Grandma's Baked Blintzes

One of my grandma’s signature dishes was blintzes. But the cheese filling she made was different than the classic sweet version (with vanilla and/or cinnamon). Her blintz filling was lemony, and included cheese, egg and a small amount of sugar. Also, because there were so many of us, she had no time to fry them a couple at a time and still have everyone eat at the same time. So she placed the blintzes, seam-side down, on a baking sheet, topped each with a little dab of butter, and baked them until they were golden brown. I still love blintzes, lemony and baked. And so does my family. Grandma’s cheese filling recipe is below, but the instructions give you the option to make the more popular vanilla version (and also how to fry them). Don’t worry if the wrappers don’t fry into perfect circles — you’re going to roll them and if they’re a little off, no one will ever know.

GRANDMA’s CHEESE BLINTZ FILLING:
1 pound farmer’s cheese
1 large egg
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest, optional (I always include)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Place the cheese, egg, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the lemon zest OR vanilla extract and mix in thoroughly. To fill each wrapper: use the first fried side as the inside of the blintz. Use about 2 tablespoons of filling for an 8-inch wrapper and place the filling in the center of the wrapper. Fold the bottom side up, over the filling. Fold the left side, then the right side over the filling, then roll up to enclose the filling. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the blintzes in a single layer on a jelly roll pan, top each with a tiny piece of butter. Bake for about 10 minutes.

To fry: place the blintzes seam side down first over medium heat (using the same method as for frying the wrappers – let the butter melt and become foamy).

#blintzes #cheeseblintzes #shavuot #shavuot2024 #shavuos

Pierogies for a Delicious Dairy Dinner

After Father’s Day (heavy on the meat), I want a dairy dinner. These pierogies! One of my favorite meals. POTATO CHEESE PIEROGIS
FILLING:
3 cups mashed potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup farmer cheese
salt and black pepper to taste
Place the potatoes in a bowl. Heat the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 minutes or until soft and golden. Add to the potatoes. Add the farmer cheese, salt and pepper and mix well. Set aside to cool. Use about one tablespoon filling for each pierogi. DOUGH: 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, cut into chunks
1/2 cup water, approximately
1 cup dairy sour cream Place the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and work it into the dough until crumbly. Add 1/2 cup of water and the sour cream and mix the dough until it is soft and well blended. If it seems too dry, add more water. (Or use a food processor.) Let the dough rest at least 30 minutes. Roll portions of dough on a floured surface to 1/8-inch thick and cut out circles with a 3-inch cookie cutter. To fill the pierogis: place filling in the center of each circle. Fold the circle in half, pinching the edges to seal. Heat 1 tablespoon butter plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter melts, add some of the pierogis (do not crowd the pan) and cook 3-4 minutes on the flat side, or until golden brown on the bottom, then turn them over and cook another 2-3 minutes or until golden. Repeat. Serve with sour cream. Makes about 4 dozen #pierogies #cheesepierogi #potatopierogies
#dairydinner

Citrusy New York Cheesecake

I’m one of those people who loves dairy foods so for me, Shavuot, which is in two days (June 11th at sundown), is the most delicious holiday because it’s the “dairy” holiday and even more specifically, it’s the cheesecake holiday. Who doesn’t like cheesecake!? I make all kinds but I really do love the plain, New York style cheesecake the best. Ok, maybe with some strawberries on the side. But that’s it!

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE

1-1/2 teaspoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately)
1-1/2 pounds cream cheese (3-8 ounce packages)
freshly grated zest of one small orange
2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1/3 cup dairy sour cream or unflavored yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the butter on the bottom and sides of a 9” springform pan. Sprinkle the inside of the pan with the graham cracker crumbs. Shake the pan to coat the bottom and sides of the pan completely. Beat the cream cheese, orange zest and lemon zest together in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese has softened and is smooth. Gradually add the vanilla, cream and sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs one at a time, beating them in after each addition. Stir in the sour cream. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Prepare a bain-marie, that is, place the springform pan inside a larger pan. Fill the larger pan with enough hot water to come at least 1-inch up the sides of the baking dish. Bake for 70-75 minutes or until the top of the cake is lightly browned. Remove the springform pan from the larger pan and let the cake cool in the springform pan. When the cake has reached room temperature, refrigerate it for at least 4 hours or until it is thoroughly chilled. Remove the sides of the pan to serve the cake. Slices best using a knife that has been inserted into very hot water. Makes one #cheesecake #cheesecakelover #cheesecakes #shavuot #shavuot2024 #shavuos #shavuos2024 #dairy #dairydessert

Matzo Fattoush

It’s just a plain old salad. Refreshing and all. But add a few pieces of toasted matzo farfel and it transforms into a holiday treat. Fattoush. The word means “crumbled bread” in Arabic and of course, during the year you can use croutons and such. This is a special version, especially good for Passover.

MATZO FARFEL FATTOUSH

• 2 cups matzo farfel

• 6 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 cups shredded Romaine lettuce (6-8 large leaves)

• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

• 1 medium cucumber, chopped

• 1 ripe avocado, peeled and chopped

• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped

• 2-3 scallions, chopped

• 1/2 cup chopped parsley

• 1/4 cup chopped mint

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the farfel on a baking sheet. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil over the farfel and toss, coating all the pieces. Bake for about 15 minutes, tossing the farfel occasionally, or until it is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool. Place the lettuce shreds, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, bell pepper, scallions, parsley and mint in a bowl. Mix the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil and the lemon juice together. Pour the dressing over the salad, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and toss the ingredients. Add the toasted farfel, toss again and let rest for a few minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings

Matzo Balls for Passover

The torch has been passed.

For the first time, after decades, I am not hosting Passover. One of my daughters is taking over (next year it will be my other daughter).

It feels weird, sad and thrilling all at the same time. Who knew that last year would be my last?

Everyone says “it’s good!” “it’s time!” And yet …. are we ever really quite ready? Those of us who never minded the preparation, the cooking, the utter exhaustion that leads to our remarkable celebration of Passover?

But I am not giving up completely! I am bringing food.

Of course.

My grandchildren, as grandchildren will do, have told their mother that only my matzo balls will do. And my stuffed cabbage and charoset. And that even when she uses my recipes, it is “not like grandma’s.”

Grand children are the absolute best. And I am so lucky to have my five.

Chag Pesach Sameach everyone. Shalom.

Here is the matzo ball recipe I use. The photo below shows the matzo balls I made yesterday.

MATZO BALLS

• 1 cup matzo meal

• 1 teaspoon salt

• freshly ground black or white pepper to taste

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley or dill, or both, optional

• 4 whole large eggs, slightly beaten

• 1/4 cup melted goose fat, chicken fat, margarine or vegetable oil

• 1/4 cup chicken soup, water or seltzer

In a bowl. combine the matzo meal, salt, pepper and parsley or dill (or both). In another bowl, beat the eggs, melted fat and soup together. Add the egg mixture to the matzo mixture and blend thoroughly. Stir in the liquid. Cover the ingredients and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. With wet cold hands shape the matzo mixture into 1-inch balls (you may have to re-wet hands occasionally). Add the matzo balls one by one to the boiling water. Lower the heat so that the water is at a simmer. Cover the pan and cook for at least 50 minutes (do not lift the cover) or until they are tender. Remove the matzo balls from the water. Place into the soup to soak up more flavor.

Makes 14-16

Charoset Ice Cream

Several years ago I created this recipe for charoset ice cream for an article in the Jewish Week Food & Wine (which, I am sad to say, no longer has a regular food/recipe column).

Back then (2015), Ben & Jerry’s had created a charoset flavored ice cream that was all the rage — but it was only available in Israel.

The mere mention of charoset ice cream piqued my interest. So I got to work and created my own version.

I have never tasted theirs. Don’t need to. This version is quite wonderfully delicious.

Charoset Ice Cream 

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

• 6 dates, preferably medjool, pitted and chopped

• 2 small Golden Delicious or other sweet apples, peeled and chopped

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 cup sweet Passover wine

• 3 cups half and half, light cream or whipping cream

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 3 large egg yolks

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup chopped nuts, optional

Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the brown sugar and mix it in. Add the dates and apples and stir the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Sprinkle in the cinnamon. Pour in the wine. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pan, lower the heat and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the fruit is soft. Mash the fruit to make the mixture pasty and set it aside.  

While the fruit is cooking, heat 2 cups of the cream over medium heat until bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar, the egg yolks and salt at medium speed for 3-5 minutes or until light and thick. Gradually add the heated cream and mix the ingredients completely. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5-6 minutes or until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour in the remaining cream and blend it in thoroughly. Stir in the fruit mixture. Refrigerate until cold (at least 45 minutes). Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’

Makes about 6 cups

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Peppers

Historians tell us that Queen Esther, hero of Purim, was a vegetarian. Rice-and-veggie stuffed peppers is a delicious way to honor that remarkable woman, who was successful in preventing the annihilation of the Jews in ancient Persia.

My grandmother made a similar dish. I don’t have her recipe but have been experimenting with the ingredients for years and this is the closest I’ve come to the dish I remember her serving when I was a child.

Stuffed Peppers

• 8 bell peppers

• 1 cup rice

• 2 tablespoons currants or raisins

• 5 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 medium onions, chopped

• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, optional

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 large tomato, chopped

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1-3/4 cups vegetable stock

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Place the peppers in a deep bowl and pour boiling water over them. Weight them down to keep them under the water. Let rest for 5 minutes. Drain and repeat the process with cold water. Cut a lid from the top of the peppers, but reserve the lids. Scoop out and discard the seeds and membranes. Set the peppers aside. Place the rice and currants in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let rest for 30 minutes. Drain. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and pine nuts, if used, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes or until the onion has softened and is slightly golden. Add the rice and currants and some salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato, sugar and allspice and cook for another minute, stirring occasionally. Add the stock, bring to a boil, cover the pan and lower the heat. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until the rice is soft and all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the parsley, dill, mint and lemon juice. Let cool. Use to fill the peppers. Place lids on top. (You may prepare to this point and cook later). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the peppers in a baking dish. Add 2 cups of water to the dish. Bake the peppers for 40 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving (warm or at room temperature).

Makes 8 servings

Spinach and Cheese Bourekas

Many years ago I learned to make spinach pie, loaded with crumbled feta cheese and seasoned with fresh dill. My family absolutely loved it, so it was — still is — a regular item on my menu. It’s almost always part of my break-the-fast feast.

Most of the time I make spinach pie using buttered layers of phyllo pastry, which makes for a crispy, delicate crust for the savory spinach filling below.

But we like the dish so much that on Passover, I top the pie with buttered matzo.

At one time I used the filling for spanakopitas, making spinach-filled layers of phyllo dough into small triangles. These were perfect as hors d’oeuvre and I would make dozens at a time and stock them in the freezer.

That was a LOT of work!

This year, thanks to inspiration from my Facebook friend Dana Shrager (@Danastable), who posted her recipe for spinach and cheese bourekas as a treat for Purim, I realized that I could make those wonderful hors d’oeuvres again using puff pastry, as she suggested!

SO MUCH EASIER!

I made a whole bunch of these, using my recipe for spinach pie as filling but using puff pastry. All I can say is that I will never go back to phyllo dough for these hors d’oeuvres. My tasters gobbled these down and I served them again to everyone’s absolute delight.

Thanks Dana, for your suggestion to use puff pastry and also that these, triangular shape that they are, would be perfect for Purim. Yes. They are indeed!

Here’s the recipe for spinach and cheese filling and instructions on how to make the triangle bourekas.

Spinach and Cheese Bourekas

• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 large egg

• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

• freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and mix well. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the egg, feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, dill and pepper. Mix well and set aside. Using one sheet at a time, roll the puff pastry on a lightly floured board slightly thinner (I did 12”x9”). Cut each sheet on the long side into 4 equal strips (3”). Cut the strips into thirds (making 12 pieces). Place equal amounts of the filling in the center of each piece of dough. Fold the dough to enclose the filling and make a triangle. Press the edges to seal them. If necessary, wet the edges of the pieces before folding, OR, press the edges down with the tines of a fork. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before baking. Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until browned and crispy.

Makes 24

Chocolate Yogurt Bread

A few days ago @DanaLShrager (@JewishCooking Facebook group) asked for ideas — other than hamantashen — about what might make good mishloach manot for Purim. My suggestions included muffins, quickbreads and other homemade food goodies.

Like this chocolate bread. It’s rich and tender because it’s made with yogurt. It’s also easy to prepare and can be wrapped nicely to give away as a gift. You can add raisins or chopped nuts, or even leave out the chips. For sure, it’s a winner for Purim or any time.

Chocolate Yogurt Bread

• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1-1/4 cups sugar

• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening

• 2 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1-1/2 cups plain yogurt

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9”x5” loaf pan. Melt the chocolate and set it aside to cool. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together and set it aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium, cream the sugar and shortening together. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat the mixture until it is smooth and creamy. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the yogurt. Stir in the chocolate and mix until ingredients are well blended. Stir in the chips, if used. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely. Makes one bread

Grandma's Stewed Fruit

Many of us over a certain age remember Grandma’s stewed fruit!

I call this Grandma’s Stewed Fruit even though it is way different than my grandma’s version, but I’m the grandma now……. and this is one of the many ways my grandkids have tasted this iconic dish.

It is one of the dishes I cooked for my Tu B’shevat class last week at Temple Beth El in Stamford, CT. I’ve made this so many times and keep changing the fruit, depending on what I actually have in my cupboard. The poaching liquid too — sometimes I use a different juice or add some white wine (I particularly love a German sweet wine). And of course — the seasonings. Cinnamon is always good but there’s also cloves, cardamom, dried coriander, mace, etc. to consider.

It’s always delicious, no matter how you cook it.

Eat some with yogurt for breakfast. Use it for dessert! Remember this for Passover. Or Break-the-fast. It’s versatile, attractive, useful, make-ahead! No wonder this is such an icon of Jewish cuisine.

Grandma’s Stewed Fruit 

• 2 cups orange or orange/pineapple juice

• 1-1/2 cups water

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1 3” cinnamon stick

• 2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger

• 1 teaspoon cloves

• 6-8 whole dried figs

• 6-8 pitted Medjool dates

• 1 cup dried apricot halves

• 8-10 prunes

• 1/2 cup golden raisins

Place the water, juice, maple syrup, cinnamon stick, ginger and cloves in a saucepan large enough to hold all the fruit. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the figs, dates, apricots, prunes and raisins and simmer another 15-20 minutes or until the fruit is soft. Let the fruit cool in the pan. Discard the cinnamon stick and cloves. Let cool. Serve with the poaching liquid.

Makes 8 servings