vegetables

Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Cranberries with Barley

December 28, 2012

Author: Maur Rodman

 

 

Ingredients:

1 pound brussel sprouts, tips cut off, discolored leaves removed and sliced in half

(smaller sprouts are better than large)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt

2/3 cup fresh cranberries (or 1/3 cup dried cranberries)

1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola or goat cheese

1/3 cup freshly toasted pecans

1 1/2 cups cooked barley, reheated

1 tablespoon maple syrup, or more to taste

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or more to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat your broiler.

2. Set a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. Let it heat up for 2 to 2 minutes. It should be so hot that a few drops of water sizzle and quickly disappear after contact.

3. In a medium sized bowl, toss the prepared brussel sprouts with olive oil and salt. Toss well, so that the sprouts are evenly coated in a thin layer of oil.

4. Once the pan is hot, dump the sprouts into the pan and quickly rearrange them so the flat sides are faced down. Let them cook for two minutes.

5. Toss the fresh cranberries into the pan and transfer the pan to the broiler. The pan will be heavy and hot so use oven mitts and be careful! Let the brussels sprouts broil for about 3 minutes. Check the sprouts for doneness- their tops should be a little browned and the bottoms caramelized. How long you should leave them in there depends on your preferences and your oven. The cranberries should have started popping by now; set the hot pan on your stovetop for a couple of minutes while you reheat the barley.

6. Toss the warm barley, sprouts, cranberries, cheese and pecans in a bowl and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Season with salt, divide into smaller bowls, and enjoy!

 

Nanny’s Summer Gratin

July 10, 2013

Author: Liz

My Nanny Scher was a superb but simple cook. She sourced her meat and chicken from a kosher butcher in Stamford, CT and shopped her veggies and fruit from the corner grocer. In the summer, she grew a few tomatoes and zucchini in the small yard behind the multi-family, three story house my grandparents rented. She shared and swapped her small harvest with neighbors on the block, while exchanging recipes with her favorite Italian neighbors. She usually sautéed everything with lots of onions and often added ketchup for a touch of color and sweetness.

Here’s an updated version of what my Nanny made. Veggies are sliced more neatly here and the name is fancier but it’s in the same spirit of celebrating summer vegetables at their peak.

Recipe contributed to Kosher Like Me by Melissa Roberts

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp kosher salt (use ½ tsp if fine salt)

6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 large eggplant (1 lb), cut into ½” thick slices

2 medium zucchini and/or yellow squash (1¼ lbs), cut into ½” thick slices

2 large ripe tomatoes (1½ lbs), cut into ½” thick slices

4 (3”) sprigs fresh basil

3 (2” to 3”) sprigs fresh thyme

3 Tbsp finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano (*optional if making gratin parve)

Preparation

Equipment: a shallow 2½ to 3 quart gratin or baking dish

Preheat oven to 425F with rack in middle.

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with salt using a large heavy knife. Combine with olive oil and pepper in a large bowl. Add eggplant and squash and toss to coat.

Alternately layer eggplant, zucchini, and tomato slices, in a single overlapping layer in dish. Drizzle any remaining oil from bowl over the top and scatter herb sprigs, tucking them in between vegetable slices. Cover tightly with foil and bake until vegetables are softened, about 1 hour. Sprinkle top with parmesan (if using) and continue to bake, uncovered, until top is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Notes

**Gratin can be made 1 day ahead, covered with foil, and chilled. Served hot, warm, room temp, or even cold.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Shiitake Mushroom and Barley Soup

December 26, 2012

Author: Akasha Richmond

Akasha is a self-trained chef and artisan-style baker who has been cater­ing events in Los Angeles and other parts of the coun­try for over twenty years. She began her pro­fes­sional career at the Golden Temple, a now defunct but once pop­u­lar veg­e­tar­ian restau­rant in Los Angeles. It was in this kitchen that Akasha dis­cov­ered her pas­sion for mak­ing deli­cious dishes with good-for-you ingre­di­ents. After the Golden Temple she became Michael Jackson’s per­sonal and con­cert tour chef. AKASHA is her first restau­rant ven­ture, the result of a vision she has had for many years.

Her cook­book HOLLYWOOD DISH includes tales of Hollywood’s 100-year pas­sion for organic foods and healthy lifestyles and sto­ries of her favorite cook­ing expe­ri­ences: mak­ing hol­i­day din­ners for Billy Bob Thornton, cater­ing par­ties for Pierce Brosnan, pro­duc­ing events at the Sundance Film Festival, and work­ing as a pri­vate chef for Barbra Streisand.

She lends her time and exper­tise to groups such as Share Our Strength, Environmental Media Association, Common Threads and Pediatric Aids. She has appeared on The Food Network (The Best Thing I Ever Ate), Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, Planet Green, and nation­wide news programs.

Ingredients:

2 cups water

2 ounces dried porcini or other dried mushroom

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large or 2 small shallots, finely chopped

2 leeks, pale green and white parts only, cleaned, and finely chopped

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems wiped clean, trimmed and sliced

2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock

2 celery ribs, finely chopped

1 large carrot, diced

1 large parsnip, diced

1/2 cup whole barley

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Preparation:

Bring the water to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan. Add the porcini mushrooms, turn off the heat and cover.

Let sit for 20 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft. Drain, reserving the liquid, and finely chop the mushrooms.

Heat the butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, shallots, and salt. Cook for

about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and fragrant. Lower the heat to medium, add the

leeks, and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the shiitakes and the soaked porcini and cook another 5-8

minutes, stirring often, until the mushrooms are well cooked.

Add the stock, celery, carrots, parsnips, barley, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for one hour or until the barley is tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the chopped parsley.

Pressure Cooker Stew for Sukkot: Oxtail Soup

April 9, 2013

Author: Kitchen Tested

Originally published in Kitchen Tested.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. beef oxtail

6-8 marrow bones

1 package frozen mixed vegetables

2 large carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 parsnip, chopped

1 turnip, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 bunch fresh parsley

1 bunch fresh dill

1/2 cup barley

1/4 cup split peas

1/4 cup elbow macaroni

2 potatoes

2 Tbsp onion soup mix

2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

Preparation:

In a pressure cooker, place the frozen mixed vegetables, carrots, celery, parsnip, turnip, onion, parsley and dill.

Rinse the barley and split peas and add to the pressure cooker.

Add all remaining ingredients and cover with water. Close the pressure cooker.

Bring water to a boil (should take around 20 minutes) then cook for 15 minutes.

Note: if you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can make this soup in a regular pot. Just boil the soup for 1-2 hours.

 

 

 

Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Mustard and Parsley

April 4, 2014

Author: Michelle Berkowitz

Ingredients:

14-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained and dried in a kitchen towel

1 head of cauliflower, outer leaves removed and discarded (or slice and saute them with garlic – they’re surprisingly delicious!), cut into bite-sized florets

Extra virgin olive oil

Coarse sea salt

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon seeded mustard

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

2. Toss the chickpeas and cauliflower together in a large roasting pan

with

3 tablespoons of olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Roast, stirring now and then, until everything is dark and the cauliflower is quite soft, about 45 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, whisk together the mustards, vinegar, and 1/4 cup of olive oil with a big pinch of salt and a few healthy grinds of black pepper.

4. While the chickpeas and cauliflower are still warm, toss them with the mustard dressing and the parsley.

5. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Posted in Side Dishes

Tags: cauliflower, chickpeas, mustard, olive oil, parsley, sea salt, vinegar