Extra Schmaltz!

All the recipes I've found for this claim it's a standard American recipe--perfect for when you're rummaging around for an idea and don't have much on hand. I guess it didn't make it into our family, because I don't remember having it. It's basically a paprika-heavy chicken fricassee--perfect week-night comfort food. You could probably use any cut of chicken, including bone-in, but breast fillets are very easy to use. 3-4 chicken breasts 1-2 onions, diced 2 bell peppers, ideally red ones, diced ~1 can low-sodium chicken broth 1/4 c. white wine or vermouth 2 Tbsp. tomato paste (and red pepper paste, if you have it) 2-3 Tbsp. sweet Hungarian paprika 1/2 c. sour cream 2 Tbsp. butter 2 Tbsp. oil 2 Tbsp. flour or cornstarch 1 tsp. marjoram 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes salt & pepper pinch sugar fresh parsley (optional) Cut the chicken into 2-3 mini cutlets per breast, but slicing them into 3/4" thick diagonals. Pound with something heavy to flatten to a uni...

This is a pretty traditional preparation of mussels; steamed in white wine, shallot, and garlic. In this case I added tomatoes, which may or may not qualify this as moules marinieres depending on who you ask. This is pretty much a template recipe with infinite potential variation on flavors. If you like anis, substituting pastis or similar (ouzo, arrack, etc) for the white wine is very tasty. Your mussels must be clean, de-bearded, and alive. The best way to get beards off is a to do a twisting pull with a pair of pliers (demonstrated at about 4:45 in this video by Lil's favorite, Alton Brown). Definitely at no point should they be placed in water; this will kill them, and dead shellfish become poisonous very quickly. You can briefly rinse them in a colander however. Perfect cleanliness is neither possible nor essential, and being overly fastidious will likely just kill them. Let them sit out for half an hour or so before prep, so that the live ones close up tight. Sort through fo...

This is a very basic recipe that can be adapted with any flavors that you prefer. It differs from Joe's previous pork recipe in that it's brined and it doesn't have a crusty coating. I also used a cheaper pork sirloin roast (~$ 6-7 for the whole shebang), which turned out every bit as flavorful and tender as a more expensive cut. I adapted this from the America's Test Kitchen recipe to create a version of utter simplicity. A 3-4 lb pork loin roast Brine: 2 qts water 1/2 c. salt 1/4 c. sugar 2-4 Tbsp. fat, ideally including bacon grease Seasonings--I used: white pepper ground mustard nutmeg salt Optional gravy: 2 Tbsp. flour 1 tsp. sage 1 tsp. ground mustard 1 c. chicken broth 2 Tbsp. apple cider or 1 tsp sugar Combine the brine ingredients. Submerge the pork in the brine for 1-4 hrs. Remove and pat dry. I untied the roast for better brine penetration and then re-tied it later, but this is optional. When the roast is dry, rub it all over with the seasonings. Pre-heat yo...

Alternate title: Gnoccho erat demonstrandum Gnocchi, as an easy and storable potato delivery vehicle, are a staple in my household. I have never really used/made a recipe for them even though I have m ade reference to such recipe as would exist, and Lillian has written a recipe for squash gnocchi . Also, it appears there is little agreement on whether (potato) gnocchi properly contain egg, so I decided to simultaneously systematize, record, and perfect my basic spud gnocchi recipe here. Experimental procedure: 1) Boil a bunch of potatoes until soft. I have generally skinned them after cooking by just peeling off the skins; however, this is a bit messy and scaldy, so I would suggest just peeling them in advance. 2) Mash or run through a ricer. Most recipes you'll find on gnocchi say something along the lines of "optimal texture is achieved if a ricer is used." This strikes me as a load of hooey, as we're just going to mash it all up with flour and knead it into a cons...

I'm posting a recipe for challah that I think turned out pretty well. I changed it a little bit the second time I made it, and I think it's better. I added an extra 1/4 c. honey, and another egg (3 eggs total). And remember - nothing is better than fresh challah, except french toast made from fresh challah. Challah, from The Art of Jewish Cooking, by Jennie Grossinger 1 cake or package yeast 2 teaspoons sugar 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water 4 1/2 cups sifted flour 2 teaspoons salt 2 eggs 2 tablespoons salad oil 1 egg yolk 4 tablespoons poppy seeds Combine the yeast, sugar and 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the center and drop the eggs, oil, remaining water and the yeast mixture into it. Work into the flour. Knead on a floured surface until smooth and elastic. Place in a bowl and brush the top with a little oil. Cover with a towel, set in a warm place and let rise 1 hour. Punch down, cover again and let rise until doubl...