Tuscan Navy Bean Soup

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 14-oz or 15-oz cans Navy beans, drained and rinsed.
• 1 14-oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 32-oz chicken broth
• 2 T dried oregano (do not be tempted to skimp on these herbs. Yes, there is a lot in there. That is what makes the soup Tuscan.)
  
• 2 T dried basil
• dash pepper
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• parmesan cheese, grated

1. In large stock pot, add olive oil and onion. Cook 4-5 minutes.
   
2. add all ingredients. Cook med-low 30 minutes.
3. Blend/puree in blender or food processor. (hint: work in portions, using another bowl to hold the already processed soup. If you try to do it all at once, you get a huge mess.)
4. Return to pot. Heat and serve.
5. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
   

Enjoy!!!

Ground lamb (or in this case elk) and feta Fatayer

This small Lebanese pastry is often stuffed with spinach, but almost anything can be used. One suggestion is fresh mackerel or red snapper. A suggested accompaniment is yogurt flavored with mint or sumac (which is a lemon-tasting red berry, dried and ground). I think they are also delicious hot and all on their own! The original recipe is from The World in Bite Size: Tapas, Mezze, and Other Tasty Morsels by Paul Gayler, but I altered a few things. Great source for international hor deurves, if you are ever looking.

• 4 T virgin olive oil
• 1 small eggplant, cut into 1/4 in cubes
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 t ground cumin
• sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 ripe firm tomatoes, cut into small cubes
• 1/3 C cooked spinach, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 t sumac (or use lemon juice if you don't want to buy exotic sumac)
• 2 T pine nuts
• 12 oz pie dough (You can save time and just buy this in the frozen foods section, or make your own for a fraction of the cost. I like the Crisco recipe.)
• a little beaten egg
• 3-5 oz package of feta cheese
• 1/2- 1 lb burger, browned on the stove.

1. preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
   
2. heat 3 T of oil in a large frying pan, add eggplant cubes and fry 8-10 min until golden. Add onion and cumin and cook for another 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool.
   
3. brown burger, if you haven't done it already. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
   
4. Heat the remaining oil in the pan and add the tomatoes, spinach, garlic, sumac (or lemon juice), and pine nuts. Cook until almost dry in texture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
   
5. Roll out the dough to 1/8 in thick and cut out 12 3-inch circles with a cookie cutter or glass. (I found that I could get more than 12 out of my dough. More power to ya. There is plenty of filling to go round, I promise. You could probably even fill 24 of these guys without having to double the filling ingredients, I think.) Brush the edges with beaten egg.
   
6. Place a heaped spoonful of eggplant mixture, then a spoonful of the spinach/tomato mixture, then a spoonful of meat, and a small amount of feta cheese in each one, working 1 at a time. Roll up the stuffed pastry, seal, then gently twist and press each end using your thumb and index finger. (I found they are easiest to fold and seal if you don't overfill them. Be especially light on the "wet" ingredients like the spinach/tomato mixture and the cheese).
   
7. Place the pies on a greased baking sheet and brush the exterior surfaces with more beaten egg. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.
   

Enjoy!!!!

Lebanese Orange Cookies

What you will need:

1/3 c. cooking oil
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. honey
1/3 c. finely chopped walnuts (didn't use because Scottie is allergic)

In mixer bowl, beat cooking oil into butter until blended, beat in sugar. Add orange juice, baking powder and baking soda, mix well. Add flour, a little at a time, to make a soft dough. Shape dough into 2-inch ovals and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Cool pastries on rack.

(I did 20 Minutes, you want them a little hard so they aren't too soft when you dip them in the honey)

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the 3/4 cup sugar, honey and 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil, boil gently, uncovered for 5 minutes. Dip cooled pastries into the warm syrup. Sprinkle immediately with nuts. Dry on wire rack. Makes 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies.
- recipe from Cooks.com


Enjoy, and see you all on the 22nd of November at my house for ITALIAN NIGHT! -Angie

hey all!!

I know this is extremely late - and I'm so sorry - but better late than never, right?  

So the culinary challenge this month is {insert drum roll}...

~~~ Lebanese ~~~

Hope you are as excited as we are!  If not, we can change it!

Let me know when will work best for everyone.  We are open {so far, anyway!} to times, but probably better sooner than later in the month?  Let me know what days and times work best for you.  Friday or Saturday evenings are probably best for us {maybe the 23rd or 24th} - but we are open.  

Green Curry Paste- makes about 1 C

adapted from the best, most complete and delicious Asian cookbook I've ever seen or used: The Complete Asian Cooking Companion: the Indispensible Reference Guide to Asian Ingredients, Equipment, Recipes, Tips, and Techniques by Vicky Liley

• 2 t coriander seeds
• 1 t cumin seeds
• 1 t black peppercorn
• 1 t salt
• 6 thin slices fresh ginger, chopped
• 2 stalks lemongrass, white part only, peeled and chopped (or substitute 2 T lemon peel)
• 2 t chopped kaffir lime zest (or regular lime zest)
• 15 cilantro stems, pull off and keep the leaves--or about 1/4 C cilantro leaves
• 1/4 C shallots, preferably pink
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 2 t dried shrimp paste
• 1 t ground turmeric
• 40 fresh, small green chilies, stems removed, seeds NOT removed for proper spice (if you insist upon a mild curry, then remove the seeds. But you're missing out, really.)
• 2 C loosely packed fresh sweet Thai basil leaves (or other basil leaves)

1. In a small dry frying pan over med heat, separately toast each spice, stirring constantly, until fragrant (no more than 90 seconds). Dry spices are easily burned, so be careful. If you burn, throw away. It will make the entire paste bitter.
2. All ingredients go into a food processor. Pulverize til a nice paste. Keeps in the fridge for fresh for 3-4 days. Fry the paste in oil til color slightly changes (3-5 min), store the paste in cooking oil, and cover tightly; keep for up to 2 months in fridge or freeze indefinitely.

Oh, ps. Most recipes only call for a few T or 1/4 C of curry paste. This obviously makes much more than that. Either half the recipe or prepare to store it properly for later use.

Thai Sweet Sticky Rice with Mangos - Serves 8-10

adapted from the best, most complete and delicious Asian cookbook I've ever seen or used: The Complete Asian Cooking Companion: the Indispensible Reference Guide to Asian Ingredients, Equipment, Recipes, Tips, and Techniques by Vicky Liley

4 C sticky (glutinous) rice-- I like to use the small grain sweet rice available at Asian markets
2 C coconut cream (not milk)
1 C granulated white sugar plus 2 T extra
1/2 t salt plus pinch extra
1/2 C coconut milk
2-3 fresh mangoes (I like more since they are so awesome), peeled, cut from pit, and thinly sliced
1 T sesame seeds, optionally lightly toasted to enhance flavor (careful not to burn if toasting)

1. Put rice in a large, deep bowl and add water to cover by 2 inches. Soak over night (or for a minimum of 3 hours).
2. Drain. Pour rice into a conical bamboo steamer or steamer basket lined with cheesecloth (optional--I don't think it always makes things easier. I prefer not to use it, actually, but they recommend it, so I'll put it here). Set basket over a steamer pot filled with boiling water. Basket should fit snugly deep inside the pot, but not touch the water. Cover rice, then steam until grains are tender, about 20 minutes.
Halfway through the cooking, toss the rice so it is upended (not as easy as it sounds). It should already be forming into a cohesive ball at this point.
3. In a large bowl, stir coconut cream, sugar, and 1/2 t salt. Add hot rice, stirring until grains are well coated. Let cool to room temperature (do not refrigerate. the rice will harden). The rice will absorb all the coconut liquid. stir occasionally. Alternatively, you can eat the hot rice as soon as it is mixed in the liquid before it "sets" and absorbs completely. This is my husband's favorite way to eat it.
4. Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine coconut milk, extra sugar and a pinch of salt.
5. When ready to serve, divide sticky rice among individual serving bowls. Lay mango slices on top of sticky rice. Pour coconut milk mixture over mangoes and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

note: if fresh mango is unavailable, use canned mango, drained, or slices of banana.

Vegetarian Green Curry

This recipe came from Elisa's cookbook, so when she posts her recipe, I'll repost with the credits of creation! And thanks again to Elisa for supplying the green curry paste. You're incredible, girl. Oh, but just for the record - I saw green curry paste at the Asian market, so you don't have to make it from scratch :)

Vegetarian Green Curry

5 oz. (150g) firm tofu, drained then cut into ¾ inch cubes

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups coconut milk

1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil (optional)

¼ cup green curry paste

½ cup chopped eggplant

½ cup pea eggplants (optional)

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh or canned bamboo shoots, rinsed and drained

6 ears fresh or canned baby corn, rinsed and drained, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons palm sugar

2 kaffir lime leaves, stemmed

1 cup loosely packed fresh sweet Thai basil leaves

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 fresh long green chili, cut into large pieces

1 fresh long red chili, cut into large pieces

Pat tofu dry with a paper towel. Heat oil in a large frying pan and working in batches, fry tofu cubes until golden. Remove using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; set aside. Let coconut milk stand, allowing the thick coconut milk to rise to the top. Spoon thick coconut milk into a small bowl, reserving 2 tablespoons for garnish.

In a wok or large, heavy frying pan, heat thick coconut milk over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it separates. If it does not separate, add optional oil. Add green curry paste and fry, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add vegetables and fried tofu and stir until well coated. Add remaining thin coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are slightly soft, about 4 minutes.

Add palm sugar – if using a wok, add it along the edge of the wok so that it melts before stirring into curry; if using a standard frying pan, add directly to the curry. Tear kaffir lime leaves and basil into pieces. Stir in soy sauce, kaffir lime leaves, and half the basil.

Remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle over reserved 2 tablespoons thick coconut milk. Garnish with green and red chilies, and remaining basil leaves and serve.