Welcome to Spike & Jamie's Free Recipe
Collection Archives!! Here we store all the back issues of the original
Free Recipe Collection and of the Free Jewish Recipe Collection.
Many of these recipes have not yet been added to the recipe web site -
so you are getting a "sneak peek" of future additions. We hope you
enjoy these recipes!!!
Shalom, from Spike the Grate and Jamie the Webmistress
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[] Fresh apricots are available now in California. I would use fresh
fruit instead of dried – probably 1 1/2 cups of fresh diced apricots
would be equal to 1 cup of the dried fruit; if not, add a few more. It
would be good to mash a couple of them so
you have the lovely liquid. Garnish with a few more apricots and lemon
wedges.[]
Apricot Honey Chicken Breasts
(Serves 8)
8 chicken breast quarters, skin left on, trimmed of visible fat
1 medium onion, sliced
2 mild green chili, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup apricot nectar
1 cup dried apricots, plumped in the nectar
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons slivered almonds, lightly toasted
1. In a small bowl, mix the dried apricots with the nectar. Set aside.
2. Brown chicken breasts on both sides in a little vegetable oil or use
non-stick spray, about 5 minutes on each side over medium heat. Remove
breasts from skillet.
3. Add a little oil if needed, stir in onion, garlic and chili. Cook
until onion is translucent.
4. Stir in apricots and the nectar, honey and lemon juice. Return the
chicken breasts to the skillet, cover tightly and cook about 30 minutes
over low heat, or until breasts are tender and juices run clear.
5. Add the slivered almonds. Remove chicken breasts to a platter, spoon
the sauce over the chicken and serve with cous-cous or rice pilaf.
[] This chicken recipe looks very good – and Auntie Rivka thinks it is
for weddings! []
AUNTIE RIVKA’S NUTTY CHICKEN
You though you could have a wedding meal without chicken. Think again.
Would Empire allow me to write a column that didn’t have a chicken
recipe? A wedding
is not a wedding unless Empire chicken is part of the meal of course!
Please note: This is a recipe. It does not depict the state of mind of
any of Auntie Rivka’s chickens, or of Auntie Rivka, or of the
writer--her niece. Now we can go
on with the recipe.
For every four guests use one pound of EMPIRE boneless chicken breasts.
If your wedding guest list is not evenly divisible by four, cut down on
your guest list!
So for the 1600 or so guests at your table –oh, all right I will give
you the recipe for 8 servings!
2 lbs. EMPIRE (don’t you dare use another brand) boneless chicken
breasts
3 tbs. brown sugar
3 tbs. soy sauce
1/4 cup kosher red wine or sherry
3 tbs. cornstarch
3 eggs beaten until foamy
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3 tbs. grated fresh ginger or 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger (fresh is
better)
1 BULB (not clove) of minced or pressed garlic
3 large onions sliced (medium sliced is better than fine)
3 cans--about 3 cups of sliced bamboo shoots (if I can find them labeled
kosher, so can you)
1 cup walnuts
1 cup unsalted cashews
1 cup pecans
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup or more oil to sauté chicken and the various nuts.
In a bowl large enough to hold the pieces of chicken mix together the
sugar, soy sauce and wine. This is your marinade.
Wash the chicken in cold water. Gently pierce the pieces of chicken with
a fork, over the entire area of the chicken.
Placed the pieced pieces of chicken in the marinade. Make sure the
chicken is fully coated with the marinade mixture.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate in marinade overnight.
DO NOT DISCARD THE MARINADE!
Beat the eggs until foamy.
Place the cornstarch in a plastic bag.
Remove the chicken from the marinade. DO NOT THROW OUT THE MARINADE. (I
have told you twice now - this recipe will not work if you throw out the
recipe. - Never mind how long it took me to get it to work WITH the
marinade!)
Coat each piece of chicken with cornstarch.
Start to heat the oil in a skillet or wok.
Then dip the chicken in the egg mixture.
Place the mixture of nuts in the oil and GENTLY brown the nuts. With a
slotted metal kitchen spoon remove the nuts from the oil. In the
remaining oil brown the
chicken, ginger, garlic, and onions. Add the boiling water-didn’t I tell
you to start boiling water-OK HOT water will do. Add the bamboo shoots
and marinade.
Cover and cook over a LOW heat for no more than 15 minutes. Add the nut
mixture and stir until the nuts are evenly distributed in the skillet.
Heat for nor more than
five minutes.
For a garnish cut thin slivers or red, yellow and green peepers and
arrange artistically over each serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if
you wish as an added touch.
[] These recipes are on line at www.Empirekosher.com . In other words,
they are
stolen. This next one is a contest winner, by Brenda. Stolen by Spike.
[]
Bridal Bouquet Salad
The trick to this salad is edible flowers. Nasturtiums, viola, etc add a
splash of color of plain white dishes. Brother of course suggested
dandelion greens. I don’t think this is appropriate.
[] You must be very careful to ensure that the flowers you are using in
your salad have never been sprayed with pesticide or any of that other
nasty stuff that could make you sick. []
1 bag freshly washed baby spinach leaves
3 tins drained mandarin orange segments
3 cups fresh raspberries
Place enough pieces of spinach on each plate to cover the plate. Place a
few slices of mandarin oranges artistically around the edges. In the
center of the spinach, place 6 - 8 raspberries. Decorate the edge of
the plates with 4 or six edible flowers. Serve with a raspberry
dressing if you wish.
[] This recipe is said to be for Rosh Hashanah dinner – but it is good
any time. []
Crown Roast of Lamb
The main feature of the Rosh Hashanah dinner in our home was the crown
roast of lamb. This represented the sheep's head which was supposed to
be present at Rosh Hashanah. meal. The roast was always served on a bed
of lettuce, the center ring was filled with a stuffing mixture (see the
archives) or rice and raisin filling. Small flower-cut radishes adorned
the sides. Slices of oranges and pomegranate surrounded the outside
edges. Dates and figs also surrounded the edges. It was a joy to behold,
and we always thought that it was too pretty to eat. It is however,
extremely simple to make ( although expensive).
One crown roast of lamb ( ribs tied in a circle).
for the stuffing:
3 cups wild rice, washed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 medium onions, chopped
3 large stalks celery, chopped
3 cups seedless grapes, halved
1 1/2 cups blanched almonds, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 cup sherry
Garnishes:
Crushed cloves of garlic.
Oranges sliced very thin
Pomegranates sliced in circles
Dates and figs.
Radishes
Green lettuce bed
Papillotes (“lamb panties”) and bunches of grapes for garnish, optional
Prepare stuffing. : In a large pot, bring 9 cups water to a boil in a
large, heavy-bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid. Add rice and salt,
then return to a boil and cook, covered, until tender — about 30
minutes, or up to an hour or more. The wild rice is cooked when most of
the rice kernels have cracked open and the white interior of the kernels
is visible. If water evaporates before the rice is done add more water,
about 1/2 -3/4 cup at a time until done.
Heat oven to 350°. In a large sauté pan set over medium heat, melt
butter. Add onions and celery and cook until translucent, about 3 to 5
minutes. Toss in grapes, almonds, and thyme. Cook until heated through,
about 5 minutes. Add sherry and simmer for 1 minute. Stir in rice, and
season with salt and pepper.
Place rack in roasting pan and cover with foil. Transfer roast to
roasting pan, and fill with rice stuffing; mound it high, but do not
pack too tightly. (Cook extra stuffing in a buttered baking dish covered
with buttered parchment paper until thoroughly heated, about 15 to 20
minutes.) Roast for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the meat reaches an
internal temperature of 145° to 150° for medium-rare meat. Turn off
oven, and allow roast to rest in oven with door ajar for 10 minutes
before serving.
Place the roast on a platter that has been lined with lettuce leaves.
Fill the center of the rack of lamb with the stuffing, or with a mixture
of fried rice and raisins.
Place a ring of alternating orange slices and pomegranate slices around
the roast.
Put 5 or 6 radishes that have been cut to form the flowering radish in
strategic places on the platter.
On the outer ring alternate dates and figs or dried apricots.
Decorate tips of rib bones with papillotes (“lamb panties”) and garnish
platter with bunches of grapes and rosemary sprigs, if desired. To
carve, remove papillotes, and scoop out stuffing; transfer to a platter.
Slice down between bones with a sharp knife, and place on platter. An
alternative method is to separate each rib section, lay it flat on a
cutting board, and slice between the bones.
Serve with a dash of mint sauce or jelly. (You can BUY this, folks.)
[] How about some dessert? []
CRANBERRY PIE
pie crust:
Mom got this recipe from a country fair. The lady who made her pies with
this always won first prize. I do not know the origin of this pie crust
but I have seen it in many country cookbooks At the next fair Mom won
first prize. The year after that Auntie Rivka entered the pie baking
contest. Naturally. www.empirekosher.com )
1 lb. pareve margarine or vegetable shortening
4 1/2 cups flour
4 tbs. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
2 tbs. vinegar
Cold water
With a pastry cutter (it does a better job than the mixer or a food
processor) cut flour sugar baking powder and salt into the margarine..
Keep cutting until you have little balls the size of peanuts.
Break the egg into a separate dish. Check for blood spots. If the egg is
clean pour the egg into a glass measuring cup. Beat the egg in the cup
until foamy. Use a fork--a little fork. Add the vinegar. Stir. Add
enough water to make one cup of liquid. Stir.
Pour the liquid into the flour mixture. Blend until you have a soft ball
of dough.
Roll our the dough on a lightly floured pastry board.a
This makes 4 or 5 pie crusts.
Line a 9 inch pie plate with the pastry dough.
CRANBERRY PIE FILLING
1 1/2 cups raisins
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 pkg. cranberries (about 4 cups)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cloves
Line a 9 inch pie plate with the pie dough you just made.
On a pot on the top of the stove bring the raisins and the water to a
boil Gradually add the sugar stirring constantly until it dissolves.
REDUCE HEAT. Gradually add the flour and stir until the flour dissolves.
I use a portable electric hand mixer to do this. Cook and stir until the
mixture thickens. Add the cranberries.. Cook until the cranberries skins
platz (burst) open. Let the mixture cool down ever so SLIGHTLY. Add the
spices and mix so that the spices are evenly distributed.
Pour into the lined pie dish.
Cover with a second pie crust. Cut slits in the top of the pie for steam
to escape, otherwise you will have spillage of the filling in the oven
and get an F in Auntie Rivka's cleanup class.
Take a egg.. Break it open. Add a tablespoon or so of water to it. Add a
teaspoon of sugar. Beat the mixture until foamy. Brush over the top of
the pie crust.
Preheat oven to 450F
Put the pie in the oven at this temperature for 10minutes. This seals in
the juices.
Reduce the heat to 350F and bake until the pie crust is golden
brown--about 30 minutes. Cool and cut before serving!
[] Enjoy the lovely summer weather, even when it is 104 degrees F. like
we expect here in the Central Valley of California. []
Shalom, from Spike the Grate and Jamie the Webmistress
SHALOM FROM SPIKE & JAMIE
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