Charoset

This is not a ‘sweet’, but is sweet and used during the Passover Seder to symbolize the mortar the Jewish slaves used to build the pyramids. My version is simple but uses more apples than my original recipe. Also, I don’t like it smooth, but you decide on the consistency you want. This quantity is enough for 20 people.

Ingredients §  1 cup walnuts §  2 large tart green apples §  1 tsp cinnamon §  Kosher sweet red wine

Steps 1.       Chop the walnuts into small pieces. You can use a blender, but be careful to get the consistency you require. 2.       Peel the apples, quarter them and remove the core. 3.       Dice the apples into small pieces. 4.       Add the chopped walnuts and sprinkle about 1 tsp of cinnamon on top. 5.       Sprinkle about 2 Tbsp of wine on top.. 6.       Start mincing the whole together, so that the pieces are very small and the cinnamon and wine blended in. 7.       Taste and add more wine and/or cinnamon. The mixture should taste delicious and have a grainy mortar consistency.

Mushroom and Quinoa Pilaf

I needed a vegan dish for the Passover Seder meal. If you are of European origin (Ashkenazi), you cannot eat pulses during Passover; but quinoa is not a pulse and not a grain. It is a vegetable, so it can be used. I am cooking ahead of the Seder night, so that tomorrow I can focus on setting the table, whatever. Thus I know that it turned out delicious. I just hope that it reheats well. I made double the quantities below and hope to feed 12 people!

Ingredients §  10 gm dried porcini mushrooms §  3 Tbsp boiling water §  500 gm mixed mushrooms §  1 large red onion §  1 Tbsp olive oil §  6 Tbsp semi-sweet white wine. If you don’t have this, use white wine together with Vermouth. §  1 tsp ground nutmeg §  Salt and freshly ground black pepper For the quinoa §  1 cup quinoa §  1 Tbsp olive oil §  2 cups liquid (I used a mushroom broth made with the stalks of the chopped mushrooms – see step 3) §  1 Tbsp vegetable soup powder §  1 cm fresh ginger §  Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps 1.       Put the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl together with the 3 Tbsp of boiling water. Let it soak for half-an-hour. 2.       Meanwhile, take all your mushrooms and chop them finely. 3.       Don’t throw away the stalks, etc. Put them in a saucepan with 2 cups liquid and bring to the boil. Let it simmer for about 40 minutes. 4.       Line a wire sieve with a double sheet of kitchen paper, put the sieve over a small bowl, and strain the porcini mushrooms. 5.       Squeeze the mushrooms dry and chop them finely. 6.       Put the liquid in a small jar and keep for later. 7.       Chop the onion finely. 8.       Heat the olive oil and gently cook the onions for about five minutes. 9.       Add the mushrooms, wine, nutmeg, salt and pepper and cook over a low heat for about 40 minutes. Leave the pan uncovered as you want all the liquid to evaporate. 10.   While the mushrooms are cooking, prepare the quinoa. Follow these instructions so that you have a really tasty quinoa without any bitterness. 11.   Put the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse it vigorously with water, to get rid of the bitterness. Let in drain. 12.   Peel and thinly slice the ginger root. 13.   Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the drained quinoa. Let it cook for one minute. 14.   Add the mushroom stock, mixed with 1 Tbsp vegetable soup powder, ginger, salt and pepper. 15.   Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. 16.   Turn off the heat and let the quinoa stand for 5 minutes. 17.   Check that it is cooked.  18.   Mix the quinoa and mushrooms together and serve. 19.   If you need to precook and reheat, sprinkle some of the reserved porcini mushroom liquid on top before warming.

Chicken with Lemon Sauce

This is so simple. The original recipe called for frying the chicken pieces first; but I had this as it splutters fat all over the place (and mostly on me). So this is an oven version, and is delicious.

Ingredients §  1 clean chicken, cut in about 8 pieces §  Salt and pepper (omit the salt if the chicken is koshered) Sauce §  I clove of garlic, crushed §  1 tsp salt (if it isn’t a kosher chicken) §  ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper §  3 Tbsp olive oil > Juice of 4 lemons §  1 onion, either grated or chopped very small. Garnish §  Chopped parsley §  Lemon wedges

Steps 1.    Combine all the sauce ingredients and let it stand for as long as possible so that the flavours are well-blended. 2.    Put on the oven to heat up, at 180°C. 3.    Arrange the chicken pieces, in an oven tray skin,-side down. 4.   Spoon the sauce over the chicken. 5.   Place the chicken in the oven, in the middle of the oven. 6.   After 40 minutes, take the pan put of the oven and carefully turn each chicken piece over, so that the skin is showing. 7.   Put the chicken back in the oven for another 20 minutes. If the sauce seems to be disappearing, turn the oven down to 170°C. 8.   After the chicken has cooked an hour, it should be a lovely golden brown. Take it out and serve. 9.   The sauce is delicious, so either pour it over the chicken, or serve it as a stand-alone sauce. 10.Garnish the chicken with the lemon wedges, and sprinkle parsley on top.

Grilled White Fish Fillets with Coconut Milk

This dish is light and very tasty. It serves four people.

Ingredients §  8 white fish fillets (such as Sole) §  Salt and pepper §  6 Tbsp olive oil §  2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice – use 1 lemon §  1 can coconut milk (400 ml) §  1 tsp Baharat – this is a Middle Eastern spice mix containing Paprika, Coriander, Black Pepper, Cumin, Cinnamon, Cayenne Pepper, Cloves, Nutmeg, and Cardomom.

Steps 1.       Start the grill on its highest heat. Mine takes 20 minutes to heat up! 2.       Grease or line a large baking dish or grill pan. 3.       Place the fillets on this, skin side down. 4.       Sprinkle each with a little salt and freshly ground pepper. 5.       Mix together the oil and lemon juice, and spoon over the fish. 6.       Sprinkle a little Baharat on each fillet. This gives it a slight kick. 7.       Pour over the coconut milk. 8.       Let it stand for a while. 9.       When the grill is hot, put the pan on the highest rung of the oven. 10.   This takes up to 20 minutes to complete. My grill is a bit dodgy, so in other grills it might be faster. The fish should flake easily when tested with a fork. Serve with whole-grain rice (pour some of the pan juices over the rice) and green salad.

Gingered Tofu Noodles

This is one of those really tasty dishes that work well for vegetarians – and no dairy involved either. I tend to use rice noodles (not egg noodles), so the colour is paler.

Ingredients >   2 Tbsp rice wine >   2 tsp cornflour >   1 packet of firm tofu, cut into cubes >   175 – 200 gm egg (or rice) noodles >   2 Tbsp oil (I use olive) >   1 medium onion, thinly sliced or chopped >   3 cm fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced >   5 Tbsp frozen peas >   125 gm fresh cashew nuts, dry roasted in a small frying pan and then chopped. (You can put them in a bag and bash them with a rolling pin.) Sauce >   100 ml vegetable stock >   2 Tbsp soy sauce >   1 Tbsp (about ½ lemon) freshly squeezed lemon juice >   1 Tbsp sesame oil >   2 tsp soft brown sugar

Steps 1.  Put the rice wine and cornflour into a bowl and mix well. Add the tofu cubes to the bowl, stir well and set aside to marinate. 2.  Prepare the remaining ingredients and the sauce. 3.  Prepare the noodles, according to the instructions on the packet; drain and shake dry. 4.  Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok, add the onions and ginger and fry until soft and golden. 5.  If necessary, add a little bit more of oil. Add the tofu, and stir-fry until golden all around. 6.  Add the peas and fry for about 2-3 minutes, until the peas are just cooked. 7.  Add the drained noodles and the sauce, stir well and heat through thoroughly. 8.  Add the cashew nuts and stir. This has its own built-in carbohydrate. Serves 3 to 4

Update: I bought some Togarashi seasoning, and sprinkled some over the tofu when frying it. The spice simply lifts the dish into another plane.

Tofu with Vermouth

We all love this, and it does translate well to tofu.

Ingredients >    1 packet of firm tofu, cut into cubes >    Flour, seasoned well with salt and freshly ground pepper >    4 Tbsp oil >    1 onion, finely chopped >    3 fl. 0z (100 ml) sweet vermouth >    1 tsp tomato puree >    Pinch of mace

Steps 1.   Toss the tofu cubes, in the seasoned flour. I find it easiest to dump them into a bag and shake. 2.    Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the  tofu cubes and fry until brown. 3.   Remove the cubes from the pan. 4.   Add more oil, if required, and gently cook the onion until soft and golden. 5.   Add the vermouth, tomato puree and mace, stir well and simmer on a low flame until the sauce is syrupy. This takes about 3 minutes. 6.   Return the cubes to the pan and heat through until warm. 7.   Serve immediately.