Sambal

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:

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

Blueberry sourdough cake

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:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
   
2. 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.
3. Combine the sourdough starter, blueberries, egg and butter in a bowl; set aside.
   
4. Combine all remaining ingredients in a second bowl. Combine with the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Pour into an 8" round non-stick cake pan.
6. Bake for 40 minutes or until center of the cake is set.
   
7. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Tofu vaVohu

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:

1. Broil the peppers on high for 6-8 minutes, turning once.
   
2. Combine rice vinegar, tamari and brown sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
   
3. Combine tofu, beef, eggplant and mushrooms in a stew pot. Bury the peppers in the mixture. Pour vinegar mixture over these ingredients.
   
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer covered for an hour, stirring every ten minutes until liquid covers all the vegetables.
5. 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.

Cauliflower Florets in Sambal

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:

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

Serve with rice.

Molasses pancakes

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:

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

Apple cranberry sauce

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.

Butternut Squash Bread (or muffins)

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

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

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

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

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

INGREDIENTS:

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

Allow to cool on a rack briefly before serving.

Yogurt pancakes

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

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

INGREDIENTS:

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

Pickled beets

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

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

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

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

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

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

INGREDIENTS (PER JAR):

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

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

Bollar (Egg bread with cardamom)

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

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

INGREDIENTS:

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

FOR BAGELS:

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

FOR BRAIDED LOAVES:

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

Makes 12 bagels or three loaves.

Farfel Kugel

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

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

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

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

INGREDIENTS:

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

Allow to cool slightly before serving. Makes great leftovers.

Hot Chocolate (and Friends)

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

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

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

SPICED HOT CHOCOLATE

INGREDIENTS:

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

CAFE MOCHA

INGREDIENTS:

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

RECIPE:

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

Fig and Banana Paste

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

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

INGREDIENTS:

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

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

Thai Peanut Sauce

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

INGREDIENTS:

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

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

Sausage with sweet and sour pears

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

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

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


INGREDIENTS:

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

Banana Spice Griddle Cakes

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

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

INGREDIENTS:

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

Serve immediately.

Candied citrus fruits / Citrus syrup

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

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

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

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

INGREDIENTS:

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

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

Gahntze Tzimmes

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

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

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

INGREDIENTS:

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

DIRECTIONS (LAZY):

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

DIRECTIONS (AMBITIOUS):

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

Serve hot. Even better left over.

Slow-cooked barbecue pot roast

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:

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

Serve with barley.

Chicken Marbella

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:

1. 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.
2. The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. 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.
4. Sprinkle the brown sugar and almond slices over the chicken.
5. Sprinkle the white wine over the chicken, so it moistens the brown sugar.
6. 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.