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Marlena's Secrets -
Breakfast at the Fox 'n' Hound Cookbook
Marlena Sacca owner of
the Fox ‘n’ Hound Bed and Breakfast and
former chef/instructor at the Culinary
Institute of America has just published a
collection of her guest favorites entitled
“Marlena’s Secrets”. As Marlena states in
her introduction “Of the thousands of guests
who join us at The Fox ‘n’ Hound Bed and
Breakfast every year the most common
questions I get are “May I have the recipe
for that?” and “Why does it taste different
than when I make it?” The standard answer I
give is “It will all be in my book”. Now, by
popular demand it is “all in the book”.
Marlena draws on her Romanian heritage, her
culinary training, and her world travels to
compile a widely varied collection of
recipes and cooking tips that range from
fruit starters, eggs and egg dishes, and
breakfast breads to ethnic specialties like
“Papanasi” (Romanian Cheese Pancakes).
The recipes are all very clear, concise, and
easy to follow. They all follow Marlena’s
innate sense of taste and style. In the
authors words “What matters most is
freshness of the ingredients, their taste,
their color, and how you marry them. I use
my palate to create combinations that please
me and hopefully those I cook for. Follow
your senses and you will discover that
cooking is easy and fun. That’s the real
“secret”.
Marlena’s Secret’s is published through
Morris Press Cookbooks. It is available
through their website at
Morris Press Cookbooks and can be
ordered
HERE. The price is $14.50
plus $3.00 shipping and handling
(NY State residents must add 7% sales tax).
Retailer inquiries are welcome.
To get a sampling of what is in the
cookbook, read through
some of the delicious recipes below. All of these
scrumptious dishes have been prepared by
Marlena at the Fox 'n' Hound
Saratoga Bed and Breakfast.
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CUCUMBER SOUP
Adapted from “A Witch’s Brew” by Adelma
Grenier Simmons, Caprilands Herb Farm.
2 cucumbers, peeled
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. leeks, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp. flour
2 cups of chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp. dill, finely chopped
Sauté 2 cucumbers in butter until tender
along with leeks, and bay leaf. Stir in
flour, add chicken stock and wine and simmer
for 30 minutes. Put through blender then add
1 cucumber seeded, peeled and grated, cream
and lemon juice. Stir in dill. Chill. Can be
served with a dollop of sour cream garnished
with dill.
MARLENA’S FRESH
FRUIT CUP
Cut up fresh fruits in season. Add some
vanilla extract and mix. Delicious.
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MARLENA’S FRITATTA
Salsa:
1 green pepper, chopped into chunky pieces
2 red peppers, chopped into chunky pieces
1 small Vidalia onion, sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
2 bay leaves (fresh best)
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tomato, chopped in medium-sized chunks
1-2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. stevia
Tabasco to taste
1 tbsp. ketchup
1 cup minced parsley
1 tbsp. basil (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Sauté onion in 1/4 cup olive oil, add
peppers, bay leaves, garlic, salt and
pepper. When everything becomes limp, add
tomato, vinegar, stevia, ketchup and
Tabasco. (“I love a lot of Tabasco”...Marlena).
Sauté a bit longer (about 5 minutes) then
remove from heat. Remove bay leaves. At this
point the salsa can be chilled or used
immediately to make the frittata.
Frittata:
Beat 2 eggs per person; add 2 tbsp. sour
cream, 1 to 2 tbsp. grated Jarlsburg cheese.
You can also add minced fresh basil, parsley
if desired. Pour into oven-proof skillet
coated with remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, and
place on low burner to brown just a bit. Top
with some salsa and bake in a 350º oven on
middle shelf. The Frittata is done when the
center is firm (approximately 15 minutes
depending on the amount of eggs used). Cut
into wedges and top with a dollop of sour
cream and minced fresh basil if desired.
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MARLENA’S SALAD
WITH SUMAC AND FETA CHEESE
Based on zatar, a Mediterranean spice that
has sumac thyme and sesame seeds. Zatar is a
very popular spice used in the Middle East:
it's sprinkled on cheese, bread, steamed and
raw vegetables.
Sumac and Zatar can be purchased from
Kalustyan's in NY , Tel.: 212-685-3451 123
Lexington Ave. in Manhattan.
Dressing:
1 tsp. powdered culinary sumac
4 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. powdered mustard
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup cubed Feta cheese
Salad:
Romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
Chicory, torn
Endive
Salt & pepper
Whisk together first seven ingredients and
marinate Feta cheese in dressing for about a
half hour. Place lettuces in a bowl and add
dressing just to coat when ready to serve.
Add salt & pepper to taste if desired.
BOX
Sumac Facts
This spice, Sumac (Rhus coriaria), comes
from the berries of a wild bush that grows
wild in Mediterranean areas like Sicily,
southern Italy, and parts of the Middle
East. Used extensively in Arabic cooking, it
is preferred to lemon for sourness and
astringency. (It is not to be confused with
another variety of sumac which grows in
North America and is related to Rhus
toxicodendron (poison ivy) which can cause a
severe skin reaction when touched.)
In Mediterranean cooking, sumac is often
rubbed onto kebabs before grilling and may
be used in this way with fish or chicken.
The juice extracted from sumac is popular in
salad dressings and marinades and the
powdered form is used in stews and vegetable
and chicken casseroles.
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