Blintzes for Shavuot, or Anytime! + Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

We had a pre-Erev Shavuot dinner together at 412, and Nomi even dropped a blintz by for Rilka who was just out of surgery. (During COVID.)

I hadn't made these since I made them with my mom when I was about 17 - so, fifty years ago. They aren't hard but a lot of it is defined by the size pan. Go with an 8" or 9" non-stick. The rim of the pan shapes them; if you use a griddle, they don't have anything shaping them.

Best is a lb of farmer cheese, if you can source it. It is much drier than ricotta.

If not, you can use ricotta. Measure out the ricotta the night before and put it in a coffee filter to strain out the liquid. This method worked perfectly - a good 2 T. of liquid was there in the AM. No need to use cheesecloth.

The technique is easy to follow on this video, but I modified his recipe. Mine is below.

Makes about a dozen+ blintzes. 

For the batter:
4 large eggs
1 ⅓ c milk (a portion can be buttermilk, like up to 25%)

⅓ c cold water (if you're short of milk, you can add more water to make up the difference)
1 ⅓ c all-purpose flour (up to 1/4 can be whole wheat)
4 t white sugar
½ tsp salt
2 T + 2 t vegetable oil
⅓ t vanilla

cinammon to taste
I made the batter in this pancake dispense gizmo. To blend well, I used the immersion blender. Worked great. 

Mix all the  ingredients in a blender until flour is well-integrated. Scrape sides as needed. Let batter sit at room temperature about a half hour. Meanwhile, make the filling. (The advantage of a blender is you can pour batter into the skillet.)

For the filling:

1 lb. farmer cheese (they have many different brands at NetCost)
zest from one lemon
pinch salt
2 T  sugar, or more to taste
1 large egg

Heat an 8" frying pan to medium, melting some butter in it. Pour a scant 1/2 c batter, just enough to cover the bottom. Swirl as needed. When the top dries, flip onto a clean dish towel and repeat, adding butter as needed. The blintz should not brown. That comes from frying them when it's rolled up. 

Check the first one or two to make sure they're pliable for folding. If they're not very flexible. Nomi had a job making crepes when she was a teen, so channel her. 

This makes about 12-14. 

Our Zwilling ceramic pan, purchased in Chestertown, is perfect and really doesn't need added butter.

You can start on the filling while you're frying the blintz discs. 

If your blintzes are browning on the bottom (which is the case with the induction at 3 or 4), fold the blintz with the browned side up.

Eventually you can choreograph it so you can fill and roll a blintz while cooking one.

Put one generous T of filling toward the bottom of the disc and flatten a little. Fold the sides in and roll up. (If they come out as trapezoids, the batter is too thick.) Depending on the diameter, they may come out more square shaped. It doesn't matter, really.

Repeat.

Fry in butter until beautifully browned. 

Shavuot is rhubarb season - I made a rhubarb/strawberry compote, Yum!!

Water - not too much, as the fruits shed water when cooked. But put the water in first or the pan burns.

Equal amounts hulled strawberries and chopped rhubarb (they are local at the same time.)

Sugar to taste

A squeeze of lemon, a little vanilla

Mint - for garnish

Bring to a boil and cook for about 25 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

If you want it thicker, add a tablespoon of cornstarch to enough water to dissolve. Add it to the boiling mixture and cook for a minute, until is thickens. Same technique as Blueberry/Peach soup.

Oh She Glows Red Lentil Kale Tomato Soup

This is lighter than most of the lentil soups I make. It comes together fast.

Spiced Red Lentil, Tomato, and Kale Soup

1 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 sweet onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 t ground cumin
2 t chili powder
1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t smoked sweet paprika, to taste
1/8 t cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can diced tomatoes, with juices
5 to 6 c (1.25 to 1.5L) low-sodium vegetable broth, as needed
1 c uncooked red lentils, rinsed and drained
Fine grain sea salt and pepper, to taste
3 handfuls destemmed and chopped kale leaves or baby spinach (in small bunch lacinato)

In a large pot, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil for about 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat. 

Add in the celery and sauté for a few minutes more.
Stir in the bay leaf and the spices (cumin, chili powder, coriander, paprika, cayenne).
Stir in the can of tomatoes (including the juice), broth, and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and then simmer, uncovered, for about 20 to 25 minutes, until lentils are tender and fluffy.
Stir in kale or spinach and cook until just wilted. [Run the immersion blender til desired consistency]

Jane Brody Bran Pretzel Rolls

I baked these when you were little. They aren't exactly no-knead, but you knead the dough in the bowl so they're a bit easier than many yeast doughs.

They have both whole-grain cereal and whole wheat, making them very fiber rich.

Jane Brody is still, in 2021, at age 80 a NYTimes Science/Healthy columnist, so she has been a guide my whole adult life. In the 80s she had a PBS cooking show I watched occasionally, and I have two of her cookbooks. They aren't fancy, but the recipes are good and things you'd really make, with healthy ingredients.

These are prettier with an egg wash glaze and sesame seeds. I baked them during the 2020 CoronaQuarantine, when I was craving yeasty rolls.

I just baked some for Eyal and Nadav's first days at the ECP.
They are satisfying and just a little sweet - what I enjoy for breakfast.

Four addenda:

1) No need to refrigerate the dough. Today, with a room temperature of 66 or so, I rolled the pretzels out after the first rise with room temperature dough, much easier. I shaped them and left the tins out for about 3-4 hours at room temperature and they were fine. Eyal, Nadav and I egg-washed and sprinkled them.

2) If you do refrigerate the dough, let it come to room temperature before rolling out. The cold dough is very hard to work with.

Roll it into an oblong, and cut it into 24 long lengths. This saves a lot of time!

3) To make the pretzel shape, curve 12" strands and curve them, crossing each other, and attach. Take the two endsand press both end into the edge. A fancier version: twist before attaching.

The thinner and longer you roll the dough, the more defined the pretzel shape is.

4) Egg wash before the rise. Rewash and sprinkle with sesame seeds for a prettier roll.

After the 2 hour rising. 

Cookie 'n Kate Best Lentil Soup

I pretty much switched to cooking with red lentils because the soups come out so pretty. This is a good straightforward green/brown lentil soup.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, lightly drained
1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over and rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup chopped fresh collard greens or kale, tough ribs removed
1 to 2 T lemon juice (1/2 to 1 medium lemon), to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. One-fourth cup olive oil may seem like a lot, but it adds a lovely richness and heartiness to this nutritious soup.

Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion and carrot and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, cumin, curry powder and thyme. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Pour in the drained diced tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often, in order to enhance their flavor.

Pour in the lentils, broth and the water. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape.

Use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the soup to thicken, but don't obliterate the chopped ingredients!

Add the chopped greens and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the greens have softened to your liking. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1 T of lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice until the flavors really sing. For spicier soup, add another pinch or two of red pepper flakes.

Becca's Beloved Fried Chickpeas

Here's a flexible, easy prep from Bon Appetit. Becca makes it often. It's very flexible. I just paired it w chopped fresh snap-peas instead of herbs.

2 15.5-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed (I don't bother to dry them) and DRAINED. The drier the chickpeas are, the better.
4 garlic cloves, crushed
⅓ cup olive oil
salt, freshly ground pepper (other recipes have a wide variety of spicing)
2½ cups chopped mixed tender herbs (such as parsley, cilantro, chives, and/or basil)

Place chickpeas in a large skillet or Dutch oven and add garlic and oil; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas are crisped and some have split open (these will be the most delicious ones), 10–15 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in herbs.

Sweet Potato Peanut Chickpea Soup

West African Peanut Soup - for a one dish light dinner. Gorgeous color, and lots of superfoods (greens, sweet potato, chickpeas).

This recipe is from the Love Real Food cookbook by Kathryne Taylor of Cookie + Kate - this blogger made some small adjustments to the ingredients and instructions, and so did I.

Here are some endorsements from the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020. We sent a few items left behind to Nomi and Micah via Lyft, and included a quart of this elixir.

1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium-large sweet potato (mine was about 3/4-lb.), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed; finely chopped
salt
2 T fresh grated ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 T)
5 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
1/4 cups water
3/4 cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter*
6 oz tomato paste
1 medium bunch of lacinato (dino) kale**, ribs removed & leaves chopped into bite-sized pieces (about 2 cups packed)
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1/2-1 T Sriracha or other hot sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Garnishes:
1/2 cup roughly chopped peanuts
1 handful of chopped fresh cilantro or other herbs (I used leftover parsley)

In a dutch oven or very large pot, warm 2 T of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, sweet potato, jalapeño and a sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the sweet potatoes are beginning to soften - 10-15 mins. (If the onions are starting to brown, you can turn the heat down a bit).

Add the grated ginger, garlic and 1 tsp of salt, and the 5 c of broth. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 min or until fragrant.

Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer (beginning to bubble - this may take a while). Once simmering, cook for 15 mins, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer. Use an immersion blender at this point if you want a smoother soup.

Meanwhile, take 1/4 c hot water in a 2 c. measuring cup, and dump peanut butter until it registers 1 c. Combine with the tomato paste. Mix until smooth, and then pour into the soup and mix well.

Continue cooking for about 10-15 minutes, or until the soup has thickened.

Add the chickpeas and chopped greens, and continue cooking for another 5-10 mins. Add Sriracha to taste. You can also add a bit more salt to taste. Serve topped with chopped peanuts and herbs.


**I really like how lacinato/dino kale holds up in this and other soups, but regular curly kale or collard greens work, too.


West African Peanut Soup https://chefshiv.com/west-african-peanut-soup/

Eggplant Parmesan: Work in Progress

Eggplant parmesan is Becca's absolute fave.
The nuisance of making it is peeling and then breading and frying or baking the slices.
For awhile Trader Joe's had a peeled, breaded eggplant cutlet produce but alas, it's discontinued. I found a new brand, Maccabee, that is breaded and fried. Others in the freezer section are not peeled, which is a disqualifier, in my book.

Tried this: one large eggplant, sliced in 3/8" slices. 2 eggs, bread crumbs as needed. Dip in eggs, spread with bread crumbs, and bake on tins in a 425-450 oven til brown. Longer than you think it will take, 10 minutes or so a side.

Then, assemble with the mozzarella, marinara, and parmesan. Bake about 20 minutes.