Cucciddati

I  came across these after my first trip to Sicily where I bought a cookbook that has a version of that produces one huge ring that looks like these on steroids.  Looking online for other recipes and more info, I discovered that a smaller version exsited and have been making them each year since.  

Confession: I don't roll the dough out and cut rectangles.  I take about 1 tablespoon of dough, roll into a "snake" and roll that into a rectangle.  But do as you wish...

Cucciddati

12 oz figs

> 1/2 cup raisins

> 1/2 cup toasted almonds

> 1/2 cup toasted walnuts

> 2 tablespoons finely chopped orange peel

> 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

> 1 teaspoon ground cloves

> 4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

> 1 cup honey

> 1/2 cup Marsala

> 5 cups flour

> 3/4 cup sugar

> 3/4 cup shortening or lard

> 6 tablespoons butter

> 2 eggs

> 2 egg yolks

> 3/4 cup white wine

> 1 cup powdered sugar

> 2 tablespoons lemon juice

> Colored candied sprinkles 

> 

> Chop fruits and nuts and add spices, chocolate, honey and

> Marsala and let stand overnight in the refrigerator.

> Mix flour and sugar and cut in fats.  Add eggs, yolks,

> wine and mix until incorporated.  Wrap in plastic and

> refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

> 

> 

> Roll out dough about 1/8-inch thick and cut into rectangles 6x2.5 inches.

> Place some of the filling down the middle of  each and close it pinching the

> edges.  Join ends together to make a circle.  Snip

> cuts half way through in several places.

> 

> Bake on greased (or parchment paper covered) baking sheets

> in 375F oven for 

> 20 minutes.

> Let cool on rack.

> Make an icing of the powdered sugar and lemon juice and

> brush on each cookie followed immediately with sprinkles.

> 

Citrus Almond-bolo Libra

Citrus Almond-bolo Libra

12 colheres de sopa de manteiga gelada cortada em cubos sem sal, além de mais de pan
-farinha para pan
1/4 xícara de suco de limão fresco
1/2 xícara de suco de laranja fresco
3 xícaras mais
2 colheres de sopa de açúcar granulado
1 17-onça tubo de pasta de amêndoa (ou seguir a receita abaixo)
7 ovos grandes
2 colheres de chá de raspas de limão
2 colheres de chá de raspas de laranja
2 colheres de chá de essência de baunilha
1 1/2 xícaras de farinha de bolo
3/4 colher de chá de fermento em pó
1/4 colher de chá de sal
método
1. Pré-aqueça o forno a 350F. Manteiga e farinha de pan. Coloque o suco de limão e suco de laranja e 1 xícara e 2 colheres de sopa de açúcar em uma panela pequena e cozinhe em fogo baixo até o açúcar dissolver. Retire do fogo e deixe esfriar.
2. Coloque pasta de amêndoa e açúcar restante no processador de alimentos e processe até misturar bem. E manteiga e continuar o processamento até claro e macio. Com a máquina em funcionamento, adicionar os ovos um a um, juntamente com as raspas ea baunilha e continuar a processar até ficar homogêneo.
3. Pare de máquina e adicione a farinha, o fermento eo sal, e pulse algumas vezes, até que os ingredientes secos são integrados.
Despeje na panela e leve ao forno até dourar cerca de 1 hora e 10 min. Deixe esfriar um pouco.
4. Verter o xarope de citrinos sobre o bolo e deixá-lo definido para cerca de 30 minutos ou até que todo o líquido é absorvido e as libertações bolo do pan facilmente.

Almond Paste

Grind 1 1/2 xícaras de amêndoas no processador de alimentos para cerca de 2 minutos, adicione 1 xícara de açúcar de confeiteiro e bata até bem misturado. Mexer em 1 colher de chá de extrato de amêndoa e ovo branco suficiente para fazê-lo se unem em uma pasta grossa.

Kubis Masak Lemak

On a previous show, I gave a recipe for a cabbage soup that I found online.  Instead of repeating it here, I want to give this recipe from the book, Southeast Asian Food by Rosemary Brissenden.   I have altered a few ingredients and made a couple of changes.  I hope you will try this.
A few notes about some things.....
Coconut cream:
This is not a pie filling!  rsrs  If you cannot find this, (it should be available in southeast or asian markets) then leave two cans of regular coconut milk to sit undisturbed and open them and skim off the thick part on the top which should be enough for this recipe.
Just a note about reheating:
I think that overcooking shrimp is a sin.  Mortal or venial, sin is sin to me and turning something sweet, toothsome and tasty into something tough and bland is a sure one-way ticket to hell.
The best thing to do is reheat it in a saucepan on no more than medium just until heated through.  You want to avoid cooking the shrimp any more than they are or you will compromise the dish.
Another note....this one about the shrimp paste:
This recipe calls for the shrimp paste to be roasted which brings out another level of flavor that would otherwise be lost.
The way in which to do this is: Place the shrimp paste in a parcel of aluminum foil and put it in a dry pan over medium high heat.  Leave it in the pan for a few minutes.  Then remove and let cool.
Kubis Masak Lemak


2 cups thin coconut milk (1 cup regular coconut milk diluted with one cup of water)
1 pound of cabbage, shredded
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup coconut cream (see note above)
Spice Paste
3 Thai chilis (or 2 serranos)
1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste, roasted (see note above)
2-inch piece of tumeric root, peeled and coarsely chopped or a pinch of ground tumeric
1 clove garlic
4 shallots, sliced

Grind the spice paste ingredients into a paste.  Combine the thin coconut milk and the spice paste in a saucepan, stir well and bring to a boil.  Add the cabbage and cook until it is tender.  Add the shrimp and simmer until just done and then add thick coconut milk and let it just heat up taking care not to cook the shrimp any more.  I like to eat this just served over jasmine rice or you can serve this with grilled fish.

Chile Verde de Res

When I think of Chile Verde, pork is the first thing that comes to mind.  But trying to get away from the oink habit--as of late I have been researching Malaysian muslim recipes and have discovered the wonderful world of beef--I remembered this recipe from a favorite cookbook put out by the now-defunct California Culinary Academy for beef chile verde.
I have never made a thing from the cookbook on Mexican cuisine that I didn't like and this was no exception.  If you ever hit a garage sale where any of their cookbooks are, pick one up!  A few years back when I wanted to replace mine (yes, it's been used a lot and is falling apart) I could only locate them on websites that wanted at least 10 times the original price.

Chile Verde de Res


2 pounds round steak (or rump roast), cut into 1-inch pieces
Flour
3 tablespoons lard or oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 mild green chilies, roasted, peeled and cut into strips or 1 can (7 oz) whole green chilies, rinsed and cut into strips
1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup water
Salt to taste

Coat the meat with flour. Heat lard in skillet and brown meat. Do not crowd. Do in batches if necessary.
Add onion, garlic and cook until soft. Add chilies, tomato, oregano and cumin and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring. Slowly add the water, cover and simmer for 1 hours. Check seasoning and add salt if needed..
Serve with rice, beans, tortillas, cheese and sour cream if desired.

Slowcooker Jambalaya

OK, this is a little late.  Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and this should have been eaten today (Fat Tuesday)  Oh well, if you didn't give up meat for Lent, you can still make this.
I left this pretty much the way it is on the original on the Allrecipes.com.  The major change I made was in the type of shrimp used.  The recipe calls for cooked shrimp which I think is bad enough as it is.  But then when you add it to the other ingredients in a cooking environment, you are essentially cooking it again and adding insult to injury.  Truth is: shrimp takes so little time to cook that you really only need to mix in  the raw shrimp for the last few minutes for it to be cooked to perfection.   There are few things worse than over-cooked shrimp, tasteless, tough pieces of cardboard that most cats would not touch.

Jambalaya


1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound fresh peeled shrimp
Directions

In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, green bell pepper, celery, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme.
Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4 hours on High. Stir in the shrimp during the last few minutes of cook time taking care not to over-cook the shrimp.

Sup Ekor (Malaysian oxtail soup)

With every new Malaysian recipe I make, I find that I am delightfully surprised all over again.  Last night was no exception!
My friend Adam, who lives in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, gave me a list of soups to try this past week.  Looking up several recipes (Malaysian ingredients are not easy to find even in the Bay Area where there is a large Southeast Asian population) I settled on Sup Ekor, Malaysian oxtail soup and, as I stated above, I was not disappointed.  The fact that it made the entire house smell amazingly fragrant during the cooking process would have been reason enough to make it.  And I hope you will make it and enjoy it just as I did.







Sup Ekor


1 pound oxtail s(chopped into large pieces)
Half a head of Garlic
1 small onion
3 whole cloves
1 Lemongrass stalk (bashed and sliced)
1 thick slice of Ginger (sliced)
3 green Cardamoms
2 Star anises
1 Cinnamon bark
2 teasp ground Coriander
1 Tsp ground Cumin
2 tsp Peppercorns
2 Potatoes (cubed largely)
2 large carrots (sliced into large chunks)
1 Celery stalk (sliced into 3s)
3 Plum Tomatoes (halved)
2 tbsp concentrated Tomato paste
Salt to taste
Fresh Chillis
Fresh Coriander leaves
Fried Shallots

In a food processor, make a paste of the onion, ginger, garlic and lemongrass. Fry the paste in some oil along with the spices and oxtails. Add potatoes, carrots and celery and enough hot water to cover and summer covered on low for 1 hour.

Add the fresh tomatoes followed by the tomato paste. Then salt to taste. Cover and simmer for another hour or till the meat is melt-in-the-mouth.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves, chillis and fried shallots and serve hot with rice.

Cincinnati Chili

Yes, I'd heard of Cincinnati chili before but it sort of seemed disgusting to me.  I mean, come on now, chili on spaghetti with onions and cheese?  But who am I to criticize what other people eat.  I know people are pretty disgusted with the pics I post sometimes so....
It wasn't until someone gave me a can of Cincinnati chili to go with some high-end hot dogs I got a few years ago that I found out what all the hoop-la was about.
Now, I am completely hooked on Cincinnati chili to go on hot dogs.  It is perfect!  Especially if you are using G&G hot dog buns, which I know most of your aren't as they are a local thing.  But they are made just right to hold the chili in and have a great texture besides.   I hope you will make a batch of this and then freeze what you aren't going to use right away.  Or, even better, throw a hot dog party.   Your guests will be blown away!
Got this recipe from Joy of Cooking.  Tweak it a bit by adding a little more cayenne and let it cook down just a bit more to make it thicker.  You are going to love this!

Cincinnati Chili

In a large pot, bring to a boil
4 cups of water
Add:
2 pounds ground chuck
Stir until separated, reduce the heat to a simmer and add:
2 medium onions, finely chopped
5-6 garlic cloves, crushed
One 15-0z can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons ceder vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Stir in:
!0 pepper corns, ground
8 whole allspice berries, ground
8 whole cloves, ground
1 large bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, grated
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Cool uncovered and refrigerate overnight. Skim off fat before serving.