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

Klops – Meatloaf

While growing up in Uruguay, my Poilishe mother learned to cook Italian to save me from getting beaten up by the neighborhood’s Italian bullies, however, for Shabbos or yomim toivim the fare was almost invariable Eastern European. One dish which I always considered a special treat was klops. I made it last evening and it was delicious! Ah, the memories it brought back…

Klops – Eastern European Meatloaf

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 lb 8 oz fresh ground beef (not lean beef!)
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 cup well packed, fresh white breadcrumbs
• 2  eggs,  lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2/3 cups crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 3 teaspoons fresh parsley
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 2 tablespoons ketchup

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 7 minutes, or until softened and golden, stirring frequently. Add the the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat cool.
2. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a 9″x5″x3″ loaf pan. Put the ground beef into a large mixing bowl and add  the onions, the garlic, the grated carrots, and the bread crumbs. Toss lightly to combine. Add the eggs, salt and pepper to taste, soy sauce, crushed tomatoes, and oregano. Using your hands mix the ingredients together until well blended. do not overwork or the mixture will be to dry. Divide in half.
3. Pour one half the mixture evenly into the loaf pan, Press half the mixture into bottom of a greased loaf pan. Arrange hard cooked eggs down center of the loaf. Cover completely with remaining meat mixture. Bake for 1 1/4 hours or until the edges start shrinking from the sides. Baste the top occasionally with the fatty juices. About 10 minutes before the end, brush the top with the ketchup to glaze.
4. Remove to a heatproof surface and leave to rest, tented loosely in aluminum foil for about 12 minutes. Pour off any excess fat that was not absorbed. Cut into thick slices and serve. Or refrigerate and serve cold.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy. I did!

CS

The Contests, so Far…

Because of many requests, we’ve extended our contests until October 31st. On the Jack’s Gourmet Contest, we are giving away $100.00 worth of Jack’s Gourmet Kosher sausages plus a Jack’s Gourmet baseball cap.

Jack's Gourmet is giving $100.00 in all 5 varieties of their sausages, plus a Jack's Gourmet baseball cap

What do you have to do to win all these? How about sending us your best recipes using Jack’s Gourmet kosher sausages. The contest runs through October 31st, 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 November 14. 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.

SYR's Sausage Pizza, hmm, hmmm! - http://kosherscene.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/jack’s-gourmet-–-part-2/

So far we’ve received 21 recipes ranging from less than mediocre to delicious and creative. We extended the contest as you, gentle reader, requested; why don’t you send those recipes? Show us your creativity!

As for our other contest, 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

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

Lamb Soup

I like lamb, it is one of my favorite meats. Whether in a soup or in any other form, if a dish has lamb in it I just have to try it. Whether it’s those superb  Slow Roasted Lamb Chops at Mike’s Bistro or the Lamb Soup at Yummy Grill, SYR and I – hardcore carnivores both - are in total agreement that lamb is in a class of its own, we love it!

Recently, while going over some old papers I found cooking notes by my long departed mother in them the following recipe:

Yields 4

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 ounces lean tender lamb
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 5 cups chicken soup
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 inch piece lemongrass, sliced into very thin rounds
• 1/4 teaspoon chili paste (I make my own from a recipe I found online, here)
• 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 4 scallions, finely sliced
• 1 3/4 ounces bean sprouts snapped in half
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoonolive oil.

 Directions

1. Trim away all the fat from the lamb and slice it thinly. Cut slices into bite sized pieces. Put the meat in a layer on a plate and sprinkle with the garlic and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Cover it and let marinate for one hour.
2. In a saucepan bring the chicken stock, ginger, lemongrass, remaining soy sauce and the chili paste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. When ready to serve the soup, drop the tomatoes, scallions, bean sprouts and cilantro leaves into the stock.
4. Heat oil in a skillet, add the lamb and marinade. Strir fry the meat until is no longer red and divide among the 4 bowls.
5. Add the hot soup to each bowl and serve immediately.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy. I did!

CS

Boeuf Bourguignon – “One of the Most Delicious Beef Dishes…”

Originating among France’s Burgundy peasantry, this dish was elevated to the status of haute cuisine by none other than the King of Chefs and the Chef of Kings (as the French press and Kaiser Wilhelm II referred to him) – Auguste Escoffier. Julia Child in her Mastering the Art of French Cooking, refers to Boeuf Bourguignon as ”certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man.”

While looking for a kosher version that might do justice to Ms. Child’s praises, I came across this scrumptious recipe in Lévana Kirschenbaum‘s latest book, The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen, page 164:

Detail of photo by: Meir Pliskin on page 165 of The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen

Boeuf Bourguignon

Spend a wonderful evening with a few French classics and some wine to go with dinner! By the way, my bourguignon has been included in Joan Schwartz’s charming book, deceptively innocent, called Meat and Potatoes. My secret ingredient is crème de cassis, the wonderful black currant liqueur.

This dish reheats very well and improves with age, so go ahead and make it a day or two ahead.

• 4 pounds beef or bison shoulder, cut into 2 inch cubes for stew
• 6 cups water
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 cups dry wine
• 1/4 cup crème de cassis
• 2 large tomatoes, diced small
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 6 bay leaves, or 1 teaspoon ground
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only(or throw in the sprigs in whole, but don’t forget to discard them at the end of cooking)
•  2 pounds very thin long carrots, peeled (about 20)
• 20 very small organic potatoes, scrubbed (only organic potatoes are safe with skins on)
• 2 dozen tiny onions, peeled and left whole (frozen OK: they are already peeled)

On a stove top: Place beef, water, and oil in a heavy, wide-bottom pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and cook covered for 2 hours. Add the garlic, wine, creme de cassis, tomatoes, pepper, and bay leaves and cook for 30 more minutes. Add thyme, carrots, potatoes, and onions and cook for 30 minutes. The meat should be fork tender, Transfer meat and all vegetables on platter with a slotted spoon. If the liquid left in the pot is too thin, reduce it on a high flame until it is thickened, the consistency of maple syrup. Pour the reduced liquid over the whole dish and serve hot. Will make 8 to 10 servings.

With a Crock-Pot: Layer all the ingredients except the water (no water) in a 6-quart Crock-Pot, in the order they were given. Set the Crock-Pot on low in the morning. It will be ready for dinner (10 to 12 hours total cooking time).

Variation: Try the dish using dark stout beer instead of wine, as my daughter in law Ruthie does.

As you taste this you’ll certainly agree with Julia Child’s assessment. So… enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Perfect Jewish

Published by Parragon Publishing, UK; 2008

From the dust cover:

The unique flavors of Jewish Regional cooking are brought to life in this fascinating new cookbook. It features an enticing range of 120 recipes from Jewish communities all around the world.

Perfect Jewish is a delightful cookbook by Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen features both Ashkenazic and Sephardic dishes divided into 5 sections:

• Soups, aalads & appetizers
• Main dishes
• Light dishes and accompaniments
• Desserts, cakes & cookies
• Breads & pastries

The featured recipes cover Central, Eastern Europe and Russia, Spain, Portugal, the Middle East and North Africa. The selections and the beautiful photos paint a rich picture of our culture adapting itself to the various regions around the world that were graced with a Jewish presence.

The easy to follow, detailed recipes, and the mouth watering photos make this a must have book for every kitchen. It was hard to choose just one recipe out the many succulent selections but I finally decided upon something uniquely American, so we adapted (the original deli recipe calls for Gruyere cheese) the following from the book:

Detail from photo on page 142...

The Reubens Sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp margarine softened
• 4 slices “deli” rye bread
• 4 – 6 oz cooked roast beef, or corned beef, or pastrami, [or a combination of any of these] thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup sauerkraut, well drained
• vegetable oil or margarine for frying
• Pickled cucumbers to serve [yes, there is recipe for these on page 41, if you are truly ambitious!]

Thousand Island Dressing

• 1 cup bottled or home made mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp ketchup or chili sauce
• 2 tbsp seeded and finely chopped green bell pepper
• 2 tbsp finely chopped pimento
• 2 tbsp finely chopped sweet and sour pickled cucumber

Following the great emigration of the 1880s, by the 1920s more than 2 million Jews were working in sweatshops. They bought kosher foods from Jewish neighbors and a great Jewish-American institution, the Jewish deli, was born. It served some fantastic sandwiches.

1. Dressing: Mix the dressing ingredients together in a bowl until well blended. Store, refrigerated, in an air tight container for up to one week.
2. Spread margarine on to one side of each bread slice. Lay margarine- side down. Spread the center with 1 tbsp each of the dressing.
3. Divide the roast beef between 2 bread slices tucking in the slices to fit. Divide the sauerkraut and make an even layer over the roast beef. Top with the remaining bread slices, margarine side out, and press firmly to compress the layers.
4. Heat a non-stick skillet or ridged griddle pan over medium-high heat. Carefully slide the sandwiches into the pan. Press down on on the tops of the sandwiches. Cook for 3 minutes or until the undersides are crisp and golden.
5. Carefully turn, press down again and cook for 2 minutes, or until golden and the beef is hot. Transfer to a cutting board Cut in half and serve with pickles.

Serves 2

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

An Unusually Delicious Brisket

Growing up in Uruguay, brisket (pecho) was a staple at every major festive occasion in my parents’ home and my mother’s brisket was served at least once, usually twice, during the sedorim. Aah, my mother’s brisket filled the house with its aroma, I remember the anticipation with which I waited to have itagain and again… Over the years I tried to find different versions of this old favorite and found many succulent variations, but last night’s version served at Lévana’s cooking demo far outshines most! Here she adapted her famous brisket to Passover by changing her deservedly famous recipe. She used honey instead of the usual molasses and brandy instead of bourbon Lévana has graciously agreed to share her recipe, notice the unusual ingredients:

Brisket in Coffee Brandy Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 large onions, sliced very thin
• 1 brisket. 6 to 7 pounds, first cut. Rinsed and patted thoroughly dry
• 3 tablespoons instant coffee powder, decaf OK, mixed with 2 cups warm water
• 1/3 cup brandy
• 1/3 cup honey
• ¼ cup vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Scatter the onions in a pan just large enough to fit the meat.
3. Place the brisket on top of the onions.
4. Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl, and pour the mixture evenly over the meat. Cover tightly with foil, and bake 2 hours.
5. Turn the brisket over, and bake uncovered 1 more hour.
6. Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and wait about 10 minutes before slicing.
7. Meanwhile strain the cooking liquids into a small sauce pan, pressing hard on the solids (and discarding them), and reduce on a high flame to about 2 ½ cups. Let the brisket cool slightly.
8. Slice thin against the grain. In places where the brisket is very long, cut across first before slicing. Pour the gravy on top.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy! I most certainly did and will again.

CS

Events for the Week of February 27 Through March 5

Once again we have some great events. It all started last evening with Lipa‘s free concert at Pomegranate,

Monday, February 28th

Meet and Greet Susie Fishbein

Meet, Greet and Join Celebrity Chef, award winning cookbook author Susie Fishbein for a Cooking Demonstration Series at Pomegranate (1507 Coney Island Avenue – corner of Avenue L – Brooklyn, New York 11230; Tel: 718.951.7112). She will be demonstrating fish cooking techniques:

Cod

• Miso Glazed Cod
• Cod, Potatoes and Sun dried Tomatoes

Snapper

• Blackened Red Snapper
• Snapper in Parchment

The demo will start at 11:30am

Lévana’s Dinner and a Show

This week it will be held in Lévana’s house at: 210 West 101st Street, Apartment 9L (in Manhattan, between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway). The subject of tonight’s class will be: THE LEAN LATIN FEAST. She will demonstrate the following:

• Tilapia with green tomato sauce
• Spicy pumpkin corn soup
• Chicken breasts with chipotle sauce
• Cabbage, cucumber and jicama salad with “yogurt” cilantro sauce
• Café con leche pots de crème
• Sangria

The Demo runs from 7:00 to 9:00 followed by dinner, classes cost $45.00 for one session, $120.00 for 3 sessions or $200.00 for 5 sessions and a signed cookbook. Make your reservations at: http://www.levanacooks.com/kosher-cooking-classes/weekly-classes/

Jack’s Gourmet – Part 2

What I like about Jack’s Gourmet sausages most, specifically and because of their superb taste, is the many dishes they can be used in. This past Tuesday I made a Sausage Pizza using both their Sweet Italian and the Hot Italian sausages and I used SYR‘s simple recipe.

SYR's Sausage Pizza, "delicious" hardly does it justice...

SYR’s Sausage Pizza

Ingredients

• 9” pizza crust (I used a crust from Tradition, made with honey, with raised edges to avoid spillage)
• Pizza Sauce (enough to fill the crust)
• 1 cup shitake mushrooms, chopped (you may use any other kind of mushrooms as well)
• 6 Pearl onions, chopped (little, sweet, Vidalia onions might even work better)
• 1 elephant garlic clove, chopped
• 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 10 grape tomatoes, sliced (you may use any other kind, including sun-dried tomatoes)
• 1 Jack’s Gourmet Sweet Italian sausage, sliced
• 1 Jack’s Gourmet Hot Italian sausage, sliced
• Oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Put crust in oven for 7 minutes to make it crisp.
3. Take out crust and pour in pizza sauce, thin and evenly.
4. Suatee the chopped mushrooms, onions, and garlic, lay them out on the sauce.
5. Sautee the spinach and the basil, add on the sauce.
6. Add the sausage slices, alternating each time between the Sweet Italian and the Hot Italian.
7. Sprinkle the whole with the oregano. salt and pepper.
8. Put in oven for 15-20 minutes or until sausage slices look slightly brown.

I washed it down with a glass of well chilled Bartenura Asti Spumante. Scrumptious and delightful pairing I would have enjoyed it tremendously even if I had ordered it in a restaurant!

As for tonight, I’ll be getting a little more adventurous by making this salad:

Radicchio, Mango and Pomegranate Salad with Sausage

Ingredients

• 2 medium shallots, sliced 1/8 inch thick (about 1 cup)
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon NatraZyle Xylitol (you may use granulated sugar, if you wish)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed mango juice
• 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1pound radicchio and curly endives mixed, washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup cubed mango
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 small pomegranate)
• 1 Jack’s Gourmet Boereworks sausage, sliced
• 1 Jack’s Gourmet Mexican Style Chorizo sausage, sliced

Directions

1. Prepare an ice water bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice and water; set aside. Bring a small saucepan of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add shallots and blanch until tender, about 30 seconds. Drain shallots and place in the ice water bath until cool. Drain and set aside.
2. Combine vinegar, NatraZyle, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the Xylitol, or sugar, has dissolved. Pour the boiling liquid over the reserved shallots and pickle until the shallots are slightly wilted and have lost any sharp taste, about 5 minutes.
3. Drain the shallots into a strainer set over a large, heatproof salad bowl, collecting any pickling liquid in the bowl; set the shallots aside.
4. Whisk the mango juice, mustard, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper into the pickling liquid. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
5. Heat the sausages in a sautee pan with a small amount of oil until golden brown on all sides, approximately 4-6 minutes.
6. Add the sausage slices to the salad.
7. Add the radicchio, curly endives and mango slices and toss well to combine. Top with pomegranate seeds, pickled shallots and serve.

The contrast between the mild Boereworks and hot Mexican Style Chorizo combined with the rest of the salad should be very interesting. I can’t wait!

CS

RELATED POSTS

Jack’s Gourmet – Part 1

Sausage Pizza (Kosher)

Radicchio, Mango and Pomegranate Salad With Sausage (Kosher)