Anna Sultana’s Onion Soup & Lamb Barley Soup / St. Patrick’s Day & St. Joseph’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is on Tuesday.

Thursday, officially the first day of Spring, is also the feast of St. Joseph.

Do you ever wonder how St. Patrick and St. Joseph feel about the fact that their feast days always happen in Lent?

Sometimes St. Valentine’s also falls in Lent.
Lent or not - people celebrate St. Valentine's.
A loved one's fury, and revenge methods, are a lot scarier than God's judgment.
And, anyway, church rules have been known to change.

But, for Pat and Joe, it’s guaranteed that their big days will land in the no-frills, no-fun, no-treats-for-you, season of Lent.

It’s enough to make a saint curse.
I mean, Pat went to Ireland and Joe, well, who has better family connections?
What does a guy have to do to get a decent holy day?

Well… I think that this is not the time to worry about Lent.

Not when there are so many great traditional recipes to enjoy!

Here are a few traditional dishes for St. Patrick.
Don't forget to toast him with a few traditional Irish drinks:

Anna Sultana’s Cottage Pie #3

Anna Sultana’s Colcannon and Irish Cream  (a drink) 

Anna Sultana’s Irish Cakes / Boxties

Anna Sultana’s Shepherd’s Pie 

Potato and Cabbage Casserole

NY Daily News' Irish Soda Bread   

 

Irish Coffee Recipe and Irish Fix Recipe  (2 drinks)

Enjoy a pastry or two - Italian or Maltese style - in honour of St. Joseph:

Anna Sultana’s Żeppoli ta' san Ġużepp II / St. Joseph's Zeppole

Carmela Soprano's Sfingi (St. Joseph's Day Zeppole)

Anna Sultana's Zeppoli ta' san Guzepp 

Carmela Soprano's St. Joseph Zeppole 

Cream Puffs - Baked Sfingi / Zfineg ta San Guzepp

Carmela Soprano's Cream Puffs / Baked Sfingi and Ricotta Cream Filling

Carmela Soprano's Sfingi, Anna Sultana's Zfineg ta San Guzepp

Next Tuesday we'll have a new moon.

No big whoop… pretty much a night like any other night.
Well, we can say that about most days.

But we still have to eat.

Warm weather is still a long way off, so why not make some soup?

Hints:

For the Onion Soup…

For something a bit different use one pound each of red onions, sweet onions and yellow onions.

The red onions’ colour will bleed into the broth, but it’s the thought that counts.

Also it’s a way to use onions before they start to sprout.

The soup can be prepared, cooled, then refrigerated up to 2 days. 

When ready to serve, bring it to a boil, ladle into the bowls and continue.

If you want to omit the dry sherry, increase the beef broth to 7 1/4 cups.

About the Lamb Barley Soup…

If you have a lamb leg or chops dinner, be sure to save the bones. 

Place them in a large pot, cover with water, add a diced onion or two along with a few bay leaves, and simmer for a few hours. 

If you have an envelope of onion soup mix handy you can add that, too.

A teaspoon or two of chill powder adds a nice touch.

Let the broth cool and then strain it.

Pick any meat off the bones and add the bits to the broth.

If you haven’t had lamb since last Easter, use broth or water.

Ground beef will work with beef or vegetable broth.

Ground chicken or turkey is good with chicken or vegetable broth.

                        Onion Soup

Cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into thin slices

3 pounds onions

Place in a large pot 

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil 

Heat over medium heat and add

the sliced onions

Stirring frequently, cook 10 minutes.

Lower the heat and, stirring occasionally, simmer 40 minutes until the onions are golden brown.

Add

2 teaspoons dried thyme 

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 Cup dry sherry 

Cook and stir on medium-high heat 1 minute.

Add
7 Cups beef broth
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon vinegar
2 bay leaves 

Stirring occasionally, bring to a boil. 

Cover, simmer on medium-low heat 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Remove the bay leaves and discard. 

While the soup is simmering, toast 

16 French bread or baguette slices (1/2 inch thick)

Heat the broiler. 

Ladle soup into 8 ovenproof bowls.

Top with 

the toasted bread slices

1 1/2 to 2 Cups shredded Swiss cheese 

Broil, 4 inches from heat, 3 to 5  minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown. 

Serve with a mixed green salad and crusty rolls or bread.

                        Lamb Barley Soup

Finely chop

2 medium onions

4 medium carrots

Place in a large pot 

1 pound ground lamb 

the chopped onion

Heat over medium-high heat and stir until the meat is evenly browned and the onions are translucent. 

Discard any excess grease. 

Stir in 

1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

6 Cups lamb broth

1 can condensed tomato soup 

the chopped carrots
1 Cup barley 

1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper 

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Cover and simmer over medium heat for 45 minutes.

Serve with crusty rolls or bread.

Anna Sultana’s Leg of Lamb, Greek Style and Lamb Barley Soup

Since Mother’s Day is coming I posted the recipe for Anna Sultana’s Sour Cream Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze.

Got an email, and I agree:

A chocolate cake, no matter how much work you put into it, is not a complete meal.

So I’m posting Ma’s recipe for leg of lamb.

It is simple, yet feels like something special.

Perfect for Mother’s Day.

The recipe also includes potatoes.

It’s your choice for vegetables.

Peas are nice, especially with a bit of mint and lemon.

Of course, Ma being Ma, nothing ever went to waste, or over budget.

Lamb is expensive.

I’ve included her recipe for Lamb Barley Soup.

The soup helps rebalance your week’s food budget.

Hints:

Coat the meat with the marinade the night before, cover and let sit in the fridge.

If you don’t want your potatoes to have a strong lamb flavour, roast the lamb in a different pan.

Use a roasting rack for the meat so the heat can circulate around it.

Once your roast is within 10º F of being done, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes. As the meat rests it will continue to cook, the muscle fibres will relax, and the juices that have come to the surface will settle back. 

A rested roast will be more tender and keep its juices better when you slice it.

About the soup…

Ma usually sliced a bit of meat off a roast before cooking to grind and use in a soup.

After dinner she would remove the meat from the bone, place the bone in a pot, cover it with water, then season and simmer for two hours to make a broth.

If you don’t have time, or don’t want, to make your own broth, use store bought.

Water, with or without bouillon cubes, can also work.

Consommé also adds a bit of flavour and can be used for a part of the liquid.

If you want a thinner or thicker soup, no problem.

If you have leftover roasted lamb, just chop it into small pieces and add after the soup has simmered for 30 minutes.

If you prefer using a vegan substitute, don’t brown it with the onion.

Just add it after the soup has simmered for 30 minutes.

We’re talking soup. It’s not as exacting as baking a cake. 

                        Leg of Lamb, Greek Style

1 5 3/4 pound semi-boneless leg of lamb    

For the marinade combine: 

3 ounces olive oil

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon rosemary 

1 teaspoon black pepper

Place the lamb leg in a pan. 

Brush a thick layer of marinade on covering as much of the surface as possible. 

Cover and refrigerate until ready to roast (overnight is best).

Take the lamb out of the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. A piece of meat at room temperature will roast more evenly.

While the roast is sitting, cut into wedges

5 pounds potatoes
Place the potatoes in the bottom of a large greased roasting pan.

Combine 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Drizzle the potatoes with 

1/4 cup olive oil 

Season with the spice mixture and toss the potatoes well to cover.
Lay the leg of lamb on top of the potatoes.

Heat the oven to 450º F.

Roast for 15 minutes uncovered. 

Lower the temperature to 325º F and continue to roast, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the lamb from the oven when a thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the leg reaches 155º F.
Place the leg of lamb on a platter and allow it to rest 20 minutes before slicing.

While the lamb is resting, you can increase the heat of the oven to a low broil setting and give the potatoes a little extra colour, if needed. 

If they’re brown enough, remove the potatoes to a platter, and give them a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of salt before serving.

                        Lamb Barley Soup

8 servings

Chop

2 medium onions

4 medium carrots

Place in a dutch oven 

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Heat over medium heat and stir in 

1 pound ground lamb

the chopped onion

Cook and stir until the lamb is evenly browned and the onions are translucent. 

Drain and discard any excess grease. 

Stir in 

1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

6 Cups lamb broth

1 can condensed tomato soup 

the chopped carrots
1 Cup barley 

1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper 

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Cover and simmer over medium heat for 45 minutes.

Before serving, taste and add more seasoning if necessary.

Anna Sultana's Queen Elizabeth Barley Water Drink for Skin Care

Ma's Queen Elizabeth Cake is becoming popular.

Guess everyone wants to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.

Well, it is easier - and cheaper - to bake a cake, than to fly to London.

When Prince Charles and Lady Diana got married, lots of folks baked something fitting, such as scones, to have something proper to munch while watching the fun on the telly.

Same thing happened when William and Kate got married.

It is an easy and cheap way to feel like part of the fun.

Back to those care packages from Malta...

There was also a recipe for Barley Water.

Apparently Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, along with the Queen Mum, 

drank this regularly.

It was supposed to help them keep their lovely complexions.

No Clinique in those days.

Now before you laugh Barley Water off, consider this:

I also enjoy this drink.

I just turned 62.

A couple of weeks ago I went to buy something to remove a small age spot.

The beautician asked what line of skin care products I use.

Clinique, Olay, Nivea? 

Nope.  Just Vaseline lotion for dry skin.

She was surprised.

Could there be something in the barley water that boosts Vaseline's power to 

the level of Clinique's?

Barley Water can't hurt.

And it's really easy and cheap.

Something that I like.

Something that would also appeal to Queen Elizabeth II, a fellow Taurus.

                        Queen Elizabeth Barley Water

In a dutch oven place

1/2 Cup pearl barley

2 1/2 Quarts boiling water

Cover and simmer 1 hour.

Wash

2 lemons

6 oranges

Squeeze and keep the juice, including the pulp.

Discard the rinds of 1 lemon and 4 oranges.

Slice the rinds of the remaining 1 lemon and 2 oranges.

Strain the water from the barley into a bowl.

Add 

the sliced rinds

3/4 Cup sugar (brown or white), more or less

Cool liquid.

Strain into a pitcher.

Add the fruit juice.

Refrigerate.

Heart Smart Eating

February is Heart Month.

Here are some tips from the Heart and Stroke Foundation.  

Please check out the recipes!

Be well!!

Top 10 tips for heart-smart eatingBy Cara Rosenbloom, RD

Choosing better-for-you foods and using heart-smart cooking techniques can help you control risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol and elevated blood pressure. Here are 10 ways to be good to your heart. 

1. Cook heart-smart. Choose cooking methods that use less salt and calorie-laden fat. Steam, bake, broil or grill instead of frying. Reduce salt by avoiding bouillon or salty broth (use water instead); add lots of herbs and spices to enhance flavour.
   TRY: Making your own salad dressing and sauces.
2. Choose whole grains. The fibre in whole grains like oats, quinoa, whole wheat and barley can help lower blood pressure. People who eat more whole grains have a 29 percent lower risk of heart disease compared to those who don’t. Aim for 3-4 servings each day. 
   TRY: No-stir barley risotto.
3. Nix trans fat. Linked to clogged arteries and high cholesterol, trans fat is a no-no for happy hearts. Even a small amount is harmful. While the use of hydrogenated oil with trans fat has declined, it may still be found in some cookies, crackers and baked goods.
   TRY: Reading Nutrition Facts labels and only choosing items with no trans fat.
4. Control your portions. The amount we eat has increased over the past two decades. Choosing smaller portions can help limit calorie intake, which helps with weight control; being overweight is linked with heart disease.
   TRY: Using smaller plates and bowls.
5. Cut back on sodium. More than 70% of Canadian adults exceed their upper limit of 2,300 mg of sodium per day, which raises the risk of high blood pressure. And more than three-quarters of that sodium comes from packaged foods.
   TRY: Cooking from scratch more often and comparing Nutrition Facts panels to choose products with less sodium.
6. Max out vegetables and fruit. With their heart-healthy combo of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre, getting at least six daily servings of vegetables and fruit is a winning idea. 
   TRY: Starting meals with salad, snacking on fruit, and filling half your plate with vegetable side dishes. 
7. Eat more beans. Legumes such as kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils are high in cholesterol-lowering fibre. 
   TRY: Adding chickpeas or navy beans to salad, pasta and soup; throwing some in a blender with garlic, olive oil and lemon juice for homemade hummus; having edamame as an appetizer.
   TRY: Red beans and rice or Baked chickpea patties.
8. Cook from scratch. When you control what goes into your food, you can cook with less salt, sugar and fat, and add more vegetables and whole grains. 
   TRY: Heart and Stroke Foundation recipes to get started.
9. Drink skim milk: Since getting two or three daily servings of low fat dairy products can help reduce blood pressure levels, it’s important to have milk and yogurt in your diet. 
   TRY: Sticking with low-fat options such as skim or 1% milk and yogurt.
10. Enjoy fish more often: The healthy omega-3 polyunsaturated fat found in fish may help decrease blood pressure and triglyceride levels, which helps lower heart disease risk. Aim for 2-3 servings (75 g) of omega-3-rich salmon, tuna, trout, sardines or mackerel each week. 
    TRY: Enjoying salmon or tuna sandwiches or sushi, or Orange glazed salmon.

Posted: February 2012 

Have I got a Kugel for you: Potato Kugel, Barley Kugel, Rice Kugel and Noodle Kugel

Rosh Hashanah was on Thurday, today Ramadan ends, and tomorrow is Ganesh Chaturthi.  

Happy Holidays, everyone!!!

I just love holidays.
Great food, great times.
What's not to love?

Since Yom Kippur is just around the corner, I thought I'd post some kugel recipes.  In the Middle Ages, when Jewish cuisine as we know it was developing, vegetables were available only during the harvest season.  In their place kugels were substituted.  

A potato kugel is so good that it may be served at any meal, and most people make enough so there will be leftovers.  Kugel is delicious hot or cold.  It's great to prepare in advance so the cook can spend more time with friends.

I hate fussy, last minute recipes.  Don't you?

       Potato Kugel

preheat oven to 350º           

bake 60 min.

Beat until thick

3 eggs

----

Stir in

3 cups grated, drained potatoes

1/3 cup potato flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons grated onion

4 tablespoons melted butter or fat

----

Turn into a greased 1 1/2 quart baking dish.

Bake 60 minutes or until browned.

***********************

       Barley Kugel

preheat oven to 350º           

bake 40 min.

Combine in a saucepan

1 cup pearl barley

4 cups boiling water

Bring to a boil.  Add

2 teaspoons salt

Cover and cook over low heat 45 min.  

Drain

----

Brown

1/2 pound chopped mushrooms

2 onions, diced

in

2 tablespoons fat or butter

----

Add vegetables to the barley along with

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Taste for seasoning.

----

Turn into a greased casserole or baking dish.

Bake 40 minutes or until browned and set.

***********************

       Rice Kugel

preheat oven to 350º           

bake 40 min.

Boil in a covered saucepan for 10 min.

4 cups boiling water

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups rice

Drain

----

Beat until thick

6 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

----

Stir in the rice, along with

1/2 cup seedless raisins

1/3 cup melted butter or chicken fat

----

Turn into a greased casserole or baking dish.

Bake 40 minutes or until browned.

***********************

       Noodle Kugel

preheat oven to 375º           

bake 50 min.

Beat until fluffy

3 eggs

4 tablespoons brown sugar

----

Add

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

4 cups cooked broad noodles

1/2 cup seedless white raisins

1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 tablespoons melted butter or chicken fat

----

Turn into a well-greased ring mold or baking dish.

Sprinkle with

2 tablespoons bread crumbs

Bake 50 minutes or until browned.

Serve with meat and poultry dishes or as a dessert with a sweet fruit sauce.