Superfood Trahanas

Posted by deltavore on

Last night, I got home a little later than usual. I left the office about 45 minutes late and made a stop on the way home. I was a little too tired to cook anything “special” so I dug around to see what I could make quickly. The first thing that caught my eye in the pantry was a jar of trahanas and that’s what I grabbed. Traxanas (τραχανάς) are a Greek pasta made with flour and yogurt or fermented milk. This variety was sour, but you can also find a sweet version (http://greekfood.about.com/od/greekfoodphotogalleries/ig/Greek-Ingredient-Photos/Trahanas-Pasta.htm). I bought these at an international bakery in Atlanta a while back and they were not quite as flavorful as some homemade trahanas that I had in Greece. Regardless, that’s what I decided to cook. Scrambling around some more, I found half an onion in the refrigerator, some garlic, dried Greek oregano (from Kalamata) a can of whole tomatoes, and some wakame flakes (dried seaweed).

I sauteed the onions in some olive oil then added the tomatoes and garlic. I crushed the tomatoes with a potato masher and also added a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste to up the flavor some. I let this mixture cook for a few minutes then added 4 cups of water. I let this come to a boil, then stirred in the trahanas and wakame along with the oregano and a little salt and black pepper. I turned the heat down to a simmer, covered the pot and let them cook for about 20 minutes. You have to stir the soup a few times while cooking to make sure the pasta doesn’t stick. You know it’s done when the soup thickens and the trahanas are nice and soft.

It was a nice impromptu supper!

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A Casual Southern Supper

Posted by deltavore on

Saturday night, I got together with friends for a casual supper, a pre-birthday supper for me.  There were a couple of snags, but that just makes the evening more fun.  As usual, I over estimated the amount of food I needed to fix and sent everyone home with leftovers.

I had originally planned to make these Shrimp Boil Skewers from Southern Living Magazine, http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/shrimp-boil-skewers-50400000120558/, however, due to time constraints, I decided to toss the skewers and just put everything into a big bowl and serve it along side the other dishes.  I bought some beautiful HUGE shrimp from the Alabama Gulf Coast, thanks to Paradise Seafood (http://www.facebook.com/ParadiseSeafood).  They were perfectly-fresh and delicious.  Along side the boil, I made traditional fried catfish.  I had farm-raised catfish that we seasoned liberally with a mix of paprika, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper and dredged in corn flour.  I deep-fried them in Costco’s Kirkland brand Mediterranean Oil Blend (http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/201302?pg=93#pg93) and they were delicious.  The third “star” of the meal was pan fried chicken.  I had purchased two whole, organic, fryers and cut them up myself.  I put them to soak in buttermilk for 24 hours then we seasoned them liberally with the same mix as the catfish then dredged them in all-purpose flour.  I fried them in some of the Mediterranean Oil in an iron skillet.  The crust was tasty with a bit of a kick from the cayenne and the chicken was nice and juicy.   Yes, it’s traditional to use shortening, but I prefer to use oil for frying and deep frying when I can.

For sides, we had Pecan Rice.  I used the recipe from “Screen Doors and Sweet Tea” by Martha Hall Foose (http://marthafoose.com/screen_doors_and_sweet_tea) also a Delta resident.  If you are not familiar with this dish, it is a rice pilaf with roasted pecans.  I did skip using white rice and substituted Arkansas brown rice that I bought from Earth Sprung Grains  at the Memphis Farmers’ Market downtown http://www.memphisfarmersmarket.com/.  I love brown rice and this Arkansas rice is great.    I also made macaroni and cheese from the same book.  I was a little disappointed in the result, but I think it was more my fault than the recipe.

Additionally, we had focaccia- a loaf that I’d made a few weeks ago meaning to give to a friend but forgot it and ended up freezing it.  I made the bread using a mix of unbleached white flour and spelt flour.  The texture was light and a little chewey and I enjoyed it a lot.

I had originally planned to have a banana pudding as a dessert, however, I had some “technical difficulties” with the custard and ended up skipping it.  The guests finished off the vanilla wafers and I am eating the bananas myself this week for lunch!

All in all, it was a great night and the food, in spite of the few hiccups, was perfect.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Posted by myhoagie02 on
Peel 3 medium potatoes, cut in cubes and boil until tender. Drain and mash potatoes w/ one stick of butter. Add 3 eggs, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1.25 cups milk, 1.5 cups sugar, 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into glass or ceramic baking dish.
Topping:
Melt 1/2 stick butter. Add 1.5 cups corn flakes & 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Sprinkle w/ sugar. Mix together. Pour over potatoes.
Bake casserole @ 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Posted by myhoagie02 on
Ingredients:
1 package Knorr Vegetable Dip
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
1 package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1.5 cup shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
14 oz artichoke hearts, quartered
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Mix all ingredients except for 1/2 cup cheese. Spoon into baking dish. Top with remainder cheese.
3. Bake @ 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

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Hummus

Posted by deltavore on

Here is my version of hummus that I have adapted from several different recipes that I have come across. Feel free to adjust the amount of tahini or garlic to get the flavor you desire. This hummus is great with pita bread, tortillas or any other nice flatbread- or even tortilla chips! I prefer to cook my chickpeas from scratch rather than using canned beans, however, you can use canned beans.

1 cup dried chickpeas

Soak the beans overnight in a lot of water. Just before you are ready to cook them, drain and rinse them well.

1 medium onion, chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper
4 cups water, chicken broth or vegetable broth (plus a couple of cups extra)

Heat the oil in a heavy pot and sauté the onion until it begins to soften. Add the soaked chickpeas, the broth or water and season with the salt and pepper. Bring them to a gentle boil, cover loosely and cook them until the beans and tender. This may take up to a couple of hours. Keep an eye on the water level in the pot and if it begins to get too low, add another cup of water or broth and bring it back up to temperature. When the chickpeas are soft (they will mash easily and still have a bit of a mealy texture), drain them and reserve about 2 cups of the cooking liquid.

This should make approximately the same amount as a 15 ounce can of chickpeas.

1 batch of cooked chickpeas (as described above) plus 1-2 cups of the cooking liquid or a 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained with the liquid reserved.
1/2 cup of tahini
2 or more cloves of garlic, crushed (i usually add 5 or 6, but I like a lot of garlic in my hummus)
3 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1 lemon, freshly-squeezed
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon paprika for garnish
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Place the chickpeas in a food processor and process into a coarse paste. Stir in the tahini with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water (or the reserved cooking liquid) and add it to the food processor along with the garlic. Process to mix. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and lemon juice and process to a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper and taste as you mix to check the level of tahini or garlic. Feel free to add more of either ingredient. If the hummus is too thick, add a tablespoon of the reserved cooking liquid and process. Keep adding liquid, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the consistency you are looking for.
Transfer to a dish and garnish with some sprinkled paprika, parsley and maybe a swirl of nice extra virgin olive oil.
Serve with flatbread, chips, or vegetables.

Peppers Stuffed with Feta

Posted by deltavore on

This is a simple and delicious appetizer, or even a nice lunch when paired with another vegetable or a salad and my take on a traditional Greek dish known as piperies gemestes me feta. I developed a craving for them after seeing them featured on the August 2010 issue of Saveur magazine and fell in love with them after eating them in a tavern in Athens. They are best when you can get fresh summer peppers. The traditional Greek recipe calls for Florentine peppers, however, several of the farmers at my local farmers’ market sell Cubanelles and they work perfectly. You can however, use any long, sweet green or red pepper such as Anaheim or Fresnos. I find the red peppers to be more flavorful and more attractive. I have also made them with small sweet peppers as a part of a menu at a tapas party. It is a good idea to use the freshest, best tasting feta you can find as it contributes a lot of flavor to this delicious summer dish.

6 6″ to 8″ Cubanelle chili peppers
9 ounces (by weight) feta, crumbled
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs Greek yogurt
1 tbs minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (to taste, more or less)
2 egg yolks
salt and pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (or a similar hard, grated Greek cheese)

Arrange a rack 6″ from the broiler element of your oven and set the oven on broil. Put the peppers on a baking sheet and broil them, turning once until they are just beginning to soften. This will take about 5 minutes, depending on the size of the peppers. Transfer the peppers to a rack and allow them to cool.
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the feta, oil, yogurt, parsley, lemon zest, oregano and egg yolks until mostly smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Place this mixture into the refrigerator and allow it to chill for at least 30 minutes. The colder the mixture, the easier it will be to stuff the peppers.
Make a lengthwise cut in each pepper (from the stem to the tip) and scoop out the seeds and ribs. Stuff each pepper with some of the feta filling and transfer them to a foil-lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle the peppers with the parmesan cheese and broil until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly- about 6 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a serving platter and serve warm.
If there are any left overs, these peppers reheat beautifully in the oven.
You can also split the peppers in half, if they are large enough before you broil them the first time. Just use a teaspoon to mound the filling evenly between each pepper half.
Enjoy!

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Galactic Burrito

Posted by kristilatzak on

Galatoboureko

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

4 1/2 oz cream of rice or cream of wheat ( or 3/4 cup)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp flour

1 tsp vanilla

10 1/2 oz of milk

1/2 box phyllo dough

Beat eggs with sugar, add cream of rice with flour and salt.

Add vanilla and milk.

 

In a separate pot heat 21oz of milk with 3 oz butter.

Pour the creamed mixture into the butter and milk.

Cook till thickened stirring constantly.

 

Pour into prepared filo dough. (half box)

Score the top leaves and spray with a bit of water.

Bake at 350 for apx. 45 min. (make sure it is nice and brown at top)

Pour cold syrup over it.

 

To make syrup

1 cup sugar + 3/4 cup water. Add lemon and orange rinds + cinnamon sticks for flavor.

Cook a few minutes and add 1/4- 1/3 cup honey at the end.

Let it cool.

Tips: Use a 9×13 pan. Cream of wheat is better to use. For the syrup, grate the lemon/orange rinds and use 2 stick of cinnamon. Let the syrup boil for a few minutes, then cook on low for about 10 minutes. Brush melted butter in between most of the phyllo sheets. Use more phyllo on top than the bottom. After baking, either pour cold syrup the warm pastry, or warm syrup over cooled pastry. Also, there are 2 measures for milk. 10 1/2 oz mixed with the dry ingredient and then 21 oz mixed with butter (3 oz = 3/4 cup or 1.5 sticks). Use another stick to melt for the phyllo.

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