This soup is traditionally served at the Jewish holidays, so with Passover coming up we thought the timing was right to present it here. On the other hand, delicatessens in New York serve this dish year round.  A bit time consuming, but worth the effort.

8 Eggs (16oz cont FF eggs can be substituted, that’s what we used here)
2 cups matzo meal
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil

The oil should be one that’s not too strong tasting, peanut or olive oil are to be avoided, we used canola.

Pretty simple, whisk the eggs, water, and oil together, then slowly ad the matzo meal, stirring with a fork or spatula until it’s all mixed. Put this in the fridge for an hour to set.

With an icecream scoop or by hand, form balls with the mixture, this recipe will make about 12 matzo balls. I put these into the freezer for  a half hour now, this will help them keep their shape when cooking.

Drop into boiling water, and after the water starts boiling again, simmer (low flame) for 40 minutes, covered. They’ll be floating, and ready to serve.

The Chicken Stock we made some time back is perfect to serve these in. You can add some other vegetables or chicken if you prefer.

written by admin \\ tags: jewish cooking, matzo ball soup, passover, recipe, soup

There are times that we are served something in a restaurant or friend’s house and it looks tough to make, but once you do it, you have to laugh at its simplicity. This is one of those dishes.

This is a 15oz piece of brie, right out of the package, trust us, don’t peel off the rind. Place it on a pre-made pie crust and top with 3 TBL jam. We used strawberry.

Fold over the crust, you may need to cut a bit to fit the very center of the top, the sides should have enough overlap to do this. Just press a bit to seal it shut. Pour 1/4 cup of maple syrup on top, then sprinkle with a few TBL brown sugar.

Put into a 350F oven and bake until it’s golden brown. Ovens vary quite a bit, in ours it took about 50 minutes. Serve with your favorite crackers or French Bread. Some people like to served sliced apples with this as well. Also, a search for Baked Brie recipes showed some that used puff pastry, a bit lighter than this, or crescent rolls. Sorry, that didn’t appeal to us.

Have you ever made baked brie? How does your recipe differ? What do you serve it with? We liked this dish as it took minutes to prep, in the time it took to heat the oven, this was ready to go in. Enjoy!

written by admin \\ tags: appetizer, baked brie, brie, recipe

Let’s start with a bit of an introduction. This dish falls under a number of categories, it’s a great side dish, served either warm or cold, depending on the main course and time of year. It’s perfect for those on a diet, as the calorie count for this entire recipe is about 800 calories. It’s frugal and will let you use up the zucchini from your garden or a friend that brought you a basket of it.  Zucchini high season is toward the end of the summer so we wanted to get this posted before it was harvest time. Last, it freezes well, so fits nicely with the other recipes we’ve done targeted for the “cooking ahead” strategy.

By the way, if Ratatouille sounds too fancy, just call it “veggie stew,” which reminds me, serve this to your vegetarian friends and they’ll know you really care. Now, let’s get cooking.

Ingredients
4 lbs zucchini
3 red peppers
2 Vidalia (or sweet) onions
2 28oz cans tomatoes (I use one whole and one crushed)
1 tbl crushed garlic

First, fry the garlic with a little olive oil, for a few minutes, then add the onions and cook over a low heat. You want the onions to soften and it’s ok if they caramelize a bit. (Note, this is an 8 qt pot. If your pots are smaller, you might need to cut the recipe in half)

Cut up the zucchini into big chunks, as shown. I cut off the ends and washed the zucchini, but not peeled it. No need to.

This is when the food photographers get my admiration. Five shots and this was the best I could do. You get the idea, though. Once those onions are done, you’re going to put in the zucchini and peppers, and both cans of tomatoes. Cook for about two hours covered, on low heat and be sure to stir every twenty minutes or so.

You can take the lid off once the zucchini has softened and cook till it’s the thickness you prefer. It can be served over rice or noodles, or by itself. You notice I didn’t mention any seasoning at all? If I have fresh basil, I put in a dozen leaves or so, chopped fine. You can add oregano, if you like, about a table spoon or so. After you make it the first time, try whatever variation you wish. You can add eggplant, carrots, turnip, whatever. I know some people will add salt to everything they cook. Not us. Try this dish once and we’re sure you’ll find that you make it again and again. Let us know what changes you make to it by leaving a comment. We love to hear from our readers.

written by admin \\ tags: ratatouille, recipe, side dish, zucchini

Couscous is an interesting dish. Traditionally middle-eastern, it’s worked its way into America’s diet, both as an appetizer and a side dish. Couscous can be treated as you would a rice dish or a pasta dish. Today, we’d like to share a side dish  that you are welcome to try and alter to your liking.

Ingredients
* 1 cup Israeli Couscous
* olive oil
* 1 Vidalia onion, sliced into slivers
* 2 cloves garlic
* 4 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon of tahini
* 1 large eggplant, chopped
* 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
* salt and pepper to taste

First, the couscous.

Cook for about 3-5 minutes in boiling water and drain. It should be al dente (just undercooked) like pasta.

Slice the onions as shown, and saute in olive oil.

In another pan heat the garlic in olive oil, and brown the eggplant.

Next, mix the lemon juice, tahini, and a tablespoon of olive oil. mix in a bowl with feta, and all other ingredients. This dish can be served either hot or cold. Salt/pepper to taste.

If you don’t care for the feta, leave it out, you can add chopped black olives if you wish. Let us kow if you tried this and if you made any changes to suit your taste.

written by admin \\ tags: couscous, Israeli couscous, middle eastern cooking, recipe