Devshirme

Let’s end the year with a recipe:

4 large leeks – greens removed and finely chopped

4 potatoes peeled, quartered and sliced

3T olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 C water

1/4 C miso, mild

salt and freshly milled pepper

1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed

Soak leeks in a bowl of water once chopped to remove dirt.  Heat olive oil in a large stock pot.  Add leeks, garlic and potatoes and cook covered over low heat until softened (about 10 minutes).  Add the water and salt and bring to a boil.  Simmer partly covered for 30 minutes.  Process 1/2 the soup in a blender until creamy then return to pot.  Add miso (optional).  First, melt it in a bowl with broth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add beans and stir well.  Serve hot.

This recipe was inspired by the late, lamented One Night Seafood dish at Bangkok Bistro, a great restaurant near BC that was a frequent Friday night destination for us while in seminary.  They changed the menu at some point and whatever replaced ONS was a little different and not quite as good, although everything is awesome there (they don’t seem to have a web site).  I was harvesting the remaining basil from the garden and was overcome by memories and a strong desire to eat One Night Seafood, so this is my attempt at it.

3 sprigs of basil, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

1 cayenne pepper, chopped

1 small head of broccoli or green cauliflower, chopped up

Soy sauce (preferably low sodium and gluten-free)

1 green onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1lb frozen seafood (I use Trader Joe’s seafood medley, but any kind of shrimp/scallop/squid combo will do, and it doesn’t have to be frozen I suppose)

Heat up a large frying pan on the stove, medium heat with a little canola oil.  Add the vegetables and seafood until the seafood is cooked (poke the shrimp until it is firm) and the broccoli/cauliflower is softened.  Add desired amount of soy sauce over the whole thing as it is cooking – I wait until some of the water from the frozen seafood has burned off.  You can serve this over rice if you wish but I find it filling as is.

This refreshing salad recipe is from Prez’s father, who hails from the island of Cyprus:

Here is a fast, easy, healthful and delicious meal:

1 can fava beans

1 can chick peas

1 bunch parsley

1 pickling cucumber (or 1/2 of a regular cuke)

Juice of 1 lemon

Cumin, salt and olive oil to taste

Rinse and drain the beans and then put them into a bowl.  Chop up the cucumber and parsley and toss them in.  Add the lemon juice, salt and cumin, and drizzle in olive oil.  Toss thoroughly and serve, or chill if desired for a a colder dish.  I made this tonight for Prez to take to work tomorrow, but if personal interaction is not a concern you can throw in a chopped red onion and garlic.

This recipe comes to us from Fr. Ephraim.  Friday is his name day, so if you see him be sure to greet him properly.

5 cups vegetable stock

2 cups of brown lentils

Salt and pepper to taste

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 cup chopped onion

2 cups chopped bell pepper (I use red and orange)

4 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 cup prepared barbecue sauce of choice

Hot pepper sauce to taste (I would say use it liberally – Ed.)

Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving, optional

Bring the broth to a boil in a soup pot. Meanwhile, pick through the lentils checking for stones or debris. Rinse and drain the lentils. When the broth boils, add the lentils and salt and pepper to taste. Bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cook at a very slow boil, covered (crack the lid to vent if the pot threatens to boil over), for 20 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juice to the pot. Add the onion, pepper, garlic and barbecue sauce. Simmer 15 minutes, covered, stirring frequently.

Remove the pot from the heat. Add the hot pepper sauce to taste, if desired. Serve topped with cheese if desired.

Combine the following in a food processor and mix until crumbly and uniform in texture.  Then press a tablespoon full of mixture together and roll into balls (about the size of a large marble).  These are great for quick energy or just a tasty snack or dessert:

10-12 dates

1/4 c. cocoa

2T flax seeds

2T tahini

1/3 c. cashews

1/3 c. coconut (optional)

Last month we went with Sargon and Shamiran to the huge annual vegetarian convention in Boston.  We tried all sorts of delicious food, picked up some brochures and bought some nice food products.  Eleni took a chance on a couple of raffles – a dollar here, a dollar there, no big deal.  We’ve all done this at festivals and those sort of things.  Your name is either not called at the event or you never get a phone call within the next day or two.  Well, we did not receive any calls and that was that.  But a month later Eleni got a call from Revitalive Cafe – she had won a Vitamix blender!  Unbelieeeeevable – who ever wins anything?  The Vitamix is incredible – all of the great claims you hear about it are true.  Make sure you check out the Cafe as well, whether online or in Newburyport.

So, onto the recipe – you can use the blender for anything – you can even make soup and it heats it.  This is a smoothie Prez made today and it is nutritious and fabulous tasting, and of course can be made in any blender:

1/2 c. fresh pineapple

1 c. baby spinach leaves

1/2 banana

1/2 c. fresh cranberries

*a splash of any liquid

*may add wheat germ, flax seeds or hemp seeds

*may add 2 ice cubes

Blend and serve

This is recipe comes from fellow Little Angels parent Toula.  Prez made it last night – absolutely delicious soup.  We didn’t have any celery but it still tasted great.

- 2 lbs. fish (any white fish works well), cut into cube-chunks
- handful fresh fennel (use top of fennel only (maybe you can save the bulb for the green apple & fennel salad)), leaves roughly chopped
- handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 2 celery sticks, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- olive oil
- 1+ cups boiling water
- salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil on medium heat, then add garlic (careful not to burn the garlic). Add tomatoes and celery, cook for 15 minutes. Add fish, fennel, parsley, seasonings, hot water (add more or less hot water, depending how soupy or stewy you’d like it). Simmer another 20 minutes.

This recipe is really flexible so feel free to adjust the amounts of the ingredients to suit your taste (like less garlic, more or less tomato, etc).

1 can (14oz or so) Alaskan wild sockeye salmon, w/ bones

1 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, ground pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 c water

1 cup quinoa

1 tsp veg. bouillon

1/3 bunch parsley, finely chopped

1/2 lemon, juiced

Bring water to boil with bouillon.  Add quinoa.  Reduce heat, simmer for 12 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Drain salmon, remove larger bones leaving smaller ones (high in calcium).  Place in large bowl.  Add quinoa and remaining ingredients.  Mix well, form patties, and refrigerate at least 10 minutes.  Bake, broil or pan fry until medium brown, regardless of cooking method.

Saturday I went over to Mike Barris’s house for a blues jam and some BBQ.  For you northerners, BBQ is not throwing burgers and hot dogs on the grill but rather the fine art of cooking and smoking meat and then serving it with slaw and the chef’s signature sauce.  It is really a southern art, with many regional variations, but Mike is a master, despite his northern habitat .  Mike is also part of the world of competitive BBQ, which is a very, very serious thing.  He is a master at this but he does have a secret weapon: the Cretan culinary gene.  I am convinced Mike’s Cretan roots are what put him over the top as a BBQ master.  Here is a recipe, in his words,  for the sauce he served with his delicious BBQ the other night:

Krazy Kretan’s Basic BBQ Sauce for Barbecue Pulled Pork

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 small can of concentrated tomato puree

1 to 1 ½ cups of brown sugar (depending on taste)

2 tablespoons of barbecue rub (can be your favorite – it usually includes some combination proportions of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, and/or chipotle pepper)