Kasha Varnishkes - tweaked from Jane Brody

I've already been through the year once with this blog, so there are fewer favorites to add, but kasha varnishkes is a great dish.  I have been bringing it to the break fast at the Ferleger Friedmans for probably 15 years.  I love it, Zach loves it, Abba doesn't love it, so I don't make it for us at home much.  However, it is a great lunch  and it's easy to double the recipe and freeze a lot. This recipe makes a HUGE amount.  This is really good stick-to-the-rib food.  Buckwheat is extremely nutritious and when you cook it in egg, even more so. (not vegan.)

When I was a grad student at HUC-JIR, it was on 68th St, so we'd occasionally eat on 72nd Street at what I think was called the Famous, a dairy kosher deli which catered to refugees who populated the area - by the 1970's, they were elderly.  They served this dish with a mushroom gravy, and it was GOOD.  Rumor had it that Isaac Bashevis Singer ate there.  (there was also a great cafe for pastry -Eclaire, very European and elegant, nearby.)

2 t. butter or oil
2 medium onions, chopped fine
½ lb. sliced mushrooms
2 eggs
1 BOX buckwheat groats, medium granulation  = 2¼ c. kasha  (Wolff's is classic, but any brand is fine.)
4½ c. boiling water + bouillon powder (1 T + 1 t)
1 lb bow-ties (large size, not the little ones for soup)
salt & pepper

In a large pot, bring water to boil (about 2 quarts) to boil and cook bowties according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, in a LARGE skillet with a cover, heat the oil and saute the mushrooms and onions until soft and translucent.

In a medium mixing bowl, pour in the box of kasha and two eggs, and mix until all the groats are wet.

Add to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the groats are dry and separate from one another.


Add the hot broth to the skillet, add salt and pepper, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.  If it's an electric stove, you can turn the burner off for most of the time.

Drain the bow-ties.  In a very large serving bowl, mix the bow-ties with the cooked kasha. You will likely have enough for some freezer utensils, too.

(The advantage of this version, a huge quantity, is that it uses the whole box of kasha and the whole box of bow-ties, so you don't have odd amounts left over in your pantry, and isn't much more work than making a normal amount.)

It is good with grated cheese, and also with a gravy.  The ratio of groats to bow-ties isn't strict.  And, the reason not to use the finest granulated kasha is that it's too fine and separates from the pasta so it's hard to eat.

Easiest Shabbat Dinner Ever: Roast Turkey Breast & Galil Potatoes

We named these
Galil Potatoes because Zach described how much he liked that when he was a camper.  Really soooo easy.
The trick with these potatoes is that you need to cook them at a very high temperature for about 45
minutes, and you need to turn them once and manage to do it

Different colored potatoes make a nice presentation

without burning yourself.  I didn't turn the ones pictured here, and they burned a bit.  The other trick, if you are also roasting a turkey breast, is that the the turkey will take about a half hour to 45 minutes longer, so hold off before putting in the potatoes.  This isn't really a recipe so much as a technique.

3 to 4 larger potatoes, your choice, including sweet potatoes and/or
1 container fingerling potatoes
other vegetables you feel like roasting: red onions, carrots, parsnips

• Spray a flat baking pan with olive oil.  
• Wash the potatoes if needed, but do not peel.  (makes it easy!)
• Slide potatoes into eighths or so, shape really doesn't matter
• Toss the slices in the pan, spray with olive oil, and sprinkle with pepper, salt or whatever you like.
• Bake at 450 for about 45 minutes, turning once to prevent burning, taking care not to burn yourself :-).

If you also do a turkey breast, here is how I do it.  Don't know where the honey mustard idea came from, but the aluminum foil pocket method is in The Settlement Cookbook on page 300.

1 Empire Turkey breast, under 5 lbs. (a half turkey breast works, too) - best to thaw first

~ ¼ c mustard

~ ¼ c honey
or use pre-mixed honey mustard, about 4 T.
(for Passover, you can use ketchup and honey, if you don't have mustard.)

seasonings to taste

Use a large piece of HEAVY weight aluminum foil. Shape it into a large roasting pan, creating a leak-free lining with sides and leaving extra for covering the turkey.  Squirt the bottom with honey. Same with the mustard.  

Gently place the turkey in the foil, turn it once so the honey/mustard coats both sides.  Season.  

Carefully close the foil over the breast, folding the sides over and sealing, leaving no open areas where juice can leak - at 450 it will burn and make a mess of the pan.  Seal the foil.  Poke a few holes for steam to escape.

Bake about 1.5 hours at 450.  The sauce is very tasty, so you can pour it into a small bowl w/ a gravy ladle, or serve in a small pitcher.  The fancy solution: a gravy boat.

If it does leak, be sure to soak the pan - a lot of the burned juice will come up in pieces, after a bit.

Jane Brody's Blueberry Pie with Bran Crust

Jane Brody has been my cooking guide for 30 years.  Being a reader of her New York Times columns made me attentive when she published her big book.  When Zach was little, she had a cooking show on NPR, which I watched and further bonded with her.  Nina Wacholder gave me her second book, but I haven't used it quite as much.  Her recipes are good, solid, unpretentiously presented.  She has already healthed them up, taken out excess fat, used whole grains, et al, so you don't need to further modify them.  And her explanations and stories are realistic.  She seems like someone you'd want to have coffee with.
At the moment, I am looking for a new guru, since her recipes are now a generation old.  Will keep you posted.  This blueberry pie is a favorite for summer shabbat.  You can see some of my modifications from over the years, including where an errant blueberry stuck to the page.

Crust:
1½ c Bran Buds (or any all-bran cereal)
 1/4 c all-purpose flour
 2 T butter or margarine, melted
 1/2 cup apple or grape juice

Filling:
 4 c fresh blueberries (2 pints), rinsed
 6 T sugar or to taste
 2 T all-purpose flour
 1 T lemon juice
 1/8 tsp nutmeg or to taste
 2 t confectioners' sugar (optional)
Optional: Limoncello Sauce

Directions:
1. Combine the crust ingredients in a medium bowl. Blend the ingredients until they are well mixed and the cereal is partially softened. Press the mixture onto the bottom and sides of a greased 9-inch pie plate or springform pan, leaving no holes. [The springform pan makes for a beautiful presentation; the blueberries hold their shape fine.]

2. Bake the crust in a preheated 375° oven for about 12 minutes or until edges of the crust begin to brown. Let the crust cool on a rack before filling it.

3. To make the filling, in a medium saucepan with a tight cover, combine 2 cups (half) of the blueberries with the sugar, flour, lemon juice, and nutmeg. Cover the pan, and cook the filling, stirring it occasionally, over moderately low heat for about 5+ is minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the berries begin to burst. Remove the filling from the heat.

4. Stir in remaining uncooked berries, and mix the filling well. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Let the pie cool on a rack. If desired, sprinkle the top with the confectioners' sugar just before serving.

5. If you like, serve the Limoncello Sauce on the side. It is a scrumptious combination and a great color contrast.

Broccoli with Penne, Basil, & Ricotta

Found this on the net, and love it!  * DAT does not love this!*
The chickpeas are my addition.  Main caveat is you need a large pot.  A 12" saute pan is perfect - note you only need to clean up chopping board, pot, and one measuring cup.  

1 12-ounce box

whole wheat or whole grain penne pasta

16 ounces

fresh broccoli florets

4

large garlic cloves, peeled and slivered

2 tablespoons

olive oil

4

green onions (green tops included), thinly sliced

15 ounces

part-skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup

chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup                        Chickpeas

-

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

-

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

-

Shredded Parmesan cheese and toasted almonds or pine nuts for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of salted water  - ideally a 12" covered pan - to a boil.

Add the penne and cook according to package directions.

Add the broccoli florets and sliced garlic when there are 3 to 4 minutes left to the pasta cooking time.

When the pasta is done, remove ½ cup of the pasta water from the pot and then drain the pasta and broccoli.

Return the drained pasta and broccoli to the pot.

Drizzle with the olive oil and toss in the green onions.

Stir in the ricotta cheese, chickpeas, lemon juice and zest and season with the salt and pepper.

Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water and stir until the ricotta is creamy.

Toss in the basil, taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Garnish each serving with some of the parmesan and toasted almonds or pine nuts, if desired.  Good hot, but also nice cool, as a pasta salad.

MAKES

4-6 servings

Strawberry Fruit Smoothie Soup

Northeast Strawberry Season is really quick, but this year - for the first since I've been paying attention - there are lots of berries. They don't last very long but are sweet and juicy. The main labor is hulling them. Just take a sharp paring knife and dig in to pull out the minimum of fruit - the discard will be conical.  Your Grandma Bunny will be standing on your shoulder to make sure you don't waste any berry!!
Aunt Sally has a super easy elegant strawberry dessert. Take two pints of strawberries and hull. Take about 1/4 of the berries and put them in the blender with sugar (to taste, about a ¼ c. or so) and some mint and/or any seasoning you like, added lightly. Blend. Take a really beautiful glass bowl and put in the second pint of strawberries. If they're large, slice in half. Pour the blended mixture over the whole berries and chill. With a little garnish, it is a beautiful presentation, especially if you have nice dessert size bowls.

Here's a quick strawberry smoothie, which when poured in bowls is a great soup. Since the ingredients can be chilled in advance and you don't cook it, it's good if there isn't a lot of time before you serve it.

2 pints strawberries, hulled. If they're gigunda, cut into smaller sections.
2 cups plain yogurt - you can use low fat, it's still really good!
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
mint to garnish

In a blender, combine the strawberries, yogurt, orange juice, sugar, and cardamom. Puree until well mixed. Chill and serve. You can just put the blender right in the refridge to chill.

Grandma Fritzie's Pumpkin Pie

My mom made the best pumpkin pie - it was moist and dense and smooth, mmmmmm.  Once I served it when Sharon Strassfeld was over and she was totally horrified, it seemed so Goyish to her. Parve pumpkin pie is ridiculous.  Forget it. I have made Mom's recipe a few times and it's never as good as hers was - maybe it's the crust, the oven, the pan, or just the memory.  But I pass it along.

One 9" unbaked pie shell (she originally made hers from scratch, but in time switched to pie crust sticks that you rolled out.)  Brides really worked at making good pie crusts - it was a mark of achievement. You could also skip the shell and just make it as a custard.

1 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/3 c. shortening like Crisco (this is a really old recipe!)
2 to 3 T water.
Mix and roll out flat into a large circle.  A flexible cutting board would be good for this.  Slip into the pie pan.  Flute the edges.  
Mom would take the left over pieces of pastry and sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar and bake them.  What a treat!  Kind of like kichel.

Pie Filling:
1 can pumpkin* (what size?)
1 can evaporated milk* (what size?)
    *Libby's online "Famous Pumpkin Recipe" says a 12 oz can of evaporated milk and a 15 oz can of  pumpkin)
½ t. salt
2 eggs
1 T. sugar
⅔ brown sugar
1¼ t. cinnamon
½ t. ginger
½ t. nutmeg
¼ t. cloves

Mix all ingredients.  Pour into shell.  Bake at 450° for 15 minutes and 350° for 40-45 minutes.  The pie will be baked through solid and not jiggly.  Let cool.  Good at room temperature, and also good chilled.

Chicken Diablo

This is an easy chicken recipe for which you will often have all the ingredients on hand.  My version came from the Teaneck Jewish Center Cookbook which Epsie Gerstle gave me when I was newly-wed.  A little research online shows the recipe source as Family Circle's Great Chicken Recipes - 1968.

1 chicken, cut in 8ths, or chicken breast (on the bone)

3 T olive oil

1/2 c. honey or agave
1/4 cup prepared mustard - any flavor seems to work
1 t. salt (go easy when preparing kosher chickens, since they already have a high salt content)
1 t. curry powder

Heat oven to 375°.
In a large measuring cup, add the honey, mustard, and olive oil, then the salt and curry,  stirring to mix them thoroughly.
Arrange chicken meaty size up in the smallest pan that will allow all the pieces to fit.  (This makes it easier to baste, with less of the sauce accumulating on the bottom of the pan.)  The picture below is a larger quantity - one chicken + one container of chicken breasts, so I made a larger version of the recipe.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and if time permits, cover and refrigerate to marinate for a few hours, or even over night.

Bake, basting a few times to promote glazing.
Bake about 1½ hours, until richly glazed.
This is a good dish to leave in the oven while you're at Kabbalat Shabbat!