Spinach and Gorgonzola Salad

When I was growing up in Uruguay, my mother a”h must have been a fan of Popeye for she truly believed that having lots of spinach would make me stronger. In fact, almost every day, spinach would make its appearance on our table – in some incarnation – as a main ingredient (cooked or otherwise) in at least one dish at lunch or dinner, or at both! For many years, after leaving my parents’ home I refused to touch spinach until… the kids came along. After all these years, and with kids of their own, they still haven’t forgiven me for all the spinach I made them eat! As I get older, however, I appreciate more and more what fresh spinach leaves can do for a salad.

Yesterday an out of town friend came to visit, and knowing how much I like almost every cheese, brought me a Gorgonzola, which he picked up at CityMarket in Philly’s Center City. We used it in the following, easy, and fast to make dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 4 ounces walnut haves
• 8 ounces young green beans, trimmed
• 7 ounces baby spinach leaves
• 5 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

For the Dressing

• 4 tablespoons walnut oil
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 3/4 tablespoons sherry wine (I used Tio Pepe Kosher Sherry)
• 1/4 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat the honey in a small frying pan, add the walnuts and stir-fry over medium heat for 3 minutes,or until the nuts are glazed. Drop them on a plate and let cool.
2. Meanwhile, cook the beans in a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold waterand shake dry. Put in a large bowl with spinach leaves.
3. Mix the sherry and vinegar well. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together (including the sherry/vinegar combo) and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss well. Arrange the salad in serving bowls, scatter over the Gorgonzola and glazed walnuts and serve immediately.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Jayne Cohen’s Jewish Holiday Cooking

The Jewish calendar is filled with celebrations, each has its unique foods and traditions. What better way to celebrate than with columnist, blogger, cook author Jayne Cohen‘s Jewish Holiday Cooking? Ms. Cohen covers the spectrum of Jewish cooking around the world. Her dishes – though often traditional – include many a delightful surprise, an update in taste.

The recipes are peppered with quotes from the vast world of Jewish writing ranging from the Talmud to Nathan Englander, from Chaim Grade to Sholem Aleichem, from the Zohar to Shmuel Hanagid and more. It is obvious this is not just a cookbook, it is a paean to Judaism, its timeless spiritual and cultural values, with the recipes representing a way to celebrate it all.

As I browse through the pages, it is obvious the author loves many genres of books, her quotes, her references, her intros to the individual recipes, her writing in general becomes “unputdownable.” As you leaf through, as you read through, not only do you see yourself at the very locals she’s traveled but you can smell and taste as well. Written in the best tradition of M.F.K Fischer, Joseph Wechsberg, Hillaire du Berrier and Ruth Reichl, Ms. Cohen leaves you begging for more…

With Chanuka coming up in less than a month, what could be better than an interesting latke recipe to whet one’s appetite?

Garlic-Rosemary Potato Latkes

Pareve
Yield: About 4 servings

These exceptionally fragrant potato pancakes require no topping or sauce as adornment. They are perfect as is, ready to accompany any roasted or grilled chicken or meat.

Ingredients:

• About 1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold or 3 large russet (baking) potatoes, peeled
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon matzoh meal or unbleached all-purpose flour
• About 3/4 teaspoon salt
• About 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Olive oil, for frying
• Sea salt (optional)

Directions

1. Shred the potatoes, using the shredding disk in a food processor. (Don’t wash out the food processor–you’ll be using it again right away.) Transfer the potatoes to a colander or strainer and use your hands or a wooden spoon to press out as much moisture as possible.
2. Remove the shredding disk from the processor and replace with the steel blade. Return about one third of the shredded potatoes to the food processor. Add the garlic and rosemary and process, using the pulse motion, until roughly pureed. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the remaining potatoes, the egg, matzoh meal or flour, salt and pepper to taste, and the baking powder to the bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined. Let stand for 10 minutes to mingle the flavors.
3. In a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet (cast-iron is ideal), heat about 1/4 inch of oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Drop 1/4 cup of the potato latke batter into the pan and flatten with a spatula. Repeat with more batter, cooking no more than 4 or 5 latkes at a time; crowding the pan will give you soggy latkes.
4. Regulate the heat carefully, reducing it to medium as the latkes fry until golden and crisp on the bottom, about 4 minutes. To prevent oil from splattering, use two spatulas (or a spatula and a large spoon) to turn the latkes carefully. Fry until crisp and golden on the other side.
5. It’s best to flip the latkes only once, so that they don’t absorb too much oil. So, before turning, lift the latkes slightly with the spatula to make sure the underside is crisp and brown.
6. As the latkes are done, transfer them to paper towels or untreated brown paper bags to drain.
7. Continue making latkes in the same manner until all the batter is used. If necessary, add more oil to the pan, but always allow the oil to get hot before frying a new batch.
8. Serve straightaway, sprinkled with a little coarse salt, if you’d like. Or if necessary, keep the latkes warm in a 200 degree F oven (arrange them in a single layer on a rack placed over an oven-proof platter or baking sheet) and serve when they are all ready to be brought to the table.

From Jewish Holiday Cooking: A Food Lover’s Treasury of Classics and Improvisations
by Jayne Cohen (print edition: Wiley 2008; e-book: 2012).
Visit jewishholidaycooking.com

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy! And… don’t forget to tune in this coming Wednesday at 10:00pm (Eastern Time) when we will be talking with Jayne Cohen; we’ll be waiting!

CS

Spicy Mumbai Potatoes

Reader Ilana Berg, from Miami, sent in this recipe of a dish she loved while traveling through India, where she met some Bene Israel Jews:

Photo by: Ilana Berg

Yields 6-8 portions

Ingredients

• 3 pounds new potatoes
• vegetable oil for frying
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground hot chilli peppers
• 1 teaspoon ground dried chilli flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice and 4 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 cups shelled peas
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, to garnish

Directions

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into 2 1/2 inch pieces
2. Transfer to a large pan and cover with cold water. Add the salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 7 minutes, or until tender (yet slightly undercooked), test by inserting a knife. drain and rinse under cool running water
3. Heat about 4 tablespoons of oil in a skillet. Add the cumin, chilli powder, chilli flakes, turmeric and and curry powder and cook., stirring to blend for 30 seconds.
4. Carefully add the potatoes and stir to coat with the spicy oil. Add the lemon juice and water, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir occasionally.
5. Stir in the peas and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and any liquid is absorbed. Spoon into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the cilantro.

It sounds like a great side dish and I can’t wait to make it; so… enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Summer Vegetable Soup with Pesto

Sure, we don’t eat meat during the Nine Days, but we still can have food that is nutritious and delicious!

From Pam Reiss‘ Soup – A Kosher Collection:

The soup itself is light on flavor-but serve bowls up with a dollup of the pesto on top and you’ll be amazed. You can add any vegetables you like-see what your garden has to offer.

Serves 6
Ingredients

Pesto

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves (freshly packed)
• 1-2 cloves garlic(1 tsp), crushed
• 2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 5 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese

Soup

• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced into thin strips
• 1 small carrot, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4-inch
• 5-6 small new potatoes, skin on, cut in half and sliced into 1/4 inch
• 1/4 lb button mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/4 cup green beans, tips cut off, then cut on diagonal into pieces
• 3-4 spears asparagus, cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 small zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4-inch half -circles
• 1 cup firmly packed spinach leaves (2 oz), cut into thin strips

FOR THE PESTO, place the basil, garlic, pine nuts, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Puree for 30 seconds and then scrape down the sides. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil and keep pureeing until you have a nice paste-don’t worry if it’s not liquified, you want to see a few small pieces of basil and garlic. Scrape this mixture into a bowl and mix in the Parmesan cheese. Cover and refrigerate.

For the soup, bring the stock to a boil in a covered pot over high heat. Add the onion, carrot, potatoes, mushrooms, green beans, asparagus and salt and pepper-reduce the heat and simmer gently for 7 minutes.

Add the zucchini and spinach and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve each bowl of soup with a large spoonful of pesto.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Italian Vegetable Stew

One of favorite dairy dishes, just perfect for the 9 Days!

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 small acorn squash peeled and seeded
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 1 eggplant, sliced
• 1 small celery root, sliced
• 2 turnips, sliced
• 1 small celery root, diced
• 2 turnips sliced
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 carrot sliced
• 1 zucchini sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced
• 6 oz Swiss chard
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• pinch each of dried thyme, dried oregano, and sugar
• 1 cup from fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup vegetable stock *
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese to serve

Directions

1. Finely chop the garlic and dice the squash. Put them in a large, heavy-bottom pan with all the other vegetable, the bay leaves, fennel seeds, chilli powder, thyme, oregano, sugar, and half the basil. Pour in the oil and vegetable stock.
2. Reduce the heat, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender.
3. Sprinkle in the remaining basil and the parsley , season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately sprinkled with cheese.

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* Vegetable Stock (follow the link)

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS