Special December Around the World Dinner: Christmas

Last night, we had an Around the World dinner of Christmas dishes from different countries. We enjoyed all of the dishes.

Menu:
Ensalada de Navidad (Mexico, literally Christmas salad)
Moros y Cristianos (Cuba, black beans and rice, literally Moors and Christians)
Kartoffelsalat (Germany, potato salad)
German Christmas cookies

The cookies and ensalada de Navidad were M's favorites. M is dictating to me, since he is busy making a Christmas present for his dad (aka Steve). M helped make the cookies and learned how to grate lemon peel. M says "The cookies were awesome" and I have to agree. We made extras to share with M's grandparents who will be visiting later in the week. M is also going to leave some for Santa.

I used Wikipedia's Holiday Greetings page to make a quiz about how to say Merry Christmas in lots of languages. M and Steve worked together and were able to get 8 out of 11 right.

the recipes:
German Christmas Cookies (they probably have another name, but this is how I found them on cooks.com. I cut the recipe in half and it still made 54 cookies! This is the full recipe.)
8 eggs
4 cups sugar
4 oz. chopped citron
4 oz. blanched almonds
grated rind of 2 lemons
9 cups flour
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Beat 8 eggs. Add 4 cups sugar, beat until smooth, about 15 minutes. Add 4 ounces chopped citron, 4 ounces blanched almonds, (which have been coarsely chopped) and the grated rind of 2 lemons.

Sift together 9 cups flour, add 1/2 tsp. ground cloves, 2 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper to flour and sift again. Add to the first mixture.

Roll out dough 3/4 inch thick. Cut into small rounds 1-inch in diameter.

Before baking, turn each cookie upside down, put a drop of water on each and bake at 350°F. for 15 minutes.

Ensalada de Navidad - Christmas Salad (I skipped the pomegranate seeds)
10 servings
Ingredients

2 small cooked beets, peeled and diced
1 large cooked carrot diced
1 orange, peeled and chopped
1 apple, peeled and diced
1/4 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and diced
1 large banana, diced
1/2 cup unsalted nuts, almonds or peanuts
seeds of 1/2 small pomegranate

1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
3 tbsp salad oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
dash of salt

Mix all the fruits. Put lime or lemon juice, salad oil, sugar and salt into a screw top jar. Shake until blended and sugar has dissolved. Pour the dressing over the fruit salad and toss well.

Pile the salad into a salad bowl and garnish with the nuts and pomegranate seeds. Let it stand in the refrigerator until chilled.

Serve chilled.

Kartoffelsalat (I used faux bacon instead of real)
Ingredients

* 10 medium potatoes well scrubbed
* 1 large white onion chopped
* 1/2 cup cider vinegar
* 1/2 cup water
* 4 tablespoons olive oil
* 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
* 3 tablespoons parsley chopped
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Directions

1. Cook potatoes in water until tender.
2. While hot remove skins and set potatoes aside until cool enough to handle comfortably.
3. Slice into a large bowl.
4. Simmer onion in a saucepan with vinegar and water until tender.
5. Pour over potatoes and allow to stand until cold.
6. Do not mix or disturb the potatoes as they will crumble and become mushy.
7. When potatoes are cool add oil, bacon, parsley, salt and pepper then toss gently to blend flavors.

Special December Around the World Dinner: Hanukkah

M and I decided that we would do two special Around the World Dinners in December: we made the first one last night, with a theme of Hanukkah, and the next will be Christmas Around the World (next Sunday, Dec 20).

For our Hanukkah meal, we made:
Central European Cheese Dumplings
Latkes
& Applesauce

We also bought three wooden dreidels, one for each of us, and learned to play the dreidel game.

M's interruption
the dreidel game is fun. i drew a menorah. the food was okay.

Back to Anne. M is fighting a cold and did not have much of an appetite last night. Otherwise, I think he would have enjoyed the dinner more. Certainly, Steve and I didn't have trouble eating our share! :)

While looking for instructions for the dreidel game, I found this. It's worth a couple of minutes for a good laugh!



The recipes:
Cheese Dumplings (the recipe from "Olive Trees and Honey" via Epicurious)
We made half the recipe following the standard recipe, and half using the jam option (below). Both were wonderful!

Ingredients:


* 1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) pot or soft goat cheese
* 1/4 cup (2 ounces) cream cheese or mascarpone, softened
* 1/4 cup grated onion
* 1 teaspoon table salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
* About 3/4 cup semolina flour, farina (not quick-cooking), or matza meal

1. In a food processor or blender, or with an electric mixer, combine the cheeses, onion, and salt. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. Beat in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir in enough of the semolina to produce a firm dough. (Getting the moisture level right so that the batter holds together in your hand is the tricky part.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. (The semolina absorbs moisture from the batter and firms it.)

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a gentle boil. Using 2 moistened soup spoons or your hands moistened with water, form the batter into 1 1/2-inch balls.

3. Drop the dumplings in the water in batches and stir gently to prevent sticking. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until they expand and rise to the surface, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl. Serve warm. To keep warm or reheat, place in a 200°F oven.

Austrian Jam-Filled Cheese Dumplings (Gefulte Topfenknodel)
In the dumpling batter, omit the onion and add 3 to 5 tablespoons sugar and, if desired, 1 to 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest. Press a deep indentation into the cheese balls, fill with about 1/4 teaspoon lekvar (prune butter) or other jam (about 1/4 cup total), and press the dough around the filling to enclose. Cook as above. Serve with sweetened whipped cream, cinnamon sugar, or jam.

Potato Pancakes / Latkes (from theveggietable.com)

Yield 15 latkes, enough for about 4 servings
Time 30 minutes
Tools

* grater
* colander
* wooden spoon
* knife
* food processor, blender, or large bowl
* large frying pan
* spatula
* paper towels
* oven-safe plate

Ingredients

* 6 medium potatoes (2 pounds)
* 1 small white onion, peeled
* 2 large eggs
* ¼ c unbleached white flour OR matzo meal
* ½ t salt
* pinch baking powder
* black pepper
* several T vegetable oil

Directions Grate potatoes, place in colander, and press with wooden spoon to squeeze out excess liquid. Transfer to blender, food processor, or bowl.

Mince or finely grate onion and add to potatoes along with eggs, flour, salt, baking powder, and pepper. Process/mix until well combined. (If you're using a blender, you might find it easier to do this in two batches and then mix them together.)

Heat oven to 200. Place paper towels on plate and set next to stove.

Add enough oil to frying pan to just cover the bottom and heat until a drop of water dropped on it sizzles. Put three or four scoops of latke batter into pan to make pancakes and press each one down. Fry until brown and crisp, turn, and repeat. Place latkes on paper towels and keep warm in the oven.

Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil to pan as needed. Serve immediately.

We're back! Korea!

It has been a busy fall and we have not done as many Around the World dinners as we would have liked. A couple of weeks ago, in honor of our parent/child Spanish class, we did a review of Spain. And last night, we did a Korean dinner.

M's interruption
We had bibimbap, which is rice with veggies, tofu and egg. I especially liked the rice and egg.

Back to Anne. Thanks, M, for describing the menu. The veggies were steamed carrots (tossed with a little rice vinegar), stir-fried spinach, boiled bean sprouts tossed with a little seasame oil, and stir-fried zucchini. All the veggies and tofu and a fried egg are arranged on top of a bowl of rice. Steve and I added kimchi and red chili paste to our bowls. Bibimbap is much like a Korean version of the Japanese chirashi sushi (which I think we described in an earlier post). A big hit -- and has enough leftovers to make a second dinner!

I prepared the meal without specific recipes, but here's a link I used for some guidance:

Enjoy!

Sweden!

We made an Around the World dinner from Sweden last night. Another great meal!
Menu:
baked salmon
Jannson's Temptation, a potato casserole with cream and anchovies (we made two batches, one with and one without anchovies)
boiled carrots
and, for dessert, apple pie.

I had considered making gravlax, until I learned that it takes three days. That's a lot of more lead time than my usual last minute planning allows! :)


M's Interruption
I like black pepper on my salmon.I like apple pie with Ginger Gold apples.

Back to Mom...
Here are the recipes. The recipe for the salmon is so easy, so healthy, and so tasty! I know we'll have this one again.
Swedish Baked Salmon
1 0.75 lb. salmon fillet,
1/2 c. kosher salt,
salt and pepper,
lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 425. Rinse salmon, pat dry. Pour kosher salt into bottom of shallow roasting pan, smooth out into a flat layer. Place salmon, skin-side down, on salt; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in center of oven 35-45 minutes. Squeeze lemon over cooked salmon. Serve with a light condiment such as wasabi mayonnaise, lemon-yogurt sauce, or mint yogurt dressing.

* I mixed a little dijon mustard and sour cream (equal parts) to make a sauce.

Jannson's Temptation
(this is the original recipe, I cut it in half and then divided the half recipe into two quarter recipes, one with anchovies and one without)

Ingredients

* 2-3 large onions, sliced
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 6 russet baking potatoes, peeled and sliced thin lengthwise
* 1 (2 ounce) can anchovy fillets, drained, reserving the oil and chopped
* 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
* salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a large skillet cook the onions in 2 tbsp of the butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until they are golden.
2. Preheat oven to 400.
3. In a buttered 2 1/2- 3 quart shallow baking dish (13x9 works well), layer 1/3 of the potatoes, 1/2 of the onions, 1/2 of the chopped anchovies, salt and pepper to taste, 1/3 potatoes, 1/2 onions, 1/2 of the chopped anchovies, salt and pepper to taste, last third of potatoes.
4. Drizzle the top of potatoes with the reserved oil from the anchovy can (about 2 tbsp.) and dot them with the remaining 1 tbsp of butter cut into bits.
5. Bake the casserole on the middle rack for 10 minutes.
6. Pour 3/4 cup of the cream over the potatoes and bake the casserole for 20 minutes more.
7. Pour the remaining cream over the casserole, reduce heat to 300, and bake for 30 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender.

Dinner from Afghanistan!

Yum, yum, yum! We made a terrific Afghan dinner last night.
The menu:
Palao (national dish, rice with carrots and raisins)
cauliflower in tomato sauce
naan (purchased in the bakery section of our local SuperTarget)
cookies

The rice and cauliflower were the favorites of the adults. I thought that the cookies were a little dry but M thought they were still very good.

We finally found a country for which www.Crayola.com did not a flag coloring page. We improvised using the Wikipedia entry for Afghanistan. M missed the "Did you know..." section of Crayola's flag coloring page, until I made him a "Did you know..." fact. His fact was "Did you know...

M's interruption
This was the first time i remember eating cauliflower.It was not my favorite vegetable but kinda okay.I liked the cookies.

Back to Anne...
... that people have lived in the land that is now Afghanistan for 50,000 years and farming communities there are among the first in the world."

The Recipes:
Qabali - Afghani Rice (this is for 16 servings, I cut it by four and we finished it off!)
INGREDIENTS

* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 5 carrot, julienned
* 1 teaspoon white sugar
* 1/2 cup sultana raisins
* 4 cups uncooked basmati rice
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon white sugar
* 1 cup water
* 1 pinch saffron (optional)
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place rice in a large bowl, rinse, and then soak in cold water for 30 minutes.
2. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add carrots and 1 teaspoon sugar; cook, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in raisins, and continue cooking until the raisins are soft and plump. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Strain rice, and then add to boiling water. Cook for about 5 minutes, then strain with a mesh strainer.
4. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup oil and 1 tablespoon sugar. Cook until sugar dissolves completely, making a syrup. Remove from heat , and cool. Once cool, add 1 cup water, and return to a boil.
5. Return the rice to pan. Stir in carrots and raisins, and then mix in oil and sugar syrup. Season with saffron, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, and cumin. Poke some holes with a spoon all over the rice. Cover, and cook over high heat until you hear crackling noises. Remove from heat.
6. Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and toss rice with a fork.

Afghan Cauliflower

Ingredients

* 1 large cauliflower, broken into florets
* 1 onion, sliced into half rounds
* 1/4 cup oil
* 2 cups water, divided
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 8 ounces tomato sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1/2 teaspoon ginger paste

Directions

1. In a large frying pan put the oil and onion and saute it until the onion is golden brown.
2. Drain the oil.
3. Add 1 cup water, the garlic and salt and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl put the remaining water, tomato sauce, curry powder, black pepper, ground coriander and ginger paste.
5. Blend well.
6. After the 10 minutes are up, add the cauliflower and tomato sauce mixture to the onions, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Note: The original recipe said cook for 30 minutes or until tender; I only needed to cook for 20 minutes for it to be very tender.

Afghan Cookies
Ingredients

* 1/3 cup pitted dates, chopped fine
* 1/2 cup boiling water, more to cover dates
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
* 1/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups corn flakes

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the chopped dates in a small cup and cover with the boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Drain and discard the liquid.
4. Combine the flour, cocoa, and baking powder.
5. In a large bowl, cream the vegetable shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.
6. Stir in the dates.
7. Beat in the vanilla extract.
8. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
9. Fold in the cornflakes.
10. Break off walnut size pieces of the # dough and roll into balls.
11. Place 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
12. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
13. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Brazil!

We took a short break from Around the World dinners for the last week of summer and M's first week of first grade(!). Now we're back and looking forward to trying new foods. This week, we made a meal from Brazil.

Menu:
Cheese Croquettes
Black Bean and Mango Stew
and Brigadeiros (chocolate bonbons named for a general with a sweet tooth)

M has decided that our best meals have been:
1st place: Brazil
2nd place: Denmark
3rd place: tie between Spain and Portugal

Recipes will follow...
M's Interruption
A friend joked about around the world desserts.She would really like this dessert!
On the brazilian flag there were the words ordeme e progresso.I guessed that progresso meant progress.Mom said i was right and that ordeme meant order.

Back to Anne (sometimes called Mommy)...
Everything in this meal was great! The croquettes were a nice change from the usual fried variety, the stew was easy and tasted wonderful, and, well, chocolate bonbons speak for themselves! :)

Let's start with dessert today.
Brigadeiros

Ingredients
* 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup chocolate sprinkles

Directions

1. In medium pan, combine milk and cocoa powder. Cook over low, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 20 minutes. Add butter and salt. Mix thoroughly before removing from heat.
2. When mixture is cool, rub hands with butter and shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in chocolate sprinkles. Place in mini paper cupcake forms.
3. Store in fridge until served.



Mango and Black Bean Stew

Ingredients

* 1/2 tablespoon canola oil
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
* 1 small red bell pepper, diced
* 3/4 lb tomato, diced
* 3/4 cup water
* 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, well-rinsed and drained
* 1 mango, peeled, seeded and diced
* 1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* salt, to taste (optional)

Directions

1.Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook the onion and garlic until tender.
2. Add in the sweet potato, bell pepper, tomatoes, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Add beans and cook uncovered until heated through, then add the mango and cilantro and season with salt to taste.

Croquettes De Queijo

Ingredients

* 2 ounces butter, cubed
* 2/3 cup flour
* 1 egg, separated
* 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
* 1/4 cup parmesan cheese or any hard cheese, grated
* salt and pepper, as needed
* 1 tablespoon water or water, as needed
* chili, salsa for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Rub butter into flour until it gives a coarse mixture.
3. Add egg yolk, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and water, and mix together. Add a tablespoon of water if you find them difficult to bind.
4.Shape dough into golf ball size.
5.Dip into slightly beaten egg white.
6. Place in a well oiled baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until brown and crispy.
7. Invert the balls as well baking this time for 5 minutes or until brown and crispy too.
8. Serve warm with chili salsa.

Cuban dinner!

Last night we made a Cuban dinner. Cuban food is influenced by Spanish and Caribbean cuisines, as I expected, but also by African cuisine, which does seem fitting but which I hadn't thought about prior to researching our Around the World meal. So the akara of our very first Around the World dinner (before we started our blog) appeared again as frituras de carita (black-eyed pea fritters). In any language, they're always a favorite at our table!

OK, these pictures don't have anything to do with Cuba, but we thought you'd like to see the backyard visitors we watched while we were writing this post!


Menu:
appetizer: Frituras de Carita (a.k.a. akara, black-eyed pea fritters)
main:
grilled fish with vinagrette
black beans
rice
sliced tomatoes

A very relaxing (for me) and fun (for M and me) playdate at a friend's house meant that we didn't get to try out a recipe for lime cookies (Torticas de Moron) but we'll make them sometime soon. It was a simple but yummy meal, the perfect end to a beautiful late summer day.

M's interruption:
i wanted cuba because i saw a cuban pitcher get interviewed in a Yankees-Red Sox game. i liked all of the dinner.

Anne here. Now for the recipes.
Frituras de Carita
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound dried black-eyed peas
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4-6 tablespoons water
peanut or vegetable oil for frying
fresh lime juice to taste

1.) Rinsed the black-eyed peas in cold water. Soak them overnight in cold water to cover, changing the water several times. When the peas have softened, remove their skins (just rub them off), soak an additional 30 minutes, drain, and rinse.
2.) In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the peas, garlic, salt, and pepper. With the motor running, add the water through the feed tube and continue processing until the puree is smooth and thick.
3.) In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or deep fryer over medium-high heat, heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to 375 F. or until a drop of batter sizzles when it touches the oil, and fry 1 tablespoon of batter until golden brown. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary in the remaining batter, then drop the mixture by tablespoonfuls into the hot oil, and fry the fritters until golden brown on all sides, turning with a slotted spoon. Do not fry too many at once, or the oil temperature will fall and they will be soggy rather than crisp. Place the fritters on a paper-towel-lined
platter until all have been cooked, and serve hot, sprinkled with salt and lime juice.

Grilled Fish Steaks with Vinaigrette (Pescado a la Parilla con Salsa Vinagreta)
INGREDIENTS:
4 firm-fleshed fish steaks, such as swordfish, kingfish, or snapper, each about 6 to 8 ounces and 1/2 inch thick
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons pure Spanish olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup pure Spanish olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tabespoon brine-packed Spanish capers, drained

1.) On a nonreactive platter, season the fish steaks with salt, pepper, and the lime juice, rub them with olive oil and garlic, and allow them to marinate at room temperature for at least 1 hour (or so the recipe said, I was running late so it was just 20 minutes of marinading for us!).
2.) Heat grill. Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in small bowl and set aside.
3.) Cook on an oiled rack 5 to 7 minutes on each side, brushing each side with the marinade before grilling.
4.) Transfer the fish steaks to a heated platter and pour the vinaigrette over them. Serve immediately.

Fondue Night!

We made a two course fondue dinner: cheese followed by chocolate. We had sourdough and pumpernickel breads and apples to dunk in the cheese and pound cake, strawberries, dried apricots, and banana slices for the chocolate.

M says:
i like fondue.apricots were the best.we went raptor center. we joked about ricky ,one of the owls, dunking his mousie in the cheese fondue and that mom would not eat it after he did it.

Late Post: On location in NYC

We just returned from our vacation in CT and NYC. Of course we stayed very busy visiting with family and friends and sightseeing: the Peabody Museum in New Haven, CT, the Met, Central Park, the NY Aquarium, and Coney Island when we got to NYC. But we also found time to enjoy a variety of regional American foods: a lobster roll at Clark's in New Haven, Cajun-Creole at the Delta Grill at 9th and 48th in NYC, deli sandwiches at the West 53rd St. Gourmet Deli,...

S's interruption: mmm, pastrami

(back to Anne)... and a stereotypical NY breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and smoked salmon at Barney GreenGrass (W. 76th and Amsterdam Ave, NYC) were some of the highlights. What a big country this is and what a wide range of foods are part of "American" cuisine!

As a transplant from the East Coast, into the middle of the country, I miss the fresh seafood available on the coasts and was glad to be able to have lobster (even if it was just in a lobster roll) and tuna (blackened at Delta Grill) on our trip.

M says:
Mac and cheese at the delta grill was good. Playing at central park was fun.

Dinner from Veracruz, Mexico

Not your usual Tex-Mex fare! Veracruz is on the Gulf coast and, thus, is known for its fish and seafood dishes, especially Pescado a la Veracruzana (fish with Veracruz-style sauce). M liked rolling the dough and cutting out the circles of dough for the empanadas.

Our menu:
Pescado a la Veracruzana
Black Beans
Rice
and, for dessert, empanadas filled with peach-mango jam.

Yum, yum!

M's interruption: Veracruz is no. 1! I mean ,veracruz is plenty good. Plus, we chose the right things!

Back to Anne.
Here are the recipes:
Pescado a la Veracruzana (adapted from a recipe in Cooking Light, 2001)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped
* 1 cup sliced pitted manzanilla (or green) olives, divided
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/4 cup capers, divided
* 1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapeño peppers, divided
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
* 3 bay leaves
* 1 teaspoon salt, divided
* 6 (6-ounce) red snapper or other firm white fish fillets (I used Mahi Mahi)
* 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup olives, water, 2 tablespoons capers, 2 tablespoons jalapeños, basil, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt. Discard bay leaves.

Arrange fish in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; drizzle with lime juice, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes; discard marinade.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spoon sauce over fish. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup olives, 2 tablespoons capers, and 2 tablespoons jalapeños. Serves 6.

Empanadas (so easy you'll be tempted to make them often!)
Makes 6 small empanadas (we had two each)
* 1/4 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
* 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup fruit preserves (we used Favorit brand peach-mango jam)
* 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons white sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. DAY BEFORE: Cream butter and cream cheese together until smoothly blended. Beat in the flour. Shape dough into a smooth ball, wrap in foil or cling wrap, and refrigerate overnight or up to a week.
2. AT BAKING TIME: Remove dough from refrigerator 30 minutes before using. Start heating oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. Roll chilled dough thin. Cut with 3 or 4 inch round cookie cutter. Place small spoonful of jam in center of each round, moisten edges with water.
4. Fold round over and press edges together. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately roll in sugar mixed with cinnamon (traditional) OR in confectioners' sugar if preferred.

Late Post: Dinner from Greece

M here.last week we had a dinner from greece.have you done the challenge?i got 5/10.can you do better?

MENU:
meze (pita, feta, hummus and olives.)
grilled shrimp
okra
zucchini w/mint
bakery pastry

MY FAVORITES:
meze
bakery pastry

ANNE'S END:
M really enjoyed his challenge questions. And I thought it was funny that the first cookbook was considered a "corrupting influence". Almost made me think that I shouldn't be posting recipes here, lest you readers be corrupted. :) But I'll just let you cook at your own risk.

The steamed zucchini (from our garden!) with mint was an easy dish. I sliced thick slices of zucchini and put them in a steamer basket, over an inch of boiling water. I tossed a sprig of mint on top and steamed all under the zucchini was tender. Yum.

While Greeks do eat pastries, sweet desserts aren't common at the end of Greek meals; if they have anything at the end of the meal, it's just a plate of fruit. We compromised and picked up fruit tarts at our local bakery.

We are heading on vacation to CT and NY tomorrow. So look for our next post to be "on location" in NYC. We plan to enjoy some typical NYC fare, as well as a couple of ethnic restaurants and look for us to report on those late this week.


Hummus recipe
2 c. chickpeas (you can use drained and rinsed, canned chickpeas, but I prefer cooking mine from dry -- a pressure cooker helps with cooking the chickpeas from dry)
2-3 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 c. parsley
1/3 c. tahini
salt to taste

1.) Throw it all in a food processor and process until smooth. How easy is that? So simple you won't risk moral corruption!

Mommy's Greece Challenge for M

M enjoyed the MN150 Challenge at the History Center when we were there last week. In preparation for our dinner tonight, I created a Greece Challenge for him. He got 5 out of 10. Can you do better? Answers in the comments section, no peeking!