Rhubarb Crisp

About 20 years ago my brother-in-law pulled up a clump of rhubarb from his backyard garden in Chicago and gave it to me.  I flew it back to New York, stuck it in the ground, and it has been faithfully supplying me with rhubarb ever since. It is free, fresh and organic- an unbeatable combination. Rhubarb crisp is one of the simplest and best recipes for rhubarb. This version is from The Union Square Cafe Cookbook.  Make your guests even happier by serving the crisp with vanilla or, better yet, strawberry ice cream. 

3/4 cup plus 3 tbl. flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 tbl. sugar

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

5 1/3 tbl. unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

2 pounds rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the 3/4 cup flour, brown and white sugars and cinnamon.  Work in the butter with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly.  Add walnut pieces.

In a 10 inch pie plate, toss the rhubarb with the sugar and 3 tbl. flour, to coat evenly.  Scatter the crisp topping evenly over the surface of the rhubarb.  Bake for 35 minutes, until the rhubarb bubbles at the sides and the topping is crisp and brown.  Serve warm topped with ice cream.

Serves 6 

Spaghetti with Asparagus

Spring is here and fresh asparagus is showing up at farmer's markets. Grab them while you can, along with some chives, and make this delectable pasta dish which sings of springtime in every bite.  This dish is based on Deborah Madison's recipe in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, one of my favorite cookbooks.  

4 tbl. olive oil

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

2 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 tbl. finely chopped thyme

salt and pepper

2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut at an angle into 3 inch slices 

1 pound spaghetti

4 tbl. pine nuts, toasted

3 tbl. chopped parsely

2 tbl. snipped chives

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

While water is heating for the spaghetti, heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet over low heat.  Add the sweet onion, lemon zest, thyme, and salt to taste and cook slowly, stirring occasionally.

When the pasta water boils, salt it and add the asparagus and cook until crisp tender, about 3-4 minutes.  Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon, add it to the onion mixture and continue cooking.

Cook the spaghetti until al dente, drain it but leave some of the water clinging to the strands.  Return the spaghetti to the pasta pot and add the cooked vegetables to the pot.  Raise the heat and stir in the remaining oil, the pine nuts, parsley, chives, salt and pepper to taste and a few tbl. cheese.  

Serve with remaining grated cheese. 

Serves 4 to 6

Cranberry Chutney

I can no longer eat cranberries because they interfere with a medication I must take. This is a great loss since I love cranberries in everything-cakes, pies, muffins, salads-you name it. One recent discovery is how delicious they are in a chutney. Who would have guessed that the All- American cranberry would be delectable in an Indian relish? This recipe comes from The Indian Vegetarian by Neelam Batra, a fantastic cookbook for people interested in exploring the wonderful cuisine of India. I omitted a few ingredients which I didn't have and lengthened the cooking time. If you don't have all the spices listed, go ahead and make it anyway.

Ms. Batra writes that you can store the chutney in the refrigerator for over a year. Mine didn't last anywhere near that long. Cranberry chutney is delicious on turkey or cheese sandwiches, with broiled chicken and along side all sorts of Indian style dishes.

2 12 ounce packages fresh cranberries

4 cups sugar

3 cups water

10 black cardamom pods, pounded lightly to break the skin

1 3 inch stick cinnamon

1 tbl. fennel seeds

1 tsp. fenugreek seeds

1 tbl. ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

5 tbl. white vinegar

Place the cranberries, sugar, water, cardamom pods, cinnamon, fennel and fenugreek seeds, ginger and salt in a large, heavy stainless steel (or other nonreactive) saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover partially and cook stirring occasionally, until it turns slightly thick, 5-7 minutes.

Uncover the pan, add the vinegar and continue to cook until the chutney is quite thick, about 20 minutes. (Remember that the chutney will continue to thicken as it cools.)

Transfer to a bowl and set aside until cold. Store in the refrigerator. Do not freeze.

Makes about 6 cups

Notes: Try the chutney in plain yogurt or on toast

If the recipe makes too much chutney for you, share it with a friend or halve the main ingredients and adjust the spices accordingly

Pasta and Chickpeas

I love this combination of flavors-pasta, chickpeas, parsley, garlic, all heated up with some red pepper flakes. Wow! And the dish is so easy to make.  This recipe comes from Deborah Madison's cookbook Vegetarian Suppers. Ms. Madison is the queen of vegetarian cooking. 

1 tbl. olive oil, plus extra to finish

1/2 large onion, diced

a few pinches hot red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15 ounce can, preferably organic, liquid reserved

1 big bunch of flat-leaf parsley, the leaves stripped from the stems

3 plump garlic cloves

small handful of sage leaves

salt and freshly ground pepper

3/4 pound whole wheat pasta shells

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

Heat the oil in a wide skillet and add the onion and pepper flakes.  Cook for a few minutes, then add the chickpeas.  While they're warming, chop the parsley, garlic and sage together, then toss a third of it into the pan.  Season well with salt and pepper, add a little water or chickpea broth to the pan, and cook slowly, adding more liquid as it cooks away.

Salt the pasta water and cook the pasta.  When done, drain and toss it with the chickpeas, the rest of the parsley mixture, and extra olive oil to taste.  Taste for salt and season with freshly ground pepper.  Grate some cheese over the top and serve. 

Serves 4

Notes: Ms. Madison suggests adding additional red pepper flakes at serving time but I think it is hot enough with this.  She also offers some additions-a few cut up garden tomatoes added at the very end or some grated lemon zest or mild ricotta or slivers of ricotta salata.   

Mushroom Soup

The Union Square Cafe is one of the most popular restaurants in New York City. Years ago I was given the Cafe's cookbook as a gift and have tried quite a few recipes from it. Here is one of my favorites.  It is simple to make and gets its rich flavor from slowly stewing the mushrooms and other vegetables.  The authors are Danny Meyer (Cafe owner) and Michael Romano (Cafe partner and chef)

2 tbl. butter

1 cup peeled and sliced carrots

1 cup sliced onions

1 cup sliced leeks, washed, white and light green parts only

1/2 cup sliced celery

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

2 pounds cleaned and sliced white mushrooms

6 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste

1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper

4 tsp. minced chives

3 tbl. extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot.  Add the carrots, onions, leeks and celery and cook until tender but not browned, about 10 minutes

Stir in the thyme and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened.  Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes

Puree the soup in a food processor or blender in as many batches as necessary.  Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve in warm bowls with a sprinkling of chives and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if desired.

Serves 6

Notes: Be sure to use fresh thyme in this recipe-it makes a difference

A submersible blender works beautifully to puree the soup in its cooking pot 

 

Spicy Black Bean Soup with Cumin and Jalapeno

The recipe for this wonderful soup was sent to me by Barbara, who is Alison's mother. What luck that there are so many food loving people in my family. Barbara was having guests over for dinner so, naturally, I asked what she planned to serve. The black bean soup was especially appealing to me. As noted before, I have a special affinity to black beans (there are worse things to confess) so don't be surprised if more recipes include them. Barbara found this recipe on Preston Maring MD's newsletter. Dr. Maring explains that beans are high in calcium so this soup is not only delicious but also good for you.

2 tbl. olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

4 large cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. ground cumin

1-2 tsp. finely chopped jalapeno chili with seeds, divided* (don't rub your eyes after doing this)

2 cans black beans, including liquid

4 medium tomatoes, diced (save the juice)

1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth

chopped fresh cilantro

chopped scallions

crumbled feta cheese

In a large soup pot, heat the oil. Cook the onion, carrot and garlic until soft.

Mix in the cumin and 1 tsp. jalapeno*. Add the beans, tomatoes with juice and broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Transfer three cups to a blender, puree until smooth and return to pot. Simmer a little more until slightly thickened. Season to taste by adding a little salt, pepper and jalapeno at a time and taste frequently so you aren't surprised. Ladle into bowls and garnish as you wish.

Notes: *Barbara uses only 1/2 tsp. of jalapeno so be forewarned. Start off with less and work your way up to suit your taste

I recommend Eden Organic canned beans

I might skip the feta cheese and garnish the soup with some yogurt

Orange and Fennel Salad

This beautiful and refreshing dish pushes the envelope on what we consider a salad.  It contains no lettuce, cucumbers, or any typical salad ingredient.  Orange and fennel salad is popular in Italy and is often served there after the main course.  My supermarket had bags of blood oranges on sale and I realized they would look spectacular in this dish nestled next to the pale green fennel and black olives. Reader, I bought the blood oranges and made this salad.

3 navel or blood oranges

2 tbl. chopped fennel greens

1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs, trimmed, quartered and thinly sliced

pepper to taste

12 black Kalamata or oil-cured olives

vinaigrette dressing

Peel and section the oranges.  Toss the oranges, sliced fennel and fennel greens with the vinaigrette dressing.  Season to taste with pepper and arrange on 4 salad plates.  Garnish the plates with olives.

Serves 4  

Orange Flan

My daughter-in-law Alison arrived at our seder with a dessert that turned out to be a surprise hit- Orange Flan.  She used a recipe from Epicurious.com and had the nerves of steel it takes to unmold it at the seder.  Out of the pie dish came a perfect looking flan surrounded by yummy caramel sauce. If only we had taken a picture, if only I knew how to post a photo onto my blog.  Enough of the "if onlys", let's get down to the recipe.  

2 tbl. water

1 1/4 cups sugar. divided

8 large egg yolks

4 whole large eggs

2 tsp. grated orange zest

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk

1 1/2 tsp. orange-flower water*

1/4 tsp. salt

Equipment: An 8-9 inch round ceramic or glass baking dish or metal cake pan (2 inches deep)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees with rack in middle

Bring water and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water.  Boil, without stirring, swirling pan occasionally so caramel colors evenly, until dark amber.  Immediately pour caramel into baking dish and tilt to coat bottom (dish will be hot).  Cool until hardened, 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk together remaining ingredients, including remaining 3/4 cup sugar (or blend in a blender). Pour custard over caramel.

Bake in a water bath until custard is set 3 inches from edge but still wobbly in center, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Transfer flan in dish to a rack to cool completely, about 40 minutes (flan will continue to set as it cools).  Chill until cold, at least 8 hours.

To unmold flan, run a thin knife around the edge of the dish, then dip dish briefly (about 20 seconds) in a pan of very warm water.  Invert on a large platter with a rim over baking dish, then quickly invert to turn flan onto platter (caramel will pour out over and around flan).  Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 8

Notes: I have always been afraid to make caramel- the directions were scary to me.  I will now be braver and give it a try

Alison did not have orange flower water* but the orange flavor was still wonderful without it

I witnessed the unmolding-no hot water was used and the flan did not rest for 30 minutes before serving.  It was quickly eaten

Can be made the day before

Orange Shrub

How many people do you know who make their own liqueurs at home? My daughter Rachel and her wife Lisa make Hedgerow Gin, Orange Shrub and Limoncello.  They also make and can jams, jellies, relishes and veggies.  One year they even canned tuna!  I begged Rachel to send me some of her offbeat recipes and got a bunch in the mail.  The orange shrub is very appealing, great to sip after dinner and will impress even the most sophisticated guests.  If you never make the shrub, that's OK.  It's still fun to learn how it's done. Rachel credits Lindy Wildsmith for this recipe.

3 cups white rum or brandy

1 cup sugar

finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed oranges and 1/2 cup of juice (see note)

Put everything into a 1 quart widemouth screwtop jar, seal with plastic wrap and then put on lid.

Leave for 30 days out of direct light and shake 2-3 times a day.

After 30 days, strain liqueur to remove zest and any juice pulp.  Can serve now or keep in a cool, dark spot for 3 more months. 

Serve chilled. 

Note: Rachel says that you can use any kind of citrus fruit in the shrub

 

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Paula and I met in the 3rd grade. We have been friends now for over 50 years. When Paula discovered that she cannot eat any food containing gluten it shook up her life. Imagine living without pizzas, pasta, toasted bagels, cakes, muffins- you get the picture. At some point a lightbulb went on in my head- how about flourless chocolate cake? It would be perfect for my chocoholic friend. The Gourmet Cookbook had a recipe. I tried it and hit the jackpot. Whenever I see Paula, a flourless chocolate cake accompanies me. Incidentally, this is also a wonderful dessert for Passover- one of the few that actually tastes great. Another plus, it is easy to put together even if you are a novice baker. Give this one a try.

8 ounces good bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 large eggs

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus additional for dusting

Put a rack in the middle of an oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 10 inch springform pan, line bottom of pan with a round of parchment or wax paper, and butter paper.

Melt chocolate with butter in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove bowl from heat and whisk in sugar. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Sift cocoa powder over chocolate and whisk until just combined.

Pour batter into pan. Bake until top has formed a thin crust and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs adhering, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove side of pan. Invert cake onto a plate and reinvert onto rack to cool completely.

Dust cake with cocoa powder before serving.

Serves 10-12

Notes: The cake can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature

I usually use chocolate chips, which means I do not have to chop the chocolate

I never dust with the cocoa powder before serving- always forget about that step

Chicken with Apricots and Tomatoes

Every year I am on the lookout for a festive chicken dish to serve at my seder.  It must have the following qualities: can be made in advance and reheated, contain only boneless white meat chicken and have no strange ingredients. There are too many people with too many dislikes to allow for experimentation at this meal.  I came up with a winner last year and will make it again this Passover. It has a sweet, spicy Moroccan flavor that appeals to my crowd.  The recipe is adapted from Back To Square One by Joyce Goldstein, a wonderful cookbook author.  

3 tbl. plus 2 tbl. olive oil

4 cups chopped onions

1 tbl. plus 1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

3 cups diced Italian plum tomatoes, juices reserved

3 cups dried apricots, soaked in warm water to cover, for about 1 hour

2 cups chicken stock, water or combination apricot soaking liquid, reserved tomato juices and water to equal 2 cups*

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken cutlets

For the apricot sauce, heat 3 tbl. oil in a large saucepan over low heat.  Add the onions and cook 3 minutes.  Add the 1 tbl. of cinnamon and all of the clove and cook 3 more minutes.  Stir in about 1/4 cup reserved tomato juices.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. 

Puree half the soaked apricots in a food processor and coarsely chop the remainder.  Add the pureed apricots, the diced tomatoes and 1 cup chicken stock* to the onion mixture and simmer 5 minutes.  Puree half the onion mixture in the food processor and then return to the pan.  Add the chopped apricots and the remaining cup of chicken stock* and simmer 5 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

Saute the chicken in the remaining 2 tbl. oil in a large fry pan (in two batches) until lightly browned  and remove from the pan.  Select a pan large enough to hold the chicken and the apricot sauce and put both in the pan. Simmer until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Serves 6

Notes: The dish makes lots of delicious sauce that is perfect with rice or bulgar wheat 

Last year I made it several hours in advance and gently reheated at serving time

I may cut up the chicken in  big chunks before cooking it so it will be easier to serve to a large crowd

If doubling the amount of chicken, just increase the apricot sauce ingredients by 1/3. I now know from experience that doubling the sauce ingredients makes way too much sauce

Ms. Goldstein added 1/3 cup brown sugar to the sauce.  To my taste it is sweet enough without the sugar

Irene's Brisket

Serving brisket at our family Seder is a long standing tradition.  Even people who "don't eat red meat" seem to make an exception on this night which is different from all other nights. Making the brisket the day before enhances its flavor and it needs only to be gently reheated at serving time.  Nowadays, my brother-in-law Stan brings a huge pan of brisket to our seder and I concentrate on the veggies, chicken and rice. It sure is a big help.  

The recipe that I use comes from Irene.  Harvey, Irene's husband, and I worked together at Social Security for many years. When I was about to make my very first brisket and didn't know what to do, Irene came to the rescue.  I have been following this recipe and passing it on to many others for the past 15 years.

1 or 2 first -cut briskets

pepper

garlic powder

2 large Spanish onions

1 large can of tomato sauce

Buy a first-cut brisket which weighs up to 7 pounds.  If the group is large buy 2 briskets but be sure to get first-cut which is less fatty.  If using 2 briskets, double the quantity of onions and tomato sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Put the brisket in a big oven proof pot over a very high flame and sear the meat.  Turn the brisket over and sear the other side. Repeat if using 2 briskets Pour off any fat that has accumulated and wipe the inside of the pot.

Season the meat on both sides with pepper and garlic powder.  Slice the onions and place half of the slices underneath the brisket.  Place the rest of the onion slices on top of the brisket. 

Pour a big can of tomato sauce over the meat.  Fill the can with water and pour that on.  Cover the pot.

Put the pot in the oven.  After an hour, turn the meat over with a long fork and put it back in the oven for another hour.  Remove form the oven and cool.

When the pot cools off, refrigerate overnight.  The next day take the pot from the oven and remove solidified fat with a spoon.  Slice the meat and put it in a foil roasting pan with the gravy and onions.  Cover with aluminum foil.  Refrigerate until 1 1/2 hours before serving.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Remove covered pan from the fridge and place in preheated oven.  Heat for 1 1/4 hours or until gravy begins to bubble. 

Serves 15 to 22 depending on what else is on the menu

Notes:  I always cook 2 briskets.  I use a big stove top griddle to brown the meat on all sides and then put the briskets in two pots since I don't have a pot large enough to hold both.  

I add about 1/2 bottle of chili sauce to the gravy which gives it a subtle smoky flavor.

Make sure that the brisket is warming when guests first arrive.  It takes a while to reach the correct temperature.

I especially like Muir Glen tomato sauces 

    

Fluffy Matzah Balls

Passover is around the corner and chicken soup with matzah balls is a must for the seder dinner. Our tradition is that Alice, my sister-in-law, brings the chicken soup and matzah balls for our dinner.  She buys both from Second Helpings, an organic store in our Park Slope neighborhood.  But once in a while the plan goes awry and I must make the matzah balls myself.  The first time this happened, I was panicky.  Would they be rock hard cannon balls? Yes, they were. But eventually I found a great recipe in Joan Nathan's Jewish Cooking in America.  This one works well and your guests will qvell (rave).  Ironically, the one person at the table who loves those hard clunkers is Alice.

4 large eggs

2 tbl. vegetable oil

1/2 cup seltzer, club soda or chicken broth*

1 cup matzoh meal

salt and pepper to taste

Mix eggs well with fork.  Add oil, soda water*, matzah meal and salt and pepper and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

Dip hands in cold water and make about 12 balls slightly smaller than ping pong balls.

Bring water to a boil in a large pot.  Add salt and place matzah balls in water.  Cover and simmer about 30 minutes or until soft.

Yield- About 12 large, soft matzah balls

Notes:  I double the recipe for my large group of 18-20

To reduce cholesterol, use 2 egg whites and 2 whole eggs

To make in advance, place matzoh balls in warm chicken soup and freeze.  Leave lots of time to defrost when ready to use.

Helene's Vegetable Medley for a Crowd

We are back from a wonderful week in Berlin. Since this is a food blog, I won't give details about the incredible museums, music and theatre.  But one thing I wasn't looking forward to was German food- all those wursts and pigs knuckles were a turnoff.  In the end we managed to have mostly very good meals.  What was missing, though, were freshly cooked vegetables that were not drenched in a gloppy sauce.  The one exception was potatoes. They were delish.

Helene's Vegetable Medley will make up for the vegetable deficit in Berlin. I make a version of it for every Thanksgiving and Passover Seder.  I am asked to  bring it to dinners and Rachel and Lisa ( my daughter and daughter-in-law) request that I make the Vegetable Medley when we visit them in Portland Oregon. The bright and colorful veggies will be on my seder table next week.

There is no real recipe but I will walk you through the process. I usually make lots  (for about 18 people) so you can adjust the amounts accordingly.  The only part that takes time is prepping the veggies.  If you have time earlier in the day ( or even the night before) you can get that part out of the way and refrigerate the veggies in separate plastic bags or containers.  Since there is no fry pan large enough to hold all these veggies, I saute the squash and peppers in batches in a fry pan and then transfer them to a large pot where they will all be cooked together.  This may sound like a complicated process but I assure you that it is not.  Please read the recipe through once and you will get the idea. I save the cooking brothy water and use it to make rice to accompany the veggies. You can dump the water if you wish.

3 bunches carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick on an angle

3 bunches asparagus, trimmed and sliced 1 inch thick on an angle

4 zucchini, trimmed and sliced 1/2 inch thick

4 yellow summer squash, trimmed and sliced 1/2 inch thick

2 red peppers, seeded and sliced

2 yellow peppers, seeded and sliced

4 tbl. olive oil (add more as needed)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced (optional)

juice of 2 lemons

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped (or substitute basil) 

1. Fill a big pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the carrots and cook until they are tender crisp.  ( They will be cooked again when added to the other vegetables).  Remove carrots from water with a slotted spoon, drain in colander and set aside.  Using the same water add the asparagus and cook until tender crisp.  Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon, drain in colander and add to the cooked carrots.  Try to get the asparagus out of the water while they are still bright green.  (Reserve the cooking water if you wish, to use for soup or rice or just drain it)

2. In a large fry pan, add olive oil and heat till sizzling. Add garlic and optional ginger and saute for 1 minute.  Add  zucchini and saute until softened, stirring often. Transfer to a large pot big enough to hold all the veggies.  Add additional olive oil to the fry pan as needed.  Continue this until all the squash and peppers have been sauteed and are in the big pot.  Add the reserved cooked carrots and asparagus and mix all the veggies together. 

3. Over medium heat, cook the veggies until they are done to your liking.  Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir. Add the dill or basil and combine all ingredients well. The vegetable medley can be served immediately or held for an hour or two and gently reheated.  

Serves 18-20

Note: Ricka is known by many names. Helene is just one of them.