Afghan Salad

Can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
Diced boiled potato
Diced peeled cucumber
Diced tomato and green pepper
Corn kernels
Fresh diced avocado (not really in the Afghan version)

Fresh lemon juice 2 pinches ground cumin, salt & pepper and 2 TBS cilantro chutney (aka green stuff).

Cilantro Chutney

Blend together in an electric blender:
1 coarsely chopped onion
2 cups cilantro leaves, whole
5 large chili peppers, to taste
Juice from 2 lemons
3 tsp salt
¼ cup fresh ginger root (about 2 inches)
½ tsp cumin seeds
4 garlic cloves
¼ cup fresh mint leaves

Serve chilled.

Mock Marzetti's Slaw Dressing

I can't seem to buy this product in Marin County so I found this on the internet.

Blend together:
2 c mayo
2/3 c sugar
1/4 c white vinegar
2 TBS yellow mustard

I always use it in my mother's potato salad recipe. Boiled peeled new potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, diced celery and red onion, salt, pepper, Tabasco sauce and healthy dose of Marzetti's slaw dressing. Yum!

Gazpacho

Serves 4

2 lbs ripe tomatoes (about 10 plum tomatoes)
1/2 lb cucumber (about 1 cuke)
3 oz green pepper (about 1/2 pepper)
1 clove garlic
2 TBS sherry vinegar
1/2 c water
3/4 c Spanish olive oil
2 tsp salt

Place into blender:
Quartered  tomatoes (discard the core and top of tomatoes)
Peeled and cut cucumber & green pepper chunks
Add the garlic, vinegar, water and blend to a thick liquid.

Add the olive oil and salt and reblend.
Pour the soup through a strainer into a pitcher and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

While it's cooling, prepare the crouton and other garnishes.
In 1 TBS of olive oil, fry a piece of crusty bread on both sides until crisp. Cut into small bits.
Finely dice peeled cucumber and green pepper as well as bits of tomato from the tops.

Place some of each garnish into a bowl and pour the chilled gazpacho over. drizzle with more olive oil.

This recipe comes from my favorite restaurant in DC, Jaleo's.  It belongs to the Andalucian wife of Chef Jose Andres.

Turkish Pide Bread

Ingredients
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (1/4-ounce) packet instant dry yeast
• 1 1/3 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1 tablespoon soft butter or margarine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large room-temperature egg yolk
• 1/2 cup plain room-temperature yogurt
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon nigella seeds

Steps to Make It
1. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl. Empty the packet of dry yeast on top and combine with your fingers.
2. Add the warm water and combine lightly with a fork. Next, add the milk and do the same.
3. Add the softened butter or margarine and olive oil and combine. Lastly, add the sugar and salt.
4. Now it’s time to knead the dough. You can knead with a mixer or by hand. If you are using a mixer, process the dough for about 10 minutes using the dough kneading hook. If you choose to knead by hand, knead the dough in the bowl for 15 minutes.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about five minutes more. The dough should be very soft. If it’s too firm, knead in another tablespoon of olive oil until smooth.
6. Transfer the dough to a warm place. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rise for about two hours.
7.     After two hours, the dough should be about double in size. Remove the cloth and turn it out onto a floured surface. Divide the dough into two pieces with a dough cutter or sharp carving knife.
8.     Shape your pide loaves using your fingers. Make each loaf flat and either oval or round, about 1/2 inch thick.
9.     Place each loaf on a metal baking tray sprinkled with flour.
10.   Using a sharp knife dipped in flour, first cut about 1 inch in from the edge to make a circle all the way around the loaf. Then, inside the circle, make diagonal cuts in opposite directions to make a diamond pattern. Do the same with the other loaf. (I cover and let rise about 20 minutes.  Then I press my fingers into it like you would for foccacia.)
11.   In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt and egg yolk. Using a pastry brush, coat the top of the loaves generously with the yogurt-egg mixture.
12.   Sprinkle the sesame and nigella seeds evenly over the tops.
13.   Bake in a heated oven at 430 F/225 C oven with a shallow tray of water placed at the bottom for about 25-30 minutes or until the top becomes deep, golden brown.
14.   Serve the pide hot out of the oven.

I usually just make 1/2 recipe and 1 loaf.

Half recipe amounts:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 (1/4-ounce) packet instant dry yeast
• 2/3 cups warm water
• 1/4 cup warm milk
• 1/2 tablespoon soft butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large room-temperature egg yolk
• 1/4 cup plain room-temperature yogurt
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon nigella seeds