Busy in Brooklyn – Page 2 – Modernizing traditional food, one dish at a time.

We’re coming up on a long holiday with back-to-back meals and I’m about the repurposing! Leftover chicken soup becomes chicken pot pie, leftover meat or poultry gets loaded into a ramen bowl or spread over tacos. I love that it reduces waste and keeps things fun and inventive.

Pulled beef focaccia or flatbread is another favorite way that I love to repurpose pulled beef. Just mix your favorite BBQ sauce into the beef and pile on all the toppings! So pretty and oh. so. good!

Pulled Beef Focaccia

1 ready-to-top focaccia bread, such as Tuscanini
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1.2 lb. leftover pulled beef
1/3-1/2 cup bbq sauce
1 heaping cup arugula
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

Pomegranate Pickled Onions
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup pomegranate juice
¼ cup honey
1 tbsp kosher salt

In a 1-quart pot, bring vinegar, pomegranate juice, honey, and salt to a boil. Remove from the heat. Add onions to an 8oz glass jar and pour the hot brine over them until they are fully submerged. Cool and refrigerate for up to 1 month.

Garlic Aioli
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 lemon
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
kosher salt, to taste

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine.

Method:

First things first, you’re going to pickle your onions! Get them in the fridge while you prep the other ingredients.

Add the pulled beef to a skillet and stir in the bbq sauce until fully incorporated and heated through.

Prepare the garlic aioli.

When you’re ready to assemble, drizzle some olive oil on the focaccia and bake until crispy. Top with the pulled beef, arugula, pickled onions, pomegranate seeds and garlic aioli.

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Simanim Ceviche

On September 30, 2024October 9, 2024

by chanie

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Believe it or not, I used to be that person who only ordered vegetables rolls at sushi spots, which eventually gave way to tempura rolls, but I was NOT into raw fish. It wasn’t the idea of it, more the texture for me – and I credit ceviche for being my gateway to loving sashimi! The beauty of ceviche is that the fish is “cooked” with acid (usually lime juice), which firms up the fish and changes the texture completely – the longer it sits, the more “cooked” it will be (overnight and it’s flaky!). Now, I can’t get enough of raw fish – pass me the omakase, and it’s all due to this recipe.

While traditional ceviche uses lime juice, I incorporate all the citrus juices for an unbelievable marinade that’s loosely inspired by Peruvian Tigers Milk. In honor of Rosh Hashanah, I incorporate several simanim or symbolic foods including apple, pomegranate, leek and honey. The resulting dish is a textural dream and flavor explosion.

Wishing you a Happy & Sweet New Year!

Simanim Ceviche
YIELD: 6 appetizer portions

1 lb sushi grade salmon, diced small (may sub tuna or any flaky white fish)
⅓ cup leek, white party only, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, seeds and veins removed, thinly sliced
Handful chopped cilantro
1 small green apple, peeled and diced small
½ cup pomegranate seeds

For marinade:
2” chunk of ginger
1 large clove garlic
Handful cilantro stems
1/4 c lime juice
2 tbsp each lemon, grapefruit and orange juice
1 tsp honey
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

To prepare the ceviche, place the marinade ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and discard the solids.

In a large bowl, combine the salmon, leek, jalapeno, apple, pomegranate and cilantro. Pour the marinade over the mixture 30 minutes – 1 hour before serving and stir to incorporate.

Serving suggestions: dip the rim of a glass in citrus juice and tajin. Fill with ceviche.

PREPARE AHEAD: Prepare the marinade and store in a container in the fridge. Prep the ceviche ingredients and store in separate containers (you might want to dice the apple fresh so it doesn’t brown). Combine the ceviche ingredients into a large bowl, pour the marinade on 30 minutes – 1 hour before serving.

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Rosh Hashanah Sweet & Sour Braised Cabbage

On September 26, 2024October 9, 2024

by chanie

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I’m a cruciferous girl through and through, so I love cabbage every way. Raw in salads and sandwiches, pickled, roasted, braised – you name it! Oh and soup! Let’s not forget my Bubby’s cabbage soup, one of my favorites! I always have a head of cabbage in the fridge – and I don’t discriminate between red and green!

The humble veg has been getting more attention recently, especially roasted in wedges, but the classic sweet and sour braised cabbage is a recipe I’ve been loving and making for years. It makes a great side dish for meat, poultry and fish and it’s easy and pretty hands-off! And if you use red cabbage, it brings beautiful color to your plate too.

While traditional sweet and sour braised cabbage is usually prepared with vinegar and sugar – I used pomegranate juice, sumac and honey in honor of Rosh Hashanah for the same sweet and sour flavor, honoring the tradition of the holidays.

Sweet & Sour Braised Cabbage

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1 large honeycrisp apple, diced small
1 small head of red cabbage, shredded
1 1/2 cups Tuscanini pomegranate juice
1 1/2 tsp sumac
pinch of allspice
2 tbsp honey, or to taste
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a deep and wide skillet, heat the olive oil. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add the apples and continue to cook until softened. Add the cabbage, stirring until it starts to soften. Add the pomegranate juice, sumac, allspice, honey, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and braise for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the pomegranate juice cooks out, add a bit more.

Serve warm alongside the protein of your choice!

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Panko Crusted Salmon with Almond Butter Sauce

On September 22, 2024October 9, 2024

by chanie

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Following the popularity of this cucumber salad, I knew I wanted to incorporate the dressing into other dishes, you just want to eat it with a spoon. I added it to broccoli salad, pasta salad, and this salmon – which I topped with nori panko crumbs that really takes it over the top! Perfect for the upcoming holidays, and even better with a side of fresh cucumber salad!

Panko Crusted Salmon with Almond Butter Sauce

1 side of salmon fillet
1/4 cup Liebers creamy almond butter
1 large clove garlic
1” piece of fresh ginger
2 tsp Goldbaum’s coconut aminos (may sub soy sauce)
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp Liebers honey
kosher salt to taste
2 scallions, chopped

Panko:
1/2 cup Liebers plain panko crumbs
2 tbsp toasted black and white sesame seeds
4 sheets toasted salted nori snacks (or 1 sheet regular nori, toasted)
1/8 tsp Liebers red pepper flakes
Kosher salt, to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the side of salmon on a parchment lined baking sheet.

In a small bowl, add the almond butter. Using a microplane, grate the garlic and ginger into the bowl. Add the coconut aminos, lime juice, honey and salt and whisk to combine. Brush the mixture onto the salmon.

In a medium bowl, combine the panko ingredients. Crush with your hands until the nori is incorporated well into the panko crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture generously over the salmon.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and flakes easy with a fork.

VARIATION: you may replace the almond butter with peanut butter, miso paste or tahini paste. You may need to add a bit of water if the consistency is too thick.

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Silan Baked Apples with Pistachio Kataifi

On September 19, 2024October 9, 2024

by chanie

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Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve probably seen the viral DUBAI CHOCOLATE that everyone’s been making all over social media. The dark chocolate bar is stuffed with a mix of pistachio butter and toasted kataifi pastry – a shredded filo dough that’s used to make knafeh. I’ve been watching everyone’s ASMR filled reels, biting into the crunchy bar and I just had to make it – except MY WAY.

When I was thinking about Rosh Hashanah recipes to develop, I decided on this concept – updating the old fashioned baked apple with these delicious flavors and textures, and the finished bite was everything I’d hoped for! Warm and soft apple against the crunchy pistachio kataifi and cold ice cream – the contrast of dreams!

NOTE: You can find kataifi pastry in most supermarkets in the freezer section. Apollo brand is kosher.

SILAN BAKED APPLES WITH PISTACHIO KATAIFI

For the apples;
3 large apples (I used honeycrisp), sliced in half and cored
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp silan
1/2 cup water

For the pistacho kataifi
1 heaping cup raw pistachios
2 heaping cups kataifi, thawed
2 tbsp flavorless oil
2 tbsp silan
kosher salt, to taste

For topping:
vanilla ice cream
crushed roasted & salted pistachos
toasted kataifi
silan

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the apples in a baking dish, cut side up. Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with silan, cover and bake until tender, about 30 minutes.

While the apples are baking, spread the pistachios out on a baking sheet and bake until toasted, about 8 minutes.

Cut the kataifi into small pieces and spread on another baking sheet, bake for 8-10 minutes, stirring once, until evenly toasted and golden.

Add the pistachios to a food processor fitted with the S blade. Blend, until a creamy butter forms, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice during processing. Be patient as the nuts will turn from sandy to thick and clumpy to creamy. Add salt, silan and oil and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust sweetness by adding more silan, if desired. If the nut butter is too thick, add a bit more oil.

Mix the pistachio butter into the toasted kataifi.

When ready to serve, spread a heaping spoonful of pistachio kataifi onto the warm apples, top with ice cream, crunchy kataifi, pistachios and silan.

EASY DOES IT! skip the pistachio kataifi filling and just top your baked apples as above!

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