Shavuot Recipe: Mediterranean Tartlet

By: Jen Vegh | Tagged , , , ,

Yield:
1 Tartlet
mediterranean-tartlet_bl

When in doubt, break out the puff pastry.  Easy to work with, and always yielding a mouth-watering result, you really can’t go wrong with a dish that uses puff pastry as a base.  This recipe has a Mediterranean flair and is perfect for Shavuot, brunch, or a weeknight dinner.  It can be done as a rectangle shaped tart or as individual turnovers.


Mediterranean Tarlet

Ingredients

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted and rolled out
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper (or 1 jarred roasted red pepper)
1 cup artichoke hearts (about half a box)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
3 Tablespoons pesto (my favorite recipe)
Salt, pepper, crushed chilies, to taste
1 egg

Directions

Saute the onion on low heat, until the onion is very soft and lightly browned.  If you are using a fresh red pepper, roast it under the broiler until it is charred on all sides.  Put it in a bowl, cover it with saran wrap, and let it cool.  When it is fully cooled, peel the skin off and cut the pepper into slices.

Meanwhile prepare the puff pastry.  Lay it flat on a baking sheet.  Cut lines down each side, about a third of the way in, on the diagonal.

Mix the ricotta and pesto together.  Season with salt, pepper and crushed chilies.  (This is also an awesome dip for vegetables or pita chips!)  Shmear the cheese mixture onto the middle third of the puff pastry.  Top with an even layer of carmelized onions, artichoke hearts and sliced roasted red bell pepper.

Now to make it fancy looking.  Fold over the sides, one strip at a time (right, then left, then right, then left…you get it) until the tart is closed.  Brush with egg. Sprinkle the top with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Bake at 375F for 45 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Serve with a salad.  I like serving it with a sweet salad to contrast the flavors in the tart.

Want to mix it up?  Use this as a model.  Include something creamy(cheese), something sweet (like the onions), and whatever vegetables you have lying around!

Posted on May 22, 2012
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Shavuot is coming! Shavuot is coming!

By: Jessica Fisher | Tagged , ,
Oreo-Cookie-and-Cream-No-Bake-Cheesecake-Bakers-Royale1

When we moved to Chicago, my roommate and I decided we wanted to have a dairy-only kitchen. We had a whole bunch of reasons, but, as it turns out, there aren’t too many hecksher kosher dairy kitchens. People around here give us a pretty hard time for it.

But not this weekend! This weekend is Shavuot, a holiday that, for many reasons is a celebration not only of Torah and study, but also of all things dairy. Game on!

Over the next few days, we’ll be posting all kinds of dairy recipes–from appetizers to entrees to desserts.

In the mean time, here are some of our old favorites:

Sour Cherry Soup

Cheese Kreplach

Cheese Lokshen Kugel

Rugelach

Cheesecake

Vegan lemon cheesecake


Posted on May 21, 2012
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Shabbat Recipe Round-Up

By: Jessica Fisher | Tagged ,
chocolate cake

I love the slow ramp up into summer when it comes to Shabbat. We’re early enough in the season that I’m not sick of the never-ending Saturday afternoons and, instead, I’m grateful for the extra time on Fridays. I can come home, take some deep breaths, and get to work on dinner. It means my food is actually fresh and I don’t feel wiped from staying up late cooking the night before.

This extra time has other benefits, too. I like to have my guests come before Shabbat starts and do some of their own cooking. Everyone can make their own pizzas, pop them in the oven, and then we’ll bring in Shabbat together.

While we’re doing the blessings and passing around the spring quinoa salad and ramped up crostini with ricotta and pea shoots, the pizzas can stay warming in the oven or on your blech.

As a sucker for pastries made with anything other than white flour, I think this light spring meal would benefit greatly from this chocolate buckwheat cake. The buckwheat and almond flour mellow out the richness of the dark chocolate. It’s gluten free, which is always a plus these days, and if you want to make it dairy free, I would substitute deodorized coconut oil for the butter. Serve it with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream and some fresh berries. You won’t regret it.


Posted on May 17, 2012
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Rhubarb is here!

By: Jessica Fisher | Tagged , ,
rhubarb_stalks

Whether eating seasonally is important to you or it’s just something you read about on food blogs, I bet you’ve been paying attention to at least one thing as spring makes way for summer: rhubarb season. Rhubarb is one of the few produce items that is nearly impossible to get out of season. But good news–the time is here and the rhubarb is ready for all of your creativity.

To get the creative/rhubarb juices flowing, here are a few tantalizing recipes to try:

Are you the type of person who likes to come home and treat yourself to a trendy cocktail? If that’s your thing, try making your own Rhubarb Bitters for your next drink.

Although it’s often relegated to the dessert course, rhubarb can wear other hats, too, like in this Chicken with Rhubarb and Fennel from the Wall Street Journal. The rich, flavorful thighs provide a good balance to the tangy rhubarb.

For vegetarians looking to add some pop to their entrees, try this Curried Lentil with Rhubarb Chutney. This dish is impressive for a host of reasons, but mostly because, unlike typical chutney, this rhubarb condiment is only sweetened with chopped dates. As the recipe’s author points out–don’t be afraid of the long list of ingredients. You probably already have many of the ingredients.

As a follow-up to these exoctic spice combinations, take a tip from the Brittish and treat yourself to Rhubarb Fool with Cardamon Cream. The man behind Lottie and Doof has a serious soft spot for rhubarb, so if you aren’t feeling fool-ish (pun definitely intended), check out his archives.

Finally, check out La Domestique’s “10 Ways Tuesday” for ten very different ways to use your rhubarb this season. (Consider substituting some more of those chicken thighs and drumsticks for the crispy pork dish.)


Posted on May 16, 2012
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Wide World of Whole Grains

By: Jessica Fisher | Tagged , , , ,

Cook:
45 minutes

Yield:
2 cups cooked rice
brown rice

Let’s talk about brown rice. It gets a pretty bad rap. Some people suffer through it because it’s a health food, but most people dismiss it immediately and just stick with white rice or nothing. Rice has been available for human consumption for over 5,000 years. The average American eats about ten pounds of rice over the course of a year. In Asia, that number is closer to 100 pounds. Most of that rice is white.

But I have news: brown rice is actually delicious.

As someone who grew up in a Cuban household, white rice is the go-to starch–black beans and rice, arroz con pollo, albondigas y arroz--the list goes on. And the brown rice you find popping up at restaurants and in the Uncle Ben’s instant packages don’t make me want to ditch the white rice either.

And yet… I know the facts. Brown rice is a whole grain. Because only the hull is removed, brown rice is the healthiest rice product. As it turns out, if you take care of your brown rice and cook it properly, it can be just as tasty as its white bi-product.

Some notes for properly preparing whole grains:

  • Because they still contain the protein-rich germ, whole grains smell slightly sweet or have no odor and need to be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer to keep fresh. If you’re going to use it soon after purchasing it, store it in a cool, dry place.
  • Rinse whole grains in a strainer in a water-filled bowl before using. Change the water repeatedly until it is clear. While rinsing, sift through the grains with your fingers to make sure there are no small rocks in the mix.
  • Toast your grains before cooking them in order to bring out the sweet nuttiness that gives whole grains their special flavor.
  • When cooking whole grains for a salad, like wheat berries, cook in salted boiling water like pasta.

With the bounty of fresh produce that’s coming our way, try serving some of those tasty greens on top of a bed of farro or freekeh this week. Or, check out my recipe for great brown rice below.


Perfect Brown Rice--Every Time

Ingredients

1 cup long grain brown rice

1 3/4 cups water

pinch of salt

Directions

Wash and drain rice (as explained above).

In a saucepan on medium heat, roast the rice until it is dry and slightly aromatic. Do not use any fat (butter, oil, etc.) and be careful not to let it burn. This should only take a couple of minutes.

Boil the water and add the boiling water and salt to the rice. Cover and return to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes without lifting the lid. Turn off the heat and let it steam for 15 more minutes without removing the lid.

Fluff with a fork and serve.

Posted on May 15, 2012
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Shabbat Recipe Round-Up

By: Jessica Fisher | Tagged ,
chicken

This week’s Shabbat menu is the first in a while that isn’t inspired by the season or the calendar. Mostly, I found these Mediterranean recipes inspiring as they popped up in my Google Reader and Twitter feed over the course of the past week. I thought you might like them, too!

Set your table with bowls of this tangy balsamic roasted chickpeas for your guests to munch on while you’re serving the salad and putting the finishing touches on everything.

For those of you with CSAs that are already clogging your refrigerators with leafy greens, this recipe for white beans and chickory is a versatile and delicious way to use the tougher outer leaves. You can also use escarole, kale, and chard instead of the chickory.

Chicken with artichoke and mushrooms adds a bit of a twist and moisture to the standard roasted chicken recipe.

As a side dish, serve Brussels’ sprouts with shallots and hazelnuts to provide texture and zing to the meal.

I am dying to make this Almond Olive Oil Cake from one of my favorite food blogs, Lottie and Doof. I love the nutty flavor olive oil gives to baked goods and it makes for great pareve baking without margarine or Crisco. This recipe does call for a browned butter glaze, so if you’re serving this with a meat meal, consider making the glaze without the butter or just mix powdered sugar, almond milk, and a bit of vanilla.

And don’t forget–you only have until May 16th to enter the contest to win Olive Trees and Honey, a cookbook that is sure to inspire many Shabbat menus to come!


Posted on May 10, 2012
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Recipe: Marinated Kale Salad

By: Jessica Fisher | Tagged , ,

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I just read this hilarious Slate piece on kale where the author, Scott Jacobson, talks about the “all kale, all the time” lifestyle in Los Angeles. While I’m certainly not going to advocate for that kind of extremism (check his kale diary at the bottom for an explanation of how that might go wrong), I really do love kale and all of the wondrous things you can do with it.

I have to admit, I wasn’t an early adopter of the kale fad. Like most Americans, I don’t like bitter flavors and leafy greens have never held much appeal for me. I can do without dandelion greens and I used to think my parents’ love of arugula was just a pretentious affectation–how could they actually like that stuff? It must be for show. (Full disclosure: I’ve come around on the arugula issue. In fact, my lunch today was an arugula salad.) But slowly I grew to tolerate kale and then I grew to love it.

It started the way it does for most people: with kale chips. Ripped into bite-sized pieces, tossed with olive oil and salt, and thrown into the oven at 350°F, they’re simple, crispy, and easy on the taste buds.

Then I started sauteing kale–ripped into bite-sized pieces, tossed with olive oil and salt, and thrown into a hot skillet. Can’t go wrong with that combo either.

And then came the raw kale salad. One of my classmates made it on improve day (which is basically the Natural Gourmet Institute’s version of Chopped) and I haven’t been able to stop making it. I actually went home and made it for dinner that night. When we presented it to the chef, we called it massaged kale salad. But he thought that sounded kind of gross–who wants to eat a dish that you’ve announced has had your hands all over it? Wilted kale doesn’t have such a fun ring to it. Plus “wilted” usually refers to something that’s been cooked. So we settled on marinated, which is a pretty safe and accurate descriptor.

I’ve tinkered with the recipe a bit since then, but in a lot of ways it follows the same formula for all of my other kale eating: rip into bite-sized pieces, toss with citrus juice and salt, massage the acid and salt into the greens (like a facial scrub), let it sit pressed under something heavy, toss with olive oil, and serve.

I prefer making this recipe with the kale pictured, known as dinosaur kale, Tuscan kale, or lascinato kale, depending on who you ask, but any kind of kale works. This salad is very flexible and is tasty with all sorts of add-ins like sliced fruit, roasted sweet potatoes, nuts, and scallions.

But remember, while addicting and nutritious in so many ways, too much kale, like too much of anything, is not a good plan!


Marinated Kale Salad

Ingredients

1 bunch kale

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon sea salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 handful slivered almonds

1 handful dried currants or craisins

 

Directions

Wash kale thoroughly and rip into bite-sized pieces.

Toss kale with salt and lemon juice. Massage the citrus and salt into the kale pieces.

Place kale under a weight or heavy object for 20 minutes to 1 hour.

Toss kale with olive oil, sliced almonds, and dried currants.

Posted on May 9, 2012
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Contest: Win Olive Trees and Honey!

By: Jessica Fisher | Tagged , , , ,
olive-trees-and-honey-L

It’s been a while since the last time we gave away a cookbook, so we figured it was time to do it again! I’m so excited that we get to give away one of my favorite Jewish cookbooks–the stunning and incredible Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World by Gil Marks.

This book touches on so many important pieces the Jewish culinary world often misses. For starters: vegetables. We often like to imagine the Jewish culinary heritage as one dominated by meat. I have friends who don’t consider a meal appropriate for shabbat unless it contains at least two different meat dishes. In fact, until relatively recently, meat was more of an accent or side dish than the centerpiece of Jewish meals. Gil Marks reminds us of the importance of vegetables in our culture by making them the showstoppers of this cookbook. From Turkish braised leeks to Syrian pumpkin patties, this book highlights (almost) every possible way that Jews have prepared vegetables all over the planet and throughout history.

The other amazing thing Gil Marks accomplishes is really giving a voice to Jewish communities from around the world. We hear about kugels and borscht all of the time, but we often neglect dolma and paprikash. Olive Trees and Honey really digs deep and looks at the entire Jewish world of food.

Not quite as expansive as his Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, Olive Trees and Honey is still a treasure trove of over 300 recipes for you to play with, sample, and learn from. Just like we do here at The Nosher, every recipe in the book is labeled as pareve or dairy  (no meat labels needed!) and includes tips on how to serve the various dishes. Perfect for vegetarians and meat eaters looking to expand their repertoire, I know you’ll love Olive Trees and Honey.

And it can be yours! All you have to do is post your favorite vegetarian entree in the comments below by May 16th. We’ll pick one at random and send you a copy!


Posted on May 8, 2012
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Grill it Up This Lag Ba’Omer

By: Tamar Fox | Tagged , , , ,
summer-squash_bl

Lag Ba’Omer is coming, and with it the ancient tradition of building bonfires on this strange mini-holiday. There is some debate as to why bonfires and torches are connected to Lag Ba’Omer, but the most credible story has its roots in the belief that the day might mark the death of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai, who is credited as the author of the mystical Zohar. His students commemorate the day by converging on his grave with glowing torches. In Israel, bonfires light up the night on Lag Ba’Omer (causing something of an ecological disaster, because the fires can sometimes rage out of control, causing death and/or damage to the environment) and even those who don’t light big fires do like to light their barbecues and enjoy grilled food on this holiday.

Wherever you are this year for Lag Ba’Omer, I highly recommend using this opportunity to kick off the grilling season. Here at MyJewishLearning we have lots of great recipes for your grill, including two kinds of lamb kebabs, grilled peppers and haloumi cheese for the vegetarians, and grilled pineapple. None of those sound like your bag? How about grilled asparagus from your local farmer’s market? Plain old burgers and hotdogs are always good. I love the look of these grilled bleu cheese stuffed tomatoes and these grilled summer squash and zucchini caprese skewers. And for dessert, you can’t go wrong with ‘smores! So get your charcoal and lighter fluid ready…Lag Ba’Omer begins at sundown on Wednesday.


Posted on May 7, 2012
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How to Choose A Good Knife

By: Jessica Fisher | Tagged , ,
knifeanat1

After my first day in culinary school I came home with an armload–two white chef’s coats, two pairs of houndstooth pants, three starched aprons, six towels, a plastic name tag, and a bag of knives. And of all of the things people have asked me about since that day, the question I get the most is–what kind of knives should I buy?

Fortunately for the inquiring minds of my life and now for all of the Noshers out there, knife construction and handling was the first thing on the syllabus after orientation.

1. Material: Most knives are made of one of three types of metal–carbon, high carbon steel, and stainless steel. If you’re looking for a cheap knife that makes clean cuts, go with carbon. But while it is inexpensive and easy to sharpen, it’s not great for humid climates or acidic foods since it discolors easily and it does not hold an edge (i.e. doesn’t stay sharp). Unlike carbon knives, high carbon steel does not corrode, does hold an edge, and looks pretty, but is definitely more expensive and a bit trickier to keep sharp. Stainless steel knives have very strong blades that resist abrasion and discoloration, they’re cheap, and attractive, but it is hard to maintain an edge and the blade rips through food instead of slicing. Stainless steel is usually used for serrated knives since they don’t require the same kind of care.

2. Design: There are two key visual components to look at when choosing a knife–the tang and the rivets. The tang is the metal part that runs from the blade through the handle. The best quality knives are going to have a full tang, meaning it is one solid piece of metal. The number of rivets holding the tang and handle together are also a way to measure quality, with three rivets being the best.

3. Gut: I’m referring to your gut here, not the knife’s. Ultimately, it’s your knife so you need to be comfortable with how it feels in your hand. I like my knives to feel solid and weighty, but not leaden. A friend of mine recently bought a set of knives that, while highly functional, just feel all wrong to me because of their weight (although they are great if you want an easy way to keep them separated for meat, dairy, and pareve jobs). Also, think about how many knives you actually need. Yes, uniform knives in wooden knife blocks look lovely on your countertop, but in reality a chef’s knife, a paring knife, and a serrated knife are sufficient for pretty much any job. (Side note, if you’re looking for a way to store your miscellaneous collection of knives, I use this bamboo knife dock that fits into one of the awkward drawers in my kitchen and keeps my knives organized and safe).

Happy dicing!


Posted on May 7, 2012
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