Family legend says that our great grandma Pauline (Grandma Sally‘s mother) invented Mechshie Potato. Being that we Syrian stuff everything with hashu, like zucchini, grape leaves, onions, etc., it wouldn’t be surprising that more than one person came up with stuffing a potato with it too. Whether or not Grandma Pauline invented this recipe, it’s definitely a special one, because it’s deep fried! Continue reading
Are you a coffee drinker? My dear friend Samir, of Cafe Fanatic wants to fuel your morning caffeine intake for three months.
I’ll get to the coffee giveaway later, but first: gnocchi! Maybe you thought that you had to have a ricer to make gnocchi, but you don’t! I know, this was a revelation for me, too; you can just grate the potatoes! No fancy equipment necessary. Homemade gnocchi, here I come…
Every month, I’m lucky enough to get the newest Bon Appetit in my mailbox (subscribe here). I always look through it and bookmark all the recipes I want to try. There are way too many, so I like to try at least one recipe from each issue. Back in November, I saw a recipe for a gratin and knew I had to try it. I just didn’t know it would take me MONTHS to actually do it. Not that it was hard or anything, but there are just SO many recipes on my to do list that I don’t always get around to making some until way later than I want. And sometimes when new recipes come along and the ingredients are already in my pantry, older ones just get pushed aside (but never forgotten, because of course I write them down).
Does anyone know a good way to cure myself of this too-many-recipes-on-my-to-do-list syndrome? That doesn’t involve turning off food network or browsing cookbooks. Because otherwise I would be bored. Continue reading
Before we share a recipe with you, please join us in wishing our sister Rayna a very happy birthday!
And a happy Hanukkah to everyone!
Now, back to food:
When we were in Ireland, we had the most delicious potato gratin at a little cafe on Inishmore, the largest of a group of islands called the Aran Islands. We had to take a ferry there from where we were staying in the amazing town Doolin, and the water was rough, but this recipe was worth getting seasick on the trip back. We spent the day exploring a place much more remote than the island we live on, seeing beautiful old sites and gorgeous green views! This gratin was one of the only vegetarian things on the menu at the cafe, and one of the few things that didn’t include sausage, which is why we ordered it. After the first bite I asked them how the prepared it; I had to recreate it at home!
The beautiful prehistoric ring fort, Dún Aengus:
We hope everyone had a lovely Shavuot! But we have another holiday coming up, and you probably want someone else to cook your Shabbat meal for a change. Well, here’s your chance!
I love cooking in a slow cooker. Not only does it cook your dinner for you, but slowly cooking food at a low temperature really brings out different flavors and results in tender meat that just falls off the bone. I defrosted some chicken overnight on Thursday, and on Friday morning I chopped some veggies (I guess you can do that the night before), added some flavoring and liquid, and turned the machine on. I don’t think it gets any easier.
You didn’t think we’d get through eight days of Hanukkah and not post a holiday recipe for you, did you?
We actually eat ejjeh potato all the time, not only on Hanukkah. It’s a delicious and easy food to make for the beach on a summer Sunday afternoon. They also make great leftovers, so make extra and take some for lunch in a sandwich the next day.
Because latkes are fried, they are a customary Hanukkah food. On these eight days, Jews load up on oily foods to remember the miracle of the oil. These latkes are different than the Ashkenaz version, which you probably see more often. These are more like home fries. They’re soft in the middle and really deliciously crispy on the outside. Continue reading
I used to watch Jamie Oliver when he was The Naked Chef on the Food Network, but only watched his new show, Jamie at Home, once. In that episode he made game pigeon, which did not really look appetizing to me. I never tried any of his recipes, but admired his use of homegrown (or local/seasonal) ingredients. When I read this article last week, I knew I had to take a look at his new cookbook, Jamie at Home. While browsing through it at the book store, I saw a lot of unkosher recipes, and some graphic pictures of dead hanging rabbits and other animals. I did find a few recipes that looked delicious and very easy, and decided to give a chicken recipe a shot at home.
I actually got the recipe from the food network site (it’s the same as the one in the book), and changed it a bit (or a lot) to make it a little easier. Maybe I’ll try the original one next time…