My Husband is Addicted to Celery

For some reason Ed has been devouring celery lately, so I've had to buy a few bunches at a time just to keep up.

I guess sometimes you just get a hankering for some food or other. I remember a time when I had a craving for Banana Cream Pie. 

Celery is healthier than cream pie, of course.

Still, it can become boring to eat it as is, splashed with olive oil and freshly ground black pepper, which is the way Ed prefers to eat it. So I decided to embark on a few celery-based side dishes. Here's one for braised celery that went over well.

Consider this one for Passover because it goes so nicely with just about any main dish you might serve, and also makes a good side dish for vegetarians.

 

Braised Celery with Toasted Hazelnuts

• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 1 bunch celery
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram or oregano
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup sweet white wine
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes or until the nuts are golden brown and tasty. Set aside. Wash and trim the celery, peel the stalks and slice them. Set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the celery and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle the ingredients with the marjoram, salt and pepper and pour in the wine. Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove the cover, raise the heat to medium–high and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until the sauce is reduced to a glaze. Dish out and sprinkle with chives and the toasted nuts.

Makes 4-6 servings

How Many Servings Was That?

Last night my sister-in-law Eileen and brother Jeff were supposed to come over for dinner and watch the Oscar show with us, but she has a cold and needed to stay put at home.

I had already prepared dinner -- breaded some turkey cutlets, cleaned some string beans, mixed the batter for vegetable fritters and fried them to a crisp.

Ed came in to the kitchen and sampled a hot fritter fresh from the pan and declared it fabulous.

About a minute later he came back for two more.

I was about to say something trite like "you know, these are for dinner," but realized we had plenty and why should it matter if he eats them first instead of with ....

The recipe makes about 10 pieces, (serves 4-5 people) and now there would only be the two of us to eat the remaining 7.

We finished them all. 

Vegetable Fritters

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-1/2 cups chopped cooked vegetables (I used carrots, broccoli and sauteed mushrooms)
• vegetable oil for frying

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg, stock and olive oil. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Fold in the vegetables. Heat about 1/8-inch vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Pour about 1/4-cup of the batter into the pan for each fritter, leaving about 1-inch space between the pieces. Cook for about 2 minutes per side or until browned and crispy. Do not crowd the pan. Repeat with remaining batter. Drain the fritters on paper towels.

Makes about 10 pieces

Bugs Bunny: How a Generation Learned to Appreciate Classical Music

Roasted Rainbow Carrots

If you think Bugs Bunny is just a character in a bunch of silly cartoons in which a grown man goes around trying to shoot a pesky rabbit but the rabbit usually wins, you're only partially right.

My friend's son says that he learned to love classical music from these cartoons. I remember that once, when it was my carpool day and I drove him to school, I had tuned in to WQXR on the radio and this little boy, who was all of 6 years old said "Hey, that's Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody #2!"

I was totally impressed! Because his mother listened to classical music in the house and I figured it all just rubbed off on the kids. But NO! I asked how he knew and he said he heard it in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

It seems as if an entire generation also heard and learned to appreciate classic music -- and opera -- from Bugs Bunny (okay, also Tom & Jerry, Minnie Mouse and assorted others). Ask around!

And, as if to underscore the point, the New York Philharmonic is presenting three concerts featuring BUGS BUNNY cartoons for children to watch on a huge screen as the orchestra plays the music!

We are taking our 4-year old grandson. It's never too soon to hear a piece from The Barber of Seville.

But of course, I am a food writer. So what do I think of when I hear "Bugs Bunny?"

Carrots of course!

Bugs Bunny was always munching a carrot. Always an orange one or course. To the best of my knowledge, he never tasted rainbow carrots. And, although raw carrots are always a fine snack, sauteed carrots are awesome. And are especially pretty made with rainbow carrots.

Thanks for helping a generation of children appreciate music Bugs! And here's hoping that in make-believe, you can feast on these:

Roasted Rainbow Carrots

• 1 pound medium rainbow carrots
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Peel the carrots, trim the ends and halve the carrots widthwise. Cut each half lengthwise into 2 or 4 pieces. Place the carrots on the prepared baking sheet. Heat the olive oil and honey together over low heat, briefly, until the thick honey has softened a bit and is easy to combine with the olive oil (about one minute). Pour the honey mixture over the carrots. Sprinkle with the scallions, orange peel and salt and pepper to taste. Toss the ingredients to coat the carrots completely. Roast for about 20-25 minutes, tossing the carrots once, or until they are tender and lightly crispy. 

Makes 4 servings

Gorgeous Blood Oranges! Get them while you can!

Once upon a time fruits and vegetables such as strawberries or asparagus were nowhere to be seen except after March sometime. Peaches and melons only in the summer. Apples and sweet potatoes in the autumn. But in recent years we've become accustomed to buying almost every item of produce whenever we want it. 

With some exceptions.

Blood oranges for example. They're available at the moment, but only until March or May, depending on the variety.

Blood oranges taste more or less like regular oranges, except they aren't as sweet and they're less acidic. They cost more than regular oranges, so you might wonder whether and why they are worth buying.

I guess it's because the flesh is so beautiful. The ruby-ish color looks so fabulous when you mix it with other vibrantly colored ingredients like bright green lettuce leaves or white coconut. Or roasted beets. Like in this dish, which pairs especially well with grilled or roasted salmon or Arctic char:

Roasted Beets with Blood Orange

• 2 medium beets
• 1 blood orange
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
• salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Scrub the beets, trim the tip and stem ends, wrap the beets in aluminum foil and roast for 45 minutes or until tender. Let cool, peel and dice. Set the beets aside. Slice the blood orange and trim the peel from the slices. Cut the slices into smaller pieces. Heat the butter and vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the beets, blood orange, mint, orange peel and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes or until ingredients are nicely distributed and hot.

Makes 4 servings

Cauliflower wins

Because it is the prettiest, mildest and most versatile of all the cabbages.

Because, for me anyway, it doesn't do the same awful things to my tummy as the other cabbage cousins do.

It's pretty, and usually has a creamy-color head but you can get it in several other colors, including purple.

It's healthy.

It tastes so good, especially when you roast it.

The other day I had a cabbage and a Meyer lemon in the bin. What to do?

Make this incredibly easy side dish for dinner:

Roasted Cauliflower with Meyer Lemon

• 1 medium cauliflower
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice (or use regular lemon juice)
• salt to taste
• Aleppo pepper, cayenne or crushed red pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Wash the cauliflower, trim the ends and break the head up into smaller pieces. Wipe dry with paper towels. Mix the olive oil and Meyer lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower pieces and toss the pieces to coat them on all sides. Place the pieces on the prepared sheet, drizzling them with juices left n the bowl. Sprinkle with salt and Aleppo pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally, or until the pieces are crispy and lightly browned.

Makes 4 servings

Matzo Farfel Fattoush

Every year I buy a kitchen’s worth of Passover ingredients and most of it gets eaten, except for the matzo farfel. I know you can use matzo farfel for stuffing, matzo brei, granola and other foods. But I don’t. A few family members like it cooked like oatmeal, for breakfast, but that’s about it. So I always have a lot left over.

Last year I decided to experiment a bit and see how I could use matzo farfel to advantage.

Fattoush, a light and refreshing salad, was a big winner. 

The word fattoush means “crumbled bread” in Arabic and the salad is pretty basic — seasonal vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumber and greens mixed with toasted flat bread.

During the year it’s a good way to use up stale bread. During Passover, matzo farfel is perfect.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

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

Three Ingredient Sweet Potato Casserole

Need a last minute Thanksgiving or Thanksgivvukah dish? Try this sweet potato recipe. It has three ingredients (plus salt if you wish). Its other virtue is that it is barely sweetened, because I think sweet potatoes are so naturally sugary they don’t need much more.

You can make this ahead and reheat it. Even put marshmallows on top (a few minutes before serving, and after the casserole is already hot).

I use Sarabeth’s Orange-Apricot Marmalade. But you can use either plain orange marmalade or apricot jam (or mix the two).

Three Ingredient Sweet Potato Casserole

• 4 medium sweet potatoes

• 3 tablespoons orange-apricot marmalade

• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Spread, margarine or butter

• salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scrub the sweet potatoes, prick them with the tip of a sharp knife and roast them for about one hour or until tender. When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh into a bowl (discard the skin or eat separately). Add the marmalade and Earth Balance and mash until smooth. Season to taste with salt.

Makes 4-6 servings 

Crusted Mashed Potatoes

Prune or potato?

My mother, who was very funny, always said that when a woman gets old she becomes either a prune or a potato. You know, she gets thin, frail, fragile and wrinkled or, um, plump and not so frail or fragile (and not so wrinkled).

I like prunes. The dried plums and also some people I know who are senior citizens and slim, whom my mother would regard as prunes.

But potatoes! What can I say?! To me, there is nothing better than a potato, except maybe a cup of hot coffee, but that isn’t food.

Potato. Every kind, every way. That’s for me. 

Women? Men? I don’t really care about their girth or lack thereof.

Give me a potato to eat and I’m happy.

Today, National Potato Lover’s Day, seems made for me, don’t you think?

I’m having potatoes with dinner.

These:

CRUSTED MASHED POTATOES

5 medium all-purpose potatoes such as Yukon Gold

1/4 cup olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons chicken or vegetable stock

salt to taste

pinch or two of cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the potatoes, cut them into chunks and cook them in lightly salted water for about 15 minutes, or until they are fork tender. While the potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, then add the garlic. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until the vegetables are beginning to brown. Set aside. Drain the potatoes and mash them with a ricer or potato masher until the lumps have disappeared. Add the vegetables and olive oil and stir them in gently. Stir in the lemon juice, stock, salt and the cayenne pepper. Place the mixture in a baking dish. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top is crispy and brown.

Makes 6 servings

 

Brussels Sprouts with Tangerine and Hazelnuts

I may have mentioned that long, long ago my husband Ed once told me that if I ever cooked Brussels sprouts he would divorce me. 

Just kidding of course, which is why I felt confident to cook up some of these tiny cabbages once when I had to write an article about them. I made several recipes in one day figuring I would get the aroma and arguments all over with in one swoop, as they say.

But surprise of surprises! He liked them! All of them. Every version I made.

So it just goes to show that sometimes you might actually like something you thought you hated if you try it again.

Maybe.

The thing about Brussels sprouts, like all cabbages, is that they can produce an awful smell, especially if you cook them too long, which is what so many cooks did in the days that Ed’s and my mom cooked vegetables. So we grew up believing vegetables should be mushy, army green and, if in the cabbage family, smelly.

No more of that.

This recipe for Brussels sprouts has a small amount of maple and sweet tangerine to tone down the bitter cabbage. 

Brussels Sprouts with Tangerine and Hazelnuts

• 16-18 Brussels sprouts (about 12 ounces)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup tangerine juice (or use orange juice)

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 2 teaspoons grated tangerine peel (or use orange peel)

• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the Brussels sprouts in half, rinse them, then drain and dry on paper towels. Place the vegetable oil, tangerine juice, maple syrup and tangerine peel in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened. Place the Brussels sprouts in a roasting pan and pour the tangerine mixture on top. Toss to coat the vegetables evenly.* Place the pan in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes or until tender. Mix once during this time. Remove the Brussels sprouts from the oven, toss with the hazelnuts and sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings

*Can prepare ahead to here

Potato Latkes

What do you do when you have finished preparing potato latkes for a Hanukkah party and you’re sitting in your family room watching TV and your husband comes in with a handful of the latkes you just made and says “I’m taking a down payment on our Hanukkah party on Saturday night.”

And you’ve cleaned up the kitchen and everything and you thought you were done with latkes and the entire house smells from fried so you had to make a kitchen bouquet (1/4 cloves, 3 broken cinnamon sticks, tablespoon or so cardamom pods, orange peel, water) so that anyone who comes to the house even the next day (like the UPS delivery man or the guy who is coming to repair the oven) isn’t blasted with stale fried smell?

Why, you get up the next day and make more latkes. Otherwise there won’t be enough. Because I know what happens when people see potato latkes. You can’t eat just one.

And so I did.

These:

Potato Latkes

• 4 large peeled baking potatoes

• 1 large onion

• 2 large eggs

• 3 tablespoons potato starch

• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

• freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• vegetable oil for frying

Shred the potatoes and onion in a food processor. Squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible (I put portions of the shreds in a kitchen towel and squeeze until they are practically dry). Place the shreds in a bowl. Immediately mix the eggs in (this helps keep the potatoes from browning). Add the potato starch, salt, pepper and baking powder. Heat about 1/4” vegetable oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. Shape latkes by hand, squeezing liquid out if there is any, and place them in the hot oil, leaving space between each one so that they brown well and become crispy (if they are too close they will “steam” and become soggy). Press down on the latkes to keep them evenly shaped. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side or until the pancakes are golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Makes 12-15