Nina’s Sun Tea

Sun tea! I don't know if it's just a southwestern thing or not... but you get a big glass jug, fill it with water and about 5-6 teabags, put it outside for the afternoon and voila! Tea is brewed!

We go through a jug every 2 days or so. Unsweetened, of course.

Bernard’s Sun Tea

One of my favorite sun teas: 4 cups of water, add 4 Red Zinger tea bags and let sit for 4 hours. Add .25 cup of sugar syrup* and mix. Slice half a lemon, half a lime and a whole orange. Add all slices to the tea. Squeeze the remaining half lime and lemon's juices into the tea. Put ice cubes made of orange juice** in a tall glass and fill with tea.

* boil 1 and 1/3 cups sugar in 1 and 1/4 cups of water until the sugar is completely dissolved. Store in covered jar in fridge.

** Simply pour OJ in ice cube trays and freeze.

Rich Galassini’s Comment
I think it would be better with a little bit of wine (sangria) or a little rum.

Rich Galassini’s "Lemon Sissy"

Fill a pitcher full of ice. Fill it 3/4 of the way with lemonade. Top with vodka. Enjoy!

Mary Anna’s Coolers

I sometimes make smoothies with frozen strawberries, soy milk, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of sugar.

Bernard’s Granita di Cafe

Ooooh I love it. I first had it at a cafe on MacDougal St. in the Village and have loved it ever since--with whipped cream on top! Yummy yum yum.

It's very easy to make if you have an espresso machine. Make 4 cups of espresso, add .5 cup sugar while it's still hot along with .5 tsp. of lemon juice (both to taste). Pour into a 13x9 pan and let cool to room temperature. Put in the freezer and take it out about an hour later and stir the ice crystals which have formed into the liquid. Put it back in the freezer and repeat every hour, or half hour, depending on your freezer, until it's all crystals.
Topped with whipped cream, man oh man.

Mrs. Pianojuggler’s Boss’s Tamarind Margaritas

You need some tamarind juice... I understand that you can make your own by boiling the beans for a long time, then squeezing the meat out of them. One of the Mexicans there said you can get the juice or concentrate at a Mexican grocery store. It's very sweet, and needs no added sugar or anything. The recipe then seemed to be:
- fill a tumbler about half full of ice
- add "some" tequila of your choosing
- fill the tumbler most of the rest of the way with tamarind juice
- add a splash of Cointreau

Sit with your feet in the river and slurp decadently.

A recipe for a different season:

Passover Chicken Soup

from Claire Rolbein, Boston Globe 3/20/2002

This soup takes two days. Chicken and root vegetables are cooked on the first day, then they're removed from the soup. The second day, the soup is cooked again with just fresh vegetables. After straining, the pot is seasoned. Serves 6 to 8

8 cups cold water
6-lb chicken (preferably fowl), quartered
3 carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
3 stalks celery (with leaves), halved crosswise
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
1 large leek, trimmed and halved lengthwise
1 large parsnip, peeled and halved, lengthwise
1 medium purple-topped turnip, halved
1 medium celery root, peeled and halved

1. In large soup pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the chicken, cover, and simmer steadily for 45 minutes. (Hint: cook the broth at a steady and even simmer, with only small bubbles on the surface, rather than at a full boil. After the liquid boils initially it should not boil again.)

2. Lightly skim the liquid. Add the carrots, celery, onions, leek, parsnip, turnip, and celery root. The chicken and vegetables should be covered with water; add more, if necessary. Cover the pot and continue simmering for 45 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Uncover it and let the soup sit for 10 minutes.

3. Use two large spoons to lift the chicken from the liquid; set it aside for other use. Remove the carrots from the pot and set them aside for tomorrow.

4. Set a fine strainer over a large bowl. Strain the remaining soup into the bowl. Gently shake the strainer to release the liquid, but DO NOT PRESS DOWN on the solids. (HINT: Pressing down makes the broth cloudy, and it alters the taste, so don't do it.) Discard the vegetables in the strainer (they have given their all.) Let the soup cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

For the second day:
2 carrots
2 stalks celery (with leaves), halved crosswise
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 large leek, trimmed and halved lenghtwise
1 large parsnip, peeled and halved lengthwise
Small bunch each of parsley and dill, tied together
1 tablespoon coarse or kosher salt (2 teaspoons if using table salt)
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
Pinch of sugar
1/2 cube Knorr's beef boullion
2 drops lime juice (Grandmother would say "oy vey")
1 Tablespoon reserved fat (from top of soup)
Few extra sprigs parsley (for garnish)

1. Lift off the congealed fat from the top of the soup; reserve it in a small bowl. Return the soup to the pot.

2. Bring it just to a simmer, add the carrots, celery, onion, leek, parship, parsley, and dill, Cover the pot and let the soup simmer steadilty for 30 to 35 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Do not let it boil. Remove the pot from the heat. Uncover it and let the soup sit for 10 minutes.

3. Set a fine sieve over a large bowl. Pour the contents of the pot through the sieve. Do not press down on the vegetables. Discard the vegetables in the sieve.

4. Return the soup to the pot. Slice the reserved carrots and add them to the soup. Reheat until the first bubbles appear on the surface. Add the salt, pepper, sugar, boullion cube, lime juice, and reserved fat. Adjust the seasonings to suit your taste. Add cooked matzo balls (use your favorite recipe or the one on the box of matzo meal) and serve at once, garnished with parsley.

VEGETABLE MEAT LOAF

Very firm, not many ingredients, good for grilling. You can see the bits of vegetables in it so if your kids are particular about such things they probably won't eat it.

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 package Knorr vegetable soup and recipe mix
1 egg
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (like Devonsheer or Old London)
1/2 cup milk

Mush everything together in a big bowl. The easiest way to do this is with your hands. Press in to an 8" x 5" loaf pan.

Squirt ketchup on top if you like (I like). Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve with more ketchup (I'm from Minnesota - we consider ketchup a vegetable.)

Here’s the cobbler recipe I've been using with blueberries from my yard. It works well with any berries. (shout out to my friend Vickie, who sent me this recipe in 1987 or so, when we still wrote letters via snailmail):

1 1/4 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 TBSP butter (I admit that I misread her 4 as a 9, and have been using 8 TBSP, or 1/2 cup, of butter. Yum. But 6 T is sufficient; I tried it and it's a nice compromise)

3/4 cup sugar (I reduce to 2/3 cup)

1 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk

3 cups berries

Stir together flour, baking powder, salt. Cream butter, sugar, vanilla; beat in egg until blended. Add flour mixure and milk–beat only until smooth. Spread in buttered 8 inch square baking dish; scatter berries on top. Drop teaspoonsful of topping (follows) over berries. Bake @ 350 degrees for one hour–toothpick should come out without batter, and top is golden. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream, or both. 6-8 servings. TOPPING: Beat 1/4 cup soft butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour until smooth.

Enjoy!

I'm planning a great meal--meat loaf, followed by blueberry cobbler. Yum!

CINDY'S GINGER-SPICED GARBANZO BEANS aka SPICY CHICKPEAS WITH GINGER

Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
Nina, here is the chick pea recipe, from "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone," by Deborah Madison. I cannot say enough good things about this book. The recipes are very simple; nothing that would take you all day. I have used it for side dishes for years. Dig into your wallet for the hardback version. You'll use it a lot.

Lots of cooks notes from me at the end.

*********************

SPICY CHICKPEAS WITH GINGER

3 T mustard oil or vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1 bay leaf
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T grated ginger
2t ground coriander
2 t ground cumin
1/4 ground cardamom
salt and pepper
2 Tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/2 c. chickpea broth or water
2 15-ounce cans of chick peas
Juice of 1/2 lemon

For garnishes: little dishes of diced onion, minced jalapeno, chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes

Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion and cook until well browned, 12-15 minutes. Lower the heat and add bay leaf, garlic, ginger, spices, 1/2 t salt and pepper, and tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes, then add chickpea broth and chickpeas. Simmer until liquid is reduced to sauce. Taste for salt and add lemon juice. Serve with garnishes.

******************

Cook's notes:

Mustard oil? You gotta be kidding me. Use olive oil.

Ditch the garnishes. Who has time for that? Just serve it over basmati rice.

Go hog wild with the garlic and spices (double and then add more if it is bland). Double or triple the ginger. Don't chop the ginger; the texture of grating is important. You will wind up with some huge strings of ginger when you finish grating; chop those to break them up so no one bites down on a mouthful of ginger.

Throw in some red pepper flakes at the end.

Double the recipe. It makes great leftovers.

Feel free to increase the onions and tomatoes. You can never have too much of that stuff. Big dice works fine; no need to dice finely.

Don't peel the tomatoes. That's just lame.

Cardamom is expensive. Feel free to skip it.

Tonight we made two Giada De Laurentiis (Everyday Italian on the Food Network) recipes. I'm posting them with some of my revisions but they're googleable.

This would be really perfect for a dinner party after work or a picnic with a cooler:

Broiled Salmon with herb mustard glaze
(I want to try this with some non-salmon things, including something meatless, but the mustard glaze with the orzo ingredients was perfect.)

2 cloves garlic
3/4 tsp fresh rosemary
3/4 tsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
6 salmon fillets (6 to 8 oz each)
salt
freshly ground pepper
lemon wedges

Combine in (mini) food processor, reserving 1 tbsp whole grain mustard. Grind the mustard sauce until combined but coarse. Transfer to small bowl and add remaining whole grain mustard.

Preheat the broiler (we grilled it on release foil). Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray foil with nonstick spray. Arrange salmon fillets on the sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil for two minutes, then spoon mustard sauce over the fillets. Continue broiling until the fillets are just cooked through and golden brown (about 5 minutes longer).


Tri-Colore Orzo (Best to make this before cooking the salmon, or works well with two cooks)

1 pound orzo pasta
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cups fresh arugula (we skipped it but would have been delish. If you make this ahead, add the arugula closer to serving time)
3/4 cup crumbled feta (calls for ricotta salata)
1/2+ cup dried cherries (we used craisins, which were great)
12+ fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4+ cup toasted pine nuts (add closer to serving time if making ahead)
3+ tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes. Drain pasta and put on a large cookie sheet. Drizzle pasta with 3 tbsp olive oil. Toss, spread out, set aside to cool.

Once the orzo is cool (20 minutes?) transfer to a large serving bowl. Add remaining ingredients (it calls for an additional 1/4 cup olive oil, but we added lots of lemon juice, small wedges, and zest instead) and toss gently to combine. Serve.


It was really, really good and if you're planning something special, worth the expense and minimal trouble.

PJ's Chicken Curry

bunch of cut up chicken pieces
bunch of diced potatoes
diced onion (one)
cauliflower pieces (1/2 bag frozen)
a couple carrots, peeled and cut up OR a couple handfuls of baby carrots
(AdagioM puts in cut spinach (1/2 bag frozen))

Either:
can o' (lite) coconut milk
OR
can o' diced tomatoes (not the ones with Italian herbs)

generous quantity of curry powder (I add more cumin, too)
a couple whole cardamom seeds
enough water to raise fluid level to cover everything

Cook all day or until everything is done. Stir once in a while.

Serve over rice, garnish with some fresh cilantro leaves.



PJ's Veritable Veggie Curry

soak and pre-cook beans of your choice:
red, navy, pinto, black, turtle, white, or some of all of 'em. Most dry beans will be about 3 times the quantity when cooked... plan accordingly. Kidney beans MUST be thoroughly cooked. Or used canned beans.

soak and pre-cook some garbanzos or open a can

bunch of diced potatoes
carrots (peeled and diced or baby)
onion, cut up coarse
cauliflower fresh florets or frozen
corn (frozen whole kernels)

I like to steam the cauli to shorten cook time.
I like to sautee the onion and carrots before tossing them in the pot

Put it all together.

Add a generous quantity of curry powder and a few whole cardamom seeds

Either
a can o' coconut milk
OR
a can o' diced tomatoes (not the ones with Italian herbs)

Let it cook together (like all day in a crockpot)

Less than a half an hour before it's done, add some green beans -- I like to get the frozen petite ones and cut them in half. I put them in late so they stay crisp.

Serve over rice with a fistful of fresh cilantro.

Kenny's Tabouleh

In large bowl combine:

1 cup Cracked Bulgar wheat (find the largest kernal wheat you can, it will be more chewy and nutty)
salt
pepper
garlic (garlic powder works but I simmer an entire bulb, peeled crushed and chopped, in olive oil till brown)

Pour in 3/4 cup boiling water.
Stir.
Set aside till cool.

Add:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Stir
Refrigerate an hour or so

chop and add:
A bunch or two of green onions.
A bunch or two of parsley (regular or Italian)
3 or 4 large tomatoes (or the equivalent weight of smaller ones)
1 peeled cucumber

Stir well

Pig out with a stout cheese and white wine.

The quantities are approximate; the next time you make it you will adjust things anyway.

Lilylady's Salsa

Only made when everything is fresh out of the garden! Herbs are different when they are dried and often do not get 'soft' again. This is a basic recipe with no measurements and it is made differently each time according to what is available and my mood.

Big Bowl
10 Roma tomatoes -they are not as juicy runny
10 Beefsteak or whatever - 1/2 and 1/2
3 lg peppers - I always grow golden as they are sweeter but still use them as green peppers
4 Carrots - these add substance plus act as a thickener
1 md Zuchini - sometimes
Hot peppers to taste, depending on how hot. Leave out seeds. This year I have small hot stuffing peppers which are med light hot valued. 1-2 added to above

Above veggies are chopped in food processor but not chopped to death...leave them chunky

Herbs -
Garlic Chives - fistfull (the eleviates the need for onions, chives, garlic)
Parsley - as much or as little as you like - stops garlic breath
Oregano - handful
Thyme - handful
Basil - several stems wiht leaves pulled off

All of the herbs are chopped fairly good, no stems please. After chopping put in another tomato to clean the edges

Tomato paste - small can or two
Olive oil - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Mix with wooden spoon. Add what is needed AFTER it sets up for several hours in the fridge. Really tastes better the next day.

Add shredded moz cheese on top
Large bag or two of tostitos




Enjoy!