/ck/ recipies Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Dip with Grilled Pita: cup olive oil 1 yellow onioin,

, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon minced garlic 2 tablespoons minced fresh red or green chili pepper of you choice cup molassas 6 roasted red bell peppers cup olive oil 6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley cup lime juice salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1 package Pitas In a large saute pan, heat the cup olive oil over medium-high heat until hot, bu t not smoking. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cumin, ga rlic and chili pepper; continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a f ood processor or blender, add all the remaining ingredients except salt and pepper, and puree until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cut pita rounds into quarters or eighths, brush lightly with melted butter or o live oil, and grill over low fire until well browned and a bit crispy, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Or, you can put the cut, oiled pitas on a baking sheet in a 450 degree oven for about 5 minutes. THAI STIR-FRIED BEEF WITH MINT 1 lb Flank steak 2-4 Serrano chillies - finely chopped 1/4 c Finely chopped garlic 1/2 c Finely chopped yellow onion 1/8 c Vegetable oil -- PLUS: 2 tb Vegetable oil 3 tb Fish sauce 1 tb Granulated sugar 1/2 c Water (more if needed) 1/2 c Mint or basil leaves - (loosely packed) Green lettuce leaves 1. Slice the beef across the grain into strips 1/4 inch thick and 2 to 3 inches long. Set aside. 2. Pound or grind the chilies, garlic, and onion to a coarse paste in a mortar o r blender. If you use a blender you may need to add the oil to aid in grinding. 3. Heat a wok, add the oil, and swirl it over the surface of the pan. (Do not ad d more oil if you have ground the chilies, onion, and garlic in oil.) Add the pa ste from Step 2 and stir-fry until it is light golden. 4. Add the beef and stir-fry until it is a uniform tan color, but do not overcoo k it. 5. Add the fish sauce, sugar, water, and mint (or basil) leaves. More water may be added if the sauce is too dry. There should be about 1/2 to 3/4 cup sauce, de pending on how much water you added. Ahead of time note: The dish may be prepared a day in advance to this point. To do so, proceed through Step 5, omitting the mint or basil leaves. When you are r

eady to serve, heat the mixture and add the leaves. If the meat has absorbed the liquid, add just enough warm water to bring it back to the original consistency . 6. Arrange a single layer of lettuce leaves in a serving bowl and put the beef m ixture over them. Serve the beef immediately or keep it warm while preparing oth er dishes. 7. Serve with rice. Homemade Green Lentil Soup 3 cups green lentils 1 large potato, cubed 1 large tomato, cubed 1 large yellow or white onion, sliced thin 1 large carrot or a bunch of baby carrots, cubed 3-4 cups beef broth tumeric, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic to taste Combine lentils, tomato, potato, carrot, and broth in a large pot. Boil for abou t 20 minutes to half an hour, until vegetables and lentils are soft. Add water if you don't have enough broth. Strain out the broth into a separate bowl, and puree the cooked veggies and lentils, adding some of the broth to make it sm ooth. Using the pot you just drained, saute the onion until tender, adding garlic, tumeric, coriander, salt, and peppe r to taste. Add your pureed soup and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Season more to taste, and garnish with lemon juice if you like. Beef Satay Skewers: 1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak, cut 1 inches thick 5 to 6 green onions, bottoms only, cut into 1 inch pieces Marinade: cup country Dijon-style mustard cup soy sauce cup honey 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 4 teaspoons bottled minced or fresh crushed garlic 1 tablespoon ground red pepper In a large shallow bowl, combine marinade ingredients; whisk until blended. Remo ve and reserve cup for basting. Trim fat from beef steak; cut into 1 inch cubes. Add beef to remaining marinade in bowl; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Remove beef from marinade; discard marinad e. Alternately thread an equal amount of beef and green onion pieces onto each of f our 12-inch skewers. Place skewers on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, uncovered 10 to 12 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, basting frequently with reserved cup marinade and turning occasionally. Serve im mediately. Makes 4 serving. *To broil in oven: Place skewers on rack in broiler pan so surface of meat is 3 to 4 inches from heat. Broil 14 to 16 minutes, basting with reserved cup marinade and turning occasiona lly. Grilled Salmon with Chili-Honey Glaze:

Glaze: cup orange juice cup honey 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon minced fresh red or green chili of you choice 4 8-ounce salmon fillets 2 tablespoons sesame oil salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste Combine all glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, st irring, for 2-3 minutes or until all the ingredients are well combined. Set aside. Rub salmon lightly with sesame oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the salmon over a medium-hot fire for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until it is opaque throughout. During the last 30 seconds of grilling, brush fillets with the glaze. Be sure not to leave the fish on the grill too long after applying glaze or the sugar in the glaze will burn. FLOURLESS LEMON-ALMOND CAKE 1 1/3 cups blanched slivered almonds 8 tablespoons sugar 4 large eggs, separated 5 teaspoons packed grated lemon peel 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch of salt Preheat oven to 375F. Butter and flour 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 1 1/2-inch-h igh sides. Line bottom of pan with waxed paper. Finely grind almonds with 2 tablespoons sug ar in processor. Combine yolks, 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon peel, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl . Using electric mixer, beat until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in almond mixture. Using clea n beaters, beat egg whites in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 4 tablespoons sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold large spoonful of whites into almond mixtu re. Gently fold in remaining whites. Transfer batter to pan. Bake until tester inser ted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Turn out onto platter. Remove waxed paper . Serves 8.