[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference turris::cooks

Title:How to Make them Goodies
Notice:Please Don't Start New Notes for Old Topics! Check 5.*
Moderator:FUTURE::DDESMAISONSec.com::winalski
Created:Tue Feb 18 1986
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:4127
Total number of notes:31160

2463.0. "Frugal Gourmet: Pasta Recipes" by LEDS::TBROWN () Mon Jun 18 1990 10:48

    On the most recent segment of Jeff Smith's Frugal Gourmet, he did a
    few dishes on pasta.  He spent a little too much talking before he
    stareted cooking, so he didn't get to finish his last pasta dish and he
    didn't finish slicing into something he had taken from his oven.  It's
    this dish that I was really interested in.  He had baked it in a ring
    pan that looked that a bundt pan, or jello ring mold.
    
    The dish was pasta wrapped in phylo dough but I have no idea what the
    ingredients were because he ran out of time, he didn't even put
    together the last pasta dish he started demonstrating.
    
    All of his recent programs come from his newest cookbook about Ancient
    Cuisine (China, Greece & Italy).  I don't have this book but was
    wondering if any of the readers have purchased it and know what recipe
    I am talking about.  If you do, how about entering the recipe for us.
    I for one would really appreciate it!
    
    Thanks,
    
      Tracey 
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
2463.2Pastitsio RecipesFLUKES::SUTTONHe roams the seas in freedom...Tue Jun 19 1990 22:13122
    Okay, bear with me, because this may take a few minutes. The recipe
    you're looking for is called Pastitsio Baked with Phyllo. First you
    need the basic Pastitsio recipe:
    
    
                                Pastitsio
                                Serves 6-8
    
    The Greeks seem to have been into baking things long before the rest of
    us. I think they are to be given credit for the invention of baked
    pastas, this particular dish being the most famous of the many regional
    varieties. It is a splendid invention, and predates what the Italians
    were later to call lasagne.
    
    	When you see this dish in Greece it is not made with what we call
    macaroni. The hollow tubes of pasta are very long and very thin and
    much closer to what an American Italian would call long ziti. In any
    case, do not use elbow macaroni. The Greeks think that would verge on
    heresy!
    
    	You must prepare this dish in 3 different stages. It will go
    together beautifully and is not as complicated as a properly made
    lasagne. This version is from the women at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox
    Church in Seattle. Their terrific cookbook is called Greek Cooking in
    an American Kitchen (see Bibliography).
    
    The Meat Mixture
    
    6 tablespoons butter
    3/4 cup peeled and finely chopped yellow onion
    2 cloves garlic, crushed
    1-1/4 pounds lean ground beef
    1 16-ounce can peeled tomatoes, mashed
    1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
    1/2 cup water
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    1/8 teaspoon cloves
    
    The Macaroni
    
    4 quarts water
      Salt
    3/4 pound Greek macaroni or Italian ziti (Use long, medium size, not
    						elbow or short pasta)
    1/4 cup butter, melted
    6 eggs, beaten
    1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
    
    The White Sauce
    
    6 tablespoons butter
    6 tablespoons flour
    2 cups warm milk
    3 eggs, beaten
    2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
    1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
    1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    1/2 teaspoon salt
       Dash of white pepper
    
    Prepare the meat mixture by heating a large skillet and adding 2
    tablespoons of the butter. Saute the onion and garlic until golden. Add
    remaining butter and the crumbled ground beef. Add remaining
    ingredients for the meat mixture and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes,
    or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Mixture should be thick.
    Set aside.
    
    	Prepare the macaroni by bringing the water to a boil in a large
    stockpot. Add the salt and the macaroni. Stir gently and cook uncovered
    until tender, about 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water.
    Drain well and place in a large bowl. Add the melted butter, beaten
    eggs, and grated cheese. Put half of this mixture into a greased
    9 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan and top with the meat mixture. Cover the meat
    with the remaining half of the pasta.
    
    NOTE: I like to arrange the pasta in straight rows so that when you cut
    and serve the dish the pasta is even and beautiful. That is how they do
    it in Greece!
    
    Prepare the white sauce by melting the butter in a medium saucepan.
    Stir in the flour and cook for a moment. Gradually add the heated milk,
    stirring constantly, and cook until thickened and smooth. Beat the eggs
    in a separate bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of the sauce. Blend and stir the
    egg mixture into the saucepan. Continue to stir and cook over low heat
    until all is thickened. Add remaining ingredients for the sauce. Pour
    the sauce over the macaroni and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or
    until the top is delicately browned.
    
    
                       Pastitsio Baked with Phyllo
                                Serves 6-8
    
    Generally I stay away from hotel dining rooms when I travel. I find the
    food neither good nor bad...it just sits there on the plate and bores
    me. However, the Amalia Hotels in Greece offer good quality in terms of
    service and the food is most often quite good. The Hotel Amalia in
    Delphi, a well-run hotel indeed, offered this dish to us on Easter Day,
    along with the roast lamb, of course. It makes a smashing presentation
    since it looks like a beautiful baked cake but it is really filled with
    pastitsio.
    
    	Prepare all of the ingredients for a Pastitsio but to not construct
    the final dish.
    
    	Brush an 11-inch-diameter tube pan (3 inches deep) with melted
    butter. Brush 5 or 6 sheets of phyllo with butter and line the pan with
    the sheets, leaving a bit to hang over the edges so that you can fold
    the excess over the top when the construction is completed.
    
    	Mix the meat sauce and the pasta together and lay this in the pan,
    with a bit of the white sauce, in 2 or 3 layers. Fold the excess phyllo
    over the top and brush with a bit more butter. Bake at 350 degrees
    until the phyllo is golden brown, about 50 minutes or so. To serve,
    place a large serving plate over the top of the pan. Turn both pan and
    plate over at once so that the pastitsio comes out upside down on the
    serving platter.
    
    
    Both recipes copied without permission from "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks
    Three Ancient Cuisines: China, Greece, Rome" by Jeff Smith.
2463.6Many variations of the nameCADSYS::RICHARDSONWed Jul 11 1990 14:074
    You might find it labeled "Filo" or "strudel leaves" - look in the
    freezer case at the market.  It is possible to make your own, but an
    incredible amount of work and takes years of practice (my grandmother
    made her own strudel dough).
2463.8Boiled Chicken, Chinese StyleMPO::WHITTALLCharlie Whittall @ MAXCIM Prog. Off.Mon Mar 11 1991 15:0844
	re .7

	I didn't see the show, but I believe what you're referencing is
	his Boiled Chicken, Chinese style.. At lease the attached sounds
	like what you're looking for.   I also have a couple of the 
	recipes that use this chicken, I'll add them as seperate replies.

	Csw




			Boiled Chicken, Chinese Style

	The idea of a boiled chicken hardly causes great excitement.
	That is because we are in the habit of boiling a chicken until
	there is no longer any flavor in the bird itself, but the
	boiling solution tastes great!

	In this recipe we do not actually boil the bird at all but
	rather place it in boiling water and then leave it alone.  
	Please read the instructions carefully.  This dish is so 
	simple and so delicious that you will think the instructions
	are incorrect.

	Fill a large kettle with water, and bring to a boil. (An 
	8-quart pot two-thirds filled with water works great for a
	2 1/2 - to 3-pound bird.)  When the water boils, place the
	whole cleaned chicken into it.  When the water stops boiling,
	take the chicken out.  Cover the pot, and when the water
	again boils, place the chicken back in the pot.  Cover the 
	pot, and turn off the heat.  Leave the chicken in the pot
	and the pot on the burner.  After 1 hour the chicken is
	done.  Remove, and cool.
	
	You can debone this chicken in very little time.  If you
	are on a low-salt/low-fat diet, be sure to remove the skin.
	Save the juices that flow from the bird when deboning 
	because this liquid contains a great deal of natural gelatin
	and will help keep the bird moist if you should decide to
	store the meat in the refrigerator.

	The chicken is ready to serve or use.

2463.9Chicken and Egg TerrineMPO::WHITTALLCharlie Whittall @ MAXCIM Prog. Off.Mon Mar 11 1991 15:0941
	"The Frugal Gourmet.. Page 159"

	Your children will like this dish because it asks the question
	"Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

		1 3-1/2 pound chicken, boiled, skin and bone
			removed and 1 cup broth reserved.
		1 envelope unflavored gelatin
		2 TBLS white wine vinegar
		2 TBLS lemon juice
		10 stuffed green olives, sliced
		1/4 cup parsley, chopped
		4 green onions, chopped
		1 TBLS capers, chopped
		  Pepper and very little salt
		8 eggs, hard-boiled

	Make this the day before serving.

	Tear the chicken up into small pieces.  Dissolve the gelatin
	in the broth, and add the vinegar and lemon juice.  Warm until
	all is dissolved.  Add the chicken meat, and set aside.

	Mix the olives, parsley, green onions, capers, pepper, and salt
	in a large bowl.  With a slotted spoon remove the chicken from
	the gelatin, and add it to the bowl; reserve the gelatin.  Place
	one-half of the chicken mixture in a 1-quart terrine or loaf
	mold.  Cut the ends from the eggs until you can see a bit of the
	yolk.  Arrange the eggs, end to end, down the center of the mold.
	Fill the mold with the remaining chicken mixture.  Press down
	with your hand, and then pour in the gelatin until it just comes
	to the top of the meat.

	Refrigerate the mold overnight.

	To serve, remove and slice across the mold so that the egg is 
	sliced and attractive.  Serve as a first course or as a summer 
	salad.

	Serves 6 to 8.
2463.10Chicken with Leeks and CreamMPO::WHITTALLCharlie Whittall @ MAXCIM Prog. Off.Mon Mar 11 1991 15:0934
	"The Frugal Gourmet... Page 160"

	"This is one of my favorite dishes.  Use the boiled Chicken,
	 Chinese Style, so that the dish will be moist and flavorful.
	 True, it is a little rich, but now and then I have to make it."


		1 3-to-4-pound chicken, cooked, skinned and deboned
		3 to 4 leeks
		1 TBLS Olive Oil
		1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)
		  Salt and pepper to taste
		  Pinch of nutmeg
		1/2 cup whipping cream
		  Parsley to garnish

	Tear up the chicken meat into bite-size pieces.

	Cut the leeks into 2-inch pieces up to the point where the 
	leek begins to turn green.  Slice the piece once lengthwise,
	and divide the leaves.  Rinse if dirty.

	Saute the leek leaves in the oil along with the garlic if 
	desired.  Do not allow the leaves to discolor; you simply
	want to cook them until they are barely tender.

	Add the chicken to the pan, and cook it until hot.  Add the
	salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Mix well, and add the cream.  Heat,
	and serve.  Decorate with parsley.

	This is a very rich dish.  I like it with plain white rice on
	the side because the sauce is just wonderful.

	Serves 6.