Kasha and Kale

Kasha varnishkes (kasha with bowtie noodles) are a staple at any of our family’s holiday meals. Lore has it that my father decided to marry my mother after hearing that she knew how to make them. And she makes them VERY well! There is something magical about the simple combination of onion, kasha, and noodles that offers both comfort and flavor to the eater. I don’t like to mess with perfection, but wondered if I could tweak this winning combination to make it a little healthier without loosing any of the amazing flavor.

The only ingredient of traditional kasha varnishkes that you won’t find in this dish is the noodles. And honestly, I don’t think you’ll miss them, though you can certainly add them if you must. To the kasha and onion mixture, I simply included some crimini mushroom and shreds of beautiful green kale and the side dish became a wonderful vegetarian main course. Ok, not totally vegetarian since I used beef broth with the kasha, but substitute vegetable broth and it will be! If you are worried about the kale changing the flavor profile of the dish, don’t be. Mike, who never runs to eat greens, couldn’t really make out the kale flavor among the other ingredients and loved it. This is an easy midweek meal to put together in a rush and it keeps it’s texture and tastiness in the fridge, which is a must since you will keep coming back for more!

Enjoy!

Adding the Kale to the Pan

Kasha and Kale (this make a LOT, 8-10 servings, so consider halving the recipe)

1 box kasha, corse grind or whole kernel, if possible

4 cups (1 large container) beef, chicken, or vegetable broth…or even water

1 bunch kale, trimmed of hard stems and shredded

2 yellow onions sliced into thin half moons

3-4 cloves of garlic

1 package of mushrooms, preferably cremini, sliced

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil

Salt

Pepper

Instructions

1. In a small pot or large saucepan, mix the kasha and 2 eggs, stirring to coat over medium heat

2. Toast the kasha for about 5 minutes or so until all of the egg has been absorbed by the kasha and you can break up the kasha into individual kernels again

3. Pour in the broth and cover, letting it simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 15ish minutes

4. While kasha is simmer, in a large saucepan, heat up oil and add onions and mushroom to begin sauteing, add some salt and pepper

5. After onions and mushrooms begin to carmelize, about 10 minutes, add the garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes

6. Throw the shredded kale on top and saute until kale has wilted a bit, add a little more salt and pepper to taste for flavoring

7. If you have room in the saute pan, pour kasha once its cooked into the pan and mix into the vegetable mixture. If not, pour the sauteed vegetables and the cooked kasha into a large mixing bowl and stir until well mixed. Served alone or with chicken or beef as a wonderful and hearty side.

Ready to Serve!

Sweet Treat: Easy Almond Biscotti

I was recently invited to an evening soiree hosted by professors in my program. While I was looking forward to spending some time with friends and being in a beautiful prewar apartment I could only dream of living in someday, I was a bit nervous trying to figure out what kind of dish to bring. Everyone was asked to bring wine, a salad, or dessert, and I saw this a great opportunity to challenge myself to make an easy dessert. Baking still scares me, I don’t like the margin of error a cook is allowed when compared with cooking. I like patchke-ing around in the kitchen, adding a little of this and correcting mistakes with a bit more of that. Baking requires measurements, ratios, and precise cooking time, and for my math-challenged brain, it can be a little overwhelming.

Because of my baking fear, I tried thinking of a one-bowl dessert that everyone could pick up and eat with their hands. This was, after all, a cocktail party and one hand would need to be around a glass of wine. (Or something stronger). While trying to figure out what to make, I found myself munching on a piece of almond biscotti from Whole Foods, which are truly amazing! I don’t get how or why, but their biscotti rock; they are crisp on the outside with a bit of softness within and coated with a thick layer of chocolate ganache on one side. But the real zing of their biscotti, which I wanted to recreate in mine, was the addition of a little crushed anise seed. Anise, which tastes like licorice, is actually a spice I often refrain from using, I find it overpowering and just don’t care for the taste. However, it is the one ingredient needed to take biscotti to the next level and I accepted that I would need to incorporate it into the recipe.

I was shocked at how easy this recipe was to follow and only needed to slightly amend it. After making it once, I feel empowered enough to change around some of the ingredients. I might change the almonds to pistachios and craisins, or perhaps chocolate chips and pecans. Or maybe, just maybe, I will chop up little bits of marzipan and see what kind of biscotti that yields. These came out of the oven perfectly crunchy, fragrant with hints of anise and cinnamon, and absolutely delicious!

Almond Biscotti

Adapted slightly from Bon Appetit

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/3 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar plus 2 tablespoons sugar

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

3 large eggs

1 additional egg white

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons aniseed, ground

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 teaspoon plus 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix 1 1/2 cup sugar, melted butter, 3 eggs, vanilla extract and ground aniseed in large bowl.

3. Sift flour, baking power, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and salt into the egg mixture and stir with wooden spoon until well blended. Mix in almonds.

4. Divide dough in half. Using floured hands, shape each dough half into 13 1/2-inch-long, 2 1/2-inch-wide log. Transfer both logs to prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Whisk egg white in small bowl until foamy; brush over top and sides of each dough log. Sprinkle tops with extra sugar and cinnamon

5. Bake logs until golden brown (logs will spread), about 30 minutes. Cool logs completely on sheet on rack, about 25 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

6. Transfer logs to work surface; discard parchment paper. Using serrated knife, cut logs on diagonal into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, on the baking sheet.** Bake 12 minutes. Turn biscotti over; bake until just beginning to color, about 8 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

**Note: When baking the slices of biscotti, I ended up needing an additional baking sheet, so I moved the rack up one in the oven and used two parchment-lined baking sheets. Just watch the cookies carefully if you decide to do it this way.

ENJOY!

Getting through the Winter’s Cold: Mushroom Barley Soup with Flanken

It’s COLD outside! With the frosty air outside and underperforming radiator in our apartment, I thought I would make a dish that would stick to our ribs (no pun intended). For those who are wondering, flanken is simply a special cut of short rib that Jewish cooks have historically preferred. Any kind of short rib will elevate this soup to the next level.

Winter is the best season to make soups or stews, they are thick, warm, and packed with nutrients and flavor that will get you through to Spring. This is one of my personal favorites, it’s a one-pot meal, and with a little flexibility, anyone can enjoy it! If you’re a vegetarian, omit the flanken and substitute vegetable stock for the beef, it will still be filling.  For those observing kashrut, don’t worry, it’s works. So throw a batch together, sit back, and get ready to treat yourself to a wonderful meal!

Mushroom Barley Soup with Flanken

2 large pieces of flanken, or beef short ribs

6 cups beef broth

1 package of dried mushrooms, porcini or morel

2 containers of cremini (baby bella) mushrooms or substitute in button mushrooms, sliced or large dice

4 large carrots, sliced into circles

2 yellow onions, large dice

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 cup pearl barley

a few tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 bunch thyme & 1/2 bunch rosemary tied together with butcher’s string (optional)

Parsley and Dill to garnish (optional)

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, pour 1 cup of boiling water over the dried mushrooms and let sit for 30 minutes

2. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat and drizzle in some olive oil

3. Season the flanken with salt and pepper and then sear in the pot until brown on all sides, 3-4 minutes per side

4. After short ribs are browned, remove them and put on a plate

5. Lower heat to medium and drain out some of the remaining fat from the pot. Add the cremini mushrooms, onions and carrots to the pot, season with a little salt and pepper, and saute until softened and slightly carmelized, around 10-15 minutes

6. Add garlic and saute for an additional minute or two…then add the pearl barley to the pot and lightly toast for another minute or so

7. Deglaze with the beef broth and add the flaken and any juices that accumulated back into the pot

8. Throw in the herb bundle if using

9. Drain the mushroom broth made from the dried mushrooms and water into a clean bowl using a paper towel or coffee filter to strain out any dirt that might have come with the mushrooms. Add the strained liquid to the pot. I toss the reconstituted mushrooms, but you can chop them up and add to the pot if you want to. I find them rubbery.

10. Bring soup to a boil and then cover, lowering heat to low or medium low

11. Keep on a low simmer for about an hour

12. After an hour, check on soup, discard the herb bundle, and remove the short ribs from the soup. Cool them for 10 minutes, then shred the ribs into pieces and add back into the pot. While the short ribs are cooling, keep the soup on medium low, which will slightly reduce the liquid.

13. Once the meat is added back, check for seasoning with salt and pepper and then – it’s ready to serve! You can garnish with fresh parsley and dill here if you wish.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Blood Orange Puree

I needed to see a bit of color on my plate during these dreary winter days. Happily, this was easily provided in the form of butternut squash puree, accented with cinnamon, brown sugar, and a hint of blood orange juice. I find the blood orange to be a bit sweeter than a navel orange and oh-so-much-more beautiful! It’s a ready-made garnish for a relatively simple dish, as you can see from the pictures below. But the flavor really brings the squash to a sunny new level – a hint of freshness and tang in a carmelized thick mash. GREAT combination. If you can’t find blood oranges, a regular orange will suffice, but spend a tiny bit extra and reap the rewards in taste!

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Blood Orange Puree (serves 4)

1 large butternut squash

1 blood orange

3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

1/4 cup brown sugar

Cinnamon

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Then cut the squash horizontally, separating the narrow stem section from the rounded bottom. Once this is done, cut the squash into large and thick slices. (See pictures)

3. On a baking sheet lined with foil, place the pieces of squash and then liberally smear the butter on them

4. Toss some salt, pepper, and cinnamon on top of the pieces

5. Finally, sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the pieces. Then use your hands to rub the squash, making sure each piece is liberally covered with all of the spices.

6. Roast the squash for around 40 minutes until the squash is extremely tender and a fork or spoon easily pierces the flesh. Some browning is fine and will just make the squash more flavorful!

7. Once the squash is done, let it cool slightly, and then with a knife (or even a fork or your hands) peel the skins off the squash pieces and put all of the squash flesh in a bowl.

8. Add the juice of half the blood orange and then using a fork or potato masher, create a thick puree out of the squash. You can also add a little more butter if you want at this point, but I didn’t find any necessary.

9. Taste and season with a bit more blood orange and/or spices if necessary. To serve, slice the remaining half of the blood orange and use as a garnish for your guests to snack on. They’ll thank you!

A Jet-Worthy Dinner: Creamy Spinach Soup

Mike was very excited that the NY Jets were in the playoffs, so I thought I would celebrate this achievement and cheer on their (hopeful) victory by making a dinner in their honor. Since their colors are white and green, I thought nothing could symbolize this mighty team better than a creamy spinach soup, which is a lovely shade of sage green and chock full of iron, a vitamin all players need to perform well on the field!  With a meal like this, the Jets couldn’t lose! (And luckily they didn’t!)

The recipe for this silken soup come from Mother’s Best cookbook, which my dear friend Jessica gave me. It’s author, Lisa Schroeder, opened up Mother’s Restaurant in Portland, Oregon and the eatery is known for it’s wonderful comfort food and for showcasing unique dishes made by several mothers living in and around the area. The recipes in this book are truly delicious, and I recommend it to everyone!

Mother’s Cream of Spinach Soup

adapted VERY slightly from the original recipe

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 spanish onion, sliced thin

1 small yellow onion, sliced thin

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and large dice

3 cups chicken stock (or veggie stock)

1/4 cup flour

2 cups Half & Half

2 cups Milk

8 oz. fresh baby spinach (around 1 bag packaged)

pinch of nutmeg

salt

pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large pot over the stove heat up 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Immediately add the onions and saute until they slightly begin to color.

2. When you see a little color, bring heat down to medium-low and cook until soft but not browned. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.

3. Add the potatoes and stock and then cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 20ish minutes.

4. While mixture simmers, melt other 4 tablespoons of butter in a small-medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk around to form a roux. Cook for an addition 3-5 minutes until mixture is pale yellow and congeal-y. Sounds gross, but it will taste sooooo good!

5. Slowly add the half & half and milk to the pan, whisking constantly, a little liquid at a time. Turn up heat a little and keep whisking until the mixture comes to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

6. Add the spinach to the potato soup mixture once the potatoes are tender and then add some salt and pepper, perhaps 2 teaspoons of salt and one of pepper. Add the nutmeg at this time too.

7. Bring potato mixture to a boil and uncovered, let simmer for 5 minutes. After this, slowly pour the half & half/roux mixture in and mix.

8. Puree soup with an immersion blender or put into a blender in small batches so the liquid doesn’t bubble up and burn you.

9. Ladle in to bowls, and you can garnish with either shredded spinach leaves. chives, scallions, or a little creme fraiche.

Enjoy!

Middle Eastern in Midwinter

Lamb Hummus with Tabouli

First of all, apologies for the long absence! With dissertation work to do, weddings to participate in, classes to teach, and travels to embark on, my culinary adventures (or at least my writing about them) took a back seat. However, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to try and steadily keep up this blog, so I will let readers judge how well I commit to my promises. (But just in case I fail at this one, please don’t take this as representative of my general persona!)

I will slowly start posting recipes of some of the dishes I have posted pictures of on facebook, but for now, I thought I would post a meal that I am creating as I type. With the cold weather and the frequently falling snow, I tend to make soups, stews, and hearty fare to get Mike and I through the winter months. However, once in awhile, I need a break from this heaviness and thought I would concoct a meal that would be a bit lighter and brighter on the palette while still providing warm nourishment.

Middle Eastern cuisine, in my humble opinion, almost always accomplishes this through its combination of herbs, citrus, meats, and grains. I have posted several dishes from this region of the world like this lamb dish . Oh, this one too. Hmmm, I see a theme here…And that won’t change tonight, because I am made two dishes, hummus with ground lamb, and a tabouli salad. I think I have been craving lamb with hummus since my visits to Mimi’s Hummus and Zahav a few months back.

To accompany this, I made the whole wheat pita chips I posted on awhile ago and bought hummus and techina from The Hummus Place, which, I am thrilled to report, opened up an outpost right by our apartment! Seriously their hummus is fabu, borderline perfect. I think its creamy texture and slight nuttiness will go really well with ground lamb seasoned with cumin, raisins, and pine nuts.

Since the lamb hummus is heavier, I paired it with tabouli, a salad of diced veggies, herbs, and bulgar wheat. People have strong opinions about the ratio of bulgar to herbs used in the salad. I prefer more green, but Mike likes more bulgar, and tonight, he won. The dish is not only easy to put together, but you can change around the ingredients and amounts to your heart’s content. Try adding feta, or red and yellow peppers. Use fresh mozzarella and a little oregano and make it a bit more Italian. Or swap out the bulgar for qunioa for a nuttier and slightly sweeter taste. Tabouli’s versatility make it a fabu side dish for any time of year.

Lamb Hummus (8ish servings)

1 lb prepared hummus (1-2 containers)

1/4 cup techina

1 1/2 lb ground lamb

1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly roasted

1/4 cup raisins, roughly chopped

1 medium yellow onion diced

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Spices: (adjust to your taste)

Salt

Pepper

Cinnamon

Allspice

Cumin

Instructions:

1. Combine lamb with spices

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, put 1 tablespoon olive oil and the ground lamb

3. Cook for 5-10 minutes until lamb is browned, transfer lamb to plate or bowl

4. Drain some of the fat from pan, but leave about 2 tablespoons and put onions in to saute with a little salt until soft and slightly carmelized, around 10 minutes

5. When onions are almost done, add raisins and lightly saute them with onions

6. Add lamb back into pan with the onions and raisins to warm through, add pinenuts

7. While lamb mixture is finishing up in a pan, arrange hummus in a pile on the plate with a well in the middle

8. Put lamb mixture in the well that you created and drizzle with a little extra olive oil, salt, and pepper. If you are serving tabouli alongside, you can also take a little of the parsley, mint, and green onions to arrange on the top as a garnish.

Enjoy!

Tabouli (this recipe makes a LOT! Consider halving it)

2 cups Bulgar Wheat

2 cups boiling water

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 bunch parsley, chopped

1 bunch mint, chopped

3 vine ripened tomatoes, large dice

1 large english cucumber. large dice

2 lemons

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine bulgar wheat with a little salt and the boiling water and let sit for 30 minutes until tender, fluff with fork

2. Combine tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, parsley, and mint in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and the juice of one lemon

3. Add bulgar wheat to bowl and drizzle additional olive oil, salt, pepper, and the juice of the other lemon

4. Serve as a main dish or a side salad, add or drop ingredients to create variations. Amounts of ingredients can also be adjusted to taste.

Enjoy!

Easy Homemade Applesauce

Applesauce

With the air crisping up, the farmer’s markets are offering some of the best Fall produce, which of course means apples.  From late September until early December, several dozen varieties of local apples pop up, each with its own texture and flavor profile. My personal favorite? Honeycrisps! I wait MONTHS for a bite of these sweet and delicious treats. It’s almost like a healthy version of honeycake, conveniently appearing right around the Jewish high holidays.

This past week I bought way too many apples, so I needed a dish that utilized a lot of apple and yielded a finished product that wouldn’t take up too much room in our refrigerator. Then it came to me: applesauce!  I had never made applesauce before. I don’t care for the store-bought kind, usually finding the smooth pureed texture too weird to consume. If I want an apple taste, I just eat the real thing. But with a pile of macouns, granny smith, and honeycrisps just begging to be cooked, I thought I would try and tackle making applesauce as a nice afternoon activity.

It is surprisingly easy to make, just throwing a bunch of cut up apples in a pot with some sugar and water and letting them simmer on down to a thick and chunky mush. I left most of the pieces relatively intact to preserve some texture and unique subtle flavoring of the different apples. The peeling process was admittedly annoying, but went by with the help of some Broadway showtunes blaring in the background. Then I just sat and smelled the amazing scent of apples and cinnamon baking in the background. Try this dish on a weekend afternoon, it is wonderful to indulge in on its own, as a side dish, or if you want a really special treat, warm it up and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, it’s like crustless apple pie! Enjoy!

Applesauce Ala Mode!

Applesauce

Adapted from this Bon Appetit recipe at Epicurious

Ingredients

6 pounds of apples, I used a mix of 8 Granny Smith, 4 Honeycrisps, and 4 Macouns

1 lemon, juiced

1 orange, juiced

2 cups of water

2/3 cups packed brown sugar

1 pinch of salt

1 teaspoon or so of cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Pour water and the juice of the lemon and orange into a dutch oven or heavy large saucepan

2. Peel the apples, reserving a few of the red skins, which you can throw into the pot for a little extra color

3. Core the apples and cut them into a medium dice, I did not do this evenly for a more rustic feel

4. As you dice each apple, throw the pieces into the scented water to preserve

5. When the apples chopped, pour the brown sugar into the pot, add half the cinnamon and the pinch of salt, then mix everything around. It will look like there’s not enough water, but that’s okay since apples are composed of so much water, they will break down and all will be fine

6. Bring pot to a boil and then cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes

7. At this point, the apples should be tender and easy to cut with a spoon. Uncover the pot and simmer for another 8-10 minutes until almost all of the water is evaporated.

8. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for 30 minutes, then add the remainder of the cinnamon and mix.

9. Let cool until room temperature and serve or chill in the refrigerator.

Lamb Medallions with Fizzled Onions

Hello all, here is part II of dinner from the other night, the recipe for Middle Eastern Ground Lamb Medallions. They are similar to their culinary cousin, the Adana Kebab, previously featured here. However, these medallions feature ingredients that provide more of a sweet note that picks up on the subtle flavoring of ground lamb. The secret: ground pistachios. Funnily enough, these nuts are enjoying a bit of a renaissance thanks to these somewhat ridiculous commercials hitting airways across the country. Seriously, they couldn’t do better than Levi Johnston?

But I digress. I first sampled ground lamb with pistachios a few weeks ago at Zoe, a wonderful restaurant in Soho. They were served as sliders with a smooth tzatziki sauce. Yum! In making them at home, I decided to skip the bread and instead serve them with the Kamut Harvest Salad I blogged about a few days ago. The combination was deadly delicious. The hint of pistachio and cinnamon in the medallions played off the tart craisins and pomegranate molasses in the salad. Simple fizzled onions added a bit of extra color and sweet/savory flavor to the dish. These aren’t replicas of what you will find at Zoe, but I think that you MIGHT actually find these to be even better! Enjoy!

Middle Eastern Ground Lamb Medallions with Fizzled Onions

Inspired by Zoe Restaurant in NY, but the recipe is an original

This made about 18 medallions, with 2-3 per portion

Ingredients

2 lbs ground lamb

1/4 cup of ground pistachios (I took a handful of pistachios and ground them in my mini food-prep)

1 large egg

1-2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 pinch nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon or so of allspice

1-2 teaspoons cumin

2 small red onions sliced into thin half-moons

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

1. In a non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium and add onions to slowly begin carmelizing

Onions at the Beginning of Cooking

Fizzled and Ready to Serve

2. While the onions are cooking, in a large bowl, liberally salt and pepper the lamb and then add the other spices. If you don’t like a lot of spice, ease up on the amounts I listed. But I think they pack a fabulous punch as written.

3. Heat a large skillet or grill pan over high or medium-high heat

4. Form 18-20 small burgers with the lamb

Formed Medallions Before Grilling

5. You are going to cook the lamb medallions in two batches (3 if using a smaller pan), so space out and cook for 2.5-3 minutes per side. I like medium rare, so I grilled them for 2.5 minutes per side.

6. The onions should be well done by the time you are finished cooking both batches of lamb medallions, so place a small portion of onions over each one of the medallions and serve. Again, I cannot stress how good these lamb medallions and onions are with kamut salad, so try it!

Served with Kamut Harvest Salad

Kamut Harvest Salad

Kamut Harvest Salad

Last week, I mentioned the lovely Yom Kippur break fast dinner we had with friends. One of the best dishes we had that night was a refreshing and tangy harvest salad my friend prepared with farro, roasted squash, spinach, craisins, and slivered almonds. The sweet and roasted flavors melded together so perfectly that I was sad when the meal came to an end.

Because I couldn’t get the salad out of my mind, I decided to make it this week for dinner. Whole Foods (shockingly!) didn’t have farro, but I was able to find kamut, another member of the wheat family which cooks up like a sweeter brown rice with a little more of a bite. Despite never having cooked with it before, I thought it had to be a relatively simple process to learn and would still work well with the other salad flavors. The secret to this dish, the original maker divulged, was the use of pomegranate molasses in the dressing. Funnily enough, my brother who spent time in Turkey has been pushing me to incorporate this popular Middle Eastern ingredient into my cooking for a couple of years now, but I never found a dish to really start using it in. It’s natural sweet-sour flavor and gorgeous ruby color went perfectly with the other flavors of this dish.

I paired this room temperature salad with ground lamb medallions, which I will post the recipe for later in the week. Kamut harvest salad also pairs well with roasted chicken and can certainly stand alone as a vegetarian main course. This salad takes a little time to prepare, but all steps are easy and the end product is worth it! Seriously, the leftovers were even tastier than the night before! Enjoy!

Kamut Harvest Salad

2 cups kamut

1 small butternut squash peeled and cut into a medium dice

1 cup craisins

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1/2 cup (handful or so) chopped parsley

1-1 1/2 cups olive oil

1/3 cup or so of apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons or so of pomegranate molasses

1-2 teaspoons cinammon

Salt

Pepper

2 cups baby spinach (optional, I skipped this)

Instructions:

1. Bring 5 1/2-6 cups of water to a boil. Once it’s boiling, add some salt and oil and pour the kamut in.

2. Bring the kamut and water back to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for an hour to an hour and a half, until the kamut is softened, but still has a bite. Taste testing is necessary here

3. While kamut is cooking, heat oven to 400 degrees and put foil on a cookie sheet

4. Toss the butternut squash with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and the dash of cinnamon and put on the foiled cookie sheet. Make sure that the olive oil lightly coats the foil so that nothing sticks

5. Roast the squash for about 30-40 minutes until the squash is tender and evenly roasted. You can turn the squash over halfway through the cooking process for more even browning, but I didn’t.

6. Once the squash is done, let it cool to room temperature

7. When the kamut is done, drain any excess water and pour the kamut into a serving bowl

8. Mix a dressing for the salad of about 1/2 cup olive oil, the apple cider vinegar, the pomegranate molasses, and some salt & pepper (adjust the olive oil amount for your taste)

9. Toss kamut & squash with the dressing and then toss the almonds, parsley, and craisins in. If you are using spinach, add this in too.

10. Taste to see if you need any additional oil, salt, or pepper and serve.

Kamut with Ground Lamb Medallions

Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Pecan Shortbread

As I have often admitted in previous posts, I am not a baker. I like cooking, where I can fudge the recipe a bit and still get glamourous results. Baking requires strict adherence to ratios and techniques that are often beyond my skill — okay, patience — level. However, a friend invited Mike and I over for breaking the Yom Kippur fast, and I thought I should bring some kind of culinary hostess gift. I needed something light and refreshing, because it was the first time some of us were eating in 24 hours, but also tasty, since this friend is a major foodie who, while always generous in cooking praise, I still feel a need to impress. I had to pack up the dessert and transport it to the East Village in the rain, so the dish needed to be a bit durable and able to serve at room temperature. This meant cookies. Not just any cookies, but crispy and nutty pecan shortbread. I saw the recipe long ago on the Barefoot Contessa and appreciate the mix of salty bite with the natural sweetness of the pecans and sweet cream butter…the cup of sugar probably didn’t hurt either.

I followed the recipe, with the exception of adding a bit of cinnamon for  warmth and extra deliciousness. I had some trouble rolling out the dough, because of both the lack of counter space I have in my kitchen and perhaps the amount of flour I used in rolling, the dough seemed a tiny bit too dry, even though the finished product turned out fine. I learned that you can either try making clean beautiful shapes or more messy hand rolled version of these treats, but the taste is wonderful either way.

Pecan Shortbread (made about 40 cookies)

Note: I doubled the recipe, but the original can be found here, adapted only slightly from Ina Garten

Ingredients

6 sticks of unsalted sweet cream butter at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons almond extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon or so of cinnamon (optional)

7 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

3 cups of pecans, toasted and chopped into small pieces

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer or with a spatula by hand (which I did), mix the butter and sugar together until blended

3. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and lightly incorporate

4. Add the salt and flour (and cinnamon), then the pecans, until the dough comes together

5. Form the dough into 2 discs and wrap each in plastic and put into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes

6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (you will need to repeat this process one more time)

7. Take out one disc and either roll until 1/2 inch thick and cut with a cookie cutter or take small pieces of dough and flatten with your hand into basic circles–call it the rustic look. You can also add a bit of cinnamon on the tops of the cookies at this point instead of in the dough

8. Bake cookies for 20-22 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden

9. Repeat steps 7 & 8 with the second disc of dough

10. Cool on a rack until the cookies are  room temperature and store up to a week

Enjoy!

PS: More pictures to come