Is There any Truth to my Roots Pieorgi Recipe

I am a proud Irish, Polish woman, and this week, my heritage was officially put to the test. At the farmer’s market (yes, I went again!), my husband insisted we buy: potatoes, onions, and Brussels sprouts. I obliged unknowing as to what was the next step. Not even a breath away from the farmer’s market, he says to me, “I am craving homemade pieorgi with a side of Brussels sprouts for dinner this week.” What?! So, I searched and found what I believe to be the perfect pieorgi recipe. The Brussels sprouts were easy, but I will go ahead and post that recipe too. Best of luck to anyone whose friend or partner decides to put your heritage to the test!

Pieorgi Recipe Courtesy of www.kingarthurflour.com

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

Filling

1 cup warm mashed potato

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

To finish

1/4 cup butter

2 large shallots, diced; OR one medium onion, thinly sliced

Directions

1)      To make the dough: Mix together the flour and salt. Add the egg to the flour and combine. The dough will be quite clumpy at this stage.

2)      Work in the sour cream and soft butter until the dough comes together in a slightly rough, slightly sticky ball.

3)      Using just your fingertips, knead and fold the dough without adding additional flour until the dough becomes less sticky but still quite moist.

4)      Wrap the dough well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes, or up to 48 hours.

5)      To make the filling: Combine the warm mashed potato and cheese. Stir and mash until the cheese is melted and the filling is cool to the touch. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.

6)      To fill the pierogi: Roll half the dough 1/8" thick. Use a 2" round cutter to cut circles of dough. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Save the scraps; these can be snipped into small pieces and added to simmering soups.

7)      Place 2 teaspoons of filling on each round of dough. Gently fold the dough over, forming a pocket around the filling. Pinch the edges of the pierogi to seal, then seal again with the tines of a fork.

8)      At this point the pierogi can be frozen for up to 4 weeks, or refrigerated overnight, or cooked in a large stockpot of boiling salted water. Only cook about 10 pierogi at a time, so that they have room to float without sticking. When the pierogi float after about 10 minutes, they're done.

9)      Sauté the shallots or onion in the butter i a large skillet until the onion begins to brown. Add the drained pierogi and cook until browned and crisped. Serve hot with additional sour cream, applesauce, or other condiments.

10)   Yield: 1 to 2 dozen pierogi, depending on size

Roasted Brussels Sprout

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2.       Place approx. 1 lb of fresh Brussels sprouts, loose leaves and stems removed, on a rimmed baking sheet.

3.       Toss with 2 tbsp. of olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder

4.       Bake for 35-40 minutes, shaking occasionally

5.       Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm

Zé’s Dad’s Spaghetti

Brazil holds a very special, permanent place in my heart, and this dish took me back to a warm kitchen with begging turtles and mango trees. This is my friend’s Zé’s dad’s recipe, so I will let the story be told from him:

"My father's family was pretty poor…, and couldn't afford fancy food. Notwithstanding, some of food they eat was simply delicious, like this one. (My father's sister is now 82 and still cooks this recipe. It is so fresh and delicious! So little trouble and so much flavor!)"

Poor Man's spaghetti (for two)

Half pack of spaghetti
Chopped garlic (hmmmm... it is up to your taste)
One medium-sized onion sliced (once again, you can put more... I know I do)
Three table spoons of tomato paste
Three table spoons of margarine

Put the spaghetti to cook. When it's about done, begin your sauce.
Melt the margarine, put the garlic, and a minute later the onions. Let them cook. WHen they're done, put the tomato paste and mix everything.
When your spaghetti is done, put it right from the boiling water into the sauce and mix it. Season with salt and that's that.

As someone who loves the simple foods, I can say, first hand, that this is absolutely delicious. In fact, I will go as far to say, as a witness to it, it is plate licking delicious!

Tofu 101 (Includes a bonus Buffalo "Wings" Recipe)

Tofu is one of those dishes that many are afraid to cook. The secret to tofu is pressing it correctly. There are a variety of tofu available. Silken tofu is best for sauces and some deserts. Firm and Extra Firm are better for baking and frying. You can find pressed tofu in some supermarkets, so if you are afraid to press it yourself, buy the pre-pressed and move forward with your recipe.

Pre-pressed on Left and unpressed on Left

 If your tofu is not pressed, you will drain the water, and then cut the tofu in half.

Lay both pieces of tofu on a towel.

Wrap the towel over each piece towards the center. Then place one wrapped piece on top of the other, and wrap the rest of the towel around the tofu square.

Place on top of the tofu a heavy object (e.g. a large cookbook or heavy pan). Allow the tofu to rest for 30 minutes to an hour. At this point you may unwrap your tofu and move forward with your recipe. You may also freeze the tofu for approximately 2 hours, and then re-press it.

If you want to pan fry your tofu, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Once heated, gently place the tofu in the pan, and press down with a flat spatula to allow the excess moisture to escape. Flip the tofu, and continue to press down. You will continue to flip and press until the tofu is crisp. Remove from the pan, and use in your favorite recipe.

If you want to deep fry your tofu, cut the pressed tofu into desired size, and dredge in batter and/or breading. Fry it as you would any other coated ingredient.

If you want to bake the tofu, follow steps 2 and 3 in the recipe below.

Lastly, once pressed, you can also marinate your tofu in desired sauce, and then proceed with baking or pan frying.

Buffalo Tofu "Wings"

Ingredients:

1 pkg. of tofu pressed and cut into 12 equal squares

½ bag of “ruffle” potato chips (about 2 cups)

1 c. of flour

1 c. of water

Your favorite buffalo hot wing sauce (Sweet Baby Rays is vegan) or make your own (Recipe follows)

Vegan blue cheese dressing (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 385 degrees F

2. Spray a baking sheet with cooking oil. Place cut tofu on sprayed sheet, and re-spray the top of the tofu with cooking oil. Both the top and bottom of the tofu should be lightly coated in cooking oil.

3. Cook tofu for 20 minutes, flip, and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool for at least 15 minutes.

4. While tofu is cooling, mix the flour, and water in a large bowl. In a food processor, chop the chips until a medium consistency (about the consistency of panko bread crumbs). Place the chips on a large plate.
5. Increase the oven to 400 degrees F

6. Dredge the tofu in the water and flour mixture, and then coat with the chips. Place the coated tofu on the same cooking sheet you used to bake the tofu. Continue this process until all of the tofu is coated. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees undisturbed.

7. While coated tofu is baking, heat the wing sauce in a pan on the stove. Once the tofu has completed baking, place the cooked tofu in the heated hot sauce. Cover the tofu until each piece is well coated. Place on a plate, and serve with blue cheese if desired.

Buffalo Sauce

Ingredients:
2/3 c. hot sauce (I like Franks)
1/2 c. Earth Balance butter
1 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat all of the ingredients in a pan until butter has melted. Continue to simmer, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened

Roasted Vegetable Gazpacho

I always think of my Mom when I make Gazpacho, because she can’t say “Gazpacho.” Rather, she always says, “Gestapo,” which made me very tempted to call this dish Roasted Gestapo. Alas, I kept the traditional name for a new take on an old summer classic. As you can probably guess, this dish was derived from the leftover farmer’s market fare for the week. You think I would learn my lesson! In any case, I hope you enjoy the roasted version of what I can only describe as the taste of summer!

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, skin removed and cut into ½ inch cubes

1 zucchini, cut into ½ inch cubes

1 c. of chopped carrots (be sure to leave the pieces about ½ inches)

4 medium tomatoes

1 red pepper seeds removed

1 small onion chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic chopped

2-3 tsp of olive oil

1 Tbsp of lime juice (1/2 of a lime)

¼ tsp. of red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you like your soup)

Salt and pepper to taste

Garlic powder to taste

¼ c. Dry white wine

Chopped Basil (optional)

Grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Croutons (Recipe Follows) (Optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2. Place the tomatoes and red pepper on one rimmed baking sheet (I line mine with foil for any drippings that occur), and place the chopped eggplant, zucchini, and carrot on another rimmed baking sheet.

3. Once oven is preheated, place the tomatoes on the upper middle rack of the oven, and place the eggplant, zucchini, and carrots on the lower middle rack. Roast for approximately 40 minutes or until the tomatoes and pepper begin to blister.

4. Meanwhile, while the vegetables are roasting, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil in a large heavy bottom pot until tender. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and set pot aside. Allow the onions and garlic to cool in the pot, olive oil remaining.

5. Once vegetables in the oven have reached desired level of roast, remove from oven. Allow the tomatoes and red pepper to cool. Add the eggplant, carrots, and zucchini to the onion and garlic.

6. Once tomatoes have cooled, remove skins and discard.  Process tomatoes in blender or food processor until smooth. Meanwhile, slice the roasted red pepper into thin strips and add to the eggplant, carrot, zucchini, onions, and garlic in pot. Add the puréed tomatoes to the vegetable mixture and stir all of the ingredients together.

7. Add the lime juice, red pepper flakes, and wine to the soup mixture. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Chill for at least 6-8 hours. Top with croutons (recipe follows), parmesan cheese, and basil if desired.

Croutons

Ingredients:

½ loaf of day old bread sliced into ½ inch cubes (I used ½ of a leftover country loaf)

½ stick of butter or ¼ c. Earth Balance or other vegan butter

1 Tbsp of granulated garlic plus extra to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Melt the butter or margarine completely. Add the cubes of bread to the butter and toss until well coated. Add the garlic to the buttered cubes and toss until well coated. Place cubes in a single layer on rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. At this point, you may want to add more granulated garlic to the bread cubes if you like extra garlic.

Place the bread into the preheated oven and toast for 5 minutes. Shake or flip the cubes and return to the oven and continue to toast for an additional 5 minutes. Continue the shaking and toasting of the cubes checking every 5 minutes until the croutons are well toasted. Will keep in an airtight container for two days.

Tofu Fakin' Bacon

The other afternoon, I was flipping through channels looking for something mindless to watch on TV. I came across the ending of a cooking show on which the cook was making tofu bacon. Of course, I have no idea what the show was, and I didn’t catch the entire recipe, so I decided to make my own version based on what I caught on this show. I wish I could give credit where credit is deserved, but I have no idea of the origination of this recipe! In any case, the version I made was delicious, and I am happy to share it. I served mine on a BLT, and it was a million times better than the processed fake meats bought at the store. It could be substituted in a number of recipes that call for bacon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 Block of extra-firm tofu, drained

2 Tbsp. oil (I used olive oil, but canola would be good for this recipe too)

2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. liquid smoke

Directions

Slice the tofu into 1/8 inch strips. Heat oil in a large pan. Once oil is hot, lightly place the tofu in the pan, be careful not to splatter any oil on you! Fry the tofu until it is brown and crispy on one side (5-10 minutes), flip tofu and cook an additional 5-10 minutes or until both sides are brown and crispy. Turn off the heat and add the nutritional yeast flakes, soy sauce, and liquid smoke to the tofu in the pan. Toss until the tofu is coated. Serve in place of bacon.

Raw Sushi

OK. I am going to start calling this blog the "I went to the Farmer's Market and bought yummy goodness, but I need to cook it before it goes to waste." Perhaps a bit long, but that is what happened again today. This morning, I went to this amazing farmer, Clifford, who plants and raises the most obscure and delicious veggies. I bought some daikon radish, because it seemed so wonderfully delicious. Once I got home, I realized, I had no idea what to do with my new radish, so I searched the Interweb. Lo and behold, I found, http://www.veggie-wedgie.com/. Here is an amazing vegan, raw recipe, and let me tell you, this is better than any rice sushi I have ever made at home! Enjoy!

Ingredients for 18 pieces ( 3 servings)
-1 daikon root
-1 tsp rice vinegar
-1 tsp agave syrup
-1 avocado
-1 spring onion
-a few shiitake mushrooms, sliced
-3 nori sheets
-wasabi, soy sauce and ginger to serve
Peel daikon and throw in the food processor or grater. Once it is finely chopped the rice is ready. Add the rice vinegar and the agave and toss well.
Chop the spring onions and the avocado in thin strips and rehydrate shiitake mushrooms if using dry.
To aseemble take a nori sheet and place it on your rolling mat. Top with some daikon and gently pat onto the bottom 2/3 of the nori sheet to cover from edge to edge. In the center of your daikon rice lay your fillings horizontally to the end of each side.
Lifting the mat, gently roll up the sushi from the end facing you and roll it firmly. When you’ve reached the seaweed-only end, with wet fingers, go through the edge of the roll to wet it so you can seal the roll. Slice your roll in the center and then slice in 6 even pieces with a sharp knife. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and ginger.