Beef with Scrambled Eggs

In our never ending quest to bring you easy to make, succulent recipes we scour the web, and consult countless cookbooks in order to find the hidden and not so hidden pearls. Following is a recipe we adapted from 1 Ground Beef, 100 Recipes by Linda Doeser:

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons margarine
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 pound 2 ounces ground beef
• 2 tomatoes peeled and sliced
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar (OR you can make your own vegetarian Worcestershire sauce)**
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, plus extra to garnish
• salt and pepper to taste
• toast with margarine to serve

Directions

1. Melt the margarine in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minute, until softened. Add the ground beef, increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently and breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for 8 to 10 minutes, until evenly browned.
2. Add the tomatoes and bell peppers, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 minute, until the meat and vegetables are tender. Stir in the Balsamic vinegar or the vegetarian Worcestershire sauce and parsley; season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl and season to taste with salt and peppe. Add the eggs to the pan and coo, stirring for a few minutes until lightly scrambled.
4. Garnish with parsley and serve with immediately with toast.

–OoOX0XOoO–OoOX0XOoO–OoOX0XOoO–

**Vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce

(Source: “20 Minutes to Dinner: Quick, Low-Fat, Low-Calorie Meals,” by Bryanna Clark)

Yield: about 2 cups

• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup dark molasses
• 1/4 cup soy sauce OR mushroom soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic granules
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves OR allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pour into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Store in refrigerator.

(http://www.jewishfood-list.com/recipes/condiment/worcestershireveg01.html)

I made it earlier in the week and will make it again this coming Sunday, be’ezrat Hashem (it was that good). So… 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

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

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

Live from Nargila! – Part 2

This past Wednesday, The Kosher Scene Radio Show did a live broadcast from Nargila Grill (1599 York Avenue – between E. 84 and E. 85th Street – New York 10028; Tel: 212.535.3700).

From left to right: Esti Berkowitz (Primetime Parenting), Alessandra Rovati (Dinner in Venice), Marlene Mamiye (The Kosher Hostess), Yours Truly, at the controls (The Kosher Scene), Kim Amzallag (Mishpacha/Kosher Inspired Magazine); Suzannah Raff (The Kosher Shopaholic), not pictured - as she spoke to us on the phone - Amy Channa (The Gluten Free Maven) PHOTO BY: Irving Schild

Nargila Grill is a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean type restaurant, the decor authentic Middle Eastern, with softly piped in music to match.

Getting ready to order. PHOTO BY: Irving Schild

After the show we all enjoyed an incredibly delicious meal consisting of assorted Mediterranean salads, beef, lamb, and chicken kabobs. Each type of meat was done in a variety of styles and came on multiple skewers, each more succulent than the other!)

We are going back next Wednesday, to do another live show and to enjoy the owner’s mother’s Bukharian cooking. She comes in once a month to prepare some real delicacies. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Why don’t you join us at: Nargila Grill (1599 York Avenue – between E. 84 and E. 85th Street – New York 10028; Tel: 212.535.3700), next Wednesday evening? We’d love to meet you and we know you’ll love the food! We’ll leave the light on for ya. May we have the pleasure of seeing you there?

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

Kaizen! Perfection at Prime Ko

Have you ever had one of those microcosmic moments in time encapsulating a window onto something so much bigger in its depth and substance? Though most of mine have not been food moments, this one surely was this past week at the Japanese inspired restaurant Prime Ko (217 West 85th Street New York, NY 10024-3901 – (212) 496-1888) when I tasted Chef Makoto Kameyama’s signature sushi Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna appetizer. But more about that in a moment…

CS and I were escorted into the ground floor dining area; they’ve got a lower level with a wet bar, TV screen and more seating. Décor showed subtle Japanese influences. The waiting area had these lovely brown leather boxy ’kabuki’ shaped chairs and couch, fresh orchids on a dark rectangular table, with a wall of hand-painted coral peonies on soft aqua…

Wall dividers of slatted mahogany separated one area from another; windows were shaded with white bamboo semi-transparent treatments. Seating was brown textured suede on wood, a few striped suede backed benches, all tucked into square darkwood tables. Settings consisted of simple white geometric china, flatware laid out on deep red bamboo textured placemats, and chop-sticks resting on logo enhanced wood pieces. Lighting was recessed in one area and a framed oval shaped ruched red fabric with a back lit center aperture against the far wall, with a row of rice textured globe light fixtures in the other area.

A partial view...

Esteemed Chef Makoto Kameyama, the former prized Sushi Chef at Prime Grill for the past ten years, has served as Executive Chef at Prime Ko since it opened last year. His experience began in Tokyo where he assisted his father, a prominent Edo-sushi chef running a successful restaurant in Japan. In1981, Chef Kameyama came to the US and opened his own Japanese restaurant. Transitioning to Japanese kosher posed quite a challenge. Aside from the dietary restrictions on pork, shrimp, crustaceans, etc. sourcing fine quality kosher fish for sushi and sashimi, replacing basic Japanese cooking elements like bonita flakes and dashi (made of fish bone, until recently unavailable with a kosher certification), achieving consistent textures and creating exciting sauces were but a few of the obstacles he faced.

Chef Kameyama is very pleased with healthy low fat and low cal Japanese cuisine becoming staple of the American diet. Be it the DHA and heart healthy fresh fish, lung healthy miso, or vitamin mineral-rich seaweed, it is thanks to Japanese cuisine masters like Kameyama that this healthy streamlined fare is taking the nation by storm.

Now, back to our meal… The opening appetizer was an assortment of Rainbow Roll, yellowtail, tuna, and salmon sashimi and that fabulous Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna I mentioned earlier. That was the defining moment of kaizen (Japanese for perfection) . The mouthful of toasted rice cake topped with spicy tuna pureed with bell pepper, topped with jalapeño and aioli sauce was a bite of pure perfection. The creative combination of textures and genius flavors conjoining to taste so remarkably well, spoke volumes about the artistry of a chef whose collective experience and expertise arrive at the table each time this signature dish is served. Bravo! Omedetou!

Sushi and Sashimi

But we were just getting warmed up… CS and I shared lovely grilled miso Chilean Sea Bass skewers in a spicy teriyake sauce served aside sautéed bok choy & veggies which couldn’t help but be outshined by an outstanding Tuna Delmonico, edged in breading served with jalapeño sauce, wasabi, beet and ginger sauce, with a side of soba noodles and pickled radish/onion/carrot garnish.

Tuna Delmonico

Our waiter, Al, our server, Lebron, treated us like royalty; they were friendly, efficient, informed. I thought we were getting the ‘special treatment’, but service to the tables nearby was just as extraordinary. Al, had the menu and wine pairings memorized down to the last nori seaweed bit & dot of sauce. Service was the epitome of high Japanese hospitality; water goblets refilled with Prime Ko’s own filtered carbonated water, napkins refolded, tables cleaned between courses, and soy sauce, dishes and silverware replaced with the arrival of each new dish.

We enjoyed a cleansing, refreshing Borgo Reale Pinot Grigio 2007 as we waited for our next course, a medley of kobe chopped beef dishes. We sampled Kobe Meatballs with ground ginger and garlic in miso sesame sauce, spicy Kobe Pizza – crispy dough, house made marinara topped with chopped salad & chopped wagyu. Wagyu Beef Sliders – a mini kobe hamburger with spicy aioli and teriyake sauce – completed this tasty Americanized trio.

Cutlery was replaced again with a fresh set including steak knives. I starved myself till dinner in anticipation, but this was turning out to be a most extravagant meal… The best was next! Three ounces of the most amazing Kobe/Wagyu steak resting on a slab of Himalayan salt rock witha side of white mushroom cooked at our table with a spritz of fresh lime. When quality is this good, extra spicing could only detract from it natural flavors – it was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Taken before being cooked at table-side. 3 ozs of marbled beauty!

The second steak dish was a 6 oz. Grain Fed Chateau-Briand with vegetable rice served with a jalapeño/uzu/teriyake sauce, with salad and rice. The steak was so good, I would have preferred the sauce on the side.

Steak Chateau-Briand

Chef then surprised us with Eggplant Dengaku. Baked eggplant topped with miso and sesame sauce. Unusual, and superbly tasty. The evening’s crown,  came with the creative and most beautiful desert dish pictured below.

Beautiful presentation, superlative tasting

Two crepes laid out like a Japanese fan, topped with blueberries and strawberries with hot chocolate sauce, sprinkled with green tea powder and confectioner’s sugar that looked like fairy dust. Need I say more?

A brilliant meal overall. Our thanks to Chef Kameyama and the staff of Prime Ko for a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

SYR

Boerewors And Biltong

Boerewors is a South African sausage, the name is made up of two Afrikaans words: boer (farmer) and wors (sausage). Biltong, is a cured meat, also of South African origin. This past week I got to taste both, after I found them on an expatriate’s website. Joburg Kosher, makes them both and is certified Kosher Glatt by the OU

David Libesman, arrived in the US in 1989 from Johannesburg (“Joburg”). Unable to find either Boerewors or Biltong, with the taste and texture he was used to, he finally decided to make his own. With the recipes given him by his father, perfected over forty years as a butcher, he finally produced these delicacies. His family and friends loved them and Joburg Kosher Foods, LLC came to be.

Nice texture, very tasty

These Boerewors are marinated and seasoned, made from beef (including the edible casing!). The package includes four sausages, I grilled them in the oven and found them superbly delicious and very juicy. With a beer they were a perfect meal. I ordered their Traditional flavor, next time I’ll try the Peri-Peri and the Garlic flavors.

Next I tried their Black Pepper Biltong. Biltong‘s look is reminiscent of beef jerky; it is typically made from raw fillets of meat and unlike beef jerky it is never sweet, the seasoning also differs. Biltong is made up of two Dutch words: bil (rump) and tong (tongue).

Great as a snack, great in salads.

I had the Biltong by itself and liked it, I also tried it in a salad where it gave it a little kick that greatly enhanced the overall taste. I found both Joburg Kosher products very tasty and will order them again and again.

CS

Yummy Grill

It may be small and unpretentious, but don’t let that fool you. This hidden jewel, Yummy Grill (543 Kings Highway – off East 4th; Brooklyn, NY; Tel: 718.375.7557), serves up delicious food featuring Cavcasian and Israeli cuisines.

A partial view...

Chef/Owner Eli Hizkiyahu graduated, as Chef, from Israel’s famed Tadmore Hotel School in Herzliya. He arrived on the American shores about 19 years ago and made a successful career using food as his canvass. From fashioning Tfillin out of watermelons, to birds about to take off in flight – out of fruits and vegetables, he’s done it all as he travelled the length and breadth of the US plying his trade of food decoration at numerous catered and private affairs. About 9 months ago, Chef Eli and his wife opened up their current venue.

My companion RN and I stopped by for lunch, recently. She started out with a Lamb Soup…

Lamb Soup

It was nicely presented, spicy and very savory; in fact, it could have served as a complete meal by itself. It contained a few lamb bones, slivers of lamb and rice. Excellent! She described it as perfect comfort food for a winter day.

I started with an Avocado Salad. I have never been a fan of avocado, but the taste of this one was exceptional. Colorful, nicely but subtly spiced, it contributed to change my mind about avocado.

We then shared a platter of Baby Lamb Chops…

Baby Lamb Chops

They were tender, juicy and had a very attractive aroma; came with a side dish of mixed Grilled Vegetables, consisting mostly of mushrooms, onions and peppers grilled to perfection.

We followed with a plate of Baby Chicken Kebab…

Baby Chicken Kebab

Tender, juicy delicious, it also came with those superb Grilled Vegetables (we just couldn’t enough of them!). All was served us in whimsically shaped but practical china, a delight to the eye. I washed it down with an Israeli malt. RN finished her meal with a delightful Tea w/Nana (mint leaves), while I had a coffee.

Ample portions, superb flavors, and very reasonable prices… isn’t it time to visit Yummy Grill?

CS