Our Incredibly Cultural Vegetarian Yom Kippur Break-Fast

As far as food traditions go, there are only a few days a year for which I have requirements. 

1. Mac & Cheese and cookie cake for my birthday
2. Matzah Ball Soup for Passover
3. Bagels & Lox  with a hearty helping of kugel on the side for breaking the fast after Yom Kippur

I'm a girl with simple needs.

...Tal may or may not have started counting my shoes, purses, and lip glosses as I typed that…

Anyway, when I started to plan our 2 person break-fast last week, I realized that it was going to be a challenge to satisfy those simple needs this year. Indian flavors and Eastern European Jewish cooking don't exactly share a center circle on the venn diagram. 

There are a few foods that are traditionally eaten at the Jewish new year for a variety of symbolic reasons, and while I couldn't prepare them in the style to which I'm accustom - there was really no reason not to find creative ways to incorporate them.

I did hours of recipe research (stop judging me, after 24 hours of fasting the meal has to be DARN worthy)  and in the end,  our holiday meal didn't taste anything like what we're used to but it was delicious, vegetarian and steeped-in-tradition to boot!

This is how we incorporated carrots, honey, and pomegranate in our Turkish, Moroccan, Indian, Vegetarian Yom Kippur Break-Fast  2012:

Bulgar Pomegranate Salad

Moroccan Carrot & Chickpea Tagine

 Baingan Bharta (Roasted Eggplant)

I felt that it was important to include an Indian dish at our holiday meal this year. This is adapted from the cook book Pure & Simple: Homeade Indian Vegetarian Cuisine by Vidhu Mittal.

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant
• 2 tbsp  oil of choice other than olive ( I used sunflower)
• 1 large red onion, cut into medium sized cubes
• 1 1/2 tsp chopped ginger
• 1 tsp chopped green chillies
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 cup cooked green peas
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

Puncture the eggplant with a fork several times, then coat the outer surface with oil. Roast over the stove-top flame until the skin starts to peel, and the eggplant feels soft. Set aside to cool.

Once the eggplant has cooled, remove the skin and cut the eggplant  into bite sized cubes. Cut the tomatoes into similarly sized pieces.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan; add onion, ginger, and green chillies. Cook until the onions are light brown. 

Add the eggplant, tomato, and spices (including a bit of salt) to the pan. Toss to coat.

Cover the pan, stirring occasionally until eggplants are cooked through. 

Put 3/4 of the eggplant mixture into a food processor. Puree.

While the frying pan is still hot, add peas to remaining  eggplant & tomatoes. When peas are heated, combine the two eggplant mixtures.

Garnish with cilantro if you're so inclined.  When it comes to cilantro? I am NEVER so inclined.

Finally, I adapted this recipe for  Pumpkin Honey Rice Pudding:

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked medium-grain white rice
• 1 12-ounce can light coconut milk
• 4 cups skim or low fat milk
• 1/4 cup raw sugar (or white if that's what you have)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 3/4 cups pureed pumpkin
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt

Combine the rice, milks, sugar, honey pumpkin, spices, and salt in a heavy bottom saucepan. Bring the rice mixture just to a simmer; watch it to make sure it doesn't boil over. Turn the heat down to low and stir the rice mixture well. Cover the pan most of the way and simmer the rice pudding gently for about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

When the rice is tender, remove the pot from the stove. Cover the pan and let the rice pudding cool at least 30 minutes before serving.

This was delicious warm after our dinner, and still delicious cold; when I ate it again for breakfast this morning.

May the new year be rich and sweet, and may your tummy always be filled with food made with love. Shana Tova!

Farro and Pureed Butternut Squash with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Goat Cheese

Making Itineraries and Other Things I Have on my Resume

Yes. Making itineraries is actually on my resume. If I learned anything in college about landing a job, it was the following 3 things:

1. Networking & relationships are more important than what you learn in class.
2. Interview suits should be simple, but your shoes should be spectacular.
3. Under "Interests" on your resume, make every effort to actually sound interesting.

Networking and relationships? Done and done. That shiz is totally my bailiwick.

Spectacular shoes? Why thank you clearance section at DSW, I think I WILL buy 3 pairs of designer shoes for $100.

Being interesting on paper proved to be the biggest challenge. I love my hobbies, but every girl in New York lists "cooking, travel and working out" among their interests. Also, and this upset me, it turns out that "watching copious amounts of televsion"... is not considered a skill. Lame.

So, I had to get creative. If I get a female interviewer "make-up artistry" usually goes over pretty well, but men neither notice nor care. That's where "making itineraries" comes in. It's wierd, but not so weird that it's creepy. Also, I get to talk about my crazy organization skillz.

This week is my Mom's birthday. Did you call her yet? Go ahead, I'll wait.

Isn't she fun to talk to?

So anyway, this week is my mom's birthday and she chose to celebrate it with me in NYC this year! As soon as she told me this was what she wanted to do, I started making an itinerary.

Here is the actual itinerary:
Monday Night:
--- 5:45 Manicures so you'll be EXTRA purdy for your big day :)
 --- 7 dinner and movie/tv at home (I'll cook something yummy)

Tuesday Night:
--  6:10am I'm going to go to the gym to prepare for the rest of your birthday..you don't have to join
--- 1pm you meet me for lunch ---Le Pan Q. & Magnolias
--- 6pm cook dinner at the shelter
--- 8:30pm BIRTHDAY DINNER FOR THE BIRTHDAY GIRL -
http://www.standburger.com/index.html and save room for a little treat from
http://www.momofuku.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/JanuaryEVMenuBack.jpg
            
 Wednesday Night:
--- 5pm dentist appointment in Brooklyn
--- 6pm gym
--- 8:00 dinner at S'Nice

You should see what I can do with a weekend. Give me three days and I'll give you exhastion ;-)

My goal for monday night's dinner was to prove to my mom that she could enjoy an entire meal made from whole grains and seasonable vegetables.

Farro and Pureed Butternut Squash with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Goat Cheese
(Loosely adapted from the "Stuffed Acorn Squash" recipe in the Canyon Ranch Cook Book

Ingredients:
3 cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock (low-sodium)
2 cups dry farro
1 teaspoon Salt, divided
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Thyme
2 lbs peeled, seeded, and chopped butternut squash
1/2 medium Onion, finely diced
3 Garlic cloves, minced or crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground Allspice
1 Tablespoon white wine
1/4 cup low fat milk
1 Tablespoon almond oil
Black pepper to taste
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Preparation:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle. Lightly spray a baking sheet with olive oil.

Once the oven is pre-heated, place the squash on the baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until the squash are tender when pierced with a fork. I like to let them get just slightly carmalized.

Place a medium sized pot with lid over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable stock to the pot and bring it to a boil. Add farro, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and thyme to the pot. Stir, and then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot with the lid, and gently simmer for 30 minutes, or until the rice has farro has absorbed the broth. If all of the liquid has been absorbed and the farro is not cooked to your desired consistancy, add a bit of water. Once the farro is cooked, remove the pot from the heat, and fluff the contents with a fork.

While the squash and farro are cooking, place a small heavy pan with lid over low heat. Add onion and garlic into the pan, cover and stirr occasionally until the onion is soft and almost translucent. If the mixture starts to stick to the pan, add a little bit of water. Once the onion is cooked, remove the cover and add the allspice, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and vermouth. Stir and continue to cook the mixture for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, and set the pan aside.

Once the squash is cooked, remove it from the oven.Transfer the squash into a food processor, or use an immersion blender if you have one. Add in the onion mixture and milk and process until smooth. While the processor is still running, slowly pour in the almond oil. Add pepper to taste. Once everything is smooth and blended together, transfer the mixture to a large bowl and mix in the cooked farro.

Sprinkle each serving with goat cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds.

We enjoyed this dish with a lovely spinach salad with pears, red onions, dried cranberries, toasted cashews and a whole grain mustard vinnegrete.

My mom was pleasantly surprised by how much she enjoyed the meal, and immediatly called my dad to tell him how many vegetables she'd willingly (mostly willingly) ingested.

He did not believe her.

Anything But Rice: Quinoa Bulgur Cakes & Poached Eggs

I just received the tiiiiniest little adorable bag of quinoa from one of Tal's coworkers who recently returned from London. I am SO EXCITED. A grain?! Other than rice?! 

*Cue the Hallelujah Choir*

So you figure, the smart thing to do... since I only have about 2 cups worth, would be to save it for a special occasion.

No.

I am a child of the technology era. 

I require instant gratification.


Quinoa & Bulgur Cakes with Poached Eggs

Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa, at room temperature (1/4 cup dry)
• 1 cup cooked bulgur, at room temperature (1/4 cup dry)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• ½ tsp. coarse salt
• 1/3 cup minced green onions, chopped
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup whole grain bread crumbs, plus more if needed
• Olive oil, for frying patties
• (for serving) grated or shaved Parmesan
• (for serving) poached or fried eggs 
• (for serving) Salt and pepper
• Made 8 small patties

Directions:

• In a medium bowl, combine the quinoa, bulgur, eggs, salt, green onions and Parmesan.  Stir to blend.
  
  Heat about a half tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan set over medium heat. Toss in the garlic and shallots. Cook for just about a minute. You don't want them to get soft, just lose a little bit of their bite.
  
  Mix the shallots, garlic and  bread crumbs into the quinoa mixture and stir gently until evenly incorporated.  Form the mixture into 8 evenly sized patties, they'll be a little plump.
• Add the patties to the pan you used for the garlic and shallots.  Let cook about 4 minutes or until the first side is lightly browned.  Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and let the second side cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes more.  Repeat with the remaining patties, using additional olive oil if needed.  Top each patty with a bit of Parmesan and egg, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  
  I have not yet mastered poached eggs. It doesn't matter how many You Tube tutorials I watch. They always look like decapitated ghosts. 

Aloo Gobi

Indian Food: It's a Love/Hate Sorta Thing

I'm not a picky eater. I like pretty much every style of cuisine I've tried. But up until about 6 weeks ago, I DID. NOT. eat Indian food. I didn't "not care" for Indian food. I didn't "eat Indian food occasionally". I didn't "eat the American bastardization of Indian food".

I resolutely. absolutely. unwaveringly. DID NOT eat Indian food.

Why YES, there IS  a story behind it, how did you guess?

The summer before my freshman year of high school, my dear friend Hannah and her parents invited me to join them in nearby Ithaca, New York for dinner and a play. Dinner was to be at an Indian restaurant near the Cornell campus.

At  the tender young age of 14 and 2 months, my innocent, Caucasian, small-town palate had yet to experience the flavor explosion that is Indian food. But I took to it with abandon. "Too hot?" The skeptical waiter asked while offering naan and yogurt, "Psshhht, heck no! Bring on the curry, peeps! And hit me with some spicy dal while you're at it."

After dinner we walked into the beautiful Cornell campus for the show. Midway through the first act my tummy started to rumble. The closer we got to intermission, the more violent the rumbles became. By the time they closed the curtains and turned the lights on signaling the conclusion of the act,  I was the definition of clammy. I tried to play it cool and walked slowly to the bathroom with Hannah. As we got closer we discovered that, of course, there was a HUGE line. Hannah, being the good, kind, eloquent friend she is, started pushing past the annoyed looking ladies in front of us and yelled "SHE'S GONNA BLOW!!!!!"

And blow she did. And no I did not make it into a stall. And I spent the next 2 days hanging out with my good friend Ms. Porcelain. (As this was pre-college, this was my first serious relationship with Ms. Porcelain.)

For years after that weekend I couldn't even smell Indian food without becoming nauseated. So when I found out we were moving to India...I was a tad bit nervous to say the least. But I'm happy to report that after a few practice rounds in New York before we left, I'm not only a champion Indian food consumer but I'm getting pretty darn good at the preparation too!

Oh..sorry..you don't really want to think about eating now? My bad.

Aloo Gobi & Masoor Dal aur Band Gobi  (with brown rice...which I'm pretty sure is sag-relig and going to get me deported. Whatevs. My intestines are happy).

(Potatoes and Cauliflower &  Red Lentils with Cabbage)

Here's something I've learned about Indian cooking. Completely prepare ALL of your ingredients before you start putting things in the pot, because when that oil starts to sputter... you can be sure, SHE'S GONNA BLOW!

Chole Pindi & Chole Palak

Chickpeas For Everyone!

Today is my one month-iversary in Bangalore! 

I haven't had the opportunity to take any cooking lessons yet but until I get the chance to do so, I've made it one of my goals to try my hand at one new dish a week. When we go out to eat I write down the foods I like and then look up recipes when I get home. I'm far (very. very. veryveryvery far) from being able to adapt and experiment, but I'm having fun learning about all the different spices here and I've only almost blown up our kitchen 6 or 7 times! (Our housekeeper physically removed the lighter from my hand when she saw me attempting to light our stove my first week here...)

Hot meals, made from scratch, are part of the culture here so you can't find nearly as many packaged/pre-made foods at the grocery store. But fresh produce and all sorts of grains and spices are readily available and SUPER affordable.

This cost about $25, and most of that was because of the imported ingredients like red-wine vinegar.

Anyhoo.. the first dish I tried is called Chole Palak, Chickpeas & Spinach.

I have to admit something a little embarrassing...  I've never made beans from scratch.  Most recipes call for canned and I'm a rule follower. (Except, of course, when I'm not.)

But here in India? Not an option. And so began my adventure with Indian cooking.

I bought a small bag of chickpeas and decided to make the whole thing. Google told me I could just freeze what I didn't need. Let's just say... my freezer wasn't big enough to store the spare chickpeas that resulted from this little experiment.

Therefore, my second dish was Chole Pindi:

It doesn't look that different, but trust me... it is.

The instructions on this one required some creative thinking, so here's what I did:

Put the soaked chickpeas in a large pot filled with water. Add 2 tea bags (chai if you can find it, otherwise English Breakfast will do) and salt and cook till soft. Once cooked to desired softness, remove the tea bags. Drain the chickpeas, but reserve liquid.

Dry roast pomegranate seeds, coriander seeds, half the turmeric powder, half the red chilli powder, and dry mango powder. This is the chana masala. 

Heat three tablespoons ghee or butter in a deep frying pan or wok.  Add one teaspoon cumin seeds and sauté till it changes colour. Add onions and sauté till golden. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, red chilli powder, remaining turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and continue to sauté. Add boiled chickpeas, a pinch of salt and a quarter cup reserved cooking liquid from the chickpeas.

Meanwhile heat one tablespoon ghee/butter in a pan, add the remaining cumin seeds and tomatoes. Add slit green chillies and a little salt and toss. Stir and press the tomatoes lightly. Add a little water and cook for two minutes. Add to the chickpeas along with chana masala and garam masala. Stir to mix well and cook for fifteen to twenty minutes on low heat. Add water or reserved cooking liquid a few tablespoons at a time if need be.

Serve hot. 

After the two traditional Indian dishes I made a roasted red pepper sauce and used it to toss whole grain pasta, green beans and chickpeas.

And then I made a big batch of hummus.

And then I added chickpeas to some bulgur and steamed summer veggies.

And then I tossed some into a salad.

And I still. have. chickpeas.

Peach Sangria and Other Summer Recipe Links

To my loyal followers (all three of you),

Despite evidence to the contrary, I have not deserted you. I know it seems like I abandoned my food blog for a newer, younger, more interesting travel blog - but truly, dear readers, I have not.

When I launched my travel blog, Together They Would Travel, I did so with every intention of writing the two simultaneously. I couldn't wait to start filling my blog with India inspired dishes. I had visions of myself shoulder to shoulder with a beautiful old Indian woman, in the aroma filled kitchen she's used to prepare meals for more decades than I've been alive, learning all of the magic of vegetarian Indian cuisine.  (She's beautiful because in my fantasies everything sparkles, and she has to be old  because we're going to have incredibly deep, meaningful conversations while she teaches me and she's going to impart lessons of food and family with a wisdom that only the truly elderly can obtain). Then I pictured myself rushing home to my apartment in Bangalore and furiously typing up everything I'd learned, in blog format, as much for your benefit as my own.

So why, you ask, has it been more than a month since I've posted a recipe? Well.  Not only have I not yet managed to get myself to India, but I haven't even had my own kitchen in over a month! We moved out of our apartment in Brooklyn on May 31st and I've been jumping from guest room to guest room ever since. 

However, during the two weeks I was hanging out in parents' beautiful new house, I was given permission to create nightly dinner menus, and provided with full access to their spectacular kitchen and the aid of  two super su chefs. More importantly, I was only a few short miles from WEGMANS!

We made SO many delicious meals:

• Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Summer Veggies, Tossed in a Homemade Pistachio Pesto Sauce
• BBQ Ceder Plank Grilled Salmon, with a cold Mediterraneans Farro Salad
• Grilled Chicken & Veggie Skewers with Tziki Sauce and my favorite Cauliflower Recipe
• Black Bean Burgers and Corn on the Cob
• And my favorite meal of the week.. White Pizza with Indian Spiced Greens and a Watermelon Feta Salad.

The only recipe we made during my stay that I really altered in a significant way was a Peach Sangria recipe. I based it off of this recipe. 


Summertime Peach Sangria

• 1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry white wine
• 3/4 cup peach flavored schnapps
• 6 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1/4 cup white sugar (this can be reduced to make this drink less sweet)
• 3/4 pound frozen peach slices
• 3/4 cup fresh raspberries
• 3/4 cup seedless green grapes, halved
• 2 (ish) cups of a lemon-lime sparkling beverage ( I used the Wegman's brand diet 7up)

1. In a large pitcher, combine dry white wine, schnapps, lemonade concentrate and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add sliced peaches, raspberries and green grapes.
2. Refrigerate sangria until well chilled, at least 2 hours, or overnight to blend flavors. 
3. JUST before serving add sparkling beverage (start sparingly, and taste before you add the full 2 cups)
4. Serve over ice, and use a slotted spoon to include sliced peaches and grapes with each serving.

Happy July 4th All! Hopefully next time you hear from me, I'll be signing off "Namaste".

Multi Grain Risotto with Peas & Chicken Sausage

Bring It On Iron Chef!

Last week, when I returned home from the grocery store heavily laden with bags, and panting from the exertion of carrying half my weight in perishables for six blocks, my dear husband (who is justly incapacitated by a recent surgery) glanced at me quizzically from his cozy throne on our couch and asked, "why don't you just use up the stuff we already have in the freezer and cupboards?"

In the words of the ever-wise Barney Stinson:



CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!!


Multi Grain Risotto with Peas & Chicken Sausage

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion (finely chopped)
2 Large Garlic Cloves (crushed or minced)
3 Tablespoons Fresh Chives (finely chopped)
4oz Mushrooms (coarsely chopped)
1/4 Cup Uncooked Farro
3/4 Cup Uncooked Barley
4 Cups Chicken Broth
Pepper to taste
4 Pre-Cooked Garlic Chicken Sausages (sliced into rings, and quartered)
8 oz Frozen Peas (defrosted)
Mascarpone
Parmesan (finely grated)

Preparation:
Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.

Add onion, garlic, chives and mushrooms and saute until onions soften.

Add farro & barley, stir for 3 to 4 minutes until the grains are toasted.

Add half a cup of chicken broth, stirring until absorbed. Repeat until all of the broth has been absorbed.

Add pepper to taste.

While the grains are absorbing the broth, spray a frying pan with a mist of olive oil and pan fry the chicken sausage until light brown.

Add the chicken sausage & peas into the cooked grain mixture.

Top each serving of the risotto with a tablespoon of mascarpone, and a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Think about what fun food stuff you can now buy to replace the cupboard and freezer space you've just emptied. Consider applying for the food edition of Hoarders....