December 2007

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The Globe, Signature School's online student newspaper, publishes periodically. The newspaper was recognized as the No. 2 overall high school newspaper at High School Media Day in 2005.

Please direct questions about content, photographs, or story ideas to Ms. Knight, editor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holiday Recipes

by: Andy Weis and Alex Levine

Do you love the holidays but are tired of eating the same meals every year? Here we offer modern alternatives to the most traditional dishes for the end-of-the-year celebrations.

Christmas (Dec. 25): Almond Strawberry Salad 3 cups fresh baby spinach 1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries 1/4 cup sliced honey-roasted almonds 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1 tablespoon honey 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the vinegar, honey and sugar; shake well. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Turkey Pot Pie 1 recipe pastry for a (10 inch) double crust pie 4 tablespoons butter 1 small onion, minced 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 carrots, diced 3 tablespoons dried parsley 1 teaspoon dried oregano 2 cubes chicken bouillon 2 cups water Salt and pepper 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 1/2 cups cooked turkey, cubed 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 cup milk Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll out bottom pie crust and place in the 10 inch pie pan and set aside. Place 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion, celery, carrots, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bouillon and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the turkey and flour. Add the milk, and heat through. Stir the turkey mixture into the vegetable mixture, and cook until thickened. Pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling. Flute edges, and make 4 slits in the top crust to let out steam. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Kwanza (Dec. 26 - Jan.1): Double-Fried Plantain Rounds: 4 green plantains 2 cups vegetable oil Salt and freshly ground pepper Peel plantains and cut into 1-inch thick rounds. Heat the oil in a small saucepan until hot but not smoking. Drop the plantain rounds into the hot oil 3 or 4 at a time and cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Set each fried plantain on a flat side, and using a rolling pin, frying pan, or whatever else you think will work, squash it as flat as you can. It should have a circular shape. Return the flattened plantain sections to the hot oil 3 or 4 at a time and cook until the entire surface is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove the plantains from the oil, drain, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve hot or at room temperature. Coconut Shrimp with Peanut Sauce: 24 large (15 to 20 count) shrimp, peeled and butterflied 1/2 cup cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 4 egg whites 2 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, or 2 1/2 cups shredded fresh coconut Canola or peanut oil, for frying Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, salt, pepper, and cayenne. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. In another bowl, place the coconut. Coat the shrimp with the cornstarch and shake off any excess. Dip into the egg white and then press into the coconut to get full coverage. Try to keep 1 hand dry, this will keep things a little cleaner. In a large pan, heat the oil to 350 degrees F and gently submerge the shrimp, 6 at a time. Fry for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove them to a rack to drain. Serve with Peanut Sauce. Peanut Sauce: 1/4 cup chicken stock 3 ounces unsweetened coconut milk 1 ounce lime juice 1 ounce soy sauce 1 tablespoon fish sauce or 2 to 3 anchovies, ground 1 tablespoon hot sauce 2 tablespoons chopped garlic 1 tablespoon chopped ginger 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter 1/4 cup chopped cilantro In a food processor, puree the chicken stock, coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, hot sauce, chopped garlic, and ginger. Add the peanut butter and pulse to combine. Fold in the cilantro and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Bring sauce to room temperature and serve with coconut shrimp. Sweet Potato Fritters: Canola oil 1 large sweet potato (about 1 cup) 4 tablespoons melted salted butter 1 egg 1/4 cup bread crumbs 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup chopped chives (reserve 1 tablespoon for sour cream topping) 1/2 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn 1 cup sour cream In a shallow pan, heat oil to 350 degrees F. Score sweet potato with a fork and microwave on high for 6 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool. Cut sweet potato in half, scoop out the flesh, and place it into a mixing bowl with the butter. Mash well. Add egg, bread crumbs, flour, salt, and pepper and mix well. Add the chives and corn and mix gently. Using 2 spoons to shape, scoop mounds into hot oil, cooking on both sides, in batches, until golden brown. With a slotted spoon or spider, remove fritters from oil and place on paper towel to dry. Mix sour cream, reserved chives, salt and pepper, to taste, and place a small dollop.

Hanukkah (Dec. 5): Jewish Grandma's Best Beef Brisket 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 (4 pound) beef brisket ground black pepper to taste 2 onions, thickly sliced 2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half salt and pepper to taste Heat the oil in a large deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Season the brisket generously with black pepper. Place in the pan and cook until the surface is a rich brown color, not burnt, but dark. Lift the roast and scatter the onions in the pan. Place the uncooked side of the roast down onto the onions. Repeat the browning process. Add the garlic to the pan, and fill with enough water to almost cover the roast. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid or tight-fitting aluminum foil. Simmer for 4 hours, turning the roast over once halfway through. The roast should be fork tender. Remove the brisket to a serving platter. Bring the broth in the pan to a simmer, scraping the bottom to loosen any browned bits. Cook until reduced to a thin gravy. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings 1 recipe pastry for double-crust pie 6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored 1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 cups water 2 cups white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a large rectangle, about 24 by 16 inches. Cut into 6 square pieces. Place an apple on each pastry square with the cored opening facing upward. Cut butter into 8 pieces. Place 1 piece of butter in the opening of each apple; reserve remaining butter for sauce. Divide brown sugar between apples, poking some inside each cored opening and the rest around the base of each apple. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the apples. With slightly wet fingertips, bring one corner of pastry square up to the top of the apple, then bring the opposite corner to the top and press together. Bring up the two remaining corners, and seal. Slightly pinch the dough at the sides to completely seal in the apple. Repeat with the remaining apples. Place in prepared baking dish. In a saucepan, combine water, white sugar, vanilla extract and reserved butter. Place over medium heat, and bring to a boil in a large saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved. Carefully pour over dumplings. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Place each apple dumpling in a dessert bowl, and spoon some sauce over the top. Rugelach 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup unsalted butter 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 1/3 cup sour cream 1/2 cup white sugar 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 cup finely chopped walnuts 1/2 cup raisins Cut cold butter or margarine and cream cheese into bits. In food processor, pulse flour, salt, butter or margarine, cream cheese and sour cream until crumbly. Shape crumbly mixture into four equal disks. Wrap each disk and chill 2 hours or up to 2 days. Roll each disk into a 9 inch round keeping other disks chilled until ready to roll them. Combine sugar, cinnamon, chopped walnuts, and finely chopped raisins (may substitute miniature chocolate chips for raisins). Roll each disk into a 9 inch round keeping other disks chilled until ready to roll them. Sprinkle round with sugar/nut mixture. Press lightly into dough. With chefs knife or pizza cutter, cut each round into 12 wedges. Roll wedges from wide to narrow, you will end up with point on outside of cookie. Place on ungreased baking sheets and chill rugelach 20 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). After rugelach are chilled, bake them in the center rack of your oven 22 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers; they freeze very well. Variations: Before putting the filling on the dough, use a pastry brush to layer apricot jam as well as brown sugar. Then add the recommended filling. You may also make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar and roll the rugelach in this prior to putting them on the cookie sheets. Thanksgiving (Nov. 22): Jalapeno Corn Bread 2 c. canned cream-style corn 2/3 c. vegetable oil 2 c. dairy sour cream 1 1/2 to 2 c. grated Cheddar cheese 1 (4 oz.) can jalapenos or green chilies, seeded and chopped 2 c. corn bread mix 4 eggs, beaten 1 c. chopped onion Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9x2 inch pan. Combine corn, corn bread mix, oil, eggs, sour cream, cheese, onion and jalapenos. Pour into pan. Bake about 1 hour at 350 degrees. Recipe can easily be halved. Baked Stuffed Mushrooms 1 stick butter 1 small onion, minced 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese 1/3 cup sweet Vermouth (optional) 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 cup plain bread crumbs 1 lb. lg. mushrooms (remove the stems and finely chop them) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon oregano Melt butter in skillet. Cook onion until translucent. Add chopped stems. Stir in bread crumbs, seasonings, and cheese. Brown lightly. Add sweet Vermouth last. Toss lightly to combine well. Stuff mushroom caps with mixture. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Fried Eggplant, Zucchini, Squash, and Okra Any, if not all, of the above vegetables Olive oil, for frying 1 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs Veggies cut into 3-inch long by 1/2-inch wide strips Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F.