nutmeg & garlic

2002-12-09T16:43:00.000-05:00

PASTELLES

1 lb. beef, cubed or minced
2 onions, chopped
1 bunch chive & thyme
hot pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic
Portugese thyme
1 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp Worcester sauce
3 tbsp. capers (optional)
2 tbsp. olives, chopped
1/2 cup raisins

CRUST:
2 cups cornmeal
3 cups tepid water
4 tbsp. corn oil or 1/4 lb. margerine
1 and 1/4 tsp. salt

METHOD
1. Season beef with onion, chive and thyme (both kinds), garlic, hot pepper, black pepper and salt.
2. Cook well, then add worcester sauce, ketchup, capers, olives and raisins.
3. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
4. Mix cornmeal, tepid water, salt and oil to make soft balls.
5. Using a Pastelle Press or your hands, press balls of corn onto leaf**. Put 1 tbsp. or more of meat mixture onto pastelle shell and fold neatly. Tie folded pastelle (still inside the leaf) with twine or some kind of string sturdy enough.
6. Place in steamer or colander and steam for 20 mins.
7. After cooking, cool, untie and unwrap from leaves.

**Leaves should be fig leaves, but foil can also be used.

Pastelles in the Caribbean originated from the Spanish influence in the area, but over time the taste has evolved to suit the tongues of Caribbean people. Vegetarian Pastelles can also be made, by substituting Beef with Red Beans or any other kind of bean.

FELIZ NAVIDAD Y BUEN PROBECHO!

2002-12-09T16:30:00.000-05:00

CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN!

..means Christmas Eats and Drinks!

RUM PUNCH
one of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak

SOUR: Lime or Lemon juice
SWEET: Simple syrup made of equal parts sugar and water boiled for 5 mins
STRONG: Rum
WEAK: Combined Water and Ice. Add a dash of Angostura bitters (liquer) and a dust of nutmeg.

METHOD:
1 oz. of sour, 2 oz. of sweet, 3 oz. of strong, 4 oz of weak.
-makes 10oz of punch, or 3 drinks.
Make any multiple of the above proportions desired.

...and drink up!

-Rum Punch is one of many traditional Christmas drinks concocted during the Christmas Season in the Caribbean. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

2002-10-01T09:56:00.000-04:00

just eat.

2002-09-20T10:12:00.000-04:00

thanks very much, Vee, for the doubles recipe! :)

why don't you visit her blog, the House of PHUNK
x

2002-09-20T01:47:00.000-04:00

DOUBLES
-recipe courtesy Naparima Girls' High School Cookbook.
(a 2 part recipe - involving "Bara" and curried channa)

"Doubles" is a savoury treat found in the Caribbean, and its origins come from Trinidad and Tobago. Trinis like to eat it for breakfast mainly, but you could eat it for lunch....or dinner....or just a snack. We just like to eat it, basically. This isn't a satisfactory description of what Doubles is...but you can't really describe a doubles. Hopefully one day you will all get to go to Trinidad and experience one for yourselves :)

Dough:

2 c. flour
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. saffron powder
½ tsp. ground geera
1 tsp. yeast
1/3 c. warm water
¼ tsp. sugar
oil for frying
water

Filling:

½ lb. channa - aka. chick peas - (soaked overnight)
1½ tbsp. curry powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
salt
hot pepper
1 tbsp. corn oil
pinch of ground geera
pepper sauce.

Method:

1. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, saffrom, geera.
2. In a small bowl, place warm water, sugar and yeast. Allow to rest for about 5 min. until dissolved.
3. Add yeast mixture to flour and enough water to make a slightly firm dough. Mix well, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise for 1½ hours.
4. Boil soaked channa with salt and ½ tbsp. curry powder until tender. Drain channa.
5. Heat oil in a heavy skillet or iron pot. Add garlic, onion and 1 tbsp. curry powder mix with ¼ c. water; saute for a few min.
6. Add channa, stir to coat well and cook for 5 min; add 1 c. water, geera, salt, pepper; cover, lower heat and summer until peas are very soft. Add more water if mixture burns, but when channa is finished, it should be soft and moist. Season to taste with salt if necessary.
7. Dough should be punched down and allowed to relax for 10-15 min.
8. To shape bara, take about 1 tbsp. of dough, pat with both hands to flatten to a circle 4 or 5" in diameter. Use water to moisten palms of hands as dough might stick to hands.
9. Fry in hot oil, turn once and drain on kitchen paper.
10. When all are cooked fill with channa by placing 2 tbsp. cooked channa on a bara and cover with another bara. Pepper sauce or mango chutney goes well with it.

(pepper all the way!!)

well there you have it. the glory that is doubles.
it really is a lot of work to make, which is why i have never actually attempted at making doubles for myself.

2002-09-19T09:34:00.000-04:00

heee hee

Banana Sandwich!

ingredients:
bread
butter
banana

you'll also need:
a toaster or an over in which you can grill bread
a knife to spread butter
a plate or at least a napkin to hold your gorgeous sandwich

Oh -- what to do!?
toast or grill bread
slice banana lengthwise while bread is toasting
slather the hot toast with butter
place the banana strips on toast
eat

delicious!

in case you weren't sure -- this entry is just meant to make you laugh.
though it is a tasty sandwich :)

and yes.. i'm in a rut... haven't made anything to write about in a while.. all the same sorts of things.. the only veggies Richard really likes are greenbeans.. so i'm in a rut.

i did make crabmeat stuffed fish.
but i can't remember how.
i think it was baked in orange juice,
& held together with toothpicks...
served with long grain rice
but i can't remember.
.

2002-08-27T22:37:00.000-04:00

Oranges & Lemons . . . & Chicken

ingredients:
chicken tenderloins
spring onions
an orange
a lemon
powdered sugar
butter melted with a bit of parsley

set oven to 400F
have enough foil to cover the chicken set into a baking dish or tray...

melt butter on low heat with a touch of oil to prevent browning stir in some fresh bits of parsley

slice oranges & lemons (rather thickly)

chop spring onions into long slices...
toss the onions in the powdered sugar, then put onions into the foil.

place chicken on the onions

drizzle the melted butter over the chicken

put slices of oranges & lemons on the chicken

fold the foil over the chicken

bake for 30 minutes,

after 30 minutes, set oven to broil,
unfold the foil and move the slices to the sides of chicken
and broil for the remaining 15 minutes.

enjoy! :)

sides:
garlicy green beans.
potatoes
carrots

for the potatoes... i poured some olive oil in a baking pan, with some rosemary and thyme and put that in the preheated oven while i scrubbed & chopped the potatoes...
by the time i'm finished preparing the potatoes, the oil should be sizzly -- so be careful when you put the potatoes in, it will pop and splash.... stir the potatoes round, so that they are well coated... then stir in some nutmeg & garlic.. and more of the rosemary & thyme, if you like.

then bake for at least 30 minutes, removing from the oven to stir occasionally.

that's pretty much it.

if you want to make these potatoes but are not using the oven otherwise.. then set the oven for a slightly lower temperature (350/300) and bake for longer. you can have the dish with oil in up as the oven is preheating and you prepare the potatoes.

okay.. the carrots.

easy... i used baby carrots.. because they're nice and i was feeling lazy tonight.

melt a bit of butter with a drop of olive oil
throw in carrots,
dust with a bit of powdered sugar or brown sugar
cook on low heat the 45 minutes that it will take for the chicken to bake.

we've already gone over the green beans they are immediately under the Lamb Chop Recipe :)

yum.
enjoy!
have fun!
x

2002-08-21T08:50:00.000-04:00

my Mum's Chili

ingredients: (no measurements, because everything is to taste)
minced beef
onion
mushrooms (optional, Richard's suggestion.. and it was good)
peppers, your preference (also optional)
celery (again, this is optional -- you can basically throw in whatever you like)

tomatoes, either diced, stewed, in a salsa if you'd like
and tomato paste

chili powder
crushed cayenne pepper
cumin
nutmeg (well, i add that to everything.. that wasn't in Mum's recipe)

tin of dark red kidney beans, very well drained and rinsed.

serve with:
rice! (that's Richard's suggestion)

finish with:
a sprinkling of shredded cheddar (to get nice and melty)
a dollop of sour cream(to counter the spicyness)
garnish with cilantro

you'll need a large skillet or a big pot

how to make it:
cook the beef with the onions, celery and a bit of salt,
when it is nearly done, add the seasonings
cook until the meat is done.

then throw in everything else, except for the kidney beans
let the chili simmer for a bit before adding the kidney beans in last.

add a bit of water -- i didn't measure, but it also depends on how thick you like it.
let simmer for a bit, taste it and see if you need more spice
if it gets too spicy, add a touch of sugar. (yes, really)
keep stirring it
and let simmer on low to medium heat, every once in a while adding a little more water,
don't add all the water from the start... just keep an eye on it and add a bit while it simmers.

let it simmer on low heat for at least 20 minutes
that should give you enough time to make rice and shred cheese and play with your rabbit :)

then serve over rice
with a sprinkley melty cheese
and a dollop of sour cream
delicious!
x

2002-07-12T14:28:00.000-04:00

Chicken em. . .thingy
a friend of mine gave me this recipe years ago.... so i'm not sure what it's called, or even what it's from.. i'm just sharing!

this is so easy :)

ingredients:
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped into tiny pieces (or tinned chicken -- it's that easy)
2 cups chopped broccoli (use fresh, because frozen broccoli would get soggy -- and tinned broccoli, if there is such a thing, would just be nasty.)
1 chopped onion (though half will do, depending on the size of the onion and your taste)
1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
poultry seasoning (or have fun and try your own spicey mixture, bearing in mind the dijon)
dash of salt&pepper
1 cup (give or take, depending on how cheesy you are) of shredded cheese. we prefer cheddar -- though the original recipe called for swiss.

and 2 8oz (the standard size) tins of those pillsbury crescent rolls ...

you'll also need:
a mixing bowl
1 large baking dish, rectangular (i'll have to measure it and get back to you)

to make it:
preheat the oven to 375F
spread 1 tin of crescent roll pastry out flat onto the baking dish, bake for 8 to 10 minutes, it should be slightly golden.

mix the rest of the ingredients together...
spread onto the baked crust
then slice the pasty from the remaining tin of crescent rolls into strips
and cover the mixture with the strips, lattice-style.

bake for another 18 to 23 minutes
until the top crust is lovely and golden.

this dish is delicious straight from the oven,
but even the leftovers, cold from the refridgerator are delicious.
yum.
x

2002-07-10T23:03:00.000-04:00

a quick recipe from last night:

Citrus Chicken

ingredients:

chicken breasts
1 lime (or an orange, depending on your preference -- both work)
garlic
butter (melted)
green beans

citrusy mixture for marinade:

Rose's Lime Juice
Simply Pure Orange Juice notfrom concentrate
Lemon Juice
Olive Oil

you'll also need: tin foil

additional suggestions, though i've not actually tried yet:

-- veggie: spring onions
-- seasoning: white wine
-- i think chicken prepared this way would be so good in a salad with mandarin oranges & cashews

preparation:
marinate chicken breasts in the citrusy mixture

i'd marinate them at least a day -- i put them in as soon as i got home from work the night before, so they marinated over 24 hours.

now let's cook:
preheat the oven to 400,
melt the butter

chop up fresh garlic (or use the pre-minced stuff, whatever works)
slice the lime or orange

rip off sections of tin foil large enough to generously wrap each breast in.

put some garlic bits on the bottom of the foil pieces
place the breast in and sprinkle the rest of the garlic over top of the breast
put 1 or 2 slices of lime or orange on top of the breast
place fresh green beans aside the chicken
drizzle a little butter over the beans and chicken

close each breast within the foil, pinching it closed and place in an oven proof dish or on a baking tray

bake at 400 for 45 minutes

--- that's how we had it and the chicken was very tasty
i've made it before with oranges instead of lime and it was just as good.

the beans do soak up a lot of the lime juice though, they had a very strong lime taste
if that wouldn't appeal to you, maybe prepare the green beans on the side.

that's it :)
yum.

2002-07-10T13:27:00.000-04:00

itty bitty scribbles:

firstly,
in response to 'lonestar's question about garlic...

there are many ways to prepare garlic!

you can bake the raw cloves in whatever you're roasting --
they will get lovely and soft and mushy,
if you leave them in the skins, you can use the pulp for a sauce or gravy

you can slice or dice them and sautee them in a bit of olive oil

and... the easiest method which is very good as well,
is you can buy jars of minced garlic

they usually come in jars with water or olive oil.... i used to prefer the olive oil,
but have switched to getting the garlic in water.

it's just as good and that way you can use lots and lots...
without the hastle of peeling and chopping.

though they do have those cute little garlic thingys which mince the cloves for you...
sorry, that's not very descriptive.

....

secondly,
in response to my frying disaster of 2 nights ago,
Melissa, from Starbucks, recommends baking bits of potato coated with egg whites as an alternative to frying.
though i haven't tried it yet, i must say it sounds good.
.

2002-07-09T17:13:00.000-04:00

up in flames.
don't come round looking for french fries anytime soon, or
why maybe i shouldn't be offering any cooking tips
the rest is copied from exiting winter

i very nearly burnt down the kitchen last night
and myself
and our house.
really.

it all began when Richard asked if i'd like to try to fry some potatoes with dinner, an innocent enough request. i've never fried potatoes before, but it sounded simple enough.

Richard (a veteran 'chippie') suggested i boil them first and then maybe just shallow-pan fry them. But i was out of wok oil and running low on olive oil, so i thought maybe we could try actually frying them. Richard and Chaz ran out to get peanut oil for me, while i boiled the potatoes in my beloved huge stainless steel pot.

When he got home, Richard warnedd that the oil would take a very long time to heat up. so i cooled and cut the potatoes,all the while chatting with Renee, blissfully unaware of just how hot the oil was.

Eventually, i thought i'd throw in a bit of potato and see if the oil was ready for frying yet. The potato sort of fizzled and steamed a bit, so i fished it out and remembered i'd wanted to put the colander in the pot. (the pot came with 2 'basket/colander' type things... one that was as deep as the pot and well suited for pasta, the other was much shorter and good for steaming vegetables.) So i, very carefully, sank the big colander into the pot and threw in a few more potatoes... which sizzled and smoked!

almost immediately, i pulled the colander back out of the pot -- which caused the pot to ignite.

i ran backwards, with the colander, away from the stove - then threw it in the sink.

i should have written this last night, because i can't remember all the details now.
but Renee had been on the phone with her brother and apparently i let out a huge scream, after which she simply told her brother she had to go - now. and hung up. so heaven knows what her poor family thought was actually going on.

Renee calmly went out to the porch, where Chaz and Richard were grilling pork and chicken, and informed them that maybe they'd like to come in and see the kitchen because we've had a bit of a grease fire.

by now, the kitchen was full of smoke.

they came in expecting maybe a little mess,
not an apartment fast filling with smoke, a pot full of fire and oil all over the floor.

Luckily, Richard and Chaz stayed calm -- i didn't.

Richard immediately threw a tea towel over it,

and Richard put poor St. George's cage out in the lobby -- thank God he hadn't been out when this happened.

they set up fans to circulate the air,
and flung open the door to our little porch outside of the kitchen,
and poor Richard and Chaz stood out there coughing and gagging, taking turns trying to go back in there to remove the (still smoking) pot. it was hard to breathe in the kitchen. i can't imagine what it must be like in a real fire, because that silly little oil fire was unbearable enough.

eventually they got it out and down to the back garden,
not realising at the time that it was still hot enough to flame up again.

they had to keep putting moist tea towels over the pot, because it kept flaming up again whenever they would lift the towel.
it took several hours for it to cool down enough to quit flaming.

. . .

2002-07-02T20:43:00.000-04:00

per Stephen's request,

Pork Chop Sandwiches
easy. tasty.

Ingredients:

pork chops
wok oil or olive oil
soy sauce (optional, but recommended for tastiness)
garlic

tasty whole wheat rolls or hamburger buns (whole wheat is tastiest)

that's it, let's get started! (set aside at least 20 minutes, preferably longer.)

basically -- and this is so simple that i'm embarrassed to post it.
you just pour a tiny bit of olive oil or wok oil into a frying pan on medium to high heat... wait until it begins to sizzle and then turn it down to low / medium

place your pork chops in the pan, sprinkling on some minced garlic
then turn them over, and sprinkle that side with garlic

drizzle a bit of wok oil, or soy sauce on the chops (take care not to use too much oil, you do not want the chops to be oily... )
do not coat the chops in soy sauce.
the soy sauce should not be a dominant flavour to the chops, just a seasoning.

cover and leave on low flame (to medium, depending on how temperamental your stove is)

now the exciting bit.

basically, you continue to turn the pork chops and cover to let simmer,
ocassionally turning the heat up (though never any higher than medium flame).

it takes me half an hour to 45 minutes,
i keep it on a pretty low flame
but it's worth it -- because the chops end up very tender and juicy.

place them immediately on the buns,
and enjoy.

excellent with garlicy green beans (see 14.6.02, beneath the Roasted Lamb Chops)
x

2002-06-25T08:43:00.000-04:00

a new guest segment ... (more to come)
introducing

Michael, the cooking Austrian! ;)

Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

17.50 oz (500g) Strawberries
17.50 oz (500g) Sugar
00.10 oz (3g) Citric acid
00.35 oz (10g) Fruit Pectin
A little bit of rum.

Preparations:

1. Clean the strawberries and puree them.
2. Take 3.5 oz of sugar and intermix it with the fruit pectin.
3. Resolve the citric acid into a little bit water.
4. Get some jam jars.

Now we are starting to cook:

1. Take the strawberry puree and the rest of the sugar, put it into a pot and cook it for about 5 minutes*, don't forget to scramble it all the time.

2. Scramble the well prepared fruit pectin/sugar and the citric acid with the cooking strawberry puree and cook it again for 2-3 minutes* and don't forget to scramble.

3. If there is some foam, remove it with a scoop or something.

4. Tilt out the jars with rum (It's just to disinfect).

5. Then fill the jam into it (There should be no more rum into the jars now) and close it fast..

6. Finished.

*Tip: It's better to cook it more than less the specified time.

thanks very much, Michael :)
.

2002-06-14T23:45:00.000-04:00

you can freeze wine, you know.
if you've got some left over, freeze it in a bag and it's alright for cooking with

2002-06-14T23:44:00.000-04:00

Roasted Lamb Chops
with wine

and a side of green beans & garlic! (after lamb recipe)

oven temperature: 400 F

cooking time: about 45 minutes

ingredients:
lamb chops
onion
garlic (if you'd like -- i like)
wine
potatoes
carrots

ready? (this is really easy)

Put lamb chops in an oven proof dish with garlic & onion
Cover with wine
Bake 15 minutes (top rack)
remove from oven and add potatoes & carrots
Bake 20 to 30 minutes
Put potatoes & carrots in a separate oven proof dish (adding butter, if desired)
Bake beside the lamb dish (still on the top rack) for the remaining 20 minutes

..................green beans & garlic

soak fresh green beans in water for as long as possible (at least before you start preparing the veggies and lamb chops)

in a smallish frying pan,
melt buter with a touch of olive or wok oil (to keep the butter from browning too badly)

add green beans and sautee slowly on low, to medium-low heat
adding a bit of garlic halfway

that's really it.
enjoy :)
x

2002-06-14T22:22:00.000-04:00

Easter Lamb
(well.. i made it for Easter, you could make it anytime.. a good Sunday dinner)

materials:
1 huge roasting pan... at least 2 inches deep... 15inches by 12 inches.
& a large shallow roasting pan
tin foil

ingredients:
olive oil
carrots
red-skinned potatoes
shallots
onions

seasonings:
sea salt
coasely ground black pepper
several large cloves of garlic (depending on how much you like garlic)
fresh rosemary
fresh thyme
(mostly chopped.. but leave a few sprigs of both the thyme & rosemary for later)

red wine
red-currant jam

and... of course.. a leg of lamb (ours was almost 8 pounds... so adjust the time you roast your lamb according to the size, not necessarily what i say... you can find a generally find charts with that sort of information in any cookery book... sorry.. maybe i'll post something like that.. later. The lamb i made served the 5 in my family, plus a few friends later and we still had leftovers... that's about as close as i can get to offering a 'serving size.')

oven temperature: 450 F, eventually 325

cooking time...: about 6 hours

let's get started!

pour 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil into the shallow roasting pan & set in the oven as it preheats.

clean & chop your vegetables as desired (i don't like to peel potatoes, but if that's your thing, go ahead.)

i'd recommend leaving the vegetables in larger pieces for a roast. if you're using baby carrots, leave them whole.
peel the shallots, but leave them whole too.
leave the garlic cloves unpeeled and whole.

After the oven has preheated - remove the pan and put the vegetables in the oil, (carefully.. as they will sizzle and may splatter.. you may want to use tongs or a spoon.)
Turn them over and lsosh them around so they are coated with oil.
Put the garlic cloves in the oil.

Place pan back in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. keeping an eye on them and turning over if necessary after 15 minutes.

While the vegetables are in the oven, put the leg of lamb in the large roasting pan and drizzle with a bit of olive oil... massage the sea salt and pepper into the lamb.

After the vegetables have started to brown, remove them from the oven and set aside.

Put the roasting pan with the lamb in the oven, on the highest rack and bake for 45 minutes... until it turns golden.

Remove the lamb and reduce the oven temperature to 325, spoon off any fat into a container (for use in the sauce later)

Slowly pour the wine over all of the lamb.
Sprinkle with the chopped thyme & rosemary.
Cover the pan with loose tin foil making sure it does not touch the meat, fold the foil tightly round the edges of the pan and put back in the oven.

Roast for 2 hours & 15 minutes

....................waiting.... mmmm..... (read a book or finish up dusting for the company, surely you're having company with a feast like this!)...

Then, remove the roasting pan from the oven (carefully removing the foil)
Baste the lamb with the wine, top with the sprigs of herbs
Then spoon the veggies (remember the lovely browned veggies?) and garlic around the lamb
Sprinkle with chopped rosemary, thyme and the salt & pepper

Replace the foil and bake, this time on the central rack for another
1 hour and 45 minutes

while waiting... you can rinse out (or really, just get some kitchen roll and wipe out) the olive oil from the shallow roasting pan... leaving a slight coating of oil in the pan.

When the time is up... carefully remove the pan from the oven and the foil from the pan...

and spoon those veggies out and back into the shallow pan.

Replace the foil from the lamb pan (basting a bit more, if you'd like)

Put both pans back in the oven (centre rack) finally,

for the remaining 30 minutes!

after that -- you're nearly finished. (turn the oven off, obviously)

Put the lamb on a nice warmed serving platter & cover.... set aside.

Cover the veggies, either in the roasting pan or in a warmed serving bowl... set aside.

Now, get the juices ready...
if your roasting pan can handle direct heat(e.g., not pirex), you can keep the juices in the pan..
otherwise, pour into a saucepan... adding the fat you'd saved from earlier.

very carefully squeeze the pulp from the garlic cloves (i'd use a clean oven mitt, as it's very very hot) and whisk into the juice as it's reducing on the stove... then whisk in a tablespoon or so (to taste) of the red currant jam....

pour into a warmed gravy bowl or serving pitcher...

call everybody in, because it's finally time to enjoy!
EAT!
x

2002-06-04T10:42:00.000-04:00

roasting

i will have a lot more to say on roasting later .. but here are a few quick tips, while i'm on the subject of potatoes -- which i'll probably go on about all day, because potatoes are wonderful.

if you're roasting with wine, or if it's a particularly juicy roast, i'd recommend keeping the potatoes out (baking in a separate pan) for the first third of the roasting.. roast it with the meat for a third of it, then back in their own pan beside the roasting pan (if you can manage) for the last third... that way, the potatoes won't get too soggy and they will get nice and crisp. if you don't want them too crispy, toss them with a bit of olive oil and keep them on a lower rack.

however, if you're making mashed potatoes it can only help to keep them in the roast, eh? i wouldn't really use milk, instead try making do with the wine or juices that are left over. you'll be able to use whatever herbs you threw in with the roast. they won't be mashed potatoes in the strictest sense, but pretty tasty.
.

2002-06-04T10:13:00.000-04:00

the joy of potatoes

ok. basic things, since i didn't post last night and this is all off the top of my head.
the reason this is called nutmeg & garlic is that those are two things (besides coffee and orange juice) you're most likely always going to find in our kitchen. and i also think they work well together... especially in my mashed potatoes.

there's nothing to mashed potatoes, simply boil the potatoes (just like pasta, you can add salt after the water's boiling, if you like) to get them soft but not mushy. i generally leave the skins on, but if you really hate them -- at this point, the skins practically fall off of the potato. so if you're only making a small batch, that would be an easy way to get rid of the skins. you can skin them before boiling, but since you're boiling them to get fairly soft, they hold together better with the skins left on.

after they've boiled.. you can start the mashing straight away.
or, after you've drained the pot, you can throw the potatoes back in the pot and on low (to medium) heat with a little olive oil or some butter.. and whatever herbs you like. (i prefer garlic or parsley generally, but with lamb, we threw in rosemary and thyme)

for another variation, you could roast them with a bit of butter or olive oil. you could either roast them after they've boiled (to save time) or if you're actually doing a roast and want to serve roasted mashed potatoes, that's even better. -- i'll get to roasted potatoes in a minute.

when you want to start mashing, you can use a mashing thingy (i don't know what it's called) or a fork.if you're going to use butter (which i think you should) add it now, so the heat of the potatoes will gradually melt the butter while you're mashing. also add a bit of milk, but that's where it gets tricky. there's no measurement i can give you, because obviously it would depend on how many potatoes you were using and what consistency you prefer your potatoes (some like them creamy, i don't) it also depends on their use, whether you are serving them as a dish themselves or with or in something (e.g. for cottage pie, i generally keep it fairly dry, because of the grease in the meat and because it's baked with a lot of cheese on top.)

so gradually add the milk (a little at a time, until you've mashed the potatoes enough to figure out it's the desired consistency) and then your herbs.

simple and delicious
.

2002-06-03T17:23:00.000-04:00

i'm really just waiting around to go home
but while i'm waiting, i was going to post the 2 recipes (a word i cannot even spell at this point) that i know by heart and have never failed me.
but in my tired state, i've completely forgotten the measurements for my Mum's gorgeous shortbread.
and can only tell you this much about the good old standby,

my Mum's recipe for
egg custard pie

preheat the oven to 450F

have a pie pan ready with pastry crust (no, i won't get into how to make the pastry right now.. i'm still trying to get the hang of that myself) .. cheat with store-bought crust.

4 whole eggs (to which i sometimes add an extra yolk, just because)
1/2 cup of sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg (i think)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

mix those ingredients

then slowly add 2 cups of scalded milk
-- here's the easy way to scald milk -- microwave for about 5 minutes, until its just about to get that thin film [you'll know what i'm talking about after you've done it once or twice]... should you get that film, it will separate from the scalded milk easily enough and even though it might look icky, it's nothing to worry about)

bake for 10 minutes at 450F, then turn the oven down to 325 for another 10 or until you can stick a butter knife into the custard and it comes out clean.
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2002-06-03T14:07:00.000-04:00

still tinkering with things,
i might actually add real stuff tonight though
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2002-06-03T11:08:00.000-04:00

mmm.

this is still a work in progress
but i hope to keep sort of an online journal of my experiments in the kitchen.
if you might be interested -- then stay tuned,
if you don't care -- then go away.
thank you :)
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