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.