23rd meeting. Russian/Ukrainian

Where? G's
Attendants: A, C, D, E, G

Menu
1) Eggplant caviar
2) Borscht
3) Potato varenikis (i.e. pierogies)
4) Obscure bread
5) Vodka shots

Chefs-in-residence G and D tried to recreate the culinary feast experienced on a recent trip to the heart of Brighton Beach, otherwise known as Little Russia by the Sea.

Eggplant caviar

Ingredients
- 1 Eggplant
- 1 onion
- Chopped garlic
-1/2 red pepper

Roast the eggplant, peel it, and mash it. Brown 1 finely-chopped onion and lots of garlic in a pan, and add to the mashed eggplant. Dice very finely 1/2 red pepper and add to the mix. Drizzle with oil and season with salt (it needs lots) and pepper. Refrigerate. Spread on obscure bread.

Borscht

Ingredients
-1 small cabbage
-3 potatoes
-1 red onion
-3 beets
-Lucky beets
-3 large carrots
-Lucky carrots
-6 cups stock
-Vinegar
-Dill. Lots.

Saute a chopped cabbage, onion, and carrots in a large stock pot with olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add the stock, and bring to a boil. Add chopped potatoes and beets. Boil for 20 minutes. Add a liberal amount of vinegar, lots of dill, and adjust flavor with salt and pepper. Boil for 5 more minutes and refrigerate.





Potato varenikies

Ingredients for the dough
-3 cups all purpose flour
-1 cup water
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1 t salt

Mix ingredients, knead, cover, and refrigerate. Quarter the dough, roll it out and cut 4-inch diameter circles.

Ingredients for the filling
-3 potatoes
-Dill, lots.
-Garlic, lots.
-Salt, lots.
-Pepper, lots.

Boil potatoes, mash them, and season with sauteed garlic, dill, salt, and pepper until tasty. Fried onion and cabbage would go well for this filling. Fold a bit of this mixture in a 4-inch diameter circle of dough, sealing the edge with care. Boil for 6 minutes. Pan-fry, and serve with browned thin slices of onion.




Obscure bread

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Russian-Black-Bread/Detail.aspx

22nd meeting. Moroccan

Where? D’s
Attendants: Aa, Ch, D, E, G and Y

Menu
0) Lucky cucumber salad
1) Lucky summer rolls
2) Moroccan stew containing lucky veggies over couscous
3) Avocado chocolate fudge
4) Peaches poached in wine


Lucky summer rolls
Ingredients

Lucky cucumber
Mango
Soba noodles
Chopped peanuts
Chopped cilantro
Rice paper



Moroccan Stew
Ingredients

2 cups red lentils
6 cups stock
3 onions
4 cloves garlic
3 Tbs minced ginger
Lucky green beans
Lucky zucchini
1 package grape tomatoes
1/2 cup Raisins
4 cinnamon sticks
4 Bay leaves
Liberal amounts of turmeric, cumin, coriander, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper


Avocado chocolate fudge (adapted from http://vegetarian.about.com/od/desertrecipes/r/avofudge.htm)

Ingredients

1 avocado, ripened
1/2 cup margarine
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup cocoa
2.5 cups powdered sugar

Preparation:
In a medium sized saucepan, melt the margarine over low heat.
Once margarine is melted, puree with avocado in food processor or blender until perfectly smooth. Be sure there are no chunks of avocado left!

Return mixture to saucepan over very low heat and aff the rest of the ingredients, except the walnuts, adding the powdered sugar a portion at a time.

Once all the sugar has been added, the mixture should be thick. Add walnuts if desired, and transfer to a loaf pan. Refrigerate until firm. Now, be patient! If you don't let it firm up, you won't be able to slice it up into squares.

Peaches poached in wine

Score the skin of 4 peaches. Blanch peaches in boiling water for 15 seconds. Remove and allow to cool. Peel. Remove pit and cut into sixths.

Bring 4 cups of wine, 1.5 cups of sugar, a knob of ginger and 10 whole black peppercorns to boil. Stir and heat until sugar is dissolved.

Poach peach slices in wine for 5 minutes.

Remove peaches and reduce wine volume to 2 cups.

Chill.



Appetizers


Fresh lucky strawberries



Poll: Summer rolls, single- or double-skinned?


Stew and couscous





Leftover fight


These babies were loaded

21st Meeting. Summer Stir Fry

Where? G's
Attendants: G, Am, E, Ch, L, D

Menu
1) Summer stir fry
2) Blueberry sorbet
3) Thai tea

Summer stir fry

Ingredients
- 1 lb extra firm tofu
- 1 Red pepper
- 1 Yellow pepper
- 1 Orange pepper
- 1lb mushrooms
- 1 Onion
- 1 cup packed homegrown thai basil leaves and flowers
- Lucky homegrown tomatoes
- Liberal amounts of garlic, salt, pepper, hot peppers, and tamari

Blueberry sorbet

Ingredients
- Bluebeeries
- Lemon juice, zest
- Cassis
- Ginger liquor
- Sugar
- Water

Thai tea

Ingredients
- Tea
- Coconut milk
- Sugar



Jackpot. The club's own homegrown thai basil leaves and flowers


Tea brewing


Food cooking


Can you find a wisea** in this picture?

20th meeting. Potluck

Where? Heritage Park
Who? Y, Aa, Al, C, Ch, L, G, E, A, D

Menu:
1) Blueberry smoothie
2) Tabouleh
3) Corn on the cob
4) Roasted veggies
5) Cold tomato and basil soup
6) Bread
7) Hummus
8) Cucumber salad
9) White bean salad

Recipes:

White bean salad:
See http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/quick_and_easy_white_bean_salad/


Tabouleh
* 2 cups red bulgur
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 cup boiling-hot water
* 2 cups finely chopped fresh curly leaf parsley (from 3 bunches)
* 4 medium Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
* 1 English cucumber*, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
* fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)
* salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

Stir together bulgur in a heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over, then
cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand 30 minutes. Drain in
a sieve, pressing on bulgur to remove any excess liquid.

Transfer bulgur to a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients, including
2 tablespoons oil, until combined well.


Vegan supper club was held at an idyllic location: the Heritage Park


Brush Mountain


The members discuss the state of the club

19th Meeting. Sushi

Where? D's
Attendants: Ch, E, A, Aa, Y, S, D

Menu:
1) Roasted Red Pepper Potato soup
2) Sushi


Truly sun-dried nori sheets



A dissecting look at the now-famous spicy tempeh rolls



Y and E befuddled


Colorful sushi