A Passover Feast with Bubbe Winston

The last time I was in San Francisco, my dear friend Winston had a little surprise in store for me: a preview of a Pesach (Passover) feast!

Knowing I am on my path of conversion to Judaism -- and knowing I don't have a Jewish grandmother of my own to teach me her secret recipe for matzoh ball soup and other Jewish culinary delights -- Winston decided to play bubbe and share his love of Jewish food and culture with me.

Boy, am I a lucky girl. Today, I'm sharing with you almost all of it -- I'll post his amazing flourless dessert tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Bubbe Winston's Pesach/Passover Feast (minus dessert)

Now remember: Passover is the holiday when, according to the wonderful JewFAQ, Jews remove all "chametz (leaven) from our homes. This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way of removing the 'puffiness' (arrogance, pride) from our souls."

Because Passover is the commemoration of the Jews' exodus from Egypt and slavery. The word for Egypt in Hebrew is mitzrayim, which also happens to be the word for "the narrow places." So we're contemplating not just the historic exodus from Egypt, but our own personal coming through and out of our own personal narrows. DEEP.

Spring Matzoh Ball Soup

Matzoh Balls
2 eggs
1/4 cup seltzer
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch fresh dill
salt and pepper
1/2 cup whole-wheat matzoh meal

Soup
1 quart home-made or store-bought chicken broth
1 boneless, skinned chicken breast
Mix of asparagus, zucchini, carrots, fresh shitakes, fresh ginger, lemon
Salt and pepper

Rinse, stem, and loosely chop dill; reserve some for serving.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until they are pale and frothy. Add seltzer, olive oil, and dill; season and mix well. Add matzoh meal and mix well, cover, and refrigerate at least one hour to overnight.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Oil or wet your hands and form very small, loose ½” balls (they will at least double in size). Gently drop matzoh balls directly into boiling water and cook for 15 minutes or until they all float to the surface. Taste one for doneness. Rinse original bowl, and use slotted spoon to remove matzoh balls and reserve in bowl.

Empty pot and place stock and chicken breast in pot and bring to a boil; lower to a simmer for 10 minutes. Thinly slice asparagus diagonally, and thinly julienne zucchini, carrots, shitakes, ginger, and lemon peel. Slice lemon wedges for serving.

Check chicken breast for doneness and remove and cool. Add vegetables and peel to the broth and simmer for 10 minutes. Thinly slice chicken and add with matzoh balls to re-warm briefly and serve with dill garnish and lemon wedges.

Will serve 4-6 people.







Minimalist Latkes
Because these have no eggs or flour, they are also fine for Pesach.

2 large russet potatoes
6 scallion bulbs
1 shallot
salt and pepper
olive oil

Either by hand: grate potatoes, cut scallions into 3” lengths and thinly slice, and peel and thinly slice shallot; or use feeding chute and grating attachment on food processor to grate halved potatoes, 3” lengths of scallion, and peeled shallot.

Season well and mix together in large bowl and let sit for at least half hour to allow potatoes to release their starch—that starch is what holds these latkes together. Heat olive oil at a depth of 1/8” in a cast-iron pan until shimmering. Set oven to 200’ and line an oven-safe platter with parchment paper and paper toweling.

Mix potato mixture again, and use a stainless steel fork to place about a tablespoon of mixture in the oil and use the fork to spread out into a lacy pattern; do not crowd pan. Use spatula and fork together to turn when golden and to transfer to oven until ready to eat. Add oil and heat before adding new mixture. Serve with applesauce and Greek-style yoghurt.

Yields approximately four dozen latkes.







Coleslaw

½ head red cabbage (or green, or savoy, or any combination)
1 carrot
1 pear (or apple, peach, mango, papaya, according to season or availability)
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Greek-style yoghurt
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon honey

Core and finely slice cabbage, grate carrot, and core and julienne pear. Mix in large bowl, salt and pepper well, and add remaining ingredients and mix. Cover and refrigerate overnight; toss, taste,and adjust before serving.



Don't forget: dessert tomorrow! Yum yum.

Zoe's Greek Salad

So I just got back from visiting my best friend, Zoe, in her hometown of Boston. And while I was there, she made a salad for us to have with dinner one evening.

Now, this may sound like a not big deal. But let me tell you, friends: I have never seen Zoe cook anything other than...popcorn. And I love that about her! It is part of her very considerable charm.

We went grocery shopping (Whole Foods) and talked about how to pick a good tomato and why it's so important to buy them organic. And bought the rest of the fixins for Zoe's masterpiece salad.



It was delicious and it was also a delight to watch Zoe in the kitchen. I have to admit I felt a little like a proud mama hen watching.

So next time you need a light, summery salad that is super easy to put together to go along with your lunch or dinner, Zoe's Greek Salad is a great choice!*




Zoe's Greek Salad

- 2 ripe, summery-smelling, slightly tender to the touch organic tomatoes
- 1 large English cucumber (the kind without seeds, usually comes shrink-wrapped in plastic)
- Feta cheese, diced and crumbled
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste

Dice the tomato, cucumber, and feta into similar sizes. Toss with the olive oil and salt and pepper and ENJOY.


* I know I sound like a commercial. But I'm really so proud! And thrilled that she is letting me feature it on this blog.

Spa Dinner

As I mentioned in my menu plan for this week, we had a "Spa Dinner" last night. Which really has nothing to do with a spa or a spa diet other than I for some reason associate curried chicken salad with spa fare. That with artichokes and you're practically wrapped in a towel in the steam room.

As promised, here is my recipe for the super easy and really delicious Curried Chicken Salad. This is a great spring dinner and makes excellent lunch leftovers. I got the inspiration from Epicurious and then made it my own from there. Feel free to do the same!

Dena's Curried Chicken Salad

2 boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain organic yogurt
4-5 teaspoons good quality curry powder, depending on how you like it
Juice from 1 lime
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 medium organic red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
Half a large, firm, crisp organic apple (like a Fuji or a Granny Smith), chopped
1/2 cup salted roasted organic cashews, roughly chopped

Bring enough water to cover both chicken breasts to boil in a saucepan. Add chicken and simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and cover, then let stand until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate and let cool, about 10 minutes. Chop into 1/2-inch pieces.

While chicken is cooling, whisk together mayo, yogurt, curry, lime juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken, onion, apple, and cashews and stir gently to combine.

I like to add raisins in on occasion, or use fresh organic grapes instead of apple, depending on the season and my mood.

As for the gorgeous and delicious artichokes, a brilliant step-by-step tutorial on how to make them (it's easy) is here on one of my fave food blogs, Citymama. I serve it with a simple garlic aioli -- combine mayo with finely minced garlic, add some lemon juice, and voila: you're instantly fancy.

To roast asparagus: preheat oven to 350F. Cut off ends, about 2-3 inches from bottom depending on their tenderness. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss asparagus with extra virgin olive oil, plenty of salt and pepper, and chopped garlic. Pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy your version of Spa Dinner!

The Simplest Cabbage Salad Ever

Tonight I'm making Cuban-marinated chicken, sauteed broccoli with olive oil and garlic, and my purple cabbage salad.

This cabbage salad is delicious. And good for you. And gorgeous. And so easy to make, because it only has 3 ingredients, not including salt and pepper.

Without further ado....

Dena's Purple Cabbage Salad

1 organic purple cabbage, quartered and cored
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Once you've removed the core from the cabbage, slice it as thinly as you can into ribbons. Watch your fingers.

Put the ribbons of cabbage into your salad bowl, and dress with as much olive oil and lemon juice as tastes good to you -- some people like more lemon or less according to personal taste.

Add plenty of salt and pepper -- do not skimp here! The salt and pepper really bring out the flavor.

Toss well, serve, and enjoy.

Eoin's New Year's Eve Dinner

One of my oldest and very dearest friends in the world, Eoin, is having people over for a New Year's Eve supper and asked me for some advice as to what to make, given that their guests are a fishophobe and a vegetarian.

Easy! I said. This is what I suggested:

Winston's Pasta Puttanesca (since I myself am also a fishophobe, I've already left out the anchovies)

And the fantastic and sure-to-please-a-crowd Mediterranean Salad from America's Test Kitchen:

3 to 4 romaine hearts, roughly chopped
1 head radicchio, cored and sliced thinly into ribbons
Feta cheese - as much or as little as you like
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

Dressing:
This dressing really hits its stride once it has been left to stand for about an hour -- the flavors really develop wonderfully...so, make the dressing first if you can.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (or as much as you like....since I am a garlic fiend, I always double this part)
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients in small bowl until blended and creamy. Or do what I do: combine all ingredients in small jar, seal tightly with lid, and shake until mixture is blended and creamy.

(Can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week; return to room temperature before using.)

Happy, happy new year to you and yours...stay safe and here's to a fantastic 2008 full of delicious food!

Tomato Side Salad: The Taste of Summer

I am one of those people who cannot eat fresh tomatoes nine months out of the year. I just would rather not eat them at all than eat the (scarily toxic) things that pass for tomatoes for most of the year. And I rarely eat them when I'm at a restaurant, unless I know they've obtained them locally.

But the three months when tomatoes are in season? Pure heaven. Nothing signals, embodies, and imbues one's being with the essence of summer like a vine-ripened fresh tomato. Seriously.

And I recently discovered the best tomatoes I have EVER eaten, even better than the ones my husband grew in our garden when we had a yard two years ago. Even he agrees! If you live anywhere near the Bay Area, do yourself a huge favor and make sure you taste one of these before the season's over. Their taste may very well last me through to next season. Each bite tastes like the essence of ripe summer tomatoes intensified by 100. I'm not kidding. They really are that good.

Inspired by these amazing tomatoes, I took a hint from one of my favorite food blogs and made my Tomato Side Salad to go with the burgers I made last Sunday night. Grass-fed beef from only 50 miles away and tomatoes from 75 miles away -- a summer Sunday dinner doesn't get better.

Dena's Tomato Side Salad

As many dry-farmed Early Girl tomatoes as you are in the mood for, sliced

1 sweet Italian onion, sliced paper-thin

salt and pepper to taste

Arrange the onion over the tomatoes and add plenty of salt and pepper. Eat and be blissful.

Robin's School Garden Salad

In light of the hot weather we've got here (81 degrees in San Francisco today!), I am scrapping my original plan for dinner tonight (which was black beans and rice) and going with one of our hot weather favorites -- what we like to call around here "Robin Salad."

It has that name because it is a deelicious recipe given to me by my dear friend Robin, who is a stellar cook. She's one of my cooking heroes. She also runs a seed-to-plate program for kids in East Palo Alto -- you know, where they teach kids how to grow food in a garden, harvest it, eat it, compost it, and grow it again. Also, she teaches them the basics, like lettuce is alive, a rock is not, and a tree.... A TREE IS ALIVE. (I'm not kidding; her kids thought trees were not alive. Like rocks.)

I have to preface this recipe, though. You need to know that this dressing is extremely addictive. It is insanely delicious. In fact, the greens and "salad" part of it are really extraneous -- you could put this dressing on cardboard and it would be good. That's why this recipe is for a large quantity of dressing: you will want leftovers of it. So just beware.

So, without further ado:

Robin's School Garden Salad

Dressing:
1 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup stone ground mustard
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (I actually always use 3 or 4, but that's how we do garlic in my house)
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
Juice of 1/4 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a large bowl or jar. If using a bowl, mix dressing vigorously to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. If using a jar (my preferred method), put the lid on and shake shake shake.

Salad:
Any greens you like, but the ones that stand up to this dressing best are the assertive ones, like romaine, red cabbage, chard, etc. Also add carrots, radishes, and whole wheat croutons. To turn this into a main course/dinner, I also add in some chopped up baked tofu.

Toss and serve and enjoy!