The SketchUp recipe book

Jackson

Who would guess that the outcome of the following set of ingredients is absolutely delicious? I love it!

Sheep's heart, lungs and liver
One beef intestine
3 cups finely chopped suet
One cup medium ground oatmeal
Two medium onions, finely chopped
One cup beef stock
One teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
One teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon mace

Jackson

juju

Would that be "haggis"? (spelling?)

John Sayers

No - a "haggis" would also have a sheeps stomach in the recipe or was that left out by mistake

cheers
john

RonS

Swordfish Steaks and Grilled Caponata

4 swordfish steaks,
8 ounces each
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Grilled Caponata, recipe follows

Heat grill to high. Brush swordfish on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-well doneness. Remove from the grill and top with some of the Grilled Caponata. Serve.

Grilled Caponata:
1 medium eggplant, sliced lengthwise
1 large red onion, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
4 plum tomatoes, halved
Olive oil, for brushing vegetables, plus 1/2 cup
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup green olives, chopped
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1/4 cup golden raisins, plumped in hot water and drained
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Heat grill to high. Brush eggplant, onion slices, and tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill the eggplant for 6 to 8 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Grill the onions for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown and just cooked through. Grill the tomatoes for 2 minutes per side until charred and slightly soft. Remove the vegetables from the grill and cut into 1/2-inch dice.

Place the vegetables in a medium bowl and add the olives, capers, raisins and pine nuts. Mix together the garlic, red pepper flakes, vinegar, and honey in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Slowly whisk in about 1/2 cup olive oil until dressing is emulsified. Pour the dressing over the vegetables, add the parsley and toss, and let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

John Sayers

That's sound wonderful Ron - I'll try that one.

May I say - it's nice to see a recipe from the US that has straight imgredients

Most recipes I get from the US read like this

take one cup of DR Reason's Southern style ketchup
and add one table spoon of Mary Keen's special hot and spicey sauce
add one teaspoon of McCormacks special grain mustard
etc etc.

cheers
john

RonS

I just left those ingredients out John.

Stu

Thanks Ron,

That Caponata recipe looks like something I have to try
Have you tried using it on anything other than fish?

Stu

RonS

Stu,
If you like all of the vegetables in the caponata I think it would go good with grilled chicken. Never tried it with chicken. I have a cook out this weekend and I will try a couple different meats and see what is the best and let you know. But then, I like the caponata all by itself.

Ross Macintosh

I have a friend from Slovakia who makes this very delicious soup. I don't know the name but I remember she says it is fairly traditional in her region. Might be from Poland or the Czech Republic -- I don't know. Of course my version of it might only have a slight resemblance to the original.

I make it without a formal recipe but I'll try to guess on reasonable quantities. Even if you think you may not particularly like the individual ingredients please consider trying it anyways. The whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts. Seriously good!

In a large pot, heat up 1.5 tablespoons on cooking oil.
Throw in at least one cup of diced kielbasa sausage and fry until browned.
[Note: A fairly lean dry-style pepperoni can be used in place of Kielbasa]
Add a large chopped onion and let it continue frying.
Add a few cloves of coarsely chopped garlic. Continue with the frying.
When the onions/garlic have some colour add about 1 litre of drained/rinsed sauerkraut.
Continue simmering - adding more oil if needed to keep it from sticking.
Stir so all the sauerkraut gets a couple of minutes of high heat treatment & the bottom of the pot is fully deglazed.
Add one tablespoon of brown sugar and two tablespoons of vinegar.
Add two litres of water.
Optional: Add two diced prunes (or four or five diced dried apricots).
Add 1.5 teaspoons of paprika spice.
Optional: Add a sprinkle of crushed chilies or cayenne pepper.
Simmer for minimum one hour with the cover on.
You can add more as req'd water to make up for evaporation.
Enjoy!

What happens with this soup is the sauerkrauted cabbage gets so tender & sweet that even people who think they hate sauerkraut or cabbage will be most pleasantly surprised. The broth has a very unique sweet & sour taste that is totally addictive. The broth remains fairly light -- it doesn't really thicken up, yet with the cabbage & Kielbasa it is a very hearty and satisfying soup. Real 'comfort food' of the highest order.

Please let me know if you try it. I'd love to hear what you think.

Regards, Ross

RonS

Here is another one I like.

Rib-eye Steaks

6 (8 to 10-ounce) rib-eye steaks
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 large bunch fresh rosemary, leaves chopped
6 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 large bunch fresh sage, leaves chopped

Steaks: Preheat a grill. Mix shallot slices with olive oil. Salt and pepper 1 side of rib-eyes, cook on medium-high grill for 7 minutes. Turn steaks, paint with olive oil mixture and add more salt and pepper. Press rosemary into cooked side and grill another 2 to 3 minutes
Tomatoes: Brush olive oil mixture on 1 side of the tomato slices, and sprinkle salt and pepper. Place on medium-high grill, olive oil side down, for 4 to 5 minutes until they have grill marks but are still somewhat firm. Paint uncooked side with olive oil mixture and sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Turn and place minced fresh sage onto cooked side. Grill another 2 to 3 minutes.

Place the steaks on a plate and serve with the tomatoes. Sprinkle with more herbs as desired.

Gidon Yuval

Here's one I love. It makes a helluva great impression, it's delicious and best of all it's easy to make.

Pre-heat a pan and then pour in olive oil and add a good sized chunk of slightly salted butter. The olive oil serves to prevent the butter from burning. Add Thyme, Rosemary, salt and pepper to taste.
Once the butter has melted take a good sized Entrecote steak (preferably thick) and 'seal' it on both sides being carefull not to cook the steak, just seal it. Remove the steak and set it aside.
Place a piece of French puff pastry in a Corningware (or simmilar) baking tray (dish?) big enough that it covers the bottom and sides. Spread goose liver patte on the pastry so that it covers the bottom and sides.
Place the sealed steak on the patte, and spread patte on it so that it too is covered.
Cover with puff pastry as you would a pie, sealing all along the borders of the dish. Make a number of small holes in the pastry cover to allow steam to escape.
Brush egg yoke on the pastry top and place in pre-heated oven set to medium high. Bake till pastry is golden brown.

Serve with steamed asparagus in a light Hollandaise sauce.

Gidon Yuval

Baked Aubergine (Eggplant) with deep fried Camembert cheese.

Place medium sized Aubergines in medium high oven and bake until soft turning the aubergines regularly to ensure an even baking all around. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Cut Camembert into small bite sized cubes.
Prepare a light tempura using beaten egg whites, a teaspoon or two of water and cornstarch.
Pre heat a frying pan and fry bread crumbs in butter untill golden brown.
Dip Camembert cubes in tempura and deep fry until golden brown. Remove fried cubes and immediately roll in fried bread crumbs untill well coated.
Carefully peel the cooled Aubergines. Cut each one into thick slices (aprox. 6-7 cms thick).
Stand a slice on a plate and sprikle generously with olive oil and lemon juice. Add fresh crushed garlic, coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Place Camembert cubes on and around slice.

Enjoy!

trs

Guacamole;
After much experimenting it come down to the basis.
2-3 ripe avacado's, remove pit, scoop out fruit
1 clove of garlic, smashed and diced
1 firm medium plum tomatoe, fine dice
fresh squeezed lime to taste. one should do it
1 halepano pepper, pull out ribs and seeds. fine dice
hand full of diced celantro. flat leave parsely will substitute.
salt to taste.
optional; teaspoon of good chile powder.

combine all in a bowl. mash until smooth. taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
chill overnight. serve with chips and margaritas.
stand back as you very likely get a chip in the back of your hand.
trs

John Sayers

Thanks Gidon - that first recipe is officially a Beef Wellington.
The problem I find today is that you can't get a decent sized eye fillet as all our beef is yearling and the eye fillet is too small.

cheers
john

RonS

OK one more

Grilled Peaches

4 ripe medium peaches
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 to 2 pints frozen vanilla yogurt

Cut the peaches in half and remove the pit. Slice each half in half and toss them in a bowl with the vanilla extract, almond extract, and brown sugar. Set aside for 15 minutes while you preheat a grill with a medium-high heat. Grill skin side down until skin is slightly charred, about 3 minutes. Turn and grill on the other 2 sides until you get nice grill marks, about 1 minute on each side.
Divide the peaches among 4 bowls and serve with the frozen yogurt and toasted almonds, if desired.

Gidon Yuval

@john sayers said:

Thanks Gidon - that first recipe is officially a Beef Wellington.

Thank you, John. I was shown this dish about 20 years ago and loved it but had no idea it had a name. And all this time I thought the guy who showed it to me was a genius. Don't get me wrong, I still think he's a great cook, I just think that maybe he should add a dash of humility to his recipes (and I use the word 'his' loosely ).

Is there an official name for the other recipe I posted? The Aubergine dish?

John Sayers

Not that I know of Gidon - the deep fried Camembert is a standard recipe in it's own right though. The asians have a deep fried ice cream that is similar

cheers
john

Gidon Yuval

Ron! There are 6 very happy people looking over my shoulder as I write this 'thank you' note for the grilled peaches recipe.
Too bad you can't hear the applause!
Take a bow, Ron.

John Sayers

My local ABC radio program broadcast this on "Thank God It's Friday". Apparently a restaurant sued a reviewer over a review he wrote for a local restaurant.

So the program requested the 3 guests to review their home dining experience.

301 Moved Permanently

(johnlsayers.com)

anything like your household??

cheers
john

RonS

Gidon,
They are a big winner here to. I eat them all of the time. Around 4 or 5 times a week when they are in season. Tell everyone I said thanks.