Busy in Brooklyn – Page 50 – Modernizing traditional food, one dish at a time.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’ve got a thing for stuffing roasted eggplant halves. I’ve made it a bunch of different ways – in fact – I had so many variations that I wanted to put into my cookbook, Millennial Kosher, that I almost wanted to do a stuffed eggplant chapter! Alas, we had to nix this shakshuka recipe because I already had 2 other stuffed recipes in the book (fully loaded stuffed eggplants and lamb moussaka eggplant boats).

It was a hard decision because this recipe is just THAT good. But the great part about being a food blogger is that I knew I could eventually just post it on the blog, and this seems like the perfect week! With the Nine Days upon us (a period of mourning in which observant Jews abstain from eating meat), we’re all looking for light and healthy vegetarian fare, and this fits the bill.

If you’re a fan of shakshuka, I’ve got lots of other variations available on the blog too, like this Mexican Quinoa Shakshuka, the beet, kale and goat cheese version that WhatJewWannaEat guest posted for me when I was on maternity leave, this fun zoodle version, one with garbanzo beans and labneh, another one with spaghetti squash and spinach, and even a stuffed portobello one. Can you tell I have a thing for runny eggs in spicy tomato sauce??

All the above versions are kinda great – but I’m partial to the ramen shakshuka in my cookbook, and this incredible variation. The silky fire roasted eggplant with the runny egg and the spicy tomato sauce marry so well together, it’s a wonder no one came up with this before!

If you’re a fan of stuffed roasted eggplants, you can also try these other ideas: roasted eggplant parmesan, roasted eggplant parmesan with feta, stuffed roasted eggplant, and sous vide stuffed eggplant with dukkah and pomegranate. I wasn’t kidding. I heart stuffed eggplant. Almost as much as shakshuka. Ok as much as shakshuka.

Roasted Eggplant Shakshuka

2 eggplants
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced into half moons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced into half moons
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tsp harissa
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
pinch sugar, or to taste
4 eggs
fresh parsley, for garnish

Method:

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and place flesh-side down on a greased baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and broil on high on the top rack of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until skin is charred and the flesh is soft. Lightly break up the eggplant flesh and season with salt and lemon juice (if desired), to taste.

Prepare the shakshuka sauce: Heat olive oil in a large skillet; add onion. Sauté until translucent. Add garlic and red pepper; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add cumin and smoked paprika; sauté until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes with their liquid, tomato sauce, harissa, sugar, salt and pepper; cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place prepared eggplants boats on a baking sheet. Lightly break up the eggplant flesh to make room for the shakshuka filling. Divide the shakshuka sauce between the eggplant boats; make a well in the center of the sauce on each. Crack an egg into a small bowl; gently slide it into the sauce on an eggplant boat. Repeat with remaining eggs and boats. Bake until eggs are set, about 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley.

NOTE: If you don’t have harissa, you can add some diced jalapeno and saute along with the red pepper and garlic.
VARIATION: For quick and easy shakshuka sauce, use marinara mixed with a little harissa and cumin or use store-bought matbucha.
TOPPINGS: If desired, top the eggplant with labneh, crumbled feta, za’atar, or roasted chickpeas.

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Chunky Monkey Marzipan Nice Cream

On July 12, 2018July 12, 2018

by chanie

12 Comments

Baby I’m back and it feels SO GOOD!! I finally found my blogging groove again and I’ve been cooking and shooting so much – not because I felt pressured, just for the sheer joy of it. It reminds me why I started the blog in the first place, and made me realize just how much I’ve missed it.

This recipe came to me one night this week, and I literally couldn’t sleep thinking about it! How it would taste, what dish I could use for it and how I would shoot it. It was inspired by one of my first smoothie experiences – back in the days when smoothies weren’t that popular. It was the banana, date, milk and honey smoothie from Bissaleh, the Israeli restaurant that gave me my first taste of Israeli cuisine when I was just a teenager. I’d order the drink – ice cold – whenever I would go, and it was just. so. freakin. good. Come to think of it, it’s the place that got me hooked on dates too. And sachlav. And malawach. And everything in between.

Call it the Middle Eastern take on chunky monkey – a classic banana ice cream filled with chocolate fudge and walnuts. Truth be told I’ve never actually HAD chunky monkey ice cream, and banana flavor wouldn’t normally be my thing. But nice cream is another story. If you’ve never made it, it’s basically the best ice cream hack of all time – blending frozen banana chunks until it’s the consistency of smooth-as-butter soft serve. And it’s pretty darn good too. Add some dates, almonds, marzipan and silan and you’ve got yourself a marriage of flavors that is pretty addictive. The fact that it’s good for you? that’s just a cherry on the top.

Now I know marzipan is one of those love it or hate it ingredients. Personally, I used to hate it growing up, but when I married a rainbow-cookie-lover, it slowly grew on me. My kids are huge fans of rainbow cookies too, so I had to come around.

Normally when I think of marzipan desserts, I imagine using almond extract for that intense flavor, but when Molly Yeh put chunks of store-bought marzipan into her biscotti in her cookbook, Molly on the Range, I started looking at marzipan in a new way. She also got me hooked on using the stuff instead of fondant for easy cake decorating (like in this cake!). Basically the stuff is magic.

Marzipan, like rosewater, is an acquired taste, so if you’re not a fan, no worries, you can just sub chocolate chunks in this recipe. You can also do a lot of other substitutions like candied almonds instead of roasted ones, other nuts of you choice, or figs instead of dates. Basically you can customize this however you like and it’ll still be delicious.

And you know what? If you don’t like bananas, just go ahead and fold the ingredients into some softened vanilla ice cream. How good would that be? Or just stuff some marzipan into a pitted date. Or into your mouth. You can’t really go wrong with that.

Are you a fan of marzipan? What are some of your favorite nice cream flavors? Share them with me in the comments below!

Chunky Monkey Marzipan Nice Cream

4 ripe bananas
4 oz. marzipan, chopped
4 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup salted roasted almonds, chopped
silan

Method:

Slice the bananas and place in the freezer overnight or until frozen solid. Place the banana slices in a food processor and blend until creamy. Spread half of the banana mixture into a baking dish and top with marzipan chunks, chopped dates and chopped almonds. Drizzle with silan. Top with remaining banana mixture and drizzle with additional silan. Freeze until solid.

VARIATION: If you don’t like marzipan, use chocolate chunks instead. You may also use candied almonds instead of roasted almonds or figs instead of dates.

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Grilled Chicken Fattoush with Za’atar Ranch

On July 5, 2018July 5, 2018

by chanie

12 Comments

Reunited (with my camera) and it feels SO good! I haven’t picked up my equipment to photograph food since I shot my cookbook months ago and I thought I might be a little rusty but by George I think I’ve still got it!

Shooting food today reminded me just how much I love what I do and I’ve missed it! Recipe development, food photography and food styling give me SO much joy, and I am legit the luckiest girl in the world to get to do it for a living. As a food blogger, it’s easy to get caught up in the world of social media – keeping up with the ever changing algorithms, apps and platforms – you almost forget why you got into it in the first place and coming back after a long break is just so good for the blogger soul.

It’s funny because when my book went to print in March, I took a sigh of relief that my schedule would finally ease up and I’d be able to take a breather, but the exact opposite happened. I had a book launch to plan, interviews, book signings and demos that followed in quick succession. It’s all been a roller coaster ride and I’ve been wanting so badly to come up for some air – until I finally did this week, and you know what I realized? I don’t even know how to relax. So I went back to what I know and that’s food. And my camera. And even though you could look at it as work – it was exactly what I needed. I had no deadline. It wasn’t for a book, or a magazine, or even the blog. It was for me.

The food: cuz lets face it, it’s always about the food! Lemon Sumac Grilled Pargiot to be precise. I’m a total pargiot convert. I can’t go back to dry grilled chicken breasts, they’re just so, blah! But pargiot? – so. darn. tasty. And they never dry out! This lemon sumac version is so light and fresh for summer, with a hint of sweetness from the silan. The perfect marriage.

The chicken is a great topping for the summery fattoush – a fresh salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and fried bread (in this case pita chips). I paired it with a lip-smacking za’atar ranch because that’s just how I roll. This is your new summer salad, and you can thank me later.

Grilled Chicken Fattoush

1 head romaine lettuce, sliced
1 Persian cucumber, sliced
4 radishes, sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
lemon sumac grilled pargiot (recipe follows), sliced
pita chips

Za’atar Ranch Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (loosely packed)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp za’atar
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Prepare the za’atar ranch: add all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk until smooth.

Spread the lettuce out on a platter. Top with cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, grilled chicken and pita chips. Mix with dressing before serving.

Lemon Sumac Grilled Pargiot

4 pargiot (skinless dark meat chicken cutlets)
2 tbsp grapeseed or canola oil
1 tbsp silan
1 tsp sumac
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Preheat grill to high. In a bowl, combine the chicken with remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Grill for 5-8 minutes per side.

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Tuna Nicoise with Anchovy Panko Crumbs

On May 23, 2018July 3, 2018

by chanie

9 Comments

What a whirlwind the last couple of weeks have been! I don’t think I’ve ever gone this long without blogging in the 7 years that I’ve been doing it but I’ve truly been living up to my name, Busier than Ever in Brooklyn! After having a cookbook “baby”, I’d like to say I was on maternity leave, but the truth is, I’ve been traveling between books signings and demos throughout the Tristate area, plus a small stop in Florida before the Chag. Of course we also celebrated the grand book release party at Bison & Bourbon here in Brooklyn just last week, and it’s truly been a dream come true! I’ve leave the party deets for a separate post, but I really wanted to get back into things here on the blog, where it all got started.

I love it here on Busy In Brooklyn, a constant reminder of my humble beginnings. I need only to scroll back to 2011 to remember how it all began – I was barely even an amateur cook, my photos were beyond embarrassing, and with each passing year that young wife who knew so little about food and photography, blossomed into a confident cook, recipe developer, food photographer, and now, cookbook author. It’s so surreal to me, and as I stood up at the book release party, I said the first thing that came to mind, and what I truly felt – I’m really just a mother, who decided to become a blogger, who decided to write a cookbook. The whole Instagram-fueled pseudo-celebrity status is still so foreign to me – I really just want to live my life and share my passion for modernizing and reinventing kosher food without all the fanfare. Social media has truly changed everything, hasn’t it? It truly is a blessing to be able to reach so many people and watch as traditional Jewish and kosher food evolves over time.

One of the best messages I got from a follower last week was about how she sent her husband to the supermarket in Monsey to buy anchovies for the Kale Caesar Salad in the book. Her husband asked the manager where he could find anchovies and he said, “Come join the other 15 husbands who came in asking for the same thing! Why are people suddenly so interested in anchovies?”. So her husband showed the manager a photo of my book! Now of course there’s nothing Millennial about anchovies in Caesar salad, although it’s not something you normally find on a traditional kosher holiday table. When I was growing up, we made Caesar salad with mayo, garlic powder, distilled white vinegar and sugar. Most kosher cookbooks include a variation of that, with a few forward-thinking recipe writers including Worcestershire sauce or even anchovies. With Millennial Kosher, I really wanted people to embrace these foreign ingredients instead of turning the page or looking for a substitute. Somewhere deep inside I was worried that people weren’t ready, but that message made me realize that Millennial Kosher is exactly what kosher cooks wanted and needed in today’s day and age.

Speaking of anchovies, this modern and sophisticated take on a salad nicoise didn’t quite make it to the book, but after the anchovy episode, I figured it was a good time to post it on the blog! The tuna in this recipe is lightly seared, topped with a sundried tomato and olive tapenade and finished with umami-rich anchovy panko crumbs that would go amazingly well over pasta! Here’s to hoping that some of you are ready to explore anchovies, and salad nicoise, in a new light!

How has Millennial Kosher helped you look at kosher food in a new way? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Tuna Nicoise
Pareve Yield: 2 servings

I used to avoid eating raw fish, as I was afraid it would be too fishy, but the truth is, fresh sushi-grade tuna doesn’t have much flavor at all; it’s like a blank canvas. This recipe is inspired by the classic French salad, Tuna Nicoise. The tapenade really packs a punch of flavor and don’t be thrown off by the panko crumbs! The anchovies in them melt and virtually disintegrate into the oil with zero fishiness, just some serious umami flavor. Use the leftovers over spaghetti carbonara for richness and crunch!

2 sushi-grade tuna steaks (about 1 lb.)
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp grapeseed or other neutral oil

Tapenade
2 Tbsp chopped nicoise or Kalamata olives
2 tsp capers
1 Tbsp chopped sundried tomatoes
½ tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped basil
2 tsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 cup arugula OR greens of your choice, for plating
Umami Panko Crumbs (see below)

1. Season tuna generously with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over high heat; add oil. Add tuna; sear for a few seconds on each side, just enough to form a crust, but not to cook the fish through. Then, for medium-rare, cook for 1 minute per side. Slice the fish thinly against the grain.
2. Prepare the tapenade: Combine olives, capers, mustard, vinegar, oil, basil, and lemon juice in a small bowl; whisk to combine.
3. Spread greens on a serving dish; top with slightly overlapping tuna slices. Drizzle lightly with dressing; finish with panko crumbs.
NOTE: To make even rectangular or square slices, first cut your tuna steak into strips and sear each one individually.

Umami Panko Crumbs
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 anchovy filets
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup panko crumbs
½ tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
pinch red pepper flakes
kosher salt, to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan set over medium heat. Add anchovies; cook until they dissolve. Add garlic; cook until fragrant.
2. Add panko crumbs; sauté until crisped and golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add lemon zest, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt; stir to combine.
NOTE: You can use this tapenade and crumbs over any white flaky fish.

Related Recipes:

tuna with pineapple guacamole and herbed lime crema
pan seared tuna steak (2011 amateur days! lol)
salad nicoise (another 2011 beauty!)

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Millennial Kosher: The Cookbook!!!

On April 16, 2018July 23, 2018

by chanie

28 Comments

Ahhhh!!!! I cannot believe this day is really here, somebody pinch me!! My very own cookbook, Millennial Kosher, is scheduled for release on April 26th, and is available for presale! (see below for how to order!)

[Quick links: Amazon or Artscroll for a signed copy, using code BIB for free shipping.]

For years I’ve been posting reviews of other cookbooks on my blog, and I never imagined the day would actually come when I’d be able to post my own. Being a cookbook author has been a dream of mine for a long time, but as a mom of five, I just didn’t know how to make it work. I was waiting for the right time – when I had no babies at home, when my schedule would clear up, when I…when I…when I…. Last year, I finally decided that there’s no such thing as a good time to write a cookbook, and if I wanted to truly actualize my dream, I had to just bite the bullet and go for it! Here I am, just about 15 months later and I’m just two weeks away from holding that dream in my hands.

Busy In Brooklyn house salad

How it all started

A few years after starting my blog, I began to entertain the idea of writing a cookbook. I loved collecting and reading them, but the idea of writing one myself seemed too daunting and out of reach. I added “write a cookbook” to my bucket list of things I’d hope to achieve some day, and started a spreadsheet of ideas that I thought might work. As months turned into years, that list continued to grow. Last year, I decided it was finally time and I scheduled a meeting with my publisher, Artscroll Publications, in November 2016. They had a few books lined up, so I was given a tentative publication date of May 2018.

I quickly got to work consolidating the excel sheet and mapping out a concept for my book. Over the next few months, I changed my concept several times and structured and restructured that sheet more times than I can count! I started to write up all the recipes that had already been tested, and created a new list of recipes that had to be developed based on my ideas. I spent most of my summer developing those recipes in the kitchen of my summer home in Upstate New York, testing and retesting until they were perfect.

spanakopita-quinoa-patties

In October, I was finally ready to share the news of my cookbook on social media – and it all started to feel so real! I began to work with my editor on perfecting each written recipe, and when I traveled to Australia for my nephews Bar Mitzvah in December, I wrote all my intros and other introductory chapters on the plane.

As soon as I got back, I got to work turning my dining room into a photography studio. Over the years, I had amassed an impressive collection of props, and I set out to organize them by color so that I could style my photos more easily. I hired an assistant to help me cook the recipes for the shoots, and in a few short weeks, we cooked our way through Millennial Kosher, 5-8 recipes per day. I styled and photographed each dish amid pick-ups, snowstorms and diaper changes, and each night as I lay in bed looking through the photos of the day, I couldn’t believe what I had accomplished. My kids were super happy to have endless options for dinner each night, my cleaning help got a hefty goody bag by the end of the week, and we ate our Shabbos meals in the middle of my tiny kitchen until we wrapped up shooting ahead of schedule, on February 1st.

The last few months have been a blur of testing, editing, decision making, stressing, and very. little. sleep. Slowly the book started to come together as a tangible thing, and not just an excel sheet. My dreams are coming true and I am so grateful for it!

gefilte fish “pizza”

The Concept

Over the years, I’ve come to find my niche in the world of kosher food blogging – putting my own spin on traditional Jewish foods. There’s a plethora of great kosher cookbooks out there – but I always felt that they seemed to include a lot of the same recipes over and over again, with small tweaks and changes. I felt like the kosher food world needed something fresh and new – food influenced by international cultural cuisine, recipes using bold ingredients and spices, and dishes without the dreaded margarine and onion soup mix of our youth. I wanted to make cooking fun again, brighten dishes up with color and do away with the heavy, overly sweet Ashkenazi food I grew up with. I came up with the name Millennial Kosher – a title that embodies my passion for new food for the new generation.

broccoli burger with cashew “cheddar” sauce

What’s in the book?

When I thought about the dishes I wanted to include in the book, I realized that I had to appeal to a wide spectrum – people who love my healthy recipes, people all over the world who make my not-so-healthy hasselback salami, those who want holiday recipes, people who want quick and easy dinners, and those who want recipes that are more involved. Of course I also needed to appeal to those who wanted to introduce fresh and new ingredients into their dishes, and those who wanted to use basic pantry staples. I think I found a good balance, and there is truly something for everyone in this book!

marbled halva mousse

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll find in Millennial Kosher:

How to Cook Millennial Kosher
explaining my outlook and philosophies on cooking kosher in today’s day and age.
The Millennial Kosher Kitchen: Tools & Equipment and Ingredients
how to stock your kitchen and pantry with Millennial equipment and ingredients.
Staples
some of the basics I always have on hand like pickled onions, bone broth and preserved lemons.
Breakfast & Brunch
fun recipes for everyday or Sunday splurges like marble cake pancakes, sweet and savory toast and overnight oats affogato.
Appetizers
bite-sized dishes that are great for parties or Shabbos and Yom Tov, like kofta stuffed dates, lachmagine flabreads and hasselback potato salad bites.
Salads & Spreads
some of my favorite salads for everyday and holidays like spiralized beet noodle salad, kale caesar salad and deli pasta salad.
Soups
seasonal soups for cold winter days and lighter summer recipes like curried coconut corn soup, ramen bowls and kale, ale and kielbasa soup.
Fish
fun twists on classic gefilte fish plus everyday recipes like everything bagel tuna patties and kani fried rice.
Poultry
roasted, braised and stuffed – all types of chicken like olive chicken for a simple dinner, pineapple rotisserie chicken that will knock your socks off, and Ma’s amazing stuffed cornish hens that you can dress up or down.
Guide to Kosher Meat Cookery
demystifying the various cuts and cooking methods for kosher meat, to help you understand what to buy and how to cook it.
Meat
basics like pulled beef and hasselback salami (3 ways! + a fun way to serve it) and holiday worthy dishes like fall harvest roast and sticky silan short ribs.
Meatless Meals
Meatless Mondays are a huge passion of mine, so I dedicated a chapter to meat and dairy-free meals that are great for vegetarians and vegans alike. Recipes include basics like vegetarian chili, fully loaded stuffed eggplants, plus ethnic foods like quinoa pad thai and tempeh fajita lettuce cups.
Dairy
a delicious assortment of everyday and fancied up options like baklava blintz bundles, nish nosh mac ‘n cheese and roasted vegetable and goat cheese calzone buns.
Sides
colorful and flavorful side dishes like sugar free butternut squash pie, roasted tricolor beets with grapefruit gremolata, confetti cabbage and roasted sweet potatoes with gooey pecans.
Cakes, Pies & Tarts
showstopping desserts that will wow your family and guests like orange creamsicle cheesecake, red wine chocolate cake with poached pears and chocolate hazelnut ganache tart with a macaroon crust.
Sweets & Treats
a combination of healthy and indulgent snacks for the family or special holiday treats like pecan pie bites, cowboy biscotti, babka straws, date peanut chews and persimmon fritters.
Savory Snacks
I much prefer salty and savory snacks over sweet ones so I incorporated a whole chapter to crunchy, salty and spicy snacks that are great to have on hand, like honey za’atar granola clusters, roasted chickpeas three ways and smoky sumac almonds.

ramen bowls

How to Order

The cookbook is available on Amazon currently for $27.92. Free Shipping for Prime members only. Book ships a few days after the release date.
You can also order on Artscroll for $31.49 plus free shipping using coupon code BIB. All orders through Artscroll will receive a signed copy. Book will ship out immediately on the release date of April 26th.

overnight oats affogato

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there mostly new recipes in the book or are they from your blog?
Most of the recipes in the book are brand new, with a few blog favorites as well as recipes that have been featured at my cooking demos and classes over the years.

Do the recipes use hard to find ingredients?
Some of the recipes in the book (a small percentage) use ethnic ingredients like sriracha, tamarind paste, harissa or pomegranate molasses. The chapter on kitchen ingredients makes note of where you can find these products. Some of the recipes offer substitutions, where possible.

What can I expect to find with each recipe?
Many of the recipes include variations and notes on how to simplify the recipe or prepare it a different way. Recipes also include a note if they are freezer friendly (with instructions when necessary). Many recipes also include helpful tips.

Are you available for book signings and cooking demos?
Yes! I love to bring my passion for reinventing kosher foods to audiences worldwide. Email busyinbrooklyn@gmail.com for more information.

Will the book be available in stores?
Of course! The book will be sold in Judaica stores all over the world including Canada, Australia, South Africa, Israel and Europe. If you do not see the book in your local store, ask your book seller to bring it in.

What is the cover photo of and why did you pick that one?
The cover photo includes shawarma fish laffos (laffa+taco) with pickled turnips, cabbage slaw, parsley and a Greek yogurt tahini crema. It was one of the first photos I took of the book and I knew it would be my cover shot from the second I took it! I felt this dish really embodied what Millennial Kosher is all about – fresh, colorful food that is reinvented and influenced by cultural cuisine.

beer marinated london broil with arugula chimichurri

Got more questions about the book? Leave a comment below or email me at busyinbrooklyn@gmail.com.

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