Salade Niçoise

Summer is a time when most us prefer lighter, refreshing foods. While salad are great and delicious any time of the year, they acquire added significance during summers. Frankly, most of us prefer to stay away from long cooking and the heat it generates.

We’ve done a few salad recipes on this pages, but now we bring you an easy and delicious old favorite:

Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 large handful of haricots verts (thin French green beans)
• 1 small head romaine lettuce, torn
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 4 medium tomatoes, peeled and quartered
• 6 preserved artichokes hearts, drained and quatered
• 6 salted anchovies, rinsed
• 12 black olives,
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 small cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cook the beans briefly in salted water until tender crisp.
2. Meanwhile, put torn lettuce in a shallow bowl and arrange eggs, vegetables, anchovies, and olives on top.Sprinkle with parsley.
3. Whisk the vinegar, mustard and garlic, then slowly drizzle in the olive  oil. Season toast, pour over the salad, and serve with crusty bread.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

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Lamb Stew with Sweet Bell Peppers

Last evening I had dinner with some friends, the main dish was absolutely delicious, looked great and its aroma alone was enough to make even the most satiated creature hungry again!  It was superb tasting, by any standard, even if I’m very partial to lamb.

When I asked the lady of the house for the recipe she referred me to a small book titled Mmmm… Casseroles, put out in 2010 by Parragon (under their Love Food imprint) in the UK. I can’t wait to make it myself, meanwhile here’s the recipe:

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean, boneless lamb such as leg of lamb or fillet
• 1 1/2 tablespoon all -purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves
• 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 white onion sliced
• 2 – 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 1/4 cups orange juice
• 2/3 cup lamb or or chicken stock
• 1 cinnamon stick, bruised
• 2 red bell peppers (sweet pointed variety, if available) seeded and sliced into rings
• 4 tomatoes
• a few, fresh cilantro sprigs, plus 1 tablespoon to garnish
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Trim any fat or gristle from the lamb and cut into thin strips. Mix the flour and cloves together. Toss the lamb in the spiced flour until well coated and reserve any remaining spiced flour
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy bottom skillet and cook the lamb over high heat, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a casserole.
4. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently for 3 minutes adding the extra oil if necessary. Sprinkle in the resrved spiced flour and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes then remove from the heat. Gradually stir in the orange juice and stock. then return to the heat and bring to a boil stirring.
5. Pour over the lamb in the casserole, then add the cinnamon stick, bell peppers, tomatoes, and cilantro sprigs and stir well. Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until the lamb is tender.
6. Discard the cinnamon stick and adjust the seasoning adding salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately, garnished with the chopped cilantro.

Aaah, this makes a perfect dish for a Shabbat dinner…

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Geila Hocherman’s Cinco de Mayo Recipes – Part 2

[Geila gives us two more superb recipes! Editor]

Sweetcorn Salad

Photo by: Antonis Achilleous, Kosher Revolution on page 137

Serves 6

This delicious – and beautiful – salad began with a bag of sweetcorn kernels I’d scraped from cobs served at a barbecue. In my house, company is a constant. To feed a hungry crowd one day and to use up the kernels, I invented this salad. With toasted pine nuts, onion, pepper and a tantalising sesame oil-based dressing, the salad goes beautifully with my Surimi Crab Cakes with Red Pepper Mayonnaise or with any grilled meat or fish.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon grapeseed or rapeseed oil
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 6 corn on the cobs
• 1/2 cup sugar, if needed
• 1 orange, yellow or red pepper, cored, deseeded and cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 1 red onion, diced
• 4 scallions, white part only, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. In a small frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the nuts and toast, stirring, until aromatic and beginning to color, about 3 minutes. Set the nuts aside.
2. Fill a large pan with water and bring to the boil. Taste the sweetcorn; if it’s not sufficiently sweet, add the sugar to the water. Add the corn on the cobs and cook until just tender, 5–7 minutes. Drain, and when the cobs are cool, cut off the kernels using a large knife. Transfer the kernels to a large bowl.
3. Add the pepper, onion, spring onions, cilantro and reserved nuts, and toss. In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, vinegar, mirin and salt, and blend well. Pour over the sweetcorn mixture and toss well. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Geila’s Tip

Never add salt to the water in which you boil sweetcorn. It toughens the kernels.

—OooO—

Coconut Flan

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup
• ¼ cup water
• 8 eggs
• 1 15 ounce can cream of coconut- Roland, coco lopez
• 2 tablespoons Mexican vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300.
2. Place sugar and corn syrup in small heavy bottomed saucepan with the water and stir.  Over medium heat let the sugar melt until it begins to turn color.  Once coloring has begun you may swirl the pan. When the caramel is medium amber pour into a greased 9 inch pan that has been placed on a dishtowel in a roasting pan.
3. Blend together the vanilla, eggs, and cream of coconut.  Pour the mixture over the caramel.  Place pan in oven and fill with hot water that comes half way up side of pan.
4. Bake for one hour or until custard is set and knife comes out clean.
5. Cool completely.  Run knife along edge and invert onto a plate and serve.

Enjoy!

Geila Hocherman

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Chef Geila Hocherman’s Hamentashen With Four Fillings

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Kosher Revolution

A Conversation with Geila Hocherman

Geila Hocherman’s Cinco de Mayo Recipes – Part 1

[Our dear friend Geila Hocherman, author of Kosher Revolution, has graciously agreed to share some of her recipes for a feast celebrating another revolution... Editor]

On May 5, 1862, France (considered the best army of the time) fought against a ragtag, poorly supplied, vastly outnumbered, hardly trained, Mexican army and lost the battle at Puebla de Los Angeles. In a pure military sense there are some parallels to our own victory against the mighty Greeks of the Seleucid period.

Since kosher transcends the boundaries of a distinctive national cuisine, why not try some of these great dishes this very Shabbat, Cinco de Mayo?

Ceviche with Avocado and Tortilla Chips

Serves 6

Photo by: Antonis Achilleous, Kosher Revolution on page 37

Here’s a confession: I never serve gefilte fish. That favorite has been replaced on my table by this more exciting dish, which will do wonders for your menu as a starter or light main. Tangy with fresh lime, the ceviche also pairs buttery avocado and crunchy chips, a terrific textural play. And the dish almost makes itself, a big plus when you’ve got other cooking to do.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs fluke, flounder or other non-oily, white-fleshed fish, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 2.5cm square)
• 1 medium tomato, skinned, deseeded and diced
• ½ cup mango ¼ inch dice (optional)
• 4 scallions thinly sliced
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic chopped fine
• ½ jalapeno finely chopped
• 3 ounces good fruity olive oil
• 3 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice
• ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
• 2 avocados sliced
• tortilla chips

Directions

1. In a medium non-porous bowl, combine the fish, tomato, spring onions, coriander and mango, if using.
2. In a separate small bowl or large measuring jug, combine the garlic, jalapeño, oil, lime juice and salt, and stir to blend. Pour the mixture over the fish and toss gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
3. Strain the ceviche.To serve, arrange a few avocado slices on a plate, mound some strained ceviche in the middle and garnish with tortilla chips and serve.

Geila’s Tip

To dismantle an avocado for slicing, first cut it lengthways and gently twist the halves apart. Embed the stone on the blade-heel of a large knife, twist and lift to remove the stone. Peel the avocado, then slice the flesh as required. I’ve found that jalapeños with a brown line or veins on the outside are hotter than those without.

—OooO—

Tomatillo pepita mole with chicken

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup peeled pumpkin seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon savory-optional
• ½ teaspoon coriander seed
• ½ teaspoon oregano- Mexican if you can find it
• 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
• 4 small tomatillos halved
• ½ large onion rough chop
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 jalapeno pepper diced- or more if you like heat
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• ½ cup cilantro leaves
• ½ cup parsley leaves
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless, thin cut chicken breasts
• tofu sour cream optional

Directions

1. In a large sauté pan toast the cumin, savory, coriander seed, oregano, and the pepitas, (pumpkin seeds), until fragrant.  Remove to bowl of food processor and pulse until finely ground.
2. In the same skillet heat the oil and add the onion, jalapeno, garlic, and tomatillos. Sprinkle with salt and sauté until soft and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes.
3. Add this mixture to the ground spices and pepitas along with the parsley, cilantro, and chicken broth and process until smooth.  Put back in sauté pan and simmer over very low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Place the chicken into a large casserole or roasting pan.  Cover with ¾ of the sauce and bake at 325 for 20 minutes.
5. Serve with extra sauce on the side and tofu sour cream.

Enjoy!

Geila Hocherman

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Ladino Tapas Bar and Grill – Just Opened and Kosher for Passover

Located at 940 8th Avenue (between 56th and 55th Street) in the Columbus Circle area of Manhattan, Ladino is set to become a new jewel on the crown of New York City’s superb kosher restaurants.

Ladino opened its doors last week on Thursday, this past Tuesday evening I decided to try it out. As I walked in, I was immediately struck by its beautifully themed décor, that blended the modern with a traditional but upscale Mexican ambiance.

The very talented Alex Morales (a fellow Uruguayan), was finishing his reproductions of two Diego Rivera murals:

The unfinished Flower Vendor is on the left and El Vendedor de Alcatraces (Calla Lilies) is on the right. The décor was completed with antiqued, floral, copper ceiling tiles.

There is a nice modern themed bar at the back but, because Ladino opened ready for Pessach, it only offered wine (mevushal) selections, no beer, no liquor.

I came in as soon as they opened for dinner at 5:00pm, so as to make sure there would be few people to get in the way of my taking photos of the place, by the time I left at around 7:30pm it was starting to fill up.

Under the direction of Alexandre Petard (who was the extraordinary opening chef at the late, lamented, La Carne Grill) – who has a noteworthy record of having worked at some of New York’s most celebrated restaurants, such as Jean Georges, Lespinasse and Les Halles – Ladino offers a nice selection of Tapas (hot and cold), appetizers and main courses.

I started the evening with Guacamole and Yuka chips…

It was the best guacamole I’ve had in quite a while, very flavorful without extra spices that could detract from the delicate taste. I went on to try samplings of the Ceviche de Atun (Tuna), Ceviche de Salmon, and Ceviche de Red Snapper. None of them showed any fishiness in either flavor or odor, I liked all three. Obviously they were very fresh!

I washed it all down with a Binyamina Chardonnay 2011. It was a medium bodied, fresh, fruity, aromatic wine with notes of pear, melon and citrus peel. Light gold with a slight greenish tint in color, though not my favorite choice (perhaps because of its youth) it actually matched the ceviches quite well.

I segued with Pincho Moreno, a set of chicken and beef skewers hot Tapas dish. It normally comes with a house mayonnaise (made to perfection by the French chef!), but I requested a bit of guacamole as well.

While the mayonnaise was my favorite, the guacamole provided an interesting taste variation to the very tender, very juicy, very flavorful poultry and beef skewers. Beautiful to the eye, as you can see above.

My favorite of the evening, since I am a carnivore to the core, was the Steak a la Cazuela…

Nicely presented in a cast iron pan seating on a trivet, the steak pieces were surrounded and topped with mixed peppers, onion, mushrooms and guacamole. The aroma was captivating, the juiciness and flavor conjured up the tastiest steaks I’ve tasted in my youth in Uruguay. With the vegetables having absorbed some of the meat juices, the totality of this dish worked like a carefully orchestrated symphony under the baton of one of the world’s great conductors. I washed down these two meat dishes with a glass of red wine consisting of a blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and petite syrah. I did not get the name nor the vintage but it was very fruity in its aroma, with strong citrus notes, not so perfectly balanced tannins (again, a young wine), with hints of purple plum and a mild tobacco with a long finish. Interestingly, it paired superbly well with the steak.

I crowned the evening with a very nice, parve, mango ice cream (complements of Chef Alexandre… It pays to be among the first customers at a new restaurant!). It was hard to believe it contained no milk, but the ability to substitute is part and parcel of a real French chef’s magic.

A perfect place to go out to during chol hamo’ed. As for me, I expect to return after Pessach to see what the regular menu, with far fewer limitations, will be like.

Meanwhile…

Chag kasher vesame’ach!

CS

Holy Macaroons and More!

Last year we wrote a couple of times about a line of delightful new products, Matzel Toff. This brand specializes in covering matzah with toffee and an excellent chocolate. While chocolate covered matzah is far from being a new idea, the way Matzel Toff executes it is more than worthy of even a very sophisticated palate.

About six weeks ago, we got their latest offerings Matzel Bits! and Holy Macaroon!. While both SYR and I felt it was a great product, we never got around to post it (a serious oversight, we are thoroughly ashamed of!!!).

Matzel Bits! is made with Parve dark chocolate (kosher for Passover). Starting with Streit’s finest matzah, they cover it with a layer of delicious toffee and the whole confection is then covered with dark chocolate (made from Passover sugar, Passover chocolate liquor, and Passover chocolate cocoa butter.

Holy Macaroon! is a very good, dairy, coconut macaroon covered in dark chocolate and topped with dried cranberries. Frankly, I do not much like traditional macaroons, even as a kid I couldn’t stand them. These macaroons, however, are quite good and make for an interesting variation of a traditional Passover sweet.

You can order the items online at http://matzeltoff.com/ or you can pick it up at a variety of stores. In the New York area you can find these products at Pomegranate in Brooklyn, Zabar’s and Eli’s in Manhattan and many more.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

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Passover The Healthy Way

The author of Passover The Healthy Way is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. She provides Medical Nutrition Therapy for weight management, diabetes and other medical conditions to both adults and children. With such experience one would expect Bonnie R. Giller‘s cookbook to be filled with succulent and nutritious dishes. You know something? If that’s what you expect you will certainly love this cookbook!

It has gebrochs and non-gebrochs recipes (though the gebrochs outnumber the non-gebrochs). The featured dishes are divided into eight categories:

• Soups and Other Meats
• Fish
• Vegetables
• Side Dishes
• Kugels
• Dairy Dishes
• Desserts & Baked Goods

It includes 5 Appendixes:

• Measurement Equivalents
• Tips for Sodium Reuction
• Cooking and Baking
• Substitutions
• Food Labeling Terms

Mrs. Giller has graciously allowed us to share one of her poultry recipes:

Photo by the cookbook author: Bonnie R. Giller

Matzo Stuffed Chicken Cutlets

(Gebrochs) – Serves 10

10 (5 oz.) boneless chicken breasts

Stuffing:

1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
5 whole matzo boards finely broken
1/2 cup medium dry Concord wine
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 egg white
1/2 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. pepper

Sauce:

1/3 cup low fat mayonnaise
2 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp honey

1. Suate onion in olive oil until tender, but not browned.
2. Add broken matzohs and toast lightly.
3. Cmbine wine, egg white, seasonings, and chicken broth to matzoh mixture.
4. Mix well until matzoh is soft and mixture is heated through.
5. 5. Take 1/4 cup of stuffing, place in the middle of each chicken cutlet and roll. Secure with toothpick, if needed.
6. Combine mayonnaise, ketchup and honey in a bowl. Mix well. Spread on top of chicken cutlet rolls.
7. Bake at 350 F. for 30 to 40 minutes.

Serving size: 1 (4 0z.) stuffed chicken cutlet
Exchanges per Serving: 4 Meat, 1 Starch, 1/2 Fat

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 266                                                                                                 Cholesterol: 83 mg
Total Fat: 4.5 gm                                                                                                 Protein: 36 gm
Saturated Fat: 1 gm                                                                               Carbohydrate: 17 mg
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5 gm                                                                 Dietary Fiber: 2 gm
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.5 gm                                                                     Sodium: 198 mg

You may order this book at: www.passoverthehealthyway.com.Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Geila Hocherman & Costas Mouzouras – Passover Food and Wine Pairing – Recipes – Part 2

More recipes and video…

French Macaroons

Don’t confuse these glorious, slightly chewy mouthfuls, made from a few simple ingredients,
with the more common coconut macaroons most of us know.

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3 large egg whites from large eggs, at room temperature (ideally, kept out overnight)
• ¼ cup sugar

Flavoring Variations

• ½ cup cocoa powder OR 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or the seeds from 1 bean OR 2 teaspoons coffee extract or raspberry extract.

Filling Variations

• Chocolate ganache (recipe below)
• Lemon curd (recipe below)
• Lime curd, substitute fresh lime for the lemon juice
• Jam, such as raspberry, strawberry, or black currant

Directions

1. First make the macarons. In a food processor combine the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar and process until well combined, 90 seconds. Flavoring: If making chocolate macarons, add the cocoa powder to the blended mixture and stir. If making vanilla macarons with the vanilla bean, add the seeds. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until they form soft peaks. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the granulated sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat until stiff glossy peaks are formed, 90 seconds to 2 ½ minutes. If using coffee or raspberry extract, and/or food coloring, add now. Add the almond flour mixture all at once and beat until the mixture is just well combined, about 10 seconds. Do not allow the mixture to get soupy. Check by dropping 1 teaspoon on a flat surface. The mixture should spread slightly, not thin out. Surface marks should dissolve into the batter. If the mixture doesn’t spread at all, give it a few more stirs, and test again.
3. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a ¼ -inch tip. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Anchor it at the corners with drops of the mixture. Pipe 1 1/2 – to 2- inch circles onto the paper. To do this easily, hold the bag at a 90- degree angle and squeeze it while keeping the tip stationary as the mixture spreads in a circle. Quickly lift the tip and form the next macaron. Let the macarons rest until their surfaces become dull and a crust forms,
   about 60 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 F. Bake the macarons until the tops are completely dry and the macarons come off the paper easily without any residue, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the macarons while still on the paper to a countertop. Cool and remove from the paper. To fill the macarons, turn them flat side down and pair them by matching size. Place 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of filling on the bottom half of each pair, cover with the top half, and press to form a sandwich. The filling should be visible. Repeat with the remaining macaron pairs. Refrigerate overnight
   and bring to room temperature before serving.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients

• 4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
• ½ cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Grind the chocolate in a food processor. Place the cream in a small glass bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds on high. Stir and heat for 30 seconds more. The cream should be very hot. Alternatively, heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot, about 3 minutes. Add the chocolate and stir until melted and the mixture is well blended. Refrigerate, stirring every 15 minutes, until cool and the consistency of frosting is reached, about 60 minutes. If the ganache becomes too solid to spread, microwave it for 5 seconds and stir, or
   beat it in a bowl over hot water for about 30 seconds.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients

• ½ cup sugar
• Grated zest of 3 lemons
• 6 egg yolks
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 8 oz almond paste
• 2 teaspoons potato starch
• 8 oz almond paste
• 8T margarine, cut into ½-inch dice

Directions

1. In a mini food processor combine the sugar and lemon zest and pulse until combined. Fill a small saucepan 2/3 full of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a nonreactive bowl, combine the yolks, sugar and zest mixture, lemon juice and starch, place over but not touching the water, and whisk until it thickens to the consistency of a loose pudding, about 4 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the margarine, stirring to blend. Strain the mixture into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap so it touches the top of the curd, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

 — Bonus Recipes —

Onion-stuffed knaidlach

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 5 tablespoons chicken stock or seltzer
• 5 tablespoons chicken fat or canola oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus additional
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)
• 3/4 cup matzo meal
• 1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine eggs, stock, 3 tablespoons of the fat, salt, pepper, parsley and cilantro, if using. Add matzo meal and blend. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
2. In a medium skillet, warm remaining fat over medium-high heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring, until translucent and beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. Drain onions on a paper towel and set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Reduce heat so the water boils slowly. (Rapid boiling can make the knaidlach break when cooking.) Using wet hands, form 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons each of the matzo meal mixture into a disk held in one palm. Place 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons onion in the middle of the disc, pinch to enclose, and roll between both hands until a ball is formed. Drop into the water. Repeat with remaining mixture and onions.
4. When the knaidlach float to the surface of the water, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove the knaidlach with a slotted spoon, transfer to soup, and serve.

Photo from Kosher Revolution, page 75, by Antonis Achilleous

Miso-glazed black cod

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1/2 cup sake or dry white wine
• 1 1/4 cups white miso
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 6 black cod fillets (6 to 8 ounces each), skin removed

Directions

1. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine mirin and sake and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute (to cook off the alcohol), reduce heat to medium, add miso, and stir until dissolved. Add sugar, increase heat, and stir until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
2. Dry fillets with paper towels and put them in a gallon-size sealable plastic bag. Add miso glaze, seal and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.
3. Bring the fillets to room temperature. Preheat broiler or place a grill pan or heavy skillet over high heat. Wipe excess glaze from the fillets and broil or grill, turning once, until brown and glazed, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plates and serve.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Geila Hocherman & Costas Mouzouras – Passover Food and Wine Pairing – Recipes – Part 1

Geila Hocherman, the author of Kosher Revolution, and Costas Mouzouras, the walking wine encyclopedia at Gotham Wines & Liquors, got together to discuss food and wine pairings. Here we post two out of the three part video of their discussion and we bring six of Geila’s recipes, all from her book, except for one:

Cinnamon chicken tajine with prunes and apricots

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 2 chickens, about 3 1/2 pounds each, each cut into 8 pieces, or 16 breasts, thighs and legs, any
  combination, rinsed and dried well
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup grapeseed or canola oil
• 2 large onions (about 2 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, ground, powdered or crushed
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cinnamon sticks, each about 3 inches long
• 2 cups pitted prunes
• 1 cup dried apricots
• 1/4 cup honey

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet, paella pan or large roasting pan, set over two burners, over medium-high heat. Add almonds and toast, stirring, until lightly colored, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat half of the oil in the pan over medium heat. Working in batches, add chicken and saute until brown, turning once, about 12 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter and set aside. If the oil or browned bits in the pan have burned, wipe out the pan.
3. Add remaining oil to the pan. Add onions and saute, stirring, until translucent, about 10 minutes. Return chicken to the pan. Add saffron to stock, and pour over chicken. Add cinnamon, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Transfer the white meat to the platter. Add prunes and apricots to the pan and simmer until the rest of the chicken is done, about 15 minutes.
   Transfer the chicken to the platter and discard the cinnamon sticks. Add honey to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until liquid is syrupy and coats a spoon, 15 to 20 minutes. Return chicken to the pan, baste with sauce, cover and warm. Transfer all to a warmed platter, sprinkle with almonds, and serve.

Mina

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. onions sliced thin
• ¼ cup grape seed/vegetable oil,
• 2 lbs. Swiss chard
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 2 T sugar
• 2 lbs mushrooms sliced thin- I prefer combination of shitake and cremini or Portobello
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• ¼ cup white wine
• 2-10 0z package frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• Juice of 2 lemons plus zest of one
• ¼ cup finely diced sundried tomatoes or roasted red pepper
• ¼-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup stock- chicken or vegetable
• 8 sheets Matzo

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9×13-baking dish and line with parchment.
2. In a large skillet heat ½ of the oil and sprinkle the onions with salt. Sauté until they are translucent. Add ½ of the garlic and pine nuts and toast for 2 minutes. Add the chard and cook down until almost dry. Add the balsamic and the sugar and cook for 2 more minutes. Place mixture in a strainer and let drain.
3.  Heat 2 more tablespoons of oil, sprinkle with salt and sauté mushrooms with 3 cloves of garlic until they have released all of their water. Add the wine and cook down until all of the moisture has been absorbed. Set aside.

Pignoli Cookies

Ingredients

• 8 oz almond paste
• ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 large egg white
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup pine nuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325○F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a food processor, combine the almond paste and sugars and process until the mixture reaches the consistency of sand. Transfer to the bowl of a standing mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, or a medium bowl, and add the egg white, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat on medium speed or by hand for 4 minutes.
3. Place the pine nuts in a small bowl. Next to it place a small bowl of water for wetting your hands. Wet your hands and form 1 ½- to 2-inch balls with the paste mixture, making 5 at a time. Drop them into the bowl of nuts and press down gently so the nuts adhere to the bottom of the dough. Transfer to a cookie sheet nut side up. Repeat, filling each prepared cookie sheet with about 15 balls. Bake until puffed and beginning to color, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool on the parchment paper on a countertop. When completely cool, peel the cookies off the paper and serve.

This post is getting a bit long, we have no choice but to break it up into two parts…

Meanwhile enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Tuna and Mango Chutney

This past Tuesday evening, I dined with some friends originally from Argentina. They are both from Buenos Aires (right across the shore from where I grew up in Montevideo, Uruguay on the River Plate). The conversation turned to past and present Latin American politics, yiddish culture and religious life. Not only was the conversation great, so were the food and wine…

We started the meal with a superb fish appetizer covered with a nice spicy and sweet chutney… She graciously emailed me the recipe and a photo this morning:

Photo by: Mrs. Lea Bronshtain

Tuna with Mango Chutney

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup rum
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 lb tuna steak
• 1/2 cup crushed corn flakes
• 1 small dried chilli pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Mango Chutney

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 6 cups mangoes (4 to 5), peeled and cut in 3/4-inch pieces
  
• 1 medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cupginger, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, whole
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (hot)

(Mrs. Bronshtain makes the chutney once a year and uses it as needed. Bottled in a disinfected jar it can keep on aging for a long, long time.)

• 1/2 yellow pepper, diced
• 1 plum tomato diced
• chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. In a bowl mix soy sauce, rum and orange juice. Marinate tuna in mixture in refrigerator for 3 hours while covered.
2. In a second bowl mix corn flakes, chilli pepper, chilli powder, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper and cilantro.
3. Remove tuna from marinade. Pat cereal mixture tightly on fish to coat on all sides.
4. In a pan, sear fish in hot oil for 2 minutes on each side.
5. Mix the chutney with the yellow pepper and plum tomato, top fish with this mixture. Garnish with cilantro.

Directions for Mango Chutney

1. Combine sugar and vinegar in a 6 quart pot; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, until syrupy and slightly thickened, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occasionally during cooking.
3. Pour into clean, hot jars leaving 1/2-inch space to the top; close jars. Process in a water bath for 15 minutes.

Yields 6 (1/2 pint) jars.

We followed this appetizer with a butternut squash soup, braised short ribs, and a Café Brulé. During the meal we had a well decanted Flecha de Los Andes Gran Malbec 2006 from Argentina (of course!). It is a deep colored wine, with black plum, pepper and licorice, floral notes and a barely perceptible chocolate hint; on the palate it’s well balanced, rich with plum, espresso, pepper and licorice, and leaves you with a long finish. A truly memorable meal!

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS