Ingredients

• 3 pounds lamb, preferably shoulder or leg, cut into chunks
• 1.25 cups cherry plums, pitted and halved
• 3 cups fresh tarragon, chopped
• 1.5 cups wild garlic, chopped OR 1 cup loosely packed other herbs, chopped (parsley, mint, dill, cilantro)
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 3 cups white wine (at most; Georgian variety if available; qveri is recommended if possible)
• 1 cup water or as needed
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the lamb chunks in batches, searing until all sides are golden brown. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same pot, reduce the heat to medium. Add the sliced onions.
4. Cook until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove temporarily from the heat.
5. Reserve a few tablespoons of tarragon for garnish. Add the rest of the herbs and the plums to the pan.
6. Return the lamb to the pan. Pour in the white wine and water. Adjust the liquid so it just covers the ingredients; add more water if necessary.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover.
9. Simmer very gently for about 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the lamb is very tender.
10. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. The stew should have a balanced, tangy flavor from the plums. Garnish with the reserved tarragon.

Suneli Valley, modified

Ingredients

for the dressing:

• 150g walnuts
• 2-3 tbsp. of sunflower or mild olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp. vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. coriander (?? this had no amount in the recipe)
• chili flakes (optional)

for the salad:

• 4 large ripe tomatoes
• 2 medium or 1 large cucumber (pref. hothouse)
• 1/2 small red onion
• 2-3 handfuls fresh herbs (cilantro mandatory, basil, parsley, dill good additions)

Preparation

for the dressing:

1. Pulse walnuts, oil, and garlic together in a blender or food processor until finely ground, smooth, but not fully paste or nut-butter.
2. Add vinegar, coriander, chili (if using), and 80 mL (1/3 c.) water. Pulse a few more times. Add more water only if needed. The dressing should be thick, and shouldn’t pour cleanly.
3. Taste for seasoning. It should be a bit over-seasoned.

for the salad:

1. Cut tomatoes into large, rough wedges, and slice the cucumbers into thick half-rounds.
2. Thinly slice the red onion. If it’s a harsh onion, soak the slices in cold water for five minutes and pat dry.
3. Roughly chop the herbs.
4. Spoon the dressing over the salad, finishing with a small last pinch of salt on the plate.

Georgian Eats, modified

Ingredients

• 9 c / 2l grape juice
• up to 2-3 c. white flour [I used 1 1/2 c. total when I made it]
• sugar / honey (optional)
• walnuts (for serving)

Preparation

1. To make badagi (concentrated grape juice), put the grape juice into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once it boils, skim the foam. Turn the heat down to very low and simmer uncovered. Stir frequently to prevent sticking and burning.
2. Simmer until the juice reduces by a little less than half, about 1 hour. Once the juice darkens and the aroma becomes concentrated, the badagi is ready.
3. Let cool.
4. When ready to continue, return to the heat, adding 1/2 c. flour. As the juice begins to boil, slowly mix in more flour and cook until you can no longer smell and/or taste flour (about 5-7 minutes).
5. Taste. If needed, add 1-2 tbsp sugar. Do not oversweeten.
6. Pour into ramekins or a serving bowl while hot. Let cool completely, then chill until set.
7. Optional: garnish with walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts, or/and drizzle a little honey on top right before serving.

Suneli Valley / Culinary Backstreets, modified

Ingredients

for the polenta:

• 2 quarts water
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 2 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• Freshly ground black pepper

for the stew:

• 3 tablespoons pure olive oil
• 3 pounds boneless veal shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped rosemary
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Preparation

For the polenta:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a medium ovenproof saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and reduce to a gentle simmer. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal until smooth and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, over low heat; cover and transfer to the oven. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring vigorously every 15 minutes, until thick and no longer gritty. Stir in the butter and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper.

For the stew:

1. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add half of the veal, season with salt and pepper, and cook over moderately high heat until browned all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer the veal to a plate. Repeat with another 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the remaining veal. Pour off the oil.

2. In the casserole, melt the butter in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the celery, onion, and carrot and cook over low heat until softened and golden, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and boil over moderately high heat until almost evaporated, about 12 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, rosemary, and veal, along with any accumulated juices. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring once or twice, until the veal is very tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.

3. Spoon the polenta into bowls, top with the veal stew and serve with more Parmesan.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 lb. Italian sausage
• 24 oz. prepared marinara sauce
• 1/4 c. fresh basil
• 30 2" fresh ravioli (about 20 oz.)
• 1 lb. ricotta
• 2 tbsp. parsley (optional)
• 2 c. grated mozzarella

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 and grease a 13x9" pan.
2. Saute onion and sausage. Add marinara sauce and basil, and heat for a few minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 2 or 3 minutes.
3. Put 1/3 of sauce in bottom of casserole (sauce layers will be thin). Top with 15 (3x5) ravioli.
4. Mix ricotta, egg, 1/4 tsp. salt, and parsley (if using), and spread over ravioli.
5. Top with 1/3 of sauce and then the next layer of ravioli.
6. Top with remaining sauce and grated mozzarella.
7. Cover with greased foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes more.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups basmati rice, rinsed
• 5 cardamom pods
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons ghee
• ½ large white onion, thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• ½ teaspoon ground Kashmiri chile powder or ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ¼ teaspoon ground fennel
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 star anise
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, divided
• 1 pound ground beef (preferably 20 percent fat)
• ¾ cup Greek-style plain yogurt, divided
• ¼ cup whole milk
• ½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, divided

Preparation

1. In a large Dutch oven, combine rice, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, broth and ½ teaspoon of salt over medium-high heat; cover and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the ghee in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium. Add onion, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant and well blended, 2 minutes.

3. Push onion mixture to one side of the skillet and melt the remaining 1 tablespoon ghee in the empty side. To the melted ghee, add garlic, ginger, garam masala, chile powder, fennel, turmeric, star anise and ¼ teaspoon of the cumin; stir until well blended, 30 seconds.

4. Mix the spices into the onion mixture until well combined, then add beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat into small pieces, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes (it will finish cooking with the rice). Turn off heat and stir in ¼ cup of the yogurt until well incorporated.

5. Drizzle milk evenly over the rice, then add the beef mixture on top in an even layer. Scatter over half of the cilantro, cover and cook until the beef is tender and rice is cooked through, 8 minutes longer.

6. Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup yogurt, ¼ teaspoon cumin and 2 tablespoons of water and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

7. Gently fluff the rice with a fork and discard star anise and any other visible whole spices. Divide biryani among 4 bowls and garnish with the remaining cilantro. Serve warm, with the cumin raita on the side.

NYT

Ingredients

• 1 kg (2.2 lb) sour cherries, pitted
• 300 ml (1 generous cup) sour cream
• water
• 2 slices of lemon with rind on
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1 pinch of cinnamon
• 1-2 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon of plain flour or corn starch for thickening the soup

Preparation

1. Cover the pitted cherries with just enough water to cover.
2. Add the sugar, 2 lemon slices, cinnamon, cloves, and a pinch of salt.
3. Bring to a slow boil, which will take about 25-30 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the fruit is soft, about 6-7 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and flour or corn starch with 1/4 c. of the hot cherry liquid from the pot. Add another 1/4 c. of cherry liquid and whisk to combine. Then slowly add this back into the soup, whisking to avoid lumps.
5. Bring back to a boil, while stirring, then simmer for thirty seconds to make sure the thickener works.
6. Set aside to cool. Discard the lemon slices. Refrigerate until well chilled.

combined from a few online sources

Ingredients

• 480 grams (2 cups) Greek yogurt (thickest available)
• 1 medium cucumber
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• salt
• pepper

Preparation

1. Grate the cucumber, with skin on. Place it in a strainer, sprinkle with salt, mix, and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Then, squeeze out excess water, placing it into a bowl with the yogurt.
2. Add remaining ingredients, mix, and refrigerate for at least a few hours.

Real Greek Recipes

Ingredients

• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups kritharaki (or orzo)
• olive oil
• 1 cube of chicken stock
• salt
• halloumi (optional)

Preparation

1. Cover the bottom of a saucepan with olive oil. Heat on medium-high heat.
2. Add the pasta, and stir for a minute to coat with the olive oil.
3. Add the tomatoes and their juice to the pan.
4. Add 850 mL of water and one cube of stock (or 500 mL of liquid stock plus 350 mL of water, if your stock is in liquid form).
5. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom.
6. Cook until the pasta is fully soft (not al dente). Taste for salt (potentially lots!).
7. Serve immediately, or, if there is too much broth in the pan, let stand for a few mintues and it will probably be absorbed. Can be topped with grated halloumi, if you’d like.

Business Insider (lol)

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. turbinado sugar
• 1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar (use the good stuff)
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 lb. blueberries, rinsed (4 c.)
• 1 3/4 lb. plums or pluots, sliced (4 c.)
• 1/4 c. tapioca starch
• 9" pie pan with pie dough, along with 6 extra strips for lattice
• 2 tbsp. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
• 1 lg. egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp. sugar

Preparation

Make the filling: Combine the first five ingredients. Whisk until the mixture forms a wet paste, then add the fruit and starch. Toss with your hands until thoroughly mixed.

Remove the crust and lattice strips from the fridge. Using a small offset spatula, spread the cream cheese across the bottom of the pie pan. Layer the fruit mixture on top, making sure not to mound it in the center. Dot the filling with the butter cubes.

Weave the lattice strips across the top and finish the crimped edge of the pie. Put the assembled pie into the freezer for a 15-minute rest.

Preheat the oven to 450 degreees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the pie on the sheet, brush the lattice and crimped edge with egg. Sprinkle evenly with sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is evenly golden brown. Lower the temperature to 350 and continue to bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the juices are bubbling in the center.

Remove the pie to a wire rack to cool for 4 to 6 hours and serve.

one of mom’s cookbooks