Split Pea Curry

This excellent curry is a fine alternative to a traditional split pea soup (such as the first post on this blog). This one is based on the recipe entitled "Lemon-Split Pea Soup" from The Art of Seasonal Cooking by Perla Meyers (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991), which, despite its name, contained lemon only in the garnish. No matter. It is a fine recipe, and I made only a few small changes to suit my taste.

I would certainly also try this with lentils. I also plan on adding okra and/or potatoes in a future iteration. Stay tuned.

Meyers called for heavy cream, which struck me as profoundly gratuitous. I added light cream instead, and still felt that it was unnecessary if the soup was made with a good stock. I suppose the light cream could do something for the soup if using a commercial broth; for homemade broth, don't bother (or use less).

Since the soup is pureed at the end, it is acceptable to prep the carrots in a food processor.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions, peeled and finely diced
• 3 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 1/2 cups split green peas, rinsed
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 1/2 cup light cream (optional, see above)
• 2 tsp. minced jalapeño peppers (optional)
• Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a heavy soup pot, heat the butter and oil over medium-low heat. Once butter is melted, add onions and peppers. Sauté until onions are soft, stirring frequently, about 7-10 minutes.
2. Add the carrots and continue to sauté for 5-6 more minutes or until carrots begin to soften.
3. Add the cumin and stir well to combine. Add the peas and stir to combine. Allow to cook with the onion mixture for a minute or two.
4. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and allow to cook for 45 minutes.
5. If you have an immersion blender, use it to puree the soup to the desired consistency. Otherwise, puree in a conventional blender or food processor in small batches, then return to the pot.
6. Add the cream (if using) and stir to combine. 
7. Salt to taste.

Serve with bread. Makes an excellent leftover.

Butternut Squash Bread (or muffins)

Butternut squash has a flavor profile related to pumpkin (the squash is milder and softer). Generally speaking, then, if something works with pumpkin, it will probably work with butternut squash.

This butternut squash bread is based on the recipe found here. It was very good, but needs tweaking. I followed the first posted suggestion to make it less sweet, and still found it bordering on saccharine; and there was not enough salt to emphasize the squash.

This proportions below are for my next attempt, based on my current impressions; I have not yet tried them this way.

I have not yet decided how best to prepare the squash itself. The successful methods I've used are to peel it, cut it into pieces and boil it until soft (easy, but nutrient-robbing); or to cut it in half, remove the seeds and bake, cut side down, at 425 for 45 minutes. Steaming would probably be great, but I don't have a steamer. I once tried peeling it and then baking it, but the exposed part formed an unpalatable outer "skin" that could not be pureed.

A variant I would like to try is to add shredded carrots or zucchini (or both?) to the batter.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups butternut squash, cooked and mashed
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Spray three nonstick 9" x 5" loaf pans (or three 6-muffin tins) with nonstick spray.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
3. Add remaining ingredients and mix until there are no lumps.
4. Fill each loaf pan half-full with batter. (Fill muffin tins 2/3 full.)
5. For loaves, bake for about 70 minutes; for muffins, about 35 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool on a rack briefly before serving.

Recipe wishlist (bump)

This post has been moved up from its original time of posting.

The following are things that either I have done and not written, or have never done. This post will be altered as I think of things, and try the things I've already thought of. Suggestions on particularly good versions are welcome:

02/28/2008: This post has gotten sufficiently long and complex that I'm breaking it down into more useful categories.

03/22/2008: The lack of new posts lately has been the result of extensive preparation of existing recipes. Refinements to posted recipes will be identified as such, Elliot!

NEED TO WRITE UP:

• Coq au vin recipe (based on the one from Cook's Illustrated)
  

NEED TO GET RECIPE FROM MOM:

• Homemade pesto sauce
• Radiatore with spinach sauce
• Blueberry pie
• Rugelach
• Shallot salad dressing (I know you already gave it; I lost it)
  
• Caesar Salad dressing

THINGS THAT WENT HORRIBLY WRONG:

• Curry goat (how do you make it not tough?)

SAUCES:

• Sweet pepper relish
• Tomato ketchup

SOUPS:

• Oxtail soup
• Meat borscht
• Russian Solianka
  

APPETIZERS:

• Kaddo (baby pumpkin with yogurt sauce)
• Mushrooms in Escabeche sauce
• Swedish meatballs
• Salmon mousse
• Eggplant with walnuts and pomegranate sauce
  

SALADS / SIDES:

• Gallo Pinto (Costa Rican rice and beans)
• Gigantes Plaki (Greek lima beans)

ENTREES:

• Dafina
• Chicken biryani
• Braised rabbit with olives
• Chicken piccatta
• Osso Buco (perhaps using lamb shanks)
• Chicken Coconut Curry
• Beef Stroganoff
• Baked Beans
• Stuffed cabbage

DESSERTS:

• Peanut Butter Pie
• Black bean brownies
  

How to dice an onion

Every once in awhile, I notice that I take for granted a technique that is highly non-obvious. How to dice an onion is one of them. There is no such thing as a chopped onion: these are only irregularly diced ones.

Dicing an onion takes seconds and results in pieces so small that they are sure to dissolve into flavor-enhancing invisibility as a soup or stew progresses.

As with my other explanations on knife skills, this description is no substitute for classroom instruction and I am totally not responsible for you cutting yourself if you choose to try this.

Always use the end of your knife that's furthest from the handle--at least the last third, if not the last sixth. This gives you far more control.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Hone your chef's knife with a steel.
2. Begin breathing only through your mouth. Don't breathe through your nose for even a second until you're done dicing.
   
3. Cut the stem end off of your onion. Cut a portion of the root end off, being sure to leave the root intact.
4. Cut through the two ends of the onion such that half of the stem end and half of the root end remain in each of the hemispheres. Remove the skin.
5. Turn your knife at an angle tangent to the hemisphere (such that it points to the middle of the onion), beginning almost parallel to the board at the far right side of the onion. Cut almost all the way through the onion, but do not cut through the root. This will hold the onion together and make it easier to dice. Make incisions in 1/4" increments.
6. Turn the onion 90 degrees and slice it into 1/4" slices. The onion will instantly fall apart into tiny pieces.
   

Voila!

Beef Barley Soup

I honestly can't believe I didn't already have this recipe written up on the blog. Not a cold month goes by where I don't make this at least once, either with beef or with dark meat chicken: both work equally well.

Don't bother making this soup if you don't have homemade broth. The recipe is designed to emphasize each of the ingredients, so bad ingredients equal bad soup.

As with lamb, the meat will become tough if you allow it to reach a boil. I should probably measure the actual temperature I use with a meat thermometer and put it here.

The fundamentals are the use of mushrooms, onions, rosemary and butternut squash--and, of course, the technique. There is a good deal of give in how to make the stock. I often use a half a cup of fresh cider (or a bottle of hard cider or brown ale) in place of the apple. Use beers only with beef; avoid them with chicken. Do not use wine, light-colored beers or porters. Don't use sweet potatoes; every time I try using sweet potatoes, I regret it.

The recipe, as written, gives a soup so hearty you can almost eat it with a fork. Add more broth if desired.

INGREDIENTS:

• 10 cups homemade chicken broth
• 2 lbs. shoulder chuck, trimmed and cut into 1" cubes (or boneless chicken thighs, cut in half)
• 1 sour apple, finely minced (food processor is fine)
  
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 10 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small (1 to 1 1/2 lb) butternut squash, cut into 3/4" cubes
• 2 yukon gold potatoes, cut into 3/4" cubes
  
• 4-6 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1 cup barley, rinsed
  
• 1/3 oz. fresh rosemary, removed from its stem
• 1 tsp sugar
  
• Olive oil for sauteing
• Salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the beef and sear on all sides until brown. Remove and set aside.
3. Add more olive oil if needed. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the onions, garlic and sugar; sauté until the mixture begin to turn golden, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté for 5 more minutes.
5. Add the apples and rosemary; continue to sauté for a few minutes more.
6. Add the dry barley and continue to sauté for 5 minutes more, stirring constantly. The barley will absorb liquid from the other ingredients and roast slightly.
7. Add the beef and the remaining vegetables; mix thoroughly.
8. Pour broth over mixture; cover and set heat to low. Allow to cook for approximately 1 1/4 hours, being careful to keep heat just below a boil.
9. Add salt to taste.

PAIRINGS: Serve with hard cider or brown ale.

Lamb and Tomatillo Stew

I invented this stew for my mother's birthday when I was an undergraduate. Since then, I have made a few variations on it: one involving tender cactus, another involving mixed beans. This time I decided to use potatoes and green tomatoes; I think it worked very nicely.

One thing to note is that it's very, very easy to heat the lamb too hot while stewing; if you do, it will end up tough. Bringing to a boil is the kiss of death. I haven't gotten this exactly right in quite a long time; if anyone has a trick, please do share.

This dish seems far and away best suited to the spring, when the early-season tomatoes are still green. But a close second is fall--cold enough at night to justify a soul-warming stew, but warm enough during the day that a cilantro-and-lemon combination would still be welcome.

An awful lot of chopping needs to go into this stew. Indeed, by the end, I broke down and used a mini-prep to prepare the herbs and the hot pepper.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lbs green tomatoes, diced into 1/2" cubes
• 1 lb fresh tomatillos, husked and diced into 1/2" cubes
• 1 1/2 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 3/4" cubes
  
• 1 1/2 lbs lamb, cut into small pieces
• 1/3 cup cilantro, finely minced
• 1 bunch scallions, finely minced
• 1 Annaheim pepper (or other chili), minced
  
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
  
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
  
• Olive oil
• Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large soup pot, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add lamb and brown on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.
2. Remove lamb and set aside. Add more olive oil if necessary; reduce heat to medium-low. Sauté onions and garlic, stirring constantly until beginning to turn golden, about 5-6 minutes.
3. Add the minced pepper and sauté for 2 minutes more.
4. Add the tomatoes, tomatillos, lemon juice and herbs; increase the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a just under a simmer, then reduce heat to very low (just below a simmer) and let cook, covered, for 1 hour.

NOTE: if your stew should accidentally reach a boil, quickly shut off heat and uncover. You may find that the lamb is already cooked through (it will cook through after only a couple of minutes at a boil); in that case, shut off the heat and allow to rest, covered, for another 30 minutes. This will tenderize the lamb somewhat.

Serve with a slice of avocado. Makes excellent leftovers.

Ratatouille Channa

This chickpea and eggplant curry started out as a recipe for ratatouille from "Cooking for Engineers." But I don't like sweet peppers, so I decided to substitute finely diced carrots to achieve an alternative sweet crunch. And then I didn't have any zucchinni. And then I decided to add a pound of chickpeas to make it into a meal. So it basically has no resemblance to the original. But it'd delicious!

NOTE: You will be deglazing the pot in this recipe, so do not use a non-stick pot!

If you substitute vegetable broth or white wine for the chicken stock, this recipe is vegan and kosher parve.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 1/2 lbs eggplant, cut into 1/2 cubes
  
• 1 lb. cooked chickpeas (about 8 oz. dry)
  
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3/4 cup chicken stock or white wine
• 4 carrots, diced into very small (<>
• 10 oz. crimini mushrooms, quartered
  
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
  
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 4 sprigs basil, minced
• 5 sprigs parsely, minced
• Olive oil for sauteing
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula.
2. Add onion and continue to sauté until soft, another 4-6 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste and combine, continuing to sauté until the tomato paste begins to darken, 1-2 minutes.
   
4. Deglaze the pot with the broth, scraping the bottom with the wooden spatula to free all the onion and tomato drippings.
5. Once the broth begins to simmer, add the mushrooms eggplant and carrots. Cook for 12 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Add diced tomatoes, chickpeas and minced herbs. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for a couple more minutes.

Serve with white rice. Makes excellent leftovers.

Tahini sauce

I have always loved the tangy, salty tahini sauce found atop falafel and other Arabic and Israeli snacks. Unfortunately, every menu in the universe identifies this stuff merely as 'tahini,' which is obviously not the case: tahini by itself is heavy, astringent and a bit bitter. Every time I look for a recipe, all I find are instructions for how to grind sesame seeds into a paste (hint: smash them).

Today I decided to see if I could just throw something that approximates it together, and I actually got pretty close. Note that proportions are approximate as I was not measuring:

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tbsp. tahini paste
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
  
• 2-4 tbsp. water, depending on desired consistency

Combine all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Eat with pita bread or drizzle on other foods.

You can make kafta kabob by mixing hamburger with chopped red onion and parsley. Drizzling this sauce over a kafta kabob burger would be divine...

Yogurt pancakes

Like many Sundays, I woke up this morning with the feeling that only pancakes could provide sufficient motivation to get out of bed. Also like many Sundays, I realized that I was out of milk. But I had yogurt. So I found a particularly delicious-sounding yogurt coffee cake, adjusted the ingredients for my purposes and proceeded to undertake the experiment.

WOAH. These inch-high behemoths have the interior consistency of a pancake and the crust of a muffin top. They're rich and moist and sweet and eating them with a big glass of iced coffee was enough to make me forget all my worries. Try them.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. Add all of the wet ingredients and stir until smooth.
3. Warm up a non-stick griddle to medium-low, and apply non-stick spray or butter to make it doubly non-stick.
4. Spoon out the batter in heaping tablespoons onto the griddle. Cook for 2-3 minutes on one side or until just possible to flip. Cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side.
   
5. Serve immediately.

Clear borscht (beverage)

This is what you do with leftover beet stock.

If you are specifically looking to make clear borscht and therefore just want a lot of beet stock, just shred or grate a number of beets and then boil them in water until they're fully cooked. The grating allows more flavor and color to be leeched from the beets.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups beet stock
• 1 cup water (or ice if beet stock is warm)
  
• 1-2 tbsp. white vinegar, according to taste
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

Shake all ingredients well in a cocktail shaker. Pour into a tall, clear glass. Add a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Pickled beets

The basis for this recipe came from a very pretty book by Arthur Schwartz entitled Jewish Home Cooking. His recipe called for onions instead of garlic, but on the day I first made it, I discovered that all my onions were spoiled. I made the substitution and a couple other tweaks and never looked back.

I like this much better with red beets, but if you like the mellower taste of the yellows (or are freaked out by the beeturia that affects some folks), go ahead and use the yellow ones. Just keep in mind that, according to the New York Times, red beets are the #1 food you should be eating more of.

Do not throw away the liquid in which the beets are boiled. That liquid is the textbook definition of a beet stock, and can be mixed up into a perfect clear borscht. Clear borscht made from yellow beets is completely indistinguishable to the eye from lager beer.

If your beets come with greens, you can prepare them like swiss chard or collard greens.

The following ingredients are per 1-quart jar. You will undoubtedly want to make more than one jar at a time.

UPDATE 7/17/2008: Use a higher proportion of vinegar and sugar, and less garlic, when pickling yellow beets.

INGREDIENTS (PER JAR):

• 1 1/2 lbs. beet roots (net weight after removing greens)
• 3-4 garlic cloves (1 per beet), peeled
• 1-2 bay leaves (1 per 2 beets)
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
  
• pinch of salt (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Scrub the beets well, but do not peel them. Put them in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook until just tender but not soft, about 20-30 more minutes depending on the size of the beets.
2. Meanwhile, mix the water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pitcher or liquid measuring cup. (It makes it easier to pour.)
3. Once the beets are ready, remove them from the cooking liquid (reserving the liquid) and rinse them with cold water. You may wish to reduce the liquid further.
   
4. Peel and slice the beets. The peel of a cooked beet may be easily removed by hand by gently squeezing the beat, or you may use a peeler.
5. Pack the beets into the jar, adding a peeled garlic clove after each beet and a bay leaf after two beets.
6. Add all of the vinegar mixture. Add enough reserved beet stock to fill the jar to the brim.

Store the jar in the refrigerator. The beets are pickled after one day. However, it takes four or five days for the garlic flavor to infuse the beets with a soft, warm garlic glow.

Hummus

UPDATE 1/16/09: As I get more and more proficient with crushing garlic, I realize that I need less and less of it to unleash a garlicy flare. At this point, three cloves of raw garlic creates an overwhelming garlicky taste, even for more than two pounds of chick peas. The recipe has been updated accordingly.

Hummus is one of my favorite foods. But the results were fairly inconsistent when I used my typical cooking approach of throwing things together without measurements. Finally, I decided to get serious with the hummus and produce an exact procedure for producing this delectable paste precisely as I want it every time.

If you ignore everything else I say here, remember this: forget canned chickpeas. They produce a mushy, metallic-tasting hummus that, while slightly cheaper than storebought hummus, is not much tastier. You want dry chickpeas, and what you do with them will greatly affect how good your hummus is. (It's not as simple as you thought, is it?)

There are several ways to get excellent results from dried, including traditional reconstitution via the soak-and-boil approach. But this takes a lot of attention and time, things that I do not part with easily. The method I ultimately favor is using a crockpot, which is quick, effortless, and does not require you to stay at home while it cooks.

There is also the issue of what variety of chickpea to use. The most familiar to us here in North America is the European (Kabuli) chickpea, which is large and pale beige. But there is also a darker, smaller variety: known variously as "kala chana," "black chickpeas," "desi chickpeas" or "Bengal gram," these chickpeas have a higher fiber content, a nuttier taste and a firmer consistency. I prefer them.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. dry chick peas
• 1-3 medium garlic cloves, crushed
  
• 8 tbsp lemon juice or cider vinegar
• 6 tbsp. tahini (ground sesame seeds)
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
  
• 1 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put the chickpeas into a slow cooker. Inspect them for rocks, stems and other foreign particles, and then rinse them several times with cold water.
2. Fill the pot about halfway with water--about enough to cover the chickpeas and then that much twice more.
   
3. Cook in the slow cooker on 'high' for 3-4 hours or until chickpeas are tender but still firm.
   
4. Transfer the chickpeas to a colander. Rinse thoroughly with cold water to remove any excess starch. Allow to dry for several minutes.
5. Transfer the chickpeas and all other ingredients to a food processor. Allow to process for several minutes or until silken. If the chickpeas are too firm to process, add 1 tbsp. water (and not more!) at a time and stir, then try again. Use the absolute minimum amount of water possible.

A common variant is to add za'atar to the hummus. Keep in mind that most za'atar comes pre-salted, so adjust your salt accordingly. Za'atar is available in any Middle Eastern market, as well as any spice shop.

Keeps well for several days. Immediately prior to serving, heat desired portion slightly in the microwave, and top with paprika, pine nuts and olive oil. Serve with pita.

Fettuccine in yogurt garlic sauce

As the weather's been getting better, I have been getting back into bicycling. Obsessed, actually. That means carbo-loading the night before a ride and re-loading when I get home. Since it's hot, and I'm tired, I want things that are low-cook or no-cook.

This quickie that I invented last year is one of my favorites for that. It's served cold, so it's particularly refreshing. A word of warning: raw, fully crushed garlic will cause people to avoid talking to you. (Chewing on a cardamom pod helps, if you can stand it.)

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz. (1/2 package) dry whole-wheat fettuccine
  
• 1 cup fat-free yogurt
• 4 medium cloves of garlic, crushed (see previous post)
  
• 3 tbsp. ground parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. fresh dill, minced (optional)
• 1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the fettuccine to taste. Allow to dry thoroughly in a colander or the sauce will not stick.
   
2. Combine all other ingredients in medium mixing bowl. Let rest for five minutes to allow flavors to develop.
3. Toss pasta with sauce; serve chilled.

How to crush garlic

I didn't know how to do this properly, either, until I took a knife skills class recently. The thing to keep in mind is that garlic does not produce allicin, the compound that gives it its spicy taste, until the clove is damaged. That's why "Chicken with 42 Cloves of Garlic" isn't spicy at all: the cloves are left whole and unpeeled while cooking.

On the other hand, the more you break open the clove, the more allicin will be produced. So maximum pungency is produced by completely smashing the garlic. If you do this wrong, however, most of the juice will just wind up on the cutting board.

DISCLAIMER: This description is for informational purposes only and is no substitute for classroom instruction. You use knives at your own risk. There is always a risk of cutting yourself when using knives, especially with advanced techniques such as this one. I absolutely do not take responsibility for you cutting or injuring yourself.

1. Separate the cloves you are planning to use.
   
2. Cut the stem end of each clove off, leaving the root end intact.
   
3. Lay your knife flat on top of the clove. Strike the side of the knife with a sharp blow. (Obviously, your hand shouldn't be anywhere near the cutting edge.)
4. The peel should come off the shocked garlic very easily; remove it.
5. Slice each garlic clove along the grain as thin as you can, but without cutting all the way through to the root end. This will cause it to hold together, making it easier to chop.
6. Turn the clove 90 degrees and slice again, this time going all the way to the end. You will have tiny sticks of garlic.
   
7. Sprinkle a bit of salt over the garlic cloves to reduce stickiness. (Whatever you're making with the garlic will probably need salt anyways.)
   
8. Finally, mince all the cloves briefly by repeating the slicing motion.
9. Once the pieces are very fine, lay your knife flat against the cutting board, with the sharp edge facing your dominant side. (If you're right handed, the blade should be to the right.)
10. Slowly drag the knife right-to-left (if right handed, or left-to-right if left-handed) over the garlic, keeping it as flat as possible over the cutting board. Repeat as necessary until the garlic is totally crushed.

Crushed garlic cooks much faster than minced garlic, so keep your eyes open.

I haven't abandoned this blog!

A friend of mine mentioned the other day that I haven't posted to the blog in more than a month. That's true, but it doesn't mean I haven't been cooking: I've been making the recipes I already have here! Also, as the weather gets warmer, I'm not cooking as much; and when I do, it's things that have short prep times and even shorter time on the heat.

I will post a recipe for the perfect hummus shortly. It's such a simple thing, and yet only recently did I feel I had all the details to the point where the result was exactly as I wanted it.

The next time a holiday rolls around, expect another torrent of recipes...

Bollar (Egg bread with cardamom)

I had been fascinated by this recipe for bollar bread ever since I saw it. I always loved the taste of milk with cardamom, and this was like a chai challah.

Due to a mistake the first time I made this recipe--I forgot the butter--I discovered that this recipe makes a really nice bagel as well as its traditional braided bread. I've since tried it the traditional way, and the crowd went wild. (By "crowd," I mean lab pot luck.)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 packets (.5 oz) active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup + 1 tsp. sugar (divided use)
  
• 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom (or seeds of 12 pods, crushed)
• 5 eggs, room temperature (divided use)
• 2 tbsp. milk
  
• 7-8 cups all-purpose flour (see below)
• 1/2 cup butter, melted (omit for bagels)
  
• Poppy seeds for garnish
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm water, yeast and 1 tsp. sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Bubbles should begin to form; if they do not, start over with different yeast. (This is called proofing the yeast.)
2. Heat the evaporated milk to around 110 degrees. (The easiest way is microwave for about 30 seconds.)
3. Add milk, four eggs, cardamom, salt, and sugar to the yeast mixture. Beat until combined. Add about half the flour and stir with a hard spatula until combined.
   
4. Add the melted butter to the mixture (if making bread). Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, kneading by hand, until the dough is firm but not dry. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
5. Dust a counter or board with flour and place the dough on top. Knead by hand until smooth, about 10 minutes.
6. Rinse the mixing bowl, grease it, and put the dough back in. Put somewhere warm and allow to rise until doubled, about one hour.

FOR BAGELS:

1. Remove the dough and cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece between your hands until you have a strand about 8" long, then join them at the ends.
2. Arrange the bagels on baking sheets, cover and allow to rise until doubled again, approximately 1 hour more.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
4. Boil some water. Drop the bagels into the boiling water for 3 minutes, flipping halfway through, then transfer back to the baking sheets.
   
5. Beat the remaining egg with the 2 tbsp. milk. Brush onto each bagel, then dust with poppy seeds if desired.
   
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

FOR BRAIDED LOAVES:

1. Cut dough into 9 even pieces. ("Even" is the operative word here, lest your braids be misshapen.) Roll the pieces into strands about 12" long. If you want a loaf that's thicker in the middle (like a challah), taper the strands at the ends.
2. Lay three strands at a time side by side, parallel to one another. Squeeze the ends of the three strands together. Braid as you would a hair braid: put the left between the middle and the right, then put the right between the "new" middle and left, and so on.
3. Arrange the three loaves onto baking sheets and allow to rise another hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
5. Beat the remaining egg with the 2 tbsp. milk. Brush onto each loaf, then dust with poppy seeds if desired.
   
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Makes 12 bagels or three loaves.

Matzo Meal Pancakes

I know passover has been over for more than a week. But I've still got a house full of matzo. These pancakes, whose recipe comes from The Complete Passover Cookbook by Frances AvRutick, are my brother's favorite. I have adjusted the scale to serve one, since it's easy enough to make for an anytime breakfast. I've also added more sugar.

They are extremely simple since they have to be, and they are extremely dense because matzo meal neither blends nor rises. (I have experimented with making bacalao fritters using matzo meal, but the results have not yet been good enough to post here.)

Matzo meal, for those who are not 'in the know', is wheat flour that has been mixed with water and then roasted, resulting in a meal that does not dissolve or rise, like a nut flour. As such, sweets made with it have the cooking properties of tortes even though the flour is made of wheat.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup matzo meal
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Beat the eggs and milk in a bowl until frothy.
2. Add all remaining ingredients.
3. Heat a nonstick frying pan to medium-low. Apply butter or non-stick spray, then drop the batter in by the tablespoon.
4. Turn every 45 seconds until done. You may need to press down on the mixture to flatten in out; this is easier after the batter has been turned once.

Serve immediately.

Meat mina

This meat kugel is inspired by Sephardic recipes for mina con carne. If you avoid kitnyot on Passover, substitute sliced carrots or more spinach for the peas. You can use honey and vinegar in place of the extra sweet red wine; I just wanted to get the stuff used up!

Note that you want ordinary matzo for these sorts of things. Do not use whole wheat or egg matzo.

Again, by 'drained' spinach I mean really drained. It is necessary to squeeze out the water.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2-3 matzos
• 1 lb. ground beef or lamb
• 1 yellow or Spanish onion, finely chopped
  
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 3 tbsp. extra sweet red wine (or 2 tbsp. vinegar + 1 tbsp. honey)
  
• 1 lb. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
  
• 6 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
  
• 3 eggs

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
   
2. Soak the matzos in water for 2 minutes, then immediately press between paper towels to drain away excess moisture. This will make them flexible but not soggy.
3. Coat a non-stick baking pan with 2 tbsp. oil, then cover the bottom with the matzos.
4. In a saucepan, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil, then sauté the onions in the oil over medium-high heat until soft.
   
5. Add the ground meat and sauté together for 3-4 minutes. When the meat is almost cooked, add the tomato paste, wine, peas, spinach and raisins. Allow to cook for another minute or two on low heat.
6. In a separate bowl, beat eggs thoroughly. Combine with meat mixture and transfer to the pan with the matzos.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until top is golden.
   

Farfel Kugel

A kugel is a pudding or casserole, and while there are many different kinds of kugels, I generally divide them into two categories: sweet and savory. This kugel, made from matzo farfel (crumbled matzo), is a lot like bread pudding, except richer.

The traditional place of a dairy kugel like this one is on Saturday (shabbat) morning brunch; you could also serve it for any breakfast. Traditionally, it would not be served with or after a meat meal because eating milk after meat is prohibited. However, if you do not keep kosher, this makes a fine dessert.

By soaking the matzo farfel before using it, it mostly disintegrates and gives the kugel a smooth, pudding-like texture. I plan on posting another variation on farfel kugel that seeks to keep the matzo somewhat more intact.

I got this recipe from my mother, who got it from The Jewish Home Cookbook. I have made a couple of substitutions (in parentheses) to bring it from 'inconceivably high fat' to merely 'very high fat.' Mmmm....

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cup matzo farfel (or whole matzo crumbled into small pieces)
• 3/4 cup butter
• 5 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 tbsp. cottage cheese
• 4 tbsp. (lowfat) sour cream
• 8 oz. (light) cream cheese
• 3/4 cup golden raisins
  
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees; boil some water.
   
2. Combine matzo farfel and raisins in a bowl.
3. Cover farfel and raisin mixture with boiling water and let stand 15 minutes; then drain in a colander.
4. Meanwhile, beat eggs and then add sugar, salt, cottage cheese, sour cream and cream cheese, combining thoroughly. (Use a blender for this if you prefer.)
   
5. Melt the butter and combine with the matzo farfel so that it is coated. Then add the egg mixture and combine. Transfer the mixture to a buttered, nonstick baking pan or casserole.
6. Scald the milk in a saucepan, then pour it evenly over the kugel. Do not mix.
7. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, then another 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Allow to cool slightly before serving. Makes great leftovers.

Mina (Passover Spinach and Cheese Pie)

My mother made this for me when I was a kid. I think it's pretty tasty, although I could go for a zestier flavor. The end product is like a cross between a Tortilla Española and spanakopita.

One tip: when I say 'drained' spinach, I mean really drained. Take the spinach in your hands and squeeze it. It's amazing how much water there is in a package of spinach.

An idea that I had as I struggled with the eggs was that perhaps it would be better to dip the upper layer of matzo in eggs first, and then pour the remaining eggs over that, thus creating what is in effect a layer of matzo brei on top. It would definitely make the results more even. Mixing an additional egg or two into the spinach wouldn't be bad.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 3 cloves garlic
  
• 4 eggs, beaten
  
• 4 matzos
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Bowl of water
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put 1/4 cup oil at the bottom of a baking pan. The pan should be slightly larger than a matzo--say 10x12 or 12x12.
3. Dip two of the matzos in water quickly (or they will become soggy) and then arrange them at the bottom of the pan, breaking them if necessary, so that the bottom is covered.
4. Mix the spinach, feta and garlic in a bowl; arrange on top of matzo.
5. Dip the remaining matzos in water and arrange on top of the spinach. Pour the eggs over this, attempting to apply them evenly.
6. Bake for 10 minutes. Drizzle remaining oil over the casserole and return to oven for another 30 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Hot Chocolate (and Friends)

I discovered LA Burdick in my second year of college, and found myself happily addicted to their rich, lathery hot and iced chocolates. I was less addicted to the several dollars that each cup costs. Fortunately, they do not keep their recipe a secret. I have halved this recipe, which is corroborated by several other websites, for the basic hot chocolate.

This is not to say that it's not still worth buying it from Burdick: they use shaved chocolate, a painstaking process that produces a more decadent result; and they have proper equipment for steaming and scalding milk to the perfect temperatures. If you've never been, you'd better try it.

I know better than to tamper with perfection: the hot chocolate keeps the original Burdick proportions. But for cafe mocha, below, I have tweaked things a bit to accommodate the coffee.

SPICED HOT CHOCOLATE

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 oz. milk
• 2 tbsp. dark chocolate (ground up is best, but chocolate chips will do)
• 1 1/4 tsp. cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of white pepper (optional)
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Scald the milk in a saucepan by heating to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce heat to low.
2. Add all remaining ingredients and beat together with a whisk.
3. Pour into a mug and serve immediately.
   

CAFE MOCHA

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 oz. double-strength coffee
• 3 tbsp. dark chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup milk

RECIPE:

1. In a small saucepan, combine milk, chocolate chips and cocoa powder. Heat over a medium flame, stirring constantly with a wooden or plastic spoon. Do not allow to boil.
2. Pour the chocolate mixture into a mug. Using a small whisk or electric frother, foam the milk mixture slightly.
3. Add the coffee to the chocolate and serve immediately.
   

Chicken with 42 Cloves of Garlic

When my brother in law gave me a recipe for 'Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic,' I was more than a little skeptical. It turns out that when you cook chicken with unpeeled garlic, the chicken is not garlicky at all; rather, the garlic adopts the flavor of the chicken. The soft, schmaltzy garlic cloves can then be spread on matzo.

As for the number of cloves: my lucky number is 42. (The reason is not The Hitchhiker's Guide; it's even nerdier). As such, I couldn't resist adjusting this recipe to that number. Again, the proportions are not that sensitive because the garlic does not actually impart a strong flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 lbs. chicken pieces, skin on
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• 42 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  
• 1 tsp. dried tarragon
• 1/2 cup semi-dry red cooking wine
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
   
2. In a four quart casserole, combine the chopped onions, apples, parsley and tarragon.
3. Put down a layer of chicken, nestling garlic cloves in between the pieces. Repeat until all of the garlic and chicken has been placed.
4. Combine the wine, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a jar or container and shake to combine. Drizzle over the chicken.
5. Cover the casserole and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until juice runs golden from chicken when poked with a fork.

PAIRINGS: This dish is heavily aromatic yet delicately flavored, with mild sweetness and soft textures. I recommend a semi-dry white with just enough structure to balance the stewed vegetables.

Ashkenazi Charoset

During the Passover holiday, when Jews tell the story of the biblical Exodus from Egypt, one of the ritual foods we eat is a paste called charoseth. Consisting of sweet fruit, nuts and wine, charoseth symbolizes the mortar which the ancient Israelites were said to have used during their enslavement to the Pharaoh.

Whereas Ashkenazi Jews tend to eat coarse, moist charoseth made from fresh fruit such as apples, Sephardic Jews prefer a smooth concoction made primarily from dried fruits. For a Sephardic charoset, see the 'Fig and Banana Paste' recipe below.

The most basic recipe for Ashkenazi charoset is to combine 2 parts chopped apples with 1 part chopped almonds or walnuts, then add about 1 tbsp. extra sweet red wine and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon for every apple used.

Here I have used some dried fruit, which was an action motivated out of desperation as I ran out of walnuts and had added too much cinnamon. But the results were good.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 crisp apples (such as Fuji or Gala), peeled and cored
  
• 3/4 cup walnuts
  
• 3/4 cup black raisins
  
• 6 black mission figs
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. honey
  
• 1/4 cup extra sweet red wine
  
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves

RECIPE:

1. Chop the apples with the sharpest chopping knife you have (to prevent bruising) and immediately combine with lemon juice in a bowl.
2. Chop the walnuts by hand or in a food processor into 1/4" pieces. When chopping hard foods by hand, make sure that you cut with the rear of the blade (closest to your hand) while steadying the knife from the front with your off hand. This will keep the food from flying off the cutting board.
3. Chop the raisins and figs in the same fashion.
4. Combine all ingredients.

Serve within a few hours. It will still be delicious for a couple of days, but it will discolor and grow less crisp as time goes on.

Deviled Eggs

If you must serve boiled eggs, you might as well make them interesting. (Why anyone would serve boiled eggs outside of a religious ritual is entirely beyond me.)

Since aioli contains raw egg yolk, it is important to serve the deviled eggs on the same day that you make the aioli and make sure that you keep the eggs refrigerated until ready to serve.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 dozen eggs
• 3 tbsp. horseradish aioli (see below)
• 1 tbsp. spicy mustard
  
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsely
• Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. To this, add all of the eggs and allow to steep for 13 minutes. Remove from hot water and immediately steep in ice water for several minutes.
2. Remove the shells, being careful not to damage the egg in the process.
3. With a sharp knife, cut each egg in half. Remove the hard-boiled yolk to a bowl; reserve the whites.
4. Combine the yolks with all remaining ingredients, pressing down with the back of a fork.
5. Put the filling into a resealable bag. Cut one corner off the bag at a 30 degree angle, creating an aperture a little narrower than the yolk-sized hole in an egg white.
6. Squeeze filling from bag into each egg with a circular motion. Smooth gently if necessary.

Sprinkle with paprika and garnish with additional parsely. Serve on the same day.

Fig and Banana Paste

This rich, smooth fruit and nut butter is one of the most attractive toppings for crackers or bread that I've ever tasted. It is a dark, intense paste with the consistency of peanut butter and a rich, aromatic body. Top with a bit of goat cheese on toasted baguette for a formidable hors d'oeuvre.

I originally posted it as a Sephardic charoseth recipe, and indeed it is based on one, but I simply felt it was unfair to limit it to that role.

INGREDIENTS:

• 20 black mission figs
• 1/4 cup raisins (dark or golden)
• 1 banana
  
• 1/4 cup very sweet red wine
  
• 3 tbsp. honey
• 3/4 cup walnuts
• 3/4 cup almonds (chopped, slivered or sliced)
  
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 1 tsp. cloves
• 1 fresh jalapeño, stem and seeds removed (optional)
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put the figs in a food processor and puree for about a minute. (You may want to hold onto the food processor for this.)
2. Add the banana, honey and wine and jalapeño to the food processor and continue to pulverize for another minute or two.
3. Add the nuts and spices and continue to process until smooth, which may take several minutes.

Refrigerate if preparing ahead of time. Serve at room temperature.

Horseradish Aioli

I really hate store-bought mayonnaise. I don't think I've ever bought a jar of it. The homemade stuff can be alright, though, as long as it has something going for it. This one does, and would make a good condiment to something that needs both richness and bite.

Use extra virgin olive oil if you like the strong taste that it gives. (I do.) For something less intense, use a milder variety of olive oil.

UPDATE 4/21/2008: Remember that garlic varies greatly in pungency. 3-5 cloves is meant to be emphatically garlicky. Adjust to tastes.

Thanks to eHow for the basic recipe I've used here.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 4 tsp. spicy (brown) mustard
• 3-5 garlic cloves (about 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp. chopped)
• 1 tbsp. chopped horseradish
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4. tsp. salt
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put the egg yolks, garlic, mustard and horseradish into the blender. Run on low for about 1 minute.
2. With the blender still on low, remove the plastic stopper at the top of the blender and very gradually add the olive oil. If your blender doesn't have a stopper, shut off the blender, add a couple tablespoons of oil, put the cover back on and turn it back on. This should take 2-3 minutes at least.
3. Add the lemon juice and salt. Continue running the blender on low for another minute or until the contents develop a thick, foamy consistency.

Use wherever you might have used mayonnaise.

Fish Chowder

Raphael Pereira introduced me to the charms of salt cod, known in Portuguese as bacalao. Cod is the fish for which Cape Cod, Massachusetts gets its name, and has historically been abundant along the coast of New England and Nova Scotia. The fish is dried and preserved in salt, creating a commodity that could survive the journey back to Europe.

This chowder, based (loosely) on the one found here, is very typical of traditional New England food. Fish chowder and its more famous cousin, clam chowder, have been signatures of the Boston area for centuries.

Here I have tried to do it some justice, creating a hearty stew in the old New England fashion.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. salt cod (bacalao), soaked for 8-12 hours in ice water
• 3-4 potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
• 2-3 medium carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
• 1/2 lb bacon or salt pork, minced
  
• 3 cups milk
• Black pepper to taste
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring some water to a boil. Blanch the soaked ("freshened") cod by immersing it in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then immediately immersing it in ice cold water. Remove from water and set aside.
   
2. Cook minced bacon over medium-high heat for several minutes until it begins to cast off a good deal of fat. Add the chopped onions and sauté until tender.
3. Add the carrots, potatoes and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook covered until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning.
4. Break the fish into large-ish chunks (it will continue to fall apart on its own).
   
5. Add fish, milk and evaporated milk to the vegetables. Cook gently over medium-high heat for several minutes. Do not boil or the milk will curdle.

Serve immediately.

Tom Kha Gai (Chicken Coconut Soup)

The following soup tastes very good, but I haven't nailed down that of the sweet, delicate aromatic Thai coconut soup called Tom Kha Gai.

One glaring difference from the traditional recipe, of course, is the vastly different composition and quantity of bulk vegetables that I use here. That's because Tom Kha Gai is typically served as a soup appetizer, and I wanted to prepare it to stand on its own as a meal. But that shouldn't affect the broth.

Another possibility is that I make some 'convenience' substitutions such as using anchovy paste instead of fish sauce (which is made from fermented anchovies). I do this both because I don't like to buy lots of exotic condiments, and because I want to be able to make it 'kosher enough.' (See below.)

Still, I think it should be possible to get very close without those kinds of things. If anyone has a recipe for Tom Kha Gai that really replicates the authentic Thai flavors, I'd love to hear about it.

KASHRUS: I have not listed this recipe as 'kosher meat' because it uses anchovy paste (fish) in a dish with chicken. Some people consider the use of fish and meat together to be unhalakhic, although strictly speaking I don't think anyone considers it tref.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken
• 2 lbs. red potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" pieces
  
• 2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4" pieces
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 3 tbsp. minced ginger
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp. anchovy paste
• 1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk (I used light)
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• Oil for sautéing
• Corn starch for desired consistency (I used about 3 tbsp.)
  
• Tamari (or regular soy sauce) to taste
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a pot. Sauté chicken over medium high heat until browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes. The chicken should still be mostly raw.
2. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and cut into narrow strips.
3. Combine all ingredients except cornstarch and tamari in the pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.
4. Mix 2 tbsp. cornstarch into a small amount of cold water so that it forms a paste. Make sure no lumps exist. Combine the cornstarch with the broth and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes. Repeat until desired consistency is reached.
5. Add tamari to taste.

Thai Peanut Sauce

This peanut sauce is extremely good on a variety of pastas and grains, and would likely do a nice job for poultry and fish as well. Based on this recipe, but adapted for more readily available ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 4 tbsp sushi vinegar (or 4 tbsp rice wine vinegar + 2 tbsp sugar + 1 tsp salt)
• 1 tbsp. anchovy paste
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
  
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
• Hot red pepper flakes to taste

Combine all ingredients in a nonstick saucepan; simmer until combined. Easiest to mix while still warm.

Pickled Carrots

If a food product comes in a nice jar--clean, a useful shape, sturdy lid--I usually run it through the dishwasher and keep it around in case I want to preserve something. These kinds of jars are perfect for an impromptu jam or pickle that you want to throw together and put in the fridge.

Here is just such a case: I forgot to put the carrots in the cholent (see below), and didn't want them to go to waste. These sweet, spicy pickles were ready in a week, and probably would have kept much longer than that, but at the rate we're eating them, I'll never find out.

Since these are refrigerator pickles, you don't need to go too crazy about acid levels and so on, but I would still sterilize the jars with boiling water just to be on the safe side.

Many pickle recipes frown on cider vinegar because it turns the brine yellow, but so do carrots, and I think cider vinegar tastes better. One bunch of carrots is good for two jars or so.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch carrots, peeled
• 1 tbsp. salt
  
• 3 tbsp. dried dill
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• Several whole cloves of garlic, peeled (2-3 per jar)
  
• Several bay leaves (2 per jar)
• 1 fresh chili pepper per jar (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Steam or boil the carrots until just slightly tender. Cut to fit your jars, or into slices.
2. Place the carrots into the washed and sterilized jars.
3. Stuff the garlic, bay leaves and chili peppers in between the carrots.
4. Combine all remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for several minutes.
5. Pour liquid over carrots, filling the jars to the brim, then carefully put the lids on.
6. If you're paranoid, you could boil the prepared jars in water for 10-15 minutes.
7. Refrigerate for 1 week.

I would assume that these would be good for at least a month, but I really have no idea because once you open the jar, you eat them all pretty fast. They go great with hamburgers or other beef dishes.

Sausage with sweet and sour pears

Another gem from Rafael Pereira's tapas class. This has some of the fruit-and-wine flavors of sangria in a food context. This is a fine example of the kinds of foods that keep me from ever going strictly kosher. However, I think that this could be kosher-ified by replacing the sausage with a spicy beef meatball.

UPDATE 4/26/08: I tried this with apples and it was still quite tasty. Use crisp apples. Also, a clarification: do not peel the fruit. Finally, a thickener such as cornstarch is recommended. I have updated the recipe to reflect all three of these things.

UPDATE 6/29/08: I tried this with peaches and chourizo. Very delicious. Use somewhat under-ripe peaches so that they hold their shape. Also, when using a softer sausage like chourizo, consider cooking it in larger pieces and then cutting it into diagonals. This way, it will hold the shape that you cut much better.


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 lbs (1 package) linguica, sliced 30 degrees askew into 1/4" slices
• 1 cup sugar if using dry wine, or 1/2 cup sugar if using sweet wine
  
• 1 cup red wine vinegar (or 3/4 cup white vinegar and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar)
  
• 1 cup red wine (if using sweet wine, reduce the amount of sugar)
  
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 pears (Rafael used green; I prefer Bosc or Asian) or crisp apples, cored and cut up (not peeled)
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the sugar, vinegar, wine and cinnamon in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil and let simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
3. Add pears and let simmer, covered, for 20 more minutes.
4. Let this mixture sit out (at room temperature) overnight.
5. THE NEXT DAY, remove the pairs from the sauce and set aside.
6. Bring the sauce to a simmer; add the linguica and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
7. Remove the linguica to the container with the apples, keeping the liquid in the saucepan.
   
8. Stir the cornstarch into two tablespoons of water (or wine or vinegar, if you prefer), then stir this mixture into the sauce. Allow to thicken for a couple of minutes at low heat, stirring occasionally.
   
9. Pour the sauce over the linguica and apples and serve.

Salt Cod (Bacalao) Fritters

These delicious fritters came from Rafael Pereira's "Spanish Tapas" class at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. His classes are highly recommended; I plan on taking more of them.

UPDATE 3/29/2008: I attempted to make these by sautéing instead of frying. Unfortunately, I found the fritters had the tendency to fall apart. I compensated by adding additional flour; this held them together but this created a 'flour pancake' taste that seemed ill-suited to the dish. I am going to experiment with corn-based strategies (corn flour? corn meal?) after Passover.

Rafael served them with an apple aioli; I plan on coming up with my own sweet aioli (perhaps a honey aioli?) before I post one here.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1/2 lb. salt cod
* 3 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
* 2 tbsp. flat-leaf parsley or cilantro, minced
* 1 medium onion, minced
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 1/4 cup flour
* 2 tbsp. olive oil
* Salt and pepper to taste
* Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:

1. Soak the salt cod for 8-12 hours in cold water, changing the water 3 times. Pat dry and mince.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium high skillet, then sauté the onions for 1 minute. Add the salt cod, cilantro, salt and pepper; sauté for 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the mixture to the mashed potatoes. Gradually add the egg and the flour.
4. Refrigerate the mixture for one hour.
5. Heat vegetable oil for frying. Once hot, add heaping tablespoons to it, removing them after they have turned golden brown.

Serve immediately with aioli and Spanish red wine.

Chinnappa's Sardines

I received this simple recipe from a colleague from work. He had red chili powder, but I wasn't feeling up to that tonight, so I opted for an equal amount of paprika. These are simply sublime. These little fish are refreshing and delicious.

If you are an East Cambridge resident, you can get fresh Sardines at the New Deal Fish Market at the corner of Fulkerson and Cambridge. Across the street is Mayflower Poultry ("Live Poultry Fresh Killed"), where you can buy excellent meat on the cheap.

INGREDIENTS:

• Sardines (8-10)
• 2tbs Paprika or chili powder
• 1tbs Turmeric powder (or my favorite, Madras Curry Powder)
• 2tbs Lime Juice
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
• Salt to taste
• 3-4 tbs olive oil to fry

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix the salt (1 tsp or salt to taste), paprika (2 tbs), garlic, turmeric powder(1 tbs), and lime juice (1-2 limes) to form a thin paste. Marinate the sardines 1 hour.
2. In a pan put the oil, and after the oil is hot, reduce the flame and fry the fish at low flame for 5 mins and turn the side and fry it for another 5 mins. Make sure you don't fry too much.

Serve immediately with any dry, structured white.

Chicken broth

This is something I do all the time, and is so familiar to me that I never thought of it as a 'recipe.' But after a conversation a couple weeks ago, it occurred to me that this is not at all obvious, so I'm writing it up. This broth comes out a rich, caramel color and has a hearty, thick texture. I use it in everything.

Broth freezes very nicely and will keep for several months in an airtight container. Freeze in several 'portions' so that you don't have to defrost more than you want. (Like anything else, defrosting broth and then freezing it again is a Bad Thing.)

This will seriously warm up your house. (In my thousand s.f. home, the temperature usually rises 3-4 degrees farenheit everywhere, and maybe 10-12 degrees in the kitchen!) Also, you are pretty much guaranteed to set off a smoke detector while you're roasting the bones, so take whatever precautions are necessary. (If you choose to unplug your detectors, you'd better not leave the kitchen for even a second until you're done roasting the bones!)


INGREDIENTS:

• 8-10 lbs chicken necks and/or frames (any chicken will do, but these two products are extremely cheap--typically $0.50 - $0.80 / lb, or twice that for kosher).
  
• 2-3 lbs onions, peeled and cut in quarters
• 2 lbs carrots, cut into large pieces
  
• Several bay leaves
• Several whole peppercorns
• Oil for sautéing
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.
2. Arrange the chicken pieces on a large broiler pan. You may need two. Make sure it's got one of those fat-drippy thingies.
3. Roast the chicken for about 45 minutes, turning about halfway through. It should be dark brown.
4. Meanwhile, sauté the carrots and onions in your stock pot over medium-high heat until the onions begin to turn golden, about 10-15 minutes.
5. Transfer the chicken to the stock pot. Add the spices. Combine the ingredients gently.
6. Add enough cold water to just cover the chicken and maybe a little more. This is usually about 4-5 quarts. (Don't worry about this too much, as long as the chicken is covered; you can always add more water or reduce it.)
7. Cover and bring to a boil. (This could take awhile with so much water.)
8. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for another 2 1/2 - 3 hours or so. Add water as needed to keep the chicken covered. Including the time it was coming to a boil, you want it to go for about 3 1/2 hours. Less, and you under-extract the chicken; more and the bones begin to decalcify, turning the broth slightly bitter.
9. Using a long-handled metal strainer (or just a slotted spoon), remove most of the solid stuff in the pot as is convenient. Then, using a ladle and a fine strainer, strain the liquid into containers.
10. If freezing, make sure the containers are about 1/3 empty so that the broth has room to expand.

You can also reduce the broth as much as you want once the bones have been removed; a very strong reduction becomes somewhat like a demi-glace and makes a fabulous base for a gravy. (Careful when doing this with kosher broth, as you are also concentrating the salt that comes in kosher meat.)

Cholent

On the Jewish sabbath, it is not permitted to create or adjust a fire. This has been extended to all heat sources, making it essential to create foods that can keep cooking all through the sabbath day. Cholent is a sabbath stew so tightly bound to the old-world weekly sabbath rituals that one might reasonably call it a ritual of its own. My version uses a hell of a lot more onions than would typically be found because, hey, onions are fantastic.

Since you are blasting the meat for so incredibly long, it's especially important to use a rich, marbled cut that won't dry out as you cook it. With beef, I prefer flanken (also known as 'boneless short ribs'), but you could also use brisket. Lamb would work very nicely!

Based on impressions from this beautiful essay on cholent.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 medium Spanish onions (about 1.5 - 2 lbs), sliced
  
• 10 oz. Crimini or Baby Bella mushrooms, scrubbed and sliced
• 4-6 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
  
• 1 1/4 cup dry beans (any), rinsed and soaked overnight
• 3/4 cup pearl barley
• 1 1/2 lbs. red bliss potatoes, skin on, cut into large chunks
• 3-4 carrots, washed and cut into large chunks
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 lbs. beef brisket or flanken (boneless short rib)
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. paprika
• Salt and pepper
• Several whole raw eggs (optional), rinsed
  
• Olive oil for sautéing
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil and allow to warm.
2. Add the onions and mushrooms along with the sugar. Sauté, turning frequently with a spatula, until beginning to caramelize: about 25-30 minutes.
3. Add the whole garlic cloves and continue to sauté about 5 minutes more. (The garlic will still be white.)
4. In a crockpot, thoroughly combine the caramelized vegetables, the beans, barley, carrots, potatoes and paprika.
   
5. Bury the beef in this mixture.
6. If you have room in the crockpot, bury some eggs in the mixture at this point as well. The egg white will turn an incredible caramel color.
7. Cook in the crock pot on low for a minimum of 8 hours, and as many as 18.

Serve at any time after the first 8 hours. Since you can't shut off the heat on shabbos, it's not uncommon to see people start eating the cholent after 8 or 12 hours, and then again several hours later.

PAIRINGS: I know that beef and beans and barley all fairly scream out 'red wine' (or dark beer), but I find that the entire dish has a sufficiently dark and brooding character that I really crave something a little bit sweet and fruity. Sweet white wines like Gewürztraminer and Riesling come easily to mind, or even a tawny port. A hard cider would also do the job.

Traditionally, people drink hard liquor (often scotch and vodka) on shabbos, although I've never been too crazy for that.

Banana Spice Griddle Cakes

These are really cakes that are made in a pan, so calling them 'pancakes' doesn't get the point across. They puff up in excess of one inch apiece, and have a velvety cake texture. Made one fine shabbos morning when I discovered I had forgotten to plug in the slow cooker.

The trick to getting them to come out perfectly without raw centers is to begin flipping them over as soon as you can, and then to keep flipping them for several minutes. This might take some practice.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cup white flour
• 1 1/4 cup evaporated milk (nonfat is fine)
  
• 3 tsp. baking powder
  
• 1 extra large egg, beaten
  
• 3 tbsp. butter, plus more for frying
  
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 cup walnut halves
  
• 2 large, not-quite-ripe bananas, mashed
  
• Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, evaporated milk and beaten egg.
   
2. In a skillet, melt 3 tbsp. butter over medium-high heat.
3. To the skillet, add the bananas, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Cook for several minutes to blend.
4. Add the banana mixture and nuts to the batter and mix thoroughly.
5. Clean the skillet and heat to medium.
6. Butter the skillet when it is completely hot.
7. To the buttered skillet, add dollops of batter to meet your preferred size. (The cakes won't spread much.)
8. As soon as it is possible to do so (Maybe 30-60 seconds), begin to flip over the cakes. Flip them over every 30 seconds or so. They will be done after several minutes. (This depends on the heat of your stove, so try one and check to see how long it takes.)

Serve immediately.

Chopped herring salad with pears

This is a slight variation on an Ashkenazi weekend morning standard. Serve this on a bagel with sliced red onion, sliced hard boiled egg and a few capers.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup pickled herring in wine sauce, drained
• 1 firm pear (such as Bosc, Concorde or Asian), peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• Several pecans or walnuts
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

Puree all ingredients in a food processor.

Olive and pecan tapenade

I have been taking a cooking class with Rafael Pereira, a very talented historian of Spanish and Latin-American cuisine, and one of his recipes (for olive pate) inspired me to create this recipe. In my opinion, this is best served with a dark, nutty bread or cracker, such as ak-mak crackers or whole-kernel pumpernickel bread.

You'll want to stay away from truly cheap-o, canned olives, but the simple olives you get in a jar are probably fine. Prepared with appropriate ingredients, this recipe is kosher (parve).

Serve with a fiery red wine such as a Rioja. It will bring out some of the subtler oils in the tapenade and expose qualities you never would have guessed were there.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 oz. green olives, pits removed
• 1 tin (2 oz) flat filets of anchovies, with oil
• 2 oz. pecans
• 3-4 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. dry thyme
• pinch of cumin

DIRECTIONS:

Puree all ingredients in a food processor.

Kasha (Roasted buckwheat)

Kasha is a traditional preparation of buckwheat groats prepared in stock with mushrooms, onions and (sometimes) meat. I love kasha. I think the better the broth you use, the deeper the flavor is, and also the nutrients.

I love to cook a meat or dark poultry to go into the kasha. I make a really strong broth first. I make either a beef broth or a chicken broth. Then, the next day, or later that day, brown the meat you want to use: like flanken or chuck or turkey thighs or whatever you use, and then simmer it (poach) in the broth (strained) for a few hours till it is falling apart and wonderful. Strain the broth again (if necessary) . This recipe uses 4 cups. Put it aside for the kasha. It has to be BOILING
only at the point when you add it to the pan with the vegetables and the egg/kasha mixture.Cut the meat up and keep warm and save to add to the kasha in the end.

Kasha Varniskes is kasha with bow-tie noodles. I cook two cups dry noodles and drain and keep to add at the end with the meat.

NOTE (4/18/09): Do not wash the groats, or else they will absorb some of that water while cooking with the eggs and end up soggy.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups kasha (medium or coarse granulation)
• 2 cups dry bow tie noodles, cooked and drained
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 4 cups broth, hot

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large saute or frying pan with a cover, cook the onions and mushrooms in oil until they are very soft and fully cooked, and smell great. You can add salt and pepper to them.
2. Keep this mixture warm until you are ready to add the hot kasha/egg mixture and the boiling broth to it.
3. KASHA : Beat 2 large eggs in a bowl. Add 2 cups dry kasha and use a fork to stir together until the kasha groats are all coated with egg.
4. Into another HOT (NON STICK )skillet ( yes, there are a lot of pots and pans and bowls for this ) toss the coated kasha groats. Cook over high heat 2-3 minutes,stirring,until the egg has dried on the kasha , the groats are separate and hot to the back of your finger.
5. Now, make sure that the broth is boiling, or get it boiling. ( Don't let it sit there boiling because you will lose some and there will be less than 4 cups).
6. Add the kasha/egg mixture to the frying pan with the mushrooms and onions (which you have thoughtfully heated up again) . Pour in the hot broth. Let it come back to a little boil, and then cover and turn down the heat and simmer for 7-10 minutes until the kasha groats are tender and the liquid is absorbed. It may take a longer time depending upon the richness of the broth.
7. Add the meat , if using, and the noodles. Season.

Serve warm; very good left over.

Candied citrus fruits / Citrus syrup

This is a two-fer kind of recipe. After you've done it, you've got two wonderful things: candied citrus fruits, and citrus syrup.

Add water or seltzer to the syrup (along with lemon juice if you want it tart) and you've got a delicious beverage, iced or hot. For a beautiful mojito, mix it with seltzer, lemon juice, rum and fresh mint. Pour hot over ice cream. The possibilities are endless. If you want to get fancy, you could throw a little mint or ginger in with the fruit while they're cooking, which will further improve the syrup.

A lot of people use candied oranges or lemons as the base of a more complex candy, but I think they're fine just like this. Muchas gracias to this orange candy recipe, which showed me that you really need an unbelievable amount of sugar for this to work.

If you're new to cooking and don't know what kinds of pots to use: for things that get very hot, such as frying oil or candy, you really want to stay away from nonstick and aluminum in favor of a non-reactive, heat-tolerant metal pan such as stainless steel or (if you can afford it), copper.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2-3 lbs. oranges, lemons, limes or grapefruit
• 5 cups granulated sugar (divided use)
• 2 cups water
• Dash of salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Slice the citrus fruits in half through the axis with the stems. (That is, if you had a navel orange, you'd be cutting the navel in half on one end, and the green stem at the other end.) Slice the halves into 1/4" thick slices, leaving the peel intact.
   
2. In a deep, non-reactive skillet or a saucepan, add the water, salt and 3 cups of sugar and combine.
3. Bring to a boil (warning: this will be much hotter than 212˚ F!).
4. Add fruit with a slotted spoon and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, occasionally pushing down pieces that are on top.
5. Turn off heat and allow the mixture to cool.
6. Transfer the fruit to a cookie rack to dry.(You probably want to put something under that cookie rack.) Don't put them on top of each other or they'll stick!
7. Strain the syrup through a fine strainer into a glass jar. The syrup will be very thick and have an intense, mildly bitter taste (like fresh marmalade).
8. Allow the fruit to dry for 24 hours or more.
   
9. Dredge the fruit in sugar.
10. If you have time, you could let them dry for another day; otherwise, they're ready to serve.
    

The candy will keep reasonably well in an airtight container. Arrange the fruit in layers, separated by wax paper, so they won't stick together. Enjoy!

Vegetable Borscht

Vegetable borscht is extremely versatile. For one thing, it is fat free and extremely healthful (assuming you don't have some kind of prejudice against carbohydrate). It is appropriate to serve it either hot or cold; if you're kosher, it can go with dairy or meat meals depending on what you like to put in it.

Traditionally, you put things into the borscht right as you're about to eat it, just like dressing a hamburger. And like hamburger, there are a million and one options and they all have their appeal. Here are some suggestions:

• Shredded red cabbage (easy either by hand or in a food processor)
• Sliced radishes
• A hard boiled egg
• Half a boiled potato
• Sour cream or cottage cheese

When I make borscht, I usually have several of these things on hand. Speaking of hands, the beets will turn your hands purple, so wear gloves if that sounds unattractive to you. (For me, it's a point of pride.)

Beets get much sweeter as they cook, and somewhat sweeter as the soup mellows, so take it easy with the sugar. The following proportions are all approximate, as I have never measured anything when making borscht, even the first time I made it. And neither should you.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 lbs beets, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Lots of dill, fresh or chopped
• Prepared horseradish (quantity depends on intensity, which varies greatly)
• Cold water (see below)

• Optional: 1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine beets and onion in a soup pot.
   
2. Add the lemon juice and vinegar.
   
3. Fill up the pot with water until it's about 1-2" higher than the vegetables.
4. Add the remaining ingredients except cabbage (if using); bring to a boil.
5. Reduce to low heat and let simmer, covered, for about an hour or until the beets have softened.
6. If using cabbage, add it in and allow to cook until it has wilted somewhat.
   

Serve hot or cold.

PAIRINGS: Beets have a slippery, soft sweetness that pairs extremely well with acid. A structured, tart white wine such as a Muscadet or Chablis brings out some of the more delicate qualities of the beet.

Gahntze Tzimmes

Tzimmes, a sweet, heavy, root vegetable side dish, is made gahntz--whole, full--when cooked with beef or chicken. It is served at most holidays, especially Passover, when the high fiber content is particularly welcome. This New England adaptation makes use of one of our most beloved local vegetables: the butternut squash.

If you happen to dislike slow cookers (but why?), you could prepare this the old-fashioned way by blasting it in a 400 degree oven for an hour, and then turning it down to 300 and blasting it for 4-5 hours more. (Yeah, I'll take the slow cooker.)

Obviously, this thoroughly Yiddish dish can be prepared kosher (fleishig).

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small (2 - 2 1/2 lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
  
• 1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced (or baby carrots)
• 2 lbs. flanken or brisket, chopped into pieces (or cut the meat off 4 lbs. of short ribs)
• 1 lb. dried fruit (usually prunes and apricots)
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• Several cups boiling water
  
• Ground cloves
• Ground nutmeg
• Ground allspice
• A dash of ginger (optional)
  

DIRECTIONS (LAZY):

1. Put the beef, carrots, squash, potatoes and dried fruit in the slow cooker.
2. Combine the brown sugar, flour and spices. Add some of the boiling water so it all dissolves.
3. Pour this over the tzimmes. Pour enough boiling water in that it's near the top of the tzimmes. Turn heat to low and let cook for 8-10 hours.

DIRECTIONS (AMBITIOUS):

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
   
2. Place the vegetables and dried fruit at the bottom of a casserole and combine.
   
3. Brown the beef in a deep skillet, then place on top of fruit and vegetables.
   
4. Add the orange juice to the skillet and deglaze with a spatula. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in brown sugar, flour and spices.
5. Pour over tzimmes. Pour enough boiling water in that it's near the top of the tzimmes.
6. Bake, covered, at 400 for an hour.
7. Reduce heat to 300 and bake for another 4-5 hours.

Serve hot. Even better left over.

Barley and Fava Beans

Before you ask, no, there isn't a better name for it; and no, I have no idea what ethnicity it ought to be. I made it up a couple of years ago and make it a little differently each time. It makes a fantastic lunch with some pressed dates and white cheese.

Vidalia onions are sweeter than most other onions, and make an absolutely beautiful flavor when sautéed. They play very nicely off the buttery fava beans and the rough barley, and add a certain grandeur to the whole ensemble.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. dry fava beans, reconstituted
• 1 lb. barley
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 vidalia onions, sliced
  
• 2-3 tbsp. butter or schmaltz
  
• 3 tbsp. capers, chopped
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
  
• 1 tin flat anchovy fillets, chopped
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Reconstitute the fava beans by whatever method suits you best. (I usually throw beans in the slow-cooker on high for 4-6 hours.)
2. Rinse the barley and place in a pot with the broth. Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer, covered, for 45-60 minutes or until all the broth is absorbed.
3. Meanwhile, heat the butter or schmaltz in a deep nonstick pan. Once hot, add the onions.
4. Sauté the onions over medium-high heat.
5. When the onions begin to soften, add the chopped anchovies. Continue to sauté.
6. Add the capers and black pepper when the onions begin to brown.
7. When the onions have caramelized, add the fava beans and combine thoroughly, mashing slightly if necessary.
8. Mix in the lemon juice and allow to cook on medium heat for several minutes.
9. Add the onion-bean mixture to the barley and combine thoroughly.

Serve warm with feta cheese or other soft brined cheese (such as chêvre or Tek-Süt) and pressed dates or other dried fruit. Also good with olives. Makes an outstanding carry-in lunch.

Short ribs

This slow-cooker recipe works well with many stewing meats, so long as they are rich enough not to dry out. Short ribs and their boneless counterpart (known in Yiddish as flanken) are far and away the most impressive, but a shoulder chuck roast will hold up pretty well, too.

The single most important seasoning here is cloves; this cannot be omitted.

But as I think I mentioned in an earlier post, the real secret ingredient in sweet red sauces for beef in Yiddish-American cooking is soda: cola for dark sauces, and ginger ale for light ones. I have also experimented with cranberry and orange juices to good effect. (Orange juice ends up tasting like tzimmes.)

It's impossible to provide proportions here as it is completely a matter of personal preference. Since the sauce contains no raw meat, you can taste it until it "seems right"--and remember, of course, that it will be made far richer and milder by stewing with the beef.

INGREDIENTS (SAUCE):

• 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
• Plenty of molasses
• Ground cloves (this is essential)
• Spicy brown mustard
• Cider vinegar
• Chopped garlic
• Allspice
• Nutmeg
• A little cola or ginger ale
• Salt

INGREDIENTS (BRAISE):

• 4 beef short ribs --or-- 2-3 lbs. flanken or shoulder chuck roast
• 2-3 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 onion, sliced

Arrange the potatoes at the bottom of the pot, followed by the onions, and then the short ribs, then apply the sauce to the top of the ribs. It will drip down as it cooks, so don't worry too much about spreading it around. It's OK to put some ribs on top of others; if you do that, put some sauce on top of the first layer before putting the second layer on. Cook in the slow cooker for 8-10 hours on low. Serve warm with kashe or rice.

Shepherd's Pie

This is one of my favorite comfort foods, and it's very easy if you have leftover potato knish filling (or any mashed potatoes, really). I find that the knish filling really made a perfect topping for the shepherd's pie.

The potato knish filling is essentially just mashed potatoes prepared a particular way, and I don't feel like writing it again, so I refer you to that recipe.

If prepared appropriately, this recipe can be kosher (fleishig).

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups potato knish filling (see below)
  
• 1 lb. green peas, fresh or frozen
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 2 tbsp. brown mustard
• 3 tbsp. ketchup
• 1 tbsp. molasses
• Worcestershire sauce
• Yolk of one egg

RECIPE:

1. Preheat oven to 425.
   
2. If peas are frozen, defrost in the microwave.
3. Crumble and brown the beef in a frying pan, stirring frequently.
4. When the beef is brown on the outside, add the mustard, ketchup, molasses, and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Cook for another minute or so.
   
5. Transfer beef mixture to a casserole dish.
6. Top beef with peas.
   
7. Spread knish filling evenly over the peas using a spatula.
8. Beat the egg yolk together with some more worcestershire sauce or some water; brush onto top of pie.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is somewhat crisp and the egg mixture has turned golden brown.

Serve warm with a green salad.

PAIRINGS: Goes well with a bitter stout such as Guinness.

The caramelized onion trick

I have had far too many onions that were just soft(ish) when they should have been caramelized, or burnt beyond any recognition of tastiness. So let me splain something.

There's some kind of magical chemistry that happens with caramelization that my mother could explain because she went to culinary arts school. For my money, the thing is that the onions spend about 15 or 20 minutes being 'soft' before they quickly start to get golden and very soft--this is what's called 'browned.'

At that point, they will begin to burn very quickly unless you are stirring them constantly (before that, frequently is fine), and even then will burn if your heat is too high. So watch very carefully when they really start to turn gold.

(If you're going all the way and you want garlic in there, the point at which they start to brown is when you want to throw your garlic in, because garlic does all this same stuff, but ten times faster.)

Very quickly after turning gold, they will start to turn brown. Now you're reaching the sweet spot, and it's up to you to decide how far you want to go with this. If you really caramelize the bejesus out of them, you might actually feel that they have become too sweet and too insubstantial.

But everything progresses with extraordinary speed from the gold stage on up, so be diligent and keep your eye on the onions. You'll get exactly what you want if you do.