Congri “Cuban Rice Dish” - Teresa “Sotolongo” Aspiotis

Congri “Cuban Rice Dish”
 

• 1 can of Goya Black Beans
• 1 medium Onion chopped
• 1 green bell pepper chopped
• 6-8 strips of bacon cut in small pieces
• 3-4 garlic cloves chopped
• Salt & Pepper according to your liking
• 2 cups of long grain rice
• 3 cups of water
• 2 Bay leaves

In a sauce pan add 4-5 tablespoons of Olive Oil and add the onions, peppers, bacon & garlic, sauté until golden
.
Now add to a Pot 3 Cups of water, salt according to liking, bay leaves, 2 tbsp. olive oil & 1 can of black beans add all liquid in can as well do not drain. Bring to a boil and add the rice, lower the heat and slowly boil for about 5-7 minutes then my secret to the perfect rice is before the rice is done I close the stove burner and cover the pot with kitchen cloth and put top cover on pot and let it stay for another 15 minutes and you got a perfect rice without worrying that it will stick or burn.
Bon Appetite & More to come Teresa “Sotolongo” Aspiotis

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Meatball & Sauce - Ilona Borodics Medina

For Sauce:

• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 2 small cans of tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp or so Corn oil
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ tsp. Salt & ¼ tsp. pepper
• Large non-stick pot with lid

For Meatballs

• 1 lb. beef only chop meat
• 1 egg
• ½ cup or so Plain bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. Grated Romano cheese
• Parsley flakes
• ¼ tsp. Salt & ¼ tsp. pepper
• Large bowl for mixing

Combine all ingredients for meatballs in bowl and shape into meatballs. Brown the meatballs either in the microwave or in a frying pan (no oil). 

For sauce………line bottom of non-stick pot with oil and heat. While oil is heating chop up onion and garlic until fine. Put it in pot and sauté. Garlic should only be browned slightly. 

Put in 2 cans of tomato sauce and 1 can of tomato paste, stir. Now fill the tomato sauce can with water and pour into tomato paste can, stir. I do this so I can get all the sauce and paste out. Repeat with other tomato sauce can. Fill tomato paste can again with water. You should have a total of 3 cans of water from the tomato past cans. The sauce should be a saucy consistency, not watery. Drop in the meatballs, lower heat immediately and stir. Add salt and pepper. Cover with lid and stir every 15 minutes or so, making sure it doesn’t stick to bottom. 

Tomato sauce cooks very hot and burns easily, heat should be as low as possible – you should only see a slight bubble when cooking. Cook for about 1-1/2 – 2 hrs. The oil will rise to the top of the sauce when finished, you can scoop it off if you like. Because you cook it for a long amount of time, the sauce will lose it’s tomato taste and taste more beefy.

LEKVAR COOKIES - Ilona Borodics Medina

• Sugar,
•  4 sticks butter, 
• 4 cups flour, 
• small amount of flour to coat work surface, 
• med. jar of Lekvar and 
• apricots, 
• 2 bars cream cheese, 
• 1 egg, 
• powdered sugar

Blend softened butter and cream cheese together (a food processor can be used), 

add 2 cups flour, mix, gradually add the rest of the four. 

In the meantime spread sugar, small amount of flour on table/work surface .
Beat egg in a small bowl- set aside .Roll dough in a large ball, put remainder in refrigerator. Roll out dough with rolling pin, till thin,( not too thin – you have to be able to roll and put filling into it, without it falling apart). If dough is too sticky add more flour to dough and working surface.
Cut into small squares and fill. 

Place on cookie sheet. Brush cookies with egg. When completely cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly golden brown at 375.

Palacsinta (Hungarian crepes) - Beata Middlebrook

Palacsinta Batter 

• 3 cups sifted unbleached flour ( I use King Arthur)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups of milk
• 1 1 /2 teaspoons vanilla extract (real vanilla, not the imitation extract)
• 6 Tablespoons melted butter
• About 1 1/2 cups club soda
• 3 Tablespoons cooking oil ( I use canola)

This recipe makes about 20 6 1/2 inch crepes.

Mixer method: mix flour, salt and sugar. Work in the eggs one at a time,
then very gradually add the milk, beating well after each addition.
Beat in the melted butter and vanilla. Strain the batter to remove any large lumps.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Just before using, stir the batter and pour in as much club soda
as needed to make a thin batter. You want the consistency of light cream.

Do yourself a favor and buy a 6 1/2 inch teflon crepe pan and use it JUST for crepes.
I have 2 of them and believe me, they make this process much easier.

Heat the crepe pan on medium flame until very hot, brush with oil. When it starts to smoke
pick it up off the flame, pour 2-3 tablespoons into the middle of the pan and quickly swirl it
around until the batter coats the entire bottom of the pan.
A palacsinta should be very thin without getting lacy. It helps if you can use a small ladle
or small ice cream scoop. Remember you just want it to coat the bottom of the pan. This takes a bit of practice.
If you put too much batter into the pan, just pour the excess off and use it for the next crepe.
Put the pan back on the heat for about a minute, give it a good jerk and turn it quickly with a spatula. Cook briefly
on the second side and slide the crepe onto a plate or pie plate.
Keep crepes warm in the oven or cover and refrigerate and warm them up later.

Jam Fillings

You can use apricot jam, or strawberry or raspberry or whatever jam you like.
Spread a thin layer on the palacsinta, roll it up or fold them and dust with confectioners sugar.

Walnut or Hazelnut Filling

Cook 1 1/2 cups of coarsely ground nuts, 6 tablespoons sifted confectioners sugar and
3/4 cup of milk until you have a thick mush. Spread some on each palacsinta, roll or fold them and dust with confectioners sugar.
This fills 18-20 palacsintas.

Pot Cheese Filling

• 1 pound pot cheese or small curd cottage cheese
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup sifted confectioners sugar
• Grated rind of 1 lemon(1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons)
• 1/4 cup yellow seedless raisins
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk

Lightly butter as many shallow oval or oblong baking dishes that you need
to hold all the palacsinta rolls in ONE layer.

Strain the cheese and force it through a potato ricer, or a fine mesh sieve.
Mix well with the egg yolks, confectioners sugar and grated lemon rind.
Stir in the raisins. Beat the 3 egg whites until stiff and fold them in.
Spread some of the filling on each palacsinta, roll it and place into baking dish.
Thin the sour cream with the buttermilk, whisk it with a fork and spread on the palacsinta rolls.
Put in a preheated 325 degree oven for 20-25 min. Serve immediately.

Szilvás gombóc (plum dumplings) - Ty Fedak

One of my alltime favorites as a kid. Mom made these all the time.
Szilvás gombóc (plum dumplings)

• 12 plums
• 12 lumps of sugar
• 3 tbls sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups cooked potatoes (chilled)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cups buttered crumbs

Remove the pits, but do NOT cut them in half.

Fill center with sugar lump (or cube)

Slice the butter thin into the flour, mix until mixture is coarse.

Add in potatoes, salt and eggs.

Knead the dough well.

Roll it out 1/4 inch thick on a floured board.

Cut into 3" squares.

Place the plums on square, moisten the edges and pinch it all together around the plum.

Dust the hands with flour and roll the dumpling around the flour.

Gently drop the dumpling into a large pot of boiling water. Don't let the water boil too violently or it will break them up.

Cook 15 minutes.

Carefully lift each one out, and roll in buttered crumbs. Serve hot. (I used to add more sugar if the plumbs were sour). Egészségedre!!

Reni's Beef Rouldaen - Patricia Lessard

• Look for thin slices of beef rump- divide into 4"-5" sized pieces and pound flat if needed.
• Sprinkle with salt and Pepper. 
• Top with 1"x 2" piece of raw bacon,
• some diced onion, and 
• a thin slice of dill pickle. 

Roll up the piece (like a small jelly roll) and secure with toothpicks.

Heat a heavy skillet with some bacon fat (or veg oil) over medium heat.

Brown the rolls of beef and pace in a dutch oven.

Deglaze the pan with water and pour the drippings over the rolls in the dutch oven,

Bake at 350 degrees for approx 1 1/2 hours.

Thicken gravy and serve.