Roasted chard stems - Untested

https://kalynskitchen.com/baked-swiss-chard-stems-recipe-with/

2 cups trimmed Swiss chard stems

 1/4 tsp. salt

 olive oil for spraying pan and chard (see notes)

 1/4 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese

 coarse ground black pepper to taste

1. Trim any discolored ends from chard stems, then cut stems on an angle into pieces about 3 inches long.
2. If some stems are very thick, you may wish to cut them lengthwise so all pieces are approximately the same thickness.
3. Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
4. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt and chard stems and boil about 6 minutes.
5. Let chard drain well.
6. Spray a non-stick baking dish with olive oil.
7. Place chard in the pan and mist lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with cheese. (If doubling the recipe, make two layers, misting each layer with oil and sprinkling with cheese.)
8. Bake about 20 minutes, or until chard is softened and cheese is slightly browned on the edges.
9. Season with fresh ground black pepper if desired and serve hot.

Styrian Pumpkin Soup - Testing

https://www.steirische-spezialitaeten.at/en/styrian-cream-pumpkin-soup/

1 - I made this a while ago, but I can't remember which pumpkin I used - did I actually use a Styrian pumpkin? Anyway, it was very much liked, so I will make it again. I did not have pumpkin seed oil, but I did toast pumpkin seeds to sprinkle on top when serving, and that worked just fine.

1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds

1/2 kg pumpkin (will actual Styrian work?)

1 onion, chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp butter

600 ml vegetable or chicken broth

Salt and pepper

ground nutmeg

Ginger optionally

150 ml whipping cream optionally

Pumpkin Seed Oil

1. Heat a dry pan on the stove and toast 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds. Set aside to cool.
2. Scoop out the seeds and innards and cut the cleaned pumpkin into cubes. If using a soft-skinned, edible peeling-ed squash it's not really necessary to peel it.
3. Lightly sautée the onion and the garlic in the butter until golden. 
4. Add the pumpkin cubes, sautée for another minute or so then add the broth. 
5. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and perhaps some ginger and let it gently simmer over medium heat until the pumpkin is tender.
6. Once the ingredients are thoroughly cooked, purée the soup. 
7. If the soup is too thick after the purée add 1/4 cup of broth at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
8. Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds to serve.

Yogurt - Untested

https://www.liveeatlearn.com/greek-yogurt/

Milk (this should work with any volume, I think?)

1/2 cup yogurt with active bacteria

1. Heat milk to 185 degrees F (85 degrees C). This is important for creating a thick, nicely textured yogurt.
2. Cool milk back down to lukewarm (about 110 degrees F, 43 degrees C), then add 1/2 cup of the warm milk into the yogurt. (Ensuring the milk is cooled down will prevent you from killing the live cultures in the yogurt.) Whisk the yogurt and milk together, then add the rest of the milk and mix well.
3. Place your mixture somewhere warm and let sit for 4 to 8 hours, or until yogurt is thick and tangy. My favorite method for making yogurt is to wrap the jar in a warm, moist towel, then setting it in the oven with the oven light on. The light will provide enough heat to ferment the yogurt!
4. After sitting in a warm environment for a few hours, your yogurt is ready to eat! If you want to turn this plain yogurt into Greek yogurt, we’ll take it one step further and strain it.
5. Set a mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth (or strong paper towels) over a large bowl. Pour in yogurt and place in the fridge. Check every few hours until yogurt reaches your desired thickness.
6. The liquid that is drained out of the yogurt is whey! This is a great protein and works well in smoothies and soups.
7. Transfer your freshly made Greek yogurt to an airtight container when it has reached your desired thickness level.

Chickpea and Bean Dahl - Test 3

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/three-bean-dal

1 - This worked out wonderfully the first go. There must be a reason why split peas are not more popular, but I just can't imagine why. It's been challenging, but I've managed to find a few recipe that require them, and all of them are delicious. I served it with my ubiquitous (in this house) cumin rice, and Ben really liked it, and so did I, but I did feel it was a bit heavy and would benefit in having a vegetable dish to accompany it.

2 - I hadn't made this in a while and I sure got a shock! I had instructions to drain the split peas once they were cooked, but it was just a three-word sentence tacked at the end of the second paragraph. I missed it. And I drained the whole thing in with the cooked spices. And now I have to try and reduce 6 cups of water away! Argh!

3 - How can I cook the peas so that I don't lose any of them but that I have them breaking apart to become the sauce? I think it's re-thinking the recipe a bit.

4 - Yup, cooking the peas until they start to break apart is better. And when it's fresh out of the pot, it's pretty spicy. Once it sat around and was eaten as leftovers, the spiciness decreased and was very good.

1 cup yellow split peas (7 oz)

Salt, to taste

3 Tbsps. mild oil

2 Tbsps. fresh ginger, finely grated

2 large garlic cloves, grated (10-12g)

½ tsp red pepper flakes or 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 small tomato (3oz), chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

¾ cup cream (your choice, half and half, table cream or whipping cream)

2 Tbsps. (1oz/28gr) butter

½ cup water

4.5oz dried chickpeas, soaked and cooked or one 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4.5oz dried beans, soaked and cooked or one 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Salt and pepper, to taste (start with 1tsp salt and 1é4 tsp pepper, to taste?)

1. Ideally, soak the split peas for at least an hour before boiling them.
2. If using dry beans, cook in a pot separate from the peas.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring plenty of water to a boil. Add the split peas and a generous pinch of salt and boil about 50 minutes. 
4. When the peas are well cooked and just starting to break down, drain well and set aside with the other cooked beans.
5. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. 
6. Add the ginger, garlic, jalapeño, cumin and cayenne and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 6 minutes. 
7. Add the tomato and tomato paste and cook until the tomato is slightly broken down, about 5 minutes. 
8. Add the cream, butter and water and bring to a boil. 
9. Stir in the cooked yellow split peas, chickpeas and beans and season with salt. 
10. Simmer, covered, over low heat until thickened, about 15 minutes. 

Parsnip Carrot Roasted Curried Veg - Test 1

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/curried-parsnips-and-carrots

1 - First go-round went well. I did not add the optional elements. In the original recipe, there are pine nuts which I omitted.

1 pound carrots, julienned and cut into 2-inch pieces

2 pounds parsnips, julienned and cut into 2-inch pieces

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 Tbsps red wine vinegar

2 tsps curry powder

Optional

2 Tbsps dried currants

1 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Toss the carrots and parsnips with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a wide cookies sheet.
2. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring a few times, until tender and lightly caramelized in spots. Remove from the oven. 
3. In a wide bowl whisk the vinegar and curry powder and toss with the roasted vegetables and optional currants and parsley. Adjust the seasoning. Serve warm.

Chard Saag - Testing

https://amealinmind.com/instant-pot-swiss-chard-saag/

1 - A good first try, but I feel like maybe a bit salty. It was part of a larger meal and something was very salty, but I can't quite tell if it was this. Next time, I'll start with 1/2 tsp and taste to adjust seasoning just to see.

2 - I added paneer as an optional element and it was quite good.

1 to 2 Tbsps ghee or mild oil

OPTIONAL: 8oz paneer, diced into ¼" pieces

1 onion diced

½ - 1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garam masala

¼ tsp black pepper

⅛ - ¼ tsp cayenne 

¼ tsp turmeric

2 to 3 cloves minced garlic

1" knob fresh ginger, grated fine

2 bunches (1½ lbs) Swiss Chard, rinsed, thick leaf midribs removed and torn or chopped

NOTE: weigh the chard after removing the ribs to obtain the 1½ lbs.

Ghee or butter, for serving

1. Heat the oil in a sauté pan and lightly brown the cubes on all sides. This will take some time. Set aside.
2. In the remaining oil cook the onion until soft. Meanwhile, combine the dry spices in a small bowl. Add to the onions.
3. When the onions start to turn golden, add the garlic and ginger and cook for one more minute.
4. Add the chard one handful at a time, only adding another handful with the preceding one has cooked down and made more room in the pan. Cook until the leaves have softened.
5. OPTIONAL - coarsely blend the cooked leaves before serving. Serve with a little extra ghee or butter.
6. Add the optional paneer and heat through in the sauce.

Dahl Makhani - Test 2

https://cookieandkate.com/quick-dal-makhani-recipe/

1 - Made it once but was not able to use all accurate quantities. It was good, but I've left it at Testing to do an accurate test as my baseline.

2 - Made it with black beans, and it was good. Very soupy, but that didn't seem to detract from my diners' enjoyment of the dish. Paired it with Indian Snow Peas.

3 - It's a good recipe but for a few tweaks. 5 cups of water is too much, but if I simmer it uncovered, it reduces pretty well. I had it at a pretty rapid simmer and removed the lid partway which seemed to work, so I'll have to experiment with this part. Also, more salt!

4 - Wow, I really don't ready my recipes! There's a whole section about grinding in the blender! I will alter this. I also excluded the cream but served it with yogurt on the side, which I prefer.

5 - It's a very flavorful dish, and it improves with age. Better on the second day.

6 - I forgot to uncover it (again), so I underlined that instruction. It's just that it's pretty antithetical to how I usually make a dal...

2 Tbsps mild oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated 

1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and membranes removed, minced

1 ½ tsp garam masala

½ tsp ground cumin 

½ tsp ground coriander 

1 tsp salt 

Ground black pepper

1 can (19 ounces/540mL) diced tomatoes, with their juices

1 cup uncooked French lentils

1 can (19 ounces/540mL) kidney beans, rinsed and drained OR; 2 1/4 cups cooked kidney beans OR; 3/4 cup dry, soaked overnight

5 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp lime juice, plus additional lime wedges for serving

Serve with:

Plain yogurt

Chopped fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeño, and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 6 minutes.
2. Stir in the garam masala, cumin, coriander and salt. Season generously with black pepper. Cook, while stirring, for 1 minute.
3. Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 more minute, while stirring. Add the lentils, kidney beans, water and bay leaf. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, uncovered. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer and cook until the lentils are nice and tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.
4. Remove the bay leaf. 
5. Either mash roughly with a potato masher or ricer, just enough to thicken the broth OR; transfer 2 cups of the mixture to a blender and process until smooth, being careful to avoid the hot steam escaping from the blender lid. Transfer the blended mixture back to the pot and stir to combine. 
6. Add the lime juice and adjust the seasoning. 
7. Serve in bowls.
8. Pass around the yogurt, chopped cilantro and lime wedges. 
   

Lentils and Lima Bean Dahl - Untested

https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/lentil-bean-dhal/e3576646-9f81-423b-a23d-379e0c79e18e

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp vegetable oil

2 tsp brown mustard seeds

2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

580ml (2 1/3 cups) water

1 large brown onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

200g (1 cup) brown lentils

1 300g can lima beans, rinsed, drained

250g pumpkin, deseeded, peeled, cut into 1.5cm pieces

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh coriander

1. Heat a saucepan over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Add the cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Remove cumin seeds from pan and set aside. Add oil to pan and then mustard seeds. Cook, stirring, until seeds begin to pop. Add ground coriander, turmeric and chilli flakes, and cook, stirring for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
2. Stir in 80ml (1/3 cup) of the water with the cumin seeds, onion, garlic and ginger. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until the onion softens.
3. Stir in remaining water and lentils. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in butter beans and pumpkin, and cook, almost covered, for 20 minutes or until lentils and pumpkin are tender and mixture is thick.
4. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper. Stir in coriander. 

Braised Kohlrabi with Tarragon - Untested

https://www.food.com/recipe/elegant-braised-kohlrabi-118199

1 1⁄2 lbs kohlrabi

2 Tbsps butter

1⁄4 cup veg or chicken stock

1 tsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped

salt

black pepper

chopped fresh parsley

1. Trim and peel kohlrabi.
2. Cut kohlrabi either into 1/4 inch disks or strips.
3. Melt butter in a skillet; adjust temperature throughout so butter does not brown.
4. Toss the kohlrabi in the skillet to coat with butter.
5. Sprinkle in tarragon and add the stock.
6. Cover and continue to cook approximately 10-15 minutes, until slightly tender.
7. Uncover and turn the heat up a bit.
8. Cook until the kohlrabi is slightly colored.
9. Add freshly ground pepper and salt.
10. Remove to serving dish.
11. Sprinkle with fresh parsley to taste.

Cold Coffee Brownies - Untested

 https://www.inspiredtaste.net/24412/cocoa-brownies-recipe/#itr-recipe-24412

1 - While it is rare, today I have cold coffee leftovers so I thought I'd see what I cold make with it. I also accidentally bought a bag of cocoa paste, not really knowing what it was, and now I'm trying to figure out what to do with it! I'm supposing that where cocoa powder is used, chocolate paste can as well, assuming that cocoa powder contains no cocoa butter, like the paste.

8 + 2 Tbsps (145 grams) butter

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process

? gr cocoa paste, finely chopped or grated

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large cold eggs

1/4 cup cold coffee

1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour

2/3 cup (75 grams) chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

1. Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 325 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. (This helps when removing the baked brownies from the pan, once cooled).
2. Add enough water to a medium saucepan so that it is 1 to 2 inches deep. Heat water until barely simmering.
3. Combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder, cocoa paste and salt in a medium heat-safe bowl. Rest the bowl over simmering water (if the bottom of the bowl touches the water, remove a little water). Stir the mixture occasionally until the butter has melted and the mixture is quite warm. Don’t worry if it looks gritty; it will become smooth once you add the eggs and flour.
4. Remove the bowl from heat and set aside for 3 to 5 minutes until it is only warm, not hot. Stir in the vanilla with a spoon, then the cold coffee. Then add the eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one.
5. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until fully incorporated, then beat with the wooden spoon or spatula for 40 to 50 strokes. (The batter will be thick). Beat vigorously here. You want to see the brownie batter pulling away from the sides of the bowl (if you do not have the strength to do this by hand, use a hand mixer). Stir in nuts, if using. Spread evenly in lined pan.
6. BAKE BROWNIES
7. Bake the brownies for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out with a few moist crumbs. As a visual test, brownies are done when the edges will look dry and the middle still looks slightly underbaked.
8. Some readers have found they need to bake an extra 5 to 10 minutes. Brownies are easy to overbake so keep an eye on the doneness of the brownies and use the visual and toothpick test as your guide.
9. Cool completely then remove from pan. For the cleanest lines when cutting, place into the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to firm up. Cut into 16 squares.

Eye of Round Pot Roast - Testing

I've lifted parts of this recipe from Dorothy Hartley's instructions for Neck of Beef in her excellent History of Food in England. The rest are generic instructions for using a slow cooker. As I indicate in my notes for Ms Hartley's recipe, hers is much better suited for a winter heated wood oven, in terms of energy output given how long is would take to bake in a gas or electric oven. I'd be curious to try it in a solar oven, though. I've also adapted the recipe to suit an Eye of Round roast, given how specifically dry and tough it is.

3-4 lbs Eye of Round Roast
2 Tbsps of bacon fat (or beef drippings if you're so lucky)
Cut in matchsticks all of the following or whatever you have on hand, enough for a 2" layer on the bottom and to fill the empty spaces around the roast, sides and top :
- Carrots
- Turnips
- Parsnips
- Onions
- Rutabaga
- Fresh beans
- Peas
Salt and pepper
2-3 sprigs thyme
1 Tbsp brandy
Scant 1/4 cup water

1. With about a Tbsp fat, sear all the sides of the beef until brown.
2. Liberally coat the inside of crockpot with more bacon fat.
3. Layer the 2" of veg at the bottom.
4. Set the seared beef in the middle of the pot, seasoning liberally with salt and pepper.
5. Tuck in the vegetables around the side, along with the thyme sprigs, and cover the beef with the remainder of the veg, until the pot is nicely filled but the lid still fits.
6. Pour in the 1/4 cup of water.
7. Add 1 Tbsp brandy over all.
8. Do not open the pot while it's cooking.
9. Cook on HIGH for 6 hours.
10. NOTE: the veg will come out as mush, so best to plan on a different side and reserve these veg to make Leftover Roast Vegetable Soup.

Pork Liver Pâté - Untested

https://www.strykerfarm.com/pork-liver-pacircteacute.html#/

 1 ½ lb pork liver (about half a liver)
milk
4 Tbsps butter
2 onions (340gr), thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup port or brandy
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp black pepper

1. Remove any connective tissue, the white portions. All that should remain is the richly colored organ tissue. Cut the liver into 1 inch cubes. Place it in a bowl, cover with milk and refrigerate for at least an hour.
2. Meanwhile start to caramelize the onions. This might take more than an hour anyway. Add the butter, onions and pinch of salt to a large pan. Take heed of the word “caramelize”, not saute. Cook them on a low heat, slowly. This truly transforms the onions and draws out the natural sugars. Stir them every so often so they brown, but don’t burn. 
3. When the onions are a rich caramel color and have almost disintegrated, add the minced garlic. Let the garlic soften a bit.
4. Pull out the liver, drain the cubes from the milk and add to the onions.
5. Cook the liver until the cubes are firm to the touch and the juices runs clear. Deglaze the pan with a slosh of port or brandy. Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor (you might have to do this in batches).
6. Add the port or brandy, my grandmother always preferred port, and the cream. Whip everything to a super fine mousse.
7. For a fabulously creamy and smooth pâté, you’ll need to do one final and seemingly superfluous step. Scoop out the blended mousse into a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl. Using a flexible spatula, push the mousse through the sieve. At first it seems like nothing is happening, but then you notice a strange play-dough like phenomenon happening under the sieve. Eventually you’ll push through all the pâté and have separated any larger bits.
8. Use a butter knife to scrape off the pâté into your jars. I used five 4 oz mason jars.
9. Serve the pâté chilled and spread on crackers. Thinly sliced shallots are a tasty topping.