Yea!
JoelF, Thank you Thank you
my college daughter will surely thank you in absentia as well....

Hi,

Jygach was on the phone with her Mother in India discussing how to prepare those Bombay Potatoes. I really enjoy the great lengths people will go to bring something to a picnic.

My raccoon recipe can be found in the last few paragraphs on the Raccoon butcher thread.

Regards,

I'm so glad that Cynthia is enjoying the remains of the Black Bean and Corn Salad I brought! (As noted in the Events thread.) Sorry that we couldn't stay to help clean up, but we had another evening obligation. Husband and I had a lot of fun tasting all the wonderful dishes. Who knew I liked tilefish?! Anyway, per YourPalWill & Cynthia's requests, here's the recipe:

Adapted from my absolute favorite salad cookbook - Twelve Months of Monastery Salads - 200 Divine Recipes for All Seasons by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette

Spicy Black Bean Salad, Mexican Style (Page 134) - I doubled these amounts for the salad I brought
For the salad:
1 (15.5oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ears corn, cooked in boiling water for 5 min., cooled, and kernals cut off
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 medium red onion, minced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

For the dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice - I usually wind up adding 1-2 more tablespoons on top of this
1 garlic clove, minced
few dashes of ground cumin
Salt & Pepper to taste
I add a few shakes of the green El Yucateco hot sauce

I like to make this salad the day before I serve it so that the flavors have time to meld together. Toss all the salad ingredients together. Whisk the dressing to blend and toss with the salad. Refrigerate AT LEAST 2 hours. Just before serving, re-toss and taste. As mentioned, you might find it needs a little more lime juice, salt, and/or Yucateco.
Enjoy! -Lynn

P.S. - I have also done this as an entree by adding in some grilled shrimp, and sprinkling with some crumbled queso fresco and crushed tortilla chips.

here's my version of the yoghurt cake from Chocolate and Zucchini, by clotilde desoulier.

RASPBERRY YOGURT CAKE preheat oven to 325degrees. grease a loose bottom 9" round cake pan (also known as a cheesecake pan, though i use them for almost all cakes). or line a 1 piece cake pan with parchment and grease pan.
In a mixing bowl, beat 1 cup of raspberry yogurt (8 oz., not 6oz, preferably full fat. low fat is ok, but not nonfat). with 3/4cup of sugar. add 2 large eggs (at room temp.)beat at medium speed in mixer till smooth. add 1 t. almond extract, 1/8 t.salt and beat briefly. measure out 1-2/3cups unbleached white flour. add to it 1-1/2t. baking powder and 1t. baking soda. add slowly to the wet mixture and beat just till combined. gently mix in about 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries. spread into pan, sprinkle on some sliced almonds, and bake till golden and toothpick comes out clean, about 35 minutes. let cool 10 minutes, remove sides and cool completely. serve at room temperature for fullest flavor.

ADDITIONAL NOTES(9/13/08): i made the cake again, for only the 2d time, increasing the fruit to see if i could pack more in without it getting soggy. this time i used the incredible Traderspoint Creamery orchard trio yogurt, which contains pear, cherry and peach purees. i added 1 cup chopped white nectarine (1 large, skin on) and 1/2 cup of raspberries. i also added some fresh grated ginger. the cake was even moister and more delicious. but i think 1-1/2 cups of fruit is pretty much the outer limit. jj

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:Cotija Cheese, 1 block, grated (available at ALDI at a more reasonable price than you will probably find anywhere else).

Can you estimate the weight of the block of cotija cheese? This is often available already grated.

Brendan, it was a uniform, prepackaged block, I'm guessing it was a 16 oz. unit, although I won't swear to it. Yep, you can buy it pre-grated at a huge mark-up. I've bought cotija grated at Caputo's in Des Plaines, and I'm going to estimate it was approximately four times the cost of the ALDI product. No difference in taste or qualilty as far as I could tell.

Buddy

Both of the olive dishes for the picnic started with these two recipes from Cooking Light:
Warm Olives With Wild Herbs

Warm Olives With Fennel & Orange

Here are some notes for the highly free-form versions that showed up at the picnic:
1. Treasure Island's Olive Bar was the source for a variety of olives that would appeal to a wider group of people (as opposed to a group of wider people) -- color variety was important and TI has big and meaty, mild Cerignola olives in green, black and red.
2. Total olives filled seven 2# containers for both recipes, so exact amounts are not possible. Who cares?
3. Apologies for being so inexact, but these are "mixture" recipes that rely more on your own taste preferences than an exact ratios of ingredients. Follow your muse and go heavy on the items that you like. I went long on orange rind, fennel wedges and balsamic vinegar (used BV with Figs for this batch) in the F&O recipe and with the lemon rind and fesh herbs in the WH recipe.
4. Did not use crushed red pepper in the WH recipe bacause of the added fresh, chopped habaneros and jalapenos added to both recipes. Made each recipe without the hot peppers and added them during the packaging step after long marinating. This resulted in a mild and a hot version of each recipe.
5. Because I like the taste of cooked fennel (anise) (finoccio), I cut the chunks into bigger pieces and cooked them longer.
6. Make lots -- they keep for a loooong time in the fridge. You can serve them with everything at all kinds of occasions by letting them sit at room temperature or by nuking them gently for a short time @ 50%. The oil becomes saturated with flavors (and heat, in the batches with peppers) and is a great start for other dishes. Try cooking your eggs in the flavored oil.

Enjoy ! Enjoy !

justjoan wrote:here's my version of the yoghurt cake from Chocolate and Zucchini, by clotilde desoulier.

RASPBERRY YOGURT CAKE preheat oven to 325degrees. grease a loose bottom 9" round cake pan (also known as a cheesecake pan, though i use them for almost all cakes). or line a 1 piece cake pan with parchment and grease pan.
In a mixing bowl, beat 1 cup of raspberry yogurt (8 oz., not 6oz, preferably full fat. low fat is ok, but not nonfat). with 3/4cup of sugar. add 2 large eggs (at room temp.)beat at medium speed in mixer till smooth. add 1 t. almond extract, 1/8 t.salt and beat briefly. measure out 1-2/3cups unbleached white flour. add to it 1-1/2t. baking powder and 1t. baking soda. add slowly to the wet mixture and beat just till combined. gently mix in about 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries. spread into pan, sprinkle on some sliced almonds, and bake till golden and toothpick comes out clean, about 35 minutes. let cool 10 minutes, remove sides and cool completely. serve at room temperature for fullest flavor.

Really excellent cake, Joan...who would have thought it was so simple to make, too.

Thank you all for sharing your recipes. I, too, have been craving the elotes caserole (with a roasted marshmallow) and the simple delicious pineapple/cuke salad that Seth brought. Just Joan, I missed the Raspberry cake, but if there is any way you can share the orange cake recipe--that was the most delicious sweet I have eaten in a long time. I searched the net for recipes as you told me it is not hard, but nothing sounded as good as yours tasted. If you can't share, maybe you can make some and we can come and buy it! Thanks again for the great day.

If you can, PLEASE post the fabulous kefta patties recipe--those were stupendous!!!

Don't know if this is worth its own thread, so I'll piggyback here as a picnic followup. I don't remember who suggested it, but at the picnic I heard the phrase "dragon turd hash" and knew I had to try it.

Dragon turds, I'm sure you all know, are jalapeno peppers stuffed with chorizo, wrapped in bacon, then cooked on a charcoal grill. Delicious and appropriately named. G Wiv's recipe for dragon turds posted here.


For the hash, I used:

3 unpeeled russet potatoes, 1/4" dice
5 dragon turds
1 small onion, diced finely
sea salt, black pepper


I blanched the potatoes in boiling water for a minute or two just to give them a head start cooking, then drained them well. While doing this, I diced up the dragon turds. I then mixed the diced potatoes, onions and turds all together, along with some of the sea salt and black pepper.

I cooked them in a buttered 12" cast iron skillet. Just a warning if you try this at home, make sure your kitchen is well ventilated for this part. The kids were coughing from the jalapeno fumes even on the far end of the apartment. I cooked the hash until there were lots of nice, nearly black crispy bits, turning from top to bottom every so often. It was fairly loose and did not turn as a unit, so I just did the best I could.


I served it with a pair of over-easy eggs on top. It made a great breakfast, but not for those who don't like a spicy wake-me-up in the morning!

JimTheBeerGuy wrote:I don't remember who suggested it, but at the picnic I heard the phrase "dragon turd hash" and knew I had to try it.

Ingenious, inspired, looks delicious. I can't wait to give it a try.

i received several heartfelt requests for the recipe for the portuguese cake/bars that i brought to the last LTH picnic. i've gotten permission from my brother's mother-in-law, corinna, to share the recipe. she is portuguese as is her daughter, my sister-in-law. corinna says this recipe was her grandmother's. her daughter insists that she's never had this bar anywhere but at home, implying, i guess, that it isn't typical portuguese, but i do know of similar portuguese recipes for orange cake which don't have the cold syrup topping. in any event.... enjoy, justjoan

QUADRADOS DE L'ORANJA (orange squares)
preheat oven to 350degrees and
make a sling of parchment paper or wax paper to line
a 9 x 13" pan, leaving the short sides uncovered

beat 1 stick of unsalted butter (softened) with 250 grams sugar (1-1/4cups). add 4 large eggs, room temp. and beat well. add 125 grams unbleached flour(1c.minus 2T.); 1t. baking powder and the zest of 2 medium- to- large navel oranges (preferably organic). they dont have to be navel, if you can't find any. beat to combine and pour into the pan, spreading evenly. bake about 15 minutes.(edited to add: the baking could take as long as 30 minutes as ovens vary so much. the main thing is to bake it till the top is speckled with golden brown and it feels springy in the center.) while baking, combine the juice of the 2 oranges you've zested with 200-250 grams of sugar (1 to 1-1/4cups). when the cake is done, immediately pour the COLD syrup over it, spreading it evenly over the cake. cool completely in the pan. remove from pan using the sling to gently lift it out. tranfer to cutting board, and cut into very small squares (8 x 6). serve at room temperature. store at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

justjoan wrote:i received several heartfelt requests for the recipe for the portuguese cake/bars that i brought to the last LTH picnic. i've gotten permission from my brother's mother-in-law, corinna, to share the recipe. she is portuguese as is her daughter, my sister-in-law. corinna says this recipe was her grandmother's. her daughter insists that she's never had this bar anywhere but at home, implying, i guess, that it isn't typical portuguese, but i do know of similar portuguese recipes for orange cake which don't have the cold syrup topping. in any event.... enjoy, justjoan

Joan, Thank you and thanks to Corinna. I was so excited to see this thread get bumped by you, and was hoping that you had posted the much coveted recipe. Thanks again! I will definitely make these for Christmas.

YourPalWill wrote:Your Pal Will's Award Winning Office Chili
...
Recipe given
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When the beer has reduced add the two cans tomato puree, black beans, brown sugar, balsamic and the remaing adobo from the chipotles to the mixture.

Will, for the given quantities, how many cans of beans are you using? And what size can on the chipotles? 7oz?
I hope to give this one a go in the next few weeks.

Brendan, I use a 29 oz can of black beans. Though I will say that I made it beanless for the LTH Picnic and it was quite good.

The chipotle can is the smaller one. I think that it is 7 oz.

Joan--thank you so much for sharing--I am still dreaming of your cakes and will try them with hopes that next year we can share a recipe with you! Cheers!

hi nancy, i'm sorry it took so long to post the recipe. i'm glad you found the link, i remember how much you loved the orange squares. joan

justjoan wrote:i received several heartfelt requests for the recipe for the portuguese cake/bars that i brought to the last LTH picnic. i've gotten permission from my brother's mother-in-law, corinna, to share the recipe. she is portuguese as is her daughter, my sister-in-law. corinna says this recipe was her grandmother's. her daughter insists that she's never had this bar anywhere but at home, implying, i guess, that it isn't typical portuguese, but i do know of similar portuguese recipes for orange cake which don't have the cold syrup topping. in any event.... enjoy, justjoan

justjoan-

I want to thank you and Corinna for sharing this recipe. It was a hit at both Christmas Day events we attended.

-Mary

mary, i'm so glad to hear that your friends enjoyed the orange bars. they are simple, but SO delicious. jj

Happy New Year friends--last year's picnic was one of the highlights of the summer for me and my family and it
is one of my resolutions to meet you all again sooner and contribute here more!

I am still craving the delicious lamb kefta kabab I tried as I left the picnic last summer--made by a gentleman, tasty with saffron--if you are out there, would you consider sharing the recipe?

Cheers and Happy healthy New Year to all!

Nancy, I guess I have to say:

I know you asked for this a long time ago, and it just slipped away. I guess my only (bad) excuse is it's not really a dish that I have a recipe for, as I make it slightly different each time. Much apologies.

I would say that the key to the dish is starting with high quality ground beef. The meat came from a locally reared cow who lived her life on grass and all-you-can eat leftover market vegetables. The rural locker does not designate amongst your trim, round/sirloin/chuck/etc., so this burger is pretty much always going to be on the flavor end of the spectrum (as they say at Jim's BBQ in Austin, "do you want your brisket lean or with flavor").

I mix the meat with minced onion at a ratio of one medium sized onion to one pound of meat. I add two or three cloves of garlic per pound, mashing the garlic. I also add a handful of parsley, chopped. I mix in spices. I'm very partial to allspice and the final mix may have been mostly allspice with some hot paprika. I do add a smidgen of a secret Moroccan spice blend (the recipe needs a secret right?) which is where you might have tasted saffron. I usually use some cumin too and sometimes some curry powder. I often use Aleppo pepper or maybe cayenne pepper. Obviously, I salt the meat.

Kefta recipes often have you kneading, handling the meat a lot, but I'm of the school of touching the burger as little as possible. I find that the onions, especially if minced, and the herbs, provide enough binding. If your meat seemed too lean, I would add a tablespoon or so of olive oil to lubricate.

For the LTH picnic, I did fry up a small taste to make sure it was not too spicy, but normally I would not do that.

Thanks vital--I will look forward to a kefta attempt sometime and will let you know results. I really though they were uniquely good--where do you get such great meat? I thought it was lamb...Thanks for the quick response! Cheers!

Well, VI, if you are going to spill, you might as well spill it all.

What about that spicy green sauce/relish? You were responsible for that too, right? Would love a recipe, as it was delicious.