Saganaki (FLAMING CHEESE)

What does Opah! mean in Greek? .................OH MY GOD THE CHEESE IS ON FIRE!

• 3/4 lb of kefalograviera cheese.

That's the hardest ingredient to find; you'll have to look at groceries that import Mediterranean food. If you have a hard time finding it, you can use instead

• kasseri,
• kashkaval, or
• manouri.

Slice the cheese so that slices have the largest possible surface area and a thickness of 1/3 in. If you cut the cheese too thick, it won't melt all the way through; if it's too thin, it will turn into a liquid before you know it instead of turning hot and soft. It's OK if you end up having multiple pieces.

Whip

• one egg

very well, and pour it on a plate. Dip the cheese into the egg (all sides) until a nice layer of the egg has gotten attached to the cheese surface. Pour

• white flour (approx. 1 cup)

onto the cheese's surface; the flour will stick onto the egg, and you should make sure there is a nice even layer of flour all around.

In a frying pan, heat up

1 tbsp of olive oil

until it's very hot. Then, put in the floured cheese. The flour and egg will fry, forming a golden crust (takes about 2 minutes). Flip it over, so that the other side gets fried, too.

For each serving, squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon into skillet and sprinkle with a few drops of Cognac. Ignite. Say, "Opah!" And then serve cheese when flames die down.

Serve hot, with

• French bread, and
• 1 lemon or some lemon juice (to be poured onto the saganaki for those that enjoy the sweet/sour combo of cheese and lemon).

You typically serve saganaki in the very same pan that you cooked it in (keeps the cheese melted inside the golden crust).

HUMMUS DIP

USE A 19 OR 20 OZ CAN OF CHICK-PEAS WITH LIQUID OF 1/3 CUP FRESH LEMON JUICE, GARLIC PASTE OR 5 CLOVES GARLIC FINELY MINCED, 1/4 CUP TAHINI (SESAME PASTE), 1/4 TEASPOON SALT (OPTIONAL) DASH FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER 1 TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL

DRAIN CHICKPEAS, RESERVING LIQUID. PURE IN BLENDER WITH LEMON JUICE AND GARLIC. IF MORE LIQUID IS NEEDED TO BLEND PROPERLY, USE A FEW TABLESPOONS OF THE RESERVED CHICK PEA LIQUID. PLACE PUREÉD MIXTURE IN SERVING BOWL AND STIR IN TAHINI, SALT AND PEPPER. MIX TO BLEND THOROUGHLY. REFRIGERATE FOR A COUPLE HOURS.

JUST BEFORE SERVING, POUR THE OLIVE OIL ON TOP OF THE HUMMUS. LIGHTLY SPRINKLE SOME PAPRIKA ON TOP OF THAT.

WARM UP SOME SLICES OF PITA BREAD AND DIP AWAY!

OR ADD TO FALAFIL SANDWICH.

GUACAMOLE

Ingredients:

2 Large avocados (Skins should be dark. Close to black and softening)

2 Tbsps lime or lemon juice

1 to 2 Tbsps minced onion

1 Regular medium large hard tomato

1 Can green chilies (chili peppers)

1 clove garlic, minced (or use garlic paste)

Salt and black pepper

Hot sauce recommended but optional (not Tobasco)

Preparation:

Peel, pit and mash the avocados with a fork. Stir in the lime or lemon juice.

Peel and finely dice the tomato.

In a bowl, combine avocado with the tomato, chili, onion and garlic, mixing well.

Season with hot pepper or chili sauce. (Not tobasco)

A smattering of finely chopped coriander/cilantro may be used in this dip, I like it, but it is optional.

Blue tortilla corn chips or regular. Either works.

Moroccan Pastilla With Chicken

I had this in Morocco - OMG - the food in North Africa is Da Bomb!
When I came back to the U.S.A., food repulsed me.

300 grams (approx. 11 oz.) margarine
2-3 chopped onions
3 cinnamon sticks
pinch of saffron
ground ginger, to taste
3 leg quarters of chicken
handful of chopped parsley
phyllo pastry (may use frozen; thaw)
ground almonds
1 egg, beaten
powdered sugar
ground cinnamon

Fry the chopped onion in the margarine, until translucent. Add the chicken sections and lightly fry them.

Add the chopped parsley, cinnamon sticks, saffron, and ginger. Add water, to cover. Bring to a boil, cover the pan, and continue to cook for 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken to cool. Strain out the onions, and reserve the cooking liquid. Separate the meat from the bones and skin.

Oil a deep, round dish (my suggestion is a deep soup plate). Fit two sheets of phyllo pastry in it. (It will likely overhang the plate.) Brush the phyllo with oil, thoroughly.

Sprinkle with a bit of the ground almonds and powdered sugar. Beat some of the cooking liquid into the egg and use this to brush the phyllo [yes, over the almonds and sugar].

Place some chicken and fried onions in the center of the phyllo. Fold over the inside sheet of dough, to cover.

Oil the closed-over dough. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and ground almonds. Fold over the second sheet of dough, then oil it.

Repeat for the remaining chicken. (Sorry, they don't indicate what the
yield should be. My guess is at least four.)

Place on a well-greased baking sheet, folded side up.

Bake at 180 C/360 F until the dough is browned.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and/or powdered sugar before serving.

Tip: At this point, they demonstrated having made a template of four
parallel lines, cut roughly from a plain sheet of paper. This was placed on the pastilla and the powdered sugar or cinnamon sprinkled on. When the paper was lifted, it left a pattern of the lines of sugar or cinnamon. (You can do both on the same pastilla. Do one first; lift the paper; place it at a different angle over the existing lines and do the second, giving a design of sugar and cinnamon.)

MOROCCAN LAMB TAGINE

The Tagine is the style of cooking pot used in North Africa. It's typically a terra cotta colour with a triangular lid.

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes	1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper	1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed or 1/2 teaspoon saffron-colored powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger	2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed	1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
small bunch of parsley, finely chopped (optional)	4 tablespoons ghee How to make GHEE	1/2 preserved lemon, diced, no pulp
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon	1/4 cup honey	2 tablespoons orange-blossom water (available at Middle Eastern markets)
GARNISH (optional): 1 tablespoon sesame seeds	6 ounces blanched slivered almonds

1	In a 6-quart pot, put the lamb, salt, pepper, saffron, ginger, garlic, onion, optional parsley, and 3 tablespoons of the oil or ghee. Add 2-1/2 cups water, enough to just barely cover. Simmer, covered, for 1-1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender.
2	Add the preserved lemon and cinnamon and cook, uncovered, for another 15 minutes, then add the honey and the orange blossom water and cook for a few minutes more until the sauce is quite thick and reduced. Salt and pepper to taste.
3	Just before serving, toast the sesame seeds and almonds in a frying pan in the remaining tablespoon of oil or shee, then sprinkle them over the meat.
4	This is delicious served over Couscous. But I prefer rice. Either works.

PUMPKIN RISOTTO

Dish Details:

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups grated fresh pumpkin

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1 cup arborio rice

2 cups chicken broth, plus a little more if necessary

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION:

1. Heat the broth in a medium saucepan over moderately low heat and keep at a simmer.

2. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and sauté about 8 minutes, or until soft but not brown. Add the pumpkin and sauté another 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the sage. Add the rice and sauté stirring constantly,for about a minute. Slowly add the broth, about 1/4-cup at a time, stirring frequently. Don't add more broth until all the liquid has been absorbed.

4. After the 2 cups of broth have been absorbed, the rice should be tender; add more broth if needed. Slowly stir in the cheese and add salt and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

PREP/COOK

INFORMATION:

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Serves: 6

ORANGE CHOCOLATE CAKE

FOR 1 10-INCH TUBE CAKE YOU WILL NEED:1 Cup soft butter or margarine

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

5 eggs

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. grated orange rind (from a fresh orange, wash then with a carrot pearer, peel a couple strips, then chop small. If you use more than that, the recipe is too bitter and overwhelming with orange tartness.)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Canned chocolate syrup

Preparation:* Place butter and flour in a mixing bowl. Beat together for 3 or 4 minutes until thoroughly blended. * Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.* In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Stir into the first mixture. Beat in vanilla and orange rind, mixing well, Fold in chocolate chips.* Spread into greased and floured 10 inch tube cake pan. * Bake at 325° Fahrenheit for about 1 hour. Or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool thoroughly. Remove from pan. Pour chocolate syrup over cake. Garnish with additional orange rind. (optional)

Tips: You can spread the cake with chocolate frosting instead of using the syrup, if you wish.

Chicken Kebabs with Peanut Sauce

Chicken:

2 large whole chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)

¼ C soy sauce

1 Tbsp oil

1 Tsp brown sugar, packed

¼ tsp ground ginger

1 clove garlic, crushed

Peanut Sauce:

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 Tbsp oil

⅓ C peanut butter

⅓ C water

1 Tbsp lemon juice

¼ tsp ground coriander

3 to 4 drops red pepper sauce

To prepare chicken, remove bones and skin from chicken. Cut chicken into
¾ inch pieces. (For ease in cutting, partially freeze chicken.) Mix together chicken, soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, ginger and garlic in glass bowl. Cover and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, at least 2 hours. Meanwhile, prepare peanut sauce. Cook and stir onion in oil in 1 ½ quart saucepan until tender. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter, water, lemon juice, coriander and red pepper sauce. Heat over low heat just until blended (sauce will separate if overcooked.) Remove chicken from marinade. Reserve marinade. Thread 4 or chicken pieces on each of 14 to 16 bamboo skewers. Brush chicken with reserved marinade. Set oven control to broil or 550 ˚ F. Broil skewers with tops about 4 inches.

KITTY LITTER CAKE

Freak Out Your Friend By
Serving Kitty Litter Cake!

1 pk Spice cake mix 1 pk White cake mix 1 pk White sandwich cookies 1 small Package vanilla pudding mix 12 small Tootsie Rolls Prepare cake mixes and bake according to directions. Prepare pudding mix and chill until ready to assemble. Crumble white sandwich cookies in small batches in blender. They tend to stick, so scrape often. When cakes are cooled, crumble into a large bowl. Toss with half the cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. Gently combine. Pour into a clean kitty litter box. Put unwrapped Tootsie Rolls in a microwave safe dish two at a time and heat until soft and pliable. Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Repeat until you have nine, and bury them in the mixture. Sprinkle the other half of cookie crumbs over top. Heat three more Tootsie Rolls in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Serve with a new pooper scooper.

GREEN PEPPER STEAK

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 SERVINGS:1 pound steak (use chuck, round or filet mignon) with the fat trimmed

1/4 cup soy sauce (Silver Swan brand is the best. Find it at Asian Food Stores)

2-3 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)

1 cup green onion or leek thinly sliced

1 cup green peppers (can use red or yellow too) cut into 1 inch squares & thinly sliced

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 cup water

2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

Preparation:

1. Cut steak across grain into thin strips.
2. Combine soy sauce, garlic & ginger. Add beef. Toss and refrigerate, I love the overnight marinade flavour. When ready to cook, heat oil in large frying pan or wok. Add meat and toss over high heat until browned.
3. After meat is cooked, add the peppers only and cook until tender crisp.(Around 8 or 9 minutes)
4. Mix cornstarch with water. Add to pan; stir and cook until thickened.
5. Add tomatoes and heat through.

For 8 servings: Double the ingredients but reduce the water to 1¾ cups. Add another ½ Tbsp. cornstarch.

FLAN RECIPE

Ingredients for four servings:

150 g sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

5 dl milk

5 ml vanilla extract

Procedure:

In a small kettle, heat 40 g of sugar with 5 ml of water until the mixture turns brown. Pour the mixture into 4 gelatin molds. Move the molds around so that the mixture coats the interior. Set aside.

Mix the eggs, sugar, milk, and the vanilla extract.

Pour the mixture into the molds. Put the molds over a deep pan with water (double boiler) for 1 hour in a 175 degree c oven.

Keep the water in the pan at the same level by adding boiling water.

Cool and put it in the refrigerator. Unmold the flan before serving.

Notes:

You can substitute liquor for some of the milk to make the flan richer. Personally, I use 25 cl of milk and 25 cl rompope (Mexican egg nog).

Be careful of the sudden change in temperatures. You have to do it fast as the mixture hardens very quickly.