Barley Risotto with Mushrooms & Gremolata

I don't think I will ever use arborio rice for risotto again. I used mix of fresh and dried mushrooms, smokiness of the dried mushrooms and barley's robust and nutty flavor combined with fresh lemon zest, parsley and garlic leaves a rich and pleasant taste on your palate.

Ingredients

For the gremolata:

1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

1 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

For the barley risotto:

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed

1 cup hot water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms (such as morels, shiitakes, oyster, or chanterelles), sliced 1/4-inch thick

2 teaspoons kosher salt; more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

6 to 7 cups homemade or low-salt canned chicken or vegetable broth

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cups pearled barley

Directions

To make the gremolata: In a small bowl, mix together the parsley, lemon zest, and garlic.

To make the risotto:

1. Soak the porcini in the hot water for at least 30 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve and reserve. Chop the porcini into small pieces.

2. In a large saute pan with straight sides, heat the oil over high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Saute the sliced fresh mushrooms until they release some liquid and are browned, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the porcini and the reserved liquid, scraping up any browned bits. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the mushrooms and liquid to a bowl.

4. In a saucepan, bring the broth to a boil, reduce the heat, partially cover, and hold at a simmer. In the pan used for the mushrooms, melt the butter over medium heat.

5. Add the onion and cook until tender and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons coarse salt and the barley, and stir until the grains are coated with butter.

6.  Add 1 cup of the hot broth, reduce the heat to low, and stir frequently until the broth is absorbed. Stir in another cup of broth. Once it's absorbed, add 1 more cup, stirring until it's also absorbed. Add 2 more cups and simmer the barley, stirring frequently, until it softens but isn't completely tender and the liquid is almost absorbed, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked mushrooms and their liquid and 1 to 2 more cups of broth. Simmer until the barley is tender, about 10 minutes more, stirring frequently and adding hot water or broth if needed.

 

The total cooking time for the barley can range from 30 to 60 minutes. Stir in the gremolata and adjust the seasonings to taste. Serve hot.

Recipe is adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine, May 1, 2002. pp 62

Soupe du Jour - Red Lentil Soup (Mercimek Corbasi)

This soup is a staple of %99 Turkish Restaurant menus and almost all Turkish home kitchens for good reason. It is not only very healthy but also very delicious. It is beautiful in its simplicity and mild flavor. There are several variations of this soup, the recipe for the different variations will follow this one as they are all tasty.

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils

2 tbs butter (I prefer canola oil to make it healthier)
1 medium size onion, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

1 medium potato, diced
1 tbsp tomato paste
6 cups of water
1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Wash well and drain the lentils, set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion until translucent, add tomato paste and stir for 2-3 min. 

3.  Add the rest of the ingredients, lentils, carrot, potato and salt cook on medium heat for 30-35 min. or until the lentils are soft. if you are using pressure cooker, cook for 15 min. Remove any froth that may rise to top. Stir frequently to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan

4. You can transfer the soup to a blender or use a hand blender and puree.
5. Serve with crusty whole wheat baguette, or croutons with a squeeze of lemon juice on top

Optional Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil, about 1/3 teaspoon paprika and 1/3 dried mint. Heat the butter or oil in a sauce pan. Add the paprika or crushed red pepper and dried mint flakes and stir for 1 min. Remove from the heat and  drizzle over soup and serve.

Cream of Mushroom Soup w/Dried Mushrooms

When my sister brought me gifts from Japan, I was equally thrilled for the dried mushrooms as I was for the boxes of green tea! I am so lucky to have her. Instead of a thank you note, I made this soup for her. I think nothing is more heartwarming and tastes like home than homemade mushroom soup:-)

I used dried shiitake as they have a wonderful smoky flavor and a meaty texture. Don't worry if you don't have heavy cream at home, this recipe doesn't require cream. I promise no one will notice!

Ingredients:

12 ounces of fresh mushrooms (sliced)

1 cup dried mushrooms (shiitake)

2 tbs butter (or canola oil)

4 tablespoon flour

 (I used white whole wheat)

4 cups of water (or chicken broth)

6 cups of milk (or you can use 3 cups of half and half 3 cups regular milk)

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1.Always wash the mushrooms before soaking to remove any unwanted grit. Some methods for reconstituting call for soaking in hot tap water for 20-30 minutes, while others suggest simmering for 30 minutes. Depending upon the thickness, type of mushroom, and quality, soaking times will vary, but the most consistent way to reconstitute is to boil water, then soak the mushrooms in the water for 20-30 minutes as it cools.

2.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms and reserve the broth. Roughly chop the mushrooms.

3. Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat, whisk in the flour until smooth.
4. Pour in the reserved mushroom broth, and bring to a boil while whisking constantly (you can also use a hand blender).
4. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 20 min.
5. Whisk the milk, and salt into the soup and season with fresh grounded pepper to taste, bring to a boil and cook until thickened.
6. Divide among warm soup bowls and enjoy!

White Beans with Chicken (Tavuklu Kurufasulye)

Perfect comfort food for a cold winter night. White beans are good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other beans. This recipe tastes best if made with Dermason beans. Dermason also called whit beans are legumes rich in nutrients grown mostly in Turkey. They are white in color and can be cooked, baked and blended with any vegetable or meat. If you can't find dermason beans you can use cannellini bean/white kidney bean/fazolia bean or navy beans which can also provide the same smooth texture and nutty flavor.

For vegetarian version of this dish simply skip the meat.

Ingredients:
1 cup dried or 2 cans whit beans

1 lb chicken breast or beef cubes
1 large onion (diced)
1 banana pepper or jalapeno pepper (diced)
2 tbs of canola oil
2 tbs of tomato paste
2 cups of boiling water
1 tsp of black pepper
salt

Directions:

1. Soak the beans overnight (1 cup dried beans yields 2 1/2 cups cooked beans), if you are using dried beans change the water 2 times while soaking, next day boil them until soft. To save cooking time you can skip the soaking process and pressure cook the beans for 30-40 min.

2. In a large pot, heat the oil, brown the chicken and cook for 5 min. on medium low.

3. Add onion and pepper and saute until soft.

4. Add tomato paste and stir for 3 min.

5. Add the beans, salt and water, cook on medium low for 35 min. If you prefer spicy, you can add dried chili peppers.

6. Serve with white rice or bulgur pilaf

Beet Soup with Potatoes and Beet Greens

A great way to make the most of your CSA shares is to try the same vegetables in different forms. If you are using beets only for salads and throwing the greens, try this recipe for a great way to get the nutritients from the beet greens. Beet greens are rich in potassium, calcium, vitamin A and other minerals and vitamins. They also contain high amounts of lutein and beta-carotene. You can also puree the soup with a hand blender and served with creme fraiche on top.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diagonally sliced carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 1/2 cups finely chopped peeled beets (about 3/4 pound)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped red potatoes (about 1/2 pound)
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 (10 1/2-ounce) cans beef broth (vegetable stock for vegetarian version)
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
4 cups coarsely chopped beet greens (about 1 pound)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

2. Add onion, carrot, and celery; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.

3. Stir in beets and next 6 ingredients (beets through tomatoes).

4. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

5. Stir in beet greens and cook 5 minutes.

Recipe is adapted from Jean Kressy, Cooking Light, March 2001

Leeks in Olive Oil (Zeytinyagli Pirasa)

If you never tried leeks in olive oil, get ready for a pleasant surprise. The flavor combination is very light and tasty. Leeks, like garlic and onions, belong to a vegetable family called the Allium vegetables. Since leeks are related to garlic and onions, they contain many of the same beneficial compounds found in these well-researched, health-promoting vegetables. Despite the health benefits and distinct flavor leeks have been overlooked in many kitchens and only used for adding flavor to stock. This recipe is an example of classic Turkish olive oil dishes and like all the olive oil dishes it tastes much better when it is cold, so be sure to allow time for chilling before serving.

Ingredients:

3-4 Leeks

1 (medium/big) onion

1/3 cup olive oil
2 small carrots, halved and sliced
1/4 cup or 2 tablespoons white rice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 lemon, juice of
1 1/2 cups water

Salt

Directions:

1. Trim leeks and remove a few of the outer layers, discard tough green leaves. Wash leeks well in several changes of water, spreading the leaves apart to rid the of sand.

2. Cut the leeks in rounds or crosswise into 1 inch lenghts and set aside

3. Heat olive oil (medium heat) and saute the onion until transparent stirring frequently
4. Stir in leeks and carrots and stir for 3 min.

5. Add the water, sugar and salt and raise to a boil

6. Add the rice after the water reaches boil

7. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the leeks and rice are tender but still intact.

I strongly recommend squeezing a bit of lemon juice over just before serving.

Avgolemono Soup with Meatballs (Terbiyeli Kofte)

Avgolemono (Greek: Αυγολέμονο which is the "terbiye" in Turkish) is a soup made with egg and lemon juice mixed with broth, heated until they thicken but before they boil and curdle. Avgolémono translates to "egg-lemon," in English. Following is the Turkish version of this soup, Greek version of this soup usually has long grain white rice or orzo instead of meatballs and does not have carrots and potatoes. If you like creamy soups you will definetely enjoy this soup! Although the traditional recipe uses ground beef, I used ground turkey to make it healthier.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef or turkey

1/3 cup of rice
1 egg

1 medium potato petite diced

1 medium carrot petite diced

6 cups of chicken stock or water
1 cup bread crumbs (preferably japanese panko)

1 teaspoon blackpepper
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour (I used white whole wheat)
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
2 egg yolks
1 lemon's juice

Directions:
1. Mix meat, rice, 1 egg and bread crumbs season with mint, salt, and pepper to taste.

2. Mix well and shape into mini balls.

3. Sprinkle flour and parsley into a large tray and add the meatballs. Shake until meatballs are coated with the flour.

4. Bring broth to a boil and add carrots cover and simmer for 5 min.

5. Add the meatballs to the simmering broth cover and simmer for 15 min,

6. Add potatoes when meatballs are half cooked

7. In a seperate cup beat egg yolks with lemon juice

8. Add 1 cup hot broth to the mixture and mix well, add to soup and mix, whisking continuously.

9. Reduced heat and simmer for another 5 mins.

10.Serve with freshly ground black pepper or a touch of fresh-chopped parsley

A "medicinal" Soup - Turkish Yogurt Soup Recipe (Yayla Corbasi)

"Rice soup with yogurt is the Turkish version of chicken soup: a panacea for everything from mild depression to colds and upset stomachs. If the yogurt is homemade, recovery is guaranteed, they say. This soup absolutely has to be seasoned with dried mint" (The Worldwide Gourmet)

This a soup which is made in all regions of Turkey. Literal translation of its name means "the soup of the high plateaus". In the old days when refrigeration was not available it was difficult to keep milk fresh and it was thus turned into yogurt as soon as possible. Plateaus were cool and consequently the best yogurt could be found in these high plateaus. Hence the name of this yogurt based soup. (Reference courtesy of allaboutturkey.com)

Ingredients:

2 cups of plain yogurt (I use low fat, or fat free to make it
healthier)

1/3 cup rice

1 egg

5 cups of water

2 tbs flour

For the sauce:

2 tbs butter (I used olive oil to make it healthier)

2 tbs dried mint

1 tbs paprika or red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

1. Wash the rice and place in a saucepan, add water and salt and cook for 30 min. or until the rice is soft, it must be well cooked to be pleasing to the palate.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour and yogurt; add the egg and a few spoonfuls of cooking water from the rice to temper the mixture and continue whisking for a few moments.

3. Put the yogurt mix in a separate pot and start cooking on very low and continue whisking for ten minutes.

4. Gradually pour rice soup into the saucepan containing the yogurt, stirring constantly until it returns to a boil. Continue cooking for 10 minutes over very low heat.

For the Sauce:

Heat the butter/oil in a small skillet and add dried mint and red pepper flakes stir a couple of times and immediately remove from the heat (don't let it burn).

Orzo Soup I and II (Arpa Sehriyeli Corba)

If you are pressed with time and desperately craving for a bowl heart warming soup, try this recipe. It is easy, quick and delicious. Oh and if you have some little fussy eaters at home, definitely try this soup! You can make it with chicken or vegetarian version.

Orzo Soup I (with chicken)

Ingredients:

1 cup orzo

2 tbs butter (I use canola oil to make it healthier)

1 1/2 tbs tomato paste

5 cups of water (or chicken stock)

1/2 cup garbanzo beans (soaked overnight or canned)

1 cup shredded chicken (you can use leftover rotisseri chicken)

1 tbs parsley/ or dried mint

salt

Directions:

1. Heat the oil and add tomato paste stir for 2 min.

2. Add water, bring to a boil. Stir in orzo and garbonzo beans. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes or until orzo tender. Add chicken and cook for another 5 minutes.

3. Add the parsley or dried mint before serving.

Orzo Soup II (Vegeterian with fresh tomato and basil)

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes (peeled and petite diced)

2 tbs butter (or canola oil)

1 cup orzo

5 cups boiling water

1/8 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano and thyme

Directions:

1. Heat the butter in a pan and add the tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes are soft.

2. Add the water and boil for 2-3 min. Add dried basil, oregano, and thyme and then stir in orzo. Cook for another 10 min.

Nutritious Turkey Chili

After a long shopping day, we came home exhausted. The last thing we want to do was cooking and waiting for dinner, I weighed our options and decided that instead of waiting for at least 45 min. delivery time. I can prep a quick Turkey chili and have a hearty and nutritious meal while saving my family from all the added salt and fat of take out foods. Thanks to frozen peppers and onion mix I had in the freezer. By having frozen veggies and canned beans at hand you can prep a hearty dinner in no time. You can also brown your meat and onions and add them to the rest of the ingredients in a slow cooker, your dinner will be ready the next day!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 pound ground turkey

1 medium onion

1 green bell pepper

1 green red pepper

1 (15.5) can red kidney beans

8 oz or half cup whole kernel corn

2 (14.5 oz) cans organic diced tomato

4-5 dried chili pepper

4 table spoons chili seasoning

shredded cheddar for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the pot and brown the ground turkey

2. Add onions and peppers (you can save time by using frozen mix) and saute for 3 mins. or until the onions change color.

3. Drained and rinse kidney beans to reduce the sodium content,

4. Add the beans, corn and diced tomato

5. Add the chili seasoning you can add or reduce the amount of seasoning to your liking, also add the dried chili peppers at this time if you like your chili hot.

6. You can serve your chili with warm multigrain tortilla and light sour cream

7. Bon appetit!

Minestrone

You don't need to go to a good italian restaurant each time you want to have a bowl of minestrone, this recipe is very easy and as good as if not better than the restaurant version. Also great for picky toddlers!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 teaspoons italian seasoning

1 can (48 ounces) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 large zucchini, cut into ¼" cubes
½ cup ronzoni rings or other small pasta
¼ teaspoon salt
1 can (19 ounces) cannellini or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:
1. Warm the oil in a Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes, or until the onion starts to soften.

2. Add the carrots, celery, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the carrots are crisp-tender.

3.Add the broth. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the carrots are almost tender.

4.Add the tomatoes (with juice), zucchini, pasta, salt and beans. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and all the vegetables are soft.

Italian Seasoning Recipe:

If you don't have italian herb seasoning at home, you can make your own by mixing the following spices:

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons dried basil
3 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons dried marjoram

1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Optional: Add chili peppers, bay leaves, or sage

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or spice grinder. Blend for one minute. You can Store in airtight container for six months.

Love Your Heart-Eat Lentils /Green Lentil Soup (Yesil Mercimek Corbasi)

Green lentils are high in nutrional value and readily absorb a variety of wonderful flavors from other foods and seasonings. Apart from a high level of proteins, lentils also contain dietary fiber, folate, vitamin B1, and minerals. Green lentils contain a higher concentration of fiber than red lentils and when mixed with mixed with grains results in a complete protein dish.

Try this warming and nutrious recipe, your heart will thank you:-)

Ingredients:

1 big onion

1 cup green lentils

3 tbs olive or canola oil

1 1/2 tbs tomato paste

1 cup chickpeas (rinse well if using canned)

1/2 cup Bavettine Corti or any type of small noodle/pasta

10 cups of water

salt

For the sauce

2 tbs butter or 1/3 cup olive oil

1 tbs dried mint

1 tbs red pepper flakes

Alternative sauce (My Mom's Sauce)

1/4 cup onion (petite diced)

1/3 cup canola or olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat the oil and saute the onions until transperent

2. Add the tomato sauce and stir for 2 min.

3. Add the green lentil and water, cook for 30-40 mins or until the lentils are cooked

4. Add the chickpeas and the noodles and cook on medium low for 10 mins.

Sauce:

In a small sauce pan heat butter. Add red pepper flakes and dried mint let it sizzle for 10 seconds.

Alternative Sauce:

Heat the butter or oil in a sauce pan and caramelize the onions by slowly cooking them until they are richly browned and wonderfully flavorful. My mom always use this sauce for her green lentil recipes and we all love it!

You can save cooking time by soaking the lentils overnight.

Curried Pumpkin and Peas

This recipe is from Country Living Magazine (I don't remember the issue date). I used butternut squash instead of pumpkin and added carrots instead of raisin. I served with basmati rice but I think any type of rice will be a good match.

ingredients:

2 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
2½ teaspoon(s) curry powder
½ teaspoon(s) salt
½ teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
2 pound(s) pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1½ cup(s) low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
¾ cup(s) golden raisins
¾ cup(s) frozen baby peas
Fresh cilantro or parsley, for garnish

Heat butter in a large pan over medium-high heat, add onion, and cook until golden-brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in curry powder, salt, and pepper. Add pumpkin and potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in broth and raisins, cover, and reduce heat to medium. After 15 minutes, add peas. Replace cover and continue to cook until pumpkin and potatoes are tender, 5 to 10 minutes more. Garnish with cilantro or parsley.