Recipes: Indian Chicken Curry, Lentil-Spinach-Macaroni Soup, Baked Rice Greek Style, Ham and Wild Rice, Lenchen's Potato Cakes, Spaghetti Sauce

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Indian Chicken Curry

Serves 4 to 6.

From the recipes of Emily Jane Hall Taylor.

¼ c. vegetable oil

3 medium onions, sliced

4 to 6 oz. mushrooms, halved, about ¾ c.

1 tbsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. poultry seasoning

6 bay leaves

1 tsp. fresh ginger, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/3 c. raisins

1/3 c. unsalted peanuts

2 (14½-oz.) cans chicken broth or beef consomme

¼ c. cornstarch

½ c. cold water

Flaked coconut, optional

Hot cooked rice

Mango chutney, if desired

Meanwhile saute the chicken pieces until they become opaque, then set them aside. (Skip this step if you are using precooked chicken.)

In a bowl, combine the cornstarch and water, stirring until it is smooth. Add this to the liquid simmering on the stove, then add the chicken. Stirring constantly, cook the sauce until it thickens, about 5 minutes. You may need to add water as the curry cooks (especially after the cornstarch has been added) to reach the desired consistency.

Remove the bay leaves, sprinkle coconut flakes on top of the curry, and serve it with cooked rice and mango chutney .

Nutrition information per 1/6 serving (without rice or chutney):

Calories310

Protein21 g

Fat16 g

including sat. fat3 g

Cholesterol35 mg

Sodium666 mg

Dietary fiber3 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable exch., 1 bread/ starch exch., 2 lean-meat exch. and 2 fat exch.

Lentil-Spinach-Macaroni Soup

Serves 4.

This soup will be thick. From the recipes of Theresa G. Futti Deyratani.

1 onion, minced or sliced

4 to 6 c. water or more, divided

½ tsp. salt

1 c. dried lentils

1 c. small elbow macaroni

Juice of ½ large lemon

Melt the butter and brown the onion lightly. In another pan, combine 4 cups water, the onions and salt. Bring the water to a boil, then add the lentils. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Add water as necessary.

Stir the macaroni into the lentils. After a few minutes, when the macaroni is nearly cooked, add the spinach and lemon juice. Cook briefly and serve.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories310

Protein19 g

Fat1 g

including sat. fat0 g

Cholesterol0 mg

Sodium343 mg

Dietary fiber14 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 4 bread/ starch exch., 1 lean-meat exch.

Baked Rice Greek Style

Serves 8 to 10.

From the recipes of Margaret Doty Duffield.

1½ c. water

12 whole cherry tomatoes or 4 plum tomatoes, quartered

¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

½ tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. garlic powder

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 c. uncooked long-grain rice

Heat the consomme and the water in a large pot.

Toss the tomatoes in a little olive oil and sprinkle them with oregano and garlic powder; set the tomatoes aside.

In a large skillet, saute the onion and garlic in the remaining olive oil until they are translucent. Add the rice, stirring often. Cook until the rice is golden.

When the rice is cooked, remove it to a large baking pan. Top with the tomatoes and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes wrinkle.

Nutrition information per 1/10 serving:

Calories203

Carbohydrates33 g

Protein5 g

including sat. fat1 g

Cholesterol0 mg

Sodium250 mg

Calcium18 mg

Dietary fiber1 g

Ham and Wild Rice

Serves 6.

This recipe is in the words of Margaret Doty Duffield.

1 c. uncooked wild rice

4 c. water

4 tbsp. butter

½ lb. button mushrooms, stems discarded

4 (¼-to ½-inch thick) slices baked ham

½ c. dry white wine

1 c. sour cream

Melt the butter, add the peeled mushroom caps, and cook gently for about 8 minutes. ["Peeling the mushrooms wasn't so much a rule with Grandma, she just believed in the clean, white, untouched beauty of the peeled caps. It's sufficient, though, simply to wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth," writes her granddaughter Suzanne Duffield Kingsbury.]

Put the ham in a casserole (cut in bite-size pieces if for buffet) and add the mushrooms. Then add the well-drained rice and combine. Add the wine and sour cream to the pan in which the mushrooms were cooked. Warm and mix well. Pour this mixture over the mushrooms-rice-ham mixture and bake about 20 minutes [at 350 degrees] or until warm throughout.

Lenchen's Potato Cakes

Makes 2 dozen.

From the recipes of Helene Stockhausen-Korsten.

3 carrots, grated (about 2 c.)

1 parsnip, grated (about 1 c.)

1 rutabaga or turnip, grated (about 1 c.)

1 onion, grated

3 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. nutmeg

1½ tsp. salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Melted fat or vegetable oil for frying

Grate the potatoes, carrots, parsnip, rutabaga and onion (or run them through a food processor). Place the grated vegetables on a tea towel and wring the towel to extract the moisture. (It is important to extract as much moisture as possible.) Put the gratings into a bowl. Stir in the beaten eggs.

Heat 2 tablespoons of fat in a skillet and saute the cakes. Be careful not to crowd too many in the pan or they won't brown properly. Brown each side until crisp, adding melted fat as necessary. Drain on paper towel before serving.

Spaghetti Sauce

Serves 4.

"Make enough for your granddaughter to take home," writes Sharon Lloyd Spence about her grandmother's sauce. From the recipes of Anna Maria Giovanni Riello.

1 lb. fresh plum tomatoes

1 whole bulb garlic

1 red onion

3 tbsp. extra-virgin oive oil

½ c. dry red wine

½ c. fresh basil, shredded

Salt and pepper

Chop the tomatoes and celery into chunks. Peel and slice the cloves of garlic. Skin and slice the onion into thin rings.

Saute the celery, garlic and onion in the olive oil until the onions are translucent and the garlic is soft. Add the tomatoes and wine and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

Simmer the sauce over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let this stand, covered, for another 30 minutes.