Category Archives: Salads, Sides, Snacks & Soups

Braised Leeks

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I bet you’re all in the kitchen, getting ready for Shavuot? Well, my favorite part about this Shavuot is the dairy desserts, since it’s our minhag to eat dairy during this chag, instead of the traditional meat holiday meals. But I’m not sharing a dessert with you now, we have plenty of those. I’m going to share a simple side dish instead. (Note: you can never have too many recipes for desserts! Especially ones loaded with cream and butter. But alas, we’ll share those with you some other time.)

I’d like to introduce to you my new obsession: braised leeks!buttery braised leeks, from the kosher foodies

We already know that I love leeks. Like in this lamb and leek hotpot, or this leek-fried rice. But those have other ingredients, in this recipe, the leek really is the star of the show! Continue reading …

Asparagus Custard Tart

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asparagus tart, by the kosher foodies

Spring is here! And spring means asparagus is in season. No more boring roasted or grilled asparagus, we’re going gourmet here. Now, gourmet doesn’t mean hard. Actually, while there are a few steps in this recipe (you should read it over once before actually attempting it – you’ll need to do a bit of juggling), it’s quite easy! and impressive looking. Feel free to use store-bought pie crust or even puff pastry, as in the original recipe.  Continue reading …

Guest Post: Polow, Persian Basmati Rice with Dill and Pistachios

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Adele’s back to finish off her Friday night meal with some dressed-up rice, because what’s a Shabbat dinner without rice in a Syrian household? Did you miss her chicken and braised carrots from earlier this week? Catch up!

I copied this recipe so long ago out of I-cant-remember-which cookbook, and have been meaning to make it ever since (ed note: we always do that! Do you?). So simple, so delicious. Continue reading …

Guest Post: Ourt-Braised Carrots

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Remember Adele? She made something to serve on the side of the ginger chicken. Check it out:

I thought I was making mechshi cusa (stuffed zucchini), but when I went to get it from my freezer, I realized that I had only had dairy meschi, not meat.  I decided to braise baby carrots in the mechshi sauce I already made. They turned out so good!

ourt-braised carrots from the kosher foodies.

Continue reading …

Kibbe bil Sanieh/Ground Meat Pie

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Okay, so have you ever had kibbe? No, not the meat stuffed meatballs that we made a little while back. The kind with a bulgur shell that you fry and eat with lemon or tahine. Well, they’re hard to make. But they’re amazing. I’ve made them before, but never blogged them for you (aren’t I mean? One day I will). Well this has the flavors of kibbe, but is much easier to make.

kibbe pie by the kosher foodies Continue reading …

Sephardic Charoset

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You’re probably not doing much relaxing this Sunday, it’s Passover prep season! That’s right, since tomorrow’s the first seder, you’re probably busy in your hametz-free kitchen, cooking away. Is your local grocery store all out of charoset? Or are you feeling extra eager this holiday season? Maybe you want to make your own.

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Caesar Dressing

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caesar dressing

Caesar salad is one of my husband’s favorite dishes to order in restaurants. It’s pretty simple, and seems like kind of a waste to pay $11 for romaine lettuce and croutons (usually they don’t offer anchovies on top. Even if they did, he wouldn’t want them). So, I searched through cookbooks, asked some friends, and finally found a recipe for the dressing that was simple, but had good layers of flavors, and included anchovies in it.

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Pierogis

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pierogis!

A few weeks ago, I just got into my head that I should make pierogis. Not the Mrs. T’s kind, either. Real from scratch ones with sour cream in the dough and shallots in the potato stuffing. Now, I’ve never made pierogis before. I had no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that I wanted some. And all I can say is that, if I can do these, you can, too! I pretty much made them on a whim and they turned out awesome.  Continue reading …

Homemade Chummus

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I love chummus (some people call it hummus)! In my neighborhood, there’s no lacking of delicious chummus. But if shabbat is in only a few minutes and you can’t leave the house because there’s food in the oven, homemade chummus is something that’s almost as easy as walking across the street and buying some. All you need is a few ingredients and a food processor.

It’s a great dish to bring to a party with some cut up veggies, so that’s why we decided to contribute it to Ali and Matan’s virtual sheva berachot. Mabrook to the newlyweds!  Continue reading …

Mushroom and Spinach Rice

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Rice with an egg on top

Richie loves rice. So I try to make him rice in lots of healthy ways. I like adding veggies, cooking it in vegetable broth, adding an egg at the end for some protein. And of course I use brown rice. Rice is such an easy side dish, so I started trying to make it more often. It’s pretty cheap, can be brightened up in quite a few ways, and again, Richie really really likes to eat it. Eating it with a fried on top just means it’s a full meal for one of those really lazy weeknights. You have all your food groups right there! Vegetables, carbs, and protein. Plus the added deliciousness of the runny egg yolk mixed in makes it exciting enough to call dinner.  Continue reading …