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.

 

Hot Dog Burgers

July 10, 2013

Author: Kitchen Tested 

Happy Fourth of July everyone! Is there any better way to spend this summer holiday than with a barbecue and fireworks?!? Well, I’ve got a very special burger for your to try this year that combines the two most traditional and delicious items at a barbecue: hot dogs and hamburgers. I love hot dogs and I love burgers but I can never decide which one to eat…so why not combine them and then I can enjoy both in every bite! There’s not much to it. If you have a meat grinder at home, you can grind together ground meat and hot dogs with some salt and pepper. Without a meat grinder, I suggest chopping the hot dogs very small and adding it to ground meat. Either way, this burger actually tastes like a hot dog with the juiciness and texture of a hamburger! I topped my hot dog burger with easy homemade coleslaw, spicy ketchup and quick and crunchy pickled red onions.

Visit Kitchen Tested for more pictures and recipes for coleslaw, spicy ketchup and pickled onions.

Ingredients:

make 4-6 burgers

1 lb. ground meat

7-8 (12 oz) hot dogs

Preparation:

Chop the hot dogs and place them in a bowl with the ground meat. Add the salt and pepper and combine.

Using a meat grinder or meat grinder attachment, push the meat and hot dogs together through to create a new ground mixture. If you don’t own a grinder but you still want to make these burgers, you can just chop the hot dogs very small and add them to the ground burger meat.

Mix the meat and form 6 patties, each around ¾ inch thick. Using your thumb, press into the center of each patty to make an indentation. This prevents the burger from doming while cooking on the grill and helps keep the condiments on.

Sprinkle the burgers with some fresh cracked salt and pepper.

Heat the grill to around 350 degrees F. then carefully placed the burgers on the hot grill. Cover the grill and leave the burgers along for 5-6 minutes.

Flip the burgers, close the grill and cook them for another 5 minutes.

With a few minutes left on the burgers, drizzle some olive oil on the inside of the burger buns and toast them on the grill.

Once the burgers are off the grill, let them rest for a few minutes so the juices can redistribute. The place the burger on the bun and pile on the condiments and enjoy!

This post was submitted by Kitchen Tested.

Posted in Main Courses

Tags: burger, burger buns, cooking with kids, ground meat, hamburger buns, hot dog, hot dog buns, Kitchen Tested


 

Chow Mine

September 12, 2013

Author: Lauren Stacy Berdy

Chow Mine-300x225.jpg

When I was a puppy, my father often took us to Nathan’s in Brooklyn. Since my grandmother lived so close to Coney Island, this was an ordinary Sunday outing for so many years. I was not then a hot dog eater. How I was able to know about ordering such an unusual chow mein sandwich was probably my mother’s doing. She was an adventurous eater.

 

Frankly, this was everyday fare chez Nathan’s. It might still be. I don’t know…This is what I do know: I have since grown up but my childhood eating memories still have reach. I am a trained chef- so this recipe is filled with fresh tastes and has been re-invented with care. I am calling this Chow Mine because it is the crafted realization of a sandwiched memory. This recipe now performs an amusing thought with honesty. I often make this recipe in miniatures, on homemade buns. While still warm, the filled sandwiches are twisted inside deli paper and passed. They are always a hit at the Bar/Bat Mitzvahs as part of the children’s food. However, adults would often sneak some to their tables as well. This recipe makes a two-handed sandwich all family members will enjoy. All the ingredients are in front of you while cruising in the produce section. The crispy Chinese noodles might already be part of your larder.All in all, this is an inexpensive, amusing, tummy filling, quick recipe. And it’s really good!

Excerpt from Remaining Kosher Volume One, a cookbook for all with a hechsher in their heart

© 2013 Lauren Stacy Berdy

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)

plus 1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 white onion, sliced

2 stalks celery: washed and sliced

1 cup carrots, julienned (store bought)

1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)

plus 1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 two inch piece fresh ginger, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves: peeled and finely chopped

4 cups Napa cabbage: washed, checked, sliced

3 cups bok choy: washed, checked, sliced

(½) of an 8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts

2 cups cooked chicken, julienned

(or any leftover meat, or just vegetarian)

2 cups chicken stock

1½ tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

12 Chinese pea pods, cleaned

½ tablespoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon fresh black pepper

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 overflowing cup Chinese bean sprouts

1 package hamburger buns

Yield: 6 servings

Special Equipment: frying pan, bowls, metal spatula

Preparation:

Prepare the vegetables: place the white onion with the root end on the cutting board.

Slice from the top to the bottom. Place both halves cut-side-down on cutting board, then slice into ½ inch half-moons. Place in a bowl.

Cut the celery stalks on a diagonal to make elongated thin slices. Place with onions.

Measure out the packaged carrots sticks, add to bowl.

Peel the ginger and slice. Roughly chop the slices up into small pieces. Place into a small bowl or plate.

Mash the peeled garlic and roughly chop. Add to the ginger.

Cut the Napa cabbage lengthwise in half. Set aside one half, cut the remaining half lengthwise in half again: then cut into ½” slices. You need 4 cups.

Cut more of the remaining cabbage, if needed.

Cut off the bok choy stem’s root ends and discard. Cut and detach the leafy part from the rib.

Roll the leave up to make a fat cigar. Cut the “cigar” into ½ inch slices. Place in with the Napa.

Cut the bok choy ribs lengthwise in half. Slice the ribs into ½ inch slices. Add to the Napa.

Julienne the cooked chicken.

Place the cornstarch into a bowl.

To avoid lumping, whisk in the chicken stock by slowly pouring in a thin stream. Add

both soy and sugar. Stir.

Place all the primed ingredients at the stove along with: the water chestnuts, pea pods,

bean sprouts, kosher salt, pepper, your oil choice and sesame oil.

Finishing

Place a bowl large enough to contain all the ingredients near your cooktop.

Heat the 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Add in the white onions, celery and carrots.

Stir and cover. Cook for 5 minutes.

Remove the skillet from heat, empty the cooked ingredients into the bowl.

Place the skillet back on medium heat; add in the 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon

sesame oil. Add in the ginger and garlic. Stir for 10 seconds. Add in a pinch of kosher

salt and a pinch of ground black pepper.

Add in the Napa cabbage and the bok choy. Cook and occasionally stir for 3 minutes.

Re-stir the chicken stock, corn starch, soy and sugar: pour the mixture into the skillet.

Add in the water chestnuts, cooked chicken and all the cooked vegetables. Add in the

pea pods.

Bring the liquid to a boil, then let cook for 30 seconds. The liquid should now thinly coat

a spoon.

Stir in ½ teaspoon of sesame oil. Take off the heat.

Taste for seasoning.

Toss in the fresh bean sprouts, stir.

Serving

Place the bottom of each hamburger bun on the plates. Spoon a generous portion of

filling on the bottom half of the bun.

Sprinkle liberally with Chinese noodles. Add the bun top.

Note: eat this recipe within a couple of hours of making. The vegetables begin to look tired if they sit too long.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

The Thanksgivukkabob

November 20, 2013

Author: OOGIAH

I did not realize what a big deal having Thanksgiving on the first day of Chanukah was going to be. Before I even heard the word “Thanksgivukkah,” I was thinking of ways to culinarily combine the two holidays. Little did I know there would be full websites, parties and t-shirts dedicated to this historical event! The most involved and inclusive dish I came up with includes combining foods from each holiday on a stick. In the ultimate homage to the holiday that is Thanksgivukkah, I give you: The Thanksgivukkabob!

From top to bottom:

-Jelly Donut Hole: I bought these from a local gourmet donut shop, but any will do.

-Corn Bread Pancake: I meant to make cornbread, but followed the recipe for pancakes, which actually ended up being great since pancakes are eaten on Chanukah. And my kids love pancakes any day.

-Boiled Sweet Potato Cube with honey, brown sugar and cinnamon: Sweet and savory.

-Turkey Meatloaf with Cranberry Sauce: This is recipe that my mom loves to bring when a new baby arrives. It freezes well and tastes great. So it’s Bubbie’s meatloaf!

-Potato Coconut Cumin Latke: I got the idea to add coconut from What Jew Wanna Eat.

-Another Sweet Potato Cube: Another splash of color!

-Canned Green Beans with lemon juice throughout the kabob: My husband loves canned green beans, and will eat them straight out of the can, with lemon, while camping.

The kabob contents can be dipped in cranberry sauce or applesauce and enjoyed!

This one kabob includes so many everyday and holiday family favorites. It is fun to make and eat!

 

 

 

Apples and Yummy Grilled Cheese

December 12, 2013

Author: OOGIAH

 

 

Here is a sweet twist on a classic grilled cheese sandwich just in time for Rosh Hashanah! It is an easy and delicious way to start off the New Year! It is also a great way to use up leftover challah year round.

Ingredients:

Challah

Sliced cheese

Apples

Butter

Honey

Sprinkles

Preparation:

Thinly slice the challah. Melt butter and honey together in a skillet, or on a griddle, on low heat. Place two challah slices in the pan. Let them toast up a little and then flip them. Add more butter and honey to the pan. Place thinly sliced cheese on one piece of bread. Drizzle the cheese with honey. Top the honey with thin apple slices. Top the apples with the second challah slice. Flip the whole sandwich over. Cook until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted. Cover with a lid if you like to help the melting process. Remove the sandwich from the pan, top with sprinkles, slice and enjoy! Serve with honey for dipping if you like.

Posted in Main Courses

Tags: grilled cheese, honey, Rosh Hashanah, sprinkles

 

From Beef Stew to Boeuf Bourguignon

January 3, 2014

Author: Gloria Kobrin

For 60 years, my parents employed a wonderful woman named Annie Mae. In fact, I wrote an article about her for this site last year. While Annie Mae was not my biological Grandmother, she was my Grandmother in many ways I wish my real Grandmothers had lived long enough to be. Annie Mae listened to me whine. She introduced the world of “Soaps” to me; watching in secret because my Mother would have been furious at us both. Most importantly, Annie Mae let me hang out with her in the kitchen and watch her cook-and eventually, help her cook. Amongst the many recipes that she made that we all loved and wish we had written down, was Beef Stew. Chunks of soft meat in thick gravy with carrots and potatoes- YUM!

While Beef Stew is considered as American as Apple Pie, there are variations of it in every cuisine. My parents gave my brother and me the opportunity to travel with them when we were teenagers. It was in Paris, that I was introduced to Boeuf Bourguignon. This was Beef Stew of a different kind. After I was married, I turned to Julia Child’s books to learn about French cooking. I took her recipe from Mastering The Art of French Cooking and worked on it to make it kosher. Success-my Boeuf Bourguignon was delicious. More recently, I’ve gone over many of the recipes in which I used a great deal of margarine and substituted much of it with oil. In the case of Boeuf Bourguignon, I brown the beef cubes in a very hot pre-heated t oven with no extra fat at all. Not only is it kosher but more healthy as well. I have no doubt that you will enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

Ingredients:                            

4 pounds lean chuck beef-cut into 1 inch cubes

4 ½ cups dry red wine (you’ll need 2 bottles)

2 cups beef stock (fresh/boxed)

2 bay leaves

2 large garlic cloves

1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon crushed thyme

½ teaspoon crushed marjoram

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 ½ pounds white mushrooms

One 14-16 ounce bag frozen white onions-defrosted

herb bouquet: 2 parsley sprigs, 1bay leaf, ½ teaspoon thyme, 6 peppercorns tied in cheesecloth

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons non-dairy margarine-softened

6 tablespoons flour

Equipment

Large roasting pan-tin foil pan is fine

Large skillet

10-12 inch Dutch oven

Slotted spoon

Whisk

Preparation:

SERVES: 8

The combination of red wine, vegetables, and spices turn the humble beef cube into something spectacular.

Prep time: 45 min.   Braising: 2 ½ -3 hours   Mushrooms & Onions; 30 min.   Finishing: 30 min.

Preheat oven to: 425 F.

Trim beef cubes of all loose fat, rinse and pat dry.

Arrange beef cubes in a single layer in roasting pan. Sprinkle with 1½ tablespoons flour. Place pan in oven and cook beef for 10 minutes. Shake pan vigorously and sprinkle remaining 1½ teaspoons flour over beef. Cook for 8 minutes longer. Remove pan from oven. Reduce oven temperature to: 325 F.

Using a slotted spoon, remove browned beef cubes from pan and put into Dutch oven. Reserve liquid from pan.

Pour 4 cups wine over beef cubes. Add just enough beef stock to cover meat. Refrigerate  remaining stock.

Crush garlic cloves and add with herbs, spices, and tomato paste to meat. Stir well. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and place in lower level of oven. Cook 2 ½ to 3 hours or until meat is very tender. Check casserole 2 or 3 times to be sure that a simmer is being maintained. While meat is cooking, prepare mushrooms and onions.

Wipe mushrooms clean and quarter them. Cut them in sixths or eighths if they are very large.. Heat 4 tablespoons oil over medium high heat in skillet. Add mushrooms. Toss quickly so that they brown lightly. Remove mushrooms from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Leave mushroom liquid in the pan.

Add remaining ½ cup wine, herb bouquet, reserved beef gravy and onions to skillet. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove onions with slotted spoon and add to mushrooms.

When beef is done: remove from liquid and cool. Mix beef with onions and mushrooms. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Chill gravy separately-either several hours or overnight- until fat has congealed.  Remove fat.

Cream 3 tablespoons margarine and remaining flour. Bring gravy to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Whisk flour and margarine paste into gravy stirring vigorously until sauce has slightly thickened. This treatment of the sauce not only thickens it but also gives it a beautiful sheen. Return meat, mushrooms, and onions to gravy. Simmer until beef is hot. Serve Boeuf Bourguignon piping hot with rice or noodles.

Note: This recipe gets even better when prepared one or two days in advance.

This post was submitted by Gloria Kobrin.

Posted in Main Courses

Tags: beef, wine, mushrooms, onions

 

 

 

Grandma Sadie’s Brisket

February 10, 2014

Author: Vicky Pearl

From nicejewishmom.com

Day or night, you could savor the heavenly aroma of simmering chicken soup wafting through every corridor of my grandparents’ cavernous building. And although there were many apartments in their weathered brick Brooklyn low-rise, I never had even a moment of doubt that most of that scent was wafting from theirs.

Grandma Sadie, as my father’s Russian-born mother was known to all, barely cleared five feet in her sensible black shoes. But she ruled over soft-spoken Grandpa Frank and the rest of the family with an iron fist that, as far as I could see, had a soup ladle surgically attached. Up until she died, the winter that I turned 12, I don’t recall seeing her even once without an apron tied securely around her ample waist. And with more than 25 mouths to feed each Sunday, counting my many second cousins and assorted great aunts, who could have blamed her?

She was always so busy at the stove, in fact, that I’m not sure we ever had a single conversation. I can still hear her hoarse, matronly voice in my mind, seasoning other people’s tales of woe with horrified exclamations of “Oy, Gevalt,” or “Gut in Himmel!” Other than that, I couldn’t swear with any certainty that she even spoke much English.

If she did, and were she still here, I would have long ago beaten a path to her Borough Park door to beg for cooking lessons. Her methods may have been less than modern (see the reference to MBT bouillon cubes below), and farther still from healthy. I’d still kill for a slice of her spectacular golden sponge cake. Or a slurp of that chicken soup.

I’d like to believe that along with her gaudy diamond cocktail ring, I inherited a hefty helping of her spunk and a fraction of her culinary skill. Like her, I love to cook for a crowd, so family holiday dinners are usually hosted at my house. Everything is made from scratch, and no one seems to ever complain. There was one time, though, that, attempting to economize, I purchased a brisket that wasn’t kosher. And after watching everyone around the table chewing with valiant but much too visible effort, I vowed to never do that again. Whether you eat alone or with a houseful of relatives and friends, every meal should be a pleasure. So buy only the best meat, or even my Grandma’s recipe may turn out to be tough. And you don’t want that. Oy, Gevalt!

Preparation: (as told to my mother circa 1952)

Sear meat with garlic, salt, pepper and onions.

Add MBT bouillon cube to water and 1 can tomato sauce.

Bake in a 360 degree oven or cook on stove.

Slice one hour before finished (“no blood – tan inside”).

Put in pressure cooker in gravy.

 

 

Aunt Pat’s Brisket (my updated version, based on Grandma Sadie’s original recipe)

February 11, 2014

Author: Pattie Weiss Levy

From NiceJewishMom.com

Ingredients:

1 kosher brisket of beef (4 to 10 pounds)

2 to 3 large yellow onions, sliced

3 or 4 cloves garlic

2 16-ounce jars tomato sauce

2 cans or 3 cups beef broth

olive oil (or canola oil) – approx. 2 tablespoons

a few white potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon sugar (approx.)

optional:

a few carrots, peeled and sliced

a cup or so of string beans

Preparation:

Heat oil in large pan (preferably a frying pan or deep pot for which you have a lid).

Sautee garlic and onions until yellow and slightly softened. Push onions to sides of pan, put meat in center and sear on high until well browned all over.

Add approximately equal amounts of tomato sauce and beef broth to pot. Stir to combine well.

Add several cut up potatoes, as well as the string beans and sliced carrots, if desired. The latter vegetables are totally optional, but the potatoes help thicken the gravy.

Cover the pan and reduce heat so that the gravy simmers. Cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours, turning the meat occasionally so that both sides cook evenly. Remove meat from pan and slice THIN* against the grain. Stir a tablespoon or so of sugar into sauce. Then return meat to pan and cook for about 45 minutes more.

*Note: The thinner you slice it, the more tender it tends to be! 

 

Green Bean Casserole Plus

March 6, 2014

Author: Puppett

The original family recipe called for frozen green beans. I loved it but felt it was a touch bland so switched to fresh veggies and added garlic and pepper. An old girlfriend said she liked to add pasta, so I tried it out and people love it!

Ingredients:

16oz fresh green beans

1 bunch fresh broccoli (or asparagus)

1 cup friselli pasta

2 cans/small boxes condensed mushroom soup

8oz fried onions

Garlic Powder

Pepper

Preparation:

Blanch green beans and broccoli. Cook pasta as directed. Mix vegetables and pasta with 6oz of fried onions and condensed soup. Mix in garlic and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins. Sprinkle rest of fried onions on top 5 mins before serving.

 

 

Ruth Levy’s Apple Chrimslech for Passover

October 2, 2012

Author: Myrite

Ruth Levy left Germany soon after Kristalnacht as a child but took this special passover tradition with her. Chrimslech are like apple latkes and in her family they were always served on a green plate. Her four sons devoured them for breakfast, and she passed on this tradition to her family. The original Green plate cracked years ago, but she glued it together and still serves chrimslech on it for her grandchildren (who have also mastered the recipe). You can see Ruth’s video making chrimslech with her granddaughter Raphaelle Levy- soon! For now check out the trailer of Dishing up The Past.

Ingredients:

2 Matzah

3 eggs

1 grated apple

a few tbsp. of chopped almonds (can be bought whole and chopped in food processor)

sugar (to taste)

cinnamon

salt

Matzah Meal (if needed)

Olive or vegetable oil or butter

Powdered Sugar

Preparation:

1. The night before – soak the 2 pieces of Matzah in water. Let sit overnight. In the

morning, squeeze out all the water.

2. Separate egg yolks and whites. Reserve whites. Place yolks in a bowl and beat.

3. Place egg whites in a second bowl. Beat until stiff. Place in refrigerator.

4. Add soaked, drained Matzah, apple, almonds, a few tsp. of sugar, a pinch of

cinnamon and a dash of salt. Mix well.

5. Fold in egg whites. If the mixture is very liquid, add some matzah meal

6. Heat up oil or butter

7. Cover the bottom of a pan with oil or butter, when it is hot spoon the batter into

circles as you would a pancake. Flip over when brown.

8. Place cooked Chremslach onto paper towel-line to drain oil

9. When ready to serve, heap onto a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Posted in Appetizers

Tags: almond, almonds, Apple, Apple Chrimslech, Apple Chrimslech for Passover, apples, butter,Chrimslech, Chrimslech for Passover, cinnamon, egg, eggs, matzah, matzah meal, Matzah, Matzah Meal, matzos, matzos meal, oil, olive oil, Passover, Pesach, powdered sugar, salt, sugar, vegetable oil

 

Rachel Safdie’s Mehi Kusha

Rachel Safdie’s Mehi Kusha

October 2, 2012

Author:Myrite

Rachel Safdie’s Mehshi Kusa: You can see video here with the story here. 

https://rootsandrecipes.com/rite

Ingredients:

6-8 zucchini

1 lb medium ground beef

2 Tablespoons long grain rice

20 Pieces apricot dried

salt

2-3 lemons

Preparation:

1. Rinse zucchinis in colander and trim stem. Cut in half.

2. Scoop out flesh of zucchinis using zucchini corer or melon baller. (reserve

flesh for use in soups, omelettes, or whatever else. You can freeze it).

3. Put beef in a large bowl.

4. Rinse rice and add to beef.

5. Add 2-3 ‘pinches’ each of salt, black pepper, white pepper, cinnamon and

allspice.

1. Mix well with hands, adding water until ‘soft’

6. Place stuffing inside zucchinis, loosely (the rice will swell).

2. Any remaining stuffing can be made into ‘meatballs’

7. Drizzle bottom of pot with vegetable oil.

8. Scatter some apricots on the bottom of the pot. Alternate layers of apricots

and zucchinis. If there are any meatballs they can go on top as well.

9. Juice 2-3 lemons.

10. Add a tbsp of sugar and salt. Set aside.

11. Put the pot on an element and turn to high. When you hear the ‘sizzle’, cover the contents with water and place a heavy plate over. Reduce heat to medium.

12. Add lemon juice mixture.

13. Cook on medium for 2 hours, checking every 15 minutes that the water hasn’t overreduced. The ‘sauce’ can be adjusted with more lemon, sugar,

or salt during this time.

14. When it is ready, remove plate, set zucchinis on a serving platter, and cover with remaining apricots and then the sauce. Serve hot!

 

Posted in Appetizers

Tags: appetizer, appetizers, apricot, apricots, Beef, dried apricot, dried apricots, ground beef,lemon, lemons, long grain rice, mehsi kusa, rice, salt, zucchini

Russian Sour Pickles or Tomatoes

October 15, 2012

Author: Sybil Sage

 

 

This was a recipe my mother altered, depending on whether it was going to a daughter or a daughter-in-law. As the daughter, I have the real one.

Ingredients:

4 pounds cucumbers or tomatoes

2 strips pickling spices

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 cloves garlic

2 TBSP. dill

Preparation:

Put cucumbers, pickling spices, garlic & dill in large jar. Fill with Water. Fill to top. Add 3 TBSP kosher salt. You can add more dill & vinegar as well as garlic. (That’s the way mothers used to cook).

Cover with Saran Wrap. Let stand at room temperature 5-6 days. You then screw on the top and refrigerate. You will have pickled in 3 weeks.

Courtesy of Mina Adelman’s daughter.

 

 

Grandma Sylvia Abraham’s Holupchus (Sweet and Sour Stuffed Cabbage)

October 26, 2012

Author: Chadley

Grandma Sylvia always advised me, “If you can read, you can cook.” Her mother died when she was very young and she was raised by her father, so when she married Grandpa Alex, she’d never learned to so much as boil an egg. After her wedding, she came home and cracked open her newly purchased Joy of Cooking, and the rest was history. Over fifty years of marriage, and even to the end of his life when cancer curbed his appetite, my grandfather refused to leave even a morsel of Grandma’s cooking — from anyone’s plate — uneaten. Although the reason may have been Grandpa’s Depression era mentality, I prefer to think it was because the cooking was so delicious.

In the kitchen of their Bethesda, Maryland house which I visited every Friday throughout my childhood, the dishwasher was Grandpa’s domain as he had a highly complex loading strategy which we all tried and failed to grasp. Everything else in that narrow, formica-covered space with the mushroom-patterned wallpaper, however, was Grandma’s turf. One of her specialties which I have searched for ever since, to no avail, was a big heaping dish of little fried, salty, whole fish called smelts. How she managed to get a 5-year-old to gobble down plates of whole fish, with the dead eyes staring out at you, is even more of a mystery to me now that I’m a parent of two picky eaters.

Like so many Bubbes, Grandma single-handedly prepared Passover dinners for a dozen hungry mouths with barely so much as a sit-down. But I don’t believe any other Bubbe in the world ended a Seder with her particular party trick. Once the plates were cleared and put into the dishwasher according to Grandpa’s incomprehensible mathematical algorithm, my grandmother would finally collapse at the table, pull off her apron, and roll back her sleeve. From there I can only describe what she did from the perspective of the child I was — My grandmother became a female, Jewish Popeye. With her palm placed lightly on her forehead, her bicep flexed, she then proceeded to pop and bounce her exceedingly large arm muscle in a staccato rhythm so that it danced like a Mexican jumping bean. This was a crowd pleaser for the whole family, and the grandchildren were left to wonder what made their Grandma so well-endowed in the bicep area. Maybe it was her cooking.

Ingredients:

1 lb Lean, raw beef chopped (i.e. hamburger meat), salted and peppered

2 Large Onions 1 chopped fine, 2nd onion chopped medium

2 Cup(s)s Rice cooked (1 cup cooked rice to put in stuffing, prepare 2nd cup cooked rice to accompany servings of holupchus)

1 tablespoon Water

1 Eggs slightly beaten

1 whole Cabbage (one head)

2 Cup(s)s Tomatoes canned, broken up a bit so that tomatoes aren’t whole

1 tablespoon Matzah meal optional

1/2 cup(s) Golden raisins or to taste

4-6 Tablespoons Dried mint or to taste

Pinon nuts optional; to taste

1 tablespoon Honey or more; to taste

Several pinch Ginger

2 Tablespoons Brown sugar or more; to taste

1 Lemon (juice of 1 lemon)

Preparation:

Boil enough water in a large pot to cover about 2/3 of the cabbage head, the goal being to steam it and soften the leaves. Put cabbage in and cover pot. Pull off outer leaves as they soften. This will probably have to be repeated several times as you work towards the middle. All leaves should be soft enough to fold but not overcooked. This is best to do a little ahead so that the cabbage cools enough to work with.

Mix together the raw beef, 1 onion chopped fine (save the other onion for later), 1 cup cooked rice (prepare and save the 2nd cup rice to serve with the holupchus), the tablespoon of water, the egg, and the optional matzah meal. Roll up the meat mixture into small balls for filling little cabbage leaf packages that should be folded up like envelopes, open side down.

When all cabbage rolls have been put into a large pot, put in on top the tomatoes, the second onion (chopped into medium sized chunks), the honey, the ginger, the brown sugar, and the juice of one lemon.

Cover and simmer on low heat 1 hour – 1 1/2 hours approximately, tasting as you go.

Serve the holupchus with the cup of cooked rice. You can prepare more rice to accompany this if you want to serve the holupchus as a main course rather than as an appetizer.

Enjoy the sweet and sour goodness!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pandesal, Filipino Sweet Dinner Rolls

December 10, 2012

Author: Michael Milan

So, the food experience from childhood that most reminds me of my Bubbie would probably be enjoying Pandesal (usually buttered, occasionally with Pimento cheese or used to make a sandwich with corned beef, or even sometimes simply dunked in coffee, or hot chocolate). For me, key component to this memory was the always the bread – when it came fresh from the baker’s oven, Pan de sal had a tendency to get intact while taking a moment to recharge.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup white sugar

5 tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 cup fresh milk, warm

1 pouch rapid rise yeast

1 tsp salt

1 cup bread crumbs

1 piece raw egg

1 tbsp cooking oil

Preparation:

1. Combine the yeast, sugar and warm milk and stir until the yeast and sugar are fully disolved

2. In the mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients starting with the flour then the sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix well by stirring.

3. Add the egg, butter, cooking oil, and yeast-sugar-milk mixture in the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients then mix again until dough is formed. Use your clean hands to effectively mix the ingredients.

4. In a flat surface, knead the dough until the texture becomes fine.

5. Mold the dough until shape becomes round then put back in the mixing bowl. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rise for least 1 hour

6. Put the dough back to the flat surface and divide into 4 equal parts using a dough slicer

7. Roll each part until it forms a cylindrical shape

8. Slice the cylindrical dough diagonally (These slices will be the individual pieces of the pandesal)

9. Roll the sliced dough over the bread crumbs and place in a baking tray with wax paper (makes sure to provide gaps between the doughs as this will rise later on)

10. Leave the sliced dough with bread crumbs in the tray for another 10 to 15 minutes to rise

11. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees fahrenheit for 10 minutes

12. Put the tray with dough in the oven and bake for 15 minutes

13. Turn off the oven and remove the freshly baked pandesal

14. Serve hot. Share and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Lumpia, Filipino Egg Rolls

December 27, 2012

Author: Czara Thrusta

From pigpartsandbeer.com

 

 

 

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 lb lean ground pork

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, sliced

1/2 lb green beans, julienned

2 carrots, julienned

1 Tbsp. soy sauce (optional)

15 lumpia wrappers, square or round

Salt to taste

Preparation: Heat oil in skillet and saute garlic and onions until tender. Add pork and saute until browned. Add vegetables and cook until tender, yet crisp, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with soy sauce. When mixture is cool, add bean sprouts. Salt to taste.

To assemble lumpia: Carefully separate wrappers. To prevent them from drying out, cover unused wrappers with a moist paper towel. Lay one wrapper on clean surface. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of the filling near the edge closest to you. Roll edge towards the middle. Fold in both sides and continue rolling. Moisten opposite edge with water to seal. Repeat with other wrappers. Lumpia can be frozen until ready to use.

Deep fry at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.

 

 

Ruth’s Kreplach

February 1, 2013

Author: Mo Rocca

Grandmother and math teacher Ruth Teig teaches Mo Rocca how to make classic Jewish cuisine on My Grandmother’s Ravioli. On the menu is kreplach (or Jewish ravioli.) Ruth surprises Mo with a large live Carp in her bathtub to teach him how generations of Jews in Europe would keep their fish fresh before the invention of refrigeration. Mo also gets to taste Ruth’s magical coffee cake that she uses as currency to feed household workmen and to allows her to skip to the front of long lines at the DMV.

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 2lbs Boneless Chuck or Brisket

• 1 bottle of dry red wine

• 1 large onion chopped plus 3 large onions sliced

• 2 carrots chopped

• 2 celery stalks chopped

• canola oil

• salt and pepper to taste

Dough:

• 3 cups flour

• 4 large eggs

Preparation:

1. Place the meat, the chopped onion, carrots and celery in a large dutch oven. Add the bottle of red Wine and cook in a 375 degree oven until meat is fork tender. This should take about 1-2 hours. Let cool.

2. In a large skillet, over a medium flame, sauté the 3 sliced onions in canola oil until they are completely caramelized. remove from heat and let cool.

3. Chop cooled meat into large pieces that will fit into the spout of a meat grinder. Using a meat grinder, alternate grinding the meat and the caramelized onions until it has all been ground together. taste mixture and if necessary, adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.

4. Place all of the flour and the eggs in a food processor and let it run until it forms a dough.

5. Remove the dough from the food processor, cover it with a dry dishtowel, and let it rest on the counter for a half hour.

6. While the dough is resting, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once it’s come to a boil, lower the flame so the water is simmering.

7. Cut the dough in quarters. Leaving the other sections covered, take one of the sections and on a well-floured board roll it out until it’s approximately 1/4” thick.

8. Using a knife, cut the dough into approximately 2” squares.

9. Place a teaspoon of filling onto the center of each piece of dough.

10. Wet the sides of the dough with water and fold the dough corner to corner crimping the dough together with your fingers to form a triangle.

11. Join the two ends together like a little ring, as with tortellini or wontons. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

12. To cook the kreplach, in small batches place them carefully into the pot of simmering water. when they rise to the top of the water cook for another 5 minutes.

13. When the kreplach are cooked, remove with a strainer and place them in a bowl with a little bit of oil. This will prevent them from sticking together.

14. Serve in chicken soup, as a side dish, or put them in a 350 degree oven until they get crisp and brown around the edges.

 

 

 

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.