Fearless Kitchen

Recipe: "Pepper" Steak

Recipe Source: Clements, Carole and Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen.  French.  Anness Publishing, London, 2006 p. 153

Steak au poivre, or pepper steak, is a dish that has intrigued me for a long time.  I never had the chance to try it until recently.  My husband finds the concept of steak cooked indoors, in a pan, to be downright blasphemous, and so I never had the chance to make it.  Well, one recent Friday I found myself on my own for dinner.  This was the perfect opportunity to try the dish. 

Unfortunately, it didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it to.  I'm not sure why.  It could be that the pan I used was too big, which prevented the sauce from coming together the way I wanted.  I also didn't have proper peppercorns on hand.  I substituted grains of paradise, which tasted great and had a great texture so I don't think that was the problem.  I really think that halving the recipe may have had something to do with my disappointment as well.  I used garlic butter instead of regular for the recipe, and scattered some crushed garlic over the top of the finished product for a little extra garlic.  (I did mention that I was alone, right?)  At any rate, I tried it once, satisfying my curiosity.  I can now go back to eating steaks on the grill, which is how they should be done in the first place.

Steak au Poivre (serves 1; approx. $10.06/serving)

1 tablespoon grains of paradise

1 8-oz sirloin steak

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons brandy

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 garlic clove, crushed

Equipment:

• Plastic zip-top bag
• Rolling pin
• Various plates
• Saute pan

1. Put the grains of paradise in the plastic bag, then crush them lightly with the rolling pin.
2. Rub both sides of the steaks with the grains of paradise and set aside.
3. Melt the butter with the oil in the pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the meat and cook until your desired degree of doneness is reached.  I like mine quite rare.  The book says 6 - 7 minutes.  Turn the steak halfway through cooking.
5. Transfer the steaks to a plate.
6. Turn off the heat.  Add the brandy to deglaze the pan, then return the pan to the heat. 
7. Add the cream and boil gently until the mixture has reduced by one third. 
8. Top the steak with the sauce and serve hot. 

Recipe: Quince Jam (Morabba-ye Beh)

Recipe Source: Shaida, Margaret.  The Legendary Cuisine of Persia.  Interlink Books, New York, 2002 p. 229

I couldn't believe how hard it was to find quinces!  In my head, they're a fall staple, although they weren't something that we ate when I was a kid.  I've got a ton of recipes that call for quince - Greek pastries, Persian stews, and jams.  I really didn't expect to have a problem when I decided to make some quince preserves as part of my Christmas project, but when I went to the store to find them there wasn't even a space for them.  I went to four different supermarkets on the South Shore in search of them, to no avail.  I finally had to drive up to Wilson Farms in Lexington to find them, and once I was there I bought as many as I could get into my basket.  After all, they keep for a good long time and getting anywhere north of Boston from anywhere south of Boston is a major hassle.  I didn't want to have to do it again.

At any rate, this was the first of the quince jams I made.  I was strongly encouraged to make the jam in a copper pot, for the color.  It sounded like a great plan, but there was one problem: I don't have a proper copper pot.  I was tempted to run out and buy one, but the thought of spending that kind of money right now just for the color of one dish seemed ridiculous even to me.  I'm pretty pleased with the color as it is, anyway.  The flavor is mild but distinctive, with a very delicate cardamom scent.  I didn't make any other changes, besides doubling the recipe. 

Morabba-ye Beh (makes 7 8-oz jars of jam; approx. cost per serving not available)

8 large quinces

8 cups sugar

2 quarts water

8 whole cardamoms

Equipment:

• Large saucepan
• Stock pot
• Boiling water canner with rack and tongs
• Ladle
• 7 8-oz mason jars, with lids and bands

1. Halve and seed the quinces, then slice very, very thinly.  Don't bother peeling them. 
2. Combine the sugar, water and quinces in the saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the quinces are tender and transparent.  This should take about an hour and a half at least.
3. Bring back up to the boil, uncover, and cook until the gelling point is reached.
4. Meanwhile, put the jars, bands and lids in the stock pot.  Fill with water and heat that water to 180 degrees.
5. Fill the boiling water canner with water and heat that water to 180 degrees.  An instant-read thermometer would be very useful here. 
6. When the jam is ready and the jars are properly heated, use the ladle to fill each jar with about 1/2" head room. 
7. Cap the jars with the lids and tighten the bands to fingertip-tightness.
8. Lower into the boiling water canner.  Bring the canner to a rolling boil, then cover and process 30 minutes. 
9. Cool. 

Recipe: Chocolate Marzipan Cookies

Recipe Source: Atkinson, Catherine et al.  The Chocolate and Coffee Bible.  Anness Publishing, London, 2007 p. 205

Having a baby is expensive.  Oh, insurance will usually cover pre-natal care, labor and delivery and assorted child medical costs.  (Usually.  It depends on your plan.)  It's the other stuff that costs money.  The baby needs a place to sleep, things to sit in and on, et cetera.  And clothes - I've seen baby clothes that cost as much or more than my clothes.  And for what - something she'll wear for a month, maybe two, and make a whole lot of unholy messes in the whole time?  Anyway, it seems like babies bring out a lot of the generosity in people as well.  We've gotten the loan of a very nice bassinet, some other accouterments, and three whole sacks of baby clothes.  (They're all boy clothes, but we have a lot of time for the Fearless Fetus to pick up our gender-related attitudes.  She is unlikely to care if her onesie is blue or pink for quite some time.) 

One of the baby accouterments that is particularly expensive is the car seat.  You have to have them, unless you live walking distance from the hospital.  Furthermore, safety regulations change so often with regards to these seats that most second-hand shops can't accept them, so once your little one outgrows her seat you're either stuck with the thing or have to put it into a landfill.  Charities who would normally be all over the things also can't accept them, because the seat you bought last year no longer meets code.  However, there are no rules about giving them away within your acquaintance. 

Someone I've never met was bemoaning the car seat rules to a good friend of mine.  Her one-year-old had just outgrown her infant seat, and she had all this paraphernalia that she no longer needed.  My friend said, "I know someone who's about to need them..." and to make a long story slightly less long a complete stranger has just donated a very nice infant seat with two bases (to switch between cars), a stroller base and assorted accessories.  I wanted to thank her, and the only thing I could think of was cookies.  (See, the food came into play eventually.  Your patience has been rewarded!)  I made these chocolate marzipan cookies as a thank you to Eloise. 

I didn't make a lot of changes.  The only one I really made was in the size of the cookies.  The original called for a 2" biscuit cutter.  I don't have a 2" biscuit cutter, I have barware.  And the only appropriate barware I could find was closer to 4", or maybe 4 1/2."  As a result, I only got about 20 out of this batch instead of 36.  The taste was still phenomenal, though.  The original called for a white chocolate drizzle, but when I melted the white chocolate the results were less than fantastic.  I decided to dust them with powdered sugar instead. 

Chocolate Marzipan Cookies (makes about 20; approx. cost per serving would be inappropriate.)

7 ounces butter, softened

7 ounces light brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

11 ounces flour

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

7 ounces marzipan paste

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Equipment:

• Baking sheets
• Stand mixer
• Sifter or strainer
• Cooling rack
• Rolling pin
• Cookie cutter or glass (4")

1. Preheat your oven to 375.  Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in the mixer. 
3. Add the egg and beat well.
4. Sift the flour and cocoa over the mixture.  Mix well.
5. Use the rolling pin, and work in batches, to roll out some of the dough.  The original recipe called for a floured surface.  I used granulated sugar instead, because it will not discolor the finished product. 
6. Cut out 40 circles of dough, re-rolling scraps if needed. 
7. Lay out 20 circles on the sheets. 
8. Carefully cut out 20 even pieces of marzipan.  I found this easier if I quartered the log of marzipan, then cut each quarter into fifths. 
9. Lay one piece of marzipan on each circle.
10. Top the circles with the remaining circles of dough and press to seal. 
11. Bake 10 - 12 minutes.  Cool on the sheets 3 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. 
12. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve. 

Recipe: Three Kinds of Tartlet

Okay, so you've probably all heard far more than you want to about our Sunday open houses, which start as soon as the weather is reliably decent enough for outdoor activity on a regular basis and end when the weather becomes uncooperative.  Well, we had a weekend recently where I did not expect there to be a Sunday open house.  There had been an event the previous day where most of the attendees would have been, the weather was chilly, and I'd specifically asked my husband to cancel it just in case.  Since there wasn't supposed to be an open house, I didn't plan for anything to eat at the open house.

I was fine with there being no open house.  One of the side effects of pregnancy that no one warns you about before you start down this road is that standing for long periods of time becomes a Very Bad Idea.  I'd gone for an overly long hike with the dog on Thursday that left me worried about random dislocations.  Friday I'd spent a lot of time in the kitchen.  Saturday I went to that event I mentioned, which was entirely on one's feet for many, many hours.  So on Sunday I was feeling very enthusiastic about not working, about sitting (rather, reclining pathetically) and letting my lower body think I loved it again.  Then my husband checked his email and said, "Oh, we're getting so and so and so and so."  He had never cancelled the Open House. 

I racked my brain for something that I could do to offer people some food - something, anything.  It wasn't going to be a full meal by any stretch of the imagination, but I can't have people coming over and not have something to offer them.  Both of my grandmothers would rise from the grave and chastise me severely.  Well, everyone likes sweets, right?  And tartlets are relatively easy.  What did I have on hand?  Well, I had some almond butter, some jam, some nuts, some chocolate.  I whipped up a batch of the MacLean Pie Crust (which I can't post here because I don't know who to properly cite) and found that it filled ten tartlet pans.  (The MacLean makes two crusts for normal 9" pies.)  I had just enough almond butter to make half of the filling for the Cashew Butter Pie that I shamelessly borrowed from Alton Brown.  Half of the filling for that (obviously with almond butter in place of the cashew) filled four tartlets.  I'd been dying to find a proper use for the Muraba-e-Saib I'd made recently, so I used some to fill three of the tartlet cases.  Finally, I remembered the pistachio pie I made over a year ago.  I decided to reprise that, only without the rosewater as the apple filling already contained rosewater. 

The tartlets were a real hit, and almost made up for the fact that I was barely able to walk the next day.  You can try this with whatever fillings you like; even the canned fillings from the store, if that's what you have. 

Three Kinds of Tartlet (makes 10 tartlets; approx. cost per serving not available)

1 double crust pie crust recipe of your choice, or frozen pie dough

For the Chocolate-Almond Tartlets (4 tartlets)

3/4 cup smooth almond butter

1 1/2 ounces powdered sugar

1 ounce butter

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 ounce dark chocolate chunks

1/8 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon heavy cream

For the Pistachio Tartlets (3 tartlets)

2 eggs

1/2 cup wildflower honey

1/2 stick butter

3/4 cup shelled pistachios

1 teaspoon cardamom

For the Muraba-e-Saib Tartlets (3 tartlets)

1 cup (approx.) Muraba-e-Saib

Equipment:

• 10 tartlet pans
• Mini-prep food processor
• Aluminum foil
• Pie weights or dried beans
• 2 small saucepans
• Baking sheet
• Mixing bowl

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Divide your pie crusts into 10 equal parts, then use your fingers to press each part into a tartlet pan.  Line the entire pan with the dough. 
3. Line the cases with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans.  Bake 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.  (I probably don't have to tell you this, but do this on the baking sheet.)
4. Combine the almond butter, powdered sugar and butter in the mini-prep food processor.  Process until well combined. 
5. Add the almond extract and process some more.
6. Fill four of the tartlet cases with the food processor mixture.  Bake 10 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool.
8. Meanwhile, fill three of the tartlet cases with muraba-e-saib. 
9. Bake 10 - 15 minutes, then remove and let cool. 
10. Meanwhile, put the eggs in the mixing bowl and beat thoroughly. 
11. Heat the honey and the cardamom in one of the small saucepans with the 1/2 stick of butter.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until all the butter is melted. 
12. Pour carefully into the mixing bowl, stirring all the while.  Try very hard not to let the eggs scramble. 
13. Add the pistachios and mix well.
14. Fill three of the tartlet cases with this mixture.  Bake 20 - 30 minutes, or until set.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
15. When the four almond butter tartlets are cool, heat the cream to a bare simmer in the second small saucepan. 
16. Add the chocolate.  Remove from heat and stir constantly until all of the chocolate is melted. 
17. Pour the ganache over the four almond butter tartlets. 
18. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving. 
19. Arrange the tartlets on a platter and serve. 

Recipe: Seafood Barley "Risotto"

Recipe Source: Piras, Claudia.  Culinaria Italy.  H. F. Ullmann, 2007, p. 21

This recipe isn't like other risotto recipes I've made.  Well, in some ways it is.  I mean, I've subbed barley for Arborio rice lots of times.  I did it again here, because I really wanted more nutritional value and fiber than white rice usually affords.  What's the difference here?  No vegetables.  I looked at the recipe, and I looked at it again, and no, there were no vegetables in this dish.  Still, it was certainly a delicious dish, and you should absolutely make it sometime.  I didn't make a whole lot of changes.  I increased the amount of garlic and I used Lemony Vegetable Broth for the vegetable broth called for in the recipe.  Oh - the store where I shopped that day was distinctly lacking in squid, so I used scallops. 

Seafood Barley "Risotto" (serves 4; approx. $4.28/serving)

1/2 lb sea scallops

1/4 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 tablespoons olive oil

6 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

1 lb mussels, scrubbed

1 cup white wine

1 3/4 cups pearled barley

3 cups (approx.) Lemony Vegetable Broth

Equipment:

• Large saucepan
• Ladle
• Slotted spoon or skimmer

1. Heat the oil in the saucepan. 
2. Add the shrimp, scallops, garlic and parsley.  Saute briefly.
3. Use the slotted spoon to evacuate the seafood to a plate.  Set aside. 
4. Add the mussels to the pan.  Cook until the shells have completely opened. 
5. Evacuate the mussels from the saucepan and set aside.
6. Add the barley to the pan.  Stir to coat well with the pan juices.
7. Add the wine.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer.
8. Add some broth, a ladleful at a time.  Stir until the broth is absorbed by the barley.  Repeat as necessary until the barley is tender.
9. Return the seafood to the pan and heat thoroughly. 
10. Serve. 

Recipe: Sesame Noodles

Recipe Source: Passmore, Jacki.  Savoring China.  Oxmoor House, Menlo Park, 2003 p. 192

I can't believe I haven't posted this before, because I know I've made this recipe.  Repeated searches through TypePad have convinced me, intellectually anyway, that I have not posted it, so I'm going ahead and posting it now.  In my heart, though, I have a sneaking suspicion that one of you is saying, "Less than two years and she's already recycling recipes?" 

Anyway, I made this dish so that there would be something high in carbohydrates when my husband got back from his big regional sports practice, but there was an ulterior motive as well.  As I've mentioned - repeatedly - neither our refrigerator nor our freezer holds much of anything.  This leaves me with periodic purges of both resources.  In a recent purge, I discovered two open containers of tahini.  They must go.... but tahini isn't cheap.  At the risk of boring everyone to death with tahini recipes, I really need to find ways to not waste this stuff.  I suspect that the sesame paste used in Chinese cooking is rather different from tahini, but that's missing the point. 

I made a few changes.  I substituted cashews for the peanuts in the original, to accommodate a food allergy.  The "vegetable oil" was olive oil, because that's my default cooking fat.  I also decided that I just couldn't bring myself to deep-fry the cashews in that much oil, and roasted them instead.  This is less authentic, but I don't much care at this point.  I just couldn't bring myself to do it. 

The result was a very tasty treat that perfectly satisfied both me and my husband. 

Sesame Noodles (serves 4; approx. $1.52/serving)

2 ounces toasted cashews

9 ounces fresh Chinese-style noodles

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons hot pepper sesame oil

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup hot water

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1 cayenne pepper, chopped

Equipment:

• Large saucepan
• Strainer
• Bowl

1. Chop the cashews finely and set aside.
2. Bring a large saucepan filled with salted water to a boil. 
3. Add the noodles and boil 3 - 4 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the sauce.  Combine the next 6 ingredients in the bowl and mix as well as you can, whether that's with a whisk or a fork or whatever. 
5. Drain the noodles.  Put them in your serving bowl.
6. Add the sauce.  Toss well to coat.
7. Top with the cashews, scallions and cayenne.  Serve.

Recipe: Green Peas with Tomato Sauce

Recipe Source: Mallos, Tess.  The Food of Morocco.  Murdoch Books, Millers Point, 2008 p. 80

This dish was supposed to be made with okra.  I really wanted it to be made with okra, since okra is one of my favorite vegetables.  Unfortunately no one else seems to share my fondness for the stuff, because I have to reserve it for when it's just the two of us and there's plenty of other food on the table.  Well, my father in law loves it, so I'll usually make it when he's eating with us, but that's about it.  Other people (like my husband, and my mother in law, and most of my friends) say, "Okra.  I hate okra.  It's slimy and icky." 

Anyhow, I usually have some frozen okra on hand, just for those little emergencies.  Unfortunately I'd used it all up.  When I made this, I was trying a new grocery store, and apparently this particular market doesn't feel that it is cost effective to stock items that exactly one person on the South Shore likes.  So, no okra, and no okra makes a sad me.  I could have driven around and tried to find some okra somewhere, but please, I have better things to do with my time.  So - what did I have on hand that I could use?  I thought about it, and thought about it some more, and finally remembered that I had a lot of green peas in the freezer that needed to get out of the freezer.  I used them. 

Otherwise, this dish was really incredibly simple.  I omitted the sugar, because if my grandmother caught me putting sugar in tomatoes she'd pinch me black and blue.  That's what bay leaves are for, and my father in law grows the best bay leaves.  Otherwise, I decreased the amount of oil and increased the amount of garlic.  That's it, and it was delicious. 

Green Peas with Tomato Sauce (Serves 4; approx. $1.10/serving)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 lb frozen green peas, thawed

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

Equipment:

• Large saute pan

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion.  Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Add the peas to the pan with the tomatoes, bay leaves and lemon juice. 
5. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 3 - 4 minutes.
6. Add the cilantro.  Cook, covered, another 5 minutes. 
7. Serve.

Recipe: Braised Turkey with Scallions, Lemon and Dill

Recipe Source: Kremezi, Aglaia.  The Foods of the Greek Islands.  Houghton Mifflin, New York, 2000 p. 133

My favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal was always the stuffing.  I shared only with extreme reluctance.  The recipe, which I posted last year, originally came from my grandmother, although I only ever had it made at my mother's hands.  When I was very small I was permitted to help make it by tearing up the bread into appropriate-sized pieces.  Not only did it free my mom up to work on other parts of Thanksgiving, it also gave me the feeling that I owned part of Thanksgiving dinner.  I'd helped in some way. 

Anyway, fast-forward a whole lot of years.  Last year I got to eat Thanksgiving dinner at home for the first time since 1996, and it was a beautiful and wonderful thing.  There was stuffing.  Lots of stuffing.  There was other food too, and it was very tasty, but really what I liked best was the stuffing (and my aunt's chocolate pie.)  Most years we have Thanksgiving with my husband's family.  They have their own stuffing recipe.  It is very different from my family's recipe.  It's still good, don't get me wrong, but it isn't the same. 

This year we're retreating to our old pattern of Thanksgiving with my husband's family.  This will be nice - it's always nice to see them, and it's especially nice now since his cousin is due at the same time that I am.  I was still feeling pretty down, though.  I wanted stuffing - the stuffing - and I wasn't going to get it.  Then I put on my big-girl pants.  So I wouldn't have stuffing on Thanksgiving Day.  I have a big beautiful kitchen.  What was to stop me from making my beloved stuffing on a day that was not the third Thursday in November or whatever?  I've developed a severe intolerance to pork, but there are chicken sausages out there that are almost as good.  I lacked duck stock too, but I had plenty of Lemony Vegetable Broth to make up for it.  I made the stuffing.  All I had to do was come up with something to go with it.

Which is where we get to our featured recipe for today.  You don't have to serve The Stuffing with turkey, but there's no reason why you shouldn't.  Turkey is tasty, and tends to be a little healthier than chicken (at least in my head; there's no scientific basis for that), and it really is a shame that we only think of eating turkey in November and sometimes December.  This particular turkey recipe matched incredibly well with The Stuffing.  The sauce, in particular, was just wonderful.  The lemon in the sauce paired beautifully with the lemon in the broth. 

I did make a couple of changes.  First, I couldn't find turkey drumsticks or thighs.  They'd been there last week, but not this week.  Oh well.  There was a half a turkey breast, bone-in, that was just about the right weight for my purposes.  It had the added bonus of letting me get out some of my frustrations by hacking it into pieces with a cleaver as well.  That sort of therapy you just can't overestimate.  I used Lemony Vegetable Broth instead of the chicken stock called for, because I had it on hand.  That's really it.  It's a very simple and very delicious recipe.  If you don't want to make The Stuffing to serve it with, the sauce would compliment mashed potatoes very nicely, and rice would probably be more authentic anyway.  (But if you want my advice, you'll make The Stuffing.) 

Braised Turkey with Scallions, Lemon and Dill (serves 4; approx. $4.32/serving)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 bone-in turkey breast, cut into 4 pieces

2 large bunches of scallions, cut into 1" pieces (use the whole scallion, please.) 

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup Lemony Vegetable Broth

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

4 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Equipment:

• Dutch oven

1. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. 
2. Add the turkey bits and cook until golden on all sides, turning frequently.
3. Evacuate the turkey bits to a plate or something similar.  Add the scallions to the pan mixture and saute until wilted.
4. Arrange the turkey bits on top of the scallions.  (It sounds fussy, I know, but it both affects the flavor of the finished product AND makes cleanup much easier.)  Add the wine and the broth along with the salt and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. 
6. Turn the meat over and simmer, covered, another 20 minutes.
7. Add the lemon juice and most of the dill to the pan.  Cook uncovered 10 more minutes. 
8. Serve, sprinkled with the remaining dill. 

Recipe: Apple Jam (Muraba-e-Saib)

Recipe Source: Saberi, Helen.  Afghan Food & Cookery.  Hippocrene Books, New York, 2000 p. 266

I know I've mentioned this before, but just in case you missed that day's post I'll mention it again.  I've been really frustrated lately trying to find unique, interesting gifts to give at Christmas.  I decided this year that I'm going to do my best to give some homemade jams and jellies as gifts.  Christmas isn't supposed to be about spending piles of money, it's supposed to be about taking extra time to delight the ones you love and show your affection.  The way my family has always shown affection is through food, so that's what I'm going to do.  This, of course, means finding a pile of jam and jelly recipes.  That shouldn't be too difficult; after all, my Persian cookbooks are full of recipes for exciting-sounding preserves.  My lone Afghan cookbook has plenty of recipes on offer too. 

So I found this recipe in my Afghan cookbook, and it looked tasty.  I decided that I would use it to use up some of the many apples on my kitchen counter.  After making it, I spooned a little onto a dish to see what it tasted like - after all, you wouldn't want to give a gift if you didn't know the quality.  I absolutely, totally fell in love with this jam.  According to the author, it is more like a compote and is usually served on top of yogurt as a dessert.  It would be wonderful that way.  I also made it into tartlets (to be posted at a later date) that turned out quite well.

The only problem?  Well, the only jars I had on hand were these mammoth 32-ounce jars.  I got exactly two jars out of this, despite tripling the recipe.  I went out, ordered a bunch of much smaller jars, and am currently awaiting my chance to make another batch of this delicious treat. 

Muraba-e-Saib (makes 64 ounces of jam; approx. $0.07/ounce)

12 apples - I used Macintosh

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Sugar equal to the weight of the apples (I got 2 lb. 1 3/4 ounces of apples, so that's how much sugar I used)

18 tablespoons water

3 pinches saffron

3 tablespoons rosewater

Equipment:

• Water bath canner plus accouterments
• Stockpot
• Large saucepan
• Jars of the appropriate size for your needs - this is important! - plus lids and bands
• Ladle

1. Peel and core the apples, then slice thinly.  (You don't have to slice them too thinly; you don't need a mandoline or anything like that.)
2. Sprinkle the apples with the lemon juice.  This will prevent discoloration.
3. Put the apples and the sugar in the saucepan with the water.  Bring to a boil, removing any scum that may develop.
4. Boil gently until the apples are slightly softened and begin to look translucent. 
5. Add the saffron to the mix.  Stir carefully, but thoroughly, and boil another few minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare your jars, lids, bands and the water bath canner.  Fill the stock pot with water to cover the jars and accessories and bring to 180 degrees.  Fill the canner a little more than halfway (enough to cover jars once immersed in the water) and bring to 180 degrees. 
7. When the jam has reached the jelling point, add the rosewater and remove from heat. 
8. When everything is ready, ladle the jam mixture into the clean jars.  Top with the lids, seal with the bands, and lower into the water bath.
9. Bring the water bath canner up to a rolling boil, then lower the jars in using the rack. 
10. Cover the canner and process the jars 30 minutes. 
11. Remove from the canner and let cool naturally 24 hours. 
12. Store or give as gifts.  Refrigerate after opening. 

Recipe: Beef Salad with Basil and Lemongrass

Recipe Source: Le, Ann.  The Little Saigon Cookbook.  Insider's Guide, Guilford, 2006 p. 34

If you're wondering why I might have been a little out of touch lately, there's a simple explanation.  I'm tired.  I have a lot of things that I want to accomplish, but a lot less energy to do them with lately.  Some things, like, say, replying to comments, get left for a mythical "later" when I'm more awake and coherent.  This fatigue extends beyond the blogging realm, though.  Sometimes I'll buy the stuff to make a dish, but when it comes time to get into the kitchen and cook it, I just can't do it.  I'm told that this is normal and to be expected.  Usually the ingredients will keep a day or two...

This is one of those dishes that got postponed.  I wouldn't usually serve a beef salad as a side dish, but I couldn't get out of bed on the day that I intended to make it.  Instead, I served it on a day when my husband was attending a regional practice for his particular sport.  They always get a hard workout in during those regional practices, and when he works out all he can think about is getting more carbs.  He would not consume any vegetables at all if I didn't insist.  Since this salad had meat, it became acceptable (meat is always acceptable).  The fish sauce makes it a little salty, which he also needed. 

I made a few changes to the recipe.  I omitted the sugar, and I switched out the iceberg lettuce for romaine out of personal preference.  (I just don't get the point of iceberg.)  I omitted the mint because my husband is allergic, and I... er... forgot the mung bean sprouts.  I was tired.  Sorry.  Oh, and I omitted the fried shallots as unnecessary, and I switched cashews for the peanuts because of my own food allergies. 

The result was a very tasty salad.  The Spouse made sure that there were no leftovers, which is all you can really ask for! 

Beef Salad with Basil and Lemongrass (serves 4; approx. $5.45/serving)

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili garlic paste

2 stalks fresh lemongrass, finely chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, sliced into half-moons

11 garlic cloves, crushed

1 lb sirloin, thinly sliced against the grain

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

3 cups shredded Romaine lettuce

1 cucumber, peeled and julienned

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup roasted cashews

Equipment:

• Small bowl
• Wok or frying pan

1. Combine the lettuce and the herbs on your serving platter or in your serving bowl.  Mix well. 
2. Whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice, pepper, salt, chili garlic paste and lemongrass until well mixed.  Set aside. 
3. Heat the oil in the wok.  Add the onions and garlic.  Cook 5 minutes or so, until softened and fragrant.
4. Add the steak and the fish sauce mixture all together.  Saute the steak until it has achieved your desired degree of doneness. 
5. Top the lettuce and herb mixture with the cucumbers, then top with the mixture from the pan. 
6. Sprinkle the cashews on top and serve. 

Note: I actually prepared the different components of this salad ahead of time, then assembled them (and cooked the steak) at the last minute.  This strategy worked well, but it's important to remember that there's a lot of liquid in with the steak.  Don't top the salad with it until just before you serve it, or else the greens will become wilted, slimy and nasty.