Monthly Archives: April 2015

Onion Skins, Eggs and Easter…One of these things just doesn’t belong here…

April 11, 2015

I bet when you were little, you ordered off the kid’s menu?  Not me.  I wasn’t allowed to order hot dogs or mac and cheese like every other kid.  My dad would order a NY strip or baby beef liver for me.  I know, FWP (first world pain).  Did you dye your Easter eggs light blue, pink and yellow?  Yeah, not me.  Look!

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Onion Skins, Eggs and Easter…One of these things just doesn’t belong here…

Can you believe I have never dyed Easter eggs any other color than red?  While most kids play around with PAAS egg dye, I was busy in the kitchen with my mom, dying our Easter eggs red…using onion skins.  Yes!  It’s true.  You see, I’m Greek, and that’s what we do.

The egg is the quintessential symbol of Easter, springtime and new life.  Greeks color their Easter eggs red, which symbolizes the blood that Christ shed on the Cross for us.  The egg is also symbolic of the tomb of Christ, once cracked open with a hearty “Christos Anesti” in the annual egg cracking contest, also symbolizing the opening of the tomb, the Resurrection and new life.  Or just bragging rights to the “hardest egg to crack” title.

Greek culture is full of meaning and symbolism around the holidays.  So how do you get more meaning and symbolism into your Easter?  Here’s how:

How to dye your eggs red for Pascha

1 dozen eggs

the papery skins from 10-12 really large brown onions

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

5 cups of water

Start by peeling the brown papery skins of the onions.  This is a really good time to decide to make french onion soup.  Place the onions skins in a pot and cover with 5 cups of water.  Add the vinegar and bring the whole thing to a boil.  Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Carefully strain the dye from the onion skins.  Let the dye cool off.

When you are ready to color your eggs, place them in a taller narrow pot in a single layer as best you can and cover them with the dye.  Bring to a boil.  Again, turn heat down and simmer.  It should only take about 10-12 minutes for the eggs to start to turn color.  Simmer no more than 20 minutes, but things should be looking how you like in under 15 minutes.  Remove eggs, dry and shine up with some olive oil.

Xristos Anesti!

-Kallie

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Feeling Crabby? These Crab Cakes Will Make You Smile

April 5, 2015

We all have bad days, crabby days. Rainy days and Mondays always get you down?  Well, I have the solution: Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes. Look! =)

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Feeling Crabby?  These Crab Cakes Will Make You Smile

Most people cheer themselves up with some shopping therapy in a clothing store.  Not me.  I cheer myself up at Whole Foods.  A brand new Whole Foods just opened up my neighborhood.  I can walk there!  And I do.  Almost. Every. Day.  To celebrate their grand opening, I made these Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Cabbage, Carrot and Kohlrabi Slaw.

What’s kohlrabi you ask?  It’s in the “wild mustard” family, and kind of looks like a turnip, but tastes like broccoli stems or the core of a cabbage.  What craziness has nature created???  It’s the Frankenstein of vegetables.  Just try it, it’s good for you.  Adds a nice texture to your slaw too.

Let’s cheer you up…here’s how:

Crab Cakes & Cabbage, Carrot & Kohlrabi Slaw (serves 4 very hungry or crabby people)

Crabcakes (makes 8 cakes)

1 pound lump crab meat

1 egg

2 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise

1 & 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stalk celery, diced

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup bread crumbs (gluten free works too)

Open and rinse a can of jumbo lump crab meat.  Pick through it just to be sure there are not broken shell pieces, however unlikely.  You don’t want to bite down on something you may have missed.  In your bowl of crab meat, add the mayonnaise, egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, celery, parsley and bread crumbs.  Mix gently so that you don’t break the lumps down to much, you want to keep it on the chunky side.  Shape into 8 crab cakes and put in refrigerator for 30 minutes before cooking.

When you are ready to cook, heat up a cast iron pan with some olive oil and fry up your crab cakes until nicely browned on each side and heated through.  Serve with slaw (recipe to follow) and a wedge of lemon.

Cabbage, Carrot and Kohlrabi Slaw

1/2 small cabbage thinly shredded

2 carrots shaved

1 large kohlrabi (spiralized)

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Juice of 1/2 – 1 lemon

salt/pepper

Shred, shave and spirals your veggies.  Dress at last minute with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and serve.

Enjoy,

Kallie =)

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