THE MONTESSORI SCHOOL

FAMILY & FRIENDS COOKBOOK

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CONTACT: JEASLEA@THEMONTESSORISCHOOL.US

Appetizers & BeveragesSoups & SaladsVegetables & Side DishesMain DishesBread & RollsDessertsKid Friendly

TABLE OF CONTENTS

APPETIZERS & BEVERAGES

SOUPS & SALADS

VEGETABLES & SIDE DISHES

1 cup four ½ cup fi ne cornmeal 2 tsp sugar 1-1/2 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp kosher salt 6 T cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes ¾ cup sour cream or plain whole milk yogurt Some milk

In a bowl, whisk together the fl our, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Fold in the sour cream. Gently knead mixture until it comes together in a ball, add small amounts of milk if necessary. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

RATATOUILLE & SAUSAGE POTPIE WITH CORNMEAL BISCUITS – PART I

<- MAK ING THE B ISCU ITS ->

1 large eggplant cut into 1-inch cubes

3 smal l zucchini cut into 1-inch cubes

7 T extra virgin ol ive oi l

1 tsp kosher salt 3/4 tsp freshly ground

black pepper ¾ lb Ital ian sausage,

casings removed 1 large onion, cut into

1- inch chunks 3 large garl ic c loves,

fi nely chopped 1-1/2 lb plum tomatoes 4 sprigs fresh thyme ¼ cup chopped fresh

parsley or basi l

Preheat the over to 450F. In a bowl, toss eggplant and zucchini with 5 T of oi l , season with ¾ tsp salt and ¾ tsp pepper. Spread vegetables in a single layer on one or two baking sheets. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes unti l golden.

In a deep sauce pan, heat 1 T oi l . Crumble sausage into pan and cook over medium heat about 7 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate.

Return pan to medium heat and add remaining oi l . St ir in onion, pepper, garl ic and remaining salt and cook unti l softened. Stir in the tomatoes and thyme sprigs. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes. St ir in the sausage, roasted vegetables and parsley. Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart gratin dish or baking pan.

Divide biscuit dough into several bal ls. Flatten them into a 1-2-inch thick disk. Arrange over top of ratatoui l le mixture. Brush dough with milk. Transfer the dish into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes unti l biscuits are golden. Let cool for 1- minutes before serving.

Yields 6 servings.

RATATOUILLE & SAUSAGE POTPIE WITH CORNMEAL BISCUITS – PART II

<- MAK ING THE RATATOUILLE ->

Fry ½ cup chopped onion in ½ cup olive oi l . Fry unti l l ight pink. Add 1-1/2 cups chopped canned or fresh tomatoes, 2 T tomato paste, 1

tsp Aintab red pepper (or paprika mixed with a l itt le cayenne) and 1-1/2 tsp salt.

Mix ½ cup sumac (if sumac is not available, use 2 T lemon juice instead) and ½ cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then drain.

Add drained juice to the fi rst mixture. Bring to a boil . Mix in 2-1/4 cup medium bulgur. Let stand for 15-20 minutes to al low

bulgur to be softened in the hot mixture. Prepare the vegetables by mixing together 3 T each chopped green

pepper, parsley, and onion or scall ion. Knead the kufte (bulgur mixture) for about 5 minutes unti l well blended. Mix in the chopped vegetables. Shape into patties (using about 1/3 cup

for each) or arrange on a platter and serve with a spoon. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Serve with tomato salad, pickles and tan (an Armenian yogurt drink). Or, serve with Aintab spinach soup or Aintab eggplant stew (azokhod ash).

OLIVE OIL KILIS KUFTEAN ARMENIAN D ISH - TZ ITAYOOGH K IL IS KUFTE – K I L IS KADMASI

MAIN DISHES

1 head of cabbage 1 cup cooked rice 1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained Salt and pepper to taste 1-16 oz can of tomato puree, tomato soup or V8 1-8 oz can of diced tomatoes

Cut a deep circle around the core of the cabbage. Steam the cabbage head until its leaves start to separate. In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice, ground beef and salt and pepper. Pour ¼ of the tomato puree in the bottom of a baking dish. Separate the cabbage leaves. Roll the meat mixture into 3-inch balls, place each one on a cabbage leaf and wrap up. Place each roll in the baking dish and cover with the remaining tomato puree and diced tomatoes. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes.

HALUPKIES OF LITHUANIAG O L A B K I I N P O L A N D , P R A K U S O R H A L U S H K I E I N T H E J E W I S H C U LT U R E

1/4 cup quinoa 1/2 cup water 1 tsp ol ive oi l 1 small onion, chopped 1 large clove garl ic,

chopped 1 (20 ounce) package

ground turkey 1 T tomato paste or

ketchup 2 T Worcestershire sauce 1 egg 1-1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp ground black pepper 2 T brown sugar 2 tsp Worcestershire

sauce 1 tsp water

Br ing the quinoa and water to a boi l in a saucepan over h igh heat . Reduce heat to medium-low, cover , and s immer unt i l the quinoa is tender , and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set as ide to cool .

Preheat an oven to 350F (175 degrees C) . Heat the o l ive o i l in a sk i l le t over medium

heat . St i r in the onion; cook and st i r unt i l the onion has softened and turned trans lucent, about 5 minutes. Add the gar l ic and cook for another minute; remove from heat to cool .

St i r the turkey, cooked quinoa, onions, tomato paste , hot sauce, 2 tablespoons Worcestershi re , egg, sa l t , and pepper in a large bowl unt i l wel l combined. The mixture wi l l be very moist . Shape into a loaf on a fo i l l ined baking sheet. Combine the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershi re , and 1 teaspoon water in a smal l bowl . Rub the paste over the top of the meat loaf.

Bake in the preheated oven unt i l no longer p ink in the center , about 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160F (70 degrees C) . Let the meat loaf cool for 10 minutes before s l ic ing and serv ing.

TURKEY MEATLOAF WITH QUINOA

SERVES 5 – SUBMITTED BY L ISA SCHWARTZ

3 T vegetable oi l   2 lb lean boneless pork cut into 1/2" cubes  1-1/2 cup chopped yel low onion  6 cloves garl ic minced 1/2 tsp ground cumin  1 T chi l i powder 2 T dried oregano  2 cans (15 oz each) white or yel low hominy drained  Salt and pepper to taste  ¼ cup fresh ci lantro 3-5 cups chicken stock ( less for stew consistency, more for soup

consistency)     Garnishes: shredded lettuce, sl iced radishes, green onions, avocado,

l ime wedges, minced ci lantro, pepitas (pumpkin seeds) 

Warm vegetable oi l in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add, pork, onion, and garl ic and saute 6-8 minutes unti l l ightly browned. Stir in cumin, chi l i powder, oregano, hominy, salt and pepper to taste, ci lantro and chicken stock. Bring to a boi l and reduce to simmer, uncovered unti l pork is tender (about an hour). Ladle into bowls and serve with garnishes in separate bowls for guests to add as desired.

POSOLEA MEXICAN D ISH - SUBMITTED BY T IFFANY BOYD-HODGSON

BREAD & ROLLS

DESSERTS

½ cup sesame paste (pure ground sesame Tahini)½ cup oil1 tsp baking powder2 tsp vanilla extract1 cup flour½ cup confectioners sugar/honey

Heat oven to 350F. Lightly oil cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients together. Roll into tiny balls, place them on the cookie sheet so they are spread out. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

TAHINI COOKIES

8-1/3 cups fl our 2 T dry yeast 1-1/4 cups sugar 1 tsp salt ½ cup oil 2-1/2 cups water Egg white

Mix all ingredients and knead into a ball. Put in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise for at least an hour. Cut the dough into quarters. Roll each quarter into a large thin circle and cut into triangles (like a pizza). Spread each triangle with your favorite spread (Nutella, jam, tahini and honey, etc.) and roll each triangle starting at the widest part. Put on a cookie sheet and brush with egg white. Bake at 350F until l ightly golden.

ROOGALAH

3 eggs 2 cups granulated sugar ½ lb margarine or butter 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 lb ricotta cheese 4 cups all-purpose fl our 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, sugar and margarine. Blend in ricotta cheese, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Beat well, then thoroughly blend in the fl our. Place a heaping teaspoon of batter on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350F for about 8-11 minutes. The cookies will not get dark, but the bottoms should be golden brown. Touch the top, and if you don’t leave a fi ngerprint, they are done. Remove the cookies to a cooling rack over wax paper. While the cookies are stil l warm, spread the tops with frosting using a knife.

RICOTTA CHEESE COOKIES – PART I<- MAK ING THE COOKIE -> SUBMITTED BY MARIA KALINOWSKI

1/3 cup milk4 tsp soft margarine or butter2 tsp vanilla1 lb 10X confectioners sugar

Beat all ingredients together. The frosting should be rather thin, so work fast as it glazes quickly. It will run down the side of the cookie if they are still warm. You can use the frosting with colored sprinkles or colored icing. You may substitute the vanilla the other extracts.

Note: Since the cookies are more like small cakes, do not stack the them together or they will compress.

RICOTTA CHEESE COOKIES – PART II<- MAK ING THE FROST ING -> SUBMITTED BY MARIA KALINOWSKI

2 lbs finely shredded carrots

1-14 oz can condensed milk

1-12 oz can evaporated milk

2 T ghee (clarified butter)

1 T cashews1 T pistachios1 T raisins¼ tsp powdered

cardamom1 T sliced almonds

Soak the raisins in water. In a microwavable bowl, mix the carrots together with both types of milk. Microwave for 10 minutes. Remove the bowl and mix again. Microwave for 5 minutes. Repeat until all the moisture has been absorbed by the carrots. Mix in the cardamom powder.

Heat the ghee in a small skil let, add the cashews and fry for one minute. Drain the water from the raisins and add to the ghee. Fry for another minute and add everything from the skillet to the carrot mixture.

Mix well and serve hot garnished with pistachios and sliced almonds.

Prep time 15 minutes; Cooking time 40 minutes; Serves 6-8.

GAJJAR HALWADESSERT MADE WITH CARROTS – SUBMITTED BY PURVI FARAHI

1 cup butter ¾ cup white sugar 1 egg ½ cup almond paste or almond pastry fi ll ing 1 tsp almond extract 2 cups all-purpose fl our 1 egg white 2 oz white chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, beating unti l l ight and fl uff y. Add the egg, almond paste and fl avoring, and blend well. Stir in fl our. Spread mixture into a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Beat egg white unti l foamy and brush over entire surface of dough. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 35 minutes unti l l ightly browned. Cool, then drizzle melted chocolate over the bars. Allow to set, then slice into desired sizes. Makes about 24 bars.

ALMOND BARSSUBMITTED BY MARIA KAL INOWSKI

KID FRIENDLY