Orange And Lentil Soup

A delicious orange and lentil soup!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, diced

2/3 cup red lentils

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 – 1 carrot, shredded

ground black pepper

3 cups chicken broth (or use bouillon cubes)

Directions:

1. In a pot over medium heat, cook onions in butter until softened.  Stir in the lentils, orange juice, carrot, pepper and half of the chicken broth and let the mixture simmer for about 40 minutes.

2. After 40 minutes, puree the mixture in a blender and return to the pot.  There, stir in the remaining half of the chicken broth and heat through.

-Andrew

Loukoumades

Loukoumades are a type of Greek doughnut that is glazed in a delicious syrup.

Ingredients:

1 Egg

1 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Flour

1 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Sugar

1/2 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Milk

3 Tablespoons Honey

2 Tablespoons Baking Powder

1 Cinnamon Stick

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg

5 Cups Vegetable Oil for Frying

Method:

A) Syrup

1. Begin by heating the water, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan until boiling.

2. Next, add the honey and then lower the heat, and allow the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes.

3. After 10 minutes, remove the saucepan from heat, place aside, and try to keep the mixture warm.

B)  Doughnuts

1. Start heating the oil in a small to medium sized saucepan.

2. For the actual doughnuts, beat the egg until fluffy, and then add the flour, milk, vanilla extract, salt, nutmeg, and the remaining sugar.

3. Finally, add the baking powder and then mix well.

4. Begin dropping the mixture (about 1 Tablespoon sized balls) into the oil, and allow them to fry for about 8 minutes, or until they are dark and golden brown.  Don’t forget to turn them around ever few minutes to cook all the sides.

5.  Afterwards, place the doughnuts on paper to drain the excess oil, and then place them in a bowl.  Pour the warm syrup over the doughnuts, and voila! you are done!

New Pofta Mare Newsletter

The Pofta Mare Newsletter for Spring has been created!

In it, you will find information about all the great produce that will begin appearing in markets in a few weeks, as well as information about meals for POST, how to stir-fry, and various recipes for Granola, Strawberry Shortcake, and more!

Get it here!

-Pofta Mare Group

Potter’s (ridiculously good) Pineapple Fried Rice

Ingredients:

1 Cup Day-Old Rice

1 Medium Onion, chopped / minced

1 Bell Pepper, chopped

1/2 Cup Pineapple chopped, with some juice saved

1/4 Cup Raisins

1/4 Cup Cashews / Almonds

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

4 Tbsp Sugar

3 Tbsp Ginger Powder (or fresh ginger)

Coconut Flakes

Oil for cooking

Spices (Paprika, Curry)

1. Begin by placing the oil in the frying pan and then adding the onion and the bell pepper and sautéing the vegetables for about 5 minutes.

2. Next, add the raisins and about half of the cashews / almonds to the mix.  Mix these items in with the onion and bell pepper for about 3 minutes, and then add the pineapple and again mix and sauté for about another 4 minutes.

3. Next, add the rice to the mixture and being stirring everything into each other.  Begin adding the sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and pineapple juice to the mixture, and stir these into the mixture.

4. Finally, add the coconut flakes (optional), the rest of the nuts, the garlic and any additional spices to the mixture and cook for another 5 – 6 minutes, or until you feel confident with the mixture being hot enough.

Notes:  I enjoy having my almonds and cashews at different levels of heat, which is why I add half at one time and the other half later, but you can add them all at once of course if you like.  Also, feel free to increase an amount of any one ingredient, and alternatively decrease the amount of anything as well, as my tastes prefer something nice and sweet (hence the amount of sugar and pineapple juice).
Finally, there are a lot of other vegetables that go well with this dish, such as zucchini!

Potter’s Sweet Bread

▪    3 1/2 cups of bread flour
▪    1/4 cup of sugar
▪    1 tbsp of active dry yeast
▪    1/2 tsp of salt
▪    1/4 cup of vegetable oil
▪    1 cup of whole milk
▪    2 tbsp of unsalted butter (30 g)
▪    2 eggs, slightly beaten

1. In a large bowl, combine 1/2 a cup of flour, the sugar, yeast and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Add oil and milk to the butter and heat until about 100 degrees. It should feel warm, but not too hot.
3. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture. Add beaten eggs (reserve 1 tbsp for egg wash later) and stir well to combine. Beat the mixture for 3 minutes.
4. Add remaining flour, a little at a time, until a soft dough is formed. Turn the dough out to a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes. Add small amounts of flour if the dough is still too sticky.
5. Place the dough in a large bowl and cover with a clean, damp towel. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size (about 1.5 hours). During this time, make the “pineapple topping” (see below). After the first rising, punch down the dough and let it rise again until doubled (about 1.5 hours).
6. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape them into flat buns. Place them on lightly greased baking sheets and then cover them with a slightly damp towel (this prevents the dough from drying out). Let the dough rise again for about 45 minutes.
7. After the dough has risen, roll out your refrigerated pineapple topping to about 1/2 cm in thickness. Use a cookie cutter or glass cup to cut out 12 circles slightly less wide than your buns. Lightly score the toppings with a criss-cross pattern.
8. Brush the top of the dough buns with a small amount of water and place each pineapple topping on top of the dough buns.
9. Brush the buns with the reserved egg.
10. Bake the buns at 350 degrees for about 13-15 minutes on the middle rack, checking them frequently to make sure they don’t burn.

Pineapple topping:

▪    1/3 cup of sugar (80 g)

▪    1/4 cup of butter

▪    1 egg yolk

▪    1/2 tsp of baking soda

▪    2 tbsp of milk

▪    1 cup of flour

▪    2 tsp of baking powder

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy.
2. Add the egg yolk, baking soda and milk. Mix well.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder into the butter mixture. Mix by hand until smooth and not sticky.
4. Chill the topping, wrapped in plastic, until ready to use.

Joel’s Super Protein Pancakes

0.75C (three handfuls)oatmeal

2-3 large eggs

200 grams (1C) cottage cheese

1 banana

0.5C milk

1.5 tsp cinnamon

If not using a blender, soak the oatmeal overnight in the 0.5C of milk. Combine the ingredients into a large bowl (or blender) and mix(or blend) thoroughly. On a heated pan, carefully add one large spoonful of batter the the cooking surface and spread it evenly into a circle. Cook until many bubbles form on the cake, and the outside of the batter hardens and darkens. Carefully flip the pancake, and allow it to cook for about 3/4 the time it cooked on its first side. Repeat the process for each cake. If you want to add bits of dried fruit, or nuts, be sure not to overblend them, to retain texture– instead, add them at the end of the mixing process. A great topping for these is quarter cup of yogurt well mixed with some jam or honey.

Natalie’s Italian Easter Bread Braids

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1 cup white sugar

1 Tbsp. pure anise extract (can be found at pharmacies in the cities, or, if you cannot find that, use 2 Tbsp. of brandy)

1/2 cup pure vegetable oil (something light like sunflower-not corn or olive)

1 package active dry yeast or one block of drojdie fresh

1/2 cup tepid water

5 cups unbleached white flour

3 whole eggs 1 tsp. salt

One beaten egg for glaze

Mini colored sprinkle dots

Some nice clear cellophane to wrap the breads in with pastel ribbons

Let’s Begin:

First, scald the milk in a small pan on the stove until bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in the anise extract, the sugar and the oil. Let stand until lukewarm and not hot. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large bowl.

Now add the milk mixture to the yeast and mix well. Then blend in the 3 well-beaten eggs.

Next, add in the salt. Then, mix in the flour with a wooden spoon, one cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. If you need to add more flour (the humidity and flour quality will determine this) then do, but sparingly. Add a bit more flour to a flat, clean surface and knead until smooth about 1o minutes. The dough should not be dry, pitted, or hard.

Time to Rest:

Let rise in an oiled bowl covered with a clean towel in a warm place until doubled in bulk. This should be at least 1 hour to 1 hour and a half.

After that, punch down the dough and cut into two pieces. Take each piece and knead out into a tube and cut into three more pieces each. Roll into tubes for making a braid by hand. You will make two large braids with this recipe. (You can make small braided rounds if you like to make the dough go farther that take about 25 minutes to cook thoroughly).

Place each on a cookie sheet lined with baking paper (the braids each should be almost the length of the pan) and let sit 30 minutes covered with a clean towel.

Bake to Perfection:

Bake in a moderate oven for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. The loaves should be a very light golden brown. The gas ovens here are tricky and super hot so watch carefully!

When you remove the breads from the oven, take them with the paper out of the pan to limit further cooking and brush each with a beaten egg a few times to get a nice golden, rich color and to soften the crust. The aroma will be wonderful!

Decorate:

Sprinkle on the colored dots while the egg is still wet and then let cool completely away from drafts. Wrap in cellophone and pretty Eastertime ribbons to give as gifts on Easter Day after post is broken.

Natalie’s “O-Canada” Old-Fashioned Winter Fruit Crumble

7-8 medium-sized assorted apples

200 grams of butter

3 Tsps. cinnamon

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

1 Cup of musli cereal with dried fruits and nuts (any kind you like)

1/2 Cup of apple juice or pear juice

Pinch of salt

Sweetened whipped cream (of course, homemade is best!)

First, cut up into small chunks 7-8 washed and peeled apples of different varieties into a large bowl.  Add in 1 Tsp. cinnamon.

Next, melt about 4 Tbsp. butter and sautee the apples until fairly soft.  This should take about ten minutes on low heat.  Mix in 1/2 Cup of the apple juice or pear juice. Then place the mixture in a large, round glass buttered pie pan. Set aside while making the topping.

Now melt about 4 more Tbsp. of  butter in a large pan on the stove.  Take off the heat and add 1 Cup of musli cereal with dried fruits which has been coated with 2 Tbsp. of flour. Add in ½ cup sugar, 1/4 cup light brown sugar and the remaining two tsps. of cinnamon.  Mix well until it looks like large beads.

Top the apples with this crumbly topping and then add some extra pats of cold butter on top.  Bake for 20 minutes in a medium oven.  The top should be somewhat crispy.

Serve warm with fresh sweetened whipped cream, if you like.  I do!  It’s amazingly easy and so good for a warm and cozy treat on a blustery, northern winter day.

And congratulations, Canadians, on winning the Ice Dancing-Gold 2010!

Natalie’s Italian Foccaccia Bread

1 packet of active dry yeast

½ cup lukewarm water

1 Tbsp. sugar

½ Tsp. salt

½ cup olive oil

1 cup whole wheat flour.

3 cups white flour

2 red onions, sliced very thin,

that have been soaked in Olive Oil
Dry (or fresh if you have them) rosemary leaves

salt and pepper, to taste

grated sharp  cheese(if you like, as an extra topping)

First, make the foccaccia ( a whole grain bread) dough.  Combine one packet of active dry yeast with ½ cup lukewarm water and 1 Tbsp. sugar and let dissolve. Do not use hot water-it will cause the yeast not to rise. Now add in ½ Tsp. salt, ½ cup olive oil, and 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Next, add in three more cups of white flour a little at a time, just until it makes a soft ball. Knead on a floured board until smooth-about ten minutes. Let rise in an oiled bowl until doubled-about one hour and a half. Next, punch dough down and line a cookie sheet to make a large rectangular foccaccia (pizza).

Next, top with two red onions sliced very thin which have been soaking in a small amount of  olive oil and some dry (or fresh if you have them) rosemary leaves to top off the foccaccia. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 25 minutes in a moderate oven just until the bottom of the foccaccia is light golden and crispy.

You may top with grated sharp  cheese (anything like sheep or goat’s milk cheese is good and very tasty:  I like “coaje de brad” myself…the strong and firm cheese that is wrapped in fir tree bark…amazing stuff!) after baking or make the dough with all white flour and no sugar for traditional pizza and top as you wish.

Will keep in an airtight container for one week. Can be reheated for ten minutes in the oven before serving to regain crispness. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Great for a side dish with various cheeses, some roasted peppers or other grilled vegetables, and fresh tomatoes.  Best of all, now you can make your own pizza anytime you want!

Julie’s Vegetable Pasta Salad

-400 g package cooked corkscrew or bowtie pasta (farfalle)
-Veggies of your choice
(for example:2 zucchini or similar size vegetable) chopped + cooked
-1 red bell pepper, chopped
-450 g green beans, halved + cooked
-1.5 cups frozen peas, thawed
-1 tomato, large dice

Mix the dressing:
-1 cup thick yogurt (Zuzu of whatever fat level you want works well)
-2 tbsp mustard
-1/2 tsp paprika or ardei boia
-3 tbsp dill (marar)
-salt and pepper to taste

Toss all together!
Adapted and Romania-fied from http://www.katheats.com