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2005

TODAY's CASES:

Latino

On 12 Mar 2005 at 20:24, Valerie wrote:

> Who is considered Latino? I am 1/4 Portugese and am wanting to know if
> I am considered Latino or what?
> 
> Thank you in advance,
> 
> Valerie

Hi Valerie,

This question is not as simple as it seems. There are several parts to the answer:

The term "Latino" means "of 'Latin American descent". "Latin America" refers to those countries in the Western Hemisphere where the principal language is one of the "Romance Languages" - one of the languages that derives from Latin - the language of old Rome, which is where the term "Romance language" comes from. Therefore, people from Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America where Spanish is spoken, would be "Latinos". Since Portuguese is also a Romance language, then Brazilians would also be considered "Latinos". My American Heritage Dictionary says also that French speaking people from South of the United States are "Latino," because French is also a Romance language.

Note that there are Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries, including Spain and Portugal themselves, in the Eastern Hemisphere as well, but people from these countries are not referred to as "Latinos". Also, note that French and Italian are also "Romance languages", but people from France or Italy or other nations around the world where those languages are spoken are not called "Latinos". As noted above, people from French speaking countries south of the U.S. would be "Latino", but French speaking people from Quebec, Canada, would not be "Latino."

"Hispanic" is a term that is sometimes used interchangeably with "Latino". However, that usage would be technically incorrect. "Hispanic" means "from a Spanish-speaking country". That would leave out French speaking people from south of the U.S., but it would include Spanish speaking people from Spain and the rest of the world. My dictionary includes Portuguese in "Hispanic", but some others do not, saying it relates only to Spain and Spanish descent.

You say you are 1/4 Portuguese, rather than saying you are 1/4 Brazilian, so I am speculating that you mean European Portuguese. If so, then I would say no, you are not Latino. There is a sizeable population of people of Portuguese descent in the Northeast, particularly in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and I do not think that they consider themselves to be Latinos, because their ancestors did not come from Latin America.

For more discussion about this, see:

Latino

Ask Maurice

Phaed


Lard Bread

On 13 Mar 2005 at 10:29, Ann wrote:

> I am looking for a recipe for Italian lard bread made with lard,
> pieces of rendered pork fat and also with some meat (Prociutto or
> Capocolla) and provolone.  Can you help?  They sell this bread in New
> York and Brooklyn bakeries but do not ship.  Thank you Ann
> 

Hello Ann,

There are lard bread recipes here:

Lard Bread 1 and here Lard Bread 2

But I am thinking that the below prosciutto bread recipes are closer to what you want.

Phaed

Yeast- Spring Street Proscuitto Bread
List of Ingredients

2 1/2 teaspoons Active dry yeast
1 cup Warm (105-110F) water
2 Eggs
2 tablespoons Olive oil
3 1/4 cup Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1/2 teaspoons Black pepper 
1 cup Fresh Parmesan cheese
2 cup Minced prosciutto
Cornmeal for dusting

Recipe
1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large mixing bowl and set aside 
for 15 minutes.
2. Stir in the eggs and oil. Combine 3 cups of the flour with the salt and 
pepper, and stir into the yeast mixture. Knead to combine adding more flour, 
a little at a time, to make a firm dough.
3. Combine the parmesan cheese and the prosciutto and lightly dust with flour. 
Work the mixture into the dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and 
knead until smooth, 10 minutes. Return the dough to a well-oiled bowl, cover, 
and set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
4. Punch down the dough and knead for 3 minutes. Divide the dough in half. 
Form each half into a oblong loaf. Sprinkle 2 baking sheets with cornmeal and 
place a loaf on each. Set aside to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
5. Line the oven with wet baking tiles, stones or trays of terra-cotta chips 
and preheat to 425F.
6. Using a razor, make 6 slashes diagonally across the top of each loaf. 
Bake until golden, about 40 minutes, spraying with a plant mister every 
5 minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 2 loaves.

Source: New York Cookbook, Molly O'Neill, 1993
From: D&G Bakery, Spring Street, Manhattan
----------------------------------------
Italian Cheese Prosciutto Bread 

1 Package (2 1/2 Teaspoons) Active Dry Yeast 
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 
2 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour 
1/2 Teaspoon Both Salt And Black Pepper 
4 Ounces Prosciutto, Cut Into Small Dice 
2 Ounces Provolone, Cut Into Small Dice 
3/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese 

Sprinkle the yeast over a cup of warm water and let sit until bubbly, 
about 5 minutes. Add the oil, flour, salt and pepper, and mix with a 
wooden spoon until a workable dough has been formed. Knead by hand on 
a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until you have created 
a smooth dough. If the dough seems sticky as you are kneading it, add 
a little more flour. Oil a large bowl twice the size of the bread, and 
place the dough in the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it 
rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. 

Oil a baking sheet, and place the dough in the center. Flatten the dough 
with your hands, and spread the meat and cheese over the top. Fold the 
dough over to cover the meat and cheese, and then flatten and fold the 
dough over a few times with your hands to distribute the ingredients 
throughout the bread. 

To shape, either form the dough into a large oval shape, or cut the dough 
into two pieces, roll each into a 24 inch rope, and loosely twist the ropes
together, sealing the ends together so you have one large ring. Cover with 
plastic wrap once more, and let sit to rise until doubled once more, about 
1 hour. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the bread for 30 minutes, or until 
it is a nice golden brown in color. Cool on a wire rack, and then slice when 
still slightly warm. 

Variation: You can brush the bread with a glaze of 1 egg yolk beaten with 
1 tablespoon of water to give the bread a shiny surface if you desire. 

Cajun Bourbon Chicken

Hi uncle phaedrus,
      
i want to give you my recipe for Bourbon Chicken that I made last night.
hope you like it. but seeing what an extensive site  this is, you probably already have something like it .

Cajun Bourbon Chicken

sauce:        
1/2 to 3/4 C bourbon         
1/2 Chicken broth or water                
c white vinegar         
1/2 C brown or white sugar - Mix together and set aside for use later.

1/2 c HOT water ready and waiting

spice mix:        
5 tsp sweet paprika     
2 tsp fresh chopped oregano         
2 tsp chopped thyme     
1 tsp ground cayenne powder
1/2 teaspoon each finely ground black and white pepper pepper        
1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder        
1/4 tsp dried ground coriander seeds
1 tsp fresh chopped mint (optional)        

Mix spices very well. Use all for the recipe (if using dried ground spices cut the amount in half)

1 chicken cut up  or make it easy on yourself and buy 4 to 6 skinless boneless chicken breasts cut on half.
1 medium finely chopped onion        
1 to 2 minced cloves garlic
fresh chopped parsley for garnish        
three sliced spring (green or scallion) onions for garnish         
plenty of coarse ground black pepper. (yum)

enough olive oil or sesame oil for cooking. to every TBS of oil use 1 TBS of 
butter

wash the chicken breasts and pat them dry. salt them if you like. salting 
always enhances the meat flavor. if you salt, let sit 30 minutes before 
cooking. meat should be at room temperature for cooking.

in a pan put in the butter and  oil (one to one) and heat until warm to cook. 
put the chicken in the pan and sautee 5 minutes. add the chopped onion (try 
a red onion instead of the usual white or yellow onion ;)) and garlic. saute 
until the chicken browns. toss in the spices and coat the chicken as you are 
cooking and turning. the spices will blacken and become fragrant. quickly pour 
in the bourbon sauce mix. add 1/2 c HOT water. reduce hat to low medium. put a 
cover on the pot. cook until the liquid is reduced by 1/2 half. turn and check
often. the juices from the chicken should rum clear and the meat should fall 
apart, tender not dry. if you need to add more water and use white wine as an 
aid. use your judgement.

when the meat is done, serve with rice (the sauce is great poured over the rice) 
and a seasonal vegetable. i like almond-lemon green beans or cajun fried okra.

take care...

irini

Broken Glass Dessert

On 11 Mar 2005 at 10:34, Eleanor wrote:
> 
> I am looking for a jello receipe from about the 1950's for a desert
> called "broken glass desert made with 3 different colors of jello and
> some other stuff.  Any help you can give me would be appreciated!
> 
> Elle
> 

Hello Elle,

See below.

Phaed

Broken  Glass  Dessert

 Ingredients :
 1 pkg. cherry Jello
 1 pkg. lime Jello
 1 pkg. orange Jello
 1 pkg. lemon Jello

 Preparation :
   Make Jello according to directions and chill until firm.  Dissolve
 2 envelopes of plain gelatin with 1/2 cup pineapple juice.  Mix with
 1 large carton of Cool Whip.  Heat 2 cups of pineapple juice; add 1
 cup sugar, let thicken and then cool.  When cooled, add to whipped
 topping mixture.  Cube Jello and add to the mixture.  Mix colors
 well.  Can use any flavor of Jello.
----------------------------------
Broken  Glass  Torte

 Ingredients :
 1 pkg. each of cherry and lemon lime Jello (or choice)
 1 1/2 c. hot water to each package
 1 env. plain, unflavored gelatin
 1/4 c. cold water
 1 c. hot pineapple juice
 2 c. heavy cream, whipped
 1/2 c. sugar
 1 tsp. vanilla
--Crust Mix:--
2 dozen crushed graham crackers
 1/2 c. sugar
 1/2 c. soft butter

 Preparation :
   Prepare each package of Jello as directed one each color, chill in
 separate pans until firm (cake pans or ice cube trays) cut into
 strips or cubes, 1/2 inch wide or 1 inch wide.  Soften plain gelatin
 in cold water, dissolve in hot pineapple juice, cool and fold into
 whipped cream which has been beaten with sugar and vanilla.  Fold in
 Jello cubes turn into springform pan, angel food pan or 9 x 13 pan,
 which has been lined with 2/3 of graham crumbs mixture.  Top with
 remaining crumbs, chill 6 to 12 hours or until firm, slice and
 serve.
----------------------------------
Broken  Glass  Dessert

 Ingredients :
 3 pkgs. different Jello
 1 pkg. Knox gelatin
 1 c. hot unsweetened pineapple juice
 1 c. whipped cream

 Preparation :
    Dissolve each package of Jello with 1/2 cup boiling water; add 1
 cup cold water.  Chill until firm.  Break up into small pieces.
 Dissolve 1 package Knox gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water and add 1 cup
 hot unsweetened pineapple juice.  Let cool and add 1 cup whipped
 cream. Fold in Jello.  For serving, put into glass dish. 

Maraschino Cherries

 
On 10 Mar 2005 at 1:50, Bethany wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> I am looking for a true recipe for the original maraschino cherries
> that were soaked in maraschino liqueur.  Can you help me?
> 
> Thank You,
> Bethany

Hello Bethany,

I couldn't find an actual recipe, sorry.

The process was/is pretty simple, but obtaining the ingredients might be difficult. First, you have to have fresh European marasca cherries - not just any cherry will do for authentic maraschino cherries. After cleaning the cherries, they are then bleached, using sodium dioxide (SO2). Then the cherries are rinsed to remove the sulfur dioxide. These bleached white cherries are then marinated in maraschino liqueur, which is an alcoholic liqueur made from these same marasca cherries.

That's pretty much it. No sugar is added, or anything else. Just bleached marasca cherries soaked in marasca liqueur.

The most difficult part of the process is probably the bleaching. I don't know whether you can obtain sulfur dioxide or whether there is a substitute for it. 'Course, you could skip the bleaching, I guess. I don't know where you're going to get fresh marasca cherries unless you live in Europe, though. I could not find anything that said how long the cherries are supposed to marinate before they are ready. A little trial and error might be in order to determine that.

Phaed

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