Meatless for Lent - Tortellini Soup

If you are looking for an easy and tasty idea for meatless meals for Lent, this is one that we recently tried and really enjoyed. It will become a meatless staple for us.  

Creamy Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
Dash of crushed red pepper flakes
2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (32 oz) container vegetable broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup sour cream
2 (9 oz) packages frozen cheese tortellini
Grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, for garnish, optional

Directions

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bay leaves and crushed red pepper flakes.

Add diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Stir in fresh basil, Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Simmer on low for 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves from the pot. Use a hand immersion blender to blend the soup (or carefully transfer soup to a blender to blend and return to the pot). Stir in sour cream until well combined. Stir in the cheese tortellini and cook on medium-low until tortellini is cooked, approx. 8 minutes. Serve warm.

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Vasilopita

The following recipe, adapted from Cooking with the Saints, was submitted by Hi Cookery in honor of the feast of St. Basil the Great. Thank you Highlander and Islander!

January 2: Feast Day of St. Basil

Long before we started blogging, Highlander gave Islander the cookbook “Cooking with the Saints” as a Christmas gift. Vasilopita was the very first recipe she made in the new year and for the Feast Day of St. Basil. Now we can blog about the traditional Greek cake that we bake for a simple new year’s celebration at home.

According to the author, Ernst Schuegraf, “different recipes (for Vasilopita) exist, (but) they all include the hiding of a silver coin in the cake, which is supposed to bring luck to the person who finds it. The head of the family slices the cake and distributes the pieces in a very precise order. The first piece is for St. Basil, the second one for Christ, the third one for the oldest member of the family and on down to the youngest.”

The hiding of the coin represents Baby Jesus hiding from King Herod. Different cultures make cakes with hidden coins, beans or trinkets around this time of the year. Include Vasilopita in your recipe repetoire during the 12 days of Christmas, which come to a close on Epiphany (January 6), and celebrate the new year and the Feast Day of St. Basil with this special cake.

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf)

For the cake

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

For the topping

• 1/3 cup nuts, chopped (we used walnuts)
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Line an 8-inch round pan with waxed paper. Lightly grease the bottom and sides with cooking spray or vegetable oil. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Add the flour and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated.

In a measuring cup, pour the milk then stir in the baking powder. Add this to the flour mixture and blend until smooth. In another small cup or shot glass, mix the lemon juice with the baking soda (it will be fizzy). Add this to the cake batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Place a clean coin (optional) in the batter. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping by mixing the chopped nuts and sugar. When the 20-minute baking time is up, remove the cake from the oven and sprinkle the topping over the cake. Return to the oven and continue to bake for 20-30 minutes until the cake is done. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Remove from the pan and transfer to a cake plate or serving platter.

Notes

• If there is a coin hidden in the cake, let others know about the symbolism—and safety!—before they eat their slice. We usually wrap a silver dollar in waxed paper or foil before including it in the cake batter.
• The cake may be decorated with numbers representing the new year.
• Serve Lakror as the main dish, followed by Vasilopita for dessert, for a full meal on the Feast Day of St. Basil. The recipe for Lakror is included in an earlier blog post.
• The Feast Day of St. Basil is observed on January 1 in the Eastern Orthodox Church; January 2 in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches; January 15 in the Coptic Christian and Ethiopian Orthodox churches; January 30 in the Byzantine Rite; and June 14 in the Episcopal Church.
• Bake a galette des rois (3 Kings Cake) a few days later with a hidden bean (instead of a coin) to celebrate Epiphany.

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Lakror (St. Basil Meat Pie)

The following recipe, adapted from Cooking with the Saints, was submitted by Hi Cookery in honor of the feast of St. Basil the Great.  Thank you Highlander and Islander!

January 2: Feast Day of St. Basil the Great

Lakror has an aromatic and tasty ground meat filling sandwiched between layers of crisp, buttery and flaky phyllo dough. Like many special dishes associated around the new year and Epiphany, this meat pie may contain a hidden trinket, such as a coin, to represent the Baby Jesus hiding from King Herod. Traditionally, the one who finds the coin in his/her slice will be blessed with good luck in the coming year!

Recipe

(Adapted from Cooking with the Saints by Ernst Schuegraf)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ¾ pound lean ground meat (we used beef but it is traditionally a mixture of ground beef and lamb)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• pepper to taste
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, minced
• ¼ cup cooked rice
• 3 eggs
• 1 (8 ounces) package of phyllo dough, defrosted according to the package instructions
• ½ cup butter, melted

Directions

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the onions until transparent. Add the ground meat and stir to break up any large chunks. Season with garlic, salt, oregano and pepper. Drain off any grease.

Mix in the parsley, rice and eggs until well blended. Set aside.

Cut the phyllo dough sheets to fit a 9 x 13-inch rectangle or 10×10-inch square baking pan. Brush the bottom of the pan with melted butter. Lay a sheet of the phyllo dough on the bottom, brush with melted butter, add another sheet, brush with butter again and repeat until half of the sheets (about 10) are layered on top of each other. Spread the meat mixture evenly on this layer. Place a clean coin on top of the meat (optional).

Lay a sheet of phyllo dough on top of the meat mixture, brush with melted butter, add another sheet, brush with butter again and repeat until all sheets of phyllo dough are used. Use a sharp knife to score down the meat pie for easier cutting after it is baked. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 35-45 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven. Slice the pie using the score marks as guides. Serve immediately.

Notes

• To stretch out the filling in the meat pie, feel free to substitute diced potatoes for the rice as an ingredient in lakror.
• Heat any leftovers in the oven instead of in the microwave to retain the crispness of the meat pie.
• If there is a coin hidden in the meat pie, let others know about the symbolism—and safety!—before they eat their slice.
• The Feast Day of St. Basil is observed on January 1 in the Eastern Orthodox Church; January 2 in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches; January 15 in the Coptic Christian and Ethiopian Orthodox churches; January 30 in the Byzantine Rite; and June 14 in the Episcopal Church.

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