Moms Stuffed Cabbage Leaves
(Christian’s Mom!)

1 head cabbage
1 lb ground beef
½ lb ground pork sausage
1 onion, diced
1 can tomato soup
1- 8 oz can tomato sauce
½ cup cooked rice

    Steam cabbage by putting it in boiling water for 5 minutes, then cover and remove from heat and steam for 15 minutes. Let it cool.
Mix thoroughly the beef, pork, onion, tomato sauce and cooked rice. Peel cabbage leaves and place a ball of the meat mixture on leaf and roll leaf around the ball and seal with a toothpick. Place the rolls into a roaster with the tomato soup and a small amount of tomato sauce. Add water as needed and a small amount of sugar.
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Stuffed Green Peppers

6 green peppers
½ cup cooked rice
2 cups canned tomatoes
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ cup diced onion
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

    Wash peppers, remove tops, veins and seeds. Mix remaining ingredients, except the cheese and stuff the peppers. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for about 1 hour. Sprinkle on the cheese and bake for about 5 minutes more.

Chili

    This recipe is very, very good, but Dana likes to substitute ground turkey for the beef, and to add hominy. By the way, did you know that the ancient Indians in South America had corn as a staple for their diet… I need to check out that book again because this story is really good but I can’t remember the details. Anyway, if they didn’t treat the corn with lye to make it into hominy before putting it into use, the corn actually caused the body not to absorb a vital nutrient and get a mortal disease. When Columbus took it back to Europe, the natives had failed to tell him about that. On top of that, wherever corn was introduced into the world, it grew so well that it would quickly become a staple, there would be a population explosion, there wouldn’t be enough animal protein to sustain this population growth, and then a famine would occur. So, in truth, corn has caused a lot of problems. A good argument for moderation in all things. I’ll bet you thought this was going to be a history of chili! Hah!!

3 lbs beef bottom round, chuck or rump
2 onions
2 tbsp flour
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 cups broth from meat (or 1 can broth)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp chili powder
1 cup canned diced green chilies
4 cans beans of your choice
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
dried red pepper flakes to taste

    Slice beef into 1 inch thick slices. Place in one layer in large oven safe Dutch oven. Add about 2 cups water, bring to a simmer, cover and bake at 325 degrees for about 1 ½ hours or more until fork tender. (The preceding is a good argument for my ground turkey. Just brown it in a skillet with some salt and pepper and voila, you are done with the meat! Oh god, there’s more) Allow to cool enough to remove fat and shred meat into bite size pieces.
Sauté onion in oil until tender. Add flour. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. (You want to brown the flour a little which will remove the “flour” taste.)  Add the meat and other ingredients and simmer for an hour or so.

Spaghetti Sauce

2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped carrot
2 cups chopped celery
4 cloves garlic
6 lbs canned tomatoes
12 oz tomato paste
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp rosemary
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp salt
red and black pepper to taste
2 cups red wine
2 cups beef stock or broth

Cook onions, carrots and celery in oil in large covered pot until soft. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, for an hour or so until the flavors are well blended.

Meatballs

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (NOT from a can!)
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp dried chives
½ tsp oregano
1 tbsp parsley flakes
2 eggs
½ tsp pepper

Mix the above ingredients and form into 1” balls. Roll in oil in shallow pan to coat completely, and then broil until browned. Place in spaghetti sauce and cook and additional hour or so.

Pasta with Ground Beef and Tomato Sauce

1 onion, diced
1 each red and green bell pepper, diced
1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
2 cups dry pasta, cooked
1 lb canned dice tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 tsp diced hot chilies
a few grinds of black pepper

    Brown the beef then add the peppers and onions and cook for 10 minutes. Add the other ingredients and heat through.

Amazing Hamburgers

    I’m sure these spices sound really strange to put in hamburgers, but try it anyway!

1 lb ground turkey
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper

    Mix all ingredients together and cook and serve as you normally would. Mmm!

Turkey Meat Loaf

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients except ketchup in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased sheet pan. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. and the meatloaf is cooked through. (A pan of hot water in the oven under the meatloaf will keep the top from cracking.) Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold in a sandwich.

Lamb and Rice Stuffed Cabbage

Salt
1 large head Savoy cabbage, separated into leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 medium parsnip, shredded
2/3 to 3/4 pound ground lamb
3/4 cup short-grain rice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or more to taste.

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it. Add the cabbage leaves to the boiling water a few at a time and cook for 30 seconds to one minute, or until they’re just pliable. Carefully remove the leaves from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander; rinse with cold water. Repeat with the remaining leaves. Gently squeeze the leaves to remove most of the excess water, leaving them just damp enough so they will stick together when rolled.
2. Put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; when hot, add half the chopped onion and one tablespoon of the garlic, along with the carrot and the parsnip, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl along with the lamb and rice. Mix until just combined.
3. Wipe the pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and turn the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the remaining onion and garlic and cook until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, red pepper and a good sprinkling of salt; cook over medium-low heat while you prepare the cabbage leaves.
4. Cut the cabbage leaves in half by running a sharp knife along each side of the stem, removing the stem in the process; trim the top and bottom so you’re left with a large rectangle. Lay a leaf on a work surface with the wide edge facing you. Put a couple tablespoons of the meat mixture in the middle of the leaf, fold in the two sides of the leaf and roll it up as you would a burrito. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.
5. Add the cabbage rolls, seam side down, to the pot of sauce. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring the sauce occasionally and adding a tablespoon or two of water if the sauce becomes too thick, until the meat and rice are both fully cooked (cut into a roll to check; the rice should be tender and the meat no longer pink), 30 to 45 minutes. Serve immediately.

Turkey Pie

    This is great for any leftover meat that you may have on hand. Generally it will be turkey for obvious reasons, but there are definitely occasions when you will want to stretch a roast. I like to exchange the peas for mushrooms and you are welcome to omit or substitute as you like. This meal is wonderful not only in its deliciousness, but also in its flexibility.

4 cups cooked turkey
2 cups cooked potatoes
2 cups cooked carrots
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 cups thin turkey gravy
1 Savory Crust from page ___

Lightly mix turkey and vegetables and place in a 2 quart deep casserole, soufflé or deep dish pie dish. Pour hot gravy over.

Roll pie crust just to fit the top of the dish. Cut in several places to allow steam to escape. Bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour, or until crust is brown and the contents are bubbling.

Marinated Lamb

PER POUND OF LAMB:
1-2 cloves mashed garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp or so rosemary
2 tbsp soy sauce

You can us various cuts of lamb for this recipe, and they will all be great. For a butterflied leg of lamb you can either cook it on the grill or roast it, or for a rack or lamb chops, cook them in a hot frying pan on the stove. You want to cook the lamb to the same doneness that you like your beef. I love it really rare.  Follow the procedure described in the above recipe and cook as the cut of meat demands.

Lasagna

   This is a great recipe of Grandpa’s, which Christian frequently has had for his birthday. (That’s a great statement for how good it is!)

1 lb Italian sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp whole basil
1- 1 lb cans (2 cups) diced tomatoes
2- 6 ounce cans (1 1/3 cups) tomato paste
1 ½ tsp salt
12 ounces dry lasagna noodles
3 cups fresh ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 tbsp parsley flakes
2 beaten eggs
2 (more) tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 lb mozzarella cheese, sliced very thin

    Brown meat slowly; spoon off excess fat. Add next 5 ingredients. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cook noodles in large amount of boiling salted water until tender; drain; rinse.
Combine remaining ingredients, except the mozzarella cheese.
Place half the noodles in a 13x9x2 (a standard long Pyrex) inch baking dish; spread with half the cheese mixture, cover with half the mozzarella and half of the meat sauce. Repeat layers. Bake at 375 degree oven about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Fettuccini Alfredo

1 recipe pasta, from misc. chapter, page ____, or prepared fettuccini
1 cup heave cream
¼ cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

    Cook pasta in boiling salted water until just tender (2-3 minutes for fresh pasta) Drain. Pour the cream into a heavy pan and boil down to ½ cup. Add pasta and cheese. Toss and serve immediately.

Noodle Stir-Fry

1 carrot, in ¼ inch julienne strips
½ green pepper, cut into strips
½ onion, cut in ½ inch dice
4 mushrooms, sliced
1 cup meat of your choice, cooked or raw, cut in bite size pieces
2 cups bean sprouts
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp cornstarch in ½ cup stock or broth
2 tsp soy sauce
2 packages asian noodles

    Stir-fry carrot, onion and green pepper in wok for 2 minutes. Add meat, ginger and mushrooms and continue cooking until all the veggies are crisp-tender and meat is cooked. Remove from wok to a bowl.
Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and sauté in a small amount of oil in the wok for a minute or two. Distribute onto two serving plates.
Return the vegetables to the wok, along with the bean sprouts and heat through. Give the cornstarch and stock a quick stir to combine and add with the soy sauce, stirring constantly. When sauce is thick and bubbling, distribute on top of the noodles on the serving plates.

Lamb Curry

Boned leg of lamb cut in 1 inch squares
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 ½ cup beef stock
4 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp flour
2-3 dashes cayenne pepper
1 coconut

    Brown lamb in oil. Remove lamb and cook onion and garlic for about 15-20 minutes. Add curry powder and flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add stock and whisk over medium heat until thickened.
Drain milk from coconut. Process with ½ cup coconut in the food processor until smooth. Add to sauce.
Return the meat to the pan, add seasonings and simmer for 1 ½ hours or until tender.
Serve the curry over rice with the following condiments;

Crushed crisp bacon
Mango chutney
Slivered, roasted almonds
Chopped tomato
Chopped cucumber
Chopped hard boiled egg
Grated coconut
Raisins that have been soaked in hot water for about 10 minutes