Contents
Lamb Tongue Cold Cuts, Russian style
3 Lamb Tongues
1 Medium onion
Bay leaves
Whole black peppercorns
Salt
Peel onions and cut them in half. Combine in water and boil. Tongue skin is too thick and rubbery to be edible. The goal is to boil them enough for the skin to become white and start to separate -- usually about 2 hours. When they are ready, the skin should peel off easily. Make sure to peel them while they are still hot. Then refrigerate the tongues, slice, and serve on rye bread with strong mustard. Zakuson ("Mother-In-Law's") mustard is the best you can get in the States. Dijon your ass.
This is my mom's recipe, which has somehow become a Micah staple.
~~Andrei
Tri-tip BBQ dry rub (with extra awesome)
1 tablespoon Coriander seed, crushed
1 tablespoon Cumin seed, crushed
1 tablespoon Szechuan Pepper, crushed
Loads of black pepper
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons brown sugar
The zest of one orange
4 cloves garlic, minced
I use a morar and pestel to crush the spices because it smells amazing, and freshly ground spices have more flavor. Pre-powedered spices work as well, but it's less fun. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until uniform. Coat your tri-tip in olive oil, then rub the spice mixture into the meat with great vigor. Get those flavors into the nooks and crannies. Increase the amounts of spices for larger cuts, or for super dense flavor. Do this at least 2 hours before grill time.
~ Lewis
Dhamma Bread
- Bread
- Olive Oil
- Herb Mix
- 1 Tbsp Basil
- 1/2 Tbsp marjoram
- 1 Tbsp Oregano
- 2 Tbsp Rosemary (finely chopped)
- 1 Tbsp Thyme
- 2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds, roasted
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Tbsp Salt
Combine the ingredients to make the herb mix. Then add enough olive oil, about 3-6 parts oil to 1 part herb mix.
Cut the bread almost all the way into slices (if not already sliced), leaving the bottom of the loaf connected. Coat both sides of each slice and the top with the oil and herb mixture using a cooking brush. Wrap bread with aluminum foil and heat in the oven at 350ºF for 10-15 minutes.
~ John
Soak Your Nuts
Why am I soaking my nuts?
It's easy, they taste better and are easier to digest that way. Cashews, pumpkin seeds, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc. can all be greatly improved simply by soaking them in water overnight or for several hours. Mix them together in any combination you like and pour water until everything is totally submerged. Cover but don't seal: let them breathe. When they're done soaking, drain but don't waste the water; add it to soup or oatmeal, or even just drink it straight (as opposed to when soaking beans, in which case the beany water should not be consumed).
Do not let your nuts soak for too long (more than a day) because they may begin to develop funky cultures. However after being drained and sealed, they will sit happily in your refrigerator for several days without getting funky. So make a large batch to supplement every meal!
bop.
Liberated Tomatoes
In the spirit of Bop's nut-soaking, here's a way to release all the latent deliciousness in a sack of tomatoes (and make your domicile smell great). This works best with small, sweet varieties like "campari" tomatoes. Allow 1 to 1.5 lb. per serving (they'll get reduced). Set the oven to 300 degrees (no hotter). Oil the bottom of a baking dish, cut your tomatoes in half, and arrange them in the dish with the cut side up. Brush oil onto the cut surfaces too. Season with a little salt and basil, and throw a few peeled garlic cloves in the dish if you like garlic. Bake for a long time. I usually let it go for three hours. The tomatoes shrivel and shrink to a third of their original size, but stay juicy. The juice that runs off turns into an amazing sweet brown liquor (you can deglaze it if it's stuck on). Tomatoes cooked this way are delicious by themselves, or with rice, or with pretty much anything else... (Au.)
Bean and Artichoke Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 of a medium purple onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 15 dried tomato halves
- 1 hand's-length of a celery stalk
- 1 1/2 cups sweet snap peas
- 3 skinny carrots
- 1 can (15 or 20 oz.) chickpeas
- 1 can (15 or 20 oz.) brown fava beans
- 1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, water-packed
Optional additions to taste:
- grated cheese, jalapeños
For the dressing:
- 1/2 cup olive oil (or blend of olive and canola)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice (or use 1/2 cup for a very strong lemon flavor)
- 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. ground mustard
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Chop garlic and onion extremely fine. Chop bell pepper, tomatoes, celery, and sweet peas. Cut carrots into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick rounds (skinny carrots are best so that the rounds aren't bigger than everything else in the salad). Drain and rinse the beans. Drain and quarter the artichoke hearts. Mix everything together.
For the dressing, put everything in a jar, seal and shake well to blend. Pour over the salad and stir to coat. Let the salad sit in the fridge for a while -- it gets better as the flavors meld. Stir again before serving.
Austin