Mango Chutney in the Microwave

1 cup

1 mango (10-12 ounces)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

2 Tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper

1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Peel, halve, and seed the mango, and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes.

2. Combine the mango with all the other ingredients in a deep 1 1/2 quart microwave-safe casserole.

3. Cook, uncovered for 7 minutes.

4. Allow the chutney to cool slightly; then cover tightly and refrigerate. It will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator.

From The New Basics Cookbook by Rosso & Lukins

Cozy Turkey Hash

2 cups cubed cooked turkey
2 cups cubed cooked potato
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
6 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon good curry powder
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
pepper
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1. Preheat broiler
2. Combine first 6 ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl combine the next 8 ingredients. Add to the turkey mixture and let stand for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
4. Heat oil in a 10 inch, oven-proof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey mixture, cover and cook unti lthe bottom is set, 5 minutes.
5. Transfer to broiler and broil until the top is set and golden, 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Adapted from The New Basics Cookbook by Rosso & Lukins

Upper Crust Potatoes

8 portions

3 pounds Idaho potatoes (about 6)

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary leaves

3/4 cup cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup milk

1/2 paprika

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Oil the bottom of a shallow 2 quart baking dish.

2. Peel and very thinly slice the potatoes. Place them in a mixing bowl and add 3/4 cup of the cream. Toss to mix. Set aside.

3. Melt the butter in a skillet, and add the shallots and garlic. Saute over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes; do not brown.

4. Add the bay leaves and rosemary to the skillet. Whisk in the cream cheese, milk, and remaining 3/4 cup cream. Simmer, whisking constantly, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Then add paprika, salt, and pepper. Discard the bay leaves and pour the mixture of the potatoes; toss gently.

5. Arrange potato mixture in a baking dish, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle it first with the Parmesan, and then with the bread crumbs.

6. Bake until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown and bubbly, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.

From The New Basics Cookbook by Rosso & Lukins.

Chunky Applesauce in the Microwave

4 portions

2 McIntosh apples

2 Granny Smith or other tart apples

1 cup water

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Halve and core the apples: peel them if you like. Cut each one into 6 wedges or 1-inch chunks.

2. Combine the apples, water, and lemon juice in a deep microwave safe 2 1/2-quart casserole.

3. Toss the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and add to apple mixture.

4. Cook, uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir, pressing apples into liquid and return to microwave. Cook for another 5 minutes. Using a hand blender, mix apples into applesauce.

From The New Basics Cookbook by Rosso & Lukins.

Biscuits

Makes 8 biscuits

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

2 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

3/4 cup half-and-half

1. Preheat the oven 450 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces, and cut it into the flour using two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Add the half-and-half, and stir gently until the mixture forms a mass. Gather into a ball.

4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead it for about 30 seconds, and then pat it out to form a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle. Using a 2 3/4-inch cookie cutter, cut out 8 circles; use up all the dough.

5. Arrange the biscuits about 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake until puffed and golden, 14 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack and allow them to cool.

--Sweet Biscuits: Before baking, brush the tops of the bisquits with melted butter and sprinkle with additional sugar.

From The New Basics Cookbook by Russo & Lukins

Santa Fe Pork Stew

Serve with cornbread!

6 portions

3 Tablespoons olive oil

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

2 1/2 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

2 sweet potatoes

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

1 1/2 canned chicken broth

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley

6 cloves garlic, finely minced

3 Tablespoons tiny capers, drained

1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cups cooked black beans

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Heat 2 Tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet and brown the pork in small batches. (Add extra oil if necessary.) Transfer the cooked meat to a flameproof casserole.

3. Sprinkle the flour over the pork and cook over medium heat, tossing well, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

4. Add the potatoes, wine, stock, vinegar, onions, parsley, half the garlic, 2 Tablespoons of the capers, and 1 Tablespoon cumin to the casserole. Mix well, cover, and bake on the center rack of the oven for 1 hour.

5. Remove the casserole from the oven, and add the remaining garlic, 1 Tablespoon capers, and 1 teaspoon cumin. Add the black beans and pepper, stir, and return to the oven. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes

6. Keep warm until ready to serve. Right before serving, adjust the seasonings, and return the casserole to the oven, uncovered, to heat through, 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

From The New Basics Cookbook by Rosso & Lukins.

Roy's Garlic Mashed Potatoes

12 servings

6 pounds unpeeled but scrubbed potatoes

2 large heads of garlic

2 1/4 cups of half & half, warm

3/4 cups (1 stick) of unsalted butter at room temperature

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 heaping Tablespoon table salt

1. Place potatoes in large saucepan and cover with 1 inch water. Bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes.

2. While potatoes are cooking, peel the paper-like outer skin off the garlic and separate the cloves Place them in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until the garlic is very soft, 15 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.

3. Peel potatoes and cut into rough chunks.

4. Slip the skins off the garlic and combine the garlic cloves and the cream in a food processor. Puree.

5. Transfer the potatoes to the bowl of an electric mixer, and add the pureed garlic, butter, egg yolk, pepper and salt. Beat until just smooth.

Adapted from The New Basics Cookbook by Russo & Lukins and Cooks Illustrated.

Market Street Meatloaf

Makes 3 meatloaves with 8-10 portions each

This is the best meatloaf recipe, ever!, but it does take quite a bit of prep work. To justify the effort involved, Roy and I would triple it, bake one loaf and freeze the other two. The measurements here are for our tripled version.

Saute in butter for about 10 minutes then chill in icebox for at least an hour:

8 Tablespoons of butter

2 cups finely chopped onions

2 cups finely chopped scallions

1 1/2 cups finely chopped carrots

3/4 cup finely chopped celery

1 1/2 cups finely chopped bell pepper of various color

2 Tablespoons of minced garlic

Combine in mixer and beat well:

Salt, to taste

1 Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

9 eggs

1 1/2 cup ketchup

1 1/2 cup half & half

Add:

6 pounds of lean ground beef chuck

3 tubes of Jimmy Dean ground pork with sage or plain (12 ounces each)

2 cups of bread crumbs, toasted

1. Knead in mixer or by hand for 5 minutes. Divide meat evenly into 3 portions. Put into plastic freezer bags and flatten for convenient freezer storage.

2. To cook: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Form the mixture into an oval approximately 17 x 4 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches, resembling a long loaf of bread.

3. Place meatloaf in a baking dish, and place the dish inside a larger pan. Pour boiling water into the larger pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the baking dish. I know this is a pain in the neck, but we tried to skip this "bath" and the result wasn't pretty!!!

4. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

5. Remove the dish from the water bath and let the meat loaf rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

Recipe adapted from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. Their recipe was from 72 Market Street in Venice, California. This restaurant was founded by Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli, among others and closed in November 2000. I suppose the meatloaf recipe will live on forever!