Passover ’14 – Recipes

Posted on March 19, 2014 | Leave a comment

DSCN2653 DSCN2781 DSCN2767 DSCN2642 DSCN2687Passover is celebrated in commemoration of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. For eight days, we do not partake of any leavening agent in our food. We read the Haggadah (a narration of the Exodus,) which is the central part of the first and second nights of Passover. Despite the dispersal of Jews throughout the world, we are united in the celebration of the eight-day festival, upholding family bonds and family traditions over the traditional Seder meal. The central object of every Seder table is the Seder Plate, arranged with the symbolic foods. There are no rules for menus for the meal, although many families (and definitely my own) maintain specific traditions. Some families, like mine, have nostalgic customs for certain foods and everyone insists on having those foods on the table. In our case, this is more out of love (and ritual) for these special items than any real religious significance.

Ever since I started this blog I have tried to publish my most favorite recipes for the holidays that have been a tradition in my family. Along the way, I have picked up some amazing recipes that have now been incorporated into Cooking with Candi. I am compiling a list of all the recipes that I have posted over the past 3 years. If you enter the title or enter Passover into the search bar on my site you should be able to find any recipe. All of them are wonderful and have evolved throughout the years and I hope you can make some of them part of your own family tradition and pass them down to your children and family. I am also always on a search for new recipes and would be so happy if you would share some of your favorites with me. (I can’t promise I will print them all but if there is time for me to cook, sample, and then post, I will. You can contact me through my email at cmk55@sopris.net.) I already have a few new recipes this year, so be on the lookout.

Again, thanks to all my followers for all the support and for your recipes and suggestions. Relax, enjoy and remember, holidays are all about starting your own traditions and making unforgettable memories for you and yours. Happy Cooking!

Passover Recipes:

Homemade Chicken Soup with not so Homemade Matzoh Balls

Grandma Regina’s Farfel

Honey Roasted Chicken

Chicken Marbella

Old School Meatballs

Karyn’s Cranberry- Apple Crisp for Passover

Sweet Matzoh Pudding

Judy’s apple matzoh Kugel for Passover

Cathy’s Popovers

Charoset

Spinach Souffle for Passover

Peach Farfel

Happy New Year Brisket

Julie’s Brownies for Passover

Macaroons

Meringue Cookies

Ellen’s Passover Apple Cake

Matzoh Brei

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Coconut Bread

Posted on March 17, 2014 | Leave a comment

Re-blog Monday and here is a most delicious Coconut Cake that I posted last April . If you love coconut and I love coconut I highly recommend it. Have a happy St. Patricks Day and enjoy the day, spring is coming–I promise.

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I love coconut and believe it or not had a whole big bag leftover from Passover holiday. What to do with it? Of course I had  I found this recipe on the Smitten DSCN0004DSCN0006DSCN0009DSCN0012Kitchen website and thought it sounded amazing. You’ll need a 9x5x3 loaf pan and if you’re loaf pan isn’t this size you can pour some of the batter into muffin tins, just don’t fill to the tippy top, it will be a mess, 2/3 to the top is perfect. I made 2 of them and will be freezing one for another time, it should stay in freezer for at least 2 months, cool down completely then wrap with a good plastic wrap and I then put it in a large Ziploc and mark what it is and the date. This bread is not super sweet at all despite the amount of sugar that went into it. I used sweetened coconut and sugar. I ate it plain, and…

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Kale Quinoa Bake

Posted on March 14, 2014 | 2 comments

photo 1 (56)photo 1 (58) photo 4 (43) photo 2 (45) photo 1 (59)What a great time to play around with vegetarian recipes while our daughter Kerri is out here visiting in Colorado. This is a new recipe that I got from Jessica Seinfeld’s “Do it Delicious” Blog. My friend Cathy told me about it and she was right and once again Jessica Seinfeld hit it out of the ball park. I love this recipe and anyone looking for a new vegetarian side or main dish this one is just perfect. We ate it cold out of the fridge the next day after skiing and it was still delish! Big thumbs up here . Thanks Cathy and Jessica.

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, washed and rinsed

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups torn kale leaves, I bought the bag of chopped and cleaned at Whole Foods and it is perfect

1 3/4 cups water divided (1/4 cup + 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups Quinoa

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Chop the garlic , clean and rinse the tomatoes.

Place a large oven proof pot on the stove ( if you want to go from stove top to oven you’ll need an oven-proof pot) I cooked it in oven in a separate Pyrex dish.

Heat the olive oil until it shimmers ( app. 2 mins.) add the garlic and cook without burning, stirring with a wooden spoon, until lightly golden ( about a minute) Add the tomatoes and 1/4 cup of the water and cover the pot. You will now cook the tomatoes till they start to break down , it took me about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, if you haven’t bought cleaned and chopped Kale, tear the kale leaves from the tough stems into bite size pieces. ( app. 4 cups) discard the stems. Clean and dry the kale, a salad spinner works very well here.

Once the tomatoes are ready, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water, salt, black pepper and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in the kale and the quinoa. I transferred to an 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the parmesan and cover tightly with foil. As I said before you can leave it in the pot from stove and cover with a lid. Transfer to the oven and bake until the quinoa is tender , about 25 minutes,  I added a drop more water after 25 minutes and cooked in total about 35 minutes. You’ll have to play with it depending on your oven. Out here in Colorado with altitude it can be a little funky.

If you’d like sprinkle with extra Parmesan before serving.

Makes a wonderful healthy vegetarian dish and should serve 4 – 6 .

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Kale and Pasta Perfection

Posted on March 12, 2014 | 3 comments

photo 4 (40) photo 2 (43) photo 3photo 5 (34) photo 1 (56) photo 1 (55) photo 3 (44)Our daughter Kerri is out visiting in Colorado and it’s a great opportunity not only to ski with her and enjoy our time together but to cook vegetarian style for her. I have been saving this one for her because we all know what a waste this would be for just Joel. I made Joel a separate Bowties Pasta with Turkey Sausage, Peas and Mushrooms which if you have never made you really must check out, it’s on my blog under that title originally posted on July ’11. (see in photo)   I used a Fusilli type short pasta which was perfect. This dish really was so super easy to put together and it will now become one of my go-to pasta dishes for sure. I was also able to buy the Kale from Whole Foods chopped and cleaned already, which only made the prep that much easier . I would say total prep even if you have to chop and clean kale would only be 20 minutes . Super healthy and the kale turned a beautiful shade of deep green and the flavor is amazing. I of course added a little crushed red pepper , just 1/4 teaspoon which is enough for a bit of heat but not too much at all. You can moderate this to your own taste.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Kale , I bought a bag of cleaned , chopped Kale and it was perfect. I used one bag of chopped and cleaned Kale.

4 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons to cook kale and 1 tablespoon at the end

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 box  (1 lb.) short pasta like fusilli , I used DeCecco brand Fusilli Corti Bucatini which worked out beautifully. Any short macaroni will do.

3/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta according to box directions for al dente.  Make sure you reserve 1 cup of pasta water before you drain pasta. Start to boil water as you prepare the kale.

Prepare the Kale if you can’t find the chopped and cleaned version. Pull the kale leaves from the stems, discard the hard stems and tear the leaves into small pieces. Wash Kale. A salad spinner is perfect for this task.

Chop the garlic.

Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet type pot, large enough to hold and cook all of kale. Heat oil till it shimmers for a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1/2 minute. Add the kale and toss with tongs if you have them coating the kale with the oil and garlic as you go. Then add the 1/2 cup of water, cover and cook , stirring a few times and cooking the kale until it is tender 7-10 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Remove from the heat.

Your pasta should be ready by now and you should have your reserved cup of pasta water handy. Drain the pasta.

Add the pasta to the kale in the pan you were using and turn the heat on to a medium heat. Add about 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Bring to a low simmer, add the parmesan cheese and stir, using a wooden spoon to mix till cheese melts and coats the pasta. If you need a little more liquid you can use the little bit of pasta water left. Keep stirring until it’s nice and creamy. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Taste for Salt and Pepper. Mine was perfect . Serve with a fresh hunk of Parmesan Cheese for grating in a little extra and a little more crushed red pepper.

Perfection.

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A taste of India and a taste of Greece: Baked Curry Sweet Potato Fries with Easy Tzatziki Sauce

Posted on March 10, 2014 | Leave a comment

Monday Re-blog and here’s one from September ’11. A delicious variation on Sweet Potato Fries baked in the oven with a delightful Tzatziki Sauce served on the side. Looking for something new to do with Sweet Potatoes? this one is perfect and the Tzatziki Sauce is just wonderful . Enjoy!

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Today didn’t clear up until late and I decided to go on a hike. As I was hiking, it felt like fall in the air and I decided to roast a chicken (see recipe under Roast Chicken) and make my baked sweet potato fries with tzatziki sauce. This sauce is so fresh and flavorful on fries and is absolutely delish on chicken and lamb,as well. Lamb is a bit heavy for now, though, so that recipe will have to wait. Joel and I like our fries spicy so you should adjust the hot seasonings to your liking. I used hot curry powder but regular curry powder works just as well. These fries have a distinct, tasty Indian flavor, thanks to the curry, turmeric and cumin. I hope you enjoy this different take on a sweet potato. This is the second time I am posting this recipe because it sort of got lost in the vegetables last time and…

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Magical Raspberry Bars ( variation on Heaven in a Bar )

Posted on March 8, 2014 | Leave a comment

Here’s an easy to prepare recipe which is an alternative to my Heaven in a Bar recipe. If you love Raspberry this one is for you. Perfect for a party crowd and you can eat what you’d like and freeze the rest. Delicious and Decadent all in one bar. Enjoy this Saturday Recipe originally posted October ’11.

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This is a slight variation on the original Heaven in a Bar Recipe. Equally easy to prepare, ingredients are available, etc. So if your idea of Heaven has raspberry in it, here you go. Enjoy!!! They are magical!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ingredients:

2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1 stick unsalted butter or margarine (1/2 cup)

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1 – 1 1/2  jars seedless raspberry preserves , small jars they are probably 12 oz. each.  I have found, if I use too much jam it’s super gooey, and doesn’t really hold together as well

1  cup coconut flaked ,sweetened (if it looks light on coconut, you can always sprinkle a little more) 1 – 1 1/2 cups, especially if you like a lot of coconut.

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (whichever you prefer)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a small bowl combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar…

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Roast Chicken with Dijon and Shallot Sauce

Posted on March 6, 2014 | 1 comment

This was a delicious chicken dish that I made with chicken thighs but you can really make with thighs, drumsticks, and/or breasts. It’s a thin light sauce and if you’d like to thicken it up you can reduce the sauce by cooking over a high heat for several minutes, this usually will help to thicken it up by cooking it down. I did use 1/4 cup of heavy cream for the sauce , I don’t think it’s all that much spread out over the sauce, if you are unhappy about 1/4 cup use a little less. It was delightful and really light and nice despite the cream. This is what I did and the only suggestion I would make differently from what I did is to thinly slice the 2 small shallots, I chopped them and I think I would slice next time.

1 – 3 lbs. of chicken parts ( thighs, drumsticks, and/or breasts) with skin and bones . I used 1 lb. but this amount of sauce would be good for up to 3 lbs. Use whatever parts of chicken you prefer, but I have to say the thighs were delicious.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 small shallots, thinly sliced

3/4 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard

*optional 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives or green parts of scallions for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with rack in middle.

Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet ( Le Creuset) over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Working in 2 batches, brown chicken, skin side down first and turning once, cook until chicken is golden about 5 minutes on each side. If heat is turned too high it will burn oil so you may want to turn down and make adjustments depending on your stove.

Return all chicken, skin side up to skillet and roast in the oven until just cooked through about 15-20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a platter , then add shallots, wine, and broth to pan juices in skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon, until sauce is reduced by about 1/2, this should take 2-3 minutes. Add cream and boil until sauce is slightly thickened, a few minutes.

Strain sauce through a sieve into a bowl. Whisk in the mustard, chives/scallions Saltphoto (67)photo 1 (53) photo 3 (25)Salt and Pepper to Taste.

Serve chicken with sauce.

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Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Citrus Glaze

Posted on March 3, 2014 | Leave a comment

Let’s bring some fresh citrus flavor into Re-blog Monday with this delicious Pound Cake and Citrus Glaze. Looking for a fresh delicious pound cake to make? Brighten up this long cold winter with this cake. Original Post was September ’12 so for all of those who missed it the first time around here it comes again. From my kitchen to yours with love this Monday. Enjoy!

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Whenever I bake with cream cheese I never get a dry cake. It moistens the cake like nothing else.  I got this recipe out of Bon Appetit and it is nothing short of amazing. It is fairly simple , has a lot of citrus ingredients, lime, orange, and lemon but nothing exotic or difficult to obtain.  You’ll need a standard size loaf pan, I like the glass ones, but any kind will do just fine and you will need a zester that zests finely. (not a grater, a zester which you can buy at any kitchen supply store)  You can bake this cake a day ahead , and do the glaze before you’re about to serve. I cut the cake into 1/2 ” thick slices.

Ingredients:

parchment paper

nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 cups sugar…

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Tomato Soup

Posted on March 1, 2014 | Leave a comment

This Tomato Soup doesn’t have a lot of ingredients and it’s rather simple to prepare. A few key ingredients add wonderful layers of flavor like the pancetta and lemon zest. Make it as spicy as you personally like . You can garnish with a dollop of Crème fraiche if you’re feeling like you need something creamy on top. To everyone on the East Coast this is perfect for that snow day coming up Monday. Alongside a grilled cheese sandwich what could be better? Enjoy!

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I have made many tomato soups and this one was very easy. I used one can of crushed plum tomatoes. If you don’t have crushed in the house, you can crush in your food processor. I almost always have parmesan cheese in the house and I loved using the rind, as they have many uses particularly in soups where they can soak and soften. This time I diced it up into small little pieces so the result was like little explosions of flavor. Don’t ever throw away those rinds, they are so perfect used in soups and sauces.  The saffron threads give it that warm wonderful flavor.

Ingredients:

1 small piece of rind (2×3) from either Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 ounces pancetta, diced up (you can buy packages pre-chopped, keep in the freezer and just take out when you need them)

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 large…

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Avgolemono Soup–Egg And Lemon Soup

Posted on February 27, 2014 | Leave a comment

photo 2 (38) photo 1 (50)photo 1 (51)I love Avgolemono Soup, it is a classic Greek soup that I fell in love with at our local diner.  Simple, easy and so very flavorful and I had to learn how to make it. The egg thickens the soup and I used Orzo but you can  use rice as well. It’s all cooked in a very flavorful lemon flavored chicken broth. Delicious layers of flavor make this one of my most favorite easy to prepare soups. 5 Ingredients are the basis for this soup and if you’d like you can add kale, carrots, chickpeas and or shredded cooked chicken. Homemade chicken stock is always best but the boxed kind will do just fine. This is in my winter rotation of soups for sure. Did I mention that it took 20 minutes to prepare? This is how I made it and I’ve read many many variations some use egg yolks some use egg whites, but this is what worked out the best for me.

You will need a whisk for this

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken or you can make it vegetarian and use vegetable broth

3/4 – 1 cup orzo or rice, I used 3/4 cup it was fine

3 eggs ( use 2 eggs for thinner soup and 3 eggs for a thicker soup) I used 3 and it was simply perfect

juice from 1 large lemon which is about 1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons

Salt to taste

*optional shredded cooked chicken

*fresh kale thrown it at the end

*carrots

*fresh dill

*canned chickpeas

*all delicious optional add-ins

Directions:

Bring the broth to a boil. Add the orzo or rice, reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer, and cook until orzo or rice is tender. Read the box for al dente directions time.

Meanwhile whisk the eggs and lemon juice together in a heatproof bowl until frothy, and set aside. Three eggs worked well for me. You want to really break the eggs up–when you lift up the whisk the egg should fall off evenly and seem almost as thin as water, no globs or thickness here.

When the orzo/rice is ready, ladle out 1 cup of hot broth into a measuring cup. Pour the hot broth into the egg mixture while whisking the mixture constantly, this action will cook the egg but keep it from curdling.

Whisk the hot egg mixture into the soup. Taste for Salt and if you want more lemon juice you can add it, I felt 1 lemon was enough. Garnish with pepper if you would like. Do not bring to a full bowl, keep at a low simmer, or eggs may curdle.

Add in any other optional items you’d like, serve warm and garnish with fresh dill if you’d like.

To re-heat, microwave in short increments, or gradually heat in a pan on the stove, but do not bring to a boil .

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