The empty nest

I'm trying to plan menus two weeks out, because of buying groceries online--order on Tuesday for delivery Friday. Instead of planning this week, or the next few days, and then walking through the garden, or dropping in to the market, I have to jump ahead 5 to 10 days and think of what I will need.

Next week my daughter will be here for about 10 days, and I can't remember what she eats. Cheese, and bread. Cold cuts? She's a carnivore, but I don't really want to add much meat to the diet. I need to make bread. Rice pilaf, and all the family favorites I suppose, since she eats almost exclusively packaged pre-made foods and restaurant fare on the road.

Perhaps she'll like the homemade pita.

My own pita recipe
• 2 cups white flour
• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 packet yeast (or, if from bulk, 2 teaspoons yeast)
• 1 teaspoon mahlepe
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 1 to 1 ¼ cups water, roughly at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

If you are using active dry yeast, follow the instructions on the packet to activate it. Otherwise, mix the yeast in with the flour, mahlepe, and salt. Add the olive oil, sour cream, honey, and water and stir together with a wooden spoon. All of the ingredients should form a ball. Adjust flour or water to get a very slightly sticky ball (should knead easily)

Once all of the ingredients form a ball, place the ball on a work surface, such as a cutting board, and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. When you are done kneading the dough, place it in a bowl that has been lightly coated with oil. Form a ball out of the dough and place it into the bowl, rolling the ball of dough around in the bowl so that it has a light coat of oil on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.

When it has doubled in size, punch the dough down to release some of the trapped gases and divide it into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, cover the balls with a damp kitchen towel, and let them rest for 20 minutes. This step allows the dough to relax so that it'll be easier to shape.

While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to preheat as well. If you do not have a baking stone, place a cookie sheet on the middle rack of the oven while you are preheating the oven. This will be the surface on which you bake your pitas.

After the dough has relaxed for 20 minutes, spread a light coating of flour on a work surface and place one of the balls of dough there. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch and flatten the dough. You should be able to roll it out to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. If the dough does not stretch sufficiently you can cover it with the damp towel and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before trying again.

Open the oven and place as many pitas (probably 2 or 3) as you can fit on the hot baking surface. They should be baked through and puffy after 3 minutes.

In which we welcome the god and the goddess

Grow Project April post

Having been extremely kind to the Midwest all year, the goddess continues her gentle journey into the spring with a string of 80F/26C days. The goddess’ consort, in the form of a large robin again, watched me work, mostly brute labor building beds, setting paths and amending soil. I gave the goddess a pincushion plant for an offering this year.
The weather rarely works out so perfectly for planting, or coincides so neatly with my schedule. Friday a hot sunny day for all the grunt work and some early transplanting. Saturday a gentle cool rain (still in the 50s). Supposed to be dry and warm (60s-70s/10-15) again next two days, plus, the moon phase is exactly right for putting in my early spring root vegetables. I’ll savor it, because this confluence of need and ability is so rare.
My offering to the goddess yesterday was apparently appreciated.

Among the many gardening tasks for the weekend was planting out the indoor starts of the "Spitfire" Nasturtium for the GROW project. Five seedlings went into the ground by the cyclone fence, behind the birdbath, strawberries, and columbine. This should give me color there when the columbine fades, and incidentally help draw the aphids away from the eggplants going in a little ways down the fence. I'll be cloching these early set-outs under pop-bottle cloches to protect them from the cold, since I put them out a little early (I'm not having great luck with the indoor starts; the cold can't possibly be any worse for them than my incompetence.)
I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project. Thanks, to Renee's Garden for the seeds. I planted 6 seeds in Ferry-Morse organic seed starting medium on March 8, and got 5 seedlings. There are also 9 seeds planted in a wintersown container, in plain soil mixed with perlite. These just poked their heads out of the dirt today.
And, because it's Easter, and I hate to put up a post without a recipe:
Greek Easter Twists
(Koulourakia)

1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk (or a little more if needed)
3-4 cups cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder

Cream sugar, butter and vanilla thoroughly. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk and flour alternatiely, beating vigorously until well blended. I like using cake flour rather than all-purpose flour for these cookies; it makes a nicer texture when done. Use your judgment about the last cup of flour to make sure the dough is not too dry. You may need to work the dough with your hands at the end as it will be quite dense and springy. (If you have a food processor, these mix really well in a food processor.)

Break the dough off in small portions, rolling it on a cutting board until you have a roll about the width of your finger and 6-8" long. Form into traditional shape- a circle with the ends pressed together, or a twisted "braid." Beat an egg and coat each cookie (I use my fingers rather than a pastry brush). Bake them plain, or sprinkle with sesame seeds first.

Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 400F/200C for 20 minutes, turning once to ensure even cooking. Makes about 28 cookies.

Bringing back the birds

The house next door to us has had a fascinating garden history. When we moved here in 1986, the next door yard was the territory of two big mean dogs. Separated from us by a flimsy wire fence, they prevented us from even walking through our back yard, let alone using it. We used to have to get to our garage by going through the yard on the other side when those dogs were out.

Mercifully they left 18 months after we moved in. The people who replaced them never had an idea they didn't like, and had a chaotic but charming garden with every plant known to humans, structures, ponds, walls and walkways. Maybe 8 years later new people moved in and imposed some order on the chaos. Then after about 12 years, they sold it to a young family who didn't really take care of it, but didn't actively destroy it either; however, they were victims of a bankruptcy and bailed on the property.

And there it sat for more than 2 years, with no resident. I did what maintenance I could, as did the neighbor on the other side, but over the years it got wilder and wilder, becoming quite literally a wildlife habitat, to the benefit of the entire neighborhood.

But eventually, new people moved in, and completely destroyed the garden. They took out every structure, path, and plant (yes, the plants too) including 25 year-old lilacs and hydrangeas, and a 15 foot tall redtwig. They filled in the pond. With the garden went the wildlife and we suffered through a summer with no birds or insects, except large flocks of pigeons that kept coming because the new people kept throwing out bread "for the birds." (Hey, if you want birds, leave the plants, idiots.) What we did get were all the little furry things that had taken refuge in the tiny wilderness- voles, moles, rats, mice, rabbits, coons and possums- and now had no homes.

In an effort to lure the birds back, I completely reconfigured my garden. I added a bed with shrubs and berries, constructed a trellis (we don't have any large trees in our yard) redirected paths, and upped the number of bird-and-butterfly plants like coneflowers. We put in bird feeders, something we never had to do in the past.

Last month, counting along with the annual backyard bird count, we observed juncos, cardinals, a robin (in February!), two different types of apparent sparrows, a catbird, two types of woodpeckers, flickers, those shiny black ones that I can never remember the name, and crows.

And in honor of our feathery co-habits, of course, a chicken recipe (sorry, couldn't resist)

Papaiachne (pa-pa-ya-chnee)
Cut up whole chicken
1 large onion
1 large carrot, sliced
2 large potatoes
2 stalks celery
1 can whole peeled tomatoes (no salt added)
2 cups fresh green beans
2 T fresh oregano, chopped fine, or 1 T dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Make broth with the back, neck and wings of the chicken plus the onion and potato skins and celery ends, plus salt and black peppercorns. Use enough water to make 2 cups of broth.

Brown the chicken in olive oil in a deep pot, turning once. Add the onions and celery and sautee until soft. Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes and carrots and simmer until soft. Add the green beans and cover, simmering until beans are al dente (about 15 minutes).

Serve over rice.

This was a staple of our diet when I was growing up, and I have always known it as Greek chicken stew. However, it's one recipe I have never found in a book or on line quite in this form. I've never been able to find the Greek word transliterated, so the transliteration is my own; anyone with a better spelling, please let me know. I suspect this dish is an export from my grandmother's turn-of-the-century childhood in an ethnic Greek village near Smyrna, Turkey, and possibly a dish typical only of her village, or even her family. Which makes it kind of wonderful.

A childhood memory

I always forget about fish dishes because my daughter has just never liked fish. I grew up on fish, having been reared in a seaport. When you grow up on the coast, fish is cheap, fresh and plentiful. When we moved to the midwest, it took years to assimilate the fact that fish was now difficult to obtain, and was neither fresh nor cheap. By the time I made it to another port, a fresh-water one this time, freshwater fish was either so endangered, or so full of pollutants that I was reluctant to feed it to the kids anyway.

But every now and then I want that childhood taste. This baked fish is one that my mother made regularly. I suppose it's probably a Greek recipe; I haven't actually looked for it in the Greek cook book. This can be made with any light non-oily ocean fish, like flounder or sole.

I never did get my daughter to try this dish, but I have to say, both the kids were pretty good with most of the stuff I made.

Baked fish with vegetables
1 lb. fresh fish filets (about 8 to 10 sole filets)

4 stalks of celery, a small bok choy or a small fennel bulb, sliced very thin
1/2 red pepper
1 medium onion
2 small tomatoes
sea salt, black pepper, dried parsley

Saute the vegetables in olive oil until limp. Place half the fish in a 9x12 glass baking dish. Season with salt, pepper and parsley, distribute half the vegetables over this. Layer with the rest of the filets, season the layer, and layer the remaining vegetables. Slice the tomatoes into thinnish discs, place on top. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 350/175 for about 30 minutes, or until the fish is flaky and white. Serve with white or biryani rice.

It's been so long since I made this. I had really forgotten how delicious this is.

What do I know how to cook?

The limitations of a blog devoted to the stuff you can cook at home for someone like me, a fairly typical housewife cook, is that you just don't make that many different things. Not, you don't know how to make different things, or that you're not willing to try different things. The repertoire, it turns out, just isn't that large.

I do believe at this point, I've chronicled all the family favorites here: pilaf, casserole, stew, meatloaf, shepherd's pie. I'm going to have to start reblogging some of them, or start in on permutation after permutation of soup! One begins to feel astonished and awed by cook book writers. So many recipes.

UPDATE! Thought of two more. Hooray! Watch this blog!

Well, I do have one more, and kids, if you're reading this, let me know what I've missed, and I'll make it! Meanwhile, readers, take the poll-- how many different meals are in your regular "cycle" of recipes?

Pastitio (Greek noodle casserole)
Another recipe from Can the Greeks Cook

First:
1 1/2 lbs penne or other tubular macaroni

Cook according to directions on box. This needs to be timed so they don't sit around getting sticky once you've drained them.

While penne is cooking:
1 lb. hamburger
1/4 cup butter
1 6oz can tomato paste
1-2 large onions, diced
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg, well beaten
1 cups boiling water
salt and black pepper

Saute hamburger over high flame until well-browned. Do not drain. Add butter and onions and continue to brown until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Blend tomato past with water & cinnamon and add. Turn down flame, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove cover and continue to cook until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, allow it to cool a little, add eggs and mix well. I used a wonderful grass-fed beef gifted us by our friends from Ranney Ranch.

Then:
Krema sauce:
1/2 quart milk
1 1/2 heaping tablespoons flour
1/2 stick butter
2 eggs, room temp, well beaten

Scald the milk in a saucepan or the microwave (heat to just boiling). Melt butter, add flour until it becomes a smooth paste. Add eggs quickly and stir vigorously until all is well blended and smooth. Slowly add hot milk. (It will form a thick paste as soon as you put the hot milk in. Keep adding slowly, stirring the whole time to keep the consistency smooth). Salt to taste and set on a light simmer for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Cover and remove from heat. If it sits around a little it may thicken too much; add a little water or milk to thin it.

Finally:
Cooked noodles, well drained
1/4 cup butter
1 egg well beaten
1 cup grated Kefaloteri (hard) cheese. Romano will also work, as kefaloteri can be hard to find.

Drain well in collander. Put half of the penne in a large bowl, add egg and mix thorougly. Spray a 9x12" pan with cooking spray, or grease with butter (cooking spray is better). Sprinkle with half the grated cheese. Spread the meat sauce over this, and then layer the rest of the penne on top, sprinkling with the remaining cheese. Melt butter and pour over the entire mixture. Top with the Krema sauce, making sure that the macaroni is entirely covered so little bits don't burn.

Sprinkle with grated cheese and cinnamon. Bake at 400F/200C for 20-30 minutes, keeping an eye on it so it doesn't burn. Cool for 15 minutes before serving so that it doesn't slip apart.

This recipe can be easily doubled. Remember, it's a Greek recipe, so it uses every pot in the house.

Happy New Year

I didn't remember my mother making New Years' bread until I stumbled on the word-- vasilopita-- somewhere a few years ago. I immediately got a smell and an image in my head; somewhere in my past I watched either my mother or my yiayia making this sweet bread.

Vasilopita is a sweet yeast bread flavored with mahlepe, ground cherry pits. (Thank goodness for The Spice House, which had this spice, as it was very hard to find.) This bread is made in honor of the patron saint of Greece, St. Basil, on his name day, January 1st; hence the association with the new year. The tradition is to bake a coin or trinket into the bread; the person who gets the slice with the coin has good luck the rest of the year. I used a Chinese coin in honor of the other half of our family heritage.

This recipe is from Adventures in Greek Cookery by Kapulos and Jones.

Vasilopita

1 cup milk
2 yeast cakes (or equivalent dry yeast)
3/4 cup + 2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup melted butter
3 eggs, well-beaten
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon mahlepe
1/3 cup lukewarm water
up to 6 cups all-purpose flour
1 or 2 clean coins

for topping:
3 tablespoons light cream
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sesame seeds

Scald the milk and set aside to cool. Crumble the yeast in a small bowl, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar, and set aside for 10 minutes, or prepare dry yeast per packet directions. Don't put the dry yeast straight into the mixture, however careful you are with temps. It doesn't work as well. *

When milk is cool (I cooled mine in the fridge, to about 100F/38C, or just warm to the touch) combine it with remaining sugar, and the next 5 ingredients (through the mahlepe) in a large bowl. Beat with electric beater for 5 minutes. If using fresh/cake yeast, add the lukewarm water to the yeast, blend until smooth, then stir into the mixture. For dry yeast, simply stir the foamy, activated yeast into the bread. Add the flour and cup at a time and knead the dough until soft and pliable. If you use a dough hook, use it for the first 4 cups of flours, then work in the last 1 or 2 cups by hand, kneading as you go. (I seldom use all 6 cups.)  Thoroughly grease the sides and bottom of a large bowl. Turn the dough into it and rotate until all sides are greased. Cover with a heavy cloth and put in a warm place to rise for two hours. It should at least double in size.

After two hours, turn the dough out on a floured board and knead lightly. Divide into two parts and put a clean coin in the center of each, or for one loaf leave dough in one piece and use one coin. Then knead until the coins are well hidden. Shape the dough to fit into two greased 9 inch round cake pans or one 12-inch round pan. Combine the cream, sugar and cinnamon, brush over the tops of the loaves and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover with a cloth and put in a warm place to rise for two hours. It will double or more in size again.

Bake at 350F/175C for 50 minutes (check at 45) for 9-inch loaves, or 1 hour for 12-inch loaf. Remove from pan immediately and cool.

The first slice is for the lord (or the goddess, depending on how you roll). The second is for St. Basil. Dole out the remaining slices from the youngest person at the table to the oldest.

* 2 packets of dry yeast

Christmas meal, stage two

My mother was Greek, born aboard ship as her mother sailed into New York harbor, according to family legend. I always told this story, but never quite believed it until my aunt unearthed a birth certificate that noted her birth as three days earlier than we had always celebrated. We also have a birth certificate showing the later date. It made me wonder if someone got paid off to alter her official birth date so that she was born on American soil, and thus was a citizen.

Homemade dolmades, or stuffed grapevine leaves, are something I've eaten all my life. I mostly make them for holiday meals, because they're time consuming and use every pot in the house, as does a lot of Greek cooking. They're also great to make just before a manicure because you'll spend about 20 minutes with your fingers immersed in hot olive oil, which makes your skin soft and lovely.

We've always made these vegetarian. I never had meat-filled dolmas until I was an adult. This recipe is from the outstanding Can The Greeks Cook by Venos and Prichard. Their recipe calls for more grapevine leaves (15 oz.) and only half of what I've written for everything else; I've found that the following measures work better. The page for this recipe, the most stained in the book, shows the doubled measure in my mother's handwriting, and my note "Always double this recipe!"

Grapevine Leaves with rice filling.

1 jar grapevine leaves (8 or 9 oz)
2 cups of rice
2 cups olive oil
2/3 cup lemon juice
6-10 cups water
1-2 large onions, diced
4 T. tomato paste
4 T. parsley, fresh or 2 1/2 dried (mint is also nice; don't use as much)
1 T sea salt
1 T green peppercorns, ground (black is also fine. Please grind your own)

Soak rice for 30 minutes in 2 cups cold water and 1 teaspoon table salt. Saute onion over medium flame in one cup water until tender, about 15 minutes. Add oil and simmer 5 minutes. Drain rice, add rice and tomato paste to the oil/onion mixture, add salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add parsley and cook 3 minutes. Add half of lemon juice and continue simmering for 5 minutes. Don't short the times! Allow this to sit a few minutes, covered. This will allow the rice to absorb some more moisture, and also to get cool enough to handle.

Spread the grapevine leaves on a large wooden cutting board. Starting from the stem, place about 2 T of rice per leaf; roll a little ways from the stem end, fold in the sides and continue rolling tightly. Arrange in layers in medium compact saucepan. pour remaining lemon juice over rolls, along with one cup of water and any remaining oil in the pan. I'm afraid you'll have to eat any left-over rice now.

Cover and bring to a boil; strong simmer for 5 minutes over high flame. Reduce heat and simmer lightly about 15 minutes. Add another cup of water if the first has been absorbed. Reduce heat to low, and continue cooking for 15 minutes or until rice is tender.

Serve hot or cold. Makes about 30-40 small rolls. Some of them will fall apart. Use those to taste-test.

Back to family favorites

Fortuitously, the bell peppers are ready to harvest for Nora's last dinner at home before she's off to Europe. Stuffed green peppers are another dish that I learned from my mother, and I think one of the ones that I've duplicated her recipe, from memory, the best. I almost never make this from store bought peppers for some reason, but only in late summer from the garden grown ones. I really wanted all of the vegetables to come from the garden this year, but the onions didn't do well, I chickened out on growing potatoes, (and I just didn't think it would be the same with turnips, which are too bitter for this dish).

This dish falls under the comfort food category in our household, as it's a huge favorite with everyone. You can tell it's Greek because you end up using every pot in the house to make it.

Stuffed Bell Peppers (for 4)

• 5-6 large green peppers
• 1 pound chop meat
• 2 medium potatoes, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 large tomato, diced
• fresh or dried parlsey
• fresh or dried mint
• salt and pepper

Cut off the tops of the peppers (save these) and clean out the seeds. Blanch the peppers by immersing them for about 5 minutes in boiling water. Drain and arrange in a casserole (make sure you use a casserole with a cover). Set aside.

Cook the rice per package instructions. Please do not use minute rice or I will have to cry. Extra long grain or basmati is fine. Boil the diced potatoes until just soft.

Saute the onions in about a quarter cup of water; cook until transparent, or until all moisture has boiled away, whichever comes first. Add the chop meat and sauté until completely brown. Add herbs about half way through. Once the rice and potatoes are done, mix them together with the meat. Add the diced tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fill each pepper to the rim with the meat/rice mixture, and put its top back on. With any leftover meat fill in the casserole so that the peppers are sitting in a bed of meat/rice mixture. Pour the tomato sauce over the top. Cover and bake in a 350F/175C oven for 30 minutes.

For a vegetarian version, substitute pine nuts and blanched raisins for the meat. A Facebook friend also sent a wonderful recipe for polenta-stuffed peppers. I'll post it when I try it.

Heritage

My mother was Greek, so I grew up eating and cooking Greek. My father’s food heritage—Irish and Swedish—got short shrift. The only thing we ever ate that might have come from his childhood was Zweibach, a nasty, tasteless bread with the texture of stale cardboard. It might have been Swedish, I can’t imagine why we ate it otherwise.

Shepherd’s Pie is sauteed chopped meat layered with green beans and topped with mashed potatoes. It was a staple of my mother’s menu and a childhood favorite. My kids love it too; it’s one of the dishes they request when they come briefly home.

The funny thing is, I never knew it was a Greek dish. I happened upon the recipe one day when leafing through my Greek cookbook. Discovering this gave me a wonderful feeling of continuity. This is how culture descends through the ages. I never saw my mother use a recipe for this dish, and when I started making it, I simply copied what I saw her doing, with an innovation or two of my own. But the basic dish has probably descended in my family from mother to daughter for generations.

Food can be a beautiful thing.

Shepherd’s Pie

3-5 medium russet potatoes
1/2-2/3 cup milk, half-and-half or cream
1 egg

1 pound of ground chuck for each two people eating
medium onion, diced
1-2 T flour
seasoning: thyme, parsley, oregano or mint (dried works best)
salt and pepper

Preheat over to 350

Peel, cut and boil the potatoes for mashing. When the potatoes come to a boil, start the meat layer. Saute the diced onions in water until all the liquid is gone, add the meat. When the meat is about halfway done, add the dried herb (only one of the ones suggested, but they all work with this dish), and salt-pepper to taste. Finish frying the meat until it is cooked through and dredge with flour. Spoon about 1/2 to 1 cup of the boiling water from the potatoes onto the meat and heat it, stirring constantly, until it forms a thick gravy (this will happen fairly quickly. Don’t walk away). Put the meat into a prepared casserole (buttered or cooking sprayed).

Drain the potatoes and leave them in the pot (no sense dirtying another pot). Add the milk and egg and mash (quickly before the egg can cook). The egg gives the potatoes a nice color and body. Add salt to taste and mash to your preferred consistency (if you like a very smooth mashed potato use a beater, otherwise a masher and fork are fine). The potatoes should be wetter than you might want for a side dish, since they’ll bake for 25 minutes and you don’t want them to get dry.

Layer the potatoes over the meat and bake uncover for 25 minutes.

Traditional shepherd’s pie as a layer of blanched green beans over the meat; however my kids never liked it that way, so I serve the vegetable as a side dish.

For the carnivores in the family

Here's some stovetop recipes for chicken and pork. A family stand by, so it probably qualifies as comfort food. As a child, I had no idea chicken could be cooked any other way.

Porkchops with mushrooms and onions

Season one porkchop per person, both sides, with parlsey, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Melt about 2 T of butter in a very hot sauce pan, sautee a pint of mushrooms until all the butter is absorbed (this will happen very quickly. Pan will end up slick but not greasy). Dash with the juice of half a lemon, or jar equivalent, and sautee until the shrooms release moisture. Add another 2 pats of butter, and sear both sides of the chops. (It's seared when it releases easily. If you have to pry it up it's not done). Cook another 5 minutes, until the pan browns nicely. Add a little liquid (water, tea, or stock, maybe 1/4 cup at most) and the onions. Continue sauteeing, turning the meat periodically, until the onions are transparent. Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of stock or tea, about 1/3 c at a time, until a nice brown gravy forms. You can thicken the gravy by dredging the meat with about a tablespoon of flour before adding the liquid.


Greek chicken

Marinate the chicken in the juice of one lemon, oregano, salt and pepper. Let sit at least one hour (or, in fact, all day if need be).

For true Greek Chicken, you'll want to bake it at 375 for 45 minutes, turning it once. You can also pan fry this dish. Put 2 T of olive oil on the hot pan, then sear the chicken, turning it when it releases easily, until it's nicely browned on all sides. Add stock and simmer until the meat is thoroughly cooked. The stock will make a nice clear gravy; to increase the amount, just add more after you remove the chicken and make sure the pan is scraped clean. For pretty gravy strain it, but it's fine with all the flotsam in it too.

Serve with garlic mashed potatoes.

The number one favorite family recipe

This pilaf was originally from the wonderful Can The Greeks Cook cookbook that I inherited from my mother, but I've made this recipe my own.

Pilaf with steamed fish

2 cups rice
1 stick butter
Large yellow onion, diced
4 cups stock
optional: 1/4- 1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts
salt, pepper and parsley (fresh or dried)

1/3 to 1/2 lb fish per diner, cut into strips
5-8 broccoli florets per dinner

Heat the stock in the microwave, about 6 minutes at full power. You can use homemade or canned chicken or vegetable stock, or drain a large can of whole tomatoes into a quart measuring cup and add water to 4 cups. While it is heating, in a very large frying pan, saute the onion in 1/4 cup of water. When liquid is gone, add the butter and melt (do not let it brown). Add the rice and toast it over low heat about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to keep it from burning. At this point add the pine nuts. Season with salt, pepper and parsley to taste. Add the hot stock and bring to a simmer, turn down the heat, cover and simmer until rice just starts peaking through the liquid. Lay the strips of fish, the broccoli florets and the tomatoes pieces on the surface, cover and simmer until the fish is just cooked (no translucent flesh left)

For vegetarian, obviously, no fish, and you can increase the nutritional value by adding pine nuts and sweet white corn niblets (frozen or fresh). We usually use salmon (the color is nice) but a dense white fish like tilapia or halibut will also work.

This dish looks beautiful served in the frying pan it is cooked in.