Korean Pancakes

A great way to use up that leftover kimche!

I often got fed this wonderful treat while tutoring my much-beloved students, Joesph, Alex, and Soon-Ja.

Mix:
one or two eggs
a bit of flour and water
(you want a fairly runny pancake batter)
Add:
1/2 an onion, finely chopped
3/4 to one 1/2 cup finely chopped kimche
a dash of salt

Fry thin pancakes in an oiled skillet until bottom side is browned. Flip over to brown the other side.
Enjoy!

Mom's Bun Recipe

This makes a slightly heavier bun, and can also be used for bread.

mix:
1 cup lukewarm water
1 Tbsp white sugar
2 Tbsp yeast granules

let stand while you drink your coffee (approximately ten minutes).

by that time, yeast will have risen to water. stir until blended &
yeast is dissolved.

stir in:
2 cups of lukewarm water
1/2 cup white sugar (1 cup for buns)
heaping Tbsp salt (or a little less)
1/2 cup melted butter or salad oil

beat

stir flour in one cup at a time, using approximately 9 cups of flour.
mix until dough hangs together but is floppy and a wee bit moist (may
need to add more flour). knead for about 10 minutes, until dough
seems smooth and elastic (it might have sticky spots).

put back in bowl. let rise. covered in a warm draft-free place for 1-2
hours or until doubled in size. punch down.
let rise again, until doubled in size.
roll into buns.
let rise (approximately 1/2 hour)
bake. 350 degree oven. until golden (about 20 minutes or less,
depending on the oven).

African Peanut Soup

I made this soup at our St. Nicholas pot-luck celebration at Holy Trinity in St. Paul, MN (my home parish) and everyone LOVED it. I think Biss might have mentioned wanting the recipe too. It is hearty for those fast days when you need a little protein. Its from MCC's "Extending the Table." Enjoy!

2 Tb. oil
1 C. chopped onions
1 red pepper, chopped
2 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 C. rice (short brown is best)
4-5 C veg. stock
1 C. canned tomatoes (I use chopped instead of whole)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt/ pepper to taste
1/2 C. chunky Peanut butter
1 teaspoon chopped thyme

Heat oil in soup pot over med. heat, add onion, peppers, garlic & saute until soft. Add rice, stock, and tomotoes w/out the juice, pepper flakes, salt/pepper.

Simmer for 45 mins or until rice is soft. Wisk in peanut butter until well belended. Smmer 5 min. Season w/ salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with thyme.

Freezes well.

Honey-Garlic-Chili Green Beans with Almonds

I just made this up, and Krista's parents really liked it. A great holiday side dish. Just subtract the butter and it'd be totally Lenten.

Blanche about a pound of fresh green beans in boiling water 2-3 minutes.

Chop up a few cloves of garlic really fine.

In a saute pan on medium-high heat, saute garlic in butter, adding after a minute or two a few tablespoons of honey. Add in a small amount of high quality hot red chili paste (I use about half a teaspoon to about two tablespoons of honey). Let bubble and simmer a bit... carmelize.

Drain green beans, quickly toss beans into honey-garlic-chilli sauce. Thoroughly coat beans in mixture 1 minute.

Pour into buttered (or olive oil) baking dish, spirinke sliced almonds over top, bake in oven further 5 minutes.

(The picture here is without the honey-garlic-chili sauce).

The Best Christmas Bird

Roast turkey... okay I've done this a couple of times and have developed a bit of a method.

If you can, get a fresh turkey from a turkey farmer. One of my old students used to raise free range turkeys near Sundre, Alberta. The flavour is much better and you don't have to go through the labour of thawing it, which can take up most of your holiday.

But finding a turkey farmer may not be easy wherever you are. So, assuming you've got a frozen bird, the most important thing is to make sure it is FULLY thawed. This takes either 1 day per 5 lbs (in the fridge) or 30 minutes per 1 lb in the sink with luke warm water. (Both take a long time). Make sure the bird's cavity is well cleaned out, including the 'giblets' sack.

After the bird is fully thawed, I do use a brine. Usually a cup of sugar, a cup of kosher sea salt, and about eight litres of water. Usually a large pot or cauldron will work...keep the bird in this over night in the fridge before cooking. (An industrial size cooler is handy).

When you are ready to cook, pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Take the bird out of the brine and drain, pat dry with paper towels.

I use a local bakery's rye, raisin, and walnut bread for my stuffing... along with sweet vidalia onions. Use whatever stuffing you see fit... you may choose to make more separately after the bird is done with the juices.

I coat the bottom of the roaster with extra virgin olive oil and sliced spanish onions (in fairly thin rings), as well as sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Put the bird in the roaster on top of this base.

Optional decadence: Cover the whole surface of the bird (including drumsticks) with strips of thick-cut bacon. (It will not imbue a bacony flavour, but will keep the meat juicy and act as a self-basting feature).

Tent the whole roaster with aluminium foil, leaving at least an inch of space between the foil and the bacon-covered bird.

For cooking times, here are your guidelines: 8-12 pounds, 2 ¾ to 3 hours; 12-14 pounds, 3 to 3 ¾ hours; 14-18 pounds, 3 ¾ to 4 ¼ hours; 18-20 pounds: 4 ¼ to 4 ½ hours.

Take the bird out, (if you've used it) remove the bacon - or chop it up and mix it into your stuffing! (if you've used the bacon, after removing it, baste the turkey and put it into the oven for another 5 minutes just to give it that golden patina.

Let bird rest 15 minutes before carving.

Moussaka

Ingredients:
5 large eggplants, about a pound and a half each
Salt, Pepper, Paprika and Oregano
10 tablespoons of Olive Oil
3 pounds ground beef (Or Soy based hamburger)
1 and a half cups chopped onion
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup grated kefalotiri (Ask for it at your local Mediterranean food store) or Parmesan cheese. Or Grated Soy cheese works just as well.
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (or crushed milk biscuits)
8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups hot milk (Water works just as well)
3 eggs, lightly beaten (Optional)
More Olive Oil for brushing eggplant

Preparation

Peel the eggplant lengthwise. Cut into 1/2 inch rounds (or 1/4 inch thick length-wise slices), sprinkle with salt (to remove bitterness) and let stand in a colander (preferably under a heavy or weighted plate) for 1/2 hour. Rinse and dry the eggplant rounds.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan and then proceed to sauté meat (or soy hamburger) and onion until brown. Add tomato paste, parsley, wine, salt, pepper, oregano, paprika and water. Simmer until liquid has been absorbed. Cool. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese (or Soy Cheese) and half the breadcrumbs.

The Sauce

Melt 6 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour and stir until well blended. Remove from heat and gradually stir in milk or water. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until sauce is thick and smooth. Add salt and pepper. Cook over very low for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Eggplant Preparation

Preheat the broiler.

Lightly brush eggplant slices with Olive oil on both sides. Place on an un-greased cookie sheet and broil until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle bottom of a 10 x 16-inch pan with remaining breadcrumbs. Place a layer of eggplant slices on the breadcrumbs to completely cover the bottom of the pan, then spread meat mixture over eggplant slices (an option here, to ensure a more cohesive bottom, is to add a layer of cheese, or soy cheese, on top of the eggplant before topping with the meat mixture). Cover meat (or Soy Hamburger) with remaining eggplant slices. Spoon sauce over eggplant; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup grated cheese (or Soy cheese). Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm. This particular recipe will serve up to 10 to 15 people.

A Colourful Vegan Meal for Our Fasting Seasons

A Stir-fry Elizabeth made with Spicy Szechwan Peanut Sauce
(president’s choice brand)

Fry your choice of vegetables (I used sliced carrots and a small sliced zucchini) in canola oil
Cook up some rice or noodles (I used whole wheat spaghetti noodles broken in half)
Marinate cubed tofu in the above named peanut sauce
Combine the sautéed vegetables (sautéed until tender) with the marinated tofu

Now you can either continue with the recipe below or store the ingredients in the fridge for the next day (great quick next day meal maker)

Combine the noodles, tofu-vegetable mix with some canned kidney beans. Add a little bit of umboshi vinegar if you have it. Add salt and pepper as you desire (I used freshly ground sea salt and pepper corns). Fry up with a little more canola oil and when that is fully heated through, add a few big pieces of spinach and heat them until wilted.

Enjoy! It’s a very lovely texture, taste, high-protein meal! Yum!

Bridget's Sticky Toffee Pudding

Okay, this is definitely one for the "un-fair" category, if by that it's meant a sinfully rich dessert, posted in a fasting season just to make everybody salivate.... Perfect for the cold, wintery nights during the Festive seasons.

When I lived in Manchester, England, I always thought it was strange that supper was called tea and dessert was called "pudding." As in, "what's for pudding?" And "supper" was tea and toast at 10 o'clock! I lived at a fairly traditional British theological college and survived almost two years of the cuisine in the dining room, the highlight of which was always this dessert. The cook, a jovial fifties-ish lady named Bridget, was constantly cajoling me to become a Pentecostal minister, and tempted me with her cooking. Yet no matter what turned out to be for "pudding," it was then immediately drowned in both A) hot custard and B) thick cream. I didn't have the gumption to become a Pentecostal, but I did manage to get her sticky toffee pudding recipe. The recipe is easy to make. Be sure to serve it warm out of the oven.

Ingredients:

-unsalted butter for baking dish;
-1 cup and 1 tablespoon all purpose flour;
-1 teasoon baking powder;
-3/4 cup pitted dates;
-7 tablespoons unsalted butter;
-3/4 cup sugar;
-1 egg, lightly beaten;
-1 teaspoon baking soda;
-1 teaspoon vanilla;
-1-1/4 cup boiling water;
-1/4 cup brandy;
-5 tablespoons brown sugar (or treacle), packed;
-2 tablespoons heavy cream

whipped cream for topping

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350° F. Butter an 8x6" baking dish.

Sift the flour and baking powder onto a sheet of waxed paper or into a bowl; set aside. Chop the dates fine and soak in the boiling water, vanilla, and brandy combination, add baking soda.

Beat 4 tablespoons of butter and 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg along with a little of the flour mixture; beat for 1 minute. Beat in remaining flour mixture.

Add dates/brandy/vanilla/boiling water mixture to batter, beating until well blended. Pour batter into a prepared baking dish; bake until set and well browned on top, 35- 40 minutes. Remove from oven to wire rack.

Heat broiler. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons butter, the brown sugar (or treacle) and the 2 tablespoons heavy cream in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat to simmering; simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; pour topping over pudding. Place pudding in broiler, about 4 inches from source of heat; broil until top bubbly, about 1 minute.

Serve warm with custard and/or whipped cream.

Falafil

one cup, approximately, dried chickpeas
2 cloves garlic, or to taste, finely chopped
1/2 large onion
1 tablespoon cumin, ground
1 tablespoon coriander, ground
1-2 tablespoons tumeric
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
oil for frying

Soak chick peas for one to two days until expanded and moist. Using a strong garlic press or very fine potatoe masher or food processor, mash the chick peas into a very fine mash. mince the garlic and onion, and add to the peas. Then add spices and mix well. Taste test for the accurate amount of spices, keeping in mind that some of the taste will be lost in frying. Add parsley and mix well, so that spices and parsley are dispersed evenly throughout the mixture.
Heat oil in a pot or deep fryer. Make sure that there is enough room between the surface of the oil and the rim of the pot for the oil to bubble and roll in a boil without boiling over onto the burner (this creates very amazing but slightly startling and potentially quite dangerous fires).
Form the falafil mix into small, firm balls, using your hands. Carefully place in the oil. Remove when golden brown.

Tips:
The mix will keep in the fridge for a number of days.
Using canned chickpeas is also an option, but the balls tend to fall apart when boiling. The fried crumbs taste great, but are more oily and there is more waste.
All of the ingredients have to be ground very fine, or the flafil balls will fall apart. That is why I use a garlic press.
Serve with a pita or tortilla salad,with greens, tomatoe, and cucumber. Falafil tastes best with tzatziki, but during fasts I like to pour salad dressing over it.
This serves Phil and I a few meals.

A little scary...

Okay, this is obviously not a recipe, because the only recipe I have for me in a kitchen is one that equals disaster. As a matter of fact, the very idea that my name is in the list of contributors for a blog about recipes cracks me up entirely and also shows me how little you really get to know each other through a blog. So, since you'll see my name in the list of contributors but you won't be seeing any contributions bearing my name I thought I'd at least offer you an explanation. I'm a terrible cook. Cooking stresses me out. My favorite think about cooking is the cookbook and that's simply because I'm a book fanatic. Some girls like purses, some like jewelry, some like parfume, and other like shoes. Me? I like books. I would rather smell the scent of a Barnes and Nobles than a bakery. So, there you have it.

Tzatziki for everyone!

Okay Bis, here it is lol

1 yogurt container of strained whole fat, plain yogurt. Do not use sour cream ever! (Many restaurants use sour cream because it is cheaper than buying strained yogurt and less time consuming than straining it themselves. But to serve, a trainned connoisseur of Greek food, Tzatziki made of sour cream is a almost a major insult lol).

1 medium cucumber diced

1 head of Garlic, and or 1/4 tsp onion powder (I never use the onion powder)

1 lemon

1 shake of salt from the salt shaker

Clean the Garlic of its natural covering, and dice the cloves. Peal the cucumber and dice it also. Squeeze the lemon to extract the juice.

Take the diced garlic and diced cloves, lemon juice (and the onion powder if you like) and add all of it to the strained yogurt in a large bowl. Mix carefully and then put it in the fridge to for the ingredients to fully permeate the strained yogurt.

Makes enough for 2 people and if one is serving for more than 2 people-- then double or triple etc the recipe accordingly. It is an excellent addition with the meal on Christmas day or for Pascha and the Paschal Bright week, traditionally Tzatziki is not a dip but rather it is a side dish (when it is made properly it is almost too thick to be used as a dip).

Filipino Chicken

Krista and I read somewhere that you should never leave the grocery store without buying lemons and onions. Seems slightly curious to me, but we use lemons a lot for our "house drink," so it usually works for us.

Ingredients:
-4 Chicken boneless breasts cut into medium sized pieces
-1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice;
-1 cup of good quality soy sauce;
-3 or 4 cloves of garlic, smashed but not chopped up (still intact);
-sesame seeds (toasted) for garnish;

Directions:
-cut chicken breasts into pieces
-combined lemon juice, soy sauce, and smashed garlic cloves;
-place chicken into glass baking dish, pour over lemon/soy/garlic as a marinade, cover dish with plastic wrap;
-marinade 12 hours or even better overnight until time to cook;
-preheat oven to 325 degrees (relatively low heat) & remove plastic wrap;
-cook covered tightly sealed with foil for approximately 25-30 minutes, and check degree of doneness (okay if still a little pink at this stage);
- raise heat to 350 degrees, cook an additional 10-20 minutes (depends on the oven) uncovered until chicken is done (I usually baste chicken with sauce a few times during this time).
-Toss on toasted sesame seeds after finished in the oven.

I got this recipe from a lady that I used to work for who owns and runs the best European-styple artisan bakery in Edmonton, which is called Tree Stone Bakery. I will call her "Nancy," and she is a very serious lady. Serious about bread and, well, everything. And that is part of the reason I no longer work for her. There was an incident I will only now refer to as the "twist-tie fiasco." Anyway, one of the great things about Nancy is that she did know a lot about food, and gave me this awesome recipe which she said is sort of the normal homestyle chicken recipe in the Philipines. The lemon and soy make the chicken very tender.

Good served over jasmine rice.

For the miscellaneous file …

Baking question: I am still wrapping my head around the idea of not baking during a fast period with milk and/or eggs. Are there substitutes for these things for baking? I am thinking of baking things like corn bread… (as opposed to something hugely decadent that would seem un-fast like)

Any thoughts?

secret dip.

secret recipes about to be revealed!


okay. as with anything in the kitchen, there are variations allowed.

here is the strange dip that is a combination of hummus and guacamole. I will put the separate instructions first, and then explain the combining of the two.

okay.

hummus. serves 2 bachelors dinner, or 3-4 people a snack. For pascha or other large gatherings, double as necessary.

1 can of chickpeas.
2 cloves of garlic.
olive oil.
vegetable seasoning.
tahini (if desired-experiment, but don't eat it alone, it tastes awful)


slice one clove of garlic and fry it, (butter tastes better for feasts) put the other one in the blender or chop it up raw.
drain the can of chick peas, wash if desired.
use a food processor or blender of some kind, handheld kind work too, but are sometimes a pain.
add a generous amount, at least 1/4 cup of olive oil
add the spices from the spice cannister, and a tablespoon or two of tahini if you like. blend until it reaches your preferred consistency. though there is oil, because there is water in the chickpeas, water works to add to this mix if you want it a little more viscous.

add a potato chip, placing it halfway in to the dip, change your mind, and taste the dip. if you like it, you are finished.


Guacamole.

avocados.
tomatoes. (the ratio is one tomato for two avocados)
Club House Brand *Spicy Pepper Medly*




Get some ripe avocadoes. This itself is a chore. they need to be perfectly ripe, a little soft, but not too soft.

and here is my secret ingredient. I know I won't have any friends after revealing this, but oh well. I still have St. Herman's taxi.

*Club House brand Spicy Pepper Medly(tm)

cut avocadoes up, add spicy pepper medly, mash with a fork, let it sit so the moisture is soaked up by the spices who then share their spicy goodness with the avocado.

dice the tomato, try and get rid of the really goobery parts so it doesn't turn the guac to mush. oh wait.

Now you have guacamole and hummus.

if you want to combine them for that weird mystery dip that I bring to church sometime, add an extra tomato and a yellow or red pepper in the blender.


happy dipping!

Let hospitality thrive...

Please feel free to post any and all recipes that you may have to share with us, lenten, non-lenten, meat-laden, cheese-laden, easy, complicated, quick, side-dish, main-dish, no dish, and anything else you may think of. This is, of course, mainly meant for culinary recipes, but if you have recipes for other random things that you want to share, feel free (using proper discretion of course).
I think the best way to present a recipe is to write out the ingredients seperately first, and then the instructions, but don't let this little "guideline" hinder you from posting.
Also, please provide any source or reference you can to let us know where you found each recipe.
Little anecdotes & pictures are always welcome.

And now for my special requests:
Simeon (or anyone else who knows)...how do you make (and spell) tzatziki? Greek roasted poatoes? Greek-style rice? Pitas? All things Greek?
Theresia....the cookies from the bake sale? The salad from church last Sunday with the plums in it?
KF...those delicious coconut chocolates?
Dave...your hummous/guacamole crazy stuff?
Cheryl...vegan chocolate cake? the chickpea vegetable stuff that you always gave us on vegan days and insisted was even better with feta?

Creamy Garlic Mushroom Clam Sauce

Creamy Garlic Mushroom Clam Sauce
For Spaghetti

Ingredients:
One whole head of Garlic and a second half-a head of Garlic
4 table spoons of Corn Oil or Butter (preferably butter, but margarine works too I suppose)
4 cups milk or cream (Not sure if it works with Soy milk or not)
2 cups of clams (or shrimp or imitation crabmeat, Pollock, works just as well)
1 cup of chopped mushrooms
Salt and Pepper
Paprika and cayenne pepper
Five servings of Spaghetti or Rigatoni (or whatever pasta variation that you have on your hands and need to use up)
Some lemons

Equipment needed:
Blender
Three pots, one small for the clams, one medium sized (for the sauce) and one large (for the spaghetti)
Some kind of water source-- Or a machine that mixes hydrogen with oxygen thus producing H2O
A knife
Table spoon (for tasting) and a Ladle (for serving, don’t try tasting the sauce with the ladle its not a pleasant experience I would assume :S )
A bag to collect the garbage

First of all take the Garlic, separate each clove and clean off all the outside layers (using the knife if you like, otherwise it is probably just for decoration) and set them aside. Then take two cloves and throw them into the blender. Then add the butter or oil. Blend, and keep repeating this till all of the garlic has been blended into the butter/oil. Add the Salt, Pepper, Paprika and cayenne pepper to your liking.

Take the medium sized pot, place it on the stove. Pour the milk or cream in and turn the burner on. Let it heat for a minute or so and then add the garlic-butter mixture. Continue to heat it on low.

Chop up the mushrooms (if you haven't already) and the second half a head of garlic. Fry these in butter or corn oil (or whatever the heck is the oil that you are using. But note, car oil... it don't work so good :S ). Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Take the small pot, add the water, and add the clams or shrimp. Bring to a boil, drain water and add clams or shrimp to the garlic-butter-milk sauce. Add the mushroom-garlic sauce into the mix also. Then bring that to a boil until it starts to get thick slightly (not to watery that is. This is one of the reasons why cream usually works better. But hey I use whatever is in the house. A chef has to be flexible).

Then boil your spaghetti, enough for five people, in the large pot. Then serve with the Creamy Garlic Mushroom Clam sauce (or shrimp or pollock). Place a slice of lemon on each plate.

Either after this you will become addicted to Garlic or you will never eat it again because the neighbors phoned the police about the "strong smell" next door haha

Makes four or five servings—enjoy :)

Peace,
Simeon