Quickie Ratatouille

Classic ratatouille is time consuming and labor intensive. Also fabulously delicious.

Unfortunately, I don't have the time or patience to cook the authentic recipe these days. Especially not for Passover.

So, whereas a cartoon rat might win raves for his ratatouille, and my version might not be quite so beautiful as the one in the Disney movie (Ratatouille), here are the benefits to my recipe:

it's easy: about 30 minutes prep time

it's quick (less than 30 minutes to cook)

it's a perfect dish for Seders, vegetarian meals or side dishes, any old dinner

it's fabulously delicious

So here's the recipe:

Quickie Ratatouille

• 1/3 cup olive oil, approximately
• 8 thick scallions, chopped
• 6 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium fresh chili pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 2 cups diced eggplant
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 2 cups diced zucchini
• 8 large tomatoes, chopped
• 6-8 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• salt and freshly ground red pepper to taste

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the scallion, garlic and chili pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for one minute. Add the eggplant and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Pour in the remaining olive oil and add the zucchini (add more olive oil if the vegetables start to stick to the bottom of the pan). Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes and basil and cook, stirring frequently, for 12-15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and there is little liquid left in the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 8 servings

Passover Chocolate Clusters

Matzo Farfel Clusters

I have been experimenting with new recipes using matzo farfel. That's because I always buy too much of it and then it gets stale and I throw it out.

It can be difficult to find fresh matzo farfel in my neck of the woods (when it isn't Passover). But matzo farfel doesn't last, it gets stale quickly, so I have to use it up while it's fresh.

Here's a good way: candy!

Don't let the cayenne pepper put you off. That tiny bit of heat brings out the best in the chocolate.

Matzo Farfel Clusters

• 2 cups matzo farfel
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh orange peel
• pinch cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the matzo farfel on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, tossing the farfel around once. Remove the pan from the oven and let the farfel cool. Melt the chocolate. Add the farfel, almonds, cranberries, coconut, orange peel and cayenne pepper to the chocolate and mix to distribute the ingredients evenly. Spoon heaping tablespoons of the mixture into clusters on parchment paper or aluminum foil. Let set.

Makes about 3 dozen clusters

Another Seder, Another Haroset

Please see the Note below:

Although I usually like to cook new foods and experiment with recipes, when it comes to the Jewish holidays I more or less prepare the same things my mother and grandmother served in their day. For the first night of Passover that means chicken soup with matzo balls, roasted turkey, chremslich and macaroons. And several side dishes, such as braised leeks and tomatoes, roasted carrots, some quinoa dish or other -- and so on.

But I can't help myself, even for this very traditional meal -- I always add a new dish or two or three.

Sometimes it's a side dish, sometimes a dessert.

Sometimes I'll add an additional haroset to my usual one.

That's it for this year. Here's the one: Dried Fruit Haroset with Ginger and Coriander.

NOTE: I understand that not everyone eats sesame seeds during Passover (sesame seeds are kitnyiot). Please follow according to your tradition. The haroset is delicious even without the seeds. If you prefer, scatter the top with chopped toasted almonds.

Dried Fruit Haroset with Ginger and Coriander

• 1 cup chopped dried figs
• 1/2 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander (nutmeg, cinnamon)
• 1/3 cup apricot preserves
• 4-5 tablespoons sweet red Passover wine
• 1 tablespoon lightly toasted sesame seeds

Combine the figs, dates, apricots and raisins in a bowl. Add the ginger, coriander, preserves and wine and mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Let the mixture stand for at least one hour before serving.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

 Makes about 2-1/2 cups

Passover Rhubarb Crisp

We are big rhubarb fans in our family. And unlike many rhubarb lovers, we like the stuff on the sour side, without the sugar overload. It's the way we got used to it as kids, the way my Mom made it.

I suppose she cut down on sweetening food as part of the need during World War II to ration sugar, and then just never went back to the old ways. In any event, she used to cook rhubarb all the time and serve it like applesauce. It was always kind of tart and wonderfully refreshing as a side dish to roasted chicken or turkey. 

Rhubarb is a natural for Passover because that's when the first of the new crop appears. You can get fresh stalks everywhere. We always have so many side dishes at our Seder that I don't cook it up the way my Mom did, to serve with dinner. But it does make a good dessert. Like in this recipe for Rhubarb Crisp.

I usually add a little less sugar than the recipe calls for, just because that's the way we like it. You can cut the sugar to 1/2 cup OR, if you have a real sweet tooth, add a bit more.

You can make this dessert a day or so ahead. It's a nice choice after a typical meat Seder meal, because it's parve (unless you switch to butter), but is also a good choice throughout the holiday.

PASSOVER RHUBARB CRISP

• 2 pounds rhubarb

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons potato starch

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 2 cups crumbled coconut macaroons

• 1/2 cup chopped almonds

• 1/3 cup matzo meal

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 coconut oil or butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the rhubarb into 1/2-inch thick slices and place in a bowl. Add the sugar, potato starch, lemon peel and cinnamon and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish. In a bowl combine the coconut macaroons, almonds, matzo meal and brown sugar. Add the coconut oil and work it into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. Place on top of the fruit. Bake for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Makes 8-10 servings

Coconut Crusted Chicken

Coconut Chicken with Mango Salsa

I don't remember when chicken nuggets became one of the stock items on childrens' menus. But it's right up there with pizza, pasta and mac n' cheese.

Of course, grownups like chicken nuggets too. I suppose it's the anything crunchy-fried-golden-brown thing.

Most recipes give chicken nuggets a bread crumb crust, but during Passover there are other alternatives. Check out my recipe below, which has a matzo meal and coconut crust. I keep the pieces bigger than standard nuggets so they feel more like dinner to adults, but you can cut the chicken into smaller chunks to make actual nuggets (which are terrific as hors d'oeuvre).

The coconut gives the chicken a lovely sweet taste, which is fine all by itself, but grown up palates might want to balance that with a refreshing, citrusy, slightly spicy mango salsa.

Coconut Chicken

• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup unsweetened packaged shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup matzo meal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1-1/2 pounds boneless chicken
• vegetable oil for frying

Place the potato starch in a dish. Beat the eggs in a second dish. Combine the coconut, matzo meal, salt, paprika and garlic powder in a third dish. Slice the chicken into strips (about 2-inches long, 1-inch wide). Press the strips, one by one, into the potato starch, covering the entire surface. Immerse the strips in the egg, making sure to cover the entire surface. Press the egg-coated chicken strips into the coconut mixture, making sure to coat the entire surface. Place the strips on a cake rack and let air dry for at least 15 minutes. Heat about 1/8-inch vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough to make a matzo crumb sizzle, add the strips a few at a time, leaving room between each strip, for about 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and repeat with the remaining strips. Serve plain or with Mango Salsa.

 Makes 4 servings

 Mango Salsa

• 2 cups diced fresh mango
• 1/2 cup chopped purple onion
• 1 small chili pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• salt to taste

Place the mango, purple onion, chili pepper, mint, ginger, garlic, lime juice, honey and vegetable oil in a bowl and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups

My goose is finally cooked!

Every year, sometime during the Hanukkah holiday, I make a roast goose dinner for our family. The menu is almost always the same: goose, braised red cabbage, potato latkes and some green vegetable or other.

Unfortunately, for one reason or another, we just never got to it last December and so, when my kids and grandkids came up for Ed's birthday weekend, we had our Hanukkah meal. 

I cooked the bird a little differently this year, basting it with sweet white wine several times as it roasted. That tiny change sweetened up the pan juices.

A good meal was had by all.

PLUS, I made stock with the bones.

PLUS, I strained all the fat, which is snow-white when it hardens, and froze it all.

If you've never had roasted potatoes in goose fat or matzo balls made with goose fat, well, folks, you've been missing something awesome.

Looking forward to that Passover matzo ball soup.

Roasted Goose

• 1 10-12 pound goose
• lemon juice
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1 cup sweet white wine

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the goose and remove excess fat. Rub the goose with lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Prick the skin all over with the tines of a fork. Place the goose, breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour the water into the pan. Roast for 45 minutes. Lower the oven heat to 325 degrees. Turn the goose breast side down. Pour the wine over the goose. Roast for 45 minutes, basting once during this time. Turn the goose breast side up again and roast for another 30-60 minutes, basting once or twice, or until the juices run clear when you prick the thickest part of the thigh with the tines of a fork (a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast should read 165 degrees). Let rest for 15 minutes before carving. 

Quinoa Salad with Broccoli, Yellow Squash and Tomatoes

Quinoa Salad with Broccoli, Yellow Squash and Tomatoes

Health and nutrition experts try in earnest to get everyone to eat more whole grains. I guess that’s a convincing message for some people, but for those of us who love food, the better reason is that ingredients like farro, bulgur wheat, oat groats and so on, are incredibly versatile and we can make them into wonderful things to eat.

I use cooked whole grains a lot because there is so much to do with them that my food is less likely to get boring. So — I put them into soups, side dishes, risottos, pilafs, and on and on — just as, in the old days, I used to use rice.

Now that warmer weather has arrived, there are going to be more salads on my menu. Cooked whole grains with: raw and cooked vegetables and/or fruit, maybe some nuts added. Mix in vinaigrette and it’s done.

So easy.

Quinoa isn’t a whole grain. It isn’t even a grain. It’s a seed.

But it looks and cooks like grain. It’s filling like a grain. And is as versatile.

So quinoa salad will be on my menu more often now too, starting with this one:  

Quinoa Salad with Broccoli, Yellow Squash and Tomatoes

1 cup quinoa

1 stalk broccoli, cut into bite size pieces (about 2 cups)

3-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow squash, cut into bite size pieces

4 scallions, chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 cup cut up grape tomatoes

3 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Let drain. Bring 1-3/4 cups water to a boil, add the quinoa, stir, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10-12 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and spoon the quinoa into a bowl to cool. While the quinoa is cooking, cook the broccoli in simmering water for about 3-4 minutes or until tender. Drain, let cool and add to the quinoa. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the squash and scallions and cook for 2-3 minutes to soften the vegetables slightly. Add the garlic and cook briefly. Spoon the vegetables into the bowl with the quinoa. Add the tomatoes and toss ingredients to distribute them evenly. In a separate bowl, combine the lemon juice, remaining olive oil and salt and pepper to taste; mix well. Pour over the quinoa mixture and toss. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Makes 4 servings

Sweet and Fruity Matzo Brei

For kids, finding the afikomen is the most thrilling part of the Passover Seder. I can remember running through my grandma’s house searching for that half of a matzo. My cousin Leslie and I would look together. (We did everything together.) And when we found the matzo we screamed with joy and then when my Uncle Irving fit it together with the other half, we shared the prize (which I think was a piece of candy).

I remember my daughters yelling and jumping up and down with delight when it was their turn to find the afikomen.

This is the way it’s supposed to be. When the children find the half that some grownup has hidden they all shriek and shout, as you can see by the expression of utter joy shown by the kid in the first photo.

But the two pieces of matzo have to fit together. (It always does! But somehow the kids have that tiniest bit of doubt, which makes it so much fun for the grownups to watch.)

The fitting together part is my husband Ed’s task and you can see (in the other photos) that he’s pretty much thrilled with it and jokes about it with the kids. Sometimes he purposely gets out the wrong half so the afikomen won’t fit. Sometimes he pretends he’s eaten the other half. Or tries to fit it together sideways.

And so on.

Of course Passover, beyond the tradition of finding the afikomen, is all about matzo. Which suits me just fine because I think it is one of life’s most delicious foods. Fresh matzo. Crispy, toasty. Just plain, smeared with butter or cream cheese. Or topped with leftover chicken or chopped liver. Or strawberry jam. 

During Passover I use a matzo to make a crust on top of spinach pie (the same recipe I use year round with a phyllo dough crust). 

I even make toasted cheese sandwiches with matzo (place slices of cheese on top of the matzo and cook in a toaster oven). 

But the family favorite is matzo brei. For breakfast, brunch and an occasional dinner. Is there anyone who doesn’t like matzo brei?

Ed and I still argue over whether matzo brei is better soft (me) or crunchy (him). 

I think this is a common theme among matzo brei enthusiasts.

Although we usually eat plain old matzo brei, I tinker with the recipe. Of course. That’s what I do.

And although we come back to the original time after time, sometimes it’s nice to have a new version. So here is one that we liked. 

 

Sweet and Fruity Matzo Brei

• 4 matzos

• boiling water

• 4 large eggs, beaten

• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

• 1/2 cup chopped apple

• 3 tablespoons raisins

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Break the matzos into pieces into a bowl. Cover with boiling water for about 5-6 minutes or until soft. Drain and squeeze out as much water as possible. Return the matzos to the bowl. Add the eggs, salt, apple, raisins, vanilla extract and lemon peel and mix thoroughly. Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, pour the batter into the saute pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom. Turn and fry for another 2-3 minutes. NOTE: you can fry smaller portions instead of one large pancake.

Makes 3-4 servings

 

Egg Nibbles

Are you always rushing? On the go? Need a snack for your children (or yourself) while you’re out? Or a more substantial bite to eat?

Try these Egg Nibbles.

My daughter Gillian invented these because her kids had grown bored with breakfast and there were the usual morning tantrums about what to eat. She wrote about it on her blog (www.lalalunchbox.com) and you can read about it here.

But basically, with three kids to get ready for the day, trips to school, winter attire zippered up, baby fed and so on and so on —- anyone who has ever had kids knows the morning routine —- sometimes you need a “to-go” breakfast or snack that the kids can nibble on instead of sitting down for a real meal.

Grownups too.

Yes, I understand that is not the proper way to have breakfast. But hey, as I just said, anyone who has ever had kids knows how it is.

It’s sometimes easier this way. And sometimes you need easy, right?

Give yourself a break and tote along some of these. 

Egg Nibbles

6 large eggs

1 avocado, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup raw, chopped spinach

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/3 cup chopped chickpeas, optional

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line mini muffin tins with paper liners. Crack the eggs into a bowl, beat them until the mixture is uniform in color. Mix in the avocado pieces and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a small saute pan over low-medium heat. Add the spinach and garlic (and chickpeas, if used) and cook for about 3 minutes or until the spinach has wilted. Let the mixture cool slightly, then mix in with the eggs. Pour the mixture into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for about 20 minutes or until set and lightly golden brown on top. Makes 24

Lemon Almond Tea Cake

In the old days Passover desserts were the predictable two: macaroons or spongecake.

We’ve come a long way since then.

Not that I have anything against macaroons and spongecake. In fact, they rank right up there in the favorites category for me.

But now Passover desserts are so gourmet. And there’s lots to choose from and to cook or bake at home. I remember when flourless chocolate cake first appeared on the Passover scene. Now that seems old hat too. There’s so much more.

At any rate, I make a variety of different Passover desserts every year, some tried-and-true and always a couple of new ones. Some sweet with honey, some chocolatey. Some plain like this one for Lemon-Almond Cake. It’s a good choice after a heavy meal because it is light and fluffy and there’s no a sugar load of frosting or anything gooey.

This cake is wonderful as is. But of course, goes nicely with fresh fruit or sorbet or ice cream. Or with the Roasted Fruit Cocktail I wrote about yesterday. If you just can’t resist, there’s always a sauce you can pour on top, like zabaglione or caramel.

Lemon Almond Tea Cake

1-1/2 cups finely chopped almonds

1/2 cup potato starch

1 tablespoon kosher for Passover baking powder

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel

4 large eggs, separated

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled

6 tablespoons lemon juice

Passover Confectioner’s sugar 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan and place a parchment paper circle on the bottom of the pan. Place the almonds in a bowl. Add the potato starch, baking powder and lemon peel and whisk ingredients thoroughly. Set aside. Place the egg yolks, sugar and salt in a food processor and process until thick and lighter in color. With the machine running, add the vegetable oil and melted, cooled coconut oil until all has been incorporated. Using the pulse feature, work in the ground almond mixture and lemon juice. Spoon the mixture into a large bowl. In another bowl (or bowl of an electric mixer), beat the egg whites until they are glossy and stand in stiff peaks. Mix about 1/3 of the beaten whites into the batter, to lighten it, then fold the remaining beaten whites into the batter. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Place the pan on a cake rack. Let the cake cool in the pan. Remove from the pan. Dust with Passover confectioner’s sugar.

NOTE: you can make this without the baking powder; the cake will be more dense, but taste delicious