Homemade Merguez Sausage

I didn't use any casing on this, but it is very tasty! Serve on a roll with a yogurt sauce, or with lentils or couscous.

1 pound ground lamb

3 cloves garlic chopped, then mashed in a mortar/pestle with 1 T salt

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper and 2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed in a mortar/pestle

2 Tbl paprika

1 tsp cayenne

Lots of fresh cracked black pepper

2 Tbl olive oil

Mix all the ingredients together. Form into small, sausages or meatballs and fry in a non-stick pan until brown. Turn and finish cooking, being careful not to overcook, making them dry.

Yorkshire Pudding

Marlene’s Yorkshire Pudding (from Michael Rhulman's blog at rhulman.com).

1 cup/140 grams all purpose flour

1 teaspoon mustard powder

4 or 5 large eggs, enough to make 1 cup

1 cup/250 milliliters whole milk

6 teaspoons vegetable oil or beef fat drippings

Equipment

1 six-well popover pan or 12-well muffin tin

Sift the flour and mustard powder together into a large bowl. Add the eggs and milk and blend on high speed with a hand mixer until fully incorporated. Let the batter rest for 2 hours at room temperature, re blending now and then.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F./240 degrees C./gas 9

Place one tsp of fat in each cup of a popover pan or half a tsp of fat in the well of each muffin cup. Place the pan on a baking sheet and slide it into the oven to heat the oil when the oven is heating. When the oven has reached temperature, reblend the batter, remove the pan and pour the batter into the cups , dividing it evenly and filling the cups three-fourths full. Place the pan in the oven and turn on the light so you can watch them rise. After 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. and continue baking without opening the oven door, until the puddings are puffed and golden brown. 15-25 minutes depending on your oven. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 popovers of 12 small muffins; you can also bake it in 9×13-inch baking dish or in the beef’s roasting pan.

Roasted Winter Squash with Brown Butter and Sage

Of all the dishes I made this past Thanksgiving (2011) this was my favorite!

Ingredients:

4 medium winter squash (I used a combo of butternut and acorn), peeled and cut into 1" cubes

1 stick butter

1/4 - 1/2 cup fresh sage, chopped

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

Toss the cubed squash with a little olive oil to coat, along with salt and pepper. Place into a baking dish and roast in a 400 degree oven for about a half hour, stirring once, until soft but not mushy.

Just before the rousing is done, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat until foam subsides and the butter starts to brown (not burn!). Add the sage and sautee a minute or two. Salt and pepper to taste.

Take butter and pour over squash and mix.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I made this one up for Thanksgiving in 2011 - it was a hit! Add more chili peppers if you like a bit of a kick.

Ingredients:

About 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" slice (use a mandolin if you have one)

12 ounces heavy cream

1 head of garlic, roasted

1 small chili, seeded

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

Take the cream, garlic, chili, a healthy pinch of salt and cracked black pepper and blend until smooth (about a minute).

Lightly oil a 9x12 baking dish and put down a first layer of the sweet potatoes. Lightly salt and pepper, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of the cream mixture, then a generous sprinkling of the Parmigiano Reggiano. Repeat until you are done with the sweet potatoes (3-4 layers) and finish by topping with remaining cream and a healthy dose of cheese.

Bake, covered with aluminum foil, for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more or until the top is browned nicely and a knife slides into the potatoes without resistance.

Moroccan Lentils

This uses a variety of Moroccan spices to create a creamy and delicious side dish or main course. I prepared it with a terrific Merguez sausage.

Ingredients:

2 medium carrots, chopped fine

1/2 medium parsnip, chopped fine

2 stalks celery, chopped fine

1 small hot pepper, chopped fine

1/2 medium onion, chopped fine

4 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp corriander

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 pound lentils, inspected and washed

2 cups chicken stock

4 cups water

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

Sweat carrots, parsnip, celery, hot pepper, onion and garlic in olive oil in medium heat until soft and a little brown. Add spices and stir, cooking only a minute or two being careful not to burn. Add lentils and coat, cooking for a couple of minutes. Add chicken stock and water and bring to a boil and then reduce heat and cook for about an hour. After 45 minutes check doneness, and add additional water if necessary.

Broccoli Salad

A recipe from Mrs. P. I think there is a bit too much dressing, so you may want to try a little at a time to get it to your taste.

Combine and refrigerate overnight:

1 cup mayonnaise ( I use light mayo)

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

Cut 2 bunches broccoli into tiny florets (you can cut the previous evening and bag in Ziploc bag with a paper towel)

1 small chopped red onion

1/2 pound crisply fried and crumbled bacon

Toss the above with the mayonnaise dressing prior to serving.

NOTE: Try it with golden raisins, dried cranberries, cashews or other nuts or dried fruits.

Texas Caviar

This was a dip a friend of ours brought over for a party. It was very, very good.

Texas Caviar

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 15 oz can black beans

1 14 oz can of white corn

1 can black eyed peas

1 jar chopped pimentos or 1 red pepper chopped

1 can chopped green chilies

3-4 stalks of celery, chopped

1 can chopped green chilies

1 small red onion chopped

Combine sugar, olive oil, apple cider vinegar in small saucepan and heat over med-low heat until dissolved.

Rinse and drain black beans, corn, black eyed peas, pimentos/red pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let marinate overnight. Strain liquid next day and serve dip with tortilla chips.