Pasta – Busy in Brooklyn

Well hello there old friend!! I’ve been busier than ever in Brooklyn – well, everywhere really! It’s been a whirlwind tour ever since the book came out in March and time just got away from me – but here I am, HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. (Well I’m not actually home, but home is where the heart is, and it all started right. here.)

I always come back for the holidays because they have a special place in my heart, especially ones where we celebrate over dairy delights like Shavuot. Gimme all the cheese!!!! This sheet pan lasagna is going to change the game for you – from a layered patchke dish, to a simple on-pan main! I used cottage cheese because the creamy curds are having a trendy moment all over our social feeds (it stops at cottage cheese ice cream for me!!), but feel free to use ricotta as well.

Happy Holidays!

Sheet Pan Lasagna

16oz lasagna sheets, broken into pieces
16oz whipped cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese)
1 clove of garlic, minced
Zest of half a lemon
2 frozen basil cubes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp Freshly ground pepper or pinch red pepper flakes
1 egg yolk
1 26oz jar marinara sauce
12oz shredded cheese, divided
3 cups kale or spinach
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes, stirring so it doesn’t stick together.

While the pasta is cooking, combine the cottage cheese, garlic, lemon zest, basil, oregano, pepper and egg yolk in a bowl. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Drain the pasta and spread it out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Add the marinara sauce, kale, and 12oz. of cheese and stir to combine. Spread the noodles out on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Top with dollops of cottage cheese, the remaining shredded cheese and parmesan.

Bake the pasta until the edges of the kale and pasta are crisp and the cheese is bubbly, about 18-20 minutes.

Salami Spaghetti

On March 6, 2022March 7, 2022

by chanie

in Appetizer, Dinner, Main Dish, Meat & Poultry, Pasta, Recipes

2 Comments

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there was a Jewish blogger who happened upon a little-know-custom of eating salami on Purim since it’s hung, like the evil Haman was hanged on the gallows. She loved to celebrate the holidays with fun spins on traditions but salami was knows to give her nightmares.

When she was a girl, said blogger was forced to eat salami sandwiches on Friday afternoons, which she promptly threw down the incinerator chute of her apartment building, horrified by the hard white pieces in the salami. She swore off the cured sausage forever.

As a young bridge, not knowing how to cook, and on a newlywed budget, she was introduced to the humble dish of salami and eggs. She learned, that once cooked, the “hard white pieces” in the salami, rendered out into flavorful fat that crisped up the salami into crunchy bits of deliciousness. Intrigued, she hopped on board the salami wagon.

And so, each year, as an ode to her transformation, she puts a spin on salami dishes for the holiday. There was no outdoing her drunken hasselback salami, which has since graced the tables of thousands of Jewish households and deli counters worldwide.

….And now back to first person, I am spellbound that I have carried on this tradition for TEN YEARS here on the blog!! I couldn’t be more proud! This year, my salami inspiration comes by way of Italy, a trip that continues to inspire my cooking on the daily.

Italy is known for it’s pasta, but equally for it’s charcuterie, including salami. This flavorful yet humble dish, marries a garlicky tomato sauce with spicy chili flakes, and rich salami chunks that get crisped up to perfection. Truly worthy of your holiday feast!

In true Italian style, this recipe makes use of the salty and starchy pasta water to build the sauce, so make sure not to drain it and read the full recipe before proceeding!

Happy Purim!!

Salami Spaghetti
YIELD: 8 servings

14oz. Abeles & Heymann salami, cut into chunks
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for finishing
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or, to taste
6oz. tomato paste
16oz. spaghetti
kosher salt, to taste

Method:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. While the water is heating up, add the salami to a cold pan. Set the heat to medium and cook the salami until it’s crispy and browned, 5-8 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the pasta to the water and cook until just under al dente, about 9 minutes. (Read the full recipe first, do not drain the pasta as you will need the pasta water!).

Add the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until softened and fragrant, but not browned. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook until it darkens and caramelizes, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of pasta cooking water and whisk until creamy.

Remove the spaghetti from the pot and toss directly into the tomato sauce, adding more pasta water, if needed, to thin it out. Add in the salami and serve immediately with a drizzle of olive oil and additional red pepper flakes for garnish.

Other Salami Recipes:

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

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Basil Pasta

On October 17, 2021August 28, 2024

by chanie

in Dinner, Instagram Reel Recipes, Lunch, Pasta, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish

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Roasted Antipasto Salad

On February 18, 2021February 24, 2021

by chanie

in Appetizer, Meat & Poultry, Pasta, Purim, Recipes

3 Comments

I never thought I’d say this but Tiktok is actually good for SOMETHING. The viral baked feta pasta that took the internet by storm last week got me thinking!

It’s salami o’clock here at Busy in Brooklyn, which means it’s that time of year that I make something WOW with Abeles & Heymann salami in honor of Purim (since salami is hung like the evil Haman in the Purim story!).

So what do you think I did? I roasted up those tomatoes with olives, onions, garlic and yes, SALAMI, a la ANTIPASTO. I mean, HOW. GOOD. DOES. THAT. LOOK. (no that’s not a question!)

So, I toss up that roasted antipasto medley with some tricolor pasta for a BOMB appetizer that is just perfect for your Purim meal. I am in love. Thank you TikTok.

So, a few things about this “recipe”, it’s not really a “recipe”. Go ahead and roast whatever you like in there – artichokes, mushrooms, peppers, chickpeas. Just give it all a nice drizzle of oil and let it go for a while until it’s all soft and tender.

And feel free to use some bowtie pasta, or whatever shape you like, or for a no-carb version, toss it with some hearts of palm spaghetti!

Or just serve as an appetizer with some crusty bread. SALAMI HAS NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD!

Roasted Antipasto Salad
YIELD: 8 servings

12oz. tricolor rotini, cooked according to package directions
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes
7oz. salami, cut into cubes
1 small red onion, cut into chunks
1 cup mixed black and green olives
handful of garlic cloves
3 strips lemon zest
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place tomatoes, salami, red onions, olives, garlic, lemon zest, olive oil, basil, oregano, salt and pepper into a baking dish. You want everything in one layer, with plenty of room around (my dish was a bit snug!). Bake, uncovered, for 40-50 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Mix the roasted vegetables with the pasta, and toss gently to combine. Add in the red wine vinegar and lemon juice. Season, to taste with more salt and pepper.

VARIATION: for a carb-free version, use hearts of palm pasta instead of rotini.

Other Salami Recipes:

last year: salami nduja
two years ago: salami tarte tatin
three years ago: salami potato latkes
four years ago: salami babka
five years ago: salami quiche
six years ago: beer battered salami chips with beer mustard
seven years ago: drunken hasselback salami
eight years ago: salami chips

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Hawaij Couscous

On September 27, 2018September 28, 2018

by chanie

in Pasta, Recipes, Shabbos, Side Dish

4 Comments

It all started with Zahav, the fabulous book on Israeli cooking by Michael Solomonov. Reading Michael’s descriptions of traditional Yemenite soup made me want to charter a flight to Israel, but I did the next best thing: I purchased some Hawaij (and practiced the pronunciation more times than I’d like to admit….CHA-WAYIJ). I was hooked.

There’s just something about the warm golden spices that transports me – and I don’t even know where. I’m 5th generation American on my Mom’s side, and while my Dad is Israeli, his Ashkenazi mother was cooking up shlishkes when he was a kid. I’ve got no Sephardic blood, although I later married into a Syrian family where they cook up their couscous with allspice. This, then, is the power of hawaij, I decided. It has the ability to carry you to a place you never even knew – but it feels like home. Perhaps it’s my souls yearning for Jerusalem, the city of gold, the color of this truly intoxicating blend: Zahav.

Of course the first thing I cooked up with Hawaij for soup wasn’t soup. Because I never go the traditional route (you should know that by now). Instead, I made Jerusalem Hummus in Jars, followed by Hawaij Garlic Confit (you can find that life-changing recipe in my cookbook, Millennial Kosher), some roasted chicken and potatoes, and, yes, finally the soup (where I mixed the meat and chicken in one pot). I also explored the sweet side of Hawaij, with Hawaij for coffee – although of course not in coffee – with my Hawaij Honey Cake.

If you’re confused – let me explain. Hawaij is so good – the Yemenites decided to make two blends – one sweet and one savory. The savory one is used for classic Yemenite soup and the sweet one, for coffee. But the magic spice deserves more and I’m all over it.

So this summer I was putting up a last minute pot of Israeli couscous when I realized I was out of chicken and vegetable stock. I prefer not to cook my couscous in water, since it’s kind of bland, so I looked through my spice cabinet to see how I could improvise. The hawaij for soup looked at me and I realized that if I didn’t have soup – then I could just let the hawaij for soup take it’s place, and then THIS happened! It’s everything you never knew you wanted in Israeli couscous and it’s about to become your go-to recipe.

And since I know by your messages that y’all have hawaij in your cabinets by now, no need to go searching. Just make sure you use the savory blend otherwise this will be a couscous to remember for other reasons (insert facepalm here!).

Hawaij Couscous

1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 large onion, diced small
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
2 heaping tbsp hawaij for soup
1 17.7oz. pkg Israeli couscous (or 2 8.8oz. bags)
1 15oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, optional
kosher salt, to taste

Method:

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a deep skillet and saute the onion until deeply golden. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms caramelize. Add remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and hawaij seasoning and continue to saute until the spices are toasted and fragrant. Add the couscous and saute until lightly toasted. Add chickpeas, if desired, 5 cups of water and salt and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Stir and serve.

VARIATION: I’ve tried this recipe with just onions, onions and mushrooms, and onions, mushrooms and chickpeas. I ended up liking the one with just onions the most but you can also try with peppers, eggplant and/or other vegetables.

NOTE: If you prepare the couscous in advance, add a bit of water, cover and steam for a few minutes, mixing with a spoon to loosen up the couscous before serving.

SERVING SUGGESTION: serve with lemon sumac pargiot with silan.

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Category: Pasta

Sheet Pan Lasagna

Salami Spaghetti

Basil Pasta

Roasted Antipasto Salad

Hawaij Couscous