Vegetables and Salads

Hungarian Stuffed Potatoes

Hungarian Stuffed Potatoes (Töltött burgonya)

Recipe from Az Ìnyesmester Szakácskônyve (The Expert’s Cookbook)

Ingredients for Hungarian Stuffed Potatoes

  • 12-14 large potatoes
  • 3-4 oz. ground bacon
  • Salt
  • 4 oz. grated cheese
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Butter

Bake the potatoes. Cut in half and scoop out the pulp. Mix the potato pulp with the ground bacon. Season with salt and add grated cheese. Stuff the potatoes with this mixture.

Sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and bake in a hot oven until golden.

Breads and Pancakes

Potato Pancakes

Potato pancakes, a staple in many European cuisines, are so simple yet so comforting.

Some synonyms and variants: Latkes (Jewish), Boxties (Irish), Raggmunka (Swedish), Bramborak (Czech).

  • 1 large potato, grated
  • 1 egg
  • 1 garlic clove, mashed
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 T flour
  • 2 t oil

Combine all ingredients. Fry the potato pancakes in oil till golden. Serve with sour cream.

Desserts and Sweets

Loretta’s German Honey Cake

A dense, yummy dessert that will fill your kitchen with old-world fragrance.

Ingredients for Loretta’s German Honey Cake

  • 1-1/2 cups honey
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 T butter, softened
  • 2 t lemon juice
  • 1 T kirsch or rum (optional)
  • 4-1/2 cups flour
  • 2 cups ground almonds
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1 t cloves
  • 1/2 t nutmeg
  • 4 T chopped candied lemon peel
  • 4 T chopped candied orange peel
  • (or 1/2 cups chopped mixed candied fruit in place of above)

For Icing:

  • 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
  • 2 T kirsch , rum, or lemon juice

Preparing Loretta’s German Honey Cake

Warm honey and sugar. Mix with eggs, butter, lemon juice and kirsch. Combine dry ingredients. Add to honey mixture with candied fruit. Press into a large, buttered and floured cookie sheet, or roll out and cut as desired. Bake at 350F until firm and browned.

Icing: Mix sugar with kirsch, rum, or lemon juice. Pour onto cake while still hot from oven so it will soak in.

Desserts and Sweets

Apple Pie

A surplus of fall apples would sometimes inspire Mom to pull out her pastry skills and make a few cinnamon-laden apple pies, topped with either a full or a lattice-work crust.

Ingredients for Apple Pie

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 T flour
  • 1/2 t cinnamon
  • 1/4 t nutmeg
  • 1/8 t salt
  • 1 T grated lemon rind
  • 5 cups sliced, tart apples
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • 2 T butter

Preheat oven to 425º F.

Line a 9″ pie plate with pastry. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt ,and lemon rind. Add apples and toss to coat. Arrange in plate. Sprinkle with lemon juice and dot with butter. Top with pastry, pricking top with fork in several places, or form into a lattice-work pattern. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until browned.

Desserts and Sweets

Boiled Raisin Cake

  • 2 cups raisins
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup oil or margarine
  • 1/2 t each salt, cinnamon, nutmeg
  • 1/4 t cloves
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 1-3/4 cup flour
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Simmer raisins, sugar, margarine, salt and spices in hot water for 6 mins. Allow to cool. Add flour, baking powder, egg and nuts. Pour into greased 8″ pan. Bake at 325 F for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

 

Eggs and Cheese

Cream Cheese Omelet

  • 4 oz. cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • 4 T chives, chopped
  • 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • Salt and pepper
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 1-1/2 T butter

Beat the cream cheese and cream together. Add chives, Worcestershire sauce and season. Beat the egg yolks into the cheese mixture. Whip the egg whites until peaked and fold into cheese. Fry omelet in butter, then grill top to brown.

Vegetables and Salads

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

  • 2 T butter or 2 sliced bacon, fried lightly
  • 1 sliced, peeled apple
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 4 cups shredded red cabbage
  • 1/4 cup vinegar
  • 2 to 4 T sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Caraway seeds

Melt butter or fry bacon soft and chop. Add apple and onion and cook till soft. Mix in cabbage. Add rest of ingredients and cook until cabbage is tender, about 12 minutes. Servings: 4

Soups and Stews

Caldo Tlalpeño

Caldo Tlalpeño is a delicious traditional Mexican chicken soup with garbanzos, avocado, and lime.

Ingredients for Caldo Tlalpeño

  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 2 chicken breasts, cooked
  • 1 chile largo
  • 1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
  • Limes
  • Avocado slices
  • 4 T diced onion

Heat the stock. Add shredded meat from chicken breasts and whole chile largo. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove chile.  Add the garbanzo beans and heat.

Pour into bowls and garnish with avocado and diced onion. Serve with lime wedges. Lime juice can also be added to the soup before serving.

This soup is often made will additional vegetables such as diced carrots, baby zucchini, and green beans, and sometimes served with chile chipotle for added smoky flavor.

Georgia, inspired by Mexico, 2010 (Caldo Tlalpeño recipe)
Georgia, inspired by Mexico, 2010

Vegetables and Salads

Caesar Salad (Ensalada Cesar)

The classic Caesar salad as we know it: romaine lettuce tossed with oil, eggs, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and other seasonings. Anchovies are optional.

Ingredients for Caesar Salad

  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 clove chopped garlic
  • 8 leaves romaine lettuce
  • 1/4 cup croutons
  • 3 T Parmesan cheese
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 T red wine vinegar
  • 1 T Worcestershire sauce
  • dash Tabasco sauce
  • 2 T capers (optional)
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • black pepper
  • anchovy fillets to taste (optional)

Crush garlic and oil together. Add anchovies and capers and mash together well. Add egg yolks, then Worcestershire, lemon, Tabasco, vinegar. Mix well and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Toss with lettuce. Top with croutons and Parmesan. Serves 2

The Caesar Salad is said to have been created by Caesar Cardini (or his staff) in his Tijuana restaurant in 1924.

According to Rosa Cardini, the original Caesar salad […] did not contain pieces of anchovy; the slight anchovy flavor comes from the Worcestershire sauce. Cardini was opposed to using anchovies in his salad

Wikipedia contributors. “Caesar salad.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Apr. 2016. Web. 15 Apr. 2016.

Meat and Poultry

Corned Beef

  • 4 lb. piece of beef brisket, flank or plate
  • 4 quarts water
  • 1-1/2 lbs salt
  • 1/2 lb sugar

Rub beef with salt. Put in an enameled pot or stone jar; cover with a solution of water mixed with salt and sugar. Let cool. Cover and weigh the meat down so that it stays submerged. Corning will take 48 hrs. After beef is corned, wash under running water to remove the brine. Cover with boiling water and simmer 4 hrs until tender all the way through. To press for slicing cold, force into a deep pan when cool. Cover and refrigerate, weighted down. The moisture will form a jellied coating.