Community cookbooks are the best. They’re not flashy or colorful
or covered with a glossy cover, but what’s inside usually makes
them worth their low cost.
Community cookbooks are the best. They’re not flashy or colorful or covered with a glossy cover, but what’s inside usually makes them worth their low cost.
Gilroy organizations have been especially prolific at compiling cookbooks. From the Italian Catholic Federation to Luigi Aprea School, many cookbooks filled with community favorites have been sold over the years.
This year, you have the opportunity to purchase a cookbook put together by Las Madres, a local group of mothers. These are women with children so they must know some good kid recipes.
Also, I know they often have food at their gatherings so they must be trying out new recipes all the time. The ones in their cookbook are the success stories.
I think the reason community cookbooks are so good is that people must put their names at the bottom of the recipes. Who would dare submit one that hadn’t been a crowd pleaser in the past?
The Las Madres cookbook is almost ready and includes about 200 recipes. If you’d like to purchase one for $5, send a check along with your name and address to: Las Madres, P.O. Box 2700, Gilroy CA 95021.
To whet your appetite, below are three recipes that will appear in the cookbook. Bon appetit!
• Easy appetizer: This appetizer uses only one bowl and seven ingredients. What could be easier? It’s a twist on the old favorite artichoke dip, spiced up with chiles, pimentos and olives. Don’t forget the onions, which add an irresistible tanginess to this dish.
If you want a milder onion taste, you can always mince half of a yellow onion and use it instead.
Karen’s Easy Artichoke Dip
– From Kelly Barbazette
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
1 can chopped black olives
1 can chopped green chilis
1 jar diced pimentos
1 tub shredded parmesan
4 diced green onions
1 cup mayonnaise
Drain first four ingredients and place into a glass pie dish. Add cheese, onion and mayonnaise. Mix well. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with “scoop” Fritos corn chips or bread.
• Gilroy salad: This salad is perfect for Gilroy. It contains lots of garlic and is simple and quick to make – just put dressing ingredients in the blender. The dressing is piquant with lemon and Dijon mustard.
Auntie Rose’s Stink’n Rose Salad
– From Dana Baker-Reimer
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or more)
5 cloves garlic (more or less)
1 head romaine lettuce
Croutons (if desired)
In a blender or food processor, puree oil, mustard, Worcestershire, lemon juice and garlic. Toss over torn romaine lettuce and sprinkle with salt, pepper and cheese. Serve up in chilled salad dishes and enjoy!
• A new use for chicken: I’m always looking for another good chicken recipe. I especially like ones like this, that use every part of the chicken.
In my family, each member likes a different part of the chicken best. Dishes like this keep everyone happy. The pancetta adds a salty taste that perfectly balances the tomatoes.
Hunter’s Chicken
– From Kellie Berry
1 (3-4 lb.) chicken, cut into pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup flour
7 tablespoon olive oil
1 small white onion
3/4 pound mushrooms, quartered (mixed wild or white button)
6 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 pound pancetta or bacon chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup red wine
1 pound can peeled Italian tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup tomato sauce
Sprinkle the chicken with the salt, pepper and flour. Shake off the excess. Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in large nonstick stock pot set on high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook until well browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Save the chicken fat left in the pan, adding enough oil to make about 4 tablespoons. Cook the onion and mushrooms over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, pancetta or uncooked chopped bacon, red pepper flakes and half of the parsley and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomatoes and their juices, chicken stock, tomato sauce and browned chicken pieces. Break the tomatoes into smaller pieces with the back of a spoon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish.
Cook the sauce 5 more minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with the remaining chopped parsley and serve.
• One more: I am including an extra recipe today because I can’t resist giving you an idea for your leftover ham. This soup has received rave reviews and is so easy. Everything is added to the pot at once. It’s also great reheated. This was originally from Gourmet magazine in 1994 though I have changed a few things over the years.
Hearty Lentil and Ham Soup
1 leftover smoked ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks or 2 cups diced ham
1 pound lentils (about 2 1/2 cups), picked over and rinsed
1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped (about 3 1/2 cups)
3 onions, chopped coarse
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
3 1/2 cups beef or chicken broth
8 cups water
In a 6- to 8-quart kettle combine all ingredients and simmer soup, covered partially, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours. Discard bay leaf and cinnamon stick and remove meat from bone or hocks. Chop meat and stir into soup. Serves 6.
Jenny’s kitchen notes
This week’s tip
To freshen stale rolls, seal in a paper bag, sprinkle the bag with water, and heat 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
Notes
• Did you know … • To make leftover fruit pie taste fresh baked, wrap in foil and warm 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
• Eat it raw … Etiquette advice for eating raw shellfish: For clams and oysters, served raw on the half shell, begin by squeezing lemon juice (with one hand over the wedge or slice to prevent squirting) onto the clam or oyster — not into the sauce. Steady the shell against the plate with your free hand and extract the clam or oyster with a small shellfish fork. You may dip it into your own sauce container (in many formal situations, clams and oysters are served only with lemon) and then lift the meat whole into your mouth. Horseradish and cocktail sauce can also be dabbed onto the individual clam or oyster, which is then lifted to the mouth completely dressed. ~ from “How to Eat An Artichoke,” by Rochelle Udel
• Chicken Bones … Keep plastic bags of leftover chicken bones and ham trimmings in the freezer. Within two months, you can add directly to beans, soups, and broths to intensify flavor. Remove and discard after cooking. I would recommend cooking some fresh chicken or ham to add to the soup or beans near the end of cooking time. This way, the flavor doesn’t get leached out.
• Save the date … for La Filice Winery’s 2nd annual Spring Lamb Barbeque. The barbeque benefits the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford and is co-sponsored by La Filice, Campo di Bocce and the San Jose Greek Community. The event will be held at Campo di Bocce in Los Gatos on April 24. For more information or to get on the mailing list, call (408) 847-4224 ext. 105 or e-mail lh***@******ma.com.
• Savory vinegar … To make a deliciously mild vinegar, combine the peel of half a pineapple, a small chunk of pineapple flesh, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, and 1 quart water in a half-gallon preserving jar. Stir well, screw the lid on tight, then set in the sun. In a few days, when the mixture ferments, remove some of the peel. Gradually, as the liquid changes color and becomes more acid, remove the pineapple flesh and remaining peel. In 2-1/2 to 3 weeks you’ll have a pale, honey-colored vinegar. Strain and store in a cool, dark spot.
~ Jenny Midtgaard
• End notes: “Confidence in the goodness of another is good proof of one’s own goodness.” ~ Michel De Montaigne
Happy cooking!
