Dinner at Lévana’s

Last week Monday the 11th, early evening, the incomparable Lévana hosted Chef Sara Black (see here and here), Irving Schild (see here and here and many more), and yours truly, at her home for a dinner consisting of two superb dishes.

We had a Herb Cauliflower Salad and a Lamb Soup with Mushroom and Tomato.

One of my food phobias has always been cauliflower, had I known this dish contained cauliflower I might never have tasted it… BUT… this isn’t the first time Lévana has gotten me to eat and love stuff I would never have touched normally!

Lévana  has graciously allowed us to re-post both recipes from her blog:

Herb Cauliflower Salad Recipe

Herb Cauliflower Salad

Ingredients

• 1 small head cauliflower, hard cores removed, cut in chunks
• 1/2 cup mint leaves, packed,
• 1 bunch flat parsley
• 6-8 cilantro, tough stems removed (skip if you don’t like cilantro, or use dill)
• Optional: a handful shredded carrots, sliced radishes, shredded cabbage, shredded kale leaves
• 6 scallions, sliced thin
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon cumin

Instructions

In a food processor, using the pulse button, coarsely grind the cauliflower with the metal S blade. Transfer to a bowl.

With the same S blade, grind the mint, parsley and cilantro medium-fine. Transfer to the same bowl.

Add all remaining ingredients, and mix thoroughly.

Makes about 6 cups. Keep refrigerated. Keeps well in the refrigerator several days.

One of my food phobias has always been cauliflower, had I known this dish contained cauliflower I might never have tasted it… BUT… this isn’t the first time Lévana has gotten me to eat and love stuff I would never have touched normally!

Lamb Soup with Mushroom and Tomato

Lamb Soup with Mushroom and Tomato

Ingredients

• 4-5 lamb shanks
• 3 dozen tiny baby potatoes
• 2 red onions, sliced
• a dozen plum tomatoes, diced
• 2 pounds portobello mushrooms, diced
• 1 dozen dried apricots, diced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 bottle dry red wine
• 2 good pinches saffron
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 3 tablespoons Herbes de Provence
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 2 good pinches black pepper

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a large crockpot (mine is 8 quarts). Plug the pot, and leave it on low for 8-10 hours. So, if you plug it in the morning, a delicious dinner is waiting for you at home, with heavenly aromas wafting all over the house.

Taste the lamb soup before serving. Adjust consistency and seasonings

This soup is a full meal in a bowl, deliciously filling, just spicy enough for the ashkenazy palate without overdoing it (thanks to the Herbes de Provence), with the subtle hay-like notes of saffron. We washed all down with down with a 2016 Golan Heights Winery Mount Hermon Red. With fruit notes of berries and cherries, along with nuances of Mediterranean herbs, chocolate and orange zest, it was a perfect pairing for a superb meal, but… I expected nothing less from Lévana!

A great meal, with great company and great conversation.

CS

Beef Brisket with Caramelized Onions

In our constant search for new recipes or variations from the traditional ones, we scour through books, magazines and the net. Here we present a brisket recipe from the Peppermill‘s The Culinary Connoisseur:

Ingredients

• 1/23 cup plus 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 1/2 pounds onions, thinly sliced, about 5
• 1 5 pound brisket
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 12 ounce bottle of beer
• 8 ounces barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Heat 1/3 cup oil in a a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Slow cooking will bring out the flavor without browning too much. If they start too brown too fast, lower the heat.Transfer onions to a large roasting pan. Sprinkle brisket with paprika, salt and pepper. Place brisket on top of onions. Set aside.

In the same heavy pot heat the remaining tablespoon oil. Add celery and saute until brown, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock to pot. Bring to a boil and scrape up any caramelized bits from bottom of the pan. Remove from heat. Add the beer, BBQ sauce, tomato paste and marjoram to pot, stirring to combine. Pour sauce over brisket. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 3 hours and 45 minutes until very tender. Uncover and let brisket stand 1 hour at room temperature.

The brisket can be prepared 3 days in advance. Cover and keep refrigerated. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spoon off any fat from brisket and sauce. Slice meat thinly across the grain. Return to roasting pan. Transfer sauce to saucepan and bring to a boil. season with salt and pepper. Cover and rewarm until heated through. Serve brisket on a bed of onions and sauce generously spooned over it.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Oven-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

The perfect, delicious, side dish for any main – whether on Passover or the rest of the year – it’s incredibly simple to make.

From Geila Hocherman‘s Kosher Revolution,  page 145

Serves 6

Photo by: Antonis Achilleous

Not every delicious dish needs to be complicated. This savory side of crisp, garlicky potatoes almost makes itself. It’s the perfect accompaniment to roast meats, chicken or fish – just about any main item.I like to season these with rosemary , but see other options in the ingredient listing.

• 3 pounds unskinned fingerling potatoes
• 6 garlic cloves, flattened with the side of a knife
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin oil
• Four-3-inch fresh rosemary sprigs, 4 thyme sprigs, or 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a medium roasting pan, combine the potatoes and garlic. Add the salt, oilve oil a nd rosemary, and toss
2. Roast the potatoes until golden , about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to 20 minutes to ensure browning. Serve.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!
CS

Chicken Kabob with Vegetables

My laptop died on Tisha b’Av, when I got a new laptop the next day I found that my, 4 year old, USB wireless internet device was not Windows 8 compatible. UuuuGGGHHhhhhh!!!! Finally I’m back in business – the 4G device arrived – and I’m even getting used to Windows 8 (having used Windows since its very first incarnation, I hated the new one, but…). I promised you all, on the day prior to Rosh Chodesh Av, that I would share a recipe from the wonderful meal Irving Schild and his wife Regina treated me to, in their Pennsylvania lake cabin on July 4th, so here it is:

Irving’s Chicken Kabobs with Vegetables

All Photos: © Irving Schild, 2013

…on the grill

Serves 4

Ingredients

• ¾ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grounded pepper
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 package skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 yellow, or orange, bell pepper.
• 1 large Vidalia onion
• 6 small mushrooms
• 1 yellow zucchini
• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced

Directions

Ready to eat!

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, oregano, pepper and kosher salt.
2. Cut the chicken breast into 1 1/2 inch cubes and add it to the bowl. Toss to coat evenly and let stand for at least 2 hours.
3. While the chicken marinates, cut the onion and the bell peppers into 1-½ inches cubes and the zucchini into ¾ inch slices.
4. Thread the chicken cubes and vegetables onto 5 to 6 skewers. Arrange the skewers on the rack of a gas grill and cook at medium heat, turning the skewers frequently and brushing occasionally with leftover marinade.
5. Continue cooking until the chicken is brown and slightly burned outside. Remove from grill and serve immediately.

There were also spare ribs, grilled corn, steaks and grilled potatoes with melted margarine (just remembering the aromas and the flavors makes my mouth water again!). We washed it all down with Samuel Adams‘ Cherry Wheat beer… A feast  to remember!

The fireworks on the lake, sitting in the Schilds’ speedboat, were the best I’ve seen in a very long time.

Enjoy the grilling, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Beef Curry

Spicy and delicious!

Serves 4

ingredients

• 3 tablespoons corn oil
• 4 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 pound 7 ounces ground beef
• 7 ounces canned chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• salt

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook over low heat,  stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes and cook, stirring occasionally for an additional 3 minutes.
2. 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. Stir in the tomatoes and season to taste with salt. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Uncover the pan and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
3. Taste and adjust the seasoning, add salt as needed. Transfer the curry to a warmed serving dish; sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

One of my favorite summer appetizers, though I could make it at any time:

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 large tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup Arborio rice
• 6 fresh basil leaves, torn
• 2 tbsp extra virgin oil, plus extra for oiling and drizzling
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cut a slice of the stalk end of each tomato and set aside to use as lids. Scoop the pulp out of the tomatoes and chop.
2. Transfer to a large bowl, carefully so as to minimize any loss of tomato juices; add the garlic, rice and basil. Season with salt and pepper and stir in 1 tbsp of the oil. Cover and let stand – at room temperature – for one hour, for the rice to absorb the juices.
3. Stuff the tomatoes with the rice mixture and transfer to an oiled baking pan. Top each tomato with the reserved lids and drizzle with remaining oil. Bake in a preheated 350 F. oven for 35 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and the rice is cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature.

If available (usually in gourmet fruit and vegetable stores, use Brandywine tomatoes which have a perfect balance of acidity and sweetness, for more sweetness use Spanish Montserrat tomatoes which have low acidity, but any large tomato will do. Arborio rice kernels are high in starch, shorter and fatter than any other short grown rice. They are great for risotto because the extra starch lends the dish a perfect creamy texture.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy

CS

Chicken Cutlets with Facon

I made this last evening, easy to prepare and a delight to the palate!

Chicken Cutlets and Facon

(based on a recipe from Food & Wine‘s Quick from Scratch Chicken Cookbook)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb Swiss chard, long stems removed, leaves chopped and washed well
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/4  lb sliced Jack’s Gourmet Facon, cut into 1/4″ strips
• onion, chopped
• 4 chicken cutlets
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp, fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup parve substitute for sour cream *

Directions

1. Put the Swiss chard and the water in a medium pot. In a large nonstick frying pan, cook the facon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Pour off and reserve all but 1 tbsp of the facon fat, which should stay in the pan.
2. Put the pan with the remaining facon fat on a moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, another 30 seconds. Add the mixture to the chard. Bring the water  to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat until the chard is wilted and tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Meranwhile, heat 2 tbsp of the reserved facon fat in the frying pan over moderately low heat. Season the turkey cutlets with 1/4 tsp of the salt and the pepper. Cook until just done, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the cutlets from the pan so as not overcook them.
4. Remove the chard from the heat. Stir in the parve sour cream and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove the chard from the pot with a slotted spoon, leaving the sauce. Divide the chard among four plates. Top each pile of chard with a turkey cutlet. Spoon some of the sauce over the top and sprinkle with the facon.
5. Serve with french fries

* Parve Sour Cream

Yield: 2 cups

• 1 package soft tofu
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Salt, to taste

Blend together well and refrigerate for about 4 hours

I washed it down with a Blue Moon White Belgian Style Beer.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy; I certainly did!

CS

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