Braised Short Ribs with Harissa

Yes, it’s March already! But it feels as if it’s been March for a year.

Doesn’t it?

Hasn’t it been?

Somehow this past year of endless March I’ve been less motivated and felt less creative. Or maybe it’s just that I feel safer, more comforted with the known, even when it comes to food.

So I’ve been less adventurous than usual with recipes.

And yet, the other day I went to prepare my tried-and-true recipe for short ribs and thought I’d do a little something different. Also, I had no tomato paste. I substituted ketchup and decided to jazz the dish up with some harissa.

What a difference! This dish is a wow! It might become the tried-and-true.

Braised Short Ribs with harissa

• 1/3 cup flour

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or a few sprigs of fresh thyme)

• 4 pounds bone-in short ribs

• 5-6 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 medium onions, cut into thick slices

• 4 carrots, cut into chunks

• 3 stalks celery, cut into chunks

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1/4 cup ketchup

• 2 teaspoons harissa paste

• 1-1/2 cups beef stock

• 1 cup red wine

• cooked noodles, rice or mashed potatoes, optional

Combine the flour, salt, pepper and thyme in a dish. Coat all surfaces of the short ribs with the flour mixture. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the meat and cook, turning the pieces occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until lightly crispy on all sides. Remove the meat and place the pieces in an oven casserole. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes or until lightly crispy. Add the ketchup and harissa paste and stir them into the vegetables. Pour in the stock and wine, Stir and bring the liquid to a boil. Turn off the heat and pour the vegetables and liquid over the meat. Cover the casserole. Place in the oven. Turn the heat to 275 degrees. Cook for 3-4 hours or until the meat is very tender. Serve the meat with the vegetables and sauce by itself or over noodles, etc.

Makes 4 servings

Romanian Cheese Turnovers (Placinta cu Branza)

This has been a year like no other, but, in an effort to make New Year’s weekend somewhat normal (and with hopes that 2021 will be much better!), the cousins who always spend New Year’s with us have agreed to self-isolate, take Covid tests and so on, and if the tests are negative, they will come and stay with us for a few days!!!

I am so looking forward to that!

Our New Year’s Eve celebration is always an hors d’oeuvre fest. We start at about noon, have a few nibbles. A few hours later we have more nibbles and then at about 7:00-8:00 p.m. our final round. Dessert is much later, maybe 10:00 or 11:00 p.m.

We are doing the same thing this year. TRADITION!

The company and the food style will help us all feel … normal. If only for the long weekend.

I make some classics every year. Gougeres. Stuffed mushrooms. Matbucha. Chicken wings.

This year I am adding these mini-cheese turnovers. The filling is classic — my grandmother (my visiting cousin’s grandma as well) made a similar cheese mixture and wrapped it up in phyllo dough, as I also have many times. But puff pastry is easier to work with and every bit as delicious. We have eaten several of these as I worked to finalize the recipe. The New Year’s stash is safely stored away in my freezer.

Romanian Cheese TUrnovers (Placinta cu Branza)

• 1-1/4 cups crumbled feta cheese

• 1 7.5 ounce package farmer cheese (about one cup)(or use dry curd cottage cheese)

• 1/4 cup sour cream

• 1 large egg

• 2 medium scallions, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry*

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the feta cheese, farmer cheese, sour cream, egg, scallion and dill in a mixing bowl and mix together until the mixture is uniform and the ingredients evenly distributed. Roll one sheet of the puff pastry into a 12”x 12” or 13”x13”square. Cut out 9 or 16 squares. Place equal amounts of cheese filling in the center of each. Wet two sides of each square lightly with some water. Fold the dry sides of the dough in half over the filling to meet the wet sides and to form triangles. Press the ends to seal the dough tightly. Press the edges with the tines of a fork to seal the sides completely. Place the pieces on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 18 or 32

*You can make this as strudel, using buttered phyllo leaves

Chuck Pot Roast

When it comes to cuts of beef, I think chuck is one of the tastiest. It’s got lots of beefy, meaty flavor. It’s also comparatively cheap and, when cooked right, is as tender as a ripe peach.

Cooked right?

I have to confess that I like chewy meat so I grill chuck steaks and love it!

But most folks prefer meat more tender, and chuck, which has lots of gristle, does better when slow-cooked in low heat.

It’s best when braised: stew, pot roast, soups, pot pie and casseroles.

Now that it’s getting cold and dark early where I live, this dish will be on my menu for the next few months of culinary comfort.

Chuck Pot Roast

• 3 pound chuck roast

• 4-6 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

• 2-3 medium all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks

• 2 medium onions, sliced

• 4 ounces mushrooms, cut into chunks

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 bottle (about 11 ounces) beer, ale or stout

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

Place the meat inside a large casserole. Scatter the carrots, potatoes, parsnips, onions, mushrooms and garlic over and around the meat. Pour in the beer. Sprinkle the ingredients with salt and pepper. Place the thyme sprigs on top. Cover the casserole. Place the covered casserole in the oven and turn the heat to 250 degrees. Cook for 4-5 hours or until the meat is tender.

Makes 4-6 servings

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

Beet Salad with Pepitas

Lucky me!

My entire Rosh Hashanah celebration has changed for the better. I thought it would just be Ed and me, attending Zoom services and sharing a meal for two.

But my kids and grandkids are coming too! We will watch outdoors on the patio. And be together —- sort of — for a meal! Each family will have a separate place to eat.

I can’t tell you how thrilled I am, even though it won’t be normal and we can’t hug and kiss. But it’s something. And I am grateful.

Instead of the chicken dish I was planning to make, it’s going to be food for a family, not just the two of us: brisket (I was finally able to get one) and a turkey breast plus several sides, including this beet salad, which I can make in advance and scatter with seeds at the last minute.

This is better than the original plan. For sure.

Beet Salad with Pepitas

• 3 large beets, trimmed

• 3 scallions, chopped (or one large shallot or 1/3-1/2 cup chopped red onion)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 tablespoons orange juice

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

• 1 teaspoon grated fresh orange peel

• salt to taste

• 2 tablespoons toasted pepitas

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Scrub the beets and wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. Roast until tender, about 45-75 minutes, depending on size. Unwrap the beets and when they are cool enough to handle, peel them. Cut the beets into bite size pieces. Place the beet chunks in a bowl. Add the scallions, olive oil, orange juice, mint and orange peel. Toss ingredients. Sprinkle with salt. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with pepitas. Serve at room temperature. 

Makes 4-6 servings

Vegetarian Moussaka

Way back in 2009 I wrote an article about wedding feasts for Connecticut Bride Magazine, interviewed several caterers, and was astonished that among the menus they showed me there were so many choices for vegetarians and vegans. I read about creative, gorgeous hors d’oeuvres. Substantial, festive main courses. Glamorous desserts.

I’m not a vegetarian but that assignment was a sort of turnaround for me. I realized that there were lots of delicious foods I hadn’t tried and, that even if I had no intention of becoming a vegetarian or vegan, and even if I wasn’t particularly trying to cut down on meat protein, I was missing some really good food!

I don’t like to miss good food!

So, over the years I have prepared many vegetarian hors d’oeuvre and entrees, many of them spectacular.

This Vegetarian Moussaka is one of them. Portobello mushrooms take the place of meat in this creamy, tangy, comforting dinner dish. A hearty, filling meal, perfect for meatless Monday or any other day. Celebratory enough for a special occasion, wedding or otherwise.

Vegetarian Moussaka

• 2 medium eggplants, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds

• salt

• 2/3 cup olive oil, approximately

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 medium chopped carrots

• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 3 Portobello mushrooms, chopped

• 1 bunch fresh spinach (or 2 packed cups baby spinach leaves)

• 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, undrained

• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled

• 6 tablespoons butter

• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2-1/2 cups milk

• 2 large egg yolks

• 1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the eggplant slices on a surface and salt them lightly. Let sit for about 15 minutes, then wipe the surface dry with paper towels. Brush the slices with about 4-5 tablespoons of the olive oil and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, turn the slices and bake for another 12-15 minutes, or until the slices are tender. Let the slices cool. Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees.

Heat 6 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes or until the onions have softened. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley, oregano, cumin and cinnamon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the sauce is very thick.

Cook the potatoes in a large pot of lightly salted water for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Let the potatoes cool, then peel and slice them into 1/4-inch rounds and set aside.

Make a béchamel white sauce: heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, lower the heat, add the flour and whisk the ingredients for 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the milk and whisk the ingredients for 2-3 minutes or until a thick sauce has formed. Stir about a half cup of the hot sauce into the egg yolks, stir to blend the ingredients and add the mixture back into the saucepan. Stir in 3/4 cup of the cheese, whisk the ingredients until smooth and set aside.

Lightly grease a 9”x13” ovenproof casserole. Layer: half the eggplant on the bottom, then the potatoes, then the vegetable sauce, then the remaining eggplant. Cover with the béchamel sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until top is bubbly and golden brown.

Makes 8 servings

Bread Stuffing with Sour Cherries

Every year I make at least two stuffings for Thanksgiving dinner. For old time’s sake one is usually my Mom's (Nana’s) barley-shape noodle "filling" or a sorghum-based version of that.

I just put one of those Nana ones in the freezer.

Once I made a fabulous Bread Stuffing with Figs and Hazelnuts. This year I want dinner to be completely nut-free though, so, maybe I’ll redo that one some other time.

I have prepared gluten-free stuffings for certain guests and once made one based on spelt bread.

A while ago a friend of mine gave me a jar of sour cherries, so I used some recently in an experiment to see if they would be tasty in a stuffing for a turkey dinner.

They were!

This recipe is versatile though. If you don’t want to buy a bottle of sour cherries, you can use grapes or fresh or dried cranberries.

Bread Stuffing with Sour Cherries

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 stalks celery, chopped

• 2 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped

• 6 cups 1/2-inch diced bread

• 1 cup sour cherries

• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel

• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary (1 tablespoon fresh, chopped rosemary)

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (1-1/2 teaspoons chopped, fresh thyme)

• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and apples and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until slightly softened. Add the bread cubes, cherries, orange peel, rosemary and thyme. Toss ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour in the stock and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients to moisten the bread. Spoon the stuffing into a casserole, cover the casserole and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for another 12-15 minutes.

Makes about 8 cups

Sweet Potatoes with Raisins and Ginger

Is it just me or does everyone else think that life goes from holiday to holiday?

Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur — Sukkot — weren’t they just a few days ago?

And now, Thanksgiving is coming. I already ordered a turkey. Already have my menu planned.

It includes this sweet potato dish which I served recently to much acclaim.

Bonus to this dish? You can prepare this ahead up to adding the raisins and ginger. How easy is that?

Sweet Potatoes with Raisins and Ginger

• 3 medium sweet potatoes

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

• cinnamon, salt

• Cayenne pepper (or use Aleppo pepper), optional

• 1/4 cup raisins

• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel the sweet potatoes, cut them into bite size pieces and place on the baking sheet. Heat the vegetable oil and honey together until warm and easy to combine; pour over the pieces and toss to coat them. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon, salt and pepper if used. Roast for 14-15 minutes, turning the potatoes 2-3 times, or until softened. Add the raisins and crystallized ginger, toss and continue to bake for another 5-6 minutes or until the potatoes are crispy and tender..

Makes 4 servings

Chick Pea and Carrot Salad

Of course, of course we will be slicing apples and dipping them in honey on Rosh Hashanah. (which begins at sunset on September 29th).

But chickpeas are on the menu too. In his Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, the late rabbi and food authority Gil Marks wrote that “chickpeas are a traditional Rosh Hashanah food, a symbol of fertility, abundance and a wish for a well-rounded year to come.”

I usually make chickpeas into hummus, but sometimes I serve them whole, as a snack, roasted, the way my mother made them when I was growing up – a recipe called nahit. She coated the chickpeas with vegetable oil, sprinkled them with salt and paprika and baked them until crispy.

I changed her recipe somewhat -- I use olive oil, kosher salt and fresh thyme, or sometimes za’atar, as seasonings. Nahit is a delicious snack and a healthy one too: chickpeas are a good source of protein, minerals (including calcium) and fiber.

For this coming holiday though I’ll be making a chickpea and carrot salad to serve with dinner. Carrots are another symbolic ingredient of the holiday, so this recipe is a double-up of special ingredients of festive food for the holiday table. It’s a dish that can be made in advance, which makes it a good choice at such a busy time. And it is colorful too, fit for any celebration, including Break-the-Fast. 

Chick Pea and Carrot Salad

• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas

• 4 medium carrots, sliced thin

• 1/2 chopped red onion

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• salt to taste

Rinse the chickpeas under cold running water; let drain and place in a bowl. Add the carrots, onion, parsley, mint, cumin and cayenne pepper and toss to distribute the ingredients evenly. Pour in the olive oil and lemon juice. Toss to coat the ingredients evenly. Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste.

Makes 6 servings

Zucchini Bread

When we were first married, Ed promised me 50 years. That was in 1969. We were young and 50 years seemed like a REALLY REALLY long time.

Grandparent stuff.

But here we are. A few months short of 50.

Wasn’t it yesterday that I fit into that long white dress?

We wanted to celebrate with two other couples, all close friends, who are also at 50.

But we didn’t want to have a big party. Not even an intimate dinner party for six. Although those are lovely, it seemed like the same-old, same-old. 50 years deserved something special.

So we decided to have a 150th Anniversary Afternoon Tea.

It was festive, fun and celebratory.

We started with champagne and tea sandwiches.

Then: scones, clotted cream and jams.

Finally, dessert: several kinds of cookies, Lemon Buttermilk Cake, Pumpkin Spice Cake and this: Zucchini Bread, (made with zucchinis from my garden!).

Just us 6. It was a good day.

We all talked about how amazing it is at how quickly 50 years go by.

Zucchini Bread

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup applesauce

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups grated fresh zucchini

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9”x5”x3” loaf pan. Place the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl and whisk the ingredients until they are evenly distributed. Place the brown sugar, sugar, eggs, applesauce and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a hand mixer) and beat at medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until thoroughly blended. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Fold in the zucchini. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert the muffins onto the rack to cool completely.

Makes one loaf