Romanian Eggplant Salad

No meal in my household can be had without the absolute basic - our eggplant salad! It's like bread and water, you just have to have it! It consists of nothing other than roasted eggplants with some oil and salt, but the taste is divine and one serving is never ever enough! The directions might seem a bit confusing so I added a few pictures so you can realize they're not as intimidating as they might sound.. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

4 large eggplants

Vegetable oil

Salt

Tomatos (optional, to garnish)

Green onion (optional, to garnish)

METHOD

1.     Broil the eggplants for 40minutes, turning them over after half the time. You may broil using the broil function of your oven or use an open flame to roast them stove top. 

2.     Place a colander in a large bowl, peel the eggplants (careful, they'll be very hot), and place the meat in the colander.

3.     At this point the eggplants have to drain for at least an hour otherwise they will be very bitter. In order for all the juice to drain well we maintain pressure on the eggplant during this hour. A simple way that we use to do it is to place something heavy directly on top of the eggplants. Start by placing a plate over the eggplants and hand pressing it to get some of the juice out. When most of the major juice has sifted out, place a heavy bowl full of water to maintain the plate pressed down and leave for an hour. It may look something like this:

4.     When all the juices have drained place the eggplants in a food processor and mix, adding oil and salt to taste. Make sure you only pulse and don't let it run too much, you want to still be able to see most of the seeds. Be somewhat generous on the oil and salt until you reach a smooth texture, but once it's chopped you can take it out of the processor and add the oil and salt by hand mixing until it tastes good.
If you don't have a processor or just want to make it like in "the good ole-days," place the meat on a large cutting board and use a large knife to chop the eggplants until they reach a smooth, even texture. Then place in a bowl and add salt and oil until it tastes good! 

5.    Garnish with slices of tomato and green onion and serve!

Avocado & Egg Salad

Extremely easy, perfect for last minute prep, and absolutely delicious! A creamy texture with a slightly citrucey and salty twist makes for a perfect avocado salad! Serve it as part of a brunch, as a dip, or simply as another salad on the table as part of any meal, which is what we typically do. Use the 1 avocado to 2 eggs ratio as a guide to prepare the desired amount.

INGREDIENTS

1 Avocado

2 eggs

Mayonnaise

Lemon

Salt

METHOD

1.     Boil the eggs

2.     Clean the avocado and mash it together with the eggs using a fork. 

3.   Mix in mayo, lemon juice, and salt to taste and serve. 

Spinach & Feta Shakshuka (Runny Eggs with Dip Dish)

In the spirit of the holiday, and with the weekend coming up, here's a great Sunday brunch idea. As I've mentioned in my previous Shakshuka recipe, the typical Shakshuka is made with sunny side up eggs with runny yolk on top of a thick tomato sauce and eaten with bread by dipping or serving as a sandwich. This recipe is a twist on the classic shakshuka for those who aren't huge fans of tomatos, or simply for an interesting and tasty morning variety. In the picture you can see I've added some mushrooms and made a smaller portion, so definitely feel free to be creative! This recipe serves 6, so adjust as you wish for your party size. Great with french bread or pita bread, but any bread will do!


INGREDIENTS

2 leeks (white part only), finely sliced

1 tbsp butter

500g fresh  spinach leaves washed and trimmed

2 garlic cloves, crushed

salt

pepper

6 eggs

100g crumbled feta cheese


METHOD

1.     Melt the butter in a deep skillet and sauté the leeks until soft and translucent but not brown.

2.     Add spinach and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Season gently, remember that feta is salty.

3.     Break the eggs onto the spinach arranging the yolks around the pan. Sprinkle the cheese around the pan.

4.     Turn heat to low, cover the pan and simmer until the egg whites set, 5-7 minutes.

5.   Serve immediately with your favorite bread.

Matzo and Coconut Cream Napoleon

Another great dessert solution for passover! Also taken from Janna Gur's The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey this is a fresh twist on our favorite classic napoleon cake. Instead of puff pastry we use matzahs dipped in caramel, our cream is coconut based, and we add some strawberries to liven up the taste! It might look complicated, but it's really quite a simple dish and can make for a very good impression! Just make sure you prepare the different parts ahead of time to allow the cream and matzahs time to cool before assembly.

INGREDIENTS

Coconut cream:

800ml coconut milk (2 cans)

5 tbsp corn starch

8 egg yolks

150g sugar (3/4cup+1/2tbsp)

3 tsp rose water 

Caramel matzot:

10-15 matzos

oil

250g sugar (1¼ cup)

1 cup coconut milk

Plating:

strawberries

confectioners’ sugar

METHOD

1.     Coconut cream: dissolve the corn starch in ½ cup coconut milk, add the egg yolks and most of the sugar, and beat well.

2.     Bring the remaining coconut milk and the remaining sugar to a boil and gradually add to the egg mixture.

3.     Transfer the mixture back to the pan and heat slowly, stirring constantly, until it thickens to a cream. Remove from heat, add rose water, let it cool and then place in a piping bag.

4.     Caramel matzos: wet each matzo with water and wrap in kitchen towel for 30 minutes. Then cut into circles or squares by using a cookie cutter. Fry each piece in oil on both sides until golden. Remove and dry on paper towel.

5.     Dissolve the sugar in a saucepan with a few tbsps of water over medium heat until it caramelizes. Bring coconut milk to a boil and gradually pour into the caramel, stirring constantly. Cook for a few minutes until smooth and creamy.

6.     Dip the fried matzos in the caramel for 2 minutes, remove and cool.

To serve: place a matzo disk, pipe some cream on top, put a few pieces of strawberries, put another matzo, more cream and fruit, and another matzo. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve!

Pistachio and Chocolate Flourless Cake

To continue on with the passover edition, here's a solution to dessert with no flour! I got this out of my favorite source which I have mentioned to you before, The Book of New Israeli Cooking by Janna Gur - a must have in my opinion! This cake is extremely simple and quick and made solely out of nuts. If you don't have pistachios you may replace them with hazelnuts. Happy baking!

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs

2 separated eggs

½ cup+1tbsp sugar

1½  cups pistachios

1 tbsp cocoa powder

¾ cup almonds

¾ cup chocolate chips

1½ tbsp melted butter

METHOD

1.     Chop the pistachios coarsely (I like to put them in a ziplock bag and crush with a hammer).

2.     Grind the almonds finely.

3.     Beat 2 whole eggs and 2 yolks with 80g (¼cup+2tbsp+2tsp) sugar using a mixer until a thick, fluffy cream forms.

4.     Add the pistachios, almonds, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips and mix to a smooth batter.

5.     Beat the 2 egg whites with the remaining sugar (2.5tbsp) to soft peaks and fold into the batter.

6.     Melt the butter, stir it into the batter.

7.   Pour the batter into a well greased pan and bake for 40 minutes in 310^oF (160^oC).

Javaher Polow (Jeweled Rice)

Mixture prior to adding it to the rice

Javaher Polow is a very festive Persian rice served on very important and celebratory occasions. If you're looking for something original that's meant to impress, search no more! This rice is not only beautiful but also sweet yet sour, crunchy yet soft, and simply a perfect combination of very distinct flavors that you simply can't go wrong with! The rice itself is prepared according to the Persian Polow recipe with Saffron and is accompanied by an assortment of orange peel, carrots, barberries, raisins, pistachios, almonds, and hazelnuts. With this impressive list, how can you possibly resist making this dish? The only challenging ingredient in this list might be the barberries. Barberries are a common ingredient in persian cuisine and you might find them in an ethnic store near you; they are called "zereshk" in Persian in case you have to find them by their original name. They are somewhat sour tiny dried berries, most closely resembling cranberries if you absolutely had to substitute. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

2.5 cups basmati rice

1 medium onion thinly sliced

½ cup sliced pistachios

½ cup slivered almonds

½ cup chopped hazelnuts

1 cup barberries (zereshk)

½ cup raisins (red and white)

2 medium carrots, julienned

2 large oranges

½ cup sugar

½ tsp saffron

½ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp crushed rose petals

½ tsp turmeric

2 tbsp butter

vegetable oil

METHOD

1.     Create ½ cup julienne cut orange skin. This can be easily done by using a "julienne cutter" found in many household item stores, or by peeling the skin with a peeler and cutting it into long thin pieces. Soak in cold water for 10 minutes, drain and repeat 2-3 times.

2.     Soak the crushed pistachios, almonds, and hazelnuts in cold water while prepping to allow them to soften.

3.     In a saucepan boil over medium heat ½ cup sugar with 1 cup water until sugar dissolves. Add ½ cup julienned oranges and ½ cup julienned carrots and cook on low heat for 15-20minutes.

4.     In a large skillet melt 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp vegetable oil.

5.     In the skillet, saute the onion until golden brown, then add turmeric and mix well. Add the barberries and sauté for 5min on medium-low heat.

6.     Add the raisins (1/2 cup of a combination of red and white raisins) and 1 tbsp of sugar. 

7.   Add the carrot and orange mix, the spices, and the nuts.

8.   Separately, in a large non stick pot boil roughly 8 cups of water, add 2tbsp salt, and add 2.5 cups of basmati rice.

9.   Boil the rice for about 10-15 minutes until it is soft on the outside but still hard in the middle. When it reaches this state drain the rice through a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. 
10.   In the large non stick pot (or persian rice cooker) add some vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pot and add 1/4 cup water.
12.   Put the half cooked rice in the pot, sprinkle some water on top (~1/4 cup), cover the lid with a kitchen towel to absorb the moisture, cover the pot well and set on medium-high heat for about 10minutes until you see that steam is starting to rise. Then lower the heat to low and let steam for 40min-1hr. Don't open the lid during the cooking process as the steam is essential for the rice to cook. 
13.   When ready, remove the rice from the pot until you reach a more solid layer. Leave the solid layer, place a large plate on top of the pot, and turn the pot upside down along with the plate so that the crunchy part (the tah-dig) falls right onto the plate.
14.   Mix 1/2tsp saffron with 1/2 cup boiling water and let set in a warm place for 10 minutes at least (do this while the rice is cooking). Pour the saffron mixture on the ready rice in the plate. It will cover some, not all of the rice. 
15.  Mix in the mixture of ingredients from step #7 into the rice.
16.   Serve!

Spanish Tortilla with Red Peppers

Spanish tortilla is probably one of the most famous and universally loved exports of Spanish cuisine, offered in many high class restaurants around the world in it's many variations and flavors, and yet it is such a simple and basic dish that anyone can enjoy at home. The tortilla can be enjoyed as a breakfast dish, you can impress your friends at a pitch in brunch, or serve it as an esthetic appetizer cut into small pieces. This particular recipe is simply how I like to make it, if you don't like this combination of spices feel free to change it up. As far as the potatoes go, you may cut them and put them raw on the pan and cook with the peppers for about 15minutes, but for time saving purposes I like to pre-microwave them so they are somewhat soft before they are on the pan. The fresh peppers can also be substituted for ready made chopped roasted red pepper, this way you save even more time on a busy Sunday morning! These quantities make a tortilla for 2 on a small frying pan, if you need to serve more make sure to multiply the ingredients and use an appropriate size pan so you get the nice height of the tortilla as can be seen in the picture. Buen Provecho! 

INGREDIENTS

2 medium sized potatoes

1 red pepper chopped

1 onion

4 eggs

a splash of milk

salt

pepper

tsp garlic powder

sweet paprika

turmeric

METHOD

1.     Cut the potatoes to 1-2cm size cubes. Place on a plate and microwave for 3minutes.

2.     Oil a small frying pan and turn on medium heat. Salt and pepper the potatoes, add the potatoes and pepper to the pan and let cook for a few minutes until almost soft but not brown.

3.     Beat the eggs with a splash of milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, sweet paprika, and turmeric to taste.

4.     Pour eggs over potatoes, cover and let cook until bottom is solid and separates from pan easily.

5.     Place a plate over the pan, quickly flip it over and let the tortilla fall into the plate, then slide it back into the pan with the uncooked side down.

6.    Cover and let cook for a few minutes until eggs have cooked through on the bottom.

Sage & Goat Cheese Ebelskivers

This ebeliskiver is a little more gourmet, combining unique flavors of sage and goat cheese into one delicious bite. It can make for a very unique appetizer for a dinner party!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all purpose flour

1.5 tsp sugar

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 large eggs, separated

1 cup whole milk

2 tbsp unsalted butter

21 small fresh sage leaves

3.5 tbsp chilled and crumbled goat cheese

METHOD

1.     Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

2.     Separately, whisk egg yolks, whisk in milk, and melted but cooled butter.

3.     Add yolk mixture to flour mixture, stir with a wooden spoon until well blended. Don’t over stir, batter will be lumpy.

4.     Separately, using an electric mixer on high speed beat the egg whites until still peaks form. Using a silicone spatula, fold about 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then fold the rest until no white streaks remain. Use batter right away.

5.     Brush the wells of the pan with some melted butter and place over medium heat. When butter starts to bubble place a sage leaf in each well, add 1 tbsp batter to each well, then 1 rounded tsp goat cheese, and top off with 1 tbsp batter. Cook until bottoms are lightly browned, turn them over, and cook until other side is lightly browned.

6.   Remove and keep warm in a 200F oven

Spinach & Feta Ebelskivers

This ebelskivers recipe also contains a classic combination of ingredients - our beloved spinach and feta - can't go wrong with that!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup cake flour

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 large eggs, separated

1 cup whole milk

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp dried oregano

10oz frozen chopped spinach

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

METHOD

1.     Drain spinach thoroughly.

2.     Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and oregano.

3.     Separately, whisk egg yolks, whisk in milk, and melted but cooled butter.

4.     Add yolk mixture to flour mixture, add the spinach, stir with a wooden spoon until well blended. Don’t over stir, batter will be lumpy.

5.     Separately, using an electric mixer on high speed beat the egg whites until still peaks form. Using a silicone spatula, fold about 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then fold the rest until no white streaks remain. Use batter right away.

6.     Brush the wells of the pan with some melted butter and place over medium heat. When butter starts to bubble add 1 tbsp batter to each well, then 1 rounded tsp feta cheese, and top off with 1 tbsp batter. Cook until bottoms are lightly browned, turn them over, and cook until other side is lightly browned.

7.    Remove and keep warm in a 200F oven