Category: Chanukah

Greek Salad with Feta Croutons

Well hello there everyone! It seems like forever since I’ve actually blogged a new recipe here on BIB! I’ve been in full on cookbook mode these passed few weeks and I couldn’t be more excited about how things are moving along! I was so nervous about how I’d be able to juggle the cookbook, social media posting, messages and blogging but somehow it’s been working. Blogging has definitely taken a back seat, and for the first time in six years of blogging, I’ve starting skipping a week or two here and there. There was a time I thought everything would come crashing down if I didn’t post every. single. week. but lo and behold, the blog is still here and everyone is alive and well.

The truth is, it was hard getting back into it but I couldn’t let Chanukah go by without a few special recipes. I mean, it really is my favorite holiday and as many of you now, it’s both my birthday and Anniversary as well! Chanukah is my favorite time to fry up something crazy, make something Greek and go all out in the dairy department, and I’ve combined all three in this awesome salad!

Most of you have eaten Greek salad about a million times in your life, but you’ve probably never tried tried frying the feta into croutons. Yes! I said FRYING THE FETA INTO CROUTONS! How awesome, right?? At first I wasn’t even sure if it would work but a Chanukah miracle happened (early) and the feta fried up beautifully! It was also my first time using Trader Joes cholov yisroel feta which apparently has been a hidden treasure for the past several years, and OMG is it decadent. It’s crazy salty (which I kinda love), but oh so smooth and it also slices so, so nicely without crumbling. The breadcrumbs really help cut through all that saltiness, and with a forkful of veggies, it’s the perfect little bite.

It’s funny because I was never really much of a feta person, probably because I never had really good feta, so Greek salad wasn’t really on my list of faves. It might also have to do with the fact that I’m not a fan of goat or sheep milk products, and most feta is made with sheep milk. I’m so crazy sensitive to the taste, that I can tell if my butcher used the meat grinder to grind lamb before he grinds the beef, because I can taste even the slightest hint of it. And it’s so, so sheepy. I mean, I’m no picky eater but I just. can’t. swallow it.

What’s crazy is, I decided to give the Trader Joe’s sheep’s milk feta a try because so many people told me it was the best feta they ever ate (it’s imported from Israel after all), and even though it had the absolute, most slightest hint of sheep, I was able to tolerate – and even enjoy – it.

So, if you can find Trader Joes best kept secret, go grab a package for this awesome recipe, or use your favorite brand. This post is not sponsored by TJ’s, although how amazing would that be, right?

Greek Salad with Feta Croutons

2 heads romaine lettuce
1 pint grape tomates, cut in half
1 English cucumber, sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced into half rings
1 cup black olives, sliced
lemons, for serving

Spread all the ingredients out on a platter and top with feta croutons. Drizzle with lemon dressing.

Lemon Dressing:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (use light if you don’t like the flavor)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

Add all the ingredients to a container and shake vigorously before serving.

Feta Croutons

1 package feta cheese, cut into cubes
1 cup panko crumbs
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp lemon zest
salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup canola oil, for frying

Prepare three bowls for dredging. Place the flour in one bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place the eggs in a second bowl and season with salt and pepper. In a third bowl, combine the panko crumbs, basil, lemon zest, salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a saucepan (I prefer to use a small saucepan so I can use less oil, a wider pan will require more oil to make it deep enough for frying).  Dip the feta cubes in flour, then egg, and then panko crumbs. Fry in oil until golden brown and drain on paper towels. You may make the croutons a few hours in advance and warm in the oven to crisp up before serving (if necessary).

Related Recipes:

spinach pappardelle with feta and fried poached egg
harissa whipped feta with za’atar eggplant chips
summer tomato feta salad
roasted eggplant parmesan with feta

Post a Comment

How to Build a Fish Board

Food boards are all the rage right now and I’ve been drooling all over them! You can find cheese boards that spread out for miles, charcuterie boards at restaurants and smoked fish boards at cafes.

I recently set up a charcuterie board for my husband’s birthday, and cheese boards are a regular appetizer at my Chanukah and Shavuot meals, so this year, I decided to do something a little different.

Thanks to the Jewish food trend, old world favorites are making a comeback, along with herring, smoked fish and of course, bagels.  I was inspired by some of the foodie posts I’ve seen, noshing at the newly opened Russ & Daughters at The Jewish Museum, as well as Lox at The Museum of Jewish Heritage. Who knew smoked fish would ever be in fashion?!

I’ve also been reading The Gefilte Manifesto by Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alern of The Gefilteria, who’s well-researched book highlights the history and process of so many old world Jewish foods. Their book is a mix of both classic recipes and modern interpretations, many of which I had never even heard of (Kvass, anyone?). The book is a real eye opener into Jewish food history and I highly recommend it!

Speaking of the trend towards Jewish food, I have to mention that, while it’s amazing to see all these books and restaurants popularizing Jewish foods, it’s painful to see that the “kosher” concept is all but ignored. Over the past several months, I was invited to two separate events which featured the history of Kosher food – one of which was a book talk and tasting discussing the journey of kosher food through the modern food system, and yet, ironically, the food served was not actually kosher. Another such event payed homage to Jewish culture and cuisine and yet was not either kosher. I get it, believe me, not everyone who is Jewish keeps kosher. But if an organization or a museum is putting together an event that is specifically about the history of KOSHER food, how can they serve food that is NONkosher??

This is something that bothers me to my core. And not because if I go to these events, I won’t have what to eat. It’s because the very act of serving nonkosher food dismisses one of the basic principles of Jewish food. As Michael Solomov, the Israeli chef, writes in his cookbook, Zahav, “Plenty of Israelis eat treyf these days….But at Zahav, and in this book, we choose to honor the spirit of a few fundamental rules of kosher cooking…..The reason is simple: Kosher rules help define the boundaries of Israeli cuisine.”

Now I’m not judging anyone who doesn’t keep kosher. To each his own. But as we celebrate Chanukah, I’m reminded of the Hellenists, who stripped themselves of their Jewishness to become like their cultured Greek neighbors and friends. Jewish food is more than just a cultural thing. Kosher is part of it’s history and tradition. Dismissing the kosher aspect is both disrespectful and historically inaccurate. The very reason that many traditional Jewish foods exist today, is due to the need that our ancestors had to follow the kosher guidelines. I would love to see that acknowledged in the world of Jewish cuisine.

So, now that I finally got that off my chest, lets get back to the food, shall we? Nothing makes me think of old world Jewish food more than smoked fish. (Herring too, but I won’t go near that stuff!). In honor of Chanukah, I decided to share my take on an endless fish spread with some gourmet toppings. I hope it inspires you to put out a board of your own.

Happy Chanukah!

How to Build a Fish Board

assorted smoked fish
assorted gravlax
fish jerky
fish pate and/or caviar
sourdough, bagels and/or crackers
fresh dill
green and black olives
capers
pickles or cornichons
savory chutney or jam
pickled onions (recipe follows)
dijon and whole grain mustard
good quality olive oil
sliced cucumbers
tomatoes
finishing salt

Method:

Start by picking a focal point. I used the largest piece of smoked salmon. Place it on a cutting board. Add an assortment of ingredients around the salmon, spreading out in sections. You can repeat the same items more than once on another side of the board. Use an assortment of small bowls and jars to place your condiments and smaller toppings.

Quick Pickled Onions

1 small red onion, sliced into thin half rings
1 cup rice vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp kosher salt

Bring the vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a boil. Remove from the heat. Add onions and set aside to cool.


Products featured in this board:

Portlock smoked pink salmon (the large fish on the board in the center)
Ruby Bay smoked salmon in sriracha, lemon pepper and pastrami
Ruby Bay hot smoked keta salmon
Blue Hill Bay herb smoked salmon
Ruby Bay teriyaki salmon jerky
Milas oloves in chili oregano, basil garlic, chili garlic and lemon rosemary
Lucini Itali lemon flavored olive oil
Brooklyn Brine Pickles in spicy maple bourbon
Kozlowski Farms jalapeno jam
Eden stone ground brown mustard
Altius black sea salt
Baked in Brooklyn honey mustard breadsticks
Absolutely gluten free crackers


This post was sponsored by Crafted Kosher. Visit craftedkosher.com for a large selection of gourmet kosher products. Follow Crafted Kosher on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

Related Recipes:

fish tacos + 8 International menus
how to build a fried fish sandwich
gefilte fish, 3 ways
homemade fish sticks

Post a Comment

Please NOTE: This post contains affiliate links which means that a small percentage of every purchase made through the links above goes to help support the BIB blog!

Spanakopita Bourekas

It’s mashup time! I think my favorite part of being a food blogger is being able to play around with recipes and coming up with my own twists on things. I love mashing things up. What’s a mashup? Well, it’s when I take a traditional food and I fuse it with another cuisine or concept to create a hybrid sort of recipe. It would probably be easier if I showed you.

Take these pecan pie lace cookies that I made for Thanksgivukkah back in 2013 (gosh, was that really three whole years ago?!). Since Thanksgiving and Chanukah came out on the same night (which only happens in a gazillion years btw), I decided to fuse a Thanksgiving concept: pecan pie, with a traditional Jewish pastry: lace cookies, or, florentines. Florentines are traditionally made with almonds, but I used pecans, and to up the Chanukah ante, I drizzled the cookies with Chanukah symbols and filled them with raspberry jam. That, my friends, is a mashup.

Of course I’ve got plenty of other Chanukah mashups on the blog, like these poutine latkes, a twist on the classic Canadian dish of gravy and cheese smothered french fries (yes, I went there). Then there was my falafel latkes, or falatkes, a fusion of the Israeli staple and the classic potato latke, which I took to another level with the sabich. And finally, the droolworthy donut milkshake and potato latke funnel cakes that have been blowing up feeds everywhere. Told you I loved mashups :)

So Chanukah is upon us, and I really wanted to mashup a Greek staple with a typical Jewish food. Traditional spanakopita is a spinach feta pie made with a filo (or phyllo) crust. Filo is notoriously difficult to work with, since it is paper thin and tears easily, so I decided to turn the pie into the perfect hand-held appetizer: bourekas. With lots of Chanukah parties on our calendar, this makes a great finger food for the table!

Bourekas are a family favorite and not just because they are uber delicious, with all the flaky layers of buttery dough. It’s because they are so. freakin. easy. Truth be told, I was originally going to make spanakopita rugelach, but I’ve been feeling out of sorts this week and the idea of working on a savory cheese dough was just off the table. So I thought about what I could use to make these super easy and semi-homemade, and I went to that beloved ingredient that makes party planning so much easier – the puff pastry. Oh how I love thee.

I always keep puff pastry in the freezer because it makes the most impressive danish pastry in no time, it’s a must-have for my kids favorite deli roll, it makes an easy topping for pot pie, and the quickest impressive fruit tart. I also love it for cream horns, pinwheels, bite-size bundles, and even hamantaschen!

I’m all about finger food at my Chanukah party, so I hope this post gave you some “food for thought” for your Chanukah menu planning! For more great Chanukah recipes, check out the index!

Happy Chanukah! Happy Chrismukkah! Happy Donut Day! And yes, Happy Birthday and Anniversary to me!! (I was born and got married on the 5th night!)

Spanakopita Bourekas

1 pkg mini puff pastry squares, thawed
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed
7 oz. feta cheese
1 shallot, minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 eggs, divided
sesame seeds, for garnish

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the shallot and garlic and saute under fragrant. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the spinach and add it to the skillet. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper and saute until heated through. Set aside to cool.

Once the mixture has cooled, add the feta, one egg and lemon juice. Place a tablespoon of filling onto each puff pastry square and fold closed, pressing the dough so that it sticks together without any openings.

Mix the remaining egg with a tablespoon of water and brush on the puff pastry. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until puffed and golden.

VARIATION: for a creamier filling, add some ricotta to the mixture. You can also add some fresh herbs, such as dill, parsley or mint, or a mixer.

FREEZER OPTION: These bourekas can be prepared in advance and frozen before baking. To bake, put the frozen bourekas on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees until puffed and golden.

YIELD: Approximately 32 mini bourekas.

Related Recipes:

spinach papardelle with feta and fried poached egg
harissa whipped feta with zaatar eggplant chips
summer tomato feta salad
roasted eggplant parmesan with feta
spinach and spaghetti squash shakshuka

Post a Comment

Donut Milkshakes

OMG OMG OMG OMG!! Should I even talk right now or do these insane milk shakes just do it for you?! Chanukah is coming and on Chanukah we DONT. COUNT. CALORIES. Ok????? And because we don’t count calories, I had to put a holiday spin on one of the huge food trends right now – over the top milkshakes! I don’t know if you’ve seen these gazillion-calorie monstrosities but they are insane. Milkshakes topped with pieces of cake and candy, with more candy glued to the glass and just tons of junk everywhere.

It says a lot about the state of our health when restaurants are actually serving that stuff, and when people are actually ordering it, but for these 8 DAYS, we are going to have some crazy fun, donut milkshakes included. Believe me, I would never make this stuff on a regular day. Not even my birthday. But my birthday is on Chanukah so YAAAAYYYY!! I’ve put together two variations, based on the two most popular Chanukah donuts – custard donuts with chocolate glaze and jelly filled donuts with powdered sugar. Of course nowadays you can find a bunch of other flavors, but these are the classics we grew up on. Milkshakes are about nostalgia too, especially for me, as we had a real milkshake machine growing up. Not a blender. A milkshake machine. It came with a stainless steel cup that you hooked onto this machine. A stick with a blade would break up the mixture and you had a real frothy milkshake! My brother would take it out on Saturday nights and make himself a huge shake with his pizza. Memories! And who can forget being young and biting into a huge jelly or custard donut and licking out the filling with your tongue? These shakes mix the best of both worlds and I hope they bring up some fun childhood memories for you too!

 

Jelly Donut Milkshake

1 cup ice
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup milk
splash of vanilla
2 heaping spoonfuls of raspberry jam
powdered donuts, licorice and white chocolate covered pretzels, for topping

Method:

Place the ice, ice cream, milk and vanilla in a blender and blend until creamy. Add the raspberry jam to a glass and pour the milkshake over it. Top with whipped cream, powdered donuts, licorice and pretzels. Enjoy!

Chocolate Custard Milkshake

1 cup ice
1/2 cup chocolate ice cream
2 tbsp chocolate syrup
1/2 cup milk
2 heaping spoonfuls of custard
whipped cream
chocolate donuts, chocolate chanukah gelt and chocolate bars for topping

Method:

Place the ice, ice cream, chocolate syrup and milk in a blender and blend until creamy. Add the custard to your serving cup and drizzle chocolate syrup around the inside. Top with whipped cream, chocolate donuts, chocolate gelt and chocolate bars. Enjoy!

for custard:

3 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
5 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tsp vanilla

Place the milk and sugar into a saucepan and heat until sugar dissolves and milk is scalded. In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks until fluffy and add in the cornstarch. Continue to whisk until all the starch is incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Slowly pour the milk into the eggs, whisking continuously as you warm the egg mixture with the milk. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and continue to whisk over medium heat until the cream begins thicken and boil. Whisk in vanilla and set the cream aside to cool. Refrigerate until set.

VARIATION: use store-bought vanilla pudding.

 

Related Recipes:

jelly ring donuts
deconstructed jelly donut pancakes

Post a Comment

Holiday Gifts for Foodies

1. Instant Pot, 7-in-1 Pressure cooker
The instant pot is the latest trend that makes everyday meals super quick and easy! Use it as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer and more!
2. Joule sous vide by Chefsteps
Chefsteps is taking sous vide cooking to the next level with their sleek new immersion circulator. You can use the Chefsteps app to connect to Joule via wifi for super simple operation. It even works with Amazon Alexa! The shoulder steak that I made this week was really easy to set up, and it came out incredible soft and tender.
3. Whisk necklace
With the whisk in my logo, I’ve got a thing for this handy kitchen tool. It’s super cute in jewelry form too!
4. Aromasong gourmet dead sea salt gift set
I fell in love with these salts at Kosherfest this year. Grind their “dilly garlic” salt over a cucumber slice and you’ve got an instant pickle!
5. white marble swivel-top salt cellar
I found this stunner on The Chef’s Wife Instastory and I had to have it! It’s super heavy and large, the photo does not do it justice!
6.  bronzed french press
If I was into french pressing my coffee, I would so buy this beauty. But I’m still using good old fashioned instant espresso, sans machine. Shhhh!!
7. Savannah Bee Company honey gift set
I tasted Savannah Bee’s collection of whipped honey at Kosherfest this year and I was hooked! The lemon is my fave!
8. slate cheese markers
Loving these slate markers to go with my slate cheese board!
9. dumpling maker
Dumplings are so hot these days, and this gadget makes dumpling-making super easy.
10. Paderno 3-blade Spiralizer
I’ve been a fan of spiralizing for years and I always recommend the Paderno. It’s lightweight, easy to use and super fun! Don’t waste your money on the 4-blade though.
11. personalized tablet or iphone holder
I bought this as a gift for my friend Melinda and had it personalized with the name of her blog, Kitchen-Tested. It was the perfect gift for her newly renovated kitchen and looks spectacular on her kitchen counter! I kinda wanted to buy it for myself after seeing it in person, but I think I’ll have to upgrade my kitchen first!
12. Staub cast iron vertical roaster
If you’re a fan of my bundt pan chicken, this cast iron roaster takes it to the next level. With sides that are even lower than a bundt pan, you get crispy skin all around.
13. Isidre salt and pepper shakers with tray
I couldn’t help but pick up this adorable set on a recent Anthropologie shopping spree. I don’t even use them, they’re looking super cute on my fireplace mantel!
14. Breaking Bread by Uri Scheft
The recipes in this new release, from the owner of Breads bakery, will have you drooling! Uri shares the recipe of his famous babka, plus other staples like challah, shakshuka foccacia and rugelach.
15. Shun chef knife
Loving this beautiful knife! Now who wants to buy it for me?
16. multi vegetable chopper
Last year for my birthday, my husband bought me 35 small gifts, this chopper included. My kids are huge fans of Israeli salad, and this makes it super easy to make. I use it almost daily! I love that it has 2 sizes for chopping – extra small (just how we like our salsas and Israeli salad) and a bit larger, great for beets and mango!

What are some of your favorite foodie gifts? Share them with me in the comments below!

Post a Comment

Please NOTE: This post contains affiliate links which means that a small percentage of every purchase made through the links above goes to help support the BIB blog!