Double Coffee Roast with Chestnuts & Shallots

I’ve always loved coffee—not just as a drink, but as an ingredient in cooking. Its natural acidity and deep, roasted flavors make it a surprisingly perfect way to braise meat. It tenderizes while adding rich, layered notes that bring out the best in beef without being sharp or overpowering. For Passover, when flavors need to feel both comforting and elevated, coffee quietly becomes the hero of the dish, so I used it TWICE – both in the rub, and in the braising liquid.

Chestnuts are the perfect partner. Their soft, slightly sweet, creamy texture absorbs the coffee and maple syrup beautifully, adding depth and subtle sweetness without overwhelming the meat. Together, coffee, chestnuts, and a touch of maple create a braise that is richly savory, balanced, and full of flavor – perfect for a holiday meal.

Double Coffee Braised Roast with Chestnuts and Shallots

3 -pound minute*, shoulder, chuck or French roast
2 tablespoons finely ground coffee
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1½ teaspoons black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, sliced
2 3oz pkgs cooked and peeled chestnuts, cut in half
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¾ cup strong brewed coffee
1½ cups chicken or beef broth
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 bay leaves

Method:

In a small bowl, combine the spices and mix to incorporate.

Pat the meat dry and coat it generously with the coffee rub, pressing it well into the surface. Let it sit for at least and hour or until the meat comes to room temperature.

Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat and sear the roast on all sides (make sure just to brown the meat and not to burn the spices!). Remove the meat and set it aside. In the same pot, add the sliced shallots and cook until soft and golden. Add the chestnuts and sauté them with the shallots for a few minutes so they begin to soften and absorb flavor. Stir in the tomato paste and cook briefly until it darkens and becomes fragrant.

Pour in 1/2 cup of the brewed coffee to deglaze the pot, scraping up all the browned bits. Add the remaining coffee along with the chicken broth, maple syrup and bay leaf, stirring to combine.

Return the seared roast to the pot, cover tightly and transfer to a 325°F oven. Let it braise slowly for 2-3 hours, until the meat is fork tender (stick a fork in it, it should slide through easily with no resistance).

Once the meat is tender, remove it from the pot and let it rest briefly before slicing.

Slice the roast and spoon the sauce and chestnuts over the top.

NOTES:

I used a minute roast, however, it has a large piece of gristle down the center which some people don’t like, so you can replace it with any of the roast options mentioned.

The longer you cook the roast, the more the chestnuts will fall apart and “melt” into the sauce. If you prefer whole pieces, add during the last hour of cooking.

Related Recipes:

pomegranate roast with roasted apples and gremolata
hot honey French roast
charoset london broil

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Jeweled Crispy Rice Salad

This salad was inspired by Persian jeweled rice — that stunning celebration dish studded with pomegranate, pistachios, and dried fruit. I wanted those same jeweled flavors, but lighter and fresher, so I turned it into a salad. The crispy roasted rice is my nod to tahdig, the golden crust everyone fights over, scattered throughout instead of hiding at the bottom of the pot. It makes the perfect Purim appetizer — a little taste of Persia in salad form, festive, colorful, and full of crunch.

Jeweled Crispy Rice Salad

2 cups leftover cold rice
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Salad:
5 oz spring mix
1 large carrot, julienned
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/3 cup toasted pistachios, roughly chopped
1/3 cup barberries (may use dried cranberries)
prepared crispy rice

Dressing:
1/3 cup grapeseed oil (or any neutral oil)
1/4 cup apricot jam
zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp honey
1 tsp sumac
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To prepare the crispy rice, spread the rice out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Mix with turmeric, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon and salt and bake for 25-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden and crispy.

Assemble the salad: layer the greens, carrots, rice, pomegranate seeds, pistachios and barberries. Drizzle with dressing (I don’t use all of it, I prefer my salads not overdressed) and stir to coat.

 

Stuffed Eggplant Parcels

There is something deeply Purim about an eggplant parcel. On the outside, it’s simple — silky roasted eggplant folded neatly around a filling you cannot see. But cut into it and there’s a reveal. Something rich and layered was hidden inside all along. That is the essence of Purim. In the Megillah, Hashem’s name never appears. There are no seas splitting, no open miracles — only politics, power shifts, sleepless nights, and a queen hiding her identity. Everything looks ordinary until you step back and realize it was anything but. The miracle was wrapped inside history itself.

The story of Purim took place in ancient Persia — modern-day Iran. The same soil. The same region. And this year, as events unfold in that part of the world, it feels impossible to ignore the echoes. In the Megillah, a decree against the Jewish people felt final, terrifying, irreversible — and yet it turned. “V’nahafoch hu.” What seemed sealed was reversed. What looked like the end became salvation. Purim reminds us that the deepest miracles are often concealed within what appears to be natural events.

Chazal teach that Haman was a descendant of Amalek, the embodiment of those who seek to erase us. On Shabbos Parshas Zachor, when we read the commandment to remember and eradicate Amalek, the modern Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini — whose regime has long openly called for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people — was killed. On the very day we publicly reaffirm our eternal survival against Amalek, a modern voice of that ideology was silenced. Purim trains us to notice those moments — not as loud supernatural spectacles, but as quiet reminders that history is not random.

We do not always see the full picture. We see headlines, fear, uncertainty. But Purim teaches us that even when G-d feels hidden, He is present. Even when events look purely political, they may be purposeful. Like this eggplant parcel, what appears simple on the outside can hold something powerful within. The miracle may not be visible yet — but it may already be unfolding. And just as in the days of Esther, we hold onto the hope that what feels heavy can still turn, that what feels threatening can still be reversed, and that hidden miracles are already in motion.

Chag Purim Sameach.

Stuffed Eggplant Parcels

Eggplant:
1 large or 2 small eggplants
kosher salt, to taste
extra virgin olive oil

Meat filling:
1 lb. ground beef or lamb
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 small bunch parsley (about 1 cup packed)
1/2 red pepper
zest of 1/4 lemon
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp baharat
1 tsp paprika in oil
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tbsp breadcrumbs

Pomegranate sauce:
1 cups beef chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1-2 tbsp silan (depending how sweet you want it)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

For serving:
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
handful of cilantro or parsley

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. Place cut-side-down on a cutting board and slice into thin strips, about 1/4″ each. Place the strips on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Set aside to sweat for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the meat mixture.

Add the onion, garlic, pepper and parsley to a food processor with the S blade attached. Pulse until finely ground. Add to a large bowl along with the ground beef, lemon zest, oil, spices and breadcrumbs. Mix to combine.

In a large measuring cup or bowl, combine the pomegranate sauce ingredients. Add more silan for a sweeter sauce, or less for a tangier sauce.

Pat the eggplant dry and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes until softened and pliable but not browned. (you want it to hold it’s shape).

Place the eggplant strips on your work surface. Add about 2 tbsp of filling at the end and fold up like a samosa (see reel for how). If a strip is too narrow, you can overlap 2 pieces to make it wider.

Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Transfer the eggplant parcels to a baking dish and add the pomegranate sauce. Cover with parchment paper and foil and bake for about 45-50 minutes, flipping halfway through and basting occasionally with the sauce. Uncover and broil for a few minutes until the eggplant caramelizes around the edges.

To serve, garnish with pine nuts and parsley or cilantro.

Related Recipes:

stuffed leek pockets
wonton beef empanadas
cabbage hamantasch knish

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Tu B’Shvat Tahdig

I’ve been wanting to nail tahdig for the longest time. That crispy-crusted rice studded with dried fruit and nuts…. it’s everything I want in a dish – crispy, fragrant, comforting…. the perfect show stopper! When I thought about what to make for Tu B’shvat to incorporate the Sheva Minim (the seven species from the Land of Israel), it came down to THIS! How else to celebrate the fruit of the tree than with a beautiful mound of fruit-studded golden rice, amiright??

So we got 5 out of 7 minim: olives (oil+olives!), figs, dates (silan), grapes (raisins), and pomegranate! And if you want to incorporate all 7, you can make this recipe with a mix of wheat berries and barley and serve as a pilaf instead of a tahdig!

Happy Tu B’shvat

Tu B’shvat Tahdig

1/3 cup olive
1 large onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sliced dried figs
1/2 cups sliced olives (I used Castelveltrano)
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 cups rinsed basmati rice
Zest and juice of 1 orange
2 tsp kosher salt
3 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp silan
For garnish: chopped parsley, pomegranate seeds, toasted sliced almonds

Method:

In a nonstick skillet (this is important!!), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until golden. Add the turmeric, cardamom and cinnamon and stir until fragrant. Add the figs, olives and raisins and stir to incorporate. Add in rice, orange zest and juice, salt, water and silan and mix until combined. Cook the rice, uncovered, until the rice is level with the water. reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. Cook for 45 minutes.

Cool for a few minutes and then flip onto a serving platter. Garnish with parsley, pomegranate and almonds.

Related Recipes:

pecan pie date bark
turkey wrapped beef stuffed dates
feta stuffed dates with crispy kataifi
honey roasted zaatar chicken
dried fruit brie bites
Tu Bshvat truffles

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Roasted Cabbage Salad

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be in Israel along with a delegation with the mayor of NYC, Mayor Adams. There is NOTHING quite like an Israeli hotel breakfast, but the dish that got my attention was a roasted cabbage salad on the salad buffet that changed the way I looked at cabbage salad forever! Roast before you dress? oh YES YES YES!! I met the chef and I had to ask him about my favorite dish, and he graciously shared with me how to make it!

Roasted Cabbage Salad

1 head green cabbage, chopped into large chunks
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup chopped dill

Tahini Dressing:

½ cup tahini paste, stir if separated
1 clove garlic, grated
juice of ½ lemon
1/3-1/2 cup ice water
kosher salt, to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread the cabbage out on a parchment lined baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast until tender and caramelized around the edges, tossing occasionally, about 25 minutes.

While the cabbage is roasting, spread the almonds on a parchment lined baking sheet and toss with a bit of olive oil. Transfer to the oven with the cabbage and roast for a few minute until lightly toasted, taking care it does not burn. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with salt.

For the tahini dressing, whisk the ingredients until creamy.

When the cabbage is done, toss with some of the tahini dressing until coated. Add most of the dill and sliced almonds. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with additional dill and toasted almonds.

Related Recipes

bone marrow cabbage boil
hot honey roasted cabbage
sweet and sour braised cabbage
roasted cabbage pizza

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