• 1/2 lb almonds, blanched
• oil, as needed
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, small cubed
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• pinch saffron
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup parsley, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
• salt, to taste
• 1 pkg filo sheets
• 1 cube butter, melted

Brown almonds in a little oil until golden. Chop coarsely. Add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and honey or sugar to sweeten to taste. Set aside.

Heat butter in a large heavy pot. Add minced onion and saute‚ for a few minutes. Add chicken cut in small pieces, along with pepper, saffron, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, parsley, cilantro, and salt to taste. Simmer until the chicken is done.

Beat two eggs and slowly stir them into the sauce. Remove from heat. Have ready filo sheets, melted butter (at least 1/4 lb), and a pastry brush.

Select a shallow pan about 8″ in diameter, such as a cast iron skillet. What you basically want to do is construct a pie by layering the filo sheets in the pan and then folding them over the contents.

Brush one of the sheets with melted butter, and put it, butter side up, in the bottom of the pan, the excess dangling over the side.

Add another sheet, at an angle to the first, and repeat so that you have filo covering the bottom of the pan and dangling out all around. Use about 5 sheets to form this layer. Repeat the process, forming another layer.

Pour the chicken and sauce into the pan. Put several more buttered sheets on top of the chicken, this time not overlapping the edge–use smaller pieces or fold them in half.

Spread the nut mixture on top of this. Put another layer or so of filo, then fold the dangling ends over the top so as to close the envelope.

Brush the top with butter.Place in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes until the top is golden: flip it onto an oven-proof plate and return to brown the other side, 30-40 minutes total.

Place on a serving platter, sprinkle with powdered sugar, then make fanciful decorative designs with ground cinnamon.

Mike Amason

Brunswick stew is a rural dish originally made from squirrels and whatever vegetables were available.  I have never had two versions that were alike.  This is a recipe you can experiment with that is quite forgiving for a new cook and with a lot of room to play for an experienced chef.  Mistakes may even improve the mixture.  This recipe is one my Mother, Mary, grew up on in Hopkins, South Carolina. She taught me to make it when I was about twelve or so.  She used a whole chicken when she was a girl because that was the way nature packaged them and “cooking from scratch” meant she’d find the main ingredient scratching in the yard a few minutes before it made it to the pot.   The only complaint you are likely to get is that you didn’t make enough of it.  Makes excellent fuel for your body whether you want to perform hard labor after dinner or try out for the Olympic Napping Team.

Ingredients:

• Three chicken breasts @ 1 lb each  (Dark meat is fine and has a stronger flavor.  Leftover turkey will also work but you will have to make a quart of bouillon)
• Two Tbsp olive oil
• 1-4 cloves garlic to taste
• Two medium onions – I use red but it’s your choice.  Large spring onions work well also, but require more of them since they are mild.  Chop the greens if you do use them and add to the stew.
• One stalk celery
• One 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• One 8 oz can tomato sauce
• One 6 oz can tomato paste
• One 15 oz can corn
• One 15 oz can green baby limas (or use dried)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ½ oz worcestershire sauce
• salt, pepper, red pepper sauce to taste (i.e, Tasbasco or Texas Pete)

Serves 4-6    Leftovers freeze well if there are any.

Directions:
*If you are using dried beans, soak them for at least eight hours before starting this recipe. Add the salt as the last ingredient.  Different canned goods will have different salt contents, and it is easier to put it in than to take it out.

Boil the chicken breasts for an hour or so in 1-1/2 quarts water.  When fork tender, remove them and put the broth in a container to cool. Add a few ice cubes to bring the fat to the top.

Skin, bone, and chop the breasts into 1” pieces.  When they fall apart the stew will be stringy with the chicken.  Put olive oil in the pot with a couple of tablespoons water or broth on medium heat, chop the onion and toss it in. Peel the garlic cloves and smash them on the cutting board with the flat of your knife and your fist and toss them into the pot.  This method smells great and relieves a lot of tension.   I add freshly ground black pepper and the thyme at this point.  When onion starts to cook, chop the celery and add it to the mix.

Skim the schmaltz off the reserved broth.  You can use it in the stew, but you will have to heat the leftovers before they will be edible.  Skimmed broth produces a stew that is excellent right out of the fridge for a midnight snack.

When the onion begins to clarify, add three cups of the broth, the worcestershire sauce, the red pepper sauce, and the chopped chicken.  If you have been bored waiting on the onions to cook, you will have pulled the cubed chicken apart into strings.  If not, that’s OK too.  It will happen anyway. When it comes to a boil, add the diced tomatoes and the sauce and paste.  Stir until the paste dissolves in the mixture.  Let boil for ten minutes if you are using canned beans.

*If you are using dried beans, add them now, add another cup of broth, and let boil 30-45 minutes or until beans are tender.  If not, drain the canned corn and beans well and add them to the pot.  Add whatever broth is left until you get the consistency of the stew like you want it.   Stir and simmer for 10-15 minutes, taste and add salt to taste.  Adjust any other spices to suit yourself.  If you have too much liquid, add another can tomato paste to thicken.  When the chicken falls apart, you are ready to eat.

Serve hot with a pan of fresh biscuits.  Will serve six or so (more if you add liquid and more veggies and make a bigger pan of biscuits), or will produce four very satiated people.

Variations:

1. My Mother used to make this with the addition of a couple of pork chops to the chicken breasts, cooked until they fell apart.  Much heartier stew, but not necessary.  If you try this, cook the pork chops separately from the chicken to keep the chicken broth light and grease free.
2. Too much onion is not enough in this stew.  Add freely to taste.
3. I have added fresh or frozen cut okra to this stew from time to time.  The okra technically makes it a gumbo, and the slime from the okra changes the mouth feel slightly.
4. Fresh or frozen green peas don’t hurt it a bit if you are so inclined.
5. Diced fresh tomatoes are usually an improvement if they are not winter greenhouse tomatoes.  Homegrown tomatoes such as Rutgers, Marion, or Roma are all outstanding.  Large slicing tomatoes can be used but don’t have the meaty flavor or the thicker consistency of the smaller varieties.
6. Diced potatoes will thicken the stew and are a great economical stretcher to feed a lot of people.  If you use potatoes, however, the stew will not freeze nearly as well and you may get an off flavor when it is thawed.

Chris Leishman

This recipe is wonderful.  Chris was the Menu and Recipe Coordinator at UCSF when I worked there, and this is one of the recipes she came up with to serve in the Moffitt Cafe.  I really like it!!

• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
• ¾ cup chopped yellow onions
• 1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
• pinch ea. of dry thyme, basil, marjoram and oregano
• 1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
• 3 tbsp grated parmesan
• 11 large eggs
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Set the brown rice aside in a large mixing bowl. Sauté the onions, mushrooms and garlic until completely wilted but still moist. Crumble the dry herbs over the mushroom mixture and cook for several minutes stirring often. Cool this mixture thoroughly before adding to the rice. In another bowl whisk the eggs with the salt and pepper and the first two cheeses. Stir the egg mixture into the rice and vegetable mixture and pour all into an 8-inch square Pyrex or stainless baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

Cover the pan with foil and bake in a 350° oven for 35-45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 5-10 minutes until the casserole is set in the middle and golden on top. Sprinkle with the parmesan and parsley before serving.

White Wine Mushroom Sauce

• 2 ½ tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp vegetable broth, hot
• 1/3 cup chablis
• pinch of black pepper
• 2 tbsp canned sliced mushrooms, drained
• 5 tbsp heavy cream, warmed

Melt the butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook over a medium heat. Slowly whisk in the hot broth making sure it is emulsified before adding more. Add the wine and black pepper in the same manner, turn the heat to low and cook gently for 15-20 minutes whisking occasionally. Add the mushrooms and stir gently but thoroughly. Whisk in the warmed cream in a slow steady stream. Cook until the desired thickness or thin by adding a little hot broth or warm cream.

Carol Connor

This recipe comes to us from cousin Carol who received it from Bernard Schimmel at the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha.

• 3 boned whole chicken breasts
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 cup chicken broth

Brown chicken breasts in 3 tbsp butter. Place in baking dish. Add broth. Cover and bake at 375° for one hour.

Remove chicken and save broth. keep chicken warm.

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup heavy cream

Melt 3 tbsp butter in small saucepan. Blend in flour for roux. Stir in broth and cream. Stir and cook until mixture thickens and boils.

Serve with broccoli and new potatoes.

Bob DiNardo

• 3 pounds rump of beef
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 6 peppercorns
• 3 parsley springs
• Pinch of dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 bottle of red wine, burgundy preferred
• 4 tablespoons of peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 20 tiny white onions
• 1/4 pound of blanched bacon, cut into strips
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 garlic cloves
• 10 small mushrooms
• 1 Bouquet Garni
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup of brandy
• 1 cup of croutons

Boiled potatoes

Cut the meat into 1 1/2 to 2 inch cubes and marinate in a mixture of the sliced onion, carrots, peppercorsn, parsley, thyme, bay leaf and half of the wine for 12 hours in the refrigerator. Turn the meat occasionally.

Heat the oil and the butter in a casserole, add the tiny onions, and cook them until golden brown. Add the bacon strips and stir until they are golden. Remove the onions and the bacon and reserve.

Remove the meat from the marinade, pat it dry with kitchen towels, and brown it, a few pieces at a time, in the fat in the casserole.

Bring the marinade to a boil in a saucepan, reduce it slightly, and strain it. Put all of the cubes of browned meat in the casserole, sprinkle with the flour, and stir over high heat for 2 or 3 minutes.

Add the garlic cloves, the reduced marinade, the remaining wine, the reserved onions and bacon, the mushrooms and the bouquet garni.

Season with salt and pepper and simmer, covered, over low heat for 2 hours. When the meat is very tender, transfer it and the vegetables to a big hot serving dish and keep it hot. Boil the sauce for a few minutes and add the brandy. Boil for more minutes.

Strain the sauce through a fine sieve over the meat.

Garnish with the croutons and serve with boiled potatoes on the side.

Mike Amason

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 8 ½ inch thick pork chops
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped finely
• 1 (15 ounce) can sliced pineapple packed in juice
• 1 large banana, sliced
• ½ cup raisins
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• ¼ cup red wine
• 1 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½  tsp black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cumin
• salt and pepper

1.      Heat 1 tbsp  oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the pork chops lightly and fry on each side until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and drain.

2.      Drain pineapple slices and reserve juice.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a covered skillet (stovetop) or a covered baking dish (oven) and add chopped garlic with 2 tbsp pineapple juice.  Let cook 5 minutes until garlic is soft.

3.    Into a bowl pour pineapple juice, red wine, and tomato paste.  Stir cornstarch, pepper, cayenne, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, and allspice into liquid. Place a layer of pork chops into pan or dish with a slice of pineapple on each.  Add half the  banana slices and raisins, pour ½ the liquid from the bowl over them sprinkle lightly with black pepper.  Create a second layer covered with the rest of the fruit and liquid.  Cover and cook on medium heat (stovetop) or bake at 325 degrees (oven) for 45 minutes until chops are fork tender.  Serve over rice.

We came up with this recipe years ago.  It’s a great dish for parties, because it can be doubled, tripled, or quintupled with ease. It was definitely a huge hit when we had Pop’s cousin’s from Omaha over for St. Paddy’s dinner years ago. They still talk about it! I also brought it in to UCSF one year and it became a staple on the Moffitt Cafe menu for St Paddy’s Day.

• 2 pounds beef steak, cut in pieces
• 3 medium onions, sliced
• 1 pound carrots, sliced into sticks
• all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, minced
• 1 bottle Guinness
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 cup beef broth

Cut the meat into serving sizes. Pound them to tenderize and for a uniform thickness. Peel the onions and slice. Peel the carrots and slice them into sticks. Place the flour in a dish and mix in 1 tsp of salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic powder. Heat the butter in a sautè pan, add the onions and cook until soft. Transfer them to a large, shallow, greased ovenproof dish.

Dredge the pieces of meat in the seasoned flour and brown. Remove as they are cooked and place on top of the onions in a single layer. Arrange the carrots around them. Add a little more butter to the pan and stir in the seasoned flour to make a roux.

Cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly and scraping up all the browned bits then add the Guinness. Allow to boil for a minute or two, then add the basil, honey and the broth. Return to a boil and pour over the meat. Cover the dish and bake at 325° for 90 minutes.

Tim Dineen

This is a fun recipe – pretty simple, really.

For marinade

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine or sherry
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced gingerroot
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 Portobello Mushrooms

For slaw

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 2 cups shredded Napa Cabbage
• 1/2 cups shredded carrot
• 2 green onions, chopped fine
• 4  hamburger buns or rolls

Make marinade:
In a small saucepan simmer marinade ingredients, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cool.

Put mushrooms and marinade in a ziplock bag,  Marinate mushrooms about 1 hour.

Make slaw:
In a bowl mix together mayonnaise, vinegar, oil, and honey and add cabbage, carrot, and green onions. Toss well and season with salt and pepper to taste.

BBQ mushrooms over medium heat until heated through and slightly charred.  Place on buns and top with slaw.  Enjoy!!

(Or – you can broil in your oven.  Either way, they’re great!)

Ann Mason

• 12 slices day old white bread, cubed
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 2 8 oz packages cream cheese, also cubed
• 12 beaten eggs
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 cups milk
• Dash or two of cinnamon, to taste
• 1 tblsp vanilla, Mexican if you have it!

In a greased 9 x 13 pan:
Layer half the bread, all the cream cheese, all the blueberries, ending with the other half the bread.
Beat eggs, add the milk, honey, vanilla, cinnamon
Dump over the bread and blueberries in the pan, cover and refridgerate at least 8 hours or over night.

Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking.
Bake covered with foil in 350 degree oven for thirty minutes.
Uncover and bake 25 to 30 minuts more until browed slightly and firm in the center.

Serve with blueberry sauce or maple syrup or whatever.

Blueberry Sauce

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 tblsp butter
• 2 tblsp cornstarch

In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch, add water and boil until thick and clear. Add blueberries, maybe a little more vanilla too, anc simmer 7 or 8 minutes until berries burst. Stir in butter.

Best served right away but it can be reheated in the microwave if you have to make it ahead of time.

Tim Dineen

• 4 qts Vegetable broth
• 2 cans pumpkin
• 2 cans coconut milk
• 1/2 cup Rum
• 2 cups cooked hominy
• 1 cup cooked wild rice
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 4 carrots, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained)
• 2 tbsp asst chilies, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• salt and pepper

Saute onion, carrots, chilies, and celery in olive oil until wilted. Add broth and boil until reduced by about 1/3.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer about 1 hour.

Check for seasoning and adjust, as desired.

Tim Dineen

The soup is an Anglo-Indian concoction of curry, rice, apples, and chicken.   It was on the winter menu at the Hyatt Lake Tahoe when I worked there in the 70’s.  Their version was even thicker and creamier and a luscious pale golden yellow.  It was one of the most popular winter soups served at the hotel.

This is based upon that recipe, although I no longer thicken it.

It can definitely be streamlined using boneless chicken breasts and chicken broth.

• 1 chicken, cut up
• 4-6 qts water
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• A couple of garlic cloves, chopped
• A few ribs celery, chopped
• A few carrots, chopped
• 1 small bell pepper, chopped
• 2 granny smith (or other tart apple) peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp to 1 tbsp Curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 pt heavy cream
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• S&P to taste

Pourwater into pot and add chicken.  Bring to a simmer and cook chicken.  When chicken is just done, remove it and cool.  Boil the stock down a bit to intensify flavor.

Add the rice and let it cook about 15 or so minutes, stirring once in a while so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.

Do a quick sauté of the onions, spices, and other veggies (less apples) while the rice is cooking. (a bit of butter or oil – I usually use butter…) Add them to the broth.

Pull the chicken from the bones and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Add to the pot.  Keep it simmering.  Add the coconut milk and  heavy cream.  Keep simmering

Add the apples.  Taste.  Add more curry, S and/or P if desired.

Cook a bit longer, stirring occasionally (don’t want it to stick!!) It should get nice and creamy and thickened.A great garnish is some chopped pistachios sprinkled on each bowl as it’s served.

Sometimes I’ll add plain yogurt or ½ yogurt, ½ cream.  Depends on my 1) mood, and 2) what’s in the house.

Enjoy!