STUFFED SQUID Kalamaria Yemista

STUFFED SQUID  Kalamaria Yemista

I was coming back from our new home and found a remarkable Korean International Market (Assi International) on the way and decided to go in and see what they had to offer.  It is amazing!.  I consider myself a “foodie” but so much of what they had were items I had never seen before accept in cook books and on cooking shows and some items I never heard of or saw before. Their fresh vegetables and fruit section in particular were most outstanding.

Their fish department was  marvelous  with many varieties of  fresh fish.  I came upon large squid and I could not pass up purchasing them.  I love squid in all sizes; small fried calamari and  squid salad and stuffed squid using the larger version.

The stuffing, made of rice, raisins, pine nuts, onions and herbs) is a commonly used one in Greece for grape leaves (Dolmades), mussels, tomatoes and peppers.

Squid have gained in notoriety in the USA, as many restaurants now serve fried Calamari.  This dish is made with the larger sized Calamari.

This sounds more difficult than it is and surely makes for a lovely elegant and different meal.

Preparation of the squid is the first thing to master.  Rinse well.  Squeeze out the eye balls and socket (yes sounds horrible, but it is easy). Be very careful the squid ink does not splatter you!  Pull off the head and tentacles.

Notice the cartilage at the lower right

Reach inside the body of the squid and pull out the thin long cartilage. Rinse all again.

Chop the tentacles and the onion.

1 1/2 pounds large squid

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 small onion chopped

1 head of garlic minced

1/2 cup of dry white wine

1/4 cup of rice

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup pine nuts

1/4 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup mint chopped

¼ cup dill chopped

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 cup chopped tomatoes

Water to cover squid

Heat the olive oil and add the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add the chopped tentacles, rice, and wine.  Simmer a few minutes.  Remove from heat. Add 1/2 of the pine nuts, raisins  and  herbs, salt and pepper.

Stuff the squid ( 3/4 ths full as the rice will expand) and place in a large pot where they can fit tightly.  Place the remaining herbs, pine nuts, raisins and tomatoes in a bowl and then pour on the squid. 

Cover with water  so the lcooking liquid comes about ½ way up  the squid. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes until the squid is tender.

TIPS

• I had some shrimp and added to the sauce 10 minutes before serving.
• The stuffing is prefect for Tomatoes (use the inside of the tomato instead of the tops of the squid)

As always be your own Creative Dump Cook and change this recipe to what YOU have on hand!

Greek Stuffed Cabbage Rolls -Lahanodomathes

Lahanodolmathes:  Greek Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

I was not planning on making these today but it seems I broke my cardinal rule and ran out of one of my main pantry items, which I should NEVER not have on hand!  Canned tomatoes!  If it were summer, I would be able to rely on fresh tomatoes, but alas it is very early spring and fresh tomatoes just are not worth buying now!

So the planned spaghetti sauce with ground meat and tomatoes was out and plan B had to be hatched. I had in the refrigerator left over head of cabbage (from my corned beef and cabbage made for St. Patty’s day) and Greek stuffed cabbage rolls came to mind.

Created mostly in the Balkans, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, they are rolls made of cabbage and stuffed with various meats, vegetables and grains like rice and barley and boiled, baked or stemmed.  . Cabbage rolls come in various styles and tastes depending on the spices used and ingredients and my favorite is the Greek style or Lahanodolmathes!

These are very easy to make and if making them for a large group you need a little extra time to roll them all. Otherwise it is a simple meal and very tasty.  The key for mine is the DILL.

•1 pound of ground beef
• About 8 large cabbage leaves
•1 egg
•1/2 cups rice
• 4 tablespoon chopped Dill
• 2 teaspoon salt
 1 teaspoon minced garlic
•freshly ground black pepper (I always like allot)
•1 small onion, finely chopped
•1 teaspoon olive oil

FOR POT

Gr Beef, rice, egg, onion, basil,, garlic, salt/pepper

•1/2 onion chopped in 3 pieces. 1 carrot chopped in three pieces and 4 leaves of broken pieces of cabbage unable to be used in rolls
•water to just cover the rolls

Outer leaves of Cabbage

Boil a large pot of water and place the cabbage large leaves in for about 3-4 minutes until soft enough to roll and yet not break apart.

Combine all ingredients up to the ½ onion, carrot and cabbage pieces.  Mix well and use the tools given to you – your HANDS! So mixture is soft and all is incorporated well.  Roll into a ball about the size of a golf ball and smooth out into a log shape. Lay out the cabbage leaf and place the log in the middle.  Fold the two outer sizes in to over-lap the edge of the meat log. Roll cabbage leaf length-wise until the end.  In large pan lay the rolls seamed down tightly next to each other.

Place an inverted plate on top of rolls. Cover with water and bring to a boil and then turn heat down to a simmer and cook on low for about one hour.  Remove plate and place rolls on plate and serve with Avgolemonono Sauce 

AVGOLEMONO EGG-LEMON Sauce:

3 egg yolks
 1/3 cup lemon juice

 1 cup hot cabbage broth

Whisk the yolks and slowly add the lemon juice.  Keep whisking and add slowly (not to cook eggs) the broth. 

TIPS:

To make is easy to get the large leaves off the cabbage head in tack, stab the middle of the cabbage with a long tonged fork.  Lower into boiling water and simmer a few minutes Remove the outer leaves as they become tender and repeat the same action to get the leaves off easily.

The Sauce is excellent on chicken breasts and stuffed grape leaves.

When placing a plate on the pot (inverted) please make sure there is room around the edges so it does not get suctioned down and then it becomes almost impossible to get off.  ((Believe me it was a terrible experience!)

As always be your own Creative Dump Cook and change this recipe to what YOU have on hand

BOILED CORNED BEEF DINNER

In honor of Saint Patrick’s Day and the big sale on corned beef brisket, I am making a boiled corned beef dinner.

Simple and easy, it is a meal all in one!  The corned beef brisket comes in a package with a spice package included. I like to “spice it up” a bit more and then add the traditional vegetables.

I corned beef brisket (with spice pack inside) about 2 ½ pounds

3 white potatoes peeled and cut in 1/4ths

15 baby carrots

½ head of cabbage in chunks

1 onion cut in 1/4ths

1 bay leaf

6 whole cloves

1/8 teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Ground pepper and salt to taste

water to cover meat by about 1 inch

Place all in a large stew pot and bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 3 hours until the brisket meat is tender to the pull.

TIPS:

Serve in a bowl with juice from the pan poured over all
Remember to take the bay leaf out!
Leftover beef makes an amazing sandwich sliced thinly and piled on rye bread with Russian dressing and coleslaw..YUM!.

Breakfast Smoothies

A smoothie,  or smoothy, is a blended beverage made with fruit and juice. Usually fresh fruit is best but frozen fruit can also be substituted.   In addition to fruit, many smoothies include ice, vegetables, milk, honey , peanut butter, ginger and yogurt. They are very filling, full of nutrients and vitamins and are a good healthy way to start a day. Blended in a blender they become thick and smooth as the name implies.

This one was taught to me by my daughter and is the staple "smoothie"in our house.

2 cups spinach
1/2 cup lettuce
1/8 teaspoons chopped ginger
3 cups juice of choice
1 green apple skinned and chopped roughly
1/2 avocado

Place all in a blender and blend away!

My husband likes banana in his, so I add a few frozen pieces of banana.

TIP:
Banana Ice
  Slice bananas and place on cookie sheet.  Freeze until hard and place in a zip lock baggy and refreeze.  Once ready to use take out what portion you need and keep the rest in the freezer. 

Add to baggy and refreeze

Using frozen Bananas slices instead of ice makes for a tastier smoothie.

 As always be your own Creative Dump Cook and change this recipe to what YOU have on hand

Baked Fresh Trout

Baked fresh whole trout

2 whole rainbow trout fish (about 1 pound each)

2 lemons

$ large sprigs fresh dill chopped

Sea salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

1/2 cup white wine optional

Preheat oven to 475 F ( if you wish to place the fish on a rack it will yield a crispier skin.)

Rinse the fish under cold water and pat dry. I took off the head (cutting behind the gills straight down) but you can leave the head on for a nicer table side presentation. .  I was multi tasking and used the head and some scallions ends and shrimp shells in the water to make a fish broth.

Slice one of the lemons in half and the other into rounds thinly.

Lightly sprinkle the cavities of the fish with salt,  pepper, and chopped fresh dill.and  then place half of the lemon slices inside on top of the salted/peppered cavity.

 Optional: pour white wine around fish.

Place on rack in the prepared pan. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil.  Spread dill sprigs over the skin and top with remaining lemon slices. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 375 degrees. 

TIPS:
Garnish with remaining lemon, cut into wedges, and a dill sprig.
If you roll the lemons first before cutting them they will produce more juice.
Leave heads on the fish ifyou are presenting  the whole fish on platter to guests.

 As always be your own Creative Dump Cook and change this recipe to what YOU have on hand

SALAD NICOISE – deconstructed

SALAD NICOISE  – deconstructed

The traditional Niçoise salad is a mixed salad consisting of various vegetables  topped with tuna and anchovies. Usually the salad is plated on a flat platter with lettuce and the vegetables piled on top. ( toppings of tomato pieces, wedges of hard-boiled eggs, canned tuna, olives and topped with anchovies. The salad is served with vinaigrette.

Variations abound from town to town in France and among all cooks of the world.  Some saying no “cooked” vegetables or define different types of lettuce to be used.  Julia Child is noted to have brought it to the attention of the American public.

TUNA SALAD

1 tablespoons dill and tarragon

2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup Hellman’s Mayonnaise

½ cup pickle relish

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoon minced red onion

Nicoise Salad platter

3 Hard Boiled eggs sliced in quarters dusted with a little salt and pepper

10 Olives of your choice

2 Tablespoons capers (I replaced the standard anchovies)

1 head romaine lettuce chopped

1 cup marinated artichoke hearts (store bought)

½ cup marinated baby peppers (store bought)
Hand full of cherry tomatoes

2 Red peppers (cut in half, cleaned and a thin edge at the bottom of each cut so they will stand )

Green beans blanched and marinated in your dressing for at least an hour

3 white potatoes peeled and cut in half dollar size bites - boiled, cooled and tossed in:

·        ½ cup dressing ·        1 teaspoon dill   
 ·        ¼ teaspoon salt    ·        pepper

Dressing:

4 Season pack of dressing made with Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar to the directions on the package.

Mix dressing and keep on the side for individuals to dress their own plates

Place the Tuna Salad  filled red peppers  in the middle of a large platter,  Place the  vegetables in sections of the platter mounded so the vegetable's colors alternate in a pin wheel pattern.  Serve with salad tongs and dressing on the side and a piece of crusty bread.

As always be your own Creative Dump Cook and change this recipe to what YOU have on hand!

Rustic Spinach and Feta Quiche Pie.

Rustic Spinach and Feta Quiche Pie.

A beautiful rustic Quiche

Quiche is a savory, open faced pie crust with a savory filling.  I have made this look a bit rustic by keeping the crust jagged and not perfectly crimped. Fillings can range from all kinds of mixtures including eggs  ( I used egg whites) as the base and adding vegetables, fish or meat.  Leftovers can be easily used in this dish and no one will no the better!

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 Onion minced

½ red pepper chopped

1 large garlic clove grated

1 bag spinach

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 cup egg whites / substitute

1 pre-made pie crust dough

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Place pie dough in a pie dish that has been sprayed with PAM.  Crunch down the side and slightly roll down the dough to make an edge. Making it uneven gives it a rustic look.

Saute the onion, pepper and garlic in the olive oil for about 4 minutes until the onion is translucent.      Add spinach and saute until wilted.  Cool.  Add egg substitute, dill, feta cheese.

Salt and pepper to taste. (remember that some feta cheese is more salty than others).  Mix well and place in prepared crust. Pull the crust up the sides a bit more.

Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

 TIPS:

Quiche can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner
This can be wrapped and frozen.

Is great as a snack as well!
You can make many varieties of quiche by just adding to the basic egg mixture different vegetables, cheese, meat and even fish such as salmon.  ......   Be creative

As always be your own Creative Dump Cook and change this recipe to what YOU have on hand!