Sauerkraut Bread

This is really simple yet delicious dish. Cabbage pies are very common in Russia. There are a million and one recipe for a dough as well as cabbage stuffing. Some require sauteing the cabbage; some add other things to stuffing like boiled eggs; yet others use fermented Russian cabbage or a mix of it with fresh; some doughs are made with yeast and some aren't; the shape may be round or take up entire baking sheet. The pies or breads differ vastly and enjoyed by practically all. Once again I played with different recipes, tried several ways of stuffing and adapted this to my own taste buds and, these days, make it almost exclusively with sauerkraut. For dough I modified my usual Hallah dough recipe and make it with milk.

Dough

4-4&1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
4 tblsp sugar
3 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil or melted butter
1 pkg yeast=2 1/4 tsp
1 1/4 warm  milk
Stuffing
1/2 from  2lbs jar of sauerkraut drained

3large onions

1/3 c oil for sauteing

salt pepper

1 egg for egg wash

I make my dough in my Kitchen aid and do not bother mixing yeast and sugar water separately. In a mixing bowl I measure and sift the flour, add eggs, oil or butter, salt, sugar and yeast then warm milk. Then make dough with dough attachment. KitchenAid does it's job well and the dough is formed and rolled into a ball, ready for resting within 10 min. Using the same bowl, I cover the top of the dough loosely with well oiled piece of plastic wrap. My oven that is not on at the moment but has the oven light on provides a perfect place for the dough to prove. The oven is draft free and T in it raises to about 130F just from the oven light being on. With this conditions the dough is ready to be used in a couple of hours. While the dough is resting I clean the onions, cut them in halves, then quarters and slice thinly. Saute in oil over small flame to caramelize the onions.  It takes about 20 minutes for the onions to get to the perfect condition and to get caramel gold in color. Drain the sauerkraut in colander and squeeze some but not all of the moisture out. Then salt and pepper added and mix well with sauerkraut. After the dough rose and doubled in size, punch it down and roll out on a flour dusted surface to about 1/2 inch thickness. Turn the oven to 375 F. it is best to form the log directly on the baking sheet lined with silicon pad because it is not easy to transfer the log once t is made.The stuffing mix is placed in the middle and dough is formed in to a log. The seam can be placed on the bottom or the dough can be folded in as a 3 folds letter. If the dough is too thick at the ends of a log it can be trimmed and used for a decorative touch as  a small braid or flowers on the top of the log. Most importantly the steam will need to escape somehow, so either the holes have to be punctured in with a knife or a fork of the dough has to be folded decoratively to allow for steam to escape and not tear the bread open. After all has been folded and decorated, egg wash is applied with silicon brush. The bread is baked in the middle of the oven for 40-50 min, till the bread reaches the deep golden color. Allow to rest and cool down for at least 15 min before slicing.

Hallah bread

I love hallah bread and was completely at awe at the Jewish ladies that made it at home every Friday for the Shabbat in Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights. My mom and I lived in that neighbourhood when we first came to US. Every Friday we were invited to a Shabbat dinner by a random Jewish family, for whom having us for Friday night dinner was a mitzvah - good deed. I was not familiar with anything that had to do with cooking and mystery of making bread was beyond me. I could not imagine that bread is something that can be done at home. I know better now and do not think much of it. I do not make it on a weekly basis but often enough not to need to look at the recipe.

4-4&1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
4 tblsp sugar
3 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 pkg yeast=2 1/4 tsp
1 1/4 warm water
1 egg for brushing
Most of the bread recipes call for mixing of water and sugar and letting it ferment and bubble before adding it to the flour. I use my Kitchen aid to make the dough. It's clean and fast. I add the flour and the rest of ingredients then mix it all with hook attachment on dough setting. Cover the dough with oiled well large piece of plastic and place in the oven that is off but has the light on. The light bulb inside the oven provides just enough heat and draft free environment that the dough is fast to rise. Once it is doubled in size, punch it down, knead it for a couple of minutes, cut in 3 equal pieces and braid . Set aside on the baking sheet lined with silicon mat for about 20 min. and turn oven to 375F. Meanwhile make an egg wash and brush on the hallah. It can be sprinkled with sesame or poppy seeds for decoration and place in  375F oven for 30-40 min or until uniformly light brown.

Cauliflower in crumbs

I grew up eating cauliflower prepared this way and this  was one of my favorite dishes as a kid. It was fried and crunchy - what's not to love? I now cook it for the kids and steal few pieces of the pan as soon as it is done. It is an easy recipe to make.
1 cauliflower cut up in florets
1 egg
1/2-3/4 cup of bread crumbs or corn flake crumbs or a combo  of both
1 tsp of favorite seasoning Italian or herb de Provence
salt and pepper
oil for frying about 1/3 cup
Cut up the cauliflower  into florets and toss into boiling slightly salted water. Cook for about 3-5 min, it should still be firm and al dente. While the cauliflower is in the pot,  scramble the egg in the bowl. With a slotted spoon remove the florets from the water to  the bowl with eggs and stir to coat them in the egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and seasoning, then  add the crumbs to coat the florets, stirring and mixing to cover with crumbs somewhat evenly. This is not an easy task to accomplish, so not to worry, if it is not completely coated. Heat up a large frying pan with oil. The florets are thirsty for oil and will absorb a lot. Fry on a medium to high heat for another 5-7 min till cauliflower is tender if pierced with knife. I have used different seasonings for this dish, most anything goes well here, experiment away.

Israeli Couscous

I have had an argument with my husband for a while now, in fact every time I cook this dish. The very first time I prepared Israeli couscous, I called it farfelah by it's other name. He could not believe me that this is an old Ashkenazim Jewish dish. He was convinced and tried really hard to show me the error of my thinking by telling me that farfelah in a bow tie shaped pasta and pronounced farfalle. I remember my mom telling me how this pasta was made at home by manually pushing dough through metal colander with round holes in its bottom, and sliced off with a knife. Although I never seen it - I imagined it rather vividly. The fact that it is also called Israeli couscous did not occur to me until I seen it on the package. Well, guess who won in this culinary dispute? I do not get to win often but this argument would not be lost by me! Luckily, there is wikipedia.

Farfel is not related to the similar-sounding falafel and farfalle.

 I have made this as a side dish occasionally and without anything fancy about it. I start by sauteing onion in oil or butter then adding pasta and slightly toasting it with the onion and then adding water, salt and pepper. The entire dish is done in about 10 min. Has an interesting texture and be flavored in many ways.

Recently, on a shopping trip to one of my favorite stores - Trader Joe's I came across a package with a blend of different things but Farfeleh as a main ingredient. I was happy and decided to make it something more out of this blend.

1 onion chopped

1 celery rib chopped

2 carrots shredded

1 zucchini diced

1 c of broccoli florets
10-12 garlic cloves sliced

1 tsp herb de Provence

2 tbsp julienned sun dried tomatoes in oil

8 oz(1/2 bag) couscous blend

oil for sauteing vegetables.

salt and pepper

 Saute onions and as they become opaque add carrots, followed by celery and zucchini, followed by half of the garlic, salt, paper and herbs. The couscous mix is added then and sauteed for another minute or so, then 2 cups of water and the sun dried tomatoes. Everything is mixed in and cooked covered for about 5 in, then the broccoli florets mixed in the pasta, which at this point is bulked 

Israeli couscous with sauteed onion

up with water. Remaining garlic is added now, too. The dish is ready in another 3-5 min. I think it would work well if shrimps are tossed in with broccoli, or sliced up flavored chicken sausage, the kind that is sold at Costco. In fact, this was a side dish to a roasted pepper chicken sausage. It makes great one pot meal in under 20 min.

 









My Potato Salad

This was a nice surprise to receive compliments for a humble potato salad that I made for teachers.
5 lbs fingerling potatoes
6 green onions finely chopped (reserve a pinch for garnish)
2 tsp of dry dill
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 cup mayonnaise
2-3 honey Dijon mustard
1-1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2-3/4 tsp black pepper
(optional) 1 tsp pickle relish
It was a big one, but who really make a small bowl of potato salad? Since I cooked for a crowd I made a lot and used whole bad of fingerling potatoes. There are 5 lbs in a bag that is sold in Costco and they are not only delicious but colorful, too. These were a good choice for potato salad, however I also like Yukon Gold for this dish. I do not know a lot of people that do not like potatoes. So, for someone not to like potato salad would be surprising to me, too. I make the salad with potato skins on. I inspect, clean and remove bad parts from each one before cooking it. Once they are cooked I remove more unpleasant parts while chopping if such present themselves. As soon as I drain the water, I lay the potatoes out on the counter. I feel that it is important to work and dice potatoes while the are hot. As the steam comes off the potato pieces the extra moisture evaporates from more surfaces and the end result is that the salad is less glue like. Since fingerling are small I slice into thick coin shaped chunks. If I use Yukon Gold I cut in large 1/2 inch chunks. I prefer large bowl, to spread diced potatoes over more area for easier moisture evaporation. The dressing is made in a small bowl where I mix mayonnaise, mustard, paprika, dill and salt with pepper . Once everything is cut and still warm I add the chopped green onion and dressing. The end result - salad is not swimming in mayonnaise but rather dry, and that's how I like it. Fresh dill can be used here for dry, too. Pinch  of  chopped onion as well as dry dill and paprika can be used as garnish.

Lentil Salad

This was one of the salads for Teacher Appreciation Lunch. Very easy to make and about 20 minutes to prepare altogether.
1/2 lbs of dry lentils
1 small red onion or 1/2 large
1/2 large pepper red or yellow (I do not like green peppers in this salad)
1 celery stalk
1 small cucumber
3 green onions
5-6 sprigs of dill or parsley, or both
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper
Cook lentils in large amount of water for 15 min but not more then 20. They will at least double in volume and taste al dente. While the lentils cook, chop the vegetables as you like. On the picture I left long stripes of onions, but since it was taken I cut everything in more uniform dice. Prepare the dressing of oil and vinegar and press a garlic clove into it as well as add salt and pepper. Drain the lentils and cool for about 10 minute but while lentils are still hot add the dressing to them. Mix well. You will notice that a lot of the dressing may get absorbed by the lentils. Add the rest of the chopped ingredients and mix well. If needed more vinegar or oil may be added. I notice that the heat of the lentils somewhat reduces the acidity and sharp taste of the vinegar and as the salad cools overall flavor marry and balance each other out. I have tried it hot and it works well as it cools and even the next day.

Russian Root Vegetable Salad-Vinegret

I was in charge of Teacher Appreciation Lunch last week and was quite busy with preparations so I was not able to post, but now I have to, since the recipes I used were liked and requested by the teacher's themselves.
This salad is a classic Russian salad, that every kid grows up eating. It is a staple of Russian cuisine called Vinegret. It simply delicious and easy to make, but  few ingredients may surprise you.

Sorry about the quality of the picture, it was made with an iPhone
and will be replaced when I make this salad again(one of these days).

Although this is not a flattering photo, the salad is really good. These colors also do not stay, the longer the salad stays mixed, the more it becomes uniformly of purple beet color. That does not affect the taste, however.
I believe that dressing makes the salad and here I use non-refined sunflower oil. My mom says that the shoe laces will be delicious if served with garlic sauce. Thus, sesame oil will give most of the salads oriental flare, and extra virgin olive oil will definitely remind you of the Mediterranean. Here, most of the Russian flavor comes in the form of the oil, it is very important. Having said that, I do not expect that you will rush out to get it, so it can be substituted with a flavorless oil. However, if you are interested it is found in Russian stores or those that also cater to Russian clientele like Persian store in San Jose, called Setareh Market.
3-4  potatoes (I prefer Yukon Gold but baking potatoes will do, just use medium sized)
2-3 large beets (about the size of the potatoes or somewhat less)
2-3 carrots
1 red onion
3/4-1 can of green peas drained
1 large or several small dill pickles diced small
1 cup of squeezed dry sauerkraut (approx 1/2 of 1lbs glass jar)
3-4 sprigs of each fresh dill and flat leaf parsley or 1/2-1 of dry dill.
1/2 -3/4 cup of non refined sunflower oil
Boil the root vegetables until done. If you are concerned about the color of the presentations, beets should be boiled separately. Carrots will take less time to cook, so either take them out sooner, or add them to the pot later. As soon as the vegetables done, take it out of water and allow to cool enough where you can handle them. The potatoes are peeled and diced in quarter inch dice and placed a large bowl. The beets are diced slightly smaller and placed in a separate bowl mixed with sunflower oil. The rest of the ingredients like carrots and onion diced and added to potatoes but pickles are diced very small. Drain canned peas and add to the salad. Sauerkraut is drained and squeezed well. It seems that you are adding a lot of it to the salad but consider that vegetables were not salted when they were cooked, so both pickles and sauerkraut definitely give a lot of flavor.  A few sprigs of parsley and dill is finely chopped but dill can be substituted for dry. Dill is one of the most popular Russian herbs along with flat leaf parsley and is used almost always either ar garnish or an ingredient. Unlike most dry spices, that carry stronger flavor once they are dry, I do not find it to be true in the case of dill and add more if it is dry. Do not substitute dry parsley for fresh, it does not work if fresh parsley is not available it is OK not to add any. Salt and pepper are added last but it needs to be done with consideration to other salty ingredients and I do it to taste and can't tell how much exactly. Some pickles are saltier then others.
Traditionally, this salad is made not with German style sauerkraut but the Russian style fermented cabbage that takes less time and has somewhat different taste. Occasionally, I make it myself and more often my mother-in-law makes fermented cabbage and I will share the method and the recipe sometimes later. Using canned  German sauerkraut is my adaptation of the recipe.  If I make this salad for a party I do not mix in the beets until it is almost time to eat, but for the family I try to mix beets and oil with the rest of ingredients almost right away while the potatoes are still hot. Salad is going to be uniformly beet in color in a few hours anyway, so I prefer the flavor over presentation at home. It does make for an impressive looking salad, but I like it because of all the vegetables that are in it.

Jalapeno poppers

My husband loves heat! He puts hot sauce on everything, and the kids try to emulate him and started using hot sauce on their food, too. Sometimes I take it personally, as if my idea of a dish and the flavors I added was not enough for them. I'm beginning to theorise that heat must be like an illegal substance, the more you use, the more you want to use it. The amount of hot sauce seem to increase gradually. Every  time I make a salad my husband  tells me what's missing : "Jalapenos!" It's our family's inside joke now! With this dish I was hoping to accomplish complete satisfaction. Imagine my surprise, when the dish that was originally intended to be spicy was not.  I'm not sure is it was something about the pepper that I bought but even the kids agreed there was no heat at all. Next time I'm making this dish I will definitely leave the seeds and membranes in the peppers. As usual, I made this dish after reading about all the recipes I can on the net and coming up with my own.

12 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed

1 cup (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 cup grated Mexican blend cheeses (usually Monterey Jack and Mild Cheddar are in the blend and will do)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

about 3 cloves of garlic pressed

3-4 tbl sp chopped fresh cilantro

salt pepper to taste

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour (may be more)

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1 cup plain corn flakes crumbs

1-2 cup oil for frying

In a bowl, blend together the cream cheese, grated cheeses, cumin, garlic and chopped cilantro.Add salt and pepper. Wearing gloves is recommended for the next step. After cutting in half clean Jalapenos from seeds and membranes. Fill the halves with the cream cheese mixture. Spread flour on shallow plate and add some salt and black pepper to it. Mix bread crumbs with corn flake crumbs in a bowl. Beat together egg and milk in another bowl. Dip the filed pepper in the egg and milk mixture then dredge in flour. Then dip in the egg and milk mixture again and roll in the corn flake and bread crumb mix. Fry in the oil in a medium but deep skillet for about 2-3 min, turning once so that the color is uniform and golden brown. I also used some regular small sweet peppers. Sometimes they are sold in Costco in the bag and are about the size of the jalapenos. So that's the yellow pepper you see on the picture.

Vegetarian lasagna

I love lasagna and usually only make a vegetarian kind. I think it is an easy dish to make. Practically all of the vegetables you have in the fridge will go well into it. This is such an adaptable dish. you cant go wrong here, it is impossible not to get a great dinner. I also vary the sauce I use, sometimes it's regular spaghetti sauce and sometimes Alfredo and do not make it more complicated than it needs to be, the sauce is from a jar. Lasagna may sound complicated but in fact a very easy dish to make.

The list of ingredients may be scary at first but I do not always use all of the vegetables on the list, just the ones I have in the fridge. The usual ingredients are onion, carrots, celery, the rest are interchangeable and include pepper, zucchini or summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and or snow peas, frozen spinach and asparagus. If you do not have some thing like asparagus, add little more broccoli, if you do not have cauliflower add a little more carrot and pepper, and so on. You will not mess up the final result. As always there are ricotta cheese, mozzarella, garlic, Italian seasoning and another thing that I discovered that work well here is surprising but Persian mix sabsiash which is made of dehydrated leek, parsley and spinach. These ingredients are already present in the lasagna, so the overall taste is great.

1 chopped onion

1 chopped celery rib

2-3 sliced or shredded carrots

1 red or yellow chopped pepper

1 chopped large zucchini

1 cup broccoli
1 cup cauliflower
1 cup asparagus
1 cup chopped green beans
1 package of  frozen spinach (1 lbs)

3-4 cloves of garlic

1 egg

1 lbs package of ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cup shredded cheese like mozzarella

1 can of spaghetti or Alfredo sauce

1 box of lasagna noodles

1 tbsp of Italian seasoning

1 tbsp of sabziash

1/4 tsp crushed red peppers

salt pepper

The cooking method could be seen on this video or is listed below.

Cook lasagna pasta according to directions.

Saute vegetables, adding them in one at a time and stirring the contents. Add the about 2 chopped garlic and all of the seasonings and let the vegetables cool. In a large bowl combine the ricotta egg, and 1 cup of shredded cheese. Then add cooled cooked vegetables.  Divide the mixture in 2 or 3 parts, that will depend on the number of layers you are planning on adding. in the lasagna pan add some sauce to the bottom and press a garlic clove in the pan, mixing it well with the sauce. Layer the first noodles, then spoon the cheese and vegetable mixture. spoon over some sauce, then add another layer of noodles and repeat the procedure until you are done. Over the last noodles spoon remainder of the sauce and sprinkle with remainder 1/4 cup of the grated cheese. Bake at 350 F for about 30-40 min. Let lasagna rest for about 1- min before cutting it. Believe it or not but it is even better on the next day.