Cooking Tips and Recipes
Recipes and Cooking Tips and Techniques

THE hostess walked from her tiny kitchen over to her windowsill. As the guests watched, she pinched several leaves off a plant growing there. These, she explained, would go into the spaghetti sauce that they would have later that evening. Soon the guests were taking a closer look at her “house plant.” It was an herb basil.

While not always growing their own, in many countries people are taking a new interest in herbs. But why the “rediscovery”? Have not herbs been used for centuries?

True, the Chinese and other peoples have never stopped using herbs. However, two recent trends are believed to have increased the demand for their cultivation.

First, gourmet cooking is becoming increasingly popular and herbs are usually among the ingredients of tastier dishes. Secondly, an interest has been rekindled in “folk,” or “home,” cures. Often these cures use herbs as medicine. Some argue that the slower-to-act herbs are more “natural” than the powerful drugs of modern medicine and that thus they are safer.

Actually, while such “medical recipes” go back centuries in time and are often surrounded by superstition, many plants do contain powerful chemicals. Willow bark contains the same acid as aspirin, and foxglove yields digitalis. Still, the health claims made for many herbal teas and poultices are widely debated, meeting skepticism in medical circles.

On the other hand, there is almost universal accord when it comes to using herbs in cooking. They bring a delightful new zest to many recipes. Now, there are two ways of getting herbs—either growing and storing your own or buying them. Let’s consider the do-it-yourself approach.

Growing Herbs

It would be dangerous to start wandering in the fields and gathering what you thought might be helpful herbs. As one Bible account accurately notes, some plants are dangerous to eat, even after they have been cooked. (2 Ki. 4:38-41) Thus it is better to inquire of a government agricultural center or a plant shop as to what well-known herbs can be grown locally. The soil type and amount of sunshine will determine what you can do. If your climate is moderate, likely you will find that the herbs in the accompanying chart will grow well.

Most herbal plants love sunny places. In many climates they must be started indoors in the autumn and then put outside in the warmer spring.

Any discarded containers of the plastic variety make useful “starter boxes.” Punch a few small holes in the bottom, fill the box with a good, light soil and sprinkle a little garden lime on it. Dampen the soil and then sow the seed thinly on top. Cover the seed with a little dry soil and gently press it down. A clear piece of plastic or glass should be placed over the container and left until the seedlings come through the soil.

Do not be too impatient for results. Parsley, for instance, may take six or eight weeks to show any signs of life. When there are about four leaves on each tiny seedling, put the containers outdoors for two weeks to let the plants get used to the new conditions. Then they can be transferred to the open ground.

If you cannot get seeds, perhaps you can get cuttings from a friend’s plant or buy established plants. These can often save you much time and effort. Furthermore, if you do not have any land for a garden, do not give up. Herbs can be grown in tubs on a balcony, in window boxes or even indoors.

Harvest” and Storage

The best time to “harvest” most herbs is when the flowers are just beginning to bud. Carefully pick the leaves and stems. Try not to bruise them, as this releases the precious aroma.

While fresh herbs are the best, you may want to store some for out-of-season use. They can be frozen, stored whole in airtight containers or dried.

Drying herbs is the most common way of preserving them. When drying them, do not expose them to sunlight. Rather, hang them upside down (“head” down) in a warming cupboard or on a shelf where no steam or dampness can reach them. Or try this method, as described by one authority: “I put each variety of herbs into a separate brown paper bag (sage leaves in one bag, mint in another, rosemary in a third), gather the bag up loosely, and tie with a string, providing a loop for hanging. With a sharp knife or scissors I slit two or three places in each bag for ventilation and hang them up in a warm room . . . Every day or so I shake the bag to turn [the] herbs over so they’ll dry evenly.”

Once the herbs are “crisp,” you can put them into jars and seal these tightly. If any sign of water appears, take the herbs out of the jar and dry them some more. Also, if you have only clear glass jars, paint them to keep light out. Dried herbs keep best in a dark cupboard.

But now that you have the herbs, how are they best used in cooking?

Creating That “Mysterious Aroma”

For the sake of your prospective dinner guests, we start with a warning. Herb flavor and aroma can be very strong. If you are too “liberal” in using herbs, the results can be disastrous to your meal. Start by seasoning sparingly. “A pinch here and there” is a good rule.

There are many ways to enhance your food with herbs. They can be used as garnishes or can be incorporated into various dishes—pickles, sauces, soups, coffee, cocktails, punches and wines. You can make herb-flavored teas, oils, sugar, butter, mustard and vinegar.

For example, making herb butter is merely a matter of creaming and softening about a hundred grams (31⁄2 ounces) of butter and then blending in, say, one tablespoon of chopped chives and one of lemon juice. Or use more than one herb in combination. This butter adds tang When spread on fish, chops, steaks or bread rolls.

Of course, a very popular use of herbs is the making of teas with them. Besides giving one a great variety of possible beverages, many of these teas are said to be beneficial to one’s health. Chamomile tea is supposed to induce restful sleep. Herbalists claim that sage tea helps the brain.

Such teas are made the same way as ordinary tea. Pour boiling water over the leaves and let the mixture stand a few minutes before drinking it. Many persons add either lemon juice or honey.

Perhaps not as well known are herb oils. These are made by filling a jar two thirds full of good-quality bland oil, such as safflower or almond (not peanut or olive) oil. A good handful of your favorite herbs is thoroughly “bruised” while adding a tablespoon of white wine vinegar. This mixture is added to the oil.

Seal the jar tightly and shake it well. It should be left to stand on a sunny or warm shelf for about a month. Make it a handy shelf, so that you can pick the jar up and shake it periodically. This oil is delicious in salad dressings or for frying.

Herb sugar and salt are usually made by sealing granulated sugar or table salt in tightly sealed jars with a few sprigs of your chosen herb. The longer you store them, the stronger the flavor will be. The sugar can be used in cake recipes or on pancakes or fruit, and the salt is used in cooking or as a table condiment.

There are many good cookbooks containing recipes in which you can use herbs. When a recipe calls for bouquet garni, the bouquet referred to is usually a bunch of parsley, thyme, bay, tarragon and, sometimes, marjoram. Tied together, they are added during cooking but removed before serving. If the recipe requires fines herbes, finely chop and mix in chervil, chives, parsley and tarragon. Always remember: If you use dried herbs in a fresh-herb recipe, cut the quantity down by one third or a half. Dried herbs are stronger.

Of course, you may wish eventually to experiment with less-known herbs. Since there are some 2,500 species world wide, you can see that there is much to learn. (What is called an “herb” varies from place to place. Generally it is defined as a plant that “dies down” each year, and usually it does not have a woody stem.) After careful study, you may be amazed at the things that end up on your table clover, dandelion, rose petals, and so forth. You might also enjoy other uses of herbs, such as soothing herbal baths.

Most persons who have learned more about plants come to view “weeds” by the roadside in a different way. Many have reflected anew on the ancient promise of God to give man “vegetation bearing seed which is on the surface of the whole earth” for his delight. (Gen. 1:29) As poet Ralph Waldo Emerson put it: “A weed is a plant whose virtues we have not yet discovered.”

Some countries have specialized types of cooking, and people in other lands can learn from this, thus getting more variety into their meals. Sometimes new recipes can help the housewife, not only to attain more variety in the meals, but also to stretch the food budget, a necessity in these days of rising food prices.

A look at Greek cooking can provide some interesting recipes. Just what is it that distinguishes Greek cooking? What foods are preferred and how are they prepared?

Typical Greek Foods

Greeks have, as you may know, a favorite meat—lamb. In some Greek homes virtually the only red meat eaten is lamb. Veal is sometimes used, but that is in second place; beef is third and pork is seldom used.

Chicken is another favorite of the Greeks, and it would be difficult to imagine their cooking without rice.

Fish dishes are popular, and they are usually made with olive oil, garlic, onions and tomatoes, served with lemon halves. Octopus and squid, besides the usual variety of fish, are much enjoyed by Greeks.

Among vegetables, beans (both dried and fresh) and eggplant are favored. Since meat supplies are limited, eggplant is used extensively—braised, baked, fried, stuffed and mashed into a dip.

One of the characteristics of cooking vegetables, as well as meat, Greek style is the use of tomatoes and tomato paste, with onions and/or garlic being used for flavoring.

Greek cooking is not hotly seasoned. Instead, the cook often seasons food with oregano, mint leaf, sweet basil, bay leaves, sesame and parsley. A dash of cinnamon imparts a subtle but distinctive flavor to Grecian meat dishes.

Lemons play a big role. In fact, few flavors are so typically Greek as the egg-and-lemon-juice sauce that imparts a tart creaminess to various dishes and to soups. The housewife uses lemon juice on almost everything that she serves. In salads, lemon juice is used instead of vinegar. Greeks nearly always cook their food in olive oil, and this oil is also frequently used to flavor prepared food.

Greek Salad

The typical Greek salad is made with raw vegetables and might include greens, celery stalks chopped fine, sliced cucumbers, an onion sliced thin, tomatoes sliced lengthwise, a sliced green pepper, radishes and parsley.

The salad is arranged on a large platter and built up into a peak at the center. First, large lettuce leaves are placed on the platter. The rest of the lettuce is shredded and made into a mound in the center. Other vegetables are added on the mound.

As for seasoning the salad, oregano, salt and pepper may be added along with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice (or vinegar if you prefer). For a large platter, about one-third cup of olive oil may be used, along with the juice of one lemon. The salad is garnished with anchovies, black olives and small pieces of a white cheese called feta, a soft, salty cheese made from goat’s milk and which crumbles easily and gives the salad a unique flavor. (Small pieces of blue cheese can be substituted for the feta.)

Soups and Lemon Sauce

Soup is often a main course and is eaten with chunks of bread and the typical Greek salad. Bean, pea and lentil soups are popular. A favorite soup is soupa avgolemono—a chicken soup flavored with lemon. It is now popular with persons in various parts of the world.

An easy recipe for this lemon chicken soup is: Wash a half cup of rice in warm water and soak for fifteen minutes, then drain. Bring six cups of chicken broth to a boil. Add the rice and cook it over low heat for fifteen minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Now prepare the lemon-and-egg sauce by taking two eggs and beating the whites well. Make sure they are stiff. Next, gently pour the egg yolks into the whites and beat further. Then add two tablespoons of lemon juice and gradually beat it in. About one cup of the hot broth is gradually added, stirring continually to avoid curdling. Add the rest of the broth, stirring constantly, not allowing it to boil.

This fine soup can be made in various ways. Some cooks like to make their own chicken broth from chicken backs and wings. Also, some prefer to make the soup with one chopped onion, one stalk of celery, cut up, and two carrots, cut up.

Meat Dishes with the Grecian Flavor

Lamb is cooked in a great variety of ways, either roasted, skewered or broiled. Many persons who are not Greeks find that when they try to prepare a meal with lamb the meat has too strong a flavor for them, yet when they eat lamb cooked by Greeks they find it quite pleasant and palatable. This is because of the way the Greeks cook lamb.

If you are going to roast a leg of lamb and want to avoid a strong lamb flavor, trim off all the fat. Make slits in the meat, perhaps sixteen or so, with the tip of a small knife. Sliver four cloves of garlic and then insert the slivers into the slits. Also use a little salt and pepper along with the garlic slivers. Rub the meat with lemon juice, thyme, butter and a little salt and pepper. Baste occasionally with lemon juice and butter. To keep the juices in, cover the leg of lamb with aluminum foil. Roast for about three hours, at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Many persons enjoy arni souvlakia, the Greek shish kebab. To prepare this dish, marinate chunks of tender lamb in olive oil, lemon juice and wine. Season with salt and pepper and a dash of oregano and then grill on skewers over hot coals. During the cooking, you can smear the meat from time to time with some olive oil.

To give lamb chops or steak a Grecian flavor you can broil them to the desired doneness, and then sprinkle with crushed oregano and lemon juice. Broiled or fried liver can also be seasoned with oregano and lemon juice. When roasting chicken, baste it with butter and lemon juice, and some cooks also like a sprinkle of oregano.

If you would like a different kind of sauce with your meat, whether roasts or steak, try the following: To your heated butter or oil, add a clove or two of minced garlic. Then add some minced celery and some chopped onions and fry slowly. When it is cooked, mix in some canned tomatoes and a little tomato paste. As you heat the sauce and mix it, add a dash of oregano. You will have a truly delicious sauce for meats and vegetables.

One of the most popular dishes in Greece is moussaka. This baked dish contains layers of fried eggplant and ground lamb. It is seasoned with tomato, oregano and a dash of cinnamon. Then it is topped with a white sauce and grated cheese, baked to a golden puffiness and served warm, cut in squares.

One of the most famous of Greek foods is stuffed grapevine leaves (called dolmathes). The vine leaves are stuffed with ground meat (lamb or beef) and rice and then served with the egg-and-lemon sauce.

To prepare this dish to serve three or four persons, use about a pound of grapevine leaves (cabbage leaves can be substituted by boiling the cabbage head till tender, then removing each leaf and trimming the stem). If vine leaves are used, scald them first to soften them. Use about one pound of ground lamb or beef and half a cup of rice (long grain); half a cup of butter (measure, then melt); one cup of canned tomatoes, including juice; one and half cups of hot water; two medium onions chopped fine; two tablespoons of olive oil; two tablespoons of mint leaf or parsley chopped fine; salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients, except leaves and water.

Then stuff the vine leaves one by one with the mixture. Fold over the top and sides like an envelope, so that the stuffing remains within the leaves. Set all these stuffed leaves in rows in a skillet or cooking pot. Pour water in. Cover them with a heavy heatproof plate (to keep them in position) and the lid. Let them simmer in the cooking pot on a gentle fire for about an hour, or until the rice is done.

Prepare the egg-and-lemon sauce as already mentioned. But you may wish to use three eggs instead of two. Remember that this sauce is always made from the liquid in which meats or vegetables have been cooked. So use the hot broth in which you have cooked the stuffed vine leaves, but do not let the sauce boil. You can determine the degree of tartness of the sauce by regulating the amount of lemon juice. Then take the saucepan with the stuffed vine leaves and pour the egg-and-lemon-juice sauce on. And your vine leaves are ready to be served.

Keep in mind that recipes for Greek dishes differ from cook to cook, but the ingredients are basically the same. In fact, the Greek housewife seldom follows a recipe, but does her cooking by memory and invention. Given tomatoes, tomato paste, lemons, onions, garlic, thyme and olive oil, most Greek housewives can take off in any culinary direction, with delightful results.

Greek cooking, of course, is just one of a great variety of cooking styles. Those who would like to try recipes from other parts of the earth will usually find that public libraries have books with recipes from around the world. And if you choose to add variety to your meals, why not try to prepare some foods the Greek way?

Crispy Pata Recipe

This is a very good taste crispy pata recipe everyone enjoy!

Preparation & drying: 4 hours to 1 day

Estimated cooking time: 20 minutes

Crispy Pata Ingredients:

* 1 Pata (front or hind leg of a pig including the knuckles)
* 1 bottle of soda (7Up or sprite)
* 1 tablespoon of salt
* 2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
* 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
* 1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG)
* 4 tablespoons of flour
* Enough oil for deep frying
* Enough water for boiling

Crispy Pata Cooking Instructions:

* Clean the pork pata by removing all hairs and by scraping the skin with a knife. Wash thoroughly.
* Make four to five inch cuts on the sides of the pata.
* On a deep stock pot, place the pata in water with soda and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the baking soda and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
* Remove the pata from the pot and hang and allow to drip dry for 24 hours. An alternative to this is to thoroughly drain the pork pata and refrigerate for a few hours.
* After the above process, rub patis on the pata and sprinkle flour liberally.
* In a deep frying pot, heat cooking oil and deep fry the pork pata until golden brown.

Crispy Pata Dip Sauce:

Mix 3/4 cup of vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 head of diced onion and 1 hot pepper. Salt and pepper to taste.

Filipino style cooking recipe, many of us want to eat pork steak. Here it is…

Pork Steak / Beef Steak Filipino Style Recipe

Estimated time to prepare and cook: 50 minutes

• 3/4 kilo tender pork or beef steaks, sliced

• 1 tablespoon kalamansi or lemon juice

• 5 tablespoons soy sauce

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 1 small piece ginger, crushed

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup onions, sliced in rings

• 4 tablespoons cooking oil

• Marinate the pork or beef steak in kalamansi (lemon) juice, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and pepper for 30 minutes.
• In a frying, add cooking oil. Add the marinated pork or beef steak and cook slow until done.
• Increase heat for a minute or two to brown steaks.
• Add the sliced onions and continue to cook for another minute.
• Serve on a platter including the oil and sauce.
• Best served with hot plain rice.