Author: chanie

It’s our Blogoversary!
Celebrate with {Mulled Wine}

We’ve come a long way since my first post back on January 19th, 2011. Believe me, I never imagined I would make it this far. What started out as a hobby has blossomed into a full blown passion. I’m so thankful to all of my readers who are the reason for my continued success.

Over the past year, BIB has grown considerably, with recipes featured throughout the blogosphere as well as in Bitayavon and Binah Magazines. With bated breath, Busy in Brooklyn finished in 5th place in the Joy of Kosher “2011 Best of Kosher” competition with almost 850 votes.

It’s been a whirlwind! Here are some stats from the past year that I thought you might enjoy:

Most popular category: dessert recipes
Most popular recipe: sushi salad
Most popular craft: shell stitch crochet hat
Most popular how to: caramelize apples
Most commented: black bean brownies

I can’t wait to see what the next year has in store! In the meantime, keep reading, keep cooking, and most importantly, keep commenting! Your feedback really gives me the push I need to keep going!

Do you want to give BIB a Blogoversary present? Share our page on your facebook wall and ask friends to like us and visit our blog!

And now, to celebrate! I figured we should all make a L’chaim to toast to our one year Blogoversary. But a plain old glass of wine just wouldn’t do. Instead, we’re gonna click our glasses with a warm cup of mulled wine. Mulled wine is a spiced red wine that has been warmed with spices and citrus. It is perfect for a cold winter night in which you have cause to celebrate.

The best part about making mulled wine (also known as glogg) is that you don’t need to use an expensive bottle. You can use a combination of whatever whole spices you have on hand, or simply use a few spoons of your bisamim.

Traditionally, mulled wine includes the following:

} dry red wine or a combination of dry and sweet (port is best)
} sweetener, such as, white sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey or agave
} juice and zest of citrus, such as orange and/or lemon
} additional alcohol of choice, such as vodka or brandy, (optional)
} dried fruit, raisins, and/or almonds (optional)
} a combination of whole spices, such as:

cinnamon sticks
cardamom pods
cloves
allspice berries
peppercorns
star anise
bay leaves
nutmeg
vanilla pods
ginger root

I prefer to wrap up the spices in a cheesecloth but you can also add them straight to the pot and strain before serving.

 

BIB Blogoversary Mulled Wine

1 bottle dry red wine
1/3-1/2 cup agave
juice of 1 orange
2 cinnamon sticks
6 cloves
4-5 peppercorns
1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise
a few strips of orange zest

Method:

Add spices to a piece of double-lined cheesecloth and knot closed. Add wine, spices, agave and fresh squeezed orange juice to a pot. Cook on a low flame until heated through. DO NOT BOIL as it will cause the alcohol to evaporate.

1 year ago: chicken breast with port wine cherry sauce

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Wild Mushroom Barley Soup

I remember the first time I made mushroom barley soup. I was having a large group of people over for a simcha and I decided to whip up a batch of the hearty soup. Having never made it before, I underestimated how much the barley would expand. Lets just say it was more of a cream of barley soup than a mushroom anything. I have since learned my lesson and to be sure of myself, I cook the barley separately and add it the soup once it’s already tender.

But that’s not the only thing that makes this soup anything but average. Instead of serving up a bowl of soup with a puddle of grease floating on top (you all know what I’m talking about), I blend the soup using only half of the barley. Since my kids wouldn’t normally eat mushrooms, blending it makes for a perfect disguise and they don’t have to miss out on this delicious recipe. After blending, I add in the remaining barley for added texture in every bite.


Wild Mushroom Barley Soup

1 leek, ends trimmed and diced into rings
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
1 pkg crimini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
1 pkg shitake mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
1 pkg portobello mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
2 32oz. containers chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp dried thyme (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil, for sauteing
1 cup pearl barley, cooked (see note)

Method:

Add leeks to a bowl of water. Agitate the rings with your hands and mix to loosen sand and grit. Drain leeks and dry on paper towels.  Saute leeks, onions and garlic in olive oil. When they begin to golden, add carrots and then mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes (add thyme if desired). Add chicken stock, soy sauce, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add half of the cooked barley and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Using a tongs, remove some mushrooms to use for  garnish. Then, blend the soup with a hand blender. Add remaining barley and simmer for 20 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add water until desired consistency is reached. Garnish with mushrooms.

NOTE: To cook barley, add to a pot with 5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain.

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Black Grape & Plum Compote

My husband and I can’t seem to figure out if we actually save money at Costco. We usually end up buying things we don’t need (or have space for) with money we don’t have. The truth is, I figure it’s worth buying paper towels (my guilty pleasure), tissues, napkins and such in bulk. But when I start to venture down the forbidden aisles – like the produce, I’m in trouble. Don’t get me wrong, the stuff looks delicious. But I don’t have a family of 10, it’s not Pesach, and I don’t need an entire carton of apples!

Alas, here are my top three things to avoid when heading to Costco:

#1 Don’t go to Costco hungry
#2 Dont go to Costco with your kids (or else you’ll end up buying them toys and books that they don’t need just to calm them down).
#3 Don’t go to Costco without a shopping list. Prepare a list in advance and buy ONLY what is on that list.

Why am I going on and on about Costco? Well, for starters, I did not follow cardinal rule #1 and I went to Costco hungry. Thankfully, I did not buy that humungous bag of chips to snack on, but rather, I loaded my cart up with cartons of California prunes (fancy plums) and black grapes. Then I got home. And I looked in the fridge. And I realized. I. Have. No. Room. For. Cartons. Of. Costco. Fruit. Enter this trusty compote recipe and problem averted :)

This crimson compote is intoxicatingly delicious, not to mention beautiful to look at. Because the grapes are so sweet, I avoided adding any more sugar. Instead, I used some Moscato wine which added a delicious fruity flavor. You can serve this up by the cup, ladle over pound cake, or spoon over ice cream.

 

Black Grape & Plum Compote

16 california prunes (or use 10 plums)
2 small bunches (about 3 cups) black grapes
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup Moscato wine

Method:

Wash plums, remove pits and chop into pieces. Wash grapes and remove from stems. Add fruit, lemon and moscato to a pot and simmer over high heat until it reaches a boil. Lower the heat and continue to cook until the fruit starts to fall apart (about 15 minutes). Using a potato masher, mash the fruit and continue to cook until thickened (another 15 minutes).

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Baked Chicken Meatballs

Because I have little kids, I find myself making meatballs quite often. These chicken meatballs are a refreshing change from the typical meatball and spaghetti dinner. You can make them small and serve as an appetizer or mix into marinara sauce and serve a’ la classique.

PS I ran out of cocktail picks so that’s why I used matchsticks, just in case you were wondering!

Baked Chicken Meatballs

2 lbs ground chicken
1 cup soft bread crumbs (from about 3 pieces of bread)
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
2 tbsp minced onion flakes
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
2 heaping tbsp tomato paste
chili sauce, for dipping

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine bread, oregano, basil, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.  Add water and let it sit for a few minutes to soak up the liquid. (If using dry bread crumbs, increase the water by another 1/2 cup). Mix bread crumbs mixture with ground chicken, eggs and tomato paste. Form balls (if you find the mixture too sticky to handle, put it in the fridge to set) and place in a greased pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

NOTE: You can easily halve this recipe to make a smaller amount.

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Fire Roasted Tomato Rice Stoup

There is nothing more comforting on a cold winter day than a hot bowl of stoup. A stoup is a cross between a soup and a stew – it’s not quite as thin as a soup, but not quite as thick as a stew either. I don’t know about you but after 8 days of cooking and entertaining, I just don’t feel like sitting in the kitchen, even if it’s just to prepare dinner. That’s why I love this recipe. It’s an easy one-dish meal that is great for kids and extremely budget friendly. With fire-roasted tomatoes and franks, this hearty dish is reminiscint of summer bbq’s.

This recipe is currently featured in Bitayavon Magazine.

 

Fire Roasted Tomato Rice Stoup

1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp basil
2 bay leaves
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 pkg cocktail franks or 4 franks diced into 1/4″ rounds
1-2 cups precooked or leftover rice

Method:

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until golden. Add tomato paste and continue to saute until it gets pasty and the bottom of the pot begins to brown. Add canned tomatoes and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove cover from pot and using a hand blender, blend the mixture until pureed but slightly chunky. Add chicken stock, brown sugar, basil, bay leaves, salt, pepper and franks. Bring soup to a boil and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves and add rice. Cook for a few minutes until rice is soft and fluffy.

NOTE: The rice will expand considerably after warming. Add one cup at a time until you reach desired consistency. Two cups of rice will thicken the soup and turn it into more of a stew.

TIP: Sauteeing tomato paste mellows it’s flavor and cuts the acidic taste.

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