Month: September 2013

Lamb Shanks

Every first Friday of the month, except for July when our Basque club has it’s picnic, we have a dinner open to the public.  We always serve lamb chops and I alternate chicken, pork, albondigas (meatballs) and fish for the other meat.  We also have lamb shanks, lamb ribs or lamb stew along with homemade soup, Basque rice, a vegetable, salad, homemade bread and desserts.  I never know how many people will show up, it could be 80 or 160 so I always try to prepare enough food and I always keep my fingers crossed. So far we have never run out…came close a few times but we have never run out.  There have been some mad dashes to the grocery store for more lettuce for the salad.

I made up this recipe from a couple of ones that I had tried and this recipe has become a regular on the menu.  I also use it for lamb ribs.  Lamb ribs can be fatty, but this combination goes really well with them. Don’t be alarmed of the large amount of lamb shanks pictured in the pan.  This was for the first Friday dinner and I made two large pans of shanks.

20130923-222320.jpglamb shanks

20130923-222341.jpgAdd minced garlic and chopped onion

20130923-222406.jpgAdd sliced carrots, can of crushed tomatoes, 1/2 can of beer, cup of red wine, salt and pepper to taste.

20130923-222419.jpgCook at 350 degrees for about 4  hours.  This is an approximate. It may be more or less depending on your stove.

You just want to slow roast them.

20130923-222448.jpgFinished!

Lamb Shanks

4 to 6 lamb shanks

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion chopped

3 carrots peeled and sliced

1-28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

1/2 can of beer

1 cup red wine

salt and pepper to taste

Put a little oil in the bottom of a roasting pan or a large dutch oven.  Add shanks, garlic, onion, carrots, tomatoes, beer, wine, salt and pepper.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees approximately 4  hours.  This may be more or less.

Enjoy!

Super simple Chorizo, Pepper Sandwich

My husband usually makes his own lunch. He says when I leave to go on a girls trip or visit my mom that he doesn’t go grocery shopping and “lives out of the freezer”. He is the kind of guy that when he does go grocery shopping usually brings home cans of SPAM and chili. He says we need them in case of an emergency. I know SPAM is popular in Hawaii, but it would have to be the last thing left on my pantry shelf for me to even consider partaking of this canned meat.

 

20130923-220232.jpg

We had a great crop of cubanella peppers this year in our garden. I think we had something like 40 plants and each of those had a great crop of peppers. The way we usually prepare them is to fry them whole in a little olive oil and then sprinkle some salt on them right before you serve them. My husband found a quicker way to cook them for his sandwich. IMG_0609 He just pokes a couple of holes in them with a fork or a knife then puts them on a plate and microwaves or “nukes” them for a minute. He then cooks the Basque chorizo in the microwave for a few minutes then combines them on either a tortilla or some whole wheat bread. Next comes some Monterey pepper jack cheese that goes on top and then back in the microwave for a few seconds til it’s melted.

IMG_0612

Chorizo and pepper

IMG_0619I think this cheese got a little too melted. But you get the general idea. It’s not gourmet, but it’s simple and very tasty.

Enjoy!

 

French Pear Pie

Thanks everyone that has viewed my blog! I appreciate each and every one of you!

The Basque Wife

When I was first married I met a great group of women in a club called Patte Kake. Patte Kake was an auxillary of the Children’s Home Society of California.  I had known quite a few of the women in the group, some from childhood, but  a few of the others were new brides that had moved into the area.  We were all in our 20’s and 30’s and used to meet at a different members house every month.  We always had beverages and desserts, some fancier than others but always homemade.   Most of the women where either married to farmers or their spouse was connected in some way to agriculture.  Some of the women I met in this group are still my dearest friends and I love them like sisters.

One of the fundraisers we had for Patte Kake was a cookbook that was made up of recipes from…

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French Pear Pie

When I was first married I met a great group of women in a club called Patte Kake. Patte Kake was an auxillary of the Children’s Home Society of California.  I had known quite a few of the women in the group, some from childhood, but  a few of the others were new brides that had moved into the area.  We were all in our 20’s and 30’s and used to meet at a different members house every month.  We always had beverages and desserts, some fancier than others but always homemade.   Most of the women where either married to farmers or their spouse was connected in some way to agriculture.  Some of the women I met in this group are still my dearest friends and I love them like sisters.

One of the fundraisers we had for Patte Kake was a cookbook that was made up of recipes from the members past and present.  It was a wonderful little book and after 35 years the one I have is well worn.   You can always tell the most used recipes in a cookbook, they are the ones with stains on the pages or the ones where the book opens up to the most used page.

Original Cookbook
Original Cookbook
Pear Pie Recipes
Pear Pie Recipes, definitely a used page..notice all the stains!
Pastry for Pie recipe notice the worn pages!
Pastry for Pie recipe
notice the worn pages!

Theresa was a childhood friend that invited me to join Patte Kake. Theresa was a fabulous cook.  Whatever came out of Theresa’s kitchen was always delicious.   I first had this French Pear Pie at Theresa’s house. I usually don’t like fruit pies, but I love this one.  It was originally from Theresa’s Aunt Amelia another fabulous cook!  My neighbor brought over a bag of fresh pears yesterday and it made me think of Theresa and her pear pie.  I haven’t made the pie since Theresa passed away and when I made the pie today my husband said it was the best one I have ever made.  I think Theresa was a little angel on my shoulder guiding me today.

French Pear Pie

4 or more fresh pears peeled and sliced

9 inch unbaked pie crust

3 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate

PearPie1

Put pears into crust-sprinkle with orange juice concentrate.

PearPie2Mix together the following and crumble over the pears.

1/2 cup granulated sugar

pinch salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup butter

PearPie3Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

It’s great served with whipped cream!

The pie crust I use is one that I have used since I got my Cuisinart food processor over 35 years ago.  The recipe came from a booklet that was in the Cuisinart box.

Pastry for Pies

1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 stick (4oz.) cold butter

1 tsp. salt (less if you use salted butter)

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar (optional)

1/4 cup ice water

Use steel knife of food processor.  Cut butter into 7 or 8 pieces.  Put all ingredients (except water) in work bowl of processor.  Process til mix has consistency of coarse meal. (5-10 seconds)  In 20 to 50 seconds a ball of dough will form above the blade.

Use immediately or chill, if desired.

Basque Wine Cake

This cake is so simple, delicious and might I say, addicting.  Make sure you have plenty of people to eat this after you bake it, because if you don’t I can guarantee you will eat almost all of it yourself.  It’s kind of like when you make homemade bread and it’s hot out of the oven and before you know it half the loaf is gone with 1/2 a stick of butter! Not that has ever happened to me!  This cake freezes well and is a wonderful cake to take to a new neighbor or anytime you want to give someone something home baked.

Our Basque club makes this a lot for our food booths at the county fair and two other events.  It’s always a favorite with the customers.

  In the summer I like to serve it with sliced fresh freestone peaches and top the peaches with real whipped cream that has a touch of ground cinnamon.

Ingredients for Wine Cake
Ingredients for Wine Cake

Basque Wine Cake

1 package yellow cake mix with pudding in it
4 eggs
1 cup white wine
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all ingredients.  Pour into greased Bundt pan.  Bake 50 to 55 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove from oven, turn out onto a plate and immediately pour glaze over hot cake.

Glaze:
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup white wine
dash of cinnamon

Mix well, adjusting sugar and wine amounts to get a heavy syrup.

Note:
You can use nutmeg instead of cinnamon.
You can also use spice cake mix or chocolate cake mix with red wine.  You can use red wine with the yellow cake mix, but it makes the cake a greenish color.

IMG_4559

Finished cake.

IMG_4568Wrapped and unwrapped cakes for my husbands customer appreciation dinner.

Enjoy!