Category: Recipes

“Everything” London Broil

London Broil is regularly served in my house, mostly on the side of cholent on Shabbos day. Since it is relatively inexpensive, I have started serving it more often during the week. Now lets get things straight. The name London Broil is NOT a cut of meat, but rather a method of preparation. The method? broiling or grilling marinated flank steak, then cutting it across the grain into thin strips. Because the muscle fibers run the entire length of this cut of meat, it can be tough. However, if prepared correctly, the outcome is delicious. To tenderize the meat, I massage it with olive oil and a mix of seasonings. Then, I let it marinate for a few hours. Finally, I broil it until medium (anything more will cause the meat to be tough). It is very important not to score, cut, or penetrate, the meat before (or during) broiling because all the juices will run out of it. It is best served with mashed potatoes, but being as I had an entire container of leftover rattatouille, I wanted to make use of it. I mixed it in with some Mezze Penne for a delicious pasta on the side.

London Broil
(measurements are approximately, I sort of just sprinkle):

(Approx. 2-2.5 lbs.) London Broil
Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Minced Onion Flakes
1 tbsp Minced Garlic Flakes
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper

Method:

Generously drizzle the london broil with olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle onion flakes, garlic flakes, salt and pepper. Massage the oil and spices into the London Broil, until well absorbed. Let the meat marinate for a few hours (as long as you have, I’ve broiled it within the hour and it’s still delicious). Set your broiler on high and your oven rack to be 3-4 inches from heat source. Broil for 8 minutes on each side (total 16 minutes) until medium. You can increase to 9 minutes (per side) if you want it medium-well. Do not broil more than 10 minutes (20 minutes total) or the meat will be tough. Let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice thinly, against the grain.

Red Wine Reduction (optional):

Now I wouldn’t want to lose all those yummy drippings from the bottom of the pan. To make a delicious and easy pan gravy, remove the london broil from the pan and pour some good quality red wine into it (about 1 cup). Scrape the bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan and pour into a small pot (or put your pan directly over the fire). Simmer, uncovered, until reduced by half. You can strain out the little onion and garlic bits (some may be burnt from broiling) but personally, I like them!

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Curry Chicken Salad

You all know how it plays out. We slave all Friday cooking, baking and preparing and no matter how much we seem to make, or how many guests we seem to invite, we always have leftovers! And then, when we try to serve it up on Sunday night, we get the rolling eyes, and the “_____ again!” (feel free to fill in the blank yourself :)) from around the dinner table. So, instead of serving up the same food, try to come up with ways to spruce it up and tweak it a bit. This week, I decided to turn my leftover Shabbos chicken into a yummy curry chicken salad! With grapes, celery, toasted almonds and a creamy curry dressing you’ll have everyone begging for more!

Curry Chicken Salad
adapted from a Paula Deen recipe

2-3 pieces of leftover chicken, skin removed, chopped into 1 inch pieces (I used bottoms)
1/2 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1/4 cup celery, diced small
handful of slivered almonds, toasted

Dressing:
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt

Method:

To toast the almonds, put them in a 400 degree oven for 6-10 minutes, until browned. Combine chicken, grapes, celery and almonds in a bowl. Mix the dressing and pour over salad. Serve in lettuce cups or with bread.

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Strawberry Banana Yogurt Parfait with Homemade Granola


With Shabbos out on the early side these days, I’m always looking for ideas of something light (and milchigs!) to eat. I decided to go with a yogurt parfait tonight, with some homemade granola. This recipe is absolutely delicious and healthy! It’s slightly sweet, with just a bit of saltiness and oh so crunchy! A couple of years ago, I was in the supermarket looking for a good granola to buy. They seemed to be carrying a new Israeli variety, but I didn’t understand all of the ingredients. My (then) boss’s sister, who speaks fluent hebrew, was there, so I asked her to translate. Instead, she told me she had the perfect granola recipe, and emailed it to me later that day. It’s been my go-to recipe ever since! (Thanks Rikal!)

Homemade Granola

2 c old fashioned oats
1/2 c sliced or slivered almonds
1/4 c light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2-3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c raisins (optional)

Set your oven to 350F. Mix everything besides for the almonds and raisins together. Mix thoroughly, breaking up the brown sugar as you go. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spread the mix on the cookie sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes until just past golden brown, stirring every 5 or 10 minutes to prevent burning. Toast the almonds separately and let them cool down. Mix the almonds, raisins, and granola together. Cool the granola in dry open air on the same cookie sheet to crisp up. Store in an airtight container.

Serve with yogurt and fruit (vanilla or flavored with strawberries, blueberries, pomegranates…anything goes!)

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Gefilte Fish 3 Ways


Gefilte Fish comes in stiff competition with cholent as #1 on the Jewish food list. We all make it. Most of us like it. But gone are the days when we have to scale our own carp to prepare it (maybe just on Pesach!). While I do make salmon, tilapia and flounder on occasion, gefilte fish is a Shabbos staple at my house. So I like to get creative with the preparation, both in preparing, and in plating. This is my most popular way of serving, and I always get the oohs and aahs from my guests when I set it on the table. You need two different types of preparations to plate this way. I am posting three different recipes for your choosing.


Bread Crumb Recipe:
This one is our favorite! (thanks to my cousin Chana Kaplan for the recipe)

1 roll sweet Gefilte fish
2 tbsp mayo
plain or flavored bread crumbs

Method:

Remove gefilte fish from the packaging. The easiest way to remove the wax paper is to rinse it with cold water for a few seconds. This will soften the paper just enough so that you can twist, unwrap and remove the paper easily. Brush the gefilte fish with mayo and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 75-90 minutes (depending how you like it, the longer you bake it, the more dried out it will be).

Take Note: When you bake the fish this way (uncovered, in the oven), towards the end, the fish will start to expand. It looks like it’s blowing up! This is just about when you should take it out. The air will come out of it when you remove it from the oven. It will become slightly free-formed. Maybe not the prettiest, but my family enjoys this preparation the best!

Asian Style Recipe:

1 roll sweet gefilte fish
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
Freunds mixed pack roasted sesame seeds (I used to roast them myself until I found this genius product!)

Method:

Prepare gefilte fish as above, however, brush with soy/honey mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds instead. Bake uncovered, at 350 for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

Another variation of this is to brush it with teriyaki sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Marinara Recipe:

1 roll sweet gefilte fish
1 jar Marinara sauce of your choice

Method:

Remove gefilte fish from packaging and wax paper, as instructed above. Pour 1/2 jar Marinara sauce over fish. Bake, covered, at 350 for 1 1/2-2 hours.

Dipping Sauces:

For dipping, I use chrein, horseradish sauce, wasabi sauce, and leftover marinara sauce from the pan. If you are not making the marinara fish, you can mix up a quick Russian dressing of mayo and ketchup.

To plate:

Slice fish evenly. Spread each type of fish on separate sides of a square serving dish. Prepare 4 mini l’chaim cups with dipping sauces and set between the fish. Place mini mousse spoons in the cups for serving.

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Spinach Rotini Pasta

Like most kids, my girls are pretty picky eaters. I have to drown their food in ketchup to get them to eat it. But this recipe is so pretty and delicious, they ate it down to the last drop. To make it more fun, I used corkscrew pasta (also known as Rotini), and taking a que from the Sandra Lee semi-homemade philosophy, I used frozen garlic cubes and spinach, making this dish come together in no-time! So go ahead, serve it to your kiddies. No ketchup required.

Take Note:

The frozen garlic cubes offer a milder taste to the dish than their fresh counterparts. If you’re making this for adults only (or your kids like the taste of lotsa fresh garlic) go ahead and use the real thing. I would recommend cutting down to 2-3 cloves.

I’ve also opted for extra light olive oil because of the mild flavor. However, if you like the full-bodied fruitiness of traditional olive oil, go ahead and use that instead.

I like to top my pasta with just a sprinkle of toasted bread crumbs. This adds texture and crunch to the dish and takes it over the top. If you don’t like the sound of it, just go ahead and leave it out.

Spinach Pasta

1 box Rotini pasta
1 10oz. box frozen chopped spinach
4-5 frozen garlic cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
extra light olive oil
1/8 cup breadcrumbs, optional

Method:

In a frying pan, drizzle some olive oil and add the garlic cubes. Turn the fire on medium, allowing the garlic cubes to melt as the oil heats up (if you throw the cubes into hot oil, the oil will splatter in every direction and the garlic will burn). Stir the cloves until fully melted and slighly cooked.

Remove the foil from the box of spinach and microwave for about 6 minutes until thawed. If the spinach is hot, wait for it to cool and squeeze the water out in batches, using your hands (I wear gloves for this). Add the spinach to the pan and saute, mixing with the garlic until full incorporated. Add more oil if needed. Season with salt and pepper.

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta, but not thoroughly, leaving a bit of water. Return the pasta to the pot, and add the spinach mixture. Stir well until the spinach is well incorporated. If the pasta is slightly dry, add a bit more oil. Adjust seasonings if needed.

To toast the breadcrumbs, add them to the frying pan that you used to saute the garlic and spinach. This will infuse it with some of the garlic flavor. Stir on a medium flame, taking care that the breadcrumbs do not burn. Remove from pan when they have reached desired doneness, as they will continue to brown if left in the pan.

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