Borscht with Cauliflower

Borscht with Cauliflower

Like most everyone I know, I overindulged over the December holidays. So, it’s time for some austerity — caloriewise, healthwise — with the menu.

But I like good food. Tasty food. Filling, satisfying food that looks good enough to please.

This soup has it all. It’s a riff on classic Borscht — cabbage is the foundation of Borscht but I didn’t have any! So I used cauliflower. It’s in the cabbage family after all. Mishpocha maybe.

It was perfect.

Borscht with Cauliflower

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 clove garlic, chopped

• 2 medium-large beets, peeled and shredded

• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped

• 1 parsnip, peeled and shredded

• 2 cups cut up cauliflower

• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

• 6 cups vegetable stock

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

• freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 large Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced

• 3 tablespoons white vinegar, approximately

• 1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

• dairy sour cream or plain Greek style yogurt, optional

Heat the vegetable oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, beets, tomatoes, parsnip, cauliflower and parsley and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Pour in the stock, add the bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, one hour. Add the potato and cook for 45-60 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Stir in the vinegar and dill and cook for 12-15 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper or vinegar to taste. Remove the bay leaf. If the soup is cooked using vegetable stock, serve it garnished with a dollop of sour cream if desired. 

Makes 6-8 servings

Dairy-free Roasted Pepper Soup

Anyone who reads my posts knows that on New Year’s Eve we feast on hors d’oeuvre throughout the day — no real sit-down dinner. Dessert is later in the evening.

But my cousins sleep over for a couple of days and that means real meals too.

On one of the nights they are with us I usually serve either Rack of Lamb or Rib Roast — the dinner we used to eat on New Year’s Eve long ago before we decided on the nibble fest.

For starters? This soup. Light enough to precede a heavy meat meal and colorful enough for a celebration. Bonus: you can make this a few days ahead!

ROASTED RED PEPPER SOUP

• 4 sweet red, orange and/or yellow bell peppers

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 medium scallions, chopped

• 2 carrots, chopped

• 1 large clove garlic, chopped

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley plus more for garnish if desired

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

• 6 tablespoons raw white rice

• 5 cups vegetable stock

• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste

• freshly ground black pepper

• 3/4 to 1 cup non-dairy milk, optional

Preheat the broiler. Place the peppers under the broiler, about 4-6" away from the heat. Broil for 2-3 minutes, until the skin has blistered. Turn the peppers and repeat this process until the entire surface is blistered and lightly charred. Remove the peppers and place them in a paper bag or wrap in aluminum foil. Let rest at least 10 minutes. Remove the peppers from the bag, peel off the skin and discard the stem and the seeds. Cut the peppers into pieces and set aside. 

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the scallions, carrots, garlic, parsley and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables have softened slightly. Stir in the rice. Add the peppers and stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat and cook at a simmer for 25 minutes. Add non-dairy milk if desired. Puree in a food processor or blender. Serve hot or chilled.

Makes 6 servings

Mushroom Chips

It doesn’t get easier than this: one of the hors d’oeuvre I’ll be serving on New Year’s Eve.

Mushroom chips

• 4 large king oyster mushrooms

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• kosher salt or sea salt

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Slice the mushrooms about 1/8-inch thick. Place the mushrooms on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and thyme. Roast for about 20 minutes, turning them over after the first 10 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Gougeres for the Win!

These little puffs of crispy pastry are an absolute gift to anyone who cooks. Choux pastry — once you make it the first time you understand how fabulous these are. Make them plain and they are profiteroles (pour some fudge sauce over them). Add cheese and herbs and they become gougeres for cocktail nibbles (eat them as is or cut them open and fill with all sorts of things such as egg salad or smoked trout). Make them plain and bigger and they’re cream puffs. Lots of variations. Here’s one for Choux pastry swans.

In the meantime, here’s the recipe for gougeres:

Herb and Cheese Gougeres (Choux Puffs)

• 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons water

• 1/4 pound unsalted butter, cut into chunks

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 4 large eggs

• 1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mixed herbs, or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese

• pinch cayenne pepper

• egg glaze: 1 large egg mixed with 2 teaspoons water, optional

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cook the water and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the flour and salt all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture is well blended and begins to come away from the sides of the pan. Remove pan from the heat and let the
mixture cool for 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition. Add the herbs, cheese and cayenne pepper and blend them in thoroughly. Drop 1-inch mounds of dough from a teaspoon onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Leave space between the mounds for the puffs to rise. For a
shiny surface on the puffs, lightly brush the tops of the mounds with some of the egg wash. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the puffs are lightly brown and crispy. Lower the heat to 300 degrees and bake for another 5-6 minutes. Turn off the heat but leave the puffs in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. Or cut them open and fill them.

Makes about 60

Persimmon Salsa

I’m continuing my search for some new nibbles for our New Year’s Eve hors d’oeuvres fest — and found a definite!

Persimmon salsa (I’m fortunate to have found some lovely persimmons in the market).

This is a yes because not only is it delicious, it’s also quick and easy to make and so colorful and inviting for a celebration.

Btw — this is also a nice side dish with grilled meat, fish or chicken. And maybe even useful for a Superbowl party — don’t pass this by!

PERSIMMON SALSA

• 2 Fuyu persimmons

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

• 2-3 teaspoons finely chopped chili pepper

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion

• 1 teaspoon very finely grated lime zest

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon honey

• salt to taste

Chop the persimmons into small pieces and place them in a bowl. Add the mint, chili pepper, red onion and lime zest and mix to distribute the ingredients. Pour in the lime juice, olive oil and honey, sprinkle with salt and toss the ingredients. Let rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups 

Broiled Grapefruit

Broiled Grapefruit

Hanukkah’s over and I am already on to New Year’s weekend, contemplating what to serve to my cousins, who always stay for a few days.

Years ago, our “group” — the cousins, Les and Neil, plus my sister-in-law Eileen and brother Jeff — agreed that on New Year’s Eve we would have a day of hors d’oeuvres rather than a big sit-down dinner. We break the day up into separate eating times so that at noonish we will have such goodies as Almond Crusted Chicken Nuggets and Lamb kebabs and a dip or two: Potlagela and Matbucha for sure and probably hummus.

Later on we’ll feast on Pizza with Spinach, Tomato and Cheese, Romanian Cheese Turnovers and an assortment of cheese and crackers accompanied by the Pepper Jam I made last summer from the chili peppers in my garden. Maybe some Lox and Cream Cheese Spread.

Dessert — always one of the apple pies I made last fall. And I’m thinking — Irish Whiskey Cake, because it is one of the most scrumptious cakes ever created.

I used to have a New Year’s Day brunch for the group, but haven’t done that for years. It was always too much food and too much work and so it’s just the cousins and us for plain old breakfast, meaning smoked fish and bagels.

Plus fruit of some sort.

This year I decided the fruit will be one of the simplest recipes I’ve ever made. Broiled Grapefruit. Honestly, it doesn’t get easier than this:

Broiled Grapefruit

• 4 medium red or pink grapefruit

• 4 tablespoons turbinado (or other crystal) sugar

• cinnamon or grated nutmeg

• Aleppo pepper or cayenne pepper, optional

Preheat the broiler with the rack 4-6 inches below the heat. Slice each grapefruit in half,** then (preferably using a serrated grapefruit knife) cut around the edges of each half to loosen the flesh, then cut the flesh into segments inside the shell. Place the prepared grapefruit halves on a baking sheet. Sprinkle each half with equal amounts of the sugar (each whole grapefruit (2 halves) will get about one tablespoon of sugar). Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon or nutmeg. Add a hint of pepper if desired. Broil for about 6-8 minutes or until the surface is caramelized.

Makes 4 servings

**I also slice the bottom of the grapefruit halves so they are more stable on the baking pan.

Spinach Pie

Every Hanukkah in our family, we retell the story of Judith, who played a major role in the Maccabees’ victory some 2000 years ago. According to the story, Judith visited Holofernes, a general in the enemy camp; he fell in love with her and asked her to dine with him.

During the meal Judith gave him great quantities of cheese, which made him very thirsty! To quench his thirst he drank so much wine that he fell asleep and Judith cut off his head with his own sword.

Thus was she able to get word to the Maccabees about the best time to strike.

Note: there are dozens of artworks depicting the event, including this well-known painting which hangs in the Uffizi gallery.

Since that fateful victory we have been making merry every year with an 8 day Hanukkah celebration.

Our celebrations are known to include latkes!

But did you know that the first “traditional” Hanukkah ingredient was cheese!

And that’s because of Judith.

Long ago it was Cheese Latkes that Jewish cooks prepared for Hanukkah.

But so many people couldn’t afford cheese so they substituted potato. Not bad, that.

Still. I always serve something made with cheese, every Hanukkah.

This year, how about this Cheese-loaded Spinach Pie to to remember the brave, intrepid Judith?

Cheese Loaded Spinach PIE

•  1 tablespoon butter

• 1/4 cup chopped red onion

• 6 ounces fresh spinach

• 1 partially baked 9-inch pie crust

• 3-4 ounces grated Swiss cheese

• 4 large eggs

• 2 cups half and half cream

• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the red onion and cook for 1-2 minutes to soften it slightly. Add the spinach and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the spinach is completely wilted. If there is liquid in the pan, continue to cook until the spinach is dry (alternatively, place in a strainer and press out the excess liquid). Place the spinach inside the partially baked pie crust. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Beat the eggs and cream together with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the ingredients in the pie crust. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and set.

Makes 6-8 servings

Meatball Nosh

I had a little cranberry sauce and a bottle of chili sauce and a small amount of ground beef. Not enough to use for dinner, so I made a version of the Elegant but Easy Cookbook recipe for cocktail meatballs (Marion Burros and Lois Levine). I didn’t have the recipe in front of me but remembered it was little meatball cooked in a combo of grape jelly and chili sauce. The version I made was delicious and just enough for a nice little nosh for 2. I made a fraction of the recipe below.

Gonna make these for New Year’s, when we have hors d’oeuvres at different points during the day (no actual dinner).

Cocktail Meatballs: heat 1-1/2 cups cranberry sauce, 1-1/2 cups chili sauce, 1/4 cup orange juice and 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger in a saucepan. Stir to blend the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low. In a bowl, mix 1 pound ground beef (or use turkey or veal) with 1 egg and enough breadcrumbs to bind the mixture well. Make 1-inch meatballs and place them in the sauce. Cook for 35-40 minutes, spooning the sauce over the meatballs occasionally and turning them to coat all sides.

Makes 8 servings

Zucchini Latkes with Cheese

Anyone who knows me knows that the humble potato is my favorite food, so of course I am going to make potato latkes for Hanukkah!

But, ya know …. it’s a long, delicious holiday, so there’s time for zucchini latkes too. The recipe here includes cheese, because on Hanukkah I like to prepare food with cheese in honor of Judith, heroine of Hanukkah! You can read about it here.

Of course you can make these latkes without the cheese. They’re delicious either way.

Zucchini Latkes with Cheese

• 2 medium zucchini (10-12 ounces each)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion

• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, approximately (Matzo meal also fine)

• vegetable oil for frying

Shred the zucchini in a food processor (or grate by hand). Place the shreds in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, toss the shreds and let rest for 10-12 minutes. Squeeze the shreds to extract as much liquid as possible. Return the shreds to the bowl. Add the onion, cheese and eggs and mix the ingredients. Add the bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. If the mixture seems too loose or soft, add another tablespoon or two (different bread crumbs absorb liquid/moisture differently). Heat about 1/8-inch vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Spoon portions of the mixture into the pan to make latkes about 2-inches in diameter. Leave some space between each one. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until crispy and golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining zucchini mixture. Serve with dairy sour cream or plain yogurt or mashed avocado.

Makes about 12

Moroccan-Spiced Vegetable Kugel

Back in September I posted a recipe for a dish (Couscous with Seven Vegetables) that is traditional on Rosh Hashanah among the Jews of North Africa. We love the dish so much that I made it several times, changing the spices a bit each time. Then, one time, I decided to use the same vegetables and seasonings but instead of serving them over couscous, mix them into a kugel.

It worked perfectly!

Of course the texture of kugel vs braised vegetables over couscous is quite different. But the flavors are reminiscent of each other and just as delicious, either way.

This is a good side dish for Thanksgiving. First, it goes so well with turkey. It’s a good choice for any vegetarians who might be at your table. and also, you can make it in advance

Moroccan-Spiced Vegetable Kugel 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 small onion, sliced

• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger

• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices

• 1 medium tomato, cut into chunks

• 1 small parsnip, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch slices, optional

• 1/2 cup cut up bite sized butternut squash

• 1/2 teaspoon ras al hanout (or use 1/4 teaspoon harissa plus 1/8 teaspoon each of ground ginger, turmeric and cinnamon)

• 3/4 cup vegetable stock

• 1 cup diced zucchini

• 1/4 red bell pepper, cut into bite sized chunks

• 1/2 cup raisins

• 1/2 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

• Salt to taste

• 12 ounces egg noodles

• 3 eggs

Preheat the oven to 375F. Heat the olive oil in sautepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for about 4 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute. Add the carrot, tomato, parsnip and squash and stir the ingredients. Stir in the ras al hanout. Add the stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for about 15 minutes. Add the zucchini, bell pepper, raisins and chickpeas. Cook for about 10 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender. Add salt to taste. Cook the noodles according to the manufacturer’s directions. Spoon the vegetables and pan fluids into the noodles and mix to distribute the ingredients evenly. Beat the eggs and mix them in. Place inside a baking dish and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the top is crispy.

Makes 4 dinner servings, 8 side dish servings