Seagrass, I looked at a bunch of methods I found on the Web and picked the simplest one. Lots of recipes call for adding onions or apples to the fat, but I wanted to try it first without adding another flavor, so mine is just fat and nothing else. All you do is collect the fat trimmings each time you make chicken and save them in the freezer till you have at least a couple of cups' worth. If you remove the skin before you cook chicken, you can add cut-up pieces of that as well. Then just put it all in a heavy skillet over low to medium heat and let it melt slowly, watching so it doesn't burn. Some recipes said to add water to the skillet, but I didn't. As the fat liquefies, you can pour it off into a container. Eventually all that will be left are the pieces of skin, which you can cook till they get brown and curly. Then, if you're suicidal, you can eat those. They're called "gribenes" in Yiddish, and they're as delicious as they are lethal. The melted fat gets poured through a very fine sieve, or even a coffee filter if you're compulsive (I was). I have almost all the schmaltz I made that first and only time still in my freezer. I'm not sure how long it's supposed to keep, but it seems fine, and that was quite a while ago. I guess I could make more if I needed it. It's not something we use a lot of, but it's comforting to know I have some if there's ever a national schmaltz emergency.

Being an inveterate 'recipe fiddler' I am usually quite happy to adapt a chop or steak recipe and use cubes or strips instead, or vice versa. And I'm also happy to interchange veal and lamb recipes, which broadens the horizons considerably! Bavarian Veal with Asparagus 1kg veal, cubed 2 cups beef stock 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 tablespoons flour 1 onion, chopped salt and pepper to taste 1 cup chopped carrots 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 500g asparagus, but into 2cm pieces, (or use frozen tips and pieces) 1/4 cup lemon juice In a Dutch oven brown the veal in hot oil. Add onion and carrots. Cook until onion is transparent. Stir in parsley. Mix lemon juice, stock, flour and seasonings until well-blended. Pour over meat. Cover and bake at 160C 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. adding more stock if needed. Cook asparagus until tender-crisp. Stir into veal and serve immediately. Blanquette de Veau 1.5kg boned veal shoulder, cut into 2-5cm chunks 2 cups chicken stock 2 carrots, cut into 3mm dice 3 whole cloves 2 bay leaves 1/2 teaspoon white or black peppercorns 500g mushrooms 2 tablespoons butter 300g baby onions 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind 1/2cup cream 1/2 cup chopped parsley 2 tablespoons cornflour 1 tablespoon lemon juice salt to taste Rinse meat and place in a large saucepan. Add stock, carrots, cloves, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to the boil over high heat, cover, and simmer gently until meat is very tender when pierced, 1-1 1/4 hours. Meanwhile, rinse mushrooms; trim off and discard discoloured stem ends. In a large frypan over medium heat, melt butter, add mushrooms and onions, mix, cover, and cook, shaking pan or stirring often, until mushroom juices have evaporated and vegetables are beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. When veal is tender, transfer meat and seasonings with a slotted spoon to the pan with the mushrooms and onions (mounding, if necessary); discard cloves and bay leaves if desired. Add lemon rind and cream to the stock and boil, uncovered, over high heat until reduced to 3 cups, 10-15 minutes. Stir in parsley. Blend cornflour with 2 tablespoons water until smooth; stir into boiling veal juices. Add lemon juice and the meat and vegetables; stir gently until meat is hot, 2-3 minutes. Add salt to taste and serve. Veal Fricassee 500g veal, diced or chopped butter and oil for frying 2 tablespoons flour 2 cups water 1 small onion, grated salt and pepper to taste 1 egg yolk, beaten boiled rice Heat the oil and butter, and fry the veal until nicely browned. Combine remaining ingredients and add to the veal, stirring constantly until thickened. Simmer gently for about an hour. Remove the veal and put onto a serving dish, surround with boiled rice. Stir the egg yolk into the sauce, pour over the meat and serve. Garnish with parsley if liked. Other meats, chicken or fish may be substituted for the veal. A few peas, or asparagus tips or chopped celery and/or diced carrots may be added about half an hour before end of cooking time. Veal Goulash 600g veal, cubed 2 tablespoons butter 2 large onions, chopped 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoons seasoned flour 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1/4 cup red wine 1/2 cup beef stock salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup yoghurt chopped parsley Melt half the butter, add onions and saute until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove. Combine paprika and flour and coat the veal with the mixture. Melt remaining butter, add meat and cook for 2-3 minutes to brown all over. Return onions to pan, stir in tomato paste, wine and stock. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10-12 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add yoghurt and parsley. Veal Paprika 1kg veal, cut into bite-size pieces 2 tablespoons butter 2 onions, sliced 1 capsicum, sliced 2 stalks celery, diced 2 cloves garlic salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon vinegar 2-4 teaspoons paprika 1/2 teaspoons sugar 300ml hot water cornflour to thicken if desired Dust the veal with cornflour. Heat butter in a heavy frypan and lightly brown veal. Transfer to another saucepan. Add hot water to the pan and stir to blend, when boiling, our over the veal. Add remaining ingredients, stir to blend. Cover and simmer about an hour. Serve with parsley dumplings, or rice or noodles. A few spoons of cream may be added just before serving if liked. Veal Paprika With Caraway [pick of the bunch, IMO!] 40g butter 3 finely chopped onions 1kg cubed veal 1 small can tomatoes 1/2 cup water 1 tablespoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds salt and pepper to taste 225g sliced mushrooms 15g plain flour, blended with 15g butter chopped parsley 1 bay leaf Heat butter in pan, cook onions over low heat until transparent, stirring occasionally. Add veal, brown all over. Add tomatoes, water, paprika, bay leaf and caraway seeds, season to taste. Cover, simmer 1 1/2 hours. Add mushrooms, simmer a further 30 minutes or until veal is tender. Mix a little of the sauce with the flour and butter, return to the pan, stir until sauce thickens. Remove bay leaf. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley. Veal With Dill [excellent, IMO!] 750g veal, cubed seasoned flour 2 onions, sliced 2 small carrots, cut into sections 1/2 teaspoon dried dill 1 1/2 cups chicken stock salt and pepper to taste cornflour Coat veal with seasoned flour and fry in hot oil until the colour just changes. Add onions and fry, stirring well, for another 2-3 minutes. Add stock, stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add carrots and dill, cover and cook gently until veal is tender. Pour the liquid into a small pan, season to taste and thicken with a little cornflour mixed to a paste with water. Pour back into the pan with the meat and stir until nearly boiling. Veal With Zucchini 750g veal, cubed 1 tablespoon oil 3 large zucchini, cut into chunks 2 onion stock cubes, crumbled 400g can tomatoes Place veal and oil in a flameproof casserole dish and fry until browned. Add remaining ingredients and bake in a moderate oven for 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours. Serve with buttered noodles.

Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Thu, Apr 8, 10 at 9:44 I'm confused? I thought the pasta cookalong was next week, as the pasta party. I didn't do it this past weekend because I thought that's what we were doing. Well, that, and I've been very busy and was gone last weekend. So, the pasta party and pasta cookalong are/were two different things? Thats okay, as I could eat pasta every day...well, I could if I wanted to gain 300 pounds, lol. Bring on the cream cheese, because I'll buy it thinking I'll use it, then it will sit in the fridge for months before I toss it because it's old. It'll be good to get some recipes. Sally o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Thu, Apr 8, 10 at 11:40 That settles it Sally, you're just going to have to make a dish this weekend that uses pasta AND cream cheese. Might I suggest noodle pudding, known as "kugel" around my house. I may have a recipe if you would like. o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 9:31 That sounds like a great idea. You want to post it on the pasta party or cream cheese thread? Actually, I'm going out of town again this weekend, but I plan to take whatever I need with me to do the pasta party - I just won't be able to post about it till Monday night or Tuesday. Sally o Pesto Trappanese clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by johnliu (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 11:02 Pesto Trappanese This is a dead-easy summer dish, as with many Italian recipes either find really good ingredients or don't make it. Ideal picnic food. Tomato â€" 2 cups, dice by hand, no need to peel or seed. Or, quarter a bunch of cherry tomatoes, which is labor-intensive but flavorful. Parmesan or Asagio or similar salty, hard cheese - 1/2 cup, grated. Chop coarsely by hand: Basil â€" 1-2 cup fresh leaves (or chiffonade which looks prettiest) Garlic â€" 2-3 cloves Almonds â€" ½ cup or more, toasted lightly Optional - a couple of shallots, a bit of fresh mint. Combine. Add to taste: Salt â€" Kosher ideally Pepper â€" fresh cracked Olive oil Lemon - squeeze juice Optional - a bit of red wine vinegar Serve on pasta, cooked in salted water, pasta should be cooled or chilled. I like spirals becuse they are cute and hold the pesto well. Do not use a food processor, the tomatoes tend to turn to juice, the rest becomes too fine, and when mixed up the whole thing looks disturbingly like stomach contents. o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by paprikash (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 14:20 This is absolutely the best tuna noodle casserole I have ever tasted. My husband couldn't stop eating it (little did he know he was eating artichoke hearts....) * Exported from MasterCook * Mediterranean Tuna Casserole Recipe By : Cooking Enthusiast Catalog Serving Size : 4 Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 6 ounces egg noodles -- cooked al dente 3 tablespoons butter 1/2 red pepper -- diced 1 clove garlic -- peeled and minced 4 ounces baby portobella mushrooms -- sliced 1 7 oz can artichoke hearts -- drained and chopped 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup milk 1 cup heavy cream 2 4 oz cans bonito del norte tuna -- drained 3/4 cup parmesan cheese -- shredded 3 scallions -- thinly sliced 1/2 cup crispy onions 1/4 cup Italian style panko breadcrumbs Melt butter in large saucepot over medium heat. Add red peppers and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add mushrooms and cook until soft, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in artichoke hearts and flour. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in milk and heavy cream and cook until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 12-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. In large bowl, combine the egg noodles, tuna, scallions, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and sauce mixture. Grease a 10" round casserole, add noodle mixture and top with crispy onions, remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs. Bake in a 400* oven for 20 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : I probably used closer to 8 oz of baby portobellas and I used regular panko crumbs. I used the canned French's onion rings (Cooking Enthusiast sells their "crispy onions" but I've never bought them). The French's onion rings were starting to burn after 15 minutes so don't top with them until the last 8 to 10 minutes or leave them off. I do buy my tuna fish from Cooking Enthusiast -- it's packed in olive oil and wonderful but I am sure regular tuna fish packed in olive oil will work fine, too. o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by mamalou (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 18:18 I made Lpinkmountain's recipe (sorry, don't know your real name) for Spaghetti al Tonno / Pasta with Tuna Sauce. It was delicious and I used the anchovies, lemon zest, and olives. The instructions did not say when to add in the anchovies, so I added them in with the onion as I have seen done on the food network. My husband and I both went back for seconds. Thanks for sharing such a great, quick recipe! o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA Recipe!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by mamalou (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 18:28 Here is a recipe my niece shared with me that is very delicious. Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Courtesy of Giada Delurentis. Ingredients: 3TBOlive Oil 1 pkg spicy sausage casings removed 2 bunches Broccoli Rabe (I use one) 3-5 cloves garlic minced pinch of dried red pepper flakes (or more if you can take it) 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated 1/2 tea fresh ground black pepper Directions: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil Broccoli Rabe for one minute. Strain broccoli rabe reserving all cooking liquid. Cook orecchiette in the same water as the broccoli rabe until al dente. Drain reserving one cup of cooking liquid. Meanwhile cook sausage in large skillet with oil breaking into pieces. Cook until brown and juices form. Add garlic and red pepper, saute until fragrant. Add broccoli rabe toss to coat . Add pasta and enough reserved cooking liquid to keep moisten. Stir Parmesan salt to taste and fresh ground pepper to taste into mixture. Enjoy o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 22:37 That's right Mamalou, Joyce says to add the anchovies after sauteeing the onions until transluscent. Sorry I left them out! I tried to like anchovies but I just can't do it, lol! My name is Laurie but I like to go by my screen name or Lpink for short, just for privacy's sake. If it was just the regular members on here that knew my name I wouldn't mind, but with the Internet, anything can come up in a search anywhere. Glad you like the pasta. I've been wanting to make it for the longest time, but I also want to make Sharon's pasta with peas and bacon, and a recipe I have for spinach fettucinni. And I still have orzo minestrone to eat up, one week later. So much pasta, so little time . . . o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by cookingrvc (My Page) on Fri, Apr 9, 10 at 23:22 Ok, had forgotten about this but I turns out that I was planning to make pasta tomorrow so I guess I'm in! I have some fresh portobello agnolotti which I plan to serve with a white truffle cream sauce (got the truffle cream, just need to make a sauce base) as a first course. Small serving - just enough. Second course will be a grilled flank steak with some sides - I'll see what looks good in the market. I like the boiled, smashed, then roasted red potatoes (Pioneer Women) that someone posted and might add a bit of onion. Sue o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lorijean44 (My Page) on Sat, Apr 10, 10 at 10:41 Here's my contribution to the cookalong: Bowties with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cream 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound sweet Italian sausage 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 cup diced onion 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 28-ounce can Italian diced tomatoes 1-1/2 cups whipping cream 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 pound bowtie pasta 3 tablespoons fresh minced basil Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage, crumble and cook in oil with crushed pepper until sausage is no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook another 5-7 minutes until tender. Drain tomatoes, chop coarsely and stir into sausage along with cream, salt and basil. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. In a separate pot of boiling water cook pasta al dente. Drain pasta and add to simmering sauce. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley. Serves 4. Source: An Appetite for Art, copyright 2001 Lori o RE: Cookalong #24 ----------PASTA!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by mamalou (My Page) on Sun, Apr 11, 10 at 16:54 Thanks LPink! We enjoyed the leftovers today...they tasted even better than the first time!! Yum!

I have a Cooking Light recipe that I use with pork or chicken, and I like them both that way. Cider Roasted Chicken 3 quarts water 1 quart apple cider 1/4 cup kosher salt 1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1 bay leaf 1 (6-pound) roasting chicken 2 cups apple cider 1 large onion, peeled and halved 4 flat-leaf parsley sprigs 4 garlic cloves, peeled Combine the first 5 ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat; cool completely. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Pour brine into a 2-gallon zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, turning the bag occasionally. Preheat oven to 400°. Bring 2 cups cider to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until cider has thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup (about 15 minutes). Set aside. Remove chicken from bag; discard brine. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place the onion halves, parsley, and garlic into cavity. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under chicken. Tie legs. Place chicken on rack of a broiler pan. Bake at 400° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until thermometer registers 175°. Remove from oven (do not turn oven off). Carefully remove and discard skin. Baste chicken with half of reduced cider; return to 400° oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven; baste with remaining cider reduction. Transfer chicken to a platter. Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour drippings into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into a small bowl, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Serve jus over chicken. I use apple juice interchangeably with cider, depending on which I have, and I'll do pork or chicken using this marinade, although it does take some organization to marinate the chicken over night or during the day. Annie