Chicken Spice Rub

There is a spice mix that I have came up with and have been using all this summer on chicken. I have done chicken on the grill and also baked it in the oven, as well as broiled it. Chicken comes out tender and flavorful. The mix is really easy to make. I use an old large spice container to mix and keep the leftover rub in. Once I run out I refill it by adding the ingredients to it. Sometimes I use table spoons to measure and if I do not need to  much I use teaspoons. Therefore I'm using equal parts as measurement.

2 parts each of:
Paprika
Sumac
 No-Salt Seasoning like Mrs Dash
1 parts each:
Celery salt
Curry powder
Ground mustard
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Turmeric
Cumin
Chili
Salt
1/2 part Allspice
optional dash of Smoke powder

I made chicken breast bone in, on the grill with this spice rub and it came out really tender and not at all dry, as sometimes happens with chicken breast.  I suspect that turmeric powder has tenderizing properties, or perhaps the curry powder does. In any case I do not  have the same effect when I use other spices on chicken. At our friends house this summer I made similar rub, he may have been short on some of the ingredients and I did not use all that are on the list. I covered chicken leg quarters in the spices and due to grill malfunction the chicken spent about 1 hour and 45 min on low heat under cover. The result was supper juicy and tender chicken parts that was falling of the bone and soon vanished of the plate. On another occasion I made 10 lbs of leg quarters and my co-workers enjoyed it at the weekly Sunday potluck. The top picture shows this recipe used for baked chicken.

When broiling I put the tray in the middle of the oven and not too close to the heating element. I believe that high heat seals in the juices as it cooks the meat through. This is sliced up chicken breast, that is still juicy after almost 30 min in the oven.

I have not tried this rub on beef, but I did on turkey. It definitively added a lot of flavor to turkey. I do not cook pork so if you try it on it let me know how it was.

Lecho or Lecsó

When I was growing up in Soviet Union we did not have a large variety of fresh fruits and vegetables through out the winter months. We did have carrots, potatoes, onion and occasional beet or cabbage. If we were to eat fruits and veggies in the winter it would have to be canned. A lot of people, my grand parents including, would  spend their summer time between the little plot of land that they were lucky to have and kitchen, canning the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. I do not know where they got the strength and how they lived on 5 hrs of sleep in the summer, but if it was not done it was not there when you need it in the winter. A lot of people survived like that during Soviet era, - that's communism - or socialism for you.
My grandparents canned everything that they grew. We had apple compote; we were eating sour cherry dumpling in the middle of the winter, as well as many jams and vegetable spreads were consumed in the winter, thanks to the tireless work of my grandparents. Occasionally, you could buy vegetables in cans in the stores, but not large variety. For some reason, this one is particularly stuck in my mind. Not sure why, since it was never made by my grandma. Perhaps, it just stands out in my memory because it was not made by her as almost everything else was. In any case, this was labeled as either Hungarian, or Bulgarian dish and was common  in the diet of Soviet people. I do not know the recipe of the dish in the jar, but after some experimentation, I think I came up to something very close to it, except may be more delicious then I remember.
This recipe is really simple, not authentic and vegetarian in my version.

Here Lecho is soaking into a slice of sourdough

2 onions cut up in large dice
3-4 carrots sliced or cut
5-6 red, yellow or orange peppers cut in pieces
can of plain tomato sauce
2-3 table spoons of paprika
1/2 tbsp of salt 
1-2 tblsp oil
The rest is easy. In a large sauteing pot, add oil and to it all of the vegetables. Paprika, and salt sprinkled over and tomato sauce is added to it. Stir often and start with large flame under the pot, then when everything is uniformly mixed and seem to get along, bring the flame lower and cook for another  20-30 min. All of the veggies will be tender and soft. I suppose canned or fresh peeled tomatoes will go well instead of tomato sauce, I have even added catchup before, when it looked like all of the fluids evaporated and it looked too dry. This makes a nice side dish or goes well over rice and polenta.

Fried Green Tomatoes

The most predictable weather in the States is in the Bay Area, California, in my opinion. The temperature is fairly stable and not much of a pattern. Hot in the summer and rainy in the winter. Lot of South Bay residents I know grow their own tomatoes. Our backyards are shaded by the number of fruit trees. I have figs and persimmons, nectarine and guava, and get to try our neighbor's plums, apples, apricot and lots of other fruits. Ah, the joys of California's weather. This year however, I got cough by surprise by the sudden coming of fall weather. Well, I knew that autumn was approaching, it just came to suddenly, and it feels like it got colder in a day, not gradually. I think my tomatoes got cough off guard, too. I doubt that any green tomatoes will get to ripen on he vine. Well, that should not be an obstacle to good food. I always thing of the movie when I cook this dish. There are a lot of versions of this simple yet delicious recipe on the net.

5 large green tomatoes thickly sliced

3 eggs

1/2 c milk

1 c flour

1 c bread crumbs or panko or corn flake crumbs, or a mix of any of those 

salt & black pepper

vegetable oil for frying

Optional favorite spices, like Italian seasoning ad Mrs Dash,  could be added to the flour. Sliced tomatoes are dredged in flour, then dipped in mixture of eggs and milk, then coated in bread crumbs and fried in oil. About 5 at a time are submerged half way in oil. Once one side is browned, the tomato slices are flipped over. That takes about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Place on the plate that is paper towel lined. I like to keep those worm in my toaster oven, they are better crunchy, so do not heat in the microwave.

Eggplant Caponata and more

This is one of those recipes I came across while reading an old cook book on Italian cuisine. I got instantly curious and had to try it. It turned out fantastic and really delicious. I have used it many times, however I decided to expand on the recipe and do more with it, or just not limit myself to eggplant. I used more vegetables than original recipe. I added peppers zucchinis and more tomatoes in addition to increasing the capers and pine nuts. Here is what happened.

I modified to this

2 large diced eggplant in 2 cm

2 chopped onions

2 large peppers

2 large zucchinis

2 diced celery stalk

4 skinless diced tomatoes

1/4 cup of capers

1/4 cup of pine nuts

3 tablespoons sugar dissolved in

1/3 cup wine vinegar

I follow original recipe for the most part. I cook everything together. Even though it calls to remove the eggplant, I don't. I saute the veggies together . Instead of canned tomatoes, here I used fresh but peeled, since we have such an abundance of them this summer but canned is fine, too.

Make scrumptious appetizer or side dish. 

 That is what it looks like

Teiglach for Rosh Hashana

When I was a kid, my grandma cooked a lot of foods, that are here referred to as cuisine of Ashkenazi Jews. I did not know that when I was growing up, it was just something my grandma cooked. She was an excellent chef, and her tiny kitchen produced many fantastic dishes that now live only in my memories. That is the thing with people... we do not thing that something that is there all the time, one day may be gone.  My aunt says that she has some of grandma's recipes, but I know that its likely, she does not have the ones grandma made for Jewish holidays. Plus, grandma cooked by feel, look, and touch more then a recipe. It is very sad that I do not have her recipes to carry on, still I try my best to keep traditions alive for my kids.

Every Jewish New Year we celebrate with honey. Apples are dipped in the honey to have a sweet year ahead. Every year I make a honey cake, or lekach where I use honey instead or sugar. This year I decided to do something different when I remembered something grandma made once in a while. I remember that grandma prepared a home made noodles as well as little pieces of cooked dough that we put in the soup - mandlen, here called soup nuts. The cooked pieces of dough are similar to nuts in size and texture, so I can theorize that when it was eaten in the impoverished regions within pale of settlement , it was thought of as nuts.

The sweet treat I would like to share is nothing more then cooked dough with nuts caramelized in honey. 
Naturally, since I do not have grandma's recipe to follow, I read all the recipes that I could find and made my own version of this signature dish. I tried to remember the taste of my grandma's recipe and that is what guided me in the ingredients I did or did not use.

dough:

4 eggs

1/4 c salad oil

2 cups of flour

1/8 tsp of salt

oil for frying

candy:

1 lb of honey

1/2 c hazelnuts coarsely chopped

1/2 c walnut pieces

1/2 c  almond sliced or chopped

1/2 pine nuts

lemon peel from 1 lemon

In a food processor blend eggs and oil with salt, then add flour. Once the dough comes together turn it out to well flowered board. Roll the dough into less then 1/2 inch thickens and cut into strips then into bean size pieces. Make sure they do not stick together but shake off any excess flour when cooking. I tried both methods of cooking the dough. about 1/3 of the batch I cooked for about 7-8 min in the 450F oven and the rest fried. Fried pieces of dough is much better looking and much better tasting. I realized that frying is not as healthy as baking the dough, but let's face it, this is a dessert that is made once a year. As with all the desserts it is not meant to be a main dish, but rather shared and savoured in small amounts with family and friends.  The next step is cooking the honey. In a large pan honey is brought to a boil and then simmer, thickening it and reducing it in volume for about 8-10 min. I love nuts and I do not like them toasted. Most recipes out there call for the nuts to be toasted, but I did not. I do not think toasting here, add anything in flavor, so I skipped toasting nuts. Once the honey is ready all of the dough and nuts is added to the honey and stirred carefully, the mixture is very hot. Stir and mix in the lemon peel making sure everything is coated evenly. Cook for additional 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the mixture.

Once it resembles more of a ball then a stew, the dish is done. Cooked mixture then transferredd onto the large dish that can be sprinkled with a layer of sliced almonds before turning out the candy. The loose honey will still settle down to the bottom, and make it difficult for the candy to pick off from the plate so do not fret. As the mixture cools it becomes easier to handle and can be formed into individual small portions. I left the plate as it looks in the picture and cut off servings as needed. This was a fun dish to make and eat.

Fire Roasted Pepers

This is one of my staple recipes I cook all the time. Luckily I live next to an Oriental supermarket and bell peppers  there usually very inexpensive. I pick up a dozen and roast them over the the open flame right on the stove. Garlic and olive oil with addition salt make perfect dressing. The peppers keep great in the fridge for about one week. It is not recommended however to keep garlic in oil for longer then 10 days, to prevent botulism. In any case, the peppers usually do not survive that long. They make an excellent appetiser, side dish or become an excellent addition to a sandwich.

I have put the peppers in sandwiches out of lavash bead for one of the birthday parties for my kids. I like lavash roller sandwiches since they are easy to make  and make great finger food at the party.

I made several different varieties.
One was with turkey, another with pastrami and last one with roasted vegetables. 

Lavash is usually much lower in calories then a regular bun, not to mention that one piece of lavash once rolled up gets cut into much smaller pieces. Having given the link above, I want to note that Trader Joe's lavash is smaller then the kind I buy at my Middle Eastern store. Some things I want to note is that lavash is really thin and must be fresh out of sealed bag for the rolled up sandwich to be a success. Once the bag is open the bread dries out really easy and starts to crumble when you try to use it. Lay your lavash out and place the driest ingredients out, covering about half to 1/3 of the bread. Once you start to roll you will want and additional layer of bread to hold the sandwich together. If you are using a mayo or your favorite spread it should go on the top of meat and not on the bread itself.  The bread gets torn easily so ingredients should not really be very moist. In the past I have sprinkled some milled flax seed directly on the lavash to act as an absorbent . Vegetarian rollers go great with hummus, but once again, lavash does not like to much moisture and once soggy, it falls apart. I hope I do not completely discourage anyone, as this is great idea for the party.