Yesterday we asked you for your cupboard challenges - all that stuff left over from cleaning out your cupboards for the Spring Cure. You probably have things you don't want to get rid of but you'd like to use up. Reader mandarinmarie took us up on the offer and so here's her Cupboard Challenge. She writes...
The things that need to get used: lentils, canned salmon, barley, clam juice, raisins, and moonshine jelly. The moonshine jelly is really just a wildcard.
Whoa - moonshine jelly! We have never seen such. What is it? Can it be used like regular jelly - like for peanut butter and moonshine sandwiches? Or perhaps to glaze a ham...
The rest of this haul is pretty straightforward. We would suggest cooking the barley with a little chicken broth and maybe a splash of clam juice and shredding in the salmon for a healthy one-bowl weeknight supper.
You could do the same with lentils, although this time of year all we want is a nice warm lentil salad with goat cheese crumbled in and lots of fresh spring parsley wilted with bacon to flavor. See our recipe here:
How would you help mandarinmarie use up her cupboard contents - either separately or all together?
(Image: Ohm/Marie at Flickr Cure Group)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I grew up eating salmon croquettes. Mix the salmon with a couple of eggs, an onion if you have it, and some flour (or, as my mom used, crushed saltine crackers). Make patties and fry in some oil. You could throw some barley into the mix, too. Raisins for dessert? Good luck, mandarinmarie!
view Elizabeth P's profile
you could make this awesome fish soup from elise... http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000048dads_fish_stew.php with the salmon and clam juice.
then make and freeze the barley lentil soup with chard from epicurious.
toss a salad and put some raisins on top. or make a batch of cooking light's oatmeal cookies.
what time's dinner?
view epiffani's profile
I'm not being sarcastic in any way, but if you really don't know what to do with the food for yourself, and if you have dogs, probably even cats, you could make some really healthy treats/meals for them with the salmon and clam juice and probably the barley and lentils too.
Just not the raisins, they can be toxic to dogs.
I am highly intrigued by this moonshine jelly!
view bobcatsteph3's profile
Well, there are rice pilafs with raisins, and pilafs with lentils. So a barley pilaf with raisins and/or lentils?
It would be a nice accompaniment with the salmon cakes.
Spinach Catalan would also be great...it's the only reason why I have raisins in my pantry:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/1889
view JenPDX's profile
Strangely, I too have a jar of moonshine jelly in my pantry. It was gift from North Georgia family (along with a jar of peach butter that lasted about 5 minutes).
One of my favorite meals lately is a sweet potato curried lentil dish(recipe was in the NY Times around Thanksgiving, as part of a vegetarian entrees article). Since we eat fish, we cook a piece of salmon and then break it up and mix it in the individual servings of curry. Its really delicious.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/dining/142arex.html?_r=1&ref=dining&oref=slogin
view carlyf's profile
Canadian Living has a famous Barley Lentil soup recipe that I've made many times. It's wonderfully simple for a rainy spring day.
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/barley_lentil_soup.php
view ADonuts's profile
"Strangely, I too have a jar of moonshine jelly in my pantry. It was gift from North Georgia family (along with a jar of peach butter that lasted about 5 minutes)."
Carlyf, my moonshine jelly was a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law and came with peach cider that was incredible. She got them on a trip to Georgia. Mabye it's from the same farm!
I'm basically scared to open it.
view mandarinmarie's profile
Make the barley with some lentils mixed in. Chill it and add a vinaigrette to it, then some of those raisins. Add crisp and steamed veggies and you have a barley salad kind of thing. I suppose you could add the salmon to it as well.
view sciencegeek's profile
A dish I invented as a teen is something I do with either canned salmon or tuna. Mix it all up with generous amount of chopped onions and tomato, then a load of cottage cheese. Garlic salt and pepper to taste. Chill slightly. Yum.
view Elizabeth II's profile
Moonshine jelly... hmmm...
What I could find online says in part: Georgia Moonshine Jelly is delicious when smoothed on warm toast or buttery biscuits. This jelly is made with white wine and a little touch of moonshine in the North Georgia Mountains. (This product contains no alcohol.)
so I guess, crack it open and see if you like it on toast. I imagine you could use it as you'd use any light grape jelly... maybe jelly filled cookies? Crepes? Have a brunch party?
view KatieD's profile
I had a jar of moonshine jelly in my jar at one time also. I bought it for the simple fact that it was moonshine jelly. I also bought some scuppernog wine for the same reason...who ever heard of scuppernog's? Anways, the jelly is best left in the jar. I've tried eating it and it really doesn't go with anything. I think it's just one of those novelties that are best left on the shelf. Sorry. :-(
view ll's profile
I love raisins in salads. You can also make a waldorf chicken salad too.
view heather lauren's profile
Barley and Lentils are great in vegetable soup - so is the Clam juice, but I tend to use it most for Linguine w/ White Clam Sauce.
Raisins are delicious in a Roasted Lamb or Roast Chicken - but also in Bread Pudding after soaking in Rum or Brandy - but perhaps the Moonshine jelly could be watered down and used for that too? Or as a de-glaze with the soaked Raisins for Porkchops?
I would use the salmon the way often use Tuna (in Olive Oil, of course) - on top of a simple green salad with a soy-ginger vinagrette.
view bepsf's profile