Tongue in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Last night I attended the Annual Dinner for the non-profit where I work.  It was held at a restaurant in a very chic hotel in Los Angeles run by a chef who is known for his use of molecular gastronomy.  As I wandered around the room, I felt as if I were in a theatre where the food not only took center stage but the dishes were both unusual and magical.  Everything was bite size, with choices like Cotton Candy Foie Gras, (which I didn’t try) tiny cones filled with cream cheese and topped with salmon caviar, Caprese Salads no bigger than your thumb prepared with liquified mozzarella, and silver spoons that held “Spherical Olives” a process where the chef purees and strains olives to separate the essence, and somehow creates soft little green balls that, despite their olive flavor, are almost foam-like in consistency.  One of my favorite “bites” was the brown egg that looked as if it was soft-boiled but in fact was hollowed out and filled with Flan.

When all was said and done, I left feeling like I had experienced a great show.  I wasn’t disappointed, but I didn’t have that familiar sensation that you have when you eat a meal that is nourishing, earthy, and soulful, something like the dish I had prepared earlier in the week for a friend, Tongue in Spicy Tomato Sauce.

Tongue in Spicy Tomato Sauce

1 Beef or Calves’ Tongue

Bay Leaf

2 Large Onions

6 Cloves of Garlic

1 Green Pepper

1 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp dried oregano

1 14 oz. can tomato sauce

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, cover Tongue with water, bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes. Drain and fill pot with fresh water, again making sure tongue is submerged.  Add one large onion cut in half, 1 large bay leaf, 3 cloves of garlic, a pinch of salt and about ½ tsp freshly ground pepper.  Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover pot and cook tongue for about 2 hours.  Make sure that tongue can be easily pierced with a fork before removing from heat. Allow to cool completely.

In the meantime chop a large onion and sauté in 2 tbsp olive oil till translucent, about five minutes. Add 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 tsp chili flakes, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp dried oregano.  Saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add green pepper that you cut into strips. Then add 1-14 oz. can tomato sauce and about 1 cup water.  Cook for about 10 minutes covered, on low flame.

In the meantime, slice cold Tongue on the diagonal and add to tomato sauce. Cover and stew for about 30 minutes. Serve with rice, mashed potatoes or corn tortillas. Serves 6-8

Enjoy,

Irene

Eggplant Relish

I have something to share about my husband.  He has a tendency to reveal the ending of a play or movie plot before the rest of us have seen it, or share the final score of a sports event when others are watching in a different time zone.  It is something we joke about, and as a family we often censor him just when we realize from the twinkle in his eye that he is about to spill the beans. 

Here is another thing that he loves to do.  Every year at this time, Norm comes home from shul and announces that they began to read from the Book of Exodus.  Can you guess what the next line is??  He casually adds, “that means Pesach is not far off.”  Norm knows that this is not an announcement that elicits a reaction that I might have with a slightly more “fun” piece of news.  Don’t misunderstand, I love Passover but he knows that in mid-January thinking about Passover is pretty much an excercise in anxiety.

I am simply refusing to take heed and am putting Passover out of my mind, at least for now.  Tu Bishvat is around the corner, and though I don’t really do anything to celebrate this particular holiday, it is a reminder that Spring is not too far off, that in Israel the Almond trees will soon blossom, and that the days are once again getting longer.

Last night I made an eggplant relish and added toasted almonds instead of the pine nuts that were called for in the recipe.  (it is an adaptation of an Ina Garten recipe)  It would be a good dish to have for a Tu Bishvat Seudah and will be a perfect accompaniment to matzoh.  Something to think about.

Eggplant Relish

3 Globe Eggplants

8 oz. Jar of Roasted Red Peppers, diced

2 medium Onions, diced

3 cloves Garlic, minced

4 Tb Tomato Paste

1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar

4 Tb olive oil

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

salt and pepper to taste

Chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and roast whole eggplants on a cookie sheet until tender, about one hour.  In the meantime, sauté chopped onions in olive oil till onions are translucent.  Add minced garlic and sauté an additional minute or two.  Remove to bowl and add tomato paste, red wine vinegar and a dash of olive oil.  After the eggplant has cooled, scoop out the flesh and process for a few minutes before adding to onion mixture.  Mix in finely diced red peppers and season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with toasted almonds and parsley.  Serves 8

Enjoy,

Irene

Lentil Soup with Matzoh Balls

On some cold winter days when there was not much to do, my sister would take me downtown to wander around a museum.  I only remember visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Museum of Natural History, not The Frick, Guggenheim, or MoMA (maybe she thought I was too young to appreciate those) but the Met was always my favorite and still is.  We would stop and look at whatever interested us, or go watch a Fred Astaire/ Ginger Rogers movie when they had free screenings.  I think my sister felt responsible for my cultural well-being.

In any case, I loved going, mainly because It felt like a very grown up thing to do.  Even the approach to the Met was exciting, with all those stairs to climb, and then, once you reached the entrance there were crowds of people milling around, taking off their overcoats and shaking off the chill.  The foyer is impressive at any age, but particularly to a young child, and of course you had to get by the solemn guard stationed at the hall leading to the galleries.

My sister was an enthusiastic teacher who at the time was taking an art history course at Hunter College and was eager to share her knowledge.  I credit her for my appreciation of museums and to this day I try to visit the Met when I am in NYC.  I never really thought much about it but earlier this week my younger son called and mentioned that it was really cold day, and to my surprise, my immediate response was to tell him to “go to a museum.”

At the end of the day we would take the train back to The Bronx and of course my mother would have dinner ready and waiting.  Hot soup and warm memories are perfect for cold days.  Thanks Anita!

Lentil Soup with Matzoh Balls

1/ 3 cup olive oil

1 large onion, chopped,

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

2 carrots, diced

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 pound brown lentils

8 cups chicken broth

1 Tb cumin

1 Bay Leaf

1 Tb Paprika

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

In a large pot, sauté  chopped onion in olive oil for a few minutes, or  till translucent.  Add celery, carrots, garlic and cumin and sauté for several more minutes.  Add lentils, chicken broth, bay leaf, paprika, salt and pepper.  Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for about one hour.  Prepare Matzoh Balls and add one to each serving.  Serves 6-8

Fluffy Matzoh Balls

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 cup Matzoh Meal

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

Process all the ingredients in a Cuisinart for about 10 seconds. Place mixture in fridge for about an hour.  Shape into balls and add to a large pot of salted, boiling water.  Cover and cook matzoh balls for about 45 minutes.

Makes 12 matzoh balls.

Enjoy,

Irene

 

Sheila’s Perfect Beef Ribs

In a world where things are not very predictable, it is nice to know that there are some things you can always count on.  Isn’t that what comfort food is all about?  We crave what is familiar to us, a taste of something that reminds us of a particular time or place.  How pleasurable is that moment of recognition when we walk into a kitchen and instantly know which dish is simmering on the stove.  When I was growing up, I knew that if we visited Tante Marisha there would be the smell of wonderful nut cakes baking in the oven, Fanny could be counted on for the best Tzimmis, the “Mima” always made white bean soup and Micheline, well there are too many things to mention but her Creme Caramel was always my favorite.  Those associations may not be as long-lasting as an old photo but they can be just as wonderful.

I am sure that at some point my children will come to crave comfort foods and perhaps they will reminisce about certain dishes that they had at the homes of family members and friends.  My mother’s Bubelach, Fredda’s Tortilla Soup, Judy’s Salmon, Elin’s Roast Chicken, Susan’s Taquitos, Sheila’s Ribs, Rena’s Cheesecake and Susan T’s raspberry squares, along with many other dishes lovingly prepared over the years by many others.  Of course, comfort food is different for each of us.  For me, it is meat and potatoes, and any variation on the theme will do, but Sheila’s ribs hit the spot, every single time.  The only improvement would be to serve them over a bed of creamy white, steaming mashed potatoes.

Happy New Year to all of you.  I hope that  2012 is filled with good health, good friends and good food. 

Sheila’s Beef Ribs

10 Beef Ribs

1 1/2 jars of  Char.B.Que Sauce  (20 oz. size)

Place ribs in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Bring water to a boil and then reduce to medium heat. Cook ribs for about 1 1/2 hours.  In a roasting pan, cover bottom of pan with half the amount of Char. B. Que Sauce.  Layer ribs on the sauce, side up, and cover with remaining sauce.  Cover pan with silver foil and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours.  Serves 5

Enjoy,

Irene

Kasha with Mushrooms and Onions (Buckwheat Groats)

Cantor Harry Saiger

Last week my son and daughter-in-law traveled to Toronto to visit my in-laws, Bubbie and Zaidie.  During their visit they went to see an exhibit on the great Cantors of Toronto.  One of the Cantors featured was my husband’s grandfather Harry Saiger.  I can only imagine how touched my father-in-law was knowing that his grandson and wife were going to view the collection but unfortunately it was no longer on display.  The woman in the synagogue was kind enough to give them the photo and biography that had been part of the exhibit and so we too were able to see it.

The elegant photo of Harry Saiger shows him dressed in the dramatic black Cantor’s hat and Tallis.  I stared at it looking for a trace of his features in my children.  I thought about his journey to Canada as a young man, not knowing what his future held.  Harry settled in Toronto, met and married Manya, had five children, and became an accomplished carpenter as well as a Cantor.  I don’t know much else about them (coincidently they shared the same names as my parents, Manya and Harry) but I can imagine that as a cantor he would have been thrilled to know that three generations later his great-grandson became a Rabbi.

I look for those connections because it ties us to our past and keeps our family history alive.  I feel the same way about food.  Preserving the recipes that were handed down from generation to generation and, yes, though we may tempted to update them to our more modern tastes, there is something to be said for preserving the originals, like the photos displayed in the exhibit.

I don’t know what my husband was served on those Shabbat afternoons when he would go visit his Zaidie and Bubie Manya after shul but I imagine that lunch may have included something like Kasha because he seems to love it so much.

Kasha and Mushrooms

1 cup whole Kasha (Buckwheat Groats)

1 egg

2 cups chicken stock

2 large onions

1/2 pound brown mushrooms, sliced

6 oz. bowtie noodles (optional)

2 Tb canola oil

Heat oil in deep sided frying pan and sauté onions till caramelized.  Be patient because this imparts a lot of the flavor to the dish and can take 20-30 minutes before the onions are the right color.  Add sliced mushrooms to onions and sauté for an additional 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove mixture to a bowl.  Beat the egg in a small bowl and add Kasha, stirring till grain is completely coated.  Wipe the pan clean and then add egg-coated Kasha.  Saute for several minutes over low flame till grains separate.  Add hot chicken stock, reduce flame to simmer, cover pan and cook till Kasha is tender, about 10 minutes.  Do not overcook or Kasha will turn into mush.  Add onions and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and serve.  If you want Kasha Varnishkes, then add cooked bowtie noodles to dish.  Serves 4

Kasha coated with egg

Enjoy,

Irene

Elka’s Jam Cookies

There are several important people in my life who turned 60 this year but next Saturday night we are celebrating Norm’s 60th.  The kids are coming in, friends are coming over, and together we will light both Chanukkah candles and birthday candles.  Norm wanted a party, a big party, surrounded by the people he loves.  We have both been busy baking in preparation of the event and tonight I made a batch of these very small cookies for my 60-year-old hubby who has a very big heart.  Happy Birthday Norm!

Elka’s Jam Cookies

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1 stick butter, room temperature

1 cup flour

 

Cream sugar and butter till smooth. Add egg yolk and mix well and then add flour.  When dough is smooth, place in Saran wrap and refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll olive size pieces of the dough and place on cookie sheet, covered with parchment paper.  Gently press down on the cookie with a small shot glass.   Then take a very small spoon (the size of a baby spoon) and make an indent in the middle of each cookie.  Dot with a tiny bit of strawberry jam.  Bake for 15 minutes.   Remove cookies before they brown.  Allow to cool completely on rack.  Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Enjoy,

Irene

Latkes for a crowd

Sometimes it really is the little things in life that makes you happy.  Today I had a perfect afternoon.  I came home from work early, planning to make my latkes so I could freeze them, something I don’t normally do but this year I needed to make lots of them.  Unexpectedly it began to rain which only added to the coziness of the kitchen.  I turned on my favorite radio station which plays Christmas songs this time of year, (I happen to love Christmas music) and peeled ten pounds of potatoes.  I know it sounds crazy but to actually have the luxury of spending a weekday afternoon in the kitchen felt decadent.  It took about 3 1/2 hours from start to finish but during that time two friends came to visit, one carrying lattes for each of us.  Rain, that distinctive smell of latkes frying, music, friends, and good coffee.  It doesn’t get better than that.  Happy Holidays.

This recipe made exactly 150 latkes.  If you want a smaller version, here is the recipe I normally use for latkes.

 

Potato Latkes for a crowd

10 pounds Russet potatoes,  peeled and cut into eighths.

4 large onions, cut in chunks

17 eggs

4 1/2 cups matzoh meal

3 Tbs salt

Canola Oil ( Lots )

Pour oil into three large frying pans until oil comes halfway up the sides of the pan.  In the meantime, in batches, fill the bowl of a food processor with potatoes and a handful of onions, and process till mixture is fine.  Pour into large mixing bowl and add 3 beaten eggs, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and 3/4 cups matzoh meal.  Mix well.  When oil is hot, place large spoonfuls of mixture in pan but do not overcrowd.   Fry till golden on one side and flip over.  Serves 35-40 people.

Enjoy,

Irene

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower

There is something wonderful about visiting NYC just as winter is approaching.  The air is crisp and clean, and although it may be chilly, it isn’t the bitter cold that would normally prevent you from being outdoors.  In fact it is perfect walking weather.  The windows on 5th Avenue are decked out for the holiday season, stores are busy, and salespeople helpful.  Shops are filled with the scent of spices that we associate with winter festivities and celebrations, like cinnamon, ginger, and pumpkin.  My sister said that she was on sensory overload, too much to buy, to see, to try, to do.  Still when it came time to leave, she said that it was harder for her to leave this time, harder than during her previous visits.  In part we are sad to leave the place where we spent our childhood because as we wander the streets, we are flooded with memories.  Winter memories of coming home to my mother who would be standing and warming her hands on the stove, my father coming in after work and rubbing his cold face against our cheeks, putting wet gloves on the steaming radiator in the living room, and of course lots of good food everywhere.  Some things never change.

Here is a list of my recent discoveries and indulgences.  

Breakfast at Saltie in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  I recommend the Ship’s Biscuit which wasn’t a biscuit at all but a hearty focaccia slathered with a layer of ricotta and the most perfectly seasoned scrambled eggs.

Brunch at Pastis, a French Bistro in the Meatpacking District.  Perfect for a special occasion.

Dinner at Porsena in the Village.  We started with Baccalá mantecato, salt cod with potato, garlic toast and extra virgin olive oil.  Salt cod is amazing!!!!   For dinner I had Penette col Cavolfiore – roasted cauliflower, olives, capers, garlic, toasted breadcrumbs .

If you still have energy take a ride down to the Lower East Side.   I accidentally came across Economy Candy and spent some time going down memory lane.  I walked out with $40.00 worth of candy and although I was lectured by my sister and son for spending a ridiculous amount of money on candy,  that night there were no complaints as we each ate our share of Abba Zabba, Bit O Honey, thin strands of red licorice, and my personal favorite, Baby Ruth.

Happy Holidays.

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 lb. cooked pasta

2 Tb capers

1/2 cup olives

1/4 cup roasted garlic cloves

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste.

Toss chopped cauliflower with about 2 Tb olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast on a cookie sheet in a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or till tips are golden brown.  Then sprinkle with bread crumbs and roast for another five minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large bowl,  toss together 3-5 Tb of olive oil, capers, roasted garlic cloves (optional), cooked pasta and cauliflower.  Season to taste.  Add a little more olive oil on top and serve with shaved parmesan.  Serves 4.

Enjoy,

Irene

Mexican Hot Chocolate

My youngest son is moving to New York City today so at 6 a.m. this morning I got up and prepared a special breakfast to send him off.  The winds have been howling for the past two days here in Los Angeles, almost as if they too are sad to see him go. When he wakes up he will find a plate of sautéed tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions, all scrambled together with eggs, served with a side of veggie sausages and fresh guacamole.  Of course I wanted to make something special to warm his insides before he deals with the realities of life in New York City and so I prepared a pot of hot chocolate, added some cinnamon, a little vanilla, and a touch of chili powder. Bittersweet.  Bon Voyage and B’hatzlachah!

Mexican Hot Chocolate

4 Cups milk

1/2 Cup U-Bet Chocolate Syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla

1/2 tsp ground chili powder

Simmer all the ingredients together and adjust sweetness to your taste.  I would top it with fresh whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Serves two because it is always nicer to share a cup of cocoa with someone else.

 

Enjoy,

Irene

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

With Fall came the appearance of apples in the markets on the East Coast, with numerous varieties to choose from, most of which were grown in Upstate New York.  As a child, my father took great pride in his ability to peel an apple in one uninterrupted motion, rotating the apple and keeping the knife steady in his hand as the peel slowly curled off the fruit.  I was fascinated by it and he always chuckled as I looked on.  In the evening, my mother would serve a snack of cut-up apples alongside sliced rye bread and butter, or she would steep slices of apple in hot tea.  Occasionally she made baked apples or an apple cake.  My father would encourage me to eat apples, stating how healthy they were, maybe because he actually believed that “an apple a day kept the doctor away” (my father typically believed what he read in print) but I was allergic to raw apples and so eventually I just stopped eating them.

I envied my parents and sister, and later on, my husband and children, who took such pleasure in eating this seemingly perfect snack that actually didn’t require peeling.  I loved watching them take that very first bite when you could hear the crunch and that pop of juice.  I would watch the expressions on their faces as they formed an opinion, was the apple too mealy, too tart, too sweet or just perfect.  I still find myself drawn to the apple stands at the farmers markets.  I might ask the grower about new varieties, pick one up and weigh it in my hand, look for blemishes, gently squeeze it to see if it feels firm and then buy a few to take home.  I have a bowl full of apples in my kitchen right now, purchased for no reason other than that they looked so pretty.

My daughter recently went apple picking in Upstate New York and she brought some of the apples home with her on Thanksgiving.  Like everything in life, things may not be exactly as we wish, but we adjust.  I accept that I will never experience  the pleasure of biting into a just picked Northern Spy or an Ida Red, but I can take those apples and turn them into apple pie, home-made, double crusted and perfect.

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Crust   (enough for a double crust)

2 Cups all-purpose flour

3/4 Tsp salt

1 Cup Crisco

1 egg

2 Tbs cold water

1 Tbs white vinegar

Filling

6  baking apples ( I used a combination of Ida Red, Macoun and Empire)

3/4 Cup sugar

2 Tbs flour

1 1/2 Tsp cinnamon

Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine flour and salt in large bowl.  Add Crisco to flour and using your fingers blend until mixture resembles large peas. Beat egg, water, and vinegar together and pour into flour mixture.  Stir with a fork until blended.  Divide dough in half and shape each portion into a ball.  Flatten each into a 4″ circle, wrap in Saran, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Dust rolling-pin and board with flour.  Roll one portion of dough out to fit an 8″ pie plate with a 1″ overhang.  Carefully place dough into greased pie plate.

Peel, core, and slice apples and mix with sugar, flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice.  Place apple mixture in pie shell.  Roll out second piece of dough and  place on top.  Crimp edges or just fold over for a more rustic looking pie.  Cut slits in the top crust to allow for steam to escape or use a pie bird.  Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, until pie is fully baked and apples are tender.

Enjoy,

Irene