Mushrooms à la Grecque

Growing up I intensely disliked mushrooms but, like so many other things that changed, as I grew up, as my palate got more sophisticated, I learned to love them! So… what are mushrooms? They are…

…the fruiting bodies of soil-borne fungi that live from nutrients they take from plants living and dead. They flourish throughout the world’s temperate zones and add varying of earthiness and savory flavor to foods. Their flavor character and intensity depend almost entirely on the type of mushroom they are, rather than whether they are cultivated, what color they are, or their size.

(The Illustrated Cook’s Book of Ingredients – Page 270)

And… they are delicious, healthy and a great addition to salads, soups and more. Last evening I was not in the mood of long preparations, so… what better than this classic dish?

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 lb 3 oz crimini or button mushrooms, halved
• 8 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 3 1/2 oz pitted black olives
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• salt and pepper
• chopped parsley, to garnish

Directions

1. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan, add the onions and garlic, and cook until soft and starting to brown. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and cook, stirring gently, for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. transfer the mushroom mixture to a serving dish and garnish with the olives.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining oil into the vinegar, season to taste with salt and pepper and drizzle over the salad, Garnish with the copped parsley, cover and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle before serving.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!!!

CS

Ratatouille Hash

From our friend Geila Hocherman (here and here)’s blog, Geila’s Kosher Revolution:

Photo by Antonis Achilleous

I was in a restaurant in beautiful St. Maarten when a waiter presented the table with a beautiful ratatouille served in timbales. It was delicious-and set me to thinking about adapting the usual ratatouille, a vegetable stew, to make it less stew-y. Here’s the result, a vibrant, fragrant, hash-every vegetable retains its distinctive texture as well as flavor-that makes a perfect meal served with chicken, fish or meat. You can serve it hot or at room temperature.

Serves 10 to 12
Convert It– To make this a dairy main dish, add a 10-ounce can of drained and rinsed chick peas and crumbled feta. Or, for a quick moussaka-like dish, toss the hash with ground, sauteed lamb.

Geila’s Tips – Check the bottom of the eggplants you buy. If the pip there is round, the plant is female, if long, male. Male eggplants have fewer seeds.

• 3 pounds (about 2 medium) eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
• 4 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pound zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
• 2 large onions, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 garlic cloves, put through a garlic press
• 2 roasted red bell peppers * cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• One 12-ounce can plum tomatoes with their juice
• 3 tablespoons chopped basil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cover 2 medium cookie sheets with foil.
2. Place the eggplant in a colander in the sink and roast with 2 tablespoons salt. Top with a plate and a weight, such as as a large can or wine bottle. Let the eggplant drain for 30 minutes rinse and dry it, and transfer to a cookie sheet. Drizzle over 3 tablespoons olive oil.
3. Place the zucchini on the second cookie sheet, toss with 2 tablespoons salt and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Bake the zucchini and the eggplant until cooked through, about 20 minutes, stirring both after 10 minutes to prevent sticking. Set both aside.
4. In a large skillet, heat the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, sprinkle with salt and saute, stirring, until translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Push the onions to the side of the pan, add the tomato paste to the center, and cook until the the paste begins to bubble, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute the mixture until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the bell peppers, stir, and add the vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes, if using, and tomatoes with half their juice. and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add the eggplant, zucchini and basil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring often, until the flavors have blended about 10 minutes. If the mixture seems too dry, add more of the tomato juice and simmer 4 to 5 minutes more. Adjest the seasoning, if necessary, transfer to plates, and serve.

–0o0o0–

* 2 roasted bell peppers

On a burner or under the broiler, roast the peppers until the skin is uniformly charred. Transfer to to a paper bag or a bowl. Close the bag or cover the bowl with foil, a dish towel or plastic wrap. Let the peppers steam until they become cool enough to handle. Remove the stems, peel, remove seeds and cut the peppers into 1 to 1 1/2 inch dice. Reserve any juice.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Miso, Shiitake and Swiss Chard Soup

With winter fast approaching, with a predicted hurricane – a “frankenstorm” as the media refers to it – about to hit New York this very evening, it’s time to start thinking about comfort food. What better than a nice hot, hearty soup?

From Levana’s Table, by Lévana Kirschenbaum (page 48):

Photo by: Ann Stratton, page 49

Makes 8 – 10 servings

Although the flavors are rich and complex, rthis soupis ready in about 15 minutes. Miso adds its intriguing fermented flavor and a bulky but not starchy texture to the broth. It is important to add the Swiss chard aat the very end of the cooking process., so that it retains its brilliant color. The corn adds a wonderful flavor.

2 quarts (8 cups) water
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, caps, thinly sliced
One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 cup dark or light miso paste
2 ears of corn, cobs cut into 1-inch rounds
3 – 4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon bottled hot sauce
1 pound firm or extra_firm tofu, cut into sticks
1 bunch (1 pound) Swiss chard, leaves only, cut into ribbons
4 scallions, thinly sliced

Combine the water, mushrooms ginger, miso, and corn in a heavy pot  and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, hot sauce, and tofu. Bring to a boil again. Add the Swiss chard and scallions and cook for one more minute, until the Swiss chard is wilted. Serve hot.

The elements may be raging outside, but this soup is certain to keep you warm.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Red Grape Soup

There’s more to it than just vegetables, and/or noodles. Not only is soup good comfort food in the winter, not only can it warm a cold bodyon a freezing winter day, it can also cool us on a hot summer day. Pamela Reiss, in her Soup -A Kosher Collection gives us many delicious recipes of every kind, ranging from winter comfort types to refreshing summer ones.

Photo by Michelle Furbacher, page 190 Soup - A Kosher Collection

Here’s one I tried last evening, it was easy to make and absolutely delicious:

Serves 5

This lovely, elegant chilled soup is wonderful as a starter. Taste one of the grapes before you cook them; if they are exceptionally sweet, you may want to hold off on adding the granulated sugar.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb red grapes
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup dry red wine

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a soup pot, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer on low for 5 minutes, or until grape skins start to split.
2. Purée the soup. (Use a blender, a hand blender, or a food processor to purée a soup. Do it in small and be very careful. Put a towel over the top of the food processor or blender to prevent any hot soup from spaying. If you are concerned about processing the hot liquid, allow the soup to cool beforehand.
3. Pour the soup through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any seeds and skin, and transfer to a clean bowl. Chill the soup for for a minimum of 4 hours, or until it is completely cold.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Egg Salad

I like egg salad, it is one of my favorite breakfast foods, and even part of a fast lunch.  When I came to these shores in 1962, I soon learned to enjoy it with mayonnaise as opposed to my mother’s spartan combination of chopped hard boiled eggs with small amounts of salt, pepper, and a bit of olive oil. Egg salad comes in many variations, but, David Lebovitz‘ recipe is superb:

Enough for 2 or 3 sandwiches

My uncle once told me a funny story: about forty years ago, he once set out to make a recipe that called for capers and he thought that he would use fresh, rather than something from a jar. He looked and looked and looked and couldn’t find fresh. He could only find the pickled ones, which he later realized were how capers were prepared and sold. And now, every time I open a jar I think of his story. I like a little bit of chopped capers in my egg salad, or something a bit vinegary. You could also use some chopped cornichons or pickles – and their juice – in place of the capers.

You can use any kind of pepper powder that you want. Note that if you use a red one, it will turn the color of the egg salad a somewhat fiery shade of red.

6 hard-boiled eggs
1/3 (70g) cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon (drained) capers, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons caper juice
3/4 teaspoon pepper, such as Isot (Urfa), black pepper or red pepper powder
sea salt
optional: 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1. Peel the eggs and chop them into pieces.
2. Mix the eggs in a bowl with the mayonnaise, mustard, capers, caper juice, pepper, and a good sprinkle salt. If desired, add the sunflower seeds.

To serve, spread on toasted grainy bread, then garnish with additional salt, pepper, and some chopped chives.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Chicken With Wine & Tarragon

Those of you who’ve read this pages before know I am very partial to cooking with wine. When I came across this recipe in the 2009 edition Food & Wine: Quick From Scratch Chicken Cookbook, I knew I found an easy to prepare, delicious, dish which I slightly adapted to make it kosher:

Photo by: Melanie Acevedo, on page 86

Yields: 4

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons dry wine
• 2 teaspoons dry tarragon
• 3 – 3 1/2 pound chicken quartered
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
• 1 tablespoon margarine, cut into 4 pieces
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 375 F. In a small glass or stainless steel bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the wine and 1/e teaspoon of the tarragon. Set aside
2. Coat the chicken with the olive oil and arrange the pieces, skin-side up, in a large roasting pan. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the remaining 1 tablespoon wine and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Top each piece of chicken with a piece of margarine.
3. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes and then sprinkle the remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons tarragon. Baste the chicken and cook until the breasts are just done, about 20 minutes longer. Remove the breasts and cook the legs until done, about 5 minutes longer. Remove the roasting pan from the oven, return the breasts to the pan.
4. Heat the broiler. Baste the chicken and then broil until the skin is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
5. Pour off the fat from the roasting pan. Set the pan over moderate heat and add the reserved wine and tarragon mixture and the water. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to dislodge any brown bits. Boil until reduced to approximately 3 tablespoons, about 3 minutes. Add any accumulated juices from the chicken and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy! I plan to make it this evening and I know I will enjoy it.

CS

Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Soup

This hearty soup was so good, I had three bowls of it last evening (and still have leftovers in the fridge). It was just the perfect dish for capping a winter evening, even if the weather was unusually warm for this time of year.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 lb 9 oz ripe tomatoes, skinned, cored and halved
• 3 large yellow bell peppers. seeded and halved
• 3 zucchini, halved lengthwise
• 4 garlic cloves, halved
• 2 onion cloves, cut into eights
• pinch of thyme
• 4 cups chicken vegetable, or beef stock
• 1/2 cup MimicCreme
• salt and pepper
• shredded basil leaves for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Brush a large shallow baking dish with olive oil. Laying them cut-sized down, arrange the tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini and eggplant in one layer (use two dishes if necessary). Tuck the garlic cloves and onion pieces into the gaps and drizzle the vegetables with the remaining olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper and sprinkle with thyme.
3. Place in preheated oven and bake uncovered, for 30-35 minutes, or until soft and browned around the edges. Let cool, then scrape out the eggplant flesh and remove the skin from the bell peppers.
4. Working in batches, put the eggplant and bell pepper flesh, together with the tomatoes, zucchini, garlic and onion place into a bowl and chop together using a knife.
5. Combine the stock and chopped vegetable mixture in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 20-30 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender and the flavors have completely blended.
6. Stir in the MimicCreme and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until hot. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Ladle the soup into warm bowls, garnish with basil and serve.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Chinese Brisket and Turnip Stew

Yes, gentle reader, most of us think of brisket as the quintessential Jewish American meat delicacy but more than  just us members of the tribe like it. (it’s long been a holiday staple of Ashkenazi cuisine), the fact remains it is extremely popular in the Orient (China, Korea, Thailand, Viet Nam), as well as in Mexico where it’s known as suadero.

When I came across this recipe chow.com I knew that you’d all enjoy this variation on a theme:

Ingredients

• 1 (4- to 5-pound) beef brisket, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 10 (1/4-inch-thick) slices fresh, unpeeled ginger
• 8 medium garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce *
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups water, plus more for blanching the brisket
• 3 star anise pods
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 2 pounds turnips or daikon radish
• 1 bunch scallions
• Steamed white rice or cooked rice noodles, for serving

* The original recipe calls for “chu hou paste,” since I could not find a kosher certified brand, after some research I came up with hoisin sauce which is very similar but less spicy. There are two kosher brands Gefen and Joyce Chen.

Directions

1. Fill a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the brisket pieces and return the water to a boil. Immediately drain the meat through a colander and rinse any scum off of it with cold water; set aside.
2. Wash and dry the pot. Heat the oil in the pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and starting to brown, about 1 minute. Return the meat to the pot, add the chu hou paste, and stir to coat. Add the chicken broth, measured water, star anise, sugar, and measured salt and stir to combine.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover with a tightfitting lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the meat is tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
4. Meanwhile, peel and cut the turnips or daikon into 1-1/2-inch cubes, place in a large bowl, and cover with a damp paper towel or plastic wrap. Trim and cut the scallions into 1-inch pieces, place in a small bowl, and cover with a damp paper towel or plastic wrap. Refrigerate the vegetables until the meat is tender.
5. Add the turnips or daikon to the pot and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring halfway through the cooking time, until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.
6. Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the scallions, and let sit uncovered for 5 minutes to allow the scallions to soften slightly. Remove and discard the star anise pods. Taste and season with salt as needed. Serve with steamed rice or rice noodles.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Persian Food From The Non Persian Bride and Tomorrow’s Internet Radio Show

Reyna Simnegar‘s Persian Food from The Non-Persian Bride is a beautifully produced book, with many a mouthwatering  recipe. The accompanying text is well written regaling us with tidbits of Persian and Sephardic tradition, the photography with its generally darkish background lures us into wanting to discover more of its mystical, delectable promises.

Many of the recipes also have variations, to accommodate every taste and every cook’s level of comfort. The Appetizers and Side Dishes section is subdivided into Persian Breads, Dips and Salads; Fish and Soups follows, then come Poultry and Meat, Persian Stews and Sephardic Shabbat Stews. A long section on Persian Rice is next, followed by Dairy food, Egg Dishes and Persian Snacks subdivided into Persian Breakfast and Persian Snacks, Persian Beverages and Desserts comes next.

After the recipes comes a section on Persian Holiday Tutorial, it briefly explains various holiday traditions and suggest traditional Persian menus. This section end with The Laws of Tarof – And Other Persian Peculiarities I Happen to Love, written with humor and obvious deep love for her newly acquired customs. The book ends with a Glossary and a Culinary Glossary. Advanced or beginning cooks, this cookbook has something for everyone!

I always liked the diminutive Cornish hens, one of my favorite delicacies. Here Mrs. Simnegar takes a recipe and dresses it up in Persian trappings:

Stuffed Cornish Hens With Rose Petals

This dish doesn’t really exist in Persian cuisine, but you it totally sounds Persian! Even Persians will think it comes from an ancient Persian cookbook! In fact, I got this recipe from the book Like Water from Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel,  but I reinvented it with a Persian flair. The rose petals look stunning next to the poultry, but I use them only for garnish. If you want to eat them you need edible roses, which come free of pesticides and you must also the check the petals for bugs — way too much work for me!

4 Cornish hens or 2 whole chickens or 2 cut up chickens

Marinade

• 2 garlic cloves, pressed or 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon cardamon
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Stuffing (optional)

• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/4 cup dried barberries (optional)
• 1/4 cup currant raisins or regular black raisins
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• pinch saffron powder
• 1 cup leftover rice
• 1 teaspoon salt

Rose Petal Sauce

• 1 cup pan juices
• 1/2 cup rose jam or quince jam
• 1 tablespoon  olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 lemon, juiced or 1 teaspoon lemon concentrate

Garnish

• Fresh Rose petals (from about 2 roses)
• 1/4 cup slivered pistachios

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Combine all marinade ingredients and rub all sides of the Cornish hens. Place into a dish and marinate for 2 hours, overnight, or not at all.
3. Meanwhile, make the stuffing. In a small saucepan, saute the oil, onion, garlic, barberries, raisins, slivered almonds, lime juice, and saffrons for 1 minute. Mix in the rice and remove from heat. Check seasoning and add 1/2 teaspoon salt if necessary. Stuff the poultry; there is no need to sew the cavities.
4. Bake, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is no longer pink and an instant-read thermometer reads 160 F when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh. If the hens still look pale, put under broiler for 5 minutes or until desired color is reached.
5. Mix all ingredients for the rose petal sauce and drizzle over the hens. Garnish with fresh rose petals and slivered pistachios.

Yield: 4 to 8 servings, depending on the size of the hens.

Tomorrow evening at 8:00pm, (Eastern Time) Reyna Simnegar will be the guest on our BlogTalkRadio.com show. We will discuss her cookbook, how she adapted to her new culture and a lot more. In case you missed it, last week we had an interesting conversation with Rukhl Schaechter, the news editor of the Yiddish Forverts. You can catch the archived show right here.

Meanwhile… enjoy, gentle reader enjoy!

CS

EXTRA, EXTRA! Contest, Contest!!!

Starting today and running until September 20, one of you – gentle readers – will have the chance to win 2 Jack’s Gourmet Variety Packs ($100.00 value)…

and a Jack’s Gourmet cap…

What do you have to do to win all these? How about sending us your best recipes using Jack’s Gourmet. sausages. The contest runs through September 20th, winner will be chosen by Chef Jack Silberstein and Dr. Alan Bronner (Jack’s Gourmet owners) and will be announced on these pages on Monday October 3rd. send in your recipes to kosherscene@gmail.com. If you care to accompany your entry with a good photo of the finished dish, we’ll feature it right here on our blog. To get an idea of what we are looking for go here, if you scroll down to the bottom of the page you’ll find some interesting recipes, including two of our own.

Meanwhile don’t forget to send us in your ideas for avoiding the back to school blues to: kosherscene@gmail.com. Why not send us photos of unusual and interesting lunchboxes.

We will publish the best photos and ideas and pick a winner who will receive:

• 1 carton of juice boxes
• 1 dozen assorted fruit roll-ups
• 1 lunch box

Keep those recipes and ideas coming, gentle reader. get to work!

CS