Category Archives: Main Dishes

Karl’s Uyghur Shashlik

Shashlik is really just the Central Asian name for a kabob, something on a skewer. In Kashgar, at least on the street, this is almost always lamb coated in a cumin based spice blend. Lamb is cut into small (3/8 inch) cubes and skewered with bits of lamb fat. The stick is dipped into a tray of the spice blend and then grilled over hot coals. While the kabab is on the grill, the seller uses a fan to boost the heat of the coals and picks up some of the sticks to baste the skewers still on the grill with the rendering lamb fat dripping from them. If you like the crispy crust of grilled lamb you will be mad about these.

Shashlik is usually eaten with naan. For this meal, I am also making a carrot salad, a tomato and cucumber salad, pickled cauliflower, and fruit skewers to go with the bread and lamb.

Karl’s Uyghur Shashlik

Karl’s Uyghur Shashlik

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Papa’s Fine Soup

This is my first recipe ever to have a name. I first made this soup when Miriam was a small child. More than once she would toddle up and ask for “Papa’s fine soup” for dinner.

Papa's Fine Soup

Papa’s Fine Soup

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Filed under Main Dishes, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian MD

Karl’s Veracruz-style Fish Tacos

Two weeks ago, Chris asked for Veracruz-style Fish Tacos. He had had these at a restaurant and they claimed that they were just like the ones sold on the beaches of Veracruz, Mexico.

Karl’s Veracruz-style Fish Tacos

Karl’s Veracruz-style Fish Tacos

I looked on-line and what my search brought up was many recipes for Fish Veracruz (a baked whole fish smothered in a salsa of tomatoes, onions, green olives and capers. This could be a problem. Myr doesn’t like capers, and none of the girls think green olives belong in a tomato sauce.

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Filed under Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices, Seafood

Karl’s Celeriac Potato Soup with Kale

Eilene is still on her vegetarian diet. I am bored with potato and leek soup, so I wanted to try something new. I found a BurpRecipes and adapted it to my family’s tastes.

Karl’s Celeriac Potato Soup with Kale

Karl’s Celeriac Potato Soup with Kale

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Karl’s Tofu Strada

Eilene has been studying animal cruelty and how animals are used in the American food chain in her sociology class.  As a result, she has wanted a lot of vegetarian meals lately. I could not spot anything online that really appealed to me. Most of the dishes were variations of noodles in sauce or salads. I wanted something different.

Karl's Tofu Strada

Karl’s Tofu Strada
((someone must be hungry)

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Karl’s Chicken Cacao with Peanuts and Mango

The [trademarked chocolate and peanut butter confection]  Challenge. For the last few weeks I have been constrained by trying to make things suit a particular cuisine. With just an ingredient challenge I am free to go whole “California Fusion.” To mix and match flavors and techniques with only one constraint–it should all taste good when I’m done.

Karl’s Chicken Cacao with Peanuts and Mango

Karl’s Chicken Cacao with Peanuts and Mango

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Filed under Main Dishes, Poultry

Karl’s I Don’t Do Casseroles

I don’t do casseroles, especially tuna casseroles, too many years of church socials growing up. Jan, on the other hand, loves tuna casserole, although she has a problem with its portion control. You cannot take less of the starch and more of the veggies, since everything is mixed together. The other problem with casseroles is that the ingredients do not cook at the same rates. Some things will be under done or others will be way over done.  Somewhere there had to be a solution.

Karl’s I Don’t Do Casseroles

Karl’s I Don’t Do Casseroles

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Karl’s Vietnamese Summer Rolls (Gỏi cuốn)

Jan has gone to three conferences in the last week, a dean’s conference, the Southwestern Anthropological Association conference and a Google conference. As a result, her eating habits have been completely disrupted.  Google especially fed her some very strange things, but one of the things she liked was a Vietnamese summer roll with lamb, instead of the usual shrimp or pork.

Karl’s Vietnamese Summer Rolls (Gỏi cuốn)

Karl’s Vietnamese Summer Rolls (Gỏi cuốn)

You can make summer rolls as a vegetarian dish, but I usually make them with shrimp and/or thin slices of Chinese barbecued pork. The idea of using lamb intrigued me.  Could I make a summer roll with tender, flavorful slices of lamb like I can picture in my head?

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Filed under Lamb, Main Dishes, Salads

Karl’s Doro Wot (Ethiopian Red Chicken Stew) with Authentic Injera

If you have ever been to an Ethiopian restaurant the beautiful tray covered with the large, sour pancake dotted with brightly colored stews is a delight to see and even more to taste.  It makes you want to try to do this yourself. While many of the Ethiopian dishes appear to be simple, with only a few ingredients, you discover hidden complexities. Many of the ingredients in Ethiopian cooking turn out to have their own complex recipes.

Ethiopian Feast

Karl’s Doro Wot – Ethiopian Red Chicken Stew
(in the center)
with Authentic Injera (under all)

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Filed under bread, Main Dishes, Poultry, Side Dishes

Karl’s Weekday Thanksgiving with Dried Cranberry Sauce

Jan really loves turkey and she has been running her legs off at work (literally, yesterday she walked 7 miles back and forth across campus, as recorded by her Fitbit). I decided to surprise her tonight with roasted turkey, stuffing and green beans, but I wanted to keep it to a weekday’s level of effort.

Karl's Weekday Thanksgiving

Karl’s Weekday Thanksgiving

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Filed under bread, Main Dishes, Poultry, Sauces and Spices, Side Dishes, Vegetables