Salt-cured Salmon

Salt-cured Salmon

This is the salmon I brought for trapeza on the Entry of the Theotokos. There's a link to a website below that explains all about it, but basically, this is what I did: Find a glass container large enough to hold the entire fillet, laid out flat. Cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of coarse salt (like Kosher). Rinse off the (thawed) fillet of salmon and lay it, skin-side down, on top of the salt. Cover the top and sides of the fillet with more coarse salt. (I sprinkled some lemon juice--maybe a TBS?--over it as well.) Cover with plastic wrap (or use a lidded dish) and put in the fridge. Let it sit for about 24 hours, checking now and then to make sure all the fish is covered by salt. At around 18 hours it might develop a brine--this is fine--just spoon it back over the fillet. After 24 hours or so (taste a bit to see if it's "done"), brush off the salt and rinse the fish under cold running water (if you're afraid it'll be too salty, you can soak it in cold water for a bit). Thinly slice, and eat! It was so, so good.

I think my fillet was about 1.5 pounds, and I used about 1.5 cups of salt. 

Please read the blog post below for more information!

http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/2012/09/salmon-cured-at-home-with-ease.html

Inside-out Spring Rolls

Inside-out Spring Rolls

I really love Vietnamese spring rolls (the raw kind—though the fried ones are good too of course) but it takes forever to roll enough, at least for a family my size! So this is my way to get the fresh tanginess of spring rolls without the work. It's basically the spring roll fillings, chopped small and served on top of rice or soba (the Asian buckwheat noodles). The recipe is very adaptable and is really just a framework—use whatever vegetables sound good to you, and vary the sauce to your taste. I never measure when I make it, but I've tried to estimate what I usually use. It seems like a long list of ingredients, but it's very easy to put together. The only hitch is that the tofu needs to be prepared ahead of time.

Ingredients

1 block firm or extra-firm tofu (14 oz), cut into 4-6 strips

Marinade/sauce (all amounts approximate):

2 cloves garlic, minced/pressed

large chunk fresh ginger, chopped small or grated (about a TBS, grated?)

1/8 tsp Sriracha or other “hot” stuff

1 TBS sesame oil

juice of 1 lime and/or 1 tbs rice vinegar

1 TBS brown sugar

about ½ cup soy sauce

2-3 TBS peanut butter

water—a few TBS

Vegetables—prepare some or all of these, according to your taste:

2-3 carrots, grated

1 cucumber, chopped

2-3 green onions, sliced

sprouts

cilantro, chopped (lots!)

spinach, chopped (a fair amount)

fresh basil, if desired, to taste

fresh mint, if desired, to taste

rice or soba, prepared normally

To make the baked tofu:

Several hours before the meal, prepare the marinade by mixing all the marinade ingredients except the peanut butter and water in a baking pan large enough to hold all the strips of tofu laid flat (I like to use a glass baking dish). Taste the marinade to make sure you like the mix of flavors; it can be infinitely varied. Marinate the tofu for an hour or so, flipping a few times. Pour off the marinade into a bowl and save it to make the base of the sauce later. Bake the tofu at 300-325 degrees for about 2 hours, flipping it every 45 minutes or so, until it is well-browned and a bit dried. This isn't exact—just when you like the texture, take it out. Transfer the tofu to a plate, and refrigerate until later. (You basically are partially dehydrating the tofu by baking it long and slow—for more info you can go to this blog post, from which I learned this technique. Tofu prepared this way can be used in many different ways or just eaten by itself—it's delicious!)

To make the sauce:

Warm the peanut butter in a small bowl in the microwave for 20 seconds or so to make it easier to combine with the other things. Gradually stir in some of the reserved marinade. Add the peanut butter mixture to the rest of the marinade and stir till combined—it may take some time to fully incorporate the peanut butter. Taste, and adjust; usually I add some water because the marinade itself is very concentrated, with all the soy sauce. You want a thick but pourable sauce. Refrigerate until serving time.

To serve:

Prepare the rice or soba. (If using soba, run cold water over the cooked noodles to cool them.) Toss together all the vegetables in a large serving bowl. Add the chilled tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces. On each person's plate put rice or soba, with a large scoop of the vegetable mixture on top, and a few spoonfuls of the sauce drizzled over everything. Enjoy!

Quinoa salad with black beans, avocado, and cumin-lime dressing

Quinoa salad with black beans, avocado, and cumin-lime dressing

Christina is the one who found this salad--she brought it to trapeza a few weeks ago. I've never liked quinoa before, but I really love this salad! It's fresh and flavorful and very healthy. Quinoa is a "grain" (not technically a grain, actually) native to South America that is very high in protein and other important nutrients--it's actually a complete protein, which makes it wonderful for fasting! Here is the original post where Christina found the recipe: http://www.eating-for-england.com/quinoa-salad-beans-avocado/.

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Avocado and Cumin-Lime Dressing

serves 4-6

1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed (it's very small, so use a very fine mesh strainer)

1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil

1 3/4 cup water

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 clove garlic, minced

juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp olive oil

salt, to taste

1/2 red onion, diced, or a few green onions, sliced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

large handful cilantro, diced

1 avocado, chopped into chunks (2 avocados would be great)

tomatoes in bite-sized pieces—3 Romas, a handful of cherry or grape tomatoes, etc.

Warm the olive/coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s hot add the rinsed quinoa and toast for about 2-3 minutes until it starts smelling nutty and lovely. Add water, stir, cover, and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients. To make the dressing, mix together the garlic, lime juice, cumin, olive oil, and salt.

When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from heat and fluff with a fork. Add black beans and toss to warm them through. Let the quinoa cool for about five minutes and then stir in the dressing. Add the remaining ingredients and gently stir; adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm, room-temperature, or cold.

Leftovers are great—but it might be better to add the avocado and tomatoes at serving time.

Tomato Couscous

Tomato Couscous

Total Time: 30 min
Prep Time: 25 min

Ingredients
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed), finely chopped
12 ounce green beans, trimmed
1 cup Israeli (pearl) couscous
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 lemon
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt
Pepper
1 can no-salt-added pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

In small bowl, cover sun-dried tomatoes with hot water. Let stand.
Heat large covered saucepot of water to boiling on high. Fill large bowl with ice and water. Add green beans to boiling water. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender; transfer to ice water. When cool, drain well. Cut into 1-inch pieces.
Cook couscous as label directs. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.
Meanwhile, cut grape tomatoes in half and chop olives and parsley.
Into large bowl, from lemon, grate 1 teaspoon peel; squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. Stir in vinegar, oil, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drain sun-dried tomatoes well; stir into mixture. Add beans, couscous, grape tomatoes, olives, parsley, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir until well mixed.

Fried rice

Fried rice


Cook the rice.

In fry pan put ¼ cup oil

Optional 1 egg

Optional ¼ shrimp or chicken

¼ cup frozen mix green peas and carrots

Fry together 2 min. Then add rice (2-3 cups). Add ½ cup soy sauce and 1 table spoon sesame oil. Mix well cook 5 min. Salt, pepper to taste.

Svetlana

Receipt Pancet

Receipt Pancet.


Half of 1 bag rice noodles soak in hot water for 10 min.

1 cup cut cabbage

1/2 cup cut carrots

1/2 cup cut onion

Optional mushrooms

1/4 cup oil heated, put all veggies fly for 5 min. add 1/2 cup soy sauce and 1 table s. sesame oil. Drain noodles. Then add noodles, mix together and fry covered for 10-15min. Stir occasionally.

Vietmanese Clear Fish Soup

This soup has a very light, delicate flavor and is extremely quick and easy. It's a great way to make a pound of fish go farther. I like to serve this with Cilantro Lime Rice and Asian Carrot Salad.

Vietmanese Clear Fish Soup (ca nau ngot)

6 cups broth or water
1 lb firm-fleshed fish, cut in bite-sized chunks (ie-catfish, tilapia, salmon)
6 plum tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped.
1 TBS fish sauce
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
3 TBS thinly sliced green onion
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill, cilantro, or basil
optional: fresh lime or lemon juice

Bring the broth to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the fish to the saucepan, lower the heat, and cook the fish in the gently boiling broth until done, 2-5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, fish sauce, salt, pepper, green onion, and herbs, and then quickly remove the soup from the heat. Serve hot. If desired, add a squeeze of lime juice before you eat.

6-8 servings

(adapted from Quick and Easy Vietnamese, Nancie McDermott)

Cilantro Lime Rice

This is a really nice accompaniment to Asian or Mexican main dishes. Not much harder than regular rice, and very tasty.

Cilantro Lime Rice

2 1/2 cups rice
4 1/4 cups water
1-2 cubes bouillon*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup lime juice (or lemon)
1 tablespoon fresh lime zest (or lemon)
2 tablespoons olive (or other) oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin (sometimes I leave this out--just depends which taste you want)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced fine

Combine all ingredients except cilantro in a pot. Stir with a wire whisk to break up big clumps of seasoning. Bring to a boil, stir again, and cook 15 minutes or until rice is done. Add cilantro and serve.

(adapted from owlhaven)

*My favorite vegan bouillon is Edward and Sons' Not-Chick'n and Not-Beef. A bit hard to find--some Krogers have them in their natural foods section--but a wonderful flavor, not pricey, and healthier than many others.

Cheesy Fiesta Pie

Cheesy Fiesta Pie

3 potatoes
2 tbs butter, melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
pinch salt
2 cups shredded colby-jack cheese
about 2 tbs mild green chilies, diced
½ an onion, finely chopped (¼ cup)
1 small red pepper, finely chopped (½ cup)
2 tbs flour
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

Heat oven to 375. Scrub potatoes (or peel if desired) and grate into a strainer. Rinse potatoes well, then squeeze out as much water as possible. Transfer the potato to a bowl and toss with butter, 1 egg, and pinch salt. Press mixture on bottom and up sides of ungreased 9” pie plate. Bake 20 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350. Toss together cheese, chilies, onion, and red pepper in a bowl. Spread mixture in potato crust. Beat flour, salt, and 2 eggs until blended; stir in milk. Pour over cheese mixture.

Bake about 35 minutes or until center is set and top is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Super Easy Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium sweet pepper, chopped
• 2 T oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups Vegetable Broth
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups cubed cooked pumpkin
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• In a large skillet, saute the onion and pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker; stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

Vegan Cream of Pumpkin Soup

1 tablespoon oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pecan pieces
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk

PREPARATION
1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion. Cover and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the curry powder and the pumpkin puree, then whisk in the broth until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes to allow flavors to develop, stirring occasionally.
2. While the soup is simmering, make the curried pecans. In a small bowl, combine the pecan pieces with the remaining maple syrup and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the remaining curry powder, tossing to coat. Place the pecans in a small baking dish and bake until toasted, about 3 - 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, use an immersion blender to puree the soup right in the pot. Otherwise, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Stir back into the pot. Return the soup to the stove top, turning the heat to low. Whisk in the coconut milk, taste to adjust seasonings. Heat until hot, do not boil. Serve the soup garnished with the pecans.

Pumpkin Stew

• 4 cups pumpkin, diced
• 2 cups dried beans, soaked overnight in 5 cups water then drained
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3 cups corn
• 1 28 oz. can tomatoes, diced
• 6 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried or 3 tablespoons fresh Basil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried or 3 tablespoons fresh Oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried or 2 teaspoons fresh Marjoram
• 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

Saute onions and garlic until tender in oil in a 5 quart heavy pot.
Put soaked and drained beans, diced pumpkin pulp, and seasonings (except salt) in pot with enough water to cover about 2 inches above ingredients.
Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low.
Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours or until beans are tender.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, corn and salt.
Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer for 30 minutes more.

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!

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!

Middle Eastern Barley, Lentil and Rice Pilaf

Recipe from Christina:

Middle Eastern Barley, Lentil and Rice Pilaf

I love the dried fruit in this recipe! It is quick, easy and satisfying. I sometimes add nuts for extra flavor and protein.

1 T oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t sugar
1/2 cup dry lentils
1/2 cup barley
1/2 cup long grain rice
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1 t dry mint
Pepper

Heat oil in a medium-large saucepan. When hot, add onions and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Stir in cinnamon and sugar, then add 4 cups water. Add lentils and barley. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Add rice, apricots, raisins, and mint. Stir ingredients together, cover the pot again, and simmer 20 more minutes, or until all liquid has been absorbed and it's tender. Season to taste with pepper.

Glazed Tofu with Bok Choy

recipe from Christina:

This is one of our favorite fasting dishes. It makes a hearty meal served over rice. I've found super firm tofu is the key to it turning out well. Original recipe from RealSimple magazine.

http://food.realsimple.com/realsimple/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1046900

Glazed Tofu with Bok Choy

1 14-ounce package firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 heads bok choy, cleaned and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 6
3 garlic cloves (1 thinly sliced, 2 minced)
1 14-ounce can vegetable broth
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 teaspoons fish sauce or tamari
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Drain the tofu on paper towels. Heat half the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy and sliced garlic; cook, stirring, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of the broth; simmer until reduced by half. Meanwhile, combine the minced garlic, ginger, fish and soy sauces, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Heat the remaining canola oil in another skillet over high heat. Add the tofu and brown, about 3 minutes per side. Add the soy mixture and coat the tofu with it. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is syrupy, about 4 minutes. Stir the cornstarch into the reserved broth; add to the bok choy. Stir gently until thickened, about 2 minutes. Divide the bok choy onto 4 plates and layer the glazed tofu on top.

Roasted Spiced Sweet Potatoes

Recipe from Jenny:

This is what I made for trapeza this past weekend--the main dish variation at the bottom.

Roasted Spiced Sweet Potatoes

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 45 min

Servings: Makes 4 to 6 servings.

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 pounds sweet potatoes (or half sweet, half regular)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Coarsely grind coriander, fennel, oregano, and red pepper flakes in an electric coffee/spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Stir together spices and salt.

Cut potatoes lengthwise into 1-inch wedges.

Toss wedges with oil and spices in a large roasting pan and roast in middle of oven 20 minutes. Turn wedges over with a spatula and roast until tender and slightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes more.

Main Dish Variation:
Roasted Spiced Sweet Potatoes with Red Lentils

Prepare as above, but only roast potatoes until barely tender. If desired, you can chop the potatoes into smaller pieces. While they are roasting, in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over med-low heat, saute 1 minced onion and 2 minced cloves of garlic in 1 tbs oil until nicely golden and soft (around 10 minutes). When the sweet potatoes are done, add 3 cups water, 2 bouillon cubes, and 1 ½ cups red lentils to the pot. Bring to a boil and dump in sweet potatoes. When it returns to a boil, turn down to med-low and cook, stirring occasionally, 20-30 minutes or till lentils are done and desired state of "mushiness" is achieved. The sweet potatoes will break into smaller pieces and partially dissolve into the lentils. Add salt, if needed, and cilantro, if desired, and serve over rice.

(Adapted from a recipe on smittenkitchen.com)

Quick Chickpea Curry

Recipe from Jenny:

I think this is probably our most asked-for recipe! Every time we have it at trapeza, everyone raves, and it's so easy.

Chickpea Curry

oil
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 onion, chopped
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can coconut milk
about 2 TBS Patak’s mild curry paste (available at Central Market and often Kroger--paste, not sauce)
rice

In a large pan, saute the potato and onion in the oil until tender. Add garbanzo beans, tomatoes, coconut milk, and curry paste. Simmer together for about 15 minutes. Serve over rice.

Serves 4?

I've also sometimes added 1/2 a head of cauliflower, chopped up, to make a one-dish meal. Just add it with the potato and onion, and then after sauteing a few minutes, pour in 1/4 cup or so of water, cover, and steam until barely done. Uncover and let the water boil away, and continue as above.

If you double/triple/etc. the recipe, drain some of the cans of tomatoes, or else it'll be too soupy.

If you have trouble finding the curry paste, here's a link for it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pataks-Mild-Curry-Paste-10oz/dp/B000JMBE3Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1265419834&sr=8-1