fbpx

GET HOME DELIVERY! CLICK HERE »

ADVERTISE
pick up locations
HOME DELIVERY
donate

Jewish Journal

Connect. Inform. Inspire.

March 17, 2015

Masala lamb stew with creamy coconut quinoa

Leave a Comment / Food, Holidays, Recipes /

Passover is the holiday I plan for all year long, partially because I hate it so much. I loathe giving up my beloved bread and pastry for an entire week, though usually my thighs thank me for the brief respite. Nevertheless I seek inspiration everywhere: in cookbooks, online and out and about when I am eating.

This recipe was inspired by a dish my husband and I ate in Los Angeles back in December at a downtown restaurant called The Industriel. I have never been much of a quinoa fan, but when I tasted their braised lamb served with rich walnut-quinoa porridge cooked in milk, I knew I had to try and make a version for myself. Cooking the quinoa in coconut milk adds a richness and heartiness to the quinoa that I really enjoyed, and it was almost like I was eating rice or pasta with my stew. Almost.

If you aren’t a fan of Indian spices, you could also try a more Middle Eastern flare my replacing the masala with Ras-el-hanout or harissa, which would also pair nicely with the creamy coconut quinoa. And despite my kvetching over the lack of carbs, this dish is absolutely delish, Passover or not.

Masala Lamb Stew with Creamy Coconut Quinoa

Ingredients

For the stew:

  • 2 ½ lbs lamb stew meat
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 small jalapeno
  • 2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
  • 1 Tbsp garam masala spice mix*
  • 1 ½ quarts chicken, beef or vegetable stock
  • 1 ½ cups orange or pineapple juice
  • Fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

 

For the coconut quinoa:

  • 1 ½ cups quinoa
  • 1 ½ 13.5 oz cans light coconut milk plus extra
  • Water
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil

 

To make the stew:

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat.

Sprinkle lamb liberally with salt and pepper. Sear lamb in batches on each side until golden brown. Set aside.
Reduce heat to medium.

Sauté onions in remaining lamb fat, scraping brown bits from the bottom. Cook until translucent, 5-6 minutes. Add jalapeno and ginger and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and garam masala. Cook until fragrant.

Add stock and bring to a boil. Scrape any additional bits from the bottom of the pan while coming to a boil.

Add lamb and reduce heat to medium-low heat (simmer). Cook for 1 ½-2 hours, stirring occasionally. If liquid has reduced too much, add more stock or water.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

To make the coconut quinoa:

Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Toast the quinoa until lightly browned, around 5 minutes.

Add the 1 ½ cans of coconut milk plus water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover pot. Cook 20-25 minutes. Allow to sit 10 minutes and fluff with a fork. Add an extra 2 Tbsp coconut milk plus salt and pepper to taste and mix.

*To make your own garam masala spice mix:

  • A 1-inch piece cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/4 cup cumin seeds
  • 1/3 cup coriander seeds
  • 1 Tbsp green cardamom pods
  • 1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
  • 2 tsps whole cloves
  • 1 dried red chile
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

 

Heat all spices except nutmeg in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the cumin becomes brown, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder or coffee mill, add the nutmeg and grind until it’s a fine powder. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 months.

Masala lamb stew with creamy coconut quinoa Read More »

Power greens matzah ball soup

Leave a Comment / Food, Holidays, Recipes /

Although I love tweaking traditional recipes, especially around Passover, (hello White Wine Braised Chicken or Manischewitz Ice Cream) there are some foods I never thought I’d touch. Such as my Bubbe’s matzo ball soup.

The rich homemade broth and with light and fluffy matzo balls and rounds of carrots, celery and my favorite parsnips. Its magically powers are unparalleled. Matzo ball soup has the ability to cure most ailments, bad days, and even my gentile friends request it all year long

But Passover food can be heavy. Potato kugel, chopped liver, flourless chocolate cake. I love it all, but sometimes it just doesn’t love me! The lack of greens and abundance of browns is apparent. This green soup cures that. What’s greatabout it is that you can pretty much throw in any greens you have in your fridge: broccoli, kale, Swiss chard. Throw it in there! It’s vegetarian friendly, and can be made ahead of time. In fact. The flavors just intensify as the days go on. Make sure to store the matzah balls separately, unless you want green balls. Which isn’t totally a bad thing.

Power Greens Matzah Ball Soup

For matzah balls:

  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup vegetable stock
  • 1 cup matzah meal
  • ¼ cup grated onion
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper

 

For soup:

  • 4 Tbsp butter (can use margarine, but butter preferred)
  • 1 medium white onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium Russet potato (about 1 pound), washed peeled and small diced
  • ½ bunch asparagus tops and stems, chopped
  • 1 cup spinach, rough chopped
  • 1 cup arugula
  • ¼ bunch parsley, chopped
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • Juice from ½ lemon
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

 

To make matzah balls, separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, stock, matzah meal, onion, olive oil, salt and pepper. Do not over mix, this leads to dense balls. Then a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand or stand mixer until you have stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the matzah mixture until just combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

When ready to make soup, heat a large pot of water to a simmer. Shape the matzah mixture into 12-15 1-inch balls. Place balls into water and simmer for 30 minutes or until matzah balls are cooked. Check doneness by cutting one ball in half. The color should be uniform all the way through.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 7-8 minutes until onion is cooked though and translucent. If onion starts to brown, turn heat down. Then add garlic and cook for one more minute.

Then add the potatoes, asparagus, spinach, arugula, parsley and broth and turn heat back up to medium. Simmer covered for about 10-15 minutes until asparagus and potatoes are tender. Don’t overcook or your vegetables will turn pea green.

Turn off heat, and blend soup in a blender or with an immersion blender. Add additional broth if your soup is very thick.

Season with lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with matzah balls.

Power greens matzah ball soup Read More »

Crockpot carne con papas, an alternative to brisket

Leave a Comment / Food, Recipes /

My Cuban family loves my American husband for many reasons, but high on that list is his appreciation for all things Cuban food. Of course, we do make it easy for my beloved Midwesterner, with dishes like Carne con Papas, which literally translates to meat and potatoes. This dish is an old family favorite, and is quickly becoming one of the most requested dishes in my household

The recipe I use is inspired by a dish made by my Tia Pipa (Aunt Felipa). She is used to cooking for an army, and she’s been known to prepare a mean Carne con Papas in a giant commercial caldero, or cauldron. Although I admire her back-to-basics approach of slaving away over the hot stove for hours on end to perfect this favored dish, I prefer a more modern approach with the use of my slow-cooker.

Imagine if you took all the best features of your favorite family brisket recipe – aromatic and tender chunks of slow-roasted meat, saucy overflow goodness – and paired them with creamy, bite-sized potatoes. What could be bad about that? Like the best brisket recipes, Carne con Papas has trouble staying intact at the mere hint of a fork. The slow-cooked nature of this dish also means that every delicate bite is infused with the typical Island flavors of garlic, onion, and bell pepper.

Traditionally served alongside steamed white rice, I see no reason why this can’t be served with a good old-fashioned kugel to mop every last bit of flavor that the saucy overflow provides.  Carne con Papas is definitely one of those dishes where you won’t want to waste a single bit.

Crockpot Carne con Papas

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs beef top round or stew meat, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 3 sour oranges (or 2 oranges and 2 lemons), juiced
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 Tbsp smoked mustard (*If you can’t find smoked mustard, coarse Dijon works, too)
  • 5 Tbsp olive oil, separated
  • Kosher Salt
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper coarsely diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, coarsely diced
  • 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 8oz can tomato sauce
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 lbs small white-skinned potatoes, halved
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 Tbsp of a spice mix involving salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, coriander, cumin, oregano and annatto seeds. (Sound complicated? Sazón Goya is ready-mixed.)

 

In a plastic zip-top bag, combine beef, citrus juice, oregano, garlic, mustard, 3 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Close the bag, making sure to remove all the air, and massage the ingredients together until well-combined. Place the bag in the refrigerator, and let marinade for 1-4 hours.

In a large skillet, heat remaining olive oil. Separate the marinated beef into two sections, reserving the marinade liquid. Brown the first batch of beef for 3 minutes, and set aside. Lightly coat the second batch of beef in flour, and brown for 3 minutes. Set aside.

In the same skillet, add onion and bell peppers and cook for 3 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, and reserved marinade liquid, and deglaze the skillet using a wooden spoon. Stir in cumin and sazon goya.

Transfer the beef, vegetables, and sauce to a slow-cooker, and add in the dried bay leaves and potatoes. Stir to combine, cover, and cook on low for 7 hours, or until beef is fork-tender. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, as needed. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Serve with steamed white rice.

Crockpot carne con papas, an alternative to brisket Read More »

Passover and OCD

Leave a Comment / Blogs /

Every year around this time, Jewish households go through the arduous process of cleaning for Passover.  For the strictly observant, houses must be cleaned of all chametz, or leavened products made of certain types of grain, which a Jew may not eat or even own on Passover.  Given the amount of cleaning involved with making a home chametz-free, spring cleaning generally gets rolled into the mix as well.  In many ways, that makes sense.  If you have to do spring cleaning at some point, why not do it when you’re already turning the house inside out to get rid of chametz?

So far, I’m on board with the whole clean-fest.  But here’s my problem. Often, what starts out as a good faith attempt to clean up ends up going too far.  For example, last week, when my husband and I were deciding when to start our Passover cleaning this year, he told me that our bathroom wall tiles needed to be cleaned. I didn’t know what he was talking about and asked him to point out the problem. “Here,” he said, pointing to the bathroom wall.  “Look at this.” He pointed to the tiles, which were yellow, and then pointed to some rings on the tiles which, on close inspection, appeared to be a slightly darker shade of yellow.  However, I noted that that seemed to be the case on all the tiles.  “Look” my husband continued as he tried to clean off the tiles. “It doesn’t come off.”  “Maybe that‘s the design in the tiles,“ I said. “Or maybe the rings got there from a leak. The point is, since we can’t get it off when scrubbing it with soap and water, we shouldn’t worry about it now.”  My husband seemed only slightly mollified by this. But the fact is, there’s no prohibition against having discolored tiles in your bathroom or anywhere else on Passover.

My husband’s not the only one. I’ve been known to obsess over the pattern of the contact paper I place inside my kitchen drawers before the holiday, just as I’ve been known to obsess over those little bubbles that can form on the contact paper if you don’t set it down just right. Even a failure to repaint before Passover, while regrettable, is not exactly a sin. So what causes cleaning-overdrive this time of year? As I discussed above, the convergence of spring cleaning with Passover is one reason, but there is another. The prohibition against not only eating but even owning chametz on Passover is very severe. The punishment for violating it is “kareth,” or being spiritually cut off from the Jewish people after death.

Thus, piety over the prohibition of owning chametz on Passover can lead to severe practices.  Many Jewish homes forbid eating while reading a book year round for fear that crumbs will get in between the pages and remain there over Passover. Similarly, whole rooms or floors of houses are deemed areas in which it is forbidden to eat year round for fear that there will be missed crumbs left in these areas on Passover. While this may make for good housekeeping (although it rules out breakfast in bed – unless it’s matzah), it may not be necessary from the perspective of Jewish law. I remember seeing the husband of an ultra-orthodox friend stressing out about chametz gently tease her by reading aloud a Jewish legal commentary saying just that.

So clean and cook for Passover, by all means, but don’t get carried away.  After all, we weren’t freed from slavery just to become slaves in our homes.

Passover and OCD Read More »