What is your favorite recipe of all time?

My alltime favorite. I got it from a book quite some time ago but cannot remember where. It takes a good hour to prepare, but it is so worth it.

Veal or Chicken Scallopine

For Sauce:
2 ripe medium tomatoes, diced, firm Roma
2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For Scallopine:
4 slices white bread
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Flour for dredging
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 scallopines of veal (about 3 ounces each)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Basil leaves for garnish

TO PREPARE SAUCE: In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and set aside.

TO PREPARE SCALLOPINE: In a food processor, combine the bread and the thyme together to make a fine crumb. Add the cheese and pulse to mix evenly. Place the flavored bread crumbs on a piece of waxed paper or a large flat plate. Place the flour on a piece of waxed paper or on a large flat plate for dredging the scallopine. Mix the egg in a rimmed plate or broad bowl with the water and a pinch of salt and pepper. Dry off the veal scallopine and season with the salt and pepper. Dredge the scallopine in the flour and shake off the excess. Then dip the scallopine in the egg, let any excess drip off. Then coat the scallopine in the flavored bread crumbs. Repeat with all of the veal.

Heat a large skillet and add enough of the oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Sauté the scallopine over medium-high heat until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do this in batches, if necessary, and replenish the oil as needed.

Place the cooked scallopine on a warm platter. When all the scallopine are done, add the tomato sauce to the pan and cook over high heat for 1 minute, until heated through. Spoon the sauce over the scallopine, garnish with basil leaves, and serve immediately.

The easiest, quickest recipe that I bring to every party and it’s always the first thing to go…spinach dip. Never fails.

Sour cream
Thawed, chopped spinach
Vegetable soup mix, dried (like liptons)
Spoonful of mayo

Pile it into a scooped out sourdough bread for a fancy presentation.

i asked this question about a month ago and got some amazing responses. i would definitely recommend you read that thread too (in addition to answers given here of course).

thanks PnL! @teknOlust, thanks!, I will try it with the chicken. I just can’t take veal. The texture, and what it is! My wifey won’t eat it either, so that deff makes it chicken. Sounds awesome though! @trudacia, life wife says “yummy”

@ programin – i think you might have the wrong Q though i don’t know which Q you are trying to answer either.

I think your right PnL. What does PnL stand for if I might ask?

proudnlazy. that was my username in another website a while ago, but people soon shortened it to PnL and i liked that more so it stuck :)

Thanks, I like it!—here I thought it meant pretty nice lady!—LOL

I just discovered the easy, awesome-goodness of “Butter Batter Pie”

Filling:
1 stick of butter
1 tsp lemon juice
4 cups of fresh berries (I used half blackberries/half olallieberry berries)
1 cup of sugar

Topping:
1 cup of self-rising flour
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup of milk

Putting it together:
1. Preheat oven to 375º
2. Place butter in 8×8 square, glass baking dish and melt the butter in the microwave
3. In a mixing bowl, combine lemon juice, sugar, and berries
4. Add the berry mixture to the baking dish with the melted butter. Do not stir.
5. Combine all of the topping ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the berries
6. Bake 45 minutes or until a nice deep brown

ooh that’s not a bad one either. maybe i’ll start telling people that’s what it stands for

One of my favorites (I have too many to pick just one) that I love to make for company is Paula Wolfert’s Morroccan Lamb Tagine recipe. It is not difficult, but it is labor intensive and time consuming. The results, though, are incredible.

Serves 6

3 pounds meaty lamb neck chunks, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks

pinch of powdered saffron

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon fine, freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 sweet paprika

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup grated onions, rinsed and squeezed dry (see note)

2/3 cup minced fresh parsley

1/3 cup minced fresh coriander

1 pound cracked green olives, drained and pitted if desired

3–5 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice or to taste

1 recipe for moroccan bread

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1. Trim the lamb of excess fat. With a mortar and pestle or in a blender, make a paste of the saffron, ginger, pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic, salt, and oil. In a 4— or 5-quart casserole toss the lamb with the spice paste over very low heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the onions, herbs, and 3 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and almost falling off the bones. Remove the casserole from the heat and let it cool. (The recipe can be prepared in advance to this point- up to 2 days. Cool, cover, and refrigerate.) Skim off all the fat that rises to the surface.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the olives with cold water to cover. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and cook for 30 seconds; drain.

3. About 30 minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. With a slotted spoon, remove the lamb from the casserole, cut the meat from the bones, and place the meat in a shallow ovenproof serving dish. Bake on the upper shelf of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meat is lightly crisped.

4. Meanwhile, add the olives to the juices in the casserole. Boil over high heat until the juices are reduced to a thick gravy, about 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice to taste. Season the juices with salt if necessary. Cover the lamb completely with olives and sauce, and serve with slices of Moroccan Bread.

Notes to the Cook:
The complementary and subtle tastes of the spices can only be achieved through slow cooking. Certain spices in Moroccan cooking must be ground fine, so please don’t substitute grated fresh ginger or coarse-ground pepper. It is best to grind the black peppercorns in a spice mill before using.

The food processor does a fine job of “grating” onions. Cut up 1 or 2 onions and pulse until they are well chopped. Then dump them into a strainer and rinse under fresh water. Squeeze them dry and measure 3/4 cup.

Use green-cracked olives or Nafplion green olives, often sold in jars in Greek grocery stores and in many supermarkets under the labels “Peloponnese,” “Krinos,” or “Fantis.”

Marina – now you have got me really hungry and craving that. this is bad because that does look labor intensive. does that recipe come with a cook by any chance? :D

@PnL I wish! It is worth it though. Great with couscous and even better the second day!

I think if I could have my moms meatloaf for every meal I would. And meatloaf sandwiches. It is made with oats and onions in a deep loaf pan, with sliced bell peppers and lots of ketchup on top. Not sure of the spices.

My favourite thing in the world is my mum’s pumpkin soup. I don’t think I have a recipe because she just takes it off the top of her head and changes it around everytime, but if she has it written down somewhere I’ll get back to you.

@shrubbery Please do. I love pumpkin soups!

I remembered this thread because I am marinating chicken right now for making Butter Chicken, which also happens to be my best and most liked recipe. Mmmm good :D

@PnL I love butter chicken. So what is your recipe?

Caution: This is a delicious yet fatty recipe thus usually made for special occasions.

Marinating step – Use 700 gm of boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins. Make marinade by mixing about 18 ounces yoghurt, 1 tsp ginger/garlic paste, salt and red chill pepper to taste (i <3 spicy food so i put about 3 spoons of the pepper, normal people would use 1tsp). Mix in the chicken and keep refrigerated overnight (this step is very important. make sure chicken is in fridge for AT LEAST 5 hours).

Next day (or later on) – Stick marinating chicken bowl/pan in oven until 3/4th done (@ 350 F). Heat about half a stick of white butter in pan. add half tsp of black cumin seeds. Add 18 ounces of tomato puree (what I prefer doing is taking about 2 fresh tomatoes and making a puree from them, and then using canned tomato puree for the remaining ounces – turns out much better!). Then add 1/2 tsp sugar and red chilli pepper and salt to taste. Mix well.

Finally, add the chicken (cut into smaller pieces of course), a little less (~ 1/8th less) than 1/2 a stick of butter, 6 ounces of heavy whipping cream and 4 sliced green chillies (i use about 6, but that might be too much for most people). when the color has turned and it smells absolutely amazing, add 1/2 tsp of crushed fenugreek leaves. Stir in.

And tadah – you have prepared a sinful but mouth-watering meal sure to be loved by all :)

Questions:

Marinade: Plain yogurt? Greek yogurt?
Do you make or buy the ginger garlic paste?

Step 2: Just the marinade? No chicken in it yet?

Answers: Plain yogurt (i make my own, but i have used store bought too and that works fine as well, just make sure you thin it out a bit). I buy a bottle of ginger paste and garlic paste and take half tsp of each. You can also use fresh ginger/garlic (will probably taste better of course) but that just seems like too much trouble to me.

I am not sure i understand your last question (which part is step 2?), you first mix all ingredients well to make the “fluid” you will marinate in and then add the chicken pieces before sticking it into the refrigerator. as for the next day, when i say “3/4th done” i meant, until the chicken is 3/4th done so it should have some light brown spots or something. And then once you are done making the gravy, you cut chicken in small pieces and add to the gravy which is in the pan. I also forgot to mention that I make the gravy in medium heat but then let it simmer at low for a bit, before i add the chicken. Sorry for not being clear.

You guys are seriously making me hungry!

@tekn0lust – That sounds SO good. I will definitely have to try it.

I made a Tuscan Onion Soup (slightly modified from the 9/2007 issue of Bon Appetit) and it’s eye-poppingly good. In fact, it tasted like something my mom would make, and that is a huge compliment to me.. my mom is the best cook I know, and that’s not me being biased. This soup is unbelievably delicious, and definitely keep the prosciutto/parmesan crisps, they really complement the soup. My variation is to replace the thyme in the recipe with a mixture of chopped rosemary and oregano. I tried both ways, and my tester and I thought it was way better my way; the thyme just overpowered the soup.

Tuscan Onion Soup
– to make this a meal, serve with crusty bread and a salad.
– 4 First-course servings

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1.5 pounds white onions, peeled, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 tomato, seeded, diced (about 1/2 cup)
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 ounce thinly-sliced prosciutto, chopped (about 1/4 cup), plus 4 prosciutto slices
1/2 teaspoon mixture fresh rosemary and fresh oregano (or 1/4 teaspoon dried), chopped up
4 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Add wine; simmer until wine evaporates, about 4 minutes. Add tomato and saute 1 minute. Remove from heat. Transfer 1 cup onion mixture to blender. Add 1 cup chicken broth and puree until smooth. Return puree to pot. Add remaining 3 cups broth, chopped prosciutto, and rosemary/oregano mixture. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes to blend flavors.

Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Place 4 prosciutto slices on baking sheet. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Broil until cheese melts and prosciutto is crispy, about 1 minute. Cut each slice into 6 pieces.

Ladle soup into bowls and top each serving with prosciutto pieces.

Our all time family favorite for 4 gererations… Good Old Chicken N Dumplings!! (With the fluffy dumplings, not the flat noodle kind) Each of us has “modified it just a little, and it just keeps getting better and better. We’ve all added a little ‘something.”

@scamp. Check out http://cooksillustrated.com, it has an awesome chicken dumpling recipe that rivals my moms. That’s saying alot.

@ stevenb Thanks for the link! I’ll have to sign up and take a peek.

I love my late Dad’s beef stroganoff recipe. I can’t find it at the moment, but it is real basic. Sirloin strips, beef stock, mushrooms and sour cream slow cooked and served over egg noodles. Man is it good.

Sounds good. I love a good stroganoff.

My favorite Scotcheroos. I like it because there is no baking involved.

1 cup peanut butter (chunky or creamy)
1 cup sugar
1 cup Karo light corn syrup

Combine in pot on stovetop until peanut butter is melted and mixture is smooth.

Add 6 cups Rice Krispies

When combined, press mixture into greased 13X9 cake pan.

Melt 1 bag chocolate chips and 1 bag butterscotch chips in microwave. Spread on Rice Krispies mixture and enjoy.

So simple (and delicious) that my hubby makes these all the time.

All these recipes sound so good. Good thing it’s almost lunch time…I’m getting hungry.