For Erev Yom Kippur dinner last night, I made mashed potatoes.  I thought they were good, but my daughter Randi swooned as she ate some and said, “These potatoes are like fluffy clouds, they’re so light!  She asked me if I had done anything different than usual to which I said I didn’t, but I realized I’d better write down what I did do!

5 lbs. organic Idaho potatoes

2 sticks Whole Foods salted butter

about 1/2 cup whole, organic milk

salt (not kosher)

about 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Peel potatoes.  Cut into largish pieces and put in large pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil (uncovered), and simmer over low boil till you can put a fork into potatoes easily.  Drain in colander.  Put your sticks of butter back in pot to melt over low flame.  Add potatoes back in, and mash.  Add salt to taste and pepper too.  Then add milk, and mash till nice and fluffy.

I like to keep a  one pound bag of split peas in the house just in case we’re in the mood for pea soup. We just had the big blizzard the day after Christmas, and I was snowed in with my son Benji.  I couldn’t have been happier.  He loves soup, I love him, so I made him a pot of delicious, warming soup.  It was a great day.

1 pound bag of green split peas

1 pound bag of yellow split peas

2 large  onion

4 quarts water

about pound of organic carrots, cut into smallish chunks

kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Rinse the peas.  Put in large saucepan.  Pour the water over.  Peel onions and then pierce with a fork, and place in pot whole.  Put sliced carrots in pot.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Simmer covered about 2 hours over low flame, adding your salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with thin egg noodles, matzoh balls, cooked Kosher hot dogs pieces, or just plain.

My son Danny asked me to make sweet and sour meatballs, so I looked at a few different recipes, and then came up with this.  Both my boys really loved the meatballs, but I still like the texture more of meatballs made with beef.  I’m planning to make them this year for the Jewish Holidays, but I think I’ll use organic chopped meat instead of the turkey.  The sauce was delicious! I served them with baked stuffed potatoes, but they’d go well with mashed potatoes too.

Ingredients:

for the meatballs:

• two pounds ground beef, or ground turkey (I used Empire Kosher ground turkey)- (I’ll use 3 pounds of organic beef the next time I made them)
• 2 large or extra large eggs (3 eggs for 3 lbs. of beef or turkey)
• 1/3 cup ketchup (1/2 cup for 3 pounds of beef or turkey)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (1 1/2 teaspoons for 3 lbs.)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (1 1/2 teaspoons for 3 lbs.)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (opt.) (I didn’t use when I used 3 lbs. of beef or turkey)
• about 3/4 cup plain bread crumbs (or matzoh meal for Passover) (one cup for 3 lbs. of beef or turkey)
• 4 oz. unsweetened apple sauce (I used this to give the turkey some moistness) (I used this same amount when I used 3 lbs. of beef)
• 1/2  onion, grated (didn’t use for beef)

Mix all ingredients together gently.  Dampen your hands and make into meatballs about 1 1/2  in. in diameter.   Set aside while you make the sauce.

for the sauce:

• • one (14 oz.) can jellied cranberry sauce (2 cans for 3 pounds of beef or turkey)
  • one (12 oz.) jar chili sauce (2 jars for 3 pounds of beef or turkey)
  • 1/3 cup dark brown sugar about 2/3 cup for 3 pounds of beef or turkey)
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons lemon juice (2 T. for 3 pounds of beef or turkey)

• 1/2 small 3 oz. can tomato paste (the tomato paste cuts the sweetness and makes the sauce rich) (1 small can for 3 lbs. of beef or turkey)

In largish pot, put all above ingredients.  Stir over low flame until everything is dissolved.  Place meatballs in carefully.  Place over lowest flame, cover, and simmer for about 30-40 minutes without touching the meatballs.  When the meatballs are firm enough, stir very gently.  Cover and cook for about another hour, mixing gently every so often.

You can serve immediately, refrigerate and heat up later, or freeze in freezer containers when it is cool enough.

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1. Pour the whole jar of chili sauce into a 4 quart saucepan. Fill the chili sauce jar with water and add the water to the pan.
2. Add the can of cranberry sauce and cook over medium-low heat until the cranberry sauce melts.

Directions for Making the Meatballs:

1. While the sauce is cooking, mix the meat, egg, and onion together.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients (bread crumbs through black pepper) to the meat mixture and combine well.
3. After the cranberry sauce has melted, roll the meat mixture into walnut sized balls and gently drop into the sauce.
4. Cover the pan and cook the meatballs on medium low for one hour.

This recipe makes around twenty-four meatballs. Serve them with plenty of challah to soak up the delicious sauce.

Sources

Read more at Suite101: Sweet and Sour Cranberry Meatballs http://recipes.suite101.com/article.cfm/sweet-and-sour-cranberry-meatballs#ixzz0wvMfRISf

I have made pea soup for years.  For years, I made it with flanken.  My mother, father, and children loved it.  My in-law Marcia Greenhouse though had the brilliant idea of making the soup without meat and adding matzah balls to the recipe!  Since her son and my daughter were both vegetarians who couldn’t eat chicken soup with matzah balls, she decided, why not make the matzah balls with pea soup?  The consensus in the family is that Marcia’s matza balls are better than mine, and I totally agree.  My daughter Randi always asks me why Marcia’s matzah balls are better than mine, and I just don’t have the answer.   Here is the recipe for my delicious pea soup and my and Marcia’s matzah balls.  Oh, I made a really big pot, and then I freeze the rest in quart containers (with the matza balls).

for the soup: 

• 6 tubes of Manischewitz split pea soup mix (I throw the seasoning packets away)
• about 24 cups of cold water (about 5 quarts)
• kosher salt, about 2 tablespoons or to taste
• pepper, about 2 – 3 teaspoons or to taste
• 2 large onions, peeled – but left whole
• 2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into medium sized chunks
• optional – 1/2 box of alphabet noodles or barley shaped noodles (only if you are not making matzah balls)

Pour the contents of  6 tubes of Manischewitz pea soup mix into the bottom of a very large pot.  Pour in about 24 cups of water (about 4 cups of water for each soup mix packet).  Pierce the two onions with a fork and place in pot.  Bring to a boil.  Skim scum off top.  Add salt and pepper.  Lower flame to low.  Simmer with top on.  After about one hour, add the cut up carrots.  Continue to simmer with cover on  for at least one more hour until you don’t see any more pieces of dried peas.  Discard onions.  If you are adding the noodles, boil them separately and then add them to the soup when the soup is fully cooked.

for the matzah balls:

• 1 box (2 packets) Manishewitz matzah ball mix
• oil and eggs- for quantities, see instructions on box

Follow directions on the box exactly.  Refrigerate batter, according to directions on the box.  Then, form the matzah balls using dampened hands.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and boil the matzah balls to that pot and cook according to package directions.  Add  cooked matzah balls to the soup.

Note:  Freeze leftover soup and matzah balls in quart containers. 

I adapted this recipe from my Aunt Florence Fried’s recipe for the filling of her stuffed cabbage.  When I used to make stuffed cabbage, I would make extra meatballs for my children.  My son Danny was the one who really loved these.  My mother loved when I made this, but my father especially loved when I made the stuffed cabbage.

for the meatballs or the filling of the stuffed cabbage:

• 4 pounds chop meat (85% or 90% lean)
• 4 eggs
• about 1 cup of plain bread crumbs (or matzah meal for Passover)
• 1 cup ketchup
• salt and pepper to taste

for the sauce for the sweet and sour meatballs or the stuffed cabbage:

• 4- 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
• 4- 6 oz. cans tomato paste (I use Contadina)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon sour salt (or substitute 1 more lemon for sour salt 9/11)
• juice of a lemon
• 2 cups packed dark brown sugar (reduce to 1 1/2 cups)

if you are making stuffed cabbage:

• 1 large head of new cabbage

for making the sweet and sour meatballs:

Put all the sauce ingredients in a large pot.  Put over low flame and whisk till blended.  Then form meat mixture into meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Gently drop meatballs into pot.  Simmer covered over a low flame about 2 1/2 hours.    Do not stir until your meatballs have set after about 1/2 hour or so.  If you mix while they are still raw, they will not retain their shape.

for stuffed cabbage:

Core and put 1 large head of new cabbage in a very large pot.  Pour cold water in to cover.  Simmer covered until the leaves are soft enough to separate.  Lay out one leaf of cabbage at a time.  Put about one tablespoon of meat mixture in center but towards the bottom of the leaf, then begin to roll up, then fold both sides over, and continue to roll.  Do with each leaf until you have used all the leaves.  Put half of your sauce mixture in bottom of a very large pot.  Then put all of the cabbage rolls, then the rest of the sauce on top.  If you have any leftover meat, make meatballs out of them and add to the top of the pot.  Simmer with the top on about 2 1/2 hours.

Note:  This freezes very well.

This dish is easy to make, healthy, delicious, and the colors are beautiful.  I made this for my son Danny and myself, and to my shock, Danny loved it, even though he doesn’t usually like string beans.

Ingredients

• • 1 pound of fresh string beans, ends trimmed
  • about 8-10 plum tomatoes or 2 pints of grape or cherry tomatoes
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • about 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves (optional)
  • olive oil (I use light)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a half sheet pan with aluminum foil.  Cut plum tomatoes into medium size chunks, each about the size of a half of a cherry tomato.  If using cherry or grape tomatoes, cut them in half.  Place on prepared sheet pan, drizzle about 2 tablespoons oil over, sprinkle with salt and pepper and thyme.  Toss with your hands to coat well with oil.  Roast uncovered in oven for about 45 minutes.  Then take out, and add the string beans.  Drizzle a little more oil over beans and sprinkle beans with salt and pepper.  Then toss gently.  Roast for another 20-30 minutes until the beans start to brown on the ends.  Serve.

This Chicken Is Wonderful To Make For A Friday Night Shabbat Dinner!

My ex-husband Joe Kahn has two wonderful aunts, his Aunt Francine Shure and his Aunt Helene Caplan.  They were welcoming and loving to me when Joe brought me to their homes in the suburbs outside of Baltimore, Maryland.  I spent the most time at Aunt Francine’s and Uncle Richard’s house.  I loved going there because they were loving, fun, and warm people.  (I really miss those times!)  I also loved going to Frannie’s house because she was (and still is, I’m sure) a fantastic cook.  This recipe for broiled chicken and potatoes was often served when Joe and I were invited over for dinner.  Joe has told me many times about the wonderful Friday night (Shabbat) dinners that were held at his house hosted by his mother Bernice Kahn.  Joe remembers that Aunt Helene was in charge of the chicken.  She prepared it at her house and brought it over because there just wasn’t enough room in Bernice’s oven to cook all the chicken for the 18 or so people who were going to be eating.  Joe has unbelievably wonderful memories of those Friday night dinners.  A memory I have of eating this meal in Richard and Francine’s dining room is how much Richard enjoyed Francine’s cooking, and how complimentary he was about everything she put on the table. It was just fun to be with them!  Please try this recipe – it is a foolproof recipe for delicious chicken!

• 1 or 2 whole chickens, cut up in eighths
• kosher salt *(optional- see note below)
• pepper, garlic powder, and paprika
• dried onion flakes OR 1-2 onions, minced
• 1 or 2 large cans of whole baby white potatoes
• light olive oil or schmaltz (chicken fat)

for the chicken:

Preheat oven to broil.  Cover a half sheet pan with heavy duty aluminum foil.

Season the cut up pieces of chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika on both sides.  Place on prepared pan so the bottom of the chicken is facing up.  Broil until the top of chicken is nicely browned, 5-10 minutes.  Then turn and broil until the skin side of the chicken is nicely browned, about 5-10minutes.  Then cover with aluminum foil and cook at 325  degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour more. the cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces.

for the potatoes:

Take the potatoes out of the can and rinse them well in cold water.  Put a little oil or schmaltz in a cast iron skillet or any type of frying pan.  Fry the minced onions, seasoning them with a some paprika and some salt.  When the onions are starting to brown, throw the potatoes in with the onions.  Season the potatoes generously with paprika and a little kosher salt (optional).  Toss the potatoes with the onions as the onions brown.  When the onions are really browned, place the potatoes and onions in a serving bowl.

OR

Rinse the potatoes with cold water as above.  Pour a few tablespoons of oil  on the bottom of the casserole dish.  Put the potatoes in the dish.  Sprinkle the potatoes generously with paprika, and place the casserole in the oven uncovered while you are broiling and baking the chicken.  Just be sure that you put the casserole underneath the chicken so that the potatoes don’t burn while you are broiling the chicken.  Toss the potatoes and the onions a few times during the cooking.  If the potatoes don’t have enough color, add a little more paprika.  The potatoes will be ready to serve when the chicken is done.

*Note:  The original recipe calls for NOT USING any salt when you season the chicken.  That’s because Kosher chickens were being used, and Kosher chickens are already salted.  So if you are using Kosher chicken, OR if you are trying to cut down on salt, just eliminate the salt from the recipe.

Learn To Make This Traditional Eastern European Jewish Dish Right In Your Own Home!

Kasha varnishkes is most definitely a Jewish dish that most non-Jews probably never even heard of …until they saw one of my all-time favorite Seinfeld episodes, the one where a rabbi who lived in Elaine’s building said to Elaine, “Would you like to come up to my apartment for some kasha varnishkes?” Larry David’s masterful and incomparable writing unveiled kasha varnishkes to mainstream America and the world. Well, I’ve been making kasha varnishkes for years, and I have an incredible recipe for it which came from my mother’s close friend, Chippy Linder. The first time I tasted Chippy’s kasha varnishkas, I knew I would have to learn how to make her recipe.  I love to make this dish for my daughter Randi and her husband Dan, and for my mother and my son Benji. What really sets this recipe apart from others is the delicious taste of the fried onions and the texture of the miniature bowtie noodles. You may think this dish is hard to make, but it really is quite easy. Once you make it one time, you won’t need to open up another box of Cohen’s frozen kasha varnishkes or pay a lot of money for it at your local deli. Master this recipe and you will be on your way to becoming a real Jewish cook!

• 12 ounces (1 box Ronzoni miniature bowtie pasta- egg bows #138)
• 1- 13 oz. box Wolff’s medium or coarse kasha
• 2-3 pounds of onions
• 2 eggs
• corn, canola, or light olive oil
•  reserved pasta water (from when you boil the bow ties)
• kosher salt
• lots of freshly ground black pepper

Dice onions by hand or using metal blade in food processor. Pour a few tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan. Pour onions into pan, season with kosher salt and pepper, and fry onions over medium flame until well browned but not burned. Set aside pan with the fried onions.

In medium saucepan, put contents of box of kasha, a few dashes of kosher salt and about 10 grinds of cracked pepper. Crack 2 eggs into a small bowl, and then pour into the pan with the kasha. Turn heat to medium. Mix the kasha with the egg with a fork for a few minutes. The kasha will start to dry out. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until the egg has dried on the kasha and the kasha kernels are separate. Add about 3 cups of boiling or very hot water. Stir, and then cover pot and cook over very low flame for 10 minutes until kasha is tender and the liquid is absorbed.  If you think the kasha looks too dry, add another 1/2 to 1 cup of water.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Boil the miniature bowtie noodles according to package directions until just cooked. Drain in colander. Put the pasta in a very large mixing bowl. Add the cooked kasha and the fried diced onions. Mix, and add more salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Add any leftover oil from the pan that you fried the onions in. If you think the kasha varnishkes are too dry, add one tablespoon of oil and a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Mix well. Serve hot.

Note 1: This makes about 3 -4 quarts. If you want to make a smaller quantity, just halve all the ingredients.

Note 2: You can make this 1 or 2 days in advance, and then heat in a bowl in the microwave. When you reheat, you may need to add a drop more oil if the kasha seems too dry and some extra salt and pepper to taste. You can also freeze leftovers in quart containers in the freezer.

Learn To Make This Delicious Fried Veal Or Chicken Cutlets With Fried Potatoes!>
I have many wonderful memories from my childhood associated with the Linder family. Chippy and Dave Linder and their children Meryl and Michael were very, very close friends of our family, and I loved being with them. What a wonderful family they were! I especially loved being around Chippy. She had (and still has) a quick wit. She just had a unique way of saying things; I never wanted to miss one word. Everything that came out of Chippy’s mouth seemed to have a touch of common sense and wisdom, tinged with humor. A memory I have is sitting in her beautiful kitchen on Buttfield Drive in Plainfield, New Jersey and just enjoying being there and listening to her talk. Anyway, I’m pretty sure that Chippy got this recipe from her wonderful and legendary mother in law, Rose Linder. This recipe calls for veal cutlets, but when I have made it, I have used chicken cutlets. If you try this recipe, you will not be disappointed!

• • 1 pound of veal or chicken cutlets
  • matzoh meal
  • corn flakes crumbs
  • 2 pounds of potatoes
  • 2 eggs
  • fresh cracked black pepperkosher saltpaprikacorn or light olive oil for frying

Parboil about 2 pounds of small red or small yukon gold potatoes until they are just starting to get soft. (If you are using red potatoes, you can leave the skins on. If you are not, then peel the potatoes before you parboil them.) As soon as you can pierce the potatoes with a fork or a knife, drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Slice into 1/4 inch thick slices, and sprinkle with a little kosher salt (if you are using salt) and paprika, and set aside.

Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and mix with 2 teaspoons of water, some kosher salt, and some fresh cracked pepper. Then pour equal amounts of matzoh meal and cornflakes crumbs onto a plate. Dip the cutlets first into the egg mixture on both sides, and then into the matzoh meal and corn flakes crumbs mixture on both sides. Then sprinkle some paprika on top of the cutlets. Pour some oil in a large frying pan, only about 1/8 of an inch high. When the oil is hot, place cutlets in. Toss the sliced potatoes in with the veal or chicken. As you fry and turn the cutlets and the potatoes, the potatoes will start to brown and pick up some of the crumbs too. Fry the veal or chicken and the potatoes until they are beautifully browned. Serve.

Try This Delicious Recipe For Oven-Fried Fish! 

This recipe was my mother in law, Bernice Kahn’s original recipe.  Bernice was an excellent cook, and this recipe for her oven fried fish was one of her specialties and a huge family favorite.  When I came into the family and everyone found out how much I liked to cook and eat really good food, they told me about Bernice’s wonderful oven fried fish.  After I got married, I started to make it and it was as delicious as everyone claimed!  My mother, father, and ex-husband Joe really loved it when I made this dish.  This fish is so easy to make, and it is delicious!

• 1 1/2 pounds thicker mild fish fillets such as scrod or halibut
• 1 to 1 1/2  sticks of melted margarine or butter (I use Fleischmann’s margarine)
• 1 jumbo or 2 small eggs mixed with 1 teaspoon of water and a little kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• matzoh meal (which you pour onto a plate and then mix with some kosher salt and pepper)
• fresh lemon slices, tartar sauce, and coctail sauce for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cover a half sheet pan with heavy duty aluminum foil.  Melt 1 1/2 sticks of margarine right in the oven on the sheet pan for 5 minutes or so.  Pour the melted margarine into a shallow bowl.   Dip the fish fillets first in seasoned egg mixture on both sides.  Then place on plate with matzoh meal which you have already seasoned with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.  Turn the fish fillets to make sure they are coated with the matzoh meal on both sides.  Then take the coated fish fillets and dip them on both sides into the  melted margarine, making sure that all surface areas of the fish are coated.  Then place on prepared baking pan.  Cook for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Then change the setting on the oven to broil.  Broil fish (not too close to the flame) for another 10 minutes.  Serve with fresh lemon wedges, tartar sauce, or coctail sauce.

Note:  Thinner fish fillets such as flounder or sole do not work out well for this dish because of the longer cooking time involved.