Roasted Curried Potatoes

I served this as an accompaniment to Double Cut Lamb Chops with Spicy Red Wine Gastrique and Moroccan Carrots (from May's Food & Wine, http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/double-cut-lamb-chops-with-spicy-red-wine-gastrique) and everything was so good the Darling decided to renew our vows on the spot.

6 peeled, diced medium Russet potatoes
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray some oil on a large, rimmed baking sheet.  Combine all the spices.  In a large mixing bowl, pour the canola oil over the potatoes and mix well by hand.  Sprinkle the spice mixture on the potatoes, mixing by hand as you go.  Spread the potatoes out evenly on the baking sheet and place on middle rack of the oven.  After about 15 minutes the house will be so fragrant you will feel faint.  Gather your strength and stir the potatoes, turning the dish around.  After another 15 minutes stir them again, then cook until nearly crunchy on the outside.  Tweak cooking time and spice mixture as needed.

Gefilte Fish with Horseradish-Beet Gelee

The Darling made this up and I love it.  If we went all out I guess we would actually encase each piece of gefilte fish in gelee, but instead we place a thin slice atop the gefilte fish, or a cube on the side.  (Obviously we buy a jar or two of gefilte fish, no carp in the bathtub for us.)

3 large beets, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

2 bottles of prepared horseradish

2-3 packets of unflavoured gelatin

Place the beets in saucepan with just enough water to cover them and cook till tender. Remove the beets and half the liquid and place in the fridge to cool. When cool, puree in a food processor.  Add 1/4 cup of cold water to the gelatin and wait till it has bloomed before using.  Place beet puree into a large bowl and add the horseradish till combined.  Place the reserved beet liquid in the saucepan and add gelatin.  Cook over low/medium flame till the gelatin is melted.  Add resulting beet gelatin to the horseradish-beet puree and mix well.  Pour into lightly oiled molds and chill till set.  If you prefer a firmer gelee use 3 packets, a softer consistency use 2.

Mango Salsa (or Salad)

This recipe works as a salsa or salad.  It goes very well on top of or next to grilled boneless/skinless chicken breast or grilled mahi mahi.  I served it this weekend with steamed rice and a fish we never tried before, pink snapper, that I pan fried in a little olive oil with lemon and salt (our grill went kaput).  It was a total disaster, the fish was tough and weird.  I think I should have coated it with flour or breadcrumbs first, or maybe I should have baked it with some lemon and butter on top.  Or maybe I got stuck with a bad piece of fish.  The Darling and Precious Angel skipped the fish and enjoyed the salsa with the rice.  Anyway, here's how you make the salsa:

Dice three ripe mangoes, dice one large avocado, chop one red bell pepper into pieces about half the size of the diced mango or avocado, mince a quarter of a white onion, finely chop enough fresh cilantro to yield 1/4 to 1/3 cup depending on how much you like cilantro, stir it all together, add the juice from one lime and a pinch of salt, stir it all again, cover it up and let it sit in fridge for about an hour so the flavors can mingle.  It is colorful and pretty and it tastes delicious.

Sauteed Chicken with Lemon-Mint-Cilantro "Chimichurri"

An old F&W recipe from Tom Douglas inspired this dish.  (http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-skewers-with-lemon-mint-vinaigrette).  Since our grill went kaput I sauteed the chicken breast instead of grilling it, and since we had cilantro on hand I substituted it for the parsley.  It actually ended up being delicious, I'll make it again.

First make the vinaigrette, which in this case turns out to be more like a chimichurri (except no parsley).  In a handy tiny Cuisinart mince enough fresh mint and fresh cilantro (separately) so you have 5 tablespoons and 4 tablespoons respectively, then mince 4 garlic cloves.  Stir all that into 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil.  Whisk in 4 teaspoons of grated lemon zest and 4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and a couple of pinches of salt and let the concoction sit at room temperature while you make the chicken.

Pat dry four large boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut into medium chunks, about 2".  Coat with a mixture of 2 tablespoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt.  In a cast iron skillet, saute a chopped, medium white onion in a combo of extra virgin olive oil and canola oil.  Once tender, push the onions to the side, tilt the pan and squeeze out the oil, add more oil if necessary, and saute the chicken.  Deglaze the pan with about 1/4 cup white wine, scrape up any bits of chicken fat or spices, stir the chicken and onions together, then cover and cook over low heat for about half an hour.  Uncover to reduce the liquid until there is just enough left that nothing sticks to the pan, remove from heat and stir.

Serve with steamed white rice and baby arugula.  When you plate this put the chicken on top of the arugula and drizzle some "chimichurri" on the chicken and the rice.  This pairs well with a nice, light vinho verde.

Grandma's Stuffed Cabbage

Just in time for Passover, here's my grandma's hallowed stuffed cabbage recipe.  One bit of advice is to freeze the cabbage first.  When you are ready to go just defrost it and the leaves will peel off quite easily and be very pliable.

1 head of cabbage (or more if you need it)
1 lb. ground beef, turkey or chicken
1 beaten egg

Salt and pepper to taste (At one point like 20 years ago Grandpa decided he had high blood pressure so Grandma stopped cooking with salt.  After she passed away my mother took Grandpa and his outrageously large assortment of medications to the doctor to see if they could somehow reduce his daily pill intake.  I believe some tests revealed that he actually had low blood pressure.  And also that he was not diabetic, as he had thought.  So the guy went like 20 years without salt or sugar in his food for no good reason.  He always says he never really cared about food, and I can see why.  But it's also a shame, because my grandmother was a great cook.)

1/4 cup matzoh meal

1 large can Rokeach tomato and mushroom sauce (As one can't always find this, I think a can of plain tomato sauce would do provided it does not have any herbs and spices in it, in which case you'd also need to saute some sliced white mushrooms, which shouldn't be such a big deal.)

1/2 can water (using can above)

1 large minced white onion

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice (I squeeze fresh ones)

Sultana raisins (optional, the Darling hates raisins so I have to avoid them)

 

I'm pretty sure Grandma put the onion in the sauce only, but I actually saute the onion in a little canola oil first then put half in the sauce and half in the meat mixture.  One time I also considered putting garlic in there but got too nervous.  In the future I might use a little chicken stock instead of water, I think that would enhance the flavor.  Don't be mad, Grandma probably got into the habit of avoiding chicken stock because of the salt, in those pre-reduced sodium days! 

 

In a saucepan combine the tomato sauce, water, onion, brown sugar, lemon juice and raisins.  Bring to a boil then simmer for a while.

 

Combine the ground meat, egg, matzoh meal, half the onion, and some salt and pepper.  Place a sort of fat- sausage-shaped palmful of the mixture on the edge of each leaf and roll it up, folding the ends in.  Maybe it would be a good idea to hold each piece together with a toothpick.  Place all the pieces in an adequately sized saute pan and pour the sauce over them.  Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, basting and adding water as needed.  I have a vague recollection that Grandma's delight in preparing the stuffed cabbage was always tempered by the fact that they were always in danger of burning at any moment, so be careful.  I might prepare more sauce than you think you need and go low and slow for a little longer than 1 1/2 hours, just to be on the safe side.  Although they will never be as good as the ones Grandma made, I know you will enjoy them.