Sigara Boregi

This is a very quick and easy appetizer, and really delicious!  This recipe makes approximately 12 boregi about 4" long.  You can make them ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze them.  

250 grams good quality feta 

1 egg

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

1/4 tsp cayenne or kashmiri chili, adjust to taste

Phylo pastry -- I used about 4 large sheets of the thinnest phylo

Enough neutral oil to come about 1/3 of the way up the borek when you fry it, ~1/8-1/4".  I like corn oil, but canola or whatever you have is fine. 

Filling:  Mix everything but the phylo and oil together in a bowl.  

Put a sheet of phylo over another one to make a 2-sheet stack.  Cut the sheets into triangles roughly 6" at the base and about 10-12" long (you can adjust this to the size of borek you want).  Beginning 1" from the base of each triangle, put about 2 tsp of filling across the base, leaving about 1" of phylo on either side.  Fold the sides over the filling and then roll the whole thing up from the base of the triangle, folding the sides in as you go.  You are making a little phylo cigar.  Place the finished rolls on a piece of parchment.  Repeat until your filling is done.  

Heat the oil in your pan to about 350, and add as many boregi as you can fit without crowding them -- I like to leave 1-2" between them.  Fry until the bottom is golden brown, about 30 sec-1 minute, and then turn each one with tongs, continuing until they are a nice even brown on all sides -- maybe 2-3 minutes total.  Remove from pan and place on a couple of layers of paper towels to drain.  Repeat until you've cooked them all.  

These are best served warm.

Vin D'Orange

 Adapted from Samin Nosrat's recipe, which seems to have disappeared from the internet.  

12 Seville oranges
1 orange
400 g sugar
1 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
3 liters of cheap white or rose wine
1 750 ml bottle of vodka

Rinse all the citrus, cut them it into smallish chunks.

Place all the fruit into a tub big enough for everything. Add the sugar and vanilla bean, and pour in the alcohol. Mix well but gently until the sugar dissolves. Cover and leave in a cool, dark place (or the fridge, if there is room!) for at least 40 days 

 Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into clean sealable bottles.  I use my corker to cork them but you can use whatever you've got. The vin d’orange is now ready to drink, and will only get better and better. 

Braised Brisket

2 large red onions, sliced

1 6 lb brisket

10 oz jar Mina harissa, mild
8 oz dried apricots
2 tablespoons beef bouillon base, or 2 cups of beef bouillon
Soy sauce, salt, pepper, honey to taste - see directions below

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 lb of mushrooms, sliced


Brisket is much easier if you cook it the day before. Heat the oven to 300. Put the sliced red onions in the bottom of a roasting pan. Slather the brisket with the harissa and put it on top of the onions with the fatty side up. Add the apricots around the brisket, beef bouillon, and enough water to come up to the top of the brisket. Cover with foil and cook until tender - a 6 lb brisket should take about 6 hours.

When it’s done take it out of the oven and let it cool. Wrap it and put it in the fridge overnight. Save the braising liquid including onions and apricots in a separate container and refrigerate that as well - you should have at least a quart,

The next day, slice the brisket across the grain and put it in a smaller baking dish. Remove the solidified fat from the top of the braising liquid if you want to and put the rest of it in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste it and correct seasonings - you may want it a little saltier or a little spicier or a little sweeter.  Pour half of the braising liquid over the brisket. At this point you can cover the baking dish with foil and return everything to the fridge until you’re ready to heat it up for dinner. When you’re ready to re- heat, leave the foil on and put the baking dish in a 350 oven for about half an hour, or until everything is hot. In the meantime, put the remaining braising sauce in a small saucepan and heat it to a simmer (taste and correct seasonings - I usually add a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce to it)

In a frying pan, sauté the onion gently in the olive oil until it starts to turn brown in bits, then add the mushrooms and sauté both together until they’re soft. When you’re ready to serve, put the brisket on a serving plate and pour the onion and mushroom mixture and the hot braising liquid over it.

Persian Roast Chicken for Shabbat

Marinade for two chickens:

3T sumac

3 T ground dried lime

2 T honey

1 tsp turmeric

Juice of 4 limes

Bottom of pan:

1 lime cut into thin slices

1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced thinly

1 head of garlic, cloves separated but peels left on

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl.  Put a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet and scatter  the vegetables over it.  Spatchcock the chickens and lay them on the veggies.  Cover the chickens with the marinade.  (At this point you can put the chicken pan in the fridge until you're ready to cook it.)  

Heat oven to 425 and roast the chicken for 45-90 minutes until it's done, depending on the size of the chicken.  

Bran Muffins

 1 1/2 c bran (I replace 1/4 c of this with milled flax seed if I have it - ups the flavor and fiber)

1 c boiling water

1 egg

1/2 c oil

2 T brown sugar

1 c flour

2 T ground flax seed

2 T chia seed

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 c blueberries

Set oven to 375. Mix bran and water. Add egg, oil, and sugar. Stir in everything else except blueberries. Add blueberries. Put in greased muffin tin or paper cups and bake 15-20 min. Makes 9 large or 12 small or 20 mini muffins

Veggie Burgers

 This recipe makes a lot of burgers (about 10-12) and the patties freeze really well. I usually make them ahead of time and freeze them and they thaw fairly quickly. Highly recommended to serve with some kind of sauce like a tahini sauce or tzatziki or sriracha mayo or Peruvian green sauce (see recipe)  to punch up the flavor a bit and add some moisture.

 

2/3 cup medium-grind bulgur, rinsed

1 1/2 c boiling water

1/2 t salt


1 large raw beet (8 ounces), peeled and grated coarsely

3/4 cup walnuts

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves


3 garlic cloves, minced


2 cups cooked pinto beans

1/4 cup mashed sweet potato - this is just something sticky to hold it together

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard


1 1/2 cups panko

1/4 cup vegetable oil

 

1.      In a large bowl, mix bulgur, salt, and water and let it sit 15-20 minutes until it’s tender. Drain it if there’s any water that’s not absorbed.

2.      Meanwhile, pulse beet, walnuts, basil, and garlic together in a food processor until they are finely chopped, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add beans, sweet potato, mustard, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and pulse until well combined

3.      Transfer mixture to the large bowl with the bulgur and stir. Add in panko and stir. Divide mixture into 10-12 equal portions and pack into patties.

At this point you can cook them like a regular burger by adding the oil to a frying pan and sautéing until they’re nicely browned, or freeze them in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and then bag them up to store in your freezer. They CAN be grilled but make sure to oil your grill.

Fruitcake

 

Basic recipe for 16 1lb (3"x5" pan) cakes:

Dried chopped fruit 8-9 lb

Liquid for soaking fruit 2 c - jam or fruit juice or liquor (Jack Daniels, bourbon, or rum) plus more for bathing

Nuts 3-4 lb

Butter 1 lb

Brown sugar 2 lb (4 c)

Eggs 12

Flour 2 lb (6-7 c)

1 tsp each salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, baking powder

2-7 days before making the cakes, soak the chopped fruit in the liquor and stir I every once in a while.  On the day you’re baking, mix together the butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and spices (it’s basically a pound cake batter).  Mix in the fruit and nuts.  Warning – you probably don’t have a bowl big enough for this – if you have a big dish pan or stock pot, use that, or you can split it between two bowls.  Line your 1 lb pans with parchment and fill them with batter. Bake at 325 for 60-90 min or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool.  Brush or douse them with a little liquor, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate.  You can repeat the dousing every couple of days or weeks for as long as you like.  I usually wait at least a month before eating them.  They keep indefinitely in the fridge. 

A note on fruit:  If I can get fresh citrons (from my Jewish friends after Succoth, thank you!) I usually candy them myself – they have a wonderful fragrance and a lot more flavor.  Figs, dates, apricots and sour cherries are my favorites but I use whatever I’ve got. 

2022:

2 lb crystallized chopped pineapple

1 lb sour cherries

1 lb candied citron

1 lb candied lemon peel

1 lb candied orange peel

2 lb raisins

1 lb chopped figs

2 lb chopped pecans

1 lb chopped almonds

1 lb chopped walnuts

2024:

1 lb citron

1 lb pineapple

2 lb currants

1 lb apricots

2 lb sour cherries

1 lb dates

1 lb pecans

1 lb walnuts

1 lb almonds