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GREEK BEEF STEW

~Submitted by Tena, MO

1/4 cup butter
3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2” cubes
2 cups red wine
2 cups beef broth
6 ounce tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
18 small white onions

In a heavy kettle melt butter over moderate heat, add meat and toss to coat but do not let it brown. Add red wine, broth, tomato paste, sugar, cumin, garlic, allspice, bay leaf and salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil over moderately h igh heat and simmer the stew, covered, for 1 hour and 30 minutes. In a saucepan of boiling water blanch onions for 1 minute; drain and peel. Add the onions to the stew and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Serves 6.




CINNAMON PEACH CRISP

~Submitted by Larry Holmes, Ontario, Canada

¼ cup quick-cooking rolled oats
½ cup sweetened granola
¼ cup all-purpose flour, divided
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup butter
5 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches (or apples)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons butter melted

In medium bowl, combine oats, granola, 3 tablespoons of the flour and brown sugar. Cut in ¼ cup butter until crumbly. Place ½ of the peach slices in an 8-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Sprinkle with ½ oatmeal mixture. Top with remaining fruit then remaining oatmeal mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon.. Drizzle with 1 ½ teaspoon melted butter. Bake in 375° F oven 30 minutes or until top in golden brown,.

Serves 6




CHOCOLATE MINT REFRESHER

~Submitted by Barbara, Chula Vista, CA

4 or 5 peppermint candies
1 tablespoon Hershey's Cocoa
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup milk
1 scoop vanilla ice cream

Crush candies in blender. Add cocoa and sugar; blend well. Add milk and ice cream. Blend until smooth; serve immediately. Garnish with mint leaves, if desired.




APPLE BOURBON BAKED HAM

~Submitted by Bev, FL

The sauce you get from this is wonderful. I double it to make sure there is enough to go around.

7 to 8-lb fully cooked bone in smoked ham, shank end
one half cup bourbon
1-1/2 cups water
one half cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup apple cider
one quarter cup Dijon mustard
1 tsp pepper

1. Place unwrapped ham on rack in large roasting pan. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 325° F. Skin ham; trim fat to ¼ inch. Score fat in diamond pattern. Cover top of ham with foil. Pour one quarter cup of the bourbon and all the water into roasting pan. Bake 30 minutes.

3. Glaze: meanwhile in small saucepan, combine remaining bourbon, the sugar and one half cup of the apple cider. Cook stirring, over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in mustard and pepper. After ham has baked 30 minutes, remove foil and baste with one fourth of the glaze (add water to pan if needed).

4. Bake 1-1/2 hours longer, basting 3 times with remaining glaze, or until internal temperature registers 130°F. on meat thermometer. Transfer ham to platter; tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes. Pour drippings from pan into glass measure; skin and discard fat.

5. Place same roasting pan across 2 stove top burners over medium high heat. Add remaining apple cider, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Add reserved drippings and any juices from ham on platter. Simmer 5 minutes.

6. Serve pan juices with ham and Peach and Sour Cherry Relish.

I’ve made the ham and it is outstanding, but have never made this relish, couldn't find the cherries but now we have a store that sells all kinds of dried fruit so I will be making it.

Peach and Sour Cherry Relish

1/3 cup dried, pitted sour cherries
one quarter cup dry sherry
one half cup sugar
2 tablespoons EACH fresh lime juice and wine vinegar
2 teaspoon minced peeled ginger
1 teaspoon yellow-mustard seeds
one quarter teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon EACH ground cloves and cayenne pepper
1 package (20-oz) frozen sliced peaches
1 small red onion, diced
chopped fresh parsley

1. In small bowl, soak cherries in sherry 30 minutes to soften.

2. In medium saucepan, over medium heat, simmer sugar, lime juice, vinegar, ginger, mustard seeds, cinnamon, cloves, and cayenne 5 minutes, stirring twice.

3. Add peaches, cherry mixture and onions; simmer gently, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.

4. Garnish with parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.

April 1996 McCall’s




RED, WHITE AND BLUE FROZEN DESSERT
(Originally submitted for our Red, White & Blue Theme)

~Submitted by Jessica, Corfu, Greece

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 c. lemon juice
2 c. plain yogurt
2 c. miniature marshmallows
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 pt. sliced strawberries (or raspberries or mixed)
1 c. blueberries

In a large bowl, combine milk and lemon juice. Stir in yogurt, marshmallows and nuts. In a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, spread half the milk mixture. Arrange half the strawberries and blueberries on top. Cover with remaining milk mixture and top with remaining fruit. Cover with foil and freeze until firm. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before cutting.

Makes 15 servings.




RUM & COFFEE ICE CREAM 1942
(NOT TNT !!!)

~Submitted by Ann, FL

2 cups hot boiled custard (recipe follows)
1 cup steel-cut coffee
1 1/2 cups cold water
Pinch of salt
2 cups Dora's cream *
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 Tablespoons rum

Make an infusion of the coffee and cold water by simmering 3 minutes. Strain into the hot custard. Cool and chill in ice box. When ready to freeze, add the cream, sugar, and salt and blend well. Stir in the vanilla and rum and freeze.

Boiled custard:

(This is the beginning of a recipe for Banana cream Pie from the same cookbook.)

"Make a stiff boiled custard of one pint milk, 3 egg yolks, one-half cup sugar, pinch of salt and three tablespoons cornstarch. Cool and add one teaspoon vanilla. Chill. ....."

[Since the recipe for the Rum & Coffee Ice Cream calls for hot boiled custard, and the custard recipe says to chill before adding the 1 teaspoon vanilla, I would use the custard without the vanilla since the R&C recipe does call for 2 tsps vanilla toward the bottom. I guess taste will tell if the 2 tsps are enough.]

* As for Dora's cream, there is another place in the same book titled Dora's Ice Cream:

[It's apparent from the description that Dora is a cow ... the writer goes on to say:]

"She gives no great quantity of milk, her disposition is vile and we dislike each other but I joyfully swap the most expensive twenty-per-cent dairy feeds .... in return for her cream. It raises to the depth of three-quarters of an inch on a shallow pan of milk. It is as yellow as buttercups. It is so thick, when ladled off into a bowl or pitcher, that it is impossible to pour. It must be spooned out. ....."

[Sounds like our supermarket heavy cream would be a poor substitute! ]

SOURCE: CROSS CREEK COOKERY
AUTHOR: MARJORIE KINNAN RAWLINGS
(Author of "The Yearling")

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For Two...

ORZO WITH TOMATOES AND ARUGULA

~Submitted by Jean, Syracuse, NY

Active time: 10 min
Start to finish: 25 min

1/4 cup orzo
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar plus additional to taste
1 small tomato, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup coarsely chopped arugula
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil
1 tablespoon pine nuts, lightly toasted (optional)

Cook orzo in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain well and transfer to a small bowl. Toss with oil and 1/2 teaspoon vinegar and cool to room temperature. Stir in tomato, arugula, basil, pine nuts (if using), and additional vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 1 serving.