Green is definitely “IN”. Green is about the environment. The Green Team is hip. Eating greens are so good for you that greens are sold in packaging calling them, Power Greens. Greens are here to PUMP you up!
But it wasn’t always that way. In the words of Kermit the Frog, “It’s not easy being green.” Oh, can I relate.
When I was in college, I belonged to a campus organization that didn’t really do a whole lot. But they did offer an annual weekend trip to Catalina. OK, that sounded like fun. It involved a several-hour sailboat ride from Los Angeles to Catalina Island. I’d never been on a sailboat before. Never mind that I was kind of anemic back then. Okay, very anemic. Turns out, I didn’t, how shall I say, enjoy the trip. I was so busy tossing my cookies the entire time that I didn’t exactly have the time or inclination to fraternize with all my soon-to-be new best friends. I was also busily trying to figure out a plan to get myself off the island via helicopter. As soon as we arrived, I released my grip from my new friend, The Pail, and looked up. “Wow, you look green,” stated a compassionate classmate.
I disembarked and marched straight to the travel office in town. I learned that the one-way fare back to Los Angeles via copter was equivalent to my registration fees for about a year. Hmmm, no thanks. I decided to brave it. Our friendly skipper had the only helpful advice forthcoming. “Stare at one thing and don’t let your eyes wander.” I was into a zen practice before I knew what the word meant. I got myself back in one piece by staring at the same screw on the side of the boat for the duration of the trip. As for the new best friends? I don’t know what became of them. But I did bring home the worst pair of sun-burned lips I ever did see. What did I learn? When push comes to shove comes to bucket, I can be one determined little sailor.
That was then and this is now. And green is oh so very NOW. So, let’s make a green soup to celebrate and give our dinner guests a hefty portion of vitamins and minerals before they even get to the main course. Gather up whatever green veggies are in season (adding some frozen spinach will work too but use lots of fresh veggies). I was at the farmer’s market and spotted broccoli, spinach, zucchini, and dill. A Japanese farmer told me that tatsoi, a mild green I usually throw in salads, is great for stir-fry. Then why not in soup? In goes the tatsoi. Asparagus looked great but that was pegged to go with the salmon. From my herb garden, I snipped parsley and thyme. To round out the mix, from my fridge, I pulled out a large onion. two small potatoes and some celery. Garlic too. Yes, I know. Onion, garlic, potatoes. Not green. But aromatics. Yes. And thickening action from potatoes. Yes.
I usually do part broth and part water for the liquid. I always look for a product that has vegetables and less salt and does not include ingredients that came out of a chemistry lab.
Tatsoi has dark green, spoon-shaped leaves and tastes like very mild, slightly sweet spinach. It’s got great texture.
Simmer the soup gently.
Nutmeg goes so well with spinach and gives the soup a nice richness.
Once the soup has cooled a bit, emulsify to desired thickness. I like to leave some of the veggies chunky.
Kermit, things have changed. Being green may not always be easy, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
SUPER GREEN SOUP
Ingredients:
2 c. (480 ml.) vegetable broth 5 c. (1.25 l.) water 3 T. olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 small white potatoes, diced 8 c. green veggies, – I used 2 c. spinach, 2 c. roughly chopped broccoli, 2 c. zucchini, roughly chopped and 2 c. tatsoi and baby bok choy, cut-up 2 c. chopped fresh herbs – I used mostly parsley and dill with a small amount of thyme 1/4 t. freshly grated nutmegGreen Note: This soup is great for using all kinds of greens – try using chard, kale, asparagus. Key word: green.
Throw in a handful of fava beans for even more heft or English peas toward the end of cooking.
I sometimes use more fresh dill and leave it whole. Tie it with kitchen twine to easily pull it out of the soup .
Directions:
Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add oil. When oil is hot, add onion and celery and saute about 5 minutes until just soft. Add garlic and saute for one more minute.
Add potatoes, green veggies, broth and liquid to pot. Bring up to gentle boil and then simmer gently for a total of 30 minutes or until potatoes and all veggies are tender. Halfway through cooking time, add fresh herbs, freshly grated nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
Let soup cool and use an emulsifier (or blender) to emulsify half the soup. If you like it chunky like I do, then give the soup a stir and emulsify to desired chunkiness. If you like a smooth soup, continue to emulsify. Add a bit of liquid if too thick. Adjust seasonings.
Makes about 8 servings.
I love noodle kugels. But they don’t always like me back. Especially when they’re laden with all manner of dairy (read fat-laden) foods. I’ve eaten kugels stuffed with sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, melted butter, eggs, and sometimes a splash (or several) of half and half thrown in for good measure. While I’m eating a piece (or hunk), I’m in heaven. Every forkful of creamy goodness tastes like, as my dear friend Wendy says, “a big hug”. But later, my tush seems to have glued itself to the seat of the chair. Yikes! I can’t move!
Is there a way to lighten this baby up so that we can enjoy kugel every now and then without feeling like a sinking ship? You betcha. It’s good to have a way to make a kugel that won’t weigh you down. Hey, that corny pun just slipped out unintentionally! I seem to do that a lot. One of my odd yet lovable quirks.
Kugels are often served for the Jewish Festival of Shavuot when dairy foods, greens and grains are traditionally eaten. Why greens and grains? To celebrate the spring harvest. Why dairy foods? Because it is said that the Torah (Bible) is as spiritually nourishing to people as milk is physically nourishing to an infant.
And to the uninitiated who are still with me and scratching their hands, saying, “Koo-gul, Ku-gle? What is that? Is it a Norwegian wooden shoe? As in, “Hey, have you seen my Koo-gels lying around anywhere?
No, dear readers, allow me to explain. Think Bread Pudding. Think Baked French Toast. Now in your mind, swap out the bread for wide egg noodles. That’s better. Now for the pronunciation. Repeat after me. KOO(as in wood)- gull. That’s more like it.
Begin with slightly beaten eggs. Then add cottage cheese and sour cream. A little melted butter/vegetable oil. Some chopped dried fruit and/or raisins. A sprinkle of salt. A splash of vanilla. A couple spoons of sugar – the dried fruit will supply most of the sweetness for you. Mix the noodles up in this wonderful concoction.
Very Important: Rather than using full-fat ingredients, go for low-fat versions of cottage cheese and sour cream. If you’ve been around this site, you know I love Daisy Light Sour Cream (and no, they didn’t pay me to say that – I just love their product).
Kugel Goes Healthy
Rather than a heavy topping, use a smaller amount of topping or omit it altogether. I used just a half cup of Panko – Japanese-style bread crumbs that have great crunch – and a tablespoon of butter.
When thinking “LIGHT”, think moderation. Portion control is an easy way to lighten up what you eat in a day without feeling deprived. Enjoy, for goodness sakes!! Just cut up that kugel into 16 pieces (or more) instead of 12 pieces (or less). And have you noticed that people tend to eat less when the food is plated instead of having the whole darn baking dish plopped down in front of them? Or place the buffet table as far away from the dining table as you possibly can. Like next door, perhaps? Hmmm….
And as we say in Southern California. “We are SO done!”
A LIGHTER NOODLE KUGEL (DAIRY)
Ingredients: 16 oz. (480 g.) medium or wide egg noodles 4 eggs 1 c. (240 g.) low-fat cottage cheese 1 c. (220 g.) low-fat sour cream 2 T. butter, melted in baking dish 2 T. canola oil 1 t. vanilla 1/2 t. salt 2-3 T. sugar, to your taste 1/2 c. (90 g.) golden raisins (soaked in a bit of apple or white grape juice to just cover, for 20 minutes, then drained) 1/2 c. (90 g.) dried apricots, chopped coarsely 2 T. Panko or bread crumbs (for optional topping) 1 T. butter, cut small – for toppingDirections:
Cook noodles in plenty of boiling salted water according to package directions, until just barely tender. Drain and rinse.
Pre-heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Place 2 T. of butter in large rectangular baking dish (I use a 9″ by 13″ Pyrex dish). Grease bottom and sides of dish with the butter, then place in oven for a few minutes (don’t go anywhere), until just melted. Swirl around in dish to cool a bit and set aside.
Beat eggs in large bowl. Add cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, sugar (start with 2 spoons of sugar, then taste to see if you want a bit more), oil, melted butter and vanilla. Add the noodles to the bowl and toss to thoroughly coat them. (Oh, I’m salivating). Mix in chopped fruit.
Pour into greased baking dish and even out the top. If you like, sprinkle Panko (or bread crumbs) over top. Dot with little pieces of cold butter.
Bake uncovered for 40 minutes, or until set and edges are golden. Serve warm (it’s okay at room temperature but it’s better warm).
bb NOTES:
- Experiment with dried fruit options. Try cranberries, sour cherries, dark raisins or any combo.
- Instead of 2 T. melted butter and 2 T. oil, try omitting oil and adding 2 T. milk or half and half.
- Go the old fashioned way and use 1/2 c. crushed corn flakes to add as a topping.
- Kugel can be assembled the night before and baked the next day or made a day ahead. It re-heats well. It also freezes well.
P.S. Kugel makes an awesome brunch or pot luck dish.
Makes about 16-18 servings as a small side.
Mujaddara (moo-ZHA-dara). A Middle Eastern staple, (prepared in homes all over Israel and the Mid East), it consists of rice and lentils, and is served with a heaping pile of caramelized onions on top. Also called megadarra (Egyptian-Jewish) or mudardara (Syrian-Jewish) and spelled many different ways. Sometimes the onions are crispy, sometimes they are so tender, they’re melt-in-your-mouth luscious. In either case, mujaddara’s earthy, delicious, and fortifying. No wonder it always makes me think of Israel.
I love Israel. I’ve been there only three times in my life – not often enough. And that wasn’t for any lack of desire on my part.
I grew up in the Bronx in the 70’s. In those days, Jewish middle-class kids did (and still do) things like spend summers at Jewish sleepaway camp, go to Israel with youth groups, and study for a semester in Israel or spend extended periods of time there.
Every time Jewish kids met each other, there was the inevitable game of Jewish Geography. For me, it was a dreaded game. My life had a totally different trajectory. One that was not only vastly different from my peers but one that I wished with all my heart would just go away.
It’s a well-known fact that adolescence is a tough time. A time when we don’t always understand what our bodies are doing. In my case, my kidneys decided to drop their function to the point where I needed to begin thrice-weekly dialysis treatments. Decades later, when telling this tale to a social worker, she responded with “Well, adolescence is tough for everyone.” Yeah, right.
I would have given anything to play Jewish Geography along with the rest of them. Your brother went to Hebrew U? So did my sister’s boyfriend! Your camp counselor was Rachel Lang? I had her too! You spent the summer of ’77 touring the country? I was there that summer! Man, how I wanted to have been part of that conversation. Instead, I just went underground.
But what were all those activities about? Was dropping names the end goal of it all? Maybe it was to build character, an identity, a Jewish identity, in particular. And while many in my peer group were doing just that, I was building my own character in a very unique way. During those years, I learned how to fight. Not just to survive, but to adapt and keep adapting, and ultimately prevail. And that’s what, in my mind, the true Israeli spirit is all about. To fight when you need to fight. To keep moving forward in the face of fear. And above all, to hold on to the wonder and love of life.
I didn’t know it then, but I was like a young Israeli soldier –growing up fast.
Ten years ago, on my second trip to Israel, I did my dialysis treatments through the night at Rambam Hospital in Haifa. They had never utilized a nocturnal therapy, but in true Israeli form, they said that if that was the therapy that worked for me, they would make it happen. And so, I would arrive every night at the hospital at 10 pm, with my little duffel bag, and stay overnight to do my dialysis treatment. The following morning, around 7:30 am, I would hail a cab to take me back up the hill to Carmel, where I was staying with my beloved cousins. Inevitably, the cab drivers would ask what I was doing there. Clearly, I didn’t work there. And it was too early in the morning to be visiting. I, being thrilled at the fact that I had successfully negotiated a method of therapy that kept me well and free to enjoy my days in Israel, was only too eager to explain that I was there to do my kidney dialysis treatment. To my great surprise, every cabbie knew what dialysis was. “Ah, dee-a-leeza” (Hebrew for dialysis), each one said with a glance in the rear-view mirror at me. “We do what we need to in life, eh?” You better believe it.
So here’s to mujaddara—the stuff of life.
In The Culinary Institute of America’s Techniques of Healthy Cooking, caramelization is defined as “a cooking technique that can be used to enhance natural sugars. When heat is applied to sugar, a chemical reaction causes the sugar to darken, giving the food a deep, rich and complex flavor.” Which translates to: Yum.
You could stop at this stage of golden brown, but keep the onions going to get this….
for …
brown rice
green lentils over rice
MUJADDARA
adapted from Claudia Roden’s The Book of Jewish Food
Ingredients:
1 c. (250 g.) lentils green or brown 2 ½ c. (600 ml.) liquid (combo broth and water) 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or a sprinkle of dried thyme) 1 c. (240 g.) brown rice 2 c. (480 ml.) liquid (combo broth and water) 2 T. (30 ml.) olive oil (for frying onions plus a bit more to add to cooking rice) 2 large onions, sliced in half circles pinch of sugar, optional salt & pepperDirections:
Cook onion for 1 ½ hours covered for part of the time. Stir every 15-20 minutes. Add a pinch of sugar, if you like. Season with salt and pepper.
I love sauteed onions. Caramelized onions are over–the-top insanely good. Anyone who does this will tell you. Traditionally, they can cook on low for hours, while you’re doing something else. I was too antsy to eat them with the rice and lentils so I didn’t wait. You can cook them until they’re a golden brown or turn a deep shade of brown and just about caramelized.
Rinse and sort through lentils. I use 1/2 vegetable or chicken broth and 1/2 water as the the cooking medium for both lentils and rice. Cook lentils with fresh thyme added to the cooking liquid for 30-40 minutes or until liquid is mostly absorbed. remove from heat, remove thyme branches (if using) and keep covered.
Cook rice according to package directions. Add 1 t. oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. I use brown rice so it takes about 40 minutes for the liquid to absorb. Again, I use a 1/2 broth to 1/2 water ratio for the cooking liquid (1 c. rice to 2 c. liquid). Keep the cover on askew while the rice is cooking on a low simmer. When done, remove from heat, cover for 5 more minutes and fluff with fork.
Combine lentils with rice and half the onions. Adjust salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with remaining onions on top.
Serving suggestions: with vegetables or with yogurt or as a side dish. Enjoy hot (my favorite) or at room temperature.
Some seasonings that work well with mujaddara: cumin (no surprise there!), coriander or mint.
Serves 4-6.
I have a tendency to stick newspaper recipe clippings in cookbooks as bookmarks. Do you do this too? If I’m being efficient, I even stick the recipe in between the pages of something similar. This is how I happened upon a recipe copied by me on particularly lovely note paper. And the memory came rushing back. Wow! Twenty-five years ago? I was a special education teacher then, working with hearing-impaired toddlers and their parents. We had pot lucks all the time. I mean ALL the time. Any excuse that we teachers could think of. New baby? Definitely! New boyfriend? Why not? New pair of boots? Just checking if you’re with me!
A co-worker’s husband had a favorite biscotti recipe. The source? Who knows. It was for a chocolate-walnut biscotti of the traditional hard variety.
Back to the present. I looked at the recipe. I thought about it. It looked good but I have a fondness for a softer biscotti. I did a little research. Without even heading toward the internet, and before I knew it, I had a half-dozen cookbooks open in front of me, with that little note paper in the center.
I added some coffee – instant espresso powder -to be exact- to create a delicious chocolate coffee flavor.
Mocha – here we come!
A bit more baking powder into the flour.
I added more chocolate chunks… found the perfect thing in my pantry – mini chocolate chunks. Alternately, roughly chopped semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate would be excellent.
Toasted walnuts is always nice for added crunch and flavor.
I significantly brought down the sugar, swapped the butter for safflower oil, and added more vanilla.
and Poof! A new soft biscotti cobbled together from an amalgam of sources. It’s a low-sugar, low-fat, dairy-free biscotti and it’s oh-so-good!
MOCHA WALNUT SOFT BISCOTTI
Ingredients: 1/2 c. (120 ml.) safflower or canola oil 1/2 c. (110 g.) sugar 2 eggs 1 t. (5 ml.) vanilla 2 c. (450 g.) flour 1 t. (5 ml.) baking powder 1/2 t. (2.5 g.) salt 1 T. (14 g.) instant espresso powder 2 T. (30 ml.) boiling water 6 oz. (170 g.) chopped semi-sweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate chunks 1 c. (180 g.) chopped walnutsDirections:
Heat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Beat oil and sugar together in large bowl. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add vanilla.
Combine espresso powder with boiling water in small cup and stir vigorously to cool a bit. Once cooled, add a bit of the oil, sugar, egg mixture to it and stir well. Add coffee mixture to large bowl and mix well.
Lightly toast the chopped walnuts in a dry saute pan over medium heat for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt into the sugar/egg/coffee mixture. Just before all the flour is incorporated, add walnuts and chocolate.
Line a large jellyroll pan with parchment paper. Oil your hands and shape dough into three slightly flattened logs, each about 3 1/2″ or 8 cm. wide , leaving space between each log.
Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool for 5 minutes and cut each log into 12-14 diagonal slices, each about 3 1/2″ (8cm.) wide and 3/4″ (2 cm.) thick.
Reduce oven temperature to 325°F ( 170°C). Place slices in oven to bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.
Makes about 3 dozen. Keeps very well in freezer.
Can’t get more Southern California than this. All produce locally-sourced, this salad doesn’t whisper, “springtime is here,” it shouts it out from the tops of the avocado and tangerine trees to the ground where the fennel bulbs are pushing upwards to greet everyone.
I have a special place in my heart for the Ojai Valley. About 90 minutes from Los Angeles, it’s where my Novio and I went for a few days shortly after we were married six years ago. We didn’t have a whole lot of time so we decided to head out to the Ojai Resort & Spa for a quick getaway. It was early summer and just beginning to get hot so the resort wasn’t overrun by guests (pay attention, please – this little detail will have a lot to do with what’s ahead).
I had a portable dialysis machine back then (thank you NxStage! You’re awesome). So we loaded up my jeep with the machine and supplies and off we went. In our lovey-dovey, staring-dreamily-into-each-other’s-eyes haze,we forgot one small little detail… the IV pole attachment for the saline bag. For those of you who don’t know IV poles, there’s a pole and a little carousel thingie that screws on at the top of the pole. We brought the carousel and left the pole. Oops. Drive back to LA? Certainly do-able but we didn’t want to.
Wait. Let me think. There’s a beautiful golf course here. The grounds are lovely. Exceedingly well-kept. That mean only one thing. Landscaping and Maintenance must be top-notch. I called the Front Desk.
-Yes, I’d like to be connected with the person who oversees landscaping. (I figured where there are lawns, there’s PVC piping. And plenty to spare to create us a little makeshift pole.)
-Director of Operations? Excellent! Can you have him come to our room as soon as he’s available?
-What do I need him for? Well, we have a little situation here. Umm, I do kidney dialysis and I’ll be doing a treatment in the room and we forgot a little something and I think he may be of assistance given all the PVC piping that’s probably around….. (I could just tell this was heading into too -much -information country for the poor unsuspecting desk clerk). Oh? Fine! He’ll be right over? Novio, help is on the way!
Before we could say ” home hemodialysis” five times in a row, there was a knock on the door. Ben, the Director of Operations, entered. In a very upbeat way, he said, “So, how can I help you guys?” quietly checking out our machine set up on the nightstand, with the large hotel lamp removed to the floor beside it.
I took a breath, apologized for taking up his time and launched into my very brief (hee hee) explanation of what dialysis does, why we’re here today, what we forgot and why I’m certain he can help us so that we don’t –
- have to drive back home to pick up said pole
- try to make last minute dialysis arrangements at the closest facility which would eat up a lot of hours OR
- return home with long sad faces.
“Wow,” said Ben, “No apologies- this is great. I think I can help. It’s the most creative thing I’ve been asked to do all week. I only get called in to help with really stubborn toilet issues.”
Turns out Ben’s wife is a dialysis nurse and he couldn’t wait to tell her this story when he got home. He not only found something that would work, but ended up disappearing to create a collapse-able IV pole that we could fit into our luggage to take on trips… which we did. Several times. Thank you, Ben.
Because of you and the lovely weather the next morning, I looked out the window and gazed out at the beautiful rolling hills of the golf course that stretched out just yards from our room’s deck. I turned to my Novio and said, “Novio, it’s so peaceful out there. I’d love nothing more than to stretch out on that soft luscious grass beside that big tree and stare up at the clouds with you.”
“Sounds great”, said Novio, “If you don’t mind golf balls whizzing by over our heads.”
There wasn’t a golfer or golf cart in sight. OK, maybe just in the distance. I think we’ll be fine. We seem to be a good distance from whizzing ball action.
And so we did. And we keep in our hearts a sweet sweet memory of lying on a beautiful bed of grass, gazing at the clouds and at each other, on a golf course, and being thankful for the angels in our midst.
So get out the salad bowl, grab some fennel, avocado and tangerines and let’s make a salad to celebrate life.
Hello. I’m a fennel. You can call me Fats.
I have a tough core. Please remove so you can digest me easily.
Mr. Fennel: I get complimented often on my fronds.
Sliced fennel is great for salads or sauteing.
Hello. We’re friends of Fats the Fennel. We’re Mr. Avocado and Miss Lemon.
The beauty of the Pixies is they’re small (hence the name), yet sturdy, sweet and seedless. If you don’t live in an area where you can find Ojai Pixies (that’s OK, we can still be friends), find a comparable couple of seedless tangerines and instead of simply eating them, build a salad around them.
I’m an Ojai Pixie. That makes me both cute and popular. So there.
Walnuts give this salad extra crunch.
If you like, add some dried fruit, like sour cherries, to add more flavor, texture and color contrast. I tried it, but found that with these little tangerines, the salad didn’t need anything else. This is one sensual salad. It’s got color, crunch, taste, and texture.
FENNEL SALAD WITH OJAI PIXIE TANGERINES AND AVOCADO
Ingredients: 1 fennel (with fronds), cored and sliced thinly, reserving a frond or two 2 seedless tangerines, segmented 2 green onions, thinly sliced (or 1/4 red onion, chopped) 1 avocado, diced 1/4 c. (60 g.) walnut halves 2 T. or several good pinches of fennel fronds (the wispy greens, not the fibrous stalk), roughly chopped 1 T. (15 g.) dried fruit, like sour cherries, cranberries or raisins (very optional) 1/2 large lemon, juiced 1 T. (15 ml.) olive oil 1 t. (5 ml.) Dijon mustard sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to tasteDirections:
Place sliced fennel, tangerine segments, onion and avocado in bowl. Toss with a little sprinkle of lemon juice.
Whisk remaining lemon juice with oil and mustard in small bowl until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Toast walnuts briefly in a small dry skillet until just aromatic, about 2-3 minutes, shaking pan the whole time.
Toss salad with dressing. Top with chopped fennel fronds, walnuts, and dried fruit, if using.
bb Note: This salad is equally delicious as is or with 2 0z. (50 g.) of crumbled goat cheese over the top
Serves 2-3.
Our dear friends Frank and Merle are spending a week in Morocco. I didn’t fit into their suitcase. Besides, it’s probably not a good idea to consider being a stowaway these days. Will simply have to shelve that romantic notion and wait patiently for their return so that I can experience the wonders vicariously. In the meantime, I can entertain myself (and you) with Moroccan-Inspired Lamb.
There’s something about preparing meat with fruit that has a festive vibe to it. It’s special, no matter if you are using oranges, apricots, prunes or kumquats (yes, kumquats–our tree continues to be prolific). So it’s natural that when I started brainstorming what dishes I was going to prepare for Passover ( don’t laugh- I know it feels like a year ago, but it’s only a few weeks – if you can believe that), that lamb tagine with prunes and apricots was a natural choice. I made it in time to share it with you, dear readers, in time for Passover. (Ha! Not!) It sits sat all ready to go in the freezer. But there was a hitch. In my flurry of cleaning and cooking and preparing, my art director, aka my Novio, protested that I did not have a suitable image to adequately convey the lusciousness of this dish. We discussed, we debated, we engaged in numerous points and counter-points, until I grudgingly had to concede. It might have been his trick to get me to make it again.
I tested it with bone-in lamb and boneless. The bone-in was fork-tender for the most part but there was some gristle (not very good).
The boneless cut was of course, costlier and had more chew but was very tasty and so I have to go with the boneless cut.
The start of so many dishes worldwide is the sauteing of onions. No exception here.
This is what makes the dish special.
The sweetness of apricots and prunes
Some people like a few sliced almonds sprinkled over the finished dish.
So don’t sweat the small stuff, right? This type of dish is perfect for any special family meal or holiday gathering. Robbie, this one’s for you….
Lamb Tagine with Roasted New Potatoes and Steamed Asparagus
Lamb Tagine with Apricots and Prunes
Ingredients:
Directions:
Heat oil in Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot. Add onions and cook over medium heat for a few minutes until soft but not browned. Add garlic and stir. Then add lamb chunks and slowly cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle saffron, ginger, cinnamon, salt and pepper over meat. Pour liquid over. Bring liquid up to a simmer and lower heat to a very gentle simmer.
Simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours, or until lamb is tender. Stir occasionally. Add prunes and apricots and cook for 15 more minutes.Add honey, if using, just before lamb is finished cooking. If desired, sprinkle sliced almonds over dish when serving.
Serves 6.
Bumbleberry Breeze now has a new header – one that was conceived by her creator and brought to life by her terrifically talented friend and honorary niece, Andra. When Andra isn’t creating headers for her honorary aunt, she’s designing lovely jewelry and living with her Irish hubby outside Dublin. Check out her wares at Born Rubie at Etsy.com.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
I went to the Eggs-travaganza meeting of Food Bloggers LA this weekend. As usual, great eats, stimulating discussion and a terrific group of people. And the chickens were so friendly!
One of Kim’s several colorful and generous chickens
Once again, I thank the LA Times for bringing you all into my life. Yes, there’s lots of food bloggers out there and there’s plenty room for all of us. I came home with a wonderful lightness of feeling inside me.
And look at this – it mirrors perfectly what my offering was – meringue cookies. Made with the simplest of ingredients. And using the simple transformative technique of beating egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Shiny stiff peaks.
A cookie held up by the lightest structure with a surprise inside waiting just for you.
Hiding chocolate and pecans inside meringue
Waiting for the set-up
We never know what’s ahead and every now and then there are lovely surprises waiting for us. All we have to do is take a bite.
Meringue Forget-Me-Not Cookies
Ingredients:
2 egg whites 2/3 c. (170 g.)) sugar 1/4 t. or a good pinch of salt 1 t. ( 5 ml.) vanilla (optional- meringues come out fine without it) 6 oz. (170 g.) chocolate chips 3/4 c (170 g.) pecans, roughly choppedDirections:
Preheat oven to 375°F (190 C°). Prepare 2 sheet pans covered with parchment paper. Best to make these meringue cookies in the evening-keep reading the directions and you’ll see why.
Beat egg whites with a hand mixer or stand mixer. When soft peaks begin to form, continue beating and slowly add sugar. Continue beating until egg whites get very shiny. Add salt and vanilla (if using) and continue beating until they’re incorporated.
Fold in chips and nuts.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets.
Place in oven and IMMEDIATELY turn oven off. Leave cookies in oven overnight and take them out in the morning. Hooray! They’re just that easy!
My hand mixer – age 30 – and still going strong
bb NOTE: I’ve updated my ABOUT page. Click on ‘ABOUT’ just below the new banner and then scroll down to the bottom to view the April 2013 UPDATE!
We’re at the midway point of Passover. Actually, we were at the mid-way point when I began this post. But I got caught up with the last few busy days of Passover and here it is two days after – what can I say… here’s another insanely good recipe for matzo or for filing away for next year, if there’s no matzo left (go check your pantry again). Warning: There are a few more Passover-friendly posts waiting in the wings. ♥
I’ve been doing lots of dairy-free (parve) desserts to honor the kosher dietary stipulation of not eating dairy foods at meals with meat/poultry . So I’m really in the mood for a dairy-something. And to me that means butter. The real deal. Not margarine. I don’t even care if it contains no trans fats. and don’t even mention the trans fat products to me. If I’m going for it, I’m going to, as the title of a wonderful food blog says, USE REAL BUTTER.
And there’s no more wonderful and quick way to enjoy a dairy sweet than this Chocolate Caramel Matzo Crunch. The same (or nearly the same) recipe seems to be everywhere – from seriously observant kosher food bloggers to David Lebovitz (not that that’s necessarily a polar-opposite-ends-of-the-spectrum comparison). This stuff is so seriously heavenly it’s called Matzo Crack a lot. Yes, it’s that addictive. Which is why I refrained from doing the oft-cited 4-6 matzos and did a 3-matzo batch. I have four different synagogue sisterhood cookbooks and these babies are covered in each one.
So, let’s check the kitchen inventory:
- Have a few sheets of plain matzo?
- A stick of sweet unsalted butter?
- Some brown sugar?
- Some chocolate chips that you haven’t used up?
- Maybe some nuts?
Great!! Let’s go for it!
I was trying to consider portion control, so I used 3 matzos for this batch instead of the usual batch of 4-6. It’s just me and my Novio at home (Kitty is not into chocolate) and after copious amounts of food,, I just thought it would a kind thing to do for our waistlines.
I also experimented with lowering the ratio of butter/sugar to matzo. I wouldn’t have gobs of caramel mixture over the matzo, I’d still have the essence of it.
a little caramel on matzo
I didn’t skimp on the chocolate. I’m reasonable, not a fanatic.
chocolate chips melting over caramel
Toasted sliced almonds and a bit of coarse sea salt seemed like a nice finishing touch.
You can keep the champagne. I get all bubbly over matzo crunch.
CHOCOLATE CARAMEL MATZO CRUNCH
(adapted from several sources, including David Lebovitz)
Ingredients:
3 sheets matzo 1/3 c. (80 g.) sweet unsalted butter 1/3 c. (75 g.) brown sugar 1/2 c. (115 g.) semisweet chocolate chips generous pinch of coarse sea salt (or kosher salt) 1/2 c. (115 g.) toasted sliced almondsDirections:
Preheat oven to 375° . Line large jelly roll pan with foil, going over the sides. Cover foil with parchment paper. Line pan with matzos in single layer (break matzos so they fit well).
Melt butter and sugar over medium heat in sauce pan until bubbling. Stir constantly for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over matzo, spreading evenly.
Place in oven, reducing heat to 350°. Bake for 15 minutes checking every 5 minutes. If it’s bubbling crazily, reduce heat to 325°. Some bubbling is excellent, but keep an eye on it.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
Let stand for 5 minutes, and, using an offset spatula, spread evenly over matzo. At this point, add any optional toppings. I used toasted sliced almonds, and a light sprinkle of coarse sea salt. Other ideas: crushed nuts, white chocolate, unsweetened coconut. Chill until set, break into pieces and store into refrigerator up to 1 week. Ha Ha. As if it’s going to make it past a couple of days!
NOTE:
Here is the list of ingredients that Dave L. uses as do many others. You can see how I brought sugar/fat way down while still capturing the flavor. If you want to go for it, here’s the ratio that I revised. It will give you a lot more caramel and give your dentist more income.
- 4 to 6 sheets unsalted matzos
- 1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1 cup (215g) firmly-packed light brown sugar
- big pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (160g) semisweet chocolate chips (or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate)
I just love the green and orange combination. I’m drawn to it in flowers and I’m drawn to it in vegetables. What better way to celebrate spring than to be inspired by this vibrant color combo!
Passover is right around the corner and the action is getting very intense in the kitchen. I was even inclined to clean out the “everything” drawer today. You know what I’m talking about – every kitchen has one. A half-dozen tools, hastily-scribbled phone numbers on little post-its, coasters, tiny screws, nails and broken plastic pieces of we-don’t know-what-but-we-might- remember-someday. Expired coupons, take-out menus, pens, old receipts, and we’re not even talking that large a drawer…
Strangely enough, once everything was out of the drawer and the keeps separated from the tosses, a calm came over me. OK, a momentary calm came over me. There just may be something to all this Passover hyper-cleaning. The physical cleansing of the external house carrying over to an ordering and cleansing of the internal house, if you get where I’m drifting to…
So here comes a dish, perfect for this time of year, that’s delicious as a lunch or as a wonderful side. It’s meatless. It’s dairy-free. It’s Passover-friendly. What more do you want?
I’ve already said how I love great color. (Am I repeating myself? Lulu, I told you to pinch me if I start repeating myself!) But I also love contrasting texture. Sometimes I’ll roast different veggies for a quinoa dish. But this time I wanted to vary texture. I was already using roasted kumquats. That was an easy choice because roasting brings out the natural sugars, I knew it was perfect to balance the tartness of the fruit.
Easy as 1-2-3
So instead of roasting or braising the kale I decided to steam it, along with some asparagus, Always consider cooking time. Kale takes longer to steam so that went into the pot first.
Finally, I wanted to mix it up with some fresh herbs. Always a delicious addition. For this dish, I selected fresh mint, chives (green onions would have worked just as well), and curly parsley from the little pots sitting on the back porch.
I love that quinoa works so well with so many veggies and herbs. Mix and match. It’s very hard to trip up. Use red quinoa – that has a bit more substance to it. Use the regular variety. Mix it up. Call it keen-wa. Call it kee-no-ah. Any way you call it, it’ll be a hit.
Quinoa with Kale, Asparagus and Roasted Kumquats
Ingredients:
1 c. (225 g.) red (or white) quinoa 1 c.(240 ml.) broth, chicken or vegetable 1 c. (240 ml.) water 1 c. (225 g) kumquats, sliced in half lengthwise with some pits removed 3 T. (45 ml.) olive oil, divided (for roasting and for tossing into quinoa salad) 1 bunch kale (any variety – I used curly) 1 bunch asparagus 2 T. (30 g.) fresh mint, chopped 2 T. (30 g.) fresh chives, chopped 2 T. (30 g.) fresh parsley, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced juice of half a lemon salt and freshly ground pepper to tastebb note:
If kumquats aren’t around, use about a cup of butternut squash, cubed and roasted. You can swap green onions for the chives. If you don’t have fresh herbs around, use a 1/2 t. (2.5 g) of dried herb to replace each fresh herb. But see what fresh herbs you can get. They really make the dish say, “Yeah!”
Directions:
Cook quinoa according to package directions, using half broth and half water as the cooking liquid. Fluff with fork and place in serving bowl.
Preheat oven to 375° (190°). Toss kumquats in about 1 T. (15 ml.) olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast kumquats, cut side down, for 20 minutes or until tender.
Steam kale, cut into bite-sized pieces, for 8-10 minutes. Add asparagus , cut in half, to steamer and continue steaming for 3 more minutes. Remove immediately.
Add kale to quinoa. Cut asparagus into bite-sized pieces and add to quinoa. Toss in minced garlic and add about 2 T. (30 ml.) olive oil or enough to just barely coat the quinoa and vegetables. Add juice of 1/2 lemon. Toss in fresh chopped herbs.
Add salt and pepper to taste and toss lightly, Top with roasted quinoa halves.
Serves about 6. Can be served cold, room temperature or warm.
When I was in elementary school, something was introduced to us, called “New Math”. It had to do with sets and subsets. I’m not sure what else it had to do with, or if it was really all that new, but the concept of sets and subsets stayed with me and has proven to be relevant to all manner of things in life. Take gluten-free desserts and Passover desserts, for example.
While both can be considered a subset of desserts, neither one is a subset of the other, unless you are making gluten-free desserts that have no flour made from grain. As some of you know, there’s no flour and no leavening to be had during the Jewish holiday of Passover. So if you’re making gluten-free desserts from almond meal (almond flour), that can be considered a legit subset of Passover desserts.
Have I completely lost you? Am I boring you to tears? Well, I’m a little weird that way. This actually excites me, because I’m a food nerd (but you knew that already) and I now have a whole new area from which to mine Passover desserts! Which brings us to today’s post.
clouds in my coffee…
I found it at Healthy Green Kitchen, a terrific healthy food and living blog, offered as a gluten-free cookie. And it occurred to me, hey, this would make a great addition to the Passover Seder dessert array. Plus, people could use a little shot of caffeine to make it to the end of the Seder. The flavor combo is an interesting one that will be a nice complement to some of the heavier items weighing down that poor dessert table.
cool gluten-free cookies
Gluten-Free Coffee Almond Cookies
from Healthy Green Kitchen, who adapted it from Clean Eating Magazine (Jan/Feb 2010)
Ingredients:
2 c. (450 g.) almond flour (also called almond meal) 1 T.(15 ml.) instant espresso powder (or regular or decaf instant coffee) 3/4 c. (170 g.) sugar 1/2 t. ( 2.5 ml.) sea salt 4 egg whites 1 1/2 t. (7.5 ml.) vanilla extract (can omit or substitute 1/2 t. [2.5 ml.] almond extract) 1/2 t. (2.5 ml.) cinnamonDirections:
Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper.
Combine almond meal, coffee, sugar and salt in a bowl.
Using stand or hand-held mixer, beat egg whites until stiff.
With wooden spoon, mix a spoonful of the beaten egg whites into the nut mixture. This will make the folding process easier.
Fold nut mixture into egg whites with a rubber spatula using the following movement: a gentle cutting of the egg whites with your spatula , folding the nut mixture into the egg whites, rotating bowl a quarter-turn and repeating until incorporated. Add vanilla and cinnamon and mix until just blended.
Spoon batter onto cookie sheets. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown at edges.
Makes 15-24 cookies, depending on the size you make them.
NOTE: If you prefer to grind your own almond meal, grind almonds in food processor and mix with coffee, sugar and salt.
bumbleberry breeze 