Asparagus and Fresh Herbs

It's been quite some time since I shared my recipes. I apologize. Last weekend I presented at a Public History conference in Milwaukee, WI, and I confess it took up most of my energy in the weeks leading up. While there I had my fill of cherry tomatoes, cubes of cheese and bite-sized cookies. I couldn't wait to get back to my kitchen, although I did see some amazing historical kitchens at a behind-the-scenes tour of Old World Wisconsin.

These recipes are from the last couple weeks, but most share two things in common: a side of asparagus and fresh herbs. This Spring I potted some Basil and Thyme in little my window. Originally I was going to grow them from seeds, but then I went to the market, saw these lovely little seedlings and just had to buy them. They are doing quite well. And I had fun decorating their little pots.

I had never cooked Lamb before, so I thought I'd give it a try--especially it being Passover (at the time, that is). Likewise, I had a plethora of Matzo meal on hand, so I thought I'd try a sort of falafel (after all, Matzo Balls do resemble the Garbanzo Bean balls, though boiled and not fried). With a ton of Parsley in the frig, I had to think of a way to use it up. Presto Pesto! It turned out very well. And finally, this week's soup is brought to you by the Chicken broth I made when I slow-cooked a chicken a couple weeks ago. I'm happy to have found an (extremely low sodium) broth--in fact I slow-cooked another chicken this evening, just to freeze more stock for soups and stews.

Lamb with Asparagus and Paprika Sauce

Olive Oil

Garlic

Lamb Shanks

Herbs

Red Wine

Asparagus

Onion

Plain Yogurt

Wine

Paprika

Garlic

Rub lamb with herbs and spices. Pour olive oil and wine in a glass baking dish. Lay lamb in dish, cover with tin foil and bake for ½ hour at 350. Then remove and cook a few minutes in the broiler.

In a separate glass baking dish, roast asparagus with onions.

For sauce, combine yogurt, wine, paprika and garlic.

Eggplant Parmesan without the Parmesan

Olive Oil

Garlic

Herbs

Eggplant

Onion

Tomato

Asparagus

Parmesan cheese

Balsamic vinegar

Roast asparagus and garlic in a glass baking dish, 350 degrees until they begin to brown.

Thinly slice eggplant. Sprinkle with herbs and garlic. Sauté with olive oil until browned. Set aside. Then sauté onions and tomatoes until tender.

Serve with Parmesan cheese and Balsamic vinegar.

Pseudo Falafel

Olive oil

Onions

3/4 cup Matzo Meal

1 Egg

Hummus

Black pepper

Garlic

Mustard

Sour Cream

Garlic

Chop onions finely. Beat one egg. Add onions, matzo meal, pepper, hummus and garlic. Sauté in olive oil until all sides are browned.

Combine ingredients to make sauce.

Serve with asparagus or other green vegetable.

Balsamic Perogies

Olive Oil

Onions

Mushrooms

Sorrel

Black Pepper

Garlic

Pre-made Perogies

Balsamic Vinegar

Boil perogies. Sauté vegetables in small amount of olive oil. Add balsamic vinegar and perogies. Cook until browned on both sides.

  

Parsley Pesto

Olive Oil

1 large bunch of Parsley

Garlic

Almonds

Basil

Parmesan Cheese

Paprika

Black Pepper

Onions

Mushrooms

Pasta

Cook pasta according to instructions. Sauté onions and mushrooms in small amount of olive oil.

Steam parsley for a few minutes to soften, and then chop. In a food processor, blend garlic and almonds. Add chopped parsley, basil, Parmesan cheese and spices. Pour in olive oil and continue to blend until smooth.

Ginger Quinoa with Sautéed Vegetables

Olive Oil

Onions

Tomatoes

Asparagus

Garlic

1/4 cup Quinoa

Ginger powder

Yellow Mustard

Honey

Paprika

Black Pepper

Basil

Cook quinoa according to package directions.

Sauté vegetables in small amount of olive oil.

Combine sauce ingredients, and pour on top.

You can add chicken if you want.

Ribolitta (Cabbage) Soup

Olive Oil

Onions, chopped

Cabbage, sliced

Garlic

Plum tomatoes, diced

Yellow Potatoes, cubed

Homemade Chicken broth (see recipe here)

Cannellini Beans (I cooked dried beans the night before)

Fresh Basil

Fresh Thyme

Sage

Black pepper

Paprika

2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

Parmesan cheese

Sauté onions, garlic and cabbage in a large soup pot. Add potatoes, beans and tomatoes. Pour in chicken broth. Add spices and herbs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1/2 hour. Add vinegar.

Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Passover Menu 2012

I've been anticipating this Passover season for a long time now. It is one of my favorite Jewish holidays, with such a beautiful picture of Redemption and a fore-shadowing of the Messiah. This year I hosted a small Seder for my small group friends. I was so excited to try out some new recipes and revamp my favorites. So with that in mind, gleaned from tradition and Pinterest until I found the right combination of ingredients for my menu.

At first I was going to serve a chicken, along with tzimmes and matzah ball soup, but then I decided it would be easier to just make an hearty Chicken Matzah Ball Soup. I went all out for this one, slow cooking a medium sized chicken (best tasting meat ever!) and then continuing to slow cook the carcass for some homemade broth. 

The Tzimmes is my family's recipe, yet somehow it turns out different each time I make it. This time the carrots didn't get as soft as I like them, but the whole thing still tasted delicious. The Charoset is a family favorite as well. It's not Ashkenazi and it's not Sephardi-- it's Redinger! Enjoy the added kick from the orange. And this year I thought I'd try my hand at Macaroons. They were not difficult, but I wasn't exactly pleased with their consistency. Maybe using white sugar instead of brown would have made them less sticky. Anyhow, they were yummy. And lastly, no Passover is complete without a good batch of Matzah Brei. I've had in on multiple occasions now, once I even combined savory and sweet by sauteing apples and onions together. My favorite though is topped with a hearty apple sauce or homemade Charoset.

Chicken and Curried Matzah Ball Soup

Multiple Servings/Family Size (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

Slow Cooked Chicken:           

1 Ready to cook chicken, thawed, innards removed

1 Onion, chopped

1/2 cup Sorrel, chopped

Paprika

Black Pepper

Rosemary

Thyme

Water

Broth:

Chicken carcass

Remaining vegetables

Water

1 Tbsp White Vinegar

Thaw chicken and remove the innards/giblets. (Funny story, I actually didn’t have time to thaw my chicken all the way, so I held the bird under hot running water for a long time until I could pry the giblets out. I felt like I was reverse-trussing the chicken. It must have been pretty funny to watch.) Anyway, remove fat/skin, then stuff the bird with onion, sorrel and spices. Rub outside pepper and paprika. Place in slow cooker. Pour in water to fill pot about 3/4 full. Cook on low over night, about 7-8 hours.

In the morning, turn off slow cooker and remove meat from bones (which is totally easy at this point). Set aside in the refrigerator unless you are going to use it right away. With carcass and remaining vegetables still in slow cooker, add more water and vinegar and resume cooking on low for another 7-8 hours. Turn off slow cooker and strain out broth.

Matzah Balls:

4 Eggs, beaten
4 tsp. Vegetable Oil
1 tsp. Curry powder
1 cup Matzo meal (not matzo ball mix)

1 tsp. Baking Soda
3 Tbsp Water

Beat eggs. Add other ingredients. Stir well and place in refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

Soup:
Olive oil

Garlic
1 large Onion, chopped

2 medium Zucchini, chopped

½ cup Carrots, chopped

Chicken, cubed and shredded

Chicken broth

Black pepper
Thyme

Sage

Curry Powder

Paprika

Matzah Balls

While matzah meal is in the refrigerator, sauté vegetables in a large soup pot. Add chicken (from slow cooker Chicken you set aside), spices, herbs and broth. Bring to a boil. Make medium-sized balls of matzah meal between your palms. Drop in boiling water. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 or so minutes.

Macaroons

Multiple Servings/Family Size (includes 1 servings of fruit) 

1 14-oz package Shredded Coconut

3/4 cup Sugar

4 Eggs whites

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

1/4 cup finely chopped Almonds

In a large bowl, combine the coconut, sugar, vanilla and egg whites. Divide dough in half. Add lemon juice to one batch, cocoa powder and almonds to the other.

Drop mounds of the mixture (each equal to 2 tablespoons) onto a greased baking sheet, spacing them about 1½ inches apart. Bake at 325 degrees until the edges begin to brown, about 15-25 minutes.

 

Tzimmes

Multiple Servings/Family Size (includes 3-4 servings of vegetables and fruit)

Olive Oil

Sweet Potatoes, cubed

Potatoes, cubed

Carrots, chopped

Onions, chopped

Dried Apricots, diced

Raisins

Cinnamon

Brown Sugar

Red Wine

Water

Boil sweet potatoes in a large pot until just tender. Pour out water, add all other ingredients and stir well. Pour olive oil on the bottom of a large baking dish. Add vegetables, wine and some water. Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour, or until everything is tender.

Charoset

Multiple Servings/Family Size (includes 3 servings of fruit)

 

5 Apples, cored and cut

2 Bananas, peeled and cut

1 Orange, peeled and pulled apart

1 cup Red Wine

1 Tbsp Cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped Walnuts

Chop apples and walnuts in a food processor and then pour into large bowl. Next blend bananas and orange, pour into bowl. Add wine and cinnamon. Stir well.

Matzah Brei

1 Serving

2 eggs, beaten

2 pieces of Matzah, soaked

Cooking spray

Cinnamon

Beat eggs. Take two pieces of matzah and run them under the tap until they are almost too soggy to hold. Crumple into egg mixture. Stir and add cinnamon. Scramble in frying pan. Top with apple sauce, charoset or syrup and butter.