Italian Wedge Bread

This recipe I got from a Lutheran Church Cookbook and there is no doubt in my mind the Lutheran Girls can cook too. I have gotten so many good recipes from this book. Today I want to share this tasty flat bread that is a good addition to an Italian meal instead of Garlic Bread.

Dough:

• 2 1/2 cups flour ( I used half whole wheat)
• 1 tbsp. instant yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with a spoon. 
2. Knead in 1/2 cup flour if needed. 
3. Form in to a ball. 
4. Cover and let rise for 20-30 minutes. 
5. Spread dough on to a greased pizza pan.

Topping:

•  1/4 tsp. salt (I omit)
• dash of pepper
• 1/4 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. thyme

1. Mix spices in a bowl. 
2. Brush with 1/3 c. Italian dressing (I have used Ranch and Caesar Dressings just for variety). 
3. Sprinkle with the spices over the dressing. 
4. Top with Parmesan Cheese and grated Mozzarella (light cheese). Bake at 450 for about 15-20 minutes.
5. A tasty appetizer or snack for any occasion.

Obstkuchen (Platz)

I have made this platz many times and it's a favorite here. It is also a nice size to bring to potlucks. My g'daughter came to see me today and I thought it was time she learned to make platz. She claims she doesn't like to cook or bake but as you can see she did a great job!

• 2 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 egg

1. Sift dry ingredients together and with a pastry blender mix in the butter. Add the cream and slightly beaten egg and mix well.
2. Pat out on a greased 10 x 15 inch pan. (approx) Wet hands to do this as the dough may be a bit sticky.
3. Put on a layer of any of the following fruits: cherries, plums, apples, apricots, rhubarb, blueberries or any fruit in season..frozen fruit works too. My g'daughter used rhubarb.

Top with crumbs:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup butter, very soft

1. Mix well with a pastry blender..it will be crumbly. If you want coarser crumbs just mix in a bit of cream. Sprinkle thickly over the fruit.
2. Bake in at 375º for 30 minutes.
3. Cool 10 minutes and drizzle icing over the top. (optional)
4. It is also very good served warm with ice cream.

Food for Thought

Oh taste and see

that the Lord is good.

Psalm 34:8

Oma's Glazed Chocolate Cookies

I'm so excited to share about the wonderful day I had with my Mom yesterday. My family has been telling me for a long time that I NEED to learn how to make Oma's chocolate cookies and Perishky! I bake pretty well anything else, but I've played ignorance with some of her specialties because I just want to enjoy them when she makes them.
It was so cute how she was almost giddy about me taking pictures of her while she was doing what she knows how to do best! I'll post the cookies first. The Perishky are coming later . . . Oh, and these cookies are the best cookies to take camping because they keep so well. Feel free to ask questions because I may have missed something.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup honey
• 2 egg yolks (save whites)
• 5 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon soda
• ½ cup cocoa
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup whipping cream

Glaze

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 egg whites

Method:

1. In a stand mixer, mix butter and sugar, beat in yolks and then honey.
2. Add combined dry ingredients alternately with milk and cream. ( you can use light cream instead of milk and cream)
3. Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight. 

4. Divide dough into quarters. Roll each quarter into a 20 - 24 inch roll (snake) and slice into aprox 1 inch pieces to roll into balls.
5. Place on prepared cookie sheets and bake at 375° F about 12 -13 minutes.
6. Remove to wire rack to cool.  Frost with sugar glaze.

Sugar Glaze - This is a bit tricky but a fun challenge. With experience you learn exactly what to look for as you cook the syrup. Be prepared to focus on glazing the cookies as soon as the glaze is ready.  You can't let it sit.  Have wax paper lined cookie sheets ready. If you want to test this procedure, you can do half the recipe and cook twice. Use a small pot if doing half the recipe.

1. In a medium glass bowl, beat egg whites until almost stiff and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup water to boil. Once the liquid looks clear and bubbly even while stirring, set timer to 3 minutes.  Boil between low and medium heat, stirring occasionally to keep sugar from crystallizing on the sides, until liquid is just a mass of tiny bubbles and syrup-like when you drip it from the spoon. ( 3 minutes is a good mark - you can adjust time once you have figured out your stove, pot etc * see note in next paranthesis) 
3. Immediately pour syrup into beaten egg whites, with beater on, and continue beating for a few minutes, until thick and wavy.
4. Scoop some glaze up with your hands and coat each cookie, first bottom and then top.(*If syrup is cooked too little the glaze will be very easy to spread, but harder to dry. If syrup is cooked too long, the glaze dries quickly and doesn’t go on as smooth. It may help to wet your hands)
5. Place on waxed paper lined cookie sheets, not touching each other, until glaze dries. Slightly undercooked glaze may take up to 24 hours to dry. Leave cookies uncovered until they are no longer tacky.

Store cookies in ice cream bucket in a cool place or freeze. This recipe yields 7 - 8 dozen. Gauge baking time by their size. If you have less than 80 cookies, they will be larger and need an extra minute or two to bake. You want them to taste moist and cake-like, but if they "cave" once cooled, they are under baked.

Some ways you  may be able to salvage glaze that has not turned out perfect:  If it is too thin (runs off the cookies, beat it for a few more minutes, adding a tablespoon of cornstarch. If, while you are icing the cookies, it dries too quickly and becomes grainy, beat in a tablespoon or two of water. If nothing works, just start again. =) ... but remember that even cookies that don't look perfect, still taste amazing.

(My mom adapted this recipe from the Mennonite

Treasury Cookbook, (1962) page 171)

Shnetchi (biscuits) - Flashback Friday

For flashback Friday I am bringing back my shnetchi recipe. 

These shnetchi are very good served with jam, honey, or Roger's Golden Syrup. This recipe was passed down from my Dad. He told me to always use whipping cream, although I sometimes use buttermilk and they turn out great too. My Dad used to have a shnetchi booth at the Mennonite Heritage Village Museum during Pioneer days. His booth was called 'Uncle Knals Shnetchi'.

• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 eggs, well beaten

1. Mix dry ingredients together.
2. Cut in butter with pastry blender until crumbly.
3. Make a well in dry ingredients, add cream and beaten eggs.
4. Using a fork stir together just until mixed. Don't overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough.
5. Gather dough into a ball and pat out on counter to desired thickness, 3/4" to 1" thick.
6. Cut with round biscuit cutter or whatever shape you want.
7. Place on pan and bake in a 400º oven for 15 minutes or until golden in color.
8. Yield: 9 - 12 shnetchi

Rührei

Mennonite Scrambled Eggs. Rührei is what we called them when I was a kid. This was never a breakfast meal at our place, but rather a quick lunch or supper. I'd all but forgotten about them until yesterday when I was looking through the fridge to see what I could fix in no time flat, and rührei came to mind. This is a creamy version of scrambled eggs...rather like a cross between an omelet and a pancake. It pairs well with ham or sausage...sprinkled with freshly ground pepper and served with salsa for a little zip.

Rührei

• 6 Tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter 

1. Mix flour and milk into a smooth paste.
2. Add eggs and salt and mix well into a thin batter.
3. Melt butter in frying pan over medium heat.
4. Pour in egg mixture.
5. Cut and stir with spatula until completely cooked through...and until golden brown if desired.
6. Serve hot. 

Enjoy!

 

Beaver Tails/Fry Bread

'Beaver tails' originated in Ottawa..google it to get the story, they are simply pieces of bun or bread dough shaped some what to resemble beaver tails, then deep fried and shaken up in a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon. I have tried a 'beaver tail recipe' which I found online but I still like the ones best that are made from plain bun dough.

Just take a piece of bun dough the size you like, put it on an oiled surface..I do this right on the counter top, press down and stretch it out with your fingers till you have a fairly flat shape of a beaver tail of course. You don't need to let it rise again but can let it rest for a few minutes if you wish. Deep fry and shake up in a bag with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. These are best fresh and hot! Be sure to leave some plain to have with syrup or honey.

My Mom used to make these on bread or bun baking day for a treat, we called them 'lada koki' and later my family called them fry bread. We didn't put sugar/cinnamon on them but rather ate them with Roger's Golden syrup. In those days we didn't know that they would one day become popular as 'beaver tails'.
Check this blog for bun recipes and when you next have bread or bun dough rising try them and tell us what you think!

Lemon Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

A cake-like bar with a fresh lemon taste.  Just right for spring!

• 3 eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup icing sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
•  1 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Cream cheese frosting
• slivered almonds, toasted

1. Grease and flour 9x13 inch pan or line with parchment paper.
2. Beat egg whites in a small bowl until soft peaks form.
3. Gradually beat in icing sugar and continue to beat until stiff.
4. Set aside.
5. In large bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar until well blended.
6. Add egg yolks and continue to beat until light.
7. Add lemon juice and zest, mixing well.
8. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix until blended.
9. Gently fold in beaten egg whites, until completely incorporated.
10. Spread in prepared pan.
11. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean and dry.
12. When completely cool, icing with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with chopped almonds.
13. These bars freeze well.

Rice Pea Salad

Recently we hosted the monthly pot luck dinner in our clubhouse.  We have amazing cooks in our complex and the buffet spread is always more than delicious! We  - only half-joking - call it our favourite restaurant.
At our event this month there was a rice and pea salad that was very tasty, and is naturally gluten free.
Most graciously, Pat, agreed to share her recipe and gave me permission to post it here!


Salad

• 2 1/2 cups cooked and cooled rice 
• 1 1/2 cups finely diced celery 
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion 
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed and drained 
• 1/2 cup red pepper (or green ) 

Dressing 

• 1/2 cup oil 
• 3 teaspoons vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon curry powder 
• 2 teaspoon celery salt 
• 2 tablespoons Soy sauce (note - if making gluten-free make sure your soy sauce is gluten-free)

1. Mix together salad ingredients and set aside 
2. Mix dressing ingredients in pot and bring to a boil to dissolve
3. Stir dressing into salad mix 
4. Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving. 

Note - this salad improves the longer it sits and will keep for several days. 

Persian Kotlety

One of our favorites growing up were Kotlety. We used to call them Russian hamburgers. A recipe for a more Russian version of these is in our cookbook but I wanted to share this recipe that has a Persian twist.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground meat
• 1 cup grated onion
• 1 egg
• 1 slice bread soaked in milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1-2 cups fine bread crumbs or Panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil for sauteing the patties

Method:

1. Put first 9 ingredients in a bowl and mix well. 
2. Form patties with this mixture, you can choose round or oval. 
3. Roll the patties in bread crumbs.  
4. Saute them in butter and olive oil flipping half way through the cooking process till they are cooked through. 
5. Serves 4.
6. Serve with your favorite sides. 

I used panko this time instead of fine bread crumbs and I liked the result.

I served them with my mother’s rice and a salad but the cutlet would pair nicely with potatoes in any form. My mother always formed the patties in this oval shape. These are also great cold in a sandwich form.