Tofu Stuffed Peppers

Lately we've been getting a weekly delivery of veggies from an organic farm. Even though it's nice to receive fresh organic produce to our doorstep, we don't have control over it. It's all about seasonal cooking. Though some would find it intimidating, we see it as a challenge. 

Last week we got a bunch of beautiful long red peppers, and with a bit of creativity we made up a delicious tofu stuffing to go inside them. It's very quick to make, and the result is tasty and surprising.

We also tried to stuff tomatoes with the same stuffing. It turned ok, but we found that with the red peppers it worked much better.

Ingredients:

4 long red peppers

for the stuffing:

1 cup cooked white rice

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup roughly chopped coriander

1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley

300 gr tofu, cubed

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 to 1 tbs vanilla extract (to taste)

1/4 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup peeled walnuts

olive oil

The Recipe:

In a food processor, grind together the onion, garlic, coriander, parsley, tofu, cumin, salt and pepper. Transfer into a bowl and mix in the rest of the ingredients. 

Now cut open the peppers lengthwise. Remove the seeds with your hands.

Arrange the peppers on a baking dish with covered with baking paper, drizzle olive oil  on top and bake in the oven at 180 C for 30 minutes. After baking let the peppers cool for a few minutes, and serve warm.

 

 

 

Maronchinos (Almond Biscuits)

With Passover coming soon, it's a great time to try out some wheat-free recipes. Adapted from Claudia Roden's Book of Jewish Food, we made these little almond biscuits and they turned out a huge success. It takes about 10 minutes to make, but the richness of the almond and rose essence give the impression you labored over them for at least a day. The biscuits are delicately moist and can go well either with coffee or tea or as a dessert.    

The Ingredients:

400 gr ground almonds

125 gr sugar

3 drops almond essence

3 drops rose essence

1 tbs vanilla extract 

2 eggs, lightly beaten

The Recipe:

In a large bowl mix the almonds and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with your hands to get a smooth paste. Roll into walnut-sized balls, flatten them slightly with your finger and place in a baking dish on a greased baking paper. Bake in the oven at 180 C for 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.

 

 

 

Steak with Onion and Tomato Sauce

We had a long day working at home and we craved something a bit decadent for lunch. It was a matter of minutes before we realized we had two beef fillets waiting in the freezer! With no extra thought we defrosted the steaks and threw together an incredible onion and tomato sauce to go with them. The result was just perfect.

Ingredients:

1 tbs olive oil

3 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tbs chopped fresh ginger

1/2 tbs black peppercorns

1 large onion

1 tomato, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped

1/2 cup white wine (can use also red)

25ml balsamic vinegar  

1 1/2 cup water

1 tbs salt

3 tbs sugar

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1/2 tsp dried red chili

The Recipe:
Heat the olive oil in a medium pot. Over medium heat, saute the onion, garlic, peppercorns and ginger for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Mix in the tomato and let simmer for 2 minutes. Add all the rest of the ingredients, first the fluids, then the spices and mix well. Bring to a boil and let simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until only thick fluid remains.

This is the time to make the steaks. We made ours by rubbing olive oil and chopped garlic over the steaks and searing them in a very hot skillet on all sides. Then we let them cook for 10 minutes more on each side over medium heat.

When the steaks are ready, place them on a plate and pour the sauce on top. Voila!

Served with cooked wheat and steamed carrots

Pasteles de Carne, Salonika Meat-Filled Pies

The recipe for these meat pies comes from the traditions of the Sefaradi Jewish community in Salonika, Greece. Our job last weekend required us to plan a Shabbat meal for 16 teenagers and we were sure these pies would be a success. Like many other recipes we've been trying lately this one was adapted from the excellent Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden. The recipe requires some work, but is well worth the effort.

Ingredients (makes 15-18 pieces):

(for the dough)

125ml sunflower oil

125ml warm water

1/2 tsp salt

about 350 gr flour

(for the filling)

1 medium onion, chopped

3 tbs sunflower oil

250 gr minced beef

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

salt and pepper

1 hard boil egg, chopped

1 egg lightly beaten

4 tbs finely chopped parsley

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

The Recipe

The dough 

To make the dough mix the oil, water and salt with a fork in a large bowl. Gradually add the flour, first mixing with a fork and then continuing with your hands. Continue to add flour until the dough feels soft and springy, like the lobe of your ear. Leave aside covered in saran-wrap at room temperature (do not refridgerate).

The filling

To make the filling fry the onion in oil until golden. Add the beef, salt and plenty of pepper. Stir occasionally until the meat changes color. Mix in the sugar, cumin and cinnamon. Also add the pine nuts if you choose to use them. Add about 4 tbs water and cook for 5 minutes more. Let it cool, then add the rest of the ingredients.

To make the pies

Take lumps of dough the size of a small egg and shape into a ball. Hollow them out with your fingers and shape into little pots with straight sides. Make the walls as thin as possible. Fill with the mixture. Cover each pie with a flat lid made by flattening a tiny ball of dough. Pinch the edges together all around to seal the pies.

Arrange on trays and brush the top with a beaten egg. Bake in the oven at 180°C for 30 minutes or until golden. 

Caramelized Tofu with Rice Noodles

We had quite the bizarre weather here in Tel Aviv today. Despite it being January, warm and dusty air filled the city and we decided to stay home in bed. Around mid-afternoon we started to get hungry and cooked up this light summery (and weather appropriate) dish of tofu and rice noodles. This delicate sweet-sour-spicy dish also makes a great "take it to the office" lunch.

Ingredients (makes 2-3 portions):

For the caramelized tofu:

300 gr tofu

4 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs sugar

For the noodles:

250 gr cooked rice noodles

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 tbs finely chopped garlic

1/2 tsp finely chopped red chili

2 tbs soy sauce

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/4 cup chopped coriander

The Recipe:

Prepare the tofu. In a large bowl, mix the soy sauce with the sugar. Slice the tofu into 1cm slices and add to the bowl. Mix well, making sure the tofu slices are completely covered in thee soy sauce mixture.

Place a grill plate over very high heat and wait until it is very hot. Place the tofu slices on the hot grill plate and grill for a 5 minutes on each side. Lower the heat and let grill until the tofu browns. Set aside and let cool. When the tofu cools, slice into 1cm slices.

For the sauce, fry the garlic and chili in the vegetable oil for a couple of minutes in a small pan. Add soy sauce, lemon juice and sesame oil and let cook for another 2 minutes.

Throw the chopped coriander, tofu and cooked noodles into a large bowl. Add the sauce and mix well.

Serve in personal bowls with a slice of lemon.

Bitter Lemon Jam

A few weeks ago, we came back from a weekend brunch at E+D's overloaded with lemons straight from their lemon tree.

We sat staring at a huge pile of lemons and decided: we will make a lemon jam experiment. We asked ourselves: lemon jam?
The result turned out to be a bit bitter since we threw the lemons in with the peel intact. It goes very well with meat or on bread with sesame paste.

We ended up making a very large amount of jam (since we dragged home so many), storing it in glass bottles in the refrigerator.
This recipe should be enough for one jar.

Ingredients:
1 cup lemons, cut into four and then sliced, with the peel
1 parsimon, cut into four and then sliced
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 cloves
3 tbs white wine

The Recipe:
Place the ingredients in a pot on medium heat, stirring often.
When it starts to thicken remove from heat and pour into a sterilized jar. Close well, and store in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

In order to store the jam for a longer period of time we followed Dorie Greenspan's advice on canning.
Another great canning information source is Saving the Season.

Tortilla Espanola, Potato Omelette

A Spanish omelette, Tortilla Espanola, is a very tasty and comforting dish. The simple mix of eggs onions and potatoes becomes a thick savory-sweet treat. The recipe is a bit tricky though, as it calls for some acrobatic abilities involving a flipping of the dish. All you need really is a large frying pan, a lid and a little practice.

We adapted the recipe from "Party Food"  by The Joy of Cooking cookbook series.

The Ingredients:

500 gr red-skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 3mm thick slices

1 large onion, sliced into 3mm thick slices

6 eggs, lightly beaten

olive oil

salt

ground black pepper

The recipe:

First fry the onion with 2 tbs olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When soft (about 15 minutes) remove to a large bowl.
In the same frying pan over high heat fry the potatoes with 1/5 cup olive oil. Cook until they become golden brown, and make sure to toss them while they cook. This is to prevent them from sticking together as much as possible. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels but keep the pan and oil for later use.

Now mix together the eggs, fried onion, 1/2 tsp salt and some black pepper. Add the potatoes and mix well.

Back to the frying pan, re-heat the oil. Pour the mixture into the pan and immediately reduce the heat to low. DO NOT Touch the omelet. Let it comfortably cook until it is 3/4 ready, only shaking the pan from time to time to make sure it doesn't stick to the pan.

Now comes the tricky part. Slide a metal spatula under the omelet, making sure to free it completely from the pan. Place a lightly oiled plate or a lid on top of the pan, big enough to cover all of it. Now, with both hands, quickly flip the pan so that the omelet transfers to the lid part. Put the pan back on the stove and slide the omelet in. Cook for another few minutes until ready. (You are now a flipping master)

Serve hot or at room temperature.

A Roast Beef

We were very surprised at how easy it is to make a good roast beef. It's all about using a good piece of meat and a tasty marinade. The rest is nonsense. We weren't exactly sure which part of the cow to order, so we asked the butcher for some help. He handed us with a large and handsome piece of sirloin (2 kg)) which later turned out to be tender and tasteful. Inspired by whatever we found in our refrigerator, we made up this incredible recipe for the roast:

Ingredients (for 2 kg of sirloin):

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 tbs fresh sage, chopped

3 tbs fresh thyme, chopped

1 tbs whole black pepper grains

2-3 tbs whole grain mustard
1 tbs honey
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup white wine (optional)

The recipe:

Preheat the oven to 160 C.
Mix all of the ingredients together and then spread the mixture on the meat to cover all sides.
Place the meat in a roasting pan with the fat part facing up and stick a meat thermometer. (We added some garlic and carrots to the tray. It's not a must but they cook so well with the roast's juices...)
Using the thermometer is important. It helps with getting the meat exactly how you want it done (rare 60 C - medium 70 C).
Stick the pan in the oven and let cook for about 1.5 hours. No need to touch it, only check occasionally to see it reaches the preferred temperature.
When it's done, take it out of the oven and let sit covered in foil for 20 minutes more.

That's it! The roast can keep in your fridge for up to a week, and it even gets better with time.

Oat Porridge With Pecans And Honey

Eating porridge for breakfast has lately become a routine for us. It is a healthy and filling way to start a lazy chilly morning. Today we tried this extremely simple and tasty recipe which we adapted from "The Healthy Kitchen" by Shaily Lipa Angel and Orly Pely-Bronshtein.

Ingredients (for two servings):

1 cup whole oats (the real thing - not Quaker!)

2 cups skimmed milk

2 tbsp. honey

1/2 tsp lemon zest

salt

shelled pecans for garnish

The recipe:

In a pot, bring the oats, milk, honey, lemon zest and dash of salt to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the porridge is thickened, stir occasionally.

While the porridge is cooking, toast the pecans in the oven (180c) for 5-10 minutes, but be careful not to burn them.

When the porridge is ready, transfer to serving bowls, sprinkle with pecans and hope this morning never ends.

  

Olive Oil Muffins

We tried a recipe from "The Smitten Kitchen", a food blog with spectacular pictures we follow. It's an easy recipe which turns out good and simple.

 

New Year's Gefilte Fish

Here's a recipe we adapted for new year's eve from another excellent and famous cookbook we sometimes use: "The Book of Jewish Food" by Claudia Roden. Roden has traveled far to collect traditional recipes from Jewish homes around the globe. The result is a historical masterpiece on Jewish cuisine with an abundance of successful recipes.

Gefilte Fish was traditionally served as stuffed fish skin with chopped fish inside. Today only the stuffing is prepared by poaching fish balls in fish stock and serving them with stock jelly and carrot. It's not difficult work, but it takes a while as these balls need to go through several procedures.

The Ingredients:

(for the stock)

2 carrots, sliced

1 onion, sliced

2 fish heads

2 tsp salt

3 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp white pepper

(for the fish balls)

1 medium onion

2 eggs

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

white pepper

75 gr matzo meal

1 kg fresh water fish fillets, skinned. Try to get carp for this. We used a mix of cod and halibut, but the balls didn't turn out firm enough.

The Recipe:

Put the stock ingredients in a saucepan, add 2.5 liters water  to cover the fish. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

For the fish balls put the onion, eggs, salt, sugar and pepper in a food processor and blend to a cream. Pour into a bowl and stir in the matzo meal. Next, cut the fish into pieces and mix in the food processor, making sure it is finely chopped but not paste. Add the fish to the eggs and matzo meal, mix well and keep covered in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour.

Shape the mixture into fist size balls with your hands wet, lower to the fish stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool, then take the balls out and arrange in a serving dish in one layer. Reduce the fish stock and strain it over the fish. Finally decorate with the carrot slices.

Leave to cool overnight in the refrigerator to let the jelly to form.

Jerusalem Delights

A Saturday walk through the narrow streets of Old Jerusalem, around the corner from the Church of the Holy Seplecure, we discovered stalls selling localy made sweets. Prices and language vary by the tour group.

Slabs of Halva (dense sweet confection made from tahini) and mixed nut brittle.


Jerusalem bagels, date rolls and falafel.


Sweet roasted nuts and raisins.