by | January 8, 2020 · 12:37 am

Karl’s Caldo Verde (Green Soup) without Garlic and Onions

Caldo verde is a traditional Portuguese soup—caldo: broth/soup and verde: green. I have made this soup before, but various food issues with my family have prevented me from making it “authentically.” In its simplest form it is just greens, potatoes, onions, garlic, pepper, and chicken broth. Last time, I had to make this soup without potatoes and this time I need to eliminate the garlic and onions. I am not sure I can still call this a “Portuguese” caldo verde, because—even though it will still be a “green soup”—I am eliminating three of the six basic ingredients.

Karl’s Caldo Verde (Green Soup) without Garlic and Onions

Karl’s Caldo Verde (Green Soup) without Garlic and Onions

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by | January 8, 2020 · 12:20 am

Karl’s Broa de Milho

I am making caldo verde—“green soup” for dinner and—as I was looking at various recipes—people mentioned that Broa—Portuguese corn bread—was the normal side dish for this soup. My family has developed several food avoidances. Son-in-law Chris is currently avoiding starches, as a result I eliminated the potatoes from my soup. This bread gave me a way to provide a starchy dish for those not on his diet.

Karl’s Broa de Milho

Karl’s Broa de Milho

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by | January 6, 2020 · 5:54 pm

Karl’s Quick Chicken Shawarma

Wildly adapted from a Delish recipe

Sometimes a recipe comes from a cascade of little events. Today, I bought some soft pita bread for my wife—she has two temporary crowns and her usual pita chips would be too had for her to chew. Later, she decided—since we had pita bread—that what she really wanted for dinner was chicken shawarma. “Real” shawarma is roasted on a vertical spit, which is device that is out of the range of most home cooks. The meat for shawarma is also usually marinated for at least a day. How was I going to satisfy my wife in less than an afternoon?

Karl’s Quick Chicken Shawarma

Karl’s Quick Chicken Shawarma

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by | January 5, 2020 · 7:43 pm

Karl’s Spinach Dip

Daughter Eilene is having friends over and she asked that I make sesame crackers. While these crackers are tasty and thoroughly addictive on their own, they do not constitute a meal. I decided to make some spinach dip and lay out some cheese and salami to round out the meal.

Karl’s Spinach Dip

Karl’s Spinach Dip

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by | January 5, 2020 · 5:32 pm

Karl’s Broccoli Soup

Wife Jan just had temporary crowns put in, so she is having trouble chewing. I am planning to make a ham and sweet potato dinner—I will be mincing her portion of ham. Normally, I would simply steam some broccoli, but I suggested broccoli soup instead—wife agreed.

Karl’s Broccoli Soup

Karl’s Broccoli Soup

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by | December 30, 2019 · 12:33 am

Karl’s Weekday Italian Wedding Soup

The last time I made this dish I left out the garlic and onions—daughter Miriam has not been handling alliums well lately. This time I am making it as a weekday dinner for those family members who love garlic and onions. I made a couple of changes—like using tomato paste and canned tomatoes, instead of fresh—to make things easier for me.

Karl’s Weekday Italian Wedding Soup

Karl’s Weekday Italian Wedding Soup

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by | December 29, 2019 · 10:49 pm

Karl’s Chinese Smashed Cucumber Pickles II

I was making mapo douf for dinner and I decided that a cucumber side dish would be nice. Since the last time I made this dish I discovered crispy chili oil. While using Sichuan chili oil would be an appropriate choice, it is such a production to make that a commercial version is sometimes useful to have on hand.

Karl’s Chinese Smashed Cucumber Pickles II

Karl’s Chinese Smashed Cucumber Pickles II

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by | December 25, 2019 · 9:34 pm

Karl’s Panettone

Loosely based on a King Arthur recipe

Panettone is a classic Italian Christmas sweet bread. It has been a dish non grata in our house for years—since I almost choked to death on a dry commercial one on a Christmas long ago. Wife Jan thought that if I made a fresh one I would not have that problem. I had my usual problems with other peoples recipes, the quantities seemed a little off and I changed the dried fruits to those we had/preferred.

Karl’s Panettone

Karl’s Panettone

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by | December 25, 2019 · 4:53 pm

Jan’s Peanut Butter and Spice Stuffed Dates

While I am sure that our mothers did not invent the original dish, it was a common holiday treat in both of our house growing up.  Sweet Medjool dates stuffed with crunchy peanut butter and dusted with powdered sugar says “Christmas” in our house. These are easy to make, but they do not last long—even when there are no children around. Wife Jan, of course, decided to improve on the recipe this year by adding some spice.

Jan’s Peanut Butter and Spice Stuffed Dates

Jan’s Peanut Butter and Spice Stuffed Dates

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by | December 23, 2019 · 9:42 pm

Karl’s Saffron Challah Dinner Rolls/Crackers II

A few months ago, I made challah rolls and crackers for one of my dinners. This weekend Jan asked for a crab feast, so I thought I would make this delicious bread again. Instead of making a classic braided loaf, I decided to make challah dinner rolls with half of my dough for Miriam. I turned the rest of the dough into crackers to please my wife. Of course, I could not make it exactly the same.

Karl’s Saffron Challah Dinner Rolls/Crackers II

Karl’s Saffron Challah Dinner Rolls/Crackers II

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