Balsamic Basil Salt for the March Food in Jars challenge

Beautiful, simple and a tasty addition to food, this salt is a breeze. 

Ingredients
1 large package of basil, leaves only.
2 cups Kosher salt
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

Process
1. Preheat oven to its lowest setting. 
2. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until well combined. 

3. Spread salt out on a baking sheet. 

4. Place baking sheet in the oven and heat until dried. 
5. Remove from oven and break up into salt again. 

6. Store in a jar with a lid in a warm dry place.

Sourdough Banana Bread

I have recently endeavored to make my own sourdough starter and have for the most part been using the King Arthur Flour website for all my recipes. However, one of the kids recently asked me to make banana bread from some of the brown bananas on the counter and I wondered if there was a sourdough recipe. Voila! I found this lovely recipe from Cultures for Health. I have so far made if from discard, but tonight I am making it with actual starter. We shall see how it goes!

Potted Beef Italian Style

Ingredients
1 cup olive oil
3 lb chuck or rump roast of beef
1 carrot, chopped
I stalk celery, chopped
I onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
1 oz. dried mushrooms
water
1 cup red wine
1 small can tomato paste
2 cups warm beef broth or consumme

Process

1. In a heavy saucepan, heat the oil and brown the beef quickly on all sides. 
2. Add the carrot, celery, and onion and cook until the onion is golden brown. 
3. Add garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper. 
4. Continue cooking over low heat. 
5. Soak the mushrooms in warm water for several minutes. 
6. Drain off the water, chop the mushrooms, and add the meat and vegetables. 
7. Cook, uncovered, over low heat for four minutes. 
8. Add wine and tomato paste, diluted with warm beef broth, cover and bring to a boil. 
9. Continue cooking, covered, until the meat is tender, about 2 and 1/2 hours. 
10. Stir occasionally, basting the meat from time to time. 
11. If the gravy becomes too thick, add more warm beef broth. When the meat is done, remove from pan and serve immediately. 
12. Serve the gravy, unstrained, over any kind of pasta, polenta or gnocci.

Filet of Beef Vanderbilt

This recipe card says it is from the N.Y. Gaslight Restaurant, but all I can find is a night club that debuted Bob Dylan once upon a time. While the timing of that would be correct - Mom and Dad left NYC just as the beatnik's moved in - the Dylan Restaurant does not seem to have offered fine dining. 

Ingredients
Beef tenderloin, cut into 1/2" slices
butter
salt
pepper
Cognac
Beef stock or brown sauce
chopped chives
chopped parsley
1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms 
wild rice

Process

1. Saute 6 slices of 1/2" think beef tenderloin in butter, salt and pepper. 
2. Add an ounce and a half Cognac and flambe, shaking the pan while the spirits are burning. 
3. Remove the beef to a heated platter. 
4. Add to the pan juices 1/2 cup beef stock or brown sauce, a Tablespoon chopped chives, a Tablespoon chopped parsley, 1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms, and a pat of butter. 
5. Let simmer for a minutes and pour over the meat. 
6. Serve with wild rice

Beef Stew Bourguignonne from Pavillon

I am getting the sense from Mom's note cards that Life Magazine used to publish recipes from restaurants around the country. The pictures say it all for this recipe so I don't need to type it all out, but here is what I can find about the restaurant. Pavillon is now permanently closed, but it was an eatery on Union Square up until 1966.

Benoit's Beef and Barley

This recipe is from my Aunt Joan, my fathers sister, who sadly died before I was born. It says it is from Benoit's, which as far as I can tell, is a restaurant in NYC. Benoit has been recrafted by Alain Ducasse since 2016, but I can't seem to figure out how long the restaurant has been open, or is it just a spin off of a Parisian restaurant. Either way I try to give credit where credit is due.

Yield = 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients
3/4 cup chopped or minced onion
2 cups pearl barley
2 Tablespoons butter
4 cups water in which 4 beef bouillion cubes have been dissolved
2 pounds beefsteak - preferably tenderloin
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon Paprika
2 Tablespoons shortening (really? ugh! I'd use butter)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (yes it's that dated)
1 4 oz can button mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (or more)
1 4 oz can Pimento, chopped

Process

1. Saute barley in butter, slowly, over medium heat, stirring frequently until brown. 
2. Add onion and continue to saute until the onion is golden. 
3. Add 2 cups beef broth, cover, and simmer over a medium heat for 15 minutes. 
4. Cut the steak into strips and roll in a mixture of bread crumbs, sesame seed, salt and paprika. 
5. Let it dry a while and then brown in hot shortening. 
6. Combine barley with soup, mushrooms, salt, Worcestershire sauce, Pimento, and 2 remaining cups of stock. 
7. Mix well and add browned tenderloin strips. 
8. Pour into a 3 quart casserole dish, cover, and bake for 1 and 1/2 hours in a 350 degree oven. 
9. Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Add boiling water if necessary to maintain moisture. 
10. Garnish with Melba toast if desired and serve.

A California Panzanella from 101 Cookbooks

The amazing blog 101 Cookbooks has put out a delicious looking vegetarian meal called at California Panzanella. I am really looking forward to giving this one a try in the spring.

Tonights Dinner: Date Night Lemon Pasta from I am a Food Blog

 Of the many food blogs I follow, I Am a Food Blog is one of my favorites. I am looking forward to making this yummy simple crowd pleasing dish for the whole family tonight after they get back from a  beautiful day of skiing. This recipe for Date Night Lemon Pasta looks amazing.

Dinner Last Night: Lentil Sloppy Joes

Dinner last night was a yummy Instapot recipe from the blog Delightful Adventures for Lentil Sloppy Joes. I wish I had gotten a picture of the process, but SP was cooking and I was busy blogging up a storm of past die recipes from the old metal box. I highly recommend this vegetarian version of a kid pleasing meal.

Hamburger Stroganoff

This recipe yields 6 servings and was given to Hi-Ho by family friend Jessie Snyder. It is easily doubled.

Ingredients
2 onions, chopped
3 Tablespoons oil
2 Tablespoons flour
1 can consumme 
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
1 Tablespoon ketchup 
salt and pepper 
1 lb ground beef, browned and broken up with a fork. 
1/2 pound mushrooms (optional), fried (in the beef fat)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 lb noodles, cooked
peas (optional)

Process

1. Fry the chopped onions in 3 Tablespoons of oil until pale yellow. 
2. Stir in 2 Tablespoons flour. 
3. Add one can consumme and cook until smooth. 
4. Add 1 Tablespoon ketchup, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. 
5. Simmer and stir for 10 minutes. 
6. Add one pound of browned ground beef. 
7. Add fried mushrooms if using them. 
8. Add 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 lb noodles (cooked), and some peas for color if you want. 
9. The longer you keep it the better it gets so put it aside in the refrigerator to rest for a day.
10. Reheat in a slow oven or over a low flame. 
11. Serve when hot and it can also be frozen for future use.

Leprosy Stew

There has got to be a joke here but this is literally how the card reads. Leprosy stew heralds from my paternal Great Aunt - KK's sister Mary. Mary was a NYC beatnik who apparently was chums with Andy Warhol and Truman Capote if I remember the stories correctly. 

This recipe serves 8. A friend says this reminds her of Moussakka. 

Ingredients
3 onions chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cans chick peas, chopped
1.5 cans Italian tomatoes (1 large, 1 small)
1.5 Tablespoons curry powder
1.5 Tablespoons brown sugar
1.5 Tablespoons molasses
basil
cumin seed
chili powder
oregano
2.5 pounds ham, chopped

Process

1. In a stew pot, add the first four ingredients and mix over a medium heat. 
2. Add the curry,  brown sugar, and molasses. 
3. Add the spices to taste. 
4. Add the ham and simmer slowly. 
5. Best made a day in advance so put aside in the refrigerator and reheat the next day.

Lobster Pavillon

This recipe is on a printed note card that must have come straight from the source, the Pavillon Restaurant in Connecticut. However, there was another Pavillon in NYC that is now permanently closed.

Ingredients
2 live lobsters, 1.5 to1.75 pounds
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
Mirepois Bordelaise - a base composed of 1 small carrot and 1 onion finely chopped, lightly browned in butter with a little thyme a bay leaf and 1 spring of parsley - chopped.
3 tablespoons sweet butter
1 cup brandy or cognac
2 shallots, chopped
1 glass white wine
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup fish stock
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped cheveril
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
1 glass port wine
1/2 cup heavy cream 
cooked rice

Process

1. Kill lobsters by cutting in half, down the middle from the top. 
2. Prepare the Mirepoix
3. Cut lobster claws and tails into four pieces, reserving the greenish-grey liver (tomalley). 
4. Season the lobster with salt and cayenne and saute in very hot oil for 5 minutes. 
5. Add the Mirepoix. 
6. Add 1 Tablespoon butter, shallots, and white wine, and mix well.  
7. Ignite the brandy and pour it in. 
8. Add the tomato sauce, the fresh tomatoes and fish stock. 
9. Cover tightly and cook 20 to 25 minutes. 
10. Remove the lobster from the shell. 
11. Strain the sauce through a large strainer. 
12. Blend the tomalley with 1 Tablespoon butter, garlic, chervil, and tarragon. 
13. Mix into the sauce to thicken. 
14. Do not allow to boil. 
15. Finish the sauce with port wine and cream. 
16. Correct the seasoning with additional salt and cayenne to taste. 
17. Pour the sauce over the lobster and serve very hot with rice.

Seafood and Wildrice Casserole

Another one of Hi-Ho's creations, this recipe serves 4. 

Ingredients
1 cup bouillon
1 cup wild rice
1 dozen oysters
1 onion chopped
1 bay leaf
1 package frozen shrimp
1 2 lb can tomatoes
1 Tablespoon basil
salt and papper

Process

1. Butter a casserole dish. 
2. Add one cup bouillon.
3. Add all other ingredients
4. Cover and put in a 350 degree oven for 1.5 hours
5. Serve with watercress salad and biscuits.

Coquille St. Jaques

This recipe is from Aunt Julie, a boarding school roommate of Mom's at Ms. Porters School. Her husband Charlie was my brother's Godfather. Their family story is a tragic one, but I am thankful for their contribution to my childhood. Julie's famous chocolate chip cookie recipe can be found here.

Ingredients
1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds scallops
Flour
White wine
butter
shallots or onion
mushrooms
heavy cream

Process

1. Make a beurre manie (a dough consisting of equal parts butter and flour, used to thicken soups and sauces) by melting 3 Tablespoons butter and adding 4 Tablespoons flour. Cook and set aside. 
2. Saute together 1 Tablespoon butter and 3 tablespoons chopped shallots. 
3. Add 1/2 cup dry white wine and cook, reducing by 1/2. 
4. Add scallops and 1 cup chopped mushrooms. 
5. Cook over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. 
6. Reduce heat and add 1 cup heavy cream, salt and pepper, and cayenne. 
7. Add beurre manie and cook until thickened. 
8. Top with Parmesan cheese. 
9. Put into dish under broiler and cook until brown.

Shrimp in Beer

This is another recipes of Hi-Ho's that serves each person with 1/2 lb to a lb of shrimp, making the yield a per person recipe. 

Ingredients
2 lbs shrimp
2 cans beer
bay leak
thyme
celery salt

Sauce ingredients
Soy sauce
Lemon Juice
Butter

Process

1. Put ingredients in a large pot and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. 
2. Drain and prepare by covering with the sauce. 
3. serve with hot rice and cold beer.

 

Crab Meat Imperial Casserole

From the looks of this recipe card - a newspaper cutout taped to a note card - I would venture to guess this came out of the New York Times. This recipe yields 6 servings. 

Ingredients
1 large green pepper, diced
2 pimentos, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon dry mustard
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 Tablespoons Sherry
2 pounds fresh "back fin" lump crab meat
Paprika

Process

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix the diced pepper and pimentos
3. Add salt, pepper, mustard, mayonnaise, eggs and 2 Tablespoons sherry. 
4. Mix
5. Carefully fold the crab meat into the pepper mixture so as to not break the lumps of crab. 
6. Add the remaining Tablespoon of Sherry and place in a buttered casserole dish. 
7. Coat the casserole dish with a thin layer of mayonnaise and sprinkle with paprika. 
8. Bake 15 minutes and serve.

Bouillabaisse

This recipe serves 4 and comes from Mima's kitchen.

Ingredients
1/2 lb fresh cooked shrimp
1 cup sliced onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lb raw scrod - cut in 2 inch pieces and boned
1 can tomatoes
6 fresh clams or mussels
1 frozen lobster tail, sliced - shell and all
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon minced thyme
2 thin slices lemon
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon saffrom
4 cups water
1/4 cup dry white wine

Process

1. Saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms in olive oil for about 5 minutes. 
2. Add raw fish, tomatoes, seasoning, and water. 
3. Cover and simmer for about 35 minutes. 
4. Add frozen lobster tail, then clams. 
5. When the clams open, add the cooked shrimp, and simmer for 5 minutes. 
6. Remove bay leaf and add wine. 
7. Serve very hot with French bread.

Seafood Primavera

 

I can only guess that at some point during my parents travels they were in Siesta Key, Florida and there was a restaurant called Neptune's, because this recipe has written at the top "Neptunes" and Hi-Ho always gave credit where credit is due. With further sleuthing I found this information, "Opened in 1990, Neptune’s introduced outside dining and music to the key, and it remained a local favorite until closing in July 1996." at THIS website. Without further ado, here is the recipe from Neptune's that Hiho clearly loved.
This recipe serves 6-8, but Hiho did note "x2" so she either doubled it for a party to serve 12 to 16, or well... you do the math! :)

Ingredients
3 cups heavy cream
1 and 1/2 cup strong chicken broth
2 teaspoons minced garlic
8 oz. Parmesan cheese
4 egg yolks
2 lbs cooked linguine, cut to 1/2 to 1/3"
1 and 1/2 heads broccoli
3 large carrots
1 Bermuda onion
1 red pepper
1/2 lb crab meat
1 lb shrimp
1 lb scallops
2 cups white wine
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 lb butter

Process

1. In a large saucepan, heat first three ingredients, until reduced by 1/3. 
2. Add Parmesan slowly until thoroughly blended. 
3. Remove from heat and stir in egg yolks quickly. 
4. Mix sauce with linguini and keep warm. 
5. Julienne the vegetables and poach with seafood in white wine and lemon juice, stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking. 
6. Remove from heat and slowly incorporate butter 1 oz at a time. 
7. Serve over linguini.

 

Apple Surprise

This recipe is from Mima, my grandmother. No yield is provided, and it is also one of the more obscure recipes she wrote, with limited to no measurements.

Ingredients
Apples
Sugar
Water
2 Tablespoons grated orange rind

Process

1. Peel but don't core uniform size apples.
2. Prepare a rich syrup using equal parts sugar and water, and cook 5 minutes. 
3. Simmer apples in the syrup until they are transparent. 
4. Remove from heat and chill. 
5. Add 2 Tablespoons grated orange rind for each cup of syrup. 
6. Simmer several minutes and then cool. 
7. When ready to serve, spoon syrup over chilled apples. 
8. Serve with whipped cream.

Marmalade Fluff

This recipe of Mima's seems to be a perfect recipe to use with the recent Clementine Marmalade I made. It also is a perfect way to learn how to make my own Fluff! Win win!

This recipe serves 4 but can easily be increased. 

Ingredients
4 egg whites
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoons orange marmalade
butter

Process

1. Beat egg whites until stiff. 
2. Add sugar, beating lightly. 
3. Fold in the marmalade. 
4. Butter the top of a double boiler, fill with the mixture, cover and steam one hour. 
5. DO NOT LOOK AT IT! (underlined)
6. When ready to serve,  prepare this heated sauce: 2 Tablespoons marmalade, 2 Tablespoons rum, and 1/2 cup hot water. 

Fresh Strawberries with Mint

 
This is another one of Mom's creations. It serves 6.

Ingredients
2 pints fresh strawberries
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
"Add some Cointreau!" ( I can just see Hi-Ho's cute enthusiasm)

Process

1. Combine all ingredients and lightly toss. 
2. Put in bowl and sprinkle with sugar. 

Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

Meringue

I was so excited to see that this recipe was given to Mom by none other than the talented Lila Vultee, a beloved family friend and fellow Mainer. Oh the stories I could tell about this former caterer. She is a delight and I owe her a long overdue visit. 

Ingredients
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 cup sugar 
white vinegar

Process

1. Heat oven to 275 degrees. 
2. Sift sugar and cream of tartar. 
3. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. 
4. Add a teaspoon or two of white vinegar. 
5. Add the sugar and cream of tartar mix and beat until stiff. 
6. Shape into a greased pie pan and cool 1 hour.

Hot Dessert Compote

This recipe was given to my mother by a family friend Patty Ogden.

Ingredients
Bing cherries, pitted
peaches
ginger snap cookie crumps
burgundy wine, mixed with 2 fruit juices ( 1/4 to 1/2 cup of each)
cinnamon
sugar

Process

1. Combine the fruits, wine, 2 juices, sugar and cinnamon in a casserole dish. 
2. Top with ginger snap cookie crumbs. 
3. Bake at 350 and serve piping hot, with hard sauce. 

I have included a link to the Pioneer Woman's hard sauce HERE. 

Mocha Mousse

This recipe serves 8.

Ingredients
3 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 Tablespoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream, whipped
a splash of rum

Process

1.  Turn icebox to its coldest setting. 
2. Put chocolate and water in a saucepan and bring to a bowl over low heat, stirring vigorously until blended. 
3. Gradually stir in well beaten egg yolks and coffee. 
4. Let cool. 
5. Fold in vanilla and cream. 
6. Freeze in icebox until firm. 
7. Remove a short while before serving. 
8. Garnish with whipped cream if you want.

Pears Poached in White Wine

This was one of Mom's recipes, and given that she always gave credit where credit is due, I would say she made this one up. Here's a Hi-Ho original. 

This recipe serves 6

Ingredients
6 ripe pears, whole and peeled (or unpeeled) but with stems intact
1 and 1/2 pints dry white wine
1 and 1/2 pints water
1/2 pound sugar
Sprig of woodruff (optional

Process

1. Bring water, sugar, and wine to a boil. 
2. Add pears and woodruff and simmer for 3 to 7 minutes, depending on the ripeness of the fruit. 
3. Put fruit into an iced bowl immediately. 
4. Chill liquid separately and pour over fruit before serving.

Dessert Souffle

This is a recipe from my grandmother Mima, Ho-Ho's mother, who Hi-Ho referred to as Mummy.

Ingredients
2 three ounce packages cream cheese
I cup sour cream
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup honey
dash of salt

Process

1. Let cream cheese stand at room temperature until softened. 
2. Preheat oven to 350. 
3. Beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy and blend in sour cream. 
4. Beat the egg yolks until slightly thickened and then stir into the sour cream mixture. 
5. Pour into a 1.5 quart casserole pan. 
6. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. 

Serve with sour cream and sweetened strawberries. 

Pots de Creme Au Cafe

There is something so heart warming to see Mom's handwriting and recognize it in my own. 

This recipe makes 8 servings

Ingredients
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup very strong coffee
3 Tablespoons sugar, or more to taste
7 egg yolks, lightly beaten

Process

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 
2. Scald the cream with the coffee and sweeten to taste. 
3. Cool slightly, then stir into the beaten egg yolks.
4. Pour the mixture into 8 small custard cups or ramekins. 
5. Using a deep baking dish, fill with a layer of hot water in the oven. 
6. Place cups in the pan in the oven. 
7. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, roughly 25 to 30 minutes. 
8. Cool and then chill thoroughlyl before serving.

Life Changes and getting back to what this blog is all about.

I have taken stock of my life in recent months and have decided to get back to the basics of what I want in life, how I want to work, and what is important to me. For far too long I have let my work in education get the better of me, taking precious hours from my family, and derailing my efforts in sustainability and preservation. I began this blog many years ago to preserve the many generations of family recipes I inherited when our mother died suddenly in 1999. So starting today, I will return to getting the recipes out of this old metal box and onto the blog so they will be there for all the future generations. 

Red Bell Pepper Soup with Cilantro Cream

This soup made a fantastic first course for this years Christmas Dinner. Our family has a "Mystery Soup" tradition in which only the cook who made the soup knows what the main ingredient is, no one is allowed to taste until everyone is served, and the winner is the first person to name the star ingredient. This years winner was Bruce, who I observed closing his eyes to really focus on this subtle but very present flavor. The flavor of this soup is fantastic and I will return to this many times for a nice cold weather warm up. This recipe serves 6.

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
2 cups chopped Leeks, the white parts only
3 large red bell peppers, chopped 
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Cilantro Cream (recipe at the bottom)
 
Process

1. Prep your vegetables. 
2. Melt the butter with the oil in a large sauce pan. 
3. Add the leeks and bell peppers.
4. Reduce the heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, around 20 minutes. 
5. Add the chicken broth and simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are very soft, about 30 minutes more. 
6. Puree the mixture, in a food processor or with an immersion blender, until smooth. 
7. Add the half and half and bring to a simmer. 
8. Season with salt and pepper. 
9. When served, garnish with the cilantro cream. 

Cilantro Cream
Ingredients:
1/2 large bunch cilantro
1 tablespoon crystalized ginger
1/4 cup sour cream.

Process:

1. Remove the cilantro leaves from the stems. 
2. Place ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. 
3. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.