Mexican Empanadas

Ingredients: For the dough: 2lbs. all purpose flour, 7 oz. shortening, warm water, salt. For the filling: 1 lb. ground meat, 4 chopped onions, 3 cubes broth, chili sauce, 3 tbsp. roasted flour (roast in a saucepan without oil), 3 hard boiled eggs (chopped), olives, raisins, oregano, salt, pepper.

Preparation: Mix the dough ingredients until obtaining a uniform consistency and color. Divide in 4. Work with each part in the smooth rollers starting with #1 until #5 in the dial, passing the dough twice on each #. Cut the dough in 4 inch circles. In a saucepan, fry all the ingredients with a bit of butter. place the filling in the center of each circle and fold, forming half circles. Fold the edges inward and seal with a fork. Fry in abundant oil or bake.

Cream Cappelletti

Ingredients: For the pasta: 14oz. all purpose flour, 4 eggs. For the filling: 5oz. turkey, 1.5oz. butter, 3oz. ham (chopped), 5oz. roast beef, 1 egg, salt, nutmeg. For the cream: 3oz. butter, 7oz. cream, 3.5oz. parmesan cheese, salt, nutmeg.

Preparation: Fry the turkey and beef in the butter. Mix all the filling ingredients in the blender. Prepare the dough stretching until #6 in the dial. Cut the pasta sheet in 2 inch squares. Put a teaspoon of the filling in the middle and fold in half forming triangles. Wrap the triangle around the finger sticking the side edges together, and the top edge downwards. Cook the cappelletti in abundant water and salt to taste. Meanwhile, mix all the cream ingredients in a saucepan at medium heat stirring at all times. Drain the pasta and mix with the cream.

Seafood Spaghetti

Ingredients: 14oz. spaghetti, 1oz. mushrooms, 1lb. mussels, 10oz. shrimp, 2oz. butter, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp. tomato sauce, 4 oz. canned tuna, 2 tbsp. parsley, salt, pepper.

Preparation: Prepare the spaghetti following the basic recipe. Clean the mussels thoroughly. cook in a covered pot with a tablespoon of butter until they open; take out from the shells. Strain the liquid and boil the shrimp in it for 5 min. Remove, keeping the liquid. Fry the garlic in the rest of the butter. Remove and add the chopped mushrooms. Add the tomato and, very slowly the reserved liquid. When the sauce thickens, add the tuna, mussels, shrimp, salt and pepper. Mix with the cooked and drained spaghetti and sprinkle with parsley.

Hake canelonni with saffron

Ingredients: 12 sheets of cooked pasta , 12oz. hake, 20oz. bechamel sauce, few threads of saffron, salt, pepper, parsley.

Preparation: Prepare tha pasta with the basic recipe and cut in 5 inch square sheets. Cook in boiling water (preferably in a saucepan) and dry on a piece of cloth. Put 1/3 of the bechamel sauce in a saucepan and add the hake in pieces (without thorns or skin). Add salt and pepper, and keep in low heat. In another container, mix the saffron (crushed) with the parsley; mix this with the other1/3 of bechamel sauce. In a recipient place the bechamel with saffron, then over this sauce, the canellonni (filled with the hake). Cover with the rest of the bechamel sauce and put in the oven for a few minutes.

Honey Cake

Discription:dessert Sevings:8 Ingredients:1 packet dry active yeast, 1/4 c warm water, 3 c. flour, 1 t. salt, 4 large eggs, beaten well, 3/4 c. ghee (see full listing of recipes) Melted ghee or butter , for serving warm honey.

Instructions: Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Into a large mixing bowl sift the flour and salt. Make a well in center of the flour mixture. Pour beaten eggs and the yeast mixture into the well in center of the flour mixture. Stir to blend and then kneed well. Slowly mix in the 1/4 c. warm melted ghee, continuously kneed dough throughout this process. Continue kneading until dough is smooth and elastic. if dough seems to dry add a small amount of water at a time. Flour your hands and dive the dough into 16 balls about the size of a large egg. On a lightly floured board place a dough ball and form into a very thin round shape, using the heel of your hand. A rolling pin may be used or your Trattorina's rollers. Brush a baking sheet with ghee. Place the completed round on the baking tray and brush well with melted ghee. Shape 7 more rounds. After completing each round place on top of the previous round, press the edges with fingertips and brush well with ghee. Repeat this process with the other 8 rounds . You will have 2 stacks on the baking sheet, be sure to brush the last round with the ghee. Let rest in a warm place for 45 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 25-30 minutes until light golden brown. If you tap the base of the tray there should be a hollow sound to indicate the cakes are done.

Best way to eat:Serve hot with generous amounts of melted butter and warm honey on top   Note: The traditional way of eating this is to break off pieces with the fingertips and dip into butter and honey that remains on the serving platter. It may also be served by cutting it into wedges and spooning butter and honey remaining on the serving platter over top.

Baklava

Servings: 1 tray Ingredients: butter,1/2,pound,unsalted,melted, filo pastry,1,pound, walnuts,2,cup,chopped, sugar,3,tablespoon, 1 1/2,cup,cold Instructions: Note: you may substitute almonds,pistachios,or mixture for walnuts. Note:keep filo leafs covered while working!In small bowl combine nuts & sugar.Brush baking dish (app. 12in *18in) with butter. Place 1 pastry sheet in pan,brush with butter (you can make it with the Trattorina). Place second sheet on top,overlap or fold sides if neccesary, brush with butter,continue 8-10 layers. Spread walnut mixture evenly over top sheet. Cover with remaining pastry sheets.butter each layer. Be sure to butter last sheet. Cut diagonal lines down and across to form diamond shaped pieces. Bake in pre-heated oven 350 deg 30 min. increase heat to 450 and bake 5-10 more min. tills pastry puffs and is a light golden color. While still hot pour atter syrup over it

Making Phyllo Dough

A unique paper-thin pastry dough that is used extensively in Greek cooking. It can be found at regular grocery stores in the frozen food section. It can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks, and for several months in the freezer. To defrost, leave the box in the refrigerator overnight and the phyllo will be ready for use the next day. Don't thaw at room temperature because the sheets will stick with each other and would make working with them more difficult. The biggest problem with working with phyllo is that once exposed to air, it tends to dry and the pastry sheets may break. Thus speed in working with phyllo is essential. Before start working with phyllo, make sure that all your ingredients and utensils are in hand and that you have a large area to work on. You would need to have ready your baking sheets, a pastry brush, the filling, and the melted butter that is used to top each individual pastry sheet. Once you have unrolled the phyllo, work with it one sheet or a portion of a sheet at a time. If you think that you are not going to be very fast working with it, you may want to have some plastic wrap handy, to cover the rest of it so that it doesn't dry out. Brush each pastry sheet with the melted butter, starting at the edges and working inwards. You may use salted or unsalted butter, or margarine if you prefer. Don't use oil though. After you have brushed the pastry sheet with butter, spread the filling in it and then wrap it. You may wrap it in rolls or triangles. When wrapping in rolls, make sure that you fold first the outer sides inwards and then just roll across. When wrapping in triangles cut the pastry sheets into thirds lengthwise and for each third see Fig. 1.;Wrapping phyllo in triangles. After you have folded the phyllo pastry, put it on an ungreased baking sheet. To ensure a crisp pastry, you can sprinkle to top layer of the phyllo with cold water before baking. Put it in the oven and cook until its top has a brown golden color.

Title: Another Homemade Phyllo Categories: Pastry Yield: 1 Batch 2 2/3 c Shifted All Purpose Flour 1 ts Salt 1/2 c Lukewarm water 2 tb Salad oil Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Gradually add water, stirring to make a stiff dough. Turn onto a pastry board. Place the oil in a bowl and spread a little of it on the palms of your hands. Knead the dough with a folding and turning motion, adding more oil to your hands when dough begins to stick. Continue until you have a smooth, elastic ball of dough and the oil is nearly all used. Then roll the ball of dough in the remaining oil to cover all sides, place a clean cloth over the bowl, and allow the dough to rest for two hours or more in a warm place away from drafts. A barely warm oven is satisfactory. Separate 1/4 of the dough and roll to 1/4 inch thickness on a pastry board rubbed with cornstarch. Cover with a clean cloth and let it rest for 10 minutes. Cover a table (cardtable or larger) with a smooth cloth and carefully lift dough onto it. Put your hands under the dough, palms down and gently stretch and pull the dough with the backs of your hands, working your way around the table, until the dough is as thin as tissue paper. Do not worry if it hangs down around the edged of the table, or if some holes appear, especially around the edges. Cut off the thicker edge and save the scraps. The phyllo is now ready to be cut into pieces with scissors if you wish to use it moist. If you prefer dry phyllo, allow it to sand until dry, about 10 minutes, then cut into desired sizes. The scraps of dough can be put into a moist bowl and kneaded and rolled again.

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