Ingredient Spotlight

Wasabi is a Japanese horseradish typically available as a dry powder we reconstitute to use as a topping for sushi.  It’s strong pungent flavor pairs perfectly in many recipes from vegetables to chicken to fish.  Gold’s, long famous for horseradish, uses their sharp vegetable to make flavorful sauce with just the right bite.  We have prepared a tasty Pan Seared Salmon basted with Gold’s wasabi sauce that everyone will love as well as Hot & Spicy Wings covered in this liquid green gold.

I always look for a way to change the standard Shabbat menu without taking away from the classic elements of a fish, soup, and chicken.  I find that gefilte fish isn’t always a crowd pleaser, yet a fresh piece of salmon tends to have adults and children asking for more.   After continuously eating dairy, dairy, and more dairy during Shavuot, it’s nice to give  yourself a break with a low calorie, yet flavorful appetizer.  Finding a way to get your family to eat healthy can be difficult, but searing the salmon allows the fish to become crisp on the outside, and juicy on the inside.

These Pan Seared Mini Salmon Bites are a great appetizer that will have your guest’s mouths watering.  The wasabi sauce adds zest to this refreshing Spring dish.  The tomatoes and asparagus will give color and extra flavor to this fast cooking salmon, which will be great when pressed for time and still want to cook up a great looking dish to serve to guests.

Spicy Chicken Wings

For another change of pace, Gold’s wasabi sauce sure makes some spicy wings.  Boys will be boys, and you can never go wrong serving some hot and spicy chicken wings.  Whether they’re for watching sports or laid back pool party, this dish will be a hit at all your summer gatherings.

Gold’s wasabi sauce mixed with the sweet chili marinade creates a hot and tangy flavor, which will give your wings an extra hit of spice.  Without frying them in deep battered oil, the flour adds texture to the chicken, which will give them that crunch they need, without the additional calories when fried.

Wings are a classic food that will never go out of style.  They’re great for any age group, and can be served on a fancy plate or casual platter.

As we are approaching Lag Baomer, many of us are stocking up on hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken wings, and buns. We are getting countless invitations to BBQs and parties. This year, as I was finalizing my Lag Baomer plans, I started to think about why BBQs and bonfires seem to symbolize this beautiful holiday.

Lag Baomer, literally the 33rd of the counting of the omer, is a day of tremendous celebration. We mourn during Sefirat Haomer (the days between Passover and Shavuot), because of the plague that claimed the lives of 12,000 pairs of students of Rabbi Akiva. We celebrate because on Lag Baomer, the plague finally ended! So why the bonfires and BBQs? After the plague ended, Rabbi Akiva was able to rebuild, this time with only 5 students, among them the great Torah scholar Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who also passed away during this time, revealed many secrets of the Torah through his study of Kaballah. He brought enormous light into the world through his studies and teaching. Because he passed away on Lag Baomer, the custom of lighting fires and cooking over an open flame symbolizes the powerful light of the Torah.

We all know the basics a BBQ must have. Hamburgers, hot dogs, ketchup, mustard, and buns. I thought it would be fun to explore the possibilities of creating a hot dog toppings BAR. I had a “trial” Lag Baomer BBQ with my family this week to test out my toppings, and I am excited to share with you what I came up with.

Start with regular grilled hot dogs or drive everyone wild with Hot Dogs Stuffed with Vegan Cheese.  Get nice buns or even better, make your own and then lay out all these toppings for everyone to build their favorite.   Here are my recommended toppings, the ones that are orange are linked to their recipe.

Ketchup
Mustard
Relish
Mayonnaise
Cranberry horseradish sauce
Sweet relish
Banana peppers
Fried corned beef
Avocado salad
Spicy Cubanelle and Tomatillo Topping
Mango Salsa
Pareve sour cream
Homemade Crock Pot Chili

My favorite hot dog was topped with my chili, fried corned beef, mango salsa and pareve sour cream!

What is your favorite?

Brisket is still trending! Something so traditional that can reinvent itself each year, has to be the trendiest cut around. There is always a new brisket recipe being circulated, in fact, I don’t think any cut of meat has been so well utilized as much as brisket. Whether pickled, boiled, steamed, roasted, barbequed or baked, the versatility of brisket cannot be beaten. Now that’s trendy!

Brisket is rather a fatty cut from the breast of the cow. Although it can be easily trimmed it’s a good idea to have a little fat on the brisket as this keeps it tasty and moist while cooking. If you’re on a low fat diet, cut fat off after cooking. Brisket requires long, slow cooking to break down the collagen in the connective muscle tissues to achieve tenderness.

The brisket cut is comprised of two muscles. The large leaner piece of meat that runs along the bottom is called the flat piece. The other piece, on the top, called the ‘point’ or ‘deckel’ has more flavour as it has what I like to call “a little bit of value added fat!

And just when you thought it was safe to cook, along comes another little fact: Although joined, the grain of these two pieces of meat run in different directions and present quite a challenge when it comes to carving. In fact, it was after cutting a huge piece of brisket by hand that my husband decided I (or rather he) needed an electric deli meat slicer in my kitchen!! Nothing like pre-sliced brisket for a relaxing evening! However, you can separate these two pieces of meat after cooking, which makes for easier carving.

BBQ Brisket on a Bed of Onions

Before refrigeration, meats were preserved by salting, or “corning.” Corned beef got its name because it was preserved in salt before cooking. Corned beef has nothing to do with corn, but the pellets of salt, the size of corn kernels, used to dry-cure the beef.

When Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants came to America, they brought their love of brisket with them. Jewish butchers and deli owners pickled/cured the brisket to make corned beef and pastrami. But for the holidays, nothing could replace the comforting, hearty flavour of a roasted fresh brisket.

Glazed Brisket with Red Cabbage

So, you might ask, “what’s the difference between fresh brisket and pickled brisket?”

‘Fresh’ Brisket is the raw cut of brisket before going through any curing/pickling process. Pickled/corned brisket is the same raw cut, only it has been pickled/cured in a brine.

Corned beef (or pickled brisket as we call it in South Africa) needs to be washed very well to de-salinate it to remove any excess salt from the pickling brine and then boiled. As many of my recipes suggest, after boiling it can be further cooked in a sauce in the oven. You wouldn’t boil a fresh brisket first, you would rather spice/sauce it up and slow roast or BBQ it.

Once any meat is pickled it turns dark pink or reddish in colour when cooked but when a fresh cut of brisket is cooked it stays that regular golden brown roast colour.  Most butcheries and cold meat factories make their ‘Cooked Brisket’ by pickling/curing and then cooking. ‘Smoked Brisket’ is cooked by pickling and hot smoking and ‘Pastrami’ is made by pickling, massaging with pastrami spices and hot smoked to cook through.

I hope that the following recipes will help to keep your Brisket passion burning.

BBQ Brisket with Onions

Glazed Brisket with Red  Cabbage

People have a love-it or hate-it relationship with Marmite, never have I met someone who sits on the fence when it comes to this ingredient.  Sold as a spread to put on your toast, Marmite is incredibly popular in the UK, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, although Australian’s are more partial to the vegetable based cousin, Vegemite.

Marmite is a yeast-extract spread, rich in vitamin B12, delicious (if you ask me!) on hot toast with melted butter.  I grew up in the UK – marmite was my peanut butter & jelly sandwich growing up!  If putting this tar-like paste on your morning bagel doesn’t appeal, please don’t walk by it sitting on the shelf next time you’re in the store – when added to soups or chilli dishes, Marmite makes a wonderful, rich and delightful stock.

Chicken Allspice with Marmite

Yes, you can use chicken or beef stock, but if you’re cooking a parev meal and want your onion soup to have a hearty, beefy kick, reach for the marmite, melt a tablespoon in a cup of hot water, and pour it in.  Trust me.  It’s not just a sticky black spread, it will add a robust flavor to many a dish!

I tend to use my stock pile of marmite sparingly, it’s available on Amazon, but for a price.  Be aware, the South African product is kosher, the British one lacks certification.  The jars of marmite in my pantry started their life in South Africa before being shipped to Israel, via Europe, and brought from the shuk to our home in Kansas last time my mother visited! You can see all my recipe that include marmite on my blog, ThisAmericanBite.

The dish I share with you today, Chicken All Spice, is neither a soup nor a chilli, but shared with you to demonstrate how you can use this ingredient in every day cooking.  Every marmite hater that has eaten in my home has enjoyed the dishes that include this secret ingredient – it’s not harsh or salty, it’s simply savory and delicious!

I have long been intrigued by the lotus root.  This odd looking root vegetable, when sliced, shows off a beautiful pattern that is a gorgeous garnish.  I’ve seen it in soups and stir fry dishes and wanted to try it at home.  I recently read about Baked Lotus Root Chips.  I am a huge fan of all sorts of vegetables chips, check out my article from last year when I made carrot, zucchini, kale and butternut squash into tasty snackable treats.  Now it’s time to try the lotus root.

When sliced and baked or fried, it is not only beautiful, but one of the tastiest crunchy snacks I have had in a long time — even without any seasoning.

Lotus root is native to Asian countries as well as to parts of New Zealand.  The root or rhizome is actually the stem of a plant that grows in the mud of a pond or river.  It can grow 4 feet tall rising out of the water to show off its elegant lotus flower that is revered by Buddhists.  The entire plant is edible from the flower to the seeds to the root.  They make teas and medicinal powders all from this one little plant and it is considered a “cooling” food that restores balance to the body.

The root is somewhat akin to a potato or taro root and can be used in cooking in much the same way.  In Asia it is even known to be pickled and served with salads (I will have to try that next).  It is also rich in fiber, vitamin C, potassium and many b vitamins.  While calorically it is the same as a potato, the lotus root has more than twice the fiber and Vitamin C.  They also look scrumptious on the side of a plate or on a platter.

When I made these chips, I baked them with a little curry, cumin and salt and cooking spray and they were best served fresh and crispy from the oven.  I also tested a few fried in oil just to know the difference and they were outrageous!  Plain or spiced with some cumin, curry powder or seasoned salt, the lotus root makes a tasty treat for anytime.

Baked Lotus Root Chips

Scallions, or green onions, are the most fun, versatile vegetable. You can sear the whole thing on a grill as a succulent, pungent vegetable side dish. You can slice them to put on top of salads raw, or throw into in omelet for some gorgeous bright green color and flavor. You can use the green tip as a string to wrap other vegetables with, as a cute appetizer, much like how chives are used. You can sauté them as you would onions, for a slightly milder taste in a base for soups. They are found most in Asian-style dishes and curries.

Along with their relative shallots, scallions can be traced back to the Greek askolonions, which are believed to originate from the town of Ashkelon, in modern-day Israel. Scallions have a small, underdeveloped white bulb at the base, where the mild onion flavor is most concentrated, and a long green stalk that can be used as a replacement for the [more expensive and less long-lasting] chive. They can last for a week in the crisper drawer of your fridge, or if you are neglectful with your produce like I am, you can simply peel off the outer layer if it starts to yellow or wilt.

The coolest part about scallions is that you can re-grow them.

Here’s a simple how-to:

1. Use most of scallion as you normally would, but preserve the root end with some white intact
2. Place root-side down in a mason (glass) jar filled with water, root side down. They will balance better if you put other scallion roots in the jar as well.
3. Place on window sill, where they are exposed to light, and wait a week.
4. You will see how fast they grow!! You will have more yummy green tip and onion-y white bulb soon!

You might not be able to repeat this more than once, but you can still stretch your dollar!

Enjoy these recipes with scallions!

Sauteed Quinoa with Scallions and Mint

Sesame Roasted Mushrooms and Scallions

Sesame Scallion Lo Mein Pancakes

Sources:

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=dE7a8SJ9Q7AC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://www.thekitchn.com/re-growing-green-onions-grow-your-scallions-back-on-your-windowsill-165274