Tag Archives: tomatoes

Liver in Spanish Sauce

This was one of Mom’s standby recipes. I did not like liver until one day when I was about four. I distinctly remember sitting in the dining “nook” in the kitchen in McConnell Creek, having eaten my mashed potatoes and vegetable, pushing the little pieces of liver around my plate and trying to make it look like I was finished. I guess I’d done it before, because THIS time Dad wasn’t having any of it. He gave me an ultimatum: “I’ll go into the living room to sit on the  (Chartreuse) couch beside the (Hammond Chord) organ, and will wait for 5 minutes. When I come back, either the liver is inside your stomach, or you go to bed for the rest of the day without anything else to eat, no books, no toys.” I debated momentarily before resignedly setting into my plate. There really wasn’t all that much on it, after all–I hadn’t been served a large portion. I survived the experience and liver became one of my favorite foods. I used to hate cheddar cheese, too, if you can believe that one.

Ingredients for Liver in Spanish Sauce

  • 1 lb. sliced beef liver
  • 2 T flour
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1/4 t pepper
  • 2 T chopped onion
  • 2 T chopped green pepper
  • 1 t dried parsley
  • 1/8 t cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups canned tomatoes
  • 2 T oil or bacon drippings

Preparing Liver in Spanish Sauce

Rinse and trim liver. Dredge in flour. Brown in oil or bacon drippings. Add rest of ingredients. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove cover and let sauce thicken if desired. Serve over rice.

Eggplant Casserole

  • 1 large eggplant
  • 1 bunch spinach
  • 3-4 Italian tomatoes
  • 1/2 container cottage cheese
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan
  • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 slice onion, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
  • Olive oil
  • Oregano, fresh basil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Parsley, chopped

Slice eggplant and salt. Let drain on paper towels for 15 to 30 minutes. Press to remove excess moisture.

Cook spinach for 5 minutes in salted water and drain. Sauté mushrooms, onion, garlic and green pepper lightly in olive oil. In ovenproof dish, layer eggplant, tomatoes, mushroom mix, cottage cheese and 3/4 cup of the mozzarella. Sprinkle basil and oregano on each layer. Season to taste. May add 1/4 cup thick white sauce if desired. Top with breadcrumbs, remainder of mozzarella and Parmesan. Place in 350ºF oven for about 20 minutes.

Veal Casserole

This veal casserole is versatile.  I’ve used regular tough beef instead of veal, oil or margarine instead of butter, red wine instead of white, canned tomatoes instead of fresh, and it always comes out delicious.

Ingredients for Veal Casserole

  • 2-1/2 to 3 lbs. veal cutlet, cubed
  • 3 T butter
  • 1 T oil
  • 2 T chopped onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 T flour
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup dry, white wine
  • 4 large tomatoes, chopped
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 lb. mushrooms

Preparation:

Brown meat in butter and oil. Remove and place in casserole dish. In fat, saute onion and garlic. Stir in flour till smooth and add chicken stock, 1/4 cup wine, tomatoes, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over veal.

Cover and place in 350ºF oven for 1-1/2 hours, adding balance of wine as necessary. Saute mushrooms quickly in butter and spread over meat. Return to oven for 30-45 minutes.

 

Chicken Spaghetti

This is Loretta’s Chicken Spaghetti recipe. I’d neither heard of nor eaten Chicken Spaghetti before knowing Loretta.  She brought it into the family and it stayed. Chicken Spaghetti also brought Velveeta processed cheese into focus, as it seems Chicken Spaghetti is nigh on impossible to make without it.

I no longer eat chicken or cheese or any dairy products, much less “processed cheese.” By extension, Chicken Spaghetti no longer forms part of my diet. However, the recipe does remain!

Chicken Spaghetti Ingredients

  • 1 4-lb. chicken
  • 2 boxes spaghetti
  • 1 can chicken broth plus water
  • 1/2 lb. butter
  • 1 chopped green pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt, pepper, paprika,
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 1 large can tomatoes
  • 1 can mushroom soup
  • 6 sliced pitted black olives
  • 1 lb. process cheese
  • 1/4 cup split almonds
  • 3 T Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth

Cook chicken. Skim fat, bone and chop the meat. Cook spaghetti in broth with extra water. Set aside. Saute green pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and onion in butter. Add to spaghetti. Add tomatoes, mushroom soup and Worcestershire. Add chicken and simmer for a few minutes.

Remove from fire and chill overnight. Place in a baking dish, layered with process cheese and olives. Top with almonds and Parmesan. Pour on extra broth and bake until hot and crusty on top

Cabbage with sour cream

1 cabbage, shredded
1 T wine vinegar
2 oz. fat
1 pint sour or double cream
1 large tomato
3 or 4 green peppers
2 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon caraway seeds

Cook the shredded cabbage in very little salted water with the quartered tomato, the seeded and sliced peppers, caraway seeds and seasoning. Cook till all vegetables are tender. Make a light roux with the flour and fat and mix it into the cooked vegetables. Stir in the cream and heat through before serving.

Pico de Gallo Hot Sauce

Pico de Gallo is a uncooked Mexican salsa made with coarsely chopped tomatoes, onion, chiles, and sometimes fresh coriander.  This version has a little vegetable oil and a hint of garlic added.

This salsa will be as hot as the chiles you put into it. An excellent addition to Pico de Gallo is small cubes of avocado

Pico de Gallo literally means “rooster’s beak”–

Ingredients for Pico de Gallo Hot Sauce

  • 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped finely
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 to 3 jalapeño or Serrano chiles, seeded and chopped finely
  • Salt
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
  • 1 small clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil (optional) (olive or avocado is best)
  • lime juice to taste

Preparing Pico de Gallo Hot Sauce

Combine all ingredients and let stand for awhile before using.  The salt will help bring out the pungency of the chiles, and adding oil and/or lime juices makes for a juicier sauce.

If you don’t like fresh coriander, simply leave it out, and the salsa will still work.

Veal Paprikash

A Hungarian veal stew seasoned with paprika, often served with dumplings but can also be ladled over noodles, potatoes, or rice.

  • 1-1/2 lb veal, cubed
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 T paprika
  • 1 T salt
  • 1 large green pepper, cubed
  • 1 large tomato, chopped

For dumplings:

  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Fry onion until golden. Add paprika, stir to release aroma and then add a little water. Cook until the water has boiled off, add the meat and salt, cover, and cook over a low flame, stirring often. As the liquid boils off, continue to add a little water at a time, allowing the meat to brown and a thick gravy to form.

When the meat is almost tender, add the tomato and the green pepper. Continue simmering until the meat is tender.

For the dumplings, mix the flour with salt and egg and add just enough water to form a stiff dough. Pinch out small pieces of dough and leave in a floured bowl. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and throw in the dumplings. Cook for about 10 minutes. Drain and serve hot with the veal.

Serves 4 to 6

Lecso

  • 2 lbs. pork, cubed
  • 4 onions, sliced
  • Oil for frying
  • 6 green peppers, sliced
  • 3 hot peppers, chopped
  • 8 ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • 1-1/2 cups rice
  • 3 cups water
  • 4 polish sausages, cut in pieces

Brown pork with 1 of the onions in oil in large pot. Add a little water and cook until pork is done. Add sausage. Add rest of onions, green peppers, tomatoes, hot peppers and rice and combine well. Heat over low flame until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

White Bean and Ham Salad

White beans are very popular in Mediterranean cuisine. A number of bean varieties are referred to as white beans, and those include cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, navy beans, and baby lima beans. They all cook relatively quickly, have a mild taste, and are creamy and rich.

This recipe definitely gains flavor as it sits and chills. Consider preparing it well ahead of time, even the day before.

White Bean and Ham Salad recipe ingredients

2 cups cooked white beans
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 large red onion, chopped
2 cups cooked ham, julienned
3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
5 large garlic cloves, crushed
1-1/2 T Dijon mustard

How to prepare White Bean and Ham Salad

Combine beans, tomatoes, onion, ham and basil. Toss gently.

Whisk olive oil, vinegar, garlic and mustard until blended. Season to taste. Pour over bean mixture. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information for Cannellini Beans

Nutritional information is available from the USDA FoodData Central – Cannellini Bean Nutrition Facts

Veganize your White Bean (no Ham) salad

Simply leave out the ham and add a half-teaspoon or more to taste of smoked paprika or liquid smoke.

white beans

Greek Salad

Crunchy, chunky, savory Greek salad with olives, basil, and oregano can be eaten as a side dish or a meal in itself. Greek salad always reminds me of Anna.

Greek salad ingredients

Ingredients:

Greek salad
That looks like an olive tree in the background… (by Anna)

  • 1 small red onion, sliced
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, in strips
  • 1 red pepper, in strips
  • 1 cucumber, pared and diced
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 T lemon juice or vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1 T fresh basil, minced
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. thyme
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 12 large black olives
  • 1/4 lb. feta cheese, cubed

Toss vegetables together. Mix oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and seasonings. Shake. Pour over vegetables and chill. Toss with feta cheese and olives and serve.

Vegan version

Easy: Just omit the feta cheese or substitute cubes or crumbles of well-drained tofu that’s been marinated in a mixture of oil, vinegar or lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, oregano, and other herbs to your taste.