Pho-Men: Asian Cuisine

Last evening, the legendary Lévana organized a tasting at Pho-Men on Troy (411 Troy Avenue; Brooklyn NY 11213 – Tel: 718.697.1947 in the Crown Heights neighborhood,). There were about 38 of us, and I for one had never tasted Vietnamese food before…

Rice Cake, Chicken Karage, Enoki Tempura

Portobello Banh Mi and Ramen Burger

Everything Pho Soup

This tasting introduced me to new and exotic flavors. Overall it was very good, Levi, the owner, humbly said that his menu is a work in progress, thereby showing a willingness to learn, a willingness to improve. I and everyone else in the group enjoyed the overall experience, but I would not be honest if I did not say that while the dessert was good, personally I wish it had been a bit less sweet and just a bit more tart. As for dish #3 on the above Menu: Bi Dao Salad, Lotus Salad, Vegetarian Pad Thai I was thoroughly unimpressed. The beautiful looking Strawberries Orange drink tasted even better than it looked, Peninah – the bartender – did an incredible job. Bravo Peninah! Bravissimo!!!

I always believed in trying restaurants twice, if not more, therefore I will be going back soon. Hope to see you there, gentle reader!

CS

Cooking with Dr. Alan Broner – Fast & Easy Chili

[My good friend and dentist, Dr. Alan Broner, has graciously agreed to let me tape him and share his easy to prepare Chili dish. CS]

Fast and Easy Chili

Ingredients

• 1 box Jack’s Gourmet Chorizo patties
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 Bell pepper diced
• 1 can of Kidney beans (or beans of your choice)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• canola oil for sauteing

Directions

1. Sweat the onions then the peppers in the canola oil until translucent, remove to another dish.
2. Saute the chorizo patties as you break them apart in the pan until cooked through.
3. Return the sauteed veggies to the pan with the chorizo.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, beans and and tomato sauce and bring up to temperature.
5. Serve with taco chips.

One of the advantages of doing food demonstration videos is that I get to taste the results… Though there were no rare, exotic, ingredients, though everything in this recipe is a common item you’d find in almost every home, the result was a truly delicious chili!

Enjoy, 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

Sautéed Lamb with Eggplant

I always liked cooking in a wok and anyone who’s been following this blog knows we like lamb. Here’s an easy recipe that adds a fresh and unusual flavor to lamb:

Photo from web, by: Max Falkowitz (not exactly this recipe)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 2 large eggplants thickly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 6 large tomatoes, blanched, skinned and thickly sliced
• 1 lemon sliced to garnish

Ingredients for the sauce

• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped, plus extra to garnish
• 2/3 cup pareve sour cream (I used Tofutti brand Better than Sour Cream)
• black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat until almost smoking. Add the minced lamb and fry until thoroughly browned. Remove from wok and keep warm.
2. Add the remaining oil to the wok and fry the eggplant with the garlic for 10 to 15 minutes until lightly browned on both sides. Add the tomato slices and stir fry for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a serving dish. Top with the ground lamb and garnish with lemon slices and mint.
3. Sauce. Mix together the mint and pareve sour cream, season with black pepper, serve with the lamb and vegetables.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy! I plan to make this for tonight’s dinner.

CS

Kashmiri Lamb – Rogan Josh

Exotic, delicious, Indian dish with just enough spice to keep it interesting:

Ingredients

• 5 cloves garlic roughly chopped
• 1 0nion roughly chopped
• 1 inch piece ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 lb lamb, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 10 cardamon pods, slightly crushed
• 1 1/4 cups water

Directions

1. Put the garlic, onion, ginger root, ground spices, salt, tomato paste into a blender and pulse until smooth.
2. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish, add the lamb and cardamon pods. Fry over high heat to brown the meat on all sides.
3. Add the blended paste and cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Pour in the water and simmer, covered for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender.
4. Serve over rice with some warmed naan bread.

Indian Style Rice

(from: simplyrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 2 cups long-grain rice
• 8 cups water
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• One 2-inch piece of cinnamon
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp dark mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp chile flakes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 chopped garlic cloves
• 1/4 tsp turmeric

Directions

1. Place rice in a sieve and run cool water through it to rinse it until the water runs clear. Soak the rice in cool water for 30 minutes. Drain.
2. Bring 8 cups of water and the salt to a boil in a large pot. Add the rice and stir. Add the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste the rice, and test if it is done to your taste; rice can take more or less time to cook depending on how old it is. If still too firm, cook a few minutes longer
3. When the rice is cooked to your liking, drain the rice into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop if from cooking. Remove the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and discard. Set the rice aside to drain.
4. In a pan large enough to hold the rice, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and the chile flakes. Cook until the mustard seeds start popping, then add the onion. Sauté until the onion begins to brown, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and sauté another 2-3 minutes. Add the rice and mix well. Sprinkle the turmeric over the rice and mix well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring often.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Beef Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Why not try a nice Sunday treat? Actually, you can try it anytime; whenever you do, everyone will love it!

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 large baking potatoes
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 scallion, finely chopped, plus extra shredded scallions to garnish
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 12 oz ground beef
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 cup beef stock *
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F, prick the potatoes all over with a fork to let steam escape during baking. Put them directly on an oven shelf and bake in preheated oven 1 1/2 hours, until soft.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan. Add the scallions and the garlic and cook on low heat – stirring occasionally – for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the ground beef, increase the heat to medium and cook – stirring frequently – and breaking it up with a wooden for 8 to 10 minutes until evenly browned.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, soy sauce and 1/2 cup of of the beef stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 25 to 30 minutes, adding more stock if the mixture starts drying out.
4. Remove the potatoes from the oven and put them on 4 individual plates. Cut into 4 and squeeze gently, then ladle the ground beef mixture over them. Garnish with shredded scallions and serve immediately.

* Beef Stock

Yield: 8 cups

Ingredients

• 6 lb beef soup bones
• 1 large onion
• 3 large carrots
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 stalks celery, including some leaves
• 1 large tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped parsnip
• 1 medium potato
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 cloves garlic
• 12 cups water

Directions (from allrecipes.com)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Trim root end off onion. Slice or quarter the onion, peel and all. Scrub carrots and chop into 1″ chunks. In a large shallow roasting pan, place soup bones, onion, and carrots. Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until the bones are well browned, turning occasionally.
3. Drain off fat. Place the browned bones, onion, and carrots in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Pour 1/2 cup water into the roasting pan and rinse. Pour this liquid into soup pot.
4. Scrub the potato and chop it into chunks, peel and all. Chop the celery stalks into thirds. Add celery, tomato, parsnip, potato, peppercorns, parsley (including stems), bay leaf, salt, thyme, and garlic to the pot. Pour in the 12 cups of water.
5. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 hours. Strain stock. Discard meat, vegetables, and seasonings.
6. To clarify stock for clear soup: In order to remove solid flecks that are too small to be strained out with cheesecloth, combine 1/4 cup cold water, 1 egg white, and 1 crushed eggshell. Add to strained stock. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Strain again through a sieve lined with cheesecloth.

Queso Blanco Pull Apart Bread

In scouring the web for some great recipes we’ve come across one that we know you’ll love. From Evil Shenanigans:

RECIPE AND PHOTOS © 2013, EVIL SHENANIGANS

Queso Blanco Pull Apart Bread

Author: Kelly Jaggers
Recipe type: Bread
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Prep time:  40 mins
Cook time:  30 mins
Total time:  1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 8

Photo by: Evil Shenanigans

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
• 2 serrano peppers, seeded and minced
• ½ medium onion, finely chopped (about ⅔ cup)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ cup beer, heated to 110F (any ale will do)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1¼ teaspoons dry active yeast
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
• ½ cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese

Directions

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat add 1 tablespoon of butter.
2. Once the butter foams add the diced peppers and onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to soften, about 1 minute. Add the chili powder, cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika and cook until the spices are very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Divide the mixture in half, placing one half in the work bowl of a stand mixer and the other half in a medium sized mixing bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature.
3. In a small bowl combine the beer, water, and yeast. Let the mixture stand until very foamy, about 10 minutes. Pour the yeast mixture into the work bowl with the pepper mixture along with 2 tablespoons of melted butter, flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix with the dough hook for 3 minutes on low speed. Check the hydration – the dough should form a smooth ball that is fairly sticky. Add additional flour if needed to achieve the right consistency. Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for 5 minutes.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a smooth ball. Place the ball into a bowl that is lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Spray the top of the ball lightly, cover and let the dough proof until double in bulk, about 2 hours.
5. Once the dough has proofed turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour, and with the palm of you hand lightly press out any large air bubble. Roll the dough out into an approximately 18×12-inch rectangle.
6. Melt the remaining butter and brush half of the melted butter on the dough. Spread over the remaining pepper mixture and both the shredded cheeses. Slice the dough into 8 strips and place the strips into two stacks of four strips each. Cut each stack into 4 equal pieces.
7. Brush the inside of a 10-inch loaf pan with the melted butter. place the stacks into the buttered pan so the cut sides face up. Pour over any remaining butter, cover, and let rise until the dough holds a finger mark when gently pressed about 1½ hours.
8. Heat the oven to 350 F. Bake the bread for 25 – 30 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when gently thumped on the top. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. Serve warm.

Photo by: Evil Shenanigans

Since the shape of this is very different from traditional breads, there is little chance to forget that it is a dairy rather than a parve product.
Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

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The Thrill of Victory…

[I confess, it’s been just over two month since Kosherfest 2012, and this video should have seen the light of day much sooner. Though making our readers wait was unprofessional and unforgivable there were truly extenuating circumstances, unfortunately. In any case, the competition was exciting. The three competing Chefs, were consummate professionals. I have no doubt the judges had a very hard time declaring a winner. CS]

Last year, I was one of the judges at Kosherfest 2011 Chefs’ Competition , this year I was behind a SONY AX2000 taping the proceedings. There was excitement, at times the chefs nervousness was palpable yet – at all times – it was obvious these 3 professionals were thoroughly enjoying what they were doing.

All videos copyright of © The Kosher Scene

The judges were Chef Jack Silberstein, from Jack’s Gourmet, Chef Seth Warshaw of etc steakhouse, Paula Shoyer, author of The Kosher Baker and Pastry Chef Philip Kaemerle, pastry instructor at the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts. The event was sponsored by CKCA, Jack’s Gourmet and Great Kosher Restaurants Magazine.

Chef Alexandre Petard from Ladino Restaurant, Chef Koby Weiner from Fairway‘s Kosher Food division and Chef Ari White from Got Cholent? and Gemstone Caterers went up against each other. Each created a masterpiece with the secret ingredient which they only were able to find out about immediately prior to the clock starting the 45 minute countdown. Yellow tail tuna, was that secret ingredients, while they could prepare it in any way they liked, they had to use each of a number of ingredients given them.

The fact that such varied dishes were made with the same set of ingredients is a true testament to each one’s imagination, creativity and professionalism. I hope, gentle reader, you enjoy watching this video as much as I enjoyed the live proceedings.

CS