Freshly Pickled Onion and Cucumber Salad

First prepared December 2, 2003. A Family Favorite and SIGNATURE DISH. Especially good with rich foods, such as grilled hamburgers, pork chops, or fried fish.

1 medium cucumber (choose a firm one with little or no yellow in skin)
1 large sweet onion (Vidalia or similar)
1/4 c + 1 T apple cider vinegar
1/2 T salt
1/2 T sugar

Peel and thinly slice (1/8 inch) the cucumber. Mix the vinegar, sugar, and salt in 1-quart bowl, and add the cucumber slices. Peel the onion and thinly slice it parallel to the equator. A mandolin or V-slicer speeds this work. Bring 1-1/2 quarts (1.5 L) of lightly-salted water to a boil over high heat, add the onions, and cover. After it reboils for 30 seconds, drain into a collander and refresh with plenty of cold water. Drain well and add to the cucumbers and mix well. Chill before serving. Adjust seasoning if needed.

Poached Chicken

Transcribed and adapted 2-15-08 by Alan from a handwritten recipe by Merry Magid. Revised 2-16-08 to match Julia Child's original (Vol II, Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

1 small fryer, cut up, or 3 to 4 bone-in breasts, cut in half
3 T margarine or butter
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces diagonally
1 large onion, blossom cut
3 ribs celery, cut into large pieces diagonally
1 leek, sliced
2 c chicken broth
1 c white wine
1 t dry tarragon

Skin chicken parts, except wings, and remove all visible fat. Sweat vegetables in margarine in a heavy pot for 5 minutes. Add chicken, cover, and turn off heat for 5 minutes. Add broth, wine, and tarragon. Return to a simmer for 45 minutes, turning occasionally.
Serve over steamed rice in a bowl, with the vegetables and broth.

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

Our internet consensus recipe. Developed January, 2005. Great side for rich meat dishes such as oven-braised spare ribs.

1 medium head red cabbage, coarsely shredded

1 onion, thinly sliced

4 strips bacon, coarsely chopped

2 medium apples, peeled, cored, & sliced

1/3 c apple cider vinegar

1/3 c water (approx)

1/4 c brown sugar

1 t salt

1/2 t dry mustard

1 large bay leaf

2 t caraway seeds

Fry bacon until crisp. Add onion, cook until lightly browned. Stir in the other ingredients. Cover and cook about 1/2 hour on medium-low heat, until tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Simple Brine

1 qt cold water
1/4 c kosher salt
1/4 c sugar

Soak meat (up to 2 lbs of fish, shellfish, pork, or chicken) for 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours for thicker pieces) in the fridge. Drain and hold in a strainer under ice until ready to cook. For an example of use, see (Another) Seafood Stew.

Easy Steamed White Rice

Developed September, 2010 and prepared often. The method produces a product very similar to what is served in Chinese restaurants or that rice cookers produce.

1 c long-grain white rice
1-1/2 c water
1/2 t salt (optional)

Bring water and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. While water is heating, rinse rice in a mesh strainer until water runs almost clear; drain thoroughly. Stir in the rice, cover tightly, and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 16 minutes. Fluff with a fork, cover for 10 minutes to steam, and serve.

Eggs: Such a dandy food!

Onion-Braised Spare Ribs

First prepared December 12, 2005. Ribs in the Winter. The dish adapts the "gedaempteh" method used by my Jewish grandmother to slowly cook veal breast, a product similar to pork ribs but having the potential of being Kosher.

5 lb slab pork ribs, trimmed of fat and cut into 1- and 2-rib portions
3 c yellow onions, sliced
1/4 c ketchup
1/4 c cider vinegar
1/2 c water
granulated garlic 
ground cumin
ground cayenne or crushed red pepper
ground paprika 

Arrange ribs in a covered roasting pan. Mix and pour liquids over and dust on seasonings to taste. Top with sliced onions. Cover. Roast 30 min at 350 F. Turn over meat, reduce heat to 325 ºF and roast 60 minutes more covered, turning once. Remove cover, turn meat, and brown for 30 to 40 minutes. Replace pan liquid as it evaporates. Serve over steamed rice. Fried apples and turnip greens make nice sides. Serves 4 to 6.

(Almost) Instant Caramel-Maple Apple Topping

September 27, 2010
Bought a three-pack at Kroger. That’s a lot of candy apples, so now what?

1 nut-covered caramel candy apple
2 T water
1 t butter
1 T maple syrup

Remove stick! Quarter, core and thinly slice apple. Add apples and water to a small nonstick skillet and bring to a rapid simmer. Cover and cook until apples are tender but not soft, about 6 minutes. Remove cover, add butter and reduce over medium heat. Add maple syrup and heat through. 
Uses: topping for waffles, pancakes, ice cream, puddings.

Wok-Grilled Snow Crab

Developed during 2010 when crab was 3 bucks (USD) a pound locally. The problem with frozen cold-water crab is that it has been subjected to a roiling boil in sea water on the trawler and then frozen. This produces a product that needs to be prepared without further disruption of its texture and dilution of flavor. This stir-fry method uses gentle re-heating without water or steam. It yields a product that is flavorsome and satisfying. Serves 3. A SIGNATURE DISH.

about 3 lbs (about 1.5 kg) frozen snow crab clusters
canola oil
roasted sesame oil
soy sauce (Kikkoman™ is good)
granulated garlic
Old Bay® seasoning mix 

Thaw the crab completely in a colander over a container or sink. Keep it cold after thawing if necessary under a layer of wet newspaper, covered with ice. Prepare the crab by lightly striking the larger leg segments with the side of a heavy cleaver to crack the shell.
Heat a large wok over medium high heat (setting 6 to 7) and add a few tablespoons of oil. When smoking, cautiously pile on the crab segments with tongs, and cover. Handle the crab with tongs and a wok paddle during cooking. With a gentle inverting motion (to keep the clusters intact), turn the stack of crabs from time to time as they fry. Add oil if necessary. After five minutes or so, drizzle on a few teaspoons of roasted sesame oil, and stir to coat. Sprinkle on a few tablespoons of soy sauce, the garlic powder, and Old Bay to taste. Continue to stir fry until crab is thoroughly reheated and invested with a mahogany sheen.
Serve with crusty warm sourdough bread and provide a range of opening and picking tools. My favorite is a heavy kitchen shears with a serrated bite and sharp tips. A young fresh wine is perfect with the dish. The leftover crab meat is well worth picking to make Quick Corn and Crab Chowder for a tasty lunch.

Our first Internet recipe collection

Before beginning this food blog, I accumulated hundreds of my own and others recipes at ibiblio.org, a giant publishing server run by UNC-CH. 

At the time, Jonathan was the technical director of ibiblio, and he graciously allocated disk space and login in support of these posts. 

Subsequently, Jon left that post and in 2008, I lost my login privilege and the online collection stopped growing.

Here's the link:

http://www.ibiblio.org/papa/Recipes/?C=M;O=A

Butter Beans

Prepared September 2, 2010

1 lb fresh butter beans (baby limas), soaked, rinsed and picked over
1/4 lb smoked ham
2 T dry chopped onion
1 t salt
1/2 t freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 t sugar
dash or two of Louisiana hot sauce
2 c water

Bring to a boil all ingredients except for beans in a small sauce pan. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes to form a quick meat stock. Add the drained beans to the pot and continue to simmer uncovered for about 2 hours, replacing water as needed, until beans are tender and creamy. Mash some of the beans with the back of a spoon to form a thick sauce.

Seafood Crepes

[Laura believes her creation is "Worthy of a special occasion…", and it was!]
The day before:
Make crepes, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.  Shell, steam and chop the shrimp, lobster, scallops and crab, store in refrigerator.  Reduce water used for steaming until you have approximately 1/2 cup and refrigerate.
For the Crepes:

1-1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 T sugar
2 c milk
1 large egg
1/3 c vegetable oil
5 T melted butter

Place flour and sugar in medium sized mixing bowl.  Slowly whisk in milk, eggs, vegetable oil and butter.  Let set in refrigerator for approximately 1 hour before cooking. Heat a nonstick pan or crepe pan over moderate heat. Brush the pan lightly with butter. Pour about 1/4 cup of crepe batter into the center of the hot pan -- tilt in all directions to cover bottom of pan.  After about 30 seconds, the bottom of the crepe should be lightly browned and ready to flip.  Shake the pan to release the crepe and flip to other side.  Cook crepe for approximately 15 to 20 seconds and turn out onto plate.  Repeat this process with the remainder of the crepe batter. Store cooled crepes in the refrigerator.
Filling the crepes:
Before starting the filling, heat oven to 250 F and turn off when it reaches temperature. Put chilled crepes on a cookie sheet and place in oven to warm through.
Filling:

4 T butter
2 medium shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 c white wine
3 fresh bay leaves
1 c heavy cream
1/2 c chilled reserved steaming liquid
8 oz mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced
8 oz lump crabmeat
1/2 lb raw shrimp, chopped
1/2 lb lobster tail, and scallops, chopped
2 T fresh chives, chopped
4 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 t paprika
salt and white pepper to taste

In a large pan, melt butter over a low temperature.  Add shallots and garlic and sauté until translucent.  Add chopped mushrooms and sauté until tender.  Mix flour and reduced chilled seafood broth and set aside.  Add two cups of white wine and bay leaves to pan and cook until reduced by half.  Remove from burner, remove bay leaves and whisk in liquid/flour mixture into the pan.  Return to medium heat burner and cook mixture until thickened.  Slowly add in heavy cream and warm.  Add seafood and warm.  When all ingredients are warmed through and just before serving, add chives, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper.
Place two crepes on a plate and spoon 3-4 tablespoons of filling into the center of each and folding the sides up to the top.  Top with a small amount of filling.  Serve with a garnish of parsley and piece of seasonal fruit.
Spinach salad with nuts, dried cranberries, red onion and oranges topped with raspberry dressing is a nice side.

Pan-Seared Grouper with Shrimp Sauce

Prepared by Laura for supper August 20, 2010, a Friday night!

1 lb grouper cut into 2-3 oz serving portions
1/2 lb raw peeled deveined shrimp, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cloves minced garlic
1 leek thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 green onion, green part only
1 large red bell pepper,thinly sliced
1/2 c grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 c dry white wine
1/3 c chicken stock
1/3 c half and half
2 t chopped fresh oregano
1 t fresh thyme
3 t chopped fresh dill
2 T tomato paste
1 t Old Bay seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c flour with scant salt and pepper
6 T extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
3 T butter, divided

Sauce:
Add about 3 T EVOO and 2 T butter to a sauté pan and melt over low heat. Add garlic, leeks and shallot and cook about 1 minute over medium heat. Add red bell pepper and cook until nearly tender. Add shrimp and cook until pink. Add white wine and simmer to reduce the liquid. Add chicken stock and bring to a slow simmer. Turn heat down so liquid doesn’t boil, but added ingredients are warmed.  Add half and half, tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, and Old Bay. Taste to adjust salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
Grouper:
In a separate pan, melt remaining EVOO and butter and bring temperature up to sear the grouper. Very lightly coat the fish with flour, shaking off excess.  Add to pan to fry.  Cooking time depends on thickness of fish – watch for golden brown color and turn to other side.  Remove from pan and keep warm.
Serving suggestion:
Prepare buttered Basmati rice and put onto center of plate.  Arrange fish on rice and top with a generous serving of sauce. Goes well with a crisp dry white wine. Serves 2-3.
Sauce would work well with any firm white fish or salmon.

Quick Somen Noodle Snack

Developed March 12, 2008, from Merry's dish.

1/2 lb somen noodles
2 T canola oil
2 t sesame oil
1/8 t garlic powder
1 T rice vinegar
2 T soy sauce (Kikkoman™ is good)
1/4 t sugar
1/2 t fish sauce (optional) 

kim chee (optional)

Bring 1-1/2 quarts salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add noodles with stirring. Cook 3 minutes total, stirring frequently. Drain in a strainer and refresh immediately in several changes of cold water. Drain well and place in bowl. Gently combine with oils. Add other seasonings and turn gently to coat. Serve chilled, topped with kim chee. Serves 4.

Piquant Sandwich Sauce

First prepared and recorded August 7, 2010.

2 T prepared hot mustard (Colman’s or other spicy mustard)
1/4 c mayonnaise
2 T prepared horseradish (Kraft or equivalent)
1/2 t lime juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix thoroughly. Store in a covered glass jar in the refrigerator. Excellent for beef, ham, turkey, chicken, lamb, and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Tartar Sauce

As developed and prepared over the years. A Family Favorite.

3/4 c (160 g) mayonnaise
1/4 c (60 g) dill pickle relish
2 T dried minced onion
1 t dried dill weed
1 T dried parsley flakes
1 t lemon juice
1 T capers, rinsed, drained, and chopped
relish or pickle juice as needed

Measure mayo into a resealable container. Add the other ingredients, mixing between additions. Thin with relish or pickle juice as needed. Stored tightly-covered in the bottom rear of the refrigerator, this sauce will keep many months.
Note: To facilitate measuring the mayo and relish by weight using a digital kitchen scale, the volume measures have been converted to weight in grams taking account of product density. 

Farmer’s Market Succotash

[Prepared and recorded July 15, 2010. Dish enabled by tiny, tender okra, sweet, juicy summer tomatoes, baby limas (butter beans), and sweet corn available from local farms. All perfect and cheap at the State Farmer’s Market in SE Raleigh. A long haul from Durham, but worth it. Laura loves the green eggs.]

3 T country ham, finely diced
2 T dry onion flakes
3 T low-fat tub margarine
Frank’s hot sauce
1 pt fresh butter beans
1 pt baby okra, cut into small pieces
1 pt ripe tomato pieces
1 cup freshly cut corn
2 T butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak, pick over, and drain the beans. Bring 2 cups of water, the margarine, dried onion flakes, ham, a 1/2 t of salt, and 2 t of hot sauce to a boil in a large saucepan, and cook for 5 minutes to form a broth. Add the beans, return to a boil, stir, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and okra. Mix and cook covered another 20 minutes. Add the corn, mix, and cook another 15 minutes. Stir in butter, correct seasoning and serve as a side dish in a country meal.

Couscous

1-1/2 c broth
1 t EVOO
1 t butter
1/2 t salt
dusting of coriander, cumin
1 c couscous

Bring the first five ingredients to a boil in a small sauce pan. Off heat, stir in couscous. Cover tightly, and let stand 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving,
Serves 2-4. Very good topped with roast vegetables and parmesan cheese.

(Not So) Simple Syrup

Recorded July 6, 2010

1/2 c water
1/2 c sugar
2 t lemon zest, finely grated

Combine sugar and water in microwavable container. Heat until steaming but not boiling. Add zest, and stir to dissolve the sugar. Cover, and let cool. Store refrigerated.
Use for Fresh Lemonade (see recipe), or mixed drinks.

Rum and Tonic

[Prepared July 1, 2010]

2 jiggers dark rum, divided
lime wedge
1/2 jigger maraschino cherry juice
10 ice cubes
maraschino cherry whole with stem
tonic water with lime flavor

Squeeze lime into a 16-oz glass, add 1-1/2 jigger rum, the cherry juice, the ice, and stir. Top up with tonic, stir, and layer 1/2 jigger of rum on top. 
Garnish with a cherry and a lime slice.