Mamma's Matzo Ball Soup

We all have those childhood favorite foods that remind us of holidays and special occasions. Well, for me it's my mother's Matzo ball soup. Everyone makes matzo ball soup differently (and equally delicious), but nothing says passover and the beginning of spring to me like mamma's matzo ball soup. Since we didn't have sedar at my parents' this year, she didn't make her soup. (Insert sad face here)
Missing it terribly, I decided to attempt the feat of re-creating the wonderfulness. I jotted down a few notes while she explained to me how she makes her soup. I had a VERY difficult time getting past the cleaning and cutting of a WHOLE CHICKEN! For those of you who know me well, you understand how difficult this is for me. I cannot handle the texture of raw meat, especially meat that actually looks like the live animal... eeeek.


So after many deep breaths, I bought the whole chicken...
I cannot imagine having to actually touch the raw meat on bones, so while I was in Safeway I asked the innocent, sweet looking butcher for some disposable gloves. When I explained that I needed them in order to make this chicken he stated, "You are kidding me, right?" Well no Mr. butcher man, I am not. But thanks for the gloves, I could not have gotten past this step without them!
I tried to take more pictures of me holding the raw meat, but I was so grossed out dealing with a whole chicken that it took 110% of my attention. After all of the torture, my matzo ball soup came out great!! and better yet, BOYFRIEND LIKES IT!!!! Food #3 that he will eat. Must be a winner!
Since my mom makes this soup from scratch and she gave me verbal instructions about how to make it, I tried to create some kind of recipe. This is what I have come up with so far:

Mamma’s Matzo Ball Soup

1.Place a whole chicken without skin or legs or wings,

WITH giblets into pot with water and bring to boil

2. Skim the ‘skum’ off the top

3. Lower the heat to a gentle boil

4. Add: 1 tsp chicken bullion and black pepper

5. Add: veggies- carrot (12), parsnip (2-3), parsley bunch, boiling onions (4), parsley (head)

6. Lower heat to simmer for at least 45 min – 1 hour. Longer = better

7. Take out giblets and chicken and pull off the bone – put chicken meat back in

8. Make matzo balls according to directions in a separate pot

9. Add mazto balls to soup 10 minutes before serving

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Passover. Next year in Jerusalem!

Passover Friendly Foods

Passover is a Jewish holiday that lasts for 8 days when we remember the exodus from Egypt. The most significant observance related to Passover involves the removal of chametz (leaven) from our homes. This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way of removing the "puffiness" (arrogance, pride) from our souls. For more details and explanations about Passover please visit the website. I'm pooped from educating my co-workers all week! So on to the good part: FOOD!

My good friend Gayle sent me an awesome Mandel Bread recipe that's kosher for passover:

Ingredients:

3 eggs

¾ cup sugar

½ cup oil

1 ½ cup matzo cake meal

1 tablespoon potato starch

Methods:

1. Beat eggs and sugar until thick and lemony looking.
2. Stir in oil
3. Fold in cake meal and potato starch
4. Add chocolate chips
5. Form 2 long loaves on greased cookie sheet
6. Bake at 350 forf 30 minutes
7. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar when taken out of oven-slice it and put back for 10 more minutes-if want crispy pieces

The Mandel bread recipe is super easy to make and so delicious too!

This year, we went to our dear friends' home for Passover Sedar. Here is a picture of the beautiful sedar plate:
...and the parsley and salt water to symbolize all those tears
What's passover without matzo?!
My absolute favorite passover treat: Charoset.

Recipe for Charoset

This fruit, nut and wine mix is eaten during the seder. It is meant to remind us of the mortar used by the Jews to build during the period of slavery. It should have a coarse texture. The ingredient quantities listed here are at best a rough estimate; I usually just eye-ball it. The recipe below makes a very large quantity, but we usually wind up making more before the holiday is over. Other fruits or nuts can be used.

• 4 medium apples, 2 tart and 2 sweet
• 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup sweet wine
• 1/4 cup dry wine
• 1 Tbs. cinnamon

Shred the apples. Add all other ingredients. Allow to sit for 3-6 hours, until the wine is absorbed by the other ingredients. Serve on matzah. Goes very well with horseradish. Courtesy of Judaism 101

Matzo ball soup
The infamous gefilte fish - GROSS. This year I was able to get through the first bite.. but the second one induced my gag reflex!
Must have many many glasses of red wine at the sedar.
Ronnie's famous Macaroons. Simply the BEST!
Her almond apricot cookies - these are good too, but it's hard to compare anything to those macaroons.
Happy Passover! And thank you to the C's for another great sedar together!

Fun at the Farmer's Market

I recently watched the documentary Food, Inc. and just as the website claims, I will probably never look at food the same way. Although I found the movie very informative, I am still at a loss about where to find grass fed chicken and beef- If anyone knows of a good, reasonable place, PLEASE let me know! Immediately following the movie I decided that I was going to be a vegetarian. Watching chicken and cows be slaughtered will do that to you... Of course the next day I went out for sushi and I couldn't resist the fish, so I decided to become a pescatarian. And after about 4 days of eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish, I began to crave meat again. So here I am back at square 1. I did however, vow that from now on I will buy local and organic whenever possible.

Every Sunday there's a fabulous farmer's market at the Mountain View train station. As we approach spring, I find it irresistible to be outside enjoying the sunny weather. Last weekend I bought some beets, broccolini, and bok choy - some of my faves.

I absolutely LOVE beets. They are super easy to make too! I must enter the disclaimer here: be forewarned that #1 and #2 will be a little pink... no you do not have bloody stools. But I always wonder how many people show up in the ER complaining of bloody stools a day or two after enjoying this wonderful vegetable. Please do share your stories!
RD tip: Beets are super healthy! They contain powerful nutrients that help protect against heart disease, birth defects, and cancers - especially colon cancer. Beets are high in folate, manganese, potassium, and fiber. For more nutrition info about beets check out this site.
My Asian friends at work: Em, N, L, and C always have the coolest vegetables. The biggest problem is my friends only usually know the Chinese or Japanese names of the vegetables and a lot of them are not even found in regular grocery stores. While at the farmer's market I spotted one of the vegetables my Chinese friends usually have. Broccolini is super easy to make by sauteing it with some EVOO, garlic, and soy sauce.
Bok choy is another one of my favorite Asian vegetables. I haven't make this quite yet, but I will most likely saute it the same way as the broccolini.

For dinner I had the beets, broccolini and quinoa. DELICIOUS!
I cannot wait to see what I will find at the farmer's market this week. Happy Sunday!

Mediterranean Tuna Salad

I am beginning to realize that my blog is turning into a baking blog, so for this month's RD meeting / pot luck I had to make a conscious effort to make something NOT sweet or baked and blog about it... I attended an awesome nutrition seminar at the CIA in St. Helena where I received some delicious olive oil as a 'party gift' and it got me thinking - of olive oil pound cake! haha

Of course when you rule something out, it's the ONLY think you can think about. Naturally, I could think of a million items I would like to bake, but no 'real food'. I called my cooking go-to-gal (Ronnie) and asked her for suggestions. A few weeks ago, I remembered Ronnie going on a small rant about how terrible it is when people put "weird stuff" in tuna salad - like relish... Ronnie came up with a great idea of making mini tuna sandwiches, but "without anything weird in it". She e-mailed me this great recipe that incorporates my new olive oil!

INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp olive oil

2tsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp oregano

3 oz. tuna fish, water-packed low sodium

5 cherry tomatoes

1/2 cucumber

1 serving of bread of choice

METHOD:

Rinse and pat dry vegetables. Cut cucumber and tomatoes into bite size pieces, and mix with drained and flaked tuna in a bowl. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegar, and oregano, and toss with tuna-vegetable mixture. Serve with toasted bread or crackers.

I used carrots and cucumbers instead of tomatoes - I personally don't like the seeds, texture, and juiciness of tomatoes in this type of dish.
The oil and vinegar actually held the tuna together better than I expected it would!
I served the tuna on croissants cut in half (so I would have enough) and sealed the deal with a cute umbrella toothpick. The mini sandwiches were such a hit at work that my boss stashed some away for dinner and lunch the next day!

Olive Oil Pound Cake

RD Tip: Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat (a healthy fat). Per the American Dietetic Association's position paper about Functional Foods, there is some evidence that eating about 2 tbsp (or 23g) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fats. To achieve the benefit of olive oil, it should replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total amount of daily energy intake. This pound cake is a perfect example. Rather than using a 'pound' of butter (a saturated fat), this recipe substitutes the bad fat with a healthier monounsaturated fat - olive oil.

In August my friend, Kitchen M , made some olive oil pound cake and brought it into work for us all to enjoy. Like everything Em makes, it was absolutely to die for!

During my trip to Israel we visited the Golan Olive Oil Mill. The store was not much different than what you see in Napa Valley, but the owner was such an amazing salesman, that I just HAD to buy something. Although they had a bunch of foofy olive products for skin, hair, face, etc., I decided to go for good 'ol olive oil.

I bought the bottle that is in Hebrew because I thought it looked cool and that it would be a great souvenir.

Since the bottle is in Hebrew, I had to take a picture of the English one so I could translate it.

This is the Gold Label Olive Oil called Tabha. It is the first cold press Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This olive oil is unique because it is extracted without the pit. It is clear, delicate & light and an exclusive product of the "Golan Olive Oil Mill"

This olive oil was quite a pain to get home. Since I am a chronic over-packer, my suitcase was a little heavy on the flight back to the US. I made it from Ben Gurion airport to LAX alright, but I knew there was NO way they would let me travel back to SFO with such a heavy suitcase. My good friend Shelby was nice enough to keep my olive oil in LA and mail it to me. When she came to visit San Francisco last weekend I was sure to have some fresh baked olive oil pound cake for her to thank her for her kindness.

I searched online for an olive oil pound cake recipe, but couldn't find any. I remembered Kitchen M's post about her bread, so I immediately checked her blog for the recipe. Since Kitchen M didn't post the recipe on her blog, I don't think I can post it on mine either. She was nice enough to share her yummy recipe with me, and if any of you would like it, I would be more than happy to e mail it to you also.

I made the cake at home for boyfriend to try and BOYFRIEND LIKES IT! It's a miracle! I took half of the cake to work the next day and everyone there loved it also. The mixture of orange zest, olive oil, and sherry wine create a sweet, yet light citrus flavor that's so addictingly wonderful.

My mom has an annual Valentine's day party which she spends days baking for. Since I have a new found love of baking, I decided to help her this year. I made two of my olive oil pound cakes for her party and it disappeared! This recipe is absolutely a keeper!

Happy Birthday Boyfriend - Banana Fosters Cheesecake

Last weekend was my boyfriend's birthday. He is not a chocolate cake kind of person like I am, but he LOVES the banana cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. As a loving girlfriend, I figured I would try to make a banana cheesecake for him even though the thought is not appetizing to me whatsoever.

For some odd reason I chose a recipe that calls for the cake to be baked in a bath. This one was a lot tougher to bake than the flour-less chocolate cake because it called for some odd baking instructions. I tried my best...

INGREDIENTS:

Crust:

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling:

1 2-oz packages reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 large eggs

2 cups pureed bananas (from 4 bananas)

1 cup low-fat sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

Topping:

1 cup low-fat sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 17oz jar carmel sauce

2 tablespoons dark rum

2 bananas, peeled, sliced

Preparation

For crust:

position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350*F. Wrap outside of 9-inch diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides with heavy-duty foil. (I had to finely chop the nuts in the food processor)

Combine flour, pecans, butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix well.
Press mixture onto bottom of prepared pan.
For filling:

Using electric mixer, beat cream in large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in cornstarch. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just blended after each addition. Add pureed banana, sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Beat until just combined.

Transfer filling to crust-lined pan. Place pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come up 1 inch up sides of springform pan. Bake until center of cake is just set, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove cake from oven. Maintain oven temperature.

Meanwhile, prepare topping:

Mix together sour cream, sugar, and vanilla in small bowl until well blended. Spread topping over cheesecake
Bake until topping is set, about 10 minutes. Turn off oven. Let cake stand in oven until cooled to room temperature, about 2 hours. Refrigerate cake until well chilled. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Cut around cake to loosen; remove pan sides. Transfer cake to platter. Warm carmel sauce in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often. Mix in rum. Drizzle some sauce decoratively over cake. Arrange bananas top cake and Enjoy

Overall, I think this cake came out pretty mediocre. It took FOREVER to bake and cool. I had to make it 5 days before his actually birthday just to ensure it would be done on time. The taste was decent, but boyfriend said it was not "banana enough". Next time he wants banana cheesecake I may just go out and buy it from Cheesecake Factory... I will have to find a new cake for next year!

Happy Birthday Boyfriend!

*If anyone has a better banana cheesecake recipe I should try, PLEASE share!

Recipe courtesy of epicurious: July 1996

La Bete Noire - "The Black Beast"

This take on a flour-less chocolate cake definitely lives up to its translation: The Black Beast

**DISCLAIMER** While this cake is incredibly rich, chocolatey, and delicious, as an RD, I do not recommend consuming more than a tiny wedge. Note the nutrition facts are not included for a reason...

This cake is gluten-free and a great dessert choice for those with a gluten intolerance.

Ingredients:

Cake

1 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, diced

18 ounces (2 1/4 cups) bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

6 large eggs

Ganache

1 cup heavy whipping cream

8 ounces (1 cup) bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

lightly sweetened whopped cream

Preparation

For cake:

Preheat oven to 350*F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment round; butter parchment (I used cooking spray). Wrap 3 layers of heavy-duty foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim.

Combine 1 cup water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly.

Add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes. Remove from water bath; transfer to rack. cool completely in pan.

For ganache:

Bring whipping cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat.

Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cake still in pan.
Gently shake pan to distribute ganache evenly over top of cake. Refrigerate in pan until ganache is set, about 2 hours. Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release sides. Whip cream and add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release sides.

Cut cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream
This cake is mouthwatering, rich, and delicious! It is best served cold and if you leave it out of the fridge for too long it can get mushy. It is so satisfying for chocolate lovers and is perfectly paired with cold, skim milk. This is a great dessert for entertaining or even as a weeknight indulgence, but may not be the best choice for those watching their waistline... check out those ingredients again! But then again, those ingredients are what make it taste so wonderful. Always remember: portion control!

ENJOY!!

Recipe courtesy of epicurious: September 2006