Category Archives: Family Recipes

Breads and Pancakes

Bagels

  • 4-1/2 cups unbleached flour
  • 3 T sugar
  • 5 t active dry yeast (2 pkgs.)
  • 1 T salt
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water

Combine 1-1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, salt. Stir in 1-1/2 cups lukewarm water, and with an electric mixer beat at high speed 3 mins. Stir in 2 more cups flour and knead for 5 mins. Add as much of the remaining flour as is necessary to make a smooth dough. Let rest, covered, 15 mins. Divide into 16 pieces, roll each into a 7″ roll, and form into rings, sealing ends with a bit of water. Put bagels on lightly floured sheets and let rest, covered, for 5 mins. In a large pot bring 6″ of water to a boil. Boil bagels, 4 at a time, turning several times, for 3 mins. each. Transfer to a towel to drain. Place bagels 2″ apart on backing sheets, brush with the egg wash, and bake in a preheated 375ºF over for 25-30 mins., or until golden. Makes 16 bagels.

Vegetables and Salads

Eggplant Casserole

  • 1 large eggplant
  • 1 bunch spinach
  • 3-4 Italian tomatoes
  • 1/2 container cottage cheese
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan
  • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 slice onion, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
  • Olive oil
  • Oregano, fresh basil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Parsley, chopped

Slice eggplant and salt. Let drain on paper towels for 15 to 30 minutes. Press to remove excess moisture.

Cook spinach for 5 minutes in salted water and drain. Sauté mushrooms, onion, garlic and green pepper lightly in olive oil. In ovenproof dish, layer eggplant, tomatoes, mushroom mix, cottage cheese and 3/4 cup of the mozzarella. Sprinkle basil and oregano on each layer. Season to taste. May add 1/4 cup thick white sauce if desired. Top with breadcrumbs, remainder of mozzarella and Parmesan. Place in 350ºF oven for about 20 minutes.

Eggs and Cheese, Meatless Main Dishes

Quesadillas

Quesadillas are traditional Mexican cornflour pockets or folded tortillas (corn or wheat) filled with many savory stuffings, from sauteed hot chiles and onions (rajas) to beans and from squash blossoms and huitlacoche (corn fungus) to seasoned ground beef. They usually, although not always, contain cheese. When using ready-made corn or flour tortillas, they can be pan-grilled with very little or no oil. When using fresh masa harina, they are deep fried in very hot grease.

  • 2 cups masa harina (tortilla flour)
  • 2 T wheat flour
  • 1/2 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 2 T melted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup milk, approximately

Mix dry ingredients well; add butter, egg and enough milk to form a fairly stiff dough. Form into medium-thin tortillas rounds either using a tortilla press, rolling or patting between palms of hands. Stuff with any of the following stuffings, fold and seal the edges by pinching together, and fry in hot lard or oil. Drain and serve.

Stuffings: Cheese and epazote herb (known as Mexican Tea or wormseed). Mushrooms sauteed with onions and peppers. Squash bloosoms seauteed with onions. Spiced ground beef. Beans.

 

The common Spanish name, epazote (sometimes spelled and pronounced ipasote or ypasote), is derived from Nahuatl: epazōtl (pronounced [eˈpasoːt͡ɬ]) meaning skunk sweat.

Wikipedia contributors. “Dysphania ambrosioides.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Feb. 2016. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.

 

Desserts and Sweets

Loretta’s Carrot Cake

With cream cheese icing

  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cups brown sugar
  • 1-1/2 t baking powder
  • 3/4 t salt
  • 1-1/2 t baking soda
  • 1-1/2 t cinnamon
  • 1/2 t nutmeg
  • 3 eggs
  • 1-1/4 cups oil
  • 3/4 cups nuts, chopped
  • 2-1/2 cups grated carrots

Sift together the flour, sugars, baking powder, salt, baking soda and spices. Add eggs and oil, nuts, and grated carrots. Stir well.

Pour into 9″ cake pan and bake at 350F for about 40 minutes. Cool and top with Cream Cheese Icing (see below)

FOR THE ICING

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 t vanilla
  • 1 lb. icing sugar

Cream Cheese Icing:  Beat cream cheese and butter together. Add vanilla and icing sugar.

Desserts and Sweets, Noodles and Dumplings

Plum Dumplings

Ovocné Knedlíky

  • 1-1/4 T butter
  • 4 oz. cottage cheese
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1-3/4 cups flour
  • 12 fresh plums, halved and pitted
  • Boiling salted water
  • 3 T melted butter
  • 6 T sugar

Cream butter, cottage cheese, egg yolk and salt; add milk. Stir in flour. Stir until dough leaves side of bowl and is not sticky. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. Roll dough on floured board into a rectangle about 9 x 12″ and 1/4″ thick. Place a plum half in center and wrap dough around it into a round ball. Drop into boiling salted water. Cover and cook for 8 mins.; remove and drain. Sprinkle with melted butter and sugar.

Plum dumplings
A cat by Kati, satisfied, perhaps, at having just eaten a plum dumpling.
Soups and Stews

Split Pea Soup

  • 2 quarts water
  • 1 lb. pork link sausage
  • 2 cups green split peas
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1/4 t thyme
  • 1 pinch cayenne
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and pepper
  • Garlicky croutons

Place sausages in water and add peas, celery, onion, thyme, cayenne, bay, and salt and pepper. Boil for 20-25 minutes or until peas begin to soften. Lower heat and simmer until done. Serve with croutons. Serves 8.

Desserts and Sweets

Butter Tarts

Pastry:

  • Mariposa, Carol 1990
    Mariposa, Carol 1990

    2 cups flour

  • 1 t salt
  • 3/4 cup shortening
  • 5 T ice water

To make pastry: sift flour and salt; rub shortening into the flour to form balls the size of small peas. Add water and mix with a fork. Knead slightly for form a smooth ball. Roll and cut to fit tart pans.

Filling:

  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 T vinegar
  • 1 T vanilla
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1-1/2 cups raisins

To make filling: combine eggs, sugar, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir in melted butter and raisins.

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup whipped cream

Fill tart shells two-thirds full. Bake for 10 minutes at 450º F; reduce heat to 325º F and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve topped with whipped cream.

Desserts and Sweets

Polvorones

Polvorones are melt-in-your-mouth Mexican sugar cookies, extremely simple and popular.

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup icing sugar
  • 2-1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 t cinnamon
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1-1/2 t vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in flour. Add rest of ingredients and mix until smooth. Shape into 1″ balls.

Place 1″ apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 F for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

Polvorones, Mexican cookies
One of Angel’s mystical forests
Soups and Stews

Russian Borscht

  • Soup bones
  • 1/4 lb. cubed beef
  • 1 onion, whole, stuck with cloves
  • salt
  • 1 large beet
  • 2-3 large cabbage leaves, coarsely grated
  • 3-4 small potatoes, cubed
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 T sugar
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk, lukewarm
  • Sour cream

Make a stock with the soup bones, beef, clove-studded onion and salt, enough to render 1 quart. When meat is tender, add beet and cook until tender. Remove the beet and grate coarsely or cut into cubes.

Return to pot and bring to boil. Add cabbage leaves and potatoes. When they are almost tender, add lemon juice, sugar and seasonings.

Beat the egg, add lukewarm milk and a little hot soup, beating with a fork. Slowly blend in more of the hot soup as you beat, until all is added. Serve with sour cream.

Meat and Poultry

Veal Casserole

This veal casserole is versatile.  I’ve used regular tough beef instead of veal, oil or margarine instead of butter, red wine instead of white, canned tomatoes instead of fresh, and it always comes out delicious.

Ingredients for Veal Casserole

  • 2-1/2 to 3 lbs. veal cutlet, cubed
  • 3 T butter
  • 1 T oil
  • 2 T chopped onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 T flour
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup dry, white wine
  • 4 large tomatoes, chopped
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 lb. mushrooms

Preparation:

Brown meat in butter and oil. Remove and place in casserole dish. In fat, saute onion and garlic. Stir in flour till smooth and add chicken stock, 1/4 cup wine, tomatoes, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over veal.

Cover and place in 350ºF oven for 1-1/2 hours, adding balance of wine as necessary. Saute mushrooms quickly in butter and spread over meat. Return to oven for 30-45 minutes.