My Lighten Up Brisket

This blog is titled Brisket and Beyond.  It is about time that I actually cook a brisket!  I normally only make brisket for Rosh Hashanah and for Passover.  However, I had a small brisket in the freezer and I had my Lighten Up dinner to host, so I thought it would be a perfect time to try a new recipe.

Lighten Up is our community engagement program where host families invite other members to their home for an informal Shabbat dinner.  The program promotes building relationships and friendships between member families.  Hosts are asked to invite one or two families to their house and have an opportunity to befriend new members through the warmth of the Shabbat table setting.  This is the third year that we have done this program.  Each year, I love getting the feedback from families. 

One family just wrote, "We had a lot to talk about and the kids played together nicely, so we actually had time to chat." 

A different family responded, " I don't think I would have gotten to know these families if it wasn't for this event.  What a great way to meet families and make a large synagogue feel smaller!"

This year we invited a new family over.  They also have a baby son!  It was so nice to meet them and bond over being new parents and connect.  And of course, eat brisket.  This recipe is very delicious and so easy! 

Sweet BBQ Brisket
Ingredients:
3 - 4 lb brisket
3/4 Cup BBQ sauce
1/4 Cup soy sauce
2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 Cup water

Directions:
 Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Take very large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil and place into roasting pan.  Place brisket onto foil.  Mix all above ingredients in a bowl and pour over brisket.  Wrap the foil over the brisket, making a pouch.  Leave a small opening in the foil to allow steam to vent.  Bake brisket for about 4 hours, until tender.  Cut and serve.

I served mine with kasha and asparagus.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Fennel

When I bought my first slow cooker, its sole purpose was to make cholent, the traditional stew that cooks all night to be served during Shabbat lunch.  Growing up, my mother never made cholent, so for me, eating cholent was a real treat; I love the warmth and richness of this humble stew.  Until recently, the only action my slow cooker had was in the winter when I made the occasional cholent. 

However, now that I am a working mom, I am finding that the slow cooker can really help me get dinner on the table mid-week as well as on Shabbat.  I have been reading a lot of slow cooker recipes in magazines and on Pinterest (did you know you could even bake a cake in one!?!).  I got inspired to try something new. 

This dish is a perfect one pot meal.  It has a protein (chicken), a starch (brown rice), and a vegetable (fennel).  It works great as a weeknight meal, as a Shabbat dinner entree, or as a cholent replacement for Shabbat lunch.  Don’t be scared away by the fennel.  This licorice tasting vegetable gets very sweet and tender when cooked.   In fact, it is quite child friendly: my one year old son gobbled up the fennel faster than I could get it on his plate!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Fennel

(This recipe is an adaptation from Real Simple magazine)

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken thighs and legs, bone-in, with as much skin removed as possible
1 cup dry brown basmati rice
2 fennels, sliced.  Reserve some fronds for serving
½ onion, sliced
2 ½ cups water mixed with 1 scant Tablespoon bouillon (alternative could be 2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth)
1 Tablespoon paprika, divided

Directions:

Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker.  Sprinkle some of the paprika on the chicken.  Pour dried rice on top of chicken and layer onion and fennel on top.  Sprinkle remainder of paprika over vegetables.  Pour water/broth into the crockpot.  Cover.  Cook on low for about 7 hours or high for about 4 hours.  Garnish with fennel fronds.  Serve with a green vegetable or salad.

Roasted Parsnip and Mushroom Soup

Baby, it's cold outside! 
While most American's are listening to this Dean Martin song to get into the Yuletime spirit, for us, it is just cold outside!  Nothing warms you up better than a hot, rich soup.

This past Shabbat I was feeling like soup was in order.  I wanted to do something different - I always feel the need to make something unique when I have guests.  This roasted parsnip and mushroom soup was perfect.  It is rich and creamy (without cream - it's parve!).  I happen to love parsnip and I am always looking for new ways to use it; and when it is all blended together, the parsnips create a thick creamy texture to the soup.  I roasted the parsnip first to release all of its sweetness and the mushrooms complement the earthy taste.  My husband, who does not like mushrooms, loved this soup - and went for seconds! 

Roasted Parsnip and Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:
4 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into rounds
1 onion
1 package sliced button mushrooms
1 package sliced crimini mushrooms
4 - 5 cups water
3 - 4 tbsp. chicken flavored bouillion
1 - 2 tsp. oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped parsley for serving

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Peel and slice parsnips.  Arrange on baking sheet and roast in oven for about 30 minutes, until soften and sweet smelling.  Meanwhile, chop and sauté onion until translucent, add mushrooms and continue to sauté until browned and the mushrooms reduce in size.  Add roasted parsnip and sauté briefly to blend the flavors.  Add bouillion to boiling water to dissolve and add to the mushroom and parsnip mixture (alternatives are to use prepared chicken broth or vegetable broth.  I find the bouillion to be salty which is why I use more water and less bouillion than recommended on the package).  After vegetables have cooked in the water for a few minutes, turn off heat.  Using an immersion blender, blend soup to a thick puree. 

If you prefer more texture to your soup, remove some of the cooked mushrooms before adding broth.  After pureeing, add the mushrooms back to the pot. 

Top with a generous amount of chopped parsley to serve.  The parsley give the soup a burst of freshness that cuts through the richness of the soup nicely. 

Thanksgivukkah

We've been hearing about this for months now, the first day of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving coincide (we light candles starting Wednesday night).  This hasn't happened since 1888 and won't again for over 70,000 years.  So it is fair to say that this is the only Thanksgivukkah any of us have, or will, see.  And that is something really special!

 

Blogs, Pinterest boards, clothing and other merchandise have all popped up about Thanksgivukkah.   My favorite aspect of this upcoming holiday is the food.  And I'll be the first to tell you that I am looking forward to having cranberry sauce, instead of apple, on my latkes. 

 

Since Thanksgivukkah is fast approaching, I started to test a recipe that I want to use for Shabbat, the day after Thanksgivukkah.  I think the recipe will be great with leftover turkey and stuffing without it looking or tasting like you are using leftovers.  I tested this recipe with ground turkey, because I didn't have time to roast a turkey too.

 

 

 

Thanksgiving-stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients:

1 package of seasoned stuffing mix * can use leftover stuffing

1 lb ground turkey *can use leftover roasted turkey, chopped or shredded

3 acorn squash

1 onion

3-4 stalks of celery

3-4 carrots

1 cup craisins

Chicken broth or water, as needed for stuffing mix

 

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Microwave acorn squash (1 at a time) for 2-3 minutes.  This makes it a little easier to cut the squash.  With a large knife, cut squash in half, de-seed (save the seeds to toast if you like them).  Place the squash, cut side down, on a large baking sheet.  Bake until tender, but not soft, about 25 - 30 minutes. 

 

In the meantime, brown turkey (or chop leftover turkey) and prepare stuffing as directed on package.  If the package does not mention, add sautéed onion, carrots and celery.  After turkey is browned and stuffing is made, combine the two and add the craisins. 

 

Take out acorn squash and flip over.  Fill stuffing mixture into the squash and re-heat for another 10 minutes until squash is soft.  Top with toasted squash seeds (or even a little leftover cranberry sauce). 

 

This makes 6 over filled squash halves for large portions.  However, if you will be eating this with other dishes, you might want to cut the halves again and serve quarters.   

A Tu b'Shevat Treat - Seven Species Challah

Although Tu b’Shevat, the birthday for the trees, was this past Shabbat, after a Sunday full of Tu b’Shevat themed programs and eating, I am inspired to pass along an amazing recipe for the holiday – or for any Shabbat.

When I think of Tu b’Shevat, I think of the 7 species of Israel.  These are the 7 fruits and grains that the Torah tells us are grown in Israel: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.  Many people are familiar with the Tu b’Shevat Seder which, modeled after Passover Seder, involves drinking four glasses of wine, but with varying percentages of red and white wine.  The different colors of wine represent the different yearly seasons.   The Seder also involves trying different types of fruits and nuts such as fruits that have an inedible outside and an edible inside (such as pomegranates or pineapple), an edible outside and an inedible inside (such as olives, dates, or apricots), and fruits that have an edible outside and inside (such as grapes, figs or kiwis). 

There are lots of recipes that you can make that would involve a few of the above mentioned species.  However, to find a recipe that includes all 7 is very impressive!  Here is a recipe for 7 species Challah.  Some of the ingredients are unique for Challah – but I promise it is really worth trying!!

 

Seven Species Challah

Ingredients:

2 packages dry yeast

2 cups warm water

1/2 cup pomegranate juice

1/2 cup honey

1 Tablesppon salt

3/4 cup olive oil

4 eggs

1 cup dried fruit (1/2 cup chopped dates, 1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 cup chopped figs)

1 cup barley flour

7-8 cups bread flour

 

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water and pomegranate juice in a large bowl.  Add honey and let stand 2 minutes until yeast foams.

Add salt, oil, eggs and mix well.

Gradually add flour, 2 cups at a time mixing after each addition.  About ½ way through, add dried fruit to mixture.  As mixture gets stiff, use floured hands and begin kneading.  Knead for seven minutes turning dough over often.

Let rise in greased bowl until double in size.  (Approximately one hour.)

Punch dough down.

Divide challah into thirds.  Shape each 3rd as desired (braided for traditional, can also do a round or pull apart challah).   Let rise again until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brush with glaze. (one beaten egg).  Bake 30-45 mins. Or until brown.  Remove from pans and cool on racks.

 

 

 

Hanukkah Latkes - with a Twist

Happy Hanukkah!!

I came home from the "Latke v. Hamentashen" debate that took place this past Sunday and headed straight to the kitchen!  Although I do have a sweet tooth, my vote is Latke!

Over the past years, I have helped my mother in the kitchen to make lots of different kinds of latkes.  We do potato, sweet potato, and my favorite: potato and zucchini.  Even my mother-in-law told me that she tried a new recipe that was potato and apple!  I love experimenting with all of these different flavors.  It is a fun way to bring my culinary interests into tradition.

This year, I tried something extreme:  I avoided all potatoes AND I didn't fry them!   During Hanukkah we fry our foods (latkes or sufganiyot, doughnuts) to symbolize the miracle of the oil that was found and then lasted 8 days.  Although these latkes are not fried, they still do have oil on them, so I think it counts.  So what did I make my latkes out of, if not potatoes?  Carrots and parsnips!  They were delicious with a bright, fresh, flavor.  In fact, they were so well loved, that they were all eaten before I had a chance to take a photo!

Carrot and Parsnip Latkes
Ingredients:
1 lb carrots, peeled and grated
1 lb parsnip, peeled and grated
1 small onion, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Matzo Meal
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350.  Grate carrots, parsnip and onion into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze out as much moisture as possible.  Add eggs, matzo meal, thyme, salt and pepper and mix well.  Prepare 2 or 3 large cookie sheets with foil and cooking spray.  Spoon out mixture onto cookie sheets.  Spray more cooking spray over each individual latke before cooking.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until browns. 

I hope that you enjoy them!  If you have other fun latke combinations, please post a comment.  I would love to try more!

My "Lighten Up" Dinner

During November and December, 60 Beth El families generously volunteered to host other Beth El families for a warm Shabbat dinner for a program called "Lighten Up: Friday Night Invites."  Last week, we hosted our own Lighten Up dinner.  We invited two other families and we sat around my dining room table and talked and laughed and ate until very late at night.  Before the end of the evening, we even made plans for all of us to get together at another couple's home for another Shabbat dinner together. 

When I host people at my home, I use it as an excuse to try out new recipes.  I also like to theme my dinners.  It makes it more fun for me as I plan the dinner.  For this Shabbat, I went Sephardic.  I made roasted lamb, homemade babaganoush (eggplant puree), roasted peppers with sumac, and saffron rice.  It was delicious!!

Lamb with Red Onion and Tomatoes
(This recipe is an adaptation from Susie Fishbein's Kosher by Design: Entertaining)

Ingredients:
For the marinade -
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons olive oil

2 lbs boneless lamb cubes
cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, cubed

Instructions:
Place all ingredients for the marinade into a large ziplock bag.  Add the lamb, mix around and let sit for a few hours.  Pre-heat oven to 375.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and pour in the lamb mixture.  Add cherry tomatoes and cubes of red onion sporadically throughout.  Cook in the oven for about 25 minutes.

Babaganoush

Ingredients:
3 large eggplants
2 tablespoons of thaini
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Salt to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Cut the eggplants in half, lengthwise.  Place, flesh-side down on large baking sheet.  Bake for about 1 hour, or until very soft.  When eggplants are cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl.  You can discard the skins.  Add remainder of ingredients and mix.


Roasted Peppers with Sumac

Ingredients:
6 multi-colored bell peppers
1/2 teaspoon sumac
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 375.  Slice peppers and place on cookie sheet.  Pour oil on peppers.  Sprinkle spices on peppers.  Bake for 15 minutes.

 

 

I hope you enjoy the recipes and think about using them in your next Shabbat dinner!  If you want to learn more about Lighten Up, let me know!