Quinoa Salad

This recipe is originally from the cookbook גג חמישים שקל (“at most 50 shekels”) by Inbal Klein, although I no longer use the book when I make it, so I probably made some changes from the original.  It’s one of my favorite recipes, because it has a lovely mixture of the soft texture of the quinoa (which also adds some protein), the crunchiness of the almonds, the fresh herby flavor of mint and parsley, the sweetness of apricots and the lovely tartness of lots and lots of lemon.

Unlike most salads, this one tastes much better when it has been in the fridge for a while – even overnight! So it’s a great dish to make for dinner parties, because it can be made in advance. And if you have leftovers – have the rest for lunch the next day. That’s what I always do.

Quinoa Salad

Ingredients: 

* 1 cup quinoa

* 1.5 cups water

* 1-2 tsps olive oil

* 1 batch of parsley, very finely chopped

* 1 batch of mint. very finely chopped

* About 100 grams (3.5 oz) dried apricots (I like to use organic unsulphured apricots, although they don’t have the same lovely orange color), diced

* 1/2 red onion, finely diced

* 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

* juice from 1-2 lemons

* a few tablespoons of slivered almonds or pine nuts, lightly roasted

* Salt and pepper

Preparation: 

1. In a medium saucepan heat the small quantity of olive oil, and lightly sauté the quinoa for a minute or so. Add the water and a little salt, and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes, or until the quinoa is soft but still a tiny bit crunchy. Take of the heat and uncover to allow the quinoa to cool. 

2. In a large bowl, combine the herbs, apricots and onion. 

3. When the quinoa has cooled to room temperature, add it to the bowl. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil, and add the juice from one lemon. Save the rest of the juice for later. Season well with salt and pepper, cover with plastic wrap and place the salad in the refrigerator at least for a few hours. 

4. When you are ready to serve the salad, take it out of the refrigerator and check the seasoning. You will likely want to add still more lemon juice, as the salad tastes best when it is full of fresh lemony goodness. You may also want to check that there is enough salt and pepper. 

5. Just before serving, sprinkle the roasted almonds or pine nuts and mix. 

Enjoy!

Easy Ice Cream (no ice cream maker needed)

The last week has been very hectic, so I haven't had time to really cook, let alone post anything. There is some serious cooking planned for the Thanksgiving weekend, however, so I how to have many recipes coming your way soon.

In the meantime, here is a quick little recipe for ice cream to tide you over until the next post. This recipe was my grandmother's recipe and is still a huge success. I posted it to Allrecipes.com a long time ago and you can see some pictures that people have uploaded of their various flavors.

Easy Ice Cream

 

The basic ingredients are very simple: 

* 4 egg whites (these are not cooked in the recipe, so if you want to be careful then used packaged pasteurized egg whites)

* 2/3 cups of sour cream (you can use low/non-fat you can also use plain or vanilla yogurt).

* 1/2 cup of white sugar (the Splenda equivalent also works)

* 1 tsp vanilla extract

To prepare the ice cream: 

1. In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add white sugar and vanilla, continuing to beat until soft peaks form. Carefully fold in sour cream until well blended. Fold in any additional flavorings or goodies at this time. 
2. Place the mixture into the freezer and stir every 30 minutes or so until frozen. This can be made without stirring, but the texture will be icy rather than creamy. If you have an ice cream maker, you can put the ice cream mixture in the maker, and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

 And now for the interesting part: 

You can use this recipe, as is, to make plain ice cream. But if we're being perfectly honest, plain ice cream is a little boring. The trick to this recipe is that you can add ingredients to make it any way you like it. Here are some options:

- soak raisins in rum and add both the raisins and the rum to the ice cream.

- add instant coffee or cocoa powder to the mix.

- add mint extract and chocolate chips or broken sandwich cookies

- mix in fruit of various flavors

Shakshuka (Eggs in Tomato Sauce)

Shakshuka is one of the classics of Israeli cooking and its fans have been known to engage in hard-core arguments about the appropriate way to make it (with or without beans, with or without peppers etc.)

For my part, I think that the ultimate way to make shakshuka is with a tomato sauce containing plenty of onions and peppers. In this case, canned crushed tomatoes really work better than fresh tomatoes, because the sauce should be very thick and rich.

The ideal way to serve shashuka is with a large slice of fresh challah bread or pita bread for dipping. However, especially if it's being made for dinner or lunch it can also be great served with some rice on the side.

Shakshuka 

Ingredients (for 2 people): 

* 1 tbsp olive oil

* 3-4 eggs 

* 2 small bell peppers (color of your choice), coarsely sliced or diced

* 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

* 1 small onion, diced 

* 1 small hot pepper, finely chopped (optional, but recommended) 

* About 1/2 large can of crushed tomatoes 

* Seasoning: salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder

Preparation: 

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or saute pan that has a cover, on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until they begin to soften. Add the peppers (bell and hot), and continue cooking, stirring occasionally,  until the onion and garlic are somewhat golden and the peppers have softened. 

2. Add the canned tomatoes into the pan and season to taste. Stir well, so that the vegetables and seasoning are evenly distributed in the sauce. 

3. When the sauce is heated through, break the eggs into the sauce (allowing each egg it's own space). Cover the pan. 

4. Cook the eggs to your preferred degree. Personally, I recommend cooking them until the whites and yolk are just cooked and firm, but not really well done. 

Enjoy!

Acorn Squash with Chestnut Stuffing

I had stuffed pumpkin for the first time last year, when I found myself celebrating a vegetarian thanksgiving in London with a group of people, only one of which was really American. It was lots of fun and the stuffed pumpkin was delicious. I've been meaning to try and create something similar at home for a while, but only got to it yesterday, in an attempt to use an acorn squash that had been sitting on my kitchen counter for a while.

This recipe may be a little less accurate in terms of quantities than my usual attempts, because I was literally making it up as I went along and saw what I had in the kitchen. This means, however, that you can play with it yourself and change the ingredients at will. For example, it may be a good idea to add some lentil or beans to add some protein to the mix.Other vegetables that would go well are mushrooms and celery.

Acorn Squash with Chestnut Stuffing

Ingredients (for 1 squash, make 1 small squash per person as a main course): 

* 1 small acorn squash (or sugar pumpkin or other relatively small member of the family). Ideally look for one that can stand pretty well without support).

* About 2 handfuls of plain stuffing (I used Aleia's GF stuffing) or 2-3 slices of old bread of your choice, diced. 

* 1/2 cup of  vegetable stock (but have a little more on hand in case you need it)

* 1-2 tablespoons of butter, melted 

* 1 small onion, finely diced 

* 1 carrot, finely diced

* 6-7 peeled chestnuts (I buy them in a jar or vacuum sealed), finely chopped 

* 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional, but adds an interesting flavor)

* parsley or mint (or both), finely chopped

* salt, pepper

Preparation: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 F/200 C.  Cut the top off of the squash (about 1 inch, 2.5 cms from the top), and save the top for a nicer presentation. Scoop out the seeds and fibers, but make sure to leave plenty of the squash's flesh. 

2. In a bowl, combine the stuffing or bread, chestnuts, onion and carrots. Pour in the butter and vegetable stock and mix well. You want to make sure that the stuffing absorbs a fair amount of the vegetable stock and is softened by it, but that you don't have a liquid mess, so add some stock, mix, then add a  bit more. You may need more than the original half cup. 

3. Add the chopped herbs and season with the cinnamon and salt and pepper. 

4. Place the squash (or multiple squashes if you are feeding more than yourself) on a baking tin covered in foil (or in a glass/ceramic baking dish). Stuff the squash with the stuffing until it is quite full, then top with the original top (if your squash doesn't stand well enough to keep the top, don't worry about it, it's just as delicious without it). *f you have leftover stuffing, you can place it in in a heat proof dish and bake it in the oven as well, and serve as a side dish or just an additional portion.  Bake the squash for about 30-40 minutes, or until the squash flesh is relatively tender when pushed with a fork. Baking time may very quite a lot in this case, so test your squash. 

5. When the squash flesh is tender, serve it, one squash per person. While presentation-wise it's prettiest to give each person their own squash, it is actually easier to eat this by then scooping the stuffing out of the squash onto a plate, and scooping out the delicious squash flesh as well, mixing it with the stuffing. 

Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!

Salty Caramel Macadamia Nut and Chocolate Tart (GF/Non-GF options)

We were invited to a little party last week, and everyone was expected to bring something.
The same week, Israeli online news website ynet published this recipe for an amazing looking tart with macadamia nuts coated in a salty caramel and chocolate. The recipe is for a regular tart with wheat flour.
 For obvious reasons, I needed to make it with a gluten free pie crust. I used the recipe from Elizabeth Barbone's Easy Gluten Free Baking. This pie crust is really amazing. It genuinely tastes delicious and has a lovely texture. It is also very easy to work with the dough, unlike most GF doughs. For a Hebrew version of the GF pie crust, see here.

So here is the recipe both in it's original gluteny version and with the alternative, GF pie crust (which can also be used for many other recipes).

Salty Caramel Macadamia Nut and Chocolate Tart

Gluten free pie crust (for 9 inch/24 cm pie. Double for a larger one or for covered pie): 


Ingredients: 
* 1/2 cup white rice flour
* 1/4 cup cornstarch
* 1/4 cup potato starch
* 1.5 tsp white sugar
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1/4 cup (half US stick) butter, diced.
* 1 large egg
* 1-2 tbsp cold water

Preparation: 

1. In a large bowl (or in a food processor) combine all of the dry ingredients. Using a fork (or pulsing in the food processor), combine the butter into the dry ingredients until you get a crumby looking mixture. Add the egg and the water and continue mixing/processing until you get a dough. If the dough is too dry, carefully add water, 1 tbsp at a time, until you get the right consistency.

2. Place the dough in a plastic bag and refrigerate for about an hour (I personally didn't find this crucial).

3. Roll the dough out and cover the pie tin with it, or just press globs of dough into the tin until the entire tin is covered at the desired thickness. Make sure not to roll the dough too thin, because it can crack/break very easily in the oven.

4. To pre-bake the pie crust (as needed for this recipe),  preheat the oven to 200 C/425 F. Pierce the pie shell with a fork to prevent rising. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until the crust is golden. Set aside to cool.

Original, Non-GF pie crust from the recipe: 

Ingredients (for 24 cm/9 inch pie): 

* 250 grams (1 3/4 cups) flour
* 70 grams (1/2 cup) ground hazelnuts
* 70 grams (1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) confectioners sugar
* 160 grams (about 5.5 oz) butter
* 1 egg

Preparation: 

1. In a food processor combine the flour, nuts, sugar and butter to a crumby mixture.

2. Add the egg and continue processing until you get moist doughy crumbs with no trace of the flour.

3. Combine the crumbs into a dough, cover in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

4. Roll the dough out to a thin layer and cover the pie tin with it.

5. Preheat an oven to 180 C (375 F). Pierce the pie shell with a fork. Cover the shell with parchment paper and cover that with dried beans or a pie-weight to prevent rising. Bake for 15 minutes.

6. Remove the weight from the pie shell and bake for another five minutes until golden. Set aside to cool.

The actual pie (identical for both GF and non-GF versions): 

For the salty macadamia nuts: 

* 100 grams (1/2 cup) white sugar
* 100 ml (about 1/3 cup) heavy cream
* 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
* 1/4 tsp sea salt
* 1 cup (100 grams) lightly roasted macadamia nuts

For the chocolate filling: 

* 200 grams (7 ounces) dark chocolate
* 80 grams (about 3 ounces) milk chocolate
* 200 ml (about 2/3 cup) heavy cream
* 1 bottle cap of dark rum (I used light because that's what I had at home)

Preparation: 

1. In a medium sized pot on medium heat, melt the sugar carefully into an amber colored (but not too dark!) caramel. You can carefully move the pot from side to side to ensure that all the sugar melts.

2. Add the heavy cream (from the nut ingredients), vanilla and salt (careful! the cream will sizzle, and the caramel may harden. This is ok) and continue cooking for another two minutes, stirring constantly, until you get a thick sauce in which there are no hard bits of caramel (the hardened caramel will melt back into the cream as it heats up).

3. Allow to cool slightly, and then mix in the macadamia nuts, stirring to coat them. (Note: if you allow the nuts to cool too much in the caramel, they will become a hard chunk. Just carefully reheat the pot on a low heat to melt the caramel slightly so that you can spread the nuts on the pie).

4. Place the chocolates into  a bowl. Heat the heavy cream (from the chocolate sauce ingredients) to a simmer. Pour it over the chocolates and stir until the chocolates are melted and you have a smooth cream.

5. Stir the rum into the chocolate. Allow to cool slightly.

6. Build the pie: spread the caramel coated macadamia nuts on the pre-baked pie crust as evenly as you can. (Don't worry, there will be some areas with more nuts than others). Chill in the freezer for 5 minutes (I skipped this step).

7. Carefully pour the chocolate over the nuts, starting from the outside of the pie inwards, coating the pie evenly.

8. Chill the tart in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving.

 

Guest spot: My Sister's Feta and Leek Gnocchi

Ok, I admit it, I wasn't much of a cook this week. So today we have a guest recipe - my sister's excellent recipe for gnocchi with feta, leeks and capers. She invented this recipe and has been perfecting it every since. I'm not much of a fan of either feta or leeks, so I was skeptical the first time she made it for me, but it completely won me over. It's great!

You can use the same concept but play with the ingredients. I like to make it with goat cheese  and tomatoes and without the capers, for example. My sister suggests a variation where you add large chunks of avocado just before the feta, and stir to blend it with the sauce.

Feta and Leek Gnocchi

 

Ingredients (for 2-3 very large portions or 4 medium ones):

* 3-4 tbsp of olive oil
* 2-3 leeks, sliced into rings
* 4-5 cloves of garlic, sliced
* Black pepper
* A large handful of capers (preferably in brine. These are optional)
* 500 grams (about 1 lb) of gnocchi (fresh or dry)
* 200  grams (about 7-8 oz) of feta cheese, cubed
* grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Preparation

1. In a very large pan or wok, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and leeks and fry in the oil until soft, but not golden.

2. Meanwhile, boil water in a pot. When it is boiled, cook the gnocchi according to instructions. Drain the gnocchi.

3. Add the capers into the garlic and leeks and season with black pepper. Do not salt, as the feta will add plenty of saltiness to the dish. You may add other herbs such as basil at this point, if you want.

4. Stir the feta into the vegetables. When the feta begins to melt (after about 30 seconds), add the gnocchi into the pan and stir for another 30 seconds, until the feta is melted and coats the gnocchi.

5. Plate the gnocchi and serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Corn Chowder

In recognition of the first properly chilly days of Autumn, I decided to make my favorite corn chowder.
This recipe is thick and satisfying and definitely a complete meal by itself. It's really great to take for lunch at work or school in a thermos.  You can play with it a bit by adding other veggies, like broccoli, but I love it just the way it is.

Corn Chowder

Ingredients (for 4-6 portions): 

* 2 tsp canola oil 

* 1 onion, preferably red, diced. 

* 1 bell pepper (red or orange), deseeded and diced

* 3 cloves of garlic, minced

* 4 small potatoes, peeled and finely diced

* 2 tbsp flour (gluten free is fine, I used it) 

* 600 ml (about 20 ounces) milk (I use 1% milk) 

* 300 ml (about 10 ounces) vegetable broth (or, if you must, water - but season accordingly)

* 12 oz pack of frozen corn kernels (or one good sized can). 

* 75 grams (about 2.5 ounces) grated cheddar cheese

* Salt, pepper, chili powder 

Preparation:

1. In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and potatoes and saute on a low flame for a few minutes, stirring. 

2. Add the flour and stir for another 30 seconds, to coat the vegetables in the flour. Add the milk and the stock (or water). 

3. Add the corn (no need to defrost). Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring constantly, then lower the flame and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all of the vegetables have softened. 

4. Add the cheddar and stir until it is melted through. 

5. Season with salt, pepper and chili powder, to taste (I like a little heat to counter the smoothness and sweetness of the corn and the milk). 

6. Garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley and serve with croutons for a little crunch.