Pasta Dish

 It is rare that I do daily posts, but a recent Facebook follower asked for this recipe. I have to tell you that I love this recipe. It is relatively easy and uses one pot and is DELICIOUS. It is truly tasty. One of my teenagers likes it and the other really doesn't like it. I get it. Can't make everyone happy.

One Pan Orecchiette Puttanesca

5 T Olive Oil

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 15 oz can of chickpeas; rinsed; and dried (doesn't need to be super dry, but I let them sit in the colander while I gather all the ingredients together)

2 t paprika (I use this one from the Spice Store)

2 t ground cumin (I use this one from the Spice Store)

2 t tomato paste (I use this one)

salt

2 cups parsley, roughly chopped

2 t lemon zest

3 T baby capers

3/4 green olives pitted; roughly chopped

9 oz grape or cherry tomatoes, washed and dried

2 t sugar

1 1/2 t caraway seeds

9 oz orecchiette (or shells)

2 cups vegetable stock

3/4 cup plus 2 T water

pepper

In a large skillet (make sure you have a cover for this skillet), combine 3 T olive oil, garlic, chick peas, paprika, cumin, tomato paste and 1/2 t salt and cook over medium heat for 12 minutes. Keep stirring. Don't let it burn. Remove 1/3 of the chickpeas.

In a small bowl combine the parsley, lemon zest, capers and olives. Add 2/3 of the parsley dish to the skillet along with the tomatoes, sugar and caraway seeds and cook for 2 minutes and stir often. Then add the pasta, stock, water, 1/2 t salt and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 12 minutes.

Then stir in remaining parsley into the pan, along with 2 T olive oi and the remaining chickpeas. Grind some pepper on top. Serve.

NOTE:

I don't use store spices unless I am stuck. I plan ahead and order my spices from The Spice House. If you ever get to go post pandemic it is an amazing family owned store. Here is a bit more history about them. The Double Vanilla is AMAZING.

Meatballs

 Apparently my kids really like meatballs. Their favorite is the sweet and sour meatball from Kosher by Design. They have also liked the Swedish meatball recipe from Kosher Instant Pot. This weekend I found a new meatball recipe, which everyone liked. I like meatballs because I can make two dishes at the same time - one using meatballs and one using vegetarian meatballs (meatless meatballs).

This is from Once Upon a Chef

MEATBALLS

Nonstick spray

1 large egg

1 T soy sauce

3 T water

1/4 cup sliced scallions

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 t grated fresh ginger

1.5 pounds of ground beef

2/3 cup plain bread crumbs

SAUCE

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup water

6 T brown sugar

2 T soy sauce

1 T Sambal Oelek (I used double in the vegetarian version since Adam likes heat)

1 t toasted sesame oil

1 T rice vinegar

FOR SERVING

2 sliced scallions

cooked white rice

1 T sesame seeds

To make the meatballs, first preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with oil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, soy sauce, water, scallions, garlic and ginger. Add the beef and breadcrumbs. I use latex gloves to mix and then form the meatballs (golf ball size). I put the meatballs on the baking sheet, and cook for 18 minutes and make sure I flip them halfway through.

To make the sauce, in a large skillet, stir the ketchup, water, brown sugar, soy sauce, Sambal Oelek, sesame oil and vinegar. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Using tongs, place the meatballs in the sauce and cook for five minutes.

Move meatballs to bowl with sauce and top with scallions and sesame seeds. (To make the vegetarian version, I only made the sauce and placed the frozen vegetarian meatballs in the sauce and cooked it until the meatballs were hot.)

Delicious Chicken Recipe

 Found a new recipe that Naomi and I liked.

Chicken with Rosemary and White Wine

2 T butter or margarine

1 T extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Pepper

2 chicken legs

3/4 c white wine

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 cloves of garlic, cut in half

Instructions

Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Melt margarine and oil in large skillet (with a cover). Once melted add chicken and brown on both sides. Season again with salt and pepper. Add wine, rosemary and garlic. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve hot.

Air Fried Flounder

 My kids and I love flounder and haddock. Here is an easy and delicious recipe to try if you have an air fryer.

Ingredients

1 pound of haddock or cod; cut into four pieces
salt

pepper
2 T all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1/2 c panko
1 t onion powder
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

Instructions:

Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees and spray the basket with Pam.

Season fish on both sides with salt and pepper.

I use these trays to set up the cooking process.

I put the flour in tray one.

I put the eggs in tray two and scramble them.

I put the panko, onion powder and Old Bay spice in the third tray and stir to combine.

I then put one piece of fish in the flour then tap off the extra; then I dip that fish (both sides) into the egg (both sides), and then finally the panko (both sides). I do this for all four pieces of fish.

I put the fish into the air fryer for 10 minutes; after 10 minutes I flip and then cook for another 6 minutes.

Delicious!

Rosh Hashana - Pandemic Year 2

 Another year is rolling in for Jewish people around the world.  Again, we will not be celebrating as we normally did before Covid 19.  

EREV MENU

2 homemade Challah 

Chopped liver from New England Soup Factory

Chicken Soup (Matza balls also, but made separate) from the Temple Emanuel Sisterhood Cookbook 

Vegetarian Soup from the New England Soup Factory

Hummus

Red Pepper Dip (from the Persian Bride Cookbook)

Chicken cutlets

Chickpea Bake

Instant Pot Potato Kugel

Roasted Asparagus 

Dessert from “The Tray” - listed below

DAY 1 - served on the porch

Chopped Liver (see above)

Soup (see above)

Hummus

Red Pepper Dip

Knishes from The Butcherie in Brookline

Chicken from the Barefoot Contessa

BBQ Tofu

Basmati Rice with Carmelized onions and lentils and potatoes (from the Persian Bride Cookbook)

Guest is bringing vegetable 

Fruit

Dessert from “The Tray”

Day 2 - Guesting, but bringing desserts

THE TRAY

Strawberry Whip (see my blog)

Chocolate Rugelach

Butterscotch Blondies

Zucchini Bread

Honey Cake Biscotti from The Kosher Holiday Baker

Chickpea Flour Cookies from The Persian Bride

Salted Chocolate chip cookies

Persian Red Pepper Dip

The Making of the soup

Zucchini bread

Hone Cake Biscotti

Butterscotch Blondies

Chocolate Rugelach

The making of the matza balls

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Challah

Chickpea Flour Cookies

Mango Sorbet - no ice cream maker needed

 While it has not been a great weather summer, we are eating summer foods.  I love sorbet and found a great recipe for sorbet.

1 large bag of frozen mango from Trader Joe's

4 T maple syrup

2 T lime juice

In a food processor, pulse the mango so there are tiny bits.  Add the maple syrup and lime juice.  Process for 1-2 minutes.  Every so often lift the top and smoosh the mango sorbet around.  Then continue to process until you have a smooth sorbet.  Might take 4 minutes of processing.

Pour into container and freeze.

Enjoy.

Gazpacho - a refreshing cold soup

 

Gazpacho - a refreshing cold soup

1 cup freshly chopped, peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped, peeled cucumber
1/4 c chopped onion
2 tsp finely chopped parsley
2 tsp finely chopped chives
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 T wine vinegar
2 T EVOO
ground pepper (a few twists)
1 t Worcestershire sauce
2 cup tomato juice

Combine all ingredients a glass bowl, and stir to mix. Cover and chill for several hours.