PROUDLY!
| 1 Tbsp olive oil ½ cup onions, medium dice 3 cloves garlic, peeled 1 can (28oz) whole tomatoes, cut in dice 1 cup orzo Water to cover by 3" inches |
2 tsp sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1 pck frozen chopped spinach 1/3 cup dark raisins Salt to taste ½ cup feta Nutmeg - freshly grated |
1. In a saucepan heat the oil until hot, but not smoking and quickly saute the onions. In the last moment, add the garlic, which has been sliced in thin matchsticks. Stir and then add the tomatoes (diced) along with the juice, sugar, and cinnamon. Cook on medium-low heat for ½ hour, stirring occasionally.
2. Put the orzo in a 2 qt saucepan with water to cover by 3". Cook until the orzo is done, approximately 20 minutes. Drain and keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, defrost the chopped spinach and squeeze the moisture out. On a cutting board, chop the spinach further. After the onions & tomatoes have cooked for ½ hour, stir the spinach into the tomatoes. Add the raisins and the cooked orzo. Cook at a simmer - uncovered - for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste for salt & add if necessary.
4. Pour the mixture into a casserole and crumble the feta over the top. Bake - uncovered - in a 350 degree oven until the feta softens and melts. Just before serving, dust with a grating of fresh nutmeg.
NOTE: you may add fresh raw shrimp to this and cover the shrimp with the cheese. When the shrimp are done (no more than 8 to 10 minutes) and feta is melted, serve as soon as possible. Delicious!
| 1 small onion, peeled ½ tsp Tabasco sauce (or more) 8 cloves garlic, peeled & put through press 1 tsp lemon juice |
2 large ripe avocados, peeled and pitted 1 ripe tomato - peeled, seeded & chopped 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro Salt to taste |
1. Put onion into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off until finely chopped. Then add garlic, lemon juice, avocados and tomato. Continue pulsing on and off until the consistency you like is reached.
2. Turn out and into a bowl. Stir in the cilantro and taste for salt. Place plastic wrap directly onto the guacamole and refrigerate until ready to serve. The flavors are stronger when the mixture warms to room temperature.
Note: This is delicious served with pita chips or tacos. However it makes a very nice garnish on top of cold soups such as Gazpacho or on top of cold salad plates. Do not try to keep beyond 4 or 5 hours as the color changes with time and the flavor is just not as fresh.
| 6 chicken breasts, boneless Marinade: ½ cup Peach Jam 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1/3 cup onion, finely diced |
4 cloves garlic, pressed 1 Tbsp curry powder Pinch cayenne |
1. Remove skin from chicken breasts and trim of all fat and sinew. Lay - in one layer - meat side down in a greased pyrex baking dish.
2. Make marinade by heating briefly all the marinade ingredients, stirring to mix well. When the jam is melted, then take off heat and cool.
3. When marinade is thoroughly cool, pour over the chicken breasts, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
4. Turn meat over and brush with marinade. Then cover the pan with foil and bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove the cover, baste the breasts again and bake - uncovered - until the top is nicely glazed and lightly browned - about 15 more minutes, depending upon the thickness of the breasts.
Note: these are delicious served cold the next day - making them excellent picnic or lunch box fare.
| 4" thick top round steak 1 tsp black pepper 3 Tbsp olive oil 6 medium potatoes 3 carrots, cut in chunks 2 onions, cut in quarters 3 whole heads of garlic 2 to 3 bay leaves |
1 Tbsp Worcestershire 1/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper ½ tsp paprika 1/8 tsp allspice 1 tsp sugar 6 to 8 small branches of fresh rosemary 1 14oz can beef broth |
To thicken: 4 Tbsp flour in 2/3 cup water
1. Trim the meat of all fat except for a thin layer. Rub the black pepper into the meat. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan large enough to hold the meat. When it is hot, but not smoking, put the meat in and sear on both sides until lightly browned.
2. Transfer the meat to a roasting pan with sides high enough to hold the amount of vegetables you are cooking. Scatter the potatoes, carrots and onions around the meat. Cut the heads of garlic in half - horizontally - and put around the meat also along with Bay leaves.
3. Over the top of the meat and vegetables, sprinkle the Worcestershire, salt, spices, sugar and fresh rosemary (or substitute dried rosemary - crushed). Add the beef broth and an equal amount of water. Cover the pan with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 2 to 2 ½ hours.
4. Remove the vegetables and meat and keep warm. Dissolve the flour in water and whisk. Pour the mixture through a strainer into the hot pan juices and put the pan over heat. Stir to thicken.
To serve the pot roast: (this is the way I do it - however, it's not the only way)
Slice the meat and keep it warm. Then put the vegetables back into the cooking pan with the thickened juice. Lay the meat in overlapping slices across the top of the vegetables and scatter a handful of fresh parsley or branches of rosemary across everything. Serve directly from the pan. This keeps the food hot and it looks just like a pot roast should - rustic and down home. Make sure that everyone gets a half of roasted garlic. It is absolutely delicious as a dressing for the potatoes and also to spread over the meat.
