The World Is a Kitchen

Bonus Recipe

Throughout The World Is a Kitchen we have sprinkled sidebars and epilogues—grace notes to accompany the stories that are informational, add a twist to the story, or provide a similar experience. There is one sidebar on page 85 in the story “Guiseppa’s Secret Ingredient” called “The Ties That Bind.” The sidebar reads:

I find that little of what I cook is based on my heritage. The lone exception to this is my great-grandmother’s shortbread, which she brought with her from Scotland to America. This recipe is the one thing that ties me to our collective past and may link us to our future, as I’ve passed down the recipe to my children. My hands work the buttery dough as she would have done and the rich smell permeates the kitchen. The taste of it with a cup of tea binds me, however slightly, to her and my cultural and familial history.

Because this is a sidebar, no recipe accompanied the text. Forutnately, I wrote that sidebar and the recipe is mine, so I am able to share it with you. The thing about this recipe is the ease and fun of making it. My nana always emphasized that you had to use your hands to meld the butter and sugar together. The heat from your hands, she told me, is the secret ingredient. Taking it a step further, we mix the whole dough with our hands. One bowl, no spoon, easy clean up. This, combined with the wonderful flavor, makes it a favorite for children, great with tea, and a staple in our home over the holidays.

Nana’s Shortbread

½ lb. butter (2 sticks), room temperature
½ c. granulated sugar
2 ¼ cups flour
1 T cornstarch

In medium bowl, place butter and sugar. Using your hand, work the sugar into the butter until fully incorporated. Add the flour and cornstarch gradually, mixing after each addition. Once thoroughly incorporated, your dough should be “short”, meaning crumbly. Pull it all into a ball and pat it into a square or round 8-inch or 9-inch pan. Score with the tines of a fork.
Bake 325º for approximately 35 minutes until just lightly browned on the edges.

Breakfast or Dessert?

Take your pick. This sweet Italian recipe from Catherine Ann Lombard's story, "Guiseppa's Secret Ingredient" can be served for breakfast, dessert or in the afternoon with a cuppa tea.

Crostata
Serves 8

Pasta Frolla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
grates zest of 1 lemon

Filling
2 cups jam (raspberry, strawberry and plum work best)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts)

Mix the crust ingredients until they form a ball. Regrigerate for 1 hour, if possible. Roll out dough on floured surface to 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut a round and fit into 8-inch round pan. Spread with jam. Take leftover crust and re-roll. Cut into strips to form a lattice on top, or cut into shapes and place atop jam. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes until dough begins to brown. Cool and serve.

Sample a Recipe from the book!

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Serves 8 – 10

This recipe is from the New Orleans Cooking Experience (NOCE), and their wonderful chef and instructor Chiqui Collier, a native New Orleanian. NOCE, housed in an historic 1798 French plantation house turned B&B, offers single half-day and full-day classes, series classes, as well as complete vacation packages.  (www.neworleanscookingexperience.com)

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup bacon drippings or vegetable oil
1 gallon chicken stock
1 1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
salt to taste
1 pound andouille or smoked sausage, sliced and lightly browned
1 pound sliced okra, fresh or frozen, sautéed in oil
3 pounds grilled chicken, diced or shredded*

Add oil or bacon fat to heavy bottomed 2- to 3-gallon soup pot. Adjust heat to high; when oil is to the smoking point, very carefully stir in flour using a wooden spoon to make the roux; reduce heat to medium high. Use extreme care while stirring, avoiding splatters. Continue to cook the roux until it reaches a dark chocolate color. Carefully add onion, then vegetables, garlic, spices and approximately 1 _ teaspoons of salt. Stir the roux and the vegetable mixture to insure all is well combined. Cook 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring until soft. Add the browned sausage and sautéed okra and whisk in the chicken stock. Return to high and whisk until the roux is incorporated into the stock. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 hour, skimming any oil or foam that rises to the top during this time. After an hour check the taste, add salt if needed. Add hot sauce and Worcestershire. Just before serving, add the chicken and heat through. Ladle gumbo over rice.

*As a shortcut, you can buy roasted chickens from your supermarket and shop the meat off the bone.

A Foreign Taste Treat

This is the featured recipe with Rachel Newcomb's story "Honor Thy Mother" and is a typical Moroccan dish which is easy to make and wonderfully delicioius. Don't let the addition of prunes scare you off!

Tagine with Meat and Prunes
Serves 4

1pound lamb or beef, for stewing, preferably with bones to add flavor
2 large onions, finely chopped
20 prunes
1/4 cup canola oil, plus a heaping tablespoon of olive oil
1 heaping teaspoon ginger
1 beef boullion cube
dash of turmeric for color
a few strands saffron, dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water (optional)
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons honey, or more to taste
1/8 cup peeled and slivered almonds, lightly toasted

Continue to read directions

Put the meat in a stew pot, chop the onions finely and place on top, and add the regular & olive oils. Start the heat on medium-high and get everything bubbling as you work. Add a heaping teaspoon of ground ginger, a beef boullion cube, dash turmeric, saffron dissolved in water, and a small amount of salt. Add just enough water to cover, bring to a boil. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and turn heat low enough so that everything is still simmering.

Meanwhile, boil the prunes in water for about five minutes. Drain.

After an hour, check the tenderness of the meat. It may take another hour if the meat is tough.  When meat is tender, uncover, add prunes, a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of honey, or to taste.

Cook for another fifteen minutes, uncovered, boiling off the excess. The sauce should cook down considerably until very thick and not at all runny. The meat should be falling-off-the-bones soft. Add more honey or salt to taste, if necessary. Garnish with toasted almonds. Serve in a big plate in the center of the table with bread for dipping.