Category: Shabbos

Bubby’s Marble Cake

I think about my Bubby a lot this time of year. Oh how I miss her. 

On the eve of Yom Kippur, just as we finished the first pre-fast meal, we’d walk over to her house to ask for a piece of lekach, or honey cake. This custom was instituted as a means of asking for something, in case it had been decreed that during the year one would need to resort to a handout from others, the decree would be satisfied with the asking for honey cake.

(Bubby’s recipe cards for Marble Cake)

One by one, my siblings and I would walk over to Bubby and whisper in yiddish, “Biteh ken ich huben lekach“, or “Please can I have a piece of honey cake”. We didn’t speak yiddish from home, but it was customary to ask in the yiddish language, and Bubby would wait patiently until we said it before handing us a piece wrapped in a white napkin. She would bless us with a myriad of blessings for the year, kissing our foreheads as the line to retrieve her cake wrapped in blessings continued to grow with cousins, aunts and uncles.

When my Zaidy was still alive, we were lucky enough to be blessed by his holy hands, as he cried and patted us on on the forehead in the way only he knew how.

On Sukkos, our house was permeated with the smell of Bubby’s stuffed cabbage and there was nothing like it. Her secret was adding ketchup to the meat mixture to keep it soft, sweet and juicy. And it was the BEST.

But really, Bubby was known for her cakes, and when my mom was growing up, she would always come home to a freshly baked cake after school each day. There was Bubby’s chocolate cake, her honey cake, blueberry pie cake, and of course, her marble cake. And I’m so proud to share a little piece of her with you all as I think of her this holiday season.

Chag Sameach!

Bubby’s Marble Cake

2 cups sugar
1 cup neutral flavored oil
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup water
2 tbsp dutch process cocoa powder

Method:

Grease a 9×13 inch pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla (you can do this by hand or with a mixer). In a second bowl, combine the flour and the baking powder. Slowly add the flour mixture and water to the wet ingredients, alternating between them until incorporated.

Pour 2/3rds of the cake batter into the pan. Add cocoa powder to the remaining batter in your mixing bowl. Add dollops of the chocolate mixture to the vanilla batter in the pan and use a knife to swirl it to create a marbleized effect.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Related Recipes:

Bubby’s challah kugel
Bubby’s cabbage soup with flanken

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Charcuterie Stuffed Figs

Leftovers! We all have a love/hate relationship with day-old food that we’ve already eaten. I mean we had it once, we enjoyed it, now why have it again, right?

Sunday night is usually our leftovers day because of all the food we have from Shabbosfest. I tend to repurpose the leftovers and find a new, fun way to serve them, because lets face it, the kids will turn their noses at it otherwise! It’s kind of a competition to me and I love to have fun with it – but we never touch it after the weekend.

Mondays is meatless in our house, and Tuesdays is for tacos (duh), which basically means anything with ground beef. Wednesdays I tend to make chicken, but it’s also the day that I’ll go through the fridge and see if there are any leftover ingredients that are going bad before I do my Thursday restock for Shabbat. If I have fruits on the fringe, I’ll know to make a fruit crisp for dessert and if my veggies are not quite crisp enough for salad, then there’s something with roasted veg on the menu.

This week, when I had leftover deli meat, and a couple of fresh figs, I came up with this sweet and salty appetizer – because that combo is my JAM! I won’t say how many I ate but it was many. And I could have probably eaten the whole tray in one sitting.

 

Charcuterie Stuffed Figs

15 fresh figs
2 cups chopped deli meat (see note)
1 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard, plus more for garnish
1 tsp honey
pickled jalapenos, for garnish (recipe follows)

Method:

Trim the tips of the figs to remove the stems. Cut an X shape into each fig, as if you are cutting it into quarters, leaving the bottom intact. Set aside.

Add deli meat to a cold saucepan and saute over medium heat until the meat releases some of it’s fat, 6-8 minutes. Add the mustard seeds and toast for 1 minute. Add brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard and honey and stir until the meat is coated.

Stuff the figs the charcuterie mixture and top with pickled jalapenos and dijon mustard.

NOTE: use whatever deli meat you have on hand. I used a combination of smoked turkey and salami.

Pickled Jalapenos

4 jalapenos, thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Add the jalapenos to a mason jar. In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour the hot brine over the jalapenos. Cool and store in the fridge for up to one month.

Related Recipes:

halva and ricotta stuffed figs
orange cardamom malabi with drunken figs

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Malawach Dogs

THIS. MAKES. ME. SO.  HAPPY.
Sigh (the good kind).

If you missed it, there’s big news on the Abeles & Heymann front – they’ve made it to Trader Joes, and at $5.99 a pack, it’s a total steal! Not only that, their hot dogs are now available nationwide, so you can ALL get a taste of the BEST kosher hot dog in town!!

This news had me so stoked that I had to celebrate with something extra special, so I went EN CROUTE (literally: wrapped in pastry). But not just any pastry.

Malawach pastry. The Yemenite stuff of dreams that puffs up into buttery goodness, and gets dipped into the ultimate pairing: resek (grated tomato) and schug (jalapeno dip).

Malawach with resek and schug, plus some hard boiled eggs on the side, is something you’ll find on many Middle Eastern menus, at loads of stalls at the Shuk and AT MY HOUSE. I’m convinced I must have been Yemenite in another life because their food just speaks to my soul.

Yemenite chicken soup, lachuch with butter and honey, jachnun, kubaneh… I can’t get enough. The traditional hawaij-spiced soup has become a Shabbat staple in my home, and whenever I can make it to Zion in Borough Park, I load up on spongey lachuch for my freezer. Jachnun gets stuffed into my cholent, and kubaneh is the one recipe I have yet to master, but consider it done.

And the beautiful, light and refreshing dips of tomato and jalapeno – well they’ve become an essential fridge stock and I always have jars on hand! Paired with tahini and pita, they make a delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner, with eggs on the side.

So yes, I am in love with Yemenite food. I am in love with Abeles & Heymann hot dogs. And that, my friends, is what makes the perfect recipe. Enjoy!

Malawach Dogs

1 package Abeles & Heymann beef hot dogs
2 discs malawach dough, thawed
1 egg, beaten
sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly coat with oil. Cut the malawach dough into strips and wrap them around the hot dogs, stretching lightly as you go. If the strips are too short, just continue wrapping with a second strip. Brush the malawach with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Transfer to baking sheet and bake until puffed and golden, 20-25 minutes.

Serve with resek and schug.

Resek
2 plum tomatoes
salt, to taste

Grate the tomatoes on a box grater or pulse in a food processor until finely minced. Season, to taste, with salt.

Schug

5 jalapeno peppers (see note)
1 large bunch fresh parsley or cilantro or a mix
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
salt, to taste

Add ingredients to a blender or food processor and pulse until finely minced.

NOTE: You can control the heat of the schug by the amount of veins and seeds that you put in the sauce. For a mild schug, remove all veins and seeds. For a spicy kick, add a little at a time until desired spice level is reached.


Related Recipes:

bunless fajita dogs
hot dog eggrolls
spiralized spud dogs

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Asian Kani Bites

Ahhhh!!! I’m so so excited for this recipe, sponsored by one of my favorite brands, Kikkoman®! And that Yom Kippur is over, and we can all take a collective sigh of relief that the serious holidays are behind us, we’ve all been inscribed for a healthy, happy year, and on to the celebrations…Sukkot!

Sukkot has always been one of my favorite holidays! The weather is cool but not cold. There’s this wonderful spirit in the air, and we get to hang out with family and friends just eating, singing and rejoicing. I mean, does it get any better than that?


Sukkot is so special that I *almost* don’t mind getting back into the kitchen, again, because I get to make my Bubby’s cabbage soup, all sorts of mechshie (Syrian stuffed vegetables), my kofta stuffed dates (from Millennial Kosher) and of course, Torah cannoli for Simchat Torah!

I’ve talked a lot about the tradition of eating stuffed foods in honor of Sukkot. The tradition 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.

I know it’s a bit of a stretch, but this year, I decided to do something new, and instead of stuffing a vegetable, I’m stuffing wonton cups with pulled kani aka surimi, or mock crab! Pulled beef has been in the spotlight for a while, and lets just say I’m bored of it. It’s been on every recipe menu, at every party and holiday meal, and it’s just so heavy! I wanted to lighten things up and kani is JUST THE THING.

I love that surimi is a fish that you don’t have to buy fresh, and I always have it in my freezer for Kani or sushi salad! My kids love my kani fried rice from my cookbook, and it’s an easy appetizer you can pull together when you have last minute guests. Which happens a lot on Sukkot by the way!

The great thing about this recipe is that it makes a lot, which is a must for holiday dishes, you can prep all the components ahead of time and just assemble before serving. If the wonton cups last that long ‘cuz they’re pretty addictive!

This recipe is also totally customizable – add whatever toppings you like, or stir the kani into linguini or fried rice instead of wonton cups. There are so many directions to go with this, and the Asian sauce works really well for stir fries too!

I love that Kikkoman has such a large selection of kosher ingredients, you can even buy a prepared sauce instead of making your own! A great trick for drizzling on sriracha or spicy mayo is to unscrew the Kikkoman cap and replace it with the cover of a squeeze bottle (see photo above!), it works wonders!

If you’re feeling extra fancy, try the pickled radishes,  you can even use onions, daikon or carrot instead!

Wishing you and yours a very happy Sukkot!

Asian Kani Bites
Yield: approximately 48 cups

12oz. wonton wrappers
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp Kikkoman Sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1″ piece of ginger, grated
1/4 cup Kikkoman Soy Sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp Kikkoman Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
2/3 cup water
16oz. surimi, shredded
12oz. frozen shelled edamame, thawed
3 tbsp black and white sesame seeds
2 small watermelon radishes, thinly sliced on a mandoline (pickled, if desired, see below)
fresh cilantro, for garnish
Kikkoman Sriracha Mayo, for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat four 6-cup muffin tins with cooking spray.
Gently press 24 wrappers into the muffin tins, pressing and folding against the sides. Spray the wrappers with more cooking spray. Transfer the pans to the oven and bake until the wrappers are starting to turn golden brown and are crispy and bubbling, 8 to 9 minutes. Cool completely. Repeat with the remaining 24 wrappers.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1 tbsp water to form a paste. Set aside.

Heat the sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the garlic and ginger, stirring until fragrant, but not burned. Add the soy sauce, honey, sriracha, lime juice and water and bring to a simmer. Add the cornstarch mixture, stirring with a whisk to incorporate it into the sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the shredded surimi, tossing until evenly coated.

When ready to serve, fill the wonton cups with surimi, edamame, sesame seeds, radishes and cilantro. Drizzle with sriracha mayo.

NOTES: I am not a fan of cooking surimi as it takes on a spongey texture. To prep this recipe ahead of time, prepare the sauce and the shredded kani separately. Stir together before serving. It may be served cold, or you can heat the sauce and stir with room temperature kani. You can prepare the wontons ahead of time and store in a Ziploc bag or airtight container.

VARIATION: for a quick and easy version, use Kikkoman’s Sweet Soy Glaze instead of making your own.

Pickled Radishes

2 small watermelon radishes (or a few garden radishes), thinly sliced on a mandolin
1/2 cup Kikkoman Rice Vinegar (unseasoned)
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
pinch of red pepper flakes

Fill a glass jar with sliced radishes (halve, if necessary). Bring the vinegar, water, honey and salt to a boil. Remove from the heat, add red pepper flakes. Pour the brine over the radishes. Refrigerate until ready to use.

This post is sponsored by Kikkoman®.

Related Recipes:

kani salad
kani caesar salad with nori croutons
sushi salad
sushi salad II
sushi burrito

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Golden Milk Carrot & Apple Soup

I wait all summer to put on a granny sweater and whip up a warm mug of golden milk! The healthy drink, sometimes called Turmeric Tea, stems from India, where they add fresh turmeric to warm milk for it’s anti-inflammatory properties.

Golden milk is the Westernized version of the Ayurvedic drink, popularized by bloggers worldwide. The immune boosting drink usually includes:

coconut milk
black pepper
cinnamon
turmeric
ginger
raw honey

To get the most health benefits out of the tea, fresh and whole spices are used and the honey is added at the end, without heating. With curcumin from the turmeric, piperine from the black pepper, and MCT’s from the coconut milk, golden milk is said to improve memory, relieve joint pain, improve blood pressure, reduce LDL cholesterol and prevent cancer!

With Rosh Hashanah around the corner, I decided to incorporate my favorite winter drink into a Simanim-filled soup and the results were absolutely delicious! I think adding apples + apple cider to my soups is my new thing – a burst of apple in every bite!

Now I think the only thing better than the health benefits of Golden Milk is adding carrots – our parents always told us it was good for our eyesight, right? And don’t they say that an “Apple a day keeps the Dr. away?” Golden Milk just got an upgrade.

The New Year is looking extra sweet.

Golden Milk Carrot & Apple Soup
YIELD: approximately 10 cups

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large leek, white party only, thinly sliced (2 cups)
2 1/2 lbs. carrots, peeled, trimmed and roughly chopped
3 McIntosh apples, peeled and roughly chopped
4 c vegetable stock
2 c apple cider
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2” knob of fresh ginger, grated
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup coconut milk, plus more for garnish, optional
1-2 tbsp honey

Method:

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the leeks and saute until softened. Add the carrots, apples, stock, cider, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, salt and pepper and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the carrots are soft, about 30 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender and add the coconut milk and honey, to taste (depending on sweetness). If the soup is too thick, add water, stock or more apple cider until desired consistency is reached.

To serve, swirl in coconut milk and add a drizzle of honey, freshly ground black pepper and a cinnamon stick, if desired.

NOTE: if you don’t like coconut or you have an allergy, leave it out and add more stock, cider or water.

This soup may be frozen.

Related Recipes:

curried carrot and sweet potato soup
roasted butternut squash, shallot and apple soup
cream of leek soup

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