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2011

TODAY's CASES:

Airy Nothings

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Dana 
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 12:39 AM
Subject: Airy Nothings

Hi,

When I was a kid, my grandmother made Airy Nothings. I remember her making 
some sort of bread dough, the rising process, and then I think she deep-fried 
lumps of dough. The resulting "rolls" were crispy on the outside and largely 
hollow on the inside (hence "airy nothings"), to be torn open and served with 
butter and jam. 

I would love to make these for my new husband but unfortunately my grandmother 
is long gone and never wrote down a recipe in her life.

Thanks,
Dana 

Hello Dana,

I see that you have previously requested this recipe on this site:
Bakespace
Presumably, the recipes that were sent to you there were not correct. It's good to know such things ahead of time so that I don't send you the same recipes again.

I only found one recipe with the name "airy nothings". It is similar to your description in some ways, but it is baked, not fried. It is more or less a biscuit recipe. It's the first recipe below. It is the only recipe with that name that I found anywhere at all. It is from a Canadian Newspaper.

However, recipes like what you describe are very common - they just aren't called "airy nothings". The are most often called "fried bread" - not "Indian fry bread" such as you were sent on the Bake Space site, but "fried bread". Sometimes they are made with yeast and sometimes with baking powder. See below for several recipes.

Phaed

Airy Nothings

To three eggs put half an egg-shell full
of sweet milk, and butter the size of a 
walnut; work in flour until you can roll 
the dough into as thin a sheet as possible.
Cut into cakes with a saucer
and stick as you do biscuits; bake 
them quickly but not brown; heap 
them up on a dish and strew them 
thickly with powdered sugar. Note -
Allow one pint of flour to the other
ingredients named above, although
every bit may not be required; always
reserve a little for the rolling out of
cakes on a board .
January 2007
The Latchford & Area Moose Call
--------------------------------------
Great Grandma's Fried Bread

2 c. flour
2 rounded tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 lg. egg
1 c. milk

Mix together first four ingredients. Add egg and milk; mix well and turn bowl 
while mixing. Turn dough out on floured board. Roll dough out to 1/4" thickness.
Cut into rectangles. Preheat skillet with about 1/4" oil. Put a few in pan and 
turn over and over until golden brown, they will puff up. Drain on paper towel. 
Slit side open, fill with butter or oleo and favorite jelly. Great for breakfast.
--------------------------------------------
Fried Bread

Take 2 cups flour. Dig hole in middle, put 2 heaping teaspoons of baking powder 
and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour enough water into make a soft biscuit like dough. 
Pull off, flatten a little and put in deep oil until lightly browned. 
Delicious with butter and jelly.
-------------------------------------------
Fried Bread Dough

2 yeast cakes
2 tbsp. butter
4 c. warm water
8 to 10 c. flour
1 tsp. salt

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Add butter and half flour; beat until smooth to 
make dough that can be handled. Knead until smooth and elastic and then let raise 
4 1/2 hours. Cut slices off and fry in hot fat (oil). 
---------------------------
Fried Bread Dough

1 c. milk
2 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. salt
2 pkgs. yeast
1 c. warm water
4 1/4 c. flour

Scald milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Let it cool. In a large mixing bowl, add water 
and dissolve yeast. Add milk mixture and flour; blend well. Put towel over the mixture 
and let it rise. When mixture doubles in size, pull a piece the size you want, stretch it, 
and deep fry until golden brown. Shake in mixture of sugar and cinnamon if desired.
-----------------------------
Puffy Fried Bread

4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder 
3 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. shortening
1 1/4 c. milk
Salad oil for deep frying

Sift flour, measure and sift again with salt, baking powder and sugar. Cut in 
shortening and add milk to make a soft dough just firm enough to roll. Cover bowl 
and let dough stand for 30 to 60 minutes. Then roll 1/4 inch thick on lightly 
floured board and cut in diamond shaped pieces. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a 
frying pan to about 370 to 380 degrees. Add a few pieces at a time, turn at once 
so they will puff evenly, then turn to brown both sides. Drain on paper towel. 
Serve with butter. Makes 4 dozen or more.

Pie Shell Crimping

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Hayden
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Sent: Monday, February 07, 2011 1:06 PM
Subject: Pie crimping techniques

> Hello, Uncle Phaedrus,
>
> This is Hayden in Cincinnati. Hope you are having a fine 2011 so far.
> This is a request for some pie crimping techniques. I love the way I 
> see all kinds of pies look sometimes. People have different tricks and 
> knacks for crimping pies of all kinds; large, small, sweet, savory, etc. I 
> would love to try different techniques from printed cooking resources or 
> that people share or that you know of. Thank you.
>
>Also, just discovered some awfully great sounding Chinese cooking 
> recipes, tips, etc. on your website from 2/02/07 and 2/12/07. How neat is 
> it to have this website and all these co-readers as a resource? Thanks 
> again. Hayden
>

Hello Hayden,

Doing good here, just wish it would stop snowing and warm up for a couple of weeks so all this ice & snow could melt.

Here are some links on pie crust crimping. The first, one using false teeth, is probably the most unique.

Granny's pie crimping technique using false teeth

Recipe Tips

E-How

Smitten Kitchen

Suite 101

videos:

Epicurious

Fine Cooking Crimping

Fine Cooking Fluting

Phaed


Pollo Diablo

From: Ret
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: THAI SWEET CHILI SAUCE
Date: Tuesday, February 08, 2011 4:37 AM

THAI SWEET CHILI SAUCE

1 cup Water 
1 cup Rice Vinegar 
1 cup Sugar 
2 teaspoons Fresh Ginger Minced 
1 teaspoon Garlic Minced 
2 tsp. Red Serrano Hot Chile Pepper Minced or 2 Tbsp. Thai Chili Paste 
1 tsp. Salt 
2 tsp. Catsup 
2 tsp. Cornstarch 

Place Ingredients in a Sauce Pan. Stir to mix, bring to a simmer and cook 
for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, let cooland refrigerate. Will keep 
for several weeks.
-------------------------------------------
Pollo Diablo 

4 lbs. Chicken Breasts
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 Tbsp.Orange Juice
3 Tbsp.Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary Finely Chopped
1 Tbsp.Garlic Clove Minced
1 Tbsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp.Sea Salt

Wash Chicken Breast pat dry and set aside. Mix all Ingredients together and 
place in a Zip Lock Bag, add Chicken Breast. Squeeze out the Air and 
Marinade for at least 12 hours. The longer the better. I do mine for 24 hours. 
Remove Chicken from Marinade and Roll inSeasoned Flour, Milk and Egg and 
again in Seasoned Flour. Fry on Medium High Heat untilbrowned. Place in a 
Baking Dish sprayed with a Cooking Spray, pour the Thai Sweet Chili Sauce over 
Chicken Breast and Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until well 
done. Serve with Steamed or Fried Rice and your favorite Vegetable. 

Seafood Fundido

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Rowena 
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2011 9:31 AM
Subject: seafood fundido

Hello,

My Name is Rowena and I have been trying to find a recipe that was served 
at a restaurant called Garcias back in Eagle River Alaska. The dish is 
called Seafood Fundido. Unfortunately there is no restaurant called Garcias 
here in Colorado springs and I am craving this dish and would love to be 
able to make it at home..I would greatly appreciate it if you could find the 
recipe for this dish,I so miss having it...

Sincerely,
Rowena 

Hi Rowena, The restaurant in Eagle River, Alaska is "Garcia's Cantina", and it appears to be the only one of its kind. I had no success finding a recipe, or even a good description of, that establishment's "Seafood Fundido."There is a menu here:
Gracia's Cantina

There is a chain in the lower 48 states called "Garcia's Mexican Restaurant". Matter of fact, there is one of them in Denver. You might try it sometime if you are ever in Denver. They also have a "seafood fundido" on their menu. Here is their menu description:

SEAFOOD FUNDIDO
A flour tortilla stuffed with our seafood medley, cheese and spices, fried until crispy, then topped with jalapeņo cream cheese and melted jack cheese. Served with rice and refried beans.

However, I cannot find a recipe for their seafood fundido, either. I could not find any recipes at all for "seafood fundido." "Pollo fundido", made with chicken, is much more common. There are recipes for that on my site here:
Pollo Fundido

I could not find a definitive description of "seafood fundido". I found a few vague descriptions that said it contained either shrimp and crabmeat or shrimp and lobster meat. A "fundido" is basically a flour tortilla that is stuffed with chicken or seafood and cheese and spices and then fried. Cream cheese is often used, but other cheeses may also be used as well. It may then be topped with more melted cheese and chili peppers.

Sorry that I can't provide any real recipes. You might be able to take all this information and create your own by substituting seafood for the chicken in the "pollo fundido" recipes.

Phaed


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