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.

This meal is hearty, chock-full-of-nutrients, and fairly quick. The meat recipe is one I picked up along the way and the bulghur recipe is from the Almost Turkish blog. The yogurt sauce on the side is optional but it adds a nice balance to the meat. If you want to make the recipes separately, the meat sauce can be served over rice or macaroni, and the bulghur would make a nice side to any meat dish. Feel free to get creative with spices on the meat sauce--I used a seasoning mix from Morocco last time I made it. Afghani Meat Sauce 1 1/2 lb. ground lamb or beef 1 medium onion, diced 3 Tbsp. tomato paste 1/2-3/4 c. hot water 2 tsp. salt, or to taste 1 Tbsp. ground coriander 1 tsp. black pepper 1 pinch red pepper flakes 1 clove garlic, crushed oil for cooking If you have a pressure cooker, use it to cook the meat. If not, a regular frying pan with a lid will work. Heat a little oil in the pan and add the meat. Break it up thoroughly while browning. Cook until excess moisture is gone. Add t...

This is one of those surprise recipes that emerged from what I had on hand and turned out both delicious and beautiful, much to my surprise. It's a hybrid of a few of my favorite Thai recipes. If you're able to find Kaffir lime leaf, you can keep it in the freezer and it still tastes great. In fact, many Asian groceries keep it in the freezer already. Thai basil is optional, but I had some on hand (if you leave it out, use more lime leaf). 1.5-2 lb. ground beef 4 cloves garlic, minced 2-3 hot Thai peppers, sliced 1/2 red bell pepper, diced (optional but pretty) 4-6 Kaffir lime leaves, julienned very finely 1 small handful Thai basil leaves, chopped (optional) 1tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. fish sauce a couple of dollops of oyster sauce 4 green onions, cut into 1" pieces oil for cooking Brown the meat in a frying pan and break it up as finely as possible. (OR if you have a pressure cooker, cook it for 12 minutes--this makes it extra tender). Place a colander over a bowl and dump the me...

This soup gets its name from the dubious observation that the meatballs look like a lion's face and the greens look like its mane. I don't see it, but it's a pretty badass name. It's also a pretty badass soup and easy to make. I based my recipe on this one at Melting Wok , which includes Spam in the meatballs. This is optional, but highly recommended, as it gives a nice texture and smoky flavor. You can use various greens in the soup. Napa cabbage is traditional, but you can also use mustard greens or baby bok choy. Meatballs: 1 lb. lean ground pork 1 can Spam 1 egg 1 Tbsp. cornstarch 2 shiitake mushrooms, chopped very fine 1-2 Tbsp. ginger, minced 2 tsp. sesame oil 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce 3 green onions, minced 1 tsp. white pepper 1 tsp. salt 1 Tbsp. Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry Combine all ingredients, making sure to break up the Spam completely. Form into meatballs and set aside. Traditionally these are served with one giant meatball in each bowl, but I think it...