February 16th, 2010
This delicately sweet and hearty soup is perfect on a snow-filled day like today. With just a few ingredients, the flavors come together. You can get creative here with your favorite greens and spices. I used cumin but feel free to swap for anything else. You can make this soup in advance for weekday lunches or use it to start off a healthy meal.
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
2-inch piece of ginger, chopped
1 1/2 pounds of carrots
1 large sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp cumin
1. Put the oil in a large, deep saucepaun over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the carrots, sweet potato, onion and ginger. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the carrots soften a bit. Add the stock and cook until the vegetables are very tender, 15-20 minutes. Add the cumin.
2. Let cool a bit and pour the soup into a food processor, or use an immersion blender if you have one (I don’t) to puree the soup. Puree until smooth. At this point you can cover and refrigerate it if you’re making it in advance.
3. To serve, pour the soup back into the pot and heat again for a few minutes. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with parsley if you’d like
This is from Mark Bittman’s Food Matters, with some personal touches.
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February 9th, 2010
This is the second, very colorful vegetarian dish that I prepared for Tu B’Shevat last week. Whole wheat pasta gets cloaked in a pistachio/garlic/salt blend and tossed with bright pomegranate seeds and hearty kale. It’s a great cross-section of salty sweetness and one nourishing bowl of pasta!
Save a couple large kale leaves to garnish your serving platter.
8 ounces whole grain linguine or spaghetti
2/3 cup pistachios, toasted
1 medium clove garlic, smashed and chopped
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large bunch of kale, washed, de-stemmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 pomegranate, just the seeds*
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While the water is heating, break the pasta into 1 1/2-inch segments and make the pistachio sauce by pureeing 1/3 cup pistachios, garlic, salt and olive oil in a food processor. Set aside.
Continue reading �
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February 1st, 2010
For my Tu B’Shevat feast on Saturday, I decided to go beyond the plethora of fruit and go-green with a vegetarian dinner. I find myself constantly excited by the recipes on 101 Cookbooks, and I had plenty of creative vegetarian recipes saved to make a full meal. I’ve modified Heidi’s Arugula Pesto Wheat Berries recipe and made it my own here. I had a tough time finding wheat berries and substitued for barley since it comes from Israel, making it one of those special foods to eat on the holiday. Its super starchy character yields a risotto-like quality when blended with cheesy pesto. Barley needs a better PR department. You rarely find it as the shining star in a dish. But this recipe was mine and E’s favorite of the meal.
Let’s give barley its moment in the sun!
Serves 6
3 cups barley
3 garlic cloves
2/3 cup walnuts
1 bunch or 3 cups arugula leaves
1/2 cup Parmesan
2 big pinches salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
10 black Kalamata olives
Simmer the barley in 6 cups of water for about an hour, until plump and soft. While the barley cooks, place the walnuts in a small pan and toast on the stove for 2-3 minutes. Place the walnuts aside.
Make the arugula pesto by combining the garlic, lemon juice, Parmesan, salt and most of the arugula and walnuts (leave some out for garnish) in a food processor. Pulse a few times and then slowly drizzle the olive oil into the food processor as the mixture blends. Stop it a few times along the way and add extra salt or lemon juice as needed. When it is smooth and the barley is done, empty the barley into a serving bowl and pour the pesto over the barley. Mix together so that the pesto evenly coats the barley.
Top the pesto-barley with the remaining arugula leaves, olives, and walnuts. Enjoy!
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January 8th, 2010
If your New Years’ resolutions are already boring you, some Winter entertaining may be in order. These wild mushroom crostini are an earthy, party-starting snack. My sister prepared them for Thanksgiving and our whole family gobbled them up. She drizzles truffle oil on top to add lovely dimension into each bite. These are perfect for a novice chef looking to impress friends. Enjoy!
Makes 36 crostini
36 1/3 inch thick baguette slices
2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup chopped shallots
2 1/4 cups chopped oyster mushrooms
2 1/4 cups chopped, stemmed shiitake mushrooms
1 1/4 cups chopped chanterelle mushrooms
1 cup red wine
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
truffle oil, for drizzling
Preheat oven to 375°F
Arrange baguette slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until golden, about 9 minutes. Cool.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute for 1 minute. Add all mushrooms; saute until beginning to brown for 6 minutes, adding the red wine halfway through. Stir in garlic, saute 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat broiler. Top each toast with about 1 tbsp mushroom topping. Place on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Evenly disperse a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese across all of the toasts, on top of the mushroom mixture.
Delicately drizzle truffle oil on the crisps, about 2 tbsp. Place the crostini in the broiler and broil until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes.
Transfer to a serving platter and serve warm.
Filed under Hors D'oeuvres, Kosher Recipes, Recipes | Comment (0)
December 14th, 2009
This is a guest post from my sister, Jacqueline, who made these sweet and savory turnovers (from Food and Wine) for Thanksgiving and again for a recent holiday party. They’re a big hit, especially with her sister, so I asked her if I could share with you all. The creamy goat cheese and little bites of squash is a delectable combination. Leave yourself ample prep time for this cold-weather treat.
Ingredients (Serves 12):
1. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2. 3 large leeks, white parts only, cut into 1-inch dice (2 cups)
3. 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced 1/4 inch thick
4. 2 garlic cloves, chopped
5. 2 tablespoons thyme leaves
6. Salt and freshly ground pepper
7. One 2-pound butternut squash—peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
8. 14 ounces all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen
9. 3/4 pound fresh goat cheese (1 1/2 cups)
10. 1 large egg, lightly beaten
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the diced leeks and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the shiitake and cook, stirring often, until their liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the thyme and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a medium bowl.
2. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly oil the parchment. In a large bowl, toss the squash with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the squash on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, until softened and starting to brown. Add the squash to the leeks and mushrooms and toss.
3. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, gently roll out the puff pastry to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the pastry into twelve 4-inch squares. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the shiitake-squash mixture onto each square and top with 2 tablespoons of the goat cheese. Lightly brush the edge of the squares with some of the beaten egg. Fold the squares over to form triangles and crimp the edges decoratively with a fork.
4. Arrange the turnovers on the prepared baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart. Brush the tops of the turnovers with the remaining beaten egg. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Filed under , Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Kosher Recipes, Recipes | Comment (0)
December 2nd, 2009
Stuffing may be the last word you want to hear right now, but there was so much interest in my challah stuffing experiment, I thought it worthy of a follow-up.
Since E was celebrating Thanksgiving with us for the first time, I had to reconsider all of my recipes to make them kosher. My typical spinach-artichoke-brie stuffing wouldn’t work with turkey (no milk and meat mixed). I found a recipe for stuffing with fennel, apples and raisins on Williams-Sonoma (perfect!) but when my Mom shopped for baguettes she returned with challah, not wanting to trip-up with something unkosher. My feathers were ruffled at the thought of soggy stuffing since challah has a different texture but I asked for opinions on Twitter.
Since the majority of replies were favorable, I decided to give it a go. Then I encountered the next stuffing issue: milk! Milk can be substituted for soy in many recipes, so I knew what I had to do. But could challah soy milk stuffing actually be good? Oh yes it can! A bonus is that this worked perfectly for my vegetarian relatives. It really satisfies a lot of food restrictions without skimping on flavor. If you don’t need a non-dairy stuffing I would still encourage you to shake your fear of soy! It adds a lovely sweetness that works perfectly with the apples and raisins.
Here is the recipe for the “perfectly pareve” stuffing with fennel, leeks raisins and apples. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
I multiplied to yield a dish for 30 people but adjust according to your guests.
3 challah torn into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 sticks margarine
10 shallots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick
slices
3 fennel bulbs, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 leeks, thinly sliced
3 cups toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
6 Fuji or McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and cut
into 1/4-inch dice
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tsp. finely ground coriander
6 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
6 tsp. chopped fresh sage
3 cups golden raisins
12 cups soy milk
Directions:
Spread the challah out on a baking sheet and let dry overnight.
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Spread margarine on a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.
In a fry pan over medium heat, melt the margarine. Add the shallots and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the fennel, leeks, walnuts and apples and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the fennel is tender, 3 to 4 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the bread and the shallot mixture. Add the coriander, thyme, sage, raisins and the soy milk and stir gently to mix. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the milk is absorbed, about 30 minutes. If the dressing seems dry, add more milk as needed. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
Transfer the dressing to the prepared baking dish and bake until browned and crispy, about 1.5 hours.
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November 20th, 2009
Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is in less than a week. If you’re seeking a new recipe for the big day you’ve no doubt been parsing countless food sites and magazines for the juiciest bird and the heartiest stuffing. While I don’t want to add to the clutter I simply can’t let the holiday go by without sharing some of my favorite dishes. If you haven’t quite honed in on the perfect menu you may find some inspiration here.
Oven-Roasted Wild Mushrooms with Goat Cheese and Chili Oil- Chili might not have its place on the regular Thanksgiving table but there’s nothing wrong with spicing things up a bit. The earthy mushrooms, creamy goat cheese and heat from the chili oil is a delightful cross-section of flavor.
Savory Spinach Artichoke Stuffing with Brie- This rich, cheesy, unique stuffing is a standby of mine. If you’re searching for something different this year, this is it.
Turkey Saltimbocca with Fennel and Peas- If roasting a whole turkey isn’t in the cards for you this year, try these turkey breasts with sage and prosciutto. You can still have turkey for Thanksgiving while saving yourself a lot of time.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage- I recommend this dish for only a small gathering as making gnocchi can be pretty labor intensive. The warm, autumnal flavors are perfect for the holiday.
Bibb Lettuce Salad with Blue Cheese, Avocado and Honey Mustard Balsamic Vinaigrette- Start the meal with some Summery flavors in this simple 5-minute salad.
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Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Porcini Mushrooms- Need a vegetable side dish in a pinch? You can’t beat these basic brussel sprouts that I jazz up with dried porcini mushrooms.
Mini Tomato Tarts with Raclette Cheese and Pesto- This recipe originally calls for 1 tart but I modify it as an hors d’eovures. Despite its fancy sounding name, it only requires a few ingredients.
Whole Wheat Spirals with Homemade Pesto, Sundried Tomatoes and Artichokes- Bring some bright colors to the table with this wholesome pasta.
Wild Mushroom Hunter’s Soup- Here is a quick, deeply flavorful mushroom soup that gets a kick of sherry.
Grandma Pearl’s Mushroom Rolls- It feels like I’ve been requesting these at every family holiday since I learned to talk. Finally I got the recipe from my Grandma and learned how to make them myself. These are a perfect hors d’oeuvres for a large get together as you can make them in advance and even freeze them.
Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onion Squares- Another impressive hors d’oeuvres that can be made in advance, frozen and heated when guests arrive. You won’t be saving any calories on this one but that’s not what Thanksgiving is about!
What am I cooking? This year I’m trying out some new things including a potato, squash, pepper, zucchini “lasagna” from Home Cooking with Charlie Trotter. I always make a savory spinach-artichoke stuffing with brie (featured above) but this year I’m testing out a New York Times recipe with lemon, barley and chive butter. If they prove successful, you’ll find them here. Stay tuned!
Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.
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November 10th, 2009
It has been a long time since I made orecchiette but when I caught this recipe in our pairings book , I remembered how much I love the little parcels of pasta. This is a real hearty, healthy pasta dish that would be plenty on its own but I made it as a side with a rack of lamb, for a terrifically huge Shabbat dinner.
As a hummus freak, I feel silly that I never thought of blending chickpeas in a pasta sauce. The chickpeas thicken things up and coat the pasta perfectly. Tiny bursts of rich chickpea and tomato get trapped in the little ears. The original recipe calls for pancetta and ricotta salata but as I was making lamb and a kosher dish, I ommited these two items. With the pine nuts, currants and chickpeas the dish had a lot going on even without pancetta and cheese. Though maybe I just tell myself that so I don’t feel bad about cutting pancetta from my diet ;) If you do ommit them, you may want to compensate with some extra salt.
Ingredients, Serves 4:
2-3 whole canned plum tomatoes with their juice
1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
4 slices pancetta, cut into 1/4 inch pieces (*optional)
Kosher or sea salt
1 bunch broccoli rabe (recipe also suggests dandelion greens but I made a salad with them instead)
1 pound orecchiette
crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups crumbled ricotta salata cheese (*optional)
2 tbsp dried currants
1/4 cup pine nuts or almost, toasted
Combine the tomatoes and half of the chickpeas in a food processor with 1 cup water; process until smooth.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion and pancetta (if using), stirring often, until lightly browned. Add the rest of the chickpeas and cook a minute or two longer. Stir in the pureed chickpea mixture. Reduce the heat until the mixture is barely simmering.
Meanwhile, combine 6 quarts water with 2 tablespoons salt in a large pan. Bring to a boil. Cook the broccoli rabe a minute or two until just limp; remove with tongs and cool under running water. Add the pasta to the boiling water, stirring well. While the pasta cooks, coarsely chop the greens. Stir the greens into the chickpea sauce. Add salt and crushed red pepper to taste.
When the orecchiete is al dente, reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid, then drain. Return the pasta to the pan and mix in the sauce, adding pasta water as needed for a saucy consistency. Stir in half of the ricotta salata (if using) and all of the currants. Serve the pasta in a large bowl or plate individually. Sprinkle the remaining ricotta salata and the pine nuts on top. Serve immediately.
We enjoyed this with an Eden Valley Syrah since I was serving lamb, but you could also match it up with a lean, juicy Italian red like a Barbera to really make the chickpeas stand out.
Filed under Pasta, Recipes, Side Dishes | Comment (0)
October 29th, 2009
This rack of lamb is both basic and beautiful. I made it for dinner last Friday and its easy preparation allowed me time for more complex side dishes. I served it with an orecchiete with chickpea-tomato sauce (recipe to come) and a golden beet salad. The fragrant sauce this dish renders would be lovely on a variety of meats .
Ingredients:
1 rack of lamb, trimmed and frenched
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry red wine
1 fresh thyme spring, plus additional sprigs for garnish
1 small fresh rosemary sprig, plus additional sprigs for garnish
1 cup meat stock (lamb, beef or duck) or canned low-sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons butter or margarine to make kosher
Preheat the oven to 300°F
Season the rack of lamb all over with salt and pepper. Set a small roasting rack over a heavy pan, set the lamb on the rack and place on the middle rack of the oven. Cook for 30-40 minutes, until the temperature in the center of the middle rib reaches 125F for rare, 130°F for medium-rare or 140°F for medium. Transfer the roasting rack to a work surface and cover loosely with foil.
Set the roasting pan over high heat on top of the stove. Add the wine and herbs and cook, stirring to loosen any bits of meat, until the wine is reduced to about 3 tablespoons. Add the stock and cook until rich and thick. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Remove the sauce from the heat and discard the herb sprigs.
Whisk 1 tablespoon butter/margarine into the sauce and when it is completely incorporated, whisk in the remaining. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Cover the pan and set aside briefly. Carve the rack of lamb between the rib bones.
Serve the sauce alongside the lamb either by pouring onto plates or in a small bowl. Garnish the lamb with herb sprigs and serve immediately.
We enjoyed this lamb with a meaty Edna Valley Syrah. The peppery notes of the Syrah and its robust mouthfeel made an awesome pairing. Enjoy!
This recipe is from our Wine and Food Pairings Cookbook which consistently offers me creative, thoughtful recipes. If interested, you may learn more about it here!
Filed under Kosher Recipes, Lamb, Recipes | Comment (1)
October 28th, 2009
This vegetarian sandwich from 101 Cookbooks (with minor adjustments) is so packed with flavor that even without meat I’m still saying “holy cow, that was good!” I made it for Shabbat lunch last week and it held well overnight in the refrigerator, so it’s perfect for making in advance.
A few simple ingredients (grainy bread, tempeh, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce) plus a bit of extra care and you’ll have it. Roasting the cherry tomatoes with a touch of sugar and olive oil leaves them sweet and blistering. The cross-section of flavor between the smoky tempeh, sweet tomatoes, creamy avocado and crunch of bread is simply awesome. If you’re a big meat eater this sandwich will convince you that vegetarian food can still be packed with flavor and supremely filling. It’s no joke. Enjoy!
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers
8 ounces of tempeh, cut into 1/3-inch thick strips
1 small basket of cherry tomatoes (2 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
scant 1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 small head of romaine lettuce, cored, then cut into 1/4-inch ribbons
1-2 large avocados, mashed with a pinch of salt and a dash of lemon juice just before assembling
4 or 8 extra-thin slices of hearty whole grain bread, well toasted
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Whisk together the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and adobo sauce. Pour 1/3 of the tempeh marinade into an 8×8 baking dish (or something comparable) – you want a dish that is just big enough to hold the tempeh in a single layer – this way it will be fully enveloped by the marinade. Pour the remaining marinade over the top of the tempeh, cover and keep in the refrigerator for a couple hours, overnight or until ready to use.
While the tempeh is marinating, roast the tomatoes. Cut each tomato in half and arrange them in a large oven-proof baking dish. Mix together the olive oil, sugar, and salt and pour this over the tomatoes. Gently toss them a bit, making sure they all get coated, finishing with each tomato facing cut-side up. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or so, until the tomatoes are shrunken and sweet.
When the tempeh is done marinating heat a large pan over medium-high heat and cook the tempeh slices for a few minutes on each side. Set the tempeh slices aside until you are ready to assemble the sandwiches.
To assemble each sandwich take one slice of bread and slather a generous layer of mashed avocado. Place a small helping of the shredded lettuce on top of the avocado, a few tomatoes, then a few slices of the tempeh, and more tomatoes. Slather avocado on the other side and place face-down on top, for a complete sandwich.
I drizzled a tiny bit of olive oil on top to add a hint of moisture and richness since I made these in advance, though that’s not necessary.
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