Eggplant, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes Moroccan salad

Just delivered a meal to a friend of mine.  I know this friend for twelve years now, since her days in Israel, when her husband was with the American Embassy there.  Jonathan was on a two year project in Israel at the same time, and to me the opportunity to be back in Israel was coming full circle. Although my friend's kids aren't the same age as my kid, neither the same gender (not that you can't befriend the opposite sex but that is a whole different discussion altogether), a lasting family friendship was formed while our kids went to The American School in Israel. We picked up where we left when both found ourselves back in the DC area. This is first installment from a dinner of Mediterranean chicken skewers marinated overnight, Majadra (rice and lentils) and roasted eggplant, bell pepper and sauteed cherry tomatoes Moroccan salad.  Can't shake that Mediterranean theme from my repertoire, just a second nature.  I also made another batch of the chocolate chip banana muffins last night so I brought some over.  Had broccoli as well, but broccoli is not exactly a signature Mediterranean veggie.  Gave it a quick saute with garlic, salt and a twist of lemon.  To 'Moroccanize' the broccoli I chopped some of my Moroccan preserved Meyer lemons and sauteed couple more minutes with the preserved Meyer lemons. Please find the cooked salad recipe in this post the rest of this aromatic meal is coming soon.

Eggplant, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes salad:

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

4 red bell peppers

1/2 cup plus cherry tomatoes

1-2 scallions

2-3 garlic cloves

Handful of parsley, finely chopped

Juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon

1/2 -1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 - 1 teaspoon cumin

Salt

Canola oil

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Pierce eggplant all around with a fork and place on baking sheet.  Half and seed bell peppers and place skin side up on baking sheet next to eggplant.  Roast under grill mode in oven until skin of bell pepper is somewhat charred.  Turn eggplant as it broils to broil all sides.  If using outdoor grill obviously grill bell pepper skin side down:). Remove bell peppers from oven and place in a ziploc bag and seal, it will be easier to remove skin that way. Meanwhile remove skin of eggplant and chop to a roughly mashed consistency.  Take one bell pepper at the time out of ziploc bag and peel skin off.  Once done with the rest of bell peppers, slice into thin strips and add to eggplant.  Half cherry tomatoes and toss in a bit of canola oil (2 tablespoons approximately), on high heat for couple of minutes until cooked but still retains it's shape. Add tomatoes to eggplant/bell pepper mixture.  Add parsley, garlic, lemon and diagonally, thinly sliced scallion(s).  Add couple more tablespoons of canola oil, paprika, cumin and salt according to taste.  Keep in mind you can adjust proportions if ingredients according to you tatse, but this is to begin with is an excellent start.

Enjoy over challa or baguette, as part of your weekend or weeknight meal, or bring your sandwich to complete new heights by adding this cooked salad. Can also be perfect as a bruschetta. Enjoy!

Barley minestrone Winter soup

Watching Wanda Sykes on HBO, talking about the White House correspondence dinner, and laughing while writing this post.  Truthfully some good, honest and funny new material she got, even if the language offensive to some. Might be a short post. While sitting down for dinner tonight we were discussing the why(s) of Vegetarian Monday. I said....and that is one of the many language transggressions I committed over the years, and not the most offensive one of them. I said, carbon copy, Jonathan just looked at me, I could recognize by the look, that I messed up some, and we all bursted out laughing. Obviously, I meant carbon footprint.  I think kids today know what a carbon footprint is, not so sure about carbon copy.  This soup we had tonight was a wholesome vegetarian soup with some cheese on sliced fresh baguette on the side. You can make soups million ways, can use any vegetable you have in the fridge or beans in your pantry but still comes out fantastic every single time. I incorporated some potato to this sort of minestrone to give creaminess to it.  The potato is used as a thickener and flavor. Instead of cannelleni beans I used pink beans....and then somewhere along the way, I could not resist but adding barley instead of pasta. There is nothing that says Winter soup better than barley.  Barley brings back memories of my Israeli army days when I was only eighteen. I was yearning now for barley soup for awhile, wonder now if it were yearnings of some of other sorts?!

Barley Minestrone (kid friendly too, mine liked it)

Ingredients:

2 ribs of celery plus celery leaves, diced and chopped

2 large garlic cloves

2 medium onions, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

2-4 tablespoons canola oil

2-4 springs of thyme

2 large potatoes, diced

2 cans of 15.5oz pink beans (or cannelleni), rinsed and drained, see tip on beans at bottom

4 grated tomatoes

1/3 bunch parsley, chopped

1 vegetarian bullion (optional)

1/2 cup plus barley

Salt

Black pepper

6-8 cups of water

Directions:

Sautee onions, celery, garlic and carrots in canola oil until soft. Add tomatoes, potatoes and the rest of the ingredients and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and reduce to low medium for about an hour.  Mix occasionally and adjust for salt and pepper. Serve with cheese on a fresh baguette, or just a fresh baguette.

Tip on beans:

If you do not wish to use canned beans, buy any kind of dry bean you wish to use in this soup. Cover in cold water in a bowl overnight.  Next morning, drain and rinse and put in a pot covered with fresh water.  Boil until soft.  Drain, rinse and add to soup.  The more traditional way is to bring to a boil once, cook for 10-20 minutes, drain and rinse and repeat process 3-4 times. I don't know if that is a old wives tale, but supposedly the process eliminates gastrointestinal issues related to beans by following this process:).

Pics will be coming out when I make the next batch. I was not happy with first round of photographs.  Turns out although very delicious the soup was not too photogenic, or might be just me?! By the time I got around to shooting more pics, the soup was gone!

Fantasy came true - Chinese Dumplings

After multiple searches over the years for dim sum recipes I landed on Anita Lo's excellent video tutorial for Chinese dumplings recipe on Epicurious.  Over the years saw many recipes, the dough for example, simple you should think, right? but some asked for cold water some for warm or hot.  The first call I made was to my mom in Israel.  Just in case you wonder, what is it to this Indian lady and Chinese dumplings?! But, the dough reminded me very much of a sweet Indian steamed dessert my mom makes, Laru, and the pleating, that was one of my jobs.  With six kids in the family, it was like a factory production line workers.  No child labor to you but just some of the better, endearing childhood memories to me. The verdict was in, hot water it is!!  I guess, to say, that this is my first attempt at making dumplings proves to be false. The labor was worth the while.  My first dumplings visually looked like only a mother could love, but once I got the hang of it again, they were beautifully pleated as well as tasty . Don't stress about how pretty and perfect the pleating is, trust me once it gets golden and crispy from frying, they all are beautifully delicious!! This is an adaptation of Anita Lo's recipe.  The main ingredients, was switched to organic ground chicken breast. Whole Foods ran out of chives, during the storm, go figure, so I used double the amount of scallions, white parts included. I sprinkled red pepper flakes when not asked to and as it turns out, did not have neither sherry nor rice wine in my pantry so I substituted half the amount asked for in a form of rice vinegar combined with sugar.  Lastly, I used red cabbage instead of Napa, sauted it al dente in a bit of oil, it adds a bit of fat to the chicken and great color to the dumpling. Think of of the red of the beet showing through translucent ravioli dough. At first I thought if she knew, she would be devastated I butchered her recipe, but then when all was said and done, and consumed, I think she would have been proud. I fried the dumplings this time around, since I am familiar with the method of steaming these little potstickers (name for fried version), at least in the Indian sweet form of Laru. Steaming is the quickest, easiest way to cook the dumplings and healtier too.  The frying version is very low fat, I was really surprised how little oil you use to fry the dumpling in, and it gets a great crispy texture and a beautiful golden color.

I am no expert on Chinese history, customs, beliefs, food and zodiac but know some about lunar calendars. I wonder about leap year in the Chinese calendar?! Any clue? Just read that the Year of the Tiger officially begins on Valentine's Day.  We got a Dragon (me), a Snake and a Monkey in our house.  From the shallow research I've made over the years, the three are harmonious and balance each other.  If you know any differently, I hope you don't get an urge to enlighten us:).

Chinese Dumplings
Ingredients for filling:
1 lb ground chicken breast
1 tablespoon rice vinegar mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 head medium red cabbage, thinly sliced, sauted al dente in 1 tablespoon canola and cooled
4 scallions thinly sliced diagonally, green and white parts
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1/2 finger (as a measuring stick) fresh ginger, grated on a small hole grater (watch your fingers and discard the shabby 'hairs' left after grating or use it to infuse tea)
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1-2 tablespoons sugar, depending on taste
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional)1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
Directions for filling:
Mix all ingredients well and keep in refrigerator until ready to use.

Ingredients for the dough:
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup boiling water
Directions for dough:
Mix flour and salt in a large bowl and pour boiling water in. Mix with a wooden spoon and knead for about 8 minutes until forms a smooth round dough.  I kneaded inside bowl. Cover with saran and let rest for 20 minutes. Roll into a long log and cup about 40 discs.  Roll out each disc on a floured surface to a 4 inch in diameter circles. Flour top of each rolled out discs and stack on top of the other until ready to be filled and pleated.  I use a small wooden rolling pin from India my mom gave me, but any rolling pin should work.

Ingredients for dipping sauce:
1/4 cup low sodium, soy sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Asian chili garlic sauce
1 scallion diagonally thinly sliced, green and white parts

Directions for sauce:
Whisk together all ingredients and keep in air tight container in fridge until serving.

Ingredients for frying:
4-6 tablespoons of canola oil
Directions for filling, pleating and cooking:

I could not have put this better than this excellent tutorial please see epicurious. You will also find the original recipe there if you wish to make a pork/dried shrimp/chive version.

Blizzard's chocolate chip/banana and Meyer lemon/blueberry muffins

It's been a crazy day yesterday, after the last Blizzard (and it deserves an upper case), I held my breath, when the snow was swirling around with the high winds, in this pocket of air in an enclave outside our dining room window. Like a mini hurricane within Blizzard number II. I was hoping not to lose power, although surprisingly enough, I, with my emotional upheavals, am keeping a calm front.  But then I went mad, when realizing we are not losing power, came up with the oddest combination of cooking project yesterday.  On the menu were two sorts of muffins, chicken dim sum. Sorry, SURE pork must be tasty, but can't bring myself to cook with it.  Never been introduced in my diet and better that it wasn't.  Lastly, onion soup. I must have gone MAD, some would say I was to begin with:). Strange cravings and making up for lost time this past weekend with no electricity, heat or water for close to three days.  We are on a well.  When was it that I become a country girl?! This house was charming little cottage when we bought it, beautiful yard, great curb appeal, brick walls directly out of one of my favorite childhood fables, the three little pigs.  Little did we know these brick walls retain heat in the Summers, but this weekend, chances are nothing might have destroyed these brick walls, but if the heat would not have come back on, we would at the least would suffer through hypothermia. Not to sound morbid, but all kidding aside, we do love our little haven of a home and when the electricity is on, cook up a storm. Now I hear there are couple of eight, nine year olds following my blog occasionally. This same basic version of muffins with two different dress ups is dedicated to these young budding chefs. The same idiom from my Red and Golden beet Winter salad spot is relevant to this post.  Don't want to bore you with yet another lecture on the subject.  I bake these muffins, not often, but once in awhile....to keep things interesting an playful. I especially like them the next day, they are absolutely to be devoured.  The original recipe I found within Fine Cooking magazine, which I followed as a cult member, until they went somewhat mainstream.  The recipe is by Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery in Boston, with couple of bakeries and a third one on the way in cambridge.  I believe she owns a restaurant as well. For years, wished to visit her establishment in Boston, promise to do so next time we are up to visit family.  Looking forward to her baking book coming out in 2010, that is one I must have as part of my kitchen repertoire!  The basic recipe is the same for both but the flavoring such as, Meyer lemon, vanilla, or the type of fruit, bananas or blueberries gives each muffin it's own unique twist. The batches came  out with perfectly round tops, although I am more of a....oh well, never mind.....that is for another time....

I had a bit more liquid added to the Blueberry/Meyer lemon version but it did well with the muffins!!

Basic muffin ingredients:

3 1/3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 cup milk at room temperature

1 cup sour cream at room temperature

2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk at room temperature

10 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled

For chocolate chip/banana ingredients:

Add to above basic muffin recipe..

2 cups combined of Chocolate chips (I use mini) and diced bananas

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Meyer lemon/Blueberry ingredients:
Costco find: Meyer lemons

Add to above basic muffin recipe..

Zest of two Meyer lemons

1 teaspoon vanilla

Juice of one Meyer lemon

2 cups blueberries

Directions:

Mix all wet ingredients with sugar and whisk together.  Sift together all remaining dry ingredients.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula.  Do not over mix, batter should be lumpy. Grease dozen large muffin tins.  Tablespoon batter into large greased muffin tins in heaping mounds, over the top rim. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 35 minutes, tops should be golden. Let cool in tins for 10-20 minutes before removing from muffin tins.

Glaze for Blueberry/Meyer lemon muffin:

1 cup confectioners sugar

Juice of half or whole Meyer lemon

In a sauce pan melt the sugar and Meyer lemon juice and glaze the muffins while still warm but not too hot.

Be playful, change ingredients around and flavors. SO DELICIOUS!!

Snowy day granola

Today is a perfect day for making granola.  This is the simplest but to me an intimidating task. I have never taken it on in all my years cooking. I have searched many blogs, cookbooks as well as chefs takes on it and felt at comfort with Bittman's guidelines as my best course of action.  Intimidated by granola?! For few reasons.... first a mental adjustment, can't think of granola without nuts, but had to come up with nut-free version.  Also never made sense the amount of 'fats' in it, although love the idea of the clumping of the granola, but isn't it supposed to be a healthy breakfast snack? Lastly, (not true completely....there is yet a fourth reason), was concerned about my toughest critics reaction to me trying to rehabilitate them from their store bought commercial breakfast cereals 'habit'. Daddy and son going and buying their 'junky' food supplies at the local supermarket ritual. It's a true challenge and undertaking, much tougher than perfecting granola.  And the withdrawal begins.....

Granola

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup of mixed toasted unsalted sunflower seeds and sesame seeds
1/2 plus cup maple syrup or honey
1/2 cup shredded dry unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
Dash of salt
2-4 tablespoons grapeseed oil or canola oil (optional)1/2 plus cup dried cherries (dried blueberries, raisins or any other dried fruit)

Directions:

Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl except the cherries or dried fruit  Add maple syrup or honey and oil (optional) to dry ingredients and mix. Bake at 300 for about 20-30 minutes.  Add cherries, raisins or currants after granola has cooked off, and prior to storing in an air tight container.

Just as I used Mark Bittman's recipe as a guideline, use this one as yours.  Add any ingredients you wish and adjust sweetness level to your likings.  I made this sweeter to appeal to my guys and win them over.

Golden & red beets, ruby red grapefruit and green baby leaves Winter salad

Just this week I used a food analogy, actually a drink analogy, drink being water, to a real life situation, by saying to someone, who was not familiar with this expression or idiom, it's like 'grinding water' לטחון מיים which loosely means 'we are getting nowhere' (in this 'discussion'). In this entry I am doing the reverse, using a real life expression and using it as an analogy related to food. There is an idiom, or an expression, from Hebrew as well, that loosely translates as follows, 'the same lady with a different mane'  אותה הגברת בשינוי אדרת. It's very true with regard to this salad, I change the ingredients around to reflect the season, and dress the Wintery salad up, with the same universal vinaigrette I am so obsessed with. I shared the vinaigrette with you in one of my earlier enrties  'Arugula addiction'. In this case, ironically, dressing up the vinaigrette with a different mane!! I find the contrast of the red and golden beets and pink grapefruit against the green of the salad stunning, not to mention delicious!! Served double batch of this salad yesterday at my blog launching girl only cocktail party, my friend was gracious to host, and it went fast!!

Winter salad

Ingredients:

1 bunch red beets

1 bunch golden beets

1 Pink grapefruit

2-4 handfuls baby greens, arugula, mache or mixed baby greens

1/2 red onion

Vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Peel beets and half  (see peeling and cutting beets tip at bottom)

2. In two separate pans, one for golden and one for red beets, cook beets until soft

3. While beets are cooking, peel grapefruit and separate pulp in whole sections as much as possible

4. Peel onion and slice into thin rings, separate rings to individual ringlettes

5. Wash and dry greens

6. Quarter beets and assemble salad in a way that is visually satisfying to you. See pics for an idea

7. Moments before serving toss with Vinaigrette

Always a huge success, enjoy!! Recipe can be doubled!!

Peeling and cutting beets tip or 'a tip about tips':
Cut leafy greens off from top, but at the bottom of the beet, do not cut the tail off completely.  Leave the tip of the tail in tact and then proceed to peel skin off with a potato peeler. Visually it's appealing and it does not compromise the original shape of the beet and character. The beet does not get lost anonymously  into oblivion among the other vegetables and ingredients, just as a general rule!!
See pics of salad for illustration of how the tips are in tact and it creates playfulness and a sensation for the eyes!

Saffron and Lamb

Not politically correct but I LOVE me some Icelandic lamb!! New Zealand has a more 'lamby' taste similar to Mediterranean chops on the grill, good option when Icelandic is not available, but my first choice would be Icelandic.  In 2009 Whole Foods had Icelandic come in October, Mid Fall.  In September 2009, around the holidays when I really need lamb shoulder for the Moroccan lamb dish I make every year, it was a bit early in the season for Icelandic.  Got some New Zealand, and the butcher was trying to promote some locally raised, and gave me couple of lbs to sample, in the hopes that I would come back and buy locally raised, sustainable organic lamb.  Let's back up a bit, yes the butcher at Whole Foods, you would think I were at the local butcher shop, impressed?? You should be!!  I surely was!! I do try to buy organic, local and sustainable food most of the times, especially when it comes to produce, but I've got my limits too....I hit my threshold when it came to lamb. Grassfed Icelandic lamb has a tenderly mild flavor to it, falls off the bone when cooked and is truly a luxurious delicacy. Although fat content is enormous in lamb, the local one, although chances are might have been Icelandic or New Zealand origin, was, believe it or not, fattier, with a flavor I can't really pinpoint, or articulate.  It was neither traditional like New Zealand lamb nor mild like Icelandic one,  it also had gummier texture and taste to it even when cooked.

Back home in Israel, I almost blocked out childhood memories of the pre holiday preparations and cooking, with one ritual and a special holiday treat, my mom, and even to this day, a friend of mine will exercise once in a while.  Couple of families will get together and decide to share a freshly butchered lamb for their Indian holiday delicacies....a lamb they chose, like picking a fresh lobster from an aquarium, or daily fresh catch in fish joints sort of way. I remember, when my friend, in anticipation of her Northern Africans holiday dishes, approached a Bedouin shepherding his flock, between the refuged undeveloped hills, where new neighborhood sprouted all around, and the Bedouin and his flock were remnants of days gone.  Surprisingly enough this was just South of Tel Aviv and a deal was made. There will be lamb for the holidays at my friend's house.  Talk about grass fed, organic, local and sustainable!! No clue of the origin of the poor little lamb, I doubt it had biblical ancestry.

This recipe I usually save for very special occasions, but as it turns out, I was running low on everything, and it was the one of only couple of things left in the freezer.  I grabbed some Icelandic lamb shoulder (both cuts, blade chops and arm chops) when it was on sale, and stuck it in the freezer.  I use onion, cilantro and honey liberally in this recipe.  Use this as a guideline and adjust according to your taste.  I am heavy handed with honey to get that instant sweetness, under the assumptions that there will be no leftovers.  Leftovers will be way too sweet the next day if you are heavy handed with honey, but not on the day of cooking. Do not be heavy handed with the saffron!! This time around when carmelizing the garnish, apples in honey, I used Meyer lemons for the lemon juice.  It was delicious bite together with a bite of lamb.

Moroccan lamb with prunes and honey and carmelized apples with Meyer lemon

Recipe adapted from Paula Wolfert's

Couscous and other good things from Morocco

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs lamb shoulder (both cuts, blade chops and arm chops, see each featured in raw and cooked pics)

4 tablespoons canola oil

Pinch or two of saffron

Touch of salt

1/2 plus teaspoon fresh black pepper

1 scant teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 medium or large grated onion

1/4 -1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped

1/2 lb pitted prunes

1 cup finely diced onion

1/4-1/2 cup honey

2-4 granny smith apples

Directions:

1. Add grated oil, onion, cilantro, saffron, salt, pepper, ginger 1/4 teaspoons of the cinnamon and let it cook on low medium, until it incorporates a bit, for couple of minutes, and releases great aromas

2. Add chops and dip in mixture, coat both sides and let cook both sides for couple of minutes on each side

3. Cover the meat with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce to low, medium and simmer for 1/2 an hour

4. Add cup of diced onion and remainder of cinnamon along with honey and continue simmering for half an hour longer

4. Soak prunes in cold water and let sit for half an hour, drain and add to tagine.  Cook until puffs...I actually cook for 20-30 minutes longer for a total of an hour and twenty minutes for the tagine

5. Minutes before serving, peel, core and slice apples and immediately place in frying pan with honey and Meyer lemon juice.  Mix and cook until soft.  It a real quick toss, the apples soften really fast

Serve with couscous and garnish with apples!! 

My mom's best kept secret - Dahl!

This one is a true heirloom recipe.  Sagie and I guarded it over the years carefully, but decided it's time to share it.  Over the years it was our pleasure to host and serve this to our friends and family and for all those who were curious, here is the recipe that goes along with it! Goes really well over plain basmati rice or with Indian bread (chapati or Bahkri) on the side.  These vibrant orange red lentils will turn yellow as they cook.  Rich in protein, fiber, iron and some essential amino acids. Great for a vegetarian diet, budget meal or vegerarian Mondays which I try to adhere to, sometimes not too successfully. It's low fat and tastes delicious.  Serve it along with Mango chutney as a condiment. All ingredients can be found in local supermarkets. This is dedicated to my son Sagie, and future shared memories and traditions for generations to come, and for my adopted daughter Sarah, who is crazy about Dahl!! 

My Mom's Dahl 

1 cup washed and drained red lentils
1 large onion, diced
2-4 tablespoons canola oil
Salt to taste
1 large tomato, diced
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4-1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 jalapeño, sliced into thin discs (1/2 jalapeño or seeded depending on taste)
4 cups plus water*

On medium heat, in a large pot, drop the cumin and mustard seeds in oil for couple of minutes. Let it quickly sizzle so the essential oils and aromas release. Immediately after sizzle add the onions and jalapeño and sauté together with the seeds for until the jalapeño and onion are soft and translucent. Add the tomato and cook for a few minutes longer. Stir throughout the process and adjust heat if needed so your ingredients don't burn. Add lentils, garlic, water*, turmeric and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and turn to medium heat, cover with lid, and cook until lentils are very soft and fall completely apart. Stir occasionally. Mash with a potato masher for smooth creamy consistency. If you like texture, mash only the cooked garlic with a fork and mix.

Serve over simply steamed basmati rice. Can also be served along with Indian Bahdgi and Mango Chutney. Recipe can be doubled!!

Author's Notes:  *Traditionally dahl has a thicker stew-like consistency and served over rice. Throughout the years I added more water and made it my go to soup year-round. The range of 2-4 cups of water reflects stew-like soup-like the consistency. Make sure to stir the dahl once in a while when cooking, so it won't burn at the bottom. Servings depending on consistency and portions. 

Coleslaw massage!!

Yes, cabbage massage sounds crazy!! Think of it as a sort of a method or technique?! to tenderize the cabbage and massage the flavors into the vegetable, as
if you are kneading dough. If you are timid about massaging cabbage with your bare hands, even after washing your hands properly, wear surgical gloves, kitchen gloves, and proceed to massage. Massaging cabbage is the most critical step in this recipe!! I know that coleslaw brings back memories of Summer barbecues, but the deep violet color reminds me of Winter, deep, complex, although the irony of this recipe that it's the easiest simplest Mediterranean vinaigrette of oil, lemon and salt to top the finely julienned slaw. I use canola, not olive oil to keep the flavor mild.  You can substitute olive oil for the canola, for an absolute authentic Mediterranean simple vinaigrette flavor. For variety's sake I changed things around a bit one day, and used mayonnaise in this recipe, similar to the American coleslaw recipes, it did not go over very well with my crowd, I guess old habits die hard, and they are healthier anyways!! Quickest recipe you ever put together, adds instant color and flavor to your lunch or dinner with family or friends. 

Mediterranean Slaw

Ingredients:

1/2 red cabbage finely julienned

1/2 lemon juice plus according to taste

Canola oil

Salt

Directions:

Add to julienned cabbage lemon, canola and salt to taste and massage for few seconds. Chill before serving, excellent the next day. How easy??!!

Meyer lemon creme brulee, now that's my favorite one!!

This Creme brulee is now officially my new favorite custard!! Make it only when Meyer lemons are in season, just in time for the holidays. It brings a dainty, soft, delicate, subdued and sophisticated flavor and fragrance to your elegant Holiday parties! Meyer lemon, although of Chinese origin, should be the eighth to the following seven species: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.

Adapted from 'Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee and Other Custard Desserts' by Debbie Puente.

Meyer lemon creme brulee

Ingredients:

2 eggs

6 egg yolk

3/4-1 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice, I used 3 Meyer lemons

Zest of 3Meyer lemons, finely zested

2 cups heavy cream (16 oz)

1/4 cup sugar in the raw (for carmelization about 1-2 tablespoons for each custard)

Directions:

Preheat oven the 300F. Boil some water in a pot on top of stove and keep it hot. Whisk two eggs, egg yolks and 3/4-1 cup sugar and beat until light yellow and firm. Add heavy cream, Meyer lemon zest and lemon juice, and mix with a spatula gently, in folding motion, until mixed well. Consistency will be liquidy. Line a deep baking dish with a paper towel, place six ramekins inside on top of paper and ladle mixture evenly between ramekins. Pour water into baking dish as a warm water bath for the custard to cook in, halfway up the ramekins and place in the middle rack of the oven for 40-50 min. Edges should be firm when done, but middle should be wobbly. Take out and let cool outside in water bath. Refrigerate. 2 hours prior to serving, place ramekins in ice bath, add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar in the row on top of each custard, swirl sugar to coat custard completely, and carmelize in broiler mode until sugar bubbles. Can carmelize with a torch as well for a deep golden sheen.Refrigerate prior to serving!!

New Year's Eve Table, Yellow split peas soup with pepitas

Yellow split peas soup with pepitas

Ingredients:

1 small bag (1 lb) of dried yellow split peas

2 ribs plus leaves of celery, diced

1 large onion, diced

2 small carrots diced

2 medium tomatoes, grated

3-4 garlic cloves, peeled, whole

1/3 bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Canola oil

Salt

pepper

pepitas (pumpkin seeds), shelled for garnish

Directions:

Saute onions, celery and carrots in little canola oil until soft.  Rinse yellow split peas in cold water and add with water to cover few inches above peas.  Add the rest of the ingredients other than pepitas and bring to a boil, watch it so it won't overflow, reduce to medium once reached boiling point and stir occasionally.  Add water as necessary, as the soup will thicken....cook split peas until very very soft.  Can run through blender or mash slightly with potato masher. Serve with pepitas (pumpkin seeds) on top as a garnish.

Can toast pepitas in a bit of canola and salt to add extra dimension!!

I make identital soup with dried green peas.  You can shred the carrots for different texture instead of dicing.  The soup will thicken....depending on consistency desired, you can always add water and reaheat for next day leftovers!

Soups are easy, every day you can make your own original recipe.  This is one I make consistently without failing same way every single time!! It's easy, low fat, high protein, high fiber and delicious!!