Junior is winner of recipe contest

Uzma Siddiqui , a junior in the School of Management, is this year's Reporter recipe contest winner. Siddiqui, who is studying marketing and plans to continue on for her MBA, works part time as a student assistant in the Graduate School. Siddiqui, who is from Islamabad, Pakistan, lives on campus and does her own cooking. She learned to cook from her mother and grandmother and says she adapted the winning recipe from something the family cooks at home "to make it simpler and easier."

Her recipe uses vegetables and although she is not a vegetarian, Siddiqui says, "I hardly eat any red meat-I tend to eat white meat-and it's healthier to eat more vegetables." She entered the recipe contest on "the spur of the moment" and her recipe attracted the attention of the judges, members of the News Services staff, for its combination of spices and "because it's so different."

For her prize, Siddiqui received "The World's Finest Food" (Stewart Tabori and Chang), a colorful coffee-table cookbook with 180 classic recipes, scenic photos and maps from around the world, edited by Margaret Olds with recipes by Ann Creber, text by Elisabeth King and photographs by Phil Wymant.

We want to thank all the members of the UB community who sent in their recipes-we wish we could use them all, but because of space limitations, we're printing the ones the judges selected as finalists.

Here is the prize-winning recipe:

Uzma Siddiqui

SPINACH AND POTATO CURRY
1 bag washed spinach, coarsely chopped
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-inch piece of ginger, chopped
11/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2-3 whole black cloves
1/4-inch cinnamon stick
2-3 tablespoons olive/canola oil
1 cup water

Heat oil and add the onion. Fry for about 5 minutes on medium heat and add the ginger and garlic. After about 45 seconds add the spices. Fry for about a minute on low heat, stirring constantly. If the spices begin to burn, add a little water. Next, add the chopped spinach and let it soften. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Add a little water, if required. Next, add the diced potatoes and stir for about five minutes. Add about 1 cup water, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot. The potatoes will take about 10-15 minutes to soften. The smaller the dice size, the quicker they'll soften. This is a rather dry curry.

This curry can be made with tofu instead of potatoes and served with plain white rice or with whole wheat bread.

Alonzo Bartley, a student in mechanical engineering, sent in this recipe for butter tarts made with sour-cream pastry. He noted: "These butter tarts always had rave reviews!!! It was handed to me by a next-door neighbor who grew up in Val D'Or, Quebec. She used to look for me when I was walking home from school when she freshly baked them. I loved these tarts. Unfortunately she passed away a few years ago, but her daughter left me her recipe. She said that her mother always enjoyed having me over after school for tarts and milk, and she wanted to leave something behind for me to always remember her by."

SOUR CREAM PASTRY

Yield: two 9" pie crusts or 2 dozen medium tarts
1 cup butter
11/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sour cream

Blend butter and flour until the consistency of coarse oatmeal. Add sour cream and blend until pastry begins to cling together. Divide dough in two balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Let dough stand for about 5 minutes to remove the chill and ease rolling; roll out on a lightly floured board or on a pastry cloth.

BUTTER TARTS

Use above pastry
1 cup white sugar
1 cup seedless raisins
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup butter
4 tablespoons cream or half and half
1/2 cup broken walnuts

Beat eggs. Combine with remaining ingredients except nuts, and boil at medium heat for 3 minutes. Add nuts. Fill unbaked tart shells and bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Wendy Black, head coach of women's crew, submitted this recipe for Anise-Raisin Soda Bread. Black noted, "I made this recipe up because I was sick of eating bagels at races. I wanted a bread that was good for you, but didn't take a lot of time to make, like most yeast breads. I also didn't have a loaf pan at the time, so I needed something that could be made on a cookie sheet. It travels well and tastes good warm or cold."

ANISE-RAISIN SODA BREAD

11/2 cups white flour
11/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons anise seeds
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup raisins
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
11/2 cups milk
1/2 cup maple syrup
Extra flour for kneading

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flours, bran, soda, powder, salt, cinnamon, anise, sugar and raisins in a large bowl. Mix to combine.

In another bowl, combine melted butter, maple syrup, egg and milk. Stir together. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until well-mixed. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for three minutes until dough is elastic and easy to handle.

Divide dough in half and form each half into a round loaf. Make sure the loaf is more round than "tall." Place on a cookie sheet. With a sharp knife, slash the top of each loaf about three times.

Cook for approximately 40 minutes or until loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Cool on wire rack. Store wrapped in plastic. Tastes great spread with cream cheese and a little honey.

From Dr. Raj Acharya, professor of computer science and engineering, comes this recipe for Veggie Crepes. "This has been a family favorite of ours," he says. "During the summer months, we add fresh vegetables, sometimes sauteed in olive oil and a clove of garlic. In winter, we add fresh, grated ginger to the vegetables."

VEGGIE CREPES

1 cup Cream of Wheat
1/2 cup flour
2 cups water
1 small, finely chopped onion
1 small bunch of chopped broccoli
1 small, finely chopped sweet pepper
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper
Cooking spray
Cheese of personal liking (can be omitted)

Add all of the above ingredients except cheese. Add more water, if necessary, to make a watery consistency.

Heat a griddle. Using a big serving spoon or ladle, scoop the mixture and drop in a circular motion on the griddle. Move the pan so that a thin layer is created. Use medium heat. Use cooking spray only on the outer edges and cover and cook until the edges are brown, about 2 minutes.

Add a slice of cheese on one half, ONLY if you like the taste, and fold. Serve hot with sauce of your choice.

If made ahead, layer with wax paper so that the crepes do not stick.

Here's an easy, hefty, one-pot dish from Margarita Vargas, associate professor and chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.

PORK AND CHICKPEAS

5 pounds pork, cut in chunks
2-12 oz. cans of garbanzos (chickpeas)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion (diced)
1 tomato (diced)
2 cloves of garlic (chopped or pressed)
1 hot serrano pepper (if desired)

Fry last four ingredients in large skillet or pot. Add chunks of pork and garbanzos with liquid. Cook for approximately two hours (or until pork is tender). Serve with fresh Italian or French bread.