full of beans

often seen at picnics, get-togethers, potluck dinners and bbq's, bean salads are popular because they keep well and are very simple to make. they are also very inexpensive, can be made the night before (they should be to improve flavours!), and do not deteriorate quickly as do many other salads.


there really aren't any hard & steadfast rules for making a bean salad — it is essentially just a mix of your favourite beans, vegetables and salad dressing. the only real rule is to let the salad marinate for a few hours so the vegetables and beans can absorb the flavours of the marinade you are using. i tend not to go too heavy on the vegetables and prefer a balanced dressing, and not one which is highly acidic.

served in small portions, the following will stay good for at least a full week. the salad tastes best served at room temperature. if the flavours have faded a bit over the following days, you can perk things up by adding a bit more of "this and that" before serving.


marinated bean salad

makes enough for 6 - 8 people

ingredients:

19 oz can mixed beans (or your fave)

1/4 - 1/2 large green pepper
2 - 3 sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/8 - 1/4 red onion
4 - 6 tbsp corn

2 - 3 tbsp olive oil
2 -3 tbsp vinegar (reg white or apple cider)
1 -2 tbsp honey*
1/4 tsp each garlic & onion powder (or 1 clove chopped garlic)
1/4 tsp salt - or more
1/8 tsp black pepper

chopped parsley or coriander (optional)

*can use brown rice syrup (vegan) or regular sugar also.

method:

drain and rinse the beans and set aside in a strainer so all the water runs off.

meanwhile, prepare the vegetables: thinly slice the green pepper and red onions, chop the sun dried tomatoes and measure out the corn. place the vegetables in a bowl.

add or change the vegetables as you like. some people typically add cooked green (haricot) beans as a standard.

add the drained beans to the vegetables and then add the dressing ingredients. mix everything together and add the parsley or coriander if using.

let the salad marinate for a few hours on the counter. the cold of the fridge tends to slow the absorption process so let it marinate first.

simple, quick and easy

enjoy!

kitchen essentials — basic vegetable broth

one of the essential items in any good kitchen is stock [broth], be it from an animal source — like chicken, beef or fish — or from vegetables. a vegeterian stock is easier and faster to make than one like chicken and can almost always be used in any recipe you are making, especially if you follow kashrut.

the following recipe will take about one hour to cook and leave you with a very good tasting vegetarian stock which can be used right away or divided up and frozen in either half cup or one cup portions (some people like to freeze their stock in ice cube trays). freezing your broth is a good idea as you always have some on hand.

an advantage to making your own vegetable broth is that you can decide what flavours you like and control the level of salt and seasonings. in addition, this particular one which i found years ago in some book someone lent me (name of it now long forgotten!), and uses up common vegetables we often have, many of which are laying around in the vegetable bins of our refrigerators.

you can use whichever vegetables you want but be wary of those which are said to leave bitter aftertastes or distinct strong flavours. this also goes for various herbs like parsley (leaves vs stems controversy). people have differing opinions about this topic. go with what you think tastes good and those which you like. different countries have different parameters for which flavours are "good" — in the end, it's a matter of personal tastes. an interesting thing about this recipe is the use of caraway seeds. believe it or not, it makes for a great enhancement and does not leave any distinct caraway (i.e. strong) taste.

an important thing about making this stock provide maximum flavour is the way you prepare your vegetables. this was not part of the original recipe but something i incorporate into most stocks i make which are vegetable based. since most of the flavours are sealed within the vegetables themselves, just throwing them in the soup pot whole or even large chunks does little to extract their essences. cutting root vegetables (the main ingredients in this recipe) lengthwise to expose the most of their inner surface allows for maximum amount of extraction; cross cutting onions and garlic almost to the root ends does the same thing and allows them to be fished out later in their whole state. as a final note, this recipe adds the cleaned skins of the onions to give the stock its golden colour. remove the outer loose skins and wash them well and them wash the skins which cling to the onions before cutting them as mentioned above (keep them attached!).


all purpose easy vegetable stock

makes ~ 8 cups (2 L)

ingredients:

vegetables:

2 large carrots
3 stalks celery
1 good and ripe tomato (leave whole)
2 large parsnips (essential!)
2 medium/largish onions
1/2 head garlic cloves (keep attached)

seasonings/herbs:

2 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp sugar
20 black peppercorns
1/2 - 1 tsp caraway seeds
2 bay leaves

parsley (italian flatleaf type)
small amount of dill, if wanted

method:

wash all your vegetables well and prepare them.

from the carrots, celery and parsnips, remove the root tops. you can peel the carrots and parsnips if they need it or you prefer them that way (if you want to keep them for another purpose later, them peel them).

cut the celery into large chunks and set aside.

cut the parsnips and carrots lengthwise. make sure to do this! then cut them into large chunks and set aside.

take the loose skins (if any) off the onions and wash them and set aside. then take the onion with remaining skin still attached and cut it with a cross cut ALMOST to the ROOT end to keep it whole. set aside.

keeping it whole (attached), clean off the garlic. with a small paring knife make slits in all the garlic buds through the skins, and set aside.

if you are using other vegetables, decide what's best on how to prepare them.

measure out your seasonings and herbs and set aside.

in a large pot, place the vegetables and the seasonings EXCEPT the fresh herbs.

add 8 cups of water only and bring to a boil.

cook the stock on medium low covered for the first 30 minutes.

add the fresh herbs and cook for another 30 minutes.

remove the stock from the stovetop and let it cool down until it's warm.

strain the stock through a FINE sieve and either reserve or discard the carrots, celery or parsnips. the onion and garlic will be for the garbage.

at this point, taste the stock and adjust the seasonings (i.e. more salt/sugar).

use as necessary or freeze the rest.

enjoy!

it's not just for passover!

as i mentioned previously, not all passover dessert recipes are created equally. most people try many different recipes over the years and develop a repertoire of ones they feel are "keepers".

the following recipe, popular around here for the past several years, could be considered as one of those "keepers". part cake, part mousse — it always gets finished quickly and can be served any time of the year, not just at passover. it also contains no matzo meal or matzo cake flour.

the original recipe calls for a little less chocolate than i put but i have found the extra addition helps. it also calls for using chocolate chips. since not all chocolate chips are great quality, i often use the same amount (by weight) with other forms of chocolate [i.e. bars/squares]. you'll have to experiment and see what you like. if you try it using cocoa powder, you'll need to make the conversion as using straight cocoa powder won't work. the recipe also uses margarine to keep it parve or non-dairy. i'm sure you can replace the margarine with butter, if you choose.

there is one thing to consider when making this cake: make sure you use eggs which are extremely fresh. the mousse part of the cake is not cooked and therefore you cannot keep the cake out of the fridge for long periods of time. it is best eaten when served.

also note before starting that the cake is baked in an 8 inch springform type pan which is ungreased. as the cake is not an "unmolded" type one, you will be serving directly from the pan.


easy chocolate mousse cake

ingredients:

1 c (8 oz) chocolate chips or similar chocolate
1/4 lb (1 stick) margarine

7 eggs

1 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla

optional for garnish:

thin chocolate curls or slivered toasted almonds

method:

separate the eggs and place the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another. make sure to use 2 large bowls. if using directly from the fridge, let them sit out to come to room temperature.

in the meantime — in another bowl, either in the microwave with medium low power setting or over a double boiler, melt the chocolate with the margarine. make sure your utensils are completely dry as even one drop of water will make the chocolate seize and ruin everything.

add the vanilla and put chocolate mixture aside to cool.

add only 3/4 c of sugar to the egg yolks and beat them for 5 minutes. make sure to beat them for this long. they should turn whitish coloured and become very thick. set aside.

beat the egg whites until stiff adding the last 1/4 c of sugar slowly by tablespoon (4 tbsp). set aside.

preheat the oven to 325F.

carefully add 1/2 the chocolate to the egg yolks and beat well to incorporate.

repeat with the 2nd half of the chocolate.

in 3 to 4 additions, add the egg whites to the chocolate egg yolk mixture. make sure you have a large enough bowl.

fold the whites carefully and break up any clumps of whites. you may need to use a wire whisk to carefully do this. use a gentle hand so as not to "deflate" all your hard work! this procedure will take a few minutes to do and must be done by hand.

the next part will be a bit of your decision. you need to decide how much cake you want in ratio to how much mousse. i suggest using 4 c (32 oz) batter for the cake and the rest (~ 20 oz) for the mousse. it works out to between 2/3 - 3/4 batter for the cake and 1/4 - 1/3 batter for the mousse.

mousse:

pour the portion for the cake into the ungreased pan and spread it out a bit so it is even.


bake the cake for 35 minutes. do not open the oven door while baking. place the batter for the mousse in the fridge, covered.

remove the cake from the oven. it will have risen and the surface cracked.

let it sit undisturbed until cooled. the cake will sink — this is normal.

once cooled, pour the mousse into the depression/hole of the cake and refrigerate until serving.

before serving, you can place thin chocolate curls all over the mousse or slivered toasted almonds to garnish.

enjoy!

five ingredients, five minutes

sometimes only a few ingredients thrown together make the best food. such is the case with the following salad which is regularly seen on some sabbath and holiday tables.

to be honest, i actually used to detest fennel (anise as we call it) because i cannot stand the taste of black licorice. give me red licorice any day and i'll be happy ;) over the years, as my tastes have changed, i have come to like fennel more and more provided it's mild. the ingredients which make up this fresh salad seem to keep it tame enough for my liking.

the whole thing can be made in less than 5 minutes and is well worth trying. it keeps well for many days in the fridge also.


fennel salad

ingredients:

1 fennel bulb

3 - 4 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp salt or more to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper

(good pinch of sugar — optional but i think necessary)

method:

slice the fennel bulb on its side into very thin slices. if the fronds are nice, you can add some of those also (chopped up like you would for dill).

place the fennel in a large bowl and add the oil, salt, pepper and sugar and mix with your hands.

add the lemon juice to taste.

let marinate in the fridge for at least 2 to 3 hours and serve cold or at room temperature. taste and adjust beforehand.

enjoy!

chickpeas and purim

the jewish holiday of purim, or feast of lots, is almost here again — the last holiday before the big one of passover (which always coincides with the beginning of Spring). however as i look out the window at this past weekend's mountains of snow we received from our last major snowstorm, i wonder where Spring is hiding.

but i digress. back to my main point.....

celebrating the demise of Haman, an evil character who plotted to annihilate the jewish population in persia {now modern day iran}, jews commemorate this holiday with much merriment in a carnival-type way. children and adults dress up in costumes, attend synagogue services to hear the story retold as has been done for centuries. the synagogue service is very very loud as it is tradition to make noise, so as to obliterate the name of Haman every time he is mentioned. in israel, the whole country celebrates with parades and parties and it is probably one of the noisest holidays known to mankind! LOL.

besides a TON of symbolic foods eaten at the festive se'udath purim {feast}, traditionally a lot of sweets are enjoyed. many of them involve poppy seeds, sesame seeds, nuts & dried fruit and come in shapes that represent some upper body part of Haman or piece of his clothing. let's see..... his hair, eye(s), and ears make up several things we eat, not to mention recipes that are said to form items which represent his hat or pants.

as part of the story of purim involved one of the main characters, queen esther, eating a strict vegetarian diet during her stay in the palace so as to adhere to {kosher} dietary laws, some communities will serve dishes which involve using grains, lentils, beans and seeds to remember this fact. one such recipe comes from a friend of mine.

in the 1980s, daveed — who now lives in los angeles — daringly escaped from iran on his own while still a teenager. later, his other immediate family also made it out to start new lives in both israel and north america. daveed's mother is a great cook and baker who generously likes to give away many of the things that come out of her kitchen.

during purim she makes these, in addition to the following recipe for melt-in-your-mouth shirini-e nokhodchee which are tiny chickpea flour shortbread-ish cookies scented with rosewater and decorated with slivered pistachios. these clover-shaped cookies are typically iranian and well, not necessarily (sephardic) jewish. they are served by people of iranian descent and always baked for the Spring festival called no-rooz.

the chickpea flour used to make these is the iranian kind (nokhodchee) which ground from garbanzo beans which have been pre-roasted. as my friend's mother says, it's NOT the same thing as the indian kind called besan which is made from kala channa or small dark (black) chickpeas which is sold UNroasted. read here. i've never tried this with the indian kind so heed the caveat: "baker beware" — in other words, don't blame me if it doesn't work :o (you may just need to adjust the amounts of flour -- make sure to pan roast it briefly first). the other thing is that i haven't tried it with flour i've ground on my own so i can't vouch for that either ..... it just easiest to buy it. as for the small one inch clover shaped cookie cutter, you'll have to visit a store which sells iranian food products or order one online if you really want that shape. otherwise, just use a small cutter or cut very small one inch squares with a very sharp knife.

if it interests you, here are two videos about the remaining jewish community in iran today: part one & part two. à propos for purim - watch and you'll see why! :)



chickpea flour cookies
shirini-e nokhodchee

makes 30 small cookies

ingredients:

4-6 tbsp melted samneh* or margarine or oil (or more as needed)
5 tbsp finely ground regular sugar or icing sugar
1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1 - 2 capfuls rose water

1 c roasted chickpea flour (nokhodchee)
1 tsp poppyseeds, if wanted

slivered pistachios (directions here)

*samneh = clarified butter

method:

before starting, NEVER add water to the dough if it is not cohesive enough. add more oil or butter, little by little.

measure out the chickpea flour and sift it in a bowl at least twice. do not skip this step as the flour tends to clump.

in another bowl, place the samneh or melted margarine or oil with the cardamom and the icing sugar. DO NOT add the rose water yet.

mix the sugar, oil and cardamom until it is completely smooth.
then add the rose water and mix again.

the mixture will change colour at this point. if you add the rose water before, it makes the mixture clump up.

now add the chickpea flour, and poppy seeds if using, and stir or blend until you get a smooth mixture.

it shouldn't stick to your hands at all. knead it together for about 20 seconds or so until it is cohesive. you may need to add another tablespoon or two or three of oil depending on the quality of the flour you are using.

take the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface (with the chickpea flour) — i suggest doing it on a moveable surface like a chopping board as you will need to chill the dough before cutting it.

mold the dough into a rectangle or square which is almost 1 inch thick. this is very important to this recipe as the cookies are meant to be this way.

chill the block of dough for about 45 minutes. the cookies will cut nicely at this stage.

preheat the oven to 300F and have a cookie (baking) sheet ready with parchment paper or foil paper which has been very lightly greased.

take the cutter and cut out the cookies. the best way to do it is to place the cutter almost at the exact point where you cut the previous one so as not to loose much dough between cuttings.

recover the remaining scraps of dough and press them back into a block and cut again. repeat this until there is almost nothing left.

depending on the softness of your dough, the decorating part of these cookies will be easy to difficult. much depends on the chickpea flour you are using — sometimes the dough will feel denser; if it is then be gentle with this step.

in any event, the easiest way to add the pistachio is to make a little slit in the center of each cookie and very gently push it in until it stands on its own. you will invariably break a few of the pistachio slices as they are very fragile.

slice each pistachio into 4 slivers (or thereabout). see this post on how to do it.

bake the cookies for about 23 minutes. you may need to go longer.

they should colour slightly and the bottoms will be golden brown. do not overcook them and wait until they are fully cooled before trying to move them.

they are too delicate while warm.

enjoy!