Destination Anywhere

In many bakeries and homes in Israel, a pizza-like flatbread with toppings is made for lunch or snacking. The crust is slightly puffed, crisp on the bottom, and the toppings run from white or yellow cheeses, tomato, oil and herbs, or oil and zataar, an ancient spice blend. Zataar is made from ground thyme or marjoram, sesame seeds, sumac, salt and pepper. It has a slightly astringent, yet herbal taste.

My friend Nava taught me how to make them. Come cook along!

I staggered home from work yesterday afternoon and began to Kosher my kitchen for Passover. Cleaned out the fridge, and cleaned all chametz (leavened food) out of the kitchen pantry (pasta, breads, crackers, cereals, etc). Later that evening I did the ritual sweeping up of chametz crumbs with a feather and spoon, and burned them. I certainly don't do everything completely--I don't change over my dishes and cookware, my chametz just goes to the basement instead of being temporarily "sold" to a non-Jew during Pesach, and during the end of the week we tend to eat more Sephardic (allowing rice) than Ashkenazi.

Some of the chicken soup, after five hours simmering and straining through cheesecloth--liquid gold. I got about eight quarts, I think. After skimming off the fat, tomorrow I will finish it with thinly sliced carrots and celery, and chopped dill for serving with matzoh balls.

Next up, matzoh balls. I like "sinkers," with lots of chopped dill and parsley.

I made about 40.

Matzoh Balls, My Way
Makes about 10-12 large matzoh balls, recipe doubles or triples easily

4 eggs
3 tablespoons melted chicken fat, or melted margarine, or oil
1 teaspoon salt, ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced mixture of parsley and dill
1/4 cup chicken soup, plus 2 Tbs. water
1 cup matzoh meal

Beat the eggs, add the chicken fat, which should be at room temperature, and then the salt and pepper, herbs, water and soup.
Fold in the matzo meal, mix well. Batter will be loose.

Refrigerate the batter for about I hour, or until batter is thickened up. With wet hands, shape into balls a bit bigger than a golf ball. They'll enlarge as they cook.

Drop the balls carefully into 2 quarts of boiling salted water or hot soup. Cover and cook for 45 minutes. Gently remove from water with slotted spoon, and refrigerate until needed.

To serve--Add Matzoh Balls to soup.

Cook for another 10 minutes in the soup.

Whew. At 7:30, I had the soup on to finish cooking with the final garnish of carrots, celery, and dill. I made two different kinds of charoset, the red-brown mixture on the seder plate that symbolises the mortar the Jewish slaves were forced to use. I make the traditional Ashkenazi apple/walnut/cinnamon one; and also a Sephardic one with dates, figs, apricots, and pistachios.

Later, I made mashed potatoes; a salad of roasted golden beets dressed with mint, roasted broccoli with walnuts, and salmon with herb vinaigrette. Everything could be made in advance, and either wrmed while we were going through the first part of the Seder, or gets served at room temperature.

Salmon with Herb Vinaigrette

1. Make a herb vinaigrette. Whisk together a 1/2 tsp seedy dijon mustard, a finely diced shallot, 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, a pinch of sugar to taste, and enough olive oil to make a dressing. Add generous amounts of chopped chives, parsley, dill, whatever herbs you like with salmon. You almost want a salsa verde-looking dressing. This may also be made in a food processor. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Preheat oven to 325.

4. Cut salmon into serving-sived pieces. Place skin-down on an oiled baking sheet. Bake, checking after 10 minutes or so. The fish will be done before it flakes, so be careful to not overcook. (Mine took about 12 minutes for a thin piece. People's taste in doneness for salmon varies, so use your judgement).

5. Remove the fish. Lift the fish off the sheet,(leaving the skin behind) and arrange on a serving platter. If there is white residue, wipe it off. Spoon some of the vinaigrette over each piece, and chill. Let return to room temperature before serving, and drizzle on more vinaigrette.

One of the great benefits of living in my area is the wealth of international foods available. Within a 1/2 hour drive from my house are shops catering to people from China, Korea, Japan, India, Pakistan, Israel, Armenia, Lebanon, the Caribbean, Russia, South America, Vietnam, Italy, and probably more.

We often go to Bazaar, a Russian grocery in Brookline and their larger one in Allston. I'm always amused when everyone there tries speaking Russian to me. Yes, my hips have their roots in Vilnius. They've got racks and racks of real, crusty rye breads from Russian bakeries in Brooklyn, have aisles of pickled vegetables, preserves, strange pharmaceuticals, smoked sausages and meats, Russian candies, frozen Russian dumplings and pastries, fresh cheeses, sour cream and yogurt, and all the produce you need for borscht. There's a huge deli counter with a vast array of prepared foods, salads, spreads, smoked fishes, tubs of mysterious lumps, and a tray of home-made blini on the top. There's no showy displays or pretty presentation--just good food. I prefer the Allston store, where there's easier parking and the Deli ladies will make you taste the six eggplant salads before you decide which one to take home. If you stare in befuddlement, someone will nudge you toward their favorites. Prices are astonishingly reasonable--their grape leaves are $3.99 a pound, vs the $6.99 at other shops. You can visit their interesting website: http://www.bazaargourmet.com/

Here's yesterday's lunch, courtesy of Bazaar: Russian Rye bread, topped with mushroom salad and eggplant-tomato salad; stuffed grape leaves, Georgian style; and beet salad with walnuts.

My sons requested lasagne for dinner, so I made my regular spinach-ricotta filling with fresh pasta and tomato sauce for them. As I was listening to my tummy gurgle at the sight of all that off-limits goodness, I remembered a recipe I'd seen for a lasagne where zucchini substituted for the pasta. Worth a try, and I had some zucchini and yellow squash in the fridge.

It turned out very well, and is low-fat, low-carb, and full of vegetables and protein. Not quite pasta, but good.

My poor neglected tomato plants have forgiven me.

This year I'm growing Sun Gold (orange cherrry tomato and very sweet), Brandywine (heirloom variety with funky shapes and deep rich flavor), Champion (an old reliable), Jet Star (a huge producer for me) Sweet Million (another cherry, red this time), Green Zebra (just because they're fun, and they taste good), and Pruden's Purple (which never do so well, but the few fruits I get are delicious).

I think I'm making gazpacho tomorrow.

When I traveled through Spain many years go, I ate a lot of gazpacho. Some thick, some thin but some crunchy with diced vegetables, some pureed with garnishes on the side. I preferred the pureed ones, with some body to it so that it didn't taste or feel like extra-soupy salsa. Sadly, most of the gazpacho I've eaten in the US falls into the soupy salsa category.

A friend whose mother was born near Cordoba served me her version, which was a thick, smoothly blended soup that seemed more than the sum of its parts. She told me her mother's version contained the usual fresh tomato, cucumber, red pepper, bread, oil, vinegar, garlic and onion--but used egg as a binder. I've made this often, and have found that the recipe in The Silver Palate Cookbook is very similar. Because of concerns over raw eggs, I gently heat the soup to slowly cook the egg, then cool and let sit overnight in the fridge. It's delicious after the flavors have blended and the vinegar mellows and brightens the tomato taste.

There's a Greek diner in my area that has one of the world's best comfort foods. Pastitzio is a homestyle Greek layered dish similar to lasagne, where the layers are a chunky meat sauce, tubular pasta, and a cheesy bechamel sauce. Gloriously fattening, so a small slice with a greek salad does the trick. I'm experimenting with a lighter version using ground turkey and a yogurt-based topping, which I'll post when I get it right.

This will feed 8-12, depending on the serving size. It needs to be made a day ahead, and is great for a party or large dinner.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, begins at sundown next Monday. Monday night will just be seven of us, and I'll make a whole fish stuffed with almonds and dates. I usually host a big dinner on the second night, and this year there will be 20 people at the tables. Yikes.

Last weekend, I made three pots of chicken stock, which resulted in eight quarts of stock in the freezer. Next weekend I'll defrost them, and simmer with leeks, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, cilantro and dill to finish into soup to be served with matzoh balls. I put lots of parsley dill and cilantro into the matzoh balls as well.

This weekend, I'm making brisket to freeze. This is a great recipe, using sundried tomatoes and wine to give a deep flavor to a thick gravy and tender meat. It must be made a day in advance of serving, and freezes very well.

My menus tend to change a bit as I shop, but here's what I've been thinking. It's a mixture of Ashkenazi and Sephardic Rosh Hashanah recipes:

Monday Night:--7 people

Pita with hummos, baba ganoush, and Muhamara (a pomegranite-walnut dip)
round challah

Whole Fish stuffed with dates and almonds
Bulger Pilaf
Sauteed Green Beans

Homemade Ice Cream--coffee has been requested by my sons

Tuesday Night: --20 people

Chicken soup with Matzoh balls
round challah

Brisket with Sundried Tomatoes
Chicken and seven-vegetable Tagine with apricots and almonds, over cous cous
Roasted potatoes
Carrots with pomegranite and honey
Green Beans with pistachios

cheesecake (from my cousin)
Apple pie (from another cousin)
Some other dessert (a friend)
Homemade Ice Creams--I'm thinking Honey-Ginger and Caramel

I tried out this recipe to see if I wanted to serve it for Rosh Hashanah. Leeks and figs are customarily served in many Sephardic homes for the new year, being both in season and symbolic for the holiday. (Leeks are to "cut off your enemies." Heh.) I adapted it from an old Cooking Light recipe. Easy to put together, it was just a bit bland upon first tasting. However, it was much better the next day, when the flavors had blended. The wine's acidity tempers the sweetness of the leeks, figs and honey. A winner!

From the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women; a woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67.
The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,650 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. in 2008 and about 15,520 women will die from the disease.
The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose. There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.
In spite of this patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years. Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region.
When ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%.
Please donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and help spread the word!
********************************************************************************************

We're at the end of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month--but I hope, not at the end of every woman's knowledge of her body. Every woman should be aware of the possibility that you, your sister, your friend may be sailing along comfortable in life, and then teetering on the edge of the unknown with a frightening diagnosis. Be aware, be vocal, be unafraid.

My previous post on Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and the "O" Foods contest, is here:
http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/amy/archives/2008/09/o_foods_for_ova.html

This one's for Gina, who taught me that Sicilian does matter. *grin*

I love green beans, cooked just past crisp and not yet mushy--that perfect stage of tender but still fresh in texture. And I love pistachios, and the precious bottles of pale green pistachio oil I insist on dragging back from visits to Paris.

This is my go-to dish for dinner parties, as it can be prepared in advance, is unusual and yet 'safe" enough to appeal to most people (obviously, not for people with nut allergies). It goes with just about any main course or cuisine. And it's really delicious. Since there are so few ingredients, make sure they're of excellent quality--fresh oil, good nuts (preferably from Sicily), farmstand beans if you can get them. If you simply cannot get your hands on pistachio oil, you can substitute a really fragrant toasted hazelnut or walnut oil, and the appropriate nut. But please, do try to find pistachio oil, and good, fresh pistachios.

Green Beans with Pistachio
Serves 6-8, can be doubled or tripled; or halved

2 lbs fresh green beans, rinsed, stems snipped off
2 Tbs. sweet butter
3 Tbs. pistachio oil
1/2 cup pistachios
salt and pepper

Generously salt a kettle of water, and add the beans. Bring to a light simmer, and cook beans until at the appropriate moment of doneness. You want them just soft to the bite, but not limp. Quickly drain and refresh under cold water, then pat dry.

While the beans are cooking, place the pistachios in a small ziploc. Smash them with a rolling pin, hammer, or whatever you have. Think of the financial crisis, your boss, your annoying but well-intentioned relative. Have fun. You want some just cracked, some finely ground, most somewhere in the middle.

In a large skillet, melt the butter, and then stir in the pistachios, letting them crisp for 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat, mix in the oil, add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the cooked, dried beans into the skillet, and toss to coat the beans with the nuts, oil and butter. Either serve, or refrigerate until needed. Can be warmed in the microwave.

I knew right away what I would use this week's selection to wrap. My mother's mother, my Nana, made the world's best blintzes. Of course, didn't everyone's Jewish grandmother?

She could crank out enough for an army, with her secret weapon--an ancient electric crepe maker. When we were cleaning out Nana's house after her death, I was the one who dearly wanted that crepe maker we found in the back of a cabinet. It's been in my basement for far too long, and I was excited to have the chance to use it again.

It has a domed surface that you dip into a shallow dish of crepe batter. After 20 seconds or so, you lift off the perfect crepe. Well, after the first four or five imperfect ones. *grin*

This is a wonderful dish, but its crucial to use a good paprika. I have paprika that my parents brought back from Hungary, both sweet and hot. A good grocery store will have the red and white cans of Szeged paprika, which is far and away better than American brands. I've also found that fullfat sour cream is really important, as the lower fat ones will curdle. I just adjusted the recipe to use less.

I love a bowl of fish chowder on a cold night, with a garlicy crouton floating on top and a glass of crisp white wine on the side. What I dislike are those overthickened chowders you're too often served that are made from a frozen base, tasting more of undercooked flour than of the sea.

This version is a combination of fancy fish and shellfish chowder I used to eat at a long-gone restaurant called Tapas in Cambridge, and my grandmother's comforting New England-style fish soup. I've kept the diced vegetables and pancetta from Tapas, and the technique and thin but savory broth from my grandmother. This isn't quite as rich as a restaurant chowder, but its still a once-in-a-blue-moon soup because of all that cream. A small bowl makes a good serving.

The chowder can also be made without the pancetta, like my grandmother did it. What's crucial is good fish, and some fish or clam broth that's honest and briny, without additives or too much salt. A fish market may be able to sell you fish stock/broth or clam juice; you can sometimes find frozen fish broth; and the clam juice from Whole Foods is very good. If you're using bottled clam juice, don't salt the chowder as much as you would if you were using fish stock. I usually serve this several hours or the day after preparing, to let the flavors blend.

Whew. Twenty-one people.

Two turkeys, one roasted, one grilled.
Gravy
Cranberry Sauce
Stuffing with Herbs, Chestnuts and Pecans
Spicy Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Vegetables--brussels sprouts; parsnips/squash/peppers; broccoli
Green Bean and orange Salad
Breads

Rum Balls
Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Chocolate Torte
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin-Bourbon cheesecake
Honey-Ginger Gelato

A few weeks ago, I used some of the enormous jar of sundried tomatoes I bought at Costco to make sundried tomato pesto. It was delicious over pasta, and I put a few containers in the freezer for future use. I was thinking of something else to do with it, and came across a recipe for a boneless chicken stuffed with the pesto and goat cheese. It also worked out well, and was pronounced a "do-again" by the boys. It was just a bit fussy to prepare, but making the pesto in advance takes out that step; and I also think next time I'll do the variation where the chicken is just coated in parmesean instead of flour-egg-breading to make it lighter. I also think the stuffing would be delicious for filet of sole.

We were invited to spend new Year's Eve with some dear friends, and I volunteered to bring appetizers. I made mushroom turnovers; crostini with caramelized shallots, walnuts and blue cheese; and mini peppers stuffed with goat cheese.

Crostini with Caramelized Shallots, Walnuts and Blue Cheese
(adapted from Pedaling in Burgundy, Sarah Chase)

10 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 Tbs. walnut oil
1-2 spoonfuls cassis (blackberry cordial)
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
crumbled blue cheese
sliced baguette

Saute shallots in the walnut oil in a skillet until very soft. (About 20 minutes on low medium flame). Add cassis, and cook a few minutes more to slightly caramelize the shallots. Add salt and pepper to taste. Crush walnuts, add to pan and mix.

Place baguette slices on a baking sheet, and bake at 400 for 5 minutes until just beginning to color. Spoon shallots onto baguette slices, then sprinkle with cheese. Return crostini to oven, bake until cheese bubbles, around 5-7 minutes. Serve with a kir.

We had friends over for dinner last night, two of whom don't eat gluten (foods containing wheat) and one vegetarian (who will eat seafood). I was a little tired of the risotto route, so thought I'd go for some Asian influences. Whole Foods had Maine shrimp on sale, a seasonal delicacy that's great to take advantage of. Vietnamese caramel sauce is a peppery sweet-and-sour sauce often used for simple Vietnamese dishes. There isn't much sauce to this dish, just enough pungent liquid to glaze the shrimp. You can make the caramel sauce well in advance, and store it in the fridge for quite a long time. I served the shrimp with brown rice and sesame sauteed vegetables.

Shrimp Simmered In Caramel Sauce (Tom Kho) (Adapted from "Into the Vietnamese Kitchen")
Serves 4 (I doubled the amounts to serve 7)

1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. salt
2 tsps. fish sauce
3 Tbs. sake, rice wine, or dry white wine
2 tablespoons Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tsp. red chili flakes, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
2 scallions, green part only, chopped
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro

In a shallow saucepan or a skillet, combine oil, teaspoon salt, fish sauce and Caramel Sauce and bring to a vigorous simmer over high heat. Add onion, chili and pepper and give mixture a big stir to distribute the ingredients evenly. Continue cooking another 10 minutes, until onions are cooked. Be sure to stir often. Add wine and shrimp, cook another 3-4 minutes until done. Sprinkle with cilantro and scallion and serve.

Caramel Sauce: http://www.sgvtribune.com/rds_search/ci_4432122?IADID=Search-www.sgvtribune.com-www.sgvtribune.com

I made this as the second main dish of the Boston GTG, since I had already made two pesto lasagnes and didn't want another pasta dish. It was unexpectedly delicious, and people enjoyed it. But hey, throw mushrooms and cheese onto mud, it'd probably taste good, right? Great party dish.

Polenta and Mushroom Lasagna

First, make your Mushroom Ragu--

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 lb mixed mushrooms, sliced (I use a combo of white mushrooms, shitakes, and portobellos)
1/4 cup dried porcinis, put to soften in 1 cup hot water
6 cloves garlic
2 large cans diced Italian plum tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs. butter.

In a large pot, heat the oil. Toss in the fresh mushrooms, and cook until they release their liquid. Let almost begin to brown. Meanwhile, take out the dried porcini from the soaking liquid (save that liquid!) and chop. Add to the pan with the garlic, and saute just a few minutes. Strain the porcini liquid through cheesecloth to remove any grit. Pour the wine and porcini liquid into the pan, and then the tomatoes. Let gently simmer uncovered for at least an hour. At the end, stir in the butter, taste and add salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.

Now, the Polenta--

Into a large pot, pour 6 cups water and 1 1/2 cups polenta. Stir in 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Put into a 400 oven, and turn the heat down to 350 after 15 minutes. Start checking the polenta after another 15 minutes, giving a stir every now and then. When the polenta is thick and the grains are creamy, remove from oven. Stir in 4 Tbs. butter and 1/2 cup grated parmesean. Add salt and pepper if needed.

Have a large, deep, buttered lasagne dish ready; along with
a cup of shredded mozzerella (the decent stuff, but not necessarily the really good buffala),
a cup chopped fontina, and
a cup freshly grated parmesean.

Coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of the ragu. You can make 2 or 3 layers, depending on the size of your pan. I only did two, since my pan was enormous.

Pour a (half or) third of the polenta into the buttered pan. Cover with a thick layer of the ragu, and then dot with a third of the cheese. Repeat two more times, ending with cheese. Can be refrigerated at this point. About 30 minutes before serving, put into a 375 oven until bubbling. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Dish out with a spatula or large serving spoon, as the polenta will be rather soft when hot. It firms up as it cools, and then can be sliced into neater squares.

I adore crabcakes. I usually order them when I see them on a menu, with varying expectations and results. Some taste more like mayo and breadcrumbs than of crab; others are so filled with extra ingredients that as interesting as a coconut-chili crabcake can be, it strays too much from the original.

I had been eyeing the large containders of lump crabmeat at Costco for a while, and having crab-loving friends over for dinner seemed a good opportunity. I looked at a lot of recipes,and ended up mixing and matching to wind up with a fairly simple mixture. They were really, really good! A pound of crabmeat (around $14) made 16 small crabcakes. Three made for a nice serving. The leftovers reheated fairly well in the toaster oven for lunch.

Got this from Annie, and just in time because I was stuck for a blog entry!

Food and Cooking Meme

What is your go-to ingredient?
Oh my goodness, it's hard to choose just one. Probably pasta, which can be used for everything from "there's nothing in the house but spaghetti oil and garlic" to a fancy dinner party with homemade fettuccini with lemon and lobster.

What nationality of food do you like the best?
Again, too hard to choose just one! I love to cook Italian and Mexican; and always want to eat out at Japanese and French restaurants. I have a strong interest in Sephardic Jewish cooking, and adore those great old family recipes from Morocco I get from my cousins and Israeli friends.

What’s your favorite meal of the day to prepare?
Dinner, when you can relax around the table and drink a glass of wine.

What is/are your signature dish? (What dish are you ‘known’ for?)
Lasagne with homemade pasta; cool salmon with herb vinaigrette; Whole Snapper Stuffed with Stuffed Dates; Brisket with Sundried Tomatoes (my veggie friends eat meat once a year when I make this for Rosh Hashanah) ; Moroccan artichokes stuffed with lamb meatballs; cheesecakes.

This is a weeknight standby at our house. We're having it tonight with baked boneless chicken with almonds, and a salad. It goes with almost anything, can serve as a bed for grilled or sauteed meats and is wonderful with grilled vegetables. In summer, I serve it at room temperature with a few more squeezes of lemon.

Recipe came from here, but I've tweaked it a bit: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Orzo-with-Parmesan-and-Basil/Detail.aspx

Orzo with Parmesan and Basil
Served 4-6, depending on if you have teen boys

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
lemon slice or two to squeeze (optional)

Melt butter in a heavy pot. Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned.
Stir in chicken stock and water, bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is just about absorbed, about 15 - 20 minutes.
Mix in Parmesan cheese, diced tomatoes, and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice in if you're using it, stir gently with fork. Gently reheat if needed.

I made a batch of hamentashen yesterday, the triangle-shaped cookies eaten at Purim. I only made two kinds this year, since I didn't like the cherry filling I bought. I made some with a Nutella filling; and some with apricot-almond. For the dough I used Kim's delicious recipe, here: http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/kim/archives/003721.html

Here's how I make the apricot-almond filling (which is also a nice "jam.")

Put 1 cup dried apricots and 2 Tbs. honey in a small saucepan. Add water just to cover. Simmer for 1/2 hour, or until apricots have begun to soften. Add 2 Tbs. toasted almonds. Put apricot mixture into a food processor, straining out most of the liquid. Puree, adding just enough liquid back to make a jammy consistency. Add a tablespoon Amaretto, and more honey to taste.

I love paella. It can be used as a vehicle for everything from homey chicken thighs and sausage, to shellfish and fish, or a combination. This simple recipe came from my colleague Kat, who grew up in Mallorca. We had it last Friday night, and I also added some browned chicken-garlic sausage to it. You can skip the shrimp; or add browned partially-cooked chicken thighs. It's a very flexible recipe, as long as you keep the 2 to 1 proportion of liquid to rice, and don't overcook the seafood. For the version in the photo I used schrod, shrimp, and bluefish.

This recipe is from At Home in Provence by Patricia Wells, with some minor modifications. Doug posted this on SlowTrav during the winter, and it's become a family favorite. I used store-made Italian turkey sausage from Whole Foods, and like Doug, I changed the amount of tomato paste.

After looking at the spruced-up former home of my grandparents on Sunday, Larry and I spent time laughing about our memories of her. "Nana" was short, round, and could hold on to a political issue or a blouse on sale at Filene's with equal tenacity. She studied journalism at Boston University as a young woman, took care of her ill mother, married and had four children, helped out at my grandfather's doughnut shop until he fired her, lived for her family and Hadassah (the Jewish women's organization), and apologized for everything that came out of her kitchen. "I don't know about that steak-- the butcher told me it was tender, but it doesn't look good" she'd say about the expensive cut of meat she had broiled into a charred piece of leather. "I don't know about those lemon bars, I think something's wrong with the oven" as she brought out her sweet and tart lemon bar cookies. Her cooking technique was legendary in the family--cook everything till it was "tendah." (delivered in a strong Boston accent that pulled the "r" off the ends of words and deposited them elsewhere)

Luckily, it worked for most of what she made--thick soups, hearty kugels, brisket, sturdy bars and cookies, and chicken with vegetables. (I prefer to not remember what she could do to asparagus) She didn't consider dinner a dinner without chicken, and you were not allowed to leave without a tupperware container going home with you. She cooked the chicken with a few vegetables in a clay casserole, tightly covered so the chicken would bathe in its own juices. So simple it doesn't really need a recipe. I wanted to recreate that chicken, but give it just a bit of updating.

I grew up hating cauliflower with a burning passion. Only recently have I learned to like it, and have found recipes that emphasize the nutty and peppery taste. This was a happy experiment, a mashing together of a sinfully fattening cauliflower and mushroom gratin I'd tasted at a fancy grocery store and the healthier version I'd seen on Kalyn's Kitchen. Kalyn's recipe is here: http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/01/recipe-for-cauliflower-gratin-with.html I roasted the cauliflower first to make it nutty and dry it out a bit, but you could steam it or saute it with the mushrooms to save a step. This isn't a gooey gratin, the sauce acts more as a creamy condiment for the vegetables. It made for a nice dinner with a salad.

Hopefully my offspring will appreciate cauliflower in another 30 years or so.

Cauliflower and Mushroom Gratin

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 Tbs. oil

Place the cut-up cauliflower onto an oiled baking sheet. Drizzle a bot more oil over, and toss the cauliflower to thinly coat with the oil. Put into a 425 oven for 10-15 minutes, stirring once or twice. You want the cauliflower to develop some light brown spots, and soften. Take out when its done to your liking.

Meanwhile--
1 package mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 Tbs. butter

Heat the butter in a large skillet, and add the mushrooms and onion. Cook until mushrooms give up their liquid, and let the liquid evaporate and the mushrooms begin to brown. Throw the roasted cauliflower into the skillet with the mushrooms and onions, and mix well.

Last thing--

1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. flour
1/2 cup lowfat milk, warmed
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 tsp. mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour, and cook a few minutes as you stir. Add the warm milk, and let cook until it begins to thicken. Add the mustard, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mix well, taste for seasoning. Stir in the cheese, let melt.

Put the vegetables into a baking dish, and pour the sauce over. Mix well. Top with some panko bread crumbs, and some additional shredded cheddar. Bake in a 400 oven till browned, around 20 minutes or so.

I forgot where I got this recipe from, but I've been making it for a long time. I've cut down the oil a lot from the original, but can't cut it out completely because its important for the taste and texture of the dish. It's at its very best the next day, after the flavors have a chance to blend. This is a dish where the idea is to not have crisp beans--the long cooking is meant to almost melt the beans into the sauce. It's served at room temperature. I love it with bulgar pilaf and grilled lamb.

Turkish Green Beans--make at least three hours in advance of serving.
Serves 6

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
4 chopped garlic cloves
3-4 tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 lb green beans
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper
1 Tbs, chopped parsley

In a large skilled with a lid, heat the oil. Add the onions, and gently saute until softened. Add the garlic, tomatoes, and salt and pepper. You want to season the mixture somewhat aggressively. Mix well, then add the beans, and mix to coat them with the mixture. Add the water, stir, and cover the skillet.

Simmer for 35-45 minutes, until beans are very soft. Take off cover, let cook another 5 minutes of so to evaporate the water. Remove from heat, scoop into a bowl (leave most of the water that hasn't evaporated in the skillet), and refrigerate. It'll taste better in a few hours, promise.

Before serving, sprinkle with parsley, taste for salt and pepper (adding more if needed). Serve at room temperature.

Time to start planning for Passover. We're going to a friend's home for the first seder on Wednesday, and are hosting the second seder for (Yikes!) 22 on Thursday night. I'm cleaning out the fridge and kitchen today, starting my lists, and have sent Larry out for the first round of shopping. I'm declaring freedom for this particular slave by not making matzoh ball soup this year. Honestly, there's going to be so much food I hope no one misses it.Here's what I'm thinking, for 22 people that includes some children and vegetarians:

Sister Laura, Sam, and Beth are bringing wine, I have wine, grape juice and sparkling water

Passed during Seder:
Veggies and dip
Tam-Tam matzoh crackers, vegetarian chopped liver, and "real" chopped liver (courtesy of my Mom)

Three kinds of charoset. I usually have my cousin bring the Ashkenazi apple-walnut one and I make a Moroccan date-pistachio-apricot one. I just saw a recipe for an Italian (Venetian) one based on chestnuts and figs, so I thought it'd be fun to do that as well.
Seder Plate with--charoset, roasted egg, shankbone, parsley, horseradish.
On table--salt water for dipping, extra charoset, matzoh

First Course: Gefilte Fish (Sorry Mom, not making it from scratch this year!) with horseradish

Buffet meal:
Cool Salmon with Herb Vinaigrette
Chicken with preserved lemons and green olives; or Chicken Marabella
Roasted Potatoes
Artichoke Hearts Stuffed with Lamb and Herbs
Sauteed Spinach--or maybe asparagus?
Golden Beet Salad with Mint
Raw Veggie Salad Platter--fennel with oranges; carrots; cherry tomatoes with basil; peppers

Desserts:

Amaretto torte (cousin Jon)
Homemade Chocolate macaroons (sister Sue and David)
Something from the Kosher bakery (Mom)
Some other dessert (cousin Karen)
Passover Tiramisu? (Me) Or maybe just sliced strawberries if I run out of steam

As I began my passover planning this year, I thought it would be fun to add to the charoset selection I offer on the table. Charoset is the reddish-brown mixture that is part of the Seder plate of symbolic foods that help people remember the events in the story of the Jewish people leaving slavery in Egypt. The charoset is to remind us of the bricks and morter the slaves used in building. In Hebrew cheres means clay. There are some other interpretations, with scholars wondering why we would choose to symbolize our slavery with something sweet. I like the theory that the European tradition of using apples comes from the midrash (rabbinic story)that the Jewish women would meet their husbands in the apple orchards, in defiance of the Egyptian's rule that Jewish spouses be separated. The sephardic Jews use figs and dates, mentioned in the Song of Songs for their sexual symbolism as well.

Ahem.

In any case, I usually serve both the Ashkenazi charoset of apples, walnuts, cinnamon and wine; and also a Moroccan version of dates, figs, apricots, and pistachios.

Moroccan Charoset
Here's my general recipe that I got verbally --I tend to fiddle a bit till I get the taste and sweetness I want. Into the food processer goes:

1 cup pitted dates
4-5 dried figs
1 cup dried apricots
a pinch cinnamon
1/2 cup pistachios (imported are best, and necessary this year due to possible Salmonella contamination in the California crop)
sweet wine to taste, to loosen things up as needed.

I thought it would be interesting to find out what the Italian Jews used for charoset. I found many variations using all sorts of fruits and nuts, a Venetian one with almonds, figs and chestuts; but this one from Piemonte sounded most interesting:

From The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Rosen:

Piedmontese Haroset

1/2 lb (250 g) cooked chestnuts

2/3 cup (125 g) blanched almonds

2 hard-boiled egg yolks

Grated zest of 1 orange

Juice of 1 orange

About 3/4 cup (175 ms) sweet red kosher wine

1/3 cup (75 g) sugar or more to taste

Boil the chestnuts for a minute or two, and drain. Grind the almonds fine in the food processor, then add the rest of the ingredients, including the chestnuts, and blend to a paste.

6:00 am: Put potatoes in the oven, and started sauteeing leeks, carrots, and peppers for Maakud or Mahookha, a Sephardic dish similar to an Ashkenazi potato kugel, but with more vegetables and herbs and somewhat lighter.
6:30 Made Sephardic charoset with dates, figs, apricots, pistachios, cinnamon and wine.
7:00: Sent Larry to the grocery store. Answered several phone calls from Larry about how much ground lamb, do we really need more parsley, and there are no baby red potatoes.
7:30 Peeled and mashed the baked potatoes, prepped spinach for maakud.

8:00 Finished putting together the maakud while Larry tears the house apart looking for the hagaddahs, which for reasons unknown are not in the china cabinet drawer where they belong.

8:15 Made another pot of coffee
8:30 Marinated chicken in garlic, vinegar, olive oil, oregano, olives, capers and dried fruit for Chicken Marabella.

9:00 Cleaned up Kitchen, Larry washed first round of dirty dishes. Larry escaped to the safety of his office
9:30 Started on Lemon Meringue Torts, whipping eggwhites for meringue "crust", filled pans, put pans in oven.

10:30 Started cleaning house. Still no hagaddahs. And I've managed to jam the garbage disposal. *curtsies*

Maakud, or Mahookha, Sephardic Potato-Leek Dish--serves 12

olive oil
8 large potatoes
2 Tbs. butter or olive oil
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
4 leeks
1 sweet red pepper
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry (important!)
6 eggs
2 tsp. salt
ground pepper
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 cup matzoh meal
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/4 cup minced dill

Bake the potatoes in a 350 oven until very soft.
While the potatoes are baking, clean and slice the leeks, and finely dice the pepper. Saute the leeks in a skillet with some oil until tender, then add the pepper and carrots and continue to cook until they're also tender.
Using an oven mitt to protect your hands, peel the potatoes. Mash in a large bowl with the butter or oil, and broth. Stir in the dry spinach, mix to combine. Add to the potatoes, and mix well. Beat the eggs, and add the salt, pepper, cumin, parsley and dill. Mix, then add to the potato mixture. Add the matzoh meal, and stir very well to combine everything. Put into an oiled 9x13 pan, and smooth the top. Before baking, drizle the top with olive oil to prevent drying out. Bake in a 350 oven till puffed and brown on top, about 40 minutes.

The rest of Wednesday and Thursday was spent in a flurry of cooking, yet more shopping, hunting for the mysteriously disappeared Hagaddahs (which are somewhere in limbo between S&K's house and mine. My theory is that they were in a bag after being returned here, and mistakenly got tossed during a bout of housecleaning last summer), hunting bookstores for more Hagaddahs in the version I like, attending a lovely first night Seder at S&K's house, and hosting second night at mine.

Whew.

Here's a bit more of what I cooked.

Herb-stuffed eggs, to go with gefilte fish as a first course.

Chicken Marabella

Cold Salmon with Herb Vinaigrette

Morrocan Artichokes Stuffed with Lamb

Moroccan Potato-Leek Mahookha

Golden Beet Salad

Sauteed Spinach

I didn't grab photos of the garlic-roasted potatoes and the salad platter.

Lemon Merengue Torte (before serving I put sliced berrries and whipped cream on top, very pretty. This was a keeper, one I'll absolutely make again)

We also had awesome desserts brought by others--chocolate macaroons and fantastic homemade chocolates from sister sue and her finacee David; almond torte from cousin Jon, macaroons from cousin karen, and flourless chocolate cake from Mom.

Stuffed vegetables are a mainstay of Middle-Eastern cooking, and there are many Sephardic recipes for various stuffed vegetables. These stuffed artichokes are from a recipe given me from my cousin Aimee, who was raised in Morocco. It's perfect for Passover (or those avoiding gluten) since it doesn't need breadcrumbs or grains, and uses a Spring vegetable. The lamb, herbs, lemon and pistachios make these "meatballs" especially tasty. I buy whole frozen artichoke hearts from my local Armenian store, and any good Middle-Eastern grocery should have them in the freezer section. This year I also stuffed some of the small sweet peppers with the mixture, which was a big hit. Precooked small zucchini or baby eggplants could be used in Summer. If you don't want to use the mixture to stuff vegetables, you could just form meatballs and bake them, then serve in a sauce of tomato and meat broth over cous-cous.

Here's the recipe.

I was given this recipe recently, and tried it out for Passover. It doesn't have flour, and is kind of an upside-down lemon meringue pie. Everyone loved it, and I'll certainly make it again! The recipe makes one torte. I doubled the ingredients to make two, with no problems. The meringue "crust" softens as it rests with the lemon filling on top, with the outer crust staying slightly chewy.

Made homemade pizza for dinner Tuesday night. We made four different kinds--fresh tomato/mozzarella/basil; mushroom; pesto/mozzarella, and gorgonzola/sundried tomato/arugula.

Larry the Dough Boy rolls out a crust.

We have a somewhat odd method which works well in our lousy oven. We roll out the dough, let it rest a bit, and then brush with oil and bake at 450 for 5-7 minutes to just get the crust started. We prick the bubbles that develop. Then we put on the toppings and finish the baking. This way we get a nice crisp crust without burning the toppings, especially good if you're using a fresh, noncommercial mozzerella.

Yummy!

No, these aren't your college cafeteria stuffed peppers. I used Kalyn's Southwestern Stuffed Peppers recipe, with some modifications. (recipe here; http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2006/12/southwestern-stuffed-peppers-recipe.html )

I used ground white-meat turkey instead of beef, didn't add the rice, used a half can Trader Joe's Cuban-Style black beans (delicious), added a cup of corn instead of rice, threw in a good handful of chopped cilantro, and only used a small dusting of cheese on the top of each pepper.

They were really tasty, and I figured the six peppers came in at a bit over 200 calories apiece.

In other news, back into the smaller size jeans!

Lousy photo, but most excellent creamy dessert.

This was the Coffee Buttercrunch Pie I made for Dan's 18th birthday. This thing has so much saturated fat that your arteries will beg for mercy, but Oh, so damn good. Bittersweet, nutty crust, thick mocha filling, creamy topping. It's a little fiddly, and needs to be done at least a day in advance. I trot this out for special occasions. The recipe can be doubled and frozen, that's usually what I do.

Oh, take the recipe. I won't tell your cardiologist.

Finally, the rains stopped long enough for a lovely weekend of being outside! We did a lot of grilling and eating out on the patio. At last it feels like Summer.

This chicken is one I've been making often. The yogurt marinade really tenderizes the chicken, and keeps it moist on the grill. I vary the spicing, adding curry for a more Indian flavor; or keeping to oregano/thyme/and chopped fresh parsley; or chile/cumin/cilantro for Mexican.

Grilled Spiced Chicken Breast

1 pound boneless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut in half, very slightly pounded to be more uniform

1/2 cup 0% or 2% greek yogurt (I use Trader Joe's Greek or Fage)
juice of one lemon or lime
juice of one orange
1 tsp. honey
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1/2 tsp. ground Aleppo chili or other ground chile--or more if you want spicy
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. cardamon
1/2 tsp. Allspice or 5-spice powder
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
ground pepper to taste

Mix the yogurt with the rest of the ingredients. Rub marinade on the chicken, and place in a ziplock and then in the fridge to marinate for at least four hours. Don't go for more than 12 or the chicken texture might get mushy. Remove from the marinade and let the chicken come to room temperature for 15 minutes, and then grill on a hot grill, turning once. Serve with chopped cilantro, and/or a fruit salsa or chutney.

Mango and Melon Salsa
You can really use any fruit--pineapple, peach, ripe pear...

1/2 of a ripe canteloupe, cut into small chuncks
1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced
3 Tbs. diced red onion
juice of 2 limes
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 sweet red pepper, diced

Mix everything together. Taste for sweet-sour balance, add more lime juice or some honey if needed. Serve over grilled chicken or fish.

My sister Laura makes a good, simple green bean dish, sauteeing the beans in oil, garlic, pepper and sea salt. She likes the beans very crispy, I tend to prefer them just a bit softer. Here's my slightly modified version.

Garlic Green Beans--Serves 4-6

One pound fresh green beans
1-2 tsps. olive oil
garlic--3-4 cloves, sliced
cooking spray--I like the Whole Foods canola
sea salt or seasoned coarse salt, black pepper
1/4 cup water or broth

Spray a very large skillet with cooking oil. Put the green beans and olive oil into the skillet. Add the sliced garlic. Spray the beans with cooking oil, tossing to coat. Season well with sea salt or seasoned salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let sit for a while (don't turn on the stove yet) so they can marinate a bit, up to an hour. Turn on the heat to high, and toss the beans until they just begin to turn a brighter color. Add 1/4 cup broth or water to the skillet, and cover tightly. Let steam for 3-4 minutes, then remove the cover. Let the liquid evaporate as you continue to stir the beans. The garlic and some parts of the beans should slightly brown. Remove from heat, taste for seasoning, and serve.

Grilled Asparagus

You really don't need a recipe for this, do you? LOL I spray the asparagus with oil, then salt and pepper. Grill until slightly charred.

I was hankering for mussels today, so bought two pounds at Whole Foods. I've always loved the spicy mussels I've had in Thai restaurants, so looked at some recipes and cobbled together a version. It turned out very well, so well that I'll use the leftover liquid to simmer some fish in for tomorrow's dinner. I used half of the coconut milk mixture, but if you make 3-4 pounds of mussels, you'll need it all.

1. Prepare 2 lbs fresh mussels--this will serve 2 for dinner; or 4 as an appetizer. Rinse, and any that don't close when pressed throw out

2. In a food processor, combine:

1 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup fresh basil
2 Tbs. Thai Green Curry paste
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 can coconut milk (I used lowfat, but if you're not cutting fat, the regular will give a much creamier, thicker sauce. Next time I may use less so the sauce is thicker)
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp. fish sauce

3. In a large pot, saute in 1 tsp. oil:

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1-inch slice of ginger, peeled and diced
1/3 cup white wine
red pepper flakes, to taste or minced fresh chili to taste

4. Add the mussels, quickly stir, cover the pot, and simmer for two minutes, just till shells open. Pour in half the coconut milk mixture, and stir well.

5. Stir in more chopped basil and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and french bread.

A few years ago there was a thread on SlowTalk about meals that freeze well. Diana from Baur B&B posted her mother's recipe for Chicken Cacciatore, which has since become a favorite in my house. I sometimes make some slight variations to her recipe, adding more vegetables and cutting some calories. Don't skip the anchovies and lemon peel, they add a lot of depth to the sauce! We like it with pasta, and its also good on rice. Thanks, Diana!

Diana's recipe is here: http://slowtalk.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/8566036302/m/912106294?r=621101805#621101805

And here it is, with my revisions in italics.

Diana's Mother's Chicken Cacciatore

Olive Oil
4 chicken legs and 4 chicken thighs, with skin on. (I use 8 thighs, skin off)
one large onion finely minced
My optional vegetable additions--one sweet red bell pepper, sliced; 1 cup sliced mushrooms)
three cloves finely chopped garlic
the minced zest of one lemon
one cup finely chopped parsley
3 finely chopped anchovies (I've used 2 tsp. anchovy paste)
One quart of canned or glassed tomatoes, chopped.
One small Italin red pepper (pepperoncino) seeded and finely chopped.
1.5 cups of dry red wine
(chopped basil or parsley)

In a deep large pan,

Flour and brown the individual chicken pieces in olive oil. (I use 1 Tbs) Remove the chicken, and add the onion, garlic, (red pepper strips and mushrooms) half the parsley, the red pepper, the anchovy and the lemon zest. Let this simmer, adding a bit of oil if desired, until the whole thing is a nice golden color. Add the red wine, and simmer off the alcohol. Add the tomatoes, and simmer five minutes. Add the chicken back in, and cook the whole thing for about 45 minutes to an hour at least. Right before ending the cooking process, season and add the last half of the parsley.

At this point, after it cools, it can be poured into a freezer container and frozen, or eaten directly. (I think it tastes best the next day) I like to sprinkle with fresh basil or parsley before serving.

Can be served with either rice or pasta-

I had some leftover preserved lemons I wanted to use up, so I made a sort of relish with them and some herbs and spices, rubbed some on a chicken before roasting, and used the rest as a condiment. This sort of a preserved lemon and herb relish is called Chermoula in Moroccan cooking. Pungent and lemony, it's something I'll do again. The mixture would also be good on fish, I think.

Roasted Chicken with Preserved Lemon Chermoula

2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 preserved lemons, rinsed, pulp and seeds scraped out, and rind thinly sliced (you only use the rind)
2 large shallots or one small onion, chopped
½ birds eye chilli or other hot chili
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste (the lemons are preserved with salt, so you won't need much if any)
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in a little water (My lemons already had saffron)
1Tbs. olive oil

Put everything in the food processor, and chop to a coarse mixture.

Divide the chermoula in half. Rub half the mixture onto and into a small (preferably organic or kosher) roasting chicken. Push some under the breast skin. Cover loosely, and let marinate in the fridge a few hours. Keep the unused half.

Place the chicken on a rack in a pan, and roast at 320 for 1.5 to 2 hours, (depending on size of chicken) until done. Let rest for five minutes, then carve and serve with the reserved chermoula.

I bought a pound of scrod on sale today, and was looking around for a different way to cook it. I remembered eating a fish in southern France when on our honeymoon, a mild white fish covered in a mixture of tomato and other vegetables, garlic, herbs and oil. It was delicious, so I wanted to see if I could make something similar, but without the huge amounts of oil probably in the original. I looked at some online recipes, and combined them into this. I think it'd be even better with snapper, swordfish or halibut. Oooh, I think this mixture would be great on boneless chicken breasts. Probably my Boston upbringing, but to me scrod always calls for buttery crumbs.

Provencal-Style Scrod--serves 4

Squeeze the juice from half a lemon over one pound fish fillets. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Arrange in an oiled baking dish.

In a large skillet, warm 1 Tbs. olive oil. (And if you're not watching calories, pour in some more!) Add a teaspoon anchovy paste (or a good chopped anchovy or two) two sliced small onions (or 1 large), 1 sliced red pepper, and one stalk chopped celery. Let the vegetables soften. Add 3 cloves chopped garlic, 10-12 sliced black olives (or a spoonful of tapenade) and 3 sliced large garden tomatoes. Cook for 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and a handful of a mixture of chopped parsley and thyme. Let cool, then spoon the mixture over the fish. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour so some of the mixture will seep into the fish. Bake in a preheated 400 oven 15-20 minutes, or until fish flakes. Sprinkle with chopped basil.

I borrowed the dehydrator from school yesterday to make sun-dried tomatoes. Without the sun, yes, but also without the bugs that committed suicide on the sticky half-dried tomatoes the first and last time I tried it the old fashioned way. The dehydrator is also a hell of a lot better than an oven, since warm air blows all around the food. They turned out sweet as could be.

I also experimented by making zucchini chips, which I read about in someone or other's blog a while back. I peeled and thinly sliced zucchini, placed the slices on the dehydrator trays, sprinkled with Trader Joe's 21 Salute seasoning (a spicy blend, but any herb blend will do) and a bit of garlic salt. Dried them at 135 for 4-5 hours or so, until just crisp.

Wow. Crispy, spicy, and guilt-free. Who knew? Certainly not me. I'm going to hit the farmer's market for more zucchini tomorrow. One thing I learned--these need to be eaten soon after coming out of the dehydrator for best texture. They lose the crunch pretty quickly, sadly.

Today, I am grateful for being able to explore the world through my tongue.

In my area, I can eat at restaurants that serve food from all corners of the globe--China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Taiwan, Pakistan, Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, Morocco, Ireland, Italy, France, Russia, Mexico, El Salvador, Somalia. And that's just the ones I know of offhand. Most are owned by first generation emigrants, their children or grandchildren. We are also lucky enough to be able to shop at grocery stores that carry products from around the world, and on several occasions I've gotten verbal recipes or tips from fellow shoppers who are happy to share information about their homeland's foods. Last night I went out of my usual flavor go-to's with an African dish, which was unusual, spicy and complex. A definite do-over.

I had a sweet potato and two boneless chicken breasts to use up, so was looking around the 'net for something different. I found several recipes for sweet potato-chicken stews with peanuts or peanut paste from various African nations, which looked pretty cool. From what I've read, there are lots of regional variations, and I apologize for not being knowledgeable enough to do more than lump them all under "African" instead of being country or culture specific. I settled on this one, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/AFRICAN-SWEET-POTATO-STEW-WITH-RED-BEANS-1251816 but added more vegetables to make the focus more on vegetable than chicken. I read that eggplant is often added to a groundnut stew in Ghana. The eggplant sort of "melted" into the sauce after the long cooking. My chili powder was very strong, but another might differ. I'd add one teaspoon to start, and taste and adjust after the stew has cooked for a while. Don't skip the chili, lime and peanut butter, which really enhance the layers of flavor. Reducing the peanut butter to just one tablespoon was plenty, giving the sauce richness and a great flavor with the zing of the lime. It looked like sludge, but was very tasty!

Already? So not ready this year. I'm on strike for chicken soup and matzoh balls, it's too warm to have all that steam in the kitchen, and I don't have time. Dan isn't around to complain. I did make a huge brisket with sundried tomatoes over the weekend, so that's in the freezer and ready to go, along with the challot.

Here's my thinking, subject to change, as always.

I'll have either 15 or 19 people this year, and will hopefully be told for sure by Friday. (Just.. .don't ask, really)

Apps--Middle Eastern spreads with pita and crudetes--hummus, baba ganoush, mouharaha (pomegranate-walnut spread), tzatziki (bought, because I am not a crazy person)

Geflte fish (frozen, cook and cool Friday)
Challah
Apples and honey

Brisket with sundried tomatoes (frozen, defrost in fridge Friday)
Grilled Vegetable Platter—asparagus, peppers, onions, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes (late afternoon)
Pomegranate-roasted Carrots (before dinner)
Baked Potatoes? Or mashed?(before dinner)
Salad (Sat)
(an additional dish if there are more people)

Gina's honey-ginger gelato (Friday, churn Saturday am)
Peaches stuffed with amaretti and cocoa (prep Saturday, reheat before serving)
Mom—dessert
Karen-honey cake
Fruit salad

Weekend before—Brisket, freeze. go to farm for peaches and apples
Thursday—Costco—melon, plum tomatoes, asparagus, mini carrots, raspberries, strawberries, peppers
Thursday—Russo’s—lavender eggplant, zucchini, pomegranate, potatoes, other fruit, potatoes, lettuces, amaretti
Thursday, take brisket out of freezer, put in ice cream bowl
Friday--Middle-Eastern stores for apps
Friday afternoon--cook gefilte fish, prep veggies for grilling
Sat after services--churn gelato, stuff peaches, grill veggies, carrots. Potatoes?

Brisket recipe here:

Spaghetti squash and I have not had a friendly history. I remember trying it some years ago when it was touted as a pasta substitute, and I think I threw it into the trash after the first few forkfuls. Blech.

OK, I'm eating healthier these days, and loving previously-hated vegetables like cauliflower and eggplant. Time to give the spaghetti squash another go. I looked at some recipes and what was in my fridge, bought a small spaghetti squash at the farm stand over the weekend, and got to work.

Much to my surprise, I liked it! And at 40 calories a cup with loads of fiber and vitamins, it's a great vehicle for a moderate amount cheese.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole I Don't Hate, or, to be fancy, Spaghetti Squash au Gratin
serves 4-6

1 medium spaghetti squash

cooking oil spray
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced

1 small can diced tomatoes, drained of liquid
1/2 cup nonfat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesean cheese, plus 2 Tbs. for sprinkling
1/2 cup lowfat shredded cheddar
salt and pepper
fresh basil and parsley (about 1/4 cup)
2 Tbs. bread crumbs

1. Cut the squash in half, and scoop out the seeds. Spray a baking sheet wtht oil, and lay the squash cut-sides down. Put some water into the pan, cover with foil, and bake in a 350 oven till soft, about 40 minutes or so. Let squash cool until you can handle it.

2. Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms and onion in a oil-sprayed skillet until the mushrooms give up the liquid and then begin to brown. Add the garlic and can of tomatoes. Remove from heat, and put mixture into a large oil-sprayed casserole dish.

3. Using a fork, comb out the squash strands into the casserole dish with the mushroom mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the bread crumbs. Mix well. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top, and the 2 Tbs. more cheese.

4. Bake uncovered in a 400 oven for 20 minutes. You can run the dish briefly under the broiler to crisp the top.

I adore Indian food. But Indian restaurants generally use enormous amounts of oil, and so eating at them has become a very seldomly indulged in treat. I recently bought the cookbook 600 Curries by Raghavan Iyer, loaded with an amazing variety of recipes. http://www.amazon.com/660-Curries-Raghavan-Iyer/dp/0761137874/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254572254&sr=1-1 He has cut down on a lot of the oil in traditional recipes, but still insists on the techniques of roasting and grinding fresh spices. If you thought all Indian food tasted and looked the same, you're in for a revelation. There are several large Indian grocery stores in neighboring Waltham, so a shopping trip and an inexpensive spice grinder will give me lots of opportunities to explore the cookbook further. Yum.

I made his Chicken with Chilis and Coconut last night, but added vegetables to the mixture,, simplified a bit, and cut the oil even further. It was fantastic, with layers of flavor. I served it with a minty raita, roasted cauliflower with cumin, and brown rice. I used a shortcut with some of the spices, using a wonderful fresh curry blend I bought at the Indian grocery.

Larry brought home half the farmstand on Sunday.

First up--Swiss Chard. I was a chard virgin, although I've liked it in restaurants. Here's what I did, and we really enjoyed it. Chard, how have I avoided you all these years?

Chard with Onions, Orange and Chili

1 large bunch swiss chard, thoroughly washed
Cooking spray
1 tsp. olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small seedless tangerine or 1/2 orange, peeled and segmented
3 Tbs. orange juice
a few shakes chili flakes
salt and pepper

Using a sharp scissors, cut the green leafy part of the leaf away from the thick chard stems. Chop the stems, and shred the leaves. Keep them separate. In a large skillet, spray some oil, then heat the 1 tsp. olive oil. Add the onion, and cook until just starting to brown. Add the garlic, oranges, and chili flakes. Put the chard stems into the pan, and 1 Tbs. of the orange juice. Cover and let cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring every now and then, until softened. Add more juice if needed. Add the leaves in batches, and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper, mix well, and serve.

Another head of rainbow swiss chard was turned into a Tegliata di biete (Swiss Chard Tart). The recipe was in one of Marcella Hazann's books, was posted on Slowtrav by Matt several years ago, and I adapted it to be slightly lower in fat. This was delicious!

Tegliata di biete (Swiss Chard Tart)
serves 8

Large head of swiss chard
Salt
Spray oil (or olive oil)
2/3 cup onion chopped fine
2/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese (Buy the real thing!)
2/3 cup eggbeaters (what I used) or 2-3 beaten eggs
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup seedless raisins
Freshly ground black pepper
9" or 10" springform baking pan
1/4 cup of unflavored bread crumbs, lightly toasted

1. Cut the stems off of the chard, and chop stems. Cut the leaves into 1/4 inch shreds. Soak and wash the chard.
2. Boil water in a pot, using enough water and pot volume to accommodate the chard. Cook until tender, approx. 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
3. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the moisture from the chard.
4. Chop the chard very fine.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Choose a sautee pan that can accomodate the chard. Spray with the oil and add the chopped onion. Cook at medium until the onion turns a light nut-brown.
7. Add the chopped chard, turning heat to high. Cook, turning the chard over frequently, until it becomes difficult to keep the chard from sticking to the pan When done, transfer entire contents to a bowl and let cool.

8. When chard has cooled to room temperature, add the grated Parmesan, the beaten eggs or eggbeaters, and the pine nuts. Drain the raisins, squeeze them dry in your hand, and add them to the bowl. Add a few grindings of pepper. Mix thoroughly, taste and correct for pepper and salt (the Parmesan is salty, so a small pinch of salt is probably all that's necessary).
9. Smear the bottom and sides of the springform pan with olive oil or use spray oil. Use a little more than half the bread crumbs, sprinkling a thin layer evenly over the pan. Add the chard mixture, leveling it off, but not pressing it hard. Top with the remaining bread crumbs, and spray with a bit of oil.
10. Put pan in preheated oven, bake for 40 minutes.
11. Remove pan, running knife edge along side of pan to release the torte. After 5 minutes rest, use a spatula to loose the torte from the pan bottom and slide it, without turning it over, onto a serving plate. Slice into eight portions. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This has become a staple in my house.

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Eggplant

Eggplant, sliced (I prefer the long lavender Chinese eggplants, which I slice on the diagonal)

Mix the marinade:
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. honey
1/2 tsp (or more) chile powder
salt and pepper to taste (no salt if you've salted the eggplant)

Brush the marinade on both sides of each eggplant slice. Let rest for 15 minutes. Grill until lightly charred and soft. If the eggplant begins to burn on the outside but isn't soft enough yet, put those slices into a metal or foil pan on the grill so they can finish cooking. Sprinkle with basil or parsley and serve hot or at room temperature.