What's Cookin, Folks?

[Capt.Hunter]

You can probably use cheese slices for the American cheese (jeeze, what's next - US English? Oh, wait...)

OK, here's a Moroccan dish I served my mum at the weekend:

Moroccan-style Roast Lamb:

3-3.5lb leg of lamb

In a bowl, mix 3 tablespoons butter (or sunflower spread), 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (but do use more if you like 'em spicy like me!), shake of salt and black pepper, 2 minced garlic cloves). Cut diagonal slashes into the lamb and smear this butter mix all over the top of the joint. Leave aside for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat an oven to Gas Mark 7/220oC then bung in the lamb. Cook for 15 minutes (the butter will burn but it adds flavour). Then reduce the heat to Gas 4/180oC and continue to cook for 1.5-2 hours, basting the meat with its own juices occasionally. Carve and serve (actually, you might not need to carve - the point of the different cooking times is to make the meat tender enough that you can pull it off the bone with a fork, which is how the Moroccans eat it).

I served with roasted new potatoes, but put some chilli flakes into the oil for roasting them to add a spicy flavour. Green string beans make a fine accompaniment.

I've just bought a food steamer this weekend, so will experiment with steamed fish tonight!

[Liz Not Beth]

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[Capt.Hunter]

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo!

Two chicken breasts, cut into cubes

Hot 'n' spicy sausage (Recommend chorizo but not the tough variety) - sliced

Creole spice - mix 3:1:1 paprika, cayenne and tarragon.

Plain flour, sifted

Chicken stock (at least a pint but if you use cubes like I do you can whip up some more quickly)

Onions (diced) and button mushrooms (chopped) if desired. Could also add diced bell pepper.

Sunflower or corn oil (corn oil better as it can handle higher heat without burning)

Freeze-dried parsley

Garlic puree (can buy in tubes)

Boiled rice to accompany

Toss the chicken and the sausage in about a tablespoon or so of the creole spice mix until coated. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the meat until the chicken has just gone white on the outside. Remove to a dish and keep warm.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan or wok. When quite hot add 2 tablespoons of the plain flour and start stirring rapidly. Keep stirring until the flour has gone a brown colour (for our US friends, about the colour of a Hershey's chocolate bar). Add in the chopped vegetables and stir into the flour/oil mix. Quickly add the chicken stock, stirring all the time to avoid lumps forming. keep adding the stock until the mixture is the consistency of thick soup. Add a good squeeze (about a teaspoon of the garlic puree). Add the meat and bring the mix to a simmer. Cook until the chicken is tender, stirring occasionally. Add a good tablespoon's-worth of the parsley and stir in. Add salt and pepper to taste. If not spicy enough for you, you can always add more of the creole spice while cooking or just cayenne on its own. Serve over bowls of boiled rice.

[Greg Davis]

Capt. Hunter, you are a cooking machine! I'm looking forward to trying some of these recipes soon. The lamb recipe, in particular, looks really good, though lamb is hard to get here, so I may go for a pork loin. I was also thinking about trying it on the grill, for a bit of extra, smokey flavor.

Still, good recipes, all! Thanks for sharing!



Greg

[Captain Blake]

Originally posted by Owen E Oulton
"1/2 pound american cheese

Okay, just what the h-e-double-hockey-sticks is "American cheese?" I keep hearing the term, but have never been able to find out just what it is. Is it a variety of cheddar?

http://www.ilovecheese.com/cheese_pr...heese=American

I've also heard that in Canada it's called Canadian Cheese.

Alex

[Captain Blake]

For Gingerbread cookies. With all these main dishes around, I thought I'd contribute some desert.

1/2 cup shortening.
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour.
1/2 cup sugar.
1/2 cup molasses.
1 egg.
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (the crucial secret ingredient--you can use cider vinegar if you must. )
1 teaspoon baking powder.
1 teaspoon ground ginger.
1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
1/2 teaspoon powered cloves.


In mixing bowl beat shortening with electric mixer on med to high speed for 30 sec. Add about 1/2 the flour, all the remaining ingredients. Beat till combined. Beat in remaining flour.

Put in fridge till tomorrow. (second most crucial thing. It must sit at least 3 hours, but as in lots of things, longer is better. Wait till the next day, if at all possible.)

Let warm slightly on counter, to let become easier to handle.

Roll dough out, cut into cookie shapes.

Place on Cookie Sheet (greased, or non stick, please)
Bake at 375 degrees F for 5 to 6 minutes until edge is slightly brown.

Remove cookie sheet from oven, and cookies from cookie sheet as soon possible. Note--Cookie sheet will be hot, and continue to cook the cookies if you leave them on it. This will give you very tough gingerbread cookies.

Cool cookies on wire rack.

While cooling, make Frosting.

Powered Sugar Frosting.

1 cup powered sugar.
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
milk or orange juice.
Food color if necessary.

Mix ingredients, using 1 teaspoon milk or oj to start. keep adding, while mixing, until desired consistancy is achieved.

Alex