I made these the other day while preparing for a dairy lunch party.  I used my original recipe from a post I did in 2014.  The recipe worked great, correct measurements, the only thing different instead of water I used the juice from the orange I zested and for the corn flour I used premium polenta. I did not have any orange water in the refrigerator so I only used used rose water, but rather than double up on the rose water as one might expect, I just used an extra teaspoon of orange juice, since rose water can get leave a cloying taste when too much is added.  A delicious cookie in these weeks when many don’t eat meat.

Mamoul Cookies

Yield 24

Filling:

12 ounces pitted dates (I used Medjool dates)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup walnuts

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 teaspoon fresh orange juice

Dough:

2 1/ 2 cups flour

1/ 2 cup corn polenta

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon rose water

2 to 4 teaspoons orange juice

Place filling ingredients in bowl of food processor.  Pulse until it becomes a chunky paste, not perfectly smooth.  Remove filling from food processor and place in a medium bowl, then set aside while you make dough.

Measure flour and cornmeal into a medium bowl and set aside.  Slice butter into chunks and place into bowl of mixer.  Add sugar to butter and start mixer on lowest setting.  As sugar is incorporated slowly increase speed of mixer.  Thoroughly cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Next, add vanilla, rose water, and orange water, then incorporate.  Blend in flour mix and mix on medium low until all combined. Do not over mix.  Remove dough from mixer and form 24 equal balls.

Heat oven to 350° F.  Form a 2 and 1/ 2 inch circle of dough with each ball.  Place approximately 1 tablespoon of date filling in the center of each circle.  Close circle around filling and then, roll it back into a ball shape.  Place re-rolled ball in Mamoul mold and press down to fill.  Tap the mold on the counter to dump out cookie.  Set cookie on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Repeat until all of the Mamoul are on cookie sheet.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until very pale gold.  Remove baking sheet from oven and remove cookies to a cooling rack.  Store Mamoul in and airtight container.  Mamoul may be dusted with powdered sugar before serving.  Mamoul may be frozen.

I have not posted in a while but I wanted to let everyone know that I am alive and well with all of my family. Last year my son got married in Israel to a beautiful girl, she is Israeli American, half Iraqi and half Hungarian…so our family ethnic mix continues to expand…I love it. My consuegra is the best and a fantastic cook as well. We are all hanging in through Corona, The bad air from the fires, the nasty riots…So I wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

This is my menu for this year:
WINE
CHALLAH Capeloto Family Challah

KUFTE DE PRASSA Leek Kufte

SPINACH AND BEET GREEN MUFFINS Spinach and Beet Green Rosh Hashanah Muffins

PUMPKIN BOREKAS Pumpkin Borekas
MEDJOOL DATES, NEW CROP
APPLES, NEW CROP
HONEY, AVOCADO, ORANGE BLOSSOM, BUCKWHEAT, SAGE
FISH,
HEAD OF FISH
BLACK EYED PEAS Black Eyed Peas with Short Ribs, Fijones or Lubia

PERSIAN RICE, SHIRIN POLO from Sephardic Heritage Cookbook from Sephardic Temple Tefereth Israel, Los Angeles
ROAST BEEF Hanukkah Prime Rib
POMEGRANATE CHICKEN Pomegranate Chicken
GREEN BEANS
FRIED ARTICHOKE HEARTS

BAKLAVA Baklava

APPLE CAKE Pink Lady Apple Apple Cake
FRESH FRUIT AND TEA

Rosh Hashana 2019, 5780

I am having a hard time accepting the fact that Summer 2019 is drawing to a close and Rosh Hashana will be upon us in a couple of weeks.  Here in Los Angeles, the usual September heat wave has begun although late at night there is a hint of coolness in the air, a harbinger of fall.

I have been diligently searching the farmers markets to find newly harvested apples.  So far I have been successful in my search for New Medjool Dates, a delicious mouthful of creamy, intensely sweet and sticky goodness.  Last week I found large, very fresh green leeks for my kuftes de prassa as well as many kinds of honey, including the rare avocado honey.  Did you know that every kind of honey, i.e. Sage, Wildflower, Orange Blossom, has a different taste depending on which kind of tree orchard the bees were in.  One stall in the market had newly dried Black Eyed Peas for sale so I bought those as well.  No luck on Pomegranates yet, though they should be harvested any minute now.  I wish I had enough space in my city garden to plant a pomegranate tree. As you know I pursue all of these specific foods in order to fill my menu with the Simanim (Yehi Ratzones) or foods we say blessings on for the New  Year.

Rosh Hashana makes me very nostalgic for the days growing up in Seattle’s Sephardic community.  My mother, Nona, was cooking and cleaning like crazy..not only the dishes for Rosh Hashana but also canning and preserving fruits and late harvest items that would no longer be available fresh in the coming Fall and Winter months.  It was a time when everything had its season more clearly defined than today.  Now that I am the one that carries on the traditions, and  my family is starting to expand, I am very excited to do my Rosh Hashana preparations.  Following is my menu for this year.  I wish all of you a Tizku LeShanim Rabot- Moadim LeSimha.  A Happy and Healthy and Sweet New Year.

Pastelicos
Wine, Challah
Avocado (rare) Honey
) Sage, Wildflower
New Crop Apples
Kuftes de prassa, Leek patties ( try rolling in Panko after the egg dip)
New Crop Medjool
Rosh Hashana Muffins with beets and spinach

Fijones (stewed with short ribs)Black eyed peas
Pomegranate arils salad
Fried Halibut with Huevo Lemon
Pumpkin Borekas
Baked head of fish

My Favorite Brisket
Roast Turkey, w/cranberry sauce
Fasoulia (Green Beans)
Green Salad
Rice Pilaf
Parsnip, potato, celery root latkes

Garnet Yam Cake
Triangle Baklava
Fresh fruit
Cranberry Crisp
Apple almond cake
Mixed Biscotti

Be sure to make plenty of these.

Pumpkin Borekas

Borekas are Sephardic Jewish pastries both savory and sweet baked until crisp and pale gold.  I make borekas with homemade dough, the way my mom and my Nona (grandmother) did.  Once a year, for Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah I make a version filled with cinnamon-scented pumpkin.  Pumpkin or squash is one of the Simanim or Yehi Ratzones, symbolic foods over which blessings are recited for the New Year.

Filling:

3 cups pure canned pumpkin

1 and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/ 2 cup brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

Dough:

4 cups unbleached flour

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup safflower oil

1 cup ice water

Topping:

1 egg, beaten

1 cup sesame seeds

Heat a non-stick fry pan on medium heat; add pumpkin and turn heat down to low.  Stir with a wooden spoon, until any excess moisture has evaporated and pumpkin is stiff enough to hold its shape or about 5 minutes.  Do not brown pumpkin. Cool the pumpkin down and then, stir filling ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Filling should not be runny and should retain its shape if mounded. 

For dough, place flour in a medium size mixing bowl.  Add salt and blend.  Whisk oil and water together in a two cup glass measuring pitcher.  Stir liquid into flour with a fork.  Using your hands, gently gather dough into a ball.  Squeeze dough together but do not knead it like bread.

Divide dough into 48 pieces a little larger than a shelled walnut and place on work surface.  Roll each piece in your hands to make a smooth ball.  Using a rolling pin, flatten each ball out into an even circle about 2 and 1/ 2 inches in diameter.  Do not flour or grease work surface.  Take care not to roll over edges of the circles, as this will thin out edges.

Roll out first 24 pieces.  This number fits onto a rimmed baking sheet perfectly if you make three columns of 8.  Place a teaspoon or so of filling in center of each circle.  Fold circles in half and seal edges of resulting half moon shapes by pressing down and then by twisting them into a rope like edge.  This signature edge (repulgo in Ladino, Judeo Spanish) takes a little practice.  Alternatively, you may use the tines of a fork to seal edges.  Make sure no pumpkin is oozing out, or borekas will leak when baking.  Repeat rolling and filling process with remaining dough pieces.

Brush top of each boreka with beaten egg and dip it in sesame seeds.  Place on prepared baking sheet.  I use a silpat, silicone baking sheet liner, for easy clean up or parchment paper works great as well.

Bake borekas at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden color.  Remove from oven and place each one gently on a cooling rack. Make these up to 1 month ahead and freeze in an airtight container.  To reheat, defrost, and heat on a baking sheet in a 300º F oven for 10 minutes to crisp.

Passover 2019 Menu

I realize that I have not posted in a very long time.  I apologize to my readers for that, but life has been mostly very good and very busy and that is a good thing.  No complaints from me.  My family is growing and I have chosen to pursue many other interests although I still cook and bake a lot for enjoyment and to delight and please my family.  I hope to one day soon publish my second book with recipes for everyday life and holidays.  In the meantime I have my Passover menu ready and I thought I would share links to many of my recipes that I have already started prepping.

Schmura Matzo, Regular Matzo, Horseradish (Chrain), Parsley, Celery, Green Onions, Romaine lettuce, Hard boiled Eggs, Lamb Shanks, Haroset, Salmon, Gefilte Fish, Soup, Matzo Balls, Stuffed Onions, Kufte de Prassa (Leek Meatballs), Felichikas (Farfel Mushroom Muffins), Artichokes, Asparagus, Brisket, Roast Chicken, Stuffed Veal Breast Pocket, Sorbet, Individual Brownies, Banana Cake, Lemon Curd Filled Pavlova, Mandel Bread, Marunchinos, Mustachudos, and Chocolate Raspberry Semifreddo.

Note on the veal breast I left out the Panko and substituted 1 cup of quinoa instead (mix into sauteed vegetables after you cook it), I also used dried mushrooms and fresh Shitake mushrooms, no pomegranate seeds or pistachios, but I did add dried apricots pieces and dried cranberries.

I hope you all have a good and kosher Passover. Enjoy your families and I will try to post more often.

Bone Broth is one of the latest health buzz words.  Touted as contributing to good gut health some of the following are also attributed to a cup of bone broth a day Protects Joints. Maintains Healthy Skin. Supports Immune System Function. Boosts Detoxification. Aids the Metabolism

So how to have access to that cup a day?  SOUPER CUBES is a great solution.  Make it, strain it, freeze it, in one cup cubes…what could be better.

You will need bones with meat, like beef short ribs, knuckle bones, marrow bones.  Tell your butcher you need soup bones with meat on them. Roast the bones in an open roasting pan in a  400° F oven for about 40 min to 1 hour. In a huge stainless soup pot or stock pot, add the roasted bones, water to about ¾ of the pot.   Add a whole onion, leek (washed and trimmed), carrots, celery, parsley, garlic, and parsnip.  The vegetables could be onion roasted as well.  As the broth comes to a boil you will need to skim fat and scum as it surfaces.  Once boiling and scum stops surfacing, turn the soup temperature down and let it just simmer and bubble for as many hours as you can  3 to 5 maybe.

Cool soup refrigerated overnight.  The next day you can remove all of the congealed fat from the surface.  Strain everything out of the broth, and there you have it ready to freeze.  I am a bone marrow fan so in my one cup portions I put a piece of marrow, which  you can see.  It is a taste treat.

This year 2018, a couple of weeks before Passover I had quite a few over ripe bananas..Once Purim passes It is time to plan for Pesach in my mind so I thought to alter my recipe and make a banana cake for Passover.  As you have guessed by now it was a big hit…and disappeared quickly off the Seder dessert buffet.

Cake

1.  Grease 2 nine inch layer pans and set aside. Use kosher for Passover non stick spray.  Pre heat oven to 350° F and place a rack in the middle section.

2.  Mash about 4 over ripe bananas in a medium mixing bowl, then measure out 2 cups in to a large mixing bowl…discard the rest

3.  Add 2 cups of granulated sugar and whisk into bananas. Next add 1 cup oil, I use kosher for Passover safflower oil, and whisk until well combined

4.  Separate 4 extra large eggs.  Add yolks to banana batter.  Add 2 teaspoon of Passover Vanilla as well. Set egg whites aside for a moment.

5.  Measure out 3 cups of blanched almond flour and 1 cup matzo cake flour, combine and add to the banana batter.

6.  Add zest of one large orange and 2 tablespoons of orange juice.  Add 1 cup of chopped bittersweet chocolate 55%, like chocolate chip size.

7. In a mixing bowl beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until getting stiff and then add 2 tablespoons of sugar gradually in a steady stream with the mixer running and beat until stiff.  Fold egg whites into banana batter carefully as to not deflate.

8.  Divide batter equally among the greased pans.  Place pans in the hot oven.  Bake about 30 minutes and then reduce heat to 325° F and continue baking another 15 to 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.  About 45 to 50 minutes total.

9. Remove pans from oven and cool on racks for about 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge and invert to remove cake.

10.  Cake can be wrapped and frozen at this point or continue to assemble.

Chocolate Glaze:

1.  In a medium bowl over a pan of simmering water ( a double boiler) melt 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, from bars kosher for Passover ( I use Schmerlings 72%) with 1/2 cup water, 3/ 4 cup margarine (must be kosher for Passover) or butter, and 3 tablespoons Safflower oil, kosher for Passover.

2.  Combine 3/4 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl .

3.  Stir all ingredients in double boiler bowl until melted together.  It will not look smooth or shiny. Remove the bowl and set on a dish towel on the counter.

4.  Pour cocoa sugar mix into bowl of melted chocolate.  Stir until sugar dissolves and glaze is smooth and shiny.

4.  Let glaze cool until thickened slightly.

Banana in the Middle

1.  Peel and slice in thin rounds 2 bananas. Place 2 Tablespoons of margarine or butter in a sauté pan along with 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2. Sauté bananas until caramelized, and set aside to cool

Assembly:

When glaze reaches a thick consistency use a spatula to top one layer and spread glaze to edges.  Top this with the cooled caramelized bananas. Next place the second layer of cake on top and frost the whole cake with the remaining chocolate glaze.  Sprinkle with some roasted almond slivers if you like .  Keep refrigerated.  This is great for Pesach and it is easily done pareve.

I want to wish any readers a very Happy Pesach… What could be better than a celebration of becoming free people after hundreds of years of cruel slavery?  Pesach coinciding with spring brings to mind the rebirth, renewal of the human spirit as we shed our bondage and the natural world comes to life again after winter.  Let’s be happy and celebrate our good fortune in this world.  Make a feast to share with others, invite guests and be generous.

This year I plan to serve a large meal and I will link the listing to the recipes so you can just click:

Matzo, Wine, Celery Sticks, Romaine Lettuce, Parsley, Hard Boiled Eggs (Huevos Haminados),

Shank Bone, Salt Water or Apple Cider Vinegar, Horseradish,

http://www.theglobaljewishkitchen.com/2010/03/09/haroset-sephardi/#more-2584Haroset                       Soup                Salmon (Pescado Con Tomat)

Gefilte Fish                  Leek Meatballs (Kuftes De Prassa)

Mushroom Dumplings (Felichikas)                 Passover Rolls

Stuffed Onions (Saboyas Reiyenas)                Passover Brisket  

Passover Stuffed Mini Chickens                      Asparagus                   Artichokes

Pavlova                        Passover Biscotti                     Passover Individual Brownies

Marunchinos               Semifreido

Tea and Coffee

Enjoy the evenings, Linda

Oops I forgot the Veal Pocket.

I want to introduce to you my latest kitchen tool.  Invented by my son and daughter in law the item is called Souper Cubes.  Souper Cubes Extra-Large Silicone Ice Cube Tray – makes 4 perfect 1cup portions – freeze soup broth or sauce.   It is a tool for freezing soup, sauce, fruit puree or whatever else your creativity leads you to want to freeze in convenient 1 cup cubes.  This is the perfect size for a cup of soup on a cold day, a portion for one of spaghetti sauce, a cup of turkey chili.  You can freeze fruit, pureed at its peak, for later use in sauce, dessert, smoothies or Kombucha flavoring. I have also frozen, Picadillo Soup and Sephardic Avicas or white bean soup. The web site is https://www.spupercubes.com

If you have lemon, lime or blood orange trees in your yard  you can freeze juice when you have to many.

It is simple and easy, I filled the cubes with my soup, popped it in the freezer until the cubes were solid and then removed the Souper Cube from the freezer , push out the cubes of soup.  place the little bricks in a freezer bag, (4 or 8 fit perfectly fit in the 1 gallon ziploc bag,  label it and back in the freezer for whenever you want to use them.  They stack better this way in the freezer and take up less room.  The Souper Cube goes right in the dishwasher and you are ready to reuse it.  Although I must confess true to my slightly obsessive tendency I own many.

Souper Cubes is available on Amazon, at Williams Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, Dillard’s,  Food 52,  The Grommet and many other retail outlets as well as https://www.soupercubes.com .  They also come in a 2 cup size and have cubes for cookies, 2 tablespoon size and many more to come.

I hope to put out some Passover recipes.  Look for my post next week where I will give my menus for the two nights of Seder.  In the mean time Purim Alegre….

Yield 8 to 12 servings

8 large carrots in mixed colors, orange, yellow, purple and red, peeled

Dressing:

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

2 large cloves garlic, finely minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon of jalapeño pepper, finely minced

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup your best olive oil

¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Place the whole carrots in the boiling water and cook until just cooked through (not too soft), about 8 minutes.  Test my pushing a thin knife through the carrot.  It should go through with just a little bit of resistance.  Drain the carrots immediately and set them aside to cool.

When the carrots are cool, trim the ends and slice them in thin, one eighth to one quarter inch thick circles.  Put the carrots in a salad bowl.   Place all the salad dressing ingredients in a gall pitcher or measure.  When you are choosing garlic make sure to choose cloves that are firm and almost crisp with absolutely no green shoots coming out.  If there are green shoots coming out of the garlic, it does not have a good flavor.  Stir all of the dressing ingredients together.

Pour dressing over the carrots and toss.  The carrot salad is best of made a few hours ahead of time and allowed to sit in the refrigerator.  Leftovers keep for a few days.

Happy Purim to everyone.  Since we changed the clocks last weekend and the days are lighter longer, I feel revitalized.  Tacky as it may sound I have a spring in my step, the birds are chirping, the bees buzzing and the air is perfumed with the smells of citrus blossoms.  Cherry trees are thick with their tissue looking clouds of pink blossoms and the herbs I planted in my new front garden have taken hold.

In this year’s Purim Platicos or Mishloach Manot I am including, a small bottle of grape juice, a challah roll from one of two new Challah recipes I have just created to use at the annual post Pesach Challah baking class I give at the Sephardic Temple every year, a bag of Jordan Almonds, a bag of my new Macadamia Nut Biscotti, a bag of Fabulous Hamantashen with new apricot pistachio filling, mini Chocolate Espresso Cakes, mini bags of Jellie Bellies and chocolate covered glace’d apricots. Also included are Jazzy Oatmeal cookies and Chocolate Cherry Marzipan Bars.  Indulge a little, set your diet aside for one evening and enjoy a few treats.

This new kind of biscotti was a hit with Michael, Grandpa and everyone who received some

Macadamia Nut Biscotti with Dried Cranberries

Biscotti are such a wonderful cookie and very Sephardic in spirit since they are great dunked in Turkish coffee.  I baked a new version of biscotti the other day since in my morning farm market walk I bought some freshly harvested Macadamia nuts and ground Macadamia nut flour.  Try these, they are addictive.

Yield: 60 to 80

6 cups all purpose unbleached flour, plus 1 cup

2 teaspoons of baking powder

2 teaspoon ground anise

1 generous teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fresh orange zest

4 extra large eggs

2 and 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil, sunflower is great

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 cups ground macadamia nuts

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup whole macadamia nuts

1 cup dried Turkish apricots, chopped in medium (1/2 inch) pieces

Heat oven to 350°F.  Line an aluminum rimmed baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.

Combine 6 cups flour with baking powder, orange zest, and salt in a bowl and set aside.  Reserve last cup flour separately.  Place cracked eggs in bowl of stand mixer, add sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until light in color and thick.  Add oil to eggs and beat, starting at slowest speed, until well combined.  Add orange and lemon juice.  Add ground nuts and mix.  Next, add dry ingredients.  Start mixer on slowest speed until combined.  Lastly add dried cranberries, macadamia nuts, and chopped apricots.  Mix gently to combine and distribute throughout dough.

Flour a work surface like wood or stone using some of reserved flour.  Remove dough from mixer bowl and place on work surface.  Dough may be slightly sticky.  Add some or flour as you knead dough gently until it is smooth.  Use only as much flour as you need to work.  Roll dough into a smooth flat ball and slice into 4 equal pieces.  Form four uniform compact logs patting dough into shape with your hands, about 2 inches in diameter and 10 to 12 inches in length.  Place logs carefully on lined baking sheet, two logs per baking sheet.

Bake until golden in color 25 to 30 minutes.  Remove baking sheet from oven.  Turn oven temperature down to 200°F.  Carefully place biscotti logs on a cutting board without breaking them.  Cut biscotti immediately on a sharp diagonal with a long serrated knife.  You may need to wipe knife off with a towel dampened with hot water to remove any sticky buildup occasionally.  Return sliced biscotti to clean cookie sheets lined with silpats or parchment paper, being careful not to break them, and spread them so air can circulate all around them.  Some biscotti may not look totally cooked through, this will be fixed in the toasting stage.  Toast biscotti in a 200°F oven for two hours and then, turn oven off.  Leave biscotti in oven another 45 minutes or even better, overnight, without opening the door.  The residual heat finishes toasting the biscotti.  Biscotti should be crisp. Store biscotti in an airtight tin.

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