Menu week of April 13 - 19

Here is what I came up with for the week

• Serbian Meat Patties with potato wedges, Cucumber yogurt salad, Tomatoes, roasted peppers, crusty bread
• Roasted Ham, yams, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, and roasted asparagus (we didn't get a traditional Easter dinner on Easter so I am making one this week)
• Ham, Potato, Leek Soup
• Tomato Soup
• Sweet and Sour Pork
• Chicken Marsala
• Left overs

Roasted Peppers and Strawberry Jam

While doing my weekly shopping today there were red peppers at the produce market for $0.99 a pound so I picked some up and roasted them under the broiler. I then peeled off the skin and store them in a jar with olive oil.

To Serve I lay them out on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with minced garlic.






Strawberries



There were also 1/2 flats of strawberries for $2.99 so I picked some of those up to make a few jars of jam to get us through until they come into season here in Michigan.






I washed and Trimmed the Strawberries, cut them into quarters making about 6 cups of berries then put them into a large pan and cooked them until they were liquidy and added about 3/4 of a cut of sugar. I also added a small amount of Gelatin but I don't think it made much difference. I like my jam a little runny and not very sweet so if you want something more traditional I suggest looking at a traditional recipe.

Once the Jam was done I put some jars and lids on boiling water and ladled the hot jam into the hot jars, tightened the Lids and let them set until they sealed.

Potato Dill Soup with Salmon

I found a recipe for German Peasant Soup on Lex Culinaria's blog (http://gorgeoustown.typepad.com/lex_culinaria/). However, I had salmon in the fridge, and I really wanted some fish. I cut the salmon into chunks and added to the soup in the last 8 minutes of cooking and it was great, even my 3 year old daughter liked it.

Serves 6-8

1 T. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
3 largish (or 4 medium) red skinned potatoes, scrubbed
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
12 ounces Salmon, cut into 1 inch chunks
salt and pepper
sour cream to garnish

In the bottom of a soup pot, gently caramelize the onions in olive oil over a medium low heat, stirring occasionally for about 20 or 25 minutes. Meanwhile, quarter and slice the potatoes. Add the garlic to the soup pot and cook and stir for 3 minutes more. Raise the heat to medium high and add the sliced potatoes and pour over chicken stock. Add enough water so that the potatoes are covered by a margin of about one inch. Add in one half of the chopped dill.
Place the lid on the pot and allow the soup to simmer over medium high heat for about 30 minutes. Add the salmon chunks and cook 8 more minutes. Taste the broth and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and stir through the remaining dill. Serve with (or without) dollops of sour cream.

Cucumber Yogurt Salad

We eat this salad with almost everything I make. It is what we call a family staple.

Slice one English cucumber and put into bowl and salt the cucumber rounds.

Mix 3/4 cup plain full fat yogurt with 1/3 cup sour cream. Add in 3 minced cloves of garlic and salt to taste. Mix the cucumbers and yogurt sauce together and serve chilled.

cevapcici - Serbian meat patties on the grill

meat

My husband loves what he calls grilled meats from back home so from time to time I will make something special to surprise him and today it was Cevapcici . Of course I put my own twist on it, but he loved it.

10 oz Ground Beef 
10 oz Ground Pork

(can also use all ground lamb instead of pork and beef)
1/3 cup grated onions 
1 T. paprika powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup chopped, fresh parsley
1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Salt and pepper to taste

I mix all the ingredients together to make almost a paste and then form meat mixture onto sausage link shapes (I did these ones on little skewers). Place each link on a heated charcoal grill and cook to just done. Do not over cook. Serve with boiled potatoes and cucumber salad or on flatbread with tzatziki, pickle and chopped onion and tomatoes.

Menu Week April 1st

I was out of town last weekend and we are leaving again on Friday for Easter weekend so I did not put a menu together. However, I will be making the following:

Beef and veggies stir-fry with soba noodles
Tchevapchitchi - Serbian meat patties on the grill
Pork loin with pears and parmesan cheese- If I have any left, my 20 month old son is eating them like crazy.