onion

Potato Latkes

July 12, 2012

Author: Leo Beckerman

Leo Beckerman, co-owner of the new and wildly popular Wise Sons Deli in San Francisco, recalls his favorite thing about hannukah– his mother’s latkes. It was as much an event as it was a meal (yes, latkes for dinner). After hours of hand grating potatoes on her grandmother’s latke grater, a tool used only during the festival of lights, everyone would gather in the kitchen. Round blobs of potato and onion went into the cast iron skillet and sizzled to delicious brown crispiness. From the frying pan they went right to the paper towel to remove excess oil, but they rarely made it farther than that. Once on the paper towel, a latke was fair game for eager family members willing to brave the intensely hot potato pancake. A quick dip in sour cream or applesauce and right to the tummy. These nights were celebrated standing up in the kitchen as latke after latke came out of the oil, until all had burned mouths and sated appetites.

Ingredients:

3 lbs Russet potatoes

1 large Yellow onion

2 Whole Eggs Beat the eggs

1.5 Tablespoons Matzo meal

1 teaspoon Salt

.25 teaspoon black pepper

4 Cup(s)s Vegetable Oil for Frying

Preparation:

Cut half of the potatoes into quarters, then boil in salted water until soft, about 15–20 minutes. Drain and mash until smooth. Combine the mashed potato with the matzo meal or flour and set aside.

With a box grater or food processor with a grater attachment, grate the remaining potatoes and the onion and mix to combine. Using a piece of cheesecloth or a fine strainer, squeeze out any liquid from the grated potato–onion mixture, then transfer to a large bowl.

Add the egg, salt, pepper and mashed potatoes and stir well to combine. Form the mixture into patties, each approximately 3 inches in diameter by ¼ – ½ inches. Heat ½ inch of vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan over medium–high heat. When the oil is hot, add some of the latkes, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Cook until golden brown on one side, about 3–4 minutes (if they are browning too quickly, reduce the heat), then flip and cook until golden brown on the second side, about 2–3 minutes more.

Drain the latkes on paper towels, seasoning with salt while still hot. Repeat with remaining latkes until they’ve all been cooked. Serve with applesauce and sour cream.

 

The Bortman Spinach Kugel

November 3, 2012

Author: Rebecca Bortman

Grandma Bortman made several giant batches of her family-famous spinach kugel for my parents’ wedding. She made so much kugel that even though everyone loved it and had seconds and thirds, there was since 3 full kugels left over after the reception. My recently-turned Jewish mom took all three home and would not eat anything else until it is gone. That’s how good this kugel is. Sometimes kugel gets a bad rap for being weirdly sweet or heavy or soggy. That is not the case with Grandma Bortman’s savory, fluffy, and crispy Spinach Kugel! But I have encountered so many situations where people have preconceived ideas about kugel that I have made up a song that I sing to people when I hear them say that they don’t like it. Not that the lyrics alone can do it justice, but here they are: “Maybe you thought you didn’t like kugel/Then you tried the Bortman kugel/And you realized you really like kugel…Today!…With spinach!”

Ingredients:

1 package frozen chopped spinach defrosted

1 lb egg noodles

1 stick of butter<

1 envelope of onion-mushroom soup mix

3 eggs separated

Directions

1. Defrost spinach. Preheat oven to 350.

2.Boil noodles for 5-6 minutes.

3. Melt butter and add to noodles.

4. Beat egg whites in a cold metal bowl.

5. Combine all ingredients. Pour into greased 9×13 pan.

6. Bake at 350  degrees for 1 hour.

 

 

 

Greens and Beans

March 6, 2014

Author: Sarah Newman

Inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook, “Jerusalem”- an Israeli interpretation of simple greens dish.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

Spinach

Chard or kale

Onion

Garlic

Garbanzo beans

Olive oil

Honey

Schug (or chili paste)

Tahini

Salt and Pepper

Preparation:

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add greens and cook until wilted. Add beans and continue to cook. Mix the honey, tahini, schug, salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook together for 3 minutes.

 

Pomegranate Braised Brisket

March 12, 2013

Author: Manischewitz

 

 

Recipe Courtesy of Quick & Kosher: Meals in Minutes by Jamie Geller (Feldheim 2010).

Ingredients:

1 four- pound 1st cut beef brisket

1/2 teaspoon Manischewitz® kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons Mishpacha® olive oil, divided

3 medium onions, peeled and cut into 1/8ths

6 cloves garlic, smashed

2 cups pomegranate juice

2 cups Manischewitz® Kosher For Passover chicken broth

3 tablespoons Manischewitz® honey

3 bay leaves

1 small bunch fresh thyme

Preparation:

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 4 hour

Ready Time: 245 min

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Season brisket with salt and pepper.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large roasting pan or dutch oven over medium high heat.

4. Sear brisket about 4 minutes per side or until browned. Remove and set aside.

5. Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and sauté onions and garlic for 5 minutes over medium low heat until softened.

6. Return brisket to pan and add pomegranate juice, broth, honey, bay leaves, and thyme.

7. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.

8. Transfer to preheated oven and roast for 2 hours.

9. Flip brisket over and continue roasting for 1 to 1 ½ more hours or until tender.

10. Let brisket rest for 10 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain.

11. Strain liquid and serve on the side as au jus.

This post was submitted by Manischewitz.

Posted in Main Courses | Tags: bay leaf, bay leaves, beef brisket, black pepper, Brisket, cloves garlic, fresh black pepper, fresh thyme, garlic, garlic cloves, honey, Joy of Kosher, Manishewitz, olive oil, onion, onions, Passover,Pomegranate brisket, pomegranate juice, thyme

 

BBQ Brisket

March 30, 2013

Author: yudicle

Brisket1_12-300x200.jpg

My mother gave me this recipe. I don’t know where she got it from, but my husband and kids love it. It’s not necessarily old world and not fancy. But it is delicious. Mom was first generation American, born in 1915 in Passaic, NJ. Bubbe came from Lithuania. Usual story – steerage with two little ones in tow to meet her husband who had come first to America. Bubbe had long gray hair by the time I knew her. Always in a long braid curled on her head. I saw her once with it down – I think it embarrassed her. 

Mom told me that one of the reasons Bubbe came here was that she disagreed with the tradition of cutting a woman’s hair and wearing a wig. Otherwise, she was strictly Orthodox in her observances. We’d visit on Saturdays at the apartment my mother grew up in, and we couldn’t turn the lights on until the sun had set. If we visited on Sunday, she’d slide a dime across the kitchen table to us, and she’d tell my mother in Yiddish that we should take it to the convenience store down the street to buy a treat. Usually some Hostess snack – it was the ’50′s. I barely ever spoke to her directly as she spoke no English. A quiet, sweet non-conformist who wouldn’t cut her hair just to please her folks. Who knew when I was growing up? I miss both of them.

 

Ingredients

2 onions

1 can condensed tomato soup

1 cup ketchup

2 tbl brown sugar

2 tbl lemon joice

brisket (whatever size is needed though generally a min. of 2 lbs)

 

Preparation

Saute 2 onions until golden.

In sauce pan, add onions to tomato soup, ketchup, brown sugar and lemon juice and stir.

Heat and set aside for the sauce.

Brown brisket on all sides in frying pan or Dutch oven large enough for meat to lay flat. Add 1/2 cup water, cover and simmer 2-2 1/2 hours.

Take out brisket, slice. In a baking dish – anything from 8×8 thru 9×12 – whatever fits.- spread some sauce in the bottom of the dish. Place sliced brisket in the dish and smother with remaining sauce.

It can be baked immediately. HOWEVER – it is best if prepared as above a day ahead and put in the refrigerator overnight. Bake (the next day) at 350 degrees, 45 minutes.

 

 

 

Grandma’s Swedish Meatballs and Lingonberry Sauce

May 9, 2013

Author: Chef Zane Holmquist

Watch Video Here. 

The Holmquist family came to Utah at about 1910, as Mormon immigrants to Utah as Mormon pioneers they got homestead land from the church and had a dry farm. They went from being boat builders, building motors and engines for boats, to farming and a few had cattle. They eventually moved to Salt Lake City. But the family came here because of their religious beliefs and then ended up going back to Sweden for a while as missionaries and then returned to Utah. But a big group of Utahans are Swedish and all the Utah Holmquists are related and one family.

Ingredients:

Swedish Meatball Mixture:

2 lbs ground pork

1 lb ground veal

1/2 yellow onion

10 springs parsley

2 oz. Utah honey

Kosher salt/ pepper to taste

2 whole eggs

1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

Lingonberry Sauce:

8 oz. of lingonberry jam

3 cups veal demi-glaze (can be found in specialty food stores)

3/4 cup heavy cream

*Combine all ingredients, simmer and reduce until sauce has a nappe consistency.

Preparation:

Small dice the yellow onion, pick parsley leaves from stems and finely chop.

Combine all ingredients together, mix thoroughly and place in refrigerator to rest overnight.

Roll mixture into 1 inch uniform meatballs. Place meatballs, evenly spaced, on a non-stick sheet pan.

Cook at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and place in lingonberry sauce.

Serve & Enjoy!

 

Authentic Spanish Paella de Abuelita

May 20, 2013

Author: GambasandGrits 

My husband is about as American as you can get. Until recently, Sergio had spent nearly all his life in the Lone Star State, having grown up outside of Houston, Texas, attended University of Texas as an undergrad and relocated to Houston as an adult. He loves all things sports (particularly the ’Horns), can grill like a pro, and drives a Ford F150.

But what makes him even more American is the fact that he came from somewhere else. Sergio was born to a Spanish mother and Cuban father in Spain. His father had always dreamed of coming to the United States and, so dedicated was he to fulfilling this chosen destiny, that my father-in-law gave up 2 years of his life in a Cuban work camp before he was permitted to leave his country. Shortly after Sergio was born, his father’s papers came in, and off they moved to relocate in a foreign land (and, I imagine, the even more foreign town of Sugar Land).

Sergio became a naturalized citizen in 1991, an experience that plays out every day in the United States. So even though he is 100% American, he is also (as he jokingly adds) “50% Cuban and 50% Spanish”. As such, he has access to the authentic recipes of his abuela‘s kitchen, passed down orally through his mother.

Among the favorites is her recipe for paella. Paella is one of those dishes that, after you have made it yourself, you will wonder why you pay an arm and a leg for it in the restaurants. While a bit labor-intensive (you constantly have to monitor the paella to make sure the rice is cooking evenly), a good paella is relatively simple and cheap to make. Also, because of the novelty and communalism of it (truly a “family style” dish), it is great for dinner parties.

Ingredients:

1 regular white or yellow onion, diced

6 whole cloves of garlic, unpeeled

1/2 large red bell pepper, 1/2 of which is cut into thin strips, the other 1/2 diced

1 1/2 cups paella rice (or short-grained rice in a pinch)

1/4 pound chorizo (or your favorite sausage or ham), diced in 1/2 inch cubes

1 pound of seafood comprising:mussels and/or clams (in shell) and calamari

1 pound of shrimps (in shell with the heads, the larger the better)

a few threads of saffron

olive oil

salt, pepper and sugar, to taste

Preparation:

1. Place 3/4 pound of shrimp in 5 1/2 cups of water and, after reaching a rolling boil for 3 minutes, reduce to low-medium heat and allow to cook for 30 minutes (shrimp broth).

2. Cover bottom of paella pan in thin layer of olive oil, at medium-high heat.

3. Cook 1/4 pound chorizo just enough to render fat.

4. Once pan is hot, place 6 garlic cloves (still in their peels) in olive oil and remove when thoroughly browned.

5. Place 1 diced onion and and 1/4 red bell pepper, diced, and stir. Once onion is translucent, add calamari and continue to stir.

7. Add 1 1/2 cups paella rice, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper and a generous pinch of sugar and continue to stir.

8. Remove shrimp from pot, remove the heads from the shrimp, deshell, devein and cut the shrimp into small morsels and mix with rice.

9. Add 1 cup of shrimp broth and 3-5 threads of saffron, and continue to stir until boiling.

10. As liquid boils off, continue to add 2 more cups of shrimp broth.

11. Boil for 5 minutes, covered (heavy or tripled-folded aluminum foil works well), and then lower heat to medium-low.

12. Leave for 10 minutes, covered.

13. Add remaining 2 cups shrimp broth slowly as it absorbed by the rice.

14. Arrange mussels/clams, shrimp (with heads) and 1/4 red bell pepper, sliced, on top.

15. Allow to cook for 5 more minutes, covered.

16. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes, covered.

Notes

Paella does require a large, flat-bottomed pan for cooking the rice evenly- the key to a good paella. This does not necessarily mean you must go out and buy a paella pan (although if you cook it frequently enough, it is well worth it, as a paella pan can be used for plenty of other dishes), you can always ad lib and/or make smaller quantities.

Because paella rice must be cooked evenly, most stoves are not ideal to evenly distribute heat across your big-bottomed pan. A grill (charcoal or gas) is a great solution. Just be sure to pay close attention to your rice- it cooks quickly on the grill! Otherwise, turn on all burners to cover as much surface area as possible and rotate the pan to distribute heat evenly.

Fresh seafood (vs. frozen) really makes a big difference.

If you can’t find shrimp with their heads on, substitute chicken broth for shrimp broth and substitute more seafood or chicken for the shrimp.

 

Maria’s Chicken Paprikash

October 8, 2013

Author: Jackie M

Here at Beyond Bubbie, we had the opportunity to visit Maria Vero through Dorot, an organization that arranges visits to seniors on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It was wonderful to sit with Maria and chat with her about where she has been and where she is going. Maria was born in Hungary and moved to Paris in 1968. She then emigrated from Paris to New York, where she continued to study the violin, something she had done since she was a little girl. Her husband was a concert pianist and performed in places like Carnegie Hall. This chicken recipe is a staple of Maria’s kitchen. It is something she ate as a little girl and something she continues to eat today.

Ingredients:

1 onion

1 chicken

1 tsp paprika

a little water

2 tomatoes

1 green pepper

salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Dice the onion and saute in large pan or dutch oven.

2. Add in paprika and saute.

3. Add a little water to the bottom of the pan.

4. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Put chicken in pan with diced tomato and green pepper.

6. Bring to a boil.

7. Reduce heat and cover. Cook for a 1/2 hour on a small flame.

 

 

 

 

Joan Nathan’s Mother-in-Law’s Gefilte Fish

February 1, 2013

Author: Joan Nathan

The gefilte fish in Joseph Wechsberg’s mouthwatering description is unfortunately a dish of the past. Today, most people buy frozen or bottled brands. Good cooks, however, insist on preparing the homemade variety for Friday night and the holidays. My late mother-in-law, Peshka Gerson, made it twice a year, at Passover and Rosh Hashanah. She used her mother’s recipe, handed down orally, from Zamosc, Poland. Her only concession to modernity was making individual patties rather than stuffing the filling back into the skin as described by Wechsberg. In addition, her filling was less elaborate. Years ago, when I asked Peshka for her recipe, two of her sisters-in-law were present. They all agreed that the rule of thumb is one pound of fat fish to one pound of thin. They also preferred the Polish custom of adding a little sugar. (Lithuanians say sugar is added to freshen already unfresh fish. Needless to say, Lithuanians do not add sugar to their gefilte fish.) Peshka, Chuma, and Rushka disagreed, however, on the seasonings. Chuma insisted on more salt, and Rushka explained that a little almond extract would do the trick. They both took me aside, promising to show me the “real” way to make gefilte fish. I have used their two suggestions as variations on Peshka’s basic recipe. Make your fish Lithuanian or Polish, with sugar or without, but just remember—it’s the carrots and horseradish that really count! I have been making this recipe since the mid-1970s. The only difference is that I cook the fish for twenty minutes. My mother-in-law cooked it for two hours!

Ingredients:

Fish:

• 3 pounds carp (meat)

• 1 1/2 pounds whitefish, pickerel, or rockfish (meat)

• 1 1/2 pounds yellow pike or buffel (meat)

• 6 onions

• 2 tablespoons salt, or to taste

• 6 eggs

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 1 /2–1 cup matzah meal

• 3/4 cup water

• 1 teaspoon almond extract or 1/4 cup ground almonds (optional)

• 1 1/4 teaspoons pepper

• Horseradish (bottled or fresh)

 

Stock:

• 4 stalks celery, cut in 4-inch slices

• 3 onions, sliced

• 6 carrots, sliced on the bias

• 8 cups water, or enough to cover bones with 1 inch to spare (use less rather than more)

• Bones of fish (and heads, if desired)

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground pepper

• 1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation:

1. Place all the stock ingredients in a large kettle with a cover. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. While waiting for the pot to boil, begin preparing the fish.

2. In a wooden bowl, add to the ground-up fish all the other ingredients listed under Fish, carefully chopping very fine and blending. You can also use the grinder on a mixer. Wet your hands and form the fish into fat, oval-shaped patties, carefully sliding each into the simmering stock.

3. Simmer over a low flame slowly for 20 to 30 minutes or for 2 hours. Allow to cool in the pot and carefully remove all the patties, placing them on a platter.

After the fish has been removed, strain off the cooking liquid. This stock should then gel when chilled; if it does not, simply add a package of unflavored gelatin, following instructions on the package.

4. Serve the chilled gefilte fish with the jellied fish stock, horseradish, and of course the carrots.

 

Schmaltz

March 12, 2013

Author: Gloria Kobrin

My first memory of Schmaltz is my Great Uncle Bob entering our apartment almost every Friday night and exclaiming: Gloria, bring me some Schmaltz! I would happily go scampering off to the kitchen and take out rye bread, schmaltz and salt. I spread a thick layer of schmaltz on the rye bread, sprinkled it with salt and presented it proudly to my most favorite Great Uncle. So unhealthy you’re thinking. Definitely, but Great Uncle Bob lived to the ripe old age of 95.

Ingredients:

Fat from 1 large chicken

Optional: 1 small onion-peeled, halved and thinly sliced

Equipment

Small saucepan with cover

Strainer

Preparation:

1. Put the fat in saucepan with just a splash of water. Place it over low heat and cover pan. Let fat cook about 15 minutes or until it has completely melted. Add sliced onions at this point and let them fry in the fat. The onions are delicious and the fat is flavored by them. Strain the fat into a heat proof jar and cool completely until you can refrigerate it. The fat will congeal and can be used as a solid for meat sandwiches or as a liquid for frying. If the onions are not polished off right out of the pan, they are delicious sprinkled over meat or potatoes-or even vegetables.

Yield: ½-1 cup

 

Lentil Soup

June 11, 2013

Author: Gefiltefest

This gorgeous soup can be traced all the way back to the Old Testament. In Genesis 25:29-34 you can read how Jacob’s brother, Esau, sold his birthright as oldest son to his younger brother, merely for a bowl of Lentil Soup! So yes, this soup is truly delicious and comforting. Whether you should sell your birthright for it? Well, I will let you decide on that.

My mom and I love to make this soup with brown lentils, as they are stronger flavored and hold their shape after being cooked. You can blend the soup after it’s done, but for us it’s all about the texture. We use beef stock but feel free to use vegetarian or chicken stock instead. Extra yummy, if you serve the soup with homemade croutons and some fried curry onion rings as garnish.

Ingredients:

For the soup:

2 tbsp. of olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 sticks of celery, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely diced

1 leek, white part only, cleaned and finely chopped

350g (1½ cup) brown lentils, washed and drained

2L Beef/Chicken/Vegetable stock

1 lime

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

For garnish:

1 tbsp. of olive oil

2 onions, sliced in rings

½ tsp. mild curry powder

6 slices of old bread

olive oil to drizzle over the croutons

garlic/garlic salt

Preparation:
For the soup heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the finely chopped onions and gently fry without coloring for 10 minutes or until softened.

Then add the carrot, celery and leek, again gently fry without coloring. Add the lentils, mix all ingredients gently and pour in your stock. Bring to boil and once boiling reduce the heat, simmer covered for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

When lentils are soft, stir in the cumin, lime, salt and pepper.

While the soup is simmering, preheat the oven to 175 degrees C. or 350 degrees F. Slice each bread slice into cubes and sprinkle with olive oil and if you like, garlic or garlic salt. Place on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until cubes are dried. Keep an eye on them while bake to make sure they don’t burn.

When you are about to serve the soup, fry the onions in olive oil and season with curry powder. Pour the ready soup into the serving dish, add the fried onions, croutons and enjoy!

 

 

Veggie Cholent

March 6, 2014

Author: Batsheva Frankel

 

 

I developed this recipe as an alternative to meat cholent- because I stopped eating meat when I started keeping shabbat. It’s yummy and fast!

Ingredients:

Barley

1 can whole potatoes

1 can cut sweet potatoes

1 brown onion – sliced

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can veggie baked beans

4-6 whole cloves of garlic

1 cup of ketchup

1 cup of BBQ sauce

1 parve kishke (sliced)

Preparation:

Grease sides and bottom of crock pot with olive oil. Cover bottom of crock pot with thin layer of barley. Put all ingredients in crock pot in order listed on Friday before shabbat- it will be ready for shabbat lunch!

 


 

Sauteed Chicken Livers

April 19, 2014

Author: A Klonsky

Ingredients:

Chicken Livers

Onion

Garlic

Shallots

Red Sweet Peppers

Mushrooms

Fresh Ginger

Soy Sauce

Dry Mustard

Pinch of Oregano or Thyme

Preparation:

Saute onion, garlic & shallots until golden

Add peppers & mushrooms

Add chicken livers that have been cut in half

Add fresh ginger, dry herbs & dry herbs

Season to taste

Simmer until ready

Serve over rice or noodles

 

 

Vegan Derma (Kishka)

July 28, 2014

Author: Jeff Bennett

 

 

Ingredients:

Matzah meal (2 cups)

Oil (1 cup)

Celery (3 cups)

Carrots (3 cups)

Onion (1 cup)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients and put on aluminum foil.

roll into a cylinder (don’t let the ends squeeze out of the foil)

Bake 400 degrees for 45 minutes

 

Posted in Side Dishes

Tags: carrots, celery, Derma, kishka, matzah meal, oil, onion, vegan

 

Bubbie’s Chopped Herring

May 2, 2014

Author: Linda Brummer

 

 

Bubbie started making this as a new bride in the 1960s. This involved the long process of chopping everything by hand. Over the years, Bubbie has modernized the process, doing everything in the Cuisinart in just minutes. It is her son-in-law’s favorite food and served at every holiday.

Ingredients:

1 jar (12oz) herring fillets in wine sauce

2 hard boiled eggs

1 apple peeled

1 tbsp minced onion

1 tbsp sugar

Preparation:

Remove herring and onions from the jar, drain and save sauce. Put in food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Chop together until well blended and smooth. Add enough wine sauce to moisten. Chill.

 

Nopales Salad

May 5, 2014

Author: Tracy Des Jardin

My earliest memories of nopales are of my grandmother’s giant cactus in the backyard which was a big obstacle in our racing around the backyard- one didn’t want to have a mishap and land in that sinister plant. I knew grandma used to make something with the nopales, but I wanted nothing to do with the actual eating of it- I’m guessing I tried it once or twice and there was too great a slime factor for me. But I was an intrepid little prep cook and would spend hours with her in the kitchen carefully peeling the young succulent paddles- and then she would spend hours removing thorns from my little hands.

A few years ago I went down to Mexico to Diana Kennedy’s to cook with her and some of my dear friends. She taught us how to make a delightful Nopales salad- so this recipe is an adaptation of that one. Earlier this year I had occasion to make it for my 11 year old son, much to my surprise he loved it!

Ingredients:

2 pounds young cactus, cut into ½ inch by 2 1/2 inch strips

½ pound tomatoes

1 small white onion

½ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

2-3 limes

1 serrano chile

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 beautiful avocados

Preparation:

Place 1 tablespoon of the oil into a sauté pan and begin to sweat the cactus- add a ¼ cup of water- cover and let cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes, the cactus should have turned dark green- cook for another 5 minutes until the liquid has absorbed back into the cactus- place in a bowl and chill.

Dice the tomato, finely dice the white onion, you’ll need ¼ to ½ cup- reserve the remainder for another use. Finely chop the Serrano chile- mix all together in a bowl along with the cilantro, the lime juice and the remaining olive oil, season well with salt and pepper. When the cactus is cool- add to the bowl, mix well and again adjust the seasoning as needed.

When ready to serve- place in a bowl or platter and place the sliced avocado on top- season the avocado with a squeeze of lime juice and a little coarse salt (Maldon or fleur de sel or any tasty sea salt). Garnish with a few cilantro sprigs.

 

 

 

,

Grandma Fela's Real Jewish Chicken Soup

,

June 16, 2014

Author: Linda Cohn

 

 

Grandma showed me this recipe directly. The real Jewish penicillin is the marrow bone. It’s what makes you better when you’re sick. Watcher her with her spoon with small holes skim off the froth and discard.

Ingredients:

Onion (whole), discard after water

Celery, chopped

Parsnip, whole, discard after

Chicken, Kosher

Carrots, chopped

Bone marrow, Kosher

Salt and pepper

Pinch of sugar at the end

Preparation:

Put all ingredients in boiling water for 20 minutes.

Boil, then simmer for 40 minutes.

Take off froth and discard

For serving w/ Matzah Balls next day

(Separate broth into pitcher) and skim off schmaltz – discard and put rest of ingredients back in.

Pasta E Fagioli

July 28, 2014

Author: C Grillo

 

 

Ingredients:

1/2 bag of Great Northern beans

1/2 bag Pinto beans

1/4 cup lentils

1/4 cup split peas

1 tsp parsley

1 stalk celery (chopped)

1 cup crushed tomatoes

1 carrot (chopped)

1 large onion (chopped)

1/2 stick margarine or butter

salt to taste

1 cup broken spaghetti noodles (cooked)

1 box frozen spinach OR broccoli

Directions:

Wash and drain Great Northern & Pinto beans and add to pot. Fill the pot 3/4 full with water

Add parsley, carrots, onions, tomatoes & salt to pot. Bring to a simmer (partially covered) for 3/4 hour.

Add lentils and split peas and Oleo (margarine/butter) and cook for another 3/4 hour – stir a little every so often.

Cook separately frozen spinach or broccoli and spaghetti – add to pot when finished (Split peas should be soft) adjust salt to taste and serve.