Roasted Fennel and Red Onion Salmon

Ingredients

 

·         2 small fennel bulbs, cut into ½ - inch wedges 

·         1large red onion cut into ½ - inch wedges   

·          6 cloves garlic minced

·         1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes (optional)

·         ½ bunch fresh thyme

·         1 teaspoon kosher salt

·         1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·         2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

·         4 6- ounce salmon fillets, shinned

·         1lemon halved

 

Directions

 

1.      Heat oven to 400° F. In a roasting pan, toss the fennel, onion, garlic, tomatoes, thyme, ½ teaspoon of the salt, ¼ teaspoon of the pepper, and the oil. Roast for 20 minutes.

2.      Move the vegetables to the sides of the pan; place the salmon in the center. Squeeze the lemon halves over the salmon. Sprinkle with the remaining salt and pepper.

3.      Return the salmon to oven and roast until it is the same color throughout and flakes easily, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with the rice, if desired.

Serves 4

Hands-On Time: 15m; Total Time: 40m

Greens with Pasta and Ricotta

Greens with Pasta and Ricotta

Ingredients

·         1 pound greens, such as chard, kale or broccoli rabe, stemmed and washed well, or half of a 1-pound bag prepared greens

·         Salt

·         2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

·         1 to 2 garlic cloves, to taste, minced

·         3/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese

·         1/2 to 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, or a mixture of Parmesan and Romano Pecorino (to taste)

·         3/4 pound pasta

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the greens. After the water returns to a boil, boil two to four minutes until the greens are tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer greens to the ice water. Do not drain the hot water in the pot, as you’ll use it to cook the pasta. Drain the greens, squeeze dry and chop.

2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the garlic, cook for about a minute just until fragrant, and stir in the greens. Toss in the hot pan for about a minute, just until the greens are lightly coated with oil and fragrant with garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.

3. Place the ricotta in a large pasta bowl. Bring the water for the pasta back to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook al dente. Ladle 1/2 cup of the cooking water from the pasta into the ricotta and stir together. Drain the pasta, and toss with the ricotta, greens and cheeses. Serve at once.

Yield: Serves four

Kale with Pasta and Garlic

Kale with Pasta and Garlic

Ingredients

1/2 lb spaghetti, or other shape of pasta
1/4 cup olive oil, more if necessary
1 head garlic, chopped finely
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 bunch of kale
1/3 cup bread crumbs (optional)

Parmesan cheese or feta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

1.      In a large pot, put water on to boil. While the water is coming to a boil, finely chop a head of garlic. In a small skillet, slowly cook the garlic with some red pepper flakes in enough oil for the garlic to move around freely, stirring occasionally until it is pale golden. Add the kale and cook it for few minutes until is cooked but still crispy, then remove it from the heat.

2.      Add spaghetti (1/2 lb) in the boiling water and cook it. When the pasta is ready, scoop it with tongs into a serving bowl, then top it with the crispy golden garlic, oil and kale adding more fresh oil if needed. Mix in some bread crumbs, if using. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3.      Top with shaved Parmesan.

Potato and Collard Green Hash 

The greens are blanched, and then cooked with onion and garlic. After a while, cooked potatoes are added and crushed into the greens.. Serve it as a side dish with meat, fish or chicken.

Ingredients:
1 large bunch collard greens, about 1 1/2 pounds, stemmed and washed in 2 changes of water
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 - 4 garlic cloves sliced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
3/4 pound potatoes, you can use sweet potatoes also

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil add the collard greens. Blanch for few minutes, and transfer to the ice water with a slotted spoon or skimmer. Drain and squeeze out extra water. Chop coarsely. Set aside the cooking water.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat in a wide Dutch oven, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt, the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the garlic is tender. Stir in the collard greens. Mix together for a few minutes, and then add 1 cup of the cooking water and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer, cover partially, and simmer over low heat for 45 – 60 minutes, stirring occasionally; add more cooking water from time to time, so that the greens are always simmering in a small amount of liquid.

3. While the greens are cooking, washed the potatoes, cut them into large chunks and add to the small pot with the cooking water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the cooking water.

4. Uncover the greens, and add the potatoes. Using the wooden spoon, crush the potatoes and stir into the greens. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, and stir over low heat until the greens and potatoes are combined. The potatoes should not be like mashed potatoes, just crushed and intermingled with the greens, like hash. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve.


Yield: Serves four to six.

Mila's Eggplant casserole

Eggplant casserole

Ingredients:
2 eggplants (1 lb size)
salt and black pepper -- to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 red bell pepper -- cored, seeded, and quartered
2 pounds ground beef (or turkey)
2 onions -- coarsely chopped
1 cup whole canned tomatoes -- crushed
1 1/2 cup water -- or more as needed
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes. Layer them in a colander, sprinkling the layers with salt. Set on a plate and let the eggplant sit for 30 minutes.

Turn on the broiler. Rinse the eggplant and pat the cubes dry with paper towels. On a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle the eggplant with half the oil and toss with your hands to coat all over.

Rub the skin side of the bell pepper with the oil remaining on your hands. Tuck the pepper, skin side up, on the baking sheet. Broil the eggplant and pepper about 6 inches from the element, turning the eggplant often, for 10 minutes or until the eggplant and peppers are charred. (The eggplant may not be cooked through.)

Meanwhile, in a large casserole add a little bit of oil and over medium-high heat, brown the onions stirring often, until the onions soften; add the meat and brown it turning it often, until it is crumbled. Add the salt, and pepper.

Remove the skin from the bell pepper. Coarsely chop the flesh. Add the bell pepper, eggplant, tomatoes, and water to the onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture bubbles at the edges. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the eggplant is cooked through. Add more to the pan if it seems dry. Sprinkle with parsley (optional) and serve at once.

Ready in: 1-2 hrs 

Serves/Makes:   6

Eggplant – Indian style

Prep Time: 15 Min; Cook Time: 30 + 20 Min

Ingredients

• 1-2 eggplants (you can use Asian or small Indian eggplants)
• 2 tablespoons olive grape seed oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
• 1 large tomato - peeled, seeded and diced
• 2-3 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (or 1-2 fresh turmeric minced)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ground black pepper to taste 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven's broiler. Rub oil on the outside of the egg plant, or coat with cooking spray. Place under the broiler and cook until the flesh is soft and the skin is blistering off, about 30 minutes. Turn as needed for even cooking. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, and scoop the flesh out of the skin. Chop up the flesh, and set aside. Discard the skin
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds, and let them crackle for a few seconds and turn golden brown. Be careful not to burn them. Add the onion, ginger and garlic; cook and stir until tender, don't let the onions get very brown. Stir in the tomato, and season with turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Cook and stir for a few minutes.
3. Place the eggplant pieces in the skillet, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes so some of the moisture evaporates. Taste, and adjust seasonings if desired. Serve with meat and bread.

Yield 4 servings

Palacinke - crepes

Ingredients
5 eggs (jaja)
1 cup milk (1 solja mlijeka)
1/4 ts sugar and salt (malo secera I soli) 
1 cup hot water (solja tople vode)
A little bit of Oil (ulje)

1.5 cups of flour to start and add more flour as needed to o have right consistency of mix.   (Brašno) 

In the large mixing bowl whisk eggs, add 1/4 c water and 1/4 c milk and mix. Start adding flower and while continue mixing add milk and water to have nice crepe batter. Make sure is nice crepe consistency (no too liquid). Add a little bit of sugar, salt and oil in the mix.

(Umutiti jaja, dodati 1/4 solje tople vode I mlijeka. Poceti dodavati brasno uz stalno mijesanje I dodavanje ostatka mlijeka i vode dok se ne dobije smijesa koja nije puno tecna a ne smije da bude ni gusta. Dodati malo secera, soli I ulja u smijesu).

Use non-stick pan; put on the medium to high and worm the pan. Add just a little bit of oil to coat the pan, just for the first palacinka.
(Zagrijati tavu I dodati samo malo ulja za prvu palacinku.)

Add one ladle of the crepe batter in the hot pan (into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly).

(Staviti jednu kutljacu smijese u toplu tavu; staviti u sredinu tave, provrtiti tavu da bude ista debljina palacinke u tavi).

Fry/cook  till top of palacinka is almost dry. Loosen palacinka with spatula, turn over and fry/cook other side till palacinka has nice light color.

Peci palacinke dok gornja strana bude skoro suha, prevrnuti I peci drugu stranu dok se ne ispece, ne da zagori).



You can get around 15-20 palacinka.

(Od ove smijese se moze napraviti oko 15-20 palacinki.)

Use eurocream (Nutella), fruit jam, grounded nuts to fill palacinke.
(Mazati palacinke eurokremom, dzemom, mljevenim orasima.)

Prijatno!

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