This is my most favorite recipe to make for the holidays but delicious even after!
Ingredients
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup of solid vegetable shortening (margarine)
1/4 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature ( 1/2 stick of butter)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 large egg
ice water
raw sugar
Preparation:
Sift first six ingredients into a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat shortening, butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and molasses to butter mixture and beat until blended. Mix in dry ingredients. Refrigerate dough for one hour.
Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly butter cookie sheets.
Roll dough into 1 and 1/4 inch balls.
Dip balls quickly into ice water and roll in sugar to coat. Arrange on prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake until cookies are pale golden and cracked on top, but still soft to touch, about 10 minutes. Let stand 1 minute. Using a metal spatula, transfer to a rack and cool completely.
Note: I use all butter instead of butter and shortening. It might be a denser cookie with the combination.
I have been looking for this recipe for quite a few years. When my family and I were on the macrobiotic diet, this was one of their favorite meals. The recipe has actually been sitting right in front of me in a very old cookbook, Lima Ohsawa’s Just Cooking. Curiosity had me browse through it once again, and not only did I rediscover this wonderful recipe but the next one as well!
Ingredients:
Oil for deep frying
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup water, approximately
1 teaspoom sea salt
2 cups cooked chick peas
1 cup minced onion
Directions: Fill a heavy skillet or deep fryer with 3 inches of oil and heat to 360* F. (If you don’t have a thermometer, oil is ready when a single, test chickpea sizzles in the oil.) Combine the flour with enough water to form a rather thick batter. Add salt and stir in the chickpeas and minced onions. Drop into the hot oil by the spoonful, and deep fry until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Chickpea Croquettes
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons neutral oil
1 small onion minced, 1 small carrot grated
3 cups of cooked chickpeas mashed
1 teaspoon of sea salt
2-3 rounded tablespoons of unbleached flour
Oil for deep frying
1-2 eggs beaten
2-3 cups of bread crumbs
Directions: Heat a heavy skillet and coat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute the onion over medium heat, stirring gently for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the carrots, then the chickpeas, mixing the ingredients together, and season with the sea salt. Transfer to a large bowl and add enough of the flour to hold the mixture together. Form into about 10 croquettes.
Note: After I sauteed the onion and the carrot, I used my food processor to roughly puree the un-mashed chickpeas with the vegetables. (Pulse until it is a fairly uniform texture, careful to stop before it turns into too smooth a puree. You want it to form into patties that hold their shape.) Transfer the “mash” to a clean bowl, adding the salt and flour, and mixing it all togetherto form the croquettes.
Coat the croquettes with flour, dip in beaten egg, then roll in breadcrumbs. Pan fry in hot oil and brown on both sides until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
A traditional Moroccan cake typically served for tea or breakfast, meskouta is made with ingredients you likely have on hand, and it doesn’t require a mixer. Extra-virgin olive oil makes it moist on the inside and golden on the outside.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CAKE:
½cup plus 2 tablespoons/150 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil, more for greasing the pan
2cups/260 grams all-purpose flour
1 ½teaspoons baking powder
½teaspoon baking soda
1teaspoon fine salt
¾cup plus 2 tablespoons/180 grams granulated sugar
2large eggs
¾cup plus 2 tablespoons/180 grams Greek-style yogurt
Zest of 2 oranges (about 2 tablespoons)
⅓cup/80 milliliters fresh orange juice (from about 1 orange)
1teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 8½-by-4½-inch loaf pan with olive oil, and line it with a sheet of parchment paper so that you have extra on the sides. (You’ll use this to lift the loaf out of the pan.) Note: If you don’t mind using butter to grease the pan, the cake will slide out easily without theparchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined. In another large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and eggs until well combined. Add the yogurt, olive oil, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla extract to the sugar and egg mixture, and whisk until well incorporated.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix using a spatula until you no longer see flecks of flour, making sure not to overmix. (The batter will be slightly lumpy.) Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and use a spatula to spread into an even layer.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with some small, moist crumbs. (If the cake needs another minute or two, but is becoming too brown, tent with foil.) Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before using the parchment overhang to remove from the pan.
OOTOYA’s specialty is traditional Japanese home cooking in set-meal style, or teishoku. Here, a healthy and balanced meal consists of one soup, and three other components (main dish, rice, and side dish plus salad and homemade pickles) served on a tray to create a healthy and balanced meal.
Choose Your Entree
Choose Your Rice
Choose Your Sides
Choose Your Salad Dressing
Add Your Favorite
The price of your meal depends on your choices, but I found that this was not an expensive restaurant, and the food was unusually good. Before you go, I would suggest you familiarize yourself with their menu online. It can be somewhat confusing the first time you see it. They also have two other locations in NYC – in Chelsea and Union Square.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan.
Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Wrap and store overnight. Makes 1 loaf (16 slices).
Indian table pays homage to the food, art and culture of India in the dynamic Brooklyn neighborhood of Carroll Gardens.
It’s so much fun walking around this vibrant community – so many interesting shops and restaurants. I had gotten the recommendation for The Indian Table from Eater.com, and it didn’t disappoint. This inviting restaurant is exceptionally clean, cozy and the aromas coming from the kitchen are just wonderful.
For appetizers, we started with: Golden Bhel (Rice puffs, masala roasted split pea, peanut, onion and lemon juice),Shammi Kabab (Lamb Pattie, chickpea, roasted garlic, clove, peppercorn, mint, and cilantro, and Pomegranate Samosas (potato – green peas, pomegranate, and star anise). The Golden Bhel and Samosas were exceptional. The samosa dough was unusually delicate and crisp.
The dish for our main course, Lal Maas, (traditional Rajasthani goat curry, vinegar, red chilli paste, and spices) served with basmati rice was also delicious, along with Garlic Naan, (white flour bread flavored with garlic) to sop up the plentiful sauce. The Naan also was extraordinary. Its dough was light, flavorful, and well baked.
And for desert, my favorite, Saffron Rice Kheer (basmati rice, saffron, rose essence, and condensed milk.
This recipe is proof-positive that leftover bread can easily be converted to dessert without much work.
There’s room for customization here: consider adding fresh or dried fruit or a combination of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cardamom.
It makes a great brunch dish, served with fresh fruit compote.
INGREDIENTS
2cups milk (or oat milk)
2tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, more for greasing pan
1teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓cup sugar
Pinch salt
½loaf sweet egg bread like challah or brioche, cut into 2-inch cubes (about 5 to 6 cups)
2eggs, beaten
PREPARATION
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm milk, butter, vanilla, sugar and salt. Continue cooking just until butter melts; cool. Meanwhile, butter a 4-to-6-cup baking dish and fill it with cubed bread.
Add eggs to cooled milk mixture and whisk; pour mixture over bread. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until custard is set but still a little wobbly and edges of bread have browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.
*Note: I made this with half a loaf of brioche but imagine challah would be just as wonderful. I added two apples, peeled and cubed, raisins and cinnamon, sprinkled sliced almonds on top (or chopped walnuts or pecans) and served it warm.
Memorie di Angelina: “This is basically a chicken breast piccata but one where you first dip the chicken breasts in a light egg batter and pan-fry them to a golden brown before simmering them in a sauce of wine, chicken broth and lemon. The savory egg batter and lemony sauce really do wonders for the rather bland flavor of the chicken breasts.”
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
4 skinless chicken breasts
Flour. (NYT recipe: 1 cup)
2 eggs
Salt and pepper
Olive oil (NYT recipe: 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup vegetable oil)
With a sharp kitchen knife, cut each chicken breast lengthwise in two thin cutlets. Take each scallop and pound it gently to thin it out a bit further. Trim off any gristle or rough edges.
Dredge each chicken cutlet in flour, seasoned generously with salt and pepper, and then dip it in the egg to coat lightly.
In a large skillet, over moderate heat, brown the chicken cutlets on both sides in olive oil and set aside.
(NYT: Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, lightly dredge the chicken in flour and shake off any excess. Dip into egg batter, let excess batter drip back into the bowl and place in the skillet. Fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Adjust the heat as the cutlets cook so they brown slowly and evenly, with a steady bubbling. Transfer to the paper-towel-lined pan and repeat with remaining cutlets.)
(NYT: When all cutlets are browned, remove the pan from the heat and pour off the oil. Return the pan to low heat.)
Add a splash of white wine to the skillet and let it evaporate almost entirely, then add the chicken broth. Let everything simmer for a few minutes so the flavors meld. Add the flour, kneaded together with the butter into a small ball and whisk it into the liquid, which should thicken into a sauce like consistency. Add the chicken cutlets back into the skillet, along with the lemon slices, and let everything simmer in the sauce for a minute or two to warm up. If need be, add more broth or water so you have ample sauce for napping the cutlets, but they shouldn’t ‘swim’ in it.
At the last moment, taste and adjust the sauce for seasonings, then drizzle in the lemon juice.
Serve the chicken cutlets hot, napped with the sauce and garnished with the lemon slices and minced parsley.
Note: Absolutely delicious, however, rather messy. Whenever I’ve made it, the stove needs a good cleaning afterward. If you don’t mind the cleanup, you will love this dish.
▢ 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, more as needed
▢ 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or red pepper flakes (to your taste)
▢ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, optional
▢ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional
▢ 2-3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, optional
▢ 1-2 tablespoons crushed pistachios, optional
Whip the feta. Combine the feta, Greek yogurt and lemon zest in a food processor and blend. While the processor is running, drizzle the olive oil through the top opening, until the feta is whipped to a smooth texture. (You may need to drizzle more olive oil while the processor is running.)
Garnish and Serve! Transfer the feta dip to a serving plate and smooth the top of the feta, making a well in the middle. Drizzle more olive oil all over and add the Aleppo pepper, herbs, and nuts. Serve with pita chips or pita wedges.
Use high quality feta cheese. For this recipe, you want to look for a block of a creamy Greek or French feta. Avoid crumbled feta, which is too dry, and won’t taste as good in this recipe.
Use quality olive oil. Olive oil is used twice in this recipe, so you want to be sure you’re using a high quality, good tasting oil that is going to add flavor and richness to the dip.
Serve immediately. While leftovers will last in the fridge, take full advantage of the whipped, creamy goodness by enjoying this feta dip immediately after preparing. Once it chills in the fridge, the texture will thicken.
Plain whipped feta will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. Let leftovers come to room temperature before trying to dip your pita or veggies.
252 VARET ST, BUSHWICK: Serving tea, coffee and freshly baked traditional Persian breads & pastries.
Sofreh Cafe is a must if you enjoy your coffee or tea with incredible breads, little spreads, and delicious pastries. Many of Sofreh Cafe’s sweets, including its custard donut, are made with rose-petals. The cafe is atmospheric but also somehow cozy. The walls of exposed brick are covered in spotty white paint, and plants hang from a skylight in the ceiling.
We tried the barabari bread. It is firm but chewy and sprinkled with sesame and nigella seeds. They give the bread a slight herbal spiciness that complements the texture.
In addition to the cafe, owner Nasim Alikhani and her partner Ali Saboor, who is the head chef at Sofreh’s famed Prospect Heights restaurant, are opening a *new full-service restaurant next door. Can’t wait!!!!
*Eyval opened at 25 Bogart street, at Varet Street, in Bushwick, on March 23, 2022. Right now they are open only for dinner, but eventually will be open for lunch and brunch. Keep checking!
On another visit, I brought home two kinds of pirashki – rounds of well baked soft bread surrounding a brisket or mushroom core. Either one will make an excellent lunch if you are desirous of more hearty fare.
My Picky Mother 