Please note this page is purposely set to the left for printing purposes. Warren Knieriem December 31, 2004 Well, it was a wonderful trip to the Caribbean but full of surprises. On the way, all four pieces of our checked luggage disappeared somewhere in the system for about twenty four hours. They did arrive just minutes before the ship sailed from San Juan. The cruise was outstanding! Excellent service, good food, etc. Coming home was something else. The flights from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta and from Atlanta to Reno were on time with no problems until we reached a point 39,000 feet over Reno. We were on time but could not land. The runways were covered with about eight inches of snow! We circled over Reno for an hour and a half - hopeful that the snow plows would do their job. No such luck! We flew back to Salt Lake for a very short sleep. Sunday morning we finally arrived on the ground in Reno. However, we could not get home to Gardnerville. U. S. Highway 395 was closed south of Reno because of the snow and congestion caused by abandoned cars. We were almost twenty four hours late getting home. The cruise was great. We had some wine, or other adult beverages, in the lounges before dinner every night. The waiters and waitresses "forced" a variety of canapes on us and we did not resist. This is the recipe you should have received on New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31, 2004). I think you will enjoy it more now. I offer a group of recipes for canapes like we were "forced" to eat each evening. These are hot canapes. I also owe you the recipes I should have e-mailed on Jan. 7, 2005 and I plan to send a batch of cold canapes. After that I will be able to get back on schedule with the Jan. 14, 2005 e-mail. (That may be just a little late; paying my bills has a slight priority.) Feel free to create many more different recipes by substituting ingredients (meat, veggies and spices) to suit your tastes. Enjoy! Appetizer Pasties Prep time: 35 minutes Chill: 30 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Makes: 48 For the pastry: 4 cups all purpose flour Pinch of salt 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled 1/4 cup lard. cut into cubes and chilled 8 tablespoons water For the filling: 3 ounces potato, coarsely chopped 3 ounces rutabaga, coarsely chopped 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1/2 onion, finely chopped 4 ounces lean ground beef 2 ounces beef kidney. finely chopped. (optional) Melted butter, for brushing Milk, for brushing To prepare the pastry: Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and add the butter and lard. Using your fingertips, rub the butter and lard into the flour until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs, Make a well, add 1 tablespoon of the water and mix with a pastry blender until small lumps form. Continue to add the tablespoons of water making a different well for each one and only using the last tablespoon if necessary. When the mixture is in large lumps, pick up and lightly press together. Knead the pastry on a lightly floured surface until just smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Brush two baking sheets with melted butter and set aside. To prepare the filling: Put the potato and rutabaga into a food processor and, using the pulse button, finely chop but do not puree. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the onion and cook gently for 4 minutes. Add the potato and rutabaga, increase the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender. Add the beef and kidney, increase the heat to high and fry, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Drain off the excess fat, season well with salt and pepper and allow to cool. On a lightly floured surface, cut the pastry in half and roll out each half to 1/8 inch thick. With a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter cut out about 24 rounds from each half of the pastry and place 1 teaspoon of the filling on one side, 1/4 inch from the edge. Moisten the edge of the pastry with water and fold the unfilled side over to form a semicircle, pressing the edges together well to seal. Using a fork, press down on the edge of the pastries to form a decorative pattern. With the point of a knife, twist to make a small steam vent on top of each pastry and then lay them on the prepared baking sheets. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the pasties with a little milk and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the pasties are golden brown. Minted Pea and Cilantro Triangles Prep time: 55 minutes Chill: 20 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Makes: 30 Sprig of fresh mint 1 1/4 cups shelled fresh or frozen peas 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 onion, cut into cubes the same size as the peas 5 ounces potatoes, cooked and mashed 2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint 1 tablespoon lemon juice, to taste 1/4 cup unsalted butter; melted 6 sheets phyllo pastry Place the sprig of mint into a saucepan of salted water and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the peas and it cook for 2 minutes. Pour into a colander to drain, then remove and discard the sprig of mint. Heat the oil in a skillet over low heat, add the onion and cook for 7 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Increase the heat to medium, add the peas and potato and stir to combine. Transfer the vegetables to a small bowl and allow to cool for 20 minutes. When cool, stir in the ground coriander, cilantro, chopped mint and lemon juice, then season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Brush two baking sheets with some melted butter and set aside. Lay the phyllo on a work surface and brush each sheet with melted butter. Cut across each sheet to form five strips, about 3 inches wide. Put 2 teaspoons of the filling on the corner of one end of each strip. Fold the pastry over diagonally to form a triangle at the end. Then keep on folding diagonally up the strip until you have reached the other end. Place the filled triangles onto the prepared baking sheets, brush the tops with a little melted butter and bake for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Serve them straight from the oven. Pork Spring Rolls Prep time: 40 minutes Chill: 30 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes Makes: 40 appetizers 2 tablespoons oil 8 ounces lean ground pork 1/2 Chinese cabbage, finely shredded 2 scallions. sliced 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 2 tablespoons finely chopped bamboo shoots or bean sprouts 3 button mushrooms, thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon dried sage 1 teaspoon soy sauce 2 teaspoons cornstarch 20 spring roll wrappers, about 8 inches square Soy sauce, for dipping Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat, add the pork and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Add the Chinese cabbage, scallions, ginger, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, dried sage, soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch. Stir well, then season to taste. Add a little water to the remaining teaspoon of cornstarch to make a paste, Roll up the spring rolls burrito style. Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Heat oil in a deep fryer or deep saucepan. Deep fry the rolls in batches of four or five for 3 to 5 minutes until cooked and golden brown. The rolls will float to the surface of the oil when cooked. Remove from the fryer and drain on crumbled paper towels. Serve hot with soy sauce or other dipping sauce. Note: These could also be made using phyllo pastry. Brush sheets of phyllo with melted butter, wrap around the filling, then bake in a 400 F oven for 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp. You could also substitute beef, lamb, sausage, chicken or turkey for the pork, but may need to adjust the seasonings. Tasty Flaky Appetizers Prep time: 35 minutes Chill: 50 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes per sheet Makes: 64 Melted butter, for brushing 1/4 cup all purpose flour Pinch of celery salt 1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled 2/3 cup grated Cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 1 egg yolk 1 egg, beaten 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese, finely chopped nuts, coarse salt, etc. for topping Preheat the oven to 375 F. Brush two baking sheets with melted butter and refrigerate. Sift the flour, celery salt and a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper together into a medium bowl. Add the butter cubes and, using a pastry cutter, cut the mixture from the center to the edges of the bowl with a quick action. When the flour has almost disappeared into the butter, add the Cheddar and Parmesan and continue cutting until the mixture is blended and coming together in rough lumps. Make a well in the center and cut in the egg yolk until combined. Gather dough by hand to form a ball. Wrap the dough loosely in plastic wrap and flatten slightly. Chill for about 20 minutes until firm. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Cut in half and roll out each half to an 8 inch square, 1/4 inch thick. Cut each square into 16 small squares, then cut each square in half to form triangles. Using a flexible spatula, carefully place enough triangles to fill the two baking sheets, and chill for 30 minutes. Brush each triangle with beaten egg and sprinkle with a pinch of the extra Parmesan, chopped nuts, coarse salt, spices, etc. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown, Cool on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining mixture, preparing the baking sheets as instructed above. Warren Knieriem Jr EarthLink Revolves Around You. |
| Warren's Recipes For December, 2004 |