Baba Ghanoush

Hand-chopped baba ghanoush

• How do you like your baba ghanoush? Pureed or hand-chopped? This recipe has directions for both.
• Once you roast the eggplant, this is a quick recipe -- especially if you use your food processor; hand chopping will take a little longer.
• Baba ghanoush can be used as an appetizer or a sandwich filling. 
• For more flavor, start with whole cumin seeds. Toast them in a dry skillet, and then grind them in a mortar and pestle.

Passover Chocolate Cake 2013 -- à la Robyn

Chocolate cake without chips

• For the last three Passovers, I've adapted a chocolate cake recipe. This year's is the best ever! The batter is similar to last year's Passover chocolate cake recipe with a few changes including doubling the cocoa from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. The addition of chopped dates was inspired by a cake my mom used to make and the topping comes from my cousin Robyn's Famous Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Walnut Cake.
• It fell a little bit. Maybe I did not bake it long enough, but I'm telling you, after you taste it, you won't care what it looks like!
• I used pistachios instead of walnuts thinking they would add color to the topping but they browned so much you cannot tell the difference. I recommend ground walnuts or pecans -- or sliced almonds.
• I ground the nuts fine to prevent them from sinking into the center of the cake, however, I also thickened the batter with more cake meal (than last year) and the addition of potato starch this year. Who knows; maybe with the new thicker batter, the nuts could be chopped rather than ground.
• Knowing that making your own whole-wheat cake meal might be a deal breaker, I'm betting you could replace the whole-wheat cake meal with regular cake meal. The two products behave the same when I use them in other recipes including cakes.
• Here's the thing: I used two different pans. Both cakes fell but the one in the wider pan fell more. The cake that fell more was in a traditional loaf pan: 4.5" x 9.75" with tapered sides (and nearly 3" tall); it had chocolate chips on top. The cake that did  not fall was in a pan with straight sides; it is 3.5" x 10.25" (and nearly 2.5" tall); it had no chips. Perhaps the chips made a difference but I really think it had more to do with the width of the pans.
• Getting the cakes out of the pans was a mess. I recommend making some parchment paper handles. See directions below.

Pumpkin Pudding

• It's pumpkin pie minus the fuss and calories of the crust!
• This is an amalgam of several recipes.
• This recipe calls for a can of pumpkin puree but you can easily substitute yams, sweet potatoes, or some other winter squash. You can use store-bought puree or make your own.

Apple Sauce

Chunky pink applesauce

My father had a Jonathan apple tree in the backyard. (See below.) I remember sitting outside with my dad peeling apples with the juice running down our arms and the flies buzzing around. We would try to peel it in one continuous strip . . . just to say that we did!

We gave away bags and bags of apples, but we still had lots for us. Every fall, the whole family would pitch in and make applesauce. This went on for days . . . maybe weeks. My mom would can dozens of jars of applesauce. And, through the winter, we would eat it all! By the time I was in junior high school, I could peel and slice apples blindfolded.

I make applesauce different ways. Different apple varieties give different results. Sometimes I peel the apples, other times not. Sometimes I use only white sugar, other times I use brown, or a mix of the two, or honey or maple syrup. I've even made applesauce without cinnamon. See the Slicing Details below for tips on how to vary the texture (and color!) of your applesauce.

Applesauce can be eaten hot, lukewarm, or cold. It's great as a snack or as dessert. I love to pile hot steamed Macintosh apples over waffles and top them with a shake of cinnamon and a splash of maple syrup!

Turkey Mushroom Barley Soup

• Turkey soup can be a meal in itself. 
• Start with the Turkey Broth recipe. That includes the carrots, turkey meat, and bay leaves reserved from that recipe.
• Adjust the amount of potatoes depending on how much stock you have, and how much barley you use.
• Barley has gluten in it. To make this recipe gluten free, leave out the barley and use rice, wild rice, millet, or quinoa instead.

Turkey Broth

Thanksgiving 1957

• I adapted this recipe from my brother's recipe for turkey barley and lima bean soup.
• This is a great recipe for the day after Thanksgiving. Certainly, the amount of meat left on the bones will vary but either way this makes a rich turkey stock that can easily be turned into a tasty turkey soup. 

1 turkey carcass
2 large onions, cut in half
6 peeled carrots
6 stalks of celery
Salt
Peppercorns
2 bay leaves

• Preheat oven to 350°. 
• Place the carcass on a jellyroll pan with the onions, carrots, and celery. Do not grease the pan. Do not line the pan with foil or parchment paper. The turkey will render some drippings that will brown on the bottom of the pan and you want to use these later. That's easier to do with a bare pan.
• From time to time, turn the bones and vegetables as they brown. When I made this it took 1½ hours.
• Transfer the bones and vegetables to a stock pot, breaking the rib cage if it doesn’t fit in your stock pot. 
• Usually, drippings from the turkey and vegetables will gather and brown on the bottom of the pan. This will add a lot of flavor and color to your turkey stock. To retrieve it, soak a little water in the pan for a while and then you can scrape all of it into the stock pot.
• Add just enough water to cover the bones and vegetables. 
• Add salt, peppercorns, and bay leaves. 
• Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for at least an hour. 
• When the stock tastes good, remove the bones and vegetables to a colander. Reserve the carrots for a soup or other use. Discard the other vegetables.
• Pour the stock through a fine strainer. 
• Pick the meat from the bones and reserve. Discard the bones.

Butternut Squash Soup

• This is a rich and hearty soup  – great for a cold winter night. 
• For the herbs, use one or a mixture of those suggested – basil, marjoram, thyme, or winter savory.
• Top with sour cream or Greek yogurt, a dash of cinnamon, and a sprinkle of Spicy Toasted Squash Seeds.
• This made a very thick soup -- too thick for my taste. By the time I added enough water to get the consistency right, the volume had nearly doubled, but the flavor was still wonderful.

Spicy Toasted Squash Seeds

• Toasted squash seeds make a nice snack or a topping for soup or salad.
• Any variety of winter squash seeds can be used for this recipe. I chose butternut squash. One large butternut squash has about ½ cup seeds.

Chalky Beans

• My mom used to make this hearty entrée in the winter. I loved the texture of the beans. In high school, I renamed it "Chalky Beans," and that's what my family has called it ever since.
• I modified the ratio of beans to meat so that it uses less meat. In fact, you could add even more beans.
• This recipe tastes even better the second day. Consider making it a day in advance.

Escarole Salad with (Vegan) Italian Sausage

• I know I say it all the time but this recipe is simple and delicious – and it's vegan!
• I like to use homemade vinaigrette made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, and marjoram (or basil or thyme).
• This salad tastes great with or without the olives.
• The Tofurky Italian Sausage is seasoned with basil and sun-dried tomatoes. The nutrient and ingredient info is here and a photo of the packaging here.

Peach Cake

• Roasted peaches and peach schnapps are the secret to this recipe. It's a way to get the peach flavor without drowning the batter in peach juice and ending up with a gummy mess.
• I started with a recipe from Cook's Illustrated. They used almond extract in the batter and topping. I used cinnamon and peach schnapps instead.
• I made a few other changes. They said to use light brown sugar but I only had dark brown. I forgot to add the vanilla, and the cake was fine so maybe that's an optional ingredient. I did not have vegetable oil spray and just used vegetable oil.
• The sliced peaches for the topping marinate in a yummy mix of peach juices and schnapps. Do not add those juices to the cake (the batter cannot support all that liquid). Drink it! It is divine!

Gnocchi

It started with an email with a link to this video with a gnocchi recipe.

I typed it up so it was easy for me to use but with all the recent changes on Blogger, I lost the recipe. For now, I'm just reposting the link to the video and a photo of my version. Maybe another day, I'll retype the whole thing. Blogger has me bummed.

Chocolate Toffee Matzo

Arg! I wrote it, saved it, shredded my notes. Saved it to post another day....and now it's gone...ARG!!! Blogger I hate you!

Lhassi Pudding with Kiwi

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'm posting yet another version of the Lhassi Pudding recipe. This time, I added kiwi and garnished it with black sesame seeds (to play off the black kiwi seeds).

Shmura Matzo

I love shmura matzos -- especially whole wheat shmura matzos. This week, I found this great video that shows how shmura matzot are made and wanted to share it with you. Shmura matzot are not cheap, but as my brother said after watching this video, "I"m surprised they do not charge more." Don't give them any ideas!

Passover Chocolate Cake 2012

Every year, I revise my recipe for Passover chocolate cake. Here's the link to the 2013 edition -- the best ever! It's even better than this recipe!

This cake is better the second day -- if it lasts that long! And (shhh, don't tell anyone) it's made with whole wheat matzo!

Edits
I started with  the recipe for Mrs. Strait's Passover Chocolate Cake and made so many edits, I decided it was time for a new post. Here's what I changed:

Carrot, Currant, and Candied Ginger Muffins

• They are loaded! (See second photo.) This recipe fit into 12 muffin cups -- but just barely.
• I happened to have walnut oil that I wanted to use up but canola is my usual first choice for muffins.
• If you don't have (or don't like) currants, you can use raisins or chopped dried fruit -- or more carrots.

.
Adapted from: The Tassajara Bread Book
Makes 1 dozen (or more) muffins -- see note above

 .

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Click to enlarge.

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

¼ cup canola oil

¼ cup honey

1½ cups skim milk
1 packed cup grated carrot
1 cup currants
1 cup slivered almonds
2 -4 tablespoons diced candied ginger

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Grease muffin cups (or line cups with muffin papers).
• Combine dry ingredients.
• Combine wet ingredients.
• Mix the wet and dry ingredients together just until the flour is moistened. The batter should be lumpy. Overbeating will create tunnels in the muffins.
• Add the carrots, currants, almonds, and candied ginger. Mix just until combined.
• Spoon batter into muffin cups.
• Bake 15-20 minutes. Muffins should spring back when you touch them with with your finger. Remember, they continue to cook after they come out of the oven.

Scrambled Egg with Snap Peas and Goat Cheese

• I love the fresh flavor and crunchy texture of chopped snap peas.
• This is more of an ingredient idea than a recipe, because everyone has their favorite way to make scrambled eggs. If you don't,  just search on YouTube.
• If you prefer to make plain scrambled eggs and serve the sugar snap peas on the side, I suggest doubling or tripling the amount of sugar snap peas. In fact, you could make a lot and save the leftovers for a snack!
• I rinse the mixing glass with water to keep the egg from sticking to the glass -- plus, the water keeps the egg tender.
• Fresh herbs are preferable, but I only had dried herbs. Try thyme, basil, or tarragon.
• This recipe is for one egg. If you add more eggs, you need more herbs but only a little more than what you'd use for one egg, so the herbs do not overpower the dish.

cooking oil or butter

½ cup chopped sugar snap peas (or less)

½ teaspoon fresh thyme, basil, or tarragon (or a pinch dried) (optional)
1 egg
pinch sea salt
pinch of black pepper
2 tablespoons goat cheese

• Rinse a glass with water. Do not dry it. Add the egg and beat it.
• Warm  a small skillet. Add cooking oil or butter. 
• Add the chopped sugar snap peas and thyme. Stir fry a few minutes.
• Be sure the pan is hot. If you use butter, it should be bubbling.
• Add the egg to the peas. Add the salt and black pepper.
• Use your favorite method to cook the egg.
• When the egg is almost done, remove it from the heat, add the goat cheese and stir.

Macedonian Black Bread

• I found this recipe in Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant. My niece and I made it together.
• We used espresso for the coffee because that's what I had in the house.
• I moved the salt to the middle of the recipe because it's easier to add before all the flours go into the bowl.
• Rye doughs are sticky, and can be a challenge for the novice baker, but don't let that scare you! You don't want to miss that complex flavor and moist texture. This recipe has a lot of liquid; it can hold up to the addition of a lot of white flour, during the kneading -- to keep it from sticking to your hands.
• Follow the recipe closely. It has 3 risings -- one more than usual.
• After we got all done, we noticed the "variation" at the bottom of the page and decided we will have to make this recipe again, sometime soon, and try out the sweet version!
• The recipe recommends eating with sweet butter, sharp cheese, or soup. We suggest mashed avocado.

Gypsy Soup

• I love this recipe from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook, and have been making it since forever, but this week, I was having a hard time following the directions. I decided to put the instructions in a format that works for me: listing the ingredients in the order used, and adding instructions for the tamari (which seem to be missing). I also upped the garlic, and used canned diced tomatoes.
• This is almost a stew rather than a soup because it's so loaded with veggies.
• The recipe makes about 4 servings depending on what else you are serving with it.
• Note: you want a mix of orange and green veggies -- consider trying the alternates listed in [brackets].

Lhassi Pudding

• My niece and I created this vegan dessert. The plan was to come up with a sorbet but, it was so good we never did freeze it.
• It's important for the mango pulp to be nearly (or completely) thawed. Otherwise, it will become a frozen mass that locks up the food processor.
• Silken tofu is different from regular tofu. To learn more, click on the link below. We used a lite silken tofu to reduce fat and calories.
• While this can be eaten immediately, the nuts take on a nice texture after they sit on top of the pudding (in the fridge) for a few hours. In fact, they were so good, I've doubled the amount.
• If you use pisatchios for the topping, their green color will be more intense if you remove the brown papers before you chop them.
• This recipes makes 5-6 servings -- depending on the portion size.

.
From: Minka’s Kitchen
.

Green Apple and Onion Salad

Makes 4 servings (1 cup fruits and vegetables per person)

Robyn's Famous Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Walnut Cake

• My cousin Robyn is my first guest chef! She posted this recipe online in honor of her daughter's birthday. The recipe is clearly a family favorite. Robyn said: “I truly feel there is great joy in sharing special recipes.” Doesn’t it look delicious!?!
• I love the mix of cinnamon, chocolate, and nuts. I wonder how it would be with chopped dates added to the topping.

Tomato Almond Pesto

• This is a great harvest-season dish. It's quick, simple, and tasty. The flavor is similar to "standard" pesto -- minus the heaviness.
• I started with a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated e-newsletter, and made a few tweaks -- like doubling the garlic and decreasing the cheese. They recommend linguine or spaghetti for the pasta. I've used penne, riggatoni, chili macs, and even star-shaped soup pasta!
• The pesto is gluten-free. Obviously, some pasta is gluten free and others are not.
  

Minka Drinka

• I made it up years ago. It's simple, delicious, and refreshing. All it needs is a name. Any suggestions?
• The sweetness of the pineapple juice contrasts nicely with the bitterness of the tonic water.
• I suppose it could be made into an alcholic beverage by adding vodka; if you try it, let me know how it comes out.