Havana Black Beans from Abby

Havana Black Beans

1 T. olive oil
1/2 med onion, finely chopped
1/2 med red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 med green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (1/2 t.)
1 t. cumin
1 t. dried thyme, or 1 T. fresh
1 bay leaves
1 t. canned chipotle chilies minced with sauce

2 (15 oz.) cans cooked black beans, rinsed and drained well
1 c. water
1 c. coconut milk

1 t. lime juice
salt to taste

2 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan, and saute the onion for 3 minutes, until it is golden brown. Add the peppers and garlic; continue to saute for 2 minutes. Add the cumin, dried thyme, bay leaves, and chipotle chilies; combine well.
Add the black beans, water and coconut milk to the pot, and stir well. Simmer the beans for 10-15 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and salt.
Ladle the beans into serving bowls, and top each bowl with the chopped scallions and cilantro. Sour cream on top also helps cool, if it turns out too hot. Also serve with basmati rice if desired.

Beware: Chipotle peppers are VERY hot!

Matushka's Salad Dressing

A salad dressing recipe from Matushka Marina.

2/3 c olive oil
1/3 c wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 t pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp dried oregano

Mix the ingredients in a jar. I make a double or triple batch, and just leave the covered jar on my counter or in my cabinet, and it keeps great. We love it, too! Shake well before use, of course.

Yuliya's Fish Pie

From Yuliya, the fish pie she made for our Nativity feast.

Dough:
3 sticks of butter (unsalted)
3 cups of flour
Salt
Water
Please note that above are the measurements for the long rectangular dish I used yesterday (ed: about 13x9, I think?). I actually think that I should have used 3 ½ or 3 ¼ cups of flour because I was a little short. Hence please size up the dish you will use.

Mix and divide into two parts, one of which should be smaller – it will go on top.

Fish:
Use red and white kind, any, whatever you like. I used salmon and cod I believe.
Cut fish in medium size pieces.
Marinate for a couple of hours. I used olive oil, pepper flakes, paprika, dry dill, dry sage, sherry (a type of sweet cooking wine, you can find it in Target or Walmart). If you don’t have sherry, use some vinegar or wine but not lemon, because of heavy cream in the filling (see below).
Make sure to squeeze all liquid before you transfer fish to the pie

Filling
Eggs (4)
Heavy cream (more or less 1 ½ cup)
Medium size onion, chopped into small cubes
Something green: use spinach or collard or green onions (if you don’t like the white kind). I used frozen collard yesterday.

Cooking
Bake for 1 hour, 375 F.

Enjoy!