thanks,

steph & jess

Can you believe that tomorrow is Erev Rosh Hashana (New Year’s Eve)!? We all hope for a happy and healthy new year, and hopefully these will help kick this year off right, because – Ha-choo – this kosher foodie is sick. And while usually people prefer chicken soup, this throat soother is much easier to eat while lying in bed watching TV. Plus, staying in bed all day is b-o-r-i-n-g and you know I like to make candy and would rather be in the kitchen than doing nothing all day. Plus, everyone else is in the kitchen preparing about a million holiday meals for the coming days, and I want to fit in!

I got this recipe from Alton’s Good Eats book. I can’t wait for the Middle Ages to come out! So, Alton made 200 lozenges. I decided to quarter his recipe, hoping that my throat wouldn’t hurt long enough to need all of them! Turns out, I wish I did make that many. They were so delicious! Honey and lemon, what a great combination! I kept eating them even after my throat was all healed. I used really good quality honey that my parents brought home from Costa Rica. I’m glad I found such a great use for it! You can use whichever type of honey you have around the house.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces sugar
• 3 ounces honey
• About 2 tablespoons water
• Zest of one lemon

Instructions:

1. Combine sugar, honey, and water in a very small saucepan. Mix together. Place over high heat until boiling.

2. Cover for 4 minutes.

3. Remove the cover and place a candy thermometer inside. When mixture reaches 295 degrees, remove from heat and let cool for five minutes. Mixture should thicken.

4. Mix in lemon zest.

5. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measure, drop onto parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet, making sure to leave some space between them, because they’ll spread.

6. Work quickly, because the mixture thickens really quickly.

7. Let cool for 1/2 hour and store in an air-tight container. Separate layers using parchment paper. These will last for about a week at room temperature.

Shana Tova!

Kibbes are our version of little meatballs, and are a staple in the Syrian household. We cook them with peas, cherries, sour soup and many other savory dishes. Let’s just say it’s not Friday night without a kibbe (or many) at the table. Now don’t confuse these little kibbe meatballs with the bulgur-shelled and meat-stuffed kibbe torpedoes. They’re completely different. If that made no sense to you, continue reading this blog, we’ll definitely explain more about these middle-eastern staples soon!

Anyway, kibbes. They’re tiny meat stuffed meatballs! The outer shell is a mixture of ground rice and chopped meat, and they’re stuffed with meat mixed with parsley and spices. Though they’re available at any butcher in my neighborhood, they’re a cinch to make. Shaping them takes a little bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, you can do it while watching TV, which is how we always do it. You make a whole bunch and freeze them. These I got from my freezer, but next time I make a batch, I’ll show you how to make them.

This kibbe mushroom recipe is adapted from a whole bunch of sources and years of making them at home. The garlic is not traditional, but adds a deeper flavor. Cooking this covered over low heat allows for all the juices to come out.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, whole
• pound mushrooms (I used white button mushrooms), quartered if large, and halved if small.
• About 15 kibbes
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium heat over a medium pot or large skillet.

2. Add the onions and a pinch of salt until onions soften, about 5 minutes.

3. Turn the heat to high. When hot, brown the kibbe, turning every 2 minutes to make sure every side browns.

4. When the kibbes are brown and the onions are dark and caramelized, add the mushrooms. Mix everything together and add allspice, salt, and pepper. Mix again.

5. Turn the heat to low and cover. Cook for 30 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and the kibbes are cooked through.

6. Serve over rice.

Make sure you remember to soak the planks in water for two hours, you don’t want them to catch on fire! I used a grill for this, but it’s possible to do it in the oven.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound salmon, skinned
• 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar (I used light)
• Salt and ground pepper

Directions:

1. Soak plank for two hours, drain.

2. Rinse the salmon and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

3. Spread mustard over the top.

4. Crumble brown sugar over the mustard and press it into the salmon

5. Turn the grill on medium high, and leave one side off.

6. Put the plank and the salmon on indirect heat, the side of the grill that is off.

7. Grill for 1/2 hour. Make sure to keep a spray bottle nearby in case of flare up.

8. Serve on the plank and enjoy.

9. Reuse the planks next week – yes, I’ll definitely be doing that!

I found this recipe in a wonderful cookbook I received as a wedding gift (thanks, Ethel!). It was the first thing I tried from this book, and I’m looking forward to sharing more of its recipes with you.

Sour Cream Cake from Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Desserts

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• zest of 1 large lemon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loose-bottomed tube pan that measures 9 inches across the top and 3 1/2 inches deep (I used a regular 9-inch cake pan and a loaf pan, because that’s all I have. It worked for me! I didn’tdust with breadcrumbs, either, which was suggested.).
2. Sift flour, baking soda and salt together and set aside.
3. Beat the butter in your stand mixture to soften. Add vanilla and sugar. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add eggs, two at a time.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients, all of the sour cream, and then the remaining dry ingredients.
6. Stir in zest.
7. Pour into the pans and bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

I served the loaf and froze the round one for later. I’m excited to have a ready-made sour cream cake ready whenever I want to eat it! I may prepare some sort of lemon icing or glaze to go with it. Or else serve it with whipped cream or fruity jam. We’ll see.

Happy wedding day Helen and Joe!

This is the cake we made for their engagement party, our first ever attempt at a tiered cake. Helen requested chocolate, so when we found a recipe for deeply chocolate cake with marshmallow frosting, we knew we had to try it. Of course, since it was such a special occasion, a simple layered cake was not enough. We decided to make it tiered, with a flowery cake topper and everything.

The tiers weren’t really that hard to do, but they rose A LOT and we ended up with some leftover scraps of cake (of course, those are trifle-worthy). Good thing there was some leftover frosting.

I made a double recipe because a single one filled the big pan. You can make this cake without the tiers, just follow this exact recipe. Want to make the tiered version? Double it! The marshmallow frosting was sticky, gooey, and really tasted like marshmallows, just without the gelatin. Plus, it was kind of easier to make than marshmallows.

Now I know the ingredient list seems long, but if you ever bake, you should have most of these things in your pantry. I know I did – I really only had to buy the rice dream and chocolate bar. You’ll have to buy a bar of chocolate, but that has two uses, and you can snack on the leftovers.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons Earth Balance (or butter, if you’re making it dairy) at room temperature
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup rice dream (or your favorite milk substitute), at room temperature
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2/3 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you haven’t done so already, boil 1/2 cup of water!

2. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

3. In your stand mixer, beat the Earth Balance on medium speed until it’s soft and creamy.

4. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar, and beat (still on medium) for three minutes, until well incorporated.

5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating (medium!) for one minute after each egg

6. Reduce speed to low and mix in the melted chocolate.

7. Mix in the dry and wet ingredients, alternating. Start and end with the dry (add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, 1/2 of the wet, 1/3 dry, 1/2 wet, and then the last 1/3 of the dry).

8. Mix in the boiling water.

9. Pour the batter into your cake pan, I recommend two 9 inch round ones.

10. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking and filling the entire house with a delicious chocolatey, smell, prepare the frosting!

For the marshmallow frosting/filling:

• 1/2 cup egg whites (I used 5 large eggs for this, but 4 may do. It really depends on your eggs)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Put egg whites in your CLEAN stainless steel mixing bowl – you can use a hand mixer or electric stand mixer for this.

2. Have candy thermometer ready!

3. Combine sugar, cream of tartar, and water in a small saucepan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, and boil for three minutes.

4. Uncover and boil until the mixture reaches 242 degrees. (Using a thermometer with an alarm is helpful for this.)

5. Beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment until they form firm, shiny peaks.

6. On medium speed, pour in the syrup. This hot mixture will definitely grow in volume, so make sure to stand back while doing this! I wore an oven glove, just to be extra safe.

7. Add vanilla and beat for five more minutes.

Cool the cakes on a drying rack. When they are cool, put the bottom layer on the plate you want to serve it on. Top it with a LOT of frosting, and smooth out. Put the second cake on top, and put the frosting on the top. Starting from the top, spread the frosting all around the cake, always moving in a downward and circular motion.

If you want to make a 4-layered cake, cut each round cake in half, making sure to place one hand on top and that you are slicing the cake in half (somewhat) evenly. Stack all the layers and then frost the cake.

Making the tiered cake like me? Double the recipe (cake and frosting). Try to bake and assemble it in the same place you are serving so you don’t have to deal with sticky, gooey frosting in two kitchens, a car, and a bunch of tupperwares.

It’s not one of those pantry recipes that you can just throw together on a random weeknight. The condiments were in my pantry, and I always have carrots, but I had to buy ginger, sugar snap peas (mmm!) and most importantly soba noodles! But I’m thinking of stocking my kitchen with soba noodles now so I can make some gluten-free sesame noodles whenever I want (they stay great in the fridge and are awesome to send David for lunch for the week!)

I served the mint on the side, since I wasn’t sure I would like it, and I’m glad I did. It wasn’t bad, but I think I preferred it without the mint. That’s okay, because I’m going to use the leftover mint to make tea to enjoy with dessert!

You can make this independently of the tofu, but (Martha and) I suggest you make it as a meal, because the noodles, tofu and dipping sauce all complement each other so well and come together as a delicious vegan, gluten-free meal. You can use soy sauce if you don’t have tamari, but that will take away the gluten-free-ness. I can eat gluten, so I don’t care, but some people can’t/do!

Soba Noodles with Vegetables (and Mint), from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• Salt
• 8 ounces of sugar snap peas, trimmed, strings removed
• 12 ounces soba noodles
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and shaved into thin strips using a vegetable peeler
• 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• freshly cracked pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Add peas; cook until bright green and crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer peas to ice-water bath to stop the cooking; drain and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Return water to a boil; cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain and add to the bowl with the peas.
3. Add oils; toss to combine. Add carrots ginger, scallions, tamari soy sauce, and mint; season with pepper. Toss to combine. Serve at room temperature.

Think you don’t like tofu? That’s probably not true; you just have to cook it the right way. I’ve made a slimy tofu before, but you just have to cook it the right way and it’s great! And it’s as easy as broiling it for less than 10 minutes.

Anyway, this tofu is easy, delicious, and highly adaptable. It’s the main part of a vegan and gluten-free meal, too, if that excites you!

I bought a ginger root just for this meal, and now I have a lot left over, so if you have any must-try ginger recipes, send them my way!

Those soba noodles are coming up tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Broiled Black Pepper Tofu with Ginger Lemon Dipping Sauce from Martha Stewart

For the sauce:

Directions:

For the tofu:

1. Cut tofu crosswise into 6 slices (about 3/4 inch thick each). Cut each slice diagonally into 2 triangles. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Place tofu on top, and cover with another double layer of paper towels. Place another baking sheet or a large plate on top. Weigh down with heavy objects (such as large cans of food); let stand 20 minutes.
2. Preheat broiler. Stir together tamari, oil, and pepper in a bowl. Pat tofu dry with paper towels; transfer to baking sheet. Sprinkle with marinade. Broil, flipping once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.
3. Serve immediately with dipping sauce

For the sauce:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together

Risotto has a reputation of being impossible to make. You have to sit there and stir constantly, your arm tired and burning over the hot stove. Well, I’m here to tell you that this is not the case! Making risotto can be easy, and doesn’t take so long. I thought I was taking on a much harder project than it turned out to be.

I found this Cheese Guy brand kosher Parmesan cheese at Fairway supermarket. It’s expensive stuff, and I think I used too much of it. I’m not a big cheesy person, so I halved the amount of cheese the original recipe called for and I still thought it was too cheesy. I trust you know your own taste buds and will adjust accordingly. Next time I think I’ll make a vegan risotto. Is there such a thing?

Risotto con Funghi Recipe, with a tiny change, from In Jenny’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup white wine
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Italian short-grain rice
• 3 cups vegetable or mushroom stock
• 4 ounces cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, cleaned & sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Melt half of the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion until it begins to turn color, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the rice and stir to coat, then slowly add the wine. Bring it to a boil and cook until the wine is reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add 1 1/2 cups of stock and let simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes, until liquid is almost absorbed.
4. As the liquid absorbs, add the remaining stock 1 cup at a time, stirring frequently. The risotto should be creamy and the rice should be al dente.
5. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small skillet and add the mushrooms. Season with salt and  pepper. Saute until they release all of their liquid and turn a golden brown color. Set aside.
6. Stir the last tablespoon of butter and the cheese into the risotto.
7. Serve the risotto topped with the mushrooms, or mixed in. Enjoy with a glass of the same wine you used to cook with!

Summer corn is here! That means that we eat lots of corn and get it stuck in our teeth. Yuck! This corn salad is a better way to eat that same corn without getting anything stuck in your teeth!

This recipe has quite a few steps, but ones that you can skip and have the store do for you, like roasting peppers and shucking corn. I did it all myself, but no one will know if you buy roasted peppers and use canned or frozen corn that you just roast in the oven for a while. Actually, what a great way to make this recipe in the winter when fresh corn isn’t available. As long as you don’t skimp on the fresh cilantro, I won’t tell anyone.

The flavors just get better when this sits, so make this ahead of time. Having company? Make it the day before and let it sit in the fridge. It’ll make your life much easier and it will make the salad taste better. I was going to add some black beans to this, but didn’t have any in the pantry. Turns out, I think it was perfect this way, but add the beans if you want to (a great Meatless Monday way to get some protein). Then let me know how it is. Maybe I’ll add those next time.

Ingredients:

• 3 ears white corn
• 1 red pepper
• 1 shallot, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Chili powder
• About 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro.

Directions:

1. Season the corn with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Roast or grill the corn for about 15 minutes. Let cool.

2. Roast the red pepper over an open fire, rotating when the skin is black. When blackened, place in plastic bag and let steam for about ten minutes. Remove from bag, peel the black skin off, and cut into strips. Cut the strips into small pieces (about the same size as the shallots).

3. Combine the shallots, roasted peppers, salt, pepper, chili powder, and cilantro in a bowl.

4. Remove the corn kernels from the cob – using a sharp knife, hold the corn so that it is standing, and cut downwards. Don’t worry about all the kernels separating from each other, that’s part of the fun of homemade corn salad!

5. Add the corn to the bowl, and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you like cilantro as much as I do, add more!

See the bowl I used? It’s my favorite! I have it in three sizes. They make it in red, too, but I haven’t seen it since Adelaide’s closed.