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Biftekia is basically the Greek word for burger. After I graduated high school in 1999 my parents took myself and my sisters to Greece and I ate this several times, usually made with ground lamb, these were often served on skewers and served with different condiments. I decided to try my hand at my own version of these, which are similar to meatballs or meatloaf, I used a roll of delicious Papa George’s 100% American ground lamb and combined it with a few other seasonings. For my sauce I used another flavor packed pantry item….ANCHOVIES! Packed in olive oil and salt these lil’ babies can add umami flavor and depth to many dishes. Anchovies are not just for pizza, they are a great way to add the salt element to a dish, and I used mint, lemon, capers and sundried tomatoes to round out the flavors and served with the lamb biftekia it balanced out perfectly. Similar to the use of the condiment Nuoc Cham in Vietnamese cooking, this condiment can be used with a variety of roasted meat, veggies, or even as a topping for pasta.
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Anchovy, sundried tomato and mint sauce:
3 olive oil packed anchovy fillets
2 Tablespoons chopped, oil packed sundried tomatoes
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Bragg’s liquid aminos (you can use soy, I would suggest temari for this)
¼ cup fresh mint
¼ cup fresh curly parsley
Juice of one lemon
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons hot water
2 teaspoons capers
I like to use a mortar and pestle for this to keep a more rustic texture, you can you a blender or food processor but just pulse a few times. Combine anchovies, garlic, sugar, sundried tomatoes, mint and parsley, muddle until it forms a thick paste, add the rest of ingredients, and stir to combine. Can be made up to a week in advance and kept in the fridge.
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For lamb biftekia kabobs:
3/4 lb ground lamb, I used one roll of Papa George’s ground lamb
1/4 cup minced onion
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
6 bamboo skewers
In a medium bowl mix meat with other ingredients, portion into six logs. Wrap the meat mixture around skewers. Grill 4 minutes flip, cook another 3 minutes or so until firm. I used my indoor grill pan, you can also do these under a broiler, just watch closely to not over cook. Serve with anchovy sauce.
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Pork sausage Ramen with collard greens
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So I have been loving the “Momofuku” cookbook, but not having a brigade of cooks available to perform some of the tasks necessary, not to mention the time it takes to prep, and a two and a half year old, tiny tyrant ransacking the joint some recipes are not always plausible for the home cook although not impossible, maybe when my kids are in college in 15 years…haha! The book is totally inspiring though and I love his unique techniques, storytelling, and of course obsession with ramen. This week I have teamed up with Papa George’s sausage to create some recipes with this fabulous product. The sausage is 55% less fat then conventional sausage and upon tasting them and cooking with them realized that they have all the flavor without the grease! Ramen is on my mind of late and David Chang’s ramen broth has bacon, so I figured why not turn it on its head and use sausage to make a “quick” weeknight version? Collards are often used as well so I stuck to that but I just boiled them with my stock instead of doing a separate preparation. It ended up great and it was done in an hour!
You will need:
12 oz roll Papa George’s regular variety
1 inch knob fresh ginger cut in half
4 shitake mushrooms
1 bunch scallions
2 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup mirin
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 bunch of collard greens, stripped off of stems and coarsely chopped
In a large saucepan or stock pot place crumbled sausage over medium heat, when the sausage begins to render add ginger, and white parts of scallions (save the green part for topping bowls), add shitake, add collards, when wilted and shrunken in size, add stock. Bring to boil, reduce to medium, add soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Simmer. Skim any oil off the top.
Noodles:
4 portions Ramen noodles, I used a fresh variety from my local Asian market, but you can you those dried ones as well.
Boil as per directions on package, this all depends on what you end up using, fresh cook fast mine were done in about 1 minute.
Toppings:
1 cup of corn, use frozen, canned, or if its in season fresh!
1 cup bamboo shoots, if you can’t get the fresh one’s canned work fine.
Green parts of scallions sliced
4 soft boiled eggs or fried eggs are good as well, your choice.
sesame seeds
Assembly:
Divide noodles up evenly into four bowls, fish out your mushrooms and remove stems, and slice, place in bowl, add corn to each bowl, fish ginger out of broth and discard. Using tongs or chopsticks remove some of the collards and mushrooms(remove woody stem)slice, place on bowls, do the same with sausage using a slotted spoon, add broth, sliced scallions, eggs, bamboo shoots and a bit of sesame seeds or ramen pepper. Enjoy! A whole new way to get your sausage and eggs!
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Gluten free, creamy polenta with rotisserie chicken cacciatore
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Do you have those days where you fully intend on making a full meal for the family, but then once dinnertime hits you find that your plan was never put into action? Between school, soccer, and basic “Mom” functions in general I have really been trying to stretch my pantry staples into hearty, fresh, meals that can be cooked in less than 30 minutes (Oh geez, that was a corny line circa 1956, I need to read “The Feminine Mystique” apparently). I have a two and a half year old, and if you or someone you know has one you could understand why even trying to shop at the grocery store is totally impossible on most days. I think that there are a few pre-made items that are totally acceptable to use and actually make delicious homemade meals quick and easy. One of my “go-to” items is rotisserie chicken, depending on where you shop, some are better than others, but most times they are good, as is or as I like to do, removed from bones, skin removed, shredded and used as the protein in your dish. Another thing to have on hand that is a never a bad idea, is a good, high quality, no sugar added, jarred marinara. I’m kinda picky with what I will use, but there are some really good ones, buy your favorite. I also like to have dried mushrooms in my pantry and grains of all sorts. Right now I love polenta, its rich, filling, easy, and just happens to be gluten-free for those of you who try to avoid gluten. So here is a quick weeknight meal that your family will love, easy to be vegan as well, skip the animal products all together and it is still yum.
You will need:
1 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed, meat shredded
1 big jar of your favorite marinara, or use 4 cups of homemade
½ green bell pepper diced small
1 palmful dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted in ½ cup hot water, I love these because they add instant flavor and can are cabinet safe, if you prefer you can use 1 cup diced mushrooms of choice.
For polenta:
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup polenta or yellow cornmeal
1-3 tablespoons butter (optional)
Bring stock to a boil, add salt, reduce heat to medium-high, add polenta, whisk vigorously and often for about 12 minutes, turn down to medium and whisk every few minutes while you make your sauce.
Place sauce ingredients in a saucepan, heat over medium until simmering, cook 15 minutes or so until green peppers are tender.
Add butter to polenta if you are using it, stir until melted. Top a scoop of creamy polenta with Cacciatore sauce and top with parmesan and fresh parsley.
20 minute one-pan Mediterranean shrimp and couscous
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Ahhh January! Mine and many other peoples least favorite month of the whole year! It’s dreary, holiday bills are coming due, and those ten pounds of “holiday merriment” are giving me a nice muffin atop my jeans. Eating better in January is hard because most of us want comfort food, but still want to detox from the holiday gluttony. So this dish is a quick, healthy, and comforting way to serve comfort to your friends or family. Using couscous, spinach, and shrimp makes it quick, and a bit of feta and tomatoes makes it delicious.
Serves 4
1 1/3 Cup whole wheat couscous
¼ Cup Kalamata olives, haved.
1 pound good quality large shrimp, peeled and clean, at whole foods they have some great ones that are cleaned for you!
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, sliced “Goodfella’s” style, if you haven’t seen the movie, you should, but just slice them as thin as possible.
2 handfuls, baby spinach
1 cup diced tomatoes, canned works fine, just use a good San Marzano variety.
½ cup dry white wine
Pinch of dried oregano
2 T fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
4 oz Feta
1 T olive oil
A few lemon wedges
In a medium skillet or thick bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat, add shallot and garlic, cook three minutes, add shrimp seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper, when first side turns pick flip and, add tomatoes, oregano, and white wine. Cook for a minute or so then add 1 cup of water and ½ teaspoon of salt, when boiling add olives, couscous and spinach, stir, cover, remove from heat. After five minutes remove cover and top with crumbled feta, you can put it under the broiler at this point to melt the feta (optional but tasty), chopped parsley, and squeeze of lemon, serve! This dish is awesome because not only is it easy, it is cooked and served in the same pan, elegant enough for guests and done in 20 minutes!
Vegan Crockpot Fasolakia (Greek Style stewed green beans and potatoes)
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COLD! Ugh, I hate it……I would trade the cliché rain for whatever this bad air quality, bone splitting, frosty snow, gray doldrums this PDX winter has turned into. I miss just being water logged from rain, and when the weather is like it is now, the type of food I want is comfort food, but I also want to try to maintain plant based meals several times a week….is that possible? I say yes and today’s recipe encompasses both, vegan and comforting. As a kid my favorite dish at the Greek festival was fasolakia, which is a slow cooked veggie dish with a good glug or two of rich olive oil, while my sisters would munch diples and loukamathes I would be eyeing their green beans…haha! I also am trying to open my mind to crockpot cookery or lack of cookery (there I go again). For some reason I really detest “crockity” pots, figuring if you have a stove why would you need this silly contraption, cluttering up my already cluttered kitchen. I stay home during the week with my kids (both of which are currently sick, so where usually my six year old is at school, she is now home fighting with her brother between coughing fits) I understand not everyone has this luxury (depending on how you view it of course) so I want to venture into a safe way for working gals and guys can eat great without worrying about setting their home ablaze whilst at work and changing the view of “vegan” cuisine as rabbit food. Nobody wants to dive into cold kale salad when it feels like Jack Frost is robbing you of your humanity. So here it is my first post using a crock pot!
Ingredients put in crock pot in this order:
Glug or two of olive oil
3 peeled and quartered potatoes, I like Yukon gold for this
1 tsp dried oregano
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 pound frozen or fresh whole green beans
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained, I used these to bump up the protein, you can omit them if you want but I like them in this, makes it heartier.
1 cup water
1 tsp each salt and pepper
Handful of kalamata olives chopped (optional)
Basically put the ingredients in your crock in the order listed, and cook on high for about 2-4 hours or low if you want to start it the night before or before you leave for work. I served ours with couscous, which takes 5 minutes to make and serve, good with a fresh squeezed lemon juice. This is really easy and tasty, and will not be the last of my crockpot experiements!
Pasta with Mizithra, brown butter, and Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash
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How do you jazz up squash? Brown butter, cheese, and pasta of course! Roasted butternut squash is a delicious and tasty way to get your veggies but definitely not a full meal by any means. So I decided to pair it up with delicious egg capellini (I found some amazing Italian import dried pasta, the better the pasta the better the dish will be), browned butter, and mizithra and pecorino cheese. The secret ingredient to the famous restaurant version of this is the Pecorino romano, mizithra alone isn’t salty enough for the job so they bring in the “silent” partner and low and behold we give all the credit to what is marketed…in this case mizithra….as with most good things in life there is always someone or something that isn’t credited publically for the overall success of something. I guess this is my way of saying don’t believe the hype, there is always a “Silent” partner who should be credited….but who doesn’t need the acclaim, maybe that is the end of the road on a journey to enlightenment? To be satisfied with the success of another that you may have played a role in……or perhaps this is just a really good winter pasta dish? I’ll let you chose your own adventure on that one. Shall we begin?
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You will need:
For Squash:
• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 pounds or 8 cups, cubed)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Dash smoked paprika
Toss squash with oil and seasoning, in a pre-heated 425 degree oven, roast squash for 40 minutes, until golden brown.
For Pasta:
• 1/2 package dried capellini pasta or pasta of choice, cooked al dente.
• 2 ½ Tablespoons brown butter, (brown butter by cooking over medium heat until it changes to light brown in color and has a nutty aroma)
• 2 Tablespoons mizithra cheese, grated
• 2 Tablespoons Percorino, Romano, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh, flat leaf Italian Parsley
Toss pasta with butter, cheeses, s&p, and parsley. Divvy up pasta into four portions top with butternut squash and eat!!!
The turkey I grew up eating, or how to make the grocery store bird look and taste like a million bucks!
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I learned early in life that my mother Diana had a way with roasting, I mean I can’t remember one Thanksgiving where her delectable, moist, turkey and pan gravy didn’t steal the show, seriously it’s like watching community theatre and having Marlon Brando come out to do a character role. We never bought the fancy bird, we got the bird that usually was “free” with purchase of all your other groceries at “Smith’s” or “Albertson’s”, the biggest we could find, domestic, un chic, cheap. The magic that would happen was one part seasoning and three parts her own weird method. I don’t know if she wants me to share it really…haha, easier to ask for forgiveness I suppose, but really this is a homage to the master turkey maker…my mommy. We would let “fat Freddy” our frozen bird defrost for a few days in the fridge, then the night before the spell would begin….she would use butter under the skin, massaging it in like an experienced masseuse working on a client, then she would use her blend of dried herbs, all kinds, I didn’t even know fresh herbs existed till I was about 16 and started working in other restaurants! She would add her secret weapon, that being Kikkoman soy sauce, for as thrifty as my mother is, she would never, ever settle for a cheap soy, uttering cuss words if a bottle of another brand was purchased on accident, she swears by the stuff, as do I, she also would douse our bird with a good glug or two of “real lemon” lemon juice concentrate, she still rolls her eyes at me to this day when I opt for fresh lemons. I wanted to blog the bird as close to hers as I could, without losing out on my own style, so here we go, in the words of the Beatles; “Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream
It is not dying, it is not dying
Lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void
It is shining, it is shining
Yet you may see the meaning of within
It is being, it is being
Love is all and love is everyone”
This may not make any logic sense to “Traditional” recipes, and to keep it not only simple, but authentic, I used a cheap, run of the mill, grocery store “bargain” bird, don’t get me wrong, I have cooked some wonderful fresh, brined, beautiful free-range, expensive turkeys, but I want this version to be accessible to all, without pretense, to enjoy on a small budget, the way I did growing up. My memory, my gift, my family. There will be no snobbery only love.
You will need:
A turkey, I bought about a 16 pounder, I have cooked up to 35 pounders with my mom growing up.
A stick of butter, softened.
Several cloves garlic, my mom used granulated garlic, always, to this day….I like fresh better.
Herbs o’ plenty, my mom would use a handful of Italian seasoning, dried, dried parsley, I will be using fresh Thyme, sage, rosemary (mom hates this), and flat leaf parsley.
An onion, a carrot, a few ribs of celery
¼ cup Kikkoman soy
2 lemons, I use fresh, but the green bottle is moms go to, no judgment here, I’ve used it before.
½ cup dry white wine, mom uses plain old water
Salt and pepper, no measurement here really, she would toss it on like she was feeding pigeons on Mary Poppins.
Smoked paprika, about a palmful
Big ass roasting receptacle
Foil
Pre heat your oven to 400 degrees, in your roaster, place celery and carrots down to use as a edible rack for roasting, dress your bird, I like to mix the butter with the garlic and herbs (commonly known as compound butter) and rub it under the skin of the turkey, mainly the breast area. I sprinkle the whole bird with salt and pepper, if you have a pre-brined bird you don’t need to do this….we got ghetto fab turkey so we are salting and peppering. I squeeze the lemon over the bird then put the halves in the cavity with some rosemary and thyme, half the onion, pour on the soy and wine and cover with smoked paprika (this makes the color outrageous). Cook at 400 for about 20 minutes, then cover with foil and turn oven down to 300 degrees. Cook 5 hours, a little longer than the conventional recipes say, but trust me….it’s worth it. Never a bad idea to roast off one occasionally if you are fan of deli turkey, turkey noodle soup, and turkey curry, whatever! Roast your own, and you won’t believe how much more tasty, and affordable it can be!
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Vegan Shepard’s pie with roasted root veggies, French lentils, and topped with truffle infused whipped yam
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Every time I go to visit my family in Utah I gain 5 lbs.…..it never fails, this last time I was only there 5 days! I wish I could go about blaming altitude or something else, but it was probably my lack of self-control on what I was gobbling. So I figured now may be a good time to go back to some plant based foods. With Thanksgiving just around the bend I thought it would be a perfect time to blog a vegan main that would work great for such a holiday. The place I work serves a version of lentil Shepard’s pie as our “go to” vegan entrée and there is blog after blog of recipes on the subject, I checked out several and I must say my favorite was Bon Appetit’s version, although way to fussy and complicated for a comfort food dish, it did have a great idea to roast several varieties of root veggies and add them to the mix, they opted for russets on top, I went with yams, and they had a ridiculously complicated gravy that would make the seasoned chef scoff (come on its Shepard’s pie people!), so I simplified that, and added a bit here, left out something superflerious there, and left out ALL animal products, I even got some Earth balance “butter” to test if it could stand up to the taste I was after, oh and I might’ve drizzled the whipped yams with a bit of white truffle oil and that is never a bad thing. So there she blows…….You will need:
Filling:
1 cup brown French lentils, cooked in 4 cups boiling water, reduce heat, until done, but not mushy (20 min), drain.
1 parsnip, peeled, medium dice
2 carrots, peeled, medium dice
1 rutabaga, peeled, medium dice
1 small butternut squash, peeled, medium dice
10 cippollini onions, peeled and cut in half, if you can’t find these frozen pearl onions are ok.
½ of a head of cauliflower cut into florets
5 cloves garlic, yes 5, peeled.
8 oz fresh mushrooms, your choice, I used crimini
1 tbsp. bragg’s liquid aminos
3 tbsp. olive oil
A handful chopped herbs, I used flat leaf parsley, sage, and thyme.
Salt and pepper to taste
Sauce:
1 medium onion, small dice
1 15 oz can good quality crushed tomatoes
A palmful of dried porcini mushrooms, tea’d up with about ¼ cup hot water
1 ½ Cup dry white wine
2 cups veggie stock
2 tbsp. white miso or soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Topping:
2 large yams
2 tbsp. earth balance “butter”
¼ Cup almond milk, I love, love, love Califa farms! It’s the best, I have three different varieties in my fridge as I type!
Salt and pepper to taste
Drizzle of white truffle oil, trust me….you can thank me later.
Method:
In a pre-heated 450 degree oven, bake yams on sheet pan, skin on for about 45 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Cool long enough that you can handle them, peel off skin, put the insides in a stand mixer with “butter” and milk, whip till light and fluffy, turn down speed add truffle oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
In a large bowl combine all the veggies for the filling except mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and olive oil, spread evenly onto two sheet pans and roast in oven at same temp as the yams cooked for about 25 minutes.
In a medium saucepan lug a bit of olive oil and add onions for sauce, cook down over medium heat for 15 minutes or so. Add tomatoes, cook 10 more minutes, deglaze with wine, reduce by half, add stock, cook 20 minutes and then blend together, with a blender or an immersion blender is what I used, doing this sort of naturally thickens your sauce without having to add any additional thickeners.
Assembly:
In a 3 quart casserole dish place cooked lentils, top with roasted veg, sprinkle with fresh herbs, and spoon over the sauce, paying close attention to every nook and cranny. Top with yams and bake 30 minutes or so on the same temp till bubbly and browned. Let sit at least 15 minutes before feasting! Old turkey might have some competition this year!
Fresh Cranberry compote with lemon zest and red wine.
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What would Thanksgiving be without cranberries? It is a must have for most, but if you are still opting for the canned variety (which I grew up on) you are missing out on a whole level of awesome that their fresh, whole berry, counter part offer. Cranberries are tangy, healthy, and have an amazingly long shelf life, despite a small harvesting season. I live in cranberry country up here in Oregon, but most times they are available all over the states and when they are, grab two bags, one for now and one to freeze for later! I’m highlighting my cranberry compote with red wine, wine pairs amazingly well with the tannic nature of the berries. This sauce or compote as I like to call it is great on turkey of course, but also amazing with roasted meats of all kinds or even seitan if you are plant based. This compote keeps well in the fridge and is ideal for canning, so you can always have it on hand. It’s also incredibly simple. So try this for your Thanksgiving holiday and impress your guests!
12 oz fresh Cranberries
1 Cup red wine, pinot noir or beaujolais works well.
1 Cup sugar
zest and juice from half a lemon
pinch of salt
Method:
In a medium sauce pan combine all ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, simmer 15 to 20 minutes till the natural pectin in the berries is released and sauce is thick and shiny! For a low sugar, no alcohol version, try 1 cup of apple juice in place of wine! Full of health benefits cranberries are a great addition to Thanksgiving or any meal really, even good on ice cream! Try this its easy, cheaper, fresher, and most importantly tastier then any pre-made sauce I have met.
Tofu Tom Yum-my ramen
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I’ve been watching the PBS series David Chang (chef/owner of Momofuku) did in 2012, and he had a really fun and non-pretentious view of instant ramen, yes that dried stuff with the salty silver packet of seasoning that you get 6 of for a $1. He described instant ramen as what “Mac and cheese” was for most kids was ramen at his house, he talked about eating it raw, cooked, etc. We followed David as he ate ramen at all the best spots in Japan (where he worked at ramen shops early in his career) and his overall appreciation for it in all forms. I ate a lot of it growing up, one of the first things I learned to cook was instant ramen, there always seemed if nothing else, a pack of ramen would be lying around. I also love Thai tom yum soup, and one of my friends requested a recipe for it. I actually have never made it, but after a fun trip to the Asian market by my house I got all the ingredients I needed and it was super easy to make. You of course don’t need to add the noodles, when I eat Tom Yum at restaurants it is usually served with some steamed rice, so of course if you want you can sub that or not….this again is a guideline to inspire your own individualized creations. All I can say is this was super tasty, easy, and as long as you can read and get to an Asian market, can be easily recreated at home!
You will need for 2-3 servings:
4 Cups water
1 Tbsp instant Tom yum paste, I got a Thai import that was amazing and only $1.69 for a jar that stays well in the refrigerator whenever you need it. Most pastes consist of shallots, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, chilies, and dried shrimp paste, you can easily find the vegetarian version if you want to this to be vegan.
½ brick medium firm tofu, cut up into large bites
2 green onions, sliced, green part set aside
¼ Cup bamboo shoots, my market has fresh ones for $1.39 a lb you can of course use canned, or leave them out completely if you no likey.
A handful of canned straw mushrooms, I got unpeeled ones, they were super tasty!
A handful of canned baby corn, sliced
3 or 4 fresh shitake mushrooms, woody stems removed
Two packages ramen, discard seasoning or save it for a rainy day….or whatever.
A handful of cherry tomatoes cut in half, or use a regular tomato, the ripest and tastiest I could find were cherry
Cilantro, enoki mushrooms (optional) and lime to garnish
Method:
In a medium sauce pan boil your water, paste, shitake, white parts of onion, when boiling add tofu, add two bricks of ramen, cook 2 minutes or so. Distribute the noodles and goodies evenly between two or three bowls depending on how much you can snarf down in a sitting. Serve with cilantro maybe some enoki mushrooms (I love them, you can cook them a bit if you want or leave them out completely), and some lime wedges. Seriously SOOOOO TASTY! Be ready for a spicy good time, and of course you can adjust the amount of Tom Yum paste to suit your individual palate. Thanks Dave for reminding me of the awesomeness that is instant ramen and Courtney for the idea.
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