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International Recipes Using Fresh
Vegetables News Letter
Sun, 27 Jun 2004, at 10:22 p.m.
This news letter is from an AOL food chat and is printed here at Recipes From
Friends with permission of host Judee.
Tonight we started the 1st in a series of international recipes using fresh
vegetables. The recipes here are for using Beets, Spinach and Cucumbers. Hope
you like the recipe choices.
Judee
Good evening and welcome to the Cooking Around the World Chat. It is that time
of the year for fresh vegetables whether it is from your garden or a local
farmer's market. For the next 4 weeks your Hosts Judee and Dianne are going to
feature recipes using these vegetables. Tonight we will start with Beets,
Spinach, and Cucumbers.
Grab a cool drink, sit back and enjoy an hour of friendship and recipes
Beets, botanically-known as Beta vulgaris, are native to the Mediterranean.
Although the leaves have been eaten since before written history, the beet root
was generally used medicinally and did not become a popular food until French
chefs recognized their potential in the 1800's. Beet powder is used as a
coloring agent for many foods.
Beet, Lemon, and Ginger Marmalade - England
1 pound cooked beets
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp light honey
2 to 3 Tbsp chopped lemon zest
1/3 cup crystallized ginger
Peel and coarsely grate or mince the beets, and transfer to a medium-sized bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a tightly capped
jar. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. Serve cold.
Yield: a generous 2 cups
****end of recipe*****
Russian Palace's Vegetable Borscht Recipe
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups onion, finely chopped (1 large)
5 medium beets
1/2 cup carrot, chopped (1 small)
5 tsp tomato paste
16 cups chicken stock
2 large potatoes
1 medium cabbage head
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
3 Tbsp sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh dill weed, chopped
Peel and julienne raw beets to yield 4 cups. Peel and cube potatoes to yield 2
1/2 cups. Finely chop cabbage to yield 6 cups. Heat oil in a large skillet over
medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add beets and carrot. Saute, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes. Stir in tomato
paste. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large stock pot, bring chicken stock to a boil over high heat. Add potato
and cook for 3 minutes. Add cabbage and continue boiling for 5 minutes.
Add reserved beet-tomato paste mixture, green pepper, sugar, lemon juice, salt
and black pepper. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in garlic and dill. Serve hot.
makes 12 servings
***end of recipe****
Grated Beet Salad
Juice of 2-1/2 oranges
Juice of 1-1/2 lemons
2-1/2 pounds fresh beets, peeled and grated
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Lettuce leaves
Combine juices and toss with beets and parsley. Add salt and pepper. Serve at
once or chill until ready to serve. To serve: Line salad bowls with lettuce
leaves and top with beet mixture. Sprinkle with additional parsley.
This salad can be made ahead of time, but hold the parsley until shortly before
serving.
Yield: 8 servings
Beets Parmesan - Italy
16 tiny cooked, peeled beets
Freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Put the beets into a saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cream. Cook
over low heat, stirring carefully, until the beets and the cream are heated
through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and cook until the cheese is melted and the
cream thickened. Serve very hot.
makes 4 to 6 servings
***endof recipe***
Beet Roesti with Rosemary - Italy
1 to 1-1/2 pounds beets
1 tsp coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp butter
Trim the beets and peel them as you would potatoes; grate them in a food
processor or by hand. Begin preheating a medium to large non-stick skillet over
medium heat.
Toss the grated beets in a bowl with the rosemary and salt, then add about half
the flour; toss well, add the rest of the flour, then toss again.
Place the butter in the skillet and heat until it begins to turn nut-brown.
Scrape the beet mixture into the skillet, shape it into a nice circle, and press
it down with a spatula. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, shaking the pan
occasionally, until the bottom of the beet cake is nicely crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.
Slide the cake out onto a plate, top with another plate, invert the two plates,
and slide the cake back into the pan. Continue to cook, adjusting the heat if
necessary, until the second side is browned. Cut into wedges and serve
immediately.
Yield: 4 servings
**** end of recipe****
Cucumbers originated in India where they have been cultivated for 3000 years.
The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a member of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae)
as are melons, squash and pumpkins. Cucumbers grown for pickling (picklers) and
those grown for fresh market (slicers) are the same species. Fruit of fresh
market cucumbers are longer, smooth rather than bumpy, have a more uniform green
skin color and a tougher, glossier skin than fruit of picklers.
Swedish Cucumber Salad
6 cucumbers
3/4 cup wine vinegar
2 tablespoons cold water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly chopped dill ( optional )
12 servings
Peel the cucumbers and slice thin. Place the slices in a basin of ice water.
When ready to use, drain and dry between towels. Combine the vinegar, water, and
sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture over the cucumbers. Chill
at least for an hour before serving. Garnish with dill, if desired.
***end of recipe***
Chilled Cucumber Dill Soup
3 medium cucumbers
2 tablespoons butter
1 leek -- chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon flour
2/3 liter chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 lemon -- juiced
chopped dill
sour cream
1. Peel and thinly slice 2 (only two) cucumbers.
2. Melt butter. Add sliced cucumbers, leek and bay leaves, and cook slowly until
tender but not brown. Discard bay leaves.
3. Add flour and mix well.
4. Add chicken broth and salt and bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for
20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Puree through a sieve or in blender container and chill soup in refrigerator
several hours.
6. Peel, halve and remove seeds from the third cucumber, then grate. Add to soup
with Half-and-half, lemon juice and chopped dill to taste.
7. Serve in cold soup cups and top each serving with a dollop of sour cream.
****end of recipe****
Timun Mesanten (Balinese)
Cucumber with Coconut Sauce
2 tbsp. oil 3 shallots, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 large red chilies, seeded and sliced
1/2 tsp. shrimp paste
2 cups coconut milk
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced
salt & pepper to taste.
Fry shallots, garlic and chilies in oil, over low heat, for 2 minutes. Add
shrimp paste and fry for 1 minute. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil, reduce
heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add cucumbers, bring to a boil, reduce heat and
simmer until the sauce thickens and the cucumbers are soft. Season with salt and
pepper and taste.
***end of recipe****
Indian Cucumber Salad
3 medium size cucumbers
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried mint leaves
Peel cucumber, cut in half, discard seeds and slice thinly. Mix remaining
ingredients together, add cucumbers and stir together.
***end of recipe****
Oye Kimchi - Cucumber Kimchi
2 pounds kirby or korean cucumbers -- unpeeled
1/2 cup coarse salt
*** SEASONINGS ***
4 ounces scallions -- finely minced
4 ounces fresh chives -- 1/2-inch strips
2 tablespoons garlic -- crushed
3 tablespoons red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon coarse salt
Scrub the cucumbers and chop of the ends. Cut three grooves into the cucumbers
lengthwise, carefully plunging the knife about halfway in. (Do not cut through
the cucumber base.) Place the cucumbers in a container. Dissolve the 1/2 cup of
coarse salt in 1/2 cup of water and pour over the cucumbers. Cover and pickle
for 3 hours. Toss and turn over. Pickle for 3 more hours. By now, the cucumber
should feel flimsy and flexible. Discard the water and put the cucumbers aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the seasonings except the salt and use your had to mix
it evenly. Being careful not to overstuff, place a generous amount of seasonings
into the grooves in the cucumbers. Pack the cucumbers in a gallon-size container
as you go along. Pour 3 cups of water into the mixing bowl with leftover
seasonings to rinse it out into a cooking pot. Bring it to a quick boil of about
100 degrees and allow it to cool to room temperature until it is 60 degrees.
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of coarse salt into the cooled water and pour over the
cucumbers. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, pressing down to keep any air
pockets from forming. Cover the container with a lid. Store at 70 degrees for
about 30 to 35 hours to ferment. Chill before serving.
****end of recipe****
Spinach is relatively rich in nitrogenous substances, in hydrocarbons, and in
iron sesqui-oxide, which last amounts to 3.3 per cent of the total ash. It is
thus more nourishing than other green vegetables. It is a valuable part of the
diet in anaemia, not only on account of its iron, but also for its chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll is known to have a chemical formula remarkably similar to that of
haemoglobin, and it is stated that the ingestion of chlorophyll will raise the
haemoglobin of the blood without increasing the formed elements. The plant
contains from 10 to 20 parts per 1,000 by weight of chlorophyll. During the war,
wine fortified with Spinach juice 1 in 50) was given to French soldiers weakened
by haemorrhage.
African Green Pepper and Spinach
1 md Onion; chopped
1 md Green pepper; chopped
1 tb Oil
1 md Tomato; chopped
1 lb Fresh spinach; stems removed
3/4 ts Salt
1/8 ts Pepper
1/4 c Peanut butter
Cook and stir onion and green pepper in oil in 3-quart saucepan until onion is
tender. Add tomato and spinach. Cover and simmer until spinach is tender, about
5 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper and peanut butter. Heat just until hot.
***end of recipe****
Baby Spinach Salad with Walnuts and Feta
1 c Walnut pieces, toasted*
4 oz Feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
1 ts Fresh oregano OR 1/4 ts Dried oregano
3 tb Olive oil
1 tb Fresh lemon juice
3/4 lb Baby spinach, WELL washed, stems removed, drained well
*Note: to toast the walnuts, spread the pieces on a baking sheet and place in an
preheated 325 degree oven for about 10 minutes, OR until the nuts are slightly
crisped and lightly colored. Watch carefully.
Toss all of the ingredients together just before serving.
*** end of recipe****
Clear Spinach Soup (Korean Malgun Sigumchi Ku)
1/2 lb Fresh spinach
1 Scallion
1 Clove garlic
4 c Water
1/2 lb Ground beef
1 ts Soy sauce
1 tb Salt
Dash pepper
Wash the spinach thoroughly and trim off the thick stems. Chop the scallion.
Mince the garlic.
Bring the water to a boil. Add the meat and bring to a second boil. Skim off the
froth. Add the spinach, scallion, garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Lower the
flame and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
***end of recipe*****
Greek Spinach Casserole
7 Eggs
7 tb Flour
1 lb Feta cheese
2 lb Cottage cheese
12 oz Sharp Cheddar cheese; grated
3 pk (10-oz) frozen chopped spinach; drained
1/4 lb Butter; melted
1 lg Onion; chopped
1 1/2 ts Oregano
Mix eggs and flour. Rinse Feta cheese to remove salty brine, and crumble into
egg mixture. Add all other ingredients. Pour into a buttered 9x13 casserole.
Bake at 350F for 1 hour.
Makes 12 to 14 servings.
***end of recipe****
Avocado, Smoked Salmon and Spinach Salad - USA
1/2 lb Fresh baby spinach
2 Ripe avocados
1 tb Lemon juice
3 tb Olive oil
1 tb Balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 lb Sliced smoked salmon
1 ts Finely chopped tarragon
Finely shred the spinach. Mix together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tarragon,
salt and pepper.
Halve avocados. Remove stones, peel and chop. Toss with lemon juice. Cut smoked
salmon into strips.
Toss together spinach and olive oil dressing. Gently fold in avocado and smoked
salmon. Serve.
*** end of recipe***
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