Meat & Poultry – Page 15 – Busy in Brooklyn

I…I…I…don’t even know what to say…. but BREAKING THE INTERNET comes to mind!! Move over Kim Kardashian because I’ve got Salami Babka in the house!!

I don’t know how I’ve held it in for this long – this gorgeous savory babka has been eating away at me (or have I been eating away at it?) ever since I conceived of it months ago… I wanted to shout it from the rooftops the second this baby came out of the oven, but it was not to be, because, as you know, I save all my SALAMI revelations for Purim! Yes, Purim. The holiday of booze, dress-up, and here at Busy In Brooklyn, SALAMI.

My salami hacks have been making their mark each year for the holiday, and I think I might have finally outdone my drunken hasselback salami, because, lets face it – ain’t nothin better than bread – and when you fill that bread with the sweet and savory fillings of apricot jam, mustard, brown sugar and salami – well…. you basically BREAK. THE. INTERNET.

Babka has been all the rage this year, from the famous Bread’s bakery babka (who’s recipe was recently made public in the Baking Breads cookbook) to the spreads in The New York Times, Bon Appetit Magazine, and all that other stuff. I have to admit that I have never made true, authentic babka (with buttery brioche dough), although I often fill my leftover challah with gooey chocolate spread, twist it up and call it a day.

I’ve had savory babka on my mind for a while now, and I was kind of surprised that I haven’t seen too many savory variations on the net. Especially since turning traditional sweets into savory adaptations is kind of a thing right now. My biggest obstacle with a salami babka was the brioche dough. The good stuff is loaded with butter and I just couldn’t stand the thought of using all that margarine (the rules of kosher forbid me from eating milk with meat, so no butter and salami together). And yes I realize that’s ironic since this thing is loaded with salami (insert facepalm emoji here!)

I considered going with a challah dough, but I finally decided I would make this super easy for everyone and just use pizza dough. Of course you can use any dough you choose, and even go crazy with the deli you stuff it with. Don’t worry about all of the mess – the little bits of salami that poke out of the bread and get all crispy and caramelized are my favorite part of this recipe!

Now if you’ve missed my whole salami situation – the reason for my yearly Purim salami postings are due to a little nugget of information that I read a couple of years back. I don’t know if it was true, or it was all a Purim joke – but it made mention of the fact that some people have a tradition to eat salami on Purim since it is hung, like Haman. I thought it was the coolest food custom I had ever read, so I adopted it. The part that you don’t know though, is that that was a huge deal for me! Why? read on.

So growing up, my mom would make salami sandwiches every Friday afternoon for lunch for my siblings and I. She’d send us outside to the courtyard of our building to eat them, so we wouldn’t make a mess inside the house before Shabbat. Little did she know, we all hated those little hard white pieces inside the salami (I’m pretty sure they were solid fat!), so one by one, we all chucked our salami sandwiches down the incinerator chute – every. single. week. My poor mom thought we were eating lunch and little did she know!

From thereon out, I never looked at salami again. For years. Until I got married and the only thing my husband knew how to cook from his Yeshiva days was salami and eggs. I always swore I’d never try it, until one day, he convinced me, and the rest is history! I learned that cooking out the salami fat leaves you with a super crispy, tasty bits of heaven that are so perfect for trashing up in fun ways!

Just. Like. This. Lets get hangin’!

Salami Babka

1 lb. pizza*, challah or brioche dough
1/3 cup apricot jam
2 tbsp deli mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar
7 oz. Abeles & Heymann salami, thinly sliced
2 tbsp everything bagel spice

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Flour your work surface and roll the dough out to about 11″ x 16″. Melt your apricot jam in the microwave or in a small saucepan and brush over the dough. Squeeze some mustard over the jam and sprinkle with brown sugar. Spread the salami slices out in one layer and starting from the long end, roll up jelly-roll-style. Slice the roll in half down the center, and gently twist the two strips around each other. Don’t worry if some of the salami falls out, or if pieces stick out of the dough, just try to keep the layers from falling apart. Place the salami babka into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle with everything bagel spice. If any of the salami fell out, just tuck it into the sides of the pan.

Bake the babka until golden, about 35-45 minutes. Remove from the loaf pan and slice. Serve warm, with mustard for dipping.

NOTE: I know this recipe seems messy but the idea is to have some of the salami piece sticking out of the dough so that they get crispy and caramelized, while other pieces stay moist on the inside. The thinner you slice the salami, the more your babka will hold together, so try to slice as thinly as you can.

VARIATION: Try this recipe with kosher bacon, or other deli meats like turkey and/or pastrami.

*of course I used store-bought pizza dough because I’m about the 1-2-3!

This post is sponsored by Abeles & Heymann. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

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Jerusalem Hummus In Jars

On February 23, 2017February 23, 2017

by chanie

in Appetizer, Dips, Lunch, Meat & Poultry, Purim, Recipes, Shabbos

13 Comments

I’ve got to hand this one to a favorite person and a favorite cookbook: Naomi Nachman, and “Zahav“, respectively. Naomi is a foodie friend who’s not quite at my stage in life. She just married off her first child and her youngest is about the age of my oldest. Naomi might be older but she’s got more energy than my five kids put together! She’s always the life of the party and her foodie calendar puts me to shame. She just wrapped her first cookbook, Perfect for Pesach, which I was lucky enough to get some sneak peeks behind the scenes (and test some of the amazing recipes!). She runs a Pesach catering business, a “Chopped” themed party service, writes for various publications and even has her own radio show, Table for Two on the Nachum Segal Network. I love Naomi’s positive energy and I’m proud to call her a friend.

Recently, Naomi managed to squeeze in a trip to Israel amid her crazy hectic schedule, and she brought me back some Hawaj from the shuk. I’d never tried hawaj before, but I knew that there were two types of the Yemenite spice blend – one for soup and one for coffee. The spice was so potent (everything from the shuk always is!) that my whole kitchen smelled of it, even through the Ziploc bag! I wanted to make the most of the spice so I thought about how I could use it to really let it shine. And it hit me – hummus basar!

I had never made meat hummus before, or any REAL hummus from scratch and I was excited to try! I went to the holy grail of Israeli cookbooks, “Zahav” to find the perfect recipe and of course Michael Solomonov’s did not disappoint. What I love so much about Zahav is that every recipe is approachable, and unlike some of the other cookbooks on Middle Eastern cuisine, Zahav is the least bit pretentious. The hummus I made from the book was by the far the best one I had ever tasted and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to store-bought. It is just a whole ‘nother ballgame.

What I learned from Solomonov is that hummus is so much more about the quality of the tahini than it is about the chickpeas. I always thought of hummus as a chickpea spread, but no. It’s a silky-smooth-sesame chickpea spread that will knock your socks off. You start by preparing silky smooth tahini that involves a brilliant garlic hack that I won’t share (buy the cookbook to find out what it is!). Then you take that tahini perfection and add loads of it to butter-soft chickpeas. Oh. My. God. is it good.

Zahav’s hummus recipe is a two step process, but I’ve simplified it here into one. I would definitely encourage you to try the original recipe at least once, but this makes a pretty good substitute. And please do me a favor and don’t put the amazingly pungent and flavorful hawaj-spiced beef over store-bought hummus because that’s like serving homemade shortcakes with canned whipped cream. Just no. And if you’re feeling up to the task, try Zahav’s pita recipe and bake ’em up in mini to go along with these Jerusalem hummus jars. There’s really nothing quite like homemade pita to go along with homemade hummus. I’ve made the recipe a few times already and it is super simple and incredibly delicious!

If this post hasn’t already compelled you to buy the cookbook, here’s an excerpt of a review I wrote after I got it:

“Michael brings the beauty of Israeli culture and cuisine to the forefront without the bells and whistles. He lets the food stand on it’s own, humble and beautiful, with clear, easy to fllow recipes that dont require millions of ingredients. And he’s not cheffy about it either….This guy isn’t cooking Israeli food because it’s trendy, he’s just doing what he loves and it comes through on every page. Even though he himself is not kosher….he acknowledges that the rules of kosher define the boundaries of Israeli cuisine and keeps all the recipe in the book (and in his restaurant) free of shellfish, pork and mixing milk and meat. In a culture that thinks that you have to be “treif” to be cool (especially so if you are Jewish), this man has my total respect). ”

Of course this Hummus Basar was made in jars in the spirit of Purim, but feel free to make this recipe and serve Israeli style, in a big bowl with lots of fresh pita for dipping! You can also make the hawaj beef and serve it over rice, it makes for a delicious side dish!

Jerusalem Hummus in Jars

Hummus

1 cup dried chickpeas
2 tsp baking soda, divided
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1 cup good quality tahini paste (stir thoroughly before using, as oil and solids tend to separate)
3/4 cup ice water

Add the chickpeas and 1 tsp baking soda to a large bowl and cover with a few inches of water. Soak overnight.

Drain the chickpeas and rinse. Add chickpeas and remaining teaspoon of baking soda to a pot and cover with a few inches of water. Bring to a boil and skim any scum that rises to the surface of the water. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for one hour, until soft and tender. Drain well.

Add the garlic, lemon juice, salt, cumin and tahini to the bowl of a food processor with the S blade attached. Puree the mixture, and while the machine is running, pour the ice water through the feeding tube. Blend until the mixture is very smooth.

Add the drained chickpeas and continue to blend until creamy. Adjust seasoning,, adding more salt, cumin or lemon, if desired.

Hawaj Spiced Beef

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 tsp hawaj for soup
kosher salt, to taste
1/4 cup pine nuts
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
pita chips or homemade pita, for serving

Heat olive oil in a skillet and add the onions. Saute until translucent. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to saute until all the moisture from the mushrooms evaporates and they begin to brown. Add the hawaj and stir until incorporated and the mixture is fragrant. Add the beef and salt and cook until crumbly and no longer pink.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat, or in the oven at 375 degrees, until browned.

To assemble the jars, fill a piping bag with hummus and fill about 1/3 of the jar. Top with beef, pine nuts and parsley. Alternatively, you may spread the hummus out in a large bowl and top with spiced beef, pine nuts and parsley.

NOTE: Hawaj is a yemenite spice blend. There are two types of hawaj – for soup and for coffee. Make sure to use only hawaj for soup. You can make your own with this recipe.

VARIATION: If you don’t have hawaj for soup, you may use shawarma spice, Jerusalem spice, or baharat.

YIELD: 8-10 8oz. jars. (I used these jars)

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Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, 5 Ways

On January 5, 2017January 19, 2017

by chanie

in Dinner, Meat & Poultry, Recipes, Salad, Soup

4 Comments

I have been waiting to post this recipe for months! I kept trying different variations, cooking temps and times until I found the easiest and most delicious version. I love this dinner because of how simple it is (duh) and because there is just so much you can do with it. I think the chicken fajita bowls are my favorite (because I’m obsessed with food in bowls right now), but the nachos are pretty addictive too.

A lot of thought went into this recipe, including what type of chicken to use. I’m not a fan of skinless roasted chicken breast because it’s just. so. dry. Chicken thighs, on the other hand, are pretty impossible to mess up. Even if you overcook them a little, their fat content keeps them super moist. I also decided to keep these whole for roasting, because cutting them into strips would dry them out. Like I said, lots of thought people, lots of thought.

I’ve also tested this recipe with store bought fajita seasoning (which has added cornstarch, soybeans and wheat) and my homemade version won by a landslide. I love that this recipe is “clean” so if you choose to trash it up with homemade tortilla chips, no one is judging you :)

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

1 medium spanish onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 yellpw pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 green pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 orange pepper, sliced into strips
6 dark meat chicken cutlets (deboned chicken thighs)
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fajita seasoning (recipe follows)
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

On a greased sheet pan, mix the peppers and onions with 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp fajita spice, salt and pepper. Spread out over the tray. Place the chicken over the peppers and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tbsp fajita spice, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Mix the peppers and place them over the chicken. Return to the oven and broil on high for 5-8 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until peppers and onions are caramelized and crisped around the edges.

For a simple dinner, serve over rice or check out the other 5 ways below!

Homemade Fajita Spice

2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 tsp kosher salt

Mix to combine and store in an airtight container. Makes 5 tablespoons.

Chicken Fajita Salad

1 head Rommaine or iceberg lettuce, chopped
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, diced
3 pieces fajita chicken, cut into strips
sheet pan peppers and onions
tortilla strips (store bought or homemade, recipe follows)

Method:

Spread the lettuce out on a large platter. Top with tomatoes, black beans, avocado, peppers and onions, chicken and tortilla strips. Drizzle with salsa dressing. Alternatively, serve in individual bowls.

Creamy Salsa Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup salsa

Mix the mayo and salsa until creamy and serve over salad.

Homemade Tortilla Strips

1 pkg corn tortillas
oil, for frying

Cut the tortillas into thin strips and fry in hot oil until golden. Drain on paper towels.

Chicken Fajita Bowls

2 cups long grain rice, cooked according to package directions
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 avocados, thinly sliced
6 pieces fajita chicken, cut into strips
sheet pan peppers and onions
6 eggs, prepared sunny side up
sriracha and scallions, for garnish

Method:

Divide the rice into 6 serving bowls. Add black beans, avocado, chicken, onions and peppers. Top with a fried egg and garnish with scallions and sriracha.

Chicken Fajita Tacos

1 package soft corn tortillas
fajita chicken, cut into strips
sheet pan peppers and onions
shredded iceberg lettuce
avocado crema (recipe follows)
salsa
lime wedges

Method:

Warm the corn tortillas in a dry skillet over medium heat, until pliable. Fill each tortilla with chicken, peppers, onion and lettuce. Drizzle with avocado crema and garnish with salsa and lime wedges.

Avocado Crema

1 large avocado
1/2 cup mayonnaise or nondairy sour cream
juice of 1 lime
1 clove garlic
kosher salt, to taste

Puree the ingredients in a food processor or blender, adding water, if needed, to reach desired consistency.

Fajita Nachos

1 pkg soft corn tortillas
oil for frying
sheet pan peppers and onions
fajita chicken, cut into strips
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 container nondairy sour cream
2 avocados
juice of 1/2 lemon
kosher salt

Method:

Cut the corn tortillas into wedges. Heat oil in a skillet and fry the tortillas until golden. Drain on paper towels.

Mash the avocados and add lemon and salt, to taste. Set aside.

Spread the chips out on a platter and top with onions and peppers, chicken, diced tomatoes and black beans. Drizzle sour cream over the nachos and top with a scoop of avocado.

EASY OPTION: Use store-bought tortilla chips

Chicken Fajita Soup

sheet tray peppers and onions
2 tsp fajita seasoning (recipe posted above)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 32 oz. carton chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste
jalapeño, avocado, red onion, cilantro, nondairy sour cream, and tortilla strips, for topping

Method:

Place the onions and peppers in a medium sized pot and cook over medium heat until warmed through. Add the fajita seasoning and tomato paste and stir until the spices are fragrant and the tomato paste starts to caramelize. Add diced tomatoes, stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Slice the chicken into strips and add to the soup. Ladle into bowls and top with desired toppings.

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Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Stuffing

On December 1, 2016December 1, 2016

by chanie

in Appetizer, Dinner, Meat & Poultry, Recipes, Shabbos, Side Dish

7 Comments

I’ve been loving playing around with Instagram stories these days. It lets me post a step by step cooking tutorial and it’s just. so. fun! Last night I made Asian soup bowls with a richly flavored broth and a variety of vegetables for a make-you-own bowl dinner. I posted a play by play on my stories and the feedback was amazing!

I made these stuffed acorn squashes last Friday, using some of my leftover bacon-wrapped turkey from Thanksgiving. I posted a story as I made them and I got lots of requests for a formal written recipe. I managed a quick photoshoot, even though it was a hectic Friday and do I even need an explanation? I mean just look at these?!

I really love the idea of making this after Thanksgiving with some leftover turkey, but if you don’t have any, just leave it out and keep it vegan. With or without the turkey, this is a beautiful side dish that’s perfect for the fall, winter, holidays or just a weeknight cozy dinner. I put a poached egg over some leftover rice and lemme tell you….sooooo good!

Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Stuffing

3 acorn squashes
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 medium red onion, peeled and diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
10oz. cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed and sliced
1 box Near East long grain and wild rice pilaf, cooked according to package directions
1 3.5oz bag roasted chestnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup leftover diced turkey (optional)
1/2 cup vegetable stock (increase to 1 cup if using turkey)
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Method:

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place cut-side up on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle brown sugar over the squash halves and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and caramelized around the edges, about 40 minutes.

Add the remaining olive oil to a saute pan and saute the onion and celery until deeply caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper, and continue to saute until all the water evaporates and mushrooms caramelize. Add the rice, roasted chestnuts and diced turkey (if using) and stir to combine. Add the stock and cook the mixture until all the liquid is absorbed, stirring every few minutes. Add the dried cranberries.

Divide the rice stuffing among the roasted squash halves and serve.

VARIATION: I made this using some of my leftover kosher beef bacon-wrapped turkey, and I added some of the bacon to the dish as well. If you wish to do do so (it adds a nice smoky and crispy element), just crisp up your favorite variety and stir in the stuffing before serving (don’t add it during cooking or it will get soggy).

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Farro Grain Bowl

On November 10, 2016November 17, 2016

by chanie

in Diet, Dinner, Lunch, Meat & Poultry, Recipes

2 Comments

Life with five kids has thrown me for a loop. They always say #3 is hard, maybe #4 too. But #5? I’m ex.hau.sted. Baby girl is still 3 months old, so I know we’re still in that needy (ie. nursing every 3 hours) stage, but man, it’s tough! I still won’t give up blogging though, because after five years of creating and sharing, it’s become so much a part of me. You guys, are part of the family.

Thank G-d for some stored posts that never made it to blog like this farro grain bowl. I don’t know why it’s been sitting in my archived photos for so long because dang is it beautiful. And oh so tasty! I’m all about grain bowls right now. Ok I’m all about any food really (breastfeeding!!), but there’s something about being able to throw in a little of this and a little of that to create something so satisfying.

I’m a huge fan of grain bowls because there are endless options, and it’s basically just an excuse to throw a bunch of leftovers into a big dish and call it fancy! I’ve started to make them for lunch a lot, using whatever leftovers I have in the fridge. I can usually find some quinoa (I like to cook it up in the beginning of the week so I can add it to salads, yogurt and mains) or leftover rice and I pretty much always have some cooked chicken on hand. There’s also plenty of veggies to choose from, plus some hard boiled eggs, cheese, and roasted beets. So basically I’ve got my grain bowls made, I have to just make ’em!

So, how do you build a grain bowl? Well, you can try and stick to a specific cuisine (like this Middle Eastern inspired bowl) or you can keep things simple. Just follow this basic outline:

How to Build a Grain Bowl:

Grains (rice, farro, quinoa, couscous, barley, wheat berries, millet)
Raw or Cooked Veggies (carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers, beets, peppers, zucchini)
Raw or Sauteed Greens (spinach, arugula, kale, radicchio, cabbage)
Protein (tofu, edamame, chickpeas, surimi, chicken, poached egg, cheese)
Dressing (pesto, miso, tahini, salsa, peanut sauce, soy sauce)
Garnish (seaweed, avocado, nuts, pickled veggies, scallions, fresh herbs)

I probably would have added some sauteed beet greens to this bowl, if I had had them, but the flavors were amazing and went together really well. The chewy farro, sweet beets, smoky chicken, crispy chickpeas and crunchy pomegranate seeds really complemented each other – both in texture and flavor. Of course the tahini didn’t hurt either, and the pomegranate molasses just put it over the top.

Thinking about making your own grain bowl? Here are some other fun combinations!

// cauliflower rice + fajita spiced peppers + black beans + avocado + salsa dressing + fresh lime
// quinoa + roasted squash + sauteed kale + feta + pumpkin seeds + almond butter dressing
// couscous + roasted eggplant + tomato + red cabbage + hard boiled egg + harissa dressing
// sushi rice + carrots + cucumber + sushi grade tuna + edamame + fried egg + sriracha + soy sauce

Have you ever made a grain bowl, or seen one you like? Share the combo with me in the comments below! I love to get inspired with new combinations!

Farro Grain Bowls

1 cup farro
spice-grilled chicken (recipe follows)
2 medium purple beets
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
fresh parsley, for garnish
tahini (recipe follows)
pomegranate molasses

Method:

To make the farro, rinse well and place in a saucepan with enough water to cover the grains. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Drain.

While the farro is cooking, wrap each beet individually in foil (do not peel) and roast at 400 degrees until fork-tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the beets to cool (do not remove the foil). Once cooled, unwrap the beets and use your hands to remove the peel, it will slide off. Cut the beets into small pieces.

While the beets are cooking, toss the chickpeas with cumin, olive oil and salt and roast it in the oven alongside the beets, shaking the pan every 15 minutes or so. Roast until crispy, about 45 minutes.

To serve, divide the farro between four bowls. Slice grilled chicken and add to each bowl. Add beets, pomegranate seeds and chickpeas among the bowls and drizzle each bowl with tahini and pomegranate molasses. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Spice Grilled Chicken

4 dark meat chicken cutlets (pargiot)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Jerusalem grill or shawarma spice (store-bought or make your own)
kosher salt, to taste (if spice mix does not have salt added)

Place the chicken in a Ziploc bag with olive oil and spices and mix until well-coated. Marinate for 30 minutes (or overnight). Grill for about 6-8 minutes per side, until cooked through. Alternatively, broil the chicken under high heat for 6-8 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

Tahini

1/2 cup tahini paste (stir thoroughly before using, as oil and solids tend to separate)
1/2 cup water
1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/8 tsp cumin
kosher salt, to taste

In a bowl, mix the tahini, water, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, cumin and salt. Whisk until emulsified.

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Category: Meat & Poultry

Salami Babka

Jerusalem Hummus In Jars

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, 5 Ways

Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Stuffing

Farro Grain Bowl