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2004

TODAY's CASES:

Simon and Garfunkel Chicken

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Sharon
To: 
Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2004 10:43 AM
Subject: simon & garfunkle chicken

> Dear Uncle,
> ever hear of "Simon & Garfunkle Chicken", so called because it contains
> parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme? Popular dish around here in the 70's, but
> no one can find the recipe....
>     Thanks,
>     Sharon
>

Hello Sharon,

No problem. See below.

Phaed

Simon And Garfunkel Chicken
Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients

      4    skinless boneless chicken
           -breasts
      1    salt and pepper
      1 c  butter
      8 sl mozzarella cheese
      2 tb chopped parsley
    1/4 ts sage
    1/4 ts rosemary
    1/4 ts thyme
    1/2 c  flour
      1    egg; beaten
    1/2 c  dry bread crumbs
    3/4 c  white wine

Instructions

Turn the chicken breasts smooth side down and sprinkle up side with a
little salt and pepper. Dot each breast with about a te of butter. place a
slice of mozzarella cheese on each piece of chicken and roll up jellyroll
fashion. Secure well with wooden toothpicks. Melt the rest of the butter
and add the parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Roll the chicken rolls in
the flour, then in the beaten egg, then in the dry bread crumbs. place side
by side in a baking dish. pour melted butter and spices over the chicken.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Pour the wine over the chicken and
return to the 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Shrimp Chips

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Oz
To: phaedrus
Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2004 9:17 AM
Subject: Shrimp Chips

> I'm looking for a base recipe for the 'shrimp' chips like those sold in
Chinese restaurants. I know you can buy the 'pasta' disks in boxes, but I
really want to learn the process for making the puffed chips. In the 50's
they sold a variety of vegetable flavored disks that you 'fried' in a
pressure cooker to produce puffed chips. I see now that Taco Bell is using a
similar process to produce their cinnamon crisps, only in a 'rotini' style
pasta. The package of uncooked chips I bought has only starch and salt as
ingredients. I have assumed the starch is really tapioca flour and that the
shrimp flavor comes from using water infused with shrimp to form the
'starch' into a pasta. Any help would be greatly appreciated.  
>oz
>

Hello Oz,

See below for two recipes.

Phaed

 Title: Shrimp Chips
  Categories: Chinese, Condiment
       Yield: 1 servings

       1 lb Net weight of shelled
            -shrimp, prawns or lobster
       1 lb Tapioca flour
       1 oz Salt
       1 ts White pepper powder
       1 c  Water

   (I think there is one step left out of the process.  If I were making
   this I would pound the shrimp to a paste before adding them to the
   rest of the ingredients.  This book is quite interesting, but the
   translation leaves a bit to be desired.  The recipe intrigues me, but
   I've never actually gotten around to trying it out.)

   You can make your own home made shrimp chips with which no one can
   compare. Here is the recipe for non-commercial shrimp chips.

   Bring water to a boil and dissolve salt and pepper powder.  Pour
   boiling water onto the tapioca flour in a large mixing bowl and stir
   quickly with a cooking spoon.  Add in the shrimp and knead as a
   dough. As the water content of the shrimp is unpredictable, you may
   adjust it by adding more boiling water.  The dough should be on the
   hard side.  Now shape into a cylinder about 1 inch in diameter.  If
   you do not have the proper steamer for this process, a bamboo rack or
   cake cooling rack will do. Lay a cheesecloth underneath and on top of
   the dough and place it on the rack. Make sure the cylinders of dough
   are far enough apart (at least 1 1/2 inch if space permits) to
   prevent them from sticking together. Steam at a high temperature for
   45 minutes.  Make sure there is plenty of water in the steamer to
   avoid having to open it to add more water.

   After steaming, bring out, remove the cheesecloth, and cool the dough
   on another rack.  Keep in a cool place to dry.  The time varies from
   1 day to 2 or 3 days.  If you can cut it with a very sharp knife,
   then start to cut it in thin slices (about the thickness of a penny).
   Now lay the slices on a piece of cardboard and dry in the sun until
   brittle. Don't hurry the drying before you cut them.

   You can store them indefinitely in a can.  When you want to use them,
   calculate 2 or 3 chips per person.  Deep fry in oil at 360F
   temperature. If the process has been done correctly, the chips will
   be done in a matter of seconds.  They will increase their size
   several times. Drain and serve.

   Use them as a garnish for crispy fried chicken or duck etc.  You can
   also use them as hors d'oeuvres or as appetizers.

   From "The Wok, A Chinese Cook Book", by Gary Lee.  Nitty Gritty
   Publications, Concord, Ca.  1970.
-------------------------------------------
Malaysia Shrimp Chip Recipe

Ingredient
 5 lbs of shrimp (no shell)
 5 lbs of tapioca starch
 1/2 lb Small onion juice(de-rind the red button onions and then juice)
 1 tablespoon salt
 2 tablespoons MSG
 12 tablespoons sugar
 1 tablespoon pepper
 15 large egg whites

Direction
 Mix together all ingredient except tapioca starch. Add the tapioca starch
last.
 Put the shrimp shells and tails in 15 cups of water
 Boil until there are 10 cups left.
 Let it cook
 Strain
 Keep water, throw shells and tail away
 Refrigerate over night.
 Steam shrimp chip in steam water.

Olive Garden Breadsticks

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Betty" 
To: phaedrus
Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2004 3:55 PM

Do you have a recipe for Olive Garden's Bread Sticks?  Thank you for
checking this for me.

Hi Betty,

See below.

Phaed

Olive Garden Breadsticks

1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed, and at room temperature
Pam vegetable spray
Garlic powder, to taste
Dried oregano leaf, rubbed to a fine powder between fingers

When dough is soft enough to knead, spray your fingers with Pam or oil and
knead just until you can shape into cigar-size pieces (about 8 to 10). Place
these 3 inches apart on Pam-sprayed cookie sheets. Let rise in a warm place
until doubled - about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Holding Pam about 8 inches from sticks, lightly spray top of each and then
dust with garlic powder and oregano. Bake at 375 degrees F about 20 to 25
minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on rack to serve within a day or
two.

This recipe yields 8 to 10 bread sticks.

Chocolate Donuts

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Elizabeth" 
To: phaedrus
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2004 11:09 AM
Subject: chocolate donuts

i am  looking for a recipe for yeast donuts where the donut itself is
chocolate and the glaze is regular donut glaze. any ideas?

Hello Elizabeth,

Well, Elizabeth, how about if you make your donuts with one of the recipes below and then frost them with the creamy glaze on this page:

glaze?

Phaed

Chocolate  Donuts

 Ingredients :
 2 sqs. unsweetened chocolate
 2 tbsp. shortening
 3 3/4 c. flour
 4 tsp. baking powder
 1/2 tsp. salt
 2 eggs
 1 c. sugar
 3/4 c. milk
 1 tsp. vanilla

 Preparation :
    Combine chocolate and shortening; melt over low heat.  Cool.
 Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy.  Add vanilla and chocolate
 mixture; beat well.  Add milk; beat well.  Stir in dry ingredients
 until well blended.  Chill dough 2 hours.  Roll and cut.
 ----------------------------------
 Chocolate  Doughnuts

 Ingredients :
 2 eggs, beaten
 1 c. sugar
 2 tsp. melted shortening
 1 c. milk
 1/2 c. cocoa
 1/2 tsp. salt
 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
 2 heaping tsp. cream of tartar
 1 tsp. soda
 2 c. flour and add more until the
    texture to handle to roll

 Preparation :
   Roll to 1/2 inch.  Cut with doughnut cutter and drop into hot fat.
  Turn once during the frying process.  Drain on paper towel and roll
 while warm in granulated sugar.  Makes about 3 dozen.
 ----------------------------------
 Chocolate  Doughnuts

 Ingredients :
 3 1/2 c. flour
 4 tsp. baking powder
 1/2 tsp. salt
 1 c. sugar
 2 eggs
 2 tbsp. melted shortening
 1 c. milk
 1 tsp. vanilla
 6 tbsp. cocoa

 Preparation :
    Mix and roll out dough.  Cut with doughnut cutter.  Deep fry.
 ----------------------------------
 Chocolate  Raised  Doughnuts

 Ingredients :
 2 sm. yeast cakes
 1 tbsp. sugar
 2/3 glass warm water
 1/2 c. shortening
 1/2 c. sugar
 1 tsp. salt
 1/2 c. cocoa
 1 beaten eggs
 2 c. water - warm
 8 c. flour

 Preparation :
    Mix together:  Set in warm place for 20 minutes.  Cream:  Add
 yeast, mix.  Add:  Knead dough.  Set in a warm place until double in
 bulk.  Roll and cut doughnuts.  Let raise again.  Fry in deep fat.
 When cool, frost with chocolate frosting.

Peanut Butter Cookie Ridges

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David" 
To: phaedrus
Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2004 11:10 PM
Subject: Peanut butter cookie ridges

> Hello,
>
> I've been searching for the reason why peanut butter
> cookies most always seem to have fork tine ridges in
> them.  It is not necessary to make the cookie, but
> Everyone seems to do it.  Any idea why?
>
> Thanks!
>
> -David
>

Hello David,

Well, scratch peanut butter cookies are "drop" or "ball cookies". You don't roll them out and cut them. You drop spoonfuls of dough onto the cookie sheet or make small balls of dough and put them on the cookie sheet. Then they should be flattened so they will be crisp. There are several ways to do this flattening: with the bottom of a drinking glass, with a spoon, with your thumb as in "thumbprint cookies", or with a fork as in the case of peanut butter cookies.

I have no certain facts about the matter, but I would speculate that an early peanut-butter cookie maker either purposely or of necessity used a fork for this flattening, liked the result, and as that individual's recipe spread, so did the practice. If that early baker had used their thumb, then peanut-butter cookies would be thumbprint cookies today.

Phaed

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