Caramelized Cauliflower

 vegetables, Vegetarian  No Responses »
May 162012
 

image-caramelized-cauliflowerSlow-cooked in tons of (let me whisper it) butter, this way of cooking elevates the humble cauliflower to surprising heights of deliciousness.

I couldn’t believe this recipe when I first saw it in Al Ha Shulchan magazine. Dead easy, but so much butter. According to them, it originates in Denmark, where butter reigns. Well, Israel has a thriving dairy industry too, and our butter is excellent. Normally I wouldn’t think of cooking a vegetable with a whole cup of butter - a whole cup of butter – but after I made it, I understood the wisdom.

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 Posted by Mimi at 1:44 PM  Tagged with: , , ,

Spicy Red Bean Stew Recipe

 Grains and pulses, Vegetarian  10 Responses »
May 022012
 

image-red-bean-stew

Does just looking at pots and pans inspire you to cook?

It happens to me all the time.

Touring wineries with a couple of girlfriends on Passover, a sign on the road caught our attention: ceramicist’s studio. We stepped in. There were shelves full of glazed earthenware pots, casseroles, mugs, platters. How might an earnest cook react to that? Well, I’ll tell you: tempted.

I have a weakness for earthenware. But I restrained myself from buying the store out and brought home only one pot. I’d been searching something to cook beans in. This pot really made me see a delicious bean stew, savory with tomatoes and herbs and baked to perfection.

Does this phenomenon having a name? Pavlovian Pot-Food Vision Syndrome? It’s like looking at a sliced lemon and immediately thinking of…well, gin and tonic, in my case, although others might say lemonade.

Passover past, I inaugurated my new pot with kidney beans. They’re meaty (but vegan) and robust, and floury enough to absorb the flavors of olive oil and aromatics. And so good paired with cornbread, or spooned over rice. I may have PP-FVS, but I like having it.

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 Posted by Mimi at 11:40 AM  Tagged with: , ,

Wandering Through Israel on Passover

 Travels  8 Responses »
Apr 222012
 

image-rooster-wall-art

Passover travels have already receded into memories, but that’s what photos are for – to make those past moments live again. So have a look at some of the things I saw this spring in Israel.

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 Posted by Mimi at 5:13 PM  Tagged with: , ,

Gefulte Fish Recipe Like Grandma Used to Make

 fish, Passover, What's Cooking for Shabbos and Yom Tov  14 Responses »
Apr 022012
 

image-gefulte-fish

Being without matzah meal, this gefulte fish is gluten-free.

Long ago, I held by the Chassidic custom of no gebroks on Passover – no matzah that’s come into contact with liquids. So there was no matzah brei or any of the myriad Passover foods requiring matzah meal.  I learned to cook gefulte fish without matzah meal in it.

Eventually, I began cooking with gebroks again. But I still prefer matzah-less gefulte fish. It’s light and just right as a first course when there’s an ample menu to follow. And it holds together just fine without matzah meal. The secret’s in the blending. The longer you blend, the fluffier the fish, and the better it will hold together.

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 Posted by Mimi at 7:26 PM  Tagged with: , ,

Passover Recipes Roundup

 Passover, What's Cooking for Shabbos and Yom Tov  4 Responses »
Mar 282012
 

image-mimi's-shopping-cart

In Israel, spring has sprung. In the mornings you see a great number of women shlepping wheeled shopping carts on  buses, intent on filling them up at the shuk. I can relate to them. Here’s my shopping cart, rather worse for wear but full of good things: lavender and mint in pots and lotsa garlic. Well, yes, garlic…what else would I go to shuk for, twice in one week?  Fresh green garlic has arrived, and Mimi is one happy blogger. So far I’ve only made 1 batch of garlic confit (recipe here), but there’ll be more.

It’s not too soon to plan Passover menus. Here’s an updated roundup of recipes that suit the holiday. Enjoy!

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 Posted by Mimi at 8:10 PM  Tagged with: ,

Chicken Sofrito Recipe

 Fleish: Meat and Poultry  12 Responses »
Mar 212012
 

image-chicken-sofrito
There must be a million ways to cook chicken, but I had run out of ideas.

Does it have to do with so-called Senior Moments? I’m not sure I subscribe to that.

Maybe these cooking lapses happen occasionally to people who have all the responsibility for daily meals. Any chef I’ve asked says that when he’s home, his wife cooks dinner – or that he eats out after work, or gratefully puts his feet under his mother-in-law’s table.

Which cheered me up some. Here I am, along with the culinary big shots, suffering from Food Thinking Overload.

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 Posted by Mimi at 9:09 PM  Tagged with: ,

Sprouted Garlic Works Too

 Everyday Cooking, Useful Flavorings and Relishes, Useful Information  6 Responses »
Mar 112012
 

image-sprouted-garlic-cloves

Readers who have followed this blog know I have a thing about garlic. Some of my favorite, garlic-fragrant recipes are aioli sauce,  garlicky crisp-skinned potatoes, and spicy eggplant in garlic sauce.

The garlic I bought last year has gone all sprouty. The new crop will be in the shuk any day now, but meantime the sprouted stuff is still good to eat. It just takes a little more patience and knife work.

You have to peel away the tough yellowish membrane that encloses the sprouted germ.

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Pare away anything that looks rotten. Chop it up and use it. It tastes like…garlic, the same as ever.

image-chopped-sprouted-garlic

 Posted by Mimi at 10:42 PM  Tagged with: , ,

Hamentaschen Recipe

 Cookies, Purim, Sweet Things  13 Responses »
Mar 072012
 

hamentaschen

Do you love hamentaschen? I’m betting you do.

I sure do, but I’m not at all fond of the over-sweet, stodgy hamentaschen flooding grocery stores and supermarkets right now. It’s so worthwhile making my own, that I’m going to interrupt my pre-Purim baking marathon to post this recipe. It’s a real, old-fashioned hamentasch with a delicate cookie crust. The filling is up to you. I’ve kept it pareve to accommodate those eating meat meals on Purim day. But I must say that these hamentaschen are fabulous filled with dulce de leche.

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 Posted by Mimi at 2:49 PM  Tagged with: , , ,

Jerusalem Artichokes and Mushrooms

 vegetables, Vegetarian  11 Responses »
Feb 292012
 

image-jerusalem-artichokes-mushrooms

There were Jerusalem artichokes in the shuk this week, looking so pretty in their light pink and brown jackets that I had to cram a few into my overloaded shopping bag. You can see what my local shuk looks like here and here.

Then I wandered over to the big herb stand, the one that has the biggest, most varied mushroom display, and bought a little basket of button mushrooms. Once home, it seemed natural to cook the chokes and mushrooms together. I’m glad I did. The earthy mushrooms complemented the choke’s slight sweetness, and all was made piquant with onions and spices. It was really tasty, and a hit with my vegetarian friend who was lunching with me that day. I’ll do it again.

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 Posted by Mimi at 1:37 PM  Tagged with: , , , ,

The World’s Creamiest Oatmeal

 Uncategorized  11 Responses »
Feb 262012
 

image-creamy-oatmealIs oatmeal really only for kids?

But I love hot cereal. Especially on a cold, windy, rainy morning, when Husband and the Little One are already out of the house and my only date is with the computer. (Ah, that romance with a robot). If I’ve been efficient and started my oatmeal early on – while bleary-eyed, I was putting together the Little One’s sandwiches and boiling water for Husband’s tea – I can  then sit down peacefully with the bowl of soothing, satisfying oatmeal, all by myself.

But it has to be creamy almost to smoothness. Aromatic with cinnamon.  With a few pieces of chopped date or some raisins for contrast. Just off-sweet is how I like it, although most folks like it sweeter. It takes very little work, but some time.

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