Shakshuka

Shakshuka
Serves 4

olive oil
5 Anaheim chiles or 3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (or way less...)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
Kosher salt, to taste
4-6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Warm pitas and humus and salad, for serving

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.

Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pitas, for dipping.

Slow Cooker Pastrami'd Brisket

Slow Cooker Pastrami'd Brisket
Serves 6-8

3-4 lbs brisket, trimmed a bit.
4 Tbs coriander
2 Tbs salt
2 Tbs pepper
2 tsp paprika
Some cayenne
Vegetable oil
3/4c brown sugar
1/3c yellow mustard
1/2 red onion, rough chopped
1 can beef broth

Trim the brisket of any super-thick fat, and pat very dry with paper towels.
Season with the mix of seasonings on both sides, rubbing it in some.
Heat a large pan and sear the meat in minimal oil until well browned. Remove and let rest 20 minutes, loosly covered with foil.
Mix the mustard and brown sugar into a paste. Lay the brisket out onto two overlapping big sheets of foil and cover both sides of the meat with all of the paste. Wrap up tighly with foil and let sit overnight, if desired.

When ready to cook, either get out the slow cooker or pre-heat the oven to 300.
In the oven, cook in the foil, in a roasting pan, 10 hours or until very soft to the point of a knife.
In the slow cooker, spread the onions in the bottom of the vessel and pour in the stock. Put the meat on top and cook on low 10 hours or while you're at work.

5 Hour Gravlax

5 Hour Gravlax
Serves 4 as appetizer

1 heaped Tbs dark brown sugar
2 Tbs vodka
Sea salt/kosher salt
Zest of 1/2 orange
Zest of 2 lemons
1 Bunch dill, chopped
Two tail-end (ie boneless) salmon fillets, total 6oz each
Various sides as desired (bread, sour cream, horseradish, etc)

Mix everything except the fish in a dish just big enough to hold the fish, until a paste forms - add water if needed.
Rub the fish with the mix and press the two halves into the dish, skin up.

Cover and refrigerate 5-24 hours, turning a few times. The fish is done when it is opaque and cured-feeling...kind of rubbery and solid.
Serve skinned and thin-sliced.

If it comes out too salty, soak cleaned fish in cold water for 20 minutes - no more then 1 hour.

Hot Reuben Dip

Hot Reuben Dip
Serves 6-8

8oz Corned beef, diced
8oz Neufchatel/light cream cheese, softened
8oz swiss cheese, shredded
15oz can drained saurkraut
Pinch of pepper, caraway

1/3-1/2c Russian Dressing or:
1/4c light mayo
3 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs brown mustard
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 pickle, diced

Mix everything up in a bowl, put in a dish, top with a little extra cheese, and bake for 30 minutes at 400. Broil at the end to brown the top if necessary.
Eat with rye crackers, etc.

Crypto-Brazilian Jewish Stew

Crypto-Brazilian Jewish Stew
Serves 6

2.5 lbs stew beef
4 dried chiles, crushed
olive oil
1/2 head garlic, chopped
2 bay leaf
2 large onions, sliced
2 large mangos, sliced
1c Pearl Barley/etc
Big pinch saffron, plus some tumeric
2t Allspice
Salt and pepper
2 chipotle, chopped
Cilantro

In a big pot, brown the meat and remove. Fry the garlic, bay, and peppers for a few minutes. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the beef back in.
Barely cover the mix with water, bring to a boil, and simmer 1.5 hours.
Add 1 mango, barley, spices, and chipotle. Cook another 45-60mins. Add the second mango and serve.

Sephardic Chicken Stew

Sephardic Chicken Stew
6 serving

2lbs chicken thighs (6)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 dash cumin seeds
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoon harissa
1/2 jar green olives, pitted
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup peas
1-1.5 cup water
1 Box Couscous

In huge skillet, sautee onion on oil until translucent and tender. Mix together the allspice, sea salt, hot paprika, turmeric, cumins, and garlic powder. Rub chicken in this mixture. When onion is translucent, add chicken and cook for 10 minutes until browned on all sides.

Add 1/4 cup water and continue braising for 20-25minutes on low-medium, mostly covered with lid. Add remaining water, harissa, and garlic cloves. Reduce heat to simmer, and stew for 30-45minutes, until chicken is done and sauce has reduced.
Add artichoke hearts and olives. Continue braising on low for another 30 minutes until chicken is very tender, and can easily fall off the bone. Add the peas and a little remaining parsley to finish.
Serve with couscous.

What about Corned Beef and Cabbage isn't Jewish

Absolutely nothing.

Corned Beef and Cabbage
Serves 6

1 flat-cut Corned Beef, with whatever's in the package
6 Peppercorns
Dried spices (thyme, marjoram, whatever)
2 tsp Mustard
1 large onion, diced
1 beer
Water
1 lbs small white potatoes, whole
2 lbs small turnips, large cubes
1 head green cabbage, eighths


Put the corned beef and the other items in a large pot, and cover by an inch with water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 3+ hours, turning once halfway through.

Remove the beef and keep warm. Trim any major fat deposits.
Add the potatoes and turnips into the broth, and cook 20 minutes. Add the cabbage, and cook for another 15.

Slice the beef thinly, and serve with mustard.

Matzo Brei

How I make Fried Matzo

Matzo Brei (Fried Matrzo)

3 eggs
3T milk/cream/etc
5 sheets matzo (Streit's Lightly Salted is the best IMO)
Heavy on the salt
Super heavy on the fresh-cracked pepper.
1 Tbs Butter

1. Beat together eggs, milk, and little salt/pepper
2. Run each sheet of matzo under hot water for a split second. Then break, fold over, break, fold over until you get bite-sized pieces (3/4inch?) Mix with the eggs.
3. Heat the butter in a big pan. Mix the matzo and eggs well, and add to the pan. Add a little more salt/pepper.
4. Cook until it's all done. I like mine firm.
5. Move to a plate, and top with whatever you want. I like salt and a dumptruck of fresh cracked black pepper. Other people like applesauce, maple syrup, cinnamon-sugar, etc.

I almost lost my Latke Recipe

I found it - let the countdown to the 3rd annual latke fry begin.

Sweet Potato and Scallion Latkes
Remember to make the mix/batter by eye - that much flour and egg can be stretched.

1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper
water

Stir together scallions, flour, eggs, salt, and pepper, add water to get what amounts to a batter, if necessary. Add potatoes.
If the batter is batter-y enough, then these can be griddled in little fat.
Scoop out latkes and fry until GB/D.