Shakti Rice

3/4 C basmati rice, uncooked
2 tbs clarified butter or ghee
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp curry
3 C homemade chicken broth
1/4 C carrots, finely diced
1/4 C peanuts, chopped


Preheat oven to 375. Fry rice and onions in butter until onion is transparent. Add spices and stir until well mixed. Pour mixture into 1 qt casserole dish. Add chicken broth and carrots to same pan as you fried the rice mixture and bring to a boil. Pour boiling chicken broth into casserole. Add peanuts. Bake 35-40 minutes.

Black Forest Galettes

A St. Valentine's Day dessert
1 C buckwheat flour
1/3 C unbleached white flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C cocoa powder, unsweetened
1 1/2 C milk
3 Tbs barley malt
2 Tbs melted butter
3 eggs

Place all ingredients in a food processor. Mix until smooth. Let batter rest in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Filling

8 oz marscapone cheese
3 Tbs black cherry preserves
2 Tbs port wine

Mix in food processor until smooth.


Sauce

1 24 oz jar sour cherries
2 Tbs arrowroot powder
1/4 tsp almond extract
sugar to taste

Strain cherries reserving liquid. Place liquid in small saucepan and add arrowroot and sugar. The sauce should still retain some tartness. Boil until liquid thickens slightly and coats back of spoon. Add almond extract. Add reserved cherries. Let cool.

To cook crepes use 2 frying pans-- one 7 inch, one larger. Melt butter in pans. If batter has thickened while resting add a little water. Ladle batter into 7" pan and swirl to coat bottom. Cook until edges are set and crepe begins to buckle away from pan. Invert pan over larger frying pan to cook other side. Cook until middle has just set.

Spread marscapone over crepe and fold once. Cover with cherry sauce.

Wild Salmon and Rice Burgers

Wild Rice Wild Caught Salmon Wild

1 lb Salmon or Arctic Char, skinned
4 Tbs fresh parsley coarsely chopped
1/2 C wild rice, cooked
1/4 C hazelnuts
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 slices whole grain sourdough bread
1 Tbs dried, rubbed sage
butter for frying

Chop hazelnuts in food processor. Divide salmon in half. Coarsely slice one half and put in food processor along with parsley, half of the rice, egg, and salt. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Chop the remaining salmon into small chunks. Mix with salmon mixture, and hazelnuts. Add Dijon mustard and remaining wild rice. Form into patties. Toast bread until golden and make breadcrumbs from toast in food processor. Add sage to breadcrumbs and spread mixture on plate. Dredge patties in breadcrumb mixture. Fry in butter on medium heat.

Turkish Meatball Hors d'Oeuvres

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C packed fresh cilantro
1/4 C packed fresh parsley
1/2 C walnuts
1/4 tsp whole allspice
1/4 tsp whole cardamom seeds (the seeds inside the pod, not the whole pod)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of cayenne
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
I C cooked kasha (toasted whole buckwheat groats)
1 lb ground lamb
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400. Cook kasha according to package directions (or if you purchased it in bulk without package-- it is 1 part kasha to 2 parts water and boil for 10 minutes or until thick). Grind allspice and cardamom seeds in a spice mill or small coffee grinder dedicated to spices. Add onion, garlic, salt, fresh herbs, walnuts, and all the spices to a food processor, whirl until ingredients are finely chopped, but not pasty. Transfer mixture to a bowl and combine with kasha, lamb, and egg. Form into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and arrange on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, turn with spatula, bake 10 minutes more.