Garbarsardar's cookbook

[Garbarsardar]

don't you mean vine leaves? (not that I'm being pedantic or anything.......

Translating directly from greek again...yep, corrected .(I am tormented by my peers... :sweatingb )

[Pra]

Garb, how do you make Baba Ganouj(sp?), Tabuli, and Lamb Shaverma(sp?)?

[Garbarsardar]

Garb, how do you make Baba Ganouj(sp?), Tabuli, and Lamb Shaverma(sp?)?

Well Shwarma actually needs professional equipment to be properly made. The long vertical spit mainly. I guess you could make it at home-or attempt it this way:

lamb shwarma (kind of)

2 pounds lamb very thinly sliced

Marinade: 1 cup yogurt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4+4 cloves garlic -- minced

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon onion -- finely minced

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 teaspoon salt

coriander

oregano

Tahini (no more then 2 tbs I guess-you have to judge by the desired texture)



Combine all marinade ingredients. Add meat and marinate overnight. Place the marinated meat in a barbeque cage and cook over hot coals for 15 minutes. Combine tahini (sesame paste), clove of garlic, lemon juice coriander, oregano and parsley until it is of a creamy texture, Add water if necessary. Place the cooked meat, sliced tomatoes and onions in pita bread and pour on the tahini mixture as desired.

Tabouleh
¼cup (40g) burghul
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4 cups coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 small red onion, chopped finely
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil

Cover burghul* (we calle it pligouri in Greece) with cold water in small bowl; stand 10 minutes or until burghul softens.Drain burghul, squeezing with hands to remove as much water as possible. Combine burghul in large bowl with remaining ingredients.

*Whole wheat which has been boiled until tender and the husk is about to crack open, then dried. It is a common ingredient in Arabic cooking. You can buy it coarse or fine ground in most middle-eastern grocery stores.

Baba ganouj (this one you got it right! ) or egg plant dip or melitzanosalata in Greece

1 medium size eggplant (aubergine)
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 T. tahini (sesame paste)
1 T. olive oil
Salt and freshly-ground pepper
Tiny bit of vinegar

Roast eggplant in a 450ºF oven for 30 to 40 minutes, turning once, or until flesh is very tender and a sharp knife pierces without resistance.When cool enough to handle, remove peel. Mince garlic. Add eggplant flesh, lemon juice, tahini and olive oil. Mix by using a fork to melt everything, or just use a food processor (I tend to prefer doing it by hand to avoid ending up with a spread...). Add salt and pepper to taste.

[Pra]

Thanks, I'll try it tomorrow and tell you how it turns out. At the risk of asking a redundant question, would it be ok if kept the marinated meat in the refrigerator?

[Garbarsardar]

Thanks, I'll try it tomorrow and tell you how it turns out. At the risk of asking a redundant question, would it be ok if kept the marinated meat in the refrigerator?

If you live in a mild to warm climate you should keep the meat in the firdge.(sorry my bad, it is dangerous not to put it in the fridge)....

[MadBurgerMaker]

Hey...if anyone is interested, I can probably get my wife to gimmie her (her mom's actually) recipe for tacos (its really only the seasoning for the meat you need to worry about). Theyre absolutely fantastic, and seem to be easy enough to put together...I mean...hell...I can even do it....

[Garbarsardar]

Hey...if anyone is interested, I can probably get my wife to gimmie her (her mom's actually) recipe for tacos (its really only the seasoning for the meat you need to worry about). Theyre absolutely fantastic, and seem to be easy enough to put together...I mean...hell...I can even do it....

Do you want me to send you a glass of saliva to persuade you that I'm interested? If you can do it in the next few hours I'll think of you tenderly during my dinner...(it's 3pm here...)

[Pra]

Garb, the Shwerma came out well, I haven't made the Baba Ganouj or Tabouleh yet.

In the meantime, I recommend the Shrimp Biryani, we tried it today and it came out well.

Shrimp Biryani

· Shrimp (prawn)- 1 lb or (1/2 kg), shelled & deveined)

· Long grain basmati rice- 1 cup (soaked in cold water for 20 minutes)

· Medium onion- 2 (chopped)

· Ginger- 1 inch piece (grated)

· Garlic- 2 cloves (crushed)

· Green chilies- 2

· Grated coconut- 2/3 cup

· Garam masala- 2 teaspoons (this can be very spicy; you may use 1 teaspoon until you are sure of how pungent you like this dish)

· Lime juice- 1 tablespoon

· Cashew nuts & raisins- 1 tablespoon

· Bay leaves- 2

· Ghee- 1/4 cup (ghee is clarified butter and imparts a distinctive taste, however you could use sunflower oil and the taste is still good, and healthier. Don’t use olive oil. The flavor of olive oil does not work in this dish.

· Salt

· ½ cup green peas

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Grind the ginger, garlic, green chilies, garam masala, cashew nuts & coconut to make a paste. Do this in a blender or food processor. Allow it to run until you truly have a paste.

Heat 3 tablespoons of ghee in a pan and add half of the onions and fry until golden brown. Add the ground paste and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix well until all the shrimps are coated with masala and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Remove from heat and set aside. Take another pan and heat 2 tablespoons of ghee and fry the bay leaves & the rest of the onions and fry until the onions are golden brown. Add the rice and stir fry until the rice becomes translucent (about 10 minutes). Add the peas, 1/2 tsp salt and 2 cup of water. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until the rice is almost done.

Mix the rice and shrimp together and transfer it to a casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10-15 minutes at 300°F. Sprinkle with lime juice and garnish with fried cashews and raisins.

Seafood is in abundance in Mangalore, so we can enjoy this wonderful dish most anytime that calls for a special meal. Last time we made we used some small lobsters cut up; nice! The bay leaves in India are different than most, so begin making this recipe with just one leaf. Adding two will likely be too dominant.

http://baptistmissionsindia.com/shrimp_biryani.htm

[Justinian]

That is quite odd, I'm cooking a vodka tomato noodles recipe thingie and when I put the vodka in the pan, it lit on fire!

Actually it cooked the chicken in the recipe faster... Alright, as I am bored, I present:

Le Alcoholique's Delighte

What you'll need:
1 onion, choppified
2 stalks of celery, similarly choppified
1/4 cup of olive oil (I think you should use butter instead, don't mind me)
1/4 pound sliced prosciutto (what is prosciutto, exactly? I just used chicken breasts)
3/4 cup vodka (The fun part!)
1 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 teaspon cayenne pepper
1 cup half-and-half cream
1 pound penne pasta (say that three times fast)

How'll you'll cook:
In a large skillet, heat oil (butter) over medium heat. Cook onion, celery and garlic in oil; stir until soft.
Add prosciutto (?) and vodka (!). Simmer until almost all liquid is gone.
Add tomatoes, cayenne, and herbs. Simmer 10 minutes.
Add half-and-half. Heat 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook noodles in boiling salted water until done (doi, reminder anyone of 'hang by the neck until dead'?). Serve sauce over noodles. Makes 4-6 servings.

And for the alcoholic in all of us, I tentatively present:

That's Le **** Man
What you'll need:

Some vodka
Some pineapple juice
Some orange juice
Some half-and-half

How you'll do it:
Mix the vodka, pineappla juice, orange juice and half-and-half. Chill for as long as you want. Drink quickly.
The way I made it, the vodka, pinneaple juice, orange juice and half-and-half all formed to make a sort of beigish, whitish-yellow colour. If that helps any.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Do you want me to send you a glass of saliva to persuade you that I'm interested? If you can do it in the next few hours I'll think of you tenderly during my dinner...(it's 3pm here...)

Sorry about that Garb...I posted that, then promptly forgot about it.

Heres what you need:

1lb ground beef or turkey (we use the 98% fat free ground turkey)
fat free sour cream
flour tortillas
shredded colby jack cheese
a tomato (dice it)
shredded lettuce
ground cumin (about 1.5 tsp)
garlic salt (approx 1.5 tsp)
onion powder (approx 1.5 tsp)
1 can of tomato sauce

Brown the meat in a skillet, adding the seasonings to taste. The 1.5 teaspoon measurements on there is just to give you an idea. The wife says she just sorta dumps it on there. After the meat is browned, drain any excess oil that may have accumulated (especially with regular ground beef). Add the tomato sauce and simmer until thoroughly warmed.

Warm up the tortillias in the microwave (it only takes a few seconds) spoon on some sour cream, meat, cheese, lettuce and tomatos.....and enjoy!

For each extra pound of meat you use, add another can of tomato sauce. 1lb of meat is good enough for two with some leftovers, and they dont taste bad at all after a night in the fridge, if everything is kept seperate, of course...heat what needs to be heated, then make the taco. Lunch!

[Profler]

1/4 pound sliced prosciutto (what is prosciutto, exactly? I just used chicken breasts)

:laughing: Prosciutto is italian cured ham, one of the more famous varieties being Parma Ham

Not to be confused with Pancetta, which is a bacon.

[Garbarsardar]

Profler in the cookbook, hmmm who would of thought? OTOH even ships need a good galley to keep moral up...

Thanks Just (is it the brother or just you this time?) MBM:I alredy did it...sublime, now I have to stay in the swimming pool double the time to pay for the calorific intake.
Prarara, you are trully great....

This is a special recipe for Mare Nostrum, (he knows why)

GREEK/TURKISH lentil soup:

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 large bay leaf
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
1 ¼ cups dried green lentils
8 cups water
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Paprika and finely-chopped parsley for garnish

1. In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent. Add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and cumin, and saute about 2 minutes.

2. Add lentils, water, cilantro, and apricots and cook 1 hour, or until the lentils are completely soft.

3. Cool the soup slightly so it won’t burn you, then add the vinegar. Remove bay leaf and puree soup in batches in a blender. Season with salt and plenty of pepper.

4. Reheat and serve hot, garnished with paprika and parsley.

[Lord Rahl]

Is it possible to include my "Scrambled Pancakes" into this cookbook? I don't really know how this all works but trust me, these pancakes kiss serious rear end. And Garb, why did you promise a burger for me?

[Garbarsardar]

Is it possible to include my "Scrambled Pancakes" into this cookbook? I don't really know how this all works but trust me, these pancakes kiss serious rear end. And Garb, why did you promise a burger for me?

Yummy!, post your recipe here! NOW!

I posted a burger because you complained about Mac (donald's) I presumed was missing...oh, you meant pasta with cheese?

(I wonder how I did survive for two weeks in NY with my British English... )

[Lord Rahl]

Ha ha ha ha ha!

By Mac and Cheese I mean macaroni and cheese. That is no problem, the burger was very interesting and sounded tasteful!


Here you go,

Lord Rahl's Scrambled Pancakes

This simple and fast breakfast food will bring delite to all who try it's fluffy and light goodness. This is another great find from a simple mistake from friends.

Ingredients:

- 2 cups all-purpose flour, stirred or sifted before measuring
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons melted butter

Preparation:

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine egg and milk; add to flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Blend in melted butter. Cook on a hot, greased griddle, using about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Instead of going ahead with the usual process of making pancakes, cooking until brown on one side and around edge; turn and brown the other side, cook the pancakes like you would when cooking scrambled eggs. This may sound a bit weird but in the end your intrigue and curiosity will bring about the best breakfast will ever have. When the grill is hot enough to make the pancake batter bubble, begin to "scramble" the batter in the same fashion as scrambled eggs. Scramble every 15-20 seconds. This makes sure that there is no "brown" to the pancake and makes sure that the batter, when cooked, is fluffy and white. Serves four hungry men.

Serving:

Syrup is a must when serving Scrambled Pancakes. They are cooked especially for the addition of syrup since the fluffyness traps the in the syrup. This makes sure that every single bite is full of the sweet taste of your favorite syrup.


The Story:

After my highschool graduation, three of my friends and I decided to go camping out in Kananaskis Country in Alberta, Canada. We would be staying there for a total of three days and we bought as much manly food as possible. One breakfast we noticed that we did not have any cooking oil or butter to use to make sure the pancake batter would not stick to the cooking pan as we prepared the pancakes. So, I had an idea to just "scramble" the batter to make sure we didn't have something very hard to clean afterward. The result was Scrambled Pancakes. I guarantee approval of this fluffy and sweet breakfast meal. Enjoy.


LR

[Garbarsardar]

Lord Rahl has been notified on the domestic disputes this dish will create in my poor household, tant pis as the French say (and it's not what you think).

Now, from the other side of the fence, I'm proud to present you with the proof that even the plebs can cook, and given the opportunity, they will too.

Without further ado:

Ahem...anyway. I'll begin with one of my favourites...a little spin on traditional Weinerschnitzel, done a la holstein with some extra touches. Additionally, for this recipe, you can increase the meat by a small amount without needing to increase the other amounts. Enjoy.

Note: I'm not sure if Zip-loc is an international company or not...I don't have a brand preference, but it's just an easier way to say "plastic bag that zips at the top".

Schnitzel a lá Holstein by Angered Roach

4 thin bonless pork chops or veal cutlets
oil for pan frying (I use Olive Oil)
flour
3 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
6 eggs
1 tsp. minced parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. milk
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 slices lemon
1 tsp. capers, rinsed
6 anchovies, rinsed
4 slices swiss cheese

Place pork or veal between plastic sheets (Saran wrap, or a zip-loc bag with the air squeezed out), and tenderize with the flat side of meat tenderizer until very thin. Dredge in flour (I fill a zip-loc with flour and toss it around, but filling a bowl with flour and doing it that way may be better. I just hate dirtying dishes. Do this gingerly, as if you pounded the meat properly, it may begin to tear.) Crack two eggs into a bowl, add milk, nutmeg, pepper, salt, and parsley, and mix together. Give your floured chops a wash in the egg mixture, until properly coated. Add bread crumbs (You could sprinkle the crumbs on and rub around, or, as I do, dredge them in a zip-loc filled with crumbs.). After coating the chops well, refridgerate them for at least one hour.

In a small saucepan, have your butter browning while cooking. Heat 3/4 a cup of oil in a large pan until very hot (To test this, dip the corner of a chip into the oil. If it begins to bubble and sizzle on contact, it's ready.) Carefully set your chops in the pan, and fry until very crispy, golden brown. Set on double-wrapped paper towels to drain off excess oil. Pour out the oil and any breading that may have come off in the pan.

Squeeze your lemons into the browned butter, and drizzle over the chops. Set the chops on their serving plates and add a slice of swiss cheese to each one. Pour 3/4 cup of oil into a pan and heat (To test, sprinkle just a little water into the pan. If it reacts as it had to the meat, it's ready). Crack each egg in turn, preparing them perfect sunny-side up (That is, don't flip them. To get the top of the egg cooked, tilt your pan slightly towards you, and use your spatula to spoon the oil onto the top.). Set the eggs on each cheese covered chop. Set two anchovies, crossing one another, atop the yellow part of each egg. Add capers, and garnish with parsley if preferred, and serve.

[Garbarsardar]

I think the Angered Roach means business; check out this one:

This fancy snack is quick and easy to prepare, but does involve an expensive ingredient, ripe, imported münster. For us Americans, blander, domestic varieties can be substituted, but it won't be as good. Runny-ripe camembert or brie provide better substitutes than domestic münster. For formal entertaining. Traditionally, this would use fresh chives, but...I love dill. I put the stuff on everything...and here is no exception. If you would prefer to do this with fresh chives instead of dill, increase the amount to 1/3 cup. I use a lower amount of dill, since it imparts such a strong flavour. If you want your spread to have a much subtler taste, reduce the amount of dill to suit your needs.

This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups of spread.

Münster Cheese Spread (Angemachter Münsterkäse)

10 oz. ripe imported Münster cheese, trimmed of rind and cubed
8 tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine
1/4 lb. cream cheese (Let it sit out until room temperature)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill.

Place all of your ingredients into a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and process for a few seconds (Around 15 should do it). Stop the processor, and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, then continue processing for a few seconds longer, getting it all chopped up and mixed in well.

Serve it with crackers, melba toast, or a dark, rye bread. I can provide a recipe for Schwarzbrot (Black Bread), which makes an excellent companion to this dish if you'd like, but the amount of work involved in making fresh bread just isn't worth it for this snack.

How do I get munster in Taiwan? (and how can I put umlauts with this keyboard?)

[Rosacrux redux]

If anyone loves leek (scallion) and pork, I can post my latest in "traditional Greek cooking, twisted a la Rosacrux" recipe, "Leek with Pork" (Kendanes me chirino, in fine Cretan accent). My wife loves it, and two of her girlfriends love it as well, haven't tried it on a larger portion of the population yet...

[Pra]

Go ahead.

[Last_Crusader]

Here is a very simple yet delicious recipe for pork with black beans which is pretty much foolproof:

For three:

Meat:
250g lean pork strips

Marinade:
2tsp Dry sherry
2tsp Light soy sauce (Dark is not an acceptable substitute)
~ 3/4 tsp cornflour.

Flavouring:
2tbs black beans
1tsp sugar
One spring onion (white section only)
1/2 clove garlic
2tsp water or stock

Use groundnut oil to cook.


First, cut the pork into little strips ~5cm long and 2cm wide. Put them in a bowl and mix them thoroughly with the marinade ingredients. Cover the bowl with a plate and allow to marinate for around three to four hours, returning each hour or so to remix the meat and marinade.

About 15 minutes before the marinade is done, chop the garlic and spring onion as finely as you can with a sharp knife, and make up the stock (if you are using stock instead of water).

After the marination has finished, heat a large frying pan and only add the oil once the pan is hot. Before the oil smokes, remove the meat from the bowl, taking care to avoid putting the marinade in the pan. Stir- fry the meat for about 3 minutes to seal in the marinade flavour, and then transfer the meat into a new bowl, and allow the meat and pan to cool.

Whilst the meat cools, chop the black beans roughly so that the beans are split but otherwise largely intact. Then reheat the pan, add new oil, and fry the beans, garlic, and spring onions for 20 seconds or so. Then add the rest of the ingredients and the meat, and stir- fry for 6 minutes or until the meat is evenly cooked through to the centre.