Tofu vaVohu

Turkey Coq au Vin

2010-06-26T14:38:00.003-04:00

This is really the same recipe as my rabbit in red wine sauce, with some proportions adjusted and some other minor tweaks. (I've learned a few things since then.)

The obvious difference is that it's made with turkey, not rabbit. Boneless turkey thigh is good because it sears well and braises well, and this recipe does both.

INGREDIENTS:

1 boneless turkey thigh (about 2 lbs), cut into 4 oz pieces
1 cup flour
2 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 lb bacon
1 medium Spanish onion, diced
1 small head of garlic, crushed
8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 bottle red wine (preferably Pinot Noir)
2 tbsp. black currant or blackberry preserves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried rosemary
Juice of 2 large lemons
Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Place flour and the kosher salt into a large bowl or zip-loc bag. Coat each piece of turkey in this mixture and set aside.
In a heavy skillet, sauté the bacon slices medium-high heat until somewhat crispy. Remove the bacon to a bowl but leave all the grease in the skillet.
Increase the heat to high. Brown the turkey pieces in the bacon grease briefly, about 30 seconds per side, and transfer to a large casserole.
Sauté the onions and garlic until softened, adding a little olive oil if needed.
Once the onions begin to soften, add the mushrooms and sauté the mixture until golden. Transfer contents to the casserole.
Add 1 cup of wine to the skillet and gently scrape the sides with a spatula.
Pour the deglazed wine into the casserole and combine with the rest of the wine, herbs, pepper, lemon juice, and preserves.
Crumble the bacon into the casserole and mix all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
The next day, preheat the oven to 275 ºF.
Cover casserole and let cook for about 2 hours.

Serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

Pressure cooker fish soup

2010-04-16T17:39:00.002-04:00

I've been playing around with my pressure cooker lately. This came out pretty well, but I'm still tweaking it. One thing that's nice is that it's absurdly easy.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb frozen halibut or other white fish, in thick chunks (do not defrost)
1 can light coconut milk
1 carton low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp tamari
1 12-oz package of sliced mushrooms
Juice of 2 lemons
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp minced ginger

RECIPE:

Combine all ingredients in a pressure cooker. Turn the cooker to high, and let cook for 4 minutes once pressure is reached. Use cold-water release method.

I told you it was easy.

Tzimmes Kugel

2010-04-10T18:06:00.003-04:00

Originally called "Mrs. Feinberg's Vegetable Kugel," from a cookbook by Joan Nathan, this recipe has been an absolute fixture at family events for decades.

I have substituted safflower oil for margarine and reduced the quantity of both oil and sugar by 50%. Butter or margarine could also be used; in these cases, use 1/3 cup.

I am curious as to how this would work with crushed crackers instead of matzo meal. I'll bet water crackers would be quite similar, and graham crackers might be excellent.

We usually triple the recipe and cook it in a bundt pan.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup grated raw apple
1 cup grated raw sweet potato
1 cup grated raw carrots
1 cup matzo meal
1/4 cup safflower oil (or 1/3 cup margarine or butter)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325.
In a large bowl, combine apples, sweet potatoes and carrots.
In another bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
Add oil to vegetable mixture and combine well. Add in dry ingredients and combine well.
Grease a loaf pan or muffin tins and add the mixture to the pan. (You can also triple the recipe and use a bundt pan; see above.)
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes (muffins), 45 minutes (loaf) or 1 hour (bundt pan).
Increase heat to 350, remove foil, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

Cabbage stew

2010-02-01T12:11:00.003-05:00

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs green cabbage, finely shredded (about 1 medium head)
2 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced
Oil for sauté
Dried mushrooms (any kind)
6-8 cups chicken broth
1 cup white wine (if available)
4 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes
1 lb pork kielbasa, sliced on a bias
1-3 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Cover the mushrooms with boiling water. Let stand for ten minutes. Set aside, reserving the liquid. (You may want to strain it.)
In a heavy skillet, brown the kielbasa slices over high heat. Set aside.
Reduce heat to medium low and sauté the onions until partially caramelized. Set aside.
Add more oil if needed. Add the cabbage to the pan and cover for 30 seconds to wilt; repeat until it has reduced in volume by about 50%. Sauté the cabbage until partially caramelized.
Deglaze the pan with the wine, if using, or broth, and transfer to a soup pot.
Combine all ingredients in the soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook, covered, for 30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

Serve with sour cream and black pepper. Pairs well with bitter greens.

Seafood gumbo

2010-01-28T16:20:00.002-05:00

This was something I just threw together with what I had in the house, so the ingredient list is rather long. I'm writing it up because my father really liked it. I might have a stab at a simplified version in the future.

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups of chicken broth
1/2 bottle of white wine
3 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
3 oz dried portabello mushrooms
1 dried pasilla chipotle pepper
3 medium onions, sliced
Olive oil for sautee
28-oz can whole tomatoes
1 lemon, juice and zest
2 tbsp reduced sodium tamari
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 lb frozen peas
1 lb frozen cut okra
1 lb shellfish (I used Trader Joe's frozen "seafood medley")

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a small bowl, immerse the mushrooms and chipotle in enough boiling water to cover; let stand covered for ten minutes. Do not drain!
Sauté the onions over medium-high heat until golden.
Meanwhile, combine broth, tomatoes, lemon juice and zest, okra, peas, tomatoes, and tamari in a soup pot.
Transfer the mushrooms and chipotle to the soup mixture. Strain the soaking liquid and add it to the soup.
Transfer the onions to the soup. Deglaze the pan with the wine, then transfer this liquid to the soup.
Bring soup to a boil. Reduce to simmer, and allow to cook, covered, for 1 hour.
Remove a few tablespoons of broth in a cup. Add the cornstarch and stir vigorously until dissolved. Stir back into the soup.
Add the seafood to the soup. Even if frozen, it will cook very quickly. Do not boil.

Adjust salt to taste. Keeps for several days.

Walnut herb vinaegrette

2010-01-24T15:45:00.004-05:00

This is a variation on a salad dressing that my mother used to make us growing up. Squeezing the shallots under running water gets rid of the chemicals that give us bad breath and making us cry, leaving only a sweet, spicy note in its place. You may also opt to include them whole.

One great thing about fresh herbs is that they intensify flavors without salt, meaning that this dressing tastes a lot saltier than it is.

The classic salad with which my mother made this dressing was a bed of Boston and Romaine lettuce with chopped walnuts and aged gruyere cheese. The gruyere must reach room temperature!

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup red wine vinegar (NOT balsamic!)
1/2 tbsp olive oil
5 oz (2 large) shallots, minced
3 tbsp walnuts
1 tbsp fresh chives, rough chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, rough chopped
1/2 tbsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

In cheesecloth, squeeze out the minced shallots under running cold water for about a minute.
Combine all ingredients in a blender until very smooth.

Store in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature if possible.

Broiled lemon-caper chicken

2009-12-12T19:57:00.002-05:00

Zesty, lean, and simplicity itself.

INGREDIENTS:

6 chicken thighs, skin removed
1 tsp coarse salt
Zest and juice of two lemons
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp capers
Black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2-8 hours, mixing once.
Transfer chicken to broiling pan, sprinkling capers remaining in bowl on top.
Broil on high for 30 minutes or until juice runs golden when punctured to the center (160 ºF), turning over every 6-8 minutes.

Pasilla Mole

2009-12-12T19:11:00.003-05:00

Based on this recipe, but a little more velvety and a couple of important points in the recipe clarified. This is actually a very healthy sauce if eaten in moderation.

INGREDIENTS:

4 dried pasilla peppers
1 28-oz can roasted tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, roasted (or raw, see below)
3 tbsp raisins or black currants
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp minced cilantro
several grinds of black pepper
1 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 oz bittersweet chocolate (I had 70% cacao)
1 1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

Soak the peppers in hot water for 10 minutes, turning once with a fork. Wearing gloves, remove the stems and discard.
If pumpkin seeds are raw: put seeds in an untreated pan (not non-stick) and cook for 60-90 seconds, turning constantly, until temperature starts to change. Immediately transfer to plate or food processor; they will continue to cook once removed from the heat.
Combine all ingredients except chocolate and salt in a blender and process on high for 2 minutes.
Transfer blended mixture to a large saucepan. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chocolate and salt. Chocolate will melt instantly. Adjust salt if necessary. Serve or transfer to jars.

Makes about 5 cups.

Roasted pepper goulash

2009-11-08T10:03:00.003-05:00

I've made this incredible stew three times. So far, I've had some "paprika cream" on hand, so the recipe below is a slight adaptation. I am pretty sure it will come out excellent, but I'll be checking it soon to make sure. Based on Cooks Illustrated, December 2008. My major change was to emphasize fresh peppers over paprika.

Note: don't even consider adding sour cream, you'll blow away half the flavor profile. I prefer water to canned broth for this recipe, since the flavors are so delicate and refined. Do not serve with a strongly-flavored side; stick to noodles.

2 lbs beef shoulder chuck, cut into 1 1/2" pieces
4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 medium onions, diced
3 ripe red bell peppers, halved and seeds removed
2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tsp coarse salt (I use sea salt)
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup water or broth as needed (see below)
Olive oil for sauté
Salt to taste

Broil the red peppers on low for 10-15 minutes or until the skins are just beginning to have little flecks of blackened regions. Turn over and broil for another 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325º F.
Combine the red peppers, paprika, vinegar and tomato paste in a food processor. Set aside.
In a non-metallic bowl, combine meat and coarse salt, mixing to coat evenly. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.
In an oven-safe stew pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and carrots for 10 minutes, turning frequently.
Increase temperature to high. Add red pepper mixture and cook, turning frequently, for 2 more minutes.
Stir in the beef until evenly coated. Cover (with oven-safe lid!) and place in oven.
Cook for 2 1/2 hours, stirring twice.
Remove from oven and add enough water (or broth) to bring liquid level near the top. Adjust salt to taste.
Return to the oven for another 30 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Ginger Miso Dipping Sauce

2009-06-14T22:07:00.002-04:00

I tried this recipe in an effort to get that Japanese restaurant salad dressing that I love so much. It didn't work, but I did figure out how to make that tasty dipping sauce they always sample at Whole Foods, but that I'm too cheap to buy. This is actually a lot tastier, with no weird ingredients.

Wasabi takes it in a whole other direction that's also quite nice.

INGREDIENTS:

4 tbsp light miso
2" chunk of ginger, peeled
2 tbsp sesame oil
3/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp rice vinegar
Variation: add 1-2 tbsp prepared wasabi.

DIRECTIONS:

Combine everything but oil in the blender; run blender on low until a thick paste is formed.
While blender continues to run, add oil in a very slow stream until a fluffy, creamy aioli is formed.

Serve with crudites. Keeps well in refrigerated.

Tamarind noodles

2009-06-02T17:36:00.002-04:00

This stir-fry pasta dish was intensely flavorful and produced a lot of good food for the cost.

INGREDIENTS:

1 batch sambal
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, sliced into 1/2" strips
1 large red onion, halved and sliced
1 package somen (or udon) noodles
1 can sliced bamboo shoots, drained
Oil for sautéing
Tamari to taste

DIRECTIONS

Begin to bring water for pasta to a boil.
Bring the sambal to a boil and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
Heat the oil until quite hot; add the onions and allow to cook until soft.
Add the chicken and bamboo shoots; allow to cook another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Begin to cook the pasta; do not overcook. (This sort of pasta takes about 7-8 minutes.)
Add the cauliflower, bamboo shoots and sambal to the chicken mixture and allow to cook for several minutes.
Drain the pasta and add to the chicken mixture. Combine thoroughly and allow to sit for several minutes in order to combine the flavors.

Makes great leftovers.

Sambal

2009-06-02T17:29:00.003-04:00

Sambal is a sweet and intensely sour garlic sauce that originates in southeast Asia. I was first introduced to the sauce in Emilie Hardman's eye-opening "Creative Vegan Cooking" class at Cambridge Center for Adult Education. To turn this sauce back to a vegan item, substitute nori and salt for the fish sauce.

Green jalapeños result in a brilliant burgundy sauce. Red ones produce a color similar to chiles in adobo. 2 jalapeños seems fairly temperate; I'd recommend more (or stronger) peppers for the spice-inclined.

INGREDIENTS:

6 shallots, peeled
3 jalapeños, trimmed of stems
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp. concentrated tamarind paste
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. fish sauce (or half a tin of anchovies)

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor; process for at least one minute or until smooth.
Transfer sauce to a deep skillet and cook over medium-high heat until simmering.

Baba ghannouj

2009-05-29T20:37:00.002-04:00

I tried to make baba ghannouj several years ago using a recipe, and concluded that it was a hassle. Today, I decided to try it entirely by feel and concluded that the recipe I'd tried was stupid. Baba is really easy. I wish I'd had this epiphany before.

INGREDIENTS:

1 eggplant
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp tahini
3/4 tsp salt
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 jalapeño (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Slice the eggplant the long way into 3/4" slices. (Do not peel.)
Arrange the slices on a broiler pan and broil on high for 10 minutes per side.
Transfer all the eggplant and all other ingredients to the food processor.
Process until desired consistency has been reached. Adjust seasonings if desired.

Serves two; recipe scales easily.

Dill potato salad

2009-05-24T14:50:00.004-04:00

This is an update on the spicy mustard potato salad, and I think this time I got it where I want to be. The sauce on these is a lively shade of spring green, so garnish with red onion rings and whole dill.

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 lbs red potatoes
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
3/4 cup coarsely ground mustard
1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
1 bunch dill, stems removed (divided use)
1 shallot, peeled
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Boil the potatoes, skin-on, until tender but not too soft, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
Cut the potatoes into 3/4" cubes and place in a mixing bowl with the onions. Set aside.
Put the mustards, oil, vinegar, shallot and half the dill into a food processor. Puree until quite smooth.
A little at a time, gently mix the dressing into the potatoes, tasting as you go, until the desired intensity is reached.
Transfer to a serving dish, garnishing with the remainder of the dill.

Best if served at room temperature.

Blueberry sourdough cake

2009-05-23T19:43:00.004-04:00

Simple and refreshing. Based on this coffee cake recipe. Note that the center of this cake will rise, creating a cute little hill at the center of a round pan.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups sourdough starter
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. baking soda

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350º F.
Combine frozen blueberries and 1 tbsp sugar in a bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. If still frozen, stir and microwave for another 15 seconds or so.
Combine the sourdough starter, blueberries, egg and butter in a bowl; set aside.
Combine all remaining ingredients in a second bowl. Combine with the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Pour into an 8" round non-stick cake pan.
Bake for 40 minutes or until center of the cake is set.
Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Tofu vaVohu

2009-05-21T20:58:00.008-04:00

At last, a stew that does justice to the namesake of this site. Dark and profound, this sweet stew has its roots in Korean braised beef and ma po tofu. I am quite pleased with it.

The peppers provide an important flavor dimension, so if you're averse to spice, replace the 6 jalapeños with 3 poblanos. The jalapeño version is surprisingly moderate, however.

Notes: I tried cutting the peppers thin and adding them directly rather than roasting them separately; this turned out poorly. Chopped up steak, particularly cuts that tenderize well in stews, is better than hamburger. Chop in a food processor or slice into small pieces as preferred. You can replace up to 1/4 cup rice vinegar with lemon juice (1 lemon = 1/4 cup vinegar); in this case, add more sugar to offset the additional acidity.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. soft tofu, cut into 3/4" cubes
3/4 lb eggplant (1 large), cut into 1" cubes
1/2 lb ground beef
6 whole jalapeños (or 3 whole poblanos)
2 packages (10 oz. each) crimini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 cup reduced-sodium tamari
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

Broil the peppers on high for 6-8 minutes, turning once.
Combine rice vinegar, tamari and brown sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
Combine tofu, beef, eggplant and mushrooms in a stew pot. Bury the peppers in the mixture. Pour vinegar mixture over these ingredients.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer covered for an hour, stirring every ten minutes until liquid covers all the vegetables.
Remove several tablespoons of liquid in a cup. Add one tablespoon cold water, then combine with corn starch. Quickly stir this mixture back into the stew.

Garnish with grated carrots or beets. Serve with steamed bok choy and brown ale.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

2009-04-21T19:14:00.005-04:00

Pure as the driven snow; thick, zesty and delicious. And it takes about 15 seconds to prepare.

INGREDIENTS:

2 shallots, peeled
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 10 seconds. Serve on any green salad.

Cauliflower Florets in Sambal

2009-04-17T19:56:00.005-04:00

Update 6/2/09: As I've been discovering other uses for sambal, I've decided to spin the sauce out to its own post.

INGREDIENTS:

1 large head cauliflower, cored, washed and broken into florets
1 batch sambal

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 500º F.
Arrange the cauliflower in a casserole or glass dish; bake for 30 minutes, stirring twice.
Combine the cauliflower and the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat, and cooking for several minutes, stirring frequently to cover.

Serve with rice.

Feijoada Completa

2009-03-29T13:43:00.000-04:00

I went into a local Portuguese grocery to find carne seca, a spicy Brazilian dried beef product. There was a Brazilian woman talking to the cashier. I asked the cashier if she had it. She looked at me quizzically. The Brazilian woman, however, began to wax poetic.

"Ah, carne seca! Feijoada! com presunto. e cebola. e farofa. e caipirinha...ah, boy."

"I think you need to go to a Brazilian store," said the cashier.

This recipe is the result of a good deal of research, and draws principally on the feijoada completa recipe on this page and this recipe. The salt pork provides all the salt you need.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb black beans, soaked overnight and drained
1 lb. ham, cut into 3/4" pieces
1 lb. linguica (see below)
1/2 lb flanken or other stew beef (see below)
2 spanish onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 oz. salt pork, finely minced (divided use)
2 oz. carne seca or plain beef jerky, soaked overnight
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. sugar
Zest of one orange

DIRECTIONS:

Prick the linguica several times with a fork. Simmer in water for about 10 minutes, then cut into 3/4" pieces.
Drain and mince the soaked carne seca.
Tenderize the stew beef by pounding it with a tenderizer or kitchen mallet, then cut into 3/4" pieces.
Heat 3 oz of salt pork in a heavy stew pot over medium heat until it begins to cast off grease. Turn heat to high and add the flanken. Sear on all sides for about 30 seconds per side.
Add the beans, bay leaves, zest and all of the meat to the pot. Add enough water to cover by one to two inches. (You can add or remove some later.)
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 90 minutes. Add more water if needed.
In a nonstick frying pan, heat the remaining salt pork on medium heat until it begins to cast off grease. Sauté the onions and garlic with the sugar until they begin to turn golden.
To the onion mixture, add 2 cups of beans from the stew. Mash well and allow to cook together for 3-5 minutes.
Stir this mixture back into the stew; cook for another 30 minutes.

Serve with farofa and fresh orange slices. Pair with a tart cocktail such as caipirinha.

Collard Greens with Garlic

2009-03-29T13:12:00.000-04:00

Collard greens are a bit like kale; they have an astringent taste that offsets fatty or fried foods quite elegantly. You often find them overcooked and slightly sweet; if this is your idea of collards, you've been missing out.

Here, I pan-fry them very quickly with salt to draw out some of the vegetal flavor while retaining a good deal of crunch.

INGREDIENTS:

2 bunches collard greens
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp. olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Lay several leaves of collards on top of each other in alternating directions. Roll tightly; cut the roll into narrow ribbons using a chef's knife.
In a glass bowl or other non-reactive container, combine the greens and the salt.
Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over a medium flame until very hot but not smoking. Add the garlic; it will crisp instantly.
Immediately add the greens, covering for 30 seconds. They will wilt substantially.
Uncover and continue to cook, turning constantly, for another 1-2 minutes or until softened but still crunchy.

Serve immediately.

Coconut rice

2009-03-29T13:00:00.000-04:00

This is easy and nice; it goes well with many warm-weather foods.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups jasmine rice
3 cups water
2 oz. shredded, unsweetened coconut
2 bay leaves

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse and prepare the rice according to the directions on the package, adding bay leaves before cooking.
Meanwhile, put the coconut in a skillet. Roast on medium-low heat, turning constantly, until it begins to turn golden-orange.
The instant the coconut is golden-orange, remove it from the heat and set aside until the rice is done.
Remove the bay leaves from the rice; stir in the coconut. Serve immediately.

Farofa

2009-03-29T12:55:00.000-04:00

This weekend, I made a full feijoada dinner. This is apparently a big deal kind of thing in Brazil, where it's got all kinds of fixins.

One of those fixins is farofa, or pan-roasted cassava flour. I had this for the first time with a friend at the excellent Muqueca restaurant in Cambridge. At the time, my reaction could basically be summarized as 'wtf'? What are you supposed to do with a pile of roasted flour?

The answer: If you try mix it in with a soupy bean stew, it takes on the consistency of Thanksgiving stuffing, but with all that great savory flavor. Don't miss it.

Note: In all of the following recipes, I make copious use of salt pork. Savegnor's (on Kirkland St, near Dali restaurant) makes their own "lean" salt pork, which is basically salt-cured bacon. Whole Foods sells a Niemann Ranch variety, which is much fattier. If you're interested in cutting down on cholesterol a bit, you could go with equal amounts olive oil.

INGREDIENTS:

3 oz salt pork, minced
500g (about 3 cups) cassava flour (also called yucca flour or manioc)
1 large Spanish onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp. sugar

DIRECTIONS:

In a deep skillet, heat the salt pork over a medium flame until it begins to cast off some grease.
Add the onion and sugar; sauté with the salt pork, stirring frequently, until the onions turn translucent.
Add the parsley and continue to sauté until the onions turn golden.
Add the cassava flour a little at a time, turning constantly. Make sure none sticks to the bottom of the pan.
Keep turning the mixture in the pan until the cassava begins to turn golden beige. The mixture is extremely hot in the pan; use caution if tasting!

Keep dry until serving.

Coconut caramels

2009-03-29T12:17:00.006-04:00

This stuff is a workout to make; you really feel it in your arms. Which is great, since a workout is exactly what you'll need after eating a few of these diabolical candies. Based on this recipe.

I was actually trying to figure out how to make these butter macaroons that I had in Costa Rica, and basically wound up with dulce de leche instead. I'm not complaining.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cans (14 oz each) of sweetened condensed milk
4 oz. unsweetened shredded coconut (1-2 cups depending on shred size)
1 cup butter
4 graham crackers
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
(optional) 1 cup peanuts or other nuts, crushed

DIRECTIONS:

Grind the graham crackers into crumbs using a food processor.
Combine all ingredients in a nonstick saucepan.
Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to bubble.
Beat the mixture constantly over medium heat until it begins to get very thick and caramel-colored.
Let the mixture cool for several minutes. As soon as it is cool enough to handle, roll into 1" balls.
(optional) Roll the balls in the crushed peanuts before placing on a cookie sheet to cool.

The candies keep well in an airtight container; separate layers with wax paper to prevent sticking. Reheat in microwave for 15 seconds before serving.

Molasses pancakes

2009-03-22T11:23:00.002-04:00

I woke up this morning hankering for some pancakes, but out of eggs. So I googled 'eggless pancakes,' found this, and crunchified it. Note that these cook pretty fast and don't really give visual cues of when to flip them, so be attentive.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup walnut pieces
2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. dark molasses
1 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tbsp. water
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
Stir in remaining ingredients. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Preheat a nonstick or cast-iron skillet to medium heat.
Pour 2 tbsp. batter onto the skillet for each pancake.
Turn over after about 45 seconds; turn again; serve immediately.

Bacalao and Eggplant Stew

2009-03-20T14:00:00.002-04:00

I had tried this concept once before, using a Nigerian fish stew recipe as a base. I didn't like the way that turned out, and I despaired of how to pull this off until I took Emilie Hardman's "Creative Vegan Cuisine" class at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. There she made an eggplant and tofu stew with a tomato base. I decided to use that as a launching point for this summery meal.

1 jalapeño is quite mild. 2 is right around medium. Adjust to taste.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. bacalao, soaked overnight in three changes of ice water
2 zucchinis, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 lb. eggplant, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 large red onion, diced
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed and finely minced
2 tbsp. fish sauce
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp. minced ginger
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
3 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. honey

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the diced onion and sauté until soft, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the garlic, jalapeño and ginger. Sauté another 3-4 minutes or until soft.
Add the eggplant and zucchini and sauté until the eggplant begins to soften.
Add all ingredients except for fish. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, dry the bacalao thoroughly with paper towels. Broil on high heat for about 4-6 minutes or until just done.
Add the bacalao to the stew. Turn heat to low and allow to cook for 2 minutes more.

Serve immediately with rice or quinoa.

Buffalo chicken thighs

2009-03-02T20:50:00.003-05:00

Buffalo sauce. Crude, salty, highly processed, low brow. Also: unspeakably delicious.

I love buffalo chicken.

With bleu cheese.

I love it to a shameful degree. I more than love it: I lurve it; I luff it with two F's. But why is it always wings--the most impractical, messy, meatless part of the chicken? And what's with all the frying? Is that really necessary?

Well, here's my take on things. Note: David Squires, this is for you.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups crushed-up corn flakes
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups Frank's Red Hot Wings sauce

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 450º.
Combine half the bread crumbs and half the corn flakes in a large bowl. Put the eggs in a separate bowl. Prepare a broiling pan.
Coat the chicken thighs on both sides with egg, then coat in the bread crumb mixture, and then place on the broiler. When the breadcrumbs become soggy (after 2-3 thighs), start over with the second half of the mixture.
Broil the chicken for 12 minutes on each side or until the juice is golden when the chicken is pricked with a fork.
Immediately before serving, put the hot sauce in a shallow bowl or casserole. Coat each thigh on both sides; serve immediately.

Serve with a dollop of roquefort mustard and several sprigs of celery or parsely.

Roquefort Mustard

2009-03-02T19:28:00.004-05:00

I love buffalo chicken with bleu cheese sauce, but I always feel like that sauce is needlessly heavy and insipid. Then, in early 2007, I was at the Stonewall Kitchen store in Maine, and I discovered their Blue Cheese Herb Mustard. This is an excellent product, but--you know me and processed food--I wanted to make it myself.

I experimented with gorgonzola, which was way too sharp and not creamy enough. Then I turned to roquefort, and it provided a beautiful smoothness whose pungency played right off that of the mustard. It screamed out for tarragon, and that was that. Try this on your buffalo wings; I promise you won't be disappointed.

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz dijon mustard
2 oz. roquefort cheese
2 tsp. dried tarragon

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or mini-prep.

Sourdough pita

2009-03-02T10:19:00.005-05:00

This is trivially easy and, if you have a sourdough starter, pretty close to free. Adapted from this thread on "The Fresh Loaf," which got it from Randy's Vegetarian Cookbook. Use a 475° oven for pocketless pitas. Roll thinner and raise oven to maximum temp for pitas with pockets.

Makes 3-4 pitas. Double or triple as needed.

Variation: this recipe produces a deep, moist pita, more like what is found in Greek restaurants. For a rustic, "desert" pita, leave out the water and add substantially less flour at the end. Roll into much thinner pitas--say, 1/8" thick--and bake for no more than 3m 30s. Note that kneading such a dough is much more physically demanding.

Notes: if making several batches at once, do not roll out each loaf until immediately before you put it in the oven. Also, cover unrolled balls with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup sourdough starter
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour (divided use)

RECIPE:

In a large bowl, mix sourdough starter, water, sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Add salt.
Knead in another 1/2 cup flour. Knead for 5-10 minutes or until the dough forms a springy, cohesive ball. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 45-60 minutes.
Knead in more flour until you have a firm, but still pliable dough.
Cut into 3-4 equal pieces. Roll into balls and let rest for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 500°. While the oven is heating, roll the balls into 1/4" sheets. (Do not roll any thinner than 1/4".)
Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the pitas suddenly puff up. (They will collapse again once you remove them from heat.)

If eating that day, let cool for a moment then serve immediately. Otherwise, allow to reach room temperature, then freeze in an airtight container or bag.

Sourdough pancakes

2009-01-29T08:10:00.002-05:00

I briefly considered calling these "one pancake to rule them all." Seriously, I have only had pancakes this nice from one place before this: Johnny's Luncheonette in Newton, MA. (Their pancakes have become more variable in quality since the early 2000s.)

These delicate, crepe-like pancakes are out of this world. Thin, soft, just a hint of sourness to balance the sweet, with the caramel notes of the seared exterior--incredible.

This is basically this recipe, halved, with a couple of minor modifications. (I mean, olive oil? Seriously?) Also, I took my sourdough starter directly out of the fridge and it was fine. Finally, I used baking powder instead of soda and I think it was better.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sourdough starter
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp warm water

DIRECTIONS:

Combine baking powder and warm water. Set aside.
Gently mix all other ingredients in a small mixing bowl
Add the baking powder mixture and gently combine.
Allow mixture to stand while heating a skillet to medium-high.
Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook for 60-90 seconds per side. (The pancake is ready to flip the first time when a number of small holes have appeared on the top.)

Serve immediately. Discard leftover batter.

New England Feijoada

2009-01-08T20:33:00.005-05:00

This is my take on the succulent Portuguese bean stew of the same name. Being a New Englander, I could not resist making it slightly sweet, but the spirit of the authentic thing shines through. I would have loved to use some tawny port instead of sherry, but that was all I had.

Initially, I made the stew in a slow cooker; but this dried out the linguica. I have not yet tried it out on range-top, but I have a very good idea of how it should come out. All in all, I am quite pleased with this excellent winter stew.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. dry black beans, soaked overnight
2 lbs oxtail, trimmed
1 lb. linguica, cut on a bias into 1/3" rounds
1 large onion, diced
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/4 cup tawny port or sherry
7 cups water
Olive oil for sauté

DIRECTIONS

In a heavy pot, brown the oxtail over medium-high heat until seared on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium-low; add olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic until caramelized, about 10 minutes, turning frequently.
Add the port and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula. (If using a nonstick pot, be sure to use a plastic spatula.) This should free up all browned bits from the oxtail and the onions.
Add all remaining ingredients to the pot, and simmer on medium-low for 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.

Serve with white rice.

Sweet potato latkes revisited

2009-01-08T19:23:00.002-05:00

I wish I had written down what I did for my sweet potato latkes, as they were a smashing success this year. Alas, I failed to do it at the time, so the best I can do is try to remember a few points about what worked.

Use olive oil. It tasted immeasurably better than the canola stuff you usually get. Light olive oil is available in big jugs on the cheap (I got a 38 oz monster for $10.99) and that's more than enough to get you through a lot of latkes. Note that olive oil has a lower smoke point than canola oil, so watch the heat or you'll be scrubbing.
Use one egg and at least three tbsp. flour for every pound of sweet potatoes. You may need even more flour than that. I found that with this much egg and flour kicking around, I didn't have nearly as much trouble getting them to hold together.
Sweet potatoes don't cast off nearly as much water as regular potatoes do, but they are also less starchy and therefore don't want to stick together.
Lots of onion. Maybe one medium onion for every 1.5-2 sweet potatoes.I was hesitant to use a lot of onion at first--they're sweet potatoes, after all!--but they really added a fantastic dimension that played right off the olive oil in spectacular fashion. With less onion, the taste was a bit sweet and insipid.
Careful with the salt. I used the guidelines for normal latkes (about 1/2 tsp. per pound) and it seemed like a lot.

I can't remember if I used any baking soda in the sweets. Too bad; otherwise I'd write up a guestimate of the recipe.

I'm very interested in shredding one beet and tossing that in with the sweet potatoes next year. It would add a lot of pizazz.

Apple cranberry sauce

2009-01-05T18:12:00.004-05:00

Adjust the proportions here according to taste; they can vary pretty widely. Mine comes out quite tart and not too sweet.

Note that applesauce requires almost no water; you just add enough to allow the apples to steam themselves into a sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

4 lbs granny smith or other sour apple, peeled, cored and quartered
1 lb. fresh cranberries, rinsed
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 cloves, whole
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Mix thoroughly and turn heat to low. Let cook for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally. Mash before serving. Refrigerate unused portion.

Split Pea Curry

2008-11-09T17:07:00.003-05:00

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:

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.
Add the carrots and continue to sauté for 5-6 more minutes or until carrots begin to soften.
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.
Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and allow to cook for 45 minutes.
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.
Add the cream (if using) and stir to combine.
Salt to taste.

Serve with bread. Makes an excellent leftover.

Butternut Squash Bread (or muffins)

2008-11-01T21:50:00.006-04:00

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:

Preheat oven to 325. Spray three nonstick 9" x 5" loaf pans (or three 6-muffin tins) with nonstick spray.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Add remaining ingredients and mix until there are no lumps.
Fill each loaf pan half-full with batter. (Fill muffin tins 2/3 full.)
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)

2008-11-01T16:26:00.002-04:00

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:

How to dice an onion

2008-10-05T21:02:00.003-04:00

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:

Hone your chef's knife with a steel.
Begin breathing only through your mouth. Don't breathe through your nose for even a second until you're done dicing.
Cut the stem end off of your onion. Cut a portion of the root end off, being sure to leave the root intact.
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.
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.
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

2008-10-05T20:29:00.008-04:00

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:

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add the beef and sear on all sides until brown. Remove and set aside.
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.
Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté for 5 more minutes.
Add the apples and rosemary; continue to sauté for a few minutes more.
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.
Add the beef and the remaining vegetables; mix thoroughly.
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.
Add salt to taste.

PAIRINGS: Serve with hard cider or brown ale.

Lamb and Tomatillo Stew

2008-09-25T20:30:00.005-04:00

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:

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.
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.
Add the minced pepper and sauté for 2 minutes more.
Add the tomatoes, tomatillos, lemon juice and herbs; increase the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
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

2008-09-24T19:30:00.004-04:00

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:

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

2008-08-10T18:47:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-13T09:18:00.002-04:00

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:

Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Add all of the wet ingredients and stir until smooth.
Warm up a non-stick griddle to medium-low, and apply non-stick spray or butter to make it doubly non-stick.
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.
Serve immediately.

Clear borscht (beverage)

2008-07-12T19:17:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-12T18:43:00.006-04:00

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:

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.
Meanwhile, mix the water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pitcher or liquid measuring cup. (It makes it easier to pour.)
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.
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.
Pack the beets into the jar, adding a peeled garlic clove after each beet and a bay leaf after two beets.
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

2008-06-22T15:50:00.005-04:00

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:

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.
Fill the pot about halfway with water--about enough to cover the chickpeas and then that much twice more.
Cook in the slow cooker on 'high' for 3-4 hours or until chickpeas are tender but still firm.
Transfer the chickpeas to a colander. Rinse thoroughly with cold water to remove any excess starch. Allow to dry for several minutes.
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

2008-06-22T12:23:00.002-04:00

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:

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

How to crush garlic

2008-06-22T11:57:00.008-04:00

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.

Separate the cloves you are planning to use.
Cut the stem end of each clove off, leaving the root end intact.
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.)
The peel should come off the shocked garlic very easily; remove it.
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.
Turn the clove 90 degrees and slice again, this time going all the way to the end. You will have tiny sticks of garlic.
Sprinkle a bit of salt over the garlic cloves to reduce stickiness. (Whatever you're making with the garlic will probably need salt anyways.)
Finally, mince all the cloves briefly by repeating the slicing motion.
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.)
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!

2008-06-22T08:46:00.004-04:00

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)

2008-05-12T19:49:00.009-04:00

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:

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.)
Heat the evaporated milk to around 110 degrees. (The easiest way is microwave for about 30 seconds.)
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.
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.
Dust a counter or board with flour and place the dough on top. Knead by hand until smooth, about 10 minutes.
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:

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.
Arrange the bagels on baking sheets, cover and allow to rise until doubled again, approximately 1 hour more.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Boil some water. Drop the bagels into the boiling water for 3 minutes, flipping halfway through, then transfer back to the baking sheets.
Beat the remaining egg with the 2 tbsp. milk. Brush onto each bagel, then dust with poppy seeds if desired.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

FOR BRAIDED LOAVES:

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.
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.
Arrange the three loaves onto baking sheets and allow to rise another hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Beat the remaining egg with the 2 tbsp. milk. Brush onto each loaf, then dust with poppy seeds if desired.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Makes 12 bagels or three loaves.

Matzo Meal Pancakes

2008-05-04T09:35:00.002-04:00

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:

Beat the eggs and milk in a bowl until frothy.
Add all remaining ingredients.
Heat a nonstick frying pan to medium-low. Apply butter or non-stick spray, then drop the batter in by the tablespoon.
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

2008-04-27T11:58:00.003-04:00

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:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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.
Coat a non-stick baking pan with 2 tbsp. oil, then cover the bottom with the matzos.
In a saucepan, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil, then sauté the onions in the oil over medium-high heat until soft.
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.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs thoroughly. Combine with meat mixture and transfer to the pan with the matzos.
Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until top is golden.

Farfel Kugel

2008-04-27T11:35:00.003-04:00

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:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees; boil some water.
Combine matzo farfel and raisins in a bowl.
Cover farfel and raisin mixture with boiling water and let stand 15 minutes; then drain in a colander.
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.)
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.
Scald the milk in a saucepan, then pour it evenly over the kugel. Do not mix.
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)

2008-04-24T16:24:00.003-04:00

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:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
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.
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.
Mix the spinach, feta and garlic in a bowl; arrange on top of matzo.
Dip the remaining matzos in water and arrange on top of the spinach. Pour the eggs over this, attempting to apply them evenly.
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)

2008-04-21T10:20:00.006-04:00

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:

Scald the milk in a saucepan by heating to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce heat to low.
Add all remaining ingredients and beat together with a whisk.
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:

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.
Pour the chocolate mixture into a mug. Using a small whisk or electric frother, foam the milk mixture slightly.
Add the coffee to the chocolate and serve immediately.

Chicken with 42 Cloves of Garlic

2008-04-21T10:19:00.006-04:00

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:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a four quart casserole, combine the chopped onions, apples, parsley and tarragon.
Put down a layer of chicken, nestling garlic cloves in between the pieces. Repeat until all of the garlic and chicken has been placed.
Combine the wine, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a jar or container and shake to combine. Drizzle over the chicken.
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

2008-04-21T10:18:00.012-04:00

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:

Chop the apples with the sharpest chopping knife you have (to prevent bruising) and immediately combine with lemon juice in a bowl.
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.
Chop the raisins and figs in the same fashion.
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

2008-04-21T10:18:00.009-04:00

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:

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.
Remove the shells, being careful not to damage the egg in the process.
With a sharp knife, cut each egg in half. Remove the hard-boiled yolk to a bowl; reserve the whites.
Combine the yolks with all remaining ingredients, pressing down with the back of a fork.
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.
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

2008-04-19T15:03:00.011-04:00

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:

Put the figs in a food processor and puree for about a minute. (You may want to hold onto the food processor for this.)
Add the banana, honey and wine and jalapeño to the food processor and continue to pulverize for another minute or two.
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

2008-04-12T09:36:00.007-04:00

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:

Put the egg yolks, garlic, mustard and horseradish into the blender. Run on low for about 1 minute.
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.
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

2008-04-08T20:17:00.012-04:00

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:

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.
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.
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.
Break the fish into large-ish chunks (it will continue to fall apart on its own).
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)

2008-03-29T18:02:00.005-04:00

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:

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.
Remove the chicken to a cutting board and cut into narrow strips.
Combine all ingredients except cornstarch and tamari in the pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.
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.
Add tamari to taste.

Thai Peanut Sauce

2008-03-13T21:05:00.004-04:00

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

2008-03-06T20:28:00.003-05:00

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:

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

2008-02-28T18:10:00.009-05:00

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:

Combine the sugar, vinegar, wine and cinnamon in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil and let simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Add pears and let simmer, covered, for 20 more minutes.
Let this mixture sit out (at room temperature) overnight.
THE NEXT DAY, remove the pairs from the sauce and set aside.
Bring the sauce to a simmer; add the linguica and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Remove the linguica to the container with the apples, keeping the liquid in the saucepan.
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.
Pour the sauce over the linguica and apples and serve.

Salt Cod (Bacalao) Fritters

2008-02-28T17:56:00.003-05:00

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

2008-02-25T20:30:00.003-05:00

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:

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.
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

2008-02-24T20:27:00.006-05:00

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:

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.
Arrange the chicken pieces on a large broiler pan. You may need two. Make sure it's got one of those fat-drippy thingies.
Roast the chicken for about 45 minutes, turning about halfway through. It should be dark brown.
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.
Transfer the chicken to the stock pot. Add the spices. Combine the ingredients gently.
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.)
Cover and bring to a boil. (This could take awhile with so much water.)
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.
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.
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

2008-02-24T18:53:00.004-05:00

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:

Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil and allow to warm.
Add the onions and mushrooms along with the sugar. Sauté, turning frequently with a spatula, until beginning to caramelize: about 25-30 minutes.
Add the whole garlic cloves and continue to sauté about 5 minutes more. (The garlic will still be white.)
In a crockpot, thoroughly combine the caramelized vegetables, the beans, barley, carrots, potatoes and paprika.
Bury the beef in this mixture.
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.
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

2008-02-23T11:16:00.005-05:00

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:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, evaporated milk and beaten egg.
In a skillet, melt 3 tbsp. butter over medium-high heat.
To the skillet, add the bananas, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Cook for several minutes to blend.
Add the banana mixture and nuts to the batter and mix thoroughly.
Clean the skillet and heat to medium.
Butter the skillet when it is completely hot.
To the buttered skillet, add dollops of batter to meet your preferred size. (The cakes won't spread much.)
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

2008-02-16T14:01:00.004-05:00

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

2008-02-16T13:47:00.005-05:00

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)

2008-02-09T13:01:00.005-05:00

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:

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.
Keep this mixture warm until you are ready to add the hot kasha/egg mixture and the boiling broth to it.
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.
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.
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).
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.
Add the meat , if using, and the noodles. Season.

Serve warm; very good left over.

Candied citrus fruits / Citrus syrup

2008-02-09T11:48:00.000-05:00

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:

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.
In a deep, non-reactive skillet or a saucepan, add the water, salt and 3 cups of sugar and combine.
Bring to a boil (warning: this will be much hotter than 212˚ F!).
Add fruit with a slotted spoon and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, occasionally pushing down pieces that are on top.
Turn off heat and allow the mixture to cool.
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!
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).
Allow the fruit to dry for 24 hours or more.
Dredge the fruit in sugar.
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

2008-02-02T16:26:00.000-05:00

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:

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

2008-01-28T20:03:00.001-05:00

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):

Put the beef, carrots, squash, potatoes and dried fruit in the slow cooker.
Combine the brown sugar, flour and spices. Add some of the boiling water so it all dissolves.
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):

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

Serve hot. Even better left over.

Barley and Fava Beans

2008-01-28T19:42:00.000-05:00

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:

Reconstitute the fava beans by whatever method suits you best. (I usually throw beans in the slow-cooker on high for 4-6 hours.)
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.
Meanwhile, heat the butter or schmaltz in a deep nonstick pan. Once hot, add the onions.
Sauté the onions over medium-high heat.
When the onions begin to soften, add the chopped anchovies. Continue to sauté.
Add the capers and black pepper when the onions begin to brown.
When the onions have caramelized, add the fava beans and combine thoroughly, mashing slightly if necessary.
Mix in the lemon juice and allow to cook on medium heat for several minutes.
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

2008-01-26T13:15:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-24T11:26:00.000-05:00

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:

Preheat oven to 425.
If peas are frozen, defrost in the microwave.
Crumble and brown the beef in a frying pan, stirring frequently.
When the beef is brown on the outside, add the mustard, ketchup, molasses, and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Cook for another minute or so.
Transfer beef mixture to a casserole dish.
Top beef with peas.
Spread knish filling evenly over the peas using a spatula.
Beat the egg yolk together with some more worcestershire sauce or some water; brush onto top of pie.
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

2008-01-22T21:51:00.001-05:00

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.

Kreplach (pierogi)

2008-01-22T21:28:00.001-05:00

Update (02/02/08): What started out as a disappointing knish experiment turned into a startlingly excellent kreplach experiment. The dough is essentially a schmaltzy egg pasta: too dry to be baked, but perfect for boiling. Fortunately, I had half a batch left uncooked in my freezer to try this experiment out on.

These are more like pierogi that I've had in that the dough is thicker and eggier than most kreplach, which have an almost translucent, angelic quality. They are delicious by themselves with mustard or goat cheese, and I am sure they would also make an outstanding contribution to chicken soup.

I still haven't figured out how to make knishes, alas.

INGREDIENTS -- DOUGH:

3 medium eggs, beaten
2 tbsp. schmaltz
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
About 1 1/2 cups flour (see instructions below)
An extra egg yolk (for glazing)

INGREDIENTS -- FILLING:

3 lbs. russet potatoes
1 lb. onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
3 tbsp. schmaltz
1 medium egg, beaten
Salt and pepper

OVERALL STRATEGY:

Slice the potatoes ahead of time. Bring some water to a boil while working on the first steps of the dough. Throw the potatoes in while you're doing that. Then you can prepare the onions and mushrooms. While they are still in their early stages of sauteeing, mash the potatoes and add the egg (while stirring onions occasionally). That way, it's all ready to be combined when the onions are done. After you've done that, get to work rolling out the dough. Finally, boil as much as you'd like to eat now and freeze the rest for later.

DIRECTIONS -- DOUGH:

Beat the eggs together with the schmaltz, salt and baking soda.
In a mixing bowl, add about 3/4 cup of flour and combine thoroughly with a spatula. This will have a sticky, pasty consistency.
Add more flour a very little bit at a time--2 tablespoons at most--mixing very thoroughly, just until the dough is no longer sticky. You will have to use your hands after it starts to thicken up.
Knead until it's a totally even, dense ball of dough. Cover the mixing bowl and let stand for about 45 minutes (about the time it will take to make the filling).

DIRECTIONS -- FILLING:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Slice the potatoes into 3/4"-thick rounds but do not peel them. Boil them to desired consistency.
Meanwhile, heat the schmaltz in a saucepan. (WARNING: schmaltz burns faster than vegetable oil.) When the schmaltz is hot, add the mushrooms and onions.
Sauté the onions and mushrooms on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until they begin to turn gold.
Add the garlic and continue to cook until the onions caramelize, stirring constantly.
Mash the potatoes and stir in the egg thoroughly. Add a bit more schmaltz if it's not smooth.
Once the onions and mushrooms are ready, add them to the potatoes. Season with plenty of salt and pepper.

ASSEMBLING YOUR KREPLACH:

Knead the dough a bit to warm it up.
Roll out the dough as thin as you possibly can. For me, it helped to roll it as much as I could, then cut that much into quarters and roll that as much as I could, and finally to cut those quarters in half and roll each eighth to the appropriate thinness.
Cut the dough into 3" diameter circles. Put a dab of filling in the middle of one, then put another over it and pinch at the edges. You can curl the edges back over onto themselves, too, and then pinch them down with a fork.
Brush the top of each kreplach with a bit of egg yolk.

FREEZE 'EM OR COOK 'EM:

You only want to cook as many kreplach as you're going to eat immediately. Fortunately, kreplach freeze beautifully in an airtight container.

FREEZE: You want to minimize the exposure to air, while also laying them flat so they don't freeze together or deform. A trick I use for this sort of thing is to lay a zip-loc bag on top of a baking sheet, and then to put the kreplach inside the bag and freeze them. Once they're frozen, you can remove the baking sheet.

BOIL: Bring some water to a rolling boil. Place the kreplach in gently. They will sink straight to the bottom. They are almost done when they begin to rise to the top, after 4-6 minutes. Give it another minute or so more. Remove from the water. Serve immediately.

DO NOT DEFROST! You can boil them directly from the freezer; it just adds an extra minute or so to the cooking time.

A Note on Schmaltz

2008-01-22T21:13:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was describing something that I made to someone and mentioned schmaltz. "Come on," he said, "now you're just making stuff up."

Schmaltz is rendered chicken fat, and it's a fundamental ingredient in Jewish cooking, as goose fat is in Polish cooking and lard is in (very non-Jewish) food from the American south. (Lard, incidentally, is called khazer schmaltz in Yiddish and is used in unflattering expressions about ideas that are foreign in origin but are presented as Jewish, like a drummer at shabbes services.)

Anyways: schmaltz is easy to come by if you ever make broth. The fat on a chicken is not a single, uniform substance, but is made out of many different molecules with different properties. Schmaltz, like ghee ("clarified" butter) consists of the fat that turns into a liquid at the lowest temperatures.

By far the easiest way to get schmaltz, at least in my life, is to carefully skim it from chicken broth after it's prepared. It will rise to the top naturally, and will be all the more easy to remove if you let the broth cool in the refrigerator first. Schmaltz keeps very well in the freezer and can be warmed easily in the microwave.

If you don't make much broth, there are other strategies to extract it available, and you can also buy it pre-packaged at kosher delicatessens.

Schmaltz is what gives Jewish foods like matzo balls and knishes their signature flavor.

Chocolate Banana Cake

2008-01-13T17:36:00.000-05:00

This is essentially a banana bread that I have managed to make eminently unhealthy. I think it would be very excellent with a cream cheese frosting, but I don't have any cream cheese, so I'm just going to have to imagine that for the moment.

Influenced by this banana bread recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

6 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup bittersweet chocolate (as always, 60% cocao recommended)
2 medium eggs, beaten
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the mashed bananas, sugar, melted butter, eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.
Add the baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and flour. Mix thoroughly and evenly so that no lumps exist.
Finally, add the walnuts and chocolate chips.
Butter (or spray with cooking spray) a nonstick baking pan. Transfer the batter to the pan.
Bake for 35 minutes or until set. You can tell that it's set if you stick in a toothpick or a knife and it comes out clean (except maybe for a little butter or chocolate).
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 45 minutes before serving.

If anyone wants to try making this with cream cheese frosting, please apprise me of the results.

Fletcher Wortman's Mom's SNICKERDOODLES

2008-01-10T06:48:00.000-05:00

We love these. We asked Fletcher's mom twice for the recipe. The salt is important to the taste. These are Elliot's favorite.She says it is from a Monroe, LA cookbook.

You will need:

1 stick salted butter
1 stick salted Fleishman's margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, well beaten
2 3/4 cups sifted flour
2 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

sugar and cinnamon to roll cookies in

Greased cookie sheets
Preheat oven to 375

Cream butter, and margarine with sugar. Add eggs, beat well.
Mis together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
Mix dry ingredients into butter mixture.
Refrigerate 2 or more hours.
Roll into balls, roll in cinnamon and sugar.
Bake 8-10 minutes, better less time than more.

Makes 5-6 dozen

Chocolate walnut pancakes

2007-12-31T14:29:00.002-05:00

When Aunt Ramona made me pancakes--the way they make 'em in South Carolina, darlin!--I came to understand that the humble pancake need not be so shy: it can puff itself a mile into the air and take its place with any biscuit. In fact, that's exactly what a southern pancake should be: a giant, soft, mildly sweet, griddle-fried biscuit.

Alas, the art of making this happen was lost on me. Finally, today, this recipe showed me that the trick is to use a startling amount of baking powder. I think they might be going a bit overboard with 3 1/2 tsp., but maybe I'm wrong--who knows?

I have decided that I like the earthy flavor of whole wheat flour in pancakes, especially when they're filled with nuts, as I have done below.

UPDATE 4/18/2008: In an effort to use up all my chametz prior to passover, I made a lot of pancakes. I observed the following things:

No, it isn't crazy to use 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder. Your pancakes are just going to be huge.
Pancake batter is best if used immediately, but keeps 2-3 days after preparation as long as you have added no significant acid sources, such as fresh berries. After adding berries, use batter immediately.
Leftover batter does not rise as much.
It takes awhile for the pan to reach full heat. When in doubt, start with one small pancake.
The pancakes are ready to flip when the batter is bubbling on the top.
I highly recommend adding vanilla to every batch.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/4 cup milk
1 medium egg, beaten
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate (60% cocao recommended)

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl.
Add the milk, egg and butter and mix thoroughly until smooth.
Add the walnuts and chocolate and mix until even.
Heat a small, non-stick skillet (not much bigger than the pancakes you want) to medium-high heat. Put a plate next to the stove.
Using a tablespoon, put 2-3 gobs of batter into the skillet.
Cook for about 45 seconds per side, then remove to the plate. Try making a couple small pancakes first to get the heat and the duration right.

Serve immediately.

Dear Abby's Famous Pecan Pie

2007-12-30T21:06:00.000-05:00

This is a delicious pecan pie. Everyone loves it. It was in Abigail Van Buren's column a long time ago, and I saved it. It was so hard to find it today, that I am glad to save it in this blog. Milton Borenstein loved this pie.

You will need:

9-inch unbaked pie crust

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted ( I use unsalted, she probably did not...)
1/3 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 heaping cup of pecan halves ( Halves look pretty )

Heat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, combine corn syrup, sugar, eggs, butter, salt and vanilla; mix well. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust; sprinkle with pecan halves.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until center is set. ( Toothpick or knife inserted in center will come out clean when pie is done.) Cool.
If crust or pie appears to be getting brown while cooking, cover that section with foil for the remaining baking time.
You can top it with a bit of whipped cream, but even plain, nothing tops this!
Serves 8-10
TIP:The original recipe stated that the pie should be baked 45-50 minut4es in a preheated 350 degree GAS oven. If an electric oven is used, it may be necessary to add 15 to 20 minutes to the baking time. ( Begin testing the pie with a toothpick after 45 minutes.)

Tuna Puttanesca

2007-12-23T16:10:00.000-05:00

Easy, fast, cheap. Vaguely charming. Far be it from me, of course, to make a joke about puttanesca sauce being aptly named. (I'm too classy for that.) But once you realize how easy this is, you'll feel bad about having paid $18 for it at some fancy place in the North End.

INGREDIENTS:

1 can (3 oz.) tomato paste
2 oz. anchovy paste (or 1 tin flat anchovy fillets)
2 oz. capers
6 oz. kalamata olives (without pits if possible)
3 cans chunk white tuna
1 large can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp. crushed garlic
Red pepper flakes
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. linguini, cooked al dente

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add the anchovy paste or anchovy fillets. If fillets are used, crush them with the back of a wooden spoon as they sauté.
Add in the garlic. Let the garlic and anchovies sauté for just a minute (they cook fast).
Add in the tomato paste, blending with a spatula. Allow to cook for a minute.
Mix in tunafish and red pepper; let cook another minute or two.
Add everything else; reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve over pasta with grated parmesan.

PAIRINGS: Use a spicy wine with high tannins. A sufficiently ripe Cabernet Sauvignon is ideal. (Caution: unripe Cabernet Sauvignon tastes like the runoff from a Tabasco Sauce factory.)

Braised Rabbit in Wine Sauce

2007-12-23T13:57:00.000-05:00

This dish makes me think of Spain: specifically, of Hemingway's elaborate descriptions of Spanish country food in For Whom The Bell Tolls. Maybe that's just me.

Anyways, I started with this hasenpfeffer recipe, sticking to it pretty closely, except with about twice the herbs and aromatics. It was delicious--seven people ate six pounds of rabbit, and no one saved room for dessert--but it was too tough, and I don't think the recipe did enough to tender up the meat.

So I've incorporated some steps from this coq au vin recipe, which uses the wine to soften the fibers of the meat overnight before braising. I have not yet tried it this way; expect updates.

INGREDIENTS:

5-6 lbs rabbit meat, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups flour, divided use
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 lb bacon, diced
2 medium Spanish onions (about 1 1/2 cups), finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bottle red wine (preferably Pinot Noir)
3 tbsp. black currant or blackberry preserves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 cup lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Place 1 cup of flour and the kosher salt into a zip-loc bag. Coat each piece of rabbit in this mixture and set aside.
In a deep metal skillet, sauté the bacon over medium-high heat until evenly browned, stirring often. Remove the bacon to a bowl but leave all the grease in the skillet.
Fry the rabbit pieces, browning them on each side, and then remove them to a covered casserole or dutch oven.
Sauté the onions and garlic over in what's left of the grease, adding a little butter or oil if needed. (It's OK if the pan's pretty gunked up at this point.)
Add 1 cup of wine to the skillet and gently scrape the sides with a plastic or wooden spatula. The cooked-on drippings should yield to your spatula as if by magic. (This is called deglazing the pot.)
Pour this into a bowl and combine with the rest of the wine, bacon, herbs, pepper, lemon juice, and preserves.
Pour liquid over the tabbit, cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat the oven to 325.
Cook the rabbit in the dutch oven for about 2 hours, maintaining a very gentle simmer. You want the lowest heat you can get while still having the liquid bubble slightly.
Transfer the rabbit to a serving plate and cover it with foil to keep warm. Meanwhile, transfer the liquid to a saucepan.
Remove about a cup of the liquid and combine with 1/2 cup flour. Bring the rest of the liquid to a simmer and whisk in flour mixture gradually to avoid lumps.
Simmer the gravy for a few minutes, then transfer to a gravy bowl.

Serve immediately with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

PAIRINGS: Rabbit has an intense, almost spicy gaminess, so a robust red wine such as Pinot Noir is the obvious choice.

Fauxlenta

2007-12-16T21:39:00.000-05:00

I eat a lot of Cream of Wheat during the winter, but sweet Cream of Wheat gets kind of boring about two weeks after the snow starts to fall. But I don't really feel like making pancakes or hashed potatoes or steak and eggs at 6:30am.

So I took a cue from southern cooking and adapted an old grits trick to my favorite hot cereal. A pie made on Monday should last a good ways into the workweek, and you can heat it in the microwave. Prepare a Latin-American coffee in your French Press and suddenly being awake doesn't seem so bad anymore.

Based on this recipe and on a pie my mom used to make when I was a kid.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Cream of Wheat or grits
3 cups water
1 cup milk (or substitute both milk and water for chicken broth)
2 eggs, beaten
1 bundle of scallions, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup grated Gruyere or Irish Cheddar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a nonstick baking pan with cooking spray or butter it to prevent sticking.
Bring the water and milk to a boil in a nonstick saucepan. Gradually stir in the cream of wheat and keep stirring until thick.
Remove from heat. Gradually add in all remaining ingredients.
Pour the mixture into the baking pan, using a spatula to get it all out of the pot. (Suggestion: immediately rinse out the pot or it will be impossible to clean later.)
Bake the grits for 45 minutes or until set.

Refrigerate. To serve, you have a couple of options: cut 1/2 slices and sauté with an egg or two (thus impersonating polenta), or just heat it up in the microwave for 60 seconds on high.

Spicy Mustard Potato Salad

2007-12-14T21:18:00.002-05:00

I am still tweaking this recipe to get it where I want it to be, but it's already pretty good. Feedback is certainly welcome as I attempt to create a zingy, spicy, German-style potato salad. The intense, warm zest of the whole-grain mustard is the dominant flavor, with the brown mustard mainly serving to coat the potato pieces, so that no part of the salad is left untouched by the mustard.

Note that whole-grain mustard (with the mustardseeds intact) requires much more volume for the same amount of flavor and coverage. If you're using anything else, make much less dressing.

If prepared without bacon, this dish can be kosher parve. (For those at my family hannukah party now reading this--don't worry, the version I served was parve!)

INGREDIENTS:

6 oz. bacon --OR-- 3 tbsp. olive oil
3-4 lbs. red potatoes
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup whole-grain mustard
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard (such as Goulden's)
1 tbsp. ground mustardseed
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped
1 tbsp. freshly grated horseradish

DIRECTIONS:

Boil enough water to cover potatoes. Add potatoes to boiling water and allow to cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, if you are using bacon, cook the bacon in a griddle until somewhat crispy. Set aside, reserving the grease.
Once the potatoes are done cooking, cut them into 3/4" cubes.
Combine mustards, horseradish, vinegar and oil or grease in a bowl and combine well. Do not puree.
Put potatoes in a bowl. Crumble the bacon onto the potatoes, along with half the dill. Add the onions and dressing and gently combine.
Garnish with remaining dill.

Serve warm.

Sour cranberry applesauce

2007-12-14T19:59:00.000-05:00

I think this tart applesauce is absolutely delicious. It's also very easy and you can use old apples for it. I'm planning on serving it with sweet potato latkes and sour cream. A variation I'd like to try is to use fresh rhubarb in addition to, or in place of, the cranberries. If you do that, compensate with extra lemon juice; rhubarb, though tart, is not as sour as cranberries.

INGREDIENTS:

4-5 lbs. apples, peeled and cored (firm, crunchy apples like Granny Smith and Golden Delicious are good)
12 oz. package fresh cranberries
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. nutmeg
4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. whole allspice (or 1/2 tsp. ground)
1/2 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup water
Granulated sugar to taste (I used about half a cup)

RECIPE:

Cut the apples into quarters. Combine all ingredients except white sugar in a pot.
Heat until water is boiling, then reduce heat to a simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes.
Mash with a potato masher, then begin adding granulated sugar and tasting until you've reached the desired level of sweetness. (Warning: this is going to be REALLY SOUR before you start adding the granulated sugar!)

Potato Latkes ( Recipe by Marlene Sorosky)

2007-12-14T10:41:00.000-05:00

For 24 pancakes:

( 1 Vitamin C tablet )
2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes ( about 4 large potatoes)
1/2 onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tb flour or matzoh meal

Vegetable Oil

Directions:

Place vitamin C tablet in a small bowl with 2 Tb water to dissolve. ( this step is optional... Peel the potatoes, and keep in a bowl of cold water until you are ready to shred them. ) Shred potatoes, using shredding blade of food processor, or by hand; place in a bowl. Stir in dissolved vitamin C.
Shred or finely chop onion. Add to potatoes.
Add eggs, salt , baking powder, and flour or matzoh meal; mix well.
In a large skillet, heat 1/2 inch oil over moderately high heat. Using a slotted spoon, place about 2 Tb of batter into hot oil for each pancake. Do not crowd pancakes in pan.
Flatten slightly with the back of the spoon and fry pancakes until golden on both sides, turning once.
As you reach the end, squeeze batter lightly to remove excess liquid.
After frying, remove to paper towels to drain.( Or brown paper bags with a paper towel on top. Pancakes may be kept warm in single layer in a 200 degree oven. May be frozen. Freeze on baking sheets in single layers. When solid, place in container. Bake in single layer on baking sheets at 450 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until crisp and bubbling.

Do not double the recipe, as the last of the raw potato batter gets too starchy and brown when it sits too long.

You can also coarsely grate the potatoes, and let some edges stick up and get more crispy. Or you can grate them, and then if it is too coarse for you, put them into the processor and pulse the blade a few times to more finely process them. It is up to you. Whatever you like!

When you are done, your house will smell like Latkes for a while!!

Love, Mom

RECIPE: JOAN NATHAN

YOU WILL NEED:

10 medium potatoes

2 medium onions

2 large or 3 medium eggs

4 Tb flour, breadcrumbs, or matzoh meal

salt and pepper to taste

veg oil

Peel the potatoes if the skin is coarse; otherwise, just clean them well. Keep them in cold water until ready to prepare the latkes.
Starting with the onions, alternately grate some of the onions on the large holes of the grater and some of the potatoes on the smallest holes. This will keep the potato mixture from blackening, probably from the acid in the onions. Press out as much liquid as possible and reserve the starchy sediment at the bottom of the bowl. Return the sediment to the mixture. ( I have done this, and it works well: it is the potato starch, and it has a strange but fun texture. ) Blend potatoes with the eggs, flour, salt, and white pepper.
Heat 1 " of oil in a frying pan. Drop about 1 Tb of mixture, fry turning once.
She says the steel blade of a food processor or the grating blade are less painful ways of grating the potatoes and the onions. The blade makes a smooth consistency and the grater a crunchy one.I think if you are doing many, don't grate by hand. Save it for a smaller, special batch. But, you can grate in the food processor, first some potato, and then some onion. It is the same idea.

Mom's Jello Mold

2007-12-13T22:06:00.000-05:00

I am only slightly embarrassed to put a Jello mold on this blog. But one of its main functions is to catalog the foods that my family and I care about, so haute cuisine be damned: this Jello mold has been showing up at family functions since my grandmother came up with it long before I was thinking about being born.

Anyways, I think it's pretty and I like it better than cranberry sauce to have with my turkey. It's dark red, it's tangy, it's got texture. It's very 1950s. You can imagine some people getting back from the Catskills and trying to decide what to serve their neighbors for dinner:

"What do you think of liver and onions, Candice?"
"Well, Fred, we served it to the Horowitzes the last time they were here. How about some nice kishkas?"
"Kishkas! But I..."
"'But I' what? Nu? Solomon, you hear your father? Complaining about Kishkas? Tell him--"
"Alright, Candice, Alright. But only if you make that Jello mold with the plums."

So...anyways:

INGREDIENTS:

2 6oz. packages berry (cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, etc.) Jello
2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 cups seedless tangerines or oranges, cut into pieces
2 large golden delicious apples, sliced and diced
1 grated orange peel
2 (15 oz.) cans whole cranberry sauce
1 can purple plums, pitted and chopped
Non-stick cooking spray

RECIPE:

Boil 2 cups of water and put in a large bowl.
Dissolve Jello in the water, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
Add 2 cups of cold water and grated orange rind.
Refrigerate until "jiggly": 30-60 minutes.
Break up the cranberry sauce and add the fruit and nuts to the Jello.
Spray an 8-10 cup mold with cooking spray and pour in the Jello mixture.
Refrigerate until the Jello is set.

Solomon, Candice, Fred and the Horowitzes will all be pleased, I'm sure.

Slow-cooked barbecue pot roast

2007-12-13T16:48:00.003-05:00

The sauce for this was based on a barbecue sauce recipe from the back of a Grandma's Molasses bottle. While this sauce would be totally inadequate for that purpose, it does taste a lot like some of the zestier Ashkenazi recipes for flanken (boneless short ribs). Coca-Cola (or ginger ale) is the secret ingredient to many of these recipes.

In college, I discovered that a well-marbled shoulder chuck, when slow-cooked, developed the consistency of flanken. So for when you make that banana ketchup, here is an exotic variation on a well-rehearsed Yiddishe soul-food.

(If you don't have any banana ketchup, you can substitute 12 oz. (2 cans) tomato paste, 3/4 cup molasses, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup vinegar or lemon juice, some garlic, and a bit of ginger for that part.)

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce--

2 cups banana ketchup (see below) or the substitution described above
3/4 cup Coca-Cola
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup coke or ginger ale

Pot roast--

3-4 lb. shoulder chuck pot roast
2 large onions

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients for sauce and set aside.
Slice the onions and place at the bottom of a slow cooker.
Brown pot roast on all sides and place in slow cooker.
Pour sauce over pot roast. Set slow cooker to low and allow to cook overnight (8-10 hours).

Serve with barley.

Banana Ketchup

2007-12-13T16:19:00.001-05:00

Real ketchup has very little in common with the highly-processed red stuff you get in the plastic bottle. It also doesn't have to contain any tomatoes at all, although this recipe happens to have a little. Use this banana ketchup anywhere you would have used ordinary ketchup--on meat, eggs, fries, whatever. The banana flavor provides a smooth, gentle balance to the zesty sweetness of the vinegar and spices.

One note: this recipe produces a lot of ketchup. If you double it, you had better be planning on giving some away. (Although you should always give away jars of homemade sauces, preserves and jams: people will think of you whenever they eat it!)

My recipe is based on this one, with some significant modifications. In particular, I thought theirs was far too acerbic, not thick enough, and I strongly disagree that the ketchup should be strained: the good stuff is what was left in the strainer!

INGREDIENTS:

4 large, ripe bananas
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 medium onion
1 tbsp chopped garlic
3 oz. tomato paste
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 1/2 tsp. (=1/2 tbsp.) salt
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
Hot pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Chop onions in a food processor with the metal blade.
To the onions, add bananas, raisins, garlic, tomato paste and vinegar to the chopped onions. Puree until smooth.
Transfer the puree to a nonstick saucepan. (Nonstick or you'll be sorry!)
Add 1 1/2 cups water, the lemon juice, brown sugar, salt and hot pepper; stir thoroughly.
Bring to a gentle simmer and allow to simmer, uncovered, for 60 minutes, occasionally stirring and removing the scum from the top.
Add the molasses and the spices; let cook for another 30 minutes or until desired consistency is reached.
Let stand for 10 minutes.
Pour into glass jars, and/or set some aside to make barbecue sauce.

Refrigerate. Keeps for 1 month.

Pasta with sweet beef sauce and yogurt sauce

2007-12-08T18:19:00.001-05:00

The inspiration for using a cumin-based sweet beef sauce with a yogurt sauce came from the Afghani pumpkin dish, 'kaddo.' (Eventually, I'm going to get around to making that.) The beef sauce is sweet and spicy, while the yogurt sauce is sour and rich, and the interplay is unique and enjoyable. I'm not sure if this dish is for everyone; I'd be interested to get feedback on it before I serve it to a group.

The yogurt sauce is also great on its own with macaroni or tortellini.

INGREDIENTS:

Pasta and beef sauce:

1 lb. ground beef or lamb
1 lb. frozen or fresh okra, cut or whole
1 large can (about 1.5 lbs) chick peas, drained and washed
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb. penne pasta
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. ground mustard seed
2 tbsp. molasses
1 tbsp. cinnamon
cayenne pepper
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Yogurt sauce:

1 lb (1/2 carton) non-fat yogurt
2 tbsp. chopped garlic
1/2 cup ground Parmesan
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 head fresh dill, finely chopped
Lots of fresh black pepper

RECIPE:

Cook the pasta and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, combine all ingredients for yogurt sauce in a bowl and set aside.
Heat some olive oil in a saucepan. Add onions once very hot; sauté until golden.
Add the garlic, beef and spices; sauté the mixture over high heat until meat is browned.
Add the okra, garbanzos, vinegar and molasses; sauté another couple of minutes.
Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, for another 5 minutes.
Stir in pasta.

Serve the pasta with the yogurt sauce. I usually serve the hot pasta with the cold yogurt sauce, but you may prefer to gently warm the yogurt sauce in a small saucepan. I wouldn't get it too hot, though.

PAIRINGS:

Use a full-bodied red, but make sure that it isn't too acidic. Acidity tends to play poorly off of cumin dishes, especially when they are spicy.

Red Bean and Walnut Salad

2007-12-08T18:06:00.001-05:00

Don't be fooled: the only similarity this has with the recipe below is the basic ingredients. Aside from that, it has much more in common with hummus: the flavor, the heartiness, the incredible ease of making it. The walnuts play a similar role to tahini, but of course have a very different flavor. With much more texture than hummus, this is also more of a salad than a dip. Served with an eggplant course, it would also make a good vegan or vegetarian dinner.

(This recipe is based on a similar recipe called "Red Beans with Walnut Sauce" from the Russian cookbook Please to the Table.)

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. dry red beans
8 oz. walnuts, chopped
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse and cook the beans. You can either do this the conventional way (soak overnight, boil for 2 hours, let sit for an hour) or the lazy way: throw them in a slow cooker with 3 quarts of water and let it cook on low for 8-12 hours. Drain the beans and put in a bowl.
Mash the beans slightly, then mix in all other ingredients.

Russian Red Bean and Walnut Soup

2007-12-02T18:06:00.000-05:00

This recipe came to me by way of an ex-girlfriend, who (while we were dating) found it in her grandmother's scrapbook and gave it to me. Years went by and I thought I had lost this delicious winter soup, but it surfaced while I was moving into my condo. Thank goodness for that, because it's hearty, well-balanced and great for a cold evening.

If you use vegetable broth, this can be vegetarian and kosher dairy.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. dried kidney beans
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 quarts broth (I use chicken broth)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
3 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
Red pepper flakes to taste
1/2 cup fresh parsely, minced
Sour cream or yogurt

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse beans thoroughly in cold water, checking for grit or foreign particles.
Combine the beans and broth in a soup pot; bring to a boil.
Add bay leaf and garlic and simmer, covered, for two hours or until beans are soft.
Heat the butter in a skillet. Sauté the onions until soft (but not brown).
Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture browns.
Add some liquid from the soup to the onion mixture and cook for another minute.
Pour the onion mixture into the soup.
Stir in walnuts, red pepper, parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer uncovered for another 25 minutes, stirring often.
Remove bay leaf.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

PAIRINGS:

I suppose this would pair well with a brown ale, but I usually just drink water. That said, I once made a similar stew that played beautifully off Dogfish Head's "Raison D'Être" mahogany ale. Something about the yeasty, sweet ale with the nuts and the red beans...

Chicken Marbella

2007-12-02T17:32:00.000-05:00

This is simply my favorite main course to make in the whole world. Period. It is very loosely based on a recipe by the same name from The Silver Palate Cookbook, although I haven't seen the original recipe in three years, so it's probably nothing like it.

Anyways, this is the most delicious thing ever. And it's really easy to make. And it's wonderful left over.

INGREDIENTS

To marinate the chicken (24 hours in advance):

3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
10 oz. dried fruit (prunes and apricots are good)
8 oz. (1/2 jar) green olives, with juice
2 oz. capers, with a little bit of juice (not all of it)
Garlic, minced (I use about 8 cloves worth)
3 tbsp. za'atar or oregano
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
6 bay leaves
Dash of lemon juice
Plenty of fresh black pepper

For cooking:

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white wine
Toasted almond slices (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all the ingredients from the "marinating" section above (that is, everything but the brown sugar, white wine and almonds) in a big container and mix it all up. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Lay out the chicken pieces in a single layer in a baking dish. Spread the marinade (with the olives, fruit, etc.) evenly over the chicken.
Sprinkle the brown sugar and almond slices over the chicken.
Sprinkle the white wine over the chicken, so it moistens the brown sugar.
Bake for about 40 minutes, basting occasionally. You can tell it's done when you poke one of the chicken thighs and the juice that comes out is golden colored.

Serve with white rice. Makes a great leftover.

PAIRINGS:

A more skillful sommelier would probably disagree with me, but I think that this can be done with either a bright, fruity red or a crisp white. The main thing is that you want a wine that's a bit tart, to play off the herbs and the sweetness of the dish. I've also done this with a hefeweizen, but I really think wine is the better choice.

Linguica hash

2007-12-01T23:14:00.000-05:00

This zesty hash is about the most welcome sight imaginable on a cold Sunday morning. Plan to have this the day after the beet salad, since the hash is made almost entirely from leftover ingredients for that.

INGREDIENTS:

(Leftover) boiled potatoes, cubed
Red onion, minced
Cooked linguica, minced
Just a pinch of flour (to hold it together)
Worcestershire sauce
Hot sauce (such as Tabasco or Frank's Red Hot)
Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Cook the linguica if it's not already cooked. Cutting it in half and pan-frying it for a few minutes is the easiest way.
Combine the potatoes, onion, linguica, flour, a bit of oil and the two sauces in a bowl.
Pre-heat a skillet until it is SCORCHING hot. Spray with cooking spray or a bit of oil to prevent sticking if necessary.
Spread out your hash in an even layer across the skillet and let it crisp on the bottom.
Flip over the pancake and brown the other side briefly.

Obviously, you'll want to eat this with some eggs and good, strong coffee. After that, you should sit around in your pyjamas and read "The Economist" for about five hours.

Beet salad with lentils

2007-12-01T23:02:00.001-05:00

There's one thing you can say about the combination of beets and lentils: When you feel the beet, you can't stop the pulse! Pulse, get it? Yeah, didn't think so.

Anyways: this is a very refreshing and filling vegetarian (and vegan!) dish which can happily serve as a main course. The lentils give it a nutty texture and provide a great deal of protein and fiber, and the potatoes provide enough body to make it into a meal. Since potatoes cook faster than beets, you could experiment with cutting up the beets before cooking. (I happen to like the difference.)

My first try at this used dried green peas and new potatoes. I found that both of these lacked sufficient firmness when cooked to make a satisfying salad. So the version I'm putting below contains the substitutions I plan to make for the next time I do it. As always, feedback is welcome.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. loose red beets (about six large beets)
1 lb. russet potatoes
1 lb. dried green lentils (green holds its shape the best)
Fresh dill, finely chopped
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare your beets and potatoes by peeling them and, if you wish, cutting the beets in half so that they'll be softer by the time the potatoes are done.
Rinse and drain the lentils, then put into a pot with about 3 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer, covered, for about 30-40 minutes or until lentils are soft but not falling apart. Drain excess water and set aside.
Simultaneously boil the root vegetables, uncovered, in a separate pot; they will take a little less time than the lentils (maybe 25-30 minutes). You'll want to keep these at a rolling boil.
When the beets and potatoes are soft, cut them into 3/4" cubes.
Combine all vegetables with the dill, plenty of balsamic vinegar (more than you'd think--it soaks it right up), some lemon juice, a dash of olive oil, and a bit of salt.

Serve with chopped red onion, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, whatever you like. Or just eat it plain. That's what I did, accompanied by a glass of giovane that I happened to have around. The sweet, floral tones of the immature red really played nicely with the earthy sweetness of the beets and the dry starchiness of the lentils. Lovely!

Chocolate Coconut Pecan pie

2007-11-21T15:04:00.000-05:00

This pie is unreasonably delicious, and extremely easy to make. Leave the pie crust frozen until you are ready to use it.

My mother got it from some cookbook and I inherited a xerox of a xerox. Whoever the original author is, my apologies for failing to provide an attribution. (Also, the original author will note that I've changed a couple of things, which of course means they must be improvements.)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 medium eggs
3/4 cup raw shredded coconut
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup whole pecans
9" frozen deep-dish pie crust

DIRECTIONS:

Put a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 350 F. The baking sheet is important! Without it, the inside of your pie won't cook properly.
Mix sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl. You will get a big, sugary blob, which is cool.
Beat eggs and mix them into the aforementioned blob of sugar.
Add coconut, pecans and chocolate.
Pour all of this into the frozen pie crust.
Shove the whole thing in the oven and leave it there for 50 minutes or until the top is brown and the inside is more or less set. (The recipe originally said 40 minutes, but I've found that it takes significantly longer than that.)
Remove from oven, cover in foil, let cool slightly. The inside will firm up a bit as the chocolate solidifies.
Serve warm.