9/21/09 - Rosh Hashana Leftovers

Since I went a little overboard for Rosh Hashanah Dinner I ended up with a few items left over for dinner on Monday which was lucky since I was leaving for work on Tuesday and didn't feel like shopping. Instead I was able to enjoy my Wild Rice Stuffed Vegetables with a side of Moroccan Meatballs when I wasn't overwhelmed by the brisket and sweet vegetables. Unfortunately the photos of the food were not all taken before everything was served and in the end I had to take this one with a left over! Either way I think the vegetables look fine even though I am missing the eggplant but the meatballs didn't make it at all.... oops maybe next time!

I started these vegetables the night before by cooking the rice so that is was on hand when I was ready to stuff and roast the vegetables. It made everything come together a bit easier.

Wild Rice Stuffed Vegetables
2 c wild blend rice (I like Lundburg Wild Blend)
6 bell peppers of various colors
2 small eggplants
1 med onion
2 celery ribs
2 c baby spinach
1 c multi color raisins
1/2 c pinenuts
1 tbsp oil
1 c vegetable broth
poulty blend herb sprig

1) cook rice using rice cooker - place in large bowl
2) prep peppers by washing, cutting off top 1/4 and removing seeds and ribs, prep eggplant and wash and cut out bowl shaped indent
3) cut stems off pepper tops and dice excess pepper
4) dice onion and celery
5) heat pan with 1 tbsp oil and add diced vegetables - sautee till soft
6) add spinach and wilt with a splash of vegetable broth - add to rice
7) heat remaining oil in small pan and toast pinenuts - careful to not burn
8) add pinenuts and raisins to rice mix and blend together
9) stuff vegetables and place upright in a baking pan
10) add herbs and vegetable broth to bottom of pan, cover with foil and bake at 350 F for 40 min or until soft


Moroccan Meatballs (By Tova's Mom)
5 extra large white onions, sliced into thin strips
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground allspice
kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

For Meatballs
1 pound ground lamb
1 pound ground chicken or beef
1 egg
1/4 cup crumbs
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons dried chives
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch ground black pepper

2 cups beef broth


1) Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over med-low flame.
2) Add the onions, cumin, curry powder, tumeric and allspice and mix well.
3) Sauté the onions for about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4) Reduce flame to low and cover pot.
5) Stir every minute or two to prevent the onions from sticking to bottom of pot.
6) In a large mixing bowl, add both ground meats, egg, Crumbs, and all the dry spices.
7) Mix well. Shape into meatballs, each one smaller than a golf ball.
8) Remove cover from pot and using a slotted spoon take half of the onions and place into a separate bowl.
9) Place the meatballs gently into pot nestling them into the onions. Place the remaining onions on top to cover the meatballs.
10) Raise the flame to medium-low. Add the Beef Broth.
11) Cover pot and cook for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove cover and stir gently with a wooden spoon.
12) Cook for another 10 minutes or until the broth has reduced to about half.
13) Remove from flame and let cool slightly before serving.

She recommends serving the meatballs over rice but I had them with my stuffed veggies using the excess sauce to moisten up the rice stuffing.

Sunday 9/20/09 - Rosh Hashanah Dinner

Sunday dinners were always a tradition in my house but unfortunately since I have moved out on my own I haven't really had a chance to host many big Sunday gatherings. For most people Sunday is recovery day so leaving the house gets difficult, that is unless its for football. I tend to be a little lazy myself on Sundays so this dinner was mostly done in advance so my day was actually pretty easy. I decided to do a mix of Ashkenazi & Sephardic dishes and I cooked most of the vegetable sides separately as we had our regular vegetarian attending.


The Menu:
Pinto Bean dip
Spinach Dip

Challah
Apple Butter
Honey
Apples & Pomegranate

Brisket
Tzimmes and Sweet Potatoes
Stuffed Peppers & Eggplant
Moroccan Meatballs
Spinach Kugel

Strawberry Tarte
Caramel Apple Tarte
Chocolate Cherry Rugelach
Fresh Whipped Cream
Vanilla Ice Cream

Some of the things were blends of recipes I found online or made up on my own, the meatballs were from a friend's mom and the Strawberry Tarte is something I learned from my Aunt Sandra so its probably just easier to write my own instructions but they will have to wait for now......

Spinach Dip
This idea came from a Girl's Night Out at Vento. Our table took forever to leave so we ended up with some champagne and spinach dip to ease the time away. The dip was excellent and when we asked what was so different- the waiter spilled the secret was in the Ricotta Cheese so I used that as my model.
2 frozen spinach - thawed in microwave and squeezed dry then diced
14 oz part skim ricotta cheese
4 oz light cream cheese
2 jar marinaded artichoke hearts
1 c Parmesan cheese - grated
6 cloves of roasted garlic- smashed
salt & pepper

1) Using the immersion blender smooth out the artichoke hearts
2) Add cream cheese, ricotta cheese, garlic, spinach, 1/2 c of the Parmesan and salt & pepper to taste - mix to combine
3) Spoon into a oven proof crock and top with the remaining Parmesan and place in oven at 350 F for 15 min or until browned and bubbly

Apple Butter
This is sort of a fast easy cheater version but it tastes great!
2 apples - peeled, cored and diced
1/2 c dark brown sugar - packed
2 tbsp cranberry juice
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1) Add ingredients to sauce pan and cook on med until cooked down - 30-45 min
2) Use immersion blender to smooth out

Rosh Hashanah - Chocolate Cherry Rugelach (finally!)

So this recipe was attempted for the first time last year for Yom Kippur which was my first High Holiday ever (Izzy's Mama was a big help by giving me all her tried and true as my welcome to Jewish holidays). Unfortunately they didn't really come out as I expected. They ended up being a bit messy - some unrolled, some burned, some overstuffed and dripping carmelized jam - not terrible tasting but certainly not pretty. So this year I was determined to get them done right. However that is easier said than done and to be honest out of the 6 trays I made (3 recipes) I am really only 50/50 which isn't good odds. All of my Jewish friends said that rugelach is something that is best bought and not attempted at home but if you know anything about me that just makes me want to make them even more!
...before
My major issue seemed to be that I was overstuffing these and not really cutting them correctly which lead to the little rolls busting open and spilling all the jammy goodness all over (which then burns). My first batch came out similar to last year and so I had to try for another shot at these later in the week.
...after
I ended up finally getting this right on thursday after switching up my jams (try to find one without any chunks of fruit), lowering my oven temp (350 F) and shortening the cooking time (30 min). These cookies are definitely best when they are just barely browned off so don't cook them too long or else they get crunchy instead of light and flakey.

I also ended up rolling the dough into 2 large rectangles instead of a round and making large triangle shapes (similar to what pre-made cresent rolls in the can look like). I also placed just a few dried cherries and chocolate chips on the wide side of each so that I was able to roll them easily.

original recipe from: http://www.izzyeats.com/2007/09/must-stop-eating-these.html

Dough
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 ounces chilled cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Filling
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 tablespoons cherry preserves (Polaner all fruit works well)
8 tablespoons dried tart cherries
8 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c powdered sugar
1/3 cup (about) whipping cream


1) Preparation for dough by all ingredients to mixer (I used a kitchen aid with the paddle, hand mixers are too weak but the original recommends a food processor but unfortunately I don't have one....yet!) and blend together until it begins to clump together.
2) Gather dough into ball.
3) Divide dough into 2 and roll out each between wax paper into a large rectangle about 1/8 to 1/4" thick and refridgerate 30 min or more
4) Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
5) Mix sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.
6) Take the dough from the fridge, peel off the wax paper and dust with powdered sugar if it is sticky.
7) Spread 3 tablespoons cherry preserves over dough, leaving 1-inch border and sprinkle it with 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar.
8) Trim into triangles and place a few chocolate chips and cherries on the wide edge.
9) Starting at wide end of each wedge, roll up tightly.
10) Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart
11) Place baking sheet in freezer 30 minutes.
12) Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.
13) Brush cookies lightly with whipping cream. Bake frozen cookies until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

9/17/09 - Asian Shrimp Lettuce Cups

Even though I was elbow deep in flour getting all the baking done for my Rosh Hashanah dinner, I couldn't resist making this simple shrimp dish a little more exciting. Since Jeremy over-ruled my suggestion of Vietnemese this week in favor of Sushi this was my nod to those flavors.

This was a simple dinner that only took a few minutes to prep but ended up being big on flavors thanks to the carrot ginger marinade. I found Cindy's Kitchen line of fresh marinades and dressings in my local Fairway market and I have to say they really help when the clock is ticking and dinner still is nowhere in sight.

Asian Shrimp Lettuce cups
1 head boston lettuce
1 lb shimp - peeled and deveined
2 tbsp Cindy's Kitchen Carrot Ginger Vinegrette
1/2 red bell pepper - thinly sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper - thinly sliced
1/2 onion - thinly sliced
1 tbsp oil

2 c orzo salad
1/2 c guacamole

1) Marinade shrimp in vinegrette for 20 min
2) Heat grill pan until hot and add shrimp, cook 3-5 min or until pink and flip to other side for another 3 min - put aside
3) Heat small sautee pan and add oil
4) Add peppers and onion and sautee until soft - set aside
5) Heat Orzo Salad mixture (microwave or sautee w some oil)
6) Slice head of lettuce in half and remove the leaves - rinse and pat dry
7) Assemble by placing a spoonful of Orzo mix on a lettuce leaf then adding slices of pepper and onion and topping with 3 shrimp and a dollop of guacamole

9/16/09 - Tortilla Soup

As you probably have guessed by now (seeing that I mention it in just about every post) during the growing season I belong to a CSA here in Jersey City. However my farmer also makes deliveries to some other local towns and other members have blogs as well. One of those members is a feature writer on Serious Eats. Her segment is called the Crisper Whisperer and she post recipes that help deal with the sometimes *interesting* produce we receive. Her latest handles the tomatillo - which I made salsa with the first year, let them rot in the fridge the second year and promised myself that I wouldn't ignore them this year! I was going to go the salsa route again and so I got to roasting the tomatilloes when I had the oven running the other night cooking some cookies (Rugelagh.... sorry these still need some help before they are post-worthy)

But once I saw the Tortilla Soup recipe I couldn't say no! (Not having much else in the fridge might have helped this along as well) I followed the idea that was in the recipe above but since I had already started this as a salsa I did a few things differently.

Tortilla Soup
5 tomatillos
3 large tomatoes - diced
2 bell peppers (any color - I used a red and a green)
1 1/2 onions
1 jalapeno
1 cherry bomb (another CSA find)
2 ribs celery
4 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp red paprika
1 tsp srirachi sauce
1 container beef broth
2 limes
4 tbsp cilantro
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp corn starch
salt & pepper

1 c shreded mexican blend cheese
4 tbsp guacamole
handful tortilla chips


1) rough chop 1 pepper, jalapeno, 1 onion and the tomatilloes and coat with 2 tbsp oil and salt & pepper
2) cook in over at 425 F for 20 min or until browned and soft enough to smush with a fork - set aside once done (can be done in advance)
3) in large soup pot - heat 1 tbsp oil & dice and add remaining peppers, onions, garlic and celery and sautee till browned
4) add 1/4 c beef broth and and cook veggies until softened
5) remove veggies from pot and place in bowl to cool
6) add remaining oil and brown ground
7) add chili powder, cumin, paprika, and srirachi sauce
8) using immersion blender blend tomatillo blend and veggie blend until smooth but still chunky
9) add diced tomatoes, and both veggie purees to the pot along with the beef broth
10) add juice of 1 lime and 2 tbsp cilantro - bring to a boil
11) add cornstarch to small bowl and add water to make a slurry - slowly add to soup while stirring
12) bring back to a boil and then remove from heat and let thicken
13) serve with a handful of cheese, spoonful of guac, 1 tsp cilantro, lime slice and a handful of chips

9/14/09 - Cider Brined Pork and Orzo Salad

The plan for tonight's dinner was getting some fish at the farmer's market however for the second week in a row the fisherman was not there! I am hoping that the season isn't over already and that he is going to return since I love getting fresh LBI fish. For my contingency plan I decided to use up the pork that added other half of the cider brine from the chicken. While I did a lot of veggie shopping at the market everything was sort of planned for the weekend so I didn't want to mess up my recipes. So into the pantry I went for a side that was easy to doll up with the few things I had on hand.


Since I sort of had the meat started before I had my sides together it came down to something that would cook fast! With brown rice taking 45 min or more I knew that was out so I decided on this tri-color Orzo pasta with its lightening fast 10 min boil. I seasoned the Orzo with some lemon, cilantro and scallions to give it a frehser taste and dressed the grilled pork with some ginger carrot vinegrette. In order to get dinner on the table I seared the pork on all 4 sides for 5 min each then sliced it into thick chunks and cooked it to medium (about 5 min each side) which took about 30 min off of my cooking time.

Rosh Hashanah - Round Challah bread

Last year was my first time celebrating the High Holidays of the Jewish faith and I decided that I would bring a homemade Challah bread with me to Yom Kippur dinner. It was one of my first times meeting my boyfriends parents so I wanted to make sure everything was perfect so I went to my trusted CSA friend who alwas is making something delicious for some help. She was kind enought to post her favorite recipe on her blog (which is by way of the Silver Palate cook book) and this year my loaf came out perfect!


I ended up diving the dough 2/3 into the above picture 6 strand braid circle (which is traditional for the Jewish New Year celebration) and the other 1/3 into a smaller loaf also with the 6 strand braid. I used a youtube video from Maya to get the braid perfect and this year was a lot better! I just had to keep repeating 2nd strand over and other side in the middle till I was finished.

taken from: http://www.izzyeats.com/2008/09/rosh-hashanah-is-almost-here-time-to.html

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) sweet butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 packages active dry yeast
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons salt
6 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon cold water
poppy seeds

1.)Bring milk, 6 tablespoons of butter, and the sugar to a boil together in a medium-size saucepan. Remove from heat, pour into a large mixing bowl, and let cool to lukewarm (105° to 115° F).
2) Stir yeast into the milk mixture and let stand for 10 minutes.
3) Beat 3 of the eggs well in a small bowl, and stir them and the salt into the milk-and-yeast mixture.
4) Stir in 5 cups of the flour, 1 cup at a time, until you achieve a sticky dough. Flour a work surface lightly and turn the dough out onto it. Wash and dry the bowl.
5) Sprinkle additional flour over the dough and begin kneading, adding more flour as necessary, until you have smooth elastic dough.
6) Smear the reserved 2 tablespoons of butter around the inside of the bowl and add the ball of dough into the bowl, turning to coat it lightly with butter. Cover the bowl with a towel and set aside to let dough rise until tripled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.
7) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and cut into halves and then braid
8) Sprinkle a large baking sheet with the cornmeal, and transfer the loaves to the sheet. Leave room between the loaves for them to rise. Cover loaves with the towel and let rise until nearly doubled, about 1 hour.
9) Preheat oven to 350° F.
10) Beat the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon cold water together well in a small bowl. Brush this egg wash evenly over the loaves. Sprinkle immediately with poppy seeds to taste.
11) Set baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when their bottoms are thumped. Cool completely on racks before wrapping. Makes 2 large loaves.

9/13/09 - Cider Roasted Chicken

About 8 months ago I decided it was time that I learned to roast a chicken. When I first started cooking things with bones really intimidated me and I still can't say I love rubbing a raw whole chicken but I guess I do think that the end result is just delicious. This recipe is from cooking light and is the only way I have ever made a chicken. It just come out so wonderfully moist that I can't help but going back to it every time.

The secret to the juicy meat but crisp and crunchy skin is the apple cider brine which is one of my favorite flavors. Brining is an easy but somewhat long process but if you have the time this is an easy way to guarantee a delicious meal. After the chicken roasts I used the pan drippings with some cider to make a sauce for the meat and mashed potatoes. I used the method described on cooking light to seperate the fat from the sauce with a plastic ziplock bag since I still don't have one of my own. The potatoes were mashed with a tbsp of sour cream, a few cloves of roasted garlic and some herbs (oregano & rosemary) while the green beans were actually yard beans from my CSA. After blanching them I sauteed them up with some oil and garlic as well.

Cider Brine
3 quarts water
1 quart apple cider
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
3 bay leaf

1) heat all the ingredients until salt is dissolved
2) cool to room temp

Cider Roasted Chicken
4 q brine
1 lemon or orange
parsley spring
5 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
2' kitchen twine

1) soak chicken 8 hours of overnight
2) rinse chicken and stuff with quartered citrus, garlic and parsley then truss it
3) rub it with oil and salt & pepper
4) place in 400 F oven until 175 F inside (about 1 hr 45 min)

Cider Gravy
1) add 1 c apple cider to pan drippings and scrape up all bits over med heat
2) bring to boil and add a shake of wondra flour to thicken
3) once thick (10- 15 min) remove from heat
4) set a sandwich baggy in a measuring cup and strain sauce into it
5) allow to separate and then snip one corner to allow gravy to seep out - discard fat

9/12/09 - Julie & Julia inspired omelets filled

You would have to be living under a rock to not have noticed the new movie/book Julie & Julia that recently came out that gave all food blogs a boost of hope. It makes you feel like maybe all those dinners spent agonizing over which side of the plate is most photogenic aren't in vain. The amount of food blogs out there has increased since 2002 when the Julie Powell's blog began her experiment in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Not to say anything of the content - there are now blogs devoted to cooking everything out there vegan cupcakes to ancient grains. All this info however only takes you so far when you actually have to attempt making something new on your own at home.


What does all this have to do with the omelet pictured above you might ask? Well an early chapter of the book is dedicated to Julie trying to master the art of flipping an omelet - something that I must admit I had yet to do. I know the idea behind it and I understand the concept but something happens whenever I attempt an omelet and it ends up looking more like a clumpy mess. So first thing Saturday morning I decided that if Julie in her beat up old Long Island City kitchen (which coincidentally is where my BF lived before we found our place together in Jersey City) could do it so could I! As you see from above it came out quite nicely however I have to admit I didn't have the nerve to flip it with out the help of a plate....maybe next time.

Sometimes its the simple things that are the hardest to master!

9/10/09- Restaurant Review - Another Thyme (Durham, NC)

I had the opportunity to visit Durham, North Carolina the other day. As I was walking around Brightleaf Square - an old tobacco warehouse turned public space I noticed a sandwich board advertising fresh figs stuffed with marscapone cheese and prosciutto. I recently discovered the amazing world of fresh figs so even the board across the street promising raw oysters couldn't compete for my attention.

Once I sat down I realized that the fresh figs were the just the beginning of spectacular dinner. Since I was dining alone (the downside of traveling for work) I decided that the best way to get a good sampling of all the dishes was to stick to the 1st course menu and save the entrees for another time. I stuck with the seasonal specials since I find that its always best to go with the chefs suggestions!
My first plate was the fresh North Carolina Figs stuffed with Marscapone and wrapped in Prosciutto served with a Balsamic reduction. This dish was so fresh and flavorful... I only wish that there was a bit more prosciutto as it was the best part of each bite.


The second course was Ginger Lime Tuna Tartare with Sliced European Cucumbers and Scallions. Since I am a huge tuna fan I couldn't say no to this dish, and it didn't disappoint. The delicious tuna had just the right amount of bite with slices of freshly pickled ginger amply spread about the plate. The soft creamy texture of the tartare with the crisp cucumber was a perfect pairing.

Finally, I decide on the homemade Gnocchi as this is another dish that is hard for me to pass up. I can't help but think back to my grandmother's kitchen and I am hoping to someday find something that replicates it. This dish had light, subtle flavors and didn't over power either of the previous courses. The dumplings were very light and airy which was a pleasant change from the small doughy rocks that are often sold as gnocchi.

I very much enjoyed my evening at Another Thyme and look forward to visiting again and trying out a few of the main entrees!