Green Vegetable and Lamb Stew

Lamb comes from sheep under 1 year;  from 3 to 5 month old they are called spring lamb. The meat of spring lamb is pale pink and mild, lamb from older sheep is of a darker pink and has a stronger flavor. Though most lamb is grass-fed for good flavor, the lamb from sheep that graze on salt-marshes has a very distinctive taste. I always liked lamb, and when a Persian friend gave us this recipe we just had to make it. It was truly, superlatively, tasty!

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless stewing lamb
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups diced potatoes
• 1 cup chopped spring onion tops
• 1 1/2 cups chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley1/4 cups
• 1/2 garlic clove, crushed

Directions

1. Trim meat and cut into 3/4 inch cubes.
2. In a heavy pan gently fry onion in half of the oil until transparent. Add turmeric and fry for 2 minutes longer.
3. Increase heat, add meat cubes and stir over high heat until meat changes color and begins to brown. Reduce heat.
4. Add the water water and lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is just tender. Time depends on type of meat used.
5. Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan and add potatoes. Fry over high heat until lightly browned. Add to stew, leaving the fat in the pan. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Add greens to pan and fry over medium heat until wilted. Add to sauce, add the half garlic clove, cover and simmer for an additional 20 minutes or until meat and potatoes are tender. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

White Chocolate Ice Cream in a Cookie Cup

I still haven’t been able to kick my chocolate habit, therefore I just had to try this one from Jacqueline Bellfontaine‘s What’s Cooking Chocolate:

Photo by: St John Asprey, page 195

Serves 6

Ingredients

Ice Cream

• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 tbsp superfine sugar
• 5 1/2 oz white chocolate
• 1 1/4 cups milk

2/3 cup

heavy cream

**Cookie Cup

• 1 egg white
• 4 tbsp superfine sugar
• 2 tbsp all-pupose flour, sifted
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa, sifted
• 1 tbsp butter, melted

Directions

1. Place baking parchment on 2 cookie sheets. To make the ice cream, beat the egg, egg yolks, and sugar. Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a double boiler with 3 tablespoons of the milk. Heat the milk until almost boiling and pour into the  the eggs beating. Place over a pan simmering water and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Beat in the chocolate. Cover with dampened  baking parchment and cool.
2. Whip the cream until just holding its shape and fold into the custard. Transfer to a freezer container and freeze the mixture for 1-2 hours until frozen 1 inch from the sides. Scrap into a bowl and beat until smooth. Refreeze until smooth. Refreeze until firm.
3. To make the cups, beat the egg white and sugar together. Beat in the the flour and cocoa, then the butter. Place 1 tbsp of mixture on one sheet and spread out to a 5″ round. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F for 5 minutes. Remove and mold over an upturned cup. Let set, then cool on a wire rack. Repeat to make 6 cups. Serve the ice cream in the cookie cup.

** Heavy Cream Substitute

• 3/4 cup MimiCreme
• 1 1/2 tbsp unflavored powdered gelatin

1. Stir together until fully blended
2. Use in place of one cup of heavy cream.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy! I certainly did.

CS

Mushroom Omelet

A good healthy breakfast is easy to prepare, and what could be than to start with an omelet? From Dropping Acid – The Reflux Diet by Jaimie Koufman, M.D. & Jordan Stern, M.D. with French Master Chef Marc Bauer:

(Recipe and photo on page 81)

Serves  2

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 3 domestic mushrooms, about the size of a silver dollar (washed dried, cut in half to form 2 half spheres, then placed flat side down and sliced thin
• 4 sprigs parsley (washed dried, stems removed, chopped fine)
• 2 tbsp water or non-fat sour cream
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt to taste

(Notes: * You can use any variety of mushrooms, I love the flavor of shitake musrooms, but remember to remove their tough stems.
* Mushrooms cook best in a large pan and spread in a single layer, if the mushrooms are overcrowded, the water they yield will make them boil instead of sauté)

Directions

1. Whisk the eggs with a fork.
2. Add the water or non-fat sour cream, parsley, and salt.
3. Preheat an 8 inch non-stick pan on medium heat.
4. Spray the pan with non-stick spray. Add the mushrooms to the pan and spread evenly. When they are golden brown on one side, season with salt, flip and cook the other side until tender. Reserve the mushrooms on paper to absorb excess moisture and oil.
5. Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel and preheat on medium heat.
6. Add most of the butter(save a bitif you need for a second omelet) and cook until it froths and turns slightly brown.
7. Immediately add half the egg mixture. (Repeat directions for the second omelet).
8. Let the eggs coagulate for a few seconds. Remove from heat while stirring with a wooden spoon or high-heat rubber spatula.
9. Return to the heatand bang the pan gently on the stove to remove air bubbles. Lower the temperature.
10. When the mixture is almost set(it should not have any color), slide the omelet to the edge of the pan. Place almost half the reserved mushrooms on the center of the omelet.
11. Fold one third of the omelet in the middle with a non-stick spatula.
12. Fold the other third slightly overlappingthe middle and carefully lift onto a plate.
13. You can brush the top with a little melted butter (optional)
14. Sprinkle with some of the mushrooms and serve toast on the side.

Repeat for second omelet.

If you prefer a parve omelet, you can use margarine instead of butter, and parve sour cream instead of the dairy one.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Sunshine Chicken

One-pot meals are quick and easy to cook, perfect for when time is short. The common concept shared by this type of cooking is that as one puts all the ingredients together in one vessel, there no need to worry about getting the timing just right for each particular ingredients. Particular nice, is the fact that there is only one pot to clean afterwards!

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless chicken
• 1 1/2 tsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, cut in wedges
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp grated orange rind
• 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 8 oz zucchini sliced into half moons
• 2 small corn cobs, halved
• 1 orange, peeled and segmented
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, for garnishing

Directions

1. lightly rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into bite size pieces. Season the flour well with salt and pepper. Toss the chicken in the seasoned flour until well coated and reserve remaining seasoned coating.
2. Heat the oil  in a large, heavy-bottom skilletand cook the chicken over high heat, stirring frequently for 5 minutes, or until golden on all sides and seared. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate.
3. Add the onion and celery to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until softened. Sprinkle in the resrved flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Gradually stir in the orange juice, stock, soy sauce and honey, followed by the orange rind. Return to the heat and bring to a boil stirring.
4. Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer – stirring occasionally – for 15 minutes. Add the orange bell pepperwith the zuchiniand corn cobs, simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until the chicken and vegetables are tender. Stir well and heat through for 1 minute. Serve garnished with the parsley.

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

Chicken a la Catalana

Catalunya is one of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions – comunidades autonomas – and its cuisine is arguably the richest in all of Spain, possibly because of its proximity to France. Its location has helped bring many cultural influences from Romans and Arabs in ancient times, as well as from French and Italians in more recent times. It relies heavily on ingredients popular along the Mediterranean coast, including tomatoes, garlic, fresh herbs, olive oil (prepared using the variety of olive called the “arbequina“), legumes (beans, chickpeas), mushrooms, onions, cod, wheat products (bread, pasta), almonds, wines, all sorts of cheese, poultry, lamb, and many types of fish like sardine, anchovy, tuna, and cod. Catalan is the regional language spoken and Barcelona is its capital.

At a bar mitzvah, recently, I run into a childhood friend from Uruguay, Susana R., and she just emailed me her favorite chicken recipe, including the accompanying photo:

Pollo a la Catalana

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup flaked almonds
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 8 chicken thighs, deboned, skinned, cubed
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3/4 dry red wine
• 1 cup chicken stock *
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat a bit of the oil in a large frying pan, add the almonds and fry, stirring a few minutes, until golden. Scoop out of the pan and set aside.
2. Add the remaining oil to the pan, add the onions, chicken and garlic and fry over medium heat for 10 minutes stirring constantly until deep golden. Mix in the raisins, sherry, chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the sauce has reduced slightly and the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with rice and salad.

* Chicken Stock

Yield: 16 cups

Ingredients

• 1 small bunch (about 1/2 oz) Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 pound hen, cleaned and cut into four pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 3 celery stalks
• 1 large carrot
• 4 bay leaves
• 12 black peppercorns
• 4 cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place the celery and peppercorns on a piece of cheesecloth, then using kitchen string, tie the ends of the cheesecloth together to make a bag.
2. Place 16 cups water in a large pot. Add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 4 hours, skimming the surface occasionally to catch and discard the residue and foam. Add extra water to the broth, making sure the original level of broth is maintained throughout.
4. Drain the stock through a strainer discarding the vegetables and reserving the flesh for further use in other recipes.

The chicken stock can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen up to 30 days.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Chicken Potato Marinara

[As I scoured the web to find delicious and hearty dishes to try, I came across a blog called Craving Haven. Though not a kosher blog – by any means – it has some really nice recipes that can be adapted or left as they are, therefore I will definitely be back again and again. Meanwhile, below is a recipe, I made last evening. CS]

Detail of photo from: http://cravinghaven.blogspot.com/2012/12/chicken-potato-marinara.html

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken drumstick
• 4 pcs large red potatoes, quartered and peeled (optional)
• 1/2 cup green peas
• 1 cup homemade marinara sauce *
• salt and pepper
• bay seasoning
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. In a preheated skillet, pour oil, then add garlic, onion. Cook until garlic is browned and onions, transparent. Add the chicken, cook covered until chicken are cooked. Season with bay seasoning. Cook for 2 minutes more.
2. Add water, bring to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until fork tender.
3. Add the marinara sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the green peas. Cook for 10 minutes more or until the chicken are cooked through.

—OXO-–-OXO-–-OXO—

* Meaty Marinara Sauce

Detail of photo from: http://cravinghaven.blogspot.com/2012/12/meaty-marinara-sauce.html

Ingredients

• 2 pcs yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground turkey (You may omit the ground turkey if you prefer just the sauce)
• 2 tbsp dried herbs (or Italian seasoning)
• 1/2 cup red wine (optional)
• 12 cups fresh roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and quartered
• salt and pepper
• old bay seasoning

You may omit the ground turkey if you prefer a parve sauce

Directions

1. Heat olive oil. Add onions and cook slowly until they caramelize. Add garlic and dried herbs. Cook for 5 minutes.
2. De-glaze the pan with 1/2 of the red wine and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and their juice, stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook low, stirring occasionally for at least two hours, depending on the water content of the tomatoes.
3. The sauce should be thick with much of the water evaporated to concentrate the flavor. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a separate skillet, heat remaining oil, add and cook the ground turkey, and cook until brown. Season with salt and pepper and 1/2 tsp of old bay. Cook thoroughly. Mix with marinara sauce and simmer low for an hour. Serve together with your favorite pasta or meat.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Thai Chicken Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

[The following recipe comes from Irene Sager‘s Bamitbach blog. We’ve posted recipes from her blog before and liked them all. CS]

Detail from photo on Irene Sager’s blog (http://bamitbach.wordpress.com/2012/12/24/estelles-thai-chicken-tacos-with-cabbage-slaw/)

Ingredients

• 1 lime, halved
• l lb skinless boneless chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders, cut into strips, 1/2″ thick.
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tsp  soy sauce
• 1/2 to 1 tsp chili flakes
• 1/2 to 1 tsp hot sauce
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 16 corn tortillas heated

Directions

1. Juice one half of a lime.  Cut remaining half in wedges and set aside.
2. In a bowl combine chicken strips, cilantro, shallot, garlic,  lime juice, soy sauce, chili flakes, and hot sauce.  Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
3. In a large skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium high till cooked, about 1o minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. To serve, layer 2 tortillas (we used only one) top with chicken and cabbage slaw.
5. Serve remaining cabbage slaw and lime wedges on side.

Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded Napa cabbage
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• 1/2 cup sliced radishes
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped peanuts (sliced or slivered almonds will also work well)
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

Directions

1. In a bowl toss the cabbage, shredded carrot, green onion, radishes, 1/4 cilantro,  and 1/4 cup coarsely chopped peanuts.
2. Add 1/4 cup rice vinegar and toss.

As expected, Irene posted another great recipe, so… enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Stuffed Lamb Shoulder

[A few Shabbatot ago, I had lunch at some Sephardic friends’ home; I asked for the recipe of the delicious Lamb Shoulder we had and Mrs. Alma Ohayon emailed me this one. CS]

Serves 6

Photo by: Alma Ohayon

Ingredients

• 1 shoulder of lamb, weighing about 5 lb 8 o, boned and trimmed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp flour, blended with 1 tbsp water
• 1 cup beef or chicken stock

Stuffing

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup lean ground lamb
• 1/2 cup long grain rice
• 1/2 cup water
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 12 no-soak dried apricots, chopped
• 1 egg, slightly beaten

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Prepare the stuffing. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and ground lamb and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring to break up the meat. Stir in the rice and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until translucent, stirring frequently.
2. Stir in the water, salt and pepper, and cumin. Cook covered over medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is just tender. Remove the from the heat. Add the remaining stuffing ingredients.
3. Open the meat out flat, skin side down. Spread over the stuffing roll. Roll up tightly and secure with string. Brush with oil. Place on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 50 minutes for medium. Brush with honey 15 minutes before the end. Transfer to a serving plate to rest, tented with foil for 15 minutes.
4. Pour of all except 2 tablespoons of the fat. Set the pan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour mixture, stock and vinegar. Bring to a boil while stirring; simmer for 8 minutes, or until thickened. Serve with the lamb.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS