A Weekend of feast and flop

Friday I wasn't going to cook but my wife called and said the kids were stopping by. I went a got some flounder filets, scallops and shrimps from the freezer. I found a recipe that layered fish, seafood, cheeses and topped with fish. Overall was a hollandaise. I should have known better but I followed the recipe and baked it the prescribed time. It failed msierably. The sauce was thin and basically butter with curdled cheese. While it tasted great I should have made my usual hollandaise or the sauce from Coquille St. Jacques. It would have tightened up better and made the dish delicious. Live and learn.  That was the flop.

On a better note we were invited to dinner at a friends. Now that rarely happens (apparently I put people off and they are afraid to cook for me) but this lady knows her stuff. She made us a variety of Greek dishes one being Moussaka and what she called a greek caccitore. All was delicious and I was sorry I could not eat more (our new lifestyle portions are rather small). She sent some Moussaka home and Ben took it to work and I had a bite of what was left this a.m. This was the feast. Yum.

Holy Bread.... Prosphora

Today I make communion bread for church tomorrow. I always make for the week of something special. Birthdays, anniversaries or feast days for the family. It is this week for Ben's birthday and he won't even be at church! Generally 3 large loaves of a dense white bread with a special "seal" or stamp on the top that the priest uses for the Lamb during the service for communion of the people.

I start each loaf separately, moving on to the next while the last starts to rise. In the Orthodox church the bread has only 4 ingredients: flour, salt, yeast and water. Prayers are said and the task is started. Once risen, the bread is shaped into loaves, stamped and risen again. Off to the oven for a thorough baking but not browning. The loaves should remain as light as possible but still have an internal temp of 200 degrees.

Prosphora

6-8 cups of flour
2 t yeast
2 t salt
up to 3 cups warm water

I usually begin with my KitchenAid and place all the dry ingredients first and mix with the dough hook. Make a well in the center and add about 2 1/2 c. water. Start mixing and drawing in the flour until a dough forms and begins to pull from the sides. I like a wet dough. Once it comes together (adding more of the water as needed but take care to add  just enough)  take it from the bowl and knead it by hand. It should be slightly sticky but dry enough to knead without additional flour. Let it rise covered till double, about 1 hour or more.

Now, my parish priest likes thick round loaves so I bought 3, 4 inch deep 8" cake pans with removable bottoms, non stick and I have 3 seals. I place the deflated dough in there, flour the top lightly and place a seal on the loaf, pressing moderately. Cover and let rise to the top of the pan meanwhile preheating the oven. Carefully remove the seals once the bread has risen sufficiently and place in oven. I can bake all 3 at once on convection at 350.  About halfway through, I place a remote thermometer in one loaf to make sure we get to 200 degrees. Turn out the loaves on a wire rack when finished. I ususally cover them with a clean towel to keep the crust soft. Make sure the towel is not heavily scented (some folks use Downy fabric softner and you can taste it in the finished loaf...ugh)

Some churches like a flatter, round disk but every priest I know likes a fat, thick "Lamb" so I try to keep it pretty thick. Some churches in the Russian diocese bake small double disks rather than a large loaf.

As an old altar boy, I have cut my fair share of doughy, under baked loaves that we are required to serve regardless. But it's gross,  so I make sure my bread is cooked all the way through. I do make a moist loaf of bread though so its not dry and airy like some of the loaves we get. No one complains (yet).

The priest prepares the bread for communion by taking portions from the seal. Specifically, the center of the seal is inscribed IC XC NI KA in Greek letters means Jesus Christ Conquers All. That square becomes the "Lamb". Along the sides of the seal are 9 symbols and an "M". He takes particles from all over the seal for living and departed, the apostles and saints. The M is for the Mother of God.  All of this will be placed in the common cup at the "epiclesis" and then served to the communicants towards the end of the service.

Ben's 21st Birthday

We celebrated lastnight at the local Upstream Brewery. We had to celebrate early because Mackenzie had to work. Just family and close friends. Its really not about the meal, although the food is always excellent, but about the company. Even after the kids had left to go do what they had to do, we stayed and laughed. Good dinner companions are always a great find.  Ours are the absolute best. Thanks all.

Chickpea, Garlic and Spinach Soup

Meatless Wednesday. I have been wanting to make something with the cans of chickpeas in the pantry so tonight I made a soup. I have to admit I was not sure how this was going to play out but I am very pleasantly surprised.

1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 med onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 T olive oil
2 t cumin
2 t coriander
1 carton of good Vegetable broth
2 med potatoes 1/2 inch dice (I used yukon golds and did not peel them)
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
1/2 to 3/4 c cream
pinch of cayenne, salt and pepper

I sauteed the onion and garlic till fragrant. Dumped in the spices and toasted them a bit then added the potatoes, beans and broth. Brought to a boil and simmered till the potatoes were tender.

I gave it a quick buzz with the hand held blender but left it pretty chunky. Added the spinach and heated till wilted then added the cream. Check the seasoning.

Great stuff!

Meatloaf

My lovely bride loves meatloaf. Me? Not so much but I found some pretty good recipes. I generally use lean ground beef (2 pounds) and ground pork (1 pound). Veal is hard to come by here in Omaha lately. 



Tonight I sauteed onions and celery with a bit of garlic. Mixed the meats with 3 eggs, 2/3 c. table cream, 1 1/2 c. panko, some parsley and thyme and the veggies. Placed it on a pan and topped it with the usual ketchup, brown sugar, mustard glaze.  Tonight we have asparagus and mashed spuds.  Your basic family meal with leftovers.  A Layer Cake Primativo (Zinfidel) completed the picture.  This was a good recipe.

Short ribs and mashed turnips with a side of asparagus

I did most of the prep yesterday when the kitchen was already a mess from cooking.

Found 6 pounds of short ribs on clearance so I browned 'em good and then cooked the carrots, celery and onion in some of the drippings. Added some garlic and thyme then a bottle of wine and let that reduce to half before adding 2 cans of tomato paste.

This a.m. I placed the base in the crock pot, added a pound of mushrooms, the ribs and covered it all in beef broth. Its been bubbling away in heavenly perfection as I have been making a new bread recipe. Getting ready to pull the ribs and buzz the sauce after its de-fatted. Then I can reduce the sauce to a gravy. Roast the turnips and mash them with a bit of cream and butter.

Beer Braised Baby Backs and Spareribs

Yum....the ribs spent the night in the fridge coated with my favorite rub. Ben put them in at 250, added a beer and covered them with foil. They spent the rest of the day in a beer bath sauna. About 430 I took em out and grilled them with a bit of sauce.

Slab of spare ribs and babybacks

Sauteed Sprouts

Sprouts Gratin

I roasted a sweet potato and sauteed some sprouts. I made sprouts gratin too, cannot seem to get enough of those babies.

While stuff was a mess, I browned tomorrow's short ribs, made a soffrito and reduced a bottle of cabernet. Added 2 small cans of tomato paste and a sprinkle of thyme. Tomorrow morning I'll put it all in the crock pot and let that simmer away all day. I plan to serve it on a bed of mashed turnips...so yummy.

The Weekend in Food.....

One of the last weeks before we start Great Lent so it's time to peruse the freezer and use up so things that have been waiting in there. Today I took out pork ribs and have dry rubbed them and put them in the fridge. I will put them in a bit of beer and slow cook them before a final grilling for dinner.

For tomorrow I took out some short ribs for the slow cooker that I will begin tonight before bedtime. These are huge meaty ribs that look like they will make a grand feast.

Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Coming right up now, Great Lent is just around the corner so we will be cooking lots 'o fish and seafood as well as some vegan dishes I have been aquiring over the past year. Let's see how interesting we can make it this year. In years past, as Lent has worn on....you kind of get into a rut and just make the same stuff over and over. This year, without the heavy carb load that accompanies Lent, it will be tough to find things to eat. As a rule we don't eat pasta , rice or breads in the house or only in very small amounts. Potatoes are just a once or twice a month event. Hamburger buns? Fugettaboutit. I have found some nice pitas that are low calories (60) and high fiber and make great mini pizza's. (Traditionally during lent, dairy is excluded but we tend not to be able to stick to that). We do  love the Wednesday Pre Sanctified services where the fast is followed strictly and the food is excellent as a rule at the community pot luck. Some of the lentil soups are outstanding as well as the other dishes depending on the attendance for the evening.  I am really fond of the fried calamari that shows up once or twice.

Dinner for Two

There is a noticeable lack of veal in the Big O today so I settled for chicken.


Chicken Saltimbucco with asparagus.

I used 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and halved them for cutlets. Dredged them in 1/2 flour and 1/2 cornstarch, sprinkled them with chopped sage, topped them with a slice of prosciutto then sauteed them in a few tbls of olive oil, prosciutto side down till golden. Turn 'em over and saute the other side.  I had placed a plate in the oven at 300 degrees. Placed the finished cutlets on the plate after topping with  a slice of provolone on each cutlet. Remove when the cheese has melted.

To the pan, I added a healthy dose of white wine (Alice White Chardonnay), reduced the sauce then added 2-3 pats of butter for a nice pan sauce. Plated the whole thing with the asparagus that was roasting away in a bit of olive oil and served it with a Straccali Chianti. Yum. Happy Valentine's Day honey.