Matbucha – Morrocan salad ~ מטבוחה מרוקאית

So this is a cooked tomato and hot pepper salad and is very popular in middle eastern countries, it’s the equivalent of what we know in America as “salsa” – it’s so easy to make. virtually foolproof. and really delicious.

I know I know, if you read my “about me” section, you are probably wondering why I’m  posting a Salad recipe. I hate salad. But my husband loves this salad and it is a tradition in my house – dating all the way back to my great great grandparents houses.  So once a week, on Shabbat, I put a salad on my table. Matbucha means “cooked” in Moroccan Arabic because it is cooked in a pot, and then chilled in the refrigerator before serving. People usually eat matbucha spread on challah bread or as a dip for bread. I eat it when it’s still hot – with tortilla chips, but that’s just me 🙂

Ingredients

1 28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes (we use the Hunts brand)

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (with the seeds)

2 long green peppers (the thin, light green ones), finely chopped (with the seeds)

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/3 cup oil

1 1/2 tablespoons paprika (for that strong red color, as well as great flavor)

salt, to taste Continue reading →

2011
06/21
CATEGORY
Moroccan Dishes
Side Dishes
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sponge toffee

So I’m really excited to bring to you… Sponge Toffee! It’s so cool. and so easy. Well, it took me three tries to get it right but wow when it comes out right it’s just wonderfully cool. It looks like a sea sponge but its toffee, and its not as hard as toffee is – it’s light, airy and crunchy!

So I’m going to post the whole recipe but I suggest you don’t make the entire thing, because most likely you wont need that much toffee unless you’re throwing a party. I quartered the recipe and I still had a lot of it.  You can crumble it up, use it as a garnish on ice cream or dessert, or just eat it as it is.  It’s wonderful! Thank you Chuck Hughes 🙂

sponge toffee

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup corn syrup
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
[I used 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup corn syrup, a small dash of vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda]

DIRECTIONS

Combine the sugar, syrup, and vanilla in a medium-size saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.Continue to cook to 300 degrees F, on a candy thermometer or hard crack stage, about 10 minutes. Cook’s Note: You can use a candy thermometer or a simple trick: take a spoon and drop a tiny drizzles of the mixture into a bowl of water. If it crystallizes and you can smash it between your fingers, you’ve reached the hard crack stage.Remove from the heat, using a wooden spoon, stir in the baking soda quickly. It will become frothy. Pour into an 8 by 8-inch/20 by 20-cm pan, lined with parchment paper and buttered.

Let cool for about 30 minutes and break into pieces. Eat right away. You can’t store this toffee, it will begin to melt on its own after a couple of hours.

Notes

Chocolate Dipped Sponge toffee: Dip the sponge toffee in chocolate for a homemade crunchy treat.
Sponge Toffee Ice Cream: Mix sponge toffee pieces into ice cream.
2011
06/13
CATEGORY
Uncategorized
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Filet Mignon with a Sweet Marinade

home made steak sauce and marinade

The marinade/sauce is so simple. And prep time is pretty fast. I made this marinade up but it’s great.  No salt necessary its already in the soy sauce 🙂 I made fries with the steak and it was an easy and yummy dinner.

Ingredients

2 Filet Mignon steaks (or any other steak)

1/3 cup ketchup

1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce, to taste (I used 1)

1/8 cup oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons A1 steak sauce

3 to 4 teaspoons brown sugar, to taste

Directions

Whisk all ingredients together in a casserole dish or pan, until smooth and fully combined.

Place steaks inside pin and cover fully with marinade. Let marinate for an hour. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Flip the steaks one time and spoon the sauce over the top (basting the second side).

After 20 minutes, turn on the broiler and broil the steaks for 4-5 minutes on each side. (I like my steaks well done)

Enjoy 🙂

🙂

dinnertime

2011
06/01
CATEGORY
main courses
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Moroccan lamb tagine with dates and prunes – طاجين خروف مع تمر وخوخ טאג’ין צלעות טלה

a delicious taste of the middle east

So my husband went meat shopping in Brooklyn at Pic n Pay on Avenue M, which he told me has the best meat.  He even spoke to the butcher personally, and he helped him pick the freshest cuts of meat. He got us lamb, and this was the first time I made lamb for us. To me Lamb is a festive meat. My mom makes it only on holidays so it was a treat to make it for a Shabbat meal. Of course I had to make it Moroccan style in the way of my heritage. The way I remember my mom making it. 😉 So I added dates in mine, she only makes hers with prunes.  It is my dream to one day travel to morocco and explore. And of course buy a couple of authentic tagines to bring back home. Well, this was a very delicious dish and easy to make.  Lamb doesnt need too much attention, so once you get it in the pot with all the ingredients, you can sit back and let it make itself. I hope you will try to make it too. With love, Tal 🙂

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Dates and Prunes (Tajeen kharoof ma3 timer wa khok)
2 lamb chops
4 tbsp margarine or oil
1 big onion, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger (i used finely chopped fresh ginger)
A few small pinches of allspice and of cinnamon
1 tsp chicken soup mix
salt and about 1 tsp black pepper
1-2 tbsp honey (put in 1 tbsp, taste, then add another if needed)
1/4 cups dates, pitted (about 3)
1/2 cup prunes, pitted (about 7)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
To garnish: 1/4 cup blanched almonds and/or tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Trim any excess fat from the lamb. Heat 3 tbsp margarine or oil in a large pan, put in the meat and brown it lightly on both sides. Put in a small pinch of allspice and cinnamon over the meat. Take out the meat, put in the onions and prunes and cook, stirring, until they turn soft and begin to color. Stir in the cinnamon, chicken soup mix and ginger and return the meat to the pan. Season with pepper. Cover with water and simmer in a pot, covered, for 70-90 minutes, or until the meat is very tender, moving the pieces around occasionally. (The more you let it cook the softer the meat will be. At 90 minutes, the meat will be ‘fall off the bone’ goodness.)
2. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, stir in honey, another pinch of cinnamon and pepper.  (The honey is a necessary component of this recipe) Move the meat around so the honey and cinnamon is spread around. Add the dates. Cook uncovered until the sauce is reduced, turning the meat over as you wait.
3. Fry the almonds in a tablespoon of margarine, or toast in a non-stick pan, until lightly golden. Add as a garnish when plating the tagine.
Enjoy 🙂
2011
05/24
CATEGORY
main courses
Moroccan Dishes
Passover Recipes
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tamarind glazed sweet potatoes

golden orange color.. sweet and tangy potatoes

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 tablespoons margarine
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced into 3/4-inch thick rounds
  • Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.In a small pot, melt the margarine with the garlic and the tamarind pulp over low heat.
Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the brown sugar, and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, stir and remove from the heat.

Toss the sweet potatoes in 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt, to taste. Bake the sweet potato slices in a baking dish until soft. When soft, spoon the tamarind mixture over the sweet potatoes. Place the potatoes back into the oven for about 10 more minutes, or until they are tender and cooked through.

They come out soft, sweet and slightlyy tangy.  🙂

very light side dish

2011
05/20
CATEGORY
Passover Recipes
Side Dishes
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sweet potato soup

true goodness

This soup is simple, rich and easy to make. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 very large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into small cubes
3 cups chicken broth (Or 3 cups water with 3 tsp chicken soup mix)
1 cup milk
A pinch of allspice
salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

Melt the butter in a 4 qt. saucepan. Add the onions and celery and a pinch of salt and pepper and saute on low heat for 25 minutes. Add the chopped sweet potato, saute for another 20 minutes. Then add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium, cover and cook for 25 minutes until the potatoes are very tender. Puree the potatoes in a blender (in small batches) or with a hand-held immersion blender. Stir in the milk and allspice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reheat and serve.
2011
05/20
CATEGORY
Passover Recipes
Soup
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brown butter rice crispy treats

So.. I love rice crispy treats but they are not kosher in the stores, and the kosher ones are so expensive. So I decided to make my own. This recipe is Fail Proof. Any one can make it. It’s so easy and soo good. Here’s how you make it

heaven

Makes 16 2-inch squares or 32 1- x 2-inch small bars

Ingredients

4 ounces (1/4 pound or 1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
1 10-ounce bag marshmallows
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (about half a 12-ounce box)

Directions

Butter (or coat with non-stick spray) an 8-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides.
In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.
As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.
Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. I liked to use a piece of waxed or parchment paper that I’ve sprayed with oil to press it firmly and evenly into the edges and corners, though a silicon spatula works almost as well.
Let cool, cut into squares and get ready to make new friends.
This wonderful recipe was taken from smitten kitchen.

soft and awesome

2011
05/20
CATEGORY
Candy
Dessert
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Almond Smashed Potatoes

smashed potato with crunchy almond topping

So I made these smashed potatoes today as a side dish but I completely forgot to take a picture until the very last bite. I really liked them, and they were relatively easy to prepare. They are so flavorful, and the crunchy almond topping really makes them special. Originally, the recipe called for roasted soy nuts. But I didn’t have soy nuts on hand so I substituted with almonds.

The difference between mashed potatoes and smashed potatoes is that mashed potatoes have a more or less smooth texture, but smashed potatoes are only smashed lightly to break up the potatoes. Smashed potatoes still keep their shape. 🙂

Sidenote: This lousy picture really doesn’t do this side dish justice. It is so delicious. 

Ingredients

  • 1 shallot, finely chopped — or substitute 1/4 onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
  • 1 cup crushed almonds, slightly ground in a blender
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon powdered ginger
  • 1 pound baby potatoes (they come in small 1 pound bags- about 25 potatoes in a bag I think)
For the toasted almond nut mix:
In a saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and lightly brown, stirring constantly. Add the garlic and ginger, and lightly brown, ensuring they do not burn.

Add the crushed almonds and lightly toast for 3 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. If you don’t like the flavor of raw parsley, add the parsley now, while the mixture is still hot.

To make Almond Smashed Potatoes:
Hard boil the potatoes in Heavily salted water with 1bsp powdered ginger, and cook until the skins split. If the skins don’t split, poke the potatoes with a knife and let boil some more. Drain the potatoes and place in a small bowl. Lightly smash each potato one time with a fork. Toss the potatoes with the toasted nut mix and chopped parsley.
Serve immediately.
If you are making it ahead of time, put potatoes into a dish and reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes. Heat the topping on the stove, and toss into the potatoes.
2011
05/18
CATEGORY
Passover Recipes
Side Dishes
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Herb Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

chopped herbs

herb paste

chicken and potatoes before getting roasted

An herb paste smeared onto the chicken adds a concentrated taste of summer. This is a very classy chicken dish. If you want to impress someone, make this dish 🙂 My husband said it best, it’s reminiscent of something you would likely see on a restaurant menu.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup chopped basil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
  • 2 fresh bay leaves, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons oil (olive oil if you have it)
  • 2  garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 chicken thighs or 2 small Cornish hens, backbones cut out and birds split in half
  • 1 potato
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  • Blend together herbs, oil, garlic, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a blender until finely chopped.  (You can also finely chop the herbs together instead of blending)
  • Chop up one potato (1 potato is enough for two people)
  • Add 3 tbsp oil to the roasting pan and place potatoes and chicken inside.  Rub all over chicken and potatoes. Put chunks of the herbs under the chicken skin – this is important, it infuses the chicken with the delicious and light flavor of the herbs. Bake in 350 F oven uncovered for 1 1/4 hours. Cover chicken if it browns too fast. Baste once if necessary so chicken doesn’t dry out.
Note

  • Chicken can be rubbed with herb paste 1 day ahead and chilled.
  • To cook chicken on the grill, indoors, brown them on the oiled grill, skin side down first, turning once, in a hot large ridged grill pan over medium-high heat, then put in a pan, cover and bake at 350 F for about 18 minutes.
2011
05/14
CATEGORY
main courses
Passover Recipes
Side Dishes
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Spanish Rice

a delicious alternative to plain rice

I took a risk and made this rice recipe today, and I was pleasantly surprised. It is very delicious and easy to prepare. My hubby absolutely loves it too.

Ingredients

• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/4-1/2 cup long green pepper, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 8 oz. of tomato sauce

Directions

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil.  Add onions and green pepper, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, until the onions are tender.
Add uncooked white rice, fry for one more minute.
Add water and tomato sauce to the rice.  Stir well while heating to boiling.
Reduce heat to low, cover with a tight fitting lid, and simmer until rice is tender.  This should take approximately 25 minutes.  Check it at 15 minutes to gauge cooking time.
Fluff lightly with a fork and cover. Let sit for 15 minutes and serve.
2011
05/13
CATEGORY
Side Dishes
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