Category: Dinner

Hamantachos! Eggroll Nachos

Oh em geeeeeeee you guysssss!! I have not been this excited about a recipe in some time (I say that every time, don’t I?!), but seriously now – these nachos are a DREAM! The idea came to me by way of apricot hamantaschen – the triangle shape (perfect for eggroll wrappers or wontons) and the apricot filling – only savory – which I do best.

Who doesn’t love some warm sauteed cabbage, pop-in-your-mouth edamame, and crunchy wonton chips. And the duck sauce? It’s always the favorite part! So I made my own, with an apricot jam base, flavored to perfection with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and sriracha. oh. so. good.

This recipe is just perfect for the Purim meal. Finger food for noshing  – just what I like to serve! And you can even set up a BYOB station so people can build their own bowl!

 

Hamantachos

6 eggroll skins, sliced into triangles
canola oil, for frying
1.5 lbs. ground dark meat turkey or chicken
1 scant tbsp minced ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp + 1 tsp neutral oil (grapeseed, avocado), divided
2 1/2 tsp sesame oil, divided
soy sauce, to taste
kosher salt, to taste
1/4 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 head red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, julienned
1 cup frozen edamame, thawed
3 scallions, chopped
1 tbsp black and white sesame seeds

Apricot Jam Duck Sauce
1 cup good quality apricot jam
2 clove garlic, grated on microplane
1″ chunk ginger, grated on microplane
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1-2 tsp sriracha

Method:

Heat a generous amount of canola oil in a frying pan. Add a few eggroll wrappers at a time and fry until golden, flipping after 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Heat a large saute pan or wok, add 1 tbsp neutral oil and 1 tsp sesame oil. Add the ground turkey, season with salt and cook until crumbly and no longer pink. Season to taste with soy sauce (about 2-3 tsp). Remove from the pan.

Add another tbsp neutral oil and tsp of sesame oil. Stir in the green and red cabbage and carrots. Stir fry until softened, seasoning with salt and soy sauce, to taste. Remove from the pan.

Add a tsp of netural oil and a 1/2 tsp sesame oil to the pan and stir in the edamame. Stir fry until lightly toasted, seasoning with salt. Remove from the pan.

In a small saucepan, add the duck sauce ingredients, bring to a simmer, whisking to break up the jam. Cool slightly.

Layer the nachos: Spread the eggroll wrappers out on a platter, top with warm sauteed cabbage, ground turkey crumbles, edamame, scallions and sesame seeds. Drizzle the duck sauce generously over the nachos and serve immediately.

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Related Recipes:

hot dog eggrolls
Asian chicken salad with crispy wontons
plantain nachos

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Salami Wellington

It’s amazing how I’ve been trashing up salami here for Purim on the blog for 12 years now and I still get so excited about it. AND I still, somehow, come up with new and exciting ideas! This year is probably my favorite because I’ve ALWAYS wanted to make beef wellington and I couldn’t believe just how awesome it turned out! Yes, it’s a bit of a patchke, but it’s so beautiful to serve, especially for your Purim meal!

Why have I been trashing up salami for 12 years now? I started the trend on my blog years ago for Purim since salami is hung like Haman was hung on the gallows! My drunken hasselback salami went crazy viral, as did my salami babka a few years later! I hope you love this one as much as I do!

Happy Purim!

Salami Wellington

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, finely minced
16oz. finely minced cremini mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
splash of whiskey, optional
5 strips Abeles & Heymann beef fry
2 tbsp dijon mustard
14oz. Abeles & Heymann salami
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
1 egg yolk, thinned out with a splash of water

Method:

In a shallow pan, heat the olive oil. Add the shallots and saute until translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute over high heat until all the liquid has been released and the mixture is mostly dry, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and stir to incorporate, saute 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with whiskey, if desired. Remove the mushroom mixture from the pan and transfer to a plate or baking sheet. Place in the freezer to cool.

Lay a large piece of Saran wrap on your work surface. Place slices of beef fry down in a row, overlapping slighty. Spread the mushroom mixture over it. Brush the salami with dijon mustard and place on top of the mushrooms. Lifting the Saran wrap, roll the layers around the salami, tightening the roll around the sides until taut. Place in the freezer while you prepare the puff pastry.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly roll out the puff pastry to smooth out the folds. Take the second sheet of puff pastry, and using a lattice cutter, cut out a strip of lattice.

Remove the roll of salami from the freezer. Place on the solid sheet of puff pastry, wrap it around tightly and seal the ends. Brush with egg wash. Wrap the lattice sheet of puff pastry over it and brush with additional eggwash.

Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Slice and serve.

Other salami recipes:

last year: salami chopped sandwich
two years ago: sweet & sour salami
three year: roasted antipasto salad
four years ago: salami nduja
five years ago: salami tarte tatin
six years ago: salami potato latkes
seven years ago: salami babka
eight years ago: salami quiche
nine years ago: beer battered salami chips with beer mustard
ten years ago: drunken hasselback salami
eleven years ago: salami chips

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Kani Mock Crab Cakes

Friday’s look very different in my house from week to week. With my kid’s leaving to their dad’s every other weekend, I don’t cook for Shabbat every week, and when I do, I’m not always hosting. I have my busy hosting weeks where I plan my menu on Thursday night, write up a shopping list, and shop early Friday morning. And then I have my lazy Fridays where I pull out whatever I have in the fridge from the week and plan a last-minute meal. I love both styles of cooking – one where I have to be more organized, and the other where I get to be creative and play.

This past weekend was the free kind and I had a package of kani leftover from our build-you-own-sushi-bowls dinner on Monday. I had made flaked salmon, so nobody went for the kani, and I wanted to use it up. Mock crab cakes were the obvious choice, and I had some hearts of palm in the fridge, a bunch of peppers, dill from my soup, and plenty of saltines leftover from my stomach virus (so fun!!!)…. the perfect mix for some patties.

Kani Mock Crab Cakes

16oz. kani (mock crab), diced small
1 red pepper, finely diced
2 hearts of palm, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 scallions, chopped
1 cup crushed saltine crackers
3 tbsp chopped dill
1 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard
zest of 1/2 lemon
dash of tajin
1/3 cup mayo
2 eggs + 1 egg white
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tbsp grapeseed oil + 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, for frying

Crumbs:
2 cups panko
1/3 cup toasted black and white sesame seeds
kosher salt, to taste

Spicy Mayo
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp sriracha
2 tsp sesame oil

Method:

In a large bowl, combine the kani, red pepper, hearts of palm, garlic, scallions and seasonings, mix with a spoon until incorporated. Place the crumb ingredients onto a flat plate or small sheet tray and stir to combine.

Press the kani mixture together to form patties and dredge in the crumbs until coated on both sides.

Heat the oils in a frying pan and fry the patties until golden on both sides, adding more oil, if needed.

Serve with spicy mayo.

Related Recipes:

Asian kani bites
kani caesar salad with nori croutons
kani salad

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Herbs de Provence Roast Chicken with Fennel & Orange

Ever since my magical trip to France this summer, I’ve been wanting to use the Herbs de Provence that I brought back from the market there (pictured below)! One thing I learned during my travels is that unlike American-made blends of Herbs de Provence, the classic French recipe does not have lavender in it, an ingredient that I didn’t particularly like in the blend! There are some variations but the classic recipe includes dried rosemary, thyme, savory and oregano – a mix I can definitely get behind. I assume the lavender must have been added due to the many lavender fields in the region (which was one of the most favorite parts of my visit – pictured below!) but I prefer lavender in soap, or surprisingly in my iced coffee!

Of course this recipe wasn’t planned, it came together before Shabbat with a lonely bulb of fennel from the fridge, a half head of cabbage that was leftover from testing a salad recipe, some oranges from the bin and shallots I had – and it was absolutely amazing! It’s time to use up more of the jar of Herbs de Provence, I’m obsessed!

Herbs de Provence Roast Chicken with Fennel & Orange

1 whole chicken (about 3lb)
2 oranges, quartered (reserve one quarter for sauce)
2 shallots, peeled and quartered
1/2 large green cabbage, sliced into wedges
1 fennel, trimmed and sliced into wedges
handful of fresh rosemary
1 small head garlic
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp whole grain mustard
1 tbsp herbs de Provence (see note)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp honey
zest and juice of 1/4 orange
salt and pepper, to taste

Pat the chicken dry and place in a roasting pan. Fill the cavity with a quarter of an orange, rosemary and garlic and tie the legs with kitchen twine. Place the remaining orange segments (reserve one for the sauce), shallots, cabbage and fennel around the chicken.

In a bowl, combine the minced garlic, mustard, herbs de Provence, olive oil, honey, orange zest and juice, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture over the chicken. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Roast, uncovered at 425 degrees for approximately one hour, basting occassionally with the pan juices, until the vegetables are caramelized and the chicken is cooked through.

NOTE: Herbs de Provence is fairly easy to find in many major or gourmet markets, Trader Joes also carries a blend. For a lavender-free kosher blend on Amazon, you can try this!

Related Recipes:

lemon and garlic whole roasted chicken
baharat roasted spatchcock chicken

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Sheet Pan Branzino

It’s back to basics here in the kitchen post-Chag. I was lucky enough to travel to Colombia for the holidays, so not much cooking for me – although I did eat – A LOT – and I’m happy to keep things simple, light and easy these days. It doesn’t get easier than this sheet pan branzino. I like to ask my fishmonger to butterfly the fish to take out the bones so it’s easier to stuff and eat!

Sheet Pan Branzino

2 whole branzino fish, butterflied
1 lemon, sliced
a few sprigs of thyme (or herbs of choice)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pint grape tomates, halved
1/4 cup capers
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Open the fish and season the flesh with salt and pepper. Top with sliced lemon and thyme and close. Spread the grape tomatoes and capers around the fish. Drizzle with olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

Related Recipes:

Panko crusted salmon
garlic bread halibut
chili lime salmon

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