I've had these clipping files since the 1980s and 1990s when I was learning how to cook for my family and friends and when I started entertaining and hosting get-togethers. The following recipes are clipping files I've saved over the years.
COUNTRY POT ROAST HOT PEPPER VINEGAR
Meals For Celebrating
1 bay leaf8 small onions, peeled
8 small potatoes, peeled
8 small carrots, stem ends trimmed
1 pint Brussels sprouts, stem ends trimmed
¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
Gravy: ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup of cold water
Combine flour, salt (optional), and pepper on waxed paper or plate. Dredge meat in flour mixture until coated in a Dutch oven over medium heat, heat oil, and brown meat on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and bay leaf. Cover pot; over medium-low heat, simmer for 2 hours (do not boil). Please add water during cooking if you'd like.
Add onions, potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, bell pepper, and garlic to the Dutch oven. Cover pot; simmer until meat is tender and vegetables are done about 1 hour. Could you remove meat and vegetables from the warm platter? Please keep warm.
To prepare gravy, strain the liquid left in the pot into a large measuring cup and water, if needed, to make 1 ½ cups cold water until smooth. Stir slowly into pot-roast liquid. Over medium-high heat, cook until gravy comes to a boil and thickens. Cook and stir for 1 additional minute. Transfer sauce to the serving container; serve with pot roast and vegetables. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
LIME SHRIMP
LIME SHRIMP
 |
| Images @ GB Patterson |
(Clipping files Ebony May 1990)
¼ cup butter
4 cloves garlic, minced1 cup thinly sliced green onion
½ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
2 pounds shrimp. Peeled and deveined
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in a large skillet, and cook garlic, onion, and thyme until the onion is slightly tender. Add shrimp and lime juice and continue cooking until the shrimp turns pink. Add parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve over rice.
CHICKEN PELAU (my favorite)
1 large tomato, diced1 medium onion, chopped
Juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups of water
1 cup of coconut milk
1 ½ cups of rice
1 16-ounce can of pigeon peas, drained
1 hot pepper pod
Rinse the chicken with lemon juice and water. Combine tomato, onion, chives, garlic, and thyme; season chicken and brown.
Place chicken in a shallow glass dish; sprinkle with salt. Pour lime juice over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven 12- an inch skillet until hot. Cook chicken over medium heat until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes.
Drain fat from the Dutch oven. Add water, tomatoes, onion, celery, garlic, and pepper. Heat to boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until the thickest chicken pieces are done.
Heat water, rice, parsley, bouillon, and lime peel to boiling in sauce and, stirring once or twice, reduce heat. Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Please don't lift the cover or stir.) Fluff rice lightly with a fork; cover and let steam for 5 to 10 minutes.
SPICY MEAT PIE
1 ½ pounds of lean ground beef
1- large onion, chopped1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cups chopped fresh mushroom
2 to 3 teaspoons of black pepper
1 teaspoon salt, optional
2 cloves garlic, minced
teaspoon crushed red pepper
teaspoon paprika
teaspoon dried rosemary
teaspoon rubbed sage
teaspoon dried thyme
tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour Pastry for two 9-inch pies
Cook ground beef, onion, green pepper, mushrooms, celery, and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until light brown and vegetables are tender. Stir in seasoning and continue cooking for about 10 minutes over low heat. Sprinkle flour into the meat mixture and stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
Pour the meat mixture into a pastry-lined pie plate. Cover with top crust with slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover the edge with Salad 2 to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove the foil after 15 minutes of baking. Heat oven to 400F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
CARIBBEAN LOBSTER SALAD (one of my favorites)
Caribbean Lobster Salad is a hit with seafood lovers. (Clipping File Ebony 1990)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
12 ounces cooked lobster, cut into ½ -inches pieces
¼ cup diced cucumber
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped celery
Combine all ingredients and stuff into lobster tails, served chilled. Serve on crisp salad greens.
2 quarts of light or dark rum
6 cups dry white wine
2 cups pineapple juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 ½ cups sugar
½ teaspoon bitters
1 cup maraschino cherries
2 cups fresh or canned pineapple sliced oranges, lemons, or limes for garnish
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; chill thoroughly before serving. Garnish with fruit.
Yields 20 servings.
Yields 20 servings.
½ cup of orange juice
2 ounces dark rum
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
Dash bitters
Dash grenadine
Crushed ice
Pineapple wedges
Place all ingredients in a shaker glass; cover and shake. Pour over ice in a 12-ounce glass. Garnish with pineapple wedges.
CHUTNEY
 |
| (Clipping file recipe from Leslie Hartnet Aug 1995) |
(I've made variations of chutney, but the base is vinegar, brown sugar, onions, garlic, salt, raisins, hot peppers, ground ginger, turmeric, choice of fruit: Apples, Peach, or Pear, Figs, Mangos, even a Tomato).
2 cups cider vinegar
2 cups of sugar
2 pounds dried apricots, roughly chopped, or 18 fresh apricots, pitted and roughly chopped
3 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped
3 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced or ¼ cup dried garlic flakes, available at Oriental markets
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups golden raisins
2 cups whole-blanched almonds
In an 8-quart enamel pot, combine vinegar and sugar. Cook mixture over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients except almonds and boil the mixture while stirring over medium heat. Lower heat and simmer for about 1 hour or until thick, frequently going to prevent sticking. Remove mixture from heat and stir in almonds.
Ladle mixture into hot, sterilized half-pint jars—clean rims and seal with lids. Place jars upright on a rack in a large pot with water to cover the tops by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and gently boil for 10 minutes. Allow jars to cool in the pool. Makes 12 half-pint jars.
HOT PEPPER VINEGAR
12 to 15 long, thin, hot red peppers, washed and pierced with a needle.
2 parsley sprigsWhite wine vinegar
Pack peppers and parsley in a clean 8-to 10-ounce glass bottle and fill a bottle with white wine vinegar to cover the peppers completely. Cover the bottle with a tight-fitting top and let the mixture steep for 1 week. As vinegar is used, replace it with enough vinegar to completely cover the peppers.
Refrigerated after opening. Makes one 8 to 10-ounce bottle.
