Blackened Salmon

“Ooh”  I gasped under my breath as the waiter deftly lowered my plate, carefully centering it in front of me. Before I could gain my composure he had swept away with an enthusiastic injunction to me to “enjoy”.

I had been taken to lunch by a friend who was convinced that I would love the fabulous salmon salad this restaurant was known for. This was years ago just when blackened salmon was just becoming a new sensation. Although I’d heard of it, I’d never yet seen it, nor was I at all expecting  my salmon at this lunch to be blackened, but here it was before me…..and very black indeed..

Determined to make this a positive experience for the sake of my friend I bravely, though skeptically, took my first taste, and with that taste I became a fan. Now, years later I now have developed my own version, somewhat modified but very flavorful.  I highly recommend it to all salmon lovers, especially at this season of the year.

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Blackened Salmon
SERVINGS
4people
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
people
COOK TIME
10minutes
PREP TIME
10 minutes
READY IN
20minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
  2. In a shallow bowl, combine the paprika, cayenne, thyme, teaspoon of the onion salt.
  3. In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt 2 ½ tablespoons of the butter. Add the lemon juice.
  4. Working with 1 salmon fillet at a time, dip the top and bottom halves first in the lemon butter, then in the spices.
  5. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the salmon until blackened to your liking about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the oven for 8 minutes.

 

 

Savory Dill Rolls

I never cease to be amazed at the number of Sisters who love to bake bread or want to learn how. It always results in a most satisfying experience for all, both those who make it and those who eat it. So we bake and serve a wide variety of breads for the convent and for our guests. But like every other category of foods, there are always some that have more appeal than others and become old standbys. This is the case with our SAVORY dill bread , which is a favorite all year round, but especially at this time of year when fresh dill is flourishing in our herb garden.

This is a flavorful soft textured dough that can be formed into loaves for slicing or various shaped rolls to accompany salads or dinners. Whatever shape they are baked into they are sure to please.

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Savory Dill Rolls
SERVINGS
3dozen rolls
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
dozen rolls
COOK TIME
12-15 mins (for rolls)20-25 mins (for loaves)
PREP TIME
1 hr30 mins
READY IN
1 hr 45 mins2 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Dissolve yeast in warm water; add milk, sugar, onion, dill, salt, eggs, shortening or margarine, and 6 cups of flour. Mix well.
  3. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic.
  4. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour).
  5. Punch down and form into rolls or loaves. Place on a greased pan and let rise until doubled in bulk.
  6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes for rolls or 20-25 minutes for loaves.

Brother Lawrence’s Stuffed Turkey Cutlets

After a dramatic religious conversion, young soldier Nicholas Herman decided to devote his life to following God and learning more about Christ. He joined a monastery and took the name Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. There, he spent the rest of his life working in the kitchen and repairing his brothers’ sandals. But during his decades of doing seemingly menial jobs, Brother Lawrence discovered a profound truth about having a relationship with God: Experiencing His presence can—and shouldhappen everywhere.  He spent his life serving others.  His letters were later compiled into the now classic book The Practice of the Presence of God.

“He does not ask much of us, merely a thought of Him from time to time, a little act of adoration, sometimes to ask for His grace, sometimes to offer Him your sufferings, at other times to thank Him for the graces, past and present, He has bestowed on you, in the midst of your troubles to take solace in Him as often as you can. Lift up your heart to Him during your meals and in company; the least little remembrance will always be the most pleasing to Him. One need not cry out very loudly; He is nearer to us than we think.”  ― Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God

 

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Brother Lawrence's Stuffed Turkey Cutlets
SERVINGS
4
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
COOK TIME
15 mins
PREP TIME
10mins
READY IN
30 mins

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. ​Between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, pound your turkey cutlets with a meat hammer until thin. Melt 2 Tbsp. each of butter and olive oil in a stove to oven safe skillet such as Calphalon or cast iron. Add your sliced onion and saute until lightly golden and soft. Add baby spinach, sun dried tomatoes, herbs and cook over low heat until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic (if desired) and wine. Cook over low heat until the flavors absorb into the tomatoes and onions.
  2. ​Lay your turkey cutlets on a cutting board. Zest the lemon over each one. Lay your mozzarella cheese on one end. Spoon the onion mixture over your cheese, and then top with a generous grating of fresh Parmesan. Starting w/ the cheese end, roll up each cutlet tightly. Sprinkle some bread crumbs into a shallow bowl, and roll each cutlet in to coat.
  3. ​Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter and olive oil back to your pan, melt over medium heat and add the cutlets. Sautée each side of the cutlets until golden and then place the skillet in a 300 degree oven for about 12​-15​ min. to cook through.
  4. Take the remaining spinach,and microwave for about one minute until just limp. Sprinkle with onion salt and lay on a platter. Place the cutlets on top of the spinach to serve. Pour the juices along the sides of the cutlets just before serving.

cuetlet2

Asian Chicken

Near the first of June, everything is accelerated here in the Community of Jesus, including special events. Attention to gardens, increased numbers of guests and events require increased work. Sisters from our convent kitchen are called on to help with the cooking and serving in our retreat kitchen and guest house. Still, every effort is made to maintain care in preparing meals at the convent with the same attention to details and care.

One of the tricks to doing this is to come up with menus that are as time-saving as possible to prepare but are still healthy, flavorful and appealing. Our menu planners are great at this, as proven by this Asian chicken meal we had for dinner last night. Because the chicken and it’s sauce was so flavorful we served it with plain white rice and fresh rainbow chard sautéed in a little olive oil and fresh garlic.

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Asian Chicken
SERVINGS
4
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
COOK TIME
30-40mins
PREP TIME
10mins
READY IN
40-50mins

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 500°Fahrenheit
  2. Whisk together all ingredients except chicken, then coat chicken all over with sauce.
  3. Arrange pieces, skin sides up in 1 layer without crowding, in a foil-lined large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep).
  4. Roast in upper third of oven until chicken is cooked through and glaze is brown, 30-40 minutes- basting several times.

 

Homemade Strawberry Agave Ice Cream

It’s strawberry season on Cape Cod!  If you take a walk around the community, you’ll see an abundance of perky little red berries peeping out from under their lazy green foliage in many of our gardens.  If we can get to them before the deer and rabbits, then we are bound to have some scrumptious desserts here in the Convent, which is a rare and welcome treat!

Summer on Cape Cod usually conjures up images of days at the beach followed by ice cream and sunsets. We are fortunate to have cream from our Jersey cows, freshly picked strawberries, and a generous donation of agave nectar, so I set out to make a creamy homemade strawberry ice cream.  I found just the recipe to pull all of these together.  Start it the day before as it needs to chill before transferring to your ice cream maker.  Enjoy this on a hot and humid summer day and you are sure to feel refreshed!

 

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Homemade Strawberry Agave Ice Cream
SERVINGS
7
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
COOK TIME
30mins
PREP TIME
10mins
READY IN
24hrs

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. If your strawberries aren’t already pureed, do that in a Cuisinart (I used a potato masher to leave some good chunks). Add lemon juice and set aside.
  2. Beat eggs and egg yolk together very well. Set aside.
  3. In a heavy pot, heat half and half and agave nectar over med-high heat until temperature is 180 F. Stir frequently.
  4. Drizzle ½ cup of hot mixture into eggs, whisking briskly. Add another 1/2 cup in the same manner. (This keeps the eggs from scrambling).
  5. Then, drizzle egg and cream mixture back into the pot, whisking briskly.
  6. Turn heat down to med-low and bring to 190 F, stirring bottom constantly. To check for doneness, dip a metal spoon in the pot. Remove. Run a finger through the custard coating the spoon (like parting the 'custard sea'). If the custard stays on either side of the stripe (doesn't run in to fill the space), then it's done.
  7. Strain into a 2 qt. bowl and add all but 1/3 cup of the strawberry puree to this.
  8. Cool in an ice bath and then transfer to fridge overnight.
  9. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is done, take the remaining 1/3 cup of the strawberry sauce and swirl it directly into the finished ice cream. Freeze again, if needed, before serving.

Homemade Granola with Yogurt

If you should be up and around at 5:30 every a.m. you are apt to see two young sisters making their way down the road to the barn to milk our 3 cows. These gorgeous brown guernseys keep us well supplied with quality fresh milk every day. This makes it possible for us to produce our own yogurt and soft cheeses which we have doing for some time. Only recently however, have we begun to use the Crockpot method which results in a wonderfully thick satisfying yogurt with little to no effort. Combine this with our homemade granola and some fresh fruit and you have a beautiful, bright, healthy breakfast that is a favorite at the convent.

We decided to offer it for our last oblate retreat and it was met with such overwhelmingly positive response from so many we have decided to serve it again in the near future. Perhaps you would like to give it try even if you don’t have any cows of your own. Healthy Summer Breakfast!

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Homemade Granola with Yogurt
Granola -
Serves: 12
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cool Time: overnight
Ready In: Next day

Crockpot Yogurt -
Serves 16
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes approximately
Cool Time: 3.5-4 hours
Cure Time: 10-12 hours
Drain Time: 2 -4 hours (if thicker yogurt is desired)
Ready In: Next day

What You will Need:
Electric Crockpot
Some Type of Cooking or Dairy Thermometer
A Wisk or Fork
A Colander
Muslin, Plyban Cheescloth or some woven type of woven cloth
Bath towel or woolen scarf
Oven or Other draft free warm location
SERVINGS
12(for granola)
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
(for granola)
COOK TIME
PREP TIME
READY IN

Ingredients

Instructions

Granola
  1. Heat the first four ingredients (through the vanilla) in a skillet, then add the next 2 items (oats and cinnamon) and mix well
  2. Spread evenly on paper lined sheet pans. Bake 1 hr 15 min on 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Leave granola in oven overnight and package the following day -- mixing in the raising first and breaking up chunks
Crockpot Yogurt
  1. Place the gallon of milk into the crock pot and cover. Heat the milk slowly until the milk is between 180 Fahrenheit - 190 Fahrenheit it is vital to heat the milk to at least 180 Fahrenheit.
  2. Allow the milk to cool to 110 Fahrenheit (takes 3.5 - 4 hours). Milk should not be a higher or lower temperature. There may be a skin formed on the milk (if you are using non homogenized or raw milk). If so, carefully remove it.
  3. Place 1 cup of the warm milk in a separate small bowl. Add 2 Tablespoons of starter yogurt to the cup of milk. (no more than 2 Tablespoons - that is all you need)
  4. With a fork or whisk, gently stir the starter yogurt into the milk.
  5. Next, pour the milk back into the crock pot and stir gently from side to side. Do not stir in circles, use a careful and slow up and down lifting motion across the length of the crock.
  6. Lift it out of the electric base and place it in a cool oven. Lay a bath towel or shawl around the crock and leave it undisturbed overnight or for 10 - 12 hours. You want the milk to stay nice and warm. An oven with a pilot light or electric light turned on works great. Do not disturb the milk and keep the oven door closed. After 10 -12 hours your yogurt should be solid with a layer of whey on the top. If you like thicker yogurt, you'll need to drain or carefully pour off the whey by pouring it into a colander lined with cheesecloth that has been set on top of a large pot.
  7. It takes about 2 hours of draining to make a thick natural yogurt, and about 3 or 4 hours to make a Greek style yogurt. Next, yogurt can be stored in a refrigerator or cooler to keep it sweet tasting. Some people prefer a tart yogurt and leave it out at room temperature for over 24 hours. The longer it stays at room temperature, the tarter it will become. Save a little back for the next batch!

*(any kind of yogurt, but must have both the active
and live cultures of lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus
thermophilus. Read the label to be sure that you have the right
starter bacteria)

Yogurt can be sweetened with jam, sugar, honey, or whatever you like.
At the convent, we received a wonderful donation recently of Agave
nectar. This natural sweetener has made some lovely batches of yogurt
for our guests!