Chinese New Year Recipes (3)

WARNING: This recipe is HOT. If it's not your taste, cut back on the ginger root or leave it out altogether.

(For Year of the Tiger)

Fish with Ginger

500 g (1 lb.) cod or haddock, 4 fillets
2 tablespoons oil
90 g. (3 oz.) butter
1 tablespoon grated ginger root*
4 springs parsley
4 lemon wedges

Wash and dry the fish. Heat the oil in a wok and fry gently until tender. Melt the butter in a small pan, add ginger, stir until well mixed and pour over the fish. Served garnished with the parsley and the lemon wedges.

All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Chinese New Year Recipes (1)

For the week before Chinese New Year (2/3), here is a series of recipes. It's traditional to cook food that reflects the particular year. 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit, but I'll include recipes for various years.

Fried Rabbit

1 fresh dressed rabbit
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons corn flour
cooking oil for frying
4 spring onions (shallots)
4 tablespoons peanut oil (optional)
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
6 tablespoons chicken stock

Wash the rabbit, dry on paper towel, and cut into 8 pieces of equal size. Beat the egg whites until frothy, add the salt and 2 teaspoons of corn flour. Mix together. Dip the rabbit pieces into the mexture,allow to stand for 15 minutes, then deep-fry until tender.

Chop onions and stir-fry at high heat for 15 seconds. Add the rabbit pieces, soy sauce and the stock. Cook at medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Serve immediately.


All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Recipes from Hubby's Grandmother's Recipe Box (8)

Handwritten index cards, two connected recipes:

Gingerbread

Grease and flour a 9x9 loaf pan.

Sift together: 2 c. flour 1 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp cloves, 3/4 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt.

Add 1/2 c. shortening 1 egg unbeaten, 3/4 c. molasses, 1/2 c. sugar, 2/3 c. boiling water

Beat for 1 minute + blend thoroughly. Back at 350 degrees for 40 min.

*****

Upside down Gingerbread

Slice thin 2 c. apples. Line bottom of 9x9 loaf pan with apples. Add 1/2 c. orange juice, 1/3 c. raisins, 2/3 c. brown sugar. Pour gingerbread batter over mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 min.

All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Recipes from Hubby's Grandmother's Recipe Box (7)

Another handwritten card from the file box. It took me a minute to decipher Hubby's grandmother's handwriting, but this is copied word for word, with no editing:

Drop Dumplings

2 c. flour

1 egg well beaten

2 t (teaspoon) baking powder

1 T(tablespoon) melted butter

1 t. salt

1 c. milk

First beat egg, next add milk + butter, add flour, bking soda + salt, stirring thoroughly. Drop from tablespoon into lather containing boiling beef or chicken. Cook rapidly for 15-20 minutes.

All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Recipes from Hubby's Grandmother's Recipe Box (6)

This one is from a recipe card from a collection from Sun-Maid Raisins. On the back of each card is a fact about  raisins. I've included the one with this recipe.

Wrangler Barbeque Sauce

(Makes 1 3/4 to 2 cups)

1/3 chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup chopped green pepper

1 minced clove garlic

2 tablespoons oil or drippings

1 cup (8-ounce can) tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup Sun-Maid Seedless or Golden Seedless Raisins

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Saute' onion, celery, green pepper and garlic in oil until transparent. Add remaining ingredients and simmer slowly 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot with spare ribs, meat balls, etc. (A contemporary recipe based on the campfire barbeques of the Old West).

Fact on the back of the card:

All of America's raisins come from the fertile San Joaquin Valley in California. This lush valley is surrounded by towering mountains. With water cascading from the Sierra Nevada Range, plenty of sun and little rain, the San Joaquin Valley provides ideal conditions for growing raisin grapes.

All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Recipes from Hubby's Grandmother's Recipe Box (5)

This recipe was cut out of The Virginian-Pilot, dated Thursday, March 6, 1980. I think it was an addition by my mother-in-law. Makes sense...Hubs' dad's family is from the South.

Judy's Pork Steaks

4 pork shoulder steaks

4 T. butter

2 large onions, coarsely chopped

Few drops of worcestershire sauce

1 cup consomme or stock

2 T. flour

Salt, Pepper to taste

Use a little pork fat to grease lightly a heavy skillet large enough to hold mean in one layer. Brown the steaks slowly in the greased skillet, on both sides, then turn heat low, cover pan and cook gently for about 2o minutes, adding a few drops of water to pan if necessary to keep meat from drying out.

Melt the butter in the saucepan and cook the onions in it gently until just golden. Add 2 or 3 drops of worcestershire and the mustard. Cook down a litter, then stir in the flour and cook and stir to blend and thicken slightly. Add consomme and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix well and cook down until of a good sauce consistency. To serve, simply spoon sauce over cooked pork steaks on serving plates. Serves 4.

All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Recipes from Hubby's Grandmother's Recipe Box (4)

This recipe was jotted down on the back of a receipt from a laundry/dry cleaners place in Sioux City, Iowa, where my mother-in-law's family is from. Cusack-Baumann, on Pearl Street.

Again, this is typed directly from that receipt, with no editing.

Tinted Rice

Use Coloring as desired: (2 tsp yellow, tsp. blue, 3 tsp green, or 3 tsp red)

3 c. cold water, 4 c. uncooked rice (1 # 12 oz.)

Mix desired coloring with water. Add rice and soak until desired shade is obtained. Drained tinted rice, saving colored water for re-use if needed. Few drops of perfume or cologne may be added to water after coloring as been blended. Spread tinted rice on cookie sheet and dry in oven @ 250 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes ab. 32 bags (2 tbsp ea.) Use regular milled white rice for pastel colors. Parboiled rice best for deep colors.

Rice favors: place on small squares of net or tulle, line with polyethelene and tied with ribbon.

Can be glued for decorative projects--or layered or mixed in clear vases or jars.

Can be used for mosaic paintings or caught up in net for corsages.

All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Recipes from Hubby's Grandmother's Recipe Box (3)

This recipe was printed on a card from a homemaker's magazine. I assume it's from one of those inserts that you can detach and put in a recipe box, book or folder. I've never seen this one before...it's a main dish.

Tuna Curry in Rice Ring

1/4 cup snipped parsley

5 cups hot cooked rice*

2 7-ounce cans solid-pack tuna, drained

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon minced onion

1 tablespoon minced parsley

                                                       6 tablespoons PREAM (Annie's note: I had no idea what this was, so I looked it up. It's coffee creamer.)

4 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 3/4 cups water

With fork, lightly stir 1/4 cup parsley into hot race; gently pack rice mixture into greased 1-quart ring mold**. Let stand 1 to 2 minds.; invert onto heated platter and keep warm while preparing Tuna Curry. In a small bowl, combine tuna, lemon juice, celery seed, mustard and 1 tablespoon parsley; let stand for 5 mins. In saucepan, combine PREAM, flour and curry powder. Add water; cook and stir until mixture boils and is thickened. Add tuna mixture; blend and heat thoroughly. fill center of rice ring with Tuna Curry. Makes 5 to 6 servings.

*Use 1 1/4 curs raw regular or processed rice or 2 1/2 cups packaged precooked rice prepared according to package directions. 

**If ring mold is not available, spoon rice onto heated platter to form ring.

All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Recipes from Hubby's Grandmother's Recipe Box (2)

Today's recipe from Hubby's Grandmother's Recipe Box (directly from a handwritten card):

Scones:

2 c. sifted flour

4 tsp baking poweder

1 tsp. salt

4 tbsp shortening

3/4 c. milk

Beat all ingredients for 1 min. Throw on floured board and roll 1/2" thick. Cut with round cutter, bake on griddle until golden on both sides. 

All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Recipes from Hubby's Grandmother's Recipe Box (1)

Hubs inherited the recipe box that holds his maternal grandmother's recipes. It's a simple green file box, crammed with handwritten recipes and ones cut out from magazines. The paper's yellowed with age, but still readable. It's fascinating to see some of the recipes from 50+ years ago...the more things change, the more they stay the same.

This week, I'm featuring some of those recipes, copied directly from the cards. This one is "Popovers"

Popovers

Blend 2 eggs, 1tsp salt, 1 c. sfted flour, 1 tbsp melted shortening 1 c.milk.

Beat until thoroughly blended. Pour into 8 custard cups about 1/3 full. Bake at 459 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn down to 350 degrees for 20 minutes longer.

All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010