Tag Archives: onion

Meat and Poultry

Boxing Day Turkey Rice

This was always the traditional left-over-turkey dish that was made in our home on Boxing Day. Mom would make Boxing Day turkey rice in the turkey roaster and it would fill the kitchen for a second time with the rich smell of roast turkey, stuffing, and sage.

Boxing Day is December 26th, the day after Christmas. It stems from the British tradition, followed in Canada, of giving gifts to the poor after Christmas (perhaps in the form of leftover food, I’ve always thought…just like this turkey rice made of all the table leftovers from our Christmas meal)

Ingredients

  • Shredded left-over Christmas turkey meat
  • Left-over turkey stuffing, crumbled or cut into small pieces
  • Left-over Christmas dinner vegetables, diced or chopped
  • 1 can kernel corn
  • 3 carrots, cubed
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 5 chicken livers, chopped (optional)
  • 1 T sage
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 T chopped parsley
  • 2 tsp salt
  • Rice (2-1 liquid-to-rice ratio )
  • Turkey broth from bones, plus left-over gravy
  • Water as needed

Preparing Boxing Day Turkey Rice

Remove meat from turkey bones. Boil up bones until a good broth is formed, the longer, the better.

In a large roasting pan, combine all ingredients except broth and rice. Measure out enough liquid (gravy mixed with turkey broth and, if necessary, extra water) to cover all ingredients in pan well. Add rice at a 2-1 ratio and stir it all together.

Cover with foil and place in a 350ºF oven. Bake for about 1-1/4 hours or until most of liquid is absorbed, then uncover and bake more (up to about 2 hours) until the top of rice is crusty and brown.

Fish and Seafood

Chupe de Camarones

Chilean shrimp stew

1-1/2 lbs jumbo shrimp in shells
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 lb. whitefish heads and trimmings
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large tomato, chopped
1 tsp. chopped chiles
1/2 tsp oregano
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 quarts water
2 large potatoes, cubed
2 potatoes, halved lengthwise
1 lb. green peas
1/2 cup long grain rice
2 ears of corn, cut in thirds
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Clean the shrimp, saving shells. In a casserole, heat the oil. Add onion, shrimp shells, fish trimmings, and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 6 minutes.

Stir in tomato, chile, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook 3 minutes. Add water and diced potatoes. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Pour into a sieve over a bowl and force through with a spoon. Discard the pulp. Return puree to casserole, bring to a boil and add potato halves and rice. Simmer for 25 minutes.

Add peas and corn. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Drop in shrimp and cook 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat eggs. Pour eggs slowly into the stew. Add milk and simmer to heat through. Season and sprinkle with parsley.

Meatless Main Dishes

Vegetable Marrow as Mom Made It

Vegetable marrow is a large squash, oval in shape.  It was a common summer and fall-time dish in our family, prepared simply with onion and sour cream.

Ingredients for Vegetable Marrow as Mom Made It

1/2 onion, chopped fine
2 T butter or oil
1 t paprika
2 lb. vegetable marrow, cubed
Salt and white pepper
1/2 to 1 cup sour cream

Cook marrow in salted water until very tender. Drain and mash well.

Saute onion in butter or oil until soft. Add paprika and stir a minute. Mix with marrow.

Combine with sour cream, season, and reheat before serving.

vegetable marrow

noun

1.

a cucurbitaceous plant, Cucurbita pepo, probably native to America but widely cultivated for its oblong green striped fruit, which is eaten as a vegetable
2.

Also called (US) marrow squash. the fruit of this plant
Often shortened to marrow
“vegetable marrow”. Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 12 Apr. 2016. <Dictionary.com http://www.dictionary.com/browse/vegetable-marrow>.

 

Meat and Poultry

Meatballs with Sour Cream

Klopsk w Smietanie

  • 4 slices bread, crusts removed
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 large, minces onion
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 T dill
  • 1/2 t tarragon
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
  • butter for frying
  • 1-1/2 cups sour cream

Soak the bread in milk. Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Combine the ground beef, lightly beaten egg yolks, soaked bread mixture, sauteed onion, dill, tarragon, salt and pepper. Beat 2 egg whites into soft peaks and fold into beef. Form into small balls and roll in a bit of flour. Brown meatballs in butter in a large skillet over medium heat. In another pan saute mushrooms in 3 T butter until browned. Add to meatballs and stir in sour cream, coating the meatballs well. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Season to taste.

Serves 8

Meatless Main Dishes

Eggplant Casserole

  • 1 large eggplant
  • 1 bunch spinach
  • 3-4 Italian tomatoes
  • 1/2 container cottage cheese
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan
  • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 slice onion, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
  • Olive oil
  • Oregano, fresh basil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Parsley, chopped

Slice eggplant and salt. Let drain on paper towels for 15 to 30 minutes. Press to remove excess moisture.

Cook spinach for 5 minutes in salted water and drain. Sauté mushrooms, onion, garlic and green pepper lightly in olive oil. In ovenproof dish, layer eggplant, tomatoes, mushroom mix, cottage cheese and 3/4 cup of the mozzarella. Sprinkle basil and oregano on each layer. Season to taste. May add 1/4 cup thick white sauce if desired. Top with breadcrumbs, remainder of mozzarella and Parmesan. Place in 350ºF oven for about 20 minutes.

Meat and Poultry

Veal Casserole

This veal casserole is versatile.  I’ve used regular tough beef instead of veal, oil or margarine instead of butter, red wine instead of white, canned tomatoes instead of fresh, and it always comes out delicious.

Ingredients for Veal Casserole

  • 2-1/2 to 3 lbs. veal cutlet, cubed
  • 3 T butter
  • 1 T oil
  • 2 T chopped onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 T flour
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup dry, white wine
  • 4 large tomatoes, chopped
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 lb. mushrooms

Preparation:

Brown meat in butter and oil. Remove and place in casserole dish. In fat, saute onion and garlic. Stir in flour till smooth and add chicken stock, 1/4 cup wine, tomatoes, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over veal.

Cover and place in 350ºF oven for 1-1/2 hours, adding balance of wine as necessary. Saute mushrooms quickly in butter and spread over meat. Return to oven for 30-45 minutes.

 

Meat and Poultry

Sauerbraten

A type of sweet and sour marinated beef; oh so tender and with a very special and distinctly-flavored sauce. Good served with cooked rice, noodles, potatoes, or dumplings of any sort.

  • 4 lbs. beef bottom round or rump, approx.

For Marinade:

  • 2 cups red wine vinegar
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 large sliced onion
  • 5 peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 whole cloves

For Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp sugar, or to taste
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

Marinate meat in fridge for 2 to 3 days, turning occasionally. Remove meat from marinade, straining and reserving marinade. Pat meat dry and dredge with flour. Brown in butter. Add 1 cup strained marinade, sugar, carrots, onion, tomato paste and salt.

Cook covered until meat is very tender (about 3 hours). Remove meat and force sauce through a sieve, and skim off fat. Add the sour cream, mix well and reheat. Slice the meat thickly and serve covered in sauce.

Meat and Poultry

Veal Paprikash

A Hungarian veal stew seasoned with paprika, often served with dumplings but can also be ladled over noodles, potatoes, or rice.

  • 1-1/2 lb veal, cubed
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 T paprika
  • 1 T salt
  • 1 large green pepper, cubed
  • 1 large tomato, chopped

For dumplings:

  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Fry onion until golden. Add paprika, stir to release aroma and then add a little water. Cook until the water has boiled off, add the meat and salt, cover, and cook over a low flame, stirring often. As the liquid boils off, continue to add a little water at a time, allowing the meat to brown and a thick gravy to form.

When the meat is almost tender, add the tomato and the green pepper. Continue simmering until the meat is tender.

For the dumplings, mix the flour with salt and egg and add just enough water to form a stiff dough. Pinch out small pieces of dough and leave in a floured bowl. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and throw in the dumplings. Cook for about 10 minutes. Drain and serve hot with the veal.

Serves 4 to 6

Meat and Poultry

Lecso

  • 2 lbs. pork, cubed
  • 4 onions, sliced
  • Oil for frying
  • 6 green peppers, sliced
  • 3 hot peppers, chopped
  • 8 ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • 1-1/2 cups rice
  • 3 cups water
  • 4 polish sausages, cut in pieces

Brown pork with 1 of the onions in oil in large pot. Add a little water and cook until pork is done. Add sausage. Add rest of onions, green peppers, tomatoes, hot peppers and rice and combine well. Heat over low flame until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Meat and Poultry

Turkey Stuffing

A sage stuffing with creamed and kernel corn.

Turkey gizzards, liver, heart from  one 14-16 lb. turkey
5 extra chicken livers, if desired
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 can creamed corn
1 can kernel corn
1 loaf or more of sliced wholewheat bread, as needed to stuff turkey
2 eggs
4 pork sausages, fried and crumbled (optional)
1 T rubbed sage
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt

Saute the turkey and chicken innards in butter or oil. Remove and chop finely. In same pan, saute onion, green pepper and celery until softened. Cube the bread and place in large bowl. Add the livers, onion mix and corn and mix well. Add eggs and sausages. If the mixture is very mushy, add more bread. Throw in herbs and spices and mix well. Stuff into both turkey cavities, seal, and roast.

Sage turkey stuffing
This could be a stuffed turkey–or perhaps what I look like after eating it.