VIDEO: Indian Tehri

Indian Tehri

During this Lenten season, Catholics in the St. Cloud Diocese have been encouraged to enrich their spiritual journey by participating in Catholic Relief Service’s Operation Rice Bowl. Perhaps you’ve tried one or more of the ORB recipes from Vietnam, Zambia, Madagascar or El Salvador.

India is the final country to be highlighted in this year’s series. The recipe for tehri includes sautéed vegetables, onion and chili peppers served over hot rice. Cumin seeds add a nutty, peppery flavor to the dish while tumeric lends its yellow color. CJK

Indian Tehri

(Operation Rice Bowl)

Photo by Philip Laubner/CRS

2 tbsp. oil

1 tsp. cumin seeds

2 green chili peppers, diced 1 onion, diced

1/4 tsp. turmeric

4 cups of various vegetables of choice, chopped (peas, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, potatoes)

2 cups rice

Salt to taste

4 cups water

Heat the oil in a pot, add cumin seeds and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chili peppers, onion and turmeric and sauté for 2 minutes. Add chopped vegetables and sauté until slightly fried. Add rice, salt and water. Cook until rice and vegetables are done and the water is completely absorbed — about 20 minutes.

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

A note from Carol: For the last 37 years Operation Rice Bowl has encouraged participants to put the money they save from eating modest, meatless meals during Lent into a symbolic “rice bowl” to be donated to Catholic Relief Services to help members of our global family live better lives. These small sacrifices collectively add up to make a significant difference for others around the globe.

Seventy-five percent of the money collected is sent to CRS for overseas humanitarian programs and 25 percent of it remains in our own diocese for local food programs.

Other ORB recipes featured on FFF during this Lenten season include: spring rolls from Vietnam, ifisashi from Zambia, vary amin’anana from Madagascar and casamiento from El Salvador.

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Check in later today to see a video of Joe Towalski, editor of The Catholic Spirit, demonstrating how to make tehri.

Egg Burritos

These egg burritos are an “eggs”ellent choice for a Lenten supper or breakfast or brunch anytime of the year. The fresh veggies, salsa and two cheeses add zip to this simple, nutritious, tasty meal. CJK

Egg Burritos

(Cheryl Orbeck)

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

2 tsp. oil

7 eggs

3 tbsp. cream cheese

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

10 (8-inch) flour tortillas

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup salsa

In a nonstick skillet, sauté the mushrooms, onion and red pepper in the oil until tender. Remove and keep warm. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, egg substitute, cream cheese and salt and pepper. Pour into the same skillet, cook and stir over medium heat until the eggs are completely set. Stir in the sautéed vegetables. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the mixture onto the center of each tortilla; top with cheese and salsa. Fold the ends and sides over the filling. Serve immediately.

Yield: 10 burritos

A note from Cheryl: Sometimes I lay all the ingredients out and let everyone make their own burritos using the combinations they prefer.

A note from Carol: Cheryl discovered the original recipe, which called for 3 eggs and 1 1/4 cup liquid egg substitute, about five years ago in a “Taste of Home” magazine. She submitted it for the “Fruit of the Spirit” cookbook, published by St. Donatus Parish in Brooten, where she and her family were members when she grew up. To order the cookbook, contact the St. Donatus Parish office at stdonatus@tds.net or 320-346-2431. They are on sale for $15 each. (Shipping and handling is $5 for one book or $7 for two.)

Cheryl and her husband, Steve, are parishioners of St. Francis Church in Benson in the New Ulm Diocese. They are the parents of two adult children: Angie and Joshua.

Seafood Lasagna

In the realm of lasagnas this seafood version is truly “fit for a king.” Sweet, flavorful scallops, shrimp and crab are combined with a rich, creamy white sauce to create an “enchanting treasure” that surely would entice King Neptune himself.

Over the years, it’s garnered many, many compliments and recipe requests for Ginny Terhaar. She admits it’s somewhat time-consuming to prepare but it’s so good that it’s worth every minute spent in the kitchen! CJK

Seafood Lasagna

(Ginny Terhaar)

2 or 3 green onions, finely chopped

2 tbsp. oil

2 tbsp. plus 1/2 cup butter, divided

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 (8 oz.) bottle clam juice

1 lb. bay scallops

1 lb. uncooked small shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 (8 oz.) pkg. imitation crabmeat, chopped

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

12 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

In a large skillet, sauté onion in oil and 2 tbsp. butter until tender. Stir in broth and clam juice; bring to a boil. Add the scallops, shrimp and crab; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 4 to 5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and scallops are firm and opaque, stirring gently. Drain, reserving cooking liquid, set seafood mixture aside.

In a saucepan, melt the remaining butter; stir in flour until smooth. Combine milk and reserved cooking liquid; gradually add to saucepan. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in cream and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Stir 3/4 cup of the white sauce into the seafood mixture.

Spray 9x13-inch pan with no-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spread 1/2 cup of the white sauce in the prepared baking dish. Top with 3 to 4 noodles; spread with half of the seafood mixture and 1 1/4 cups sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown; let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

A note from Ginny: Sometimes I’ve found pieces of frozen lobster at the grocery store, thawed it and added it to the seafood mixture.

I highly recommend preparing it the day before and leaving it in the refrigerator until about 30 minutes before baking.

A note from Carol: Ginny and her husband, Ken, will celebrate their golden wedding anniversary this summer. They have been members of St. Donatus Parish all 50 years of their marriage. Originally from the Brooten area, Ken has been a parishioner there most of his life. They have five children and 13 grandchildren.

Ginny’s seafood lasagna is one of more than 650 recipes in the St. Donatus Parish “Fruit of the Spirit” cookbook. To order copies, contact the parish office at stdonatus@tds.net or 320-346-2431. They are on sale for $15 each. (Shipping and handling is $5 for one book or $7 for two.)

Help to feed the hungry here at home

March is Minnesota FoodShare Month.

The annual March campaign is the largest food drive in the state — uniting corporations, faith communities, schools and civic groups to raise money and food for the state’s food shelves. More than 510,000 Minnesotans receive food support. Between 2008 and 2010, statewide visits to food shelves increased 62 percent.

“Catholic Charities Emergency Services Food Shelf usage has doubled in the last five years,” said Trina Dietz, communications specialist for Catholic Charities in the St. Cloud Diocese. “People using the food shelf currently tell us that, in previous years, they were among those who used to donate.”

“Pack the Porch at Pioneer Place,” a community-wide food drive to benefit Catholic Charities Emergency Services Food Shelf, takes place Friday, March 30, from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Pioneer Place on Fifth, 22 5th Ave. S, St. Cloud.

The goal of this unique drive is to fill the entire veranda at Pioneer Place with food. Please consider donating shelf-stable food items or money to assist with this important effort — you can even drop off items without getting out of your car. Most food shelves have the ability to purchase four to nine times as much as the average consumer at the grocery store so money is greatly appreciated as well. (And, all participants will be treated to a cup of coffee.)

Minnesota FoodShare, an interfaith collaboration that fights hunger, gathers donations from corporations to use as incentive funds for Minnesota food shelves. The more food and cash an agency collects at events such as this one, the more incentive funds they receive and the more hungry families they can feed. US Bank will be providing a $2,500 matching gift donation for this event.

Please add the date to your calendar and do what you can to help “pack the porch” at Pioneer Place next Friday.

In the upcoming video, Sara Nelson-Pallmeyer, director of the Minnesota FoodShare, discusses the widespread problem of food insecurity in Minnesota and how the situation differs from hunger issues in the rest of the world. CJK

Maple Salmon

The Salmon Collection — Day 4

Sweet maple syrup, piquant aromatic garlic and the distinctive taste of salmon create a sophisticated balance of flavor in this unique recipe. It’s so simple it could be prepared on any day of the week but elegant enough to serve to company — absolutely “fishlicious!”

My friend Sheila Ballweg-Pulju found the original version on Allrecipes.com a number of years ago. We’ve both enjoyed making it ever since. CJK

Maple Salmon

(Sheila Ballweg-Pulju)

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tbsp. soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1 lb. salmon

In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic powder and pepper.

Spray a shallow baking dish with no-stick spray. Place the salmon in the dish and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish and marinate the salmon in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning once.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake the salmon for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it easily flakes with a fork.

Yield: 4 servings

A note from Sheila: This easy recipe been a family dinner favorite since the day I discovered it. I’ve served the salmon the next day as an appetizer, on crackers and in salads but it’s so good that we rarely have any left over. 

A note from Carol: I wanted to prepare this special recipe for dinner recently but found that there was no time to marinate the fish. So, I prepared the marinade and put it in a baking dish, placed the salmon (skin side down) in the marinade, poured several spoonfuls of it over the topside of the fish and set the dish in the preheated oven. When it was finished baking I again poured several spoonfuls of the marinade — which had reduced beautifully — over the salmon again. I served the fish and the rich-tasting marinade, which I then called a “sauce,” together and it was fabulous!

Be sure to check out Sheila’s other recipes on “Food, Faith and Fellowship.” They include a scrumptious bittersweet chocolate truffle tart, enticing red velvet cake and her mother’s unique recipe for lemon bars.

Pecan Crusted Salmon

The Salmon Collection — Day 3

“Salmon is good by itself but add brown sugar and pecans and it’s really, really good,” Amy Klaphake told me when I called her about this recipe. “It melts in your mouth and it’s so easy to make.”

I tried it a few days ago and couldn’t agree more with everything Amy said. CJK

Pecan Crusted Salmon

(Amy Klaphake)

4 (about 6 oz.) salmon fillets

2 cups milk

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. seasoned salt

2 tsp. pepper

3 tbsp. oil

Place salmon fillets in a large resealable plastic bag; add the milk. Seal the bag and turn to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes; drain.

Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, combine the pecans, flour, brown sugar, seasoned salt and pepper. Coat fillets with pecan mixture, gently pressing into the fish. In a large skillet, brown the salmon in oil over medium-high heat. Transfer to a 15x10x1-inch baking pan coated with no-stick cooking spray. Bake at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Yield: 4 servings

A note from Amy: I usually don’t soak the fish in as much milk or for as long as the recipe calls for. I put it upside down (skin side up) in a glass pan, pour in a little milk, let it soak for about 10 minutes and then pour it off.

I’ve found that the pecan crust mixture makes a lot so I usually freeze half of it and it’s ready to go when I want to make the recipe again.

The first time I made it I browned the fish as directed but since then I’ve skipped that step and put it straight into the oven after I’ve dipped it in the crust mixture. I’ve also put it in a greased aluminum pan and placed it on the grill. It’s turns out great that way as well.

A note from Carol: Amy and I compared notes after I tried this recipe so I did things a little differently. I, too, felt that there was an abundance of the pecan mixture and so I peeled the skin off and covered both sides of the fish with it. (Next time I likely would make half the amount of this crust mixture.)

I followed the recipe and browned the fish — on both sides — since there was crust mixture on both. I made it in an ovenproof skillet and then put that pan directly in the oven rather than using another baking dish.

Amy and her husband, Ron, and their sons, Sammy (4) and Luke (18 mos.) are members of Our Lady of Angels Parish in Sauk Centre.

Amy found the recipe a few years ago in a “Taste of Home” cookbook and has shared it several times since then including in the “Fruit of the Spirit” cookbook, published by St. Donatus Parish in Brooten, where she grew up. To order the cookbook, contact the St. Donatus Parish office at stdonatus@tds.net or 320-346-2431. They are on sale for $15 each. (Shipping and handling is $5 for one book or $7 for two.)