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.

lamb shanks

Add minced garlic and chopped onion

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

Cook 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.

Finished!

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.

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. 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.

Chorizo and pepper

I 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

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.

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

Put pears into crust-sprinkle with orange juice concentrate.

Mix 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

Bake 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.

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.

Finished cake.

Wrapped and unwrapped cakes for my husbands customer appreciation dinner.

Enjoy!

Basque Chicken with sauce

I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off getting ready for the Gooding Basque clubs annual picnic this weekend. There is so much shopping and organizing to do. Good thing I love to do both of those things! In fact, I will admit that I am a little OCD when it comes to organizing! I have had this post ready for a while and just got around to finishing it.

This is my go to chicken recipe for our Basque club. I make it often for catered lunches and our first Friday dinners. At a recent luncheon a young man was practically licking the plate, he had used bread to get every last drop of sauce! As a cook you know you people enjoy your food when the plates coming back to the kitchen have no food left to scrape off other than bones. This is one of those recipes.

Brush oil in casserole dish and place chicken in casserole. Sprinkle granulated garlic and kosher salt over the chicken thighs. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until almost cooked

Place sweet peppers, onions and garlic in saucepan. Cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are nearly tender.

Add paprika and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir for 1 minute more.

Stir in tomatoes, broth, parsley and olives. Bring to a boil. Spoon mixture over chicken. Put casserole, covered, into a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.Enjoy!

Basque Chicken with sauce

1 package Chicken thighs with skin

olive oil

granulated garlic

kosher salt

1 green and 1 red bell pepper cut into bite size pieces

1 onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, add more if needed

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 small can pitted sliced olives

snipped fresh parsley about a handful

Brush oil in casserole dish and place chicken in casserole. Sprinkle granulated garlic and kosher salt over chicken thighs. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until almost cooked.

Place sweet peppers, onion and garlic in saucepan. Cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are nearly tender. Add paprika and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir for 1 minute.

Stir in tomatoes, broth, parsley and olives. Bring to boiling. Spoon mixture over chicken. Put chicken, covered into a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Baby Blanket

I come from a long line of seamstresses. My grandmother made all of her 5 girls clothes until they learned to sew for themselves. All of them learned from the master, my grandmother and she learned from her mother. My mom was the sewing 4-H leader for our club and she was an excellent teacher. If my seams weren’t perfect I had to rip them out and start over. It’s because of her perfection that I won so many blue ribbons in sewing at the county fair. I loved nothing better than to spend an afternoon looking through the Vogue pattern books and figuring out which fabric would look perfect for what I was sewing. I don’t sew for myself anymore. The patterns are so expensive and after you buy the material it seems cheaper and easier just to buy something already made. However I still like to sew on occasion and making gifts is what I enjoy doing. It seems like there are a lot of babies being born into my family and friends families this year. Last year when my nephew and his wife were expecting their first child I wanted to sew a blanket for their little boy. I looked at the fabric stores in my town and couldn’t find anything unique for little Bennett. His nursery colors were white, gray and yellow and since his grandfather is a farmer I wanted a fabric with a tractor on it. I looked online and found a wonderful site at http://www.spoonflower.com/ . The reason this site has become a favorite is that you can just type in any word and all the fabrics with that description will be shown. You also have your choice of the design being printed on Kona Cotton, Combed Cotton, Poplin, Voile, Silk, Linen Cotton Canvas, Organic Cotton Knit, Cotton Twill or Crepe de Chine. Prices range from $17.50 a yard for the Combed Cotton to $38 per yard for the Crepe de Chine. The designs are created by independent fabric designers and when you purchase their fabric you usually get an email from them thanking you for your purchase. I especially like that personal touch!

I also made Bennett some bibs and burp cloths with fabric from Spoonflower.

I loved this mustache fabric.

Bennett’s other grandfather is a beekeeper and the bee fabric was perfect.

It seems that the majority of babies have been little boys. Out of the 6 blankets I made only one was for a little girl. Her nursery theme was lady bugs and I found the perfect lady bug material at Spoonflower. Unfortunately I didn’t take pictures of the other 3 blankets I made, but here is the link to the fabric on the website.

http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/1153869?buy_this=true&fabric_item_id=2606024

http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/643903?buy_this=true&fabric_item_id=2666257

http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/1010537?buy_this=true&fabric_item_id=3991855.

These blankets take 1 yard of the cotton fabric and 1 yard of a fabric called Cuddle Bubble that I purchased at Hancock Fabrics. I also used 1 package of blanket binding.

The first thing I do is iron the cotton fabric so that it lays flat. I then lay the cuddle fabric with the wrong side up on a table then lay the cotton fabric with the wrong side down on top of it. I pin the edges of the two fabrics all the way around.

Starting at one corner I count 4 bubbles and sew a line. Then count 4 more bubbles and sew another line. Once you get the whole thing sewn going one way you turn it and do the same.

This way you end up with squares of 4 down and 4 across.

I then baste the binding all around the edge of the blanket and hand stitch the binding with a blind stitch.

This is the finished blanket.

Here is the other one.

If you like to sew these are relatively easy blankets and they don’t need a pattern!

Tasty Pintxos, Pinchos, or Tapas, whatever you want to call them.

Three years ago our family was in the Basque Country (Euskadi) courtesy of my mother-in-law. We had a great time visiting the villages her parents were from and seeing the beautiful countryside and cities. The food we ate was spectacular! We stayed at the Hotel Bolina in Gernika. When we left after 10 days it was like leaving family. http://www.hotelbolina.es. A simple breakfast of cafe con leche and a croissant was something I looked forward to every morning. Dinner of fresh fish caught that morning cooked perfectly and simply along with ensalada mixta and cheese for dessert. Pintxos lined up on the bar where you get a plate and choose a few pintxos to eat and pay the bartender based on how many toothpicks are on your plate. The variety of pintxos was mind boggling.

A pintxo (pincho) is a snack, but you can make it into a meal. It is typically eaten in bars and is especially popular in Euskadi, where they are regarded as a cornerstone of local culture and society. They are related to tapas, the traditional Spanish snack, but the main difference is pintxos are usually “spiked” with a skewer or toothpick, often to a piece of bread. They are served in individual portions and always ordered and paid for independently from the drinks.

Cafe con leche, croissant and freshly squeezed orange juice at the Hotel Bolina.

Ensalada mixta at Hotel Bolina in Gernika.

Pintxos at a bar in San Sebastian (Donostia). Donostia is the Basque name for San Sebastian.

When you travel to Euskadi, pintxos are probably as close as you can come to “fast food.” You can have a fast, relatively cheap meal made with fresh ingredients.

As you can see, the bar is loaded with pintxos … all different and all delicious!

Donostia, Parte Viejo

It has been a month since my daughter and son-in-law had their pintxo party. My daughter and son-in-law love to cook, so a tapas party was right up their alley. The recipes came from different sources: cookbooks and a new app I got for my iPad that shows step-by-step instructions and a picture of the finished dish. The app is The Photo Cookbook-Tapas. I think it costs $3.99, but I think it’s worth the money. There is also a wonderful book, Tapas of San Sebastian by Pedro Martin. The forward was written by Juan Mari Arzak, considered one of the great masters of the New Basque Cuisine. There are over 500 tapas recipes from 150 chefs from the bars and restaurants in San Sebastian. The instructions don’t give the amount for the ingredients. You have to do some guess work, but the photos of the food are phenomenal and it gives you an idea of what is available at the establishments in San Sebastian.

Pintxos!

I’m not including all the recipes for the party. In the photo you will see there is asparagus, and that was served with an aioli sauce. There was also chorizo, shrimp and basil on small skewers, salted almonds, plates with assorted cheese and meats and a bacalao dish. Everything was delicious!

Braised onions with goat cheese

Saute 1 red onion with salt and pepper until translucent.

Add 3/4 cup creme de Cassis and 1/4 cup red wine vinegar to the onions.

. Cook for about 4 minutes until onions are shiny.

Stir in 1 Tbsp granulated sugar and cook for one minute, then remove from heat. Set aside.

Slice baguette and goat cheese. Add slice of goat cheese, then top with the braised onions and a little fresh thyme.

Seafood salad

As soon as we ate this seafood salad, we all said that it tasted just like the pintxos we had in Donostia!

Put a heaping 1/2 cup small shrimp and a heaping 1/2 cup white crabmeat into a bowl and stir together.

Add 1 celery stick, finely chopped, 1 small red onion, very finely chopped, 6 Tbsp. mayonnaise, and lemon juice to taste.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley. Slice 16- 20 slices from a baguette. Mound the mixture on the bread slices.

Spanish tortilla

Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a 10 inch frying pan over high heat. Reduce the heat, then add about 1 pound of baking potatoes that have been peeled and thinly sliced and 1 large onion chopped and cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and onions through a colander, reserving the oil. Beat 6 large eggs in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Very gently stir the potatoes and onions into the eggs. Add 4 Tbsp of the reserved oil to the frying pan and heat over medium heat. Add the egg mixture and smooth the surface with a spatula, pressing the potatoes and onions into and even layer. Cook until the base is set shaking the pan occasionally. Use a spatula to loosen the side and bottom of the tortilla. Place a plate that is as large as the frying pan over the top and invert the tortilla onto the plate. (I find that this step is best done over the sink, just in case!) Gently slide the tortilla cooked side up back into the frying pan. Continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes or until the eggs are set and the base is golden.

Prosciutto wraps

Wrap watercress and pecorino Toscano (or any hard cheese) in a slice of prosciutto. Place on serving plate. Grind fresh cracked pepper on top. Make a vinaigrette with freshly chopped chives, mustard seed, lemon juice and olive oil. Drizzle on top of the wrapped prosciutto.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal Goodness

My husbands amuma (grandmother) used to make oatmeal cookies with dried apricots that the family sun-dried themselves from their orchard. The best ones to dry are the ones that are over ripe…they aren’t pretty like the ones you see in the store, but they are a lot sweeter. His amuma used to cut them in little pieces the size of raisins. We have a friend that his families business makes the most delicious dried fruit and they have a product called Bakers Fruit Medley www.trainafood.com. The medley is a blend of sun-dried pear, peaches, nectarines, apricots, golden and dark raisins and dried cranberries. The pears, peaches, nectarines and apricots are cut into the size like amuma used to do with the apricots. The Traina family are the growers, dryers and processors of the fruit. Not only is it great in oatmeal cookies, I also use it in oatmeal for breakfast and in granola.

For the oatmeal I prefer is Snoqualmie Falls Lodge Oatmeal from Seattle, Washington. Their website is www.snoqualmiefallsstore.com. I like the consistency and the texture of the oatmeal. You can use any brand you prefer.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks),butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups oatmeal (NOT quick oats)

1 cup fruit medley or 1 cup raisins

Snoqualmie Oatmeal

I keep a slice of bread in with my brown sugar to keep it soft. I change it out every so often as it gets hard.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla on low-speed til smooth.

Mix together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside about 1/4 cup and stir in the rest with the creamed mixture.

Mix together the oatmeal and the dried fruit.

Add the reserved 1/4 cup of flour mixture to the oatmeal and dried fruit. This keeps the fruit from clumping together when you mix it in.

Add oatmeal and dried fruit mixture to the creamed mixture and continue to stir until blended.

I use an ice cream scoop to drop the cookie dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. If you don’t have an ice cream scoop use a tablespoon.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Makes approximately 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Grab a glass of cold milk and enjoy the cookies!

Comfort Food

I found this recipe years ago in Sunset magazine. The original name of the stew is Son-of-a-son-of-a-bitch stew. I believe it was from a dude ranch in the west. I have adjusted it a little bit…it had cabbage and something else I can’t remember in it before. Years ago when my son was doing lineman work in Wyoming and the crew was gone for 8 days at a time I would make this and freeze it for my son and some of the crew to heat up in a microwave at their hotel. It is definitely comfort food. This with a nice slice of artisan bread is a great meal. Your kitchen will smell wonderful when you make it! I have shared this recipe with friends over the years and a young friend said I should put this on the blog…thanks Ali!

Son of a Gun Stew

3 pounds boneless beef stew meat with the fat trimmed (I bought a chuck steak and made my own stew meat)

2 large onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1/3 cup dry red wine

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 quart beef broth

1 can beer (I use Bud Light, but use whatever you want. The more full bodied the beer the stronger the taste.)

4 large carrots, sliced

1 cup celery coarsely chopped

2 dried bay leaves

2 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes

In a 6-8 quart pan or Dutch oven, combine beef, onions, garlic and Worcestershire. Cover and cook over medium high heat for 30 minutes. Uncover and stir often until liquid evaporates and its residue turns dark brown. Add wine and stir to release browned bits.

Smoothly mix flour, sugar, thyme and pepper.

Mix in 1 cup of beef broth until smooth. Add to beef along with remaining broth.

Add beer, carrots, potatoes, celery and bay leaves. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and simmer until meat is very tender when pierced and carrots and potatoes are done, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Season to taste with salt.

Serves 4-6 people

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