Stash the dreidels, eat the gelt and put away the menorahs. Last night was the 8th and final night of Hanukkah. Bittersweet. Hanukkah's a night on which we celebrate the miracles of the past, present and future. While we say "Shalom" (Hebrew for hello, goodbye and peace) to Hanukkah we say hello to new possibilities, new discoveries and yes, NEW RECIPES!
What's old to some is, often, new again to others. I find my favorite new recipes are hand-me-downs from fellow cooks. Sometimes the best recipes are not only older but elegant in their simplicity (cost and cooking ease). Martha makes it look easy, but those of us with day jobs and limited funds need that easy go to recipe. Sometimes we also need a break from MEAT. Too much of something great isn't a good thing (ech chem...husband).
So after the first few nights of brisket and latke leftovers I decided last night to break from tradition and go with Tuna Salad, Carrot Ginger Soup, and Focaccia.
Okay, so, I got a little busy yesterday and didn't realize how long Focaccia (like most bread) takes (allowing for rising times etc.) So, while I finished making the focaccia it will have to be eaten tonight instead.
BUT! The soup and Tuna salad were delicious and I made some impromptu garlic bread to go with.
Tuna Salad: Most tuna salads are simply mayo, celery and relish mixed together, which is great and easy. But my MIL really takes tuna salad to the next level, and does so, with as much ease as the standard TS. Her recipe is as follows:
2 cans of tuna
3-4 tablespoons of Mayo (light or regular, add more to make it moist enough)
Dash or two of Worchestershire sace
Splash of Apple Cider vinegar
1 stalk of celery finely chopped
1/2 yellow onion finely chopped
Mix it all together and you've got a damn tasty,tuna salad with more flavor layers and texture.
Carrot Ginger Soup: This is my favorite soup and I break it out any time I need a healthy dose of vegetables and comfort The soup recipe also came from my MIL's collection (she's a great cooking mentor). The recipe itself comes from Sheila Lukins and was in a newspaper or magazine (not sure, its a photocopy).
The recipe is as follows:
1.5 lbs of Carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
1 lb of parsnips, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1 large onion, sliced
3 inch peice of ginger, peeled and chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (or margarine, if you're me)
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar (packed)
8 cups chicken broth (or vegetable)
Salt, to taste
Pinch of Cayenne (I tend to leave this out)
1/4 cup creme fraiche for garnish (I don't use this)
1.Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine Carrots, parsnips, onion and ginger in a roasting pan. Dot with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar.
3. Pour 2 cups of broth into the pan, cover well with foil and bake until vegetables are very tender, about 2 hours.
4. Transfer the vegetables and broth to a large pot and add remaining 6 cups of broth, salt and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 10 minutes.
5. Puree the soup in batches. Return the soup to the pot, adjust seasonings and serve hot.
For the Garlic bread I simply took a couple of slices of sourdough bread and, brushed with olive oil and put some minced garlic on it. Baked it for 7 minutes. YUM!
Focaccia: I tried it last night after it cooked and it was really good. Too bad the hubby can't try it fresh tonight (he was already asleep when I finished it) but I'm sure it will still be tasty with the other leftovers. I got the herbed focaccia recipe from my breadmaker's recipe book and edited a few things. I made the dough in the breadmaker (it called for fresh herbs which I didn't had and used the dry ones, still very tasty). Also, while the dough was being made I sauteed 2 sliced onions in olive oil and carmelized them. After spreading the dough on the pan and letting it rise, I added some more herbs and the onions then baked it. A pretty successful experiment I'd say. Gotta get me some other focaccia recipes though.
It's Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah. The festival of lights...and latkes (potato pancakes)! And lest we forget the Sufganiyot or in English, Doughnuts! Apparently jews like their foods fried when they light the menorah. This was a big Hanukkah for me, it was the first time I made both Latkes and Brisket (staples of the Jewish holiday table).
My M.I.L. (mother-in-law) was gracious enough to take me under her wing in all things cooking (which can be a dangerous proposition, especially when it comes to me and knives or hot oil). So in exchange for this week's (latke) lesson I peeled the potatoes. Apparently there used to be a salesman in New York City that would sit on the corner and sell potato peelers; it was his only job. And he was damn good at it too. He would sit, and peel and for $5 you could take away the world's best potato peeler. Here's a story about him http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26976442/ns/today-today_people/. Suffice it to say, the MIL bought one and it is indeed, the best potato peeler I've ever used.
She walked me through her Latke process which included utilizing the food processor to its full potential and understanding the pros and serious cons of frying with hot oil.
Last night, I combined her Latke tips with a recipe from Kosher By Design by Susie Fishbein http://www.amazon.com/Kosher-Design-Picture-Perfect-Holidays/dp/1578197074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288386252&sr=8-1 and tips from Cooking Light magazine: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001860088
My recipe was as follows:
1. Peel 5 potatoes (I put them on my scale, yes the one in the bathroom, and yes I scrubbed them afterwards, to see if they were the "2lbs" all the recipes called for. It didn't work so I just guestimated. They turned out to be about the right amount of potatoes).
2. In a food processor use the grating plate and grate all the potatoes. Take out half of the grated potatoes and drain. Leave the other half in the food processor.
3. Replace the plate in the food processor with the basic blade and blend in 2 yellow onions. Drain the mixture.
4. Combine grated potatoes and onion and potato mixture.
5. Add 1 egg, 1/2 cup flour, 2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper,and 1 tsp. baking soda to mixture. Mix together.
6. Put 1 cup of oil (I used canola, but I hear grapeseed is better) into a non-stick pan. Heat on medium heat until it crackles but doesn't smoke. (If you have a vent I highly suggest you use it, otherwise your apartment will smell like a diner).
7. Place 1 tablespoon of the latke mix in the pan in a "clockwise" direction, that way you know which latke you put in first (thanks MIL). Brown on both sides, and when done place on a plate covered in lots of paper towels to absorb oil.
8. Apparently the recipe in Kosher by Design says you can make them up to 4 hours early and then place them in an oven at 375 for 5 minutes to reheat.
Et voila! Latkes! And seriously nummy no less. Serve with apple sauce and if you aren't kosher, with sour cream or if you are, tofu sour cream.
The Brisket--duh duh duuuuh!!
I got the recipe from William Sonoma Essentials of Slow Cooking: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/essentials-of-slow-cooking-cookbook/?pkey=ccookbooks%7Cctlcbkess
It was TASTY! I was a little confused about the whole trimming the fat issue. So I guessed and left just a little on for flavor. Apparantly that was the right way to go. I think in retrospect the brisket needed to cook on low for a lot longer so it had that melt in your mouth quality and I could have cut it waaay thinner. But I will cook it in a 300 degree oven today for an hour to 2 hours to give it that quality and re cut in much smaller slices.
I also made this really great asparagus from Kosher by Design (really enjoying the book!)
I may even make my husband a brisket panini with the recipe's onions and some cheese. So bad its good!
As it was shabbos, I made challah, and it was better this time. I used the bread machine recipe again but instead of making 2 challahs I made one big one. Much fluffier.
My papa-in-law bought Sufgniyot from Vienna bakery (no dairy so I could enjoy them) and krispy-kremes for everyone else. He's a good man.
All in beautiful Hanukkah meal, mainly because I could enjoy it with people I love.
My husband often surprises me. I had mentioned briefly a book I would like and to my great astonishment it was my Hanukkah present last night! A even greater surprise is how much I love the book! I highly recommend it to anyone that is interested in why a recipe works better than others and the science behind it all.
Its called: KEYS TO GOOD COOKING, A GUIDE TO MAKING THE BEST OF FOODS AND RECIPES by Harold McGee. http://www.amazon.com/Keys-Good-Cooking-Making-Recipes/dp/1594202680/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291490231&sr=1-1
I have so many things to be thankful for. I'm so thankful for my wonderful family, husband, in-laws I not only can stand but adore, and our health.
I am also thankful for really really good food and the unyielding desire my mother in law and I have to cook every single thanksgiving recipe we've ever made. 4 hands are better than 2 and 2 ovens are better than 1. We chopped, stuffed, kneaded and baked till we developed calluses and ended up with a fantastic meal that will probably last us until next thanksgiving. My husband likes to point out that we practically had a pie to person ratio.
Here's the list of dishes/desserts we made and the recipes we used:
12 lb Turkey: (My mother-in-law's own recipe)
Preheat oven to 400 then reduce to 325 after half an hour
1. Clean the turkey (take out insides, wash out and dry)
2. Take giblets, neck and heart, add to pot of water with onions, garlic and celery and salt & pepper, simmer for several hours for gravy base and basting fluid
3. Salt and pepper the inside and outside of turkey
4. Create paste with margarine/butter, sage, thyme and rosemary and rub gently under skin of breast
5. Stuff with bread stuffing, pin/sew in stuffing and tie up legs and wings
6. Put in oven, basting every 45 minutes with giblet juices and its own juices
7. Cook until thermometer reads 175 degrees and remove from oven, let sit to let juices run out a bit more
Stuffing: (My mother-in-law's own recipe)
1. Purchase Pepperidge Farm Herb Bread Stuffing
2. Melt 1 stick of margarine in a pan and use to sautee 1.5 cups of chopped onions and 1.5 cups of chopped celery until translucent
3. Mix bread cubes with 1 can chicken broth, 1 can of H20 and vegetable sautee
4. Stuff some in into turkey and cook the rest at 350 for 1/2 hour until crispy.
Sweet Potatoes: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Candied-Sweet-Potatoes-102577 (we added marshmallows on top)
PS, some of the best sweet potatoes I've ever had!
Green bean Casserole: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/not-your-mamas-green-bean-casserole-recipe/index.html
Chestnut dressing: (1lb chestnuts pureed and mixed with 1/4 cup butter then baked)
Mashed Potatoes: (My mother-in-law whipped them up from memory--she's crazy good)
Brussel Sprouts: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/brussels-sprouts-with-pecans-and-cranberries-recipe/index.html
Baked parsnips and carrots: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Carrots-and-Parsnips-with-White-Balsamic-361792
Butternut squash soup: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Butternut-Squash-Soup-with-Cider-Cream-15657
Mac & Cheese: (My step-dad's own secret recipe - 4 kinds of cheese)
Vegan Mac & Cheese (por moi): Same as above but with vegan substitutions
Fresh cranberry sauce:
1. In a food processor combine 2 cups raw cranberries, 1" fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons candied orange peel and splenda to taste.
Canned cranberry sauce: Take out and slice. Period.
Apple Pie:(My mother-in-law whipped them up from memory--I'm going to need to seriously pick her brain--abby-normal!)
Zucchini Bread: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,164,148176-254205,00.html
We didn't use the 2 1/2 oz of unsweetened chocolate, it would have been too much.
Pecan Pie: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/english-toffee-pecan-pie
I went to half a dozen grocery stores before I finally found the toffee bits at Albertsons...very impressed with Albertson's selection.
Pumpkin Pie: Off the Libby's can...I still want to find a vegan recipe tho, I LOVE pumpkin pie and couldn't eat this one because of the evaporated milk.
Cranberry Surprise: (My Aunt Flo's recipe)
1. Mix together 1/4 cup butter, 2 cups fresh cranberries, 1/2 sugar and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, set aside
2. Beat together, until thoroughly mixed, 2 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup melted butter.
3. Spread the 2nd mixture over the cranberry mixture. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes, until golden. Serve with real whipped cream
