Grieving, with Food

Our beloved Aunt Debbie, the one with the laughing eyes and infectious giggle, the hug that smooshed into you, the keeper of Sefardi tradition and family recipes, died this past Shabbat. We are all feeling somewhat lost and very sad. We spent many Pesah sedarim and Rosh Hashana dinners at her table, always filled with Greek and Turkish goodies appropriate to the season and holiday.

The minute you walked into her kitchen for Pesah, you were treated to what my husband always called "booms": bumuelos, delicious little nuggets of matza and apple, deep fried and sweetened with honey. The seder, conducted these last few years by Uncle Joe and  Perry, featured a whiny Sefardi mnemonic that helps to keep the place in the long ritual, began with the seder plate carried by Debbie, and later, by her daughter-in-law Karla, to insure everyone's wish for the next year would come true. 

The haroset was spectacular and unmatchable. We always left with a little jar for the rest of the week, to be spread on matza, served as a side dish or used as a dip for raw vegetables. 

In the last few years, Debbie asked me to take over making the prassa, or leek-potato latkes. I tried and tried, but I never thought mine were anywhere near as good as hers. Last year she told me they were pretty close, and all I had to do was make them a little smaller and thicker. That's high praise from someone who made them her whole life, first at Grandma Jennie's side, and then as the accomplished cook she became.

I didn't know what to do with myself Saturday night. We were so sad and had spent much of the day crying and reminiscing. So I went to my kitchen and made a big pot of soup. That was a little of my grieving, with food.I'll cry more preparing in just a few weeks for this Pesah. 

But I'll remember to make the prassa a little smaller, and a little thicker. Thanks for everything, Aunt Debbie.We'll love you forever.

Cross-Cultural Chicken Soup

Who doesn't love a bowl of steaming soup on a cold day? Today I realized I hadn't made the chicken soup I had promised College Girl all winter break...not good. I knew I had to squeeze it in before she leaves for school, and today was the perfect day for it.

But nicejewish girl has a few tricks up her sleeve...

For starters, I'm not a traditionalist when it comes to chicken soup. I usually -as I did tonight - opt for making it in a pressure cooker (GASP!) rather than the standard large pot cooking on the stove for hours version.  I  know lots of folks are terrified of pressure cookers, but I find them really handy.And that's saying something once I tell you that a previous pressure cooker did explode and I had chicken soup all over my cabinets and counters. Not ideal. But newer pressure cookers have much better locking mechanisms and safety features and I am now fearless. Why do I prefer the pressure cooker method? Because I sometimes procrastinate and box myself into a corner time-wise and using the pressure cooker lets me go from start to finish in about an hour...including prep time.

And there's another good reason for using the pressure cooker. You know that scuzzy stuff that forms at the top when you're cooking the soup in that big open pot? That grayish, yucky stuff you need to skim off repeatedly in the first 45 minutes of cooking? Yep, you don't have to deal with that when you use a pressure cooker. Even though I have invested in a really good stainless steel strainer.

And brace yourself. I'm gonna tell you that I use some unusual spices and condiments in my Cross-Cultural Chicken Soup.

I use HAWAIJ Arabic: خاواييج‎, Hebrew: חו׳יג׳ . Here's what it looks like:

You should smell it. Really. It's heavenly. Hawaij is a Yemenite spice blend. The one I use is for soup, and contains cumin, tumeric, black pepper, cloves and cardamon. 

And once the soup is served, I like to add a teeny-tiny amount of SCHUG 
Yemeni Arabic: سحوق saḥawaq, Hebrew: סחוג s'khug.   Think of it as Middle Eastern hot sauce. Really hot sauce. Really clean-out-your-sinuses-and-knock-you-into-New-Jersey hot.
Here's what it looks like:

Ok kids, let's get on to the recipe:

Cross-Cultural Chicken Soup

3 chicken drumsticks and 4 chicken thighs, or 3 chicken quarters of legs and thighs

1  medium onion, chopped

1-2 large carrots, peeled and sliced in 12" rounds

2 stalks of celery, leaves removed

2 parsnips, peeled and sliced in 1" chunks

Fresh dill

2 tsp hawaij

Salt to taste

Clean and prep the chicken, cutting off excess fat. Place chicken pieces at the bottom of pressure cooker. Add cut vegetables, hawaiij and salt. Add 8 cups of cool water.

Close pressure cooker lid tightly and place pressure regulator on top of lid. Cook on high heat until the pressure indicator rises. Lower heat but be sure that the pressure indicator remains raised. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove pot from heat and open the pressure regulator on top to let the steam escape and the internal pressure to reduce. Once this has happened, carefully unlock the lid and smell your gorgeous soup!

I usually make fine noodles, rice, or frozen Pelminyi (Russian chicken kreplach) to serve with the soup. Ladle your pasta of choice, then add the soup. You can put the schug on the table with a teeny tiny demitasse spoon so that no one is tempted to use too much.

Enjoy!

Latke Heresy!

If there's one traditional Jewish food people get crazed about more than matza balls, it must be latkes. Oy, the way my (fill in the blank) used to make latkes! 

Don't get me wrong. I like latkes. I just don't love making them. My idea of Chanuka Heaven would be 8 nights of invitations to the homes of the best cooks I know. But that never happens, because of the home-based nature of the holiday itself and the fact that so many of the 8 nights are school/work nights.

So I know that sooner or later, my number comes up: time to make the latkes. I make it my business to state firmly and frequently that I'll make latkes twice during Chanuka. 

Tonight was Night #1. And I'll admit the Latke Heresies upfront. I use a food processor to shred and then chop the potatoes. And this year I added a new heresy, by way of a suggestion on another kosher cooking blog (h/t to The Shiksa in the Kitchen). Sit down. I'll bring you a glass of cold water. I added about 1/3 cup of fine panko bread crumbs. I did. I just threw them into the potato-onion-egg goodness and mixed them in. And you know what? The latkes were crispy delicious on the outside and fully cooked yummy firm to the bite on the inside, perfectly seasoned.

And there's not a single one left. So there!


Heretical Latkes

This recipes serves 3-4

4-5 medium Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces for the food processor chute
1 medium onion
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup fine panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
canola oil

Using the shredder blade of the food processor, shred the potatoes and put in a large bowl to sit for 10 minutes. This will allow much of the potato starch liquid to drain to the bottom of the bowl. After 10 minutes, take half of the shredded potatoes and using the chopping blade of the food processor, pulse and chop twice. Add the chopped potatoes back to the bowl with shredded potatoes.

Cut the onion into small pieces and run through the food processor using the shredder blade. If there are onion pieces which do not shred, chop them finely with a knife and add the onion to the potatoes.

Put the bowl in your sink, and begin to drain the liquid from the potatoes by taking small portions of the potato-onion mix and wrapping them in a sheet of paper towels. Wring and let the liquid go down the sink drain. Remove the drier mixture to a new large bowl.

Add two beaten eggs to the potato-onion mixture, then the 1/3 cup of panko bread crumbs. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

Heat two frying pans with 1 inch or more of canola oil to cover the bottom of each pan. Once a drop of water bounces around the surface, begin frying the latkes. Shape them in a large spoon and drop gently into the hot oil. 

As the latkes cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and as the latkes are done, place on sheet and keep warm in oven. 

Serve with sour cream, yogurt, or applesauce, or anything else your heart desires.

Ay-yay-yay! Mamacita Benita's Chicken Tortilla Soup

I eat only poultry, so I periodically find my fridge full of chicken and turkey of various persuasions and flavors - roasted, grilled, lonely "geboilta" soup chicken - and I feel prodded into repurposing the poultry into something yummy and filling. Is this starting to sound like a crazy version of "Chopped!" yet?

This week's enticing leftover: grilled Mexican chicken cutlets. Not enough for a meal, too much to dispose of without major guilt. You know what I mean?

Have I mentioned that I'd rather eat soup than any other food, except maybe ice cream? So clearly, I went ISO a soup recipe....and discovered something for you, my hot and spicy amigos y amigas: MAMACITA BENITA'S CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP!!!!!

If you're not a hot and spicy aficionado, I forgive you. I don't understand you, but I love you anyway. You may be excused to go get a bowl of ice cream now.

Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 6 bowls of soup

Ingredients

1 tbs olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

1 chipotle in adobe sauce, minced ****

1 tbs chili powder

6 cups of chicken broth (homemade, canned or Manischewitz-in-the-box)

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

2 small ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 cup shredded or cubed cooked chicken or turkey

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (yes, fresh makes a difference. 2 limes!)

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed

Tortilla strips or chips and avocado slices or chunks for garnish

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, chipotle and chili powder. Cook until onion softens, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the chicken broth and bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

3. Add the corn and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Stir in tomatoes, chicken, lime juice, and black beans. Cook for an additional 6-8 minutes.

5. Divide into bowls and garnish as desired.

I TOLD YOU THIS IS SPICY!!!! You can add additional avocado, an extra shpritz of lime or some cooked grains (rice or couscous) to cool it down a bit.

****Chipotle peppers give sweet heat. You can find them in small cans in the Hispanic foods section of your grocery. Adobo sauce is what they are packed in. Remove one pepper with the sauce clinging to it, and mince finely.

What to do with leftover challah?

Around this time of year, I often find myself with more leftover challah than the French Toast Monster wants to handle. Oh, I know I can make fresh breadcrumbs...whatever they are, and whatever in the world you really use them for. But staring at that hulk of eggy goodness really gets to me after a while.

This year, I've started making Challah Kugel... which is actually a slightly Jewish-sounding name for Bread Pudding. But I've jazzed it up and made it slightly more modern (not to mention kid-friendly) by adding cinnamon chips and chocolate chips, too. My next try will be with peanut butter chips, and I'm eyeing a bag of butterscotch chips for a future kugel! Nice as a dessert or even a brunch treat!

Challah Kugel A La NiceJewishGirl

12 ounces or more of leftover challah (I've used  both plain and raisin)
1 cup orange juice or apple juice (I may try this soon with either Triple Sec or Marsala)
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup sugar or honey
3 Tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 scant tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (your choice: pareve or dairy)
1/2 cup cinnamon chips (these are dairy)

Preheat oven to 350. (NOTE: I use the convection bake function of my oven. Your results may differ.)

Slice off crust from challah, and tear bread into small chunks or shreds into a large bowl.
Pour the juice over bread chunks and let soak until soft and liquid is absorbed.

Add eggs, honey or sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon to the challah mixture. Add chips, if using, and distribute throughout mixture.

Spray or oil a bundt or tube pan. Add the challah mixture. Place the bundt pan in a 9x13 baking pan filled with 1 inch of water.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Matza Balls: Make 'Em From Scratch!!!!

Catching up on Cooking

Well, the non-stop marathon of holiday cooking is nearly at an end. Friday night was a portable picnic: a walk across the boulevard to the shul sukkah with friends, toting an Asian themed shabbat dinner: teriyaki chicken, pan-fried Hong Kong noodles and stirfried veggies. No soup for us! And Saturday early evening, a lovely seudah shlishit with numerous friends "en sukkah" with a lovely dairy meal. Many thanks!

Now maybe I can clear my head and focus on some new recipes. On board: chicken tagine with dried apricots, accompanied by fruited and nutt-ed couscous. Also, a fall favorite, roasted chicken with braeburn apples and rosemary.

In the meantime, I'll be posting videos as they're completed. Look for Making Matza Balls!