Bulgarian Musaka

One of Beau's Bulgarian colleagues at U of R shared his mother's Mousaka recipe with us. It was a tricky translation as she doesn't speak much English, but I'll be experimenting with it to get it right!

Musaka

Ingredients
1 kilo kaima (ground pork & beef)
5-6 potatoes
1 onion
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon red pepper
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
pinch of black pepper
salt to taste

Ingredients for topping
1 egg
1-2 tablespoons yogurt
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon flour
pinch of salt

Directions
Cut the onion and potatoes separately into small cubes. Stew the onion with the oil and a bit of water at medium temperature. Add the potatoe cubes, tomato sauce and red pepper to the onion and stew, stirring for 5-7 minutes.
Turn burner off, leaving the pot on the burner. Add the kaima (meat) and stir. Add the parsley, black pepper and salt and stir. Add one big tea cup of water.
Put into baking dish and bake at 350F. Check periodically to see if it is done. When it is done, prepare the topping.

Break the egg and add some yogurt, flour, milk and salt. Put this mixture onto the baked musaka and use a spoon to cover the whole thing. Bake again until the topping is nicely baked.

Cut into slices and serve with a side of yogurt, if desired.

Bon appetit!

Beef Bulgogi

I went plunging the depths of my sister-in-law Tamara's blog today to find this recipe. I just liked it that much the first time I made it, I guess, so I'll just poach it and put it here where I can quickly find it next time!

2 lb beef top sirloin, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ Asian pear or ¼ kiwi—peeled, cored and minced (not optional. This acts as a meat tenderizer.)

4 green onions, thinly sliced

½ cup soy sauce

4 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp sesame oil

4 Tbsp rice wine or Korean cooking wine

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp minced fresh ginger or 1/8 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a large Ziploc bag, combine beef with all other ingredients. Seal and refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat grill pan over medium heat. Brush oil over grill pan, and add beef. Cook, turning to brown evenly, until done.

Serve with rice, wrapped in romaine lettuce leaves (much like a taco shell).

Spicy Cheese Ball

4 oz cream cheese
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
1 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp chopped green onion
Tabasco sauce to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
cracked black pepper

Combine ingredients and roll in cracked pepper. Chill.

Pineapple Cheese Ball

16 oz. cream cheese
3 tsp finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper
or in place of onion and bell pepper 1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix together and roll in chopped nuts. Best if chilled overnight.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
4-6 Tbs lime juice
1 cup water
2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
2 onions, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can diced chilies (4 oz)

Place chicken in crockpot.
Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over the chicken.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Shred the chicken at about the halfway point so it can soak up all the juice.
Serve over rice.

Massaged Kale and Currant Salad

My new favorite salad of all time! Big thanks to Rebecca Garrison for introducing me to it. I'd never had Kale before, unless it's the green stuff in Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana... but I think that's escarole. I guess I'm not all that familiar with my green leafy vegetables! I liked this so well though, I think I'll even grow it in my next garden!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Makes 6 servings

1 bunch kale (9-10 good sized leaves)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 c diced red onion
1/3 c currants
3/4 c diced apple (about 1/2 apple)
1/3 sunflower seeds, toasted
1/4 c olive oil
2 tablespoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1/3 c gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Destem kale by pulling leaves away from the stems. Wash leaves. Spin/pat dry. Stack leaves, roll up, and cut in thin ribbons. Put kale in a large mixing bowl. Add salt, & massage it into the kale with your hands for two minutes.

Stir onion, currants, apple, and sunflower seeds into kale. Dress with oil and vinegar. Taste for salt and vinegar, adding more if necessary. When at desired flavor, toss in cheese, This salad will keep for several days and still be great!

Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

1 recipe double-crust pie dough

2 1/2 pounds (about 5) firm tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 1/2 pounds (about 5) firm, sweet apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 egg white, beaten lightly

Roll one disk of pie dough into a 12-inch circle and fit into a 9-inch pie plate, letting the excess dough hang over the edge. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll the other disk of dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes also.

Toss the apples, 1/2 cup of the sugar, brown sugar, zest, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Transfer the apples to a large pot or Dutch oven and cover, cooking over medium heat and stirring frequently, until the apples are tender when poked with a fork but are not mushy (don’t over cook because the apples will finish cooking and softening up in the oven!), about 10 minutes.

Transfer the apples and their juice to a rimmed baking sheet and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Set an oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Drain the cooled apples thoroughly in a colander, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice. Stir the lemon juice into the reserved 1/4 cup of apple juice.

Spread the apples into the dough-lined pie plate, mounding them slightly in the middle, and drizzle with the lemon juice mixture. Loosely roll the second piece of dough around the rolling pin and gently unroll it over the pie. Crimp the edges together. Cut 4 vent gashes in the top of the pie. Brush the crust with the egg white and sprinkle with the remaining one tablespoon sugar.

Place the pie on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, about 25-30 minutes longer. Let the pie cool on a wire rack until the filling has set, about 2 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Easy No-Fail Pie Crust

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup Crisco shortening (butter-flavored or regular, I prefer regular)

Mix the above ingredients with your hands to form a uniform mixture.

Add 1/3 cup ice water.

Dip your hands in flour so they won’t get too sticky (although it will still be messy). Mix the ice water in to the shortening/flour mixture with your hands. Roll into a round ball (the dough will resemble a sugar cookie dough). Divide in half and on a lightly floured surface roll into two circles. Bake according to pie directions. Recommended: chill dough before rolling out.

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe, adapted from America's Test Kitchen.