Tag: appetizer

Moroccan Fish Balls

If there is one store I wish every Jewish community around the world would have, it would be Benz’s Gourmet. The local gourmet kosher shop is celebrating it’s 12th anniversary and we’re feasting on a special gefilte fish recipe in their honor!

Benz’s carries everything from artisan cholov yisroel cheese (imported from France!), smoked fish, caviar, beer, as well as specialty baking and gluten free products. They boast a huge olive bar and a whopping 27 varieties of herring. Whether I’m looking for a gourmet kosher product (like truffle oil), or I’m in the mood for fresh fish, I head on over to Benz’s. Thankfully, it’s just a few blocks away!

What I love about the store is that they are constantly on the lookout for new kosher products. If there is ever an item that I can’t find locally, I ask Benz’s to order it for me, and they do! Recently, I needed rosewater for an upcoming Shavuot recipe, and I couldn’t find it anywhere. I gave them a call and it was in the store just a few days later. Now that’s what I call good service!

Besides for Benz’s gourmet selection, they also carry traditional gefilte fish, a family recipe that they’ve been perfecting for over 30 years. I’m always looking to change up traditional gefilte (‘cuz reinventing traditional food is what I do best!) and Benz’s gefilte fish offers me the perfect canvas to build my hybrid recipe.

I don’t know about you, but the more I cook, the more I appreciate savory food. And the more I experiment, the more I realize that you don’t need to use a lot of sweetener in your cooking. My mom doesn’t agree, and neither does my Bubby. They’re ashkenazi food is loaded with sugar, the more the merrier.

If you ask me, sugar is just a fill-in for the absence of flavor. If you build layers of flavor and spice, there’s no need to load sugar into savory food. Look at gefilte fish – most Jewish Bubby’s cook it up in stock made of onions, carrots and celery (the good stuff!), they season to taste with salt and pepper and then they go ahead and pour a boatload of sugar into the pot. I grew up on that stuff, so I know. And don’t get me wrong, it even tastes good. So does candy.

I don’t want to carry on the sugar torch, so I’m trying to condition my kids to like savory foods. I don’t overload my salad’s with sugar, and I make spicy roasted chickpeas as a snack instead of cake. That’s not to say that my kids don’t get to pick their favorite sugary cereal as a Shabbat treat. Believe me, they have their fill of sugar. But I try. And all Bubby’s everywhere are questioning my better judgement!

Sephardic Bubby’s have been serving chraime for years. it’s a popular Moroccan dish of fish cooked in a spicy tomato sauce, and it’s usually made with white fish or salmon. I decided to shake things up by using prepared gefilte fish, ‘cuz that’s the way I roll (pun intended). I incorporated all the traditional elements of Moroccan fish here – including colored peppers, lots of garlic, parsley, lemon, and of course, harissa – a hot pepper paste that’s often used in North African cuisine. I’ve made variations of this recipe for a fish loaf as well as fried patties, but I love how these fish balls can stretch a roll of gefilte fish into so many portions. The fish balls become nice and fluffy, almost the texture of a matza balls, but with lots of spice from cumin, turmeric and fresh garlic.

As good as it is, I’m not sure my fusion cooking would win my husband’s Sephardic family over (although it did win him over, he asked for triples!). Sephardim are not fond of gefilte fish (understatement). On the flip side, try asking my Ashkenazi Bubby to eat spicy gefilte fish, I can just hear her already. Spicy gefilte fish? With harissa? What’s that? Could you pass the sugar please?! So here I am, mixing up the cultures with another one of my hybrid recipes, and I hope ya’ll will enjoy it, Ashkenazim and Sephardim alike.

1 pkg Benz’s gefilte fish, defrosted (I used no-sugar-added)
3-4 tbsp matzo meal
1 egg
3 tbsp chopped parsley
heaping 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1⁄4 tsp ground turmeric
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 15oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
1 tbsp harissa (or, to taste)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
4 cups fish or vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

In a bowl, mix the fish, matzo meal, parsley, cumin, turmeric, garlic, and egg. Place in the frige while you prepare the sauce.

Heat oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic, carrots and peppers and sauté until softened. Add tomato paste; cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 3 minutes. Add chickpeas, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, harissa, lemon, stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Form the gefilte fish mixture into small balls and slowly add to the sauce. Don’t overcrowd the sauce, if there isn’t a lot of room, wait for the fish balls to set before moving them around to make more space for additional balls. Reduce heat and simmer until balls are cooked through, about 45 minutes. Serve hot with additional parsley for garnish.

NOTE: You may add a pinch of sugar or a drizzle of honey to the sauce if you wish.

VARIATION: Fish balls have more of a fluffy matza ball texture. If you want something more dense, you may fry up the gefilte fish into patties instead. Make the sauce without the stock, adding only as needed and serve over the patties.


This post is sponsored by Benz’s Fish. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram or at BenzsFish.com. And don’t forget to visit Benz’s Gourmet at 332 Albany Ave in Brooklyn. 

Related Recipes:

gefilte fish patties in tomato sauce
breaded gefilte fish patties
gefilte fish, three ways

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Hot Dog Eggrolls

I don’t know about you, but as we inch our way towards the end of Chanukah, I’m slowly getting bored of all the dairy dishes I’ve been having. I’ve had my fill of donuts and latkes and I need something a little different! We still have a few more days to indulge in fried foods and I’ve got you covered. These hot dog eggrolls are just the thing!

Now, I know what you’re thinking. 6 days of loading up on trash and she’s trying to get me to eat hot dogs now?!  YES! You see, I had a huge misconception about hot dogs until I stepped into the Abeles & Heymann factory. Seth Leavitt, the company’s owner, took me behind the scenes for some hot dog education.

Before I even stepped foot in the factory, I had to stand in a box of cleaning solution, to clean my shoes before heading in. This level of hygiene continued throughout my tour, with every step of the process being meticulously clean. I even had to wear a hairnet and labcoat! (check out my Instagram feed for pics!)

Abeles & Heymann hot dogs can be found in stadiums around the country. And for good reason. They start with a REAL cut of meat. I always thought that hot dogs were made from complete junk but I was shocked to see the quality of the meat that’s used in it’s production. It looked just like any large roast you’d purchase at the butcher. From there, Abeles & Heymann uses old world recipes with quality ingredients to produce premium hot dogs that are slow cooked to perfection. Their franks contain no fillers, and their new reduced fat and sodium line has no added nitrates or nitrites!

Abeles & Heymann is at the forefront of an innovative campaign to create healthier alternatives to chemical and artificial nitrates. They have pioneered the use of natural nitrates, celery and cherry, to create a fully-cooked uncured collection of no-nitrate-added hot dogs. When Seth gave me a few packages to try, I turned to my most opinionated taste testers – my kids! My pickiest daughter, who can barely finish a single hot dog in one seating, asked for seconds. And I didn’t have to feel guilty about giving it to her! I would call that a winner!

Now that we don’t have to feel guilty about eating hot dogs, we can go ahead with our hot dog eggrolls! These crispy, dippable appetizers make the perfect addition to your Chanukah party, Superbowl bash, or New Years event! You can even bake them for a reduced fat version.

I filled the hot dog eggrolls with traditional frank condiments like sauerkraut and pickle relish. You can feel free to get creative with fillings like sauteed onions, facon, coleslaw or even chili! The dipping sauce combines sweet apricot jam with Abeles & Heymann’s sweet and tangy mustard for the perfect bite!

If you’re wondering where to pick up some Abeles & Heymann bounty, their amazing collection of hot dogs and salami’s can be found in stores throughout the U.S. Alternatively, you can purchase them online at the Abeles & Heymann store. And for a limited time, enjoy 15% off your order, using coupon code BUSY!


Don’t forget to check out the Abeles & Heymann blog and follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

Hot Dog Eggrolls

1 1lb. pkg. eggroll wrappers
1 12oz. pkg. Abeles & Heymann no-nitrate-added hot dogs, cut in half widthwise
1 14oz. can sauerkraut
1 10oz. jar sweet pickle relish
canola oil, for frying
3/4 cup apricot jam
1/4 cup Abeles & Heymann Sweet & Tangy mustard

Method:

Lay the egg roll wrappers flat on your work surface, with the corner pointed towards you. Working one at a time, place 2 heaping tbsp of sauerkraut in the center and top with a tbsp of pickle relish and a half of a hot dog. Using your fingers, spread a bit of water on the corner closest to you, and fold over the filling, pressing down to seal. Fold the sides in and spread some water around the top corner. Roll tightly and press to seal.

Heat oil in a skillet and fry eggrolls until crisp and golden, turning to brown all sides. Drain on paper towels.

Heat apricot jam in a microwave or pot until melted and stir in mustard. Serve alongside eggrolls.

VARIATON: To bake, brush the eggrolls with oil and bake at 400 degrees until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes.

OPTIONAL FILLINGS: sauteed onions, chili, coleslaw, facon, onion rings, jalapeno, avocado, salsa

FOR A LIMITED TIME, GET 15% OFF YOUR ABELES & HEYMANN ONLINE ORDER USING COUPON CODE “BUSY”!

This post was sponsored by Abeles & Heymann

Other hot dog recipes:

spiralized spud dogs
kid-friendly dirty rice
fire-roasted tomato rice stoup

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Winter Caprese Salad

Growing up, my mom always taught me that you don’t wear white after labor day. But as I grew older, I learned that there are certain types of white that are acceptable in the winter – Winter Whites. Now I can’t say I ever really pulled off the trend, since I tend towards the slimming black clothes (especially in the winter!). But one thing I could do, is bring the trend into my kitchen.

When Natural & Kosher Cheese came out with their prepackaged sliced fresh mozzarella, I was so excited to work with it! It takes all the work out of dishes like caprese salad, gourmet pizza and paninis. And while it’s fresh and healthy, it doesn’t have to be just for light summer dishes. Winter Whites belong in the kitchen too!

Now if you’re winterizing a caprese salad, you have to do it right! You can’t just use out-of-season tomatoes and basil. You’ve got to find the right in-season produce to complement the cheese.

I was walking through the produce section this week thinking about what to use when I spotted my favorite winter fruit – persimmon! I’ve talked about my love of persimmon a lot on my blog. I’m just doing my part to get the word out about this often-overlooked fruit. They are just too delicious to pass up! Persimmon almost make the brutal New York winter worth it. Almost.

So when I spotted the fuyu persimmon (there are 2 types of persimmon, you can read about them here), it struck me just how much it resembles a tomato. They’re crispy, with a sweet canteloupe and sugarcane flavor. Fruits work so wonderfully with cheese – so I decided to incorporate them into  my kitchen version of Winter Whites! I rounded out the dish with some delicous sweet roasted beets and added another seasonal fruit, pomegranates, for some crunch. Bitter arugula helps to balance out all the sweetness, and thick pomegranate molasses (inspired by Caprese’s classic reduced balsamic vinegar) just seemed like the perfect finish.

And there you have it – a stylish salad that makes a statement. That my friends – is MY VERSION of winter whites ;)

Winter Caprese Salad

1 medium purple beet
1 fuyu persimmon
4 slices Natural & Kosher Cheese fresh sliced mozzarella
2 cups loosely packed arugula
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
pomegranate molasses
good quality olive oil
sea salt, to taste

Method:

Wash the beet well and pat dry. Wrap in foil and roast at 400 degrees until fork-tender, about 45 minutes. Set aside to cool (leave it wrapped).

Peel and slice the persimmon the same thickness as the cheese. Unwrap the beet, and remove the peel by pushing it off with your hands. It should slide off easily. Slice the beet the same thickness as the cheese and persimmon.

Layer the stacks by placing slicing of beet, persimmon and mozzarella on top of each other. Top with some arugula, and repeat. Sprinkle the stacks with pomegranate seeds and drizzle with pomegranate molasses and olive oil. Finish with a touch of sea salt.

Makes 2 caprese salad stacks.

NOTE: for the prettiest presentation, look for beets and persimmon that are roughly the same width as the sliced cheese.

VARIATION: For a large party, create a caprese salad platter instead of stacks (double the recipe if necessary). Place the arugula on the platter and layer the beets, persimmon and cheese so that they overlap all around the platter. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and drizzle with olive oil and pomegranate molasses. Finish with sea salt.

OFF SEASON VARIATION: If you want to make these when persimmon are not in season, you can use golden beets, mangos or canteloupe instead.


This post was sponsored by Natural & Kosher Cheese. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, or via their Blog

Related Recipes:

passion for persimmon; salad and sorbet
persimmon coconut ice cream
persimmon guacamole
roasted beet salsa
summer tomato feta salad

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Zucchini Fries (Gluten Free)

We’re closing in on our series of pesto recipes with these crunchy gluten free zucchini fries! I love using zucchini because they are so low in calories and totally guilt free. To keep them diet friendly and gluten free, I used a chopped nut coating instead of breadcrumbs, and garbanzo bean flour instead of all purpose flour. But what really makes these zucchini fries different is the pesto. I could have went with eggwash to “glue” the crunchy nut coating onto the zucchini sticks, but with extra pesto in the fridge, I decided to give it a try. The results were so flavorful, I can’t imagine making it any other way!

There’s just something about fries that makes eating any vegetable fun, am I right? Good old russet potato fries used to be the only fries  on the brain but sweet potato fries have made it up there too. Personally, I’m a big fan of butternut squash fries,  and just recently, parsnips fries have topped my list of favorites as well. I must blog about those soon.

If you’re dieting and craving some crunch, these oven-fried zucchini fries are sure to hit the spot. Feel free to adapt the recipe to your specific diet! To make them dairy-free, just omit the parmesan and use more nuts instead. I like to use the same nuts as the ones in the pesto (I used Marcona almonds here), but you can experiement with pecans and walnuts too.

Zucchini Fries

2 zucchini, cut into sticks
1/4 cup flour (I used garbanzo flour)
1/2 cup pesto
2-4 tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup chopped nuts
1/3 cup grated parmesan
marinara sauce, for serving

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix the pesto with olive oil to thin it out. Add additional olive oil, if needed, depending on the thickness of the pesto.

Set up a dredging station with bowls of flour, pesto and ground nuts mixed with parmesan.

Dip the zucchini in flour, shake off excess and dip into pesto. Press the zucchini sticks into ground nuts/parmesan. Place on a greased cookie sheet and spray with oil (I use a Misto olive oil sprayer but you can use cooking spray). Bake for 15-20 minutes until browned and crispy.

Don’t like pesto? dip the zucchini in eggs seasoned with salt and pepper insead.

VARIATION: To make these nondairy, replace the parmesan with additional chopped nuts.

NOTE: for crisper fries, you can bake them on a rack set of a baking sheet.

Related Recipes:

zucchini parmesan chips
pesto pinwheels

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Spinach Meat Lasagna Roll-Ups

It’s funny how you never quite know which of your recipes is gonna go viral. Sometimes, I get so excited about my crazy mash-up ideas, that I think the whole world will too. But I’m not always right. Like here and here. No biggie.

It’s when I least expect it that people go gaga over my food. Like here and here.  You can be minding your own blogger business when before you know it, the recipe’s been repinned hundreds, or even thousands, of times. My spinach lasagna roll-ups is one such recipe, and when I noticed all the love it was getting, I decided I had to share my meat version.

You see, being kosher, I do not eat milk and meat together, so bechamel-smothered-meat-lasgana is out of the question. We kosher-keepers eat our lasagna either meat, or dairy, not both. Of course you can always make dairy lasagna with soy crumbles, or meat lasagna with vegan cheese, but I’m just not one for the fake stuff. It’s either got real meat, or real cheese, no soy for me!

So, without further adieu, I give you the meat version of my dairy lasagna roll-ups. Let me know which ones you like better!

Meat Lasagna Roll-Ups

approximately 14 lasagna sheets
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs. ground beef
1 10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove water
2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
12 oz. tomato paste
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay the noodles onto parchment paper or aluminum foil (so that they don’t stick together).

Saute onion and garlic in oil until translucent. Add meat and saute until no longer pink. Drain, if necessary.

Mix tomato sauce, paste, spices, spinach and lemon juice. Reserve 1 cup. Add remaining tomato mixture to the meat and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

Spread the meat mixture onto the lasagna sheets and roll up. Brush the lasagna rolls with the reserved tomato sauce.

Pour 1/4 cup of water into the bottom of the pan. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Related Recipes:

dairy spinach lasagna roll-ups

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