Category: Appetizer

Miso-Glazed Eggplant


If you’re anything like me, you might go home from a restaurant and dream about a dish you’ve had that was simply, stunning. (Forgive my adjective but having just watched a double episode of MasterChef, I must have heard Gordon Ramsay use it to describe food at least 5 times). Recently, I dined at the uber chic Prime Ko with my mom to celebrate Mother’s Day. This is not something we do yearly, but my mom broached the idea, and since I love eating out (especially at upscale Japanese restaurants), I was more than happy to oblige. The food was so good, I’m thinking we  should make it our thing.

My mom frequents restaurants pretty often, so she was quite familiar with Prime Ko’s menu. She highly recommended their eggplant dengaku, a roasted eggplant dish with a yuzu-sesame miso glaze. Her recommendation was spot on. The eggplant was so good, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The next day, I promptly googled “Dengaku sauce” and began my research for a copycat recipe. 4 eggplants and 2 bags of miso later, I hit the jackpot.

This was my first time working with Japanese ingredients like miso and sake. Miso is a fermented soybean paste mixed with rice or barley. The longer the miso is aged, the deeper the flavor. Young miso is white, light and sweet, while older miso is thick, dark and rich. Kosher miso is available through Eden Organics, ranging from Shiro and  Genmai (light) to Mugi and hacho (dark). Miso lends an amazing depth of flavor to dishes, giving food an umami flavor that keeps you coming back for more.

Sake is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin that is made from fermented rice. It is also referred to as rice wine. While sake is used in Japanese cooking, it is also served as a chilled beverage from ceramic flasks called tokkuri. You may have seen it served in small cups (called choko) in some Asian restaurants.

Miso-Glazed Eggplant

1 eggplant
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp white miso
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sake
1 tbsp mirin
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced

Method:

Preheat oven to 400. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Using a small knife, score four or five diagonal cuts into the eggplant flesh, taking care not to cut through to the skin. Repeat at a 45-degree angle to get a diamond-shaped pattern. Brush the eggplant with sesame oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake, cut-size-up for 30 minutes. Remove the eggplant from the oven and turn it cut-side-down. Bake an additional 20 minutes.

While the eggplant is roasting, prepare the glaze. Put the miso, sugar, soy sauce, sake and mirin in a pan and bring to a simmer. Whisk the glaze and cook for several minutes, until thickened,

Remove eggplant from oven and turn cut-side-up. Brush the eggplant generously with miso glaze. Return to the oven and broil 3-5 minutes until caramelized.

Garnish the eggplant with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve immediately.


1 year ago: spaghetti squash with sauteed spinach & mushrooms
2 years ago: turkey & pastrami wrapped asparagus

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Kani Caesar Salad with Nori Croutons

When the Kosher Connection team decided on “croutons” as the link-up theme for May, I was so excited to finally try out a recipe that I’ve been dreaming of developing for months now. Truth be told, I am not the biggest nori fan. I mean, I wouldn’t eat the stuff if it didn’t hold my sushi together. It’s got that fishy quality about it that’s just kind of, well, stinky. But you know what? when you use it to top off a kani caesar salad, it just sorta, goes.

Talking about dislikes, I used to have a serious aversion to surimi, those orange-colored mock crab sticks. But after I tasted this salad at my cousin’s house a few months back, I was hooked. You see, it’s all a matter of how you serve it. Pulling the kani apart into shreds and coating it in a spicy sriracha dressing takes it from what-is-this-spongy-orange-stuff-in-my-california-roll to what’s-in-this-amazing-salad?! Seriously people, kani salad has changed my outlook on surimi forever.

So that’s sorta how this happened. At first, I came up with the brilliant concept of a nori-flavored crouton. But who would want to eat a nori crouton on a standard lettuce salad? I knew I had to incorporate some kind of seafood to bring the whole sushi concept together, but it also had to have greens to hold up the whole croutons thing. Alas, I figured I would do a take on a salmon-caesar salad with a Japanese-inspired recipe. This Kani Caesar Salad combines the classic Caesar concept with the awesomeness of kani salad, with nori croutons and a sriracha caesar dressing to round it out. If you think this salad looks good, just wait until you taste the dressing. It’s got an amazing depth of flavor from the anchovies that is only made better by the Asian hot sauce, it’s heat  balanced by the addition of sweet rice vinegar.

So, if you’re looking to wow your guests with a nontraditional twist on a classic Caesar salad, give this Kani Caesar Salad with nori croutons a try. And don’t forget to check out the Kosher Connection Link-Up below for more fun & creative twists on croutons!

Kani Caeser Salad with Nori Croutons

2 heads romaine lettuce
1/2 package surimi (8 mock crab sticks)
6 oz. leftover bread, cut into cubes
2 sheets nori seaweed
1/4 c. neutral-flavored oil, such as canola
sriracha caesar dressing (recipe follows)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place nori sheets in the food processor and process until a dust forms. Place bread and nori into a large mixing bowl and drizzle with oil. Toss the croutons to coat with the nori dust. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, until croutons are golden and toasted.

To prepare the salad, wash and dry romaine lettuce. Chop or tear the lettuce to desired size and place in a salad bowl. Pull the surimi sticks apart into shreds and spread over lettuce. Drizzle with dressing and garnish with nori croutons.

Sriracha Caesar Dressing:

2 cloves garlic
3-6 anchovy fillets
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp sriracha
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup canola oil

Method:

Add everything except for oil to the food processor. Turn the food processor on and slowly pour in the oil until a creamy dressing forms. Add more oil, if needed, to reach desired consistency.

NOTE: anchovies are what gives Caesar salad dressing it’s unique salty/umami flavor. If you’re scared away, start with 1 or 2. Alternatively, you can add a few shakes of fish sauce.

1 year ago: cream of leek soup
2 years ago: home-made fish sticks

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Sachlav Rose Water Pudding

Sachlav (also pronounced sahlab, salep, or saloop) is a popular warm winter drink in the Middle East. Even though I spent an entire year living in Israel, this light rose water pudding made it past me somehow and my first taste of it was actually in a restaurant in Brooklyn, named Bissale. I was reminiscing about my Bissale experiences in this recent post, and the fragrant rose water drink just came back to me.

I thought a rose water scented pudding would be the perfect way to celebrate the holiday of Shavuot, when Jews commemorate the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. It is told that Mount Sinai was covered in roses at the time the Torah was received, so many communities have a custom to decorate their homes and synagogues (as well as Torah scrolls) with roses. Persian Jews even refer to this holiday as the Feast of the Roses and in some Sephardic synagogues, it is customary to sprinkle rose water on the congregants.

Rose water, which is made by steeping and distilling fresh rose petals in water, is featured in many Sephardic desserts and pastries. It can be purchased at most Middle Eastern and specialty food stores.

Sachlav was traditionally made with ground orchid tubers called sahlab. The tubers of the orchid were dried and ground up to create a fragrant powder that thickens the milk into a pudding. Nowadays, cornstarch, which is cheaper and easier to find, is used to thicken the drink. Sachlav is usually finished with a touch of orange blossom or rose water, but some prefer to forgo the fragrant waters and garnish it with coconut, cinnamon and/or nuts and raisins.

Sachlav is usually served in the winter, like a Middle Eastern hot chocolate. Personally, I have a weakness for hot pudding (I always eat chocolate pudding boiling hot, right out of the pot) so I’m good eating it all year long. If you prefer a cold pudding, you can set the sachlav in the fridge, and serve it up like traditional malabi.

So what’s malabi? It’s a cold rose-water-scented milk pudding, that is pretty similar to sachlav, except it’s usually garnished with raspberry syrup and pistachios. If you’d like to turn this recipe into malabi, simply pour into serving glasses, let cool and then refrigerate until set. You might want to garnish it with my strawberry rhubarb compote for a seasonal garnish that would compliment the rose water really well.

Sachlav (or Malabi) Rose Water Pudding

3 cups milk
4 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp corn starch
2 tsp rosewater
shredded coconut, chopped nuts and cinnamon, for garnish

Method:

Mix the cornstarch with 1/2 cup of the milk and set aside. Bring the remaining milk and sugar to a slow boil, watching that the milk doesn’t scald or boil over. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture, whisking to combine. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly to keep lumps from forming. When pudding starts to bubble, and it coats the back of a spoon, add the rose water. Stir again to incorporate and pour into individual serving glasses.

Garnish with coconut, nuts and cinnamon and serve hot.

VARIATION: To make malabi, pour the pudding into serving bowls and set aside to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set. Garnish with silan (date honey) and pistachios, raspberry syrup, or my strawberry rhubarb compote.

YIELD: 3 servings.

1 year ago: pesto & goat cheese crostini
2 years ago: sundried tomato olive tapenade

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Crispy Baby Artichokes with Balsamic Aioli


I’ve had a lot of foodie firsts in the past couple of months. Trying new foods like Pad Thai and Dhal, and cooking things I’ve always dreamed of making from scratch like duck confit and handmade pasta. Having the opportunity to explore and expand my culinary horizons has made me throw all my inhibitions out the kitchen window. Now, instead of walking away from ingredients I’m not familiar with, I embrace them. Which is exactly how THIS amazing recipe happened.

Believe it or not, I’d never even heard of an artichoke before I married my husband. My mother in law is sephardic, so she prepares lots of stuffed vegetable dishes like mehshie, and stuffed artichokes. I decided I didn’t like them before I even tried, and that was it. Me and Mr. Artichoke were estranged. Until now. 

It was a Wednesday. April 10th to be exact, and I picked up the New York Times so I could read the Dining section over coffee. And right there in front of me was an article about “Making Big Plans for Small Artichokes”. I’d never even known there was such as a thing as baby artichokes. So I figured, If the big ones scare me away, why not tackle the little guys. Turns out, the little ones are not that little after all, but I was warming up. The recipes looked deliciously inviting, and so, I couldn’t help but pick up a package of baby artichokes when I saw them in the produce aisle. I also love cooking seasonally, so I was up for the challenge.

Anything breaded and crispy with a dipping sauce is right up my alley, so I decided to go that route. It was also my daughters birthday, and I figured these little guys would make for a perfect appetizer at our small little family party. It was great to serve them up to some criticism (“They’re a little tender, cook them longer next time” or “The bread crumbs are a little too dark, toast ’em less next time” and “What’s in this dipping sauce, it’s amazing!”) so I could learn to perfect them for you guys.

I hope my step by step tutorial helps you all embrace this humble vegetable, as I have. There’s a little prep work involved, but trust me, it’s worth the effort!

Breaded Artichokes

1 package baby artichokes
bowl of acidulated water
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
2 eggs, whisked and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 cup parmesan cheese

Balsamic Aioli

1 cup mayo
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dried tarragon, crushed between your fingers
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Prepare a bowl of acidulated water by squeezing 2 lemons into a bowl of water and adding the lemons to it. Set aside.

To prepare artichokes, trim the stems & tips and remove all dark, touch exterior leaves until you reach the tender, paler ones. Trim the base of the leaves close to the artichoke, using a paring knife. Cut the artichokes in half lengthwise. Baby artichokes usually do not have a center hairy choke, but if you notice one, scoop with out with a spoon. Add artichokes to acidulated water as they brown very quickly.

Combine the panko crumbs, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper and lightly toast in a pan with olive oil (make sure they don’t get too dark, like mine did, because they will brown more in the oven). Set up a dredging station with seasoned flour, seasoned egg, and bread crumb mixture. Working one at a time, remove artichokes from water and pat dry. Dredge in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Place breaded artichokes on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes until artichokes are tender.

To prepare dipping sauce, add all ingredients to a bowl and mix to incorporate. Serve with breaded artichokes.

1 year ago: spinach, walnut & cheddar pesto
2 years ago: banana, dates, milk & honey smoothie

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Pasta-Free Spinach Manicotti

This one is for all the low-carbers out there. The people with diabetes and those on restricted diets who drool over the cheese-filled pasta delicacies plastered all over their newsfeeds. You don’t have to feel deprived anymore. I’ve taken the cheesy manicotti experience and revamped it into a lighter, healthier version that is so good, you won’t even realize there’s no pasta in it!

To tell you the honest truth, I’m not the biggest pasta person. I mean, I enjoy a good plate of pasta, I do. But I’m just not one of those people who dreams about a giant bowl of penne ala vodka (duck confit ravioli, maybe). So when I’m watching my carbs, I care more about my bread-less sandwiches than my pasta-free baked ziti. And you know why? Because I always find a way around it. I’ll make spaghetti squash baked ziti, cauliflower mac ‘n cheese, cheesy stuffed mini peppers, or roasted eggplant parmesan with feta. And now, this. Oh. Em. Gee. Best reinvention to date. Seriously.

With Shavuot just a week away, think about reinventing your standard indulgent menu of french onion soup, lasagna and cheese blintzes for lighter, healthier versions of your favorite dairy dishes. You won’t be left feeling bloated and heavy, but you’ll still enjoy all the delicacies that the holiday of Shavuot offers. Lighten things up with my refreshing, palate-cleansing strawberry rhubarb soup and save your calories for a decadent dessert, coming up later this week!

No-Pasta Spinach Manicotti

large spinach leaves
manicotti filling (recipe below)
marinara sauce
shredded mozzarella

For the filling:

1 15oz. container ricotta cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
1 tsp lemon zest
salt, to taste

Method:

Mix the filling ingredients and add to a ziploc bag. Snip off the tip so that you can use as a piping bag. Set aside.

Quickly blanch the spinach leaves by dipping them in boiling hot salted water, just enough for them to wilt and then shocking them in an ice bath. Layer 3 spinach leaves on a cutting board, overlapping them slightly (you may need more or less, depending on the size of your leaves). Pipe some of the cheese filling near the ends of the spinach bed, leaving room at the sides. Fold the sides over the filling, and roll it closed, starting from the stems, to create a cigar.

Spoon some marinara sauce on the bottom of square ramekin dishes and place stuffed spinach rolls over it (however many will fit). Spoon some additional sauce over the spinach manicotti and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Repeat with remaining spinach, until you have used up all your filling.

Bake at 400 degrees until cheese is bubbly and it begins to brown and crisp up around the edges.

1 year ago: carrot muffins
2 years ago: meat lasagna

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