Day Ahead Dinner Party

(10 people)

*Stuffed Celery

* Marinated Pork Roast

*Ratatouille

*Mashed Potato Casserole

*Julia's Cake

STUFFED CELERY

Shrimp Filling:

1 (4 1/2 oz.) can shrimp drained and finely chopped

3 oz. cream cheese

2 Tbs. mayonnaise

1 Tbs. each of minced onion, parsley, green pepper, finely chopped celery, finely chopped green onions

Dash bottled hot pepper sauce

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Dash salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients.  Stuff into diagonally cut celery sections.  Chill.  makes 1 cup.  

Bleu Cheese Filling:  

3 oz. cream cheese

1 oz. bleu cheese crumbled (1/4 cup)

1 Tbs. catsup

Dash garlic salt

Dash cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients.  Fill celery sections.  Garnish with snipped parsley or chives.  Chill. 

Makes 1/2 cup. 

MARINATED PORK ROAST

6 lb. loin of pork (3 kilo)

2 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

3 coves garlic, minced

1 1/2 Tbs. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. oregano

2 cups chopped onion

3 Tbs olive oil

2 1/2 cups red wine

Rub pork with mixture of salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano.  Place in glass or pottery bowl with onion and 1 1/2 cups wine.  Marinate overnight in refrigerator, basting occasionally.  

Heat oil in pan. Place undrained pork in it.  Roast in 350 degree oven for 3 hours, or until done, basting frequently.  When roast is cooked, pour off gravy into a saucepan and skim off fat.  mix cornstarch with remaining wine and stir into gravy.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened.


RATATOUILLE

8 Tbs. olive oil
4 green or red bell peppers, diced
2 zucchini or cucumbers
salt and pepper
Oregano
2 large onions, sliced thin
4-8 eggplants, (depending on size)
4 tomatoes (canned will do)
1 garlic clove, minced

Slice onions.  Seed and dice peppers.  Cut up eggplant, leaving skin, into 1/2-inch cubes.  Slice zucchini, with skins, about 1/2-inch thick.  Peel, seed and chop tomatoes.  Suate onions in olive oil until transparent.  add diced peppers and eggplants.  Cook slowly 5 minutes.  Add sliced zucchini and tomatoes.  Simmer with lid on pan for about 3 minutes.  Add salt and pepper, garlic and oregano.  Sprinkle with parsley and simmer 10 minutes more.

Note:  It is important to use at least half the quantity of olive oil for flavor, but for economy, half may be salad oil.  This is just as good, if not better, reheated.  It can be made the day before .  It is also good cold as an hors d'oeuvre.

*other recipes include dried basil and 1/2 cup fresh parsley


MASHED POTATO CASSEROLE

10 medium potatoes
2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 Tbs. grated onion
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper

1/2 lb. butter
Bread crumbs

Boil and mash the potatoes.  Combine the next five ingredients with the mashed potatoes and put in a buttered casserole.  Dot the top with the butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.


JULIA'S CAKE

1 cup sugar
4 eggs, separated
3 Tbs. cold water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 cup minus 1 1/2 Tbs. sifted flour (cake flour in Japan)
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 squares baking chocolate, grated
1 pint heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbs. sugar

Sift sugar through a fine sieve 3 times before measuring.  Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.  Gradually beat in 1 Tbs. sugar of each egg white (taken from sugar called for in recipe) and set aside.  Add water and vanilla to egg yolks and beat until a pale lemon color and very thick.  Combine yolks and whites and fold together with a spoon until mixture is even.  Combine and sift cornstarch, flour, baking powder and salt.  Fold into egg mixture.  Do not beat.   Pour into 2 ungreased cake pans; cut through mixture with a knife to  break large air bubbles.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.  Invert onto wire rack and let stand until cold.  Loosen with knife or spatula.  Cut each cake carefully into 2 layers. Whip the cream until stiff and add vanilla and sugar.  Frost each layer and sides.  Sprinkle top and sides with grated chocolate.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.