Basque Salad

Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 medium fresh tomatoes - cored, quartered, and sliced as thin as possible
1 large cucumber - peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 Spanish onion - peeled, cut in half, and thinly sliced

Dressing:

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

In a large bowl, toss together the green, red, and yellow peppers with the tomatoes, cucumber, and onion.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Whisk in oregano, basil, and marjoram. Continue whisking until ingredients are well blended and the oil and vinegar are emulsified.

Pour dressing over vegetables, and toss gently with a wooden spoon. Cover, and marinate at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, stirring frequently. Refrigerate until 1 hour before serving; then remove from the refrigerator, and let sit at room temperature. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Bon appetite

Asian Tuna Patties

A delicious, fast, and different way to eat tuna. Everyone who has tried this has asked for the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
3 green onions, minced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation:

In a large bowl, mix tuna, egg, bread crumbs, green onions, and garlic. Blend soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, ketchup, sesame oil, and pepper into the mixture. Form the mixture into about 6 patties approximately 1 inch thick. Lightly sprinkle each patty on all sides with cornmeal.

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Fry each patty about 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Bon appetite

American-Italian Pasta Salad

Garden veggies with fusilli pasta, Italian Parsley, Genoa salami and creamy Italian dressing makes for a pasta salad that will be a favorite at your next picnic or pot-luck.

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package fusilli pasta
1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
2 (2 ounce) cans sliced black olives
1 cup cubed Genoa salami
3/4 cup chopped green onions
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons milk

Preparation:

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, rinse under cold water and drain.

In a medium bowl combine mayonnaise, sour cream, milk and Italian dressing mix. Whisk together until smooth, set aside.

In a large salad bowl combine cooked and cooled pasta, peas, olives, salami, green onions, celery and parsley. Mix in dressing last, reserving 1/2 cup. Let sit over night in fridge. Stir before serving. Add extra dressing if pasta appears dry.

Bon appetite

Gourmet Tuna Salad

The combination of green olives, almonds and capers in addition to the usual ingredients in tuna salad makes this recipe exceptionally good.

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) can albacore tuna in water, drained and flaked
2 green onions, chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
1/4 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped
2 tablespoons capers, chopped
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream

Preparation:

In a mixing bowl, combine tuna, green onions, celery, green olives, capers and almonds.

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream and Worcestershire sauce.

Blend together dressing and tuna mixture. Serve on bed of lettuce or with croissant as a tuna salad sandwich.

Bon appetite

Romanov Russian Black Bread

Delicious traditional Russian black bread.
Original recipe yield: 1 - (2 pound) loaf

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/3 cup dark corn syrup
2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups dark rye flour, or as needed

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, stir together the warm water and corn syrup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add 2 1/2 cups of the rye flour to the yeast mixture, and beat until smooth. Stir in the salt. Set bowl in a warm place, and cover with a cloth or towel. Let rise for 30 minutes.

Stir in more flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough is stiff. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead in more flour by hand as needed to form a stiff but slightly sticky dough. You may use less or more flour. Form dough into a ball. Clean the mixing bowl, and lightly grease it. Place the dough in the bowl, and cover with a towel. Place in a warm place to rise until doubled. This may take as long as 2 hours.

Turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface, and press out the air bubbles. Roll dough into a loaf, and place into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Turn the loaf so that the seam is on the bottom. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove plastic wrap from loaf pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Bread will not brown very much.

Bon appetite

Bean and Meat Soup

A little recipe I made for my family. They loved it! I hope you do, too! Serve with a nice slice of French bread.

Original recipe yield: 6 servings.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound bacon, chopped
1/2 pound sliced deli turkey meat, torn into pieces
1 onion, sliced
1 (14.25 ounce) can tomato puree
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

preparation:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook the bacon, turkey, and onion until bacon is evenly brown and onion is tender.

Mix the tomato puree, brown sugar, and mustard into the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix the kidney beans and cannellini beans into the soup. Add water to keep the ingredients covered, if needed. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are heated through.

Bon appetite

Shieldzini

Sheildzini is a Japanese cucumber salad. It is very simple to put together, and very delicious. Do not prepare too far in advance as cucumbers become soggy. If the skins are tough or bitter, peel the cucumbers before preparing salad.

Original recipe yield: 8 servings.

Ingredients:

3 cucumbers
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons white sugar
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Preparation:

Cut cucumbers lengthwise, scoop out seeds with a spoon, and slice cucumbers into bite-sized pieces. Transfer to a salad bowl.

In a small bowl, mix together salt, oil, sugar, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce. Pour over cucumbers, and gently toss. Refrigerate several hours before serving, tossing every now and then.

Bon appetite