

1 ½ c dried beans (pinto, kidney, black or chili beans, or 1 can, drained)

6 c water

Soak beans in water for several hours (6 minimum)
Bring to boil and cook until soft, 1 – 1 ½ hours, adding more water if top beans get uncovered. Drain off excess water at end.

1 onion chopped
2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped
2-3 Tbs olive oil

1-2 red or green bell or mild peppers, chopped
4 stalks celery (or carrots or equivalent vegetable)
1 16 oz. can of tomatoes, diced (I like fire-roasted smashed tomatoes)
1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

1-2 hydrated chipolte chili, seeded and chopped (canned is okay)
OR
2-4 dried chilis (colorado, cascabel, guajillo) heated in a small, dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes (turn), add water to cover, steep for 1 hr, seed, stem, blend.

Sauté onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until soft, add peppers and other vegetables and sauté until fairly well cooked, 10 minutes or so. Add tomatoes and rest of spices and cook for few minutes. Add to beans and cook all together for at least half an hour, the longer the better.

Serve over rice. Cheese lovers can shred some cheddar over the top.

 

[PersonalFavors]

BACON based on a recent 'issue' here is a recipe for the easy way to cook bacon (and easy clean up also).

This works on either thick or thin bacon; I hesitate to give you temps and times because it all depends on your oven. I have a (Breville) countertop convection oven and I cook the bacon for between 12 and 24 mins (depending on if one or two pans). In addition I use between 325 and 335 deg F.

I have seen folks cook the bacon on a piece of parchment paper that was placed on a flat, low side pan. In this 'recipe', I will call it a "pan" (in my house we call it a cookie pan, large, flat, low sides).

Preheat the oven. Get your pan, place a similar size cooling (wire) rack in the pan, lay the strips of bacon on the rack (do not overlap the strips, but they can just barely touch). Place pan with bacon in the hot oven. Remove pan with bacon when it is cooked to your preference (I like my bacon crispy). To make clean up even easier, I put a silicone sheet in the bottom of the pan first.

I gave up on bacon. There is only two of us. A slice or two is enough. Recently I discovered the ease of use of the 14" weber. Often when smoking dinner I add a slice or two of bacon. To continue on the ease of use I do thick slices and cut them in half so they are simple to move around. To make the 14" weber "even" I use a small pile of used briquettes lightly saturated with some cheap cooking oil as the starter. At "go" they are fired up with a torch one would use for sweating pipe. Add some hickory and the lid. Voila smoke and heat. The remainder of coals are new ones. Line them along the edge in a row of 2. On top put a layer of one. As you light the pile the snake along the edge burns even. Move the food as to keep it cooking at just the speed you need or desire. The extra pieces of bacon cook perfectly and are a compliment to any meal.
Bacon for breakfast takes the fun out of cooking breakfast. Ham or snapple or something goes great with eggs and requires much less effort. If there are enough people to cook a whole pound of bacon start cold. Apply the layers single and even on a rectangle iron plate. Set it on the gas grill and lite the grill. Take them off before they are done. Like while they are still brown. Any black and you went to far. Save the grease from the plate.

 

[AWhoopsieDaisy]

A Mexi-Thai noodle for my fellow broke college students:

1/2 brick style package of chicken ramen
5 shakes of adoboe seasoning
1 shake of red pepper/a drop of tabasco
1 shake of garlic powder
1 or 2 spoonfuls of peanutbutter
1/4 of a diced bell pepper (any color you'd like)
Additional vegetables to preference
Soysauce to preference (low sodium recommend)

Water boils in the microwave after 3 minutes for those without a stove!

 

[Rustyoznail]

Thanks, PF & Daisy - the peanut butter makes it look like a satay.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

The Mimosa – the perfect brunch drink

Pour 4 oz fresh-squeezed orange juice into a chilled champagne flute. Add 4 oz champagne or, in a pinch, an equivalent sparkling wine such as prosecco. Top with 1 tbsp triple sec, garnish with an orange slice. Drink with abandon.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Bump for the Cranberry Christmas cake recipe from HP.

Post #53

 

[Handley_Page]

Bump for the Christmas cake recipe.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/make-mature-christmas-cake

 

[ishtat]

Three ingredient Christmas Cake.

500g of dried mixed fruit.
300g carton of chocolate milk.
1 large cup of Self Raising Flour. (Not more than 10% protein and definitely not an American 'strong flour' (12% +)

Soak the fruit in the milk overnight. Add the flour next morning, mix well. Put into a paper lined tin and cook at 180 celsius for 40 minutes.

To avoid scorching put a piece of baking paper over the top of the tin and weigh it down to stop it blowing off (especially with a gas oven)

You can add other stuff if you want to, like spices, an egg or two, grog, but the basic cake is pretty decent.

 

[Duleigh]

Cabbage Rolls
Sauce Ingredients
2 small onions (chopped)
2 Tbls cooking oil
20 oz tomato juice
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
5 Tbls maple syrup (I use more - much more)
2 Tbls sugar
2 Tbls lemon juice
Mix all ingredients for sauce together in pan and set aside for use on stove top later.

Cabbage Roll Ingredients
1 head cabbage
2 lbs ground beef (1 kg)
1 small onion (chopped)
1 cup rice
1 egg slightly beaten
1/3 cup cold water
2 tsp salt
pinch of pepper

Procedure
Mix all ingredients except the cabbage together in a bowl and set aside. Core cabbage and split into separate leaves. Boil water and pour over cabbage leaves. Take the ingredients prepared above and place small amount into each cabbage leaf and roll up. Secure cabbage leaf with a toothpick so ingredients stay tucked inside the cabbage.

Place cabbage rolls into pan with the sauce, cover and heat over low heat on stove top for 1 hour or until cabbage is tender and rice is cooked. Serve hot.

 

[yowser]

Gujarati Spiced Cashews

2 cups raw cashew nuts
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1 teaspoon roasted ground cumin seeds powder
1/2 teaspoon mango powder

1. In a large skillet, roast the cashew nuts in oil over low to medium heat, stirring continuously, until golden brown (seven to eight minutes).

2. Transfer the cashews to a bowl and let them cool until they are warm (not room temperature, or the spices will not coat cashews).

3. Mix all the spices in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the warm cashews and toss to coat them evenly.

 

[yowser]

Cinnamon Buns

For a cold winter morning.

1 c water
2 pkgs yeast
3 Tbs sweetening
1 ½ c flour

Mix well, end by beating rapidly for 100 strokes
Keep in warm place ½ - 1 hr, until doubled.

3 Tbs butter or margarine
1 ¼ tsp salt
1 c flour
½ - ¾ c flour for kneading

5 – 10 min kneading
rise 40 minutes
Roll out onto floured board into rectangle about ¼ in thick.


¼ c butter
¾ c brown sugar
1 Tbs cinnamon
½ c raisins (opt)

Spread with ¼ c softened butter, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top, with raisins.

Roll up like a log, then form into circle (think very large bagel.) Cut into the sides radially from the outside, not all the way through and turn each circle sideways onto oiled pan. Let rise 20 min bake at 375 for 20-25 min.

 

[Alitaptap]

Easy Banana Toast

A yummy breakfast or snack when you want something a little different, or a pick-me-up. Bananas supposedly make you happier - is this true? God knows

Ingredients:
Bananas
A thick slice of bread
Butter
Cinnamon
Nutmeg (optional)
Brown sugar or Muscovado sugar (has a deeper molasses flavor if that’s your thing, but not necessary)
Your favorite plain yogurt

Preparation:
Peel and slice one or two bananas - make it as thick as your finger and not too thin so it doesn’t end up like baby food.

Directions:
Heat a pan or grill to toast your bread (do not use your toaster - using a pan will create a nice crust and soft center, so the extra effort is worth it.) Add a bit of butter to coat your pan, around a tablespoon works, and make sure your pan isn’t too hot otherwise the butter will burn, so keep the heat low. Toast your bread on both sides until you see a lovely golden brown crust. Set aside.

In the same pan, add another tablespoon of butter (it’s okay, you can live a little), and add your bananas, lightly tossing it around to sauté it. Sprinkle some brown sugar/muscovado, cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg and toss it around to combine until the sugar is slightly melted.

Taste a bit of the banana to see if it’s sweet enough for you, adjust to taste, and if all good, scoop the bananas unto your toast. Top the banana mixture with your favorite plain yogurt and enjoy!

Hope this easy dish lifts up your day