Category: Appetizer

{BIB Fast Food} Pico de Gallo

In case you don’t follow my facebook page, you may have missed out on the exciting news that I started the Culinary Arts program at The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts. It was a great surprise from my husband, who signed me up for the program as a gift for our 10 year anniversary. Best. gift. of. all. time. Do I need to even tell you that?

Having to get three kids ready for school and be out the door by 8AM is not an easy feat. I come home exhausted beyond words, yet, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’ve never been happier to go to school in my entire life. Or to do homework (lots of reading!) I feel so blessed to be able to do what I’m so passionate about, each and every day.

Over the past week, we’ve been doing a lot of work on our knife skills, so our instructor, Chef Avram Wiseman, had us make some pico de gallo. Pico de gallo is a raw Mexican salsa that is a great condiment for dishes like tacos and fajitas. It’s also great on good old tortilla chips!

I can’t wait to share more of what I’m learning, in the meantime, enjoy this recipe!  You can also follow my kosher culinary school journey on Instagram, via BusyInBrooklyn :)

CKCA Pico de Gallo

4 plum tomatoes, seeds removed, diced
1 scallion, cut in half lengthwise, diced
2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
1 small red onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (use some of the seeds and membrane for more heat)
2 tsp minced cilantro (I have an aversion to cilantro so I use parsley)
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 oz. tomato juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Combine all other ingredients, mix well and season to taste. You can adjust the consistency by adding more or less tomato juice.

1 year ago: cornbread scones
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Roasted Eggplant Parmesan with Feta

I always wondered about the name for the dish eggplant parmesan. Parmesan isn’t exactly the prominent ingredient, it’s not even called for in some recipes. Most eggplant parmesan recipes consist of breaded slices of eggplant that have been fried, smothered in tomato sauce and covered in melted cheese. Parmesan or not, it’s definitely one of my favorite dairy dishes, but having just finished the Chanukah fry-fest, I decided to come up with a healthier version.

Last year, I posted this recipe for roasted eggplants stuffed with Israeli salad, roasted chickpeas and techina. It’s one of my favorite ways to enjoy eggplants! I eat it pretty often though, so I decided to invent a new roasted eggplant dish. That’s how this Middle Eastern twist on eggplant parmesan came about. I broil the eggplants for delicious smokey flavor and stuff them with marinara, tomatoes, a little breadcrumbs and finish it off with light feta cheese. Although it tastes nothing like the original, it’s a delicious light and healthy lunch that’s a perfect start for the New Year!

Looking for more healthy recipes? Check out the Shine Supper Club. They’re sharing healthy recipes to get your New Year off to a fresh start!

Roasted Eggplant Parmesan with Feta

1 eggplant, sliced in half vertically
olive oil
salt
1/3 cup marinara sauce
1 plum tomato, sliced
flavored bread crumbs
parmesan cheese, optional
feta cheese
parsley, for garnish

Method:

Sprinkle the eggplants with salt and place flesh side down on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and broil on high for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and spread some marinara sauce over eggplants. Place tomato slices over sauce and sprinkle on some bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, if desired. Drizzle with olive oil and top with feta cheese crumbles. Bake at 400 degrees until bread crumbs are toasted and feta cheese has melted (it will still hold it’s form and will only melt slightly). Garnish with chopped parsley.

VARIATION: For a more traditional roasted eggplant parmesan, top the eggplants with marinara and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and browned.

1 year ago: green guacamole
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Spicy Roasted Edamame

I am so excited about this post. And not because of the recipe (even though it is incredibly delicious!). It’s because I finally cracked the code to the mystery of food photography. OK it’s not exactly a mystery, but it was to me. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you  may have noticed how my photography has been slowly evolving. First, I ordered this book. And then this ebook. Then I took a photography class. And then I listened intently to the talented food photographer Noah Fecks at the Kosher Food Blogger Conference. And finally, finally, I pulled out my tripod from the basement. As if 2 books and a class in photography didn’t stress it enough! I was just too lazy to set up a whole mini “studio” to photograph my dishes. But slowly I’ve been pulling out little things here and there (like my son’s old portacrib mattress that serves as my lightboard!) to form my little space in the corner of my kids playroom. Here’s a peak at my “studio”!

So, now for the food! I absolutely love those spicy wasabi roasted peas that they sell with the nuts in all the drug stores. You know what I’m talking about right? Well I wanted to recreate them at home, so I started playing around with some recipes. And here’s what I learned: wasabi loses it’s potency when heated. That’s right. Once you put wasabi-anything in the oven, it loses it’s flavor and it’s like you added nothing! So, to get that spicy kick, I added Asian hot sauce (sriracha) and sprinkled on wasabi powder once the edamame were browned and toasty. The resulting healthy snack is incredibly addicting. I like the medium spice level but you can adjust the sriracha to make it more or less hot. Roasted edamame beans are best eaten fresh, straight out of the oven!

For more Chinese recipes, check out the kosher connection link-up below!

Spicy Roasted Edamame

1 bag frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sriracha sauce
1 tbsp wasabi powder, for sprinkling

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, combine the edamame, oil, soy sauce and sriracha. Spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Remove roasted wasabi beans from the oven and sprinkle with wasabi powder. Eat immediately.

1 year ago: crunchy shriveled green beans
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Kosher by Design Cooking Coach Review & Giveaway!

When it comes to kosher cookbooks, Susie Fishbein is in a league all her own. Her talent and professionalism shine through in each new edition of Kosher by Design, especially her latest, Cooking Coach. Like all of the cookbooks in the Kosher by Design series, Susie carries through on her theme in an immaculate way. In Kosher by Design Cooking Coach, Fishbein shares recipes, tips and techniques to make anyone a better cook. Each section is prefaced by a Game Plan in which Susie teaches the fundamental principles of cooking. She shares techniques, advice and amazing tips to help guide you in the kitchen. From kitchen equipment and essentials, to an in-depth guide to preparing fish, poultry and meat – there’s something to learn for everyone. As a blogger who is familiar with a lot of cooking techniques, there was still so much for me to take away from this book.

Besides for the delectable recipes and beautiful pictures, something else I loved about KBD Cooking Coach is the Playbook. In it, Susie gives you ideas for revamping leftovers of some of her dishes. Or as she likes to call it, reincarnating food. Each recipe and idea in the playbook is as good as it’s original. My only issue with this section (and with the whole book, really) is that I wish the reincarnated recipes were printed beneath their originals, instead of in their own section. It makes it a tad bit confusing.

Not surprisingly, Fishbein does not dissapoint with the well-composed recipes in this book. Some of the dishes I look forward to trying include tomato tarte tatin, Jerusalem artichoke soup, strawberry-goat cheese salad, blueberry and fig glazed duck breasts, cornish hen in port & chocolate sauce, pretzel-crusted lamb chops, fall harvest silver tip roast, sole with peach-basil reduction, butternut squash broken lasagna, silan-roasted sweet potatoes & leeks, gooey walnut brownie pie, and almond thumbprint cookies.

I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch of KBD Cooking Coach at Pomegranate Supermarket back in October. Susie conducted a cooking demo in which she prepared the following turkey taco eggrolls. She also shared her great ideas for reincarnating extra turkey filling into stuffed portobello mushroom caps or into marinara sauce for pasta. We were all served a sample of each dish and they were so incredibly delicious, I knew I had to share them with you!

In the spirit of Chanukah, Busy In Brooklyn is giving away a copy of Kosher by Design Cooking Coach! To enter the giveaway, help your favorite blog win the FriendsEat 2012 Best Food Blogger contest by voting. Simply visit the BIB page on FriendsEat, login with your facebook account and click the “love” button. Then, leave a comment below letting me know you’ve voted. For a bonus entry, ask your friends to vote too by posting it on your facebook status. Winner will be chosen at random at 9:00 AM Tuesday, December 18th.

Helene’s Turkey Taco Eggrolls
reprinted with permission from Kosher by Design Cooking Coach, Artscroll Publications
yields 16 eggrolls

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound dark meat ground turkey
1 (1.25-ounce) packet Ortega taco seasoning mix
3⁄4 cup water
5 ounces (½ of a 10-ounce box) frozen spinach, completely defrosted
1 (1-pound) package eggroll wrappers; I like Nasoya brand
1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
canola oil, for frying
bottled taco sauce or hot sauce for dipping

1. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large (12-14-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, breaking up the chunks with a wooden spoon. Cook for 2-3 minutes until no longer pink and just starting to brown. Add the taco seasoning packet and the water. Bring to a simmer.
2. Squeeze all the liquid out of the 5 ounces of spinach. Add spinach to the pan and cook for 5 minutes longer. Stir to distribute the spinach. Cook until all liquid is cooked out. Remove from heat. Cool completely or the eggrolls will be soggy.
3. Arrange an eggroll wrapper on your cutting board facing you like a diamond. Brush the eggwash along the edges of the wrapper. Place 2 tablespoons of filling horizontally in the middle of the eggroll, form into a 4-inch log. Fold the bottom corner over the filling toward the top corner. Fold the two sides in toward the center. It should now look like an envelope. Roll firmly toward the top corner, making a roll 4 inches wide. Be careful not to tear wrapper, and seal the final edge with a brushing of the egg wash. Set aside, seam-side-down. Continue with remaining filling and wrappers.
4. In a deep fryer or in a medium pot, heat canola oil to 355°F. If using a pot, oil should to be deep enough to keep eggrolls from touching bottom of pan, at least 3 inches of oil. Fry eggrolls in batches, about 2-3 minutes until golden brown, turning occasionally; don’t crowd the pot. Drain on paper towels. Serve with taco sauce.

Playbook Recipes:

Make a double batch of the filling. It freezes beautifully up to a month. When you are ready to use, defrost it and mix with 1/4 cup jarred marinara sauce to make stuffed portobello mushroom caps. Bake at 350 degrees until the mushrooms are soft and the filling is warmed, about 20 minutes. You can also add an additional 1/2 cup marinara and serve over freshly cooked pasta.

1 year ago: sea bass en papillote
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Gluten Free Butternut Squash Latkes

Latkes. We can’t seem to get enough of their crispy, fried goodness! I don’t know about you, but I can eat latkes all Chanukah long. As long as I switch up the flavors, I’m good. Butternut squash latkes has become a family favorite in our home. They’re light, mildly sweet, and lend themselves well to all sorts of seasonings. We like them best straight up – good old butternut squash, onion, egg and some simple salt seasoning, but feel free to spruce them up with curry, paprika, cumin, or your favorites.

Because I prefer to prepare these gluten free latkes with simple flavors, I spice up the garnishes instead. Ginger applesauce and curried sour cream are the perfect complements to the butternut squash. Top them off with some scallions for latke perfection on a plate.

What are some of your favorite latke varieties? I’d love to hear! Share them in the comments below!

Butternut Squash Latkes

1 2 lb. butternut squash, peeled and grated (about 6 cups)
1 medium onion, grated (about 1 cup)
3 eggs
salt and pepper, to taste
oil, for frying
ginger applesauce, for garnish (recipe below)
curried sour cream, for garnish (recipe below)
scallions, for garnish

Method:

Add grated squash, onion, eggs, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix well. Heat up oil in a frying pan and place spoonfuls of mixture into hot oil. Fry until golden and crispy on each side. Serve with applesauce and sour cream.

NOTE: If the mixture starts to get wet and soggy, use gloves to form patties and squeeze out moisture before frying.

Ginger Applesauce

8 honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
1 cup apple juice or water
juice of 1 lemon
1 2″ piece fresh ginger, peeled
2 cinnamon sticks
3-4 tbsp honey or maple syrup

Method:

Add all ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove ginger and serve.

NOTE: If you find the applesauce too chunky, mash it with a fork.

Curried Sour Cream

1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry powder

Method:

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix to incorporate. Serve over latkes with applesauce.

1 year ago: cheese latkes with raspberry sauce
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