Lenten Fast and weekly Lenten Suppers

Our Lenten Fast of course begins on Ash Wednesday February 18th.

As last year we will have Lenten potluck suppers. 

When  gather each week in lent and have a potluck of foods prepared according to the guidelines of the Orthodox practice for the Lenten fast:  Meat, animal products (cheese, milk, butter, eggs, lard),fish (meaning fish with backbones), olive oil and wine (all alcoholic drinks) are not consumed during the weekdays of Great Lent. Octopus and shell-fish are allowed. On weekends ( Since, Sunday is always a feast day and Saturday is still marked among the orthodox as the Sabbath also a day of celebration), ol­ive oil and wine are permitted. We are fasting in this way together, mainly when we come together for meals during lent.  Some of us may choose to follow the fast throughout lent or on certain days (Wednesday and Fridays are traditional fast days)

Here are some links about fasting for Orthodox Christians for how Orthodox seeing fasting in General and the fast of Lent (Great Lent): http://www.antiochian.org/fasting-great-lent , http://www.abbamoses.com/fasting.html , 

If you have followed the Lenten fast and/or have vegan recipes that fit the fasting guidelines please send out those recipes by replying to this e-mail.

Here’s some more resources and a recipe:

As we've said the fast is mainly vegan, so if you have on hand a vegan cookbook, most of those recipes should do for the fast.  And if you have any questions consult the fasting guidelines we sent out last week.

First here is an orthodox vegan blog:http://orthovegan.blogspot.com/

And a Serbian recipe:

Ajvar is a Croatian / Serbian roasted eggplant-sweet-pepper mixture, sometimes referred to as vegetarian caviar. It can be mashed or left chunky, depending on personal taste, and served as a relish, vegetable or spread on country-style white bread likepogacha as an appetizer. Its smoky flavor is a great match for grilled or roasted meats, especially lamb.

You can vary this recipe by adding chopped hot red chiles and onion, and substituting red wine or red wine vinegar for the lemon juice. Bulgarian kiopooluis similar but it uses green peppers instead of red and tomatoes are added.

Makes 6 servings of Ajvar

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggplants, about 3 pounds
• 6 large red bell peppers
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup good-quality olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley (optional)

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 475 degrees. Place washed eggplants and peppers on a baking sheet with a lip to catch any juices, and roast until their skins blister and turn black, about 30 minutes.
2. Place roasted vegetables in a heatproof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let them steam for 10 minutes.
3. Peel off and discard blackened skins, stems and seeds. In a large bowl, mash or chop vegetables, depending on how smooth or chunky you like your ajvar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add garlic and lemon juice, and drizzle in oil, stirring constantly.
4. Transfer to a glass dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley for garnish, if desired. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.