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2004

TODAY's CASES:

Shawarma Sauce

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Claudia
To: phaedrus
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 7:06 PM
Subject: (no subject)

> The "garlic sauce" made by Arabic and Middle Eastern Restaurants.  It is
> milky white and served with pitas and "chicken Shwarma" and is very garlic.
> Some have told me it is made with yogurt.  Others have said it was made 
> with raw potatoes (which I really doubt).  Yogurt could be a possibility.  
> The sauce is more like a spread.  Looks like a pure white slush drink, 
> but is not like one in texture .  thanks. Claudia.  We ate this a lot 
> when we lived in the Detroit Metro Area. Thanks.  Claudia
>

Hello Claudia,

See below.

Phaed

Tahini Garlic Sauce

Garlic Dip
Ingredients:
3   tablespoons sesame tahini
1    - garlic cloves, crushed
1\2   teaspoon salt
3   tablespoons lemon juice
3   tablespoons water
1   tablespoon yogurt

How to Cook:
Place tahini, garlic, salt and lemon juice in a small bowl and mix with a
spoon and gradually add water until tahini becomes smooth. Add chopped
parsley and mix well.
Serve this sauce with fried chicken


This recipe serves 4 people.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes.
Cooking Time: 0 minutes.

Serving Options:
Serve Cold
---------------------------------
Chicken Shawarma - Arabian chicken sandwich

Ingredients

- fresh pita bread
- Whole dill pickle (cut lengthwise into 4 pieces
- French fries
- garlic spread (follow recipe)
Marinade for chicken
-  2 lb. boneless chicken with (cut into pieces)
- 1\2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ground green cardamoms
- 3/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 t. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red chili
- 1 1\2 tsp. salt
- 4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1tsp. sumac, optional
Ingredients for garlic sauce:
- 2 whole garlic bulbs
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup corn oil
- 3 tbsp. lemon juice

 1. Wash the chicken pieces pat dry. Place the chicken pieces in a bowl. Mix
all the spices with lemon juice to make thick paste. Rub the paste over the
chicken pieces thoroughly. Marinate it for 5-6 hours at room temperature
over night in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease a baking dish with oil, put
chicken pieces in skin side down, and bake it for about 20 minutes. Take it
out, turn them over and bake for 10-15 more minutes or until the chicken is
tender.
3. Remove the skin and shred the chicken with a sharp knife. Put the
shredded chicken back in the baking dish. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sumac and
mix well.
Garlic Spread:
Put the garlic and salt in a food processor or chopper and process to a
smooth paste. Add oil in a thin stream and process until oil and garlic form
a uniform mixture. add lemon juice and process once.
Assembly:
Take one pita bread, put a thin layer of
garlic spread. Put 4 tablespoons of shredded chicken, a
few slices of pickle and French fries. Roll
it, wrap in paper napkin.

Parsley Blues

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paula"
To: phaedrus
Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 6:51 PM
Subject: Confused about Parsley

> Hello Phaedrus,
>
> Many recipes call for parsley, yet don't specify the
> type. In this recipe, for instance, what would you
> use?
>
> Authentic Italian Meatballs
>   ===========================
>     1 lb. ground beef
>     1 egg
>     1/4 cup milk
>     1/2 cup breadcrumbs
>     1/2 teaspoon salt
>     1 teaspoon oregano
>     1 tablespoon fresh parsley
>     1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
>     1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
>     1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
>
> Here are they types I am aware of:
> 1. curly
> 2. French (chevril)
> 3. Italian
> 4. Cilantro (Chinese)
>
> #3 and #4 - a little confusing, don't you think?
>
> And corriander is cilantro seed?
>
> Is flat leaf parsley listed above, or is it a
> different type altogether?
>
> Thanks so much. Paula
>

Hi Paula,

Well, let's first distinguish between varieties of parsley and plants that are members of the parsley family.

Chervil ("Athriscus cerefolium") is a member of the parsley family, but it is not a variety of parsley. There's a plant called "cow parsley" ("Athriscus sylvestris") , which is also called "wild chervil." These plants are related to parsley, and even look similar, but they are not varieties of parsley.

Coriander, or cilantro ("Coriandrum sativum") is another plant that's related to parsley, but also isn't a variety of parsely. Coriander leaves are called "Chinese parsley" in the Far East and "Arab parsley" in the Middle East, and "Cilantro" in Latin America. Yes, coriander seeds come from the same plant.

True parsley is "Petroselinum crispum", and it comes in two main varieties: curley-leafed and flat-leafed. Common curley-leafed parsley is favored in the British Isles and America. Flat-leafed parsley is favored on the European continent and in Asia. Flat-leafed parsley is also known as "Italian Parsley". In Southern Italy there is a type of flat-leafed parsley known as "Neapolitan parsley". It has slight larger leaves and a somewhat stronger flavor than common flat-leafed parsley.

So, Paula, what you want for your meatballs is flat-leafed or Italian parsley, and if you can find it, Neapolitan parsley would be the best.

Phaed


Siomai

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lorelie"
To: "phaedrus" 
Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 4:14 AM
Subject: hi i need recipe

> hello,
>
> i need recipe of the dumplings like the potstickers
> and siomai. i just want to learn amd maybe i can put
> up a small business....thanks in advance
>
>
> lorelie
>

Hello Lorelie,

There's a siomai recipe at:

siomai

And another one below. There are two potsticker recipes below as well.

Phaed

 Siomai....Boiled Dumplings

Wrapper

1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable or com oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Bring water, cooking oil and salt to a boil, then pour in flour. Remove from heat
and beat until mixture forms a ball. Divide the dough into 1 1/4 -inch
balls. Roll each ball on a floured board until paper thin. Set aside.

Filling

1 cup shelled, deveined and chopped shrimp
1/4 cup ground pork or beef
1 cup minced water chestnuts
1/4 cup minced scallions
1/4 cup minced onion
1 egg
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
soy sauce and lemon slice to garnish

Mix all the ingredients for te filling in a bowl. Spoon I tablespoon of
mixture into each wrapper. Fold and seal. Arrange in a steamer and steam
for 30 minutes. Serve with soy sauce and lemon slices.
---------------------------------------------------------
Potstickers
Popular potstickers are pan-fried on the bottom and steamed on top

Yield: About 24 Potstickers

Ingredients:
1 package gyoza or wonton wrappers

Filling:
1/2 pound ground chicken or pork
1/2 pound ground prawn or raw shrimp
12 raw prawns, chopped
1/2 cup water chestnuts, fresh if possible, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon light soy sauce or Kikkoman
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon salt
Pinch of white pepper if desired
3 tablespoons green/spring onion, minced
3 tablespoons ginger, minced
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Directions
Mix together the filling ingredients.
Place a small bowl of water on the work area.  Lay out one of the gyoza
wrappers in front of you.  Dip your finger in the water and moisten the
edges of the wrapper.
Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper.
Fold the gyoza wrapper over the filling and pinch the edges to seal it shut.
(You may want to use a cornstarch/water mixture to make this easier).
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet or wok.  When oil is ready,
carefully add the dumplings and cook on high heat until golden brown (about
1 minute).
Without turning the dumplings over, add 1 cup of water and cover.  Steam for
about 1 minute to cook the raw filling and then turn off the heat (this is
to keep the bottom from burning).  Let the dumplings cook for a few more
minutes with the heat turned off.  Serve the potstickers with Dipping Sauce
or soy sauce.
-----------------------------------------------
Potstickers

Servings:
Makes 30 or more

Ingredients:
1 pound potsticker wrappers (available at most Asian specialty markets) -
the thin ones, suey gow or gyoza.

Filling:
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. prawns, peeled, deveined
1/4 lb. bay scallops
1/4 lb. cocktail shrimp
2 cups shredded fresh spinach
1/2 cup pressed bean curd
3 Chinese black mushrooms, soaked in hot water, remove stems, mince
1 teaspoon green onion, minced

Other ingredients:
2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon rice wine or dry sherry, 1 teaspoon
cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, pinch of white pepper, 4 teaspoons
vegetable oil, 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Preparation:
Chop the filling ingredients together in order, until well blended. A food
processor saves time; be careful not to over- pulverize the filling. Place
mixture into a large bowl, and add the soy sauce, wine, cornstarch, sesame
oil, and white pepper. Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of a
wrapper. Form a half-circle, and pleat edges firmly together. Set upright on
a platter, creating a flat base. Heat a non-stick skillet. Add 1 tablespoon
oil. Place the potstickers close to one another in the pan and fry until
bottoms begin to brown. Pour enough broth into the pan to cover bottom half
of potstickers. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 6-7 minutes, until the
water evaporates. Tip the pan to ease the potstickers out. If necessary, add
1 teaspoon oil around the edges. Turn each potsticker over, brown side up,
and place on a serving platter.

Have small bowls with hot chili pepper oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar,
fermented black bean hot oil and have guests mix their own dips to suit
individual tastes.

High Altitude Baking

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charles" 
To: phaedrus
Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 9:25 PM
Subject: High altitude cooking/baking

Phaedrus,

Can you please give me some general hints for what is needed to adjust
recipes for high altitude baking.  I'd like to make a sour cream pound 
cake, but I hate to waste so many ingredients and have it come out flat.
Thanks,
Linda

Hi Linda,

Based on "The Food Lover's Companion" By Sharon Tyler Herbst:

Ingredient:                           3,000 feet alt.       5,000 ft. alt.        7,000 ft alt.

For each teaspoon of baking
powder called for by the recipe
decrease the amount used by:     1/8 level tsp       1/8 rounded tsp     1/4 tsp

For each cup of sugar called
for by the recipe decrease
the amount used by:                1/2 Tbsp            1 Tbsp              2 Tbsp

For each cup of liquid
ingredients in the recipe,
increase the amount by:           1 1/2 Tbsp          3 Tbsp              3 1/2 Tbsp

Hope this helps.

Phaed


Confectioner's Sugar

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michelle" 
To: phaedrus
Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2004 4:28 PM

My name is Michelle.  I am looking for a recipe for confectioners' sugar, if
it exists.  I thank you in advance for any information you may be able to
give me.

Michelle

Hello Michelle,

There's no recipe because it's just sugar that's been crushed into a fine powder. The only thing added to it is 3% cornstarch to keep it from clumping. Confectioner's sugar is also called "powdered sugar", and in England it's called "icing sugar".

I don't know what you might use at home to crush regular granulated sugar into powdered sugar - a mortar & pestle perhaps?

Phaed

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