With Your Hands...

 Baked Brie with roasted garlic and red pepper jelly.  With toast.

The Butchery, thanks to Lisa Watson, Niagara on the Lake, October 1999

 

2 garlic heads

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 jar red pepper jelly

1 fresh baguette

tin foil

Cut the tops off of your garlic heads & place them in a square of tin foil. Drizzle olive oil over the tops, fold up the tin foil & place them in the oven on low heat for 15-30 minutes. Place the brie on an oven proof dish and place in the oven 10 minutes before serving. Slice your baguette into bite size pieces. When your garlic is baked take it out of the oven and squeeze the cloves out onto your plate of baked brie. Arrange a tray with  a basket of bread, a bowl of red-pepper jelly, and your plate of garlic & cheese. For a dinner party, you can make a nice arrangement on a plate for each person. Really tasty.

Curried Tuna Sandwich, from Shezi Aziz, 1990, Serves 2

1 tbsp. cooking oil

1 tomato (optional)

1 small yellow onion

2 cans, water packed tuna

mayonnaise to taste

8 slices multigrain toast

secret spices: curry powder, turmeric, ground coriander, pepper, salt

Toast your spices in your frying pan before adding oil. After you add your oil add your onion and even garlic if you like, on low-medium heat. Once your onions are translucent, add your tuna, and turn up the heat. When the mixture starts to get dry and toasty add your tomato. When the tomato is added and cooked through with the tuna add enough mayonnaise to bind the mix. Give it a taste and add additional spices to your liking. Put in between your toast and try to get back to school before the bell rings. Remember those days, yikes.

Hot Crab, Artichoke, and Jalapeno Dip with Pita Triangles

from Dad's fav's Gourmet/December 1986

1 large green bell pepper chopped

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 14 ounce cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped fine

2 cups bottled mayonnaise 

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion

1/2 cup drained and chopped bottled pimiento or roasted red pepper

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 1/2 tablesppns fresh lemon juice or to taste

4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, or to taste

3 bottled pickled jalapeno peppers, or to taste, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves)

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 pound crab meat, thawed and drained if frozen, picked over (you can use fake crab)

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted lightly

pita triangles

In a small heavy skillet cook the bell pepper in the oil over moderate hear, stirring, until it is softened and let it cool. In a large bowl combine the bell pepper, the artichokes, the mayonnaise, the scallions, the pimentos, the Parmesan, the lemon juice, the Worcestershire sauce, the jalapeno peppers, and the celery salt, blend the mixture until it is combined well, and tir in the crab meat gently. Transfer the mixture to a buttered ovenproof chafing dish or babking dish and sprinkle it with the almonds. 

The dip may be prepared up to this point 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Bake the dip in a preheated 375 F. oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the mixture is bubbly. Serve the dip with toasted pita triangles that have been lightly buttered and toasted in the oven. Serves 10.

– Hot Mushroom Turnovers from Mom February 4^th, 1994

               

3-3   Philly Cream Cheese (one large & one small pkg.) softened

   ½ c butter softened

   1 ½ all-purpose flour

½ lb. mushrooms minced  

3 tlbs. butter

1 large onion, minced

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. thyme leaves

2 tlbs. flour

¼ c. sour cream

1 egg, beaten

Early in the day or 2 hours before serving: In a large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese, butter and 1 ½ cup flour until soft dough forms. Wrap dough in saran & refrigerate at least 1 hour.

About 1 hour before serving, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In 10” skillet, over med. heat, melt 3 tbsp. butter, add mushrooms & onion & sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt, thyme, and 2 tbsp. flour until blended; stir in sour cream.

On floured board thinly roll out ½ of dough; cut in 12 circles with 2 ¾ “ cookie cutter. Roll scraps into ball and chill.

On one half of each circle, place a tsp. of mushroom mixture. Brush edges with egg. Fold edge over filling to meet bottom edge. With fork press edges together & prick tops in 3 places to let out steam. Place on un-greased cookie sheet.

Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Brush turnovers with egg.

Bake 12-15 min. or until golden.

Makes 24-30 appetizers.

May be frozen. Reheat before serving. Other fillings, Chopped him, beef, pork, sausages, vegetables etc.

– Fliesh Perishky (Menno Meat Buns-my favorite)

I usually use the dough recipe from the recipe above, but you’re welcome to use that one or the one found in the traditional Mennonite cook-book.

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. lard

½ cup milk

½ cup cream

1 egg

Sift dry ingredients, rub in lard, ad slightly beaten egg, milk and cream. If dough is too soft, add a little more flour. Roll out, cut in squares and fill with apples, gooseberries, or any other fruit. Top with 1 tsp. sugar (or more if you like it sweeter). Fold opposite corners over and seal, so juice will not run out. Bake at 400F for 25 minutes.

Meat Filling:

1 onion, chopped

½ lb. ground beef or leftover ground meat

1 cup mashed potatoes

½ tsp. salt

Pepper to taste

Sauté onion until pale yellow, add ground beef and any other ingredients and simmer.

When cool, put on pastry and bake as fruit perishky. Mrs. E. Wieler, Winnipeg, Manitoba 

– Hush Puppies  from Noopy Dykes  1997

“Hush-Puppies” are traditional Memphis accompaniment to Fried Fish on the Banks of the Mississippi River, (where Noopy lives).  When we catch a “mess” of Cat Fish, we fry them in black iron kettles. These are made from excess cornmeal.  Add onions, milk, eggs. When you thrown them to the dogs, you say “Hush Puppy”.

Ilona's Eggplant Dip! 2003

Preheat oven to 350, piece the eggplant (1 medium) in several places and place it on the oven rack with a baking sheet below to catch the drips. Bake for 45-60 minutes until soft and has collapsed. Remove and cool. When you can handle the eggplant, cut it in half and remove the flesh discarding the skin.

Chop up the eggplant and then combine it with 1tsp. fresh grated ginger, 1/2 tsp. anise, 2 minced scallions, 1 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce, 1/2 tsp. dark sesame oil and 1 tbsp rice vinegar. And that's it.

The longer you let it sit the better it tastes, but it can be served right away too.

– Mushroom Toasts:

¼ cup finely minced shallots

8 tlbs. unsalted butter

½ pound wild mushrooms, finely chopped

1 tsp. diced thyme

¼ cup chicken stock

½ cup finely chopped toasted walnuts

¼ cup sour cream

2 tsp. Dijon Mustard

24 slices thin sliced white bread

Cook shallots in 1 tlbs. butter add mushrooms, cook – add thyme & stock and simmer until dry, remove and add other ingredient.  Brush with butter and toast at 400 degrees.

Pakoras

Deep Fried Potato and Chick Pea Flour Balls

To make about 10 snacks

1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

5 tablespoons cold water

1 small onion, peeled, cut lengthwise in half, and sliced lengthwise into paper thin slivers

1/2 cup finely chopped, peeled and uncooked potato

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground hot red pepper

1 teaspoon salt

vegetable oil for deep frying (grape seed oil is really nice and light for this recipe if you can find it)

* I love experimenting with all types of veggies, lettuce, and fresh herbs. 

   Using organic spices bump the flavour, especially a nice chili powder. 

   Excellent with mango chutney, tamarind sauce, corriander sauce, or a nice yogurt mint dip

In a deep bowl make a smooth batter of the chickpea flour, baking soda and water by stirring them together with a spoon or by mixing them with your fingers. Then thoroughly stir in the onion, potato, coriander, cumin, red pepper and salt. 

Pour three cups of vegetable oil into a 10-inch karhai or 12-inch wok (page 5), or pour 2 or 3 inches of oil into a deep fryer. Heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 350 degrees on a deep-frying thermometer. For each pakora, scoop up a tablespoonful of the potato and chickpea flour batter and, with a second spoon, scrape the batter directly into the hot oil. Deep-fry half of the pakoras at a time, turning them occasionally with a slotted spoon for 7-8 minutes., or until they are golden brown on all sides.

As they brown, remove the pakoras from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels. 

Serve the pakoras hot or at room temperature. Traditionally they are presented as a snack, but they can also accompany an Indian meal. 

Aunt Nellie's Pizza Dough - From Jonathan Wiebe, 1996

1 tbsp. give rise yeast

1 tbsp. sugar

1 cup warm water

Combine the above and let sit until the yeast rises then add...

1/3 cup oil

2 cups flour

Mix and roll out into desired shaped...add more flour if needed! Add desired topping and, depending on your oven bake at approx. 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). 

Some ideas if you're looking for them:

Greek: black olives, grilled red onion, green pepper, fetta and some extra oregano.

Indian: Madras Curry Sauce, Grilled turkey, grated ginger, red onion, diced tomato, green chilli, fresh cilantro

Hawaiian Zinger: Ham, Pineapple, Banana Peppers

– Samosa Potato Skins    at the Benmore with Dar & Eve, September 2001

Set the oven to 400. Pick up some small potatoes (15 or so), scrub them & place them on the rack in the oven. Take your red pepper & put in on a piece of tin foil in the oven.Thinly slice some carrots to make up a cup or so. Throw them in a small casserole dish with some olive oil, salt & pepper, in the oven they go. Thinly slice a large onion & simmer them in a small pot on the stove with some butter. Once your carrots are soft add a half can of small peas & spice’em up with coriander, turmeric, curry powder and put them back in the oven. Give your onions a stir every once & a while. Take the pepper out of the oven once it is blistered & remove the skin & seeds, dice. Once your potatoes are roasted take them out of the oven, slice them in half & scoop out the inside. Stir the potato & pepper into your carrot & pea mixture, add salt & pepper to taste. Take your skins drizzle them with oil & place them in a baking pan in the oven. Let your skins toast up just a bit, then scoop out a bit of your mix into each one. Place them back on the pan to let the tops brown a bit before serving.