Kosher Cooking School

Cooking a roast in a transparent cooking bag must be one of the most effective ways of keeping a roast moist without compromising on it’s golden brown look. And, once the roast is cooked you can make the most wonderful gravy from the juices left in the bag! What could be easier than placing a piece of meat with all your favourite herbs and spices into a sealed bag to cook? The convenience of not having to scrub the roasting pan once it is cooked! A double delight, a wonderful tasty, moist roast with no mess.

Bronzed Bag of Beef

Once you’ve followed your recipe and sealed the bag, place it into a roasting pan.  Place your pan in the oven on the middle shelf (or even one level lower) remembering that the bag will puff up from the steam and you don’t want it to melt on the element above. When you open the cooking bag, a large amount of hot steam will escape. Make sure you are not leaning over the bag as you open it as it may burn you.

Here are two of my favorite recipes for cooking meat in a bag.

Stuffed Roll of Beef

Bronzed Bag of Beef

A latke with a surprise in the middle is a great way to update the classic Chanukah dish. Be creative and stuff latkes with anything you have on hand. Maybe even use it as a way to get your kids to eat their veggies by adding peas, broccoli, tomatoes, zucchini, or spinach.

Start with my favorite Basic Latke Recipe.

Then choose your filling:

Salmon + Green Goddess Dressing
The crispy potato latke, with the smooth fresh taste of salmon makes for a great combination. Green goddess dressing, a
mixture of herbs and sour cream, adds color and flavor to this impressive latke.

Pulled Brisket + BBQ Sauce
This combination tastes similar to a pulled beef sandwich; the ultimate latke for any meat and potato lover.

Mushroom + Sour Cream
The earthiness of the potatoes and mushrooms make for a rustic and classic flavor combination. The sour cream adds richness to the latke.

Cheese + Marinara Sauce
Our version of mozzarella sticks…latke style. A gooey, cheesy center with a hint of basil surrounded by crispy potatoes is
a spectacular Chanukah treat.

Apples + Sour Cream with a Cinnamon Topping
Inspired by the classic latke with apple sauce on the side, this latke takes on the flavors of an apple fritter.

As published in Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller (Bitayavon Winter 2011) – Subscribe Now.

Back in the day, when one wanted to buy flour in a supermarket, there was but one choice—all-purpose flour. Nowadays however, there is an abundance of flour available right in your supermarket. All-purpose flour, bread flour, unbleached flour, whole-wheat flour, cake flour, whole-wheat cake flour—the list goes on! Here is a breakdown of some common flours, and their optimal uses.

All-Purpose Flour. If a recipe doesn’t specify which flour to use, assume you should use all-purpose (or AP) flour. It has 8-11% gluten, which is suitable for cakes as well as some breads. AP flour is available in bleached and unbleached forms—both are light in color, but bleached flour has been chemically treated to be white, rendering it with less protein than its unbleached counterpart. Use AP flour in pie crusts, popovers, pancakes, quick breads, and yeast breads. This flour can last up to one year if sealed tightly and kept in the refrigerator, or 8 months in a cabinet.

Cake Flour. This flour is preferred for baking desserts that require a high volume, like cakes, due to its high-starch and low-protein content. If substituting AP flour for cake flour, subtract two tablespoons of flour for each cup required in the recipe.

“Instant Flour” (or Wondra). This flour cannot substitute AP flour, but is great to use as a thickening agent instead of AP flour in sauces and gravies, since it is formulated to dissolve quickly in liquids.

Bread Flour. Bread flour is made from high-protein wheat, which lends it more gluten strength, or elasticity, when forming dough: it has a gluten content of 12-14%. Mary Jane D. Toribio explains the difference between bread flour and high-gluten flour on the website www.thefreshloaf.com:

“Bread flour is a high-gluten flour that has very small amounts of malted barley flour and vitamin C or potassium bromate added. The barley flour helps the yeast work, and the other additive increases the elasticity of the gluten and its ability to retain gas as the dough rises and bakes. Flour sold as high-gluten or simply gluten flour has been treated to remove most of its starch, which leaves it with proportionately more of the proteins that produce gluten. It is generally used as an additive to doughs made of low-gluten flours, such as rye flour, to give them the elasticity that they can’t muster on their own. Some people use high-gluten flour to make a low-calorie loaf of bread, but, because high-gluten flour is about eight times as expensive as bread flour, most people don’t make the substitution.”

For best storage, keep in a freezer, where it will last for up to one year.

Buckwheat Flour. This is a good choice for individuals with Celiac, as it is gluten-free and packed with nutrients. Buckwheat flour has a nuttier flavor and a slightly chewier texture than wheat flour.

Semolina Flour. This extremely high-gluten flour is made from durum wheat, the hardest type of wheat. It is used mainly in pastas. (In cooking school, we would coat pans with semolina to give breads a crunchy crust, as well as to prevent gnocchi from sticking to a pan before plunging in hot water.)

Whole-Wheat Flour. This flour is made using the whole wheat kernel, giving it more fiber, whole grains, and nutrients. Due to its low gluten content, it is often mixed with AP or bread flour when making yeast breads, to help the dough’s texture and elasticity.

I always feel a little glum on the day we switch the thermostat from air conditioning to heat. It means we’re bracing for winter and cold weather, heavy clothing and darkness by 4:00. There’s a smell too as the oil burner turns over for the first time to send hot air through the house.

But after a day or so I remember the bright side. First, I live in New England where the foliage is so glorious that people from everywhere drive up to take a look. So outside my window the view is entrancing.

And there’s the food. After months of light salads and grilled everything my family and I long for the warm, nourishing, rib-sticking dishes that give us comfort when the weather turns fierce.

Like braised meat, perfuming the house as it cooks, enticing us to eat and enjoy a meal with family safe inside. Braised meat is fork-tender and glossy with gravy. It’s my bulwark for the new season.

Braised Short Ribs

Braising has an added make-it-ahead virtue. On Sunday I sometimes cook up a storm, make lots of food and pack it into containers that I can freeze and then take out as needed. Like for during the week when I don’t get home until dinnertime, and the thought of preparing an entire meal is beyond me. As an accompaniment to something I’ve braised I can fix a quick veggie like sautéed spinach or kale and maybe a side order of rice or noodles.

Most Jewish women already know how to braise. We’ve seen our mothers and grandmothers make brisket, haven’t we? And we’ve cooked it too, probably.

But my husband and kids and I have always liked more variety. And so do my brother Jeff and sister-in-law Eileen, who live nearby. We see each other frequently for dinner at one or another’s house during the week. So, when cool weather comes, and I cook lamb and veal shanks, chuck, short ribs and coq au vin, everyone is happy.

Braising is one of the easiest techniques and the recipes are wonderfully forgiving. It’s basically this: brown meat in a pan, add some liquid and seasonings, put a cover on top and slow-cook the dish on the cook top or in the oven until it’s tender.

Really, that’s all there is to it. It’s the same whatever cut you choose. Use a heavy pan, add some vegetable oil and brown the meat. You can flour it first if you like a darker look (flour also thickens the sauce a bit). The only caution is to not crowd the pan. Brown the pieces a few at a time.

Osso Bucco

The liquids? That depends on what you like and what you have. Wine, stock, juice, cider, even water will do. You can add a bit of brandy if you like.

Seasonings also depend on your personal tastes. Fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, savory, etc.) or dried. Once in a while I make a braised dish that includes dried fruit, so I add so-called “baking” spices: cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and so on.

Most of the time I include vegetables. Not only do they give the dish more flavor, they add color too, and some, like tomatoes, onions, celery and mushrooms, add moisture.

Kosher meat cuts are ideal for braising. Shank, short rib, chuck, lamb breast, veal breast all cook to tenderness and taste perfection when you cook them slowly. Over the years I have learned that that means VERY slowly. I’ve seen that many recipes will tell you that 350 degrees is best, cooked for an hour or two (or the comparable heat on the cook top). But I always let the dish take more time, with 225 degrees as my guide. Yes, you have to wait longer, but the results are more than worth it.

The days are getting shorter, our lives our busier and when we get home all we really want is a nice hot meal waiting for us. Enter the slow cooker. These pots are not only for cholent.  Keep yours out all week and make easy set it and forget it recipes for everything from dinner to breakfast to dessert.

 

White Bean Soup with Lemon and Garlic Cornbread

A healthy vegetarian dinner can be had with this all in one soup.  Make enough so you don’t have to fight over the leftovers to bring to work the next day.

Greek Chicken and Vegetable Ragout

This recipe requires a little more work for the finishing touches, but the real flavor comes from it’s long cooking while you forgot about it.  Set your rice cooker too and you won’t have much to do for this tasty dinner.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Every slow cooker roundup needs a pot roast!  This would even be great for the early Shabbat dinners especially if you are not home for lunch the next day so you won’t mind using your pot.  There are so many variations for pot roast and this is a great one to try.

Middle Eastern Lamb Stew

If you are generally a meat or chicken person, you should not forget how useful the slow cooker is for lamb.  Whether in this dish using lamb stew meat or lamb shanks, they are perfect for slow cooking.  And all you have to make is quick cooking couscous and your dinner is ready.

Now that we got dinner covered, what about something sweet?

Note: these can all be made parve, but if you want to make a dairy slow cooker recipe or maybe you don’t have a slow cooker, you can still make these recipes in a pot or even a tin pan covered well in the oven at about 250 degrees.

Apple Confit

This apple confit can be served for breakfast or dessert.  Just think of what your house will smell like when this is cooking, that will be worth it alone, but it is also a healthy sweet warming treat.

Overnight Oatmeal

Yup, you can make breakfast in your slow cooker.  Really you can choose the flavors, but wake up to a hot bowl of this any winter day and you will be a happy person.

Bread Pudding with Pears, Currants and Cinnamon

Bread Pudding, typically thought of as dessert, but could definitely be another hot breakfast option.  Go ahead give it a try and let us know.

What do you like to use your slow cooker for?

Find all our slow cooker recipes here.

Today, I’m going to cook traditional Syrian dishes with Poopa Dweck, author of Aromas of Aleppo. Most of the dishes we’re going to make I have prepared before—one even weekly. As a Syrian Jew, it’s the food I grew up with as well. Yet, I still hope to unlock secrets of the Syrian kitchen, and bring access to this distinctive and tantalizing cuisine to Joy of Kosher readers. For all of you—we’re going to make maza (small delights) first, two types. Bastel, delightful small semolina pastries, filled with ground meat, and laham b’ajeen, mini meat pies, a favorite of all types of Jews everywhere. And for the main course—we’re preparing mehshi kusa, squash filled with ground meat and rice—with a surprisingly delicious side.

Bastel

Poopa chopped a generous amount of onions for the meat filling of our bastel. The trick of the meat filling is to stand over the stove, constantly pressing the meat with a fork so it is not clumpy at all. “You need to keep breaking up the meat, so it’s small, and the spices and pine nuts will integrate well later.”

The dough for the bastel is about the same as its dairy counterpart—the beloved sambousak. There is margarine instead of butter, flour, and smead, also known as semolina. “The margarine needs to be at room temperature to incorporate into the flour nicely. The difference between this dough and sambousak dough is that it takes one teaspoon of oil. Since butter is naturally moister than margarine, it needs to compensate.”
Poopa begins kneading the dough by hand. “People ask, ‘Poopa, why is my dough too crumbly?’ They are not giving a chance for the margarine or butter to do its job. You really need to let the oils open up when kneading—and it’s very important for the margarine or butter to be at room temperature.”

Poopa then shows me the kneaded dough. “This might be the time when people ruin the dough, because they panic and put in more water—just keep kneading.” The amount of water is affected by humidity, so a cook really needs intuition.
The meat is still cooking, and it will continue to cook, Poopa says, until there is no more moisture. “Can we drain it?”
I ask.
“No—then you will lose all the beautiful flavors.” Poopa advises to wait until the meat is finished cooking before we season it—the spices should not get cooked. “Cook it until the moisture is almost gone, because the meat will soak up the rest of the water while it cools.”

To make the bastel, we take a walnut-sized ball of dough. Poopa shows me how she pokes an indentation, then presses the walls of the cavity down to make room for the meat. Though I make sambousak all the time, I’ve never made bastel. The shape is very different, “sambousak are crescent shaped, while bastel were made round—that’s for kashrut reasons, so we know which are milk or meat.”
A teaspoon of meat goes in, and Poopa closes the ball on the bottom. Then pinch pinch pinch—dip in sesame and we’re done.

Laham b’Ajeen

“In Aleppo, Syria, the laham b’ajeen were originally the size of a wrap. It was street food. Then, in America, they got smaller, and smaller, and smaller—until they became bite size. The old-timers laugh when they see the little dots of laham b’ajeen today!” I’m guilty. I too make mine teensy.
The main ingredient the laham b’ajeen’s sauce is tamarind concentrate, or temerhindi (also called oot in Arabic), which came to Aleppo via India and Persia in the 7th century. Despite its travels, the entire Middle East uses pomegranate concentrate instead. “The exclusive use of tamarind is by the Aleppians. The Syrian women used to make 40 pounds before Pesach to use through the holiday and the entire year,” Poopa says.
She adds the ingredients, including onions which have been pulverized in the food processor and Aleppo pepper, which heats food in a milder way than crushed red pepper. Allspice goes in abundance.

Mehshi Kusa

“Mehshi is any stuffed vegetable. In Aleppo, stuffed vegetables were extremely popular. Aleppo was part of the Fertile Crescent. The veggies were abundant, and meat was very expensive. Mixes with rice, though, a little meat could be stretched to feed families by stuffing them into vegetables. They stuffed anything possible—zucchini, eggplant, carrots, onions, potatoes, tomatoes.” The zucchini that we’re stuffing today are bigger than usual. “These big ones are actually easier to stuff—but the talented cook shows off by scooping really thin ones.”
First, Poopa uses a mav’beh, which looks like a long, thin corer, and is sold in Middle Eastern shops (a very thin corer will work as well). She cuts off the top, and a little piece at the bottom, then goes in to take out the inside. “One of the best parts of mehshi kusa is the lib kusa, the byproduct. Cook it with onion, light olive oil, salt, and a little sugar. Not an orange rind in Aleppo was wasted—even the insides of the vegetables were eaten.”

Poopa then shows us one of her favorite scooping tools, a grapefruit spoon, which has serrated edges. “I really go to town with this one,” she says. “Keep the zucchini in your palm so you don’t puncture through.”

The filling for the mehshi is called hashu, and it includes rice that has been soaked—not parboiled (“Parboiled rice doesn’t have the same bite to it”)—and of course, more allspice. “When I mix my meat, I don’t like to overmix it. It takes out the oxygen. Even when preparing hamburgers or anything with ground meat, always have a light hand. It’s not dough.”
The stuffed mehshi are piled in a pot—with no water. It cooks in its own liquids, temerhindi, and a little lemon juice. “When my mother was teaching me how to cook, she would tell me, ‘No water!’ But I didn’t have the confidence that it would cook like that, so she’d repeat it, ‘Poopa, no water!’ The water will come from the squash.  Poopa adds the apricots, and temerhindi on top. She lets the mehshi steam a little bit before adding the lemon juice—and then places a plate on top. “The pressure on top of the mechshe keeps the rice from escaping. But in Aleppo, there was more rice proportionate to the meat, so a century ago, they didn’t only put a plate, but also a glass of water on top of the plate.”

A note about Temerhindi (tamarind sauce): If you live in the New York or New Jersey area, it is worth a trip to the Flatbush section of Brooklyn or Deal, New Jersey to nab a few jars. And if you don’t—have a relative ship some to you! Others use the very accessible (though inauthentic) prune butter (Ssshh….just don’t tell Poopa).

We also made this wonderful vegetable side – Lib Kusa.

And don’t miss  a little more from Poopa and one more recipes for a Syrian dessert – Al Mazieh.

This article was originally published in the Rosh Hashanah 2011 issue of Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller.

For a busy cook, for whom cooking is not the priority, recipes that require a little bit of preparation followed by at least one fuss-free hour are choice. Perhaps this is why so many Jewish cooks cook with brisket. Since it is a cut from the lower chest of beef, it has a lot of connective tissue that needs to be properly broken down in order to tenderize. Braising the brisket as a pot roast for holiday meals is the perfect way to break down the connective tissue. Just ensure to keep the meat covered and that it has plenty of liquid to cook in to avoid a dry and stringy cut of beef.

Since braising meat can take around three hours to cook, it is the perfect recipe to prepare before a big holiday: prepare it, stick it in the oven, and work on all of the other patchke dishes while it cooks. Over the years, brisket has penetrated the collective unconscious as a “Jewish food.” This dates back to nineteenth century Europe, because it was, and remains today, a relatively cheap cut of meat. Since it is lean meat, almost none of it goes to waste. Brisket just takes a little bit of patience, so that it gets tender and delicious. Here are some brisket recipes for Rosh Hashanah.

Roasted Apple Brisket

The apples in this recipe make it a perfect dish for Rosh Hashanah!

Garlic Honey Brisket

You can dip your apple in this garlic honey brisket—mmm.

Sephardic Brisket – Even though brisket is traditionally considered an Ashkenazic dish, try this delicious Sephardic take on the meat!

Brisket

Risk It Brisket -  Ketchup, wine, and Coca-Cola—why not try something new this year with this creative recipe!

Brisket in Seasonal Ale with With Winter Fruits

This is a perfect recipe to get in more Shehecheyanu Brachot. You can have fresh plums alongside your brisket for the bracha, and then dig in to the brisket with prunes.

When I prepare a dish, my key ingredient is creativity. In my opinion, limiting yourself to a list of instructions is not always necessary.  My philosophy is simple: cook a dish the way YOU think it should be prepared, with ingredients that you love. The idea of leaving the recipe book behind is an older approach to cooking, an approach I learned from my parents and grandparents.

I was first introduced to this philosophy when I was 7. The first dish I ever made on my own was egg salad. My mom gave me the mayonnaise and spices, showed me how to peel an egg, and the rest was up to me.  I asked: “How do I know how much to put of each ingredient?” Her response sounded somewhat obvious: “Add a little at a time and keep tasting until you think it tastes right.” Simple, right? Well, 19 tasting spoons later I finally got it to taste flavorful. Now I make the same egg salad and only need one spoon to taste it- the “measurements” (in this case, how many times I shake a spice, and how many spoons of mayo I add) are almost second nature to me.

Everything I cook is “to taste”–that’s why I’m not a baker.  This might seem difficult to some people if they are beginners in the kitchen. You might not get it to taste the way you want the first time but learning from your mistakes will only make you a better and more confident cook!

Wise words my dad (and one of my teachers) loves repeating: “Don’t be discouraged if the first time you cook something it doesn’t come out the way you wanted it to; the second time around it will taste better (but not as good as the third!)”

Crostini Trio

Crostinis are one of my favorite appetizers. Crostinis should not be confused with bruschetta which is also made with bread, rubbed with garlic and olive oil, and is usually topped with tomato and basil. Crostinis are generally made with smaller pieces of bread that are toasted in the oven, while bruschetta is toasted over a grill and is charred. Both can be topped with your favorite toppings. Feel free to turn my crostini recipe into bruschetta!

Nothing says summer like a grilled pizza. I loved using my barbeque this summer, I used it any chance I could. Grilling the pizza dough on the que gives the pizza a sturdy crust, with a soft center. Don’t be afraid to create your own pie with unusual toppings!

Grilled Chicken and Arugula Pizza

Grilled Pizza with Eggplant and Chopped Meat

Grilled Dessert Pizza with Chocolate Spread and Bananas

Quinoa Stuffed Grape Leaves

The idea for this recipe came to me while lunching by my mother in law one Saturday afternoon. She was serving a dairy lunch with many delicious salads, one of which was a quinoa salad with artichokes, mint, and corn. As I was eating the quinoa salad I couldn’t help but notice how familiar it tasted, then an idea occurred to me- This quinoa salad tastes like something I would find in a stuffed grape leaf!  After tasting the quinoa the ideas just flew in my head, why not stuff grape leaves with something other than rice!

My method of no measurements is supposed to inspire the cook to toss out the recipe book and think on your own! What kind of mixture would you use to stuff a grape leaf?

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Papanasi (pronounced “papanash”) are traditional Romanian cheese sweets. I grew up in a Romanian Jewish family. Most of my childhood’s cuisine was based on Romanian dishes, mostly meat, potatoes and eggplants but there were also cheese dishes that I loved – savory and sweet.

Since I became vegetarian, 22 years ago, I’ve been focusing on those vegetable and dairy dishes.  One of the dairy sweets that both my grandmother and mother used to make (and still does, G’d bless her) is called Papanash.  The original Papanash that you can find in most Romanian Restaurants is a sweet cheese DOUGHNUT that looks a little similar to the American doughnuts we’re accustomed to (as oppose to Hanukka’s doughnuts that do not have a hole and are filled with jam or other fillings), except the Papanash doughnuts do not come out as round as American doughnuts because their dough is softer.

In my house we used to eat two other kinds of Papanash, though: cheese patties and cooked cheese and semolina dumplings.  The original doughnut version was introduced to me much later, when I started inquiring about Romanian cuisine.

The original Papanash: Cheese Doughnuts
Romanians do not waste anything so they deep fry the round dough that was cut out of the doughnut’s center and place it on top of the Papansh that is served with sour cherries jam and sour cream or whipped cream.

Here are the two other versions I’m used to:

Papanash with Cranberries

 and

Papanash Cooked Dumplings with Crunchies

Papanash are usually sweet. However, I took my sweet recipe and turned it into a savory dish. You can serve them with the tomato sauce or without it. They’re great anyway.

Savory Papanasi

In Israel we have soft but very dry low-fat cheeses for these kinds of dishes. I’m not familiar with American cheeses but the best substitute I can think of is Ricotta cheese. Make sure you use a low-fat soft but DRY cheese.

We go shopping with Chef Jeff Nathan at Union Square Farmer’s Market—then it’s off to Abigael’s to cook with summer produce at its peak.

We’re standing in front of Barnes and Noble on East 17th St. To the south of us stretches Union Square, and today—a steamy day in June, the Union Square Farmer’s Market graces the park.  Walking on the city streets, if I didn’t divert my eyes to see the rows of brightly colored tents and high mounds of fresh-from the- farm produce—I could most definitely smell it. I’m here with Chef Jeff Nathan, his wife Alison, and my inquisitive friend Rachel.

“Alright, c’mon.” Chef Jeff Nathan motions for us to follow him inside. “One of the good things about a market is that you know everything is fresh. You don’t get a lot of good deals monetarily, but you’re helping the farmers. There is a lot of sustainability. They will advertise if they are using fertilizers, antibiotics, steroids, or what have you. I always love natural and fresh. Organic, though, is a little tricky—sometimes, a person would buy a cantaloupe because it’s organic. You don’t need to, because it has a thick skin. If you can peel something, you are wasting your
money by buying organic.

“What’s amazing about having a market here, right in the middle of the city—all the restaurants come every day, and that’s how they create their specials. We cook what’s in season. I wouldn’t decide to feature a tomato basil salad in the middle of the winter—for what reason? Tomatoes aren’t at their peak. But right now, the beautiful beefsteak tomatoes are amazing. I don’t plan my menu and then go shopping. I go shopping—and then plan my menu. I won’t come here and say, ‘I’m looking for peaches.’ I’m going to look at the peach—is the peach good?
“The key here is the freshness—you know the produce is just picked. Taste this sugar snap pea—it’s got flavor, it tastes like a pea. We just passed rhubarb season, which was amazing. We might see a little rhubarb leftover today. Let’s start over here.”  Chef Jeff leads us to the booth that’s closest to us at the Northern end of the market. Pints of strawberries cover the table. They aren’t large and red like the ones you see in the
supermarket.

“Someone who doesn’t know strawberries might say, ‘They’re so small.’ But if you taste one of these babies— they explode in your mouth. Don’t think size is important.  These have the most flavor. Also, when you’re purchasing strawberries, it’s important to know that if one strawberry is
rotten, it’ll make the whole container decay. So if you have one rotten in the bunch, take it out right away.  “But—this is the stuff we want to eat. I’d make a salad with bitter arugula and sweet, sweet strawberries. Maybe some jicama, maybe pineapples.”

“Alright, you’re making us hungry,” Rachel says.

Everyone laughs. We’re only going to get hungrier. Chef Jeff has just begun.  “Strawberries are not just for dessert—I love light and refreshing salads. I’d also make a salsa to use over fish—strawberries with cilantro, red onion, cracked black pepper, a little rice vinegar.”

In the stall next to the strawberries are big bunches of lettuces, other greens, and different kinds of onions. “These purslane are very healthy greens. They have a lemony tang to them—they’re great for stir-fries and sautés.” “Are they sometimes used for garnish?” asks Rachel.
“You’re thinking of watercress, they look similar,” Alison tells Rachel, as she grabs some of the purslane to take home.  Lined up next to the purslane are a great variety of leafy bunches. Jeff picks up a bunch of mustard greens. “Mustard greens have a hearty flavor. If you want to sauté, you can cook this without worrying about it falling apart. Now is the time to use different lettuces—mix them up for different textures.

Lolla rossa is amazing. If I have romaine, I want to mix it up with lolla rossa, or boston or bibb that are a little softer, so each bite is a different texture or consistency. When we have a salad, why do we put nuts or fruit in it? Because we are creating a sensation for our palate.”

Jeff isn’t a fan of iceberg or romaine—the latter is only used for Caesar salad on his menu. “I don’t like icebergs for salads either—it has no taste. But iceberg is great for a sandwich—I love that crunch. With soft bread, it adds texture. If you were to take hummos and eat it plain, it would get boring after a couple of spoonfuls. But with pita or a crunchy veggie, you are introducing a different texture and it’s much more interesting.”

“Does it make such a difference if you substitute an onion for a shallot?” Rachel asks. Rows of different kinds of onions abut the lettuces.
“90% of people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference,” Jeff shakes his head. “Use a red onion if you don’t have shallots.  I don’t believe in recipes—they are there to inspire you. If a recipe calls for a green pepper, and you only have a different color pepper in your fridge, does it matter?”

Across the way, a vendor is selling different types of string beans—there are purple varieties called Romano beans, yellow wax beans, and your typical green been. “Even for a visual—I’d use the three of these together in a basic string bean salad, with one-third of each variety, red onion, a
handful of tomatoes, and vinaigrette.”

“Is there a difference between the different colors?” Rachel asks.

“Can I be honest? Is there a big flavor difference? Not really. They are just different varieties.”  “But it’s not like they took the tomato and made it square.”  We all laugh. “No!” The purple string beans are natural just the same.  It’s the fava bean that’s sitting next to the string beans, though, that gets Chef Jeff excited. He takes a bean and starts to peel. “The outside isn’t edible,” he says, revealing the inner beans. “Cook them slowly. They become like butter, the most tender, amazing thing. I love to make a fava bean hummos.”

Rachel wants to know about summer squash. “To me, it seems the oversized ones don’t have as much flavor.”
“It’s true,” Alison agrees.
“I have a different perception,” says Jeff. “To me, baby squashes are premature and don’t have flavor. I won’t use a baby patty pan or baby squashes. If I close my eyes, I don’t taste anything. Give it a chance to mature.”  When it comes to mature zucchini and yellow squash, though, Jeff agrees. The smaller ones are a little better because they have less seeds.

We come right up to a huge mound of sugar snap peas— they seem to be the star of the market today. Jeff takes a pea and demonstrates, taking off the tail at one end, and then peeling off the edge. “There’s two pieces I take off before serving them at the restaurant. I don’t mind the little
blemishes—they’re natural. Everything can’t be perfect, but the flavor of these are amazing.”

Walking down the aisles, there’s a vendor selling flowers.  Another has jars of pickles, stacked high. In another booth, there are jars of preserves, made of almost every kind of berry or citrus fruit. There’s also fresh apple cider for sale.

“Apple cider is a fermented product. In my cookbook, I have a recipe that is more requested than any other dish. It’s a brisket with black strap molasses and apple cider sauce.”  Later, when I get home, I look up the recipe he’s referring to in Adventures in Jewish Cooking, where the brisket cooks in the juice for hours.

We stroll over to the next stall, where root vegetables, with their straggling tails, are piled the highest on the tables.  “Different radishes do have different flavors. If you’re using a few different radishes in your salad, cut some on an angle, some square, and some round so it’s more interesting.

Everything that you put into a dish, ask yourself, ‘What am I putting this in there for? Is one bitter? Is one sweet? Does one add crunch? Do I need a red or orange for something to pop?’ There has to be a thought process, because you are never eating one element at a time.”

Our lesson in mushrooms will definitely affect the type I buy. “The portobello is the vegetarian king. They bread it or braise it and treat it like a piece of meat. I take the gills and the stem off, but I don’t throw away the stem.” Next to the portobellos are big, white domestic mushrooms—and the little creminis next to them. “You don’t have to take the stems off the cremini mushrooms.”  “Are those the same as baby bellas?” I ask.  “Yes, those are the baby bellas. White button mushrooms—I don’t use. They have no flavor. Cremini and button mushrooms are often the same price, but the flavor you’re getting with the cremini is much better.  “Oyster mushrooms are delicious, they fry up crispy and nice. But this is my favorite mushroom to use in therestaurant.” Chef Jeff is holding up a large, white mushroom that’s shaped like a cylinder. “The king oyster—it’s like the portobello—it has a tremendous amount of flavor. And I can cut it into different shapes. I’ll cut it on angles and grill it, or into discs and sauté. It’s very porous, so any sauce I add to the pan just gets sucked up. When it’s cut, you can add it to a dish and no one knows what it is.”  At the end of the row are the shiitakes, which Jeff also calls “a great mushroom.” But—he warns. “You can’t use the stem of the shiitake.”

“Have you ever used sunchokes? They are absolutely delicious. They taste something like a potato. Peel them, cut them into pieces, and stir-fry them with water chestnuts, peppers, or mushrooms. Or—boil them like potatoes and make a sun choke puree. You can also do a puree with two
parts potatoes and one part sunchoke. It’s really nice.”

“What about edible flowers?” I’ve always wondered—could they be kosher? Or are they too difficult to clean? Jeff tells us that he can’t use them in the restaurant—by the time they were cleaned, there would be nothing left.

“I’m surprised I don’t see any heirloom tomatoes,” Jeff says, looking around. I don’t see eggplants or melons around either.
But there are cherries. “On Facebook, I posted several salads with cherries. When there’s one specific item I like that’s only available for a short season, I obsess. When rhubarb was around, I did rhubarb cobblers and crisps. I did a rhubarb sauce for my duck. I also love fruit soups for summer—tomato or strawberry soup. Blueberry soup is one of my favorites.”  As we walk south down the main aisle of the market,

Jeff spots one vendor with monstrous looking eggs sitting in two baskets. A sign next to them reads, “Ostrich Eggs. Empty—$20. Full—$30.” Jeff picks up an empty one with a little hole at the top. “Wow! Presentation at the restaurant. Imagine a waiter pouring a vinaigrette out of this thing.”

“Until a waiter tries to squeeze it,” Rachel quips.

“Did you pick up the fresh one?” asks the vendor.   “It’s heavy?”
“It’s the equivalent of 18 to 24 eggs.” Wow.

“Fresh is best,” Chef Jeff summarizes our experience today.  “Next is frozen—it hasn’t been adulterated. Next, aseptic is a minimally invasive cooking process, where items are flash pasteurized, cooking for a few seconds at a high temperature so the nutrition isn’t destroyed. Canned vegetables are worthless. Why they have canned vegetables today is beyond me.”  “Are there any that are ok? Like chickpeas?” Rachel asks.
“Chick peas are ok—they take so long to cook, so let them do it for us.”  “I thought you don’t use canned chickpeas!” I turn to Rachel.
“For falafel—no. It turns to mush. But for hummos, yes.”  “Baking soda will make chick peas cook faster,” Jeff says.  “But will also destroy the nutrition.”

Today, it’s the baby greens that impress Chef Jeff the most. “These greens are amazing—look at these. Pea greens, sunflower greens.”
Every farm, he tells us, makes their own lettuce blend. Jeff picks up the tongs to show us, “This is a mixture of baby lettuces. This particular one has very expensive, light, and delicate greens in it.”  On our way out, Jeff spots a lone vendor that is still carrying rhubarb. It disappoints him, though, when he picks up a spear and bends it. “There’s nothing to it. It’s woody. Rhubarb usually snaps.”  Rhubarb season, apparently, is over.

For some fabulously fresh recipes from Cheff Jeff, click on.

This month we will be discussing three different cuts. Theoretically these cuts still fall under the Chuck Primal section,  closer to the animal’s shoulder blade. The cuts I will be talking about are marked 4, 5 and 6 on the beef chart.

Cut number 5 – Side Bolo/Boneless Blade Steak/’Sharon’s Pearl’

This is a small cut (about 12 – 15 inches long) but a very tender cut of meat. Slicing it horizontally on either side of the white sheet of sinew that runs through the middle, gives you two large steaks . This is quite a thick piece of meat (about 2 – 3 inches thick) however, the cows may be bigger in America so your steak may be slightly thicker!

This is a very tender cut of meat, in fact, it’s the only cut I will use for my Summertime Steak Salad and it’s never let me down, ever! In the pictures above you will see the raw cut, whole (on the left) before it has been separated horizontally, together with a picture (on the right) where the raw cut has been cut vertically. Cut this way (vertically) they are known as ‘Oyster steaks’, cut horizontally they are known as blade steaks or ‘Sharon’s Pearl’ TM!

Use this cut to make this Beefeater Pub Lunch.

Click to read about Number 4, the Shoulder Roast and Number 6, the Round Bolo.

Number 6 on the Beef Guide is the Round Bolo otherwise called the Mock Tender.  It’s a small, very lean cut that can also be used for minute steaks and stroganoff, or cubed for stews, steak pies and curries.  It really is a very versatile cut.  One of my favourites.

Many cuts of all different shapes and sizes were interviewed for the position of Hasslefree Hassleback Beef.  But it was round bolo, with its compact, smooth and wonderful texture that kept getting called back to the boardroom table, where it was finally hired.

If you can get this aged (vacuum packed in the fridge) for seven to ten days this makes a delicious roast for three or four people.  If your butcher is unable to vacuum pack this cut then place the whole piece into a large ziploc bag and marinate for a day or two in the following marinade:
1/2 cup of oil
1 cup tomato juice
1 cup coca cola
When ready to roast, remove from bag, shake any excess marinade off the meat and discarding the marinade.  Thereafter, follow the recipe for Hasslefree Hassleback Beef.
Click to read about Number 4, the Shoulder Roast and Number 5, the Side Bolo.

The next section we are going to be looking at is the shoulder area. This is still part of the chuck primal and this area is made up of some of the finest cuts of meat for grilling, frying or long slow cooking.  Tenderized steak, minute steaks, stroganoff, cubed beef, stewing meat, London broil, would also come from this area.

I will be starting with the largest shoulder muscle (Point number 4 on the chart) which we call The Shoulder Bolo.  This boneless cut of beef is a smooth, solid cut large enough to serve 8 – 10 people.  It is a very lean cut and as a result many butchers use this cut to make rare roast beef for their deli section.

Most chefs would say that this heavily exercised muscle should be braised or cooked in liquid.  However, if spiced and dry roasted in a hot oven,  allowing it to remain rare in the middle, it makes the most wonderful beef roast. To further enhance this roast’s wonderful taste and texture remember to slice it against the grain and very thin.

The recipe I have therefore chosen to share with you, follows this method of cooking perfectly.  It is called ’Shoulder Roast in a Peppercorn Jacket with Yorkshire Pudding‘. Yorkshire Pudding, can be best described as an unsweetend baked batter traditionally served with roast beef and gravy.  It’s a very popular Sunday lunch favourite in Great Britain.  This, served with roast potatoes, crunchy broccoli and glazed carrots is a real winner in our home!

Click to read about Number 5, the Side Bolo and Number 6, the Round Bolo.

I am definitely an amateur when it comes to stacking cakes but I also love to test the limits of my creativity. So when I had the idea to stack a cake for my son’s birthday party, I knew research was necessary! What I realized while searching the Web for tips was that the advice coming from professionals seemed so complicated. Sometimes the best person to give a beginner advice is another beginner. So I’m here as an amateur cake stacker with simple and easy directions!

With some great advice from Melissa at Lil’ Miss Cakes and more tips from the Web, I was ready. You want to start with a good recipe. See my Rainbow Layer Cake recipe on Joy of Kosher. Since you will be stacking two cakes, just double the recipe. I chose to make my cake with red and yellow layers so after mixing the batter, I separated it in to two large bowls and whisked in red gel food coloring in one and yellow in the other (gel food coloring won’t change the texture of the batter).

A few tips: Bake the bottom cake in three 9-inch round pans and the top cake in three 6-inch round pans. Line each pan with parchment paper then spray with cooking spray to ensure the cakes come out of their pans easily. Once the cakes have cooled completely, use a serrated knife to slice off the rounded dome on top of the cakes to even them out. You don’t want uneven layers or the cake will be lopsided. Save that extra cake for cake pops!

When the cakes are completely cooled, you are ready to stack the layers. On a 9-inch round cake board, place the first layer of cake bottom side down. Use a cake revolving plate so you can turn the cake as you frost. Dollop a large amount of buttercream on top and spread with an offset spatula to the edges of the cake. Top with the second layer of cake, repeat the process then top with the third layer, this time bottom side up for an even top to the cake. Using another large dollop of buttercream, “crumb coat” the cake, which means you are coating the cake with a thin layer of buttercream to cover any imperfections and set any loose crumbs. This process does not need to be pretty! Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Follow the same process with the 6-inch tier (on a 6-inch cake board) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

The bottom layer should be ready to decorate at this point!  Place a large dollop of buttercream on top of the cake and spread the frosting cleanly around the top and sides. Keep a cup of hot water nearby to dip in the offset spatula, wipe with a towel then smooth on the buttercream with the hot utensil.

To cover your cake in sprinkles like mine, place the sprinkles in the palm of your hand and press them against the buttercream. Open up the rolled fondant, scoop out ½ teaspoons and roll in to balls. Place the balls all around the bottom of the cake in alternating colors. Bonus:  covers any imperfections!

To decorate the top cake, I used colored fondant to make superhero cutouts. Use any cookie cutter you want to make fun shapes. Sprinkle powdered sugar on the counter and the rolling pin so the fondant doesn’t stick. Roll out the fondant, cut out the shapes and set them aside.

Remove the top layer from the fridge and using more buttercream, cover it completely. Place your fondant shapes on the cake and set it aside.

Next, stabilize your cake to hold the top layer. You can either buy plastic dowels or use wide straws. Place them in towards the center of the bottom cake and cut off the excess. Gently place the top layer over the dowels, making sure it’s centered on the cake.

Create more fondant balls for the edges of the top layer and you are done! Refrigerate uncovered for up to 3 days. Please comment below if you have any questions or tips.

Check out the layers!

View my Kosher Beef Guide for a better understanding of the Kosher Forequarter and for a visual guide.

Today, we are focusing on the Chuck section.

Chuck Roast

Deboned Chuck Roast

The Chuck section (No. 2 on chart) more or less runs from the neck down the vertebrae of the back to about the 5th rib and down towards the shoulder area. Although chuck contains a high percentage of connective tissue with quite a bit of muscle tissue, it still yields some of the most flavorsome cuts of meat on the forequarter. Some of these cuts haven’t quite made it into the “popular crowd’s” group yet but I’m sure after trying some of these recipes their popularity will increase and it won’t be long before they’re accepted! I’ve always said that each and every cut on the forequarter has its own unique flavor and texture and there is most certainly ‘life after fillet’!

Corned Beef with Mustard Sauce

Slow Cooker Pulled Brisket

Reliable Riasin Rib Roast

Granny Smith’s ‘Raisin” The Roof Off Roast