From the files of Molly Weasley

cockroach clusters

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 03:18:34 GMT

I was annoyed tonight, so I made candy. I've made these a few times and find them very snack-worthy. They are meant to suggest cockroaches in their texture, not actually look like them. I think this is a good thing.

Clusters are clusters, none of this roach shaped cookie thing that the licensed candy makers have whipped up. I usually make a double batch because they're a bit too easy to eat, so there are about 7 dozen. The texture is appealingly diverse and the loose structure makes them perfect for nibbling. They contain dark chocolate, raisins, sliced almonds, toasted pumpkin seeds, and bran cereal, although just about everything can be changed up. Milk or white chocolate (the real thing!), chopped apricots, corn flakes, sunflower seeds, and slivered almonds, for instance. It's all about using certain things for their shape and certain other things for their texture, to make a squishy, chewy, crisp, and crunchy combination that also tastes good.

They're relatively healthful for candy when all is said and done because the actual quantity of chocolate is balanced by an almost equal quantity of nuts, raisins, and bran cereal. My recipe is here, and I use the "don't untemper the chocolate, fool!" method of melting the chocolate. They're very easy to make.

Kugelkuchen (Marble Cake)

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 16:33:04 GMT

Hi, I thought I'd share this with you. It is illustrated for the fun of it but rather simple, really.

Marble Cake

Ingredients:

for the dough:

6 eggs
200g margarine (7 ounce)
300g sugar (10.5 ounce)
400g flour (14 ounce)
1/2 pack of baking powder (7.5g, .26 ounce ... it says on the package one pack for 500g (18ounce) flour, so you can figure out the concentration or sth.)

for the marbles:

150g butter (5.3 ounce)
150g sugar (5.3 ounce)
150g flour (5.3 ounce)
3 tablespoons cocoa
tiny bit of coffee

How-To:

1. You mix everything for the dough in a bowl with a mixer.

2. You spread the dough onto a baking tray.

3. You take a second bowl, if you are clever one that is bigger than mine was, and put the ingredients for the marbles into it. I'd actually advise on mixing cocoa, sugar and flour together, and then cutting the butter into it. The coffee ... not too much of it, half a teaspoon maybe, just for a small bitterness factor. If you do it my way and follow the list of ingredients, it'll look like this:

4. You use your hands to knead everything. Bigger bowl = less mess on the counter. There should be enough butter in it to have it all stick together and make your hands shiny.

5. You take tiny bits of the marble dough and roll it between the palms of your hands to make, exactly, marbles.

6. You form one marble, then step back to the other end of the kitchen and throw it onto the baking tray. This is fun if you do it together with your kids. That is how my sister and I used to help my mom as kids, too. Also, the whole marble rolling business takes ages alone, and kids can certainly do that. Try the throwing thing, seriously, it's fun. Anyway, in the end with all the marbles thrown it should look like this. Press them into the dough a bit so they don't float totally on top.

7. You put it into the oven at 175°C (350F) for 15-20 min until it is sort of gold brown and the dough is non-sticky. The marbles will be sticky no matter how long it is in, so don't bother about them.

8. Let it cool down a bit since warm cake is bad for your tummy, and the marbles harden a bit when colder and that makes them taste better. Cut it up and serve it.

PS.
[x] It is Kugelkuchen on German and Marble Cake is my translation for it since Balls Cake does not have the same ring, even though, yes, Marble Cake is also used to refer to another kind of cake, so maybe I should rethink my translation (?).
[x] I am not sure on the American measurements, so do doublecheck that.
[x] Enjoy. :)

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 17:09:49 GMT

Greetings all.

This is my first contribution. I was requested by someone in my church for the recipe for my awesome Praline Thumbprint cookies, and thought y'all might enjoy it as well.

I grew up in New Orleans where pralines (pronounced pra (as in bra)--leens) are a favorite souvenir. Pralines are a sugary confection made with sugar, butter, vanilla and pecans. The caramalized sugar is dolloped out onto wax paper and allowed to cool into flat, thin circles. Guaranteed to put you in sugar shock if you eat too many.

The cookies are made in two parts: a plain base with the pecans in the dough, and the praline filling. Be sure to heed my words of hard-won wisdom about making these cookies. They can be a bit finnicky.

Praline Thumbprint Cookies

Base/Cookie:
1 cup softened butter (and you must use real butter)
1c. sifted powdered sugar
2 c. flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Cream the butter. Add sugar and beat well. Add the flour. Your dough should be stiff. Stir in the chopped pecans and vanilla extract.
Shape dough into small balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and press your thumb into it, forming a shall depression. You may have to press around the ball to flatten it out sufficiently.

Bake at 375°F for 11-13 minutes; don't brown the cookies. Cool.

Filling:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
dash of salt
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add brown sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. (Don't get it too hot!!! This will burn very easily.) Remove the pan from heat and stir in the milk. Bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. (It may take a bit of time to get the sugar beaten in. If you still have lumps, try using a heavy-duty whisk. If the butter/sugar/milk was done properly, there should not be lumps and the colour should be a light to medium brown, like caramel.)
Add a spoonful or so to the cooled cookies. Best to do this while the praline filling is still hot. It cools rapidly and will harden.

If you have filling left over, you can dollop the extra onto wax paper and add chopped or half-pecans.

Don't be discouraged if the filling doesn't come out right. I make several batches every Christmas, and I always blow at least one pan. Have plenty of butter and sugar on hand.

If you have any questions, I'm happy to help out.

Enjoy!

Mon, 12 Jun 2006 05:05:49 GMT

I just made this.
I thought these were kind of 'magical', and that they could be adapted quite well to cauldron cakes. They are so fluffy and just SOOOOOO good! I used my Black & Decker steam machine (best kitchen gadget EVER!) and some heavy, ramikin like teacups instead of cupcake trays. In one cup, I added dark chocolate, in one ginger, and in the last vanilla. 20 minutes wasn't quite long enough for the steaming, it was still gooey in the middle, but very very tasty! The second batch is in now, for 25 minutes- hope that's enough!

ETA: The ginger is the best. To the entire recipe, I added about 2 tsp. Vanilla (in place of Anise, cause I don't have any.) In this particular cup, I used just a sprinkle of powdered ginger, and mixed it in. If you make this recipe, which you should, try the GINGER!

x-posted to my journal

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 00:12:49 GMT

Sorry that this picture is so yellow! It was 11pm or so, and the lighting in my kitchen is bad.

I baked an apple pie the other day, using apples bought at the farmer's market in Union Sq., NY. I sort of made up the recipe using what I already know about pies.

I didn't have any shortening, so I made the crust using a combination of olive oil and vegetable oil. The crust recipe was really simple, actually, and came out pretty well, considering that it took all of 10 minutes to make. I wouldn't call it flakey, but it was definitely better than the store bought Entenmann's (sp?) pies.

For the apples, I simply peeled, cored, and sliced them, then mixed them with brown sugar, cinnamon and a little bit of vanilla extract.

I baked the pie at 350 degrees, I believe. After about 10 minutes, I became scared that the crust might burn or overcook. I put some aluminum foil over the pie for about 20 minutes, then took it off again for the last 15 minutes.

If anyone wants the recipe for the crust, I will gladly provide. =]

Money-Saving Tips on Food

Sun, 28 May 2006 08:46:48 GMT

I noticed that nobody's posted to this community for awhile, so I thought I would contribute some of my knowledge. It's is very hard to eat healthy food if you're dirt poor. Organic foods are extremely expensive. Even a variety of non-organic fruits and vegetables can get expensive along with meat. Cosco is actually a very good option when it comes to buying meat, but it's much better for families rather than if you're living by yourself. I found one solution that has helped me immensely: Japanese and Vietnemese cooking. A lot of the cooking is made up of mostly rice, which is relatively cheap. If you're avoiding white rice, brown rice is still an excellent option. You can buy it in bulk for low prices at a health food store or at an Asian Market (the better option). You can also check out a variety of cookbooks at the public library.
I also find that planting some vegetables and spices is also helpful. I live in an apartment, so it's potted plants for me! I'm looking at some library books to learn more about gardening.
Fish is very healthy, but also expensive. To save money, my grandfather took up fishing. No, he doesn't have a boat. He simply drives to a lake or river and fishes from the shore. Purchasing worms is not necessary. You can dig them yourself or if you don't have Ron's phobia, you can grab a nearby spider (make sure it's not a black widow or anything) or some other bug and use that as bait; I actually did this and caught a pretty big Blue Gill.
Have any others found ways of saving money on food that work for them?

Fudge Ecstasies

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 10:32:08 GMT

In 'honor' of Valentine's Day (or at least all those with an undying sweet tooth or chocolate obsession), I wanted to share my recipe for Fudge Ecstasies. They don't have any illegal substances in them, but they're just as good ;) and they're a huge hit with my chocolate-loving friends.

Ingredients:
- 12 oz pkg (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 squares (2 oz) unsweetened chocolate (NOT bittersweet)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- 1 pinch (about 1/8 tsp) salt

Directions:
In a heavy saucepan (or double boiler), heat 1 cup chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate, and butter until melted. Transfer to a large mixer bowl and cool slightly. Temper in eggs. (If you pour them straight into the hot mixture without equalizing the temperatures they'll scramble!) Add sugar and vanilla extract and beat well. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Add remaining chocolate chips (and nuts, if desired).

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 F oven for 8-10 minutes. Cool 1 min on cookie sheet then remove to a cooling rack.

Notes: I like these cookies without nuts, and I find that they are best fresh and warm. Once you make the 'dough', you must make the cookies, as storing it in the refrigerator overnight will cause the cocoa solids and the cocoa butter to separate. The dough will thicken over time, so if you find it hard to deal with (it's just messy), wait a bit and come back to it.

Enjoy!!!

Jamming

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 16:10:58 GMT

I reckon that Molly is an expert Preserve maker, so I thought that I would share a recipe I made at the weekend which she would be sure to make at this time of year.

Traditional Seville Orange Marmalade.

Click to see closer, also notes and recipe.

How to make a Gingerbread House.

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 03:22:08 GMT

I sort of promised to post this recipe last Xmas and well... I'm finally posting it! :~D

click on the pic to follow the link to my journal. :~)

fudge snitches

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 05:47:10 GMT

I just posted the recipe and how to in my journal, but thought I'd include a link here.

This was inspired by the holiday contest over in weasleysweaters. I don't need any of the prizes but the idea was niggling at the back of my head for days, so I used it as an entertaining thing to do with my visiting nieces.

French "Savoury Cake"

Wed, 14 Dec 2005 15:38:35 GMT

This is a fab recipe from a French friend of the family. I suppose you could call it a bread, but it's cake-like in consistency, quite rich and cheesey, and good served in small portions/slices for pre-lunch nibbles (it's an ideal recipe for a party or bbq). You can leave out the olives if you like (or the ham, for a veggie alternative)...

1/3 pint / 200 ml dry white wine
1/4 pint / 150 ml olive oil
4 eggs, beaten
9 oz / 250 g plain flour + 1 sachet dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 very thick slice ham (or 3-4 slices normal ham, or a slice of SPAM), diced
4 oz / 100 g gruyere cheese, diced (plus some extra to grate on top)
1 good tablespoon French mustard
1 small tin sliced mushrooms
100 g mixed black and green olives, stones removed

* Mix ingredients in a large bowl in the order given - flour, dry yeast and salt can be sifted straight over the liquid and mixed in carefully with a fork until smooth.

* Lightly grease a loaf tin (5 1/2 in x 9 1/2 in)

* Transfer mixtuer to tin and grate some gruyere over the top

* Place in middle of preheated oven and cook at GM5-6 / 190-200 C / 375-400 F for 50 minutes to 1 hour

It can be difficult to know whether it's cooked through. If in doubt, go for the longer cooking time / higher temperature. The outside tends to form a nut-brown crust of sorts, and the inside should be a nice golden yellow-brown colour.

The cake is great warm, but very good cold, too, and it can be kept for several days (although is better consumed fresh at a big Weasley-esque family knees-up) :)

Sun, 11 Dec 2005 15:01:13 GMT

I honestly didn't plan to start making preserves and hot sauce in the middle of the Christmas preparations.

However. The big bag of apples I bought cheap at the marketplace wasn't getting any fresher, I had berries in the freezer and needed a jam with somewhat more spine for a pancake breakfast. So this recipe was born. Measures fit my three-litre cooking pot.

800 g coarsely grated apples
350 g blackcurrants
350 g blueberries

75 ml water
750 g preserving sugar (the locally available brand, which I use out of laziness, contains pectin, citric acid and potassium sorbate)

Bring fruit and water to the boil and add the sugar once the fruit has settled and the berries started to give off colour. Stir well to dissolve the sugar, and boil for 20-25 minutes until the blackcurrants have softened and a dollop of jam sets properly. Pour into clean, hot jars.

Likewise, I wasn't sure if the chillies I bought would keep infinitely. I love the taste of fresh chilli pepper, but I'm not too keen on my fingers burning for the rest of the day after handling them.

4-5 chillies (red or green; you get to decide the strength)
5 chunky cloves of garlic
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp salt
4-5 tbsp olive oil
1 generous tbsp vodka

Lightly toast cumin and coriander in a heavy frying pan and crush them in a mortar. Coarsely chop chillies and garlic and blend all ingredients to a smooth paste. Pack in a small glass jar and keep in the freezer, and just add a suitable amount to any dish that needs hotting up. The vodka keeps the mixture from freezing solid.

It's that time of year... no, not the holidays, that OTHER time of year... potlucks.

Tue, 29 Nov 2005 22:00:57 GMT

So, the season of constant potluck suppers is upon us. We have to come up with enjoyable food that is portable, and easily served from a buffet table.

What are your favourite potluck recipes? Appetizers? Main dishes? Desserts?

Turkey & cranberries with a twist

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 14:11:16 GMT

I'm not a huge fan of turkey, so any recipe that can make it exciting is a Good Thing, and deserves to be pimped far and wide! The saviour of festive tradition and family cohesion in this case is courtesy of UK posh supermarket chain Waitrose, and is accompanied by a complementary and equally delicious cranberry & apple tarte Tatin:

Maple-Glazed Turkey with sage and mushrooms

Tarte Tatin with cranberries and apple

Enjoy :)

(Fake cuts link to the relevant posts on my LJ.)

Mon, 07 Nov 2005 06:55:30 GMT

It's almost time for the holiday season. Which means...Holiday parties!!! :D

Here's a quick, and very easy dessert that you can whip up a few hours before the party or before the family gets to your house!

Tang Pie

2- pre-made graham cracker pie crust (or you can make your own)
1- 8 oz. sour cream
1- small can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. tang
1- 8 oz. cool whip

Mix sour cream and milk.
Add cool whip and tang.
Fill pie crusts and place in refrigerator.
Top with Cool Whip (optional...I don't do this *shakes head*)
Let set for 1 hour. The longer you leave it in the refrigerator the better.

I personally think this is one of the best pies ever!

ENJOY!!!

Cookbook I made!

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 01:06:45 GMT

For a cookbook swap, I decided I had to make a HP cookbook.. so of course, I made it one of the Right Honorable Molly Weasley.

It (sorry for crappy picture.. I should have scanned it).

Mrs. Weasley's copy of Archibald Alderton's "Witches Cooking Around the World Series 5: India" is full of Indian recipes. (And it even has her notes on the different recipes). I forget how big it is.. The notes were really my favorite part, a few were along the lines of "add more coconut, raisins, rice... Harry too thin." and "cut oil and salt in half... Arthur getting older!"

It was really fun to make this, and I plan to make another one for a friend with more britishy/mom recipes instead of India.

I embroidered the cover in gold.
A recipe I included..

Dragon’s Teeth (Pickled Chilies)

1 lb of med. green and red chilies (without any blemishes)
15 black peppercorns
5 bay leaves
2 TBLS coriander seeds
5 tsp salt
6 heaped TBLS sugar
3 ½ white wine or rice vinegar

Score from the stalk end to the tip on one side only and remove the seeds. Pour boiling water over the chilies, let them sit for 5 minutes and drain.

Put black peppercorns, bay leaves, coriander seeds, chilies, and salt into a large jar. Put the sugar and vinegar into a pan and heat until sugar dissolved. When this is hot, but not boiling, pour into jar with chilies. Allow to cool down and then lid. Put in fridge for minimum two weeks before eating. Can keep for four months.

iPod Nano hand-knit case

Fri, 28 Oct 2005 02:52:46 GMT

So, it's been quiet here lately. I figured I'd toss out my very first knitting project for which I designed the pattern. Is it Potter related? No. But, you could knit one of these in Hogwarts colours to be the coolest kid in school.

I got myself an iPod nano. So far I love it, but i'd been hearing stories about people getting theirs all scratched. Since the cases aren't ready yet for the nano, I decided to knit my own along the lines of the iSock. But more functional.

Really INCREDIBLY simple, and mostly patternless. Took me about half the final World Series game last night. (GO SOX)

I used sock (sport weight) yarn, just pretty leftovers from a project, the softest I had. The gauge doesn't really matter. I also used size 1 dp needles.

Cast on 29 stitches, knit in *k1 p1* rounds until sock is about 1/2 cm longer than the nano.

Cast off all but 14 stitches (first should be purl), *k1 p1* to end.

Turn and knit in *k1 p1* for 3 rows.

On 4th row, begin to decr 2 at beginning and end of each row. Decrease until 1 stitch left, then crochet a chain long enough to loop around a button of your choice.

Sew bottom closed, turn sock inside out, then sew on button in correct place.

rock on.

Here it is, in its case. Stocking stitch allows it to expand a bit.

The decreases allow space for the headphones!

I suppose I could've put a pocket on the front for my earphones, but I didn't think of it in time.

Hope someone gets some use out of this - or at least enjoys the pictures :)

Cheers.

Tajik-style manty

Tue, 20 Sep 2005 03:24:05 GMT

Manty are Central Asian steamed dumplings. You can make vegetarian filling with mashed potatoes instead of meat. Cooking time may vary if you do this, but I haven't experimented to figure it out.

Tajik-style Manty

Filling ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or lamb
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, finely diced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
generous dashes black pepper, cumin seeds, and basil

Wrapping:
package of wonton wrappers

Garnish:
4-6 Tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely diced
about 1/8 small onion, finely sliced
dash basil
salt to taste

Mix filling ingredients together well. Spread wonton wrappers out on table or other flat surface, seperating halves if necessary, and place about a tablespoon of filling in the center. (Here comes the tricky part, apologies for awfulness of explanation.) Fold up the four corners of the wonton wrapper and press together on top. (If necessary, wet edges first so the corners stick together when pressed.) This will create four new corners. Press two corners on each side together to form a vaguely ship-shaped form. I've attempted to draw a diagram of the three stages and here is a picture I found online of the finished product: manty. (I have no idea what that red stuff is.) Oil the steamer and place the manty in it. Ideally, they should not touch each other. Cover and steam over medium heat for 40-45 minutes.

When the the manty are almost ready, make the garnish. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan and saute the vegetables and spices until onions are soft. Remove the manty from the steamer, arrange on a plate and spoon garnish over the top. Best served warm with plenty of sour cream, and eaten with fingers.

Makes about 44 manty.

X-posted to la_flaneuse and my personal journal.

Animal Cracker Hat

Sun, 31 Jul 2005 06:14:02 GMT

I posted this over at hp_knitting but I figured as it's so quiet here, no one would mind a cross post.

The "animal cracker hat" is from The Prisoner of Azkaban film, from when Ron eats an animal cracker and roars like a lion. They're in their jammies and such and Ron is wearing a shallow tight-fitting fair isle hat, with ear flaps and long, loosely braided tassles.

I've wanted to work up this pattern for a while as it's one of my favorite bits of knitting from the HP films. To remind folks of the hat, I give you a pic:

And, this is the finished hat. It's larger than the film version, made for a 22-24" head (although it'd fit 23-24 better). Working the 20-22" size would match the film hat more closely, especially on the mannequin head I'm using (a 22" head).:

I've been waiting months (since March) for the yarn, which my LYS forgot to order in a bit of a snafu. I wasn't in any particular urgency as I've loads in the works. So, since I trust them, and I know Brown Sheep has problems filling orders in a timely fashion, I sort of half forgot about the order. About 6 weeks ago, I was going to the shop anyway, and I asked about it, discovered they hadn't placed the order, etc. etc. etc. So, fast forward almost 6 weeks. I haven't heard from them again. I break half my US#1s making bookweights and I decide to get new needles and see what's up. Only half my yarn is in. They're still backordered on, of all things, the green and the deep plum I wanted to use for the main and dark contrast colors for the hat to match the one in the film.

This is a long winded explanation for why the hat is "chianti" instead of "turkish olive." *sigh* Basically, I got fed up waiting to work on the pattern and this is the result. The pattern is here.

Pattern specs: Used Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky (85/15 wool/mohair singles, 113g skeins, 125yds(114m), recommended gauge 3st/in on US#10.5 (6.5mm)) in 5 colors, using a little less than half a skein of the main color and varying quantities of the rest. Used US#9 (5.5mm) and 11 (8mm) circular needles.

mmmm... tasty!

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 18:42:10 GMT

PINEAPPLE AU GRATIN
2 large cans pineapple chunks, drained
6 tbsp flour
1 c. sugar
2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 pkg Ritz crackers, crumbled (one of the interior packages, not the box)
1/4 - 1/2 stick butter melted

Mix together first 4 ingredients. Place in lightly greased casserole. Top with crumbled Ritz crackers. Drizzle with butter.

Bake 20 minutes @ 425
Serves 4-6

Mon, 27 Jun 2005 07:30:12 GMT

Oh my, so quiet around here lately, hehe.

Anyway, winter holidays are coming up and I'm going away for a week or so. Thing is, we're cooking for ourselves. I'm not the world's best cook, and my idea of dinner is usually getting one of those pasta packs that comes with the noodles and dry powder and dumping that into a pot. *laughs*
So I'm just wondering if anyone's got any ideas for dinners that are quick and easy, but also tasty?

Thankyou in advance luvlies!

Tue, 03 May 2005 10:50:27 GMT

*waves*

rainwen's last post reminded me of this. I don't have a clue where it's from - it's handwritten and foodstained in my mother's recipe binder, I've been making it for years.

Don't be put off by the idea of savoury pancakes, by the way. I promise, these are brilliant. :D

Spinach & fish pancakes - serves 2

75g plain flour
pinch of salt
1 egg
450ml milk
50g spinach, chopped
25g butter (& extra for frying)
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 bay leaf
100g smoked haddock, skinned & cubed
100g cod, skinned & cubed (or whatever fish you like - it doesn't really matter, as long as there's 200g)

1. Sift 50g of flour into a bowl. Add salt. Break in the egg and gradually add 150ml of milk. Beat until the batter is smooth, and stir in the spinach.

2. Heat some butter in a frying pan. Pour in a quarter of the batter. Cook until pancake moves about freely, turn over and cook until golden. Make 4.

3. Put the remaining butter, flour and milk in a saucepan. Heat (whisking continuously) until sauce thickens and boils. Stir in the lemon rind, bay leaf and cubed fish. Cook for 6-8 minutes.

4. Divide the mixture between the pancakes, roll up, and serve warm with green salad.

Spinach casserole!

Mon, 02 May 2005 19:18:46 GMT

Hey all... I just tried making this spinach casserole, and it is phenomenal. It's cheap, easy, healthy, and very tasty.

I didn't change anything about the recipe, so I'll just link you to it.

Baked spinach!

Quick & Easy Moussaka

Sun, 01 May 2005 16:04:18 GMT

A relatively quick and easy Moussaka recipe for use by meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. The veggie version is just as tasty as the meat one – I adapted it to cater for a vegetarian friend, but have also had requests from non-veggies for the recipe and now it’s typed up I thought I’d post it here too :) I’ve provided US Imperial values as well as metric, for reference, although I’d advise you to double-check… Serves 4-6, but can be successfully doubled up if catering for a Weasley-sized clan.

This is adapted from a Waitrose recipe card I picked up a year or so ago. It’s easy to make, and tastes gorgeous, but most importantly is easily adapted to a vegetarian version by substituting the lamb with the best part of a 450g pack of vegemince. Not to be confused with quorn mince, this is a soya/wheat-based mince available in the frozen section of most supermarkets in the UK (either an own-brand version, or ‘RealEat Vegemince’), and I assume the US and Europe too? This wonderful product doesn’t require any soaking, can be cooked straight from the freezer, and (most importantly) tastes good (I often use it in spag bol, too)!

Approx. 20 minutes prep, 1 hour cooking time.

You will need:
· 2 small aubergines (eggplants), trimmed both ends and cut (lengthwise) into ½ cm-thick slices (approx 0.2 in.)
· 100ml (3.5 fluid oz.) extra virgin olive oil
· 1 large onion, chopped
· 500g (1.1 lbs) pack ground lamb (or approx 1 lb vegemince)
· 170g (6 oz.) jar red pesto sauce
· 10g (approx. 1/3 oz.) pack fresh oregano (or just some dried for the ‘meat’ sauce)
· 200ml (7 fluid oz.) red wine (or lamb stock)
· 200g (7 oz.) greek yoghurt
· 2 eggs, beaten
· 50g (just over 1 oz.) Grana Padano (or parmesan), finely grated

1. Preheat the grill to high. Line a large grill rack with foil and arrange the aubergine slices over it in a single layer. Mix the oil with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper and brush half over the aubergine. Grill for 3-4 minutes, or until golden. Turn the slices, brush with the remaining oil and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Reserve.

2. Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5/375F. Heat a wide pan, add the onion and lamb and fry gently for 10 minutes until browned (the vegemince won’t need very long – about half this time). Add the pesto, oregano, red wine or stock and some freshly ground black pepper. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until piping hot.

3. Arrange a third of the grilled aubergine slices in the base of a 1.8-litre (approx. 3.8 US pints), shallow ovenproof dish. Spoon half the meat sauce over the top. Layer with half the remaining slices and the rest of the sauce. Place the rest of the slices on top.

4. Beat together the yoghurt, eggs and all but 2 tablespoons of the cheese. Spread over the aubergines and sprinkle with the reserved cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown and piping hot.

5. Suggestion: serve with a salad of chopped tomatoes and cucumber, sliced red onion, feta, Kalamata olives and the reserved oregano leaves, dressed with a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Also nice with garlic bread and couscous, and a nice glass of that wine you opened...

Dad's Famous Cioppino

Mon, 18 Apr 2005 05:21:27 GMT

My husband saw a cooking show featuring a yummy looking shellfish dish at work today and came home craving seafood, so I decided to make my dad's famous cioppino. This soup can be rather expensive because of the seafood but is incredibly good and incredibly easy.

1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp basil
1 tsp oregano
pepper to taste
bay leaf
about 2 pounds seafood of choice (suggestions: shrimp, salmon, firm white fish, clams, mussels, scallops, etc.)

Saute onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and carrots in olive oil until onions soften. Add 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes and lesser amount of water, basil, oregano, pepper, and bay leaf. Simmer approximately 15 minutes. Add desired seafood and simmer 5-10 minutes more minutes until seafood is done.