time consuming, but worth it

I am talking about a Greek dessert, I have started baking for Christmas and this is my first one.

the recipe i have memorized, but it is still a lot of work, but OH so worth it!

Karidopida

Greek nut cake

The cake ·       8 eggs, separated ·       1 cup sugar ·       1/4 teaspoon cinnamon ·       1/4 teaspoon allspice or nutmeg ·       1 teaspoon fresh orange peel, finely diced ·       1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter ·       2 teaspoons baking powder ·       1/8 teaspoon salt ·       1 teaspoon Hazelnut syrup ·       1 cup cake flour *       i use regular flour with great results ·       2 cups ground hazelnuts (or Walnuts)

Toppings Honey/Orange/wine syrup or powdered syrup. ·       1/2 cup sugar           i use raw sugar ·       1 whole orange, cut in quarters ·       1/4 cup honey ·       1/2 cup sherry or Port ·       1/2 cup water

Syrup

make a flavored syrup with water, orange and sugar at a medium high heat

when the mixture boils add sherry and honey and lower heat to a simmer

reduce by 1/4, strain out the orange and then set aside.

Cake

Use a whisk attachment on a mixer first

beat egg whites with cream of tarter on high and set aside

beat egg yokes until thick and then add spices, sugar and salt and continue to mix

separately, mix baking powder with the flour

Change the paddle from the whisk to a beat bar and reduce the speed of the mixer

slowly add the flour mixture to the egg yoke mixture

When mixed remove from the mixer and fold in the egg whites

Fold in the nuts

Pour into a 9 x 12 greased cake pan

Cook at 350 F for 40 minutes

Remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes before adding any topping

When using the syrup, warm the syrup and pour 1 cup over the cake

If using the powdered sugar, cover a plate with powdered sugar and turn the baking dish onto the plate and allow the cake to fall onto the plate.

Serve cool 

Pastitsio

After much review, this is the recipe i make that is closest to what my mom made. It is much better (to me) than other recipes i tried that left me disappointed.

It has more spice and flavor and everything else you want for this dish.  I would never refer to it as "Greek Lasagna", it is not anything like a good Lasagna and like all things Greek, a bit more complicated.

Pastitsio

meat/ pasta mixture

·      2 lbs ground beef (or lamb or a mixture of both)

·      olive oil to coat pan to cook meat and coat baking pan

·      1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped

·      1/2 cup white wine

·      3 tablespoons parsley, chopped

·      1 tablespoon oregano

·      1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

·      1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·      1/2 teaspoon ground clove

·      salt and pepper to taste

·      1 1/2 cups Kefalotyri cheese (or Locatelli)

·      1 lb #2 pasta (ziti or penne, I prefer penne to even the Greek pastitsio noodle)

·      1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted

béchamel sauce

§       1 cup butter (2 sticks)	melt butter on low heat
§       1 cup flour	whisk in flour till smooth
§       2 cups milk, warmed	add milk and pasta water
§       2 cups pasta water	whisk until smooth
§       4 eggs, whipped	add clove, allspice and salt
§       1/8 teaspoon ground clove	whisk in egg yolks
§       1/8 teaspoon ground allspice	continue to heat until it just thickens
§       salt to taste

1.   cook, but do not brown the ground beef on a medium heat

2.   add onions and cook an additional five minutes

3.   add wine, 1/2 of the parsley, oregano, allspice, clove, cinnamon, salt and pepper and continue for 10 minutes on LOW heat

4.   cook pasta, remembering to salt the water,

5.   drain the pasta, reserving the water

6.   stir in the cheese, butter and flour to the pasta

7.   add meat mixture to the baking pan coated with olive oil

8.   pour portion of the béchamel sauce to cover the meat and mix

9.   add pasta over the meat mixture

10.         pour remaining béchamel sauce over the mixture

11.         add remaining cheese, 1 tablespoon parsley and a light sprinkle of cinnamon to the top

bake at 350 F for 40 minutes, when the top should be light golden brown

cornbread from the box but playing with it...

I make an awesome cornbread from scratch, modifying a Greek dessert recipe, but it is very time consuming, even though it tastes awesome.  If i want something quick, this is what i do.

Corn bread from the box

modifying the box

1.   2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix

2.   4 eggs (twice what the box tells you), whipped

        (makes it fluffy and light)

3.   1/3 cup flour

        (adds strength so it does not crumble so easy from the gluten)

4.   1/2 cup milk

       (creaminess)

5.   1/3 cup beer

       (carbonation so it rises more and bitterness)

6.   1 tablespoon raw sugar

7.   12 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

       (adds firmness and the sharp flavor of the cheese)

8.   1/2 cup whole kernel corn (frozen is great, but thaw it first)

       (adds texture)

9.   1 tablespoon hot, green peppers, diced

10.                     1/4 stick of butter, melted

             (adds sweetness and makes everything more moist)

11.                     1/4 cup shelled, roasted pumpkin seeds

             (adds crunch)

12.                     standard large baking dish 9 x 12, greased

pre-heat oven to 400 F

into the dry mix add:

the eggs, milk, beer, sugar, peppers, corn and half of the cheese

mix thoroughly, it should pour into the pan, if not add more beer

top with the remainder of the cheese and the pumpkin seeds

cooked at 400 F for 20 minutes.

turn off the oven and watch carefully for 5 minutes while it is in the oven

do not let it turn dark brown!   The cheese will be dark, but there is a difference between dark and burned.

remove and pour melted butter around the edges and center of the pan

cool and then cut (do not cut while hot!)

Recipes..what to do?

Ever tried to make a tempting sounding recipe you have found,
only to find following it left you wanting?
Lately, that has been my story...
I tried an apple cake, twice...
the first time following the recipe exactly, the second trying to "fix" it.
Neither came out well.
I cook a mean Pastitsio, but do not follow a recipe and invariably forget to put the eggs in béchamel sauce, so it is not as light and fluffy as it should be, so i found similar recipes and tried to follow the steps presented...twice also.
I was extremely disappointed, again.
Why does it seem that when i do things "on the fly", so to speak, it works and when i try to follow a recipe exactly, it does not?
I know to much...
I know that there is always variability in the flour and that some times more or less must be added, you have to have it look and feel right and recipes can not tell you what experience can.
Sometimes there are misprints, sometimes they are just wrong.
Apples, even using the same variety, will differ in flavor and juiciness.
Sometimes someones flavors are not what you remember from your mother's cooking...that was true in the Pastitsio,  neither recipe i found used allspice, yet that was the secondary spice of choice from my mom and i missed it terribly.

So i am back to doing things as i often do, "off the cuff"  and i will share what i did and hopefully it will come out okay for you.

cooking from the wild

thee are many things that i will take that grow wild,
concord grapes are a simple one, dandelion greens in the spring are another, but around this time there is something special that comes out here in the New England area, giant puff ball mushrooms.
I know, you are suppose to be an expert in order to harvest wild mushrooms, but for this giant, there are no equal in the toxic world, yet there is some information you need to enjoy your meal.

First they are big, big enough to be mistaken for a soccer ball.

this one is over 9 inches and it was not the largest!

second pick them when they first show up and cook them the same day!
The insides MUST be all white!  Any discoloration means the spores are beginning to ripen and they will upset your stomach.

this is how white they should be!

you notice the different dates on the pictures?  Normally there is only one crop and this year there were two, i did not mind!

Cleaning is as any other mushroom, but you want to minimize the skin, which is tough.
Cut 1/2 inch pieces of steak and discard the ends.
Now to cook them.
It should be noted that they absorb any butter, oil or cooking liquid in large quantities - a single 1/2 inch slice will completely absorb 1 stick of butter!
Use a non-stick pan or grill them getting a crust with a small amount of cooking oil or butter.
I add salt, pepper and tarragon to my pan to add flavors i like.

They also taste different than any other mushroom you have ever had, the outside crisp and tender and the inside, while it still has the mushroom texture, taste very much like a pudding (especially if you add to much butter, like i did on the first slice.)
this is a full meal and just needs some vegetables to round it out.

what to do?

I had a really good crop of tomatoes this year,
all shapes and sizes, but we are getting a freeze tonight and to i have picked them all!

What to do now?
Many will ripen and still taste better than the store's tomatoes.
some i will make into a green tomato relish (no recipe yet)
and some i will smoke and serve with southern style food.
I do not do fried foods, so no fried green tomatoes.

Yes, this is my smoker!  4 years in service and in this picture smoking some beautiful pork ribs and eggplant - ...
hickory, maple, hazelnut, cherry and apple woods are what i have available.
This is maple with onions skins.
I also keep my onion skins, oregano stems and sage to add extra flavor when they are warranted ...Onion skins work with everything, fish, beef, pork, sausage and chicken
oregano works with sausage, pork and chicken
and sage works mostly with sausage and chicken.

It is not like i have not been cooking

I have, but just forget to take pictures, write down the recipes here and so forth...
that apology given, i share the following: 24 hour smoked brisket and this is all that is left after 2 days:

firm yet fork tender and juicy!

I changed my rub and went with something very different:
I also cooked 2 full briskets at a time

Brisket Rub 2

Ratio:

3 chipolte peppers, dry, crushed fine

6 paprika

1 rosemary

6 black pepper

6 salt

1 cayenne pepper

1 turbo sugar

The method was slightly different

 - the brisket is slow cooked 24 hours (200 F) with a liquid barrier between the brisket and the heat

rub applied the previous day.

smoke is from Hickory

After 8 hours in the smoker, the brisket is wrapped in tinfoil and cooking continues for the remainder of the 24 hours at 200 F

no extra wood is added for smoke

this is a keeper and reminded me of the best i ever had in Texas