Super Easy Broccoli Soup

 Years ago I attended a Jewish Italian cooking class in a private home in Newton. I can’t remember the year. I can’t remember the cook. But I saved this recipe, and made it years ago when my kids were little. It is a “parve” soup, which means it contains no dairy products and no meat products. Vegan!

Broccoli with Fresh Fennel Soup.

Makes 6-8 servings.

2 large heads of broccoli

1 large onion, chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 T olive oil

Fennel feathers from one bulb of fresh fennel

6 cups water (I use 4 c vegetable broth and 2 c water)

Salt and pepper

Chop the broccoli and get rid of the large stem (but not the smaller ones). Chop the small stems.

Sauté onion and garlic in the oil for 5-9 minutes in a large pot.

Add broccoli, fennel and water, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the broccoli is soft. Purée the mixture in a blender (you can use a stick blender)

Return to pot and simmer 10 minutes, add salt and pepper as needed.

Serve.

Thanksgiving 2023

 Thanksgiving 2023

Chex Mix

Cheese, crackers and grapes and chips and dip (provided by Dave Follick and Erica Berliant Follick)

Mock Meatballs - Vegetarian Times Thanksgiving

Wine

Sparkling Apple Cider

Pomegranate spritzer

Mark’s Hard Lemonade

Beer

Cucumber and Apple Salad (from Adeena Sussman’s Shabbat)

Challah

Olives and Pickles

2 Turkey Breasts 

15 bean chili (Vegetarian Times Thanksgiving)

Gravy

Sweet potato with marshmallows 

Stuffing - Mom’s

Canned Cranberry Sauce

Mom’s cranberry relish

Kugel (from Robin Weiner Healey)

Roasted Broccoli 

Tiny Potatoes roasted

Fruit from Barbara Cohen

Coffee and Tea

Candied Cranberry Chocolate Tart - December 1999 Bon Appetit 

Pumpkin Pie - Pie and Pastry Bible

Apple Pie - Pie and Pastry Bible

Mae’s Chocolate Pie

Tahini Blondies - Adeena Sussman

Maple Brownies

Chocolate Brownies with Caramel (Foolproof Ina Garten)

Espresso Brownies (Half Baked Harvest website)

Butter Cookies

Pumpkin Bread

Blog is not forgotten

 It has been a bit busy this fall in the Weitzman house. I am incoming president of Hadassah Boston. I just returned home from my three day training in NYC. I received a lot of information, but I met 11 other women who are also becoming regional presidents on January 1, 2024! We are a diverse group of women, and live across the country. It was nice to meet our trainers, and each other.

And now I am home, am preparing Thanksgiving. I will post my menu later.

Work is busy, as it is at the end of every year. I like to be busy. Everything will get done by December 31, 2023.

Youngest child is applying to colleges, which is stressful and exciting.

More to come, but I didn’t want you to think I forgot about you.

Baking

 I have been neglecting my cooking blog. I have been a bit busy.

I did attend two King Arthur Flour classes. I took a cupcake class and a tart and pie class. Both were amazing.

Let me share some photos.

Weighing ingredients is most important

Look at those amazing chocolate cupcakes

Making the vanilla filling for the cupcakes

Who knew that peanut butter butter cream is so amazing.

I filled a cupcake with the filling!!!

Peanut butter buttercream on top of chocolate cupcakes

My filled cupcakes

I can’t believe I made these cupcakes!

Tart shell

TASTY

Cranberry pecan tart

apple pie

Israel at War

 Hi friends. I am really still processing everything. The deaths of young people in Israel at a music festival. The kidnapping of children and the elderly. The rockets firing into and out of Israel. 

As someone who doesn’t love crowds, attending the rally was something I had to do. I can’t explain it. I was drawn there.

Hearing the speakers support Israel. Stand with Israel. Being with people who are on the same emotional rollercoaster with me. I am so lucky to live in a city that provided me the space to mourn and rally. I am so lucky to live in a country that provides me the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech. 

I am so lucky to have Governor Healey, Senator Warren, Mayor Wu and other elected officials Stand with Israel. And speak out for Israel.

I am so lucky to have Hadassah Hospital treat all patients. But I have a heavy heart knowing peace is not as close as I want it to be. I pray for peace in Israel. “Am Yisrael Chai.”

Rosh Hashana 2023

 I like to archive my menus, so I can get inspiration in future years.

Erev:

Challah and Honey

Chicken Soup with Matzah Balls - Maddy's recipe from the Temple Emanuel Sisterhood Cookbook

Mushroom Barley Soup from the Butcherie in Brookline

Hummus

Chickpea Salad from the Persian Bride Cookbook

Red Pepper Dip from the Persian Bride Cookbook

Brisket!

Chickpeas from Yotam

Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Potatoes

Apple Crisp

Fruit

Pastries:

• ·         Rugelach
• ·         Cardamom Cookies from the Persian Bride Cookbook
• ·         Almond Biscotti's
• ·         Brownies from Smitten Kitchen Blog
• ·         Zucchini Bread - Mimi Follick's recipe
• ·         Maple Brownies

Day 1:

Challah and Honey

Chicken Soup with Matzah Balls - Maddy's recipe from the Temple Emanuel Sisterhood Cookbook

Mushroom Barley Soup from the Butcherie in Brookline

Hummus

Red Pepper Dip from the Persian Bride Cookbook

Olives and Pickles

Knishes from The Butcherie

Roast Chicken from the Persian Bride

Tuscan Beans with Sage from the Low Fat Moosewood Cookbook

Basmati Rice with lentils, potatoes and carnalized onions  from the Persian Bride Cookbook

Air fried Brussel Sprouts with maple syrup

Cranberry Pecan Tart (King Arthur Baking)

Chocolate Mousse Cake - Renee Glazier's recipe from the Temple Emanuel Sisterhood Cookbook

Pastries:

• ·         Rugelach
• ·         Cardamom Cookies from the Persian Bride Cookbook
• ·         Almond Biscotti's
• ·         Brownies from Smitten Kitchen Blog
• ·         Zucchini Bread - Mimi Follick's recipe
• ·         Maple Brownies

Ottolenghi's Delicious Dinner Recipe

I really can’t believe summer is nearly over. I haven’t baked or cooked as much as I had hoped. I am going to blame it on our air conditioning being broken from May to early August.

 But I have cooked Ottolenghi’s One Pot Puttanesca recently, from his Flavor cookbook, and it didn’t disappoint.

 

3 T Olive Oil

6 cloves of garlic, minced

One 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried

2 t paprika

2 t cumin (ground)

2 t tomato paste

Salt

2 cups parsley, roughly chopped

2 t lemon zest

3 T capers

¾ cup green olives – roughly chopped, pits removed

9 oz cherry tomatoes

2 t sugar

1 t caraway seeds

9 oz orecchiette pasta (I used bow tie)

2 c vegetable stock

¾ c plus t @ water

Black pepper

Directions

In a large sauté pan (that has a lid), combine 3 T of the olive oil, the garlic, chickpeas, paprika, cumin, tomato paste and ½ t salt. Cook over medium heat. Cook for 12 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally. Remove 1/3 of the chickpeas for later.

In a small bowl, combine the parsley, lemon zest, capers and olives. Add 2/3 of this mixture to the sauté pan, along with the cherry tomatoes, sugar and caraway seeds and cook for 2 minutes over medium high heat, stirring often. Add the pasta, stock, water and ½ t salt, and bring to a summer. Decrease heat to medium, cover and cook for 13 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.

Stir in the remaining parsley mixture and garnish with reserved chickpeas.

Add salt and pepper and serve.