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 Röschti with bacon, onions, and cheese Total time: Approximately 1 hour.
Adapted from Amy Pollien’s Röschti.
3-4 large potatoes, shredded
1/2 c butter (or less), divided
2 Tbsp olive oil (or less), divided
1 c shredded cheese
2 full scallions, diced
4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
In a large mixing bowl, gently mix shredded potatoes, cheese, scallions and bacon.
Heat 1 Tbsp of oil and 2 Tbsp butter (or more) in a large and deep cast iron or nonstick pan on medium heat. Add the entire contents of your mixing bowl and press down firmly with a spatula.
Cook uncovered on medium-low heat for 12-15 minutes. Flip “out” your Röschti onto a plate or platter. Add another Tbsp of oil and 2 more Tbsp butter (or more) to the pan. Slide your Röschti back into the pan, uncooked side down. Press firmly and cook uncovered for another 12-15 minutes.
I quartered and boiled my potatoes for about 10 minutes, then cooled them for 30 minutes before trying to shred them. It wasn’t so bad.
I strongly encourage you to read Amy’s post instead of following my directions.
 Scalloped potatoes in 9x13 dish Total time: 2.5 hours.
Adapted from Scalloped Potatoes and Onions at AllRecipes.
Stop right here if you don’t own a mandoline. You may continue without a mandoline ONLY if you have patience to rival Kesuke Miyagi.
5-7 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Preheat the oven to 350.
1. In a greased 9×13 baking dish, layer potatoes and onion.
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add broth, sour cream, salt and pepper; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thick and bubbly.
3. Stir in milk and paprika. Pour over potatoes.
4. Cover and bake 90 minutes or until tender.
I uncovered my dish at the 85 minute mark and ended up just keeping them in there until they browned. My guess is it was a total of 2 hours (120 minutes). I probably “overbaked”, but they were still really saucy and soft, with almost no crispness.
The original recipe didn’t call for milk. I wasn’t going to use milk at all, but I just felt like I had way more potatoes than the original recipe called for, so I added a cup of milk to be on the safe side. If you’re using a smaller baking dish, don’t bother with the milk; the steam from having a covered dish produces plenty of moisture.
 Creamy Rice with Artichokes, Mushrooms & Pasta Spools Total time: 1 hour, plus sofrito and aioli time.
Adapted from Creamy rice with mushrooms, cuttlefish and artichokes by José Andrés, this recipe contains no fish or meat. Daring Cooks’ August challenge.
* 1 cuttlefish or substitute
* 2 Artichokes
* 6 Mushrooms
* 1 Bay leaf
* 1/4 c of white wine
* “Sofregit”
* 1 cup short grain rice (Spanish types Calasparra or Montsant are preferred, but you can choose any other short grain)
* Water or Stock (use 1 ½ cup of liquid per ½ cup of rice)
* 3-4 saffron threads (or ground turmeric)
* Allioli (optional)
If using vegan pasta, skip steps 1 & 2. Prepare your pasta according to directions, and add to the dish near the end.
1. Cut the cuttlefish in little strips.
2. Add 1 or 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and put the cuttlefish in the pan.
3. If you use fresh artichokes, clean and cut into eighths.
4. Clean the mushrooms and cut them into fourths.
5. Add a bay leaf, the artichokes and the mushrooms to the cuttlefish.
6. Sauté until we get a golden color in the artichokes.
7. Put a touch of white wine so all the solids in the bottom of the pan get mixed, getting a more flavorful dish.
8. Add a couple spoonfuls/scoops of sofregit and mix to make sure everything gets impregnated with the sofregit (I’ve used anywhere from 1/4 c to 2 c).
9. Add all the liquid and bring it to boil.
10. Add all the rice. Let boil for about 5 minutes in heavy heat.
11. Add some saffron thread to enrich the dish with its flavor and color. Stir a little bit so the rice and the other ingredients get the entire flavor. If you’re using turmeric or yellow coloring, use only 1/4 teaspoon.
12. Turn to low heat and boil for another 8 minutes (or until rice is a little softer than “al dente”)
13. Put the pan away from heat and let the rice stand a couple of minutes.
 Creamy rice with mushrooms, artichokes & pasta spools; this time, with more sofregit! The first picture:
1. Vegan pasta loops shaped to look just like cuttlefish.
2. I cooked and ate my artichoke leaves and used the stock in place of fish stock.
3. I blended up my mushrooms in my food processor before adding them to the skillet (hence the excessive brown hue).
4. I’ve never owned white wine, and I found a “substitute” recipe that included lemon, vinegar and water.
5. I followed the instructions as best I could, and I used 1/3 cup of my sofrito because it tasted so awesome.
The second picture:
Steps 1-4 same.
5. I used 2 cups sofrito, and then I stirred in 1/4 cup of aioli.
 Dog & Bone crater toast Total time: 8 minutes.
1 Slice of Bread
1 Egg
1 tsp Butter
Butter one side of the bread.
Use a small cup or cookie cutter to cut a hole in the center of the bread.
Place bread and cutout piece in frying pan buttered side down. Crack egg into the hole in the bread. Cook on medium heat until egg is done sunny side up or over easy (it’s important to have the yolk). Serve on plate with cutout piece for dipping.
Works best if, when breaking the yolk open, you make erupting sounds 😀 -Chris
I used my doggy and bone cookie cutters, and they worked like a champ. Even the boy wanted one (even though he eats his eggs scrambled). Fast, convenient, and amusing!
 Spicy green peas and onions with saffron rice and spiced chicken. Total time: Approximately 30 minutes.
Adapted from 1,000 Indian Recipes by Neelam Batra.
16 oz. package of frozen peas, thawed
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced or 1 tablespoon ginger powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-2 serranos, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional!)
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon of mango powder (or just add another teaspoon of lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
salt and pepper to taste
Caution! Turn on your overhead fan if you have one, or open the windows before you begin!
1. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick wok or skillet over medium-high heat and add the ginger, green chile peppers, and cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the onion and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the coriander, ground cumin, cayenne, turmeric and salt, then mix in the peas and cook, stirring until all the juices evaporate and the spices cling to the peas (10 to 12 minutes). Mix in the mango powder and/or lemon juice. Sprinkle with garam masala just before serving.
We never use mango powder, and I don’t think we’re missing anything by skipping that ingredient. When we made these the first time, we used 2 serrano peppers and the full cayenne portions. We really had no idea how spicy it was going to be. I may be part Thai, but I’m not a fan of hot foods. I can eat them like the best of them, but I’m not a fan. With two peppers and the cayenne, these were so spicy hot, they turned me off. JB loved them, though. The second time we made them, we emitted the serranos completely, and they were mild enough that our 1 year old ate them (and LOVED them).
Pictured with Taste of India chicken rub and saffron rice.
Total time: 25 minutes.
Not really a risotto, but you’ll see. This is a simple vegetarian style dish, that in this case is cooked in an electric rice steamer.
two cups of Thai style jasmine rice
one tablespoon of sliced garlic
one tablespoon of ground ginger
one tablespoon of chopped shallots (purple onions)
one table spoon of red prik ki nu (birdseye or dynamite chilis) sliced
one table spoon of green prik ki nu, sliced
A quantity of good chicken stock, equal to the volume of water specified by the rice cooker to cook two cups of rice, plus two tablespoons. (I normally use a normal sized can of chicken broth and 1 cup of water.)
Place the rice in the cooker.
Stir fry the other ingredients (except the stock)
Add all the ingredients to the cooker, and switch on.
When the cooking time is finished the dish is ready to serve.
(if you wish you can add a pinch of saffron or turmeric to colour the
rice yellow.)
Special thanks to – Muoi Khuntilanont.
 Tangy, sweet, spicy, lovesit. Total time: Approximately 4 hours.
* 1 head of cabbage, thinly sliced
* 1 carrot, thinly sliced
* 1/3 cup milk
* 2 fluid ounces plain yogurt
* 2 fluid ounces mayonnaise
* 1 tablespoon spicy vinegar
* 1 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1 tablespoon green onions
* 1 teaspoon of sugar
* 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional!)
* salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Generously salt the cabbage and drain in colander for 3 hours. Rinse thoroughly and dry.
In a separate bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the cabbage and carrot. Whisk to combine evenly. Toss the cabbage and carrot with the dressing.
 Salmon-Lobster Cake (After) Total time: Approximately 40 minutes.
1 lb crab meat
2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard
2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning (this is a Maryland seafood seasoning, but can be found at most grocery stores)
2 pieces white bread (break into small pieces)
1 tsp salt (or less)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup mayo
1 med onion minced
1 sm green pepper minced
1 celery stalk chopped
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 Tbsp parsley flakes
1 egg
Mix it all up shape into patties. (If patties feel too wet add a few more bread crumbs). Pan fry or broil until golden brown on each side (fried in olive oil is best).
 Salmon-Lobster Cake (Before) I finally did this with some changes. Firstly, I’m still on a budget and I used salmon and a lobster tail I had frozen from Mother’s Day. Otherwise, I stuck pretty close to the recipe with brown mustard instead of yellow, Ritz crackers instead of bread crumbs, and a hearty slice of JB’s homemade bread instead of the white bread. I also deep-fried them because we were doing deep-fried-finger-food night. I could say they were good, and you’d say “OK”, but what about if I said “My kid ate it and loved it!”, then I know you’d believe me.
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