Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers by Moosewood Collective (summer reads TXT) 📕

Place the stack of filo sheets on a dry surface with the short sides at the top and bottom. Brush the top sheet lightly with oil. About 3 inches from the bottom edge, spread a generous cup of the wilted slaw in a line parallel to the bottom. Pick up 2 sheets at the bottom edge and lift them up and over the filling and roll up. Filo is fragile but forgiving; don’t fret over small rips at the start. Brush the finished roll with oil. Lift it carefully and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this process to make 2 more rolls. Place the rolls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. With a sharp knife, slice the rolls into 4-inch pieces. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

While the egg rolls bake, make the Duck Sauce to serve on the side.

greek antipasto pita

This sandwich has been a favorite of Moosewood Restaurant’s customers for more than 30 years. (See photo)

SERVES 4 TO 6

TIME: 20 MINUTES

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or cider vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried dill or oregano)

1 celery stalk

1 large tomato

½ red bell pepper

1 cucumber

¼ red onion

8 pitted kalamata olives

salt and pepper

4 pita breads

In a bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, and dill. As you prepare the vegetables, add them to the bowl: dice the celery, tomato, and bell pepper, seed and dice the cucumber, mince the red onion, chop the olives. Toss well. Add salt and pepper to taste. The filling tastes best if it sits at room temperature for at least 10 minutes. It will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Cut the pitas in half and toast them lightly. To serve, stuff each pita half with filling.

variation

Add about 3 ounces of seasoned seitan, chopped. Look for seasoned seitan in the refrigerator section near the tofu in natural foods stores and many supermarkets.

serving & menu ideas

Top with crumbled feta, diced fresh mozzarella, or shredded provolone cheese.

Shrimp Curry with Snow Peas

Seafood is a perfect ingredient for quickly prepared simple suppers—and there’s no shortage of possibilities for variety. Some of the most easily prepared suppers for nonvegetarians are built around fish that is lightly seasoned or topped with a basic sauce. Steam, broil, bake, grill, pan-fry, or poach the fish—whichever procedure you prefer—and then top it with:

Spicy Peanut Sauce

Creamy Caper Sauce

Red Pepper Butter Sauce

Mushroom Sherry Sauce

Sauce Niçoise

Brown Butter Sauce

Classic Pesto

Herbed Aioli

Tartar Sauce

Chipotle Mayonnaise

Flavored Butter

Cooking Methods

BAKING Baking can be done in a very hot oven (400° to 450°) for a short time, about 10 minutes per inch of thickness, or in a moderate oven (350° to 375°) for a longer time, but always preheat the oven, or the outside of the fish may be overdone before the inside is done. Bake the fish in an oiled pan, perfectly plain or brushed with butter or oil, drizzled with lemon juice, and seasoned.

BROILING & GRILLING Particularly good for fatty fish; lean fish should be basted with oil or butter. The goal in broiling and grilling is that the surfaces are nicely seared at the same time that the inside is cooked. The timing depends on how hot the broiler or grill is and how far the fish is from the heat. Do not broil cuts much thicker than an inch because the outside may become leathery before the inside is done.

PAN-FRYING & SAUTÉING Pan-fry fish in a skillet on medium-low heat, in a little butter or oil. Don’t crowd the fish or use a lid because either will cause steam, which prevents browning and crisping. Pan-fry 1 inch-thick fish for about 4 minutes on each side.

Sauté fish in a skillet on medium-high heat in just enough oil to prevent sticking. Sautéing is very quick—the fish should be in and out of the pan in minutes.

For either method, fish should be dry when it goes into the pan. Dust the fish with a light coating of flour or cornmeal if you wish. When done, the skin will be crisp and the flesh moist and succulent. Season the fish after it’s cooked.

POACHING Poach fish on the stovetop in enough water, broth, or wine and water to cover. Bring the liquid to a boil, add the fish, and reduce the heat to very gently simmer the fish for about 10 minutes per inch of thickness, until it loses its transparent look and flakes easily. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon.

To oven-poach, preheat the oven to 400°, place the fish in an oiled baking pan, add about a cup of liquid, and cover with foil. Cook until done, about 15 minutes for salmon fillets.

STEAMING Steaming liquid can be flavored with herbs, spices, and vegetables, or herbs and spices can be laid on top of and under the fish. Rub the fish with a light coating of oil and place it on a rack or heatproof plate inside a pot with a tight lid. Or you can steam the fish in a cheesecloth bag suspended in the steam like they do around the Chesapeake Bay. Steam fish for about 4 minutes per ½ inch of thickness.

Choose the Freshest

With fish, freshness is all-important—more important, we think, than the kind or cut of the fish. Even when a recipe calls for a particular fish, we’ll substitute whatever fish is freshest at the market that day, and it works out fine.

Your best bet for consistently good seafood is finding a market with knowledgeable and honest people behind the counter. Talk to them. Ask what they’ll be taking home for dinner. They know the fish and know what’s good. Sometimes the most reasonably priced fish is also the highest quality. (When a species is abundant, fishermen bring in their catches more often and the fish is shipped more quickly, making the price lower and the fish fresher