Busy in Brooklyn – Page 6 – Modernizing traditional food, one dish at a time.

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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Sachlav Donuts

On December 14, 2020February 24, 2021

by chanie

3 Comments

Ah, sachlav, the warm and milky pudding drink that gets me through the winter, and transports me to my favorite place on earth… Israel.

Sachlav is an #oldiebutgoodie here on the blog and I’ve been making it forever. But I dreamed up a sachlav donut a couple of years ago and I’m so glad I finally made it happen!!

These donuts are really a cross between malabi and sachlav, malabi being the chilled version of sachlav – usually topped with a pomegranate syrup and pistachios – so I kind of fused the concepts together here to give you two different flavors.

But donuts are donuts and this dough is beautiful, soft and supple and you can use it with any filling or glaze you like! Or just roll in some cinnamon sugar and stuff with caramels.

If you’re a lazy dough maker, like I used to be, I totally won’t just you for going on a donut crawl and ditching the fryer, that’s what bakeries are for! There are so many amazing flavors around nowadays, I don’t think homemade donuts are essential. But latkes are another story.

I hope these donuts warm you up and give you that fuzzy feeling I get when I drink a warm cup of sachlav on a cold winter day. Happy Chanukah!

Donuts:

1½ cups milk
6 Tbsp butter
4½ tsp (2 packets) active dry yeast
⅓ cup warm water
¼ cup sugar plus 1 tbsp, divided
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
5 cups all-purpose flour
canola oil, for frying

Method:

Warm up the milk and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. If the mixture is hot, transfer it to a bowl and put it in the fridge until lukewarm (if it’s too hot it will kill the yeast).

While the milk is cooling, place the yeast in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and add the warm water and 1 tbsp yeast. Stir gently and let it dissolve for 5 minutes. The mixture should be foamy when ready.

Add the lukewarm milk mixture to the the yeast. Add eggs, remaining sugar and salt, stir till creamy. Add half of the flour and stir on low-speed until the flour is incorporated. Add the remaining flour and turn the speed to medium, beat until well combined.

Change to the dough hook attachment and knead on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and is very smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes. The dough will be a bit sticky.

Transfer the dough to a well-oiled bowl, cover and let it rise for 1 hour. Punch down the dough and roll it out on a floured surface to ½-inch thick. Cut out rounds using a 2½-inch wide drinking glass or cookie cutter. The donuts should weigh about 2oz. each.

Line a cooling rack on a sheet pan with paper towels and set aside.

Fill a deep skillet with oil so that it’s one third full with oil. Heat oil to 350 degrees (use a candy thermometer) and gently drop 3-4 donuts at a time in the oil. Fry for 1-2 minutes each side. Place on paper towels to drain excess oil and transfer to cooling rack. Cool completely before filling and decorating.

Sachlav Fillings & Toppings:

Custard:
2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
5 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tbsp orange blossom or rosewater, or, to taste

To make the pastry cream, place the milk and sugar into a saucepan and heat until scalded. In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks until fluffy and add in the cornstarch. Continue to whisk until all the starch is incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Slowly pour the milk into the eggs, whisking continuously as you warm the egg mixture with the milk. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and continue to whisk over medium heat until the cream begins thicken and boil. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl set over an ice bath (if mixture is lumpy, strain through a fine mesh strainer first). Whisk in the orange blossom or rosewater. Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap, touching the surface of the cream so that it doesn’t develop a film. Transfer to the fridge until ready to use.

Vanilla Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pomegranate Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp pomegranate juice

Toppings:
pomegranate seeds
chopped toasted pistachios
dried rose petals
chopped toasted walnuts
shredded coconut
cinnamon

To prepare the rosewater donuts: transfer rosewater custard to a piping bag fitted with a tip. Pierce the side of the donut and fill with custard. Top with pomegranate glaze, pomegranate seeds, chopped pistachios and rose petals.

To prepare the orange blossom water donuts: transfer orange blossom custard to a piping bag fitted with a tip. Pierce the side of the donut and fill with custard. Top with vanilla glaze, chopped walnuts, cinnamon and shredded coconut.

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Tempura Green Beans

On December 9, 2020December 9, 2020

by chanie

1 Comment

Happy Fryfest you guys!!!! Chanukah is upon us and it’s time to heat up your cast iron skillet because latkes, and donuts, and funnel cakes, oh my!!

I love a good fryfest and it’s that time of year when calories don’t count (right?)! Tempura fried greens are literally my FAVE and after seeing a friend have them recently at Soho Asian Bar & Grill in Florida (where I first had them), I decided to fry up a batch myself!

Tempura fried anything is super simple to do and requires very minimal ingredients! As long as you get your temp right (I recommend a deep fry thermometer for frying!), you’ll be on your way to crispy deliciousness.

Keep in mind that having your oil too cold with result in greasy food, and having it too hot will result in burnt food! So get that temp accurate! (that works for donuts, funnel cakes, deep fried oreos or anything else you want to fry for the holiday!)

And once you have that fryer working, feel free to tempura fry everything in your produce drawer! Because if it’s veggies, it doesn’t count right? Right?

HAPPY FRYFEST!!!!!!

Tempura Green Beans

2 lbs. haricots verts (French green beans), trimmed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cold seltzer
1/2 tsp salt, plus more for finishing
red pepper flakes, to taste
toasted sesame seeds, to taste
spicy mayo and sweet sauce, for serving

Add flour, seltzer and salt to a bowl and stir until combined (don’t overmix).

Pour canola oil into a a skillet about 3 inches deep. Heat oil over medium-high heat until temp reaches 375°F or until batter sizzles when dropped in oil.
Working in batches, coat 5-6 green beans in batter and drop in oil. Fry until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet. Season with extra salt, red pepper flakes and sesame seeds. Serve immediately with spicy mayo and sweet sauce for dipping.

Spicy Mayo

1/4 cup mayo
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sriracha (or, to taste)

Add to a bowl and stir to combine.

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Cranberry Oat Bars

On November 23, 2020November 27, 2020

by chanie

2 Comments

Why is it that so many people have leftover cranberry sauce after Thanksgiving. I LOVE cranberry sauce. I can eat it by the spoonful. Is it just me?

Not really a fan of the traditional cranberry sauce recipes with a cup of sugar though. They’re too sweet for my taste, and I don’t want to mask the amazing tartness of the cranberries!

So I cook my cranberry sauce down in red wine, or pomegranate juice, or even apple cider, and I sweeten it with maple syrup or honey, to taste, and THAT, my friends, is how you make cranberry sauce that doesn’t get relegated to the back of the fridge with the tzimmes. IfyouknowwhatImean!

But IF, if you make bomb cranberry sauce and you still have some leftover – well then cranberry oat bars it is. And the pecans add just the perfect amount of buttery nuttiness to top it off for the perfect post-Thanksgiving breakfast.

I mean, how. GOOD. does. that. look?
You know you want it.

Happy Thanksgiving y’all!!

Cranberry Oat Bars

2 c all purpose flour
1 c almond flour (see note)
1 ½ c quick oats
1 c granulated sugar
1/4 c dark brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1 egg
1 cup flavorless oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 c chopped pecans
1 recipe maple cider cranberry sauce or mulled wine cranberry sauce

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the flours, oats, sugars, baking powder and salt; whisk to incorporate. In a small bowl, combine egg, oil, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry
ingredients, mixing until a dough forms.
3. Remove half of the mixture into a bowl and add the pecans. Reserve for topping. a
4. Press the remaining batter into a parchment lined quarter baking sheet or a 9×13 pan.
5. Spread cranberry sauce over the bars (if the sauce is watery, cook in a pot until thickened); top with pecan crumble.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned. Cool completely; cut into squares.

VARIATION: use canned jellied cranberry sauce in place of homemade, or any jam of your choice.

NOTE: if you don’t have almond flour, you may use an additional cup of all purpose flour.

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Chanukah Gift Guide

On November 23, 2020November 23, 2020

by chanie