Category: Main Dish

Turkey Meatballs with
Red Wine Cranberry Marinara

Ah the classic childhood favorite, meatballs! We all love them, but we get so bored of them, don’t we? I’m always trying to reinvent the classic meatball, whether it’s quick and easy lazy beef meatballs, melt-in-your-mouth veal meatballs, or even baked chicken meatballs, there’s something for everyone. One thing I hadn’t tackled yet is turkey meatballs.

Now when KOL Foods sends you 100% pasture raised ground turkey, you can’t just make any meatball. You gotta be good to your meat (or in this case, poultry) and make sure it doesn’t dry out! And that my friends, can only be done with REAL bread. Yes, real, organic, GMO-free poultry deserves only the best, so mass-produced dry breadcrumbs just doesn’t cut it. Soaking the bread in almond milk creates a wet binder to keep the turkey super moist. Say goodbye to the dry, bland turkey balls of your past because KOL turkey is about to change your meatball horrors forever!

Now the perfect, moist turkey ball can’t just swim in boring old marinara either. I had to up the ante on that too, starting with a Casa Del Cielo Cabernet reduction from kosherwine.com. You can’t go wrong with cabernet now can you? The red wine reduction gives the marinara a great depth of flavor, and the addition of cranberry sauce just brings everything together for a thick and rich sauce.

It’s not every day that I spike my marinara with cabernet, but KOL is hosting a special Rosh Hashanah Cooking with Wine contest, and I created this recipe in it’s honor! They’ve got a whole roundup of recipes featuring different wines from kosherwine.com, so head on over to the contest page to check them out! You can also enter their GIVEAWAY to win $150 gift certificates to KOL Foods and KosherWine.com! Click here to enter!

Can you believe someone is already having a Rosh Hashanah giveaway? Are the high holidays really just around the corner?! {Insert Meltdown}… Bring on the kosher wine ‘cuz I’m going to need a few glasses!

Speaking of the holidays and wine, I’ve got plenty of boozy recipes on the blog, like this mulled wine cranberry sauce, cherries in red wine syrup, and my very first blog post ever (!!) chicken with port wine cherry sauce. This honey roasted za’atar chicken with red wine and dried fruit is my favorite Rosh Hashanah dish, and these Moscato poached apricots make the most of the summer fruit before they go out of season.

Whether you’re cooking with wine this holiday or not, we can all use a glass or two (or three), especially with the month-long cookfest that’s coming up soon, so lets raise a glass…L’chaim!

Turkey Meatballs with Red Wine Cranberry Marinara

Enter the Cooking with Wine Giveaway to win $150 worth of grass-fed meat/poultry from KOL Foods or $150 to spend at KosherWine.com!

for the meatballs:

1.5 lbs. KOL Foods ground turkey
3 cups bread, cut into cubes (use bread that is at least a day old)
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
kosher salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup pine nuts, optional
3 tbsp olive oil

for the red wine cranberry marinara:

1 medium onion, diced small
1/3 cup dried cranberries or cherries
1 cup Casa Del Cielo cabernet sauvignon
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
1/2 tsp allspice
juice of 1/2 lemon
kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

In a small bowl, soak the bread in almond milk until wet and squeeze to remove most of the milk.

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, bread, egg, garlic, parsley, pine nuts (optional), salt and pepper. Mix with your hands to incorporate.

Using wet hands, form the mixture into small meatballs. If the meatballs start to stick to your hands, just rinse your hands again with water.

Heat a large skillet with oil and brown the meatballs in batches, so that they are golden on all sides. Set the meatballs aside.

In the same pan, add the onion and saute until golden (add more oil if needed). Add the dried cherries and wine and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook until the wine is reduced by half. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, stirring to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and glazed with sauce. Serve immediately.

NOTE: if you like a lot of sauce with your meatballs, you may double the sauce recipe.

TIP: If your sauce gets too thick, add a bit of water to thin it out.

This post is sponsored by KOL Foods & kosherwine.com. All opinions are my own. 

Related Recipes:

melt-in-your-mouth veal meatballs
2-ingredient lazy meatballs
baked chicken meatballs

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Food, Family and Tradition Review & Giveaway

I have to confess that while I love to collect cookbooks, I don’t really read them. I prefer to browse through the pictures, take a mental note of the good-looking recipes, and return them to the bookshelf amid my growing collection. Rarely do I come upon a cookbook that I want to read front to back. Where the food photography doesn’t matter, and the story is what grabs me.

I read Food, Family and Tradition cover to cover. The new book by Lynn Kirsche Shapiro celebrates the resilience and courage of holocaust survivors through food and stories. As the daughter of holocaust survivors, Lynn sought to bring to light the beauty and richness of traditional Jewish life in Czechoslovakia and Hungary before the Holocaust. In the preface to the recipe portion of the cookbook, she paints a vivid picture of her parents’ family life in Eastern Europe. With period photographs, biographies, a family tree and original vignettes, Lynn draws you in to her family history and story of survival. She details their emigration from Europe to the U.S. and how they went on to weave new family traditions while founding Hungarian Kosher Foods, the first all-kosher supermarket in the midwest.

In the second part of the cookbook, Lynn shares 150 family recipes, many of which were prepared for sale in the family’s supermarket. Many of the dishes are highlighted by family stories and remembrances.

There’s nothing fresh and modern about the recipes in Food, Family and Tradition. On the contrary, the book seeks to keep century-old traditions alive through sharing family recipes that celebrate the spirit of Eastern European culture. Some of the heimishe recipes you’ll find include chopped herring, mandel bread, rakott krumpli (potato-egg casserole), blintzes, gefilte fish, brisket, schnitzel, Hungarian goulash, tzimmes, honey cake and so much more.

Growing up in an ashkenazi family with Eastern European roots, so many of the Hungarian dishes in Food, Family and Tradition hit close to home. My bubby would prepare many of the above-mentioned recipes as well as borscht, cheese kugel, chop suey, chicken paprikas, stuffed peppers, sweet and sour tongue, cabbage and noodles and others. Since my bubby is not the measuring type, it’s nice to be able to see these recipes written out in a clear and concise manner. Some of the recipes are accompanied by photos, but most of them are not. I usually find that bothersome, but in this book, it seems to make no difference. Maybe it’s because it’s the story that matters, or because I recognize so many of the dishes from my upbringing, that I don’t need to see them to know what they look like.

All in all, Food, Family and Tradition is about more than just family recipes. It’s about continuing the legacy of Jewish life before the holocaust through food and culture.

I’m giving away a free copy of the Food, Family and Tradition cookbook! To enter, simply leave a comment below about a traditional family dish that means a lot to you. For an extra entry, follow Busy In Brooklyn via any of the channels below. Just be sure to leave a note in the comment letting me know where you follow.

Facebook
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Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only. Winner will be chosen at random at 10:00 AM EST on Monday, November 10th, 2014.

Esrog Preserves and Candy
Parve, Makes 1 cup
Reprinted with permission from Food, Family and Tradition by Lynn Kirsche Shapiro

The esrog, a beautifully aromatic citrus fruit, is grown primarily in Israel for use on the Jewish holiday of Succos, the holiday of the harvest, taking place in the fall. After Succos the question always arises: what to do with the esrog? Many people stud it all over with whole cloves to use it for Besamim, the blessing on spices during Havdalah at the end of  Shabbos. The esrog fruit, a variety of citron, is yellow, small to medium in size, ellipsoid or lemon shaped, with a long neck, and a rough and bumpy surface. Unlike a lemon, an esrog is quite seedy, not juicy, and inedible when raw. However, cooking transforms it into wonderful preserves, candy or compote.

1 esrog
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

For the candy:

Slice the esrog thinly and place in bowl covered with water. Cover and set aside for 1
day. The next day drain the water, and refill, cover and repeat soaking and draining for a total of 7 days. On the final day drain the esrog.

Seed the esrog, reserving seeds. Tie the seeds in cheesecloth.

In a 2-quart pot, add the esrog and the cheesecloth-wrapped seeds, the sugar and water. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Decrease heat and simmer, covered, stirring for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the esrog is cooked through. The consistency should
be very thick and syrupy so, if needed, cook uncovered for the last 15 minutes.
Remove the esrog slice by slice with tongs and transfer to a platter. Pour the cooking syrup over the esrog slices. Let cool. When the slices are hardened and somewhat dry, transfer to
an airtight container. It is similar to candied orange peel.

For the preserves:

Cut the esrog into small pieces before cooking. Follow recipe directions. Immediately after cooking transfer esrog with syrup to a jar, cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate.

Rakott Krumpli, Potato-Egg Casserole
Makes 1 8×8” casserole, 8 main dish servings
Reprinted with permission from Food, Family and Tradition by Lynn Kirsche Shapiro

This potato casserole is traditionally Hungarian, and the non-kosher version is made with both sour cream and sausage. The sauteed onions add a rich, moist flavor. Rakott Krumpli was traditionally served as a main course at the main meal of the day. Today you can serve it for breakfast, brunch or a light meal. Add a salad and you have a complete meal. Use russet potatoes, not red or waxy potatoes.

Water as needed with 2 teaspoons salt
1 ½ pounds peel-on russet potatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 cups sour cream
½ cup cream or half-and-half
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced ¼” thick
4 tablespoons butter melted
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
salt, as needed
1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika, plus as needed for garnish
Chopped fresh parsley, as needed, for garnish

Fill a 6-quart pot halfway with water and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add whole potatoes. Add water as necessary to cover completely. Bring to a boil. Decrease heat to medium and cook, with lid ajar, until the potatoes are just cooked, but not overcooked, about 20 to 30 minutes. Test with a fork for doneness. Gently remove the potatoes and rinse in cold water until cool enough to handle. Peel the potatoes, the skins slip off easily. Slice the potatoes into ¼” thick rounds.

Meanwhile in a large saute pan over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and saute until golden, stirring, about 15 minutes. Reserve.

In a medium bowl, mix together the sour cream and the half and half until smooth and creamy. Reserve.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat the bottom and sides of an 8×8” or 2 quart casserole with butter. Place half the potatoes on the bottom. Layer half the onions. Next layer half the eggs and half the melted butter. Sprinkle with half the pepper, salt and paprika. Pour half of the sour cream mixture on top.

Repeat the layers, ending with the sour cream mixture. Sprinkle the top lightly with additional paprika. Bake, covered with aluminum foil sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, until casserole is golden and bubbling, about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving. Cut 2×4 for 8 servings.

VARIATIONS:
Before baking and topping with last half of the paprika, you can mix ¼ cup dry breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter, sprinkle on top, add paprika and bake. Do not garnish with parsley.

A modern variation is to top the casserole with 2-4 oz.. shredded cheddar cheese. Then sprinkle top with paprika and bake.

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Harissa Roasted Chicken

For the longest time, spicy foods didn’t interest me. I grew up eating so much of the sweet stuff, I thought chicken was best loaded with sugary sauce. My bubby always doused her dishes in sugar, the more the better, and my mother did the same. Fish, chicken, salad, pasta, potatoes – everything was prepared sweet.

When I first got married, I followed suit, prepping my dishes with the holy trinity of spices: salt, pepper, and sugar! Lots of sweet BBQ sauces, sticky duck sauce and natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup. Sometimes I paired them with mustard for a little kick, but hot peppers never made it into my kitchen, and spicy was off the map.

My husband grew up similarly, even though he has sephardic roots. My South American mother in law loaded her keftes (meatballs) with sugar, and her Syrian mechshie was almost always sweet too. Sweet beet and carrot salads were often on the menu as well, always with added sugar.

But then I became a foodie. It evolved slowly – starting with simple family recipes on my blog, my interest in food evolved into passion and curiosity for different flavors and International cuisine. Slowly but surely, I broadened my culinary horizons by exploring the many flavors and textures of different foods. My husband was not as quick to embrace my food journey, but he eventually came around and started to appreciate flavors that he didn’t grow up eating.

I’ve grown (quite literally) to love spicy foods like Pad Thai, curries and salsas, and ingredients like harissa, sriracha and chili peppers are mainstays in my kitchen. I now save the sweets for the desserts, and do my best to keep my dishes savory, or at least to add an element of spice, to keep the flavors balanced.

One of the best parts about eating spicy and savory foods like this harissa roasted chicken, is that it’s lighter on the waistline but doesn’t compromise on flavor. Zoodles (zucchini noodles) make this dish Paleo and Whole30 compliant, so if you’ve joined the popular diet trend (which I wrote an ebook on!), this makes for a delicious and filling dinner, and you can save leftovers for lunch the next day. You gotta love that!

Harissa Roasted Chicken

3-4 boneless chicken breasts (skin on preferably)
salt and pepper, taste
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 small onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup harissa (North African chili paste)
1 pint grape tomatoes
sliced preserved lemons or 1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 large zucchini, julienned with a julienne peeler or spiralized

Method:

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sear in olive oil in an oven-safe pan until browned. Remove from pan. Add diced onion and garlic and saute until golden. Pour in the stock and scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pan. Add grape tomatoes and nestle the chicken between them. Brush the chicken with harissa and top with lemon slices. Sprinkle everything with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil .

Roast, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. If the chicken/lemon/tomatoes aren’t browned enough, broil for 5 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan and add in the zucchini noodles. Mix the noodles into the sauce and stir until tender. Serve with chicken.

VARIATION: if you’re not watching your carbs, feel free to use pasta instead of zucchini noodles.

Other spicy recipes:

spicy tuna melt twice baked potatoes
quinoa pad thai
spicy roasted edamame
kani salad
cauliflower nachos with harissa cheddar sauce

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Zucchini Mechshie with Tamarind & Prunes

I’ve talked a lot about mechshie (a Syrian dish of stuffed vegetables) on my blog, especially around the holidays. I decided to keep up the tradition, and for the third year in a row, I’m sharing a stuffed vegetable recipe in honor of Sukkot. The tradition of eating stuffed foods on Succot is symbolic of an abundant harvest season. Since the wheat is harvested in Israel during the fall, we stuff foods to symbolize our desire for an overflowing harvest. This is popularly done with stuffed cabbage, or holipches, which some say are also made to resemble the scrolls of a Torah.


Ever since I married into a Sephardic family, I can’t get enough of my mother-in-laws delicious mechshie dishes! I’m slowly learning to cook different variations, adapting my favorite recipe with the additions of tamarind, pomegranate molasses and different types of vegetables and dried fruit.

When I spotted beautiful globe zucchini in the market, I just knew I had to turn it into some kind of mechshie. The small, round zucchini were perfect for filling, and I decided to work in some tamarind paste, an ingredient essential to Sephardic cooking. It adds a hint of sourness to the sweet dish, a perfect pairing with the plump dried prunes.

So let’s get stuffin’!

Stuffed Zucchini Mechshie with Tamarind & Prunes

8 globe zucchini or 2-3 large zucchini cut in thirds

Filling:

1 lb ground beef
1/3 cup basmati rice
3/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp water

Sauce:

1 15oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 can water
1/4 cup tamarind paste (available in Middle Eastern markets)
1/4 cup brown sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
1 10oz. container dried prunes

Method:

To prepare the filling, combine the meat, rice, allspice, salt and water in a bowl and mix well to combine (I like to do this by hand, using gloves). Try to handle the meat gently, don’t squeeze it too much as this tends to toughen it up.

Cut the tops off the zucchinis and scoop out some of the pulp with a spoon, leaving a thick border. Place all the pulp in the bottom of a greased wide saucepan.

If using regular zucchini, use a paring knife (or a long vegetable corer, known as a ma’vdeh), to core them.

Stuff the zucchini with the meat filling, taking care not to fill them too tightly as the rice will expand during cooking. Place the stuffed zucchini’s in the pot, and place prunes all around.

In a bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Pour the sauce over the zucchini. Cover the pot and bring the liquid up to a boil over high heat. Lower the flame and simmer for 1-2 hours.

NOTE: If you have leftover meat filling, roll it into small meatballs and place in the pot alongside the zucchini.

More Mechshie Recipes:

stuffed baby eggplant mechshie
zucchini and tomato mechshie “ratatouille”

More “Stuffed” Recipes:

corned beef arancini
Passover stuffed cabbage (replace potatoes with rice)
collard stuffed sweet potatoes
sausage and apple stuffed butternut squash
spinach stuffed mushrooms
stuffed chicken roulade
Israeli stuffed eggplants

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Rosh Hashanah Simanim Roundup

If you’ve never been to Florida, you probably haven’t heard of Winn Dixie. Although if you have, you probably love the store as much as I do. Since my in-laws live down in the sunny State, I’m lucky enough to visit on occasion and try out the amazing array of kosher restaurants and supermarkets there. What I love so much about Winn Dixie is that it is both a general supermarket AND a kosher one. Which means, if you need a kosher ingredient 30 minutes before Shabbat, they’ll still be open, and they’ll definitely have what you’re looking for. Not only does Winn Dixie have over 1000 branded kosher products, they also boast a kosher deli and bakery.

Because I’m such a big fan of the store, I was so excited to promote their #FreshNewYear campaign with a Rosh Hashanah Simanim Roundup. What are simanim? They’re symbolic foods that are eaten on Rosh Hashanah to symbolize our hopes for a sweet New Year. The symbolic foods include leeks, pomegranate, gourds (includes squashes like acorn, butternut, delicata, kabocha, spaghetti and pumpkin), dates, black eyed peas (some use green beans), apples & honey, beets, carrots and fish head (some use ram’s head). These specific foods are eaten because their hebrew names are related to other Hebrew words that convey our wishes for the coming year. Jews of Sephardic decent actually host a seder where these foods are eaten and a blessing is made over each symbolic food. For a detailed list of the blessings and simanim, click here.

So without further ado, lets get started!

LEEKS:

fried leek rings with homemade ketchup
Greek-style leeks with prunes and cinnamon
steamed cod with leeks
olive oil braised leeks with thyme
cream of leek soup
cauliflower leek puree
veal scaloppine with leeks

POMEGRANATE:

how to deseed a pomegranate
carrots with pomegranate molasses glaze
salmon with pomegranate molasses glaze
pomegranate coleslaw
pomegranate brisket tacos
roasted lamb with pomegranate and wine
pomegranate glazed london broil 
pomegranate sorbet
mini promegranate pavlovas
mini pomegranate bundt cakes

GOURDS:

Syrian candied gourd
honey roasted squash
soy braised kabocha squash
quinoa stuffed acorn squash
roasted acorn squash and pomegranate farro salad
sausage and apple stuffed butternut squash
butternut squash chili fries
roasted butternut squash and apple soup
spaghetti squash with spinach, leeks and mushrooms
sweet spaghetti squash
pumpkin whoopie pies
pumpkin crisp
pumpkin pot pie
delicata squash muffins
delicata squash salad with spicy maple dressing

DATES:

how to make your own silan (date honey)
date honey cake
Rosh Hashanah roast
silan roasted chicken with squash and dates
couscous with dried dates
bacon wrapped dates (use kosher bacon)
medjool date pecan pie
gingerbread date truffles
chewy date granola bars
sticky date pudding

BLACK EYED PEAS OR GREEN BEANS:

black eyed pea hummus
black eyed pea salsa
black eyed peas salad
black eyed pea cakes
black eyed pea fritters
Egyptian black eyed peas
Brazilian rice with black eyed peas
black eyed peas with meatballs
black eyed peas and green beans
crunchy garlic shriveled green beans
honey ginger green beans
sauteed green beans with mushrooms and cipollini onions
grilled green beans with harissa
pickled green beans

APPLE & HONEY:

holiday salad with apple and honey vinaigrette (watch me make a variation here!)
apple and honey BBQ sauce
apple honey drumsticks
apple and honey challah
honey roasted za’atar chicken with fruit
chicken and apples in honey mustard sauce
apple and honey baklava
apple rose pie bites
honey cake with caramelized apples
apple and honey bread pudding
apple and honey tart
apple and honey muffins
apple and honey trifle

BEETS:

roasted beet and orange salad
beet pomegranate salad
roasted beet salsa
angel hair pasta salad with golden beets
beet soup with beet green pesto
rainbow Anna potatoes with beets
beet pickled deviled eggs
beet latkes
beet rugelach
moist chocolate beet cake
red velvet cupcakes

CARROTS:

carrot salad with honey lemon dressing
Moroccan carrot salad
creamy carrot and leek soup
roasted carrots with tahini harissa sauce
whiskey glazed carrots
tzimmes roast
carrot risotto
rice with carrots and raisins
carrot muffins
carrot cake sandwich cookies
carrot cake pudding
carrot truffles

FISH OR RAM’S HEAD:

fish head curry
fish head soup
Vietnamese fish head soup
gefilte stuffed salmon head (scroll to the bottom)
baked lambs head with potatoes

For more Rosh Hashanah recipes, check out the Winn Dixie holiday ebook below! It’s packed with lots of Jamie Geller’s amazing holiday recipes that you’ll want to make again and again!

NOTE: All photos (besides the ones with the BIB watermark) are from 123RF Photo.

This post is sponsored by Winn Dixie

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