Filo Dough Pastry

Ingredients:
1 sheet of Filo Dough (pastry dough) about 40cm x 20cm (16 inches x 8 inches), cut to make 8 squares
1 150 gram (5.5oz) block of Feta Cheese, mashed
1/2 Cup Smoked uncooked bacon, diced
1 egg
pepper to taste
3 Tbs milk
2 Tbs butter, melted
flour
wax baking paper

Directions: On a hard serface spread out some flour and place one filo dough square on it. Sprinkle the square with some more flour and roll out with a rolling pin until about double in size. Make sure not to make any holes in the dough. Repeat this process for all dough squares. In a bowl scramble the egg and then add in the feta, milk, and pepper--the feta should be salty enough that it does not need extra salt. Mix ingredients very well together. Take one dough sheet that you have already rolled out and softly brush on some butter on one side (this will be the inside). Place about 3-4 Tbs of the cheese and egg filling in the center of the dough. Then sprinkle in about 1 Tbs. of the bacon on top of the cheese filling. Then fold the dough closed so that the cheese and egg mixture ends up wrapped in filo dough so that there are no oppen ends, making more of a pocket. Place all pastries that you just put together in the cold oven in the middle of the oven on a baking sheet with wax paper (the dough will stick to aluminum foil) and set the temperatur to 200°C (400°F) and bake for 30 minutes (checking every 15 minutes). Once the dough is a light golden brown, remove from oven and let cool about 5 minutes. Enjoy! You may also brush the outside with some egg white to make it brown more quickly and the give it a more glossy look. The longer cooking time is better so that the cheese filling is not to runny and wet, and that if you would like the more glossy look , to add some egg white about 5 mintues before you think the pastries will be done.

Podmolik Family Ribs

This recipe is from Uncle Jim who revised it from his sister Aunt Fran's recipe! It's simply delicious!

Ingredients:
2 Racks baby back pork ribs
Dry Rub (recipe below, ingredients listed in this ingredients list)
1 Cup Heinz Hicory-smoke Flavored barbecue sauce
Aluminum Foil
3 Tbs Brow Sugar
2 Tbs Paprika
1 1/2 Tbs Chili Powder
2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Fine ground Yellow Mustard
1 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

*Over night refrigeration is required in this recipe*

Directions:
Dry Rub- In small bowl, combine: Brown Sugar, Paprika, Chili Powder, Salt, ground mustard, and garlic powder. Stir well to mix.

Rub both racks of ribs vigorously on both sides with dry rub. Wrap each rack securely in at least 3 layers of heavy duty aluminum foil cut long enough so that ends can be folded over to seal ribs in. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, remove ribs from refrigerator and let stand in their wrappings until they reach room temperature. This last step is key to making sure they are cooked through as well as keeping them moist. Then, heat oven to 450F. Unwrap each rack and brush with 1 cup barbecue sauce. Re wrap ribs with all three layers, sealing tightly. Bake 50 minutes. Remove from oven, heat broiler. Unwrap ribs and place on rack in broiler pan. Broil, 4 to 5 inches from heat, 3 minutes on each side to crisp, basting with sauce if desired.

Serbian Pie

I have named this recipe Serbian Pie because it is quite different from the American version of a pie, but according to my Serbian friends, the direct translation for this dish is Pie.

Ingredients:
1 sheet of Filo Dough (pastry dough) about 40cm x 20cm (16 inches x 8 inches), cut to make 8 squares
1 150 gram (5.5oz) block of Feta Cheese, mashed
1 egg
pepper to taste
3 Tbs milk
2 Tbs butter, melted
flour
wax baking paper

Directions:
On a hard serface spread out some flour and place one filo dough square on it. Sprinkle the square with some more flour and roll out with a rolling pin until about double in size. Make sure not to make any holes in the dough. Repeat this process for all dough squares. In a bowl scramble the egg and then add in the feta, milk, and pepper--the feta should be salty enough that it does not need extra salt. Mix ingredients very well together. Take one dough sheet that you have already rolled out and softly brush on some butter on one side (this will be the inside). About 1 inch away from the edge of the dough place about 3-4 Tbs of the cheese and egg filling long ways on the dough. Then roll the dough closed so that the cheese and egg mixture ends up wrapped in a few layers of filo dough. You may also roll out the dough a bit less and place the cheese egg mixture in the middle and fold the dough over, making more of a pocket. Place all Serbian Pies (the pastries that you just put together) in the cold oven in the middle of the oven on a baking sheet with wax paper (the dough will stick to aluminum foil) and set the temperatur to 200°C (400°F) and bake for 30 minutes (checking every 15 minutes). Once the dough is a light golden brown, remove from oven and let cool about 5 minutes. Enjoy! You may also brush the outside with some egg white to make it brown more quickly and the give it a more glossy look. I think the longer cooking time is better and that if you would like the more glossy look , to add it about 5 mintues before you think the pastries will be done.

Summer Pasta Salad

Makes 4 side servings

Salad:
2 Cups uncooked spiral shaped macaroni noodles or other spiral shaped noodles
water
10 Ice cubes
1/4 Cup black olives, sliced
1/2 Cup Broccolli, chopped in tiny floretts
1/2 Cup red bell pepper, chopped
Dressing:*
juice of 1 lemon
1 whole red pepper (paprika)** from jar, diced
2 Tbs diced onion
1/4 Cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbs Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Waldkreuteröl (Forest herb oil)***
4 Tbs Olive Oil
4 Tbs Vegetable Oil
3/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Directions:
In a small pot cook boil about 3-4 Cups of water. Add noodles to boiling water and cook until tender (a little past aldente). Strain noodles and place in cold water and ice cubes while you prepare the rest of the salad. Mix all salad ingredients together in a bowl. In a small bowl whisk together all dressing ingredients--please remember the Balsamic vinegar, it is vital to this recipe! Pour dressing over salad and mix. Noodles should be cool by this point; drain them in colander. Pat dry with a lint free towel so that they do not bring in too much water to the salad. Add to the salad and mix. If needed add some more salt or olive oil to taste and mix. The salad can be eaten right away or put in the frindge for 20-30 minutes (mixing about every 10 minutes) while you prepare other parts of the meal.

Personal notes: It has taken me 10 years to figure out this recipe...I am not joking. I ate a pasta salad from the grocery store's deli in Miami once, and have been trying to remake the recipe ever since with little luck. Last night I made it for the first time in about 3 years and it was almost the right flavor, but something was missing. I had read in another recipe that someone had added some Balsamic vinegar to their salad, so I decided to take a leep of faith, and that was the missing ingredient. I also discovered how important fresh onions are to vinagretts and the jarred bell pepper. It, of course, does not help that I had never heard of Balsamic vinegar until about 5 years ago.

*All dressing ingredients are absolutely necessary (see ***); please DO NOT substitute or it will not come out tasting right!
**This is a paprika that has been roasted, peel removed, and put in a jar with the ingredients being red bell pepper, vinegar, oil, salt, sugar, and water. This is not a sweet pepper, it is basically the red thing you find in the middle of jarred green olives, but in whole form.
***Waldkreuteröl (Forest herb oil) is not necessary for this recipe, it just gives it a little kick, do not substitue other oils with this oil because it has a very strong flavor that is not meant for this recipe.

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

It may not look too exciting int he picture, but it is a very cost effective meal, filling, and tastes great!

Ingredients:
3 Lbs Beef, the high rib section (should have some visible fat on it)
1 onion with peel*, halved
1 carrot with peel*, ends cut off, cut into large chuncks
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 Bay Leaf
Water
1 Sellery stalk, chopped
1 Carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 medium/large Potatoes, with peel, chopped

Directions:
In a pressure cooker place the meat inside and cover completely with water--make sure there is at least 5 inches left in your pressure cooker above the water or the stew will over flow. Do Not pre cut the meat! Add the halved onion with peel and the chopped carrot with peel, salt, pepper, and the Bay leaf. Cook on high. Once the pressure cooker is cooking at full speed, cook for 40 minutes. Once 40 minutes are up, remove from heat and let the pressure cooker release it's pressure. Once safe to open, remove the meat and place on a plate to let cool. With a straining spoon remove the onion with peel, the carrot peices, and the bay leaf and throw away. Add all other ingredients to the remaining broth at this point and bring to boil until the vegetables are cooked to desired doneness. In the meanwhile, cut beef into large chuncks. When the vegetables are completely cooked, add the meat and cook for about 3-4 minutes so that it reheats the meat. Add any desired salt at this time if the stew is not salty enough. Remove 4 chuncks of potato and put in blender with 4 Tbs of broth. Blend and then put back into stew. This will give they stew more consitancy instead of being so soupy and so that you don't have to add flour or cornstarch. Remeber, potatoes have a lot of starch in them!

*The peel from the onion and the carrot have most of the flavor in them and many vitamins too, this is esential for the broth. Do not worry, they will not fall apart, and you will be able to strain them out.