Linguini with Garlic Cream Sauce

This dish is all made in one pot, I stumbled on the recipe on the internet but added ricotta to my dish. The original recipe was made without the ricotta and used angel hair or spaghetti, I'm sure it's just as delicious either way.
Thank you dear friend Linda Capria for pointing the way!

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb  thin linguini
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (fresh)
2 tablespoons rictotta

Directions

In a large pot, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil, add 4 cloves garlic minced and cook for 1 minute.
Add 2 tablespoons butter and continue to saute until melted, stirring continuously.
Add 3 cups chicken stock, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a rolling boil
Add 1/2 lb thin linguini and cook for 8 minutes.
Reduce heat, add 1 cup grated parmesan and mix until melted.
Turn off heat and stir in 3/4 cup heavy cream with 2 tablespoons ricotta stirred into the cream first.
Add 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)


Very nice served with asparagus and portobella mushrooms.
I thought at first there was too much liquid in the pasta, but the pasta absorbed the liquid and turned out to be perfect.

Mloukhiyeh with Chicken, Rice and Pita Chips

Mloukhiyeh with Chicken, Rice and Pita Chips
My mother in law grew this a few times in her garden when a friend brought some mloukhieyeh seeds over from Lebanon, I remember it was quite a successful crop as we spent many weekends tearing off the leaves and putting them away in the freezer. She gave this recipe to me many years ago, it’s one of the family’s favorite meals.  I was interested to discover that  Kamal Al-Faquih’s book, Classic Lebanese Cuisine,  made it exactly the same way. A lovely light, refreshing but tasty dish.

Mloukhiyeh is a green leafy vegetable, sometimes called Jew’s mallow or jute mallow.  You can buy it fresh at the farmer’s market, but most people now buy the frozen chopped variety. Mloukhiyeh can be found in specialty stores (Samir’s in Syracuse). Served with chicken, rice, toasted pita bread and  onions.
This dish can be prepared a day ahead. The chicken, rice, mloukhiyeh, pita bread and chopped onions are all prepared separately.

Ingredients for the Chicken

chicken thighs 4 1/2 lbs(with skins)
4 teaspoons salt
1 stalk celery chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground coriander


Directions for Chicken

Rinse the chicken thighs first in white vinegar for five minutes. Drain . Next, cover the chicken thighs in a large pot with 12 cups water. Leave the skins on. Add 4 teaspoons salt. Place over high heat uncovered and bring to the boil, stir from time to time to make sure the chicken does not stick to the bottom of the pot. When it come to a rolling boil, skim any foam off the top. Add 1 stalk celery chopped, 1 cup chopped onion, 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground allspice, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, bring back to the boil and simmer covered for 45 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove from heat and place chicken in a pyrex dish to cool uncovered. Strain the broth and return all the broth to the pot.

After the chicken has cooled (about 30 minutes), remove the skin and break  the meat apart from the bone, don’t ever slice with a knife. Leave the chicken in chunks.

Ingredients for the Rice

1 cup rice
2 1/2 cups reserved broth (or Campbell’s Chicken Broth)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter


Directions for the Rice

In a pan, place 1 cup rice, 2 1/2 cups reserved broth (or use canned chicken broth), 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon butter. Bring to a boil, and simmer covered until rice is done.

Ingredients for the mloukhiyeh

2 packages frozen chopped mloukhiyeh (let it thaw a bit, if no time, cut the block up in to wedges)
2 tablespoons coriander
4 cups reserved chicken broth
1/4 cup garlic cloves with 1/2 teaspoon salt mashed
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped cilantro plus 2 tablespoons
3 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions for mloukhiyeh

In a saucepan, put 4 cups reserved chicken broth, slowly heat the water. Once the water starts to bubble, drop the mloukhiyeh in, you may have to shave it if its frozen in a block. Let the mixture come to a boil and shut the heat off and cover the saucepan.
Mash the garlic to a pulp with salt using a pestle or pulse garlic and salt in a food processor (much faster). Melt 2 tablespoons  butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic pulp and saute until the garlic begins to sizzle. Do not let it brown. Remove from heat.
Add 2 tablespoons coriander to the skillet. Mix well with the garlic and add to the mloukhiyeh. Next add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Reheat the Mloukhiyeh stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Set aside uncovered.

Ingredients for the toasted Pita
2 slices pita bread

Directions for the toasted pita bread.

Cut the pita bread into 1 inch squares, do not separate the pita halves.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a baking sheet lined with silver foil, spread the pita squares and bake, shaking the tray from time to time for 10 minutes or until golden brown. These can be made ahead, but make sure they are completely cooled before storing in a container. I actually popped a couple of pita sections in the toaster and it was fine. Broke it up afterward.

Ingredients for the onion topping

1 large onion
Distilled white vinegar

Directions for the onion topping

Chop the onion finely, place in a glass bowl, cover with apple cider vinegar so the onion is floating in the vinegar.

To serve this dish, each item sits in it’s own serving dish, the guests layer the ingredients. So the chicken would be placed on a platter, the rice in a serving bowl, and the pita chips, the mloukhiyeh stew, and the onions all in their own serving bowls. Traditionally the pita bread would go first but our family puts the bread last  to avoid the bread becoming mushy.



The guests use bowls and help themselves to the rice first,

                                                                              then the chicken,

                                                            then the mloukhiyeh stew,

                                                                   then the onion

                                                               and lastly the pita chips.

Perhaps we all have our own method of layering, clearly David puts his pita chips before the onions and mloukhiyeh! It tasted really wonderful whatever way you put it in your dish.

Foul Moudammus (Fava Beans with Garlic and Lemon)

Foul  Moudammus (Fava Beans with Garlic and Lemon)

Ingredients

1 can of fava beans (foul moudammus)
1 Spanish Onion
8 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 Fresh Tomato
1 clove garlic
Olive Oil
Lemon
Salt
Pepper
Allspice
Paprika

Directions

Drain a can of foul moudammus (found in specialty stores, Samir’s in Syracuse)
and place in a bowl.
Chop a spanish onion and add to the beans
Chop a tomato, add to bowl
Chop parsley so that you have 8 tablespoons
Mix all together.
Meanwhile, chop a clove garlic and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mash to a pulp using a pestle. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon,  1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon allspice and a shake of paprika. Mix into the bean mixture.

Serve with pita bread and cucumber slices.

German Sauerbraten with Noodles

I tried a different recipe, this one is better than my previous post.
From the German Cookbook by Mimi Sheraton. (With a few tweaks)


Ingredients

1 5lb eye of the round beef roast
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup red wine
4 cups water
3 bay leaves
3 large onions
1 tablespoons pickling spice
8 peppercorns
14 whole cloves
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon parsley
5 cloves garlic
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
salt, pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 gingersnap cookies
3 tablespoons. flour
2 tablespoons. sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
egg noodles
4 tblespoons. butter
4 slices bacon chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Directions


This dish requires the meat to be marinated for 3 to 5 days in the fridge.
Sprinkle the beef with Kosher salt and leave to stand in a bowl.

For the marinade:

In a large pan, combine 1 cup cider vinegar, 1 cup red wine vinegar, 1 cup red wine, 4 cups water,1  bouquet garni (3 bay leaves, 2 tablespoons pickling spices,14 whole cloves, 8 peppercorns, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2 sprigs parsley wrapped in cheesecloth, tied with kitchen twine) 2 cloves garlic finely chopped,  1 sliced onion, 1 chopped carrot and 2 stalks chopped celery. Bring to a boil, then lower and simmer for 10 minutes.
Let the marinade cool a bit.
After the marinade has cooled, place the meat in a casserole and cover with the cooled marinade. Leave in fridge covered for 3- 5 days turning the roast over once or twice a day.
After marinating the meat, remove beef from marinade and pour marinade through a fine strainer into a bowl. Keep the strained marinade and the bouquet garni, discard everything else.

Dry the beef well with paper towels.
In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons butter and add 4 slices of chopped bacon.  Cook over medium high heat for approximately 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel and keep for later. Add beef, cook until the meat is brown on all sides. Approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.  Transfer meat to a plate and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Cook remaining  onions in pot, cook stirring until caramelized, about 18 minutes. Return the meat to the pot with the marinade and the sachet of bouquet garni. Bring to a boil. Then put in oven and bake covered for 2 1/2 hours, till meat is very tender.
While the meat is in the oven, measure out 3 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons sugar, place in small bowl. Crumble up 8 gingersnaps and place in a bowl. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon. This makes it easier when you are making the sauce at the end.
Once the meat is tender, transfer beef to a pyrex dish, pour sauce through a strainer into a bowl.
Return pot to medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons butter. Add 3 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir continuously for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add the marinade, 1/2 cup yellow raisins, 8 gingersnaps crumbled and the juice of 1 lemon. Return the beef to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover pot and cook until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Remove meat and place in the pyrex dish, tent with silver foil. After about 15 minutes, slice the meat thinly and pour the sauce over the meat. Sprinkle with bacon and parsley.
Serve with egg noodles.
(I made this 2 hours before serving, kept the dish covered at very low heat in oven, it was delicious.