Extra Schmaltz!

Yeah, my pie pretty much owns. Hot water pastry was mentioned in this Leftover Pot-Pie recipe . Inspired by a discussion about baking ratios and receiving some leftover turkey and stock from Thanksgiving, I decided to refine the crust recipe and write it out more explicitly. This crust is more suited to hot savory pies than a regular flaky pie crust, and the hot water technique is much faster than cutting in cold butter. It's traditionally made from lard, but you can use shortening with some butter mixed in. I added a couple of tablespoons of bacon grease for flavor. 1 lb. all-purpose flour 1/2 lb. (scant) fat 1 c. half water, half milk 1 tsp. salt The ratios are essentially 2 flour: 1 fat: 1 liquid, with salt. This recipe makes 1 very large double-crust pie. The dough will be cooked first at 450 for 15 minutes and then, when filled, at 350 for 1 hour. Combine the milk, water, and fat in a saucepan and bring just to a boil. Allow to sit until the fat is fully melted. In a large bow...

UPDATE! Here is an improved salad dressing recipe and a detailed description of making the cutlet from scratch. The dressing below is still good, but not quite as good as the miso style! Technically tonkatsu is a breaded pork cutlet, but you can make chicken-katsu or veal-catsu or chickenmcnugget-katsu (as pictured). It's traditionally served as a full meal with rice, shredded cabbage, miso soup, and some pickles. The cutlet is generally sliced so that it can be eaten with chopsticks and dressed with Japanese-style Worcestershire sauce ('sosu'). I forgot to take a picture of rice, so don't forget to include it! For the meal pictured I used salad with ginger vinaigrette instead of the cabbage. Here's how to put together the meal: Make the Sosu: 1/2 c. catsup 1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce 1/4 c. rice wine 3 Tbsp. sugar 1 Tbsp. ginger, minced 1 Tbsp. garlic, minced Combine all ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. Rice : Make some short-grained w...

This recipe isn't much different from Porky Kraut , but I thought I'd post it anyway, since it's a little faster (you don't have to cut up the meat) and more colorful, and it reminds us all to use our beloved slow-cookers. ~6 raw bratwurst 2 lbs. sauerkraut 1 large carrot 1 large turnip (optional) 1/4 c. white wine 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. thyme 1 tsp. white pepper 1 tsp. paprika 1/2 tsp. sugar 1 pinch cayenne 2 bay leaves water Brown the brats in a pan. Place them in the slow-cooker. Use some water or broth to deglaze the pan and add that to the cooker. Drain and rinse the kraut. If you like it zingy, only rinse it a little. Add to the cooker. Grate the carrot and turnip (if using) and add to the cooker. Stir in the spices and wine and add water so that the contents are 3/4 submerged. Cook all day. Serve with mashed or roasted potatoes. *** Feel free to experiment with the spices. I add a mix I got from Penzey's called Krakow Nights. You can go the caraway route if you l...

This is a very simple variation on Pumpkin Pie, and it turns it into another fabulous Dessert for Breakfast item. Preheat oven to 450. Using your favorite pumpkin pie recipe, substitute for the pumpkin a mixture of cooked yellow squash, sweet potatoes, and turnips . I increased the eggs by 2 as the mixture seemed a little watery. I use Lillian's most fabulous pie crust recipe, which is around here somewhere I'm sure. Assemble pie and bake at 450 for 10 minutes, then at 350 for 45-50 minutes. It should be non-wiggly when you take it out. The surface will probably split when cooled. Mine made an interesting 4 pointed star shape. Delicious warm or cooled and a totally guilt-free snack or dessert.