Rock Shrimp-Spinach-Dill-Tomato Pizza

Mark and Sheri' DuMond used to live in southern Oregon and one of their favorite places to get pizza was a popular restaurant in the little town of Jacksonville called Bella Union. This place has been around for decades and has the feel of an old-time saloon. This pizza is a real favorite and this recipe is a best-effort at recreating what's known on the Bella menu as "Spencer's Supreme."

We're presenting this as an easy thing to make on a Friday night after a tough week, and so are using a premade pizza crust. If you prefer to make your own crust from scratch, feel free to do so.

1 premade pizza crust
Olive oil

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. rock shrimp
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Tbsp. dry white wine
1/2 lb. spinach, washed, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup goat cheese, shredded
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Brush the pizza crust with olive oil and prebake for about five minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the garlic for a minute or so. Add the wine and shrimp and saute for a couple of minutes until the shrimp cooks through and becomes opaque. Remove from heat immediately.

Add the spinach to the pan and saute until just wilted (add a touch more olive oil if need be).

Spread the spinach across the pizza crust. Scatter the rock shrimp and dill across the crust. Spread the cheeses and pine nuts around the pizza.

Bake the pizza in the oven for about 10 minutes, until heated through and the cheeses are melted and bubbly. Top with fresh tomato slices, cut into wedges and serve.

This goes great with a caesar salad and a glass of pinot grigio

Wild Mushroom Gravy

Mark and Sheri' DuMond are hosting a Thanksgiving dinner this week with a bunch of family, including kids and grandkids. They're roasting a turkey for the carnivores in the crowd and a walnut-cheddar loaf for the vegetarians. The recipe here is for a rich mushroom sauce (or gravy, since it's Thanksgiving) which will go great with both. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

2 oz. dried wild mushrooms (porcini preferred, but any dried wild mushroom will work here)
Hot water to cover

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 medium shallots, peeled and finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 lb. fresh wild mushrooms (chanterelles, shiitakes, porcinis, portabellas, oyster, preferably several kinds mixed), coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1.5 cups rich vegetable broth
2 tsp. fresh minced thyme
2 Tbsp. fresh minced parsley
1 tsp. fresh minced rosemary
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste

Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water. Allow to soften for at least 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the liquid. Coarsely chop the softened mushrooms.

Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the shallots and garlic. Cook until slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook for about 10 more minutes, until the mushrooms have softened and released their juices. Add the flour and stir to incorporate.

Add the dried mushrooms, reserved soaking liquid, wine, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and cook for a few minutes. Add the vegetable broth and herbs and simmer for up to 30 minutes.

Put about 1/2 the mushrooms and sauce to a blender or food processor and allow to cool for a few minutes. Puree until smooth and add back into the sauce pan with the gravy. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lemon Coconut Bars (No Cooking Required!)

Nancy sent this one from Oregon. Maybe she'll make this for Thanksgiving dinner at Mark & Sheri's house?

1 cup almonds, chopped
1 1/2 cups pitted dates (medjool date pictured at right)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp. of vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. juice from lemon
1 cup dried shredded coconut

Use your food processor to chop almonds into small pieces with the pitted dates until finely ground. Use some of this nut powder to flour bottom of a 9 inch square baking pan.
Mix rest of ingredients in a bowl and add the remaining chopped almonds and figs.

Use your hands to knead the mixture. Press into baking pan and chill for several hours until firm. Cut into squares.

Sallie's Cheesecake

From Sallie DuMond in Jackson, Wyoming:

This recipe orginally came from Connie or her girlfriend. This is the birthday cake my whole family asks for on their special day and throughout the year!

In a 9" pie plate or springform pan, grease pan lightly with butter.

12 Graham Crackers (ground fine with food processor or rolling pin).
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 sugar

Mix together and press on the bottom of pan.

16 oz. cream cheese
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar

Beat until smooth and pour onto cracker crumb mixture. Bake @ 350 for 30 - 40 min. Cool overnight.

1 pint sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Mix and place over cooked portion of cake. Bake @ 475 for 6 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.

I put a paper towel over the top of the pan, then foil to refrigerate. If there is moisture, then it will not drip onto top of cake.

Eat plain or add fresh fruit of your choice.....maybe a raspberry drizzle.

Enjoy!

Hearts of Romaine and Grated Vegetable Salad with Mock Good for the Heart Caesar Dressing

Here's another recipe from Nancy Bodwell in Oregon. Most caesar dressings are full of oil and egg yolks (fat and cholesterol); this recipe uses neither and is full of healthy ingredients.

2 heads romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
1/2 small red cabbage, core removed, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 cup jicama, peeled and grated
1/4 cup daikon radish, peeled and grated
1/4 cup raw or toasted sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp. softened arame seaweed, softened and drained according to package instructions (optional)

Toss all the salad ingredients and add the Mock Caesar (recipe follows) and toss.

Mock Good for the Heart Caesar Dressing:

This is so YUMMY! No oil.

2 ripe avocados
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh lime juice or rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. ume plum vinegar
1-2 Tbsp. any fresh herb like basil, dill, parsley, pepper
1/4-1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add water sparingly to desired consistency. Taste for salt and seasoning.

"Whatever" Eggs

This DuMond all-time favorite comes from Sallie DuMond in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Why is it now called "Whatever" Eggs? Here's the story:

At one time this dish was known as "California Eggs" but it was prepared on January 1, 1999, the morning after Mark and Sheri' DuMond's wedding. Soon thereafter, it became known as "Wedding Eggs." Then Ace and Sallie moved to Wyoming with their sons Taylor and Keaton, and the dish eventually was renamed "Jackson Hole Brunch Eggs."

Feel free to name it after your own hometown or special event. No matter what you call it, this is a delicious brunch entree to serve a crowd.

Serves 10.

10 eggs
1 pint cottage cheese
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
8 oz. chopped green chilies
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup melted butter
1 lb (4 cups) shredded cheddar, swiss or monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

In mixing bowl, beat together eggs, then all the other ingredients. Pour into the baking dish and bake 30 - 45 minutes.

Top with salsa, avocado, sour cream and cilantro.

Variation: crumbled bacon or diced ham.

More Recipes and Other Articles at the "Sheri & Mark DuMond" Blog

Mark and Sheri' DuMond started a site last spring to showcase recipes as well as posts about travel, film, wine, sports, kids, pets and other stuff. You can check it out by going to http://markandsheri.blogspot.com, or just by clicking here. You can read about Mark & Sheri' here.

So far more than two-and-a-half dozen recipes have been published there, all of them from the kitchen of Sheri' and Mark in the Seattle area. A few of the recipes are repeats of those you'll find on this site because, after all, there are DuMonds involved in both sites.

Cuban Black Bean and Yam Soup

This one just came in from Nancy Bodwell in Medford, Oregon. She sent several today, and we'll dole them out over the course of the coming week.

2 cups black beans, soaked overnight and drained
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
2 medium stalks of burdock root, diced (ask your grocery about it--very important to this version)
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. ginger, minced
2 cups yams or sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp. seed spice blend (recipe follows)
6 to 8 cups water

Ground toasted seed blend, fresh cilantro, fresh lime juice and salt to taste.

Heat coconut oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and burdock root. Saute for 2 more minutes and add the soaked, drained beans and bay leaves. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour or until beans are almost cooked through. Add cubed yams and continue cooking until beans and yams are cooked through and tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Before serving season with remaining ground toasted seed blend, fresh cilantro, lime juice and salt if needed.

Serves 6

P.S. Solid coconut oil is extremely healthy. It burns at a much higher temperature than other oils so the free radical release is not a problem.

5 Seed Blend:

4 Tbsp. fenugreek seeds
4 Tbsp. cumin seeds
4 Tbsp. yellow or black mustard seeds
4 Tbsp. coriander seeds
4 Tbsp. fennel seeds

Mix seeds together and divide mixture into two.

To toast seeds, place 1/2 seed blends in a hot preheated dry skillet and gently stir for one to two minutes or until seeds begin to pop. Do not allow seeds to burn. Remove seeds from hot pan and allow to cool before grinding. Seeds can be ground in a coffee grinder or with mortar and pestle prior to use. Do not grind seeds to a fine powder. Store both raw seeds and toasted seeds in an airtight container.

A Wilder "DuMondezvous"

Back at the beginning of October, a unique and special event took place in western Idaho, near the town of Wilder. The home of Connie and John Bucy hosted a cool family reunion of sorts. Connie is Sallie DuMond's sister, and she and John have lived there for many years and raised three sons, one of whom, Jake, was present for the reunion.

First of all, the house and property are something to behold. Situated on a knoll overlooking the surrounding countryside, their acreage has a gigantic grass yard, beautiful grounds and burgeoning vegetable gardens. The house had room for everybody with room to spare. Thank you, John and Connie, for hosting our get-together on short notice!

This was dubbed a "DuMondezvous" (we think it was John who came up with that one). Ace, Sallie and Keaton DuMond traveled over from Jackson, Wyoming. Mark and Sheri' DuMond flew in to Boise from Seattle. Connie and Sallie's sister Tina was also there (along with a friend, Jake). It should also be noted here that folks in that part of Idaho seem to be big fans of the Boise State football team, which is ranked in the top 15 in the country. Go Broncos!

Anyway, after picking fresh produce from the backyard garden, the kitchen went into full swing and a feast was prepared. Much wonderful food was consumed, and plenty of fine wine was sipped. The following morning the group, give or take a member or two, had a breakfast together. It was during the breakfast that Tina produced an email that had been sent by her daughter, Saleen. We read the email at breakfast that morning. Saleen came up with this idea that since both Ace and Mark, the DuMond twin brothers, like to cook, and Mark likes to write, why not create some sort of cookbook? Everyone seemed to think that was a good idea.

And that's the moment when this site was born. We got the blog up and runnning within 48 hours, and recipes started coming in from friends and family within days after that. As of this writing, it's still October, and we're more than twenty posts and a whole bunch of recipes into this peculiar creation.


And here's the thing: We're just getting started! We've had contact and recipes from folks we haven't seen in many years, and from people eight time zones away. It's only going to get bigger and better as time goes on. We've got a good thing going here, and it never would've happened if we hadn't had our brief "DuMondezvous" in Idaho, nor would it have been conceived had Saleen not sparked the idea.

So jump in, folks. Send your recipes, stories, ruminations and ideas to Mark at cafedumond@comcast.net. Thanks and love to you all.

Pictured above at the "DuMondezvous" are, from left, Ace DuMond, Sheri' DuMond, Sallie DuMond, John Bucy and Mark DuMond. The reason Connie Bucy is missing from the photo is she was the one taking the picture!

Derby Pie

Here's a sweet treat that comes to us from Kentucky by way of our pal Susan in Great Britain.

DERBY-PIE® was born nearly a half century ago as the specialty pastry of the Melrose Inn, at Prospect, Kentucky. Once developed, a proper name had to be given. Because each family member had a favorite, the name DERBY-PIE® was actually pulled from a hat.


And what a winner! By 1968 DERBY-PIE® had become so successful that the name was registered with the U.S. Patent Office and the Commonwealth of Kentucky (that's the reason for the ®!). Since then it has been baked and distributed solely by Kern's Kitchen, a small family operation.

My first recollection of eating Derby Pie is from childhood. I must have been between 6 and 7 years old and my only clear memory is sitting at a table while grandmother sat opposite watching me devour my dessert in a rather un-lady like manner. I am thinking we must have been on a shopping outing in Dallas while visiting my grandparents. Café, large department store with the initials NM possibly. All I can say for certain is, I LOVED that pie.

This particular version of Derby Pie is a slight alteration of a recipe found in the “Delicious Heritage” cookbook my husband so thoughtfully bought me as a Christmas gift early on in our marriage. I make this for summer BBQ’s and large gatherings that require a variety of desserts due to so many palates that need pleasing. My contribution for this year’s annual Bonfire Night party my family attends was this fantastic treat. After presenting it the crowd, they appeared perplexed and asked me to repeat the name of the pud (ie. pudding/dessert). I again stated that it was Derby pie and someone piped up “ah, you mean Darby." Of course! To the untrained ear, when the English speak it sounds like A is pronounced E and E is who knows what, not to mention the H being hay-ch, Z is zed and zero, well, it’s nil. So many adaptations to be made by me and my crew for survival in the little quadrant of the planet we currently call home.

4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. sugar
¾ c. light Karo syrup
4 tbsp. bourbon
½ stick butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 10-inch unbaked pie shell (make your own, it’s 5 minutes out of your life and tastes better than anything store bought)

Combine ingredients in order, then pour into pie shell. Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes or until center is set. For a nice presentation I drizzle melted chocolate on top of the pie once it has cooled. If you are feeling really indulgent, serve with vanilla ice cream.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Connie Bucy in Idaho credits her sister Cynthea with this one:

A couple of weeks ago before one of our BSU (Boise State University) football games, my oldest son Seth called and wanted my stuffed mushroom recipe and told him I was going to dig it out as I was going to make them here for the game, also. Well, as I found the recipe, I remembered how I acquired it.

Quite a few years ago when Seth was still at home, he had asked if I would make my sister Cynthea's stuffed mushrooms for him and I told him I didn't have a recipe, but he could call her and get it from her, so that's what he did. Unfortunately, the "original" was incomplete at best, such as "caps out, chop up real fine" and "crisp bacon real fine." So I decided to take the ingredients and come up with a more solidified recipe. Please feel free to change it as you choose!

18-20 med-large mushrooms
6 mushroom caps, diced
6 pieces thickly sliced bacon, cooked & chopped real fine
4 ounces cream cheese (not diet)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. dried parsley (or fresh if you have it on hand)
Salt and pepper to taste

Clean mushroom and remove all stems. Combine all ingredients and stuff into mushrooms. Cook at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Obviously, depending on the type and size of the mushroom, the amount it will stuff will vary.

Zucchini Casserole

Connie Bucy shares a recipe that's been in her family, in unwritten form, for years. Now, it's finally on paper ... and online. Here's Connie's take:

The history behind this recipe is questionable at best - my dad's sister, Aunt Alice, came to stay at our home for a while years ago and she concocted a zucchini casserole one evening that was by far the best I've ever had. Unfortunately, I never got a recipe from her (if there ever was one) and this past summer, with an abundance of veggies in the garden, I decided to re-create what I could remember of her dish. Since I have never written it down, this past week I made it and wrote th recipe at the same time.

Ironically, this time I remembered that she used to put about 1/4 cup of Italian bread crumbs into her dish, so thought I would try it that way. For me personally, I prefer it without the bread crumbs, but each to their own. It is a rather juicy dish, so you may like it better with the bread crumbs.

2 medium zucchini
½ medium onion, coarsely chopped or sliced
½ red pepper, chopped (or purple or orange or a combination)
½ yellow/green pepper, chopped

4 mushrooms, sliced
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
½ tsp. garlic powder, or a couple of fresh garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup sharp or medium cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup romano or parmesan cheese, shredded

2 Tbsp. Butter
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs (optional)

Saute all veggies in butter except mushrooms & tomatoes until al dente (about 5-10 minutes), add seasonings and then add mushrooms, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper, and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Pour mixture into baking dish and add cheese on top. Bake at 400 degrees until cheese is browned or veggies are done to your liking.

Baked Mushroom & Leek Egg Pots

Another one from Susan Mouzon, a wonderful friend in Great Britain. She says this is a great dish to get a dinner party started with.

Living and cooking in England is a true adventure. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the endless bounty that I was never exposed to while developing my gastronomic preferences as a child.

Let’s take the leek for instance. A most humble vegetable of which I consider to be a staple here in the UK. You see it on every menu, in all the markets and grocers and no cookbook would be printed without at least one recipe in which the leek has, at the minimum, the role of best supporting actor. I hope you enjoy the following tidbits and my interpretation of the recipe chef Gary Rhodes so graciously shared with a plethora of tellie watchers which included me!

Leeks (Allium porrum or A. ampeloprasum var. porrum), sometimes called "the gourmet's onion" are related to onions (A. cepa) and garlic (A. sativum), but have flat leaves instead of tubular and relatively little bulb development. They're easy to grow and delicious, with a taste all their own, very much like a mild onion. The thick leaf bases and slightly developed bulb look like a giant green onion, and are eaten as a cooked vegetable. Leeks are not as popular in the United States as they are in Europe, where they are known as "poor man's asparagus."

The leek was developed from a wild type, which is native to Western Asia and the Mediterranean countries. Wild leeks were used as food during the early Bronze Age, around 4000 B.C., and were probably domesticated around 2000 B.C. They were part of the diet of those who built the Egyptian pyramids, and Hippocrates, the father of medicine, prescribed the leek as a cure for nosebleeds. Leeks have been cultivated in Western Europe since the Middle Ages, and are particularly associated with Wales – dating back to 640 AD when Welsh soldiers wore pieces of leek in their helmets to distinguish themselves from their Saxon foes in battle. The Welsh traditionally wear a leek on St. David's Day (March 1) to commemorate King Cadawallader's victory over the Saxons that year. Leeks were brought to North America with early settlers from Europe.

Today leeks are grown as an excellent substitute for onions and for its own unique mild onion flavor in soups and other dishes. The recipe:

2 cups sliced mushrooms of choice
2 cups finely sliced leeks
200ml heavy cream
6 eggs
75 g shredded gruyere cheese
Olive oil
Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and preheat a baking tray as well. You will also need 6 ramekins for this recipe that have been very lightly greased or buttered. Saute the mushrooms and leeks in 2 Tbsp oil until juices have mostly evaporated and the veggies are slightly past the wilted stage but not mushy, season, then set aside.

Using ½ of the cream, pour a layer into each ramekin. Top with 1-2 generous spoonfuls (depending on your spoon size) of mushroom/leek mixture. Add the cheese and then crack an egg and place on top of cheese. Sprinkle with salt to season and now pour over the remaining cream. Place ramekins in the preheated tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until the bottom layer of cream starts to bubble around the edges. If the egg yolk is too runny for your liking, bake an extra few minutes until set.

Conchiglie Tutto Giardino Imbroglio

This recipe was born more than two decades ago in Mark DuMond's kitchen. The term "imbroglio" was added for whimsical purposes. Back then, we thought the recipe's title roughly translated to "major argument with vegetables." However, we ran it through an online translation service today and it translated as "all shells garden I confuse." Further, when we thought the word "imbroglio" was synonymous with a simple "argument" in fact it is defined as either:

• a confused mass
• an intricate or complicated situation
• an acutely painful or embarrassing misunderstanding
• a violently confused or bitterly complicated altercation

Given those choices for a definition, we are now wondering why we named the dish as we did all those years ago. Anyway, here is the recipe for a confused mass, which we certainly prefer to a violently confused altercation.

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced carrots
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 bunch scallions, trimmed, cleaned and finely sliced
3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
1 cup thinly sliced radishes
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
6 cloves garlic, minced

8 large fresh tomatoes, cored and chopped
3 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 green bell pepper, seeded, cored and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cored and chopped
2 cups dry white wine
2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

3 Tbsp. unbleached white flour
1 cup half-and-half
6 oz. tomato paste
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
2 lb. large shell pasta (conchiglie), or other pasta of your choice

Heat half the butter and all the olive oil in a large pot, then saute the carrots, all onions, radishes, basil, parsley and garlic for 10 minutes, stirring often. Cover and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes more.

Add the tomatoes and other vegetables along with the wine and pepper. Bring barely to a boil, then lower heat and simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

In a separate small saucepan, melt the rest of the butter and add the flour. Whisk to make a roux, then add the half-and-half. Keep stirring as it thickens, then add the tomato paste. When it's thick and smooth add it and the parmesan cheese to the simmered sauce.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water. When it's al dente, about 10 minutes, drain the shells and put them in a large serving bowl. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir to combine. Serve it with extra grated parmesan or asiago or romano cheese as garnish. This dish screams for garlic bread and green salad as accompaniment. (Or scroll down or click here to get the recipe for John Bucy's Italian Bread, which would also go nicely with this dish.)

Halloween Special: "Forbidden" Black Rice Salad

Last week, Sheri' DuMond needed to bring a "scary" dish to a luncheon at her workplace in Seattle. Mark found a recipe online for a rice salad using a legendary "Forbidden" black rice and adapted it.

We just happened to have some "Forbidden" black Chinese rice on hand (click here to find it online). The finished dish is truly deep black in color, and flecked with bright dots of orange, so entirely appropriate for Halloween. The flavors are bright with the tastes of lime and spice.

1 3/4 cups black Thai or Chinese rice (also known as "Forbidden Rice")
3 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. sambal oelek or other Asian hot chili sauce

1 Tbsp. peanut oil
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
2 large shallots, peeled and minced
6 green onions, peeled, cleaned and chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1.5 cups raw cashews
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced

Salt & Pepper

Put the black rice, water and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for about 30 minutes until the rice is tender and the water has been completely absorbed. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice and chili sauce.

In a medium saute pan, heat the peanut oil and add the carrot, shallots, green onions, garlic and ginger. Saute for just a few minutes until cooked through but not browned.

Put the black rice in a large mixing bowl and add the dressing, sauteed veggies, bell peppers and cashews. Gently stir thoroughly and serve either warm or at room temperature (not chilled).

Italian Bread

Like all of John Bucy's great recipes so far, this one goes back a while. We'll let John take it from here:

This recipe came from Bon Appetit in 1980, so it is also one of our oldest and tried and true recipes. Many people don't get into bread making so it isn't an often requested recipe. However, it always draws raves and gifts of loaves seemed to be treasured!!

Because it is a food processor recipe, it really is fairly easy and simple to make. Therefore, I always make the recipe twice and combine the dough for the rising process.

Glaze:
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt

Bread:
1 envelope yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water (120 degrees F)

2 Tbsp oil (I use olive oil)
2 large garlic clove, halved

2 cups bread flour
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp minced fresh basil leaves (or 1/2 t dried)

Cornmeal

For bread: Heat oil in small skillet over low heat. Add garlic and cook until soft but not brown. Stir and turn occasionally. About 8 min.

In food processor, combine flour, salt, basil, yeast and sugar. Run
processor to stir together five seconds. Add garlic and oil to dough and start processor. Add water through feed tube. After a few seconds, 20 or 30, this mixture will ball up into one or two balls. If it remains floury, add a little more water. If it seems to wet, you could add just a little flour.

Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and put in a warm, draft free place to rise. (I turn my oven on to "warm" for a few minutes, 2, to warm up and then turn it off.) Let rise until double, about one hour. (When using the oven, I always put a pot holder under the bowl to keep the dough from starting to bake on the bottom.)

Grease or oil a baking sheet, one that just fits into your oven. Sprinkle with cornmeal.

Punch down dough and divide in half (or quarter if you make the recipe twice). Roll half (or quarter) out on a lightly floured surface (I use my chopping block and have never needed to use flour. Less clean-up!) into an 8 x10 inch rectangle. Roll up lengthwise, like a jelly roll. Pinch the
ends and seam tightly together. Put the loaf seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat process with the remaining dough. Four loaves will fit on one large baking sheet.

Cover with a damp towel and let rise until double, about another hour.

Make glaze by whisking (I use a fork and a small bowl) ingredients together.

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Slash tops of loaves with knife (I actually do this about halfway through the rising process). Brush glaze on top of loaves before baking. It is best if you don't get the glaze on the baking sheet. It just burns and makes for more difficult clean-up!!

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Loaves should sound hollow when tapped and should have a deep golden brown color. Our experience, and maybe it is just our oven and/or altitude, has taught us that about 20 minutes is enough. Remove loaves from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Freeze to store and/or re-heat to serve.

Some John notes: When recipes call for garlic, I know they always misprint the amount. I probably double or triple the amount of garlic. Also, I don't limit myself to just basil. I either use a mixture of Italian herbs or add individually: Basil, thyme, oregano, etc. And yes, I use more than a 1/2 tsp combined. More like 1/2 tsp each.

Cauliflower with Lemon-Tahini Sauce

Another recipe from Karen in Alaska:

Adapted from a recipe in Vegetarian Times. Original recipe calls for roasted cauliflower which I found to be a hassle. This is much quicker and just as tasty.

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
Olive oil
2 -3 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp.)
2 Tbs. tahini
2 Tbs. lemon juice
3 Tbs. water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. chopped parsley
1 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds

Steam cauliflower until tender, drain, and put in bowl. In small saucepan, heat olive oil and saute garlic until lightly browned. Stir in tahini, lemon juice, water and salt. Whisk over low heat 1 to 2 minutes until smooth. Spoon over cauliflower. Sprinkle with parsley and sesame seeds, and serve.