Pickled beets

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

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

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

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

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

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

INGREDIENTS (PER JAR):

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

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

Hummus

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

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

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

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

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

INGREDIENTS:

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

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

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

Fettuccine in yogurt garlic sauce

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

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

INGREDIENTS:

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

How to crush garlic

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

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

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

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

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

I haven't abandoned this blog!

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

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

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

Bollar (Egg bread with cardamom)

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

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

INGREDIENTS:

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

FOR BAGELS:

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

FOR BRAIDED LOAVES:

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

Makes 12 bagels or three loaves.

Matzo Meal Pancakes

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

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

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

INGREDIENTS:

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

Serve immediately.