Zucchini Parmesan Chips

A couple of months ago, a bunch of kosher bloggers and I went out to celebrate the anniversary of The Kosher Connection (a group that we formed that presents monthly challenges to kosher food bloggers). We all met at Siena’s, a dairy Brooklyn restaurant on Kings Highway to have some fun and enjoy good food. And that we did. One of the first things they served us were crispy tempura-fried zucchini chips with marinara sauce for dipping. Those chips were completely addictive and being pregnant at the time, I repeatedly craved them throughout my pregnancy!

Fast forward a couple of months later and I’m craving those chips again. With Chanukah in mind, I decided to try a breaded version, with some parmesan mixed in. Eating fried foods on Chanukah is a well known custom (to commemorate the miracle of the oil), but eating dairy is as well. We do so to remember the bravery of Yehudit, a young widower who lived in Bethulia in the land of Judea. To save Jerusalem from a paralyzing siege and approaching enemy troops, Yehudit seduced a Greek general into a drunken slumber by feeding him salty cheese and quenching his thirst with strong wine. As the general slept, she beheaded him with a sword. After finding that their general had been killed, the Greek army fled in disarray.

So not only do we gorge ourselves on fried doughnuts and chocolate gelt – we also add dairy to the mix to really tip the scales! Thanks to the zucchini in this recipe, you get to deguiltify the whole deep-fried thing altogether! Which reminds me…

I made these zucchini chips on a Wednesday morning. I remember because right after they came out of the fryer, I went out to pick up the New York Times. You see, I’m not much of a newspaper-reading gal, but on Wednesdays, the paper includes a fantastic Dining supplement and I just have to have it. To my amusement, the front page of the Dining Section was dedicated to the art of deep frying. It read, “Deep Fried and Good for You.” Talk about deguiltifying.

In the article, Mark Bittman reasons that deep frying is not all that bad for you, since fat is actually good for you. He concedes that not all fats are created equal and continues on to reject the notion that olive oil is inappropriate for frying. Since most deep-frying is done at around 350 degrees, and olive oil smokes at 375, it’s a fine option, he says.

I turned the page to continue the article and found that Mark had included a recipe for fried zucchini sticks, similar to the chips I had just made. “Mark says they’re good for you,” I told myself as I continued to eat the whole pan (did I mention I was pregnant?!).

Zucchini Parmesan Chips

1-2 large zucchini
1/2 c flour
1-2 eggs, whisked
1/2 c Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 c grated parmesan
salt & pepper, to taste
canola oil (or any neutral flavored oil), for frying
Marinara sauce, for dipping

Method:

Using a mandolin or knife, slice the zucchini into approximately 1/4″ rounds. Prepare your breading station by placing separate bowls of flour, egg and panko mixed with parmesan. Season each bowl with salt and pepper. Dredge the zucchini in flour and shake off to remove excess. Repeat with egg and then panko-parmesan mixture. Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a saucepan to 350 degrees*. Place a few pieces of zucchini into the hot oil. When the zucchini begins to brown on one side, flip it over to brown the other side. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and drain on paper towels.

Serve immediately, with marinara sauce for dipping.

*If you don’t have a deep fry thermometer, you can test the temperature by adding a pinch of flour to the oil. If it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready.

VARIATION: try this recipe with eggplant, asparagus, green beans, or any veggie of your choice.

NOTE: If you prefer to bake these, place the breaded zucchini rounds on a greased cookie sheet, spray with cooking spray and bake at 450 degrees, for 15 minutes per side, until browned and crisped.

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Starters & Sides Made Easy Review & Giveaway

Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek know a thing or two about food. Leah is the author of Fresh & Easy Kosher Cooking and co-founder of CookKosher.com, and Victoria is the managing editor of Whisk Magazine. The pair are always surrounded by good food, so they decided to join forces and write a cookbook together. Passover Made Easy was their first collection of favorite triple-tested recipes, and now, the two have done it again. They have moved on to create a series of “Made Easy” cookbooks including Starters & Sides as well as Kids Cooking (review coming soon).

There’s something nice about a cookbook series. It’s familiar and you know what you’re gonna get. In the case of the “Made Easy” series, that’s great graphics, building block recipes, plating ideas and great kitchen tips. I especially love the friendly “conversations” that Leah & Victoria have throughout the book. They are set out in speech bubbles, making you feel as if you’re standing in the kitchen with two friends.

Starters & Sides Made Easy starts out with an elaborate spice guide to help guide you through the different herbs, spices and blends. It continues with building block recipes and chapters on vegetables, grains, meat & chicken, fish, dairy and sweet. The book finishes with ideas on how to convert some of the dishes from starters to mains. Each recipe is accompanied by a beautifully composed photo of the dish.

Some of the recipes I look forward to trying, include broccoli stuffed artichokes, sticky red potatoes, Yemenite yellow orzo rice, crispy beef, falafel cigars,  silan chicken salad, tangy tilapia nuggets, parmesan sticks, and whiskey sweet potatoes.

My only issue with this book is the size. I know it sounds weird but it sticks out of my cookbook shelf because it’s wider than most cookbooks.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

Busy In Brooklyn is giving a copy of Starters & Sides Made Easy! To enter the giveaway, you must:

1. Share you favorite Chanukah dish in the comments below.
2. Follow Busy In Brooklyn on Facebook, Twitter. Pinterest, and/or Instagram (one entry per media channel you follow – please specify which ones you follow in the comments).

Winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday, December 4th, 8:00 PM.

BONUS RECIPES FROM STARTERS & SIDES MADE EASY:

Coelslaw Balls with Jalapeno Dip
reprinted with permission from Starters & Sides Made Easy, Artscroll Shaar Press

Ingredients:
16 oz. coleslaw mix
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp course black pepper
1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
oil for frying

Jalapeno Dip:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 scallions, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, ribs removed, chopped
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch coarse black pepper
pinch sugar

Instructions:
1. Place the cabbage in a large strainer and sprinkle with the salt. Let stand for 15 minutes. Using both hands, squeeze cabbage very well to remove the excess water (it wont look watery to the eye, but plenty of liquid will come out when you squeeze).
2. In a large bowl, combine cabbage, garlic, pepper, flour and cornstarch. Mix until mixture becomes dough-like. Using a tablespoon and damp hands, form into falafel-sized balls.
3. Heat 2-3 inches oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Fry balls in hot oil until golden on all sides, 4-5 minutes total.
4. Prepare the jalapeno dip: in a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, scallions, jalapeno pepper, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper and sugar. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Serve alongside coleslaw balls.

YIELD: 20-30 balls
AHEAD: You can freeze these balls, even after they are already fried. To reheat, spread them on a baking sheet and heat, uncovered in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

Cheesy Onion Rolls
reprinted with permission from Starters & Sides Made Easy, Artscroll Shaar Press

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp butter
1 cup water

Filling:

3 tbsp butter, melted
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 egg. lightly beaten

Instructions:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine flour, salt, sugar, yeast, butter, and water. Knead until dough is smooth. Remove to a greased bowl. Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise for 1 hour.
2. Prepare the filling: combine butter and onions.
3. Divide dough into 8 balls. Flatten each ball into a circle or square. Place a spoonful onion mixture and 2 spoons cheese in the center and fold two ends over the filing. Place an additional spoon onion mixture on top and fold over two remaining ends.
4. Brush with beaten egg and bake for 24 minutes.

AHEAD: These rolls with freeze nicely. Cover and rewarm when ready to serve.

RELATED POSTS: Passover Made Easy Cookbook Review

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Pumpkin Pot Pie

I was lying in bed one night thinking about how I could take advantage of the adorable little pumpkins that are so bountiful this season (yes, these are the sort of things food bloggers think about when they go to bed at night). I knew I could make my own pumpkin puree, or carve out a spooky design (although I don’t celebrate Halloween), but I wanted MORE. Something fresh, and exciting, and oh yes – warm (have you seen the weather forecast lately?!).

I thought about real comfort food – you know, something I’d want to eat around a fireplace (if I had one) on a cold November night. And it came down to – you guessed it! – chicken pot pie. At first I thought about reinventing the chicken pot pie and making a vegetarian version with pumpkin and autumn spices. That got me thinking about all the winter pumpkins soups that are cleverly served inside the pumpkin – when I realized – I could have my pumpkin and chicken pot pie and eat it too!

This recipe combines the flavor of fresh-roasted pumpkin with creamy parsnips, carrots and mushrooms. It’s seasoned with fresh thyme and sage and topped off with flaky puff pastry for the perfect fall comfort food!

And would you look at the festive autumn design on these beauties? These pretty pumpkin packages (say that three times in a row!) are as good to look at as they are to eat. They’d make the perfect appetizer for your Thanksgiving meal!

Pumpkin Pot Pie

6 small sugar pumpkins
extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper & allspice, to taste
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 parsnips, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 container button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups diced chicken (roasted, grilled, or leftover from your chicken soup)
2 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp fresh sage (or 1 tsp dried)
s&p, to taste
1 pkg puff pastry, cut into squares (or 6 puff pastry squares, plus additional for decorating)
1 egg + 1 tbsp water, for eggwash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tops off the sugar pumpkins and remove the seeds. Brush the insides of the pumpkins with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and allspice. Bake, flesh side down, until tender, about 30 minutes*.

Saute the onion in olive oil until golden and add garlic. Saute until fragrant. Add the carrots, parsnips and mushrooms and continue to saute until tender. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer until thickened. Stir in the diced chicken, thyme, sage, salt and pepper.  Ladle the filling into the pumpkins and cover with a square of puff pastry. Cut leaves out of extra puff pastry and glue it to the squares with egg. Brush the remaining puff pastry with egg and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

*Don’t let the pumpkin get too soft or it will start to fall apart. You still want it to hold it’s shape (keep in mind that it will also be cooking for an additional 20 minutes when it’s covered in the puff pastry).

VARIATION: You may use turkey instead of chicken.

Related Recipes:

veal shepherd’s pie with celery root mashed potatoes
leftover turkey pot pie
chicken pot pie Passover croquettes

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DIY Candy Mosaic Chanukah Tray

While this blog has become mostly about food, I still try and put on my crafting apron every once in a while, especially around the holidays. When I was given the opportunity to develop a craft for the Joy of Kosher Mike ‘n Ike Campaign – I was all over it. But coming up with a craft using oblong shaped candy isn’t as easy as it looks.

I don’t know if you’ve ever tried lighting a handful of menorah’s on a small plastic table with oily wicks and colorful candles scattered everywhere. It’s not pretty. Usually, we just wrap our table with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. But the truth is, I’ve always wanted a pretty tray to make the table look more festive. Making your own tray using a picture frame is pretty easy, and sprucing it up for Chanukah is all in the details.


To vamp up the Chanukah flair, I created dreidel handles by gluing two draidel to the sides of the frame (gimmel-side-up, of course!). Then, I turned to my bag of colorful (and tasty!) Mike & Ikes to create a custom candy mosaic under the glass. The candies had my kids squealing with excitement, as they watched the mosaic unfold into different shapes.

I spread double sided tape onto a paper that fit perfectly inside the frame matte. Then, I went to work “drawing” different shapes with candies. I tried creating a menorah, writing the word Chanukah in Hebrew, designing a dreidel and a Star of David. It takes some work maneuvering the candy around until it fits perfectly. One of the best parts about creating the candy mosaic, was noshing on the candy as I was doing it! I needed half of a Mike & Ike in some spots, and my kids were all too happy to “cut” the candy in half, with their teeth.


I love how versatile this tray is. You can make a big one for the whole family, or individual small ones for each menorah. And it doesn’t have to be just for Menorah lighting.  You can also use it to serve candy at your Chanukah party.

Imagine a collection of trays to adorn your Chanukah set-up. You can make individual ones as a school craft, or set one out at your party to collect Chanukah gelt for the kiddies!

Imagine a tray to display your collection of dreidels! Or one where the kids gather around to play (and bet!)


I encourage you to use your imagination in creating a fun candy mosaic. Draw Chanukah symbols, or abtract “art”.  It doesnt’ really matter – it’s candy, and no matter what you do with it, it will look awesome!

The most important thing is to have fun, no matter how you decorate! For detailed instructions to create this candy mosaic Chanukah tray, head on over to Joy of Kosher.

Other Mike & Ike Crafts & Recipes:

Mike & Ike Butterfly Candy Craft
Mike & Ike Menorah
Mike & Ike Rainbow Cake
Mike & Ike Rice Krispy Treats
Mike & Ike Bejeweled Sugar Cookies

Other Chanukah Crafts:

Chanukah Wall Hanging Craft
Dreidel Snowglobe

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Pecan Pie Lace Cookies with Raspberry Filling


This is like the Chanukah cookie that wasn’t. Well, almost. You know that little thing called sleep? Those precious hours of rest that we all take for granted, until we haven’t had any? Well, I’m more than a little sleep deprived lately, and while I try to be organized about my blogging calendar, I all but forgot about today’s Thanksgivukkah linkup. I had  planned to post these pumpkin ricotta pancakes/cheese latkes but you know what happens to plans when you’re a walking zombie. I did post them alright. Just a wee bit too early.


Sure, I could have skipped out on the linkup fun altogether, but the truth is, I was kind of excited about challenging myself to another Thanksgivukkah mashup recipe. And there’s something else too. I’ve got to come clean with y’all.  Me, the serial non-baker. The one that swore off dough’s and pastries of any kind — has got the baking itch.


Yes, it’s true. I’ve been baking. A lot. Cakes, bars, muffins and cookies. And I’m even kind of enjoying it. So when I realized I needed to come up with another Chanukah/Thanksgiving recipe, I went straight for my favorite of all baked goods – cookies!


I’ve been making lace cookies for years. so when I thought about what kind of cookie to make, I decided to adapt my classic lace cookie recipe to include pecans as a riff on pecan pie. Then, instead of filling the cookies with chocolate, I used raspberry jam, ala Chanukah jelly donuts, and finally, instead of a the traditional chocolate drizzle over the top, I decorated the florentines with Chanukah symbols. What I didn’t realize is just how amazing everything would come together. Raspberry jam, chocolate and lacy pecan cookies are like a match made in heaven!


I hope y’all enjoy my last minute Thanksgivukkah recipe. Be sure to check out all the other great mashup recipes in the Kosher Connection linkup below!


Pecan Pie Lace Cookies with Raspberry Filling

1/2 c light corn syrup
1/2 c shortening
2/3 c packed dark brown sugar
1 c all-purpose flour
1 c finely chopped pecans
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
raspberry jam, for filling
melted chocolate, for drizzle

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet* (if you are using an aluminum cookie sheet, make sure it’s completely flat without any indentations). Add the corn syrup, shortening and brown sugar to a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla, salt, flour and pecans. Drop batter by level tablespoon onto the baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. Bake for approximately 7 minutes, until set. Cool for 5 minutes**.

Spread good quality raspberry jam over cookies and pair to create sandwiches. Melt the chocolate in the microwave and decorate the tops of the cookie sandwiches with Chanukah symbols.

*You do not need to grease the baking sheet again in between each batch as the cookies will leave a greasy residue.

**Do not try to remove the cookies from the baking sheet until they have cooled COMPLETELY.

NOTE: If the batter gets too cold and sticky to handle, rewarm it over low heat, or, you can keep the batter warm by placing the saucepan over hot water.

TIP: Spread the raspberry jam on the cookies before serving. If done too far in advance, the cookies will become soggy.

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