Bonnie Antonini

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GREEK STUFFED PORTOBELLOS – They’re Greek To Me!

greek portobello

GREEK STUFFED PORTOBELLO

Two things that make my pupils dilate when choosing a recipe are it’s: 1) fast to prepare, and 2) can be made ahead of time. Bonus points if the cooking time is short.

Greek Stuffed Portobellos are all that – and delicious, too! I know I’m on a winner when even my picky-eater youngest son will eat them. They’re great for sneaking things into your child’s diet that they may not normally eat – like spinach. (We moms sometimes have to be sneaky – they’ll thank us later!)

Something you may not realize is portobello mushrooms are just common button mushrooms all grown up. So now I only buy the more expensive portobellos when I’m stuffing them and save my money on recipes that call for sliced or chunks of portobellos by using the smaller common mushrooms – they’ll do fine.

GREEK STUFFED PORTOBELLOS – makes 4

  • 4 portobello mushrooms
  • 1/2 T olive oil
  • 1 cup onions, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 2 cups spinach, chopped
  • 1/4 cup scallions
  • 3/4 cup Roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp dill
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup kalamata olives, halved
  • 5 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes. Add in spinach, scallions, tomatoes, oregano, dill, and salt. Continue to cook until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice, olives, and feta.

Remove and discard stem from mushrooms, and thoroughly wash. Rub with olive oil and place on broiler pan open side up. Divide the spinach mixture between the mushrooms.

Broil 4″ from heating element for about 15 minutes – until browned.

Serve with rice.

 

 

 

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CHEESE STUFFED DINNER ROLLS – Melty Good!

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The dinner roll: a classic. Always a must with company, and mandatory when my kids were little (sometimes that’s all they’d eat!). While there are different types and shapes of dinner rolls, my children’s favorite were the soft yeast rolls I made in a round cake pan.

I don’t know why it took me so long to think of this (probably due to the numbing effect from years of diaper changes, chauffeuring, and stepping on Legos), but it finally occurred to me to stuff a cube of cheese into each dough ball.

The rolls were a hit! And, really, what’s not to like: melty cheese in the middle of a soft yeast roll.

Astute readers may have noticed me bandying about the ‘yeast’ word. Yes, these rolls use yeast which means kneading and rising.

If you’ve been following my blog you’ll know there’s nothing to using yeast. You’ll also know that I believe a food processor is an essential part of a kitchen. Not only will it save you steps, it will save you money because you’ll start making things from scratch that you would have bought ready-made – like yeast rolls.

Of course, you can make these Cheese Stuffed Dinner Rolls without a food processor.  You’ll just have to knead them by hand. But know that that’s 10 minutes you could have spent catching up on Facebook….or dusting.

You can use any kind of cheese you fancy for Cheese Stuffed Dinner Rolls, but I recommend a cheese that stretches when heated such as jack or mozzarella. There’s something irresistible about stretching cheese as you break open a piping hot dinner roll.

CHEESE STUFFED DINNER ROLLS – makes 12 rolls

  • ½ cup milk (I use nonfat)
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2¼ tsp dry yeast (or 1 packet)
  • 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, more or less
  • 2 T sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 T butter, softened
  • 12  5/8″ cubes of cheese, just eyeball it – you don’t have to measure

Combine the milk and water, then heat to about 100º Fahrenheit. Sprinkle on yeast and stir. Let proof for about 5 minutes.

Into the food processor put the sugar, salt, butter, and 2 cups of the flour. Pulse the machine a few times, then run about 10 seconds to blend.

When yeast is proofed, run the processor and slowly trickle the liquid through the pour-spout into the flour. The goal is for the dough to just form a ball. Add more flour one tablespoon at a time, if needed, until this happens. (I usually use about 2¼ cups of flour.) When the dough gathers into a ball, continue to run the machine another 30 seconds to knead the dough. (Use this time to think about those poor souls without food processors getting sticky dough all over their hands and flour on their clothes.)

Pour dough onto a floured board and cut into 12 equal pieces. Wrap each piece of dough around a cube of cheese, pinching the dough to seal. When all the cheese is wrapped, place dough balls evenly in a greased 8″ round or square cake pan. Cover and allow dough to rise, filling the pan – about 30 minutes. (See photo.)

yeast rolls rising

Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit.

If you like, brush tops with milk – not necessary, but gives them a pleasing golden color. Bake 20-25 minutes, until done. Serve hot for best gooey cheese results.

 

 

 

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QUINOA TABBOULEH – Super Food, Super Good!

QUINOA TABBOULEH

QUINOA TABBOULEH

Up until a couple of years ago I had never heard of quinoa. Suddenly it’s everywhere and all the cool people are eating it. Well, I may not be “cool”, but I AM room temperature and like to know what’s going on.

What’s going on is the revival of an ancient grain called quinoa (pronounced “keen’-wah”). It’s high in protein and lacks gluten (which has become the bad-boy of the food world these days). It also cooks really fast – it’s done is 10-15 minutes.

I decided to make tabbouleh, replacing the traditional bulgur with quinoa. Excellent!

Quinoa Tabbouleh is one of those multifaceted dishes that makes for a light lunch coupled with a hearty yeast roll, a substitute for a green salad, or a tangy side dish to accompany your entrée.

Even better, it’s easy to make and can be prepared well ahead of time. One less thing to do during that hectic count-down period when you’re trying to have everything done at the same time. (Don’t even think of talking to me during crazy-time!)

NOTE:  An easy way to chop parsley is to put washed parsley in a cup and snip away with your kitchen shears.

Chop parsley using kitchen shears

Chop parsley using kitchen shears

QUINOA TABBOULEH – makes 6 cups

  • 1½ cups uncooked quinoa
  • 1¾ tsp sea salt
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¾ cup lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • ¼ tsp ground pepper
  • 2 cups tomato, chopped
  • 1½ cups parsley, finely chopped (measure before chopping)
  • 1 1/3 c cucumbers, chopped
  • 4 scallions, sliced

Cook quinoa by bringing 3 cups water and quinoa to a boil, then simmering covered until water is absorbed (about 10-15 minutes).  Stir every few minutes, keeping an eye out so it doesn’t burn. Let cool.

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate until serving. It will keep for days.

 

 

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SPINACH PIE – Popeye Approved!

SPINACH PIE

SPINACH PIE

Spinach is one of those really-good-for-you foods that I tend to put off making. Why? Because I hate cleaning it. If you’ve ever bought fresh spinach, you know what I mean – it’s very muddy. Even when the store does its best to sell clean bunches, I always find dirt in there. Consequently, I wash each leaf under running water, getting in every nook and cranny – after all, I don’t know what’s in that mud.

I admit it – I’m a wee bit overly cautious. (Okay – paranoid!)

I realize life would be easier if I used frozen, but I worry they didn’t clean their spinach very well. Running water over frozen spinach is almost pointless.

All that being said, whenever I do make a spinach dish, I’m glad I did. It’s delicious, healthy, and I always feel I’ve done a noble thing when finished. Then I chide myself for not cooking spinach more often.

My Spinach Pie is a lovely combination of spinach, raisins, and olives, topped with mozzarella, and encased in a hearty crust.

You may be fearless (or less paranoid) when it comes to spinach, but cringe at making a yeast dough. I’m here to tell you, yeast doughs are easy as…(wait for it)…pie. HONESTLY! They’re a piece of cake. (I’ll stop now.) So take a deep breath and I’ll walk you through this Spinach Pie recipe that everyone loves.

NOTE: I prefer to use canned black olives with jalapeños for added kick, but the plain ones are fine.  You can also use kalamata olives, if you like.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: There are 3 olive oil amounts listed separately. The grand total is 5½ T, but I listed them in the amounts to be used for different purposes. The olive oil used to grease the rising bowl, casserole dish, and brush on the dough are not included in this total.

SPINACH PIE

Crust:

  • ¾ cup water, approximately 100º Fahrenheit
  • 2¼ tsp dry yeast
  • 2¼ cups (274g) all purpose flour
  • 1½ T olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt

Filling:

  • 1 lb fresh spinach (stems are included in this weight)
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, pressed
  • ¼ cup onions, finely chopped
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1   4-oz can black sliced olives (with or without jalapeños)
  • ¾ cup raisins
  • freshly ground pepper
  • ½ lb mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 3 T olive oil

Stir yeast into water and let proof for about 5 minutes.

Put 2 cups (246g) flour, the 1½ T olive oil, and salt into your food processor. Turn it on and slowly pour the proofed yeast water through the pour spout.  Let run until the flour is incorporated. The goal is for the dough to form a ball. Add more flour tablespoon by tablespoon until this happens. Then, run the machine about 45 seconds to knead the dough.

Note:  If you don’t own a food processor, you’ll have to mix and knead the dough by hand. You can use the time it takes to knead the dough to think about how to save up for a food processor.

Press the dough ball into an olive oil greased bowl, then flip the dough so the entire ball is greased. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 1 hour.

While dough is rising, prepare the filling (which can also be done ahead of time). Remove and discard the spinach stems. Thoroughly wash spinach leaves, shake to remove excess water, then grab handfuls of leaves and slice. Don’t worry about the size or shape of the sliced leaves – once cooked, the leaves wilt.

In a large pot heat the 1 T olive oil. Sauté the onions, garlic, and cayenne pepper for 5 minutes. Add in the olives, raisins, ground pepper, and spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted and the liquid boils down a bit. (If you’ve never cooked fresh spinach before, you’ll be amazed by how much the spinach wilts – see photo.) There will still be some liquid – don’t worry about it.

Raw spinach wilts down to nothing.

Raw spinach wilts down to nothing.

Mix the mozzarella and 3 T olive oil together in a bowl.

Preheat oven to 400º Fahrenheit.

When dough has risen, take two thirds of the dough and, on a well floured board, roll into a rectangle large enough to cover the bottom and sides of an 8″x 10″ casserole dish (or comparable size). Liberally grease the casserole dish with olive oil, then carefully place dough. Brush dough with more olive oil.

Tilt the pan containing the spinach, allowing the liquid to drain away. With a slotted spoon, remove the mixture and spread evenly on top of dough. Then sprinkle on cheese.

Roll out the remaining dough into a rectangle large enough to cover top. Lay this piece in place, and roll the edges of the bottom and top dough together. The filling is now completely encased.  You can brush the top with olive oil, water, milk, or an egg wash, if you like. Make 3 slits in the top dough.

Bake at 400º Fahrenheit for 35 minutes.

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VALENTINE PRETZELS – Feel The Love!!!

valentine pretzels

Yikes! Valentine’s Day is fast approaching.  There are so many people to whom you’d like to give a little something, but your wallet may still be reeling from the holidays. What to do?

How about baking homemade treats that are sure to make you the most popular Valentine around? Oh, I can hear the excuses now: “I don’t know how to bake.”  “I don’t know what to make.”  “I don’t have time.”

Thank goodness you came to me.

If chocolate, caramel, and salty pretzels sound good, then I have a fool-proof recipe for you that can be put together in minutes: VALENTINE PRETZELS!

A popular version of this recipe uses small pretzel twists. The problem is the candy melts through the holes. So I looked in the cracker aisle and found the perfect solution:  a new product from Keebler (and, no, they’re not paying me) called Town House Pretzel Thins with sea salt. Not only are they the right taste and construction – THEY’RE HEART SHAPED!!! Products are pictured below to aid in your search.

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VALENTINE PRETZELS

  • Keebler Town House Pretzel Thins – sea salt flavor
  • Rolo candies (or other caramel filled candy)
  • pecan halves, lightly toasted

You’ll need one of each per Valentine Pretzel.

Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit.

Place crackers salted side down on ungreased cookie sheet, so that they’re curving downwards.  I place the crackers salted side down so that your tongue gets bathed in salt as you bite into the chocolate and caramel. Don’t worry if you forget – they’re still delicious!

Top with unwrapped candy. Bake for approximately 4 minutes, until candy is soft but still retains its shape. Remove from oven.

Press one pecan half into each softened candy, firmly enough that the pecan embeds into the candy, but not so hard that the caramel comes squirting out.

Let cool either on the counter or briefly in fridge.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fast And Easy FETTUCCINE PRIMAVERA: Molto bene!!!

Fettuccine Primavera

FETTUCCINE PRIMAVERA

Think “fettuccine” and the word “fattening” probably comes to mind. Well, if you want fettuccine alfredo, then “heart attack on a plate” is an appropriate leap. But the high calories and cholesterol come from the butter and cream, not the pasta. The noodles themselves are only about 210 calories per 1½ cup of cooked fettuccine.

Fettuccine Primaverde is one of those dishes I make when I want something light and/or fast. Washing and chopping the veggies is the longest part – cooking is done in about 5 minutes. If you make the pasta noodles (which I do), then it takes a bit longer. The last time I made Fettuccine Primaverde I used leftover fettuccine pasta from the night before, so I enjoyed the benefit of homemade noodles without the effort. Dinner was ready in 20 minutes!

This recipe makes enough for 3-4 people, depending on how large the portions are. If you purchase the pasta, cook the amount you’ll need. If you’re making the pasta, use 1½ cups flour and 2 eggs.

FETTUCCINE PRIMAVERA – makes 3-4 servings

  • 3 T butter
  • 3 T olive oil (I use extra virgin)
  • 3 garlic cloves, pressed
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 12 mushrooms (about 7 oz), coarsely chopped
  • 10 stalks asparagus, sliced into 1″ pieces
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1/3 cup kalamata olives
  • ½ cup vegetable stock (I use homemade: Homemade Vegetable Stock)
  • about ¼ cup Romano cheese, shredded
  • 1½ T pine nuts, lightly toasted
  • 3-4 servings fettuccine pasta, cooked

Melt butter and oil together in 10″ skillet. Add in garlic and cayenne pepper. Sauté for 1 minute.

Add in mushrooms, asparagus, and red pepper. Sauté about 2 more minutes.

Add in vegetable stock and olives. Bring to a low boil. Let cook another couple of minutes. Test the asparagus – when it can be pierced with a fork, but is NOT mushy, it’s finished.

To serve, pile fettuccine pasta in a bowl or on a plate and ladle veggies over it. Sprinkle on cheese and pine nuts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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When Life Sends You Lemons…Make LEMON ZINGER CUPCAKES!

Lemon Zinger Cupcake

LEMON ZINGER CUPCAKE

My friend, George, thoughtfully bestowed upon me a bagful of lemons from his garden. As most of you know, once nature’s bounty has been picked, there’s only so long before those fresh and flavorful fruits and veggies turn into mushy fodder for the compost heap. So I needed to come up with some ideas to take advantage of these luscious lemons.

There were the usual options of lemon cream pie, lemon bars, the obvious lemonade, and, of course, as self-proclaimed Queen of Freeze, I realized I could have just frozen the juice in ice cube trays and dealt with the dilemma later.

Then it came to me:  Lemon Zinger Cupcakes.

I knew exactly what I wanted:  a delicate cake crumb that packs a lemony wallop. I tried a couple of recipes that I found online, but they were rubbery, sticky, and didn’t have the lemon punch.

So I set about creating my own lemon cupcake recipe. I’ve been baking my whole life – how hard could it be? Oh – it be hard! Believe me, creating a cupcake recipe isn’t exactly….well, a piece of cake. With cooking, you can change a recipe by adding this or that in the amount you want. Baking is a whole different world! There’s a science to baking that must be respected or your recipe will be a dismal flop.

For the past week I’ve been learning about what makes a cake wet, dry, sink in the middle, rubbery, and have an even crumb rather than tunnels. The flour has to be in the right proportion to the sugar, the eggs to the fat, and the eggs and liquid to the sugar. Then there’s the baking soda versus baking powder dilemma. Finally, with a lemon cupcake, I needed to get the most flavor I could without over-wetting the cupcake. Yikes! So much to learn!!!

Since I was creating this Lemon Zinger Cupcake recipe to post on my blog, I wanted it to be user friendly. My criteria was:

  1. Use melted butter rather than softened. Who can remember hours ahead of time to remove the butter from the fridge? Most cake recipes use softened, but I tested the same recipe with melted and softened – there was no difference.
  2. Use salted butter. This is what’s in most of our refrigerators. When you buy unsalted, you have to buy at least 2 cubes – what do you do with the other if you normally don’t bake?
  3. Use all-purpose flour. Not everyone keeps cake flour around. There was no difference in my taste test.
  4. Use whole eggs rather than yolks or whites. It’s wasteful to throw out the unused part, and you can only freeze whites – unused yolks have to be used within a day or two.

I was a woman on a mission! So this past week I took one for the team (because I’m that kind of gal) by baking and sampling batch after batch of evolving LEMON ZINGER CUPCAKES recipes. But it was worth it because I finally came up with exactly the texture and flavor I wanted. I topped them with a vanilla buttercream frosting. While some people choose a lemon frosting, I think the buttercream better complements the powerful lemon zing.

Sliced Lemon Zinger Cupcakes

Sliced LEMON ZINGER CUPCAKE

It should come as no surprise that my freezer is loaded with lemon cupcake rejects to be used in some future recipe. They all tasted good, but the texture flavor wasn’t what I wanted for this recipe. Waste not, want not!

Speaking of freezing, cupcakes – frosted or not – freeze really well. Honestly! My LEMON ZINGER CUPCAKES recipe yields 9 cupcakes, which is kind of a skimpy number. If you need additional, double the recipe, then freeze the extras (if any). Don’t try to triple or more – the batter needs to be baked as soon as it’s mixed.

LEMON ZINGER CUPCAKES – makes 9-10 cupcakes

  • 1¼ cup (157g) (5.5 oz) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp baking soda (NOT powder)
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 6 T (84g) salted butter
  • ¾ cup (147g) granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 T lemon juice
  • 1 T lemon zest, packed in the measuring spoon (don’t be stingy)
  • ¼ cup (58 ml) milk (I used nonfat)
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • optional (but not really necessary) for extra zing – ½ tsp lemon extract

NOTE:  Ingredients must be at room temperature.

Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

Melt the butter. Remove from heat just before it’s completely melted – it will continue to melt. (You don’t want butter too hot or it will cook the eggs.) Pour into the mixing bowl of an electric mixer. Add in the sugar and beat at medium high for 4 minutes.

Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well with each.

Add and mix in the lemon juice and zest (and lemon extract, if using).

Add in about half the flour mixture and VERY GENTLY mix in. It’s okay if there’s still flour unincorporated. You don’t want to over mix cupcakes or they’ll be tough. You can use your electric mixer, but keep it at the lowest speed and beat for just a few seconds.

Add in the milk and vanilla, and VERY GENTLY mix in.

Add in the rest of the flour and (you guessed it) VERY GENTLY mix in.

Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit.

Fill muffin cup liners 2/3 full with batter. Put a little water into the empty cups so they don’t scorch.

Bake for 13-18 minutes. DON’T OPEN OVEN DOOR BEFORE 13 MINUTES! Test for doneness by lightly pressing center with your finger. If it springs back, it’s done. Do this fast – you don’t want the oven to cool from the open door.

When done, take pan from oven and let sit for 1 minute before carefully removing cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING – makes about 2 cups, enough for above recipe plus extra

  • ½ cup salted butter, softened
  • 4 cups (388g) confectioners sugar (I never sift, but you can, if you want)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 5-6 T milk (I used nonfat)

Put the butter out to soften when you start the cupcakes (or earlier, if you can remember). Cut it in small pieces to soften quicker.

Cream together the butter and sugar at medium high speed of an electric mixer. Add in the salt, vanilla,  and 2 T milk, and beat at medium high. Continue to add milk one tablespoon at a time, beating well with each addition, until you get the consistency you want. If you add too much milk, the frosting will be too thin, especially if you’re piping it. If this happens, just add more confectioners sugar. If it gets too thick, add more milk.

You can freeze leftover frosting. It’s always nice to have some extra on hand.

NOTE: I decorated the cupcakes with yellow sprinkles and a lemon coated almond.

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Beurek – A “Handy” Little Treat

Cheese Boerg

Cheese Beurek served with Armenian Salad.

Like all ethnic families, our Armenian family gatherings centered around food. Stops were pulled, and a feast was enjoyed by all – generally twice in the same day.

A favorite amongst the children was Cheese Beurek (pronounced ‘burr-egg’). They’re similar to the Cornish pasty and Italian calzone. Admittedly, these tasty delights are a bit of work – they’re not difficult, just time consuming.

Now here is the issue of utmost importance with Cheese Beurek:  to ooze or not to ooze. Unless you’re very careful, some of the cheese filling oozes out midway through the baking process, forming a crispy cheese appendage. (See photo below.)

Oozy Beurek

Oozy Beurek

To be honest, I quite like this cheesey bonus disc, and there’s still plenty of cheese inside. But they don’t look very nice and, of course, when they’re completely enclosed, there are no greasy fingers.

I embarked on a mission to discover why the bursting forth of cheese so I would know how to counteract this situation if I wanted to serve Cheese Beurek for company. Oddly enough, the leakage comes from the folded side, not where the edges meet, like you might expect. This is probably because I crimp the heck out of the dough.

So I made countless Cheese Beurek, experimenting with different methods including slitting the top, using less filling, keeping the filling away from the center of the fold, and brushing the dough with egg before placing the filling. What finally worked was using a piece of floured waxed paper to assist in folding the dough, rather than my hands. I guess I was stretching the dough with my palm even though I tried to be careful. The paper keeps the dough stable.

So there you have it!

One thing I should mention is that sometimes beurek is made using a filo or puff pastry dough, rather than bread dough. It’s just a matter of preference.

NOTE:  This recipe involves a rising dough, so allow time for it.

CHEESE BEUREK – makes 12 beurek

  • 2 tsp dry yeast
  • 1¼ cups water, 100º – 104º Fahrenheit
  • 3 1/3 cups all purpose flour, approximately
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup shortening (I use Crisco)
  • ½ lb Muenster cheese, shredded
  • 1 egg, beaten and divided
  • ½ tsp black ground pepper
  • ¼ tsp garlic salt
  • ½ tsp salt

Stir yeast into the water and let proof (foam) for about 5 minutes. Put 2½ cups of flour into the work bowl of your food processor.  Add in sugar, salt, and shortening.  Turn on the machine and slowly pour in the yeast water. Turn off machine and sprinkle in a few more tablespoons of flour. Turn on machine. The goal is for the dough to form a ball. Keep adding in flour a little at a time until the ball forms – you may not need all the flour. If you don’t have a food processor, you’ll have to mix in a bowl and knead by hand. (Start saving your pennies, you really should have one!)

Pour the dough onto a floured bread board. Pick up the ball from the flour-y bottom and fold the dough onto itself, so now floured dough surrounds it and the sticky dough is encased. (I HATE touching sticky dough with my hands.) Gently toss the ball to dislodge excess flour. Plop the dough into a greased bowl, press down, then flip the dough. Now the ball is greased on both sides and your hands should still be clean. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for about an hour.

Prepare the filling while the dough is rising. Into a mixing bowl blend the cheese, half of the egg, the pepper, garlic salt, and salt. Into a smaller bowl make an egg wash by beating the other half of the egg and 1 tablespoon water.

When the dough has risen, pour it onto a well floured board and cut into 12 pieces. Form each piece into a ball, then flatten with the palm of your hand. Let the dough rest about 10 minutes so it’s easier to roll out.

One by one (unless you’re doing an assembly line with helpers) roll out a dough circle to be about 5½” in diameter. Place this on a lightly floured square of waxed paper. Spread about 2½ tablespoons of the filling on one half of the dough, leaving a 3/8″ border from the edge. Dip your finger in water and run it around the entire border to moisten dough. Put your palm under the waxed paper and fold the dough in half.  (See picture below.)

Fold dough using waxed paper.

Fold dough using waxed paper.

UPDATE: I’ve just discovered an even better method to prevent leakage:  form 12 oblong cheese balls from the filling, place on waxed paper, and freeze. Place frozen balls on dough circles, wet edges with water, and fold dough over cheese ball, being careful not to poke the frozen cheese through the dough.

Press edges together, then crimp well with a fork.boereg crimped

Place on a greased or non-stick cookie sheet – don’t crowd. One standard sheet will hold 6. With a dry pastry brush, whisk away excess flour.

Preheat oven to 450º Fahrenheit. Do this after beureks are assembled to give them a bit of a rest as the oven is heating.

When the oven is heated, brush the tops of the Cheese Beurek with egg wash. Bake for 12 minutes, until top is golden brown. Serve hot.

 

 

 

 

 

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Brussels Sprouts Amandine – Try It, You’ll Like It!

FullSizeRender (3)

In a recent post, I made mention of Beaver Cleaver’s (from tv’s Leave It To Beaver) successful encounter with a Brussels sprout. It reminded me of a delicious Brussels sprout recipe I had tucked away. As a creature of habit where vegetables are concerned, I tend to serve the usual broccoli, mushy peas, carrots, and cauliflower. For some reason, I forget about these mini cabbage morsels.

So I rifled through my recipe box and found the Brussels Sprouts Amandine recipe card. To those of you under the age of 25, a recipe box is where index cards with recipes printed on them are stored. (Yes, I’m that old)

Every time I make this recipe, I wonder why I don’t make it more often. It’s one of those hater-converters. Never heard the term? That’s because I just made it up. A hater-converter is a recipe so yummy that it alters your negative view of a certain ingredient, such as Brussels sprouts, into something you love…or, at least, like enough to tolerate because it’s good for you.

TIP: Brussels Sprouts Amandine taste best when freshly made. So prepare the sauce ahead of time, leaving it in the saucepan for a quick reheat. Have the Brussels sprouts cleaned, halved, and sitting in the steamer basket ready to be cooked. They only take about 5 minutes. This way, you can turn on the burner as your meal preparation is winding down, quickly dress them, and they’re ready to go.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS AMANDINE – makes 2 cups

  • 2 cups Brussels sprouts
  • 2 T slivered almonds, toasted
  • ½ T butter
  • ½ T Dijon mustard
  • 1 T red cider vinegar
  • 1½ T dark brown sugar, packed

Trim the base of Brussels sprouts and remove loose leaves.  Slice them in half lengthwise and place in steamer basket.  DON’T FORGET THE WATER UNDERNEATH!  (Been there, done that.)

In a small saucepan, melt together the butter, mustard, vinegar, and sugar.  Turn off burner and set sauce aside.

When it’s about 5 minutes until meal time, steam the Brussels sprouts.  You want them cooked, but not mushy.  They’ll become vibrant green just before they’re ready – test with a fork.  Remove from heat.

Quickly reheat sauce and mix with sprouts and almonds.  Serve immediately.

 

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Potato Cheese Soup = A United Family Meal

You know those kids who happily eat (or, at least, TRY) any food that’s put before them? Well, unfortunately, none of them lives in my house. My children have never exactly been culinarily curious.

I suppose I should have insisted like June Cleaver did on Leave It To Beaver when The Beav refused to try his Brussels sprouts. Mom & Dad made him stay at the table until he took a bite. Naturally, he grudgingly sampled one, loved it, and everyone rejoiced in the glow of Brussels sprout bliss.

Often times I’ve felt like a short order cook – making one meal for my husband and me, and one for the kids (sometimes each child even got his own selection). This may sound like a lot of work, but for me it was just simpler to crank out the food so I could enjoy dinner without the wheedling, bribing, threats, and anger.

There were, thankfully, a few meals that satisfied the entire family. It goes without saying that I prepared those frequently.

Potato Cheese Soup is high on the preferred list. Not only is it easy to prepare, but because it’s creamed in a blender (or food processor), you can add in a little spinach, etc., and the kids will never know. (We moms have to be a bit sneaky – it’s for their own good….they’ll thank us later.) Also, you can plop in broccoli or cauliflower – the soup is kind of like a cheese sauce.

As noted, this recipe requires a blender or food processor. I haven’t nagged about owning one or both of these appliances in awhile, so with the after-holiday sales, I’ll suggest these items go on your purchase list, if you don’t already own them. Both are invaluable in the kitchen. I use my food processor and blender nearly everyday.

POTATO CHEESE SOUP – makes  7 – 8 cups

  • 42g (3 T) butter
  • 264g (2 cups) onions, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • 917g (2 lbs) russet potatoes, unpeeled and coarsely chopped
  • 82g (1 large) carrot, unpeeled and coarsely chopped
  • 710g (3 cups) vegetable stock, purchased or homemade (recipe:  https://vegcookingforcarnivoresblog.com/2014/04/14/back-to-basics-vegetable-stock/)
  • 1 tsp dried dill
  • 245g (1 cup) milk (I use nonfat)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • 144g (5 oz) cheese, shredded (I use medium cheddar)

Melt butter in a stockpot. Sauté onions over a medium flame for about 7 minutes, stirring often.

Add in the garlic, potatoes and carrots, and continue to sauté another 10 minutes.

Add in the stock, dill, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down flame to simmer the soup. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender – test if carrots are easily pierced with a fork.

Remove the lid and let cool about 10 minutes – you don’t want to put boiling liquid in your blender.

Add milk to the pot, then pour into a blender or food processor.  Puree until smooth. (Depending on the size of your blender, you may have to do this in batches and, because of this, a second pot will be needed into which you empty the puréed batches.)

Place shredded cheese in the empty pot.

Pour the pureed sauce on top. Heat to melt the cheese and blend into the soup.

This soup is delicious served with homemade French bread – https://vegcookingforcarnivoresblog.com/2014/05/18/ooo-la-la-les-baguettes-tres-simple/