I copied this recipe from a xeroxed copy of a typewritten booklet that my mom was lucky enough to receive. I have tried to keep Aunt Lil’s exact wording, and have only occasionally changed punctuation or notation styles. I will go over the collection later, when I have time (hah!) and clarify some of the more vague bits for those who have been lucky enough to run across this and the other “Aunt Lil” recipes without having had the good fortune to have grown up eating these dishes and/or watching them be prepared.
Ingredients:
- 8 qts. water
- 1 to 4 lbs duck
- 1/2 to 1 pt. mixture of blood and vinegar
- vinegar and sugar
- flour
- prunes
- raisins
Cut duck in pieces, bring to boil and skim off top. Cook for 30 minutes on med. heat. Add raisins and prunes to your taste, or 1 cup raisins and 1 1/2 cups prunes. Continue cooking. Pour blood and vinegar mixture in bowl. Add flour slowly to mixture so there are no lumps. Then slowly add hot broth from soup to mixture, mixing constantly adding until mixture is hot. Add this slowly back into kettle with duck. Cook until all ingredients are tender, mixing occasionally so prunes and raisins do not stick to the bottom. The duck soup may be served with cooked potatoes and noodles. I like both. It also may be frozen but not with the potatoes.
I copied this recipe from a xeroxed copy of a typewritten booklet that my mom was lucky enough to receive. I have tried to keep Aunt Lil’s exact wording, and have only occasionally changed punctuation or notation styles. I will go over the collection later, when I have time (hah!) and clarify some of the more vague bits for those who have been lucky enough to run across this and the other “Aunt Lil” recipes without having had the good fortune to have grown up eating these dishes and/or watching them be prepared.
Ingredients:
- 3 to 5 lbs. pork butt or steak, trimmed of excessive fat
- 1 T crumpled, dried marjoram
- 1 T salt
- 1 T garlic powder
- 1 t pepper
- 1/2 c water
Chunk and grind pork. Mix seasonings thoroughly in. Stuff into sausage casings or make patties. Boil (with casings only), skillet fry or oven bake.
I promise you that, as long as you do not tell, not a soul who eats this dessert will believe that it is anything more than an apple pie. Please note: The number of zucchini given below is based, first, upon the zucchini we got out of our garden in Wisconsin – only slightly smaller than a newborn human baby, and second, upon the smaller-than-a-cucumber-sized ones available in Southern California grocery stores. Getting the amount correct will take time, so better to over- than under-purchase. Until I take the time to figure out the amount by weight, as the lovely commenter below suggested, please use your best judgement, and use leftovers as ice cream topping
For the filling, you will need:
- 2 large (or 12 – 14 small) zucchini, peeled, seeded (if seeds are large), quartered or halved length-wise, and cut into 1/4″ slices
- 2/3 c lemon juice
- 1 c sugar
- 1/2 t cinnamon
- 1/4 t nutmeg
Cook zucchini slices in lemon juice until tender; add sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, simmer and then allow to cool.
For the crust and topping you will need:
- 4 c flour
- 2 c sugar
- 1/2 t salt
- 1 c margarine/butter/butter-flavored crisco
Combine flour, sugar and salt; mix well. Cut in the butter with a fork or other tined instrument, and mix until crumbly. (Side-note: this usually makes more crust mixture than I end up using, but I guess the originator of this recipe may have made a thicker crust than I do. Play with it.)
Fold 1/2 cup of the crust mixture into the filling mixture. The result should look and taste like apple pie filling. Press 1/2 the remaining crust mixture into a 9″ x 13″ pan; bake this crust at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Pour zucchini over this new crust. Add 1 t cinnamon to remaining crust mix and sprinkle over zucchini. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Slice into bars and serve!
Here’s a recipe I found from SlashFood — Baked sweet onions in cream and parmesan.
It seems really close to another recipe favorite of ours, Walla Walla Sweets.
Here’s our take on the recipe; our additions are in [square brackets]:
• one large [sweet] onion per person [if the onions are really big, maybe one onion per two people]
• double cream [heavy whipping cream in the states]
• grated Parmesan [cheese]
• [also grated swiss or gruyere cheese, if you like]
1) Peel the onions and boil in a pan of water for about 25 minutes until tender.
2) Remove and drain then slice in half.
3) Place in an oven-proof dish cut side down and cover with cream and as much parmesan [and other cheeses] as you like.
4) Bake for about 30 minutes [at 350 degrees] until golden and bubbling.
5) [If the cheese hasn't browned to your liking, turn on the broiler for 5 or so minutes (watch it, since it will go from white to brown to burnt within 30 seconds!)]
It’s a really yummy and simple dish that uses ingredients that aren’t strange, and if you ignore the fact that you’re dousing it in cream and cheese, is probably not all that horrendously bad for you. Really. }:>
Website Map
3753 India Street, Mission Hills San Diego, CA 92103 (619) 295-9269
I just rediscovered Gelato Vero after about ten years — a bit scary, but I’ve not done much exploring in Mission Hills.
Located at the corner of Washington and India streets (past the 5-north on-ramp if you’re driving up India St.), Gelato Vero is a tiny cafe that serves coffee drinks, twelve flavors of gelato at any one time, and combinations thereof.
I’m not exactly a gelato connoisseur, but what I had was good — a small cup of Caramel with Brownies gelato, along with a medium mocha, for about 6 bucks. Definitely good for a dessert.
The cafe has a small inside seating area, seating along the street for the smokers, and (possibly? check this) a second floor patio where you can take your food.
Best part (aside from the yummy gelato)? Free wi-fi! I’m actually typing this in the cafe, waiting for some friends to finish with their evening classes.
6780 Miramar Rd, San Diego, CA 92121 (858) 566-0806 Map
Taste of India is a small Indian restaurant tucked in the corner of a strip mall behind a Carl’s Jr. on Miramar Road. (Turn left on Commerce Ave. first, then left into the strip mall.)
A few miles down from Miramar’s “Little India” — a section near its intersection with Interstate 15 that has a few Indian grocery stores, restaurants, and a Hindu temple — Taste of India offers excellent food in a buffet style meal.
When you enter the restaurant, you take a seat and let the waiter know your drink requests — the standard soda or iced-teas, as well as Indian beers and Mango Lassi, a rice-based smoothie type drink. Then, you get up, take a plate at the buffet, and load it down.
I can never remember the names for any of the food items, but they’re all good. I’m a fan of the salad, some basmati rice drizzled with the plum sauce, and then a small scoop of everything. They have deep fried vegetables (Samosas) and a tandoori chicken dish that are both amazing; there’s a spinach with cheese dish (Saag Panir) that I love as well.
For dessert they have the two standards — Gulab Jamin — small cheese balls soaked in a rose-honey water sauce, and Kheer — a thin rice pudding with nuts. (Not sure if you’re supposed to eat them together, but that’s the way I like it).
Service is quick and the buffet is cheap. If you’re there on a Friday or a Saturday, there’s a sitar player there who really knows what he’s doing — I don’t know any of the songs but they’re wonderful to listen to.
All in all, an excellent restaurant with great Indian food.
