Growing up, we always ate spaghetti and meatballs on Monday nights. It’s not like we had a weekly dinner rotation or anything, that was just Monday night dinner. And we loved it. That was before “Meatless Monday” was a thing, anyway. Being kosher, we had a lot of meatless dinners throughout the week, so I don’t even feel the least bit guilty that most of my life was spent eating meat on Monday nights. Continue reading
I just bought my first rotisserie chicken! Ever since I saw a sign at my local Fairway Market that they now sell kosher rotisserie chickens, I’ve wanted to buy one, but didn’t know what for. Well, today I didn’t know what to feed the baby for dinner, I didn’t make a menu for the week and I needed to pack lunches for the husband to bring to work…Fairway to the rescue!
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I wish I had thought of making this for Rosh Hashana this year. I could have replaced the kale with chard for a non-traditional siman. Oh well, maybe next year. For now, I will just have to share with you a delicious kale salad. It has crunch from almonds, a salty tang from green olives and pomegranate, which can do no wrong in my book. Continue reading
These lentils are easy to make, can be made in advance, and are super healthy! Score! You can definitely just chop all the veggies and then throw everything together while preparing a different dish. It’s a great Sunday activity. For some reason, this Ina recipe was never on her show (according to the Food Network site), but it is in one of her cookbooks, which I own, and you can also find it online on her website. I made it vegetarian so we can use it with any type of meal. Continue reading
Pizza is probably my all-time favorite food. I mean, what’s not to like? But sometimes I like to get creative with my pizzas. And maybe a little bit healthier. So this time, I wanted to make pizza that was made out of only vegetables. And it really worked, except that I had to add a little sprinkle of cheese on top, because cheeseless pizza is really not pizza at all.
Remember back when we made ejjeh potato? Though we posted it as a Chanukah treat, it’s also really a great lunch box staple along with this, ejjeh parsley. We also love making leek ejjeh for Rosh HaShanah, by the way. Continue reading
I remember watching Jamie Oliver on the Food Network, back when he was the Naked Chef. Well, he wasn’t actually naked, which is why I wasn’t surprised when they changed the name of his show (or did they just start a new one) called Oliver’s Twist. Anyway, he would “strip down” recipes so that they were really just the essentials of cooking. No fancy gadgets or ingredients, just great homemade food. Now he’s never on the Food Network anymore, and I don’t get the Cooking Channel, so I never see him on TV. I can’t even watch the reruns of his show Jamie at Home. But I can still get most of the recipes on the Food Network website, which makes me happy. His recipes are simple and tasty, and he doesn’t use any gross ingredients; it’s mostly natural, earthy food. His recipes really bring out the essential flavors of the main ingredients.
And this is why I was so excited to make this soup recipe. I love Jamie Oliver and I love butternut squash! It’s definitely my favorite winter squash, even though it’s a pain to peel and chop. Everything else about it is just perfect, an my favorite way to eat it is in soup form. Something about butternut squash soup just makes me smile.
Sage is a classic combination with butternut squash, and infusing the oil with that flavor imparts a wonderful undertone to the soup. The sage on top adds a great crispiness. I ate a lot of those sage chips before serving the soup. Oops. Hence the lack of crispy sage on top of the soup in the picture. It’s delicious with a teaspoon of sour cream mixed in, too. Just so you know.
Superb squash soup, adapted from Jamie Oliver (serves 8):
Ingredients:
Directions:
1. Heat large saucepan over medium heat and pour in some olive oil, enough to cover the bottom.
2. When it’s hot, throw in the sage leaves and fry for about 30 seconds, until crispy. Remove with a slitted spoon and drain on paper-towel lined plate.
3. Add your celery, onion, and carrot, garlic, and jalapeno to the pot. Add salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
4. Add the squash and stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. When the squash is soft, blend the soup using an immersion blender until you have a smooth puree (or as chunky as you like it).
6. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle the sage leaves on top.
7. Serve with croutons if you want (that’s how Jamie Oliver did it).
