Boys of Cooking

Author: lobstah

  • Potica Cake

    Potica Cake

    Potica (pronounced poe-TEET-sa) is a delectable Slovenian yeast pastry, filled with cinnamon and nuts. It’s a lot of work to make. The flavors of this recipe are reminiscent of potica, with far less work.

  • Creamy Coffee Pops

    When making this recipe, choose strong coffee. I used decaf to accommodate our friends. If you have already got ready-made coffee, you need about 1½ cups of coffee. Or starting from the basics, in a French press, brew ¾ cup ground coffee (I used decaf espresso to accommodate our friends) 2 cups boiling water In…

  • Jerk Chicken

    Jerk Chicken

    This is a recipe that really demands cooking on the grill with a source of smoke, such as wood chips. The kind of wood used traditionally isn’t available where I live, so I use hickory. It’s probably okay cooked in the oven, but it won’t be the same. Note that it’s pretty spicy, but you…

  • Maafe

    Maafe

    Maafe (mah-fay) is an African stew, typically made with peanuts, tomatoes and various vegetables. I can’t claim that this recipe is authentic, but it has become a regular winter dish for us.

  • Italian Clam Soup

    Scrub 3 dozen littleneck clams At some point, make the croutons, at bottom of this recipe. Heat in 2-3 quart soup pot ¼ cup olive oil Add, keeping heat low enough it does not brown: 2 TBL finely minced garlic Cook briefly and add 6 anchovy fillets Cook until the anchovies break down into a…

  • Cheese Straws

    Preheat oven to 350 F. Grate 6 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese In food processor, combine cheese, 4 TBL butter (cut up into pieces) ¾ cup flour ½ tsp salt ½ tsp red pepper flakes and pulse until it forms crumbs, then add 1 TBL milk Pulse for a few seconds and it will form a…

  • Harissa

    Simple enough. Combine in a small bowl ¼ cup red pepper flakes (with seeds) ¼ to ½ tsp cayenne Add just enough boiling water to cover and place a plate over the bowl. Meanwhile, prepare 1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced After 30 minutes, drain peppers, if needed. In a food processor, combine pepper flakes, garlic…

  • Green Chili

    Coat with flour ¾ pound boneless turkey, chicken or port butt Brown in 2 TBL oil Cook until meat is well browned. Meanwhile, in a 2-3 quart saucepan on medium heat, add 2 TBL oil 1 small onion diced When the onion is tender, add the browned meat and 2-3 cloves minced garlic or garlic…

  • Eggplant Soup

    Prick holes in 2 medium eggplants Roast on grill very dark. If using an oven, blacken under broiler (4 minutes per side), turning as needed. When the eggplants are cool, remove flesh and discard skins. Chop flesh a bit and reserve. In large saucepan, saute 3 TBL olive oil 2 cups sliced onions salt and…

  • Caponata

    Caponata

    Caponata is the perfect starter or side dish for a summer meal. Be sure to make it a day ahead and serve it at room temperature.

  • Key Lime Pie Pops

    This is an incredibly refreshing treat on a summer’s day. If you don’t have key limes available, use Persian limes instead. You can also purchase key lime juice in a bottle, but you’ll still need some lime zest to make them.

  • Old Jew Cake

    Old Jew Cake

    We served these at a large party. Over the next few days we received several requests for this recipe, and all the callers had two things in common: they were over 45 and Jewish. We renamed the recipe shortly thereafter. But what age is “old” these days, anyway?

  • Lemon Rice Cake

    This cake has an unusual texture, almost creamy like a cheesecake, and a delicious lemon flavor.

  • Lemon Bars

    For Paul Chazan, who can’t get enough of them. Makes one 9- by 13-inch pan, or 36 bars 1 cup unsalted butter 2½ cups sifted powdered sugar 2¼ cups sifted flour 4 eggs 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ cup lemon juice 3 tablespoons grated lemon peel There is an alternate crust recipe…

  • Cold Pea Soup

    1 pound frozen peas (3 cups) 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock ¼ cup sour cream (or more to taste) Parsley, for garnish In a saucepan, combine 1 pound frozen peas (3 cups) 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until peas are bright green and…

  • Hot Fudge Sauce

    Chop into small pieces 6 ounces of chocolate Martha recommended semisweet chocolate, however I used dark chocolate (70%) from Trader Joe’s and the result was not too sweet. In a medium saucepan over a medium high setting, heat until boiling ½ cup heavy cream ¼ cup clear corn syrup Reduce the heat and add all…

  • Rhubarb Crumble

    Rhubarb Crumble

    Basic fruit crumble is a simple dish: fruit, sugar, butter flour and — in our case — oats and nuts are transformed into a sublime end to a meal. This one works well with other tart fruits, such as sour cherries, shown here. Note that we like our crumble to be tart, so if you…

  • Coconut Mango Pudding

    Make a simple syrup using ½ cup water ½ cup sugar When it comes to a boil, stir and verify the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat to cool a bit. Warm just enough to liquify ¾ cup coconut oil In a blender, combine 8 ounces silken tofu along with the syrup. Process briefly. Add…

  • Dairy-Free Chocolate Pudding

    Rich and delicious, with a thick, creamy consistency.

  • Green Tea Pudding

    In the jar of a blender combine 16 ounces silken tofu (soft tofu should work, but I haven’t tried with this variation) 8 ounces white chocolate or 1⅓ cups Nestle’s white morsels, melted 4 tsp green tea powder Blend until mixed thoroughly. You will probably have to scrape the jar edge down once. It should…

  • Herb-Garlic Marinade

    Combine ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup fresh lemon juice 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon dried marjoram or oregano 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon black pepper Place mixture and chicken, duck or other meat in a zippered plastic bag. Eliminate any air in the bag. My favorite way to do this is as…

  • Oatmeal Pancakes

    In a food processor, combine the following, and pulse (on/off) for about a minute. 1 cup flour ½ cup old-fashioned oats 1½ tsp baking powder 1-2 TBL sugar ½ tsp salt In a mixing bowl, combine and beat with a fork: 1 large egg 1 cup milk 1-2 TBL vegetable oil Add the dry ingredients…

  • Coconut Macaroons

    Combine in a stainless-steel sauce pan 3 egg whites ¼ pound (about 3 cups) dried coconut flakes (not shredded and not sweetened) ½ cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract (see note) ¼ tsp salt Mix everything together and place the saucepan in a frying pan filled with simmering, not boiling, water. Using a wooden spoon,…

  • Black Cake

    Black Cake is made on many Caribbean islands around Christmas and New Year’s. I’d been wanting to make one since I first read about it in Laurie Colwin’s wonderful collection of essays,

  • Onion Rugelach

    A savory cookie: it’s just the thing that Evan dreams about, and these are absolutely scrumptious. Makes 32 pieces 1 cup flour 2 teaspoons sugar 6 ounces cream cheese 1¼ sticks unsalted butter 2 tablespoons sour cream 2 cups chopped onion 1 egg 2 tablespoons milk 1½ teaspoons sesame seeds (not toasted) Place in the…

  • Tortilla Brei

    Kind of like matzo brei, but with tortillas. Serves 2 Cut into ¾-inch strips 4 corn tortillas And cut the strips in half once the other direction. Place in a dry frying pan over medium heat and stir until the strips are warmed and start to dry out a bit. Meanwhile beat together 4 eggs…

  • ANZAC Biscuits

    And now the short history lesson, for those of you who were playing hooky that day: ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, the forces that fought in the First World War. You remember: the Great War, the War to End All Wars and all that? Makes about 4 dozen 1 cup flour…

  • Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies

    Sift together 1½ cups sifted flour (210g) ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (62g) ¼ teaspoon salt generous pinch of finely ground black pepper generous pinch of cayenne ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and set aside. In the large bowl of electric mixer, cream 6 ounces (1½ sticks) unsalted butter Add 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup sugar…

  • Gedempte Chicken with Preserved Lemons

    In a 2-quart stew pot, heat on a medium heat 2 tablespoons oil When the oil is warmed up, add 3 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped Stir occasionally. After 5 minutes add 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper Several shakes cayenne pepper…

  • Pasta with Squid Ink Sauce

    Pasta with Squid Ink Sauce

    We love the fishy taste of squid ink and the black color makes this dish even more exotic. You won’t be disappointed with this one.