What I'm Cooking Now

Chicken Catalan

2012-01-12T21:57:00.000-05:00

Shhhhhh... I'm going to tell you a secret... I think that my Italian grandmother, Josephine Catalano Cieri, may have been part Spanish. I mean, her family name, Catalano, literally means "from Catalan" which would make at least one of her forebears Spanish. Some of Grammie's best dishes weren't like what the other Italian grandmothers I grew up with cooked, either. For example, she put raisins in her meatballs and chicken braised in wine. She put allspice and cinnamon in her ragu, too. This marriage of sweet and savory is one of the hallmarks of Catalan cuisine.

Tonight I decided to cook some chicken breasts Catalan-style!

Chicken Catalan

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chick breasts, cut into ten chunks
1 med onion, chopped (about 1 Cup)
1 - 2 large garlic cloves, smashed and minced
1 Tbs olive oil
1 15 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes in juice
1/2 C full bodied red wine
1 tsp chicken bouillion granules
2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 good pinches crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 Tbs raisins (optional)
1 Tbs minced almonds (optional)

In a 4 qt pan, saute the onions and garlic in the oil until translucent. Add in the bouillion granules, paprika, thyme, black and red pepper and raisins and saute for a minute or two. Splash in the wine and saute until the alcohol has burned off, about two minutes. Add in the tomatoes and stir well to combine. Nestle the raw chicken chunks into the tomato sauce, cover and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes until chicken is cooked and flavors have melded. Garnish with almonds.

after about 7 or 8 minutes, I layered 1 lb of frozen broccoli florets on top of the chicken and sauce, put the cover back on, and finished simmering the chicken. The frozen broccoli cooled the sauce, so the total simmering time for the chicken was about 15 minutes. To serve, I fished out the chicken chunks and plated them, then mixed the broccoli into the sauce to serve, garnishing everything with the almonds.

This makes a lot of sauce, so you will want to have a vegetable, like broccoli, a grain, like rice, or simply some noodles or crusty bread, to sop all that deliciousness up.

5 servings; 7 WW points+ with broccoli; 5 WW points+ without the raisins and almonds

Exploring Quinoa for Breakfast

2012-01-09T10:17:00.002-05:00

I haven't eaten a lot of quinoa, but I've liked it very much the few times I've had it. One memorable dinner was during Lent and featured lots of quinoa pilaf, shrimp and salad. Very delish. So, I bought some, put it in my freezer because I read somewhere that it gets rancid easily, and then promptly forgot about it. Last night, while rummaging through my freezer, I came up that year-old package of quinoa and promptly cooked the entire thing. Now, I have quite a bit of quinoa in my fridge.

This is the breakfast that I packed for work this morning. It is very yummy and only 8 WW points+. This packs a huge nutritional wallop and make more than most people would eat first thing in the morning. I'm a grazer, so this will all get eaten up by lunch time.

Quinoa Breakfast

1 cup cooked quinoa
1 apple, diced
1 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon (to taste)
Stevia to taste

Simple Squash Chowder

2012-01-02T16:41:00.003-05:00

I was lazy today, too lazy to do much cooking, but that didn't keep me from getting very hungry at lunchtime! I had a few zucchini and yellow summer squash that really needed to be used, so I made a quick and simple chowder.

3 large zucchini
3 med yellow summer squash
6 cups water
2 - 3 tsp veggie bouillion granules
pinch or two of black pepper and cayenne
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt (I used Adobo seasoning)
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 cup milk, cream or nondairy milk (I used almond milk)

Cut the squash in quarters length-wise, then chop into think slices. Put in soup pot. Add water and all other ingredients except milk. Bring to a boil, then simmer for half an hour, until the squash is very soft. Remove from heat and taste for salt. Using a large spoon, mash some of the squash against the side of the pot, then stir in milk.

Serve with a salad and crusty bread. 2 points+ when made with almond milk per 3 cups.

Chicken Marsala

2011-11-24T10:22:00.001-05:00

I spent my childhood summers going back and forth between my grandmother's cottage and my parent's little country inn, both on Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire. It was an idyllic life for a child. I remember sleeping in my bathing suit, and my mother or grandmother calling me out of the water for all three meals. I thought that fingers were supposed to be shriveled. Clearwater Inn was named that because the depth of the water at the end of dock was 25 feet, and so pure that not only could you clearly see each grain of sand on the bottom, but it was also a class A reservoir. Many summer cottages simply drank lake water while I was growing up.

At that time, in the 1950s and 1960s, Sunapee and the surrounding countryside was very, very old-time New England Yankee in every way, including palate. However, the "summer people" who owned cottages around the shoreline were a bit more cosmopolitan, mostly from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. It was here that Clearwater Inn broke new culinary ground with what we called, "continental cuisine." About ten years after my parents bought the Inn, a german restaurant called Schweitzer's opened not too far away, and they did a rousing business. People were ready to make a change from their standard American meat and potatoes fare.

My grandmother, Josephine Catalano Cieri, cooked the dinner meal for our guests for the first ten years or so, until I was 8 years old, when she retired to her cottage across the lake. She was an amazing woman in every possible way, including a talented, inventive and fearless cook. My mother and I owe everything good about our culinary skills to her. I don't remember the first time I tasted Grammie's chicken marsala, but I certainly remember our guests raving about it. We served dinner family style, that is, the food was on platters and each diner helped himself to however much they wanted. Whenever chicken marsala was on the menu, the platters came back clean as a whistle, with a request for more!

I had about a cup of marsala left in the bottle, some chicken breasts and some mushrooms, so this was a no brainer, and transported me back to my childhood in the yellow kitchen at Clearwater Inn. Such happy memories! I'm trying to lose a few lbs, so I adapted the recipe a bit, and those changes are noted below.

Here you go!

1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/3 C flour*

3 Tbs butter, divided*

2 Tbs olive oil

2 shallots, minced or 1/4 small onion, minced

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced finely

1 1/2 tsp marjoram, dried

1 tsp salt, to taste

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbs minced fresh parsley, or 1 1/2 tsp dried

1 tsp dried basil

1 C Marsala wine

1/2 C full flavored chicken broth

Slice the chicken breasts in half length-wise, then pound them flat. Or, you can skip this step, as I did, and simply cook them longer. Lightly salt and pepper each breast, then dredge in the flour. *I didn't dredge the chicken this time and sauteed the "naked" chicken. Reserve the leftover flour to thicken the sauce later. Heat half the butter in a large skillet and brown the chicken well on both sides, then set aside and keep warm. *I didn't use any butter and had no loss of flavor. Instead, I used about 1 Tbs of olive oil in the pan to saute the chicken.

In the same pan, add the shallots/onion, garlic, marjoram, parsley, basil and salt, adding the olive oil to keep it from sticking, and being sure to scrape up all the yummy bits from the chicken. *I used about another Tbs of olive oil, making a total of 2 Tbs for the entire recipe. When the garlic is fragrant and onions are translucent, the mushrooms should be releasing their juice. Add in the wine, continuing to scrape up the little bits, and then the broth. Simmer for five minutes or so, till the sauce is reduced a little, then stir in the remaining flour and 1 Tbs of butter and simmer, stirring, for another two or three minutes, until the sauce is thickened to your liking. *I did not add butter into the sauce, with no loss of flavor. Because I didn't pound my breasts, I nestled them into the sauce immediately after adding the liquids, and simmered them in the sauce for the five minutes, turning the over halfway through. I removed them from the sauce, kept them warm, then added in about 2 Tbs of flour to thicken the sauce.

Taste for salt and pepper and serve.

Makes six servings. 5 WW points plus with my changes.

Quick Tuscan Chicken Stew

2011-10-25T06:23:00.003-05:00

In twenty minutes, you have a feast! Serve with crusty bread to sop up all the yummy juices!

This is a recipe that can be adapted to what you have on hand. I used chicken, but you could use turkey, or Italian sausage. I used frozen spinach, but any kind of fresh or frozen greens would be great, or even Italian string beans, the large, flat variety that I really love.

Tuscan Chicken Stew

1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder, or 1 tsp minced fresh
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbs olive oil
2 lg boneless, skinless chicken breasts ( 1 1/2 lbs), cut into cubes
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
15 oz can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can of diced tomatoes in juice, not drained
1/4 Cup wine (white or red is ok)
15 oz can chicken broth
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
1 lb frozen spinach, chopped
1 Cup water

In a3 or 4 qt pot, saute onion in oil till translucent, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add in all the spices, and stir for a few minutes. Then, add the beans, tomatoes, wine, water, broth and stir. Next, the spinach, breaking it up so it distributes itself throughout the stew. Lastly, add the raw chicken. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Optional, but tasty if you are not using Italian sausage instead of chicken: add 1/2 tsp of fennel seed when you add the other herbs and spices.

Makes six servings, 6 WW+ points each

Christmas Kutia

2011-01-08T21:54:00.006-05:00

Many Slovak Orthodox Christians prepare a traditional dinner on Christmas Eve called the Holy Supper which consists of 12 dishes for the 12 apostles. Included in the tradition is Kutia. Kutia is the Slavic version of Koliva, a sweetened boiled wheat and fruit dish which is served at services for the dead. Here is some information and a recipe for the Lebanese version from a prior post about that.

For the past six or seven years, my parish has come to together for the Holy Supper just prior to Christmas Eve Great Compline and Matins, and each year, our celebration seems to become a little more traditional. I usually am the one to make the wheat for the Holy Supper, since I'm the only one who makes this traditional food in my parish. This year was no different, but I decided to make it Russian style instead of Lebanese style. It was a big, big hit! Maybe even a bigger hit than my Lebanese style - and let me tell you, that is VERY popular! I did receive the highest of praise when my dear Russian friend told me that my kutia was just like her mother's, only better, because I put more fruit in it. High praise, indeed.

I do have a photo, but no way to get it off my camera right now. I'll post it as soon as I can.

Christmas Kutia
2 1/4 C soft wheat berries, soaked for 24 hours and strained
6 3/4 C water
1 C poppy seed
1 C sliced almonds or chopped walnuts, toasted till fragrant
1 lb honey
1 C white raisins
1 C chopped dried fruit, such as apricots, craisins, berries or cherries
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs cinnamon (heaping)

Drain the wheat berries well and put them in a dutch oven type pan with a lid. Stir in the water and loosely cover the pot. Crack the cover open so the steam can escape a little bit and it won't boil over. Simmer the wheat for 2 - 3 hours until very tender.

After the wheat has simmered for about an hour, you should prepare the poppy seeds by scalding them. Put them in a heat-proof dish, cover them with boiling water and let them soak for half an hour. Drain them well, then grind them in a blender or food processor. Continue your preparations by toasting the nuts and chopping the fruit.

Once the wheat is tender, drain the kernals, reserving about a cup of the water, and put them in a very large bowl together with the ground up poppy seeds. Add the honey and mix well. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, adding a little bit of the reserved water if it seems too thick and the honey won't mix well.

You can eat it just like this, which is what we did this year, but there is an additional step to this which makes it even more yummy. Once everything is mixed together, bake it in a 3 qt casserole, uncovered, at 325F for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Kutia is best if you put everything together 2 or 3 days in advance and bake it right before serving. This is yummy hot or cold or room temperature. This recipe makes a lot, but that's ok because it freezes extremely well too!, and will last about two weeks in the fridge.

Dear Friends

2010-08-05T13:36:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends,

Because of the numerous spam comments this blog has received in the last month, I have turned on comment moderation for everyone. I will approve *all* legitimate comments as soon as possible after commenting. However, all comments containing information about how to purchase Viagra cheaply, or how I should wire money to a third-world country, will never see the light of day.

Thank you for understanding.

Denise
aka "What I'm Cooking Now"

Lebanese Chicken Stewed with Okra

2010-07-02T12:10:00.004-05:00

I happen to love okra, though I know many people do not. Here in the deep south, my love of okra does not cause people to ask me if I'm crazy. Okra is a player in the south.

When I first moved to California, in April 1980, I was newly married. We moved there for Jerry's job, and I found it difficult to find an HR position comparable to the one I left behind in Boston, so I was unemployed for about six months. During that six months, I really explored the farmer's markets and ethnic markets in South Bay area. I also began learning to cook Lebanese food under the tutelage of some kind women at our church, particularly Marge Hanna. My mother-in-law was a fantastic cook, and she made the most delicious bamiyeh (okra) ever, so when I found okra for sale, I bought two pounds - at $2.50 per pound! It was outrageously expensive, but I knew that I would be able to cook something that Jerry really loved and missed from home. When he came home from work, his nose was twitching and he expectantly asked, "What's for dinner? It smells so good in here!" I was beaming from ear to ear. "Bamiyeh!" I replied. I knew he would be sooooo happy! Wrong! He lifted the cover of the pot and said, "That's bamiyeh!" as if it was a big surprise. "I hate bamiyeh! I am not eating that! I won't have bamiyeh in my house." And with that, he emptied the pot into the toilet and flushed. The toilet overflowed. I was perturbed, to put it mildly, because even if he didn't like it, I did, and I would have eaten that fragrant pot. I never again cooked bamiyeh while we were married.

This year, my CSA share includes okra every other box or so, which is good for an okra lover like me. Today I made it with chicken. In Arabic, this dish is known as Bamiyeh bil Djaj, or okra with chicken.

Lebanese Chicken stewed with Okra
1 large or 2 med onions, chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 ea chicken wings, thighs & drumsticks
olive oil
1 heaping tsp mixed Arabic spices, apple pie spice or allspice
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp chicken bouillion powder
2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes in juice
1 lb fresh okra, in 1 inch chunks

In a large, heavy, dutch oven, brown chicken pieces on all sides, set aside and wipe chicken fat out of pan, leaving just a thin film. Saute onions in dutch oven, adding up to 2 Tbs olive oil to keep them from sticking. When translucent, add garlic and spices and saute for a minute to release the aromas and essential oils. Add the tomatoes, bouillion powder, okra, and 1 tomato can of water (can use part white wine or lemon juice as well). Stir well and bring to a simmer. Tuck the chicken pieces into the pot, making sure that they are fully immersed. Bring to slow simmer, cover tightly, and let cook for about 45 minutes until the chicken is falling off the bone and okra is very tender. Serve over rice, couscous or polenta, or just eat it with a spoon!

This was so delicious! One change I would make would be to use chicken with the skin on to help it keep its shape because the thighs shredded a bit in the pan. Other than that, it was perfection!

Goodbye, Mary Margaret McBride

2010-04-24T15:35:00.000-05:00

I've come to the realization that things are not memories.

I've been decluttering and unpacking boxes which are in my infamous "box room" aka den. I moved back to this house more than a year ago, and since there is no garage, all the boxes have been stored in what used to be my den. I unpacked everything I need to live long ago, yet there are lots of boxes in the room which makes it unusable for anything but box storage and a hiding place for my cats. Mind you, the amount of boxed "stuff" stored here is probably about a quarter of what was stored in the garage of doom in Richmond Hill, so I've made huge strides.

In the last few weeks, I've unpacked about 8 really big boxes and have filled three for the church yard sale. I've thrown away a lot and recycled a lot and kept a little bit. I've started this process from the "other" side of the room, because I'm looking for a couple of specific things and the boxes nearer to the entry have all been opened already. That's part of the problem - the opened and half-empty boxes. If I can put the boxes in some kind of order, I can deal with them better, but right now, its all pretty overwhelming - the mess, the opened boxes, the lack of labels ...

My goal is to open and survey every box, immediately remove the items that I know I do not want any longer, and then repack and re-order the boxes so that I can make some judgements later on. I think if I do this, I will half the amount of crap in my box room, making it a usable den with some boxes again. I'll have to ask my organizational guru, Michele, if she thinks this will work.

Today I opened a box of cookbooks, and at the bottom was the huge, well worn and well loved Encyclopedia of Cooking by Mary Margaret McBride. Immediately after WWII, when my mother was a new bride, she and her mother grocery shopped together every week, and every week, my grandmother would buy another chapter of this tome - one for her and one for my mother. This cookbook was quite the exhaustive reference for its day - it had everything from how to can, pluck a chicken and make an eggroll, to napkin folding and all kinds of ethnic food. With this cookbook, Grammie and Mom cooked many an adventurous ethnic meal - in particular, the chinese meal complete with egg rolls is still talked about in our family.

Mom took her volume of Mary Margaret McBride to the Inn and earned quite a reputation for what we billed as "continental cuisine" in 1950 and 1960 Sunapee, NH - not quite the chic cosmopolitan capital of NH, its true, but still....

Mary Margaret is held together with duct tape. Her pages are worn and stained. The plastic lamination of the cover is dry, brittle and flaking off. It weighs more than 10 lbs. I will never use it, but as I held it in my hands, I hesitated to get rid of it. I tried to remember the last time my mother actually pulled it out and used it, and I can't. She carried that book from Everett to Medford, to Everett, to Sunapee, to California and finally, to Savannah. It has had a home in a bedroom, a couple of apartments, a motor home for 15 years and several houses. Its been in my cookbook bookcase for almost 13 years, and not once in those 13 years has it been used. Yet, I'm struggling with whether to keep it or not.

So, I did what I always do - I got a second opinion. In the end, everything that is mine will one day be my only child's, so I asked her if she wanted me to keep it for sentimental reasons, and she doesn't. She doesn't remember it propped open while my mother cooked. She doesn't remember two heads bent over it, laughing and planning their next culinary adventure, one head under 5 feet and silver and the other thick and black. These are my memories, not hers. Her text to me said, "I don't want it. You can get rid of it. It's ok." And with that "It's ok" I decided to throw it in the trash - but not before taking a quick picture of it so I can remember it.

It feels like another goodbye to my mother, but really, its goodbye Mary Margaret McBride. I guess I'm growing up. Farewell.

Menu for a Special Dinner

2010-04-07T09:52:00.005-05:00

I owe a friend a home-made birthday dinner which will finally *FINALLY* be collected on Friday night. Since I have to work on Friday, dinner needs to be quick and easy, but also delicious and elegant. Bright Week equals meat to most of us Orthodox, so that was a no-brainer. The menu seems to have a decidedly French flavor, doesn't it? Here is what I've come up with so far - I welcome suggestions, so don't be shy!

Hors d'oevres:
I dunno... maybe a few olives and nuts

Main Meal:
Steak au Poivre with cognac shallot sauce
roasted new potatoes
roasted broccoli with parmesan (God Bless Ina Garten's wonderful recipes!!)

Salad frisee with my usual vinaigrette

Dessert:
I'm kinda stuck here.... I have a lot of pascha cheese left - its orange almond flavor this year. I was thinking I could get some little phyllo cups, put a spoon of pascha cheese in there, top with raspberries or strawberries macerated in kirsch or amaretto, with a dollop of creme fraiche or whipped cream on top and a few slivered almonds.

I plan on making espresso and serving a nice merlot or cabernet, and getting a fresh boule

I think it will be pretty easy to do:

The salad can be put together in the morning or even the day before, as can the macerated fruits. I can arrange a little hors d'oevres dish the day before too. I should probably toast the almonds the day before.

When I get home, I should open the wine to let it breathe, press the peppercorns into the steak, put out the phyllo cups on some dessert dishes. I can also dress the potatoes and broccoli with the olive oil and herbs and arrange them on the baking dishes. I should preheat the ovens.

When my guest arrives, I should put out the hors d'oevres, put the potatoes in the oven, take out the salad, put the broccoli in the oven, get the skillet hot for the steak and get the steak going. By the time the veggies are done, the steak should be done, or nearly so, and I can plate the steak and devote myself entirely to making the sauce. Then the vinaigrette, toss the salad, plate everything and we are good to go.

Its been a while since I cooked a nice dinner like this, probably a couple of years, and I realize that the "flow" of cooking that came to me so effortlessly now has to be planned. Yikes! I guess I need to have more dinner parties!

Friends, what do you think? Any suggestions?

Easy Kulich

2010-04-04T11:12:00.004-05:00

I love kulich! I love panettone! They are two very similar breads from two different parts of the world, shaped completely differently. Kulich is always a tall, cylindrical loaf full of fruit and nuts, originating in Russia, and is traditionally served at Pascha. Panettone is a round boule-shaped loaf full of fruit and nuts, originating in Italy, traditionally served at Christmas. I've been letting my bread machine knead and rise my panettone for years with great results, so this year, I decided to try this for my kulich.

The first thing you have to do is to decide what you are going to cook it in. Most recipes call for 1 or 2 lb coffee cans, but nowadays, coffee comes in cans with peel-off tops, and have a half-inch or so inner lip which makes getting the kulich out in one piece pretty much impossible. A large tomato can isn't really large enough in my opinion, though I nearly used one this year.

Then I remembered an old, hippy style vegetarian cookbook - one of the very first cookbooks I ever owned in the mid or late 1970s - Laurel's Kitchen. She advocated baking a dozen loaves of whole wheat bread at a time. Now, how can anyone possibly fit 12 loaves of bread in the oven, you ask? Easy! Use juice cans to bake them! I did this successfully for years and years while I was in my hippy phase... pretty much until I moved to Georgia from California. That was when I sold my blackened and well loved juice cans at a yard sale - yes, someone bought them to bake bread in! So, one can of pineapple juice later, I was ready to make my kulich.

Kulich dough is famously tempermental. It is very, very rich with many eggs, butter and fruit, which makes it difficult to rise. Sometimes, the gluten isn't strong enough to support the air pockets caused by the fermentation of the yeast when the dough is so very heavy and wet. Every year, at least one of my friends laments a flat or dry kulich.

This is what I did this year. Follow your bread machine's instructions as to the order ingredients should be added - my machine (a cheapie from Walmart) requires liquids to go in first with dry ingredients on top. I'll probably play with this recipe a bit, since it's not quite perfect yet...

Bread Machine Kulich

1/4 C Sherry or warm water

1/2 C dried fruits of your choice (I used raisins, dates and chopped apricots)

1/2 C milk (I used heavy cream)

3 large eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C sugar

zest of one lemon

1/4 C softened butter at room temp

2 1/2 C flour

1 1/2 Tbs yeast

1/4 C slivered almonds (opt)

First, plump your dried fruits in 1/4 C sherry for about a half hour. You should use 1/2 C of dried fruit. Drain the fruit and set aside, but reserve the soaking liquid to add to the bread machine with the milk.

Put all ingredients except the fruit and the nuts into the bread machine on the dough setting in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Turn the machine on.

While waiting, prepare the can by buttering it very, very well. Make sure that there are no sharp edges sticking out as sometimes happens when you open a can. Set the can aside.

At the appropriate time (mine beeps when ready), add in the fruit and nuts and let the machine do the work of kneading and rising.

When the rising is completed, take the dough out of the bread machine and place into the prepared large juice can. The dough will be very wet and sticky - you will probably need to use a spatula to scrape the dough off the sides and paddle of the bread machine. It will plop into the can. Use the spatula to "stab" it a few times to make sure that there are no major air pockets in the can, then smooth the top as best you can. Let it rise for about 20 minutes until it has nearly reached the top of the can.

Place into a preheated 350F oven and check after 40 minutes. It should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Mine needed 10 more minutes, so the total baking time was 50 minutes. Let it sit in the can for 5 or 10 minutes, then carefully slide the bread out - mine came out very easily. When I used to bake bread in cans, it always came out as long as I used butter or crisco to grease the cans.

I started this at 7:30 pm last night, and it was ready (still hot, but ready just the same) when I left for church at 10 pm. I didn't bother with any icing, firstly because I prefer my kulich without icing, and secondly because it was still hot from the oven!

Yummy, and so very easy! A picture will follow once I take one!

All About Pascha Baskets

2010-04-03T17:58:00.006-05:00

A couple of people have asked me some questions about traditional Russian Pascha baskets.

Here at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Fr. James will pass out red hard-boiled eggs at the end of the Paschal Divine Liturgy, which are then taken home and eaten. The traditional egg game is played with great gusto at the agape meal - last year, Pat Popiela vanquished all comers with her egg! I have an egg with your name on it, Pat!

We customarily share the contents of our baskets with each other. It is great fun to sample the different breads, meats (especially the sausage) and cheese:

How to Put Together a Traditional Pascha (Easter) Basket

Following the Resurrection Matins and Liturgy, it is traditional among Slavic peoples to have their "Pascha baskets" blessed. The gathered faithful place their baskets in a designated place in the church or parish hall and place lighted candles in the baskets. After the crowd has quieted down, the priest will begin the opening chant: "Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The congregations replies with "Amen!" and the foods are blessed, in three different groups, with three different blessings. The bread products are blessed first, then the dairy products, and finally, the meat products.

There are traditional foods among every Slavic group: Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Ruthenian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovakian, Croatian, Slovenian, Montenegrin, etc. Following is a list of foods commonly included in the basket. It is not necessary to include every item, nor are Pascha baskets restricted to the items listed below. The general rule is to place in the basket foods which will be eaten during the Paschal dinner and from which one has abstained during the recent Great Lent and Holy Week.

BREAD (Kulich/Pascha): A sweet bread is always included in the basket, leavened with yeast. This is a symbol of the New Covenant; the Jews made unleaved bread, and we, the Children of the New Covenant, make leavened bread. Pascha and Kulich normally refer to the same thing, a sweet yeast bread rich in eggs, butter and fruit. In the Russian tradition, it is baked as a tall, cylindrical loaf, with white frosting and decorated with â€œXBâ€� on the top. The abbreviation XB is in Cyrillic writing and does NOT equal "ex bee" but "cha veh," the initials for "Christos Voskrese!" - "Christ is Risen!"). This bread is symbolic of Christ Himself, He Who is our Bread of life. In other Slavic Orthodox traditions, the bread is calledPascha and baked as a round loaf with a golden crust decorated with some symbol indicative of Christ, such as a braided cross, a lamb or something similar. Sometimes a cross of dough is placed on top, and the entire loaf rimmed with a braided plait of dough giving it a crowned effect.

However, there are ethnic groups where Pascha and Kulich do not signify bread, and are quite different foods. In fact, among those groups, the Pascha becomes the bread and the Kulich becomes what will appear below as Sirets or Hrutka. The Greek version of this bread is called Tsoureki and is braided with three strands with red hard boiled eggs. The three stranded braid is a display of the Holy Trinity

CHEESE (Sirets): There are different types of cheese which are traditional, depending on the ethnic group. Sirnaya Paska is a sweet cream cheese which is formed in a carved, pyramid-shaped mold, making a spectacular appearance when unmolded on Pascha night. This cheese is eaten alone, with fruit, or is spread on slices of the traditional Kulich. Hrutka is an egg custard-type cheese shaped into a ball which has a rather bland but sweet taste, and is intended to indicate the moderation that Christians should have in all things. Also, cream cheese is sometimes placed in a small dish and decorated with initials or patterns by placing peppercorns or cloves in appropriate patterns.

MEAT: Meat is included in remembrance of the sacrifice of the Old Testament Passover, which has been replaced by Christ, the New Passover and Lamb of God. Ham (Shoon'-ka) is the flesh meat popular among Slavs as the main dish for several reasons: a) the richness of its meat is symbolic of the great joy and abundance of Easter and b) of the richness of the joy in Christ we ought to have, and c) our freedom from the Old Law, now that all things have been made clean in Christ (as indicated to the apostle Saint Peter in the dream on the rooftop at Joppa [Acts 10:9-16]). Being freed from the Old Law and from the curse of death, which is the wage of sin, all things are now permissible to eat - and ham, the most forbidden of all the "unclean" foods is now symbolic of our total redemption. Many of the faithful will include meats like roasted veal, roast beef, and other foods prepared well ahead of time - foods which can be enjoyed without a lot of last-minute preparation. Those who have been preparing all week are already exhausted, but, being filled with joy at Our Lord's Resurrection from the dead, are looking forward to sitting down to a celebratory feast. Other ethnic groups, such as Greeks and Arabs, may traditionally bring some lamb in their basket.

BUTTER (Mas'-lo): The butter is usually shaped into a figure of a lamb or of a three-barred cross and decorated in much the same fashion as the sirets (cheese) above. Butter is to remind us of the goodness of Christ that we are to demonstrate to all men by our lives in Him.

SAUSAGE (Kohl-ba'-ssi): A spicy, garlicky sausage of pork, veal, beef and other products. This is indicative of God's favor and generosity to us sinners.

BACON (Sla-ni'-na): A piece of uncooked bacon cured with spices. This symbolizes of the lavishness and overabundance of God's mercy toward sinners.

SALT (Sol): A condiment necessary for flavor reminding Christians of our duties toward others to "flavor" the world. This is a reminder to us that we are the salt of the earth.

EGGS: Red eggs are commonly placed in the baskets. Red eggs are likened to the tomb from which Christ arose. This is because of the miracle of new life which comes from the egg, just as Christ miraculously came forth from the tomb. Pysanky (Py-san'-ky): These are highly decorated eggs with symbols and markings made with colored dyes and beeswax. Covered with extremely complicated and intricate designs, some of these eggs take a full week to complete. The word "pysanky" derives from the verb "pysat'," meaning "to write." A pysanka, then, is an egg which has been written (drawn) upon. Eggs represent the new life and Resurrection. There are some fascinating pious legends concerning the origin of these pysanky. Pysanky are not for eating -- they are kept for years simply for their beauty. They are also a very popular Paschal gift.

BITTER HERB: The bitter herb, often horseradish (Hrin) or garlic, serves as a reminder of the first Passover (horseradish is eaten as a traditional part of the Jewish Passover meal) and of the bitter sufferings which Christ endured for our sake. Sometimes the herb is colored red with beets, symbolizing the Blood of Christ spilled for us during His Passion, which is still in the minds of the faithful, but which is now sweeted with some sugar because of the Resurrection.

WINE: In some places, it is also customary to include a bottle of wine or Vodka. Poorer areas of Eastern Europe tended to ignore this element of the basket (e.g. Southern Poland, Northern Czechoslovakia, Northeastern Hungary), but American descendants are beginning to include them once again.

All the food articles are placed in a wicker basket, and a ribbon or bow is tied to the handle. A linen cover, normally quite intricately embroidered with various Resurrection themes and symbols of Christ, or simply an intricate multicolored border and the words "CHRISTOS VOSKRESE" or "CHRIST IS RISEN," is placed over the food when it is brought to the church. At the time of the basket blessing, the decorative cover is removed and a lit candle is placed in the loaf of bread.

Korean Scallion Pancakes

2010-03-13T12:00:00.003-05:00

When I lived in Mountain View, California, I used to patronize a little Mom and Pop Korean restaurant. The food was delicious, plentiful and inexpensive. One of the appetizers that dear daughter and I would often get as a meal was called Pa Jun - eggy pancakes flavored with minced scallions and served with a vinegar & soy sauce dipping sauce. Oftentimes, these pancakes were garnished with sesame seeds. We loved these pancakes and sometimes would get them for lunch.

Years later, I came across a couple of different ways to make them. One calls for a dough that is kneaded, rolled into a tube, then coiled into a circle, rolled thin and finally, cooked on a hot griddle. Although these look delicious, they are definitely not what dear daughter and I loved so much.

Here is a foolproof, quick and easy way to make these delicious pancakes!

Korean Scallion Pancakes (Pa Jun)
1 large egg
1/2 C all-purpose flour (not self-rising)
1 bunch scallions, minced, using 2 inches of the green
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C ice water

Place a small, well-seasoned cast iron skillet on the stove, about 6 inches across and heat on medium-low heat. wipe bottom of skillet with vegetable oil. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg till frothy. Then whisk in flour, ice water and salt till smooth, then stir in scallions. Fill a 1/2 C measure with the batter and drop on the hot skillet, cooking till browned on one side, about 2 min. Flip and cook another 2 min. Repeat with rest of batter. Serve warm with dipping sauce or Ponzu sauce.

Dipping Sauce
3 Tbs rice wine vinegar
3 Tbs soy sauce
pinch red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

Today, I made these in my nonstick silver dollar pancake pan which worked like a charm! I think I'll always make them this size now, because they are so easy to pick up and dip in the sauce using your fingers.

Pascha Cheese 2009 Redux

2010-03-06T15:36:00.003-05:00

My friend Michele was opining about pascha cheese on Facebook today, which got me thinking about when I need to start my pascha cheese this year. Pascha is in..... gulp.... only four weeks! Now, if you think I'm crazy for thinking so far ahead, then you don't know what an Orthodox Choir Director's life is like during Lent and Holy Week. For example, between Lazarus Saturday (the day before Palm Sunday) and Pascha itself, a time period of only 8 days, I will direct/sing about 17 services, all of which are basically nonstop singing of music which is completely different for each service and sung only once a year. Yep. To prepare a choir for this liturgical marathon takes a number of extra practices during the month prior.... probably five rehearsals in all this year. And don't forget the regular weekly services during Lent: Vespers on Saturday night, Matins and Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning, Presanctified Liturgies on Wednesday and Friday evenings. It pays to be organized and to look ahead.

Last year, I used my online friend Rebecca M's pascha cheese recipe with real farmer's cheese, and it was a winner. It set up wonderfully in my little red plastic pascha cheese mold. I think the plastic molds don't work as well as the wooden ones for some reason - maybe the wood wicks the moisture away from the cheese better. Maybe someday I will get a beautiful carved wooden mold, but not this year. This year I will use the red plastic mold and little flower pots for the overflow.

Here is Rebecca's original recipe so that I don't lose it, along with her comments:

Sure -- my version is a raw egg recipe. I've never had an issue with this, but I've begun to worry that I should shift it a bit. I'm considering trying making the egg yolks into a custard and cooking them that way -- but I hesitate to wing it with a batch the size I make. Although, I got much, much less careful about being exact with this recipe when I read somewhere that the butter and cream and egg yolks are in the recipe to compensate for the fact that the cheese they use in Russia is much higher in fat -- so it's just basically taking farmers cheese and fattening it up. With all of those caveats, here's the recipe.

Rebecca's Sirnaya Pascha

In a large bowl, put:

3 lbs of farmer’s cheese

Break it up with a spoon or potato masher (or pass it through a sieve if you are both a perfectionist and a masochist).

In a separate large bowl:

12 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

Beat until pale and ribbon forms.

Add:

1 tspn vanilla extract
1 tspn almond extract
1 cup heavy cream

Beat for a minute or two.

Add:

1 pound butter (melted and cooled)

Add the cheese to the egg mixture.

Add nuts and dry fruit as desired:

1/2 cup crushed, thinly sliced almonds
3/4 cup yellow raisins
[other dried fruit according to personal preference]

Line a large flower pot or wooden mold with cheese cloth. Fill with the sirnaya pascha. Cover with a dish, weight down, set in a bowl (to catch liquid that drains) and leave it until ready to serve.

(Best if prepared 2 days in advance)

Lebanese Spinach and Lentil Soup - Rishta

2010-03-06T07:08:00.003-05:00

I think I've blogged before about my love affair with lentils. If not, well, suffice it to say that I adore lentils! I always have, even as a child. Don't ask me why, I just do. As with all great love affairs in history, I spend as much time as possible with my beloved. On Thursday night, I made rishta, a wonderful, homey, Lebanese lentil and spinach soup.

My Lebanese mother-in-law was an outstanding cook, and while we often had different opinions, she always loved that I appreciated her cooking. She made the first rishta I ever had, and I was smitten, so I went home and tried to duplicate it. No luck - mine was just not as good as hers, and she NEVER gave recipes out. She did this because it meant that she would have lots of people visiting and she could cook for them. Old-time Lebanese women never wonder why they were created, or what their role in life is - they already know that it's to feed hungry people! Then we visited her sister Rose one day, and as we were visiting, she decided to cook something for us. That something was rishta. The best rishta in the entire world. Aunt Rose laughed at me because I was nearly swooning with bliss, and Uncle George said to my husband, "That's an odd one you got there, Jerry." Of course, I asked for the recipe, and Aunt Rose told me the secret to good rishta. It was like hitting the motherlode! When we got home that day, I immediately made a pot. In fact, I made so much rishta over the next month or two that Jerry finally asked me to stop!

The other night, I needed to use about a half pound of fresh, organic baby spinach, and rishta floated into my mind. I haven't made it in a long time and decided to whip up a pot. I also had a pound of frozen spinach and I always have lots of lentils on hand, so I was in business. Hunger dictated that I use store-bought noodles instead of making my own, but if you just happen to baking some pita bread, use one ball of dough for the noodles. Just roll it out very thinly, maybe 1/8 inch, cut into 1/4 inch strips, then slice diagonally so they are about 1 inch in length. Here is my recipe:

Rishta

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped
1-1/2 tsp dried basil
1 Tbs ground coriander seed
1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over and washed
1 Tbs bouillion powder (I like Vogue Veggie Base)
1 bay leaf
8 cups water
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lb baby spinach or chopped spinach, fresh or frozen, or other greens such as chard
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup broken vermicelli or other soup noodles

Pick over and wash the lentils. Place in a soup pot with the bay leaf, bouillion powder and water, and simmer until the lentils are almost tender - about 35 minutes or so. While the lentils are simmering, prepare the onions. Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onion till beginning to carmelize. Add basil, coriander, garlic to the onions. Season with salt and pepper and continue to saute until the edges of the onion are carmelized and the spices are very fragrant. Add the sauteed onions to the pot, scraping every last bit of goodness out of the frying pan and into the soup pot and bring back to a simmer. Add in the pasta and simmer for a couple of minutes while you wash and chop the spinach. Add the spinach and taste for salt and pepper. When the pasta is done, the soup is ready to eat. This is traditionally served with a squeeze of lemon juice in each individual bowl. This made 4 hearty servings.

Aunt Rose told me that Syrians sometimes put tomatoes in as well, but she would never do such a thing! I never do either, but its a thought...

Bubble and Squeakish

2010-02-26T09:13:00.005-05:00

For us Orthodox Christians, it is Great Lent, a season of preparation for Pascha, the Feast of Feasts, the touchstone and center of our spiritual year. We prepare ourselves by forgiveness of others, increasing our personal and corporate prayer, performing works of charity, and abstaining from sin, spiritual laziness, passions, and yes, certain foods. For a season, we become vegans: no flesh meats, fish with backbones, dairy, wine, eggs, or oil. On a few days, we are permitted fish, wine and oil, in particular, olive oil. There are individual differences and cultural differences, but this is basically the goal that we are all striving towards.

We Orthodox tend to think of fasting not as punishment - we don't punish ourselves into holiness as it may seem. Instead, we think of fasting as a means of exercising our spiritual muscles. With strong spiritual muscles, we can better fight the good fight. That is why, if you talk to 10 Orthodox, you will find at least 11 different fasting rules! The fast is applied individually like a medicine, to combat a specific individuals spiritual ills, and everyone's prescription is different, worked out with the advice of your spiritual father or parish priest, who is usually one and the same person, but not always, or you may have a spiritual mother, too. So, forgive me my weakness, but I do not abstain from olive oil. You can make adjustments to my recipes by omitting the oil and using broth or water to saute in a non-stick pan.

So... what is a vegan to eat when she hasn't been food shopping in far too long, and a search of the pantry and fridge offers up some potatoes, onions and a tired head of cabbage? The answer is bubble and squeak, of course! I don't pretend that my version is in anyway authentic, but it sure was delicious and certainly provided a nice, hot meal on a cold evening, as well as lunch the next day.

Bubble and Squeakish or, Cabbage Hash Browns

2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 small to medium onion sliced into strips

half a medium head of cabbage, sliced into strips

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp herbes de provence

olive oil

I peeled my potatoes because they were beginning to sprout and when that happens, a slight greenishness appears just underneath the skin. This is bitter and, I believe, it is quite bad for you, so be sure and peel your old potatoes! If the potatoes were fresher, I would not have peeled them.

Brush the bottom of a large, deep, nonstick frypan, like a wok or a chicken fryer (I used a chicken fryer), with about 1 tsp of oil. Add in the onions, season with a little salt and pepper, and saute until translucent over medium heat. Add in the potatoes and continuing sauteing until the potatoes are nearly tender and the onions are just beginning to carmelize. Add in the cabbage and herbes de provence, stir well so that the herbes are well distributed throughout, adding a little more oil if necessary, then cover the pan for about 5 minutes to wilt the cabbage. Uncover, stir and you should see that the potatoes are beginning to get a nice toasty brown and the onions are nicely carmelized, but still soft. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if necessary, then turn the heat to high and stir fry for a minute or two. Take off the heat and smash some of the potatoes with the back of a serving spoon. Enjoy!

I was pretty hungry, so I ate this right out of the pan. While I was boxing the leftovers for my lunch the next day, I thought that this would provide a base for a wide range of flavors and ingredients. I could picture this with some curry as a filling for samosas; as the base for a baked omelette or a quiche; or even as the filling for some yummy pierogies!

I still have half the cabbage in the fridge, so I think I'll try one of these ideas and let you know how it turned out!

Beet This!

2010-02-23T18:48:00.001-05:00

I have restarted my CSA - every two weeks I receive the "petite" box for $18. The last box contained a beautiful bunch of baby beets which I peeled and roasted together with carrots, a rutabaga, potatoes, a sweet potato and brussels sprouts. Oh yes.... very yummy, and very pretty too. I've blogged about roasted veggies before, so you know what to do. However, this left me with a bunch of gorgeous beet greens. Last night, I finally decided to saute them and eat them with a pita. Man oh man, how delish! I didn't take a photo, mostly because I couldn't wait to eat! The little pop of sweet date is delicious when matched with the slight tartness of the lemon juice. Use bread to sop up all the juices!

Sauteed Greens
1/2 large onion, sliced into julienne type strips
2 garlic cloves
1 bunch greens (beet greens this time), carefully washed, but not dried - you want the water clinging to the leaves
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
salt and pepper to taste
2 dates, minced
Olive oil for sauteeing
juice of half a lemon
Pita

Sautee the onion and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes, till wilted. Season with salt, pepper and herbes. Chop the greens into strips and add to the pan, stirring while sauteeing - they will wilt quickly. Once wilted, add the minced dates and continue to saute until the greens are cooked to your liking. Drizzle juice of half a lemon over all and use pieces of pita bread as a scoop to eat.

After I had eaten it all, I thought how delicious this would have been with the baby beets roasted and cubed, and dressed with lots of fresh dill. Maybe I'll buy a bunch of turnips to cook this way with the turnip greens and try it out...

This is a very southern Italian way of eating greens. Sicily, in particular, has a number of greens dishes which include raisins and pine nuts.

Tomorrow - bubble and squeak, I think!

Black Bean Patties

2009-11-15T18:53:00.003-05:00

Dear Daughter is coming home over Thanksgiving weekend (with a "friend" no less), and Philip's Fast (Advent for you non-Orthodox) begins today, so I wanted to start laying in a supply of yummy vegan foods in my freezer. The first thing I made were these yummy, south of the border flavored black bean patties. They are individually wrapped in my freezer, and just need a little bake in the toaster oven, or in a frypan, or even just a quick thaw! I think that next time, I'll add a half cup of corn kernals - if I do that, I think I'll get 9 or 10 out of this recipe. You can flavor these any way that you like - I made mine kind of Mexican.

South of the Border Black Bean Patties

3 C well-cooked black beans
1/2 - 1 tsp salt (I used Adobo seasoning)
1 heaping tsp ground cumin
1 heaping tsp Italian seasoning (need that bite of oregano here)
1 C dry bread crumbs (I used Italian)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 3 Tbs finely minced onion
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 C water
1/4 C flour (for dredging)
Olive oil for frying

Mash first nine ingredients together, but leave some of the beans chunky for a nice texture. The breadcrumbs will make it very dry, so add up to 1 C water to make it a stiff, but still moist, consistency - a consistency that can easily be formed into balls or patties. Taste for salt and heat. Form into eight patties - I made slightly oval ones that will fit nicely into half a pita. On a nonstick grill, I sprayed a little pure olive oil and browned them well on both sides.

Once they cooled off, I wrapped them individually and froze them. I plan on serving these with lettuce, onion, olives, peppers and salsa, and maybe a dollop of vegan sour cream substitute in half a pita. I think my college-age daughter and her guest will enjoy these as lunch or a snack.

If I can, I'll take a photo when they eat them.

Vegetarian Paella

2009-09-01T06:29:00.003-05:00

So.... I'm still experimenting with my handy dandy rice cooker, and this recipe is a keeper! Not only is it quick and easy, it is also beautiful and delicious! Alas, no photos because my camera is nowhere to be found, but trust me when I say it looks as beautiful as it tastes.

I love paella. Its a comfort food from my childhood for me. When I was a child, my father drove my mother and me all the way from Boston to Mexico to spend the winters. We spent four or five winters traveling around Mexico, until it was time for me to go to grammar school. My mother often told the story of how she was knitting on the beach while watching me dig in the sand, and this delicious aroma kept wafting towards her, making her mouth water. Eventually, she gathered me up, followed her nose, and found a man cooking a huge pan of paella. She described a pan about 3 feet in diameter, set over a wood fire, bubbling away. The fishermen pulled their boats into shore and the seafood that they caught was cleaned right there and tossed into the bubbling mixture. When it was done, Mom purchased a portion and we ate it right there on the beach and she was a paella convert! Her Spanish was passable, and she was an excellent experienced cook, so all she really needed was a list of ingredients, which she charmed out of the man cooking the paella, and we've been eating paella ever since.

Paella is usually made with combination of fish, seafood, and another meat which could be chicken, pork or sausage. In my home while growing up, it was usually fish, seafood, chicken and sausage. It was a festiive, exotic, expensive dish with a real WOW factor, particularly in snowy Boston in the 1950s and 1960s, which was about as far away from sunny Mexico as you can get, so it was reserved for company or special occasions, like my high school graduation party. When I had my own home, I also made paella for guests - it was one of my go-to meals, along with chicken cooked in wine from my grandmother's recipe, kibbe and grape leaves, and an old fashioned pot roast.

But now I am basically a vegetarian, only rarely eating meat or fish, and I have a fridge full of beautifully fresh produce, as well as a nearly new rice cooker...... So, here is what I did:

Vegetarian Paella

2 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 scant tsp Italian herbs (use this rather than Herbes de Provence, because you really need the bite of oregano)
1 tsp sweet paprika (I used smoked)
1 large yellow crookneck squash, in 3/4" cubes
1 large zucchini in 3/4" cubes
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 tsp Vogue Veggie Base powder or other bouillion powder
1 10 oz can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles, mild, drained with juice reserved
pinch saffron
1 1/2 C risotto rice (Arborio, Carnaroli, Valencia, or other medium grain rice)
water & tomato juice mixed to make 2 C
1 C frozen peas
1/2 C sliced black olives

Set the cooker to regular white rice cycle and coat the bottom of the pan with the oil. Mix water into the reserved tomato juice until you have 2 C, and then soak the saffron in it while you prepare the vegetables. As you chop the veggies, put them in the hot pan, starting with the onion, and stir. When all the veggies except the peas and olives are in the pot, stir in the rice, then stir in all the herbs, spices and bouilliion powder. Stir in the liquids, making sure that all the ingredients and flavorings are well distributed. Close the pot and reset for the regular white rice cycle. When the cycle finishes, sprinkle the peas and olives on top, close the cover, and let steam for five minutes. Open the cover, stir the peas and olives into the rice, taste for salt and pepper, and eat until you simply can't eat any more!

This was yummy with a glass of white wine and a slice fresh plum clafouti with yogurt and honey for dessert.

Paella can easily be made in very large quantities on top of the stove as well. Simply follow the proportions of rice to liquid to vegetables and follow the cooking times on your bag of rice.

My Mom and I have found that cooking paella the traditional way, much like risotto - in an open pan with liquids being added gradually - takes a variable amount of time to cook, so years ago, she opted to simmer it in a closed pan like cooking a regular pot of rice, with no loss in texture or flavor, but with a reliable cook time. Try it both ways and see what works best for you.

Israeli Couscous

2009-05-16T08:03:00.001-05:00

I treated myself to a new kitchen appliance for Mother's Day.

Years ago, I loved my rice cooker, but I hated the clean up - everything crusted on the bottom and it was difficult to scrub it out. The more I scrubbed, the more things sticked. But... it cooked rice beautifully and it left my stove top free for other pots and pans. I don't know what happened to that rice cooker - in one of my moves it disappeared, I guess.

I've been reading about the new fuzzy logic rice cookers that can do so many things and decided that I would get one. Dear daughter is home from college for the summer and eats a lot of rice and pasta, so I figured it would get quite a work out. After researching it online, I settled on what I believe is the best combination of price and utility and purchased an Aroma 8 cup cooker with a nonstick pan, steaming basket and settings including keep warm, steam, white rice and brown rice. There's a photo of it at the end of the post. I've been playing with it all week.

The first thing I made was not-fried rice which was pretty good, but needs some tweaking before I send it off into cyberspace. However, the second thing I made is a real keeper - Israeli couscous!

A couple of months ago, I noticed a bin of Israeli couscous at my local health food store and brought some home without a clue as to what to do with it. Couscous is just pasta, really, and Israeli couscous is large, individual pearls, maybe 1/16th inch in diameter. They remind me very much of the pasta called pastina which is often used in Italian wedding soup, just larger. I was a little apprehensive about cooking pasta in the rice cooker - I am Italian, after all - but the rice cooker cooked them to perfection with slight al dente bite to them. I can't wait to try other pastas, now!

Israeli Couscous in the Rice Cooker
1/2 onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 C Israeli couscous
2 C water
3 tsp chicken or veggie broth powder
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp Herbes de Provence

Add the olive oil, onion and carrots to the cooker and press the white rice button. Let the veggies cook for a few minutes while you get everything else ready. Then, add all the above ingredients, stir well, and press the white rice cycle again. While the rice is cooking, get the garnishes ready:

Garnishes
2 oz nicoise olives, pitted and chopped
8 oz frozen peas
2 Tbs pepitas or other nut or seed for some crunch

When the cooking cycle is done, stir the garnishes in, and close the cover for a minute or two to make sure that the peas are steamed a bit and fully defrosted.

Dear daughter dislikes peas, but with a little coaxing, she will eat them, so I was hesitant about putting them in this dish. However, they've been sitting in my freezer for a while and I wanted something green in the dish and in they went. After her first bite, DD exclaimed, "Hey, I think I actually like peas this way!" What a victory for dear old Mom, huh? Maybe your pea-hater will like them too! It looked so pretty, too, nice enough for guests, I think.

This would serve 5 or 6 as a side dish as is and probably 3 or 4 people as a main dish with the addition of half a can of chickpeas.

Next time, I'm going to try using some lemon juice or wine in the couscous, I think.

Quick Vegan Corn Chowder

2009-03-21T15:11:00.005-05:00

I'm from New England, the land of chowders, which is fortunate, because I absolutely love chowder. Basically, a chowder is a soup which always contains milk, onions and potatoes, and is usually thickened with flour. You can add seafood, like clams or crab or fish, or ham, or my personal favorite: corn! Yes, corn chowder is my most favorite chowder. With all of the nondairy cream and milk available, its easy to make a vegan chowder, and that is what I did. You can substitute dairy products if you want. I usually don't thicken my chowders with flour; instead, I mash up some of the potato until it is the consistency that I want. If you want potato soup, add another potato at the beginning and leave out the corn. Simple as that!

Quick Vegan Corn Chowder
4 large potatoes (about 2 lbs), peeled and diced in 1/2 inch cubes
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
olive oil for sauteeing
1 Tbs veggie broth powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 heaping Tbs salt (I use Adobo Seasoning Salt which adds a slight yellow color and garlic flavor)
generous pinch each of: rosemary, sage and marjoram
2 generous pinches thyme
4 C water
2 C corn kernals
2 C nondairy creamer
1 Tbs non-dairy margerine like Earth Balance

Saute the onions, carrots, celery and potatoes in olive oil until onions are transparent and veggies are starting to soften. Add cayenne, salt, rosemary, sage, marjoram and thyme and saute for another minute. Add the broth powder, then pour in the water and stir well. Simmer for 15 minutes until all the veggies are very tender. Use a potato masher or a hand-held immersion blender to puree the veggies, giving the soup more body. I prefer to use the potato masher because it leaves a white colored soup with little orange and pale green flecks which is so pretty! Pour in the creamer and the corn, and heat until the corn and soup are piping hot. Adjust seasonings. Serve with a little shaving of margerine on top for added richness.

Yum!

Chowders lend themselves to endless variations in spicing and ingredients, but sometimes its nice to chow down on a plain old New England classic like corn chowder.

Food Meme

2009-03-16T05:15:00.004-05:00

I got this from Palmabella, who got it from Nancy, who got it from Amy.

What is your go-to ingredient?
Herbes de Provence. I use them all the time.

What nationality of food do you like the best?
Hard to say.... I guess I would have to say Mediterranean rather than the food of just one country.

What’s your favorite meal of the day to prepare?
Dinner, definitely

What is/are your signature dish? (What dish are you ‘known’ for?)
Just one? Well, my daughter would say spaghetti aglia olio. My Dad would say Acadian split pea soup and maple oatmeal bread, preferably together. My Mom would say pasta puttanesca. My church friends would say tilapia Veracruz and boeuf bourgignonne. I say.... hm..... homely old pot roast.

What is your favorite comfort food?
Pasta, mashed potatoes, or ice cream

What cooking shows do you watch?
Giada DeLaurentiis, Michael Chiarello, Barefoot Contessa, Gordon Ramsey (esp The F Word), No Reservations

Your top three favorite cookbooks are:
Only three? Yikes! Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East, New York Times International Cuisine (circa 1970-ish), Vegan with a Vengeance

Your must-have kitchen accessory is:
My 9" chef's knife

Do you ever eat fast food? If so, what?
Yeah, a few times a month. I adore McDonald's fries.....

Most memorable meal you’ve had while on vacation:
My 10th anniversary dinner at Jaques in San Francisco

What restaurant do you want to eat at that you haven’t yet?
Locally, its Elizabeth's on 37th

What’s your favorite dessert?
creme caramel or flan

What scent in the kitchen do you love?
Onions and garlic being sauteed, and bread baking

What ingredient(s) do you avoid/dislike?
Pickled herring

What’s your secret splurge at the grocery store?
Good cheese!

What’s the most decadent dish you’ve ever had?
That would be at that fabled 10th anniversary dinner....... pate fois gras

What’s your favorite midnight snack?
If I eat really late at night, I'm usually eating crackers and hummus or leftovers

Koliva

2009-03-07T21:02:00.001-05:00

My father, Edmour Joseph Babineau, died January 23, 2009, and tomorrow we will celebrate the traditional 40 day memorial (in greek: parastas, in slavonic: panikhida) for him at church. We Orthodox remember the dead at every service, and on specific "soul" Saturdays in Lent, but tomorrow is special. There are special prayers for the soul as it departs from the body at the moment of death, and we hold what is called a memorial service on the 3rd, 9th, and 40th day, as well as at the 3 month, 6 month, 9 month and one year mark, and every year following. The 40th day is a echo of Christ's Ascension into heaven, and we will pray that Dad will also ascend to Heaven to spend eternity with God

I just finished making the memorial wheat for this service. This is variously known as koliva, hilbee, or kutia, depending on your ethnicity. A plate of this sweet wheat rests on the memorial table throughout Divine Liturgy and during the Memorial itself, after which all the congregation will partake of it. We boil wheat as a remembrance that mankind is placed in the earth like a seed, only to be raised up and blossom forth again through God's plan and power. This is a powerful reminder for Orthodox Christians of the words of St. John 12:24 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." The symbolism of death and resurrection, between that which is planted in the ground and that which emerges, is deeply embedded in the making and eating of koliva.

My father really loved memorial wheat and sometimes I would make it for him and mother as a breakfast treat. As I was chopping and toasting the nuts and seeds, I remembered happy times around that very same kitchen table: the four of us laughing and eating, or helping Elisabeth with her school work, or doing the crosswords, or just sipping coffee and deciding where to picnic the next day. Happy times, gone now.

But I'm not sad, I'm really not. My father was trapped in a body and a mind that failed him, and he's free now. I miss him, but that is nothing new - with Alzheimer's, the missing starts very early. And its not forever, you know. We'll meet again at the last. I am thinking a lot of him today, though. Here is the eulogy that I wrote for him and which was read so very beautifully by my dear friend, Carla McCurry:

Edmour Joseph Babineau
April 25, 1916 - January 23, 2009

Here are some remarks that Denise wrote about her father, which she has asked me to read to you today.

How do you measure a man’s life? Is it in the days, months, years? If so, at 92 years old, my father was rich. Is it in his possessions? If so, then I look at my father’s few mementos, the fishing poles, handles worn smooth through many years use, or maybe his trusty camera with all the lenses and filters and tripods, and think that perhaps my father was poor. Is it in the memories that a man leaves behind? Over the last few days, I’ve heard from countless people who knew my father, all of whom had their favorite, funny “Eddie” story. Maybe it was the one about the tomatoes that were so big that he had to cut them in half to get them in the door, or maybe it was the liver Popsicles, or maybe it was a memory of going fishing or golfing with him. Always, the memories were of laughter and fun. If memories measure a man’s life, then my father was rich.

Those of you who met my father when he was an old man missed out on so much. He was a real character - a great storyteller, unfailingly good humored, very smart, funny, loyal, brave, loving, a steadfast champion of the underdog, and could fix anything. He had a gluttonous love of cherry ice cream and Boston baked beans, though not together!

He loved his family more than anything. He passed his love of yardsaleing on to his granddaughter, Elisabeth. Together, they would hit the yardsales early on Saturday mornings, and haggle over prices, bringing home their treasures.

All his life, he loved traveling to new places and meeting new people. His Sunday drives for ice cream – to another state! – were legendary. He always said that someday he was going to buy a trailer and travel around the country. How many people get to live their dream? Well, my father did. He loved traveling in his motor home and did so for 15 years before settling down in Savannah. In that 27 footer, he traveled throughout the US, Canada and Mexico with my mom. He loved fishing and golfing, and was a seeded tennis player and professional boxer in his day. He was a real war hero, decorated in WWII and written up in the newspapers of the time.

My favorite memory of my parents is creeping downstairs early in the morning to the kitchen, and finding them dancing all alone to music only they could hear. He took tender care of my mother for many years, and never once complained.

He was a wonderful, loving, devoted husband, father and grandfather. He was a true gentleman, a charming raconteur and practical joker. He was honorable and true. He was everything a man should be and seldom is. He was one in a million, and we were so very lucky to have had him in our lives for almost 93 years. The world will be a sadder place without him. My daughter and I will miss him very much.

But right now, I think he’s standing just inside the pearly gates, the host extraordinaire, greeting newcomers as St. Peter’s right hand man, saying as he always used to at the Inn: “Welcome! Come on in. I have a special room just for you.”

Here is my recipe for Koliva, enough for home. For my church, I usually double it. I do not like it to be dry, so I leave out the zweiback or graham cracker crumbs.

Koliva

1 C soft wheat (very important - it must be soft, not hard, wheat)
1/2 C chopped nuts, like walnuts, toasted
1/2 C sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 C golden raisins
1/2 C chopped fruit (I like to use craisins)
1 heaping tsp ground cinnamon
1 C powdered sugar
zest of one orange
1 tsp anise seed, crushed a little

Simmer the wheat in 4 cups of water for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until very tender and cooked all the way through. Drain well and place in a large bowl with all the other ingredients. Stir very, very well to make sure that all the ingredients are mixed well. Let cool.

Once it is cool, place it in a flat serving platter. Smooth the top and decorate with silver dragees, jordan almonds, or other white candies in the shape of a three bar cross. I've used yogurt covered raisins when I couldn't get jordan almonds here in Savannah, and these work very well.

Enjoy. And if you make this, please, say a little prayer for my father as you eat it.

Kale Braised with Carmelized Onions and Rutabagas

2009-03-01T06:37:00.004-05:00

One thing I've learned about cooking is that you can never have too many carmelized onions! They are so very delicious that sometimes I eat them as a vegetable. I should have gone food shopping yesterday, but didn't want to brave the Saturday crowds, so I had a look in the fridge to see what I could put together. I had a lovely bunch of curly kale and a medium-sized rutabaga as well as a few onions, so this dish was born. Its really a riff on Italian minestra, which is garlicky greens and beans, and southern-style turnip greens with turnips. Whatever it is, it certainly is delicious - so delicious that I ate half of it in one sitting. Luckily, its pretty healthy, so no problem. The rest was packaged up for work lunches this coming week.

Kale Braised with Carmelized Onions and Rutabagas
2 Tbs butter or margerine
4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 onions halved and sliced very thin
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium rutabaga, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 Tbs smoked paprika
1 Tbs garlic salt/Adobo seasoning
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 bunch curly kale
2 Tbs water

In a large pot with a tight fitting lid, melt half the butter and 1 Tbs of oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute, stirring often, for about 10 minutes until starting to carmelize and brown. Add the remaining oil, minced garlic, rutabaga, paprika, salt and pepper, stir well so that everything is coated with oil and spices. Turn heat down to medium, cover tightly, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring twice, until rutabagas are just barely tender. Add water to keep from sticking if necessary - this should not be necessary if your pot is nonstick. Uncover, add the kale and stir well. Cover again and let steam for about 4 - 5 minutes, until kale is wilted. Stir well and adjust for salt and pepper.

The onions continued to carmelize as the other veggies were cooking and ended up sweet and almost sticky, as did the rutabagas, which also were beginning to carmelize. This would be yummy with a spritz of lemon juice, or even balsamic vinegar to cut the buttery richness of the oil. I used Earth Balance spread rather than butter, since that's what I had in the house (Lent is upon us, you know), and it was yummy. I think this would be a fabulous base for a pasta salad - just stir in about a half pound of pasta, cooked al dente.

Again, I have no photo, and I apologize. I've unpacked the camera, but haven't found the charger yet, so photos will have to wait. Suffice it to say that this was a very pretty dish, with the small orange cubes peeking out from the dark green of the kale.

In the Orthodox Church, the Rite of Forgiveness at vespers this Sunday afternoon is the official beginning of the fast, of Great Lent. Every person in the parish, from the youngest to the oldest, will line up and ask forgiveness of each other for what they have done and what they have failed to do during the past year. There is always much hugging and many tears as hurts are forgiven. It never fails to move me, and humble me as well. So, in the spirit of Forgiveness Sunday, dear brothers and sisters, I ask you to forgive me for my sins and offenses, for what I have done and what I have failed to do, for how I have consistently missed the mark and fallen short of Christ's example.

Gaucho Beans

2009-01-14T06:17:00.003-05:00

Sorry, no picture since I'm in the throes of unpacking after a move and my camera is..... somewhere......

Years ago, my parents fell in love with a Basque restaurant in California's Central Valley. Everytime they were within a hundred miles, they would stop and eat, and then rave about the food to me, particularly the beans. Now is a good time to tell you that my father has always been crazy about beans - any kind of beans, cooked any way. Being a good New England boy, his favorite has always been homemade Boston baked beans, but that will be another post. Anyway, they asked for the recipe of these beans many times, but never received it. I ate at that restaurant twice, and after the second time, my mother and I decided to try to duplicate the flavor. First, I went to the library to look at Basque cookbooks, or should I say, cookbook, which had one bean recipe with the interesting addition of coffee as the liquid. So, we experimented and finally came up with a recipe which is delicious and tastes pretty similar. We called it Gaucho Beans. Check out the vegan version of this recipe here on my vegan food blog.

I had this for dinner over rice last night, with a salad on the side and some applesauce for dessert. It was a pretty filling and delicious dinner, with plenty of leftovers for lunch this week.

Gaucho Beans

1 lb dry beans, picked over and soaked overnight (I used cranberry beans this time)
6 slices bacon
1 lg onion, quartered, then sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp rosemary
1/8 tsp thyme
2 whole cloves
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp ground cumin
1 bay leaf
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp beef bouillion powder
1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce (I used 1tsp Sriracha)
2 Tbs fruit vinegar (I used raspberry)
2 oz brandy
2 C coffee (or 1tsp instant coffee powder plus 2 C water)
3 C water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 C or more chopped fresh cilantro

Dice bacon and saute for a couple of minutes to render the fat. Without removing the bacon from the pan, saute the onions and garlic in the bacon fat until wilted. Add the rosemary, thyme, cloves, mustard, cumin, bay leaf, chili powder and Tabasco, and saute for a minute or two to bring out the flavor without burning the spices. Add the bouillion powder, vinegar and brandy and saute another minute, then add 2 cups strong coffee, 3 cups water and the soaked and drained beans. Note that there is no salt or pepper - add salt at the end of cooking, since salt tends to toughen bean skins when added during cooking.

Crock pot: cook on low for 8 - 10 hours

Pressure cooker: cook at 15 lbs pressure for 12 minutes

Stove top: simmer gently, partially covered, for about an hour.

When beans are creamy soft, but still retain their shape and have not burst, stir in salt and pepper to taste (I used an equal amount of Tony Chachere's seasoning salt instead of salt and pepper). Stir in the cilantro just prior to serving. Lightly mash a few of the beans to give the liquid some body and serve over rice, potatoes or noodles, or even as a side dish. This would be particularly delicious over cornmeal waffles, I think.

And the Worst Blogger Award goes to......

2008-12-15T09:44:00.000-05:00

ME, I'm sorry to say. I've neglected all my blogs this year, but I plan on being back in the saddle, or should I say, back in front of the computer in the new year.

Many of my faithful readers know that I own a rental house. Well, in April, I began eviction proceedings which took a very long time, and when I finally was able to regain possession of the house, the renters had totally trashed it. Every wall needed serious drywall repair, and one entire room (the largest one, of course) could not be repaired, so all the drywall had to come down. That was a blessing in disguise, because we found that the two full stack speakers had drawn so much juice that the wiring in that end of the room was fried. So, the entire room had to be rewired. They also removed every last bit of copper piping and wiring in the house, which ruined the air conditioner, heater and water heater - all of which needed to be replaced. Every light fixture was ripped apart, so they all needed to be replaced. The fridge and the stove had been kicked in, and all the inside shelving etc was missing, so they needed to be replaced. The under-sink plumbing in both bathrooms and the kitchen was missing, so that all needed to be replaced. Two of the three outside doors needed to be replaced, since you could see daylight through one "solid" door, and the sliders were cracked and the frame was bent. The screen room door and all the screens, as well as the light fixture and fascia board all needed to be replaced. All the carpets had major blood, pet and coffee stains and all needed to be replaced. The ceramic tile floor in the entry way, kitchen and dining room had many tiles that had been pried up and needed to be replaced. The wallpaper in the living room had blood stains all over it and needed to be replaced - they had been doing cock fighting in my living room! Argh! blind, shade and curtain was ruined and needed to be replaced.

When I first walked into the house, it looked like the floor was undulating - it was cockroaches. The house looked like something on HGTV - there were piles of clothing, food, garbage, dirty dishes, pots and pans, old mail all mixed together everywhere. There was human feces in the middle of the kitchen floor. The stench was unbelievable. I cried my eyes out when I first walked in.

But that is all a thing of the past! Just this week, my new renters signed a year-long lease and will take possession of my rental house on January 5th! Yay!

So, I will return to the land of the living once again! Thank you, everyone, for your patience, and I hope to "see" you on my blog in 2009!

Denise

The Vegan's 100 List

2008-09-14T19:55:00.001-05:00

The Vegan's 100 list was compiled by Hannah of Bittersweet . I found out about it from Bazu of Where's the Revolution a favorite Vegan blog I love to visit.

Hannah states " News travels pretty fast in the blogosphere, and the latest craze that’s been showing up on food blogs far and wide has been The Omnivore’s Hundred, a list of 100 foods that all omnivores should eat at some point in their lives. Well, I like the idea, but obviously that sort of thing just doesn’t fly with me. Instead, I present to you my revised list, The Vegan’s Hundred instead! Everything here is either naturally free of animal products or can be veganized, and just like the original, these foods vary from the every day to extraordinary, delectable and disgusting. They’re simply all of the things that, in my opinion, any vegan foodie should definitely sink their teeth into at least once."

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten. (I have put mine in green)
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment at Bittersweet once you’ve finished and link your post back to it.
5) Pass it on!

1. Natto
2. Green Smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. Haggis
5. Mangosteen
6. Creme brulee
7. Fondue
8. Marmite/Vegemite
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. Peanut butter & jelly sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart
16. Boba Tea
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza
20. Vanilla ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper (NEVER again!!!!!)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Caviar
29. Baklava
30. Pate
31. Wasabi peas
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Mango lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Mulled cider
37. Scones with buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Fast food french fries
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans
43. Dahl
44. Homemade Soymilk
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Stroopwafle
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi
57. Piña colada
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets
64. Curry
65. Durian
66. Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can
76. Pomegranate
77. Fauxstess Cupcake
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky
80. Croissants
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings
84. A meal at Candle 79
85. Moussaka
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and “cheese”
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. White chocolate
91. Seitan
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate
96. Bagel and Tofutti
97. Potato milk
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Raw cookie dough

The Vegan's 100 List

2008-09-14T19:55:00.000-05:00

Tom Yum - Thai Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup

2008-04-30T20:44:00.004-05:00

When Dear Daughter and I were in Decatur, we visited the most wonderful farmer's market I've been to since we lived in California. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! One of my finds there was Tom Yum paste at $1.75 - wow! How could I pass that up?

When the Ex was stationed in Thailand, he developed a real taste for Thai food, but back in the mid 1970s, it was pretty hard to find in Boston. We moved to San Jose, CA in 1980, and shortly thereafter, he came home from work very excited - the guys had eaten at a Thai restaurant for lunch that day, and he wanted to take me there! A days later, we pulled into the parking lot of a seedy looking bowling alley -- and trust me when I say that bowling is not my thing. He said not to worry, so I followed him on into the cutest little Thai restaurant! It was owned by a Thai man and his Anglo wife, and we became regulars. After a while, we'd simply tell him to cook us something good, and we'd greedily slurp up whatever he served us. I developed a real love for the simple Tom Yum soup.

So, back to the farmer's market..... I had the paste in my hands, but there were no directions on the jar. Internet came to the rescue though, and I decided that I would make the soup during Bright Week. Last night when I did a little food shopping, I picked up some fresh basil and some shrimp and I was set for tonight. I forgot some coconut milk, though, so I had to improvise. Here is what I did:

Tom Yum, Denise's Style
4 Tbs Tom Yum paste
1 Tbs minced garlic
2 large stalks celery, sliced fine
1 scallion, sliced fine
1 15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes in juice
1/4 C dried mushrooms
5 C water
1 Tbs veggie bouillion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red chili paste (hot stuff - use it to your taste)
2 Tbs nam pla (fish sauce)
2 Tbs lemongrass paste
1/4 C non dairy coffee creamer
1 tsp coconut extract
3 Tbs lime juice
1/4 C basil, sliced into ribbons

Set the water to boil in a pot. Mix in the tom yum paste, garlic, celery, scallion, tomatoes, mushrooms, bouillion, salt, chili paste and lemongrass paste. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the extract and creamer, then stir in the shrimp and let cook till just barely pink, about 2 minutes. Take off the heat. Stir in the lime juice and garnish with the basil.

DD actually had this dripping down her chin. She couldn't get enough of it! I thought it was yummy, but I think I'll have to hit my favorite Thai restaurant in town so I can figure out how to make it perfect!

All in all, this soup took about 15 minutes to prepare, and was tasty and healthy. It has only the fat found in the shrimp and the tom yum paste, and very few calories.

Life is too short to be a chicken in the kitchen! Live dangerously - cook something you've never eaten tomorrow! Try the Tom Yum!

Another update on Pascha Cheese 2008

2008-04-28T09:52:00.003-05:00

Today I unmolded the three little cheeses and found them to be perfect! In fact, they were actually firmer than any pascha cheese I've ever made before. I don't know if they needed to drain another day or two, or if the fact that they were room temperature when I first tried to unmold them on Pascha night made them too, too soft, but they sure are really yummy now.

Today is something called Confederate Memorial Day, and as a state employee, I have today off. I'm enjoying eating little bits of leftovers and generally relaxing after the strenuous Holy Week that I had.

Hm.... maybe some more pizza gaina! Check my archives for a series of posts about this quintessential Neapolitan Easter pie!

Pascha Cheese 2008 Results

2008-04-27T08:39:00.003-05:00

Dear Readers,

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

Well, the Larousse recipe stunk. It didn't get firm and was still runny in the center. It was completely unmoldable. However, before I flavored it, the taste was really yummy, and afterwards... well, it was sublime!

The favorite was definitely the pizza dolce, the second favorite was nutella, and third favorite was panettone, but I think that was because non-Italians have difficulty picturing what panettone actually tastes like - there is no taste memory there. The panettone flavor was my personal favorite.

So, as I've been sipping my espresso (with a slice of panettone spread with a little panettone flavored pascha cheese even if it is runny), I've been pondering how to save my three cheeses. I think the easiest will probably be to soften some more butter and mix it in.

Next year, I'll probably go back Diane's delicious recipe, but using ricotta. I think half of it will probably be pizza dolce flavored. Tune in next year to find out what other flavors I make!

This is the Day of Resurrection! Let us be illumined by the Feast! Let us call brothers even those who hate us, and forgive all by the Resurrection! And so, let us cry: Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs, bestowing life!

Ratatouille (not the mouse!)

2008-04-25T07:39:00.004-05:00

Dear Daughter and I watched the movie, Ratatouille, last month and absolutely loved it! So, that got me thinking about how long it had been since I made this delicious vegetable stew from the south of France. When I first became Orthodox, it was one of my main go-to lenten recipes - a real staple. I made it probably once a week or so for years, but when we moved here 11 years ago, Mom took over the kitchen and I think I've only made it two or three times since then.

Last week there were beautiful eggplants at the new Kroger where I shop, the first eggplants of the season, so I splurged and bought one. (HOW I LOVE THAT NEW KROGER!) I admired its perfection for a day, that's how beautiful it was! Then I decided to make ratatouille.

Here is my tried and true, favorite recipe:

Ratatouille
2 medium eggplants cut in 1" cubes
8 tomatoes cut into eighths
4 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2" cubes
4 green peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 1" squares
2 onions roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced finely
2 tsp dry thyme
2 bay leaves
1 - 2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 C dry white wine
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

Over medium heat, put the olive oil into a heavy bottomed dutch oven. When the oil is hot, saute the onions, garlic, zucchini and peppers for a about 5 minutes, adding more oil if necessary. Add in the eggplant, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper and wine. Stir well, then bring to a slow simmer, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and buttery, and the flavors are well melded.

I have often made this in the crockpot. Simply place the ingredients into the crockpot in this order: eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini and peppers. Lightly salt and pepper each layer, and sprinkle a little bit of onion, garlic and thyme on each layer as well. Bury the bay leaves and pour the wine over all. Cover tightly, set heat to med and let it cook all day, at least eight hours.

I have often made this in the 8 qt. pressure cooker as well. Layer the ingredients as for the crockpot. Lock the lid into place and bring to 15 lbs pressure. Cook for exactly 10 minutes and reduce the heat quickly according the manufacturer's directions.

This smelled so yummy as it was cooking, that it woke DD up from her apres-school nap! She wanted potatoes, so I made some garlic mashed potatoes and served the ratatouille on top, a la Vegan with a Vengance Punk Rock Chickpea Gravy which we dearly love and eat often.

There are a million variations on this theme. You might notice from the photo above that there are no visible peppers. Well, I didn't have any peppers, and it was still yummy! Sometimes I put in mushrooms, or during Lent, I might put in a can of drained chickpeas for the protein. Add some potatoes, change the thyme to oregano, drizzle olive oil over the finished dish and you have Greek briami. Add the potatoes, omit the oregano and the thyme and replace it with a handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped, and you have ciambotta from southern Italy, where my people are from.

I've served this over noodles and in bowls with crusty bread for dipping. I've simmered most of the liquid off, lightly mashed the veggies, and used it as dip and as a topping for crostini. It makes a wonderful filling for a quiche. There is no end to what you can do with the leftovers, if you're lucky enough to actually have leftovers!

No matter where in the world you are from, or where in the world you are, you will enjoy Ratatouille, and all its variations!

Pascha Cheese 2008

2008-04-23T07:41:00.007-05:00

In my never-ending quest for the perfect Pascha Cheese recipe, this year I tried the recipe from Larousse Gastronomique circa 1938, slightly adapted. I tried this recipe because it uses cottage cheese rather than farmer's cheese, pot cheese or even ricotta - all of which are outrageously expensive this year. Fresh Market will gladly order me the first two, at $8.50 and $9.00 per pound!!!! Yikes!

Once again, I broke the recipe into thirds and flavored them according to my own tastes. The most popular flavor last year at the Agape meal following the Paschal liturgy was the orange and almond flavor which is a riff on the famous Italian Easter dessert pie, Pizza Dolce. There is something about those flavors that mean Pascha to me and makes my Italian heart happy! I was feeling particularly Italian, so the second flavor is chocolate and hazelnut, which I'm calling Nutella. Original, eh? Since I had a theme going here, I decided to make the third portion to mimic my most beloved Grammie's pannettone - butter, lemon, honey and anisette. Oh yeah!

So, this year's flavors are: Pizza Dolce, Nutella and Pannettone! I'll let you know how they went over on Sunday!

Here is the basic Larousse recipe which I adapted to ingredients available to me:
4 lbs creamed cottage cheese (or 3 lbs dry curd cottage cheese)
1/2 C sour cream
1/4 lb salted butter, room temperature
2/3 C white sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Prepare creamed cottage cheese by placing in a fine mesh colander and rinsing under running water until the water is completely clear. Place the rinsed cheese curds in a large square of cheese cloth, tie tightly, and place back in the colander. Place the colander in a bowl to catch the drippings. Weigh the cheese curds down with a large can of tomatoes and set in the fridge for 2 days. At the end of the two days, the curds should be very, very dry and there should be a lot of water in the bowl. Discard the water. If you can get the dry curds, you can omit this step.

Place the dried curds into a food processor and whiz until smooth. Add the sugar and whiz some more. Then add the sour cream, vanilla and the butter and whiz for a couple of minutes until it is perfectly smooth and creamy. You can stop at this point and set it to drain as one large pascha cheese, adding fruit and nuts as you desire.

I then divided the vanilla mixture back into the three large cottage cheese containers for individual flavoring

Pizza Dolce: 1 scant tsp finely grated orange zest + 3/4 tsp almond flavoring

Nutella: 1 1/2 tsp hazelnut flavored coffee flavoring syrup (Torani brand is what I have) + 2 - 3 Tbs chocolate syrup

Pannettone: 1/2 tsp butter flavoring (I would have used more butter but I didn't have any since we are vegans!), 1/4 - 1/2 tsp anise flavoring, 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest, + 1 1/2 Tbs honey

To see my prior years pascha cheese recipes, go here and here.

I'll take a photo of this year's batch later on when DD is home from school, since the camera was last seen in her hands.....

Ribollita

2008-04-03T17:40:00.003-05:00

I live in the deep south, and as such, there are certain types of food which I cannot easily find. Savoy cabbage is one thing that I think I've found just twice in the last 10 years. Last weekend, though we were in Atlanta and made a visit to the Decatur Farmer's Market. Oh JOY! Oh BLISS! Oh HEAVEN ON EARTH! As soon as I walked in, I told DD that I wished I had brought my little two man tent because I was moving in! They had everything I ever wanted and then some, and everything was perfect and everything was very, very inexpensive. If I shopped there regularly, I think my food bills would go down maybe 25% . I saw a perfect, small savoy cabbage and brought it home. Tonight, I cooked half of it in a traditional Tuscan soup called Ribollita.

Ribollita means "cooked again" in Italy, and refers to the long, slow cooking that gives this soup its characteristic thick character. However, since I had two starving teenagers to feed, the soup did not cook a long time. Its now after dinner, and the leftovers are quietly simmering on the stove, so I expect the soup to be perfect tomorrow. This soup is also a candidate for the crockpot; just set everything to cook in the morning and come home to a delicious dinner.

In Tuscany, the preferred green vegetable is a variety of black kale and the preferred bean is cannelini. Here in America, any type of kale or cabbage will do, but sharply flavored greens such as mustard greens would overpower this simple dish. Cannelini beans are easily available, but any white bean such as Great Northern, flageolets, or even navy beans would be good substitutes.

Ribollita
Extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
3 - 4 oz pancetta, diced (optional) OR 1 tsp liquid smoke
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 leek, cleaned well and diced
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 Tbs Herbes de Provence
1 Tbs dried basil or 3 Tbs fresh basil, minced
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 15 oz can cannelini beans, drained
6 C chicken (or vegetable stock)
1 bay leaf
A 3-inch piece of dried out parmesan rind
6 - 8 oz (half a small head) of savoy cabbage, sliced into ribbons

Put about 2 Tbs olive oil in the bottom of a large, thick bottomed pot. Over medium high heat, saute the onion, leek, celery, carrot, and pancetta if you are using it, until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the edges of the vegetables are just beginning to turn golden. Stir in the salt, pepper, herbes de Provence, basil and bay leaf and saute for a minute, then add in the tomatoes with their juice, the drained cannelini beans, the stock, parmesan rind and cabbage. Stir well, bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to medium low to keep it slowly simmering. Simmer for at least 30 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender. If you can simmer for a few hours, it will be more delicious, but its plenty good after 30 or 45 minutes.

Serve with large croutons. To make croutons, take a slice of bread, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on one side, and toast until golden brown. I used greek flat breads and they were delicious.

Place a crouton in the bottom of the bowl and ladle the soup over it. Sprinkle with parmesan if you want (we didn't) and enjoy!

DD has a new boyfriend, hereinafter known as TBF2, and he liked the soup enough to ask for the recipe, so I guess this is a winner!

To make this vegan is simple: Use vegetable broth, or use 6 C water plus 1 1/2 Tbs Vogue Veggie Base. Omit the pancetta, but towards the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in 1 tsp liquid smoke, which is what I did. You can omit the parmesan entirely and its still a delicious soup.

Spanikorizo

2008-03-21T06:10:00.004-05:00

I love Greek food, I really do. I've often said that my idea of a perfect vacation would be to eat my way through Greece!

Last Sunday, my church worshipped together with the local Greek Orthodox Church for the Sunday of Orthodoxy, which got me thinking this week about Greek food I have known and loved. The best - the most fun, with the best dancing and best food and best stuff to buy - Greek Festival I've ever attended was in San Francisco, CA, but my sentimental favorite, of course, is St. Nicholas in San Jose. Oooooh..... I'm salivating just thinking about it! And the Greek restaurants! Oh yeah....

Anyway, I was thinking about cooking something Greek this week, and I had some perfect, tender, organic spinach so it was a no-brainer to make spanikorizo, or Greek-style spinach rice. In many ways, Greek food is like Italian food - rather simple, depending on perfectly fresh, high quality ingredients. Here in America, we just don't understand the concept of fresh, high quality ingredients. But my spinach fit the bill. I had already eaten half of it as a salad and wanted to cook the rest.

This was absolutely delicious! When Lent is over, Iwould serve this garnished with a little bit of crumbled feta cheese, but its still delicious without it. To make this a one pot meal, add in some chickpeas or a large white bean such as canellini.

Spanikorizo
2 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 3/4 C chicken or vegetable broth
1 heaping Tbs dried dill, or 1/4 minced fresh dill
1/2 C dry white wine
1 15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes with their juice
1 scant tsp salt
a couple of pinches of cayenne (add less or more depending on your taste)
1 1/4 C long-grain white rice
1 or more lbs fresh baby spinach (you can use up a lot of spinach in this dish)
1/4 C pitted and sliced kalamata olives

In a large saute pan, heat the oil to medium high and saute the onions and garlic till translucent. Add the dill, rice, tomatoes with their juice,white wine, salt and pepper and spinach and stir till the spinach is wilted. Add the broth, stir well so that the rice is well distributed among the other ingredients, bring to a simmer, cover tightly and cook rice for the amount of time on the bag of rice - I cook my rice for 20 minutes and taste to see if it needs more time. When rice is cooked, stir in the olives and serve mounded on a plate. Sprinkle with some crumbled feta when its not Lent!

This recipe made three large main-dish servings, so it would probably feed 6 - 8 as a side dish.

Serving Size: 1/4 large pot

Amount per Serving

Calories 180

Calories from Fat 46.5

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 5.17g 7%
Saturated Fat 0.64g 3%
Cholesterol 1.67mg %
Sodium 1908.49mg 79%
Total Carbohydrate 25.14g 78%
Dietary Fiber 3.63g 14%
Sugars 5.08g
Protein 4.87g 9%

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat 25%
Carbs 55%
Protein 10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs.

Slow Cooker Sun Dried Tomato Pate

2008-03-17T10:19:00.004-05:00

I'm always on the lookout for something that will make a yummy sandwich for dear daughter to take to school. Even though she is off this week, this no-fuss but still delicious recipe caught my eye. She'll be eating this with crackers and crudites rather than in a sandwich this week! With my apologies to Robin Robertson:

Slow Cooker Sun Dried Tomato Pate
1/2 C sun dried tomatoes
boiling water as needed
1 Tbs olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 C blanched whole almonds
2 15-oz cans white beans (or 3 C cooked from dried beans)
2 Tbs minced fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the tomatoes in a heatproof bowl with enough boiling water to cover. Let stand for 30 minutes to soften well. Drain, reserving 1/2 C of the soaking liquid. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add onion and garlic, and sweat until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until coarsely chopped. Add the beans, the drained tomatoes, the reserved soaking liquid, the onion mixture and parsley and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spray an oven-proof 4 cup mold that fits inside your crock pot. Pack well with the bean mixture, smoothing top flat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, poking several holes to let steam escape. Place the mold on a trivet in the crockpot, pour an inch of hot water in. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Let cool completely before inverting and removing from the mold. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Crunchy Blueberry Muffins

2008-03-12T11:58:00.004-05:00

I made a batch of these for a meeting at work last week, and everyone seemed to really love them! Sorry, no photo, but I'll be making these again soon. It should be very easy to veganize this recipe for Lent.

Muffins
1 egg
1/4 C melted butter
1/2 C milk
1 1/2 C white flour
1/2 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C fresh or frozen blueberries
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray 12 muffin tins. Beat egg, milk and melted butter together. In a large mixing bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. Stir in blueberries, making sure that each berry is coated with the flour mixture. Lightly mix in the wet ingredients, being careful to not break too many blueberries. Mix just until dry ingredients are moistened - its ok for there to be lumps. The less you stir, the lighter and fluffier the muffins will be. Fill the muffin tins a little more than half full. Its good to use an ice cream scoop for muffins because there is less mess and all the muffins will be the same size. Sprinkle the topping evenly over all the muffins. Bake 18 - 20 minutes till golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Topping
2 Tbs raw sugar, or other large grained sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg or apple pie spice

Makes 12 medium to small muffins

To Veganize:
Instead of the egg, use egg replacer such as Energ-G to equal one egg
Instead of the melted butter, use 1/4 C vegetable oil plus 1/2 tsp butter flavoring or vanilla extract
Instead of the milk, use 1/4 C vanilla soy milk, plain soy or other non-dairy milk, or apple juice

Its almost Great Lent!

2008-03-05T14:15:00.004-05:00

I know its been more than a month since I posted, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been cooking and eating! I do apologise for the long drought. I've been very busy with iconography commissions and with preparing recipes for my parish's new cookbook. I'll post more information about how to order the cookbook in another post.

Sunday is the last day that Orthodox Christians will consume dairy products until Pascha. We abstain from all meat, fish with backbones, dairy and eggs for the 40 days of Great Lent, plus the 7 days of Holy, or Passion Week. In our household, we have already been doing pretty well with a vegan lifestyle, so we will need to focus our attention more on increasing our prayer rule and increasing our acts of charity. To read my thoughts about fasting, click here.

Sunday is also called Forgiveness Sunday. It is at Forgiveness Sunday vespers that the Great Fast begins. We call it Forgiveness Sunday because in each Orthodox parish all over the world, the entire community, from the littlest baby to the oldest senior, including all the clergy, and ask each other for forgiveness for their faults, known and unknown, which ocurred all year. We do this, as is sung at vespers, to "begin the Fast with joy" and to prepare for confession, since it is strongly encouraged that everyone go to confession during Lent. We ask forgiveness of each other because we understand that when we forgive others, we receive forgiveness ourselves. "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matt. 6.14, 15)" (From a sermon by St Patriarch Tikhon, when he was Bishop of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. 1901. Text taken from email posted to an Orthodox mailing list)

This Rite of Forgiveness is profoundly moving and life changing. To watch parents ask forgiveness of their children, husbands and wives, friends and family, clergy and parishioners, is deeply, deeply meaningful. Humbly asking to be forgiven, and humbly granting forgiveness does, indeed, truly change lives and relationships.

Fr. Alexander Schmemann spoke much more eloquently than me. Click here to read his writings about Forgiveness Sunday.

Win a Hamilton Beach Stand Mixer!

2008-01-17T09:51:00.001-05:00

A Cowboy’s Wife is having a contest on her food blog! You can win a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer and she’ll ship anywhere so everyone is eligible!

Fatfree "Cream" of Mushroom Soup

2008-01-16T18:49:00.001-05:00

Today the weather was cold, raw and rainy, just crying out for soup. I had already planned on using some mushrooms that needed to be eaten (I had roasted portobella mushrooms a few days ago), so maybe cream of mushroom soup. Yes, the ultimate comfort food. I remember frosty nights in New Hampshire at our little country inn in Lake Sunapee when my Mom would make cream of mushroom soup (my favorite) and sandwiches for my Dad and me. Those were sweet days, full of love and the wondrous Lake Sunapee ringed by mountains. Sweet, sweet memories.

But, I ended up staying late at work, and dear daughter is at a friends for dinner, and I have no milk or cream in the house. I stood in front of the fridge wishing that some milk or cream would appear, but no.... then I remembered that I had bought a little box of skim milk powder for bread baking! Yay!

So, here is what I did - it was very yummy, and I ate almost all of it. There is just one good sized bowl left for lunch tomorrow.

Fatfree "Cream" of Mushroom Soup
4 C hot water
3 Tbs flour
1 C skim milk powder
1/2 C soft style tofu (Mori Nu brand)
10 almonds
4 roasted portobella mushrooms, about 3" in diameter
1 tsp broth powder
1 tsp salt
pinch or two of cayenne
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/3 C sherry

I put the hot water in the Vitamix together with the flour, milk powder, tofu, almonds, broth powder, salt, garlic powder and cayenne and let it blend on hi until steaming, about 4 or 5 minutes. Taste for saltiness. Put one mushroom in and let it be blended completely. Add the sherry, blend and taste. Turn the blender off. Slice the mushrooms into quarters and place in the blender, and blend at the slowest setting for about 20 seconds until they are chopped and distributed throughout the soup.

It was delicious, surprisingly so, since there was no fat at all. It would have been tasty without the sherry, but I adore sherry in my mushroom soup, so I went for it.

Altogether, this soup took around 8 or 9 minutes to make, and I am STUFFED! I couldn't eat another morsel of anything if you offered me a million dollars! (Well, maybe for a MILLION.... grin)

You could easily make this on top of the stove - it would just take longer. Basically, you are making a white sauce and adding mushrooms - that's all it is.

Happy eating!

Lightened Up Baked Pakistani Rice

2008-01-14T18:23:00.001-05:00

Yesterday at my church's pot luck, there was the yummiest curried lentils over rice! It got me thinking about making something curried today. I had also read somewhere online about baking rice and I wanted to try it. That's how this dish was born.

The original recipe for Mattar Palao called for an entire pound of rice, which is a little too much for just the two of us, as well as half a pound of butter! Yikes! So, I lightened it up and tried to keep the same flavors.

It was very delicious, though I'm a little disappointed in the texture of the rice. It really wasn't light and fluffy. I think I'll need to experiment with baking rice some more and report back. Since I was going to have the oven on, I decided to roast eight large portobella mushroom caps, and serve the rice in those. With a nice salad, it was a quick, tasty and filling meal for two!

For the mushrooms:
Preheat oven to 375F.

Clean mushrooms, remove stems and place cap side up on a baking dish.

Give a quick spray of olive oil onto each mushroom, sprinkle with some seasoned salt (I used Soul Seasoning) and place, uncovered, in the bottom rack of the oven while it is preheating. Then start making the rice.

Pakistani Flavored Rice for 2:
1/2 diced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin seed
pinch powdered cloves
1/8 tsp powdered cinnamon
1/2 tsp chili powder
dash of cayenne
1/2 tsp garam masala (hot or mild)
1 C white long grain rice (Basmati would be best)

2 C water
1 small tomato, seeded and diced
1 C frozen peas or lima beans
2 tsp veggie broth powder
salt and pepper to taste

Pumpkin seeds (pepitos)

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until translucent. Add the spices and saute, stirring all the time to prevent sticking, until very fragrant. Add in the rice and saute, stirring, until the rice is coated with all the spices and mixed well with the onions. Stir in the water, then add the tomato, peas and broth powder. Stir till well blended together. Bring to a boil on top of the stove. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust. Cover and bake in a 375F oven for 20 minutes. Fluff and serve mounded in the mushroom caps. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds for additional crunch, color and nutrition.

Although this was very delicious in flavor, I think that it could have cooked another five minutes or so. You should also probably let this sit for five minutes before fluffing. All in all, there is no time saving to baking rice, and after one experiment, I prefer the texture of rice steamed on top of the stove. I'll make this recipe again, and I will certainly try baking rice again!

Quick Vegan Borscht with Dilled Tofu Whip

2008-01-05T12:23:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking about borscht a lot lately - I haven't made it in a while. I really love it when its made with fresh beef stock made in my pressure cooker, with the chunks of beef stirred back into the soup, but with DD being a vegan and with her graciously eating meat on Christmas Day but just that once, I figured I'd have to make vegetarian borscht. Vegetarian borscht is not my favorite, so I've been delaying.

Yesterday I received another box of vegetables from my CSA, so I really needed to clear out a couple of veggies that were hanging around from the last box. Vegetable soup seemed to be the most practical thing to make this morning, but as I was sauteeing the veggies in the pot, intending to make something else, on a whim, I decided to make a version of borscht. Its still simmering, so I'll let you know how it tastes after lunch.

What happened was that as I was sauteeing the onions, garlic, carrots and celery in the pot, I glugged in about 4 oz of cabernet sauvignon, and the deep purple color reminded me of beets, and that was enough to make me decide to make borscht! After I put the beets in, though, I searched my fridge for that wedge of cabbage that I was SURE was there, and alas, it was nowhere to be found, so I used two medium zucchini instead. I'm not sure if I can truly call it borscht if there is no cabbage, so with apologies to my dear Russian friends, here is what I did this morning:

Quick Vegan Almost-Borscht
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
A good glug of whatever wine you happen to have, maybe 3-4 oz
4 medium tomatoes, chunked
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
1 15 oz can of chunked beets, cut in half if they are too large
3 smallish potatoes, peeled and chunked
1/4 of a small cabbage, sliced thin
1 quart water
2 tsps vegetable bouillion granules (I used not-beef flavored)
1 tsp herbes de Provence
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 - 2 Tbs red wine vinegar or to taste after the soup is cooked

In a 5 quart dutch oven, saute the onions, carrots, celery and garlic in a Tbs or so of oil. When fragrant and translucent, about 3 or 4 minutes, pour in the wine and continuing sauteing. Quickly prep the other vegetables and add them in, as well as the bay leaves, herbes de Provence, bouillion granules, parsley, dill, pinch of sugar, salt and pepper. Stir all around quickly, making sure that nothing sticks to the pan, and then add in the water. Stir well and taste for salt and pepper. Let simmer slowly until everything is tender and the flavors are well melded, at least a half hour, but at this point it could really simmer for quite a while. Mine simmered for about an hour. Taste again for salt and pepper, and even adjust the dill flavor. Stir in the vinegar and serve.

This is traditionally topped with sour cream, but we will serve it with the last small rustic loaf of rosemary bread and Earth Balance.

I would normally use or 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes with their juice, but I had a few tomatoes that were crying to be eaten soon, so I used them without peeling them. If I let the soup simmer long enough for the tomatoes to break down, maybe an hour, it should be fine. I will update you after lunch!

Apres Lunch: It was delicious, and the tomato skins were not a problem as I had feared. I was really missing the sour cream, though, but then I remembered that in a corner of the fridge was the failed experiment in trying to replicate ranch dip using tofu as a base. When I made it, I thought that the dill was too strong a flavor and it didn't resemble ranch dip at all. It was very disappointing in that regard, and I never did do anthing with it at all, but it was delicious on top of the nearly borscht. I'll try to remember how I made it - I think I wrote it down somewhere - and will post it soon.

PS: If anyone has a homemade (no expensive packets of seasonings) tofu-based recipe for REAL ranch dressing - PLEASE share it!

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Warak Enab)

2007-12-25T16:45:00.001-05:00

I've had a couple of jars of grape leaves sitting in my pantry for a while now, so I decided to roll them while The Ex is here. My thought was that we could teach our daughter how to roll them and have a feast all at the same time! With the three of us rolling, it took only around 40 minutes or so to roll 2 lbs, which is a record!

Rolling grape leaves is something that you truly need to be shown. You just can't learn to do it by following directions in a book - you need to be able to see what you're supposed to do. Its a delicate business because if you make them too thick, the center will still be crunchy while the outer edges will be soggy. If you roll them too tightly, they will burst once they start cooking. If you roll them too loosely, they won't remain rolled for long and you'll have grape leaf flavored rice and meat soup in the pan. If you pack them too tightly in the pan, they won't cook properly. If you pack them too loosely in the pan, they won't stay rolled and they won't stay submerged which means that they won't cook properly. Like I said, its a delicate business, but one that is very easily learned.

Many, many countries have their version of stuffed grape leaves, though here in America, I think that the Greek style ones are the most well known. Greek ones tend to be fat and squat, and they are usually served at room temperature dressed with lemon juice and olive oil, or dressed with avgolemono sauce. Arabic style grape leaves are always shaped more like your index finger, like a cigar. They are longer and slimmer. They are usually served hot or at room temperature, wrapped in a single thickness of pita and dunked in yogurt. Georgian grape leaves are usually served with sour cream mixed with garlic and salt, or sometimes with melted butter and garlic poured over them.

Personally, I have never met a rolled grape leaf that I didn't like, though I'm partial to the Lebanese style. When I eat traditional Lebanese food, it brings back pleasant memories of sitting around my mother-in-law's table on lazy Sunday afternoons, eating up a storm. My mother-in-law was the best cook in the family, and let me tell you, that is saying something! I loved trying all the exotic Lebanese food she served - at least it was exotic to this little Italo-Acadian girl!

Today is Christmas, and TE and I showed our daughter how to roll grape leaves. She had a taste of a traditional middle eastern meal, something as common as hamburgers are to Americans. Here is how it is done:

The grape leave should be carefully flattened out, with the flat side down. The veins should be on the surface facing you. If there is a small hole or tear, you can patch it with a piece of another grape leaf. Save the torn ones for this purpose.

Form the stuffing into a small log, about the size of your index finger. When you place it on the leaf, you can adjust the length to fit the leaf - a little longer or a little shorter. Make sure that there is enough empty grape leave all around that can be folded in.

If you have ever made a burrito or made a sushi roll, then you will instantly recognize the method of rolling grape leaves. Fold the bottom of the leaf up, fitting it smoothly around the log of stuffing. It can't be too tight or too loose. The one above is perfect.

Fold the sides in, and when you do, smooth the edges around the log of stuffing so that the roll will be neat and well-tucked. Remember to keep from pulling the grape leaf too tightly or the leaf will burst when it cooks.

Now all you have to do is to roll it up like a cigar. There are two tricks to making grape leaves that stay rolled. First, use your index finger to gently stroke the pointy end of the grape leave around the roll, sealing it with your finger. Second, once you are done, give the roll a slight squeeze. Be careful - if you squeeze too hard, you will split the leaf before it even gets cooked!

If there is any stuffing left, you can use it to fill other vegetables or other leaves, like chard or cabbage, but if there is just a little bit left, I usually just make a little ball and cook it with the stuffed leaves.

To pack the leaves into the pot, you should start with a layer of the torn and unrollable grape leaves on the bottom of the pot. I had a lemon that needed to be used, so first I sliced the lemon very, very thinly, laid that all over the bottom of the pot, and then I put a layer of unrolled grape leaves. After that, I began to layer the stuffed grape leaves, alternating the directions with each layer. You cannot pack them too closely together or they won't cook, but you need to allow them to gently touch each other so that they will stay wrapped and in place. Between each layer, sprinkle a little salt, a few cloves of garlic, and a little mint. You can also add some tomato slices between the layers, too.

One the pot is packed, you should place an upside-down plate over the grape leaves, and fill the pot with water and lemon juice until the weight of the water keeps the plate submerged. The plate, in turn, weights the grape leaf rolls down and keeps them submerged in the water.

Bring to a gentle simmer and simmer for about 40 minutes, until the leaves and the rice are both tender.

Sahtein!

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

Lebanese Cauliflower Rice (Yakhnit al-Qarnabit)

2007-12-24T08:36:00.001-05:00

Years ago, back in San Jose, I was friends with a young Palestinian couple, Bill and Renda. I drove Renda home one night and was invited in. Arabic hospitality is legendary, and of course, Renda would not let me leave until I had eaten something. Since we had been talking about food, she gave me a taste of her dinner from the night before: cauliflower rice. Oh my.... I really loved it! Since it was Lent, it was vegan, but it often includes meat, and sometimes is made with wheat instead of rice.

On Sundays, I don't usually cook a large meal, but we pick at leftovers, or sometimes we go out to eat. I was watching figure skating yesterday afternoon, and DD was online chatting with her cousin, but The Ex was getting a little agitated. Turns out he was hungry! When I looked in the fridge, I saw a beautiful head of cauliflower and decided to make cauliflower rice. Here is what I did:

Lenten Cauliflower Rice

1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt or to taste (I used Adobo seasoning salt)
1/8 tsp red pepper
2 C long grain white rice
4 C water
1 15 oz can chickpeas
olive oil

In a 5 quart dutch oven, saute the cauliflower over high heat in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until it is golden. Add in the onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add in the salt, pepper and rice and stir until all the grains of rice are coated with the oil. Continue sauteing the rice for 30 or 40 seconds. Stir in the water and chickpeas, bring to a full simmer, lower heat to just barely simmering, cover and let cook for 20 minutes.

Served with a salad and a piece of fruit, like we did, and you have a complete meal! I just love this rice - I haven't made it in a long, long time but I have a feeling I'll be making it often again! No photo for this one because we were too hungry! Once I started cooking, the delicious aromas made DD and me very, very hungry!

If you want to use meat in this, its traditional to saute about 1 lb of cubed lamb first, then add the cauliflower. I've also used cubes chicken which is really yummy in this. You can use chickpeas with the meat, but most people that I know don't - at least not in this dish. Also if using meat, add in 1/2 - 1 tsp of allspice.

Note: I never use just plain allspice, though many, many excellent Arabic cooks do. I use a mixture of cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. In a pinch, go ahead and use commercial apple pie spice as a substitute.

Orange Cranberry Drop Cookies

2007-12-21T19:39:00.002-05:00

Today was a flex day for me, so I got home about 2:00 pm. I had planned to start right away on my pizzelles, but it was such a damp day, that I decided to forego them altogether this year. Sniffle.... Anyway, it just isn't Christmas without some cookies, so I proceeded on to Plan B, or should I say, Plan C for Cranberries, Cummaquid and Cape Cod! I was looking at cookie recipes this week, and saw one from the Acworth Inn Bed and Breakfast in Cummaquid, Cape Cod which looked yummy, so that's what I made instead of pizzelles. Of course, I couldn't help but tweak it a little.....

Orange Cranberry Drop Cookies

1 C butter, softened

1 C white sugar

1/2 C brown sugar, packed well

1 egg

grated zest from one orange

2 Tbs freshly squeezed orange juice

2 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 C green pumpkin seeds or chopped pistachios

2 C chopped cranberries (not the dried ones - use the raw ones)

Cream the butter and sugars together till light and fluffy, then beat in the egg, zest and OJ. In another bowl, stir the flour, soda and salt together well, then add to the butter, a half cup at a time, beating until incorporated fully. Stir in the cranberries and the pumpkin seeds. Use a 1" cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto ungreased cookie sheets, spaced at least 2" apart. Bake at 375F for 14 minutes until the edges turn golden. Remove from the cookie sheets and cook on wire racks. Makes around 4 1/2 dozen.

These could have an orange flavored drizzle on top, but I like them without it - they're so pretty!

So far, The Ex and DD have eaten about half of them. Well, I ate a few too.... These are some of the best cookies I've ever made that weren't chocolate! And they just look like Christmas! I'll be making these for many Christmases to come, I'm sure.

Vegetable Chickpea Soup with Rustic Rosemary Bread

2007-12-20T21:16:00.001-05:00

About 4:oo pm today, dear daughter telephoned me at work. She had managed to sweet talk her father into driving her and two girlfriends to the mall so that they could finish their Christmas shopping. This would have brought me to my knees, no question, but the Ex managed to complete this onerous task relatively unscathed. DD told me not to worry about dinner since they were at the mall and she wasn't hungry anyway. I understood her to mean that she and her father would get dinner at the mall.

They were home when I got home from work. DD was in her room, studying for her finals tomorrow and TE was watching something military-like TV. I saw that the kitchen needed to be cleaned up from whatever they ate during the day and began doing that, and as I put things away, I mentioned to TE that DD had said not to bother with dinner. He was surprised, and he was hungry for dinner. Yikes!

I opened the fridge and surveyed the contents. Two loaves of rustic rosemary bread. Lots of veggies. Hm.... vegetable soup with rosemary bread. Yes, that's it! I started throwing things in the pot and in about 35 or 40 minutes, I had a delicious pot of fresh vegetable soup. This is what I did:

Vegetable Chickpea Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large carrots, sliced in half moons

2 large stalks celery, sliced

3 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut in 1/2 inch cubes

3 cloves garlic

4 large leaves collard greens, deveined, halved and cut into ribbons

2 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs Herbes de Provence

2 1/2 quarts vegetable broth

salt and pepper

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes in juice

1 15 oz can chickpeas

In the bottom of the soup pot, swirl the olive oil and saute the onions over medium heat. While they are cooking, prep the rest of the vegetables in the order given, adding them to the pot when sliced, each in its turn. Season the veggies well with salt and pepper and the Herbes de Provence. Add in the can of tomatoes together with their juice, and the drained chickpeas. Discard the chickpea liquid. Add in the broth and simmer for 20 or 25 minutes until the vegetables are well cooked but not falling apart. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your taste.

If your broth isn't flavorful enough, you could add a few dried mushrooms crumbled into the broth at the beginning, or even broth powder.

We really enjoyed this soup a lot, and it had a surprisingly rich flavor for the amount of time that it cooked. We have enough left over for lunches tomorrow, and I'll put a serving or two in the freezer for later on in January when I need something to take to work for lunch.

I always have potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, chickpeas and canned tomatoes in my house, so I guess I can have this soup any time that I want!

This just goes to show you that freshly cooked food is inexpensive, is delicious, is no trouble, and does not have to take a long time to cook!

125 Posts

2007-12-15T11:53:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

My 100th post on What I'm Cooking Now came and went without my even realizing it. Today I posted my 125th entry. I never thought that nearly two years later, I'd still be blogging about my meals and my life, and I certainly never thought that anyone would be interested in reading these posts!

I'm a foodie. I admit it. I'm a foodie. But what is a foodie, really? I certainly love to cook and I love to eat, and I love to feed my family and friends. But is that the definition of a foodie? I like to try new things and am a pretty adventurous eater, but is that what makes a foodie? I've been called a bit of a food snob, and although it stung a little, I recognized the truth of it insofar as I prefer food made from scratch rather than opening boxes and cans. I like fresh food. I like ethnic food. I like authentic food. I don't like highly processed and prepared foods - I like fresh, homemade food. It tastes better and has more nutrition. So yes, I'll cop to the food snob jibe. I have a pretty decent palate and can usually come close to replicating foods I enjoy elsewhere when I get back to my own kitchen, but is that a foodie?

I don't know.... None of these things, and all of these things go into making a foodie, I guess.

When I started this blog, it was in response to a few newly Orthodox mothers who asked me for advice regarding what to cook during Great Lent. After Lent, I continued to post because I realized that I was setting down stories and recipes for my daughter. Every once in a while, I print the posts and put them in a binder for her, and she now has a wonderful family cookbook, lovingly created for her by her mother, with memories of her grandmother and greatgrandmother and family stories, as well as recipes. I like knowing that I'm passing on my family's history in this way. For my mutt of a daughter (1/4 Lebanese, 1/4 Syrian, 1/4 Italian, 1/4 Acadian), this is one way of passing on our culture and history to her.

I'm a second generation Italian American and second generation Acadian. I'm far removed from my ethnic roots. I've never been to Italy, but I have been to the Acadian family homestead in New Brunswick. I don't speak Italian, and at my best, I spoke French at the level of about a 4 or 5 year old. I don't know the songs or the dances. What else can I pass on to my child, other than the food and the culinary traditions? How else will she know where she came from?

An online friend contacted me just a week or two ago, and said that she is half Italian, like me, but her mother died very young and she has lost touch with her mother's family, and as such, she has no Italian recipes. My first thought was how sad to not have your mother there with you, what an unfillable hole the loss of your mother is, but my second thought was what a loss it would be to my life if I didn't have some sort of cultural ethnic underpinnings.

Yes, I know that America used to be a melting pot and now its a salad bowl. And yes indeed, I am a patriotic American first and foremost. But I wouldn't trade my pizza gaina or tourtiere for anything.

I guess that's what really makes me a foodie.

So, 125 posts later, I thank all my readers for bearing with me. I intend to keep posting, God willing!

Love,

Denise

Vegan Aebleskiver

2007-12-15T11:29:00.000-05:00

So.... I was flipping channels this week and came on a travel show about Solvang, California. I love Solvang! Its a recreated Danish town, so all the buildings are in Danish style, most of the restaurants sell Danish food, gift shops sell Danish imports.... yes, its a tourist trap, but a fun one just the same. Years ago, I visited there for a couple of days and toured a folkcraft museum and an artist's home that I still remember fondly, as well as a beautiful, rustic Danish church.

Then there was the food..... yummy food. I loved the frikadeller which is meatballs served with lingonberry jam. Oh yummy! They also have stuffed cabbage, and a delicious sausage, but what I remember most is the Aebleskiver! They are small, perfectly round pancakes which are served with powdered sugar or jam. They are heavenly! I have a habit of buying a Christmas ornament and something food related everywhere I travel, and Solvang was no different. I bought a delft ornament which still hangs on my Christmas tree every year, and you guessed it, an aebleskiver pan!

I don't think I ever used that pan.... I can't remember a single time, and when I moved from California to Georgia, I sold it at a yardsale. A couple of years ago, my pastor gave me one that had been given to him, and its been gathering dust in my pantry ever since.

Well, this morning, DD was sleeping off the excitement of her father's arrival for his annual Christmas visit last night, and he was snoring away in the guest room, and I thought that I would make pancakes for breakfast as a treat. I had such success with the vegan pear pancakes last month, that I decided to make them again, but using an apple instead of a pear. As I was grating the apple, I remembered the pan and thought, well, why not give it a try?

They were fun! Fun to make and fun to eat! They were really no trouble at all, especially since you cook seven at a time. All in all, I think I cooked all the batter in less time than I did back in November, and ended up with 17 little round pancakes.

Click here for the recipe that I used.

We all agreed that pancakes in this shape would be perfect for taking to school. My mind is buzzing with a million variations, both sweet and savoury........

Imagine breaking one open and finding melted cheese? Or some jam? Or a slice of vegan breakfast sausage? Or some curried beans? Or some melted chocolate and marshmallow?

The possibilities are endless.....

Mexican Style rice and beans

2007-12-10T11:42:00.000-05:00

This is a riff on my Arabic Rice and Cabbage Pilaf which can be found by clicking here. I had already started sauteeing my onion and cabbage when I realized that I only had one can of chickpeas left, and I had promised DD that I would make hummus today. I did have four cans of black beans, though, and decided to use them, but to switch the recipe around to more latin flavors to go with the black beans. Since cabbage is nontraditional, to say the least, in a dish of this type, I decided to forego peas which would be pretty traditional. I think this would be yummy with some green olives sliced into it after cooking, too.

Mexican Style Rice and Beans

1 or 2 coarsely chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 or 3 Tbs extra virgin olive
8 oz finely shredded cabbage
1 tsp salt
2 tsp mild chili powder
1 scant tsp cumin
2 Tbs dried parsley, or 1/4 C minced fresh
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1 - 15 oz can of chopped tomatoes in juice, drained, but reserve the juice
reserved tomato juice, plus a mixture of tomato juice and water to make 3 C (I used 2 C juice and 1 C water)
1 - 15 oz can black beans, drained well.
1 1/2 C white rice
1/2 C pepitas toasted (optional)
limes for garnish

Using a 4 or 5 quart pot, saute the onion in the oil over high heat until beginning to brown, then add the cabbage, salt, chili powder, cumin, parsley, pepper, thyme and oregano until the cabbage is wilted and beginning to carmelize a bit. By this time, the onions will be somewhat carmelized. Drain the black beans and add to pot. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice, and add the tomatoes to the pot. Stir well. Add the rice and stir well, adding a dash more of olive oil if needed. To the reserved tomato juice, add enough water and more tomato juice, if you have it, to make 3 cups, and pour over all, stirring well to combine. Bring to simmer, cover tightly, lower heat to a low simmer, and cook rice for 20 minutes until tender. Fluff with a fork. Stir in the pepitas for a little crunch. Squeeze half a lime over each portion.

I'll post a photo once I can get my hands on DD's camera which is where my food photos live this week. I left my camera at church on Sunday.

Roasted and Lightly Curried Pumpkin Soup

2007-12-08T15:07:00.000-05:00

So.... the first thing I cooked on my new smooth top stove was soup. DD woke up about an hour after the stove and dishwasher were delivered. The oven was going through the cleaning cycle as per the instructions for a new stove, so baking zaatar was out of the question, at least until later. But DD was hungry and wanted something savory. I still had a couple of cups of pureed roasted pumpkin in the fridge and I knew it had to be used up or I'd have to throw it away, so I told her that pumpkin soup was in her immediate future.

How did I like the stove top? I liked it, but it will take some getting used to. I have to remember to put the cold pan on the cold burner and THEN turn it on, and I have to remember to not slide the pans around since that will scratch the surface. The smaller burners are in the back, and I needed to use one of the smaller burners for the small amount of soup I was making. I didn't like having to lean in awfully close to the hot oven door during the cleaning cycle, so I guess that is the major drawback to this stove. We'll see what I think about the placement of the burners in a couple of weeks.....

We really liked this soup, but the coconut milk was kind of a waste since we couldnt' taste any coconut flavor at all. I think we'd do better with a little bit of coconut flavoring. That's what I get for getting extra cheap coconut milk - I forgot my grandmother's first rule of frugality: buy the very best quality that you can, and then use every part of it so that there is no waste. However, the soup was very tasty and something that we both agreed we'd like to have again.

Roasted and Lightly Curried Pumpkin Soup

2 C pureed roasted pumpkin
1 14 oz can of coconut milk
1/4 C Cabernet Sauvignon (or whatever wine you have open in your kitchen)
1 heaping tsp mild curry powder
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/4 C brown sugar
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
Salt to taste (about 1 tsp)
Water or broth

Just put everything except the salt and water or broth into a pan and stir till well blended. Heat slowly and simmer for about 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Salt to taste and thin to desired consistency with water or broth. This made two good sized bowls. We were too excited about the stove to think about taking a picture.

That's all there is to it! Now my stove is no longer perfectly new! Yay!

Neither is my new dishwasher, since I put the dirty dishes into it. Yay!

Today is a Happy Day!

2007-12-08T08:17:00.000-05:00

Yes, today is a very happy day! My new stove and dishwasher are being delivered and installed this morning!

I try to not complain, but the electric stove that came with my house is horrible. One burner doesn't work at all, one burner works only intermittently, the third burner doesn't get hot enough to ever boil water, leaving only one fully functional burner. Long-time readers of this blog will remember my surprise when I burned my baklawa, not once, not twice, but three times! I thought that perhaps the oven wasn't calibrated correctly (where is my Dad when I need him, eh?) and it wasn't. I bought an oven thermometer and found that the oven was 50 degrees Fahrenheit off, so the next time I baked baklawa, I adjusted the stove accordingly. It burned. I put the thermometer in, and found that it was 100 degrees off. Then I baked a gingerbread, and found that the oven was 25 degrees off. Either the oven is haunted and hates me, or there is something seriously wrong with it.

Enter Shenandoah Life Insurance Company. They contacted me a number of months ago because my mother had a small life insurance policy with them, totally unknown to me. The check came last month - its not enough to change my life, but it sure was enough to buy a new stove!

I had so much fun looking at appliances..... The stove that I really want, a Viking commercial style gas range made for home use, is outrageously expensive, and I don't have room in my little kitchen anyway, so I had to put that particular day dream aside, especially since I have an all electric house! Then I saw my dream stove: a smooth topped double oven range with convection..... I toyed with blowing the whole check on that one stove. I hemmed and I hawed. But then my dishwasher, which had been limping along for a while, went out in a blaze of glory with smoke and sparks which scared my pets, so my decision was made: a stove and a dishwasher would have to be purchased. I decided on Maytag appliances and got a smooth topped stove, white of course, none of that fake stainless look for me! The dishwasher is also from Maytag and both trays will pull out all the way! My old dishwasher's top tray only pulled out half way, so this will be a welcome change. Also, there is a section for extra tall things like cookie trays and pizza pans.

I'm waiting for the delivery folks to get here now..... I'm so excited!

Maybe I'll do a bunch of Christmas baking this year! My ovens in this house, and in the previous house weren't good for baking, so the last time I baked for Christmas was the first year I lived here in Savannah. Its been a long time, and I can't wait to break out the traditional Italian and Lebanese cookie recipes!

I'll post a picture of my new appliances later today once they've been installed.

Moroccan spiced lentil soup with two-bite pumpkin biscuits

2007-12-03T18:52:00.000-05:00

I've been looking at a foot-long zucchini for over a week, wondering what to do with it. I decided to make soup with it yesterday, but I never could quite make up my mind exactly what kind of soup I wanted. Tonight I was determined to cook that zucchini, but I only had an hour or so to cook dinner. That made my choice for me: lentils! I started throwing stuff in till it started to smell really delicious, and then I let it simmer slowly for an hour. All in all, this gets two thumbs up in our house!

This makes about 4 - 6 hearty servings. Now I have a quick dinner for Wednesday night before Vigil for St. Nicholas, too! I'm certain that the pumpkin biscuits won't last that long, but a couple of bowls of soup should remain.

Moroccan Spiced Lentil Soup

1 onion, diced
2 Tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
5 C water
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 tsp mixed Arabic spices
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp vegetarian broth powder (I like Vogue brand)
1 large carrot, sliced into half moons
1 large stalk celery sliced
1 medium zucchini sliced into half moons (about 8 oz)
1 C picked over and rinsed lentils

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven, then saute the onions and garlic together till translucent. Add in the bay leaf and all the spices and stir fry for a minute, then the veggies, and then the water with the broth powder. Let it simmer together for about an hour, till the lentils are very soft and yummy. Taste and adjust seasonings the way you like them.

The dropped pumpkin biscuits (aren't they cute?????) came from Lindyloo's vegan blog and can be found here. I used a melon baller to drop them onto the prepared baking sheets (aka my 16" pizza pans) which made the cutest little muffins! I baked them for exactly 10 minutes which was perfect, and they really are gone in just two bites! I think the muffins are tasty, but as DD said while stuffing four in her mouth, "Are these supposed to be sweet or savory?" I think that you need to decide this question for yourself. If you want them to be savory, leave out the sweet spices and add maybe a tiny bit of onion powder or sage, or even rosemary would be good. If you want them to be sweet, then double the sweet spices and triple the maple syrup. If you triple the maple syrup, you will probably want to add 1 rounded tablespoon of flour to the dough.

UPDATED ON 12/8/07: I corrected the recipe by specifying the amount of lentils (1 C). I can't believe I left that off when I posted it! Thanks, Snowy, for calling that to my attention!

Snowy was also wondering what sort of lentils will work with this recipe, and I think that any kind will work - you will just have to adjust the cooking time according to the type of lentils you use. I used plain old brown lentils and they were delicious.

The tiny French green lentils de puy would be wonderful in this because they wouldn't turn the soup quite so dark which may make it more visually appealing to some people, and because they retain their shape and a kind of toothsome quality when cooked that I like very, very much. Here in America, the French lentils are a luxury item, and when I can get them, I tend to save them for lentil salads where retaining the shape of the lentils is very important. Click here for my favorite warm lentil and broccoli salad recipe. (Yikes! What a yucky photo!)

If you use red lentils, this soup could probably be made in half an hour rather than an hour, and the pale yellow-orange color would be very pretty. The flavor of the lentils would be less pronounced which would allow the spices to shine, so this might be a good choice for people who don't love lentils.

This amount of soup made 4 large bowls which was enough for one dinner for the two of us, plus one breakfast and three lunch portions. Yes, I sometimes eat leftovers for breakfast.......

Fassoulatha

2007-12-02T16:26:00.001-05:00

Many years ago, I attended a pan -Orthodox parish in the San Francisco area. That church was packed with fantastic cooks from all corners of the world, so each pot luck was an adventure in yumminess!

Once there was a pot of creamy beige bean soup which looked, frankly, boring, so I passed it up. Big mistake. As I was eating, I noticed that there was a crowd around one end of the buffet. I figured that someone had put something else out, so I walked over to see. There were about eight men dipping their bowls into a pot - the pot of the bean soup! I picked up a bowl and managed to scrape the last half cup from the sides of the pot. Oooooohhhhh...... It was heaven! I simply had to get the recipe.... one of the ladies told me that Masha, a beautiful Russian woman, had made it, so I walked over to her table and asked her about the Russian bean soup. She was nonplussed, and to her credit, didn't laugh in my face. She told me it was Greek soup, Fassoultha not Russian, and that she had gotten the recipe from her mother in law in Greece. Lucky for me, Masha took pity on me and gave me the recipe. Naturally, I tweaked it a bit over the years. I've made it hundreds of times - its one of my ex-husband's favorites.

Fassoulatha
2 C dried white beans, picked over and rinsed
8 C water
1 large onion, chopped
2 Tbs tomato paste
4 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 C)
4 carrots, chopped (about 1 C)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 tsp rosemary
2 tsp fines herbes
secret ingredient that makes a BIG difference: 1 tsp sugar

For pressure cooker: Put all the ingredients, including the unsoaked beans, into the pressure cooker and bring to 15 lbs pressure. Cook for 60 minutes. Let pressure reduce naturally. Pick the bay leaf out, then strain at least half the solids out and puree. Return the puree into the remaining soup in the pot. Taste for salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a sprig of parsley. Serve with onion and tomato salad. Enjoy!

Don't use broth for this soup, plain old water is best!

Updated on 12/8/07: Snowy wanted to know exactly what beans I used for this soup. I normally use any white bean for this soup. Here in America, the most commonly found is called navy beans. Other names for them are haricot beans or pea beans. Great Northern beans are another easily found (in America) white bean, which is slightly larger than the navy bean, more reminiscent of cannellini beans. I think you could use cannellini beans, great northern beans or maybe even flageolets for this soup. In America, cannellini and great northern beans are very easily and inexpensively found, but the flageolets are a luxury item, so I tend to save them for cassoulet when I get them.

I'm no expert on beans, but I love them so I tend to buy whatever unusual types are available to me. Experimentation is so much fun!!!

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

2007-11-24T11:44:00.001-05:00

When you aren't eating milk or dairy, eggs, or meat, breakfasts become either a problem or routine. As much as I love toast with peanut butter, or a quick smoothie, sometimes something more is very welcome. This morning, DD was sound asleep and I decided I'd surprise her with a nice breakfast, but I couldn't think what that breakfast should be. I stood with the fridge door open, surveying the contents of my fridge and nothing looked good to me. A week ago, I roasted a pumpkin and have a large amount of puree left, so I decided to make something with it - but what? Pumpkin bread would take too long, and my oven has been acting up a lot, so the long baking time was definitely out of the question. Pumpkin pancakes? DD loves pancakes, so that was a possibility, but I wasn't in the mood. Maybe pumpkin muffins. Vegan pumpkin muffins. I started googling vegan pumpkin muffins and found a number of yummy sounding recipes that had ingredients that I didn't have, but also a number of posts raving about Vegan With a Vengance The Best Pumpkin Muffins. Duh! Why didn't I think of looking in my copy of Vegan With a Vegance???? Duh, again!

So, out came the cookbook and the muffin pan. These are quick and simple to make with regular every-day ingredients that everyone has. I had run out of nutmeg, so I didn't put any in, and I had just a little bit less than 1/2 C of soy milk, so I added a few drops of water to make up the difference. I decided to top the batter with a few pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for color, crunch and added nutrition. One of the websites I visited said that you have to let these cool for at least 15 or 20 minutes in the pan because they are so tender that they will fall apart otherwise, and they came out perfectly for me after 20 minutes. Another said that if you eat these while still hot and don't let them cool to room temp, they will be tough. I couldn't wait to taste them and ate one much warmer than room temp, but still not steamy hot, and it was not tough at all - it was soft and moist, with a lovely crumb. The edges of the cap were crunchy like the corners of brownies, which is the best part, IMHO. All in all, these were wonderful muffins, though a bit too sweet for my taste. In future, I think I'll use only 1 C of sugar instead of 1 1/4 C, though I bet I could probably half the sugar and they would still be yummy.

VwV strikes again!

Click here to see the recipe from Bunnyfoot's blog.

Vegan Pumpkin Risotto with Spinach and Black Beans

2007-11-23T18:26:00.000-05:00

Today, we need some comfort food because we found out that "Grandpa James" fell asleep in the Lord on Wednesday. DD and I are very saddened and feel a tremendous sense of loss, even though his advancing Alzheimer's made it impossible to maintain a relationship with him.

Grandpa James came late into our life. He was a lonely, elderly, quirky man who attended our church and lived near us. He came to our home many times in the course of our church life, and I gave him many rides since he preferred not to drive when it was dark, or alone. It didn't take long to grow to love him, and he grew to love all of us, particularly my Mom and my daughter. He was always willing to drop by to keep my Mom company, to help out wherever needed, to cheer DD on at every piano recital, play, dance recital, girl scout program... He took DD all over Savannah and treated her to ice creams and grilled cheese sandwiches. He spoiled her to death - she could get him to take her anywhere. He truly loved her, and she truly loved him. She had only one grandfather, and once Grandpa James came into her life, she had two. We didn't mind sharing our family with him. He had his own family, a brother nearby, two daughters and a son who lived far away, and a lot of grandchildren - all far away. We filled a hole in his life, and he added so much to ours.

Over time, he became forgetful, and argumentative, and well.... it was difficult. It became clear that he should not live alone any longer, and he became quite quarrelsome which was simply not "him" at all. We were beginning to suspect Alzheimers in my Dad, and as we read up on it, we realized that most likely that was the cause of Grandpa James' sudden personality change. Eventually, his family recognized this and put him in a beautiful nursing home. I visited him there twice, but he was quite argumentative, and over the last year, I didn't visit him at all. I regret that now, as does DD.

This has been a very sad day for us, full of regrets and memories and tears. We both needed something warm and comforting to eat for dinner. As I looked in the fridge, wondering what to cook tonight since we have no Thanksgiving leftovers, I saw about 1 1/2 quarts of fresh roasted pumpkin puree and a big bag of organic baby spinach. I had a bunch of onions and a couple of pounds of risotto rice, so pumpkin risotto with spinach it was.

I've posted before about the quick and easy way to make risotto, but today I made it the old fashioned way, spending about an hour stirring at the stove. I needed the time to reflect and pray for Grandpa James while DD napped her tears away. Sometimes, the old ways are best.

I found that the risotto was perfectly spiced and yummy yummy yummy until I added the pumpkin - then I had to fiddle with it. The pumpkin took a lot of salt, too. Then I thought that black beans would add some color and some badly needed protein, so in they went. All in all, this is pretty tasty, but it made a HUGE amount! We will be eating this forever and ever! Or maybe I'll bring the leftovers to trapeza on Sunday since its my turn to cook.

Pumpkin Risotto with Spinach and Black Beans

1 C chopped onion (could have doubled this for the amount of rice)
4 cloves garlic, minced
extra virgin olive oil
2 C risotto rice
1 C white wine (I had some Reisling open)
5 C vegetable broth
1 1/2 C pumpkin puree (this is about what is in a 15 oz can)
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 Tbs dried basil
1 tsp oregano (or Italian seasoning)
1 Tbs salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained well
1 lb baby spinach, washed well

In a large, deep pan like a chicken fryer, warm up a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the garlic and the onions until translucent. Then add the risotto rice and stir well, making sure that every single grain of rice is well coated with the oil, adding a little more if necessary. Stir in the spices and herbs. Saute the rice for a couple of minutes, but do not let it brown. Add in the wine and saute until it is absorbed. Turn heat to med-low and add the hot broth a cup at a time, stirring well, until it is absorbed. You will know when it is time to add more broth when you draw a spoon down the center of the pan and you can see the bottom of the pan. Keep adding broth until the rice is tender but not mushy. Add in the spinach to wilt, and then add the pumpkin puree. Stir the pumpkin in very well over the medium lo heat, and add a half cup of broth at the end if the risotto seems too thick. Stir very, very well for about 2 or 3 minutes - this will help to release the starch so that the risotto is traditionally creamy without butter or cheese. Taste for seasonings: I ended up using about another half Tbs of salt at this point. Stir in the black beans at the very last.

This is really delicious and very creamy. You will never be able to tell that there are no dairy products in it. I think I'd like it with mushrooms sauteed at the beginning together with the onions, too, but I didn't have any fresh mushrooms today. I wouldn't mind a more pronounced wine flavor as well, so perhaps next time I'll add a more strongly flavored wine, or maybe a little more.

This makes a LOT. I'd say that it makes about 3 quarts, or a little more. Way too much for a family of TWO!

Make this when your heart needs comforting.

Carrot Sesame Salad

2007-11-18T21:29:00.001-05:00

DD and TBF cooked dinner tonight. And to think, some people don't believe in God!

Anyway, it was a simple dinner, but a very delicious one: cheese pierogies, baked potato slices and carrot salad. No dessert. Pierogies are pretty filling!

Last weekend we visited Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, since DD wants to attend there next year, and we stayed with a priest friend of ours and his family. His mother-in-law, Baba Lottie, knows how much I love pierogies, and made six dozen HUGE cheese pierogies. She greeted us late on Friday night with many pierogies, and being good guests, of COURSE we managed to eat one each. One taste was all it took, and we happily scarfed down many, many pierogies. These were the best pierogies I have ever, ever eaten. The woman is a genius. No, not a genius..... a GODDESS! Yes, she is the Pierogy Goddess! I guess a devout Orthodox woman shouldn't say that, but truly, truly, I say unto you, I worship her pierogy making skills. Anyway, she sent us home with a dozen, which DD cooked up tonight. DD also made her famous crispy cajun potato rounds.

Which brings me to The Boyfriend. His contribution, other than cleaning up the kitchen after dinner (have I previously mentioned what a fine young man he is?), was to make the Carrot Sesame Salad. He had tried this a few weeks ago when we had our pastor over for dinner. He had loved it then, and wanted to try to make it himself. Now TBF has many attributes to commend him, but the ability to cook is not one of them. However, he did a great job and the salad turned out so delicious that I think even he was surprised. I sent him home with the leftover carrot salad so that he could prove to his family that he made something so very tasty.

Carrot Sesame Salad
1 lb carrots, grated (not too finely)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs light soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos (love that stuff!)
2 Tbs rice vinegar (get the seasoned kind)
2 Tbs roasted sesame oil (from the Asian food section of the supermarket)
1 Tbs honey
1/4 tsp sriracha sauce or Asian chili paste (we used the paste tonight)
2 Tbs toasted sesame seeds
2 Tbs chopped cilantro

Mix together well and chill for 30 minutes.

Yummy yummy yummy! This would make an awesome filling, along with a slather of hummus, for a pita sandwich. It would probably even taste good with peanut butter, or even a grilled cheese sandwich.

Four stars from The Boyfriend!

Philip's Fast and Vegan Pear Pancakes

2007-11-17T14:24:00.000-05:00

We Orthodox began our preparations for the Nativity of Christ on November 15th. Western Christians call this period, Advent, and sometimes we do too, but it is more commonly called Philip's Fast, after St. Philip the Apostle, whose feast day immediately precedes it on November 14th. In our home, we always call it Philip's Fast, made all the more poignant by DD's dear Uncle Philip's absence. He fell asleep in the Lord more than a year ago.

For Orthodox, fasting is a spiritual tool handed down through the centuries to allow us to gain control over our passions, and to free up money and time for charitable works and prayer. During fast periods, we are encouraged to strive toward the goal of eating only vegetables, legumes, grains and refraining from meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy. For more about fasting, click here to be taken to one of my prior posts.

I've just received my third CSA box. When we lived in California, I had a CSA share and received wonderful organic fruits and veggies on my doorstep every week. Here in Georgia, even though 15 minutes outside the city boundaries the land becomes very rural and agriculture, community supported agriculture is just now getting off the ground, so to speak. As in most parts of the US, organic, sustainable agriculture is a hard sell here as well. I got lucky, because after years of searching, a chance comment on a homeschooling e-list led me to Heritage Farms and their bi-weekly box of organic fruits and vegetables. So far, I've found that spending $25 on fruits and vegetables every two weeks has drastically reduced the number of trips to the grocery store, and I have spent about 25% less than I was already spending for our near-vegan diet. Anyone who says that eating whole, fresh, healthful foods is too expensive, is just plain wrong.

The last box had some pears which we loved, but I lost one since they are so fragile. Last night, I saw that there were two firm pears and I decided right then and there that both would get eaten before they turned brown. So... when DD finally woke up this morning, I told her I was making waffles for breakfast. She loves pancakes better, and promised to vacuum the living room floor without complaint if I would just please, please, please make pancakes instead. I'm no fool. That floor needs vacuuming! Pancakes it was. I was going to slice the pear up and artistically arrange the slices on each pancake, but when reality set in, I realized that was too Martha Stewart-ish for me. I grated one of the lovely firm pears into the batter. Yummy!

Vegan Pear Pancakes
1 firm pear, grated
1 C all purpose flour
2 Tbs sugar (I used brown sugar)
2 Tbs baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 C soymilk
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 heaping tsp apple pie spice
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger powder (I ran out of fresh ginger in the freezer)

Mix the dry ingredients together, then mix in the grated pear, then mix the wet ingredients in just until barely combined. Do not overmix because you will develop the gluten and end up with rubbery pancakes. Its ok if there are little clumps of flour.

Heat a frypan over medium heat, spray with oil, and drop 1/4 Cup dollops of batter onto the hot pan. Cook until there are lots of little bubbles on the surface of the pancake, then flip over. Keep warm until all the batter is cooked.

DD ate 7 pancakes. Luckily, she still was able to squeeze herself into the front seat of my car when I drove her to work at noon. I guess she liked them. Maybe you will like them too!

French Canadian Split Pea Soup

2007-11-05T06:36:00.001-05:00

This soup reminds me of childhood - of dark, frosty afternoons playing outside in the snow with Debby Plunkett, and coming in with frozen fingers and toes to this delicious soup. My Dad is full blooded Acadian, and as a child, he lived in French-speaking Canada with his parents. He absolutely loves this soup. Its one of those dishes that my Mom would cook regularly in the winter since it is so filling, so delicious and so inexpensive -- and most importantly, Dad adores pea soup. When I married and had a household of my own, I developed my own recipe, and my Dad always felt that mine was even better than his mother's or mine. Turns out that my pastor's favorite soup is.... you guessed it! French Canadian split pea soup! So, I made him a batch last Wednesday on the anniversary of his ordination. He was in hog heaven.... without the hog, of course, since the recipe was veganized!

If you want a canned split pea soup, the best is Habitant brand, but it is found mainly in New England where many French Canadians have settled. There are so many ways to make split pea soup - when we lived in California, we were exposed to the Scandinavian version and love that as well, so in a pinch, we'll eat a can of Andersen's. If you are ever in Solvang, California (and I highly recommend that you visit there - its a blast!), go to the town next door called Buellton, and visit Andersen's factory restaurant. Be sure to get the never-ending bowl of pea soup with all the toppings. Yummy!

I like to use a combination of split peas and whole dried peas for this soup to give it a more authentic texture, but it is increasingly difficult to find the whole peas. I prefer to make this in the crockpot for ease, but it can be made in the traditional way on top of the stove, or even in the pressure cooker as long as you are careful to not fill the cooker more than half full.

I'm naming this one after my Dad, Edmour Edgar Edward Joseph Babineau.

Eddie's Favorite French Canadian Split Pea Soup
3 C dried split peas, picked over and rinsed well (or combination of split and whole peas, the way Dad likes it)
10 C water
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 heaping tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 smoked ham hock or 1 tsp liquid smoke
Secret ingredient that truly makes a lot of difference: 1 tsp sugar

Put all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on med-low all day or overnight. If you used the smoked ham hock, shred it and return to the pot before serving. Remember to fish out the bay leaves once the soup is cooked!

To veganize: Leave out the ham hock and stir in 1 tsp of liquid smoke instead. Easy peasy!

You can cook it on top of the stove as well, just slowly simmer everything, stirring occasionally, and adding water a quarter cup at a time if it gets too thick. It will probably take about an hour to cook if you are using only split peas. If you are using whole peas as well, it will take about twice as long.

If using a pressure cooker, make sure its an 8 quart one and fill only half full. Cook 10 minutes at 15 pounds and reduce instantly under running water. Don't open the steam cock, because it might clog - use the water release method.

In a culinary homage to both sides of my family, I served this soup with two kinds of focaccia: tomato and cheese, and mushroom and rosemary.

Sorry, no pix for this - I never make my dinner guests wait for their dinner while I take a photo, though my pastor would have understood, I think.

Dottie's Corn Casserole - Veganized!

2007-11-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, DD's Baba Dorothy brought the yummiest corn casserole for our communal luncheon (trapeza) at church. Of course, *everything* Dottie cooks is yummy, but this was particularly delicious - a little crunchy with cornmeal and slightly sweet and cheesy. Numerous people begged her for the recipe, which she graciously provided:

Dottie's Cheesy Corn Casserole
1 8 oz package of corn muffin mix
1 16 oz can of corn, drained
1 16 oz can of creamed corn, not drained
1 C sour cream
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 C cheddar cheese, shredded

Mix all ingredients except the cheese together. Bake at 350F for 40 - 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cover the top with the cheddar cheese. Return to oven for 4 or 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

How I veganized it:

Now that DD is a vegan, though, the sour cream and cheese would have to go. I figured we could just do without the cheddar completely since we love the flavor of corn. Sour cream could be replaced with some silken soft tofu mixed with a few drops of lemon juice and a pinch or two of sugar. The butter can easily be replaced with oil and a little butter flavoring. It turned out very tasty, and the corners and edges have a nice crunchy chewiness that is normally found in brownies. I pumped up the flavor by adding a little finely minced scallion. I like this version very much. Here is my new recipe:

Denise's Vegan Corn Casserole
1 8 oz package of corn muffin mix
1 16 oz can of corn, drained
1 16 oz can of creamed corn, not drained
1 C silken soft tofu blended with 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp butter flavoring and 1 Tbs sugar
1/4 C vegetable oil
2 scallions finely minced

Mix all ingredients together and turn into an oiled 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, until the top is golden.

This made a delicious, warm breakfast for me on a chilly morning, and eventually will make a yummy room-temperature late lunch once DD wakes up. Kids!

Good friends, good company, good food

2007-10-08T07:22:00.000-05:00

I had some friends over for dinner yesterday: Billy, Melvin and Carla. Dear Daughter asked if TBF (The Boyfriend)could come as well, and that was fine with me. Six people fit very comfortably around my kitchen table, though we've had as many as 10 squished around!

We had a wonderful time! We caught up on each other's news and we did a lot of laughing. At one point, Billy had us all laughing so hard, I was afraid sangria would exit my nose in a quite unladylike way!

Since yesterday was a Sunday, and I spend most of Sunday at church, I decided early in the week to make a pot roast in the crockpot to cut down on the last minute preparation. After that, it was simple to plan an easy and delicious menu:

appetizers:
two kinds of bruschetta: olivada with cheese melted on top and roasted peppers in olive oil with cheese melted on top
chicken fingers and cherry tomatoes with ranch dressing

Main meal:
French style pot roast with wine, onion and mushroom gravy
Roasted vegetables: potatoes, carrots, parsnips, rutabaga
french baguette with butter

Dessert:
Orange and almond custard drizzled with chocolate sauce, with orange and cranberry biscotti and coffee

We drank merlot and sangria before, after and during the meal.

Sorry, no photos this time. Its one thing to make your kid wait while you take a photo, but another thing entirely to make guests wait.

I'll post some recipes a little later.

Fried Green Tomatoes

2007-09-26T18:20:00.001-05:00

Dear Daughter and I have really taken to several southern dishes. Fried green tomatoes is one. When I saw some beautiful green tomatoes at Krogers, I bought a few and decided to fry them. I had never fried tomatoes before, and quite honestly, I'm not a fan of frying. In fact, I can't remember the last time I fried something -- years and years, I think.

Today was the first day in a a couple of weeks that DD and I were both home for dinner, and we made a "date" to eat together. I was determined to fry the green tomatoes. This is what I did:

In a small paper bag, I mixed equal parts of finely ground white cornmeal and flour, and added about 1 tsp of Tony Chachere's seasoning, which is basically garlic salt with some paprika and cayenne added. Then I sliced the tomatoes about 1/3 or 1/2 inch thick, threw them in the bag one at a time and shook until they were coated. In a 10 inch cast iron skillet, I heated about 1/3 inch of canola oil until sizzling, then friend the tomatoes until they were golden brown on each side. I drained them on paper towels, and we ate them with rice, hummus and siracha sauce. We'll be having mango smoothies from the Vitamix for dessert.

They were very tasty, but they have a way to go. For some reason, the cast iron pan had hot spots, so some of the tomatoes got very, very brown -- too brown -- and my inexperience at frying helped them to get too brown as well. I think they needed more salt in the coating, too. The lemony hummus, though untraditional, really brought out the tartness of the tomatoes. All in all, it was a tasty meal.

I'll want to try this again, for sure.

Yes, I've been eating!

2007-09-24T21:51:00.000-05:00

Its been so long since I posted, it looks like I haven't been eating, doesn't it? Rest assured, though, I have, indeed, been eating. In fact, I gained 4 lbs this month. Obviously, I've eaten way too much popcorn....

September has been insane, so I've been cooking very simply. First, dear daughter decided that she was a vegetarian, then I was sick for a few weeks (still coughing some), then there were the four icon commissions due this month (more on that later), but what really put the kibosh on cooking was that dear daughter went back to work and our schedules haven't intersected much. Hopefully, that will change soon once her work schedule settles down a bit. I've found that when its just me for dinner, I don't want to cook at all, so I've been eating a lot of popcorn. Lots of popcorn. This is not a problem for me, other than the weight gain, because I do dearly love popcorn, especially with Cavender's Greek Seasoning on it. Yum! As far as the weight gain goes, well, I'm so fat now that I don't think 4 lbs one way or the other is going to make one iota of difference.

Some of the quick meals I've made have been cream soups in the Vitamix. Its simple: lightly steam some veggies, put them in the vitamix with some seasoning or cheese and some milk, and whiz until it starts steaming. Yum! So far, I've made broccoli & cheese, broccoli without cheese, cauliflower and cheese, cauliflower without cheese, roasted cauliflower, gingered carrot, cream of corn with peppers, baked potato soup, and vichyssoise. I usually make enough for 5 or 6 good-sized mugs, and we both suck 'em down while relaxing for a few minutes.

About the icons, well, two icons are only partially completed, because at the last minute, the wedding they were for was postponed indefinitely. I'll put them aside and go back to them when the wedding is back on, or when I have time. I have a couple of icons that are in progress, so they shouldn't feel lonely! I have to finish one I'm doing in egg tempera, and then.... I'm free to do whatever icon I want! Wow! I think I'm going to do a couple of gift icons for people I particularly love, especially dear daughter's Baba.

Its been hectic, to say the least, and this week, the only night that the fruit of my loins and I will have dinner together is Wednesday. I plan on making fried green tomatoes, succotash and rice. Sounds yummy, doesn't it? If there are any tomatoes left over, I'll tuck them in a pita bread for lunch. I hope to take a photo and post a recipe on Wednesday.

Till then, Ciao Bella!

The Rutabaga Post

2007-09-04T05:40:00.000-05:00

As I said in my last post, I have a turnip (really, an orange and purple rutabaga) in my fridge which has been sitting around far too long in all its waxed glory. I really wish that vegetable growers would not wax their produce, but that's another post. I considered roasting it, which would have been delicious, but as I went the fridge, I saw the remains of a big bag of kale that also needed to be used, so the solution was clear: Kale and Rutabaga Soup!

Now, don't turn your nose up at this combination of two vastly underrated and largely unloved veggies - it made a beautiful looking and delicious, slightly sweet soup. Here's how I did it:

Rutabaga and Kale Soup
3/4 Cup split peas, soaked for an hour in warm water
2 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium rutabaga, peeled and chopped in 1/2" dice
Fresh kale, cut in ribbons, about 1/4 lb
3 C veggie stock
2 bay leaves
1 tsp Adobo seasoning (instead of salt)
1/2 tsp cayenne

Soak the peas, then drain and set aside. While they are soaking, prep all the veggies: peel and dice the rutabaga, wash the kale and cut into ribbons, chop the onion. Saute the onion in the olive oil in a 5 qt dutch oven. Add the rest rutabaga and saute another minute or two, then the bay leaves, Adobo and cayenne, the peas, the kale and the stock. Stir well, cover and simmer for an hour until all the veggies are nicely tender but still retain their shape. Taste for saltiness.

Dear Daughter the eating machine had The Boyfriend over while the soup was simmering. I wondered if TBF would actually eat it - so I made some egg salad for sandwiches as a back up. He loved it, even though he had never had either vegetable. Like I said in an earlier post, I like The Boyfriend. He was brought up right.

We all had egg salad sandwiches to go with the soup and it made a nice Sunday supper, especially since I have bronchitis and I really needed soup.

NOTES: I used Vogue Veggie Base to make the stock. This did not make a lot of liquid, but it was still delicious. If I thickened the liquid slightly, this would be good over rice or millet or another grain, and would boost the nutrition. Because this was naturally sweet, I think I might put a splash of lemon juice in it for lunch today. I'm glad I restrained myself and didn't put any garlic or lots of herbs in because the clean flavor of the veggies really shine. This soup made me think of autumn, with the beautiful orange of the rutabaga, so I think I'll try this again when the weather turns cool..... which is January here in the Low Country!

Happy eating!

Curried White Bean Dip

2007-09-02T11:19:00.000-05:00

Dear Daughter is a vegetarian again, and I'm doing my best to support her in this healthy choice, so I'm back to the weekly bean dips. What fueled her vegetarianism is that she read somewhere that in modern factory livestock farming, fully 25% of all chickens are still alive when they make it to the scalding baths. She was horrified, as am I. It seems to me that the old fashioned ways of farming not only produced more nutritious vegetables, but was also far more humane to animals. We have lost so much once we as a nation began catering to conglomerate farms and shafted the family farmers.

Today I looked in the fridge and saw a couple of things that needed to be used up: part of a bunch of cilantro, 1/4 onion, 1 lonely Roma tomato, and half a lime. If all of these were combined with some beans into a bean spread or dip, how should I spice it? No brainer - hot curry!

This one came out deliciously. Give it an hour or so for the flavors to meld, then dish it out in single portions for easy lunches with some crackers and carrot sticks.

Turn the processor on, and while running, toss in to mince finely:

1/4 onion
2 cloves garlic
a good handful of cilantro (maybe about 1/3 C before mincing)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or less if you're not macho, like dear daughter)
1 Roma tomato cut in quarters

When everything is minced well, put in two cans of great northern beans, drained very well and pulse a few times to coarsely chop. Add a drizzle of olive oil and pulse until it become a chunky paste. Stir in the juice from half a lime. Taste for seasonings. Delicious..... and stinky! Don't plan on eating this at school or work!

I think this would be yummy with lime zest, but my lime was a little dilapidated looking, though it gave about 1 tsp of juice. Zesting was definitely not in this half-lime's future!

If I had not put in the beans or the curry, this would have made a small amount of absolutely yummy salsa.... it would have been good as a garnish on a creamy soup, or maybe an egg/cheese dish.

Next..... I gotta use up a turnip that's been taking up space in my fridge for a month! Its raining here today.... maybe soup?

Catching up on August 6th - Transfiguration

2007-08-06T16:58:00.000-05:00

Its been really, really hot and muggy here in the Lowcountry - too hot to do much cooking. So, I've been making a lot of salads, especially pasta salads, grilling chicken and pork, and many nights, we eat popcorn! Yes, I admit it - Popcorn can be filling, especially with parmesan cheese on it.

We are now about a week into the Dormition Fast which preceeds the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos on August 15th. We've eaten baked potatoes and salad, pasta, potato salad, taco salad, cajun bean soup from the freezer and mjuddarah. No pix - been too busy with four icon commissions due by the end of September. Check the Svetilen Studios link to see my latest icon commission.

Today I roasted a couple of pounds of Roma tomatoes. I think I'll use a couple for bruschetta and the rest will either go into a salsa or, what else, a pasta salad! I'm having a hankering for the chickpea gravy from Vegan with a Vengeance (you can find it here), so I'll probably make that again as well as some black beans and rice and some pierogies from the freezer.

So, that's what's been cooking in my house!

Mexicali Bean and Rice Soup

2007-07-04T14:59:00.000-05:00

I've had a huge ham bone in my freezer since my office Christmas party. The time has come for it to be used - it just takes up too much space which is needed for other things, especially since I'm having a dinner party on Sunday. I decided on making a huge pot of bean soup in my large, 6 qt. slow cooker/roaster so that I'd have lots and lots of lunches ready, and because the oval shape makes it the only pan that fits the bone without having to saw it into two parts!

I wasn't sure how this would taste, but dear daughter and I really like it. This one is a keeper, for sure.

Mexicali Bean and Rice Soup

1 lb dry beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained

1 large ham bone, with or without meat attached

1 - 2 large onions, chopped (about 1 C or more)

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes with juice

4 cloves garlic, minced (or more)

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 Tbs chili powder

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 tsp ground coriander

2 bay leaves

3 quarts water

Lightly simmer together on top of the stove or in crock pot on med-low for about 2 - 3 hours until beans are tender but still keep their shape. Remove the ham bone and set aside to cool, then remove the ham from the bone, dice, and return it to the pot.

Stir in 3/4 C white rice

1 good handful chopped cilantro

10 oz package of frozen Italian green beans

Cook until the rice is tender. Taste for salt and pepper. I added 1 tsp salt.

Notes: I used cranberry beans which turned a pinkish tan color, so I decided that I needed to put something green into the soup. I almost used up some frozen spinach, but at the last minute, decided to go with the green beans instead and some cilantro. The soup seemed to have too much liquid, so, since it had some Latin flavorings, I added some rice to soak up the added juice rather than pasta. Bill, one of the Veteran's Reps at work, is an artist with the knife, so by the time he got through carving the ham last Christmas, there was virtually none left on the bone, so there is no ham chunks in this soup, but I think it would be tasty with ham or sausage. We like it without though. This made a LOT. It completely filled the 6 quart cooker. We both had a couple of bowls, then I froze 6 portions for lunches, and a little less than half is left over in the fridge. I just might freeze a few more portions, since dear daughter isn't very big on leftovers. This is a very forgiving soup - you can easily vary the seasonings, the type of meat (if any), the type of bean, the type of veggies -- and still end up with a large amount of very tasty soup.

Edamame Succotash Salad

2007-06-24T07:08:00.001-05:00

Right around the corner from where I work is a wonderful, upscale market. Once in a while, I treat myself to lunch there. Last week, I tried their Edamame Succotash. Wow! It was delicious! They wouldn't give up the recipe, alas, so I went home and tried to recreate it, and this is the result. I couldn't resist tinkering a little... I've never made anything quicker or easier, and to top it all off, it is absolutely yummy! It should travel very well, so it would be great for picnics and pot lucks. In fact, I'm bringing this batch to trapeza (an agape meal following Orthodox Divine Liturgy) today.

Edamame Succotash Salad

2 lbs frozen corn niblets

1 lb frozen unshelled edamame

1 large Vidalia (sweet) onion

3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

good handful of Italian parsley, coarsely chopped

Vinaigrette

1/3 C balsamic vinegar

1/2 C extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbs dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp herbes de provence

salt and pepper to taste

Set the veggies to defrost, or rinse under hot water. Make the vinaigrette. Chop the tomatoes and the onions, then the parsley. Combine all in a large bowl, mix well, and adjust seasonings. That's all there is to it! YUM!

Some hints: Don't make the vinaigrette too garlicky or oily. Be sure that it has a nice vinegar tang. The tomatoes were terrible this week - very pretty color, but no aroma and therefore no flavor - so I used a large can of diced tomatoes. You could probably use another bean instead of the soybeans, but edamame have a wonderful toothsome quality and delicate flavor that I absolutely love, so I kept that aspect of the salad. If I was making this for myself alone, I would probably use a lot of cayenne, but some of the folks at church don't care for spicy food so I left it out. I did taste it and it needed more salt; I used about a scant tsp of Adobo seasoning instead which made it just perfect!

I've made something similar with black beans and corn, but that definitely has a Latin flair. This is definitely more mildly flavored to let the yummy edamame flavor come through.

Pasta with spicy peas and olives

2007-06-18T18:14:00.000-05:00

So sorry for the long absence! I've been eating, though not cooking a whole lot. I've been crazy busy with preparations for the consecration of my church and working on some icon commissions, so I've kept the kitchen duty to a minimum.

Tonight, the boyfriend came over for dinner, and I was running late from work, and it is a fast period, so...... it had to be pasta! Last weekend, I cleaned my fridge and freezer, making a list of everything, so I already knew that I needed to use up some frozen peas from a half-eaten bag. I also had some fresh herbs that were given to me which needed to be used. I knew I could make something tasty from all this in half an hour, and I did! I made a whole pound of pasta, and there is not one single pea left. I guess that the boyfriend and dear daughter liked it - I sure did.

Its sort of like a cross between pasta puttanesca, pasta and peas and pasta arrabbiata.

Pasta with Spicy Peas and Olives

1 small onion, diced fine
extra virgin olive oil for sauteeing
1 carrot, diced fine
3 - 4 Tbs fresh herbs, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 C sliced olives
1/4 C red wine (whatever you're drinking)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 C peas
1 lb penne, cooked al dente
parmesan shaved over the top

In a large, deep pan like a chicken fryer, saute the onion in the olive oil, along with the carrot, until it is translucent and soft. Add in the herbs and garlic, adding a few drops more oil to keep it from sticking to the pan. Add in the olives, and wine, sauteeing after each addition. Add the salt and cayenne, then the tomatoes, and let simmer on med-low, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes to meld the flavors.

By this point, the water for the pasta should be boiling, so get that going. You'll have about 10 or 11 minutes' cooking time, so you can set the table, or drink a glass of wine, or make a salad and some toasted garlic bread, which is what I did.

When the pasta is nearly ready, taste the sauce for salt and pepper, then add the peas on top, stirring them in. Add in the cooked pasta with a little bit of the pasta water, maybe 1/4 C or so, and stir it all together. Let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce for about 2 or 3 minutes, till perfectly al dente.

Serve with salad.

For the herbs, I used marjoram, oregano, parsley, and basil, though I used a lot more oregano than I would ever normally do - it just seemed to call for the sharp flavor of oregano more than the soft, licorice quality of basil which is normally my herb of choice. I found that it needed more salt and more pepper for my taste. If I were to make this during a non-fasting period, I think I'd use a couple of anchovy fillets instead of the salt for a richer flavor. I used up some kalamata olives that I had hanging around the fridge, but I think this would be good with any good, flavorful black olive, or even with sliced spanish olives with pimentos. DD and TBF ate theirs with a generous dusting of parmesan, and I'm sure that it was a really delicious addition - I mean, what doesn't taste better with parmesan, eh?

All in all, this was a very light, but still satisfying lenten meal. I asked DD if it was good enough to make again, and she gave me a very emphatic YES!

Standing to Save the World

2007-05-03T19:22:00.000-05:00

Dear Ones,

I have decided that I am going to do this. I am going to stand for five minutes in silence to save the world at 1 pm on May 13th. I invite you to do the same.

Go here for more information.

And while I am standing, I will pray for the salvation of everyone in the whole world.

Love,

Denise

Penne with Kale, Mushroom and Ricotta

2007-05-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

I seldom go food shopping on a Saturday, but this past week, I did. I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of excellent buys. As I was leaving the vegetable section, I noticed that the clerk was marking mushrooms down -- from the very lot that I had in my basket! So of course, I stocked up. I spent about $5.00 and got close to 10 lbs of baby bellas. That is a LOT of mushrooms. I sauteed about half and froze them; I also had a minute steak last night which was positively loaded with sherried mushrooms. Yum....

Dear daughter was starving today, and I wasn't all that hungry for dinner. I gave her a choice of rice or pasta, and it was no surprise that she chose pasta. As I was looking at the contents of my fridge, I realized that I had all the makings for a yummy, creamy pasta dish, loaded with mushrooms. It really was delicious.

8 oz penne, cooked al dente
12 med-large mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil for sauteeing
3 large leaves of kale, sliced into ribbons.
1 tsp dried herbs (I used herbes de provence)
1 tsp broth powder (I like Vogue)
Splash of sherry (maybe about 1/8 C)
3/4 - 1 C ricotta
Red pepper and salt to taste
freshly grated parmesan to taste.

First, put the big pot of water on the stove to heat up. Then wash the kale and wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth. Remove the stem from the kale and cut into ribbons. Dice the onions and set aside. Slice the mushrooms and set aside. Peel and mince the garlic. Put about a tsp or two into a hot pan and saute the onions, garlic and kale. Salt and pepper to taste. Add in the mushrooms and turn the heat to high, stirring all the while. When the mushrooms start to wilt pretty well, splash in the wine and stir in the broth powder. Put the heat down to med-high. Stir to keep from sticking. Once everything is bubbly and tender, add in the ricotta and stir to melt the cheese. Add in about 1/4 C of the boiling pasta water to thin it down a little - but keep it a little thicker than you want it because the pasta will add some water as well. Taste for salt and pepper. When the pasta is cooked al dente, dump the drained pasta into the saucepan and stir well so that every piece of pasta is coated. Remember that you can always add more boiling water to thin it out, but you can't take it out.

DD and I both really loved this dish. I put a little extra red pepper in mine because I like that kick, but you should salt and pepper to your taste. DD topped hers with a little bit of freshly grated parmesan. The little bit of broth powder added extra flavor and extra saltiness, so I ended up using about a scant 1/2 tsp of salt altogether. This would be good with any green and I think I would like more greens than I put in it, but the kale was particularly delicious.

This made plenty for the two of us for dinner, plus I'll get 2 lunches out of it. I'd say that this will make 4 servings overall. So, on Friday, I will take this for lunch. Tomorrow, I'll probably have a ham and cheese sandwich -- IF I make a loaf of bread in the breadmachine, that is!

Last Pizza Gaina post

2007-04-23T22:06:00.000-05:00

And this is what it looks like when you cut into it!

Pizza Gaina 2007

2007-04-06T13:03:00.000-05:00

And this is the pizza gaina as it came out of the oven two hours later! Its definitely not as pretty as some I've made, but it was the first one that I've ever made all alone, so I'm pretty satisfied with it. I can't even begin to tell you all how much I miss my mother right now. For my memories of Easters past and the recipe, go here.

Now, how to hide it from dear daughter? At least she won't be running away from home this year -- she told me that if I didn't make it again this year, that she was running away.

This is the first time that I've used this fun non-stick rectangular springform pan. I'll let it cool in the pan, and then refrigerate it. It should easily release.... at least I hope it will easily release.....

Tomorrow --- the panettone! Now its time to go to Cross Vespers.

Pizza Gaina 2007 photos 5 & 6

2007-04-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

On top you can see the next to the last layer of meat, which is followed by the last of the egg & ricotta mixture; you always end with the ricotta mixture.

On the bottom you can see the pie as it went into the oven. The top was brushed with beaten egg.

Pizza Gaina 2007 photos 3 & 4

2007-04-06T12:51:00.000-05:00

The top photo shows the filling ingredients. In the bowl are eggs beaten with ricotta, freshly grated parmesan and a little white pepper. Next to that is the dough, already divided into top and bottom crusts. From the top right, clockwise: imported genoa salami, imported spicy capacolla, prosciutto di Parma, fresh handmade mozzarella, sliced provolone.

The bottom photo shows the bottom crust after it was fit to the pan.

Pizza Gaina 2007 photos 1 & 2

2007-04-06T12:45:00.000-05:00

So, today I did part of my Easter baking - the pizza gaina. You can find my memories about this dish and the recipe here, so I'm just posting photos of the process. The top photo shows how the soft dough should look, and the bottom photo was taken after rolling out the bottom crust.

Diane's Perfect Pascha Cheese

2007-04-04T06:59:00.000-05:00

This year I gave up on my search for the perfect Pascha cheese recipe, the one that mimics my friend Diane's. Instead, I asked her nicely and she generously shared her recipe. Hers is the best that I've ever had. The BEST. She told me that for the last few years she has crushed ripe strawberries and folded them in, and that everyone loves that version as well.

Last year, I made three flavors: vanilla, hazlenut and mocha. The hazelnut was a huge hit, and the mocha one was a distant second. The vanilla one was almost untouched. So, this year, I decided to make a LOT of hazelnut pascha cheese, which I did. I also did an orange-almond flavor reminiscent of my Italian grandmother's traditional Easter dessert pie, which we called pizza dolce. Its yummy!

Here is Diane's basic recipe:

5 lbs bakers cheese

3 C heavy cream, whipped

1 2/3 C softened butter

2 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 vanilla bean

4 1/2 C sugar

Whip cream and set aside. Cream butter and sugar thoroughly. Slit the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the yummy seeds. Add the seeds and the vanilla and mix well. Add the cheese and beat until mixture is smooth, without any curds showing. Fold in the whipped cream. Line a large pascha cheese mold or clean flowerpot with cheesecloth and drain mixture for a couple of days, but at least overnight.

Notes from Diane: Diane's mold is HUGE. Its probably a foot high. She has also been known to freeze some of this with no loss of quality. Diane tells me that she has recently been crushing some ripe strawberries and adding them, and everyone loves it. Ricotta can also be used if you can't get farmers cheese, but decrease the sugar to about 3 3/4 C.

My notes: I halved Diane's recipe, using 2 1/2 lbs of whole milk ricotta cheese. I just can't egt farmers cheese here in the deep South. Sigh.... Half was flavored with hazelnut coffee flavoring syrup and went back into the ricotta tub with some jabs from an ice pick on the bottom. One quarter was left with the vanilla flavoring. The other quarter was flavored with almond coffee flavoring syrup and some finely grated orange rind. I made this a week ahead and set it to drain on Monday, April 2nd. I think that when you use ricotta, it needs about double the normal amount of time to drain.

Moules Mariniere

2007-03-29T21:37:00.000-05:00

The other day, I was in Kroger's grocery store and I simply could not believe it: 2 pounds of fresh mussels for $5.00! I LOVE MUSSELS! Of course, I bought them, brought them home, and made moules mariniere, the quickest, easiest and most delicious way to eat mussels, IMHO. Since there were only 2 pounds, I served them over angel hair pasta, but it would be more traditionally French to serve them in wide, shallow soup or pasta bowl and use crusty bread to sop up the buttery goodness.

Live mussels should be stored in your refrigerator covered with ice or a damp cloth to keep them moist, but not in standing water. Any liquid collected should be drained daily. They will last this way for 3 or 4 days.

To prepare them for cooking, you should rinse them well with water, then pull off the "beards" which are the hairy cords that help them to attach to rocks and things as they grow in the ocean.

Moules Mariniere

2 Lbs. Mussels
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped mild onion
2 - 3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon basil or thyme
4 tablespoons butter
Shake or two of cayenne

To get this on the table quickly, put the water to boil for the pasta first. When it is almost ready to boil, melt the butter in a large sauce pan with a lid and saute onions, garlic and herbs over medium heat until the onions are translucent. (You can use shallots, leeks or scallions instead of the onion - I used onion because that's what I had in the house.) Put the pasta in the boiling water, bring back to a boil and time for 6 minutes. Immediately turn the heat under the onions to high, slosh in the wine and the mussels, cover well and steam for 6 minutes until the shells are open and the mussels are opaque. Discard any unopened mussels.

Remove mussels from heat, drain pasta, and pour mussels with their garlic-butter sauce over the pasta and toss well.

Although not traditional, this is very good with a dash of herbes de provence and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. I mean, what DOESN'T taste better with parmesan? Not much, I tell you. But alas, it is Lent. Its also very traditional to stir in a spoon or two of heavy cream into this mussels.

Dear Daughter really loved this, especially since I served it over pasta. I did too!

Tilapia Veracruz

2007-03-27T07:31:00.000-05:00

March 25th is the Feast of the Annunciation and it is also my patronal feast day, or name day. On this day, because of the importance of the Feast. the fast is moderated a bit, and fish is allowed. Since it is my name day AND my turn to bring some food to share for lunch after Liturgy, I brought tilapia Veracruz. This dish has become very, very popular in my church, and I get asked to bring it on a regular basis. I've included a photo of it in this post, but you can find the recipe in the archives, on March 25, 2006 - just click here.

This has got to be one of the tastiest salsas I've ever had, and the easiest to make. A real no brainer. Its so quick and easy that I made the salsa in 10 minutes on Saturday, and put together the fish and cooked it in the time it took me to get showered and dressed on on Sunday morning - about half an hour.

Lunch in a Pocket

2007-03-18T18:34:00.000-05:00

Dear daughter is out and I'm alone in the house - something that seldom happens. I ought to be painting on an icon commission, but I really felt like cooking something I've never cooked before. I decided to cook something that dear daughter could take for lunch and eat cold. I thought maybe lenten piroshki, but then I thought, why not make it Indian style? So, I made a yeasted vegan dough from "Simply Heavenly" by Abbot George Burke and filled the little pies with two different fillings: curried cannelini beans and roasted corn.

The roasted corn is an interesting story. There is a new secretary at work, and she is a foodie like me. On Friday, we ate lunch together and she was talking about how delicious roasted corn on the cob is from her hometown. They dip the corn in melted butter, then roast it, then slather it with hot sauce and chili powder, then roll it in mayonnaise, then dust it with parmesan. I was intrigued... I mean, what's not to like about THAT? So, I figured out my own version, using frozen corn and it was very, very tasty!

This was also the first time that I used my handy-dandy set of three piroshki makers that I've had for years. It was fun! I think I'll do this again and again and again......

Dough

2 Tbs yeast

1 C warm water

1 tsp honey

3 Tbs canola oil

3 1/4 C unbleached white flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

Put ingredients in the bread machine on the dough cycle. Or, put in a mixer with a dough hook and mix for about 10 - 15 minutes until it is smooth, elastic and has formed a nice, soft ball. Let it rest for about 10 minutes. Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness and cut into 4 inch squares. Place about 1/4 C of filling in the center, moisten all four edges, then fold over into a triangle, crimping the edges. Poke holes in the top of each pie with a fork and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 400F and brush tops of pies with oil. I used my olive oil spray mister. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until golden brown.

Curried Bean Filling

1/2 C minced onion

1 heaping tsp minced garlic

2 tsp olive oil

1 10 oz can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with jalapenos in tomato juice

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained

1 tsp salt

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until just beginning to brown. Add the curry powder and saute for a minute. Add the tomatoes with their juice and the beans. Simmer for about 10 minutes to let the flavors develop. Taste for salt - I added 1 tsp of salt. Stir in the garam masala and let simmer for about 5 more minutes. Make sure that its not too juicy; if it is, turn up the heat and boil some of the tomato juice off. Let cool to room temperature.

Pan Roasted Corn

1 lb frozen corn

2 Tbs butter

1 tsp chili powder

1 Tbs lime juice

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1/2 tsp Adobo seasoning

1/4 C veganaise (real mayo would be sublime!)

Parmesan (optional)

Melt the butter in a fry pan and saute the corn till hot and cooked through. Sprinkle the chili powder and liquid smoke over and continue sauteeing. Sprinkle the lime juice and Adobo seasoning. Taste for salt and heat. Take off heat and stir in the mayonnaise. Taste for salt and hotness again. I added a little more Adobo seasoning and a squirt of Sriracha sauce. Yummy! I think I'll make this again as a side dish. I bet its fantastic with the parmesan!

St. Padraig's Day Lenten Recipes

2007-03-17T07:01:00.000-05:00

I come from Boston where St. Patrick's Day is heartily celebrated, especially in Charlestown. Now I live in Savannah which has the second largest St. Patrick's Day celebration in the country. On this day, I always think about my beloved cousin, Jeremiah Daniel Hugh Sullivan, a finer man never lived, and my grandmother's life-long best friend and neighbor, Marie Cadigan, who taught me how to make a proper pot of tea. May their Memories be Eternal!

Corned beef and cabbage is one of my all-time favorite meals. I just love it. I could eat a whole brisket by myself, so you can imagine my chagrin when I became Orthodox and realized that St. Patricks Day always, always, ALWAYS occurs during Lent! I've made a number of Lenten substitute meals but, of course, they never quite satisfy that craving for corned beef. This year, I received the following recipes from my dear friend, Matushka Elizabeth Perdomo, who is one heck of a fine cook, and this is what will be on my dinner table tonight.

St. Padraig’s Day Lenten Corned “Not-Beef” & Cabbage

2 Bay Leaves
1 Tbsp. Whole Allspice
1 Tsp. Whole Black Peppercorns
1 Tsp. Whole Mustard Seed
1 Head Cabbage, Cut into Wedges
1 Lb. Carrots, Cut into thirds
2 Lg. Onions, Cut into Wedges
2 Stalks Celery plus Celery Greens
2 Turnips, Cut into Large Chunks, Optional
Plenty of Salt, to taste

Make a bouquet garni of the bay leaves, allspice, peppercorns and mustard seed. I usually do this by putting the spices in a tea ball, but you can also use a few layers of cheesecloth or muslin wrapped around the spice. The goal is to not allow the spices to be loose in the broth, so you wrap them up.

Place the veggies and the bouquet garni in a big pot and cover with water and cook until tender.

In a separate pot of boiling water, cook 5 Lbs. Red-skinned Potatoes, cut into halves or quarters. When the potatoes are tender, drain them, saving the potato water for vegetable stock or liquid in breads.

Stir into the potatoes:
½ C. Fresh Parsley, Minced
1 Stick Lenten Margarine
Salt, to taste

To serve:
Serve the cabbage and other vegetables in their broth. Serve the potatoes separately. Have on hand some Fresh Horseradish Sauce. Serve with Irish Bread & a good Pint of Ale on the side! Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Colcannon – An Irish & Scottish Potato & Cabbage Dish
This is a Lenten tradition for St. Patrick’s Day and is excellent served on any other fasting day or season. The recipe also has a version using cheese (see below) which is excellent for times outside of the various fasts. It is interesting to note that this dish is also traditionally served in Ireland on All Hallow’s Eve.

Boil water in a large pot and add: Peeled Potatoes Salt & Pepper, to taste. When the potatoes are tender, remove from pot and mash them well.

In a skillet, heat some water, oil, margarine or butter and fry until soft:
1 Onion, Thinly Sliced
1 Head of Cabbage, Thinly Sliced
2 Carrots, Thinly Sliced, Optional
1 Small Yellow Turnip (Rutabaga?), Thinly Sliced, Optional
2 Small White Turnips, Thinly Sliced, Optional

Mix the potatoes, onion, cabbage and any of the “optional” vegetables together and mash them well. Place the mixture in an oiled or buttered casserole dish. Add margarine or butter, salt and pepper, to taste. This can be made earlier in the day and then re-heated in the oven.

Serve topped with: Paprika and/or Fresh Parsley, Minced and/or Fresh Chives, Minced

Colcannon Variations:

Kilkenny – A non-fasting Scottish version of Colcannon which calls for equal amounts of potatoes and cabbage, plus a half cup of cream.

Rumbledethumps – A similar Scottish recipe which includes potatoes, cabbage and onions - all cooked as described above - and then placed into the buttered casserole dish and topped with lots of grated sharp cheddar cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350 F. until the cheese melts and slightly browns.

BBE - that's Belated Blog Entry

2007-03-10T14:59:00.000-05:00

Dear Daughter has a boyfriend. He's a very nice boyfriend. DD's mother likes said boyfriend very much. Said boyfriend has very good manners and has eaten every bit of slop that dd's mother has put in front of him, even when he had no clue what it was. Like I said, I like said boyfriend very much.

Dear daughter isn't much of a cook and prides herself on that. She prefers to devote her considerable talents in the kitchen to eating what *I* cook.

BUT.............

Now that said boyfriend has entered the picture, dear daughter has developed a sudden interest in cooking him a meal. A *real* meal, not a big bowl of popcorn or an ice cream sundae. A real meal with all the food groups.

SO..............

Here is a photo of the first meal that dear daughter cooked for the boyfriend about a month ago. It was a grilled pork chop, salad with her own homemade balsamic vinaigrette and rice pilaf (not from a box - the real thing). It was a meal that was destined to go well, because these are all things that DD has been cooking well for years - just not all at the same time.

*I* stayed away and let them eat alone. It was pretty romantic for them, and the BF loved her cooking!

Since then, DD has cooked spaghetti aglia olio for herself.

hm........ how come *I* never get to eat any of this yummy stuff that DD cooks???????

"DD" has stolen the keyboard. I'd like to point out that we OFFERED the third pork chop, but did Mummy want it? NOOOO.

And she was gone when I made the spaghetti, otherwise I'd have made enough for two!

Don't let her fool you, folks! I'm not THAT BAD! XP

Sigh.... what are ya gonna do with kid's today, eh? hm.... that reminds me of a song........

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Folks.... sorry for that interlude. DD hates it when I break out into song. She finds it embarrassing. I don't know why. I mean, don't most people live their life to the soundtrack playing in their head?

Roasted Red Pepper, Mushroom and Barley Soup, or, La zuppa fa sette cose

2007-03-09T06:32:00.000-05:00

An Old Southern Italian Proverb
"Soup does seven things:

It calms hunger, slakes thirst, fills the belly, cleans the teeth, makes you sleep, helps you digest, and puts color in your cheeks!"

"Sette cose fa la zuppa, cava fame e sete attuta, empie il ventre, netta il dente, fa dormire, fa smaltire, e la guancia fa arrossire."

Two weeks ago, dear daughter and I were missing my mother a lot, and she showed me her most prized possession, a memento from my mother. It was my mothers little silver pill box, and inside, folded up many times to fit, was a scrap of paper on which my mother spidery handwriting flowed with the soup does seven things proverb. Mama loved that proverb, and especially loved that it was Italian. In fact, she wanted me to write it artistically around the perimeter of my dining room in the old house, somewhat like a border near the ceiling. I never did that, but maybe in my new house.....

We tend to eat a lot of soup during lenten periods, and all year, really, because we adore soup! I love thick creamy chowders and thin broths and everything in between. I'm a soupaholic, I think!

So, what do you make when you really, really want soup and you really, really need to go food shopping and you know you have to use up some mushrooms or they'll go bad? You could make what I made:

Roasted Red Pepper, Mushroom and Barley Soup

8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms

1 good sized onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 C vegetable broth (I used Vogue Vegebase, my favorite)

1/2 C barley cooked in 1 C water with 1/4 tsp salt

12 oz jar of roasted red peppers, drained and sliced

1 - 2 tsp Herbes de Provence

Good squirt of Sriracha sauce, or hot sauce of your choice

1 tsp Adobe seasoning (use instead of salt)

extra virgin olive oil

In a nonstick pan with tight fitting lid, cook the barley, or you could probably use quick cooking barley, too. In a 3 - 4 qt soup pot, saute the onions and mushrooms in some olive oil over med heat until translucent and beginning to turn golden. Add the garlic and saute another couple of minutes, then pour in the broth and all other ingredients. Let simmer for about 20 minutes so the flavors meld. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust seasonings. It needed some more salt, so I sprinkled more Adobo seasoning to bring the saltiness up.

This was delicious! Next time, I think I'll put in a can of chickpeas and make it a kind of Moroccan with some cinnamon and cumin. Dear daughter doesn't care how I make it next time as long as there *IS* a next time. I was hoping to put a portion away for lunch on Monday, but DD is on her third bowl, so I think I'm going to be eating peanut butter and jelly on Monday!

Vegan Lenten Recipes from Texas

2007-03-07T06:26:00.000-05:00

My dear friend, Matushka Elizabeth Perdomo, has begun collecting Lenten recipes on her website. So many of the recipes look so very delicious that I thought I'd give her a plug -- go and see for yourself! Click here for her website.

And while you're drooling over the recipes, get out your checkbook and donate to her parish's food pantry. In this time of Lent, when we are supposed to be praying more, eating less to learn control of passions, and expressing our charity more by giving alms, here is a perfect opportunity to give from the blessings you've received, to those less fortunate and need nutritious food to eat.

Matushka is a old, old Russian word which basically means Little Mother and is an honorific used as a sign of respect and love for the wife of a priest. Every Orthodox culture has its own word for the wife of a priest: for example, in Arabic, its Khouriya; and in Greek, Presvytera.

Spinach-Lemon Risotto

2007-03-06T19:21:00.000-05:00

I love risotto. I really, really love risotto, even though it is not something that I grew up with. My mother's family are from southern Italy - the Campagnia, near Naples - and we simply didn't eat risotto. But I do love it very much.

Tonight, I needed an all-in-one dinner because Ken was coming over for a little bit, and I didn't want the kitchen to be in an uproar. I had half a bag of fresh baby spinach in the fridge that needed to be used, so I considered spinach and lentil soup, but I just had some of Lidya's spectacular lentil soup for lunch. We had pasta for dinner last night. As I stood in my pantry, my eye fell on the jar of arborio rice and I knew what I'd make - spinach and lemon risotto! it turned out really well, and even had a kind of buttery flavor, even though there was no butter in it.

I cooked it the old fashioned way on the stove top because I wanted to be able to keep tasting it, but a super quick pressure cooker method can be found in an earlier post of mine here.

Spinach-Lemon Risotto

1 med onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 - 3 Tbs olive oil

1 C Arborio rice

3 - 4 C hot veggie stock (make with Vogue Vegibase)

zest and juice of one lemon

half a pound of fresh baby spinach

Saute onion in 1 - 2 Tbs olive oil till translucent. Add rice and stir to evenly coat every grain with oil, adding more oil if necessary. Add 2 C of hot broth and the lemon juice, stirring well. Bring to boil and lower to just barely simmering. Stir well every couple of minutes, adding a half cup of hot broth whenever the rice begins to look a little dry. When about 3 cups of broth have been absorbed, taste for doneness and salt. Add in lemon pepper salt to your taste (I used 1 tsp) and the spinach. Stir in the remainder of the broth, the lemon juice and the zest, and keep stirring until the risotto is done. It should be very creamy, almost as if you had poured real cream into it, and the rice should be cooked all the way through, but still retain a slight resistance to the tooth (al dente). When its done, taste for salt and pepper again, stir in a dollop of margerine and eat!

It was yummy. If it wasn't Lent, I'd probably stir in some parmesan, or even some crumbled feta. I think this might be nice made with some white wine, or even champagne instead of the lemon juice, which would make it a bit sweeter. You could stir in some other stuff - some salsa might be yummy. This would be good with some steamed shrimp stirred into it as well, or even chunks of chicken.

We both loved it. I was hoping for some leftovers so I could make risotto patties and fry them. Oh boy, fried risotto patties are SO GOOD! But alas, it was not to be; we ate it all. There are no leftovers.

Spinach and Bean Burritos

2007-03-04T19:23:00.000-05:00

One of dear daughter's favorite things for lunch and for snacks are the burritos you buy in the freezer section of the store. Today we did a little food shopping - we didn't need much, and we didn't buy a lot of veggies or fruit, no meat and no dairy except for dear daughter's milk - but we still spent more than $70!!!!!!!! The bread that we like was $3, so I've got maple oatmeal bread in the breadmachine right now.

I decided to make my own frozen burritos, full of delicious and healthful ingredients. I had 9 sun dried tomato flour tortillas and a can of refried beans, so what more did I need? I pulled out the vegan cheeze and the half jar of salsa that's been sitting in the fridge for a week or two. In the pantry, there was a 4 oz can of chopped black olives. The surprise is that I also pulled out the bag of fresh washed spinach!

I assembled my ingredients in assembly line fashion next to the stove and turned on the biggest electric burner to medium. I lay the first tortilla directly on the hot burner for a moment or two, just to soften it up, flipped it, flipped it back, and placed it on the counter to build the burrito: first a smear of refried pinto beans, then a spoon of salsa, then some chopped black olives, a good sprinkle of shredded cheese and a few spinach leaves. I rolled it tightly and started on the next one.

When all nine tortillas were filled and rolled, I wrapped them individually in saran wrap, and then put them in a large zip lock freezer bag in the freezer. In about 10 minutes, I made 9 burritos which is enough for a week or so for dear daughter and me. I'll probably send some plain yogurt (she doesn't fast from dairy strenuously) with her lunches for dipping.

They look yummy. I might eat one now...... and then there will be eight instead of nine..... shh.... who would know?

Beans, Greens and Fried Polenta

2007-02-27T22:58:00.000-05:00

So..... Lent has begun and I'm doing my best to eat vegan. I've been yearning for some Italian comfort food from my childhood - beans and greens. I had a bunch of greens waiting for me in the fridge, as well as some leftover polenta, so this was a very quick and easy dinner to put together.

For the polenta, all I did was slice it in sticks about an inch thick 2 inches wide and 4 inches long, and fry it in olive oil until it was crispy and browned on the outside and creamy and smooth on the inside. The combination of the crispy/creaminess of polenta with the tart garlic goodness of the greens made me forget that I usually put parmesan on top of this dish! Even dear daughter forgot about the parmesan, which is quite the accomplishment. AND, I have enough left over for lunch tomorrow! Yay!

Greens and Beans

1 bunch greens (your favorite - any type will do)
1 large onion, diced
2 Tbs veggie broth powder plus 2 cups water, OR 2 C veggie broth
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed dried rosemary
16 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
16 oz can of diced tomatoes in juice
olive oil
lemon juice to taste

In a 3 quart pot, saute the onion and the garlic in olive oil till translucent. Add the pepper flakes, oregano and rosemary till fragrant, then add the greens and stir till wilted. Stir in the tomatoes, broth or broth powder and simmer for about 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Stir in the chickpeas and simmer for another 10 minutes or so. Taste for salt and pepper, then stir in lemon juice to taste. Yummy!

Serve over fried polenta patties, with one on the top for garnish.

My 30th Great Lent has arrived

2007-02-20T17:31:00.000-05:00

A week ago, we celebrated Meatfare Sunday in which we Orthodox ate our last flesh meats, and Sunday was Cheesefare Sunday when we also said goodbye to dairy products for the duration of Great Lent. For more information about fasting Orthodox-style, see my previous post on the subject.

For all intents and purposes, this blog will become vegan until Pascha on April 8th.

Here is part of a homily by St. John Chrysostom on fasting:

From Concerning the Statues, Excerpts from Homily III By St John Chrysostom

I speak not, indeed, of such a fast as most persons keep, but of real fasting; not merely an abstinence from meats; but from sins too.

For the nature of a fast is such, that it does not suffice to deliver those who practice it, unless it be done according to a suitable law. “For the wrestler,” it is said, “is not crowned unless he strive lawfully.”

To the end then, that when we have gone through the labor of fasting, we forfeit not the crown of fasting, we should understand how, and after what manner, it is necessary to conduct this business; since that Pharisee also fasted, but afterwards went down empty, and destitute of the fruit of fasting.

The Publican fasted not; and yet he was accepted in preference to him who had fasted; in order that thou mayest learn that fasting is unprofitable, except all other duties follow with it.

The Ninevites fasted, and won the favor of God.

The Jews fasted too, and profited nothing, nay they departed with blame.

Since then the danger in fasting is so great to those who do not know how they ought to fast, we should learn the laws of this exercise, in order that we may not “run uncertainly,” nor “beat the air,” nor while we are fighting contend with a shadow.

Fasting is a medicine; but a medicine, though it be never so profitable, becomes frequently useless owing to the unskillfulness of him who employs it. For it is necessary to know, moreover, the time when it should be applied, and the requisite quantity of it; and the temperament of body that admits it; and the nature of the country, and the season of the year; and the corresponding diet; as well as various other particulars; any of which, if one overlooks, he will mar all the rest that have been named.

Now if, when the body needs healing, such exactness is required on our part, much more ought we, when our care is about the soul, and we seek to heal the distempers of the mind, to look, and to search into every particular with the utmost accuracy.

I have said these things, not that we may disparage fasting, but that we may honor fasting; for the honor of fasting consists not in abstinence from food, but in withdrawing from sinful practices; since he who limits his fasting only to an abstinence from meats, is one who especially disparages it.

Dost thou fast? Give me proof of it by thy works!

Is it said by what kind of works?

If thou seest a poor man, take pity on him!

If thou seest an enemy, be reconciled to him!

If thou seest a friend gaining honor, envy him not!

If thou seest a handsome woman, pass her by!

For let not the mouth only fast, but also the eye, and ear, and the feet, and the hands, and all the members of our bodies.

Let the hands fast, by being pure from rapine and avarice.

Let the feet fast, by ceasing from running to the unlawful spectacles.

Let the eyes fast, being taught never to fix themselves rudely upon handsome countenances, or to busy themselves with strange beauties.

For looking is the food of the eyes, but if this be such as is unlawful or forbidden, it mars the fast; and upsets the whole safety of the soul; but if it be lawful and safe, it adorns fasting.

For it would be among things the most absurd to abstain from lawful food because of the fast, but with the eyes to touch even what is forbidden. Dost thou not eat flesh? Feed not upon lasciviousness by means of the eyes.

Let the ear fast also. The fasting of the ear consists in refusing to receive evil speakings and calumnies. “Thou shalt not receive a false report,” it says.

From The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, vol. 9.

Behind the Apron

2007-02-14T18:37:00.000-05:00

I've enjoyed reading other food bloggers "Behind the Apron" posts, so I thought I'd do one myself. Here is a photo of dear daughter and me from a year ago. We had the wonderful experience of going on a cruise together with some church friends, and despite dear daughter's protestations, we dressed up one night and had this photo taken. Isn't it nice? I have it framed on top of my piano in my living room.

I live Georgia's lowcountry and I currently work for Georgia Department of Labor as a Services Specialist. There's really nothing special about the title - everyone has that title. My responsibilities are in the Re-employment Unit and Georgia Works on-the-job training program. I really love what I'm doing now, but I don't love the paycheck. Yikes! This is probably my fifth career: medical secretary/transcriptionist, human resources professional, self-employed transcriber, paralegal, and for the last six or seven years, workforce development professional. I think I have another career or two in me, if I play my cards right!

I was one of those annoying kids in school - the one who always asked the unanswerable questions. But that constant questioning lead me to the Boston Public Library (yes, I'm from Boston originally - Everett, MA to be exact) and the religion section. It was there, at 16, that I read a book by Fr. Serge Bulgakov about the Orthodox Church, and I clearly remembering thinking to myself, "Yes, Yes!" as I read. I thought to myself that if what he wrote did not describe the True Faith, then nothing did, and we are all doomed. Fast forward to Palm Sunday, 1977: I attended my first Orthodox service at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church of Boston which was meeting at that time at Holy Cross Seminary's gymnasium. I was transported. I understood the words that St. Prince Vladimir of Russia's emissaries spoke to him in 987 about their visit to the Great Church in Constantinople (the Orthodox Church), "We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth, " they reported, "nor such beauty, and we know not how to tell of it." I didn't either. I fell in love that day and have never fallen out of it.

My Christian faith, and the Orthodox practice of it, is a large part of my life. I direct the choir at my church. (see photos of my church here) Orthodox services are almost completely sung, and about half of each service changes every day. We sing in four part harmony without accompaniment, and I give pitches using a tuning fork. This is traditional for our church. Its a big job - there is a lot of behind the scenes work - but I love it very much. The normal posture for praying is standing for us, and the normal prayer is sung. So, what sing are the prayers of the church, and the choir leads the people in this sung prayer - its not entertainment, or a musical interlude, or background music for personal contemplation - it is the common work of the people.

In fact, it was my faith that gave birth to this blog last year. On one of the several Orthodox women's yahoo groups that I belong to, a young woman experiencing her first lenten period was perplexed about what she could eat, and a number of us older women gave her some recipes. Because I love to read a couple of food blogs, I decided that start a food blog for last Great Lent (the 7 weeks prior to Pascha, or Easter) to help her out. Once Pascha was over, by popular acclaim, I continued posting, though not as frequently. Lent is about to begin again on Monday, February 19th, so you can expect to see more posts.

I also have other blogs that detail my life as a choir director and an iconographer, as well as the wanderings of my feeble mind. (iconography: http://svetilenstudios.blogspot.com/ musings: http://missingbecheery.blogspot.com/ choir:http://stmmchoir.blogspot.com/ )

I was born in Everett, MA, spent my summers in Lake Sunapee, NH, my winters in Mexico (until I went to school). My parents owned a small country inn in Lake Sunapee, one of the most beautiful alpine lakes I've ever seen, although Lake Tahoe comes a close second. Very close. Boston State College, my alma mater, got eaten up by University of Massachusetts at Boston years ago. After one year of marriage, the ex and I moved to California's South Bay Area. After 11 years of marriage and one little lhasa apso named Charalambos (Harry for short), dear daughter was born, the light of our lives. She is a cancer survivor and is a smart, kind, thoughtful and mature young lady. She also eats like a horse but never gains any weight. How ANNOYING! I lived in California for 18 years, and almost 10 years ago, moved with my daughter and my elderly parents to the Lowcountry where I am today. Mama died two years ago on February 11th, and Dad is in a nursing home because of advanced Alzheimers. At almost 91, he's healthy as can be physically, and still, in a strange way, very much himself. He is everything that a man should be, and few are, even though he cannot remember his own name now. Character and a kind, loving spirit, do not desert, even when everything else does.

For fun, I blog. To let off steam, I blog. To try to understand my life, I blog. Surprise!

I read a lot, a LOT, and I always have half a dozen books going at once. For the last eight years or so, I've been a member of a local professional chamber choir called I Cantori which I adore because I get to sing a repertoire that I would never get to sing otherwise. I love to spend time with my close friends, who love and accept me no matter how annoying I am, and I do so regularly. I don't watch much TV - who has time? - but when I do, I tend to watch HGTV or Food Channel (no surprise there), or figure skating. I'm an expert needleworker and have taught it professionally in the past - I particularly enjoy needlepoint, but I can do pretty much everything, from crochet to knitting to sewing to embroidery to crewel. Can't tat, though. Never learned and now that Auntie Emily is gone, I don't know anyone to teach it to me.

Last year I bought a new house in an excellent school district, and dear daughter, who had always been homeschooled, entered school for the first time this fall in the 11th grade. We happily live together in our cheerful little house with our spoiled little shih tzu, Puccini and our spoiled kitten, Magdalena (Poochie and Maggie).

My life is full of my daughter, my family, my church and church family, music, art and writing. And food. For an Italian, food is love, food is sensual, food is life.

Life is good. There is always, always something wonderful happening in my life. My life is very, very full. I hope yours is as well.

Low Country Shrimp and Cheese Grits

2007-01-26T19:35:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, I was watching Food TV (aka cartoons for grown ups) and watched Paula Deen drool over her version of shrimp and cheese grits. She made it seem so delicious that I knew I'd have to try it. Last night, I took a half pound of shrimp out of the freezer for tonights supper but hadn't decided how to cook it. As I was driving home from work, I was thinking maybe I'd make scampi, and in fact, thats what I told my cousin Ethel as we talked while I was driving. But then when I got home, it came to me: shrimp and cheese grits!

I knew I had some instant grits in the pantry and some sharp cheddar in the fridge. I didn't think I'd need more than that. So, I cooked the grits according to the package, but I used veggie broth instead of water (I used Vogue Veggie Base to make the broth) and no salt.

While I was waiting for the grits to cook, I finely chopped half an onion and sauteed it in 2 Tbs butter and 2 Tbs olive oil. Then I added about 3 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp of Bell's seafood seasoning, 1 tsp dried parsley, and the shrimp. When the shrimp turned pink, I tasted for salt - it needed just a pinch more - and drizzled about 1 Tbs of lemon juice over all. By then, the grits had thickened nicely, and I added 2 oz sharp cheddar per serving, using a whisk to stir well.

It took just a minute or so for the cheese to melt and then it was time to eat. I spooned out the grits into two bowls and topped with the shrimp and butter sauce. Dear daughter loved it, but that was because I told her it was polenta. Which it actually was. But she has not had happy experiences with southern style grits, so I told her it was cheese polenta and she was happy. I waited until she was half way through before I told her the truth! LOL! Mothers have to be devious sometimes!

This was surprisingly quick (15 minutes total), easy, tasy and FILLING. Oh yes, it is definitely filling. I don't think we'll need a snack later in the evening at ALL.

If you don't have grits, you can definitely use polenta, and once the little box of grits is used up, I won't replace it. I prefer the stronger corn flavor of polenta.

Almost Warak Enab

2007-01-04T19:21:00.000-05:00

Or, How I Made Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves Without the Grape Leaves!

Yes, boys and girls, it can be done!

Last winter, I finally broke down and replaced my old, 1940s era pressure cooker with a brand spanking new Fagor. It came with a little recipe booklet which included a recipe for porcupines. I had eaten them once before, in 1980, when a very young Navy wife that I met when I first moved to California made them for me, and I have never eaten them since. I remember thinking that they were kind of bland, but ok. So, there was the recipe staring back at me, and it looked, well, kinda bland but ok. Then it hit me -- it basically is the same proportion of rice and meat that is used in the stuffing for grape leaves! I fiddled a little bit with the recipe for stuffing and tried it out in the pressure cooker, and it was fabulous! All the flavor, none of the work!

Almost Warak Enab (Lebanese style)

For meatballs:
1 med onion, chopped finely
1 Tbs butter
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp allspice or mixed Arabic spices
1 1/4 C rice, well washed
1 lb hamburger
1/2 C water

Saute the onion in the oil until it is translucent, then mix all the ingredients together. Form into 12 meatballs and place on a trivet in a 6 qt or larger pressure cooker. Its best if they are in 1 layer, but use 2 layers if necessary.

For cooking liquid:
1 tsp dried mint
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz can of diced tomatoes in juice
1/4 C lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
water to cover

Sprinkle the mint and garlic over the meatballs. Pour the tomatoes with their juice over, and add water till the meatballs are covered. Drizzle in the lemon juice and sprinkle the salt over all.

Cover tightly and simmer on the stove about 50 minutes until rice is completely cooked.

To Pressure Cook: This is how I cook them! Bring to high pressure and cook exactly 14 minutes. Let pressure reduce naturally.

Serve with pita bread, plain yogurt and a nice salad.

Pork Provencal Style

2006-12-29T19:09:00.000-05:00

Sooooooo, its Friday and its a fast-free week. For you non-Orthodox, the way it works is that prior to four major feasts, there is a period of preparation which includes fasting from all flesh-meats, dairy and eggs. Then you have the feast which is normally followed by a period of up to a week when even the usual Wednesday and Friday fasting days are suspended. Advent, the fasting period prior to Christmas, begins on November 15th and ends on December 25th, and there is a full week which fast-free following.

So like I said, its Friday and its a fast-free week. Dear Daughter's most favorite meat in the world is pork, so I planned pork chops. When I got home tonight and looked in the fridge to see what to cook with it, I had an 8 oz package of cherry tomatoes and an 8 oz package of sliced baby porcini mushrooms that needed to be used. This led to the following dish which I think I'll call Provencal Pork. I heard something muffled come from dd while her face was in her dish. I think it was "I really, really love you, Mommy!" High praise indeed! LOL!

Provencal Pork

4 thick boneless pork chops

1 onion, chopped coarsely

8 oz sliced mushrooms

8 oz cherry tomatoes

3 - 4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 C white wine

1/2 tsp or so of Adobo seasoning (this is very salty)

1/2 tsp or so of Herbes de Provence

garlic powder

olive oil for sauteeing

Using my favorite, well-seasoned and practically nonstick cast iron fry pan, heat about 1 Tbs olive oil till its very hot. Saute the onions and mushrooms together, stirring very often, until the mushrooms have given up their liquid and the onions are tender. Add in the tomatoes and saute about 5 minutes more until they split and pop. Sprinkle the Adobo seasoning, minced garlic and Herbes de Provence over, stir well, and splash in some white wine to deglaze the pan. Keep sauteeing until everything is cooked and the alcohol has burned off, but there is still some liquid in the bottom of the pan. Adjust salt and pepper. Remove to a serving dish and keep warm. Wipe the pan out with a paper towel.

In the same pan, drizzle a little olive oil to coat the bottom and let the pan heat to medium high. When the pan is hot, place the pork chops in and let cook about 5 minutes, or until the bottom is crusty and browned. Yum. Turn the chops over, lower the heat to medium, sprinkle with the salty Adobo seasoning, a couple of pinches of Herbes de Provence and a shake or two of garlic powder. Let the chops cook until they are done, probably about another 5 minutes or so. Be sure to test the chops for doneness.

Serve the chops with the tomatoes on top, a salad dressed with a simple vinaigrette and a loaf of crusty bread.

This was really, really, really good. Through a mouth of porky goodness, DD told me that she would be a vegetarian, but pork was holding her back. Me too. So, I guess we'll continue with our vegan lifestyle during fast periods (at least half the year), and we'll still eat meat a couple of times a week during non-fast periods. Does that make us half-vegans? Nah, it just makes us Orthodox!

Christmas Cooking!

2006-12-26T14:08:00.000-05:00

Well, Christmas has come and gone, and I thought I'd give you a quick rundown on the culinary highlights. My ex-husband is here on his annual visit, and he made his famous mujuddarah. This is basically lentils, rice and carmelized onions - its the same lentil pottage for which Esau sold his birthright. This is a staple lenten meal for middle eastern Orthodox.

On Sunday, Christmas Eve, our parish held what has become a yearly tradition - a parish-wide Holy Supper. Each year we become more traditional in our Holy Supper. It was delicious and featured shrimp, pea soup, kutia, barley, bread and honey, garlic, potatoes, vegetables and pierogi. YUM!

I had been asked to bring some corn to the Holy Supper, but in the last minute rush, it didn't get put out, so I took it home and made corn chowder for dinner. I love chowders of all kinds - I *am* from New England, after all - but corn is my absolute favorite.

Dear Daughter and I had decided to simplify our gift giving this year, so I made pizzelles to give away on Christmas Day. These are a thin and crispy pancake type of a cookie, not too sweet, that is made in a special type of waffle iron. My little cousin Andrea is the Queen of Pizzelles. Really. I got her recipe last year and made the traditional anise flavored ones. This year, I made two batches - one was lemon flavored and one was gingerbread flavored. Its been very damp and rainy here, so they are not as crispy as is traditional, and a few stuck together, but they are still very, very delicious and perfect with capuccino or espresso.

This brings me to Christmas Day dinner..... I had invited Josie and Tim, some college-aged friends of DD and me again, and Josie doesn't eat pork or beef. Last year, I served them chicken cooked in wine from my grandmother's recipe, but I wasn't in the mood for it again. Then I remembered how, when my folks were alive and I was still married, on Christmas Eve we'd have pasta with seven different kinds of fish and shellfish, so I asked Josie if they ate seafood (they did) and that was my plan. But then I started thinking about maybe making it more like a soup, maybe bouillabaise or cioppino. And that's what I did. The ex bought all the seafood, and as I knew he would, he bought the best and lots of it. It was a very, very generous Christmas present for us - thank you, Jerry! For dessert, we had a selection of traditional Slovak kolachky cookies that DD made with her Baba Dorothy, baqlawa and pizzelles.

Tonight....... STEAK!

This past year has been a difficult one for myself and dear daughter personally, and for our parish community as well. But we have much to be thankful for! Our beautiful new church is completed and will be consecrated in June. DD has begun high school and is doing extremely well, and has broadened her horizons. Now that she is out in the world a little bit, she has made some very nice friends, including a terrific "special" friend. I've adjusted to my new job which I enjoy, though the paycheck leaves a LOT to be desired! I've rededicated myself to iconography and choir directing, and many blessings have come from that. We have wonderful friends and family, and most of the drama that complicated our lives has dropped away. Our family, friends and pets are well. We have our faith, which colors all aspects of our lives. We are very blessed.

Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth, peace! Goodwill to men!

Christ is Born! Glorify Him! Christ is from Heaven, go to meet Him! Christ is on earth, be lifted up! Sing to the Lord, all the earth, and praise Him with joy and gladness, for He has been glorified! (1st ode of the Christmas Canon)

Cioppino

6 - 7 large garlic cloves, smashed and minced

2 medium onions, chopped

1 head fennel, sliced, including feathery green fronds

1 Tbs fennel seed

1 - 2 Tbs Herbes de Provence

1 bay leaf

2 Tbs tomato paste

1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes in juice, squished into little pieces

2 C dry red wine

1/2 C brandy

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 C chopped fresh parsley

2 quarts clam juice or fish stock

salt and pepper to taste

extra virgin olive oil for sauteeing

30 littleneck clams in the shell (5 per person)

2 lbs cooked crab legs in the shell (frozen is ok)

2 lbs shrimp, raw, in shell

2 lbs halibut, cut into 2" pieces

2 lbs sea scallops

In a heavy bottomed, 8 quart (or larger) pot, saute the garlic and onions in olive oil until transparent. Stir in the fennel, fennel seed, herbes de Provence and saute until fennel is aromatic and crisp/tender. Add in the crushed red pepper and tomato paste, sauteeing until the tomato paste turns a dark, rich red - about 2 or 3 minutes. Add more oil if necessary to keep from burning. Stir in the wine and brandy and let simmer for a few minutes to burn off the alcohol. Scrape up any bits that are stuck. Add in the tomatoes with their juice and the clam juice and let simmer together for about a half hour or so, to meld all the flavors. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust. Be careful about the salt, because the clams, in particular, will add more saltiness to the broth.

Now, get your serving bowls ready, and preheat your oven at 200F for about 4 or 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. You will use your oven to keep the fish and seafood warm until its time to eat. You will cook each type of seafood separately in the broth, remove to a platter, and keep them warm in the oven. First, submerge the crab in the broth until it is heated through and remove. Next, submerge the clams and remove the minute they pop open. Next, submerge the shrimp until just pink. Next, submerge the sea scallops and fish together until opaque and cooked through and remove. Taste the broth for seasoning and adjust - you will be amazed at the depth of flavor that the different kinds of seafood have imparted!

To serve, place some of all the different kinds of seafood in your bowl and ladle the broth over. Pass out bibs, nutcrackers and lots of napkins. Sop up all the broth with lots of crusty french bread. I'm almost swooning just remembering how good it was!

Sad to say, there is not one drop left. The five of us were licking our plates as well as our fingers. Can you say OINK?

Baqlawa Redux

2006-12-14T06:48:00.000-05:00

So.... today is the Christmas Luncheon at work, and I am supposed to bring a dessert. A few people told me that last year, everyone brought pie, and the year before, everyone brought cookies. It was no surprise that the lady coordinating it stressed diversity this year. I decided right then and there to make a tray of baqlawa - its not expensive, its quick and easy, its delicious, and the leftovers will stay really well until I can serve them at my own Christmas dinner. She asked me what I was bringing the other day, and when I told her "baklava" (I always use the Greek term for it since it is the most recognizable to folks), she didn't have a clue and looked at me kind of strangely. I explained what it was, and she seemed a little dubious but told me that diversity was what she was after. That made me wonder if it would be well received by the rank and file at the DOL. I hope so...... I hope that they are willing to step outside their same-old, same-old and at least give something new a try.

Anyway, last night I made it, and it came out well. This is maybe the fourth or fifth time that I've made baqlawa since I moved into my new house, and each time, its gotten a little browner than I care for. I guess that the oven isn't calibrated perfectly. I don't have difficulty with other baked goods, but the other things I've baked have not been as delicate as phyllo dough, either. It is times like this that I really miss my father -- he would have immediately recalibrated the oven for me. I guess I'll have to buy a new oven thermometer since the old one got lost in the move.

I won't repost the recipe, since I've done it before, but I will tell you the changes I made this time. I used a half pound of phyllo dough, 1 pound of sweet butter clarified and 1 pound of walnuts. My plan was to bake it at 325F for 60 minutes and then check it, but at the 45 minute mark, it was smelling a little toasty, so I checked it and found that it was done.

Wish me luck today! I hope the good folks at the DOL at least try it!

Hands-Free Polenta

2006-12-07T15:23:00.000-05:00

I come from New England, Boston to be exact. There are a number of specifically New England foods that I love, and sometimes, I make them. Like any beloved heirloom recipe, most New England recipes are time intensive, especially Indian pudding. I just love it - its a sort of sweet cornmeal mush which has been baked for hours with milk and spices and is served hot, in a soup bowl, topped with sweetened whipped cream or creamy vanilla ice cream. I used to always get it at Durgin Park, a famous Boston restaurant, and a number of years ago, I pined for it so much that I found a recipe. I baked it all night long and it was delicious, but it took forever. So, I experimented with cooking it in a crockpot - it came out fabulous! So, for Thanksgiving breakfast, for many years, I had Indian pudding from the crockpot.

Fast forward to yesterday when I had a hankering for polenta, but I just don't have it in me to stir it for 45 minutes on the stove (I'm fighting a bad chest cold/walking pneumonia). My mouth was set for it, but I just didn't think I could do it. Last night, I was thinking about polenta some more, and it hit me --- try it in the crockpot! Well, I did it today, and it is cooling in a 9x13 nonstick pan right now. It tastes delicious. I don't think I'll ever stir polenta again - this is my new favorite way of cooking polenta.

Crockpot Polenta

6 C boiling water
2 C cornmeal
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 Tbs butter/margerine
olive oil for greasing the crockpot (I use my handy-dandy oil mister)

Bring water to a boil. Grease bottom and sides of crockpot and turn it to high. Place butter/margerine in crockpot to melt. When melted, stir in the salt and pepper and any other seasonings you are using, then dump in the cornmeal. Using a wire wisk, wisk the cornmeal while pouring in the boiling water. Keep wisking for a minute or two to dissolve all the lumps. Cover and cook on high 2 - 3 hours., stirring once with the wisk halfway through, and again at the end of cooking time. Turn out into a greased baking pan to cool.

I flavored my polenta with 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp dried onion flakes, about a small handful of dried mushrooms - broken up, about 1/4 C of julienned sundried tomatoes, and 1 heaping tsp of herbes de provence. If it wasn't Lent, I would have stirred in a cup of shredded cheese as well.

This makes a lot of polenta - enough for about 8 people - but it freezes well, so I will freeze the rest for a quick meal on a work night. It has a very pretty, rosy cast to it from the tomatoes.

Trust me on this, it tastes yummy! I'm going to serve it with some leftover roasted garlic tomato sauce and some broccoli sauteed in olive oil and garlic. It would be really tasty with a ton of parmesan over all, but alas, it is Lent, so that will have to wait.

Slow Cooker Stuffed Acorn Squash

2006-12-03T10:43:00.000-05:00

I bought a large squash this week, intending to glaze it with maple syrup and bake it in the oven this weekend, but I'm sick and I don't feel up to cooking a whole meal today. I even stayed home from church, which very seldom happens. Anyway, I figured if I could find some crockpot recipe, then I wouldn't have to watch it much and would have a new work-day recipe for my files. So, I looked all over internet trying to find stuffed squash recipes cooked in the crockpot. I found a few that sounded interesting, but they just weren't "right", you know? I did figure out the timing and heat level, though. Here is what I came up with - its in the crock pot cooking away right now. I'll let you know how it comes out!

Pepita Stuffed Acorn Squash in the Crockpot

1 large acorn squash, halved, seeded and lightly brushed with olive oil on the inside
1/2 C long grain white rice, raw
1/4 C pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds - not salted)
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 heaping Tbs minced onion
1 heaping Tbs salsa
Scant 1/2 tsp Adobo Seasoning (which is mostly salt - you can substitute salt)
1/2 tsp Italian mixed herbs
1 C vegetable broth (I use Vogue veggie base powder mixed with water)

Cut the squash in half and scoop out seeds. Brush the insides with olive oil (I have a non-aerosol pump bottle that is filled with olive oil, so I sprayed it). Place the halves in a slow cooker, slicing off the bottoms to level, or you can use some wadded up aluminum foil to prop them in a level position. In a small bowl, combine the rice, seeds, garlic, onion, salsa, salt/Adobo and herbs. Spoon the stuffing into the squash halves - don't compact it down or the rice won't have room to expand. Pour the broth into the halves - if it doesn't all fit, then reserve the broth to pour in about halfway through cooking. Lastly, pour about a cup of water into the bottom of the crock pot. Cover, and cook on med/low for about 6 hours, or on high for 3 - 4 hours.

Serve sprinkled with cheese if you like, or with a dollop of guacamole or sour cream on top. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro. I think I'm going to serve this with some refried black beans on the side.

Imagine the different flavored stuffings you come up with! I'm already thinking about making this Arabic style to use a cup or so of leftover lenten grape leaf stuffing (my personal favorite - I love the lenten stuffing so much more than the tradition meat and rice).

This could easily be baked in the oven, if you have a big family. But for just dd and me, the crockpot will provide us with two servings very nicely.

How I Used Up Thanksgiving Leftovers

2006-11-30T06:12:00.000-05:00

In our parish, we get a dispensation from fasting to eat turkey on Thanksgiving, so I did cook a turkey breast. We ate it for a couple of days, but then I froze what remained for use another time. Its doubled wrapped and bagged, so it should be fine for about 6 weeks, I think.

I did make the traditional turkey soup from the breast bones. Before I went to bed, into my 5 quart crockpot I placed the breast carcass, one celery rib, one carrot, one unpeeled onion, about 2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp of salt, a few peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, a splash of white wine and a splash of lemon juice, and let it rip until dinner time the next day, about 5 pm, so it cooked for about 19 hours on low. I strained all the solids out and if there had been fat floating on top, I would have skimmed that, but there was none. Then I chopped an onion, two carrots and one celery rib, 1 garlic clove, added in about 1 Tbs of parsley and of herbes de provence, and let it simmer hard until the veggies were cooked, about 15 minutes. When I tasted it, salt was needed so I added some to taste. Then I chopped up about 1 1/2 cups of turkey meat and threw in a few handfuls of pasta (I used about 6 oz of a bag of mixed shapes and colors). In about 10 minutes, it was done - thick and delicious. We ate that for a couple of days and then I put the rest in the freezer to take to work in January for lunch.

Can I say that the brussels sprouts didn't last for even 24 hours? I heard the dog whining the morning after Thanksgiving and when I went to check on him, he was begging for food handouts from dear daughter, who was scarfing up the last few sprouts cold from the fridge. For breakfast. At 8 am. I think she liked them. (PS: Poor Poochie received exactly ZERO handouts.)

The potatoes were very yummy, hot or cold, and we ate them sort of like snacks. I had originally thought that I'd have a repeat of the entire Thanksgiving dinner, turkey and all the veggies, at least once over the weekend, but there were no sprouts or potatoes, so we ended up not doing that.

What was leftover ended up being the dressing and the maple glazed sweet potatoes. DD was so focussed on eating the sprouts, potatoes and turkey, that she bypassed both of these. I ate up the remaining dressing with some homemade fresh cranberry sauce for lunch, on Saturday, I think.

Dear daughter went absolutely crazy over the pumpkin panna cotta and hid them all over the fridge. I made eight small ones and I got to eat two. You do the math. I've got a photo and will post the recipe soon.

The real problem was the sweet potatoes. They stared back woefully at me every time I opened the fridge until Monday night. I fought a chest cold all weekend, and by the time I got home from work on Monday, all I really wanted was some hot turkey soup, but I had frozen it and returned to the fast. Drat! But there were the sweet potatoes, the lonely, unloved sweet potatoes, calling to me in the fridge, so I decided to make some kind of spicy soup with them. Here in Savannah, peanut soup is very popular among the old timers, so that's what I did. It was yummy!

Yam and Peanut Soup
1 med onion, chopped coarsely
4 cloves garlic, minced
1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs ground cumin
1 Tbs ground coriander seed
4 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock
2 cooked sweet potatoes without any skins (I used the leftovers)
1/3 C peanut butter (I used crunchy, so I added an extra dollop)
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onions and garlic in a tiny bit of peanut oil until soft. Add in the ginger, chili, coriander and cumin and saute for a minute or two, then dump in the stock. Let it simmer until the onions and ginger are very soft, about 15 minutes. Chop the sweet potatoes and add in, letting it simmer for about 5 more minutes until they are heated through and very soft. Taste for salt and pepper - I added in about 1 tsp of salt, and two good shakes each of white pepper, black pepper and cayenne. Taste again - I wanted it a little spicier, so added in a good squirt or two of my favorite hot sauce, Sriracha. Take off the heat and stir in the peanut butter until it melts. Next, transfer the solids, along with some of the liquids to a blender or food processor and puree. Mix the puree back into the remaining liquid in the pan, gently reheat if necessary, but do not let boil. Now, dig in and scarf it up!

I think the soup would be delicious with the addition of a can of tomatoes and some garam masala, and garnished with some chopped cilantro stirred in for flavor as well as color. I think I'd even enjoy some milk or cream stirred in as well.

What I'm Cooking Now

Chicken Catalan

Exploring Quinoa for Breakfast

Simple Squash Chowder

Chicken Marsala

Quick Tuscan Chicken Stew

Christmas Kutia

Dear Friends

Lebanese Chicken Stewed with Okra

Goodbye, Mary Margaret McBride

Menu for a Special Dinner

Easy Kulich

All About Pascha Baskets

Korean Scallion Pancakes

Pascha Cheese 2009 Redux

Lebanese Spinach and Lentil Soup - Rishta

Bubble and Squeakish

Beet This!

Black Bean Patties

Vegetarian Paella

Israeli Couscous

Quick Vegan Corn Chowder

Food Meme

Koliva

Kale Braised with Carmelized Onions and Rutabagas

Gaucho Beans

And the Worst Blogger Award goes to......

The Vegan's 100 List

The Vegan's 100 List

Tom Yum - Thai Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup

Another update on Pascha Cheese 2008

Pascha Cheese 2008 Results

Ratatouille (not the mouse!)

Pascha Cheese 2008

Ribollita

Spanikorizo

Nutrition Facts

Amount per Serving

% Daily Value *

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Slow Cooker Sun Dried Tomato Pate

Crunchy Blueberry Muffins

Its almost Great Lent!

Win a Hamilton Beach Stand Mixer!

Fatfree "Cream" of Mushroom Soup

Lightened Up Baked Pakistani Rice

Quick Vegan Borscht with Dilled Tofu Whip

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Warak Enab)

Lebanese Cauliflower Rice (Yakhnit al-Qarnabit)

Orange Cranberry Drop Cookies

Vegetable Chickpea Soup with Rustic Rosemary Bread

125 Posts

Vegan Aebleskiver

Mexican Style rice and beans

Roasted and Lightly Curried Pumpkin Soup

Today is a Happy Day!

Moroccan spiced lentil soup with two-bite pumpkin biscuits

Fassoulatha

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Vegan Pumpkin Risotto with Spinach and Black Beans

Carrot Sesame Salad

Philip's Fast and Vegan Pear Pancakes

French Canadian Split Pea Soup

Dottie's Corn Casserole - Veganized!

Good friends, good company, good food

Fried Green Tomatoes

Yes, I've been eating!

The Rutabaga Post

Curried White Bean Dip

Catching up on August 6th - Transfiguration

Mexicali Bean and Rice Soup

Edamame Succotash Salad

Pasta with spicy peas and olives

Standing to Save the World

Penne with Kale, Mushroom and Ricotta

Last Pizza Gaina post

Pizza Gaina 2007

Pizza Gaina 2007 photos 5 & 6

Pizza Gaina 2007 photos 3 & 4

Pizza Gaina 2007 photos 1 & 2