His Mongolian Beef makes you Cry!

Doug's Chicken Biryani | Bowan's Chinese Beef and Broccoli
Pasta Puttanesca | Caramel Apple Cheesecake | Original Cyn's Cider Pound Cake

His Mongolian Beef makes you cry!

By Cynthia Bowan

I love progress as much as the next person. Well, I guess it would depend on who the next person is. <g>

There are things I have had a hard time accepting, and others I happily adopted. For example, I love my ABM - my automatic bread machine. I dislike cell phones. I love e-mail. I hate unlisted phone numbers. I dislike most of the gadgets offered on infomercials.

But here I am, visiting my son in North Carolina, while I recuperate from a serious operation I had a month ago. This afternoon, I e-mailed him a grocery list at work. He is now in a super huge grocery store, and I get a call.

"SAF is a kind of yeast?" he asks. Yes, I tell him. Just get a small red pack or 2-pack, actually. It is professional yeast now available for everyone to use, and the best on the market, in my humble opinion.

I barely make it back to sit down at the computer, and the phone goes again. "You don't want Reese's artichoke hearts, do you? Do you need whole, halved or quartered hearts?" Correct on the Reese's brand - I do not like anything that company makes. Whatever is cheapest - I can cut them up myself. After all, they are for tomorrow night's dinner - Pasta Puttanesca - and cutting them up is no problem.

I begin typing a recipe into one of my Internet cooking lists. The phone rings again...do we have any canned green chilies, dry red chilies and garbanzo beans? Doug is the cook tonight, making his infamous Chicken Biryani. A trip to the kitchen says one can of chilies, a full package of the dried ones and two cans of garbanzos.

The recipe is typed, and entered. I look through my notes, trying to figure out what I need to do next..."Last call, I promise," says the cheery voice at the other end of the line. "What did you mean by "good bread?', he laughs.

Good bread means a decent bread to go with tomorrow night's spaghetti. Ohhhhh...ok...that's it, he says. See you in a few minutes.

I find myself laughing. What did we do before cell phones when we sent our loved ones to the store? The funny thing is, I went through a similar experience with his father about 2 weeks ago...and now, here is the same scenario being played out with the namesake-son. Maybe cell phones have their place after all.

I take a break, walk into the kitchen to pull out all the supplies he will need and the pressure cooker. I have been looking forward to Doug's Biryani, the basic recipe he got from his friends from India whom he has worked with in the computer field. The Biryani is a full meal experience in itself.

When my son makes his dish, we have enough for several meals. It's like stew or homemade soup or a decent pot roast, or any one of a number of other comfort foods - you can't make just a small amount.

I have five children, and all of them cook and cook well. Jon makes the best clam linguini, it is the closest to mine. Beth and Holly make a mean Chinese beef and broccoli. Mark makes awesome dishes - he spent almost 2 yr. in culinary school. His Mongolian Beef makes you cry...and his marinated steak...oh, my! Our daughter-in-law Cheryl makes cookies and cakes and homemade bread. She and her mother Nancy make the best apple jelly you ever tasted.

Our family favorites range from comfort foods to gourmet, from peanut butter cookies to cheesecakes. And our recipe collection extends around the world.

I began teaching them to cook early, and have now been working with our grandsons, Will and Micah, who seem to have inherited the cooking genes. At ages 8 and 6, they know Chinese food as well as the country cooking their other grandmother does so well.

My children all have copies of family recipes from their grandmothers and great-grandmothers and aunts and other family members. Over the years, I have heard too many people say that so-and-so in their family made THE best such-and-such...but no one got the recipe before they passed on. And it is basically lost forever.

Well, that will not be the case in our family. And if you find yourself in the possible situation, please take the time to talk to your senior family members. And, make sure you write down your recipes that your family loves. We think of making out a will, or a list of what goes to whom, but rarely do we think of the heritage of a family recipe. This is a treasure one cannot put a price on. Your family will thank you, I am sure of that.

With that in mind, here are some of the dishes I have just mentioned above. May you Enjoy! them all. And, CYH - consider yourself hugged...

Doug's Chicken Biryani

Doug says: This is an Indian recipe and written the way I was taught. It is cooked solely within a pressure cooker. Also, it is a little hot. Backing down on the red chilies will cool it, or you can eliminate them (but I would still keep the green ones for flavor).

1/2 c. Canola oil (add more when needed)
4 tsp. black mustard seeds
2 tsp. Cumin seeds (whole cumin)
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. ginger paste
4 - 5 dried red chilies--crushed
1/3 - 1/2 c. Chana Dall (like little whitish-yellow split peas)

Let this mixture cook for 10 - 20 minutes at low heat (level 3 or 4)

Add 3 - 4 small onions, diced; saut� them. Then add:

4 T. Meat Masala
1 tsp. black pepper
1 T. Coriander seeds
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies (or thin fresh gr. chilies if you can find them, cut into thin coins)
1/2 tsp. clove powder (from Indian grocery)
1 tsp. Turmeric
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 - 1 tsp. Indian chili powder (not hot)
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 cans diced tomatoes (don't drain, add a spoonful of sugar to reduce tartness)
1 can chick peas (garbanzo beans)

Let this all cook for about 20 minutes--stirring ever now and then, add more oil if needed to prevent sticking. Then add 4 - 5 chicken breasts skinned, de-boned and cut into about 1/2 - 3/4 x 1 - 1/2 inch pieces. Stir and cook until chicken is white. Add:

1 to 1 1/2 c. Basmati or jasmine rice (regular is okay)
1 1/2 c. water

Seal in pressure cooker, and let cook at same temperature... wait about
15 minutes after it gets to pressure. This is the hardest part -- take off heat, let it cool down for 10 minutes. Take off the lid, stir and taste the rice to see if it is cooked. If it needs more cooking, then re-seal, and put on for 5 - 10 minute increments after it gets to pressure, then repeat as needed
(any longer, make sure you have enough water [I've crisped the bottom of my pressure cooker too many times]) You can add cauliflower, but I have yet to try it since cauliflower is like 2.69 each, currently...

Serve in bowls with fresh buttermilk to pour on top, just a little. The flavor is incredible, and the buttermilk seems to cut the heat of the chilies.

Bowan's Chinese Beef and Broccoli

1 lb. flank or round steak
1/4 c. Kikkoman soy sauce or tamari
1 T. cornstarch
1 T. dry sherry or cooking wine
1 tsp. sugar
1 sm. bunch broccoli
5 T. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 - 1 T. ginger (fresh is best)
1 clove garlic, minced

Cut beef in thin slices. Mix with next 4 ingredients and set aside. Cut broccoli in flowerets, slice stems thin. Heat skillet or wok; when hot, add 2 T. oil. Add garlic and cook 2 min. Add broccoli and stir fry 2 min., or until dark green. Remove and keep warm. Add remaining oil to pan, stir fry beef mixture until almost done. Add broccoli, mix lightly, and serve at once with plain rice. Serves 3-4.

NOTE: We add a T. or so of sesame oil at the end. Sometimes we fry the meat first, then broccoli. Add a little chicken bouillon to broccoli, cook down, return meat, and finish as above. If needed, add some cornstarch to a little cold water. Make a well in center of pan. Pour cornstarch in the well and then stir through entire dish.

Also, we sometimes add 1/3 to 1/2 of a small bottle of oyster sauce at the end. Whether or not you add sesame oil is up to you then...all a matter of taste.

Pasta Puttanesca

1 can crushed Roma tomatoes, about 28 oz.
2 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 sm. onion, chopped
1/2 c. sliced black olives
1/4 c. artichoke hearts (canned, packed in water)
1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes
1-2 T. capers
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb. linguini
Parmesan, Romano or Asiago, grated (or cheese substitute, for Vegetarian recipe)

In a lg. frying pan or pot, heat oil. Saut� onions about 1-2 minutes, add garlic and saut� about 1 more minute. Add olives, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, capers and parsley; saut� 1-2 more minutes. Add wine and canned tomatoes; stir to mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Note: if the tomatoes seem to be too acid-tasting, add a small spoonful of sugar (but go easy on the sugar). Taste and adjust seasonings. Reduce heat to low and let simmer 5 minutes while the pasta cooks. Drain pasta well, toss with sauce and serve immediately with cheese, a tossed salad and some good Italian bread.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

This took first place in the Delmont, PA AppleFest a couple years ago, (and lucky me, I was a judge)... It is now a must every Autumn.

1/3 c. butter
1 c. sugar, divided
4 eggs
1 1/3 c. flour
16 oz. cream cheese
2 T. flour
1/2 c. sour cream
2 c. finely chopped apples (peeled)
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. caramel ice cream topping, divided
1/4 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cream butter and 1/3 c. sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 egg, add 1 1/3 c. flour and mix well. Spread dough in bottom of 9-inch springform pan, and up the sides as far and evenly as possible. Bake 10 minutes, remove from oven. Reduce heat to 350.

Beat cream cheese and 1/3 c. sugar until creamy. Beat in 2 T. flour. Add remaining 3 eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in sour cream by hand.

Toss apples in remaining sugar and cinnamon. Stir the apple mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Pour into crust. Swirl 1/4 c. of caramel topping into cream cheese mixture. Bake 45 minutes. Turn off oven, let cake cool for 1 hr. Loosen cake from rim, then chill for 4 hours or overnight.

To serve, cover with remaining caramel topping and sprinkle with pecans. This is rich!!!

Original Cyn's Cider Pound Cake

3 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. butter (2 sticks)
1/2 c. shortening
3 c. sugar
6 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. good apple cider

Combine dry ingredients, set aside. Cream butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add dry ingredients alternately with cider. Spoon batter into greased and floured 10" tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hrs. Cool 15 min. Remove from pan and top with glaze.

Caramel Glaze

Combine 1/2 c. sugar, 1/4 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 c. butter, 1/4 c. buttermilk, 1 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup and 1/2 tsp. vanilla in saucepan. Cook over medium heat. Boil 10 min. Makes 1 c.

By Cynthia Bowan
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Doug's Chicken Biryani | Bowan's Chinese Beef and Broccoli
Pasta Puttanesca | Caramel Apple Cheesecake | Original Cyn's Cider Pound Cake