Kebobs, Capirotada, Panocha and more

There are several "international" recipes that people have asked for over the years so I'll try to get them all in this entry. Many of our recipes are take-offs from ones we found in books or on the Internet which we have either adapted to large crowds or to our personal taste and opinions about food. I realize that many cooks out there are "by the book" cooks and so I will be giving you specific recipes that, for the most part, have not been fiddled with. You may not come out with the exact thing that you tasted at one of our meals but it will be close. So if you feel creative and daring go ahead and do like we do and add or take away flavors. Whenever it may not be obvious I will let you know the things that should not be changed in a recipe. But for general purposes cooking temperatures and times are not negotiable nor are ingredients that effect the "chemistry" of a dish such as baking soda and baking powder.

Central Asian Chicken Kebobs

1 cup plain yogurt
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground red or black pepper
3 Tbsp. finely minced garlic
Mix together in a medium mixing bowl then add the following...
1-1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into about 1" pieces.
Mix the chicken with the marinate until all of the pieces are well coated. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or up to 2 days.
Thread the chicken on skewers and grill over medium hot coals.

Enjoy in a warmed pita bread with slices of fresh tomato and onion and sprinkles of chopped cilantro. Serve with lemon or lime wedges.

Did you know?... A kebob is not a shish kebob unless it is made with lamb meat.

Capirotada

This is not a dessert for children, only those with the refined taste of mature adults will appreciate this hearty dessert. Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm

Butter
3 eggs
4 Tbsp. milk(Shhh... my secret is canned condensed milk.)
dash salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon (more to taste if it isn't real fresh)
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
8 slices toasted bread (the cheap stuff is fine, but I like a more dense bread)
1 cup diced colby or longhorn cheese
2/3 cup raisins
2/3 cup spanish peanuts
3/4 cup chopped pecans or almonds
1 medium peeled, cored and diced apple
Preheat the oven to 375 F
Generously butter a casserole dish or baking pan. (A hint on the size/shape of the pan is that 4 of the slices need to lay fairly flat in the bottom and the sides at least 2" to accommodate multiple layers.)
In a mixing bowl combine eggs, milk, salt, spices and brown sugar; beat until well blended. (Add 1 or 2 more Tbsp. milk if needed for the consistency of french toast batter)
Place four slices of toasted bread in the bottom of the baking pan. Pour half the egg batter over the bread. Sprinkle half the cheese, raisins, nuts and apple. Repeat the layering. Top the entire capirotada with panocha syrup (recipe follows)

Here's where it gets a little ambiguous as everyone has a different idea of how they like it...
-I like a drier less rich bread pudding with some crust-like parts so I use only half the syrup about 3/4 cup.
-If you like your bread pudding really sweet and mushy add the whole amount.

More variables:
-You may prepare the recipe up to this point and refrigerate, covered, over night but when you bake it be sure to add at about 10 minutes to the baking time. The cheese should be melted and the center should not be runny when you check it with a fork.
-If you choose to bake it immediately, it should take about 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.
-To use a 13 x 9 baking pan I made one and a half times the above ingredients and baked for about 20 to 25 mins.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Panocha Syrup

2 cups dark brown sugar
2 cups water
In a saucepan, dissolve sugar in water, bring to a slow boil, stirring frequently. Cover and boil gently for 20 to 25 minutes. Spoon out any crystallized sugar that may form on the sides of the pan or over the syrup. You should have about 1-1/4 cups to 1-1/2cups syrup.

Albondigas

Albondigas (meatball soup) is a hearty soup which can be served as a main dish.

1 lb. Ground beef
3 Tbsp. finely diced onion
1/4 tsp. ground oregano
salt/pepper
1 bay leaf
6 cups water
4 or 5 chopped stewed tomatoes
1/c cup pre-cooked white rice
1 cup cooked tender-firm sliced potatoes (or canned, sliced new potatoes)
Mix with hands the ground meat with onion, oregano and salt and pepper then form into 18 balls. Brown the meat balls in a small amount of oil, then set aside.
In a two qt. cooking pot add the water, tomatoes and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil then carefully place the meat balls into the soup. Cover and simmer for 20 mins., remove the bay leaf then add the rice and potatoes and heat thoroughly.