13 absolute not Recipes

dried garbanzo beans (absolutely not canned), onion, quartered, garlic cloves, stale bread, parsley, sweet red pepper, salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano, ground coriander, hot red pepper flakes, flour, baking powder, water, baking powder, water, vegetable oil (for deep frying), tahini , sesame seed paste, stir before measuring, garlic clove, crushed, lemon , juice of, water, salt, chopped parsley, tomato , slices (optional), dill pickle slices (optional), chopped parsley (optional), fresh spearmint (i hate to say optional, i think this is essential!) (optional)

shrimp in shell, peeled and deveined, sliced celery (3 to 4 ribs), sliced scallions (about 6), ketchup, vodka (preferably absolut peppar), fresh lemon juice, bottled horseradish (not drained ), or to taste, worcestershire sauce, tabasco, garnish: diced avocado (optional)

peach vodka (absolut apeach), fresh-squeezed orange juice or 3 oz good quality not-from-concentrate orange juice, ice

canned chick-peas, drained and rinsed, low-fat sour cream, minced onions, chopped fresh cilantro, garlic cloves, minced, lime juice, brown sugar, ground coriander, ground cumin, olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried basil, portabella mushrooms , wiped clean, red bell pepper, seeded and cut into wide strips, red onion, sliced into thick rings (do not separate), multi-grain hamburger buns, whole baby spinach leaves

green onion, with tops (scallion, chopped), garlic (minced ), butter, all-purpose flour, fish stock (not fish sauce), heavy cream, milk, crabmeat (backfin or lump, picked free of shells), cream sherry (or a little more), lemon-pepper seasoning, salt, white pepper, freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, fresh chives (chopped )

frozen chopped broccoli , defrosted and drained, onion, chopped, butter, cream of mushroom soup, garlic cheese spread , such as rondele (not processed cheese), seasoning salt, breadcrumbs , to dust top of casserole

raw fish heads, bones, tail , and lobster tail shell, whole fresh bay leaves, coarse sea salt, whole black peppercorns, water, olive oil, divided, onion, coarsely chopped, fennel bulb, coarsely chopped, coarse sea salt, divided, dry white wine, diced tomatoes, undrained, fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, orange peel , optional, saffron, firm fish fillets, such as farmed cobia or wild striped bass (1 or 2 types), skin and bones removed, cut into 1-inch pieces, at room temperature, flaky fish fillets, such as black cod, wild halibut, or black rockfish (1 or 2 types), skin and bones removed, cut into 1-inch pieces, at room temperature, garlic, crushed, cayenne pepper, mussels, cleaned and beards trimmed, at room temperature, raw lobster tail, shell removed and meat cut into 1-inch pieces, at room temperature, baguette, sliced, garlic, cut in half, recipe rouille , recipe follows, optional, red bell pepper, garlic, peeled, fresh red chile, stem removed and seeded, freshly squeezed lemon juice, coarse sea salt, olive oil

absolut mandarin vodka, unsweetened grapefruit juice , white not ruby, ice, club soda , to taste (optional), white grapefruit, mandarin orange

frozen precooked meatballs, thawed, ketchup, grape jelly, sriracha sauce (optional) or 1 tbsp hot chili sauce (optional), garlic powder, onion flakes

risotto with sausage and cranberry beans, make risotto , you absolutely must use a specific type of rice called arborio rice (carnaroli and vialone nano are also used, some say superior, but are more difficult to find). these types of rice release starch when stirred in a liquid; it is this process which makes risotto, otherwise you just have a starchy mess of mush. these types of rice are identified by their fat round grains and pearly appearance. they can be used to make other sorts of rice dishes, such as pilaf, but other types of rice cannot be used for risotto. arborio is no longer that much of a specialty product; it can be found in most large, well-stocked grocery stores in the italian section. or sometimes, misguidedly, in the asian section., okay , so now we have the rice. you will also need some good, low-salt stock or broth - it should be low-salt not for health reasons, but because a good deal of it will evaporate, leaving its salt behind, and i like to have more control over the salt in a dish. it can be homemade, but i m not going to be a snob about it because, in truth, we go through gallons of store-bought stock in this household and i don tsp see that changing anytime soon. furthermore, risotto is actually a dish which can be whipped up out of thin air when it seems as though you have nothing to eat, as long as you have butter, rice, stock, maybe a few herbs, and some leftover parmesan. i like the kind of stock purchased in tetrapak cartons, because they are resealable and can be put in the fridge and used as needed. if you really want to use homemade but you don tsp have time to make stock or don tsp like the aroma of roasting bones in your house (i don tsp blame you), you can buy really great stock at north market poultry and game - it is expensive, but can be diluted with a 2- or 3-to-1 ratio of water to stock, so it stretches. my general guideline is to plan on 1/4 cup dry rice per person, and about 4 cups of stock to 1 cup of rice. of course, this isn tsp exact and will vary depending on your elevation and the phases of the moon, but it s a good place to start. i usually just use 4 cups of stock and then dilute with water or wine (or sometimes beer, if that s all i have) if i feel i m going to run out., well, we have rice and stock covered, now we just need our setup: place the stock in a saucepan on your rear burner, bring to a simmer, and leave it there with a 6-8 oz ladle in, and place a large, wide saute pan (must be really large, plan that your rice will at least quadruple in size) or dutch oven on the burner in front. get out your favorite wooden spoon and flex your stirring arm., nice thing about using sausage is it s so full of flavor you can leave out the usual onion/garlic/shallot/celery nonsense if you re tired and don tsp feel like chopping. furthermore, sausage goes from the freezer to the pan without suffering too much. okay, let s go, risotto with sausage and cranberry beans - serves 4, links italian sausage , or 1 lb bulk (or hot, or a combination - definitely with some fennel), casings removed, cooked cranberry beans or 1 can white beans, drained, arborio rice, beef , chicken or vegetable stock, butter, freshly, finely grated parmesan cheese , plus more for garnish, an oz) flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely, lemon juice , or juice from 1/2 lemon, salt and black pepper to taste, red pepper flakes to taste, optional, good balsamic vinegar , optional

heavy cream, bittersweet chocolate (i use a bag of chocolate chips), cocoa (preferably , but not absolutely, valrhona or cocoa barry extract. supermarket cheap stuff works also), boiling water, vanilla, mayonnaise (i use fat free and it works fine), cake flour (i rarely ever sift as i find that seems to always measure right. i know.. i should), sugar, baking soda, salt