Cornish Pasties

Another Cardoza family gem!  This one was picked up at a Miner's Picnic at Empire State Mine.

3 cups flour
1 cup shortening
1 tsp. salt
9 tbsp. cold water
4 tsp. butter
5 potatoes, sliced thin
2 lbs. round steak, diced
3 onions, cut thin
Minced parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste

Make rich dough by mixing flour, salt, shortening and water.  Divide into six parts and roll out each part about 1/4 inch thick.  Combine remaining ingredients and place filling on each section of pastry.  Fold over half and pinch edges together so that juices will not run out.  Cut hole in top of pastry and in this put a chunk of butter.  Place in baking pan and bake at 450 for 10 minutes; then reduce to 350 and continue baking for 45-50 minutes.  When pastries are baking good, put a little hot water through the hole of each one to keep them from becoming too dry.  May be served hot or cold on a picnic.

Beef Tongue Stew

The way grama made it, literally!

3 lbs beef tongue
2 carrots, chopped
15+ sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
10-15 peppercorns
1 yellow onion, peeled & quartered

Sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed
2 cups yellow onion, diced
1 1/2 cups green pepper, diced
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, without juice
4 oz pureed green chilies
1/4 cup chopped parsley
5 cups beef stock (or 3 14.5 oz cans)

Place first six ingredients in a 6 quart port with sufficient water to cover.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to rolling sinner covered for 2.5 hours.

Remove tongue.  Peel and trim underside a bit.  Discard the first 1/4" slice from the back.  Then, cut 1/4" slices crosswise to the tip of the tongue.  Add slices to prepared sauce (instructions below) and simmer covered for 45 minutes.  Remove cover and continue simmering for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Serve slices covered with sauce - it's simply delicious.

Sauce:

In a 6 quart suacepan, saute garlic, onion and green pepper in oil.  Add tomatoes, chilies, and parsley.  simmer until tender; add beef stock.  Cover and simmer for 1 hour.  Uncover and simmer for 1 hour to thicken, stirring occasionally.  Add pepper to taste, if desired.  Add tongue as described above.

The tongue will be so tender and tasty that it can be eaten alone, simply cooking as described above without sauce.  Simply peel, trim, slice and serve along with horseradish and your favorite vegetable.  Strain liquid from the pot and use it to moisten meat as desired when serving.  

Merry’s Chicken Parmesan

 Courtesy of my Aunt Merry!

4 Chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded to 1/3” thickness
4 cups spaghetti sauce (home-made is always best - recipe below )
2 eggs, beaten with 2 tbsp water
Italian bread crumbs
Olive Oil
Mozzarella Cheese

Split chicken breasts in half, to make them thinner. Pound each half under wax paper, until each piece measures about 1/3” thick.

Dip each piece of chicken in an egg wash, then roll in Italian bread crumbs. Pan-fry in 1/3 cup olive oil until both sides are browned and crusted, about 3 minutes each side. (Don’t worry about cooking all the way through, they will finish cooking in the oven.)

Place 1 cup of spaghetti sauce in bottom of glass baking dish, to cover bottom. Place cooked pieces of chicken directly on top of sauce, in a single layer. When all pieces are browned, spoon additional spaghetti sauce over top, to cover chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.

 Sauce

My sauce is pretty traditional - brown hamburger, cut up sweet Italian sausage, bell pepper, garlic, and onion - season meat with oregano, parsley, some garlic salt. Drain meat mixture after browning. Return to pot. 1 add: 2 large cans of diced Italian blend tomatoes, (or Roma's if you have a bunch) 1 large can of tomato sauce, 14 oz tomato paste (or puree), 1 14 oz can of water, 2 bay leaves, mushrooms, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and let simmer on low all day. I usually let it sit in the fridge overnight to intensify the flavor, and serve the next day. I also make a big pot so it can be used for additional recipes. It freezes well also.