Honey-Spice Sweet Potatoes

It will be a tiny Thanksgiving dinner for us this year. It’s sad. And yet, I am still thankful that my kids and grandkids will celebrate separately and we will FaceTime during the day to send virtual hugs. And we will hope that next year we can go back to the large, crowded, noisy celebrations of days gone by.

Also, I am thankful that my brother and sister-in-law, who live nearby, will have dinner with us, seated far apart.

So, a scaled-down dinner. I know everyone will want sweet potatoes, so here is the scaled-down version of a dish I sometimes serve. It’s enough for 4 or 6 so maybe there will be some leftovers.

Btw, you can set this up ahead and pop it into the oven at the last minute.

Honey-Spice Sweet Potatoes

• 3 medium sweet potatoes

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange peel

• 3 tablespoons orange juice

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

• 1 tablespoon water

• 1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, butter, margarine or coconut oil

Peel the sweet potatoes, cut them into chunks and place in a saucepan. Cover with lightly salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and cook for 15-18 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain under cold water and place in a lightly oiled casserole dish. In another saucepan, combine the honey, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, orange peel, orange juice and lemon juice. Bring the ingredients to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Mix the cornstarch and water together to form a paste. Spoon the paste into the boiling honey mixture and stir briefly until the sauce thickens. Stir in the vegetable oil. Pour the sauce over the potatoes. Set aside. About a half hour before you are ready to serve the dish, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake the casserole for about 20 minutes.

Makes 4-6 servings

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

I’ve been in a pumpkin spice mood. I made some pumpkin spice muffins. And some coffee cake.

But this week it’s ice cream, because, in addition to the yen for pumpkin spice, I’ve been in an ice cream kind of mood lately.

So - pumpkin spice ice cream, a flavor that suits the season and pleases my palate. I served it with dates, which was a delicious combo.

Treat yourself to some. It’s easy to make and because we all might be stuck in for a while maybe you have some time on your hands. It will give you something to do and something delicious to end a meal. Or have as a snack.

If you don’t have an ice cream machine, follow the directions here:

PUMPKIN SPICE ICE CREAM

• 1 cup pureed pumpkin

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2-1/2 cups cream

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 4 large egg yolks

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a bowl and stir the ingredients until thoroughly blended. Set aside. Heat 2 cups of the cream until the liquid is warm and bubbles appear on the side of the pan. While the cream is cooking, place the brown sugar and egg yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a bowl and hand mixer) and beat for 3-4 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, or until light, fluffy and well blended. Gradually add the warmed cream and stir for 1-2 minutes to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 8-10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the remaining cream, the vanilla extract and the pumpkin mixture. Mix until well blended; refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until chilled. Place in an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. When the ice cream has thickened but is still soft, add the cranberry mixture and continue churning until the ice cream is thick. Spoon the soft ice cream into a container. Place in the freezer until very cold and firm.

Makes about 6 cups

Roasted Corn Salad

I can’t wait for 2020 to end. It’s been a stressful, depressing year.

In addition to the pandemic and the hate-filled political climate, we had a storm last week that knocked out our power and land-line telephone for days, and there was sketchy internet service too.

And we lost a huge limb from our favorite hundreds-of-years-old maple tree.

Then there was a water main break so we had no water for a whole day.

YECH!!

Still, I am grateful for a number of things.

For instance: crops. Vegetables that grow despite the political circus, despite the hatreds, despite the racial tensions, despite the bad weather, despite the virus, despite the social distancing and the quarantines.

They don’t make up for the lost lives, the lack of hugs, the inability to travel or be with loved ones. But, thank goodness for these, the positives that nature brings us.

Summer’s best crops: tomatoes, peaches and nectarines.

And corn.

Get a couple of good ears of corn and grill them or use your oven and follow the recipe below for a refreshing summer salad. It made me feel better to make this one.

Charred Corn Salad

• 2 cups corn (about 3 ears of corn)

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion ( 2 3/4-inch thick slices)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco (or use goat cheese or any crumbly white cheese)

• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper (or crushed red pepper or Aleppo pepper)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the corn and onion on a parchment lined baking sheet. Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over the vegetables, toss and roast for 12-20 minutes or until crisped and browned. Alternatively, rub the ears of corn and the onion with the olive oil and grill for about 10-12 minutes, turning the vegetables occasionally, or until crispy and tender, then remove the kernels and chop the onion. Place the vegetables in a bowl. Let cool. Add the cheese and parsley. Pour in the remaining tablespoon olive oil and the lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings

Simmered Plums with Orange and Pepper

I got the most glorious plums recently.

A lot of them (because they looked so good!).

However, there’s just two of us and rare visitors, two at a time, and there are just so many plums a person can eat!

Some of the fruit started to soften and I made some barbecue sauce with those.

Before the others met the same fate, I simmered them with some brown sugar, cinnamon, orange peel and just a few whole black peppercorns to jazz up the flavor. The sauce is vaguely hot, but not overly spicy.

Eat these lightly cooked plums plain, drizzled with some of the poaching fluids, and/or with whipped cream, heavy cream, ice cream, sorbet, sour cream, yogurt, mascarpone cheese, goat cheese — all good.

Bonus: this recipe is amazingly quick and easy.

Simmered Plums with Orange and Pepper

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2” cinnamon stick

• 2 2-inch strips orange peel

• 16 peppercorns

• 6-8 medium plums, cut in half, pits removed

Place the sugar, 1-1/2 cups water, cinnamon stick, orange peel and peppercorns in a saucepan large enough to hold the plums. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the plums. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the plum skins split and the fruit is tender. Remove the pan from the heat and let the plums cool in the syrup. Serve the plums with some of the poaching liquid.

Makes 4–6 servings.

Coconut Cookies

Almost everyone I know is baking more these days.

Me too.

Also, everyone I know is complaining about gaining weight from all the stuff they are baking.

Me too.

But, okay, this Covid thing will be over one day and I can go on a diet then.

In the meantime I am baking more.

Because of all the extra baking I needed to branch out a little. I was overloaded with my usual Grand Finale cookies, Fanny cookies and peanut butter cookies. It’s like watching Casablanca or Tree Grows in Brooklyn again. I love those movies and have seen them a zillion times and will watch them again. But enough is enough — for a while anyway.

So I decided on coconut cookies. These are really really good. One of the grandkids said they are better than all the others.

That is a huge endorsement!

The recipe calls for shredded coconut but I actually used Bob’s Red Mill coconut flakes instead, because I happened to have some. But I’ve made them with shredded coconut too. Good either way.

Glass of milk — iced tea — iced coffee. Your choice.

Coconut Cookies

• 1 cup butter

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup quick cooking oats

• 1 cup shredded coconut

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• confectioners’ sugar, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the butter, sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until thoroughly blended. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat for another minute or until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, oats, coconut, baking powder, baking soda and salt until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Add this mixture to the butter mixture and beat for about 2 minutes or until well blended. Place blobs of dough about 1-inch in diameter (heaping tablespoon) on ungreased cookie sheets, leaving space between dough for the cookies to spread. Gently tap the tops of the dough blobs to flatten them slightly. Bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool and decorate with sifted confectioners’ sugar if desired.

Makes about 30

Smoked Salmon and Cottage Cheese Pie

Last week I made the ideal dish.

By that I mean it is light and easy to eat during the scorching days of summer.

It’s meatless, so perfect for the Nine Days and any other time we don’t want to eat the usual meat-two-veggie or salad dinner.

I got to use up leftovers and bits of this and that (smoked salmon, cottage cheese, cream cheese).

It served as dinner and also as hors d’oeuvre — I rewarmed the leftover portion and cut it into bite-size pieces for some socially distanced company.

You can use any leftover fish. I happened to have smoked salmon, so that’s what I used.

Smoked Salmon and Cottage Cheese Pie

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1 large shallot, chopped

• 1 partially baked pie crust

• 3-4 ounces smoked salmon, chopped

• 2 tablespoons cream cheese

• 4 large eggs

• 1 cup cottage cheese

• 1 cup half and half

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks bubbly, add the shallot and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Spoon the shallot onto the bottom of the partially baked pie crust. Scatter the salmon pieces on top. Cut the cream cheese into small pieces and scatter them on top. In a bowl, beat the eggs, cottage cheese, half and half, dill and salt together until well mixed. Pour into the pie crust. Bake the pie for about 45 minutes or until the top is nicely browned and the custard has set.

Makes 4-6 servings

Whitefish Cakes with Asparagus and Egg

If you’re refraining from eating meat during the Nine Days, or because the weather is hot and humid and the thought or eating something heavy like meat is beyond your emotional capacity or you just love the occasional meatless meal, try these fish cakes!

I had leftovers from a large smoked whitefish that we didn’t finish — but it would work with any cooked fish (I’ve made this dish with smoked trout and cooked salmon).

It’s also the kind of amazingly versatile recipe you need during a pandemic when you may not be able to shop or find the exact ingredients you need and you also don’t want to waste any food.

So, for example, if you don’t have red onion, use scallion or chives or shallot or plain old yellow onion.

No matzo meal? Use dry bread crumbs. Or panko. No parsley? Substitute fresh dill, basil or thyme.

Add a fried egg, a vegetable (here I’ve shown it with asparagus but carrots, spinach, cooked kale and so on would work too) and the meal is complete.

Whitefish Cakes with Asparagus and Egg

• 2 cups mashed smoked whitefish

• 1/3 cup chopped red onion

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 1/4 cup matzo meal

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup matzo meal, approximately

• 20-24 asparagus spears

• 2 tablespoons butter, margarine or vegetable oil

• 4 large eggs

Place the whitefish, red onion, parsley and 1/4 cup matzo meal in a bowl and mix briefly. Add the eggs and mix to combine the ingredients. Shape into 4 thick patties (about 1/2-inch). Place the 1/2 cup matzo meal on a dish and press the fish cakes into the matzo meal to coat both sides. Refrigerate the patties for 30-60 minutes. Heat the oven to warm (or use a warming drawer.) Heat the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Fry the fish cakes for about 3-4 minutes per side or until crispy. While the fish cakes are frying, steam the asparagus for 3-4 minutes or until crisp tender. When the asparagus are cooked, place equal amounts on dinner plates and top each with a fish cake. Keep warm in the oven or warming drawer. Heat the remaining tablespoon butter; when it has melted add the eggs and fry until desired consistency. Place one egg on top of each asparagus-topped fish cake.

Makes 4 servings

Potlagela

I know I am not alone in in thinking I want “my old life back” —— seeing my kids and grandkids, giving them a hug. Seeing family and friends without having to sit at least six feet away, always outside. Going out for dinner. Going to the opera.

All that.

I’ve managed to find ways that help me through this stressful time. One of them is making foods that remind me of “the good old days.”

So I’ve baked some Apple Brown Bettys, because they remind me of my parents (z”l), who once lived nearby. It was my Dad’s favorite dessert, my Mom made it often and there was always some left for me when I’d visit, at least twice a week. (Apple Brown Betty is also good for socially distanced company because you can bake the ingredients in individual ramekins.)

Almond Crusted Chicken Nuggets have been on my menu recently because they remind me of my very special cousin and lifelong friend, Leslie. She and her husband Neil spend every New Year’s weekend with us and I always serve these for hors d’oeuvre. (Another winner for social distancing!)

There’s always a reason to make my grandma’s award-winning challah, so that’s nothing new in my house.

BUT, my other grandma used to make potlagela, a Romanian specialty. I hated this dish when I was a youngster but last year, when I grew my own eggplants, I decided to give her recipe a try and realized how delicious this dish is. That revelation also brought back some terrific memories.

SO, here it is. My Grandma Hoffman’s version of Potlagela. She used vegetable oil, but I prefer olive oil. Either will work. She also cooked her eggplant right on top of the cooktop burner, so if you have a gas burner, you can do it that way too. OR, you can cook it on an outdoor grill, which I’ve done many times.

This dip is so perfect for summer. Especially perfect for eating outdoors socially distanced because you can serve it in separate bowls for other people.

Serve with pita or bagel chips.

Potlagela

• 1 large eggplant

• 1-2 scallions or one shallot or small onion

• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

• 1 tomato, chopped, optional

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• parsley

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash the surface of the eggplant, then wipe it dry. Coat the surface with a thin film of olive oil. Prick the skin in a few places with the tines of a fork. Place the eggplant on a baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, turning the eggplant once or twice during the cooking. Remove the eggplant from the oven. When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and stem and place the flesh in a bowl. Mash the eggplant with the back of a fork. Add the scallion, garlic, optional tomato and olive oil and mix the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Add the lemon juice and mix again. Season to taste with salt and pepper; sprinkle with some parsley.

Makes 4 servings

Buttermilk Bread

I use buttermilk a lot. I like it to drink but mostly I like the vaguely tangy flavor it gives to certain food, like salad dressing and cold summer soups, and the way certain kinds of baked goods, like biscuits and scones, come out so much flakier.

Last week I bought some buttermilk and made a dairy-based Three Cabbage Cole Slaw.

I had lots of buttermilk left, so I got busy and among the foods I made was buttermilk bread.

Big success!

It’s kind of a fluffy white yeast bread, but with a much richer flavor than regular white bread.

We discovered that it’s perfect for tuna fish, egg salad and first-of-summer tomato sandwiches. My husband says he likes it best toasted, dipped into olive oil (plain or topped with tomato).

Other uses? Base for bruschetta. Toasted, instead of pita for dipping into hummus. Spread with orange marmalade. Like that.

Next up for buttermilk —— pudding. Keep watching this space.

Buttermilk Bread

• 1 package active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)

• pinch of sugar

• 1/3 cup warm water (105-110 degrees F)

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 3 tablespoons honey

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 3-3/4 cups flour (preferably bread flour), approximately

• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt

• melted butter, seeds, etc., optional

Lightly butter a bread loaf pan (about 9”x5”) and set aside. Place the yeast in a small bowl, add the sugar and warm water and mix thoroughly to dissolve the yeast (a small whisk works best). Set aside for about 5 minutes or until bubbly. Heat the butter and honey together over low heat until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat. Heat the buttermilk over low heat for 2-3 minutes or until just warm to the touch. Remove from the heat. Place the flour and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the warm buttermilk, the melted butter mixture and the yeast mixture. Mix and knead the ingredients for 3-4 minutes or until smooth. If the dough is sticky, add some more until the dough is soft but not sticky. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 55-60 minutes or until doubled in size. Knead the dough briefly and place it in the prepared bread loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Let the dough rise for another 30 minutes. Brush the top with melted butter and scatter with seeds, if desired. Bake the bread for about 35 minutes or until well risen and golden brown.

Makes one loaf

Vegetable Pie

Everyone who knows me or reads my blog or articles knows that I can’t stand wasting food. I make it my mission to at least try to use everything wisely, including all leftovers.

These days, during a global pandemic when certain items are scarce and it’s also difficult to shop, I’m feeling even more committed.

Fortunately I have a willing and supportive husband, who loves the idea and applauds everything I make and tells me how wonderful and creative it all is.

Last week I had an overabundance of vegetables and an extra quart of half and half. I always have cheese in the fridge.

And so, I gathered up all the leftover veggies and made a vegetable pie for dinner. We had a salad with it.

It was filling and tasted wonderful and we were both happy for a day off meat.

Bonus: this recipe is extremely versatile and easy to prepare: you can use whatever vegetables you have and if you wish, a store-bought pie crust. If you prefer to make your own crust, you can find a recipe here (it makes enough dough for a two-crust pie, but you can freeze half).

Besides all that — this is a good dairy lunch or dinner during Shavuot, which begins tonight at sundown (May 28, 2020).

Vegetable Pie

•  1 tablespoon butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 large shallot, chopped (or use one small onion or 2-3 scallions)

• 1 medium portobello mushroom cap, cut into bite-size pieces (2 cups coarsely chopped mushrooms)

• 1 cup chopped cooked vegetable (broccoli, string beans, carrots, etc.)

• 1 partially baked 9-inch pie crust

• 3 ounces grated meltable cheese (Swiss, cheddar, mozzarella, Jarslberg, etc.)

• 4 large eggs

• 2 cups half and half cream

• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the butter and olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the shallot and mushroom pieces and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Add the cooked vegetable, mix the ingredients and place them in the pie crust. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Beat the eggs and cream together with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the ingredients in the pie crust. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and set.

Makes 4 servings