I thought it would be nice to start a recipe thread. Men like to cook too, so it isn't just a woman's thread.

I will start with one of my recipes.

German Braised Lamb Shanks

Serves 4

4 Lamb Shanks
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
2 cups hot water
1 cup cut up carrots
1 cup cut up potatoes
1/2 cup cut up celery
1 med onion, chopped

Roll meat in flour. Brown thoroughly in hot fat. Add seasonings and hot water. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Add vegetables. Continue cooking 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

I will post some things I like to make.



QUICK PASTA
If I don't have time to make sauce, I dress the pasta with lemon juice, olive oil, almonds, cashews, tomatoes, radishes, onion, garlic, and crushed chilis. Sometimes I also add bomb italia hot sauce, peas, and chopped up red thai peppers.


EGGS
While they are still liquid, I put chopped up hot pepper, green pepper, zucchini, and other veggies inside. I season them with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and chives. I fry them with the stuff inside.


STEAK
My favourite seasonings for red meat are olive oil, chianti red wine, lemon juice, garlic, onion, parsely, oregano, basil, and tomato.


SWISS CHARD SOUP
1. Wash swiss chard and chop off the stalks.
2. Put olive oil on the bottom of the pot.
3. Fry onions on the bottom of the pot, and after a few minutes add garlic and chopped up tomatoes.
4. When all that is cooked, fill pot with water and add 2-3 beef or chicken bullion cubes.
5. Bring the water to a boil and add the swiss chard.
6. Boil for 3 minutes then simmer for 15 minutes.


EGGPLANT SOUP
1. Put olive oil on bottom of pot and fry some onions.
2. Fill pot with water and put 2 beef or chicken bullion cubes.
3. Boil water.
4. Add chopped up eggplant, radish, and celery.
5. Add 6 red thai peppers and 2-3 small spoonfuls of bomb italia hot sauce.
6. Boil for 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper.
7. Bring it down to a simmer, and after simmering for 10 minutes add dried basil and dried chives. Then simmer for another 5 minutes.


FRIED RABBIT
Boil it in water for 10 minutes to take the wild taste out. Then put it in the fry pan with the cover on with LOW temperature for approximately 45 minutes. Put whatever spices you like such as garlic, onion, tomato paste, basil, etc. Never put oregano on rabbit. To make sure it doesn't dry out put 1/2 to 1 cup wine.


POT ROASTED RABBIT
Boil rabbit in water for 10 minutes. Take it out and dip it in a mixture of cold water and lemon juice. Coat a roasting pan with olive oil and add a clove of garlic. Remove the rabbit from the water and put it into the roasting pan without draining it. Add sage, rosemary, and salt. Add 1-2 bay leaves but be sure to remove them before you eat it. Slice up some tomatoes and put them on top of the rabbit. Peel and quarter potatoes, and cook them beside the rabbit. Put the roasting pan into the oven and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed by the meat. Once it has, add some wine and continue to cook until the rabbit is golden and all the wine has been absorbed.


GREEK STYLE EGGPLANT
Slice eggplant and sprinkle with salt. Fry on pan with olive oil until brown. Then bake at 375 degrees until very tender. Mix with oregano, pepper, and a small amount of lemon juice.


ROMAN STYLE EGGPLANT
Slice and salt eggplant. Fry on pan with olive oil until brown. Put in baking dish. On top of eggplant slices put fried yellow onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with oregano and bake at 375 degrees.


MARINARA SAUCE
Lightly saute onions in olive oil in pot. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add chopped tomatoes and bring sauce to a boil, then turn heat low. Add parsley, crushed red pepper, basil, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Stir, cover, and let simmer for 1 hour.


BREADED EGGPLANT
Crumble some Italian bakery bread or buy Italian breadcrumbs at the store. Wash eggplant and slice. Sprinkle with salt and drain excess moisture with paper towel. Take one slice at a time, dust with flour, dip in beaten eggs, and coat well with breadcrumbs. Saute in preheated olive oil on both sides until golden brown. In baking dish, alternate layers of marinara sauce (recipe above), eggplant slices, ricotta, parmesan, and romano cheeses, until you fill the baking dish. Cover with mozzarella cheese and bake at 375 degrees until its done.


TOMATOES ON BREAD
In a bowl, stir salt and sugar. Set aside. Slice tomatoes into rounds. Heat oil in a big fry pan set over medium heat. Add 2 sliced garlic cloves, saute, stir often, for 2 minutes. Then increase heat to medium high. Add tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and sugar mixture. Fry until lightly browned. Toast bread on a seperate fry pan and arrange with tomatoes over top.


ZUCCHINI FRITTATA (very quick and easy breakfast)
Beat 3-6 eggs (depends on how much you want to eat) and mix with salt, pepper, fresh jalapenos, and crushed chilis. You can add whatever else you want to. Coat a fry pan with olive oil and fry zucchini slices. Then pour the egg mixture into the pan and stir. When it is cooked, sprinkle it with parsley and put into the oven. Bake it only for a few minutes, until it is lightly browned and fluffy.


BEST SAUCE
1. Cook olive oil, onion, and garlic in the pot until the onion is translucent. Make sure you cut up the onion and the garlic very small.
2. Add plum tomatoes (whole, NOT crushed - crush them yourself in the pot using the wooden spoon).
3. Add a can full of water.
4. Add peas, chickpeas, carrots, and corn. Add any FRESH spices (if your seasonings are dried, wait until the end to add them).
5. Boil for 5 minutes.
6. Then simmer for an hour and a half, stirring often.
7. Add red wine near the end (around the last 5-10 minutes).
8. Add any dried seasonings in the last 5 minutes. Usually I just add some basil. Never put oregano in sauce.