The Carrot Tree- a cookbook for people that can read- by gina assem

8/11/2019 The Carrot Tree- a cookbook for people that can read- by gina assem

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The Carrot Treea cookbook for peoplewho can read

by

Gina Raye


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This is for

Amaniwho used to hate to cook (I hate to cook),

then was unable to cook (I cant cook),and now doesnt know how to cook (I dont know how to cook)!

We call this progress.Pretty soon shell invite you over for dinner...

in spite of herself!


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Introducing a traditional yet nonetheless unique perspective on homecookingwith an Apologia to Those On Restricted Diets... Ye p !


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I started cooking when I was 9 years old, regular cooking. Thats when my mom and dad divorced and my mother told us sheneeded help to get everything done around the house. When I look back and think on it now, it doesnt make any sense atall. My dad never helped with the cooking except when we barbequed. My sister, Paula, and I would nd a note from Mom

when we came home from school.

Dear Monsters- Take the roast out of the fridge when you get home. Turn the oven on to 350 and put the roast in at 3:30. Add

potatoes and carrots at 5:00. Call me when you get home. Love, M.P.

Mom remarried. She married a Danish guy named Frithiof (pronounced Frichoff). He took us deer hunting, quail, and dovehunting. He taught us to shoot rattlesnakes and how to make bread. We used to spend our Saturday afternoons (aftermowing the back yard, nishing the laundry and making the weekly trip to the market) at the kitchen table kneading breaddough and inventing startling new things to do with dough scraps. He also taught us how to build a proper re in the grill andto eat our steaks medium, or you dont get any. We learned what happens when you open a pressure cooker before itscool Instantaneous Mess, and when opening a champagne bottle, to aim it away from light xtures,and we learned all thewords to Oh Danny Boy.

We visited our dad every other weekend. He made us scrambled eggs for breakfast. He made great scrambled eggs. Ididnt used to like eggs much. He added a couple of drops of Worcestershire sauce, some Tabasco, and onion and greenpepper. They didnt taste so egg-y that way. My dad prohibited ketchup on the table unless we were having hamburgersand hotdogs and French fries. He also didnt let us order spaghetti in a restaurant until we had mastered the art of twirling iton our fork. This was a pain because we used to go out to eat at Montis La Casa Vieja and the only good kid food there wasspaghetti and meatballs, and since Mom didnt make meatballs, they were a Real Treat, so we learned to twirl our spaghettiearly.

We had to eat everything on our plates. Paula got herself tied to her chair with the kitchen towel for almost three hours onetime when she wouldnt eat something. Dad nally let her go to bed at nine, but she ate whatever it was for breakfast. I hadto eat cold oatmeal for dinner once when I didnt nish it for breakfast. I just ate everything on my plate after that. The sisterafter us, Mary Liz, vomited up French style green beans all over our table at Miners Camp restaurant when Dad made her eatthem even though she said shed throw up. He didnt know that we had been suborning his wishes by distracting his attentionwhenever Mary wanted to get rid of some green beans. She just scraped them off the edge of her plate on the side awayfrom Dads view and then pressed them up in under the edge of the plate. Ingenious solution, we cleared the table.


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In summers, Paula and I would go to stay with the grandparents in Texas. Both my grandmothers had truck gardens (thats avegetable garden big enough you have to haul the produce away in a truck) . I remember afternoons sitting in the shade onthe back porch of my Nenaw Wilsfords house with a bushel basket of fresh black-eyed peas between us, me, Paula, Mom,

Nenaw, our Aunt Martha, and Morri, our cousin, snapping peas, and us listening to stories that always started, Wayel, backthen, gals, we dint have

On my dads parents farm, we had all kinds of fresh vegetables and fruit, and we had fresh chickens and cat sh and wide-mouth bass and bony perch, and sometimes some squirrel meat or frog legs, if Uncle Butch had brought any home. Mygrandfather smoked hams every year and then there was beef, beef and more beef. Beef and cotton were Papas cashcrops. After her kids all got married, my grandmother started helping her friend Alene who owned the Dairy Mart next to thegas station out on State Highway 77. Nenaw later bought the place. I oated through my childhood summers on the creamyfoam of Dr. Pepper Frosteds and strawberry malts, root beer oats, hot fudge sundaes, banana splits, just-fried fresh peachpies with ice cream! Our grandmother let us eat as much ice cream as we wanted. Im not kidding. It was great. I love icecream.

Miz Speer (Thats my grandma!) became famous for 100 miles around for her chicken-fried steak. The engineers on the MKTrailroad stopped the train there at the Italy water tower and had their lunch at Miz Speers every day. People came downfrom Fort Worth and up from Waco for her chicken-fried steak and steak ngers in-a-basket. She also served up good burgers,properly moist and messy. And fried chicken (served with mashed potatoes and cream gravy) . A succession of coloredwomen helped her in the kitchen, peeling the potatoes and cutting up the fryers, starting with Mary, the oldest, and going ondown through her sisters, daughters, and grand-daughters.

Mary and her family lived in a big corrugated tin house. We went there once when it rained and you had to sit on the porch itwas so loud inside. Course its nicest to sit on the porch when it rains. Nenaw nally had to close the Dairy Mart after Interstate35E came through and they built a real Dairy Queen at the Italy exit. The train had eventually stopped coming through everyday, too.

Couple-a-three times a summer wed go out to my great-aunt Jesses farm on Waxahachie Lake for a pre-family reunionsupper. Thered be maybe 30 of us all together, all cousins or kissin' cousins. Paula didnt much like to go because Aunt Jessealways had dirt dobbers (a kind of wasp) ying around in her house, then after sundown the boy cousins would chase us girlsand put June bugs down our backs. At least they didnt squash them. When it was near time to eat, Uncle Henry (That olHenry, hell argue with a fence post, wontcha Henry? Hell, I will!) would have a wash pot of water boiling on a re in theyard. Hed send us kids into the corn eld to pick a couple of bushels. Then wed shuck the corn, clean all the silks off real


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well and throw it in the water. Seven minutes. Barbecued chicken and ribs, fresh corn on the cob dripping with butter,potato salad. And watermelon and all the aunts special recipe pies and cakes and different kinds of home-made icecreams for dessert. We took turns turning the crank on the ice cream makers.

So I began to learn to cook from the women in my family. I didnt expand my repertoire until I moved to Egypt in 1983. I stillhad a hankering for the same kinds of food, but the ingredients, methods and style of cooking are different, so I improvisedand began to learn new dishes, rst, from my mother-in-laws cook, Mohamed Aly.

Mohamed Aly has been in kitchen service since he was 8 years old and started out in a Big Houses Osmanli kitchen. Hecan do some pretty sophisticated stuff, along with your run-of-the-mill saneya batatas. I kept out of Mohameds kitchenuntil I was pregnant with Noora, when my loathing for warm milk with bits of skin in it overcame my fear of stepping on histoes. I spoke a little Arabic when I came to Egypt, but acquired much more, some of it questionable, thanks to numberlessincursions into Mohameds domain.

Noora was born in 1984, and started eating food at the beginning of 85: Rice Galactina with pured peaches and a pinchof cinnamon. I started experimenting with the things I remembered from my childhood about then. We had moved downto Hurghada and there was NO FOOD, at least nothing like in Cairos beautifully stocked markets. There was lovely sun-raisedcoarse shamsy bread and there was sh. Rice or pasta. Tahina. Olives. Boxed white cheese. The vegetable truck cameonce a week and the vegetables were cooked by the time it reached Hurghada. Only summer fruits. Noora drew the carrottree in Hurghada, and I was thoroughly staggered by that glimpse of how environment shapes perception. Dont you havea red crayon, Noora? Yes, Mommy. Then why did you make the apples orange? Those arent apples, Mommy! Thoseare carrots! I drew a picture for her of how carrots grow. She wasnt quite convinced. She carefully drew a little rabbit sittingon its back legs on the ground beneath the tree. Then why do bunnies jump so high?


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I met Nihad Sursock awhile after Nooras dad found better things to do than drive me crazy. Nicha and I took the managementcontract on a formerly popular restaurant in Zamalek and brought it back to life. A lot of our luck was just plain timing: outsidethe hotels, there wasnt much of anywhere nice, semi-cultured, semi-hip, and NOT TOO LOUD! to go out for an evening in

Cairo.Nicha likes airplane food. Dont get me wrong. He was a good cook before we met, but a dif dent eater. At Il Capo, webegan to explore the World of Cuisine. The owner, Emad Osman, Allah yarhamu, had a fantastic library of cookbooks. I readthem all. Over and over. And bought all the cooking magazines I could nd. One time at a CAC garage sale, I found 10 yearsworth of Gourmet magazines. We cooked some really good food at Il Capo. Many thanks to Chef Said, Chef Michel, andAmu Dahi who remained cheerful and willing though the cumin was locked up and alien edibles over owed the counters.

After the success of Il Capo, we took over restaurant after restaurant after restaurant. Yep, like that. Nichas still taking overrestaurants. After luck, comes know-how and talent... and demagh .

Holidays with Nicha were centered on food. We ate lots of nice stuff. Belgian and Dutch stuff, Italian and French stuff, Turkishand Greek stuff and we didnt get fat.

Summers in Split on the Dalmatian coast with Cici, Nichas mum, are still the highspot of my food-consuming life.

Food! Glorious S u m m e r Food! F R E S H L A N G O U S T I N E S !! (Still twitching their whiskers!) Rougets, mackerel, grouper,eel, squid, REALLY BIG OCTOPII! Salted sardines.

Did you ever eat REAL salted sardines? Fished out from the bottom of a barrel by a mustachio-ed shwife? With a slice of rawonion on a heel of coarse bread drizzled with strong olive oil? Washed down with a slug of summery white wine, crisp anddry?

Figs, grapes, peaches, plums, lettuce-ES, rosemary and basil, all different kinds of squashes and eggplants and radishes andcarrots. The farmers like to experiment. YES! Lavender honey. Austrian-style pastries. Great coffee. Dalmatia is a lovely placeto eat.

And your house can be, too.


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Preparing your Kitchen


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Non-perishablesall-purpose oursugar ricedried beans, peas or lentilsspaghettiother pastavegetable shortening or ghee (samna nabati or samna

beladi)hot pepper sauce, such as TabascoWorcestershire saucehoneymolasses (asl iswid)raisinswalnuts or pecansoil, saf ower or sun owerolive oil, the best you can afford

vinegars, white and wine*tomato pastecanned tomatoescanned tunatahinavanilla extract or vanilla sugar

allspice, ground or berriesbay leaves (wara' lowra)caraway seeds (bizoor karawya)cardamom pods (habahan)cayenne pepper (shatta)nutmeg, whole (goz e-teeb)oregano (zaatar)paprika, mild or hot ( l l ahmar amrikani)

sage (salvia)tarragon, if you like itthyme (zaatar lubnani)turmeric (korkum)celery seeds (bizoor karafs)cinnamon, ground and stick ('erfa)cloves, whole ('arunfel)coriander seeds (kosbara hassa)cumin seeds (bizoor kamoun)

dill seeds (bizoor shabat)ginger, ground, or fresh (ganzabeel)mustard seeds, any color (kherdl)chili powder or dried chilesa rosemary plant, or 2 or 3 depends on how much you likerosemary (zanzabeel) .

Food Stuffs Sometimes you have to cook something with what you have on hand, either for yourself or for un/ expectedly hungry guests. Its nice to have particular things on hand so youre not stuck ordering take-away every time.

* Buy a bottle of cheap red wine and leave it open for a few days in a warm place, if it doesn't go to vinegar, add atablespoon of regular vinegar to it, re-cork and begin using 2-3 days later.


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Grinding SpicesBuy small quantities of spices as they lose avor overtime. I buy mine from Hassan, a wholesaler in Suk alZeit in Khan al Khalili. He has everything or can getit immediately, like mustard seeds are dif cult to ndanywhere else. He also has dried horny toads andother even more obscure aphrodisiacs.

To grind cumin and coriander seeds and allspiceberries and cloves, dry fry them in a small pan untilthey give off a great smell, then grind them hot in

the grinder attachment of your blender (or poundthem in the mortar) . These spices are much betterprepared yourself. The already ground ones from thesupermarket arent usually toasted. They dont havethe pungency they should. You can buy a specialgrater for the nutmeg, but the smallest option on agood grater works just ne.

PerishablesThese are things that are pretty important to havearound, but if you dont intend to eat them within 3 or4 days, freeze the dairy products. The cheeses will be alittle grainy, but they taste ne. Fresh vegetables canbe washed then soaked for 20 minutes in a tub of waterwith a pinch of potassium permanganate. You can buythe crystals or solution at any good pharmacy. Dry themthoroughly and theyll keep a long time in the fridge.

Garlic

OnionsPotatoesTomatoesKey limes or lemonsCured black or calamata olivesParmesan or romano cheeseMozzarella or other mild cheeseRoquefort or goat cheeseGruyre or emmental cheese

Edam, gouda or cheddarEggsMilk YoghurtButter CreamSour creamBreads


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*Limoon adalia (Italia?) are the big yellow lemons. When the recipe callsfor lemons or lemon juice, I mean key limes. It will be speci ed if the recipe

requires limoon adalia.


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Breakfast (or Supper!)


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Tea and CoffeeTeaWe hope you can boil water. Boil some water (youmight want to measure it, use the same cup you willdrink from) . Meanwhile put the teapot in the sink andrun it full of hot water. Let it stand until the water boils.Dump the water out of the tea pot and put in one spoonof tea (or one teabag) for every cup, and another onefor the pot. Pour boiling water over tea and put thecover on the pot. Let sit (we call it steeping) 3 minutesor so.

Coffee If you like coffee, you probably know how to makeit, so these directions are for people who dontdrink coffee, but have to make it for someone elsesometimes, perhaps an overnight guest. I recommendeither Turkish coffee (very quick and easy) or lespresso(smells great, is easy, and impresses your overnightguest) . Both require special purchases: a kanaka forTurkish coffee, buy the one cup size; an espresso makerfor lespresso; and both coffees are served in those littlecups that we call demitasses.

Turkish Coffee: Put one heaping spoonful of Turkish grindcoffee into the kanaka . Add sugar according to yourwishes: spoon, ala riha , 1 spoon, mazboot , 2 spoons,

ziyada . Add cold water up to the ridge near the rim ofthe kanaka . Leave the spoon in and put the kanakaonto a low re. Stir it around until the coffee and sugarare all mixed in, by that time the water will be warmingup quickly. STOP STIRRING. Leave the kanaka on the reand watch it. As the coffee heats, the level will begin torise slowly. When it reaches near to over owing, takethe kanaka off the re and tap the bottom of it againstthe stovetop. Let the surface settle. Then put it backon the re and do it again. Then again. It should cometo a boil 3 times. Swirl the coffee around carefully in thekanaka then pour into a demitasse. Serve with a glassof cold water.

Lespresso: Fill the bottom of the maker with coldwater. Fill the lter cup with espresso grind coffee. Putthe lter cup in the bottom half and screw the top halfon, making sure the rubber seal ring is seated and nocoffee grounds are on it so that it seals properly. Put iton a medium re. If you like, heat some milk, carefulit doesnt make a skin. The espresso pot will makesome noise when it is espressing the coffee. When itstops making noise, open the lid carefully, has it lled?Should have. Serve black in demitasse cups or in mugswith hot milk and sugar Cuban style.

USE REALLY GOOD WATER TO MAKE COFFEE AND TEA


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SmoothiesA smoothie is a fruit-based blender drink. Its a cool,quick summer breakfast or a pick-me-up any time ofday. You can use any kind of fruit. This recipe is fromSunshine, a snack stand at 9th Street Beach in SouthLaguna Beach, California.

1 cup chopped fruit1 tablespoon FULL of honey1/2 banana

1 cup fruit juice (apple or orange; apple withdelicately avored fruit, orange with other)1 cup crushed ice

Just blend together in the blender. You can add aspoonful of protein powder, or some soy bean basedbaby milk powder, or a raw egg to beef it up a bit. Oruse yoghurt or milk instead of juice in the recipe.


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French ToastBeat two eggs with a little milk in a dish big enough that bread slices will t into. Salt lightly. You can add a pinchof vanilla sugar. Take some slices (3 or 4) of your favorite bread, slightly stale is better. Put them one at a time inthe egg mixture. First one side, then the other; let them soak it up a bit. Heat a little butter in a frying pan. Whenit is sizzling, carefully lay each egg-soaked slice of bread into the pan. Cook until edges show golden brown, turnand cook other side. Serve with butter and warm syrup or powdered sugar.

To warm syrup : when you start to make your french toast or pancakes, put the syrup bottle in a deep containerof some kind. Run hot water in over it and let it sit until youre ready for it.

Easy Fruit SyrupsPut a couple of big spoonfuls of your favorite jam in a small saucepan. Stir in enough water to thin it to syrupconsistency. Heat it gently with a little glob of butter. Its nice chunky, but you can strain it for a classier effect.Store leftovers in fridge. Use it for blintzes , which are cr pes lled with sweetened farm or ricotta cheese (justwhip in a little sugar) and then gently heated in a little butter and served with warm fruit syrup (cherry) andmaybe some sour cream (Got your attention, huh?) .


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Buttermilk PancakesThis batter you can make at night, refrigerate itcovered, then use it in the morning. Otherwise youdprobably never make pancakes. I always makebuttermilk pancakes, rather than regular milk ones,theyre tastier.

1 1/4 cups our 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt1 egg, beaten1 1/3 cups buttermilk (laban rayeb) or sour milk (1 1/3cups milk soured with 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon

juice)1 tablespoon cooking oil

Stir together dry ingredients. Stir together wet ingredients.Dump the wet on the dry. Stir until blended. If you make

the batter in a pitcher its easier to pour out into thepan.

To cook, grease a frying pan lightly: put some oil orshortening on a paper towel and wipe the inside of thepan. Put it on a medium re. Its hot enough to cookpancakes when a drop of water skitters across the pansurface. Just wet your ngers and ick a couple of dropsof water into the hot pan. The water drops should do

a little dance, not just sit there bubbling or immediatelyvaporize. Pour or spoon the pancake batter into thehot pan. If it doesnt spread out by itself, thin the batterwith a little buttermilk, milk or water. A big frying panshould hold three pancakes. It takes about 1/4 cupof batter for each normal sized pancake. Cook untiledges are dry and little bubbles appear in the topsurface. Turn and nish cooking, another minute. Servewith butter and warm syrup.

Variation: to the dry ingredients add 1/2 cup freshberries (straw, blue, black, rasp, mul-) or 1/2 cup brokenpecan or walnut pieces sauted in a little butter.

You can also make dollar pancakes-- kids love them.Theyre just small, the size of a silver dollar. Or hugeones that ll the whole pan. For huge ones, thin thebatter down a bit with more buttermilk. Be carefulturning the big ones. Its not hard, but it takes someagility. Practice with smaller ones rst-- then increasethe size gradually. Youll get good at it.


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Popovers (Yorkshire puddings)Popovers are really easy. Its eggs for breakfast withoutegg taste. Noora loves them. Serve them fresh out ofthe oven with butter and honey.

Preheat oven to 190 C/gas mark 4 plus/375 F

Grease a muf n tin WELL. Down in the corners and onthe face and everything but the bottom. Put it in thehot oven. In your blender pitcher put:

4 eggs1 cup milk 1 cup our 1/2 teaspoon salt

Press the ON button. Blend until smooth. Removemuf n tin from oven and quickly ll muf n cups 2/3full. Return to oven and bake for 35 minutes. DO NOT

OPEN THE OVEN WHILE BAKING or they wont puff uplike they should and they wont be hollow. Removefrom oven and quickly prick each popover with atoothpick to let the steam escape. Theyll hold theirshape better. Dump them into a napkin-lined basket.Serve immediately with butter and honey. Put thebutter and honey down inside the hollow. Put plentyof napkins on the table. Sometimes the popovers lookbetter than other times, higher and puf er and crispier

...but even if theyre lop-sided, they still taste good.

The traditional Yorkshire pudding is baked in a panplaced on the oven rack underneath a somewhatfatty roast on a rotisserie. Put the empty baking dishunder the roast and let the fat drip into it as the raostcooks. 45 minutes from nishing time, remove the hotdish and quickly pour the egg mixture into it. Put itback in the oven and continue cooking until done.


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Huevos rancherosServe these the morning after youve cooked Mexican,that way youve got everything pretty much ready.You need soft corn tortillas and refried beans for a realhuevos rancheros breakfast. The salsa ranchera youcan make quickly (see index for recipes) .

Make the salsa ranchera. Heat the refried beans.Heat a little oil in a small pan and heat the tortillas in it,dont fry them crisp, just heat them up. Put two tortillas

on each plate. Fry your eggs in butter. Traditionally,sunny-side-up, but any way you like them. Put one eggon each tortilla and cover with salsa ranchera. Heapsome beans on the side. Really nice with a cold beerand a basket of hot our tortillas to mop up the sauceand beans.

TortillaNot to be confused with tortillas. This one is a Spanishegg thing, the others are Mexican bread things.

Beat some eggs (1 or 2 per person) up with salt andpepper and milk and herbs if you want.

Heat some butter in a frying pan. Saut some onion,maybe some zucchini, and/or mushrooms, tomatoes,ham, bacon, sausage. Throw in some chunks of pre-

cooked potato, maybe some other leftover veg.Anything will do. Saut until all the veg is cooked orwarmed up properly. Add a little oil or a tablespoon ofbutter and let it melt. Lower re and pour egg mixtureover vegetables. Add some cheese cubes now if youwant. Cover and cook over very low re until done.Cut and serve with nice bread, some olives, a smallsalad or some salsa fresca.


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Breads


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Corn BreadPreheat oven to 230 C/gas mark6/450 FMakes 1, serves up to 8

This is our family recipe. It came off the back of anAunt Jemima corn meal package back in the 1950s.Normally, we melt the drippings in an iron skillet in theoven, but since you probably dont have an iron skillet(or any bacon grease) , just put the oil or shortening in

a heavy layer cake tin or square cake pan and heat itin the oven. Leave it in the hot oven until youve mixedthe batter.

1 1/2 cups corn meal, yellow or white (not to beconfused with corn our or corn starch!)3 tablespoons our 1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon baking soda2 cups buttermilk (laban rayeb) or 2 cups milk souredwith a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice1 egg2 tablespoons drippings (thats bacon grease) or oil/shortening heated in the pan

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Make a wellin the center and break the egg into it and pour in thebuttermilk. Stir well with a fork. Dont beat the batter.It can be a little bit lumpy. Pour into the hot pan andbake 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with butter (and honeyfor breakfast) . Fantastic to crumble in soups, stews,beans.

You can bake the batter in a muf n tin, too. Just puta teaspoon of oil in each muf n cup and heat the tinbefore you ll the muf n cups to 2/3 full. Bake only 15minutes.

Variation(s)Toss into the dry ingredients: some cheddar cheesecubes and some chopped jalapeo peppers, somecanned sweet corn, drained, or some sliced green on-ions and some crumbled fried bacon, or some choppedsun-dried tomatoes and some basil with maybe somemozzarella cubes. Then proceed as directed above.


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Flour TortillasMakes 122 cups all purpose our 1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces(traditionally, lard is used)1 teaspoon salt in 2/3 cup warm water

Squoosh the our and shortening together in a bowl witha fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add

the salted water spoon by spoon to the our mixture,and toss with a fork until water is incorporated. Forminto a ball with your hands and knead it on a lightlyoured surface for 2 to 3 minutes or until it is smooth.Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Form into balls andlet stand covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchentowel for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Heat a griddle, sturdy baking sheet or, failing those, alarge frying pan, until a drop of water skittles across it.Sprinkle some our on the counter and roll out eachdough ball to a circle just bigger than your spreadhand. Slap onto hot griddle. Cook until it begins topuff up in places and the edges are dry. Turn, pressdown and cook another minute or so. As the tortillascome off the griddle, wrap them in a kitchen towel.


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Baking Powder BiscuitsSome tips: If your fat is not cold, the biscuits wont riseas high. Too much stirring will make the biscuits tough.When cutting the biscuits, plunge the cutter into thedough and pull it back out without twisting; if you twistthe cutter the biscuits wont rise as high. If you reallylike biscuits, you can buy a biscuit cutter. It looks like asmall tuna can with both top and bottom removed.

Preheat oven to 230 C/gas mark 6/450 F

Makes 10 to 12 biscuits

2 cups our 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt1/2 cup vegetable shortening or butter 2/3 cup milk

Stir together dry ingredients. Cut the shortening orbutter into the dry ingredients with a fork until it lookslike crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour themilk in it. Stir with a wooden spoon until the doughcomes together.

Flour your hands and sprinkle some our on the coun -ter. Take the dough out and form it into a ball. Kneadit 10 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1.5 cm thickness.

Cut into biscuits: either round, with a cutter or glass, orwhatever shape, with a knife.

Put the biscuits on a baking sheet or in a cake pan,they shouldnt be too crowded so they have room torise. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden.Serve hot with butter and jam or honey-- or be reallysouthern and fry up some sausage patties and makepan gravy to serve with the hot biscuits.


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Annettes MuffinsAnnette Baldree rst made these muf ns for me when Ivisited her in Lausanne for New Years 1987. She addedchopped canned peaches. They were memorable.

I faintly recall New Years Eve, also.

Preheat oven to 220 C/gas mark 5/425 F

Makes 12

Butter a muf n tin well.

2 eggs1 cup milk 1/4 cup butter, meltedup to 1 cup chopped goodies of your choice (optional)2 cups our 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat eggs in a small bowl and add milk and meltedbutter. Add up to 1 cup chopped fruit, nuts, raisins orwhatever combination thereof. Sift dry ingredientstogether into a larger bowl. Pour in the egg mixture andmix with a fork until just wet (dont beat the batter) . Fillcups of muf n tin 2/3 full and bake 10-15 minutes, untilgolden brown. Serve hot with butter and honey.

More nutritious variationSubstitute up to 1 cup of the our with whole wheatour, or up to cup with oats or wheat germ.


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Appetizers Well start out with things you can make in advance for company or can keep inthe fridge for yourself when you get the munchies. Do your shopping for the weekand come home and put your groceries away and MAKE something with your just-bought, fresh stuff.


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Peppercorns and Thymea 300-350 gram log of mild goat cheese, cut into fourpieces1 1/2 tablespoons mixed peppercorns, crushed, or justblack ones6 to 8 fresh thyme sprigs

virgin olive oil

Rosemary, Anise and Cayenne

a 300-350 gram log of mild goat cheese cut into fourpieces1 tablespoon anise seeds, crushed1 teaspoon cayenne akes6 to 8 fresh rosemary sprigs

the zest of one lemon (the colored part of the peel,grated)virgin olive oil

In a clean jar with a lid, pour a little oil then put in the herbs and spices, then a piece of cheese. You put thefresh herb in the bottom otherwise it will oat up out of the oil and get moldy. Pour oil in as you go to cover thecheese pieces completely. Knock the bottom of the jar against the counter to get the bubbles out from under

the cheese. (Also a cause of mold.) Marinate chilled for 1 to 3 weeks. Let come to room temperature beforeserving with a fresh, crusty bread.

Goat Cheese Marinated with...


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Three easy semi-Egyptian party dips

Foul (fava beans) with Garlic DipOpen a can of foul medames and put it to simmer.Add a pinch or two of cayenne and of cumin. Cookuntil beans are soft and water is mostly evaporated.

Mash 5 to 6 cloves of garlic with a little salt until it formsa paste. Mix the garlic paste into the foul and removefrom heat.

Mash thoroughly and taste, salt if necessary, blackpepper if you like. Its easiest to mash with the emptyfoul can itself.

Serve hot or cold with oven-dried pita.

White Cheese and Mint

Empty a box of white cheese (with its water) into a dish. Add some dried mint akes and some cayenne akesto taste. Beat until smooth.

If you use fresh white cheese youll have to add a littlemilk or water and beat it a lot longer.

Mound into a dish and serve with bread sticks.

White Cheese and TomatoesDrain the water from a box of white cheese and dumpthe cheese into a bowl.

Finely dice a rm tomato or two and, if you like, agreen pepper (a hot one?) or some black olives . Blendthoroughly into the white cheese.

Serve with dipsters.


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Prepare your vegetables. Cauli ower, broccoli, greenbeans, baby artichokes, artichoke hearts, and carrotsshould all be steamed or boiled in a little water (withhalf a lemon) until half cooked, then cooled in runningcold water. Mushrooms, red onions, greens, tomatoesand cucumbers should just be cleaned and cut intobite-sized pieces. Peppers can be marinated raw, butthey are much better roasted and peeled. Eggplanthas to be cooked (see below) .

Marinade enough for 1 kilo vegetables

Shake together in a jar with a lid:

1 cup olive oil3/4 cup wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon saltfreshly ground black pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried herb; choiceof rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil, marjoram

Arrange your selected veg in a glass rectangular dish, ortoss together same textures in a glass bowl. Cover with themarinade and chill several hours. Theyll keep a week ormore covered with the marinade refrigerated. Good forhors doeuvres, on sandwiches or salads, or make a meal

with some good bread and a piece of feta cheese.

To roast peppers: wipe nice, rm peppers with a dampcloth. Place them on a baking sheet in an orderlymanner. Turn on the broiler (thats the re in the ceilingof the oven) and put the baking sheet on the ovenrack. The peppers should be about a hands widthfrom the ames. If they roast too slowly theyll cook tomush. Pay attention. The skin of the peppers will begin

to blacken and blister. When one side is done, takethe baking sheet out and turn the peppers and roastthe other sides. It wont take as long as the rst side.Get a plastic bag big enough to hold them all. Whenthey are almost completely black all over, removethem from the oven and put them in the plastic bagand close it. Let it sit about ten minutes. Their sweatingloosens the now-burned skin from the esh. Removethe peppers one by one, closing the bag each time,and hold under cool running water, peeling the skinoff with the water. Slice, remove seed core, then dowhatever the recipe you need them for says. If youonly need one, stick a fork in the stem end and roastthe pepper over the open ame on the stove top.

Eggplant: Slice, brush with oil. Place on a baking sheetand broil, rst one side, then the other, 5 minutes each.Cool and marinate.

Marinated Vegetables (also for veggie kebabs)


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Garlic DipMakes about 2 cups

1 250 gram carton creamed cottage cheese,drained, (gibna arish)1 small carton yoghurt4 or more large cloves garlicsaltwhite pepper 1 tablespoon fresh dill, snipped (optional)

Dump the cottage cheese and yoghurt in a bowl. Putthe garlic and a good sprinkle of salt in a mortar andgrind with the pestle until its creamy. Scrape into thecheese and yoghurt and add some white pepper andthe dill if you want. Beat until smooth. Taste and adjustseasonings. The garlic will get stronger on its own. Servewith chips, crackers or oven-dried pocket bread.

Onion DipThis is like the Liptons Onion Soup Mix Onion Dip, exceptbetter.

Makes about 2 cups

1 250 gram carton creamed cottage cheese, drained(gibna arish)1 small carton yoghurt or sour cream1 large onion, minced as small as you can possiblymince itbutter saltfreshly ground black pepper several drops Worcestershire sauce

Dump the cottage cheese and yoghurt or sour creamin a bowl. Fry the onion in just enough butter on a lowre, stirring often, until it is completely brown BUT NOTBURNED. Cool before adding to the cheese mixture.Add salt and pepper to taste, it should be a bitpeppery, then add the Worcestershire and beat untilsmooth. Serve the same way as the garlic dip.

To oven-dry pocket bread (Also for melba toast) : Take the racks out of the oven. Turn the oven on low. Cut open the pocketso you have two at rounds. Cut each into wedges or squares or hearts or Christmas trees. (Take some slices of thinly slicedne white bread.) Arrange them at on the oven rack. You can brush them with oil avored with garlic and sprinkle themwith salt and/or dried herbs. Put in the oven and Pay Attention. When theyre golden theyre done, though some people likethem darker. Let cool then store any old air-tight way.


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GuacamoleMakes about 2 cups

A bit of interesting trivia: the Aztecs called the avocadotree ahuaca cuahuitl: tree of testicles. Seems thefruits grow like that. In pairs, I mean.

2 very ripe avocados, peeled and cut in small chunks(set one pit aside and poke three toothpicks in theother and suspend it with its big end in a small cup ofwater, in a month youll have a baby avocado tree, in

seven years youll have avocados. In Mexico they usethe leaves, toasted and ground, as a spice, they tastea bit like anise, very good in beans.)

1 medium tomato, diced nely1 small onion, diced nely1 hot pepper, fresh or pickled, diced nely

juice of 1 lemon, at leastsalt

If you have a lot of people and only a few avocadosyou can stretch the recipe by adding sour cream,labneh or yoghurt, even a little mayonnaise, but its nolonger authentic.

Stir all the ingredients together then bury the pit in thebowl to keep the guacamole from turning black.

Serve with corn tortilla chips, fresh our tortillas, orlettuce leaves. Or on hamburgers. According to myvery good friend, Lauri Neff, you can freeze avocadopure successfully with the pit buried in it in a tightlycovered dish. Lucky woman! I never have any leftover to freeze.

Ceviche (seafood cooked inlime juice)The rst time I ate this I was sailing in the Sea of Cortez.The captain, Rod, made the ceviche with scallops hedpulled up off the bottom. It was excellent. Since thenIve had it with shrimp and with sh. The sh should beof the un-bony, rm, white- eshed variety.

Serves 4 to 6

2 cups FRESH, cleaned, raw seafoodfresh lemon juice to cover 1 recipe salsa fresca without the lemon juice (page ?)

Cut seafood up into little chunks about 1 cm eachside. Put it in a non-reactive bowl. Cover with lemon

juice and refrigerate. Give it a stir every now and then.Its done when the esh has turned white all the waythrough. It shouldnt take much more than an hour.Toss with salsa fresca. Serve with crackers or chips.


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Cheddar Cheese Balls1/2 kilo cheddar cheese (the sharper, the better) ,grated nely1/2 cup butter, softened1/4 teaspoon ground cuminseveral drops hot pepper sauceseveral drops Worcestershire sauce2 cups walnuts, nely chopped

Put everything except the walnuts into a very largebowl. Mush it all together with your hands. You haveto work it quite a bit to get a homogeneous mixture.Scrape the stuff off your hands back into the bowl.Put the bowl in the fridge for awhile, until the cheesemixture doesnt stick to your hands anymore, maybean hour. Put some chopped walnuts on a dinner plate.Roll the cheese mixture into balls the size of a walnut,and then each ball in the chopped walnuts. Arrangeon a bed of leafy greens, maybe some red lettuce, orfresh nasturtium (abu khangar) or grape vine leaves.

Goat Cheese Ballsfresh goat cheesesome milk lots of freshly ground black pepper

Mash the goat cheese up with a fork. Beat in justenough milk to moisten, so that the mixture will makeballs. Put the black pepper on a dinner plate. Roll thecheese mixture into balls the size of a large olive. Rollthe cheese balls around in the black pepper. Serve ona bed of leafy greens.


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Really Good Yoghurt(almost as good as the Greeks make)Put 1 cup powdered whole milk in a big plastic bowl.Whisk in 1 liter full cream milk at room temperature orwarmer, but not warmer than 43 C/110 F, or it will killthe little yoghurt makers. Whisk in 1 small carton yourfavorite plain live yoghurt. Cover with a clean towel orpour into individual serving size bowls and place on atray and cover with a clean towel. Let it sit undisturbedin a warm place. The cooler it is the longer it will taketo yog, but about 6 hours in a warm kitchen or in a

sunny place. It's best to warm the milk slightly duringthe winter. Refrigerate. For lesser fat yoghurt: use non-fat milk powder and skim milk. Your result will be richertasting but with less fat than store-bought yoghurt.


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Labneh and Labneh BallsMakes about 2 cups labneh or a jam jar full of labneh balls

Dump 10 cartons of yoghurt into a cloth bag made from anold sheet or pillowcase, or gather them into a large squareof cotton cloth and tie with string. Hang the bag or clothfrom something over the kitchen sink. Let it hang all day.Lots of water will drip out. Scrape the bag out into a dishand beat the stuff up with a fork. This is labneh.

You can use it instead of sour cream as a garnish for bakedpotatoes or whatever. Mostly its served drizzled with olive oiland sprinkled with fresh mint leaves, with soft warm pocketbread, for breakfast or snacks, or an appetizer, along withtahina and baba ghanouj. A typical Lebanese snack:spread a round of shami bread with labneh, sprinkle withchopped black olives, diced tomatoes, fresh mint leavesand drizzle with olive oil, roll it up.

For labneh balls, leave the bag hanging 24 hours. Giveit a little squeeze. No water should come out. ALL thewater should have drained out. Open the bag (cloth) .Does it look like soft cheese? Glump a bit together inyour hand. Will it roll into a ball? It will if ALL the wateris drained out. Put a little olive oil in the bottom of aboiling water rinsed jar with a lid. If you want to, putin a sprig of fresh rosemary and a split clove of garlic.Make a couple of balls the size of a walnut. Drop themcarefully into the jar. Cover with more olive oil. Make

more balls. Cover with more olive oil. And so on. Ivekept a jar of these 6 months in the cupboard. Theyllkeep if ALL the water has been drained out and theyare completely covered with olive oil. No air bubblesdown underneath. Of course you can refrigerate themif you want.

Use labneh balls as an appetizer, or squash them intoa pocket bread with some olive oil and choppedtomatoes and black olives and fresh mint. You canalso use them to enrich plain labneh or yoghurt. Masha couple or three in a bowl and beat in some labnehor yoghurt-- GREAT on baked potatoes.


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Now it gets more complicated. Take heart. Proceedwith con dence. You can do it.

Hold the perception.

SamosasSupposed to make 28

Samosas are Indian fried savory pastries. You can llthem with any leftovers. Just drain off any liquid andchop nely, then dry fry with some extra spicing if

necessary. If it is leftover curry you wont need to addanything, but if it is, say, leftover eggplant parmesan,youll want to spice it up with some cayenne powder orchopped chili peppers. You can make sweet samosas,too, lled with chopped nuts and raisins, bound with alittle fresh, unsalted cheese and some sugar.

Dough

1 1/2 cups our 1/2 teaspoon salt1 pinch baking powder 1 small carton plain yoghurt

Mix dry ingredients together then stir in yoghurt witha wooden spoon. The dough should form a shaggymass and come away from the sides of the bowl. Flour

your hands and put a little our out on the counter.Turn the dough out onto it and knead with the heels ofyour hands until smooth and pliable, about 8 minutes.Cover and let rest 1/2 to 1 hour. Can be sealed inplastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Basic Potato Filling

1 1/2 teaspoons black mustard seeds2 tablespoons butter seasoned with chopped mintand a drop of lemon juice2 or 3 hot green chiles, seeded and minced1 cm piece of fresh ginger, shredded6 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and diced small(or other cooked veg or mixture thereof)1 1/4 teaspoons Bengali garam masala or otherIndian dry spice blend (page ?)2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon raw sugar (1/2 teaspoon molasses)2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander or basil

Put mustard seeds in small frying pan over mediumheat. When they begin to pop, add seasoned butter,chiles, and ginger. Fry until mustard seeds all pop andturn gray. Add potatoes, garam masala, salt andsugar. Stir fry 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir infresh herb. Let cool.

So far so good. On to the next page...


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Mushrooms TrifolatiThis is an old recipe. I dont know where it came from,but Nicha has always used it in his restaurants.

Serves 2

a double handful of fresh mushrooms, cleaned andsliced5-6 cloves garlic, minced2 tablespoons fresh parsley, mincedbutter 2 or 4 slices French bread

Heat a knob of butter in a frying pan over medium heat.Put the bread in and fry it lightly on both sides. Removethe bread slices and put them on your plates. Add alittle more butter to the pan, and toss in the mushroomsand garlic. Salt and pepper lightly. Saut, stirring gently,until done, just over 5 minutes. Toss in the parsley andmix it all together. Spoon the mushrooms over the toast.Once the mushrooms have started cooking nicely, youcan add a splash of red or white wine. The liquid willmostly evaporate but the avor stays.


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Stuffed Mushroom CapsThere are lots of things to stuff mushrooms with. The bestI ever ate was at B.B. Singers in Scottsdale, Arizona. Thechef was a big black guy named George. Im prettysure hes responsible for the Chocolate Climax in thedessert section, too. Huge mushrooms are sometimesdif cult to nd, ask your vegetable seller to ask for themspecially when he orders.

4 giant-sized mushrooms per person, caps shouldmeasure at least 6 cm acrosssome oilsome crab meat, either fresh or canned (drain well)some 1000 Island dressing (page 85)some bread crumbs

Clean the mushrooms and pull out the stems. Oil thecaps lightly and save the stems for another use. Moistenthe crab meat with the 1000 Island dressing. Taste, saltand pepper if necessary, you may want to add a couple

of drops of lemon juice (depends on how shy the crabtastes) . Heap the crab mixture into the mushroom capsand place them, stuffed side UP, on a cookie sheet orshallow baking dish. Stuff them high. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and place in the oven under the broiler for 10minutes. Serve on a bed of greens. These little suckersare rich so take care that your main course is mild, justgrilled meat with green veg is perfect.


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ArtichokesWash artichokes and trim stem ends close to choke.If the thorns are developed, as they are on very largeartichokes, trim them off with scissors.

Select a pot with cover that will hold all the artichokesall crowded into it, stem ends down. They must becrowded into the pot so that they dont turn over whiletheyre cooking... so that the hearts stay down in thewater so theyll cook properly. Understand? Fill thepot 2/3 full with water and sprinkle in a little salt andsqueeze in a lemon, throw in the peel of it, too.

Crowd the artichokes into the pot stem ends down.Bring to a boil then lower heat and cover. Simmer 10-20 minutes, (depending on the size) until when you pulla leaf from low down on one it comes out easily.

Serve warm with melted butter avored with garlic andlemon, or cold with vinaigrette (page ?).


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Salads and Dressings


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Salads are good. They are easy to make and easyto eat. Especially in the summer. Since you can buyso many different greens and fresh herbs nowadays,theres no excuse for boring salads.

Sprouted seeds and pulses (bean/pea-type things) arenutritious and delicious. Lentils are my favorite. Soak 2handfuls of brown lentils overnight in water. Dump intoa sieve or small-holed colander and wet 3 times a day,setting the colander in a shallow dish and covering thelentils with a wet towel. The roots should show in twoor three days, followed closely by the rst leaves. Youcan start using them then. Store in the colander in the

fridge. Theyll grow very slowly there. Use them beforethe roots become entangled. Theyre very good justsprinkled with salt and lemon juice.

Wash your greens well and clean away any brown orwilted parts. Greens and fresh herbs will keep for daysin the fridge wrapped in a wet kitchen towel. Make abag by folding a new kitchen towel in half and sew -ing along 2 sides. Wet it and wring it out, place the

freshly washed and still somewhat wet greens inside,and store in the crisper of your fridge.

Use chilled produce to make salads or make themahead of time and refrigerate undressed. A limp saladis so disappointing.


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Tossed Green SaladOK, you take some greens and wash them well if youdidnt already. By greens I mean anything green (or

red or purple) and leafy. Lettuces, cabbages (green, red, chinese) , cresses (gargeer) , sprouts, and things likespinach and swiss chard (sel') . Try not to get too bitterof a mix, like escarole, chard and belgian endive,use one bitter green at most. Pinch the stems off ofanything that has stems (like spinach) and tear theribs out of anything that has large ribs (like swiss chardor kale or cabbage) . Tear the greens into pieces. If

you cut greens, the cut edge turns brown after awhile,even if you put lemon juice on them. Slice cabbagesin ribbons. Put them in a salad bowl and toss themtogether. Squeeze a little lemon juice over it anddribble on some olive oil. You can serve it like this. . .

Sprinkled with croutons, see page ?, and oregano orcelery seeds. Or make one of the dressings from theend of this section.

or you can build a Mixed SaladOn your base of mixed greens, sprinkle some fresh herbs.Use any and all. Its very nice when you use everythingyou can get; its also nice to use special combinations.Use basil, rosemary, celery leaves, parsley, coriander,dill, mint or whatever. Then cut some gorgeoustomatoes into chunks and clean and slice some freshmushrooms or cucumbers. Scatter over the salad. Slicean onion and separate it into rings. Put them in a pileon the salad. Salt the onion fairly heavily, and squeezea lemon or two over it. Leave it 5 minutes or so then

toss it all together gently, trying to keep the tomatoesand mushrooms (or cukes) from all ending up on thebottom of the dish. It should look great. Itll taste greatanyway. For special combinations, instead of regulartomatoes and mushrooms with rosemary and/or basil,use cherry tomatoes and broccoli orets with parsley,or thinly sliced carrots and celery with dill or coriander,or cucumbers and mint leaves.


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Greek SaladServes 4

There are probably as many Greek salads as thereare people who make them. The biggest controversyseems to be over whether or not it should have lettuce.I like it with lettuce. If you dont use lettuce, use morecucumbers. Another point: one of the best Greeksalads I ever ate had boiled beets on it. The old Greeklady at Ariston (now closed) in downtown Cairo madeit that way. Another good place (still open I imagine)

is the marina restaurant at Piraeus.

1 head romaine lettuce (optional), torn into pieces1 or more large cucumbers, sliced thinly or cut inchunks, peel if you must2 large tomatoes, cut in chunks1 large green bell pepper, cut in strips or rings1 medium onion, cut in rings250 grams feta cheese or other rm, salty white

cheese, sliced thickly or crumbled coarsely1/2 cup Greek style olives (open the can from thebottom)olive oilsaltoregano

Put all the veg together in a salad bowl and toss witha little olive oil and salt. Top with sliced or crumbledcheese and scatter with olives. Drizzle with olive oiland sprinkle with plenty of oregano (especially thecheese) . Serve with warm crusty bread. Scare up anice-cold bottle of retsina.


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Tuna SaladServes 4

This salad you can serve in a salad bowl, but it is muchnicer served in a country loaf. Buy a large, roundloaf from any good bakery. Cut it in two like a hugehamburger bun, the bottom piece slightly deeper.Scrape out some of the mie (thats the French word forthe white stuff inside breads that doesnt have a properword in English, crumb just doesnt do it, in Arabic it'slibaba) , let it dry out and use it to make bread crumbs

or croutons, or put it in the dogs dish.

Heat about a 1/4 cup olive oil with a crushed clove ofgarlic. Brush the cut faces of the bread with the avoredolive oil and place cut side up under the broiler for afew minutes, until a bit toasty. Use the bottom piece ofthe loaf for a salad bowl. Cut the top half into wedgesand serve on the side.

1 bowl mixed green salad (with fresh rosemary)2 large rm tomatoes, cut in chunks1 medium onion, cut in rings1 green or red bell pepper, cut in strips1/2 cup cured black or calamata olives2 cans fancy chunk or solid pack tuna, chilled anddrained2 hard-boiled eggs, cut in wedges (optional, page ?)

olive oil, the stronger the better juice of 1 lemon plus lemon wedges for garnish

Squeeze lemon juice over drained tuna in cans andbreak it up gently with a fork. Toss the tomatoes, onionand bell pepper lightly with the greens. Put them inthe bread bowl now if youre using one. Top with tuna,dont break it up much. Arrange the wedges of eggaround the edge of the bowl. Scatter with olives. Driz -

zle with plenty of olive oil. Garnish with lemon wedges.If you didnt make the bread bowl, serve it with warmpocket bread or a fresh baguette and more olive oil.Sop up the olive oil with the bread.


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Cheese SaladServes 4

Toss together gently in a bowl:

1 cup each of 3 kinds of cheese, julienned (cut inmatchsticks) , a swiss, a cheddar and a dutch1 red bell pepper, julienned2 green onions, sliced thinly1 large rm tomato, diced

maybe you want to put in some olives

Stir together:

juice of 1 lemon1/4 cup mayonnaise1/2 cup yoghurt1 teaspoon dijon mustard1 teaspoon prepared horseradish or a healthy shot of

Tabasco

Pour dressing over salad and toss gently. Chill. Serve ona bed of greens or stuff in sandwiches.

Spinach SaladServes 4

1 bunch fresh young spinach, washed carefully(spinach is often sandy), and drained1 red onion, cut into rings1 handful fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced2 pieces bacon (for traditional dressing) , cut into verysmall bitsOR 4 cloves garlic, minced

Put the spinach in a salad bowl and scatter themushrooms and onion rings over it. When you are readyto serve, heat a frying pan and toss in the bacon. Fryuntil crisp then pour it, with its grease, over the salad.Serve immediately with freshly ground black pepper.

Or heat some oil in a pan and fry the minced garlicuntil golden, then pour over the assembled salad.


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Waldorf SaladThis is another one of those salads that everyone does

differently. The traditional Waldorf contains equalparts of red apples (cubes sprinkled with lemon juice) ,celery (sliced) , cheese (usually semi-sharp cheddarcubes) , and some walnuts. Mix in enough mayonnaiseto coat. Its good.

Whats better is to use roquefort instead of cheddar,serve it on a bed of greens, and dress it with roquefortdressing. Pass around the pepper mill.

Insalata CapreseSlice some beautiful tomatoes. Slice some fresh

mozzarella. Pick the leaves off some clean, fresh basil.Assemble on a plate in a circle or in rows, overlappingtomato slice, mozzarella slice, basil leaf, tomato slice,mozzarella slice, basil leaf, tomato slice, mozzarellaslice, basil leaf... you get the picture. Drizzle with oliveoil. Serve with good bread.


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Egg Salad with CaviarServes 4 to 6

Linda Lambert made this for us a couple of times, andNicha was able to use the recipe at Il Capo, too. Itsdifferent and very good. Dont use real caviar. Use theGerman or Dutch black lump sch eggs. I mean, usereal caviar if you want, but its kind of a waste, seeingas how its mixed with other stuff.

4 eggs

1 small onion1 small pickle1 small spoon mustardsaltpepper mayonnaise4 green onions1 small carton sour cream1 jar (or two) black caviar

Make egg salad.

Hard boil the eggs. Put the eggs in a pan of coldwater and put it on a medium re. Bring it to a boilthen lower the heat to a simmer. When it startsboiling, start timing. Small eggs 10 minutes, largeor extra large 15 minutes. Remove the pan from

the heat and pour the water down the sink. Set thepan in the sink and let the cold water run over theeggs a couple of minutes. Leave the pan full of coldwater and leave the eggs to cool in it. Theyll peelmuch easier if theyre properly cooled. Meanwhilenely dice a small onion and a small pickle. Putthem in a bowl. Peel the eggs and chop themnely. Put them in the bowl, too. Add some salt and

pepper and a small spoon of mustard. Stir in enoughmayonnaise to bind the mixture together. Set aside.

Finely slice the green part of 4 green onions. Open acarton of sour cream and whip it up with a fork. Openthe caviar.

Assemble the dish. In the bottom of a serving bowl, putthe egg salad. Spread the surface out evenly. Now

spread the caviar over the egg salad. Then carefullyspread a layer of sour cream about 1 cm thick over thecaviar. Sprinkle with green onions. Serve with melbatoast (see page ?) or rye crisps, a little dish of lemonwedges on the side.


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Potato Salad with VariationsPotato salad is like Greek salad in that there are as many

of them as there are cooks. Use 1 medium potato perperson. This is the version my mother makes. I like it thebest.

some potatoes, boiled, peeled and cut into chunks1/3 as much celery, sliced1/4 as much onion, dicedditto amount pickles, diced (dill or sweet)mayonnaise, enough to bind

mustard to tastesaltwhite pepper

Mix the ingredients all together in a big bowl. Chill. Eatit with barbecued chicken.

The Potato Salad Doris Made One Time

some potatoes, boiled, not peeled, cut into chunks,WARM1/3 as much broccoli orets, rawsame amount onion, dicedlemon juicemayonnaise, enough to bindsaltfreshly ground black pepper

Stir it up all together in a bowl and serve warm. I dontremember what we ate with it. Maybe octopus.

Nichas Dalmatian Variation

some potatoes, boiled, peeled and cut into chunks1/4 as much onion, cut into thin sliverscelery leaves, mincedcornichons (baby dill pickles), dicedlemon juiceoil to coat potatoesdijon style mustard, he likes to use a lotsaltwhite pepper capers to sprinkle on the top

Stir it all up together in a bowl and chill. Eat it withgrilled sh.


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In a small, deep bowl mix together 2 tablespoons

dijon mustard and 2 tablespoons vinegar (red winepreferred) . Whisking constantly with a fork, slowlyadd 1/2 cup olive oil, until the vinaigrette is thick andcreamy. Lots of people add a pinch of sugar.

Variations1) Add 1 teaspoon minced fresh herb, such as basil,rosemary, thyme, dill, parsley2) Add a clove of garlic, well crushed, a pinch of

oregano and 1 teaspoon grated parmesan

Crumble a piece of roquefort or DanaBlu and puthalf in a bowl. Set it aside. Put the rest in your blenderpitcher. Cover with light cream and pure. If its toothick, add a little milk. Pour the blended cheese overthe crumbled cheese and mix well. Grind some blackpepper into it. Serve over green or mixed salad or theWaldorf.

Basic Vinaigrette with Variations

Roquefort (Blue Cheese) Dressing

1000 Island Dressing (page 85)


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Stocks, Soups and Stews


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StocksA good soup has a good base. You can use plain

water or water with a bouillon cube, but homemadestock is best. Your soups will be more satisfying, andmore nutritious, too.

Use vegetable trimmings and/or bones or chicken/turkey carcasses (thats the bird after you eat themeat off of her) . As you acquire them, bag up andfreeze potato peels, apple peels and cores, lettuceleaves, tomato cores, just about anything; be sure youwash them properly. Careful about using too muchcabbage family unless you want real cabbage avor,same goes for celery, and dont use carrot peels oreggplant, theyll make the stock bitter. Red onion skinswill darken it.

Just boil the stuff up, skimming off any scum that forms,season and strain. If you have a lot or if the avor is alittle weak, reduce it by half or more (boil it for awhile) ,let it cool (if youve used bones or apple cores andpeel youll have a jelly when it cools) and freeze it inice cube trays. Then use the cubes to avor whatever.

Its really not a big deal to do and it feels good to useall that nutritious stuff instead of throwing it out.

These two stock recipes are from Anna Thomas' TheVegetarian Epicure.

Potato Peel Stock Yields about 6 cups

peels from 6-7 large, healthy brown-skinned potatoes1 large onion, quartered2 carrots, sliced1 medium sized celery, sliced2 liters water 1 small bunch parsley2 tablespoons olive oil1 bay leaf1/4 teaspoon thymepinch of sagesalt and pepper to taste1 clove garlic, crusheddash of Tabasco

juice of 1/2 lemon

Combine all ingredients except Tabasco and lemon juice in a large pot and simmer for up to 2 hours, oruntil all the vegetables are very soft. Keep the waterlevel high enough to cover all the vegetables. Strainand add Tabasco and lemon juice.

Garlic Stock Proceed exactly as for Potato Peel Stock, only add afull, large head of garlic, slightly crushed, rather than

just one clove. Simmer gently for almost 2 hours, thenstrain.


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Nichas Chicken Stock Makes about 6 cups

1 whole chicken, washed well (skin it and cut the fatoff, if you want)1 whole onion, peeled and stuck with 6 cloves1 whole carrot, peeled1 leek, well cleaned, cut in 3 pieces (korrot)some fresh celery leavesa bay leafa whole head of garlic

salt

Put everything in a big soup pot and cover with coldwater. Bring to a boil. Skim off any scum that forms.Lower heat and simmer 1/2 hour, then turn the chickenover and simmer another 1/2 hour (for a big chicken) .Strain. Taste and adjust seasoning/strength (maybeboil it down a bit) . Use the chicken for something (lookin the index) .


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White Bean SoupServes 6 with leftovers

This is the easiest soup to make of all. Thing is, you reallyneed corn bread with it. But thats pretty easy, too.

1/2 kilo white beans, soaked overnight in water witha pinch of baking soda (it takes the gas out) , thendrained1 bay leaf1 large onion, chopped

Put everything in a big soup pot and ll it almost tothe top with water. Put it on the re and bring it to aboil. Lower heat, partially cover, and let simmer untilkingdom come. At the very least 2 1/2 hours.

If the water gets low before the beans begin to fallapart, add BOILING water. If you add cold waterthe beans will never get soft, also if you salt them. SoDONT SALT THE BEANS UNTIL THEY ARE COMPLETELYSOFT. When the beans are soft, salt them, and grind insome black pepper. As soon as the beans are soft, youshould have a nice soup. If you keep cooking it, it willbecome much thicker. Its as you like. This is somethingthats just as good or better the following days.

Serve with hot corn bread, buttered. Tabasco.Chopped pickled peppers. OR when beans havenished cooking, strip a few sprigs of fresh rosemary,and some basil and celery leaves in on top of thebeans. Drizzle with olive oil. Ladle out onto cornbreadslices and garnish with tomato-basil relish (page ?) andyoghurt or labneh.

Lentils1/2 kilo brown lentils (ads abu giba) , well-washed1 bay leaf (optional)1 medium onion, minced (optional)

Put it all in a soup pot and add enough water to coverthe lentils by half the length of your index nger. Bringto boil, lower heat to simmer and cover. Cook about30 minutes and taste. They should be done. Salt to

taste. If you want them to cook down to a mush, addwater or broth if necessary and cook until they reachthe consistency you like. To turn them into dhal seepage ?.


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Shorba Tersa (Star Soup)Whoops! I was wrong. This is the easiest (and fastest)

soup to make! Mohamed taught it to me: he called it shorba terso (Third-class soup) . It was one of his favoritethings to do: teach me stupid wrong words for things.I still cant get some of them out of my vocabulary.

Serves 4

2 tablespoons butter 1/2 medium onion nely mincedabout 1/3 cup of little pasta stars (or ABCs or orzo,lissan asfoor, or even vermicelli, sha'reya)1 liter water 1 bouillon cube, chicken, veg or beef (optional)1 tablespoon parsley, dry or fresh, snipped

Melt the butter in the soup pot and saut the onion andpasta until they begin to take color. Add the water, stirit around and crumble in the cube if you want. Bring toa boil, lower heat and simmer 5 minutes, sprinkle withparsley and serve. And it tastes GOOD, even withouta bouillon cube.

Variations: Use green onions instead of regular. Oradd 1/2 cup of frozen mixed veg. Or some pre-cookedchicken, diced very small. Or top with shredded lettuceand squeeze half a lemon into your bowl.


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French Onion SoupBelieve it or not, this is how you make French Onion

Soup. You need:

some somewhat dried out french bread slices(sourdough is great) , or you can toast it

enough butter melted in a soup pot to almost cover:1 large or 2 medium yellow onions per serving, cut uphow you want (think about it*)

2 cups water or broth per servingsalt and pepper port or madeira (optional)gruyre (emmental will do, even roquefort)

Simmer onions in butter for a long time. A long time isat least 1/2 hour, more like 40 minutes, or even an hourfor a really big pot of onion soup. It has to be a verylow re. The onions should not take any color at alland the butter mustnt burn. The onions will yield upsome water, so dont worry about it burning too much,

just make sure the re is low and that the onions arewell covered with their own cooking liquid. Stir themaround with a wooden spoon every now and then.When theyre beautifully soft and translucent, pour on2 cups water or light broth per serving. Salt and blackpepper. Bring to a simmer and, for authenticity, add 1

spoon of port or madeira per serving. (Shake in a little

Worcestershire if you dont have either of the wines.)Simmer another 20 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, get out a slice of old (slightlydried out) french bread for each bowl and grate somegruyre cheese. In re proof bowls, ladle the soup, topwith a slice of bread, cover with grated cheese, andcook under the broiler until bubbly and golden brown.Put the bowls on a baking tray to put them in the ovenso theyre easier to handle.

*Its important aesthetically. And practically. If youregonna feed the soup to kids, sick people, or drunks,dice the onions. If youre feeding coherent adults,slice the onions in rings.


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Vegetable Seasoning8 or so artichoke hearts, sliced boil with 1/2 lemon, season with 1/2 teaspoon thyme2 cups asparagus, chopped 1/2 chopped onion sauted, lemon juice, nutmeg2 cups broccoli, sliced bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon thyme1 cup carrot, sliced 1 tablespoon parsley, 1/2 teaspoon basil2 cups cauli ower, sliced 1/2 chopped onion sauted, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped 1/2 chopped onion sauted, 2 tablespoons parsley, 1/2 teaspoon basil2 cups corn kernels 1/2 chopped onion, 2 minced cloves garlic sauted, Worcestershire sauce1 1/2 cups fresh peas 1/2 chopped onion sauted, 1/4 cup shredded lettuce, pinch of sage1 large potato, sliced 1/2 chopped onion sauted, nutmeg2 cups spinach, chopped 1/2 chopped onion sauted, pinch thyme, nutmeg2 cups mixed summer veg 1/2 chopped onion, thyme, cardamom pod, 1 tablespoon fresh coriander, snipped4 medium tomatoes, chopped saut with 1/2 chopped onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, generous pinch

each of oregano, basil, cayenne1 1/2 cups winter squash, sliced 1/2 chopped onion, nutmeg, cinnamon

1 1/2 cups zucchini, sliced 1/2 chopped onion, 1 clove minced garlic, thyme

Cream of Vegetable SoupsServes 4

Boil your veg in veg or chicken broth, seasoned asshown in the table, except for tomatoes, saut themwith the onion and garlic then add the broth andseasonings. Use about 1 1/2 cups broth. If the recipecalls for onion or garlic, saut in a little butter beforeadding the broth and veg. Cook the veg until its

totally tender, remove lemon/bay leaf/cardamompod, then pure in the blender. Some soups you willwant to have bits of the vegetable, like corn andmushroom. So . . . only pure half or three-quarters ofit with its liquid and save some chunky bits on the side.On to the next page...


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Bechamel for Cream Soups2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons our 1 cup milk saltwhite pepper

In the same pan youre going to make a bechamel:heat the butter over a medium re then add the our.Stir it around with a whisk, cooking it 1 or 2 minutesmaybe, so the our doesnt have a raw taste. For

darker soups, like mushroom, you can brown it a bit.(This is called a roux, the rst one blond, the secondbrun.) Whisking all the time, pour the milk on it all atonce, bring to a low boil, lower heat and cook until itthickens, stirring all the time, say 3 minutes or so.

Remove from heat and strain in the veg pure, addsalt and white pepper, and the veg bits if you wantedthem. Return to re and simmer awhile, 10 minutes.Taste and adjust seasonings.

You can add some real cream just before serving. Onlyheat it through, dont boil the soup again if you haveadded cream because it will separate. Or use creamto garnish the soup, a small spoonful right in the middle,top it with a sprinkle of whatever herb or spice calledfor, or a sprig of parsley, or dill, or some croutons. Or try

some grated cheddar or salsa fresca on corn or potatosoup, parmesan on tomato or zucchini. Asparagus tipson asparagus. Serve with fresh bread or crackers orrusks.

d l ll


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Crme de volaille (cream of chicken)Make the base of the cream of vegetable soup

(bechamel) and add strong chicken broth (like Nichasin the Stocks section or like for Chicken/Turkey CarcassSoup) to desired thickness. You can add diced pre-cooked chicken, too.

Croutons (plain and avored)Take some day-old bread, either toast, a baguette or

even kaiser rolls. Cut it up in small cubes and let it dryout a bit. A couple of hours just sitting or 5 minutes ina warm oven. Melt some butter in a frying pan; for acup of bread cubes, use a good tablespoon of butter.Or olive oil. When its hot but not smoking, throw allthe bread cubes in it and stir them around real good.Make sure they all get moistened. Now fry them, stirringthem around, over medium heat until theyre goldenbrown. Drain on paper toweling.

To avor them, add 1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced, to thebutter (or olive oil). After adding the bread, sprinklewith dried herb, like parsley, sage, rosemary or thyme.Continue frying. After you take them off the re, youcan sprinkle them with grated parmesan or romanocheese. Dont taste them or you wont have any leftfor garnishing. When they cool, you can store them ina container that closes tightly or in a plastic bag out ofthe fridge.


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M i P S


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Mexican Peasant SoupServes 6

Saut together in a large soup pot until onion is limp:

some olive oil1 large onion, diced1 bell pepper, red or green, cut in ringsfresh hot chiles to taste, minced teaspoon cumin

Add and bring to a boil:

2 liters broth or water 3 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut into eighthsa double handful of fresh green beans cut into 5 cmlengths1 teaspoon oreganosalt

Simmer 15 minutes then add:

4 zucchinis, cut in bite-sized chunks

Simmer together until all veg is cooked, another 15-20minutes.

Then add:3-4 medium tomatoes, cut in wedges1 can of corn, drained, reserve liquid

Bring back to a simmer and taste. Add salt andcayenne if necessary, and some or all of the reservedcorn liquid, again to taste. Simmer until tomatoes aresoft.

Dice some mild cheddar into small cubes and put insoup plates. Ladle soup over cheese and top withsnipped fresh coriander.


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Pane e PomodoroServes 4

3 cups veg or chicken stock 4 cups water 1/4 cup olive oil2 garlic cloves, crushed1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped1/4 loaf coarse white bread, sliced2 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped with

juice1/2 teaspoon saltblack pepper fresh basil, to garnish

Bring the stock and water to a boil in a soup pot. Heatthe olive oil in a large frying pan. Saut the onion andgarlic until golden. Scrape into soup pot.

Fry bread slices 2 or 3 at a time in the oil left in thefrying pan. Press slices down with a spatula to avorand brown lightly on each side. Remove bread.

Put the tomatoes in the frying pan and cook over highheat for 3 minutes. Scrape them into the stock, coverthe pot, and let the soup simmer over low heat for 30minutes.

To serve, place the bread slices in at soup plates andpour the soup over them. Sprinkle with parmesan andgarnish with fresh basil leaves.

Lentil Soup


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Lentil SoupServes 6 to 8

Here it is nally, that most famous of Egyptian soups.This is Mohamed Alys recipe.

1/2 kilo of split lentils, sometimes called red lentils(theyre orange) , or Egyptian lentils1 medium potato, cut in pieces (to make the soup

smooth)1 medium carrot, peeled and cut in pieces (for colorand avor)

1 medium tomato, cut in half (for color)1 medium onion, cut in wedgeswater or stock (Mohamed uses chicken stock* and

serves the chicken at the same meal)

Put the lentils in a large wire strainer and wash mostof the starch out of them. Dump them in a big souppot. Add enough water (throw in a chicken bouilloncube, if you have to) or stock, to cover them byabout the length of your index nger. Put on there and bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer .

When it is boiling, some scum might form on the surfaceand collect around the edges and in the middle,depending on how well you washed the lentils andhow your stove burners heat and the size of the pot.Skim it off and throw it away or put in in the dogs dish.

Add the veg and return to a boil. Lower the heat andsimmer until everything is soft and falling apart. You mayhave to add more water, but probably not. Turn off theheat and let the soup cool down a bit. When its coolenough not to break your blender pitcher, pure thesoup in batches and return it to the pot. Place over a lowre. Taste it now and add salt and pepper to your taste .

You can eat it now, but its much better with thetaleya...

*Boil a whole chicken in some lightly salted water till cooked. Skim regularly. Remove chicken and place it in a baking dish ina hot oven until its browned. Strain and use the stock for the soup. Serve the chicken on a platter surrounded by rice, soupand other accompaniments.

Taleya method


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yNow, in a small frying pan, heat about 2 tablespoonsof oil. Into the oil, throw 1 or more, depends on you,cloves of garlic nely minced. When the garlic beginsto brown, add a pinch or two of cumin, and continuefrying and stirring until garlic is browned nicely. Dumpit into the soup, still sizzling. Wash the frying pan out intothe soup with a ladle of soup. Lovely sizzling, that! Givethe soup a quick stir. Cover the pot and turn the heatoff. Its done now.

The classic accompaniments to lentil soup are lemonwedges, oven-dried pocket bread or croutons, dicedonions in vinegar, and whole green onions, with maybesome gummy (just cook it with a little extra water) whiterice and chicken (you shred it into the soup). Eachperson adds what they like. I like to eat it with regular,plain croutons and sliced green onions in vinegar.

Gazpacho Chilled Cucumber Soup


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GazpachoServes 4 to 6

These are the ingredients for gazpacho. You can eithermix them all together in a bowl, or you can pure all ofit or half of it in the blender. I like it the third way. Putthe tomato juice and half of the cut up fresh veg in theblender pitcher along with the seasonings, oil, vinegar,lemon juice and bread crumbs. Pure. Pour into abowl and add the rest of the veg. Chill well. Serve inchilled bowls garnished with croutons.

4 large, red, ripe, juicy tomatoes, diced (use their juice)4 cups good tomato juice (if canned rather thanbottled, add 1 teaspoon honey)1 medium onion, chopped nely1 large green bell pepper, chopped nely2 medium cucumbers, peeled and diced nely1 small, hot, green chile, minced (or more, optional)1 clove garlic, minced2 tablespoons ne white bread crumbs1 pinch each cumin and cayenne1 tablespoon wine vinegar ( preferred)

juice of 1 lemon2 tablespoons olive oilsaltfreshly ground black pepper

Chilled Cucumber SoupServes 4 to 6

1/2 mild white onion, diced3 tablespoons oil3 1/2 cups cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut inchunks or slices6 cups veg or chicken stock 2 teaspoons wine vinegar (preferred)1 teaspoon dillsaltwhite pepper 1/2 cup sour cream (ishta fellahi)more sour cream to garnishmint leaves to garnish

Saut onion in oil until golden and soft. Add cucumber,stock, vinegar and dill. Simmer covered for about 20minutes, until cucumber is soft. Cool slightly and purein blender. Add salt and white pepper to taste. Whisksour cream into warm soup. Season with salt andpepper. Refrigerate for at least three hours.

Serve in chilled bowls, garnished with a dollop of sourcream and a sprig of mint.

Vichyssoise Chilled Watercress Soup


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VichyssoiseServes 4 to 6

1 leek (korrot) , cleaned and sliced thinly, or 1 largemild onion, dicedoil4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly4 cups veg stock 2 cups milk 1/2 cup light cream (crema labani)saltwhite pepper chives or green onions, chopped, to garnish

Saut the leek or onion in oil in a soup pot until tender.Lots of recipes call for butter instead of oil, but when youchill the soup the butter makes hard lumps, so I preferto use oil. Add the potatoes and stock. Cook until thepotatoes begin to break up. Cool a bit then pure inthe blender and strain back into the soup pot. Add milk,salt and pepper. Heat gently over low re. Removefrom heat, cool to room temp and whisk in 1/4 cup lightcream. Taste and adjust seasonings. Chill well.

Before serving, whisk in remaining 1/4 cup cream.Serve in chilled bowls garnished with chopped chivesor green onions, or freshly snipped parsley or dill.

Chilled Watercress SoupServes 4

2 1/2 cups watercress leaves3 cups veggie or chicken stock, degreased (chill itand the grease gets hard and comes off easily) 1/3 cup sour creamsalt

Pure 2 cups of stock with the watercress. Add thecontents of the blender to the remaining stock. Whiskin the sour cream and salt to taste. Chill thoroughly.

Serve in chilled bowls topped with a dollop of sourcream and a sprig of cress.

Chili


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ChiliThe debate is on. What exactly constitutes chili? Chilipurists cry fake! if theres as much as one bean in it.And no self-respecting Mexican would eat chili madewith tomatoes and ground beef. Basically, there arethree kinds of chili, Mexican chile con carne, Texas chiliwith beans, and the bastard versions born far from theborder to mothers of invention.

Mexican Chile con CarneServes 6

1/2 kilo beef, cut in bite-sized cubesour, salted and pepperedthe fat from the meat, or lard or oil3 or 4 dried chiles anchos, plus 1 or 2 dried chiles guajilloswater 2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 onion, choppeda pinch of oregano

Toast the chiles lightly in a dry frying pan. When theyare cool enough to handle, break them open anddiscard the seeds and stems. Place them in a bowl

and cover with hot water from the tap. Let them soakabout 20 minutes.

Meanwhile chop your onion and garlic. Put the onion,garlic, spices and the drained chile pieces in yourblender pitcher. Cover with enough water and pure.The mixture should be thick, but pourable. Set aside.

Now, dredge the meat in the our. That means put theour (with a large pinch of salt and pepper) on a plate

or the counter and dump the meat on it and mop it allaround until the meat is encrusted with our. Put thefat in a large soup pot and melt it, or heat some lard oroil. Fry the meat pieces on medium high heat, stirring alot, until well-browned. Strain the chile mixture into themeat pot. It will sizzle. Fry together, scraping the bottomof the pan and stirring constantly, over high heat until itbegins to smell like cooked chiles. Add some water, stirthoroughly, and let simmer uncovered until the meat istender. You may have to add water or beer from timeto time.

Serve in bowls, with chopped onion, jalapeos, a mildgrated cheese and hot our tortillas on the side. Or useit to stuff burritos.

Texas Chili


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Texas ChiliServes 8 to 10

1/2 kilo dried beans, pinto, red or kidney, soakedovernight with a pinch of baking soda, drained1 large onion, chopped2 cloves garlic, mincedwater 1/2 kilo beef, cut into cubes (ground beef if you must)our, salted and pepperedfat from meat, lard or oil1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced1 kilo tomatoes, peeled (if you want) and diced orroughly puredat least 2 tablespoons chili powder* or use chile purefrom chile con carne recipe1 teaspoon oreganocayenne

In a big soup pot, saut the onion and garlic in a little

oil until soft. Add the beans and plenty of water. Cookuntil beans are soft, but not breaking up, and very littleliquid is left in them. This could be as little as an hourand as much as 5 hours, depending on the age of thedried beans. Remember always to add boiling waterto cooking beans if you need to add more water.Dredge the meat in the our. In a big frying pan, melt

the fat, or heat the lard or oil, and fry the meat untilbrown, adding the other onion and garlic about halfway through the cooking. (If you use ground beef, justforget the our and oil.) When the meat is browned,dump it into the bean pot. In the same frying pan,fry the tomatoes with a little oil and the chili powder,oregano, and cayenne to taste, until they are a darkerred-- chili colored.

The Carrot Tree- a cookbook for people that can read- by gina assem

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Transcript of The Carrot Tree- a cookbook for people that can read- by gina assem