The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Decked Out (31 page)
1 tbsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 stalks of celery, split and cut into 3 inch pieces
4 med. carrots, split and cut into 3 inch pieces
2 med. onions, quartered
4 cups of chicken stock (or dissolve 2 tbsp. bouillon in water)
Rinse the chicken, pat dry, and cover with the paprika, salt, pepper, and thyme, rubbing it in. Sauté the chicken in the oil until brown (about 15 minutes).
Add the vegetables and chicken to the chicken stock and bring it to a boil in a large pot. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
Don't get sidetracked by the phone or the newspaper. You still have to . . .
Make the dumplings:
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (or 3 tsp. dried)
2 tbsp. solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup milk
Combine ingredients (reserving some parsley for a garnish) and form into golf-ball-sized dumplings. Drop the dumplings into the simmering broth, arranging them so they will expand to cover the surface. Put a lid on your pot and cook for another 15 minutes.
Garnish with reserved parsley and serve in bowls to accommodate the juice. Makes 4 to 6 servingsâbut don't count on any leftovers.
Consider coleslaw or cucumber salad as a side.
Estelle's Orange-Smothered Pork Chops
Don't tell anybody, but Estelle accidentally invented this when she had
a dab of marmalade she didn't have the heart to throw out, so she threw
it on the pork chop she was cooking instead. It was so good, she keeps a
jar of marmalade now just for chops.
One pork chop per person (select chops about 1/2 inch thick)
Corn oil
1 tbsp. orange marmalade per chop
1/4 cup orange juice per chop
Pinch of ground, rubbed sage per chop
A couple dashes of seasoned salt per chop
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a skillet large enough to accommodate your chops flat on the bottom, put about 1 tbsp. of corn oil. (More may be required if your chops are particularly lean.)
Cover each chop with the seasoned salt, sage, and pepper.
Sear the chops in the skillet over high heat until brown on both sides. Pour off excess grease and allow the pan to cool slightly. Mix the marmalade into the orange juice and pour over chops. Increase heat and gently simmer for about 20 minutes or until the orange juice thickens to a syrup, turning the chops 2 or 3 times. Do not allow the syrup to scorch.
Serve on a bed of rice, pouring the juice over the top. Garnish with sprigs of fresh, curly parsley.
(And it's okay to puff out your chest and
whisper, “Secret recipe,” when your family raves. Estelle won't mind.)
Estelle's Holiday Corn Puddin'
“Corn pudding?! Never heard of it!” Just smile smugly and tell them
Estelle guarantees this will melt in their mouths. It looks pretty, too,
with those bits of red and green peppers.
1 can (15 oz.) of creamed corn
3 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
2 dashes nutmeg
2 dashes black pepper
3 eggs, beaten well
3 tbsp. melted butter
1 cup milk (for richer flavor, try soy milk)
1/4 green bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 red bell pepper, finely diced
Paprika
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine creamed corn and all dry ingredients, mixing well. Stir in the eggs, butter, and milk. Add the peppers, and pour all ingredients into a greased 11/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle the top with paprika and bake for 1 hour or until the pudding is firm and a knife comes out clean. Serves 4 to 6.
Jodi's Flaky Piecrust
Jodi says, “Can't knit . . . can't skydive . . . can't dance the light fantastic.
But I can make a good piecrust.” Denny likes to make her prove it (he has
a weakness for pie).
Jodi's hint: a piecrust that flakes like good pastry is as much technique as
the right ingredients.
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup vegetable shortening, divided
cut 1/3 cup shortening into dry ingredients with a pastry blender until well blended
cut in remaining 1/3 cup shortening
5 to 7 tbsp. ice water (fill a small bowl with ice cubes, then add water)
Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of ice water at a time onto the flour/shortening mixture while you toss it with a fork. Add from 5 to 7 spoonfuls . . . just until dough can be gathered into a ball.
Divide dough, slightly more than half for the bottom crust. Roll out dough quickly and gently on a floured counter or board. (Too much handling is what makes it tough.) Pat any tears with a dab of water to stick the dough back together.
Turn over once. Dust with flour as needed to roll smoothly to a diameter about 1 inch larger than your pie pan. To transfer a rolled-out piecrust to the pan, roll it up around the rolling pin, then unroll the crust into the pan. Open it and cut off excess, leaving 1/2 inch extending beyond the edge.
Fill with your favorite filling.
For a two-crust pie, repeat the above, and lay second crust over the filling, leaving 1 inch extending beyond the edge. Use a knife or pastry scissors to trim excess dough to 1-inch overlap. Tuck top overlap
under
the edge of the bottom crust.
Make a fluted edge by pinching the dough edge with thumb and forefinger of the left hand while pushing forefinger of the right hand between the pinch. Continue all around the pie. Cut slits in the top crust to release steam while baking.
(Jodi cuts eyes and
mouth to make a happy face. Of course, when the juice
dribbles out the
slits, it looks like the happy face is either crying or slobbering.)
Bake at required temperature for the filling (e.g., for apple pie, bake in an oven preheated to 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn down the temperature to 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the edges of the crust are golden brown).
Florida's Sweet Potato Pie
Florida says, “The recipe below is for one pie, but you better make two!
Ya gotta have enough pie for all the drop-ins, know what I'm sayin'?”
2 lbs. or 2 to 3 sweet potatoes
1 stick butter (1/4 lb.)
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups soy milk or 1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
Piecrust (see Jodi's Flaky Piecrust recipe)
Boil the sweet potatoes with the skins on until tender. Cool under running water until you can remove skins. Place the yams in a mixer and whip on medium speed, stopping occasionally to remove “strings” clinging to the beaters.
Add butter until melted and mixed. Then add the remaining ingredients and continue mixing until smooth. If the batter is too thick to pour, add additional soy milk until smooth.
Pour your batter into an unbaked pie shell, sprinkle a dash of cinnamon on the top, and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until brown specks appear on the surface of the pie and an inserted knife blade comes out clean.
Allow to cool at least 1 hour. It is also delicious chilled.
Serves 6 brothers or 8 “sistahs” on a diet.
Ruth's Potato Latkes
Simple to make, kids like them, and they're kosher! (Of course, if you
have twins trying to “help” and the phone rings . . . even “simple” has its
limits.)
4 medium potatoes
1 medium onion or three scallions, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup matzo meal (bread crumbs or 3 tbsp. flour may be substituted)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Vegetable oil for frying
Grate the potatoes into a large bowl. Discard any liquid. Stir in onions, salt, pepper, and parsley. Add the matzo, mixing well before stirring in the eggs.
Heat oil in a large frying pan. Use 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter for each
latke
, spreading it with a fork into thin cakes about the size of your palm. Cook 4 to 5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain pan-fried latkes on paper towels. (Or heat a griddle to 350 degrees with just a spray of oil on it. Griddle latkes may not turn out so crispy, but they contain far less fat.)
Serve hot with a scoop of cold applesauce and a dollop of sour cream. Serves about 4.
If desired, accompany with sausages.
(But don't tell Ruth if they're
not kosher.)
U. S.TO METRIC CONVERSION TABLE
CAPACITY
1/5 teaspoon = 1 ml
1 teaspoon = 5 ml
1 tablespoon = 15 ml
1 fluid oz. = 30 ml
1/5 cup = 50 ml
1 cup = 240 ml
2 cups (1 pint) = 470 ml
4 cups (1 quart) = .95 liter
4 quarts (1 gal.) = 3.8 liters
WEIGHT
1 oz. = 28 grams
1 pound = 454 grams
1
. From a letter written by colonist Edward Winslow, dated December 12, 1621, and published in
Mourt's Relations
, by George Morton, 1622, London.
2
. “Ready My Heart,” © 1976, Lois Farley Shuford. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Available on the CD by Steve Bell,
The Feast of Seasons
, © 1995
www.signpostmusic.com
.
3
. Latin hymn from the twelfth century, translated by John M. Neale, 1851. The original hymn had seven or eight verses. These four match the weekly themes best.
