Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad

Vegetable salads are a big deal at my house during the summer. I make them at least 3-4 times a week. They go with everything: meat, fish, poultry, vegetarian dinner. They’re colorful. They can be made ahead. They’re dairy-free, (although you can certainly add some crumbled cheese to most of them, including in the recipe below).

I’ve made this particular salad dozens of times, adding ingredients here and there if I have them — cucumber, canned chick peas, celery, crumbled feta or goat cheese (and once I made it with blue cheese), etc.

All good. This dish is a good pick for a July 4th weekend barbecue. We eat it at room temperature, when the flavors are at their best.

Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad

• 2 ears of corn (about 1 to 1-1/2 cups kernels)

• 1 small red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped

• 3-4 scallions, chopped

• 1 avocado, cut into bite size chunks

• 2 cups cut up grape or cherry tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil

• 2-3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Steam, poach or grill the corn, let cool and scrape the kernels into a bowl. Add the bell pepper, scallions, avocado and tomatoes. Pour in the olive oil and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly and coat them with the oil. Add 2 tablespoons of the white wine vinegar, the thyme and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Taste and add more vinegar if desired. Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 4-6 servings

Passover Orange Cake with Roasted Oranges and Zabaglione

When I was growing up the standard Seder dessert was sponge cake. Everyone made fun of it and said it was true to its name and that frankly, biting into a sponge was not a good thing.

I actually never cared because as long as I got chocolate covered macaroons I was a happy girl.

By the time I began to host the Seders, flourless chocolate cakes had become fashionable and my aunt Rozzie's recipe for sponge cake was tucked away in a recipe file.

Now more time has gone by and my family got bored with flourless chocolate cake. So I spent years experimenting with flourless rolled cakes and cakes made with nut crumbs instead of wheat and going fancy with layers of jelly-roll pan cakes. Some of those were absolutely fabulous.

But a few years ago I decided to pull out the family recipe. That sponge cake isn't spongy at all. The trick is not to overbeat the egg whites, which are supposed to be thick and glossy with tips that fall over slightly (not so beaten that you can cut a chunk off). Also — fold in the beaten whites rather than mixing them in vigorously.

Although the cake is just fine, plain or served with sorbet, I have served it with a rich and creamy zabaglione sauce and some roasted oranges, which provide a tangy contrast to the sweet cake. They also make a plain sponge cake a bit more festive looking, so it’s a good bet for the holiday.

Bonus: you can make all parts in advance!

Passover Orange Cake with Roasted Oranges and Zabaglione

• 12 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

• 1-3/4 cups sugar

• 6 tablespoons orange juice

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons finely grated orange peel

• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

• 1 cup matzo cake meal, sifted after measuring

• 1/3 cup potato starch

• Passover Zabaglione

• Roasted Orange Slices

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a large (10-1/2-inch - 11-inch springform pan with parchment paper and lightly grease the paper. Beat the egg yolks and 1-cup of the sugar in a mixer bowl at medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Stir in the orange juice, lemon juice, orange peel and lemon peel, mix thoroughly and set aside. In another bowl, beat the egg whites at medium speed until they are foamy. Continue to beat, gradually increasing the speed and gradually adding the remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Beat until the whites are stiff but not dry, and look glossy. Stir about one-quarter of the beaten whites into the yolk mixture. Gently fold the remaining beaten whites into the yolk mixture, until the mixture is uniform in color. In a small bowl whisk the matzo cake meal and potato starch until they are thoroughly blended. Using about 1/4 of the matzo meal mixture at a time, fold the mixture into the egg mixture until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack. When ready to serve, spoon some zabaglione onto serving dishes, place a slice of cake on top and surround with some roasted orange slices. (Or serve with sorbet, whipped cream, ice cream, etc. to suit your meal.)

Makes 12 servings

Passover Zabaglione

• 8 large egg yolks

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons finely grated orange peel

• 1/2 cup sweet white Passover wine

• fresh mint as garnish

Place the egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar and the orange peel in the top part of a double boiler set over barely simmering water. Beat the ingredients with a hand mixer at medium speed for about 3 minutes or until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Continue to beat, gradually increasing the speed to high and gradually adding the wine. Beat for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture is thick and fluffy. You may use the zabaglione warm, immediately, or let it cool to room temperature.

Makes about 3 cups

Roasted Orange Slices

• 6 navel oranges

• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or butter)

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• ground cinnamon (approximately 1/2 teaspoon)

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel the oranges removing as much of the white pith as possible. Cut the oranges crosswise into 24 even slices (there should be 4 center slices from each orange; reserve the ends for other purposes). Place the slices on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with the coconut oil. Sprinkle with the sugar. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and the mint. Roast for about 4 minutes. Turn the slices over and roast for another 4-6 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Makes 12 servings

Coconut Meringue Cookies

I’ve been baking lots of gluten-free butter cookies lately, experimenting for Passover — using our family “fannies” or butter cookies as a base. But because the recipes use egg yolks I had a ton of whites left over. So …… I’ve also been experimenting with meringues (see how-to whip egg whites) and decided to use some for cookies. These coconut cookies are not only an easy way to use meringue but they are tender and sweet and perfect for Passover.

Here’s how: mix 2 cups of meringue (recipe below) with 1-1/2 to 2 cups shredded coconut (amount depends on the size of the shreds: you need enough to form a soft “dough”). Place blobs of the dough (about 1-1/2 inches) on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Bake for 15-22 minutes or until lightly browned. Some people prefer these very light color; we like them honey colored.

I’ve now made these cookies several times. The less coconut you use, the softer and flatter the cookies will be. But either way, the cookies are tender, sweet and oh so tasty!

Meringue:

• 4 large egg whites at room temperature

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment set at medium speed until the mixture is foamy. Add the lemon juice and salt and beat, gradually increasing the speed, until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat, gradually increasing the speed to high, until the mixture stands in stiff, glossy peaks. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Vegetable Croquettes (Passover)

I was once in a pub in the west of England and ordered a dish called Bubble & Squeak. It’s simple, unfancy food, tasty and nourishing, consisting of mashed potatoes and cabbage fried to a crispy brown and topped with an egg.

It was magical.

So I made it many times at home, and, me being me, and this recipe being the kind that allows for endless variation, I added this and that to the potatoes, depending on what leftover vegetables I had. I used Brussels sprouts instead of cabbage (as do many restaurants in England); I’ve added corn, peas, carrots, spinach, broccoli and such. Once or twice I included cheese (feta, Parmesan) but I prefer the all-vegetable version best.

I don’t call it Bubble & Squeak (so named for the sounds it supposedly makes while being cooked), so I’ll just say: Vegetable Croquettes. We’ve eaten them as a side dish with meat but most of the time they are dinner, topped with a fried egg.

This is my Passover version. At other times of the year you can add beans/peas and coat the patties with bread crumbs.

Vegetable Croquettes

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, approximately

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

•  1 cup chopped cooked cabbage

•  2 chopped, cooked carrots

• 10 ounce package frozen spinach, thawed

• 3 cups mashed potatoes

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup matzo meal, approximately

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Spoon the onions into a bowl. Add the cabbage, carrots, spinach, mashed potatoes and some salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and shape the mixture into 1/2-inch patties. Place the matzo meal on a plate. Press both sides of each patty into the crumbs. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Heat 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil in the sauté pan over medium heat. Fry the patties a few at a time (leave plenty of space between each) for 3-4 minutes per side or until crispy and golden brown, adding more vegetable oil to the pan as needed.

Makes 8-10

How to Whip Egg Whites

Have you ever realized how many eggs we use during Passover?

LOTS!

And many Passover recipes, especially desserts, use whipped egg whites. So you read things like “soft peaks” and “stiff but not dry” and such.

What does it all mean? Looks easy but ……

sometimes the food preparations that look the easiest turn out to be the most intimidating.

Egg whites are among those. But if you want to make perfectly soft soufflés, tender Baked Alaska, crispy meringues  and other wonderful treats, it’s important to get it right.

These tips will help:

• Use the freshest eggs possible; their thicker whites whip to greater volume and with more stability than the thin, runny whites of older eggs.

• Separate the yolks and whites when the eggs are cold. This helps prevent even the tiniest particle of yolk from falling into the whites. Egg yolks contain fat, and any kind of fat inhibits volume.

• For the best volume, let the egg whites come to room temperature (usually about 30 minutes) before you beat them.

• Copper bowls are the best for the job, (the acid in the metal helps stabilize the foam), but stainless steel, ceramic or glass bowls are fine too. Don’t use plastic bowls because no matter how much you wash them the surface of retains some fat particles.

• Use a balloon or large whisk or the whisk attachment of an electric mixer or hand mixer. Standard cake batter beaters don’t whip egg whites well; neither does a food processor.

• Start beating the whites on slow and gradually increase the speed as volume increases.

• Beat the whites to the foamy stage (photo #1)before you add ingredients such as cream of tartar, salt, lemon juice or vinegar.

• Add any sugar gradually (about 2 tablespoonfuls at a time), and only after the whites have been beaten to the "soft peak" stage.

• “Soft peaks” (photo #2) means beaten whites with tips that fall over when you lift the beater.

• "Stiff but not dry" (photo #3) means beaten egg whites that are thick and glossy looking and with tips that stand up firmly with only a tiny bit at the top lopping over.

• To test whether whites are stiff enough, either turn the bowl over – it’s ok! the whites won’t fall out! (photo #4) Or, spoon a small amount out of the bowl and turn the spoon over – the whites should cling, not fall out.

• Photo#5 shows the meringue with eggs whipped and sugar added

Honey Glazed Roasted Beets

I’m already planning side dishes for our Passover Seder. I like the ones that have vibrant color, that aren’t too difficult to prepare — it’s just too much work what with all the other food I am planning to cook — and also that I can make in advance.

Roasted beets meet all these requirements. I serve them in some form every year at our Seder.

This year’s version couldn’t be easier. We’ve had it several times already. We like it best when served at room temperature. I’ve made this using Balsamic vinegar instead of wine vinegar. It’s somewhat sweeter that way, but we prefer the white wine vinegar tang.

Honey Glazed Roasted Beets 

• 3 large beets

• 3 tablespoons honey

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

• salt to taste

• sprinkle of Aleppo pepper (or use cayenne or some other smokey dried pepper)

• 1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons chopped chives or green scallion tops

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel the beets and cut them into bite-size pieces. Place the beets in a baking dish. Heat the honey and olive oil together over medium heat for about one minute or until the liquid has thinned and easily blended. Pour the liquid over the beets and toss to coat each piece. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and Aleppo pepper. Cover the beets with foil. Bake for 25 minutes or until the beets are tender. Remove the foil and bake for another 8-10 minutes to crisp and glaze the surface. Remove the baking dish from the oven, pour the vinegar over the beets, toss and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

Makes 4-6 servings

Braised Chicken in Coconut Curry

Braised Chicken in Coconut Curry

Our family does not observe the lunar new year but that’s no reason not to feel happy for those who do. A new year on any calendar brings hope for a happy, healthy, safe and meaningful year to come.

Everyone can relate to that!

So, in honor of the Year of the Tiger, here’s a dish inspired by my travels to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.

BRAISED CHICKEN IN COCONUT CURRY

•  One chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or use 4 large chicken breast halves or 4 whole legs)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chili pepper

• 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped lemongrass

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 1 teaspoon curry powder

• 1-1/2 cups coconut milk (13-15 ounce can)

• salt to taste

• chopped chives or parsley for garnish

Wash and dry the chicken pieces. Heat the vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken a few pieces at a time, turning them occasionally, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside. Add the onion to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, chili pepper and lemongrass and cook, briefly, stirring constantly. Whisk the tomato paste, curry powder and coconut milk together until thoroughly blended. Pour the liquid into the pan. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Bring to a boil, cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve garnished with a sprinkle of fresh chopped chives or parsley.

Makes 4 servings

Fried Barley

Tu B’shevat, which starts at sundown on January 16th, reminded me that I have to make more barley, which is one of the traditional foods for this not particularly well-known Jewish holiday, otherwise known as New Year of the Trees.

We don’t eat barley often enough. Sure, I add it to soup, but it’s so good on its own — for salad and casseroles in particular — that it should be more of a standby.

I decided to make it like I do fried rice, except I added mushrooms, which I think overwhelms fried rice but pairs perfectly with whole grains.

So, this is actually a two-fer. I can make this for Tu B’shevat and also for Lunar New Year (February1st)(Year of the Tiger), because why not celebrate even if it’s not part of my heritage? Delicious food is appropriate any time.

Fried Barley

• 1 cup pearled barley

• 2-1/2 cups water

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 3 large eggs, beaten

• 4-6 scallions, chopped

• 10-12 medium mushrooms (about 8 ounces), coarsely chopped

• 1 cup thawed frozen peas

• optional: chopped water chestnuts, cooked carrots, corn kernels

• kosher salt

Place the barley and the water in a saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for about 45 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Let cool. Heat one tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or stirfry pan over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and let set, then scramble the eggs slightly and turn them over to cook both sides completely. Remove the fried eggs from the pan and chop into bite size pieces. Set aside. Heat the remaining vegetable oil in the pan. Add the scallions and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft and all the liquid has evaporated. Add the barley, breaking it up into separate kernels with a spatula or wooden spoon, and stir to incorporate the vegetables. Add the peas and optional ingredients, sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring often to distribute the ingredietns evenly, for 3-4 minutes or until the ingredients are hot.

Makes 4-6 servings

Roasted Squash with Orange and Ginger

We like a lot of veggie side dishes for Thanksgiving dinner. That means I have to cook most of them in advance because there’s no way I can fuss with multiple recipes at the last minute.

Here are some of the make-ahead dishes that we’ve loved with traditional roasted turkey:

Baked beans

Baked cranberries

Brussels Sprouts with Tangerine and Hazelnuts

Roasted Parsnips

Cornbread Stuffing

Roasted Beet and Winter Squash Salad

This is one of the dishes I’ll be serving this year. It’s easy, make-ahead, colorful and delicious:

ORANGE-AND-GINGER ROASTED SWEET POTATOES

• 1 medium butternut squash

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or a mixture of vegetable oil and coconut oil

• 2 teaspoons grated fresh orange peel

• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place parchment paper on a large baking sheet. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop the seeds and peel the outside. Slice the squash into 1/2-inch pieces. Place the vegetable oil, orange peel and ginger in a bowl. Add the squash slices and toss them around to coat all sides. Place the slices in a single layer on the parchment paper. Roast for 15 minutes. Turn the slices over. Roast for another 15 minutes or until tender and lightly crispy.

Makes 4 servings

Banana Almond Streusel Bread

You think I’d learn! I always buy too many bananas when my kids and grandkids come, but when my cousins came for a sleepover, I thought for sure I wouldn’t have any leftovers. Senior citizens are supposed to eat bananas!

I bought 3 bananas and all 3 were uneaten.

So I made this, which is awesome.

This would be a good choice to end Rosh Hashanah dinner or for Break-the-fast.

Banana Almond Streusel Bread

Streusel:

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup chopped almonds

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or vegetable oil)

 Bread:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)

• 2 large eggs

• 3 medium very ripe bananas

• 1/2 cup almond (or other non-dairy) milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup chopped almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9”´5”´3” loaf pan. Make the streusel by mixing the flour, almonds, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the coconut oil and work it into the dry ingredients with fingers or a knife until mixture is crumbly. Set aside. 

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set it aside. Beat the sugar and vegetable oil with a handheld or electric mixer set at medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture is well mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Mash the bananas and add them to the mixture. Beat thoroughly until the ingredients are well blended. Add the flour mixture and beat for 1-2 minutes to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Beat in the almond milk and vanilla extract. Fold in the almonds. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Scatter the streusel on top. Bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a cake rack.

Makes 10-12 servings