Bread is always best right out of the oven:
Bread is always best right out of the oven. Even a day or two later it is still better than any bread you can buy. The darker breads tend to keep their flavor longer than the white breads. If you ever have coffee left over from a meal, put it into a plastic container in the freezer. You can use it in this recipe for brown bread. Russian brown bread makes 2 loaves.
2 packages dry yeast 2 tbsp caraway seed
1 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp anise seed
½ cup lukewarm water 1 tbsp fennel seed
2 cups leftover coffee 1½ cups rye flour
½ cup molasses 1½ cups wheat flour
3 tbsp vinegar 1 cup wheat bran
¼ cup cocoa 6 cups white flour
2 tbsp olive oil corn meal
In a small bowl, proof the yeast with the sugar in the water. In a small saucepan over moderate heat, add the leftover coffee (or water), molasses, vinegar, cocoa and olive oil. Stir occasionally and remove when cocoa and molasses are dissolved. Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl and cool to lukewarm. Crush the caraway, anise and fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle and add to the cocoa /molasses mixture. When mixture is cooled down (use an ice cube if necessary), add the yeast mixture. Add in the rye flour, wheat flour and bran; mix, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Add
white flour gradually and continue mixing until dough is stiff. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead for about 2 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Wash out mixing bowl, dry out thoroughly and grease with olive oil. Put dough back into the bowl, cover with a damp towel and put into a warm oven to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour. Divide the dough in half and form each into a ball. Place each on a cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal, flatten slightly, cover with the damp towel and put back into the oven. Let it rise for about 40 minutes or until nearly double. Remove the towel and bake in a 375° oven for 55 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Serve. If you like Creole and Cajun foods, you’ll find this next recipe to your liking. It has a rich blend of flavors. Jambalaya can be made with seafood as well, but I find this recipe with ham, chicken and pork sausage to be delightful. I think you will too.
Jambalaya serves 6 :
2 cloves garlic, minced 1 28-oz can tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil pinch of sugar
1 green pepper, chopped 1 tsp dried thyme
1 large onion, chopped 1 tsp chili powder
½ lb Virginia ham 2 cups long grain rice
2 cups cooked chicken fresh ground pepper
½ lb pork sausages 4 cups water
Sauté the garlic in olive oil in a large Dutch oven over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add green pepper and onion and cook for 2 minutes more. Cut ham and chicken into ½-inch cubes and the pork sausages into ¼-inch slices. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until all liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. If rice is not thoroughly cooked, add more water and continue simmering. Remove and serve. A variation on this recipe – one of my favorites – is jambalaya pasta. Just leave out the rice. Cook the pasta separately and while the base is simmering. Drain the pasta and add to the jambalaya. A better idea is to make the jambalaya without the pasta on the day before, and just cook the pasta on the day of the party.
Horseradish broccoli serves 4
4 stalks of broccoli 1 tsp lemon juice
2 cups of water 2 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp horseradish
2 tbsp mustard seeds
Trim and cut the broccoli into serving size pieces. Place it into a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over moderate heat, warm olive oil, add mustard seeds and cook until mustard seeds stop popping, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, prepared mustard and horseradish and stir. Drain broccoli, pour sauce over it and serve.
