Moroccan Sole cakes in lemon sauce

With Shabbat around the corner, I had to decide what my menu would consist of and as usual, I was stumped. Every week, the story is the same, you want something different, yet traditional. So what to do? This week, I basically deconstructed a Moroccan fried Sole, used the same ingredients; chopped up the raw fish and fried it up then finished it off in a tangy lemon pepper sauce. Here's what you'll need:

(Makes 12 or so patties)

 

 

Fish
8 large pieces fresh  or frozen sole (will have to be thawed)

8 large kosher "shrimp"
1 1/2  cups chopped fresh coriander

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp paprika
3 eggs 
3 tbsp flour + 1 cup for dredging

oil for frying

salt & pepper

 

Lemon sauce

2 large red bell peppers sliced into strips

1 or 2 red chili pepper, peeled & whole

2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled & whole

juice of 1 lemon

Rind of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

3 tbsp olive oil

1 cup water

1 cup chopped fresh coriander

salt and pepper

 

Start by chopping up the raw Sole into small 1cm pieces and mix with coriander, crushed garlic, spices, 1 egg and 3 tbsps of flour, the mixture will be very loose, so this takes patience. Prepare the flour for dredging in 1 bowl and 2 beaten eggs in another, then either with a 1/4 cup measure or tablespoon, take a scoop and gently place it in the flour, dredging both sides, don't worry if pieces look like they might fall out, then gently pass it in the egg then straight into the frying pan into the heated oil. Fry on both sides till golden brown and drain on a paper towel. The process will be a little long and messy, but well worth it in the end. When all the little cakes are done, set them aside, then in another pan, heat the olive oil and add in the sliced peppers, the chili and the whole garlic, fry them in the pan on high for about 3 to 4 minutes till they start to caramelise a little, them add the coriander, the lemon juice, 1 cup of water, the spices and lemon rind. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer the sauce till a little more than half cooks out, then place the cakes and "shrimp" into the sauce and let them cook in it for about 5 to 6 minutes then turn them over, baste them again, turn off the heat and cover them, they will finish off cooking with the residual heat.

Enjoy!

 

 

Spicy chicken satay skewers with warm noodle salad

This recipe is inspired by Jamie Oliver, I watched him make something like this and it seemed so delicious that I had to prepare it myself. It just so happens that I'm in an Asian cooking phase right now, so it's perfect for me. The original recipe was made with chicken breasts, but I'll be making it with chicken thighs, it can also be made with steak or even meatball type kebabs.
Here's what you'll need:
(makes 4 skewers)

4 skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
4 kosher chicken breasts or thighs
2 tbsps honey

Satay sauce

1/2 a small bunch of fresh coriander

1 fresh red chili

1/2 a clove of garlic

3 heaped tbsps good-quality crunchy peanut butter

2 to 3 tbsps soy sauce

1 inch piece of fresh ginger

juice of 2 limes and the zest as well
salt to taste

Noodle Salad

1 pound dried medium egg noodles (1 nest per person)

1/2 a medium-sized red onion, peeled

1 fresh red chili, finely diced 

a small bunch of fresh coriander

1–2 tbsps soy sauce

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp mirin sauce

Honey'd nuts
1 cup unsalted cashews (I used walnuts)

1 tsp honey

2 tbsps sesame seeds

For the Satay sauce, put all the ingredients into the food processor and pulse till you get a thick paste, add to that about 1 tbsp or so of cold water and pulse again, you should have a thick sauce. Taste to check for seasoning, add salt if needed. Pour half the sauce in a bowl for dipping later and set aside, and use the other half to marinate the chicken in.

Skewer the chicken onto the stick and rub the sauce all over, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with some olive oil. Keep in the fridge for about 30 minutes, then put into a preheated oven on roast at 450F. Grill them for about 6 to 8 minutes on one side then drizzle honey over them, baste  them with the sauce and flip them, broiling them for another 5 to 7 minutes till crispy and browned. Make sure not to overcook, so if the chicken is cut on the thin side, cut the cooking time.

For the noodle salad

In a heated pan, add the cashews and toss them till they toast all both sides, then drizzle the honey over top and sprinkle in the sesame seeds and toss them till the honey caramelizes and the sesame seeds brown a little, put on a plate to cool to be used later.

In the food processor add the onion with the chili (stalk removed) and the stalks from the bunch of coriander. Pulse until finely chopped, then put into a large serving bowl with 1 or 2 tbsps of soy sauce and a couple of tbsps of extra virgin olive oil. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime, and stir in 1 teaspoon each of sesame oil and mirin sauce. Mix well, then taste and correct the seasoning. Drain the noodles in a colander, refresh quickly under cold water, drain again, then add to the bowl, add in the cashews and roughly chopped coriander leaves and toss.

Enjoy!

P.S. I think this is my FAVORITE Asian recipe to date, we loved it!

Red chili and ginger salmon cakes

 What can you do with 4 large pieces of leftover salmon, if you're like me, you improvise and look at what you have in the fridge. Right now, I have on hand, red chilies, fresh ginger, cilantro, onions and salmon. That translates into Asian salmon cakes in my book. I'll make a miso/sesame dipping sauce with asparagus on the side.
Here's what you'll need:
(makes 8 to 12 large cakes)

1 pound cooked salmon
4 to 6 kosher crabsticks (cut into 1/2 inch pieces) *optional
1 cup mashed potatoes (optional) * a good option if you only ave a certain amount of fish and need to stretch it into more patties
1 small onion, diced or 1 package green onions, chopped
1 small knob ginger, grated
1 or 2 red chilies minced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 eggs
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 cup panko, for dredging
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp mirin
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper
oil for frying

Dipping sauce
1 tsp kosher miso paste, dissolved with 1 tsp boiling water
1/2 tsp sesame paste
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sirhacha sauce 
1 tbsp mayonnaise
salt to taste
juice of 1 lime

*If your not a fan of sauce  would recommend to whisk the juice of a lime with some soy sauce and a drop of sesame oil for a light sauce

In a large bowl shred the fish with a fork, then add the mashed potatoes if using them, the diced veggies, the flour, the spices, oil, soy sauce, the eggs and mix. It's better to let it rest for about 10 minutes in the fridge, it'll help when you want to shape the patties, the mixture won't be as soft. Once rested, shape the patties whichever shape you prefer and dredge in panko then pan fry in vegetable oil till golden on each side, then set and drain excess oil on paper towels.
For the sauce, whisk everything together, taste to make sure the seasonings are alright and to check if you need more acid to balance the flavor.

Chicken and vegetable stir-fry with noodles in ginger chilli and sesame sauce

 I've been on a red chilies kick for the past week or so. I love these little red jewels filled with powerful heat; especially when paired with ginger and soy sauce, what a great combination.
Since my fridge is filled with veggies, I'll be making a stir-fry with chicken and noodles as well. You can omit the chicken for a vegetarian option. I decided that instead of my preferred peanut butter sauce, I'll be making a sauce made of sesame paste.
Here's what you'll need:
(serves 6 large portions)

1 package rice noodles (if you don't have those, you can use any Asian noodles, and if that isn't in your cupboard, you can even use spaghetti)
1 pound kosher boned chicken breast or thigh (optional)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pint mushrooms, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup broccoli florets
1 or 2 red chilies peppers, seeded and chopped (optional)
1 large knob fresh ginger, peeled and chopped finely
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 tbsp sesame paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp mirin (if you have)
1 tsp miso paste (if you have)
salt and pepper to taste

Start by cutting up the chicken into bite size pieces, then heat a wok on high and add 1 tbsp canola oil, drop in the chicken and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes till they are cooked through, then remove them from the wok and set aside. Now add the other tbsp canola oil and add in the onions, saute for a few minutes till they soften and add the peppers, garlic, broccoli, carrot and ginger. Saute for about 6 to 8 minutes then add the mushrooms and saute for another 3 to 4 minutes. Once all the vegetables have softened, add the sesame oil, mirin, soy sauce, sesame paste and salt and pepper that you've whisked together in a bowl. Make sure that everything is well tossed so that all the veggies are covered in the sauce then add the chicken and the cooked noodles. Toss everything and if you see that it's a little dry, you can add more soy sauce and sesame paste, taste to make sure that the seasonings are to your liking and right before serving toss in the green onions. This type of dish, if not served right away will dry out, so prepare and dig in.
Enjoy!

Chocolate Macadamia biscotti & whole wheat chocolate chip biscotti

Yesterday afternoon my sister-in-law mentioned biscotti, last night at nine, my brain said: "make biscotti", so I did!
My pantry didn't have all that I would have wished it did, but I made do with what I had and adapted the recipes to my ingredients. I made two batches and probably ended up with 60 thin biscotti. Where the recipe asked for 3 cups of flour, I used 1 cup flour, 1 cup whole wheat, 1/2 cup oats and 1/2 wheat flakes, I cut the sugar content by almost half as well. So all in all, 60 not so fattening or sweet, crunchy biscotti, not bad for a job started at 9pm.
Here's what you'll need:

Chocolate macadamia biscotti:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat bran flaked
(if you prefer, you can use 3 cups flour instead of the mix above)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp kosher unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 cup honey
3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten for brushing
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) Macadamia nuts unsalted or pistachios or almonds, coarsely chopped
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp cacao powder
2 tbsp finely ground coffee
1/2 cup chocolate chips (white can be used as well)


Preheat oven to 375F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, coffee grounds, spices and cacao powder and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined. Mix in the Macadamia or pistachios or almonds and chocolate chips.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each piece into a 16-by-2-inch log, and transfer to prepared baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. With the palm of your hand, flatten logs slightly. Brush the beaten egg over surface of the dough logs, and sprinkle generously with sugar.
Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until logs are slightly firm to touch, about 25 minutes.
Transfer logs on parchment paper to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
Place logs on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut logs crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place a wire rack on a large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange slices, cut sides down, on rack. Bake until firm to touch, about 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven; let biscotti cool completely on rack. biscotti can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Whole wheat chocolate chip biscotti
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat bran flaked
(if you prefer, you can use 3 cups flour instead of the mix above)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp kosher unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg, lightly beaten for brushing
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips (white can be used as well)

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, spices and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each piece into a 16-by-2-inch log, and transfer to prepared baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. With the palm of your hand, flatten logs slightly. Brush the beaten egg over surface of the dough logs, and sprinkle generously with sugar.
Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until logs are slightly firm to touch, about 25 minutes.
Transfer logs on parchment paper to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
Place logs on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut logs crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place a wire rack on a large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange slices, cut sides down, on rack. Bake until firm to touch, about 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven; let biscotti cool completely on rack. biscotti can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Stuffed chicken breast in quick mushroom & ginger Teriyaki sauce

I had a craving for Teriyaki and since I had just bought fresh mushrooms and ginger, I knew that it would be on my Shabbat menu. When I really want to be authentic, I make the sauce from scratch, when I don't want to bother at all, I buy bottled, but days like today, when I have most things on hand and a can of Coca-Cola,  I make my no fail 10 minute teriyaki sauce. Here's what you'll need:

6 to 8 chicken breasts, pounded
1 pound kosher ground meat or turkey

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 tsp onion powder

1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch turmeric

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp water
2 pints button mushrooms quartered
3 large onion sliced
1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsps soy sauce
1 tsp Mirin 
1 can Coke or diet Coke

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp corn starch
oil to lightly fry the chicken

In a bowl mix the meat with the breadcrumbs, nutmeg, onion powder, vegetable oil, water, salt, mix then set aside.

Flatten the chicken until you have nice large even pieces then take about 2 tbsps worth of meat form a kebab style ball and place in the center of the chicken then roll up and close with a toothpick or 2 (don't forget to remove them before serving!) and dredge in flour, not too much though, and set aside.

In a large skillet heat the oil, then place the chicken on one side to brown, then brown the other sides of every bundle, remove from skillet, drain excess oil, but leave enough for the veggies. Then add in the onions, which you should saute for 5 to 7 minutes on high till they start to caramelize. Now add the mushrooms, saute them till the water comes out of them, after that, add in the ginger and saute for another few minutes. At this point, you can add in the sesame oil and soy sauce, followed by the Coke, let it come to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and check to make sure the seasonings are to your liking. In a small bowl whisk 1 tbsp cold water with 1 tbsp cornstarch, then pour the cornstarch slurry in the pan, and stir. You will see the liquid change in color slightly and become glossy and thicken. Once everything starts to bubble add the chicken to the pot, cover then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Then uncover and let cook for another 15 minutes. Again, DO NOT forget to remove the toothpicks.

Enjoy!

Chicken croquettes

I had leftover rosemary chicken and potatoes and I decided that instead of reheating it, I'd refresh it and make chicken croquettes. Here's what you'll need:
(makes 8 large patties)

1 1/2 cup cooked kosher shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups roasted potatoes, mashed
2 eggs
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper
1 cup panko, matzo meal or breadcrumbs
oil for frying

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients except breadcrumbs and oil, shape the mixture into large patties, then dredge in the breadcrumbs and fry in hot oil till golden, then lay on a paper towel. 
I'm serving with sauteed green beans and Bulgar.

 

Bulgar wheat with roasted vegetables

I decided to try a variation of a recipe I saw last week, the recipes were all based on super grains like Quinoa. I decided to use Bulgar for this recipe, because |I love its texture. I paired the meal with sauteed green beans and chicken croquettes.
Here's what you'll need:
(makes 6 cups or so)

3/4 cup cracked Bulgar
1 large zucchini, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 medium sweet potato, diced
1 pint mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2 cups water or kosher chicken stock
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp oregano or Italian spices
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400F on Roast,  then put all of your diced veggies in an oven proof tray, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and the oregano, toss and put in the oven for about 25 minutes. 
Now in a medium pot, add the Bulgar, water, salt, 1/2 tbsp Olive oil, and chicken cube if using (don't add too much salt in that case), bring to a boil, stir, then cover, reduce the heat to minimum and let it cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, till all the water has evaporated.
Once the veggies have roasted and are tender, mix in the Bulgar with the vegetables, make sure everything is tossed and serve hot or warm as a side dish, or if you would prefer, add some toasted nuts of your choice and serve as a vegetarian main course.
Enjoy!