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2010

TODAY's CASES:

Cucidati

From: Robin
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: I found an answer...
Date: Thursday, February 25, 2010 10:01 PM

Dear Phaedrus,
 
I happened to be cruising through the archives to see if I could find a 
recipe for the pre-microwave version of Chex mix (yes, it WAS there, 
thanks!!!!), and I happened to see a request from  Merry, sent: Sunday, October 29, 
2000 16:13 asking for "cuchidita".  The right name for the cookie is 
"cucidati" and it IS Sicilian (there is another non-Sicilian recipe which differs 
slightly).  The recipe that follows was given to me by an Italian lady who used 
to make them with her mother and grandmother as a child.  It makes about 60 
cookies.
 
Cucidati Recipe

Pasta Frolla
4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
4 large eggs

Fig Filling
12 ounces (about 2 cups) dried Calimyrna figs
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup candied orange peel, diced
1/3 cup whole almonds, chopped and lightly toasted
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/3 cup apricot preserves
3 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee granules
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Egg Wash: 1 large egg, well beaten with 1 pinch salt

2 or 3 cookie sheets or jelly roll pans lined with parchment or foil
 1.  To make the dough, in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with 
the steel blade, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse 
two or three times to mix. Add the butter and pulse repeatedly until it is 
finely incorporated and the mixture is cool and powdery. Add the eggs, all at 
once, and continue to pulse until the dough forms a ball. Scrape the dough 
onto a floured surface, then place it on a piece of plastic wrap. Press the 
dough into a square about an inch thick and wrap it. Chill the dough while 
preparing the filling.  
 2.  For the filling, in a large bowl, stem and dice the figs. If they 
are hard, place them in a saucepan, cover them with water, and bring them to 
a boil over medium heat. Drain the figs in a strainer and allow them to cool 
before proceeding.  
 3.  In a bowl, combine the diced figs with the rest of the filling 
ingredients and stir them together. In the work bowl of a food processor fitted 
with the steel blade, pulse to grind the filling mixture finely. Scrape the 
filling back into the bowl used to mix it.  
 4.  When you are ready to bake the cookies, set the racks in the upper 
and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  
 5.  Take the dough out of the refrigerator, unwrap it, and place it on 
a floured surface. Knead the dough lightly to make it malleable again and 
roll it up into a cylinder. Cut the cylinder into twelve equal pieces. One at 
a time, on a floured surface, flatten each piece and make it into a 
rectangle 3 inches wide and 12 inches long. Paint the wash on the dough and evenly 
distribute 1/3 cup filling down its length. Bring the edges of dough up 
around the filling to enclose it, then press the edges of the dough together 
firmly to seal in the filling. Use your palms to roll over the filled cylinder 
of dough until it extends to 15 inches, then cut it into 3-inch lengths. Set 
the filled cylinders aside while filling, rolling, and cutting the other 
pieces of dough.  
 6.  Make a 1-inch-long cut in the middle of each end of a 3-inch piece 
and pull the cut sides apart to make the cookie an X, as in the 
illustration. Arrange the cookies on the pans and brush them with egg wash. 

 
 1.  Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, or until they are a light 
golden color. Slide the papers from the pans to racks.  
 2.  Store the cooled cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper 
in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting cover.
An alternate recipe, called "Cucidati II" and can be found at the website 
run by Nick Malgieri's at 
https://www.nickmalgieri.com/recipes/7-cookies-bars/x-cookies.html 
 
Hope this helps.
 
Robin

Jack in the Box Sauce

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Wayne 
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 11:02 AM
Subject: jack in the box hamburger mustard sauce

Back in the early 70's I lived in Chicago and we had Jack in the Box drive ins. 
On their smaller cheeseburgers, they used to put on only one condiment. I recall 
it was a yellow mustard/mayo based sauce. I would love to duplicate it. Jack in 
the Box closed years ago in this area.

Thanks. Wayne, Illinois

Hello Wayne,

The actual recipe is not available. I found this on a message board:

"A shortcut to JIB's secret sauce is thousand island dressing mixed with a touch of mustard. You'll immediately notice the orangey color and the tangy taste. You can also make it by mixing mayo, catsup, relish and mustard. It may not be the exact recipe, but it's hard to tell the difference and I was RAISED on JIB hamburgers!"

Phaed


Wet Bottom Pie

The Search Engine Registry indicates that someone has been searching for this recipe.

Wet  Bottom  Molasses  Pie

1 (9 inch) pie crust, unbaked
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter or 1 stick margarine
2 c. flour
Pinch of salt
3/4 c. molasses
3/4 c. hot water
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Crumbs:  Mix sugar, flour, salt and butter or margarine.  Put 3 tablespoons in 
bottom of pie.  Mix molasses, hot water and baking soda.  Add 3/4 of this to the 
pie.  Add rest of crumbs but save for top after adding the rest of molasses mixture. 
Bake 30 to 35 minutes at 350 to 375 degrees. 
---------------------------------
Pennsylvania  Dutch  "Wet  Bottom"  Shoo-Fly  Pie

1 unbaked 9" pie shell
1/2 tbsp. baking soda
3/4 c. boiling water
1/2 c. dark molasses
1 egg yolk, beaten
3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
2 tbsp. shortening
1/2 tsp. salt

Dissolve soda in boiling water.  Add molasses.  Cool.  Beat in egg yolk. 
Pour mixture into pie shell.  Top with crumb mixture of the flour, spices, 
sugar, shortening and salt.  Bake in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Reduce 
heat to 350 degrees and bake another 30 to 35 minutes.  Pie should be firm 
when done.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream on top. 

Dirge Without Music

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Melvin 
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 12:38 PM
Subject: Edna St. Vincent Millay Poem Title

Dear Friend. U R my last source to find the title of a poem by St. Millay that 
encompasses these lines

Gently they go, the beautiful,  the tender the kind
I know.  But I do not approve.  And I am not resigned.

I have perused many of her poems dealing w/death to no avail.  The reference to 
this request only says it is from a poem by her. Can U assist me?.  U have in the 
past answered all my inquires.  I hope U R able to asist in this nebulous quest.

Sincerely,

Mel 

Hello Melvin,

That verse goes:

"Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned."

It is "Dirge Without Music" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. For the full poem, see:

"Dirge Without Music" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Phaed


Forest Ranger Song

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Evelyn 
To: Phaedrus 
Sent: Thursday, February 25, 2010 9:33 PM
Subject: words to song

I would like to find the words to a song my nephews used to sing. 
Here are some of the words:
There was a forest ranger , who always did his best.
He wore a service uniform and a badge upon his vest(chest?)
He had no interst, save in his forest.

As the song goes on,the ranger's boss's daughter gets lost out in the woods 
and he goes to rescue her. They run into a bear  and if I remember right, the 
ranger breaks his leg and the girl has to carry him out of the woods.  They 
finally get married and have a little boy who becomes a forest ranger who 
always does his best. 

Hope you can find it with this much help.  
Thanks for trying.  Evelyn 

Hello Evelyn,

That song is "The Lucky Ranger" and it's got a lot of verses. Here are the first two:

O once there was a ranger / Who always did his best
He wore the Service uniform / And a badge upon his vest
He had no interest / Save in his forest. 

He had his breakfast early / Two hours before daylight
He hit the trail at sun-up / And kept it up till night
 And half the night / He'd read and write. 

For the rest of the verses, see:

The Lucky Ranger by P.S. Lovejoy

Phaed


"If I tell the smiling people who sip at it that it is made of mashed shrimps and especially buttermilk, they wince, gag, hurry away. So I say nothing, and serve it from invisible hogsheads to unconscious but happy hordes."
How to Cook a Wolf by M.F.K. Fisher

Copyright (c) 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Phaedrus