Author Archives: robertaklapper

This is another recipe from The Fairmount Temple Sisterhood Cookbook, Cleveland, Ohio, 1957.

Ingredients:

3 Large potatoes (I used Yukon gold.)

1 large onion

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt (or to your taste)

3 Tablespoons of flour

8 Tablespoons of melted butter, divided (Oil can be substituted for butter.)

3 eggs

Directions: Heat oven to 400.* Add 4 Tablespoons of butter to baking dish and place in oven. Grate potatoes and onion (by hand or processor). Squeeze out as much liquid as you can and drain well. Mix in all dry ingredients, then add rest of melted butter. Beat eggs and blend in. When the butter is very hot in the baking dish, pour in the pudding mixture. Bake uncovered for about one hour or until brown.

Note: Squeeze the grated potatoes and onions in a strainer over a bowl. When the liquid is poured off, there will be potato starch left in the bottom of the bowl. Add this to the mix.

New recipe:

This potato kugel’s crunchy top gives way to a super-soft, almost mashed-potato center, and the soft aroma of onion will fill your kitchen. —Francis Lam

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

• 6 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and coarsely shredded (or about 3 pounds)
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1-2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 medium onions, coarsely shredded
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, plus 4-6 tablespoons more for greasing pan
• 3/4 cup matzoh meal
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder, optional

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. When oven is preheated, add 4-6 tablespoons of olive oil to a 9×13 Pyrex dish and put into the oven to heat up.
3. Whisk eggs together in a large bowl with salt and pepper
4. Using a food processor fitted with the grating plate (or by hand), grate the onion and then the potato. Quickly add the potatoes and onions to the eggs, and add the oil, matzoh meal, and baking powder, if using. Mix well.
5. When oil has been heating about 10 minutes, remove from oven.
6. Add a small spoonful of the potato mixture and if it starts sizzling, it is hot enough. If not, put it back in the oven for a few minutes.
7. When oil is ready, add the entire potato mixture and spread in a even layer using an offset spatula or large spoon.
8. Bake for 40-50 minutes until crispy around the edges and golden brown on top.
9. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into squares. Serve warm or room temperature.

NYT recipe by Dorie Greenspan,

Lemon poppy seed cake is my all time favorite dessert. I like this recipe, because it is made strictly by hand. The only fault I find is that I would prefer more of a lemon taste. Perhaps doubling the amount of lemon juice from 2-4 tablespoons and adding more juice to the glaze would give it the lemony taste I’m looking for.

FOR THE CAKE:

• 5 ½ tablespoons/78 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus softened butter for the pan
• 1 ½ cups/192 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 ¼ cups/250 grams granulated sugar
•  Finely grated zest of 1 lemon or 1 tangerine, plus 2 tablespoons juice
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup/120 milliliters heavy cream, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup/47 grams poppy seeds

FOR THE GLAZE (OPTIONAL):

• 1 cup/120 grams confectioners’ sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon poppy seeds, for sprinkling

Directions:

Make the cake: Center a rack in the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8 1/2-inch loaf pan. Place the pan on 2 stacked baking sheets or an insulated baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.

Put the sugar in a large bowl, add the lemon or tangerine zest, and rub together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and aromatic.

Add the eggs, one by one, whisking each vigorously before adding the next.

Whisk in the juice and vanilla, and then whisk in the heavy cream until smooth.

 Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, using the whisk to gently stir the dry ingredients into the batter.

When the flour is incorporated, add the butter in 2 additions, again stirring gently with the whisk. You should have a thick, smooth, shiny batter.

Switch to a flexible spatula and stir in the poppy seeds.

Scrape the batter into the pan. Bake until the cake has risen and cracked along the center and, most important, a tester inserted deep into the cake comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes.

Take a look at it after about 45 minutes and tent it loosely with foil if it’s getting too dark too fast. 

Transfer the pan to a rack, cool for 5 minutes, and then run a table knife between the cake and the pan.

Cool to room temperature. Make the glaze, if you like:

Stir together the confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice until smooth. If needed, add more juice, a drop at a time, until you have an icing that falls slowly from the tip of a spoon.

Spread it over the cooled cake to coat evenly, sprinkle with poppy seeds and let stand until set. Wrapped well, the cake will keep at room temperature for about 4 days; unglazed, it can be frozen for up to 1 month.

Poppy Seed Teacake

The Fairmont Temple Sisterhood Cookbook, Cleveland, Ohio, 1957. Handed down from my mother, cooking stains and all, this cookbook is a treasure trove of delicious recipes. I will be sharing them with you as I try them.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup baking cocoa

Mix the above and set aside.

2/3 cup shortening, softened ( I used butter.)

1 3/4 cups sugar ( If you plan on frosting the cake, I suggest using 1 1/4 cups sugar. Otherwise, it will be too sweet.)

2 eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups cake flour sifted 3 times with 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used all purpose flour.)

Directions:

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs. Combine buttermilk and vanilla and add. Add sifted flour with salt. Mix 2 minutes on medium speed. Add cocoa mixture and blend well. Bake in 2 greased and floured 9 inch pans at 350* for 25 to 30 minutes. Insert a toothpick to check if done. It should come out clean.

When cool, frost.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

1/3 cup soft butter

1/2 cup cocoa

2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners sugar

*3 or more Tablespoons of heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla

Beat all ingredients together until smooth.

Note: Use as much cream as you need to make a spreading consistency.

This recipe is from The Fairmont Temple Sisterhood Cookbook, Cleveland, Ohio, 1957. It’s sensational and well worth the effort!

Ingredients:

4-5 pound chicken cut in pieces

1 stalk celery

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons flour

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup cream

1/2 pound mushrooms, sauteed

2 Tablespoons chopped parsley

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Cover chicken with boiling water and add celery. Simmer about *2 hours until tender. Twenty minutes before done, add onions and salt. Remove chicken, onions, and celery from broth. Continue to boil broth until have 2 cups, strain. Cut chicken from bones and leave in large pieces.

Slightly beat yolks and cream, reserving 2 Tablespoons of this mixture for later use. Melt butter, blend in flour and add broth and yolk/cream mixture. Stir constantly and cook for 2 minutes. Season. Add mushrooms, onion and chicken (If you prefer, add frozen peas and carrots instead of mushrooms.) Put in casserole and cover with the following crust.

*Note: Original recipe called for hen which would take longer to cook. Two hours might be too long.

Crust:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons butter

6 Tablespoons milk

Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in butter and gradually add milk, mixing to a soft dough. roll 1/4 inch thick. After covering casserole with crust, slit dough before baking. Brush lightly with reserved yolk/cream mixture. Bake at 450* for 15 minutes, reduce to 350* and bake for 15 minutes longer.

A small, store front restaurant on Nevins Street in Brooklyn, specializing in Onigiri and Miso soup.

This is more of a takeout place, but it does have some limited seating – for a few people inside and outside! The food, however, is wonderful.

They specialize in “Onigiri”, a rice ball made with organic brown rice in a variety of flavors, Bento Boxes for a “nutritious and well balanced meal,” soups, seaweed, fermented and pickled vegetables, and a variety of teas.

Another restaurant Adam and I tried was Pacificana, a pioneer for dim sum and upscale Cantonese in Sunset Park. We arrived at I:00 pm on a Sunday, and had no trouble being seated. Earlier could be a problem. The dim sum came fast and furious, and our favorites were the miniature pork buns and congee, a rice soup flavored with chicken. The next time we go, I would like to order from their extensive menu. Parking is extremely difficult in Sunset Park, but fortunately, there is a parking garage next to the restaurant ($5.50/ hour). If you have time, do walk around this vibrant and exciting neighborhood.

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 together to 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.

By Nargisse Benkabbou

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:

• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons/150 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil, more for greasing the pan
• 2 cups/260 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons/180 grams granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons/180 grams Greek-style yogurt
•  Zest of 2 oranges (about 2 tablespoons)
• ⅓ cup/80 milliliters fresh orange juice (from about 1 orange)
• 1 teaspoon 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 the parchment 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.

1. Choose Your Entree
2. Choose Your Rice
3. Choose Your Sides
4. Choose Your Salad Dressing
5. 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.

I make this bread every Thanksgiving as an accompaniment to our turkey dinner. It’s easy and delicious, but be careful not to over mix.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 2 tablespoons shortening (I use melted butter.)
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1 1/2 cups Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries, coarsely chopped (They can be left whole.)
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

DIRECTIONS

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).