Mushroom Wild Rice Soup, Party Foods, Yellow Shakshuka

Alexandrian Shakshuka

From Alexandria in Egypt comes this dish of firm white fish poached atop a mixture of diced tomato, onion and spices.  Normally, of course shakshuka is a dish of eggs poached on tomatoes; but here shakshuka is a cooking technique (poaching in something besides water or wine) used for fish and other seafood.

My adaptation of the recipe uses yellow tomatoes rather than red.  Sally gets a reaction if she eats too much red tomato.  However, the acid in yellow tomatoes is different than the acid in red tomatoes, and doesn't bother her.  When I was young, an aunt who lived with us got hives from eating red tomatoes.  On our doctor's recommendation we grew yellow tomatoes, which she could eat.

Spice Blend
2 tsp ground Coriander
2 tsp Sumac
1 1/2 tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp Dill weed
1 tsp Turmeric

Can't find Sumac spice in your local Mediterranean market? Substitute Lemon Pepper, or lemon zest and a couple grinds of fresh cracked black pepper.

Main Dish
1-2 lb Cod fillets
1 Sweet Onion, diced
Olive Oil
8 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 Jalapeno Pepper, chopped
5-6 Yellow Tomatoes, diced or chopped
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup water
Salt and Pepper to taste
Chopped fresh parsley and mint for garnish

In a small bowl, combine the coriander, sumac, cumin, dill and turmeric to make the spice mix. Reserve.

In a covered skillet heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Saute the onions for 2 minutes then add the garlic and jalapeno. Cook on medium-high, stirring regularly, until fragrant and golden in color, about 2 more minutes.

Now add the tomatoes and only 1/2 of the spice mix. Add the lime juice, water, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a high simmer, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover and cook the tomato mixture for 10 more minutes; stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, season the fish fillets lightly with salt and pepper and coat on both sides with the remaining spice mix.

Gently add the fish fillets to the tomato mixture. Cook on medium-high briefly, then reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the fish is cooked through (it should be flaky). Remove from heat and top with the fresh parsley and mint.

Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
Found this Forks Over Knives recipe, and for once it had all the seasonings and amounts correct.  I did add some Mushroom Powder to give it extra umami richness, though.  If you love mushroom soup, like we do, you're gonna LOVE this!!

4 cups Vegetable Stock

1 (8-ounce) Mushrooms, trimmed and quartered or thick sliced

¾ cup uncooked Wild Rice, rinsed and drained (I used part wild rice and part brown rice)

½ cup Leek, sliced (does anyone use anything but the white part?))

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 cup chopped Red Bell Pepper

½ cup chopped Carrot

¼ teaspoon Sea Salt (I used a Truffle Salt that I happened to have on hand)
1-2 tsp Mushroom Powder 

¼ cup Almond Flour

¼ cup Chickpea Flour

1 Tbsp fresh Thyme leaves

1 TbspWhite Wine Vinegar

Combine the stock, mushrooms, wild rice, leek, mushroom powder and garlic in a 5-quart Dutch oven or soup pot. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes or until the rice is tender (kernels will start to pop). Stir in the bell pepper, carrot, and salt. Cover and simmer for 8 minutes more.

Combine the almond flour and chickpea flour in a small bowl; stir in ¼ cup water. Stir the mixture into the soup. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes or until thick and bubbly.  What a great thickener!!  Stir in up to ½ cup more water to reach the desired consistency. Stir in the thyme and vinegar.   Serve with nice crusty bread.

Spicy Sweet Potato Bites
You can parse that title as Spicy-Sweet Potato Bites, or Spicy Sweet-Potato Bites.  Either way they are "simple to make, simple to take" as they say.  This is a great "take" dish for parties at work, football snacking, part of a buffet spread, etc.  They can be as mild or wild as you like; but you really want to counter the sweetness of sweet potato with some serious heat.

1-1/2 to 2 lbs Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed.
1-2" Thumb if Fresh Ginger, grated
2-3 tsp Garam Masala or other Indian spice blend
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes or Hot Hungarian Paprika
2 Tbsp Almond or Chickpea Flour
Breadcrumbs for coating

Nuke the sweet potatoes in the microwave for 6-8 minutes until tender.   In a bowl combine the sweet potato, ginger, spices and flour.  Mash together until you get the consistency of thick mashed potatoes.  Divide the mix and roll into walnut-sized balls.

Flatten each ball to about 1/2" thick and pat both sides in the breadcrumbs.  Chill for 20 minutes before frying at moderate heat in a couple tablespoons of EVOO.  Fry about 5 minutes per side until golden brown.  

Cool on a rack before plating.

Turtle Dip
A great party dish and a classic Spinach Dip for veggies or crackers.  This is what I made for the Ninja Turtle Bread that Sally took to the baby shower.  You could make turtle, or just buy a boule of bread at your local bakery to hollow and serve this in.

10 oz box frozen chopped Spinach

1 cup Mayonnaise

2 cups Yogurt

1 package dry Vegetable Soup mix

Defrost the spinach and squeeze it dry. Chop it some more for a finer texture and shred it apart.

In a bowl combine the spinach, yogurt and mayo. Mix well. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. 

  

Baked Cod, Turtle Bread, Eggplant Stacks

Baked Cod, Greek Style
Every once in awhile you have to change things up, right?  Our regular Friday night dinner has been Panko Crusted Pan-fried Cod for years!  This week we decided to try baked cod instead.  I found a great recipe for "Greek style" baked cod I think you'll like. 

2,  7-8 oz Cod filets
1/4 cup AP Flour
1 tsp Coriander
1 tsp Sweet Paprika
1 tsp Cumin
Juice of a Lemon
Same amount of EVOO
3 cloves Garlic, minced

Thaw and pat dry the cod.  Preheat the oven to 400F.  Also, heat a skillet to medium or medium-high.

Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the flour and dry spices.  In another bowl whisk vigorously to combine the lemon juice and EVOO (I shake it together in a screw-top jar, actually).

Dredge the fish in the lemon/oil and then in the flour mixture.  Sear the fish on both sides, in a tablespoon of EVOO or Grapeseed oil.  Cook a couple minutes on each side to get the flour headed towards brown.  Transfer the fish to a baking dish.

Whisk the minced garlic into the lemon/oil mix and drizzle it over the fish.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until the coating has browned more.

Really good!  This one is a repeater for sure!  The fish stays wonderfully moist, and the flavored crust is very tasty.

Turtle Bread Test
Sally is going to a baby shower, where the theme is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!   So this is my test bake of a turtle bread that will have the shell removed and the inside filled with chef-made spinach dip.  When I serve, the turtle will be swimming on a (sea)bed of crackers for dipping.  The basic bread recipe and turtle idea is from Betty Crocker.

3 cups AP Flour
1 pkt Quick Active Dry Yeast

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Salt

2/3 cup Water

2/3 cup Milk

1 Tbsp Butter or Margarine

1 Egg, beaten

2 Raisins

In large bowl, mix 1-1/2 cups of flour, the yeast, sugar and salt; set aside.

In a microwave safe container combine the water, milk and butter, and nuke for about 30 seconds to warm the liquid (125-130F) and soften the butter. Add this to the flour/yeast blend and fold to combine.

Add the beaten egg to the mix.

Stir in the remaining flour, and additional milk/water as needed to make the dough come together. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough about 5 minutes or until smooth and springy. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes in a warm place.

Meanwhile, grease or spray a baking sheet and pre-heat the oven to 400F.

Shape a 2-inch piece of dough into a ball for the turtle’s head. Shape 4 walnut-size pieces of dough into balls for feet, and 1 walnut-size piece into a tail. Shape the remaining dough into a large ball for the turtle body.

Place the body on the baking sheet and flatten slightly. Attach the head, feet and tail by placing a pulled out bit of each, and tucking the 'tab' under the edge of the body. Press raisins into the head for eyes. Cover and let rise in warm place for 20 minutes.

Make 1/4-inch-deep circular cut around top edge of body to define the edge of the shell, then make crisscross cuts to look like a turtle's shell. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

For my dip holder, I sliced the shell off and hollowed out the body of the turtle to make the container. For presentation, I put the shell back on top before setting it on the buffet table.

Eggplant Stacks
I realized I hadn't made these is quite some time; so it was time to eat and share them again.  This is basically Eggplant Parmesan done as individual servings.

Eggplant
Beefsteak Tomato
Italian Seasoning
Marinara Sauce
Parmesan Cheese
Mozzarella or other melting cheese
Breadcrumbs or Panko

Slice the eggplant into rounds, spritz both sides with EVOO, and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.  You'll want three 3/4" thick slices per person.   Lay the slices out on a baking sheet and broil them for 3-5 minutes per side, until they are just browning but still firm.   Remove and reserve.

In a baking dish, lay down one round of eggplant for each person.  Add some breadcrumbs, a bit of Parmesan, and some marinara.  Top that with a slice of tomato.  Add a second slice of eggplant, more breadcrumbs, marinara, and a slice of cheese.  Add the third slice of eggplant, more crumbs, marinara, and parm.    Repeat for each serving -- three slices separated by breadcrumbs, marinara, and either sliced tomato or sliced cheese.

Bake the stacks at 350F for about 20 minutes until the cheeses are all melted and everything looks scrumptious.  Serve with a nice side salad.

Mexican Bean Burgers, Ratatouille Pasta, Pomegranate Fun

Mexican White Bean Burgers

Don't get me wrong, I love black beans; but every so often you want a change... These are great!

1½ cups cooked Great Northern Beans --  cook your own, they're better than canned

1 cup cooked Short-grain Brown Rice – not easy to find, but worth it!

1½ cups total (in any combination) diced green chilies, corn, onion, black olives, cilantro

¼ cup chopped nuts – almonds, and/or whole pine nuts

1 cup Bread Crumbs

4-5 tsp Taco Seasoning, Chili Powder or a combination

2–3 tablespoons Salsa, as needed

Take the cooked beans for a spin in the food processor but don't go full-on puree – you want some texture here.

In a large bowl, combine the spun beans with the rice. Add the other ingredients – I used onion, red & yellow bell peppers, half cup of Salsa Verde, and pine nuts. Then the seasoning and bread crumbs (not panko). For seasoning I used Healthy Solutionstm salt-free Chili/Taco Seasoning and Cajun Seafood Seasoning in equal amounts. A packet of ordinary taco seasoning would work as well.

Smoosh all the ingredients together until well blended, using your hands and/or a spatula. Pick up a baseball-sized lump of the mixture and squeeze/compress it a couple times to mash everything well together. Then pat it out to about 5” in diameter and a bit more than 1/2” thick. Repeat with the remaining mix, and you should have 6 nice size patties.

Fry them on medium to medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes per side, until nicely browned.  Serve with a splash of salsa if you want.


Pomegranate Molasses Glazed Salmon
A pomegranate showed up in my SWFL Produce box last week.  I've eaten the seeds in salads and such, but never really messed with one.  Have you?  Here's what it looks like to break one down:

  

To make the pomegranate molasses glaze, you need more pomegranate juice than you get from one fruit, so I bought a bottle of juice.

Pomegranate Molasses

This is a great glaze for seafood, lamb... you name it!

2 cups pomegranate juice

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Optional: 2 heaping tablespoons pomegranate seeds 

Bring the pomegranate juice, sugar, apple cider vinegar, ginger, and black pepper to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and allow it to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, until the pomegranate ginger sauce has reduced in volume by two-thirds. 

Stir the pomegranate seeds into the sauce, if desired, and serve it warm or use as a glaze for salmon, butternut squash steaks, whatever suits your fancy...

The Salmon
Wild-caught Faroe Isle salmon in this case.

Marinated for about an hour in a heavy slather of pomegranate molasses before being baked for 15 minutes in a pre-heated 400F oven

For Dessert
Carrying the pomegranate them one step further, here's Pomegranate with Sugar Kiss Melon:

Ratatouille Rotini
The flavors of the classic French vegetable stew as a "sauce" for baked rotini.

8 oz. dried whole grain penne pasta

2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into ½-inch slices

2 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped red onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 15-oz. can no-salt-added tomato sauce

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

¾ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 15-oz. can no-salt-added red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook the pasta according to al dente package directions; drain.

In a large skillet, cook the zucchini for a few minutes until just starting to soften.  Now add  the rest of the ingredients to combine and cook for 6-8 minutes until things are somewhat soft.

Transfer the skillet contents to a baking dish (8x12 or 9x13). 

Bake, covered, 20 minutes. Sprinkle with additional oregano and/or thyme and serve.

Indian Okra, Spinach Pie, Figgy Yogurt

Figgy Yogurt

Got some really nice figs in this week's SWFL Produce box, and found a simple and really tasty way to serve them...

Figs, quartered

Yogurt -- we prefer Siggi's brand Icelandic Skyr
Almonds -- slivered
Honey -- your favorite varietal; this one is Prickly Pear Honey from southern Arizona

Quarter your figs.  Put some yogurt in a ramekin or small bowl.  Add quarters of fig.  Add some shaved almonds.  Drizzle honey over.  Devour!

Bhindi Okra
Haven't made this for quite awhile.  Sally was gifted with more than a pound of fresh, huge okra just crying out to be griddle fried this way.  Indian Street Food at it's finest.  We first had this at the Chai Pani Indian Restaurant in downtown Asheville, NC -- one of our best ever restaurant discoveries.  We make a point to eat there every time we visit.  My version of Bhindi Okra is healthier than the Indian street food version, here the okra is deep fried.  I do mine on a griddle pan with only 1-2 Tbsp of grapeseed or olive oil.  If you used an oil sprayer you'd use even less oil...

1 lb plus Okra, topped and sliced lengthwise
pinch of Salt
Amchur Powder -- Indian dried green mango powder
1-2 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil (high smoke point)

Spread the oil on a griddle pan -- mine is 13" diameter.  Lay out the okra cut-side down to start, add a pinch of salt, and fry until starting to brown. 

Turn over, dust with Amchur power and continue frying and turning until you get some serious carmelization/blackening going on:

Crispy, chewy, a little salty, a little smoky, almost buttery tasting.  This is not your slimy Southern boiled okra that I suffered through in school!!!!!!  This is Yummm.

I served Bhindi Okra with Garam Masala Salmon, which didn't turn out too bad.

Spinach Pie
That time of year!  Sally was also gifted with 2 pounds of fresh spinach that wanted using up and a spinach pie seemed just the thing to do.

1 Pie Crust -- make your own or not
2 lbs fresh Spinach
4 oz Feta
1 cup small curd Cottage Cheese
1 bunch Green onions, chopped
2 tsp dried Dill Weed
Juice and zest of a Lemon
1/4 cup chopped Parsley
Mushroom slices for topping

Preheat oven to 400F. Par cook the pie crust in a 9" deep dish pan, and let it cool.

Wilt the spinach in batches.  I used the microwave and a large bowl with 1/4 cup of water in the bottom; about 4 minutes.  Chop the wilted spinach as fine as you like.

Pre-heat oven to 425F.

In a large bowl combine the ingredients (except mushrooms) thoroughly.  Spread into the cooled crust.  Top with sliced mushrooms. 

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes.  Cool a bit.  Slice & serve.

Red Pepper & Zucchini Soup, Shrimp & Grits, Tricolor Vegetable Skillet

 Roasted Red Pepper & Zucchini Soup
I needed a quick and tasty soup for our "Yoga-Chi" night -- I do T'ai-chi from 4:30-5:30, then Sally joins me with the same teacher for a one hour Yoga class.  By the time we get home at 7pm, Sally is starving, so I have to have something ready to eat when we walk in  the door.  Soups are great for this application.  Here's my latest!

4 medium/large Red Bell Peppers, seeded deveined and laid flat
1/4 cup Sundried Tomatoes, reconstituted
1 Sweet Onion, chopped
1 medium Zucchini (9" long x 1.5" diameter)
2 cups Veggie Broth
2 cups Water
1 Tbsp Red Sazon Tropical or similar seasoning

Lay the bell peppers skin side up on a baking sheet and put them under your broiler for 5-8 minutes.  You want serious amounts of blackening (flavor).  Don't you dare peel that flavorful skin away and discard it!!!

Slice the zucchini lengthwise into quarters and then crosswise into 1/2" wedges.

In your soup pot, saute the onion  and the sundried tomatoes in a splash of EVOO.  Add the spice, broth and water and bring to a boil.  Add the chopped up red bell peppers, drop the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove solids to a food processor and puree.  Return to the pot, add the zucchini and cook for another 10 minutes or until the zucchini are done but not mushy.  Serve with a piece of nice crusty bread.

Wow!  Is this ever GOOD!

Shrimp & Grits Show-Off
Sally needed a "Southern Comfort" --themed dish for a retirement party at her office.  They wouldn't let me give them a bottle of bourbon, so I did the next best thing:  my creamy-dreamy White Cheesy Shrimp & Grits!!

This one turned out so pretty (not to mention tasty) that I thought I'd share a photo and make you drool too!

That's a 9" diameter dish there....

The grits have 3 cheeses -- Goat cheese, Mozzarella, and Extra Sharp White Cheddar; total of maybe 1 cup of cheese into the 1 cup of dry grits being cooked in 4 cups of liquid. I use water and half&half in equal amounts for the cooking liquid, and I add White Pepper for a bit of tang.  The cheese is added in the last 10 minutes of cooking.  The shrimp I usually buy pre-cooked and peeled, then saute them with a dusting of Cajun seasoning to give them their own kick!

Tricolor Vegetable Skillet
I'm calling this a "skillet" because the spicing is not Asian, so it's not a "stir fry".  So There!

1 Zucchini
1 Yellow Squash
2 Carrots
1 Red Onion
3 cloves Garlic, minced
S&P to taste
2 tsp fresh Thyme leaves
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1/4 Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

Peel the veggies lengthwise.  Just keep peeling ribbons until you get down to the seeds.  Slice the onion, of course.  

Heat a splash of EVOO in a large skillet.  Cook the onion for  few minutes until it starts to soften.  Then add the ribbons, garlic, salt & pepper.  

Cook for another 4-5 minutes until the ribbons soften.  Lastly add the thyme and lemon zest, cook a minute or two more to incorporate those flavors, then plate.  Top with cheese and serve.  
Makes two nice servings.