Almost Passover - Let the Cooking Begin in Ernest

Joanna called me at 7:30 this morning with her first cooking question of the day - "Since my brisket is huge, and the roasting pan from Grandma Hazel barely fits in the oven, how do I sear the brisket in the oven rather than on top of the stove?"  We decided that 20 minutes at 450°F/220°C should work just fine.  It will look like the photo above, but without the lima beans.  And while she's busy cooking most of the meal, I've dishes of my own to prepare...

Getting Ready for Jewish New Year Festivities

My trip to the farmers market today was a little different than usual.  Normally, the focus is on the meat.... gotta love the folks at Getaway Farm... and the package on the right is flank steak to celebrate my Honey's birthday on Tuesday.  I'm just not sure which marinade to use ... but I'll keep you posted.  That said, most of today's goodies focus on the upcoming Rosh Hashana dinner...

Always Looking for a New Spin on Latkes

I think food-wise, Hanukah is my favorite holiday.   After all, who doesn't love fried potatoes?  But I have an even more specific tradition... a platter of many colored and flavored latkes....

UPDATE:  my take on the NY Times recipe - Potato Beet Latkes to add to my rainbow.

My standard...a trio of... Potato Latkes - naturally!  Curried Sweet Potato Latkes - everyone loves them, but not nearly as much as potato.  They're gone in a minute any other time of year, but on Hanukah... not even tried until we've all had our fill of potato!  Zucchini or broccoli latkes add a hint of green for a sneaky way to add some more vitamins to the mix of oil and eggs.

But I still want more color on the platter!  And I'm excited to say that I found a recipe on NY Times.com  for Red Flannel Laktes with a single beet to turn them a glorious shade of red.  Guess who's coming to the table this year!

Another tradition... terrible photo, but you won't find a better recipe for BBQ Brisket anywhere.  It's a perfect side to the starring latkes.   I know... strange to have latkes ... humble potato, sweet potato or zucchini... being the focus, and the meat etc., taking a back seat.

No time to do the three stages of marinating and cooking this year, my side... will be my cousin Sonia's Swedish Meatballs.  Sonia is actually Swedish and married to my cousin Steve, now lives in Florida, but wherever she is in reality... she's at our table every Hanukah!

As for dessert... being raised during the 1950's in Montreal, my family and all of our friends were Ashkenazi - European Jews and it wasn't until I was an adult that I was introduced to Sephardi Jews from Spain, North Africa and the Middle East and their wonderful food traditions... we just gorged on latkes and waddled home when we were stuffed.  Sufganiot or doughnuts stuffed with jelly was completely unknown.   To this day, I leave the making (or buying) of those to others if they choose.

Still Savoring Jewish High Holidays

Somehow, in all the rush, I never did get to formally wish my Jewish friends a Shana Tova - loosely translated - a "Good Year".   For the Jewish High Holidays, we serve sweet dishes, starting with simply dipping apples in honey and challahs shaped in a circle, rather than braided and kneaded with raisins.  To all my friends of every culture and religion, I wish you a year ahead filled with peace, prosperity, good health and much joy.

This year, my role was to mostly play Grandma while my daughter and others cooked the traditional dishes of chicken soup with matzo balls, roasted brisket, bow ties & kasha, potato kugel, and more.  For Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year), the table groans with at least four courses.  Guests squeeze around tables (sometimes more than one, end to end) to share in the celebratory feasting.

And then there's Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement which is a day of fasting that begins before the sun sets and ends the following day... also after sunset.  The Breaking of the Fast is yet another feast, in our family it is usually dairy.  Bagels, lox & cream cheese, several salads, a soup and something hot like a sweet kugel or lasagna.  Another delicious meal!  That said...

Traditionally, the evening (or should I say afternoon) meal before fasting is a bland meal, eaten in a rush sometime around 4PM to make sure we get to the synagogue or temple before the sun sets. Bland so that we won't get thirsty - even water is included in the fast.  Hurried, because we all want to get to temple before sunset.  As a child, it was always a quick meal, usually some of the boiled chicken from the chicken soup and.... I don't even remember, but it was not my mother's best meal either,  not like any other holiday meal and I would never use the word "feast" to describe it.  In fact, this was not a meal we ever invited anyone to - just immediate family... in a hurry.  In other words, my least favorite meal to prepare.   Until this year.   (and now for my usual digression...)

I just received a copy of Claudia Rosen's latest cookbook - The Food of Spain last week.  I love Claudia Rosen - her recipes and her comprehensive research plus her wonderful story-telling.   You'll hear more about it in the next few weeks, but it did make me take The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York, an earlier Claudia Rosen classic... Don't you love the title - so romantic and exotic... off my shelf and savor some tales and some tasty treats from Jewish kitchens throughout time and around the world... like the Lamb with Dried Fruit & Toasted Almonds that I adapted and served over a variation of one of my favorite couscous dishes - Couscous with Currants, Barberries & Mint to sop up the thick gravy of honey, ginger & cinnamon.

And, because couscous is a pasta, this is my sweet, yet savory entry for this week's Presto Pasta Night, hosted by Kirsten of From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours.  Create a dish, write a post, mention and link to Presto Pasta Nights and From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours and send an email to kirstenmlindquist (at) gmail (dot) com and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday to make it into Friday's roundup.

Passover Seder Menu

It's that time of year again, when I start getting serious about my Passover Seder Menu. For the last few years, I've only had to make a side dish or two, or even better, spent the day in Joanna's (my older daughter)Kitchen preparing together or playing Grandma, and keeping little boys occupied while Mummy cooked. The photo is of Joanna, Sharron (my baby who couldn't make it this year) and me.

This year, the first seder is at our house and we'll be ten... small compared to the twenty or so I used to feed when we lived in Montreal, years ago. And, I even have help with the menu. My son-in-law's (Ezra) mother will be making the chopped liver, potato kugel and bringing dessert. Ezra's sister, who is a great baker will be making a flourless cake.

For those of you still hunting for a new dish or two to add, I hope this gives you some idea. The photos here are for those traditional dishes I've made time and time again. The rest will be photographed - hopefully - on Monday and added later. Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls Gefilte Fish (I buy the frozen prepared logs and just boil them up, but I do make my own horseradish sauce - Chrain)

Cheryl's Chopped Liver

Bitter Greens Salad with Berries & Citrus Vinaigrette

Brisket with Mushroom Rub & Gravy Potato Kugel (Cheryl's making hers, but this is my recipe)

Roasted Asparagus (without the cheese - just a balsamic drizzle)

Gingery Carrots, otherwise known as Tsimmis

Dessert... surprises

That's on top of the ritual eating during the actual Seder portion. For those who are wondering what that is. This Wikipedia explains it quite well. So in addition to the lamb shank bone & one egg that roasts along with the brisket boiled eggs in salted water for everyone, there's the Charoset or mortar - a sweet mixture to remind us of the mortar Jewish slaves used to build the pyramids in Egypt. This year my friend Jane of Janes on the Common found a new recipe for it that I'm going to try too. Pistachio & Dried Fruit version from Bon Appetit and it sounds delicious.

All in all, I think I'm ready... just need to buy some stretchy pants to wear after all this eating!

Purim is Here and Naturally the Hamantashen Wars

I love Purim, which is definitely the most kid friendly holiday ever. It's a powerful story filled with lots of intrigue, starring a power hungry king, Achashverosh, an evil Prime Minister, Haman, and a beautiful Queen, Esther.

Today it's celebrated with dress up parties and lots of delicious food and drink. Above - Joanna, as Queen Esther, (still always dressing up as anything "Princess") and her younger sister, Sharron, the Court Jester (she always was the ham). Joanna's children will be dressing up quite differently for the Purim party tomorrow. Boaz, I'm told is going as a giraffe and Dov as Spiderman.

But back to food....truthfully, although you can find many great dishes for your Purim parties, for me, it's all about the Hamantashen...filled cookies shaped like Haman's three cornered hat. And everyone has their own favorite. Much like bagel wars, there is always a heated discussion when it comes to filling and dough.

Hamantashen times two

Even in our own family we have very definite opinions. I love mine with a tart and tangy prune and apricot filling like my mother used to make. Joanna, loves the sweeter date filled and the poppy seed fillings equally. My Honey, on the other hand is impartial...he loves them all equally, including the chocolate filled (which to me is a travesty).

So the other day, in preparation, Joanna and I got together at her place and made two versions (my station was at the front - I used my take on Marcy Goldman's version, with memories of my mother's. Joanna followed Faye Levy's recipe. And if you look at the photo of the cookies, mine are shinier from the egg wash and oil based dough, Joanna's are whiter and three year old Boaz went free form with sprinkles. He did help me make circle shapes for my hamantashen as well. It's always fun to bake with kids. Soon enough his brother will be helping out too.

And for the big question....Do you like your cookie fillings tangy or sweet?

Happy Purim everyone! And for my non-Jewish friends, the cookies are still delicious and the story a great read, especially if you love the intrigue of Royal Courts through the Ages.

Eeny Meanie ...Tilapia or Salmon is the Question

Tick, tock...Rosh Hashana starts tomorrow, dinner here, on Saturday. I did make the soup...not the traditional chicken soup with matzo balls - Joanna is doing that tomorrow. I decided to try something new and it's very tasty...Velvety Squash & Carrot Soup with Curried Matzo Balls. The curry is very mild and just adds a delightful je ne sais quoi. In fact, I used whole grain matzo meal and they really had a texture and flavor of meat.

Yesterday I was still debating about what to serve for the second course, especially since I decided not to make gefilte fish...several options here...but none appeal to me this time.

So I thought I'd try a couple of recipes from Faye Levy's latest book Healthy Cooking for the Jewish Home (I wrote about the book last April). The problem is they are both absolutely fantastic.

Salmon in Leek & Olive Sauce

Tilapia in Tomato Saffron Sauce

I think I'll do the tilapia ...less steps and for twelve guest...less is more...or at least better for the cook. Both are really fabulous for regular dinners.

The chicken is marinating...the dough for the challah is resting in the fridge...now it's on to dessert. I was planning three...wonder how many I'll actually pull off.

For those of you celebrating the New Year ..Shana Tova and to everyone...I wish you a healthy, prosperous and sweet year ahead.